description stringlengths 2.98k 3.35M | abstract stringlengths 94 10.6k | cpc int64 0 8 |
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This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/932,892 filed Sep. 18, 1997 (abandoned), which is a File-Wrapper-Continuation of Ser. No. 08/483,633 filed Jun. 7, 1995 (abandoned), both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The construction of libraries of fragments of antibody molecules that are expressed on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage and the selection of phage antibodies (Phabs) by binding to antigens have been recognized as powerful means of generating new tools for research and clinical applications. This technology, however, has been mainly used to generate Phabs specific for purified antigens that are available in sufficient quantities of solid-phase dependent selection procedures. The effectiveness of such Phabs in biochemical and functional assays varies; typically, the procedure used to select Phabs determines their utility.
Typically, many antigens of interest are not available in pure form in very large quantities. This clearly limits the utility of Phabs in binding such materials for research and clinical applications. Further, the utility of Phabs in such applications is directly proportional to the purity of the antigens and purification methods to assure the specificity of the isolate Phabs. Human monoclonal antibodies that bind to native cell surface structures are expected to have broad application in therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. An important extension of phage antibody display technology would be a strategy for the direct selection of specific antibodies against antigens expressed on the surface of subpopulations of cells present in a heterogenous mixture. Ideally, such antibodies would be derived from a single highly-diverse library containing virtually every conceivable antibody specificity.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
A library was constructed from 49 human germline V H genes fused to a J H 4 gene and partly randomized CDR3 regions varying in length between 6 and 15 amino acids. The CDR3 regions were designated to contain short stretches of fully randomized amino acid residues flanked by regions of limited variability. Residues in the latter portion of CDR3 were selected based on their frequent occurrence in CDRs (complementarity-determining regions) of natural antibody molecules, random CDR3 with an increased frequency of clones producing functional antigen binding sites. The synthetic V H segments were combined with seven different V L genes and expressed as geneIII-scFv fragments on the surface of phage, resulting in a library of 3.6×10 8 clones. This library was used to isolate monoclonal phage antibodies (MoPhabs) to a variety of different structures (haptens, proteins and polysaccharides) by selection on solid phase-bound antigen.
Further, MoPhabs were also isolated by flow cytometry, resulting in MoPhabs specific for subpopulations of cells present in a heterogenous mixture. These antibodies detect known and novel structures on various populations of blood and fetal bone marrow cells.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
The phage antibodies of the instant invention are obtained from a library of phage antibodies which possess specificity for a plurality of antigens. In practice, such libraries can be obtained from a variety of sources or constructed by known methods. A method particularly useful for constructing such libraries is described in paper by G. Winter, et al., Annual Reviews of Immunology, 12, 433-455 (1994), which is incorporated by references.
The library is then admixed with the antigens (as used herein, antigen shall be inclusive of haptens and antigen analogs) of interest and the phage antibodies bound to these antigens are then isolated. The procedure may be repeated until a population of phage antibodies having the desired specificity(ies) is obtained, and the isolated phage antibodies may then be cloned by conventional methods known to those in the art.
In a preferred embodiment, the phage antibody library is admixed with a cell mixture labeled with a fluorescent labeled antigen, or a plurality of antigens each labeled with a different fluorescent label, and sorted by flow cytometry. Preferred labels include phycoerythrin (PE), PerCP, and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The phage antibodies bound to cells, thus obtained, can be eluted. The phage antibodies (phages that express antibody specificities of interest) can then be cloned by conventional techniques to obtain a plurality of phage antibodies having high specificity for single antigens.
EXAMPLES
The following examples illustrate certain preferred embodiments of the instant invention, but are not intended to be illustrative of all embodiments.
Example 1
Library Construction
The semi-synthetic Phab library was constructed essentially as described in Hoogenboom and Winter, J. Mol. Biol. 227, 381-388 (1992) and Nissim et al. EMBO 13, 692-698 (1994). Briefly, degenerate oligonucleotides were used to add synthetic CDR3 regions to a collection of 49 previously cloned germline V H genes. Subsequently, these in vitro ‘rearranged’ V H genes were cloned into a collection of pHEN1 phagemid-derived vectors containing 7 different light chain V regions, fused in frame to the gene encoding the phage minor capsid protein geneIII. Introduction of these constructs into bacteria results, in the presence of helper phage, in the expression of scFv antibody fragments as geneIII fusion proteins on the surface of bacteriophage.
Plasmid DNA containing the V κ 3 gene expressed in EBV-transformed cell line was amplified with primers V κ 3LINK and J κ 4B to introduce NcoI and XhoI restriction sites and the (G4S) linker sequence. Amplified product was cloned into the pHEN1 phagemid vector using NcoI and XhoI resulting in pHEN1-V κ 3. Total RNA was isolated from fetal bone marrow B lymphocytes, converted to cDNA by oligo-dT priming and amplified by PCR using V κ 1, V κ 2, V κ 4, V λ 1 and V λ 2 gene family-specific primers. All PCR reactions were carried out in a volume of 50 μl with 250 μM dNTPs, 20 pmol of each primer and 0.2 units of Taq DNA polymerase (Supertaq, HT biotechnology Ltd. Cambridge, UK) in the manufacturer recommended buffer. PCR reactions consisted of 25 cycles of 1 minute at 94° C., 1 minute at 58° C. and 2 minutes at 72° C.). PCR amplified products were digested with SacI and NotI and ligated in the pHEN1-V κ 3 vector digested with the same enzymes. This resulted in the construction of 7 pHEN1-derived vectors, each containing a rearranged member of the V κ 1, V κ 2, V κ 3, V κ 4, V λ 1, V λ 2 and V λ 3 gene families, the scFv linker and restriction sites XhoI and NcoI for cloning of the heavy chain library. Nucleotide sequences of the V L genes appear in the EMBL, Genbank and DDBJ Nucleotide Sequence Databases under accession numbers X83616 and X83712-X83714.
PCR primers were designed to fuse a bank of 49 germline V H genes (Tomlinson et al., J. Mol. Biol. 227, 776-798 (1992)) to CDR3 regions, varying in length from 6 to 15 residues, and a J H 4 gene segment. Template, consisting of 0.5 ng of a mixture of plasmids encoding genes from a single V H gene family, was amplified using the V H family based primers VHBackSfi (Marks et al., J. Mol. Biol. 222, 581-597 (1991)) and one of the CDR3 primers. PCR products of each amplification encoding a differently-sized HCDR3 loop were digested with XhoI and NcoI and cloned into the pHEN1-V λ 1 vector. This resulted in a phagemid library of 1.2×10 8 clones. Plasmid DNA from this library was digested with XhoI-NcoI and the synthetic V H regions were cloned into the other pHEN1-light chain vectors, resulting in seven libraries, each varying in size between 2×10 7 and 1.2×10 8 clones. The seven libraries were rescued individually (Marks et al., EMBO 12, 725-734 (1993)) using helper phage VCS-M13 (Stratagene) and finally combined to form a single library of 3.6×10 8 clones.
Example 2
Selection of Phage Antibodies
The phages were panned for binding to antigen-coated immunotubes (Nunc Maxisorp; Marks et al. J. Mol. Biol. 222, 581-597 (1991) using the following antigens: dinitrophenol (DNP) coupled to BSA, tetanus toxoid (TTX), tyraminated Group B Streptococcal type III capsular polysaccharide (GBS), human surfactant protein A (spA; Hawgood, Pulmonary Surfactant: From Molecular Biology to Clinical Practice. Elsevier Science Publishers, pp. 33-54 (1992), human thyroglobulin (Tg; Logtenberg et al., J. Immunol. 136, 1236-1240 (1986)), human Von Willebrand Factor (VWF), human VWF fragment A2, a purified human IgG paraprotein, a recombinant protein corresponding to the HMG domain of T cell-specific transcription factor TCF-1 (HMG, van Houte et al, J. Biol. Chem. 268, 18083 (1993), a deletion mutant of the epithelial glycoprotein EGP-2 (δEGP-2; Helfrich et al., Int. J. Cancer, Suppl. 8,1. (1994), the extracellular portion of human ICAM-1, (Hippenmeyer et al. Bio. Technology 11, 1037 (1993), an uncharacterized DNA binding protein isolated from a cDNA library and expressed as a maltose binding protein (MBP) fusion protein (BLT1/MBP), and the human homeobox protein PBX1a (Monica et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 11, 6149-6157 (1991). All antigens were coated overnight at room temperature at a concentration of 10 ug/ml in PBS (DNP-BSA, GBS, Tg, VW, A2, TTX, ICAM-1, BLT1/MBP, PBX1a) or 50 mM NaHCO 3 pH 9.6 (IgG, spA, HMG, δEGP-2).
To target selection of Phabs to a desired portion of a molecule, phage selections were performed on solid phase-bound BLT1/MBP fusion protein as described in the standard protocol with the addition of 6 μg/ml soluble MBP to the Phab-milkpowder mixture during panning. In order to obtain Phabs capable of discriminating between two highly homologous proteins, selections on immunotube-coated full-length PBX1a were carried out according to the standard protocol in the presence of 5 μg/ml full-length recombinant PBX2 protein during panning (Monica et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 11, 6149-6157 (1991).
Example 3
Selection of Phage Antibodies by Cell Sorting
Venous blood was diluted 1:10 in 0.8% NH 4 Cl/0.08% NaHCO 3 /0.08% EDTA (pH 6.8) to remove erythrocytes and the nucleated cells were pelleted and washed once in PBS/1% BSA. Approximately 10 13 phage antibody particles were blocked for 15 minutes in 4 ml 4% milkpowder in PBS (MPBS). 5×10 6 leucocytes were added to the blocked phages and the mixture was slowly rotated overnight at 4° C. The following day, cells were washed twice in 50 ml ice-cold PBS/1% BSA. The pelleted cells were resuspended in 50 μl of CD3-PerCP and 50 μl of CD20-FITC and after a 20 minute incubation on ice, cells were washed once with 1% BSA/PBS and resuspended in 500 μl ice-cold PBS/1% BSA. Cell sorting was performed on a FACSvantage®. For each subpopulation, 10 4 cells were sorted in 100 μl PBS.
Example 4
Propagation of Selected Phages
Phages were eluted from the cells by adding 150 μl 76 mM citric acid pH 2.5 in PBS and incubation for 5 minutes at room temperature (RT). The mixture was neutralized with 200 μl 1 M Tris/HCl, pH 7.4. Eluted phages were used to infect E'Coli X11-Blue and the bacteria were plated on TYE medium containing the appropriate antibiotics and glucose. Bacterial colonies were counted, scraped from the plates and used as an inoculum for the next round of phage rescue.
Example 5
Preparation of Monoclonal Phage Antibodies and scFv Fragments and Immunofluorescent Analysis
Phages were prepared from individual ampicillin resistant colonies grown in 25 ml 2TY medium, purified by polyethylene glycol precipitation, resuspended in 2 ml PBS, filtered (0.45 μM) and stored at 4° C. until further use. ScFv fragments were produced in E Coli non-suppressor strain SF110 that is deficient in the proteases degP and ompT. In our experience, the stability of scFv produced in SF110 is superior to that of scFv produced in HB2151 commonly used for this purpose.
For staining of leucocytes, 100 μl MoPhab was blocked by adding 50 μl 4% MPBS for 15 minutes at RT. 5×10 5 leucocytes in 50 μl PBS/1% BSA were added and incubated on ice for 1 hour. The cells were washed twice in ice-cold PBS/1% BSA. To detect cell-bound phages, the cells were incubated in 10 μl of 1/200 diluted sheep anti-M13 polyclonal antibody (Pharmacia, Uppsala. Sweden), washed twice and incubated in 10 μl of 20 μg/ml PE-labeled donkey anti-sheep polyclonal antibody (Jackson Immunoresearch, West Grove, Pa.), each for 20 minutes on ice. The cells were washed and incubated in 10 μl each of CD3 -FITC and CD20-PerCP monoclonal antibodies. When cells were strained with purified scFv fragments, second and third step reagents consisted of the anti-myc tag-specific antibody 9E10 and FITC- or PE-labeled goat anti-mouse antibodies. After a single final wash, the cells were resuspended in 0.5 ml PBS/1%/BSA and analyzed by FACS.
Fetal bone marrow was from aborted fetuses (16-22 weeks gestation) and used following the guidelines of the institutional review board of Stanford Medical School Center on the use of human subjects in medical research. Bone marrow cells were obtained by flushing intramedullary cavities of the femurs with RPMI 1640 medium. Pelleted cells were treated with the hypotonic NH 4 Cl solution to remove erythrocytes. 10 6 fetal bone marrow cells were stained with MoPhabs T1, B9, and B28 in combination with a panel of fluorochrome-labeled MoAbs. The panel includes CD3 (Leu 4B PerCP), CD4 (Leu FITC), CD8 (Leu2a APC), CD10 (anti Calla FITC; all from Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems, San Jose, Calif.), and FITC-conjugated goat anti-human μ, δ, and κ chain-specific polyclonal antibodies (Southern Biotechnologies, AL).
Example 6
Specificity of Isolated MoPhabs
5×10 6 erythrocyte-lysed peripheral blood cells from a healthy individual were incubated with the phage library and subsequently stained with CD3 PerCP and CD20 FITC labeled monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs). The population was run on a flow cytometer.
10 4 cells of each population were sorted and the phages bound to the isolated cells were eluted from the cell surface. The number of clones obtained after the first round of selection varied between 320 and 1704. The number of phage clones obtained roughly was inversely correlated with the frequency of the cell population in the blood sample as shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1
Sorted
#MoPhabs
# Staining
Population
Round 1
Round 2
# Pos. Clones
Profiles
‘all’ leucocytes
640
980
15/15
1
eosinophils
1280
390
11/15
2
T-cells (CD3 + )
320
3330
15/15
2
B-cells
1704
6000
10/16
3
(CD20 + )
The second round of selection resulted in a modest increase in the number of phages eluted from the cells in most but not all cases as shown in Table 1.
The phages eluted from the sorted cells were expanded as individual libraries and used in a second round of selection employing the same procedure. Finally, MoPhabs were prepared from individual colonies obtained after the second round of selection.
The binding properties of 15 MoPhabs from each sorted population was analyzed by incubation with peripheral blood leucocytes followed by incubation with secondary anti-phage PE-labeled antibody and CD20 FITC and CD3 PerCP. After two rounds of selection, between 63% and 100% of the MoPhabs were found to display binding activity to leucocytes, see Table 1.
Staining profiles were obtained for a negative control MoPhab, a MoPhab derived from sorting ‘all’ leucocytes, two eosinophil-derived MoPhavs (E1/E2), two T cell derived MoPhabs 9T1fF2) and two B cell derived MoPhabs (B9/B28). ScFv fragments were produced from each MoPhab clone. For all clones, identical results were obtained for whole phage antibodies and isolated scFv fragments, albeit some loss of signal intensity was observed when using the latter. The 15 MoPhAbs selected on ‘all’ leukocytes showed identical staining patterns: all granulocytes, eosinophils, and monocytes stained homogeneously bright. All the T lymphocytes stained but with varying intensity. Strikingly, no binding to B lymphocytes was observed. Among the 15 MoPhAbs selected for binding to eosinophils, two staining patterns were discernable. Both MoPhabs bound to all eosinophils and monocytes; the staining profile of granulocytes differed between both MoPhabs. MoPhab E2 reacted with the majority of T cells, whereas virtually no staining of T cells was observed with MoPhab E1. Conversely, MoPhab E2 did not bind to B cells while MoPhab El stained virtually all B cells. Two staining patterns could be distinguished among the 12 MoPhabs selected for binding to T lymphocytes. MoPhab T2 dimly stained a subpopulation of B cells, T cells and granulocytes but not monocytes and eosinophils. MoPhab T1 exclusively and brightly stained a subpopulation of T lymphocytes comprising approximately 50% of CD3 + cells. Finally, among MoPhabs selected from B cells, three staining patterns were distinguishable: approximately 50% of the peripheral blood B cells stained with MoPhab B9, MoPhab B28 stained all CD20 + peripheral blood B cells, whereas MoPhab B11 stained virtually all leucocytes.
MoPhabs TI, B9 and B28 were selected for further characterization. In four color staining experiments with CD3, CD4, CD8 and T1 antibodies, T1 was shown to bind to CD8 + cells and not to CD4 + cells. Immunofluorscent staining of COS cells transiently transfected with cDNAs encoding the CD8α chain, the CD8β chain or both demonstrated that MoPhAb T1 recognized cells expressing the CD8αα homodimer. We conclude that T1 recognizes an epitope encoded by the CD8α chain.
Triple-staining of B9 with CD20 and antisera specific for the immunoglobulin μ, δ, γ, α, κ and λ chains revealed that B9 marker expression did not concur with any of the Ig isotypes. Triple-staining of purified tonsil B cells with MoPhab B9 or B28, CD19, and CD10 or μ heavy chain specific antibodies confirmed that B28 binds to all and B9 binds to a subpopulation of CD19 + tonsil B cells. Germinal center B cells (CD19 + /CD10 + ) uniformly lack the antigen recognized by MoPhab B9. In human bone marrow, the CD19 marker is expressed from the earliest pro-B cell to the virgin, surface IgM + B cell stage. Triple staining of fetal bone marrow cells with CD 19, sIgM and B9 or B28 demonstrated that B9 and B28 are not expressed during B lineage differentiation. We conclude that the structures detected by the B9 and B28 MoPhabs are expressed at a very late stage of B cell development, presumably after newly generated sIgM + B cells have left the bone marrow. To our best knowledge B cell-specific markers with such expression patterns have not been described previously.
Nucleotide sequence analysis was used to established V H and V L gene utilization and heavy chain CDR3 composition encoding the scFv antibodies obtained from the sorted subpopulations as shown in Table II.
TABLE II
V H and V L gene utilization and deduced amino acid sequence of CDR3
regions of selected MoPhabs.
MoPhab
CDR3
V H
V L
A1
R MRFPSY (SEQ ID NO:1)
DP32
Vλ3
E1
R LRSPPL (SEQ ID NO:2)
DP32
Vλ2
E2
R AWYTDSFDY (SEQ ID NO:3)
DP45
Vκ1
T1
K WLPPNFFDY (SEQ ID NO:4)
DP32
Vκ3
T2
R STLADYFDY (SEQ ID NO:5)
DP69
Vλ3
B9
K GVSLRAFDY (SEQ ID NO:6)
DP31
Vκ1
B28
R GFLRFASSWFDY (SEQ ID NO:7)
DP32
Vλ3
ScFv derived from different clones with the same staining profile showed identical nucleotide sequences of CDR3 regions. The MoPhabs with different staining patterns were encoded by various combinations of V H and V L chains, with an overrepresentation of the DP32 gene fragment, and comprised CDR3 loops varying in length between 6 and 12 amino acids.
It is apparent that many modifications and variations of this invention as hereinabove set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof The specific embodiments are given by way of example only and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.
7
7 amino acids
amino acid
single
linear
peptide
not provided
1
Arg Met Arg Phe Pro Ser Tyr
1 5
7 amino acids
amino acid
single
linear
peptide
not provided
2
Arg Leu Arg Ser Pro Pro Leu
1 5
10 amino acids
amino acid
single
linear
peptide
not provided
3
Arg Ala Trp Tyr Thr Asp Ser Phe Asp Tyr
1 5 10
10 amino acids
amino acid
single
linear
peptide
not provided
4
Lys Trp Leu Pro Pro Asn Phe Phe Asp Tyr
1 5 10
10 amino acids
amino acid
single
linear
peptide
not provided
5
Arg Ser Thr Leu Ala Asp Tyr Phe Asp Tyr
1 5 10
10 amino acids
amino acid
single
linear
peptide
not provided
6
Lys Gly Val Ser Leu Arg Ala Phe Asp Tyr
1 5 10
13 amino acids
amino acid
single
linear
peptide
not provided
7
Arg Gly Phe Leu Arg Phe Ala Ser Ser Trp Phe Asp Tyr
1 5 10 | Peripheral blood leucocytes incubated with a semi-synthetic phage antibody library and fluorochrome-labeled CD3 and CD20 antibodies were used to isolate human single chain Fv antibodies specific for subsets of blood leucocytes by flow cytometry. Isolated phage antibodies showed exclusive binding to the subpopulation used for selection or displayed additional binding to a restricted population of other cells in the mixture. At least two phage antibodies appeared to display hithereto unknown staining patterns of B lineage cells. This approach provides a subtractive procedure to rapidly obtain human antibodies against known and novel surface antigens in their native configuration, expressed on phenotypically defined subpopulations of cells. Importantly, this approach does not depend on immunization procedures or the necessity to repeatedly construct phage antibody libraries. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for separating contaminants from paper stock and defibering undefibered waste paper in the field of industries using waste paper pulp as stock such as paper pulp and fiberboard industries.
Screening is generally composed of coarse and fine screening stages.
In the coarse screening stage, relatively large contaminants are removed, using a screen plate with holes usable for relatively high consistency (2 to 4%) of stock slurry in order to reduce in quantity the contaminants to be transferred to the fine screening stage.
In the fine screening stage, fine contaminants not removable by the above-mentioned hole screen plate are removed, using a screen plate with slots suitable for relatively low consistency (0.5 to 2%) of stock slurry so as to facilitate passing of the stock through the screen.
Generally, efficiency or ratio of removing contaminants in a screen is closely related with reject ratio. Increase and decrease of reject ratio lead to enhancement and lowering of contaminant removal ratio, respectively. Attempt to reduce the reject ratio in an ordinary screen will tend to cause plugging of the screen plate or plugging of a reject valve due to increased reject consistency. Even if such plugging may be averted, extreme reduction of the reject ratio would worsen the effect of removing contaminants as shown in FIG. 1, failing to obtain good screening effect. Increase of the reject ratio to a certain extent is therefore required for obtaining pulp with less quantity of contaminants. However, increase of the reject ratio means reduction of yield.
Generally, in order to overcome this problem in a screen stage, a reject ratio of 20 to 25% is selected, over which the curve shown in FIG. 1 becomes dull and the contaminant removal ratio is less affected, and reject is re-processed by a so-called "multiple cascade flow" system to reduce the reject ratio in the whole of the system. In a typical cascade flow employed, reject of a primary screen is processed by a secondary screen and the accept stock is brought to accept of the primary screen. Reject of the secondary screen is processed by a tertiary screen and the accept stock is returned to the feed stock of the secondary screen. Only reject of the tertiary screen is discharged out of the system. Generally, stock slurry consistency in a screen becomes higher than the consistency of the feed stock and therefore the feed stock used for the cascade manner is required to be diluted with water into appropriate consistency for the screen.
On the other hand, paper stock to be fed to a screening stage is in the form of defibered suspension of waste paper in water by a defibrator, usually called a pulper. Defibering performance of the pulper is not in linear relationship to defibration time period (motive power). In comparison with initial defibering performance, subsequent defibering performance is decreased. That is, defibering efficiency is satisfactory up to a certain level of defibration [i.e., defibered stock/(defibered stock+undefibered stock)] and higher motive power is required for defibration over the level. In order to defiber the stock which has been defibered to the certain level, a device generally called "secondary defibrator" is widely used. Typical secondary defibrators are a closed pulper type defibrator and a high-speed defibrator. Such secondary defibrators also have defibering performance which is not in linear relationship to motive power and are effective for use at a zone or portion of the system where undefibered waste paper is accumulated.
To defiber undefibered waste paper is very significant for improvement of production yield since the undefibered waste paper shows the same behavior as contaminants to be removed in screening stages.
In FIG. 2 which is a flow sheet of a conventionally used screening process for waste paper stock pulp slurry, reference symbol a represents a tank to receive waste paper stock slurry which has been defibered by a pulper (not shown). In a coarse screening stage A, reference symbols b, c and d represent primary, secondary and tertiary coarse screening screens, using hole screen plates, respectively; g, a high-speed defibrator for defibering reject of the primary coarse screening; and e, f and m, tanks. In a fine screening stage B, reference symbols h, i, k, and 1 represent primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary fine screenings, using slot screens, respectively; j, a high-speed defibrator for defibering reject of the secondary fine screening screen; and n, o and p, tanks. In FIG. 2, solid lines represent pulp lines and dotted lines, lines of reject including undefibered waste paper.
In FIG. 2, usual screens with hole screen plates are used in the coarse screening stage A. Reject of the primary screen b is processed by the high-speed defibrator g to defiber undefibered waste paper accumulated in the reject. In the fine screening stage B, a quaternary cascade system with slot screens is used and the reject of the secondary screen is processed by the high-speed defibrator j.
In FIG. 2, nine apparatuses with screens, seven tanks with agitators and seven pumps are required. For automatic operation, various instruments are further required such as pressure control for each screen and level control for each tank.
Instead of defibering waste paper, the waste paper may be ground by a refiner. Such grinding is however directed to crushing not only the undefibered waste paper but also contaminants such as plastics and is different from the defibration in which contaminants such as plastics and wooden pieces are passed without crushing, and therefore has a deteriorated degree of screening compared with the defibration. Also, the stock slurry consistency in the grinding is as high as 15 to 25% while in the defibration, the stock must be diluted to have the consistency of 1 to 4% because of the above difference.
As described above, the more the number of screens for cascade is increased, the more the degree of screening and production yield can be enhanced, but the more the scale and cost of the facilities increase.
To solve the above problems, there have been various proposals to provide a system in which a screening section is combined with a defibering section or with a grinding section.
For example, Japanese Patent 1st Publication No. 62-90391 (JP-A-62-90391) proposes "a screening apparatus with reject reducing means" which processes pulps with vegetable fiber of 6 to 15% in consistency. A grinding zone is provided adjacent to a screen with a cylindrical screen plate and the reject is decreased in quantity by grinding the reject of the screen into pulpiness. However, when this apparatus is used for waste paper pulp, there arise the following problems:
(1) Unlike vegetable fiber pulp, waste paper pulp includes not only the undefibered waster paper but also contaminants such as plastics and metal pieces. If these contaminants are ground and mingled in the accept, the product quality is decreased.
(2) A consistency suitable for the grinding is 15 to 25%. In the case of waste paper pulp, if the reject of the screen is condensed to this range of consistency, plugging tends to occur in the screen. If meshes of the screen are enlarged for prevention of such plugging, then the contaminant removal ratio is reduced.
(3) After the grinding, contaminants remain in the pulp. To remove them, another screen is required.
On the other hand, the inventors have made various experiments to find that, when waste paper pulp slurry is screened, reject not passing through a screen is accumulated more and more and its consistency is increased as the slurry flows through a screening section, deteriorating the separation effect, and that the separation effect may be improved if such condensed reject is diluted in the screen.
To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for screening waste paper in which a single screen has screening and defibering sections and reject after the defibration is diluted and re-separated, thereby increasing contaminant removal ratio and production yield and achieving space- and cost-saving and simple system control.
To attain the above object, an apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises
a cylindrical casing having a stock inlet at one end thereof, a reject outlet at the other end thereof and an accept stock outlet between the ends thereof,
a cylindrical screen plate concentrically fixed to define a space between an inner surface of said casing and said screen plate,
an annular defibration stator concentrically disposed adjacent to an end of said screen plate near said reject outlet,
a rotor rotated around an axis of said casing,
said casing partitioned into an inlet chamber communicated with said stock inlet and with a space inside said screen plate, an accept chamber outside said screen plate and communicated with said accept stock outlet and a reject chamber communicated with said reject outlet,
said rotor having scraper blades faced to said screen plate for preventing plugging of the screen, a defibration rotor faced to said defibration stator and a dilution chamber opened to said reject chamber,
dilution openings extending through a peripheral wall of said dilution chamber and spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction so as to pass dilution water toward said screen plate between axial ends of said screen plate,
facing surfaces of said defibration stator and said defibration rotor being divergent toward said reject chamber, and
a dilution water nozzle in said casing adjacent to said dilution chamber for feeding dilution water to said dilution chamber.
An apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises
a cylindrical casing having a stock inlet at one end thereof, a reject outlet at the other end thereof and a plurality of accept stock outlets between the ends thereof,
cylindrical front and rear screen plates concentrically fixed to define a space between an inner surface of said casing and said screen plates,
an annular defibration stator concentrically disposed between said front and rear screen plates,
a rotor rotated around an axis of said casing,
said casing partitioned into an inlet chamber communicated with said stock inlet and with a space inside said front screen plate, accept stock chambers disposed outside said screen plates and communicated with said accept stock outlets and a reject chamber communicated with said reject outlet,
said rotor having scraper blades faced to said screen plates for preventing plugging of the screen, a defibration rotor faced to said defibration stator and a dilution chamber opened to said reject chamber,
dilution openings extending through a peripheral wall of said dilution chamber and spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction so as to pass dilution water toward said screen plates and
a dilution water nozzle in said casing for feeding dilution water to said dilution chamber.
In the first aspect of the present invention, waste paper stock pulp slurry containing undefibered waste paper is introduced into the screen to separate the slurry into a high quality stock passing through the screen plate and a reject not passing through the screen plate. Said high quality stock is sent to a next stage as accept. Said reject is passed through the gap of the defibrator comprising said defibration stator and said defibration rotor adjacent to said screen plate so that undefibered waste paper in said reject is defibered and the reject is increased in pressure and is discharged into the reject chamber where it is diluted with dilution water and circulated through the dilution chamber to said screen, the reject being partly discharged out of the system.
In the second aspect of the present invention, waste paper stock pulp slurry containing undefibered waste paper is introduced into a front screening section to separate the slurry into a high quality stock passing through the front screen plate and a reject not passing through the front screen plate. Said high quality stock is sent to a next stage as accept. Said reject is passed through the gap of the defibrator comprising said defibration stator and said defibration rotor adjacent to said front screen plate so that undefibered waste paper in said reject is defibered. The slurry thus processed for defibration is sent to the rear screening section disposed adjacent to said defibrator and is separated into a high quality stock passing through the rear screen plate and a reject:not passing through the rear screen plate. Said high quality stock is sent to a next stage as accept. Said reject is discharged out of the system through the reject outlet. Dilution water is supplied to the front and rear screening sections through the rotor.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a relationship between reject ratio and contaminant removal ratio in a conventional screen;
FIG. 2 is a flow sheet of a conventional screening process;
FIG. 3 is a front view in section of an apparatus for screening waste paper pulp according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a view looking in the direction of arrows IV--IV in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5A is a plan view of a defibering section of the first embodiment;
FIG. 5B is a sectional view of the defibering section shown in FIG. 5A;
FIG. 6A is a plan view of a variation of the defibering section;
FIG. 6B is a sectional view of the defibering section shown in FIG. 6A;
FIG. 7 is a front view in section of an apparatus for screening waste paper pulp according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8A is a plan view of a defibering section of the second embodiment;
FIG. 8B is a sectional view of the defibering section shown in FIG. 8A;
FIG. 9 is a flow sheet of a screening process based on the present invention; and
FIG. 10 is a flow sheet of a screening process in which the present invention is applied for processing the reject.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 3 to 6B shows an apparatus for screening waste paper pulp according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 3, which is a front view in section of the apparatus, arrows indicate flows of stock and dilution water. Reference numeral 1 represents a generally cylindrical casing with a stock inlet 3 at its lower end, a reject outlet 7 at its upper end and accept stock outlets 4 and 5 between the ends of the casing 1.
The casing 1 has primary and secondary cylindrical screen plates 18 and 19 concentrically fixed in the casing 1 to define primary and secondary accept stock chambers 14 and 15 between an inner surface of the casing 1 and the plates 18 and 19. The casing 1 further has an annular defibration stator 23 concentrically disposed in the casing 1 adjacent to and above the secondary screen plate 19 as well as a rotor 2 rotated by a drive unit (not shown) around an axis of the casing 1.
The casing 1 has at its lower inner end an inlet chamber 13 which is communicated with the stock inlet 3 and with a space inside the screen plates 18 and 19. Primary and secondary accept stock chambers 14 and 15 are formed outside the screen plates 18 and 19 between these plates 18 and 19 and an inner surface of the casing 1 and respectively partitioned by annular partitions 28 and 29, and 28 and 30. The casing 1 further has at its upper inner end a reject chamber 17 which is communicated with the reject outlet 7.
The rotor 2 has at its outer periphery scraper blades 21 facing to the screen plates 18 and 19. The scraper blades 21 is of substantially circular arc section as shown in FIG. 4, the number of the blades 21 being usually two to eight depending upon the size of the screen. A gap between the scraper blades 21 and the screen plates 18 and 19 is 0.5 to 15 mm. When the blades are rotated at high speed of 10 to 25 m/s inside the screen plates 18 and 19, mat of pulp accumulated on the inner surfaces of the screen plates 18 and 19 is destroyed by negative pressure generated on a rear side in a rotating direction, thereby preventing plugging of the screen plates 18 and 19. The scraper blades 21 and the screen plates 18 and 19 provide primary and secondary screen portions 9 and 10.
The rotor 2 has at its upper end a defibration rotor 24 disposed adjacent to the scraper blades 21. The rotor 24 and the stator 23 which is fixed to the casing 1 provide a defibering section 11 which may be designed as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B or as disclosed in Japanese Patent 2nd Publication No. 57-60475 (JP-B-57-60475). As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, frustoconical operating surfaces of the stator 23 and rotor 24 diverged toward the reject chamber 17 are faced to each other with a slight gap and have a number of pockets formed circumferentially and in two steps in a direction of generating line. The two steps of pockets, i.e., the smaller- and larger-diameter pockets serve as inlet and outlet, respectively. When waste paper stock pulp slurry passes the operating surfaces and the pockets, undefibered waste paper is defibered by fluid shearing action caused by agitated turbulence while the contaminants such as plastics pass through without being pulverized. Further, the defibering section 11, whose outlet is of larger diameter than its inlet, serves for pressure increase.
The rotor 2 has at its upper portion a cylindrical dilution chamber 27 which is opened upward and is communicated with the reject chamber 17. The dilution chamber 27 has a peripheral wall 33 through which dilution openings 25 extend and are directed toward a lower portion of the secondary screen plate 19. The number of the dilution openings 25 is usually two to eight depending upon the size of the screen.
The casing 1 has at its top a dilution water nozzle 8 which in turn is opened at its lower end adjacent to the dilution chamber 27 of the rotor 2.
The shape of the defibering section 11 is not limited to that shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and may be as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, an inner periphery of the stator 23' and an outer periphery of the rotor 24' which is rotated with a small gap from the stator 23' respectively have steps with increased diameters toward the flowing direction of stock, the respective steps having tooth shape similar to spur gear. The partition 28 may be omitted to have a single accepted chamber; in this case, a single accept stock outlet is provided.
Next, referring to FIG. 3, mode of operation of the apparatus for screening waste paper pulp according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described.
The waste paper stock pulp slurry containing undefibered waste paper is introduced through the stock inlet 3 into the inlet chamber 13 and is sent to the primary screening section 9 inside the primary screen plate 18 so that a high quality stock passes through the plate 18 into the primary accept stock chamber 14 and is sent to a next stage through the primary accept stock outlet 4. The waste paper pulp slurry which did not pass through the plate 18 in the primary screening section 9 is sent to a secondary screening section 10, is diluted with dilution water supplied through the dilution openings 25 of the rotor 2 and undergoes screening. A high quality stock passes through a secondary screen plate 19 into the secondary accept stock chamber 15 and is sent to a next stage through the secondary accept stock outlet 5.
The reject which did not pass through the screen plate 19 at the secondary screening section 10 includes contaminants such as plastics to be removed and undefibered waste paper which are accumulated, and is sent to the defibering section 11 where the undefibered waste paper is defibered by the action of agitated turbulence and at the same time, pressure is increased by pumping action of the defibering section 11. In this case, contaminants such as plastics are not pulverized to finer size and pass through the defibering section 11. After passing through the defibering section 11, the reject flows into the reject chamber 17 as waste paper stock pulp slurry containing newly defibered and withdrawable fibers. In the reject chamber 17, the slurry is mixed with dilution water coming through the dilution water nozzle 8. The diluted waste paper stock pulp slurry passes through the dilution chamber 27 of the rotor 2 and circulates through the dilution openings 25 into the secondary screening section 10 where the fibers newly defibered at the defibering section 11 are collected. The waste paper pulp slurry in the reject chamber 17, which includes accumulated contaminants such as plastics, is partly discharged out of the system and is dumped.
Next, referring to FIGS. 7, 8A an BB, the apparatus for screening waste paper pulp according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The apparatus of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, which is a front view in section of the apparatus, is substantially similar to the apparatus of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3. The same component is referred by the same reference numeral and description therefor is omitted. Added components specific for the second embodiment will be described. In this connection, the primary and secondary screening sections 9 and 10 in FIG. 3 are put together and are referred to as front screening section 35. The primary and secondary screen plates 18 and 19 in FIG. 3 are put together and are referred to as front screen plate 36.
The casing 1 has therein a rear screen plate 20 which is coaxial with the casing 1 and disposed adjacent to and above a defibration stator 23. A rear accept stock chamber 16 is defined by the rear screen plate 20 and the inner wall of the casing 1 and partitioned by annular partitions 31 and 32. The rear accept stock chamber 16 has a rear accept stock outlet 6.
The rotor 2 has at its outer periphery rear scraper blades 22 adjacent to and above the defibration rotor 24. The rear screen plate 20 and the rear scraper blades 22 provide a rear screening section 12.
The rotor 2 has the dilution chamber 27 with the peripheral wall 33. Through the wall 33, not only the dilution openings 25 extend toward the lower portion of the secondary screen plate 19 in the front screening section 35 but also dilution openings 26 extend toward the rear screen plate 20.
The dilution chamber 27 of the rotor 2 is closed at its top by a lid 34 so as to surround a lower end of the dilution water nozzle 8. This lid 34 may be omitted.
In this second embodiment, there is no need of increasing pressure in the defibering section 11. Therefore, the defibering section 11 may not have steps with the increased diameters upwardly as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B or 6A and 6B and may be designed as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B where a defibration screen 23" with inwardly directed comb-like teeth is engaged with a defibration rotor 24" with outwardly directed comb-like teeth such that their teeth are vertically aligned.
Next, referring to FIG. 7, the mode of operation of the a screening apparatus for waste paper pulp according to the second embodiment will be described.
Since this apparatus is substantially similar to that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 except that a rear screening section 12 is added, description will be given on the added components, not on the common components.
The reject, which has passed through the defibering section 11, is in the form of waste paper stock pulp slurry and contains fibers which are newly defibered and can be withdrawn for utilization. The reject enters into the rear screening section 12 and is diluted with dilution water supplied through the dilution openings 26 of the rotor 6 and undergoes screening. A high quality stock, which has passed through the rear screen plate 20, flows into the rear accept stock chamber 16, is discharged through the rear accept stock outlet 6 and is sent to a next stage.
In the apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the high quality stock defibered in the defibering section 11 is withdrawn at the rear screening section 12 so that there is no need of circulating the reject of the rear screening section 12 to the screening sections 35 and 12. For this reason, the lid 34 is provided for separation of the dilution water from the screened reject. The lid 34 may be omitted so that the screened reject can be further circulated to the screening sections 35 and 12.
Next, description will be given on application of an apparatus for screening waste paper pulp according to the first or second embodiment of the present invention to a screen stage or stages.
FIG. 9 is a flow sheet of a process in which the apparatuses for screening waste paper pulp of the present invention are used in the coarse and fine screening stages A and B. In FIG. 9, reference numerals 37 and 37' represent apparatuses for screening waste paper pulp according to the present invention. The apparatus 37 uses a hole screen plate since it is for the coarse screening stage. The apparatus 37' uses a slot screen plate since it is for the fine screening stage.
In FIG. 9, reference numerals 40, 41, 43 and 44 represent tanks: and 42 and 45, conventional screens for processing the reject.
In comparison of FIG. 9 with FIG. 2, it is evident that the number of screening apparatuses and tanks is extensively decreased.
FIG. 10 shows a case in which the apparatus according to the present invention is used for processing the reject in a conventional type system. Reference numeral 50 represents a conventional screen.
Table 1 shows experimental data when the apparatus for screening waste paper pulp according to the first embodiment (FIG. 3) was used for actual screening of waste paper stock pulp slurry.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Conventional Screen Invention______________________________________Processed Stock inlet 30 30quantity Primary accept 22.5 22.5(T/D) stock outlet Secondary accept -- 6 stock outlet Reject outlet 7.5 1.5Reject ratio (%) 25 5Content of Stock inlet 11 11undefibered Primary accept 2 2substances stock outlet(%) Secondary accept -- 2 stock outlet Reject outlet 30 38Content of Stock inlet 3.3 3.3undefibered Primary accept 0.45 0.45substances stock outlet(T/D) Secondary accept -- 0.1 stock outlet Reject outlet 2.25 0.57Reduction ratio 18 66of undefiberedsubstances (%)______________________________________
In this experiment, waste paper stock from cardboard with stock consistency of 1.8% was used to compare performance characteristics of a conventional screen with those of the apparatus for screening waste paper according to the present invention (the apparatus shown in FIG. 3). Screen plates employed were slot screen plates of 0.25 mm in width.
In Table 1, processed quantity (T/D) represents dry weight of stock; the reject ratio (%), ratio of total dry weight of reject to total dry weight of stock at inlet: content of undefibered substances (%), dry weight of undefibered substances per unit dry weight of processed stock: content of undefibered substances (T/D), total dry weight of undefibered substances in the processed stock; and reduction ratio of undefibered substances (%), reduction ratio of total dry weight of undefibered substances after passing through the screening apparatus. The quantity of the undefibered substances was somewhat decreased in the conventional screen, which means that more or less defibration has occurred in the screen.
As is evident from the above test results, the reject ratio is 1/5 of that of the conventional screen whereas the quantity of undefibered substances in the accept stock was about the same as that of the conventional screen.
In the apparatus for screening waste paper pump according to the present invention, screened reject is defibered with the defibering section 11 in the screen and dilution water is supplied to the secondary screening section 10 to perform screening at adequate consistency. Further, the rejected stock may be circulated. As a result, it is possible to reduce the quantity of the rejected stock, which flows out through the reject outlet 7 even when the reject is more than 20% at the primary and secondary screening sections 9 and 10. This makes it possible to satisfy two contradictory requirements, i.e. to obtain good screening effect without plugging and to reduce total reject quantity.
It is to be understood that the method and the apparatus for screening waste paper pulp according to the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
As is clear from the foregoing, features and advantages of the method and the apparatus for screening waste paper pulp according to the present invention may be summarized as follows:
(1) Screening and defibering effects are attained in a single screen, which enables simplification of screening stages as well as substantial reduction of installation and running costs.
(2) Dilution is performed in the course of screening, which improves screening effect in the downstream side in the screening and leads to increase of overall production yield.
(3) High quality stock defibered in the defibering section is withdrawn, so that the reject ratio can be substantially reduced. | Waste paper stock pulp slurry supplied through a stock inlet is separated at screening sections to a high quality stock and a reject containing contaminants and undefibered waste paper. The high quality stock is sent to a next stage as accept. The reject is sent to a defibering section and is diluted after defibration, part of the reject being circulated to the screening sections, the remainder being discharged out of the system through a reject outlet. Provision of screening and defibering sections in one and the same screen can satisfy contradictory requirements, i.e., to increase contaminant removing efficiency, to raise production yield and to attain space- and cost-saving. | 3 |
BACKGROUND
The invention relates to the field of push button latches, and more particularly is a sealed push button latch that resist the ingress of moisture and debris, and has a drain feature in case moisture or debris does enter the push button latch. Push button latches are used in a variety of applications including for use in securing cabinet doors and glove box doors in a closed position, such as on golf carts and the like. Push button latches include a push button which actuates a latch which is released or retracted to allow opening of the door.
A shortcoming of existing push button latches is that they are not completely resistant to the ingress of moisture and debris, and when they become wet or inundated with debris, this can interfere with the latch's optimal operation. Moreover, when this occurs, corrosion is more likely to take place and can lead to premature failure of the latch. Lastly, the designs of many push latches remain unnecessarily complex and expensive to manufacture and assemble.
There accordingly remains a need for improved sealed push button latches that are simple in design, easy to assemble, reliable in operation, low in cost, resistant to moisture and debris infiltration, and self-draining.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a sealed push button latch having a housing with an outer sidewall defining an upper cavity and a lower cavity separated by a wall with an aperture. The upper cavity preferably has a vertically oriented notch on its sidewall. The lower cavity has a latch opening formed in its sidewall, and preferably has drain/return clip apertures formed on the sidewall of the housing. These drain/return clip apertures are preferably formed generally opposite the latch opening and are provided so that any liquid that might have entered to housing will freely drain therefrom, regardless of the orientation and position of the push button latch mounted to a door. The push button (with or without a keyed lock) axially moves up and down in the upper portion of the housing to actuate a latch.
In cases where the push button has an integral keyed lock, and it is desirable to provide for additional sealing between the keyed lock and the push button, a seal, e.g., such as an O-ring, will be placed in a groove formed around an outside wall of the keyed lock. The keyed lock will then be engaged with the push button, with the O-ring providing for additional sealing between the keyed lock and the push button. To provide for sealing between the push button and the housing, a seal, e.g., such as an O-ring, will be placed in a groove that will be formed around an outside wall of the push button. This O-ring will contact with the housing and help prevent the ingress of water and debris between the push button and the housing.
The push button (or its keyed lock) connects at its bottom to an actuator having a pin, which pin passes through the aperture in the separating wall and extends downwardly in the lower portion. A coil spring positioned in the upper cavity is placed above the separator wall and around the actuator's pin and pushes it up into contact with the push button. This also biases the push button upwardly. A latch leg with a protrusion extending downwardly from the push button is aligned so that the protrusion is received in the vertically oriented notch on the sidewall of the housing, and prevents the push button from becoming separated from the upper cavity of the housing. In cases where the push button has a keyed lock, turning the keyed lock will rotate the actuator. The actuator has tabs and grooves formed thereon, which when turned by the keyed lock in a locked position will be aligned with stop rails and a guide rail formed on the inside wall of the upper cavity to prevent the push button from being depressed and actuating the locking latch. When the keyed lock is in its opened position, the actuator will be rotated such that its tabs and grooves clear the stop rails and the guide rail of the housing, so that the push button is free to be pushed down to operate the locking latch.
The locking latch is located in the lower cavity. The locking latch has an outwardly facing slanted slam surface and an interior ramp surface which is aligned to be impinged by downward motion of the actuator's pin. In an extended mode of the locking latch, the outwardly facing slanted slam surface will project out of the housing. The slanted slam surface and the interior ramp surface both slant inwardly and downwardly towards the middle of the locking latch. A latch spring is located in the lower cavity and acts to bias the locking latch to project outside of the housing. The locking latch is adapted to be moved back into the lower housing portion in response to both a downward movement of the actuator and its pin, which pin impinges on the ramp surface, and the impact of the slanted slam surface of the locking latch with a strike plate.
An optional return clip can be engaged with the housing to help maintain a tight and vibration-free contact between the sealed push button latch and the door frame to which the door is hinged, and also helps to pop open the closed door. The return clip will include a front lip portion from which extends two spaced apart forks. At the ends of the spaced apart forks are protrusions. The spaced apart forks are inserted into the latch opening above the locking latch, and the protrusions are passed through the drain/return clip apertures and thus secure the return clip to the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing various parts of an exemplary embodiment of a sealed push button latch of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a partially exposed view of the housing of the push button latch of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a top view of the housing of the push button latch of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the push button and its engaged keyed lock of the push button latch of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 5 is another perspective view of the push button and its engaged keyed lock of FIG. 4 , but rotated by 180 degrees.
FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the push button and keyed lock of the push button latch of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the actuator of the push button latch of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 8 is a side view of the push button and keyed lock engaged with the actuator in a locked mode.
FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the push button with attached actuator in a locked mode of FIG. 8 .
FIG. 10 is a side view of the push button with attached actuator in an unlocked mode.
FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the push button with attached actuator in an unlocked mode of FIG. 10 .
FIG. 12 is front view of the housing of the push button latch of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 13 is a rear view of the housing of the push button latch of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 14 is a front view of the exemplary embodiment of the assembled push button latch of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 15 is a left side view of the exemplary embodiment of the push button latch of FIG. 14 .
FIG. 16 is a right side view of the exemplary embodiment of the push button latch of FIG. 14 .
FIG. 17 is a back view of the exemplary embodiment of the push button latch of FIG. 14 .
FIG. 18 is a top view of the exemplary embodiment of the push button latch of FIG. 14 .
FIG. 19 is a bottom view of the exemplary embodiment of the push button latch of FIG. 14 .
FIG. 20 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the assembled push button latch through view lines 20 - 20 of FIG. 14 with the push button in an un-depressed mode and with the locking latch projecting outside of the housing.
FIG. 21 is longitudinal cross-section view of the assembled push button latch of through view lines 21 - 21 of FIG. 15 and with the locking latch projecting outside of the housing.
FIG. 22 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the assembled push button latch with the push button in a depressed mode to retract the locking latch into the housing.
FIG. 23 is a left side perspective view of the push button latch of FIG. 14 mounted on a door in a horizontal position.
FIG. 24 is a right side perspective view of the push button latch of FIG. 14 mounted on a door in a horizontal position.
FIG. 25 is a left side perspective view of the push button latch of FIG. 14 mounted on a door which is canted slightly from a vertical position and with its locking latch directed generally upwards and with its drain/return clip apertures directed generally downwards.
FIG. 26 is a left side perspective view of the push button latch of FIG. 16 mounted on a door which is canted slightly from a vertical position and with its locking latch directly generally downwards.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing various parts of an exemplary embodiment of a sealed push button latch 10 of the invention. It includes a push button 12 , and in the case where a locking feature is desired, a keyed lock 14 . An opening 16 is formed in the push button 12 into which the keyed lock 14 is inserted. For provision of improved sealing between the keyed lock 14 and the push button 12 , a groove 18 is formed around an outside wall 20 of the keyed lock 14 . The keyed lock 14 has a head 22 with a key entrance. A seal, such as an O-ring 24 A, is placed in the groove 18 . The push button 12 has an outer wall 26 on which is formed an optional groove 28 . For provision of improved sealing between the push button 12 and a housing 50 into which the push button 12 engages, a seal, such an O-ring 24 B, is placed in the groove 28 . The push button 12 has a latch leg 30 . An actuator 32 is provided which is adapted to engage with the keyed lock 14 . The actuator 32 has an engagement 34 formed on its head 36 . The head 36 has tabs 38 formed thereon, the purpose of which will be described further below. A pin 40 extends downwardly from the head 36 . A coil spring 42 is placed around the pin 40 and biases the actuator 32 upwardly so that the engagement 34 in the head 36 of the actuator is brought into contact with a complementary engagement 44 on the bottom of the keyed lock 14 , which when the keyed lock is turned, will cause the actuator 32 to also rotate. The housing 50 has an upper opening sometimes referred to herein as a push button bore 52 sized to slidably receive the push button 12 . The housing 50 also has an enlarged retention head 54 , and preferably has threads 56 formed on an outer wall 58 of the housing 50 below the retention head 54 . The housing 50 is preferably non-cylindrical, e.g., it can have flats 60 formed on sides thereof, to prevent the housing 50 from rotating once it is mounted in place, such as on a door “D”, as best shown in FIGS. 23-26 . A latch opening 62 is formed through the outer wall 58 and communicates with a lower cavity 64 of the housing 50 . A vertically oriented notch 66 is formed in the sidewall 58 of the housing 50 , and is adapted to receive the latch leg 30 of the push button 12 . The latch leg 30 has a protrusion 68 at its end which will be captured in the vertically oriented notch 66 and prevent the push button 12 and its keyed lock 14 from being completely withdrawn from the housing 50 once the push button 12 has been inserted therein. This likewise makes assembly of the sealed push button latch of the invention extremely simple and a tool-free operation.
A locking latch 70 is adapted to be received in the lower cavity 64 and transversely slide therein and be extendable outside of the latch opening 62 . The locking latch 70 has a front slanted slam surface 72 which extends up and out from a bottom 74 to a top 76 of the locking latch 70 . A latch spring 78 is placed in the lower cavity 64 between the locking latch 70 and acts to bias the locking latch 70 so that its front slanted slam surface 72 extends outside of the latch opening 62 , as shown FIGS. 14-16 and 21 . An optional return clip 80 can be used to help stabilize the sealed push button latch 10 when it is latched to a frame and prevent the door from rattling. The return clip 80 has two spaced apart forks 82 with protrusions 84 at ends thereof, and a front lip portion 86 . Stops 88 are located rearwardly of the lip 86 . As the return clip 80 is engaged with the housing 50 , the two spaced apart forks 82 will flex together and the protrusions 84 at the ends of the forks 82 will pass through drain/return clip apertures 90 formed through the outer wall 58 of the housing 50 opposite the latch opening 62 . If desired, additional indents 92 can be formed at the top of the lower cavity at the entrance of the latch opening 62 to accommodate the passage of the forks 82 . After the return clip 80 is fully inserted into place with the housing 50 , the stops 88 will rest against the outer wall 58 of the housing 50 and the two forks 82 will spring apart and the protrusion 84 will lock in place in the drain/return clip apertures 90 . A lock washer 96 and nut 98 are used to retain the sealed push button latch 10 to a closure, such as a door “D”, as shown in FIGS. 23-26 .
FIG. 2 is a partially exposed view of the housing 50 of the push button latch 10 of FIG. 1 , and FIG. 3 is a top view of same. The housing 50 includes the upper opening 52 sized to slidably receive the push bottom 12 (not shown). The housing 50 also has an oversized retention head 54 that will seat on an aperture formed in closure, such as shown in FIGS. 23-26 . The housing 50 preferably has threads 56 formed on its outer wall 58 below the head 54 . The latch opening 62 is formed through the sidewalls and communicates with a lower cavity 64 of the housing 50 . The vertically oriented notch 66 is formed in the sidewall 58 of the housing 50 . A dividing wall 100 is located above the lower cavity and has an aperture 102 through which will pass the pin 40 of the actuator 32 , as shown in FIGS. 20-22 . The lower cavity 64 has a lower end wall 104 , which can have tracks 106 formed thereon to guide the sliding motion of the locking latch 70 , as shown in FIG. 20 . A spring keeper 108 is used to retain the coil spring 78 in place. Above the dividing wall 100 is the upper cavity 110 . It is in the upper cavity 110 that the push button 20 is received. Formed on inside walls 112 of the housing 50 is an elongate push button guide rail 114 . The push button 20 has a complementary elongate slot 116 formed on an outer surface thereof (see FIG. 4 ), and when the push button 20 is placed in the upper cavity 110 , the push button 20 will thereby be allowed to move up and down but not rotate by virtue of the elongate push button guide rail 114 riding in the complementary elongate slot 116 . Also located on the inside sidewalls of the upper cavity 110 are stops 118 . The stops 118 are designed so that when the keyed lock 14 is operated and its locked position, the actuator 32 will be turned so that its tabs 38 will be aligned to intersect with the stops 118 , and thereby prevent the push button 12 from being pushed down. However, when the keyed lock 14 is in its opened position, the actuator 32 is turned so that its tabs 38 clear the stops 118 , thereby allowing the push button 12 to be pushed down. The upper region of the upper cavity 110 is defined by smooth inner sidewalls 130 which will provide a contact surface for the O-ring 24 B on the push button 12 in the groove 28 to ride along and provide a water tight yet moveable seal, which is best shown in FIGS. 20-22 . An inner rim 132 is formed along the inside of the retention head 54 extends slightly inwardly to create a slightly smaller diameter opening.
FIG. 4 is a first side view of the push button assembled with its keyed lock 12 + 14 of the push button latch of FIG. 1 , and FIG. 5 is another side view of same rotated along its axis by 180 degrees. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of same. The push button 12 has an outer wall 26 with an O-ring 24 B placed in the groove thereon (not shown). The latch leg 30 with it protrusion 68 are also shown. Also shown is the complementary engagement 44 on the bottom of the keyed lock 14 , and the elongate slot 116 .
FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the actuator 32 . The engagement 34 formed on its head 36 and the tabs 38 formed thereon are shown. Also shown is a notch 130 . The notch is designed to allow the latch leg 30 and its terminal protrusion 68 to swing inwardly as the push button 12 is slid into the upper cavity 110 during assembly of the push button lock.
FIG. 8 is a side view of the push button with attached actuator 12 + 14 in a locked mode, and FIG. 9 is a bottom view of same. The O-ring 24 B is positioned in the groove (not shown) in the sidewall 26 of the push button 12 . The different positions of the tabs 38 are shown as the keyed lock 14 is moved from the locked mode, to the unlocked mode, shown in FIG. 10 , which is a side view of the push button with attached actuator 12 + 14 in an unlocked mode, and FIG. 11 , which is a bottom view of same. Also shown is how the notch 130 aligns with the latch leg 30 to allow it and its proximal protrusion 68 to swing inwardly during insertion of the push button lock 12 into the upper cavity 110 of the housing 50 . In these views, the complementary elongate slot 116 formed on an outer surface 26 of the push button 12 is shown, as well as the pin 40 of the actuator 32 .
FIG. 12 is front view of the housing 50 and FIG. 13 is a rear view of the housing 50 of the push button latch 10 of FIG. 1 . The various features shown include the retention head 54 , the threads 56 formed on the outer wall 58 of the housing below the head 54 , the drain/return clip apertures 90 , indents 92 , the vertically oriented notch 66 , its upper end 124 , the dividing wall 100 between the lower cavity 64 and the upper cavity, the lower end wall 104 with its tracks 106 , and the spring keeper 108 .
FIG. 14 is a front view, FIG. 15 is a left side view, FIG. 16 is a right side view, FIG. 17 is a back view, FIG. 18 is a top view, and FIG. 19 is a bottom view of the exemplary embodiment of the assembled push button latch 10 . In these views there are shown the push button 12 , the keyed lock 14 , the retention head 54 , the threads 56 formed on the outer wall 58 of the housing below the head 54 , the drain/return clip apertures 90 , the indents 92 , the vertically oriented notch 66 , and the protrusion 68 on the latch leg 30 (not shown), which protrusion 68 captures at the upper end 124 of the vertically oriented notch 66 , the locking latch 70 with its front slanted slam surface 72 , and the lower end wall 104 . In FIG. 18 the keyed locked 14 is shown.
Turning to FIGS. 20-22 , there are shown various cross-sections views of the push button latch 10 . FIG. 20 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the assembled push button latch 10 through view lines 20 - 20 of FIG. 14 with the push button 10 in an un-depressed mode with the locking latch 70 extending outside of the housing 50 . FIG. 21 is longitudinal cross-section view of the assembled push button latch through view lines 21 - 21 of FIG. 15 with the push button in an un-depressed mode. Lastly, FIG. 22 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the assembled push button latch with the push button in a depressed mode to retract the latch into the housing. The push button and its keyed locked 12 + 14 are retained in the upper cavity 110 by virtue of the protrusion 68 on the latch leg 30 being captured at the upper end 124 of the vertically oriented notch 66 . A lower end 122 of the pin 40 of the actuator 32 will pass through the aperture 102 in the dividing wall 100 and contact an inwardly slanted surface 120 of the locking latch 70 . One end of the coil spring 78 is retained by the spring keeper 108 and the other end of the coil spring 78 is retained in a tunnel 126 formed through a back wall 128 of the locking latch 70 . The bottom 74 of the locking latch 70 rides on the lower end wall 104 of the housing and the track 106 located therein, and the top 76 of the locking latch 70 rides generally below the dividing wall 100 . The upwardly and outwardly slanted surface 72 of the locking latch is available for contact with a slam surface, such as a catch on a door frame (not shown.) The coil spring 78 will provide a biasing force that tends to bias the locking latch 70 out of the latch opening 62 of the lower cavity 64 , with the lower end 122 of the pin 40 extending into the locking latch 70 to prevent it from becoming completely separated from the lower cavity 64 . The coil spring 42 is placed around the pin 40 and at its upper extreme contacts an underside of the head 34 of the actuator, with the lower extreme of the coil spring 42 contacting the dividing wall 100 . As can be best seen in FIG. 22 , when the push button 12 is in the opened position and is pushed down into the housing 50 , the lower end 122 of the pin 40 of the actuator 32 will impinge on the inwardly slanted surface 120 of the locking latch 70 and cause it to be drawn into the lower cavity 64 , thereby compressing the coil spring 78 . In these figures, the O-ring 24 B is seated in the groove 28 on the push button 12 and will lightly ride along the inside walls 130 of the housing 50 to provide a water resistant seal therewith. In the locked position shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 , the O-ring 24 B will also seat against the inner rim 132 formed along the inside of the retention head 54 . This seating of the O-ring 24 B with the inner rim 132 will help prevent the chance for water, other fluids, or debris from entering the push button lock. Indeed, in the normal condition, the push button latch 10 will be un-depressed, and therefore, a good seal will be maintained. When the push button 12 is depressed, however, the O-ring 24 B will be moved out of contact with the inner rim 132 , and therefore, a less tight seal between the O-ring 24 B and the inside walls 130 is required, thereby helping to ensure that the operation of the push button latch is smooth and unimpeded. This also eliminates the need for an unnecessary strong coil spring 42 to return the push button 12 to its locked position of FIGS. 20 and 21 . Also shown is the locking engagement between the engagement 34 in the head 36 of the actuator 32 and the complementary engagement 44 of the keyed lock 14 . The coil spring 42 ensures that the actuator 32 is maintained in contact with the keyed lock 14 . Also shown is the O-ring 24 A which is placed in the groove 18 on the outside wall 20 of the keyed lock 14 . Once the keyed lock 14 is inserted into the push button 12 , its locks into place, and the O-ring 24 A helps prevent any moisture or debris from traveling between the outside walls of the keyed lock 14 and the inside 140 of the inner walls of the push button 12 .
FIG. 23 is a left side perspective view of the push button latch 10 of FIG. 15 mounted on a door “D” which is in a generally horizontal position and FIG. 24 is a right side perspective view of the push button latch 10 mounted on door “D” which is in a generally a horizontal position. The nut 98 is used to retain the sealed push button latch 10 with its retention head 54 resting on one side of the door “D” and with the push button and keyed lock 12 + 14 accessible on an “outside” of the door “D”. In case moisture or debris were to enter the sealed push button lock 10 from the outside, such moisture could pass though the housing 50 and exit through the latch opening 62 formed in the housing 50 around edges of the locking latch 70 , and/or thorough the drain/return clip apertures 90 formed through the outer wall 58 of the housing 50 .
FIG. 25 is a left side perspective view of the push button latch 10 mounted on the door “D” and being canted slightly from a vertical position and with its locking latch 70 directly generally upwardly and with the drain/return clip apertures 90 being at a lower point. In this position, any moisture that might have entered the push button latch 10 can drain out through the drain/return clip apertures 90 , which are not completely blocked by the retention clip 80 . FIG. 26 is a left side perspective view of the push button latch 10 mounted on the door “D” and being canted slightly from a vertical position and with its locking latch 70 directly generally downwardly. In this position, any moisture that might have entered the push button latch 10 can drain out through the latch opening 62 formed in the housing 50 . In FIGS. 25 and 26 , the optional return clip 80 is engaged with the housing 50 , and can be used to help prevent the door “D” from rattling when it is closed and to provide a spring force that will tend to spring the door “D” open as soon as the push button lock is activated to withdraw the locking latch 70 into the housing 50 . The return clip 80 is engaged with the housing 50 so that its two spaced apart forks 82 with protrusions 84 at ends thereof are inserted into the drain/return clip apertures 90 . The front lip portion 86 will extend generally above the top locking latch 70 . The stops 88 located rearwardly of the front lip portion 86 will rest against the outside of the housing. As the return clip 80 is engaged with the housing 50 , the two spaced apart forks 82 will flex together and the protrusions 84 at the ends of the forks 82 will pass through drain/return clip apertures 90 formed through the outer wall 58 of the housing 50 opposite the latch opening 62 . Inclusion of the optional indents 92 in the housing 50 provide a place for the forks 82 to remain in place without impinge on the locking latch 70 . Even when engaged with the housing, the optional return clip 80 will not interfere with draining from the drain/return clip apertures 90 .
Although the sealed push button lock 10 has been described as utilizing the O-rings 24 A and/or 24 B to provide for improved sealing and water-tightness, if the application is one where moisture is not expected to be an issue, such as the interior of an automobile, then one or both of the seals need not be included. However, in applications where moisture and debris entering the push button lock is more of a concern, such as golf carts, which are often cleaned by spraying down with water and detergent after use, and there is a chance that water, detergent, other moisture, and debris of entering the push button lack, including the seals is highly beneficial.
Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary is intended to cover various modifications and/or equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the present invention. | A sealed push button latch. It includes a housing with an upper cavity and a lower cavity and a rim which provides a seal contact seat. The lower cavity has a latch opening formed therein at a first side thereof, and at least one drain/return clip aperture formed at a second side thereof. A push button with a keyed lock is slidably received in the upper cavity. A biasing device biases the push button to a closed position. A seal positioned on the push button provides sealing between the seal contact seat of the rim of the housing and the push button. A locking latch is slidably positioned in the lower cavity, and is slidably movable between a protruding position through the latch opening, and a retracted position, wherein pushing the push button down into the housing retracts the locking latch into the lower cavity. | 8 |
[0001] This application is a division of Ser. No. 12/806,290, filed 9 Aug. 2010, which is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 11/232,456, filed 19 Oct. 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,771,402, which is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10/684,960, filed 14 Oct. 2003, which is a continuation-in-part application of patent application Ser. No. 09/621,636 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,035, which is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 09/561,978, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,562,013 which is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 09/156,115, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,209, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/682,888, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,998 each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to the enclosure system for treating of wounds on body parts which system includes disposable collection bags therewith.
[0004] 2. Prior Art
[0005] Wound treatment and containment is a concept who's time has come. The increase in contamination and possible medical personnel injury is serious due to the increased size of the population having contagious diseases. The treatment process must include means for safe disposal of any patient tissue and any treatment material or treatment fluids.
[0006] It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
[0007] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wound or patient irrigation containment arrangement which maximizes the treatment capabilities of the medical personnel, and maximizes the safety considerations for those medical personnel.
[0008] It is yet a still further object of the present invention to provide a wound treatment system for providing a containment arrangement which is less irritating to the patient, which treatment system may be stabilized and maintained about the patient for an extended period of time.
[0009] It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a wound containment system which is portable to permit such use to be performed in the field, in a home or any environment where such a need occurs.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention comprises a wound containment arrangement for enclosing a wound on the surface of a patient. The wound enclosure arrangement, for example, may comprise an elongated flexible generally tubular plastic bag having a closed distal end and an open proximal end.
[0011] The open proximal end in a first embodiment thereof, has a skin engaging cuff arranged therearound. The elongated enclosure bag itself, has one or more entry ports disposed thereon external thereto. Each respective entry port has an internally directed duck bill valve arranged thereadjacent. The entry port and the duck bill valve thus are in longitudinal alignment and are in fluid communication with one another. The entry port and duck bill valve permits a nozzle of a gun type control to extend therethrough.
[0012] A gun type control mechanism permits the aiming and fluid control of a pressurized liquid or gas jetted therethrough from the nozzle onto the wound site for treatment within the enclosure bag. The enclosure bag in one preferred embodiment has at least one duck bill drain valve arranged on a lower portion thereof which duck bill valve is in fluid communication with a drain line which leads to a collection bag. The drain line and collection bag have a duck bill valve entry to permit the bag to receive but not leak any collection of debris from the patient being treated.
[0013] A sanitizer means is preferably disposed in a dissolvable pouch which pouch is disposed within the collection bag. The sanitizer permits the dis-infection and decontamination of any fluid or debris collected from the wound of the patient being treated in the enclosure bag.
[0014] The cuff at the proximal end of the enclosure bag in one embodiment, may have a soft, tissue sensitive, foraminous annular surface with a fluid conduit extending therearound. That fluid conduit in the cuff is in fluid communication with a suction pump arranged downstream thereof. The suction system permits a vacuum to be applied to the cuff so as to snugly and safely secure the proximal open end of the enclosure bag to the skin of the patient, while may also extract any extra contaminants or wound debris, but not irritably rubbing against a limb or surface of the patient being treated.
[0015] In yet a further object of the present invention, an air vent with a pressurizable, temperature regulatable air, liquid or gaseous treatment fluid supply may be arranged in fluid communication through the enclosure bag. The air vent may be in communication with a pump to provide the air, liquid or treatment gases within the enclosure bag so as to space the enclosure bag a distance apart from the skin of the patient therewithin. The enclosure bag may have an air pressure relief valve, to control or limit fluid pressure and permit the pressurized air provided to the enclosure bag to gently escape, thus maintaining a constant or controllable pressure and/or temperature and/or medicament supply within the bag and against the patient's skin.
[0016] A further embodiment of the present invention is contemplated by a flexible bubble-like enclosure arrangement which may be of generally hemispherical shape with an annular edge or lip extending therearound for attachment to the patient's skin. The bubble could also be of elongated or annular shape in other embodiments. The bubble is designed to be placed over a wound site of the patient. Such an enclosure bubble may have one or more input ports on an outer or external side of the pressurized enclosure bubble, and a corresponding duck bill inlet valve arranged in longitudinal alignment with the input port(s) on the inside surface of that enclosure bubble. The input port and the duck bill valve are in longitudinal alignment so as to permit the barrel of a pressurizable fluid supply nozzle to extend therethrough. The barrel and nozzle would be part of a gun type control mechanism which permits the aiming and the pressure, temperature or fluid mix control of a pressurized wound cleansing or medicament fluid(s) passing therethrough. The inlet valve, through which the elongated barrel and nozzle extends, itself may be elongated so as to sterilely enclose that elongated portion of the barrel, to eliminate the need for subsequent sterilization of that barrel in a further use thereof. The distal tip of the nozzle may be of stepped diameter so as to snuggly mate through an innermost opening of the inlet valve, thereby making only the nozzle sterilizable or replaceable during subsequent use thereof. The nozzle tip may be unscrewably removable from the barrel to facilitate that replacement or cleansing.
[0017] The enclosure bubble in this embodiment may also include an arrangement of wires extending around the annular lip of the enclosure bubble, the wires connected to a controllable electrical source to provide electrical or rf stimulation in an encompassing annular or rectilinear pattern around the wound of the patient, so as to promote healing and stimulate healing and normal tissue growth. A drainage conduit may extend under or through the side of the wall of the enclosure bubble and into a collection bag as identified hereinabove. An air seepage vent may be arranged adjacent the input and duck bill valve arrangement or a spot nearby. Such seepage port will provide a controlled pressure and temperature atmosphere within the enclosure bubble arrangement on the patient. A conduit may be in communication with a controllable suction pump, in which the conduit is in fluid communication with a section cuff disposed in the annular lip or peripheral lip of the enclosure bubble. Such a suction would help hold the enclosure bubble to the patient with minimum adverse reaction to the patient, and also provide a secondary drain for treatment fluid removal. Further patient skin attachment systems may of course include adhesive or bandages of the like.
[0018] In yet a further embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of enclosure bags successively disposed onto or about a patient's limb. In an operative example, such an inner and outer bag would be elongated so as to, for example fit over a patient's leg or foot having an opened end at its proximal end thereof. Such opened end would be fitted against a patient's leg and held thereagainst by a suction cuff as in the aforementioned embodiment. In the yet further embodiment of the present invention, it is contemplated that a plurality of wire loops may be arranged peripherally about the inner side or the outer bag, on the outer side of the inner bag, or disposed between the spaced apart enclosure bags. The loops pattern of wire are in electrical communication with a controllable electrical source so as to provide either heating, radio frequency (rf) treatment or those wires could be piezoelectric arrangement to generate wave induced energy for ultrasound treatment of the wound therewithin.
[0019] It is still contemplated that an inner end of an inner duck bill valve would be in fluid communication with an outer port arranged in the outer bag. The nozzle of a treatment gun would extend through the outer port and the inner duck bill valve so as to permit controlled treatment fluid to be pressurizably disposed against the wound within the inner enclosure bag. Such a further embodiment would include a duck bill valve extending through a conduit which is in communication with the innermost enclosure bag. The duck bill valve would be in fluid communication with a conduit which extends to a collection bag. A duck bill valve would be arranged within the collection bag so as to prevent any backflow of contaminated fluid extending to return into the inner enclosure bag.
[0020] It is further contemplated that a pressure source might direct fluid either gaseous matter or hardenable liquid between the inner bag and the outer enclosure bag. An air/fluid seepage patch might be arranged on the outer surface of the outer bag to permit controlled release and separation between the inner bag and the outer bag. A higher pressure fluid discharge nozzle may be arranged through both the outer and the inner bags so as to provide the fluid pressure to the patient's tissue within the inner bag. Such a high pressure source would controllably separate the inner bag from the patient's skin.
[0021] The fluid source arranged in communication with the outer bag from the pressure source through the outer bag may be replaced by an injection component for splinting the patient's limb/leg which is enclosed within the inner bag. Such a form could press the inner bag against the patient's limb and be contained within the confines of the outer bag to provide a splint for a broken limb or the like.
[0022] It is further contemplated by the present invention, that portions of the inner and/or the outer bag may be an electrically conductive plastic and/or thermally conductive or reflective or piezo stimulative for treating or heating tissue at the patient's wound site within the inner enclosure.
[0023] Thus it has been shown a unique combination of treatment and containment for a wound which treatment and containment may be done by trained medical personnel and/or by emergency workers. Such containment system provides a sterile atmosphere and an arrangement for keeping the patient from becoming contaminated himself.
[0024] The invention thus comprises a containment arrangement for safely and effectively treating a wound on a patient without contaminating attending personnel, comprising a patient receiving first enclosure having a patient contacting periphery, a pressurizable source in communication with the patient through a wall of the enclosure for enlarging the enclosure. A sealing means is arranged in the patient contacting periphery. A hand manipulable fluid discharge nozzle is extendably arranged through the enclosure for providing controllable treatment fluid to the wound on the patient within the enclosure. The sealing means may comprise a suction arrangement to hold the periphery of the first enclosure against the patient. The sealing means may also comprise a contaminated fluid removal system. The nozzle may extend through an inlet port and a one way valve. The containment system may include an electric treatment means arranged in the first enclosure. The treatment means may comprise an arrangement of electrically conductive members arranged around the first enclosure. The first enclosure has a peripheral lip, and wherein the conductive members are arranged in the lip of the first enclosure. The conductive members may be arranged on a wall portion of the first enclosure. The containment system may include a second enclosure arranged outwardly of the first enclosure. A separate pressurizable system may be arranged for the second enclosure. The separate pressurizable system for said second enclosure may include a fluid injecting arrangement and a pressure releasing arrangement. The separate pressurizable system for said second enclosure may also comprise a foam injection arrangement to provide a splint forming arrangement for the patient. The enclosure may comprise a metalized plastic to permit radio frequency treatment of the wound of the patient within the enclosure. An arrangement of conduction controlled electrical conduits may be arranged within the outer enclosure about the patient. The enclosure preferably has a contaminated fluid collection bag attached thereto, by a conduit therebetween, the collection bag containing a fluid sanitizer means therein.
[0025] The inventive containment and treatment system also includes a cuff arranged therewith for sensing a patient's medical condition. The cuff preferably includes a tourniquet for preventing blood loss from the patient using the system. The containment system may include a patient monitoring and reporting arrangement therewith for monitoring and reporting vital signs of the patient being treated therewith. The monitoring and reporting arrangement may include a radio signal beacon generation arrangement for reporting the physical location of the patient being treated. The inlet port may comprise a sealed or fluid tight arrangement around a distal end of the barrel and nozzle arrangement. The nozzle is preferably removable from said barrel.
[0026] The invention thus also comprises a containment arrangement for safely and effectively treating a wound on a patient without contaminating attending personnel, comprising: a patient-receiving first enclosure having a patient contacting periphery; a patient-sealing arrangement on the patient contacting periphery of the enclosure; a hand manipulable patient-treating fluid discharge gun extendable through the enclosure for providing controllable treatment fluid to the wound on the patient within the enclosure. The patient-sealing arrangement may comprise a suction arrangement to hold the periphery of the first enclosure against the patient. The patient-sealing arrangement may comprise an adhesive for securing the enclosure to the patient. The patient-sealing arrangement may comprise a contaminated-fluid removal system. The nozzle may extend through an inlet port and a one way valve. The fluid discharge gun may comprise a barrel and a distal nozzle thereon. The nozzle may be removable from the barrel to permit re-use of the discharge gun and its barrel, with a new uncontaminated nozzle on a new patient. The containment system may include a drainage conduit and a waste treatment fluid collection container for removing the treatment fluid from the enclosure. The drainage conduit may be gravity fed. The drainage conduit may be fed waste treatment fluid by a pressure from within the enclosure. The enclosure may be held at atmospheric pressure during the treatment of a patient therein. The enclosure may be held at above atmospheric pressure during the treatment of a patient therein. The enclosure may be held at below atmospheric pressure during the treatment of a patient therein. The enclosure may be held at a variable pressure during the treatment of a patient therein. The first enclosure may have a second patient-treating enclosure spaced therearound.
[0027] The invention also includes a pulsatile lavage arrangement for the prevention of aerosol contamination so as to safely and effectively treat a wound on a patient without contaminating attending personnel and associated equipment, said arrangement comprising: a patient-receiving first enclosure having a patient contacting periphery; a patient-enclosure sealing mechanism arranged with respect to the patient contacting periphery of the enclosure; and a hand manipulable patient-treating fluid discharge gun extendable through the enclosure for providing controllable treatment fluid to the wound on the patient within the enclosure; and a waste treatment fluid drainage and collection system in one-way communication from the enclosure. The fluid drainage and collection system may be gravity fed. The fluid drainage and collection system may be fed by pressure. The fluid drainage and collection system may be removable from the enclosure and replaceable with a further fluid drainage and collection system. The fluid drainage and collection system may include a disinfectant within the collection system.
[0028] The invention also includes a pulsatile lavage arrangement for the prevention of aerosol contamination so as to safely and effectively treat a wound on a patient without contaminating attending personnel and associated equipment, said arrangement comprising: a patient-receiving first enclosure having a patient contacting periphery; a hand manipulable patient-treating fluid discharge gun extendable through the enclosure for providing controllable treatment fluid to the wound on the patient within the enclosure; and a waste treatment fluid drainage and collection system in one-way discharge communication from the enclosure. The fluid discharge gun may provide a temperature, pressure and mixture controlled fluid onto a patient within the enclosure. The enclosure may be maintained at atmospheric pressure for treating a patient. The enclosure may be transparent and flexible. The enclosure may comprise a flexible bag having patient treating means therein. The patient treating means may comprise electrical components as part of the bag for effecting the healing process of the patient.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when viewed in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
[0030] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a wound irrigation containment system for treating for example, a patient's limb such as a leg;
[0031] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wound enclosure bubble for treating of a wound on a skin surface of a patient;
[0032] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of the elongated enclosure bag shown in FIG. 1 ; and
[0033] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of an elongated inlet port or valve showing an elongated barrel and nozzle therethrough.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0034] Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to FIG. 1 , there is shown the present invention which comprises a wound containment arrangement 10 for enclosing an entire patient, or a wound 12 on the surface of a patient “P”. The wound treating arrangement 10 , for example, may comprise an elongated flexible, generally tubular plastic bag 14 having a closed distal end 16 and an open proximal end 18 for keeping a patient/wound clean from both outside contamination and for preventing patient wound contamination/debris and or bacteria from spreading beyond the patient and or the patient's wound site.
[0035] The open proximal end 18 , in a first embodiment thereof, has a skin engaging cuff 19 arranged therearound. The elongated enclosure bag 14 itself, has one or more entry ports 20 disposed externally thereto. Each respective entry port 20 has an internally directed duck bill valve 22 arranged thereadjacent. The entry port 20 and the duck bill valve 22 thus are in longitudinal alignment and are in fluid communication with one another. The entry port 20 and duck bill valve 22 permits a nozzle 24 of a fluid discharge gun type control mechanism 26 to extend therethrough.
[0036] A gun type control mechanism 26 permits the aiming and fluid control of a pressurized liquid and/or gas jetted through the gun 26 from a temperature, pressure and medicament controlled source 28 , through the nozzle 24 and onto the wound site 12 for treatment within the enclosure bag 14 . The enclosure bag 14 in one preferred embodiment has at least one duck bill drain valve 22 arranged on a lower outer portion thereof, which duck bill valve 22 is in fluid communication with a gravity and/or pressure fed drain line 30 which leads to a collection bag 32 . The drain line 30 and collection bag 32 preferably have a duck bill valve 34 entry to permit the collection bag 32 to receive and contain but not leak any collection of debris from the patient “P” being treated.
[0037] A sanitizer means 36 is preferably disposed in a dissolvable pouch 38 which pouch 38 is disposed within the collection bag 32 . The sanitizer means 36 is preferably dissolvable, and permits the dis-infection and decontamination of any bacteria, fluid or debris collected from the wound of the patient “P” being treated in the enclosure bag 14 .
[0038] The cuff 19 at the proximal end 18 of the enclosure bag 14 in one embodiment, may have a soft, tissue sensitive, foraminous annular surface 40 with a fluid conduit 42 extending therearound. That fluid conduit 42 in the cuff 19 is in fluid communication with a pressure and/or suction pump 44 arranged downstream thereof. In use as a suction system, the pump 44 permits a vacuum to be applied to the foraminous inner annular surface 40 of the cuff 19 so as to snugly and safely secure the proximal open end 18 of the enclosure bag 14 to the skin of the patient “P”, while also may be arranged to extract any extra stray contaminants or wound debris, while not irritatably rubbing against a limb or surface of the patient “P” being treated.
[0039] A further embodiment of the cuff 19 is represented in FIG. 1 wherein the cuff 19 is a positively pressurizable conduit, having a separate conduit 21 therein to function as a tourniquet. The tourniquet conduit 21 may be controlled by a processor 23 to variably control the pump 44 for squeezing a patient's limb for a determined period of time, acting as the tourniquet or a blood pressure monitor for assistance to medical personnel. Such a system included miniaturized processor 23 may also have radio frequency capabilities to alert treating medical personnel as to the location, medical needs and/or stability or instability of the patient being treated. Such a portable system for patient treating, monitoring and locating is particularly advantageous in a military setting.
[0040] In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, an air vent 50 with a pressurizable, temperature regulatable air, liquid or gaseous treatment fluid supply 52 may be arranged in fluid communication through the wall of the enclosure bag 14 , as shown in FIG. 1 . The air vent 50 is in communication with a pump supply 52 to provide the air, liquid or treatment gases within the enclosure bag 14 so as to space the inside surface of the enclosure bag 14 a distance apart from the skin of the patient “P” therewithin. The enclosure bag 14 may have an air pressure relief valve 56 , to control and/or limit fluid pressure and permit the pressurized air provided to the enclosure bag 14 to gently escape, thus maintaining a constant or controllable pressure and/or temperature and/or medicament supply within the bag 14 and against the patient's skin.
[0041] A further embodiment of the present invention is contemplated by a flexible fluid pressurizable, bubble-like enclosure arrangement 60 which may be of generally hemispherical shape with an annular edge or lip 62 extending therearound for attachment to the patient's skin, as shown in FIG. 2 . The bubble enclosure arrangement 60 could also be of elongated or annular shape in other embodiments, (but not shown for clarity of the figures). The bubble enclosure 60 is designed to be placed over a wound site 12 of the patient “P”. Such an enclosure bubble 60 may have one or more input ports 64 on an outer or external side of the pressurized enclosure bubble 60 , and a corresponding one-way duck bill valve 66 or the like arranged in longitudinal alignment with the input port(s) 64 on the outside surface of that enclosure bubble 60 . The input port 64 and the duck bill valve 66 are in longitudinal alignment so as to permit the barrel 68 of a regulatable, manual hand or robot manipulable pressurizable fluid supply nozzle 70 to extend therethrough. The nozzle 70 would be the distal part of a gun-type control mechanism 72 which permits the aiming and the pressure, temperature and/or medicament fluid mixture control of a pressurized wound cleansing or medicament fluid 74 passing therethrough.
[0042] The enclosure bubble 60 (or enclosure bag of the previous figures) in this embodiment may also include an arrangement of electrical conduits or wires 76 extending around the annular lip 62 of the enclosure bubble 60 , the wires 76 connected to a controllable electrical source 78 to provide a magnetic, electrical or rf stimulation treatment in an encompassing annular or rectilinear pattern around the wound 12 of the patient “P”, so as to promote temperature control, radiation, heating and/or stimulate healing and normal tissue growth. A gravity or a positive or negative pressure fed drainage conduit 78 may extend under or through the side of the wall of the enclosure bubble 60 and into a collection bag 80 through a one way duck bill valve 82 , similar to those as identified hereinabove. An air seepage vent 84 may be arranged adjacent the drainage conduit 78 or a spot nearby. Such seepage vent port 84 may help provide a controlled pressure and temperature atmosphere within the enclosure bubble arrangement 60 on the patient “P”. A fluid supply conduit 86 may be in communication with a controllable pressure and/or suction pump 88 , in which the conduit 86 is in fluid communication with a section cuff 90 disposed in the annular lip or peripheral lip 62 of the enclosure bubble 60 . Such a suction pump 88 would help hold the enclosure bubble 60 to the patient “P” with minimum adverse reaction to the patient, and may also provide a secondary pressure control and/or drain for motion induced patient tissue-stimulation and/or wound treatment fluid removal. Further patient skin attachment systems may of course include adhesive or bandages of the like.
[0043] In yet a further embodiment of the present invention represented in FIG. 3 comprises a first and a second enclosure bag arrangement 92 and 94 successively disposed onto or about a patient's limb. In an operative example, such an inner bag 92 and an outer bag 94 would be elongated so as to, for example fit over a patient's leg or foot having their opened ends 96 and 98 at its proximal end thereof. Such opened ends 96 and 98 would be fitted against a patient's leg and may be held thereagainst by a suction cuff 100 (or pressure cuff—for tourniquet application or patient sensing means) as in the aforementioned embodiments.
[0044] In the yet further embodiment of the present invention, it is contemplated that a spiral or a plurality of conduits (fluid pressurized or electrically conductive) wire loops 102 may be arranged peripherally about the inner side or the outer bag 94 , and/or on the outer side of the inner bag 92 , or disposed between the spaced apart enclosure bags 92 and 94 . The loops or spiral pattern of conduits/wire 102 are in fluid and/or electrical communication with a controllable pressure/temperature and/or electrical source 104 so as to provide either cooling/heating, radio frequency (rf) treatment wherein those conduits/wires 102 could comprise a piezoelectric arrangement to induce rf wave energy for ultrasound treatment of the wound 106 therewithin, or for establishing a powered rf signal to a radio source for emission of a patient location beacon or treatment needs signal.
[0045] It is still contemplated that an inner end of an inner duck bill valve 108 on the inner bag 92 would be in fluid communication through a connector conduit 93 with an outer port 110 arranged in the outer bag 94 . The nozzle 112 of a hand manipulable treatment gun 114 would extend through the outer port 110 and the inner duck bill valve 108 so as to permit controlled treatment fluid to be pressurizably disposed against the wound 106 within the inner enclosure bag 92 .
[0046] A further embodiment would include a duck bill valve 116 extending from a conduit 118 which is in communication with the innermost enclosure bag 92 . The duck bill valve 116 would also be in pressurized and or gravity fed fluid-drainage communication with a conduit 120 which extends to a collection bag 122 . A one-way type duck bill valve 124 would be arranged within the collection bag 122 so as to prevent any backflow of contaminated fluid extending to return into the inner enclosure bag 92 .
[0047] It is further represented in FIG. 3 , that a pressure source 126 might direct fluid either gaseous matter or hardenable liquid through a channel 128 to the space 130 between the inner bag 92 and the outer enclosure bag 94 . An air/fluid seepage patch 132 might be arranged on the outer surface of the outer bag 94 to permit controlled release and separation between the inner bag 92 and the outer bag 94 .
[0048] A controllable higher pressure fluid discharge nozzle 136 may be arranged through both the outer and the inner bags 92 and 94 so as to provide the fluid pressure to the patient's tissue within the inner bag 92 . Such a high pressure source would controllably separate the inner bag 92 from the patient's skin.
[0049] The fluid source 126 arranged in communication with the outer bag 94 from the pressure source through the outer bag 94 may be replaced by an settable fluid or foam injection component for splinting the patient's limb/leg which is enclosed within the inner bag 92 . Such a settable, hardenable foam could press the inner bag 93 against the patient's limb and be contained within the confines of the outer bag 94 to provide a temporary or long term splint for a broken limb or the like.
[0050] It is further contemplated by the present invention, that portions 140 and/or 142 of the inner and/or the outer bag 92 and 94 may be an electrically conductive plastic and/or thermally conductive or reflective or piezo stimulative for electrical signal generation through a proper circuit and or for treating or heating tissue at the patient's wound site within the inner enclosure 92 .
[0051] FIG. 4 represents an embodiment of a barrel 200 and nozzle 202 which extends from the gun-type control mechanism 26 / 72 , shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The barrel 200 and nozzle 202 , as part of the gun type control mechanism 26 / 72 permits the aiming and the pressure, temperature or fluid mix control of a pressurized wound cleansing or medicament fluid(s) passing therethrough. The inlet valve 204 , through which the elongated barrel 200 and nozzle 202 extend, itself may be elongated so as to sterilely enclose that elongated portion of the barrel 200 , to eliminate the need for subsequent sterilization of that barrel 200 in a further use thereof. The distal tip, for example, the nozzle 202 , may be of stepped or reduced diameter so as to snuggly mate through an innermost distal opening 206 of the inlet valve 204 , thereby making only the nozzle 202 , necessarily sterilizable or replaceable during subsequent use thereof. The nozzle tip 202 may be unscrewably removable from the barrel 200 to facilitate that replacement or cleansing.
[0052] Thus it has been shown a unique combination of treatment and containment for a wound which treatment and containment may be done by trained medical personnel and/or by emergency workers. Such containment system provides a sterile atmosphere and an arrangement for keeping the patient from becoming contaminated himself. | A containment arrangement for safely and effectively treating a wound on a patient without contaminating attending personnel. The arrangement comprises a patient receiving first enclosure having a patient contacting periphery, a pressurizable source in communication with the patient through a wall of the enclosure for enlarging the enclosure, and a sealing means arranged in the patient contacting periphery. A hand manipulable fluid discharge nozzle is extendably arranged through the enclosure for providing controllable treatment fluid to the wound on the patient within the enclosure. | 0 |
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
The present application claims priority from Japanese patent application JP 2013-196829 filed on Sep. 24, 2013, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to a technology for accomplishing high-speed data transfer between a server module and a storage module.
As a computer system in which a server and a storage machine accessed by the server are coupled to each other, the following systems are known.
One known computer system of this type couples a server and storage via a network such as a SAN (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-118973 (Related-art Example 1)).
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-118973, there is disclosed a “storage appliance system, which may include at least one application server for locally executing an application, and one or more storage servers in communication with the application server for I/O transmission therebetween”.
The computer system described above has a utilization mode that is employed by a large-scale computer system. The computer system has an advantage of being highly flexible in system configuration, but has a problem in that the cost of devices constructing the network such as a SAN is high as well as the running cost.
PCI Express (registered trademark) interfaces are known as high-speed interfaces, and there is a known technology that connects two devices by PCI Express (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-128717 (Related-art Example 2)). In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-128717, there is disclosed a technology with which communication between two devices is held through a bridge connection of the two devices with the use of a switch that has a non-transparent port and PCI Express.
There is also known a technology for transmitting error information by a PCI Express protocol when a failure occurs at an end point in a computer system that uses PCI Express (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-238150 (Related-art Example 3)).
SUMMARY
In the case of coupling the server and storage machine of Related-art Example 1 with the use of PCI Express of Related-art Example 2, the server is connected to a link A of the non-transparent port by bridge connection and the storage machine is connected to a link B of the non-transparent port by bridge connection. When a failure occurs in the link A connected to the server, the storage machine at the link B is notified of the failure, which necessitates the execution of PCI Express failure recovery processing in the server and the storage machine both.
The resultant problem is that, in the case where one storage machine is coupled to a plurality of servers via a non-transparent port, a failure in a link on the side of one of the servers stops access of the other normal servers to the storage machine due to the need to execute failure recovery processing in the storage machine as well. In other words, a failure in one of the server-side links (I/O interfaces) affects all servers through the storage machine.
In the case where a failure notification is transmitted with the use of Related-art Example 3, the need to expand the PCI Express protocol gives rise to a problem in that existing chip sets and devices cannot be used.
This invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and an object of this invention is to prevent, in a computer system that couples a storage machine and a plurality of servers by I/O interfaces, the impact of a failure in one of the I/O interfaces from spreading to the overall computer system without expanding a protocol.
A representative aspect of this invention is as follows. A computer system, comprising: a server module; a storage module; and a coupling module, wherein the server module comprises: a first processor; a first memory; a first interface for coupling to other devices; a storage access part for requesting access to the storage module via the first interface; a failure detecting part for detecting a failure in the first interface; and a failure processing part for executing given recovery processing when the failure detecting part detects a failure in the first interface, wherein the coupling module comprises: a first end point which is connected to the first interface and, when detecting a failure in the first interface, outputs a failure notification; a second end point which is connected to a second interface of the storage module; a data transfer part for transferring data between the first end point and the second end point; and an event imitation part for converting the failure notification into a notification of disconnection of the first interface when the first end point outputs the failure notification, and transmitting the disconnection notification generated by the conversion to the storage module from the second end point, and wherein the storage module comprises: a second processor; a second memory; a storage device; the second interface for coupling to other devices; a storage control part for receiving an access request through the second interface and accessing the storage device; and a disconnection processing part for disengaging coupling to the server module when the disconnection notification is received from the coupling module.
Thus, in one embodiment of this invention, when the storage module is coupled to a plurality of server modules and a failure occurs in the first interface of one of the server modules, the storage module receives a disconnection notification instead of a failure notification, and disengages the coupling to the server module in which the failure has occurred in the first interface. The impact of the failure in the first interface is prevented from spreading to the overall computer system in this manner. In addition, a protocol of the I/O interfaces does not need to be expanded, which means that the cost of the computer system is kept from rising by using exiting chips and devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of this invention, and is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computer system.
FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of this invention, and is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the server module.
FIG. 3 shows the embodiment of this invention, and is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the storage module
FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of this invention, and is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the coupling module.
FIG. 5 shows the embodiment of this invention, and is a block diagram outlining processing that is executed when a failure occurs on the server module side.
FIG. 6 shows the embodiment of this invention, and is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing that is executed when a failure occurs on the server module side.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
An embodiment of this invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computer system according to the embodiment of this invention.
The computer system of this embodiment is a server apparatus 100 , which includes a plurality of server modules 200 - 1 to 200 - n , a storage module 300 , and a backplane 400 for coupling the plurality of server modules 200 - 1 to 200 - n and the storage module 300 .
The server apparatus 100 has the plurality of server modules 200 - 1 to 200 - n , one storage module 300 , and the backplane 400 . In the following description, the server modules 200 - 1 to 200 - n are collectively denoted by 200 .
The server modules 200 are computers that provide a given business operation. The storage module 300 is a computer that stores data used by the server modules 200 . In this embodiment, the storage module 300 provides logical units (LUs) to each server module 200 .
The server module 200 - 1 includes a processor 210 - 1 and a memory 220 - 1 . The rest of the server modules, 200 - 2 to 200 - n , have the same configuration, and a repetitive description is omitted. The processors 210 - 1 to 210 - n are collectively denoted by 210 . The same symbol notation rule applies to other components as well in the following description.
The processor 210 - 1 includes, as an I/O interface, a PCI Express interface 230 - 1 , which is hereinafter referred to as PCIe I/F 230 - 1 . The PCIe I/F 230 - 1 includes a root complex 240 - 1 , which is at the top of devices arranged in the tree structure of PCI Express.
Each processor 210 executes a program stored in the relevant memory 220 . By executing a program stored in the memory 220 with the processor 210 , the server module 200 provides a business operation.
The memory 220 stores a program executed by the processor 210 and data necessary for the execution of the program. What program and information are stored in the memory 220 is described later with reference to FIG. 2 .
The program and information stored in the memory 220 may be stored in an LU provided by the storage module 300 , or other places. In this case, the processor 210 obtains the program and information from the LU or other storage areas where the program and information are stored, and loads the obtained program and information onto the memory 220 .
The storage module 300 includes a disk controller 310 and storage devices 360 - 1 to 360 - n . The components of the storage module 300 are connected to each other via an I/O interface.
The disk controller 310 manages storage areas of the storage devices 360 , and controls, among others, the association relations between the server modules 200 and the storage areas. The disk controller 310 includes a processor 320 , a memory 330 , and, as an I/O interface, a PCI Express interface 340 (hereinafter referred to as PCIe I/F 340 ).
The processor 320 is connected to the PCIe I/F 340 to transfer data to and from the respective server modules 200 via the PCIe I/F 340 . The PCIe I/F 340 includes a root complex 350 , which is at the top of devices arranged in the tree structure of PCI Express.
The PCIe I/F 340 is connected to a coupling module 410 - 1 via a PCI Express link 510 - 1 to transfer data to and from the server module 200 - 1 . Similarly, the PCIe I/F 340 is connected to a coupling module 410 - 2 via a PCI Express link 510 - 2 to transfer data to and from the server module 200 - 2 .
The PCIe I/F 340 in this embodiment can be built from a chip set or the like. However, this embodiment is not limited thereto and, as in the server modules 200 , the storage module 300 may be configured so that the processor contains a PCIe I/F.
This embodiment shows an example in which the storage module 300 includes one disk controller 310 . Alternatively, the storage module 300 may have a redundant configuration in which a single storage module 300 is provided with a plurality of disk controllers 310 .
The processor 320 executes a program stored in the memory 330 . By executing a program stored in the memory 330 with the processor 320 , functions of the storage module 300 can be implemented.
The memory 330 stores a program executed by the processor 320 and information necessary for the execution of the program. What program and information are stored in the memory 330 is described later with reference to FIG. 3 .
The program and information stored in the memory 330 may be stored in the storage devices 360 - 1 to 360 - n , or other places. In this case, the processor 320 obtains the program and information from the storage devices 360 - 1 to 360 - n or other places, and loads the obtained program and information onto the memory 330 .
The storage devices 360 - 1 to 360 - n are devices for storing data and can be, for example, hard disk drives (HDDs) or solid state drives (SSDs).
The storage module 300 in this embodiment uses a plurality of storage devices to build a RAID, generates LUs from RAID volumes, and further provides the LUs to the server modules 200 . The LUs store programs such as an OS 221 , which is illustrated in FIG. 2 , and an application 225 , which is illustrated in FIG. 2 , and information necessary for the execution of the programs.
The backplane 400 which couples the server modules 200 and the storage module 300 includes coupling modules 410 - 1 to 410 - n , which are provided respectively for the server modules 200 - 1 to 200 - n . The coupling modules 410 - 1 to 410 - n have the same configuration, and a repetitive description is omitted.
The coupling module 410 - 1 has two PCI Express end points, and transfers data between the two end points. The end points of the coupling module 410 - 1 are an end point 420 - 1 , which is connected to the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 , and an end point 430 - 1 , which is connected to the PCIe I/F 340 of the storage module 300 .
The end point 420 - 1 and the server module 200 - 1 are connected by a PCI Express link 500 - 1 . The end point 430 - 1 and the storage module 300 are connected by a PCI Express link 510 - 1 .
In the example here, the end point 420 - 1 connected to the server module 200 - 1 functions as a host bus adapter (HBA), and the end point 430 - 1 connected to the storage module 300 functions as a target bus adapter (TBA). While the end point 420 - 1 and the end point 430 - 1 use a Fibre Channel (FC) protocol to transfer data in the example of this embodiment, this embodiment is not limited thereto and SCSI, SAS, SATA, or other similar protocols may be employed instead. A detailed configuration of the coupling modules 410 is described later with reference to FIG. 4 .
The coupling modules 410 can be installed as a chip (LSI) mounted on a circuit board of the backplane 400 . However, this invention is not limited by how the coupling modules 410 are installed.
The links 500 and the links 510 include physical paths along which signals are transmitted and logical connections which indicate the hierarchy levels of communication or the like. The server modules 200 and the storage module 300 are loaded in, for example, slots provided in the backplane 400 in a manner that allows the modules to be slotted in and out freely.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the server module 200 - 1 according to this embodiment.
The memory 220 - 1 stores programs for implementing the OS 221 and the application 225 . The OS 221 stored in the memory 220 - 1 includes a storage access part 224 , which accesses the storage module 300 , a PCIe failure processing part 222 , which executes recovery processing when a failure occurs in the PCI Express link 500 - 1 connected to the backplane 400 or in the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 , and an HBA link down processing part 223 , which executes processing of disengaging the coupling to the storage module 300 .
In this embodiment, where the end point 420 - 1 to which the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 is connected is built from an HBA, the storage access part 224 accesses the end point 420 - 1 via an HBA driver.
The OS 221 includes the PCIe failure processing part 222 and the HBA link down processing part 223 in the example of this embodiment. However, this embodiment is not limited thereto and the server module 200 - 1 may be configured so that the PCIe failure processing part 222 and the HBA link down processing part 223 run on the OS 221 .
The OS 221 manages the server module 200 - 1 . The OS 221 has the storage access part 224 which controls access between the server module 200 - 1 and the storage module 300 . The storage access part 224 can be implemented by, for example, a device driver for operating the coupling module 410 - 1 .
The OS 221 has a file system and other functions (not shown), which are known functions and therefore omitted. The application 225 provides a given business operation. This invention is not limited by what type of application is included in the server modules 200 .
The processor 210 - 1 operates as function parts that provide given functions by executing processing as programmed by programs of the respective function parts. For instance, the processor 210 - 1 functions as the PCIe failure processing part 222 by executing processing as programmed by a PCIe failure processing program. The same applies to other programs. The processor 210 - 1 also operates as function parts that provide respective functions of a plurality of processing procedures executed by each program. A computer and a computer system are a machine and a system that include these function parts.
Programs for implementing functions and information such as a table can be stored in the storage module 300 , or in a non-volatile semiconductor memory, or in a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a solid state drive (SSD), or in a computer-readable non-transitory data storage medium such as an IC card, an SD card, and a DVD.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the storage module 300 according to this embodiment.
The memory 330 stores programs that implement a storage control part 333 , a TBA link down processing part 332 , and a PCIe failure processing part 331 .
The storage control part 333 controls I/O processing between the server modules 200 and the storage module 300 . In this embodiment, the end points 430 to which the PCIe I/F 340 is connected are built from TBAs, and the storage control part 333 therefore accesses the end points 430 via a TBA driver. The storage control part 333 transfers data between the server modules 200 and the storage devices 360 via the end points 430 .
The TBA link down processing part 332 executes, as described later, processing of disengaging the coupling to the server modules 200 , which are coupled to the storage module 300 by the links 500 . When receiving from one of the coupling modules 410 a notification that the coupling to the relevant server module 200 has been disengaged (a link down or disconnection notification), the disk controller 310 activates the TBA link down processing part (disconnection processing part) 332 to disengage the coupling to the server module 200 along the relevant link 500 , and discards queued I/O (data and commands) of the server module 200 for which the link 500 has just been disconnected.
The PCIe failure processing part 331 executes given recovery processing when a failure occurs in one of the PCI Express links 510 - 1 to 510 - n connected to the backplane 400 , or in the PCIe I/F 340 . When a failure occurs in the PCIe I/F 340 or one of the links 510 , the disk controller 310 resets the PCIe I/F 340 to execute the failure recovery processing.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the coupling module 410 - 1 according to this embodiment. The same configuration is shared by the coupling modules 410 - 2 to 410 - n , and a repetitive description is omitted.
The coupling module 410 - 1 includes a data transfer part 440 , a protocol engine 460 , a bridge 450 , the end point 420 - 1 , which functions as an HBA, the end point 430 - 1 , which functions as a TBA, and an event imitation processing part 470 .
The data transfer part 440 controls data transfer between the memory 220 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 and the memory 330 of the storage module 300 . The data transfer part 440 in this embodiment includes a DMA controller 441 .
The DMA controller 441 controls DMA transfer between the memory 220 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 and the memory 330 of the storage module 300 .
The protocol engine 460 converts a command used by the server module 200 - 1 and a command used by the storage module 300 . In other words, the protocol engine 460 converts a protocol on the end point 420 - 1 side and a protocol on the end point 430 - 1 side into each other.
The bridge 450 controls communication between devices that are connected via the end points 420 - 1 and 430 - 1 . For instance, the bridge 450 converts PCI Express signals that differ from each other in lane count. The bridge 450 is used when the DMA transfer described above is unnecessary.
The end points 420 - 1 and 430 - 1 can be built from, for example, ports for connecting to a device. In this embodiment, the end point 420 - 1 is connected to the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 of the processor 210 - 1 , and the end point 430 - 1 is connected to the PCIe I/F 340 of the disk controller 310 .
The end point 420 - 1 detects the occurrence of a failure when the link 500 - 1 is reset or shut off, and notifies the protocol engine 460 of the failure. In other words, the end point 420 - 1 outputs a failure notification when a failure occurs in the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 or in the link 500 - 1 .
Receiving the failure notification, the protocol engine 460 activates the event imitation processing part 470 . The event imitation processing part 470 converts the notification of a failure in the link 500 - 1 on the server module 200 - 1 side into a disconnection (link down or hot remove) notification which indicates that the link 500 - 1 has been disconnected. The event imitation processing part 470 transmits the disconnection (link down) notification generated by the conversion, instead of an anomaly notification, to the storage module 300 from the end point 430 - 1 .
In the case where the coupling module 410 - 1 is built as a chip on the backplane 400 , the coupling module 410 - 1 can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which includes a processor and a memory, or a similar chip.
The end point 420 - 1 in the example given above outputs a failure notification to the protocol engine 460 when detecting a failure on the link 500 - 1 side. Alternatively, the coupling module 410 - 1 may be designed so that the event imitation processing part 470 is activated when the end point 420 - 1 outputs a failure notification.
The data transfer part 440 , the protocol engine 460 , and the event imitation processing part 470 may be implemented as one control part.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram outlining processing that is executed when a failure occurs on the server module side.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which the server module 200 - 1 is coupled to the storage module 300 via the coupling module 410 - 1 , and a failure has occurred in the link 500 - 1 on the server module 200 - 1 side. In the illustrated example, the server module 200 - 2 is coupled to the storage module 300 via the coupling module 410 - 2 , and transfers data normally.
Normal data transfer is described first taking as an example a case where the server module 200 - 2 reads data out of the storage module 300 via the coupling module 410 - 2 .
The OS 221 of the server module 200 - 2 calls up the storage access part 224 in response to a request to read data stored in the storage module 300 which is received from the application 225 .
The storage access part 224 transmits the read request to the storage control part 333 of the disk controller 310 via the link 510 - 2 . The read request is a command used in the server module 200 - 2 and is therefore in a different format from that of a command used in the storage module 300 . In short, the server module 200 - 2 and the storage module 300 handle different protocols.
In the following description, a command used by the server modules 200 is referred to as server command and a command used by the storage module 300 is referred to as storage command.
The coupling module 410 - 2 receives the read request (server command) from the storage access part 224 , converts the read request into a storage command, and transmits the converted read request (now a storage command) to the storage control part 333 . Specifically, the following processing is executed.
The data transfer part 440 analyzes the received read request (server command). The data transfer part 440 finds out that the received read request (server command) is a server command to be transmitted to the storage module 300 , and therefore instructs the protocol engine 460 to convert the command.
The protocol engine 460 converts the received read request (server command) through conversion into a storage command from a server command, and outputs the converted read request (now a storage command) to the data transfer part 440 .
The data transfer part 440 transmits the input read command (storage command) to the storage control part 333 of the storage module 300 .
The storage control part 333 receives the read request (storage command), reads data that is requested to be read out of the storage devices 360 - 1 to 360 - n , stores the read data in the memory 330 , and transmits a DMA transfer request to the coupling module 410 - 2 .
Receiving the DMA transfer request, the coupling module 410 - 2 obtains the address of the destination which is the memory 220 - 2 of the server module 200 - 2 , and the address of the source which is the memory 330 of the storage module 300 . A well-known technology can be employed for the DMA transfer. For example, the DMA controller 441 of the data transfer part 440 obtains the destination address and the source address, and the DMA controller 441 transfers data in the memory 330 of the storage module 300 to the memory 220 - 2 of the server module 200 - 2 .
The coupling module 410 - 2 accomplishes data transfer through the processing described above.
A case where a failure has occurred in the link 500 - 1 between the server module 200 - 1 and the coupling module 410 - 1 or in the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 is described next.
The processor 210 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 detects that a failure has occurred in the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 or the link 500 - 1 . The detected failure is, for example, a PCI Express bus error. This failure detection may be accomplished by, for example, the monitoring of the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 or the end point 420 - 1 through polling or similar processing performed by the OS 221 , which is executed by the processor 210 - 1 . Alternatively, the failure detection may be accomplished by the monitoring of the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 or the end point 420 - 1 through polling or similar processing performed by the storage access part 224 . An HBA driver provided to the OS 221 may instead monitor the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 or the end point 420 - 1 through polling or similar processing in order to accomplish the failure detection. Software that detects a failure in the link 500 - 1 between the server module 200 - 1 and the coupling module 410 - 1 functions as a failure detecting part.
Detecting a failure in the link 500 - 1 or the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 , the processor 210 - 1 activates the PCIe failure processing part 222 to execute given failure recovery processing such as resetting the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 .
In this embodiment, when the I/O interface used is a PCI Express interface, it is sufficient if an error that needs the resetting of the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 is detected as a failure out of errors in the physical layer, the data link layer, and the transaction layer.
Next, the end point 420 - 1 in the coupling module 410 - 1 notifies the protocol engine 460 of the resetting of the link 500 - 1 or a failure. The protocol engine 460 activates the event imitation processing part 470 on the account that a failure has been detected in the link 500 - 1 or the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 .
When a failure occurs on the end point 420 - 1 side (the HBA side), the event imitation processing part 470 notifies the disk controller 310 of the storage module 300 of FC disconnection (or link down) from the end point 430 - 1 side (the TBA side). In other words, the event imitation processing part 470 of the coupling module 410 - 1 converts a notification of a detected PCI Express failure into a notification of link down of the FC which is a protocol above PCI Express, and notifies the link down to the storage module 300 . The event imitation processing module 470 discards, in advance, I/O between the server module 200 - 1 and the storage module 300 that has been waiting to be processed in the coupling module 410 - 1 .
The processor 320 of the disk controller 310 receives the FC disconnection notification and activates the TBA link down processing part 332 . Because FC connection is cut between the server module 200 - 1 and the coupling module 410 - 1 , the TBA link down processing part 332 discards data and commands regarding the server module 200 - 1 that have been waiting to be processed (queued I/O), and finishes, in a normal fashion, processing of disengaging the coupling to the server module 200 - 1 .
Meanwhile, the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 recovers in the server module 200 - 1 by the resetting. The end point 420 - 1 of the coupling module 410 - 1 notifies the protocol engine 460 of the re-established connection to the server module 200 - 1 . The protocol engine 460 notifies the server module 200 - 1 of the failure in the link 500 - 1 or the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 .
The storage access part 224 of the server module 200 - 1 receives the failure notification, discards data and commands regarding the storage module 300 that have been waiting to be processed (queued I/O), and completes recovery from the failure. The end point 420 - 1 of the coupling module 410 - 1 detects the recovery of the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 and the link 500 - 1 , and then notifies link up of the link to the server module 200 - 1 to the storage module 300 via the protocol engine 460 . Receiving the link up notification, the storage module 300 rebuilds an environment for data transfer to/from the server module 200 - 1 , and resumes the data transfer.
In the manner described above, when a PCI Express failure occurs between the server module 200 - 1 and the coupling module 410 - 1 , the coupling module 410 - 1 notifies the storage module 300 of disconnection in a protocol above the protocol of the PCIe I/F, instead of the PCI Express failure, while the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 is reset in the server module 200 - 1 . This enables the storage module 300 to execute link down processing in a normal fashion for the link to the server module 200 - 1 while keeping the PCIe I/F 340 in operation.
The other server module connected to the PCIe I/F 340 of the storage module 300 , namely, the server module 200 - 2 , can thus maintain access to the storage module 300 without being affected by a failure in the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 .
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing that is executed when a failure occurs on the server module side.
In Step S 101 , the processor 210 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 detects that a failure has occurred in the link 500 - 1 via the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 . In Step S 102 , the processor 210 - 1 activates the PCIe failure processing part 222 . In Step S 103 , the PCIe failure processing part 222 executes given failure recovery processing such as resetting the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 .
The end point 420 - 1 of the coupling module 410 - 1 notifies the protocol engine 420 of the resetting of the link 500 - 1 or the failure. In Step S 104 , the protocol engine 460 activates the event imitation processing part 470 on the account that a failure has been detected in the link 500 - 1 .
When a failure occurs on the end point 420 - 1 side (the HBA side) which is connected to the server module 200 - 1 , the event imitation processing part 470 notifies the disk controller 310 of the storage module 300 of FC disconnection (or link down) from the end point 430 - 1 side (the TBA side) (S 106 ). In other words, the event imitation processing part 470 of the coupling module 410 - 1 converts a notification of a detected PCI Express failure into a notification of link down of the FC which is a protocol above PCI Express, and notifies the link down to the storage module 300 . Before notifying the link down, the event imitation processing part 470 discards I/O between the server module 200 - 1 and the storage module 300 that has been waiting to be processed (S 105 ).
The processor 320 of the disk controller 310 receives the FC disconnection (link down) notification in Step S 107 and activates the TBA link down processing part 332 in Step S 108 .
In Step S 109 , because FC connection is cut between the server module 200 - 1 and the coupling module 410 - 1 , the TBA link down processing part 332 discards data and commands regarding the server module 200 - 1 that have been waiting to be processed (queued I/O), and finishes, in a normal fashion, processing of disengaging the coupling to the server module 200 - 1 .
Meanwhile, the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 recovers in the server module 200 - 1 by the resetting (S 110 ). The end point 420 - 1 of the coupling module 410 - 1 notifies the protocol engine 460 of the re-established connection to the server module 200 - 1 . The protocol engine 460 notifies the server module 200 - 1 of the failure in the link 500 - 1 (S 111 ).
The storage access part 224 of the server module 200 - 1 receives the failure notification in Step S 111 , discards data and commands regarding the storage module 300 that have been waiting to be processed (queued I/O) (S 112 ), and completes recovery from the failure (S 113 ). Thereafter, the end point 420 - 1 of the coupling module 410 - 1 detects the recovery of the link 500 - 1 , and the protocol engine 460 notifies link up of the link to the server module 200 - 1 to the storage module 300 (S 114 ).
In Step S 115 , the storage module 300 receives the link up notification from the coupling module 410 - 1 , rebuilds an environment for data transfer to/from the server module 200 - 1 , and resumes the data transfer.
In the manner described above, when a PCI Express failure occurs between the server module 200 - 1 and the coupling module 410 - 1 , the coupling module 410 - 1 notifies the storage module 300 of link down (disconnection) in the FC protocol, which is a protocol above PCI Express, instead of the PCI Express failure, while the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 is reset in the server module 200 - 1 . This enables the storage module 300 to execute link down processing in a normal fashion for the link to the server module 200 - 1 while keeping the PCIe I/F 340 in operation.
The other server module connected to the PCIe I/F 340 of the storage module 300 , namely, the server module 200 - 2 , can thus maintain access to the storage module 300 without being affected by a failure in the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 . The coupling module 410 - 1 issues to the storage module 300 a notification of disconnection of the link 500 - 1 which is converted from a notification of a failure on the server module 200 - 1 side. This prevents the resetting of the PCIe I/F 340 on the storage module 300 side, and accordingly prevents the impact of a failure in the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 from spreading to the other server modules 200 .
Specifically, if a failure in the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 of the server module 200 - 1 (a PCI bus error) is notified to the storage module 300 without modification as in the related-art examples described above, the disk controller 310 undesirably activates the PCIe failure processing part 331 , which resets the PCIe I/F 340 . Then data transfer between the server module 200 - 2 and the storage module 300 along the link 500 - 2 which is connected to the PCIe I/F 340 and which is normal is interrupted.
In contrast, this invention allows the storage module 300 to execute processing of disengaging the coupling to the server module 200 - 1 (e.g., link down or hot remove) by converting, in the coupling module 410 - 1 , a notification of a failure in the PCIe I/F 230 - 1 on the server module 200 - 1 side into a notification of the disconnection of the link 500 - 1 , and issuing the disconnection notification to the storage module 300 .
In addition, this invention has no need to expand a PCI Express protocol unlike the related-art examples, and can therefore use existing chips, devices, and software, which means that the cost of the server apparatus 100 where the server modules 200 and the storage module 300 are coupled by PCI Express can be kept from rising.
While the protocol engine 460 activates the event imitation processing part 470 in the example given above, this invention is not limited thereto and the processing can be implemented by any control part of the coupling module 410 - 1 .
The embodiment described above gives an example in which the coupling modules 410 are disposed in the backplane 400 . However, this invention is not limited thereto and the coupling modules 410 - 1 to 410 - n may be placed in, for example, the server modules 200 - 1 to 200 - n , respectively. In this case, the server modules 200 and the storage module 300 may be coupled by a PCIe switch instead of the backplane 400 .
The embodiment gives an example in which PCI Express interfaces are employed as I/O interfaces that couple the server modules 200 and the storage module 300 . This invention, however, is not limited thereto.
The embodiment gives an example in which FC is used as a protocol above the I/O interface protocol. Other protocols such as SAS (SCSI) and SATA may be employed instead. A failure in an I/O interface, which is link down of a protocol above the I/O interface protocol in the example discussed in the embodiment, can be substituted by hot remove.
The invention of this application involves detecting, by the server module 200 - 1 , a failure that necessitates the resetting of an I/O interface that couples the server module 200 - 1 and the storage module 300 via the coupling module 410 - 1 , and resetting the I/O interface by the server module 200 - 1 . The coupling module 410 - 1 detects that a failure has occurred based on the resetting by the server module 200 - 1 , converts a notification of a failure in a communication protocol of the I/O interface into a notification of link disconnection, and transmits the disconnection notification to the storage module 300 . The storage module 300 executes processing of disconnecting its link to the server module 200 - 1 , and hence an I/O interface of the storage module 300 can keep running without being reset.
Some or all of the computer components, processing parts, processing means, and the like described above in this invention may be implemented by dedicated hardware.
The various types of software given above as an example in the embodiment can be stored in various recording media including electromagnetic, electronic, and optical recording media (e.g., non-transitory storage media), and can be downloaded onto a computer via a communication network such as the Internet.
This invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and encompasses various modification examples. For instance, the above-mentioned embodiment is a detailed description of this invention that is intended for easier understanding, and this invention is not necessarily limited to a mode that includes all of the components described above. | A control method comprising: a first step of detecting, by the server module, a failure in the first interface; a second step of executing, by the server module, given recovery processing when a failure is detected in the first interface; a third step of using, by the coupling module, the first end point to detect a failure in the first interface and output a failure notification; a fourth step of converting, by the coupling module, the failure notification into a notification of disconnection of the first interface, and transmitting the disconnection notification generated by the conversion to the storage module from the second end point; and a fifth step of disengaging, by the storage module, coupling to the server module when the disconnection notification is received from the coupling module. | 6 |
This application is a division of applicant's copending application for United States Letters Patent Ser. No. 346,625 entitled "OUTPUT SPEED-CONTROLLED TRANSMISSION", which was filed Mar. 30, 1973 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,112.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention features improvements in transmission means and more particularly the encapsulation of a transmission to present it in a unitized form the construction of which provides that its housing forms a medium for transmitting its output. While the invention will be illustrated with reference to the embodiment therein of the features of a unique output speed-controlled transmission system forming the subject matter of the claims of the aforementioned co-pending application for United States Letters Patent, it will be seen from the disclosure that the invention features may equally be advantageously employed in conjunction with conventional transmission systems. In any case, the basic invention on which the claims of the present disclosure are based is such to provide a unitary structure which may be easily and effectively applied in connection with a drive system and even embodied as the hub of a driven rotary element having significant economic and environmental benefits, particularly when embodied in conjunction with the aforementioned unique output speed-controlled transmission. Accordingly, such output speed-controlled transmission is fully detailed to provide illustrative examples of embodiment of the present invention. With this in mind, the following information must be considered.
In efforts to produce more efficient transmissions, prior art workers have devised a number of means to control drive train ratio. These controllers, however, are responsive to the input shaft speed. Furthermore all prior control systems related to control of drive train ratios known to applicant require an increase in the speed of the input shaft of the transmission to produce an increase in the speed of its output shaft.
For example, in standard hydraulic automatic transmissions having automotive application, the gear train ratio is controlled primarily by the speed of the automobile engine. That is, on increasing engine speed hydraulic pressure changes effect change in the transmission ratio and the transmission output speed is correspondingly increased. In conventional pulley belt transmissions, centrifugal weights or the like in the transmission input shaft effect a decrease in pulley ratio with an increase in the input shaft speed.
By means of the present invention a new and improved speed-controlled transmission system has been developed wherein the control of the respective speeds of the input and output shafts is determined by means in association with the transmission output shaft and responsive to its speed. This transmission may be so designed as to effect an increase in the speed of rotation of the input shaft in correspondence with and as a result of the speed of rotation of the output shaft. Moreover, it offers two additional distinct capabilities, after initial startup, not inherent in conventional systems. It may be so designed as to have the input shaft turned at a speed which is decreased in respect to the output shaft speed and vice versa. The transmission may also be arranged to maintain a constant speed at the input shaft with an increasing output shaft speed.
A significant consequence of the transmission system of the invention is its inherent capabilities to effectively diminish air pollution in use of an internal combustion engine.
Much attention has been recently given to the problems of emissions control. A primary difficulty in achieving proper emissions control, in automotive vehicles, for example, lies in the fact that for each automotive engine speed there are many variables to be considered, such as air-fuel ratio, spark advance, cam timing and the like. Since optimum conditions of these variables will change for different engine speeds, it is substantially impossible to design an engine which optimizes the variables to produce minimum emissions for the full range of speeds of an operating engine. By contrast, in using the transmission system of the present invention, the engine speed could be caused to remain at a predetermined constant regardless of the vehicle speed (after an initial change of engine speed during start-up) and the variables could be adjusted to give minimum emissions at that predetermined speed. Furthermore, this predetermined engine speed could be so chosen as to cause the engine to operate at its maximum power output speed, regardless of the automobile speed.
Consider also, in a number of vehicles, such as minibikes, snowmobiles and the like, which currently employ pulley belt systems, the engine speed increases with vehicle speed with the result that the vehicle speed is limited by the engine speed and not by the power required to drive the vehicle at high speed. Through the use of the transmission system of the present invention, the maximum speed potential of such vehicles could be realized since at high vehicle speeds the engine could be made to operate at a safe speed, and one at which it produces maximum horsepower.
Pedal powered devices such as bicycles and the like are prime examples of vehicles, the speed of which is limited by the input speed. To overcome this problem prior art workers have devised systems employing up to 15 different gear ratios. These systems are complex and require the slipping of a chain from one gear to another to effect a ratio change. Substitution of the invention transmission would enable a cyclist to pedal at a constant speed (after an initial startup phase) regardless of the vehicle speed and no manual gear changes would be required. This will be described.
The transmission of the present invention may also be advantageously used in electric motor-powered devices. When an electric motor is used to drive a piece of equipment characterized by high inertia, the electric motor tends to accelerate to its operational speed before the equipment during startup. This can result in excessive belt slippage when using a conventional transmission. Through the use of the present transmission, the motor could operate at its maximum power during startup without belt slippage.
A most significant incident of the present invention is the evolution of a unitized speed-controlled transmission the nature and character of which is such to enable a transmission to be easily and effectively installed by one having little experience or knowledge of the transmission art. It is a characteristic of invention embodiments that the housing for the transmission forms a functional part thereof and in fact an element through which the output of the transmission is routed. As mentioned previously, the incorporation of the features of the output speed-controlled transmission described herein provides embodiments of the invention having important consequences in the development of the transmission art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the illustrative embodiments herein described the invention is illustrated to comprise a housing adapted to be rotatively mounted on an axle provided in the machine in which the embodiment is incorporated to form part of its drive system. Arranged within the housing and for connection to the axle so as to prevent their rotation are frame elements mounting for rotation therein an input shaft and an output shaft shown to be supported in a parallel spaced relation. Each shaft mounts a two-piece pulley assembly one of which is fixed for rotation with the shaft and against axial movement thereon and the other of which is fixedly mounted to the shaft but in a manner to accommodate its axial movement along the shaft toward and away from the associated pulley half, within defined limits. The paired pulley halves on each of the shafts are conical in configuration at their adjacent faces so as to mutually define a V-shaped groove about the periphery. This enables the pulley assemblies in connection with respective shafts to be connected by a V-belt. In the embodiments illustrated, there is associated with the transmission output shaft speed sensing means, in various form, so designed and incorporated as to move the shiftable pulley half of one of the pulley assemblies toward and away from its associated fixed half in response to and to a degree determined by the speed of the output shaft. Of particular significance is the fact that the output shaft is drivingly related to the transmission housing which thereby forms its output member.
As will be seen, the encapsulated transmission unit of the invention may be coupled to any driving element in a machine in which it is embodied in a manner that the housing serves as a functional connecting element. In a preferred embodiment illustrated the entire transmission unit is shown as the hub of a wheel forming a driving element for vehicle, in this case the rear wheel of a bicycle type vehicle.
It will be seen that the housing of the transmission unit of the invention accommodates therein, for rotation relative thereto, a means through which any drive means may be coupled to and drivingly related to the input shaft of the transmission. The input shaft of the transmission may be connected, for example, to the drive shaft of any drive means, such as an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, or even a pedal drive means. In automotive applications the output shaft of the transmission may be connected to the rear wheels of the automobile through a forward-neutral-reverse box and a conventional differential such as known in the art. On the other hand, the output shaft may be connected directly to the input shaft of any machine or element to be driven. A manually or automatically controlled override may be provided in association with the transmission to counteract the action of the speed sensing means when required.
A primary object of the invention is to provide a unique encapsulated transmission unit having multiple applications which is easy to fabricate, more efficient and satisfactory in use and adaptable to a wide variety of applications without danger of malfunction.
Another object of the invention is to provide a unit structure embodying a total transmission the form of which facilitates its application to form part of a drive system.
A further object of the invention is to provide a unique encapsulated transmission unit the housing of which is utilized in providing its output.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a unique encapsulated transmission unit embodying an output speed-controlled transmission wherein the output is directed through the transmission housing which forms a functional part thereof.
A further object of the invention is to provide a unique governor unit which may be embodied in connection with the output shaft of a conventional transmission unit with ease and simplicity of structural application.
An additional object of the invention is to provide improvements in transmission units possessing the advantageous structural features, the inherent meritorious characteristics and the means and mode of use herein described.
With the above and other incidental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention intended to be protected by Letters Patent consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation as hereinafter described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings, or their equivalents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view, partly in cross section, of an embodiment of the transmission features of the present invention applied to a pedal-driven vehicle;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of another embodiment of the transmission features for use in a pedal-driven vehicle;
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment providing an output speed-controlled transmission which may be applied to a pedal-driven vehicle and which utilizes the further invention concept of embodying a transmission in a unit structure;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation view illustrating, in cross section, a modification of the embodiment of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a bicycle embodying the invention features shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a further embodiment of the output speed-controlled transmission concept of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, partially diagrammatic, view illustrating a modified form of speed sensing means for the output shaft of the invention transmission; and
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating an alternate configuration for the cam groove embodied in FIG. 6.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A basic embodiment of the output speed-controlled transmission of the present invention, as applied to a pedal-driven vehicle such as a bicycle, is illustrated in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1 an input shaft 1 is shown mounted in a bearing means 2 affixed to the bicycle frame (not shown). The input shaft 1 has angularly related ends 3 and 4 provided with pedals 5 and 6, respectively. A housing 7 surrounds the transmission and the input shaft 1 extends through a perforation 8 in the housing.
The input shaft 1 supports a pulley assembly generally indicated at 9. The pulley assembly comprises a first pulley half 9a fixedly and non-rotatively mounted on the input shaft 1 in any appropriate manner, as by pins 10. A second pulley half 9b is non-rotatively mounted on the input shaft 1 but is axially shiftable therealong toward and away from pulley half 9a. The mounting of pulley half 9b may be accomplished in any appropriate manner. For example, the input shaft 1 may be provided with a pair of diametrically opposed slots 11 and 12 adapted to receive keys 13 and 14 affixed to pulley half 9b. The keys will prevent rotation of the pulley half with respect to the shaft 1, but will permit a shifting of the pulley half axially of the shaft, within the limits of the slots 11 and 12.
The transmission of FIG. 1 also includes an output shaft 15. The output shaft is rotatively mounted in suitable bearings 16 and 17 in the housing 7. One end of the output shaft 15 extends through an opening 18 in the housing and carries a chain sprocket 19. The chain sprocket 19 is conventional and may be connected to a drive sprocket (not shown) on the rear wheel of the bicycle (not shown) by a drive chain (not shown), all as is conventional in the art.
The output shaft 15 of the transmission carries a pulley assembly generally indicated at 20. The pulley assembly 20 comprises a first pulley half 20a fixedly and non-rotatively mounted to the shaft in the same manner described with respect to pulley half 9a above. The pulley assembly includes a second pulley half 20b non-rotatively affixed to the output shaft but axially shiftable thereon. The pulley half 20b may be mounted on shaft 15 in the same manner described with respect to pulley half 9b. The pulley assemblies 9 and 20 are connected by a V-belt 21.
The embodiment of FIG. 1 is provided with a centrifugal type speed sensing means for the output shaft 15. The shiftable pulley half 20b has a cylindrical extension 22 terminating in an annular flange 23 bearing cam rollers 24 and 25. A mounting means 26 is provided having centrifugal weights 27 and 28 pivoted thereon. The centrifugal weights 27 and 28 have cam surfaces cooperating with the cam rollers 24 and 25, respectively. The mounting means 26 is rotatable with pulley half 20b and output shaft 15, but is not axially shiftable with respect to output shaft 15. This may be accomplished by affixing the mounting means 26 to the shaft 15 through longitudinal slots in the cylindrical extension 22. Control spring means 29 is located between mounting means 26 and the pulley half 20b.
It will be evident that as the rotational speed of output shaft 15 and mounting means 26 increases, the centrifugal weights 27 and 28 will pivot outwardly. The cam surfaces on these weights will cooperate with cam rollers 24 and 25 to shift the assembly comprising the flange 23, cylindrical extension 22 and pulley half 20b toward the left as viewed in FIG. 1 (i.e., away from pulley half 20a). The amount of shift imparted by the weights 27 and 28 will depend upon the configuration of the cam surfaces thereon. The amount by which the weights 27 and 28 pivot outwardly will, in turn, depend upon the rotational speed of shaft 15 and the action of control springs 29. Upon a reduction in rotational speed of an output shaft 15, cam weights 27 and 28 will swing inwardly toward output shaft 15 with the influence of control springs 29 thus providing for pulley half 20b to move toward pulley half 20a.
As indicated above, pulley assemblies 9 and 20 are joined by a V-belt 21. In order for the desired transmission ratio change to take place, it is required that shiftable pulley half 9b on input shaft 1 move simultaneously and oppositely when shiftable pulley half 20b on output shaft 15 is moved, so that the slack in V-belt 21 is appropriately taken up. By "oppositely" is meant that as pulley half 20b moves away from pulley half 20a, pulley half 9b will shift toward pulley half 9a, and vice versa.
To accomplish appropriate corresponding movements of pulley halves 9b and 20b, these pulley halves may be mechanically connected by a yoke means generally indicated at 30. The yoke means comprises a cylindrical element 31 mounted on a shaft 32 extending between opposite side walls of housing 7 and in parallel spaced relationship with input shaft 1 and output shaft 15. The cylindrical element 31 is axially shiftable with respect to shaft 32.
At one end the cylindrical element 31 has an arm 33. The arm 33 has a perforation 34 through which output shaft 15 extends. An appropriate thrust bearing 35 is mounted in the perforation 34 in abutment with flange 23 of pulley half 20b.
The cylindrical element 31 carries at its other end a second arm 36 having a perforation 37 through which the input shaft 1 extends. A thrust bearing 38 and sleeve 39 are operatively attached to shiftable pulley half 9b. A spring 40 surrounds the sleeve 39. One end of the spring is in abutment with the sleeve 39 and thrust bearing 38. The other end of the spring is in abutment with yoke arm 36.
The spring 40 serves two purposes. First of all, it assures that the arm 33 of the yoke structure is always in contact with the structure of pulley half 20b. Furthermore, it assures that the pulley assemblies 9 and 20 will exert sufficient force on V-belt 21 to prevent slippage thereof.
The yoke assembly 30, just described, assures proper movement of pulley halves 9b and 20b. It also maintains correct alignment of V-belt 21 when one pulley is opened and the other is closed, thereby minimizing skewing of the belt and consequent accelerated wear thereof, so often found in utilizing conventional pulley belt type transmission units of the prior art.
It will be understood by one skilled in the art that it is within the scope of the invention to eliminate the yoke assembly 30, in which event the right hand end of spring 40 (as viewed in FIG. 1) will be provided with an appropriate abutment means. In such case, the spring 40 will be relied upon to cause the pulley assemblies to maintain proper tension on V-belt 21 and to cause or permit pulley half 9b to shift toward or away from pulley half 9a upon the occurrence of an axial shift of pulley half 20b which correspondingly moves belt 21 in or out, in a radial sense referenced to shaft 15.
The operation of the output speed-controlled transmission of FIG. 1 may be described as follows. By appropriate selection of control springs 29 and by appropriate configuration of the cam surfaces on weights 27 and 28, the transmission may be designed to allow the cyclist to pedal at a constant speed (after initial startup) regardless of the bicycle speed.
After the initial startup phase, if an increase in bicycle speed is desired, increased torque on input shaft 1 by the cyclist is transmitted to the rear or driving wheel of the bicycle through the output-controlled transmission. The increased torque at the rear wheel of the bicycle will accelerate it. As the bicycle begins to change speed, a simultaneous change in speed of the transmission output shaft 15 will occur. This increase in speed of output shaft 15 will result in an outward swinging of centrifugal weights 27 and 28. The amount of outward swing of weights 27 and 28 with the increase in speed of output shaft 15 will be determined primarily by control springs 29.
Outward movement of centrifugal weights 27 and 28 will result in an axial shift of pulley half 20b away from pulley half 20a by virtue of the cooperation of the cam surfaces on weights 27 and 28 and the cam rollers 24 and 25 on flange 23. The amount of axial shift of pulley half 20b with respect to the swing of centrifugal weights 27 and 28 will be prescribed by the configuration of the cam surfaces on weights 27 and 28.
The axial shift of pulley half 20b away from pulley half 20a will cause a simultaneous and opposite shift of pulley half 9b toward pulley half 9a by virtue of the yoke assembly 30. Thus, simultaneously, the opening of pulley assembly 20 is translated through the yoke assembly 30 to a closing of pulley assembly 9. The relative opening of pulley assembly 20 and closing of pulley assembly 9 causes the belt 21 to shift outwardly on pulley assembly 9 and inwardly on pulley assembly 20. Thus a new transmission ratio is established.
When the bicycle speed is reduced to that speed determined by the startup phase, the various elements of the transmission will function in a manner opposite to that just described. Thus, the centrifugal weights 27 and 28 will swing inwardly toward the ouput shaft 15 and the pulley assembly 20 will be closed while the pulley assembly 9 will be opened. In this manner, the original transmission ratio after the startup phase will be reestablished.
Since, as indicated above, the transmission may be designed to allow the cyclist to pedal at a constant speed (after initial startup) regardless of the bicycle speed, the bicycle speed is not limited by the input shaft speed and no manual gear changes or complex gear systems are required.
FIG. 2 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention, in reference to a pedal operated vehicle, though its application is obviously not so limited. As shown, an input shaft 41 having angularly related ends 41a and 41b provided with pedal means 42 (one of which is shown) is rotatively mounted in bearings 43 and 44 in a housing 45. A tubular output shaft 46 is concentric with and rotatively mounted on the shaft 41 by means of appropriately interposed bearings 47 and 48. The shaft 46 mounts a pulley assembly 49 comprising a first half 49a fixedly and non-rotatively mounted on the output shaft in the manner described above. The pulley assembly 49 includes a second pulley half 49b non-rotatively mounted on the output shaft but capable of axial shifting thereon toward and away from the pulley half 49a. The mounting of pulley half 49b on output shaft 46 may be accomplished as described above.
A third shaft 50, rotatable in bearings 51 and 52 in the housing 45, is mounted in parallel spaced relationship to input shaft 41 and output shaft 46.
Input shaft 41 has, non-rotatively mounted thereon, a cog wheel 53. A cog wheel 54 is non-rotatively fixed to the shaft 50 and joined to the cog wheel 53 by a cog belt 55. As a consequence of this, shaft 50 constitutes an input shaft, being an extension of input shaft 41, the rotational movement of which is imparted to shaft 50 by cog belt 55.
Shaft 50 mounts a pulley assembly 56 comprising a first pulley half 56a and a second pulley half 56b. Pulley half 56a is fixedly and non-rotatively mounted on shaft 50. Pulley half 56b is non-rotatively mounted to the shaft, but is capable of axial shifting therealong toward and away from pulley half 56a. The mounting of pulley halves 56a and 56b may be accomplished in the manner set forth above. As described, pulley assembly 56 may be considered the input pulley assembly while pulley assembly 49 may be considered to be the output pulley assembly. The pulley assemblies are joined by a V-belt 57.
The output shaft 46 mounts a sprocket 58 which may be connected by conventional chain means (not shown) to the rear wheel sprocket of the bicycle (not shown), as is known in the art.
Shaft 46 has non-rotatively affixed thereto a cog wheel 59 connected by a cog belt 60 to an annular cog wheel 61 on shaft 50. Wheel 61 incorporates a cylindrical sleeve portion 61a supported for rotation on shaft 50 by suitable bearing means 62 and 63. Cog wheel 61 carries a pair of cam rollers 64 and 65.
A cylindrical sleeve 66 surrounds the extension 61a of cog wheel 61 and is non-rotatively mounted thereon; but sleeve 66 is axially shiftable with respect to cog wheel portion 61a. This may be accomplished by providing portion 61a with at least one pair of diametrically opposed longitudinal slots 67 and 68 and providing the sleeve 66 with a pair of cooperating keys 69 and 70. The sleeve 66 has pivotally affixed thereto as at 71 and 72 a pair of centrifugal weights 73 and 74, respectively. These weights have cam surfaces coacting with cam rollers 64 and 65. An end of sleeve 66 contacts shiftable pulley half 56b through a thrust bearing 75.
From the assembly just described, it will be noted that the speed of output shaft 46 will be transmitted by cog wheel 59 and cog belt 60 to cog wheel 61. At the same time, this rotational speed will also be transmitted to sleeve 66 and the centrifugal weights 73 and 74 mounted thereon. As the rotational speed of shaft 46 increases, centrifugal weights 73 and 74 will shift outwardly and their coaction with cam rollers 64 and 65 will cause the sleeve 66 together with pulley half 56b to move toward pulley half 56a.
A spring 76 is mounted on shaft 50 with its ends abutting pulley halves 56a and 56b. It will be understood that the spring 76 serves substantially the same purpose as control springs 29 of FIG. 1 and will govern the amount by which the centrifugal weights 73 and 74 swing outwardly in response to the rotational speed of output shaft 46. The amount by which pulley half 56b is shifted toward pulley half 56a will be determined largely by the cam surfaces on the centrifugal weights 73 and 74, and by spring 76.
To accomplish the required simultaneous and opposite movement of pulley half 49b toward pulley half 49a, a spring 77 is mounted on shaft 46. The spring 77 abuts the sprocket 58 at one end and the pulley half 49b at the other.
The operation of the embodiment of FIG. 2 is substantially identical to that of FIG. 1. Thus, as the rotational speed of output shaft 46 increases, so will the rotational speed of the sensing means or centrifugal weights 73 and 74. Their outward movement will cause a shift of pulley half 56b toward pulley half 56a. This, in turn, will result in a movement of pulley half 49b away from pulley half 49a thus changing the pulley ratio. Again, proper selection of spring 76 and appropriate configuration of the cam surfaces on centrifugal weights 73 and 74 may be provided to maintain the speed of input shaft 41 constant irrespective of the speed of output shaft 46 (after the initial startup phase).
FIGS. 3 and 5 illustrate a more sophisticated and preferred version of the output-controlled transmission of the present invention as applied to a bicycle. This version also embodies the invention concept of providing a transmission which is housed or encapsulated to afford a most easily applied unit which can serve also as a hub for a rotary drive element.
FIG. 5 illustrates a conventional bicycle having a main frame 78 supporting a front wheel 79, a rear wheel 80, a seat 81, handle bars 82 and a conventional pedal and drive sprocket assembly 83. In this embodiment, the transmission generally indicated at 84 comprises a housing 85 rotatively mounted on the rear axle 86 of the bicycle. The housing 85 forms the hub for rear wheel 80 and the rear wheel is supported thereon by conventional spokes, some of which are illustrated at 87. The conventional pedal drive sprocket assembly 83 is connected by a cog chain 88 to a drive sprocket 89 for the transmission.
For a complete understanding of the details of the invention transmission, reference is made to FIG. 3 wherein rear axle 86 is shown to be non-rotatively mounted in connection with portions of the frame 78 and mounting the transmission housing 85. The latter comprises an annular rim-like structure 90 and two circular side portions 91 and 92. The side portions 91 and 92 are affixed to the rim-like portion 90 by screws or other appropriate means 93. As shown, the housing 85 is rotatably mounted on the rear axle 86 by appropriate bearing means 94 and 95.
Within the housing a pair of laterally spaced frame members 96 and 97, immovably fixed on rear axle 86, support an input shaft 98 for rotation in suitably connected bearing means 99 and 100. The input shaft 98 is equivalent to input shaft or shaft extension 50 in FIG. 2. The same frame members also support an output shaft 101 in appropriate bearing means 102 and 103. The output shaft 101 is equivalent to output shaft 46 of FIG. 2.
The input shaft 98 carries a pulley assembly comprising a first pulley half 104a fixedly attached thereto by appropriate means including set screw 105. A second pulley half 104b is non-rotatively mounted on input shaft 98, but made shiftable axially thereof toward and away from pulley half 104a in any appropriate manner, such as by providing shaft 98 with a longitudinal slot 106 accommodating a key 107 on pulley half 104b.
The output shaft 101 carries a pulley assembly, generally indicated at 108. This output shaft assembly comprises a first pulley half 108a fixedly and non-rotatively mounted on output shaft 101 by any appropriate means including set screw 109. A second pulley half 108b is nonrotatively mounted on but shiftable axially of the output shaft 101, toward and away from pulley half 108a. As in the case of the input shaft, the output shaft 101 may be provided with a longitudinal slot 110 to receive a key 111 on pulley half 108b. The pulley assemblies 104 and 108 are joined by a V-belt 112.
The transmission drive sprocket 89 is rotatively mounted on rear axle 86 and operatively connected to a second drive sprocket 114 by ratchet means 89a permitting free wheeling as is known in the art. The drive sprockets 89 and 114 are mounted between bearing means 95 and 115. It will be noted that sprockets 89 and 114 rotate together, but independently of the housing 85.
Noting FIG. 5, sprocket 89 is connected to the pedal and drive sprocket assembly 83 by drive chain 88. Sprocket 114, in turn, is connected by a cog belt 116 to a sprocket 117 fixedly mounted on input shaft 98. Sprocket 114, chain 116 and sprocket 117 are equivalent to sprocket 53, cog belt 55 and sprocket 54 of FIG. 2. Accordingly, rotation imparted to sprocket 89 by pedal and drive sprocket assembly 83 and chain 88 will also be imparted to input shaft 98. Rotation of input shaft 98 and its pulley assembly 104 will be transmitted, through the V-belt 112, to pulley assembly 108 and output shaft 101. Fixed to one end of output shaft 101 is a sprocket 118, connected by chain 119 to another sprocket 120 affixed to the portion 91a of housing side 91. By this means the rotation of shaft 101 is imparted to housing 85. Housing 85, in turn, being the hub of wheel 80, imparts its rotation to the rear bicycle wheel in which it is embodied. Sprocket 118 may be considered to be equivalent to sprocket 58 of FIG. 2.
As in FIG. 2, the means for sensing the rotational speed of the output shaft is mounted on the input shaft to cause a shifting of input shaft pulley half 104b toward and away from fixed pulley half 104a. To this end, pulley half 104b has a rearward tubular extension 104c, rotatably mounting a sleeve 121. The sleeve 121 has an annular interior flange 122 and a pair of outwardly projected arms 123 and 124 bearing racks 125 and 126, respectively.
A second sleeve 127 surrounds the sleeve 121 and is rotatable therewith by virtue of the key 128 affixed to sleeve 127 and riding in a longitudinal slot 129 in the periphery of sleeve 121. The sleeve 127 has an in-turned flange portion 130 at one end which terminates in an L-shaped portion 131. The L-shaped portion 131 rides on a bearing means 132. The remainder of sleeve 127 is supported by sleeve 121, which in turn rides on bearing means 133 mounted on the extension 104c of pulley half 104b.
Sleeve 127 carries a pair of arms 134 and 135 to which are pivotally affixed gear segments 136 and 137, respectively. The gear segments 136 and 137 which are adapted to respectively cooperate with racks 125 and 126 carry centrifugal weights 138 and 139, respectively.
The sleeve 127 also fixedly mounts a sprocket 140 which is connected by a chain 141 to a sprocket 142 fixed on output shaft 101.
It will be evident from the foregoing that rotation of shaft 101 will produce a common and simultaneous rotation of sleeves 127 and 121, which are keyed together. As the speed of rotation of sleeves 127 and 121 increases, centrifugal weights 138 and 139 will swing outwardly and away from input shaft 98. Through the agency of gear segments 136 and 137 and the cooperating racks 125 and 126, the sleeve 121 will be shifted to the left, as viewed in FIG. 3. This shifting of sleeve 121 will cause a similar shifting of pulley half 104b toward pulley half 104a. This is true because the interior annular flange 122 of sleeve 121 bears against bearing 133 which in turn bears against pulley half 104b.
A plurality of springs 143 are located within sleeve 121. One end of each of the springs 143 abuts the flange 122 of sleeve 121 while the other end of each spring abuts the portion 130 of sleeve 127.
A control spring 144 is mounted on input shaft 98 to have the ends thereof respectively abut pulley halves 104a and 104b. Control spring 144 is equivalent to control spring 76 of FIG. 2 and serves the same purposes.
Finally, a spring 145 is mounted about output shaft 101. One end of spring 145 abuts shiftable pulley half 108b. The other end of the spring abuts a cup-shaped flange 146 mounted on the output shaft. Spring 145 is equivalent to spring 77 of FIG. 2 and serves the same purposes, i.e., it assures proper shifting of pulley half 108b upon shifting of pulley half 104b and that proper tension is maintained on V-belt 112.
The operation of the embodiment of FIG. 3 is essentially the same as that described with respect to FIG. 2. After the initial startup phase, the rotational speed of output shaft 101 will be sensed by the centrifugal weights 138 and 139 since the rotation of output shaft 101 is imparted to the weights through the agency of sprocket 142, chain 141 and sprocket 140. As the rotational speed of output shaft 101 increases, the weights will swing outwardly. Gears 136 and 137, cooperating with racks 125 and 126, respectively, will cause a shift of sleeve 121 and thus pulley half 104b toward pulley half 104a. This same cooperation of the racks and gears will maintain sleeve 127 in its proper position. The closing of pulley assembly 104 will result in an opening of pulley assembly 108 and the desired ratio change. Again, racks 125 and 126 and gears 136 and 137, together with control spring 144, may be so chosen and configured that the cyclist (after initial startup) may pedal at a constant speed regardless of the bicycle speed. Again, the bicycle speed is not limited by the input shaft speed and no manual gear changes or complex gear systems are required. The embodiment of FIG. 3 has the further advantage that it is fully enclosed and located within rear wheel 80 (see FIG. 5). In this respect, the very concept of an enclosed transmission of a unit character which may afford a separable element of a drive system is significantly unique and even more so is the embodiment of the unit as a hub of a rotary drive element.
It will be noted that when the transmission is at rest the pulley assemblies 104 and 108 and V-belt 112 will assume the positions shown in FIG. 3, under the influence of springs 144 and 145. The function of springs 143 is to assist the centrifugal weights in their outward movement to maintain the proper force balance necessary to achieve the desired predetermined rotational speed condition of the input shaft 98.
FIG. 4 illustrates a modification of the embodiment of FIG. 3. Like parts have been given like index numerals. The embodiment of FIG. 4 differs from that of FIG. 3 in that the pulley assembly on the output shaft and the spring in association therewith to maintain proper tension on the V-belt float with respect to the output shaft. This arrangement assures, among other things, that the V-belt does not become skewed during shifting of the pulley assemblies, thus eliminating undue wear on the V-belt 112. This embodiment also makes better and more efficient use of the space within the housing 85.
In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the output shaft, shown at 101a, is mounted in a manner identical to that described with respect to FIG. 3 and slidably mounts a bearing sleeve 147. The sleeve 147 is non-rotatable with respect to the output shaft, by virtue of the fact that the output shaft is provided with a longitudinal slot 148 in which a key 149 affixed to sleeve 147 is located. While the sleeve 147 will rotate with output shaft 101a, it will also shift axially thereof within the limits of the slot 148.
A second sleeve is shown at 150. The sleeve 150 is affixed to the sleeve 147 and rotates therewith. The output shaft pulley assembly is indicated at 108c and comprises a first pulley half 108d fixedly secured to sleeve 150 by any suitable means such as set screw 109a. A second pulley half is shown at 108e. This pulley half is rotatable with sleeves 150 and 147 and input shaft 101a and is axially shiftable therealong toward and away from pulley half 108d. This is accomplished by providing sleeve 150 with a longitudinal slot 150a in which is located a key 151 affixed to pulley half 108e. It will be noted from the structure thus far described that the fixed and shiftable pulley halves have been reversed in position with respect to those shown in FIG. 3.
The sleeve 150 carries at one end a cup-like flange 152 held on the sleeve 150 by a clamping ring 153. In this embodiment, a pair of springs 154 and 155 are located about the sleeve 150. One end of each of these springs abuts the flange 152, while the other end of each of these springs abuts pulley half 108e. The springs 154 and 155 serve the same purpose as spring 145 in FIG. 3.
Except for the modifications just described, the embodiment of FIG. 4 is otherwise identical to the embodiment of FIG. 3 and its operation is the same.
Another basic embodiment of the output speed-controlled transmission of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 6 which shows an input shaft 156 and an output shaft 157. The input shaft 156 is rotatively mounted in appropriate bearing means 158 and 159 in a frame structure 160 and 161, respectively. Output shaft 157 is supported by frame members 160 and 161 in suitable bearing means 162 and 163 to be in parallel spaced relation to the shaft 156. It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the frame structure 160-161 may constitute the transmission housing.
An input shaft pulley assembly is generally indicated at 164 to comprise two halves 164a and 164b having conical surfaces 164c and 164d, respectively. These conical surfaces slope inwardly and toward each other to define a V-shaped notch. Pulley half 164a is non-rotatively and fixedly mounted on the input shaft 156 as by the pinning indicated at 165 and 166, while pulley half 164b is non-rotatively affixed to the input shaft 156 but shiftable axially thereof toward and away from pulley half 164a. As in FIG. 1, the input shaft 156 is shown to be provided with at least one diametrical pair of longitudinal slots 167 and 168 and the pulley half 164b is provided with keys 169 and 170 adapted to be slidably received in the slots 167 and 168, respectively.
An output shaft pulley assembly 171, similarly to the pulley assembly 164, is made up of two halves 171a and 171b which also form a V-shaped notch. Pulley half 171a is nonrotatively and fixedly mouned on the output shaft, again by any appropriate means such as pins 172 and 173. Pulley half 171b is non-rotatively mounted on the output shaft 157, but is axially shiftable thereon toward and away from pulley half 171a. Again, this mounting may be accomplished in any appropriate manner as by means of shaft slots 174 and 175 and pulley keys 176 and 177.
Pulley half 171b has a tubular extension 178 thereon of lesser diameter than the pulley half body and defining an annular shoulder 179. Non-rotatively affixed to the pulley half extension 178, by any suitable means such as set screws 181 and 182, is a tubular member 180. The member 180 has formed thereon a pair of ears 183 and 184 having cam grooves 185 and 186. By virtue of its attachment to the pulley half extension 178, member 180 is non-rotatable relative to the shaft 157, but is axially shiftable there-along together with the pulley half 171b.
A mounting means 187 is non-rotatively and fixedly mounted on the output shaft 157 by any appropriate means such as pins or set screws 188 and 189. The mounting means 187 has pivotally affixed thereto as at 190 and 191 a pair of centrifugal weights 192 and 193, respectively. The weights 192 and 193, in turn, bear rollers 194 and 195 adapted to ride in the cam grooves 185 and 186, respectively, of the member 180.
With the structure thus described, as the speed of output shaft 157 is increased, the centrifugal weights 192 and 193 will pivot outwardly about the pivot points 190 and 191, respectively. This causes rollers 194 and 195 to move outwardly in cam grooves 185 and 186, respectively, and, in turn, causes pulley half 171b to move away from the fixed pulley half 171a thereby widening the V-shaped groove between the pulley halves 171a and 171b. Means are provided to regulate the movement of the weights 192 and 193. To this end, mounting means 187 mounts in turn a longitudinally shiftable annular ring 196 positioned in facing spaced relation to an annular flange 197 formed integral with one end thereof. A plurality of control springs 198 are located between the flange 197 and the ring 196. The centrifugal weights 192 and 193 bear extensions carrying rollers 199 and 200, respectively. The rollers 199 and 200 engage the ring 196 at its surface remote from the flange 197. Thus, the outward movement of centrifugal weights 192 and 193 is against the action of control springs 198.
It will be evident that the maximum amount of shifting of the movable pulley half 171b is determined by the pulley keys 176 and 177 and their respective shaft slots 174 and 175. The range of movement of pulley half 171b within this maximum capability will be governed by control springs 198 and the configuration of cam grooves 185 and 186, in cooperation with the centrifugal weights 192 and 193. By appropriate configuration of the cam grooves 185 and 186 and by careful selection of control springs 198, the shifting of pulley half 171b in response to the speed of the output shaft 157 can be fully controlled.
Pulley assemblies 164 and 171 are connected by a V-belt 201. As in the previous embodiments, in order for the desired transmission ratio change to take place, it is necessary that shiftable pulley half 164b on the input shaft 156 move simultaneously and oppositely at the time when the shiftable pulley half 171b on output shaft 157 is moved so that the slack in V-belt 201 is appropriately taken up.
To accomplish appropriate corresponding movements of pulley halves 164b and 171b, these pulley halves may be mechanically connected by a yoke means generally indicated at 202 and substantially identical to yoke means 30 of FIG. 1. The yoke means comprises a cylindrical element 203 mounted on a shaft 204 extending between frame members 160 and 161 and in parallel spaced relationship with input shaft 156 and output shaft 157. The cylindrical element 203 is axially shiftable with respect to shaft 204 by means of appropriate bearing elements 205 and 206.
At one end the cylindrical element 203 has an arm 207. The arm 207 has a perforation 208 through which the output shaft 157 and the extension 178 of the pulley half 171b passes. An appropriate thrust bearing 209 is located between the arm 207 and the shoulder 179 of the pulley half 171b.
The cylindrical element 203 carries at its other end a second arm 210 which has a perforation 211 therethrough. The input shaft 156 passes with clearance through the perforation 211. About the perforation 211 there is an annular depression 212 formed in the arm 210. This depression is adapted to receive one end of spring 213. The other end of spring 213 abuts an annular flange 214 on a sleeve 215 which surrounds an extension 216 on pulley half 164b. The extension 216 is of lesser diameter than the pulley body forming an annular shoulder 217. A thrust bearing 218 is located between the sleeve flange 214 and the pulley shoulder 217.
As in the case of spring 40 of FIG. 1, the spring 213 serves two purposes. First of all, it assures that the arm 207 of yoke assembly 202 is always in contact with thrust bearing 209 and therefore pulley half 171b. Furthermore, it assures that the pulley assemblies 164 and 171 will exert sufficient force on V-belt 201 to prevent slippage thereof.
Again, the yoke assembly 202 assures proper movement of pulley halves 164b and 171b. It also maintains correct alignment of V-belt 201 when one pulley is opened and the other is closed, thereby minimizing skewing of the belt and consequent accelerated wear thereof.
As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, it is within the scope of the invention to eliminate the yoke assembly 202. Under these circumstances, the right hand end of spring 213 (as viewed in FIG. 6) will be provided with appropriate abutment means. The spring 213 will be relied upon to cause the pulley assemblies to maintain proper tension on the V-belt 201 and to enable pulley half 164b to shift toward or away from pulley half 164a upon the occurrence of an axial shift of pulley half 171b.
Operation of the output speed-controlled transmission of FIG. 6 may be described as follows. Assuming the transmission is used as an automotive transmission, input shaft 156 will be connected to the output shaft of the automobile engine (not shown) through a clutch (not shown). The output shaft 157 will be connected to the rear wheel assembly of the automobile (not shown) through a standard differential (not shown) and a conventional forward-neutral-reverse gear assembly (not shown). Let it further be assumed that the control springs 198 are so chosen and the cam grooves 185 and 186 are so configured that after an initial startup phase the automobile engine is intended to operate at a constant speed.
After the initial startup phase, if an increase in vehicle speed is desired, the operator will depress the accelerator pedal. This causes an increase in throttle opening of the engine intake system which in turn causes the engine torque output to increase. The increased engine torque is transmitted to the differential and drive wheels of the vehicle through the output speed-controlled transmission and the forward-neutral-reverse gear assembly. The increased torque at the rear wheels of the vehicle will accelerate the vehicle. As the vehicle begins to change speed, a simultaneous change in speed of the output shaft 157 will occur. This increase in speed of output shaft 157 will result in an outward swinging of centrifugal weights 192 and 193. The amount of radial displacement of weights 192 and 193 with the increase in the speed of output shaft 157 will be determined primarily by control springs 198.
Outward movement of centrifugal weights 192 and 193 will result in an axial shift of pulley half 171b away from pulley half 171a by virtue of weight rollers 194 and 195 in cam slots 185 and 186 of member 180 affixed to the extension 178 of pulley half 171b. The amount of axial shift of pulley half 171b with respect to the radial movement of centrifugal weights 192 and 193 will be prescribed by the configuration of cam grooves 185 and 186.
The axial shift of pulley half 171b away from pulley half 171a will cause a simultaneous and opposite shift of pulley half 164b toward pulley half 164a by virtue of the yoke assembly 202. Thus, simultaneously, the opening of pulley assembly 171 is translated through the yoke assembly 202 to a closing of pulley assembly 164. The relative opening of pulley assembly 171 and closing of pulley assembly 164 causes the belt 201 to shift outwardly on pulley assembly 164 and inwardly on pulley assembly 171. Thus a new transmission ratio is established.
When the vehicle speed is reduced to that speed determined by the startup phase, the various elements of the transmission will function in a manner opposite to that just described. Thus, the centrifugal weights 192 and 193 will swing inwardly toward the output shaft 157 and the pulley assembly 171 will be closed while the pulley assembly 164 will be opened. Thus, the original transmission ratio after the startup phase will be reestablished. When the control springs 198 are appropriately chosen and the cam slots 185 and 186 are appropriately configured, the engine speed will remain constant throughout the above described speedup and slowdown procedure. If, thereafter, the vehicle is brought to a halt, it will be understood that during the stop phase reduction of speed of the output shaft 157 will be accompanied by a reduction of speed of the input shaft 156.
Under such circumstances, it may be desirable to provide a manually or automatically controlled override which will apply an external force to counteract the controlling centrifugal force of the assembly of FIG. 6. For example, in an automotive application if the normal operational mode would be for constant engine speed above the startup phase to minimize emissions, higher power demands (such as those required in passing) could be achieved through the override to effect a change in numerical drive ratio to correspond to a higher power output engine speed.
An exemplary override is illustrated in FIG. 6. The override comprises a hydraulic cylinder 219 having a piston 220 and piston rod 221. It will be understood that the cylinder 219 may be manually or automatically actuable.
The piston rod 221 is operatively connected to the arm 210 of yoke assembly 202. Thus, an axial shifting of the piston rod 221 will shift the yoke assembly 202. This, in turn, through cam grooves 185 and 186 will move the centrifugal weights 192 and 193 as well as the pulley half 171b and the pulley half 164. Thus, a new numerical drive ratio will be established. It will be understood by one skilled in the art that other well known means may be employed to shift the yoke assembly 202 and thereby counteract the control of centrifugal weights 192 and 193.
In each of the embodiments thus far described a centrifugal weight assembly has been described as serving as a sensing-transfer transducer to sense a change in the output shaft speed and to transfer this to a ratio change. It will be understood by one skilled in the art that any transducer sensitive to the output shaft speed could be employed to produce the same effect. To illustrate this, a hydraulic sensing-transfer transducer is illustrated in FIG. 7 wherein a transmission output shaft is fragmentarily illustrated at 222. The shaft 222 may be equivalent to output shaft 157 of FIG. 6, for example. The movable half of an output shaft pulley assembly is shown at 223 and may be equivalent to shiftable pulley half 171b of FIG. 6. As described above, pulley half 223 is non-rotatably mounted on shaft 222, but is axially shiftable therealong. This may be accomplished by providing a longitudinal slot 224 in the shaft 222. Pulley half 223 has a key 225 receivable and slidable within the shaft slot 224. Pulley half 223 will be engaged by a V-belt 226 which may be the same as belt 201 of FIG. 6.
Pulley half 223 has a rearward cylindrical extension 227 to which is mounted a pair of ears 228 and 229 bearing cam grooves 230 and 231. The pair of ears 228 and 229 and their cam grooves are equivalent to the member 180 and its cam grooves (see FIG. 6).
A support 232 is non-rotatively and fixedly secured to the output shaft 222. A pair of links 233 and 234 are pivotally affixed to the support 232 as at 235 and 236, respectively. The free ends of links 233 and 234 bear cam rollers 237 and 238 adapted to ride in cam grooves 230 and 231, respectively. It will be evident from the structure thus far described that as the free ends of links 233 and 234 move away from the output shaft 222, the rollers thereon will coact with the cam grooves 230 and 231 to move the pulley half 223 to the left, as viewed in FIG. 7. Similarly, movement of the free ends of links 233 and 234 toward the output shaft 222 will cause a shift of pulley half 223 toward the right, as viewed in FIG. 7. To control this movement, a control spring 239 is mounted on output shaft 222. One end of the spring 239 abuts the end of the cylindrical extension 227 of pulley half 223. The other end of spring 239 abuts the support 232. Thus, outward movement of the free ends of links 233 and 234 and a shifting of pulley half 223 toward the left will be controlled by spring 239. In this manner, spring 239 serves the same purpose as described with respect to control springs 198 of FIG. 6. By appropriate selection of spring 239 and by appropriate configuration of cam grooves 230 and 231, the ratio change accomplished by the transmission can be determined as desired.
A friction wheel 240 is non-rotatively affixed to output shaft 222. This wheel coacts with a friction wheel 241 on the rotor 242 of a hydraulic pump 243. It will be understood that wheels 240 and 241 may be gears. The output 244 of the hydraulic pump is connected to a cylinder 245, the piston rod 246 of which is operatively connected to links 233 and 234 by disc member 247. The end of piston rod 246 is captively held in an annular groove 248 in the disc member. The disc member 247 is slotted to receive links 233 and 234. The links themselves are slotted as at 249 and 250. Pins 251 and 252, affixed to the disc member 247, ride in the link slots 249 and 250.
It will be understood that the pump 243 will produce a hydraulic pressure proportional to the speed of output shaft 222. An increase in shaft speed will cause retraction of piston rod 246. As a consequence of this, the links 233 and 234 will be moved outwardly by the disc member 247 and pulley half 223 will be moved toward the left in FIG. 7.
FIG. 7 may also be considered as representing an electric sensor. In such an instance, the pump 243 may be considered to be an electric generator and the cylinder 245 may be considered to be solenoid. The generator 243 will produce a voltage input to solenoid 245 proportional to the speed of output shaft be a The rod 246, now a solenoid core, will move pulley half 223 in the same manner described above and with increased force as the generated voltage increases, brought about by an increase in speed of the output shaft 222.
As indicated above, the transmission of the present invention can be so designed and the cam grooves can be so configured as to accomplish a decreasing input shaft speed with an increasing output shaft speed. FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate configuration of cam groove 185 in ear 183 of cylindrical member 180 of FIG. 6. Such a configuration of cam grooves 185 and 186 in the embodiment of FIG. 6 will result in a decreasing input shaft speed with an increasing output shaft speed.
An example of the useful application of such a transmission is as a speed governor for a vehicle such as an automobile. In such an instance, the output-controlled transmission would be so designed so that the centrifugal forces would begin to activate the control at a predetermined vehicle speed, for example, at 80 miles per hour. Under these circumstances, the transmission of the present invention would be employed as a governor only and would be in addition to a regular automobile transmission. It could be incorporated in the casing of the regular transmission so that the regular transmission output shaft is connected to the input shaft of the instant transmission and the output shaft of the instant transmission becomes the output shaft of the transmission-governor combination.
In such an application, for all types of vehicle operation up to 80 miles an hour the transmission of the present invention, acting as a governor, would execute no control and would have no effect on the operating characteristics of the vehicle. However, when the vehicle speed reaches 80 miles per hour, a further increase in vehicle speed (i.e., a further increase in the rotational speed of the governor output shaft) would actuate the centrifugal mechanism or other sensing means to cause the rotation speed of the input shaft of the governor and thus the speed of the automobile engine to decrease.
As the vehicle speed increases, more power must be supplied by the engine to overcome increased wind resistance and the like. Automobile engines develop power which ideally increases linearly with engine speed. Thus, as the vehicle speed increases and the engine speed decreases under the influence of the governor, the power required to drive the vehicle increases but the power available from the engine decreases. The rate at which the speed of the input shaft of the governor decreases with increased speed of the output shaft is determined by the shape of the cam grooves. This shape could be designed such that as the vehicle reaches 90 miles an hour, the engine speed would have attained the point where the maximum power developed would equal the power required to drive the vehicle and no further increase in vehicle speed would be possible.
This arrangement differs markedly from conventional governor means which limit engine speed rather than vehicle speed and are controlled by engine speed rather than vehicle speed. Thus, conventional governors can limit vehicle speed but have the disadvantage of also limiting the acceleration capabilities of the vehicle when driving below the limiting vehicle speed. By employing the output-controlled transmission of the present invention as a governor, the vehicle could realize its full acceleration potential at normal speeds and yet be limited in ultimate speed.
Accordingly, as set forth herein the invention embodies two concepts constituting basic improvements in the transmission and governor art. The first provides a unique output speed controlled transmission which is capable of serving a multitude of purposes though for practical reasons the illustration of the application and embodiment of the invention has been limited for purposes of this disclosure.
Accordingly, as set forth herein, the invention provides a unique unitized transmission the output of which is directed through movement of its housing. The encapsulated unit so provided may be inserted in any drive system with unique results, whether the transmission is output speed-controlled as in the preferred embodiment here described or speed-controlled in any conventional manner. This last is so since the invention provides that the housing of the transmission unit becomes a functional element of the unit and serves as a positive medium for transmitting the transmission output to further elements in any drive system in which it may be embodied, whether as the hub of the further drive element or as a member coupling thereto through an intervening drive means. As noted, the embodiment of the particular features of the output speed transmission concept detailed herein provides particularly advantageous embodiments.
In any case, the invention unit may be easily applied to form part of any type of drive system and has important advantages whether it be incorporated in the drive system of a stationary machine or in a vehicle such as a bicycle or an automotive type vehicle.
As will be seen, any one of the illustrative embodiments of a transmission unit which are set forth herein may be encapsulated and housed to employ basic features of the invention as will be well evident by the appended claims.
As indicated and has become increasingly apparent since the conception of the present invention, the concept of providing a transmission unit wherein the housing thereof forms a drive element or even the hub of an element driven thereby is uniquely important in the transmission art independent of the nature and character of the transmission. Accordingly, such is comprehended by the invention as an important advance in the art.
From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.
While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise but one of several modes of putting the invention into effect and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims. | This invention features the concept of packaging a transmission so that it can be selectively embodied in any drive system as a unitary structure and serve per se, if desired, as the hub of a rotary drive element. A distinctive feature of this package is that the housing of the transmission unit serves as an output element.
A preferred embodiment of the above described concept incorporates details of an output speed-controlled transmission comprising an input shaft, an output shaft and adjustable drive means by which said input shaft drives said output shaft and is characterized by means responsive to the rotational speed of the output shaft to adjust the drive means so as to maintain a predetermined rotational speed condition of the input shaft. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to multipath storage systems and, more particularly, to nondisruptive data migration and I/O load balancing over multipath connections by running a virtual switch across storage systems and multipathing among storage and server.
[0002] According to recent trends, a new multipath networking method known as TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links) is under standardization process for networking over Layer 2 (L2) Ethernet. TRILL allows L2 network to establish two parallel data transfer paths that have not been allowed in traditional Ethernet based on STP (Spanning Tree Protocol). When TRILL is set up and ready in a storage network, data transfer between server and storage will be performed through multiple paths.
[0003] FIG. 1 is an example of a conventional storage area network topology. A server computer 300 is coupled to a switch 200 A, which is coupled to switches 200 B and 200 C in parallel, which are coupled to a switch 200 D, which is coupled to a data storage 200 . Data transfer from/to server to/from storage is executed through a path 300 - 200 A- 200 B- 200 D- 100 and 300 - 200 A- 200 C- 200 D- 100 in parallel. In this case, there may be a performance bottleneck at the network port 210 A of the switch 200 D or the network port 110 of the data storage 100 that cannot handle too much traffic received through both of the paths.
[0004] In addition to L2 networking, another problem is that I/O service interruption happens through data migration beyond storage systems. FIG. 2 is an example of a conventional logical configuration of a storage area network. A server computer 300 mounts one or more logical units 530 served by a storage system 100 A. An operating system running on the server 300 recognizes the logical units 530 by a network port 110 A identified by its network address (MAC Address, FCID) or WWN (World Wide Name). If an administrator tries to migrate a logical unit 530 from the network port 110 A to a port 110 B, a server operating system must stop I/O process to suspend the static data image stored in the logical unit, and to re-mount a new logical unit through the destination network port 110 B. However, a mission critical application or a business critical application running at an Enterprise Datacenter cannot be suspended while keeping its business stability.
[0005] The same problem arises when a logical unit is to be migrated beyond the storage system boundary, for instance, from the port 110 A of one storage system 100 A to a port 110 C of another storage system 100 B. It requires data copy operation among systems, so that the I/O suspension time will be longer than internal LU migration. Furthermore, an additional problem of traditional single path network is that I/O service could be interrupted after the removal of the storage system 100 A because the network path must be reset onto the new data storage device.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide nondisruptive data migration and I/O load balancing over multipath connections by running a virtual switch across storage systems and multipathing among storage and server. The data storage is equipped with switching functionality and virtual port (network interface). Network routing and path configuration setting are shared among multiple data storage systems. Logically, a single virtual network switch runs across multiple data storage systems. Network devices have the capability to establish multipath communication between server and storage. This allows I/O service continuation after removal of old data storage device, because another data path keeps communication alive with the migration target device. In this way, the invention allows running a virtual switch across storage systems and multipathing among storage and server, so as to complete non-disruptive data migration and I/O load balancing over multipath connections.
[0007] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a system comprises a first data storage system including at least one first interface port, a first CPU, a first memory, and a plurality of first logical units; a second data storage system including at least one second interface port, a second CPU, a second memory, and a plurality of second logical units, the second data storage system connected to the first data storage system; a plurality of switches; and a server which is connected with the first data storage system via a first group of the switches and is connected with the second data storage system via a second group of the switches, the first group and the second group having at least one switch which is not included in both the first group and the second group. The first data storage system receives I/O commands targeted to the plurality of first logical units from the server via the first group of switches. The first data storage system maintains a first information regarding the ports of both the first storage system and the second data storage system. The first information is used to generate multipath communication between the server and the first data storage system, including at least one path which passes through the second data storage system and at least one other path which does not pass through the second data storage system.
[0008] In some embodiments, the first information includes information related to paths between ports of the first data storage system, the second data storage systems, the plurality of switches, and the server. The first information includes load information for transmitting data between ports of the first data storage system and the plurality of switches and the server and load information for transmitting data between ports of the second data storage system and the plurality of switches and the server. The ports of both the first and second data storage systems are identified by WWPN.
[0009] In specific embodiments, one of the first and second data storage systems is a source system for migration of data to the other of the first and second data storage systems as a destination system. For data migration, the destination system creates a virtual port as a target port which has same identifier as a source port on the source system, and creates a logical unit on the target port, the source system runs data copy from a logical unit containing the data in the source system to the logical unit on the target port in the destination system, and deactivates the source port on the source system, and the destination system activates the target port on the destination system. In response to a detection of a device newly connected to one of the ports of the first data storage system, the first data storage system adds information related to a path between the newly connected device and the connected port of the first data storage system and notifies the added information to the plurality of switches, the server, and the second data storage system via connections to the first data storage system. A management computer is connected to one of the switches. In response to a request from the management computer, the switch updates path information between ports of the server and at least one of the first and second data storage systems.
[0010] Another aspect of this invention is directed to a first data storage system in a system which includes a second data storage system having at least one second interface port, a plurality of switches, and a server which is connected with the first data storage system via a first group of the switches and is connected with the second data storage system via a second group of the switches, the first group and the second group having at least one switch which is not included in both the first group and the second group. The first data storage system comprises at least one first interface port; a first CPU; a first memory; and a plurality of first logical units. The first data storage system receives I/O commands targeted to the plurality of first logical units from the server via the first group of switches. The first data storage system maintains a first information regarding the ports of both the first storage system and the second data storage system. The first information is used to generate multipath communication between the server and the first data storage system, including at least one path which passes through the second data storage system and at least one other path which does not pass through the second data storage system.
[0011] In some embodiments, the second data storage system is a source system for migration of data to the first data storage system as a destination system. For data migration, the first data storage system creates a virtual port as a target port which has same identifier as a source port on the second data storage system, creates a logical unit on the target port, and activates the target port on the first data storage system, after data copy is run from a logical unit containing the data in the second data storage system to the logical unit on the target port in the first data storage system, and after the source port on the second data storage system is deactivated.
[0012] Another aspect of the invention is directed to a multipath communication method in a system which includes a first data storage system including at least one first interface port, a first CPU, a first memory, and a plurality of first logical units; a second data storage system including at least one second interface port, a second CPU, a second memory, and a plurality of second logical units, the second data storage system connected to the first data storage system; a plurality of switches; and a server which is connected with the first data storage system via a first group of the switches and is connected with the second data storage system via a second group of the switches, the first group and the second group having at least one switch which is not included in both the first group and the second group. The method comprises receiving an I/O command targeted to at least one of the plurality of first and second logical units from the server via the switches; maintaining a first information regarding the ports of both the first storage system and the second data storage system; and using the first information to generate multipath communication between the server and the first data storage system, including at least one path which passes through the second data storage system and at least one other path which does not pass through the second data storage system.
[0013] In specific embodiments, the method further comprises a data migration process for migrating data from one of the first and second data storage systems as a source system to the other of the first and second data storage systems as a destination system. The data migration process comprises creating a virtual port as a target port which has same identifier as a source port on the source system; creating a logical unit on the target port; running data copy from a logical unit containing the data in the source system to the logical unit on the target port in the destination system; deactivating the source port on the source system; and activating the target port on the destination system. In response to a request from a management computer, the method further comprises updating path information between ports of the server and at least one of the first and second data storage systems.
[0014] These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following detailed description of the specific embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is an example of a conventional storage area network topology.
[0016] FIG. 2 is an example of a conventional logical configuration of a storage area network.
[0017] FIG. 3 shows an example of a storage network configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates a hardware configuration of the server computer.
[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates a hardware configuration of the network switch.
[0020] FIG. 6 illustrates a hardware configuration of the data storage.
[0021] FIG. 7 illustrates a hardware configuration of the management computer.
[0022] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of software that is stored on the memory and runs on the server computer.
[0023] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of software that is stored on memory and runs on the switch.
[0024] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of software that is stored on the memory and runs on the data storage.
[0025] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of software that is stored on the memory and runs on the management computer.
[0026] FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the volume configuration information in the memory of the server computer.
[0027] FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the routing information in the memory of the switch.
[0028] FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the transmission port information in the memory of the switch.
[0029] FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the local storage network route information in the memory of the data storage.
[0030] FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the shared storage network route information in the memory of the data storage.
[0031] FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the storage transmission port information in the memory of the data storage.
[0032] FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the LU configuration information in the memory of the data storage.
[0033] FIG. 19 illustrates an example of the storage network topology according to the present embodiment.
[0034] FIG. 20 is an example of a flow diagram to update the routing information and transmission port information on switch, or the shared local storage network route information and storage transmission port information on the data storage.
[0035] FIG. 21 is an example of a flow diagram to select one or more paths from the server to the storage.
[0036] FIG. 22 is an example of a flow diagram to combine the local storage network route information among two data storage systems.
[0037] FIG. 23 is an example of a flow diagram of data migration beyond a data storage system.
[0038] FIG. 24 is an example of a logical illustration of a virtual port over a virtual switch.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0039] In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of the disclosure, and in which are shown by way of illustration, and not of limitation, exemplary embodiments by which the invention may be practiced. In the drawings, like numerals describe substantially similar components throughout the several views. Further, it should be noted that while the detailed description provides various exemplary embodiments, as described below and as illustrated in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated herein, but can extend to other embodiments, as would be known or as would become known to those skilled in the art. Reference in the specification to “one embodiment,” “this embodiment,” or “these embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention, and the appearances of these phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Additionally, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that these specific details may not all be needed to practice the present invention. In other circumstances, well-known structures, materials, circuits, processes and interfaces have not been described in detail, and/or may be illustrated in block diagram form, so as to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
[0040] Furthermore, some portions of the detailed description that follow are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations within a computer. These algorithmic descriptions and symbolic representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the essence of their innovations to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is a series of defined steps leading to a desired end state or result. In the present invention, the steps carried out require physical manipulations of tangible quantities for achieving a tangible result. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals or instructions capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, instructions, or the like. It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “displaying,” or the like, can include the actions and processes of a computer system or other information processing device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system's memories or registers or other information storage, transmission or display devices.
[0041] The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may include one or more general-purpose computers selectively activated or reconfigured by one or more computer programs. Such computer programs may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to optical disks, magnetic disks, read-only memories, random access memories, solid state devices and drives, or any other types of media suitable for storing electronic information. The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may be used with programs and modules in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform desired method steps. In addition, the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the invention as described herein. The instructions of the programming language(s) may be executed by one or more processing devices, e.g., central processing units (CPUs), processors, or controllers.
[0042] Exemplary embodiments of the invention, as will be described in greater detail below, provide apparatuses, methods and computer programs for nondisruptive data migration and I/O load balancing over multipath connections by running a virtual switch across storage systems and multipathing among storage and server.
[0043] FIG. 3 shows an example of a storage network configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. First and second server computers 300 A and 300 B are coupled to a switch 200 A, which is coupled to two switches 200 B and 200 D. The switch 200 B is connected to a switch 200 C which is connected to a first data storage 100 A. The switch 200 D is connected to a switch 200 E which is connected to a second data storage 100 B. A management computer 400 is connected to the switch 200 B. The server 300 runs business applications and generates I/O workload that targets a storage 100 . The switch 200 is a network switch, i.e., Layer 2 Ethernet switch that supports TRILL protocol. The data storage 100 is an external storage system that is installed with a bunch of disk drives (HDDs) or solid state drives (SSDs). The management computer 400 provides management of the entire storage network. In FIG. 3 , communication between the first server computer 300 A and the first data storage 100 A can be established through both paths 300 A- 200 A- 200 B- 200 C- 100 A and 300 A- 200 A- 200 D- 200 E- 100 B- 100 A.
[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates a hardware configuration of the server computer 300 . A CPU 330 , a memory 340 , an input device 360 (e.g., keyboard, mouse, etc.), and an output device 370 (e.g., video graphic card connected to external display monitor) are interconnected through a memory controller 350 . All I/Os handled by an I/O controller 320 are processed on an internal HDD device 380 or an external storage device through a network interface 310 . This configuration can be implemented by a multi-purpose PC.
[0045] FIG. 5 illustrates a hardware configuration of the network switch 200 . A CPU 230 and a memory 240 are interconnected through a memory controller 250 . The I/Os handled by an I/O controller 220 are processed through a plurality of network interfaces 210 .
[0046] FIG. 6 illustrates a hardware configuration of the data storage 100 . A CPU 130 and a memory 140 are interconnected through a memory controller 150 . The I/Os handled by an I/O controller 120 are processed on internal HDD devices 180 or external storage devices through network interfaces 310 .
[0047] FIG. 7 illustrates a hardware configuration of the management computer 400 . A CPU 430 , a memory 440 , an input device 460 , and an output device 470 are interconnected through a memory controller 450 . The I/Os handled by an I/O controller 420 are processed on an internal HDD device 480 or an external storage device through a network interface 410 .
[0048] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of software that is stored on the memory 340 and runs on the server computer 300 . An application program 3401 is a business application that generates I/O workload (e.g., database, SAP, E-Mail, exchange server, web application, etc.). An I/O transfer control program 3402 controls external data I/O transfer communication over SCSI protocol and also setup communication path between the server 300 and the storage 100 . Volume configuration information 3403 is a configuration definition of data volume handled by the server operating system. “/etc/fstab” is a simple example of the volume configuration information 3403 . Its data structure is illustrated in FIG. 12 .
[0049] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of software that is stored on memory 240 and runs on the switch 200 . Network route management program 2401 is a program to set and release communication route over the network. Traffic monitor program 2402 is a program to measure the traffic by the network interface 210 . It can be measured by metric such as bps (byte per sec) and IOPS. Route information 2403 is configuration data that expresses communication route set by the network route management program 2401 . Transmission port information 2404 is configuration data that expresses a target network interface 210 to transmit data. Routing information 2403 and transmission port information 2404 make it possible to determine communication paths over the network.
[0050] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of software that is stored on the memory 140 and runs on the data storage 100 . I/O transfer control program 1401 operates external data I/O transfer communication over SCSI protocol and also sets up communication path between the data storage 100 and the server 300 . Storage network route management program 1402 is a unique program in this invention. This program generates and updates local storage network route information 1406 and shared storage network route information 1407 . It merges route information created by several data storage systems, so as to keep consistency among the storage systems. Configuration management program 1403 updates logical unit configuration as directed by the management computer 400 . Data copy program 1404 copies entire data stored in one logical unit 530 into another logical unit 530 so that the original logical unit 530 is duplicated. Traffic monitor program 1405 measures I/O traffic by network interface 110 and logical unit 530 . Its metric is acceptable in bps (byte per sec), IOPS, and the like. Shared storage network route information 1407 is information shared among multiple data storage systems 100 . It defines communication routes over the network. Storage transmission port information 1408 allows determining communication paths over the network. LU configuration information 1409 is a configuration setting of the logical units 530 .
[0051] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of software that is stored on the memory 440 and runs on the management computer 400 . I/O path control program 4401 communicates with devices that comprise the storage network. It issues requests to set or update communication paths. LU configuration request program 4402 communicates with the data storage 100 . It issues requests to set or update the logical units 530 . LU configuration information 4403 is a collection of LU configuration information 1408 from multiple data storage systems 100 . Routing information 4404 is a collection of routing information 2403 and shared storage network route information 1407 from multiple switches 200 and data storage systems 300 . Transmission port information 4405 is a collection of transmission port information 2404 and storage transmission port information 1408 . Information collected from the switch 200 and information collected from the data storage 100 do not have to be distinguished, but can be handled in the same manner. The management computer 400 updates those pieces of information so that it always keeps the newest configuration. The memory 140 of the data storage 100 includes mapping information between the physical ports and virtual ports, so that virtual ports may be treated as physical ports. The relation between the virtual port and the physical port may not be limited to a one-to-one relationship. One physical port may be associated with multiple virtual ports and one virtual port may be associated with multiple physical ports. The mapping information should be controlled by the management computer; thus the mapping information of the data storages 100 may be integrated in the memory 440 of the management computer 400 and the updates would be communicated to each other.
[0052] FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the volume configuration information 3403 in the memory 340 of the server computer 300 . Mount point 34031 is a logical directory defined on a file system. An external device such as a logical unit is mounted to this location. Target FCID 34032 is the identification of the network interface 110 that is dynamically assigned by the fibre channel network when it initialized a fabric login process. Target device 34033 is an identification of network interface 110 . World Wide Name is usually used as an identifier in the fibre channel network. LUN 34034 is a “logical unit number” that is assigned to each logical unit 530 .
[0053] FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the routing information 2403 in the memory 240 of the switch 200 . Local port address 24031 is a network interface installed on the switch 200 . Remote port address 24032 is a port installed on the other devices. The remote port must be reachable from the local port address over one or more switches 200 . Transfer cost 24033 is a hop count of the devices to reach from local port to remote port.
[0054] FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the transmission port information 2404 in the memory 240 of the switch 200 . Remote port address 24031 is a network interface installed on the other devices. Local delivery port address 24032 is a local network interface to communicate and transmit data with the remote port.
[0055] FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the local storage network route information 1406 in the memory 140 of the data storage 100 . A first table 1406 A is an example of the route information generated on the first storage 100 A of FIG. 19 . A second table 1406 B is an example of the route information generated on second storage 100 B of FIG. 19 . Local port address 14061 , remote port address 14062 , and transfer cost 14063 represent the same entities serving the same functions, respectively, as those in FIG. 13 . A unique feature in this table is that the virtual port 520 set on this data storage 100 can be recorded as same as the physical port 110 .
[0056] FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the shared storage network route information 1407 in the memory 140 of the data storage 100 . Local port address 14071 is a network interface 110 installed on one of the data storage systems 100 . Remote port address 14072 is a network interface installed on an external device other than the data storage systems 100 . The remote port must be reachable from the local port. Transfer cost 14073 is a hop count of the devices to reach from local port to remote port. The contents of the table in FIG. 16 are consistent with the storage network topology in FIG. 19 . For example, the network interface 110 A on the data storage 100 A is directly connected to the network interface 210 E on the switch # 23 , so that the transfer cost is counted as “1.” On the other hand, a route from the network interface 110 A to the network interface 310 A on the server 300 A requires hops of four devices. A unique feature on third entry, network interface 110 C is logically considered as connected to virtual port 520 A. When the data storage 100 detects a configuration change on the other storage system(s) 100 , it updates its route information to keep the information current and consistent.
[0057] FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the storage transmission port information 1408 in the memory 140 of the data storage 100 . Remote port address 14081 is a network interface 110 installed on the other devices. Local delivery port address 14082 is a local network interface 110 to communicate and transmit data with the remote port.
[0058] FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary data structure of the LU configuration information 1409 in the memory 140 of the data storage 100 . Local port address 14091 is a network interface 110 or virtual network interface 520 defined on the storage 100 . The virtual network interface 520 is not a physical network interface 110 but behaves as if it were installed on the data storage 100 against the server computer 300 . World Wide Name 14092 is the identification of the network interface 110 or virtual network interface 520 . LUN 14093 is a “logical unit number” to identify the logical unit 530 defined on the network interface 110 or virtual network interface 520 . Storage resource ID 14094 is a physical storage resource such as RAID group or a set of HDDs or SSDs.
[0059] FIG. 19 illustrates an example of the storage network topology according to the present embodiment. The first server 300 A attaches a logical unit 530 A that is defined on a virtual network port 520 A in the first data storage 100 A at “/mount/data2” (see FIG. 12 ). The switch 200 A is configured to use dual communication paths to the virtual network port 520 A, through the network interfaces 210 B and 210 C (see FIGS. 13 & 14 ). Originally this configuration does not happen because one path “ 210 C-# 24 -# 25 - 110 B- 110 D- 520 A” has a transfer cost of “5” to get to the virtual port 520 A, which is not equivalent to another path “ 210 B-# 22 -# 23 - 110 A- 520 A” having a transfer cost of only “4.” This is allowed by considering multiple virtual switches as a single device, as defined in FIG. 16 . From the viewpoint of the server computer 300 and the switch 200 , physically multiple data storage systems 100 are recognized as a single data storage 100 . This aspect of the present embodiment solves the first problem of bottleneck mentioned above in the Background section. The bottleneck on the direct attached switch # 23 will not occur because another path is routed via the second data storage 100 B.
[0060] FIG. 20 is an example of a flow diagram to update the routing information 2403 and transmission port information 2404 on switch 200 , or the shared local storage network route information 1406 and storage transmission port information 1408 on the data storage 100 . First of all, the switch 200 or data storage 100 detects a device newly connected to the network interface 210 or 110 (step S 101 ). Then it creates a new entry on the routing information 2403 or 1406 , then record “1” in its transfer cost field 24033 or 14063 (step S 102 ). The switch 200 or data storage 100 then notifies a new entry record to the other devices connected directly through its network interface 210 or 110 (step S 103 ). Next, the switch 200 or data storage 100 which has received a new device discovery notification updates its routing information 2403 or 1406 (step S 104 ). In this case, the transfer cost field 24033 or 14063 will be added “1.” This device repeats notification to the other network devices (step S 105 ). After that, it determines one or more paths to get to the newly detected network interface (step S 106 , step S 107 ). In the step S 106 and the step S 107 , the switch 200 or data storage 100 selects one or more network interfaces 210 or 110 that have minimum transfer cost to get to the new device and updates the transmission port information 2404 or 1407 .
[0061] FIG. 21 is an example of a flow diagram to select one or more paths from the server 300 to the storage 100 . This is not a mandatory process but optional. In step S 201 , the management computer 400 chooses I/O paths that pass the target storage 100 . In step S 202 , the management computer 400 requests path update. In step 203 , the switch and virtual switch updates the path information. This is a conventional option, especially in a situation where an administrator wants to control its network traffic after monitoring and analyzing the data traffic. Also this is useful when three or more paths are available and the administrator wants to reduce them.
[0062] FIG. 22 is an example of a flow diagram to combine the local storage network route information 1406 among two data storage systems 100 (e.g., 100 A and 100 B). After detecting a newly connected device on the local network port, a data storage 100 A adds a new routing information entry on the local storage network information 1406 . Then the data storage 100 A transfers the new route information entry to another data storage 100 B (step S 301 ). The data storage 100 B receives the new route information and then searches its local storage network route information 1406 to confirm if there is a route information that is the same as that received from the original data storage 100 (step S 302 ). In the example of FIG. 15 , after the data storage 100 B receives a new entry to express a path target to the network interface 210 F by a transfer cost of “2,” it searches and finds the same target route entry for the network interface 210 F by a transfer cost of “1.” If the result of step S 302 is “Yes,” it determines to adopt a route with a lower transfer cost (step S 303 ). In the case of FIG. 15 , the data storage 100 B adopts its local entry that targets to the network interface 210 F. It updates the route information on the shared storage network routing information 1407 (step S 304 , step S 305 ).
[0063] FIG. 23 is an example of a flow diagram of data migration beyond a data storage system 100 . A destination storage 100 (i.e., migration target device) creates a new virtual port 520 (step S 401 ). This virtual port 520 has the same identifier as the source port 520 . Then it creates a logical unit 530 on the port 520 (step S 402 ). It is clear that new entry is added to the LU configuration information 1409 . Then data copy program 1404 runs data copy from source LU to destination LU beyond the device (step S 403 ). After data copy is completed, the source storage 100 deactivates the source virtual port 520 (step S 404 ). Just after step S 404 , the target virtual port 520 is activated (step S 405 ). The data migration is typically performed in response to a request from the management server 400 .
[0064] FIG. 24 is an example of a logical illustration of a virtual port 520 over a virtual switch 500 . In this embodiment, a hardware boundary across the data storage 100 can be ignored, so that the virtual port location is flexible over the virtual switch 500 . Also, the server 300 and the switch 200 would not get any impact caused by data migration. They do not have to reconfigure their configurations, and have a very short I/O service interruption period that happens at step S 404 and S 405 .
[0065] Of course, the system configuration illustrated in FIG. 19 is purely exemplary of information systems in which the present invention may be implemented, and the invention is not limited to a particular hardware configuration. The computers and storage systems implementing the invention can also have known I/O devices (e.g., CD and DVD drives, floppy disk drives, hard drives, etc.) which can store and read the modules, programs and data structures used to implement the above-described invention. These modules, programs and data structures can be encoded on such computer-readable media. For example, the data structures of the invention can be stored on computer-readable media independently of one or more computer-readable media on which reside the programs used in the invention. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include local area networks, wide area networks, e.g., the Internet, wireless networks, storage area networks, and the like.
[0066] In the description, numerous details are set forth for purposes of explanation in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that not all of these specific details are required in order to practice the present invention. It is also noted that the invention may be described as a process, which is usually depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged.
[0067] As is known in the art, the operations described above can be performed by hardware, software, or some combination of software and hardware. Various aspects of embodiments of the invention may be implemented using circuits and logic devices (hardware), while other aspects may be implemented using instructions stored on a machine-readable medium (software), which if executed by a processor, would cause the processor to perform a method to carry out embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, some embodiments of the invention may be performed solely in hardware, whereas other embodiments may be performed solely in software. Moreover, the various functions described can be performed in a single unit, or can be spread across a number of components in any number of ways. When performed by software, the methods may be executed by a processor, such as a general purpose computer, based on instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. If desired, the instructions can be stored on the medium in a compressed and/or encrypted format.
[0068] From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the invention provides methods, apparatuses and programs stored on computer readable media for nondisruptive data migration and I/O load balancing over multipath connections. Additionally, while specific embodiments have been illustrated and described in this specification, those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments disclosed. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of the present invention, and it is to be understood that the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined entirely by the following claims, which are to be construed in accordance with the established doctrines of claim interpretation, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. | A system comprises a first storage system, a second storage system, a plurality of switches, and a server connected with the first storage system via a first group of switches and connected with the second storage system via a second group of switches. The first group and the second group have at least one switch which is not included in both the first and second groups. The first storage system receives I/O commands targeted to first logical units from the server via the first group of switches. The first storage system maintains first information regarding the ports of both the first and second storage systems. The first information is used to generate multipath communication between the server and the first storage system, including at least one path which passes through the second storage system and at least one other path which does not pass through the second storage system. | 6 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/828,868, filed Jul. 1, 2010, pending, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/392,034, filed Sep. 8, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,749,860, issued Jul. 6, 2010, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/985,588, filed Dec. 5, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,621, issued Sep. 14, 1999, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/823,609, filed Mar. 25, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,076, issued Aug. 1, 2000, the entire disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by this reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to forming an isolation trench in a semiconductor device. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of forming an isolation trench in an etching process for a semiconductor device that combines a spacer etch with a trench etch.
BACKGROUND
[0003] An isolation trench is used in an active area associated with a microelectronic device on a semiconductor substrate or on a substrate assembly. Isolation trenches allow microelectronics devices to be placed increasingly closer to each other without causing detrimental electronic interaction such as unwanted capacitance build-up and cross-talk. In the context of this document, the term semiconductive substrate is defined to mean any construction comprising semiconductive material, including but not limited to bulk semiconductive material such as a semiconductive wafer, either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon, and semiconductive material layers, either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials. The term substrate refers to any supporting structure including but not limited to the semiconductive substrates described above. The term substrate assembly is intended herein to mean a substrate having one or more layers or structures formed thereon. As such, the substrate assembly may be, by way of example and not by way of limitation, a doped silicon semiconductor substrate typical of a semiconductor wafer.
[0004] The ever-present pressure upon the microelectronics industry to shrink electronic devices and to crowd a higher number of electronic devices onto a single die, called miniaturization, has required the use of such structures as isolation trenches.
[0005] In the prior state of the art, an etching process of fill material within an isolation trench has been problematic. As seen in FIG. 1 , a semiconductor substrate 12 has an isolation trench substantially filled up with an isolation material 48 . A pad oxide 14 is situated on the active area of semiconductor substrate 12 . Isolation material 48 exhibits a non-planarity at the top surface thereof between corners 62 , particularly as is seen at reference numeral 46 in FIG. 1 . The non-planarity of the top surface of isolation material 48 is due to dissimilarity of etch rates between isolation material 48 and pad oxide 14 , particularly at corners 62 of the active area of semiconductor substrate 12 .
[0006] An active area may be formed within semiconductor substrate 12 immediately beneath pad oxide 14 , and adjacent isolation material 48 . A problem that is inherent in such non-planarity of fill material within an isolation trench is that corners 62 may leave the active area of semiconductor substrate 12 exposed. As such, isolation material 48 will not prevent layers formed thereon from contacting the active area of semiconductor substrate 12 at corners 62 . Contact of this sort is detrimental in that it causes charge and current leakage. Isolation material 48 is also unable to prevent unwanted thermal oxide encroachment through corners 62 into the active area of semiconductor substrate 12 .
[0007] What is needed is a method of forming an isolation trench, where subsequent etching of fill material within the isolation trench of such method prevents overlying layers from having contact with an adjacent active area, and prevents unwanted thermal oxide encroachment into the active area. What is also needed is a method of forming an isolation trench wherein etching or planarizing such as by chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) of isolation trench materials is accomplished without forming a recess at the intersection of the fill material in the isolation trench and the material of the active area within the semiconductor substrate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention relates to a method for forming an isolation trench structure on a semiconductor substrate. The inventive method forms and fills the isolation trench without causing deleterious topographical depressions in the upper surface of the fill material in the isolation trench, while substantially preventing contact between layers overlying the fill material of the isolation trench and the active area of the semiconductor substrate. By avoiding such deleterious topographical depressions and the exposure of the active area, detrimental charge and current leakage is minimized.
[0009] The inventive method of forming an isolation trench comprises forming a pad oxide upon a semiconductor substrate and depositing a first dielectric layer thereupon. By way of non-limiting example, the first dielectric layer is a nitride layer. The first dielectric layer is patterned and etched with a mask to expose a portion of the pad oxide layer and to protect an active area in the semiconductor substrate that remains covered with the first dielectric layer. A second dielectric layer is formed substantially conformably over the pad oxide layer and the remaining portions of the first dielectric layer.
[0010] A spacer etch is used to form a spacer from the second dielectric layer. The spacer electrically insulates the first dielectric layer. An isolation trench etch follows the spacer etch and creates within the semiconductor substrate an isolation trench that is defined by surfaces in the semiconductor substrate. The spacer formed by the spacer etch facilitates self-alignment of the isolation trench formed by the isolation trench etch. The isolation trench etch can be carried out with the same etch recipe as the spacer etch, or it can be carried out with an etch recipe that is selective to the spacer. Once the isolation trench is formed, an insulation liner on the inside surface of the isolation trench can be optionally formed, either by deposition or by thermal oxidation.
[0011] A third dielectric layer is formed substantially conformably over the spacer and the first dielectric layer so as to substantially fill the isolation trench. Topographical reduction of the third dielectric layer follows, preferably so as to planarize the third dielectric layer, for example, by chemical-mechanical planarizing (CMP), by dry etchback, or by a combination thereof
[0012] The topographical reduction of the third dielectric layer may also be carried out as a single etchback step that sequentially removes superficial portions of the third dielectric layer that extend out of the isolation trench. The single etchback also removes portions of the remaining spacer, and removes substantially all of the remaining portions of the first dielectric layer. Preferably, the single etchback will use an etch recipe that is more selective to the third dielectric layer and the spacer than to the remaining portions of the first dielectric layer. The single etchback uses an etch recipe having a selectivity that will preferably leave a raised portion of the third dielectric layer extending above the isolation trench while removing substantially all remaining portions of the first dielectric layer. The resulting structure can be described as having the shape of a nail as viewed in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the cross-section of a word line in association therewith.
[0013] Several other processing steps are optional in the inventive method. One such optional processing step is the deposition of a polysilicon layer upon the pad oxide layer to act as an etch stop or planarization marker. Another optional processing step includes clearing the spacer following the isolation trench etch. An additional optional processing step includes implanting doping ions at the bottom of the isolation trench to form a doped trench bottom. When a CMOS device is being fabricated, the ion implantation process may require a partial masking of the semiconductor substrate so as to properly dope selected portions of the semiconductor substrate.
[0014] These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates the prior art problem of an uneven etch of an isolation trench that results in exposing portions of an active area and unwanted thermal oxide encroachment into the active area.
[0017] FIG. 2A is an elevational cross-section view of a semiconductor substrate, wherein a pad oxide and a nitride layer have been deposited upon the semiconductor substrate.
[0018] FIG. 2B is an elevational cross-section view of a semiconductor substrate having thereon a polysilicon layer that has been deposited upon a pad oxide, and a nitride layer that has been deposited upon the polysilicon layer.
[0019] FIG. 3A illustrates further processing of the structure depicted in FIG. 2A , wherein a mask has been patterned and the nitride layer has been etched down to the pad oxide layer to form a nitride island over future or current active areas in the substrate that are to be protected.
[0020] FIG. 3B illustrates further processing of the structure depicted in FIG. 2B , wherein a mask has been patterned and the nitride layer has been etched down through the nitride layer and the polysilicon layer to stop on the pad oxide layer, thereby forming a nitride island and a polysilicon island over future or current active areas in the substrate that are to be protected.
[0021] FIG. 4A is a view of further processing of FIG. 3A , wherein the mask has been removed and an insulation film has been deposited over the nitride island.
[0022] FIG. 4B illustrates further processing of the structure depicted in FIG. 3B , wherein the mask has been removed and an insulation film has been deposited over the nitride island and the polysilicon island.
[0023] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate further processing of the structures depicted, respectively, in FIGS. 4A and 4B , in which the insulation film has been etched to form a spacer, a simultaneous or serial etch has formed an isolation trench, thermal oxidation or deposition within the isolation trench has formed an insulation liner therein, and wherein an optional ion implantation has formed a doped region at the bottom of the isolation trench.
[0024] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate further processing of the structures depicted, respectively, in FIGS. 5A and 5B , in which an isolation film has been deposited over the spacer, the isolation trench within the isolation trench liner, and the nitride island.
[0025] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate further processing of the structures depicted, respectively, in FIGS. 6A and 6B , wherein a planarization process has formed a first upper surface made up of the nitride island, the spacer, and the isolation film, all being substantially co-planar on the first upper surface.
[0026] FIG. 8A illustrates further processing of the structure depicted in FIG. 7A , wherein the semiconductor substrate has been implanted with ions, and wherein the isolation film, optionally the pad oxide layer, the insulation liner, and the spacer have fused to form a unitary isolation structure.
[0027] FIG. 8B illustrates optional further processing of the structure depicted in FIG. 6B , wherein an etching process using an etch recipe that is slightly selective to oxide over nitride, has etched back the isolation film, the nitride island, and the spacer to expose the polysilicon island, and has formed a filled isolation trench which, when viewed in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the cross-section of the depicted word line, has the shape of a nail.
[0028] FIG. 9A illustrates optional further processing of the structures depicted in FIG. 6A or in FIG. 7A , wherein an etch-selective recipe that is slightly selective to oxide over nitride has formed a filled isolation trench which, when viewed in cross-section has the shape of a nail.
[0029] FIG. 9B illustrates further processing of the structures depicted in either FIG. 7B or in FIG. 8B , wherein the semiconductor substrate has been implanted with ions, and wherein the isolation film, optionally the pad oxide layer, the insulation liner, and the spacer have been fused to form a filled isolation trench.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] The present invention relates to a method for forming a self-aligned isolation trench. The isolation trench is preferably a shallow trench isolation region that is self-aligned to an underlying active area. Stated otherwise, the inventive method forms a Narrow self-aligned Active area Isolation region that is inherently Level (NAIL). In the method of the present invention, a spacer etch and an isolation trench etch can be accomplished essentially within the same processing step.
[0031] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a combined nitride and oxide etch that is selective to polysilicon, and in which selectivity of the etch between nitride and oxide materials favors one or the other by a factor of about one-half. A still further aspect of the present invention relates to the use of a polysilicon film as an etch stop or planarization marker film. The structure achieved by the method of the present invention achieves particular advantages that overcome problems of the prior art.
[0032] A starting structure for an example of a first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2A . In FIG. 2A , a pad oxide 14 is grown upon a semiconductor substrate 12 on a semiconductor structure 10 . Semiconductor substrate 12 can be substantially composed of silicon. Following growth of pad oxide 14 , a nitride layer 16 is deposited over semiconductor substrate 12 . FIG. 2A illustrates deposition of nitride layer 16 upon pad oxide 14 .
[0033] FIG. 3A illustrates a step in the formation of an isolation trench by the method of the present invention. Nitride layer 16 is patterned with a mask 20 . An anisotropic etch selectively removes portions of nitride layer 16 . FIG. 3A illustrates the result of etching with the use of mask 20 , wherein nitride layer 16 has formed an insulator island 22 , as seen in FIG. 4A . Insulator island 22 is patterned over and protects future or current active areas (not pictured) in semiconductor substrate 12 during isolation trench processing. Following etch of nitride layer 16 , mask 20 is removed.
[0034] FIG. 4A illustrates further processing of the structure depicted in FIG. 3A , wherein an insulation film 26 has been deposited upon insulator island 22 and exposed portions of pad oxide 14 . Insulation film 26 can be an oxide such as silicon dioxide, and can be formed, for example, by decomposition of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Insulation film 26 may also be formed by a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process so as to deposit a nitride layer such as Si 3 N 4 or equivalent. When insulation film 26 is a nitride layer, insulator island 22 would be selected to be composed of a substantially different material, such as an oxide. Formation of substantially different materials between insulator island 22 and insulation film 26 facilitate selective etchback or selective mechanical planarization such as chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) in the inventive method of forming an isolation trench.
[0035] Following deposition of insulation film 26 , a spacer etch and an isolation trench etch are carried out. The spacer etch and the isolation trench etch can be carried out with a single etch recipe that is selective to insulation film 26 . Alternatively, the spacer etch and the isolation trench etch can be carried out with two etch recipes. As such, the first etch etches insulation film 26 in a spacer etch that forms a spacer 28 seen in FIG. 5A . The second etch, or isolation trench etch, has an etch recipe that is selective to spacer 28 and insulator island 22 , and anisotropically etches an isolation trench 32 having a sidewall 50 in semiconductor substrate 12 .
[0036] Spacer 28 may facet during the spacer etch such that a substantially linear spacer profile is achieved. Spacer 28 adds the advantage to the inventive process of extending the lateral dimension of the active area that is to be formed within semiconductor substrate 12 immediately beneath insulator island 22 . Because spacer 28 takes up lateral space that would otherwise be available for isolation trench 32 , isolation trench 32 is made narrower and the active area that is to be formed within semiconductor substrate 12 is made wider.
[0037] Following the formation of isolation trench 32 , sidewall 50 of isolation trench 32 has optionally formed thereon an insulation liner 30 . For example, thermal oxidation of sidewall 50 will form insulation liner 30 within isolation trench 32 . Insulation liner 30 will preferably be substantially composed of silicon dioxide. In FIG. 5A it can be seen that, following thermal oxidation of sidewall 50 to form insulation liner 30 within isolation trench 32 , semiconductor substrate 12 forms a rounded edge at the top of isolation trench 32 . Rounding of the top of semiconductor substrate 12 at the corners of isolation trench 32 provides an added advantage of further isolating semiconductor substrate 12 immediately beneath insulator island 22 ; thereby an active area that will form in semiconductor substrate 12 immediately under insulator island 22 will be further isolated. The feature of rounding of the corners of semiconductor substrate 12 at the tops of isolation trenches 32 as depicted in FIGS. 5A and 5B is presupposed in all embodiments of the present invention as a preferred alternative.
[0038] Another method of forming insulation liner 30 is CVD of a dielectric material, or a dielectric material precursor that deposits preferentially upon sidewall 50 of isolation trench 32 . The material of which insulation liner 30 is substantially composed may be particularly resistant to further etching, cleaning, or other processing conditions.
[0039] Insulation liner 30 may be substantially composed of a nitride such as Si 3 N 4 , or an equivalent, and can be selectively formed upon sidewall 50 of isolation trench 32 . When semiconductor substrate 12 immediately adjacent to isolation trench 32 is a doped monocrystalline silicon that forms, for example, an active area for a transistor source/drain region, oxidation is avoided therein by insulation liner 30 . Insulation liner 30 is preferably substantially composed of Si 3 N 4 or a non-stoichiometric variant that seals sidewall 50 so as to prevent encroachment of oxide into semiconductor substrate 12 .
[0040] Following formation of insulation liner 30 , ion implantation is optionally carried out to form a doped trench bottom 34 at the bottom of isolation trench 32 . For example, if semiconductor wafer 10 comprises an N-doped silicon substrate, implantation of P-doping materials at the bottom of isolation trench 32 will form a P-doped trench bottom 34 . Ion implantation may be carried out in a field implantation mode. If a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is being fabricated, however, masking of complementary regions of semiconductor substrate 12 is required in order to achieve the differential doping thereof. For an N-doped silicon substrate, a high breakdown voltage may be achieved by P-doping. A low breakdown voltage may be achieved by N-doping, and an intermediate breakdown voltage may be achieved by no doping. Because the present invention relates to formation of isolation trenches, P-doping in an N-well region, or N-doping in a P-well region are preferred.
[0041] Preferably, implantation of P-doping ions is carried out to form doped trench bottom 34 in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the plane of pad oxide 14 . Slightly angled implantation of P-implantation ions may be carried out to enrich or broaden the occurrence of P-doping ions in doped trench bottom 34 at the bottom of isolation trench 32 . If P-doping is carried out where semiconductor substrate 12 is N-doped, care must be taken not to dope through insulation liner 30 on sidewall 50 near pad oxide 14 , which may cause detrimental deactivation of active areas (not shown) in semiconductor substrate 12 .
[0042] Following optional implantation of doping ions, it may be desirable, depending upon the intended shape and design of the isolation trench, to remove all or a portion of spacer 28 . The isolation trench formed by the inventive method, however, will preferably include at least a portion of spacer 28 that extends away from the isolation trench 32 .
[0043] As seen in FIG. 6A , isolation trench 32 is filled by an isolation film 36 which also is formed upon insulator island 22 . Isolation film 36 can formed by a deposition process using, for example, TEOS as a precursor.
[0044] An optional processing step of the inventive method is to fuse together spacer 28 , pad oxide 14 , and isolation film 36 . The processing technique for such fusion is preferably a heat treatment of semiconductor structure 10 . If such fusion is contemplated, it is also desirable that spacer 28 , pad oxide 14 , and isolation film 36 all be composed of substantially the same material, as fusion is best facilitated with common materials.
[0045] It is preferable, at some point in fabrication of the isolation trench, to densify the fill material of the isolation trench. Densification is desirable because it helps to prevent separation of materials in contact with the fill material. As seen in FIG. 6A , densification will prevent isolation film 36 from separating at interfaces with spacer 28 , pad oxide 14 , and insulation liner 30 . It is preferable to perform densification of isolation film 36 immediately following its deposition. Depending upon the specific application, however, densification may be carried out at other stages of the process. For example, densification of isolation film 36 by rapid thermal processing (RTP) may make either etchback or CMP more difficult. As such, it is preferable to densify later in the fabrication process, such as after planarizing or etchback processing.
[0046] FIG. 7A illustrates a subsequent step of formation of the isolation trench wherein insulator island 22 , spacer 28 , and isolation film 36 are planarized to a common co-planar first upper surface 38 . First upper surface 38 will preferably be formed by a CMP or etchback process. Preferably, planarization will remove isolation film 36 slightly faster than insulator island 22 , such as by a factor of about one-half. A first preferred selectivity of an etch recipe used in the inventive method is in the range of about 1:1 to about 2:1, wherein isolation film 36 is removed faster as compared to insulator island 22 . A more preferred selectivity is in the range of about 1.3:1 to about 1.7:1. A most preferred selectivity is about 1.5:1. Planarization also requires the etch recipe to remove spacer 28 slightly faster than insulator island 22 . Preferably, spacer 28 and isolation film 36 are made from the same material such that the etch will be substantially uniform as to the selectivity thereof with respect to spacer 28 and isolation film 36 over insulator island 22 .
[0047] First upper surface 38 is illustrated as being substantially planar in FIG. 7A . It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that first upper surface 38 will form a non-planar profile or topography depending upon the selectivity of the etch recipe or of the chemical used in a planarization technique such as CMP. For example, where reduced island 52 is formed from a nitride material and isolation film 36 is formed from an oxide material, first upper surface 38 would undulate as viewed in cross-section with more prominent structures being the result of an etch or planarization technique more selective thereto.
[0048] In FIG. 7A , reduced island 52 has been formed from insulator island 22 . Additionally, portions of isolation film 36 and spacer 28 remain after planarization. Reduced island 52 preferably acts as a partial etch stop.
[0049] FIG. 8A illustrates the results of removal of reduced island 52 . Reduced island 52 is preferably removed with an etch that is selective to isolation film 36 and spacer 28 , leaving an isolation structure 48 that extends into and above isolation trench 32 , forming a nail shaped structure having a head 54 extending above and away from isolation trench 32 upon an oxide layer 44 . The future or current active area of semiconductor substrate 12 , which may be at least partially covered over by head 54 , is substantially prevented from a detrimental charge and current leakage by head 54 .
[0050] Phantom lines 60 in FIG. 8A illustrate remnants of pad oxide 14 , insulation liner 30 , and spacer 28 as they are optionally thermally fused with isolation film 36 to form isolation structure 48 . Isolation structure 48 , illustrated in FIG. 8A , comprises a trench portion and a flange portion which together, when viewed in cross-section, form the shape of a nail.
[0051] The trench portion of isolation structure 48 is substantially composed of portions of isolation film 36 and insulation liner 30 . The trench portion intersects the flange portion at a second upper surface 40 of semiconductor substrate 12 as seen in FIG. 8A . The trench portion also has two sidewalls 50 . FIG. 8A shows that the trench portion is substantially parallel to a third upper surface 42 and sidewalls 50 . The flange portion is integral with the trench portion and is substantially composed of portions of pad oxide 14 , spacer 28 , and isolation film 36 . The flange portion has a lowest region at second upper surface 40 where the flange portion intersects the trench portion. The flange portion extends above second upper surface 40 to third upper surface 42 seen in FIG. 8A . Upper surfaces 40 , 42 are substantially orthogonal to two flange sidewalls 64 and sidewall 50 . The flange portion is substantially orthogonal in orientation to the trench portion. The flange portion may also include a gate oxide layer 44 after gate oxide layer 44 is grown.
[0052] Following formation of isolation structure 48 , it is often useful to remove pad oxide 14 , seen in FIG. 8A , due to contamination thereof during fabrication of isolation structure 48 . Pad oxide 14 can become contaminated when it is used as an etch stop for removal of reduced island 52 . For example, pad oxide 14 may be removed by using aqueous HF to expose second upper surface 40 . A new oxide layer, gate oxide layer 44 , may then be formed on second upper surface 40 having third upper surface 42 .
[0053] Semiconductor structure 10 may be implanted with ions as illustrated by arrows seen in FIG. 8A . This implantation, done with N-doping materials in an N-well region, for example, is to enhance the electron conductivity of the active area (not shown) of semiconductor substrate 12 . Either preceding or following removal of pad oxide 14 seen in FIG. 8A , an enhancement implantation into the active area of semiconductor substrate 12 may be carried out, whereby preferred doping ions are implanted on either side of isolation structure 48 .
[0054] Ion implantation into semiconductor substrate 12 to form active areas, when carried out with isolation structure 48 in place, will cause an ion implantation concentration gradient to form in the region of semiconductor substrate 12 proximate to and including second upper surface 40 . The gradient will form within semiconductor substrate 12 near second upper surface 40 and immediately beneath the flange sidewalls 64 as the flange portion of isolation structure 48 will partially shield semiconductor substrate 12 immediately therebeneath. Thus, an ion implant gradient will form and can be controlled in part by the portion of semiconductor substrate 12 that is covered by head 54 .
[0055] Gate oxide layer 44 is formed upon second upper surface 40 after pad oxide 14 has been removed to form portions of third upper surface 42 . The entirety of third upper surface 42 includes head 54 of isolation structure 48 as it extends above gate oxide layer 44 .
[0056] In a variation of the first embodiment of the present invention, the structure illustrated in FIG. 6A is planarized by use of a single etchback process. The single etchback uses an etch recipe that has a different selectivity for insulator island 22 than for isolation film 36 . In this alternative embodiment, spacer 28 , isolation film 36 , and pad oxide 14 are composed of substantially the same material. Insulator island 22 has a composition different from that of isolation film 36 . For example, isolation film 36 and spacer 28 are composed of SiO 2 , and insulator island 22 is composed of silicon nitride.
[0057] The etch recipe for the single etchback is chosen to be selective to isolation film 36 such that, as upper surface 58 of isolation film 36 recedes toward pad oxide 14 and eventually exposes insulator island 22 and spacer 28 , insulator island 22 has a greater material removal rate than spacer 28 or isolation film 36 . As such, a final isolation structure 48 illustrated in FIG. 9A is achieved. Pad oxide 14 acts as an etch stop for this etch recipe. A residual depression of isolation film 36 may appear centered over filled isolation trench 32 . A depression would be created, centered above isolation trench 32 , during the filling of isolation trench 32 with isolation film 36 , as seen in FIG. 6A . Where a depression is not detrimental to the final isolation structure 48 as illustrated in FIG. 9A , this selective etch recipe alternative may be used.
[0058] Semiconductor structure 10 , as illustrated in FIG. 9A , can be seen to have a substantially continuous isolation structure substantially covering semiconductor substrate 12 . An upper surface 42 a of isolation structure 48 includes the head portion or nail head 54 . Semiconductor substrate 12 is covered at an upper surface 42 b by either a pad oxide layer or a gate oxide layer. Another upper surface 42 c comprises the upper surface of the pad oxide layer or gate oxide layer.
[0059] A starting structure for an example of a second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2B . In FIG. 2B , pad oxide 14 is grown upon semiconductor substrate 12 and a polysilicon layer 18 is deposited upon pad oxide 14 . This embodiment of the present invention parallels the processing steps of the first embodiment with the additional processing that takes into account the use of polysilicon layer 18 .
[0060] FIG. 3B illustrates etching through nitride layer 16 and polysilicon layer 18 to stop on pad oxide 14 . The etch creates both an insulator island 22 and a polysilicon island 24 formed, respectively, from nitride layer 16 and polysilicon layer 18 .
[0061] FIG. 4B illustrates further processing of the structure depicted in FIG. 3B , wherein insulation film 26 has been deposited upon insulator island 22 , laterally exposed portions of polysilicon island 24 , and exposed portions of pad oxide 14 . Following deposition of insulation film 26 , a spacer etch and an isolation trench etch are carried out similarly to the spacer etch and isolation trench etch carried out upon semiconductor structure 10 illustrated in FIG. 5A .
[0062] FIG. 5B illustrates the results of both the spacer etch and the isolation trench etch and optional implantation of isolation trench 32 to form trench bottom 34 analogous to doped trench bottom 34 illustrated in FIG. 5A . Formation of insulation liner 30 within isolation trench 32 preferentially precedes implantation to form P-doped trench bottom 34 . Following optional implantation of doping ions, full or partial removal of spacer 28 may optionally be performed as set forth above with respect to the first embodiment of the invention.
[0063] FIG. 6B illustrates a subsequent step in fabrication of an isolation trench according to the second embodiment of the inventive method, wherein isolation film 36 is deposited both within isolation trench 32 , and over both of insulator island 22 and spacer 28 . As set forth above, densification of isolation film 36 is a preferred step to be carried out either at this stage of fabrication or at a subsequent selective stage. Planarization or etchback of isolation film 36 is next carried out as set forth in the first embodiment of the present invention, and as illustrated in FIG. 7B .
[0064] The process of planarization or etchback of isolation film 36 reduces insulator island 22 to form reduced island 52 as illustrated in FIG. 7B . Next, additional selective ion implantations can be made through polysilicon island 24 and into the active area of semiconductor substrate 12 that lies beneath polysilicon island 24 .
[0065] In FIG. 8B , it can be seen in phantom that spacer 28 has a top surface that is co-planar with third upper surface 42 of isolation structure 48 after planarization. Polysilicon island 24 and spacer 28 are formed as shown in FIG. 8B . Removal of spacer 28 from the structures illustrated in FIG. 8B can be accomplished by patterning and etching with a mask that covers head 54 that extends above and away from isolation trench 32 seen in FIG. 8B . The etching process exposes a surface on semiconductor substrate 12 upon which a gate oxide layer is deposited or grown.
[0066] To form the structure seen in FIG. 9B , semiconductor structures 10 of FIGS. 7B or 8 B are subjected to implantation of semiconductor substrate 12 with ions. Semiconductor structure 10 is then subjected to a heat treatment so as to fuse together isolation film 36 , optional pad oxide 14 , insulation liner 30 , and spacer 28 into an integral filled isolation trench.
[0067] Subsequent to the process illustrated in FIGS. 6A-8A and 6 B- 9 B a final thermal treatment, or subsequent thermal treatments, can be performed. Heat treatment may cause isolation structure 48 to be wider proximal to third upper surface 42 than proximal to doped trench bottom 34 . When so shaped, an unoxidized portion of the active area of semiconductor substrate 12 that forms sidewall 50 would have a trapezoidal shape when viewed in cross-section, where the widest portion is second upper surface 40 and the narrowest portion is at doped trench bottom 34 . Where a trapezoidal shape of the trench portion causes unwanted encroachment into the active area of semiconductor substrate 12 , the optional formation of insulation liner 30 from a nitride material or equivalent is used to act as an oxidation barrier for sidewall 50 . Semiconductor structure 10 is illustrated in FIG. 9B as being implanted by doping ions, as depicted with downwardly directed arrows. Following a preferred implantation, thermal processing may be carried out in order to achieve dopant diffusion near upper surface 42 b of implanted ions residing within semiconductor substrate 12 . Due to head 54 extending onto semiconductor substrate 12 , a doping concentration gradient can be seen between the active area 53 a and the active area 53 b. The starting and stopping point of the doping concentration gradient in relation to flange sidewalls 64 will depend upon the duration and temperature of a thermal treatment.
[0068] The present invention may be carried out wherein spacer 28 and isolation film 36 are substantially composed of the same oxide material, and insulator island 22 is substantially composed of a nitride composition. Other compositions may be chosen wherein etch selectivity or CMP selectivity slightly favors insulator island 22 over both spacer 28 and isolation film 36 . The specific selection of materials will depend upon the application during fabrication of the desired isolation trench.
[0069] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrated and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims and their combination in whole or in part rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. | The present invention relates to methods for forming microelectronic structures in a semiconductor substrate. The method includes selectively removing dielectric material to expose a portion of an oxide overlying a semiconductor substrate. Insulating material may be formed substantially conformably over the oxide and remaining portions of the dielectric material. Spacers may be formed from the insulating material. An isolation trench etch follows the spacer etch. An optional thermal oxidation of the surfaces in the isolation trench may be performed, which may optionally be followed by doping of the bottom of the isolation trench to further isolate neighboring active regions on either side of the isolation trench. A conformal material may be formed substantially conformably over the spacer, over the remaining portions of the dielectric material, and substantially filling the isolation trench. Planarization of the conformal material may follow. | 7 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to lighting and/or indicating apparatus for a motor vehicle, and more particularly to a headlamp.
The invention is particularly relevant to optical modules which are integrated into headlamps in order to produce light beams which satisfy current regulations. More particularly, it is relevant to optical modules of the so-called elliptical type. These modules include at least one light source (consisting of a halogen lamp or xenon lamp for example), which is disposed at the base of a reflector, together with a lens which is arranged in front of the reflector. The lens generally has a round perimeter, and a convex exit face, the reflector being of an elliptical type.
This type of module can serve to produce various types of beam, among which may be mentioned in particular the following:
beams with no cut-off, for example long range or cruising beams; beams with a cut-off, such as low or passing beams (the cut-off is V-shaped with a 15° angle under European regulations, or is inclined slightly differently under American regulations), the purpose of this light distribution being to prevent dazzling of the driver of a vehicle coming in the opposite direction at night; any other type of cut-off beam, such as fog lamp beams with a flat cut-off, or beams which are low beams but which are adapted to give some so-called overhead light: the purpose of this is to transmit some light above the cut-off line in order to illuminate road signs with a weak light intensity; and beams which are adapted for an indicating or signalling function in addition to the lighting function, for example day running lights (DRL) or a position indicating function such as tail lights.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In order to obtain cut-off beams with optical modules having a lens, of the elliptical module type, shields can be inserted into the module in front of the lens in the path of light rays coming from the light source. The shield, which is of an appropriate form, may be fixed: the module is then a single-function module. It may also be movable, so that the module is then a two-function or multi-function module, and so that there can be obtained, with a single module, a beam of the low beam type (with the shield in a working position intercepting some of the light rays), and a beam of the cruising type (with the shield put into an inactive position), or, in an example of a triple function, a cruising type beam (with the shield in an inactive position), a low beam for left-hand drive (with the shield in an active position 1), and a low beam for right-hand drive (with the shield in an active position 2). Numerous patents describe this type of module, both single function and multi-function, for example patents EP1197387 and EP1422472.
In order to obtain cut-off beams, while at the same time giving overhead light with this type of optical module with a lens, a first solution was proposed in the patent EP 1 464 890. It disclosed the use of a shield which was adapted to effect ad hoc cut-off, and a lens provided with peripheral arrangements which are capable of deflecting upwards the light rays that reach them in such a way that enough light reaches the overhead points concerned. In this connection, these overhead target points are normally in a high zone of vision where the light coming from the optical module is occulted by the shield. The said arrangements are for example in the form of ribs located on the lower periphery of the lens. That solution is quite effective from the optical point of view, because the ribs in the lower part effectively enable a little light to be deflected upwards, and above the cut-off line, towards the road signs without significantly disturbing the photometry and distribution of the main cut-off beam. However, the said arrangements may be seen as a disadvantage from the styling point of view, because they remain visible even though they are located at the periphery of the lens.
The invention therefore has the object of providing a new type of lens which enables a beam to be obtained having a particular photometry, and being in particular of the cut-off type with overhead lighting, with optical modules of the elliptical type having a lens which can overcome the above disadvantage. In particular, an object of the invention is to obtain a lens which performs at least as well from the optical point of view, but which has an appearance, once it is fitted in the module, that is as close as possible to that of a standard lens.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention in a first aspect, there is provided a lens for an optical module which is adapted to be mounted in a lighting apparatus for a motor vehicle and which comprises two distinct associated materials with different refractive indices. In the whole of the present text, the term lens is used to mean any dioptric element. The element exploits the fact that it is possible to modify the path of the light rays passing through the lens, not by modifying the geometry of the lens but by locally modifying its refractive index. In this way the light beam distribution passing through the lens is able to be modified by adjustment of the zone of the lens that has a different refractive index (in particular by adjusting the dimensions, profile and configuration of the said zone in an appropriate way), and by adjusting the quantity of rays reaching that zone, these rays being rays which will then be deflected by their passage in the lens in a different way from the rays passing through the rest of the lens.
The importance of this modified lens can therefore be seen: it is possible to choose a lens which is commonly used in optical modules for motor vehicle headlamps, in such a way that it performs its function as provided for in an elliptical module, in particular to produce a beam of the cut-off type in association with a shield. However, the lens incorporates a further material which is substituted for the previous material locally, and which, because it has a higher refractive index, will deflect the rays more severely. Preferably, by locating this other material in the lower part of the lens once the latter has been positioned in an optical module under working conditions, it is then possible to deflect some of the rays so that they are able to reach zones in the upper part, above the cut-off line, and in particular the so-called overhead light zones. Because the object is to provide weak lighting, it is enough to proportion in an appropriate way the part of the material having a higher refractive index in the lens so that enough light will reach the overhead lighting targets without significantly disturbing the photometry of the light rays coming from the rest of the lens.
Preferably, the lens according to the invention comprises a predominant first material having at least one insert made of a second material the refractive index of which is different from that of the first material, and in particular greater than that of the first material. In this way the greater part of the material of the lens remains as before, being preferably the material commonly used for this type of application, glass in particular, which enables known moulding techniques to be retained.
The term “material”, in the sense of this invention is to be understood to mean a material which may be a composition having a single component or a plurality of components, but which has generally homogenous properties both chemically and optically (for example a material based on several polymers, and/or based on polymer with organic or mineral additives).
A material in the sense of the invention also includes for example a matrix of a polymeric material or materials in which particles of a material with a different refractive index are encapsulated. These may consist of balls with a refractive index different from that of the matrix. It is considered that such a material is homogeneous if a sufficiently large scale is taken in relation to the size and density of the elements, or balls, as compared with their matrix. The index of such a material can be regarded as a refractive index which is averaged between the refractive indices of the ball type elements and the matrix.
Preferably, the difference in refractive index between the first and second materials is at least 3 or 4%, and in particular lies in the range between 5 and 15%. In absolute figures, this difference in refractive index is for example at least 0.08, and in particular it lies in the range between 0.09 and 0.13. This difference is in fact enough to obtain the required optical effect while enabling materials to be chosen which remain inexpensive and practical from the industrial point of view.
Preferably, the second material in the lens is an insert or a plurality of inserts, substituted for the first material locally in the lens. The term insert is to be understood to mean a material which will constitute the lens over its whole local thickness.
Preferably, the insert or inserts is or are disposed on a portion of the peripheral zone of the lens. If there are several inserts, then a regular distribution of the latter is preferably chosen over all or part of the peripheral zone of the lens. They may thus extend over a circumferential zone with an angular aperture of at least 15°, being for example in the range between 20 and 70° in a lens with a circular perimeter.
One example consists in choosing, for the first material of the lens, a glass or polymer based material, and for the second material, a polymer based material, especially one comprising polysulfone.
As mentioned above, the first or the second material can also be a material based on a matrix of one or more polymers, in which particles of a polymetric material having a different refractive index are encapsulated. In this way a lens having a single polymeric matrix can be envisaged, and particles having a different refractive index are distributed non-homogeneously in the matrix: there are then at least two zones, that is to say the zone which is rich in particles having a given mean refractive index, and the zone in which the particles are more scarce or absent, and with a refractive index close to or equal to that of the matrix by itself.
The choice of the second material also depends on the method of making the lens. Preferably, it is chosen to mould the second material in situ on the first material, but it is then necessary to make sure that the later in situ moulding step will not adversely affect the quality of forming of the first material. This is why it is preferable that the forming temperature of the first material be at least 50° C. greater than the forming temperature of the second material.
As regards the geometry of the lens, the choice of locally modifying its refractive index enables the distribution of light in the beam to be modified as desired without having to make any particular modification of its geometry: it is therefore possible to preserve the form of known lenses, and in particular the flat entry face and the convex exit face. The entry face of the lens can also, optionally, be locally concave in the zone or zones which are formed with an insert of a second material having a refractive index greater than that of the first material. The exit face, which may for example be convex, can thus be made without any significant surface discontinuity apart from an interface, which is virtually invisible to the naked eye, between the two materials of which the lens consists.
It goes without saying that the lens may have not two but three materials at least, having different refractive indices.
The invention further provides the optical module comprising a lens as discussed above, with, in particular, a configuration such that the insert or inserts are at the periphery and in the lower part of the lens under the working conditions of the module. The module preferably has a shield disposed between the reflector and the lens in order to produce at least one cut-off beam of the low beam or fog light type, with the insert or inserts of the lens enabling a part of the light rays emitted by the light source to be deflected towards a zone or zones above the cut-off line, and in particular in an overhead lighting direction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described below with the aid of a non-limiting example which is shown in the following drawings:
FIG. 1 a is a transverse cross section view of the lens according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 1 b is a front view of the lens according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross section view taken on a vertical plane, of an optical module which incorporates the lens shown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b ; and
FIG. 3 is a simplified representation of the distribution of light in the light beam obtained with the optical module shown in FIG. 2 .
All of the Figures are simplified in the interests of clarity, and do not necessarily show the actual scale between the various components shown therein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows the lens L according to the invention in cross section. The geometry of the lens is conventional, with a flat entry face Fe and a convex exit face Fs. The terms entry and exit are to be understood as relating to the direction of the light rays which pass through them once the assembly is mounted in an optical headlamp module. The difference as compared with standard lenses is that this lens is made from two materials, namely:
the material M 1 which in the present case is glass having a refractive index of about 1518 and a melting point of about 500° C.; and material M 2 , which in the present case is a polysulfone based polymer having a refractive index of about 1643 and a melting point of about 200° C.
The material M 1 is the predominant material in the lens L, and the material M 2 is in the form of an insert I, which in the drawing of the lens is on its peripheral perimeter in the lower part. The two materials are separated by an interface line I, and their junction plane is a plane which is substantially always horizontal in accordance with the representation of the lens given in FIG. 1 . It is possible to envisage a junction plane which is not horizontal, or which is not flat.
The association of the glass and the polysulfone is achieved by moulding in two steps, as follows. First the glass is moulded and then the polysulfone is moulded over the glass in a second step, such a method of manufacture being possible because the melting temperatures of the materials are very different from each other. The height hi of the insert is about 6 to 10 mm for a total height ht which is usually 60, 66 or 70 mm (these heights being measured on the entry face Fe of the lens L).
FIG. 2 shows the integration of the lens L in an optical module of the elliptical type: in it, there can be seen the reflector R of an elliptical type, the light source S which is disposed at the base of the reflector (and which is a halogen lamp or xenon lamp); the shield C which is interposed between the reflector R and source S, and the lens L with its insert I located in the lower part as shown in FIG. 1 . Two paths t 1 and t 2 of light rays emitted by the source S are shown very diagrammatically, as follows:
the path t 1 is that of a ray emitted by the source S, reflected by the reflector R, and then reaching the lens L in the zone which consists of the material M 1 , that is to say glass; and the path t 2 is that of a similar type of light ray, but it reaches the lens in the zone consisting of the polysulfone insert.
It can be seen that the ray that follows the path t 2 is deflected generally upwards by more than the ray following the path t 1 . It will be understood that the index between the glass and the polysulfone enables the deflection of the rays to be decided appropriately without the geometry of the lens as a whole having to be modified.
FIG. 3 shows, in an extremely simplified form, the distribution of a light ray which is obtained with the optical module shown in FIG. 2 . It shows:
a first zone Z 1 which defines a cut-off beam of the low beam type for left hand drive, strongly illuminated, which consists essentially of rays passing through the lens in its glass part along a path of the t 1 type, and a second zone Z 2 with a much weaker illumination level, above the cut-off line, this consisting essentially of rays which pass through the lens at the level of its polysulfone insert I along a path of the t 2 type.
This distribution, of the low beam type but also giving overhead lighting, conforms with current regulations, without the visual appearance of the lens in the module being significantly altered as compared with the standard all glass lens.
The method of making a lens of this kind is within the competence of a person skilled in this art. In particular, the in situ moulding of the insert or inserts can be performed by injecting the material M 2 at the appropriate forming temperature at the level of the lens foot, an element which is not shown in FIG. 1 , but which is a peripheral zone of the lens that is optically inactive and facilitates the fastening of the lens in the optical module. For example, the lens foot P shown in FIG. 1 is of the material M 1 , with injection points for the material M 2 and with an appropriate form of the material M 1 after its preliminary moulding step. Alternatively, it is also possible to arrange that the lens foot is made of a third material of a polymer type (for example filled polyetherpolysulfone), which will surround the material M 2 during the step of moulding the insert in situ on the previously formed material M 1 .
The lens according to the invention has accordingly made it possible to reconcile optical performance and styling constraints. It is of course possible to give this type of lens other applications than the generation of a low beam with overhead lighting: it is possible to change the number of inserts, the choice of refractive indices, and the disposition of the said inserts in the lens, so as to alter as desired the amplitude of the deflection of the light rays incident on the said lens or part of a lens, for example in order to avoid having recourse to auxiliary mirrors for reflecting back, or other additional optical elements. It may find various applications too, outside the automotive field, in any apparatus which makes use of dioptric elements of the lens type. | The invention provides a lens for an optical module adapted to be mounted in a lighting apparatus for a motor vehicle. The lens comprises two distinct materials associated with each other and having different refractive indices. | 5 |
DESCRIPTION
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object referred to by the invention which is protected under this patent consists of a Perfected protection and cutting unit by rotational control device, for connection and testing modules associated with telephone lines.
It consequently deals with a component element of said modules, in which the following functions are attributed,
a) The optional and temporary interruption of the network/subscriber electric continuity for conduction of the tests, without operating with the permanent connections of the module.
b) Accessibility to the appropriate contacts, in order to facilitate checking of the technical characteristics of the connection.
c) Protection against unpredictable irregularities of the constants of the current, especially overvoltages.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The owner of the present patent, is also owner of Spanish Utility Model 9400528, granted and in force, the object of which is a "Perfected connection and testing module of telephone lines", in which a protection and cutting unit is integrated, the object of this invention offering certain advantagous differences over the same.
In effect, in the former, the cutting function was performed by means of the manual extraction of the protection unit, with which the continuity bridges in their interior were removed, interrupting the connection between the service (subscriber) and the couple (line) terminals, making one and the other accessible for performance of the testing.
During the development of these tests, the removed unit had to be held in the hand of the operator or provisionally put away, always introducing an obstruction in the task of the same, and additionally, since the work on a module is normally conducted in an inaccessible location without ladders, the dropping of the loose unit implied its loss or breakage, due to its reduced dimensions.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the invention which constitutes the object of this patent is to solve the disadvantages which are proper to the known, previously described, protection and cutting unit, having been conceived and designed in compliance with this objective.
The structure of the present unit preferably comprises three independent rectangular prismatic parts, fitted to each other by superposition: the top part constituted by an independent unopenable cover, on the upper face of which various hollow turrets appear, at each one of its corners, on the inside of which the service and the couple terminals are accessible for the performance of the measurements of the technical characteristics of the current.
It is also preferably provided with a central orifice for the passage of the continuity or cutting rotational control device; whilst, on its lower face, it presents a peripherical flange of precision fit at the upper edge of the intermediate part.
This intermediate part, which is head of the unit, presents on the bottom of its hollow interior, four notches placed in respective proximity to the corners, for passage of the upper ends of the service and the couple terminals, in order that they be accessible from the hollow turrets and that the continuity and cutting bridge may be inserted in them, optionally joining in series, a terminal of each class.
The continuity and cutting bridges are preferably formed by two flat metallic parts, placed on one same plane, parallel to the bottom of the intermediate part and in reverse symmetrical arrangement, each has on its two ends clips, and on its central zone, an orthogonally raised tab on the plane of the bridge so that both tabs are each inserted into curved grooves performed on the base of the rotational control device, in such a manner, that, acting as cams when activating said control device, the rotational movement of the same is transformed into a straight movement on its actual plane and in opposite direction to the bridges until, if a continuity is intended to be established, the clips are inserted into the upper ends of the respective service and couple terminals, whilst if the cutting operation is intended, rotating the control device in opposite direction, the clips emerge through the ends of the terminals.
The lower part, which is the body of the unit, presents a peripherical recess on its upper edge, for the precision fit of the lower flange of the head of the unit, showing on the bottom of its hollow interior, four notches placed in respective proximity to the corners, for passage of the lower ends of the service and the couple terminals, plus a central notch for the passage of the grounding terminal, said interior capable of being filled with an insulating product for assuring the sealing of the union between the head (7) and the body (13) of the unit and to increase the dielectric stiffness between terminals.
The service terminals present sideways, on its central zone, various pins with respective transversal protection contacts, of confronted convex surfaces, which permit the parallel coupling among them of an ionizable noble gas discharger which, clamped by the grounding terminal, grounds the connection in case that overvoltages are produced in the network in excess of a preset limit value.
The lower ends of all the terminals (service, couple and grounding) penetrate through the bottom of the body so that, emerging through its lower face, they establish contact with the respective connection strips of the module, fitting into the same.
The exitance in the body of the unit of five contacts which are accessible prior to its sealed closure, cosntituted by the two service, the two couple and the grounding terminals, permit the attribution to the unit of diverse specific protection or checking functions, by means of the series or parallel coupling of known suitable means such as, for example, frequency filters, variable resistances (PTC), etc., independently from the previously described gas discharger.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To complement the description of the invention and to facilitate the interpretation of its characteristics, of shape, structural and functional, drawings are enclosed, in which are schematically represented different aspects of a preferred embodiment of the perfected protection and cutting unit by rotational control device, for connection and testing modules of telephone lines, which constitutes the object of the present Utility Model.
In said drawings:
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the unit which constitutes the invention, totally assembled and coupled, ready for its insertion into the connection and testing module or block of telephone lines.
FIG. 2 is also a perspective view of the unit, though exploded to show its structure, separately presenting each one of its components, ordered according to the sequence of their assembly.
FIG. 3 represents a perspective of the rotational control device, viewed from below.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In order to show clearly the nature and the scope of the advantageous application of the present protection and cutting unit with rotational control device, for connection and testing modules associated with telephone lines which constitutes the object of the invention, herewith is described its structure and its operation, making reference to the drawings which, since they represent a preferred embodiment of said object with informative character, shall be considered in its widest and non-limiting sense of the application and the contents of the invention.
The structure of the present unit preferably comprises three independent rectangular prismatic parts, fitted to each other by superposition: the upper part (1) constitutes an independent unopenable cover, on the upper face of which, various hollow turrets (2) appear on each one of its corners, in the inside of which, the service (3) and the couple (4) terminals are accessible for the performance of measurements of the current characteristics.
It is also provided with a central orifice (5) for the passage of the continuity and cutting rotational control device (6); wilst on its lower face it presents a peripherical pin of precision fit on the upper edge of the intermediate part (7).
This intermediate part (7), which is the head of the unit, presents on the bottom of its hollow interior, four notches (8) placed in respective proximity to the corners, for passage of the upper ends of the service (3) and the couple (4) terminals, in order that they be accessible from the hollow turrets (2) and that the continuity and cutting bridges (9) be inserted into them, optionally joining in series, a terminal of each class.
Said continuity and cutting bridges (9) are formed by two flat metallic parts, placed on one same plane, parallel to the bottom of the intermediate part (7) and in reverse symmetrical arrangement, having each on their two ends, clips (10) and on their central zone, a tab (11) orthogonally raised from the major plane of the bridge so that both tabs are each inserted into curved grooves (12) formed at the base of the rotational control device (6), in such a manner that, acting as cams on activation of said control device, the rotational movement of the same is transformed into a straight movement in its major plane and in opposite direction to the bridges (9), until, if a continuity is intended to be established, the clips (10) are inserted into the upper ends of the respective service (3) and couple (4) terminals, whilst if a cutting function is intended, rotating the control device (6) an opposite direction, the clips (10) emerge from the terminal ends.
The lower part (13), which is the body of the unit, presents a peripherical recess (14) on its upper edge, for the precision fit of the lower pin (15) of the head (7) of the unit, showing at the bottom of its hollow interior, four notches (16) placed in respective proximity to the corners, for passage of the lower ends of the service (3) and coupling (4) terminals, plus a central notch (17) for passage of the grounding terminal (18), said interior capable of being filled with an insulating product to assure the sealing of the union between the head (7) and the body (13) of the unit and to increase the dielectric stiffness between terminals.
The service (3) terminals each present sideways, on their central zone, pins (19) with respective transversal protection contacts (20), with confronted convex surfaces, which permit the parallel coupling among them, of an ionizable noble gas discharger, which, clamped by the grounding terminal (18), grounds the connection in case that overvoltages are produced in the network in excess of a preset limit value.
The lower ends of all the terminals (service (3), couple (4) and grounding (18)), penetrate the bottom of the body (13) so that emerging through their lower face, they establish contact with the respective connection stirps of the module, fitting into the same.
The existance in the body (13) of five contacts, accessible prior to its sealed closure, constituted by the two service (3), the two couple (4) and the grounding (18) terminals, permit the attribution to the unit of diverse specific protection or checking functions, by means of the series or parallel coupling of known suitable means.
Now that the nature and the functional scope of the invention have been sufficiently described, as well as a preferred embodiment for their performance, it is to be understand that the same may be variable in the materials, shapes, dimensions used and, in general, all those accessory or secondary characteristics which do not alter, change or modify its essentiality, are included within the scope of the appended claims. | A device for connection to telephone system modules for testing of telephone lines associated with the modules. The device includes structure formed of multiple parts fitted together, wherein a top part provides a cover providing access to telephone terminals for testing characteristics of a telephone line. The top part has a central orifice for receiving a manually operated, rotationally disposed control device, the control device engaging tabs associated with metallic parts which are disposed in a reverse symmetrical arrangement in one of the multiple parts. The tabs impart straight line movement to the metallic parts in response to rotational operation of the control device to cause the parts to engage the telephone terminals. | 7 |
BACKGROUND
[0001] Modern mobile phones and tablets have evolved over recent years to the point where they now possess a broad range of capabilities. They are not only capable of placing and receiving mobile phone calls, multimedia messaging (MMS), and sending and receiving email, but they can also access the Internet, are GPS-enabled, possess considerable processing power and large amounts of memory, and are equipped with high-resolution color liquid crystal displays capable of detecting touch input. As such, today's mobile phones are general purpose computing and telecommunication devices capable of running a multitude of applications. For example, modern mobile phones can run web browsers, navigation systems, media players and gaming applications.
[0002] Along with these enhanced capabilities has come a demand for larger displays to provide a richer user experience. Mobile phone displays have increased in size to the point where they can now consume almost the entire viewing surface of a phone. To increase the size of displays any further would require an increase in the size of the phones themselves. This is not desirable, as users want their mobile phone to fit comfortably in their hand or in a shirt or pants pocket.
[0003] As a result, dual-display devices are becoming more popular. With a dual-display device, the mobile phone or tablet can include an open, expanded position where both displays are flush so that the user feels like there is a single integrated display. In a closed, condensed position, both displays are face-to-face so as to protect the displays. In a fully-open position, the dual displays can sit back-to-back so the user needs to flip the device to view the opposing display.
[0004] Hinges for such dual-display devices are problematic. Typically, the hinges can protrude from the device as it switches between positions. As devices continually become thinner, hinges need to be adapted to accommodate the thinner displays without further protrusion from the back of the device as it is opened and closed. Additionally, excess slack can make the two displays feel loosely connected. Other problems include that the displays do not open and close smoothly. Still yet another problem is the ability to stop the displays in any position as the displays are opened and closed. Torque or friction hinges are known and offer resistance to a pivoting motion. However, the friction hinges can be bulky and protrude from the device. Still another problem is to ensure the displays remain comfortably in the open, flush state, while the user holds one or both displays.
[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to provide improved hinges for multiple display devices.
SUMMARY
[0006] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0007] A hinge mechanism is disclosed wherein a multi-part device (e.g., dual-display device) can move to a snap-open position. For simplicity, the description herein is for dual-display devices, but the embodiments include or can be extended to multi-part devices wherein only one or more displays are used, but the different parts have a hinged connection allowing the parts to rotate relative to one another. In a snap-open position, the parts lock into place when they approach or are at 180 degrees of rotation relative to one another, which is the so-called open position. The locking force in the open position should be sufficient that holding or using the multi-part device does not cause an accidental closing action. For example, the locking force is sufficient that when holding one of the parts with two hands, the other part remains in the locked position. An unlocking force is required to unlock the device from the open position. Additionally, the locking force drops off precipitously when the two parts are unlocked and rotating away from the locked position. Thus, it is desirable that the device have a high force when the displays are within a predetermined angular range relative to one another (e.g., 175 degrees to 180 degrees), with increasing force the closer the angular rotation is to the locking position of 180 degrees. However, once the device is unlocked and outside of the predetermined angular range, the locking force drops off precipitously and the force required to rotate the parts relative to one another (hereinafter called the rotational force) is substantially constant.
[0008] In one embodiment, a two-part device, such as a dual-display device, has a hinged axis so that the parts can rotate relative to each other. A flexible connection member extends between the devices and has a fixed connection at one end within one of the devices. The opposite end of the flexible connection member is coupled to a first locking mechanism, which is slidable within the device as the parts rotate relative to each other around the hinged axis. A second locking mechanism has a fixed connection within the two-part device on a same side of the hinged axis as the first locking mechanism. With the two-part device in the open position, the first and second locking mechanisms couple together to lock the two-part device. However, when the two-part device is in a closed position, the first and second locking mechanisms are spaced apart. For example, the first locking mechanism can slide into contact with the second locking mechanism in the open position and can slide away from the second locking mechanism as the two-part device is unlocked and rotating away from the locked position.
[0009] In another embodiment, the first and second locking mechanisms are coupled through a magnetic attraction. For example, the first locking mechanism can be a ferromagnetic material (e.g., iron, nickel, cobalt and associated alloys) and the second locking mechanism can be a magnetic material (e.g., iron, nickel, cobalt and associated alloys), meaning that it is one of the ferromagnetic materials that has been magnetized.
[0010] In still other embodiments, a compression spring can be used to bias the slidable first locking mechanism towards the second locking mechanism when the flexible connection member has sufficient slack to allow such movement. The compression spring can be positioned at an angle with respect to the direction of movement of the first locking mechanism so that only a partial component of the force generated by the compression spring is exerted on the first locking mechanism. In this way, as the two-parts rotate away from the locked open position, the force exerted on the flexible connection member by the spring is relatively constant.
[0011] In another embodiment, the flexible connection member can be mounted within an adjustment system that allows increasing the tension of the flexible connection member after the two-part device is assembled. For example, one or more screws can be exposed when the two-part device is in a closed position. The screws can be tightened so as to move a retaining bracket attached to the flexible connection member, which increases the tension thereon.
[0012] The advantages of the hinged mechanism include the ability to lock the two-part device in an open position such that when the angular rotation of the parts is within a predefined range the device snaps open and locks in place. The magnets are sized to allow a user to break the magnetic connection so as to rotate the parts away from the open position, such as towards a closed position. Additionally, the angled compression spring allows the device to close without a substantial increase in rotational force. Finally, the flexible connection member can be tightened without taking the devices apart.
[0013] As described herein, a variety of other features and advantages can be incorporated into the technologies as desired.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a dual-display device coupled using hinges according to one embodiment described herein, wherein the dual-display device is shown rotating to various positions.
[0015] FIG. 2A shows the dual-display device with first and second parts in a locked, open position.
[0016] FIG. 2B shows that the first and second parts of the dual-display device are rotated relative to each other to break the locked connection.
[0017] FIG. 3A shows the parts of dual-display device continued to be rotated so as to increase a distance between locking mechanisms.
[0018] FIG. 3B shows the dual-display device in a closed position.
[0019] FIG. 4 shows an assembly drawing of a single-spring embodiment of the hinge mechanism.
[0020] FIG. 5 shows the single-spring embodiment of the hinge mechanism in operable form.
[0021] FIG. 6A shows a double-spring embodiment of the hinge mechanism in operable form.
[0022] FIG. 6B shows an assembly drawing of the double-spring embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 7 shows a force-versus-position curve for the hinge mechanism.
[0024] FIG. 8 shows an embodiment wherein serrated ends of the parts are used in conjunction with the hinge mechanism.
[0025] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment for using the hinge mechanism.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a hinged mobile electronic device 100 (a two-part device) comprising a first display part 110 and a second display part 120 coupled together with one or more hinges 130 , 132 . The mobile electronic device 100 can be, for example, a hand-held device, such as a smart phone, or a portable computer, such as a lap-top. Each part 110 , 120 can include a display and each part sits end-to-end with the hinges 130 , 132 coupling the ends together with sufficient tension that the parts can pivot relative to each other around the ends. The mobile electronic device 100 is shown in an open position, also called a tablet mode, with the first and second display parts aligned in a plane so as to form a larger display area. As described further below, the mobile electronic device 100 snaps into the open position when a relative angle at which the parts sit is within a predetermined range (e.g., 175 - 180 degrees) so as to lock in the open position. As shown in phantom lines 140 , 142 , the second display part 120 can rotate counterclockwise relative to display part 110 or can rotate clockwise, as shown by phantom line 150 . When the display parts are outside of the predetermined range, then the parts unlock as described further below. In the unlocked position, the hinges 130 , 132 allow a full 360 degrees of rotation between the first and second display parts 110 , 120 . For purposes of brevity, the embodiments described herein are shown for two-display devices, but can be extended to additional display devices, such as 3 or more displays.
[0027] The first and second display parts 110 , 120 can comprise a plurality of user interface screens 160 , 170 , respectively. The screens 160 , 170 can be used for user input and/or display purposes. The screens 160 , 170 can also be replaced with a plurality of smaller screens and/or other user interface mechanisms, such as a keyboard. Exemplary embodiments of the hinged mobile electronic device can comprise such user interface mechanisms on any surfaces and on any combination of surfaces as desired.
[0028] FIG. 2A shows the first and second parts 110 , 120 in a snapped open position with the parts having top and bottom surfaces within the same plane. A hinge mechanism 200 includes a flexible connection member 210 coupled between the parts. The flexible connection member 210 is under tension so as to pull the first and second parts 110 , 120 together. The flexible connection member 210 , can be any of a variety of different materials including a strap, a cable, a wire, a conductor, a belt, an optical fiber, a chain, etc. In some embodiments, the flexible connection member 210 can be a communications path so that electrical signals (e.g., power or data) can be passed between the parts. For example, a cable, wire, conductor, or an optical fiber can be used to transmit power and/or data between parts. Other materials, such as a chain or belt can provide different advantages in terms or strength or flexibility.
[0029] The hinge mechanism 200 includes a frame 220 , which is physically connected to the part 120 using screws 222 or other mounting means. A first locking mechanism 230 is slidably mounted within the frame 220 and moves in channels 232 along side walls of the frame. The first locking mechanism 230 moves in a direction defined by a longitudinal axis of the flexible connection member, as shown by arrow 234 . The flexible connection member 210 is coupled at one end to the first locking mechanism 230 in any desired fashion, such as a loop-back and pin connection, which is illustrated. Other connection techniques can be used. At an opposite end 236 of the flexible connection member 210 , is a retaining bracket 237 having two outwardly facing flanges 238 . The retaining bracket 237 mounts in a retaining member 240 by using the outwardly facing flanges 238 to hook into the retaining member 240 .
[0030] The first locking mechanism 230 is generally a ferromagnetic material (e.g., iron, nickel, cobalt and associated alloys). The ferromagnetic material can be non-magnetized but attracted to a magnet or the ferromagnetic material can be magnetized. In either case, the first locking mechanism 230 is designed to lock to a second locking mechanism 250 using magnetism. Thus, the second locking mechanism 250 can be a magnet that attracts the first locking mechanism 230 when they are in close proximity The first locking mechanism 230 is generally T-shaped and has notches for receiving compression springs 260 . The compression springs 260 are coupled in a corner of the frame 220 and angle inwardly to couple within the notches of the first locking mechanism. Different angles for the compression springs can be used, but generally angles between 40 and 60 degrees are used, such as the illustrated angle of about 45 degrees.
[0031] In operation, the compression springs 260 urge the first locking mechanism 230 towards the second locking mechanism 250 . When the first locking mechanism 230 is within a predetermined distance from the second locking mechanism 250 , the magnetic forces between the two increase to lock the two together with a snap-open click. The first locking mechanism 230 moves towards the second locking mechanism 250 when there is slack in the flexible connection member 210 , which is when the first and second parts 110 , 120 are in the open position. As described further below, when a user closes the parts, tension on the flexible connection member 210 increases to a threshold point sufficient to break the magnetic coupling force between the first and second locking mechanisms 230 , 250 . At that point, the first and second parts 110 , 120 unlock from the open position and rotate with a substantially constant rotational force.
[0032] The parts 110 and 120 rotate relative to each other about an axis 280 . Notably, both locking mechanisms 230 , 250 are on the same side of the axis, unlike a typical configuration with one magnetized locking mechanism on one part and an oppositely polarized magnet on the other part to close the parts together. The flexible connection member 210 is shown passing between the parts and is fixedly connected to an opposite part to which the locking mechanisms are located. However, the flexible connection member can be fixedly connected to part 110 and both locking mechanisms can also be in part 110 if the flexible connection member simply loops over a pin in the part 120 and continues back into part 110 .
[0033] FIG. 2B illustrates a transition from the locked, open state to an unlocked state due to the rotational energy caused by a user (not shown) rotating the part 120 relative to part 110 . As the part 120 rotates about a hinged axis 280 , the tension in flexible connection member 210 increases until it overcomes the magnetic force between the first and second locking mechanisms 230 , 250 to break the connection there between, as is illustrated at 282 . A gap opens between the first and second locking mechanisms 230 , 250 and once the gap is a sufficient distance, the force due to magnetism decreases rapidly. The compression forces due to the springs 260 continue to resist rotation of the parts, but with a substantially constant force due to the angle of the springs 260 relative to the direction 234 of movement.
[0034] FIG. 3A shows a continued transition from the open state in FIG. 2A to a state where the parts 110 , 120 are at nearly 90 degrees. As the part 120 continues to rotate relative to part 110 , the gap shown at 310 opens to a distance D between the first and second locking mechanisms 230 , 250 due to the limited reach of the flexible connection member. The compression spring force due to the springs 260 remains at a relatively constant value. FIG. 3B shows the parts 110 , 120 in a closed state with the distance D ( 310 ) between the first and second locking mechanisms 230 , 250 at a maximum.
[0035] FIG. 4 shows an assembly drawing of a hinge mechanism 410 according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the second locking mechanism 420 is formed by a magnet 422 sandwiched between iron sheets 424 , 426 . The iron sheets serve to control the magnetic field formed by the magnet 422 so as to keep the magnetic field within the second locking mechanism. The iron sheets 424 , 426 can be formed from any ferromagnetic material, such as those described above. A first locking mechanism 430 is labeled as a slider due to its function of sliding in a frame 440 . In this embodiment, the first locking mechanism 430 has a channel 450 for receiving bearings 452 that allow the slider to move easily within the frame 440 . A single spring 460 is used to bias the first locking mechanism 430 against the bearings 452 to allow low-friction sliding of the slider. The compression spring 460 is mounted on a pivot shaft 462 that extends from a corner 464 of the frame to a notch 466 on the first locking mechanism. A flexible connection member is shown as a belt 470 having loops at each end to receive belt locking pins 472 . A frame 474 (also called a retaining member) has holes there through into which a belt locking pin 472 can be inserted to couple the belt 470 to the frame 474 . A separate belt locking pin 472 couples the opposed end of the belt to the slider. The frame further includes a receptacle 480 for receiving an adjustment screw 482 that, when turned, moves the frame so as to increase or decrease tension on the belt 470 . In this case, the frame 474 is slidable and the adjustment screw 482 moves the frame 474 so as to increase tension in the belt 470 . There are a variety of different tightening techniques that can be used to increase tension in the flexible connection member and any known techniques can be used.
[0036] FIG. 5 shows a top-down view of the hinge mechanism 410 assembled in a two-part device 510 having a first part 512 coupled to a second part 514 . The parts 512 , 514 are coupled end-to-end and rotate around an axis of rotation shown by 520 . The parts 512 , 514 are shown in a locked position with the first locking mechanism 430 in contact with the second locking mechanism 420 and the two parts 512 , 514 positioned such that their top and bottom surfaces are within a same plane. The spring system 460 biases the first locking mechanism 430 (in this case a slider) towards the second locking mechanism 420 . Due to the 45 degree angle of the spring relative to a direction of movement of the first locking mechanism 430 , the spring energy is divided into X and Y components of force, with the X component of force pushing the first locking mechanism 430 against the bearings 452 and the Y component of force pushing the first locking mechanism 430 into contact with the second locking mechanism 420 . The adjustment screw 482 can be turned so as to increase tension on the belt 470 . To unlock the two parts 512 , 514 , the parts can be rotated about the axis 520 with sufficient force to overcome the magnetic attraction between the first and second locking mechanisms 430 , 420 .
[0037] FIG. 6A shows a top-down view of an embodiment of a hinge mechanism 600 that is described in FIG. 2 . A first locking mechanism 230 is shown in contact with the second locking mechanism 250 , both of which are in a frame 220 . The springs 260 extend from a corner of the frame into a notch 231 of the first locking mechanism 230 . The springs 260 sit at a 45 degree angle, but other angles can be used. The flexible connection member 236 pulls the first locking member 230 away from the second locking member 250 when sufficient force is exerted on the flexible connection member. Using the hinge mechanism 600 , the parts can rotate around the illustrated axis 280 .
[0038] FIG. 6B shows an assembly drawing of the hinge mechanism 600 . The second locking mechanism 250 is a magnet 608 sandwiched between top and bottom magnetic shields 610 , 620 . The magnetic shields are made of ferromagnetic material and ensure that the magnetic fields generated by the magnet 608 stay within a well-defined area so as to pass any necessary government testing of electromagnetic fields.
[0039] FIG. 7 shows a force exerted on the first locking mechanism as it slides towards and away from the second locking mechanism. The force, in Newtons, is extremely high with the first locking mechanism in contact with the second locking mechanism, as shown at 710 . As the first locking mechanism moves away from the second locking mechanism, the force decreases rapidly and then becomes substantially constant (e.g., varying by only 5 Newtons) as shown at 720 .
[0040] FIG. 8 shows ends 810 , 812 of the first and second parts as serrated to facilitate rotation about the axis of rotation formed there between. Due to the tension on the flexible connection member 820 , the ends 810 , 820 remain in contact with one another through the rotation of the parts. At 830 , the parts are in a closed position. As the first part rotates relative to the second part, the serrated edge defines the axis of rotation, shown at 840 , and ensures that the ends do not slip so as to alter the axis of rotation. As the parts approach the open position at 850 , the magnetic force increases to a point that the parts snap open with the locking devices clicking together so that the parts are in the open tablet mode, as shown at 860 .
[0041] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment for connecting first and second parts using a hinged mechanism. In process block 910 , a flexible connection member is coupled to the first part of the device. Typically, the flexible connection member has a first end that is a fixed connection within a retaining member on one of the parts. As described above, the retaining member can be moveable so as to increase tension on the flexible connection member. Alternatively, a retaining bracket coupled to the flexible connection member and used to mount the flexible connection member to the retaining member can be moveable so as to increase the tension. The flexible connection member can be any of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to a cable, a wire, a conductor, a belt, a strap, an optical fiber, or a chain.
[0042] In process block 920 , a first locking mechanism is provided. The first locking mechanism can be a ferromagnetic material or a magnetic material of opposite polarity to a second locking mechanism. The first locking mechanism can have a variety of geometric shapes, but generally has at least one notch therein for receiving a spring. The first locking mechanism also has a connection means for connecting to the flexible connection member. Example connection means include having a receptable for receiving a locking pin that slides through a loop of the flexible connection member. Other connection means can be used.
[0043] In process block 930 , a second locking mechanism is provided. The second locking mechanism can be ferromagnetic material or magnetic material of an opposite polarity to the first locking mechanism. There are a variety of combinations of materials for the first and second locking mechanisms but the materials should be so chosen that there is a magnetic attraction there between. The second locking mechanism can be fixed within a same part as the first locking mechanism Thus, the first and second locking mechanisms can be on a same side of an axis of rotation between the two parts. The flexible connection member, by contrast, passes between the parts with tension so as to assist in maintaining ends of the parts in close proximity
[0044] In process block 940 , a spring is inserted within the part in which the first locking mechanism is located so as to push the first locking mechanism towards the second locking mechanism. As shown in process block 950 , when the parts are in a closed position, with surfaces of the devices face-to-face, the tension on the flexible connection member is sufficient to maintain a gap between the first and second locking mechanisms. However, when the parts are in an open position, the flexible connection member has sufficient slack to allow the spring to push the first locking mechanism into contact with the second locking mechanism.
[0045] Although the operations of some of the disclosed methods are described in a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it should be understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement, unless a particular ordering is required by specific language set forth below. For example, operations described sequentially may in some cases be rearranged or performed concurrently. Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in which the disclosed methods can be used in conjunction with other methods.
[0046] The following paragraphs further describe embodiments of the hinge mechanism:
[0047] A. A hinge mechanism within an at least a two-part device having a hinged axis there between, comprising:
[0048] a flexible connection member having a first end coupled on one side of the hinged axis within one of the parts;
[0049] a first locking mechanism coupled to a second end of the flexible connection member, the first locking mechanism being slidable as the two parts rotate relative to each other around the hinged axis; and
[0050] a second locking mechanism that is fixed on a same side of the hinged axis as the first locking mechanism, wherein the first and second locking mechanisms couple together to lock the two-part device in an open position and wherein the first and second locking mechanisms are spaced apart with the two-part device in a closed position.
[0051] B. The at least two-part device of paragraph A, wherein the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism are made from ferromagnetic material and magnetic material so that the two parts snap into the open position when the first and second locking mechanisms couple together.
[0052] C. The at least two-part device of paragraphs A or B, further including a frame in which the first locking mechanism slides towards and away from the second locking mechanism.
[0053] D. The at least two-part device of paragraphs A-C, further including a compression spring to bias the first locking mechanism towards the second locking mechanism.
[0054] E. The at least two-part device of paragraph D, wherein the compression spring is positioned at an angle with respect to a direction in which the first locking mechanism slides.
[0055] F. The at least two-part device of paragraphs A-E, wherein the flexible connection member is coupled to an adjustment frame that is moveable to tighten the flexible connection member.
[0056] G. The at least two-part device of paragraphs A-F, wherein the second locking mechanism is a magnet having top and bottom magnetic shields mounted thereto.
[0057] H. The at least two-part device of paragraphs A-G, wherein the flexible connection member is one of the following: a cable, a wire, a conductor, a belt, an optical fiber, or a chain.
[0058] I. The at least two-part device of paragraphs A-H, wherein the flexible connection member has the first end fixedly attached within a first of the two-part device and the first and second locking mechanisms are positioned within a second of the two-part device.
[0059] J. A method of coupling first and second devices using a hinge mechanism, comprising:
[0060] providing a flexible connection member coupled in the first device;
[0061] providing a first locking mechanism coupled to one end of the flexible connection member, the first locking mechanism slideably coupled within the second device;
[0062] providing a second locking mechanism coupled within the second device;
[0063] inserting a spring to bias the first locking mechanism towards the second locking mechanism;
[0064] wherein the first locking mechanism is coupled to the second locking mechanism with the first and second devices in an open position, and wherein the first and second locking mechanisms are spaced apart with the first and second devices in a closed position.
[0065] K. The method of paragraph J, wherein the first locking mechanism is a ferromagnetic material or a magnetic material and the second locking mechanism is a ferromagnetic material or a magnetic material so that the first locking mechanism and second locking mechanism have magnetic attraction there between.
[0066] L. The method of paragraphs J-K, wherein the spring is angled with respect to a direction in which the first locking mechanism slides.
[0067] M. The method of paragraphs J-L, wherein when the first device and second device approach the open position, the first locking mechanism and second locking mechanism have an attractive force that results in a snap open action between the first and second devices, and when the first and second devices approach a closed position, the spring generates a substantially constant force through a closing of the first and second devices.
[0068] N. The method of paragraphs J-M, further including adjusting a tension in the flexible connection member while the first and second devices are coupled together.
[0069] O. The method of paragraphs J-N, wherein adjusting the tension includes screwing a screw that pushes on a retaining bracket coupled to the flexible connection member.
[0070] P. A hinge for coupling first and second electronic devices, comprising:
[0071] a retaining member positioned on the first electronic device;
[0072] a flexible connection member having a retaining bracket at one end thereof mounted within the retaining member to secure the flexible connection member to the first electronic device;
[0073] a first locking mechanism made from ferromagnetic material or magnetic material coupled to an opposed end of the flexible connection member, the first locking mechanism housed within a second electronic device so that the flexible connection member extends between the first and second electronic devices;
[0074] a second locking mechanism made of ferromagnetic material or magnetic material that is magnetically attracted to the first locking mechanism, the second locking mechanism being within the second electronic device; and
[0075] wherein the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism are positioned such that they are in contact with the first electronic device and second electronic device in an open position and they are spaced apart with the first electronic device and second electronic device in a closed position.
[0076] Q. The hinge of paragraph P, wherein the retaining member has at least one threaded receptacle there through in which a screw is mounted, and wherein an end of the screw is in contact with the retaining bracket to selectively increase tension in the flexible connection member.
[0077] R. The hinge of paragraphs P-Q, further including a spring positioned within the second electronic device and coupled to urge the first locking mechanism towards the second locking mechanism.
[0078] S. The hinge of paragraphs P-R, wherein first locking mechanism is slidable within the second electronic device along an axis and the spring bears on the first locking mechanism at an angle with respect to the axis.
[0079] T. The hinge of paragraphs P-S, wherein the flexible connection member is one of the following: a cable, a wire, a conductor, a belt, an optical fiber, or a chain.
[0080] The disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems should not be construed as limiting in any way. Instead, the present disclosure is directed toward all novel and nonobvious features and aspects of the various disclosed embodiments, alone and in various combinations and subcombinations with one another. The disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems are not limited to any specific aspect or feature or combination thereof, nor do the disclosed embodiments require that any one or more specific advantages be present or problems be solved.
[0081] In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the disclosed invention may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only preferred examples of the invention and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims. We therefore claim as our invention all that comes within the scope of these claims. | A hinge mechanism is described wherein a multi-part device (e.g., dual-display device) can move to a snap-open position. In the snap-open position, the parts lock into place when they approach 180 degrees of rotation relative to one another. The locking force in the open position is sufficient that holding or using the multi-part device does not cause an accidental closing action. An unlocking force is required to unlock the device from the open position. Additionally, the locking force drops off precipitously when the two parts are unlocked and rotating away from the locked position. | 4 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a divisional of Ser. No. 10/847,062 filed May 17, 2004 (incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes), which is a continuation-in-part of PCT/AU2003/001224 filed Sep. 18, 2003, which claims priority to AU2002951467 filed Sep. 18, 2002.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a treatment laser instrument designed for use by ophthalmologists for performing selective laser trabeculoplasty (for treating glaucoma) procedures and secondary cataract surgery procedures. In particular, the invention relates to an ophthalmic laser system that can operate effectively in both the infrared region (for secondary cataract treatment) and other regions, such as the green region (for glaucoma treatment
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Glaucoma (abnormal intra-ocular pressure) is a major eye problem that leads to blindness in a significant percentage of the world population. Glaucoma is the most common cause of blindness in the world today. The established technique for treating glaucoma is drug based. Alternative treatment modalities have been sought to avoid the side effects and non-specificity associated with drug based treatments. Over the past few years a technique known as selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has been invented by Latina. The technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,596, assigned to The General Hospital Corporation. Latina describes the use of a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser for the SLT procedure.
SLT is an improvement over a previously used technique referred to as argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT). ALT uses a thermal effect to coagulate loose trabecular meshwork cells believed to be present in patients with glaucoma. Because an Argon laser is essentially CW (if pulsed, the pulse duration is long compared to thermal transfer mechanisms) there is significant heat transfer into surrounding tissue. This results in damage to otherwise healthy cells. It has been found that the ALT process can only be used once or twice before collateral damage prevents any further benefit from ALT treatment.
In contrast, SLT utilizes a pulsed laser (the pulse duration is short compared to thermal effects) so there is minimal heat transfer to surrounding tissue. SLT has been found to be repeatable, unlike the ALT process.
A detailed discussion of the SLT modality and a comparison with ALT is found in Ocular Surgery News published 1 Mar. 2000.
Another very common ophthalmic treatment is secondary cataract surgery. The most effective laser for secondary cataract surgery is a Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm. These lasers are typically referred to as photodisruptors as they act by non-thermal mechanisms to cut tissue. A typical ophthalmic laser system consists of the laser head and a beam delivery system coupled to a conventional slit lamp assembly. A typical laser system for secondary cataract surgery is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,792.
At present, two separate laser systems are necessary to perform the procedures for treating the two most common eye problems.
An attempt to address the problem of requiring multiple lasers for different treatment modalities has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,127. This patent describes a system for changing the laser cavity between a pulsed configuration and a continuous wave configuration by introducing a movable intracavity element. This approach is problematic because it is extremely difficult to maintain optimum alignment of the laser cavity with a movable intracavity element.
A better solution is required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one form, although it need not be the only or indeed the broadest form, the invention resides in an ophthalmic laser system comprising:
a laser module producing a beam of short pulses of radiation with high energy density at a first wavelength;
a first beam path incorporating an attenuator, beam shaping optics, and means for directing the beam at said first wavelength to an eye of a patient;
a second beam path incorporating a frequency conversion module that converts the beam at the first wavelength to a beam at a second wavelength, an attenuator, and means for directing the beam at said second wavelength to the eye of the patient; and
extracavity deflecting means for selectively deflecting the beam at said first wavelength into the second beam path, said means being operable between a first position in which the beam at said first wavelength follows the first beam path and a second position in which the beam at said first wavelength is deflected to said second beam path.
Preferably the beam at said first wavelength is a 1064 nm beam produced by a Nd:YAG laser, and said beam at said second wavelength is frequency-doubled to 532 nm. The beam is suitably doubled by a KTP doubling crystal or similar frequency doubling device.
Preferably the extracavity deflecting means comprises a half wave plate and polarizer. The half wave plate is suitably remotely operable, such as by a servo motor or solenoid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To assist in understanding the invention, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the following figures in which:
FIG. 1 shows a general schematic view of an ophthalmic laser system;
FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of the photodisruptor optical system of the ophthalmic laser system in FIG. 1 ; and
FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the SLT optical system of the ophthalmic laser system in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the energy monitor system;
FIG. 5 shows a schematic of the beam-shaping module of the photodisruptor optical system;
FIG. 6 shows a schematic of the beam-shaping module of the SLT optical system; and
FIG. 7 shows an external view of an ophthalmic treatment device incorporating the ophthalmic laser system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1 , there is shown an embodiment of an ophthalmic laser system 1 useful for treating glaucoma and secondary cataracts. The system is comprised of a laser module 2 , a photodisruptor optical system 3 and SLT optical system 4 , as shown separately in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
The ophthalmic laser system 1 of the present invention combines the photodisruptor optical system 3 and SLT optical system 4 into one integral unit, which uses a single laser module 2 . The laser module 2 is a Q switched Nd:YAG laser operating in the infrared spectrum. The laser emits a beam at 1064 nm wavelength, having a pulse width of less than 5 nsec. Other laser modules (such as Nd:YLF, Yb:YAG, etc) will also be suitable as will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art.
Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , a pulsed beam from the laser module 2 is attenuated at attenuator/beam steering module 5 . An energy monitor system 6 measures the energy in each pulse. For the photodisruptor optical system the desired energy density is 0.3-10 mj in an 8-10 μm spot. A half wave plate 7 within the attenuator/beam steering module 5 is adjusted to regulate the intensity of the pulsed beam in the photodisruptor optical system 3 . A polarizing plate 8 may deflect the pulsed beam to the SLT optical system 4 depending on the orientation of the half wave plate 7 . The function of the attenuator/beam steering module 5 will be described in more detail later.
Beam shaping optical module 9 expands the pulsed beam before it travels up to the folding mirror module 10 . The expanded beam is then focused by objective lens 13 to produce the 8-10 μm beam waist at the treatment site which is required to produce photodisruption. An aiming laser module 11 provides a continuous, visible laser beam that is split into two beams and deflected by folding mirror module 10 to give a targeting reference for the treatment beam. These two aiming laser beams converge with the pulsed treatment beam at the target site in a patient's eye 12 via objective lens 13 . An operator 14 views the patient's eye 12 through the folding mirror module 10 . A safety filter 15 protects the eye of the operator. The folding mirrors 10 a , 10 b are positioned so that the viewing axis of the operator is not impeded. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the mirrors may be replaced by prisms or other suitable beam steering optics.
Referring to FIG. 3 , the SLT optical system 4 comprises a mirror 16 that directs a deflected pulsed beam from the polarizing plate 8 in the attenuator/beam steering module 5 of FIG. 1 to the frequency conversion module, which is a frequency doubling module 17 in the preferred embodiment. To maximize frequency doubling efficiency the entire pulsed beam is deflected by attenuator/beamsteering module 5 . The frequency doubling module 17 converts the output of the laser module to half the wavelength so that the output of the SLT optical system is in the visible spectrum. For the particular embodiment the Nd:YAG laser module operates in the near infrared at 1064 nm which is frequency doubled to 532 nm, which is in the green region of the visible spectrum. The green pulsed beam is effective in treating glaucoma in patients.
The pulsed green beam may be attenuated at the SLT attenuator 18 to regulate the energy in the pulsed green beam. An energy monitor system 19 measures the energy in each pulse. For the SLT process the desired energy density is 0.01-5 J/cm 2 , as described by Latina.
Other wavelengths may be suitable for other ophthalmic applications in which case the frequency conversion module may triple or quadruple the fundamental frequency. In some applications it may even be desirable to use a tunable frequency conversion module, such as an optical parametric oscillator.
A beam shaping module 20 adjusts the beam profile to provide an even energy distribution at the treatment plane. The green beam then travels to a second folding mirror module 21 . A second aiming laser module 22 provides a single aiming laser beam which is deflected by the second folding mirror 21 and transmitted through folding mirror module 10 and objective lens 13 , as shown in FIG. 1 . The continuous visible laser aiming beam generated by the second aiming laser module 22 coincides with the green pulsed beam at the target site in a patient's eye 12 via objective lens 13 and contact lens 23 . As mentioned earlier, the mirror could be replaced by prisms or other suitable optical elements.
Although two separate aiming laser modules 11 , 22 are described, it will be appreciated that a single aiming laser module could be used with appropriate beam deflecting optics, such as a mirror, to direct the aiming laser beam through folding mirror module 10 for off-axis illumination or folding mirror module 21 for on-axis illumination.
The present invention provides an ophthalmic laser system for treating glaucoma and secondary cataract conditions, using a single laser source. The present invention integrates two known laser treatment techniques, SLT and photodisruptor, into one integrated system.
The method used to direct the laser beam from the laser module 2 to the photodisruptor optical system 3 or the SLT optical system 4 will now be described in detail. Referring to FIG. 1 , the attenuator/beam steering module 5 first receives a pulsed and linearly polarized beam from laser module 2 at half wave plate 7 . The pulsed beam passes through the half wave plate to the polarizing plate 8 .
The orientation of the half wave plate 7 determines the amount of the pulsed beam that is passed through the polarizing plate 8 into the photodisruptor optical system 3 . The orientation of the half wave plate 7 can be adjusted by motorized means so that the polarization angle of the component of the resulting beam which coincides with the transmission characteristic of the polarizing plate 8 will be passed through to the beam shaping module 9 . However, as the half wave plate 7 is rotated, the polarization of the beam is changed. Accordingly, only some portion of the beam will be transmitted.
In the photodisruptor mode for treating secondary cataracts, the half wave plate 7 is rotated to permit transmission of the required pulsed laser beam emitted from the laser module 2 . If the SLT mode is required, the half wave plate 7 is oriented so that all the beam is reflected from the polarising plate 8 to the mirror 16 of the SLT optical system 4 .
The ophthalmic laser system described above allows an operator to select the mode of treatment to be administered to a patient, simply by choosing one of two optical paths. A simple adjustment of the half wave plate 7 determines whether a SLT or a photodisruptor mode is chosen for treating glaucoma or secondary cataracts respectively. The adjustment of the half wave plate can be motorized so the selection of treatment modality may be by simple button selection.
It will be appreciated that the directing of the Nd:YAG laser beam into the photodisruptor module path or the SLT module path can be achieved by any suitable means (such as a mirror) but the use of a polarizing plate is preferred.
As mentioned above, each optical system includes an energy monitor system in the preferred embodiment. A schematic of the components of an energy monitor system is shown in FIG. 4 . A small percentage of the beam is split by optic plate 24 towards a photodiode 25 . A number of filters and diffusers 26 are positioned in front of the photodiode 25 .
As seen in FIG. 2 , once the pulse beam is attenuated to the desired power, the beam is further conditioned by beam shaping optical module 9 . The beam shaping optical module 9 is shown in more detail in FIG. 5 . Lenses 27 and 28 form a beam expander which expands the 3 mm diameter beam from the laser module 2 by ten times. The expanded beam is reflected into the optical viewing path by the folding mirror 10 which uses a wavelength selective coating to avoid blocking of the viewing path. The beam from folding mirror 10 is then focused by objective lens 13 to produce the 8-10 μm beam waist at the treatment site which is required to produce photodisruption .
Referring to FIG. 6 , the SLT beam is conditioned by beam shaping module 20 before the folding mirror module 21 . The beam shaping module 20 consists of two lenses 28 , 29 that form a beam expander that is designed to produce a well defined treatment spot with an even energy distribution.
The invention is conveniently embodied in an ophthalmic treatment device of the type shown in FIG. 7 . The treatment device 30 is of the conventional form having a slit lamp assembly 31 mounted on a table 32 which is in turn mounted on a height adjusting pedestal 33 . The slit lamp assembly 31 is movable with respect to the table 32 +using joystick 34 , in conventional manner. The ophthalmic laser system is mounted in the body 35 of the slit lamp assembly 31 . This is achieved by using a compact laser cavity and careful placement of optical components.
The ophthalmic laser system is controlled by a control panel 36 . The joy stick 34 may incorporate a fire button 37 to fire the laser, or alternatively a foot pedal (not shown) may be used.
The invention has been described with reference to one particular embodiment however, it should be noted that other embodiments are envisaged within the spirit and scope of the invention. For instance, one or two aiming lasers could be used, the photodisruptor or SLT beam path could be selected by a movable mirror, or the beam shaping optics could have a different configuration. | An ophthalmic laser system generating a first beam at a wavelength suitable for performing selective laser trabeculoplasty and selectively generating a second beam at a wavelength suitable for performing secondary cataract surgery procedures. The laser system is able to select between directing the first beam or the second beam to the eye of a patient. The first beam is suitably generated at 1064 nm from a Nd:YAG laser and the second beam is frequency doubled to 532 nm in a KTP doubling crystal. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an attachment mechanism for door and window frames and more particularly to a clip for securing a hollow door frame to a wall surrounding a door opening.
Construction techniques and components featuring quick installation and field adaptability to particular construction requirements have become very desirable in recent years. In particular, the quick and secure installation of door frames around the perimeter of a door opening in a wall for both new construction and remodeling is very desirable. Commonly, door frames consist of extruded metal or vinyl elements which in combination provide a hollow door frame so that the attachment hardware for the door frame to the wall can be concealed within the hollow door frame. The door frame components include a hinge jamb member for the secure attachment of hinges connected to a door and an opposing strike jamb member including a stop and cut-out for receiving the strike plate for cooperation with the strike and door latch mechanism on the door. A header of the door frame extends across the top of the door opening. The door frame can be assembled from a knock-down configuration or be provided in a prefabricated or welded design for installation into the door opening in the wall.
Commonly, anchoring devices are required to secure the door frame and door frame components to the wall surrounding the door opening. One known technique for anchoring the door frame to the wall is to secure an anchoring device inside the hollow door frame prior to the installation of the door frame on the wall. Once the anchoring device is secured to the door frame, the assembly can then be anchored to the wall stud within the wall surrounding the door opening. A significant problem with this technique which is particularly applicable when the door frame is being installed into an existing wall structure is that access to the anchoring device seated within the hollow door frame elements must be provided in order to anchor the assembly to the wall stud. As a result, typically a portion of the dry wall or other finished component of the wall must be cut or removed so that the installer can gain access through the resulting cavity to the anchoring device within the door frame from outside the perimeter of the door opening. This is clearly undesirable in that the finished wall must be damaged, cut or otherwise mutilated in order to gain access to the anchoring device embedded in the door frame for installation of the door frame assembly into the door opening. After the door frame assembly is secured to the wall surrounding the door opening, the hole or other damage to the wall surrounding the door opening must then be repaired.
Another aspect of conventional techniques for installing hollow door frames is the requirement for hinge members, securing plate members, door stops, trim plates, strike plates, and an array of necessary attachment hardware components. Specifically, anchoring devices for the strike jamb of the door frame are often specifically designed for the strike jamb and cannot be used in the header door frame member or the hinge jamb. In many known designs, the jamb at the strike side of the door opening requires a different shape and design of installation device than the jamb at the hinge side of the door opening. Moreover, pre-cut notches for attachment of a strike plate and other necessary components limits the availability to provide universal support structures to be used at various door locations having different strike plate height requirements. As a result, the installer must stock, transport and utilize numerous different components and hardware items for securing the hollow door frame to the door. Additionally, a different device is commonly required at the base of each jamb member for securing the door frame assembly to the wall. Large inventories of hardware and other components are cumbersome, expensive and counterproductive to providing a quick, simple and easily accomplished door frame installation.
Additionally, another concern with respect to the installation of hollow door frames is the resulting strength or stability of the installed door frame assembly. Because the door frames are hollow, their strength is often limited compared to more structurally rigid solid designs. Furthermore, conventional solid core doors may range up to 150 pounds in weight and sufficient strength of the door frame assembly is required and cannot be compromised by the attachment mechanism of the door frame assembly to the wall. Moreover, any additional measures or features which can be used to increase the strength of the hollow door frame assembly supporting the door are highly desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has therefore been a primary objective of this invention to provide an improved anchoring device for the quick and efficient installation of hollow door frames.
It has been another objective of this invention to provide such an anchoring device of which installation does not require access via the wall surrounding the door opening and mutilation or damage to the wall in securing the device to the wall.
It has been a still further objective of this invention to provide such an anchoring device which can readily be installed during new construction or in conjunction with the remodeling of an existing structure. Similarly, such a device should be useful both for knock-down type hollow door frames and preassembled or welded door frame designs.
It has been a still further objective of this invention to provide such an anchoring device which is versatile and can be used on the header, the strike jamb or hinge jamb side of the door frame, along the entire height of the door frame and at the base of the door frame at the junction between the wall and the floor for securing the door frame thereto.
A still further objective of this invention has been to provide such an improved anchoring device which provides added strength and enhanced stability to the installed door and door frame assembly.
These and other objectives of the invention have been attained by an anchoring clip according to a presently preferred embodiment which can be used along the strike jamb, header or hinge jamb of the door frame. Furthermore, the anchoring clip can be used anywhere along the height of the door frame including at the base of the strike jamb or hinge jamb for secure attachment to both the wall and the surrounding floor.
The anchoring clip of this invention is secured to the wall stud in the wall surrounding the door opening or to the wall stud and floor if the clip is located at the junction between the wall and the floor. In one aspect of the invention, after the clips have been secured to the wall and/or floor, the hollow door frame members are snap engaged onto the clips by forcing a terminal lip of each door frame member over deflectable extension flanges on the clips. After the terminal lips of the door frame members pass the outer edge of the extension flanges, the flanges deflect outwardly to be seated within the hollow door frame and anchor the door frame to the wall and/or floor. In another aspect, the clips can be pre-assembled into the hollow door frame and the resulting door frame assembly anchored to the wall and floor.
The anchoring clip according to a presently preferred embodiment is generally U-shaped and includes a backplate web and a pair of opposed extension flanges each projecting from a side edge of the backplate web. The backplate web is juxtaposed to the wall stud joining the opposing faces of the wall at the perimeter of the door opening. Another feature of the anchoring clip according to this invention is a pair of centering tabs projecting from the backplate web to center the clip relative to the opposing faces of the wall.
A bottom flange projects from a bottom edge of the clip and is configured for insertion into the door frame to provide added strength to the hollow door frame elements. The bottom flange includes a brace which projects outwardly and into a jamb stop of the door frame when the clip is inserted therein. A fastener may be used to secure the jamb stop to the brace and add further strength and rigidity to the door frame and clip assembly.
Advantageously, when the anchoring clip is used at the base of the strike jamb or hinge jamb of the door frame it is secured both to the wall and to the floor. The bottom flange includes apertures adapted to receive drive pins or similar fasteners to secure the bottom flange to the floor. Moreover, the bottom flange includes an upturned tang at a terminal edge thereof which allows for vertical adjustments of the door frame without resulting in a gap between the floor and the door frame.
If additional anchoring is required, a screw or other fastener can be inserted through the terminal lip of the door frame and into a V-shaped notch at the outer edge of each extension flange. The V-shaped notch is deflectable to allow for the snap-fit engagement of the door frame onto the clip. Moreover, the shape of the notch directs and focuses the screw during its installation and also provides a substantial anchorage point for vertical adjustments during the door frame installation as required for unlevel floors or irregular door openings.
It will be appreciated that the anchoring clip according to this invention significantly reduces the hardware components required for installing a hollow door frame to the wall and floor surrounding the door opening. The snap fit engagement of the door frame elements onto the anchoring clip of this invention minimizes the variety of fasteners required for installing a hollow door frame into a door opening. Additionally, the clip provides the versatility for use in new construction or existing walls both with knock down or preassembled door frame designs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objectives and features of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a door and a door frame assembly installed in a door opening in a wall;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a presently preferred embodiment of an anchoring clip according to this invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1 showing the anchoring clip secured to the wall and retaining the hollow door frame member; and
FIG. 4 is a partially broken away perspective view of the anchoring clip secured at the junction between the floor and a wall stud with a hollow door frame member being installed thereon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a door frame assembly 10 is shown installed into a door opening 12 in a wall 14. The door frame assembly 10 includes a door 16 pivotally suspended as by hinges (not shown) to a hinge jamb 18 of a door frame 20. The door 16 is pivotal between the open position as shown in FIG. 1 and a closed position (not shown) in which the door 16 mates with a strike jamb 22 of the door frame 20. The strike jamb 22 and hinge jamb 18 are connected by a header 24 of the door frame 20.
A presently preferred embodiment of an anchoring clip 26 according to this invention is shown in FIG. 2. The anchoring clip 26 is preferably sheet metal and generally U-shaped including a backplate web 28 and opposed extension flanges 30 each projecting obliquely from a side edge of the backplate web 28. A V-shaped tab 32 is formed on the outer edge of each extension flange 30 and extends preferably the entire height of the extension flange 30. For fabrication purposes, preferably the V-shaped tabs 32 are formed by bending the sheet metal of the extension flange 30 into the shape shown in FIGS. 3-4. The V-shaped tab 32 is preferably deflectable and collapsible with a pliers, hammer or other tool as shown in FIG. 2 and the purpose of which will be described later herein.
Centering tabs 34 project rearwardly from the backplate web 28. Preferably, the centering tabs 34 are stamped from the backplate web 28 material and are bent rearwardly to project generally perpendicularly from the plane of the backplate web 28. Additionally, apertures 36 are provided in the backplate web 28 for securing the clip 26 to the wall 14 surrounding the door opening 12.
A bottom flange 38 projects forwardly from a bottom edge of the backplate web 28. The bottom flange 38 includes a base portion 40 preferably extending the entire width of the backplate web 28 and a narrow brace 42 projecting from the outer edge of the base portion 40 which terminates in an upturned tang 44. Apertures 46 are provided in the bottom flange 38 to secure the clip 26 to a floor 48 (FIGS. 1 and 4) surrounding the door opening 12.
Referring to FIG. 3, wall fasteners 50, preferably standard S-12 type screws, are used to attach the backplate web 28 to a wall stud 52 which separates spaced wall panels 54 of the wall 14. The screws or other wall fasteners 50 project through the holes 36 of the backplate web 28 and into the wall stud 52. The centering tabs 34 projecting rearwardly from the backplate web 28 are spaced and sized to mate with the opposing side edges of the wall stud 52 and thereby center the anchoring clip 26 relative to the opposing wall panel faces 54. It will be appreciated that the centering tabs 34 are sized and spaced to coordinate with the width of the particular wall stud 52 being used. The centering tabs 34 provide for the self-centering of the anchoring clip 26 thereby saving time and possible errors when plumbing the door frame 20 with the wall 14.
Also shown in FIG. 3 are the preferably V-shaped anchoring tabs 32 at the terminal edges of the extension flanges 30. The anchoring tabs 32 secure the anchoring clips 26 to the hollow door frame 20 by a frame fastener 56, preferably a self-tapping screw which is inserted through a terminal lip 58 of the door frame 20 and into the anchoring tab 32. Alternatively, the anchoring tabs 32 can be compressed or deflected with a pliers, hammer or other tool as shown in FIG. 2 before installation of the door frame 20 onto the anchor clip 26. The compressed anchoring tabs 32a permit the frame 20 to be pushed over the extension flanges 30 and locked into position with a distinct "popping" sound as the frame 20 is snap engaged and fully seated into position as shown in FIG. 3.
The length of the extension flanges 30 are designed to allow the wall 54 to extend into the throat region of the clips 26 defined by the extension flanges 30 and the backplate web 28 for proper wall surface coverage of the door opening 12 while adding stability to the frame 20. It will be appreciated that the anchoring clip 26 can be secured to the wall stud 52 of a finished wall by inserting the screws or fasteners 50 through the front face of the backplate web 28 and into the stud 52. Additionally, in an unfinished wall the screws or fasteners 50 can be inserted through the wall stud 52 and into any solid area of the rear face of the backplate web 28 also as shown in FIG. 3. This allows for quick installation of the frame 20 during the wall framing process which is a highly desirable advantage. Installation in an unfinished wall may be accomplished by inserting the anchoring clip 26 within the hollow door frame 20 and inserting the screws or other fasteners 56 into the terminal lip 58 of the door frame 20 and into the V-shaped anchoring tabs 32. The configuration of the V-shaped tabs 32 focuses and directs the self-tapping screw 56 being inserted through the terminal lip 58 of the door frame 20 thereby providing for easier and quicker installation. The anchoring clip 26 and door frame assembly 20 can then be secured to the wall stud 52 by inserting the screws 50 through the wall stud 52 and into the back face of the backplate web 28. This is accomplished by inserting the screws 50 from behind the stud 52 through an open wall cavity (not shown).
The base portion 40 of the bottom flange 38 is sized and configured to extend into the hollow door frame 20 as shown in FIG. 3. Additionally, the brace 42 projecting outwardly on the bottom flange 38 is designed to extend into a stop portion 60 of the door frame 20. Advantageously, the configuration of the bottom flange 38 including the base portion 40 and the brace 42 projects into the contour of the hollow door frame 20 and in a most preferred embodiment substantially fills the interior of the hollow door frame 20. The length of the brace 42 on the bottom flange 38 is determined by the depth of the hollow door frame 20 and whether or not the frame has a pre-formed stop 60 as shown in FIG. 3. As a result, the anchoring clip 26 provides additional structural stability and reinforcement to the hollow door frame 20. Furthermore, the upturned tang 44 on the outer edge of the brace 42 is preferably juxtaposed to the inner surface of the stop 60 on the door frame 20 which provides a tight friction fit within the stop 60, while providing a substantial backing plate for a stop fastener or screw 62 which can be inserted through the stop 60 and into the tang 44 for an additional anchoring point as shown in FIG. 3.
Advantageously, the design of the presently preferred embodiment of the anchoring clip 26 makes the clip 26 reversible so it can be used on either the strike jamb 22 or hinge jamb 18 of the frame 20 or the header 24. The total height of the anchoring clip 26 is designed to be less than the width of the pre-formed casing of the door frame 20 to be installed so that the clip 26 can be used when installing a knock-down type frame in an existing wall.
When the anchoring clip 26 is used at the base of the strike jamb 22 or hinge jamb 18 of the door frame 20 proximate the intersection of the wall 14 and floor 48, fasteners 64 (FIG. 4), preferably standard one-quarter inch metallic tap-it drive pins are inserted through the holes 46 in the bottom flange 38 to secure the anchoring clip 26 to the floor 48. When the clip 26 is used in this way as a base anchor for the door frame 20 it can be additionally secured to the wall stud 52 thereby providing additional attachment points for the door frame assembly 10. The screws 56, which are preferably self-tapping, inserted through the terminal lip 58 of the door frame 20 and into the V-shaped tabs 32 are helpful when the anchoring clip 26 is used as a base anchor for leveling the door frame 20 when the surrounding floor 48 is unlevel and one or both sides of the frame 20 need to be raised before anchoring the frame 20 in position. Additionally, when the anchoring clip 26 is used as a base anchor and attached to the floor 48, the upturned tang 44 is helpful to accommodate vertical adjustments of the door frame 20.
As shown in FIG. 4, in an existing wall 14 the anchoring clip 26 is secured to the wall stud 52 with the screws 50 through the holes 36 in the backplate web 28 and the anchoring pins 64 through the holes 46 in the bottom flange 38 and into the floor 48. The hollow door frame 20 is then snap fit engaged over the anchoring clip 26 secured to the wall stud 52 and floor 48.
A presently preferred method of installing the knock-down type hollow door frame 10 with the anchoring clip 26 is as follows. The anchoring clips 26 are secured to the rough door opening 12 in the eight locations 66 shown in FIG. 1. After the clips 26 are secured to the door opening 12, the bottom of one of the jamb frame members 18 or 22 is slid down over the lowermost clip proximate the floor 48 on the appropriate side of the door opening 12. The V-shaped tabs 32 on the lowermost clip 26 are preferably not collapsed. The jamb frame member 18 or 22 is then pivoted upwardly to mate with the remaing three clips 26 on that side of the door opening 12 with the frame member 18 or 22 being snap-engaged onto the remaining three clips 26, each of which have their respective V-shaped tabs 32 collapsed for easier snap-engagement. The jamb frame member 18 or 22 is now in position on the first side of the door opening 12, but it is not securely fastened at this time.
Next, the header 24 is installed on the door opening 12 and pushed upwardly. The end of the header 24 near the installed jamb side frame member 18 or 22 is initially inserted and the header 24 is then pivoted upwardly to a generally horizontal position at the top of the door opening 12. The end of the header 24 proximate the second side of the door opening 12 is pushed upwardly past the total height of the second jamb frame member 22 or 18. Then the bottom end of the second jamb frame member 22 or 18 is slid over the lowermost clip 26 on the second side of the door opening 12. The jamb frame member 22 or 18 is then pivoted toward a vertical orientation until the upper end thereof clears the header 24 and the jamb frame member 22 or 18 is snap-fit onto the three remaing clips 26 on this side of the door opening 12 each with collapsed V-shaped tabs 32.
With the frame members 18, 22 installed on the clips 26 as described, the header 24 is pulled downwardly into position until all of the miter joints between the header 24 and side frame members 18, 22 are connected. Many knock-down type of door frames 10 include tabs and slots (not shown) to secure the mitered joints together. The frame 10 can now be vertically adjusted to level the header 24. If one or both of the jamb frame members 18, 22 need to be raised to level the header 24, the appropriate jamb frame member 18, 22 is slid upwardly on the clips 26 into the proper vertical position. Fasteners 56 are then inserted through the terminal lips 58 of the jamb frame members 18, 22 and into the two V-shaped tabs 32 on each of the lowermost clips 26 on each side of the door opening 12. Once the installation of the knock-down door frame 10 is completed and adjusted for a level orientation, the hinges and door 16 can subsequently be installed.
It will be appreciated that the design of the anchoring clip 26 according to the presently preferred embodiment of this invention allows it to be used at any normal anchoring position including the header 24 and along the height of the strike jamb 22 or hinge jamb 18 of the hollow door frame 20. Additionally, the anchoring clip 26 can be used as a base anchor for secure attachment to the floor 48 of the door frame assembly 10 thereby eliminating the need for a combination of various types of other anchors and hardware presently used to install a variety of hollow door frames. Moreover, the anchoring clip 26 is entirely concealed within the frame 20 in each of the described and varied modes of installation.
From the above disclosure of the general principles of the present invention and the preceding detailed description of a preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, I desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof. | An anchoring clip for the installation of a hollow door or window frame in stud or masonry walls that minimizes the need for additional hardware when installing a hollow door or window frame because the clip can be used along the entire height of either the strike jamb or the hinge jamb of the door frame, across the header of the door frame or at the base of the door frame for secure attachment to both the wall and the floor surrounding the door opening. Furthermore, the anchoring clip can be used for new construction or existing walls without marring the wall finishes or cutting a hole in the walls for the installation of the door frame. | 4 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention concerns a personal protective suit and a corresponding protective ensemble.
BACKGROUND
Protective ensembles are used in the field of civilian safety or in industry, for example in the nuclear or chemical industry to insulate a person from a hostile outside environment.
In the nuclear industry, persons are led to ensuring the maintenance of equipment or to conducting tasks in contaminated environments, contaminated in particular by radioactive particles. Under these conditions, such persons must be encapsulated in a protective suit to avoid any contact between the skin and radioactive particles and they must not breathe in any outside contaminated air.
Having regard to the long duration and complexity of some operations carried out by such persons, it is important that the wearing of this suit should be ergonomic and comfortable. In addition, it must be possible for the donning and fitting of the suit as well as the removal thereof to be performed simply and relatively quickly.
A protective ensemble is known from document FR 2 793 147. It comprises a sealed suit fed with air to allow ventilation and therefore the lowering of the temperature inside the suit. This provides increased comfort for the wearer in particular in the event of prolonged used of the protective garment.
Also, air is fed via a flexible air intake to a mask held to the wearer's face by means of supporting straps.
Another protective ensemble is described in document US 2004/0226558. It is in the form of a suit comprising in particular a part that forms a hood and means for connection to a source of compressed air. The compressed air is guided firstly into the inner volume of the hood and secondly into the other parts of the suit to ensure the ventilation thereof.
The wearer is therefore not obliged to wear a mask since it is possible directly to breathe the air contained in the hood. The air flow rate is adjusted so that there is sufficient air renewal to avoid a substantial increase in carbon dioxide within the hood.
In addition, only one air feed can be used, which allows simplification of the use of the said protective system.
In this case however, should there be pressure be drop in the air supply network, this will give rise to risks for the wearer being ill-supplied with air. There may a sudden increase in the carbon dioxide level inside the hood volume which, within a few instants, may exceed a critical threshold placing the wearer in danger.
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention sets out to remedy this shortcoming by proposing a suit and corresponding protective ensemble which can offset a pressure drop within the air supply network.
For this purpose, the invention concerns a personal protective suit comprising a sealed outer shell equipped with connection means intended to be connected to one same pressurized air source, means for distributing air having an air intake connected to the connection means, and at least one first and one second air outlet respectively intended to supply means for delivering breathable air to the wearer and means for ventilating the suit, characterized in that the air distribution means comprise a valve reacting to air pressure at the air intake to reduce the air flow rate of the second air outlet towards the suit when the air pressure at the air intake is below a determined value, whilst maintaining the supply of breathable air to the wearer.
The means for delivering air to the wearer are therefore given feed priority. The air derived from the supply network is therefore no longer or only little used to ventilate the suit. It is recalled that the said ventilation is solely intended to ensure wearer comfort. The vital function of supplying air to the wearer at a substantially constant flow rate is therefore preserved to the detriment of comfort.
According to one characteristic of the invention, the valve is designed such that the air flow rate in the second air outlet decreases progressively with the air pressure at the air intake.
If the pressure drop in the supply network is small, it is not necessary to stop ventilation completely. In this case, only part of the air intended to ensure ventilation is diverted to the benefit of the breathable air supply to the wearer.
Advantageously, the valve comprises a shutter which, cooperating with a return spring, is designed to shut off the second air outlet in full or in part, in relation to the air pressure at the air intake.
According to one possibility of the invention, the air distribution means comprise a body in which are arranged a first channel forming the air intake, a second channel connected to the first channel and forming the first air outlet, and a third channel forming the second air outlet and leading into the first channel at a calibrated opening, the shutter and the return spring being arranged such that the shutter is applied against the calibrated opening if there is no air pressure in the first channel, the shutter being gradually moved away from the opening when the air pressure in the first channel exceeds a predetermined value.
Advantageously, the channels connected to the air outlets for the supply of air to the wearer and for ventilation of the suit are equipped with air flow rate regulators.
The flow regulators allow a flow rate to be obtained whose value varies little in the event of variation in the supply pressure. Should there be no regulation, the air passage orifices inside the distributor would need to be calibrated differently in relation to the supply pressure. Therefore, with a distributor designed to operate with a pressure of the order of 5.5 to 6.5 bars, any use with a pressure of 9 or 10 bars would translate as a delivered air flow rate that is too high, generating overpressure within the suit which may cause bursting thereof. With flow rate regulators in the channels it is possible to use the same distributor over a wide range of supply pressures.
According to one embodiment of this distributor, each flow rate regulator comprises a piston which, housed in a channel, is subjected to the action of a spring to modify the cross-section of the air throughway in relation to pressure.
Advantageously, the air distributor is mounted outside the suit and also acts as tap.
The invention further concerns a personal protective ensemble comprising means for delivering air to the wearer, equipped with an air supply line, characterized in that it comprises a protective suit according to the invention, the air supply line being connected to the first air outlet of the distribution means.
Preferably the air supply line comprises a first and a second air intake, the first air intake being connected to the first air outlet of the distribution means in normal position of use, the second air intake of the air supply line being intended to be connected to a secondary source of compressed air.
Therefore, when removing the protective ensemble, the wearer connects the second air intake to the source of compressed air and then disconnects the first air intake from the suit. The suit can then be removed whilst continuing to supply air to the wearer.
According to one characteristic of the invention, the means for delivering air to the wearer comprise a mask or hood delimiting an inner volume fed with air.
Advantageously, the suit comprises a release valve arranged to allow release of air contained in the suit towards the outside, when this air exceeds a determined pressure.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the suit comprises a removable band which, after removal, is capable of releasing an opening intended to facilitate stepping out of the suit.
Preferably the suit is equipped with at least one ventilation duct connected to the second outlet of the distribution means, designed to direct part of the pressurized air into the inner volume of the suit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
At all events, the invention will be well understood aided by the following description with reference to the appended schematic drawing which, as an example illustrates one embodiment of this protective device and of this corresponding ensemble.
FIG. 1 is a front view of the suit;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are views illustrating the successive steps for removing the protective ensemble;
FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 , illustrating one variant of embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section view of the air distribution means;
FIG. 6 is a side view;
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the flow of the air supply network, the flow of the ventilation means and the flow of the air feed means to the user, in relation to the pressure of the air supply network;
FIG. 8 illustrates a variant of the distributor in FIG. 5 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a protective ensemble according to the invention comprises an outer suit 1 made in a flexible, armoured material sealed against radioactive particles, for example in polyvinyl chloride on a polyester backing. The suit covers all the parts of the body and in particular it comprises a part enclosing the head, forming a helmet 2 equipped with a transparent visor 3 .
The suit comprises gloves 4 and areas 5 intended to receive the wearer's feet comprising laces 6 arranged opposite the ankle and provided with quick tightening means. The suit 1 also comprises a donning opening extending over the front side of the suit, at the level of the user's chest. The opening can be closed by means of a zip fastener 7 , a flap 8 being folded over the closure 7 .
A removable band 9 extends from the end of one arm to the end of the other arm, the removal of the band 9 allowing full opening of the suit 1 along this area.
The front side of the suit is provided with a connector 10 extending outside the suit and intended to be connected to a compressed air supply network 11 . A release valve 12 is arranged in the back part of the helmet 2 allowing the release of air contained inside the suit 1 towards the outside when the pressure of this air exceeds a determined value.
The suit 1 is also equipped with air distribution means 13 having a first and a second outlet branch 14 , 15 . These branches are housed in the suit 1 . The second branch 15 is connected to an inlet of a filter 16 of HEPA 19 type (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter or High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing Filter), housed in the suit 1 and capable in one pass of filtering at least 99.97% of particles having a diameter equal to or more than 0.3 μm.
The structure of the air distribution means 13 is more particularly illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 . They comprise a body 17 in which there are arranged a first channel 18 forming the air intake, a second channel 19 connected to the first channel 18 extending perpendicular thereto, and formed in the first air outlet branch 14 , and a third channel 20 formed in the second air outlet branch 15 and opening into the first channel 18 at a calibrated opening 21 . The third channel 20 extends along axis A of the first channel 18 and has a chamber 22 of larger diameter into which the first channel 18 opens. A tubular support 23 is fixed inside the chamber, the support comprising a first end facing the side of the calibrated opening 21 and a second end 24 facing the free end of the third channel 20 .
The second end 24 of the support 23 is tapped and cooperates with a screw 25 forming an abutment.
A shutter 26 is slidingly mounted within the tubular support 23 , a counter-weighted return spring 27 also being mounted in the support 23 , between the shutter 26 and the spring 25 .
The return spring 27 and the shutter 26 are arranged such that the shutter 26 is applied against the calibrated opening 21 if there is no air pressure in the first channel 18 , the shutter 26 being gradually moved away from the opening 21 when the air pressure inside the first channel 18 exceeds a predetermined value.
FIG. 8 illustrates a variant of embodiment of the air distributor in which the same parts are designated by the same reference numbers as previously. It is to be noted that in this figure the shutter 26 is not shown although it is used.
In this distributor, the channels 19 , 20 connected to the two outlets for supplying air to the wearer and for ventilating the suit, are equipped with airflow regulators respectively formed of pistons 39 and 40 subjected on one side to air pressure and on the opposite side to the antagonist action of a counter-weighted spring 42 , 43 to ensure a flow rate within a determined range in each outlet conduit.
For example, when the inlet pressure is between 3 and 8 bars, the overall outlet flow rate is between 500 and 800 liters per minute and the distribution, via adapted counter-weighting of the springs 42 and 43 , is 170 to 260 liters per minute for breathable air and 330 to 540 liters per minute for the air to ventilate the suit.
The outlet of the filter 16 feeds several ventilation channels 28 formed in the suit 1 . These direct the air derived from the filter 16 towards the heat-accumulating regions 29 such as those arranged in the vicinity of the wearer's armpits, knees and groin.
The first branch 14 is connected to a nozzle 30 providing air to the hood 31 , via a HEPA filter 32 and an air supply line 33 .
This line comprises one fork-shaped end having a first and a second branch 34 , 35 each provided with a connector.
The hood 31 has a front visor 36 and a back part equipped with a release valve (not visible) arranged to allow release of the air contained in the hood 31 towards the outside when it exceeds a determined pressure value.
The inner volume of the hood 31 is delimited by a neckband 37 made in a flexible, elastic material having a central opening allowing insertion of the wearer's head.
The hood 31 further comprises a removable band (not illustrated) which, after removal, is able to release an opening for access to inside the hood 31 .
The hood 31 is mounted on a sheet of fabric 37 for attachment to the wearer.
According to another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 4 , the supply line 33 is not connected to a hood 31 but to a mask 38 attached via holding straps 39 .
The functioning of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 .
When putting on the assembly, the user first dons the suit 1 which is fitted by means a belt 40 integrated in the suit 1 , connects the supply line 33 to the connector 10 and connects the first branch 34 of the air supply line 33 to the first branch 14 of the distribution means 13 . The hood 31 is thereby supplied with air via the compressed air network 11 .
In parallel the shutter 26 , subjected to the force exerted by the compressed air at the first channel 18 , is moved within the tubular support 23 against the return force exerted by the spring 27 , so that it moves away from the calibrated opening 21 . The passing of air from the first channel 18 to the third channel 20 is then permitted, the ventilation ducts 28 thereby being supplied with air.
The user can then slip on the hood 31 and finish installing the remainder of the suit 1 , in particular covering the hood 31 with the helmet 2 then closing the zip fastener 7 . It is pointed out that the user is able to be equipped unassisted.
Once closed, the suit 1 is gradually inflated with air derived from the ventilation ducts 28 , this air then being able to escape via the release valve 12 ad/or via leaks which may appear at the zip fastener 7 for example. Therefore, despite slight leaks the user does not run any risk since the air escaping from the suit 1 prevents any entry of particles.
The wearer can then proceed with carrying out the tasks to be conducted and is able to move unrestricted to within the extent authorised by the hose 11 of the compressed air supply network.
Once the operations are completed, the wearer leaves the contaminated area, possibly passes through a decontamination airlock, and then removes the removable band 9 to open the suit 1 . This suit then rolls up outwardly to avoid any contact between the hands or the remainder of the body with the outer wall of the suit 1 on which radioactive particles may have deposited.
The wearer then connects the second branch 35 to a secondary supply network 41 of compressed air and disconnects the first branch 34 from the suit 1 . The suit can then be fully removed, the hood 31 continuing to be supplied by the secondary supply network 41 .
It is pointed out that the suit 1 is a disposable suit since in this embodiment no provision is made for possible repositioning of the removable band 9 after removal thereof.
In the event of a pressure drop in the air supply network 11 , the air pressure in the first channel 18 is decreased. The force exerted by the counter-weighted spring 27 then tends to move the shutter 26 in the direction of the calibrated opening 21 , the result of which is to reduce the cross-section of the air throughway from the first channel 18 to the third channel 20 . The flow rate of the air feeding the ventilation ducts 28 is thereby reduced. The proportion of air dedicated to feeding the hood 31 is therefore increased.
This principle is best illustrated in FIG. 7 , using the air distribution means shown in FIG. 5 , which gives a diagram in relation to the air pressure in the first channel 18 of a first curve 42 illustrating the air flow circulating in the first channel 18 , a second curve 43 illustrating the air flow circulating in the second channel 19 and a third curve 44 illustrating the air flow circulating in the third channel 20 .
The air flow circulating in the first channel 18 i.e. derived directly from the air supply network 11 , reduces with pressure. In addition, in the event of a pressure drop in the air supply network 11 i.e. in the first channel 18 , the flow dedicated to ventilation is highly limited by movement of the shutter 26 (see curve 44 ). As a result, the air flow dedicated to feeding air to the wearer is scarcely reduced (see curve 43 ).
It is therefore noted that in the event of a pressure drop in the air supply network, the invention allows priority to be given to the breathable air supply to the user, to the detriment of the user's comfort provided by ventilation of the suit.
The invention therefore provides a personal protective suit and ensemble that are reliable whilst remaining ergonomic, comfortable and easy to use. | A personal protective suit including a sealed shell equipped with connection device intended to be connected to one same pressurized air source, air distribution device having an air intake connected to the connection device, and at least one first and one second air outlet, respectively intended to supply device for delivering air to the wearer and device for ventilating the suit, wherein the air distribution device includes a valve designed to reduce the air flow rate of the second air outlet when the air pressure at the air intake is below a determined value, while maintaining the supply of air to the wearer. | 0 |
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/284,665, filed Apr. 18, 2001, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Chronic pain is a major contributor to disability and is the cause of an untold amount of suffering. The successful treatment of severe and chronic pain is a primary goal of the physician with opioid analgesics being preferred drugs.
[0003] Until recently, there was evidence of three major classes of opioid receptors in the central nervous system (CNS), with each class having subtype receptors. These receptor classes were designated as μ, δ and κ. As opiates had a high affinity to these receptors while not being endogenous to the body, research followed in order to identify and isolate the endogenous ligands to these receptors. These ligands were identified as enkephalins, endorphins and dynorphins.
[0004] Recent experimentation has led to the identification of a cDNA encoding an opioid receptor-like (ORL1) receptor with a high degree of homology to the known receptor classes. This newly discovered receptor was classified as an opioid receptor based only on structural grounds, as the receptor did not exhibit pharmacological homology. It was initially demonstrated that non-selective ligands having a high affinity for μ,δ and κ receptors had low affinity for the ORL1. This characteristic, along with the fact that an endogenous ligand had not yet been discovered, led to the term “orphan receptor”.
[0005] Subsequent research led to the isolation and structure of the endogenous ligand of the ORL1 receptor. This ligand is a seventeen amino acid peptide structurally similar to members of the opioid peptide family.
[0006] The discovery of the ORL1 receptor presents an opportunity in drug discovery for novel compounds which can be administered for pain management or other syndromes modulated by this receptor.
[0007] All documents cited herein, including the foregoing, are incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is accordingly an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide new compounds which exhibit affinity for the ORL1 receptor.
[0009] It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide new compounds which exhibit affinity for the ORL1 receptor and one or more of the A, 6 or K receptors.
[0010] It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide new compounds for treating a patient suffering from chronic or acute pain by administering a compound having affinity for the ORL1 receptor.
[0011] It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide new compounds which have agonist activity at the μ, δ and κ receptors which is greater than compounds currently available e.g. morphine.
[0012] It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide methods of treating chronic and acute pain by administering compounds which have agonist activity at the μ, δ and κ receptors which is greater than compounds currently available.
[0013] It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide methods of treating chronic and acute pain by administering non-opioid compounds which have agonist activity at the μ, δ and κ receptors and which produce less side effects than compounds currently available.
[0014] It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide compounds useful as analgesics, anti-inflammatories, diuretics, anesthetics, neuroprotective agents, anti-hypertensives, anti-anxioltics; agents for appetite control; hearing regulators; anti-tussives, anti-asthmatics, modulators of locomotor activity, modulators of learning and memory, regulators of neurotransmitter and hormone release, kidney function modulators, anti-depressants, agents to treat memory loss due to Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, anti-epileptics, anti-convulsants, agents to treat withdrawal from alcohol and drugs of addiction, agents to control water balance, agents to control sodium excretion and agents to control arterial blood pressure disorders and methods for administering said compounds.
[0015] The compounds of the present invention are useful for modulating a pharmacodynamic response from one or more opioid receptors (ORL-1, μ, δ and κ) centrally and/or peripherally. The response can be attributed to the compound stimulating (agonist) or inhibiting (antagonist) the one or more receptors. Certain compounds can stimulate one receptor (e.g., a μ agonist) and inhibit a different receptor (e.g., an ORL-1 antagonist).
[0016] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof. The present invention in certain embodiments comprises compounds having the general formula (I):
[0017] wherein
[0018] A is a saturated or partially saturated ring;
[0019] R is hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkylC 1-4 alkyl-, C 1-10 alkoxy, C 3-12 cycloalkoxy-, C 1-10 alkyl substituted with 1-3 halogen, C 3-12 cycloalkyl substituted with 1-3 halogen, C 3-12 cycloalkylC 1-4 alkyl-substituted with 1-3 halogen, C 1-10 alkoxy substituted with 1-3 halogen, C 3-12 cycloalkoxy-substituted with 1-3 halogen, —COOV 1 , —C 1-4 COOV 1 , —CH 2 OH, —SO 2 N(V 1 ) 2 , hydroxyC 1-10 alkyl-, hydroxyC 3-10 cycloalkyl-, cyanoC 1-10 alkyl-, cyanoC 3-10 cycloalkyl-, —CON(V 1 ) 2 , NH 2 SO 2 C 1-4 alkyl-, NH 2 SOC 1-4 alkyl-, sulfonylaminoC 1-10 alkyl-, diaminoalkyl-, -sulfonylC 1-4 alkyl, a 6-membered heterocyclic ring, a 6-membered heteroaromatic ring, a 6-membered heterocyclicC 1-4 alkyl-, a 6-membered heteroaromaticC 1-4 alkyl-, a 6-membered aromatic ring, a 6-membered aromaticC 1-4 alkyl-, a 5-membered heterocyclic ring optionally substituted with an oxo or thio, a 5-membered heteroaromatic ring, a 5-membered heterocyclicC 1-4 alkyl-optionally substituted with an oxo or thio, a 5-membered heteroaromaticC 1-4 alkyl-, —C 1-5 (═O)W 1 , —C 1-5 (═NH)W 1 , —C 1-5 NHC(═O)W 1 , —C 1-5 NHS(═O) 2 W 1 , —C 1-5 NHS(═O)W 1 , wherein W 1 is hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, C 3-12 cycloalkoxy, —CH 2 OH, amino, C 1-4 alkylamino-, diC 1-4 alkylamino-, or a 5-membered heteroaromatic ring optionally substituted with 1-3 lower alkyl;
[0020] wherein each V, is independently selected from H, C 1-6 alkyl, C 3-6 cycloalkyl, benzyl and phenyl;
[0021] n is an integer from 0 to 3;
[0022] M 1 , M 2 , M 3 and M 4 are each independently N, NH, CH or CH 2 , up to a maximum of 3 N or NH;
[0023] D, B and C are independently hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, C 3-12 cycloalkoxy, —CH 2 OH, —NHSO 2 , hydroxyC 1-10 alkyl-, aminocarbonyl-, C 1-4 alkylaminocarbonyl-, diC 1-4 alkylaminocarbonyl-, acylamino-, acylaminoalkyl-, amide, sulfonylaminoC 1-10 alkyl-, or D-B can together form a C 2-6 bridge, or B-C can together form a C 3-7 bridge, or D-C can together form a C 1-5 bridge;
[0024] Z is selected from the group consisting of a bond, straight or branched C 1-6 alkylene, —NH—, —CH 2 O—, —CH 2 NH—, —CH 2 N(CH 3 )—, —NHCH 2 —, —CH 2 CONH—, —NHCH 2 CO—, —CH 2 CO—, —COCH 2 —, —CH 2 COCH 2 —, —CH(CH 3 )—, —CH═, —O— and —HC═CH—, wherein the carbon and/or nitrogen atoms are unsubstituted or substituted with one or more lower alkyl, hydroxy, halo or alkoxy group;
[0025] R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkyl, C 2-10 alkenyl, amino, C 1-10 alkylamino-, C 3-12 cycloalkylamino-, —COOV 1 , —C 1-4 COOV 1 , cyano, cyanoC 1-10 alkyl-, cyanoC 3-10 cycloalkyl-, NH 2 SO 2 —, NH 2 SO 2 C 1-4 alkyl-, NH 2 SOC 1-4 alkyl-, aminocarbonyl-, C 1-4 alkylaminocarbonyl-, diC 1-4 alkylaminocarbonyl-, benzyl, C 3-12 cycloalkenyl-, a monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic aryl or heteroaryl ring, a hetero-monocyclic ring, a hetero-bicyclic ring system, and a spiro ring system of the formula (II):
[0026] wherein X 1 and X 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of NH, O, S and CH 2 ; and wherein said alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, C 1-10 alkylamino-, C 3-12 cycloalkylamino-, or benzyl of R 1 is optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydroxy, C 1-10 , alkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, nitro, trifluoromethyl-, cyano, —COOV 1 , -C 1-4 COOV 1 , cyanoC 1-10 alkyl-, —C 1-5 (═O)W 1 , —C 1-5 NHS(═O) 2 W 1 , —C 1-5 NHS(═O)W 1 , a 5-membered heteroaromaticC 0-4 alkyl-, phenyl, benzyl, benzyloxy, said phenyl, benzyl, and benzyloxy optionally being substituted with 1-3 substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, C 1-10 alkyl-, C 1-10 alkoxy-, and cyano; and wherein said C 3-12 cycloalkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkenyl, monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic aryl, heteroaryl ring, hetero-monocyclic ring, hetero-bicyclic ring system, or spiro ring system of the formula (II) is optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, nitro, trifluoromethyl-, phenyl, benzyl, phenyloxy and benzyloxy, wherein said phenyl, benzyl, phenyloxy or benzyloxy is optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, and cyano;
[0027] R 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkyl-and halogen, said alkyl or cycloalkyl optionally substituted with an oxo, amino, alkylamino or dialkylamino group;
[0028] and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and solvates thereof.
[0029] The present invention in certain embodiments comprises compounds having the formula (IA):
[0030] wherein
[0031] A is a saturated or partially saturated ring;
[0032] n is an integer from 0 to 3;
[0033] Z is selected from the group consisting of a bond, —CH 2 —, —NH—, —CH 2 O—, —CH 2 CH 2 —, —CH 2 NH—, —CH 2 N(CH 3 )—, —NHCH 2 —, —CH 2 CONH—, —NHCH 2 CO—, —CH 2 CO—, —COCH 2 —, —CH 2 COCH 2 —, —CH(CH 3 )—, —CH═, and —HC═CH—, wherein the carbon and/or nitrogen atoms are unsubstituted or substituted with a lower alkl, halogen, hydroxy or alkoxy group;
[0034] R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, and C 3-12 cycloalkyl;
[0035] R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkyl, C 2-10 alkenyl, amino, C 1-10 alkylamino, C 3-12 cycloalkylamino, benzyl, C 3-12 cycloalkenyl, a monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic aryl or heteroaryl ring, a hetero-moncyclic ring, a heterobicyclic ring system, and a spiro ring system of the formula (II):
[0036] wherein X 1 and X 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of NH, O, S and CH 2 ;
[0037] wherein said monocyclic aryl is preferably phenyl;
[0038] wherein said bicyclic aryl is preferably naphthyl;
[0039] wherein said alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, C 1-10 alkylamino, C 3-12 cycloalkylamino, or benzyl is optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, nitro, trifluoromethyl, cyano, phenyl, benzyl, benzyloxy, said phenyl, benzyl, and benzyloxy optionally being substituted with 1-3 substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, and cyano;
[0040] wherein said C 3-12 cycloalkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkenyl, monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic aryl, heteroaryl ring, hetero-monocyclic ring, heterobicyclic ring system, and spiro ring system of the formula (II) are optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, nitro, trifluoromethyl, phenyl, benzyl, phenyloxy and benzyloxy, wherein said phenyl, benzyl, phenyloxy and benzyloxy are optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 1-10 alkoxy, and cyano;
[0041] R 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-10 alkyl, C 3-12 cycloalkyl and halogen, said alkyl optionally substituted with an oxo group;
[0042] and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
[0043] In certain preferred embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), the R 1 alkyl is methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, or hexyl.
[0044] In certain preferred embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), the R 1 cycloalkyl is cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, cyclooctyl, cyclononyl, cyclodecyl, or norbornyl.
[0045] In other preferred embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), the R 1 bicyclic ring system is naphthyl. In other preferred embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), the R 1 bicyclic ring system is tetrahydronaphthyl, or decahydronaphthyl and the R 1 tricyclic ring system is dibenzocycloheptyl. In other preferred embodiments R 1 is phenyl or benzyl.
[0046] In other preferred embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), the R 1 bicyclic aromatic ring is a 10-membered ring, preferably quinoline or naphthyl.
[0047] In other preferred embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), the R 1 bicyclic aromatic ring is a 9-membered ring, preferably indenyl.
[0048] In certain embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), Z is a bond, methyl, or ethyl.
[0049] In certain embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), the Z group is maximally substituted as not to have any hydrogen substitution on the base Z group. For example, if the base Z group is —CH 2 —, substitution with two methyl groups would remove hydrogens from the —CH 2 — base Z group.
[0050] In other preferred embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), n is 0.
[0051] In certain embodiments, A is a saturated ring.
[0052] In certain embodiments of formula (I) or (IA), X 1 and X 2 are both O.
[0053] In certain embodiments of formula (I), R is —CH 2 C═ONH 2 , —C(NH)NH 2 , pyridylmethyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, furanylmethyl, —C(═O)CH 3 , —CH 2 CH 2 NHC(═O)CH 3 , —SO 2 CH 3 , CH 2 CH 2 NHSO 2 CH 3 , furanylcarbonyl-, methylpyrrolylcarbonyl-, diazolecarbonyl-, azolemethyl-, trifluoroethyl-, hydroxyethyl-, cyanomethyl-, oxo-oxazolemethyl-, or diazolemethyl-.
[0054] In certain embodiments of formula (I), ZR 1 is cyclohexylethyl-, cyclohexylmethyl-, cyclopentylmethyl-, dimethylcyclohexylmethyl-, phenylethyl-, pyrrolyltrifluoroethyl-, thienyltrifluoroethyl-, pyridylethyl-, cyclopentyl-, cyclohexyl-, methoxycyclohexyl-, tetrahydropyranyl-, propylpiperidinyl-, indolylmethyl-, pyrazoylpentyl-, thiazolylethyl-, phenyltrifluoroethyl-, hydroxyhexyl-, methoxyhexyl-, isopropoxybutyl-, hexyl-, or oxocanylpropyl-.
[0055] In certain embodiments of formula (I), at least one of ZR 1 or R is —CH 2 COOV 1 , tetrazolylmethyl-, cyanomethyl-, NH 2 SO 2 methyl-, NH 2 SOmethyl-, aminocarbonylmethyl-, C 1-4 alkylaminocarbonylmethyl-, or diC 1-4 alkylaminocarbonylmethyl-.
[0056] In certain embodiments of formula (I), ZR 1 is 3,3 diphenylpropyl optionally substituted at the 3 carbon of the propyl with —COOV 1 , tetrazolylC 0-4 alkyl-, cyano-, aminocarbonyl-, C 1-4 alkylaminocarbonyl-, or diC 1-4 alkylaminocarbonyl-.
[0057] In alternate embodiments in formula (I) or (IA), ZR 1 can be the following
[0058] wherein
[0059] Y 1 is R 3 —(C 1 -C 12 )alkyl, R 4 -aryl, R 5 -heteroaryl, R 6 —(C 3 -C 12 )cyclo-alkyl, R 7 —(C 3 -C 7 )heterocycloalkyl, —CO 2 (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, CN or —C(O)NR 8 R 9 ; Y 2 is hydrogen or Y 1 ; Y 3 is hydrogen or (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl; or Y 1 , Y 2 and Y 3 , together with the carbon to which they are attached, form one of the following structures:
[0060] wherein r is 0 to 3; w and u are each 0-3, provided that the sum of w and u is 1-3; c and d are independently 1 or 2; s is 1 to 5; and ring E is a fused R 4 -phenyl or R 5 -heteroaryl ring;
[0061] R 10 is 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of H, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, —OR 8 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-OR 8 , —NR 8 R 9 and —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-NR 8 R 9 ;
[0062] R 11 is 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of R 10 , —CF 3 , —OCF 3 , NO 2 and halo, or R 11 substituents on adjacent ring carbon atoms may together form a methylenedioxy or ethylenedioxy ring;
[0063] R 8 and R 9 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl, (C 3 -C 12 )cycloalkyl, aryl and aryl(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl;
[0064] R 3 is 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of H, R 4 -aryl, R 6 —(C 3 -C 12 )cycloalkyl, R 5 -heteroaryl, R 7 —(C 3 -C 7 )heterocycloalkyl, —NR 8 R 9 , —OR 12 and —S(O) 0-2 R 12 ;
[0065] R 6 is 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of H, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, R 4 -aryl, —NR 8 R 9 , —OR 12 and —SR 12 ;
[0066] R 4 is 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halo, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, R 13 -aryl, (C 3 -C 12 )cycloalkyl, —CN, —CF 3 , —OR 8 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-OR 8 , —OCF 3 , —NR 8 R 9 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl —NR 8 R 9 , —NHSO 2 R 8 , —SO 2 N(R 14 ) 2 , —SO 2 R 8 , —SOR 8 , —SR 8 , —NO 2 , —CONR 8 R 9 , —NR 9 COR 8 , —COR 8 , —COCF 3 , —OCOR 8 , —OCO 2 R 8 , —COOR 8 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-NHCOOC(CH 3 ) 3 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-NHCOCF 3 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-NHSO 2 —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-NHCONH—(C 1 -C 6 )-alkyl and
[0067] wherein f is 0 to 6; or R 4 substituents on adjacent ring carbon atoms may together form a methylenedioxy or ethylenedioxy ring;
[0068] R 5 is 1 to 3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halo, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, R 13 -aryl, (C 3 -C 12 )cycloalkyl, —CN, —CF 3 , —OR 8 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-OR 8 , —OCF 3 , —NR 8 R 9 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-NR 8 NR 9 , —NHSO 2 R 8 , —SO 2 N(R 14 ) 2 , —NO 2 , —CONR 8 R 9 , —NR 9 COR 8 , —COR 8 , —OCOR 8 , —OCO 2 R 8 and —COOR 8
[0069] R 7 is H, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, —OR 8 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-OR 8 , —NR 8 R 9 or —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-NR 8 R 9 ;
[0070] R 12 is H, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, R 4 -aryl, —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-OR 8 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-NR 8 R 9 , —(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-SR 8 , or aryl (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl;
[0071] R 13 is 1-3 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of H, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 6 )alkoxy and halo;
[0072] R 14 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl and R 13 —C 6 H 4 —CH 2 —.
[0073] As used herein, the term “alkyl” means a linear or branched saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group having a single radical and 1-10 carbon atoms. Examples of alkyl groups include methyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, and pentyl. A branched alkyl means that one or more alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl or propyl, replace one or both hydrogens in a —CH 2 — group of a linear alkyl chain. The term “lower alkyl” means an alkyl of 1-3 carbon atoms.
[0074] The term “alkoxy” means an “alkyl” as defined above connected to an oxygen radical.
[0075] The term “cycloalkyl” means a non-aromatic mono- or multicyclic hydrocarbon ring system having a single radical and 3-12 carbon atoms. Exemplary monocyclic cycloalkyl rings include cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl, and cyclohexyl. Exemplary multicyclic cycloalkyl rings include adamantyl and norbormyl.
[0076] The term “alkenyl” means a linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group containing a carbon-carbon double bond having a single radical and 2-10 carbon atoms. A “branched” alkenyl means that one or more alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl or propyl replace one or both hydrogens in a —CH 2 — or —CH═ linear alkenyl chain. Exemplary alkenyl groups include ethenyl, 1- and 2-propenyl, 1-, 2- and 3-butenyl, 3-methylbut-2-enyl, 2-propenyl, heptenyl, octenyl and decenyl.
[0077] The term “cycloalkenyl” means a non-aromatic monocyclic or multicyclic hydrocarbon ring system containing a carbon-carbon double bond having a single radical and 3 to 12 carbon atoms. Exemplary monocyclic cycloalkenyl rings include cyclopropenyl, cyclopentenyl, cyclohexenyl or cycloheptenyl. An exemplary multicyclic cycloalkenyl ring is norbomenyl.
[0078] The term “aryl” means a carbocyclic aromatic ring system containing one, two or three rings which may be attached together in a pendent manner or fused, and containing a single radical. Exemplary aryl groups include phenyl, naphthyl and acenaphthyl.
[0079] The term “heterocyclic” means cyclic compounds having one or more heteroatoms (atoms other than carbon) in the ring, and having a single radical. The ring may be saturated, partially saturated or unsaturated, and the heteroatoms may be selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen. Examples of saturated heterocyclic radicals include saturated 3 to 6-membered hetero-monocyclic groups containing 1 to 4 nitrogen atoms, such as pyrrolidinyl, imidazolidinyl, piperidino, piperazinyl; saturated 3- to 6-membered hetero-monocyclic groups containing 1 to 2 oxygen atoms and 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms, such as morpholinyl; saturated 3- to 6-membered hetero-monocyclic groups containing 1 to 2 sulfur atoms and 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms, such as thiazolidinyl. Examples of partially saturated heterocyclic radicals include dihydrothiophene, dihydropyran, and dihydrofuran. Other heterocyclic groups can be 7 to 10 carbon rings substituted with heteroatoms such as oxocanyl and thiocanyl. When the heteroatom is sulfur, the sulfur can be a sulfur dioxide such as thiocanyldioxide.
[0080] The term “heteroaryl” means unsaturated heterocyclic radicals, wherein “heterocyclic” is as previously described. Exemplary heteroaryl groups include unsaturated 3 to 6 membered hetero-monocyclic groups containing 1 to 4 nitrogen atoms, such as pyrrolyl, pyridyl, pyrimidyl, and pyrazinyl; unsaturated condensed heterocyclic groups containing 1 to 5 nitrogen atoms, such as indolyl, quinolyl and isoquinolyl; unsaturated 3 to 6-membered hetero-monocyclic groups containing an oxygen atom, such as furyl; unsaturated 3 to 6 membered hetero-monocyclic groups containing a sulfur atom, such as thienyl; unsaturated 3 to 6 membered hetero-monocyclic groups containing 1 to 2 oxygen atoms and 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms, such as oxazolyl; unsaturated condensed heterocyclic groups containing 1 to 2 oxygen atoms and 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms, such as benzoxazolyl; unsaturated 3 to 6 membered hetero-monocyclic groups containing 1 to 2 sulfur atoms and 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms, such as thiazolyl; and unsaturated condensed heterocyclic group containing 1 to 2 sulfur atoms and 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms, such as benzothiazolyl. The term “heteroaryl” also includes unsaturated heterocyclic radicals, wherein “heterocyclic” is as previously described, in which the heterocyclic group is fused with an aryl group, in which aryl is as previously described. Exemplary fused radicals include benzofuran, benzdioxole and benzothiophene.
[0081] As used herein, the term “heterocyclicC 1-4 alkyl”, “heteroaromaticC 1-4 alkyl” and the like refer to the ring structure bonded to a C 1-4 alkyl radical.
[0082] All of the cyclic ring structures disclosed herein can be attached at any point where such connection is possible, as recognized by one skilled in the art.
[0083] As used herein, the term “patient” includes a human or an animal such as a companion animal or livestock.
[0084] As used herein, the term “halogen” includes fluoride, bromide, chloride, iodide or alabamide.
[0085] The invention disclosed herein is meant to encompass all pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof of the disclosed compounds. The pharmaceutically acceptable salts include, but are not limited to, metal salts such as sodium salt, potassium salt, cesium salt and the like; alkaline earth metals such as calcium salt, magnesium salt and the like; organic amine salts such as triethylamine salt, pyridine salt, picoline salt, ethanolamine salt, triethanolamine salt, dicyclohexylamine salt, N,N′-dibenzylethylenediamine salt and the like; inorganic acid salts such as hydrochloride, hydrobromide, sulfate, phosphate and the like; organic acid salts such as formate, acetate, trifluoroacetate, maleate, fumarate, tartrate and the like; sulfonates such as methanesulfonate, benzenesulfonate, p-toluenesulfonate, and the like; amino acid salts such as arginate, asparginate, glutamate and the like.
[0086] The invention disclosed herein is also meant to encompass all prodrugs of the disclosed compounds. Prodrugs are considered to be any covalently bonded carriers which release the active parent drug in vivo.
[0087] The invention disclosed herein is also meant to encompass the in vivo metabolic products of the disclosed compounds. Such products may result for example from the oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, amidation, esterification and the like of the administered compound, primarily due to enzymatic processes. Accordingly, the invention includes compounds produced by a process comprising contacting a compound of this invention with a mammal for a period of time sufficient to yield a metabolic product thereof. Such products typically are identified by preparing a radiolabelled compound of the invention, administering it parenterally in a detectable dose to an animal such as rat, mouse, guinea pig, monkey, or to man, allowing sufficient time for metabolism to occur and isolating its conversion products from the urine, blood or other biological samples.
[0088] The invention disclosed herein is also meant to encompass the disclosed compounds being isotopically-labelled by having one or more atoms replaced by an atom having a different atomic mass or mass number. Examples of isotopes that can be incorporated into the disclosed compounds include isotopes of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, fluorine and chlorine, such as 2 H, 3 H, 13 C, 14 C, 15 N, 18 O, 17 O, 31 P, 32 P, 35 S, 18 F, and 36 Cl, respectively. Some of the compounds disclosed herein may contain one or more asymmetric centers and may thus give rise to enantiomers, diastereomers, and other stereoisomeric forms. The present invention is also meant to encompass all such possible forms as well as their racemic and resolved forms and mixtures thereof. When the compounds described herein contain olefinic double bonds or other centers of geometric asymmetry, and unless specified otherwise, it is intended to include both E and Z geometric isomers. All tautomers are intended to be encompassed by the present invention as well
[0089] As used herein, the term “stereoisomers” is a general term for all isomers of individual molecules that differ only in the orientation of their atoms in space. It includes enantiomers and isomers of compounds with more than one chiral center that are not mirror images of one another (diastereomers).
[0090] The term “chiral center” refers to a carbon atom to which four different groups are attached.
[0091] The term “enantiomer” or “enantiomeric” refers to a molecule that is nonsuperimposeable on its mirror image and hence optically active wherein the enantiomer rotates the plane of polarized light in one direction and its mirror image rotates the plane of polarized light in the opposite direction.
[0092] The term “racemic” refers to a mixture of equal parts of enantiomers and which is optically inactive.
[0093] The term “resolution” refers to the separation or concentration or depletion of one of the two enantiomeric forms of a molecule.
[0094] The term “modulate” as used herein with respect to the ORL-1 receptor means the mediation of a pharmacodynamic response (e.g., analgesia) in a subject from (i) inhibiting or activating the receptor, or (ii) directly or indirectly affecting the normal regulation of the receptor activity. Compounds which modulate the receptor activity include agonists, antagonists, mixed agonists/antagonists and compounds which directly or indirectly affect regulation of the receptor activity.
[0095] Certain preferred compounds of the invention include:
[0096] 1-[1-benzyl-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0097] 1-[1-(naphth-2-yl-methyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0098] 1-[1-(3,3-Bis(phenyl)propyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0099] 1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0100] 1-[1-(5-methylhex-2-yl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0101] 1-[1-(decahydro-2-naphthyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0102] 1-[1-(cyclooctyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0103] 1-[1-[4-(1-methylethyl)-cyclohexyl]-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0104] 1-[1-(cyclooctylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0105] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(benzyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0106] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(naphth-2-yl-methyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0107] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(3,3-Bis(phenyl)propyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0108] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0109] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(5-methylhex-2-yl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0110] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(decahydro-2-naphthyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0111] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(cyclooctyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0112] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0113] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(cyclooctylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0114] 1-[1-benzyl-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0115] 1-[1-(naphth-2-yl-methyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0116] 1-[1-(3,3-Bis(phenyl)propyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0117] 1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0118] 1-[1-(5-methylhex-2-yl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0119] 1-[1-(decahydro-2-naphthyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0120] 1-[1-(cyclooctyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0121] 1-[1-[4-(1-methylethyl)-cyclohexyl]-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0122] 1-[1-(cyclooctylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0123] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(benzyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0124] 3-ethyl-1-[1 (naphth-2-yl-methyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0125] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(3,3-Bis(phenyl)propyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0126] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0127] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(5-methylhex-2-yl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0128] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(decahydro-2-naphthyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0129] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(cyclooctyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0130] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one;
[0131] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(cyclooctylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-cis-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one; and
[0132] pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and solvates thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0133] The compounds of the present invention can be administered to anyone requiring modulation of the opioid and ORL1 receptors. Administration may be orally, topically, by suppository, inhalation, or parenterally.
[0134] The present invention also encompasses all pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the foregoing compounds. One skilled in the art will recognize that acid addition salts of the presently claimed compounds may be prepared by reaction of the compounds with the appropriate acid via a variety of known methods.
[0135] Various oral dosage forms can be used, including such solid forms as tablets, gelcaps, capsules, caplets, granules, lozenges and bulk powders and liquid forms such as emulsions, solution and suspensions. The compounds of the present invention can be administered alone or can be combined with various pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and excipients known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to diluents, suspending agents, solubilizers, binders, disintegrants, preservatives, coloring agents, lubricants and the like.
[0136] When the compounds of the present invention are incorporated into oral tablets, such tablets can be compressed, tablet triturates, enteric-coated, sugar-coated, film-coated, multiply compressed or multiply layered. Liquid oral dosage forms include aqueous and non-aqueous solutions, emulsions, suspensions, and solutions and/or suspensions reconstituted from non-effervescent granules, containing suitable solvents, preservatives, emulsifying agents, suspending agents, diluents, sweeteners, coloring agents, and flavoring agents. When the compounds of the present invention are to be injected parenterally, they may be, e.g., in the form of an isotonic sterile solution. Alternatively, when the compounds of the present invention are to be inhaled, they may be formulated into a dry aerosol or may be formulated into an aqueous or partially aqueous solution.
[0137] In addition, when the compounds of the present invention are incorporated into oral dosage forms, it is contemplated that such dosage forms may provide an immediate release of the compound in the gastrointestinal tract, or alternatively may provide a controlled and/or sustained release through the gastrointestinal tract. A wide variety of controlled and/or sustained release formulations are well known to those skilled in the art, and are contemplated for use in connection with the formulations of the present invention. The controlled and/or sustained release may be provided by, e.g., a coating on the oral dosage form or by incorporating the compound(s) of the invention into a controlled and/or sustained release matrix.
[0138] Specific examples of pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and excipients that may be used to formulate oral dosage forms, are described in the Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients , American Pharmaceutical Association (1986). Techniques and compositions for making solid oral dosage forms are described in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms: Tablets (Lieberman, Lachman and Schwartz, editors) 2nd edition, published by Marcel Dekker, Inc. Techniques and compositions for making tablets (compressed and molded), capsules (hard and soft gelatin) and pills are also described in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences (Arthur Osol, editor), 1553B1593 (1980). Techniques and composition for making liquid oral dosage forms are described in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms: Disperse Systems, (Lieberman, Rieger and Banker, editors) published by Marcel Dekker, Inc.
[0139] When the compounds of the present invention are incorporated for parenteral administration by injection (e.g., continuous infusion or bolus injection), the formulation for parenteral administration may be in the form of suspensions, solutions, emulsions in oily or aqueous vehicles, and such formulations may further comprise pharmaceutically necessary additives such as stabilizing agents, suspending agents, dispersing agents, and the like. The compounds of the invention may also be in the form of a powder for reconstitution as an injectable formulation.
[0140] In certain embodiments, the compounds of the present invention can be used in combination with at least one other therapeutic agent. Therapeutic agents include, but are not limited to, μ-opioid agonists; non-opioid analgesics; non-steroid antiinflammatory agents; Cox-II inhibitors; antiemetics; β-adrenergic blockers; anticonvulsants; antidepressants; Ca2+-channel blockers; anticancer agent and mixtures thereof.
[0141] In certain embodiments, the compounds of the present invention can be formulated in a pharmaceutical dosage form in combination with a μ-opioid agonist. μ-opioid agonists, which may be included in the formulations of the present invention include but are not limited to include alfentanil, allylprodine, alphaprodine, anileridine, benzylmorphine, bezitramide, buprenorphine, butorphanol, clonitazene, codeine, desomorphine, dextromoramide, dezocine, diampromide, diamorphone, dihydrocodeine, dihydromorphine, dimenoxadol, dimepheptanol, dimethylthiambutene, dioxaphetyl butyrate, dipipanone, eptazocine, ethoheptazine, ethylmethylthiambutene, ethylmorphine, etonitazene fentanyl, heroin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, hydroxypethidine, isomethadone, ketobemidone, levorphanol, levophenacylmorphan, lofentanil, meperidine, meptazinol, metazocine, methadone, metopon, morphine, myrophine, nalbuphine, narceine, nicomorphine, norlevorphanol, normethadone, nalorphine, normorphine, norpipanone, opium, oxycodone, oxymorphone, papaveretum, pentazocine, phenadoxone, phenomorphan, phenazocine, phenoperidine, piminodine, piritramide, proheptazine, promedol, properidine, propiram, propoxyphene, sufentanil, tilidine, tramadol, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, and mixtures thereof.
[0142] In certain preferred embodiments, the μ-opioid agonist is selected from codeine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, dihydrocodeine, dihydromorphine, morphine, tramadol, oxymorphone, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, and mixtures thereof.
[0143] In another embodiment of the invention, the medicament comprises a mixture of a Cox-II inhibitor and an inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase for the treatment of pain and/or inflammation. Suitable Cox-II inhibitors and 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors, as well as combinations thereof are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,136,839, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Cox-II inhibitors include, but are not limited to rofecoxib (Vioxx), celecoxib (Celebrex), DUP-697, flosulide, meloxicam, 6-MNA, L-745337, nabumetone, nimesulide, NS-398, SC-5766, T-614, L-768277, GR-253035, JTE-522, RS-57067-000, SC-58125, SC-078, PD-138387, NS-398, flosulide, D-1367, SC-5766, PD-164387, etoricoxib, valdecoxib and parecoxib or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, enantiomers or tautomers thereof.
[0144] The compounds of the present invention can also be combined in dosage forms with non-opioid analgesics, e.g., non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, including aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, benoxaprofen, flurbiprofen, fenoprofen, flubufen, ketoprofen, indoprofen, piroprofen, carprofen, oxaprozin, pramoprofen, muroprofen, trioxaprofen, suprofen, aminoprofen, tiaprofenic acid, fluprofen, bucloxic acid, indomethacin, sulindac, tolmetin, zomepirac, tiopinac, zidometacin, acemetacin, fentiazac, clidanac, oxpinac, mefenamic acid, meclofenamic acid, flufenamic acid, niflumic acid tolfenamic acid, diflurisal, flufenisal, piroxicam, sudoxicam or isoxicam, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, and mixtures thereof. Other suitable non-opioid analgesics which may be included in the dosage forms of the present invention include the following, non-limiting, chemical classes of analgesic, antipyretic, nonsteroidal antifinflammatory drugs: salicylic acid derivatives, including aspirin, sodium salicylate, choline magnesium trisalicylate, salsalate, diflunisal, salicylsalicylic acid, sulfasalazine, and olsalazin; para-aminophennol derivatives including acetaminophen; indole and indene acetic acids, including indomethacin, sulindac, and etodolac; heteroaryl acetic acids, including tolmetin, diclofenac, and ketorolac; anthranilic acids (fenamates), including mefenamic acid, and meclofenamic acid; enolic acids, including oxicams (piroxicam, tenoxicam), and pyrazolidinediones (phenylbutazone, oxyphenthartazone); and alkanones, including nabumetone. For a more detailed description of the NSAIDs that may be included within the medicaments employed in the present invention, see Paul A. Insel Analgesic-Antipyretic and Antiinflammatory Agents and Drugs Employed in the treatment of Gout in Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 617-57 (Perry B. Molinhoff and Raymond W. Ruddon, Eds., Ninth Edition, 1996), and Glen R. Hanson Analgesic, Antipyretic and Anit-Inflammatory Drugs in Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy Vol II, 1196-1221 (A. R. Gennaro, Ed. 19th Ed. 1995) which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
[0145] In certain embodiments, the compounds of the present invention can be formulated in a pharmaceutical dosage form in combination with antimigraine agents. Antimigraine agents include, but are not limited to, alpiropride, dihydroergotamine, dolasetron, ergocomine, ergocominine, ergocryptine, ergot, ergotamine, flumedroxone acetate, fonazine, lisuride, lomerizine, methysergide oxetorone, pizotyline, and mixtures thereof.
[0146] The other therapeutic agent can also be an adjuvant to reduce any potential side effects such as, for example, an antiemetic agent. Suitable antiemetic agents include, but are not limited to, metoclopromide, domperidone, prochlorperazine, promethazine, chlorpromazine, trimethobenzamide, ondansetron, granisetron, hydroxyzine, acethylleucine monoethanolamine, alizapride, azasetron, benzquinamide, bietanautine, bromopride, buclizine, clebopride, cyclizine, dimenhydrinate, diphenidol, dolasetron, meclizine, methallatal, metopimazine, nabilone, oxypemdyl, pipamazine, scopolamine, sulpiride, tetrahydrocannabinols, thiethylperazine, thioproperazine, tropisetron, and mixtures thereof.
[0147] In certain embodiments, the compounds of the present invention can be formulated in a pharmaceutical dosage form in combination with β-adrenergic blockers. Suitable β-adrenergic blockers include, but are not limited to, acebutolol, alprenolol, amosulabol, arotinolol, atenolol, befunolol, betaxolol, bevantolol, bisoprolol, bopindolol, bucumolol, bufetolol, bufuralol, bunitrolol, bupranolol, butidrine hydrochloride, butofilolol, carazolol, carteolol, carvedilol, celiprolol, cetamolol, cloranolol, dilevalol, epanolol, esmolol, indenolol, labetalol, levobunolol, mepindolol, metipranolol, metoprolol, moprolol, nadolol, nadoxolol, nebivalol, nifenalol, nipradilol, oxprenolol, penbutolol, pindolol, practolol, pronethalol, propranolol, sotalol, sulfinalol, talinolol, tertatolol, tilisolol, timolol, toliprolol, and xibenolol.
[0148] In certain embodiments, the compounds of the present invention can be formulated in a pharmaceutical dosage form in combination with anticonvulsants. Suitable anticonvulsants include, but are not limited to, acetylpheneturide, albutoin, aloxidone, aminoglutethimide, 4-amino-3-hydroxybutyric acid, atrolactamide, beclamide, buramate, calcium bromide, carbamazepine, cinromide, clomethiazole, clonazepam, decimemide, diethadione, dimethadione, doxenitroin, eterobarb, ethadione, ethosuximide, ethotoin, felbamate, fluoresone, gabapentin, 5-hydroxytryptophan, lamotrigine, magnesium bromide, magnesium sulfate, mephenytoin, mephobarbital, metharbital, methetoin, methsuximide, 5-methyl-5-(3-phenanthryl)-hydantoin, 3-methyl-5-phenylhydantoin, narcobarbital, nimetazepam, nitrazepam, oxcarbazepine, paramethadione, phenacemide, phenetharbital, pheneturide, phenobarbital, phensuximide, phenylmethylbarbituric acid, phenytoin, phethenylate sodium, potassium bromide, pregabaline, primidone, progabide, sodium bromide, solanum, strontium bromide, suclofenide, sulthiame, tetrantoin, tiagabine, topiramate, trimethadione, valproic acid, valpromide, vigabatrin, and zonisamide.
[0149] In certain embodiments, the compounds of the present invention can be formulated in a pharmaceutical dosage form in combination with antidepressants. Suitable antidepressants include, but are not limited to, binedaline, caroxazone, citalopram, dimethazan, fencamine, indalpine, indeloxazine hydrocholoride, nefopam, nomifensine, oxitriptan, oxypertine, paroxetine, sertraline, thiazesim, trazodone, benmoxine, iproclozide, iproniazid, isocarboxazid, nialamide, octamoxin, phenelzine, cotinine, rolicyprine, rolipram, maprotiline, metralindole, mianserin, mirtazepine, adinazolam, amitriptyline, amitriptylinoxide, amoxapine, butriptyline, clomipramine, demexiptiline, desipramine, dibenzepin, dimetacrine, dothiepin, doxepin, fluacizine, imipramine, imipramine N-oxide, iprindole, lofepramine, melitracen, metapramine, nortriptyline, noxiptilin, opipramol, pizotyline, propizepine, protriptyline, quinupramine, tianeptine, trimipramine, adrafinil, benactyzine, bupropion, butacetin, dioxadrol, duloxetine, etoperidone, febarbamate, femoxetine, fenpentadiol, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, hematoporphyrin, hypericin, levophacetoperane, medifoxamine, milnacipran, minaprine, moclobemide, nefazodone, oxaflozane, piberaline, prolintane, pyrisuccideanol, ritanserin, roxindole, rubidium chloride, sulpiride, tandospirone, thozalinone, tofenacin, toloxatone, tranylcypromine, L-tryptophan, venlafaxine, viloxazine, and zimeldine.
[0150] In certain embodiments, the compounds of the present invention can be formulated in a pharmaceutical dosage form in combination with Ca2+-channel blockers. Suitable Ca2+-channel blockers include, but are not limited to, bepridil, clentiazem, diltiazem, fendiline, gallopamil, mibefradil, prenylamine, semotiadil, terodiline, verapamil, amlodipine, aranidipine, bamidipine, benidipine, cilnidipine, efonidipine, elgodipine, felodipine, isradipine, lacidipine, lercanidipine, manidipine, nicardipine, nifedipine, nilvadipine, nimodipine, nisoldipine, nitrendipine, cinnarizine, flunarizine, lidoflazine, lomerizine, bencyclane, etafenone, fantofarone, and perhexiline.
[0151] In certain embodiments, the compounds of the present invention can be formulated in a pharmaceutical dosage form in combination with anticancer agents. Suitable anticancer agents include, but are not limited to, acivicin; aclarubicin; acodazole hydrochloride; acronine; adozelesin; aldesleukin; altretamine; ambomycin; ametantrone acetate; aminoglutethimide; amsacrine; anastrozole; anthramycin; asparaginase; asperlin; azacitidine; azetepa; azotomycin; batimastat; benzodepa; bicalutamide; bisantrene hydrochloride; bisnafide dimesylate; bizelesin; bleomycin sulfate; brequinar sodium; bropirimine; busulfan; cactinomycin; calusterone; caracemide; carbetimer; carboplatin; carmustine; carubicin hydrochloride; carzelesin; cedefingol; chlorambucil; cirolemycin; cisplatin; cladribine; crisnatol mesylate; cyclophosphamide; cytarabine; dacarbazine; dactinomycin; daunorubicin hydrochloride; decitabine; dexormaplatin; dezaguanine; dezaguanine mesylate; diaziquone; docetaxel; doxorubicin; doxorubicin hydrochloride; droloxifene; droloxifene citrate; dromostanolonie propionate; duazomycin; edatrexate; eflomithine hydrochloride; elsamitrucin; enloplatin; enpromate; epipropidine; epirubicin hydrochloride; erbulozole; esorubicin hydrochloride; estramustine; estramustine phosphate sodium; etanidazole; etoposide; etoposide phosphate; etoprine; fadrozole hydrochloride; fazarabine; fenretinide; floxuridine; fludarabine phosphate; fluorouracil; flurocitabine; fosquidone; fostriecin sodium; gemcitabine; gemcitabine hydrochloride; hydroxyurea; idarubicin hydrochloride; ifosfamide; ilmofosine; interleukin II (including recombinant interleukin II, or rIL2), interferon alfa-2a; interferon alfa-2b; interferon alfa-n1; interferon alfa-n3; interferon beta-I a; interferon gamma-I b; iproplatin; irinotecan hydrochloride; lanreotide acetate; letrozole; leuprolide acetate; liarozole hydrochloride; lometrexol sodium; lomustine; losoxantrone hydrochloride; masoprocol; maytansine; mechlorethamine hydrochloride; megestrol acetate; melengestrol acetate; melphalan; menogaril; mercaptopurine; methotrexate; methotrexate sodium; metoprine; meturedepa; mitindomide; mitocarcin; mitocromin; mitogillin; mitomalcin; mitomycin; mitosper; mitotane; mitoxantrone hydrochloride; mycophenolic acid; nocodazole; nogalamycin; ormaplatin; oxisuran; paclitaxel; pegaspargase; peliomycin; pentamustine; peplomycin sulfate; perfosfamide; pipobroman; piposulfan; piroxantrone hydrochloride; plicamycin; plomestane; porfimer sodium; porfiromycin; prednimustine; procarbazine hydrochloride; puromycin; puromycin hydrochloride; pyrazofurin; riboprine; rogletimide; safingol; safingol hydrochloride; semustine; simtrazene; sparfosate sodium; sparsomycin; spirogermanium hydrochloride; spiromustine; spiroplatin; streptonigrin; streptozocin; sulofenur; talisomycin; tecogalan sodium; tegafur; teloxantrone hydrochloride; temoporfin; teniposide; teroxirone; testolactone; thiamiprine; thioguanine; thiotepa; tiazofurin; tirapazamine; toremifene citrate; trestolone acetate; triciribine phosphate; trimetrexate; trimetrexate glucuronate; triptorelin; tubulozole hydrochloride; uracil mustard; uredepa; vapreotide; verteporfin; vinblastine sulfate; vincristine sulfate; vindesine; vindesine sulfate; vinepidine sulfate; vinglycinate sulfate; vinleurosine sulfate; vinorelbine tartrate, vinrosidine sulfate; vinzolidine sulfate; vorozole; zeniplatin; zinostatin; zorubicin hydrochloride. Other anti-cancer drugs include, but are not limited to: 20-epi-1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3; 5-ethynyluracil; abiraterone; aclarubicin; acylfulvene; adecypenol; adozelesin; aldesleukin; ALL-TK antagonists; altretamine; ambamustine; amidox; amifostine; aminolevulinic acid; amrubicin; amsacrine; anagrelide; anastrozole; andrographolide; angiogenesis inhibitors; antagonist D; antagonist G; antarelix; anti-dorsalizing morphogenetic protein-1; antiandrogen, prostatic carcinoma; antiestrogen; antineoplaston; antisense oligonucleotides; aphidicolin glycinate; apoptosis gene modulators; apoptosis regulators; apurinic acid; ara-CDP-DL-PTBA; arginine deaminase; asulacrine; atamestane; atrimustine; axinastatin 1; axinastatin 2; axinastatin 3; azasetron; azatoxin; azatyrosine; baccatin III derivatives; balanol; batimastat; BCR/ABL antagonists; benzochlorins; benzoylstaurosporine; beta lactam derivatives; beta-alethine; betaclamycin B; betulinic acid; bFGF inhibitor; bicalutamide; bisantrene; bisaziridinylspermine; bisnafide; bistratene A; bizelesin; breflate; bropirimine; budotitane; buthionine sulfoximine; calcipotriol; calphostin C; camptothecin derivatives; canarypox IL-2; capecitabine; carboxamide-amino-triazole; carboxyamidotriazole; CaRest M3; CARN 700; cartilage derived inhibitor; carzelesin; casein kinase inhibitors (ICOS); castanospermine; cecropin B; cetrorelix; chlorlns; chloroquinoxaline sulfonamide; cicaprost; cis-porphyrin; cladribine; clomifene analogues; clotrimazole; collismycin A; collismycin B; combretastatin A4; combretastatin analogue; conagenin; crambescidin 816; crisnatol; cryptophycin 8; cryptophycin A derivatives; curacin A; cyclopentanthraquinones; cycloplatam; cypemycin; cytarabine ocfosfate; cytolytic factor; cytostatin; dacliximab; decitabine; dehydrodidemnin B; deslorelin; dexamethasone; dexifosfamide; dexrazoxane; dexverapamil; diaziquone; didemnin B; didox; diethylnorspermuine; dihydro-5-azacytidine; dihydrotaxol, 9-; dioxamycin; diphenyl spiromustine; docetaxel; docosanol; dolasetron; doxifluridine; droloxifene; dronabinol; duocarmycin SA; ebselen; ecomustine; edelfosine; edrecolomab; eflomithine; elemene; emitefur; epirubicin; epristeride; estramustine analogue; estrogen agonists; estrogen antagonists; etanidazole; etoposide phosphate; exemestane; fadrozole; fazarabine; fenretinide; filgrastim; finasteride; flavopiridol; flezelastine; fluasterone; fludarabine; fluorodaunorunicin hydrochloride; forfenimex; formestane; fostriecin; fotemustine; gadolinium texaphyrin; gallium nitrate; galocitabine; ganirelix; gelatinase inhibitors; gemcitabine; glutathione inhibitors; hepsulfam; heregulin; hexamethylene bisacetamide; hypericin; ibandronic acid; idarubicin; idoxifene; idramantone; ilmofosine; ilomastat; imidazoacridones; imiquimod; immunostimulant peptides; insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor inhibitor; interferon agonists; interferons; interleukins; iobenguane; iododoxorubicin; ipomeanol, 4-; iroplact; irsogladine; isobengazole; isohomohalicondrin B; itasetron; jasplakinolide; kahalalide F; lamellarin-N triacetate; lanreotide; leinamycin; lenograstim; lentinan sulfate; leptolstatin; letrozole; leukemia inhibiting factor; leukocyte alpha interferon; leuprolide+estrogen+progesterone; leuprorelin; levamisole; liarozole; linear polyamine analogue; lipophilic disaccharide peptide; lipophilic platinum compounds; lissoclinamide 7; lobaplatin; lombricine; lometrexol; lonidamine; losoxantrone; lovastatin; loxoribine; lurtotecan; lutetium texaphyrin; lysofylline; lytic peptides; maitansine; mannostatin A; marimastat; masoprocol; maspin; matrilysin inhibitors; matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors; menogaril; merbarone; meterelin; methioninase; metoclopramide; MIF inhibitor; mifepristone; miltefosine; mirimostim; mismatched double stranded RNA; mitoguazone; mitolactol; mitomycin analogues; mitonafide; mitotoxin fibroblast growth factor-saporin; mitoxantrone; mofarotene; molgramostim; monoclonal antibody, human chorionic gonadotrophin; monophosphoryl lipid A+myobacterium cell wall sk; mopidamol; multiple drug resistance gene inhibitor; multiple tumor suppressor 1-based therapy; mustard anticancer agent; mycaperoxide B; mycobacterial cell wall extract; myriaporone; N-acetyldinaline; N-substituted benzamides; nafarelin; nagrestip; naloxone+pentazocine; napavin; naphterpin; nartograstim; nedaplatin; nemorubicin; neridronic acid; neutral endopeptidase; nilutamide; nisamycin; nitric oxide modulators; nitroxide antioxidant; nitrullyn; O6-benzylguanine; octreotide; okicenone; oligonucleotides; onapristone; ondansetron; ondansetron; oracin; oral cytokine inducer; ormaplatin; osaterone; oxaliplatin; oxaunomycin; paclitaxel; paclitaxel analogues; paclitaxel derivatives; palauamine; palmitoylrhizoxin; pamidronic acid; panaxytriol; panomifene; parabactin; pazelliptine; pegaspargase; peldesine; pentosan polysulfate sodium; pentostatin; pentrozole; perflubron; perfosfamide; perillyl alcohol; phenazinomycin; phenylacetate; phosphatase inhibitors; picibanil; pilocarpine hydrochloride; pirarubicin; piritrexim; placetin A; placetin B; plasminogen activator inhibitor; platinum complex; platinum compounds; platinum-triamine complex; porfimer sodium; porfiromycin; prednisone; propyl bis-acridone; prostaglandin J2; proteasome inhibitors; protein A-based immune modulator; protein kinase C inhibitor; protein kinase C inhibitors, microalgal; protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors; purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitors; purpurins; pyrazoloacridine; pyridoxylated hemoglobin polyoxyethylene conjugate; raf antagonists; raltitrexed; ramosetron; ras farnesyl protein transferase inhibitors; ras inhibitors; ras-GAP inhibitor; retelliptine demethylated; rhenium Re 186 etidronate; rhizoxin; ribozymes; RII retinamide; rogletimide; rohitukine; romurtide; roquinimex; rubiginone B1, ruboxyl; safingol; saintopin; SarCNU; sarcophytol A; sargramostim; Sdi 1 mimetics; semustine; senescence derived inhibitor 1; sense oligonucleotides; signal transduction inhibitors; signal transduction modulators; single chain antigen binding protein; sizofiran; sobuzoxane; sodium borocaptate; sodium phenylacetate; solverol; somatomedin binding protein; sonermin; sparfosic acid; spicamycin D; spiromustine; splenopentin; spongistatin 1; squalamine; stem cell inhibitor; stem-cell division inhibitors; stipiamide; stromelysin inhibitors; sulfinosine; superactive vasoactive intestinal peptide antagonist; suradista; suramin; swainsonine; synthetic glycosaminoglycans; tallimustine; tamoxifen methiodide; tauromustine; tazarotene; tecogalan sodium; tegafur; tellurapyrylium; telomerase inhibitors; temoporfin; temozolomide; teniposide; tetrachlorodecaoxide; tetrazomine; thaliblastine; thiocoraline; thrombopoietin; thrombopoietin mimetic; thymalfasin; thymopoietin receptor agonist; thymotrinan; thyroid stimulating hormone; tin ethyl etiopurpurin; tirapazamine; titanocene bichloride; topsentin; toremifene; totipotent stem cell factor; translation inhibitors; tretinoin; triacetyluridine; triciribine; trimetrexate; triptorelin; tropisetron; turosteride; tyrosine kinase inhibitors; tyrphostins; UBC inhibitors; ubenimex; urogenital sinus-derived growth inhibitory factor; urokinase receptor antagonists; vapreotide; variolin B; vector system, erythrocyte gene therapy; velaresol; veramine; verdins; verteporfin; vinorelbine; vinxaltine; vitaxin; vorozole; zanoterone; zeniplatin; zilascorb; and zinostatin stimalamer.
[0152] The compounds of the present invention and the other therapeutic agent can act additively or, more preferably, synergistically. In a preferred embodiment, a composition comprising a compounds of the present invention is administered concurrently with the administration of another therapeutic agent, which can be part of the same composition or in a different composition from that comprising the compounds of the present invention. In another embodiment, a composition comprising the compounds of the present invention is administered prior to or subsequent to administration of another therapeutic agent.
[0153] The compounds of the present invention when administered, e.g., via the oral, parenteral or topical routes to mammals, can be in a dosage in the range of about 0.01 mg/kg to about 3000 mg/kg body weight of the patient per day, preferably about 0.01 mg/kg to about 1000 mg/kg body weight per day administered singly or as a divided dose. However, variations will necessarily occur depending upon the weight and physical condition (e.g., hepatic and renal function) of the subject being treated, the affliction to be treated, the severity of the symptoms, the route of administration, the frequency of the dosage interval, the presence of any deleterious side-effects, and the particular compound utilized, among other things.
[0154] The compounds of the present invention preferably have a binding affinity K i for the human ORL-1 receptor of about 500 nM or less; 100 nM or less; 50 nM or less; 20 nM or less or 5 nM or less. The binding affinity K i can be measured by one skilled in the art by an assay utilizing membranes from recombinant HEK-293 cells expressing the human opioid receptor-like receptor (ORL-1) as described below.
[0155] The following examples illustrate various aspects of the present invention, and are not to be construed to limit the claims in any manner whatsoever.
EXAMPLE 1
Synthesis of “trans” Head Groups
[0156] [0156]
[0157] Procedure:
[0158] A mixture of compound 1 (22.8 g, 200 mmol), compound 2 (19.9 g, 100 mmol) and Na(OAc) 3 BH (29.7 g, 140 mmol) in 300 mL 1,2-dichloroethane was stirred overnight. The reaction was quenched with aqueous K 2 CO 3 . The mixture was extracted with Et 2 O (3×), and the organic extracts were dried over K 2 CO 3 , filtered and the solvent was evaporated. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (10% Et 3 N, 40% EtOAc in hexane, then 10% Et 3 N, 90% EtOAc, and then 10% MeOH, 90% EtOAc) to give pure 3 as a solid (18.80 g, 63.6%).
[0159] MS: m/z 298.3 (M+1)
[0160] [0160] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 0.90 (m, 1H), 1.05-1.40 (m, 6H), 1.45 (s, 9H), 1.68-1.80 (m, 5H), 1.88 (m, 2H), 2.05 (m, 1H), 2.15 (m, 1H), 2.30 (m, 1H), 2.70-2.90 (m, 3H), 4.00 (b, 2H).
[0161] To a solution of compound 3 (18.8 g, 63 mmol) in 50 mL of CH 3 CN was added 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole (12.82 g, 79 mmol). Gas was evolved and the mixture became a slurry in a few min and then a solid after 10 min. After 2 hr, the solid was dissolved in CH 2 Cl 2 and washed with H 2 O, dried over K 2 CO 3 and filtered. The solvent was evaporated to give 4 as a white solid (18.0 g, 88.5%). This material was used directly in subsequent next steps.
[0162] [0162] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.30-1.50 (m, 13H), 1.55-1.75 (m, 8H), 1.80 (m, 2H), 1.95 (m, 1H), 2.15 (m, 1H), 2.98 (m, 2H), 3.85 (m, 1H), 4.50 (bs, 1H).
[0163] To a solution of compound 4 (6.25 g, 19.3 mmol) in 70 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 was added 20 mL of TFA. The mixture was stirred for 2 hr and then the solvent and TFA were evaporated. The residue was dissolved in CH 2 Cl 2 , washed with saturated aqueous K 2 CO 3 solution. The organic layer was dried over K 2 CO 3 and filtered. Evaporation of solvent gave 5 as a solid (3.50 g, 81.2%).
[0164] MS: m/z 224.2 (M+1)
[0165] [0165] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.30-1.50 (m, 4H), 1.60-1.85 (m, 6H), 1.90 (b, 1H), 1.25 (b, 1H), 1.65 (dq, 2H), 2.90-3.20 (m, 4H), 4.75 (m, 1H), 4.45 (b, 1H).
[0166] To a suspension of NaH (60% oil dispersion, 1.0 g, 24 mmol) in 30 mL of DMF was added compound 4 (6.46 g, 20 mmol) in 15 mL of DMF. After 5 minutes, EtI (3.70 g, 24 mmol) was added to the reaction mixture. The mixture was stirred overnight, quenched with H 2 O and extracted with CH 2 Cl 2 . The organic extracts were dried over K 2 CO 3 and filtered. Evaporation of the solvent provided 6 (6.20 g, 88.2%). This material was used directly in the next step.
[0167] LC: 94.6%
[0168] MS: m/z 352.2 (M+1) 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.07 (t, 3H), 1.30-1.40 (m, 4H), 1.50 (s, 9H), 1.60-1.77 (m, 6H), 1.80 (m, 2H), 2.05 (m, 1H), 2.15 (m, 1H), 2.70-2.90 (m, 4H), 3.20 (m, 2H), 3.90 (m, 1H).
[0169] To a solution of compound 6 (6.10 g, 17.36 mmol) in 70 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 was added 20 mL of TFA. The mixture was stirred for 2 hr and then the solvent and TFA were evaporated. The residue was dissolved in CH 2 Cl 2 , washed with saturated aqueous K 2 CO 3 solution. The organic layer was dried over K 2 CO 3 and filtered. Evaporation of solvent gave 7 as an oil (3.32 g, 76.1%).
[0170] [0170] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.05 (t, 3H), 1.25-1.45 (m, 4H), 1.55-1.75 (m, 4H), 1.80 (m, 2H), 2.00 (b, 1H), 2.25 (b, 1H), 2.60-2.75 (m, 3H), 2.80 (m, 1H), 3.10 (t, 2H), 3.25 (m, 2H), 3.75 (m, 1H).
EXAMPLE 2
Synthesis of “cis” Head Groups
[0171] [0171]
[0172] Procedure:
[0173] In a manner similar to the preparation of 7, compound 12 was prepared.
EXAMPLE 3
Attachment of Tail Groups
[0174] Tail groups were attached to the head groups according to the following procedures:
[0175] General Procedure for Alkylation:
[0176] To a solution of the amine (1 eq) and triethylamine (1 eq) in dimethylformamide, was added 1 eq of alkyl bromide or chloride in one portion. The mixture was stirred and heated at 80° C. over night. TLC indicated the reaction was complete. The reaction was quenched by the addition of water followed by 1 N NaOH to pH 10. The mixture was extracted 2× with Et 2 O. The combined organic extracts were dried over potassium carbonate and the solvent evaporated, followed by chromatography to give the pure product.
[0177] General Procedure for Reductive Amination:
[0178] To a mixture of ketone or aldehyde (1 eq), amine (1 eq), and acetic acid (1 eq) in methanol, was added sodium cyanoborohydride (1.4 eq) in one portion. The mixture was stirred over night at room temperature. TLC indicated the reaction was complete. The reaction was quenched by the addition of water followed by 1 N NaOH to pH 10. The mixture was extracted 2× with Et 2 O. The combined organic extracts were dried over potassium carbonate and the solvent evaporated, followed by chromatography to give the pure product.
[0179] The following compounds were prepared by attaching the tail groups using the general procedures described:
[0180] 1-[1-benzyl-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0181] LC: 95%
[0182] MS: m/z
[0183] [0183] 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.10-2.90 (m, 18H), 3.5 (s, 2H), 3.70 (m, 1H), 7.25 (m, 5H).
[0184] 1-[1-(naphth-2-yl-methyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0185] MS: m/z 364.2 (M+1)
[0186] [0186] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.35-2.00 (m, 11H), 2.10 (m, 2H), 2.35 (m, 1H), 2.95-3.10 (m, 4H), 3.70 (s, 2H), 3.80 (m, 1H), 4.40 (s, 1H), 7.50 (m, 3H), 7.70 (s, 1H), 7.80 (m, 3H).
[0187] 1-[1-(3,3-Bis(phenyl)propyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0188] MS: m/z 418.3 (M+1)
[0189] [0189] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.30-2.00 (m, 15H), 2.28 (m, 4H), 2.80-3.05 (m, 3H), 3.75 (m, 1H), 3.92 (t, 1H), 4.40 (b, 1H).
[0190] 1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0191] MS: m/z 348.3 (M+1)
[0192] [0192] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 0.85 (m 3H), 1.10-1.70 (m, 20H), 1.78 (m, 5H), 1.92 (m, 1H), 2.10-2.40 (m, 3H), 3.00 (m, 3H), 3.75 (m, 1H), 4.38 (b, 1H).
[0193] 1-[1-(5-methylhex-2-yl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0194] MS: m/z 322.3 (M+1)
[0195] [0195] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 0.80-1.00 (m, 9H), 1.10-1.85 (m, 15H), 1.95 (m, 1H), 2.20-2.45 (m, 3H), 2.52 (m, 1H), 2.78 (m, 2H), 3.00 (m, 2H), 3.75 (m, 1H), 4.40 (b, 1H).
[0196] 1-[1-(decahydro-2-naphthyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0197] MS: m/z 360.3 (M+1)
[0198] [0198] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 0.80-1.10 (m, 2H), 1.20-2.00 (m, 25H), 2.20-2.60 (m, 4H), 2.85-3.15 (m, 4H), 3.75 (m, 1H), 4.40 (b, 1H).
[0199] 1-[1-(cyclooctyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0200] MS: m/z 334.3 (M+1)
[0201] [0201] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.20-1.90 (m, 24H), 1.95 (m, 1H), 2.35 (m, 3H), 2.55 (m, 1H), 2.80 (m, 2H), 3.00 (m, 21H), 3.75 (m, 1H), 4.45 (s, 1H).
[0202] 1-[1-[4-(1-methylethyl)-cyclohexyl]-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0203] MS: m/z 348.3 (M+1)
[0204] [0204] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 0.85 (m, 6H), 0.90-2.00 (m, 21H), 2.05-2.40 (m, 4H), 3.00 (m, 4H), 3.75 r.(m, 1H), 4.40 (b, 1H).
[0205] 1-[1-(cyclooctylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0206] MS: m/z 348.3 (M+1)
[0207] [0207] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.20 (m, 2H), 1.30-1.70 (m, 19H), 1.78 (m, 4H), 1.95 (m, 3H), 2.05 (m, 2H), 2.3 (m, 1H), 2.90 (m, 2H), 3.00 (m, 2H), 3.75 (m, 1H), 4.40 (b, 1H). 3-ethyl-1-[1-(benzyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0208] MS: m/z 342.2 (M+1)
[0209] [0209] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.02 (t, 3H), 1.40 (m, 4H), 1.60-1.72 (m, 2H), 1.80 (m, 4H), 2.08 (m, 3H), 2.30 (m, 1H), 2.75 (m, 1H), 2.88 (m, 3H), 3.20 (m, 2H), 3.50 (s, 2H), 3.80 (m, 1H), 7.25-7.35 (m, 5H).
[0210] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(naphth-2-yl-methyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0211] MS: m/z 392.2
[0212] [0212] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.05 (t, 3H), 1.30-1.90 (m, 8H), 2.00-2.15 (m, 3H), 2.30 (m, 1H), 2.60 (m, 2H), 2.75 (m, 1H), 2.90 (m, 1H), 2.95 (m, 2H), 3.20 (m, 2H), 3.65 (s, 2H), 3.80 (m, 1H), 7.48 (m, 3H), 7.70 (s, 1H), 7.80 (m, 3H).
[0213] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(3,3-Bis(phenyl)propyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0214] MS: m/z 446.3 (M+1)
[0215] [0215] 1 H-NMR(CDCl 3 ): d 1.02 (t, 3H), 1.15 (m, 1H), 1.35 (m, 4H), 1.65-1.85 (m, 5H), 1.90-2.05 (m, 3H), 2.25 (m, 4H), 2.6-2.78 (m, 2H), 2.80-2.95 (m, 3H), 3.20 (m, 2H), 3.75 (m, 1H), 3.95 (m, 1H), 7.15-7.30 (m, 1H).
[0216] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0217] MS: m/z 376.3 (M+1)
[0218] [0218] 1 H-NMR(CDCl 3 ): d 0.85 (m, 3H), 1.06 (t, 3H), 1.15-1.90 (m, 23H), 2.10 (m, 1H), 2.10-2.35 (m, 4H), 2.74 (m, 1H), 2.85 (m, 1H), 2.99 (m, 2H), 3.23 (m, 2H), 3.75 (m, 1H).
[0219] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(5-methylhex-2-yl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0220] MS: m/z 350.3 (M+1)
[0221] [0221] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 0.85 (d, 6H), 0.96 (M, 3H), 1.05 (t, 3H), 1.10-1.45 (m, 8H), 1.51 (m, 2H), 1.70-1.85 (m, 5H), 2.10 (m, 1H), 2.20-2.60 (m, 4H), 2.70-2.90 (m, 4H), 3.20 (m, 2H), 3.78 (m, 1H).
[0222] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(decahydro-2-naphthyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0223] MS: m/z 388.3 (M+1)
[0224] [0224] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.02 (m, 3H), 1.20-2.40 (m, 32H), 2.70-3.00 (m, 3H), 3.25 (m, 2H), 3.78 (m, 1H).
[0225] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(cyclooctyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0226] MS: m/z 362.3 (M+1)
[0227] [0227] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 1.03 (m, 3H), 1.25-1.90 (m, 24H), 2.02 (m, 1H), 2.30 (m, 3H), 2.60 (m, 1H), 2.70-2.90 (m, 4H), 3.20 (m, 2H), 3.75 (m, 1H).
[0228] 3-ethyl-1-[i-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0229] MS: m/z 376.3 (M+1)
[0230] [0230] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 0.85 (d, 6H), 1.05 (t, 3H), 1.25-1.90 (m, 20H), 1.99-2.35 (m, 5H), 2.73 (m, 1H), 2.85 (m, 1H), 3.00 (m, 2H), 3.20 (m, 2H), 3.75 (m, 1H).
[0231] 3-ethyl-1-[1-(cyclooctylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
[0232] MS: m/z 376.3 (M+1)
[0233] [0233] 1 H-NMR(CDCl 3 ): d 1.05 (t, 3H), 1.10-2.10 (m, 30H), 2.27 (m, 1H), 2.74 (m, 1H), 2.85 (m, 3H), 3.20 (m, 2H), 3.75 (m, 1H).
EXAMPLE 4
[0234] Nociceptin affinity at the ORL1 receptor for preferred compounds was obtained using the following assay:
[0235] Membranes from recombinant HEK-293 cells expressing the human opioid receptor-like receptor (ORL-1) (Receptor Biology) were prepared by lysing cells in ice-cold hypotonic buffer (2.5 mM MgCl 2 , 50 mM HEPES, pH 7.4) (10 ml/10 cm dish) followed by homogenization with a tissue grinder/teflon pestle. Membranes were collected by centrifugation at 30,000× g for 15 min at 4° C. and pellets resuspended in hypotonic buffer to a final concentration of 1-3 mg/ml. Protein concentrations were determined using the BioRad protein assay reagent with bovine serum albumen as standard. Aliquots of the ORL-1 receptor membranes were stored at −80° C.
[0236] Functional SGTPgS binding assays were conducted as follows. ORL-1 membrane solution was prepared by sequentially adding final concentrations of 0.066 mg/ml ORL-1 membrane protein, 10 mg/ml saponin, 3 mM GDP and 0.20 nM [ 35 S]GTPgS to binding buffer (100 mM NaCl, 10 mM MgCl 2 , 20 mM HEPES, pH 7.4) on ice. The prepared membrane solution (190 ml/well) was transferred to 96-shallow well polypropylene plates containing 10 ml of 20× concentrated stock solutions of agonist prepared in DMSO. Plates were incubated for 30 min at room temperature with shaking. Reactions were terminated by rapid filtration onto 96-well Unifilter GF/B filter plates (Packard) using a 96-well tissue harvester (Brandel) and followed by three filtration washes with 200 ml ice-cold binding buffer (10 mM NaH 2 PO 4 , 10 mM Na 2 HPO 4 , pH 7.4). Filter plates were subsequently dried at 50° C. for 2-3 hours. Fifty ml/well scintillation cocktail (BetaScint; Wallac) was added and plates were counted in a Packard Top-Count for 1 min/well.
[0237] Data was analyzed using the curve fitting functions in GraphPad PRISMÔ, v. 3.0 and the results are set forth in table 1 below:
TABLE 1 Nociceptin Affinity calc K i , Compound (nM) 1-[1-benzyl-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H- 1054 benzimidazol-2-one 1-[1-(naphth-2-yl-methyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9- 1259 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 1-[1-(3,3-Bis(phenyl)propyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 437 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9- 634 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 1-[1-(5-methylhex-2-yl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9- 414 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 1-[1-(decahydro-2-naphthyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 51 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 1-[1-(cyclooctyl)-4-piperidinyl]-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-trans- 125 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 1-[1-[4-(1-methylethyl)-cyclohexyl]-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 39 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 1-[1-(cyclooctylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9- 16 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(benzyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9- 692 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(naphth-2-yl-methyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 824 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(3,3-Bis(phenyl)propyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 4358 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 1239 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(5-methylhex-2-yl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 410 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(decahydro-2-naphthyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 184 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(cyclooctyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9- 111 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 89 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(cyclooctylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 11 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
EXAMPLE 5
[0238] Affinity at the μ receptor for compounds was obtained according to the following assay:
[0239] Mu opioid receptor membrane solution was prepared by sequentially adding final concentrations of 0.075 μg/μl of the desired membrane protein, 10 μg/ml saponin, 3 μM GDP and 0.20 nM [ 35 S]GTPγS to binding buffer (100 mM NaCl, 10 mM MgCl 2 , 20 mM HEPES, pH 7.4) on ice. The prepared membrane solution (190 μl/well) was transferred to 96-shallow well polypropylene plates containing 10 μl of 20× concentrated stock solutions of agonist prepared in DMSO. Plates were incubated for 30 min at room temperature with shaking. Reactions were terminated by rapid filtration onto 96-well Unifilter GF/B filter plates (Packard) using a 96-well tissue harvester (Brandel) and followed by three filtration washes with 200 μl ice-cold binding buffer (10 mM NaH 2 PO 4 , 10 mM Na 2 HPO 4 , pH 7.4). Filter plates were subsequently dried at 50° C. for 2-3 hours. Fifty pl/well scintillation cocktail (MicroScint20, Packard) was added and plates were counted in a Packard Top-Count for 1 min/well.
[0240] Data were analyzed using the curve fitting functions in GraphPad PRISM™, v. 3.0 and the results for several compounds are set forth in table 2 below:
TABLE 2 Mu Receptor Affinity calc K i , Compound (nM) 1-[1-(naphth-2-yl-methyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9- 1237 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 1-[1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9- 435 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(decahydro-2-naphthyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans- 279 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one 3-ethyl-1-[1-(cyclooctyl)-4-piperidinyl]-trans-1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9- 909 octahydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one | Disclosed are compounds of the formula (I):
wherein A, B, C, M 1 -M 4 , R, R 1 , R 2 and n are as described herein. | 2 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/KR02/00428, filed Mar. 12, 2002, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. KR 2001-12591, filed Mar. 12, 2001, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition which can be employed as an essential therapeutic agent for dermal disease caused by damage of a skin barrier, such as atopic dermatitis, and specifically, it concerns a composition which repair a damaged skin barrier to a normal condition so as to recover the skin's properties of moisture-retaining capacity and selective permeability, thereby maximizing inhibition or alleviation of skin irritation due to external irritants. More particularly, the invention relates to a therapeutic composition for a broad spectrum of skin diseases, comprising sphingolipid long-chain base selected from the group consisting of phytosphingosine, acetylphytosphingosine, tetraacetyl phytosphingosine, hexanoylphytosphingosine and acetylphytosphingosine phosphate, andlysophosphatidic acid selected from the group consisting of lyso-stearoyl phosphatidic acid (18:0), lyso-oleoyl phosphatidic acid (18:1), lyso-palmitoyl phosphatidic acid (16:0) and natural lyso-phosphatidic acid derived from egg yolk or beans, with respect to the total weight of the composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis are known to be diseases which are hard to cure, like cancers, AIDS and dementia, and thereby plague the human race. The reasons for these diseases are still not clearly understood, and a fundamental therapy is not yet developed. It is believed that a combination of multiple factors including genetic, environmental and immunological causes, may cause skin diseases. Such diseases have characteristics of chronic and periodic onset and recurrence.
Although most skin diseases are not fatal, many patients experience severe hindrance in managing daily lives, and especially, juveniles including children have difficulties in doing school work, due to emotional upset and loss of concentration, causing social problems. Regarding atopic dermatitis, it was reported that 85 percent of patients became ill before the age of 5, and 60% of the patients still have symptoms of atopic dermatitis when they reach adulthood. Though it is known that on average, 5 to 10% of the total population experiences this disease, and the incidence is increasing due to environmental causes. One study found that the number of such patients in the United States increased by three times since the 1970s. In the world, Korea belongs to a group of nations whose incidence of patients with atopic dermatitis is high. The reason for this is thought to be the trend that apartments are becoming the primary accommodation. According to a survey of the United States, 56% of the respondents said they feel uncomfortable in their social lives, and 80% suffer sleep difficulties.
So far, there is no perfect cure for atopic dermatitis. Some antibiotics have been used for the treatment of skin infections which often accompany atopic dermatitis, depending on the progress of the lesions. UV radiation or immunosuppressants can also be applied to the patients with severe lesions. Such treatments are based on the knowledge that abnormal functioning of macrophages and T cells is a main factor of atopic dermatitis, and overproduction of IL-4 and IL-5 in the skin tissues of the lesions are closely related to high concentrations of IgE and eosinophilia which are characteristics of atopic dermatitis (Ohmen J D et al., J Immunol., 154: 1956-1963, 1995-Overproduction of IL-10; Hamid Q et al., J Clin. Invest ., 94: 870-876, 1994-Cytokine expression; which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties).
Steroid-containing ointments or anti-histamine agents have been used, but are only a partial cure, and have considerable side effects. Dermatologists warn patients about side effects caused by long-term steroid therapy, and it is observed that termination of the application of steroids is often followed by lesion recurrence. Steroids for external or oral application make the skin layers thin or cause osteoporosis and inhibit growth in children, upon long-term use. Therefore, much research conducted so far focuses on development of steroid substances with fewer side effects. Studies on non-steroid or low steroid preparations were presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Conference in 2000, thus being a recent trend.
Considering the above, what is needed is a composition for dermatological application which is effective in treating skin disorders, yet has fewer side effects that the above described treatments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is directed to a therapeutic composition for a broad spectrum of skin diseases. In some aspects of the invention, the composition comprises sphingolipid long-chain base, including phytosphingosine and its derivatives and serve as one constituent of lipids in the skin, and, functional phospholipid such as lysophosphatidic acid.
In some aspects of the invention, a therapeutic composition for treatment of skin diseases is provided, having a sphingolipid long-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid. In some embodiments, the sphingolipid long-chain base can be present at a percentage (by weight) from about 0.01 to 5.0%. In some embodiments, the lysophosphatidic acid can be present at from about 0.001 to 1.0%. The sphingolipid long-chain base can be, for example, phytosphingosine, acetylphytosphingosine, tetraacetyl phytosphingosine, hexanoylphytosphingosine, or acetylphytosphingosine phosphate.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a therapeutic composition for a broad spectrum of skin diseases, comprising 30 to 90% by weight of a conventional substrate or a carrier for topical application; 0.01 to 5% by weight of sphingolipid long-chain base; 0.001 to 1% by weight of lysophosphatidic acid; and 1 to 40% by weight of organic or inorganic additives.
Preferably, the sphingolipid long-chain base is one or more selected from the group consisting of phytosphingosine, acetylphytosphingosine, tetraacetyl phytosphingosine, hexanoylphytosphingosine and acetylphytosphingosine phosphate
It is preferable that the organic additives may contain ceramide, cholesterol and fatty acid at a weight ratio of 40 to 60%:20 to 30%:20 to 30%, pursuant to the composition of normal skin.
In some embodiments, ceramide used herein may include ceramide 3, ceramide 6, and a mixture thereof, and its stereochemical composition is the same as in skin lipids.
In some embodiments, the lysophosphatidic acid used herein may be selected from the group consisting of lyso-stearoyl phosphatidic acid (18:0), lyso-oleoyl phosphatidic acid (18:1), lyso-palmitoyl phosphatidic acid (16:0) and natural lyso-phosphatidic acid derived from egg yolk or beans.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a therapeutic composition for a broad spectrum of skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis with hyperkeratosis, skin inflammation, pruritus, bacterial infection, acne, and wounds.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a therapeutic composition for a broad spectrum of skin diseases, formulated by using conventional carriers for skin in the form of cream, lotion, skin toner, essence, body wash, and shampoo.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a line graph showing a recovery rate of a damaged skin barrier by a composition of the invention for comparison with the control. “cx 33%” refers to the use of “Composition 1” of Example 1. The term “base” refers to the use of the “Comparative Composition”, and the term “None” refers to the negative control.
FIG. 2 displays microscopic images of skin tissues. FIG. 2 a is a photograph showing skin tissue treated with a composition of the invention after acute disruption of the skin. FIG. 2 b is a photograph showing skin tissue without treatment after acute disruption of the skin (Control).
FIG. 3 is a bar graph showing the effects of sphingolipid long-chain base, lysophosphatidic acid, or both, on wound repair.
FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are photographs showing regeneration of the epidermis and dermis through formation of the stratum granulosum (granular layer) by treatment of a composition of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a line graph showing the antimicrobial activity of tetraacetyl phytosphingosine versus microorganisms.
FIG. 6 is a bar graph showing the inhibitory effects of sphingolipid long-chain base on protein kinase C activity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In some embodiments of the invention, a pharmaceutical composition is provided which can be employed as an essential therapeutic agent for dermal disease caused by damage of a skin barrier, such as atopic dermatitis. The composition can repair a damaged skin barrier to a normal condition so as to recover the skin's properties of moisture-retaining capacity and selective permeability, thereby maximizing inhibition or alleviation of skin irritation due to external irritation. Therefore, the present invention is directed to a therapeutic composition for the treatment of a broad spectrum of skin diseases, comprising a sphingolipid long-chain base in combination with a functional phospholipid such as lysophosphatidic acid.
One of advantages of a composition of the invention is that it exerts a similar efficacy to steroid hormone preparations and antibiotics which are mainly used for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. In some embodiments of the invention, another advantage is that since essential components of the composition, that is, ceramide, sphingolipid long-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid, are naturally present in the skin, its long-term use does not exhibit any side effects due to normal metabolism of such components.
Ceramide, a type of sphingolipid, is a primary component of skin lipids which is vital for retaining moisture. Ceramide has been employed as a functional ingredient of cosmetics. According to one research report, ceramide content in atopic skin, psoriasis lesions and skin afflicted with acne is lower than that of normal skin. Further, it was reported that the content of ceramide 3, among 6 ceramides in atopic skin, is reduced by more than 40% relative to normal skin, proving that the quantity of ceramide 3 in the skin is directly related to a variety of skin diseases.
A skin moisturizing effect of ceramide is driven by two fundamental underlying properties thereof. First, skin barriers take the form of keratinized dead cells stacked in a brick-like formation. The regions between the cells are filled with lipids being composed of mainly ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids with an appropriate ratio (such as, for example 45%:25%:25%). This formation is is described as a bricks and mortar model, thereby forming a lipid lamellar barrier which prevents loss of moisture. Once a skin barrier is damaged, the skin cells synthesize new components that contribute to the skin barrier. At this time, ceramides are supplied for the last time. As a result, where the ceramide content in the skin is deficient, the damaged skin barrier is not quickly repaired, thereby failing to maintain moisture within the skin. The second property for skin moisturization by ceramides is that about a third of the moisture in the skin is bound to ceramides, that is, ceramides are present as a water-bound form. Thus, ceramides are a decisive factor responsible for maintaining moisture in the skin, among lipids composing the skin barrier.
Ceramides have been considered to be useful, so far, simply as a moisturizer, based on a limited consideration that a damaged skin barrier reflects only the decreased moisture retaining capability thereof. However, the skin barrier functions as a barrier against penetration of skin-irritating allergens or toxic substances, as well as maintaining skin's moisture balance. Accordingly, the damaged skin barrier results in a more severe condition leading to dysfunction of the barrier against allergens or toxic substances. Indeed, there is a report that patients afflicted with lamellar ichthyosis, whose skin barriers are severely damaged, experience acute toxic reactions to salicylic acid or lindane (JAMA 151: 372-374, 1953; Arch. Dermatol., 123: 1056-1058, 1987; which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties).
The stratum corneum, responsible for moisture retention of the skin, contains 6 kinds of ceramides. These ceramides are divided into ceramides 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, according to the structures of their precursors, such as, for example, sphingosines or phytosphingosines. Ceramides found in the stratum corneum are pure ceramides, which have no sugar, phosphate, or choline groups, and are hydrophobic. Ceramides in the human skin have unique natural stereochemical structures. Actually, only ceramides with natural structures can repair the damaged stratum corneum to a normal state. Accordingly, since animal or plant ceramides exist as a sugar-bound form, such ceramides are not suitable for use to recover the damaged skin barrier. Also, since chemically synthesized ceramide analogs are not subjected to a natural metabolism in the skin layers and are accumulated therein, their long-term use can rather cause skin barriers to be damaged. Further, synthetic ceramide analogs lack the physiological activities of natural ceramides.
Among the 6 kinds of ceramides present in the skin, ceramide 3 in particular is closely related with transepidermal water loss (TEWL) (Acta. Derm. Venereol., 78: 27-30, 1998; which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety). Patients with atopic dermatitis have a conspicuously low content of ceramides in skin lipids, even in the skin of non-lesion areas. This suggests that there is a need for a composition for application to the whole body or for a daily use, which strengthens skin barrier functions to prevent a possibility that non-lesions are likely to progress to lesions, in combination with a topical composition for the treatment or alleviation of lesions in patients with atopic dermatitis.
In the following, a description is given of effects of a therapeutic composition of the invention for the treatment of a broad spectrum of skin diseases.
Alleviation of Inflammation Such as Erythema and Improvement of Hypersensitive Skin
Generally, anti-inflammatory agents inhibit protein kinase C (referred to hereinafter as PKC), and many PKC activity-inhibiting agents have been developed and employed as anti-inflammatory agents. In the biochemical pathway of inflammation induction, PKC activity increases due to exogenous stimuli, followed by an increase in phospholipase D (referred to hereinafter as PLD) activity, thereby proceeding to inflammation.
Sphingolipid long-chain base was found to significantly inhibit PKC and PLD activities. Further, sphingolipid long-chain bases have an excellent PKC inhibition effect in comparison to a skin irritation-relieving agent containing glycyrrhizins, which is now commonly employed as a skin irritation-relieving agent.
Meanwhile, adrenal cortical hormone preparations exhibit an effect of decreasing an expression level of marker molecules on the surface of Langerhans cells or reducing an antigen-presenting ability of the cells.
It is known in the art that UV radiation can be applied for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, regulating the density or antigen-presenting ability of Langerhans cells in the skin. The application of sphingolipid long-chain base including tetraacetyl phytosphingosine to the skin causes the cell density of Langerhans cells to decrease by 50 to 80%. From these results, it is expected that the composition of the invention would be effective to relieve symptoms such as pruritus and rash caused by hypersensitivity of the skin.
Therefore, a composition comprising sphingolipid long-chain base only, or a combination of 2 to 3 substances selected from the group of derivatives thereof, can exhibit the same functions as conventional steroid hormone agents or immunosuppressive agents, without a risk of side effects.
Wound Healing and Control of Resident Pathogens in the Skin
Patients with atopic dermatitis have been found to have about a 10 to 20 times higher cell count of the pyogenic bacteria Staphylococcus sp ., in lesion areas of the skin than in normal skin. Many patients suffering atopic dermatitis create wounds by scratching the skin due to itching, during their sleep. Staphylococcus aureus is the bacteria infecting the lesions at this time, and is a factor causing inflammation in atopic dermatitis. In addition, the bacteria secrete enzymes which degrade ceramides in the stratum corneum, causing a deficiency in ceramides (Int'l. J Dermatology, 29: 579-582; 1990; which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety).
It has long been known that antibacterial substances exist in the stratum corneum, constructing a primary defense system against invading bacteria. Recent findings have shown that antibacterial substances are precursors of ceramides such as sphingosine and phytosphingosine, as reported by scientists at the College of Medicine at the Univ. of California. Thus, it is expected that by using such natural substances, generation of resistant bacteria due to a current overuse of antibiotics can be prevented, while chronic skin diseases can be treated. With regard to such antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a 10 year long clinical pathological investigation was performed at Leeds University of U.K. According to the research, antibiotic resistant bacteria were detected in more than 60% of the patients who had previously applied antibiotics for the treatment of skin diseases including acne, for a long-term period.
Steroid hormone preparations, retinoid preparations, immunosuppressive agents, and antibiotics have been commonly used for the treatment of eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, pruritus, ichthyosis, acne, inflammation, erythema, and bacterial infections accompanying with dysfunctions of the skin barrier. In some embodiments of the invention, a composition effective to the treatment of a broad range of skin diseases, without the use of such agents mentioned above, is provided.
As an active ingredient of the composition according to the invention, sphingolipid long-chain base can be used instead of steroid hormone preparations or retinoid preparations having an anti-inflammatory effect, immunosuppressive agents having an effect of alleviating skin irritation, and antibiotics, which can greatly reduce the amounts and frequencies of required applications. The harshly scratched wounds due to severe pruritus, and fissures in the skin should be healed.
In some embodiments, the sphingolipid long chain base can be present at a level of about 0.001%, 0.01%, 0.05%, to about 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, or 10% by weight. Particularly useful embodiments include sphingolipid long chain base at a level between about 0.1%, 0.3%, or 0.5%, and about 0.6%, 0.7%, or 1.0% by weight.
As another ingredient of the composition, lysophosphatidic acid has an effect of regenerating the damaged skin tissues and new blood vessels. Lysophosphatidic acid exerts a synergistic effect in repairing the damaged skin tissues and scars when applied in combination with sphingolipid long-chain base at respectively adequate amounts.
In some embodiments, the lysophosphatidic acid can be present at a level of between about 0.0001%, 0.0005%, 0.001%, or 0.0025% to about 0.6%, 1.0%, 3%, 5%, 7%, or 10% by weight. Particularly useful embodiments include lysophosphatidic acid at a level of between about 0.05%, 0.07%, 0.1%, to about 0.15%, 0.2%, 0.4% by weight.
Lysophosphatidic acid, along with lysophosphatidyl choline, is present in many cell membranes of organisms, and is one of important phospholipids involved in transmembrane signaling. In the transmembrane signaling pathway, lysophosphatidic acid increases Ca ++ concentration in the cytoplasm, and is involved in activation of a mitogen-activated protein kinase. It is known that lysophosphatidic acid serves as a mediator involved in inflammation and plays roles in thrombosis. Lysophosphatidic acid is also a factor involved in growth and contraction of smooth muscles and fibroblasts. Further, it is involved in induction of vascular cell adhesion molecules, together with sphingosine-1-phosphate. It is secreted from activated platelets. It can be expected that lysophosphatidic acid is involved in asthma, an inflammatory respiratory disease. Moreover, since it is involved in expression induction of vascular cell adhesion molecules, accordingly, it is considered that it is closely linked to quick wound healing and formation of new blood vessels.
Meanwhile, the damaged skin tissues should be regenerated in terms of the dermis, epidermis, and the stratum corneum. For the recovery of these skin barriers, it is necessary to supply ceramide, a primary constituent in the stratum corneum lipids. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,641, when sphingolipid long-chain base is topically applied to the skin, synthesis of ceramide is increased by more than 50%. However, biosynthesis of ceramide is normally occurs later than that of other skin lipids. In some embodiments of the invention, ceramide is compounded with cholesterol and fatty acid (which are the main lipid constituents of the skin barrier) at an appropriate ratio, by employing other bases for formulation, thereby maximizing the pharmaceutical efficacy of sphingolipid ling-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid.
The sphingolipid long-chain base described in Example 1 was prepared according to a method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,742. However, the sphingolipid long-chain base useful for the invention may be prepared by any suitable method, such as, for example, isolation and purification from natural sources, synthetic preparation, or other methods.
Lysophosphatidic acid useful for the invention may be prepared by any suitable method, such as, for example, isolation and purification from natural sources, synthetic preparation, or other methods. Lysophosphatidic acid used herein was obtained by fractionation and purification of lecithin isolated from egg yolk or beans. Alternatively, as for lysophosphatidic acid, lyso-stearoyl phosphatidic acid (18:0), lyso-oleoyl phosphatidic acid (18:1), or lyso-palmitoyl phosphatidic acid (16:0) was used. Sphingolipid long-chain bases such as phytosphingosine, N-acetylphytosphingosine and tetraacetyl phytosphingosine, exhibit several common effects, such as the inhibition of protein kinase C and phospholipase D, antibacterial activity, and promotion of ceramide synthesis in the skin cells. It was also found that sphingolipid long-chain bases listed above show a significant difference in terms of their physical properties, despite their similar effects. Moreover, formulations for topical application containing tetraacetyl phytosphingosine exhibited excellent functionalities in terms of compatibility with other ingredients, solubility, stability, and transdermal absorption.
Formulations Containing Sphingolipid Long Chain Base Combined with Lysophosphatidic Acid
In preferred embodiments of the invention, the composition is formulated into a cream that can be topically applied to the skin. An example of such a formulation is shown in Example 1. The formulations of the invention can also be prepared into any other suitable forms. Examples of such formulations include but are not limited to a lotion, an ointment, a skin toner, an essence, a body wash, a spray, a shampoo, and the like.
In other embodiments of the invention, the compositions of the invention may be formulated into a shampoo to treat diseases of the scalp. Any suitable shampoo composition can be used as the base shampoo material, to which the desired sphingolipid long-chain base and desired lysophosphatidic acid are added. An example of a shampoo composition that can be used to practice the invention is shown in Example 8. In addition to the presence of sphingolipid long-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid, the shampoo compositions may contain other ingredients typically employed in these compositions. Examples of such additional ingredients include but are not limited to detergents, complexing agents, dyestuffs, preservatives, pH-regulators, viscosity regulators, fragrances, thickeners, and the like. Additional components for shampoo formulations are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,673, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
In some embodiments of the invention, the compositions of the invention may be formulated into a body wash for the treatment of the skin. Though any suitable body wash recipe may be used as a base composition for a sphingolipid long-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid-containing body wash, an example of a body wash composition is provided in Example 9. In addition to the presence of sphingolipid long-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid, a body wash composition may contain other ingredients typically employed in these compositions. Examples of such additional ingredients include but are not limited to anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, a polymeric cationic conditioning compound, a quaternized phosphate ester, dyes, preservatives, emulsifiers, conditioning agents, inorganic salts, humectants, pH-regulators, solubilizers, thickeners, viscosity regulators, fragrances, acids, alkalis, buffers, oils, and the like. Suitable base compositions for a body wash can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,683, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
In some embodiments of the invention, the compositions of the invention may be formulated into an ointment. Examples of ointment base formulations can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,692, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. An example of an ointment composition of the invention is shown in Example 10. In addition to the presence of sphingolipid long-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid, an ointment of the invention may contain, for example, high molecular weight petrolatum fractions combined with a solvent material for the petrolatum fractions. The high molecular weight petroleum fraction material is typically chosen so that it is physiologically tolerable with little or no white oil remains. Examples of additional compounds that are typically used in ointment preparations include but are not limited to aromatic alcohols, aliphatic alcohols, silanyl alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, phenylethyl alcohol, benzyl glycolate, benzophenone, silanyl aldehydes, silanyl esters, silanyl ketones, and the like.
The above disclosure generally describes the present invention. A more complete understanding can be obtained by reference to the following specific examples which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
EXAMPLE 1
Acute Repair of Skin Barrier
A therapeutic composition for atopic dermatitis was formulated to a cream by adding ceramide, sphingolipid long-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid to conventional basic cream ingredients, according to the formula shown in “Composition 1” in Table 1, below.
TABLE 1
Formulation of cream
(unit: % by weight)
Composition 1 (The
Comparative
present invention)
Composition
ceramide
1.17
0
sphingolipid long-chain base
0.495
0
cholesterol
0.825
0
free fatty acid
0.99
0
lysophosphatidic acid
0.1
0
glycerin
4
4
1,3-butylene glycol
2
2
Carbopol 940
0.2
0.2
triethanolamine (TEA)
0.18
0.18
Germall 115
0.2
0.2
phytosqualane
15
15
DC-345
5
5
miscellanies
31.92
35.5
distilled water
37.92
37.92
An acute repair of skin barrier test was performed to examine the recovering effect of moisture barrier function in the skin by Composition 1.
Hairless mice of ages 8 to 12 weeks were used for the skin repair test. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was measured in two areas on the back of each mouse (TEWL value of the normal skin lies approximately 10±2 g/cm 2 /hr). Subsequently, the same areas of the back were stripped 5 to 10 times with Scotch tape. The tape-stripping procedure was repeated until the TEWL values reached around 40 to 50 g/cm 2 /hr. For application of a cream of the invention thus formulated, One damaged area of the back was topically treated with either Composition 1 or a basic cream (“Comparative Composition”) t at intervals of 12 hrs (immediately, 12 hrs, and 36 hrs after injury). The other area of the damaged skin was not treated, serving as a control. Measurements of water loss were performed, along with a lapse of time (immediately, at 2 hr, 6 hr, 24 hr, and 48 hr after injury). Skin recovery was calculated by the normalization of transepidermal water loss.
TABLE 2
Skin recovery (%)
Time after damage
Comparative
(hrs)
Composition 1
Control
Composition
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
2
45.1
27.1
17.5
6
68.5
51.1
39.2
24
85.6
75.9
69.4
48
100
89.6
79.1
FIG. 1 is a graph showing a recovery rate of the skin barrier by a composition according to the invention, wherein “cx 33%” represents a preferred embodiment of the composition of the invention (Composition 1); and “base” represents a basic cream (Comparative Composition). As shown in Table 2 and FIG. 1 , the composition according to the invention accelerated recovery of the skin barrier, compared to the control (no treatment) and the Comparative Composition. It was found that 100% recovery was accomplished at 48 hrs. That is, Composition 1, comprising sphingolipid long-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid, promoted full recovery of the skin moisture barrier in 48 hrs.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b , the examination of skin tissues by means of microscopy revealed that the composition of the invention improves regeneration of the stratum corneum, compared to the untreated control.
EXAMPLE 2
Clinical Evaluation in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis
To evaluate the composition according to the present invention for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, patients with atopic dermatitis were involved in a clinical test.
Skin conditions of the patients were examined in both lesion areas and non-lesion areas. Parameters such as transepidermal water loss, skin hydration, pH and cell density of Staphylococcus sp . were measured. After applying the composition to the lesion areas twice per day for 2 weeks, the extent of improvement of the skin was determined by comparison with control values.
Also, alleviation effects of the composition of the invention on atopic dermatitis were evaluated by a comprehensive analysis in terms of accompanying wound conditions such as itch, erythema and inflammation.
TABLE 3
Changes of skin condition
Skin conditions after application
Initial skin conditions
for 2 weeks
No.
No.
Subject
Parameter
TEWL
Hydration
pH
m/o
TEWL
Hydration
PH
m/o
Case 1
lesion
64
26
7.2
154
16.6
46
5.7
39
non-lesion
14
53
5.7
30
13
55
5.5
15
Case 2
lesion
36.8
31
4.9
148
20.4
41
5.3
48
non-lesion
16.7
50
5.4
12
12.7
51
5.4
19
Case 3
lesion
46.2
23
5.6
6400
23.4
39
5.2
327
non-lesion
12.8
46
5.8
12
17.7
51
5.6
33
Case 4
lesion
46.3
25
5.8
89
19.8
38
5.6
25
non-lesion
17.9
39
6.2
3
16.9
46
5.5
5
Case 5
lesion
48.5
45
4.7
65
20.5
47
5.2
33
non-lesion
16
54
5.2
6
15.6
54
5.2
8
As can be seen in Table 3, there are large differences between lesion areas and non-lesion areas in patients with atopic dermatitis, among all parameters tested. As for the TEWL, lesion areas have very high values in all patients, compared to the normal skin with a TEWL value of around 10±2 g/cm 2 /hr. Compared with a normal value of hydration (50 to 60), the skin lesion areas show a very low hydration, indicating water loss in lesion areas. This shows that the skin's stratum corneum barrier is severely damaged, resulting in excessive loss of moisture. Also, the pH of the lesion areas is measurably different from around 5.5, which is the pH value of healthy skin. As for the distribution of microorganisms, although their densities can vary according to the patients, the lesion areas commonly showed a high density of microorganisms, compared to the non-lesion areas of the patients. It can be inferred that secondary infection readily occurs in the lesion areas, as the patients scratch to relieve itching.
The damaged skin could be recovered, however, by applying the composition of the invention for 2 weeks. As a result, TEWL was greatly decreased, and hydration of the skin was greatly increased so as to significantly rejuvenate the dry skin. In addition, the application of the composition caused a decrease in the dry feeling of the skin, so that itching was relieved, leading to the cessation of scratching, whereby a secondary infection was prevented. Accordingly, the regional distribution of microorganisms in the lesion areas was largely decreased, in comparison to its initial value.
This decrease in microorganisms and decrease in scratching led to eventual repair of erythema and repair of wounded skin (Table 4). Moreover, it was found that the itching reduction upon application of the composition led to a remarkable improvement in self-consciousness of the patients, in comparison to pre-application levels.
TABLE 4
Changes in symptoms of skin disorders
Pre-application
Post-application for 2 weeks
itching
erythema
wound
itching
erythema
wound
Case 1
+++++
++++
+++++
+
++
++
Case 2
+++++
+++
++
++
+
+
Case 3
+++++
+++++
+++++
+
++
+
Case 4
+++++
+++
+++
+
+
+
Case 5
+++++
+++++
+++++
+
+
+
Note:
The evaluation is as follows:
+: not severe,
+++++: very severe.
EXAMPLE 3
Wound Repair in Rabbits
As an experimental animal model, female New Zealand White rabbits (2 kg in body weight) were employed to evaluate the efficacy of phytosphingosine and derivatives thereof on wound healing.
The rabbits were anesthetized with an intramuscular injection of ketamine (3 to 4 mg/kg). After removing hairs and a horny layer (stratum corneum) inside the both ears, 4 full-thickness circular wounds were created in each ear using a 6 mm-punch biopsy. As a control, PBS solution containing 0.1% BSA was applied to the wound regions at an amount of 10 μl every second day. For test groups, a composition comprising lysophosphatidic acid only, a composition comprising sphingolipid long-chain base only, and a composition comprising a combination thereof were applied each at varying concentrations (5 μM, 10 μM and 50 μM) at a volume of 10 μl every second day. The wounds applied with those agents were sealed with Cathreep (Nichiban Co., Japan). On 4 th and 8 th day after application, the rabbits were sacrificed, and the wound areas were histologically examined.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing the effects on wound repair by the composition comprising sphingolipid long-chain base and lysophosphatidic acid. The extents of wound repair in the skin were compared with an untreated control group. It can be seen that phytosphingosine and derivatives thereof, or/and lysophosphatidic acid treatments highly accelerate the rates of wound healing (%), compared to the untreated control group (FIG. 3 ). Moreover, as revealed in histological examination, it was observed that where the treatments were applied, regeneration of the epidermis and dermis through formation of the stratum granulosum (granular layer) are very rapidly promoted ( FIGS. 4 a and 4 b ). New blood vessel formation was also observed.
EXAMPLE 4
Effect on Langerhans Cells
Langerhans cells play a role in mediating immune response of the skin. Treatment of skin disorders related to a hypersensitive immune response can be accomplished by regulating either the number or the antigen-presenting ability of Langerhans cells. To examine the efficacy of sphingolipid long-chain base on the regulation of the number of Langerhans cells, a test was performed as follows. Each skin explant was applied with a 1% test sample containing sphingolipid. Histological analysis revealed a 26 to 65% decrease in the number of Langerhans cells when the test sample contained sphingolipid, compared to a negative control. Specifically, the efficacy of phytosphingosine on reducing the number of Langerhans cells was greater than that of tetraacetyl phytosphingosine.
EXAMPLE 5
Anti-microbial Test
To assess antimicrobial activity of tetraacetyl phytosphingosine versus harmful microorganisms in the skin, diverse bacteria and fungi were employed. Included were Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis , Micrococcus sp., Aspergillus niger , and Pityrosporum ovale , which is a bacterium causing dandruff.
A culture medium for Propionibacterium acnes was prepared as follows. First, with respect to 1 L distilled water, 25 g brain heart infusion agar, 5 g yeast extract, 4 g Casitone, 1 g L-Cysteine HCl, 5 g glucose, 1 g soluble starch, 15 g monopotassium phosphate, 1 g ammonium sulfate, 0.2 g magnesium sulfate, and 0.02 g calcium chloride were homogeneously dissolved and autoclaved. The bacterial culture was grown at 37° C. for about 3 to 5 days under anaerobic conditions using a BBL GasPak anaerobic system. The bacterial count was measured and the antibacterial ability was determined.
As respective media for other microorganisms, Staphylococcus medium 110 (Difco, USA) was used for Staphylococcus aureus , Nutrient agar for Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus sp ., and Potato Dextrose agar (Difco, USA) for Aspergillus niger . For Pityrosporum ovale , a medium containing 0.1% peptone, 0.5% glucose, 0.01% yeast extract, 0.4% Oxbile, 0.05% glyceryl monostearate, 0.1% whole milk powder, and 0.1% glycerol, by weight relative to the total medium weight, was prepared.
Samples of tetraacetyl phytosphingosine employed in the invention were prepared by dissolving in ethanol. To evaluate the antimicrobial activity, samples of tetraacetyl phytosphingosine were prepared and used at final concentrations of 1 μg/ml, 10 μg/ml, 100 μg/ml, and 1000 μg/ml. The test microorganisms were cultured in the respective liquid media, and the cultures were 10-fold serially diluted. At this time, the diluent was 0.85% NaCl. The dilution ratios were determined to adjust the microorganisms to form about 10 3 -10 4 colonies per an agar plate if they are grown without any tetraacetyl phytosphingosine samples.
1 ml each of the samples containing tetraacetyl phytosphingosine at the desired concentration, and 9 ml of each of the adequately diluted solutions containing microorganisms were mixed and blended well. The mixed solutions were allowed to stand at 37° for 30 min to 1 hr, with occasional blending. The solutions were smeared at 100 μl each on the respective agar plates. As a control, the solvent (ethanol) used in dissolving the samples was applied. The plates were incubated under respective appropriate culture conditions, and microbial colonies were counted.
The results are shown in FIG. 5 , which is a graph showing an antimicrobial activity of tetraacetyl phytosphingosine on respective microorganisms employed herein.
EXAMPLE 6
Effect on Anti-inflammation
An anti-inflammation effect of the cream composition according to the invention was evaluated by assessing inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) in mouse epidermal cell line (Pam212). The cultured epidermal cells at 2×10 7 cells/ml were treated with phytosphingosine or derivatives thereof at final concentrations of 100 μM, and 400 μM. After washing with PBS, the cells were disrupted using a homogenizer and centrifuged. The supernatant was passed through a DE52 column to obtain a fraction containing PKC. To measure the amount of activated PKC in the fractions, 5 μl each of a PKC coactivation 5× buffer, PKC activation 5× buffer, PKC biotinylated peptide substrate and 32 P-ATP mixture were added to a tube. For a negative control, 5 μl each of a PKC coactivation 5× buffer, Control 5× buffer, PKC biotinylated peptide substrate and 32 P-ATP mixture were measured. To the tubes were added 5 μl of respective PKC fractions. The reaction was performed at 30° C. for 5 min. After terminating the reaction by adding a 12.5 μl stop solution, a 10 μl aliquot was dropped on a SAM 2 ™ membrane. The membrane was washed 1× with 2M NaCl for 30 sec, 3× with 2M NaCl for 2 min, 4× with a solution of 1% H 3 PO 4 and 2M NaCl for 2 min, and 2× with distilled water for 30 sec, followed by drying. Radioactivity was measured to examine a PKC inhibition effect.
The results are shown in FIG. 6 . Phytosphingosine, tetraacetyl phytosphingosine, and N-acetyl phytosphingosine showed excellent PKC inhibition effects, even at low concentrations. In FIG. 6 , SG and DPG refer to licorice extracts. As shown in FIG. 6 , it was found that the treatment of sphingolipid long-chain base inhibits the activity of PKC. Meanwhile, it is known that in a biochemical pathway involved in inflammation induction, PKC activation is increased by exogenous stimulation, and then phospholipase D (abbreviated by PLD) activation is increased, proceeding to inflammation. The above results demonstrate that since treatment of the composition according to the invention inhibits PKC activation, the resulting inflammation can be inhibited. Further, it can be seen that sphingosine long-chain bases exert a greater PKC inhibition effect than licorice extracts, a stimuli-relieving agent containing glycyrrhizins, which have been mainly employed for the manufacture of cosmetics.
EXAMPLE 7
Tracing a Metabolic Pathway of Tetraacetyl Phytosphingosine in Skin Cells
It is known that topical application of tetraacetyl phytosphingosine (TAPS) and phytosphingosine (PS) increase synthesis of glucosyl ceramide in skin cells by more than by 50%. However, it is not yet reported which pathway provides such an activity of TAPS after being penetrated into the cells. The inventors performed experiments to examine effects of diverse phytosphingosine derivatives including TAPS on human skin fibroblasts, and examine a pathway for metabolism thereof.
Human skin fibroblasts were employed as the cell line for the study. Phytosphingosine, tetraacetyl phytosphingosine, and acetyl phytosphingosine were respectively dissolved in a mixture of ethanol/dodecane, preparing stock solutions at certain concentrations. When the fibroblasts became confluent in 7 cm diameter culture dishes, 20 μM of the respective test samples was added and cultured in a CO 2 incubator for 48 hrs. Cells were harvested and treated according to a common extraction method for sphingolipids. Hydrolysis was performed under basic conditions at 37° C. overnight. The samples were passed through a reverse phase column to remove salts. The desalted lipid extracts were subjected to a TLC analysis on Silica gel 60 G plates (Merck, Germany), using chloroform/methanol/concentrated acetic acid (190/9/1) to elute neutral lipids.
It was found that sphingolipid long-chain bases including TAPS at an amount of 20 μM (total medium volume in a dish: 6 ml; absolute amount treated: 83.3 nmol) do not affect the growth and morphology of fibroblasts (data not shown). This indicates that phytosphingosine and derivatives thereof including TAPS exhibit no toxicity on fibroblasts, which compose the dermis. The results show that TAPS is converted to C2-phytoceramide within the cells, where it accumulates. It can be inferred that acetyl groups added to three —OH groups of TAPS are lost, thereby TAPS being converted to C2-phytoceramide. In general, since the metabolism rate of C2-phytoceramide is slower than natural ceramides, about 60 to 70% of C2-phytoceramide remains within the cells at 24 hrs after entering the cell (Hannun et al., J Biol. Chem, 1993).
These results prove that TAPS converts to a metabolic intermediate of natural sphingolipids in the skin cells so as to exert its physiological functions, although TAPS has a chemical structure different from that of sphingolipids present in human skin. In addition, TAPS has lower cytotoxicity than other sphingolipid long-chain bases. The reason for this is that TAPS is converted to an active form thereof in the cell, with a lapse of time, not that its physiological activity is weak.
EXAMPLE 8
Shampoo composition
Ingredient
(% by weight)
acetylphytosphingosine
5%
Lyso-stearoyl phosphatidic acid (16:1)
1.0%
Sodium lauryl sulphate
16.0%
Lauryl betaine
2.0%
PFPE (Fomblin HC/04)
0.0003%
Dimethicone (60,000 cS)
0.25%
Polymer JR 400
0.3%
Ethylene glycol distearate
1.5%
Formalin
0.1%
Water
to 100%
The above ingredients are prepared and packaged for consumer use. To treat scalp diseases, the shampoo is used preferably once a day, with one or two washings followed by a rinse with cool water.
EXAMPLE 9
Body wash composition
Ingredient
(% by weight)
Phytosphingosine
0.02%
Natural lyso-phosphatidic acid derived from
0.05%
egg yolk
Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate
11.0%
Cocamide MEA
8.0%
Preservative
0.4%
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride
0.25%
Tetrasodium Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic
0.1%
Acid
Citric Acid
0.2%
Palmitic Acid
2.5%
Stearamidopropyl Phosphatidyl PG-
0.5%
Diamonium Chloride
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
2.0%
Titanium Dioxide
0.15%
Water
to 100%
The above composition is prepared and packaged under sterile conditions. To treat skin conditions, the composition is applied to the skin as for a typical body wash composition, on a daily or twice-a-day basis. The composition may be left on the skin for a few minutes, if desired. The skin is then rinsed thoroughly and towel dried.
EXAMPLE 10
Ointment composition
Ingredient
% (by weight)
Hexanoylphytosphingosine
3%
Lyso-palmitoyl phosphatidic acid (16:1)
0.2%
Special Petrolatum Fraction (USP)
5%
Octanol
0.4%
Phenylethyl alcohol
1.2%
Cyclomethicone
10%
Dimethicone copolyol
11%
Sorbitan laurate
1.2%
Water
68.0%
The lipid and hydrophilic components are separately warmed and then mechanically mixed under shear. The ointment is then cooled to room temperature while stirring. The ointment is applied to the skin as needed to decrease the symptoms of atopic dermatitis or other skin diseases. Preferably, the ointment is applied several times a day, or as needed.
As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a therapeutic composition for a broad spectrum of skin diseases, comprising sphingolipid long-chain base which include phytosphingosine and its derivatives and serve as one constituent for lipids of the skin, and lysophosphatidic acid which are phospholipids with various beneficial functionalities. Such a composition plays a role in repairing skin moisture barriers to maintain a normal state, and is capable of alleviating or relieving skin inflammation, itch, and dry skin, and bacterial infection, which are characteristics of atopic dermatitis.
It will be appreciated that no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. It should further be noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certain features or aspects of the present invention should not be taken to imply that the broadest reasonable meaning of such terminology is not intended, or that the terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including any specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. Accordingly, although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. All publications and patents cited in this disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. | The invention relates to a therapeutic composition for broad spectrum dermal disease and in particular, to a composition comprising principal lipid components of skin, preferably having about 30 to 90% by weight of a carrier for applying to skin; 0.01 to 5.0% by weight of sphingolipid long-chain base; 0.001 to 1.0% by weight of lysophosphatidic acid; and 1 to 40% by weight of organic or inorganic additives. The composition is useful for the treatment and improvement of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, ichthyosis, infectious dermatitis, pruritus, erythema derived from pruritus, vulnus, chapping of skin and ulcer, etc. | 8 |
This is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 07/467,902, filed on Jan. 22, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,637.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to games of the board type, and more particularly to a game using jigsaw puzzles.
Various forms of board games have been devised over the years. Also, numerous form of jigsaw puzzles have been created. Board games are games which usually are played by two or more people. On the other hand, a jigsaw puzzle is not a game as such, but is a puzzle with pieces which are put together by a single person, although others can help in placing the pieces. Both board games and jigsaw puzzles present challenges to those who play such games, and those who put together such puzzles. They vary from the very simple to the incredibly complex. Board games and jigsaw puzzles both can provide minutes and hours of fun, enjoyment and intrigue, but their attributes and capabilities have not been combined into a useful and fun jigsaw puzzle and board game.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a new jigsaw puzzle game.
Another object of this invention is to provide a jigsaw board game which may comprise from only a few playing pieces to as many as a large number of playing pieces.
A further object is to provide a new game employing modified jigsaw puzzles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become better understood through a consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a jigsaw puzzle game according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but with several of the game pieces removed,
FIG. 3 is a view of the underside of the removed game pieces,
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line 4--4 of FIG. 1, and
FIG. 5 is a view of a second jigsaw puzzle game and removed pieces similar to that of FIGS. 1-4 and for use with the latter in playing the present game.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a game board in the form of a jigsaw puzzle with borders surrounding the playing area is provided, along with removable pieces which are formed like in a conventional jigsaw puzzle. The bottom side of each of these pieces has an identification as does the area of the game board base where each piece fits. One or more of the removable pieces has, on its bottom, a particular indicia, for example the word "Scramble." Two or more of the game boards are provided respectively for two or more players, and the game proceeds according to the instructions and rules which are detailed subsequently.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Turning now to the drawings, a pair of jigsaw puzzle game boards 10 and 11 are shown in respective FIGS. 1 and 5. FIGS. 2 through 4 provide further details of the game board 10 of FIG. 1. The two game boards can be similar but preferably are not identical.
Turning now to the construction of the game board 10 shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, the same includes a base or backing 12 (note the cross-sectional view in FIG. 4), and a frame or border 14 secured thereto in a conventional manner as by an adhesive (not shown), thereby forming a tray-type construction for holding the game pieces (which are in the form of jigsaw puzzles pieces) on and within the tray. The edge 14 thus not only forms a decorative border but also prevents the game pieces from sliding off of the composite game board.
The game board further comprises a plurality of individual game pieces 16, 17, 18, etc. which are separated along mating edges such as 16a, 16b and 16c of FIG. 1. Suitable surface indicia, and exemplified generally by flowers 20, which may take any of many forms such as maps, cartoon characters, pictures and the like are provided on the upper or top surface of the game pieces 16, 17, etc. The thus-far described game board is like a typical jigsaw puzzle.
The game board has additional new constructional features and interrelationships which will now be described. Each of the game pieces 16, 17, etc. has a specific identification provided on the bottom thereof which (1) identifies its game board, and (2) identifies its specific position on the game board, thereby making it easy to locate and place each game piece on the game board. FIG. 3 illustrates three of the game pieces 16, 17 and 18 which have been removed from the game board as shown in FIG. 2. The underside of the game pieces 16, 17 and 18 in FIG. 3 include the identifications "A1" "A2" and "A4," the letter A" standing for game board A and the number standing for number and position of the piece on that board. The upper surface 24 of the base 12 of the game board 10 as seen in FIG. 2 has like identifications thereon corresponding to the removed pieces. Thus, as seen in FIG. 2, the identifications seen on the base 12 are "A1," "A2," and "A4." In addition, the base 12 has lines (e.g., 24a, 24b, 24c, etc.) drawn or printed thereon the same as the outline of the respective game pieces. These lines, and the identifications (A1, A2, etc.) facilitate finding the location of and positioning of the game pieces.
The identifications on the pieces and on the base 12 of the game board are provided, contrary to the normal jigsaw puzzle, to facilitate locating the game piece on the board.
The respective game pieces A1, A2 and A4 of FIG. 3 fit in the locations A1, A2 and A4 so identified in FIG. 2. The remaining pieces and base location have like identifications (A3, and A5-A12, not seen, for the remaining pieces of the twelve piece game. In addition, one or more, and preferably three, of the game pieces on the underside has an additional indicia, such as in the present case the term "Scramble" for reasons to be discussed subsequently. This indicia is not placed on the base 12.
While the physical construction of the game board is like that of a conventional jigsaw puzzle, particular identifications and/or indicia are provided on the bottom of each and every game piece, and similar identifications are provided on the underlying base 12 of each game piece and, further, several of the game pieces have the particular added indicia, such as the word "Scramble" as noted.
The game board 11 shown in FIG. 5 is like that of FIG. 1, but preferably has different artwork 25 on the surface of the game pieces to distinguish the two game boards and, additionally has a different identification (e.g., "B") to indicate that it is a different game board. In this regard, the game pieces, identified as 26, 27, 28, 29, etc. use the letter "B" in the identification of the game pieces and areas of the base 12 to indicate that this is Game B.
Additional game boards can be provided, depending on the number of players, with each player having one game board. The game boards and game pieces as described are used and interrelated in the playing of the present game in the manner set forth below.
Each player of the game must have one complete puzzle like that shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 5. Preferably, each puzzle has the same number of pieces. Any number of players from two on can compete.
Play begins with each player emptying all of the game pieces from his puzzle, picture side up, in the center of the playing table. The pieces are then scrambled (mixed) and any one or more players can scramble and mix the pieces. Each player picks one piece, preferably with eyes closed, from the pile to select the order of play. The players then show the bottom side of the puzzle piece selected, and the lowest number is entitled to be the first player, and so on. The pieces selected are returned to the pile.
The first player so selected then closes his eyes and picks ten pieces from the pile. Only the first player makes this selection thus far. Once the ten pieces are selected and placed bottom side up, the identifications on the bottom of the pieces are checked, and any pieces not matching that player's puzzle (the first player in this case) are returned to the pile and scrambled. That is, with the puzzle A of FIG. 1 and the puzzle B of FIG. 5, if the first player has the "A" puzzle of FIG. 1 and selects some "B" pieces, the "B" pieces are returned to the pile; only the "A" pieces are kept by this first player who has the A puzzle.
The remaining pieces selected by the first player (the "A" game pieces in this case) are placed on the board in the usual manner of filling in a jigsaw puzzle. In the event there is a game piece labelled "Scramble" like the "A2" piece in FIG. 3, this piece also is placed in the game board; however, this piece has a particular significance. When the "Scramble" piece has been selected from the pile and placed in the game board (and the remaining pieces picked on that turn for that game board are placed in the game board), then the game board is moved or passed to the player to the left (and, likewise, the other players' boards are moved to the player to the left). If, per chance, this first player picks more than one "Scramble" piece, then the game boards will be moved the number of positions to the left corresponding to the number of "Scramble" pieces picked in that turn. For example, if the first player picked and played two "scramble" pieces, then the puzzle (Puzzle A in this case) would move to the second player to the left, with the other players' puzzles likewise moving two positions. In the case of only two players with Puzzles A and B of FIGS. 1 and 5, the first player would receive his puzzle back (it would move to the second player who had Puzzle B, and then move back to the first player).
Once the first player has completed putting pieces in his puzzle, and his and the other puzzles have moved the one or more player positions as indicated by the number of "Scramble" pieces, then the second player, with his eyes closed, selects ten pieces from the pile on the table. Play continues now by this player as previously described. A score sheet, as will be described subsequently, may be kept to determine what players have contributed more or less to the completion of a game. However, the first player to complete a puzzle, any puzzle he happens to be working on regardless of whether or not it is the one he started off with, is the winner of the game.
There are several additional rules which increase interest in the present game. When a player picks his ten pieces from the pile on the table, he must do so and not peek while selecting the pieces. If the player peeks while picking pieces, the selected pieces are returned to the pile, and that player looses his turn. The pieces in the pile may be mixed or "Scrambled" by any player at any time, even while pieces are being picked, to facilitate randomness of the pieces picked. Although the number of "Scramble" pieces will vary with the number of pieces within a given puzzle, typically two to three such pieces are provided.
While the twelve-piece puzzle game boards shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 are quite suitable for a child's game, typically game boards with more pieces, such as thirty to fifty pieces, generally are preferred.
The following chart provides an example of a game with four players and four respectively different puzzles. The typical game time is approximately forty-five minutes, and players may range in age from about 5 years to 100 years old.
______________________________________Game No. 1______________________________________Player 1 - Puzzle A Player 2 - Puzzle BPick 10, Scramble Pick 10, ScrambleKeep Pieces Winner Keep Pieces Winner______________________________________4 0 5 12 1 1 06 0 4 24 1 4 02 0 3 06 0 6 03 0 6 029 2 29 3______________________________________Player 3 - Puzzle C Player 4 - Puzzle DPick 10, Scramble Pick 10, ScrambleKeep Pieces Winner Keep Pieces Winner______________________________________5 1 3 17 0 4 03 0 6 14 0 7 06 2 4 02 0 2 04 1 2 131 4 28 3______________________________________
In the example given, each puzzle can have thirty pieces, three of which have the "Scramble" indicia on the bottom. The game boards are identified as "Puzzle A," "Puzzle, B," "Puzzle C" and "Puzzle D," with the bottom of the game pieces and top surface of the boards bearing the matching letters and numbers as indicated in the Figures and as explained previously. Once the order of play has been decided, the first player picks ten pieces with his eyes closed from the pile of 120 pieces. The pieces picked for another's puzzle are returned to the pile and scrambled for the next player. In the chart which follows, it can be seen (Column 1) that Player 1 picked ten pieces, only four of which were for his puzzle (with the remaining six being returned). The first player received zero Scramble pieces (Column 2) on the first turn. Player 2 picked ten pieces, five of which were for his puzzle, and one of which was a Scramble piece (Columns 1 and 2). The play continues with players 3 and 4. On the second turn for Player No. 1, only two of the picked ten pieces were for his puzzle, but one was a " Scramble" piece as shown in Columns 1 and 2 under Player A--Puzzle A. The game is continued as illustrated. While the chart is in the form of score sheets, they are not necessary as part of the game, but they are helpful for keeping track of how well a player may, through his "extra sensory perception" or other ability, be able to pick high numbers of pieces of his particular puzzle.
The game is exciting and provides untiring fun, and is a game of individual ingenuity.
It will be apparent that the game boards can be manufactured in the form of jigsaw puzzles, but with the added letter and number identifications on the game pieces and on the base 12 of the game board, and along with the "Scramble" indicia. On the other hand, standard puzzles can be modified by the addition of these fications and indicia to create and play the present game. Standard jigsaw puzzles thus can be provided with the letter/number identifications and indicia in the form of self-adhesive labels to be applied to the bottom of the game pieces and to the top surface of the base of the game board, and the outlines 24a, 24b, etc. of the game pieces can be added (e.g., in ink) on the base 12.
While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, and all such modifications and equivalents are intended to be covered. | There is disclosed herein a game using jigsaw puzzle like game boards but wherein each game piece in the form of a jigsaw puzzle piece and the underlying board both have matching letter and number identifications facilitating locating where the game piece is to be placed. Certain game pieces have a unique indicia, such as the word "Scramble" which, after being placed on a board, results in the game boards of all players being shifted one player position. The game boards are like jigsaw puzzles with borders to retain the game pieces on the board. Each player has a board, and all game pieces are piled on the playing table. The first player selects a number of game pieces, such as ten, and places those matching his board on his board, and those not matching are returned to the pile. The first player to complete a puzzle is the winner. | 0 |
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 943,660, filed Sept. 18, 1978, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a system for providing improved fuel in a more efficient manner to an internal combustion engine. More specifically, the invention involves the field of technology relating to hydrocarbon fuel treatment or modification systems that are utilized in conjunction with internal combustion engines, particularly those associated with vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Internal combustion engines are generally fueled by hydrocarbon fuel sources, such as kerosene, gasoline and the like. In particular, the current use of gasoline by such engines does involve many engineering considerations if the problems attendant the use of this fuel are to be minimized. In addition to such considerations, there is also the realization that the world oil supply is substantially finite, thereby imposing increased financial and source material constraints as the demand for gasoline increases with the passing years.
Current internal combustion engines fueled by gasoline are generally inefficient and produce various emissions or products of combustion which have harmful effects on the general environment. Moreover, such engines operate at rather high temperatures which often cause breakdowns of lubricating oils, degradation of sparkplugs, valves and other engine components, and production of undesirable carbonaceous deposits on the engine working surfaces which reduce engine life and increase maintenance costs.
A given volume of gasoline is substantially comprised of two-thirds by volume of lighter fractions which as a gas are paraffinic in nature and one-third by volume heavier fractions which are oily in nature. During the operation of a vehicle engine, gasoline droplets mixed with air from the carburetor are introduced into the heated intake manifold and respective hot combustion chambers wherein there occurs a separation of lighter fractions from the heavier fractions and also some conversion of the hydrocarbons into various petrochemical products due to the liquid phase oxidation of the hydrocarbons. The combustion of the air and the lighter hydrocarbon fractions is inhibited by the presence of the heavier hydrocarbon fractions, trace petrochemicals and certain gasoline additives present. This situation encumbers ignition of lean fuel mixtures having higher than stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratios. Moreover, such mixtures are slow burning and require ignition before the engine reaches top dead center, particularly in short stroke engines, thereby reducing engine efficiency. The efficiency of an engine is further reduced by creating rich fuel mixtures having lower than stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratios by normal operational procedures, such as choking, idling and accelerating.
When gasoline undergoes combustion in an engine, a rich fuel mixture having a lower than stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio generally yields carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons and causes the engine to operate at a fairly high temperature. A stoichiometric fuel mixture having an ideal air-to-fuel ratio will generally yield nitrous oxides and produce an excessively hot engine. However, an engine that is operated with a lean fuel mixture having a higher than stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio produces a minimum of harmful emissions or products of combustion. This latter situation permits the engine to operate at the coolest possible temperature in very high air-to-fuel ratios. In order to realize this desirable objective, it has been recognized that a lean fuel mixture cannot be utilized unless the fuel itself is more volatile than gasoline so that ignition can readily occur at high air-to-fuel ratios. With such a volatile fuel, substantially complete combustion is achieved, with a minimum production of undesirable products of combustion. Correspondingly lower engine operating temperatures are realized, as well as increased fuel efficiency. The lighter hydrocarbon fractions in gasoline are characteristic of such volatile fuels.
The prior art has recognized that the lighter fractions of hydrocarbon fuels, particularly gasoline, do provide enhanced operating characteristics when utilized for the initial starting of internal combustion engines, particularly in cold weather. This is due to the high volatility of the lighter fractions which, during engine start-up, permit faster engine starting due to more rapid vaporization of such volatile fuel in the induction system of the engine. It has also been recognized that such fuels serve to reduce cold start exhaust emissions when compared to the use of regular fuel, such as gasoline. The prior art practice has been limited to the use of the lighter fractions of gasoline, generally referred to as dry gas, as a specialized fuel limited only for engine starting. It has been maintained that the continued use of such a high volatility fuel in the engine after engine warm-up is not practical due to economic considerations, with the use of regular gasoline in a conventional fuel system being preferred for continued engine operation. Accordingly, it has heretofore been necessary to incorporate dual fuel systems wherein the high volatile fractions are utilized only for engine start-up and a conventional fuel is used for the continued operation of the engine. It has further been proposed to utilize only one source of starting fuel in conjunction with the operation of an engine wherein the fuel source is treated to extract lighter fractions therefrom for providing engine starting fuel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved system for utilizing hydrocarbon fuels in the operation of internal combustion engines.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system for maximizing the efficiency of fuel consumption by an internal combustion engine and minimizing the production of polluting products of combustion.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a fuel system that is particularly advantageous for use in vehicles driven by internal combustion engines wherein only one grade of fuel is needed for running a variety of different engine types.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved fuel system which serves to protect internal combustion engines from fuel contamination, prolong useful engine life and reduce engine maintenance costs.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a fuel system which modifies a hydrocarbon fuel, such as gasoline, that is normally entirely consumed by an internal combustion engine and utilizing only a specified portion of the fuel for carburetion into the engine, while storing and isolating the unused portion from the original fuel source. This is accomplished by providing a fuel which is capable of being separated into two specific fractions, a lighter or vapor fraction comprising primarily higher volatile hydrocarbons and a heavier liquid fraction comprising primarily oily type hydrocarbons. This fractionation is achieved in a separator device which utilizes either ultrasonic energy or heat. The lighter vapor fraction is carbureted directly into the engine, while the heavier liquid fraction is stored in isolation from the original unseparated fuel source. Control circuits are provided for assuring that the proper air-to-fuel ratio is maintained for the operation of the engine in accordance with engine demand, such as imposed thereon by a driver of a vehicle through accelerator actuation, throttle or speed control setting. Initial starting of the engine may be achieved through either the direct injection of fuel vapor or the fogging of unfractionated fuel into the carburetor. A safety valve is provided for assuring vehicle safety against potential hazards imposed by the utilization of fuel vapor for the continuous or regular operation of the engine according to the invention.
Further objects, features and attributes of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, reference being to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts of the several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the present invention as utilized in conjunction with the internal combustion engine of a vehicle;
FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one embodiment of the fuel separator device utilized in the invention for separating the fuel into light vapor fractions and heavy liquid fractions;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the fuel metering device utilized in the system of the invention;
FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of a second embodiment of the fuel metering device utilized in the system of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the fuel separator device utilized in the system of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A fuel system 1 according to the invention is schematically depicted in FIG. 1. A first container 3 for storing a source of hydrocarbon fuel includes a spout 5 through which fuel may be added to container 3. A float indicator 7 may be disposed within container 3 for indicating fuel level therein and providing this information to a gauge (not shown) through a line 9 that transmits a signal generated by an indicator source 11, the latter being well known in the art and generally utilized in conjunction with fuel tanks of motor vehicles. In this regard, container 3 may form the fuel tank of a motor vehicle, with spout 5 being the intake conduit through which appropriate fuel derived from a service station may be added. Container 3 further includes a relief valve 13 to provide venting capability for the interior of container 3. A pump 15 having an associated valve 16 disposed upstream thereof may be provided to inject air through a conduit 17 into container 3 for the purpose of pressurizing the fuel contained therein above atmospheric pressure to prevent vaporization of any volatile hydrocarbon fuel fractions. A check valve 18 may be disposed in conduit 17 to control pressurization.
Fuel from container 3 is directed through a conduit 19 to a separator 20. A pump 21 may be disposed in conduit 19 for directing fuel therethrough as an alternative to providing pump 15 for pressurizing the interior of container 3. A first solenoid valve 23 is disposed in conduit 19 downstream from pump 21 and is actuated by a thermostatic control unit 25 through a line 27. A second solenoid valve 29 is disposed downstream of valve 23 for actuation by an electronic fuel metering unit 31 through a line 33. Unit 31 receives signal indication of the speed of the internal combustion engine (not shown), with which engine system 1 is associated, through a line 35 that is connected to a tachometer 37. Load or operator demand on the engine and imposed at point 39 is transmitted as a signal to unit 31 through a line 41 having a potentiometer 43, or other such similar device, diposed therein.
Separator 20 is operated off of the heat supplied by exhaust manifold gases created during the operation of the engine. These gases are supplied to separator 20 through an intake conduit 45 and an output conduit 47. The regulator of exhaust gas supply to separator 20 is effected by a control valve 49 that is electrically actuated by control unit 25 through a line 51. A pair of thermal sensors 53 and 55 are disposed within separator 20, thereby permitting control unit 25 to monitor temperature conditions in separator 20. An air vent 57 having an associated filter 59 provides separator 20 with atmospheric air to enhance fluid flow conditions therein. The heavy liquid fuel fractions derived by separator 20 are drained into a second container 61 through a drain conduit 63, preferably including a curved trap section 65 disposed therein. Container 61 is also provided with a conduit 67 for venting the interior of container 61 to the atmosphere. As in the case of first container 3, second container 61 also includes a float indicator 69 for the purpose of ascertaining fluid level therein, with the signal provided thereby being sensed by indicator unit 71 and transmitted to a switching unit 73 through a line 75. A gauge 77 may be connected to unit 73 through a line 79 for the purpose of providing a visual indication of the fluid level in container 61.
A main power supply 81, such as a battery or other similar source of current, is directly connected to switching unit 73 through a line 83, with unit 73 being directly connected to unit 25 through a line 85.
A carburetor 87 is shown to include an air intake filter 89 and a throat 91 disposed in fluid communication with an intake manifold 93 of the internal combustion engine. Throat 91 includes a venturi portion 95 within which vaporized fuel is received from separator 20 through an intake conduit 97. Throat 91 further includes a fogging nozzle 99 supported by a bracket 101 for the purpose of producing and injecting a spray of very fine fuel droplets through throat 91 and into intake manifold 93 during starting of the engine. Nozzle 99 may be provided with an internal ultrasonic vaporization unit (not shown) for assisting in producing an ultrafine fuel fog. Power for operating the ultrasonic unit is derived from a secondary power supply 103, with such power being transmitted through a line 105. Fuel supply for nozzle 99 is provided through a conduit 107 that receives fuel from first container 3. A fuel filter 109 may be disposed in conduit 107. A solenoid valve 111 is also disposed in conduit 107 between filter 109 and nozzle 99 for controlling fuel flow therethrough. Actuation of valve 111 is effected by control unit 25 through a line 113. Power supply 103 is in electrical connection with line 113 through a line 115. A capacitor 117 is disposed between control unit 25 and the connection between lines 113 and 115, as generally indicated at 118.
Referring now to FIG. 2 in conjunction with that portion of FIG. 1 from which it is derived, it is seen that throat 91 of carburetor 87 is provided with a misfire vent 119 extending laterally away therefrom for directing misfire products of combustion into the atmosphere. A closure plate 121 is pivotally carried by throat 91, as indicated at 123, for the purpose of sealing off vent 119 from the interior of throat 91. Plate 121 includes a pair of impact members 124 disposed at an angle from the upper edge of plate 121 and extending across the longitudinal path of throat 91 when plate 121 is in its position of sealing off vent 119. Members 123 are rigidly associated with plate 121 and pivot in conjunction therewith. An abutment 125 is provided on the interior wall of throat 91 to limit the upward pivoting movement of plate 121 to a position at which the plane of plate 121 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of throat 91, as seen in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, members 124 terminate short of abutment 125 and hence do not make contact with same during the pivoting of plate 121. It is of course desirable that the planar configuration of plate 121 not only serves to completely seal off vent 119, but also conform substantially to the cross-sectional configuration of throat 91 to thereby seal off the passageway defined thereby when plate 121 is pivoted against abutment 125.
When plate 121 seals off vent 119 and a misfire occurs, the back pressure created by the products of combustion are sent up through throat 91, thereby contacting impact members 124. This causes members 124 to pivot upwardly, with such movement imparting corresponding movement to plate 121 and causing the latter to contact abutment 125 and seal off further fluid passage up through throat 91. When plate 121 seals off vent 119, members 124 are contacted by the carbureted mixture of fuel and air and serve to further agitate and homogenize same prior to its injection into intake manifold 93.
The structural details of separator 20 shall now be described with reference to FIG. 3. Separator 20 includes a hollow jacket 127 that surrounds an inner casing 129 to define an annular chamber 131 therebetween. Hot fluids from the exhaust manifold of the engine are directed into chamber 131 through intake conduit 45 and exit chamber 131 through output conduit 47 for return to the engine exhaust system. Chamber 131 is separate and isolated from the interior of casing 129. Fuel entering casing 129 through conduit 19 is caused to travel through a labyrinth formed from a plurality of spaced shelves 133 secured to the internal walls of casing 129. During its travel, the fuel is heated by exhaust fluids passing through chamber 131, thus causing the lighter or paraffinic fractions of the fuel to vaporize and separate from the heavier or oily liquid fractions. A small amount of filtered air received through vent 57 enhances flow of the fuel over shelves 133 after its fractionation. When the fractionated fuel has reached the end of casing 129, as defined by a wall 135, the heavier liquid fractions impinge against a weir 137 supported on wall 135 and is directed thereby through a drain opening 139 provided in wall 135 and through conduit 63 for ultimate storage in second container 61. The lighter vapor fractions rise and travel over weir 137 and pass through exit opening 141 formed in casing 129 and through conduit 97 for injection into venturi 95 of carburetor 87. Dual heat sensors 53 and 55 provide a constant monitoring of the temperature within casing 129 and relay their signals to control unit 25. It is preferable that at least a pair of sensors 53 and 55 are utilized as a precautionary measure against the failure of a single sensor.
A schematic representation of the basic components included in electronic fuel metering unit 31 is shown in FIG. 4. As earlier indicated, engine speed is monitored by tachometer 37 and engine demand, such as imposed by an operator of a motor vehicle, is intermittently and variably expressed through potentiometer 43. Because of the high volatility of the vapor fuel derived from separator 20, the engine is efficiently operated at any given steady state on a lean or higher than stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio. This is maintained through a lean circuit 143 provided with a resistor 145 disposed therein. During steady state operation, the signal path is only through circuit 143 to a summing amplifier 147 which in turn activates solenoid valve 29, the latter being variable in operation and provides the desired degree of fuel metering through conduit 19 in accordance with variations in both engine speed and operator demand. In the event of an increase in operator demand as expressed through potentiometer 43, a difference in the signals imposed by engine speed and engine demand immediately occurs, which difference is reflected in current supplied by potentiometer 43 to an output transconductance amplifier 149. This difference is amplified through an enrichment fuel circuit 151, with the outputs from the lean circuit and enrichment fuel circuit being passed to and added together by amplifier 47. The resultant signal then causes valve 29 to meter fuel flow through conduit 19 in direct proportion to the fuel requirement. The additional fuel requirement imposed by operator demand and reflected through enrichment fuel circuit 151 always maintains a higher than stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio, although during intermittent moments of increased operator demand, the ratio does approach closer to stoichiometric conditions than when the engine is operating under any given steady state condition.
An alternative embodiment of a fuel metering unit which can be utilized in system 1 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, metering unit 153 may be substituted for previously described electronic metering unit 31 and, moreover, comprises a mechanical analog thereof. Unit 153 includes a fixed casing 155 provided with a bore 156 within which a tubular valve member 157 is rotatably journaled. Valve member 157 is of a cylindrical configuration and is sealed within casing 155 by a pair of gaskets 159 and 161, in the form of O-rings or the like. Valve member 157 is provided with a first slot 163 which extends approximately 180° around the wall thereof. Spaced from slot 163 is a second slot 165 having a greater width than slot 163 and also extending approximately 180° around the wall of valve member 157. As more clearly indicated in FIG. 6, casing 155 is provided with a substantially semicylindrical cavity 167 which communicates with the interior of valve member 157 through slots 163 and 165, the degree of communication being dependent upon the rotational position of valve member 157 with respect to bore 156.
A plug 169 is secured within valve member 157 through a male threaded portion 171 which engages a corresponding female threaded portion 173 provided in the interior wall of valve member 157. Plug 169 includes an enlarged closure head 175 having a diameter corresponding substantially to the internal diameter of valve member 157 and a length that exceeds the width of second slot 165. Thus, by screwing or unscrewing plug 169 within valve 157, closure head 175 permits varying the degree of communication between the interior of valve members 157 and cavity 167 through second slot 165. This variation in degree of communication is in addition to that afforded by the rotational positioning of valve member 157 within bore 156. It is of course recognized that the direction of corresponding threads 171 and 173 determines whether plug 169 is advanced into or retracted from valve member 157 during the rotation of plug 169 in a given direction, be it clockwise or counterclockwise.
Rotation of valve member 157 in correlation to engine speed may be achieved through a first pulley wheel 177 mounted on an axle 179 carried by the end of valve member 157 corresponding to first slot 163. A coil spring 181 having a first end 183 secured within casing 155 and a second end 185 secured in pulley 177 provides a counter rotative force to pulley 177 so that the latter is always restored to its original position after it has been rotated. Rotation of pulley wheel 177 is accomplished through a fluid cylinder assembly 187 which receives vacuum pressure through line 189 from the intake manifold 93 of the engine or other such source of pressure providing a corresponding indication of engine speed. A piston rod 191 having an associated piston 193 is disposed for reciprocating movement within a cylinder 195. The free end of rod 191 is connected to a flexible belt 197 or the like, which belt 197 is in turn secured around pulley wheel 177. As is apparent, actuation of fluid motor 187 causes a corresponding rotative displacement of valve member 157 with respect to casing 155. Subsequent deactivation of motor 187 causes spring 181 to restore valve member 157 to its original position with respect to casing 155.
Rotation of plug 169 is accomplished through a second pulley wheel 201 mounted on a free end 203 of plug 169. Rotation of pulley wheel 201 is effected by a flexible belt 205 that engages wheel 201 and is actuated in accordance with operator demand on the engine. In those circumstances where the engine is utilized in a vehicle, belt 205 may be mechanically linked to either the throttle or accelerator linkage. A coil spring 207 is provided with a first end 209 secured to a stationary support 211. A second end 213 is secured to one end of a flexible cable 215 which is wrapped around free end 203 of plug 169 and has its other end (not shown) secured thereto. The force of spring 207 imparted to plug 169 through cable 215 serves to restore the original position of plug 169 after rotative displacement thereof by forces imposed on pulley 201 through flexible belt 205.
Fuel is fed to the interior of valve member 157 through a supply conduit 217 and axle 179. As shall later be described, conduit 217 may be either conduit 19 or conduit 97, depending upon the separator device being utilized. Thus, depending upon the relative positions of valve member 157 with respect to casing 155 and closure head 175 with respect to second slot 165, the amount of fuel passing from the interior of valve member 157 into cavity 167 is precisely metered in accordance with both engine speed and operator demand. Fuel metered by unit 153 is conducted away from cavity 167 through a conduit 219, the latter being either conduit 19 or conduit 97 as shall also be later described.
Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a separator 221 which comprises an alternative device for incorporation in fuel system 1 in substitution for previously described separator 20. Separator 221 includes a pair of fluid motors 223 and 225 which operate in tandem with each other for the purpose of producing a continuous source of light vapor fraction for carburetion into intake manifold 93 of the engine.
Motor 223 comprises a cylinder 227 within which a piston 229 is disposed for reciprocating movement in association with a piston rod 231. A seal 233 is provided at one end of cylinder 227 to prevent escape of fluids therefrom. An external seal 235 is provided for sealing and journaling the reciprocating movement of rod 231. The extension and the retraction of rod 231 with respect to cylinder 227 serves to sequentially activate a plurality of spaced limit switches 237, 239, 241 and 243. Switches 237 and 239 are maintained in normally closed positions when not contacted by rod 231. Switches 241 and 243 are maintained in normally open positions when no contacted by rod 231.
The upper end of cylinder 227 is provided with a positive pressure line 245 for introducing pressurized fluid, such as air pressure from pump 15 or a similar source, into cylinder 227. A solenoid valve 247 is disposed in line 245 for controlling fluid flow therethrough into cylinder 227. A negative pressure line 249 is provided for supplying vacuum pressure, such as from intake manifold 93 or a similar source, into cylinder 227. A solenoid valve 251 controls pressure supplied through line 249.
At the lower portion of cylinder 227 is disposed a transducer 253 for generating ultrasonic energy within cylinder 227. Transducer 253 is operated off of main power supply 103. First container 3 supplies fuel to the interior of cylinder 227 through a supply conduit 255. A heater 257, which may be of the resistance type or heat exchange variety receiving hot fluids from the engine exhaust manifold, may be disposed in conduit 255 for preheating fuel prior to its introduction into cylinder 227. A solenoid valve 259 controls the flow of fuel into cylinder 227 through conduit 255. Lighter vapor fractions generated by motor 233 are passed out of cylinder 227 through a light fraction conduit 261, through a solenoid valve 263 disposed therein, through a switching valve 265 and finally through conduit 97 to previously indicated carburetor 87. A fuel metering device 269 disposed in conduit 97 controls the amount of light vapor fractions being carbureted into the engine in direct response to operator demand and engine speed. Metering device 269 may be either electronic fuel metering unit 31 or mechanical fuel metering unit 153. Switching valve 265 is preferably a spool valve having a reciprocating valve member permitting alternate fluid flow through conduit 97 from two sources. The heavy liquid fractions produced by motor 223 are passed out a conduit 271 into drain 63 for storage in previously indicated second container 61. A solenoid valve 275 is disposed in conduit 271 for controlling the flow of heavier fractions therethrough.
As shown in FIG. 7, motor 225 is in fluid communication with motor 223 and includes the same components as the latter. A piston (not shown) is also disposed in a cylinder 277 of motor 225 and includes an associated piston rod 279. Motor 221 also includes a plurality of limit switches 281, 283, 285 and 287 which function in the exact same manner as previously described switches 237-243 associated with motor 223. Rod 279 also includes a journal seal 289. Similarly, motor 225 is provided with a positive pressure line 291 with a solenoid valve 293 disposed therein, and a negative pressure line 295 having a corresponding solenoid valve 297 disposed therein.
Fuel is also supplied to cylinder 225 from container 3 through common conduit 255. As in the case of motor 223, conduit 255 feeding fuel motor 225 may also include a heater 299 and solenoid valve 301 for the same corresponding purposes. A transducer 303 is disposed at the lower portion of cylinder 227 for generating ultrasonic energy therein, with transducer 303 also being operated off of power supply 81. Light vapor fractions produced by motor 225 are sent to regulator valve 265 through a conduit 305 having a solenoid valve 307 disposed therein. Heavier liquid fractions produced by motor 225 are sent to drain 63 through a conduit 309 having a solenoid valve 311 disposed therein.
The operation of separator 221 shall be described with reference to motor 223 only since it is understood that the structural and functional features of motors 223 and 225 are exactly the same with the exception that they operate in opposite and tandem relationship to each other in order to produce a continuous flow of lighter fraction hydrocarbons through conduit 97 to carburetor 87.
When rod 231 is in its fully retracted position within cylinder 227 and makes no contact with switches 237-243, the interior of cylinder 227 is substantially devoid of any fuel or separated fractions thereof. In this position of rod 231, valve 247 closes off positive pressure line 245 and valve 251 is open to permit application of negative pressure through line 249 to the interior of cylinder 227. Valve 259 is open to permit fuel from container 3 to flow into cylinder 227 throughout conduit 255. Further, valves 263 and 275 are closed to prevent fluid flow through their respective conduits 261 and 271. Vacuum applied through line 249 from intake manifold 93 by the operation of the engine serves to raise piston 229 and associated rod 231, thereby initiating the upstroke movement of motor 223. When rod 231 successively contacts normally closed switches 237 and 239, no valves are actuated and fuel is brought into cylinder 227 through conduit 255. Heater 257, if present in conduit 255, is automatically actuated at this time. When rod 231 next contacts switch 241, valve 259 is closed, thereby terminating flow of fuel into cylinder 227, and transducer 253 is activated to impart ultrasonic energy to the fuel contained within cylinder 227. Continued movement of rod 231 causes is to contact final switch 243 which closes off valve 251 and negative pressure supply through line 249. At this point, valve 247 is opened to admit positive pressure from line 245 into cylinder 227 and valve 263 is opened to permit light vapor fractions to flow out of cylinder 227 and through conduit 261. Transducer 253 is also deactivated when contact is made on switch 243 by rod 231. When rod 231 has reached this maximum upstroke position, it then begins its downstroke movement by virtue of positive pressure being applied to piston 229 from line 245. When rod 231 passes and closes normally opened switches 241 and 243, there is no valve actuation. However, when rod 231 passes and opens normally closed switch 239, valve 263 is closed for terminating flow of light vapor fractions through conduit 261. Simultaneously, valve 275 is opened to permit the heavier liquid fractions produced by motor 223 to flow through conduit 271 and out drain 63. In this position of rod 231, the reciprocating valve member in regulator valve 265 shifts to close off line 261, thereby permitting light vapor fractions from cylinder 277 to pass into conduit 97 from conduit 305 of motor 225.
It is therefore apparent that when rod 231 of motor 223 is moving towards its extended upstroke position rod 279 of motor 225 is moving towards its retracted down-stroke position. By virtue of switching valve 265, the symbiotic tandem and opposite operations of motors 223 and 225 are coordinated to permit a substantially continuous flow of light vapor fraction hydrocarbons through conduit 97, metering unit 269 and into carburetor 87.
As shown in FIG. 1, fuel system 1 of the present invention is depicted in conjunction with the internal combustion engine of a vehicle and, in this capacity serves to modify and utilize the fuel supply normally carried by the vehicle for its operation. Moreover, the embodiment of system 1 utilizes the separator 20 of FIG. 3, which employs heat from the exhaust manifold of the engine to effect fractionation of the fuel into lighter vapor and heavier liquid fractions. When separator 20 is utilized in system 1, either electronic fuel metering unit 31 may be incorporated in conduit 19 as shown in FIG. 1 or, alternatively, mechanical fuel metering unit 153 depicted in FIG. 5 may be utilized in place of valve 29 in conduit 19 as a substitute for unit 31. It is therefore apparent that when separator 20 is being utilized, either electronic unit 31 or its mechanical analog unit 153 is disposed upstream of separator 20 to meter unfractionated fuel received from container 3 through conduit 19.
However, when separator 221 depicted in FIG. 7 and utilizing ultrasonic energy is employed in system 1, metering units 31 or 153 may alternatively be utilized in conjunction therewith by disposing the desired unit in conduit 97 for unit 269 as previously indicated in the description of FIG. 7. In this situation, unit 31 or unit 153 is disposed downstream from separator 221 and serves to meter light vapor fraction hydrocarbons directly into carburetor 87. When separator 221 is utilized, nozzle 99 is not necessary since starting of the engine can be effected from light vapor fractions produced by separator 221.
MODE OF OPERATION
For the purpose of describing the basic mode of operation of a fuel system according to the present invention, reference shall now be made to fuel system 1 as it is depicted in FIG. 1. In starting the engine, current from a standard ignition activates thermostatic control unit 25 which senses the internal temperature of separator 20 through thermal sensors 53 and 55. Since the temperature is low, unit 25 opens solenoid valve 111, thereby permitting fuel from container 3 to be sent to fogging nozzle 99 through conduit 107. Seconary power supply 103 is activated and serves to operate the ultrasonic unit associated with nozzle 99 so that fuel may be sprayed as fine droplets into throat 91 of carburetor 87. This serves to start the engine whch in turn circulates its hot exhaust gases through separator 20 by way of conduits 45 and 47. When a predetermined critical temperature is reached in separator 20, control unit 25 opens valve 23 and fuel from container 3 is sent through conduit 19 to separator 20. The latter fractionates the fuel and sends light vapor fractions to venturi 95 of carburetor 87 to supplement fuel droplets produced by nozzle 99. Capacitor 117 then shuts off the operation of nozzle 99 by closing valve 111 and detaching power supply 103. The engine then continues to operate from light vapor fractions fed into carburetor 87 through conduit 97.
When operator demand increases and the throttle plate of the engine opens, electronic metering unit 31 sends increased current to variable solenoid valve 29 to increase flow of fuel therethrough to separator 20 which in turn provides carburetor 87 with a greater amount of light vapor fractions. Unit 31 provides supporting current to permit minimal fuel to be injected in carburetor 87, thereby permitting the engine ignition to occur at any speed. Unit 31 also provides supplementary current to permit additional fuel to be injected in the engine to allow momentary enrichment of the air-to-fuel mixture up to the maximum fuel for maximum power at any given engine speed, though always maintaining a lean fuel mixture or higher than stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio. Unit 31 further provides the supplementary current at a rate proportional to the degree operator demand exceeds engine speed at any given time or speed; operator demand being imposed directly through accelerator actuation or throttle linkage actuation.
Separator 20 operates at a control temperature of preferably between about 325°-375° F. if gasoline is the fuel supply being utilized. The heavy oily hydrocarbon fractions in liquid form are drained from separator 20 through conduit 63 into second container 61 for storage. In the event that container 61 is filled to maximum capacity, float indicator 69 actuates switching unit 73 which in turn cuts off power supply 81 from system 1, thereby terminating the operation of system 1 in the same manner as switching off the ignition of the vehicle.
As a safety measure, in the event of misfire due to the high volatility of the light vapor fractions being carbureted into intake manifold 93, the back pressure of such misfire serves to contact impact members 124 disposed in throat 91 of carburetor 87. This pivots closure plate 121 upwardly against abutment 125 and immediately directs the misfire gases out vent 119, while simultaneously preventing additional passage of light vapor fractions into manifold 93.
It is anticipated that new and different forms of fuel, including synthetic fuels, may be utilized for operating internal combustion engines. Such fuels may be extremely explosive in nature and will require the inclusion of burning inhibitors in order to accommodate safe transportation to locations of use. The present invention encompasses the removal of such burning inhibitors at the engine to any degree required to render the explosive fuel available for operation of the engine.
It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shapes, sizes, arrangement of parts, compositions and methods of use and operation may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims. | A system for modifying and utilizing hydrocarbon fuels in the operation of internal combustion engines wherein increased fuel efficiency and reduction in amount of polluting products of combustion produced are realized. Hydrocarbon fuels normally entirely consumed in the operation of internal combustion engines are modified by separating lighter, highly volatile fractions of a paraffinic and ultrafast burning nature from the fuels and utilizing substantially only the lighter fractions for fueling the internal combustion engine, with the heavier fractions being stored separately from the original hydrocarbon fuel source. The lighter fractions permit operating the engine with a lean fuel mixture having a higher than stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio, thereby better accommodating the characteristic intermittent fuel demand of the operator, reducing the production of undesirable nitrogen oxides, permitting the engine to operate at reduced operating temperatures and prolonging the useful life of engine components. | 8 |
[0001] This United States Utility Application claims the benefit of priority based on Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/928,272 filed on Jan. 16, 2014 and entitled “A motion activated, timed, led illuminated soap bar, designed to teach people of all ages how to wash and sanitize hands”, which is commonly-owned and incorporated in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE SUBJECT MATTER
[0002] The field of the subject matter relates to soap, in particular, a bar of soap that illuminates. The bar of soap senses a change in its surroundings, stability or a combination thereof, such as motion, temperature or light and illuminates for a predetermined length of time depending on the change.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Washing hands properly, especially for children, can be challenging. Individuals, especially children, do not like to wash their hands. Others need to be reminded to wash their hands. Others need to be taught how to wash their hands properly. The lack of proper hand washing often leads to the spread of germs which leads to contamination throughout households, schools, restaurants, hospitals and other public places.
[0004] Most individuals are unaware of how to properly wash their hands and fewer know the proper length to do so. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Food and Drug Administration, it is suggested the proper length of time needed to wash hands in avoiding the spread of possible sicknesses is 20 to 30 seconds with soap and warm water. Having a device that makes washing hands interesting and educational would help lessen the spread of germs and effectively avoid the spread of sicknesses and viruses.
[0005] Humans are attracted to light and color. Therefore, it would be ideal to provide individuals with visual cues and a visual incentive to engage them (especially children) with the process of washing their hands.
SUMMARY
[0006] An illuminating bar of soap comprising a light module and a soap element; the light module is surrounded by the soap element.
[0007] An illuminating bar of soap comprising a light module and a soap element; the light module is surrounded by the soap element; wherein the light module comprises a motion sensor, a circuit board, and at least a single light source; whereas when the sensor senses a change in state, the sensor triggers the at least single light source to illuminate for a predetermined amount of time.
[0008] A method of washing hands using an illuminating bar of soap, wherein the illuminating bar of soap comprises a light module surrounded by a soap element; wherein the light module comprises a sensor and at least one light source, the method comprising: triggering the sensor causing the at least one light source to illuminate; illuminating the at least one light source; and washing the user's hands with the illuminating bar of soap, wherein the at least one light source stops illuminating when the user should stop washing the user's hands.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0009] By way of example only, selected embodiments and aspects of a contemplated embodiment are described below. Each such description refers to a particular figure (“FIG.”) which shows the described matter. Each such figure includes one or more reference numbers that identify one or more part(s) or element(s) of the contemplated embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 1 shows a contemplated embodiment of the illuminating bar of soap.
[0011] FIG. 2 shows a contemplated embodiment of the light module.
[0012] FIG. 3 shows a contemplated embodiment of the illuminating bar of soap.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a contemplated embodiment of the illuminating bar of soap 100 with the light module 101 inside it.
[0014] As shown in FIG. 1 , the light module 101 is surrounded by a soap element 103 . The soap element 103 may be manufactured from commonly used ingredients that are used to manufacture soap, including but not limited to vegetable based glycerin, essential oils and colored dyes. In order to form the soap element 103 around the light module 101 , the ingredients may be injected or poured into a mold, so that when the ingredients harden, it forms the soap element 103 around the light module 101 . The soap element may be formed into the shape of a traditional bar of soap or other shapes such as dinosaurs, animals, cars, boats, action figures and the like. Other ingredients such as mica may be added to help intensify the light emitted. Other ingredients such as UV reactive pigments may be added to create phosphorescence.
[0015] As shown in FIG. 2 , the light module 101 comprises a sensor 201 and a light source 203 . The sensor 201 and light source 203 may be constructed on a circuit board 205 , it may be constructed on a circuit board with a processing unit, or be directly wired together. The sensor 201 is designed to detect a change in surroundings, a change in stability or a combination thereof and may be a motion sensor, a temperature sensor, a light sensor or any other sensor that monitors changes in surroundings. The sensor 201 triggers the light source 203 .
[0016] The sensor 201 , upon sensing a change in a change in surroundings, a change in stability or a combination thereof, triggers the light source 203 to illuminate. Should the sensor 201 be a motion sensor, upon detecting motion, the sensor triggers the light source 203 to illuminate for a predetermined length of time, usually approximately 20-30 seconds. The motion sensor may be any commonly used motion sensor such as a vibration sensor or reed switch. The light illuminates and stays illuminated for the time when the user should be lathering and rubbing their hands on the soap in order to wash their hands, often times, 20-30 seconds. When the light stops illuminating, it indicates that the user has properly washed their hands.
[0017] Should the sensor 201 be a temperature sensor, it may illuminate the light source 203 when the proper temperature for washing hands is met. Should the illumination occur at the proper temperature, the light source 203 will illuminate so long as the predetermined temperature is met. Also, it may illuminate for a predetermined length of time, so long as the predetermined temperature is met. Should the sensor 201 be a light sensor, it may illuminate the light source 203 when the sensor is exposed to light.
[0018] The light source 203 may be any commonly used light bulb including but not limited to a light emitting diode, organic light emitting diode, liquid crystal display or miniature incandescent bulb. The light source 203 may be comprised of a single light emitting diode or bulb or a plurality of them. The light source 203 may illuminate in a variety of colors, designs, patterns or shapes. The color, design, pattern or shape of the illumination may change depending on the variables from the sensor, i.e. the color may change if the temperature sensed is within a certain range. Also, the color, design, pattern or shape of the illumination may change depending on the amount of time the light source has illuminated 203 for.
[0019] The light module 101 has a battery 209 that powers it. The light module 101 is encapsulated by a barrier 207 made of plastic, rubber or other material so that it is waterproof. The light module 101 may be encapsulated by a barrier 207 in any shape. For example, the light module 101 may be encapsulated by a barrier 207 in the form of an animal, car, dinosaur, etc. so that after the soap element 103 is consumed and depleted, the light module 101 remains in that particular shape. An alternative embodiment of the barrier 207 (a) is shown in FIG. 2 as a dinosaur. The barrier 207 (a) remains after the soap element 103 is depleted, so that the barrier 207 (a) is similar to a dinosaur inside an egg, with the egg being the illuminating bar of soap 100 .
[0020] As shown in FIG. 3 , the illuminating bar of soap 300 comprises a light module 301 and a soap element 303 . The soap element 303 may comprise different layers 307 and 305 . The different layers 307 and 305 may be made of different shapes so that the illuminated soap bar 100 may take multiple forms and shapes as the soap element 303 is depleted. The different layers may be made of different ingredients so that the different layers may be of different colors, textures or scents.
[0021] Thus, specific embodiments of an illuminated soap bar have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of disclosure herein. Moreover, in interpreting the specifications and claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive matter, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. | An illuminating bar of soap is disclosed that includes a light module and a soap element, wherein the light module is surrounded by the soap element; wherein the light module comprises a sensor and at least one light source; whereas when the sensor senses a change in its surroundings, stability or a combination thereof, such as motion, temperature or light, the sensor triggers the light source to illuminate for a predetermined amount of time. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for connecting a flexible tube to a spigot, barb, or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
In the food, medical and pharmaceutical industries single use apparatus, or bio-disposable systems, can be used in the preparation of batches of product. Such single use apparatus includes flexible tubing, typically made from silicone, but may be made from other plastics materials, such as thermoplastics. Connections to other pieces of apparatus are commonly made with flanged connectors clamped to each other. The connectors have hollow spigots to which a tube is connected in a fluid tight manner. Connections to other pieces of apparatus can also made using hollow spigots. These spigots are generally provided with barbed ends to retain the tubes.
It is important that this connection between the flexible tube and hollow spigot is fluid tight as fluid leaking between this connection would be lost to the process and when using valuable fluids any loss can be significant. It is particularly important that the connection is stable for the lifetime of the apparatus, because if the connection were to fail, the whole batch may be lost. To prevent disconnection and leaks, the connection is very tight, with the profile of the barb extending slightly beyond the normal diameter of the tube causing slight stretching of the tube around the barb, and therefore making disconnection of the tube from the spigot unlikely to occur. However, this of course makes connecting the tube to the spigot also difficult.
To aid connection, a lubricant, such as alcohol or oil, can be used. However, this can ease both the connection between the tube and the spigot and the disconnection. In addition, the lubricant can seep into the apparatus and contaminate the reaction chemicals and solvents, and the products. Thus it is preferable to avoid the use of such lubricants.
Apparatus has been developed to insert a spigot into a flexible tube, however, these typically incorporate the use of fingers inside the flexible tube to pull the tube open so the spigot can be inserted. While this certainly aids insertion of the spigot into the tube, the use of fingers adds potential contamination into the apparatus and risks damage to both the tube and the spigot. In addition, various types of plastic tubing, in particular thermoplastic tubing, does not return fully to shape once stretched. Thus the use of this type of apparatus to pull the tube open can lead to a permanently enlarged tube and thus a poor connection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for inserting a spigot into a flexible tube.
According to the invention there is provided apparatus for inserting a spigot into a flexible tube, the apparatus including
means for supporting and advancing a spigot and means for gripping a flexible tube, while the spigot is inserted therein,
the gripping means including a pair of jaws for gripping and releasing the tube, with sufficient strength to hold the tube but not crush the same, at least part of one or both jaws being moveably mounted against a resistance such that under the force of the advancing spigot at least part of one of both jaws can release sufficiently to allow the spigot to pass into the tube, while retaining the tube in the apparatus.
Preferably the jaws are tapered at their front edges to ease insertion of the spigot. Typically the jaws are provided with fine grooves or ridges to aid grip on the flexible tube. Preferably the jaws are contoured in accordance with the shape of the spigot.
To position and remove a tube, the jaws will preferably be mounted on runners. A cam rotated by a lever may be provided to move the jaws along the runners to open and close the same. In addition, in the absence of cam movement at least part of the jaws are mounted again spring force, enabling them to be moved against the spring to open and close under the force of the advancing spigot.
Advantageously, a front section of the jaws, typically a tapered section, may moveable against a resistance, with a back section of the jaws, generally not tapered, holding the tube in a fixed position while the jaws are closed.
The movement of the jaws, both for positioning to hold the flexible tube, and against a resistance can be provided manually, mechanically, electrically or pneumatically, the device being operated manually or electronically.
Typically the whole apparatus will be sterilizable, generally in an autoclave.
Advantageously the jaws can be removable to enable jaws contoured for different shapes of spigot to be easily inserted. In addition, it is possible to adjust the stroke of the supporting means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tube applicator according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the jaws of the tube applicator of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a top view of the jaws of the tube applicator of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 is a top view of a spigot being connected to a tube using the applicator of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 5 is a top view of the connection of FIG. 4 at a more advanced stage; and
FIG. 6 is a front view of the jaws of a tube applicator according to a second aspect of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a top view of the apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one of a pair of jaws from the embodiment of FIG. 7
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the jaw of FIG. 8 ;
FIG. 10 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 7 with a spigot positioned on the support and a tube positioned between the jaws;
FIG. 11 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 7 with the spigot advanced slightly with respect to FIG. 10 ; and
FIG. 12 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 7 with the spigot advanced further with respect to FIG. 11 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 , the apparatus 1 includes a base 2 on which is mounted a support 4 for a connector C having a spigot S. The spigot, as shown, has a barbed end B. While barbed end spigots are the most commonly used, the device could be used with a spigot with a parallel end. As shown this connector may be a flanged connector but may also be a T-connector, a Y-connector, adaptors, or any other type of device to which a flexible tube is connected over a spigot, including filters and the like.
The support 4 is mounted on a pair of runners 6 to allow it to be advanced forward and retreated backwards along the base 2 . Advancement and retraction is achieved by means of a lever 8 , although any other type of mechanical, electrical or pneumatic system could be used. The support 4 includes a block 10 , mounted on runners to be moved by lever action, and an attachment 12 , removably connected to the block, designed to support the chosen connector. As shown the attachment 12 is for a flanged connector C, and comprises a rod 13 onto which the flanged connector is placed, the flange being supported against the support 4 . However, other attachments can be used to support different connectors. The attachment 12 also allows for variations in the size of the connector to still be connected to the flexible tube. The movement along the runners can be set to adjust the stroke of the forward motion of the support, which will depend upon the shape and length of the spigot.
In addition, the base also carries a grip 14 for the flexible tube T. The grip 14 includes a pair of jaws 16 . These are supported on a pair of carriers 18 and the jaws 16 can be changed in accordance with the diameter of the tube and/or the size and profile of the spigot to be inserted. When positioned on the carriers 18 , the jaws 16 face the support 4 and attachment 12 , and are aligned such that a tube held in the jaws 16 will be directly facing the spigot S of a flanged connector C held on the attachment 12 .
The jaws 16 are slightly flared 20 at the end facing the attachment 12 , and are provided with a series of grooves 22 to enhance the grip to the flexible tube. While the jaws are shown with grooves, ridges other forms of texture could additionally or alternatively be provided. In addition, the jaws are also contoured in accordance with the shape of the spigot, and in particular the shape and diameter of the barb on the spigot. While a generally flared pair of jaws will be satisfactory for a wide range of shapes of barbed spigot, in the preferred embodiment, the jaws are contoured in accordance with the specific contour of the barb to be inserted into the tube.
The carriers 18 are held on a pair of runners 24 , secured to side supports 26 , mounted on the base 2 . Between the carriers 18 and the supports 26 are provided a pair of springs 28 . These act to urge the carriers 18 into position on the runners. The carriers are also acted on by a cam 29 secured to the based underneath the runners. The cam 29 is rotated using a lever 30 , and the shape of the cam 29 moves the carriers 18 between an open position, at which the flexible tube T can be inserted between the jaws, and removed, and a closed position in which the flexible tube is griped between the jaws. The jaws 16 grip the flexible tube T will sufficient force to hold it in position, but not crush it. However, on insertion of the spigot S into the flexible tube T, the jaws are able to move against the action of the springs, forcing them to open slightly to accommodate the barbed end section, while still maintaining a holding force on the tube.
The design of the jaws maintaining a holding force of the tube, while allowing expansion of the tube to accommodate the spigot as it is inserted therein, enables the apparatus to be effective. Where a barbed spigot is used, a slight expansion of the tube is required to accommodate this, which would not be possible with fixed jaws. Thus the resistive element in the jaws enables the expansion of the tube under force from the incoming barbed spigot, while still maintaining a holding force on the jaws. It is the design of the jaws to hold the flexible tube but to move sufficiently under force of the insertion of the spigot, which allows the apparatus to function.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 , in use a connector C having a spigot S is placed on the support 4 . The jaws 16 are opened, a length of flexible tube T is positioned between the jaws and the jaws are closed to securely hold the tube but not to crush the same. The tube T is positioned so that its end is just touching the end of spigot S, as shown in FIG. 4 . In practice the best way of achieving this contact is for an operator to push the end of the spigot into the end of the tube. This initial connection can be achieved easily, in contrast to the full connection over the barbed spigot. The tube and spigot combination can then be fitted onto the apparatus. The lever 8 is then moved to advance the spigot into the flexible tube. As the spigot advances, the pressure of the advance moves the jaws 16 very slightly towards the supports 26 , increasing the distance therebetween to allow the spigot to be inserted into the tube. As can be seen in FIG. 5 , the jaws are slightly further apart than in FIG. 4 to allow for the insertion of the spigot. However, the jaws still maintain a holding force on the tube preventing any significant backwards movement of the same away from the spigot. Once the spigot has been inserted to the correct depth, the lever 8 can be released. This draws the support 4 away from the jaws 16 , leaving the spigot in the tube, in the jaws. The lever 30 can then be used to open the jaws and remove the spigot S now fitted to the tube T.
Turning now to FIG. 6 , the embodiment thereshown is essentially identical to that shown in FIG. 1 , with the exception that the movement of the jaws 116 is controlled by pneumatic cylinders 132 . The jaws 116 are mounted between two pairs of cylinders, 134 , 136 that control their movement. The first pair of cylinders, 134 act in the same way as the cam in the first embodiment, i.e. to move the jaws from an open position in which the flexible tube can be inserted and removed, and a closed position in which the flexible tube is griped securely but not crushed. The second pair 136 of cylinders acts in the same way as the springs in the first embodiment, namely to allow a small degree of opening of the jaws to accommodate the spigot as inserted into the tube, by means of check valves. The movement is controlled by a microprocessor (not shown). Alternatively, a single pair of cylinders can act both for the movement of the jaws between an open and closed position, and to allow a slight opening in the jaws to accommodate the entry of the spigot into the tube.
Referring now to FIGS. 7 to 9 , which show apparatus for inserting a spigot into a tube according to a third aspect of the invention. Similarly to the previous embodiments, the apparatus 200 includes a base 202 for supporting the apparatus. Provided on the base is a support 204 for holding a connector having a spigot S. The support 204 is readily changeable on the apparatus and each support will be designed to securely hold a different type or size of connector. As shown the connector is a flanged connector, but may also be a T- or Y-connector, and adapter, or any other device to which flexible tube is connected, including for example a filter. The support 204 shown is designed for use with a flanged connector and is provided with an elongated nose 205 . The nose 205 is sized for entry into the flexible tube, to act as a guide to ensure that the spigot S is correctly inserted into the tube T. This removes the necessity of pre-connection of the end of the spigot S into the flexible tube T before operation of device to force the spigot fully into the tube, as described in reference to the first embodiment. The support 204 is mounted on the base for movement under piston control (not shown).
Also provided on the base, again similar to the previous embodiment, is a grip 214 for a flexible tube T. The grip includes a pair of jaws 216 , which are mounted for movement under piston control.
The jaws 216 comprise a main element 220 and a compressible, movable front part (also referred to as front section, 222 . The front section 222 fits into the main element 220 with a spring 224 positioned between the two, enabling movement of the front section relative to the main section. The front section is movable and is shown in FIGS. 7-9 in a free position extending inwards of the main element 220 into a spacing between the pair of jaws when the jaws are opened and do not have a tube retained therein. Both sections are provided with an indentation to accommodate the flexible tube T, with the front section having a flared portion at the front to accommodate the barb of the spigot. The whole of the jaw is easily replaceable to accommodate different sizes of tube and spigot, with the front section being further replaceable to accommodate the profile of the spigot. The front section 222 will generally be very slightly longer than the spigot to be inserted into the tube and profiled accordingly. The jaws and particularly the indented sections will be provided with small ridges 801 and/or indentations to increase the grip onto the tube.
Typically the jaws will be made out of plastics material such as a hard plastics material, however they could also be made out of metal, wood or any other suitable material. However, the compressive section 222 of the jaws will generally be made out of a metal, for example stainless steel. This is because it has been found that the slight movement of the tube within the jaws, on insertion of the spigot, has a tendency to polish the jaws, which can lead to a reduction or even loss of grip and less satisfactory working of the device. As metal is generally harder than plastics material, it is more resistant to the polishing. For devices that will experience a heavy use, it has been found that metal jaws are significantly more durable that plastics jaws. It has also been found that polishing is experienced on the compressible jaw only as this is where movement occurs. Thus the fixed jaw will typically be made of plastics material.
The jaws are designed to be easily replaceable, with the jaws 216 comprising contoured projections, which mate with contoured indentations in the grips 214 . Thus the jaws can be replaced to suit different contours spigot, and different sized of flexible tube and spigot.
The base also holds a microprocessor 226 for controlling the movement of both the jaws 116 and the connector support 204 . Buttons 228 will be provided connected to the microprocessor for controlling movement of these elements.
Referring now to FIG. 10-12 , in use, initially the support 204 is retracted and jaws 216 are opened. A spigot S is positioned on the support 204 and a flexible tube of the corresponding size is placed between the jaws, which are then closed. In this position, the nose 205 of the support is just inside the end of the flexible tube T, as shown in FIG. 10 . The support then advances, with the nose 205 of the support extending inside the tube T and guiding the spigot therein. FIG. 11 shows the spigot just starting to enter the tube. As the spigot is forced into the tube T, the front section 222 of the jaws 216 retracts into the main section of the jaws 220 , to allow for the increasing width of the spigot. The main element of the jaws 220 holding firmly to the tube. FIG. 12 shows the spigot a significant way into the tube, with the movable front section 222 of the jaws retracted to allow for the entry of the barb. Once the spigot has been pushed into the tube, the jaws are opened and the spigot and tube removed. Specifically, FIGS. 10 and 11 show an embodiment of the movable front part 222 in a closed jaw position where the jaws are closed with the tube gripped therebetween. As the spigot S is advanced into the tube, the movable front part 222 moves to an outward position extending out of the spacing between the main jaw elements and into its main jaw element, such that under the force of the advancing spigot, at least part of one or both jaws can release sufficiently to allow the spigot to pass into the tube, while retaining the tube in the apparatus.
As can be seen by reference to FIGS. 7-12 , the movable front part 222 being capable of movement between a number of positions. The jaws 216 are contoured to receive the tube in alignment with the spigot. Each jaw 216 comprises a main jaw element 220 arranged such that a contour is facing a contour of the other main jaw element 220 , and a movable front part 222 movably mounted against a resistance on the main jaw element 220 at an end of the jaws 216 . The movable front part 222 is capable of different positions including being movable between a free position, a closed jaw position, and an outward position. In the free position, the movable front part 222 is extending from its main jaw element into a spacing between the pair of jaws 216 when the jaws 216 are opened, and no tube is retained between the jaws 216 . An example of the free position of the movable front part 222 can be seen in FIGS. 7-9 . In the closed jaw position, tube T is retained between the jaws 216 . In this case, the movable front part 222 is retracted by the gripping of the tube T. An example of the closed jaw position can be seen in FIG. 10 . In the outward position, the movable front part 222 is further retracted inward into its main jaw element 220 by the advancing spigot, and extends outwards from the spacing between the main jaw elements 220 . The outwards position occurs upon insertion of the spigot into the tube when the tube T is retained in the jaws 216 , and allows the tube T to be retained in place and at the same time allows the movable front portion 222 to adapt for an increase in diameter of the barb B of spigot S. An example of the outwards position can be seen in FIG. 12 .
The invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above-described embodiment. For instance, any combination of pneumatic or other powered control can be used in combination with manual operation for the different elements of movement required in the device. | Apparatus to connect a flexible tube to a spigot on bio-disposable systems. The apparatus comprises a support for a spigot and jaws for gripping and holding a flexible tube. The jaws open and close for insertion of the flexible tube either under manual or pneumatic force. The jaws also include a front section that is openable against a resistance. In use, the end of the spigot is place inside the end of the flexible tube, the spigot is then positioned on the support, and the tube clamped into the jaws. Either on manual or pneumatic action, the spigot is advanced into the flexible tube within the jaws. The front section of the jaw opening slightly to accommodate the spigot, while the back section of the jaw holds the tube firmly in position. | 8 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under Title 35, U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/881,783, filed on Sep. 24, 2013 and entitled TRAILER DOOR SEAL, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present disclosure relates to seals, and in particular, to seals that are adapted to seal doors such as those associated with semi-trailer trucks, boxcars, shipping containers, and buildings.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Seals that are used on the doors of truck trailers may be designed to help insulate the contents contained within, and may be formed as a plurality of separate door-edge sections that are joined at their respective corners using molded corner blocks joined to adjacent pairs of the door-edge sections via glue or silicone caulk, for example. These multi-piece seals may be expensive and difficult to install and maintain.
[0006] Other seals may be pre-formed to fit a given truck door size. These seals normally cannot be substantially deformed without compromising the effectiveness of the seal, and are therefore packaged and shipped as a single, door-shaped piece in a large, flat shipping container having approximately the same dimensions as the door to which the seal will be mounted. This relatively large shipping size and configuration adds to the overall cost of implementing such a pre-formed seal.
[0007] What is needed is an improvement over the foregoing.
SUMMARY
[0008] A sealing system is provided for sealing the perimeter of insulated hinged double doors. The sealing system includes first and second exterior seals made of a monolithic, resilient and elastically deformable material. The first exterior seal has an elongated lobe for contacting the exterior of said door, and both of the first and second exterior seals have an interior lobe which contact one another when the doors are closed. The sealing system further includes first and second inner seals made of a monolithic, resilient and elastically deformable material, each having a pair of spaced-apart sealing lobes. The inner seals are mounted to respective doors in a staggered fashion, such that the respective pairs of sealing lobes interact with one another to create a redundant, weather-resistant and thermally robust seal when the double doors are closed.
[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the seal is formed from an elastomeric material that is elastically deformable, resilient, compressible and packable by rolling, stuffing or folding into a compact space. The seal material retains a constant deformation force over an extended period of time, and accommodates repeated deformations while maintaining a fluid-tight seal that seals the inside of the trailer from the outside environment. The elastic deformation and monolithic, one-piece design simplifies installation as the seal will stretch over the door and hold itself in place. Moreover, the seal is both weather resistant in subzero temperatures and resistant to degradation by UV exposure.
[0010] In one form thereof, the present disclosure provides a sealing system for sealing a space between a pair of hinged doors, said sealing system comprising: a first inner seal having a first inner lobe and a first outer lobe defining a first lobe receiving space therebetween; and a second inner seal having a second inner lobe and a second outer lobe defining a second lobe receiving space therebetween, the first lobe receiving space sized to receive the second outer lobe such that the second outer lobe sealingly abuts the first inner lobe and the first outer lobe, and the second lobe receiving space sized to receive the first inner lobe such that the first inner lobe sealingly abuts the second inner lobe and the second outer lobe, whereby the first inner seal and the second inner seal are arrangeable in a staggered fashion to form a redundant, weather-resistant and thermally robust seal in a space between two doors.
[0011] In another form thereof, the present disclosure provides a sealing system for sealing a space between a pair of hinged doors, said sealing system comprising: a first hinged door pivotable between a first open position and a first closed position; a second hinged door pivotable between a second open position and a second closed position, the first and second hinged doors having adjacent vertical edges which swing outwardly and away from one another as the first and second hinged doors pivot from the first and second closed positioned toward the first and second open positions respectively; a first inner seal attached to the first hinged door and having a first inner lobe and a first outer lobe defining a first lobe receiving space therebetween; and a second inner seal attached to the second hinged door and having a second inner lobe and a second outer lobe defining a second lobe receiving space therebetween, the first inner seal attached in a staggered arrangement with respect to the second inner seal such that, when the first and second doors and in the first and second closed positions respectively, the first lobe receiving space sealingly receives the second outer lobe and the second lobe receiving space sealingly receives the first inner lobe to form a redundant seal in a space between the first and second hinged doors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this disclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following descriptions of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a semi-trailer truck including doors that are fitted with seals according to the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a truck door sealing system in accordance with the present disclosure, taken along line 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 ;
[0015] FIG. 3 is another cross-sectional view of the seal shown in FIG. 2 , taken along line 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 , in which one door is illustrated in a closed position and the other door is approaching a closed position;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an outer truck door seal in accordance with the present disclosure, taken along line 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 ; and
[0017] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the installation process of a truck door seal in accordance with the present disclosure, taken along line 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 .
[0018] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Large trucks, such as semi-trailer trucks, often need seals at the rear opening of a cargo trailer between the trailer's rear frame and a pair of hinged rear doors used to close the trailer. Additional sealing is also often needed between the rear doors themselves.
[0020] The present seal arrangement provides one-piece, monolithic seals designed for installation on respective hinged trailer doors for semi-trailer trucks, and particularly the thick hinged doors associated with insulated cargo trailers (e.g., of the type used for transport of frozen or cold cargo). Each one-piece seal is made of four individually extruded sections, or extrusion members, which are made of a resilient, elastically deformable/compressible material. The extrusion members are heat fused or welded together to form a four-sided, one-piece, monolithic seal having a closed profile sized to fit a particular door. This one-piece design of the respective seals used in the present seal arrangement ensures that there is no leak path across each seal when the seals are placed on a door of a semi-trailer truck, while also inhibiting thermal transfer around the periphery of the closed double doors.
[0021] While the seals of the present disclosure are discussed in terms of semi-trailer truck doors, other uses are also contemplated. For example, doors on shipping containers, railroad boxcars and buildings may be used with seals that extend around the entire perimeter of such doors and that are made in accordance with the present disclosure. Moreover, any aperture or opening that is sealingly blocked with a cover of comparable size and shape may benefit from the application of seals made in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1 , trailer 10 of a refrigerating semi-trailer truck is shown having cooling unit 12 and cargo box 15 . Cargo box 15 has five sides sealed to one another to define a cargo space therein, with an open sixth side of cargo box 15 sized to transfer cargo to and from the cargo space. This open sixth side of cargo box 15 is selectively closed by a rear door assembly including a generally rectangular rear frame 16 and a pair of hinged doors 18 and 20 . As illustrated, the double hinged arrangement of doors 18 and 20 is a “French door” type in which opposite vertical edges of doors 18 , 20 are hinged to adjacent vertical members of rear frame 16 , while the adjacent vertical edges of doors 18 , 20 near the middle of the opening in rear frame both swing outwardly and away from one another as doors 18 and 20 are pivoted from the closed position to the open position.
1. Seal Configurations and Characteristics
[0023] In the following description, the terms “inner,” “interior” and other like terms denote a position relatively closer to the interior (i.e., cargo space) of cargo box 15 ( FIG. 1 ). Conversely, terms such as “outer,” “exterior” and other like terms denote a position that is relatively distanced from the interior of cargo box 15 ( FIG. 1 ). For example, if a pair of structures include an “inner” structure and an “outer” structure, the “inner” structure is closer to the interior space of cargo box 15 relative to the “outer” structure, while the “outer” structure is closer to the ambient space outside of cargo box 15 relative to the “inner” structure.
[0024] In general, referring to FIG. 2 , to seal the gap between doors 18 and 20 , first exterior seal 22 sealingly engages second exterior seal 24 and first inner seal 42 engages second inner seal 40 , to form a dual, gap-bridging seal interaction. FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of doors 18 and 20 in a partially-open configuration, with door 20 in a closed position and door 18 approaching a closed position. More particularly, first door 18 is shown pivoting from an open position toward a closed position along the direction of arrow A. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , second door 20 is also able to pivot between open and closed positions in a similar fashion. If it is desired for second door 20 to be closed upon first door 18 (i.e., the reverse of the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 ), first and second exterior seals 22 and 24 and first and second seals 42 and 40 may be interchanged.
[0025] Referring to the closed and sealed configuration of doors 18 and 20 as shown in FIG. 2 , first exterior seal 22 has an elastically deformable, pliable body including mounting portion 26 , which fits within mounting opening 114 of door frame 102 , and sealing portion 28 . Both mounting portion 26 and sealing portion 28 are formed integrally with one another as a single, monolithic structure, such as via extrusion. Sealing portion 28 includes first sealing lobe 30 and second sealing lobe 32 . First sealing lobe 30 has an elongate, arcuate profile that spans the gap between doors 18 and 20 and is substantially aligned with and seated upon the exterior of outer connecting wall 106 of door frame 102 when doors 18 , 20 are closed. As described in further detail below, sealing lobe 30 presents an initial, outer physical and thermal barrier between the exterior and interior of cargo box 15 through the gap between doors 18 and 20 .
[0026] Second sealing lobe 32 includes elliptical hollow 33 , which aids in producing a controlled, repeatable compression of second sealing lobe 32 against lobe 36 when doors 18 and 20 are in the closed position, as also described further below. Second sealing lobe 32 therefore cooperates with the adjacent lobe 36 to provide a second, inner thermal and physical barrier disposed inwardly of outer sealing lobe 30 .
[0027] Second exterior seal 24 has an overall shape and configuration similar to first exterior seal 22 , except without exterior sealing lobe 30 as best seen in FIG. 3 . Second exterior seal 24 includes mounting portion 34 , which fits within opening 124 formed on door frame 104 and may have the same cross-sectional profile of mounting portion 26 of seal 22 . Sealing lobe 36 , which extends from mounting portion 34 , includes elliptical hollow 38 similar to sealing lobe 32 of seal 22 . When doors 18 , 20 are in their respective closed configurations ( FIG. 2 ), sealing lobe 36 resilient deforms against sealing lobe 32 such that both of elliptical hollows 33 , 38 are compressed, and sealing lobes 32 , 36 cooperate to sealingly bridge the gap between doors 18 and 20 .
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative exterior trailer door seal arrangement in accordance with the present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 4 includes first and second exterior seals 70 and 74 which cooperate to provide an initial, external seal against ingress of fluid or contaminants similar to seals 22 , 24 described above. Like first exterior seal 22 , first deformable, pliable body including mounting portion 76 and first sealing lobe 80 , which are integrally and monolithically formed as a single structure. Sealing lobe 80 has an elongate, arcuate profile that spans the gap between doors 18 and 20 and is substantially aligned with and seated upon the exterior of outer connecting wall 106 of door frame 102 when doors 18 , 20 are closed. However, seals 70 , 74 lack a structure analogous to mutually abutting sealing lobes 32 , 36 . Rather, first exterior seal 70 has bumper 72 and second exterior seal 74 has bumper 78 , both of which partially span the gap between the doors when doors 18 and 20 are in the closed position and provide for firm fixation of seals 70 , 74 within mounting openings 114 and 124 respectively.
[0029] Turning again to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the present seal arrangement may further include first and second dual inner seals 42 and 40 installed to doors 18 and 20 , respectively. First inner seal 42 (shown in FIG. 3 in its undeformed configuration) includes inner lobe 54 and outer lobe 56 , which are connected to one another by connecting portion 58 to form a unitary, monolithically formed dual-lobe structure Inner lobe 54 includes inwardly-facing wall 51 and outwardly-facing wall 53 , while outer lobe 56 similarly defines inwardly-facing wall 55 and outwardly-facing wall 57 . Together, inwardly-facing wall 55 , connecting portion 58 , and outwardly-facing wall 53 define lobe receiving space 60 , which facilitates an interlocking seal between first and second dual inner seals 42 and 40 as will be described further below. First dual inner seal 42 includes generally cylindrical hollows 66 and 68 which facilitate deformation of seal 42 upon establishment of the interlocking seal.
[0030] Second inner seal 40 may have a cross section similar or identical to first inner seal 42 . As best shown in FIG. 3 , second inner seal 40 includes inner lobe 44 and outer lobe 46 , which are joined together by connecting portion 48 into a unitary, monolithically formed dual-lobe structure. Inner lobe 44 includes inwardly-facing wall 41 and outwardly-facing wall 43 , while outer lobe 46 includes inwardly-facing wall 45 and outwardly-facing wall 47 . Together, inwardly-facing wall 45 , connecting portion 48 , and outwardly-facing wall 43 define lobe receiving space 50 . Second dual inner seal 40 includes generally cylindrical hollows 62 and 64 which facilitate deformation of seal 42 upon establishment of an interlocking seal.
[0031] Turning again to FIG. 2 , when both doors 18 , 20 are in their respective closed positions, first sealing lobe 30 of first exterior seal 22 deflects such that lobe 30 is pressed against outer wall 116 to form an outer fluid-tight seal between doors 18 and 20 . Meanwhile, second sealing lobe 36 of second exterior seal 24 and second sealing lobe 32 of first exterior seal 22 mutually deform against one another, such that the gap between doors 18 and 20 is bridged by a fluid-tight seal engagement disposed just interior of exterior seal 22 . In this way, two sealing layers are established by the interaction of seals 22 and 24 : inner lobes 32 , 36 deform against one another to form a first, inner seal within the gap between doors 18 , 20 , while first sealing lobe 30 resiliently biases against wall 116 to form a second, redundant outer seal between the closed doors 18 , 20 .
[0032] Inner seals 40 , 42 form yet another multiple-engagement barrier to fluid and thermal transfer between cargo box 15 and the ambient environment. As door 18 moves towards door 20 during the transition from the open position to the closed position (e.g., along direction A as shown in FIG. 3 ), first inner seal 42 abuts, and then slides across, second inner seal 40 causing mutual deformation thereof. When in the closed position shown in FIG. 2 , outer lobe 46 of second inner seal 40 interfits within lobe receiving space 60 of first inner seal 42 and inner lobe 44 of first inner seal 42 interfits within receiving space 50 of second inner seal 40 .
[0033] This interfitting arrangement creates three mutual lobe-on-lobe deformations which act to create fluid tight sealing engagements between first inner seal 42 and second inner seal 40 : (1) inwardly-facing wall 55 abuts outwardly-facing wall 47 ; (2) inwardly-facing wall 45 abuts outwardly-facing wall 53 ; and (3) inwardly-facing wall 51 abuts outwardly-facing wall 43 . Further, generally cylindrical hollows 62 , 64 , 66 , and 68 , in cooperation with air pockets that form between a tip of inner lobe 54 and connecting portion 48 and between and tip of outer lobe 46 and connecting portion 58 , create a total of six air barriers in the gap between doors 18 and 20 . These six air barriers are serially disposed between the interior of cargo box 15 and the ambient environment, and each additional air barrier serves to further inhibit thermal transfer across the interfitted inner seals 40 , 42 and thereby prevent thermal losses from within trailer 10 to the ambient environment. In addition, a sealed space between exterior seals 22 , 24 and inner seals 40 , 24 is formed, creating yet another air barrier. Elliptical hollows 33 , 38 cooperate to form still another air barrier. Finally, sealing lobe 30 defines yet another sealed space exterior of seal 24 and outer wall 116 and interior of the inner surface of lobe 30 .
[0034] In the illustrated embodiments, the seals are installed in door frames that are secured to doors 18 and 20 . Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , door frame 102 is attached to door 18 and door frame 104 is attached to door 20 , with each door frame extending the entire perimeter of each door to accommodate seals that seal the entirety of rectangular openings 19 (shown in FIG. 1 ). For example, referring to FIG. 3 , door frame 102 includes inner wall 108 , outer wall 106 , and three mounting openings 110 , 112 , and 114 into which the mounting portions of the various seals may be installed (the installation process will be described further below). Specifically, mounting portion 26 of first exterior seal 22 fits into mounting opening 114 and mounting portions 67 and 69 of first dual inner seal 42 fit into mounting openings 110 and 112 , respectively. Likewise, for door frame 104 , mounting portion 34 of second exterior seal 24 fits into mounting opening 124 and mounting portions 63 and 65 of second dual inner seal 40 fit into mounting openings 120 and 122 , respectively.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 2 , when doors 18 and 20 are in the closed position, mounting openings 110 and 112 and opposing mounting openings 120 and 122 are staggered such that the mounting openings 110 , 112 on door frame 102 are closer to the exterior of doors 18 and 20 than the corresponding mounting openings 120 , 122 of door frame 104 . This staggered arrangement facilitates the interfitting of first inner seal 42 and second inner seal 40 when doors 18 and 20 are in the closed position (described in detail above). Of course, alternatively, the mounting openings on door frame 104 could also be staggered closer to the exterior of doors 18 and 20 than the mounting openings on door frame 102 , as required or desired for a particular application.
2. Seal Installation
[0036] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , as noted above, door frames 102 and 104 facilitate the easy installation of first and second exterior seals 22 and 24 and first and second dual inner seals 42 and 40 . Each of seals 22 , 24 , 40 and 42 has one or two mounting portions that are sized to be secured tightly within mounting openings formed along each door frame, taking advantage of each seal's elasticity, resilience and flexibility. For example, referring to FIG. 5 , a step of the installation process of first dual inner seal 42 is shown. First, a part of mounting portion 69 is inserted into mounting opening 112 . Second, by applying pressure to the space between connecting portion 58 and mounting portion 69 using tool 90 , the remaining part of mounting portion 69 can be deformed and wedged into mounting opening 112 . When fully received within opening 112 , sealing portion resiliently returns to its original shape and configuration, thereby conforming to the inner profile of opening 112 as shown in FIG. 2 .
[0037] The above-described installation process can be used along the entire length and periphery of first dual inner seal 42 to fill the entire perimeter of either door 18 or 20 . This process can also be used on the similarly shaped mounting portions 67 of seal 42 , and on mounting portions 26 , 34 , 63 and 65 of other seals 22 , 24 and 40 respectively.
3. Methods of Seal Production
[0038] In an exemplary embodiment, each of the seal portions is produced independently by extruding pliable material at an elevated temperature through an appropriately shaped die. A single continuous strip of extruded material may therefore be produced and cut to length for each of the three seal profiles shown in FIGS. 2-5 and described above (it being understood that seals 40 and 42 have the same profile in the exemplary illustrated embodiment). A unique extrusion profile may be created for different size seals to span a given gap between doors 18 and 20 .
[0039] Four seal portions are then cut to appropriate lengths corresponding to each of the four sides of door 18 and/or door 20 . Respective ends of these four seal portions are then fused to one another to form the four seal portions into a single, unitary, monolithic truck door seal having a generally rectangular central opening 19 ( FIG. 1 ). This fusing process is repeated for the other seal profiles in the present seal arrangement, as well as for the other of doors 18 , 20 . Methods of fusing the corners in accordance with the present disclosure are discussed in detail below.
[0040] As noted above, each seal may be made of a resilient, elastically deformable and/or compressible material. Such materials may include natural rubber, silicone, isoprene, ethylene propylene (“EPM”) or ethylene propylene diene monomer (“EPDM”) rubber, a mixture of cross-linked EPDM rubber and polypropylene, such as SANTOPRENE® (SANTOPRENE® is a registered trademark of the Exxon Mobil Corporation of Irving, Texas), or any other suitable material. In an exemplary embodiment, the material used for the seals has good resistance to compression set, resists degradation from exposure to UV light and other environmental impacts, and remains pliable in cold temperatures.
[0041] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, such as the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 , the seal material is made from EPDM, which has been found exhibit the above-mentioned exemplary qualities for superior longevity in the environments normally encountered by shipping trailers. For example, normal use of a truck door seal made in accordance with the present disclosure may subject the seal to repeated deformations over time, such as by repeated opening and closing of the doors to which the seal is attached, or to vibrations and deformations resulting from movement of the vehicle with which the doors are associated. Forming the seal from a material highly resistant to compression set, such as EPDM, renders the seal well-suited for use in the potentially harsh service environments encountered in the shipping industry. Even after repeated deformations, the above-mentioned seal materials maintain their original shape and elasticity and are therefore able to maintain the desired sealing effect over time. In one exemplary embodiment, EPDM having a durometer of about 60 may be used. When the seals are monolithic as described herein, the durometer of the entirety of such seals is the same throughout respective seal cross sections.
[0042] Two exemplary methods of fusing the seal portion corners include fusing the seal portions at a miter cut and injection molding the seal corners. In the first method, two respective seals are miter cut at their edges at 45-degree angles. The miter-cut edges are abutted and heated in order to fuse the two seal portions to one another at a 90-degree angle. The heat fusing of the extrusion members may be effected in various ways including fusing of mitered edges and injection molding.
[0043] In the second method of fusing the seal portion corners, each seal portion may have regular or plain-cut ends, i.e., the plane of the cut surface may be transverse to the direction of extrusion. These cut ends may then be placed adjacent one another beneath an injection molding head and adjacent an injection-molding die, with a corner of the cuts touching or nearly touching. The void at the seal corner is then filled by injecting molten seal material into the injection-molding die, and allowing such molten rubber to contact and fuse to each seal end.
[0044] However the corners are fused, the seals form continuous and uninterrupted “bulbs” around the entire periphery of the seal. Further discussion of exemplary fusing processes which may be used with the present seal arrangements are presented in U.S. Pat. No. 8,839,564, entitled TRAILER DOOR SEAL, filed Jul. 28, 2011 and assigned to the present assignee, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
[0045] While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention can 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 and which fall within the limits of the appended claims. | A sealing system seals the perimeter of insulated hinged double doors. The sealing system includes first and second exterior seals made of a monolithic, resilient and elastically deformable material. The first exterior seal has an elongated lobe for contacting the exterior of said door, and both of the first and second exterior seals have an interior lobe which contact one another when the doors are closed. The sealing system further includes first and second inner seals made of a monolithic, resilient and elastically deformable material, each having a pair of spaced-apart sealing lobes. The inner seals are mounted to respective doors in a staggered fashion, such that the respective pairs of sealing lobes interact with one another to create a redundant, weather-resistant and thermally robust seal when the double doors are closed. | 1 |
This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/800,645, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,749,356, filed Mar. 7, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the manufacture of paper products, it is often desirable to enhance physical and/or optical properties by the addition of chemical additives. Typically, chemical additives such as softeners, colorants, brighteners, strength agents, etc. are added to the fiber slurry upstream of the headbox in a paper making machine during the manufacturing or converting stages of production to impart certain attributes to the finished product. These chemical additives are usually mixed in a stock chest or stock line where the fiber slurry has a fiber consistency of from between about 0.15 to about 5 percent or spraying the wet or dry paper or tissue during production.
One disadvantage of adding a chemical additive at each paper machine is that the manufacturer has to install equipment on each paper machine to accomplish the chemical additive addition. This, in many cases, is a costly proposition. In addition, the uniformity of the finished product coming off of each paper machine may vary depending upon how the chemical additive was added, variations in chemical additive uniformity and concentrations, the exact point of chemical additive introduction, water chemistry differences among the paper machines as well as personnel and operational differences of each paper machine.
Another difficulty associated with wet end chemical additive addition is that the water soluble or water dispersible chemical additives are suspended in water and are not completely adsorbed or retained onto the fibers prior to formation of the wet mat. To improve adsorption of wet end chemical additives, the chemical additives are often modified with functional groups to impart an electrical charge when in water. The electrokinetic attraction between charged chemical additives and the anionically charged fiber surfaces aids in the deposition and retention of chemical additives onto the fibers. Nevertheless, the amount of the chemical additive that can be adsorbed or retained in the paper machine wet end generally follows an adsorption curve exhibiting diminishing incremental adsorption with increasing concentration, similar to that described by Langmuir. As a result, the adsorption of water soluble or water dispersible chemical additives may be significantly less than 100 percent, particularly when trying to achieve high chemical additive loading levels.
Consequently, at any chemical addition level, and particularly at high addition levels, a fraction of the chemical additive is retained on the fiber surface. The remaining fraction of the chemical additive remains dissolved or dispersed in the suspending water phase. These unadsorbed or unretained chemical additives can cause a number of problems in the papermaking process. The exact nature of the chemical additive will determine the specific problems that may arise, but a partial list of problems that may result from unadsorbed or unretained chemical additives includes: foam, deposits, contamination of other fiber streams, poor fiber retention on the machine, compromised chemical layer purity in multi-layer products, dissolved solids build-up in the water system, interactions with other process chemicals, felt or fabric plugging, excessive adhesion or release on dryer surfaces, physical property variability in the finished product.
Therefore, what is lacking and needed in the art is a method for applying chemical additives onto pulp fiber surfaces in the initial or primary pulp processing, providing more consistent chemical additive additions to the pulp fiber and a reduction or elimination of unretained chemical additives in the process water on a paper machine. The method minimizes the associated manufacturing and finished product quality problems that would otherwise occur with conventional wet end chemical addition at the paper machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been discovered that chemical additives can be applied to pulp fibers at high and/or consistent levels with at most a minimal amount of unretained chemical additives present in the papermaking process water after the treated pulp fiber has been redispersed in water. This is accomplished by treating a fibrous web prior to the finishing operation at a pulp mill with a chemical additive, completing the finishing operation, redispersing the finished pulp at the paper mill and using the finished pulp in the production of a paper product.
Hence in one aspect, the invention resides in a method for applying chemical additives to the pulp fibers. The method comprises creating a fiber slurry comprising water and pulp fibers. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web using a web forming apparatus. The wet fibrous web is dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. A chemical additive is applied to the dewatered fibrous web, thereby forming a chemically treated dewatered fibrous web. In other embodiments of the present invention, the process may include further dewatering of the dewatered fibrous web, thereby forming a crumb-form before or after the application of the chemical additive. The chemically treated dewatered fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated pulp fiber is then used in a separate process to produce paper product.
In another aspect, the invention resides in a method for applying chemical additives to the pulp fibers. The method comprises creating a fiber slurry comprising water and pulp fibers. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web using a web forming apparatus. The wet fibrous web is dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. In other embodiments of the present invention, the process may include further dewatering of the dewatered fibrous web, thereby forming a crumb-form. The dewatered fibrous web is dried to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dried fibrous web. A chemical additive is applied to the dried fibrous web, thereby forming a chemically treated dried fibrous web. The chemically treated dried fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated pulp fiber is then used in a separate process to produce paper product.
According to another embodiment of the present invention is a method for applying a chemical additive to the pulp fiber during the pulp processing stage. During the pulp processing stage, upstream of a paper machine, one can obtain chemically treated pulp fiber. Furthermore, the chemically treated pulp fiber can be transported to several different paper machines that may be located at various sites, and the quality of the finished product from each paper machine will be more consistent. Also, by chemically treating the pulp fiber before the pulp fiber is made available for use on multiple paper machines or multiple runs on a paper machine, the need to install equipment at each paper machine for the chemical additive addition can be eliminated.
The term “unretained” refers to any portion of the chemical additive that is not retained by the pulp fiber and thus remains suspended in the process water. The term “web-forming apparatus” includes fourdrinier former, twin wire former, cylinder machine, press former, crescent former, and the like used in the pulp stage known to those skilled in the art. The term “water” refers to water or a solution containing water and other treatment additives desired in the papermaking process. The term “chemical additive” refers to a single treatment compound or to a mixture of treatment compounds. It is also understood that a chemical additive used in the present invention may be an adsorbable chemical additive.
The consistency of the dried fibrous web is from about 65 to about 100 percent. In other embodiments, the consistency of the dried fibrous web is from about 80 to about 100 percent or from about 85 to about 95 percent. The consistency of the dewatered fibrous web is from about 20 to about 65 percent. In other embodiments, the consistency of the dewatered fibrous web is from about 40 to about 65 percent or from about 50 to about 65 percent. The consistency of the crumb form is from about 30 to about 85 percent. In other embodiments, the consistency of the crumb form is from about 30 to about 60 percent or from about 30 to about 45 percent.
The present method allows for the production of pulp fibers that are useful for making paper products. One aspect of the present invention is a uniform supply of chemically treated pulp fiber, replacing the need for costly and variable chemical treatments at one or more paper machines.
In another embodiment, the chemically treated pulp fiber slurry of the present invention comprises process water and having an applied chemical additive retained by the pulp fibers. The amount of chemical additive retained by the chemically treated pulp fibers is about 0.1 kilogram per metric ton or greater. In particularly desirable embodiments, the amount of retained chemical additive is about 0.5 kg/metric ton or greater, particularly about 1 kg/metric ton or greater, and more particularly about 2 kg/metric ton or greater. Once the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed at the paper machine, the amount of unretained chemical additive in the process water phase is between 0 and about 50 percent, particularly between 0 and about 30 percent, and more particularly between 0 and about 10 percent, of the amount of chemical additive retained by the pulp fibers.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method for adding a chemical additive to pulp fiber comprises creating a fiber slurry. The fiber slurry comprises water and pulp fibers. The fiber slurry is passed to a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine where a wet fibrous web is formed from the fiber slurry. The wet fibrous web is dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. The dewatered fibrous web is dried to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dried fibrous web. A chemical additive is then applied to the dried fibrous web. The resulting chemically treated dried fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated dried fibrous web may be transported to a paper machine. The chemically treated dried fibrous web is mixed with process water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry contains the fibers having the chemical additive secured thereto or retained thereby. A finished product having enhanced quality due to the retention of the chemical additive by the chemically treated pulp fibers may be produced from the chemically treated pulp fiber slurry.
Another aspect of the present invention resides in a method for making chemically treated paper products. The method comprising mixing pulp fibers with water to form a fiber slurry. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web. This may be accomplished in a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine. The wet fibrous web may be dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. A chemical additive is then applied to the dewatered fibrous web. The resulting chemically treated dewatered fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated pulp fibers, as a chemically treated dewatered fibrous web, may be transported or otherwise delivered to one or more paper machines. The chemically treated pulp fiber, as a chemically treated dewatered fibrous web, is mixed with process water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry contains the chemically treated pulp fibers having the chemical additive secured thereto or retained thereby. A finished product having enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additive by the chemically treated pulp fibers may be produced.
Another aspect of the present invention resides in a method for making chemically treated paper products. The method comprising mixing pulp fibers with water to form a fiber slurry. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web. This may be accomplished in a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine. The wet fibrous web may be dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. A chemical additive is then applied to the dewatered fibrous web, thereby forming a chemically treated dewatered fibrous web. The resulting chemically treated dewatered fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated dewatered fibrous web is dried to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a chemically treated dried fibrous web. The resulting chemically treated dried fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated pulp fibers, as a chemically treated dried fibrous web, may be transported or otherwise delivered to one or more paper machines. The chemically treated pulp fiber, as a chemically treated dried fibrous web, is mixed with process water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry contains the chemically treated pulp fibers having the chemical additive secured thereto or retained thereby. A finished product having enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additive by the chemically treated pulp fibers may be produced.
Another aspect of the present invention resides in a method for making chemically treated paper products. The method comprising mixing pulp fibers with water to form a fiber slurry. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web. This may be accomplished in a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine. The wet fibrous web may be dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. The dewatered fibrous web is dried to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dried fibrous web. A chemical additive is then applied to the dried fibrous web. The resulting chemically treated dried fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated pulp fibers, as a chemically treated dried fibrous web, may be transported or otherwise delivered to one or more paper machines. The chemically treated pulp fiber, as a chemically treated dried fibrous web, is mixed with process water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry containing the chemically treated pulp fibers having the chemical additive secured thereto or retained thereby. A finished product having enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additive by the chemically treated pulp fibers may be produced.
Another aspect of the present invention resides in a method for making chemically treated finished paper or tissue products. The method comprising mixing pulp fibers with water to form a fiber slurry. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web. This may be accomplished in a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine. The wet fibrous web may be dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. A chemical additive is applied to the dewatered fibrous web, thereby forming a chemically treated dewatered fibrous web. In other embodiments, the dewatered fibrous web may be processed to a wet lap or processed to a crumb form before or after the application of the chemical additive. The resulting chemically treated pulp fiber contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated dewatered fibrous web, once treated with the chemical additive, may be transported or otherwise delivered to one or more paper machines in the chemically treated form of a dewatered fibrous web, a dried fibrous web, a wet lap, or a crumb form. The chemically treated pulp fiber, as a wet fibrous web, a wet lap, or a crumb form, is mixed with process water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry contains the chemically treated pulp fibers having the chemical additive secured thereto. A finished product having enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additive by the chemically treated pulp fibers is produced.
Another aspect of the present invention resides in a method for making chemically treated finished paper or tissue products. The method comprising mixing pulp fibers with water to form a fiber slurry. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web. This may be accomplished in a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine. The wet fibrous web may be dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. A chemical additive is applied to the dewatered fibrous web, thereby forming a chemically treated dewatered fibrous web. In other embodiments, the dewatered fibrous web may be processed to a wet lap or processed to a crumb form before or after the application of the chemical additive. The resulting chemically treated pulp fiber contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated dewatered fibrous web is dried to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a chemically treated dried fibrous web. The resulting chemically treated dried fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The dried fibrous web, once treated with the chemical additive, may be transported or otherwise delivered to one or more paper machines in the chemically treated form of a dried fibrous web. The chemically treated pulp fiber, as a chemically treated dried fibrous web, is mixed with process water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry contains the chemically treated pulp fibers having the chemical additive secured thereto. A finished product having enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additive by the chemically treated pulp fibers is produced.
Another aspect of the present invention resides in a method for making chemically treated finished paper or tissue products. The method comprising mixing pulp fibers with water to form a fiber slurry. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web. This may be accomplished in a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine. The wet fibrous web is dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. The dewatered fibrous web is dried to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dried fibrous web. A chemical additive is applied to the dried fibrous web, thereby forming a chemically treated dried fibrous web. In other embodiments, the dewatered fibrous web may be processed to a wet lap or processed to a crumb form before or after the application of the chemical additive. The resulting chemically treated pulp fiber contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated dried fibrous web, once treated with the chemical additive, may be transported or otherwise delivered to one or more paper machines in the chemically treated form of a dried fibrous web, a dried fibrous web, a wet lap, or a crumb form. The chemically treated pulp fiber, as a wet fibrous web, a wet lap, or a crumb form, is mixed with process water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry contains the chemically treated pulp fibers having the chemical additive secured thereto. A finished product having enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additive by the chemically treated pulp fibers is produced.
Another aspect of the present invention resides in a method for making chemically treated paper products. The method comprises creating a fiber slurry comprising water and pulp fibers. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web. This may be accomplished in a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine. The wet fibrous web may be dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. In other embodiments, the pulp fiber may be processed to a wet lap or processed to a crumb form. A first chemical additive is applied to the dewatered fibrous web. At least a second chemical additive may be applied to the dewatered fibrous web, thereby forming a multi-chemically treated dewatered fibrous web. The second chemical additive may be added simultaneously with the first chemical additive or at different times or points of the pulp processing stage. The multi-chemically treated dewatered fibrous web, containing the first and second chemical additives, may be further dried to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a chemically treated dried fibrous web. The resulting chemically treated dried fibrous web may have from about 10 to about 100 percent retention of the applied first and second chemical additives. The resulting chemically treated pulp fibers contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of at least each of the first and second chemical additives when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated pulp fibers, as a multi-chemically treated dried fibrous web or as a multi-chemically treated dewatered fibrous web, are transported or otherwise delivered to one or more paper machines. The chemically treated pulp fibers, as a chemically treated dried fibrous web or a chemically treated dewatered fibrous web, are mixed with process water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry contains the chemically treated pulp fibers having the chemical additives secured thereto. A finished product having enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additives by the chemically treated pulp fibers may be produced.
Another aspect of the present invention resides in a method for making chemically treated paper products. The method comprises creating a fiber slurry comprising water and pulp fibers. The fiber slurry is formed into a wet fibrous web. This may be accomplished in a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine. The wet fibrous web may be dewatered to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web. The dewatered fibrous web may be dried to a predetermined consistency, thereby forming a dried fibrous web. In other embodiments, the pulp fiber may be processed to a wet lap or processed to a crumb form. A first chemical additive is applied to the dried fibrous web. At least a second chemical additive may be applied to the dried fibrous web, thereby forming a multi-chemically treated dried fibrous web. The second chemical additives may be added simultaneously with the first chemical additives or at different times or points of the pulp processing. The resulting chemically treated dried fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers that have retained from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of at least each of the first and second chemical additives when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. The chemically treated pulp fibers, as a multi-chemically treated dried fibrous web, are transported or otherwise delivered to one or more paper machines. The chemically treated pulp fibers, as a chemically treated dried fibrous web, are mixed with process water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry contains the chemically treated pulp fibers having the chemical additives secured thereto. A finished product having enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additives by the chemically treated pulp fibers may be produced.
The present invention is particularly useful for adding chemical additives such as softening agents to the pulp fibers, allowing for the less problematic and lower cost production of finished products having enhanced qualities provided by the retained chemical additives by the pulp fibers.
Hence, another aspect of the present invention resides in paper products formed from pulp fibers that have been chemically treated to minimize the amount of residual, unretained chemical additives in the process water on a paper machine. The term “paper” is used herein to broadly include writing, printing, wrapping, sanitary, and industrial papers, newsprint, linerboard, tissue, bath tissue, facial tissue, napkins, wipers, wet wipes, towels, absorbent pads, intake webs in absorbent articles such as diapers, bed pads, meat and poultry pads, feminine care pads, and the like made in accordance with any conventional process for the production of such products. With regard to the use of the term “paper” as used herein includes any fibrous web containing cellulosic fibers alone or in combination with other fibers, natural or synthetic. It can be layered or unlayered, creped or uncreped, and can consist of a single ply or multiple plies. In addition, the paper or tissue web can contain reinforcing fibers for integrity and strength.
The term “softening agent” refers to any chemical additive that can be incorporated into paper products such as tissue to provide improved tactile feel and reduce paper stiffness. A softening agent may be selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium compounds, quaternized protein compounds, phospholipids, polysiloxane compounds, quaternized, hydrolyzed wheat protein/dimethicone phosphocopolyol copolymer, organoreactive polysilxanes, polyhydroxy compounds, and silicone glycols. These chemical additives can also act to reduce paper stiffness or can act solely to improve the surface characteristics of tissue, such as by reducing the coefficient of friction between the tissue surface and the hand.
The term “dye” refers to any chemical that can be incorporated into paper products, such as bathroom tissue, facial tissue, paper towels, and napkins, to impart a color. Depending on the nature of the chemical, dyes may be classified as acid dyes, basic dyes, direct dyes, cellulose reactive dyes, or pigments. All classifications are suitable for use in conjunction with the present invention.
The term “polyhydroxy compounds” refers to compounds selected from the group consisting of glycerol, sorbitols, polyglycerols having a weight average molecular weight of from about 150 to about 800, polyoxyethylene glycols and polyoxypropylene glycols having a weight average molecular weight from typically about 200 to about 10,000, more typically about 200 to about 4,000.
The term “water soluble” refers to solids or liquids that will form a solution in water, and the term “water dispersible” refers to solids or liquids of colloidal size or larger that can be dispersed into an aqueous medium.
The term “bonding agent” refers to any chemical that can be incorporated into tissue to increase or enhance the level of interfiber or intrafiber bonding in the sheet. The increased bonding can be either ionic, Hydrogen or covalent in nature. It is understood that a bonding agent refers to both dry and wet strength enhancing chemical additives.
The method for applying chemical additives to the pulp fibers may be used in a wide variety of pulp finishing processing, including dry lap pulp, wet lap pulp, crumb pulp, and flash dried pulp operations. By way of illustration, various pulp finishing processes (also referred to as pulp processing) are disclosed in Pulp and Paper Manufacture The Pulping of Wood, 2 nd Ed., Volume 1, Chapter 12. Ronald G. MacDonald, editor, which is incorporated by reference. Various methods may be used to apply the chemical additives in the present invention, including, but not limited to: spraying, coating, foaming, printing, size pressing, or any other method known in the art.
In addition, in situations where more than one chemical additive is to be employed, the chemical additives may be added to the fibrous web in sequence to reduce interactions between the chemical additives.
Many pulp fiber types may be used for the present invention including hardwood or softwoods, straw, flax, milkweed seed floss fibers, abaca, hemp, kenaf, bagasse, cotton, reed, and the like. All known papermaking fibers may be used, including bleached and unbleached fibers, fibers of natural origin (including wood fiber and other cellulose fibers, cellulose derivatives, and chemically stiffened or crosslinked fibers), some component portion of synthetic fiber (synthetic papermaking fibers include certain forms of fibers made from polypropylene, acrylic, aramids, acetates, and the like), virgin and recovered or recycled fibers, hardwood and softwood, and fibers that have been mechanically pulped (e.g., groundwood), chemically pulped (including but not limited to the kraft and sulfite pulp processings), thermomechanically pulped, chemithermomechanically pulped, and the like. Mixtures of any subset of the above mentioned or related fiber classes may be used. The pulp fibers can be prepared in a multiplicity of ways known to be advantageous in the art. Useful methods of preparing fibers include dispersion to impart curl and improved drying properties, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,620 issued Sep. 20, 1994 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,768 issued Mar. 26, 1996, both to M. A. Hermans et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,132 issued Aug. 12, 1997 to Farrington, Jr. et al.
According to the present invention, the chemical treatment of the pulp fibers may occur prior to, during, or after the drying phase of the pulp processing. The two generally accepted methods of drying include flash drying, can drying, flack drying, through air drying, I.R. drying, fluidized bed, or any method of drying known in the art. The present invention may also be applied to wet lap pulp processes without the use of dryers.
Numerous features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. Such embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention. Reference should therefore be made to the claims herein for interpreting the full scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts a schematic process flow diagram of a method according to the present invention for treating pulp fibers with chemical additives.
FIG. 2 depicts a schematic process flow diagram of a method according to the present invention for treating pulp fibers with chemical additives.
FIG. 3 depicts a schematic process flow diagram of a method of making a creped tissue sheet.
FIG. 4 depicts a schematic process flow diagram of a method according to the present invention for treating pulp fibers with multiple chemical additives.
FIG. 5 depicts a schematic process flow diagram of a method according to the present invention for treating pulp fibers with multiple chemical additives.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the Figures. A variety of conventional pulping apparatuses and operations can be used with respect to the pulping phase, pulp processing, and drying of pulp fiber. It is understood that the pulp fibers could be virgin pulp fiber or recycled pulp fiber. Nevertheless, particular conventional components are illustrated for purposes of providing the context in which the various embodiments of the present invention can be used. Improved retention of chemical additives by the pulp fibers may be obtained by treating the pulp fibers according to the present invention rather than treating the pulp fibers in wet end additions at papermaking machines. In addition, the present invention allows for quick pulp fiber grade changes at the paper mills.
FIG. 1 depicts pulp processing preparation equipment used to apply chemical additives to pulp fibers according to one embodiment of the present invention. A fiber slurry 10 is prepared and thereafter transferred through suitable conduits (not shown) to the headbox 28 where the fiber slurry 10 is injected or deposited into a fourdrinier section 30 thereby forming a wet fibrous web 32 . The wet fibrous web 32 may be subjected to mechanical pressure to remove process water. It is understood that the process water may contain process chemicals used in treating the fiber slurry 10 prior to a web formation step. In the illustrated embodiment, the fourdrinier section 30 precedes a press section 44 , although alternative dewatering devices such as a nip thickening device, or the like may be used in a pulp sheet machine. The fiber slurry 10 is deposited onto a foraminous fabric 46 such that the fourdrinier section filtrate 48 is removed from the wet fibrous web 32 . The fourdrinier section filtrate 48 comprises a portion of the process water. The press section 44 or other dewatering device known in the art suitably increases the fiber consistency of the wet fibrous web 32 to about 30 percent or greater, and particularly about 40 percent or greater thereby creating a dewatered web 33 . The process water removed as fourdrinier section filtrate 48 during the web forming step may be used as dilution water for dilution stages in the pulp processing or discarded.
The dewatered fibrous web 33 may be further dewatered in additional press sections 44 or other dewatering devices known in the art. The suitably dewatered fibrous web 33 may be transferred to a dryer section 34 where evaporative drying is carried out on the dewatered fibrous web 33 to an airdry consistency, thereby forming a dried fibrous web 36 . The dried fibrous web 36 is thereafter wound on a reel 37 or slit, cut into sheets, and baled via a baler 40 (see FIG. 2 ) for delivery to paper machines 38 (see FIG. 3 ).
Chemical additive 24 may be added or applied to the dewatered fibrous web 33 or the dried fibrous web 36 at a variety of addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c as shown in FIG. 1 . It is understood that while only three addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c are shown in FIG. 1 , the application of the chemical additive 24 may occur at any point between the point of initial dewatering of the wet fibrous web 32 to the point the dried fibrous web 36 is wound on the reel 37 or baled for transport to the paper machines 38 . The addition point 35 a shows the addition of the chemical additive 24 within press section 44 . The addition point 35 b shows the addition of the chemical additive 24 between the press section 44 and the dryer section 34 . The addition point 35 c shows the addition of the chemical additive 24 between the dryer section 34 and the reel 37 or baler 40 .
A list of chemical additives that can be used in conjunction with the present invention include: dry strength agents, wet strength agents, softening agents, debonding agents, adsorbency agents, sizing agents, dyes, optical brighteners, chemical tracers, opacifiers, dryer adhesive chemicals, and the like. Additional chemical additives may include: pigments, emollients, humectants, viricides, bactericides, buffers, waxes, fluoropolymers, odor control materials and deodorants, zeolites, perfumes, vegetable and mineral oils, polysiloxane compounds, surfactants, moisturizers, UV blockers, antibiotic agents, lotions, fungicides, preservatives, aloe-vera extract, vitamin E, or the like. Suitable chemical additives are retained by the papermaking fibers and may or may not be water soluble or water dispersible.
At the paper machines 38 , (see FIG. 3 ) the dried fibrous web 36 is mixed with water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 . The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 contains the chemically treated pulp fiber having the chemical additive 24 retained by the individual fibers. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 is passed through the paper machine 38 and processed to form a finished product 64 . By way of illustration, various paper or tissue making processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,636 issued Sep. 16, 1997 to Engel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,551 issued Mar. 4, 1997 to Farrington, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,248 issued Sep. 30, 1997 to Wendt et al.; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,554 issued Feb. 27, 1996 to Edwards et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. The finished product 64 has enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additive 24 by the chemically treated pulp fibers during the pulp processing. In other embodiments of the present invention, additional chemical additive 24 may be added to the chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 during stock preparation at the paper machine 38 .
FIG. 2 depicts an alternative embodiment of the present invention using a different dry lap machine to prepare and treat the pulp. A fiber slurry 10 is prepared and thereafter transferred through suitable conduits (not shown) to the headbox 28 where the fiber slurry 10 is injected or deposited into a fourdrinier section 30 thereby forming a wet fibrous web 32 . The wet fibrous web 32 may be subjected to mechanical pressure to remove process water. In the illustrated embodiment, the fourdrinier section 30 precedes a press section 44 , although alternative dewatering devices such as a nip thickening device, or the like known in the art may be used in a pulp sheet machine. The fiber slurry 10 is deposited onto a foraminous fabric 46 such that the fourdrinier section filtrate 48 is removed from the wet fibrous web 32 . The fourdrinier section filtrate 48 comprises a portion of the process water. The press section 44 or other dewatering device suitably increases the fiber consistency of the wet fibrous web 32 to about 30 percent or greater, and particularly about 40 percent or greater, thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web 33 . The process water removed as fourdrinier section filtrate 48 during the web forming step may be used as dilution water for dilution stages in the pulp processing or discarded.
The dewatered fibrous web 33 may be further dewatered in additional press sections 44 or other dewatering devices known in the art. The suitably dewatered fibrous web 33 may be transferred to a dryer section 34 where evaporative drying is carried out on the dewatered fibrous web 33 to an airdry consistency, thereby forming a dried fibrous web 36 . The dried fibrous web 36 is thereafter slit, cut into sheets, and baled via a baler 40 or wound on a reel 37 or wound onto a reel 37 (see FIG. 1 ) for delivery to paper machines 38 (see FIG. 3 ).
The chemical additive 24 may be added or applied to the dewatered fibrous web 33 or the dried fibrous web 36 at a variety of addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c as shown in FIG. 2 . It is understood that while only three addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c are shown in FIG. 2 , the application of the chemical additive 24 may occur at any point between the point of initial dewatering of the wet fibrous web 32 to the point the dried fibrous web 36 is wound on the reel 37 or baled for transport to the paper machines 38 . The addition point 35 a shows the addition of the chemical additive 24 within press section 44 . The addition point 35 b shows the addition of the chemical additive 24 between the press section 44 and the dryer section 34 . The addition point 35 c shows the addition of the chemical additive 24 between the dryer section 34 and the reel 37 or baler 40 .
At the paper machines 38 , (see FIG. 3 ) the dried fibrous web 36 is mixed with water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 . The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 contains the chemically treated pulp fiber having the chemical additive 24 retained by the individual fibers. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 is passed through the paper machine 38 and processed to form a finished product 64 . By way of illustration, various paper or tissue making processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,636 issued Sep. 16, 1997 to Engel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,551 issued Mar. 4, 1997 to Farrington, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,248 issued Sep. 30, 1997 to Wendt et al.; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,554 issued Feb. 27, 1996 to Edwards et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. The finished product 64 has enhanced qualities due to the retention of the chemical additive 24 by chemically treated the chemically treated pulp fibers during the pulp processing. In other embodiments of the present invention, additional chemical additive 24 may be added to the chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 during stock preparation at the paper machine 38 .
FIG. 4 depicts an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which sequential addition of the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 , respectively, are added to the dewatered fibrous web slurry 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 . It is understood that the addition of the first chemical additive 24 may occur anywhere that the second chemical additive 25 may be applied. It is also understood that the addition of the second chemical additive 25 may occur anywhere that the first chemical additive 24 may be applied. A fiber slurry 10 is prepared and thereafter transferred through suitable conduits (not shown) to the headbox 28 where the fiber slurry 10 is injected or deposited into a fourdrinier section 30 thereby forming a wet fibrous web 32 . The wet fibrous web 32 may be subjected to mechanical pressure to remove process water. In the illustrated embodiment, the fourdrinier section 30 precedes a press section 44 , although alternative dewatering devices such as a nip thickening device, or the like known in the art may be used. The fiber slurry 10 is deposited onto a foraminous fabric 46 such that the fourdrinier section filtrate 48 is removed from the wet fibrous web 32 . The fourdrinier section filtrate 48 comprises a portion of the process water. The press section 44 or other dewatering device suitably increases the fiber consistency of the wet fibrous web 32 to about 30 percent or greater, and particularly about 40 percent or greater thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web 33 . The process water removed as fourdrinier section filtrate 48 during the web forming step may be used as dilution water for dilution stages in the pulp processing or discarded.
The dewatered fibrous web 33 may be further dewatered in additional press sections 44 or other dewatering devices known in the art. The suitably dewatered fibrous web 33 may be transferred to a dryer section 34 where evaporative drying is carried out on the dewatered fibrous web 33 to an airdry consistency, thereby forming a dried fibrous web 36 . The dried fibrous web 36 is thereafter wound on a reel 37 or slit, cut into sheets, and baled via a baler 40 (see FIG. 5 ) for delivery to paper machines 38 (see FIG. 3 ).
The first chemical additive 24 may be added or applied to the dewatered fibrous web 33 or the dried fibrous web 36 at a variety of addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c as shown in FIG. 4 . It is understood that while only three addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c are shown in FIG. 4 , the application of the first chemical additive 24 may occur at any point between the point of initial dewatering of the wet fibrous web 32 to the point the dried fibrous web 36 is wound on the reel 37 or baled for transport to the paper machines 38 . The addition point 35 a shows the addition of the first chemical additive 24 within press section 44 . The addition point 35 b shows the addition of the first chemical additive 24 between the press section 44 and the dryer section 34 . The addition point 35 c shows the addition of the first chemical additive 24 between the dryer section 34 and the reel 37 or baler 40 .
The second chemical additive 25 may be added or applied to the dewatered fibrous web 33 or the dried fibrous web 36 at a variety of addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c as shown in FIG. 4 . It is understood that while only three addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c are shown in FIG. 4 , the application of the second chemical additive 25 may occur at any point between the point of initial dewatering of the wet fibrous web 32 to the point the dried fibrous web 36 is wound on the reel 37 or baled for transport to the paper machines 38 downstream of at least the initial point of application of the first chemical additive 24 . The addition point 35 a shows the addition of the second chemical additive 25 within press section 44 . The addition point 35 b shows the addition of the second chemical additive 25 between the press section 44 and the dryer section 34 . The addition point 35 c shows the addition of the second chemical additive 25 between the dryer section 34 and the reel 37 or baler 40 .
At the paper machines 38 , (see FIG. 3 ) the dried fibrous web 36 is mixed with water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 . The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 contains the chemically treated pulp fiber having the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 retained by the individual fibers. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 is passed through the paper machine 38 and processed to form a finished product 64 . By way of illustration, various paper or tissue making processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,636 issued Sep. 16, 1997 to Engel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,551 issued Mar. 4, 1997 to Farrington, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,248 issued Sep. 30, 1997 to Wendt et al.; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,554 issued Feb. 27, 1996 to Edwards et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. The finished product 64 has enhanced qualities due to the retention of the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 by the chemically treated pulp fibers during the pulp processing. In other embodiments of the present invention, additional chemical additives may be added to the chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 during stock preparation at the paper machine 38 .
In other embodiments, it is understood that a third, fourth, fifth, so forth, chemical additives may be used to treat the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or dried fibrous web 36 .
FIG. 5 depicts an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which sequential addition of the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 , respectively, are added to the dewatered fibrous web slurry 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 . It is understood that the addition of the first chemical additive 24 may occur anywhere that the second chemical additive 25 may be applied. It is also understood that the addition of the second chemical additive 25 may occur anywhere that the first chemical additive 24 may be applied. A fiber slurry 10 is prepared and thereafter transferred through suitable conduits (not shown) to the headbox 28 where the fiber slurry 10 is injected or deposited into a fourdrinier section 30 thereby forming a wet fibrous web 32 . The wet fibrous web 32 may be subjected to mechanical pressure to remove process water. In the illustrated embodiment, the fourdrinier section 30 precedes a press section 44 , although alternative dewatering devices such as a nip thickening device, or the like known in the art may be used. The fiber slurry 10 is deposited onto a foraminous fabric 46 such that the fourdrinier section filtrate 48 is removed from the wet fibrous web 32 . The fourdrinier section filtrate 48 comprises a portion of the process water. The press section 44 or other dewatering device suitably increases the fiber consistency of the wet fibrous web 32 to about 30 percent or greater, and particularly about 40 percent or greater thereby forming a dewatered fibrous web 33 . The process water removed as fourdrinier section filtrate 48 during the web forming step may be used as dilution water for dilution stages in the pulp processing or discarded.
The dewatered fibrous web 33 may be further dewatered in additional press sections 44 or other dewatering devices known in the art. The suitably dewatered fibrous web 33 may be transferred to a dryer section 34 where evaporative drying is carried out on the dewatered fibrous web 33 to an air dry consistency, thereby forming a dried fibrous web 36 . The dried fibrous web 36 is thereafter slit, cut into sheets, and baled via a baler 40 or wound onto a reel 37 (see FIG. 4 ) for delivery to paper machines 38 (see FIG. 3 ).
The first chemical additive 24 may be added or applied to the dewatered fibrous web 33 or the dried fibrous web 36 at a variety of addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c as shown in FIG. 4 . It is understood that while only three addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c are shown in FIG. 4 , the application of the first chemical additive 24 may occur at any point between the point of initial dewatering of the wet fibrous web 32 to the point the dried fibrous web 36 is wound on the reel 37 or baled for transport to the paper machines 38 . The addition point 35 a shows the addition of the first chemical additive 24 within press section 44 . The addition point 35 b shows the addition of the first chemical additive 24 between the press section 44 and the dryer section 34 . The addition point 35 c shows the addition of the first chemical additive 24 between the dryer section 34 and the reel 37 or baler 40 .
The second chemical additive 25 may be added or applied to the dewatered fibrous web 33 or the dried fibrous web 36 at a variety of addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c as shown in FIG. 5 . It is understood that while only three addition points 35 a , 35 b , and 35 c are shown in FIG. 5 , the application of the second chemical additive 25 may occur at any point between the point of initial dewatering of the wet fibrous web 32 to the point the dried fibrous web 36 is wound on the reel 37 or baled for transport to the paper machines 38 downstream of at least the initial point of application of the first chemical additive 24 . The addition point 35 a shows the addition of the second chemical additive 25 within press section 44 . The addition point 35 b shows the addition of the second chemical additive 25 between the press section 44 and the dryer section 34 . The addition point 35 c shows the addition of the second chemical additive 25 between the dryer section 34 and the reel 37 or baler 40 .
At the paper machines 38 , (see FIG. 3 ) the dried fibrous web 36 is mixed with water to form a chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 . The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 contains the chemically treated pulp fiber having the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 retained by the individual fibers. The chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 is passed through the paper machine 38 and processed to form a finished product 64 . By way of illustration, various paper or tissue making processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,636 issued Sep. 16, 1997 to Engel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,551 issued Mar. 4, 1997 to Farrington, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,248 issued Sep. 30, 1997 to Wendt et al.; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,554 issued Feb. 27, 1996 to Edwards et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. The finished product 64 has enhanced qualities due to the retention of the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 by the chemically treated pulp fibers during the pulp processing. In other embodiments of the present invention, additional chemical additives may be added to the chemically treated pulp fiber slurry 49 during stock preparation at the paper machine 38 .
In other embodiments, it is understood that a third, fourth, fifth, so forth, chemical additives may be used to treat the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or dried fibrous web 36 .
The amount of first chemical additive 24 is suitably about 0.1 kg./metric ton of pulp fiber or greater. In particular embodiments, wherein the first chemical additive 24 is a softening agent and is added in an amount from about 0.1 kg./metric ton of pulp fiber or greater.
The amount of the second chemical additive 25 is suitably about 0.1 kg./metric ton of pulp fiber or greater. In particular embodiments, wherein the second chemical additive 25 is a softening agent and is added in an amount from about 0.1 kg./metric ton of pulp fiber or greater.
In other embodiments of the present invention, each of the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 may be added to the fiber slurry 10 at a variety of positions in the pulp processing apparatus.
In other embodiments of the present invention, one batch of pulp fibers may be treated with a first chemical additive 24 according to the method of the present invention as discussed above while a second batch of pulp fibers may be treated with a second chemical additive 25 according to the present invention. During the papermaking process, different pulp fibers or pulp fibers having different treatments may be processed into a layered paper or tissue product as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,839 issued Mar. 24, 1998 to Wendt et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.
Referring to the FIG. 3 , a tissue web 64 is formed using a 2-layer headbox 50 between a forming fabric 52 and a conventional wet press papermaking (or carrier) felt 56 which wraps at least partially about a forming roll 54 and a press roll 58 . The tissue web 64 is then transferred from the papermaking felt 56 to the Yankee dryer 60 applying the vacuum press roll 58 . An adhesive mixture is typically sprayed using a spray boom 59 onto the surface of the Yankee dryer 60 just before the application of the tissue web to the Yankee dryer 60 by the press roll 58 . A natural gas heated hood (not shown) may partially surround the Yankee dryer 60 , assisting in drying the tissue web 64 . The tissue web 64 is removed from the Yankee dryer by the creping doctor blade 62 . Two tissue webs 64 may be plied together and calendered. The resulting 2-ply tissue product can be wound onto a hard roll.
In other embodiments of the present invention, a gradient of the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 along the z-direction of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 may be established by a directed application of the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 . In one embodiment, the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 are applied to one side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 . In another embodiment, one side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 is saturated with the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 . In another embodiment, a dual gradient may be established in the z-direction of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 by applying the first chemical additive 24 to one side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 and applying the second chemical additive 25 to the other (opposing) side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 . The term “z-direction” refers to the direction through the thickness of the web material.
The first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 may be applied so as to establish a gradient wherein about 100 percent of each of the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 is located from the side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 treated with the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 to the middle of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 along the z-direction of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 and substantially none of each of the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 is located from the middle of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 to the opposing side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 along the z-direction of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 .
The first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 may be applied so as to establish a gradient wherein about 66 percent of each of the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 is located from the side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 treated with the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 to the middle of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 along the z-direction of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 and about 33 percent of each of the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 is located from the middle of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 to the opposing side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 along the z-direction of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 .
It is understood that in any of these embodiments, the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 may be each applied an opposing side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 . Alternatively, the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 could be applied to both opposing sides of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 . In still another variation, the first and second chemical additives 24 and 25 could be applied to only one side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 . Where only a first chemical additive 24 is applied to the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 , the first chemical additive 24 may be applied to one side or both opposing sides of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 .
The first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 may be applied so as to establish a gradient wherein about 60 percent of each of the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 is located from the side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 treated with the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 to the middle of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 along the z-direction of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 and about 40 percent of each of the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 is located from the middle of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 to the opposing side of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 along the z-direction of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 .
In another embodiment of the present invention, the amounts of the first and/or second chemical additives 24 and 25 may be reduced to impart unique product characteristics due to the distribution of the first and/or second chemical additives 24 and 25 of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 as opposed to an embodiment of the present invention wherein an equilibrated distribution of the first and/or second chemical additives 24 and 25 of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 . The establishment of a gradient of the application of the first and/or the second chemical additives 24 and 25 of the dewatered fibrous web 33 and/or the dried fibrous web 36 is one way in which this may be accomplished. A directed application of a debonding chemical additive according to the present invention results in a reduced amount of the debonding chemical additive which produces a product having improved tensile strength as some of the pulp fiber is not treated by the debonding chemical additive.
EXAMPLES
The following example will describe how to produce chemically treated pulp as described according to the present invention. In these examples the definition of applied refers to the amount of chemical measured to be on the dry fiber mat after treatment. This amount is determined through measurement of chemical described in the Measurement Methods section.
Chemical retention in these examples is defined as the percentage of applied chemical treatment that remains with the fiber after the treated mat is redispersed to a low percent solids content in hot water. The percent retention was calculated according to Equation 1.
% R = C f - C w / S ρ C f ( 100 % ) Equation 1
where % R is the chemical retention
C f is the measured chemical level applied to pulp in units of kg/MT C W is the measured chemical level in the redispersed treated pulp water phase in units of mg/L S is the solids content of redispersed treated pulp in units of g fiber/g slurry ρ is the density of the pulp water slurry in units of g/L (typically 1000 g/L for dilute solutions)
Measurement Methods
Imidazoline concentrations were measured in water by using a DR/2010 Portable Datalogging Spectrophotometer commercially available from Hach Company, located in Loveland, Colo. The spectrophotometer method #401 for Quaternary Ammonium Compounds was employed using suitable blanks and dilution. Imidazoline concentrations were measured on fiber using a liquid extraction procedure consisting of oven-drying the pulp for 4 hours at 105° C.; weighing out 5 g of pulp and placing it in 100 mL of anhydrous methanol in a 125 mL container. The pulp-methanol was then placed in a Lab-line model 3590 orbital shaker bath, commercially available from Lab-line Instruments Melrose Park, Ill., which was operated at 300 rpm for 2 hours. An aliquot of the liquid sample absorbance was then measured at 238 nm on a Hewlett Packard model 8453 UV/VIS spectrophotometer, commercially available from Hewlett Packard Company, located in Palo Alto, Calif. This value was used with a prepared calibration curve using the identical procedure with imidazoline spiked samples.
Example 1
The untreated pulp in this example is a fully bleached eucalyptus pulp fiber slurry with a pH value of 4.5. Referencing FIG. 1 , this fiber was formed into a mat a basis weight of approximately 600 grams per square meter, pressed and dried to 95 percent solids. Next, a 4 percent (active content basis) water dispersion of imidazoline softening agent (methyl-1-oleyl amidoethyl-2-oleyl imidazolinium methylsulfate identified as Mackernium DC-183, commercially available from McIntyre Ltd., located in University Park, Ill.), was sprayed on the surface of the fiber mat. The dispersion was created by mixing the imidazoline compound with water at approximately 120° F. for 10 minutes with a Lightnin Duramix mixer with an A100 axial flow impeller commercially available from Lightnin Mixers, located in Rochester, N.Y. The spray was applied using 7 mini-misting hollow cone nozzles with an 80 degree spray angle available from McMaster-Carr. The nozzles were place 5 inches center-to-center, 2.5 inches away from the sheet. The nozzles were aligned to spray perpendicular to the sheet applying single coverage. The nozzles were positioned approximately 5 feet after the dryer section. Each nozzle's output was adjusted approximately 40 milliliters per minute of the imidazoline-water dispersion by adjusting the dispersion feed pressure to 40 psig.
The amount of the chemical softener applied to the mat was approximately 3 kilograms per metric ton of eucalyptus fiber. The chemical softener was allowed to remain on the pulp mat for 2 weeks after which it was dispersed to approximately 1.6 percent solids with hot water at 120° F. Samples from this treatment were taken and used to determine the amount of chemical softener that remained in the water phase, which was drained as filtrate from the pulp fiber. The concentrations of the aqueous chemical softener levels were converted into a percent retention basis. The chemical softener retention level is shown in Table 1.
Example 2
Identical to Example 1 with the exception that the eucalyptus slurry pH was adjusted to a pH value of 7. The chemical softener retention level is shown in Table 1.
Example 3
The untreated pulp in this example is a fully bleached eucalyptus pulp fiber slurry with a pH value of 4.5. Referencing FIG. 1 , this fiber was formed into a mat a basis weight of 900 grams oven-dry pulp per square meter, pressed and dried to 95 percent solids. Next, a 5 percent (active content basis) water dispersion of imidazoline softening agent (methyl-1-oleyl amidoethyl-2-oleyl imidazolinium methylsulfate identified as Mackernium DC-183, commercially available from McIntyre Ltd., located in University Park, Illinois), was sprayed onto the surface of the fiber mat. The dispersion was created by mixing the imidazoline compound with water at approximately 120° F. for 10 minutes with a Lightnin Duramix mixer with an A100 axial flow impeller commercially available from Lightnin Mixers, located in Rochester, N.Y. The spray was applied using 15 mini-misting hollow cone nozzles with an 80 degree spray angle available from McMaster-Carr. The nozzles were place 2.5 inches center-to-center, 1.5 inches away from the sheet. The nozzles were aligned to spray perpendicular to the sheet applying single coverage. The nozzles were positioned approximately 5 feet after the dryer section. Each nozzle's output was adjusted to approximately 55 milliliters per minute of the imidazoline-water dispersion by adjusting the dispersion feed pressure to 60 psig.
The amount of the chemical softener applied to the mat was approximately 7.5 kilograms per metric ton of eucalyptus fiber. The chemical softener was allowed to remain on the pulp mat for 2 weeks after which it was dispersed to approximately 1.6 percent solids with hot water at 120° F. Samples from this treatment were taken and used to determine the amount of chemical softener that remained in the water phase, which was drained as filtrate from the pulp fiber. The concentrations of the aqueous chemical softener levels were converted into a percent retention basis. The aqueous chemical softener retention level is shown in Table 1.
Example 4
The untreated pulp in this example is a fully bleached eucalyptus pulp fiber slurry with a pH value of 4.5. Referencing FIG. 1 , this fiber was formed into a mat at a basis weight of 600 grams per square meter, and pressed to 45% solids after which a 4 percent dispersion of an imidazoline softening agent (methyl-1-oleyl amidoethyl-2-oleyl imidazolinium methylsulfate identified as Mackernium DC-183), was sprayed onto the surface of the fiber mat. The nozzles were positioned approximately 1 foot prior to the second press. Chemical softener was applied at approximately 1.5 kg/MT in this manner after which the pulp sheet was dried to approximately 95 percent solids.
The chemical softener was allowed to remain on the pulp mat for 2 weeks after which it was dispersed to approximately 1.6 percent solids with hot water at 120° F. Samples from this treatment were taken and used to determine the amount of chemical softener that remained in the water phase, which was drained as filtrate from the pulp fiber. The concentrations of the aqueous chemical softener levels were then converted into a percent retention basis. The chemical softener retention level is shown in Table 1.
Example 5
Identical to Example 4 with the exception that the eucalyptus slurry was adjusted to a pH value of 7.0. The aqueous chemical softener retention level is shown in Table 1.
Example 6
The untreated pulp in this example is a fully bleached eucalyptus pulp fiber slurry with a pH value of 4.5. Referencing FIG. 1 , this fiber was formed into a mat at a basis weight of 900 grams per square meter, and pressed to 60% solids after which a 4 percent dispersion of an imidazoline softening agent (methyl-1-oleyl amidoethyl-2-oleyl imidazolinium methylsulfate identified as Mackernium DC-183), was sprayed onto the surface of the fiber mat. The nozzles were positioned approximately 3 feet before the dryer section. Chemical softener was applied at approximately 7.5 kg/MT in this manner after which the pulp sheet was dried to 95 percent solids.
The chemical softener was allowed to remain on the pulp mat for 2 weeks after which it was dispersed to approximately 1.6 percent solids with hot water at 120° F. Samples from this treatment were taken and used to determine the amount of chemical softener that remained in the water phase, which was drained as filtrate from the pulp fiber. The concentrations of the aqueous chemical softener levels were then converted into a percent retention basis. The aqueous chemical softener retention level is shown in Table 1.
Example 7
The untreated pulp in this example is a fully bleached eucalyptus pulp fiber slurry with a pH value of 4.5. Referencing FIG. 2 , this fiber was formed into a mat a basis weight of approximately 1000 grams per square meter, pressed and dried to 90 percent solids, after which a 4 percent dispersion of an imidazoline softening agent (methyl-1-oleyl amidoethyl-2-oleyl imidazolinium methylsulfate identified as Mackernium DC-183), was sprayed on the surface of the fiber mat. The spray was applied using 21 Veejet HVV 11004 nozzles with a 110 degree spray angle available from Spraying Systems, located in Wheaton, Ill. The nozzles were place 8.1 inches center-to-center, 1.5 inches away from the sheet. The nozzles were aligned to spray perpendicular to the sheet applying single coverage. The nozzles were positioned approximately 10 feet after the dryer section. Each nozzle's output was adjusted to approximately 500 milliliters per minute of the imidazoline-water dispersion by adjusting the dispersion feed pressure to 35 psig. The fiber mat's velocity was approximately 500 meters per minute during the application.
The amount of the chemical softener applied to the mat was approximately 2 kilograms per metric ton of eucalyptus fiber. The chemical softener was allowed to remain on the pulp mat for 3 weeks after which it was dispersed to approximately 8.5 percent solids with hot water at 120° F. Samples from this treatment were taken and used to determine the amount of chemical softener that remained in the water phase, which was drained as filtrate from the pulp fiber. The concentrations of the aqueous chemical softener levels were converted into a percent retention basis. The chemical softener retention level is shown in Table 1.
Example 8
Identical to Example 7 with the exceptions that the eucalyptus slurry pH was adjusted to a pH value of 7, the chemical softening agent was applied at a 1.5 kg/MT level, and the pulp was redispersed at 2.5 percent solids. The chemical softener retention level is shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1
Aqueous Chemical Softener Levels
Chemical Softener
Chemical
Chemical
Application
Pre-treated
Application Level
Softener
Sample
Softener
location
pulp pH
(kg/MT fiber)
Retention (%)
Example 1
Imidazoline
Post-dryer
4.5
3.2
87.9%
Emulsion
Example 2
Imidazoline
Post-dryer
7.0
3.2
87.8%
Emulsion
Example 3
Imidazoline
Post-dryer
4.5
7.4
78.8%
Emulsion
Example 4
Imidazoline
Press-
4.5
1.5
91.2%
Emulsion
section
Example 5
Imidazoline
Press-
7.0
1.5
91.6%
Emulsion
section
Example 6
Imidazoline
Pre-dryer
4.5
7.4
86.0%
Emulsion
Example 7
Imidazoline
Post-dryer
4.5
1.9
99.5%
Emulsion
Example 8
Imidazoline
Post-dryer
7.0
1.6
87.3%
Emulsion
Example 9
The chemically treated eucalyptus pulp in Example 1 was used to produce a layered soft tissue product. The tissue product was made using the overall process shown in FIG. 3 . The first stock layer contained the chemically treated Eucalyptus hardwood pulp fiber, which made up about 65 percent of the tissue web by weight. This first stock layer was the first layer to come into contact with the forming fabric and was also the layer that came into contact with the drying surface of the Yankee dryer. The second stock layer contained northern softwood kraft pulp fiber. The second stock layer made up about 35 percent of the tissue web by weight. The two layers were pressed together at an approximately 15% solids vacuumed, pressed, and dried with a Yankee Dryer.
A modified polyacrylamide dry strength agent, Parez 631 NC commercially available from Cytec Industries Inc. located in West Paterson, N.J., was added to the pulp fiber of the softwood layer. The Parez 631 NC was added to the thick stock at an addition level of about 0.2% of the pulp fiber in the entire tissue web. A polyamide epichlorohydrin wet strength agent, Kymene 557LX commercially available from the Hercules, Inc., located in Wilmington, Del., was added to both the Eucalyptus and northern softwood kraft furnishes at an addition level of about 0.2% based on the pulp fiber in the entire tissue web. The basis weight of the tissue web was about 7.0 pounds per 2880 square feet of oven dried tissue web.
Referring to the FIG. 3 , the tissue web was formed using 2 separate headboxes with a 94M forming fabric commercially available from Albany International, located in Albany, N.Y., and a conventional wet press papermaking (or carrier) felt (Duramesh commercially available from Albany International, located in Albany, N.Y.) which wraps at least partially about a forming roll and a press roll. The basis weight of the tissue web was about 7.0 pounds per 2880 square feet of oven dried tissue web.
The tissue web was then transferred from the papermaking felt to the Yankee dryer by the press roll. The water content of the tissue web on the papermaking felt just prior to transfer of the tissue web to the Yankee dryer was about 80 percent. The moisture content of the tissue web after the application of the press roll was about 55 percent. An adhesive mixture was sprayed using a spray boom onto the surface of the Yankee dryer just before the application of the tissue web by the press roll. The adhesive mixture consisted of about 40% polyvinyl alcohol, about 40% polyamide resin and about 20% quaternized polyamido amine as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,839 issued to Wendt et al. which is herein incorporated by reference. The application rate of the adhesive mixture was about 6 pounds of dry adhesive per metric ton of dry pulp fiber in the tissue web. A natural gas heated hood partially surrounding the Yankee dryer had a supply air temperature of about 680° F. to assist in drying the tissue web. The temperature of the tissue web after the application of the creping doctor was about 225° F. as measured with a handheld infrared temperature gun. The machine speed of the X inch wide tissue web was about 50 feet per minute. The crepe blade had a 10 degree bevel and was loaded with a ¾ inch extension. The crepe ratio was about 1.30 or about 30%.
Example 10
Identical to Example 9 with the exception that chemically treated eucalyptus pulp in Example 2 was used to produce a layered soft tissue product.
Example 11
Identical to Example 10 with the exception that chemically treated eucalyptus pulp in Example 3 was used to produce a layered soft tissue product.
Example 12
Identical to Example 11 with the exception that chemically treated eucalyptus pulp in Example 4 was used to produce a layered soft tissue product.
Example 13
Identical to Example 12 with the exception that chemically treated eucalyptus pulp in Example 5 was used to produce a layered soft tissue product.
Example 14
Identical to Example 13 with the exception that chemically treated eucalyptus pulp in Example 6 was used to produce a layered soft tissue product.
Example 15
The chemically treated eucalyptus pulp in Example 7 was used to produce a layered soft tissue product. The tissue product was made using the overall process shown in FIG. 3 . The first stock layer contained the chemically treated Eucalyptus hardwood pulp fiber, which made up about 65 percent of the tissue web by weight. This first stock layer was the first layer to come into contact with the forming fabric and was also the layer that came into contact with the drying surface of the Yankee dryer. The second stock layer contained northern softwood kraft pulp fiber. The second stock layer made up about 35 percent of the tissue web by weight. A polyamide epichlorohydrin wet strength agent, Kymene 557LX commercially available from the Hercules, Inc., was added to both the Eucalyptus and northern softwood kraft furnishes at an addition level of about 0.2% based on the pulp fiber in the entire tissue web. The basis weight of the tissue web was approximately 7.0 pounds per 2880 square feet of oven dried tissue web.
Referring to the FIG. 3 the tissue web was formed using a 2-layer headbox between an Albany P-621 forming fabric commercially available from Albany International Corp., located in Menasha, Wis., and a conventional wet press papermaking (or carrier) felt (Weavex M1C commercially available from Weavex located in Wake Forest, N.C.) which wraps at least partially about a forming roll and a press roll. The basis weight of the tissue web was about 7.0 pounds per 2880 square feet of oven dried tissue web.
The tissue web was then transferred from the papermaking felt to the Yankee dryer by the vacuum press roll. The water content of the tissue web on the papermaking felt just prior to transfer of the tissue web to the Yankee dryer was about 87 percent. The moisture content of the tissue web after the application of the press roll was about 55 percent. An adhesive mixture was sprayed using a spray boom onto the surface of the Yankee dryer just before the application of the tissue web by the press roll. The adhesive mixture consisted of about 40% polyvinyl alcohol, about 40% polyamide resin and about 20% quaternized polyamido amine as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,839 issued to Wendt et al. which is herein incorporated by reference. The application rate of the adhesive mixture was about 5.5 pounds of dry adhesive per tonne of dry pulp fiber in the tissue web. A natural gas heated hood (not shown) partially surrounding the Yankee dryer had a supply air temperature of about 680° F. to assist in drying the tissue web. The temperature of the tissue web after the application of the creping doctor was about 240° F. as measured with a handheld infrared temperature gun. The machine speed of the 24 inch wide tissue web was about 3000 feet per minute. The crepe ratio was about 1.30 or about 30%.
Two tissue webs were unwound from two soft rolls (or parent rolls) and plied together and calendered with two steel rolls at 80 pounds per lineal inch. The 2-ply tissue product was constructed such that the first stock layer containing the chemically treated Eucalyptus pulp fiber was plied to the outside of the 2-ply tissue product, which was wound onto a hard roll. The hard roll is converted into finished product, such as facial tissue and the like. The finished basis weight of the 2-ply tissue product at standard TAPPI standard temperature and humidity was about 17 pounds per 2880 square feet. The MD tensile was about 1100 grams per 3 inches and the CD tensile was about 500 grams per 3 inches. The thickness of one 2-ply tissue product was about 0.2 millimeters. The MD stretch in the finished tissue product was about 18 percent. All 2-ply tissue tests were conducted in an environmentally controlled room with 50% relative humidity and a temperature of 73° F.
Example 16
Identical to Example 15 with the exception that chemically treated eucalyptus pulp in Example 8 was used to produce a layered soft tissue product.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. | Pulp fibers can be treated with chemical additives with a minimal amount of unretained chemical additives present later in the process water. The present invention is a method for preparing chemically treated pulp fiber. A fiber slurry is created comprising process water and pulp fibers. The fiber slurry is transported to a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine thereby forming a wet fibrous web. The wet fibrous web is dried to a predetermined consistency thereby forming a dried fibrous web. The dried fibrous web is treated with a chemical additive thereby forming a chemically treated dried fibrous web. The dried fibrous web contains chemically treated pulp fibers. The chemically treated pulp fibers retain from between about 10 to about 100 percent of the applied amount of the chemical additive when the chemically treated pulp fibers are redispersed in water. | 3 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present device relates to a protective armor for critical areas of vehicles, including underbelly armor for military vehicles. More specifically, the device relates to a blast protection structure for securing through the interior floor surface of a personnel cabin when needed to protect the vehicle occupants from blast energy and fragmentation resulting from an explosive device.
BACKGROUND
Armored vehicles are threatened by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) designed to cause harm to the vehicle and its occupants. IEDs are typically one or more grouped artillery shells redeployed and detonated in an effort to inflict casualties. Harm from these devices typically comes in the form of high pressure blast energy and ballistic fragmentation in the following predominant ways: (1) rapid surface pressure and destructive hull deformation resulting in hull breach and direct occupant exposure to blast pressures and intense heat; (2) high velocity, hull and/or floor accelerations resulting in occupant incapacities; and (3) high velocity fragmentation passing through armor and impacting occupants.
Armor countermeasures typically consist of heavy metal plates placed between the threat and the vehicle in such a way as to resist hull breach and aggressive floor accelerations. These heavy metal plates also work in concert with layers of additional metal, ceramic, composite or plastic materials designed to prevent lethal high velocity artillery shell fragments from entering the vehicle. The heavy metal plates are typically mounted to the underside of the vehicle in a V-shape in an effort to take advantage of shape efficiency and deflection characteristics when presented with incoming pressure and fragmentation. Carrying heavy blast and fragment resistant hulls results in significant performance disadvantage to the vehicle in terms of reduced fuel economy, lost cargo capacity and increased transportation shipping costs, as well as, weight challenges for the environment the vehicles operate in.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to attach and detach a blast protection structure, specifically through the interior floor of the vehicle cabin, depending on the requirements of the situation and environment the vehicle will be subjected to. The present device is a blast protection structure, which includes a blast floor structure or panels having integrated fasteners for attachment to the exterior of the vehicle through the interior of the cabin. Because all of the fasteners are accessible from the inside of the cabin, the blast protection structure can be attached without disassembly of major vehicle components. In addition, accessibility of the fasteners from inside the vehicle avoids the necessity of the technician to be under the vehicle to secure the blast structure, which improves overall safety. Finally, while the fasteners are secured through the interior of the vehicle, they do not pass through the exterior blast structure after attachment. Attachment of the fasteners in this manner maintains the structural integrity of the blast structure. The present blast structure is designed to protect the occupants from blast energy and fragmentation, and offers a simple, cost-effective means for adding additional protection to the vehicle.
SUMMARY
There is disclosed herein an improved system and structure for protecting a personnel cabin of a military vehicle which avoids the disadvantages of prior systems while affording additional structural and costs advantages.
Generally speaking, the present device is a blast structure for use as an upgraded armored protection for the exterior of a personnel cabin for a vehicle. The blast structure comprises at least one blast panel attachable to surfaces of the personnel cabin and means for attaching and detaching the blast panel to the surfaces, wherein attachment of the blast panel forms an outer contiguous blast protection component.
A blast protection system for use on a vehicle, is disclosed. The blast protection system comprises a personnel cabin of a vehicle adapted for receiving a blast structure, the cabin comprising a space forming an interior of the cabin, a floor within the interior of the cabin, the floor having a perimeter section and a removable floor panel centrally disposed therein, a blast structure comprising at least one outer blast panel attachable to the perimeter when the floor panel is removed, and means for attaching and detaching the blast panel to the perimeter section, wherein the blast panel replaces the floor panel to provide an outer blast protection component to the interior space of the cabin.
These and other features and advantages of the blast protection structure and system can be more readily understood from the following detailed discussion with reference to the appended drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is cross sectional view of a personnel cabin with the blast protection structure;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fastener for securing the blast protection structure; and,
FIG. 3 is plan view of the blast protection structure attached to the personnel cabin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIGS. 1-3 , there is illustrated an embodiment of the detachable blast structure generally designated by the numeral 10 , as well as the components thereof. The blast structure 10 is designed for use as an attachable blast structure to provide additional blast protection to the personnel cabin 12 of a vehicle (not shown), particularly a military vehicle, which is used in war-zones for transporting personnel or cargo. However, other military vehicles may also be retro-fitted with embodiments of the present device 10 to protect both military personnel as well as components of the propulsion system (e.g., drive axles, engine, etc.) when the vehicle encounters an explosive device.
The blast structure 10 includes a perimeter section 16 of the floor, and outer blast surface 18 and a blast absorbing section 22 . When needed, a current floor or closure panel 14 is removed, leaving the perimeter section 16 of the cabin floor. The blast structure 10 and its outer blast surface 18 attaches to the perimeter section 16 , forming the “new” underside of the cabin 12 . Fasteners 20 accessible from the interior of the cabin, would be used to secure the blast structure 10 to the perimeter section 16 of the floor. It should be understood, however, that the blast structure 10 can be attached to any portion of the cabin needing additional protection, using a simplified attachment means through the interior of the cabin. In this manner, the blast structure 10 and its outer blast surface 18 functions to diminish or halt certain classes of ballistic and blast threats, while providing a structural and automotive function as part of the occupant cabin and/or chassis configuration of the vehicle.
Armored vehicles having integrated blast solutions are often extremely heavy to begin with, and face weight challenges for the environments they operate in. Additionally, because of their weight, such vehicles are often a challenge for transporting to locations where they are needed. Thus, it would be advantageous to have an attachable/detachable blast system, which permits the attachment of a blast structure only when needed, or alternatively, provides the option to remove a large portion of the weight on the vehicle so it can be transported, and/or not carry weight that is not needed.
Generally speaking, the blast structure 10 , may have any suitable shape. As shown in FIG. 1 , the blast structure has an angular or concave shape, wherein the “point” of the blast structure faces the ground. While a specific shape or embodiment of the blast structure will be illustrated, it should be understood that other configurations, such as those created by sharper, rectangular, or square lines, and peaks and valleys, may also be used in creating the configuration of the blast structure. The plurality of high and low areas create deflection faces and venting openings, which deflect and vent the blast and resulting fragmentation away from the interior or personnel section of the cabin 12 , as well as, separation distances for separating the interior of the cabin from the blast force. The high and low areas of the blast structure further act to dissipate the force of the explosion. Additionally, the shape of the blast structure 10 can be adapted for attachment to any shape chassis for any vehicle because of its vertical fastener component.
The blast structure 10 may be constructed from a single panel material, such as high-strength low-alloy steel, a hardened aluminum, or high carbon steel, or any combination of these materials. Alternatively, the blast structure may be constructed as a layered composite structure, the composite includes outer layers or outer blast surfaces 18 , which are generally metal that are bonded or adhered to an inner layer or layers composed of a “fragmentation catching” material. In addition, the inner layer creates a distance or space between the outer metal layers resulting in a second modulus or modulus of rigidity, which is better able to resist bending resulting from blast pressure when compared to traditional blast hulls. This section modulus is achieved at a reduced mass through use of the present composite structure when compared to monolithic metal panels with the same section modulus. The inner layers slow approaching fragmentation, i.e., reducing kinetic energy, and breaks up fragments into smaller pieces creating fragment dispersion and reducing individual fragment mass. The inner layer acts primarily as the mechanism for “fragmentation catching,” but also provides a secondary function as the “separation filler,” between the outer layers, thereby increasing the section modulus, as described above, and enhancing the overall structural rigidity. The materials for construction of the blast structure 10 , as well as the thicknesses and dimensions of the blast structure may vary depending on the requirements of the vehicle and areas on which it will be used.
When an upgrade in armored protection is required, the floor panel 14 from the interior floor of the cabin 12 is removed, leaving the perimeter section 16 . The blast structure 10 is then installed, replacing the floor panel 14 . Attachment of the blast structure to the cabin 12 can be accomplished by any known fastener means. For examples, screws or bolts 20 , such as shown in FIG. 2 , are commonly used to attach the blast structure to the cabin structures, including sidewalls 13 . However, it should be understood that any known fastener, including but not limited to studs, bolts and nuts that are suitable for the present application could be used.
The fasteners 20 are vertically attached through the perimeter section 16 of the interior floor of the cabin and into the blast structure 10 . However, when the fasteners 20 are in place, there is no breach of the fasteners through the outer surface 18 of the blast structure. Attachment of the fasteners in this manner maintains the continuity and integrity of the structure. Regardless of the type of fastener used, it should be compatible with standard tools that can be carried in the field, quickly attachable and detachable, and readily available. In addition, because the fasteners 20 are all on a common plane with the perimeter section 16 , they are easily aligned with the blast structure, and as mentioned, permit the blast structure to be attached to any chassis shape. All fasteners are easily accessible from the inside of the cabin, allowing the user to retrofit a vehicle without disassembling major vehicle components. Additionally, because the fasteners are on the inside, the technician does not have to be under the vehicle to secure the blast structure to the perimeter section, which adds another level of safety. Finally, the number and positioning of fasteners 20 to be used would be based on structural requirements.
When the blast structure 10 is attached to the cabin 12 , there is created blast absorbing section 22 between the blast structure and the interior of the cabin 12 . This section 22 may include additional fragment absorbing materials, such as egg crate or honey comb shaped absorbing surfaces or materials. Such material may include foamed plastics or aluminum. Alternatively, the section 22 may be an air gap. The section 22 , whether filled with a fragment absorbing material or structure or an air gap provides an additional measure of protection to the occupants of the cabin 12 as it further deflects the fragments from entering the interior of the cabin.
FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the cabin 12 with the blast structure 10 attached. The top of FIG. 3 represents the front 24 of the cabin, which is generally the vehicle driver section, and the bottom of FIG. 2 represents the rear 26 of the cabin, which is generally for personnel. A bulkhead 30 separates the front 24 of the cabin from the rear 26 of the cabin. The bulkhead 30 may be welded to the perimeter section 16 , or bolted through a plate. In this particular embodiment, the bulkhead 30 may also be surrounded by a floor section or flange 32 , which attaches to the bulkhead and the blast structure 10 . Any blast force reaching the blast structure 10 would be transmitted directly into the bulkhead 30 in addition to the cabin structures providing greater support and strength to the overall cabin structure.
The attachable/ removable blast system and structure 10 of the present disclosure is designed to meet or exceed military requirements for hull breach and occupant performance criteria when subjected to a given type of blast threat. In addition, the blast structure 10 meets the requirements for minimal floor (subfloor) deformation and tactical load requirements, while being manufactured at competitive costs. The blast structure and its modular components provide the advantage of accommodating various shapes of vehicles, and are independently attachable/detachable to meet weight and varying levels of required protection. Because the fasteners used to attach the blast structure are secured through the inside of the vehicle, and do not pass through the outer blast surface of the structure, an additional level of safety and structural integrity is attributable to the structure. | A blast structure and system for use as an outer blast protection component for a personnel cabin for a vehicle, is disclosed. The blast protection system comprises a personnel cabin adapted for receiving a blast structure, the cabin comprising a space forming an interior of the cabin, a floor within the interior of the cabin, the floor having a perimeter section and a removable floor panel centrally disposed therein, a blast structure comprising at least one outer blast panel attachable to the perimeter when the floor panel is removed, and means for attaching and detaching the blast panel to the perimeter section, providing an outer blast protection component to the interior space of the cabin. The attaching/detaching means include fasteners which are accessible through the interior of the cabin, without breaching the exterior surface of the blast structure. | 5 |
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/217,480 filed on even date herewith; assigned to the same assignee hereof; and entitled Improved Variable Ratio Drive Mechanism, to H. Leonard.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to variable ratio drive mechanisms and more particularly to an improved variable ratio drive mechanism particularly adapted for use with bicycles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Variable speed drives using chains and sprockets have been employed with bicycles for many years. The drawbacks of such systems are well known and are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,373 to H. Leonard. Therein is disclosed a variable ratio transmission for bicycles which includes a plurality of movable sheave segments, with each sheave segment having a releasable toothed retaining means which normally retains the sheave segment at a fixed radial position in a toothed track. That structure is, essentially, a variable diameter pulley or sheave, whose diameter is adapted to be selectively adjusted by the rider. A flexible belt is wrapped around and engages different adjacent sheave segments to impart rotary motion to the drive mechanism. The relative position of each sheave segment in its toothed track is adjusted only when a sheave segment comes out of contact with the drive belt.
The mechanism described in the '373 patent for locking each sheave segment into place after adjustment contains relatively small and highly stressed parts requiring close manufacturing tolerances. The setting mechanism is sensitive to both axial location and warpage. Locking surety also degrades somewhat with wear.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,676 to H. Leonard, an improved variable ratio drive mechanism is disclosed which also employs driving and driven sheaves, each of which is provided with a set of adjustable sheave segments. In that mechanism, individual sheave segments are one-piece, belt-loaded-locked units which engage saw-tooth shaped steps along associated trackways. The center line of each sheave segment is offset from a radial line so that the belt's force on each sheave segment applies an offset torque which forces the sheave segment's teeth into engagement with opposed saw tooth steps along one side of the trackway. When each sheave segment becomes free of the belt's force, it can be engaged by a shifter which causes it's teeth to move out of engagement with the track's steps. The sheave segment is then radially movable in either an outward or inward manner. In order to unlock the sheave segment's teeth from engagement, means are provided to cause a modest amount of rotation of a segment's teeth so that they can ratchet up or down relative to the track's steps. This design is not suitable for small sheave diameters and for applications involving relatively resilient belts which are subjected to grossly fluctuating driving tensions. Furthermore, the design is adapted only to a single direction drive.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 140,232, filed Dec. 31, 1987 and entitled "Variable-Ratio Transmissions, Separately and In Bicycles" to H. Leonard, there is disclosed still another improved transmission of the type that includes sheave segments coupled together by a drive belt. That transmission employs a sheave segment locking mechanism which runs the full length of each disk track in the drive mechanism. The locking mechanism described therein is controlled by a fixed path cam whose action is unrelated to the radial position of the sheave. More specifically, the locking mechanism is released and removed from interaction with an individual sheave segment by a cam means which is operative only when the sheave segment is out of contact with the drive belt. Under those circumstances, the sheave segment is free floating and can be either moved inwardly or outwardly by a shift mechanism. In this mechanism, positive and consistent lock-up is dependent upon light springs and free fitting, cooperating parts. Relatively close tolerances are required and lock-up surety decreases with wear.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved variable ratio drive mechanism of simple design.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved variable ratio drive mechanism which exhibits substantial resistance to wear and positive lock-up.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved variable ratio drive mechanism which is adapted to bidirectional operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the above objects, the invention relates to an apparatus for positioning a bearing surface relative to a track. The invention, in one embodiment, includes a rotatably mounted drive mechanism which is provided with a plurality of radially oriented tracks. The drive mechanism preferably comprises a pair of opposed drive disks with colinear radial tracks having tooth-like formations arranged therein. A movable sheave segment is mounted in each toothed track. Each sheave segment is engaged by an endless belt when the drive mechanism traverses through a predetermined arc of rotation but is disengaged from the drive belt when outside the predetermined arc of rotation. Toothed means are associated with each sheave segment to provide a means for locking the sheave segment into place in the track. Wedge-cam locking means associated with each sheave segment are forced by belt pressure to rigidly bias the sheave segments' toothed means against the tooth-like formations in the track. Spring means are also provided to resiliently bias the toothed means into engagement with the track so that the sheave segments are lightly held in place even when out of engagement with the drive belt.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a right elevation of a typical bicycle equipped with a variable ratio drive mechanism embodying the invention.
FIG. 2 is a right elevation of a variable ratio drive mechanism embodying the invention, a portion of which elevation has been broken away to show the internal arrangement of the sheave segments.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective of the variable ratio drive mechanism shown in FIG. 2 with the pedal somewhat rotated.
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the orientation of various portions of the sheave segment when it is engaged by a drive belt.
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a sheave segment when it is both out of engagement with the drive belt and in engagement with the gate cams associated with the shift gate.
FIG. 6 is a section of a sheave segment with a modified bias arrangement.
FIG. 7 is a section of a modified sheave segment which includes a pair of inverted, pivotally mounted locking blocks.
It should be noted that none of the above drawings are drawn to scale and that the segments and tracks are purposely drawn larger than the rest of the assembly to more clearly describe the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,030,373, 4,530,676 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 140,232 all to H. Leonard, each describe variable ratio transmissions which are usable with both bicycles and other apparatus. The disclosures of those patents and application are incorporated herein by reference. The variable speed drive mechanism to be described below is particularly adapted for inclusion with the transmission described in the aforementioned patent application Ser. No. 140,232--with appropriate modifications being made thereto to accommodate this invention. For instance, the following structural changes to the transmission shown in the aforementioned application would be necessary: The slot geometry has been altered and affects the structure of disks 82, 84, 110 and 112 (see FIGS. 13 and 19); the radial camming structure has been eliminated i.e. parts 95, 96, 97 and 146 (see FIGS. 13, 15, and 18); the segment design has been changed (see 46 and 48 in FIGS. 7 and 13); and the locking method changed (parts 90 and 94 eliminated in FIG. 13).
Although the invention disclosed herein is described for use in a bicycle transmission, it is to be understood that it may be used in many other applications. In general, its application is for repositioning a bearing surface relative to a track.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a bicycle 10, of the commonly accepted form, is shown and includes an adjustable ratio transmission 12. Transmission 12 provides the drive coupling between pedal crank 14 and rear wheel 16. A manual transmission ratio control 18 includes a pivoted finger actuated member that is conveniently operable by the person riding the bicycle. Ratio control 18 enables the rider to control transmission 12 via cable means 20. The details of shift control 18 are disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 140,232 and will not be further described herein. Suffice to say that the movement of shift control 18 one way or the other has the effect of conditioning transmission 12 to change its ratio in progressive steps using force exerted by pedal crank 14. So long as shift control 18 remains off center, continued operation of the pedal crank 14 will cause, within design limits, continuous step by step change in the transmission's ratio.
Referring now to both FIGS. 1 and 2, transmission unit 12 includes a front drive mechanism which includes within housing 22, an adjustable diameter sheave that is operated by pedal crank 14. Transmission unit 30 is mounted in rear wheel 16 and further includes a rear drive mechanism which may include either a fixed or variable diameter sheave. Transmission 12 and its variable diameter pulley or sheave includes a plurality of radially adjustable sheave segments 32. An endless member or belt 34 may be in driving or driven frictional contact with each of sheave segments 32. When a selected transmission ratio is in effect, sheave segments 32 are locked at a fixed radius so as to enable the creation of the desired transmission ratio.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, drive mechanism 30 is further comprised of two, coaxial, spaced-apart disks 36 and 38 which form a unitary rotatable member coupled to pedal crank 14 and supported by roller bearings (not shown). Each of disks 36 and 38 is provided with a plurality of extended, toothed slots 42, which are radially aligned on disks 36 and 38 respectively. Each of slots 42 has formed thereabout on the outer surface of each of disks 36 and 38, indented areas 44 and 46 which encompass tooth-like formations such as teeth 48 and 50, respectively. In this embodiment, teeth 48 and 50 are oriented in parallel fashion; the sides of the teeth slant oppositely; meet at apexes and roots; and are aligned so that the roots and apexes thereof are directly opposite each other.
Each sheave segment 32 is shown in detail in FIG. 3 and comprises four main components: cap 42, a wedge cam assembly 54, a left engagement block 56 and a right engagement block 58. In this embodiment, cap 52 is grooved on its upper surface so as to mate with the grooved surface of endless belt 34. It is to be understood that other belt configurations, such as flat belts, can be used and in such cases, cap 52 is not provided with a grooved surface, but rather with a surface which properly mates with the belt's surface. Cap 42 may also incorporate a roughened surface for added friction between itself and a flat belt or it may be toothed to engage teeth in a toothed belt (such as are used with synchronous or timing belts). Cap 52 is further provided with a downwardly extending portion 60 which mates with opening 62 in wedge cam assembly 54. Portion 60 may be fastened into opening 62 by any suitable means so as to make a single unitary assembly of cap 52 and wedge cam assembly 54. Cap 52 and wedge cam assembly 54 may also be made as one piece, if desired.
Wedge cam assembly 54 comprises a bar 64 to which wedge cams 66 and 68 are rigidly attached. The upper portions of wedge cams 66 and 68 extend above cap 52 and act as guides for belt 34. The lower, bearing portions of wedge cams 66 and 68 perform the function of providing the force which locks a sheave segment 32 into position when cap 52 is in contact with drive belt 34. A pair of pins 70 (only one is shown) mate with holes 72 in wedge cam assembly 54 and provide anchor points for the attachment of springs 76 and 78, as will be hereinafter described.
Left and right engagement blocks 56 and 58 are mirror images of each other. Each engagement block includes a pair of outer retaining plates 80 and 82 which are adapted respectively, to slidably move in indented areas 44 and 46 on each of disks 36 and 38. Extending from the outer surfaces of retaining plates 80 and 82 are nubbins 84 and 86 which provide two functions. First, they provide pivot points about which left and right engagement blocks 56 and 58 may pivot during the operation of a sheave segment. Second, they provide an outward extension adapted to be engaged by shift gates of a shifting assembly to enable radial movement of each sheave segment in either the outward or inward direction.
Each of engagement blocks 56 and 58 is provided with a pair of toothed engagement surfaces 90 which are adapted, respectively, to interact with teeth 48 and 50 on disks 36 and 38. Each toothed engagement surface 90 is provided with an inward oriented follower surface 92 which is adapted to receive the lower most portions of wedge cams 66 and 68, respectively. The lowermost portions of left and right engagement blocks 56 and 58 include a pair of downwardly extending arm pairs 94 which are adapted to receive pins 96. Pins 96 form the lower anchors for springs 76 and 78, whose other ends are anchored to pins 70 in wedge cam assembly 54.
When the entire structure of FIG. 3 is assembled, cap 52 is fixedly emplaced between wedge cams 66 and 68. Wedge cam assembly 54 fits between retaining plates 80 and 82 of left and right engagement blocks 56 and 58, respectively. The lateral dimensions of wedge cam assembly 54 are such as to allow it to move easily within retaining plates 80 and 82 without binding. Under such conditions, nubbins 84 form a pivot axis for left and right engagement blocks 56 and 58. The lower most surfaces of wedge cams 66 and 68 rest upon follower surfaces 92 and tend to force apart engagement blocks 56 and 58. In addition, springs 76 also tend to bias apart left and right engagement blocks 56 and 58.
When left and right engagement blocks 56 and 58 are forced apart, toothed surfaces 90 are caused to mate with teeth 48 and 50 on disks 36 and 38, respectively. In this regard it should be noted that the outer most edges 98 of each of left and right retaining plates 80 and 82 are slanted slightly inwardly from top to bottom and are rounded at their uppermost extremities 81, and 83. When wedge cam assembly 54 forces the engagement blocks apart and edges 98 are forced towards the edges of indented areas 44 and 46, no engagement occurs therebetween. However, when retaining plates 80 and 82 are pivoted towards each other during shifting, rounded edges 81 and 83 ride on the edges of indented areas 44 and 46.
FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of a sheave segment with the outer retaining plates removed. Belt 34 bears down upon cap 52 which, in turn, imparts a downward force on wedge cam 66. Wedge cam 66 forces both the left and right engagement blocks 56 and 58 apart so as to cause toothed surfaces 90 to engage with teeth 48 and 50. Thus, the pressure exerted by drive belt 34 is seen to lock the sheave segment rigidly into place.
Returning to FIG. 2, it will be recalled that in each of the above noted patents and patent application incorporated herein by reference (as well as in this invention), sheave segments 32 are adapted for movement along radial tracks 42 only when out of engagement with belt 34. Thus, for the entire arc of rotation of drive mechanism 30 during which sheave segments 32 are engaged by belt 34, they are not enabled for radial transfer of position. When, however, a sheave segment 32 is out of contact with belt 34, the force directed radially inward on cap 52 and wedge cam assembly 54 is released. Thus, the downward pressure is also eased which keeps apart left and right engagement blocks 56 and 58, respectively. Nevertheless, springs 76 and 78 maintain toothed surfaces 90 in relatively lighter contact with teeth 48 and 50 during this interval to prevent relative movement therebetween.
As shown in phantom in FIG. 2, shift mechanism 100 is positioned to engage a nubbin 86 when its associated sheave segment 32 is out of contact with belt 34. As is fully described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 140,232, the position of shift mechanism 100 is movable both inwardly and outwardly in relation to drive mechanism 30. Thus, when one of the cam surfaces of shift mechanism 30 contacts a nubbin 86, the associated sheave segment 32 is caused to ratchet either inwardly or outwardly depending upon the orientation of shift mechanism 100. This interaction is shown schematically in FIG. 5 wherein shift mechanism 100 has engaged nubbin 86 and caused toothed surfaces 90 to come out of engagement with teeth 48 and 50. As the sheave segment moves either radially inward or outward, the interacting toothed surfaces ratchet, one against the other until nubbin 86 no longer engages the cam surfaces of shift mechanism 100.
Referring now to FIG. 6, there is schematically shown a modification to the sheave segments shown in FIGS. 2-5. Outer retaining plates 80 have been removed so as to enable better viewing of the modification. In lieu of having a pair of bias springs 76 and 78 to outwardly bias engagement blocks 56 and 58, a single compression spring 110 has been substituted which bears against arms 94 and biases toothed surfaces 90 into engagement with toothed tracks 44 and 50.
A still further modification of sheave segment 32 is shown in FIG. 7. Here again, the outermost retaining plates have been removed to show the interior structure of left and right engagement blocks 112 and 114. In this case, nubbin 116 is mounted in the most radially inward orientation and the engagement blocks open outwardly. Wedge cam assembly 54 is again adapted to force left and right engagement blocks 112 and 114 apart in the directions shown by arrows 118 and 120 respectively. Here, toothed surfaces 90 engage with teeth 48 and 50 on disks 36 and 38 in the identical manner as aforestated. A tension spring 122 is provided between a shaft connecting the nubbins and wedge cam assembly 54. Tension spring 122 acts to bias wedge cam assembly 54 inwardly thereby tending to force left and right engagement blocks 112 and 114 apart to maintain the sheave segment in place even when it is not engaged by belt 34.
It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims. | The described invention includes a rotatably mounted drive mechanism which is provided with a plurality of radially oriented tracks. The drive mechanism preferably comprises a pair of opposed drive disks with colinear radial tracks having tooth-like formations arranged therein. A movable sheave segment is mounted in each track. Each sheave segment is engaged by an endless belt when the drive mechanism traverses through a predetermined arc of rotation but is disengaged from the drive belt when outside the predetermined arc of rotation. Toothed engagement blocks are associated with each sheave segment to provide a engagement blocks for locking the sheave segment into place in the track. A wedge cam is associatd with each sheave segment and is forced by belt pressure to rigidly bias the sheave segemnts' toothed engagement blocks against the tooth-like formations in the track. Spring(s) are also provided to resiliently bias the toothed engagement blocks into engagement with the track so that the sheave segments are lightly held in place even when out of engagement with the drive belt. | 1 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Numerous methods of etching, engraving or incising stone materials are known. Prior art methods of engraving can result in differences in the quality of the final stone product depending upon the skill of the person performing the etching, engraving or incising. For example, when chiseling a complex design or small letters in a stone material a wide variety of results are possible depending on the experience and talent of the artisan. Recently, engraving methods using suspensions of sand in pressurized air have been developed which enable more skillful and efficient etching of stone. However, there still exists a need for a process which allows detailed etching and engraving of stone materials.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved method of engraving stone which comprises the steps of; applying to a stone material an acid resistant polymer or lacquer coating upon portions of said stone material that are not to be engraved; bathing the coated stone material with a sufficient amount of acid for a sufficient period of time to engrave said stone material; washing the stone material with a sufficient amount of base to neutralize the acid; and, removing the coating to obtain an engraved stone material.
In particular the present invention relates to methods of engraving marble or onyx using nitric acid, hydrochloric acid or hydrofluoric acids.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
For the purposes of this invention the term stone material is considered to mean any hard, solid, nonmetallic, inorganic mineral matter of which rock is composed. This term is meant to include both igneous and sedimentary rock.
According to the present invention a novel method is described in which a stone material is etched or engraved with a fineness and detail that has not been previously possible. In particular, it is possible to use the method of the present invention to etch, for example, small letters or artistic photographs upon a stone material.
The process of the present invention may be used to etch or engrave any type of stone material. It is preferred however to etch stone materials that can accept a high degree of polish. The most preferred materials include marble or onyx.
The first step of the process involves the coating of those portions of a stone material which will not be etched with acid. Any coating composition that will be at least partially resistant to the acid used in the etching of the stone material may be used. This first step may be preceded by other steps such as cleaning or polishing the stone material. Any treatment of the stone material which can lead to an improved result using the present invention may be performed prior to the first step enumerated above.
The coating composition can comprise any material, such as for instance, a lacquer or an organic polymer coating. The lacquer or polymer can be any that is resistant to the acids that are used in the etching of the stone material. It is preferred that the coating have an adhesiveness which, after being exposed to an acid and then a base, is less than the hardness of the stone material. Such compounds can include, for example cellulose derived materials, such as for example, nitrocellulose, butyl cellosolve, aromatic napthas with a low boiling point, such as Aromina 100 or mixtures of such ingredients. Other ingredients may also be included in the coating composition. Such additives may include for instance, hardeners, plasticizers, binders, solvents, fixers, fillers, adhesives, or the like. In a preferred mode a plasticizer is added to the coating composition.
The coating composition can be applied by any method known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such methods would include for instance, serigraphic methods, painting, silk screening or the like. In a preferred method of carrying out the method of the present invention a serigraphic method is used to coat the stone material to be etched.
Once the coating composition has been applied to the stone material, the coating composition can be polymerized if such a step is desired or necessary for a particular coating composition.
Stone material so coated can then be bathed with an acid solution to etch or engrave those portions of the stone material that are not protected with said coating composition. The acid used can be any inorganic acid that will effectively etch the particular stone material employed. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention either nitric acid, hydrochloric acid or hydrofluoric acid will be used.
The concentration of the acid used may vary depending on how quickly any specific concentration will etch a particular variety of stone material. The concentration may also be based on the time period in which a specific acid will etch a given stone material and upon the depth to which the stone is to be etched. When nitric acid is employed a concentration of from about 20% to about 30% is preferred. Hydrochloric acid is preferred to be used in a concentration of from about 30% to about 60%. Concentrations of hydrofluoric acid of from about 5% to about 20% are also preferred.
The time period that the stone material will be exposed to said acid may vary depending on the desired etching effect, the particular acid used, and the stone material to be etched as well as other factors known to one of ordinary skill in the art. It is possible to vary the parameters upon which the time is dependant to employ time periods of from about five minutes to about 1 hour to provide an efficient etching process. The most preferable time periods are from about 15 to 20 minutes.
Once the stone material has been etched to the desired degree, the stone material is washed with a base to neutralize acid remaining on the stone surface. The base may be any type of base which will neutralize the acid used in the etching step. It is preferred, however, to use an hydroxide, a carbonate or a sulfite, or more preferably an alkali metal hydroxide, carbonate or sulfite. The most preferred basic material is a solution of sodium bisulfite.
The stone material can then be left to dry. It is contemplated that drying may be accomplished in different ways depending on the time period in which the stone material is to be completed. It is possible to dry the stone material more quickly using heat or forced air, using for example, an oven or fan respectively.
Any residual coating composition can be removed from the stone surface. This may be accomplished using any process known to those skilled in the art. Examples of suitable methods include using a brush, an abrasive, a solvent, heat, flame, or a corrosive. A preferred method of removing the coating is by manually brushing off said coating.
Said stone materials may be used with or without a decorative coating. The present invention contemplates the coating of etched or unetched portions of the stone material with decorative coatings. Such coatings may include for example paints, glazes, epoxy or aniline enamels, or the like. Epoxy and aniline enamels are preferred.
Such decorative coatings may be applied by painting, injection, aspersion or any other method known to those skilled in the art. Preferred methods include injection and aspersion.
EXAMPLES
In order to exemplify the results achieved using the stone etching method of the present invention, the following examples are provided without any intent to limit the scope of the instant invention to the discussion therein, all parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated.
EXAMPLE I
A solution comprising nitrocellulose, Aromina 100, butyl cellosolve and plasticizer concentrate is applied to several slabs of marble to form patterns on said slabs. The nitrocellulose composition is polymerized. Each slab is bathed in a separate acid solution wherein each solution has a different acid concentration of from between about 30% to 60% of hydrochloric acid. The slabs were bathed in the acid solutions for different periods of time depending on the depth of etching that is desired. Each slab is washed with an aqueous solution of sodium bisulfite until all of the acid has been neutralized. Each slab is dried and the polymer pattern is removed from the unetched portions using a brush.
EXAMPLE II
A solution of nitrocellulose, Aromina 100, butyl cellosolve and plasticizer concentrate is applied to several slabs of onyx to form patterns on said slabs. The nitrocellulose composition is polymerized. Each slab is bathed in a separate acid solution wherein each solution has a different acid concentration of from between about 20% to 30% of nitric acid. The slabs are bathed in the acid solutions for different periods of time depending on the depth of etching that is desired. Each slab is washed with an aqueous solution of sodium bisulfite until all of the acid has been neutralized. Each slab is dried and the polymer pattern is removed from the unetched portions using a brush.
EXAMPLE III
A solution of nitrocellulose, Aromina 100, butyl cellosolve and plasticizer concentrate is applied to several slabs of marble to form patterns on said slabs. The nitrocellulose composition is polymerized. Each slab is bathed in a separate acid solution wherein each solution has a different acid concentration of from between about 5% to 20% of hydrofluoric acid. The slabs are bathed in the acid solutions for different periods of time depending on the depth of etching that is desired. Each slab is washed with an aqueous solution of sodium bisulfite until all of the acid has been neutralized. Each slab is dried and the polymer pattern is removed using a brush. The etched portions of the slabs are then coated with epoxy and aniline enamels.
The scope of the following claims is intended to encompass all obvious changes in the details, materials, and arrangement of parts that will occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. | The present invention relates to an improved method of engraving stone which comprises the steps of; applying to a stone material an acid resistant polymer or lacquer coating upon portions of said stone material that are not to be engraved; bathing the coated stone material with a sufficient amount of acid for a sufficient period of time to engrave said stone material; washing the stone material with a sufficient amount of base to neutralize the acid; and, removing the coating to obtain an engraved stone material.
In particular the present invention relates to methods of engraving marble or onyx using nitric acid, hydrochloric acid or hydrofluoric acids. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention broadly relates to ammunition storage and conveyance and pertains, more specifically, to a new and improved apparatus for infeeding cartridges from a stationary ammunition magazine to an elevatable or elevationally adjustable firing weapon or gun.
Generally speaking, the cartridge infeeding apparatus of the present development is of the type comprising a cartridge infeed or guide channel in which ammunition is conveyed to the elevatable or elevationally adjustable firing weapon or gun, such firing weapon or gun being constructed for pivotal movement about an elevation axis and comprising a cartridge inlet or feed port.
When cartridges are delivered from a stationary cartridge magazine to an elevatable firing weapon or gun, it is customary to use a deflection or guidance unit which pivots or turns the cartridges according to the elevation of the firing weapon or gun and delivers the cartridges to the latter. A suitable deflection or guidance unit can be, for example, a disk channel as disclosed, for instance, in German Published Patent Application No. 3,204,499, published Aug. 18, 1983. The individual disks of such disk channel are rotatably mounted at a housing, whereby these disks are guided by rolls at the cylindrical inner wall of the housing These disks are provided with throughpass apertures, through which the cartridges are guided. In order that the ammunition belt is uniformly subject to torsional force, the disks are connected by a gearing mounted on a shaft. When this shaft is rotated by the rotatable or pivotable part of the weapon, the gearing for each disk is driven, whereby the transmission ratios are selected such that, starting at the rotatable or pivotable part of the weapon, the twisting angle decreases from disk to disk. A guide channel can be provided to ensure the passageway of cartridges through the throughpass apertures of the individual disks, such throughpass apertures being connected by flexible material.
Instead of the aforenoted disk channel, there can be used a flexible chute or guide as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No 3,437,005, granted Apr. 8, 1969. A flexible conveyor mechanism delivers ammunition rounds between a high rate-of-fire gun, for instance a "Gatling-gun", and an ammunition storage device movable relative thereto. The flexible conveyor mechanism includes an outer flexible chute or guide having walls forming a passageway generally rectangular in cross-section. A helical member extending through such passageway comprises a series of open wire volutes and is a relatively stiff spring-like continuous wire, the diameter of the wire being selected depending on the torque requirements.
Such flexible conveyor chute or guide transfers ammunition rounds under adverse conditions including twisting, fanning or bending of the conveyor as the result of the aforementioned relative movement
These known ammunition conveyor or infeed systems all have considerable disadvantages:
(i) The elevational range is restricted by a disk channel. For example, the weapon can be upwardly and downwardly pivoted only from a central or intermediate position, so that problems arise when the weapon is pivoted into the horizontal position or the azimuthal position.
(ii) A disk channel requires a relatively great deal of space and possesses a relatively large mass which has to be accelerated and decelerated during operation as the gun swivels and pivots.
(iii) Flexible conveyor chutes or guides are subject to considerable wear and stress when the belt of ammunition is twisted and bent due to the relative movement between the firing weapon and the storage container. Furthermore, such flexible conveyor chutes are often of a considerable length and, therefore, can disturb or interfere with the movement of the firing weapon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, with the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved construction of apparatus for infeeding cartridges from a stationary ammunition magazine to an elevatable or elevationally adjustable firing weapon and which apparatus is not afflicted with the drawbacks and limitations of the prior art.
Another and more specific object of the present invention aims at providing an improved cartridge infeeding apparatus which requires a minimum of space, does not necessitate additional driving power, and affords a high degree of reliability for use in delivering ammunition at very high delivery speeds in random elevational positions of the elevatable firing weapon.
Now in order to implement these and still further objects of the present invention which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the apparatus for feeding cartridges to an elevatable firing weapon or gun and constructed according to the invention is manifested, among other things, by the features that the cartridge infeed or guide channel is structured to form a circular arc having a predetermined center of curvature located in the elevation axis of the elevatable firing weapon or gun. The tips of the cartridges located in the cartridge infeed or guide channel are oriented toward the elevation axis and the lengthwise axes of the cartridges located in the cartridge infeed or guide channel are radially arranged with respect to the elevation axis of the elevatable firing weapon. The aforenoted pivotal movement of the elevatable firing weapon about the elevation axis defines a pivot plane and the cartridge infeed or guide channel is arranged substantially parallel to the pivot plane of the elevatable firing weapon. In the cartridge infeed or guide channel there is arranged at least one endless conveyor chain, by means of which the cartridges are conveyed to the cartridge inlet or feed port of the elevatable firing weapon. Means are provided for extending and contracting the endless conveyor chain during the pivotal movement of the elevatable firing weapon or gun about the elevation axis, whereby the endless conveyor chain is extended and contracted in accordance with each and every or the momentary position of the elevatable firing weapon or gun within the pivot plane.
The endless conveyor chain arranged in the cartridge infeed or guide channel structured to form a circular arc advantageously comprises a plurality of buckets or cradles and the aforenoted means for extending and contracting the endless conveyor chain constitute, for instance, knee or toggle joints provided between respective pairs of adjacent buckets or cradles of the plurality of buckets or cradles. Each knee or toggle joint located between each two adjacent buckets or cradles comprises at least two lugs pivotably connected to one another, whereby one lug is pivotably mounted at one of the two adjacent buckets or cradles and the other lug is pivotably mounted at the other one of the two adjacent buckets or cradles.
The cartridge infeed or guide channel structured to form a circular arc is advantageously constructed as a telescopic channel, whereby means are provided for telescopingly extending and contracting the telescopic channel during the aforementioned pivotal movement of the elevatable firing weapon about the elevation axis thereof.
The means for telescopingly extending and contracting the telescopic channel preferably comprises a plurality of guide rails or tracks suitably structured to be telescopingly shifted into one another and telescopingly drawn out from one another.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein throughout the various figures of the drawings, there have been generally used the same reference characters to denote the same or analogous components and wherein:
FIG. 1 schematically shows a side view, partially in section, of an armored turret comprising a firing weapon and an ammunition magazine as well as an exemplary embodiment of the cartridge infeeding apparatus constructed according to the invention;
FIG. 2 schematically shows a top plan view, partially in section, of the armored turret depicted in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 schematically shows a front view, partially in section, of the armored turret depicted in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 shows side view of a portion of a bucket chain for delivering cartridges from the ammunition magazine to the firing weapon of the armored turret depicted in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the portion of the bucket chain illustrated in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 shows a side view of a telescopic guide device for the bucket chain, a portion of which is depicted in FIG. 4; and
FIG. 7 shows, on an enlarged scale, a cross-section through the telescopic guide device depicted in FIG. 6 and taken substantially along the line VII--VII in FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Describing now the drawings, it is to be understood that to simplify the showing thereof, only enough of the construction of apparatus for infeeding cartridges to an elevatable firing weapon has been illustrated therein as is needed to enable one skilled in the art to readily understand the underlying principles and concepts of this invention.
Turning attention now specifically to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a schematically illustrated armored turret 10 shown therein by way of example and not limitation will be seen to comprise a firing weapon or gun 11 which is partially protected by an armored hood 12. Below this armored hood 12 there is located a container 13 accommodating at the bottom thereof a cartridge magazine 14.
According to FIG. 3, an attendance or operating crew for the firing weapon or gun 11 is accommodated partly in the armored hood 12 and partly in the container 13. In known manner, the armored turret 10 is rotatably mounted in a suitable tank or armored vehicle not particularly illustrated in the drawings. Cartridges 16 located in the cartridge magazine 14 as well as in a cartridge infeeding apparatus 15 are arranged in bucket or cradle chains 17, as is also apparent from FIGS. 4 and 5. By means of these bucket or cradle chains 17, the cartridges 16 are conveyed, on the one hand, out of the cartridge magazine 14 and, on the other hand, from this cartridge magazine 14 to the firing weapon or gun 11.
The firing weapon or gun 11 is pivotable or rotatable about an elevation axis 50. Three different elevational positions of the firing weapon or gun 11 are indicated in FIG. 1. In a first elevational position, the firing weapon or gun 11 is arranged to be substantially horizontal. In a second elevational position conveniently designated by reference numeral 11' and indicated by dash-and-dot lines, the firing weapon or gun 11 is shown to be inclined at an angle of approximately +45°. In a third elevational position conveniently designated by reference numeral 11'' and indicated by dash-and-dot lines, the angle of elevation of the firing weapon or gun 11 is shown to be approximately -10°. The delivery of ammunition to the firing weapon or gun 11 must be ensured in each of these three elevational positions and, furthermore, in all intermediate positions.
As mentioned hereinbefore, a specific object of the present invention aims at providing an apparatus for infeeding cartridges to an elevatable firing weapon, such as the aforenoted cartridge infeeding apparatus 15, which apparatus affords highly reliable infeed of cartridges 16 at any inclination, i.e. any elevation of the firing weapon or gun 11 as is described hereinafter.
According to FIGS. 2 and 3, the cartridge magazine 14 is subdivided into two halves, namely a right half 18 and a left half 19, when viewed in the firing direction of the firing weapon or gun 11. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the cartridge infeeding apparatus 15 constitutes a first cartridge infeeding apparatus 15' and a second cartridge infeeding apparatus 15". The first cartridge infeeding apparatus 15' conveys from the right, when viewed in the firing direction of the firing weapon or gun 11, the cartridges 16 from the right half 18 of the cartridge magazine 14 to the firing weapon or gun 11. The second cartridge infeeding apparatus 15'' conveys from the left, when viewed in the direction of the firing weapon or gun 11, the cartridges 16 from the left half 19 of the cartridge magazine 14 to the firing weapon or gun 11. This renders possible selectively delivering two different types of ammunition to the firing weapon or gun 11. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the two cartridge infeeding apparatuses 15' and 15'' comprise an arc-shaped or arcuate or curved guide or infeed channel 20. The center of curvature of this arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 coincides with the elevation axis 50 such that, in any position of the firing weapon 11, the cartridges 16 can be delivered in the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 to a cartridge inlet or feed port of the firing weapon 11, which cartridge inlet or feed port is generally designated hereinafter by reference numeral 49 in FIG. 1. As described hereinbelow, this arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 can be telescopically lengthened and shortened such that, in whatever elevational position of the firing weapon or gun 11, the end of the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 is located in the zone or region of the aforenoted cartridge inlet or feed port 49.
In order that the bucket or cradle chains 17 located in the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 can be lengthened and shortened when the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 is telescopingly lengthened and shortened, these two bucket or cradle chains 17 are correspondingly constructed and designed as will be described hereinbelow in conjunction with FIGS. 4 and 5.
Each bucket or cradle chain 17 comprises a plurality of buckets or cradles 21 which are of conventional type or construction and, therefore, need not here be further considered. Each bucket or cradle 21 serves to receive or accommodate a cartridge 16, as particularly apparent from FIG. 5. The buckets or cradles 21 are connected to each other by means of three lugs or joint bars 22, 23 and 24 in the form of a knee or toggle joint. In FIG. 4, only the two lugs or joint bars 22 and 23 are visible because, in the side view of the bucket or cradle chain 17 shown in FIG. 4, the lug or joint bar 24 is located directly behind the lug or joint bar 23.
As is apparent from FIG. 5, the two lugs or joint bars 23 and 24 are pivotably mounted at a bucket or cradle 21, while the lug or joint bar 22 is pivotably mounted at the adjacent or next following bucket or cradle 21 and forms with the other two lugs or joint bars 23 and 24 a knee or toggle joint. By means of these three lugs or joint bars 22, 23 and 24 provided between each two adjacent or neighboring buckets or cradles 21, it is possible to enlarge or reduce the spacing between adjacent or neighboring buckets or cradles 21. According to FIG. 4, the maximum spacing a can be reduced to the minimum spacing b. The lugs or joint bars 22, 23 and 24 are structured such that the bucket or cradle chains 17 can be curved or bent in different planes. In particular, the bucket or cradle chains 17 can be adapted to the arcuate curvature of the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20, as is apparent from FIG. 5.
The construction of the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 will be considered hereinafter in greater detail in conjunction with FIGS. 6 and 7. According to FIG. 6, the arc-shaped guide or infeed channel 20 comprises three groups of rails A, B and C, such groups of rails A, B and C telescoping with one another.
The first group of rails A comprises four outer guide rails or tracks 25 through 28 and two inner guide rails or tracks 29 and 30.
The second group of rails B likewise comprises four outer guide rails or tracks 31 through 34 and two inner guide rails or tracks 35 and 36.
The third group of rails C likewise comprises four outer guide rails or tracks 37 through 40 and two inner guide rails or tracks 41 and 42.
In FIG. 7, all 18 rails or tracks 25 through 42 are shown in a sectional view. The twelve outer rails or tracks 25 through 28, 31 through 34, and 37 through 40 serve to guide the cartridges 16, while the six inner rails or tracks 29 and 30, 35 and 36, and 41 and 42 serve for guiding the two bucket or cradle chains 17, of which only two buckets or cradles 21 are illustrated in FIG. 7.
The outer guide rails or tracks of each of the three groups of rails A, B and C, namely the outer guide rails or tracks 25 through 28, 31 through 34, and 37 through 40, are capable of guiding the cartridges 16.
Likewise, the inner guide rails of each of the two groups of rails A and B, namely the inner guide rails or tracks 29, 30 and 35, 36, are capable of guiding the buckets or cradles 21.
However, as is apparent from FIG. 7, the two inner guide rails or tracks 41 and 42 of the third group of rails C are not capable of guiding the buckets or cradles 21. For this reason, there is provided a further inner guide rail or track 43 which can guide the buckets or cradles 21 when the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 is fully extended or stretched, as depicted in FIG. 6.
According to FIGS. 4 and 7, each bucket or cradle 21 comprises four guide bolts or pins 44 through 47, whereby only the two guide bolts or pins 44 and 45 are visible in the side view of the bucket or cradle chain 17 shown in FIG. 4 and, accordingly, only the two guide bolts or pins 44 and 46 are visible in the sectional view of the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 shown in FIG. 7. The outer ends of the four guide bolts or pins 44 through 47 are guided by the four inner guide rails or tracks 29, 30 and 35, 36, while the inner ends of the four guide bolts or pins 44 through 47 are guided by the further inner guide rail or track 43, as is apparent from FIG. 7.
According to FIG. 7, there are provided in back-to-back or adjacent formation two conveying-active runs of one of the two bucket or cradle chains 17, whereby one conveying-active run delivers the cartridges 16 to the firing weapon or gun 11, while the other conveying-active run returns the cartridges 16 to the cartridge magazine 14. As is particularly apparent from FIG. 3, these two conveying-active runs of the bucket or cradle chain 17 come together at the upper end to form a loop. The upper end of the arc-shaped or arcuate cartridge guide or infeed channel 20 is connected to the firing weapon or gun 11, and the lower end of the arc-shaped or arcuate cartridge guide channel 20 is connected to the stationary cartridge magazine 14 such that, when the firing weapon or gun 11 pivots about the elevation axis 50, the arc-shaped or arcuate cartridge guide or infeed channel 20 is automatically contracted or extended, depending upon whether the angle of elevation is increased or reduced.
Having now had the benefit of the detailed description of the construction of the inventive apparatus for infeeding cartridges from a stationary cartridge magazine to an elevatable firing weapon or gun, the mode of operation of the cartridge infeeding apparatus 15 will now be considered in conjunction with the drawings and is as follows:
When the firing weapon or gun 11 is operated by placement into its rapid firing mode, the respective bucket or cradle chain 17 at the upper end of the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel is directly driven by the firing weapon or gun 11, such drive being synchronous to the rate of fire or cadence of the firing weapon 11. At the lower end of the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 of the cartridge infeeding apparatus 15, the drive of the two bucket or cradle chains 17 is effected by respective suitable booster motors 51 and 52. By virtue of the bucket or cradle chains 17 being variable in length, these two booster motors 51 and 52 are not required to run exactly synchronous with the cadence of the firing weapon or gun 11.
The two booster motors 51 and 52 not only drive the two bucket or cradle chains 17 arranged at respective sides of the firing weapon or gun 11, but also all cartridges 16 provided in both halves 18 and 19 of the cartridge magazine 14 of the container 13. The cartridges 16 are thereby conveyed out of the cartridge magazine 14 and into respective bucket or cradle chains 17 which then deliver the cartridges 16 to the firing weapon or gun 11, as is particularly apparent from FIG. 2.
In the event of a firing burst or operation the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 is contracted or extended according to the elevation of the firing weapon or gun 11. If the firing gun or weapon 11 is downwardly inclined at an angle of approximately -10°, the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 must be completely drawn out or stretched as shown in FIG. 1. However, if the firing weapon or gun 11 is upwardly directed at an angle of elevation of approximately +45°, then the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 has to be entirely telescoped or contracted, since the cartridge inlet or feed port 49 of the firing weapon or gun 11 is then in its lowest elevational position. The maximum spacing a between individual neighboring buckets or cradles 21 of the respective bucket or cradle chain 17 is then reduced to the minimum spacing b, as is apparent from FIG. 4.
When the elevatable firing weapon or gun 11 reaches the maximum angle of elevation, namely +45°, the guide rails or tracks 25 through 40 of the three groups of rails A, B and C are completely telescoped in one another. On the other hand, when the firing weapon or gun 11 is lowered into its lowest elevational position, the guide rails or tracks 25 through 40 of the three groups of rails A, B and C are completely extended or stretched, as depicted in FIG. 6.
According to FIG. 3, the bucket or cradle chains 17 ascend on the inner side of the arc-shaped or arcuate guide or infeed channel 20, as indicated by arrows 53. Accordingly, at the outer side of the arc-shaped or arcuate guide channel 20 the bucket or cradle chains 17 descend as indicated by arrows 54. Cartridges 16 can be supplied or fed to the cartridge magazine 14 by means of this descending portion of the respective bucket or cradle chain 17.
While there are shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims. Accordingly, | When cartridges are delivered from a stationary cartridge magazine to an elevatable firing weapon, it is customary to use a deflection or guidance unit, by which the cartridges can be reliably delivered to the elevatable firing weapon in every position of the latter. The cartridges are delivered to the elevatable firing weapon in a telescopic guide or infeed channel. With large elevation of the elevatable firing weapon, this telescopic guide channel is substantially contracted. On the other hand, this telescopic guide channel is substantially extended when the elevation of the elevatable firing weapon is relatively small. In the telescopic guide channel there is provided a bucket chain for conveying cartridges. The individual buckets of this bucket chain are interconnected by knee joints, so that the bucket chain can likewise be extended and contracted. One end of the telescopic guide channel is mounted at the stationary cartridge magazine and the other end is mounted at the elevatable firing weapon. The drive of the bucket chain is effected at both ends of the telescopic guide or infeed channel. Since the bucket chain is variable in length, this drive of the bucket chain need not be synchronously effected. | 5 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a Continuation-In-Part of the Co-Pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 11/977,024, filed Oct. 23, 2007, which is in turn a Continuation in Part of the Co-Pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 11/472,162, filed Jun. 21, 2006 (now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,189), which is in turn a Continuation in Part of the Co-Pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 11/047,143, filed Jan. 29, 2005 (now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,141,043), which is in turn a Continuation in Part of the Co-Pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 11/005,800, filed Dec. 7, 2004 (now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,964), which is in turn a Continuation in Part of the Co-Pending patent application U.S. Serial Number 10/885,355, filed Jul. 6, 2004 (now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,012), which is in turn a Continuation in Part of the Co-Pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 10/418,852, filed Apr. 18, 2003 (now issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,899), which in turn is a Continuation-In-Part of patent application U.S. Ser. No. 10/369,240 filed Feb. 19, 2003 (now issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,706,027) and claiming priority from Provisional Patent Application No. 60/359,672 which was filed on Feb. 26, 2002, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Current state of the art Chemical/Biological (CB or Chem-Bio) protective garments do not provide an acceptable and safe means of connecting the garments to external life support systems such as cooling and heating, bladder relief, gas, hydration and nutrition delivery systems without exposing the user to undue risk of exposure to external health and safety threats. The lack of a safe and easy connectivity for these life support systems poses serious risks for their users, which are often individuals involved in some aspect of public safety or military operations. Contributing to the problem of development of an effective connectivity system in these CB applications is the fact that CB Protective Suits have an effective use time of only 24 hours on average depending upon the CB agents that are involved. In many cases if external systems are connected to CB Protective Suits they are installed by crude cuts or tears into the Suit and sealed by duct tape or some other similarly unsafe method.
[0003] For body waste management, NASA has developed several systems for use with pressurized suits. These include 1) male urine collection systems consisting of external catheters connected to polymeric containment bags, or garments worn inside the suit, 2) female urine collection systems, consisting of multilayered undergarments with both conductive and super absorbent layers, and 3) fecal containment systems consisting of absorbent undergarments that collect and contain fecal matter until the pressure suit is doffed. These waste management systems, however, have been found to pose an unacceptable psychological demands upon the users, especially in their military applications.
[0004] A study by the United States Army was conducted using a retractable-arm design for protective suits. The user of a CB Suit would unzip a bellows located under the arms and retract their arms into the suit, leaving the gloves attached to the sleeves. This would allow greater freedom of movement during waste management procedures. Additionally other options were researched for fecal and urine collection. For fecal collection, the users would use a fecal collection bag for waste. This system was comprised of a fecal collection bag that had a contoured opening that attaches to the perianal area of the user using an adhesive ring. After its use the adhesive ring would then be folded up to form an air-tight seal containing what can be a disagreeable effluent.
[0005] For urinary waste, two systems have been developed, one for males and one for females. The system for males utilizes a urine collection device that consists of a 750 to 1000 ml urinary collection bag with an attached latex condom catheter. The system for females uses the same collection bag as the male system but interfaced with an external urethral catheter. Both of these systems in the CB Suit utilize pockets on the interior of the CB Suit to provide storage for the collection bags and other hygiene items.
[0006] In testing the extremes of duration for use of this type of waste management system, the urine and fecal collection options were analyzed. Serious problems with the systems were discovered. The collection bags over time resulted in voluminous and forceful voids and some splash-back because the inlet aperture on the urine collection bags were not large enough to handle the rate of flow. The 750 ml storage bag was found to be too small to accommodate larger voids. Despite the fact that the fecal collection system during the test exhibited no spillage or serious problems of note, the total time required to complete the waste management procedure was about 35 minutes, which is entirely unacceptable in an emergency or military setting.
[0007] Complicating the waste management problems of CB Suits are the risks involved with heat stress. The perspiration and heat buildup, both from trapped body heat and heat absorption from the environment, is not able to escape the over garments. This condition causes a threat of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Even the new JSLIST (joint service lightweight integrated suit technology) does not protect against heat stress.
[0008] It is known in the art that in high temperatures, the average CB Suit user can do physical work in chemical protective clothing only for a few hours or less, depending on the individual and the external environmental conditions. Research has shown that with forced fluid intake and work-rest cycles, work time can be extended. It has been conclusively demonstrated just how important it is that CB Suit users remain hydrated, especially in high temperature environments. Yet many CB Suit users (i.e. public safety personnel, military personnel) will intentionally dehydrate themselves prior to donning the CB Suits for the express purpose of avoiding the future necessity of relieving their bladders. The effect of dehydration impairs performance and can lead to serious health problems such as painful, incapacitating kidney stones. The symptoms of dehydration include headaches, muscle fatigue, poor decision-making, impaired hand-eye coordination and lightheadedness. The latter can lead to performance degradation, loss of morale, threats to public safety and mission failure. So, a recommended regularized drinking regimen to protect against heat stress will require periodic urination. CB Suits, containing zippers and rear flaps, are poorly designed for waste elimination without the risk of compromising the protective capabilities of the Suit. Most soldiers in training when needing to urinate or defecate while in the presence of a simulated threat will simply unzip and void without the requisite fear of the consequences and expose themselves to harmful agents.
[0009] In military uses of CB Suits many soldiers will often urinate and/or defecate in their protective garments. This in turn, wets the charcoal lining which will ultimately compromise the integrity of the suit. Prolonged exposure to fecal matter and urine can cause skin damage. Upon prolonged exposure irritation of the skin appears first and then the skin breakdown occurs. Feces also contain bacteria that can permeate allowing for infections and may progress rapidly to ulcerations, including bacterial and yeast infections. Lastly, constant moisture can alter the skins' protective pH balance.
[0010] Avoiding urination can also lead to bladder over distension, pain, trouble emptying, and can eventually lead to urinary incontinence. A full, distended bladder can cause a stretching of the bladder muscle, thus leading to a more floppy bladder which can not contract as well as before being stretched. This imparts some ‘laziness’ to the bladder to empty properly and can result in lifelong bladder disability.
[0011] The relatively short life span of a CB Protective Suit in use (approx. 24 hours) makes it impractical to incorporate within the garment a means of cooling and heating, gas, hydration, nutrition and bladder relief. Also because of the bulk of such life support systems it is not practical to contain these systems inside the Suit along with the user. There is a long felt need for a connection system that can be field installed without tools that will permit the user to connect to whatever external life support systems that may be needed given the circumstances of the use of the Suit.
[0012] In many applications where CB Protective Suits are used it would be advantageous to be able to introduce clean air and/or oxygen inside the Suit. By maintaining a positive air pressure in the Suit, which in most instances is not air tight, would significantly reduce the likelihood of outside ambient and potentially hazardous air from entering into the suit. Having connectivity for an external gas source to connect to an internal gas mask further improves the versatility of the Suit and the safety of the user.
[0013] While the prior art disclose various systems of providing life support connection to CB Protective Suits which fulfill their respective particular objectives and requirements, and are most likely quite functional for their intended purposes, it will be noticed that none of the prior art cited disclose an apparatus and/or method that allow a user ease of field installation, comfort of automatic operation, easy disposal, sanitary use in the field and large volume capacity, and quick and safe connection and disconnection to several life support systems thereby permitting a user to work several hours in relative comfort and safety. As such, there apparently still exists the need for a new and improved life support connection system to maximize the benefits to the user and minimize the risks of injury from its use.
[0014] This optimum connectivity for any life support system would allow a CB Protective Suit user to quickly and sanitarily: urinate; hydrate; breath compressed air; take in a food source; and/or heat or cool their bodies, without the necessity of doffing the Suit or exposing a portion of their body to potentially fatal chemical or biological agents, and to then remove the life support system(s), if desired, that is external to the user without exposure to the elements from which the CB Suit is being used to protect the user. In this respect, the present invention disclosed herein substantially fulfills this need.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0015] In view of the foregoing limitations inherent in the known types of connectivity systems for CB Protective Suits now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an apparatus that has been designed to self-perforate a Suit into which it is being installed and snap fit to the internal interface of the connection device inside the Suit with no tools being required. Once installed the connectivity system allows a user to quick connect, or disconnect, their choice of life support systems, such as cooling and heating, gas, hydration, nutrition and bladder relief. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a field designed apparatus and method of use that incorporates the present invention.
[0016] The present invention also incorporates electric, electronic and fiber optics to facilitate communication and control of the various life support systems electronically. There can be multiple communication transmission lines made of various materials including aluminum, copper, nickel, silver, gold, USB cable, coaxial cable or the like. This permits transmission of vital signs and control of systems to a remote location where a user's activities may be monitored and regulated. It also permits the life support systems to be controlled automatically at pre-selected or default settings. There are many additional novel features directed to solving problems not addressed in the prior art.
[0017] To attain this, the present invention generally comprises an external face plate with quick connects/disconnects capable of connecting to, or disconnecting from, user selected life support systems such as 1) nutrition; 2) hydration and bladder relief combination devices such as disclosed and hereby incorporated by reference in my prior patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,141,043 or a stand alone hydration source; 3) bladder relief devices such as disclosed and hereby incorporated by reference as set forth in my prior patents U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,189, U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,012, U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,964, U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,899 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,706,027; 4) personal cooling and heating devices such as disclosed and hereby incorporated by reference as set forth in my prior patents U.S. Pat. No. 6,915,641 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,152,412; and 5) air and/or oxygen. The external face plate is fitted with a cutting means that when placed against the surface of a CB Protective Suit and pressure is applied the external face plate perforates the Suit. Once perforated the external face plate is gasketed on the external portion or outside of the CB Protective Suit. Inside the CB Protective Suit is an internal face plate that is also gasketed on the internal portion or inside of the CB Protective Suit which is designed to accept the locking tabs of the external face plate that enter into the Suit through the perforation and snap fit together with the internal face plate. Once snap fit together the gaskets form an air/liquid tight seal and the external and internal face plates form one or more fluid and/or air tight channels capable of passing fluids or gases from outside the Suit to the inside. The internal face plate also has quick connect/disconnect fittings that allow the internal connections necessary to deliver the life support system to the user as needed. Inside the CB Protective Suit the internal face plate may connect: 1) the gas port of the connectivity device to a gas mask or simply permit the gas to enter into the Suit; 2) to the male or female urine collection means such as those described in my patent disclosures hereby incorporated by reference as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,189, U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,012, U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,964, U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,899 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,706,027; 3) to a heating and cooling vest or garment such as that disclosed and hereby incorporated by reference as set forth in my prior patents U.S. Pat. No. 6,915,641 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,152,412 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/070,435 filed on Feb. 19, 2008; 4) to a hose and/or mouthpiece accessible to a user for drinking; and 5) to a hose and/or mouthpiece accessible to a user for eating by means of liquid nutrition.
[0018] Several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
[0019] in the preferred embodiment of the present invention the connectivity system may be easily installed in the field without tools by self perforating the CB Protective Suit in a location that best meets the user's needs
[0020] in the most preferred embodiment the connectivity system can connect one or more external life support systems to the CB Protective Suit which include heating and cooling, gas (generally compressed air), a hydration source (i.e. water or electrolyte enhanced hydrator), a nutrition source (i.e. a nutrient rich liquid like Ensure® or other liquid complete nutrition source), and a urine transport and collection means
[0021] in the most preferred embodiment the connectivity system is lightweight, relatively small device of a relatively low cost which is important given that it will most likely be disposed off with the CB Protective Suit after its use since CB Protective Suits only last for a relatively short period of time, whereas the external life support systems and the internal user connections can be quickly and easily disconnected for use on another CB Protective Suit.
[0022] in the most preferred embodiment the connectivity system contains electric, electronic and fiber optic lines to connect the external life support systems to the user interface life support devices to facilitate monitoring and control of the needs and delivery of life support to a user. The lines can also be used to connect radio, wireless or other telephonic communication capability to a user.
[0023] These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, will be pointed out with particularity in the claims which are annexed to and form a part of this patent application. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the external face plate of the connectivity system installed into a cut away view of a CB Protective Suit.
[0025] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connectivity system as it would be installed into a cut away view of a CB Protective Suit from the perspective of the internal face of the CB Protective Suit with a perspective view of the internal face plate also depicted.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a side view of the connectivity system as it would be installed into a cut away view of a CB Protective Suit.
[0027] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connectivity system with the cooling, heating, bladder relief, gas, hydration and nutrition life support systems and user connection means attached to a cut way view of a CB Protective Suit for use.
[0028] FIG. 5 is a perspective cut away and exploded view of a single life support embodiment of the connectivity system with electrical, electronic and fiber optic communication systems as installed in a cut away view of a CB Protective Suit.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
I. Preferred Embodiments
[0029] With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1-4 thereof, a new and novel cooling, heating, bladder relief, gas, hydration and nutrition chem-bio suit connectivity system embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 1 .
List and Description of:
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DESCRIPTION AND DRAWINGS
[0030] Any actual dimensions listed are those of the preferred embodiment. Actual dimensions or exact hardware details and means may vary in a final product or most preferred embodiment and should be considered means for so as not to narrow the claims of the patent.
( 1 ) Connectivity Device ( 2 ) External Face Plate ( 3 ) Internal Face Plate ( 4 ) External Gasket ( 5 ) Internal Gasket ( 6 ) Locking Tab ( 7 ) Locking Tab Receptor ( 8 ) Inner Gas Port ( 9 ) Inner Hydration Port ( 10 ) Inner Cooling and Heating Port ( 11 ) Inner Nutrition Port ( 12 ) Inner Urine Disposal Port ( 13 ) CB Protective Suit Inner Layer ( 14 ) CB Protective Suit Outer Layer ( 15 ) Outer Gas Port ( 16 ) Outer Hydration Port ( 17 ) Outer Cooling and Heating Port ( 18 ) Outer Nutrition Port ( 19 ) Outer Urine Disposal Port ( 20 ) Gas Storage and Delivery Means ( 21 ) Hydration Storage and Delivery Means ( 22 ) Nutrition Storage and Delivery Means ( 23 ) Cooling and Heating Means ( 24 ) Urine Disposal Means ( 25 ) CB Protective Suit ( 26 ) Cutting Means ( 27 ) Inner Gas Channel ( 28 ) Inner Hydration Channel ( 29 ) Inner Cooling and Heating Channel ( 30 ) Inner Nutrition Channel ( 31 ) Inner Urine Disposal Channel ( 32 ) Outer Gas Channel ( 33 ) Outer Hydration Channel ( 34 ) Outer Cooling and Heating Channel ( 35 ) Outer Nutrition Channel ( 36 ) Outer Urine Disposal. Channel ( 37 ) User Life Support Hose ( 38 ) Gas Mask ( 39 ) Mouthpiece Valve ( 40 ) Urine Collection Device ( 41 ) Fiber Optic Line ( 42 ) Electrical—Electromagnetic Line ( 43 ) Quick Connect-Disconnect Locking Slide and Release ( 44 ) Hose Connector Socket Inlet ( 45 ) External Input Connector Fitting ( 46 ) Internal Input Connector Fitting ( 47 ) Hose and Line Protector Sleeve ( 48 ) Electrical-Electronic and Fiber Optic Connector ( 49 ) Heating and Cooling Vest
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
1. Connectivity Device
[0080] The Connectivity Device ( 1 ) is generally comprised of five major components: 1) an External Face Plate ( 2 ); 2) an Internal Face Plate ( 3 ); 3) an External Gasket ( 4 ); an Internal Gasket ( 5 ); and 5) a Cutting Means ( 26 ). The External Face Plate ( 2 ) is further comprised of one or more life support connection ports, namely an Outer Gas Port ( 15 ), Outer Hydration Port ( 16 ), Outer Cooling and Heating Port ( 17 ), Outer Nutrition Port ( 18 ), and an Outer Urine Disposal Port ( 19 ). The connection ports are generally comprised of self-sealing quick disconnect fittings. The External Face Plate ( 2 ) is further comprised of one or more channels that are capable of having transported there through life support means, said channels being namely an Outer Gas Channel ( 32 ), Outer Hydration Channel ( 33 ), Outer Cooling and Heating Channel ( 34 ), Outer Nutrition Channel ( 35 ), and an Outer Urine Disposal Channel ( 36 ).
[0081] Once the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) is completely assembled and installed for use the life support connection ports may then be connected to one or more user selected life support means, namely a Gas Storage and Delivery Means ( 20 ), Hydration Storage and Delivery Means ( 21 ), Nutrition Storage and Delivery Means ( 22 ), Cooling and Heating Means ( 23 ), and a Urine Disposal Means ( 24 ).
[0082] The Cutting Means ( 26 ) is disposed in the External Face Plate ( 2 ) such that when the sharp edge of the Cutting Means ( 26 ) is applied with pressure generally applied by the palm of the hand of the installer against the CB Protective Suit ( 25 ) the Cutting Means ( 26 ) perforates the CB Protective Suit ( 25 ). Once the CB Protective Suit ( 25 ) is perforated the External Face Plate ( 2 ) is placed against the External Gasket ( 4 ) which in turn is placed against the CB Protective Suit Outer Layer ( 14 ) forming a seal thereby.
[0083] The Internal Face Plate ( 3 ) is further comprised of one or more user interfaced life support connection ports, namely an Inner Gas Port ( 8 ), Inner Hydration Port ( 9 ), Inner Cooling and Heating Port ( 10 ), Inner Nutrition Port ( 11 ), and an Inner Urine Disposal Port ( 12 ). The Internal Face Plate ( 3 ) is further comprised of one or more channels that are capable of having transported there through life support means, said channels being namely an Inner Gas Channel ( 27 ), Inner Hydration Channel ( 28 ), Inner Cooling and Heating Channel ( 29 ), Inner Nutrition Channel ( 30 ), and an Inner Urine Disposal Channel ( 31 ).
[0084] Once the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) is completely assembled and installed for use the user interfaced life support connection ports may then be connected to one or more user selected life support user interface means by means of one or more User Life Support Hoses ( 37 ) to: a Gas Mask ( 38 ); a Mouthpiece Valve ( 39 ); and/or a Urine Collection Device ( 40 ).
[0085] To assemble the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) the Internal Face Plate ( 3 ) is placed against the Internal Gasket ( 5 ) which in turn is placed against the CB Protective Suit Inner Layer ( 13 ) forming a seal thereby. Assembly is achieved by placing the External Face Plate ( 2 ) against the External Gasket ( 4 ) which is placed over, and completely concealing, the perforation of the CB Protective Suit ( 25 ) and against the CB Protective Suit Outer Layer ( 14 ). Then the Locking Tabs ( 6 ) and the Outer Gas Channel ( 32 ), Outer Hydration Channel ( 33 ), Outer Cooling and Heating Channel ( 34 ), Outer Nutrition Channel ( 35 ), and an Outer Urine Disposal Channel ( 36 ) are aligned through the perforation to the corresponding Locking Tab Receptors ( 7 ) and the corresponding Inner Gas Channel ( 27 ), Inner Hydration Channel ( 28 ), Inner Cooling and Heating Channel ( 29 ), Inner Nutrition Channel ( 30 ), and an Inner Urine Disposal Channel ( 31 ) of the Internal Face Plate ( 3 ). The Internal Gasket ( 5 ) is placed between the Internal Face Plate ( 3 ) and the CB Protective Suit Inner Layer ( 13 ). Assembly is completed by locking the corresponding Locking Tabs ( 6 ) into the Locking Tab Receptors ( 7 ) such that the inner and outer channels form a seal and create continuous channels through the Connectivity Device ( 1 ).
[0086] To use the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) the user selects what life support systems they desire to use, such as the Gas Storage and Delivery Means ( 20 ), Hydration Storage and Delivery Means ( 21 ), Nutrition Storage and Delivery Means ( 22 ), Cooling and Heating Means ( 23 ), and the Urine Disposal Means ( 24 ) and then connects them by means of the quick disconnect fittings of the corresponding Outer Gas Port ( 15 ), Outer Hydration Port ( 16 ), Outer Cooling and Heating Port ( 17 ), Outer Nutrition Port ( 18 ), and the Outer Urine Disposal Port ( 19 ). Then based upon the user selected life support systems the user connects by means of the quick disconnect fittings the User Life Support Hose ( 37 ), Gas Mask ( 38 ), Mouthpiece Valve ( 39 ), and the Urine Collection Device ( 40 ) to the corresponding Inner Gas Port ( 8 ), Inner Hydration Port ( 9 ), Inner Cooling and Heating Port ( 10 ), Inner Nutrition Port ( 11 ), and the Inner Urine Disposal Port ( 12 ).
[0087] FIG. 4 depicts the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) external to the CB Protective Suit ( 25 ) connected to five life support systems including a Gas Storage and Delivery Means ( 20 ), Hydration Storage and Delivery Means ( 21 ), Nutrition Storage and Delivery Means ( 22 ), Cooling and Heating Means ( 23 ), and a Urine Disposal Means ( 24 ) connected by means of the User Life Support Hose ( 37 ). FIG. 4 further depicts the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) internal to the CB Protective Suit ( 25 ) which connects the external life support systems to corresponding five internal life support systems including a Gas Mask ( 38 ), User Life Support Hose ( 37 ), Mouthpiece Valve ( 39 ), Heating and Cooling Vest ( 49 ) and the Urine Collection Device ( 40 ).
[0088] In the most preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) incorporates electric, electronic and fiber optic connectivity from the external life support systems to the internal life support systems by means of the Fiber Optic Line ( 41 ) and the Electrical—Electromagnetic Line ( 42 ). The Fiber Optic Line ( 41 ) and the Electrical—Electromagnetic Line ( 42 ) are connected through the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) by means of the Electrical-Electronic and Fiber Optic Connector ( 48 ). The user selected external and internal life support system(s) is connected to the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) by a User Life Support Hose ( 37 ), the Fiber Optic Line ( 41 ) and the Electrical—Electromagnetic Line ( 42 ), all of which are protected by a Hose and Line Protector Sleeve ( 47 ) connect to the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) by means of the Quick Connect-Disconnect Locking Slide and Release ( 43 ). The User Life Support Hose ( 37 ), the Fiber Optic Line ( 41 ) and the Electrical—Electromagnetic Line ( 42 ) are attached to the External Input Connector Fitting ( 45 ) on the external side of the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) and the Internal Input Connector Fitting ( 46 ) on the internal side of the Connectivity Device ( 1 ). Connection of the life support systems is completed to the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) by plugging the External Input Connector Fitting ( 45 ) on the external side of the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) into the Hose Connector Socket Inlet ( 44 ) locking in place by means of the Quick Connect-Disconnect Locking Slide and Release ( 43 ), and by also plugging the Internal Input Connector Fitting ( 46 ) on the internal side of the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) into the Hose Connector Socket Inlet ( 44 ) thereby forming a leak proof connection through the channel in the Connectivity Device ( 1 ) to both the internal and external User Life Support Hoses ( 37 ) and completing the communication circuit of the internal and external Fiber Optic Lines ( 41 ) and Electrical—Electromagnetic Lines ( 42 ) by means of the Electrical-Electronic and Fiber Optic Connector ( 48 ).
[0089] While my above descriptions of the invention, its parts, and operations contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of present embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible, for example, other embodiments, shapes, and sizes of the device can be constructed to fit on a user and work with a unit designed to work by the principles of the present invention; various materials, pumps, colors and configurations can be employed in the unit's design that would provide interesting embodiment differences to users including such practical designs as would, for instance conceal the unit.
[0090] Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the claims and their legal equivalents as filed herewith. | This invention is a Cooling, Heating, Bladder Relief, Gas, Hydration and Nutrition Chem-Bio Suit Connectivity System used connecting various life function support systems in Chemical-Biological Protective Suits. The connectivity system provides means to quick connect and disconnect various user desired support systems including cooling and heating, bladder relief, gas, hydration and nutrition and external to a user that is inside a Chem-Bio Suit. The connectivity system is capable of allowing a user to use any of the support systems either in any combination thereof or individually. The connectivity system self perforates and self seals upon installation in the Chem-Bio Suit and seals upon connection and disconnection of life support systems to prevent contamination from entering inside the Chem-Bio Suit and threatening the health or safety of the user. The connectivity system is easily field installed with no tools required and contains internal electrical, electronic and fiber optic communications capability. | 0 |
[0001] This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/899,591 filed Jul. 5, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. ______), which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/263,408, filed Jan. 23, 2001.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing anodized, colored aluminum.
[0003] Anodized aluminum is used in a variety of applications including building materials, household appliances, automotive trim, foil applications, farm equipment, furniture, sporting goods, and containers. Anodized aluminum products are desirable because they exhibit many beneficial functional characteristics such as: resistance to corrosion, chemical staining, and fading; electrical insulation; and exceptional structural rigidity.
[0004] Currently, most anodized aluminum is manufactured in two-sided sheet or coil form, where (1) both sides of the sheet or coil are anodized with a sulfuric acid anodizing process or (2) both sides of the sheet or coil are anodized with a phosphoric acid anodizing process. Sulfuric acid anodized aluminum is readily colored, and therefore is suitable for applications requiring a decorative finish. However, conventional sulfuric acid anodized aluminum is incompatible with most commercially available adhesives. Accordingly, it is difficult to adhere sheets of decoratively finished sulfuric acid anodized aluminum to other materials.
[0005] In contrast, phosphoric acid anodized aluminum satisfactorily bonds with commercially available adhesives, and thus is a good candidate for applications where anodized aluminum sheets must be adhered to other materials. However, phosphoric acid anodized aluminum is difficult to color. Accordingly, although the phosphoric acid anodized acid sheets are readily bonded with other materials, the color of the sheets is limited to a dull-grayish finish.
[0006] A drawback of conventional anodizing processes is that both sides of manufactured sheets and coils of anodized aluminum either exhibit the desirable decorative function of sulfuric anodized aluminum or exhibit the desirable enhanced adhesion characteristics of phosphoric acid anodized aluminum. As a result, in many applications of anodized aluminum, one must weigh the trade-off between the decorative function and the adhesion characteristics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The aforementioned problems are overcome in the present invention that provides an etching process in which one side of an anodized aluminum web or sheet is etched to form an improved adhesion surface and the other side of the web or sheet retains its pre-etching finish.
[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention generally includes: providing a web or sheet of aluminum, anodized on both sides, and etching one side of the web. Preferably, etching creates an improved adhesion surface on the etched side, referred to as the “bond side,” but does not affect the other side of the web or sheet. Thus, the other side of the web or sheet retains its pre-etch finish, which is preferably decorative. The un-etched side is typically referred to as the “show side” because it is usually viewable or shown.
[0009] Etching creates many minute protrusions and superficial pockets or pores on or in the surface of the anodized aluminum. In effect, the surface area of this anodized aluminum significantly increases. Thus, adhesive applied over this roughened and increased surface readily bonds mechanically to the structures. Because of this mechanical bonding, the resultant etched surface of the anodized aluminum exhibits superior adhesion and bonding strength.
[0010] Etching is carried out by applying an etching composition to the bond side of the sheet or web. A preferred etching composition is a solution of sodium hydroxide, however, other compositions may be used, for example any alkaline or acidic media that is capable of dissolving aluminum oxide. Optionally, the composition is prevented from contacting the show side by techniques including: blowing air against the show side; administering a liquid over the show side; masking the show side with a film or sheet; and/or protecting the show side with a shield adjacent the show side.
[0011] The etching composition, preferably in a solution form, may be applied to the future bond side of the web or sheet in a variety of manners, for example: by cascading the etching solution over the bond side; by misting the etching solution over the bond side; by spraying the etching solution onto the bond side; by dipping the sheet or web into the etching solution where the show side is covered with a film and the bond side is exposed; and by rolling or brushing the etching solution onto the bond side.
[0012] Optionally, heat or temperature regulated air flow may be applied on the show side to affect the etching process on the bond side of the sheet.
[0013] The present inventive process, related apparatus and resultant product provide a significant benefit in that it is now possible create anodized aluminum sheets and webs that include both a decorative side and a bonding side with superior bonding capabilities.
[0014] These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a microscopic perspective view of an anodized aluminum surface etched with an etching composition according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a microscopic perspective view of an anodized aluminum surface etched with a second etching composition;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of an etching system of the present invention and a web being etched thereby;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a side view of a first alternative embodiment of an etching system; and
[0019] FIG. 5 is a side view of a second alternative embodiment of the etching system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
I. Etching
[0020] FIGS. 1 and 2 depict anodized aluminum surfaces that have been etched according to the present invention. “Etching” is a chemical treatment whereby an etching composition is applied to and partially dissolves an anodic film or layer on an anodized aluminum surface to create a roughened morphology. An “etching composition” is any alkaline or acidic media capable of dissolving aluminum oxide, including but not limited to sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, bromic acid and chromic acid. “Roughened morphology” refers to a condition where the anodic film of the anodized aluminum includes an extended or protruded surface area, which provides many sites for an increased number of mechanical—and in some cases chemical—bonds between the anodic layer and an adhesive applied over the anodic film. The roughened morphology may resemble the surfaces depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 , or other configurations depending on the etching solution applied, the duration of application and temperature.
[0021] In the present invention, the etching composition may be a solution of water or other suitable liquid and an alkaline, acidic or other caustic material, capable of dissolving aluminum oxide referred to as an “etching solution.” A preferred etching solution is a solution of sodium hydroxide of about 0.1 to about 0.5 molar. Optionally, sodium hydroxide solutions of about 0.5 to about 1.5 molar, and 1.0 to about 4 molar may also be used. Alternatively, the etching solution may be a solution of phosphoric acid in concentrations of preferably about 0.1 to about 5.1 molar, more preferably about 0.5 to about 3.0 molar and most preferably about 0.75 to about 1.5 molar. As will be appreciated, solutions of sulfuric acid may also be used, however, the temperature and duration of time required to sufficiently dissolve an aluminum oxide layer must be significantly increased relative to the temperature and duration required with sodium hydroxide solutions and phosphoric acid solutions.
[0022] With reference to FIG. 1 , the anodic layer 110 of the anodized aluminum, includes a plurality of protrusions 120 and depression areas or cells 122 created by the etching process described above. The structure of FIG. 1 , which typically is created when using a sodium hydroxide etching solution, may also be referred to as scallops 122 with nodular protrusions 120 . The anodic layer 110 , which is etched to form the roughened morphology, is a stable film of oxides, also referred to as an oxide layer, for example, aluminum oxide, formed on the surface of aluminum. Aluminum 100 may be any aluminum or alloy including aluminum. The anodic layer 110 preferably is created with commercially known sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid anodizing processes. The pre-etched anodic film is preferably greater than 0.1 mils (thousandths of an inch) or about 2.54 microns in depth. Films less than 0.1 mils will work, but the height and depth of nodular protrusions and scallops respectively may not be as great as with thicker anodic films.
[0023] The structure of FIG. 2 , which typically is created when using a relatively high molarity sodium hydroxide etching solution, shows a second morphology of an anodized aluminum surface including a plurality of spike-like protrusions 121 on an anodic layer 1110 of aluminum 100 . In this morphology, the spike-like protrusions which make up the bonding layer may be about 1 to about 20 nanometers, preferably 2 to about 10 nanometers, and most preferably about 5 to about 6 nanometers in depth from the top to the base of the spikes. Other roughened morphologies that increase the potential for mechanical interlocking of an adhesive to the anodic layer, are acceptable in addition to those depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 .
II. Preferred Embodiment of the Etching System
[0024] A preferred embodiment of an etching system 10 for applying etching compositions to a web is depicted in FIG. 3 . The etching system 10 generally includes application rollers 60 , guides 70 and tank 50 filled with an etching composition or solution 20 as described above.
[0025] Unless otherwise specified, as used herein, “web” means a length of aluminum including top and bottom surfaces anodized before treatment in the tank 50 . The anodizing of raw aluminum may occur at the anodizing station 30 (which is shown in a condensed form). The surfaces may be anodized using a conventional anodizing process such as sulfuric acid anodizing or phosphoric acid anodizing. In the preferred embodiment, the web is sulfuric acid anodized with a sulfuric acid concentration preferably of about 50 to 100 grams per liter, and more preferably about 150 to 400 grams per liter. As will be appreciated, sheets of anodized aluminum and individual pieces of aluminum structures may be etched in a manner similar to that described herein in connection with the web.
[0026] Preferably, before introduction to the tank 50 , the web 100 is colored or sealed according to commercially acceptable coloring and sealing practices. The coloring and/or sealing may also occur at station 30 which, for purposes of disclosure, may comprise one or more individual stations, for example an anodizing station, a coloring station and/or a sealing station. If colored, both surfaces of the web is colored. Optionally, the web 100 also may be brightened, polished, cleaned or desmutted using commercially acceptable methods before introduction into the tank 50 .
[0027] The etching system of FIG. 3 particularly includes guides 70 , which direct web 100 of an anodized aluminum over and in contact with rollers 60 . Rollers 60 rotate as indicated by arrows R as web 100 is pulled in direction of advancement A. The rollers 60 may or may not be powered to rotate as the web 100 advances. As shown, rollers 100 are partially submersed in etching solution 20 . Optionally, the rollers 60 may be substituted with a device, for example a brush that contacts the web and transfers etching solution 20 to one side of the web but not the other. Although not shown, the web of the embodiments disclosed herein may be pulled or otherwise advanced through an etching system with a coiling system or with any commercially available advancing system.
[0028] In the preferred embodiment, the etching solution 20 is a solution of sodium hydroxide having a concentration of about 0.05 to about 5 molar, preferably 0.1 to about 2 molar and more preferably about 0.1 to about 0.5 molar. Optionally, other caustic etching compositions at other concentrations may also be used as desired.
[0029] The etching system 10 may also include a diverter 80 to prevent etching solution 20 from contacting the upper surface 101 of the web. In one embodiment, the diverter 80 is a blower that blows a gas, for example, air, through ports 82 onto the upper side 101 and prevents etching solution 20 from etching that upper side. Optionally, the blower 80 may be replaced with a sprayer or mister that sprays or mists a liquid, such as water, through ports 82 onto the upper side 101 and prevents etching solution 20 from etching that upper side. Further, the blower or sprayer or mister may include a temperature-regulating element to heat or cool the gas or liquid dispelled therefrom. Temperature regulation may be used to further control the etching process on the underside 102 of the web. For example, the air may be heated to speed-up the caustic action of the etching composition on the underside 102 of the web. The exact amount of heat or cooling applied to the web may be monitored and controlled to etch the web as desired.
[0030] In another embodiment, the upper side 101 may be masked with a plastic or other synthetic film (not shown). Alternatively, a protective shield (not shown) constructed of a material such as plastic or non-corrosive metal, may be disposed adjacent the upper side 101 of the web 100 . Of course, sometimes the film may not entirely contact or the shield may not fully cover the upper side 101 . Thus, portions of the upper side 101 may become contaminated with etching solution. These portions optionally may be trimmed from the web 100 as desired. As will be appreciated, trimming may be utilized in any embodiment disclosed herein.
[0031] The operation of the etching apparatus of FIG. 3 will now be described. In general, the etching apparatus 10 provides a continuous web, sheet or article of aluminum including a first anodized side and a second anodized side and selectively etches the first side but not the second side. With more particularity, the dual-sided anodized web 100 is fed by guides over rollers 60 in the etching solution tank 50 . As the web 100 is guided over the rollers 60 , the rollers roll and cause the etching solution 20 in which they are partially submersed rides-up the surface of the roller 60 . At the point of contact of the rollers 60 and the web 100 , the etching solution 20 is applied to the lower surface or underside 102 of the web. Because the etching solution 20 is not affirmatively applied to the upper surface of the web 101 , that surface is not etched.
[0032] Preferably, the lower surface 102 of the anodized aluminum web 100 is exposed to the etching solution for about 1 to about 240 seconds, more preferably about 10 to about 100 seconds and most preferably about 20 to about 60 seconds. The temperature of the etching solution is preferably 50° F. to about 300° F., more preferably 10° F. 0 to about 212° F., and most preferably about 70° F. to about 160° F. Of course, the temperature and exposure time may vary according to the concentration of the caustic composition and the desired degree of etching.
[0033] Optionally, the etching solution 20 may be prevented from contacting the upper surface 101 during application by blowing, spraying, misting or applying a gas or liquid with diverter 80 over upper surface 101 , applying a film to the upper surface 101 , or using a protective shield over upper surface 101 as explained above.
[0034] Notably, after traversing the etching system 10 , the upper surface 101 of the web, also referred to as the “show side,” is un-etched, however, the lower surface 102 of the web, also referred to as the “sticky side” or “bond side” is etched.
III. First Alternative Embodiment the Etching System
[0035] FIG. 4 shows a first alternative embodiment of the etching system 210 used to selectively etch a first side of an anodized aluminum web but not the second side. The etching system 210 generally includes a tank 250 , guides 270 , etching composition applicator 258 and diverter 280 . Web 200 is wound over guides 270 in the tank 250 . Applicator 258 applies an etching composition in the form of a liquid or vapor to the underside 202 of the web. The etching composition may be any of the etching compositions described in connection with the preferred embodiment. The etching solution 220 may be cascaded down and over the underside 202 to etch that side. Optionally, the applicator 258 may mist or spray the etching solution 220 onto the web as desired. Further, the applicator 258 may be substituted with rollers or brushes (not shown) disposed adjacent and in contact with the web to apply the etching solution thereto. These rollers or brushes may have etching composition disposed on or in them so that upon contact with the web, the etching composition is transferred and applied to the underside 202 .
[0036] The tank 250 optionally includes an etching composition diverter 280 , which is similar in structure and operation to the preferred embodiment, and therefore will not be explained in detail here. Alternatively, the diverter 280 may be substituted with a shield member (not shown) disposed over the upper surface 201 of the web, or the upper surface 201 may be coated or covered with a plastic or other synthetic film (not shown) to prevent the etching solution from contacting the upper surface 201 as described in the preferred embodiment above.
[0037] The etching system 210 may further include a drain 252 , pump 254 and back flow line 256 to circulate etching solution 220 in the form of a liquid for re-use. An anodizing, coloring and/or sealing station 230 may be upstream of the tank 250 to perform the anodizing, coloring and/or sealing of a raw aluminum web before the web advances to the tank 250 .
[0038] The operation of the first alternative embodiment of the etching system 210 in FIG. 4 is similar in nature to the operation of the preferred embodiment and will only be explained briefly here. Web 200 feeds over guides 270 and etching solution 220 is applied to etch the underside 202 with etching compound applicator 258 by cascading, misting, spraying, rolling or brushing techniques. Optionally, the etching composition 220 is prevented from the contacting the show side 101 by administering a fluid 288 , which may be liquid or gas, over the upper side 201 as the etching solution 220 is applied to the underside 202 . Optionally, a film or protective shield (not shown) may be used as described above in connection with the preferred embodiment.
[0039] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4 , the underside 202 of the web may be exposed to the etching solution for the periods and temperatures explained above in the preferred embodiment. Depending on the degree of etching and the type of etching composition used, concentration, exposure time and temperature may be altered as desired.
IV. Second Alternative Embodiment of the Etching System
[0040] FIG. 5 depicts a second alternative embodiment of an etching system 310 which generally includes guides 370 , tank 350 filled with etching composition 320 , film applicator 380 and optionally film rewind 360 . An anodizing, coloring and/or sealing station 330 may be upstream of the tank 350 to perform the anodizing, coloring and/or sealing of a raw aluminum web before the web advances to the tank 350 .
[0041] In operation, before the anodized web 300 is guided through the etching solution 320 in the tank 350 , the upper side 301 is masked with a polyfilm such as a conventional plastic or synthetic film, coating or covering. The etching solution may be any of the etching compositions described in connection with the preferred embodiment. When the web 300 is guided through the etching solution 320 , only the under side 302 comes into contact with the etching solution 320 to become etched.
[0042] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 , the underside of the web 302 may be exposed to the etching solution for the periods and temperatures explained above in the preferred embodiment. Depending on the degree of etching and the type of etching composition used, concentration, exposure time and temperature may be altered as desired.
V. COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE
[0043] A sulfuric acid anodized web was selectively etched on one side with 0.1 molar sodium hydroxide for 30-60 seconds at 140° F. After removing excess sodium hydroxide from the etched side with nitric acid, the adhesion strength of the etched side preparation was compared with alternate preparations of (1) sulfuric acid anodized aluminum and (2) sulfuric acid anodized aluminum coated with a conventional chromic acid conversion treatment. Conventional ASTM D1876 testing methods were observed in carrying out the comparative test. For this test, a 1 ml layer of 3MDP430 epoxy adhesive, available from 3M Corporation of St. Paul, Minn., was applied to a piece of sample material of each of the alternate preparations. A second piece of like material was then secured to each sample piece. For example, the sulfuric acid anodized piece was mated to a like sulfuric acid anodized piece, and so on. But for the selectively etched pieces prepared according to the process of the present invention, the sample and like piece were mated so the etched surfaces of the samples faced each other.
[0044] Next, the adhesive was cured at 235° F. for one hour. Each sample of material was cut into 1 inch wide t-peel specimens and subjected to a tensile pull tester operating with a crosshead speed of 10 inches per minute. The comparative results of the tensile pull test are presented in Table I below.
TABLE I Tensile Pull Test Results Peel Results at 10 inches/minute Sample crosshead speed Single-side Sodium 30-60 lbs./in. before cohesive failure Hydroxide Etched Dual-sided Sulfuric Acid >3 lbs./in. before adhesive failure Anodized Sample Dual-sided Chromic >6 lbs./in. before adhesive failure Conversion Sample
[0045] As Table I demonstrates, the anodized aluminum treated with sodium hydroxide etching solution of the preferred embodiment exhibits superior failure thresholds when compared to sulfuric acid anodized aluminum and chromate conversion aluminum specimens. Specifically, the single-sided sodium hydroxide etched samples exhibited cohesive failure at around 30-60 lb./in., meaning the epoxy adhesive itself failed and was torn apart, leaving pieces of epoxy on both strips of pulled-apart sample. In contrast, the dual-sided sulfuric acid anodized sample and dual-sided chromic conversion sample exhibited adhesive failure at less than 3 lbs./in. and less than 6 lbs./in., respectively, meaning the epoxy adhesive did not fail, but was pulled-off from the surface of at least one surface of adjoining sample strips.
[0046] The above descriptions are those of the preferred embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any references to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular. | A process for selectively etching a surface of an anodized aluminum article. A preferred process includes: providing an aluminum sheet or web including first and second sides having anodized finishes; etching the first side to improve the adhesion capabilities of that side but not etching the second side so that the second side retains its anodized finish. The anodized aluminum may be colored before etching, thus the second side retains its color after etching. In a more preferred embodiment, sodium hydroxide or phosphoric acid is used to etch the anodized aluminum. Optionally, the etching of the second side is prevented by administering gas or liquid over the second side, masking the second side with a protective film, or shielding the second side with a shield. Further, the gas or liquid administered over the second side may be controlled to increase or decrease the rate of etching on the first side. | 2 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] In accordance with 37 C.F.R 1.76, a claim of priority is included in an Application Data Sheet filed concurrently herewith. Accordingly, the present invention claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), 120, 121, and/or 365(c) as a continuation-in-part to U.S. Patent Application No. 61/863,131, filed Aug. 7, 2013, entitled, “GUN VAULT WITH RETRACTABLE HANDLE”, the contents of the above referenced application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a firearm storage device; and more particularly, to a firearm vault having a retractable handle for storing and securing a gun therein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The manufacturing, distribution, and purchasing of firearms remain popular in the United States. Although it may be impossible to determine the actual number of guns purchased, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that it recorded more than 16.8 million background checks for gun purchases in 2012. This number does not account for firearms previously obtained or for firearms owned by law enforcement or military individuals. While the distribution and selling of firearms has provided controversy, many individuals who own firearms seek to use them responsibly. As such, firearm safety is a paramount concern among firearm owners and gun enthusiasts. As a result of this concern, numerous safety mechanisms, such as gun vaults, exist in the market. Typical firearm vaults on the market today are designed to lock away firearms from theft and accidental discharge. For example, a safe can easily weigh several hundred pounds, making the safe immovable for a thief. However, these large safes are not practical for safely moving a gun in the public. For example, when travelling within the airport, individuals owning guns, and even some public safety officers, are required to safely store their guns once they pass the security gates. Moreover, individuals often store their guns in the glove compartments when travelling in a car. Such action may be unsafe and can result in theft of the gun should someone break into the automobile.
[0004] Therefore, what is needed in the art is a gun vault that can be used to safely transfer a firearm within the public area that is easy to carry and can secure easily and quickly to various surfaces or objects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention provides for a gun vault that can safely transfer a firearm within the public area that is easy to carry and can secure easily and quickly to various surfaces or objects. The gun vault comprises a first component, illustrated as a gun vault top half 12 connected to a second component, illustrated herein as a gun vault bottom half 14 which, when coupled together, provides an interior 16 constructed and arranged to store internal functional hardware as well as one or more firearms such as a handgun and magazine clip. The gun vault further includes a removable and variably positionable handle, which allows for the gun vault to be secured to objects or surfaces, such as a seat of a car or some type of fixed pole, quickly and easily. To prevent unauthorized access, the gun vault may further include a locking assembly.
[0006] Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to teach a device, system and method for firearm storage.
[0007] It is a further objective of the instant invention to teach a device for securing a firearm.
[0008] It is yet another objective of the instant invention to teach a safe and secure handgun vault apparatus for a loaded handgun.
[0009] It is a further objective of the instant invention to teach an easy to carry handgun vault apparatus for a loaded handgun, which has a removable handle.
[0010] It is a still further objective of the invention to teach an easy to carry handgun vault apparatus for a loaded handgun, which has a variably positionable handle that can easily and quickly be secured to various surfaces or objects.
[0011] Other objectives and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings contained herein 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 FIGURES
[0012] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the gun vault with an adjustable handle shown in the closed position;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the gun vault with an adjustable handle shown in the closed position, illustrating the adjustable handle in a retracted position;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the gun vault with an adjustable handle shown in the closed position with the handle partially extended;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the gun vault with an adjustable handle shown in the open position;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the gun vault with an adjustable handle shown in the open position;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a top view of the gun vault with an adjustable handle, illustrating the handle in a retracted position;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the gun vault with an adjustable handle;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the gun vault with an adjustable handle, illustrating the handle in a retracted position;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a partial exploded view of the gun vault with an adjustable handle;
[0021] FIG. 10 is a partial front perspective view of the bottom portion of the gun vault;
[0022] FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the gun vault, illustrated with the handle removed;
[0023] FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of the bottom portion of the gun vault with portions of a handle inserted therein, illustrated with the locking assembly removed for clarity;
[0024] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the gun vault in an open position showing the handle locking assembly and the gun vault locking assembly without its respective cover;
[0025] FIG. 14 is a partially exploded perspective view of the gun vault having an alternative embodiment of a locking assembly;
[0026] FIG. 15A is a perspective view of a hinge plate support structure;
[0027] FIG. 15B is a perspective view of an illustrative example of a hinge plate with bar;
[0028] FIG. 16 is an illustrative example of a left bottom half extension member;
[0029] FIG. 17 is an illustrative example of a right bottom half extension member;
[0030] FIG. 18 is an illustrative example of a removable and positionable handle;
[0031] FIG. 19 is a top perspective view of an illustrative example of an elongated handle bracket;
[0032] FIG. 20 is a bottom perspective view of an illustrative example of the elongated handle bracket;
[0033] FIG. 21 is an illustrative example of a spring pin assembly cover;
[0034] FIG. 22 is an illustrative example of a lock assembly;
[0035] FIG. 23 is an illustrative example of a lock assembly cam;
[0036] FIG. 24 is an illustrative example of a slide of a lock assembly;
[0037] FIG. 25 is an illustrative example of a locking assembly receiving bracket;
[0038] FIG. 26 is an illustrative example of a guide bracket of a lock assembly;
[0039] FIG. 27 is an illustrative example of a lock assembly cover;
[0040] FIG. 28 is an illustrative example of an insert;
[0041] FIG. 29 is a perspective view of an alternative and partially flexible handle construction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0042] While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred, albeit not limiting, embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
[0043] The present invention provides a portable system and method for firearm storage, and more particularly a safe and secure handgun vault apparatus for a loaded or unloaded handgun that allows an authorized user to safely and securely transfer or store a gun in different locations. Referring to FIGS. 1-7 , a firearm storage device, referred to generally as a gun vault with adjustable handle 10 , is shown. The gun vault with adjustable handle 10 will be shown and described for use with a handgun; however, the gun vault with adjustable handle 10 may be adapted to be used to transport and store other items without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0044] The gun vault with adjustable handle 10 contains a first component, illustrated as a gun vault top half 12 connected to a second component, illustrated herein as a gun vault bottom half 14 , which when coupled together provides an interior 16 constructed and arranged to store internal functional hardware as well as one or more firearms such as a handgun and magazine clip. Preferably the gun vault top half 12 and the gun vault bottom half 14 are hingedly coupled together via a hinge assembly, illustrated as a concealed hinge, having a hinge plate 18 with rod 20 and hinge plate support structure 22 (see FIG. 15B ), to allow the gun vault top half 12 to traverse between a fully open position, i.e. having an orientation that is at or about 180 degrees, preferably at or about 90 degrees, from the gun vault bottom half 14 , fully closed position, i.e. having an orientation that rests on top of the gun vault bottom half 14 or positions in between. Although a concealed hinge is illustrated, such embodiment is not intended to be limiting as use of a standard hinge can be incorporated as well.
[0045] As shown at FIGS. 4 and 15B , a first end 24 of the hinge plate 18 secures to a portion of the gun vault top half 12 . The hinge plate 18 further contains a curved surface 26 creating a concave area 28 sized to traverse a portion of a wall of the gun vault bottom half 14 and a second end 30 which secures to a portion of the gun vault bottom half 14 . The hinge assembly may be secured to the gun vault top half 12 or the gun vault bottom half 14 via a securing mechanism known to one of skill in the art including using known hardware such as screws, or more permanent means such as through the use of welding or applying chemical fastening substances.
[0046] The gun vault top half 12 comprises a first surface 32 which defines the outer top surface of the gun vault 10 and a second surface 34 which defines part of the boundary of the inner portion 16 and can be used to couple one or more components of hardware designed to provide functionality, such as a locking mechanism to the gun vault 10 . A plurality of sidewalls 36 , 38 , 40 and 42 extend downwardly away from the surface 32 and interact with portions of the gun vault bottom half 14 to provide an enclosure. Both the gun vault top half 12 and the gun vault bottom half 14 may be made of any materials known to one of skill in the art, including plastics, metals, such as steel, or combinations thereof.
[0047] The gun vault bottom half 14 comprises a first surface 44 which defines the outer bottom surface of the gun vault 10 and a second surface 46 which defines part of the boundary of the inner portion 16 and can be used to couple one or more components of hardware designed to provide functionality, such as a locking mechanism to the gun vault 10 . A plurality of sidewalls 48 , 50 , 52 , and 54 extend upwardly away from the surface 46 when the bottom half first surface 44 is resting on a surface such as a floor or table. A left bottom half extension 56 and right bottom half extension 58 , see FIGS. 16 and 17 , are secured to portions of the sidewalls 48 , 50 , 52 , and 54 through mechanical fasteners such as screws or other mechanisms, including for example, spot welding or chemical fastening substances, and form a lip 60 which runs along the perimeter of the gun vault bottom half 14 . In the closed position, the sidewalls 36 , 38 , 40 and 42 secure over the lip ensuring a complete overlapping enclosure.
[0048] Referring to FIGS. 9 and 18 , the gun vault with adjustable handle 10 includes a handle 62 which provide both a handle for allowing a user to grip and hold the gun vault 10 , and to provide a mechanism to secure the gun vault 10 to a surface or structure. Accordingly, the handle 62 contains a first elongated member 64 , a second elongated member 66 in a substantially parallel orientation with the first elongated member 64 and second elongated member 66 separated and connected by a base 68 which also functions as a grip for carrying the gun vault 10 . As shown, base 68 contains curved surface 70 to provide generally U-shaped configuration; however such shape is illustrative only as the handle may assume other shapes. The handle 62 is designed to slidably engage with the gun vault bottom half 14 , or alternatively with the gun vault top half 12 . The slidable engagement provides for a handle that not only is removable, but can be variably positioned depending on the object or surface for which attachment may be desired.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 10 , a front perspective view of the bottom portion 14 of the gun vault 10 is illustrated with the adjustable handle removed. The bottom portion 14 contains a plurality of openings 72 and 74 sized and shaped to receive both the first elongated member 64 and second elongated member 66 when inserted therein. Both openings 72 and 74 extend through the bottom portion 14 , see FIG. 11 , to provide access to the interior 16 , see FIG. 12 , illustrating the first and second elongated members inserted into the gun vault with the locking mechanism for the handle omitted for clarity. The openings 72 and 74 are separated by a space that corresponds to the distance 76 (see FIG. 18 ) between the first elongated member 64 and second elongated member 66 and by a raised lip 78 having substantially the same orientation of the base 68 . The lip 78 includes a curved surface 79 having a degree of curvature the same as, or similar to the degree of curvature corresponding to the base curved surface 70 of the handle 62 . The raised lip 78 provides a stop surface and allows the handle 62 to assume a flush orientation with the bottom portion 14 (see FIG. 2 ) when the handle 62 is fully inserted within the openings 72 and 74 .
[0050] Secured to portions of the gun vault bottom half second surface 46 is one or more elongated handle brackets 80 , see FIGS. 4 , 19 and 20 . The elongated brackets 80 have a first end 82 , a second end 84 , a main body 86 , and a plurality of sidewalls 88 and 90 which position or raise the main body 86 above a surface. The elongated brackets 80 are designed to create an inner channel covering the first elongated member 64 or the second elongated member 66 of the handle when inserted therein. As such, each of the sidewalls 88 and 90 are set back from the first end 82 to provide an overhand, which is secured via fastening members such as screws or bonded such as through welding to a portion of a raised surface 92 within the gun vault bottom half second surface 46 .
[0051] One end 94 of the walls 88 and 90 contains an angled or curved surface 96 , which corresponds to an angled, or curved surface 96 associated with the raised surface 92 . Sidewall 88 contains a plurality of tabs 98 which are sized and shaped to engage with a plurality of slots 100 , see FIG. 11 , located within the gun vault bottom half second surface 46 . Sidewall 90 contains an elongated surface 102 secured, via fastening members such as screws or bonded such as through welding to a portion of a raised surface 92 to the gun vault bottom half second surface 46 . A back wall 99 extends downwardly from the main body 86 and can be inserted into a second slotted opening 103 within the gun vault bottom half second surface 46 thereby forming a complete enclosure.
[0052] Opening 106 , seen on FIG. 19 , is sized and shaped to receive a handle member locking member, illustrated herein as a spring pin assembly 108 . The spring pin assembly includes a spring pin assembly cover 110 , see FIGS. 4 , 13 and 21 , a coil spring pin having a pin 112 with spring 114 secured to a bracket 116 . Once the handle 62 is inserted into openings 72 and 74 , depending on the positioning, at least one opening of the plurality of openings 118 located on the first elongated member aligns with the opening 106 . Insertion of the pin 112 maintains the first elongated member 64 and therefore the handle 62 in the locked position. Since the gun vault 10 contains a second spring pin assembly 108 positioned on the opposite side, the second elongated member 66 is locked in the same position. The plurality of openings 118 allows the handle to slide to assume a plurality of positions, see FIGS. 1-3 , which allows the gun vault 10 to be locked to a surface or object assuming different sizes and/or shapes. Once the pin 112 is placed in position and the top portion 12 is closed, it is nearly impossible to change the positioning of the handle without applying a force sufficient to break the handle. The pin 112 may contain a half ring 118 to aid in removal or placement.
[0053] The gun vault 10 preferably contains a locking assembly 120 , see FIGS. 4 and 14 that allows the user to place the gun vault 10 in the closed position and prevent others from traversing to the open position. The locking assembly 120 is similar in function to traditional cam style locks. However, the locking assembly 120 provides for a three way locking mechanism. While a three point mechanism using flat surfaces for moving locking members in/out is illustrated, alternative mechanisms such as a two point locking mechanism using rods with rotational mechanisms to engage the locking members, or other mechanisms known to one of skill in the art may be used as well. The locking assembly 120 includes a base; illustrated herein as a tumbler lock 122 , which has a cylindrical body 124 that is inserted within the gun vault upper portion 12 , see FIGS. 1 and 22 . Insertion of a key into a key receiving receptacle 126 and rotating results in a cylindrical pin 127 rotating as well. The cylindrical pin 127 is coupled to a cam surface 128 (see FIGS. 5 and 23 ) via an opening 130 . As shown, the cam surface 128 contains three irregularly shaped slide channels 132 , 134 , and 136 . Each channel couples to independent slides 138 , 140 , and 142 via screws 144 , 146 , and 148 (see FIG. 13 ).
[0054] Referring to FIG. 24 , an illustrative slide 138 is shown. Each of the slides is identical, and therefore only slide 138 is described. However, such features are applicable to the other slides 140 and 142 . The slide 138 secures to the screw 144 via opening 150 placed at a first end 152 of an elongated main body 154 . An extension member 158 extends outwardly at the opposite end 156 and is arranged in a generally perpendicular orientation to the elongated main body 154 . The extension member 158 contains a hooked portion 160 sized and shaped to engage a slotted region 162 of a locking assembly receiving bracket 164 , see FIGS. 4 , 5 and 25 . The locking assembly receiving bracket 164 is secured to the walls of the lower portion 14 through tab 161 (which secures to a slotted region of the lower portion 14 , not shown) and securing of wings 163 and 165 . As such, there are three locking bracket assemblies 164 corresponding to each of the slides 138 , 140 , and 142 .
[0055] Each of the slides 138 , 140 , and 142 are held in by guide bracket 166 and U-shaped bracket 168 , see FIGS. 5 , 13 and 26 . A plurality of guide arms 170 on the guide bracket 166 prevents the slides 138 , 140 , and 142 from moving too far in a vertical direction. As such, as the pin 127 is turned (either clockwise or counterclockwise), slides 138 , 140 , and 142 move to provide a push/pull movement of the terminal end 171 of the hooked portion 160 . The pushing/pulling movement results in the movement of the terminal end 170 of the hooked portion 160 into (locked position) or out of (unlocked position) the slotted regions 162 of each locking assembly bracket 164 . Providing three locking points (two opposing locking points and a third locking point adjacent to the two opposing locking points) provides additional safety features for the gun vault 10 , as prying apart the upper portion 12 and the lower portion 14 is difficult. In addition, the use of the elongated hinge provides an added safety feature, making entry into the gun vault 10 without a key nearly impossible unless the gun vault 10 is destroyed. A cover 172 covers the locking assembly 120 , hiding all the internal components, see FIGS. 4 and 27 .
[0056] Finally, to prevent the firearm from moving within the internal area 16 , the gun vault 10 may further include gun securing member. The gun securing member may include a band or bracket to lock the gun in place. Alternatively or in addition to, the gun vault 10 may include an insert, such as a foam material insert 174 , see FIG. 28 , sized and shaped to fit within the area defined by elongated handle brackets 80 and the raised surface 92 for which the firearm can safely and securely rest there upon without moving. The insert may be made of a material that can prevent penetration and/or passage of a bullet there through. The gun vault 10 may include two inserts, above and below the gun.
[0057] Referring to FIG. 29 , an alternative embodiment of the handle member is illustrated. In this embodiment the handle 62 contains a first elongated member 64 , a second elongated member 66 in a substantially parallel orientation with the first elongated member 64 and second elongated member 66 separated and connected by a flexible base 69 which also functions as a grip for carrying the gun vault 10 . As shown, the flexible base 69 is constructed from a flexible member such as a steel cable to provide generally U-shaped configuration; however such shape is illustrative only as the handle may assume other shapes. It should be noted that while the flexible base is illustrated herein as a steel cable other materials suitable for providing flexibility and sufficient resistance to cutting or breaking by force may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention. The handle 62 is designed to slidably engage with the gun vault bottom half 14 , or alternatively with the gun vault top half 12 . The slidable engagement provides for a handle that not only is removable, but can be variably positioned depending on the object or surface for which attachment may be desired.
[0058] All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
[0059] It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein.
[0060] One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims. 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. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention, which are obvious to those skilled in the art, are intended to be within the scope of the following claims. | The present invention provides for a gun vault that can safely transfer a firearm within the public area that is easy to carry and can secure easily and quickly to various surfaces or objects. The gun vault comprises a first component, illustrated as a gun vault top half connected to a second component, illustrated herein as a gun vault bottom half, which when coupled together provides an interior constructed and arranged to store internal functional hardware as well as one or more firearms, such as a handgun and magazine clip. The gun vault further includes a removable and variably positionable handle, which allows for the gun vault to be secured to objects or surfaces, such as a seat of a car or some type of fixed pole, quickly and easily. To prevent unauthorized access, the gun vault may further include a locking assembly. | 5 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a cleaning device for the shaving head of a dry shaving apparatus.
BACKGROUND
During a cleaning cycle, a cleaning device for electric-powered dry shaving apparatus can hold the dry shaving apparatus by means of an interlock device. The dry shaving apparatus cannot be removed until the interlock device is released and the electrical contact elements engaging the bottom end of the shaver housing are retracted from the housing. A fan driven by an electric motor can be used to dry the shaving head with an air stream being passed around the shaving head carried in the receptacle and drying the latter from both the outside and the inside.
Induction heaters can be used for heating the metal parts in the shaving head, e.g. the shaving foil and the undercutter. In this manner, the heated metal parts can heat the cleaning fluid during a cleaning cycle in addition to being able to dry the shaving head rapidly after the cleaning cycle. With a corresponding temperature increase of the metal parts in particular, it is also possible to produce sterile conditions without the evaporation of cleaning fluid.
SUMMARY
In one aspect, a cleaning device includes a control element responsive to the temperature of the shaving head and controlling an interlock device in dependence upon temperature. By virtue of the fact that the interlock device does not release the shaving apparatus for its removal from the cleaning device until a temperature suitable for shaving prevails on the metal shaving foil, skin burns are avoided when a shaving operation follows immediately afterwards. The control element may act on the interlock device directly or, alternatively, the control element may act on the interlock device mechanically, electrically or even hydraulically.
In this context it will be understood that a dry shaving apparatus also includes also electric-powered shaving apparatus that enable a shave to be performed also under water or a lotion to be supplied during a shave for improved shaving performance or enhanced operator comfort. Preferably, the shaving apparatus is equipped with outer cutter and undercutter sliding relative to each other, whether in a toothed configuration of both cutters or in a configuration involving a foil cooperating with an undercutter, and is powered electrically.
In some embodiments, a temperature-sensitive control element is exposed to the heat from the heater. The temperature-sensitive element is designed and spaced at a distance from the heater such that the interlock device is maintained in a locked condition as long as the temperature on the shaving head and, hence, on the shaving foil, is too high for contact with the skin. It will be understood that it would also be possible for the temperature-sensitive element to be arranged in the vicinity of the shaving head and to sense the temperature directly on the shaving head. An induction heater has proven to be advantageous because it is located underneath the receptacle, its magnetic fields penetrating the receptacle and the cleaning fluid held in the receptacle, thus reaching the metal parts in the shaving head and heating them. In this manner, the heater winding is protected from contact with liquid, thus increasing its service life.
A metal spring made from a memory metal has proven advantageous as a component that expands and contracts to a sufficient degree to serve as the temperature-sensitive control element as well as affording ease and economy of manufacture. However, the use of a bimetal in lieu of the memory metal is also contemplated. The spring may be either a leaf spring, a spiral spring or an otherwise bent sheet-metal element which expands or bends a particularly appreciable amount due to the effect of temperature. When such a temperature-sensitive element is heated and, hence, expands correspondingly, its expansion force can be introduced mechanically to a locking element to enable the locking element to engage with a recess, undercut, projection or some other engagement part formed on the dry shaving apparatus to lock the shaving apparatus into the cleaning device.
In some embodiments, the locking element can be configured to return to its initial position automatically. For example, when the heater has been on for a certain period of time, the temperature-sensitive element expands due to heat radiation and/or heat conduction—the latter only if contact exists between the locking element and the heater—and/or due to the heat developing in metal parts as the result of induced eddy currents, urging the locking element into engagement with a recess, projection or undercut of the dry shaving apparatus. At the same time, displacement of the locking element compresses a spring whose spring force is smaller than the force developed by expansion of the temperature-sensitive element. On cooling down, the temperature-sensitive element contracts again, its force diminishing. This enables the spring to disengage the locking element from its engagement with the recess, projection, or undercut. As this occurs, the locking element releases the dry shaving apparatus for removal. In this manner, an automatic locking device is obtained which, without operator intervention, locks the shaving apparatus in the cleaning device when the temperature on the shaving head is too high, and releases it again when the temperature on the shaving head has dropped to a sufficiently low value, preferably below 40° C.
In another embodiment, a manually actuatable actuating element which, when hand-operated by an operator, causes the locking element to be moved to its locking position when the cleaning device is turned on, is connected upstream of the control element. At the locking element is engaged, the electric control device of the cleaning device is activated to commence a cleaning cycle. Because the actuating element cannot be returned to its initial position until the temperature-sensitive element releases the shaving apparatus, the returning of the actuating element takes place likewise without operator intervention. In this embodiment, a vertical motion of the actuating element is converted into a horizontal motion of the locking element, which is accomplished by suitably arranged guide rails and a ramp, the latter cooperating in gliding fashion with a pin formed on the actuating element. It will be understood that other motion-converting mechanism using other transmission angles between the actuating element and the locking element may be employed.
In some embodiments, a mechanical switching device between the housing and the actuating element uses a cardioid slide arrangement which operates the electric switch of the cleaning device on actuation and subsequent release of the actuating element. Renewed actuation and release of the actuating element returns the slide arrangement to its initial position. Such an On-Off mechanism is particularly simple in terms of function and affords economy of manufacture. The switching mechanism can also provide a clearance space for movement of the temperature-sensitive element to enable it to initially expand freely due to the effect of temperature.
In some embodiments, a time-dependent control element (e.g. electronic or mechanical timers), upon termination of a cleaning cycle, moves the locking element from its locking position back to its initial position as a function of time. Only after a specified time period has elapsed can the dry shaving apparatus be removed from its receptacle. The cooling-off period upon termination of a cleaning cycle is selected to last until the temperature on the shaving head drops below a value limiting the risk of burns when the shaving foil subsequently contacts an operator's skin.
When a mechanical timer is used, it can be turned on with the commencement of a cleaning cycle, because the duration of a cleaning cycle is exactly known. Therefore, this time period plus a cooling period can be entered in the timer as the specified time period. The dry shaving apparatus is then released only when the temperature on the shaving head is likely to be sufficiently low. In embodiments where an electronic timer is used, preferably an electrically actuatable control element which is locked or unlocked electronically by the timer control signal is also used.
In some embodiments, an electric temperature sensor is arranged in the vicinity of the heater. In such embodiments, which however incur slightly higher cost, the electric temperature sensor may directly sense the surface of the shaving head. For example, water-protected temperature sensors can be used that have their electrical signals supplied to a control circuit via lines, said control circuit in turn operating in response to the temperature to release or lock the locking element via electromechanical devices as, for example, an electric solenoid switch.
The details of two embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic of an interlock and switch-on device as integrated in a cleaning device for a dry shaving apparatus, in unlocked condition, in which a dry shaving apparatus, of which only a fragment is shown, is inserted in a receptacle of the cleaning device for cleaning purposes.
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the interlock and switch-on device in locked condition.
FIG. 3 is a sketch of an interlock device in accordance with a second embodiment as integrated in a cleaning device for a dry shaving apparatus, in unlocked condition, in which a dry shaving apparatus, of which only a fragment is shown, is inserted in a receptacle of the cleaning device for cleaning purposes.
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the interlock device in locked condition.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4 , an electric-powered cleaning device I is comprised of a receptacle 2 having a bowl-shaped receiving space 3 for accommodating a shaving head 6 and a cleaning fluid (not shown). The receiving space 3 is open in upward direction by means of the opening 4 . Directional references in this description are provided with reference to the orientation of the drawings rather than to imply an absolute orientation of the components described. The shaving head 6 of a dry shaving apparatus 7 extends through the opening 4 down to the bottom 5 . The shaving head 6 preferably includes two undercutters 8 and one long-hair trimmer 9 provided intermediate the undercutters 8 . The undercutters 8 are covered toward the outside by a shaving foil 10 to form the short-hair cutter unit. The shaving head 6 is pivotally mounted on the housing 11 (shown only in part) of the dry shaving apparatus 7 . Mounted in the housing 11 are a drive mechanism, an electronic switching device, storage batteries and other components, which are not shown in the drawings.
Underneath the receptacle, a coil 13 is wound around an iron core 12 and generates a magnetic field when electric current is passed through the coil. The magnetic field serves to heat the metal parts 8 , 9 , 10 as well as the entire shaving head 6 and the cleaning fluid (not shown) that is temporarily present in the receiving space 3 during a cleaning cycle. The iron core 12 and the coil 13 form the heater 56 of the cleaning device 1 . Arranged on the left side of the receptacle 2 at the level of the left-hand free end of the U-shaped and upwardly open iron core 12 is a control element 14 which, in this embodiment, is a spiral spring made from memory metal. The control element 14 is formed by a temperature-sensitive element through which a stud 15 extends.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the stud 15 widens in the form of a step 16 , forming an upper enlarged section 19 that is fixedly connected to a housing part 20 of the cleaning device 1 . The temperature-sensitive element 14 bears with its other end against an end surface 21 of an arm 17 formed integrally with an actuating element 18 . At the same time, the stud 15 extends through a bore 22 formed in the arm 17 . The arm 17 is shown cut away for better clarity of illustration of the bore 22 . The stud 15 passes through the bore 22 and projects beyond the arm 17 downwardly, its other end being likewise fixed to a component 23 of the cleaning device 1 formed fast with the housing. In this manner, the actuating element 18 has its lower region guided in the longitudinal direction of the vertical axis 24 of the stud 15 . The temperature-sensitive element 14 is thus solidly seated between the step 16 and the end surface 21 .
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a compression spring 26 in the form of a spiral spring bears with one end against the lower outer end surface 25 formed in the transition region between the lower free end of the arm 17 and the actuating element 18 , while its other end rests against a stop 27 formed fast with the housing. The actuating element 18 is constructed as an essentially rectangular flat injection molded part guided in an up and down direction parallel to the vertical axis 24 in lateral guides 28 formed fast with the housing. Provided on the upper free end of the actuating element 18 is a shoulder 29 forming the control button.
Arranged on the front surface 30 of the actuating element 18 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is a heart-shaped recess 31 having an adjoining central slot 32 in the lower region thereof. Extending centrally in the recess 31 at a slight upward inclination from left to right is a rib 33 . On another housing part 34 , a horizontally displaceable sliding block having a pin 36 fastened to it is guided in a groove 35 , said pin cooperating with the recess 31 to form a two-position mechanical switching device 55 .
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , underneath actuating device 36 , a pin 37 engaging a ramp 38 extending from bottom to top right is fastened to the actuating element 18 . The ramp is part of a locking element 39 shaped in an essentially rectangular configuration and having at its bottom right end a recess 40 which in the locked position of the dry shaving apparatus 7 shown in FIG. 2 engages behind the lower left edge 41 of the shaving head 6 from above.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the lower left end of the actuating element 18 has a bevel 42 opposite to which is a bent sheet-metal blade 43 that is fixed to a stop 44 formed fast with the housing. Fixed to a lower stop 46 formed fast with the housing is a second sheet-metal blade 45 level with the first blade 43 . The two sheet-metal blades are spaced from each other by a small distance, being brought together by the bevel 42 and hence making contact on displacement of the actuating element 18 in the On-direction (X).
An actuating element 18 as represented in FIGS. 1 and 2 is not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for the sake of simplicity. Adjoining the upper left section of the receptacle 2 is a cup-shaped receiving socket 57 having a cylindrical recess 47 in which the temperature-sensitive element 14 is located. Towards the other side, the recess 47 is open by means of the opening 48 to enable the locking element to exit from the opening 48 . The step 49 formed on the locking element 39 provides the stop for the one end of the temperature-sensitive element 14 . On its other end, the temperature-sensitive element 14 bears against an end surface 16 formed on the bottom 52 of the receiving socket 57 . The bottom 52 has a central bore 50 that extends concentrically with the temperature-sensitive element 14 . The stud 15 connected to the locking element penetrates the bottom 52 through the bore 50 , terminating at an enlarged abutment stop 51 . Seated between the abutment stop 51 and the bottom 52 , the compression spring 26 bears against the receiving socket 57 from outside.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the mode of operation of the cleaning device 1 of the invention is as follows:
After the dry shaving apparatus 7 is inserted into the receiving space 3 of the receptacle 2 with its shaving head 6 pointing down, the control button 29 is pressed down by hand in the direction X to activate the cleaning device 1 . As this occurs, the actuating element 18 moves downwards in the vertical guide 28 , whereby the locking pin 36 slides along the underside 58 of the rib 33 upwards and enters the upper section of the recess 31 where it is moved along the upper wall 53 to the left inside the groove 35 .
At the same time, axial displacement of the actuating element 18 in the direction X causes displacement of the locking bar 39 by means of the pin-and-ramp guide 37 , 38 to the right, so that the recess 40 engages behind the edge 41 of the shaving head 6 from above. On displacement of the actuating element 18 , the sheet-metal blade 43 is elastically bent to the left by means of the bevel 42 until its free end contacts the sheet-metal blade 45 , whereby electric current is supplied to the cleaning device enabling the cleaning cycle to be started. Displacement of the actuating element 18 simultaneously compresses the spring 26 . The temperature-sensitive element 14 retains the contracted position as shown in FIG. 1 , so that the downward movement of the actuating element 18 produces a clearance space between the step 16 and the upper free end of the temperature-sensitive element, which however is not shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings because there the spring is already expanded due to the effect of the temperature of the heater 12 , 13 . After the control button 29 is released, the locking pin 36 abuts against the upper left wall 53 of the heart-shaped recess 31 , holding the actuating element 18 in the On-position shown in FIG. 2 .
As soon as electric current is supplied to the heater 56 , a magnetic field is produced on the coil 13 and the iron core 12 , causing heating of the metal parts lying in the vicinity of the heater 56 , which include the shaving foil 10 and the metal parts provided in the interior of the shaving head 6 , the temperature-sensitive element 14 and the stud 15 . The temperature-sensitive element 14 expands in the process until its upper free end abuts against the step 16 . Continued expansion of the temperature-sensitive element 14 compresses it because a further longitudinal expansion is not possible due to the spring 26 having previously been compressed to its solid length. This position is now maintained for the duration of the On-state of the cleaning device 1 .
If an attempt is made to remove the dry shaving apparatus 7 from the cleaning device 1 during or directly subsequent to a cleaning cycle, this is not possible because the locking element 39 holds the shaver captive in the receptacle 2 due to the still expanded temperature-sensitive element 14 . Even if an attempt is made to move the actuating element 18 back to its initial position shown in FIG. 1 by depressing the control button 29 in the direction X, removal is not possible, because the force of expansion of the temperature-sensitive element 14 is greater than the force of the spring 26 due to the heat. This means that the force of the temperature-sensitive element 14 , which acts downwards onto the actuating element 18 , is greater than the force of the spring 26 acting upwards onto the actuating element 18 . Hence, the actuating element 18 is prevented from moving upwards into the initial position of shown in FIG. 1 .
With the temperature-sensitive element 14 cooling off slowly, its force diminishes and the force of the spring 26 predominates, compressing the temperature-sensitive element 14 and urging the actuating element 18 upwards in opposition to the On-direction X. As this occurs, the locking pin 36 slides on the left side downwards past the rib 33 to resume the lower initial position illustrated in FIG. 1 . At the same time, the movement of the actuating element 18 in opposition to the direction X causes displacement of the locking element 39 to the left by means of the pin-and-ramp arrangement 37 , 38 , and the dry shaving apparatus 7 is released for removal from the receptacle 2 .
The mode of operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 is similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 so that only the differences will be discussed. A significant difference from the embodiment of FIG. 1 is that control of the locking element 39 is exclusively by the temperature-sensitive element 14 and the spring 26 . In the presence of an excessive temperature on the shaving head 6 , the temperature-sensitive element 14 of FIG. 4 is expanded and moves the locking element 39 in opposition to the force of the spring 26 out of the recess 47 until it engages behind the edge 41 of the shaving head 6 from above. This engagement prevents the dry shaving apparatus 7 from being removed from the receptacle 2 .
Also in this embodiment, induction or heat radiation from another source of heat causes heating of the metal parts in the shaving head 6 as well as the locking element 39 and the stud 15 connected therewith and the abutment stop 51 , provided they are also made from metal. When the heater 56 cools off after a cleaning cycle, the temperature-sensitive element 14 also cools and retracts into the position shown in FIG. 3 . This enables the spring 26 to bias, through the abutment stop 51 , the stud 15 together with the locking element 39 back into the recess 47 . This releases the edge 41 of the shaving head 6 and the dry shaving apparatus 7 is ready for removal from the receptacle 2 and hence from the cleaning device 1 . The temperature-sensitive element is configured such that this occurs when the shaving foil 10 has reached a temperature that will not cause burns if placed in contact with a user's skin.
A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the control element 14 can be a time-dependent element rather than a temperature-dependent element. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. | A cleaning device for the shaving head of a dry shaving apparatus includes a receptacle formed in a housing of the cleaning device. The receptacle adapted to receive the shaving head for cleaning with a cleaning fluid. During the cleaning cycle, the dry shaving apparatus is lockable in the cleaning device by means of an interlock. The shaving head is exposed to heat from a heater for drying subsequent to cleaning. Following a drying cycle, release of the interlock is controlled by a control element provided in the cleaning device to prevent an operator's skin from being burned by an excessively hot shaving head in an immediately succeeding shaving operation. | 0 |
THIS APPLICATION IS A CON OF Ser. No. 09/907,856 Jul. 18, 2001 ABN WHICH IS A CIP OF Ser. No. 09/692,639 Oct. 19, 2000 U.S. PAT No. 6,271,052.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) deflectable structures such as cantilevers and membranes are used in a number of different optical applications. For example, they can be coated to be reflective to highly reflective and then paired with a stationary mirror to form a tunable Fabry-Perot (FP) filter. They can also be used to define the end of a laser cavity. By deflecting the structure, the spectral location of the cavity modes can be controlled. They can also be used to produce movable lenses or movable dichroic filter material.
The MEMS structure is typically produced by etching features into a device layer to form the structure's pattern. An underlying sacrificial layer is subsequently etched away or otherwise removed to produce a suspended structure in a release process. Often the structural layer is a silicon or silicon compound and the sacrificial layer is silicon dioxide or polyimide. The silicon dioxide can be preferentially etched relative to silicon in hydrofluoric acid, for example.
Typically, deflection of the structure is achieved by applying a voltage between the structure and a fixed electrode. Electrostatic attraction deflects the membrane in the direction of the fixed electrode as a function of the applied voltage. This effect changes the reflector separation in the FP filter or cavity length in the case of a laser. Movement can also be provided by thermal or other actuation mechanism.
High reflectivity coatings (R>98%), coatings requiring some reflectivity and low loss, and/or coatings in which the reflectivity varies as a function of wavelength (e.g., dichroism) require thin film dielectric optical coatings. These coatings typically include alternating layers of high and low index material. The optics industry has developed techniques to produce these high performance coatings and has identified a family of materials with well-characterized optical and mechanical properties. Candidate materials include silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide and tantalum pentoxide, for example.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A challenge in the production of optical MEMS devices requiring dielectric optical coatings is to develop a device design and corresponding fabrication sequence that contemplates the integration of the MEMS release structure and the optical coatings.
The present invention concerns a process for patterning dielectric layers of the type typically found in optical coatings in the context of MEMS manufacturing. More specifically, a dielectric coating is deposited over a device layer, which has or will be released, and patterned using a mask layer. In one example, the coating is etched using the mask layer as a protection layer. In another example, a lift-off process is used.
The primary advantage of photolithographic patterning of the dielectric layers in optical MEMS devices is that higher levels of consistency can be achieved in fabrication, such as size, location, and residual material stress. Competing techniques such as shadow masking yield lower quality features and are difficult to align. Further, the minimum feature size that can be obtained with shadow masks is limited to ˜100 μm, depending on the coating system geometry, and they can require hard contact with the surface of the wafer, which can lead to damage and/or particulate contamination.
Further advantages of the proposed patterning sequence are that the coating can be applied conformally over the surface of the wafer. The deposition systems used for optical coatings generally do not conform to the same standards of cleanliness as semiconductor processing tools. Applying a conformal coating to the surface of a plain wafer allows the material to undergo standard clean processes (RCA, piranha, etc.) prior to being processed in other tools. Thus, the risk of contamination can be managed effectively. These cleaning steps can be repeated after the etching of the dielectric film to form the patterned features.
In some instances, the dielectric coating may not be able to survive exposure to the etchants used to remove the sacrificial layer during the release process. In such cases, according to the invention, the dielectric layer is encapsulated by a protection layer or deposited on the released or partially released device layer.
The above and other features of the invention including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, and other advantages, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular method and device embodying the invention are shown by way of illustration and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; emphasis has instead been placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Of the drawings:
FIGS. 1A through 1G are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating one embodiment of a MEMS membrane fabrication sequence according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a singulated MEMS membrane device that has been fabricated according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating use of the MEMS membrane in a Fabry-Perot tunable filter;
FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating another embodiment of a MEMS membrane fabrication sequence according to the present invention;
FIGS. 5A through 5C are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating still another embodiment of a MEMS membrane fabrication sequence according to the present invention;
FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a fourth embodiment of a MEMS membrane fabrication sequence according to the present invention;
FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a fifth embodiment of a MEMS membrane fabrication sequence according to the present invention; and
FIG. 8 is schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a sixth embodiment of a MEMS membrane fabrication sequence according to the present invention;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1A through 1G illustrate a process for fabricating a MEMS deflectable structure, such as a membrane, with an optical coating, which utilizes principles of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1A, the process begins with a support such as a handle wafer 100 , which in one embodiment is a standard n-type doped silicon wafer. The handle wafer 100 is 75 mm to 150 mm in diameter and is 400 to 500 microns thick in one implementation.
A sacrificial layer 110 is formed on the wafer 100 through oxidization, for example. This sacrificial layer 110 has a depth of typically less than 10 micrometers (μm), 2 to 5 μm in one example. The device layer 125 is deposited or installed on the sacrificial layer 110 .
Presently, the device layer 125 is typically greater than 5 μm. Currently, it is between 6 to 10 μm in thickness. In one implementation, the device layer is a polysilicon layer that is deposited in a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition process. A dopant, such as n-type, is preferably added to improve conductivity while controlling the crystallinity and density of the polysilicon. In an alternative process, silicon wafer material is used as the device layer. In a wafer bonding process, a silicon device layer 125 is bonded to the oxide layer 110 using elevated temperature and pressure.
After deposition or bonding, the device layer 125 is annealed and polished back to the desired membrane thickness, if required.
As shown in FIG. 1B, an optical port 101 is patterned and etched into the backside of the handle or support wafer 100 , preferably using a combination of isotropic and anisotropic etching. The sacrificial oxide layer 110 is used as an etch stop. Alternatively, the optical port etch step can be omitted, as silicon is partially transparent at infrared wavelengths, in which case an anti-reflective (AR) coating is applied to the outer surface of handle wafer 100 to minimize reflection from the air-silicon interface.
According to one of the current embodiments, a depression 130 is formed in the front side of the device layer 125 . This depression is used to form a curved mirror structure.
FIG. 1C shows the deposition of a multi layer, thin film dielectric coating 140 . In one example, the coating is highly reflective (HR), i.e., has a reflectivity of greater than 98%. In another example, the coating has a lower reflectivity of 30% to 98% for example. The dielectric coating is chosen, however, over gold, aluminum, or other metals, for example because of its low loss characteristics. In still other embodiments, the dielectric coating functions as a dichroic filter, such as a WDM filter, that selectively transmits and reflects specific wavelength bands.
In the current example, the dielectric coating 140 is an HR coating having preferably 4 or more quarterwave layers, preferably 8 or more, with a 16 dielectric layer mirror being used in some implementations.
A mask layer 145 is deposited over the dielectric coating 140 .
FIG. 1D shows the patterning of the mask layer 145 . Preferably, a positive or negative photoresist is used, which is developed so that the remainder of the mask layer 145 resides in an optical port region that surrounds an optical axis 2 of the device. This is located over the optical port 101 , if present. The remainder of the mask layer 145 is used as an etch protection layer during a subsequent etch of the dielectric coating 140 , thus yielding the patterned dielectric coating 140 of the figure.
The preferred method for etching the dielectric coatings 140 is to use a dry etch process, such as reactive ion etching and reactive ion milling. Films with a thickness of 3 to 4 μm have been etched with a photoresist mask, provided adequate backside cooling is employed. The etch chemistry can be based on CHF3/CF4/Ar. Ion beam milling is an alternative, but the etch times for this process are typically much longer.
FIG. 1E shows the deposition of membrane mask/patterned dielectric protection layer 150 , which is used in the patterning of the device layer 125 .
FIG. 1F shows development of the membrane mask/patterned dielectric protection layer 150 with the membrane and tether patterns. These patterns are transferred into the device layer 125 . Voids 152 and 154 are formed in the device layer 125 to define the tethers 158 of the membrane, along with release holes 232 . The membrane mask layer 125 functions to protect the dielectric coating 140 from the etchants used to attack the exposed regions of the device layer.
FIG. 1G shows the device after the release process. A portion of the sacrificial layer 110 is removed by a wet oxide etch process to “release” the membrane and tether structure from the sacrificial oxide layer 110 and handle wafer 100 . In one embodiment, a buffered HF etch, followed by methanol, followed by a drying step using supercritical carbon dioxide is used. The etchant attacks the release layer from the backside through the optical port 101 and the front side through the voids 152 , 154 and release holes 232 .
Preferably, the dielectric coating 140 is entirely encapsulated between the protection layer 150 and the device layer 125 . Protection of the dielectric coating 140 during release is required since materials such as silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide and tantalum pentoxide are etched by hydrofluoric acid. Preferably, a buffered etch is also used to preserve the protection layer 150 , especially if a photoresist material is used.
Another protection scheme is to deposit a mask layer that functions as a protection mask as well as be incorporated into the overall optical function of the coating, eliminating the need to remove the mask layer after release. For example, two candidate materials are amorphous silicon or silicon nitride. In this process, the dielectric film is deposited conformally over the surface; but the coating design is adjusted in anticipation of an additional layer. The features are etched using the dry etch process as before. An additional conformal layer is then deposited over the entire surface of the wafer. Sputtering or a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) systems provide the best conformal coverage. However, an e-beam evaporator with a planetary system is an alternative. The optical design of the coating is tailored so that its performance was not sensitive to the thickness of this last layer, eliminating the need for precise control of the deposition rate. This final mask layer is patterned using a dry or wet etch process if it were desirable to reduce the area over which it extended. For example, it may be necessary to reduce the area to that immediately surrounding the dielectric coating so that it does not influence the mechanical properties of the MEMS structure.
FIG. 2 shows the completed MEMS device. An exemplary membrane-tether configuration is shown. The patterned membrane layer 125 ′ comprises a center body portion 156 that is aligned over the optical port 101 (shown in phantom) and tethers 158 formed by the removal of the device layer from voids or regions 152 , 154 .
Also shown are metalizations for electrical connections to the device and handle layer (see reference 182 ) and for mechanical attachment (see reference 184 ). An isolation trench 186 through at least the device layer 125 ′ prevents shorting of the handle and device layers due to edge damage.
FIG. 3 shows the deployment of the MEMS device in Fabry-Perot filter 10 . Specifically, it is paired with a mirror to form a FP cavity 18 . Specifically, in addition to the MEMS membrane, the filter 10 includes mirror device 16 and a spacer layer 17 that separates the mirror device from the MEMS membrane. The mirror device 16 includes a dielectric mirror coating 19 that is preferably matched to the membrane's dielectric coating 140 in reflectivity. These functional layers are held together and operated as a tunable FP filter by modulating voltage between the handle wafer 100 and the membrane 125 ′. An anti-reflection (AR) coating 105 is preferably deposited through the optical port 101 onto the exterior surface of the membrane layer 125 ′.
In the illustrated embodiment, the curved mirror is located on the membrane. In other implementations, the curved surface is located on the mirror device. The advantage to the placement on the membrane concerns the ability to manufacture the mirror device integrated with the spacer using SOI material, for example. In still other implementations, both mirrors are flat to form a flat—flat cavity.
FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an alternative process for protecting the dielectric coating 140 during the release process, specifically after the membrane layer 125 ′ has been patterned and the dielectric coating 140 has been patterned. This alternative process, in one example, begins with the device illustrated in FIG. 1F, with resist 150 stripped.
First, a resist smoothing layer 168 is deposited to cover and encapsulate the patterned dielectric coating 140 . Then, a lift-off resist 160 and possibly a second resist 164 are deposited to cover the topography of the patterned membrane layer 125 ′, the topography being for example, the etch holes 232 and voids 152 , 154 defining the tethers 158 .
With the lift-off resist 160 in place, a protection layer of material that is impervious to the release etchant is deposited. It completely covers the surface of the wafer or coupon, including the lift-off resist 160 and sensitive topography of the resist smoothing layer 168 . In one implementation, this protection layer 162 is a metal, such as nickel or gold, for example.
To achieve good sidewall coverage, as required for a protection mask, a sputtering system is preferred. In some instances, the smoothing layer 168 may not be needed, depending on the profile of coating 140 and sputtering coverage.
Next, in FIG. 4B, the lift-off resist is removed, leaving the protection layer 162 encapsulating the dielectric coating 140 . At this stage, a non-buffered HF acid release process can be performed to remove the portion of the sacrificial layer underneath the membrane 156 in the release process.
The protection layer 162 is stripped after release using, for example, a wet etch step.
FIGS. 5A-5B show another process flow. In this case, a first smoothing layer 168 , such as a resist, is used to cover and smooth the sensitive topography of the dielectric coating 140 and also provide an ancillary barrier to the HF acid or other release etchant. Next, a membrane mask/patterned dielectric protection layer 162 is applied that is both impervious to the release acid and is also a good masking material for the membrane topography. A metal, such as gold or nickel, is used in one implementation. The protection masking layer 162 is then patterned with the membrane pattern as illustrated in FIG. 5 B. The pattern is transferred to yield the patterned membrane layer 125 ′. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 5C, the release process is performed with the protection layer 162 preserving the coating 140 , after which the masking protection layer 162 and the photoresist layer 168 are removed.
FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a modification in which the protection masking layer 162 is etched back prior to membrane release.
Specifically, in FIG. 6A, a protection layer patterning photoresist 170 is deposited and the metal protection layer 162 is removed from the membrane topography, specifically, uncovering the areas where the release etchant must be allowed to reach the sacrificial layer 110 .
As illustrated in FIG. 6B, the release process is performed.
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a process flow in which the release of the MEMS structure is partially or completely performed prior to the deposition and patterning of the dielectric coating.
Specifically, in FIG. 7A, a membrane topography protection layer 160 is deposited outside of the optical port region of a released or partially released membrane structure 156 . For this, a thick lift-off resist is preferably used. The voids or regions 152 , 154 and the etchant holes 232 are covered. A second photoresist layer 164 can be applied and patterned.
Next as illustrated in FIG. 7B, the dielectric coating 140 is deposited over the front side followed by a resist mask layer 145 that is patterned to reside in the optical port region. The exposed dielectric coating 140 is then etched back to form the illustrated structure. The resist mask 145 is then removed.
If required, a final complete release of the membrane is performed. This process, however, is much shorter due to the prior partial release step.
FIG. 8 illustrates still another option in which the lift-off resist topography protection layer 160 is used to as a mask to pattern the dielectric coating 140 . Specifically, the dielectric coating is deposited into optical port region and on top of the lift-off resist 160 . The excess dielectric is removed with resist 160 .
A difficulty with these embodiments is resist survival in the elevated temperatures required in the dielectric coating process.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references 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 scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims. For example, in the particular process flows shown, the optical port is patterned into the backside of the wafer prior to the deposition of the dielectric film on the front side, in some cases. Executing this step prior to depositing the optical coatings is not necessary. For example, the dielectric could be applied to a plain SOI wafer and patterned prior to etching the optical port. The protection methods would be essentially unchanged. For other devices, the point at which the dielectric film is patterned could be adjusted to optimize the overall process flow. | A process for patterning dielectric layers of the type typically found in optical coatings in the context of MEMS manufacturing is disclosed. A dielectric coating is deposited over a device layer, which has or will be released, and patterned using a mask layer. In one example, the coating is etched using the mask layer as a protection layer. In another example, a lift-off process is shown. The primary advantage of photolithographic patterning of the dielectric layers in optical MEMS devices is that higher levels of consistency can be achieved in fabrication, such as size, location, and residual material stress. Competing techniques such as shadow masking yield lower quality features and are difficult to align. Further, the minimum feature size that can be obtained with shadow masks is limited to ˜100 μm, depending on the coating system geometry, and they require hard contact with the surface of the wafer, which can lead to damage and/or particulate contamination. | 1 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a signal correction circuit for correcting deviating pixel values. Such a circuit is used, for example, for correcting CCD sensors, some pixels of which have a dark current which is larger than average. Particularly in sensors having many pixels, there is a great risk of drop out of one or more pixels having a deviating dark current.
2. Description of the Related Art
A signal correction circuit of this type is described in the article by B. Botte, "Digital automatic pixel correction in new generation CCD broadcast cameras", presented at the IBC 1992, pp. 474-478. In this circuit, a correction signal is corrected for the sensor temperature. To this end, the address of the faulty pixel should be known and, together with the magnitude of the correction, it should be stored in a memory. This circuit has the following drawbacks. The circuit is not flexible; if, in fact, new defects occur, the contents of the memory must be adapted. The temperature behavior is probably not so predictable so that the corrections are not complete. Moreover, the dark current of the pixels may vary with respect to time with a too large dark current or even become normal. Then, there will be erroneous corrections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, inter alia an object of the invention to provide an improved signal correction circuit. To this end a first aspect of the invention provides a signal correction circuit for correcting deviating pixel color values, comprising means for receiving pixel color values for pixels for more than one color; filtering means for obtaining a plurality of second pixel color values from respectively corresponding pixel color values of pixels surrounding a given pixel having first pixel color values; and second means for supplying one of the second pixel color values if the respectively corresponding first pixel color value is larger than this second pixel color value, and for determining whether the first pixel color values exceed the respectively corresponding second pixel color values for not more than one color; wherein for correcting color signals of more than one color, the second means comprises means for supplying said one second pixel color value only if the respective first pixel color values exceed the second pixel color values for not more than one color. A second aspect of the invention provides a signal correction circuit for correcting deviating-pixel color values of more than one color, comprising means for receiving pixel color signals for more than one color; filtering means for detecting, per color, deviations of pixel color values to supply respective color deviation flag signals; color deviation flag signal combination means coupled to receive said color deviation flag signals for supplying, for each pixel color value, correction control signals which are each obtained in dependence upon all color deviation flag signals of the respective pixel color values detected for more than one color; and correction means coupled to said combination means for correcting the respective pixel color values per color. A third aspect of the invention provides a signal correction method for correcting deviating pixels of more than one color comprising the steps of receiving pixel color values for more than one color; detecting deviations of pixel values for each color separately; supplying correction control signals separately for each color on the basis of a combination of detected deviations of the pixel values detected for at least two colors; and correcting deviating pixels on the basis of said correction control signals for each color. A fourth aspect of the invention provides a signal correction circuit for correcting deviating pixel color values, comprising means for receiving pixel color values for more than one color; filtering means for obtaining a second pixel color value from pixel color values of pixels surrounding a given pixel having a first pixel color value; and second means for determining whether the first pixel color value exceeds the respectively corresponding second pixel color value for a given color, and for supplying the second pixel color value if the first pixel color value is larger than the second pixel color value; wherein for correcting pixel color values of more than one color, the filtering means includes means for providing said second pixel color value in dependence on at least one further pixel color value of said given pixel. A fifth aspect of the invention provides a television camera comprising a pick-up unit for providing pixel values of three colors; and a signal correction circuit for correcting deviating pixel values as defined above.
In accordance with the first aspect of the invention, a prediction is made for each pixel value, starting from adjacent pixels, for example pixel pairs which are situated symmetrically with respect to the relevant pixel (pixels at the top and the bottom, left and right, and also diagonally, with respect to the relevant pixel). The pixel value to be corrected can then be limited, for example, to the maximum of pairwise mean values of the adjacent pixel values. In this way, the invention is capable of removing a pixel deviation from a video signal without the signal being noticeably affected.
The distinction between correct picture information and a defective pixel is based on the recognition that light incident on only a single pixel is most unlikely. An embodiment of the circuit according to the invention determines a prediction from neighboring pairs by means of linear interpolation. The more neighboring pairs are used, the better the discrimination. In one embodiment, six pairs, i.e., twelve neighboring pixels are used. The measured pixel value is clipped at the maximum value of the six predictions. The advantage of this circuit is its adaptability to the situation. Each number and each value of single-pixel deviations can be corrected. The sole condition is that the pixels having a too large dark current must not be contiguous pixels, whereby preferably at least two correct pixels are present between two incorrect pixels, in the horizontal direction. It is possible to correct analog video signals in an analog manner. Alternatively, the correction may be performed on digital signals. Advantageously, the circuit according to the invention can be used in combination with the operation of generating horizontal and vertical contours because the same delayed signals are also necessary for this purpose.
A very attractive aspect of the invention is based on the recognition that the deviating pixels are very unlikely to coincide in the three color sensors of the same camera. When it is attempted by means of filters or other means to discriminate between information and defects for each individual color, there will be a great risk that information which seems to be a defect is also removed. Such misleading information which is to be maintained is constituted, for example, by the glitters giving the image the impression of sharpness. Such glitters are simultaneously present in the three chrominance channels and may thus be distinguished from faulty pixels which occur in a single chrominance channel only. An analog elaboration thereof is to add an extra signal to a non-additive mixer circuit in the green chrominance channel, this additional signal consisting of the sum of low-frequency green and high-frequency red. The sum of low-frequency green and high-frequency blue may be applied to a further input.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a signal correction circuit according to the invention;
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of neighboring pixels to elucidate a 2-D filtering in the circuit of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows an efficient form of a component of the circuit of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 shows a blue part of an analog signal correction circuit according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The signal correction circuit of FIG. 1 uses two line delays 103, 105 denoted by H-del, per color R, G, B. Pixel values to be corrected are applied to the inputs Rin, Gin, Bin. The corrected pixel values can be taken from the outputs R1, G1 and B1. A pixel element having a deviating dark current can be recognized by comparing, per color, the pixel value of the relevant pixel with the pixel values of neighboring pixels. This recognition is performed by the 2-D filters 101 in FIG. 1. The pixel elements are corrected per color, but in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, information from the other chrominance channels is used to prevent small contours from being removed erroneously.
If a pixel value for a given color differs substantially from the pixel values of neighboring pixels, and if this difference is not present in the other color channels, the pixel will be considered to be deviating and its value will be replaced by a value derived from the pixel values of neighboring pixels. If, on the other hand, a deviation is detected in more than one chrominance channel at a time, it is assumed that this deviation represents a detail in the image and should thus not be removed. The decision to correct or not to correct is taken in the decision circuit 109, a part of which is shown in greater detail in FIG. 3. The correction circuit shown in FIG. 1 also performs some pre-processing operations for a contour correction module (not shown), which is also present in a camera, by making the sum (the average) R 0 .2, G 0 .2, B 0 .2 of the input signal and the input signal delayed by two line periods available for each color.
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of neighboring pixels to elucidate the operation of the 2-D filters 101 in the circuit of FIG. 1. For each chrominance channel, the values of neighboring pixels are averaged along the lines shown in FIG. 2 by adding, each time, the two pixels located on one line and by dividing them by two. This results in six mean values, the largest of which, R filt , G filt , B filt , together with the input signals R orig , G orig , B orig , are applied to the decision circuit 109.
As is shown in FIG. 3, a comparison circuit 113 in a part 111 of the decision circuit 109 checks for each color R, G, B, whether the original pixel value R orig , G orig , B orig is larger than the associated largest mean pixel value R filt , G filt , B filt computed by the 2-D filter 101. If this is the case, the comparison circuit 113 supplies a flag signal flagR (flagG, flagB) to a decision combination circuit 117 which, when only a single flag signal has been supplied, instructs the associated multiplexer 115 (by means of decision signal decR, decG and decB) to supply the filtered pixel values R filt , G filt and B filt instead of the original pixel values R orig , G orig , B orig , respectively. Of course, the original pixel value is supplied for the colors for which no flag signal has been supplied. If more than one flag signal has been supplied, the original pixel value will be supplied for all colors. For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 3 shows the part 111R, the comparison circuit 113R and the multiplexer 115R for the color Red only; of course, corresponding circuit elements are present for the other colors Green and Blue.
FIG. 4 shows a blue part of an analog signal correction circuit according to the invention. The blue input signal B is applied to a series arrangement of two line delays 403 and 405. The blue input signal B is also applied to a series arrangement of four delay sections 419, 421, 423 and 425 which delay the blue input signal and the blue signal B(2H) delayed by two line periods each time by 15 ns. A period of 15 ns corresponds to the pixel space for HDTV signals; in normal definition television signals, (MAC, PAL, SECAM, NTSC) a delay of 70 ns would have to be used. These 15 ns delay sections 419-425 operate in such a way that a signal applied "at the rear" will appear in a delayed form "at the front", and that a signal applied "at the front" will appear in a delayed form "at the rear". Hence, the sum of the blue input signal B and the signal B(2H+60 ns) delayed by two line periods plus four times 15 ns is present at junction point P1. The sum of B(15 ns) and B(2H+45 ns) is present at junction point P2. The sum of B(30 ns) and B(2H+30 ns) is present at junction point P3. The sum of B(45 ns) and B(2H+15 ns) is present at junction point P4. The sum of B(60 ns) and B(2H) is present at junction point P5. The signals at the junction points P1-P5 are applied to a maximum circuit 427.
The signal B(1H) at the output of the line delay 403 is applied to an emitter-follower buffer EF via two 15 ns delay sections 429 and 431. A minimum circuit 435 determines the minimum of the output signal of the maximum circuit 427 and the output signal of the emitter-follower buffer EF. Similarly as in the digital embodiment described hereinbefore, the signal B(1H+30 ns) at the output of the delay section 431 is limited at a given position in the image to the maximum of signals derived from signals at a plurality of neighboring positions. Put in other words, the signal correction circuit of FIG. 4 comprises first means 419-427 for obtaining a second value MAX-B from pixel color values B, B(15 ns), B(30 ns), B(45 ns), B(60 ns); B(2H), B(2H+15 ns), B(2H+30 ns), B(2H+45 ns), B(2H+60 ns) of pixels surrounding a given pixel having a first pixel value B(1H+30ns), and second means 435 for supplying the second value MAX-B if the first pixel value B(1H+30 ns) is larger than the second value MAX-B. For correcting signals of different colors (R, G, B), the first means (419-427) include means (427) for providing the second vale (MAX-B), in dependence on at least one further pixel color value (G) of the given pixel.
To avoid misinterpretation of detail information in only one color as a 20 deviating pixel to be corrected, the embodiment of FIG. 4 also uses information of another color, viz. green (G). To this end, the pixel value B(1H) to be filtered is low-pass filtered in a low-pass filter 437 and subsequently added to a green signal G filtered by a high-pass filter 441; as a result it is achieved that the green detail information, which in fact is present in the high-frequency part of the green signal, is provided with the DC or luminance level associated with the blue signal. The sum signal of low-frequency blue and high-frequency green is subsequently applied to the maximum circuit 427. It is thereby achieved that the maximum MAX-B need not be adjusted at a lower value than a value associated with the green maximum if there is also a locally high pixel value in green, so that a locally high value in the blue signal is less rapidly cut off. If desired, the sum of low-frequency blue and high-frequency red may also be taken into account in determining the maximum. The circuit components (not shown) for the green and the blue signal are adapted to be such that in the green component, the sum of low-frequency green and high-frequency red and/or the sum of low-frequency green and high-frequency blue is taken into account in determining the maximum. In the red component, the sum of low-frequency red and high-frequency green and/or the sum of low-frequency red and high-frequency blue is taken into account in determining the maximum.
It is to be noted that the embodiments described hereinbefore are non-limitative and that those skilled in the art will be capable of designing many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the accompanying claims. | A signal correction circuit for correcting deviating pixel values includes a part (113, 117) for comparing a first pixel value (R orig ) of a given pixel with a second value (R filt ) obtained from pixel values of pixels surrounding the given pixel so as to supply a decision signal (decR) if a predetermined criterion is satisfied; and a multiplexer (115) coupled to the above-noted part (113, 117) for supplying the second value (R filt ) if the predetermined criterion is satisfied for not more than one color (R,G,B), and for supplying the first pixel value (R orig ) in the opposite case. | 7 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The invention relates to brake system control of a motor vehicle, and more particularly to control of braking where a vehicle includes regenerative braking capability and conventional service brakes.
[0003] 2. Description of the Problem
[0004] Various types of hybrid and electric vehicles obtain higher operating efficiencies and extend operating range by using regenerative braking. During regenerative braking a vehicle's kinetic energy is captured converted to a form amenable to storage. For example electrical energy may be stored in capacitors or subjected to conversion to potential chemical energy and stored in batteries or capacitors, or the energy may be stored mechanically by compressing a fluid. Later, the stored energy can be used to propel the vehicle. In the case of electrical power it can be applied as electricity to a traction motor, and on a hydraulic hybrid vehicle the working fluid can be applied to a pump under pressure. Regenerative braking may operate to supplement or replace operation of the conventional service brakes, in a fashion similar to an engine brake or retarder in the drive line on a conventional vehicle. The torque absorbed for regeneration supplements the braking torque requested by the driver by use of the brake pedal. Absent compensating brake pedal resistance, this results in the vehicle stopping faster for a given brake pedal input and biases the braking force to the drive axle(s).
[0005] In a full hybrid or electric vehicle, the vehicle's electric traction motor doubles as the electrical generator which can be coupled to be driven by the wheels. On a hydraulic hybrid vehicle a pump may be coupled to the driveline. Typically only some of the wheels are driven, and thus capable of being coupled to the electric traction motor/generator or hydraulic pump when it is operating in its generating/storage mode. Thus, on either type of vehicle, a portion of the braking torque will come from the service brakes mounted with non-driven wheels, though braking force is biased toward the drive axles as they receive both service brake torque and regeneration torque while the non-drive axle(s) receive only service brake torque. Consideration may be given the issue of anti-lock braking systems (ABS) which distribute braking force to maintain braking stability.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,365 describes a braking force control system for a vehicle incorporating hydraulic service brakes and regenerative braking for the vehicle's drive wheels. The '365 patent provides a braking controller which generates a target braking force for front and rear wheels of the vehicle. Initially the controller applies regenerative braking in attempting to meet the target braking force levels. If regenerative braking proves insufficient to meet braking target levels, friction service brake operation is added to any wheels not supplying the target level of braking torque.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The invention provides a braking system for a motor vehicle. A plurality of wheels are coupled to a motor which provides traction power for propelling the vehicle and regenerative braking for slowing or stopping of the motor vehicle. Pneumatically actuated service brakes are further coupled to the drive wheels to provide slowing or stopping of the motor vehicle. An operator controlled brake actuator connects air from a compressed air source to a pneumatic brake actuation line to pneumatically actuate the service brakes for the driven wheels. A pressure regulator is disposed in the pneumatic brake actuation line. A brake controller is provided which is responsive to operation of the operator controlled brake actuator for closing the pressure regulator in the pneumatic brake actuation line up until the torque limit of the motor operating in the regenerative braking mode. An anti-lock braking system controller may be further provided responsive to indications of limited traction for overriding closure of the pressure regulator in the pneumatic brake actuation line to open the pressure regulator and providing for cessation of regenerative operation of the hybrid drive system. The control functions are implemented by incorporating pressure transducers in the driven wheel, service-brake, pneumatic actuation line. These are located both upstream and downstream from the pressure regulator for the line. The upstream transducer signal indicates occurrences of actuation of the brake actuator. The downstream transducer confirms operation of the pressure regulator.
[0008] Additional effects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description that follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages of the present disclosure, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a brake circuit schematic illustrating the modifications used to implement one embodiment of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a brake circuit schematic illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1 , a brake system 10 for a medium or heavy duty vehicle is illustrated. Brake system 10 is illustrated as configured for a vehicle having a front axle and a rear axle (the axles are not shown), but may be applied to other configurations, such as vehicles with lift axles and other combinations of axles having driven and non-driven wheels. Associated with the front and rear axles are individual, wheel mounted, pneumatically actuated service brakes 104 . The rear wheels 94 have brake assemblies 106 which include a park or spring brake chamber 105 in addition to the service brake 104 while the front wheels 92 do not include a park brake. In addition, the rear wheels 94 are connected by a vehicle drive train 96 to a hybrid drive system, such as an electric traction motor or the preferred hydraulic drive system 90 , which can operate regeneratively to supply braking torque. The rear wheel 94 brake assemblies 106 provide service braking and park braking. In the configuration illustrated the rear wheels 94 are driven and the front wheels 92 are non-driven.
[0013] The functioning of the parking brake is discussed here for the sake of completeness of description of the pneumatic brake actuation system. Control over the distinct parking and service brake functions of the rear wheel brake assemblies 106 are accomplished by having separate air ports 111 a and 111 b for the service brake chambers 104 and the spring brake chambers 105 , respectively. The service braking air port 111 a allows air to be directed to the service brake chamber 104 to move brake pads (not shown) to stop the rear wheels. The park braking port 111 b allows air to be directed to the spring brake chambers 105 to act counter internal springs which normally urge application of brake pads. When the parking brake is disengaged, compressed air holds the park brakes off and free movement of the rear wheels 94 is allowed. Air is delivered to a quick release valve (QRV) 31 along an air line 19 h from a push pull double check valve (PPDC) 29 and a spring brake modulator valve 30 for delivery to the park brake chambers 105 . Air is also supplied to the spring brake modulator valve 30 from relay valve 430 along air line 19 m from the primary tank 20 and along air line 19 f from the foot actuated double valve 26 from the secondary tank 21 . The parking brake system makes use of the redundant compressed air sources (primary and secondary compressed air tanks 20 , 21 ) to avoid unintended engagement of the parking brake system should one compressed air source fail. Air lines 19 f and 19 g supply air from the primary and secondary tanks 20 , 21 through the double valve 26 to a push pull double check (PPDC) valve 29 .
[0014] The pneumatic components in the brake system 10 are supplied with compressed from an air compressor 22 . Air compressor 22 supplies air via air line 19 a though an air dryer 23 to a wet tank 24 . The wet tank 24 acts as a supply reservoir for both a primary air tank 20 and a secondary air tank 21 , which in turn supply the service and parking brake systems. Air lines 19 b and 19 c, respectively, deliver air from the wet tank 24 to the primary tank 20 and the secondary tank 21 . Check valves 25 are incorporated into air lines 19 b and 19 c allowing air to flow out from the wet tank 24 but not back into the wet tank.
[0015] Primary air tank 20 and secondary air tank 21 are the direct sources of supply of pressurized air for brake system 10 . The primary air tank 20 supplies air for service braking for the rear wheels 94 and the secondary air tank 21 supplies air for service braking for the front wheels 92 . Since independent sources of air are used for the service brakes for the rear and front wheels 94 , 92 , the service brake system is considered to be redundant. Air is routed from primary air tank 20 via air line 19 d through a foot actuated double valve 26 upon depression of foot pedal 26 a. On anti-lock braking system (ABS) equipped vehicles quick release valves 31 (QRVs) are used only for rear parking brake functions. ABS modulators 91 perform the QRV functions for the service brakes and are included in the air lines 19 j and 19 e which supply air to the brake assemblies 104 . For the rear brakes an air line 19 j from the primary tank 20 to the rear wheel 94 brake assemblies 104 includes a relay valve 430 which is actuated by air from the food pedal 26 delivered along air line 19 d as a pneumatic signal for applying air to the rear wheel service brakes 104 . Air from secondary air tank 21 is coupled to the service brakes 104 for the front wheels 92 for service braking via air line 19 e through the double valve 26 upon depression of foot pedal 26 a. The operation of the ABS modulators 91 is well known in the art. The ABS modulators 91 operate to modulate air pressure delivered to the service brakes 104 to distribute braking torque to the wheel best able to absorb it.
[0016] In the brake system 10 as illustrated the rear wheels 94 are driven and the front wheels 92 are non-driven. One source of traction power for the rear wheels 94 is a hybrid drive system, preferably a hydraulic system 90 , which is mechanically connected to the rear wheels by drive line 96 . During braking hydraulic drive system 90 operates as a pump turned by the wheels 94 . In an electric traction motor system a motor operates as a generator. Thus service braking is supplemented by regenerative braking which is applied to the rear wheels 94 . During normal operation of the brake system 10 , rear wheel 94 braking torque should be supplied by the hybrid (hydraulic) drive system 90 , and not the service brakes 104 , in order to recapture as potential energy as much of the vehicle's kinetic energy as possible.
[0017] During emergency braking, particularly where ABS operation comes into play, factors affecting vehicle control and the need for stopping the vehicle arise which may mitigate against the use of regenerative braking. Brake system 10 is modified to implement control over service brake operation and regenerative braking to better meet these potentially conflicting engineering requirements. Air line 19 d, connecting the foot actuated double valve 26 to the relay valve 430 (i.e., the air line transmitting a pneumatic signal from the foot-controlled valve to the relay valve for controlling application of pressure from the primary tank 20 to the rear service brakes 104 through the relay valve) is modified to include two pressure transducers, a primary transducer 80 and a feedback transducer 84 , with an intervening pressure regulator 82 . The pressure transducers 80 , 84 are located in air line 19 d with the primary transducer 80 upstream from, and the feedback transducer 84 downstream from, the pressure regulator 82 . The pressure transducers 80 , 84 report pressure readings to a hybrid brake controller 86 , from which the pressure difference across the modulator 82 can be determined. Additionally, pressure transducer 80 reports pressure readings in air line 19 d to a hybrid controller 88 . A control signal from the hybrid brake controller 86 is applied to modulator 82 .
[0018] The hybrid drive system 90 is under the control of the hybrid controller 88 , which can set system 90 into a regeneration mode for operation as a pump or generator, depending upon the type of drive system, e.g. hydraulic, electric. A hydraulic drive system operates as a pump to increase pressure on a hydraulic fluid delivered through an energy storage device 76 embodied in an accumulator. The details of this arrangement are outside the scope of the present invention.
[0019] Hybrid controller 88 communicates by one of various data network systems with the hybrid brake controller 86 and an ABS controller 74 . The hybrid controller 88 can report the amount of torque being absorbed by the drive system 90 during regenerative braking to the hybrid brake controller 86 . The hybrid brake controller 86 compares this with the degree of braking demanded as indicated by a pressure transducer 80 . In normal operation the hybrid brake controller 86 utilizes braking demand pressure as detected transducer 80 to demand regenerative braking from the drive system 90 up to the torque limit of its regenerative braking capacity. The front service brakes 104 are unaffected and operate normally. Once the torque limit of the drive system 90 is reached, the hybrid brake controller adjusts the pressure regulator 82 to allow actuation of the service brakes 104 for the rear wheels 94 to supplement the motor 90 braking.
[0020] During ABS events the regenerative braking functionality of the drive system 90 is normally cancelled and the hybrid brake controller 86 instructed to allow normal service brake operation along air line 19 d by opening modulator 82 . ABS controller 74 is connected to the hybrid controller 88 and the hybrid brake controller 86 to allow communication of the appropriate indication. ABS controller 74 also controls the modulation of ABS modulators 91 associated with the service brakes 104 for each wheel of the vehicle equipped with service brakes. ABS control over braking is provided over the service brakes 104 only. The object is that ABS operation is unaffected by the modifications to the brake system introduced by the invention. During an ABS event regulator 82 is opened. To confirm that the pneumatic braking system is operating conventionally, that is, as though no regenerative braking were available, the feedback pressure transducer in air line 19 d, transducer 84 , should provide feedback indication to the hybrid brake controller 86 that pressure in air line 19 d following regulator 82 closely matches the pressure measured by transducer 80 ahead of regulator 82 .
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention applied to a 6×4 truck with a lift axle 114 . Service brakes 104 associated with wheels for the lift axle 114 have no associated park brake chambers. In addition, the lift axle is a non-driven axle, meaning no regenerative braking is produced from it. The service brakes 104 are actuated by a signal from an ABS control module 74 to relay valve 530 . A local auxiliary air tank 110 supplies the air to the relay valve 530 for operation of the service brakes 104 for lift axle wheels. ABS modulation of the brakes of the lift axle is not directly provided. During ABS events the brakes of the lift axle 114 may be lightly braked or not braked at all.
[0022] The electronically controlled air pressure regulator 82 (located between the primary and feedback pressure transducers 80 , 84 ) controls pressure in the primary air pressure signal line when the vehicle operator actuates the brake pedal 26 . When the vehicle operator is not requesting service brake application, this regulator is fully open (normally open). This allows for normal service brake function should there be a loss of power or control signal to the regulator. The hybrid brake controller determines how much air pressure is needed at the primary service brake relay valve to properly supplement the hybrid hydraulic regenerative braking torque up to the vehicle operator requested level. It sends a control signal to the electrically controlled air pressure regulator and monitors the signal from the second pressure transducer to ensure proper signal line air pressure to the primary service brake relay valve. The hybrid brake controller 86 control signal is disabled (the electronically controlled air pressure regulator allows full signal line pressure to pass unimpeded) during ABS active and other priority braking events. Under these conditions, full service braking capability is maintained and uninterrupted. The controller is also disabled when the ABS system is deactivated. The invention allows for increased regenerative braking efficiency because of the reduced or eliminated application of the service brakes on the axle(s) providing torque to the hybrid hydraulic drive system. The increase in regeneration efficiency will allow for greater availability of hydraulic launch assist from the hybrid hydraulic drive system, thus decreasing fuel consumption. This would be of significant benefit in vocations with frequent start and stop driving conditions.
[0023] While the invention is described with reference to only a few of its possible forms, it is not thus limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. | Braking control for a hybrid vehicle provides both service and regenerative mode braking for the driven wheels. A hybrid drive system is coupled to the driven wheels to provide traction power and which is capable of operating in a regenerative braking mode. The service brakes are provided by pneumatically actuated service brakes coupled to the driven wheels. Braking is initiated conventionally using an operator controlled brake actuator. A pressure regulator is placed in a pneumatic brake actuation line coupled from the operator controlled brake actuator to the pneumatically actuated service brakes for the driven wheels. The pressure regulator initially closes during braking, preventing operation of the service brakes up to the limit of the ability of the hybrid drive system to absorb torque for regenerative braking. When the torque limit for the hybrid drive system is reached, the regulator opens the actuation line progressively allowing the service brakes to supplement the hybrid drive system. During loss of traction events regenerative braking is discontinued to avoid interference with operation of anti-lock braking of the vehicle's service brakes. | 1 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a novel crystal form of a perinone dye of the formula (I), a process for its preparation and its use for mass coloration of plastics.
The dye of the formula (I)
(=C.I. Solvent Orange 60) when prepared in the prior art, for example as in EP-A-780 444 or in B. K. Manukian Helv. Chimica Acta 1965, Vol. 48, p. 1999-2004, is in the -form whose X-ray diffraction diagram (C-K radiation) is reproduced in FIG. 1 and which is characterized by lines at the following diffraction angles 2 (°)
9.911, 11.799, 12.412, 13.150, 23.682, 24.122, 24.852, 26.765, 27.476.
The dye of the formula (I) In the α-form is a widely used colorant for mass coloration of plastics and other applications. However, there are a number of disadvantages in need of improvement. For instance, the known dye in powder form has a low bulk density and is prone to dusting in handling. Moreover, production of a granular or pulverulent product by spray drying of an aqueous slurry is uneconomical because of the very low solids content of the slurry.
It is an object of the present invention to remedy these disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a dye of the formula (I)
in a crystal form (β-form) that comprises lines at the following diffraction angles 2 (°):
9.935, 12.734, 13.378, 24.033, 24.852, 27.455 in the X-ray diffraction diagram (Cu-K α radiation).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The X-ray diffraction diagram of the -form recorded with Cu-K radiation is depicted in FIG. 1 and that of the β-form is depicted in FIG. 2 . The diagrams were recorded using a computer-controlled STOE STADI β powder diffractometer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention also relates to a process comprising reacting phthalic anhydride and 1,8-diaminonaphthalene at a temperature of 90 to 200° C. in an organic solvent in the presence of trimellitic acid or derivatives thereof.
Suitable trimellitic acid derivatives include trimellitic anhydrides, esters, salts or compounds of the formula (II)
where
M is H, an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal.
Preference is given to using 0.9 to 1.4, especially 1.05 to 1.25, mol equivalents of phthalic anhydride, based on 1 mol of 1,8-diamino-naphthalene.
The amount of trimellitic acid or trimellitic acid derivative is preferably 0.005 to 0.1, more preferably 0.02 to 0.05, mol equivalents, based on 1 mol of 1,8-diaminonaphthalene.
Suitable organic solvents include N-methylpyrrolidone, phenol, dichlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, chlorobenzene and/or glycol, preferably N-methylpyrrolidone.
The reaction is preferably carried out at a temperature of 100 to 160° C.
The condensation reaction is accelerated by using, in addition to trimellitic acid, acids such as mineral acids like hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid or phosphoric acid, but preferably organic acids other than trimellitic acid, for example aliphatic or aromatic carboxylic acids or sulphonic acids, such as taurine or toluenesulphonic acid.
Such reaction accelerants are preferably used in an amount of 0.001 to 1, especially 0.01 to 0.2, mol equivalents, based on 1,8-diaminonaphthalene.
The invention likewise relates to the product obtainable according to the process according to the invention, whose X-ray diffraction diagram has lines at the same diffraction angles as reported for the β-form.
In a preferred embodiment of the process according to the invention, 1,8-diaminonaphthalene is added at reaction temperature to a solution or suspension of phthalic anhydride and trimellitic acid or trimellitic acid derivative in an organic solvent. The 1,8-diaminonaphthalene can be added in dissolved form, for example in an organic solvent such as N-methylpyrrolidone, in molten form or in solid form.
The invention further relates to a process for preparing the dye of the formula (I) in the β-form, which is characterized in that the dye of the formula (I) in the α-form as described above is dissolved in an organic solvent, for example in one of the above-specified solvents, especially in N-methylpyrrolidone, preferably at a temperature of 80 to 160° C., and the dye of the formula (I) is precipitated in the presence of trimellitic acid or derivatives thereof, preferably in the presence of a compound of the formula II.
The invention further provides an aqueous dispersion containing 20 to 50% by weight of the dye of the formula I in the β-form and 0.1 to 5% by weight of a dispersant, based on the dye present in the dispersion.
Useful dispersants are in particular the polyglycols disclosed in EP-A 488 933.
In a preferred embodiment, the polyglycol has a molecular weight of 900-15 000, especially 5000-8000, g/mol, calculated from the OH number. In a further preferred embodiment, the polyglycol is a copolymer of propylene oxide and ethylene oxide. In a further preferred embodiment, the polyglycol is a copolymer of propylene oxide and ethylene oxide which has an average molar mass, calculated from the OH number, of 2000 to 10 000 g/mol.
In a further preferred embodiment, the amount of polyglycol is 1-3% by weight, based on the dry dye.
The advantage of the aqueous dispersion according to the invention is the higher dye content compared with a corresponding dispersion containing the dye of the formula I in the α-form.
The aqueous dispersion can also be spray dried, in which case the spray drying conditions mentioned in EP-A-488 933 are preferably applied.
The invention also relates to a solid preparation containing 95 to 99.9% by weight of dye of the formula I in the β-form and 0.1 to 5% by weight of a dispersant, based on the dye.
The dispersant is preferably one of the polyols indicated above.
The solid preparations according to the invention are preferably obtained by spray drying the aqueous dispersion according to the invention.
The solid preparation according to the invention preferably contains 95 to 99.9% by weight of dye of the formula I in the β-form and 0.1 to 5% by weight of a dispersant, the sum total of dye of the formula I in the β-form and dispersant, based on the solid preparation, is more than 96% by weight, preferably more than 97%, especially more than 99%, by weight.
The solid preparation is preferably a pulverulent or granular product.
The dye of the formula (I) according to the invention in the β-form is very useful for mass coloration of plastics. The dye of the formula (I) produces orange colorations.
Therefore the invention also relates to a composition containing the dye and a plastic.
Mass coloration, as the term is used herein, describes especially processes in which the dye is incorporated into the molten plastic material, for example using an extruder, or in which the dye is added to starting components for the production of the plastic, for example to monomers prior to polymerization.
Suitable plastics include thermoplastics, for example vinyl polymers, polyesters, polyamides and also polyolefins, for example polyethylene and polypropylene, or polycarbonates.
Suitable vinyl polymers include polystyrene, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers, styrene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-butadiene-acrylonitrile terpolymers, polymethacrylate, and polyvinyl chloride.
Also useful are polyesters such as for example polyethylene terephthalates, polycarbonates and cellulose esters.
Preference is given to polystyrene, styrene interpolymers, polycarbonates, polymethacrylates and polyamides. Particular preference is given to polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene.
The macromolecular compounds mentioned can be present individually or in mixtures, as plastically deformable materials or melts.
The dyes according to the invention are preferably applied in finely divided form, for which the use of dispersants is possible but not mandatory.
When the dye (I) is used in the β-form after polymerization of the plastic, it is preferably mixed or ground dry with the polymer chips and this mixture is plastificated and homogenized, for example on mixing rolls or in screws. But the dyes can also be added to the liquid melt and homogeneously dispersed therein by stirring. This precoloured material can then be further processed as usual, for example by spinning, into bristles, filaments, etc. or by extrusion or injection moulding into shaped articles.
Since the dye of the formula (I) is stable to polymerization catalysts, especially peroxides, it is also possible to add the dye to the monomeric starting materials for the plastics and then to polymerize in the presence of polymerization catalysts. To this end, the dye is preferably dissolved in or intimately mixed with the monomeric components.
The dye of the formula (I) in the β-form is preferably used for colouring the polymers mentioned in amounts of 0.0001 to 1% by weight, especially 0.01 to 0.5% by weight, based on the amount of polymer.
By adding pigments insoluble in the polymers, for example titanium dioxide, it is possible to obtain corresponding useful hiding colorations.
Suitable amounts of titanium dioxide are about 0.01 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 5% by weight, based on the amount of polymer.
The process according to the invention provides transparent or hiding brilliant orange colorations possessing good thermal stability and also good fastness to light, weather and sublimation.
The process according to the invention can also utilize mixtures of the dye of the formula (I) with other dyes and/or inorganic or organic pigments.
The examples hereinbelow, in which the parts and percentages are by weight, illustrate the invention.
EXAMPLES
Comparative Example 1
The dye of the formula (I) was prepared similarly to the procedure of Example 1 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,931. The dye thus obtained was in the α-form and had the X-ray diffraction diagram of FIG. 1 .
Comparative Example 2
The dye of the formula (I) was prepared similarly to B. K. Manukian, Helvetica Chimica Acta, p. 2002, compound II. The dye thus obtained was likewise in the α-form and had the X-ray diffraction diagram of FIG. 1 .
Inventive Example 1
To a mixture of 340 parts of N-methylpyrrolidone, 6 parts of toluenesulphonic acid, 3 parts of trimellitic anhydride and 100 parts of phthalic anhydride were added dropwise at 145° C. a solution of 110 parts of N-methylpyrrolidone and 89 parts of 1,8-diaminonaphthalene over 4 hours.
Afterwards the batch was stirred at 145° C. for 2 hours, cooled down to room temperature and filtered with suction. The filter residue was then washed with 125 parts of N-methylpyrrolidone and 500 parts of hot water and dried at 80° C. under reduced pressure.
This provided 133 parts of the dye of the formula (I) in the β-form having the crystal form described in FIG. 2 .
Inventive Example 2
To a mixture of 340 parts of N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), 6 parts of toluenesulphonic acid and 100 parts of phthalic anhydride was added dropwise at 145° C. a solution of 110 parts of N-methylpyrrolidone and 89 parts of 1,8-diaminonaphthalene over 4 hours.
Afterwards the batch was stirred at 145° C. for 2 hours, cooled down to room temperature and filtered with suction. The filter residue was then washed with 125 parts of N-methylpyrrolidone and 500 parts of hot water and dried at 80° C. under reduced pressure.
This provided 132 parts of the dye of the formula (I) in the α-form having the crystal form described in FIG. 1 .
Inventive Example 3
130 parts of the dye of the formula I in the α-form (prepared according to Comparative Example 1) and 4 parts of the condensation product of trimellitic acid and 1,8-diaminonaphthalene (formula II) were introduced into 350 parts of NMP and heated to 145° C. The batch was then cooled down to 20° C. over 6 hours, subsequently stirred at 20° C. for 1 hour and filtered. The filter cake was washed with 100 parts of methanol and then with 500 parts of water. Drying at 80° C. under reduced pressure resulted in 124.6 parts of the dye of the formula I in the β-form having the crystal form described in FIG. 2 .
Property Profiles
A comparison of the properties of the dye of the formula (I) in the α-form according to Comparative Example 1 or 2 and the β-form according to either of Inventive Examples 1 and 3 presents the following table.
α-form
β-form
Bulk density in g/cm 3
0.16
0.29
Filtration to isolate the
good
very good
dye from the reaction
(even without
mixture
application of reduced
pressure)
Solids content of an
14 to 20% by
38 to 45% by weight
aqueous slurry
weight
containing 2% by
weight, based on the
slurry, of an EO/PO
block polyetherpolyol
(Pluronic ®) as an
emulsifier
In addition, the α-form can only be prepared in a smaller amount than the β-form in an industrial-scale batch in a defined reaction vessel, since the α-form very quickly gives rise to stirring problems. This is not the case with the β-form. Hence the β-form also permits a higher space-time yield. | A novel crystal form of C.I. Solvent Orange 60 gives a higher space-time yield in dye synthesis and is more easily finished. | 2 |
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 013,439 filed Feb. 4, 1993, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 733,345 filed Jul. 22, 1991, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,975.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pill holding bottles have been used for many years. The caps or closures of these bottles are attached to the bottle by many means, among which is threads.
It is desirable to have an indicator on the cap, or shoulder of the bottle that is for the purpose of indicating if a pill taker has taken or not taken a pill or pills, or tablets, or capsules, etc.
The indicator may indicate many pill takings, or only one pill taking.
The indicator may be adapted to any type of cap or bottle, the only requirement is that the indicator is movable to a new position, and that it is detented by some means to any position that it is moved from or to.
The indicator may conceal an indication from view, or alternatively expose the indication to view.
The desirability of having an indicator for pill bottles appears to be real. A special non-pill bottle package for birth control pills is in effect--an entire package which is an indicator, having a dose in each compartment of the indicator package. This birth control pill package is constructed as one large indicator.
Once the idea of how this indicator might be included at a cost consistent with the cost of packaging pills in bottles, then the approaches that are to be found in the figures in the disclosures became apparent.
There are no indicators added to pill bottle caps, or bottles for that matter, in production today, in spite of pill bottles and caps being in use for years. The need and market acceptability has existed for as many years, so the conclusion must be that no one in that business has found a way to include an indicator at a cost which would be "digested" by the marketplace.
In operation one takes a pill, etc., moves the indicator to a position that corresponds (for that person) to having taken that pill, etc., and the indicator acts as a reminder that, that particular pill, etc., has been taken.
At the simplest, one can include an indicator with only one additional inexpensive part that snaps into, or onto, a part that is already needed and has been altered to accept this part.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention, therefore, is provide an indicator on a pill, etc., bottle which will be of sufficiently low cost that it will be acceptable in the marketplace, and if the indicator is designed so as to use a part of the cap or bottle to receive the part or parts required for the indicator, that the cost of providing an indicator can be minimized to a point where the cost is acceptable in the marketplace.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows the indicator as part of the pill bottle cap in a circular configuration.
FIG. 1A is a vertical cross sectional view of the cap shown in FIG. 1 taken in the direction of arrows 1A--1A of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 shows the indicator as part of the pill bottle cap in a linear configuration.
FIG. 3 shows the indicator as part of the pill bottle.
FIG. 4 shows the pill bottle cap of FIG. 2 attached to the pill bottle.
FIG. 5 is a top view of the pill bottle of FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view looking at the indicator perpendicular to a plane defined by arrows 6--6 in FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the total pill bottle assembly 10 and 10' consists of a bottle 12 and 12', a neck portion 14 and 14' that receives cap assembly 20 and 20'. Cap assembly 20 and 20' is a hollow cylindrical member which includes a portion 22 and 22' which is adapted to connect cap 20 and 20' to area 14 and 14' of bottle 12 and 12', and a closed end 40 of cap 20 and 20' including an annular wall 38 which will receive the moving portion of the indicator 28 and 28'. The interior surface of portion 22 and 22' may be threaded to mate with a thread 42 and 42' on area 14 and 14' or portion 22 and 22' may be attached to area 14 and 14' by other means known well in the art. Cap 20 and 20' define an annular cavity 26 and 26' which will receive an indicator portion 28 and 28', or alternatively annular cavity 26 and 26' can receive a part (not shown) with the numbers of letters on it, which will act with the moving additional indicator portion 28 and 28'.
Moving part 28 and 28' is snapped into annular cavity 26 and 26' the surrounding circular boss 29 and has a detent means 32 and 32' integrally contained on said annular movable member which cooperates with cap 20 or 20'. The moving part 28' of FIGS. 2 and 5 is sized to fit securely within area 26' such that it is retained by the side walls of area 26' and is slidable along the linear path provided by area 26'. The detent means includes a circumferential projection member extending from the annular moveable member and a receiving groove in the annular wall. Moving part 28 and 28' may also include a means 34 and 34' to facilitate the movement of part 28 and 28' by an outside agency such as a finger of an individual. Moving part 28 and 28' may also include a window 30 and 30', through which numbers, letters, or other markings are viewed.
In FIGS. 1 and 2 are also shown 23 and 23'. 23 and 23' is a separation of part 22 and 22', which is attached to the neck 14 and 14' of the bottle 12 and 12', such that the non-bottle attached portion of cap 20 and 20' is attached to portion 22 and 22' by means of a hinge 44 or some other means, and includes means 46 for closing the cap 20 and 20'. These means are shown in FIG. 1A.
Turning to FIG. 3, only the bottle 112 and the indicator 128 are shown as 110. The shoulder area of bottle 112 below the cap has been adapted to receive indicator part 128.
The explanation of 26 and 26' of the FIGS. 1 and 2, applies to area 126, and the explanations for 30 and 30', 32 and 32', and 34 and 34' relate to 130, 132, and 134 similarly.
FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show embodiments of a method of including an indicator on either the cap or bottle, of a pill bottle. The method shown only requires a change in the cap or bottle to receive a moving part and the addition of detent and marking. These parts will then preform as an indicator, that is changed (operated) at the time of taking a pill, etc., to become an indication that the pill, etc., has been taken, or should be taken.
Included are the situations where a second part which includes some or all of the indicator information may also be added, if that information is not included when the bottle or cap is manufactured.
The indicator information has been shown as part of the moving part receiving area, but it is also recognized that this information could have been included outside the moving part receiving area.
The patent thus shows that by using the method shown, an indicator for a pill bottle may be incorporated at very low cost, the lowest cost being achieved when only one low cost part is added to an altered cap or bottle. | A combination pill bottle cap and indicator device adapted to function as the closure or cover for a pill bottle or container. The device includes an indicator providing a visual indication for the user that a pill has been or should be removed from the bottle for consumption. | 6 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to portable hand looms capable of being packaged in a relatively small space and capable of being manufactured of such inexpensive materials, such as cardboard, so as to be considered disposable in nature.
2. Prior Art
Looms used for weaving usually have a base of essentially fixed dimension over which the warp threads are maintained in a taut condition for application of the weft or cross threads. Tension in the warp is generally maintained and controlled by some anciallary means to take into account adjustments required for warp take-up as the weaving progresses as well as warp relaxation when the loom is not being used. Without a means for warp control, looms must be limited in size being restricted to relatively small weavings.
Where compactness is of importance, such as in merchandising of a weaving kit which would include a loom for working a single relatively large weaving and where it is essential to maximize the number of displayed units, a foldable loom, low in cost, of limited use and independent of the size of the finished weaving is of much value.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a loom which is particularly suited for construction of inexpensive materials such as cardboard which can be produced in quantity and economically on modern die-cutting machines, so as to be considered disposable, which can be folded to relatively small size, which is so constructed that the entire warp can be applied as one continuous thread, that creates a continuous warp which can be rotated around the loom as the weaving progresses, that can control and equalize tension, that can change it physical lateral dimension to allow for warp take-up and complete tension control.
With the advant of craft hobbies calling for the merchandising of prepared kits to complete specific projects, compact, inexpensive, portable looms are desired which are capable of weaving relatively large pieces. Compactness is of importance for purposes of packaging, shipping and display. For teaching and classroom use, where each student would require the use of a loom for both in and out of classroom working, an inexpensive loom which can become the property of the student would be of much value. This present loom satisfies all these requirements being simple in form, relatively easy to set up and work, and capable of weaving relatively large pieces.
The loom of the present invention can be collapsed and folded into a small flat package suitable for carrying in a notebook, purse or pocket and is easily set into working condition.
The loom includes a base formed of two independent elements which can be maintained in any of various fixed positions relative to each other, each element made of a stiff springy material adapted to be bowed. The relative positions of the two base elements can be altered before or after the warp is prepared, enabling the elements to assume a flat or various degrees of a bowed configuration, depending on desired warp tension.
A detailed description following, related to drawings, gives exemplification of this loom according to the invention which, however, it capable of expression in means other then those particularly described and illustrated.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the loom warped and having a fabric partially woven.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the folded loom.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the loom in warping condition with warp partially prepared.
FIG. 4 is an end view of the loom illustrating tensioning proceedure.
FIG. 5 is an end view of the loom showing movement of base elements as required to rotate warp.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 & 2 show one embodiment of a loom of this invention, 1. As seen in FIG. 1, the loom has a base of two elements, a bottom forward element 2 and a top rear element 3 which are formed of a stiff material, preferably cardboard, of such consistency that it can bend to some extent without breaking. At least one longitudional straight edge of each element is preferably provided with grooves 4 and 4a to uniformly space the warp threads 5. On the two lateral sides of the bottom base element 2, spaced cuts 6 are provided to permit the forming of any of possible raised tabs 7 when any section between two cuts is bent up 90°. Additional rows of edge tabs 8 could be provided along lines parallel to the lateral edge as might be required for additional strength. A notch 9 is provided along the inner longitudional edge of the top element 3 to engage a selected edge tap of element 2 and assure alignment. A warp holding notch 10 and 10a is provided at each end of notched edge 4a to secure warp ends during the warping process. Scored lines 12, forming unequal seqments, are provided for folding the loom and are arranged so that when the two base elements 2 and 3 are positioned, the fold lines do not align. Lease sticks 11, two narrow strips of stiff material, woven through the warp and tied together, is a preferred method of maintaining warp thread alignment. Size of both base elements is preferably identical with the width or longitudional dimension equal to slightly more then the desired weaving width while the depth or lateral dimension of the assembled base is slightly more then one-half the desired weaving length. In the assembled weaving position, FIG. 1, the base elements should overlap approximately one-third of the total base lateral dimension. For simplicity of manufacture and interchangeability of base elements, both elements 2 and 3 would preferably be made identical.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the completely folded loom indicating a suggested folding pattern for each of elements 2 and 3 and lease sticks 11, with scored lines 12 forming unequal seqments.
OPERATION
Referring to FIG. 3, in preparing the loom for warping, the two base elements 2 and 3 are opened flat and positioned one over the other with the folding score lines 12 not aligned and grooved edge 4 of the top element 3 towards the rear and the grooved edge 4a of bottom element 2 towards the front. With a pair of corresponding, centrally located tabs 7 of the lower element 2 raised, the notches 9 of the top element are engaged to position the two elements for warping.
The end of a continuous warp thread is engaged in a starting notch 10 of the forward base element 2. With the base flat and extending over the edge of a table or other support 13, the warp thread is wrapped loosely in a continuous fashion around both sides of the assembled base 1, being engaged in successive notches 4 and 4a which serve to uniformly space the warp. When a sufficient width of warp has been prepared, the free end is secured to the opposite holding notch 10a on the forward base element 2. Each of the warp ends is now released, in turn, and the free end tied to the adjacent warp thread near the front base edge 4a. The warp is now free to rotate, in its entirety, around the loom as it has no fixed attachment. The lease sticks 1 are woven under and over successive warp threads, each stick weaving under alternate threads, and then tied together at the ends. These sticks define the two working sheds and maintain alignment of the warp threads.
To weave, the warp threads are made taut by increasing the lateral dimension of the loom, causing it to bow and exert an outward force on the warp. Referring to FIG. 4, diagram A, holding the bottom base element 2 down, swing the top base element 3 up from the rear, letting the warp threads slide through their respective notches 4, both elements bending slightly outward due to the restriction of the warp. In this position, illustrated by FIG. 4, diagram B, the inner edge of base element 3, where it is in contact with base element 2, is easily moved forward or backward. For tensioning, swing this edge back past one or two tab positions and raise two new corresponding tabs 7 in front of this edge. Return the two base elements to their working position by pressing down on the inner edge of the rear element 3, till it is in contact with element 2. The two elements of the base, acting together, will assume a bowed position exerting an outward pressure, tensioning the warp. Because of the flexible nature of the base material, the base will tend to provide an equalized tension on all threads.
Begin weaving at the front edge 4a by using a needle or other common weaving technique. When the work reaches a point where it is difficult to proceed because of the short length of exposed warp, the warp is rotated, exposing the unworked warp from the back of the loom to the front and placing the worked section of the warp at the back. The point where rotation is necessary will vary depending on the weaving technique used. To rotate the warp, eliminate the tension in the warp by pressing both restraining tabs 7 down, disengaging the two base elements. Referring to FIG. 5, hold both elements vertical, one in each hand, and rotate them while maintaining them in this vertical position. The entire warp is easily lifted by the back element and transferred to the front element in a rotated position. Repeat as necessary till the working edge of the weaving nears the front loom edge. Retension the warp by putting the base into a bowed position as described above. Slide the lease sticks 11 toward the back edge 4 of the base, realigning any crossed warp threads. Starting at one end of the warps, position all warp threads in their original edge notches along edge 4. Continue weaving on the newly exposed warp threads. When weaving is stopped for any length of time, it is a good practice to reduce warp tension to avoid warp stretch and to prevent the loom material from assuming a permanent set. This is accomplished by moving the rear element 3, to a more forward set of tabs 7. As weaving proceeds, the warp will shorten due to warp take-up. When the bowing of the base or tension becomes excessive, move the rear base element 3, to a more forward set of tabs 7, reducing the lateral dimension of the loom.
With both base elements identical, top and bottom pieces can be exchanged, the unused tabs of the previous top element now able to be used. This feature is useful should there be failure of the tabs and can thus extend the useful life of the loom. With edge warp notches 4 provided on both longitudional edges of both base elements, both elements can be rotated and used in new positions. Should a bowed permanent `set` in the base elements occur, preventing adequate tension, the curvature or bowing can be reversed and the weaving can proceed on the opposite side of the loom. | An apparatus for weaving having two normally stiff flat springy pieces forming the base which, by varying their relationship to each other, can exert varying degrees of tension on the supported warp threads which extend, in a continuous fashion, completely around both faces of the base, the warp being applied with the base in a flat position so that the base assumes a bowed configuration when the relationship of the two pieces forming the base are altered, with the tendency of the base to return to its normally straight position acting to keep the warp threads in tension. | 3 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sewing apparatus and, more particularly, to a sewing apparatus having a milling drill for grooving a slot in a cassette, which holds work to be sewed, in accordance with a sewing pattern.
2. Description of Related Art
A sewing apparatus of that type is known, for instance, as shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, a sewing apparatus 1 comprises a table 2, a sewing machine 3 disposed on the table 2, and an X-Y moving unit 4 disposed on the same. This X-Y moving apparatus 4 moves a cassette 5 which holds work to be sewed in X and Y directions relative to the sewing machine 3, whereby the work is sewed into a predetermined pattern. As shown in FIG. 8, the cassette 5 includes, for example, a holding plate 6 for holding work and a fixing plate 7 for fixing the holding plate 6 to the X-Y moving unit 4 of the sewing apparatus 1. A slot 8 corresponding to a sewing pattern is grooved in the holding plate 6. This slot 8 is grooved using a milling unit 9 attached to the top part 3a of the sewing apparatus 1 before actually sewing the work.
This milling unit 9 includes a milling drill 10 and a vertical driving mechanism (not shown) for vertically moving the milling drill 10, and an end mill 10a for grooving purposes which is fixedly inserted into the lower end of the milling drill 10. The rotation, interruption, and vertical movement of the milling drill 10 are effected as a result of operation of a drill rotation/stop switch and a drill up/down switch provided on a control panel 11 by an operator.
To groove a slot, the milling drill 10 is moved downwardly so as to make the tip end of the end mill 10a create a hole at a predetermined location (a processing start position) of the cassette 5. Thereafter, the start switch of the control panel 11 is turned on to actuate the X-Y moving unit 4, so that the cassette 5 is moved in the X and Y directions. As a result, the grooving of a slot for one sewing pattern is automatically carried out. At this time, the X-Y moving unit 4 moves the cassette 5 based on sewing data which the sewing machine 3 utilizes to sew the work.
If the slot is grooved based on sewing data for one sewing pattern that includes the repetition of sewing action and feeding action for feeding the cassette without stitching action of a needle, the milling drill 10 is stopped and moved upwards by operating the drill rotation/stop switch and the drill up/down switch on the control panel 11 after the slot for the beginning of the sewing pattern (for example, area A shown in FIG. 6) has been grooved. Then, a feed switch (not shown) on the control panel 11 is turned on to actuate the X-Y moving table 4, whereby the cassette 5 is fed over a predetermined distance to the next sewing start position (for example, position P shown in FIG. 6). The feeding action of the X-Y moving unit 4 at this time is carried out based on feeding data included in the sewing data.
The milling drill 10 moves downwards and then rotates as a result of the operation of the drill rotation/stop switch and the drill up/down switch on the control panel 11 by the operator. Accordingly, a hole is formed at the machining start position on the cassette 5. The start switch on the control panel 11 is then turned on, so that the X-Y moving unit 4 is actuated to move the cassette 5 in accordance with the sewing pattern. In this way, the grooving of the cassette 5 for the next portion of the sewing pattern (for example, area B shown in FIG. 6) is automatically effected.
A plurality of slots 8 are grooved in the cassette 5, as shown for example in FIG. 6, through the repetition of the above mentioned operations.
However, in the case of sewing pattern data that include repetition of sewing action and feeding action, it is necessary for the operator to operate the switches on the control panel 11 in order to downwardly move and rotate the milling drill 10 and start the feeding action of the X-Y moving apparatus 4 every time a slot for an area to be sewed is grooved. Further, every time the cassette is fed after the slot for one pattern has been grooved, it is necessary for the operator to operate the switches on the control panel 11 so as to stop and move the milling drill 10 upwards and start the feeding action of the X-Y moving unit 4. In this way, the grooving of the slot based on the above mentioned sewing pattern data involves frequent switching action, which results in a physical burden on the operator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is conceived in view of the foregoing drawback in the conventional art and is, as its object, to provide a sewing apparatus which requires a reduced number of switching operations when grooving a slot in a cassette for holding work to be sewed in accordance with a sewing pattern and which is capable of alleviating a physical burden on the operator.
The above object is achieved by a sewing apparatus, according to one aspect of the present invention, comprising:
a sewing mechanism;
a cassette holding a work to be sewed into a pattern;
an X-Y unit for moving the cassette in a horizontal direction in relation to the stitching mechanism;
memory means for storing sewing data for actuating the X-Y unit in accordance with a sewing pattern and feeding data for feeding the X-Y unit;
a milling drill for grooving the cassette to create a slot;
a vertical drive mechanism for vertically moving the milling drill, wherein the milling drill is rotated and moved downward by the vertical drive mechanism and, concurrently, the X-Y unit is actuated based on the sewing data while the milling drill is grooving the cassette so as to form the slot in accordance with the sewing pattern, and wherein the rotation of the milling drill is stopped while being moved upward by the vertical drive mechanism and, concurrently, the X-Y unit is actuated to feed the cassette based on the feeding data;
drill control means which drives the vertical drive mechanism downwardly as well as starts the rotation of the milling drill when the X-Y unit is actuated on the basis of the sewing data fetched from the memory means, and which stops the rotation of the milling drill as well as upwardly drives the vertical drive mechanism when the X-Y unit is actuated on the basis of the feeding data fetched from the memory means.
In the sewing apparatus of the present invention, the drill control means drives the vertical drive mechanism downwardly as well as starts the rotation of the milling drill when actuating the X-Y unit on the basis of the feeding data, which makes it unnecessary for the operator to perform switching action for rotating and moving downwards the milling drill every time a slot is grooved.
Further, the drill control means stops the rotation of the milling drill as well as drives the vertical drive mechanism upwardly when actuating the X-Y unit on the basis of the feeding data, thereby rendering switching action for stopping the rotation and starting upward movement of the milling drill needed for each grooving operation unnecessary.
Therefore, even when grooving is repeatedly carried out on the basis of the sewing data and the feeding data, grooving is automatically carried out so long as the operator performs an operation for starting the grooving at the outset.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a sewing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a control panel of the sewing apparatus of the embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a grooving mode of a control system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an automatic mode of the control system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a manual mode of the control system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing one example of a cassette having a plurality of slots;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the entirety of a conventional sewing apparatus; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a cassette.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, a sewing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The sewing apparatus of the present invention can be basically formed so as to have the similar configuration and appearance to the conventional sewing apparatus shown in FIG. 7. For this reason, the same reference numerals are provided to designate corresponding elements, and their explanation will be omitted as required.
FIG. 1 shows one example of a control system of the sewing apparatus of the present embodiment. This sewing apparatus is provided with a sewing machine 3, a main shaft driver 14 for driving a motor 13 coupled to the main shaft (not shown) of the sewing machine 3, an X-Y driver 17 for driving an X-axis drive motor 15 for moving an X-Y moving unit 4 in the X direction and a Y-axis drive motor 16 for moving the X-Y moving unit 4 in the Y direction, a milling driver 19 for driving a milling drill 10 of a milling unit 9 and a vertical drive mechanism (an air cylinder) 18, a floppy disk driver 20, and a control panel 11'. These units are connected to a CPU 22 via an interface unit 21. The CPU 22 is further connected to a RAM 23.
The RAM 23 has regions for temporarily holding sewing data and feeding data read from the floppy disk (FD) 24, and a variety of registration and setting data input through the control panel 11'.
As shown in FIG. 2, the control panel 11' comprises: a mode selection switch 25 for switching between sewing mode and grooving (milling) mode; switches used for grooving (a drill up/down switch 26, a drill rotation/stop switch 27, and a start switch 28); a pattern number switch 29 for selecting pattern data; a first timer switch 30 for setting a time t1 from the start of downward movement of the milling drill and the start of feeding action; a second timer 31 for setting a time t2 from the start of upward movement of the milling drill 10 to the start of feeding action; numeric keys 32 from 0-9, a registration key 33; and an automatic/manual mode changeover switch 38. Further, a pattern number display 34, a timer display 35 associated with the first timer switch 30, and a timer display 36 associated with the second timer switch 31 are disposed for displaying results of setting by the side of the pattern number setting switch 29, the first timer switch 30, and the second timer switch 31. An error display is provided upward the first timer display 35.
In the case of this control panel 11', the first timer switch 30 and the second timer switch 31 are selectively actuated after the pattern number setting switch 29 has been actuated. Subsequently, three figures designated are input using the numeric keys 32, whereupon the input values are displayed on the respective displays 34 to 36. As a result of pressing action of the registration key 33, pattern data are fetched from the floppy disk 24 to the CPU 22.
The CPU 22 transfers the pattern data (sewing data and feeding data) read from the floppy disk 24 to the RAM 23, and the pattern data are temporarily held in the RAM 23. The CPU 22 holds a program for executing processing shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 in its internal memory, and it issues control signals to the main shaft driver 14, the X-Y driver 17, and the milling driver 19 on the basis of the pattern data stored in the RAM 23 and detection data fed from sensors disposed on the sewing machine 3 and the X-Y moving unit 4.
The control operation of the above mentioned control system will now be described. Control operation in the sewing mode is similar to the control operation of a known sewing apparatus of the same type, and characteristic control operation in a grooving mode according to the present invention will solely be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, to begin with, the operator turns on the pattern number setting key 29 in a grooving mode (step S1) to select a necessary pattern data number using the numeric keys 32 (step S2). If it is necessary to set the time t1 from the start of downward movement of the milling drill 10 to the start of feeding action, the first timer switch 30 is turned on (step S3) to set the time t1 using the numeric keys 32 (step S4). Further, if it is necessary to set the time t2 from the start of upward movement of the milling drill 10 to the feeding action, the second timer switch 31 is turned on (step S5) to set the time t2 using the numeric keys 32 (step S6).
The results of the previously mentioned setting are displayed on the respective displays 34, 35, and 36 on the control panel 11'. The operator checks the settings on the displays 34, 35, and 36. If any one of the settings must be changed, the operator presses the corresponding key from among the keys 29, 30, and 31 again and updates the setting using the numeric keys 32. However, unless the settings must be changed, the registration key 33 is turned on. As a result of the turning on of the registration key 33, necessary data corresponding to the settings are read from the floppy disk 24 to the CPU 22, and the thus read data are transferred to the RAM 23 which temporarily holds the data (steps S7 and S8).
Then, the mode is selected by means of the automatic/manual mode selection switch 38. The processing proceeds to a flow chart shown in FIG. 4 when the automatic mode is selected, whilst it proceeds to a flow chart shown in FIG. 5 when the manual mode is selected (step S9).
In the automatic mode, a series of operations shown in FIG. 4 are automatically executed by only switching the start switch 28 on the control panel 11'.
Specifically, when the start switch 28 is pressed (step S10), it is first checked as to whether or not data to be used are the sewing data (step S11). If the data are the sewing data, the milling drill 10 is rotated (step S12), and the vertical drive mechanism 18 is subsequently driven downwardly, whereby the milling drill 10 moves downwards (step S13). After the passage of the preset time t1 (step S14), the X-Y unit 4 is actuated at a predetermined low speed on the basis of the sewing data (step S15), whereby the slot 8 is created in the cassette 5 in accordance with the sewing pattern.
The X-Y unit 4 is stopped at the time when the execution of the sewing data is finished (steps S16 and S17). Grooving of the slot for one area to be sewed is finished at this time, and the vertical drive mechanism 18 is driven upwards immediately after the completion of the grooving operation, so that the milling drill 10 moves upwards (step S18). After the passage of the preset time t2, the rotation of the milling drill 10 is stopped (steps S19 and S20).
Subsequently, it is checked as to whether or not the data to be used are feeding data (step S21). If the data are the feeding data, only the X-Y unit 4 is actuated at a predetermined high speed on the basis of the feeding data (step S22). The X-Y unit 4 is stopped at the time when the execution of the feeding data is finished (step S23), whereby the cassette 5 is fed to the next processing start position.
Moreover, if there are another sewing data to be used, the operations in the steps S11 to S20 are executed. If there are another feeding data to be used, the operations in the steps S21 and S23 are executed.
As a result of the repetition of these operations, the grooving of the cassette is repeatedly carried out on the basis of the sewing data and the feeding data. All of the operations are terminated at the time when the execution of all the data is finished (step S24), whereby the slot 8 for areas to be sewed is formed in the cassette 5 (FIG. 6).
In this way, all the operations following the pressing action of the start switch 28 on the control panel 11' are automatically executed in this automatic mode. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of switching action and a physical burden on the operator resulting from the switching action.
The manual mode shown in FIG. 5 will now be described.
In this manual mode, substantially similar switching actions are required as the conventional sewing apparatus to groove the cassette.
Specifically, every time the cassette is grooved, the operator operates the drill rotation/stop switch 27 and the drill up/down switch 26 on the control panel 11' to rotate and move downward the milling drill 10 and, thereafter, starts the actuation of the X-Y unit 4 by operating the start switch 28 (steps S25 to S36). In this case, the actuation of the X-Y unit 4 is controlled on the basis of the sewing data as in the automatic mode, but it is fed at a slow speed.
However, in this case, the sewing apparatus is automated in such a way as to stop the X-Y unit 4 at the time when the execution of the sewing data is finished (step S37), to drive the vertical drive mechanism 18 upwardly immediately after the X-Y unit 4 has stopped, so that the milling drill 10 moves upwardly (step S38), and to stop the rotation of the milling drill 10 (step S39).
Further, if it is judged that the data to be used are the feeding data, it will be checked as to whether or not the milling drill 10 is in an elevated position. If the milling drill 10 is in a lowered position, an error message appears on an error display 37 on the control panel 11' (steps S41 and S48). On the other hand, if the milling drill 10 is in an elevated position, the X-Y unit 4 is actuated at a high speed on the basis of the feeding data in the same manner as previously mentioned (steps S42 and S43). The X-Y unit 4 is stopped (step S44) at the time when the execution of the feeding data is finished.
Furthermore, it is checked as to whether or not the milling drill 10 is in rotation during the grooving action. If an error arises, the error message appears on the error display 37 on the control panel 11' (steps S34 and S47).
In this manual mode, it is possible for the operator to rotate and move downwards the milling drill 10 by operating the switches on the control panel 11' during the grooving of the cassette for an area to be sewed. For this reason, it is possible for the operator to check the state in which the end mill 10a grooves the cassette 5 before starting the feeding of the cassette 5.
Since the sewing apparatus of the present embodiment allows the operator to select a mode using the automatic/manual mode selection switch 38, it becomes possible for the operator to check the state in which the end mill is grooving the cassette by selecting the manual mode if the cassette 5 is made of materials which may be too hard for the end mill 10a to groove. Once it is acknowledged that the end mill 10a can successfully groove the cassette 5, it is possible to reduce the number of steps of operation by selecting the automatic mode.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment set forth above.
In the above embodiment, the timers made up of software manage the time t1 from the start of the downward movement of the milling drill 10 to the start of the feeding of the cassette and the time t2 from the start of the upward movement of the milling drill 10 to the start of the feeding of the cassette (steps S14 and S19). However, it may be possible to provide the milling unit 9 with a sensor capable of detecting the upward and downward movement of the milling drill 10, so that the actuation of the X-Y unit 4 is started as a result of sensing of the upward and downward movement of the milling drill 10 (steps S15 and S20).
In short, according to the sewing apparatus of the present invention, even when the cassette is repeatedly grooved according to the sewing data and the feeding data for repeatedly sewing the work in a pattern, grooving is automatically carried out so long as the operator performs the start operation of the grooving at the outset. As a result, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of switching action and the physical burden on the operator resulting from the switching action. | A sewing apparatus is provided with an X-Y unit 4 for horizontally moving a cassette in relation to a sewing machine 3, memory 23 for holding sewing data for driving the X-Y unit 4 in accordance with a sewing pattern and feeding data for feeding only the cassette without entailing stitching action, a drill 10 for grooving a slot in the cassette, a vertical drive mechanism 18 for vertically moving the drill 10, and a CPU 22. The drill 10 is moved downward while rotating, and the X-Y unit 4 is actuated on the basis of the sewing data to form the slot. After the drill 10 has become deactivated and moved upwards, the cassette is fed on the basis of the feeding data. Since the CPU 22 executes the rotation and downward movement of the drill 10 at the time of grooving and the upward movement and interruption of rotation of the drill 10 at the time of feeding, switching operation required to rotate, move downward, move upward and to stop the drill 10 becomes unnecessary. | 3 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Patent Application PCT/EP2010/069034, filed Dec. 7, 2010, published in English as International Patent Publication WO 2011/069993 A1 on Jun. 16, 2011, which claims the benefit under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty to European Patent Application Serial No. 09178406.6, filed Dec. 8, 2009.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The invention relates to a modified phage display that allows the specific detection of citrullinated proteins. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for citrullinating proteins displayed by phage, without losing phage infectivity, and the detection and selection of those proteins by biopanning. In a preferred embodiment, the phage is a T7 phage.
BACKGROUND
[0003] More than 20 years ago, phage display technology was developed by Smith (1985). The technique is based on the ability of phage virions, virus particles that infect and amplify in bacteria, to incorporate foreign DNA into their genome, coupled to a gene encoding a phage coat protein (Smith, 1985; Webster, 1996). After infection, phage protein components are produced by the protein translation machinery of the infected bacterial host cell and the incorporated DNA is translated into the corresponding DNA product, covalently coupled to the phage coat protein. Upon phage virion assembly, the recombinant coat protein will be incorporated into the virion protein coat (Webster, 1996). The peptide/protein product, encoded by the DNA insert, is displayed at the surface of the phage particle and is thus available for experimental strategies. The strength of the phage display technology lies within the physical link between DNA and DNA product (through the protein coat of the virus), which allows for the succession of affinity selection and amplification of selected phage particles resulting in powerful enrichment of selected phage and an increase in assay sensitivity.
[0004] Different phage display systems have been developed throughout the years, making use of different phage vectors (M13 filamentous phage, lambda, T4 and T7 phage) and various phage coat proteins for covalent fusion. The M13 filamentous phage is employed most commonly. The strength of the filamentous phage display system lies within the lysogenic life cycle of this phage and the availability of M13 phagemid vectors (Webster, 1006; Hufton et al., 1999). Lysogenic phage integrate their DNA into the host cell genome, are replicated along with the bacterial cell and do not require the lysis of the bacterial cell for phage particle formation. Instead, phage particles are shed from the bacterial surface without inducing cell death (Webster, 1996). Moreover, the development of M13 phagemid vectors has allowed for excellent workability. Phagemids are plasmids containing the replication origin and packaging signal of the filamentous phage, together with the plasmid origin of replication and the gene encoding the phage coat protein coupled with the DNA insert (Webster, 1996; Armstrong et al., 1996). For phage propagation, bacterial cells infected with phagemid need to be “superinfected” with a so-called helper phage that provides all the other essential phage components for the formation of viable phage virions. Besides excellent workability, the use of a phagemid vector system allows for monovalent display of the recombinant protein (maximally one recombinant protein per phage virion) as the helper phage contributes non-recombinant phage coat proteins (Armstrong et al., 1996). Different M13 vector systems for phage display through various coat proteins are available (Smith and Petrenko, 1997; Barbas, 1993). Major coat protein pVIII and minor coat protein pIII, are used most frequently for display purposes (Armstrong et al., 1996; Rodi and Makowski, 1999). As the N-terminal end of both proteins is exposed at the phage surface, foreign DNA sequences are inserted upstream of the genes encoding the coat proteins. The development of phage vectors for C-terminal fusion to M13 minor coat protein pVI, of which the C-terminal end is exposed at the surface of the phage, has been an important step towards the development of cDNA phage display libraries (Hufton et al., 1999; Jespers et al., 1995).
[0005] More recently, display methods were also developed in the lytic phage systems, namely for lambda phage, T4 and T7 phage. For the formation and shedding of recombinant lytic phage virions containing recombinant coat proteins, bacterial cells need to be lysed on phage propagation (Russel, 1991). Moreover, as there are no plasmid vectors available for the lytic phage, DNA isolation and experimental approaches are more labor-intensive in comparison to working with plasmids (Sambrook et al., 1989). As both lytic and lysogenic phage life cycles employ different phage assembly strategies, both approaches allow the display of different proteins (Hufton et al., 1999). As the virion proteins of M13 filamentous phage (and thus, also the recombinant phage coat protein) are embedded into the bacterial cell membrane prior to phage virion assembly, this process puts constraints on the proteins that can be displayed at the surface of the phage; for efficient display, the cDNA products must be able to traverse the bacterial cell membrane and need to allow for the formation of a viable and infectious virion (Webster, 1996; Russel, 1991; Rodi et al., 2002). For lytic phage virion production on the other hand, the recombinant proteins are formed and retained within the cytosol of bacterial cells prior and during virion assembly so that the spectrum of recombinant proteins that can be displayed by lytic phage is less constrained (Hufton et al., 1999; Russel, 1991; Krumpe et al., 2006).
[0006] Phage display is a powerful technology used for identifying interacting molecules and ligands for a given target. The technique has a broad range of applications, such as drug and target discovery, protein evolution and rational drug design. Phage particles are amenable to the display of entire peptide libraries, both constrained (cyclic) or unconstrained, antibody fragment libraries (Marks et al., 1991; McCafferty et al., 1990), enzymes (Soumillion et al., 1994), genomes (Jacobsson et al., 2003) and entire, fractionated or full-length, cDNA libraries (Crameri et al., 1994). In this way, the technique has proven to be useful in different domains, such as in the identification of peptide ligands for various targets (as a mimic for peptides/proteins or even carbohydrates and lipids, called peptidomimetics), in epitope mapping, in the development of antibody specificities with increased affinity for a particular ligand and in the elucidation of the substrates targeted by enzymes (Smith and Petrenko, 1997).
[0007] Despite the obtained successes of phage display technology in biochemistry, cancer and immunology research, the main drawback of the technique is the use of the bacterial protein translational machinery for the production of phage virion proteins including the recombinant coat protein. A major difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic protein translation systems is the potential introduction of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in proteins of eukaryotic species. PTMs of proteins such as glycosylation and phosphorylation, play a role in protein functioning and are essential in normal physiological conditions (Alberts et al., 2008). It is, thus, not surprising that aberrant PTMs have been associated with different diseases such as cancer and autoimmunity (Krueger and Srivastava, 2006; Anderton, 2004). To this end, PTMs can be important in the identification of ligands for specific targets.
[0008] Due to the importance of the PTMs, several phage display systems have been developed to detect modified proteins. Panning with in vitro phosphorylated phage has been described for M13/pVIII (Schmitz at al., JMB 260:664-677, 1996; Dente et al, 269:694-703, 1997). Stolz et al. ( FEBS Lett. 440:213-217, 1998) describe the (in vivo) biotinylation of proteins displayed on bacteriophage lambda. U.S. Pat. No. 7,141,366 (New England Biolabs) describes a surface display system where selenocysteine is incorporated in the sequence, whereby this amino acid further can be modified.
[0009] Citrullination, which is the post-translational modification of an arginine amino acid into a citrulline amino acid by peptidyl arginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes ( FIG. 1 ), is one of the PTMs currently focused on in different research domains. During recent years, this PTM has become of increasing interest and is shown to be involved in several physiological processes including terminal differentiation of the epidermis (Mechin et al., 2005; Nachat et al., 2005), apoptosis and gene regulation (Asaga et al., 1998; Li et al., 2008; Yao et al., 2008). Furthermore, citrullination has now also moved into the focus of research on several diseases such as multiple sclerosis (Mastronardi et al., 2006; Musse et al., 2006; Deraos et al., 2008; Nicholas et al., 2004; Raijmakers et al., 2005), Alzheimer's disease (Ishigami et al., 2005), psoriasis (Ishida-Yamamoto et al., 2000) and especially, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (Schellekens et al., 1998; van Boekel and van Venrooij, 2003). These findings indicate the need for a highly sensitive, high-throughput approach for the identification of citrullinated proteins, allowing, as a non-limiting example, the elucidation of the complexity of the RA synovial citrullinome so that more can be learned about its involvement in the pathology and etiology of the disease. Despite its importance, no phage display system for citrullinated proteins has been described. The effecting of citrullination is expected to have a stronger affect on structure and biological activity of the protein that is displayed than phosphorylation, and the techniques applied for other PTMs cannot be applied to citrullination without undue experimentation. Indeed, introduction of citrulline dramatically changes the structure and function of proteins (György et al., 2006) by inducing protein unfolding (Tarsca et al., 1996).
DISCLOSURE
[0010] Surprisingly, and contrary to what would be expected by the person skilled in the art, knowing the protein denaturing effect of a peptidyl arginine deiminase treatment (Tarsca et al., 1996), we found that it is possible to citrullinate a protein, presented by a phage, without losing the infectivity of the phage.
[0011] Described is an infective phage displaying a peptide whereby at least one arginine of the displayed peptide is citrullinated. “Infective,” as used herein, means that the phage is still able to adhere to the host cell, to transfer its genetic material to the host cell and to replicate in the host. A citrullinated phage is considered as infective if, after citrullination, it keeps 20%, preferably 30%, more preferably 40%, more preferably 50%, more preferably 60%, more preferably 70%, even more preferably 80%, most preferably 90% of the infective capacity of the wild-type, as expressed in plaque- or colony-forming units per ml. “Peptide,” as used herein, is referring to a polymer of amino acids and does not refer to a specific length of the molecule. Phages used for phage display are known to the person skilled in the art and include, but are not limited to T4, T7, Lambda and M13. Preferably, the phage is T7. Preferably, the citrullination is carried out in vitro, on one or more peptides displaying phage. To improve the infectivity of the phage after citrullination, arginine residues in phage proteins, which are important for the phage-host interaction, may be replaced by other amino acids, preferably by other polar amino acids, even more preferably by other positively charged amino acids.
[0012] Also described is the use of a phage displaying a citrullinated peptide, according to the invention, to isolate polypeptides binding citrullinated proteins. “Binding” means any interaction, be it direct or indirect. A direct interaction implies a contact between the binding partners. An indirect interaction means any interaction whereby the interaction partners interact in a complex of more than two compounds. The interaction can be completely indirect, with the help of one or more bridging molecules, or partly indirect, where there is still a direct contact between the partners, which is stabilized by the additional interaction of one or more compounds. The terms “protein” and “polypeptide” as used in this application are interchangeable. “Polypeptide” refers to a polymer of amino acids and does not refer to a specific length of the molecule. This term also includes post-translational modifications of the polypeptide, such as glycosylation, phosphorylation and acetylation. Preferably, the polypeptide is an antibody directed against citrullinated peptides and proteins (APCAs). It is clear for the person skilled in the art that the phage according to the invention can also be used to map the epitopes of the APCAs. Preferably, the APCAs are RA autoantibodies. Indeed, studies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have shown that citrullination as PTM plays a role in the escape of self-tolerance and, thus, potentially lies at the basis of the RA pathogenesis, at least in a subgroup of RA patients (van Venrooij et al., 2008; Hill et al., 2003). Citrullination has been shown to occur in inflammatory conditions and citrullinated proteins have been detected in synovial joints of patients with various inflammatory diseases (Vossenaer et al., 2004; Lundberg et al., 2005; Chapuy-Regaud et al., 2005; Cantaert et al., 2006). However, the development of antibodies directed against these citrullinated proteins (ACPA), is specifically associated with RA. A citrullinated peptide library or citrullinated RA synovium cDNA expression library displayed at the surface of phage particles, preferably T7 phage particles, can be used for high-throughput and highly sensitive epitope mapping of the ACPA antibodies: affinity selection of a citrullinated phage display library with pooled purified ACPA (isolated from RA patients), pooled anti-CCP antibody-positive RA serum or monoclonal antibodies mimicking particular ACPA antibody specificities is useful for the identification of high-affinity ACPA ligands, which can be applied in novel serological ACPA tests. Moreover, the citrullination of an entire RA synovium expression library displayed on phage, preferably T7 phage, will allow for the highly sensitive identification of all possible in vivo citrullinated targets and will provide important clues as to which synovial citrullinated proteins are essential to the induction and perpetuation of the ACPA response.
[0013] As recent reports propose a possible role of citrullination in multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and Alzheimer's disease, as mentioned above, the potential use of the phage displaying a citrullinated protein extends to these research domains as well.
[0014] Still also described is a method to citrullinate a peptide-displaying phage, without affecting the infective capacity of the phage, resulting in an infective phage, displaying a citrullinated peptide, according to the invention. “Without affecting the infective capacity,” as used herein, means that the citrullinated phage keeps 20%, preferably 30%, more preferably 40%, more preferably 50%, more preferably 60%, more preferably 70%, even more preferably 80%, most preferably 90% of the infective capacity of the wild-type, as expressed in plaque- or colony-forming units per ml. Preferably, the phage is a T7 phage. Preferably, the citrullination is carried out in vitro. Even more preferably, the citrullination is carried out by treatment of the peptide-displaying phage with a Ca 2+ -dependent peptidyl arginine deaminase.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGS.
[0015] FIG. 1 : Enzymatic conversion reaction of an arginine amino acid into a citrulline amino acid. Ca2+-dependent peptidyl arginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes convert positively charged arginine into a neutral citrulline by a deimination reaction. We tested whether citrullination as a PTM could be implemented in phage display by performing in vitro citrullination and infectivity experiments with two different phage display systems, namely, the M13 filamentous and T7 lytic phage display systems. We show for the first time that citrullination can efficiently be achieved in vitro in T7 phage particles and their displayed peptides/proteins without loss of viability and infectivity. The possibility to achieve in vitro citrullination in T7 phage particles allows for the implementation of T7 phage display systems in approaches aimed at the identification of citrulline-containing ligands.
[0016] FIG. 2 : M13 and T7 phage display vectors used for citrullination experiments. (A) M13 pVI-display phagemid vector containing a multiple cloning site (MCS) at the 3′ end of the gene encoding minor phage coat protein pVI was used for citrullination experiments (see, e.g., SEQ ID NO:3). Both WT M13 (see, e.g., SEQ ID NO:5) as two recombinant M13 clones (M13 clone 1 and M13 clone 2) (see, e.g., SEQ ID NOS:6 and 7) were used. cDNA inserts of recombinant M13 were cloned in a multiple cloning site downstream from the gene encoding phage coat protein pVI and a GS-linker sequence (see, e.g., SEQ ID NO:4). Minor coat protein pVI contains two arginine amino acids available for conversion to citrulline (indicated in bold). Sequences of the multiple cloning site contribute another two arginine amino acids in the WT M13 clone (four arginines in total). The insert of M13 clone 1 encodes a 28-amino acid peptide that contains three additional arginine amino acids (five arginines in total). The M13 clone 2 polypeptide contains an additional four arginines (six arginines in total). (B) Novagen's T7Select phage vector (see, e.g., SEQ ID NO:8) contains a cloning region at the 3′ end of the gene encoding T7 capsid protein 10B (397 aa). The insert cloned into the T7 vector in T7 S-Tag phage (see, e.g., SEQ ID NO:9) encodes a 15-aa long peptide that contains one arginine amino acid that is displayed 415 times at the capsid of the T7 phage.
[0017] FIG. 3 : Citrullination of recombinant and wild-type T7 phage. Recombinant T7 S-Tag and WT T7 phage were citrullinated for different time periods (1, 2 and 4 hours) and the extent of phage citrullination was determined by application of the AMC detection kit. Different amounts of citrullinated and non-citrullinated phage (10 6 , 10 7 and 10 8 pfu) were coated per well and the present citrulline amino acids were detected by an anti-citrulline (modified) antibody. The measured OD450 is representative for the extent of citrullination. Citrullination was measured in recombinant (A-B) and WT (C-D) T7 phage. Background reactivity was accounted for by measuring OD450 of non-citrullinated phage (0 hours). In B and D, the ratio of OD450 (citrullinated phage) to OD450 (non-citrullinated phage) is depicted. A ratio of more than 1.5 was considered a positive signal for citrullination. Experiments were performed three times independently.
[0018] FIG. 4 : Citrullination of recombinant and wild-type M13 phage. Recombinant (M13 clone 1 and M13 clone 2) and WT M13 phage were citrullinated for different time periods (1, 2, 4 hours) and the extent of phage citrullination was measured by means of the AMC detection kit. Different amounts of citrullinated and non-citrullinated phage (5×10 9 and 5×10 10 cfu) were coated per well and the present citrulline amino acids were detected by an anti-citrulline (modified) antibody. The measured OD450 is representative for the extent of citrullination. Citrullination was measured in recombinant (A-D) and WT (E-F) M13 phage. Background reactivity was accounted for by measuring OD450 of non-citrullinated phage (0 hours). In B, D, and F, the ratio of OD450 (citrullinated phage) to OD450 (non-citrullinated phage) is depicted. A ratio of more than 1.5 was considered a positive signal for citrullination. Experiments were independently performed three times.
[0019] FIG. 5 : Effect of citrullination on infectivity of T7 and M13 phage. (A) By performing infection experiments with appropriate E. coli host bacteria, the infection efficiency of citrullinated T7 and M13 phage (1, 2 and 4 hours citrullination) was compared to non-citrullinated phage (0 hours). For T7 phage, citrullination was shown not to have an effect on infection efficiency as the number of infecting phage did not change after citrullination. Obtained titers were within the normal range of T7 phage titers (10 9 -10 10 pfu/ml). (B) For M13 phage, the citrullination of phage particles did result in a decrease of infection titer compared to non-citrullinated phage. The obtained titer for non-citrullinated M13 phage was within the normal range of M13 phage titers. Experiments were independently performed three times.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Examples
Materials and Methods to the Examples
Vectors and Bacterial Strains
[0020] M13 and T7 phage display vectors were used for citrullination and infectivity experiments. For M13 filamentous phage experiments, we made use of M13 pVI-display phagemid vectors, which allow covalent attachment of (c)DNA insert products to the C-terminal end of minor phage coat protein pVI allowing display of the peptide/protein products at the phage surface ( FIG. 2 , Panel A) (Hufton et al., 1999; Jespers et al., 1995). Experiments were performed with the pVI phagemid vector without insert (wild-type (WT) M13 displaying pVI containing four arginine amino acids) as well as with two recombinant phagemid vectors (M13 clone 1 and M13 clone 2). The cDNA insert of M13 clone 1 encoded a 28-amino acid peptide (PGGFRGEFMLGKPDPKPEGKGLGSPYIE (SEQ ID NO:1)), resulting in the display of a recombinant pVI protein containing five arginine amino acids. M13 clone 2 contained a cDNA insert encoding a polypeptide of 121 amino acids (ADDNFSIPEGEEDLAKAIQMAQEQATD TEILERKTVLPSKHAVPEVIEDFLCNFLIKMGMTRTLDCFQSEWYELIQKGVTELRTVGN VPDVYTQIMLLENENKNLKKDLKHYKQAAEYVIF (SEQ ID NO:2)), resulting in the display of a recombinant pVI protein with six arginines ( FIG. 2 , Panel A). The pVI phagemid display system is characterized by monovalent display of the recombinant pVI (maximally one recombinant protein per phage particle) with a total of five pVI proteins per phage virion (Hufton et al., 1999). E. coli TG1 was used for M13 phage amplification and infection experiments.
[0021] For T7 phage display experiments, Novagen's T7Select phage display system was employed. In this system, peptides and proteins are displayed as a fusion to T7 major capsid protein 10B (Novagen, Nottingham, UK). Citrullination experiments were performed with wild-type T7Select415-1b vector without insert and a T7Select415-1b recombinant phage that displays the 15-amino acid S-Tag™ peptide, containing one arginine amino acid, at high-copy number (n=415) at its capsid ( FIG. 2 , Panel B). E. coli BL21 bacteria were employed for T7 phage amplification and infection experiments.
M13 and T7 Phage Production
[0022] M13 phage particles were produced and purified as described (Somers et al., 2005; Govarts et al., 2007). T7 phage virions were produced according to the manufacturer's recommendations (Novagen).
In Vitro Citrullination
[0023] Phage particles were citrullinated in vitro with rabbit PAD enzyme according to the manufacturer's recommendations (Sigma-Aldrich, Bornem, Belgium) and previous publications (Pratesi et al., 2006; Kinloch et al., 2005). In brief, M13 and T7 phage particles were PEG (polyethylene glycol)-precipitated, after which the phage pellet was resolved in PAD buffer (0.1 M Tris-Cl, pH 7.4, 10 mM CaCl 2 , 5 mM DTT) at 2 mg/ml. PAD enzyme was added at 2 U/mg phage (approximately 2U/10 12 cfu M13 phage and 2U/10 9 pfu T7 phage) followed by incubation at 50° C. for 1, 2 or 4 hours to allow conversion of arginine amino acids into citrulline amino acids. As a negative control, M13 and T7 phage particles were incubated in PAD buffer at 50° C. without addition of PAD enzyme.
[0024] Citrullination of phage particles was confirmed by application of the Anti-Citrulline (Modified) Detection Kit (AMC kit, Upstate, Lake Placid, N.Y.) in an ELISA format with coated phage particles. In brief, citrullinated phage particles were PEG-precipitated and the phage pellet was dissolved in PBS (phosphate-buffered saline). Phage particles were coated overnight in PBS at 4° C. in a 96-well plates (Nunc, Roskilde, Denmark). For M13 phage, 5×10 9 and 5×10 10 phage particles (cfu) were coated per well. As working titers for T7 phage are 100 to 1000 times lower than M13 phage titers, 10 6 , 10 7 and 10 8 T7 phage (pfu) were coated per well. After washing with MilliQ, ELISA plates were blocked with TBS (Tris-buffered saline) containing 0.1% ovalbumin followed by incubating the phage-coated plate with 4% paraformaldehyde. Next, the citrulline residues were modified by overnight incubation (at 37° C.) with a strong acid solution containing 2,3 butanedione monoxime and antipyrine (0.25% 2,3-butanedione monoxime, 0.125% antipyrine, 0.25 M acetic acid, 0.0125% FeCl 3 , 24.5% H 2 SO 4 , 17% H 3 PO 4 ), to form ureido group adducts. This modification ensures the detection of citrulline-containing proteins regardless of the neighboring amino acid sequences. After washing with MilliQ and blocking with 3% milk powder in TBS (M-TBS), the wells were incubated with polyclonal rabbit anti-Citrulline (Modified) antibody (1/1000 in M-TBS) for 3 hours at room temperature. Citrulline residues were detected by addition of goat anti-rabbit IgG conjugated to HRP for 1 hour at room temperature (1/5000 in M-TBS), followed by color development with TMB substrate (3, 3′, 5, 5′ tetramethylbenzidine) (Sigma-Aldrich). The reaction was stopped by addition of 2M H2SO 4 and color development was read at 450 nm. Background reactivity was accounted for by measuring OD450 of coated non-citrullinated phage (0 hours). A ratio of OD450 (citrullinated phage) to OD450 (non-citrullinated phage) above 1.5 was considered a positive signal for citrullination.
Phage Virion Viability and Infectivity Tests
[0025] The viability and infectivity of citrullinated phage were determined by counting the number of virions that were able to infect E. coli bacteria after citrullination, resulting in colony or plaque formation (expressed in pfu/ml or cfu/ml). Efficiency of infectivity was compared between non-citrullinated phage (in PAD buffer for 2 hours at 50° C. without PAD enzyme) and phage that were citrullinated for different time periods (1, 2 and 4 hours). Serial dilutions of citrullinated and non-citrullinated M13 phage particles were allowed to infect exponentially growing TG1 bacteria (OD600=0.5) for 30 minutes at 37° C. Bacteria were plated on 2×YT agar plates with selective antibiotic (ampicillin, 100 μg/ml) and resulting colonies were counted for M13 phage titer determination. For determination of the infectivity of citrullinated T7 phage, E. coli BL21 bacteria were mixed with serial dilutions of citrullinated and non-citrullinated T7 phage (in LB medium with supplements 1×M9 salts, 0.4% glucose and 1 mM MgSO 4 ) followed by plating onto LB agar plates in LB topagar. Resulting plaques were counted for T7 phage titer determination.
Example 1
Wild-type and Recombinant T7 and M13 Phage Particles can be Citrullinated In Vitro
[0026] Wild-type and recombinant T7 and M13 phage were citrullinated in vitro by incubation with PAD enzyme for different time periods (1, 2 and 4 hours). These citrullinated phage were used in a citrulline-detection ELISA approach with the AMC detection kit to confirm citrullination of the phage particles and peptides displayed by the phage virions ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ). For both T7 ( FIG. 3 ) and M13 phage ( FIG. 4 ), citrullination of phage particles by incubation with PAD enzyme could be confirmed: for at least one of the tested coating concentrations, a ratio of OD450 (citrullinated phage) to OD450 (non-citrullinated phage) of more than 1.5 was detected ( FIG. 3 , Panels B and D, FIG. 4 , Panels B, D and F). For both M13 and T7 phage systems, it was shown that already after 1 hour, the PAD enzyme reached its maximum citrullination level indicated by the absence of an increase in citrullination after an additional incubation period of 1 or 3 hours ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ).
[0027] For the recombinant T7 S-Tag phage, citrullination could already be easily detected for 107 coated phage virions ( FIG. 3 , Panels A and B). For the WT T7 on the other hand, the presence of citrulline amino acids was only measurable when coating 10 8 phage ( FIG. 3 , Panel C). The level of citrullination (OD450 ratio around 5.5) ( FIG. 3 , Panel D) was markedly lower compared to the citrullination level of T7 S-Tag phage (OD450 ratio around 13) ( FIG. 3 , Panel B), indicating a lower intrinsic citrullination level of WT T7 phage. As the only difference between WT T7 phage and recombinant T7 S-Tag phage is the presence of 415 copies of a peptide containing one arginine at the capsid of the recombinant phage, this large difference in citrullination signal can only be accounted for by the signal generated by the displayed peptide. The difference in citrullination signal between WT and recombinant T7 phage provides definite evidence that peptides displayed at the T7 phage surface can be efficiently citrullinated.
[0028] When comparing the citrullination efficiencies of all three M13 phage clones, no OD450 differences could be discerned between WT phage (four arginines), M13 clone 1 (five arginines) and M13 clone 2 (six arginines) ( FIG. 4 ). The equal citrullination levels between recombinant and WT M13 can be explained by the copy-number of phage-displayed peptides: the T7 S-Tag protein displays 415 copies of the S-tag protein on its surface, while the number of M13-phage-displayed peptides is maximally one per phage virion.
Example 2
T7 Phage Virions Remain Infective after Citrullination, while M13 Phage Virions Become Less Infective
[0029] Whether phage particles retain viability and infectivity after post-translational modification by citrullinating enzymes is the most important prerequisite for the possibility to apply this approach in phage display applications. After confirmation of citrullination, citrullinated and non-citrullinated phage were allowed to infect susceptible bacteria and titers of infecting phage virions were determined based on the number of resulting colonies or plaques ( FIG. 5 ). For T7 phage, citrullination did not have an effect on phage infectivity or viability as the titers of citrullinated and non-citrullinated phage were the same ( FIG. 5 , Panel A). If citrullinated and non-citrullinated phage can evenly infect efficiently, and thus no growth bias is introduced by in vitro citrullination, this in vitro modification can be applied in T7 phage display biopanning experiments. On the other hand, for both recombinant and WT M13 phage, the infecting phage titer decreased at least five-fold upon citrullination ( FIG. 5 , Panel B). The decrease in infectivity was comparable for WT M13 and both recombinant M13 clones. This clearly indicates a negative effect of phage coat protein citrullination on M13 phage infectivity. The difference in effect of in vitro citrullination on M13 and T7 phage infection efficiency can be explained by the fact that both phage have completely different bacterial infection mechanisms. T7 phage use their tail fiber proteins to bind and infect bacteria, while M13 phage rely on M13 minor coat protein pIII for efficient infection. If the conversion of present arginine residues into citrulline abrogates the interactions between these phage infection proteins and their binding targets on bacterial cells, infection efficiency is diminished. Indeed, when looking into the amino acid sequence of M13 coat protein pIII (406 amino acids), nine arginine residues are detected. It is thought that the N-terminal region between amino acid 53 and 196 of pIII is essential for successful bacterial infection. As this region contains three arginine amino acids, it is possible that conversion of one or more of these arginines into citrulline has a negative effect on M13 infection efficiency. As the major structural M13 capsid protein pVIII that makes up almost the entire M13 virion capsid except for the ends does not contain an arginine, it is unlikely that citrullination affects phage stability and viability. Mutation experiments in which the essential pIII arginines are replaced by other amino acids to retain infectivity can be performed to allow the application of citrullination in M13 phage display systems. As the decrease of phage infectivity was already maximal after 1 hour of citrullination, this again indicates that 1 hour is sufficient for PAD to citrullinate the present arginines.
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Yao H., P. Li, B.J. Venters, S. Zheng, P.R. Thompson, B. F. Pugh et al. Histone Arg modifications and p53 regulate the expression of OKL38, a mediator of apoptosis. J. Biol. Chem. 2008; 283 (29):20060-20068. | The invention relates to a modified phage display that allows the specific detection of citrullinated proteins. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for citrullinating proteins displayed by phage, without losing phage infectivity, and the detection of those proteins by biopanning. In a preferred embodiment, the phage is a T7 phage. | 2 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to generally to network failures to respond to a request and is particularly concerned with lack of responses to a request message in a DIAMETER protocol network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Since its proposal in Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 3588, the DIAMETER protocol has been increasingly adopted by numerous networked applications. For example, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has adopted DIAMETER for various policy and charging control (PCC), mobility management, and IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) applications. As IP-based networks replace circuit-switched networks, DIAMETER is even replacing SS7 as the key communications signaling protocol. As networks evolve, DIAMETER is becoming a widely used protocol among wireless and wireline communications networks.
3GPP Network nodes communicate using DIAMETER commands and to maintain extensibility, typically use a DIAMETER command dictionary to provide the format of commands and Attribute Value Pairs (AVPs).
One significant aspect of the DIAMETER protocol is DIAMETER packet routing. Entities referred to as DIAMETER routing agents (DRAs) facilitate movement of packets in a network. In various deployments, DRAs may perform elementary functions such as simple routing, proxying, and redirect.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a method for associating specific timeout values on a DIAMETER Routing Agent per-peer basis.
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a method performed by a DIAMETER Routing Agent (DRA) for processing a DIAMETER message associated with peer of the DRA, the method including: receiving the DIAMETER message at the DRA; testing if the DIAMETER message is a request message destined for an associated peer, and if the test is affirmative, then retrieving a preset timeout associated with that peer; initiating a timeout timer with the preset timeout; and forwarding the DIAMETER request message to the peer.
In some embodiments of the invention, upon the event that the timeout timer times out, there is the additional step of taking a preselected timeout action.
In some of these embodiments the preselected timeout action includes resending the DIAMETER request message to the peer; restarting a timeout counter with the preset timeout; and flagging that the timer has expired once.
In others of these embodiments the preselected timeout action includes sending an unable_to_deliver response message.
In other embodiments in the event that the the test step evaluates to the negative, there are the additional steps of testing if the DIAMETER message is a response message from a peer with a running timeout timer, and if the answer is affirmative then, stopping the running timeout timer; and process the response message.
According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a non-transitory machine readable storage medium encoded with instructions for execution by a DIAMETER Routing Agent (DRA) for processing a DIAMETER message associated associated with a peer of the DRA, the medium having: instructions for receiving a DIAMETER message at the DRA; instructions for testing if the DIAMETER message is a request message destined for an associated peer, and if the test is affirmative, then instructions for retrieving a preset timeout associated with that peer; instructions for initiating a timeout timer with the preset timeout; and instructions for forwarding the DIAMETER request message to the peer.
Note: in the following the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be further understood from the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, with reference to the drawings in which like reference numbers are used to represent like elements, and;
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment for a Diameter Routing Agent;
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary Diameter Routing Agent;
FIG. 3 illustrates diagram of a DIAMETER network according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method of handling timeouts according to an embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 5 illustrates a screenshot of a Graphical User Interface for associating specific timeout values on a per-peer basis.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description. It will be appreciated, however, by one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, control structures, gate level circuits and full software instruction sequences have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art, with the included descriptions, will be able to implement appropriate functionality without undue experimentation.
References in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
In the following description and claims, the terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. “Coupled” is used to indicate that two or more elements, which may or may not be in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, cooperate or interact with each other. “Connected” is used to indicate the establishment of communication between two or more elements that are coupled with each other.
The techniques shown in the figures can be implemented using code and data stored and executed on one or more electronic devices (e.g., a network element). Such electronic devices store and communicate (internally and with other electronic devices over a network) code and data using machine-readable media, such as machine storage media (e.g., magnetic disks; optical disks; random access memory; read only memory; flash memory devices) and machine communication media (e.g., electrical, optical, acoustical or other form of propagated signals—such as carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). In addition, such electronic devices typically include a set of one or more processors coupled to one or more other components, such as a storage device, one or more user input/output devices (e.g., a keyboard and/or a display), and a network connection. The coupling of the set of processors and other components is typically through one or more busses and bridges (also termed as bus controllers). The storage device and signals carrying the network traffic respectively represent one or more machine storage media and machine communication media. Thus, the storage device of a given electronic device typically stores code and/or data for execution on the set of one or more processors of that electronic device. Of course, one or more parts of an embodiment of the invention may be implemented using different combinations of software, firmware, and/or hardware.
As used herein, a network element (e.g., a router, switch, bridge, etc.) is a piece of networking equipment, including hardware and software that communicatively interconnects other equipment on the network (e.g., other network elements, computer end stations, etc.). Customer computer end stations (e.g., workstations, laptops, palm tops, mobile phones, etc.) access content/services provided over the Internet and/or content/services provided on associated networks such as the Internet. The content and/or services are typically provided by one or more server computing end stations belonging to a service or content provider, and may include public webpages (free content, store fronts, search services, etc.), private webpages (e.g., username/password accessed webpages providing email services, etc.), corporate networks over VPNs, etc. Typically, customer computing end stations are coupled (e.g., through customer premise equipment coupled to an access network, wirelessly to an access network) to edge network elements, which are coupled through core network elements of the Internet to the server computing end stations.
In the following figures, like reference numbers are used to represent like elements.
Diameter Routing Agents (DRAs) available today provide only basic functionalities typically defined in hard coding or scripting. As such, users may typically not be empowered to easily and flexibly define more complex behaviors for a DRA. In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a method and system that facilitates user definition and extension of DRA message processing behavior.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment 100 for a Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) 142 . Exemplary network environment 100 may be a subscriber network for providing various services. In various embodiments, subscriber network 100 may be a public land mobile network (PLMN). Exemplary subscriber network 100 may be telecommunications network or other network for providing access to various services. Exemplary subscriber network 100 may include user equipment 110 , base station 120 , evolved packet core (EPC) 130 , packet data network 150 , and application function (AF) 160 .
User equipment 110 may be a device that communicates with packet data network 150 for providing the end-user with a data service. Such data service may include, for example, voice communication, text messaging, multimedia streaming, and Internet access. More specifically, in various exemplary embodiments, user equipment 110 is a personal or laptop computer, wireless email device, cell phone, tablet, television set-top box, or any other device capable of communicating with other devices via EPC 130 .
Base station 120 may be a device that enables communication between user equipment 110 and EPC 130 . For example, base station 120 may be a base transceiver station such as an evolved nodeB (eNodeB) as defined by the relevant 3GPP standards. Thus, base station 120 may be a device that communicates with user equipment 110 via a first medium, such as radio waves, and communicates with EPC 130 via a second medium, such as Ethernet cable. Base station 120 may be in direct communication with EPC 130 or may communicate via a number of intermediate nodes (not shown). In various embodiments, multiple base stations (not shown) may be present to provide mobility to user equipment 110 . Note that in various alternative embodiments, user equipment 110 may communicate directly with EPC 130 . In such embodiments, base station 120 may not be present.
Evolved packet core (EPC) 130 may be a device or network of devices that provides user equipment 110 with gateway access to packet data network 140 . EPC 130 may further charge a subscriber for use of provided data services and ensure that particular quality of experience (QoE) standards are met. Thus, EPC 130 may be implemented, at least in part, according to the relevant 3GPP standards. EPC 130 may include a serving gateway (SGW) 132 , a packet data network gateway (PGW) 134 , and a session control device 140
Serving gateway (SOW) 132 may be a device that provides gateway access to the EPC 130 . SGW 132 may be one of the first devices within the EPC 130 that receives packets sent by user equipment 110 . Various embodiments may also include a mobility management entity (MME) (not shown) that receives packets prior to. SGW 132 . SGW 132 may forward such packets toward PGW 134 . SGW 132 may perform a number of functions such as, for example, managing mobility of user equipment 110 between multiple base stations (not shown) and enforcing particular quality of service (QoS) characteristics for each flow being served. In various implementations, such as those implementing the Proxy Mobile IP standard, SGW 132 may include a Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF). In various exemplary embodiments, EPC 130 may include multiple SGWs (not shown) and each SGW may communicate with multiple base stations (not shown).
Packet data network gateway (POW) 134 may be a device that provides gateway access to packet data network 140 . PGW 134 may be the final device within the EPC 130 that receives packets sent by user equipment 110 toward packet data network 140 via SGW 132 . PGW 134 may include a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) that enforces policy and charging control (PCC) rules for each service data flow (SDF). Therefore, PGW 134 may be a policy and charging enforcement node (PCEN). PGW 134 may include a number of additional features such as, for example, packet filtering, deep packet inspection, and subscriber charging support. PGW 134 may also be responsible for requesting resource allocation for unknown application services.
Session control device 140 may be a device that provides various management or other functions within the EPC 130 . For example, session control device 140 may provide a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF). In various embodiments, session control device 140 may include an Alcatel Lucent 5780 Dynamic Services Controller (DSC). Session control device 140 may include a DRA 142 , a plurality of policy and charging rules blades (PCRBs) 144 , 146 , and a subscription profile repository.
As will be described in greater detail below, DRA 142 may be an intelligent Diameter Routing Agent. As such, DRA 142 may receive, process, and transmit various Diameter messages. DRA 142 may include a number of user-define rules that govern the behavior of DRA 142 with regard to the various Diameter messages DRA 142 may encounter. Based on such rules, the DRA 142 may operate as a relay agent, proxy agent, or redirect agent. For example, DRA 142 may relay received messages to an appropriate recipient device. Such routing may be performed with respect to incoming and outgoing messages, as well as messages that are internal to the session control device.
Policy and charging rules blades (PCRB) 144 , 146 may each be a device or group of devices that receives requests for application services, generates PCC rules, and provides PCC rules to the PGW 134 or other PCENs (Path Computational Element Nodes) (not shown). PCRBs 144 , 146 may be in communication with AF 160 via an Rx interface. As described in further detail below with respect to AF 160 , PCRB 144 , 146 may receive an application request in the form of an Authentication and Authorization Request (AAR) from AF 160 . Upon receipt of an AAR, PCRB 144 , 146 may generate at least one new PCC rule for fulfilling the application request.
PCRB 144 , 146 may also be in communication with SGW 132 and PGW 134 via a Gxx and a Gx interface, respectively. PCRB 144 , 146 may receive an application request in the form of a credit control request (CCR) from SGW 132 or PGW 134 . As with an AAR, upon receipt of a CCR, PCRB 144 , 146 may generate at least one new PCC rule for fulfilling the application request. In various embodiments, the AAR and the CCR may represent two independent application requests to be processed separately, while in other embodiments, the AAR and the CCR may carry information regarding a single application request and PCRB 144 , 146 may create at least one PCC rule based on the combination of the AAR and the CCR. In various embodiments, PCRB 144 , 146 may be capable of handling both single-message and paired-message application requests.
Upon creating a new PCC rule or upon request by the PGW 134 , PCRB 144 , 146 may provide a PCC rule to PGW 134 via the Gx interface. In various embodiments, such as those implementing the PMIP standard for example, PCRB 144 , 146 may also generate QoS rules. Upon creating a new QoS rule or upon request by the SGW 132 , PCRB 144 , 146 may provide a QoS rule to SGW 132 via the Gxx interface.
Subscription profile repository (SPR) 148 may be a device that stores information related to subscribers to the subscriber network 100 . Thus, SPR 148 may include a machine-readable storage medium such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and/or similar storage media. SPR 148 may be a component of one of PCRB 144 , 146 or may constitute an independent node within EPC 130 or session control device 140 . Data stored by SPR 138 may include subscription information such as identifiers for each subscriber, bandwidth limits, charging parameters, and subscriber priority.
Packet data network 150 may be any network for providing data communications between user equipment 110 and other devices connected to packet data network 150 , such as AF 160 . Packet data network 150 may further provide, for example, phone or Internet service to various user devices in communication with packet data network 150 .
Application function (AF) 160 may be a device that provides a known application service to user equipment 110 . Thus, AF 160 may be a server or other device that provides, for example, a video streaming or voice communication service to user equipment 110 . AF 160 may further be in communication with the PCRB 144 , 146 of the EPC 130 via an Rx interface. When AF 160 is to begin providing known application service to user equipment 110 , AF 160 may generate an application request message, such as an authentication and authorization request (AAR) according to the Diameter protocol, to notify the PCRB 144 , 146 that resources should be allocated for the application service. This application request message may include information such as an identification of the subscriber using the application service, an IP address of the subscriber, an APN for an associated IP-CAN session, or an identification of the particular service data flows that must be established in order to provide the requested service.
As will be understood, various Diameter applications may be established within subscriber network 100 and supported by DRA 142 . For example, an Rx application may be established between AF 160 and each of PCRBs 144 , 146 . As another example, an Sp application may be established between SPR 148 and each of PCRBs 144 , 146 . As yet another example, an S9 application may be established between one or more of PCRBs 144 , 146 and a remote device implementing another PCRF (not shown). As will be understood, numerous other Diameter applications may be established within subscriber network 100 .
In supporting the various potential Diameter applications, DRA 142 may receive Diameter messages, process the messages, and perform actions based on the processing. For example, DRA 142 may receive a Gx CCR from PGW 134 , identify an appropriate PCRB 144 , 146 to process the Gx CCR, and forward the Gx CCR to the identified PCRB 144 , 146 . DRA 142 may also act as a proxy by modifying the subsequent Gx CCA sent by the PCRB 144 , 146 to carry an origin-host identification pointing to the DRA 142 instead of the PCRB 144 , 146 . Additionally or alternatively, DRA 142 may act as a redirect agent or otherwise respond directly to a request message by forming an appropriate answer message and transmitting the answer message to an appropriate requesting device.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) 200 . DRA 200 may be a standalone device or a component of another system. For example, DRA 200 may correspond to DRA 142 of exemplary environment 100 . In such an embodiment, DRA 142 may support various Diameter applications defined by the 3GPP such as Gx, Gxx, Rx, or Sp. It will be understood that DRA 200 may be deployed in various alternative embodiments wherein additional or alternative applications are supported. As such, it will be apparent that the methods and systems described herein may be generally applicable to supporting any Diameter applications.
DRA 200 may include a number of components such as Diameter stack 205 , message handler 210 , rule engine 215 , rule storage 220 , user interface 225 , context creator 230 , context artifact storage 240 , message dictionary 245 , routing decision database 250 , cleanup module 255 , or subscription record retriever 260 .
Diameter stack 205 may include hardware or executable instructions on a machine-readable storage medium configured to exchange messages with other devices according to the Diameter protocol. Diameter stack 205 may include an interface including hardware or executable instructions encoded on a machine-readable storage medium configured to communicate with other devices. For example, Diameter stack 205 may include an Ethernet or TCP/IP interface. In various embodiments, Diameter stack 205 may include multiple physical ports.
Diameter stack 205 may also be configured to read and construct messages according to the Diameter protocol. For example, Diameter stack may be configured to read and construct CCR, CCA, AAR, AAA, RAR, and RAA messages. Diameter stack 205 may provide an application programmers interface (API) such that other components of DRA 200 may invoke functionality of Diameter stack. For example, rule engine 215 may be able to utilize the API to read an attribute-value pair (AVP) from a received CCR or to modify an AVP of a new CCA. Various additional functionalities will be apparent from on the following description.
Message handler 210 may include hardware or executable instructions on a machine-readable storage medium configured to interpret received messages and invoke rule engine 215 as appropriate. In various embodiments, message handler 210 may extract a message type from a message received by Diameter stack 205 and invoke the rule engine using a rule set that is appropriate for the extracted message type. For example, the message type may be defined by the application and command of the received message. After evaluating one or more rules, rule engine 215 may pass back an action to be taken or a message to be sent. Message handler 210 may then transmit one or more messages via Diameter stack, as indicated by the rule engine 215 .
Rule engine 215 may include hardware or executable instructions on a machine-readable storage medium configured to process a received message by evaluating one or more rules stored in rule storage 220 . As such, rule engine 215 may be a type of processing engine. Rule engine 215 may retrieve one or more rules, evaluate criteria of the rules to determine whether the rules are applicable, and specify one or more result of any applicable rules. For example, rule engine 215 may determine that a rule is applicable when a received Gx CCR includes a destination-host AVP identifying DRA 200 . The rule may specify that the destination-host AVP should be changed to identify a PCRB before the message is forwarded.
Rule storage 220 may be any machine-readable medium capable of storing one or more rules for evaluation by rule engine 215 . Accordingly, rule storage 220 may include a machine-readable storage medium such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and/or similar storage media. In various embodiments, rule storage 220 may store one or more rule sets as a binary decision tree data structure. Various other data structure for storing a rule set will be apparent.
It will be understood that, while various components are described as being configured to perform functions such as evaluating rules or accessing context objects based on rules, such configurations may not require any rules to be present in rule storage. For example, rule engine 215 may be configured to evaluate a rule including a context object reference even if no such rule is stored in rule storage 220 . Thereafter, if a user adds such a rule to rule storage, rule engine 215 may process the rule as described herein. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “configured to” when used with respect to functionality related to rules will be understood to mean that the component is capable of performing the functionality as appropriate, regardless of whether a rule that requests such functionality is actually present.
User interface 225 may include hardware or executable instructions on a machine-readable storage medium configured to enable communication with a user. As such, user interface 225 may include a network interface (such as a network interface included in Diameter stack 205 ), a monitor, a keyboard, or a mouse. User interface 225 may also provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for facilitating user interaction. User interface 225 may enable a user to customize the behavior of DRA 200 . For example, user interface 225 may enable a user to define rules for storage in rule storage 220 and evaluation by rule engine 215 . Various additional methods for a user to customize the behavior of DRA 200 via user interface 225 will be apparent to those of skill in the art.
According to various embodiments, rule storage 220 may include rules that reference one or more “contexts” or “context objects.” In such embodiments, context creator 230 may include hardware or executable instructions on a machine-readable storage medium configured to instantiate context objects and provide context object metadata to requesting components. Context objects may be instantiated at run time by context creator 230 and may include attributes or actions useful for supporting the rule engine 215 and enabling the user to define complex rules via user interface 225 . For example, context creator 230 may provide context objects representing various Diameter messages, previous routing decisions, or subscription profiles.
Upon DRA 200 receiving a Diameter message to be processed, message handler 210 may send an indication to context creator 230 that the appropriate context objects are to be instantiated. Context creator 230 may then instantiate such context objects. In some embodiments, context creator 230 may instantiate all known context objects or may only instantiate those context objects actually used by the rule set to be applied by rule storage 220 . In other embodiments, context creator 230 may not instantiate a context object until it is actually requested by the rule engine 215 .
Context creator 230 may additionally facilitate rule creation by providing context metadata to user interface 225 . In various embodiments, context creator 230 may indicate to user interface which context objects may be available for a rule set being modified and what attributes or actions each context object may possess. Using this information, user interface 225 may present a point-and-click interface for creating complex rules. For example, user interface 225 may enable the user to select a desired attribute or action of a context object from a list for inclusion in a rule under construction or modification.
Context creator 230 may rely on one or more context artifacts stored in context artifact storage 240 in establishing context objects. As such, context artifact storage 240 may be any machine-readable medium capable of storing one or more context artifacts. Accordingly, context artifact storage 240 may include a machine-readable storage medium such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and/or similar storage media. Context artifact storage 240 may store artifacts in various forms such as, for example, run-time libraries. In various embodiments, such run-time libraries may be stored as Java archive (.jar) files.
Each context artifact may define the attributes or actions available for a context object. In various embodiments, the context artifact may define one or more functions to be executed when an attribute or action is accessed. Such functions may utilize other functionality of the DRA 200 , such as accessing the API of the Diameter stack, or may return values to the component that called the attribute or action. The context artifact may also include tags or other metadata for context creator 230 to provide to user interface 225 for describing the actions and attributes of the context object. In exemplary DRA 200 , context artifact storage 240 may store context artifacts defining a message context, a routing decision context, or a subscription record context. These context artifacts may be used by context creator 230 at run-time to instantiate different types of context objects. As such, context creator 230 may be viewed as including a message context module 232 , a routing decision context module 236 , and a subscription record context module 238 . In various embodiments, a user may be able to define new context artifacts via user interface 225 for storage in context artifact storage.
Message context module 232 may represent the ability of context creator 230 to generate context objects representing and providing access to Diameter messages. For example, message context module 232 may generate a context object representing the received message. In various embodiments, message context module 232 may also be configured to generate a context object representing a request message or an answer message associated with the received Diameter message, as appropriate. As such, message context module 232 may be viewed as including a received message submodule 233 , a related request submodule 234 , and a related answer submodule 235 .
The contents of Diameter messages may vary depending on the application and command type. For example, an RX RAA message may include different data from a GX CCR message. Such differences may be defined by various standards governing the relevant Diameter applications. Further, some vendors may include proprietary or otherwise non-standard definitions of various messages. Message context module 232 may rely on message definitions stored in message dictionary 245 to generate message contexts for different types of Diameter messages. For example, upon receiving a Diameter message, message handler may pass the application and command type to the context creator. Message context module 232 may then locate a matching definition in message dictionary. This definition may indicate the AVPs that may be present in a message of the specified type. Message context module 232 may then instantiate a message context object having attributes and actions that match the AVPs identified in the message definition.
Message dictionary 245 may be any machine-readable medium capable of storing one or more context artifacts. Accordingly, message dictionary 245 may include a machine-readable storage medium such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and/or similar storage media. Message dictionary 245 may include various message definitions in appropriate forms such as, for example, XML files. Message dictionary 245 may include a number of predefined definitions included with the DRA 200 by a supplier. In various embodiments, a user may be able to provide new, user-defined message definitions via user interface 225 . For example, if the user wishes to support an application not already defined by the predefined definitions, the user may generate or otherwise obtain a definition file for storage in message dictionary. In various embodiments, the user-defined definitions may be stored in a different portion of message dictionary from the predefined definitions.
In various embodiments, the user may also be able to extend predefined definitions via user interface 225 . The user may be able to provide extension definitions that define new AVPs or specify additional AVPs to occur in a particular message type. For example, a user may wish to support a proprietary AVP within an Rx AAR. To provide such support, the user may provide a definition file, such as an XML file, defining the proprietary AVP and indicating that the proprietary AVP may be present in an Rx AAR. Such extension definitions may also be stored in a different area of message dictionary 245 from the predefined definitions. Message context module 232 may be configured to apply any applicable extension definitions when instantiating a new message context object or providing context metadata to user interface 225 .
As noted above, upon receiving a Diameter message, message handler 210 may extract the application and command type and pass this information to context creator 230 , which then may locate any applicable definitions to instantiate a new received message context object. Received message submodule 233 may be further configured to associate the new context object with the received Diameter message itself. For example, received message submodule 233 may copy the received Diameter message from Diameter stack 205 into a private or protected variable. Alternatively, received message submodule 233 may store an identification of the Diameter message useful in enabling access to the Diameter message via the API of the Diameter stack 205 .
In various embodiments, DRA 200 may support the use of inverse message contexts. In such embodiments, upon extracting the command type from the received Diameter message, message handler 210 may identify the inverse command type as well. In some such embodiments, message handler 210 may implement a look-up table identifying the inverse for each message command. For example, upon determining that a received Diameter message is a Gx CCR, the message handler may determine that the inverse message would be a Gx CCA. Message handler 210 may pass this information to context creator 230 as well.
Upon receiving an inverse message type, message context module 232 may instantiate an inverse message context object in a manner similar to that described above with regard to the received message context object. Related request submodule 234 or related answer submodule 235 , as appropriate, may also associate the new context object with message data. If the inverse message is a request message, related request module 234 may identify a previously-processed request message stored in Diameter stack 205 and associate the message with the new context object in a manner similar to that described above. In various embodiments, upon receiving an answer message, Diameter stack 205 may locate the previously-processed and forwarded request message to which the answer message corresponds. Diameter stack 205 may present this related request message through the API for use by context creator 230 or other components of DRA 200 . By associating the previous request message with the related request context object, rule engine 215 may be provided with attributes capable of accessing the AVPs carried by the request message that prompted transmission of the answer message being processed.
When the inverse message is an answer message, on the other hand, related answer module 235 may construct a new answer message by, for example, requesting Diameter stack 205 construct the message via the API. The new answer message may be completely blank or may include at least some values copied over from the received Diameter request message. Related answer module 235 may associate the new context object with the new answer message in a manner similar to that described above with respect to received message module 233 . The related answer context object may then provide rule engine 215 with access to various actions capable of modifying the new answer message. For example, the rule engine may utilize an action of the related answer context object to set a result-code AVP of the answer message, thereby indicating to the message handler 210 that the answer should be sent back to the device that sent the received request. Message handler 210 may also then refrain from forwarding the received request message to any other devices.
As noted above, context creator 230 may be capable of defining other context objects that do not represent a Diameter message. Such context objects may be referred to as “computational contexts” and may also be defined by contexts artifacts in context artifact storage 240 . As an example, routing decision context module 236 may be configured to instantiate a routing decision context object. Such routing decision context may identify, for each received Diameter message, a previously made routing decision that may be applicable to the received message. Such previously made routing decisions may be stored in routing decision database 250 along with a session identifier for correlating received messages to previously-processed messages. Routing decision database 250 may be any machine-readable medium capable of storing such routing decisions. Accordingly, routing decision database 250 may include a machine-readable storage medium such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and/or similar storage media.
Computational contexts may be supported by other DPA 200 functionality. For example, DPA 200 may include a cleanup module 255 that periodically removes stale entries from routing decision database 250 . In some embodiments, the routing decision context object may not interact directly with cleanup module 255 . Instead, cleanup module 255 may operate independently, while affecting the behavior of the routing decision context object indirectly by modifying the contents of routing decision database 250 .
As another example of a computational context, subscription record context module 238 may generate a subscription record context object. The subscription record context object may utilize other DRA 200 functionality, such as subscription record retriever 260 , to retrieve a subscription record for received Diameter messages. Subscription record retriever 260 may include hardware or executable instructions on a machine-readable storage medium configured to communicate with a subscription profile repository (SPR) via Diameter stack 205 to retrieve a subscription record for a Diameter message. Such communication may be performed, for example, according to the Sp application. Various methods of implementing subscription record retriever 260 will be apparent. Through this retrieval of a subscription record, the subscription record context object may provide the rule engine 215 with access to the subscription record
It should be noted that while rule storage 220 , context artifact storage 240 , message dictionary 245 , and routing decision database 250 are illustrated as separate devices, one or more of these components may be resident on multiple storage devices. Further, one or more of these components may share a storage device. For example, rule storage, context artifact storage 240 , message dictionary 245 , and routing decision database 250 may all refer to portions of the same hard disk or flash memory device.
FIG. 3 illustrates a network diagram of a portion of a DIAMETER network according to an embodiment of the invention having a number of connected DIAMETER Routing Agents (DRAB). In this portion of the DIAMETER network, DRA- 1 310 has three peers, DRA- 2 320 , DRA- 3 330 , and DRA- 4 340 .
In this exemplary subnetwork, message requests are passed from DRA- 1 310 to its peers. DRA- 1 310 associates a timeout value with each of the peers it is connected to according to the expected response time of the peer.
For example, DRA- 4 340 is connected to Gateway network 344 and the timeout may be set to a very low value since Gateway network 344 is the control plane and expected to be very fast in its responses to requests.
For peer DRA- 3 330 , the response time to requests may be expected to be a bit longer, and therefore be associated with a higher timeout value, as the associated devices are part of the local network, but are not in the control plane.
Finally, for peer DRA- 2 320 , the response time to requests may be expected to be longer still, and therefore associated with an even higher timeout value, since the traffic may be going to roaming partners whose networks may be on another continent.
In general, in operation, when a request is sent or forwarded to or forwarded through DRA- 1 310 to a peer, a timer with the associated timeout for that peer is scheduled. Should the timer expire before the response is received an appropriate action is taken. This may consist of resending the request, or concluding that no response is forthcoming and generating a response locally to send to the request originating node consisting of a result code of “DIAMETER_UNABLE_TO_DELIVER”.
A number of alternative embodiments are possible.
According to one embodiment a method denoted as a “timer wheel' is employed. This method is particularly appropriate in contexts where the potential quantity of outstanding messages makes it inefficient or prohibitive to maintain a timer per message, in particular in those contexts wherein the quantity of messages may be in the tens or hundreds of thousands. With this method, many messages are associated to a single timer and as a result the time granularity of “expired” is more coarse.
By way of example, a particular timer wheel associated with this method may have a granularity interval of 50 ms. When a request is sent, it is associated with a timer for the current 50 ms interval. As a result, the expiry time for a particular request would be equal to the request plus up to the granularity value. Thus, a request having an associated timeout of 100 ms and being associated with a timer with a granularity of 50 ms could result in an actual timeout in the range 100 ms to 150 ms.
According to another embodiment, for example, instead of a timeout being associated with peers DRA- 2 320 , DRA- 3 330 , and DRA- 4 340 , the DIAMETER node DRA- 1 310 could have timeouts associated with the egress IP address for the associated peers. This would be the egress IP addresses 351 , 352 , and 353 of FIG. 3 respectively.
According to another contemplated embodiment, DIAMETER node DRA- 1 310 could have respective timeout values associated on a per-host basis. This would require a great amount of additional configuration and would allow timeout customization to very specific levels.
Similarly, according to yet another contemplated embodiment, DIAMETER node DRA- 1 310 could have respective timeout values configured and associated on a per-realm basis. This would require few configurations than a per-host basis, yet still more than a per-peer basis.
One of the advantages of policing timeouts at the DRA node is that it allows individual devices connected to the DIAMETER network to use large, tolerant timeout values. As the DRA assigned timeout is chosen for the expected response time, in the event that an individual device is using a large timeout value, the DRA timer will expire first and the DRA can respond, first by resending the request itself—thus saving network hops and the associated bandwidth usage. Second the DRA may respond with a response failure message such as “DIAMETER_UNABLE_TO_DELIVER” which allows the individual device to then respond without having to wait for its timeout value to expire.
Referring now to FIG. 4 there is illustrated an exemplary method 400 for handling associating timeouts with DIAMETER messages destined for peer of a DRA according to an embodiment of the invention.
Method 400 may start at step 405 and proceed to step 410 whereat a DIAMETER message is received. At step 415 the message is evaluated as to whether it is a request with a destination associated with a peer. In the event that the test results are affirmative, the method moves to step 420 whereat a timeout associated to that peer is retrieved. This associated timeout is used to initiate a timeout counter at step 425 and the request message is forwarded to the peer at step 430 .
At step 435 a timer loop is entered which is maintained until the timer expires. Once the timer has expired, a timeout action is taken at step 440 and the method may then proceed to step 445 and stop.
The timeout action taken at step 440 is pre-established and may consist among other actions, for example of resending the request to the peer and restarting the timer, and noting that the request has already failed at least once; or as another example, of no longer expecting a response and generating a response to the message originating node with a result code such as “DIAMETER_UNABLE_TO_DELIVER”.
If at step 415 it was determined that the DIAMETER message was not a request message destined for transmission to a peer, control proceeds to step 450 where a determination is made as to whether the DIAMETER message is a response message from a peer with an associated timeout timer which is running.
If the answer to the determination in step 450 is affirmative, then at step 455 the associated timeout timer is cancelled. Control then proceeds to step 460 whereat the message is appropriately processed and then to step 445 and stop.
If the answer to the determination in step 450 is negative, control then proceeds to step 460 whereat the message is appropriately processed and then to step 445 and stop.
By this method request messages traversing the DRA node have appropriate timeout values associated with the peers they are destined for. Upon the return response the timeout counter is cancelled. If the timeout timer expires, then it may be expected that a response will not be forthcoming from that peer and an appropriate action may be taken.
Referring now to FIG. 5 there may be seen a screenshot 500 of a Graphical User Interface by which specific appropriate timeout values may be associated with peers of a DRA. The Graphical User Interface could be, for example, part of the user interface 225 of FIG. 2 .
The Graphical User Interface provides input points at 510 , 520 and 530 respectively for entering the name, IP address and port number of a peer. An appropriate timeout timer value may be entered at 540 . In the example given the timeout value is in milliseconds.
Therefore what has been disclosed is a method of associating and assigning specific timeout values to on a per-peer basis to peers of a DIAMETER Routing Agent in a DIAMETER network.
Note, in the preceding discussion a person of skill in the art would readily recognize that steps of various above-described methods can be performed by appropriately configured network processors. Herein, some embodiments are also intended to cover program storage devices, e.g., digital data storage media, which are machine or computer readable and encode machine-executable or computer-executable programs of instructions, wherein said instructions perform some or all of the steps of said above-described methods. The program storage devices are all tangible and non-transitory storage media and may be, e.g., digital memories, magnetic storage media such as a magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital data storage media. The embodiments are also intended to cover network element processors programmed to perform said steps of the above-described methods.
Numerous modifications, variations and adaptations may be made to the embodiment of the invention described above without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the claims. | A method for per-peer request delivery timeouts includes receiving a DIAMETER message at a DIAMETER Routing Agent, testing if the DIAMETER message is a request message destined for an associated peer, and if said test is affirmative, then retrieving a preset timeout associated with that peer; initiating a timeout timer with said preset timeout; and forwarding the DIAMETER request message to said peer. The disclosure provides additional steps with respect to stopping the timer in the event that a response message is received prior to the timer expiring; or alternatively, either resending the request or providing an unable_to_deliver response in the event the timer does expire. The method for per-peer request delivery timeouts provides for fine tuning timeout periods according to the networks to which the DIAMETER peers are connected. The method is particularly useful for reducing the amount of time waiting for response messages which will not be forthcoming. | 7 |
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of PCT Application No. PCT/F199/00729, filed on Sep. 9, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference, and claims priority on Finnish application No. 981945, filed Sep. 10, 1998.
STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a doctor blade for a papermaking machine in general and to a doctor blade constructed of plastic in particular.
Faces of rolls in a paper/board machine tend to be coated with impurities derived from the papermaking process. Doctor blades are used in order to remove these materials from roll faces. As the running speed of paper machines has increased, the amount of friction between the doctor blade and the roll face has also increased, resulting in increased temperature at the doctor blade/roll interface and of the doctor blade itself. This is a problem, because the materials conventionally used in doctor blades do not withstand such higher speeds. For example, at a paper machine speed greater than 1400 meters per minute, doctor blades made of conventional materials can start to melt and abrade rapidly, in which case they no longer operate in cleaning of the roll face.
From the prior art, many doctor blades made of different materials are known, including composite structures. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,933, a doctor blade for a paper machine is described, which blade consists of a number of alternating layers of fibre and carbon fibre. The fibre layer can consist of cotton, paper, fibreglass, or equivalents thereof.
On the other hand, in published German patent application DE 4137970, a doctor blade comprising fiber-reinforced plastic is suggested. The fibre-reinforced plastic contains from 60 to 90 per cent by weight of polyamide-6 or polyamide-66, and from 10 to 40 per cent by weight of reinforcement fibers. A polyamide, which is a thermoplastic resin, is used in order to increase the thermal conductivity of the blade.
In Finnish Patent FI 101,637, a caring doctor blade is described, which blade comprises a number of fibre layers in a laminate construction, where at least one layer of carbon fibre or at least one layer that contains a substantial proportion of carbon fibre is present. This patent further discloses that the blade contains grinding particles in direct vicinity of the carbon fibers and that the carbon fibers are oriented substantially obliquely in relation to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the blade, preferably in the cross direction of the blade.
Japanese Published Application JP 05-214696, discloses a doctor blade comprising polyethylene of very high molecular weight or fibre-reinforced polyethylene of very high molecular weight, which polyethylene is a thermoplastic resin.
Japanese Published Application JP 05-32118 describes a doctor blade which is made of a thermoplastic fibre composite material which contains from 30 to 80 percent by weight of polyphenylene sulphide (a thermoplastic resin), and from 20 to 70 percent by weight of either glass fibers, aramide fibers, or graphite fibers.
Finally, Japanese Published Application JP 05-13289 discloses a doctor blade which consists of a material that contains fibreglass, where the filament fibres have been immobilized in a resin parent material, such as epoxy resin.
As evidenced by the above prior art, a number of different thermoplastic resin materials have been suggested for use in a doctor blade. In spite of their desirable heat resistance properties, thermoplastic resins have not achieved commercial importance as doctor blade materials because of their high cost and because of their difficult workability. A thermosetting plastic from which high resistance to heat in operation is expected also requires a considerably high melting-processing temperature. In practice, in commercial products, epoxy resins have been used almost exclusively.
However, doctor blades that comprise an epoxy matrix tend to wear, or degrade rapidly, resulting in shorter service life. As machine running speeds increase, this problem has become even worse. As discussed earlier, higher machine operation speed increases the friction heat between the revolving roll and the doctor blade. This heat causes the epoxy in the doctor blade to soften and start to melt. The phenomenon of softening is increased by the wet conditions, for epoxy has a certain degree of tendency to absorb water. The softening and the melting have the effect that the roll face becomes coated with the blade material. This causes changes in the properties of adhesion, separation and surface energy in the roll face, which has a very detrimental effect on the operation of the papermaking machine.
A second serious drawback of epoxy is its poor suitability for pultrusion and for similar methods that would allow continuous manufacture of doctor blades.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a material for a doctor blade that can endure high paper machine running speeds and, thus, high operating temperatures at the doctor blade/roll interface.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a doctor blade which can withstand high operating temperatures, and also possesses good mechanical strength and rigidity.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a doctor blade that can be manufactured efficiently in a variety of ways, including continuous manufacturing processes, such as pultrusion.
These, and other objects and advantages, are achieved by the doctor blade of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a doctor blade for cleaning a roll face in a papermaking machine, comprising a thermosetting plastic polymer material selected from the group consisting of vinylesterurethanes and polyether amide resins. Other thermosetting plastic polymers can also be used, provided that their glass transition temperature (T g ) is at least 20° C. higher than the operating temperature at the blade/roll face interface at any operating speed of which the papermaking machine is capable of being operated. In addition to being able to endure high operating temperatures, the thermosetting plastic polymers of the doctor blades of the present invention also have high impact resistance. Since these materials do not come close to their T g temperature during operation, blade wear resulting from softening and/or melting is slower. Also, in such a case, the wear takes place in a controlled way without breaking of the tip of the blade. Controlled wear is important in order that the blade should remain sharp through its whole service life. Owing to high impact strength, the blade tip is not broken equally easily if some material adhering to the roll face passes under the blade in a running situation.
Owing to their nature of thermosetting plastic, the thermosetting plastic polymers for use in the doctor blades of the present invention are suitable for being processed by all methods that are used with thermosetting plastic, including pultrusion. Moreover, processing of these materials does not require considerably elevated temperatures, as the processing of thermoplastic resin materials does. In the manufacture of oblong pieces, such as doctor blades, suitability for pultrusion is a highly desirable feature, because it permits continuous manufacture, in which case the overall economy of the manufacture is better and the product is of uniform quality.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the doctor blades are composite structures further comprising reinforcing materials and/or filler materials. The reinforcing materials can be conventional fibre reinforcements, such as glass, carbon or aramide fibers, or structures woven out of said materials or mixtures of said fibre reinforcements. For example, a multi-layer structure can be made using structure fibreglass and carbon fibre reinforcements, where the alignment of said reinforcement fibers vary/alternate in different layers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Not applicable.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the doctor blade comprises a vinylesterurethane. This material is derived from a polyester-based polyol dissolved in styrene, and polyisocyanate. In the first stage of the reaction, when the polyol component reacts with isocyanate, in a what is called chain extension reaction, urethane bonds are formed. In the second stage of the reaction, the double bonds in the polyester polyol react with the styrene as radical polymerization and cross-link a network structure typical of thermoplastic resins in the material.
The resulting polymer, a vinylesterurethane, has a what is called hybrid structure in which there is both a urethane bond known from polyurethanes and a bond typical of vinylesters. The first and the second stage of the reaction take place typically at the same time. There are several different accelerator and initiator systems which can be used to control the speed of the reactions. Through the choice of a specific system and the selection of a given polyester polyol, it is possible to regulate the properties of the resulting vinylesterurethane as desired in view of the specific use to which a doctor blade comprising the vinylesterurethane will be put, and the method by which the blade will be manufactured.
In addition to the good mechanical properties of vinylesterurethanes (strength, modulus and toughness values equal or exceed typical values of polyester/epoxy materials with high toleration of temperature) these polymers are able to withstand high operating temperatures—the HDT temperature is up to 220° C. Moreover, the good mechanical properties of vinylesterurethane and its resistance to degradation caused by contact with other chemicals are retained at elevated temperatures, and it tolerates thermal aging well. Thus, a doctor blade comprising vinylesterurethane is particularly well-suited for use in modem high-speed paper machines, where the temperature at the blade/roll face interface, and hence the surface temperatures of doctor blades, becomes quite high.
The raw-materials used in the production of vinylesterurethanes are typically provided in solution form, and can be processed by means of methods typical of thermosetting plastic. In the manufacture of doctor blades in accordance with the present invention, preferably pultrusion is used. Further possible methods for manufacture of the doctor blades of the present invention are, for example, manufacture (1) by means of prepregs (setting and autoclave treatment), (2) by means of resin injection (RTM), or (3) by means of reactive injection moulding.
Where pultrusion is used, the speed of manufacture with vinylesterurethanes is up to four times higher than with vinylesters, which lowers the cost of manufacture. The adhesion of vinylesterurethanes to different fillers is good, and, for example, ceramic and metallic fillers or cut-off-fibre reinforcements can be employed with the vinylesterurethanes in addition to woven fibre reinforcements.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the doctor blades comprise a thermosetting plastic called a polyether amide, or PEAR (PolyEther Amide Resin=PEAR), which is obtained from a reaction between bisoxazoline and a phenolic compound. The structure of this polymer is illustrated in a formula below describing structural units of polyether amide and structure of cross-linked polymer.
The polyether amide polymer illustrated in the formula above has the following properties, which lend themselves to the use of these materials in a doctor blade:
1. excellent thermal stability in constant operation up to 180° C.;
2. goad adhesion to glass fibres, carbon fibres and metals (aluminum, steel) and to ceramics because of its chemical structure
3. good toughness (5-fold G 1c value as compared with epoxy);
4. glass transition temperatures generally ranging from 225 to 295° C., depending on the hardening cycle and on the material modification;
5. high modulus of elasticity (pure non-reinforced polyether amide in the category of thermosetting plastics baa a modulus of elasticity of about 5100 MPa);
6. it does not contain volatile components; and
7. low coefficient of thermal expansion (42×10 −6 /° C.) as compared with other polymers.
Polyether amides are generally available as a solution and as a “hot melt” version. Polyether amide in solution form is, as a rule, used for the preparation of prepregs, in which case fibre reinforcements, if used, are impregnated with a solution that contains a polymer and a suitable solvent. The hot melt polymer is directly useable, for example, in a RTM method or in pultrusion, provided that the components are heated (about 160° C.) in order to lower the viscosity to a suitable level.
In the manufacture of the doctor blades in accordance with the present invention comprising polyether amides, the following techniques can be applied, which techniques are also suitable for other thermosetting plastics: manufacture by means of prepregs (setting and autoclave treatment); pultrusion; compression moulding; and RTM (resin transfer moulding).
From the point of view of doctor blade manufacture, the use of polyether amide accords the following advantages:
1. very low exothermic generation of heat during hardening reaction (5 times lower than with epoxies and 10 times lower than with bismaleimides); even thick parts are possible;
2. low hardening shrinkage (<0.8%; with epoxy about 3%);
3. autoclave treatments at 180° C.; and
4. after-hardening in an oven at 180 to 230° C.
Since polyether amide has good adhesion, among other things, to ceramics and to metals, if necessary or desired various ceramic or metallic filler particles can be mixed with polyether amide in a matrix without considerable deterioration of the mechanical properties of the material.
The present invention also embraces the use of other thermosetting plastic polymer materials besides vinylesterurethanes and polyether amides. Other thermosetting plastic polymer materials can be used in the doctor blades of the present invention, but those materials should have a T g that is at least 20° C. to 30° C. higher than the operating temperature, i.e., the blade tip temperature, at the blade/roll face interface at the operating speed of the papermaking machine for example a paper machine speed greater than 1400 meters per minute. It should also have high impact resistance, to prevent tip breakage.
It has been noticed that the doctor blades in accordance with the present invention have a remarkably improved resistance to wear and a prolonged service life as compared with blades that contain an epoxy matrix.
While the invention has been described with reference to some preferred embodiments, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the inventive idea defined in the following patent claims. | A doctor blade for use in cleaning a roll in a paper machine comprises a thermosetting plastic polymer material selected from the group consisting of vinylesterurethanes and polyether amides. | 3 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to flexible transmission lines and more specifically to methods for interconnecting such lines to printed circuit boards.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many electronic applications require extensive radio frequency (RF) cabling. For example a typical RF section on the backplane of a wireless base station may consist of forty eight, approximately 24-inch long, coaxial cables. These coaxial cables form a point-to-point distribution fabric between the transmitter circuit packs and the switching circuit packs, and between the receiver circuit packs and the switching circuit packs--all employed in a wireless base station of a wireless communications system. A typical switching circuit pack has four RF connections: one to the transmitter; one to a first receiver; one to a second receiver; and one to a clock synchronization circuit. There may be at least twelve switching packs in each wireless base station. It will be appreciated that the number of coaxial cables employed to interconnect the RF components mentioned above may be substantially high. The cost of these coaxial cables contributes significantly to the overall cost of a typical RF distribution fabric.
Additional disadvantages associated with the use of coaxial cables are the space required to accommodate numerous cables, relatively low reliability and relatively high maintenance cost. Furthermore, as underlying electronic components of the circuit packs become smaller, the size of coaxial cables may become an impediment to miniaturization of the system. It should be noted that the above concerns with the use of coaxial cables in a RF distribution fabric of a wireless base station are also present in other applications that require the use of numerous cables.
Thus, there is a need for a system and a method that substantially eliminates disadvantages associated with the use of coaxial cables employed in RF distribution fabrics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention an interconnection system for radio frequency RF applications may be employed. The interconnection system comprises a circuit board having signal conductors for carrying electrical signals. The circuit board includes at least one contact pad coupled to one of the conductors. A compression interconnect is employed to couple signal lines in the circuit board to signal lines in a radio frequency RF flex circuit. The interconnect, which may be made of an elastomeric material, includes a first and a second outer surface. The first outer surface is releasably disposed next to the contact pad of the circuit board. The radio frequency RF flex circuit has at least one contact pad coupled to an embedded signal conductor. The contact pad is releasably disposed next to the second outer surface of the compression interconnect to make electrical connection between the signal conductors in the circuit board and the flex circuit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with features, objects, and advantages thereof may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a portion of an interconnection system comprising a RF flex circuit, an elastomeric interconnect and a printed circuit board in accordance with the present invention.
FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate the side views of an interconnection system in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a circuit board employed in an interconnection system in accordance to the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates a retrofit application of an interconnection system in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of one embodiment of the invention such as an interconnection system 10 that may be employed in a radio frequency (RF) distribution fabric. The interconnection system comprises an RF flex circuit 36, a compression interconnect 40, and a radio frequency (RF) board 50.
Typically, RF board 50 may be a printed circuit board having a plurality of radio frequency signal lines or traces, as described in more detail in reference with FIGS. 3a and 3b, although the invention is not limited in scope in that respect. For example, circuit packs in a wireless base station such as transmitter and receiver and switching circuit packs contain numerous signal lines that carry radio frequency signals. Such signal lines, are usually made of copper and may be embedded within the material that forms the printed circuit board. In the alternative the signal lines may be disposed on the outer layer of the printed circuit board. As will be explained in more detail hereinafter, in reference with FIG. 4, existing circuit packs may employ coaxial cable connectors for coupling signal lines to coaxial cables. Thus, it is desired to replace such connectors with a retrofit connector that couples signals in the signal lines to elastomeric interconnect 40 as will be explained in more detail below.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, circuit board 50 is preferably disposed over a substrate 54. This substrate may be made of a rigid material. For high frequency applications the substrate may be made of an insulating material such as plastic.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention radio frequency signal lines of circuit board 50 may be coupled to compression interconnect 40 via contact pads 56. As will be explained, compression interconnect 40 may be made of an elastomeric material. Such contact pads may also be coupled to signal lines embedded within the circuit board via through- holes 72 (FIG. 2a) as will be explained in more detail hereinafter. Advantageously, annular ground areas 58 may surround contact pads 56 and through-holes 72.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2a, elastomeric compression interconnect 40 is advantageously positioned over circuit board 50, such that holes 42 of compression interconnect 40 overlay holes 48 of circuit board 50 and holes 52 of substrate 54. The design of elastomeric compression interconnects is well-known as described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,249 issued to Jin et al. and in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,376 issued to Lambert et al., both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Basically electrical interconnections 46 are made by means of a layer or sheet medium comprising chains of magnetically aligned, electrically conducting particles in a non-conducting matrix material 44. Electrically conductive, magnetic particles are aligned into essentially straight chains as resulting from application of a magnetic field in the z-direction of desired conductivity transverse to the x-y plane of interconnect 40. End particles of chains may preferably protrude from a surface of the medium, thereby enhancing electrical contact properties of the medium. Electrical interconnections 46 may be attached to contact pads disposed at both sides of compression interconnect 40.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the high frequency characteristics of elastomeric compression interconnects such as 40 is one of the factors that is preferably considered in its manufacture. For example, an interconnection such as 40 may be made by first mixing a silicone resin material such as RTV615 with 10 volume percent gold-coated nickel spheres having a diameter of about 2 mils. The mixture is spread to form a layer having a thickness of approximately 10 mils. The free surface of the mixture may be left uncovered. A magnetic field having a strength of approximately 400 oersteds is then applied in a direction perpendicular to the layer while the adhesive is cured at approximately 100° C. Preferably the compression interconnect material such as 40 may transmit a signal at about 1.7 Gb/s (0.158 ns rise time) with 5.0% reflection or less.
Other types of elastomeric connector materials may include a pad array interconnect known as Matrix MOE connector, and FujiPolymer W-Series materials, which includes wires extending through the thickness of the elastomer. These wires are typically located on a regular grid.
It is noted that the present invention is not limited in scope to a particular kind of compression elastomeric interconnect. For example other suitable compression interconnects may be employed such as Interposer and Micro-Interposer brands manufactured by AMP. These products are micro-mechanical contacts which require 300 grams and 150 grams force per contact, respectively, to form a reliable interconnect. Other examples include ElI and PAI brands manufactured by AUGAT. These products are designed for 50-mil centerline pad array interconnection. EII is constructed from a flexible circuit and utilizes through-hole technology, while PAI is made from miniature compression mountable spring plungers.
However, it is desired that the compression interconnect meet the electrical design specifications relating to the particular applications employed in connection with the present invention. For example, not all elastomeric compression interconnect materials are suitable for RF applications. Preferably, the magnetically aligned materials employed in the present invention and described previously, have shown to be advantageously useable at frequencies up to about 4 GHz--which is an approximate frequency limit for testing purposes.
A flex circuit 36 is positioned over compression interconnect 40, such that holes 38 of the flex circuit overlay holes 42, 48 and 52. Signal lines 30 are embedded within flex circuit 36 and are configured to carry radio frequency signals. The length of flex circuit 36 depends on requirements of the particular radio frequency RF distribution fabric to be implemented. Preferably, when the RF distribution fabric is implemented in a wireless base station of a wireless telecommunications system, the length of the flex circuit may be about 20 inches long.
Signal lines 30 are preferably made of copper, and are embedded in a flexible dielectric material 26. The loss of radio frequency signals carried in signal lines 30 depends on, among other things, the dielectric constant and the dielectric dissipation factor. In accordance with one aspect of the invention flex circuit 36 may advantageously include interstitial ground lines 28 positioned adjacent to signal lines 30, although the invention is not limited in scope in that respect. Advantageously, the use of ground lines 28 may substantially reduce cross talk between signal lines 30. Signal lines 30 and ground lines 28 are preferably situated between two ground planes disposed on the outer surface of dielectric 26. As it will be explained in more detail in reference with FIGS. 2a and 2b, contact pads for coupling conductors 47 and signal lines 30 are preferably situated on the one surface of flex circuit 36 positioned against compression interconnect 50. Finally, a cover 20 is positioned over flex circuit 36, such that holes 22 overlay holes 38. Cover 20 is advantageously made of an insulating material. A screw 120 (FIG. 4) may run through holes 22, 38, 42, 48 and 52, to attach the circuit board signal lines and the flex circuit signal lines via compression interconnect 40. It is noted that other suitable means of attachment, such as clamping or bonding may also be employed.
FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate the side views of one embodiment of an interconnection system 10 in accordance with the present invention, although the invention is not limited in scope to this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2a a flex circuit 36 is coupled to circuit board 50 via compression interconnect 40. Flex circuit 36 comprises a ground plane 84 disposed over the internal section of a solder mask layer 86. A dielectric layer 26 is disposed over ground layer 84. Dielectric layer 26 comprises a flexible substrate and is formed from multiple layers. An exemplary signal line 88 is preferably embedded within the dielectric layer. In this particular context, signal line 88 is positioned along an axis perpendicular to the plane of the paper. A ground layer 82 is disposed over dielectric layer 26. Ground layer 82 is configured so as to form openings 94. A contact pad 92 is disposed over dielectric 26, and is coupled to signal line 88 via a through-hole 90. Contact pad 92 is preferably made of gold-plated copper.
A solder mask layer 80 is disposed over ground layer 82, and is configured so as to form openings 96. Compression interconnect 40 is positioned over flex circuit 36 so as to make contacts with contact pad 92 and ground plane 82 through openings 96. Compression interconnect 40 is positioned to also make contact with circuit board 50 as described below.
Circuit board 50 may be a circuit pack employed in a wireless base station of a wireless telecommunications system, although the invention is not limited in scope in that respect. Thus, circuit board 50 may be a printed circuit board having radio frequency signal traces. Such signal traces may be disposed on the circuit board. In the alternative, as illustrated in FIG. 2a, signal lines 70 may be embedded within circuit board 50. In this particular context, signal line 70 is coupled to a contact pad 74 via a through hole 72. Circuit board 50 may preferably include a ground layer 76 disposed over the external surface of circuit board 50, covered by a mask layer 78. Ground layer 76 is configured so as to form openings 98. Likewise, solder mask layer 78 is configured so as to form openings 102.
As mentioned previously, signal lines 88 within dielectric 26 have preferably a substantially low signal loss. This signal loss is preferably in the order of 0.5 dB, or less, for a 20"-long flex circuit. However, signal losses of about 2 through 4 dB may be sufficiently acceptable. Flex circuit 36 is preferably made of a dielectric material with a dielectric constant of about 2 through 4 and a dissipation factor of about 0.005 or less at 1 GHz.
To this end, dielectric 26 may be made of Kapton laminate in conjunction with Arcrylic Bondply both manufactured by DuPont. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, flex circuit 36 may be manufactured in two steps. During the first step, two dielectric layers of Kapton laminate are formed, with a thickness of approximately half of the final thickness of flex circuit 36. On one of the dielectric layers signal lines 88 are formed. Thereafter during the second step, the other half of dielectric layer is bonded to the first half using the Arcrylic Bondply. Table 1 illustrates dielectric properties of Kapton and Acrylic Bondply in accordance with one aspect of the invention, although the invention is not limited in scope in this respect.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Dielectric Dissipation Factor @ Constant @ 1 MHz 1 MHz______________________________________Kapton (polyimide) 3.6 0.02Acrylic Bondply 3.6 0.02______________________________________
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, flex circuit 36 may be made of Gore-Flex laminate and Speedboard J Bondply, both manufactured by GoreTex. Table 2 illustrates dielectric properties of these materials.
TABLE 2______________________________________ Dielectric Dissipation Factor @ Constant @ 1 MHz 1 MHz______________________________________Gore-Flex laminate 3.1 0.005Speedboard J Bondply 2.3 0.004______________________________________
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, it is desirable to make flex circuit 36 of one dielectric material instead of two. This results in substantially better signal characteristics. One approach to manufacture a flex circuit with one dielectric, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, is to fabricate flex circuits using thermoplastic materials. Thin plys of thermoplastic substrate covered by a copper layer is preferably employed, onto which copper signal lines are then patterned, prior to a bonding or laminating process. The thermoplastic plys may then be advantageously laminated to produce a structure in which the signal conductors are embedded within a homogenous dielectric. An example of such thermoplastic material is Vectra brand dielectric manufactured by Hoechst-Celanese. Table 3 illustrates the electrical characteristics of Vectran, which is a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) product.
TABLE 3______________________________________ Dielectric Constant @ Dissipation Factor @ 1 GHz 1 GHz______________________________________Vectran 2.9 0.0025(liquid Crystal Polyemer)______________________________________
Finally, other thermoplastic materials that may be suitable for use as flex circuit 36 are illustrated in Table 4 below.
TABLE 4______________________________________ Dielectric Dissipation Constant @ 1 GHz Factor @ 1 GHz______________________________________TPX (polymethyl pentene) 2.2 0.00007Noryl (polyphenylene oxide) 2.8 0.0009Propylux (polypropylene) 2.3 0.002Lennite (polyethylene) 2.5 0.0006______________________________________
FIG. 2b illustrates another embodiment of interconnection system 10 showing a plurality of signal lines 88 in flex circuit 36 coupled to signal lines 70 in circuit board 50. It is noted that although exemplary illustrations of flex circuit 36 include one layer of signal lines, it may be desirable to have multiple layers of signal lines for some applications. Furthermore, circuit board 50 may also be made of multiple layers of signal traces.
FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate an embodiment of circuit board such as 50 in more detail. FIG. 3a is a perspective view of circuit board 50 as described in reference with FIG. 1. FIG. 3b is a side view illustration of circuit board 50 having a plurality of signal lines 70 embedded within the circuit board and coupled to contact pads 56 via through holes 72.
As mentioned before, many existing circuit boards employed in radio frequency related applications incorporate coaxial pin connectors that cannot directly be used in conjunction with an elastomeric compression interconnect so as to couple radio frequency signal lines to a flex circuit. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, it is desirable to retrofit such coaxial connectors so that an interconnection system described herein may be implemented. FIG. 4 illustrates one such retrofit application, although the invention is not limited in scope in that respect.
FIG. 4 illustrates a circuit board such as 50 having an existing coaxial pin connector 96, which includes a signal pin 92 and annular grounding receptacle 94. In one embodiment of the invention, coaxial pin connector is advantageously modified such that insulating sections 188 are pressed downwardly to below lines 102. An adaptor plug 180 is then inserted over coaxial pins 92 and within the annular grounding receptacle 94 of the coaxial connector. Plug 180 includes a signal connector 84 topped by a contact pad 104. Signal connector 84 couples detachably to pin 92. Adaptor plug 180 includes an annular ground ring 82 that couples to ground pins of coaxial connector 96. The annular ground ring 82 along with contact pad 104 may then be coupled to compression interconnect 40 to form an interconnection system with flex circuit 36 as described above.
Thus, the present invention allows substantial cost savings for implementing radio frequency distribution fabrics over prior art interconnection systems. Furthermore, the present invention allows the possibility of substantially miniaturizing such radio frequency distribution fabrics.
The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the inventions. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are thus within its spirit and scope. | An interconnection system comprises a circuit board having signal conductors for carrying electrical signals. The circuit board includes a plurality of contact pads coupled to each one of said signal conductors. An elastomeric compression interconnect is releasably disposed next to the contact pads of the circuit board. The elastomeric compression interconnect includes a composite material having magnetic, electrically conductive substantially spherical particles disposed in a nonconductive matrix material adapted to align into mutually isolated conductive chains. A radio frequency flex circuit is also releasably disposed next to the elastomeric compression interconnect. The flex circuit is made of a dielectric material and a bonding material exhibiting substantially low signal loss. | 7 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to improvements relating to pharmaceutical compositions. In particular it relates to pharmaceutically active compositions and precursors therefor which fall within the group of so-called “triptans”.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Triptans are a family of tryptamine-based drugs used, for example, in the treatment of migraine and cluster headaches. They are selective serotonin receptor agonists and their mechanism of action is attributed to their serotonin agonist activity at 5-HT 1B and 5-HT 1D receptors in the body, whether centrally, for example in the dorsal horn of the brain, and/or peripherally, for example at cranial blood vessels. Although other dosing regimes are possible, it is felt that triptans are preferably administered to a patient within twenty minutes of the onset of a headache.
[0003] Triptans include sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Imigran®), rizatriptan (Maxalt®), naratriptan (Amerge®, Natamig®), zolmitriptan (Zomig®), eletriptan (Relpax®), almotriptan (Axert®, Almogran®), and frovatriptan (Frova®, Migard®).
[0004] Many triptans exhibit low water solubility and are practically insoluble in water. This hinders their effective use, particularly for oral delivery in base form and water soluble salt forms are preferred, such as sumatriptan succinate, rizatriptan benzoate, naratriptan hydrochloride, eletriptan hydrobromide, almotriptan malate, frovatriptan succinate.
[0005] WO 2004/011537 describes the formation of solid, porous beads comprising a three dimensional open-cell lattice of a water-soluble polymeric material. These are typically “templated” materials formed by the removal of both water and a non-aqueous dispersed phase from a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) which has a polymer dissolved in the aqueous phase. The beads are formed by dropping the HIPE emulsion into a low temperature fluid such as liquid nitrogen, then freeze-drying the particles formed to remove the bulk of the aqueous phase and the dispersed phase. This leaves behind the polymer in the form of a “skeletal” structure. The beads dissolve rapidly in water and have the remarkable property that a water-insoluble component dispersed in the dispersed phase of the emulsion prior to freezing and drying can also be dispersed in water on solution of the polymer skeleton of the beads.
[0006] WO 2005/011636 discloses a non-emulsion based spray drying process for forming “solid amorphous dispersions” of drugs in polymers. In this method a polymer and a low-solubility drug are dissolved in a solvent and spray-dried to form dispersions in which the drug is mostly present in an amorphous form rather than in a crystalline form.
[0007] Unpublished co-pending applications (GB 0501835 of 28 Jan. 2005 and GB 0613925 filed on 13 Jul. 2006) describe how materials which will form a nano-dispersion in water can be prepared, preferably by a spray-drying process. In the first of these applications the water insoluble materials is dissolved in the solvent-phase of an emulsion. In the second, the water-insoluble materials are dissolved in a mixed solvent system and co-exist in the same phase as a water-soluble structuring agent. In both cases the liquid is dried above ambient temperature (above 20° C.), such as by spray drying, to produce particles of the structuring agent, as a carrier, with the water-insoluble materials dispersed therein. When these particles are placed in water they dissolve, forming a nano-dispersion of the water-insoluble material with particles typically below 300 nm. This scale is similar to that of virus particles, and the water-insoluble material behaves as though it were in solution.
[0008] In the present application the term “ambient temperature” means 20° C. and all percentages are percentages by weight unless otherwise specified.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] We have now determined that both the emulsion-based and the single-phase method can be used to produce a water-soluble, nano-disperse form of a triptan.
[0010] Accordingly, the present invention provides a process for the production of a composition comprising a water-insoluble triptan which comprises the steps of:
a) providing a mixture comprising:
i) a water-insoluble triptan, ii) a water soluble carrier, and iii) a solvent for each of the triptan and the carrier; and
b) spray-drying the mixture to remove the or each solvent and obtain a substantially solvent-free nano-dispersion of the triptan in the carrier.
[0016] The preferred method of particle sizing for the dispersed products of the present invention employs a dynamic light scattering instrument (Nano S, manufactured by Malvern Instruments, UK). Specifically, the Malvern Instruments Nano S uses a red (633 nm) 4 mW Helium-Neon laser to illuminate a standard optical quality UV cuvette containing a suspension of material. The particle sizes quoted in this application are those obtained with that apparatus using the standard protocol. Particle sizes in solid products are the particle sizes inferred from the measurement of the particle size obtained by solution of the solid in water and measurement of the particle size.
[0017] Preferably, the peak diameter of the water-insoluble triptan is below 1500 nm. More preferably the peak diameter of the water-insoluble triptan is below 1000 nm, most preferably below 800 nm. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the median diameter of the water-insoluble triptan is in the range 400 to 1000 nm, more preferably 500 to 800 nm.
[0018] Advantageous compositions obtainable by the process of the present invention comprise a water-insoluble triptan and a water soluble carrier which comprises triptan particles of 750 nm average particle size dispersed in the carrier.
[0019] It is believed that reduction of the particle size in the eventual nano-dispersion has significant advantages in improving the availability of the otherwise water-insoluble material. This is believed to be particularly advantageous where an improved bio-availability is sought, or, in similar applications where high local concentrations of the material are to be avoided. Moreover it is believed that nano-dispersions with a small particle size are more stable than those with a larger particle size.
[0020] In the context of the present invention, “water insoluble” as applied to the triptan means that its solubility in water is less than 25 g/L. “Water insoluble triptan” may also mean that the solubility of the triptan is less than 20 or less than 15 g/L. Preferably, the water insoluble triptan has solubility in water at ambient temperature (20° C.) less than 5 g/L preferably of less than 1 g/L, especially preferably less than 150 mg/L, even more preferably less than 100 mg/L. This solubility level provides the intended interpretation of what is meant by water-insoluble in the present specification.
[0021] Preferred water-insoluble triptans include base forms of sumatriptan, rizatriptan, naratriptan, eletriptan, almotriptan, frovatriptan and zolmitriptan and water insoluble derivatives of these compounds.
[0022] Preferred carrier materials are selected from the group consisting of water-soluble organic and inorganic materials, surfactants, polymers and mixtures thereof.
[0023] A further aspect of the present invention provides a process for preparing a triptan composition comprising a water-insoluble triptan and a water-soluble carrier, which comprises the steps of:
a) forming an emulsion comprising:
i) a solution of the triptan in a water-immiscible solvent for the same, and ii) an aqueous solution of the carrier; and
b) drying the emulsion to remove water and the water-immiscible solvent to obtain a substantially solvent-free nano-dispersion of the triptan in the carrier.
[0028] For convenience, this class of method is referred to herein as the “emulsion” method.
[0029] A further aspect of the present invention provides a process for preparing a triptan composition comprising a water insoluble triptan and a water-soluble carrier which comprises the steps of:
a) providing a single phase mixture comprising:
i) at least one non-aqueous solvent, ii) optionally, water, iii) a water-soluble carrier material soluble in the mixture of (i) and (ii), and iv) a water-insoluble triptan which is soluble in the mixture of (i) and (ii); and
b) drying the solution to remove water and the water miscible solvent to obtain a substantially solvent-free nano-dispersion of the triptan in the carrier.
[0036] For convenience, this class of method is referred to herein as the “single-phase” method.
[0037] In the context of the present invention substantially solvent free means within limits accepted by international pharmaceutical regulatory bodies (eg FDA, EMEA) for residual solvent levels in a pharmaceutical product and/or that the free solvent content of the product is less than 15% wt, preferably below 10% wt, more preferably below 5% wt and most preferably below 2% wt.
[0038] In the context of the present invention it is essential that both the carrier material and the triptan are essentially fully dissolved in their respective solvents prior to the drying step. It is not within the ambit of the present specification to teach the drying of slurries. For the avoidance of any doubt, it is therefore the case that the solids content of the emulsion or the mixture is such that over 90% wt, preferably over 95%, and more preferably over 98% of the soluble materials present is in solution prior to the drying step.
[0039] In relation to the methods mentioned above, the preferred triptan and the preferred carrier materials are as described above and as elaborated on in further detail below. Similarly the preferred physical characteristics of the material are as described above.
[0040] The “single phase” method where both the triptan and the carrier material are dissolved in a phase comprising at least one other non-aqueous solvent (and optional water) is preferred. This is believed to be more efficacious in obtaining a smaller particle size for the nano-disperse triptan. Preferably, the drying step simultaneously removes both the water and other solvents and, more preferably, drying is accomplished by spray drying at above ambient temperature.
[0041] The products obtainable by the process aspects of the present invention are suitable for use in the preparation of medicaments for treatment of migraines and headaches, especially cluster headaches.
[0042] A further aspect of the present invention provides a method for the preparation of a medicament for use in the treatment of migraines and headaches, especially cluster headaches, which comprises the step of preparing a composition according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0043] Various preferred features and embodiments of the present invention are described in further detail below.
Triptans
[0044] As noted above the preferred water-insoluble triptans include sumatriptan, rizatripta, naratriptan, zolmitriptan, eletriptan, almotriptan, frovatriptan and derivatives and mixtures thereof. These can be present as the sole pharmaceutically active ingredient in compositions according to the present invention or be together with other drugs to provide a so-called “combination therapy”.
[0045] As an illustrative example, it would be beneficial to provide a combination of a triptan, such as Sumatriptan, and a further an agent, for example an NSAID such as diclofenac, ibuprofen or naproxen, paracetamol, or other analgesic agents such as for example, codeine or other anti-nausea agents such as for example, diphenhydramine or ondansetron.
Water-Dispersible Product Form
[0046] The present invention provides a method for obtaining a water-dispersible form of an otherwise water-insoluble material. This is prepared by forming a not wholly aqueous intermediate emulsion or solution in which both a water-soluble carrier material and the water insoluble triptan are dissolved. On removal of solvents the insoluble triptan is left dispersed through the water-soluble carrier material. Suitable carrier materials are described in further detail below.
[0047] The structure of the material obtained after the drying step is not well understood. It is believed that the resulting dry materials are not encapsulates, as discrete macroscopic bodies of the water-insoluble materials are not present in the dry product. Neither are the dry materials “dry emulsions” as little or none of the volatile solvent comprising the “oil” phase of the emulsion remains after the drying step. On addition of water to the dry product the emulsion is not reformed, as it would be with a “dry emulsion”. It is also believed that the compositions are not so-called solid solutions, as with the present invention the ratios of components present can be varied without loss of the benefits. Also from X-ray and DSC studies, it is believed that the compositions of the invention are not solid solutions, but comprise nano-scale, phase-separated mixtures. Further, from X-ray powder diffraction studies it is believed that the triptan nano-particle material produced is in crystalline form and not amorphous form and it is believed to be predominantly or entirely the same crystalline form as the starting material.
[0048] Preferably, the compositions produced after the drying step will comprise the triptan and the carrier in a weight ratio of from 1:500 to 1:1 (as triptan:carrier), 1:100 to 1:1 being preferred. Typical levels of around 10-50% wt water-insoluble triptan and 90-50% wt carrier can be obtained by spray drying.
[0049] By the method of the present invention the particle size of the triptan materials can be reduced to below 1000 nm and may be reduced to around 100 nm. Preferred particle sizes are in the range 400-800 nm.
“Emulsion” Preparation Method
[0050] In one preferred method according to the invention the solvent for the water-insoluble triptan is not miscible with water. On admixture with water it therefore can form an emulsion.
[0051] Preferably, the non-aqueous phase comprises from about 10% to about 95% v/v of the emulsion, more preferably from about 20% to about 68% v/v.
[0052] The emulsions are typically prepared under conditions which are well known to those skilled in the art, for example, by using a magnetic stirring bar, a homogeniser, or a rotational mechanical stirrer. The emulsions need not be particularly stable, provided that they do not undergo extensive phase separation prior to drying.
[0053] Homogenisation using a high-shear mixing device is a particularly preferred way to make an emulsion in which the aqueous phase is the continuous phase. It is believed that this avoidance of coarse emulsion and reduction of the droplet size of the dispersed phase of the emulsion, results in an improved dispersion of the “payload” material in the dry product.
[0054] In a preferred method according to the invention a water-continuous emulsion is prepared with an average dispersed-phase droplet size (using the Malvern peak intensity) of between 500 nm and 5000 nm. We have found that an Ultra-Turrux T25 type laboratory homogenizer (or equivalent) gives a suitable emulsion when operated for more than a minute at above 10,000 rpm.
[0055] There is a directional relation between the emulsion droplet size and the size of the particles of the payload material, which can be detected after dispersion of the materials of the invention in aqueous solution. We have determined that an increase in the speed of homogenization for precursor emulsions can decrease final particle size after re-dissolution.
[0056] It is believed that the re-dissolved particle size can be reduced by nearly one half when the homogenization speed increased from 13,500 rpm to 21,500 rpm. The homogenization time is also believed to play a role in controlling re-dissolved particle size. The particle size again decreases with increase in the homogenization time, and the particle size distribution become broader at the same time.
[0057] Sonication is also a particularly preferred way of reducing the droplet size for emulsion systems. We have found that a Hert Systems Sonicator XL operated at level 10 for two minutes is suitable.
[0058] It is believed that ratios of components which decrease the relative concentration of the triptan to the solvents and/or the carrier give a smaller particle size.
“Single Phase” Preparation Method
[0059] In an alternative method according to the present invention both the carrier and the triptan are soluble in a non-aqueous solvent or a mixture of such a solvent with water. Both here and elsewhere in the specification the non-aqueous solvent can be a mixture of non-aqueous solvents.
[0060] In this case the feedstock of the drying step can be a single phase material in which both the water-soluble carrier and the water-insoluble triptan are dissolved. It is also possible for this feedstock to be an emulsion, provided that both the carrier and the triptan are dissolved in the same phase.
[0061] The “single-phase” method is generally believed to give a better nano-dispersion with a smaller particle size than the emulsion method.
[0062] It is believed that ratios of components which decrease the relative concentration of the triptan to the solvents and/or the carrier give a smaller particle size.
Drying
[0063] Spray drying is well known to those versed in the art. In the case of the present invention some care must be taken due to the presence of a volatile non-aqueous solvent in the emulsion being dried. In order to reduce the risk of explosion when a flammable solvent is being used, an inert gas, for example nitrogen, can be employed as the drying medium in a so-called closed spray-drying system. The solvent can be recovered and re-used.
[0064] We have found that the Buchi B-290 type laboratory spray drying apparatus is suitable.
[0065] It is preferable that the drying temperature should be at or above 100° C., preferably above 120° C. and most preferably above 140° C. Elevated drying temperatures have been found to give smaller particles in the re-dissolved nano-disperse material.
Carrier Material
[0066] The carrier material is water soluble, which includes the formation of structured aqueous phases as well as true ionic solution of molecularly mono-disperse species. The carrier material preferably comprises an inorganic material, surfactant, a polymer or may be a mixture of two or more of these.
[0067] It is envisaged that other non-polymeric, organic, water-soluble materials such as sugars can be used as the carrier. However the carrier materials specifically mentioned herein are preferred.
[0068] Suitable carrier materials (referred to herein as “water soluble carrier materials”) include preferred water-soluble polymers, preferred water-soluble surfactants and preferred water-soluble inorganic materials.
Preferred Polymeric Carrier Materials
[0069] Examples of suitable water-soluble polymeric carrier materials include:
(a) natural polymers (for example naturally occurring gums such as guar gum, alginate, locust bean gum or a polysaccharide such as dextran; (b) cellulose derivatives for example xanthan gum, xyloglucan, cellulose acetate, methylcellulose, methyl-ethylcellulose, hydroxy-ethylcellulose, hydroxy-ethylmethyl-cellulose, hydroxy-propylcellulose, hydroxy-propylmethylcellulose, hydroxy-propylbutylcellulose, ethylhydroxy-ethylcellulose, carboxy-methylcellulose and its salts (e.g. the sodium salt—SCMC), or carboxy-methylhydroxyethylcellulose and its salts (for example the sodium salt); (c) homopolymers of or copolymers prepared from two or more monomers selected from: vinyl alcohol, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylamide methylpropane sulphonates, aminoalkylacrylates, aminoalkyl-methacrylates, hydroxyethylacrylate, hydroxyethylmethylacrylate, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl imidazole, vinyl amines, vinyl pyridine, ethyleneglycol and other alkylene glycols, ethylene oxide and other alkylene oxides, ethyleneimine, styrenesulphonates, ethyleneglycolacrylates and ethyleneglycol methacrylate; (d) cyclodextrins, for example β-cyclodextrin; and (e) mixtures thereof.
[0075] When the polymeric material is a copolymer it may be a statistical copolymer (heretofore also known as a random copolymer), a block copolymer, a graft copolymer or a hyperbranched copolymer. Co-monomers other than those listed above may also be included in addition to those listed if their presence does not destroy the water soluble or water dispersible nature of the resulting polymeric material.
[0076] Examples of suitable and preferred homopolymers include poly-vinylalcohol, poly-acrylic acid, poly-methacrylic acid, poly-acrylamides (such as poly-N-isopropylacrylamide), poly-methacrylamide; poly-acrylamines, poly-methyl-acrylamines, (such as polydimethylaminoethylmethacrylate and poly-N-morpholinoethylmethacrylate), polyvinylpyrrolidone, poly-styrenesulphonate, polyvinylimidazole, polyvinylpyridine, poly-2-ethyl-oxazoline poly-ethyleneimine and ethoxylated derivatives thereof.
[0077] Polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazaline), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydroxypropyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl-methyl cellulose (HPMC) and alginates are preferred polymeric carrier materials.
Preferred Surfactant Carrier Materials
[0078] Where the carrier material is a surfactant, the surfactant may be non-ionic, anionic, cationic, amphoteric or zwitterionic.
[0079] Examples of suitable non-ionic surfactants include ethoxylated triglycerides; fatty alcohol ethoxylates; alkylphenol ethoxylates; fatty acid ethoxylates; fatty amide ethoxylates; fatty amine ethoxylates; sorbitan alkanoates; ethylated sorbitan alkanoates; alkyl ethoxylates; Pluronics™; alkyl polyglucosides; stearol ethoxylates; and alkyl polyglycosides.
[0080] Examples of suitable anionic surfactants include alkylether sulfates; alkylether carboxylates; alkylbenzene sulfonates; alkylether phosphates; dialkyl sulfosuccinates; sarcosinates; alkyl sulfonates; soaps; alkyl sulfates; alkyl carboxylates; alkyl phosphates; paraffin sulfonates; secondary n-alkane sulfonates; alpha-olefin sulfonates; and isethionate sulfonates.
[0081] Examples of suitable cationic surfactants include fatty amine salts; fatty diamine salts; quaternary ammonium compounds; phosphonium surfactants; sulfonium surfactants; and sulfonxonium surfactants.
[0082] Examples of suitable zwitterionic surfactants include N-alkyl derivatives of amino acids (such as glycine, betaine, aminopropionic acid); imidazoline surfactants; amine oxides; and amidobetaines.
[0083] Mixtures of surfactants may be used. In such mixtures there may be individual components which are liquid, provided that the carrier material overall, is a solid.
[0084] Alkoxylated nonionics (especially the PEG/PPG Pluronic™ materials), phenol-ethoxylates (especially TRITON™ materials), alkyl sulphonates (especially SDS), ester surfactants (preferably sorbitan esters of the Span™ and Tween™ types) and cationics (especially cetyltrimethylammonium bromide—CTAB) are particularly preferred as surfactant carrier materials.
Preferred Inorganic Carrier Materials
[0085] The carrier material can also be a water-soluble inorganic material which is neither a surfactant nor a polymer. Simple organic salts have been found suitable, particularly in admixture with polymeric and/or surfactant carrier materials as described above. Suitable salts include carbonate, bicarbonates, halides, sulphates, nitrates and acetates, particularly soluble salts of sodium, potassium and magnesium. Preferred materials include sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and sodium sulphate. These materials have the advantage that they are cheap and physiologically acceptable. They are also relatively inert as well as compatible with many materials found in pharmaceutical products.
[0086] Mixtures of carrier materials are advantageous. Preferred mixtures include combinations of surfactants and polymers, which include at least one of:
a) polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), hydroxypropyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl-methyl cellulose (HPMC), and alginates; and at least one of: b) alkoxylated nonionics (especially the PEG/PPG Pluronic™ materials), phenol-ethoxylates (especially TRITON™ materials), alkyl sulphonates (especially SDS), ester surfactants (preferably sorbitan esters of the Span™ and Tween™ types) and cationics (especially cetyltrimethylammonium bromide—CTAB).
[0089] The carrier material can also be a water-soluble small organic material which is neither a surfactant, a polymer nor an inorganic carrier material. Simple organic sugars have been found to be suitable, particularly in admixture with a polymeric and/or surfactant carrier material as described above. Suitable small organic materials include mannitol, polydextrose, xylitol, maltitol, dextrose, dextrins, dextrans, maltodextrin and inulin, etc.
Non-Aqueous Solvent
[0090] The compositions of the invention comprise a volatile, second non-aqueous solvent. This may either be miscible with the other solvents in pre-mix before drying or, together with those solvents may form an emulsion.
[0091] In one alternative form of the invention a single, non-aqueous solvent is employed in which can form a single phase with water in the presence of the triptan and the carrier. Preferred solvents for these embodiments are polar, protic or aprotic solvents. Generally preferred solvents have a dipole moment greater than 1 and a dielectric constant greater than 4.5.
[0092] Particularly preferred solvents are selected from the group consisting of haloforms (preferably dichloromethane, chloroform), lower (C1-C10) alcohols (preferably methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, isobutanol), organic acids (preferably formic acid, acetic acid), amides (preferably formamide, N,N-dimethylformamide), nitriles (preferably aceto-nitrile), esters (preferably ethyl acetate) aldehydes and ketones (preferably methyl ethyl ketone, acetone), and other water miscible species comprising heteroatom bond with a suitably large dipole (preferably tetrahydrofuran, dialkylsulphoxide).
[0093] Haloforms, lower alcohols, ketones and dialkylsulphoxides are the most preferred solvents.
[0094] In another alternative form of the invention the non-aqueous solvent is not miscible with water and forms an emulsion.
[0095] The non-aqueous phase of the emulsion is preferably selected from one or more from the following group of volatile organic solvents:
alkanes, preferably heptane, n-hexane, isooctane, dodecane, decane; cyclic hydrocarbons, preferably toluene, xylene, cyclohexane; halogenated alkanes, preferably dichloromethane, dichoroethane, trichloromethane (chloroform), fluoro-trichloromethane and tetrachloroethane; esters, preferably ethyl acetate; ketones, preferably 2-butanone; ethers, preferably diethyl ether; volatile cyclic silicones, preferably either linear or cyclomethicones containing from 4 to 6 silicon units. Suitable examples include DC245 and DC345, both of which are available from Dow Corning Inc.
[0103] Preferred solvents include dichloromethane, chloroform, ethanol, acetone and dimethyl sulphoxide.
[0104] Preferred non-aqueous solvents, whether miscible or not, have a boiling point of less than 150° C. and, more preferably, have a boiling point of less than 100° C., so as to facilitate drying, particularly spray-drying under practical conditions and without use of specialised equipment. Preferably they are non-flammable, or have a flash point above the temperatures encountered in the method of the invention.
[0105] Preferably, the non-aqueous solvent comprises from about 10% to about 95% v/v of any emulsion formed, more preferably from about 20% to about 80% v/v. In the single phase method the level of solvent is preferably 20-100% v/v.
[0106] Particularly preferred solvents are alcohols, particularly ethanol and halogenated solvents, more preferably chlorine-containing solvents, most preferably solvents selected from (di- or trichloromethane).
Optional Cosurfactant
[0107] In addition to the non-aqueous solvent an optional co-surfactant may be employed in the composition prior to the drying step. We have determined that the addition of a relatively small quantity of a volatile cosurfactant reduced the particle diameter of the material produced. This can have a significant impact on particle volume. For example, reduction from 297 nm to 252 nm corresponds to a particle size reduction of approximately 40%. Thus, the addition of a small quantity of co-surfactant offers a simple and inexpensive method for reducing the particle size of materials according to the present invention without changing the final product formulation.
[0108] Preferred co-surfactants are short chain alcohols or amine with a boiling point of <220° C.
[0109] Preferred co-surfactants are linear alcohols. Preferred co-surfactants are primary alcohols and amines. Particularly preferred co-surfactants are selected from the group consisting of the 3-6 carbon alcohols. Suitable alcohol co-surfactants include n-propanol, n-butanol, n-pentanol, n-hexanol, hexylamine and mixtures thereof.
[0110] Preferably the co-surfactant is present in a quantity (by volume) less than the solvent preferably the volume ratio between the solvent and the co-surfactant falls in the range 100:40 to 100:2, more preferably 100:30 to 100:5.
Preferred Spray-Drying Feedstocks
[0111] Typical spray drying feedstocks comprise:
a) a surfactant; b) at least one lower alcohol; c) more than 0.1% of at least one water-insoluble triptan dissolved in the feedstock; d) a polymer; and, e) optional water.
[0117] Preferred spray-drying feedstocks comprise:
a) at least one non-aqueous solvent selected from dichloromethane, chloroform, ethanol, acetone, and mixtures thereof; b) a surfactant selected from PEG co-polymer nonionics (especially the PEG/PPG Pluronic™ materials), alkyl sulphonates (especially SDS), ester surfactants (preferably sorbitan esters of the Span™ and Tween™ types) and cationics (especially cetyltrimethylammonium bromide—CTAB) and mixtures thereof; c) more than 0.1% of at least one water-insoluble triptan; d) a polymer selected from Polyethylene glycol (PEG), Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (PVP), hydroxypropyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl-methyl cellulose (HPMC), alginates and mixtures thereof; and e) optionally, water.
[0123] The drying feed-stocks used in the present invention are either emulsions or solutions which preferably do not contain any solid matter and in particular preferably do not contain any undissolved triptan.
[0124] The level of the triptan in the composition may be up to 95% wt, up to 90%, up to 85%, up to 80%, up to 75%, up to 70%, up to 65%, up to 60%, up to 55%, up to 50%, up to 45%, up to 40%, up to 35% or up to 30%. It is particularly preferable that the level of the triptan in the composition should be such that the loading in the dried composition is below 40% wt, and more preferably below 30% wt. Such compositions have the advantages of a small particle size and high effectiveness as discussed above.
Water-Dispersed Form
[0125] On admixture of the water-soluble carrier material with water, the carrier dissolves and the water-insoluble triptan is dispersed through the water in sufficiently fine form that it behaves like a soluble material in many respects. The particle size of the water-insoluble materials in the dry product is preferably such that, on solution in water the water-insoluble materials have a particle size of less than 1 μm as determined by the Malvern method described herein. It is believed that there is no significant reduction of particle size for the triptan on dispersion of the solid form in water.
[0126] By applying the present invention significant levels of “water-insoluble” materials can be brought into a state which is largely equivalent to true solution. When the dry product is dissolved in water it is possible to achieve optically clear solutions comprising more than 0.1%, preferably more than 0.5% and more preferably more than 1% of the water-insoluble material.
[0127] It is envisaged that the solution form will be a form suitable for administration to a patient either “as is” or following further dilution. In the alternative, the solution form of embodiments of the invention may be combined with other active materials to yield a medicament suitable for use in combination therapy.
EXAMPLES
[0128] In order that the present invention may be further understood and carried forth into practice it is further described below with reference to non-limiting examples.
[0129] A range of formulations were produced based on different excipients, different active loadings, and different process conditions. The formulations include sumatriptan as an illustrative example of a triptan, but could equally have been prepared using one of the other available water insoluble triptans.
[0130] The excipients were chosen from hydroxypropyl cellulose (Klucel EF, Herlus), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP k30, Aldrich), hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC, Mw 10 k, 5 cps, Aldrich), polyethylene glycol (PEG, Mw 6,000, Fluka), Tween 80 (Aldrich), pluronic F68 (BASF), pluronic F127 (Aldrich), span 80 (Aldrich), cremphor RH40 (BASF), mannitol (Aldrich), and sodium alginate (Aldrich).
[0131] Details of these formulations are listed as below:
Example 1
20 wt % Loadings
[0132] 0.40 g Sumatriptan, 1.00 g Klucel EF, 0.44 g HPMC, and 0.16 g Pluronic F68 are all dispersed into 100 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bat for about half hour before adding 60 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0133] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 120° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0134] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 500 nm.
Example 2
20 wt % Loadings
[0135] 0.40 g Sumatriptan, 1.00 g Klucel EF, 0.34 g HPMC, 0.16 g Pluronic F127, and 0.10 g Tween 80 are all dispersed into 100 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour before adding 60 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0136] The solution was then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 120° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0137] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of 100 to 500 nm.
[0138] Two dissolution tests based on a 20 mg sumatriptan dose and an 80 mg sumatriptan dose are carried out using the standard USP2 test. 50% of the 20 rag dose is expected to dissolve within less than 10 minutes and 50% of the 80 mg dose within 30 minutes. 95% of the 20 mg dose is expected to dissolve within less than 60 minutes and 95% of the 80 mg dose within less than 150 minutes.
Example 3
20 wt % Loadings
[0139] 0.40 g Sumatriptan, 1.00 g Klucel EF, and 0.60 g HPMC are all dispersed into 100 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour before adding 60 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0140] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0141] 20 mg dried powder was dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 500 nm.
Example 4
20 wt % Loadings
[0142] 0.40 g Sumatriptan, 1.44 g Klucel EF, and 0.16 g PEG 6000 are all dispersed into 100 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour and a clear solution is obtained.
[0143] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0144] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a translucent nanodispersion with a particle size of between 300 and 800 nm.
Example 5
20 wt % Loadings
[0145] 0.40 g Sumatriptan, 1.00 g Klucel EF, 0.18 g HPMC, 0.16 g PEG 6000, 0.16 g Pluronic F127, and 0.10 g Tween 80 are all dispersed into 100 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with magnetic bar for about half hour before adding 60 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0146] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0147] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of 100 to 200 nm.
Example 6
20 wt % Loadings
[0148] 0.40 g Sumatriptan, 1.34 g Klucel EF, 0.16 g Pluronic F127, and 0.10 g Cremphor RH40 are all dispersed into 100 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour before adding 60 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0149] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0150] 20 mg dried powder was dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 200 nm.
[0151] Two dissolution tests based on a 20 mg sumatriptan dose and an 80 mg sumatriptan dose are carried out for formulations following the standard USP2 test. 50% of the 20 mg dose is expected to dissolve within less than 10 minutes and 50% of the 80 mg dose within less than 5 minutes. 95% of the 20 mg dose is expected to dissolve within less than 25 minutes and 95% of the 80 mg dose within less than 90 minutes.
Example 7
20 wt % Loadings
[0152] 0.40 g Sumatriptan, 1.18 g Klucel EF, 0.16 g Pluronic F68, 0.16 g Pluronic F127, and 0.10 g Span 80 are all dispersed into 100 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour before adding 10 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0153] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0154] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 300 nm.
Example 8
20 wt % Loadings
[0155] 0.40 g Sumatriptan, 1.40 g Klucel EF, 0.10 g Tween 80, and 0.10 g Span 80 are all dispersed into 100 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour and a clear solution is obtained.
[0156] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0157] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 300 nm.
Example 9
30 wt % Loadings
[0158] 0.30 g Sumatriptan, 0.57 g Klucel EF, 0.05 g PEG 6000, 0.05 g Pluronic F127, and 0.03 g Tween 80 are all dispersed into 50 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour before adding 30 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0159] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0160] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 400 nm.
Example 10
30 wt % Loadings
[0161] 0.30 g Sumatriptan, 0.65 g Klucel EF, 0.025 g Tween 80, and 0.025 g Span 80 are all dispersed into 50 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour and a clear solution is obtained.
[0162] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0163] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a translucent nanodispersion with a particle size of between 200 and 400 nm.
Example 11
20 wt % Loadings
[0164] 0.20 g Sumatriptan, 0.40 g Klucel EF, 0.10 g Pluronic F127, 0.10 g Tween 80, and 0.20 g Mannitol are all dispersed into 50 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour before added 30 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0165] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 140° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0166] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 300 nm.
[0167] A dissolution test based on a 20 mg sumatriptan dose is carried out for formulation obtained from Example 11 following the standard USP2 test. 50% of the 20 mg dose is expected to dissolve within less than 5 minutes and 95% within less than 10 minutes.
Example 12
20 wt % Loadings
[0168] 0.20 g Sumatriptan, 0.50 g Klucel EF, 0.10 g Plutonic F127, and 0.20 g Mannitol are all dispersed into 50 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour before adding 30 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0169] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 140° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0170] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 300 nm.
[0171] A dissolution test based on a 20 mg sumatriptan dose is carried out for following the standard USP2 test. 95% of the 20 mg dose is expected to dissolve within less than 5 minutes.
Example 13
20 wt % Loadings
[0172] 0.20 g Sumatriptan, 0.60 g Klucel EF, 0.05 g Pluronic F127, 0.05 g Tween 80, and 0.10 g Mannitol are all dispersed into 50 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour before adding 30 ml distilled water. A clear solution is obtained.
[0173] The solution is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0174] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 300 nm.
Example 14
20 wt % Loadings
[0175] 0.20 g Sumatriptan, 0.60 g Klucel EF, 0.10 g Pluronic F127, 0.025 g Tween 80, and 0.025 g Span 80 are all dispersed into 50 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour and a clear ethanol solution was formed. 0.05 g Sodium alginate is dissolved into 30 ml distilled water. The ethanol solution and the aqueous solution are mixed together and a clear mixture is obtained.
[0176] The mixture is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0177] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 100 and 400 nm.
Example 15
20 wt % Loadings
[0178] 0.20 g Sumatriptan, 0.60 g Klucel EF, 0.15 g Pluronic F127 are all dispersed into 50 ml absolute ethanol. The ethanol suspension is stirred intensively with a magnetic bar for about half hour. 0.05 g Sodium alginate is dissolved into 30 ml distilled water. The ethanol dispersion and the aqueous solution are mixed together and a clear mixture is obtained.
[0179] The mixture is then spray dried with a BUCHI Mini B-290 spray dryer at 160° C. with the liquid feed rate at 2.5 ml/min. A white free flowing powder is obtained.
[0180] 20 mg dried powder is dispersed into 10 ml distilled water, giving a crystal clear nanodispersion with a particle size of between 200 and 400 nm.
[0181] A dissolution test based on a 20 mg sumatriptan dose is carried out for the formulation prepared in Example 15 following the standard USP2 test. 50% of the mg dose is expected to dissolve within less than 5 minutes and 95% within less than 90 minutes.
Example 16
[0182] This example summarises the experimental conditions used to produce three consecutive batches of spray dried Sumatriptan USP formulation (containing 40% (w/w) sumatriptan). The batches were spray dried using a Niro Mobile Minor and the same spray drying conditions used for each batch. A single solution of the sumatriptan formulation was prepared and used to produce the batches, with spray drying occurring over a 2-day period.
[0183] All chemicals used for spray drying studies were sourced by Iota NanoSolutions. These include, for Sumatriptan Batches SMT/0706003 and SMT/0602002:
Tween 80 supplied by Croda Iota Batch E0028D Mannitol supplied by Roquette Iota Batch E0010 Polydextran supplied by Danisco Iota Batch E0025 Lutrol F127 supplied by BASF Iota Batch E0014 HPMC supplied by Colorcon Iota Batch E0017 Ethanol (Absolute) supplied in bulk by VWR
Preparation of a Sumatriptan Solution for Spray Drying
Day 1:
[0190] The following quantities of powder were weighed out (to within 0.01 g): 19.9 g Sumatriptan Batch SMT/0706003 (required amount was 20 g). The sumatriptan was added to 1.0 L ethanol and left to stir overnight at room temperature in a capped bottle.
Day 2:
[0191] A further 1.5 L of ethanol was added to the suspension and stirred for 1 hour to fully dissolve the sumatriptan (total volume of ethanol was 2.5 L). A pale yellow solution was produced.
[0192] 18 g HPMC was then added to the ethanolic sumatriptan solution and stirred briskly for 1 hour to produce an even suspension.
[0193] The following aqueous solution was prepared separately by adding the following solutes to 2.5 L of de-ionised water and stirring for 1 hour: 3 g Mannitol, 3 g Polydextran, 3 g Lutrol F127, and 3 g Tween 80. The aqueous solution was then added to the sumatriptan/HPMC suspension and stirred for 30 mins. The resulting solution became “clear” but then became “cloudy” as the final amounts of aqueous solution were added. Total solids content at this stage was 50 g solids in 5.0 L 50% (v/v) ethanol/water solution (i.e. 1% (w/v))
[0194] To return to a “clear” solution a decision was made to adjust the solute concentrations and solvent concentrations such that the solids content remained at ˜1% (w/v) but that the ethanol concentration was raised to 60% (v/v).
[0195] The following quantities of powder were weighed out (to within 0.01 g): 10 g Sumatriptan Batch SMT/0602002. The sumatriptan was added to 1.25 L ethanol and left to stir at room temperature for 2 hours. When the sumatriptan had dissolved, 9 g of HPMC was added and stirred for 1 hour to create a homogeneous suspension. Additional solutes were added to the existing 5 L volume of sumatriptan solution and the solution stirred for 30 mins, namely: 1.5 g Mannitol, 1.5 g Polydextran, 1.5 g Lutrol F127 and 1.5 g Tween 80. The aqueous solution was then added to the 1.25 L of ethanolic Sumatriptan/HPMC suspension and stirred for 30 mins. The resulting solution was clear, pale yellow.
[0196] The final solution contained 75 g solids in 6.25 L of 60% (v/v) ethanol/water i.e. 1.2% (w/v) solids.
[0197] The process for manufacturing the sumatriptan spray solution is summarised in the flowchart shown in FIG. 1 .
Spray Drying Process
[0198] A 2 L volume of the sumatriptan solution was spray dried using a Niro Mobile Minor fitted with a 2-fluid nozzle. The liquid feed was provided by a gear pump calibrated to provide a flow of 25 ml/minute. The following spray drying conditions were used:
[0000]
Inlet temperature
100°
C.
Outlet temperature (start)
57°
C.
Liquid feed rate
25
ml/min
Atomisation pressure
0.5
bar
[0199] After all of the solution had been atomised, drying was halted and the spray dried powder recovered (Batch Number INS089-UT04). The spray dryer was then cleaned and dried prior to further use.
[0200] A 2 L volume of the sumatriptan solution was spray dried using a Niro Mobile Minor fitted with a 2-fluid nozzle. The liquid feed was provided by a gear pump calibrated to provide a flow of 25 ml/minute. The following spray drying conditions were used:
[0000]
Inlet temperature
100°
C.
Outlet temperature (start)
59°
C.
Liquid feed rate
25
ml/min
Atomisation pressure
0.5
bar
[0201] After all of the solution had been atomised, drying was halted and the spray dried powder recovered (Batch Number INS089-UT05). The spray dryer was then cleaned and dried prior to further use.
[0202] A 2 L volume of the sumatriptan solution was spray dried using a Niro Mobile Minor fitted with a 2-fluid nozzle. The liquid feed was provided by a gear pump calibrated to provide a flow of 25 ml/minute. The following spray drying conditions were used:
[0000]
Inlet temperature
100°
C.
Outlet temperature (start)
58°
C.
Liquid feed rate
25
ml/min
Atomisation pressure
0.5
bar
[0203] After all of the solution had been atomised, drying was halted and the spray dried powder recovered (Batch Number INS089-UT06).
[0204] The recoveries obtained are shown in Table 1. Each spray drying run used 2.0 L of a 1.2% (w/v) solution i.e. 24 g spray dried.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Recovery of Spray Dried Powders
Quantity of Material Recovered
Batch Number
(% of starting material)
INS089-UT04
12.3 g (51%)
INS089-UT05
15.3 g (64%)
INS089-UT06
16.4 g (68%)
[0205] Size analysis of the three spray dried batches were carried out using a Sympatec Laser Sizer, fitted with a Rodos air dispenser. Powders dispersed at 5.0 bar.
[0206] FIG. 2 is a graph showing the size analysis of Sumatriptan Batch INS089-UT04, wherein:
[0000]
x 10 = 2.81 μm
x 50 = 11.67 μm
x 90 = 35.99 μm
SMD = 5.79 μm
VMD = 16.98 μm
x 16 = 4.17 μm
x 84 = 28.41 μm
x 99 = 96.35 μm
S v = 1.04 m 2 /cm 3
S m = 7681.35 cm 2 /g
[0207] FIG. 3 is a graph showing the size analysis of Sumatriptan Batch INS089-UT05, wherein:
[0000]
x 10 = 2.51 μm
x 50 = 9.38 μm
x 90 = 27.39 μm
SMD = 5.16 μm
VMD = 12.79 μm
x 16 = 3.67 μm
x 84 = 21.73 μm
x 99 = 56.73 μm
S v = 1.16 m 2 /cm 3
S m = 8619.08 cm 2 /g
[0208] FIG. 4 is a graph showing the size analysis of Sumatriptan Batch INS089-UT06, wherein:
[0000]
x 10 = 2.42 μm
x 50 = 8.90 μm
x 90 = 26.09 μm
SMD = 5.01 μm
VMD = 12.29 μm
x 16 = 3.52 μm
x 84 = 20.55 μm
x 99 = 57.62 μm
S v = 1.20 m 2 /cm 3
S m = 8875.92 cm 2 /g
[0209] FIG. 5 is a graph showing the size analysis of Sumatriptan Batches INS089-UT04, INS089-UT05 and INS089-UT06.
Example 17
[0210] The following materials were used as purchased, without further purification:
1-[3-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-1H-indol-5-yl]-N-methyl-methanesulfonamide (Sumatriptan, 98%, MW 295.402 g/mol, supplied by PharmaKodex) Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC, Mw 10,000, Aldrich) Polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (PVP, Mw 45,000, Aldrich) Maltitol (MW 344.32 g/mol, Fluka) Polydextrose (Litessse® II, Danisco) Pluronic F-127 (Aldrich) Tween 80 (MW 1309.68 g/mol, Aldrich)
[0218] Sumatriptan and the excipients were dissolved into water/ethanol co-solvent and the resulting solution was then spray dried on a Buchi B-290 Mini Spray Dryer. The spray drying was conducted with an inlet temperature of 100° C. and a pump rate of 2.5 ml/min. The make-up of each batch is set out in Table 2.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Poly-
Pluronic
Tween
Batch
Sumatriptan
HPMC
PVP
dextrose
Maltitol
F-127
80
No.
(wt %)
(wt %)
(wt %)
(wt %)
(wt %)
(wt %)
(wt %)
Water:EtOH
39
20
24
24
8
8
8
8
1:1.6
42
40
18
18
6
6
6
6
1:1.2
54
40
36
—
6
6
6
6
1:1
55
40
—
36
6
6
6
6
1:1
58
40
42
—
6
6
—
6
1:1
60
40
40
—
6
6
—
8
1:1
[0219] In order to measure the sumatriptan particle size distribution (PSD), a 25 mg sample of the spray dried sumatriptan batches were dissolved into 26 ml distilled water with stirring (vortex) before measurements were taken using Malvern Nano-S particle sizer. The dispersions were corrected for viscosity.
[0220] To study the dissolution characterization, a 50 mg sample (equivalent to 20 mg sumatriptan) of the spray dried batches was dissolved into 1000 ml of distilled water at 37° C. with overhead paddle stirring at 50 rpm. Aliquots of each solution were taken at 5, 10, and 15 minutes. The dispersions were then diluted with 0.1 M HCl solution for UV characterization. The dissolution is expressed as a percentage of the initial sumatriptan concentration that has dissolved after specific time intervals, for each formulation.
[0000]
TABLE 3
Batch
% Solids in
PSD
Dissolution In H 2 0
Dissoluton in H 2 0
No.
solution
(nm)
(5 min)
(10 min)
39
1.5%
354
89
100
42
0.9%
306
98
100
54
0.8%
414
91
101
55
0.8%
598
99
99
58
0.8%
1030
76
99
60
0.8%
492
97
98
[0221] A UV calibration curve was also obtained by dissolving different amounts of sumatriptan into 0.1 M HCl solution.
[0222] FIGS. 6 and 7 show the X-ray powder diffraction results. These show that the sumatriptan nano-particle material produced is in crystalline form and not amorphous form and it is believed to be predominantly or entirely the same crystalline form as the starting material. | A process for the production of a composition comprising a water-insoluble triptan which comprises the steps of: a) providing a mixture comprising: i) a water-insoluble triptan, ii) a water soluble carrier, and iii) a solvent for each of the triptan and the carrier, and b) spray-drying the mixture to remove the or each solvent and obtain a substantially solvent-free nano-dispersion of the triptan in the carrier. | 0 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to the manufacture of isophorone from acetone.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Prior to the present invention, it has been known to make isophorone through the aldol condensation of acetone. However, the nuances, variations, and complications of this seemingly simple reaction may be tentatively appreciated by noting the summary of a paper by Salvapati, Ramanamurty, and Janardanarao (Journal of Molecular Catalysis, 54 [1989] 9-30): "Catalytic self-condensation of acetone is a very complex reaction and numerous products are possible via competitive self-condensation and cross-condensation between the same or different ketones that are formed in the reaction. All the major products of the reaction, diacetone alcohol, mesityloxide, phorone, mesitylene, isophorone, 3,5-xylenol and 2,3,5-trimethylphenol find important industrial applications. The reaction is catalysed by acids as well as bases, and it can be carried out in both liquid and vapour phases. The selectivity of the reaction for the desired product is achieved by proper choice of catalyst and experimental conditions. This paper reviews the recent developments in the process of self-condensation of acetone, evaluating the significance of various parameters for obtaining the desired product." The Salvapati et al article goes on to describe in some detail and with copious structural formulas the various possibilities in the autocondensation of acetone and the aromatization of isophorone, especially in the presence of acetone. It is clear that the catalyst and conditions for the aldol condensation of acetone must be carefully chosen to achieve a practical selectivity for isophorone.
This invention is designed to employ effectively a catalyst of the type described by Schutz in U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,191; preferably the catalyst is enhanced by the process of extruding or otherwise forming it described by Schutz and Cullo in U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,156. Methods of making isophorone described by Schutz in U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,620 and by Schutz and Cullo in U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,496 are also especially applicable to the present invention; use of the catalyst to react acetone in the vapor phase is particularly of interest in the present invention. The Schutz and Schutz/Cullo patents employ pseudoboehmite reacted with an acid to form a gel, to which is added magnesium oxide or hydroxide in particular ratios, followed by agitation, heating, and calcining. These patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
However, our invention may use also, or in place of the catalysts of the above-recited Schutz and Schutz/Cullo patents, a catalyst of the type disclosed by Reichle in U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,339 and 4,458,026 and/or Papa et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,187, to the extent they are practical. As mentioned below, this invention is a process for the vapor phase aldol condensation of acetone to make isophorone, and is intended to include the use of any catalyst which will catalyze such a reaction, including catalysts described in any of the above-cited patents which are known to do so, to the extent applicable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have developed an integrated process which advantageously uses the Schutz/Cullo catalyst (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,153,156 and/or 4,970,191) or other catalysts mentioned above, as well as any other practical aldol condensation catalyst, in a manner which is efficient both in product yield and energy consumption and which is consistent with the methods of making isophorone disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,055,620 and 5,202,496 to Schutz and Cullo. The energy savings are provided by a heat exchanger network which minimizes heat losses in an energy-intensive process. In addition, the recycle of various by-product streams, which either equilibrate or convert to the desired isophorone, serves to increase the overall process yield of isophorone from acetone.
In our process, fresh acetone is mixed with the various process recycle streams consisting primarily of acetone, mesityloxide, and isophorone. The resultant feed is partially vaporized preferably by heat exchange with the reactor outlet, then totally vaporized using steam or another suitable heating medium. The thus obtained vapor is superheated preferably by further heat exchange with the reactor outlet, and finally brought to an inlet or feed temperature of 225°-325° C. in a direct fired heater or other suitable heat source.
The superheated feed is reacted in the vapor phase to convert about 10 to 35% of the acetone, causing an adiabatic temperature rise of about 7° to 50° C. The reactor product is partially condensed, preferably by the aforementioned heat exchange with the reactor feed, thus recovering a large portion of the heat of reaction which, in the preferred version, in turn decreases the need for external energy sources. Unreacted acetone is then separated from the reaction products by distillation and recycled to the reactor. The bottoms product from the distillation column consists of an organic phase and an aqueous phase. The two phases are fed to a decanter or other phase separator after cooling by interchange with the decanter organic outlet. The organic phase is fed to another distillation column where the mesityloxide and remaining water are separated from the crude isophorone and then recycled to the reactor.
A further distillation is conducted in which the isophorone isomers, mainly beta isophorone and phorones, are separated from the product. The by-product mesitylene is removed in an overhead purge. The sidestream, which contains the isophorone isomers, is recycled to the reactor feed. Beta isophorone is the isomer illustrated in a structural formula as follows: ##STR1##
Although the beta isomer of isophorone (and phorone isomers) is generally less than about 10% of the alpha, at least under the conditions of our process, consistent removal of it has proven to be very beneficial to the color of the final product. The crude isophorone from the bottoms of the beta isophorone/phorone distillation is further purified in a final distillation column to remove heavy components. The resultant isophorone product has a purity of greater than 99%. Further improvement in the overall yield of the process can be realized by the optional stripping of the reaction water to recover acetone, mesityloxide, and isophorone to the extent that they are soluble in the reaction water. The recovered organics from the overhead of the stripper can be recycled to the acetone column.
Thus, our process is seen to comprise feeding acetone in the vapor phase at a temperature between about 225°-325° C. to an aldol condensation catalyst to convert about 10% to about 35% of the acetone to a reaction product containing about 4% to about 20% alpha isophorone, removing water and mesityloxide from said reaction product, and, in a separate isomer distillation, removing the beta form of isphorone, and phorone, from said reaction product. The isophorone product of >99% purity is recovered by removing the heavies in a final distillation step. Soluble acetone, mesityloxide, and isophorone may be recovered from the reaction water and recycled to the acetone column.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block flow diagram or flow sheet of our process.
FIG. 2 is a block flow diagram of a pilot plant used to demonstrate the front end of the process.
FIG. 3 is a block flow diagram of a pilot plant used to demonstrate the back end of our process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1, feed mixer 1 continuously receives acetone from line 2, and mixes it with recycled materials in lines 3, and 4 to be described. The mixture is heated, preferably by interchange 5 with the reactor outlet and directed to reactor 6 which is maintained initially at a temperature between 225°-325° C. and at a pressure to deploy the mixture in the vapor phase. The reactor contains a catalyst of the type described in the previously-cited Schutz/Cullo patents, in an amount to convert about 10-35% of the acetone in the feed, which will tend to increase the temperature in the reactor by about 7°-50° C. The active portion of the catalyst is preferably a synthetic anionic clay of the type described in lines 33-38 of column 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,156, namely of the formula (Mg 1-x Al x )(OH) 2 .xA where x is a number from 0.1 to 0.5, A is a univalent organic anion of the formula RCOO -- , where R is CnH 2n+1 and n is 0 to 4.
The reaction product (typically about 20% converted) is sent to the acetone distillation column 7 along with fresh acetone in line 8 and recovered organic feeds and products in line 20 to be described. Column 7 is operated at a pressure of 300 mmHg to 20 psig, preferably about 650 mmHg to 850 mmHg. After acetone removal, the resultant stream is two phase and is preferably fed to decanter 10 whereby the isophorone-rich organic layer is separated from the aqueous phase which contains most of the water formed in the reaction. The decanter feed is cooled by interchange with the decanter organic outlet in heat exchanger 9. In a less preferable mode, the two phases may be fed directly to the subsequent distillation; however, this will result in a large increase in energy requirements, thus reducing the overall energy efficiency of the process.
The decanted organic phase is then forwarded to the mesityloxide distillation column 12, where mesityloxide is removed for recycling through line 3 to feed mixer 1, and water is removed from the system in line 13. Column 12 operates at a pressure of about 100 mmHg to 20 psig, preferably about 400 to 600 mmHg. The reaction product continues to a beta distillation column 14, where beta isophorone and phorone isomers are removed for recycling through line 4 to feed mixer 1, and mesitylene and other light impurities are purged in line 15. Column 14 operates at a pressure of 20 mmHg to 600 mmHg, preferably 100-300 mmHg (about 5 psig). The bottoms from column 14, now comprising about 85% by weight of the desired alpha isophorone, are forwarded to a product distillation column 16, where it is purified to, preferably, at least 99% alpha isophorone, delivered from line 17 and heavies are purged in line 18. Column 16 operates at a pressure of 10 to 300 mmHg, preferably 50 to 100 mmHg (about 5 psig).
Water from line 11 and line 13 is sent to a stripping column 19, where organic components dissolved in the water are removed for recycling through line 20 to the acetone distillation column 7; waste water is removed in line 21.
The pilot plant of FIG. 2 was set up so that the feed tank 22 could receive unused acetone from line 25, and distilled acetone from line 30, and/or recycled products such as mesityloxide and isophorone isomers from line 24. The material contained in the feed tank 22 was pumped and vaporized through line 26 to the reactor 27 containing the catalyst, at a rate of about 665 g per hour. The reactor temperature was maintained at about 270° to 300° C. and the reactor pressure was about 15 psig. The reactor outlet stream was condensed and stored in tank 28 and subsequently pumped to the continuous column 29, which was an Oldershaw with 20 rectification trays, 8 stripping trays, maintained at 760 mmHg and with a reboiler temperature of 95° C. The overheads of the column, comprising acetone and water, were pumped back to feed tank 22. The bottoms of the column, comprising the reaction products, were separated in the decanter 23 into an organic phase (line 31) and an aqueous phase (line 32).
EXAMPLE 1
The data in Tables 1 and 2 were generated in the pilot configuration of FIG. 2. In Table 1, no mesityloxide or isophorone isomer$ were fed to the reactor; in Table 2, an approximation of the process described for FIG. 1 was conducted, i.e. the feed material contained both mesityloxide and isophorone isomers along with the acetone. It will be seen from Tables 1 and 2 that the presence of recycled mesityloxide in the feed does not affect the reaction product selectivities. In addition, the data show that the recycling of beta isophorone results in its isomerization to alpha isophorone without reacting or forming heavier condensation or other undesirable products. This is an important commercial factor, since the accumulation of beta isophorone will tend to result in an undesirable colored product. It was noted also that mesitylene tends to build up; after two weeks of recycling, its concentration increased from an initial 0.02 to 0.1 weight percent. Although it is not essential to do so, the process may be designed to purge the mesitylene, as in line 15 of FIG. 1. It may be calculated from Table 2 that each 100 parts of acetone was converted to 70.85 parts alpha isophorone, 20.37 parts water, and 8.76 parts heavies.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________Pilot plant data. Acetone feed with recycled acetone only. Hourly rates. acetone acetone decanter: decanter: reactor inlet reactor outlet column overheads column bottoms organic phase aqueous phase (g) (WT %) (g) (WT %) (g) (WT %) (g) (WT %) (g) (WT %) (g) (WT__________________________________________________________________________ %)ACETONE 650.70 98.00% 517.50 77.94% 516.50 97.50% 0.90 0.67% 0.54 0.47% 0.36 1.92%MESITYL- 0.00 0.00% 19.39 2.92% 0.00 0% 19.39 14.46% 19.34 16.76% 0.05 0.27%OXIDEMESITYLENE 0.00 0.00% 0.12 0.02% 0.00 0% 0.12 0.09% 0.12 0.10% 0.00 0.00%β-ISOPH. 0.00 0.00% 4.26 0.64% 0.00 0% 4.26 3.18% 4.25 3.68% 0.01 0.05%PHORONE 0.00 0.00% 0.15 0.02% 0.00 0% 0.15 0.11% 0.15 0.13% 0.00 0.00%ISOPHORONE 0.00 0.00% 75.36 11.35% 0.00 0% 75.36 56.19% 75.26 65.22% 0.10 0.53%C12 0.00 0.00% 2.47 0.37% 0.00 0% 2.47 1.84% 2.47 2.14% 0.00 0.00%C15 0.00 0.00% 6.29 0.95% 0.00 0% 6.29 4.69% 6.29 5.45% 0.00 0.00%TMT 0.00 0.00% 2.10 0.32% 0.00 0% 2.10 1.57% 2.10 1.82% 0.00 0.00%HEAVIES 0.00 0.00% 0.88 0.13% 0.00 0% 0.88 0.66% 0.88 0.76% 0.00 0.00%WATER 13.28 2.00% 35.52 5.35% 13.30 2.50% 22.20 16.55% 4.00 3.47% 18.20 97.22%TOTAL 663.98 100.00% 664.00 100.01% 529.80 1.00 134.12 100.00% 115.40 100.00% 18.72 100.00%__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE 2__________________________________________________________________________Pilot plant data. Acetone feed containing recycled mesityloxide, phoroneand isophorones. Hourly rates. acetone acetone decanter: decanter: reactor inlet reactor outlet column overheads column bottoms organic phase aqueous phase (g) (WT %) (g) (WT %) (g) (WT %) (g) (WT %) (g) (WT %) (g) (WT__________________________________________________________________________ %)ACETONE 617.77 93.08% 515.64 77.70% 514.64 97.50% 0.90 0.67% 0.54 0.46% 0.36 1.94%MESITYL- 21.00 3.16% 20.30 3.06% 0.00 0.00% 20.30 15.03% 20.25 17.37% 0.05 0.27%OXIDEMESITYLENE 0.50 0.08% 0.66 0.10% 0.00 0.00% 0.66 0.49% 0.66 0.57% 0.00 0.00%β-ISOPH. 5.00 0.75% 5.14 0.77% 0.00 0.00% 5.14 3.80% 5.13 4.40% 0.01 0.05%PHORONE 0.17 0.03% 0.20 0.03% 0.00 0.00% 0.20 0.14% 0.20 0.17% 0.00 0.00%ISOPHORONE 6.00 0.90% 76.49 11.53% 0.00 0.00% 76.49 56.60% 76.39 65.50% 0.10 0.54%C12 0.00 0.00% 2.19 0.33% 0.00 0.00% 2.19 1.62% 2.19 1.88% 0.00 0.00%C15 0.00 0.00% 5.93 0.89% 0.00 0.00% 5.93 4.38% 5.93 5.08% 0.00 0.00%TMT 0.00 0.00% 0.43 0.06% 0.00 0.00% 0.43 0.32% 0.43 0.37% 0.00 0.00%HEAVIES 0.00 0.00% 0.91 0.14% 0.00 0.00% 0.91 0.67% 0.91 0.78% 0.00 0.00%WATER 13.27 2.00% 35.00 5.40% 13.30 2.50% 22.00 16.28% 4.00 3.43% 18.00 97.19%TOTAL 663.71 100.00% 663.71 100.02% 527.94 100.00% 135.14 100.00% 116.62 100.00% 18.52 100.00%__________________________________________________________________________
The pilot plant of FIG. 3 was set up to simulate the "back end" of the plant. The organic phase from line 31 of FIG. 2, i.e. equivalent to the organic phase from the decanter 10 in FIG. 1, was stored in feed tank 33 and fed to the mesityloxide distillation column 34, equivalent to the first stage distillation unit 12 of FIG. 1, at a rate of about 525 ml/hr. This was a 1" Oldershaw having 5 rectification trays, 15 stripping trays, and operated at a top pressure of 400 mmHg, and a reboiler temperature of 193° C. Mesityloxide and some water are removed at the top of the column 34. The bottoms from column 34 were stored in tank 37 and then pumped to distillation column 35, equivalent to second stage distillation column 14 in FIG. 1; this was a 1" Oldershaw having 15 rectification trays, 30 stripping trays, and operated at a top pressure of 300 mmHg, and a reboiler temperature of 189° C. Most of the beta isophorone and phorones are removed overhead, and the bottoms from column 35 were stored in tank 38 and pumped to column 36 for purification of the product. Column 35, representing the third stage column 16 in FIG. 1, was a 1" Oldershaw having 20 stripping trays, 15 rectification trays, and operated at a top pressure of 70 mmHg, and a reboiler temperature of 188° C. The isophorone product was collected from line 42 and the heavies from line 39. Mesityloxide from line 40 and isophorone isomers from line 41 were recycled to the reaction section, i.e. reactor 27 in FIG. 2.
EXAMPLE 2
By using the experimental distillation train described and shown in FIG. 3, decanted organic material obtained from the front end of the process has been fractionated so that recycled streams and isophorone product were made. 3305 g were pumped from tank 33 of FIG. 3. 676 g of mesityloxide composite (including 95 g water) were collected from line 40, 212 g of beta isophorone overheads and 2510 g of beta bottoms were made. Analyses of these fractions are shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3______________________________________wt % analyses of distillation fractions. Decanted Mesityloxide Beta Beta Organics overheads overheads bottoms______________________________________acetone 0.86 5.20 -- --mesityl- 14.40 93.94 2.61 --oxidemesitylene 0.24 0.25 2.30 --beta 4.15 0.07 60.36 0.06isophoronephorone 0.14 -- 21.8 0.02isophorone 69.84 0.02 32.26 87.16c12 1.84 -- 0.27 2.71c15 5.99 -- -- 7.39tmt 1.45 -- -- 1.83heavies 0.98 -- -- 0.83______________________________________
1364 g of beta bottoms were pumped into the product column. 1133 g of product (99.7% alpha isophorone, APHA color 10-15) was collected from line 42 and 231 g of a heavy fraction was recovered from line 39. Analyses of these fractions are shown in Table 4.
TABLE 4______________________________________wt % analyses of product column fractions. Isophorone Column overheads bottoms______________________________________acetone -- --mesityloxide -- --mesitylene -- --beta isophorone 0.12 --phorone 0.01 --isophorone 99.72 3.78c12 0.15 17.16c15 -- 62.36tmt -- 10.43heavies -- 6.27______________________________________ | Isophorone is made by the aldol condensation of acetone followed by separate steps to remove acetone, mesityloxide, and beta isophorone. Variations include recycling of mesityloxide and/or beta isophorone. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fiber-reinforced driveshaft particularly, but not exclusively, for transmitting power in a motor vehicle from the motor to the differential gear unit.
More particularly, the invention relates to an improved fiber-reinforced driveshaft of synthetic plastic material.
A driveshaft of this general type is already known from German published application DT-OS No. 2,851,293. It has a tubular part of glass-fiber reinforced synthetic plastic material in the axially spaced ends of which respective metallic rings are secured. Each ring has an outer circumferential surface which projects partially beyond the end of the tubular part and to which the yoke of a cardan joint--or else an intermediate motion-transmitting member--is welded.
The fiber-reinforced plastic material is wound about the rings in uncured condition and is then hardened. This produced primarily a friction connection between the rings and the tubular part, although the rings may also be provided with projections for better connection with the tubular part.
Prior-art driveshafts of this type are serviceable. However, over a period of time the unavoidable alternating load conditions and vibrations acting on such driveshafts cause the connection between the rings and the tubular part to become loosened, and the service life of such shafts is therefore relatively short. Also, the abrupt diameter reduction of the tubular part in the region of the inner ends of the rings is not conducive to a constant level of force transmission from one end of the shaft to the other; it reduces the force that can be transmitted and may, in extreme cases, even lead to cracking of the shaft at these locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to overcome the prior-art disadvantages.
A more particular object is to provide a fiber-reinforced driveshaft of synthetic plastic material which requires a relatively small expenditure of material and is light in weight, but which yet is capable of transmitting maximum force reliably and permanently.
A concomitant object of the invention is to provide a driveshaft of the type under discussion which can transmit forces--and has a service life--at least equal to those of a comparable steel driveshaft.
In keeping with the above objects, and with still others which will become apparent hereafter, one aspect of the invention resides in a pair of rotationally symmetrical hollow end members each having an axially inner cylindrical section and an axially outer cylindrical section which are connected by a transition section, the inner and outer sections of each end member having different diameters and the transition section having a wall thickness which increases in direction towards the outer section; and a tubular shaft member of synthetic plastic material connecting the end members and surrounding the inner section, transition section and all but an end portion of the outer section thereof in mating relationship, the shaft member being reinforced with a plurality of layers of synthetic plastic material-impregnated fiber roving.
The invention is based on the recognition that the frictional connection between the hollow tubular part of the drive shaft and its end members, due to the adhesion of the synthetic plastic material to the end members, does not suffice to produce the desired characteristics. Rather, a mechanical interengagement must also be present to the maximum possible extent, so that the tensile components resulting particularly from repetitive bending and other reasons, can be absorbed without damage. The invention is further based on the realization that optimum force (torque) transmission is assured by obtaining a constant flow of force--and that this can be assured by appropriate configuration and gradual merging of the end members into the cross-section of the tubular part. A driveshaft constructed according to the invention has increased strength, improved ability to withstand permanent loads and enhanced resistance to breakage. Furthermore, it is light in weight and can be produced very economically.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a driveshaft according to the invention; and
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, showing one of the end members of the driveshaft in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A driveshaft according to the invention is identified in toto with reference numeral 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2. It has a tubular main shaft part 2 (shown broken off in FIG. 1) of fiber-reinforced synthetic plastic material which tightly surrounds a permanently embedded core or mandrel 4 that may be hollow or of solid cross-section. Part 2 consists of several layers of high-strength fibers which are embedded in a matrix of thermally hardened synthetic plastic material, for example polyester, epoxy resins or vinyl esters. The fibers are wound or otherwise applied to the mandrel 4, already impregnated with the synthetic plastic material but of course before hardening of the same. It is especially advantageous if at least some of these layers are in form of glass or carbon-fiber rovings pre-impregnated with the plastic material (known as "prepregs") with the plastic being hardened by direct heat application during the winding operation. At least the inner and the outer layer should be of carbon-fiber prepregs. This results in simplified manufacture and takes into account the increased stress which acts upon the inner and outer layers due to the flow of force from one to the other of the end members 5 which are mounted in the opposite ends of the part 2, as well as the greater tensile and compressive stresses to which the inner and outer layers are subjected as a result of flexing of the shaft which cannot be entirely avoided even though the shaft is more resistant to such flexing than before.
The strength of the shaft can be further enhanced by winding adjacent layers of the plastic-impregnated glass or carbon-fiber rovings in such a manner that their convolutions cross each other, with the convolutions having a different pitch in each layer and with the innermost and the outermost layer being so wound that their convolutions have the minimum possible pitch. Such a construction assures uniform good adhesion of the inner layer to the mandrel 4 and in particular also to the end members 5; it further assures a smooth, highly abrasion-resistant surface for the outer layer.
Another advantageous feature is to embed between at least two adjacent ones of these fiber layers of the part 2, a fabric or roving of high-strength fibers (e.g. again glass or carbon fibers) which is also impregnated with the synthetic plastic material. This additional measure adds little to the cost and work of manufacturing the part 2, but results in a very definite improvement of the service life of the part. In the end regions 3 of the part 2 the layers are reinforced by additional windings which firmly surround a substantial portion of each of the end members 5.
The end members 5 are rotationally symmetrical tubular bodies of metallic material. Each of them has a cylindrically shaped section 6 within and a similar section 7 partly without the respective end of part 2. These sections 6, 7 are connected by a transition section 8 of rounded cross-sectional profile, the wall thickness of which increases in direction towards the outer section 7. Only an axial portion of the respective section 7 projects out of the part 2, just sufficient so that a connecting element 12--e.g. the yoke 13 of a universal point 15--can be welded or hard-soldered to the thus projecting portion of the respective section 7. Whether welding or hard-soldering is used depends upon the metal of the end members 5 and the elements 12, respectively; generally, steel or a light-metal alloy is preferred.
The sections 6 have an outer diameter corresponding exactly or substantially to the outer diameter of the hollow or solid cross-section mandrel 4. The wall thickness of each section increases gradually in direction towards the associated transition section 8. The outer diameter of each section 7 is smaller than that of the associated section 6 and each section 7 is provided with a concentric axial bore or recess 10 for the centering projection of the connecting element 12. As mentioned earlier, the element 12 may be the yoke 13 of a universal point, or a fluted stub shaft on which such a yoke part is suitably mounted or on which a connecting member--such as, e.g., a flange or the like--is mounted. Constructing and connecting at least one of the yoke parts 13 to be non-rotatable but axially slidable relative to the shaft 2, permits automatic accommodation of the arrangement to length variations in dependence upon varying operating conditions.
The proximal ends of the mandrel 4 and of the respective sections 6 are so constructed that each section 6 can be pushed to a limited extent onto the mandrel 4 prior to initiation of the fiber winding operation. Thus, the end members 5 are connected with the mandrel 4 to define therewith the overall length desired for the shaft 1, before the winding operation begins which forms the tubular part 2. After thermal hardening of the synthetic plastic material with which the fiber roving is impregnated, each of the end members will reliably remain in its predetermined position relative to mandrel 4 and form with the part 2a non-separable unit of predetermined length.
To facilitate the welding or solder connection between the sections 7 and the elements 12, the juxtaposed end faces of the section 7 and elements 12 are bevelled in mutually opposite directions. They thus together form a V-shaped circumferential groove in which an annular weld seam or solder seam can be formed. To improve the connection of the end members 5 with the part 2, especially to further assure that they cannot turn relative to the part 2, it is advantageous to provide at least the surface 16 of the section 6--but preferably also the section 7--with projections and/or depressions such as grooves, bumps, flutes, cross-cuts or the like, into which the material of part 2 can enter and wherein it can harden to provide a form-locking connection.
It is currently preferred for each of the sections 6 to taper conically (in cross-section) to a narrowed region at its innermost end, and for each end portion 14 of the mandrel 4 to be similarly conical so that the section 6 can be slipped over it to a certain extent (see FIG. 2). This provides for the connection of mandrel 4 with the end member 5 in the manner described before, during the winding operation, and assures a precisely predetermined overall length for the shaft 1.
Depending upon the operational requirements made of the shaft and/or taking into account the question of manufacturing economy, the mandrel 4 may be hollow and tubular and furnished in standard lengths. It may be of light metal (e.g. aluminum, magnesium alloy and the like), synthetic plastic material or a strong paper or cardboard. It may also be of solid cross-section and in this event might be made of synthetic plastic material, particularly one of the non-resilient synthetic plastic foam materials such as polyunethane or polystyrene. Such members can be readily and inexpensively made in large quantities, are of light weight and have sufficient mechanical strength for the purposes at hand.
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a drive shaft, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention. | A drive shaft, particularly for motor vehicles, has metallic end members having facing axially inner sections of larger diameter, axially outer sections of smaller diameters and transition sections connecting the inner and outer sections. The end members are, with the exception of small axial lengths of the outer sections, embedded in and surrounded by a tubular shaft member which is constructed by winding a plurality of layers of carbon or glass-fiber roving impregnated with synthetic plastic, onto a lost mandrel and heat-hardening the synthetic plastic. | 5 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to light emitting diodes (LEDs) and to systems formed from multiple LEDs that maximizes the luminous flux output from a given thermal design of LED system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A light emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when a current is passed through it in a forward direction. Many types of LEDs are known that emit light in various wavelengths including infra-red, visible and ultra-violet regions. Many applications for LEDs are known including as indicator lights of various colors, for use in advertising displays, and in video displays.
In the past LEDs have tended to be lower power devices that produce relatively low power outputs and have not been used for general illumination purposes. More recently, however, high-power LED devices have become known that can provide an alternative to incandescent and fluorescent light sources. LED devices produce more light per watt than incandescent light sources and may therefore be useful as energy efficient light sources, while they have a number of advantages over fluorescent light sources including being easier to dim and not requiring the use of potentially toxic and polluting elements such as mercury to create the plasma that is the source of fluorescent light.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have therefore emerged as promising lighting devices for the future. However, LEDs are still primarily restricted to decorative, display and signaling applications so far and have not yet entered the market for general illumination to any great extent.
In photometry, one important factor that is commonly used for comparing different lighting devices is the luminous efficacy (lumen per Watt). One major hindrance to the widespread use of LEDs in general illumination applications is that the luminous flux of LEDs decreases with the junction temperature of the LEDs. The luminous efficacy of various LEDs typically decreases by approximately 0.2% to 1% per decree Celsius rise in temperature. Due to the aging effect, the actual degradation of luminous efficacy could be higher than this quoted figures. Accelerated aging tests show that the light output can drop by a further 45%. For aged LEDs, the efficacy degradation rate could be up to 1% per ° C. In some applications such as automobile headlights and compact lamps, the ambient temperature could be very high and the size of the heatsink is limited. The drop in luminous efficacy due to thermal problem would be serious, resulting in reduction of luminous output.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional LED 9 . At the heart of the LED device is a light emitting semiconductor material such as InGaN though other materials will be known to those skilled in the art. In the example of FIG. 1 a light-emitting InGaN chip 1 is mounted on a silicon substrate 2 and is connected to electrodes such as cathode 3 through gold wires 4 and solder connection 5 . The light-emitting chip 1 is covered by a silicone encapsulant 6 and a plastic lens 7 .
When a LED of the type shown in FIG. 1 is used to generate light a substantial amount of heat is generated that will damage the light-emitting chip if not removed. Therefore a heat sink must be provided and beneath the light-emitting chip 1 is a heatsink slug 8 . In practice when used to provide a source of light for illumination, conventionally multiple LEDs are provided to form a LED system 10 as shown in FIG. 2 where multiple LEDs 11 are provided on a single heatsink 12 .
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a method of forming an LED illumination system comprising a single or a plurality of LEDs on a heatsink with a desired output flux, comprising the steps of: (a) modeling on a computer the luminous flux emitted by said LED system as a function of the thermal resistance of said heatsink and the power applied to each LED, and (b) selecting an LED system such that the maximum luminous flux is emitted at a power equal to or below a rated power of said LED system provided that said maximum luminous flux is equal to or greater than the desired output flux, or (c) selecting an LED such that the rated power of said LED system is below the power at which the maximum luminous flux is emitted, provided that the flux emitted by said LED system at said rated power is equal to or greater than the desired output flux.
Preferably, in option (c) the rated power is at between 80% and 96% of the power at which maximum flux would be output.
Viewed from another aspect the present invention provides a method of forming an LED illumination system comprising a single or a plurality of LEDs on a heatsink with a desired output flux, comprising the steps of: (a) modeling on a computer the luminous flux emitted by said LED system as a function of the thermal resistance of said heatsink and the power applied to each LED, and (b) selecting a heatsink having a thermal resistance such that the maximum luminous flux is emitted at a power equal to or below a rated power of said LEDs, or (c) selecting a heatsink having a thermal resistance such that the rated power of said LED system is below the power at which the maximum luminous flux is emitted, provided that the flux emitted by said LED system at said rated power is equal to or greater than the desired output flux.
Preferably in step (c) the rated power is at between 80% and 96% of the power at which maximum flux would be output.
Viewed from another broad aspect the present invention provides an LED illumination system comprising a plurality of LEDs on a heatsink, wherein said heatsink has a thermal resistance such that the maximum luminous flux is emitted at a power below a rated power of said LEDs.
According to the present invention there is also provided a method of forming an LED illumination system comprising a plurality of LEDs on a heatsink with a desired output flux, comprising the steps of: (a) selecting an LED system such that the maximum luminous flux is emitted at a power below a rated power of said LED system provided that said maximum luminous flux is equal to or greater than the desired output flux, or (b) selecting an LED such that the rated power of said LED system is below the power at which the maximum luminous flux is emitted, provided that the flux emitted by said LED system at said rated power is equal to or greater than the desired output flux.
Viewed from a still further aspect the present invention provides a method of forming an LED illumination system comprising a plurality of LEDs on a heatsink with a desired output flux, comprising the steps of: (a) selecting a heatsink having a thermal resistance such that the maximum luminous flux is emitted at a power below a rated power of said LEDs, or (b) selecting a heatsink having a thermal resistance such that the rated power of said LED system is below the power at which the maximum luminous flux is emitted, provided that the flux emitted by said LED system at said rated power is equal to or greater than the desired output flux.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Some embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows schematically the structure of a conventional LED,
FIG. 2 shows a conventional system with multiple individual LEDs mounted on a single heatsink,
FIG. 3 is a plot of the typical relationship between efficacy of LEDs versus junction temperature,
FIG. 4 is a plot of the typical relationship between heatsink temperature and power dissipation,
FIGS. 5( a ) and ( b ) show (a) simplified dynamic thermal equivalent circuit of NLEDs mounted on the same heatsink, and (b) a simplified steady-state thermal equivalent circuit with N LEDs mounted on the same heatsink,
FIG. 6 shows an assumed linear function of junction-to-case thermal resistance R jc ,
FIG. 7 shows calculated and measured total luminous flux versus lamp power for eight 3 W LEDs mounted on a heatsink with thermal resistance of 6.3° C./W,
FIG. 8 shows calculated and measured total luminous efficacy versus lamp power for eight 3 W LEDs mounted on a heatsink with thermal resistance of 6.3° C./W,
FIG. 9 shows calculated and measured total luminous flux versus lamp power for eight 3 W LEDs mounted on a heatsink with thermal resistance of 4.5° C./W,
FIG. 10 shows calculated and measured total luminous efficacy versus lamp power for eight 3 W LEDs mounted on a heatsink with thermal resistance of 4.5° C./W,
FIG. 11 shows calculated and measured total luminous flux versus lamp power for eight 3 W LEDs mounted on heatsink with thermal resistance of 2.2° C./W,
FIG. 12 shows calculated and measured total luminous efficacy versus lamp power for eight 3 W LEDs mounted on a heatsink with thermal resistance of 2.2° C./W,
FIG. 13 shows calculated and measured total luminous flux versus lamp power for two 5 W LEDs mounted on heatsink with thermal resistance of 10° C./W,
FIG. 14 shows calculated and measured total luminous efficacy versus lamp power for two 5 W LEDs mounted on a heatsink with thermal resistance of 10° C./W,
FIG. 15 shows calculated and measured total luminous flux versus lamp power for two 5 W LEDs mounted on heatsink with thermal resistance of 6.8° C./W,
FIG. 16 shows calculated and measured total luminous efficacy versus lamp power for two 5 W LEDs mounted on a heatsink with thermal resistance of 6.8° C./W,
FIG. 17 plots total luminous flux emitted as a function of LED power,
FIG. 18 illustrates in more detail one embodiment of the invention where an LED is operated below the peak value of emitted luminous flux,
FIG. 19 illustrates the operating principles in the context of forced cooling,
FIG. 20 shows an apparatus that may implement embodiments of the invention,
FIG. 21 shows a flowchart illustrating the use of an embodiment of the invention, and
FIG. 22 shoes a further flowchart illustrating the use of an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
To increase the light emitted from a conventional LED system it is necessary to increase the current applied to the LED. Continuing to increase the LED power will have diminishing returns, however, as the increasing temperature of the LED will reduce its efficiency and potentially damage the LED. The heatsink is therefore important as it is essential for heat to be carried away from the LED so as not to cause it any damage. The light emitted by a LED will increase with applied current provided that the heat produced can be removed, but for any individual LED design there will come a point where increasing power applied to the LED will not result in greater light being emitted because heat is no longer being effectively removed. Identifying the relationship between power applied and light emitted is an important aspect of the present invention.
Let φ v be the total luminous flux of an LED system consisting of N LED devices.
φ v =N×E×P d (1)
where E is efficacy (lumen/Watt) and P d is the real power of one LED (W)
It is well known that the efficacy (E) of LEDs will decrease with increasing junction temperature of the LEDs. FIG. 3 shows a typical relationship provided by an LED manufacturer. It can be seen that:
E=E o └1 +k e ( T j −T o )┘ for T j ≦T o and E≦ 0 (2)
where E o is the rated efficacy at the rated temperature T o (typically 25° C.) and k e is the relative reduction of efficacy with increase in temperature. For example, if E reduces by 20% over a temperature increase of 100° C., then k e =0.002.
In general, the LED power can be defined as P d =V d ×I d , where V d and I d are the diode voltage and current respectively. But only part of the power will be dissipated as heat. Thus, the heat generated in one LED is defined as:
P heat =k h P d =k h V d I d (3)
where k h is a constant less than 1.
Now consider a typical relationship of the heatsink temperature and the heat generated in the LED system as shown in FIG. 4 . A simplified dynamic thermal equivalent circuit of a LED system is shown in FIG. 5( a ), assuming that (i) the N LEDs are placed on the same heatsink with thermal resistance of R hs , (ii) each LED has a junction to case thermal resistance R jc and (iii) a thermal conductor with electrical isolation (such as heatsink compound) is used to isolate the LEDs from the heatsink and which has a thermal resistance of R ins . A distributed thermal model is used for the heatsink due to its relatively large size. The corresponding thermal capacitances are needed if dynamic response is to be studied.
Under steady-state conditions, the thermal model can be further simplified into a steady-state model as shown in FIG. 5( b ). In practice, a heat sink compound or equivalent may be used between the LEDs and the heat sink to ensure good thermal contact. The thermal resistance of such thermal conductor/electric insulator is relatively small when compared with R jc of LEDs and is neglected in FIG. 5( b ) and the following equations.
Based on the model in FIG. 5( b ), the steady-state heatsink temperature can be expressed as:
T hs =T a +R hs ( NP heat )= T a +R hs ( Nk h P d ) (4)
where T a =ambient temperature.
From FIGS. 5( b ) and ( 4 ), the junction of each LED is therefore:
T j =T hs +R jc ( P heat )= T hs +R jc ( k h P d ) (5a)
T j =T a +( R jc +NR hs ) k h P d (5b)
Now, T j obtained in (5) can be used in (2):
E=E o └1 +k e ( T j −T o )┘
E=E o {1 +k e └T a +( R jc +NR hs ) k h P d −T o ┘}
E=E o └1 +k e ( T a −T o )+ k e k h ( R jc +NR hs ) P d ┘ (6)
So, the total luminous flux φ v is:
φ v =NEP d
φ= N{E o └1 +k e ( T a −T o )+ k e k h (R jc +NR hs )P d ┘}P d
φ v =NE o {[1 +k e ( T a −T o )] P d +k e k h ( R jc +NR hs ) P d 2 } (7a)
Equation (7a) can also be expressed as follows:
φ= NE o {P d +[k e ( T−T o )] P d +k e k h ( R jc +NR hs ) P d 2 } (7b)
Several important observations can be made from equations (7a) and (7b).
1. Equation (7) relates the luminous flux (φ v ) to the electrical power of the LED (P d ) and the thermal resistance of the heatsink (R hs ) and the LED junction (R jc ) together. It is an equation that integrates the photometric, electrical and thermal aspects of the LED system together. 2. For a given heatsink (that may be restricted in size by a specific application), the operating point P d * at which maximum φ v occurs can be determined. Alternatively where there is flexibility in designing the heatsink, the equations can be used for thermal design to optimize the size of the heatsink (R hs ) for a given LED array. 3. Because k e is negative and less than 1, (7) is in the form of φ v =α 1 P d −α 2 P d 2 where a 1 and a 2 are two positive coefficients. As P d is increased from zero, φ v increases almost linearly because the second term is negligible when P d is small. As P d increases, the second negative term which is proportional to the square of P d will reduce φ v significantly. After reaching the maximum point, the φ v will drop faster as P d and R jc increase (due to the increasing significance of the negative terms in (7b)). This means that the parabola of φ v is not symmetrical. Since the luminous flux function is a parabola and therefore has a maximum value, this maximum point can be obtained from
ⅆ
ϕ
v
ⅆ
P
d
=
0.
By differentiating (7) with respect to P d ,
ⅆ
ϕ
v
ⅆ
P
d
=
NE
o
{
[
1
+
k
e
(
T
a
-
T
o
)
]
+
2
k
e
k
h
(
R
jc
+
NR
hs
)
P
d
+
[
(
T
a
-
T
o
)
P
d
+
k
h
(
R
jc
+
NR
hs
)
P
d
2
]
ⅆ
k
e
ⅆ
P
d
+
[
k
e
(
R
jc
+
NR
hs
)
P
d
2
]
ⅆ
k
h
ⅆ
P
d
+
(
k
e
k
h
P
d
2
)
ⅆ
R
jc
ⅆ
P
d
}
(
8
)
It should be noted that the first two terms on the right hand side of (8) do not have derivatives, while the remaining three terms do. Strictly speaking, k e , k h and R jc are not constant. It must be noted that R jc will indeed increase significantly with lamp power.
The above equations can usefully be simplified for practical applications. As a first approximation, it is assumed that k e , k h , and R jc are constant for the time being. It is known that k h will reduce slightly for a few percent under dimming conditions. From LED manufacturer data sheets the degradation of the efficacy with junction temperature is usually assumed to be linear and thus k e is assumed to be constant. This assumption is acceptable for k e and k h , and will be relaxed to accommodate the changing nature of R jc in the analysis later. Based on this assumption, (8) can be simplified as:
ⅆ
ϕ
v
ⅆ
P
d
=
NE
o
{
[
1
+
k
e
(
T
a
-
T
o
)
]
+
2
[
k
e
k
h
(
R
jc
+
NR
hs
)
]
P
d
}
(
9
)
Therefore, maximum-φ v point can be obtained by putting
ⅆ ϕ v ⅆ P d = 0 and P d * = - [ 1 + k e ( T a - T o ) ] 2 k e k h ( R jc + NR hs ) ( 10 )
where P d * is the led power at which maximum φ v occurs. (Note that k e is a negative value.)
From (3), the corresponding LED current at which maximum φ v occurs can be obtained as:
I
d
*
=
-
[
1
+
k
e
(
T
a
-
T
o
)
]
2
k
e
k
h
(
R
jc
+
NR
hs
)
V
d
(
11
)
Several significant observations can be made from (10) and (11).
1. Equations (10) and (11) relate the optimal P d and I d , respectively, to the thermal design of the LED system (i.e., thermal resistance of the heatsink R hs and R jc ). 2. The maximum luminous flux will occur approximately at a lamp power P d * specified in (10). This P d * will shift to a lower value if (R jc +NR hs ) is increased. This leads to the possibility that the P d * may occur at a power level that is less than the rated power P d(rated) of the LED. 3. Based on the above comment, one should expect that the P d * could be shifted to higher power level if a larger heatsink with lower R hs is used. 4. For many applications such as head lamps of vehicles and compact lamps for replacement of incandescent lamps, the size of the heatsink is highly restricted and the ambient temperature is high. In these cases, there is a high possibility that P d * (at which maximum luminous flux is produced) will occur at a power level less than the rated power.
In practice, R jc of the LED increases with lamp power. Therefore, a vigorous equation can be obtained from (8) as:
ⅆ
ϕ
v
ⅆ
P
d
=
NE
o
{
[
1
+
k
e
(
T
a
-
T
o
)
]
+
2
k
e
k
h
(
R
jc
+
NR
hs
)
P
d
+
(
k
e
k
h
P
d
2
)
ⅆ
R
jc
ⅆ
P
d
}
(
12
)
The function of R jc is highly complex and it depends on several factors such as thermal resistance of the heatsink, ambient temperature, the LED size and mounting structure and even the orientation of the heatsink. Equation (7b) in fact provides the physical meaning of effects of the temperature-dependent R jc . Since R jc increases with lamp power P d , the two negative terms (with k e which is negative) in (7b) will accelerate the reduction of the luminous flux as P d increases. This effect should be noticeable when P d exceeds the P d *, resulting in a slightly asymmetric parabolic luminous flux function.
In order to verify the theory two types of LEDs are used: 3 W cool white LEDs and 5 W cool white LEDs from Luxeon K2 Star series. They are mounted on several heatsinks with thermal resistances of 6.3° C./W, 3.9° C./W and 2.2° C./W so that experiments can be performed to evaluate their luminous output under different lamp power operations.
Since the junction-to-case thermal resistance R jc is a complex and nonlinear function of the lamp heat dissipation P heat (which is equal to k h P d ) and the thermal design of the mounting structure, the theoretical prediction is based on a simplified linear function as follows:
R jc =R jco (1 +k jc P d ) (13)
where R jco is the rated junction-to-case thermal resistance at 25° C. and k jc is a positive coefficient. A typical linear approximation of R jc is shown in FIG. 6 .
If equation (13) is used in (7b), a more accurate luminous flux equation can be derived as:
φ v =NE o {[1 +k e ( T−T o )] P d +[k e k h ( R jco +NR hs )] P d 2 +[k e k h k jc R jco ]P d 3 } (7c)
A Tests on 3 WLEDs
(i) On a Heatsink with Thermal Resistance of 6.3° C./W
A group of eight identical Luxeon K2 Cool-white 3 W LEDs are mounted on a standard heatsink with a thermal resistance of 6.3° C./W. The efficacy of the LEDs is measured at rated power in an integrating sphere. The parameters required for the equation (7) are:
k e =−0.005 , k h =0.85 , T a =28° C., T 0 =25° C., E 0 =41 Lumen/Watt, N =8 , R hs =6.3° C./W R jco =10° C.//W and k jc =0.1° C./W 2 .
Now two equations can be derived from (7). If the R jc is assumed to be constant as a first approximation (i.e., R jc =R jco )
φ v =323.08 ×P d −84.2 ×P d 2 (14)
If R jc is assumed to obey (13),
φ v =323.08 ×P d −84.2 ×P d 2 −1.39 P d 3 (15)
The luminous flux is measured in an integrating sphere. The measured total luminous flux for eight LEDs is used for comparison with calculated values. The measured and calculated total luminous flux values are plotted, not against the total power sum of eight LEDs but against one LED power because the eight LEDs are identical and are connected in series. Using the power of one LED in the x-axis allows one to check easily if the optimal operating point is at the rated LED power or not. The measured results and calculated results from (14) and (15) are plotted in FIG. 7 . Several points should be noted:
1. The theoretical curves generally have the same trends as the measured curve. This confirms the validity of the general theory. 2. The maximum lumen/Watt point occurs at about P d =1.9 W, which is less than the rated power of 3 W. This result shows that the general theory can predict accurately the P d * operating point which may not be the rated power. Equation (10) indicates that a large NR hs term will shift P d * to the low power level of the LED. 3. The two negative terms in this example can also be seen in (15). The asymmetry after the peak luminous output point is more noticeable in the theoretical curve obtained from (15) than from (14). Comparison of (14) and (15) shows that the effect of the variation of R jc , which is reflected in the extra third term in (15) is the reason for the obvious asymmetry of φ v . 4. In summary, the simplified model (7b), which is the basis for (14), has the form of φ v =α 1 P d −α 2 P d 2 , while the more vigorous model (7c), which is the basis for (15), has the form of φ=α 1 P d −α 2 P d 2 −α 3 P d 2 . Therefore, the model in (7c) is more accurate than the model (7b) particularly when P d has exceeded P d *. However, since both simplified and vigorous models are accurate enough for the power less than P d *, which is also the recommended useable power range of LEDs, both equations can be used in the design optimization procedure to be explained.
Based on (6), the efficacy function can also be obtained.
E =40.39−10.52P d assuming R jc is constant (16)
E =40.39−10.52P d −0.17P d 2 assuming R jc obeys (13) (17)
The measured efficacy values and the calculated values from (16) and (17) are displayed in FIG. 6 . It is noted that the calculated values are consistent with measurements. The results obtained from (17) are more accurate than those from (16) when P d is large.
(ii) On a Heatsink with Thermal Resistance of 4.5° C./W
Eight identical 3 W LEDs are mounted on a larger heatsink with thermal resistance of 4.5° C./W. The measured and calculated total luminous output as a function of single LED power P d are shown in FIG. 9 . It is noted that the calculated values are generally consistent with measurements, except at very low power where the light output is low and the relative measurement error is large. The P d * is 2.4 W at an efficacy of 21 lumens/Watt in this case. The use of a larger heatsink with a smaller thermal resistance means that the NR hs term in the denominator of (10) is smaller than that in the previous case (with R hs =6.3° C./W). Therefore, P d * has increased from 1.9 W to 2.4 W as expected from (10) and the efficacy from 21 lumens/Watt to 23 lumens/Watt.
The corresponding measured and calculated efficacy are shown in FIG. 10 and it can be seen that they are in good agreement.
(iii) On a Heatsink with Thermal Resistance of 2.2° C./W
Another eight 3 W LEDs are mounted on an even larger heatsink with thermal resistance of 2.2° C./W for evaluation. The measured and calculated luminous output as a function of LED power P d are shown in FIG. 11 and the corresponding results of the efficacy are included in FIG. 12 .
The theoretical P d * is now about 3.5 W, which is higher than the rated power of 3 W. This again confirms the prediction by the theory (10) that P d * will shift to the higher power level with a decreasing term of NR hs (i.e., a larger heatsink with a lower R hs ). Therefore, the theory can be used to design the optimal heatsink for a particular operating power. On the other hand, it can also be used to predict the optimal operating power for a given heatsink.
B Tests on 5 W LEDs
In order to ensure that the theory can be applied to other LEDs, 5 W LEDs are used for evaluation. They are mounted on two heatsinks with thermal resistance of 6.8° C./W and 10° C./W respectively.
(i) On a Heatsink with Thermal Resistance of 10° C./W
Two 5 W LEDs are mounted on a heatsink with thermal resistance of 10° C./W. For the theoretical calculation, the parameters used in (10) are k e =−0.00355, k h =0.85, T a =28° C., T 0 =25° C., E 0 =38 Lum/W, N=2, R hs =10° C./W, R jc =13° C./W and k jc =0.13° C./W 2 . Fitting these parameters into (7) and assuming that R jc will rise linearly with temperature, the luminous flux equation and the efficacy equation are expressed as (18) and (19), respectively, and they are plotted with practical measurements in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 , respectively. Despite only two 5 W LEDs being used, the theoretical predictions based on the averaged values are in general agreement with the measurements.
φ v =75.2 P d −7.57 2 d −0.296 P d (18)
E =37.6−3.78 P d −0.149 P d 2 (19)
(ii) On a Heatsink with Thermal Resistance of 6.8° C./W
The previous experiments are repeated by mounting the two 5 W LEDs on a larger heatsink with a thermal resistance of 6.8° C./W. FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 show the comparisons of the measured and calculated luminous flux and efficacy, respectively. In general, calculated and measured results are in good agreement. Comparisons of the peak luminous flux in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 confirm once again that using a larger heatsink (with lower thermal resistance) can shift the optimal operating point to a higher lamp power level. For the heatsink with R hs =10° C./W, the optimal point occurs at about 3.8 W. For the heatsink with R hs =6.8° C./W, this optimal point has shifted to about 6 W.
An important conclusion can be drawn from these results. The peak luminous flux (i.e., maximum φ v ) occurs at a LED power P d * that depends on the thermal design (i.e., the heatsink thermal resistance). In general, the larger the heatsink (the lower the heatsink thermal resistance or the better the cooling effects), the higher the peak luminous flux can be achieved. Since operating the LEDs at a power higher than their rated power will shorten the lifetime of LEDs drastically, the theory can be used to project the maximum luminous flux for a given thermal design. It can also be used to predict the optimal thermal design for maximum luminous flux output if the LEDs are designed to operate at rated power.
P d * can be controlled by using different heatsinks with different thermal resistance. For a larger heatsink, R hs becomes small and therefore P d * will be shifted to the higher power level as shown in FIG. 17 , where the values of P d * are labeled as A, B, C and D as the size of heatsink (or cooling effect) increases. By assuming R hs =0, a theoretical limit can be plotted as shown in FIG. 17 . It is important to note that the operating LED power must not exceed the rated LED power (P rated ) otherwise the lifetime of the LED will be shortened. Therefore, the intersection points of these curves with the rated power limit indicate how the light output can be maximized.
It should be noted that a reduction of R hs corresponds to an increase in the cooling effect. One way to achieve increased cooling is to increase the size of the heatsink. In FIG. 17 , it can be seen that two curves with maximum points marked by C and D have relatively high luminous flux at the rated power. The curve with maximum point D has a smaller R hs and thus a larger heatsink than that with maximum point C. The increase of luminous flux at the rated power from using curve C to curve D is small, but the increase in the size of the heatsink is much larger in proportion.
Three important points are highlighted here:
1. The maximum φ v is the point of inflexion of the luminous flux function (7b) or (7c). As P d increases from zero, the positive slope of the curve
( i . e . , ⅆ ϕ v ⅆ P d )
is gradually decreasing to zero when the peak of the curve is reached. A large positive slope means that a relatively small increase of P d can result in a relatively large increase of φ v . So the initial linear portion of the curve results in good efficacy. As P d is moved to the region at and around P d *, the slope is zero or relatively small. Therefore, a relatively large increase in P d will give a relatively small increase in φ v .
2. The LED power P d must not exceed the rated LED power P d(rated) . Otherwise, the lifetime of the LED will be shortened. Therefore, the intersection points of these curves with the rated power limit should indicate how the light output can be maximized. The intersection points of these curves and the rated power line are denoted as “a”, “b”, “c” and “d” as shown in FIG. 17 . 3. The values of φ v at “c” and “d” are higher than that at “b”. But the curve with peak φ v at D requires a much larger heatsink than that with peak φ v at C. The difference of φ v at “c” and “d” may not be significant enough to justify an increase in cost and size of the heatsink.
The following rules are proposed as an optimization.
Rule 1:
The function of the luminous flux φ v versus LED power P d is a parabolic curve with a maximum point. The operating point P d should be chosen at or below the maximum point P d *. This means that for a given luminous flux output, the lower LED power should be chosen. Within this recommended power range, either (7) or (14) can provide sufficiently accurate predictions.
Rule 2:
If the thermal design is restricted by limited space for the heatsink so that the P d * occurs at a power less than or equal to the rated power P (rated) , then the LED system should be operated at P d * for each LED device. [For example, points A and B are optimal operating points for the respective curves as their P d * values do not exceed P (rated) .]
Rule 3:
If the thermal design is flexible, then the LED system should be designed in such a way that (i) the theoretical maximum φ v point (or P d *) occurs at a power higher than P (rated) of the LED and (ii) the intersection point of the theoretical φ v −P d curve and the rated power line should have a value of about 80% to 96% of the theoretical maximum φ v value. The rated power should be chosen as the operating power for each LED.
Rule 3 is an important idea. Where the theoretical maximum (P d * for maximum φ v ) occurs at a point higher than the rated power, one should still operate the LED system at the rated power. As can be seen from FIGS. 17 and 18 the slope of the curve shows that as P d * is approached the increase in luminous flux becomes very small and in terms of efficiency the gain in flux is not worth the additional power used. By using Δφ v | pu =0.04˜0.20 of the maximum φ v point in the curve the 4%-20% range for Δφ v from the maximum φ v point offers a good compromise of the light output and the size and thus cost of the heatsink.
If forced cooling is applied, the φ v −P d curve will change dynamically. This can be visualized as having a dynamically changing thermal resistance R hs . The optimal operating point should follow the three rules explained previously. It should be kept along the operating lines as highlighted in the bold solid lines in FIG. 19 in order to maximize the luminous flux output.
FIG. 20 shows schematically an apparatus that may be used in embodiments of the invention. The apparatus comprises a microprocessor control unit (MCU) 20 that performs functions to be described below, database 21 , user input means 22 which may be a keyboard, touchscreen or any other means that enables a user to display data, and output display means 23 which may be a screen, print out or any other means for data output to be communicated to a user. Database 21 includes details obtained from datasheets of the physical and electrical parameters of all known commercially available LEDs. This database may be provided directly as part of the apparatus or may a database kept elsewhere and accessed remotely. A user will input selected parameters of a desired LED lighting system using input means 22 . These parameters will include at least the desired luminous flux output required from the system, and may further include any other parameters that the user wishes to fix, including for example the number N of LEDs and the size of the heatsink if that is fixed.
MCU 20 is programmed to carry out the steps shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 21 and 22 . Beginning with FIG. 21 , a user may input a required flux output φ v . The MCU may then select a candidate LED from the database and calculated the maximum flux that the LED is capable of achieving from Eq. 7 above. If this maximum flux is obtained at a power below the rated power, and if this maximum flux is equal to or greater than the required flux, then such an LED is capable of being used in an LED system meeting the desired flux output and the process can stop. If the answer to either question is negative, i.e., if the maximum flux would only be obtained at a power greater than the rated power, or if the maximum flux is insufficient, then another LED is chosen and the process repeats.
If no LED can be found by the process of FIG. 21 , either after a number of attempts or after all LEDs in the database have been exhausted, the MCU runs the process of FIG. 22 (or alternatively a user may go directly to the process of FIG. 22 if preferred). This process corresponds to the situation where the peak of the flux output occurs at a power above the rated power. In such cases, as discussed above, it is preferable to select an LED with a peak flux output such that the maximum rated power is between 80% and 96% of the power at which the maximum flux is obtained. As can be seen from lines C and D in FIG. 17 the output of these lines where they cross the rated power is higher than the equivalent flux of an LED that has its peak flux output exactly when operated at the rated power (the condition of line B). In FIG. 21 a peak output is calculated by the MCU at a power higher than a rated power and then various LEDs are chosen from the database until one is found where the flux output φ v at the rated power is equal to or greater than the required power φ req .
While several aspects of the present invention have been described and depicted herein, alternative aspects may be effected by those skilled in the art to accomplish the same objectives. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such alternative aspects as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. | LED illumination systems are formed with a suitable choice of LED and/or heatsink, such that an optimum operating power is identified using computer modeling for a desired output luminous flux, given the constraints of the rated power of the LED and the heatsink. | 7 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic cameras and, more particularly, to an electronic camera having a built-in strobe suitable for use in an electronic still camera or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of recording apparatus, have previously been developed in the art, including so-called electronic still cameras, each for recording a still picture in the form of an electric image signal on a magnetic disk. In order to perform the photographing operation by using the electronic still camera, its exposure condition is required to be controlled in the same manner as a general still camera using a metal halide film. As the exposure control methods when photographing an object by using a strobe in the night and so forth there are two approaches, one being to control the exposure by controlling an amount of emission light of the strobe and the other being to control the exposure by controlling an opening degree of an iris and a shutter speed while making an amount of the light emission of the strobe constant.
The former method of controlling the exposure by controlling an amount of the light emission of the strobe is called an auto-strobe control method, wherein the amount of the light emission of the strobe is controlled by detecting incident radiation or an amount of light which is reflected from an object to which light is emitted from the strobe. This auto-strobe control method can be realized with relatively simplified constructions and so the method has been applied broadly to various types of cameras with strobes.
The latter method of controlling the exposure by controlling an opening degree of an iris and a shutter speed while making an amount of the light emission of the strobe constant is called a "flashmatic method", wherein the opening degree of an iris and a shutter speed are controlled in accordance with a distance between the camera and an object. Thus, this method requires an accurate control of the opening degree of an iris and a shutter speed in accordance with information of the distance in order to suitably control the exposure, so that this method has not been used generally. In particular, in an electronic still camera, an exposure latitude capable of performing proper photographing is narrower when compared with that of a still camera using a silver film and so it is required to control the exposure value more strictly when compared with a still camera using a silver film. Thus, it has been difficult to apply the flashmatic method to an electronic still camera and so the auto-strobe method has been applied thereto generally.
Now, there is known a type of camera that is capable of photographing an object positioned in a range of distance shorter than the normal range of distance which can be focused by rotating a normal focus ring, that is, a camera capable of performing macroscopic photographing. In this type of camera, the distance between the camera and an object capable of performing the macroscopic photographing is around 50 cm, for example. When performing the macroscopic photographing by using this type of camera, a field angle of a photographing lens or the photographing lenses sometimes does not coincide with an incident angle of a photo receptor element which detects an amount of light reflected from an object to which a light beam is emitted from a strobe due to the distance between the camera and an object. In this case, the auto-strobe control can not be performed satisfactorily, so that the exposure may not performed suitably.
This phenomenon will be explained with reference to FIG. 2 illustrating major portions of a typical example of conventional electronic still cameras. In FIG. 2, an object image is focused on an image plane of a solid state image-pickup element 2 such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) through a photographing lens 1, or a plurality of lenses. The solid state image-pickup element 2 converts the focused image into an electric image signal and applies it to an image signal processing circuit 3 which in turn converts the image signal into a predetermined video signal. The video signal is applied to a recording portion (not shown) through an output terminal 4. In this case, an aperture is determined by controlling an opening degree of an iris 5 disposed in the vicinity of the photographing lens 1 and a shutter speed is determined in accordance with a time period during which the light is received on the image plane of the solid state image-pickup element 2.
A strobe or a stroboscopic lamp 6 is mounted on the camera at a position apart from the photographing lens 1. The light emission of the strobe 6 is controlled by a light emission control circuit 7 in an interlocked relation with the photographing operation. Further, a photo receptor element 8 used in the auto-strobe control for detecting an amount of light reflected from an object to which a light is emitted from the strobe 6 is mounted in the vicinity of the photographing lens 1. The photo receptor element 8 delivers information representing the detected amount of the reflected light from an object to the light emission control circuit 7 when the strobe 6 emits light. The light emission control circuit 7 then controls suitably an amount of emitted light, i.e. a time period during which the strobe 6 emits light, in accordance with the information of the detected amount of the reflected light to thereby perform the auto-strobe operation.
In a normal photographing operation for photographing an object in a normal range where the distance between the photographing lens 1 and an object ml is more than 80 cm, for example, the field angle of the photographing lens 1 coincides with the incident angle of the photo receptor element 8, while in the macroscopic photographing operation where the distance between the photographing lens 1 and an object m2 is about 50 cm, for example, the incident angle of the photo receptor element 8 can not cover all of the field angle of the photographing lens 1 due to a difference of mounted position between the photographing lens 1 and the photo receptor element 8. Thus, in the macroscopic photographing mode, the return light from the object m2 can not be detected satisfactorily on the basis of the light incident on the photo receptor element 8 so that the auto-strobe operation can not be performed satisfactorily and hence the exposure can not be performed suitably.
In order to overcome this drawback in the macroscopic photographing mode, it is proposed to control the exposure by the flashmatic method. However as described above, use of the flashmatic method requires an accurate measurement of the distance between the camera and an object and so forth in order to suitably control the exposure, resulting in complex constructions of the camera.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved electronic camera in which the aforementioned shortcomings and disadvantages of the prior art can be eliminated.
More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electronic camera which is capable of performing the macroscopic photographing using a strobe built therein satisfactorily with simplified constructions thereof.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an electronic camera having a built-in strobe is provided, in which, when in a normal photographing mode, a return light of a light emitted from the strobe is detected to thereby control a light emission amount of the strobe. This electronic camera is composed of a device for controlling the light emission amount of the strobe and an opening degree of an iris to be fixed to constant values respectively, when in a macroscopic photographing mode where a distance between the camera and an object is shorter than that of the normal photographing mode.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating main portions of an embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional electronic camera and explaining a photographing operation thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a strobe and a control unit thereof of an electronic camera according to the present invention. Other constructions of the camera of the embodiment are the same as the conventional ones and so the constructions thereof are omitted in FIG. 1 and in the following descriptions.
In FIG. 1, an amount of emitted light, i.e. a time period of light emission from a strobe or a stroboscopic lamp 11 is controlled by a light emission control circuit 12. The electronic camera is so constructed that the strobe 11 is supplied with power from a power supply source or circuit 13 to thereby emit light under a pregiven condition in an interlocking relation with a photographing operation when a shutter button or switch (not shown) provided on a body of the camera is pushed down.
A photo receptor element 14, which is used in an auto-strobe control mode, detects light reflected from an object to which the light is emitted from the strobe 11 and generates a current signal representing an amount of the detected light which is a function of an incident radiation as information of an amount of received (detected) light to apply the current signal to a first stationary contact 21 of a change-over switch 20. A constant current source 15 supplies a current signal with a constant current value to a second stationary contact 22 of the change-over switch 20. The constant current source 15 starts supplying the current signal at the moment when the strobe 11 emits the light. The change-over switch 20 applies one of the current signals applied to a moving contact 23 thereof to an integration circuit 16. The change-over operation of the change-over switch 20 is interlocked with the change-over operation of the photographing mode of the camera to which the strobe control unit of FIG. 1 is mounted. Namely, the moving contact 23 is connected to the first stationary contact 21 in a normal photographing mode for photographing an object which is away from the camera by a distance more than 80 cm, for example, to thereby apply the current signal from the photo receptor element 14 to the integration circuit 16, while the moving contact 23 is connected to the second stationary contact 22 in a macroscopic photographing mode for photographing an object which is away from the camera by a distance less than 80 cm, for example, to thereby apply the current signal from the constant current source 15 to the integration circuit 16.
The integration circuit 16 integrates the current signal applied thereto to thereby obtain an integrated voltage value, thereby applying the integrated voltage value to an inverted input terminal of a comparator 17. A non-inverted input of the comparator 17 is applied with a constant voltage from a constant voltage source 18. The comparator 17 therefore compares the integrated voltage value with the constant voltage value and delivers a result of the comparison to the light emission control circuit 12.
Now, in this embodiment, if the macroscopic photographing mode is selected by connecting the moving contact 23 of the change-over switch 20 to its second stationary contact 22, the opening degree of an iris (not shown) located at a position to face a photographing lens or photographing lenses (not shown) fixed at a constant value.
Next, the explanation will be made of the operations of the electronic camera having the built-in strobe of this embodiment when photographing an object. In the normal photographing mode where the distance between the camera and the object is more than 80 cm, the moving contact 23 of the change-over switch 20 is connected to the first stationary contact 21, thereby performing an auto-strobe control as described below. In this state, if the photographing operation is performed by using the strobe 11, the photo receptor element 14 detects the reflected light from an object to thereby apply the current signal representing the information of an amount of the received light to the integration circuit 16 through the switch 20. The light emission control circuit 12 controls the light emission of the strobe 11 in response to the output of the comparator 17 in a manner that the light emission of the strobe 11 is continued by applying the power from the power supply circuit 13 to the strobe 11 until the output voltage of the integration circuit 16 representing the integrated value of the received light exceeds the constant voltage value from the constant voltage source 18. If the output voltage of the integration circuit 16 exceeds the constant voltage value from the constant voltage source 18, the light emission control circuit 12 stops the application of the power from the power supply circuit 13 to the strobe 11 to thereby stop the light emission of the strobe 11.
On the other hand, in a macroscopic photographing mode where the distance between the camera and an object is less than 80 cm, the moving contact 23 of the switch 20 is connected to the second stationary contact 22, so that the application of the current signal from the photo receptor element 14 to the integration circuit 16 is terminated, thereby terminating the auto-strobe control mode. The integration circuit 16 therefore receives the current signal of the constant current value from the constant current source 15 instead of the information of an amount of received light from the photo receptor element 14. Thus, the integrated value of the integration circuit 16 increases at a constant rate with the lapse of time in proportion to the luminance time period of the strobe 11 and, when a predetermined time period lapses after the initiation of the light emission from the strobe 11, the integrated value exceeds the constant voltage value from the constant voltage source 18, so that the light emission of the strobe 11 is terminated.
Thus, in the macroscopic photographing mode, the light emission period of the strobe 11 is controlled to the predetermined time period. Further, in the macroscopic photographing mode, the opening degree of the iris is fixed to the constant value, so that the photographing operation using the strobe in the macroscopic photographing mode can be performed under a predetermined exposure condition.
Accordingly, the macroscopic photographing can be performed under the predetermined exposure condition.
Now, since in the macroscopic photographing mode, the distance between the camera and an object is less than 80 cm, the point-blank range less than 80 cm can be assumed. Therefore, if exposure conditions such as the light emission time period of the strobe and the opening degree of the iris suitable for the macroscopic photographing in the point-blank range less than 80 cm are set, the photographing operation can be made satisfactorily.
Thus, according to the electronic camera having the built-in strobe of this embodiment, the photographing operation in the normal photographing mode can be performed satisfactorily by the auto-strobe control and also the photographing operation in the macroscopic photographing mode can be performed satisfactorily under the predetermined exposure conditions, so that the photographing operation can be performed satisfactorily under suitable exposure states over all ranges of the distance between the camera and an object. Further, since the macroscopic photographing can be performed without requiring the measurement of the distance between the camera and an object, the constructions of the electronic camera can be simplified.
Now, the explanation has been made about a case where the present invention is applied to an electronic still camera but the present invention may also be applied to a normal still camera using a silver film.
Accordingly, the present invention can perform even the macroscopic photographing satisfactorily by using the strobe with the simplified constructions.
Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiment and that various changes and modifications could be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the novel concepts of the invention as defined in the appended claims. | An electronic camera having a built-in strobe, in which upon a normal photographing mode a return light of a light emitted from the strobe on an object to be photographed is detected to thereby control a light emission amount of the strobe and a controller is provided for controlling the light emission amount of the strobe and an opening degree of an iris to be fixed to constant values, respectively, upon a macroscopic photographing mode where a distance between the camera and the object is shorter than that upon the normal photographing mode. | 7 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a volume reducing agent for expanded polystyrene (EPS), methods and apparatus for processing EPS using a volume reducing agent to reduce the volume of EPS known as bulky waste, as well as to recycle used EPS and recover high quality polystyrene.
2. Description of the Related Art
EPS, also known as foamed styrene, has excellent thermal-protective or insulating properties and buffering effects. EPS is used throughout the world for a variety of different purposes including, for example, but not limited to transport packaging boxes for sea foods and shock-absorbing packing materials contained in package for home appliances.
EPS product is generally bulky, potentially causing disposal problems. For example, burning disposal of EPS can interfere with operation of a combustion furnace, and also has the problem of producing harmful gases. An additional problem of EPS having bulky property (or voluminous nature) is that there is a high vehicular transportation cost. Because EPS is normally soluble in some organic compounds such as aromatic hydrocarbons, hydrocarbon halides, etc., a particular disposal plant may be designed which enables waste EPS to be dissolved. However, such a plant must be run on a large scale and there are known potential environmental problems deriving from the resulting liquid product.
Another potential disposal process uses limonene, which can dissolve EPS completely. However, limonene has very low ignition point of 48° C. and a strong odor, volatility and high consumption of limonene per EPS to be dissolved, all of which are undesirable properties. As a result, limonene is considered an undesirable compound to be used within disposal plant with respect to safety and environmental concerns.
Due to restricted rules regarding a clean environment in recent years, a recycling process for used EPS or methods of increasing recycling capability have considered a most urgent necessity. In response to this need, the inventors have developed a safe and effective recycling process of EPS as a result of intensive studies to solve the aforementioned problems based on the concept of reducing the volume of EPS, rather than dissolution.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a safe and effective method for volume reducing of EPS and to raise recycling capability thereof.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a volume reducing agent for processing EPS, containing a first plasticizer having a solubility parameter less than the solubility parameter of the polystyrene; and a second plasticizer having a solubility parameter higher than the solubility parameter of the polystyrene, wherein the agent is in a liquid state, has the solubility parameter in the mixed state close to that of polystyrene to be processed, and transfers the resulting materials having reduced volume into gel-type products to be floated and easily separated.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for processing EPS including the steps of: preparing a volume reducing agent, the volume reducing agent containing a first plasticizer having a solubility parameter less than the solubility parameter of the polystyrene, and a second plasticizer having a solubility parameter higher than the solubility parameter of the polystyrene, wherein the agent in the mixed state is in a liquid state, has the solubility parameter close to that of polystyrene to be processed and transfers the resulting materials having reduced volume into gel-type products to be floated and easily separated; dipping in the volume reducing agent EPS that may be crushed and be in a status having a specific shape or nonspecific shape to thereby reduce the volume of the EPS; and dipping the volume-reduced EPS in a neutralization solution to thereby obtain recycled EPS material.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for processing EPS by using a volume reducing agent. The apparatus includes: a main vessel in which the volume reducing agent is under-filled and pre-crushed EPS in shape or shapeless states that are permeated into the volume reducing agent; and an entrapping device for soaking the EPS into the volume reducing agent and entrapping the EPS in a gel type floating state.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of the invention, and many of the attendant advantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols indicate the same or similar components, and wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates a volume-reducing process orderly performed using a volume reducing agent in an embodiment according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an apparatus embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the embodiment of an entrapping device used in an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodiment of an entrapping device used in an embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 illustrates an apparatus and volume reducing process for reducing volume of EPS and to recycling or recovering pure polystyrene using a volume reducing agent of an embodiment according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In order to accomplish the above captioned object, the present invention involves a volume reducing agent for processing EPS having solubility parameter close to that of polystyrene (PS). The solubility parameter of polystyrene varies from 8.5 to 10.3 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ at the room temperature and atmosphere pressure, based on the Ferdor method. This can be referred to as the Ferdor solubility parameter. The volume reducing agent is prepared by blending a first plasticizer having solubility parameter less than that of polystyrene by 1 - 3 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ , that is, having a higher solubility than polystyrene, and a second plasticizer having the solubility parameter higher than that of polystvrene by 1-3 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ , that is, having lower solubility.
Also, the present invention relates a method for processing the EPS which is to be re-used, the method comprising permeating (or infiltrating) EPS materials in shape or shapeless states prepared by preliminary crushing treatment into the volume reducing agent, then soaking the result product into an affinity solution to obtain the re-usable polystyrene product which can be easily changed into polystyrene.
Furthermore, the present invention involves an apparatus for processing EPS by using the volume reducing agent. The apparatus includes an under-filled vessel in which the volume reducing agent is under-filled and pre-crushed or pulverized EPS in shape or shapeless states can be permeated into the volume reducing agent, and a device for entrapping EPS in a suspended state the role of which soaks EPS into the volume reducing agent within the main vessel and reduces the volume of EPS for certain period, then entraps EPS in a gel state.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter explained with reference to the appended FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 which, however are not intended to be limiting of the present invention.
The present inventors took notice as to the characteristics of organic solvent having, though they can not serve to fully dissolve polystyrene based organic materials, the solubility parameter close to the sufficient level to dissolve the organic materials to be loose and promote the volume reduction and the plasticizing reaction of the organic materials, especially EPS. In other words it was experimentally found that the gelling or plasticizing reaction of polystyrene-based organic materials, despite non-dissolving of the materials, can be accomplished by mixing the first plasticizer of the improved affinity to organic polymers and serving to loosen polymer chains by the penetration of the plasticizer into molecules of polymers and the second plasticizer of the lower affinity to organic polymers and serving to contract and/or coagulate (or condense).
Accordingly, a volume reducing agent of the present invention has the solubility parameter ranged from 8.3 to 10.3 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ , close to that of polystyrene, to be applied in a blended state made by blending the first plasticizer having a solubility parameter less than that of polystyrene, that is, having higher solubility and the second plasticizer having a solubility parameter more than that of polystyrene, that is, having lower solubility.
The first plasticizer includes but not is limited to dicarbonate diesters such as diethyl adipate, dimethyl adipate, dimethyl glutarate, dibuthyl adipate, dimethyl succinate, di-n-propyl adipate, diisopropyl adipate and the like, and carbonate esters such as ethyl acetate, n-propyl acetate and the like which may be selectively used alone or in admixture thereof.
The second plasticizer used in the present invention includes but is not limited to amino alcohol existing in liquid state at normal temperature without dissolving polystyrene such as one, two and three substituents for nitrogen )roup of amines. Examples of such amines includes but are not limited to triethanolamine, trimethanolamine, diethanolaminc and the like, and solvents consisting of alcohols such as ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, ethylene glycol monomethylether and the like, and esters such as γ-butyrolactone, ethylene carbonate, dimethyl phthalate and the like may be used alone or in admixture thereof.
Such prepared volume reducing agent is applied to EPS 1 in a coagulated state illustrated in FIG. 1 A. The EPS 1 contains a large amount of bubbles 2 and polymer ingredient 3 , and volume reducing agent 4 applied to EPS 1 is penetrated within the EPS 1 and serves to force polymer ingredient 3 outward and to extend due to the action of the first plasticizer of the volume reducing agent as shown in FIG. 1B, and simultaneously to contract and condense polymer ingredient 3 by the effect of the second plasticizer of the volume reducing agent, yielding the collapse of bubbles 2 as shown in FIG. 1 C. Finally, EPS 1 , after completion of the gelling or plasticizing process, can be reduced in by volume reducing agent 4 as shown in FIG. 1 D.
In addition, as the result of testing different compounds as the first and second plasticizers to be selectively combined together to produce volume reducing agent, it was found that a dicarbonate diester such as dimethyl glutarate (having solubility parameter of 9.75), dimethyl adipate (having solubility parameter of 9.64), dimethyl succinate (having solubility parameter of 9.88) and the like may be most preferably used as the first plasticizer having a solubility parameter close to that of polystyrene to be applied (see the following definition).
<Definition 1>
10.1 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ , 17.5 MPa ½ for commonly used polystyrene for packing material. The solubility parameter of polystyrene actually varies from 8.56-10.3 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ , or 17.4-20.1 (MPa) ½ for ditferent applications due to easy variation of the polymer structure.
Likewise, it was also found that the most efficient compounds as the second plasticizer of the present invention were ethylene glycol (solubility parameter 14.8) and triethanolamine (solubility parameter 15.6). The solubility parameter was calculated by Ferdor's method and may be slightly changed, based on the adapted parameter at the condition of temperature and pressure.
Among different solvents previously described, solvents having the solubility parameter ranging from 8.0 to 10.5 may be used as the first plasticizer. Example of such solvents includes but is not limited to diethyl phthalate (10.0), dimethyl sebacinate (9.48), diethyl sebacinate (9.4), tricresyl phosphate (9.7), epoxin stearate (9.7), butyl oleate (9.5), ethylene glycol diacetate (10.0) and the like. As noted earlier, solvents having the solubility parameter value in the range of 1 to 3 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ less than that of polystyrene, for example, from 7.1 to 10.0 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ based on polystyrene having a value of 10.1, may be used as the first plasticizer.
Likewise, as the second plasticizer, solvents having a solubility parameter value of at least 10.5 such as dimethyl phthalate (10.9), diethylene glycol (12.6), and ethylene carbonate (14.7) may be used in the present invention. As noted earlier, solvents having the solubility parameter value in the range of 1 to 5 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ greater than that of polystyrene, for example, from 11.1 to 15.6 (cal/cm 3 ) ½ based on polystyrene having a value of 10.1, may be used as the second plasticizer.
From the result of another test for the above plasticizers it was understood that the volume reducing agent consisting of the first and second plasticizers includes ionic agent, or certain forms of tourmaline, and may be treated with supersonic wave, or ultrasonication, to enhance or promote infiltration and separation of EPS.
Turning to the drawings, the exemplary embodiment of the method and apparatus for using the volume reducing agent for EPS are explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a processing apparatus 5 includes a main vessel 6 , a neutralization vessel 7 , a conveyer means 8 and a crusher 9 . Within the main vessel 6 bath, the volume reducing agent 10 for EPS 1 is filled, and pre-crushed or pulverized EPS 1 or EPS 1 in a shape or a shapeless state are successively added.
The main vessel 6 is equipped with a rotation device 11 for agitating the agent 10 to accelerate the process. Other than the rotation device 11 , the supersonic wave vibrator, or ultrasonicator, can be also used as agitation means. Such vibration means do not only enhance and promote the volume reduction process, but also separate the foreign material out of the EPS. It is further preferable to add alternative means such as ion generator, or ionic agent, and tourmaline and the like. The tourmaline may be a solid of less than 30 mm in size, or in particles of less than 30 μm. Drain valve 12 attached to the main vessel 6 can be opened to drain and discard impurities such as separated and precipitated ink or soil.
EPS 1 put into the main vessel 6 is permeated into the agent 10 and gradually reduced in volume. As seen in FIG. 2, EPS 1 provided into the left side of the main vessel 6 is delivered to the right side of the same bath and reduced in volume for a certain time period, thus the resulting volume-reduced EPS 1 passes through and is entrapped by the entrapping device 13 .
The above entrapping device 13 includes a screw feeder and sieve 14 for picking-up EPS 1 reduced in volume which is floating at the right side of the vessel 6 , the squeezed and processed EPS 1 being continuously provided to the neutralization vessel 7 .
In the neutralization vessel 7 filled with counter agent 15 (neutralizing solution) processed EPS 1 is infiltrated into the neutralizing solution 15 . Such solution, for example, a water solution containing 0.01% chlorine or 0.1% hydrogen peroxide prevents the further promotion of gelling or plasticizing reaction of EPS 1 already reduced in volume and enables the EPS 1 to be solidified.
As described above, EPS 1 entered into the vessel 7 passes from the left direction through the right direction of FIG.2 in a floating state and is solidified, and discharged from the vessel 7 and is then delivered by the conveyor means 8 , while being dried out, to the crusher 9 . Such crusher 9 breaks up EPS 1 into fine pieces and enables the fine pieces to be provided into the bucket 16 . Even though not shown, the crusher 9 may be replaced with a compression device to change the processed EPS into pellet, cables or sheets.
Accordingly, finely pieced EPS 1 in the bucket 16 is capable of being re-used as a recycled polystyrene product so that the efficient recycling of synthetic resin sources is accomplished by the present invention.
EXAMPLE 1
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown the simplified embodiment of the entrapping device used in the present apparatus.
The main vessel 6 is filled with the volume reducing agent 10 , and the neutralization vessel 7 is for underflowing the neutralizing solution. EPS 1 reduced in volume which is floating along the arrow direction in the bath in main vessel 6 may be picked up by a meshed sieve 17 which intermittently swings in the directions shown by arrow A, and then successively thrown into the neutralization vessel 7 . The details on the remainder of the configuration of the process apparatus 5 are arranged in the same manner as shown in FIG. 2 .
EXAMPLE 2
FIG. 4 shows another modified and more developed embodiment of the entrapping device used in the present apparatus.
The entrapping device includes an aspiration device 18 for sucking EPS 1 reduced in volume which is floating along the arrow direction in the bath in main vessel 6 , the aspiration device 18 being capable of delivering sucked EPS 1 from the bath in main vessel 6 to the neutralization vessel 7 . The details for other construction parts of the process apparatus 5 are arranged in the same manner as shown in FIG. 2 except where indicated.
FIG. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the system for processing EPS and producing higher quality polystyrene from the EPS. Used EPS is usually stained with dirt or has paper or adhesive tape adhering. Such impurities act as an unfavorable factor to lower the quality of EPS reduced in volume, leading to a lower value of final products. Therefore, such impurities may be removed be human labor before processing. Apart from the expense problem, manual removal has the important disadvantage that the removal of such impurities in used EPS to meet the level of final product to sufficiently be recycled for new EPS is practically impossible. However, with the embodiments of the present invention, it may be possible to remove impurities to the highest level and to reduce the volume of EPS without additional labor costs. This results in the rise of the value of the final product to be recycled as the raw material to make new EPS because of having higher purity and the advantage of reducing the volume of EPS without changing the molecular structure of the polystyrene.
Returning to FIG. 5, it is seen that the processing operation is initiated by the placement of used EPS into a hopper 101 . If such EPS was heavily contaminated by dirt or the like, it may need to be washed before being thrown into the hopper 101 .
A first crusher 102 driven by a motor serves to primarily break the EPS into chunks and to feed them to a second crusher 103 , where the pre-treated EPS is crushed into smaller pieces of desired particle size. The first crusher 102 has blades with wider gaps between the blades, a larger outside diameter and a lower rotating speed than that of the second crusher 103 , leading to a high efficiency of electricity consumption, permitting a pulverizing efficiency and a uniform torque of the second crusher 103 . On the contrary, the second crusher 103 , in which the blades have smaller gaps between blades, a smaller outer diameter and a higher rotating speed than that of the first crusher 102 , serves to break up EPS into a desirable particle size, depending on the reaction time of the volume reducing agent for EPS. The second crusher 103 may include a certain type of cutter or mill positioned. Pulverized pieces from the secondary pulverizing process are about 10 mm in size, although it depends upon the performance of volume reducing agent.
As a rule, pulverized EPS particles are reduced in volume due to transferring from a solid floating to a gel state by the volume reducing agent. To increase the volume reduction rate and to produce the flow rate causing the movement of EPS toward a screw 106 may be achieved by immersing the blades of second crusher 103 into the volume reducing agent to generate a strong whirlpool. Such whirlpool increases the volume-reducing rate, and the stream of fluid flows along a path 105 , and the floating polystyrene flows into the screw 106 driven be motor 107 , and is compressed and transported into a chopper 112 . In order to increase the reaction rate within this area, ultrasonic vibration or injection of volume reducing agent may be adapted to the present invention. Screw 106 vertically positioned on a main vessel 104 can decrease the volume reducing agent content, that is, the ratio of the volume reducing agent that exists in the processed EPS of reduced volume, to the maximum level by increasing the pressure at the outlet of the screw 106 as much as possible. In case of a square shaped main vessel, resistance due to the right-angled flow reduces the flow rate. Such resistance may be minimized by using a donut-like main vessel having a wider pulverizing area and a narrower screw 106 area in order to lower the flow resistance of flow produced by blade rotation to a minimum.
To remove impurities, at the same time of reducing the volume of the EPS solution, the second crusher 103 generates bubbles by means of additives, if required, to the volume reducing agent. Through a bubble removal path 108 , it is possible to remove dirt including dust and other floating impurities. Such agent is circulated by a pump 109 equipped to the main vessel 104 which is streamline-shaped along the path 105 , and passes through a filter 10 , which removes floating materials or water that exists in the volume reducing agent. Bubble removal path 108 may be of a simple structure and can use paper or cotton textile. Materials of heavier density than the volume reducing agent or separated by ions are collected at the bottom of main vessel 104 to a certain amount, and then drawn off through a valve 111 .
The chopper 112 is for extracting polystyrene only as a flake shape out of the floating jellified EPS by means of specific solvents having the affinity to the volume reducing agent. Alternatively, chopper blade 114 , driven by motor 113 , is to increase the extraction rate of EPS by means of affinity solvent, while the jellified EPS is cut to finer pieces. At the outlet of chopper 112 the mixture composed of fully extracted polystyrene having line particles, affinity solvent and volume reducing agent is discharged, the polystyrene being filtered by a mesh type conveyor 116 and the rest of the solution is extracted downward and collected into a mixed solution bath 118 . In order to minimize the amount of affinity solvent injected and to reduce the motor load, multiple ports for supplying solvent are arranged between inlet and outlet parts of the chopper 112 . It is preferable to reduce the amount of the volume reducing agent remaining on polystyrene filtered by the mesh type conveyor 116 to the lowest level by rinsing with the solvent. Such used solvent (containing a trace of the volume reducing agent) is temporarily stored in an affinity solvent bath 119 and then re-supplied by pump 123 into the chopper 112 . Optionally, the filter 110 can remove impurities. Furthermore, the mixed solution collected in the bath 118 is transported toward a distillation tower 125 in order to implement the purification process to obtain purified volume reducing agent. The resulting polystyrene separated from the mixed solution is successively rinsed by affinity solvent from an affinity solvent nozzle 117 onto the polystyrene, collected into a polystyrene hopper 120 , dried in a dryer 121 and finally stored in a product reservoir 122 . Such stored raw material may be transferred into the form of an ingot through an extrusion process.
The discharged solution from the mixed solution bath 118 passes through a heat exchanger 124 and is preheated before flowing into the tower 125 and separated into the solvent vapor and the liquid solution of reduction agent within the tower 125 , the solvent vapor rising toward a top part of the tower while the liquid is flowing into a reboiler 132 positioned at the bottom part of the tower 125 . Such vapor is condensed into the liquid aftinity solvent within a condenser 126 , fled to an affinity solvent tank 129 , and the stored solvent is delivered again to the chopper 112 in order to remove volume reducing agent from jellified EPS by using a pump 130 . Loss of solvent due to the distillation process can be supported by an affinity solvent reservoir 131 . Uncondensed vapor in the condenser 126 may be directly discharged into tower 125 through valve 128 or, after the aspirating process by a vacuum pump 127 , be released into the surrounding atmosphere.
Moreover, liquid entered into the reboiler 132 is under a heating process to allow the residual affinity solvent components to be vaporized and returned back to the tower 125 while the rest of the liquid and high purity volume reduction agent may be transported by solvent pump 133 into a solution tank 134 . Stored agent can be recycled by using a solution recycle pump 135 to the main vessel 104 to reduce the volume of EPS.
As aforementioned in detail, it is apparent, according to the present process and apparatus for using the volume reducing agent, that the volume of used EPS is simply reduced or used EPS may be recycled to provide new material for high quality new EPS.
Therefore, it is understood that EPS having remarkably reduced volume produced by the present invention can be conveniently and simply stored or transported to any of desired sites. It is also possible to provide any temporary treatment installations without occupying substantial space. Additionally, it will be evident that the process and apparatus of the present invention are environmentally advantageous because the recycling process of used EPS for new EPS may be realized.
As compared to conventional prior arts, the present invention can provide a safe and improved recycling process for EPS based organic materials without generating toxic gas (for example, limonene). The present invention is advantageous in reducing the volume of used EPS on the actual location and, because of the easy storage and transportation thereof, to noticeably save transporting and storage expenses. Accordingly, the present invention may be a solution to social problems in connection with landfill space for waste, traffic and air pollution due to the transportation of waste.
Additionally, as a result of performing the present invention it is possible to easily produce polystyrene products having plasticity and use these products, leading to the saving of production costs for manufacturing a lot of parts, such as electronic appliances. Moreover, it is also possible to effectively utilize petroleum resources by recycling used polystyrene.
As previously discussed, the present invention provides a safe and efficient method and apparatus to reduce the volume of EPS and to raise the recycling capacity thereof.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations of the present invention can be made 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. | A volume reducing agent for processing expanded polystyrene (EPS), containing 65-97 wt % of a first plasticizer having a solubility parameter less than the solubility parameter of the polystyrene; and 3-35 wt % of a second plasticizer having a solubility parameter higher than the solubility parameter of the polystyrene. The volume reducing agent is in a liquid state, has a Ferdor solubility parameter close to that of the polystyrene to be processed in the mixed state and transfers the resulting materials having reduced volume into gel-type products to be floated and easily separated to yield a high quality output of recycled expanded polystyrene (FPS). | 2 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the transport of perishable therapeutics from a storage reservoir to a target site. More specifically the present invention relates to method and apparatus for effectively connecting a reservoir of perishable therapeutic to a lumen that is lined with a material compatible with the perishable therapeutic.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The delivery of therapeutics to a target site in the body of a patient is a task that finds innumerable applications in the practice of modern medicine. In some application the therapeutic may be delivered through a needle and while in others the therapeutic may be delivered though a pump and catheter system. In either of these configuration, as with the many other plausible configurations, the objective is to deliver active therapeutic to a target site such that the therapeutic may cure the infirmities resident at the target site. For some perishable, sensitive or volatile therapeutic, such as certain viruses employed today, a compatibility issue can arise between the therapeutic and the channel or vessel that will transport the therapeutic from its storage vessel to its target site. When compatibility issues do arise between the therapeutic and its surroundings, the therapeutic may lose some or all of its effectiveness and may, upon its arrival at the target site, be partially or completely inert. In certain applications, the therapeutic may lose its effectiveness moments before it is delivered as it passes down and through the delivery lumen of the delivery device simply because the therapeutic has come in contact with a non-compatible material.
Therefore, the environment in which the therapeutic is stored as well as the environment in which the therapeutic must travel can and does affect the potency and effectiveness of certain perishable therapeutics. In order to avoid the risk of deterioration of the potency of perishable therapeutics it is, consequently, advantageous to minimize or eliminate the contact between non-compatible materials and the therapeutic during the delivery of the therapeutic to the target site.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes the proper handling of perishable therapeutic. In one embodiment a system for connecting a reservoir of perishable therapeutic with a lumen is provided. This embodiment has a hollow hub having a first end and a second end. The first end of the hollow hub, which contains a bond port, is in fluid communication with the second end of the hollow hub. The second end of the hollow hub in this embodiment may contain a docking groove that is sized to couple a reservoir to it. This embodiment also includes an inner hypo-tube having a proximal tip and an inner lumen. The inner lumen may be lined with a perishable therapeutic compatible lining and may be in fluid communication with the second end of the hub through the proximal tip of the inner hypo-tube. The inner lining and the proximal tip may be configured to shield perishable therapeutic, ejected from the reservoir and present within the second end, from materials that are non-compatible with the therapeutic.
In a second embodiment a method for coupling a reservoir of perishable therapeutic to a lumen lined with a therapeutic compatible lining is provided. This method includes inserting the proximal end of a manifold hypo-tube into a first end of a hub, the hub also having a second end; placing the proximal end of an inner hypo-tube within the proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube and urging the proximal end of the inner hypo-tube through the proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube until the proximal end of the inner hypo-tube comes in contact with a stopping point in the hub. In this second embodiment the tip of the proximal end of the inner hypo-tube may be covered in a therapeutic compatible material and the inner surface of the inner hypo-tube may be covered with a therapeutic compatible lining.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of the proximal end of a concentric hypo-tube assembly employed in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2 — 2 of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3 — 3 of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the proximal end of a concentric hypo-tube assembly in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the proximal end of a concentric hypo-tube assembly in accordance with another alternative embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the proximal end of the concentric hypo-tube assembly as employed in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As described and used herein a “perishable therapeutic” includes a therapeutic whose efficiency can be diminished through the contact with specific non-compatible compounds or materials. These perishable therapeutics include adenoviral vectors; adeno-associated vectors; certain proteins including basic fibroblast growth factors; certain nucleic acids such as DNA plasmid; and, certain cells such as myoblasts, fibroblasts, and stem cells. Thus, regarding these examples, when these perishable therapeutics come in contact with stainless steel, for example, they lose some or all of their effectiveness as a therapeutic. This list of perishable therapeutics is not exhaustive but, instead, is meant to be exemplary of therapeutics that may lose some or all of their healing effectiveness once placed in proximity to a specific non-compatible material.
As described and used herein a “perishable therapeutic compatible lining” includes a lining that does not substantially retard the effectiveness of an otherwise perishable therapeutic. It may include a specific coating applied to a material as well as a separate material that is later adhered or placed adjacent to the underlying material that it lines. One primary purpose of this lining is to retard the degradation of therapeutic that comes in contact with it. While the lining may modify the effectiveness of the therapeutic it does so at a lesser rate than that of the material that it covers and would otherwise come in contact with the therapeutic.
As described and used herein “non-compatible” is an adjective used to describe materials that more than insubstantially affect the potency or effectiveness of a therapeutic. When quantified this may include materials that reduce a therapeutic's efficiency by approximately 10% through and including an entire 100% reduction in its effectiveness, thereby making the use of the therapeutic, after coming in contact with the non-compatible material, an inconsequential event.
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a concentric hypo-tube assembly 150 and hub 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1 the hub 10 and the proximal end of the concentric hypo-tube assembly 150 are clearly evident. As can be seen the hub 10 may be shaped in the form of an hour-glass with a longer end 130 connected to a female luer connection 110 through a channel 145 having a stopping point 120 . The hub 10 in FIG. 1 contains a hub wall 11 which may be manufactured from a single material such as a polypropylene, a polycarbonate or any other material that is rigid and compatible with the perishable therapeutics that may be delivered by the hypo-tube assembly 150 . Alternatively, should this material not be compatible with the therapeutic it may be lined with a material that is.
As can be seen, the female luer connection 110 contains threads or grooves 12 , which are illustrated in FIG. 1 as angled dashed lines encircling the interior surface of the female luer connection 110 . These grooves 12 and the female luer connection 110 may be dimensioned so as to accept and secure a removable reservoir (which is not shown) containing perishable therapeutic. This perishable therapeutic may be injected down through the concentric hypo-tube assembly 150 to a target site within the body by depressing a syringe (not shown) integrated with the removable reservoir. As can be seen, a threaded reservoir containing the therapeutic may be readily attached to the female luer connection 110 by aligning and screwing the reservoir into the connection 110 .
As is evident the proximal end of a manifold hypo-tube 17 and the proximal end of an inner hypo-tube 18 are located within the longer end 130 of the hub 10 . The manifold hypo-tube 17 and the inner hypo-tube 18 may be designed for numerous medical applications. They may be designed to be part of an injection catheter used to inject perishable therapeutic into the heart or other dense tissue area of a patient. They may also be designed to be implanted in the body and used for long-term delivery of a therapeutic. When used for puncturing applications the hypo-tubes may be made from stainless steel or other suitably rigid materials. Conversely, when used in less stress-intensive applications the hypo-tubes may be made from less rigid materials such as plastic.
In this particular embodiment the manifold hypo-tube 17 is made from stainless steel and is attached to a spring mechanism of an injection catheter (not shown) which is used to inject a needle into the heart or cardiopulmonary sac of a patient. Once the needle is injected into the heart or cardiopulmonary sac the inner hypo-tube 18 , also stainless steel, would be used to carry therapeutic to the targeted site of the body.
In this embodiment the inner hypo-tube 18 contains a liner 104 , which may be made from polyether block-amide (one example of which is Pebax™ 5533) or any other material that is compatible with a perishable therapeutic that may contact the liner 104 . The proximal end of the inner hypo-tube 18 in this embodiment has a collar 19 adjacent to it. This collar 19 may be made from the same material as the liner or it may be made from another material as long as the second material is also compatible with the perishable therapeutic that may come in contact with it. The collar 19 , made from a therapeutically compatible material, may be sized to compressibly secure or press-fit itself to the stopping point 120 located within the channel 145 of the hub 10 . In this embodiment the liner 104 extends out of the inner hypo-tube and through the collar 19 to line the interior lumen of the collar. Therefore, when the inner hypo-tube is being manufactured the liner 104 may be protruding from the proximal end of the hypo-tube and may be covered by or threaded through the collar such that the liner 104 lines the interior lumen of the collar.
In this embodiment the inside diameter of the lumen in the inner hypo-tube 18 may be about 0.0130 inches and the outside diameter of the inner hypo-tube 18 may be about 0.0250 inches. The inside diameter of the liner 104 may be 0.0075 inches. Other sizes and dimensions are also possible.
The stopping point 120 of the hub 10 in this embodiment is sized such that it may snugly secure the collar 19 to the hub 10 after the collar 19 has been pushed or urged toward the stopping point 120 . In other words, the use of friction and the proper sizing of the dimensions between the stopping point 120 and the collar 19 create a mechanical adhesion or press-fit that couples the collar 19 to the hub 10 at the stopping point 120 and prevents over-wicking of adhesive 102 .
The hub wall 11 also contains a plurality of bond ports. In this figure a first bond port 14 is shown in the channel 145 of the hub 10 while a second bond port 15 is shown on the longer end 130 of the hub 10 . These bond ports may have a funnel-like configuration and may provide an access via from outside the hub to inside the hub to allow adhesive or other material to be injected from outside the hub 10 at different points along the hub 10 .
In FIG. 1 an adhesive 102 is shown after being injected into the hub 10 through the first bond port 14 and the second bond port 15 to secure the inner hypo-tube 18 and the manifold hypo-tube 17 to each other and to the hub 10 . As is evident the adhesive 102 surrounds the proximal end of the inner hypo-tube 18 as well as the proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube 17 but has not wicked past the stopping point 120 between the collar 19 and the hub 10 . In practice it is preferred that the amount of adhesive injected into the hub is controlled such that no adhesive wicks past the stopping point 120 and, consequently, risks coming in contact with therapeutic that may be injected down the lumen of the inner hypo-tube. The adhesive employed in this embodiment may be H.B. Fuller adhesive no. 3507 and Tra-con FDA2.
Other features of the hub 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 are the reinforcing nub 16 and the wing 13 . These two components extend from the tubular hourglass-designed hub 10 and allow the hub 10 to be grasped and rotated as required. For example, when a threaded reservoir of therapeutic needs to be screwed or coupled into the female luer connection 110 of the hub 10 , the wings 13 can be grasped by an operator and used to rotate the hub 10 to couple the hub 10 to the therapeutic reservoir (not shown).
In manufacturing the device illustrated in FIG. 1, a manufacturer may first gather the components to be assembled. These components would include the inner hypo-tube 18 , the manifold hypo-tube 17 , and the hub 10 . As a first step the manufacturer may insert the proximal or near end of the manifold hypo-tube 17 into the longer end 130 of the hub 10 . The proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube 17 may be completely inserted into the longer end 130 of the hub 10 until it touches an interior hub 10 wall or, alternatively, until it is located near an interior hub 10 wall. Whether or not the proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube touches an interior wall may be determined by the placement of the bond ports because adhesive injected through the bond ports may be obstructed from reaching the interior surfaces of the manifold hypo-tube if the placement of the manifold hypo-tube 17 , within the hub 10 , obstructs the bond ports. While the distance that the proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube 17 may be inserted into the hub 10 can vary, it is preferred that the proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube 17 does not touch an interior hub wall 11 so that adhesive injected into the second bond port 15 may flow both inside and outside of the manifold hypo-tube 17 . Should the manifold hypo-tube 17 come in contact with the hub wall, adhesive injected through the second bond port 15 may be deterred from traveling completely in and around the proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube 17 . Once the proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube 17 is inserted into the hub 10 , the proximal or near end of the inner hypo-tube 18 , may be placed within the manifold hypo-tube 17 and into the hub 10 .
As can be seen in FIG. 1 the proximal end of the inner hypo-tube has a collar 19 adjacent to its tip. This collar may be manufactured from the same material as the liner or any other material compatible with the perishable therapeutic that may be delivered by the device. The collar may be manufactured by extending the lining material, which lines the inner lumen of the inner hypo-tube 18 , 0.500 inches past the tip of the inner hypo-tube 18 and, then, by building or wrapping the collar material around the protruding lining material such that, upon completion, the collar is connected to the lumen material and contains an inner lumen of lining material seamlessly connected to the inner hypo-tube. Care should be taken when manufacturing the collar to avoid collapsing the lumen within the liner. Once the collar is manufactured, it should preferably be allowed to cure for 12 hours before it is trimmed. Care should also be taken here, as with the other portions of the assembly process, not to kink, force or otherwise twist the various components. In addition, an assembler should continually verify that no adhesive has entered or has otherwise come in contact with the lumen 101 of the liner 104 .
The inner hypo-tube 18 along with collar 19 may then be completely inserted into the hub 10 until the collar 19 comes in contact with the stopping point 120 located within the channel 145 of the hub 10 . Once the collar 19 reaches the stopping point 120 , an additional axial force may be placed on the inner hypo-tube 18 to further urge or press-fit the collar 19 into the stopping point 120 . The collar 19 , which may be made from Pebax™ 5533, may be soft and compressible so that it readily deforms under the additional axial load and securely contacts the stopping point 120 to provide a holding force to retain the collar 19 against the stopping point 120 .
After the hypo-tubes have been inserted and properly positioned within the longer end 130 of the hub 10 adhesive may be injected into the bond ports. Adhesive may first be injected into the first bond port 14 such that it surrounds the proximal end of the inner hypo-tube 18 and the collar 19 and the adhesive may then be injected into the second bond port to surround the proximal end of the manifold hypo-tube 17 . The adhesive injected in the first bond port may cement and lock the inner hypo-tube 18 to the hub 10 and the collar 19 to the tip of the inner hypo-tube 18 . It may also provide a bulwark for preventing the unwanted seepage of therapeutic past the collar 19 and down into the larger end 130 of the hub 10 . The adhesive may be manufactured by mixing the components by hand for a minimum of 2 minutes to ensure that there is a consistent color in the adhesive. It may then be delivered by placing it in a syringe for injection through the bond ports into the hub.
After adhesive is injected into the first bond port 14 it may be injected into the second bond port 15 to further secure the hypo-tubes to themselves and to the surrounding hub. Excessive adhesive should be removed from the surface of the hub. After the adhesive is allowed to cure, for preferably 12 hours, a 30× microscope may be used to verify a 1mm bond length between the inner hypo-tube 18 and the hub 10 and between the outer hypo-tube 17 and the hub 10 .
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2 — 2 of FIG. 1 that illustrates the liner 104 , the hub wall 11 , the liner lumen 101 , the manifold hypo-tube 17 , and the inner hypo-tube 18 . As can be seen, FIG. 2 illustrates that the longer end 130 of the hub 10 as well as the various lumens and hypo-tubes each have a circular cross-section and that they may be concentrically located about one another. While concentric circular cross-sections are shown in this embodiment other configurations and cross-sections may also be employed. For example, these cross-sections may also be hexagonal, square, and any other cross-section required by the specific application. Moreover, they may not be equally spaced about the same axis but may, instead, be located at different distances from a reference longitudinal axis.
In FIG. 2 the liner 104 is shown as not being in contact with the inner hypo-tube 18 , it is preferred, however, that the liner 104 should be in contact with the inner hypo-tube 18 so that the liner 104 may receive structural support from the inside surface of the inner hypo-tube 18 and so that the lumen may have the largest cross-sectional area possible.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a cross-section taken along line 3 — 3 of FIG. 1 . As can be seen, the wings 13 protrude outwardly from the hub wall 11 and are aligned 180 degrees from one another. As can also be seen, the collar 19 is in direct contact with the inner surface of the hub wall 11 as well as with the liner 104 . It is through this direct contact with the inner surface of the hub that adhesive injected into the hub at bond ports 14 and 15 is prevented from wicking past and into the female luer connection 110 side of the hub 10 . Liner lumen 101 is also evident in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 4 illustrates a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4 a hub 40 and hypo-tube assembly 420 are shown. The hub 40 has a female luer connection 400 having grooves 42 as well as reinforcing nubs 46 , wings 43 , a first bond port 44 , a second bond port 45 , a hub wall 41 , and a stopping point 410 . The hypo-tube assembly 420 includes a manifold hypo-tube 47 , an inner hypo-tube 48 , a liner 404 , a liner lumen 401 , and a collar 49 adjacent to the inner hypo-tube 48 . The collar 49 has a heat shrink material 405 placed at its end. This heat shrink material 405 may be made from Teflon™ while the collar may be made from a material that is compatible with a perishable therapeutic, and the hypo-tubes may be made from stainless steel. The hub wall 41 may be homogeneously manufactured from a plastic or other sufficiently rigid material.
As is evident, the proximal end of the inner hypo-tube 48 in this embodiment has been inserted into the hub 40 . However, rather than having a silo-shaped collar, as described in the first embodiment, the collar 49 in this embodiment has been covered or otherwise treated with a Teflon™ heat shrink which acts to constrict the outer diameter of the collar and provide a flush and snug fit between the collar 49 and the stopping point 410 of the hub 40 .
In order to secure the collar 49 to the hub 40 , heat should first be applied to the tip of the collar 49 , which contains the Teflon™ heat shrink. The tip of the collar 49 containing the heat shrink will then shrink or constrict under the forces of the heat shrink to a size that closely matches the dimensions of the stopping point 410 of the hub 40 . A close dimensional alignment between the tip of the collar 49 and the stopping point 410 will provide a good sealing engagement between the collar and the hub. A benefit of a good sealing engagement is that therapeutic threaded into the female luer connection 400 and injected into the liner lumen 401 will be prevented from passing the interface point between the collar 49 and the stopping point 410 and contacting materials that are not compatible with the therapeutic. To further secure the inner hypo-tube 48 to the stopping point 410 , and the other hypo-tube assembly 420 components to the interior of the hub 40 , an adhesive should be injected into the first bond port 44 and the second bond port 45 in this embodiment.
FIG. 5 illustrates a side sectional view of another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Rather than using the collars 19 and 49 described above, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 uses a flared funnel-shaped liner end 506 to facilitate the clean contact and communication between therapeutic placed in the female luer connection 500 and the lumen 501 located within the inner hypo-tube 58 .
In FIG. 5 a hub 50 and hypo-tube assembly 530 are illustrated. This hub 50 along with the hypo-tube assembly 530 are shown in sectional view consistent with the illustrations provided in FIGS. 1 and 4 above. This hub 50 contains a hub wall 51 , the hub wall 51 having a first bond port 54 , a second bond port 55 , and a third bond port 59 wherein each bond port is conically shaped and provides a passage from the exterior of the hub 50 to the interior of the hub 50 . These bond ports provide access for adhesive to be injected into the hub during the assembly of the device.
Similar to the embodiments described above, the hub wall 51 contains reinforcing nubs 56 and wings 53 . These reinforcing nubs 56 and the wings 53 are used to help grasp and secure components to the female luer connection 500 of the hub 50 . This female luer connection 500 located at one end of the hub 50 is used to connect other components to the hub 50 . This female luer connection 500 contains grooves 52 resident within the inside walls of the female luer connection 500 .
Also evident in FIG. 5 are a liner 504 , a liner lumen 501 , an inner hypo-tube 58 , and a manifold hypo-tube 57 . In this embodiment, rather than having the collar touch the stopping point of the hub 50 as in the above embodiments, the proximal end of the inner hypo-tube 58 comes in contact with the stopping point 508 of the hub 50 and the liner 501 extends past the end of the inner hypo-tube 58 into the female luer connection 500 of the hub 50 . The liner 504 extending into the female luer connection 500 in this embodiment has a liner flared end 506 located at its most proximal end and a liner rim 507 . The liner flared end 506 and liner rim 507 extend into the female luer connection 500 and rest up against the hub wall 51 . In order to secure this distended liner section to a hub wall 11 adhesive. 502 may be injected behind the liner 504 through the third bond port 59 to secure the liner in place. However, when adhesive is injected into the connection it is preferred that the amount of adhesive is limited such that the adhesive does not wick past the liner rim 507 of the liner 504 and be placed at risk of contacting therapeutic that may be injected into the lumen 501 .
In use, when a source of therapeutic is secured or threaded into the female luer connection 500 , as the therapeutic is forced down into the lined lumen, the liner flared end 506 and the liner rim 507 may be pressed against the hub wall 51 , thereby contributing to a secure and tight contact point between the liner and the hub wall.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the stopping point 508 of the hub 50 from FIG. 5 . As is clearly evident in this embodiment adhesive 502 has been injected and is securing the inner hypo-tube rim 508 , the liner 504 and the liner flared end 506 . As can also be seen, the adhesive 502 , while resident in, around, and between the inner hypo-tube, the hub, and the liner 504 , does not extend past the liner rim 507 . As mentioned above, it is preferable that the adhesive 502 does not extend past the liner rim 507 such that the potential contact between therapeutic and non-compatible materials such as the adhesive 502 may be minimized if not eliminated.
Target sites that may be treated by the various embodiments of the present invention include any mammalian tissue or organ, whether injected in vivo or ex vivo. Non-limiting examples include heart, lung, brain, liver, skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, kidney, bladder, intestines, stomach, pancreas, ovary, prostate, eye, tumors, cartilage and bone.
Therapeutics that may be employed in the various embodiments of the present invention include: adenoviral vectors; adeno-associated vectors; certain proteins including basic fibroblast growth factors; certain nucleic acids such as DNA plasmid; and, certain cells such as myoblasts, fibroblasts, and stem cells.
As will be understood by one of skill in the art, while various embodiments of the present invention have been presented, numerous other embodiments are also plausible. For example, rather than having the flared end of the liner protruding into the female luer connection of the hub the liner may instead wrap around and cover the inner hypo-tube rim which is then press-fit into the stopping point of the hub to form a fluid tight connection. Consequently, the disclosed embodiments are illustrative of the various ways in which the present invention may be practiced and other embodiments may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. | An apparatus for connecting a compatibility liner with a source of perishable therapeutic is provided. In one exemplary system for connecting a reservoir of perishable therapeutic with a lumen, a hollow hub having a first end and a second end is provided. The first end of the hollow hub, which contains a bond port, is in fluid communication with the second end. The second end of the hollow hub may contain a docking groove that is sized to couple a reservoir to it. The system also includes an inner hypo-tube having a proximal tip and an inner lumen. This inner lumen is lined with a therapeutic compatible lining and is in fluid communication with the second end of the hub through the proximal tip of the inner hypo-tube. The inner lining and the proximal tip in this system are configured to shield therapeutic ejected from the reservoir from contacting materials that can diminish the integrity of the therapeutic. | 0 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 772,002, filed Feb. 25, 1977, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Combines are, of course, used to harvest crops and also to separate the edible parts of a crop from the rest of it. By the use of various attachments, a combine may be used for harvesting small grain such as wheat and rice; for harvesting edible beans and soy beans; for harvesting corn for silage in which the husks are removed, leaving the cobs with the grain intact; or for husking and shelling corn so that the grain is removed from the cobs.
Regardless of the purpose for which a combine is used, it delivers the usable end product to grain tanks and drops a large amount of residual material onto the ground where it is plowed into the soil. When small grain is combined the residue consists principally of chaff, together with a small amount of grain which has not been picked up for feeding into the grain tank. Straw is usually discharged separately, and may be saved for use as bedding or may be discharged onto the ground, either in long pieces or after passing through an auxiliary straw chopper.
In bean harvesting, the beans are delivered to the grain tank, while stems, leaves and other parts, together with some beans not picked up for transfer to the grain tank, constitute the residue.
When corn is harvested and processed for silage, the residue consists principally of husks, together with finer parts of the plants. In the harvesting and shelling of corn, the residue includes small material plus the cobs and the husks.
In all cases, the residue normally returned to the soil by a combine contains substantial quantities of usable material, much of which is even usable as animal feed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for combines which saves the feed residue now ordinarily dropped on the ground.
Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment which may be fastened to the underside of a combine, toward the rear, and which may easily be connected to be driven from an existing driven shaft of the combine.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an attachment which may be used selectively either to save all material including chaff and other very fine particles, or which may be used to salvage only such material as the cobs, husks, etc., when the combine is being used to harvest and shell corn.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an attachment which may be applied to combines of different manufacture, and different models of combines, and which may be relatively easily arranged to be driven from an existing shaft or shafts of any of a variety of combines.
THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear portion of a combine with the attachment mounted thereon;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, vertical, transverse sectional view looking toward the front of the combine as seen in FIG. 1, and taken substantially as indicated along the line 2--2 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the attachment, partly in section, taken substantially as indicated along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2, and with the deflector plate seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 removed from the attachment;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken substantially as indicated along the line 4--4 of FIG. 2 with a deflector plate in an elevated position for use of the attachment in saving substantially all residue including chaff, and a solid closure in the bottom of the attachment trough; and
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the deflector plate in a lowered position and a grating substituted for the solid closure, as the attachment is set up to save only large material such as cobs, husks, etc.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings in detail, and referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3, a combine, indicated generally at 10, includes a casing, indicated generally at 11, which has a left sidewall 12, a right sidewall 13, a rear wall 14, and a bottom wall 15 (FIGS. 4 and 5) which terminates a substantial distance forward of the rear wall 14. Thus, the rearward portion of the combine casing 11, behind the bottom wall 15, is downwardly open so that material fed off the rear of the chaffer screen 16 and strawwalkers (not shown) ordinarily drops onto the ground.
Somewhere in the rearward area of any combine is an output shaft, indicated in FIGS. 2 and 4 at 17, which extends through one of the casing sidewalls 12 or 13, or in some cases through both sidewalls, and has outside a sidewall a pulley 18 for driving an attachment such, for example, as a straw chopper. The present attachment either takes its power from the pulley 18; or if the combine is provided with a straw chopper or other attachment which is driven off the pulley 18, then a double groove pulley is substituted for the pulley 18 so that both the straw chopper and the attachment of the present invention may be driven off the shaft 17.
The attachment of the present invention consists of a trough, indicated generally at 20, which has a semi-cylindrical body 21 that has side flanges 22, and an end wall 23 provided with a flange 24. The flanges 22 and 24 are provided with bolt holes 25 so that the trough 20 may be detachably mounted beneath the rearward portion of the combine casing 11 by means of bolts 26 which impale holes drilled in the combine casing floor 15 and in casing sidewall flanges 12a and 13a in register with the bolt holes 25. Secured by two of the bolts 26 which are between the casing sidewalls 12 and 13 are upright stops 27 the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.
The end of the trough 20 opposite the wall 23 is open, and communicates with the interior of an impeller housing, indicated generally at 28. The impeller housing includes an outer sidewall 29, an inner sidewall 30 provided with an inlet opening 31, and a circumferential wall 32 which connects the walls 29 and 30 and has at its upper end a discharge opening 33 which communicates with a material discharge duct 34. Any suitable discharge conduit (not shown) may be secured to the free end of the duct so that material discharged by the impeller is dropped into a residue container such as a wagon trailing behind the combine or a container secured to the combine casing 11.
As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, outside the trough end wall 23 is a bracket 35 which supports a pair of spaced bearing blocks 36 in which an auger shaft 37 is journalled. The shaft 37 extends through the trough end wall 23 and is provided with a helical auger 38 so that rotation of the auger shaft 37 causes the auger to serve as conveyor means to move material along the trough 20 toward the impeller housing infeed opening 31. An outer end portion 37a of the shaft 37 extends outwardly beyond the outer bearing block 36 and is provided with a pulley 39.
The bottom of the trough 21, adjacent the impeller infeed opening 31, is provided with a large rectangular opening 40. The opening 40 is covered alternatively with a solid closure plate 41 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) or with an arcuate grating 41a (FIG. 5), depending upon the material which is to be run through the attachment. As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, an arcuate deflector plate 42 is mounted on the rearward one of the trough flanges 22 by means of hinges 43 so that it may be swung between an upper position as seen in FIG. 4 or a lower position as seen in FIG. 5. A chain, wire, cable, rope or elastic band 44 may be secured to a bracket 45 on the deflector 42 and hooked onto any suitable and conveniently located member on the inside of the combine casing 11 in order to hold the deflector 42 in its upper position; while in its lower position the free edge 42a of the deflector is supported upon the upright stops 27. In the upper position of FIG. 4 the deflector 42 deflects substantially all the residue discharged from the rear of the combine into the trough 21. In the lower position of FIG. 5, light material, such as chaff, in the refuse is discharged over the deflector 42 and only such heavy material as cobs and husks is discharged under the free edge 42a of the deflector and into the trough. Where only large material in the residue is to be saved, the grating 41a is substituted for the solid closure 41 on the opening 40 so that almost any fine material which is discharged into the trough drops through the grating onto the ground rather than being fed into the impeller housing 28.
Mounted on the outer wall 29 of the impeller housing 28 is a bracket 46 which supports a pair of spaced bearing blocks 47, and journalled in the bearing blocks is an impeller shaft 48 which extends through the impeller housing wall 29 and has four impeller blades 49 mounted upon it within the housing 28. The portion of the impeller shaft 48 between the bearing blocks 47 mounts an input pulley 50 which is part of a first power transmission means, indicated generally at 51. On an outer end portion 48a of the impeller shaft 48, outside the outermost bearing block 47, is a pulley 52 which is a part of a second power transmission means, indicated generally at 53.
As best seen in FIG. 2, the first power transmission means 51 comprises a shaft 54 which extends through the upper portion of the impeller housing 28, through the sidewalls 29 and 30, and is journalled in bearings 55. Between the impeller housing wall 30 and the combine casing wall 13 the shaft 54 mounts a pulley 56, and a drive belt 57 is trained around the pulley 56 and the pulley 18 on the shaft 17 so that the shaft 54 is driven from the shaft 17. On the outer end portion of the shaft 54 is a pulley 58, and a drive belt 59 is trained around the pulley 58 and the input pulley 50 in order to drive the impeller shaft 48. As seen in FIG. 1, a stub shaft projecting outwardly from the impeller housing side wall 29 is movably mounted in any conventional manner, and a belt tensioning pulley 60 is journalled on said shaft for the purpose of tensioning the belt 59.
The second power transmission means 53 includes a cross shaft 61 which is journalled in bearing brackets 62 and extends parallel to the auger shaft 37. A first end portion 61a of the shaft 61 mounts a pulley 63, and a belt trained around said pulley and around the pulley 52 causes the cross shaft 61 to be driven from the impeller shaft 48 and thus from the first power transmission means 51. Mounted on the opposite end portion 61b of the cross shaft 61 is a pulley 65, and a drive belt 66 is trained around the pulley 65 and around the pulley 39 so that the second power transmission means 53 drives the auger shaft 37.
It is clear from the relative diameters of the pulleys 50 and 58 of the first power transmission means 51 that the impeller shaft 48 is rotated at about the same speed as the combine output shaft 17. Likewise, the relative diameters of the pulleys 52, 63, 65 and 39 of the second power transmission means 53 shows that the auger shaft 37 is rotated at a much lower speed than the impeller shaft 48.
Applicants have determined that an impeller speed of about 1400 rpm and an auger speed between about 80 and 120 rpm is the most satisfactory. Auger speeds above about 120 rpm tend to cause chaff to be thrown out of the trough 21 in spite of the arcuate deflector plate 42.
If desired, of course, the trough 20 may be formed of two telescoping parts to fit combines of different widths; and the auger shaft 37 and auger 38 can be made in sections to permit variations in the length of the conveyor.
The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art. | A feed residue saver attachment for combines has a trough adapted to be mounted in a transverse position beneath the rearward portion of a combine to receive residue which the combine would otherwise discharge onto the ground. A driven auger in the trough moves residue out an open end and into an impeller housing from which it is blown through a duct into a wagon. The attachment has alternative modes of operation so that it may be selectively used either to save substantially all the feed residue including chaff, or to save substantially only large material such as corn cobs, corn husks and pieces of stalk (known in some farming areas as "husklage") and permit chaff and other fine material to drop to the ground. | 0 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/295,098, entitled “BOTTLE WITH MULTIPLE LABELS”, filed Jun. 1, 2001 by Richard Schaupp, Timothy Klein, and John Hickey and U.S. provisional application No. 60/309,679, entitled “MACHINE FOR PLACEMENT OF MULTIPLE LABELS”, filed Aug. 2, 2001 by Richard Schaupp, Timothy Klein, and John Hickey, the entire disclosures of both applications are herein specifically incorporated by reference for all that they disclose and teach.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] a. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention pertains generally to high speed label placement machines and specifically to high speed label placement machines wherein multiple labels are placed on an object.
[0004] b. Description of the Background
[0005] Labels on beverage bottles and the like are critical sales tools for differentiating one product from another. The ability to stand out from the crowd of beverages can make a large difference in the sales of the product and an increase in market share.
[0006] Labels for beverage bottles and the like are applied by different methods. A common method is the roll wrap label wherein a label is presented in the form of a web that is glued at the edges and wrapped around the circumference of the bottle. A second form is a label that is presented on a web carrier and attached with pressure sensitive adhesive. Other forms of labels and methods of application are widely known and practiced.
[0007] It is common from time to time for a beverage manufacturer to have a marketing campaign wherein a premium, game piece, coupon, or other promotional item is to be attached to the packaging in some form. Ideally, the promotional item would be included on the beverage bottle directly. However, the manufacturing complexities have so far limited the promotional items to places such as the bottle cap or applied to a carton or other container in which the bottle comes. It is also common for a manufacturer to place RF identifier tags and bar codes to items at the request of a retailer.
[0008] One of the difficulties is that the game piece or promotional item is likely to be manufactured in a different manner than the exterior label. For example, it may be a multi-folded item made of card stock and the exterior label may be a plastic film. The promotional item may also be attached to the bottle with pressure sensitive adhesive or other mechanism other than the glue strip of the exterior label.
[0009] The difficulty of labeling two dissimilar labels lies primarily in the registration of the two labels with respect to one another. This is due to the fact that one type of label may optimally be manufactured, presented, and applied using one method, such as thin, plastic roll wrapped labels adhered with a strip of glue, and a second type of label may be optimally manufactured, presented, and applied using a second method that is incompatible with the first, such as a cardstock label presented by peeling off of a disposable web backing and applied with pressure sensitive adhesive. In high speed inline labeling machines used in bottling factories, the only option available is a large rotary labeling machine that holds the bottles from the top and bottom during all of the processing done at the machine. These machines are very expensive to buy and operate compared to high-speed in-line machines.
[0010] It would therefore be advantageous to provide a high speed in-line machine for applying a first item to a bottle, such as a pressure sensitive label, maintaining control of the orientation of the bottle while adjusting the orientation to a position to receive a second item of the same or different composition, and applying a second item, such as a roll wrapped label. It would further be advantageous to control the registration of the placement of the items to achieve a variety of functions.
[0011] c. Definitions
[0012] The following definitions are presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the terms to the precise form disclosed, and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the teachings of this specification.
[0013] Bottle: an object that is processed by a high speed in-line or similar machine, such as a beverage bottle. The bottle may be one of several types containers such as plastic bottles, cups, metal cans, glass wine bottles, tubular cardboard containers, aerosol spray cans, pharmaceutical containers, glass jelly jars, plastic jugs, rotationally molded lidded containers for hardware items like screws and such. Further, the bottle may be any object that is typically sold with labels attached, such as highlighter markers, candles, rolls of paper products, and sundry others. The outside shape of the object does not have to be cylindrical, but can be square, elliptical, or can have other cross-sectional shapes.
[0014] Label: an item that is applied by a high speed in-line or similar machine to a bottle, such as a pressure sensitive label. The label may be a conventional advertising or descriptive label of various constructions, such as paper, cardstock, plastic film, or other label material. The label may be constructed of a single ply of material, or may be a multiple ply construction. Further, the label may be a booklet construction with multiple pages that are glued or bound on an edge. The conventional label may be applied by many different methods, such as pressure sensitive adhesive, hot glue, cold glue, ultraviolet cure glue, dry peel adhesive, heat transfer, or any other type of adhesive. Further, the label may be applied by static charge or other mechanical method so that it stays on the bottle during assembly until a second label captures and contains the first label. Additionally, the label may be a shrink-wrap label that envelops the bottle and is shrunk to the bottle with a heat source. Alternatively the label may actually be a promotional item such as a premium, game piece, coupon, souvenir, phone card, tickets, or the like. Further, the label may comprise a package for holding a liquid or other items, such as a foil packet. Further, the label may be a passive electrical device, such as an RF identifier tag. Further, the label may be an active electronic device, such as a battery operated light or a device for playing a sound. Alternatively, the promotional item or electrical device may be web converted and presented on a carrier, the carrier being attached directly to the bottle. Further, the label may be a printed mark, logo, set of characters, barcode, or other design that is applied directly by a printing mechanism, such as a sprayed ink printer, transfer printing, pad printing, laser etching, or other printing method. Further, the label may be a brand identifier, logo, or special advertising item. For example, the label may be a holographic image, diffraction grating, reflective media, or other special material. A label may also be a device for tearing or removing a second label. These examples are not meant to limit the types of labels and of course, those skilled in the arts of promotional items, labels, and the general packaging industry would be able to expand these examples and still fall within the scope of this invention.
[0015] Game piece: an item specifically adapted for a promotional game. The typical game piece may be of several varieties. These include instant win game pieces where a consumer can redeem the game piece for a prize instantly, may be a collection type game where two or more game pieces must be collected and redeemed together, or other type of game where the consumer compares the game piece code to a code on a website or other advertisement. The game piece typically involves a variable printing process whereby the text or image on the game piece can be varied during the printing process. The game piece may be a simple printed mark on the bottle comprising text, graphics, barcode, or other images. The game piece may be a multipart label where the consumer must peel apart one layer of the label to expose the variable printed image. These examples are not meant to limit the types of game pieces and of course, those skilled in the arts of promotional items, labels, and the general packaging industry would be able to expand these examples and still fall within the scope of this invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art by providing a high speed in-line machine to assemble labels on a bottle. The machine can be used to apply two dissimilar labels to a bottle wherein each label is applied by a different mechanism. The dissimilar labels may be placed and registered with respect to one another on the bottle. The combinations may be used to create advertising devices and product packaging devices that were heretofore impractical to produce.
[0017] One embodiment of the present invention pertains to a high speed in-line bottle labeling machine, wherein bottles travel through the machine in a cradle that allows the bottle to rotate. A first label is presented and applied to the bottle under positive control as it passes through the machine. A positioning mechanism rotates the bottle a controlled amount in the cradle to a second orientation. A second label is presented and applied to the bottle as it continues through the machine and then exits the machine. The registration of the two labels is controlled with the repositioning devices.
[0018] The first label to be applied can be of any desired construction and attached to the bottle by any desired method. For example, the label may comprise a preprinted, adhesive backed label, an RF identifier tag on a pressure sensitive backing, a promotional game piece applied with glue, a package of liquid additive for the contents of the bottle applied with hot glue, or a barcode image printed directly on the bottle, etc. Of course, this list is merely an example of the diverse set of articles that may be placed, printed, adhered, applied or otherwise assembled to the surface of the bottle.
[0019] The cradle mechanism is constructed to support the bottle and allow the bottle to rotate while it is presented to the first label station, the positioning device, and the second label station.
[0020] The positioning mechanism can be a single powered roller, a continuously moving, constant speed belt, a belt that can be adjusted in speed and direction during the turning process, a stationary frictional surface, or other mechanism or combination of mechanisms to change the orientation of the bottle while it is in the cradle. Further, the positioning mechanism may be incorporated into a processing station, such as a label applicator, or the positioning mechanism may be a separate entity that is not attached to one or more processing stations.
[0021] The second label to be applied can be of any desired construction and attached to the bottle by various methods. For example, the second label may be a roll wrapped plastic film label or other type of label. Of course, the example is meant only for illustrative purposes.
[0022] The invention also includes the advertising and packaging devices heretofore unproducible on conventional packaging equipment. Several variations of multiple labels that are used in accordance with the present invention require registration of the labels with respect to each other that is the result of positive control of the bottle during labeling.
[0023] For example, a first label, such as a promotional game piece, may be placed on a bottle and have a second label placed over the first. The second label must be registered to the first so that the glue used to assemble the second label to the bottle does not overlap the first label. In this embodiment, the consumer can remove the second label to gain access to the first in order to play the game.
[0024] In a second example, a first label such as a game piece, may be placed onto a bottle and a second label may be placed over the first label with a window through the second label so that the first label is visible. The second label must be registered to the first label so that the window is properly located and the first label is therefore visible.
[0025] A third example may be the placement of a first label, such as a game piece on a bottle. A second label having a window may then be placed over the first label, such that the first label is visible through the window. One or more edges of the first label may be viewable through the window. In this example, perforations may be added to the first or second labels to assist the consumer in removing the promotional item. Further, an exposed edge of the first label may not have adhesive applied near the edge so that the consumer may use a fingernail to further assist in removing of the first label. The second label must be registered to the first label so that the window shows the appropriate section of the first label.
[0026] A fourth example may be a bottle that may be labeled first with a booklet attached with pressure sensitive adhesive and covers a portion of the circumference. A second label may be a roll wrapped plastic film label and attached to or near one end of the first label and continue around the remainder of the circumference to end on or near the opposite end of the first label. Registration of the second label to the first is important so that the overlap of the two labels does not interfere with the use and function of the booklet.
[0027] A fifth example is a bottle wherein an adhesive backed RF tag may be placed on a bottle and a second label is roll wrapped around the complete exterior of the bottle, covering the RF tag so that it is not unsightly. Instead of an RF tag, a promotional item, such as a ticket or coupon may be placed underneath the second label. The registration of the RF tag to the roll wrapped label is important since the RF tag may interfere with the gluing of a roll wrapped label if improperly registered.
[0028] A sixth example is a bottle with a roll wrapped label applied with glue with the label covering the circumference of the bottle and a second label which is a promotional item adhered with pressure sensitive adhesive to a specific location to the outside of the first label. In this case, the second label may be a decorative item manufactured of a different method than the first, such as a holographic image or diffraction grating. The second label should be registered to the first so that the promotional item occupies a designated space on the first label.
[0029] A seventh example is a bottle with a first label, such as a removable game piece, viewable through a window in the second label. In this case, the first label has two edges that are exposed through the window and perforations or scoring along the edges that are not exposed. This combination allows the consumer to remove the first label without damaging the second label. The second label must be registered to the first label so that the perforated lines are positioned properly to aid the consumer in removing the game piece.
[0030] An eighth example is a bottle with a first label and a second label that is moveable over the first. The second label may be a roll wrapped label wherein the label is glued only to itself and not the bottle, so that the second label may be twisted on the bottle. One or more windows in the second label can then be moved over the first label, creating a game for the consumer to play. The second label must be registered with respect to the first label to avoid any assembly problems with the roll wrapped label assembly.
[0031] A ninth example is a bottle with a first label that is entrapped on three sides by a second label. The second label has a window or cut out whereby three edges of the first label are covered and the forth edge of the first label is exposed. Registration between the first label and second label must be sufficient so that the first label does not interfere with the assembly process of the second label.
[0032] A tenth example is a bottle with an outside label and a tab label, string, or other device that aids in the removal of the label. The outside label may have perforations, scoring or other devices to aid in the tearing of the label. The device to aid removal may have a tab that is exposed for the consumer to grip as the consumer removes the outer label. The outside label must be registered to the tab label for the tearing action of the tab label to be effective.
[0033] An eleventh example is a bottle with a first label that is opaque and a second label that is printed on a transparent media. The first label may be a standard product label and the second label may be a special promotional label. The second label is selectively transparent so that portions of the first label are visible through the second. The second label must be registered to the first label so that the proper visual effect of the two labels is achieved.
[0034] A twelfth example is a bottle with a first item that is applied and an overlapping label with a window through which protrudes a portion of the first item. The first item may be a container for something or it may be decorative item only. The container may be used for promotional items such as a premium, or it may be used for a complementary product or accessory to the item sold in the container, such as a package of mounting screws for a container of a hardware product. The overlapping label, and its window must be registered with respect to the first item so that the first item fits through the window properly, otherwise the overlapping label will not assemble correctly.
[0035] The above examples are not exhaustive of the combinations of items to be placed on a bottle where the registration of the items is important. As one skilled in the art would appreciate, the present invention would apply to bottles, cans, and other containers or objects especially cylindrical containers and objects to which labels and other articles are applied.
[0036] The present invention may therefore comprise a method of applying at least two labels to a substantially cylindrical object with a predetermined angular orientation of the labels about the axis of the cylinder on an in-line labeling machine comprising: placing the object into a cradle, the cradle allowing the object to freely rotate about the axis, the cradle being mounted to a star wheel comprising a plurality of the cradles; passing the object past a first labeling machine, the first labeling machine being capable of presenting a first label and applying the first label to the object by rotating the object in the cradle; positioning the object with a turning mechanism, the turning mechanism having a mechanism that engages the object on the cylindrical surface and changes the rotational orientation of the object to a predetermined orientation; and presenting the object to a second labeling machine, the second labeling machine being capable of presenting a second label and applying the second label to the object, the second label being in a predetermined angular orientation with respect to the first label.
[0037] The present invention may further comprise an in-line machine for applying at least two labels to a substantially cylindrical object with a predetermined angular orientation of the labels about the axis of the cylinder comprising: a star wheel, the star wheel comprising a plurality of cradles, the cradles allowing the object to freely rotate about the axis; a first labeling machine, the labeling machine being capable of presenting a first label and applying the first label to the object by rotating the object in the cradle; a turning mechanism, the turning mechanism having a mechanism that engages the object and changes the rotational orientation of the object to a predetermined orientation; and a second labeling machine, the labeling machine being capable of presenting a second label and applying the second label to the object, the second label being in a predetermined angular orientation with respect to the first label.
[0038] The present invention may further comprise an object with multiple labels comprising: an object being substantially cylindrical and having a major axis; a first label; and a second label, the second label being placed over at least a portion of the first label, the position of the second label being angularly oriented about the major axis of the object with respect to the first label, wherein the first label and the second label are adhered to the object by different mechanisms.
[0039] The present invention may further comprise a substantially cylindrical object with at least two labels manufactured on an in-line labeling machine using a process comprising: placing the object into a cradle, the cradle allowing the object to freely rotate about the axis, the cradle being mounted to a star wheel comprising a plurality of the cradles; passing the object past a first labeling machine, the first labeling machine being capable of presenting a first label and applying the first label to the object by rotating the object in the cradle; positioning the object with a turning mechanism, the turning mechanism having a mechanism that engages the object on the cylindrical surface and changes the rotational orientation of the object to a predetermined orientation; and presenting the object to a second labeling machine, the second labeling machine being capable of presenting a second label and applying the second label to the object, the second label being in a predetermined angular orientation with respect to the first label.
[0040] The advantages of the present invention are that a plethora of options for the label designer and marketing professional to create product differentiation for their specific application. Further, the ability to accurately place multiple labels of different constructions allows the marketing professional many options for displaying product information, for hiding unsightly RF tags, for developing promotions, and for other options within their purvey. Also, since the labels can be applied at high speed, the manufacturing of these products can be done in a cost efficient manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0041] In the drawings,
[0042] [0042]FIG. 1 is a top view of a high speed bottle labeling machine showing a first label being attached with pressure sensitive adhesive and a second label being a roll wrapped label applied with hot glue and a positioning mechanism comprising a moving belt.
[0043] [0043]FIG. 2 is a detail view of a section of FIG. 2 showing the first label being applied.
[0044] [0044]FIG. 3 is view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the bottle at the point where the first label has just been applied, and a second bottle ready for the second label application.
[0045] [0045]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0046] [0046]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a detail of the embodiment of FIG. 4, shown from the opposite side of the machine from FIG. 4.
[0047] [0047]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a detail of the embodiment of FIG. 5.
[0048] [0048]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cradle of the embodiment of FIG. 4.
[0049] [0049]FIG. 8 is a top view of a high speed bottle labeling machine showing a first label being attached with pressure sensitive adhesive and a second label being a roll wrapped label applied with hot glue and a position mechanism comprising an applicator wheel and a friction fence.
[0050] [0050]FIG. 9 is a detail view of a section of FIG. 8 showing the first label ready to be applied and the second label ready to be applied.
[0051] [0051]FIG. 10 is view similar to FIG. 9, but showing the bottle at the point where the first label is being applied and the bottle is being repositioned.
[0052] [0052]FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 9, but showing the bottle being repositioned.
[0053] [0053]FIG. 12 is a detail view of a section of another embodiment of the invention showing an alternative method for delivering the first label and repositioning the bottle.
[0054] [0054]FIG. 13 is an illustration of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration wherein a first label is hidden by a second label.
[0055] [0055]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of FIG. 13 shown in the exploded state.
[0056] [0056]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention having a first label and a second label with a window aligned with the first wherein one or more edges of the first label are exposed through the window.
[0057] [0057]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of FIG. 15 shown in the exploded state.
[0058] [0058]FIG. 17 is perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention having a portion of a first label appear through a window in a second label.
[0059] [0059]FIG. 18 is a perspective view of FIG. 17 shown in the exploded state. FIG. 19 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention having a first label and a second label wherein the second label attaches to one end of the first label and wraps around to attach to the opposite end of the first label.
[0060] [0060]FIG. 20 is a perspective view of FIG. 19 shown in the exploded state.
[0061] [0061]FIG. 21 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 19 shown with each element slightly exploded.
[0062] [0062]FIG. 22 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention having a first label and a second label wherein the second label is attached to the outside of the first label.
[0063] [0063]FIG. 23 is a perspective view of FIG. 22 shown in the exploded state.
[0064] [0064]FIG. 24 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention wherein a first label is viewable through a window in a second label and two edges of the first label are exposed through the window.
[0065] [0065]FIG. 25 is a perspective view of FIG. 24 shown in the exploded state.
[0066] [0066]FIG. 26 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention having a first label and a second label wherein the second label is assembled so that it can be twisted about the bottle.
[0067] [0067]FIG. 27 is a perspective view of FIG. 26 shown in the exploded state.
[0068] [0068]FIG. 28 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention having a first label and a second label wherein the first label is exposed through a window in the second label wherein the window is comprised of a notch in the second label.
[0069] [0069]FIG. 29 is a perspective view of FIG. 28 shown in the exploded state.
[0070] [0070]FIG. 30 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention having a label and a device to aid in removing the label.
[0071] [0071]FIG. 31 is a perspective view of FIG. 30 shown in the exploded state.
[0072] [0072]FIG. 32 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention comprising a first label and a second label wherein the second label is a semi-transparent label that covers the first label.
[0073] [0073]FIG. 33 is a perspective view of FIG. 32 shown in the exploded state.
[0074] [0074]FIG. 34 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration of the present invention having a first item and a second label wherein the first item protrudes through a window in the second label.
[0075] [0075]FIG. 35 is a perspective view of FIG. 34 shown in the exploded state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0076] [0076]FIG. 1 illustrates an overall view of an embodiment of the inventive machine wherein the positioning device is a moving belt. The bottles move from right to left through the machine. The bottles enter the machine on conveyor 102 and inlet screw 104 separates bottles to be fed into the machine 100 . Bottle 106 is shown in the inlet screw 104 , and bottle 108 is shown traveling on the conveyor 102 properly separated from bottle 110 . The inlet star wheel 112 takes each bottle in turn and nestles it into cradle 128 in the main star wheel 116 . Bottle 110 is shown just prior to being nestled into cradle 128 . The main star wheel 116 is rotated in a counter clockwise direction, moving the bottles past first label station 118 , a positioning device 120 , and a second label station 122 .
[0077] The first label station 118 is a conventional label dispenser for a pressure sensitive adhesive backed label. These types of label applicators transport the labels on a web that is passed over a peel point 124 wherein the web is forced to turn on a very small radius, causing the labels to peel from the web. The web is advanced by a pinch roller mechanism 126 when one label is removed and another one required.
[0078] The positioning device 120 is a powered belt that causes a bottle in a cradle to rotate as it passes past the positioning device 120 . In this embodiment, the positioning device 120 is incorporated in first label station 118 .
[0079] The second label station 122 is a conventional roll wrapped label applicator. These types of label applicators have the labels presented in the form of a web, which is cut and placed on a vacuum drum 132 . A strip of glue is then applied to each end of the labels by the glue dispensing mechanism 130 . The leading edge of the label is applied to the bottle, and the bottle is rolled against a friction pad until the glued trailing edge of the label is adhered to the bottle.
[0080] Those skilled in the art can readily appreciate the various combinations of a first processing station, a registration mechanism, and a second processing station of which the machine 100 is a single embodiment. Alternative embodiments may include any combination of two different or the same label applicators, such as a roll wrapped applicators, applicators for web converted products such as the nip roller style or tamp and blow style, pick and place style applicators, applicators for liner-less labels, burst and place applicators for items separated by perforations or scoring, static charged applicators for adhesive-less application of labels, applicators for labels with ultraviolet cured adhesive, and any other label applicator. Additional embodiments may have one or both processing stations comprise a printing or etching station, such as a laser etching station for etching an image, barcode, or text onto a plastic bottle, a pad printing station, a heat transfer printing machine, an ink jet type printing device, or other direct printing type of station. Further, another embodiment may be the first processing station comprising a glue dispensing station and the second processing station comprising a label applicator that places the label onto the glue.
[0081] Although the number of objects attached to a bottle in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is shown as two objects, any number of objects (within reason) can be placed on the bottle. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein the number of processing stations can be greater than two.
[0082] [0082]FIG. 2 illustrates a detail view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing the application of a first label 202 to bottle 204 and a second label 206 to bottle 208 . As the bottle 204 advances towards the belt 210 , first label 202 is pinched between the bottle 204 and the belt 210 . At this point, known as the nip point, the belt's clockwise rotation pulls the remainder of the first label 202 off of the web 212 and presses the first label 202 onto the bottle 204 . As bottle 208 advances toward vacuum drum 132 , second label 206 is applied to bottle 208 . The rotation of vacuum drum 132 in a clockwise direction forces bottle 208 against a frictional fence 214 , which rolls the label 206 onto the bottle 208 . It is not necessary for the proper function of the machine that the two labels be applied simultaneously.
[0083] [0083]FIG. 3 illustrates a detail view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, and similar to FIG. 2 except that the main star wheel 116 has advanced to the point where the bottle 204 is being positioned by the belt 210 . At this point, the belt 210 is spinning the bottle 204 in a counter clockwise direction. Bottle 208 is also being spun in a counter clockwise direction by virtue of the clockwise rotation of vacuum drum 132 pressing bottle 208 against frictional fence 214 . Second label 206 is almost fully attached to the bottle 208 .
[0084] The construction of belt 210 may be a timing belt with teeth, or may comprise an o-ring or other belting medium. The belt 210 is such that it frictionally grabs the bottle 204 and causes it to spin. The belt 210 may further comprise an upper and lower belt such that the upper and lower belts touch the bottle in certain areas and avoid touching the bottle in other areas. Such a configuration may be required if, for example, the first processing station applied an area of glue and it was desired that the belt 210 not touch the glue during positioning.
[0085] The gear ratio of the belt 210 to the main star wheel 116 is selected so that the first label 202 is fully applied to the bottle 204 and positions the bottle 204 in the cradle to accept the second label. The gear ratio of belt 210 to main star wheel 116 may be further increased or decreased to adjust the position of the bottle 204 in the cradle. In this manner, the registration of the first label 202 to the second label is adjusted during machine set up and operation. As the speed of the machine increases, the effects of inertia when the bottle is spinning, friction in the cradles, and other elements combine to shift the registration of the first and second labels. By adjusting the gear ratio between the belt 210 and the main star wheel 116 as the speed increases, an operator or set up technician can adjust the registration of the two labels. It is common for the belt 210 to be controlled with a servo motor which is electronically geared to an input, such as an encoder on the main star wheel 116 . Being electronically geared the effective gear ratio to change with different parameters, including speed of the main star wheel 116 .
[0086] An alternative method to a constant gear ratio belt 210 is to change the speed of the belt 210 during the period that it is engaged with the bottle 204 . For example, the belt 210 may begin so that the surface speed of the belt 210 is the same as the surface speed of the bottle 204 as it touches the nip point. After the label 202 is nipped between the belt 210 and the bottle 204 , the belt 210 may be increased in speed to apply the label and position the bottle 204 , and then it may be slowed down to the same speed as at the nip point. This speed profile leaves the bottle 204 in a state where it is not rotating in the cradle, which tends to minimize the inaccuracy of the registration of the first label to the second.
[0087] Further, an alternative embodiment of the positioning mechanism 210 may comprise a series of belts that rotate the bottle at different speeds or speed profiles during the passage of the bottle through the machine. For example, a first belt may apply a first label at a certain preset speed that is geared to the speed of the main star wheel 116 . A second belt may have a variable speed profile that positions the bottle in the cradle.
[0088] A feedback system may be employed in the positioning mechanism to sense the label position and dynamically adjust the exact position of the bottle in the cradle to accept a second label. The feedback system may be attached to any of the embodiments of the positioning mechanism.
[0089] [0089]FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. In this view, the bottles move from left to right through the machine. A bottle 402 is shown being separated by inlet screw 404 . A second bottle 406 is shown just prior to being placed in cradle 408 in main star wheel 410 by inlet star wheel 412 . Main star wheel 410 turns in a counter clockwise direction in this view. A portion of the first label feeder mechanism 414 is visible. The bottle 416 is in the positioning station where the first label is fed and the bottle repositioned for the second label. The bottle 416 is guided at the top by guide rail 418 .
[0090] [0090]FIG. 5 shows a detail perspective view of the machine of FIG. 4, showing the positioning belt 502 from the opposite side of the machine as the view of FIG. 4. In this view, the main star wheel 410 moves in a counter clockwise direction and the bottles progress from right to left. Bottle 416 is shown in cradle 504 being turned by belt 502 . Belt 502 is driven by servo motor 506 shown partially cut away. The servo motor 506 is being driven in a counter clockwise direction. First label 508 is shown attached to the bottle 416 as the bottle 416 is being rotated to a specific position prior to receiving a second label. Vacuum drum 510 turns in a clockwise direction and places the second label on the bottle.
[0091] [0091]FIG. 6 shows a wider detail perspective view of the machine of FIGS. 4 and 5, taken from the same side of the machine as FIG. 5. In this view, the bottles progress from right to left and main star wheel 410 moves in a counter clockwise direction. Bottle 416 is shown in main star wheel 410 along with motor 506 and guide 418 . Bottle 602 is in the process of receiving second label 604 from vacuum drum 510 . As the bottles begin the process of receiving the second label, they are forced to roll against friction surface 606 that simultaneously removes the bottles from their cradles in main star wheel 410 .
[0092] [0092]FIG. 7 shows a close up view of a typical cradle in a main star wheel of a typical embodiment of the invention. The cradle comprises several wheels 702 in a semicircular shape. The bottles rest against the wheels 702 without being marred or damaged. The wheels 702 are mounted on axles 704 which are pressed through plate 706 . The wheels 702 are further mounted on bearings that are not seen in this view.
[0093] [0093]FIG. 8 shows a top view of another embodiment of a high speed bottle labeling machine 800 . The bottles progress through the machine from right to left in this view. The bottles enter the machine on conveyor 802 as inlet screw 804 separates bottles to be fed into the machine 800 . Bottle 806 is shown in the inlet screw 804 , and bottle 808 is shown traveling on the conveyor 802 properly separated from bottle 810 . The inlet star wheel 812 takes each bottle in turn and nestles it into a cradle in the main star wheel 814 . Bottle 810 is shown just prior to being nestled into cradle 816 . Bottle 830 is shown in contact with nip roller 832 .
[0094] The main star wheel 814 is rotated in a counter clockwise direction, moving the bottles past first label station 818 , an optional fixed positioning device 820 , and a second label station 822 .
[0095] The first label station 818 is a conventional label dispenser for a pressure sensitive adhesive backed label. These types of label applicators transport the labels on a web that is passed over a peel point 824 wherein the web is forced to turn on a very small radius, causing the labels to peel from the web. The web is advanced by a pinch roller mechanism 826 when one label is removed and another one required.
[0096] The optional fixed positioning device 820 may be a frictional pad that causes a bottle in a cradle to rotate as the bottle passes over the device 820 . The purpose of the positioning device is to turn the bottle a certain amount between the first label station 818 and the second label station 822 . In this manner, the registration of a label applied by the first label station 818 is maintained with a second label applied by second label station 822 .
[0097] The second label station 822 is a conventional roll wrapped label applicator. These types of label applicators have the labels presented in the form of a web, which is cut and placed on a vacuum drum 828 . A strip of glue is then applied to each end of the labels. The leading edge of the label is applied to the bottle, and the bottle is rolled against a friction pad until the glued trailing edge of the label is adhered to the bottle. The second label station 822 may comprise any type of processing equipment that requires that the bottle be registered between the first and second processing station.
[0098] Those skilled in the art can readily appreciate the various combinations of a first processing station, a registration mechanism, and a second processing station of which the machine 800 is a single embodiment. Alternative embodiments may include any combination of two different or the same label applicators, such as a roll wrapped applicators, applicators for web converted products such as the nip roller style or tamp and blow style, pick and place style applicators, applicators for liner-less labels, burst and place applicators for items separated by perforations or scoring, static charged applicators for adhesive-less application of labels, applicators for labels with ultraviolet cured adhesive, and any other label applicator. Additional embodiments may have one or both processing stations comprise a printing or etching station, such as a laser etching station for etching an image, barcode, or text onto a plastic bottle, a pad printing station, a heat transfer printing machine, an ink jet type printing device, or other direct printing type of station. Further, another embodiment may be the first processing station comprising a glue dispensing station and the second processing station comprising a label applicator that places the label onto the glue.
[0099] Although the number of objects attached to a bottle in the embodiment of FIG. 8 is two, any desired number of stations, as the device physically allows, can be used. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein the number of processing stations can be greater than two.
[0100] [0100]FIG. 9 shows a detail view of FIG. 8, showing the application of a first label 902 to bottle 904 . A nip roller 832 rotates in a clockwise direction and spins the bottle 904 in a counter clockwise direction as it applies first label 902 to the bottle 904 . The main star wheel 814 rotates in a counter clockwise direction and contains a plurality of cradles, of which first cradle 908 and 910 are shown. A second label 912 is shown just prior to being applied to bottle 914 at second label station 822 .
[0101] The nip roller 832 is a powered roller that is geared to the rotation of main star wheel 814 . As the bottle 904 advances towards the nip roller 906 , a first label 902 is pinched between the bottle 904 and the nip roller 906 . At this point, known as the nip point, the nip roller's clockwise rotation pulls the remainder of the first label 902 off of the web 916 and presses the first label 902 onto the bottle 904 . The nip roller 832 may be mounted on a compliant mechanism so that it can travel outwardly as the bottle 904 passes underneath the nip roller 906 . Alternatively, the surface of the nip roller 832 that contacts the bottle may be a compliant material, such as a foam rubber that will contact the bottle 904 as it passes underneath.
[0102] The gear ratio of the nip roller 832 to the main star wheel 814 is selected so that the first label 902 is fully applied to the bottle 904 . The gear ratio of nip roller 832 to main star wheel 908 may be further increased or decreased to position the bottle 904 in a specific position before it engages the optional positioning pad 918 . In this manner, the registration of the first label 902 to the second label is adjusted during machine set up and operation. As the speed of the machine increases, the effects of inertia when the bottle is spinning, friction in the cradles, and other elements combine to shift the registration of the first and second labels. By adjusting the gear ratio between the nip roller 832 and the main star wheel 814 as the speed increases, an operator or set up technician can adjust the registration of the two labels. It is common for the nip roller 832 to be controlled with a servo motor which is electronically geared to an input, such as an encoder on the main star wheel 814 . Being electronically geared, the effective gear ratio can be caused to change with different parameters, including speed of the main star wheel 814 .
[0103] An alternative method to a constant speed nip roller 832 is to change the speed of the nip roller 832 during the period that it is engaged with the bottle 904 . For example, the nip roller 832 may begin so that the surface speed of the nip roller is the same as the surface speed of the bottle as it touches the nip point. After the label 902 is nipped between the nip roller 832 and the bottle 904 , the nip roller 832 may be increased in speed to apply the label, and then it may be slowed down to the same speed as at the nip point. This speed profile leaves the bottle 904 in a state where it is not rotating in the cradle 908 , which tends to minimize the inaccuracy of the registration of the first label to the second.
[0104] The cradle 908 has a recess and several rotation wheels 920 . The wheels are designed so that the bottle 904 is free to rotate in the cradle 908 without being scratched or damaged. An alternative design would be to provide a slick, yet non-marring plastic as a cradle material.
[0105] Second label 912 is held to vacuum wheel 828 . As vacuum wheel 828 is rotated in a clockwise direction and main star wheel 814 is rotated in a counter clockwise direction, the bottle 914 and second label 912 will meet. The second label 912 has adhesive applied to leading edge 922 and trailing edge 924 on the face of the second label 912 that faces away from vacuum drum 828 . When the second label 912 comes in contact with bottle 914 , the second label 912 will adhere to bottle 914 . At the same point, bottle 914 will be forced against friction rail 926 and caused to rotate in a counter clockwise direction as it exits the cradle 910 .
[0106] [0106]FIG. 10 illustrates a detail view of the embodiment 800 and similar to FIG. 9, except the main star wheel 814 has advanced to the point where the nip roller 832 is disengaging from bottle 904 . Second bottle 914 has just past the nip point for the second label application. The position of second bottle 914 is such that its first label 1002 is positioned appropriately for the second label 912 to be applied.
[0107] [0107]FIG. 11 shows a detail view of embodiment 800 and similar to FIGS. 9 and 10, except the main star wheel 814 has advanced to the point where the first bottle 904 is engaging the optional positioning pad 918 . The optional positioning pad 918 is a fixed mounted fence that grips the surface of the bottle 904 and causes it to spin in a clockwise direction as the main star wheel 814 progresses in a counter clockwise direction. The length of engagement of the positioning pad 918 and the bottle 904 determines how much rotation the bottle 904 will undergo during the process. The material of the positioning pad 918 can be any material that frictionally grips the surface of the bottle 904 , such as a rubber pad.
[0108] The disengagement point 1102 is generally selected to minimize the distance between the disengagement point 1102 and the second label station 822 . This minimizes the period of time that the bottle 904 is unconstrained. The period that the bottle 904 is unconstrained is a contributor to the inaccuracy of the registration of the first label to the second. As the machine runs faster, the effects of inertia and friction of the bottle change the timing of the sequence and often changes the registration of the first label to the second. Correspondingly, the position and length of the optional positioning pad 918 may be optimized for a particular speed that the machine will run.
[0109] Positioning pad 918 may not be required in embodiment 800 if the rotation of nip roller 832 is sufficient to position the bottle 904 in cradle 908 in the proper location so that first label 902 is in the correct position to receive a second label. If the nip roller cannot reorient the bottle 904 to the correct position, an optional positioning pad 918 may be used.
[0110] [0110]FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment similar embodiment 100 except that the labels are dispensed onto a moving vacuum belt 1202 that serves to both place the label 1204 onto the bottle 1206 and further position the bottle 1206 . The bottle 1206 is carried on main star wheel 1208 in cradle 1210 in a counter clockwise direction. The first label 1202 in this embodiment is a pressure sensitive adhesive backed label transported on a disposable web. The first label 1202 is peeled from the backing 1212 and presented against the vacuum belt 1202 . The vacuum belt 1202 carries the first label 1204 to the nip point 1214 where the first label 1204 is pressed against the bottle 1206 . The bottle 1216 is shown just prior to the point where second label 1218 is about to be placed onto bottle 1216 . The second label 1218 is shown on vacuum wheel 1220 .
[0111] The vacuum belt 1202 is a common method of transport for labels and the like. The construction is belt that has many holes through the surface of the belt. It rides over a track that has openings through which a vacuum is pulled. Lightweight articles with large surface area, such as labels and pieces of paper, are held to the belt as the belt moves.
[0112] The speed of the vacuum belt 1202 is greater than the surface speed of the bottle 1206 and causes the bottle 1206 to rotate counter clockwise, rolling the label 1204 to adhere to the bottle 1206 . The extended length of the vacuum belt 1202 causes the bottle to rotate to a position where it is ready to accept a second label.
[0113] The gear ratio of vacuum belt 1202 to the main star wheel 1208 is selected so that the first label 1204 is fully applied to the bottle 1206 and positions the bottle 1206 in the cradle 1210 to accept a second label. The gear ratio of vacuum belt 1202 to main star wheel 1208 may be further increased or decreased to adjust the position of the bottle 1206 in the cradle. In this manner, the registration of the first label 1204 to the second label is adjusted during machine set up and operation. As the speed of the machine increases, the effects of inertia when the bottle is spinning, friction in the cradles, and other elements combine to shift the registration of the first and second labels. By adjusting the gear ratio between the vacuum belt 1202 and the main star wheel 1208 as the speed increases, an operator or set up technician can adjust the registration of the two labels. It is common for the vacuum belt 1202 to be controlled with a servo motor which is electronically geared to an input, such as an encoder on the main star wheel 1208 . Being electronically geared, the effective gear ratio to change with different parameters, including speed of the main star wheel 1208 .
[0114] An alternative method to a constant gear ratio vacuum belt 1202 is to change the speed of the vacuum belt 1202 during the period that it is engaged with the bottle 1206 . For example, the vacuum belt 1202 may begin so that the surface speed of the vacuum belt 1202 is the same as the surface speed of the web 1212 for the pick up of the label. The speed of the vacuum belt 1202 may be increased to match the surface speed of the bottle 1206 as it touches the nip point 1214 . After the label 1204 is nipped between the vacuum belt 1202 and the bottle 1206 , the vacuum belt 1202 may be increased in speed to apply the label and position the bottle 1206 , and then it may be slowed down to the same speed as at the nip point. This speed profile leaves the bottle 1206 in a state where it is not rotating in the cradle 1210 , which tends to minimize the inaccuracy of the registration of the first label to the second.
[0115] Those skilled in the art of machine design can appreciate that the positioning device may be incorporated into one or more of the processing stations or may be a separate device mounted on the machine. The positioning mechanisms may be stationary, such as a frictional fence, or the positioning mechanisms may be powered devices, such as a moving wheel or belt. Further, the powered devices may incorporate variable speed profiles, sensors, and feedback loops for advanced control. The examples were chosen to best exemplify the invention and those skilled in the art of machine design may find alternative embodiments without deviating from the scope of the invention.
[0116] Further embodiments of the present invention include the assembled bottles with the combinations of labels that heretofore were unproducible.
[0117] [0117]FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an inventive label configuration 1300 of the present invention having two labels applied to a bottle. The bottle 1302 has the first label 1304 underneath the second label 1306 .
[0118] [0118]FIG. 14 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 1300 . First label 1304 is placed on bottle 1302 and second label 1306 is placed over first label 1304 . Embodiment 1300 maybe, for example, a promotional device wherein first label 1304 is a game piece, ticket, or other premium that is hidden from the consumer. The consumer must remove the second label 1306 to gain access to the game piece 1304 . The position of second label 1306 with respect to first label 1304 is only critical so that the edges of second label 1306 do not overlap the first label 1304 , if, for example, the second label 1306 were attached by glue only at the edges. The glued edges would interfere with the removal of first label 1304 . If this were to happen, the consumer may have difficulty removing the first label 1304 from the bottle 1302 .
[0119] Embodiment 1300 may, for example, comprise a first label 1304 that is an adhesive backed passive electronic antenna that is covered by second label 1306 . The thickness of first label 1304 may interfere with the gluing or placement mechanism used for second label 1306 and the proper registration of the two labels with respect to each other may be for manufacturing reasons and not necessarily cosmetic or other functional reasons. In these cases, the acceptable placement tolerance may be as large or larger than plus or minus 2 inches or as small as plus or minus 0.001 inches for example.
[0120] Another embodiment 1300 may comprise an active electronic device, such as a battery powered circuit comprising a switch, a speaker, and circuitry to play a sound when the switch is activated. The electronic device may be placed on a bottle and surrounded by a label so that the label completely covers the device. The device may then be activated by pressing the switch through the over wrapping label.
[0121] Another embodiment 1300 may consist of the first label 1304 as a game code printed to the bottle 1302 and the second label 1306 may be placed over the first label 1304 to hide the game code from the player. The number of objects attached to the bottle 1302 in the inventive device is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 1302 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. For example, a bottle may have a game piece attached, a printed code at a second location on the bottle, then a label with graphics overlaying the first two items.
[0122] [0122]FIG. 15 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an inventive label configuration 1500 of the present invention having two labels. The container 1502 has the first label 1504 underneath the second label 1506 , and the second label 1506 has a window 1508 so that the first label 1504 is readily viewable through the second label 1506 .
[0123] [0123]FIG. 16 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 1500 . First label 1504 is placed onto bottle 1502 and second label 1506 is placed over first label 1504 and registered such that a portion of first label 1504 is viewable through window 1508 .
[0124] The window 1508 may be manufactured by several methods. For a label that is manufactured from a material that is clear, such as a clear plastic film, the window area may be manufactured by selectively not printing any ink across the area defined by the window. Another method, which is applicable to label material that is either opaque or clear, is to die cut and remove the label material in the area of the window. In the case where second label 1506 is printed directly on the bottle, the window 1508 may be created by selectively not printing ink in the area of window 1508 . The window 1508 may be clear, tinted, or selectively tinted through the manufacturing process of the second label 1506 . The size and shape of the window 1508 may be varied widely, including rectangular, circular, or any arbitrary shape.
[0125] The second label 1506 may completely cover the first label 1504 as shown in embodiment 1500 , or may have one or more or all edges of first label 1504 exposed through the window 1508 . The registration of first label 1504 and second label 1506 should be sufficient so that the area of first label 1504 that is designed to be exposed through window 1508 is properly shown through the window 1508 .
[0126] The second label 1506 may entrap the first label 1504 by several methods, regardless of the method of attaching first label 1504 . The second label 1506 may encircle the first label 1504 by purely mechanical means, such as a roll wrapped label which has glue applied to a small strip along edges 1602 and 1604 . An alternative design, applicable to second labels which have a through hole construction for window 1508 , would be to coat the entire inner surface of second label 1506 with adhesive to adhere second label 1506 to bottle 1502 , but also adhere second label 1506 to first label 1504 in the areas of overlap.
[0127] The interaction of the first label 1504 and second label 1506 with respect to the window 1508 takes on many forms. For example, a printed date code may be applied to a container and a label with a window may be positioned so that the date code is visible through the window. Another example would be a game piece or promotion first applied to a bottle, then a second label entraps the game piece with a window through which the game piece is displayed. Further, a first label may be applied which contains bright graphics and a second label with additional graphics applied to a semi transparent film may be applied over the first label as an additional graphic element and to serve as a protective cover to the first label. Another example is the application of a printed color background over which is applied a translucent label with graphics printed in the foreground, giving the visual effect of depth to the label. Further, a second label that is translucent and contains promotional information may be placed over a first label that is the standard label for the product. Another example is the application of a printed game code using a sprayed ink printed which is viewed through a window on a wrap around label, the game code being selectively changed during the production run. Further, a passive electronic device, such as a passive RF identification tag with a date code printed on the outside, may be first placed on the bottle and registered to a window in a label that entraps the tag. Another example has an active electronic device, such as a device with a small battery and a light emitting diode for example, which is placed on the bottle so that a label with a cut out window allows the light emitting diode to show through. Further, the active electronic device may comprise a battery, a switch, a speaker, and circuitry adapted to play an audio recording. The registration tolerance for embodiment 1500 may be as tight as plus or minus 0.001 inches or as loose or looser than plus or minus 2 inches, depending on the construction and design of the components and the assembly method.
[0128] The number of objects attached to the bottle 1502 in the inventive device is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 1502 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. For example, a bottle may have a graphical image printed directly on the bottle, a game piece attached, then a translucent label with graphics overlaying the first graphics and a window through which the game piece is removable.
[0129] [0129]FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of inventive label configuration 1700 illustrating a bottle 1702 with a first label 1704 exposed through a window 1708 of second label 1706 . Assembly 1700 illustrates the first label 1704 with one edge exposed through window 1708 and typifies an example where the first label 1704 is a promotional game piece to be opened by a consumer after purchase. An optional perforated or scored line 1710 may be created to aid in the removal of the first label 1704 .
[0130] [0130]FIG. 18 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 1700 . First label 1704 is assembled to bottle 1702 and second label 1706 is assembled over first label 1704 and registered such that first label 1704 may be viewable through window 1708 .
[0131] The first label 1704 may optionally not have adhesive near the edge 1712 so that the consumer can slide a fingernail under the first label 1704 as they remove the first label 1704 . Further, the first label 1704 may optionally not have adhesive at all between it and bottle 1702 . In this case, first label 1704 may be applied by static charge or other mechanical method until the second label 1706 entraps first label 1704 . The second label 1706 may optionally have any adhesive selectively removed in the overlapping areas between second label 1706 and first label 1704 , which effectively forms a pocket for label 1704 . An alternative embodiment would be to use a shrink-wrap construction for second label 1706 , which would hold first label 1704 and form a pocket. Another example is the first label being a printed game code first applied to a bottle and a second label placed so that the printed game code is beneath the area defined by the perforated line 1710 such that the consumer must remove the perforated area defined by line 1710 to play the game. These embodiments may be useful for applications where first label 1704 is, for example, an instruction booklet that could be removed and replaced several times during the use of the product. The registration tolerance for embodiment 1700 may be as tight as plus or minus 0.001 inches or plus or minus ⅛ inch for example. The tolerance may be larger or smaller based on the application.
[0132] The number of objects attached to the bottle 1702 in the inventive device is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 1702 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. For example, a game code may be printed on a bottle, then a promotional game piece is applied above the printed code, then a label may be wrapped over the game piece with a window through which the game piece can be removed.
[0133] [0133]FIG. 19 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration 1900 showing a bottle 1902 , a first label 1904 , and a second label 1906 . The first label 1904 is attached to bottle 1902 , and then the second label 1906 is applied starting at the tab area 1908 on first label 1904 and continuing around the bottle 1902 until the other end is attached to tab area 1910 .
[0134] [0134]FIG. 20 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 1900 . First label 1904 is applied to bottle 1902 , then second label 1906 is applied, covering first label 1904 in tab area 1908 and continuing around bottle 1902 until tab area 1910 is covered.
[0135] [0135]FIG. 21 illustrates a top view of embodiment 1900 shown slightly exploded.
[0136] Embodiment 1900 shows first label 1904 as an instructional booklet and the second label 1906 as a plastic film roll wrap label. Another embodiment may be to have the second label 1906 attach directly to bottle 1902 and with its ends either touching or some distance away from the edges 1912 and 1914 , without overlapping onto first label 1904 . Further, another embodiment may comprise a first label 1904 that is printed directly onto bottle 1902 and a second label 1906 of any construction that is subsequently applied. Another embodiment may be to have the first label 1904 comprise adhesive on the exterior surface in the areas where the second label 1906 overlaps the first label 1904 .
[0137] The number of objects attached to the bottle 1902 in the inventive device is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 1902 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. An embodiment of three items attached to a bottle would be an RF identification tag applied to the bottle with pressure sensitive adhesive, an instructional booklet applied with pressure sensitive adhesive on the position on the opposite side of the bottle from the RF identification tag, and a roll wrapped label that covers the RF identification tag but leaves the instructional booklet exposed.
[0138] [0138]FIG. 22 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration 2200 showing a bottle 2202 , a first label 2204 , and a second label 2206 . The first label 2204 is attached to bottle 2202 , and then the second label 2206 is placed so that it covers a portion of first label 2202 .
[0139] [0139]FIG. 23 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 2200 . First label 2204 is assembled to bottle 2202 then second label 2206 is assembled so that a portion of second label 2206 covers all or a portion of first label 2204 and occupies a specific location on top of first label 2204 .
[0140] Embodiment 2200 may have the first label 2204 as a roll wrapped label or other large label with brand identification. The second label 2206 may be a game token, coupon, or other promotional item, or the second label 2206 may be a second label designed to make the product catch a consumer's eye, such as a hologram, diffraction grating, or other label type. Alternatively, the second label 2206 may be a web converted item, such as a phone card, ticket, game token, or other promotional item that has been attached to a carrier, the carrier being attached directly to first label 2204 and facilitating removal of the promotional item. Further, the second label 2206 may comprise a package for holding a liquid or other items.
[0141] The number of objects attached to the bottle 2202 in the inventive embodiment 2200 is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 2202 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. An embodiment with three items would be to place a roll wrapped label onto a bottle, then place a holographic label onto a specific location on the first label, followed by a promotional game piece onto the first label in a second specific location.
[0142] [0142]FIG. 24 illustrates a perspective view of embodiment of the inventive label configuration 2400 that comprises a bottle 2402 , a first label 2404 , and a second label 2406 . The first label 2404 further comprises two perforated lines 2408 and 2410 . The window 2412 is a hole formed by cutting away and removing material from the second label 2406 .
[0143] [0143]FIG. 25 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 2400 . First label 2404 is attached to bottle 2402 , then second label 2406 is attached to bottle 2402 such that at least a portion of first label 2404 is viewable through window 2412 .
[0144] In embodiment 2400 , first label 2404 is embodied as a game piece, coupon, phone card, ticket, or other promotional item that is designed for the consumer to remove. For example the promotional item may be a multi-ply label that contains the perforated lines 2408 and 2410 . The consumer would use a fingernail to peel off the outer ply of the game piece that would separate at perforated lines 2408 and 2410 . Further, first label 2404 may have adhesive selectively applied only under the areas 2414 and 2416 that are outside of the perforated area, better enabling the consumer to remove the center portion of the first label 2404 without damaging the second label 2406 .
[0145] Another embodiment 2400 may comprise a first label 2404 that is a liquid filled packet that has been attached to a paper or other type of backing, the backing being attached to the bottle 2402 . The consumer would then remove the liquid packet portion of first label 2404 .
[0146] The number of objects attached to the bottle 2402 in the inventive embodiment 2400 is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 2402 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. An embodiment with three items could be to place a passive electrical device and a game piece on a bottle, then place an overwrapping label that covers the electrical device, but leaves the game piece exposed through a window in the overlapping label.
[0147] [0147]FIG. 26 illustrates a perspective view of embodiment of the inventive label configuration 2600 that comprises a bottle 2602 , a first label 2604 , and a second label 2606 . Several windows 2608 , 2610 , 2612 , and 2614 are in second label 2606 .
[0148] [0148]FIG. 27 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 2600 . First label 2604 is attached to bottle 2602 , then second label is attached to bottle 2606 . Embodiment 2600 comprises second label 2606 that is attached by gluing only the overlapping portion of second label 2606 to itself. This results in second label 2606 being free to rotate about the bottle 2602 . Since the second label 2606 is free to rotate about the bottle, the various windows and the first label 2604 can be combined to form a ‘secret decoder’ type of promotional game. The play of the secret decoder game is to align the windows of the second label 2606 over portions of first label 2604 so that a certain pattern or winning combination is viewable through the windows.
[0149] The number of objects attached to the bottle 2602 in the inventive embodiment 2600 is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 2602 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. An embodiment with three items could be to place a passive electrical device and a game piece on a bottle, then place an overwrapping label that covers the electrical device, but leaves the game piece exposed through the windows in the overlapping label.
[0150] [0150]FIG. 28 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of inventive label configuration 2800 , comprising a bottle 2802 , a first label 2804 , and a second label 2806 , wherein first label 2804 is viewable through a cut out 2808 in second label 2806 .
[0151] [0151]FIG. 29 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 2800 . First label 2804 is placed on bottle 2802 and then second label 2806 is placed onto bottle 2802 such that at least a portion of first label 2804 is viewable through cutout 2808 in second label 2806 . The cutout 2808 is shown as a rectangular cutout. However, the shape of the cutout 2808 can be entirely arbitrary. The window 2808 may be manufactured by several methods. For a label that is manufactured from a material that is clear, such as a clear plastic film, the window area may be manufactured by selectively not printing any ink across the area defined by the window. Another method, which is applicable to label material that is either opaque or clear, is to die cut and remove the label material in the area of the window. In the case where second label 2806 is printed directly on the bottle, the window 2808 may be created by selectively not printing ink in the area of window 2808 . The window 2808 may be clear, tinted, or selectively tinted through the manufacturing process of the second label 2806 . The size and shape of the window 2808 may be varied widely, including rectangular, circular, or any arbitrary shape.
[0152] The embodiment 2800 may comprise a first game piece 2804 that is designed to be removed by the consumer. Perforations, scoring, or other mechanisms may be employed to ease the removal of first game piece 2804 . Further, first game piece 2804 may be constructed of a multi-ply construction wherein an outer ply is intended to be removed by the consumer, leaving the bottommost ply on the bottle 2802 .
[0153] Embodiment 2800 may comprise a first label 2804 that is constructed of a material such as a diffraction grating that is designed as an eye catching device and is incorporated into the graphics of the second label 2806 . The shape of cutout 2808 may be a graphical element that is then filled in with the diffraction grating of first label 2804 .
[0154] The number of objects attached to the bottle 2802 in the inventive embodiment 2800 is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 2802 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. An embodiment with three items could be to place a diffraction grating and a game piece on a bottle, then place an overwrapping label that covers the game piece, but leaves the diffraction grating exposed through the windows in the overlapping label.
[0155] [0155]FIG. 30 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration 3000 that comprises a bottle 3002 , a tear strip 3004 , and a label 3006 that comprises optional perforated lines 3008 and 3010 .
[0156] [0156]FIG. 31 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 3000 . The tear strip 3004 is attached to bottle 3002 , then label 3006 is attached over the tear strip 3004 to bottle 3002 . The embodiment 3000 may be a container for a beverage with a recipe printed on the inside of label 3006 . In order for the consumer to retrieve the recipe, the consumer would grasp the exposed portion of tear strip 3004 and pull downward, tearing the label 3006 at one or both perforated lines 3008 and 3010 .
[0157] Tear strip 3004 may be constructed of a heavy paper or plastic film, or the pull tab 3004 may be constructed of string or wire. The tear strip 3004 may comprise adhesive between the tear strip 3004 and label 3006 , or the label 3006 may comprise adhesive in the overlapping area between label 3006 and tear strip 3004 . The tear strip 3004 may have an exposed tab or may be hidden behind the label 3006 . These examples are not meant to limit the types of labels and of course, those skilled in the arts of promotional items, labels, and the general packaging industry would be able to expand these examples and still fall within the scope of this invention.
[0158] Perforated lines 3008 and 3010 may be actual perforations, scoring, or other mechanical weakening of the label 3006 in the areas of lines 3008 and 3010 . Alternatively, the label 3006 may be constructed of a material that preferentially tears in the direction of the perforations, eliminating the need for the mechanical perforations or scoring. For applications where the entire label 3006 is to be removed by the consumer, only one perforated line 3008 would be needed. For applications where only a portion of label 3006 is to be removed, two perforated lines would be used.
[0159] Embodiment 3000 may be adapted for labels that have coupons reverse printed, meaning printed on the inner side of the label. Further, labels that are designed to cover a specific printed message may be exposed using the tear strip 3004 as part of a promotional campaign.
[0160] The number of objects attached to the bottle 3002 in the inventive embodiment 3000 is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 3002 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. An embodiment with three items could be a game piece attached to a bottle, a tear strip attached to the bottle, and a wrap around label covering both the game piece and the tear strip.
[0161] [0161]FIG. 32 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration 3200 of the invention comprising a bottle 3202 , a first label 3204 , and a second label 3206 where the second label 3206 is constructed of a translucent plastic film.
[0162] [0162]FIG. 33 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 3200 . The first label 3204 is attached to bottle 3202 and a second label 3206 is attached to bottle 3202 over first label 3204 .
[0163] Embodiment 3200 is illustrated as a first label 3204 being a standard packaging for the product normally contained in bottle 3202 . Second label 3206 is a special promotional label that highlights a promotion for the product. The graphics on the second label 3206 are coordinated with the graphics on the first label 3204 to enhance the eye catching appeal at the same time keeping the standard graphics for the product.
[0164] Another embodiment 3200 may comprise a second label 3206 as a game whereby the second label must be removed so that the game may be played. Further, another embodiment 3200 may have a second label 3206 as a second graphical element for a standard package for the product.
[0165] Embodiment 3200 may comprise a first label 3204 printed on a material that is not very scratch resistant and a second label 3206 that is considerably more scratch resistant, whereby the second label 3206 provides a scratch resistant cover for the first label 3204 . The second label 3206 may comprise some printed graphical elements on either the obverse or reverse side of the label. Obverse printing is printing on the exterior side of the label and reverse printing is on the interior side of the label. Obverse and reverse printing on a plastic film can give interesting and eye-catching three-dimensional effects to the packaging, which are only intensified when coordinated with the graphics printed on the first label 3204 .
[0166] Another embodiment 3200 may comprise a first label as a holographic image, diffraction grating, reflective media, or other material and the second label is coordinated so that the advertising elements on the first and second labels work with each other.
[0167] The number of objects attached to the bottle 3202 in the inventive embodiment 3200 is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 3202 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. An embodiment with three items could be a first label with a specific graphical element, a second label with a second construction and a second graphical element, and a third label which serves as a protective cover as well as contributing a graphical element, all three graphical elements are adapted to work together for brand identity.
[0168] [0168]FIG. 34 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive label configuration 3400 of the invention comprising a bottle 3402 , a second container 3404 , and a label 3406 which comprises a window 3408 through which a portion of container 3404 protrudes.
[0169] [0169]FIG. 35 illustrates an exploded view of embodiment 3400 . Container 3404 is attached to bottle 3402 , then label 3406 is placed on the bottle 3404 so that the window 3408 allows all or a portion of container 3404 to protrude through window 3408 .
[0170] Embodiment 3400 may comprise a container 3404 as an injection molded plastic design used in conjunction with the label 3406 in a purely decorative fashion. In this case, the container 3404 may not contain anything at all, but serve only to add texture to the advertisement on the bottle. In another embodiment, the container 3404 may consist of a piece of soft material that protrudes through the window 3408 to give the product a different tactile sensation to the customer.
[0171] The container 3404 may encapsulate or hold a premium, game token, or other promotional item inside the first object 3404 . The consumer would therefore be required to open the container 3404 in order to play the game.
[0172] In another embodiment 3400 , container 3404 may house a second consumable item that goes with the product sold in the bottle 3402 . For example, if the product sold in the bottle 3402 was iced tea, the object 3404 may be a small container of lemon juice. Further, if the bottle 3402 contained paint, object 3404 may contain a catalyst adapted to be mixed into the paint prior to application. Another example is for object 3404 to contain a light oil or lubricant when the bottle 3402 is a container of hardware items. Further, the object 3404 may contain fasteners that are used to install a component sold inside a container 3402 .
[0173] The number of objects attached to the bottle 3402 in the inventive embodiment 3400 is not limited to two. Any number of items may be attached to bottle 3402 which each require registration with respect to each other. The example of two labels is given only for exemplary purposes and it can be fully appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the same principles and concepts of the invention do encompass designs wherein numbers of items greater than two are applied to an object. An embodiment with three items could be a game piece attached to a bottle, a plastic injection molded cover which is placed over the game piece, and an overall label that has the injection molded cover protruding through a window in the overall label.
[0174] The present invention therefore provides an inventive machine that has the unique ability to control the movement of a bottle through an in-line machine in a manner that allows registration between the operations. The operations typified in this specification have been the placement of labels and other decorative elements. However, other operations are envisioned as part of the present invention. For example, the dispensing of glue onto an object at one station and the placement of another object onto the glue would require registration between the glue dispensing and the object placement. Further, multiple printing operations may also require registration between printing operations and may therefore be manufactured on the inventive machine. The mechanisms that control the position of the object in the cradle being processed can vary widely from a stationary friction fence to a servo controlled belt system with varying speed profiles.
[0175] The inventive label configurations comprise at least two different elements that are registered with respect to each other to create unique and useful devices. The placement of specially printed game pieces on a container with a separate display label can take on several forms, including having the game piece being fully or partially hidden from view by the second label. Further, elements that are printed on the container may be registered with respect to other labels and elements that are subsequently applied.
[0176] The inventive packaging configurations comprise the embodiments wherein a first container is applied to a second container and a label is placed or another process performed with respect to the position of the first container. Other embodiments include the case where a label is applied to a first container and a second container is applied to the label, positioned and registered with respect to the label.
[0177] The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment was 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 various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art. | The present invention is a machine to perform two or more processes to an bottle wherein registration of the first process to the second process is required. The products produced with such registration have distinct advantages over prior art. These include labeling systems comprising multiple labels that can be incorporated into many useful variants for promotional items. Additionally, novel packaging systems can utilize this technology. | 8 |
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/412,792, filed Apr. 11, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,716, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/251,516, filed Sep. 19, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,934, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/935,472, filed Aug. 22, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,597, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/625,259, filed Jul. 25, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,213, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/165,261, filed Oct. 1, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,209.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1 , after drilling a water well 10 , an electric pump 12 , which is connected to a hose 14 and an electric power cord 16 , must be installed in the well for pumping water through the hose 14 to the surface. The power cord typically includes four wires, three for supplying single phase 220-volt power and a fourth to apply a ground for the pump 12 . The power cord is typically spot bound to the hose 14 or pipe (with binding locations 18 separated by twenty feet of hose length or less) with tape or clamps as the pump 12 , hose 14 and cord 16 are being lowered into the well.
Unfortunately, this method leaves quite a bit to be desired. First, it requires the repeated action of binding the cord 16 to the hose 14 , slowing the pump lowering and installation process. Second, the cord 16 is exposed both as it is being lowered and after the installation process is complete and the pump is in operation. It is a common practice in well drilling to sheath the interior of the upper part of the well hole with metal tube 20 , to prevent the movement of mud into the well. Further down, where the well hole extends through bedrock 22 , the tube 20 is unnecessary. The transition 24 from tube 20 to unsheathed rock can include some rather sharp rock surfaces or the hole may not be plumb. As a result, the power cord 16 , which is clad only in standard insulation, may be severed by sharp rocks during pump installation or operation or when pulling the pump during servicing. In either instance the cord must be retrieved and repaired, which is a time consuming operation.
A number of references do address problems associated with operating electrical equipment in oil drilling and in association with vacuum cleaner hoses.
Doubleday, U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,647, discloses a suction pipe for a suction operated cleaner in which the pipe sections are provided with integral extensions thereon forming an axial channel along the outside of the pipe which is open on one side to receive a supply conduit, such as an electric cable. FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are of particular relevance to the cable retainment. However, the suction pipe taught by Doubleday includes many interlocking pieces which would be susceptible to leakage over time and would not be suitable for an application that should not leak for an extended period of time, such as a well.
Neroni et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,355, disclose a vacuum cleaner hose having a longitudinally attached conduit retaining an electric cord. The cord is not removable from the conduit, other than by pulling it out from one of the ends, and there is no teaching of using such a device for the installation of a pump in a water well.
Peterman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,392, discloses a flexible control line for communication in a well bore having a communication tube and a strength member extending along the tube. The tube and strength member are encapsulated in a sheath of elastomeric material. Peterman does not suggest that the communication tube includes an electrical wire for controlling a pump, nor its use for water wells.
Davis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,937, discloses a cable banding lock ring that engages around the strap between the cable and discharge pipe for use in a well. Johnson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,966 another mounting apparatus.
Escaron et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,969, disclose a rigid extension member for use with a well-logging cable in a bore hole which has a structure for protecting the well-logging cable disposed along the length of, and on the outer surface of, a cylindrical tube. The extension member has a fixed length with screw threads on either end. Moreover, the wires are encased in a single insulating medium which does not appear to be easily separable.
Merry, U.S. Pat. No. 3,814,835; Evans et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,345; and Plummer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,908 all disclose tubular members with associated control lines.
Opie et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,238; Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,908; and Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,817 all show endoscope sheaths. Although these devices show a structure having a number of lumens or channels, the main lumen or channel is designed to allow the passage of an endoscope and the associated fiber optics, rather than the substantial amounts of water yielded by a water well pump. Moreover, electrical wires do not appear to be included. The auxiliary channels shown are for water, air and vacuum.
What is needed, therefore, but not yet available, is an apparatus and method for facilitating the installation of a water well pump into a well hole that obviates the need to repeatedly tie a power cord to the well pipe as the pump is being lowered into the well hole and which protects the power cord during and after the pump installation process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a hose and wire combination adapted to provide water and electrical connections to a water well pump and comprising a hose adapted to bear water and having an exterior, a resilient-material conduit affixed to and extending longitudinally along the exterior of the hose and having a longitudinally extending slot and a set of wires extending longitudinally within the conduit and being electrically insulated from one another.
A separate aspect of the present invention comprises a method of installing a pump, having electrical terminals and a water discharge spout into a water well, comprising the steps (not necessarily performed in the order presented) of first providing a hose and wire combination, including a hose adapted to bear water and having an exterior; a resilient-material conduit affixed to and extending longitudinally along the exterior of the hose and having a longitudinally extending slot; and a set of at least four wires extending longitudinally within the conduit and being electrically insulated from one another. Second, removing a terminal portion of the wires from the conduit portion by way of the slot and severing the corresponding terminal portion of the conduit portion. Third, electrically connecting the set of at least four wires to the electrical terminals of the pump. Fourth, operatively connecting the hose to the water discharge spout of the pump. And fifth, lowering the pump connected to the hose and wire combination into the well, thereby permitting the resilient material conduit to protect the wires during the lowering and afterwards during the operation of the pump and when removing the pump for servicing.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a water well according to the prior art.
FIG. 2 is an isometric drawing of a hose and wire combination according to the present invention, connected to a water well pump and also connected to a water pipe for delivering water to an end user.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the hose and wire combination of FIG. 2 , taken along line 3 — 3 of FIG. 2 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a hose and wire combination 110 preferably made of PVC or other flexible polymer. A hose portion 112 preferably has a one inch inner diameter and a one and three quarter inch outer diameter. It is to be understood that the hose and wire can be any size. A conduit portion 114 extends along the length of the hose portion 112 and accommodates a set of four individually insulated wires 116 . A slot 124 extends the length of the conduit portion 114 .
The hose and wire combination 110 is to be provided in a long length wrapped about a spool, to well pump installers. The installation would begin by pulling the ends of wires 116 through the slot 124 and snipping away the now empty end of conduit portion 114 so that it does not obstruct the attachment process. It may be necessary to cut back hose portion 112 so that wires 116 extend a sufficient length beyond hose portion 112 to permit connection. Then wires 116 are attached to corresponding set of electrical terminals 136 on pump 126 . The output spout 138 of pump 126 is inserted into the end of hose portion 112 and secured in place with two clamps 140 . The pump 126 is then lowered into the well as the hose and wire combination 110 is unspooled.
At least two advantages are evident from this operation. First, the operation of periodically attaching the wires 116 to the hose portion 112 with clamps is unnecessary because wires 116 are held in place by conduit 114 . This saves time and labor. Second, the wires 116 are held close to the hose portion 112 and are protected from sharp rocks by the conduit portion 114 . During operation the wires 116 continue to be protected from sharp rocks that the combination 110 may vibrate against during the operation of the pump 126 . As noted in the BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION section and referring to FIG. 1 , it is a common practice in well drilling to sheath the interior of the upper part of the well hole with the metal sheet 20 , to prevent the movement of mud into the well. Further down, where the well hole extends through the bedrock 22 , this sheathing is unnecessary. The transition 24 from sheathing to unsheathed rock can include some rather sharp rock surfaces and as the wires clad only in standard insulation are slid past this region they are sometimes severed. In addition, the entire hole may not be plumb resulting in the wires rubbing on the wall of the hole. When this happens the pump must be reinstalled. The extra protection afforded by the conduit portion 114 in the preferred embodiment prevents the severing of the wires 116 in this manner.
At the upper end of the water well, the hose portion 112 may be cut and attached to a fitting or a pipe 130 so that it may be connected to a water use destination. Wires 116 however, may be extended considerably beyond the spot where the hose portion 112 is cut to facilitate connection to an electric power source. Similar to the procedure in connecting the pump 126 to the combination 110 , the part of the conduit portion 114 from which the wires 116 have been removed may be snipped away.
Alternatively, the resilient-material conduit may include no slit therein so the wires are enclosed therein. The wires may alternatively be enclosed within the wall of the hose itself. The wires may alternatively be enclosed within the hose itself adjacent to the fluids therein.
Alternatively, the fingers of the conduit portion may be formed in an overlapping fashion to provide a watertight seal.
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow. | A hose and wire combination adapted to provide water and electrical connections to a water well pump includes a hose adapted to bear water, a resilient-material conduit affixed to and extending longitudinally along the exterior of the hose and having a longitudinally extending slot and a set of wires extending longitudinally within the conduit and being electrically insulated from one another. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for compressing low pressure steam into steam of higher pressure and temperature without the need for an external energy source. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for compressing a portion of low pressure steam, e.g., steam generated by the refining of cellulose-containing materials, into steam of higher pressure and temperature employing the heat energy of the remainder of the low pressure steam.
Various industrial processes produce as a by-product large amounts of heat energy in the form of steam having low pressure and low temperature. Although this low pressure steam has a high heat energy content, many industrial applications for such steam require a higher pressure and temperature. Using an external energy source to compress the low pressure steam is sometimes impractical and costly. Thus, this low pressure steam, even with its high heat content, has a limited field of application. In fact, many times the low pressure steam is just discarded.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, it has now been found that the energy content of low pressure steam can be utilized to produce steam of higher pressure and temperature without the need of any external energy source to compress the steam, resulting in a saving of energy and cost. This result is achieved by first dividing the low pressure steam into two steam flow paths, e.g., through conduits. The first steam flow is directed into a steam motor where the low pressure steam expands to drive the motor. The steam motor is operatively connected to a compressor such that the steam motor drives the compressor. The second steam flow is directed into the compressor where it is compressed to a desired final pressure. The division of the low pressure steam into two steam flow paths is controlled so that the first steam flow through the steam motor generates sufficient energy to compress the second steam flow to the desired final pressure.
More particularly, in accordance with the method of the present invention, low pressure steam is generated by a refiner in connection with the refining of cellulose-containing material. Since this low pressure steam often contains impurities, it is sometimes necessary to purify the steam prior to dividing it into two steam flows and subjecting it to compression. This purification can be achieved by any suitable purification device of the type well known in the art. Alternatively, rather than purifying the low pressure steam, it can be converted into purified low pressure steam by passing it through a heat exchanger in heat contact with suitably pure water. The heat of the low pressure steam converts the water into purified steam and this purified steam is then used in the process of the invention. Of course, if the low pressure steam does not contain an undesirable amount of impurities, purification or conversion devices are not needed.
As mentioned above, this low pressure steam is divided into two steam flow paths. The first steam flow is preferably passed through a first regulating means, e.g., a valve means, into a steam motor. The steam motor is preferably a turbine. The low pressure steam expands into an area of lower pressure in the steam motor thereby driving it.
This steam motor is operatively connected to a compressor so that the steam motor drives the compressor. In addition, the steam motor is normally connected to a condenser in order to condense the steam leaving the motor.
The second steam flow is passed through a second regulating means, e.g., a valve means, into the compressor where the steam is compressed to a predetermined final pressure. The distribution of the respective steam flows passing through the compressor and steam motor is controlled by the regulating means so that the first steam flow through the steam motor generates sufficient energy to compress the second steam flow passing through the compressor to the predetermined final pressure. This control preferably takes place automatically, for example, by making the steam flow through each regulating means dependent upon the pressure of the steam leaving the compressor.
If desired, the low pressure steam can be divided into more than two steam flow paths. For example, the low pressure steam could be divided into four steam flow paths, with two steam flows being directed to one steam motor-compressor combination, while the other two steam flows are directed to a second steam motor-compressor combination. Moreover, some of the low pressure steam from the steam generator may be used for other purposes and not involved in the utilization of the present invention.
Any suitable compressor and steam motor can be used in the present invention, e.g., conventional compressors and steam motors, such as piston engines. However, turbo machines are preferred, especially when large steam volumes are involved.
Of course, separate regulating means may not be needed. For example, one valve may also be used which divides the steam flow into two steam flow paths and also regulates the amount of steam flowing into each path.
The compressed steam generated by the process of the invention can be utilized for any suitable purpose, for example, to preheat the material to be refined in the refining of cellulose-containing material. The compressed steam can also be utilized, however, in some other functions in an installation, for example, for heating the drying rollers in a paper making machine or for driving an evaporation apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is described in greater detail in the following detailed description which refers to the FIGURE showing a schematic representation of a process and system for compressing steam in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the FIGURE, a steam generator 1 produces low pressure steam. This low pressure steam is passed from the generator 1, for example, through a conduit to a device 2 which can be either a purification device or a conversion device. The purification device (e.g., a cyclone-scrubber) removes impurities contained in the steam. In the conversion device, the low pressure steam is passed through a heat exchanger in heat contact with suitably pure water and the water is volatilized into purified low pressure steam. The purification or conversion device, of course, will not be needed when the low pressure steam from the generator 1 already is sufficiently pure.
The purified low pressure steam is then divided into two steam flow paths, e.g., by conduits. The first steam flow is directed through a first regulating means 8, e.g., a valve, to a steam motor 4, which is preferably a turbine. The steam motor 4 is driven by the low pressure steam expanding into an area of lower pressure within the steam motor. Upon leaving the steam motor, the steam is passed into a condenser 5 through which cooling water is pumped by a cooling pump 6. The steam motor 4 is operatively connected to a compressor 3 so that the steam motor drives the compressor.
The second steam flow is directed through a second regulating means 7, e.g., a valve, into the compressor 3 where the second steam flow is compressed to the desired final pressure.
The distribution of the low pressure steam flows into the compressor 3 and steam motor 4 is controlled by the regulating means 7 and 8 such that the first steam flow through the steam motor 4 generates sufficient energy to compress the second steam flow in the compressor 3 to the final desired pressure. The control of the regulating means 7 and 8 preferably takes place automatically and is determined by the pressure of the steam leaving the compressor.
The following example is intended to illustrate but not to limit the invention.
EXAMPLE
Two low pressure steam generators are operated so as to produce steam in amount of 10 tons per hour at 1.01 bar and 100° C. (Sample I) and 8.8 tons per hour at 2.0 bar and 120° C. (Sample II), respectively. In both instances, a pressure of 3.5 bar is chosen as the desired higher pressure for the steam.
With both Samples I and II, the low pressure steam flows are divided into two flow paths. One steam flow is passed through a valve into a compressor, while the other is passed through a valve into a turbine steam motor. The turbine is operatively coupled to the compressor so as to drive it. The respective steam flows through the valves are regulated so that the turbine generates sufficient energy to drive the compressor to compress the steam to 3.5 bar therein.
The efficiency rates of the compressor and turbine used in the present example were as follows:
Compressor: isentropic 0.75, mechanic 0.97.
Turbine: isentropic 0.65, mechanic 0.97.
The steam production rate, steam pressure, steam temperature, steam enthalpy, specific steam volume and total steam volume were measured at three locations in the above-described process, i.e., (1) at the conduit from the low pressure steam generator, (2) immediately after the compressor and (3) immediately after the turbine. The "effect coupling" was also measured at locations (1) and (2) above. "Effect coupling" is a measure of the power required to be generated by the turbine in order to drive the compressor to compress the steam to the final desired pressure. The results are set forth below in the table.
__________________________________________________________________________ Location 1 Location 2 Location 3 Sample Sample Sample Sample Sample Sample Unit I II I II I II__________________________________________________________________________Steam amount t/h 10 8.8 4.36 6.07 5.64 2.73Steam pressure bar 1.03 2.0 3.5 3.5 0.074 0.074Steam temperature °C. 100 120 267 193 40 40Steam enthalpy MJ/t 2676 2707 3001 2851 2425 2387Spec. steam volume m.sup.3 /kg 1.673 0.886 0.7 0.6 19.0 18.5Total steam volume m.sup.3 /h 16.7 7.8 3.0 3.6 107 50.5 × 10.sup.3 × 10.sup.3 × 10.sup.3 × 10.sup.3 × 10.sup.3 × 10.sup.3Effect coupling KW 405 250 405 250__________________________________________________________________________
These results demonstrate that the process of the present invention provides a conversion of low pressure steam to steam of higher temperature and pressure without the need for any external energy source, thus resulting in a savings of energy and cost.
It will be understood that the embodiments described above are merely exemplary and that persons skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. | A method and apparatus are disclosed for compressing a portion of low pressure steam into steam of higher pressure in which the means for doing so are energized by the heat energy of the remainder of the low pressure steam. | 5 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/870,572 filed Dec. 18, 2006, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The current invention pertains to the general area of immune modulation. Specifically, the invention relates to the induction of biological events which are associated with reduction, substantial amelioration of, or complete inhibition of pathological immune responses. More specifically the invention deals with the use of cellular therapies, products of cells, and compounds that are useful for the reprogramming of an immune response.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is widely known that the immune system consists of multicellular interactions that culminate in the inhibition, clearance, and induction of memory to agents that are a threat to the normal functioning of the host. In pathological situations the immune system, or various components thereof, is associated with destruction or impairment of tissue function. These situations are broadly termed “autoimmune diseases” and cause a significant burden on our society. Autoimmune diseases range from Type I diabetes, to multiple sclerosis, to rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmune processes are also speculated to be implicated in diseases such as atherosclerosis or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
There exists a complex network of mechanisms that focuses the immune system to selectively seek and destroy entities, whether chemical or biological, that are harmful to the host, while at the same time preventing the immune system from attacking the body.
I. Passive Inhibition of Autoreactivity
At a very basic level is the process of thymic selection. T cells, the main effectors of the immune system, develop from bone marrow progenitor sources that undergo a maturation process in the thymus. During T cell maturation, there is approximately 10 11 different types of T cell receptors that are generated. This is due to a process of “gene-shuffling” within developing T cells that causes an incredibly wide variety of T cell specificities to be generated. While the T cells are generated, they are selected for two important features. The first feature is recognition and binding to host MHC, this occurs in positive selection. The second feature is that developing T cells that bind with high affinity to “self” peptides are depleted, this is called “negative selection”. Through this mechanism, T cells are generated that can selectively recognize and deal with almost any peptide configuration that is presented to them in the MHC I or MHC II, except those derived from self antigen (since all the T cells recognizing self antigen are negatively selected). It is known that approximately 1% of the T cell progenitors that enter the thymus actually leave as mature T cells, the other 99% are killed either during positive selection or negative selection.
The question naturally arises, as to how the immune system deals with proteins that are expressed after the T cell repertoire is established. For example, during sexual maturity, a wide variety of new proteins start becoming expressed, which were not previously expressed anywhere in the body (at least it was believed) and therefore negative deletion could not have occurred in T cells reactive to those proteins. Polly Matzinger developed a novel way to deal with this problem. She postulated that the immune system does not just recognize “self from non-self” but also, and perhaps more importantly, it makes the decision as to what is “danger” versus “non-danger”. This idea is supported by the fact that for the T cells that are generated from the thymus to get activated, they need two signals. The first signal is from the antigen presenting cell, which is in the form of MHC II, or for non-professional antigen presenting cells, MHC I. The second signal is the “costimulatory” signal, which can actually be a wide variety of signals. The most commonly studied costimulatory signal is the CD80/86 on the antigen presenting cell activating the CD28 on the T cell. Numerous other costimulatory signals are known, for example: CD40 ligand, OX40 ligand, and ICOS ligand. The important thing is that activation of T cells by only signal 1 , in absence of signal II leads to T cell anergy, apoptosis, or deviation to a T regulatory (Treg) phenotype. The majority of tissues do not express the second signal except during times of inflammation or other tissue damage. Accordingly, T cells that escape the process of thymic deletion, that have autoreactive potential are believed not to cause autoimmunity due to the need for a “danger” signal in order to upregulate expression of the second signal and therefore induce autoimmunity.
The importance of the “Danger” signal is nicely illustrated in experiments in which a foreign antigen is express specifically in the islets. The system is actually transgenic mice containing LCMV protein (foreign antigen) driven by the rat insulin promoter. When these mice are crossed with mice having a transgenic T cell receptor for the LCMV protein, the offspring surprisingly do not develop autoimmunity, despite having circulating autoreactive T cells. However, when the mice are given a “Danger” signal, such as a viral infection, or administration of poly IC, a stimulator of innate immunity, the mice rapidly develop diabetes since the self-tolerance is broken.
However, subsequent to these studies, it was demonstrated that rationale exists for believing that actually all self antigens may be expressed in the thymus, and thereby being important in control of autoreactive T cells. Researchers studying the genetic immune deregulation disease Autoimmune-polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ecto-dermaldystrophy identified a gene associated with this disease, whose protein product was found primarily in the thymus [1]. Subsequently it was found that this protein is expressed specifically in thymic medullary epithelial cells and acts as a transcription factor to induce ectopic gene expression. Specifically, the gene, called AIRE (Autoimmune Regulator) was demonstrated to be capable of inducing expression of genes such as insulin, myelin basic protein, and numerous other proteins in the thymus microenvironment [2]. The importance of this process in controlling autoimmunity was demonstrated in that mice lacking AIRE, or having mutant forms of it develop poly-organ autoimmunity [3]. Accordingly, it is currently believed that two main processes associated with passive control of immune responses, these are: first thymic selection and killing of autoreactive T cells in the thymus, and secondly, the need for a second signal in the periphery causes self-reactive T cells to be inactivated when they encounter a self antigen in absence of second signal.
II. Active Inhibition of Autoreactivity: Antigen Presenting Cell Level
In the periphery it is known that T cell activation occurs usually as a result of interaction with dendritic cells (DC), which are one of the only known cells capable of activating naïve T cells. However, the DC are also able to induce active suppression of T cells. For example, lymphoid DC, which are known to possess markers such as the IL-3 receptor CD123, are believed to possess various active T cell suppressive properties. For example, it was demonstrated that pulsing, and subsequent administration of lymphoid DC with the autoantigen myelin basic protein was able to inhibit onset of experimental multiple sclerosis in the rodent EAE model [4]. Additional support for the active immune suppressive role of lymphoid DC comes from experiments demonstrating that the high level of lymphoid DC in murine hepatic allografts is responsible, at least in part, for the low level of rejection seen in this model of transplantation [5, 6]. Interestingly, administration of donor derived hepatic lymphoid DC into murine recipients of islet grafts was able to significantly prolong survival, thus indicating that the tolerogenic properties are not only specific for hepatic tissue, but for donor tissue regardless of histological type [5]. Several mechanisms are known to be responsible for the active induction of T cell inhibition. One is that lymphoid DC express high concentrations of FasL, which is capable of directly killing activated T cells [7]. Another mechanism is that lymphoid DC express high concentrations of T cell suppressive “co-inhibitory” molecules such as OX-2 (CD200) [8, 9]. Indirect inhibition of immune responses through “educating” T cells to express immune suppressive cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-10 has also been reported [10].
In addition to lymphoid DC, immature DC of the myeloid lineage have also been demonstrated to inhibit immune responses. It was reported that ex vivo generation of immature DC through culture in low concentrations of GM-CSF, gave rise to a population of cells expressing low levels of costimulatory molecules and ability to induce donor-specific prolongation of graft survival [11]. In physiological conditions it is believed that immature DC generally are tolerogenic. This was demonstrated in an elegant study in which selective administration of antigen to immature DC was performed through conjugation of the OVA antigen to antibodies binding DEC-205. Since DEC-205 is expressed only on immature, and not mature DC, this system served as a means of assessing whether antigen presentation to immature DC would serve as a mechanism of inducing immunity or tolerance. It was observed that not only did the recipient mice become tolerant to further immunizations with OVA in absence of antibody mediated targeting, but that the mice actually upregulated a population of antigen-specific “suppressor cells” that expressed the CD4+ CD25+ phenotype and could transfer unresponsiveness to naïve mice [12]. This study, and numerous others demonstrated that an active communication, or a “bi-directional loop” occurs between dendritic cells and suppressive T cells in which various types of DC subsets are able to induce antigen-specific enhancement of T cells with suppressive properties, and these T cells are capable of not only suppressing activated T cells, but also causing generation of new immature DC. This was elegantly demonstrated in a model of cardiac tolerance induction [13], as well as reviewed in a paper by the inventor [14].
III. Active Inhibition of Autoreactivity: T Cell Level
In the same manner that conventional T cells are the potent effector side of the immune system, it appears that specific subtypes of T cells called T regulatory cells (Treg), or T suppressor cells, are also the very potent inhibitors of immune activation. The phenomena of “T suppressor” cells was originally described in various systems in the 1970s, in which antigen-specific suppression was claimed by transfer of T cells. Although this work came into disfavor in the 1990s, it is now firmly established that T cells with suppressive activities exist both in human and murine systems. In order to avoid the stigma of the word “suppressor”, T cells with suppressive activity are referred to by the majority of immunologists as Treg cells.
The renaissance in Treg research was started in part by experiments showing that mice which where thymectomized neonatally suffered from autoimmunity, and that transfer of T cells with the CD4+ CD25+ phenotype was able to significantly inhibit disease onset [15, 16]. These experiments stimulated numerous groups to demonstrate in numerous systems that cells of the CD4+ CD25+ phenotype possess numerous antigen specific and antigen nonspecific immune regulatory functions. For example, depleting this subset with antibodies accelerates onset of numerous autoimmune disease such as collagen induced arthritis [17], EAE [18], and lymphocyte transfer mediated induction of colitis [19].
The mechanism by which Treg cells suppress other T cells is not entirely known, however, various components that are known include production of TGF-beta by Tregs [20], expression of CTLA4, which induces indolamine 2,3 dioxygenase production in antigen presenting cells, thus rendering them tolerogenic [21], and production of IL-10 [22]. One critical molecule involved in the function of Treg cells is FoxP3, a transcription factor, which when transfected into CD4+ CD25− T cells can not only render them with an active suppressive function, but also endows them with CD25 expression [23].
The clinical importance of Treg cells is apparent in various settings. In oncology, many studies demonstrate association between enhanced Treg function, poor antitumor responses, and shorter survival [24-26]. Accordingly, clinical trials are ongoing to deplete this population in cancer patients, either by using anti-CD25 immunotoxin [27], or by administration of antibodies to CTLA4 [28, 29]. In some clinical trials blocking CTLA4, the immune stimulatory potency of this approach is seen in that some of the patients actual develop an autoimmune like disease [30]. Conversely, in the setting of autoimmunity, numerous autoimmune diseases are associated with suppressed Treg function. For example, rheumatoid arthritis patients have low circulating Treg numbers, however both the number and activity increases in patients responding to anti-TNF therapy [31]. In multiple sclerosis, lower numbers of Tregs are found in the periphery as opposed to controls, and induction of regression is associated with increased Treg number and activity [32]. In ulcerative colitis, an inverse relationship between disease severity index (including endoscopic scores) and numbers of Tregs was reported [33].
IV. Therapeutic Use of TREG Immune Modulation
Despite evidence of success in numerous animal models, then therapeutic use of Treg cells for autoimmunity has been severely limited clinically. Part of the reason for this is the inability to expand large number of antigen-specific Tregs that remain functional for extended periods of time.
Indirectly, Treg therapy is being used in diseases such as Graft Versus Host in which Osiris Therapeutics is administering bone marrow derived mesenchymal cells. It is conceptually possible that these mesenchymal cells are inducing populations of Treg cells in vivo. However, according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,012 held by Osiris Entitled “Method of preparing suppressor T cells with allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells” (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), the administration of mesenchymal stem cells is restricted to allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells, and the phenotype of the CD8 cell is claimed. The examples demonstrated in the specification seem to teach away from CD4+ CD25+ cell involvement since depletion of the “suppressor cells” with antibodies to CD8 substantially abolished suppressor activity (see, Example 2 from U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,012). Osiris is also currently performing clinical trials with mesenchymal stem cells for patients with Crohn's disease. However no indication of desired generation of Treg cells was made in any of the publications searched. It may be possible that the rationale behind that trial is the harnessing of the tissue regenerative properties of the stem cells.
Other prior art of relevance includes U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0233751 to Bluestone which teaches the use of Treg cells for treatment of autoimmunity (incorporated by reference in its entirety). The patent provides some means of generating a subpopulation of cells that comprises >98% Treg cells, preferably >98% CD4+, CD25+, CD62L+ Treg cells. According to this application, cells of the desired phenotype are purified using methods known in the art, such as flow cytometry, and subsequently expanded at least 100-fold using antibodies or other ligands to TCR/CD3; CD28, GITR, B7-1/2, CD5, ICOS, OX40 or CD40 and culturing cells in cytokines such as IL-2. This approach has been previously tried in animal models, and although potent expansion is observed, cells eventually lose antigen specificity.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0062763 to Godfrey teaches the extraction of Tregs from cord blood (incorporated by reference in its entirety). The cells are purified from a population of CD45RA+ cord blood cells, wherein the Teg cell suppresses T cell proliferation, the method comprising: a) isolating a population of mononuclear cells from the human umbilical cord blood sample; b) contacting the population of mononuclear cells with an antibody that specifically binds CD25 under conditions suitable for formation of a mononuclear cell-antibody complex; and c) substantially separating the mononuclear cell-antibody complex from the population of mononuclear cells; thereby isolating the Treg cell from a population of phenotypically CD45RA.sup.+ blood cells. Unfortunately, the patent does not disclose methods of expanding these cells ex vivo in an manner to maintain antigen specificity. Additionally, it was well known in the art, prior to September of 2004 (priority date), that CD25 is expressed on Treg cells and that cord blood contains suppressive CD25+ cell populations, which possess a “naïve phenotype” implying CD45RA expression [34].
U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0115899 to Buckner et al provides methods of ex vivo expansion of Tregs in an antigen specific manner for immunotherapy (incorporated by reference in its entirety). The method claims comprises of selecting CD4+CD25− T cells from a sample obtained from a mammalian subject; determining the MHC Class II type of the subject; inducing the generation of antigen-specific regulatory T cells by contacting the isolated CD4+CD25− T cells in a culture vessel with an induction agent for a time period sufficient to generate antigen-specific CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells; and selecting the CD4+CD25+ antigen-specific regulatory T cells by sorting the cells in the induction culture with a selection agent comprising at least one artificial multimeric MHC Class II/peptide complex that corresponds to the MHC Class II type of the subject. Unfortunately, this disclosure does not provide enablement over what is in the prior literature, to actually accomplish the goal of generating in large numbers antigen-specific Treg populations.
As seen from the above discussion, there exists great potential for harnessing the therapeutic uses of Treg cells for treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Unfortunately, until now, the use of these cells have been hampered by inability to properly expand them, inability to maintain their antigen specificity after expansion, and generally, loss of activity after in vitro or in vivo manipulation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Disclosed are cells, methods of modulating cells, and therapeutic uses of the cells for the immune modulation of mammals in need thereof. As used herein, immune modulation may include alteration of cytokine profile, cytotoxic activity, antibody production and inflammatory states is achieved through the administration of various cell types that have been unmanipulated or manipulated in order to endow specific biological activity. Cellular subsets and administration of the subsets in combination with various agents are also provided.
Accordingly, provided herein are methods of immune modulation in a patient comprising the steps of: selecting a patient in need of immune modulation; and administering a therapeutically effective amount of mononuclear cells with enhanced Treg activity. In certain aspects, the mononuclear cells are derived from a source selected from the group consisting of: adipose tissue, bone marrow and cord blood. In certain aspects, the mononuclear cells have been co-cultured with stem cells.
Also provided herein is a method of immune modulating a recipient suffering from a condition associated with an immunological abnormality characterized by Treg deficiency, and/or subfunction, and/or by immunological hyperactivity, so as to ameliorate symptoms or cure the recipient through the steps of: extracting adipose tissue; purifying adipose tissue mononuclear cells; and administering mononuclear cells into the patient. In certain aspects, the adipose derived mononuclear cells are purified from autologous adipose tissue. In certain aspects, the adipose derived mononuclear cells are purified from allogeneic adipose tissue.
In certain aspects, adipose tissue mononuclear cells are maniputaled so as to enhance activity and/or number of Treg through augmenting activity of stem cells within the adipose tissue mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the administration of mononuclear cells comprises administration of a cell with a particular phenotype that has been purified so as to possess relative phenotypic homogeneity.
In certain aspects manipulation of adipose tissue mononuclear cells is performed so as to enhance activity and/or number of Treg is performed through activation of stem cells residing within the adipose tissue mononuclear cell fraction.
In certain aspects, activation of the stem cells is performed by culture with a stem cell stimulator.
In certain aspects, the stem cell stimulator is a growth factor, a cytokine, or a small molecule. In certain aspects, the growth factor is selected from a group comprising of: growth hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), serotonin, bone morphogenic protein (BMP), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor alpha (TGF.alpha.), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), estrogen, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1, and/or ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, levothyroxine, L-triiodothyronine, and thyroid stimulating hormone.
In certain aspects, the cytokine is selected from a group comprising of: G-CSF, M-CSF, GM-CSF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-14, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, IL-19, IL-20, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23, IL-24, IL-25, IL-26, IL-27, IL-28, IL-29, IL-30, kit-L, VEGF, Flt-3 ligand, PDGF, FGF-2, TPO, IL-11, IGF-1, MGDF, NGF, TGF-b, and HMG.
In certain aspects, the small molecule is selected from a group comprising of: thalidomide, 5-azacytidine, trichostatin-A, and valproic acid.
In certain aspects, the activity of the Treg cells within the adipose derived mononuclear cell fraction is increased by culture of the adipose derived mononuclear cells with a concentration of G-CSF and flt3-L sufficient to induce upregulation of Jagged2 on the adipose derived mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the culture of mononuclear cells is additionally treated with a concentration of anti-CD3, anti-CD28 and IL-2 to allow expansion of Treg cells.
In certain aspects, the activity of the Treg cells within the adipose derived mononuclear cell fraction is increased by culture of the adipose derived mononuclear cells with a concentration of GM-CSF sufficient to induce upregulation of Jagged2 on the adipose derived mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the activity of the Treg cells within the adipose derived mononuclear cell fraction is increased by culture of the adipose derived mononuclear cells with a concentration of TGF-b sufficient to induce upregulation of Jagged2 on the adipose derived mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the adipose derived mononuclear cell culture is performed for 2 hours to 100 days.
In certain aspects, the adipose derived mononuclear cell culture is performed for a time period sufficient to induce activation, and/or expansion of Treg cells.
In certain aspects, the activation of Treg cells is observed by ability to suppress an ongoing mixed lymphocyte reaction.
In certain aspects, the expansion of Treg cells is observed by quantification of cells expressing the CD4+ CD25+ phenotype.
In certain aspects, the expansion of Treg cells is observed by quantification of cells expressing the FOXP3+ phenotype.
In certain aspects, the cultured cells having Treg activity are isolated, substantially purified, and administered into a patient, so as to be substantially free of stem cells residing in the culture.
In certain aspects, the cultured cells are administered as a heterogeneous mixture into a recipient in need of therapy.
In certain aspects, the stem cell/Treg cultures are performed in the presence of an antigen to which suppression of immune response is desired in conditions suitable for selective expansion of antigen-specific Treg cells.
In certain aspects, the antigen is selected from a group comprising of: a mixture of autoantigens derived from a patient suffering with autoimmunity, an antigenic peptide, an altered peptide ligand, a recombinant protein, or fragments thereof, and a nucleic acid encoding an antigen.
In certain aspects, the allogeneic adipose derived mononuclear cells are cultured with Tregs isolated from a patient in need of immune modulation, the culture expands Tregs, and HLA-specific Tregs are extracted from the culture and infused into the patient.
Also provided herein is a method of immune modulating a recipient suffering from a condition associated with an immunological abnormality characterized by Treg deficiency, and/or subfunction, and/or by immunological hyperactivity, so as to ameliorate symptoms or cure the recipient through the steps of: extracting bone marrow; purifying bone marrow mononuclear cells; manipulating bone marrow mononuclear cells so as to enhance activity and/or number of Treg; and administering mononuclear cells into the patient.
In certain aspects, the bone marrow mononuclear cells are purified from a bone marrow extraction from an autologous patient.
In certain aspects, the bone marrow mononuclear cells are purified from a bone marrow extraction from an allogeneic patient.
In certain aspects, the manipulation of bone marrow mononuclear cells is performed so as to enhance activity and/or number of Treg through augmenting activity of stem cells within the bone marrow mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the administration of mononuclear cells comprises administration of a cell with a particular phenotype that has been purified so as to possess relative phenotypic homogeneity.
In certain aspects, the manipulation of bone marrow mononuclear cells so as to enhance activity and/or number of Treg is performed through activation of stem cells residing within the bone marrow mononuclear cell fraction.
In certain aspects, the activation of the stem cells is performed by culture with a stem cell stimulator.
In certain aspects, the stem cell stimulator is a growth factor, a cytokine, or a small molecule.
In certain aspects, the growth factor is selected from a group comprising of: growth hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), serotonin, bone morphogenic protein (BMP), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor alpha (TGF.alpha.), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), estrogen, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1, and/or ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, levothyroxine, L-triiodothyronine, and thyroid stimulating hormone.
In certain aspects, the cytokine is selected from a group comprising of: G-CSF, M-CSF, GM-CSF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-14, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, IL-19, IL-20, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23, IL-24, IL-25, IL-26, IL-27, IL-28, IL-29, IL-30, kit-L, VEGF, Flt-3 ligand, PDGF, FGF-2, TPO, IL-11, IGF-1, MGDF, NGF, TGF-b, and HMG.
In certain aspects, the small molecule is selected from a group comprising of: thalidomide, 5-azacytidine, trichostatin-A, and valproic acid.
In certain aspects, the activity of the Treg cells within the bone marrow mononuclear cell fraction is increased by culture of the bone marrow mononuclear cells with a concentration of G-CSF and flt3-L sufficient to induce upregulation of Jagged2 on the bone marrow mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the culture of mononuclear cells is additionally treated with a concentration of anti-CD3, anti-CD28 and IL-2 to allow expansion of Treg cells.
In certain aspects, the activity of the Treg cells within the bone marrow mononuclear cell fraction is increased by culture of the bone marrow mononuclear cells with a concentration of GM-CSF sufficient to induce upregulation of Jagged2 on the bone marrow mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the activity of the Treg cells within the bone marrow mononuclear cell fraction is increased by culture of the bone marrow mononuclear cells with a concentration of TGF-b sufficient to induce upregulation of Jagged2 on the bone marrow mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the bone marrow mononuclear cell culture is performed for 2 hours to 100 days.
In certain aspects, the bone marrow mononuclear cell culture is performed for a time period sufficient to induce activation, and/or expansion of Treg cells.
In certain aspects, the activation of Treg cells is observed by ability to suppress an ongoing mixed lymphocyte reaction.
In certain aspects, the expansion of Treg cells is observed by quantification of cells expressing the CD4+ CD25+ phenotype.
In certain aspects, the expansion of Treg cells is observed by quantification of cells expressing the FOXP3+ phenotype.
In certain aspects, the cultured cells having Treg activity are isolated, substantially purified, and administered into a patient, so as to be substantially free of stem cells residing in the culture.
In certain aspects, the cultured cells are administered as a heterogeneous mixture into a recipient in need of therapy.
In certain aspects, the stem cell/Treg cultures are performed in the presence of an antigen to which suppression of immune response is desired in conditions suitable for selective expansion of antigen-specific Treg cells.
In certain aspects, the antigen is selected from a group comprising of: a mixture of autoantigens derived from a patient suffering with autoimmunity, an antigenic peptide, an altered peptide ligand, a recombinant protein, or fragments thereof, and a nucleic acid encoding an antigen.
In certain aspects, the allogeneic bone marrow mononuclear cell are cultured with Tregs isolated from a patient in need of immune modulation, the culture expands Tregs, and HLA-specific Tregs are extracted from the culture and infused into the patient.
Also provided herein is a method of immune modulating a recipient suffering from a condition associated with an immunological abnormality characterized by Treg deficiency, and/or subfunction, and/or by immunological hyperactivity, so as to ameliorate symptoms or cure the recipient through the steps of: extracting cord blood; purifying cord blood mononuclear cells; manipulating cord blood mononuclear cells so as to enhance activity and/or number of Treg; and administering mononuclear cells into the patient.
In certain aspects, the cord blood mononuclear cells are purified from an autologous patient.
In certain aspects, the cord blood mononuclear cells are purified from an allogeneic patient.
In certain aspects, the manipulation of cord blood mononuclear cells is performed so as to enhance activity and/or number of Treg through augmenting activity of stem cells within the cord blood mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the administration of mononuclear cells comprises administration of a cell with a particular phenotype that has been purified so as to possess relative phenotypic homogeneity.
In certain aspects, the manipulation of cord blood mononuclear cells so as to enhance activity and/or number of Treg is performed through activation of stem cells residing within the cord blood mononuclear cells fraction.
In certain aspects, the activation of the stem cells is performed by culture with a stem cell stimulator.
In certain aspects, the stem cell stimulator is a growth factor, a cytokine, or a small molecule.
In certain aspects, the growth factor is selected from a group comprising of: growth hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), serotonin, bone morphogenic protein (BMP), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor alpha (TGF.alpha.), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), estrogen, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1, and/or ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, levothyroxine, L-triiodothyronine, and thyroid stimulating hormone.
In certain aspects, the cytokine is selected from a group comprising of: G-CSF, M-CSF, GM-CSF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-14, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, IL-19, IL-20, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23, IL-24, IL-25, IL-26, IL-27, IL-28, IL-29, IL-30, kit-L, VEGF, Flt-3 ligand, PDGF, FGF-2, TPO, IL-11, IGF-1, MGDF, NGF, TGF-b, and HMG.
In certain aspects, the small molecule is selected from a group comprising of: thalidomide, 5-azacytidine, trichostatin-A, and valproic acid.
In certain aspects, the activity of the Treg cells within the cord blood mononuclear cell fraction is increased by culture of the cord blood mononuclear cells with a concentration of G-CSF and flt3-L sufficient to induce upregulation of Jagged2 on the cord blood mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the culture of mononuclear cells is additionally treated with a concentration of anti-CD3, anti-CD28 and IL-2 to allow expansion of Treg cells.
In certain aspects, the activity of the Treg cells within the cord blood mononuclear cell fraction is increased by culture of the cord blood mononuclear cells with a concentration of GM-CSF sufficient to induce upregulation of Jagged2 on the cord blood mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the activity of the Treg cells within the cord blood mononuclear cell fraction is increased by culture of the cord blood mononuclear cells with a concentration of TGF-b sufficient to induce upregulation of Jagged2 on the cord blood mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the cord blood mononuclear cell culture is performed for 2 hours to 100 days.
In certain aspects, the cord blood mononuclear cell culture is performed for a time period sufficient to induce activation, and/or expansion of Treg cells.
In certain aspects, the activation of Treg cells is observed by ability to suppress an ongoing mixed lymphocyte reaction.
In certain aspects, the expansion of Treg cells is observed by quantification of cells expressing the CD4+ CD25+ phenotype.
In certain aspects, the expansion of Treg cells is observed by quantification of cells expressing the FOXP3+ phenotype.
In certain aspects, the cultured cells having Treg activity are isolated, substantially purified, and administered into a patient, so as to be substantially free of stem cells residing in the culture.
In certain aspects, the cultured cells are administered as a heterogeneous mixture into a recipient in need of therapy.
In certain aspects, the stem cell/Treg cultures are performed in the presence of an antigen to which suppression of immune response is desired in conditions suitable for selective expansion of antigen-specific Treg cells.
In certain aspects, the antigen is selected from a group comprising of: a mixture of autoantigens derived from a patient suffering with autoimmunity, an antigenic peptide, an altered peptide ligand, a recombinant protein, or fragments thereof, and a nucleic acid encoding an antigen.
In certain aspects, allogeneic cord blood mononuclear cells are cultured with Tregs isolated from a patient in need of immune modulation, the culture expands Tregs, and HLA-specific Tregs are extracted from the culture and infused into the patient.
In certain aspects, an inhibitor of an inhibitor of FOXP3 is added to culture of stem cells/Treg in order to potentiate the activation of Tregs. In certain aspects, the inhibitor blocks activation of signaling pathways selected from a group comprising of: NF-kB, mTOR, and PI3-kinase. In certain aspects, the inhibitor is an antibody to cytokines selected from a group comprising of: TNF-alpha, TNF-beta, IL-1, IL-6, IL8, IL12, IL15, IL17, IL-18, IL21, IL23, IL27, and IFN-gamma. In certain aspects, the inhibitor is rapamycin. In certain aspects, the inhibitor is wortmannin.
In certain aspects, Treg activation implies endowment of Treg activity on a cell that previously was not considered a Treg. In certain aspects, the cell previously not considered a Treg lacked ability to suppress a mixed lymphocyte reaction. In certain aspects, the cell previously not considered a Treg lacked ability to suppress a cytotoxic T cell response. In certain aspects, the cell previously not considered a Treg lacked ability to inhibit DC maturation. In certain aspects, the cell previously not considered a Treg lacked ability to inhibit T cell production of inflammatory cytokines.
Also provided herein is a method of treating an autoimmune disease in a mammal comprising the steps of: collecting a population of stem cells; culturing the stem cells with lymphocytes; and administration of cultured lymphocytes into the mammal.
In certain aspects, the stem cells consist of cells selected from a group comprising of stem cells, committed progenitor cells, and differentiated cells.
In certain aspects, the stem cells are selected from a group comprising of: embryonic stem cells, cord blood stem cells, placental stem cells, bone marrow stem cells, amniotic fluid stem cells, neuronal stem cells, circulating peripheral blood stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, germinal stem cells, adipose tissue derived stem cells, exfoliated teeth derived stem cells, hair follicle stem cells, dermal stem cells, parthenogenically derived stem cells, reprogrammed stem cells and side population stem cells.
In certain aspects, the embryonic stem cells are totipotent.
In certain aspects, the embryonic stem cells express one or more antigens selected from a group consisting of: stage-specific embryonic antigens (SSEA) 3, SSEA 4, Tra-1-60 and Tra-1-81, Oct-3/4, Cripto, gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) receptor, podocalyxin-like protein (PODXL), Rex-1, GCTM-2, Nanog, and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT).
In certain aspects, the cord blood stem cells are multipotent and capable of differentiating into endothelial, muscle, and neuronal cells.
In certain aspects, the cord blood stem cells are identified based on expression of one or more antigens selected from a group comprising: SSEA-3, SSEA-4, CD9, CD34, c-kit, OCT-4, Nanog, and CXCR-4
In certain aspects, the cord blood stem cells are unrestricted somatic stem cells.
In certain aspects, the cord blood stem cells do not express one or more markers selected from a group comprising of: CD3, CD45, and CD11b.
In certain aspects, the placental stem cells are isolated from the placental structure.
In certain aspects, the placental stem cells are identified based on expression of one or more antigens selected from a group comprising: Oct-4, Rex-1, CD9, CD13, CD29, CD44, CD166, CD90, CD105, SH-3, SH-4, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, SSEA-4 and Sox-2.
In certain aspects, the bone marrow stem cells comprise of bone marrow mononuclear cells.
In certain aspects, the bone marrow stem cells are selected based on the ability to differentiate into one or more of the following cell types: endothelial cells, muscle cells, and neuronal cells.
In certain aspects, the bone marrow stem cells are selected based on expression of one or more of the following antigens: CD34, c-kit, flk-1, Stro-1, CD105, CD73, CD31, CD146, vascular endothelial-cadherin, CD133 and CXCR-4.
In certain aspects, the bone marrow stem cells are enriched for expression of CD133.
In certain aspects, the amniotic fluid stem cells are isolated by introduction of a fluid extraction means into the amniotic cavity under ultrasound guidance.
In certain aspects, the amniotic fluid stem cells are selected based on expression of one or more of the following antigens: SSEA3, SSEA4, Tra-1-60, Tra-1-81, Tra-2-54, HLA class I, CD13, CD44, CD49b, CD105, Oct-4, Rex-1, DAZL and Runx-1.
In certain aspects, the amniotic fluid stem cells are selected based on lack of expression of one or more of the following antigens: CD34, CD45, and HLA Class II.
In certain aspects, the neuronal stem cells are selected based on expression of one or more of the following antigens: RC-2, 3CB2, BLB, Sox-2hh, GLAST, Pax 6, nestin, Muashi-1, NCAM, A2B5 and prominin.
In certain aspects, the circulating peripheral blood stem cells are characterized by the ability to proliferate in vitro for a period of over 3 months.
In certain aspects, the circulating peripheral blood stem cells are characterized by expression of CD34, CXCR4, CD117, CD113, and c-met.
In certain aspects, the circulating peripheral blood stem cells lack substantial expression of differentiation associated markers.
In certain aspects, the differentiation associated markers are selected from a group comprising of CD2, CD3, CD4, CD11, CD11a, Mac-1, CD14, CD16, CD19, CD24, CD33, CD36, CD38, CD45, CD56, CD64, CD68, CD86, CD66b, and HLA-DR.
In certain aspects, the mesenchymal stem cells express one or more of the following markers: STRO-1, CD105, CD54, CD106, HLA-I markers, vimentin, ASMA, collagen-1, fibronectin, LFA-3, ICAM-1, PECAM-1, P-selectin, L-selectin, CD49b/CD29, CD49c/CD29, CD49d/CD29, CD61, CD18, CD29, thrombomodulin, telomerase, CD10, CD13, STRO-2, VCAM-1, CD146, and THY-1.
In certain aspects, the mesenchymal stem cells do not express substantial levels of HLA-DR, CD117, and CD45.
In certain aspects, the mesenchymal stem cells are derived from a group selected of: bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord blood, placental tissue, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, differentiated embryonic stem cells, and differentiated progenitor cells.
In certain aspects, the germinal stem cells express markers selected from a group comprising of: Oct4, Nanog, Dppa5 Rbm, cyclin A2, Tex18, Stra8, Dazl, beta1- and alpha6-integrins, Vasa, Fragilis, Nobox, c-Kit, Sca-1 and Rex1.
In certain aspects, the adipose tissue derived stem cells express markers selected from a group comprising of: CD13, CD29, CD44, CD63, CD73, CD90, CD166, Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), and ABCG2.
In certain aspects, the adipose tissue derived stem cells are a population of purified mononuclear cells extracted from adipose tissue capable of proliferating in culture for more than 1 month.
In certain aspects, the exfoliated teeth derived stem cells express markers selected from a group comprising of: STRO-1, CD146 (MUC18), alkaline phosphatase, MEPE, and bFGF.
In certain aspects, the hair follicle stem cells express markers selected from a group comprising of: cytokeratin 15, Nanog, and Oct-4.
In certain aspects, the hair follicle stem cells are capable of proliferating in culture for a period of at least one month.
In certain aspects, the hair follicle stem cells secrete one or more of the following proteins when grown in culture: basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and stem cell factor (SCF).
In certain aspects, the dermal stem cells express markers selected from a group comprising of: CD44, CD13, CD29, CD90, and CD105.
In certain aspects, the dermal stem cells are capable of proliferating in culture for a period of at least one month.
In certain aspects, the parthenogenically derived stem cells are generated by addition of a calcium flux inducing agent to activate an oocyte followed by enrichment of cells expressing markers selected from a group comprising of SSEA-4, TRA 1-60 and TRA 1-81.
In certain aspects, the reprogrammed stem cells are selected from a group comprising of: cells subsequent to a nuclear transfer, cells subsequent to a cytoplasmic transfer, cells treated with a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, cells treated with a histone deacetylase inhibitor, cells treated with a GSK-3 inhibitor, cells induced to dedifferentiate by alteration of extracellular conditions, and cells treated with various combination of the mentioned treatment conditions.
In certain aspects, the nuclear transfer comprises introducing nuclear material to a cell substantially enucleated, the nuclear material deriving from a host whose genetic profile is sought to be dedifferentiated.
In certain aspects, the cytoplasmic transfer comprises introducing cytoplasm of a cell with a dedifferentiated phenotype into a cell with a differentiated phenotype, such that the cell with a differentiated phenotype substantially reverts to a dedifferentiated phenotype.
In certain aspects, the DNA demethylating agent is selected from a group comprising of: 5-azacytidine, psammaplin A, and zebularine.
In certain aspects, the histone deacetylase inhibitor is selected from a group comprising of: valproic acid, trichostatin-A, trapoxin A and depsipeptide.
In certain aspects, the side population cells are identified based on expression multidrug resistance transport protein (ABCG2) or ability to efflux intracellular dyes such as rhodamine-123 and or Hoechst 33342.
In certain aspects, the side population cells are derived from tissues such as pancreatic tissue, liver tissue, muscle tissue, striated muscle tissue, cardiac muscle tissue, bone tissue, bone marrow tissue, bone spongy tissue, cartilage tissue, liver tissue, pancreas tissue, pancreatic ductal tissue, spleen tissue, thymus tissue, Peyer's patch tissue, lymph nodes tissue, thyroid tissue, epidermis tissue, dermis tissue, subcutaneous tissue, heart tissue, lung tissue, vascular tissue, endothelial tissue, blood cells, bladder tissue, kidney tissue, digestive tract tissue, esophagus tissue, stomach tissue, small intestine tissue, large intestine tissue, adipose tissue, uterus tissue, eye tissue, lung tissue, testicular tissue, ovarian tissue, prostate tissue, connective tissue, endocrine tissue, and mesentery tissue.
In certain aspects, the committed progenitor cells are selected from a group comprising of: endothelial progenitor cells, neuronal progenitor cells, and hematopoietic progenitor cells.
In certain aspects, the committed endothelial progenitor cells are purified from the bone marrow.
In certain aspects, the committed endothelial progenitor cells are purified from peripheral blood.
In certain aspects, the committed endothelial progenitor cells are purified from peripheral blood of a patient whose committed endothelial progenitor cells are mobilized by administration of a mobilizing agent or therapy.
In certain aspects, the mobilizing agent is selected from a group comprising of: G-CSF, M-CSF, GM-CSF, 5-FU, IL-1, IL-3, kit-L, VEGF, Flt-3 ligand, PDGF, EGF, FGF-1, FGF-2, TPO, IL-11, IGF-1, MGDF, NGF, HMG CoA) reductase inhibitors and small molecule antagonists of SDF-1.
In certain aspects, the mobilization therapy is selected from a group comprising of: exercise, hyperbaric oxygen, autohemotherapy by ex vivo ozonation of peripheral blood, and induction of SDF-1 secretion in an anatomical area outside of the bone marrow.
In certain aspects, the committed endothelial progenitor cells express markers selected from a group comprising of: CD31, CD34, AC133, CD146 and flk1.
In certain aspects, the committed hematopoietic cells are purified from the bone marrow.
In certain aspects, the committed hematopoietic progenitor cells are purified from peripheral blood.
In certain aspects, the committed hematopoietic progenitor cells are purified from peripheral blood of a patient whose committed hematopoietic progenitor cells are mobilized by administration of a mobilizing agent or therapy.
In certain aspects, the mobilizing agent is selected from a group comprising of: G-CSF, M-CSF, GM-CSF, 5-FU, IL-1, IL-3, kit-L, VEGF, Flt-3 ligand, PDGF, EGF, FGF-1, FGF-2, TPO, IL-11, IGF-1, MGDF, NGF, HMG CoA) reductase inhibitors and small molecule antagonists of SDF-1.
In certain aspects, the mobilization therapy is selected from a group comprising of: exercise, hyperbaric oxygen, autohemotherapy by ex vivo ozonation of peripheral blood, and induction of SDF-1 secretion in an anatomical area outside of the bone marrow.
In certain aspects, the mobilization therapy is induction of SDF-1 secretion in an anatomical area outside of the bone marrow.
In certain aspects, the committed hematopoietic progenitor cells express the marker CD133.
In certain aspects, the committed hematopoietic progenitor cells express the marker CD34.
In certain aspects, the culture is performed under conditions conducive for generation, and/or expansion, and/or activation of Treg cells from lymphocytes.
In certain aspects, the Treg cells are capable of suppressing a mixed lymphocyte reaction.
In certain aspects, the Treg cells are capable of inhibiting inflammatory cytokine production for other T cells.
In certain aspects, the Treg cells are capable of inhibiting inflammatory cytotoxicity of other T cells.
In certain aspects, the Treg cells are capable of inhibiting DC maturation.
In certain aspects, the culture conditions conducive for Treg generation, and/or expansion, and/or activation consist of one or more steps from the following:
a) coculture of lymphocytes with activated stem cells b) addition of one or more T cell stimulators to the culture c) addition of one or more stimulators of Treg generation d) addition of an inhibitor of pathways inhibitory for Treg generation; and e) addition of a cell type that is stimulatory for Treg generation.
In certain aspects, the lymphocytes are selected from a group comprising of: unfractionated lymphocytes derived from an anatomical location known to possess stem cell activity, T cells, Treg cells, Helper T-cells, NK cells, NKT cells, gamma delta T cells, T cells generated by transdifferentiation, and T cells generated from embryonic stem cell sources.
In certain aspects, the lymphocytes are CD4+ CD25+ Treg.
In certain aspects, the T cell is either a heterogeneous population of T cells, or T cells purified for expression of either Th1, Th2, Th3, or Th17 profiles.
In certain aspects, the T cell is suppressive to other immune cells.
In certain aspects, the suppressive T cell expresses TGF-b on its membrane.
In certain aspects, the stem cells are activated through culture with a stem cell stimulator.
In certain aspects, the stem cell stimulator is a growth factor, a cytokine, or a small molecule.
In certain aspects, the growth factor is selected from a group comprising of: growth hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), serotonin, bone morphogenic protein (BMP), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor alpha (TGF.alpha.), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), estrogen, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1, and/or ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, levothyroxine, L-triiodothyronine, and thyroid stimulating hormone.
In certain aspects, the cytokine is selected from a group comprising of: G-CSF, M-CSF, GM-CSF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-14, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, IL-19, IL-20, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23, IL-24, IL-25, IL-26, IL-27, IL-28, IL-29, IL-30, kit-L, VEGF, Flt-3 ligand, PDGF, FGF-2, TPO, IL-11, IGF-1, MGDF, NGF, TGF-b, and HMG.
In certain aspects, the small molecule is selected from a group comprising of: thalidomide, 5-azacytidine, trichostatin-A, valproic acid, and small molecule stimulators of the Notch pathway, such as the DSL peptide.
In certain aspects, the stimulator of Treg generation is chosen from a group comprising of: anti-CD3, anti-CD28, CTLA4-IG, IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, TSLP, and TGF-b.
In certain aspects, the inhibitors of pathways inhibitory for Treg generation are selected from a group comprising of inhibitors of the: NF-kB, mTOR, and PI3-kinase signal transduction pathways.
In certain aspects, the inhibitor is an antibody to cytokines selected from a group comprising of: TNF-alpha, TNF-beta, IL-1, IL-6, IL8, IL12, IL15, IL17, IL-18, IL21, IL23, IL27, and IFN-gamma.
In certain aspects, the inhibitor is rapamycin.
In certain aspects, the inhibitor is wortmannin.
In certain aspects, the cell type stimulatory for Treg generation is a suppressive dendritic cell.
In certain aspects, the suppressive dendritic cell is of the lymphoid lineage.
In certain aspects, the suppressive dendritic cell is of the myeloid lineage and is in a state of immaturity.
In certain aspects, the dendritic cell of the myeloid lineage and in a state of immaturity expresses low levels of molecules selected from a group comprising of: MHC II, CD80, CD86, CD154, and IKK.
In certain aspects, the dendritic cell of the myeloid lineage and in a state of immaturity is generated by culture in low concentrations of GM-CSF in absence of IL-4.
In certain aspects, the dendritic cell of the myeloid lineage and in a state of immaturity is generated by culture in IL-10.
In certain aspects, the dendritic cell of the myeloid lineage and in a state of immaturity is generated by culture in TGF-b.
In certain aspects, the dendritic cell of the myeloid lineage and in a state of immaturity is generated by culture in the presence of inhibitors of NF-kB.
In certain aspects, the inhibitors of NF-kB are selected from a group comprising of: rapamycin, LF-15095, salicylic acid, siRNA specific to NF-kB subunits, and decoy oligonucleotides which inhibit NF-kB DNA binding.
In certain aspects, the cell stimulatory for Treg generation is a cell genetically engineered to express proteins selected from a group comprising of: Jagged2, TGF-b, IL-10, and IL-20.
In certain aspects, subsequent to administration of Treg, or Treg/stem cell combinations to a patient in need of immune modulation, the patient is subsequently treated with agents known to increase Treg activity and/or expansion.
In certain aspects, the agents known to increase Treg activity and/or expansion are selected from a group comprising of: antibodies to TNF-alpha, TNF-beta, IL-1, IL-6, IL8, IL12, IL15, IL17, IL-18, IL21, IL23, IL27, and IFN-gamma; rapamycin; and anti-inflammatory agents.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The current invention teaches that Treg cells can be endowed with enhanced functional immune suppressive activity, as well as in some cases be induced to proliferate through coculture with stem cells.
One of the principle teachings of the current invention is that Treg cells serve as a “negative feedback regulator” to stem cell proliferation. Accordingly, activation of stem cell proliferation induces expression of various signals on the stem cells, the signals serving to activate Treg cells to inhibit the stem cells. The invention capitalizes on the fact that Tregs can be copurified with stem cells, and the Tregs possess higher suppressive activity as compared to Tregs from peripheral blood. Furthermore, the invention takes advantage of the fact that stem cell activation by cytokines induces enhanced Treg activity that not only inhibits the stem cell, but inhibits other immunological cells. Accordingly, one aspect of the invention is the activation of stem cells so as to cause enhanced Treg activity, the Treg activity being therapeutically useful for treatment of diseases that are known to benefit from the enhanced Treg activity.
In one aspect stem cells are derived from autologous sources such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, or peripheral blood. Stem cells are either co-purified with endogenous Tregs or Tregs are added to the stem cells in vitro. In a specific aspect, the stem cell/Treg mixture is administered without manipulation into a patient suffering from a disorder associated with immune abnormality, such as an autoimmune disorder. Stem cell/Treg mixtures are administered at sufficient frequency to induce amelioration or substantial cure of the disorder.
In another aspect of the invention, stem cells are endowed a phenotype that is conducive for Treg activation and/or expansion. The phenotype may be endowed through activation of stem cells to proliferate and/or differentiate. Specifically, stem cells may be activated with cytokines, growth factors, culture on various extracellular matrices, or culture under conditions known to activate stem cells such as hypoxia. The stem cells may initially isolated, activated, and subsequently cultured with Tregs, or conversely the stem cells may be activated while cocultured with Tregs.
In some aspects, stem cells are cultured with cells that do not have the Treg phenotype, for example, expression of FoxP3, but subsequent to culture, the cells acquire Treg phenotype.
In a particular aspect of the invention, adipose tissue derived mononuclear cells are isolated and administered into a patient with an immunological disorder so as to cause amelioration or cure of such disorder. The cells may be administered directly after purification, or may be cultured in various conditions so as to enhance stem cell activation, and in turn enhance Treg activation.
In a particular aspect of the invention, bone marrow derived mononuclear cells are isolated and administered into a patient with an immunological disorder so as to cause amelioration or cure of such disorder. The cells may be administered directly after purification, or may be cultured in various conditions so as to enhance stem cell activation, and in turn enhance Treg activation.
In a particular aspect of the invention, cord blood derived mononuclear cells are isolated and administered into a patient with an immunological disorder so as to cause amelioration or cure of such disorder. The cells may be administered directly after purification, or may be cultured in various conditions so as to enhance stem cell activation, and in turn enhance Treg activation.
In another aspect, agents are added to the stem cell/Treg populations so as to enhance Treg activation in addition to the activation signals obtained from the stem cells. Treg activation signals may be provided by various means such as culture with antibodies, chemical stimulators of Treg function, and inhibitors of Treg inhibition.
In another aspect the stem cell/Treg populations are cultured so as to allow for expansion of autologous Treg cells. Expansion of autologous Treg cells residing in the adipose mononuclear cell fraction extracted from tissues known to contain stem cells is performed, according to the current invention, by activation of the stem cell compartment, which in turn, activates the Treg activity. Specific means of activation include co-culture with growth factors, cytokines, extracellular matrices, and various other conditions known in the art to induce stem cell proliferation. Ways of assessing level of Treg activity during culture including extracting aliquot samples from the culture and assessing ability of purified CD4+ CD25+ cells from the culture to suppress proliferation of CD4+ CD25− cells. Alternative means of assessing the suppressive activity could include quantification of FOXP3 expression in the cells by means such as flow cytometry.
In another aspect, stem cell/Treg mixtures are administered into a patient, and the patient is treated with immune modulators so as to expand Treg numbers and activities.
In another aspect, stem cell/Treg mixtures are cultured together with an antigen so as to induce selective expansion of antigen specific Treg cells. In this aspect, the antigen may be an autoantigen, an epitope of an autoantigen, or a poly-epitope mixture. Specifically, the autoantigen may be synthetically generated, for example as a peptide or recombinant protein, or may be a biological mixture extracted from the patient, such as gut luminal antigens extracted by endoscopic biopsy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
In one aspect the invention provides the generation of an immune modulatory cell preparation with tolerogenic aspects, the preparation comprising of adipose derived mononuclear cells that have been cultured in vitro for a period of 1-5 days in the presence of an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). The cells are cultured for a sufficient time point and at a sufficient concentration of the mTOR inhibitor so as to allow upregulation of suppressive properties of the cells.
In another aspect, adipose derived mononuclear cells are extracted from a patient with an inflammatory condition, and culture of the mononuclear cells is performed so as to allow for expansion for Tregs. The culture may include administration of plate bound anti-CD3 antibodies, IL-2, TGF, and other factors known to selectively expand Treg cells. Addition of stem cell stimulators may be performed but is optional. Subsequently, cells from the culture are extracted and assessed for immune suppressive potential. If desirable, antigen specific T cells may be generated by coculture with the antigen of interest. Antigen specificity may subsequently be assessed using various means known in the art, such as suppression of antigen specific T cell proliferation, cytokine release, or cytotoxic function.
In another aspect, Tregs are generated, and/or expanded, and/or activity through various means by coculture with stem cells, and the Treg cells are purified out of the culture and administered into a patient in need of therapy.
In another aspect, Treg generation from non-Treg cells is mediated by culture of the non-Treg cells with a stimulus of proliferation, such as anti-CD3, while in order to compensate for absence of CD28 costimulation, a stem cell is added as a “costimulator” which provides a survival signal, so as to allow for the differentiation and survival of a non-Treg cell into a Treg.
In another aspect, a population of dendritic cells with tolerogenic capabilities is expanded and cultured in combination with a Treg population and a stem cell population so as to allow for activation, enhanced suppressive properties, and proliferation of the Treg cell.
In another aspect, a method of screening agents for ability to endow stem cells with Treg generating capability is disclosed. The method of screening comprising of:
a) Culturing a population of T cells and stem cells; b) Administration of the agent to be screened into the population of T cells and stem cells; and c) Assessment of FOXP3 in the coculture.
In another aspect, a method of screening agents for ability to endow stem cells with Treg generating capability is disclosed. The method of screening comprising of:
a) Obtaining a stem cell population; b) Culturing the stem cell population with the agent being screened; and c) Assessing expression of notch ligands on the stem cells harvested from the culture. Various notch ligands are known in the art. One particular one useful for the practice of the current invention is Jagged2. Expression of Jagged2 may be determined by immunological or molecular means.
In another aspect of the invention, Treg cells are purified from a mononuclear preparation of a tissue associated with stem cell anatomical niches and subsequently administered into a patient in need of therapy. The anatomical niches include bone marrow, cord blood, mobilized peripheral blood, and adipose tissue.
In another aspect of the invention, stem cell/Treg cultures are treated with an activator of the notch signaling pathway, or an inhibitor of an inhibitor of a notch signaling pathway. This may be performed alongside stem cell and/or Treg stimulation. In one specific aspect, the stem cell/Treg culture is treated with the DSL peptide CDDYYYGFGCNKFCRPR (SEQ ID NO: 1) or analogues thereof.
In one aspect of the invention, the use of unmanipulated adipose derived mononuclear cells for immune modulation is disclosed. It is known that adipose tissue contains numerous stem cell populations. For example, culture of adipose derived mononuclear cells in TGF-b is causes them to differentiate into chondrocytes [35]. The same is true for culture of these cells in bone morphogenic protein-2 [36]. Additionally, adipose tissue derived cells can differentiation into smooth muscle cells after treatment with sphingosylphosphorylcholine [37] or other agents [38]. Various culture conditions, as well as in vivo experiments have demonstrate ability of adipose derived cells to differentiate into skeletal muscle, including in the animal model of muscular dystrophy (mdx) [39, 40]. Culture of these cells in HGF, bFGF and nicotinamide for 14 days can lead to generation of hepatic-like cells that express albumin and several other liver-specific genes in addition to attaining a cuboidal, hepatocyte-like appearance [41]. In fact, it is reported that adipose derived stem cells have a similar hepatogenic differentiation potential to bone marrow derived stem cells, but are able to be cultured in vitro for a longer period and possess a higher proliferation capacity, as well as are able to generate albumin in vivo [42, 43]. Like bone marrow cells, they also can be induced to differentiate into endothelium [44]. Given the mentioned stem cell properties of adipose derived mononuclear cells, we see these as one of the preferred stem cell types for use in the context of the current invention.
In one embodiment, the invention is used for generation of an autologous preparation of cells that contains immune modulatory properties and is useful for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as autoimmunity. Specifically, adipose tissue mononuclear cells are harvested from an autologous donor suffering from an autoimmune disease. Harvesting techniques are well known in the art and starting material can be obtained with relative ease during standard liposuction procedures. In one specific embodiment, adipose tissue fragments are collected and digested with collagenase I at a final concentration of approximately 1 mg/mL) in Hanks Buffered Saline at 37 Celsius for approximately 60 min with intermittent shaking. Thereafter, the resulting suspensions are filtered using two layers of cotton gauze to remove debris and then centrifuged at 400 g for 10 min. Other methods are known in the art for preparation of mononuclear cells from adipose tissue [45, 46]. In this particular method, supernatants are discarded and pellets are resuspended in 160 mmol/L NH4Cl at room temperature for 10 min to lyse the remaining red blood cells. Cells are collected by centrifugation, resuspended in culture medium (DMEM-low glucose supplemented with 15% autologous serum and 50 mg/mL of gentamicine). In order to generate a Treg population in a short amount of time, the cytokine G-CSF is administered to the cell culture in vitro at a concentration of about 0.1-500 ng/ml G-CSF. Cells are subsequently cultured in tissue culture flasks in a humidified atmosphere at 37 Celsius with 50 mL/L CO2 for about 2 h to 100 days. Cells are continually provided fresh media. In some embodiments other growth factors may be added, for example, Flt3L may be added at a concentration of about 0.1-500 ng/ml, IL-3 may be added at a concentration of about 0.1-700 ng/ml IL-3, and GM-CSF may be added at a concentration of about 0.1-500 ng/ml. Treg activity may be measured by taking aliquots of cells from the culture and measuring their ability to inhibit mixed lymphocyte reaction and cytokine production as previously described by the inventor [13]. Additional agents may be introduced into the culture to provide ideal conditions for Treg expansion, these include inhibitors of NF-kB, and/or mTOR, and/or P13-kinase.
The inhibitors may be one or several antibodies to cytokines selected from a group comprising of: TNF-alpha, TNF-beta, IL-1, IL-6, IL8, IL12, IL15, IL17, IL-18, IL21, IL23, IL27, and IFN-gamma. Inhibitors of mTOR may include rapamycin, and inhibitors of PI3K may include wortmannin.
Cells are subsequently re-injected into the patient suffering from a disorder in need of immune modulation. Medical conditions in which treatment with the invention disclosed may be useful include: Thyroiditis, insulitis, multiple sclerosis, iridocyclitis, uveitis, orchitis, hepatitis, Addison's disease, myasthenia gravis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, immune hyperreactivity, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, anemia (aplastic, hemolytic), autoimmune hepatitis, skleritis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), juvenile arthritis, scleroderma and systemic sclerosis, sjogren's syndrom, undifferentiated connective tissue syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, vasculitis (polyarteritis nodosa, allergic granulomatosis and angiitis, Wegner's granulomatosis, Kawasaki disease, hypersensitivity vasculitis, Henoch-Schoenlein purpura, Behcet's Syndrome, Takayasu arteritis, Giant cell arteritis, Thrombangiitis obliterans), polymyalgia rheumatica, essentiell (mixed) cryoglobulinemia, Psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis, diffus fasciitis with or without eosinophilia, polymyositis and other idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, relapsing panniculitis, relapsing polychondritis, lymphomatoid granulomatosis, erythema nodosum, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, inflammatory dermatitis, unwanted immune reactions and inflammation associated with arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation associated with hypersensitivity and allergic reactions, systemic lupus erythematosus, collagen diseases, inflammation associated with atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerotic heart disease, reperfusion injury, cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, vascular inflammatory disorders, respiratory distress syndrome or other cardiopulmonary diseases, inflammation associated with peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, hepatic fibrosis, liver cirrhosis or other hepatic diseases, thyroiditis or other glandular diseases, glomerulonephritis or other renal and urologic diseases, otitis or other oto-rhino-laryngological diseases, dermatitis or other dermal diseases, periodontal diseases or other dental diseases, orchitis or epididimo-orchitis, infertility, orchidal trauma or other immune-related testicular diseases, placental dysfunction, placental insufficiency, habitual abortion, eclampsia, pre-eclampsia and other immune and/or inflammatory-related gynaecological diseases, posterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis, anterior uveitis, conjunctivitis, chorioretinitis, uveoretinitis, optic neuritis, intraocular inflammation, e.g. retinitis or cystoid macular oedema, sympathetic ophthalmia, scleritis, retinitis pigmentosa, immune and inflammatory components of degenerative fondus disease, inflammatory components of ocular trauma, ocular inflammation caused by infection, proliferative vitreo-retinopathies, acute ischaemic optic neuropathy, excessive scarring, e.g. following glaucoma filtration operation, immune and/or inflammation reaction against ocular implants and other immune and inflammatory-related ophthalmic diseases, inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases or conditions or disorders where, both in the central nervous system (CNS) or in any other organ, immune and/or inflammation suppression would be beneficial, Parkinson's disease, complication and/or side effects from treatment of Parkinson's disease, AIDS-related dementia complex HIV-related encephalopathy, Devic's disease, Sydenham chorea, Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative diseases, conditions or disorders of the CNS, inflammatory components of strokes, post-polio syndrome, immune and inflammatory components of psychiatric disorders, myelitis, encephalitis, subacute sclerosing pan-encephalitis, encephalomyelitis, acute neuropathy, subacute neuropathy, chronic neuropathy, Guillaim-Barre syndrome, Sydenham chora, pseudo-tumour cerebri, Down's Syndrome, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, inflammatory components of CNS compression or CNS trauma or infections of the CNS, inflammatory components of muscular atrophies and dystrophies, and immune and inflammatory related diseases, conditions or disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems, post-traumatic inflammation, septic shock, infectious diseases, inflammatory complications or side effects of surgery or organ, inflammatory and/or immune complications and side effects of gene therapy, e.g. due to infection with a viral carrier, or inflammation associated with AIDS, to suppress or inhibit a humoral and/or cellular immune response, to treat or ameliorate monocyte or leukocyte proliferative diseases, e.g. leukaemia, by reducing the amount of monocytes or lymphocytes, for the prevention and/or treatment of graft rejection in cases of transplantation of natural or artificial cells, tissue and organs such as cornea, bone marrow, organs, lenses, pacemakers, natural or artificial skin tissue.
EXAMPLES
Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis with Autologous Adipose Mononuclear Cell Therapy
Trial Design: A double blind, randomized study aimed at determining efficacy of adipose derived, stem cell activated Treg is performed. A population of 110 patients is enrolled and randomized into either the placebo or treatment group. Eligible patients are assessed for baseline (pre-treatment) clinical values and treated with daily placebo cell therapy administration, or adipose derived, rapamycin activated Treg. Patients are allowed to continue taking current treatment, however medical need for escalation of current (non experimental) treatment leads to exclusion of the patient from the study. Effect evaluation occurs at Weeks 2, 4, 8, and 10 in the form of the ulcerative colitis disease activity index (score 0-12). Patients undergo endoscopy at Baseline, and Week 8 for assessment of inflammation and pathology using the system defined by Geboes. Other observations will include the number of bowel movements, visible blood in stool, abdominal pain, body temperature, pulse rate, haemoglobin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and serum C reactive protein (CRP) level.
Inclusion Criteria:
1. Age 18 years old or greater.
2. Diagnosis of ulcerative colitis for at least 4 months based on endoscopic appearance or radiographic distribution of disease and corroborated with histopathology (especially the absence of granulomata).
3. Ulcerative colitis DAI greater than or equal to 4 and less than or equal to 9.
4. Active ulcerative colitis that is poorly controlled despite concurrent treatment with oral corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressants as defined:—Stable (±5 mg) corticosteroid dose (prednisone<=20 mg/day or equivalent) for at least 14 days prior to Baseline, or maintenance corticosteroid dose (prednisone<=10 mg/day and <20 mg/day or equivalent) for at least 40 days prior to Baseline—At least a 90 day course of azathioprine or 6-MP prior to Baseline, with a dose of azathioprine<=1.5 mg/kg/day or 6-MP<=1 mg/kg/day (rounded to the nearest available tablet formulation), or a dose that is the highest tolerated by the subject (e.g., due to leukopenia, elevated liver enzymes, nausea) during that time. Subject must be on a stable dose for at least 28 days prior to Baseline
Exclusion Criteria
1. History of subtotal colectomy with ileorectostomy or colectomy with ileoanal pouch, Koch pouch, or ileostomy for ulcerative olitis or is planning bowel surgery
2. Received previous treatment with rapamycin or previous participation in an rapamycin clinical study
3. Current diagnosis of fulminant colitis and/or toxic megacolon
4. Subject with disease limited to the rectum (ulcerative proctitis)
5. Current diagnosis of indeterminate colitis
6. Current diagnosis and/or history of Crohn's disease
7. Currently receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN)
Intervention: Adipose tissue is obtained by liposuction from both placebo and treatment groups, under local anesthesia and general sedation. A hollow blunt-tipped canula is introduced into the subcutaneous space through a small incision (<0.5 cm in diameter). With gentle suction, the canula is moved through the adipose abdominal-wall compartment for mechanical disruption of the fatty tissue. A saline solution and the vasoconstrictor epinephrine are injected into the adipose compartment to minimize blood loss. Using this procedure, 80 to 100 ml of raw of lipoaspirate is obtained from each patient.
The raw lipoaspirate is washed extensively with sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; Gibco BRL, Paisley, Scotland, UK) to remove blood cells, saline, and local anesthetic. The extracellular matrix is digested with a solution of Type II collagenase (0.075 percent; Gibco BRL) in balanced salt solution (5 mg/ml; Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) for 30 minutes at 37° C. to release the cellular fraction. Then, the collagenase is inactivated by addition of an equal volume of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM; Gibco BRL), which contained 10 percent fetal bovine serum (FBS; Gibco BRL). The suspension of cells is centrifuged at 250×g for 10 minutes. Cells are resuspended in 0.16 M NH4Cl and allowed to stand for 10 minutes at room temperature (RT) for lysis of erythrocytes. The mixture is then centrifuged at 250×g, and cells are resuspended in DMEM plus 10 percent FBS and 1 percent ampicillin/streptomycin mixture (Gibco, BRL) and then are plated in 100-mm tissue-culture dishes at a concentration of 10 to 15×103 cells/cm2.
G-CSF and FLT-3L are added to the cultures at a concentration of 50 ng/ml in order to activate stem cell function, so in turn to enhance Treg activity.
Cells are cultured for 24 hours at 37° C. in an atmosphere of 5-percent CO2 in air. In contrast to culture of adipose mesenchymal stem cells, in this procedure non-adherent cells are not removed from the culture condition. Cells are subsequently passaged 2 times at a frequency of 3-5 days. During passaging non-adherent cells are gently pipetted off the plate, and adherent cells are trypsinized. Treg cell cells are subsequently purified from the preparation using anti-CD25 MACS beads. A total of approximately 50×106 cells are concentrated in injectable saline with 3% autologous serum and injected intravenously. Patients in the placebo group are injected with saline and 3% autologous serum in order not to bias the patients based on color of the solution being injected.
Outcome: The primary end point of the trial is a positive response as determined by a decrease in the DAI by greater than or equal to 3 points at week 8 that was not accompanied by an increase in dosage of any of the concomitant medications and defined by mucosal healing on endoscopic examination (score of zero on Geboes scaled). Out of 110 patients enrolled, 10 are excluded due to protocol violations. Of 50 patients completing the placebo treatment, the primary end point is reached in 4 patients. Of 50 patients in the treatment group, 45 achieve the primary endpoint.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that these methods, compositions, and cells are and may be adapted to carry out the objects and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The methods, procedures, and devices described herein are presently representative of preferred embodiments and are exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the disclosure. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that varying substitutions and modifications may be made to the invention disclosed herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Those skilled in the art recognize that the aspects and embodiments of the invention set forth herein may be practiced separate from each other or in conjunction with each other. Therefore, combinations of separate embodiments are within the scope of the invention as disclosed herein. All patents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
The invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements, limitation or limitations which is not specifically disclosed herein. Thus, for example, in each instance herein any of the terms “comprising,” “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” may be replaced with either of the other two terms. The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention that in the use of such terms and expressions indicates the exclusion of equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof. It is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention disclosed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the disclosure.
The attached file TregSeqListing_ST25.txt contains the Sequence Listing in text format (ASCII) and is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TregSeqListing_ST25.txt is 1 KB in size and was created on Dec. 18, 2007.
A) REFERENCES
Each of the following references and all references provided herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
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Tissue Eng, 2006. 47. Zenclussen, A. C., Regulatory T cells in pregnancy . Springer Semin Immunopathol, 2006. 28(1): p. 31-9. 48. Frey, O. and R. Brauer, Regulatory T cells: magic bullets for immunotherapy ? Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz), 2006. 54(1): p. 33-43. 49. Fritzsching, B., et al., Naive regulatory T cells: a novel subpopulation defined by resistance towards CD 95 L - mediated cell death . Blood, 2006. 50. Godfrey, W. R., et al., Cord blood CD 4(+) CD 25(+)- derived T regulatory cell lines express FoxP 3 protein and manifest potent suppressor function . Blood, 2005. 105(2): p. 750-8. 51. Takahata, Y., et al., CD 25 +CD 4 + T cells in human cord blood: an immunoregulatory subset with naive phenotype and specific expression of forkhead box p 3 ( Foxp 3) gene . Exp Hematol, 2004. 32(7): p. 622-9. 52. Sakaguchi, S., et al., Foxp 3 CD 25 CD 4 natural regulatory T cells in dominant self - tolerance and autoimmune disease . Immunol Rev, 2006. 212: p. 8-27. 53. Torgerson, T. R., Regulatory T cells in human autoimmune diseases . Springer Semin Immunopathol, 2006. 28(1): p. 63-76. | Disclosed are cells, methods of modulating cells, and therapeutic uses of the cells for the immune modulation of mammals in need thereof. Immune modulation including alteration of cytokine profile, cytotoxic activity, antibody production and inflammatory states is achieved through the administration of various cell types that have been unmanipulated or manipulated in order to endow specific biological activity. Cellular subsets and administration of the subsets in combination with various agents are also provided. One embodiment teaches the previously unknown finding that adipose tissue derived mononuclear cells contain T cells with immune regulatory properties that alone or synergistically with various stem cells induce immune modulation upon administration. Another embodiment is the finding that stimulation of stem cell activation results in stem cell secondary activation of immune modulatory cells, one type which is T regulatory cells (Tregs). One specific embodiment involves extraction of a heterogenous stem cell pool, which contains T regulatory cells, treatment in culture of the population with agents known to stimulate stem cell activation, then subsequent extraction and administration of the purified Tregs. Other embodiments include expansion of Tregs in the presence of antigen in order to generate anti-specific Tregs. | 2 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to communication networks and, more particularly, to network interfaces in communication networks.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Media Gateway Controller (MGC) redundancy concept is employed in present day communication networks. MGC redundancy concept is based on a one-plus-one concept or active-active concept, where both the MGC's are maintained in active state for operation. In cases, wherein one of the MGC fails or may be taken out for maintenance reasons, the other MGC of the pair takes over the control of Media Gateway (MG) served by the failed MGC. The concept is based on static allocation of MG to the MGC of a pair. Each MG has a preliminary link connected to one MGC (primary MGC) and a secondary link connected to another MGC (secondary MGC). During manual maintenance of MGC, MG served by the MGC may be directed to secondary MGC by sending a hand-off request.
[0003] The drawbacks involved in the above mentioned hand-off mechanism is that, if a restart occurs on the MG after the MG is successfully registered with the secondary MGC, the MG tries to connect to the primary MGC instead of secondary MGC. Further, if the maintenance is not yet started on the primary MGC, the primary MGC accepts the connection request from the MG without the knowledge of network operator. As a result, the MG is not served when the MGC goes for maintenance. On the other hand, when there is an internal failure in the processor handling the concerned MG, the connection between the MG and secondary MGC is lost. The MG may again re-register with the primary MGC by sending a service request to establish the connection. But the primary may not be able to serve the MG as it is under maintenance. Due to these problems, all calls running on the concerned MG will be affected. Also, the network operator is not aware that a MG is actually registered to the MGC under maintenance.
[0004] MG and MGC are separated by a long distance, and actions done at the MG side are not known at the MGC level. Data related to all MGs are configured before hand on the MGC. If a new MG is to be serviced by a primary MGC, which is to be under maintenance, the service request sent from the MG is accepted by the primary MGC without the knowledge of the network operator. Because of the above reasons, calls running on the concerned MG are affected and abrupt release of calls takes place. Also, there is no standardization aspect in existing hand-off mechanisms.
SUMMARY
[0005] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a Media Gateway Controller (MGC) in a communication network. The MGC provided with atleast one means for triggering hand-off for a plurality of Media Gateways (MG's) controlled by the MGC, setting a flag for indicating hand-off to the MGs, sending a service change reason and address of a secondary MGC to plurality of the MGs, receiving a reply for the service change reason from atleast one MG, receiving a reply for the service change reason from the secondary MGC and rejecting any service change reason from the MGs after the MGC is not available. The service change reason sent to said MG includes a reason for service change and a property. The service change reason sent to the secondary MGC includes a reason for service change. The MGC is functioning in a geo redundancy environment. The flag is sent to the MG in the form of a property. The MGC communicates with the MGs using H.248 protocol interface.
[0006] Embodiments further disclose a Media Gateway (MG) in a communication network. The MG configured with atleast one means for sending a service change reason to a secondary Media Gateway Controller (MGC) for registration on determining that a primary Media Gateway Controller (MGC) is not available, receiving a reply for the service change reason from the secondary MGC, storing status of a flag received in the service change reason, sending the service change reason to the primary MGC, on receiving an indication from the primary MGC that the primary MGC is back in normal operation and receiving a reply for the service change reason from the primary MGC. The reply for the service change reason includes a method and a property. The flag status is indicated to the MG via a property in the reply for service change.
[0007] Also disclosed herein is a method for hand-off maintenance in a communication network. The network comprising of a primary Media Gateway Controller (MGC), a secondary MGC and plurality of Media Gateways (MGs). The method comprising steps of a primary MGC setting a flag for a plurality of the MGs indicating hand-off mechanism for the MGs, when the primary MGC is not availabl the primary MGC sending a service change reason and address of the secondary MGC to plurality of MGs, the MG sending the service change reason to the secondary MGC, the MGs storing the flag status received in the service change reason, the MGC sending the service change reason to the secondary MGC, the secondary MGC validating the reason and the secondary MGC connecting to the MG for providing service to the MG. The method sends the service change reason to the primary MGC, when the primary MGC is back into normal operation and receives a reply for the service change reason from the primary MGC, when the primary MGC is back into normal operation. The service change reason includes a reason for service change and a property. The primary MGC and the secondary MGC communicate via SIP protocol in a geo redundancy environment. The flag is sent to the MGs in the form of property.
[0008] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0009] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for handling hand-off mechanism, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a media gateway (MG), according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates a media gateway controller (MGC), according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating the process of handling MG after restart, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0014] FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are flow charts depicting the process of handling MG after restart, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating handling of MG during internal processor failure at secondary MGC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting the process of handling MG during internal processor failure at secondary MGC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0017] FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating switch back of MG after maintenance, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and
[0018] FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting switch back of MG after maintenance, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0019] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0020] The embodiments herein disclose a method for hand-off maintenance of Media Gateway Controller by providing systems and methods thereof. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 9 , where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0021] A system and method for handling hand-off mechanism in a Media Gateway controller (MGC) is disclosed. The system employs a method for handling Media Gateways (MG), when the MGC to which the MG is registered is under maintenance. In a geo redundancy environment, a pair of MGC function together to address the functioning of MGs, wherein one of the MGCs is the primary MGC and the other MGC is the secondary MGC. In case of non operational state of a primary MGC, the functionality is taken over by the secondary MGC. All MGs served by the primary MGC are now served by the secondary MGC after sending a hand-off signal. When the primary MGC is under maintenance, a flag is set in the primary MGC for hand off of the MGs served by the primary MGC to the secondary MGC. The primary MGC sends a service change reason to the MGs being served by it. The service change reason message may also provide reason for service change, a property and flag status set in the MGC. The reason for service change may be stated as ‘service change reason’ include messages like ‘service change directed by primary MGC’, ‘maintenance of primary MGC’ and the like. Property may be stated as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’ and may indicate a ‘tag’ such as ‘g/grhandoff’ and a ‘value’ such as ‘true’ or ‘false’ and the like. The primary MGC may further send the reason to the MG, which then sends the reason to the secondary MGC.
[0022] The MG on receiving the service change reason, stores the status of the flag. Further, the MG sends a service change reason message to the secondary MGC to establish connection with the secondary MGC. The MG stores the property in itself for any further use. The secondary MGC on receiving the service change reason message checks for the reason. If the reason is valid, the secondary MGC accepts the service change reason from the MG. The MG is now registered with the secondary MGC. The secondary MGC then handles the requests of the MG without any interaction of the network operator. When the primary MGC is back into normal operation after maintenance, the flag on the primary MGC is reset. Further, any requests from the MGs are directed back to the primary MGC and the primary MGC handles the functioning of the MGs.
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for handling the hand-off mechanism, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The description herein is with reference to Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) network, however does not aim to limit the scope of the embodiments to SIP networks. The system depicts a geo redundancy environment with a SIP network 106 , a primary MGC 101 , a secondary MGC 102 , a plurality of MGs 103 , 104 and 105 . MGs 103 , 104 and 105 are connected to the primary MGC 101 via a primary link and to the secondary MGC 102 via a secondary link.
[0024] The primary MGC 101 contains registration details of all the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 served by the primary MGC 101 . When the primary MGC 101 is under maintenance, all the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 served by the primary MGC 101 are designated to the secondary MGC 102 . When the primary MGC 101 is under maintenance, a flag is set on the primary MGC 101 indicating hand-off of MGs 103 , 104 and 105 to the secondary MGC 102 . Further, any registration requests to the primary MGC 101 are rejected by the primary MGC 101 . The primary MGC 101 then sends a service change reason message to the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 . The service change message may also include status of the flag, a reason and property of the message. The flag indicates if hand-off has occurred or not. The primary MGC 101 also sends the address of the secondary MGC 102 to the MG 103 the MG 103 then sends the service change reason message to the secondary MGC 102 indicating reason for the service change. The reason for service change may be stated as ‘service change reason’ and indicated as ‘MGC directed change in GR’ and the like.
[0025] The secondary MGC 102 takes over the functioning of the primary MGC 101 on either failure or maintenance condition of the primary MGC 101 . The secondary MGC 102 performs the function of checking for the reason in the service change reason message. If the reason is valid, the secondary MGC 102 serves the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 . The secondary MGC 102 also performs the function of sending a manual handoff trigger to the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 when the primary MGC 101 is back in normal operation.
[0026] The MGs 103 , 104 and 105 on receiving the service change reason message store status of the flag. Then, MGs 103 , 104 , and 105 may send a service request message to the secondary MGC 102 for connection. The service request message may include a new reason that indicates hand-off. The reason may be stated as ‘service change reason’ and may be of the form like ‘MGC directed change’ and the like. On receiving the service request message, the secondary MGC 102 validates the reason for service change by checking if hand-off has occurred from the primary MGC 101 . If the reason is valid, then the request is accepted and the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 are served. After maintenance of the primary MGC 101 , the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 are switched back to the primary MGC 101 for service via a manual handoff trigger. The flag on the primary MGC 101 is then reset. The secondary MGC 102 then sends a new property to the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 . The property may be stated as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’ and be of the form ‘grhandoff=false’, after which the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 reset the stored flag. The MGs 103 , 104 and 105 register with the primary MGC 101 by sending a service request message. The primary MGC 101 then resets the flag stored on it for the concerned MG.
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates a media gateway (MG), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The Media Gateway (MG) 103 comprises of a signal converter 201 , a media server 202 , a call agent 203 and a RAM 204 . The MG 103 converts media provided in one type of network to the format required in another type of network. For example, a MG 103 could terminate bearer channels from a switched circuit network (e.g. DSOs) and media streams from a packet network (e.g. RTP streams in an IP network). The MG 103 may be capable of processing audio, video and T.120 alone or in any combination, and may be capable of full duplex media translations. The MG 103 may also play audio/video messages and perform other IVR functions, or may perform media conferencing. Media streaming functions such as echo cancellation, Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF), and tone sender are also located in the MG 103 . The MG 103 is often controlled by a separate Media Gateway Controller, which provides the call control and signaling functionality. Communication between the MG 103 and the Call Agent 203 is achieved by means of protocols such as the Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) or Megaco (H.248) or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). The MGs used in SIP networks are often stand-alone units with their own call and signaling control units integrated and can function as independent, intelligent SIP end-points.
[0028] The signal converter 201 handles all the signals received by the MG 103 and performs conversion on the signals if required. In an example, the signal converter 201 may convert received switched circuit signals to packet switched signals and so on. Any signal received may be converted into the required format at the output. The signal converter 201 interfaces with the media server 202 and the call agent 203 within the MG 103 . When hand-off is triggered, signal converter 201 is informed by the call agent 203 that it has to communicate with the secondary MCG 102 . The signal converter 201 receives signals from the secondary MGC 102 and processes the signals accordingly.
[0029] The media server 202 handles the functioning of components in the MG 103 . The media server 202 maintains a record of the functions to be performed on the data received by the MG 103 . The media server 202 may be configured with set of instructions to be performed when the MG 103 is handed off. Depending on the instructions record on the media server 202 , the media server may issue signals for the functioning of other units of the MG 103 . The media server 202 is interfaced with a Random Access Memory unit (RAM) 204 . The RAM 204 stores any data required for processing of the signals. The MG 103 may be configured for specific applications by storing specific sets of instructions in the RAM 204 . RAM 204 may be configured to store the status of the flags sent to MG 103 by the primary MGC 101 . In addition, RAM 204 may also store the reason and property sent to the MG 103 in the service change reason.
[0030] The call agent 203 is responsible for handling all the call processing functions within the MG 103 . The call agent 203 also handles user specific functions and applications. When the MG 103 is handed off by the primary MGC 101 , the call agent is informed of the hand-off. The call agent 203 takes care that all the further service requests of MG 103 is sent to the secondary MGC 102 . In case the user makes any changes in the property of the service message, the call agent 203 takes care of its implementation.
[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates a media gateway controller (MGC), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The media gateway controller (MGC) 101 comprises of a call agent 301 , a mini browser adapter 302 , an element management system 303 , a bulk data management system 304 and a server 305 . The call agent 301 is concerned with handling specific services to the users. The call agent 301 handles switching logic and call control for all sites including the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 controlled by the primary MGC 101 . The MGC 101 includes both centralized configuration and maintenance of call control functionality. When new functionality needs to be added, only the MGC 101 needs to be updated. The call agent 301 is the logic responsible for registration and management of resources at the MG 103 and is responsible for functions such as billing and routing. In Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) networks, the Call Agent 301 registers and proxies for all endpoints in a domain, including phones as well as MGs 103 , 104 and 105 . When the MG 103 is triggered hand-off, call agent 301 takes up the responsibility of sending control signals to all the units of the MGC 101 to stop accepting any further service requests from the MG 103 .
[0032] The mini browser adapter 302 performs the function of retrieving, presenting and traversing information across the network. Any information required during hand-off process is fetched by the mini browser adapter 302 . Mini browser adapter 302 accesses information provided by the server 305 . Mini browser adapter 302 provides connections to links fetched from the server 305 . When a link is clicked, browser navigates to the resource indicated by the link's target Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), and process of bringing content to the user begins. During the call handling sessions any information which is to be accessed from the server 305 is fetched by the mini browser adapter 302 .
[0033] Element management system 303 comprises of systems and applications concerned with managing network elements on the network element management layer. Key functionality of the element management system 303 is fault detection, configuration of the components, accounting, performance management and providing security. The element management system 303 takes care of any faults if occurred after hand-off is triggered i.e., it takes care that hand-off signal is sent to the MG 103 and no further service requests are accepted by the primary MGC 101 .
[0034] Bulk data management system 304 handles large bulks of data stored in the MGC 101 . Since MGC 101 stores information related to all the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 under its control, data associated with the MGC 101 is relatively bulky. In order to handle such large volumes of data, bulk data management system 304 is employed in the MGC 101 . Data related to service requests such as the reason, property the status of the flags and the like are maintained in the bulk data management system 304 . The server 305 functions according to the controlling logic provided by the MGC 101 . During hand-off, the server 305 is informed to issue signals such that the control is transferred to the secondary MGC 102 for providing service. The server 305 accepts any service change reasons transferred from the mini browser adapter 303 and processes the requests accordingly.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the process of handling MG after restart, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC 101 is under maintenance, hand-off is triggered on the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 handled by the primary MGC 101 . A flag ‘X’ is maintained for MGs 103 , 104 , and 105 in the primary MGC 101 to indicate the hand-off trigger. While triggering hand-off for each MG 103 , 104 and 105 , a new flag ‘Y’ is sent from the primary MGC 101 to MGs 103 , 103 and 105 . Flag ‘Y’ that indicates ‘g/grhandoff=true’ may be sent in a generic package ‘g’. Also, a new service change reason ‘MGC directed change in GR’ may be provided and sent to the MGs 103 , 104 and 105 with a method and tag as ‘handoff’. The secondary MCG 102 shall always accept registration requests if the service change reason specified is ‘MGC directed change in GR’.
[0036] Consider a case, wherein hand-off is triggered ( 401 ) for the MG 103 by the operator 410 . When hand-off is triggered, flag ‘X’ is set on the primary MGC 101 indicating that the primary MGC 101 will no longer service the MG 103 . The primary MGC 101 then sends ( 402 ) a service change reason to the MG 103 . The service change reason may also include method ‘handoff’ that indicates that hand-off has occurred, a reason stated as ‘service change reason’ may be of the form ‘MGC directed change in GR’ and a flag ‘Z’ for indicating MGC directed change. The service change reason also includes a property stated as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’ and may be of the form ‘g/grhandoff=true’, where value ‘true’ indicates that hand-off is taken place in a geo redundancy environment and instructs the MG 103 to perform actions required accordingly. A flag ‘Y’ is sent to the MG 103 to indicate the property. Once the MG 103 receives the service change reason, the MG 103 stores the status of all the flags on it. MG 103 makes a check for the property ‘true’ so as to verify the hand-off. On the property being true, the MG 103 sends ( 403 ) a reply in the form of an acknowledgment to the service request. Further, the MG 103 sends ( 404 ) a service change reason to the secondary MGC 102 requesting the secondary MGC 102 for providing service to the MG 103 . The service change reason may also include a method indicating that hand-off has occurred with a reason stated as ‘service change reason’ and be of the form ‘MGC directed change in GR’. The reason may be indicated by the status of ‘Z’ flag. The secondary MGC 102 on receiving the service change reason validates the status of the flag by checking for the reason. The secondary MGC 102 then sends ( 405 ) a reply in the form of an acknowledgment to the MG 103 for the service change reason.
[0037] If a restart occurs at the MG 103 at this stage, the MG 103 is configured in such a way that the service change reason after restart is sent to the secondary MGC 102 . Restart may occur due to several reasons such as the battery going off, loss of connectivity, lack of network coverage and the like. The service change reason is sent ( 406 ) to the primary MGC 101 . The service change reason may include a method ‘restart’ indicating restart has taken place, and a reason such as ‘cold boot’ to indicate that the system failed due to cold boot. Also, ‘Z’ flag on the MG 103 may be lost due to restart process. The primary MGC 101 on receiving the service change reason rejects the request for service, as the primary MGC 101 is under maintenance. The primary MGC 101 sends ( 407 ) an error response message to the MG 103 . The message may be of the form ‘g/grhandoff=true’ indicating the property is true and also includes ‘MGCldToTry’ indication message. On receiving the error message the MG 103 sends ( 408 ) a service change reason to the secondary MGC 102 . The service change reason indicates method as ‘failover’ and reason as ‘MGC directed change in GR’ with flag ‘Z’ set. The MG 103 then sends ( 409 ) a reply for service change to the secondary MCG 102 . The secondary MGC 102 accepts the registration by validating the ‘Z’ flag and serves the MG 103 .
[0038] FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting the process of handling MG after restart, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC 101 is under maintenance, the operator 410 triggers ( 510 ) hand-off for MGs 103 served by the primary MGC 101 . A flag ‘X’ is set on the primary MGC 101 indicating hand-off for the MG 103 . The primary MGC 101 sends ( 502 ) a service change reason and property to the MG 103 . The reason may be stated as ‘service change reason’ and of the form ‘MGC directed service change’ and so on. The MG 103 on receiving the service change reason message stores the property in the form of a flag ‘Y’ on it. The MG 103 then sends ( 503 ) a reply in the form of service change reason to the primary MGC 101 . The MG 103 sends ( 504 ) a service request to the secondary MGC 102 with a reason for the service change. The service change reason may provide a method stating ‘handoff’ to indicate that hand-off has occurred on the primary MGC 101 due to which the secondary MGC 102 is requested for service and a reason stating ‘service change reason’ that hand-off is directed by primary MGC. The secondary MGC 102 checks for the validity of the message and then sends ( 505 ) a reply in the form of an acknowledgment. Further, a restart may occur ( 506 ) on the MG 103 . After the restart, a check ( 507 ) is made if the service request is sent to the primary MGC 101 . In case request is sent to the primary MGC 101 , a service error message is sent ( 508 ) from the primary MGC 101 to the MG 103 . On the other hand, if the service request is sent to the secondary MGC 102 , the secondary MGC 102 accepts the request and serves the MG 103 . The MG 103 then sends ( 509 ) a service change reason to the secondary MGC 102 . The secondary MGC 102 sends ( 510 ) a reply for the service request to the MG 103 and the MG 103 is served by the secondary MGC 102 . The various actions in method 500 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 5 may be omitted.
[0039] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating handling of MG during internal processor failure at secondary MGC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The embodiments here deal with handling the MG 103 during failure of internal processor. The operator 410 triggers ( 601 ) hand-off for MG 103 when the primary MGC 101 is under maintenance. The primary MGC 101 sends ( 602 ) a service change reason to the MG 103 indicating hand-off. The service change reason may include details such as method ‘handoff’ and a reason as ‘MGC directed change in GR’ and a property ‘g/grhandoff=true’. The reason may be stated as ‘service change reason’ and property as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’. The reason indicates that the service is directed by the primary MGC 101 as it is under maintenance and property indicates that flag ‘Y’ is set. The MG 103 sends ( 603 ) reply for service change to the primary MGC 101 . The MG 103 sends ( 604 ) service change reason to the secondary MGC 102 . The service change reason is sent with details such as method and reason for hand off. The reason is indicated by setting a flag ‘Z’. The secondary MGC 102 sends ( 605 ) reply for service change reason to the MG 103 .
[0040] An internal failure occurs on the secondary MGC 102 triggering heartbeat failure with the MG 103 . The MG 103 checks the stored flag ‘Y’ and sends ( 606 ) the service request to the secondary MGC 102 . The service change reason may include a method and a reason for service change. The method ‘disconnected’ indicates there is an internal failure in the MG 103 and once the MGC 101 recovers, the MG 103 sends service request to the secondary MGC 102 . The reason indicates the change is directed by the primary MGC 101 , this is also indicated by flag ‘Z’. The secondary MGC 102 checks for the status of the flag ‘Z’, which indicates if the hand-off trigger is released and further accepts ( 607 ) the request from the MG 103 . The secondary MGC 102 then serves the MG 103 until the primary MGC 101 is put back into operation.
[0041] FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting the process of handling MG during internal processor failure at secondary MGC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC 101 is under maintenance, operator triggers ( 701 ) the MG 103 . Operator sends a message to the primary MGC 102 indicating trigger of the MG 103 . The primary MGC 102 sends ( 702 ) service change reason to the MG 103 with a reason. The reason may be of the form ‘MGC directed change in GR’ that indicates the change is directed by the primary MGC, which is under maintenance. A flag ‘Z’ is set to indicate the reason such as handoff triggered and flag ‘Y’ is set to indicate the property. The MG 102 sends ( 703 ) reply to the service change reason received from the MG 102 . The MG further sends ( 704 ) service change reason to the secondary MGC 102 with the reason. On receiving the service change reason, the secondary MGC 102 sends ( 705 ) reply to service change reason.
[0042] A check ( 706 ) is made if internal failure of the processor has occurred at the secondary MGC 102 . When the MG 103 recovers back after internal failure, the MG 103 resends ( 707 ) service request to the secondary MGC 102 . The service change reason may include a method and a reason for the service change. The method ‘disconnected’ indicates there is an internal failure in the MG 103 and once the MG 103 recovers, MG 103 sends service request to the secondary MGC 102 . Reason indicates the change is directed by the primary MGC 10 . In addition, directed change is also indicated by the flag ‘Z’. The secondary MGC 102 sends ( 708 ) reply to service change reason message. The secondary MGC 102 checks for the status of the flag ‘Z’. Flag ‘Z’ indicates if hand-off is still triggered and further accepts ( 709 ) the request from the MG 103 . Secondary MGC 102 then serves MG 103 until the primary MGC 101 is put back into operation. The various actions in method 700 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 7 may be omitted.
[0043] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating switch back of MG after maintenance, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC 101 gets back after maintenance, the function of servicing the MG 103 is switched back to the primary MGC 101 . The hand-off triggered for the MG 103 is released and the flag in the primary MGC 101 (i.e., flag ‘X’) is reset. The operator sends ( 801 ) a hand-off release signal to the secondary MGC 102 , indicating the primary MGC 101 can now handle the functionality of MG 103 . The secondary MGC 102 sends ( 802 ) a service change reason to the MG 103 . Service change reason may include a method and a reason. Method indicates ‘handoff and reason indicates ‘g/grhandoff=false’ i.e., flag ‘Y’ is reset. The MG 103 then sends ( 803 ) a reply to service change reason to the secondary MGC 103 . While sending the reply for service change the flag ‘Y’ shall be reset. Since flag ‘Y’ is reset, the MG 103 shall know that it has to contact the primary MGC 101 for service. The MG 103 then sends ( 804 ) service change reason to the primary MGC 101 stated as ‘service change reason’ and a property stated as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’. Method specifies ‘handoff’ and reason specifies ‘g/grhandoff=false’. Primary MGC 101 on receiving the service request validates the request for the status of flag ‘Y’ and stored the property. Primary MG 101 sends ( 805 ) reply for the service change to the MG 103 . Further, flag ‘X’ within the primary MGC 101 shall be reset for the MG 103 .
[0044] FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting switch back of MG after maintenance, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. When the primary MGC 101 is back after maintenance, handoff trigger is released. Operator sends ( 901 ) a release of handoff trigger to the secondary MGC 102 , indicating the secondary MGC 102 is ready for service of the MG 103 . Secondary MGC 102 sends ( 902 ) service change reason to the MG 101 . The service change reason is provided with a reason and property as ‘new property in any existing H.248 package’ for service change. The MG 103 stores the property on it. The MG 103 sends ( 903 ) reply for service change reason. Further, flag ‘Y’ stored within the primary MGC 101 may be reset. Once the flag ‘Y’ is reset, the MG 103 infers that the primary MGC 101 is back to normal operation and service change reason is to be sent to the primary MGC 101 . MG 103 sends ( 904 ) service change reason to the primary MGC 102 . Service change reason is sent along with reason and method. The primary MGC 101 on receiving service change reason sends ( 905 ) reply for the service change to the MG 103 . Further, flag ‘X’ within primary MGC 101 will be reset for MG 103 . The various actions in method 900 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 9 may be omitted.
[0045] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The network elements shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , and 3 include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.
[0046] The embodiment disclosed herein specifies a system for handling hand-off mechanism in a geo redundancy environment. The mechanism allows implementing hand-off mechanism by providing a system thereof. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The hardware device can be any kind of device which can be programmed including e.g. any kind of computer like a server or a personal computer, or the like, or any combination thereof, e.g. one processor and two FPGAs. The device may also include means which could be e.g. hardware means like e.g. an ASIC, or a combination of hardware and software means, e.g. an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented in pure hardware or partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g. using a plurality of CPUs.
[0047] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims as described herein. | A system and method for hand-off maintenance is disclosed. The present invention relates to communication networks and particularly, to network interfaces in communication networks. In existing hand-off mechanisms, when a restart occurs in a Media Gateway, the Media Gateway always tries to register back to the primary Media Gateway Controller, which is under maintenance. As the primary Media Gateway Controller cannot address the request, calls running on the Media Gateway will be affected leading to abrupt release of calls. The method provides a solution to the problem by rejecting service requests from the Media Gateway that are already handed off at the Media Gateway. Further, at Media Gateway level not to register requests to the primary Media Gateway Controller, when a primary Media Gateway Controller is under maintenance. When the primary Media Gateway Controller is under maintenance, requests are directed to the secondary Media Gateway Controller. The secondary Media Gateway Controller then serves the requests to the Media Gateway until the primary Media Gateway Controller is back to operation. | 7 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application contains subject matter related to subject matter disclosed in U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 388,133, filed on this date and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention. Claims directed to the embodiment of FIG. 3 are contained in one application in the names of one inventive entity, while claims directed specifically to the embodiment of FIG. 4 in the names of another inventive entity are contained in the other related application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus for interfacing a speaker phone with a telephone network to permit hands-free automatic answering and communication. More particularly, this invention relates to such an apparatus for providing an automatic answering capability for the hands-free feature to interconnect, upon actuation of a selector switch, an incoming telephone call to a speaker phone. The invention also relates to such an apparatus which includes a timer for controlling the length of time of such interconnection and a bypass switch for bypassing the timer.
It is known in the art to provide a hands-free answer capability which enables a telephone subscriber to answer an incoming call without physical manipulation of the telephone handset. Examples of such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,967 which discloses a telephone system which includes an automatic answering provision with a hands-free feature, wherein the incoming call activates a speaker phone, or combination loudspeaker and microphone, and wherein termination of the call is under control of a timer. Another such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,047 which discloses such a telephone system with a multilink hands-free answer circuit while U.S. Pat. No. 3,743,791 discloses a voice actuated answering system.
In the main, systems of the prior art have been directed to the telephone communication side of the system and it is feature of this invention to provide a device which can be used on or in connection with a private telephone line or switchboard extension with a telephone speaker phone. Such total hands-free answering and conversational capability is particularly advantageous for the physically handicapped or for an outpatient during a period of convalescence to respond to an inquiry from trained hospital personnel using a system such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,344. Furthermore, hands-free conversation is advantageous for persons whose activities make handling a telephone difficult or dangerous. Such individuals include those having wet or soiled hands, such as an employee of a laundry, cooks, hairdressers, automobile mechanics or those people whose tasks require the use of both hands as a part of the work task or who have limited movement in a particular area, such as a secretary, laboratory technician or the like. Thus, it is an overall objective of this invention to provide a simplified, portable, readily connectable, automatic answering service for automatically interconnecting incoming telephone calls with a speaker phone to permit two-way communication by the recipient with the use of a minimum amount of circuitry and with a simple connection. Moreover, it is an aspect of the invention to provide such a feature as a modular package capable of being moved to various telephone jack locations throughout a particular installation, thus minimizing the capital expenditure of the user while maximizing the versatility of the unit.
Still further, it is desired to provide such a system with a minimum of component parts in a way which is safe, reliable, and low in cost while high in convenience.
These and other objectives of this invention will become apparent from a review of the written description of the invention which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying claims and drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Directed to achieving the aforestated objects of the invention and overcoming the problems of the prior art, this invention relates to an apparatus for interfacing a two-way speaker device with a telephone network. The apparatus includes a source of power for the interfacing apparatus, such as by the use of a transformer connected to a wall outlet in a home. Selective switch means are provided for selectively connecting, when actuated, the interfacing apparatus with the telephone network to permit telephone operation in either a conventional manner or in an automatic answering mode. When in the automatic answering mode, a coupler is provided for automatically coupling the telephone network to the speaker device to receive incoming telephone calls on the speaker device when the selector switch is actuated. Two embodiments of the interfacer are disclosed.
The first embodiment of the interfacer includes an optically coupled circuit for coupling the telephone ringing circuit in a manner which discharges a charging capacitor to a predetermined signal level. Means are responsive to the discharge of the capacitor to a predetermined signal level to connect the speaker phone to the telephone lines automatically in a hands-free manner in response to the telephone ringing signal. Preferably, such an optocoupler includes a blocking capacitor at the input thereof for blocking DC components of the ringing signal from the optocoupler to permit cycling of the discharge of the charging capacitor.
A timer is connected in circuit with the output of the optocoupler for limiting the time duration during which the telephone network is coupled to the speaker phone. A reset switch is provided in cooperation with the timer for canceling the predetermined time cycle in the timer upon command. In the alternative, the timer can be bypassed by operating a selector switch so that the coupling is extended until that switch is again actuated.
In the alternative embodiment, the ringing signal is provided to a neon lamp optically coupled with a photocell having a resistance inversely proportional to the amount of light incident on the cell. As the light increases and the resistance of the photocell decreases, the current through a photocell relay increases to latch contacts to couple the speaker phone to the telephone line. A timing and extension feature as in the previous embodiment are also provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a pictorial illustration of the portable components of the apparatus according to the invention for providing an automatic telephone answering capability through a speaker phone for an incoming telephone call;
FIG. 2 is block diagram showing the essential components for providing the various modes of operation of the alternative embodiments;
FIG. 3 is a detailed circuit and wiring diagram for the electronic embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention; and
FIG. 4 is a detailed circuit diagram of an alternative, electromechanical embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A pictorial illustration of the components of the portable hands-free telephonic interfacing system according to the invention, designated generally by the reference numeral 10, is shown in FIG. 1. The system includes a conventional telephone handset 12 connected by the telephone conductor 13 through a modular plug 14 to a modular T-adapter 16 secured to a telephone wall jack 18 in a conventional manner. The incoming telephone lines are connected to the wall jack 18 to receive and transmit telephone calls through the available telephone network. The operation of such a conventional telephone system is well known in the art.
A two-way speaker phone unit 20 is provided to permit hands-free speaking and listening communication with the telephone network when interconnected according to the invention with an interfacer device 22 according to the invention. As is well known, a two-way speaker phone includes at least a microphone, for conveying the voice signals of the call recipient, and a loudspeaker, for transmitting the voice signals of the initiating caller. The interfacer device 22 operates, when actuated, to answer an incoming call automatically and to switch the incoming call to the speaker phone unit 20 so that a two-way conversation may proceed. The interfacer device 22 includes a timing means which has the capability of turning off the speaker-phone unit at the end of an adjustable preset interval to terminate the telephone conversation. The interfacer device 22 also includes means to override the timing means to extend the call by actuating an extend switch 24 on the panel of the device 22. A light indicator 25 is also provided on the panel of the interfacer 22 to indicate the state of actuation of the extend switch, so that the user knows whether the call will be of a fixed or indeterminate length of time.
The device also includes means for switching the device into and out of circuit with the telephone line by actuating a switch 28 on the face of the panel. The switch 28, with an associated indicator 29, permits either regular operation of the telephone system or automatic operation commanding the use of the speaker phone 20 for the predetermined or extended times mentioned above. When the switch 28 is in its regular position, the incoming call is answered in a normal manner by uncradling the handset of the telephone 12.
A call indicator 30 is also provided on the panel to indicate visually the presence of an incoming call.
The speaker phone 20 is connected by a conductor 32 to a modular plug 34 (for example, a Model No. RJ 11C connector) in turn connected to a modular in-line connector 35. Similarly, the interfacer device 22 is connected by a conductor 37 to a modular plug 38 (for example, also a Model No. RJ 11C). The telephone lines are connected to the interfacer unit 22 by telephone conductors 39 connected to the telephone system through the telephone wall jack 18, the modular T-adapter 16 and the modular plug 40. Power is provided to the interfacer device 22 through a transformer 42 connected to a local source of power (not shown), which provides an output on the order of 6 to 12 volts DC, connected by a power cord 43 and a plug jack connector 44.
The modular nature of the system shown in FIG. 1 and its capability of simple connection to an existing telephone system through an available wall jack permits such systems to be temporarily installed, at a particular location, if desirable. For example, such a system can be used during a period of convalescence of an outpatient to receive on a hands-free basis incoming calls from medical personnel periodically inquiring on the status of the condition of the patient. In a business environment, as another example, the system can be quickly installed at conference or meeting sites to permit participants to receive incoming calls automatically with a minimum of interruption and permit hands-free communication. Even for permanent installation, the simple connections of FIG. 1 reduce installation cost and inconvenience, among other advantages.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the components of the system.
As can be understood from FIG. 2, the interfacer 22 couples the incoming telephone lines 46 and hence the incoming call to a speaker phone 20 permitting hands-free two-way communication depending on the regular or automatic position of the interfacer selector switch 28. When in the regular position, the incoming call is routed on line 47 to the telephone 12 in a conventional manner. When the switch 28 is in the automatic position, the incoming call, which is answered automatically, is either limited for a predetermined duration by a timer 48 or the timer may be bypassed so that the time of the incoming call is extended by an extension circuit 49.
A preferred embodiment of this invention is directed to an electronic system which comprises the interfacer device 22. In the related application, the device includes an electromechanical system for achieving the features of the invention.
A circuit and wiring diagram of the electronic embodiment of the interfacer device 22 is shown in FIG. 3. Where appropriate, the same reference numerals are used for like components shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The telephone line 39 is connected to the input leads 39a and 39b, which at the output of the device are connected to the speaker phone 20. The transformer conductor 43 is connected to the leads 43a and 43b to provide power to the input of the interfacer device 22. The telephone line 39a and the transformer line 43a are connected to the input terminals of the switch 28 for commanding either regular or automatic operation, with the switch 28 shown in its regular operation position.
An optocoupler 60 has its input in circuit with the telephone lines 39a and 39b, and its output in circuit with the input of the timer circuit 48, the function of which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
When the transformer 42 is in circuit with its input power line, such as when it is plugged in, the transformed output power is provided on lead 43a to an input at the 8-pin of the timer circuit 48 directly through lead 62 and through its associated components. Specifically, the 2-pin of the timer 48 is connected to the connection between a resistor 63 and a charging capacitor 64, which connection is also connected through a fixed resistor 65 and a variable resistor 66 to an output of the optocoupler 60. Both the 6-pin and the 7-pin of the timer 48 are connected to the connection between a capacitor 67 and series-connected fixed resistor 68 and variable timing resistor 69. The series circuit of the resistor 63 and the charging capacitor 64 is connected between the conductor 43a and the grounded lead 43b, while the series circuit of the resistor 68, variable resistor 69, and capacitor 67 is similarly connected between these same two lines. The 1-pin of the timer 61 is directly connected to the grounded lead 43b. The 4-pin output of the timer is connected to the junction between a fixed resistor 70 and a hang-up switch 71, the series combination of which is connected between the leads 43a and 43b. The 3-pin output of the timer 48 is connected to a diode 72.
With power thus applied to the timer 48, the charging capacitor 64 begins to charge through the resistor 63 and initially triggers the timer to provide an output signal through the diode 72 to the coil 73a of a relay 73 having its contactor 73b connected in series in the telephone line 39a. At the same time, that output signal actuates an indicator 74, such as a light, through a resistor 75, showing that the unit is on power.
With the switch 28 in its automatic position, the indicator 77 (for example, a light) is lighted through the resistor 78 and lead 79 to indicate that the speaker phone 33 is coupled to the telephone line, when the switch 28 is in its automatic position.
The hang-up switch 71 acts to reset the timer and release the relay contactor 73b by effectively connecting, when closed, the 4-pin of the timer 48 to ground.
When the interfacer device is in its automatic mode, with the switch 28 in its automatic position, the indicator 77 is on, and the optocoupler 60 is connected to the telephone lines 39a and 39b through the input leads 80 and 81. The lead 80 is connected to the 2-pin of the optocoupler 60 through a blocking capacitor 82 while the lead 81 is connected to the 1-pin of the optocoupler 60 through the resistor 83. A diode 84 is connected between the 1- and 2-input pins of the optocoupler 60 at the output sides of the resistor 83 and capacitor 82. When the telephone lines 39a and 39b are inactive, a DC voltage appears across them which is blocked by the capacitor 82 from triggering the optocoupler 60.
When an AC ringing voltage appears across the telephone lines 39a and 39b in the conventional manner, the diode 84 shunts the negative voltage away from the light emitting diode (LED) included in the optocoupler 60 and the capacitor 82 and the resistor 83 effectively limit the current through the LED.
The ringing voltage necessary to trigger the optocoupler 60 is approximated by the identity:
V.sub.R =796/f.sub.R +39.2 (1)
where:
V R is the ringing voltage, and
f R is the frequency of the AC signal.
When the ringing voltage actuates the optocoupler 60, the charging capacitor 64 begins to discharge through the resistors 65 and 66 to the 5-pin of the optocoupler 60 and from its 4-pin to the grounded lead 43b through line 87. When the ringing ceases, the charging capacitor 64 begins to recharge through the resistor 63. The charge and discharge cycling thus causes a delay in actuation of the timer 48. The period of delay before the timer 48 is triggered is controlled by the variable resistor 69.
When the cycling discharge of the charging capacitor 64 causes it to reach a voltage level sufficiently low at the 2-pin to trigger the timer 48, the coil 73a of the relay is actuated and the indicator 74 is actuated. At the same time, the charging capacitor 67 begins to recharge through the resistors 68 and 69. Adjustment of the variable resistor for the embodiment shown will permit up to about 82 seconds to complete the conversation on the speaker phone 33, unless the timer 48 is reset by actuating the hang-up switch as previously described.
If desired, the period of conversation may be extended indefinitely by actuating the extend switch 24 connected in series with the oppositely-poled diodes 90 and 91 between the lead 79 and the ground lead 43B. When closed, the switch 24 also actuates the indicator 92 connected through the resistor 93 to the junction between the switch 24 and the diode 90. When the extend switch 24 is actuated, the transformed power on the line 79 is provided directly to the coil 73a to hold the relay contactor 73b closed while bypassing the timer circuit. And, the extend switch is only operative to bypass the timer when the switch 28 is in its automatic position.
As thus described, the interfacer device according to the invention permits the following modes of operation when interfacing a conventional telephone network with a two-way speaker phone:
(1) Regular operation by the telephone network without connection of the speaker phone, when the selector switch is in its regular position.
(2) Automatic connection of a two speaker phone permitting hands-free communication through the speaker phone when the selector switch is in its automatic position to answer incoming calls.
(3) Termination of such calls at the end of an adjustable predetermined time.
(4) When in the automatic position, bypassing the timing circuit to permit extended conversation by closure of an extend switch.
(5) Manual cancellation of the timed conversation by actuation of a hang-up switch to reset the timing circuit.
The following components and values are capable of implementing the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3:
Resistor 83: 75K
Diode 84: 1N914
Capacitor 82: 0.1 μf, 200 V.
Optocoupler 60: 4N46 IC
Resistor 66: 5K
Resistor 65: 1K
Capacitor 64: 47 μf
Capacitor 67: 15 μf
Resistor 63: 75K
Resistor 68: 1K
Resistor 69: 5M
Timer 61: 555 ICC
Resistor 70: 1K
Diode 72: 1N4001
Diode 90: 1N4001
Diode 91: 1N4001
Resistor 93: 220Ω
Resistor 75: 220Ω
Resistor 78: 200Ω
FIG. 4 is an embodiment for practicing the invention by using electromechanical techniques. Where appropriate, like reference numerals have been included to identify like components.
In FIG. 4, a source of power is provided to input terminals 43a' and 43b' from a source such as a transformer 42 in FIGS. 1-3. A switch 28 includes a leg in circuit with the telephone lines 39b and 39a respectively as in FIG. 3. A series connected coupling circuit is provided between the telephone lines 39a and 39b for optically coupling a high brightness neon light 101 in circuit with a fixed resistor 102, a capacitor 103, and a variable resistor 104 to a photocell 106. With the unit in the automatic mode when the switch 28 is in its automatic position and the timer switch 24 is in its timed position, the light 77 is illuminated and the interfacer 22 is ready to accept the call.
As an incoming call generates an analog sequence on the telephone lines 39, the AC ringing voltage appears which is fed to the neon lamp 101 through the series circuit shown. The light produced by the neon lamp 101 is aimed at and optically coupled with the photocell 106 having a resistance which is inversely proportional to the amount of light present. The potentiometer 104 is used to vary the charge and discharge time of the capacitor 103, thus to vary the period of lighting of the neon light 106 for each ring.
As the resistance of the photocell 106 decreases, the current flowing through a photocell relay 108 connected in series therewith between the leads 43a' and 43b' increases. When the threshold of operation of the photocell relay 108 is reached, its contacts 108a pull in, latching itself to couple the speaker phone to the telephone lines. It can be seen that the contactor 108a is in an operative circuit with the photocell relay coil 108 in circuit with the telephone line 39a as well as with the hang-up switch 110 and the timed delay relay coil 112. At the time that the contact 108a is closed, power is supplied to the indicator 77 and the timed delay 112 now begins its timing cycle.
After a predetermined period of a time, contacts on the contactor 112a controlled by the time delay relay 112 open according to the timed potentiometer in the timed relay 112. After the timing period, power is removed from the photocell relay and the unit returns to the automatic mode. If desired, the timing period may be shortened by depressing the hang-up switch 110 and it is also possible to extend the length of the conversation indefinitely by placing the switch 24 in the extend position. When so positioned, power is supplied to the photocell relay through the diodes 116 and 118 to thus actuate the indicator 92.
Components suitable for practicing this embodiment are as follows:
Neon lamp 101: NE51H
Resistor 102: 33K
Capacitor 103: 1 μf, 200 V.
Resistor 104: 10K
Didode 116: IN4001
Diode 118: IN4001
Resistor 122: 470Ω
Resistor 123: 470Ω
Resistor 124: 470Ω
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of the equivalents of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. | An apparatus for interfacing a speaker phone with a telephone network includes switch means for selectively connecting said interfacing apparatus with a telephone network to permit either conventional or automatic answering. A coupler, responsive to ringing signals on the telephone lines discharges a charging capacitor to a level sufficient to cause the automatic, hands-free interconnection of the speaker phone with the telephone line. In one embodiment, a timer is provided for limiting the length of time during which the speaker phone is coupled to the telephone line. A reset switch is provided in cooperation with the timer to permit the timing cycle to be reset upon command, thereby to shorten the time of connection if desired. The system operates in either a timed or extended mode. To bypass the timer and indefinitely extend the time during which the answered call is coupled between the telephone lines and the speaker phone, an extend switch is also provided to override the timer. In an alternative embodiment, the ringing voltage on the telephone line is optically coupled to an electromechanical circuit controlled by a photocell. | 7 |
CROSS REFERENCE
[0001] This application is a continuation in part and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/343,959, filed on Jan. 31, 2006, entitled “TRANSMISSION SENSOR WITH OVERMOLDING AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME,” and 11/358,603, filed on Feb. 21, 2006, entitled “TRANSMISSION SENSOR WITH OVERMOLDING AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME,” and those applications are hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The technical field relates to sensors for use in an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle, for example, and in particular, but not exclusively, to threaded transmission sensors for measuring the rotational speed of an input shaft or an output shaft.
BACKGROUND
[0003] With the advance of improved controls for automatic transmission operation, the use of various electrical actuators and sensors has expanded greatly. Therefore, automotive electrical components such as transmission speed sensors have become high volume components within the automotive industry. Because such parts may experience failure within the operating life of the automobile, many of these components are offered through the aftermarket industry. Failure rates are generally affected by the type of part and the design. For example, the electromagnetic phenomenon of variable reluctance is commonly utilized in speed sensors. Typically, in such a sensor, a permanent magnet coupled with a wound coil is located in close proximity to a ferrous rotating member with teeth. As the magnetic field couples and decouples with each tooth on the member, an electrical signal is generated that varies in frequency depending on the angular speed of the member. Generally, this signal is remotely processed by a controller along with other inputs such as engine load, for controlling shifting of the transmission. U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,401 describes one example of such an automatic transmission control scheme. Variable reluctance sensors are often used in these applications because of the reliability of the signal that they output (i.e., low signal noise). However, such transmission sensors, including threaded speed sensors, may become inoperative because of various failure modes. This can occur even prior to damage or decay to the external covering of the sensor. The present invention addresses these and other problems associated with prior art sensors.
[0004] One example of such a sensor is the output speed sensor (P/N 0400879) used in several Chrysler transmissions including the A604. This prior art sensor 39 is shown in an exploded view in FIG. 35 . Sensor 39 includes shell 40 having threads 41 , stopping flange 42 , and tip 46 . Sensor 39 further includes bobbin assembly 50 having magnet 54 , pole piece 53 , wound copper wire 52 , bobbin 51 , and pins 55 . Sensor 39 is assembled as follows. Shell 40 is independently formed as a single piece using injection molding. Wire 52 is wound on bobbin 51 and the ends of wire 52 are soldered to pins 55 . Pole piece 53 is inserted into the bobbin assembly 50 and magnet 54 is placed at the end of pole piece 53 . Bobbin assembly 50 is then advanced into shell 40 in the direction indicated by arrow I so that magnet 54 pole piece 53 , wire 42 and pins 55 are positioned inside a cylindrical cavity formed inside shell 40 . Assembly is completed by bending a holding flange over the inserted bobbin assembly. Bending of the holding flange may be accomplished by using heat and pressure to bend the thin holding flange without breaking the plastic. The heat can be applied using convection, conduction or ultrasound. A similar prior art sensor is the input speed sensor (P/N 0400878) also used in several Chrysler transmissions including the A604.
[0005] With reference to FIG. 36 there is shown a top view of shell 40 . Identical reference numerals are used to indicate portions of shell 40 described above. Additionally, there is shown cylindrical cavity 43 including side surface 44 and tip cavity 45 . As described above, bobbin assembly 50 is advanced into cavity 43 during assembly of sensor 39 . In the assembled state, magnet 54 and an end portion of pole piece 53 are positioned in tip cavity 45 , and the rest of pole piece 53 , wire 52 , pins 55 and a portion of bobbin 51 are positioned in cavity 43 .
SUMMARY
[0006] One embodiment according to the present invention includes a sensor including a sensor core. The sensor core includes a magnet, a pole piece, a bobbin, at least two terminals coupled to the bobbin, and a conductor wound about the bobbin and coupled to the terminals. At least a portion of the windings are disposed about at least a portion of the pole piece. The magnet is disposed substantially adjacent the pole piece. A support contacts at least a portion of the conductor. A supported portion of the conductor is located between the windings and the terminals. A sensor housing surrounds at least a portion of the sensor core.
[0007] Another embodiment according to the present invention includes a method of manufacturing a sensor including providing a sensor core including a magnet, a pole piece, a bobbin, at least two terminals, and a conductor which is wound about the bobbin and coupled to the terminals. At least a portion of the windings surround at least a portion of the pole piece. The magnet is disposed substantially adjacent the pole piece. The method further includes adding support for a portion of conductor located in a region between windings and at least one of the terminals, introducing the sensor core into a housing, and forming a seal between the sensor core and the housing.
[0008] A further embodiment according to the present invention includes a manufacturing method including providing a magnetic circuit including a wire, the wire having a wound portion, a first portion conductively coupled to a first terminal, and second portion conductively coupled to a second terminal, the first terminal and the second terminal conductively coupled to a third terminal and a fourth terminal. The method further includes reinforcing a section of the wire located in a position between the wound portion and at least one of the first terminal and the second terminal, surrounding the magnetic circuit with a protective shell, and providing a seal effective to substantially seal the magnetic circuit within the shell.
[0009] Additional embodiments, aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an output sensor of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail view of Section 2 of FIG. 1 .
[0012] FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 rotated 90°.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 .
[0014] FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view of Section 5 of FIG. 3 .
[0015] FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view of Section 6 of the embodiment of FIG. 3 .
[0016] FIG. 7 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 6 .
[0017] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 along the lines 8 - 8 .
[0018] FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail view of Section 9 of FIG. 8 .
[0019] FIG. 10 is a rotated perspective view of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 .
[0020] FIG. 11 illustrates a side view of a embodiment of an input sensor of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 12 is an enlarged detail view of Section 12 of FIG. 11 .
[0022] FIG. 13 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 11 rotated 90°.
[0023] FIG. 14 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 13 .
[0024] FIG. 15 is an enlarged detail view of Section 15 of FIG. 13 .
[0025] FIG. 16 is an enlarged detail view of Section 16 of the embodiment of FIG. 13 .
[0026] FIG. 17 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 16 .
[0027] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 11 along the lines 18 - 18 .
[0028] FIG. 19 is an enlarged detail view of Section 19 of FIG. 18 .
[0029] FIG. 20 is a rotated perspective view of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 11 .
[0030] FIG. 21 is a side view of one embodiment of a locating cap of the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 22 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 .
[0032] FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 along the lines 23 - 23 .
[0033] FIG. 24 is an elevated side perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 .
[0034] FIG. 25 is another elevated side perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 .
[0035] FIG. 26 is a top view of another embodiment of a locating cap of the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 26 along the lines 27 - 27 .
[0037] FIG. 28 is an enlarged detail view of Section 28 of the embodiment of FIG. 27 .
[0038] FIG. 29 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 26 .
[0039] FIG. 30 is an elevated side perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 26 .
[0040] FIG. 31 is a side view of one embodiment of the locator plug for holding the sensor in the mold.
[0041] FIG. 32 is the side view of the embodiment of FIG. 31 with added detail concerning various dimensions of this embodiment of the locator plug.
[0042] FIG. 33 is an enlarged end view of the embodiment of FIG. 32 .
[0043] FIG. 34 is a flow diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0044] FIG. 35 is an exploded view of a prior art sensor.
[0045] FIG. 36 is a top view of the shell of the sensor of FIG. 36 .
[0046] FIG. 37 is a side sectional view of a sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0047] FIG. 38 is an exploded side sectional view of a sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0048] FIG. 39 is a side sectional view of a sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention showing the addition of resin.
[0049] FIG. 40 is a side sectional view of a sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention showing the addition of resin.
[0050] FIG. 41 is a side view of a portion of a sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0051] FIG. 42 is a side view of a portion of a sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0052] FIG. 43 is a side view of a portion of a sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0053] FIG. 44 is a flowchart according to one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0054] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
[0055] The inventor has determined that the design and assembly of sensors such as prior art sensor 39 contributes to a high failure rate in the field. The inventor has determined that approximately 90% of the failure rate is due to wire failure. In prior art sensors some or all of the wire is unsupported and exposed after insertion in to the shell cavity within the sensor. Heat, vibration and/or corrosion can lead to fatigue failure of the wire. This creates an open circuit coil that will not generate a signal. Such a failure will create shifting problems in the transmission, as the controller has to default to open-loop control of the unit.
[0056] With reference to FIGS. 1-10 there are shown multiple views of an output transmission sensor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows output sensor 99 which is a threaded variable reluctance sensor for sensing the rotational speed of the output shaft of an automatic transmission. Output sensor 99 includes bobbin 120 and centering cap 140 which are partially encapsulated by overmolded resin shell 100 . Shell 100 includes threads 101 , stopping flange 102 , hexagonal section 103 , and top section 104 . Output sensor 99 also preferably includes O-ring 180 .
[0057] Sensor 99 is preferably adapted to be installed in a threaded bore formed in the housing of an automatic transmission near a toothed ferrous rotating ring associated with the output shaft of an automatic transmission. Installation of Sensor 99 can be accomplished by advancing sensor 99 into the bore until threads 101 contact threads formed on the interior of the bore. A tool can then be used to engage hexagonal section 103 and rotate sensor 99 to cause threads 101 to engage the threads of the bore and advance sensor 99 into the bore. Sensor 99 is preferably rotated until a stopping flange 102 contacts the outside of the transmission housing and a seal is formed between sensor 99 and the housing by stopping flange 102 and O-ring 180 . Sensor 99 is then preferably torqued down to a particular force to prevent back out.
[0058] With reference to FIGS. 2-10 there are shown additional views of sensor 99 . Identical reference numerals are used to indicate aspects of sensor 99 described above. Additional aspects of sensor 99 are as follows. FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the portion of output sensor 99 indicated by arrows 2 in FIG. 1 . A portion of the terminal connection end of bobbin 120 is shown in FIG. 2 which includes fastener 121 . Fastener 121 is adapted to releasably engage a clip of a plug of an electrical cable that connects to terminal connection end of bobbin 120 .
[0059] FIG. 3 shows sensor 99 with O-ring 180 removed and O-ring seat 181 visible. FIG. 4 shows cavity 170 formed in the terminal connection end of sensor 99 . Terminals 171 and 172 are disposed within cavity 170 and are electrically interconnected to a wire wound around a portion of the bobbin 120 within sensor 99 as shown and described below in connection with FIGS. 8 and 9 . During operation a plug of an electrical cable can be inserted into terminal cavity 170 to establish electrical connections with terminals 171 and 172 . In an alternative embodiment, instead of including terminals disposed within a cavity, sensor 99 includes lead wires extending from its end which lead to a plug connector remote from the body of bobbin 120 . These wires can be positioned outside a mold during the overmolding process used to form shell 100 which is described in greater detail below. Overmolded shell 100 can extend to and encapsulate the junction between the lead wires and bobbin 120 , or can extend along bobbin 120 to an area before the junction. FIG. 5 shows an enlarged detailed view of the portion of sensor 99 indicated by arrow 5 in FIG. 3 . FIG. 6 shows an enlarged detailed view of the portion of sensor 99 indicated by arrow 6 in FIG. 3 . FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of sensor 99 .
[0060] FIG. 8 shows a side sectional view of sensor 99 . FIG. 8 shows wire 110 wound around bobbin 120 . One end portion of wire 110 extends from the windings and is electrically interconnected to pin terminal 141 , for example by soldering, and another end of wire 110 similarly extends from the windings and is electrically interconnected with pin terminal 142 . Pin terminals 141 and 142 are electrically interconnected with terminals 171 and 172 through a conductive pathway routed through bobbin 120 . As shown in FIG. 8 , overmolded resin shell 100 contacts portions of bobbin 120 , wire 110 and portions of cap 140 . Shell 100 preferably contacts and supports wire 110 at its windings and further preferably contacts and supports portions of wire 110 extending between the windings around bobbin 120 and the pin terminals 141 and 142 . FIG. 9 shows a detailed view of the portion of sensor 99 indicated by arrows 9 in FIG. 8 . As shown in FIG. 9 , sealing rings 160 are formed in cap 140 and overmolded resin shell 100 fills sealing rings 160 . Contact between shell 100 and cap 140 preferably forms a hermetic seal between the interior of sensor 99 and the exterior environment. FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of sensor 99 .
[0061] A preferred embodiment of sensor 99 according to the present invention can be manufactured according to dimensions and tolerances specified for use in connection with a variety of automatic transmissions from a variety of manufacturers including, for example, the dimensions of part number 0400879 which was mentioned above. These dimensions and tolerances are merely exemplary of one preferred embodiment, however, and sensors of a variety of different configurations, sizes, dimensions, and tolerances are contemplated as within the scope of the invention including, for example, dimensions and tolerances for sensors adapted for use in other automatic transmissions and those adapted for use in other applications and environments where it is desirable or useful to obtain information relating to the rotational speed of a toothed ring or other rotating structure.
[0062] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, overmolded resin shell 100 is preferably formed from a resin material adapted for use in an injection molding system, most preferably of Zytel #70G43L NC010 resin which is a 43% glass filled, natural colored polyamide 6/6 grade nylon material available from DuPont corporation of Wilmington, Del. It is also contemplated that shell 100 could be formed from a variety of other materials, for example, other grades of Zytel with different glass contents, copolymers or colors, 4/6 grades of polyamide such as DSM Stanyl TW241F10 or others, other members of the polyamide family of resins including other 4/6 and 6/6 grades, other materials having similar properties, other plastics, thermoplastics, epoxy resins, and/or other materials suitable to maintain their integrity in an injection molding environment.
[0063] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wire 110 is preferably NEMA MW79-C which is a copper wire with polyurethane coating and is rated to 155 degrees Celsius. Wire 110 could also be a variety of other conductive materials including, for example, NEMA MW82C or 83C, or any other type of wire suitable for hermetic overmolding applications. A preferred embodiment according to the present invention includes 6200 turns or windings of wire 110 which gives a coil resistance of about 650 Ohms+/−about 10%. This number of windings and resistance are merely exemplary, however, and a variety of numbers of windings and resistances are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention.
[0064] With reference to FIGS. 11-20 there are illustrated multiple views of an input transmission sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows input sensor 199 which is a threaded variable reluctance sensor for sensing the rotational speed of the input shaft of an automatic transmission. Input sensor 199 includes bobbin 220 and centering cap 240 which are hermetically encapsulated by overmolded resin shell 200 . Shell 200 includes threads 201 , stopping flange 202 , hexagonal section 203 , and top section 204 . Input sensor 199 also preferably includes O-ring 280 .
[0065] Sensor 199 is preferably adapted to be installed in a threaded bore formed in the housing of an automatic transmission near a toothed ferrous rotating ring associated with the input shaft of an automatic transmission. Installation of sensor 199 can be accomplished by advancing sensor 199 into the bore until threads 201 contact threads formed on the interior of the bore. A tool can then be used to engage hexagonal section 203 and rotate sensor 199 to cause threads 201 to engage the threads of the bore and advance sensor 199 into the bore. Sensor 199 is preferably rotated until stopping flange 202 contacts the outside of the transmission housing and a seal is formed between sensor 199 and the housing by stopping flange 202 and O-ring 280 . Sensor 199 is preferably torqued down to a particular force to prevent back out.
[0066] With reference to FIGS. 12-20 there are shown additional views of sensor 199 . Identical reference numerals are used to indicate aspects of sensor 199 described above. Additional aspects of sensor 199 are as follows. FIG. 12 shows a detailed view of the portion of input sensor 199 indicated by arrows 12 in FIG. 11 . A portion of the terminal connection end of bobbin 220 is shown in FIG. 12 which includes fastener 221 . Fastener 221 is adapted to releasably engage a clip of a plug of an electrical cable that connects to terminal connection end of bobbin 220 .
[0067] FIG. 13 shows a side view of sensor 199 rotated 90 degrees. FIG. 14 shows cavity 270 formed in the terminal connection end of sensor 199 . Terminals 271 and 272 are disposed within cavity 270 and are electrically interconnected to a wire wound around a portion of the bobbin 220 within sensor 199 as shown and described below in connection with FIGS. 18 and 19 . During operation a plug of an electrical cable can be inserted into terminal cavity 270 to establish electrical connections with terminals 271 and 272 . In an alternative embodiment, instead of including terminals disposed within a cavity, sensor 199 includes lead wires extending from its end which lead to a plug connector remote from the body of bobbin 220 . These wires can be positioned outside a mold during the overmolding process used to form shell 200 which is described in greater detail below. Overmolded shell 200 can extend to and encapsulate the junction between the lead wires and bobbin 220 , or can extend along bobbin 220 to an area before the junction. FIG. 15 shows an enlarged detailed view of the portion of sensor 199 indicated by arrow 15 in FIG. 13 . FIG. 15 shows a portion of sensor 199 with O-ring 280 removed and O-ring seat 281 visible: FIG. 16 shows an enlarged detailed view of the portion of sensor 199 indicated by arrow 16 in FIG. 13 . FIG. 17 shows a bottom view of sensor 199 .
[0068] FIG. 18 shows a side sectional view of sensor 199 . FIG. 8 shows wire 210 wound around bobbin 220 . One end portion of wire 210 extends from the windings and is electrically interconnected to pin terminal 261 , for example by soldering, and another end of wire 210 similarly extends from the windings and is electrically interconnected with pin terminal 262 . Pin terminals 261 and 262 are electrically interconnected with terminals 271 and 272 through a conductive pathway routed through bobbin 220 . As shown in FIG. 18 ,. overmolded resin shell 200 contacts portions of bobbin 220 , wire 210 and portions of cap 240 . Shell 200 preferably contacts and supports wire 210 at its windings and further preferably contacts and supports portions of wire 210 extending between the windings around bobbin 220 and the pin terminals 261 and 262 . FIG. 19 shows a detailed view of the portion of sensor 199 indicated by arrows 19 in FIG. 18 . As shown in FIG. 19 , sealing rings 260 are formed in cap 240 and overmolded resin shell 200 fills sealing rings 260 . Contact between shell 200 and cap 240 preferably forms a hermetic seal between the interior of sensor 199 and the exterior environment. FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of sensor 199 .
[0069] A preferred embodiment of sensor 199 according to the present invention can be manufactured according to dimensions and tolerances specified for use in connection with a variety of automatic transmissions from a variety of manufacturers including, for example, the dimensions of part number 0400879 which was mentioned above. These dimensions and tolerances are merely exemplary of one preferred embodiment, however, and sensors of a variety of different configurations, sizes, dimensions, and tolerances are contemplated as within the scope of the invention including, for example, dimensions and tolerances for sensors adapted for use in other automatic transmissions and those adapted for use in other applications and environments where it is desirable or useful to obtain information relating to the rotational speed of a toothed ring or other rotating structure.
[0070] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, overmolded resin shell 200 is preferably formed from a resin material adapted for use in an injection molding system, most preferably of Zytel #70G43L NC010 resin which is a 43% glass filled, natural colored polyamide 6/6 grade nylon material available from DuPont corporation of Wilmington, Del. It is also contemplated that shell 200 could be formed from a variety of other materials, for example, other grades of Zytel with different glass contents, copolymers or colors, 4/6 grades of polyamide such as DSM Stanyl TW241F10 or others, other members of the polyamide family of resins including other 4/6 and 6/6 grades, other materials having similar properties, other plastics, thermoplastics, epoxy resins, and/or other materials suitable to maintain their integrity in an injection molding environment.
[0071] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wire 210 is preferably NEMA MW79-C which is a copper wire with polyurethane coating and is rated to 155 degrees Celsius. Wire 110 could also be a variety of other conductive materials including, for example, NEMA MW82C or 83C, or any other type of wire suitable for hermetic overmolding applications. A preferred embodiment according to the present invention includes 6350 turns or windings of wire 210 which gives a coil resistance of about 760 Ohms+/−about 10%. This number of windings and resistance are merely exemplary, however, and a variety of numbers of windings and resistances are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention.
[0072] With reference to FIGS. 21-25 there are shown multiple views of centering cap 240 which is also illustrated and described above in connection with FIGS. 11-20 . As shown in FIGS. 21-25 cap 240 includes cap body 243 , cap flange 242 , sealing rings 260 , and cap cavity 241 . Cap cavity 241 receives magnet 250 and an end portion of pole piece 230 , as illustrated and described above. Cap body 243 has a generally hexagonal cross sectional shape and cap flange 242 and cap cavity 241 have generally circular cross sectional shapes for sections taken perpendicular to axis AA shown in FIG. 23 .
[0073] A preferred embodiment of cap 240 according to the present invention can be manufactured to dimensions and tolerances which allow magnet 250 and an end portion of pole piece 230 to fit snugly within cavity 241 . These dimensions and tolerances are merely exemplary of one preferred embodiment, however, and centering caps of a variety of different configurations, sizes, dimensions, and tolerances are contemplated as within the scope of the invention.
[0074] With reference to FIGS. 26-30 there are shown multiple views of centering cap 140 which is also illustrated and described above in connection with FIGS. 1-10 . As shown in FIGS. 26-30 cap 140 includes cap body 163 , cap flange 162 , sealing rings 160 , and cap cavity 161 . Cap cavity 161 receives magnet 150 and an end portion of pole piece 130 , as illustrated and described above. Cap body 163 , cap flange 162 and cap cavity 161 have generally circular cross sectional shapes for sections taken perpendicular to axis BB shown in FIG. 27 .
[0075] A preferred embodiment of cap 140 according to the present invention can be manufactured to dimensions and tolerances which allow magnet 150 and an end portion of pole piece 130 to fit snugly within cavity 161 . These dimensions and tolerances are merely exemplary of one preferred embodiment, however, and centering caps of a variety of different configurations, sizes, dimensions, and tolerances are contemplated as within the scope of the invention.
[0076] Caps 140 and 240 are preferably formed from a resin material adapted for use in an injection molding system, most preferably of Zytel #70G43L NC010 resin which is a 43% glass filled, natural colored polyamide 6/6 grade nylon material available from DuPont corporation of Wilmington, Del. It is also contemplated that caps 140 and 240 could be formed from a variety of other materials, for example, other grades of Zytel with different glass contents, copolymers or colors, 4/6 grades of polyamide such as DSM Stanyl TW241F10 or others, other members of the polyamide family of resins including other 4/6 and 6/6 grades, other materials having similar properties, other plastics, thermoplastics, epoxy resins, and/or other materials suitable to maintain their integrity in an injection molding environment. In one embodiment according to the present invention, caps 140 and 240 are formed from a conductive thermoplastic material.
[0077] With reference to FIGS. 31-33 there are shown multiple views of locating plug 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Locating plug 300 includes tip portion 310 , middle portion 320 and body 330 . Tip portion and middle portion of locator plug 300 are preferably adapted to be inserted into and substantially or completely fill cavity 170 of sensor 99 or cavity 270 of sensor 199 which were described above, or to be inserted into and substantially or completely fill sensors cavities of a variety of other configurations, sizes, dimensions and tolerances. Plug 300 is preferably used in connection with the manufacturing of a sensor according to the present invention such as, for example, sensors 99 and 199 which are described above.
[0078] With reference to FIG. 34 there is shown flow diagram 500 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Sensors according to the present invention, for example, sensors 99 and 199 described above and other sensors can be manufactured according to the manufacturing process of flow diagram 500 . For clarity flow diagram 500 is described using the reference numerals associated with sensor 99 , but similar or identical manufacturing operations could also be performed for sensor 199 and other sensors according to the present invention. At operation 510 centering cap 140 is formed as a single piece preferably using an injection molding technique and preferably using one or more materials described above in connection with FIGS. 26-30 . It is contemplated however that cap 140 could be formed using a variety of other techniques, processes, and materials. From operation 510 flow diagram proceeds to operation 520 .
[0079] At operation 520 wire 110 is wound around bobbin 120 and end portions of wire 110 are soldered to pin terminals 141 and 142 . Bobbin 140 could be formed by injection molding, other molding techniques, or using any other technique known to those of skill in the art. It is also contemplated that wire 110 and bobbin 120 could be provided as a preassembled unit. From operation 520 flow diagram proceeds to operation 530 .
[0080] At operation 530 , pole piece 130 is inserted into bobbin 120 and magnet 150 is placed at the end of pole piece 130 . It is also contemplated that pole piece 130 and/or magnet 150 could be provided as part of a preassembled unit. From operation 530 flow diagram proceeds to operation 540 .
[0081] At operation 540 centering cap 140 is placed over magnet 150 and an end portion of pole piece 130 so that its end surface contacts the end surface of bobbin 120 . It is also contemplated that centering cap 140 could be provided as part of a preassembled unit. Furthermore, it is contemplated that one or more of operations 510 , 520 , 530 and 540 could be performed as a single operation, could be performed in parallel, in series or a combinations of parallel and serial operations, or could be broken into sub-operations including additional separate steps. From operation 540 , flow diagram proceeds to operation 550 .
[0082] At operation 550 , locating plug 300 is inserted into cavity 170 at the terminal end of bobbin 120 and substantially or completely fills cavity 170 , or fills a portion of cavity 170 and is effective to prevent resin from filling cavity 170 during injection molding and to support and maintain the position of the other components within a mold. From operation 550 , flow diagram 500 proceeds to operation 560 .
[0083] At operation 560 the assembly including cap 140 , magnet 150 , pole piece 130 , bobbin 120 wire 110 and plug 300 is placed into a mold. The mold is preferably a book mold, and the assembly is placed into one half of the book mold and the other half of the book mold is closed over the assembly. The mold defines a cavity having the shape of overmolded resign shell 100 . Centering cap 140 and plug 300 support the assembly within the mold and maintain it in a position such that the assembly is spaced away from the interior surfaces of the mold. Thus, there is a void in the area between the inside surface of the mold and the outer region of the assembly. This void extends along the length of the assembly from before the sealing rings 160 of the locating cap 140 up to about the portion of bobbin 120 which is visible in FIG. 1 . From operation 560 , flow diagram 500 proceeds to operation 570 .
[0084] At operation 570 , molten resin is introduced into the mold under pressure and is forced to fill the void defined by any space not occupied by the assembly and/or plug. Introduction of molten resin is preferably accomplished using a rotary table rotating beneath an injection molding machine that injects the resin into the cavity of the book mold through various gates or ports formed in the book mold. From operation 570 , flow diagram 500 proceeds to operation 580 .
[0085] At operation 580 , the molten resin cools within the sensor assembly with the overmolded resin shell is removed from the mold after an appropriate cooling period. From operation 580 , flow diagram proceeds to operation 590 .
[0086] At operation 590 quality control procedures may be performed on the sensor. Additional post-mold procedures, such as addition of O-ring 180 , polishing, trimming or otherwise removing molding artifacts can also be performed.
[0087] After operation 590 , the sensor is in a finished or substantially finished state. In the finished state resin shell 100 preferably hermetically encapsulates and supports all portions of the assembly not visible outside shell 100 as shown in FIG. 1 . Seals are preferably formed between shell 100 and sealing rings 160 and between shell 100 and the bobbin sealing flanges located under top portion 104 as shown in FIG. 8 . Thus, pole piece 130 , magnet 150 , wire 110 , pin terminals 141 and 142 , and portions of bobbin 120 are preferably hermetically encapsulated, contacted and supported by the overmolded resin shell 100 . Furthermore, overmolded resin shell 100 holds locating cap 140 in a position relative to the assembly as shown and described above in connection with FIGS. 1-10 .
[0088] A number of variations of the foregoing manufacturing process and devices are contemplated. For example, it is contemplated that two or more of the foregoing operations could be performed as a single operation, could be performed in parallel, in series or a combinations of parallel and serial operations, or that one or more of the foregoing operations could be broken into sub-operations including additional separate steps. It is also contemplated that one or more of the foregoing operations could be omitted, for example, operation 590 or other operations. It is further contemplated that additional operations could be interposed between the operations described above. Furthermore, it is contemplated that a centering cap could be omitted from the assembly that is introduced into the mold and the injected resin could form the structure of the assembly cap. According to this process overmolded resin shells 100 and 200 described above constitute the structure of caps 140 and 240 , respectively. This process reduces the number of parts of the assembly that is inserted into the mold. The absence of centering cap may result in undesired displacement of the magnet or other parts. Thus, it is contemplated that a thin sleeve could be used to hold the magnet in place relative to the pole piece during molding. It is also contemplated that a variety of molds and injection molding techniques could be utilized in addition to those discussed above. It is also contemplated that a thin sleeve or. ring with 2 or more tabs could be located on the tip of the sensor at 130 or 150 . These tabs would center the sensor within the mold, allowing the overmolded resin shells 100 and 200 to constitute the structure of the caps 140 and 240 , respectively, except in the areas where the tabs contact the mold.
[0089] With reference to FIG. 37 there is shown sensor 600 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Sensor 600 includes housing 610 which is formed, for example, using injection molding and/or other processes and techniques. Housing 610 includes a threaded portion 612 and tip portion 614 and could be a single piece or multiple coupled pieces. Housing 610 , and all other aspects of sensor 600 , could also include some or all of the features described above and those embodiments could likewise include some or all of the features described below.
[0090] Sensor 600 also includes bobbin 620 including sections 628 and 269 which could be a unitary piece or compound or composite structures and could be formed, for example, using injection molding and/or other processes and techniques. Wire 630 is wound about section 628 and extends to and is coupled to terminals 634 A and 634 B, for example, with solder and/or other connector(s) or connection(s). Terminals 634 A and 634 B are electrically coupled to terminals 638 through conductive pathways in section 629 .
[0091] Sensor 600 further includes pole piece 622 , which is inserted into a cavity or bore in bobbin 620 , and magnet 624 which, as illustrated, can be positioned adjacent pole piece 622 and at least partially within end portion 614 . Magnet and pole piece can also be in a variety of other shapes and configurations. During operation a current can be induced in wire 630 by virtue of a sensed element moving relative to magnet 624 as is the case in various variable reluctance sensors. It is also contemplated that other types of sensors could be used.
[0092] Sensor 600 also includes a seal formed between housing 610 and bobbin 620 . As shown in FIG. 37 the seal is formed by flange 635 extending into groove 631 of housing 610 and a sealing flange at the end of housing 635 being heat crimped into the illustrated position. A variety of other seals are also contemplated, including for example those formed by adding a sealant around the junction of housing 610 and bobbin 620 .
[0093] With reference to FIG. 38 there is shown an exploded view of sensor 600 . According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention sensor core 690 can be formed and assembled independent from housing 610 . Core 690 can be assembled in various steps, including, for example, those described herein, and can be preassembled or can be partially assembled. Once assembled, core 690 can be inserted into housing 610 and a seal can formed, for example, as described above.
[0094] With reference to FIG. 39 there is shown one example of the addition of resin to serve as a support structure for a portion of wire 632 A. Injector 695 can be positioned relative to the portion of wire 630 extending from the windings to terminal 634 A and can then introduce resin to form a support structure for a portion of wire 630 . Injector 695 can be held stationary during introduction, or can be moved during introduction of resin. Injector 695 can also be a variety of differently sized and shaped injectors. As illustrated in FIG. 39 , introduction of resin and/or other support structures can occur prior to insertion of bobbin 620 into housing 610 .
[0095] With reference to FIG. 40 there is shown another example of the addition of resin to serve as a support structure for a portion of wire 632 A. Injector 696 can be positioned relative to the portion of wire 630 extending from the windings to terminal 634 A and can then introduce resin to form a support structure for a portion of wire 630 . Injector 695 can be held stationary during introduction, or can be moved during introduction of resin. Injector 696 can also be a variety of differently sized and shaped injectors. As illustrated in FIG. 39 , introduction of support structure can occur after insertion of bobbin 620 into housing 610 . The hole in housing 610 created by injector 696 can be sealed with the resin itself or can be sealed with a separate material or sealant or heat sealed, for example.
[0096] With reference to FIGS. 41, 42 and 43 there are shown several examples of configurations of resin serving as support structure for a portion of wire 632 A. In FIG. 41 resin 640 A extends to contact part of wire 632 A. In FIG. 42 resin 640 A extends to encapsulate wire 632 A. In FIG. 43 resin 640 A substantially fills a region extending between housing 610 and bobbin 620 . A variety configurations in addition to those illustrated in FIGS. 41, 42 and 43 are also contemplated.
[0097] In various embodiments according to the present invention support structure could include a variety or resins and thermosetting materials and other materials such as an adhesive thermoset, elastomer, epoxy, fluoropolymer, phenolic, polyester, silicone, vinyl ester or any combination of the aforementioned materials such as silicone adhesives, phenolic adhesives and other similar materials. These can be applied in a liquid, solid or semi-solid form such as a paste or foam. Examples of suitable materials include Aptek 2712-A/B adhesive, GE Silicones TSE392 Translucent Adhesive Sealant, GE Silicones RTV6136 Potting/Encapsulating Gel, Loctite® 5071 Silicone Encapsulant, Bayer MaterialScience Bayfit®, Cal Polymers ND3200 and Polyurethane Flexible Molded Foam. The above mentioned thermoplastic materials could include materials such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), acrylic, elastomers, fluoropolymers, nylons including 6/6 and 4/6, polyamides, polyimides, polyesters, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyethylene including low density (LDPE) and high density (HDPE), polypropylene, polystyrene, polysulfone, polyurethane and others. These can be applied in a molten form. Examples of suitable materials include Dupont Zytel #70G43L NC010 and DSM Stanyl TW241F10. The foregoing and additional materials, for example, numerous polymerized synthetics, chemically modified, or natural materials including cements, glues, plastics, putties, struts, tabs, other support structures and/or combinations of the foregoing are contemplated as examples of support structures according to the present invention.
[0098] With reference to FIG. 44 there is shown flow diagram 700 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Flow diagram 700 begins at operation 710 where a sensor shell or housing is formed, for example by injection molding, or a preformed housing or shell is provided. From operation 710 , flow diagram 700 proceeds to operation 720 . At operation 720 a bobbin assembly is formed, for example, using injection molding, or a preformed bobbin assembly is provided. From operation 720 , flow diagram 700 proceeds to operation 730 . At operation 730 a wire is wound around a portion of the bobbin. From operation 730 , flow diagram 700 proceeds to operation 740 . At operation 740 the ends of the wire are electrically coupled to terminals of the bobbin, for example, by soldering. From operation 740 , flow diagram 700 proceeds to operation 750 . At operation 750 , a pole piece is introduced at least partially into the bobbin and a magnet is placed at one end of the pole piece. From operation 750 , flow diagram 700 proceeds to operation 760 . It will be appreciated that the foregoing operations could be performed in a variety of orders, or could have been previously performed to provide a pre-assembled bobbin assembly.
[0099] At operation 760 a support structure, for example, one or more materials or structures described herein, such as a resin, is added to support a portion of wire. From operation 760 , flow diagram 700 proceeds to operation 770 . At operation 770 the resin can be cured, or subjected to thermal variation to cure or harden it. From operation 770 , flow diagram 700 proceeds to operation 780 . At operation 780 the bobbin assembly is introduced into a housing. From operation 780 , flow diagram 700 proceeds to operation 790 . At operation 790 a seal is formed between the housing and the inserted assembly. This can be accomplished, for example, by heat crimping a portion of the housing or shell around the inserted bobbin assembly. It will be appreciated that the foregoing operations could be performed in a variety of orders, for example the resin could be added before or after the assembly is inserted into the housing, and before or after the sealing of the housing and the bobbin assembly.
[0100] According to one embodiment a portion of a wire extending between a windings and terminal area is supported by a thermosetting or thermoplastic material. In this embodiment, the body (incorporating the threaded, main body, holding flange and cap as one piece) is injection molded. Copper wire is wound on the bobbin (incorporating the black terminal connection end, pins and winding section) and soldered to the pins. A pole piece and magnet are positioned into a bobbin assembly. A thermosetting or thermoplastic material is either injected or applied in the area between the windings and the terminal connection. The wound bobbin with magnet and pole piece assembly is inserted into the body. This assembly is completed by bending the holding flange or end portion of the housing over the bobbin assembly, for example, by using heat and pressure to bend the thin holding flange without breaking the plastic. The heat can be applied using convection, conduction or ultrasonic.
[0101] This sequence of the foregoing embodiment can be modified in multiple manners, for example, by applying the thermosetting or thermoplastic material before inserting the pole piece and magnet. The thermosetting or thermoplastic material can either be fully cured or cooled, or may be curing or cooled at the time of the insertion. In this case, the sequence above could be re-arranged in a variety of orders, for example by switching the third and fourth operations described above. It is envisioned that the magnet and pole piece could be assembled at a different times in the sequence. There are also a variety of other modifications to the manufacturing sequence that would result in the same or similar results.
[0102] According to another embodiment a thermosetting or thermoplastic is applied into the cavity in the main body molding. In this case, the wound bobbin with pole piece and magnet would be inserted into the body while the thermosetting or thermoplastic material is still uncured or molten. As the wound bobbin assembly is inserted into the body, the thermosetting or thermoplastic material would flow up around the coil and into the void between the windings and terminals. In this embodiment, the thermosetting or thermoplastic material would cure or cool and form an encapsulation of both the windings and the void between the windings and terminals.
[0103] A number of variations of the foregoing manufacturing processes and devices are contemplated. For example, it is contemplated that two or more of the foregoing operations could be performed as a single operation, could be performed in parallel, in series or a combinations of parallel and serial operations, or that one or more of the foregoing operations could be broken into sub-operations including additional separate steps. It is also contemplated that one or more of the foregoing operations could be omitted. It is further contemplated that additional operations could be interposed between the operations described above.
[0104] As used herein terms relating to properties such as geometries, shapes, sizes, and physical configurations, include properties that are substantially or about the same or equal to the properties described unless explicitly indicated to the contrary.
[0105] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected. | A sensor including a sensor core is disclosed. The sensor core includes a magnet, a pole piece, a bobbin, at least two terminals coupled to the bobbin, and a conductor wound about the bobbin and coupled to the terminals. At least a portion of the windings are disposed about at least a portion of the pole piece. The magnet is disposed substantially adjacent the pole piece. A support contacts at least a portion of the conductor. A supported portion of the conductor is located between the windings and the terminals. A sensor housing surrounds at least a portion of the sensor core. A method of manufacturing a sensor including providing a sensor core including a magnet, a pole piece, a bobbin, at least two terminals, and a conductor which is wound about the bobbin and coupled to the terminals is further disclosed. At least a portion of the windings surround at least a portion of the pole piece. The magnet is disposed substantially adjacent the pole piece. The method further includes adding support for a portion of conductor located in a region between windings, introducing the sensor core into a housing, and forming a seal between the sensor core and the housing. A manufacturing method including providing a magnetic circuit including a wire, the wire having a wound portion, a first portion conductively coupled to a first terminal, and second portion conductively coupled to a second terminal, the first terminal and the second terminal conductively coupled to a third terminal and a fourth terminal is also disclosed. The method further includes reinforcing a section of the wire located in a position between the wound portion and at least one of the first terminal and the second terminal, surrounding the magnetic circuit with a protective shell, and providing a seal effective to substantially seal the magnetic circuit within the shell. | 6 |
The present invention relates to a flashlight or illumination device and in particular to such a device which is of a waterproof construction and thus of applicability for use by scuba divers and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of flashlights and related illumination equipment to provide underwater lighting is well known. With the inclusion of a portable power supply, such as a battery pack, a diver is able to carry with him a safe, stable illumination source to provide visibility in the dark and murky depths. Conventional underwater lighting has long utilized incandescent bulbs as a light source. Such bulbs can be driven directly by a battery pack and thus provide minimal difficulties in being installed in a watertight housing.
Incandescent bulbs, however, have shortcomings. The light normally generated is of a yellow, rather than white, character, and is often of relatively poor intensity. In addition, such bulbs are inefficient light generators. To combat such deficiencies, miniature high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs are replacing incandescent bulbs for use in underwater flashlights. The use of such HID devices, however, is not without its own shortcomings. In particular, while such bulbs have improved light output and energy efficiency, they require a ballast and drive circuitry to properly condition and regulate the voltage source.
Many HID underwater lights are of a two-piece construction, having the lamp and drive circuitry in a first, hand-held housing, and a battery power supply in a second housing. Electrical connections between the two housings and the enclosed components are through a cable. While such two-piece construction allows the lamp heads to be of relatively small dimensions, the presence of a connecting cable can be an impediment to use. In addition, the diver must still tether the battery pack in some manner.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved waterproof flashlight construction utilizing HID lighting in which the light source and power supply are in a single unit.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide such a flashlight which is of a compact construction.
Yet a further purpose of the present invention is to provide such a portable flashlight having the capability of convenient battery exchange and replacement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the foregoing and other objects and purposes, an underwater flashlight of the present invention comprises a main housing portion having an inner compartment or cavity. An illumination source located at a first end of the cavity with a clear lens forming a waterproof first end seal thereat, while the drive cavity and a replaceable battery power supply are located behind the illumination source. The rear end of the cavity is sealed by a removable rear cap which provides access to the batteries and contains a main electrical switch for the flashlight. When the cover is in place, the switch is electrically connected to the batteries and drive circuitry.
To maintain the waterproof nature of the flashlight, the switch is preferably of the type in which external mechanical switching action is transferred in a non-contact manner to the switch's electrical contacts. In a particularly preferred embodiment the switch comprises a magnet, an electrical reed switch, and an electronic switch element capable of carrying the relatively high currents required by the drive circuitry while keeping the current flow through the reed switch, which is a low current capacity device, to acceptable levels.
To provide a compact construction for the flashlight, the battery power supply may comprise a plurality of individual batteries arranged in co-linear adjacent stacks within the body cavity. Continuity between the battery stacks is accomplished through a commutator assembly, which allows electrical contact to be developed and maintained between switch circuitry and the batteries irrespective of the precise orientation of the rear cap with respect to the main body. Transversely-mounted circuit boards both carry electrical components and provide interconnections between the components and the batteries.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A fuller understanding of the present invention will be obtained upon review of the following, detailed description of a preferred but nonetheless illustrative embodiment thereof, when reviewed in conjunction with a the annexed drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the flashlight's electrical system;
FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a flashlight constructed in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2B is a side elevation view of the commutator assembly;
FIG. 3 is an end view of the flashlight depicting the power switch; and
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the commutator ring portion of the commutator assembly
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With initial reference to FIG. 2A , flashlight 10 includes a main, generally cylindrical housing 12 defining an interior space or cavity in which illumination source 14 , ballast 16 , drive electronics board 18 , and batteries 20 are located. The housing 12 is preferably constructed of an appropriate durable metal, such as an anodized aluminum alloy, which allows it to serve as a circuit element, while providing both corrosion resistance and heat dissipation. The front end of the housing carries lens 22 , which is held to the front of the housing by retaining ring 26 which is affixed to the front of the housing by bolts 28 . A gasket assembly 24 seals the lens from water entry. The housing may be preferably milled out of a solid piece of stock with a forward cavity portion 30 for the bulb ballast and drive electronics board; three parallel cavity portions 32 , each dimensioned to receive a stack of batteries 20 ; and a rear, open-ended cavity portion 34 , which accepts the rear cap 36 . Each of the battery cavity portions 32 connects with forward cavity portion 30 and rear cavity portion 34 . Drive electronics board 18 bearing the drive circuitry for the bulb and ballast is mounted transversely to the length of the flashlight and is mounted at the rear end of the first cavity. It is maintained in a flush position against the rear wall surface 38 of the first cavity by a C-ring 40 . Bolt 44 provides electrical contact between a trace on the printed circuit board and main body portion 12 , as will be explained infra, as well as providing additional retention for the board. The rearwardly-facing surface of the printed circuit board also bears spring contacts 42 to establish electrical connection with the battery stacks in each of the battery cavity portions 32 .
Rear cap 36 , which may similarly be of anodized aluminum, includes externally-threaded, generally cylindrical side wall 46 which threadedly engages a complimentary threaded inner surface portion 48 of the housing 12 which defines the rear cavity 34 . A pair of O-rings 50 mounted on the cap side wall 46 establish a watertight seal between the rear cap and the housing. The rear cap 36 carries the main power switch for the flashlight while maintaining a watertight seal for the housing interior cavity. As shown, rotatable main switch 52 , which includes rearwardly-extending operating knob 54 , is rotatively mounted on the exterior of the rear cap about central hub 56 . The switch is rotatable about an arc of approximately 50 degrees, as shown in FIG. 3 , the end points of rotation defining “on” and “off” positions. The switch carries with it magnet 58 , affixed in an inner recess in the switch, which rotates into and out of proximity to magnetic reed switch 62 , which is mounted by clamp 64 to the inner surface of the transverse wall portion 66 of the rear cap. With the magnet 58 positioned adjacent the reed switch, the reed switch contacts close, creating electrical continuity though the switch, while when the magnet is rotated away from proximity to the switch, the switch contacts open. Accordingly, electrical switching can be performed without physical contact or access to the sealed interior of the flashlight.
With reference to FIG. 1 , illumination source 14 is a miniature HID bulb, such as that sold under the SOLARC trademark by Welch Allyn. As known in the art, ballast 16 provides a controlled drive current for the lamp, including the generation of an initial higher voltage spike required to “strike” the arc in the bulb. The ballast may be, for example, the Welch Allyn B10N003 unit.
Electrical power for the ballast and bulb is derived from batteries 20 a - f . Three stacks of two cells each are wired in a series arrangement. The batteries are preferably 2.5-volt rechargeable nickel-cadmium cell units, providing a total nominal output voltage of 15 volts. Voltage regulator 68 is used to provide a stable input voltage to the ballast and bulb. The voltage regulator may be, for example, a 14.5 volt output unit. Input and output side capacitors 70 and 72 , respectively and bias resistors 74 and 76 are chosen as known in the art. Thermal cut-out switch 78 , in series with the positive voltage input to the regulator, is provided to cut power in the event of overheating. It may, for example, be of bimetallic design having a cut-out temperature of approximately 40° C., thereby assuring that the body of the light remains safe to touch. In this regard, it is to be noted that the exterior surface 80 of the forward end of housing 12 may be of a ribbed or fin-like configuration to provide increased surface area and thus improve heat transfer and dissipation to the surrounding atmosphere. The voltage regulator 68 and the associated components are mounted upon drive electronics board 18 .
The three stacks of the batteries 20 are positioned between drive electronics board 18 and rear contact board 82 . Electrical continuity between the negative or ground end of the full battery stack and the drive circuitry is established by line 86 , while continuity between the positive end and the drive circuitry is established through the flashlight housing. Bolt 44 provides the link to the housing from main board 18 , while a spring-loaded contact 88 , inserted into a mating bore in the body and contacting a corresponding circuit trace on rear board 82 , couples the high end of the batteries to the body. The contact 88 is retained in the bore by bolt 90 overlying a peripheral flange of the contact.
As magnetic reed switch 62 must of necessity be of small physical size, its contacts are unable to withstand the total current drawn by the regulator 68 and supplied to the ballast and bulb. Accordingly, the present invention includes a semiconductor switch or relay that operates in conjunction with the reed switch to perform main switching of the batteries and control in the load current. As may be seen in FIG. 1 , P channel field effect transistor 92 has its main source-drain junction in series with the battery supply, and in particular between the anode of battery 20 B and the cathode of battery 20 C. Thus, when transistor 92 is in the open or non-conducting state, a high resistance appears in series with the battery stack, effectively depriving the drive circuit load of power. The operative condition of transistor 92 , however, is controlled by reed switch 62 . With reed switch 62 closed, the potential applied to the gate is from the anode of battery 20 F at the top of the battery stack, and is higher than the potential applied to the transistor's source, due to the presence of pull down resistor 94 . Accordingly, transistor 92 is turned on, and appears as a virtual short between its source and drain electrodes. Full battery voltage is thus applied to the drive circuit and the flashlight is “on”. Because of the high impedance of the transistor's gate-drain junction and the parallel resistance of pull-down resistor 94 , which is a high value, the current flowing through reed switch 62 is minimal. With reed switch 62 open, the potential applied to the source and gate is that of the left or cathode end of battery 20 C, and the transistor's gate is lower than that of its source by virtue of resistor 94 . The transistor is thus maintained in the off state, with a high resistance path between source and drain to interrupt the battery circuit.
Because reed switch 62 , transistor 92 and pull-down resistor 94 are mounted to the transverse wall portion 66 of the rear cap, and the rear cap is threadedly mounted to the housing, it is necessary to provide means to establish and maintain electrical contact between the switch circuitry and the battery stacks, irrespective of the final radial orientation of the rear cap with respect to the body when the rear cap is installed. This is performed by the commutator assembly detailed in FIGS. 2B and 4 .
With reference to FIGS. 2B , 2 A and 4 , board 96 is mounted to the forward end of the rear cap, transversely to the length of the flashlight, by bolts 98 . The board supports two sets of three spring-loaded contact pins 100 a - c which bear against concentric conductive paths or traces 102 on the rear face of contact board 82 , also mounted transversely to the length of the flashlight. Each of the traces on board 82 is in electrical continuity with a battery stack through either a spring contact 42 or a contact trace 104 . One pin of each set is connected to the reed switch, transistor source, and transistor gate as shown in FIG. 1 . The two sets of pins may preferably be oriented in a diametrically-opposed manner, as shown in FIG. 4 . For clarity only one pin set is depicted in FIG. 2B .
To afford convenient access to the batteries 20 when the rear cap is removed, contact board 82 is not permanently mounted to the main body. Rather, it is provided with a central orientation bore 106 and peripheral orientation bores 108 , as seen in FIGS. 2B and 4 . Guide pins 110 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 2A ) are installed on the housing and support the contact board in the required transverse alignment. When the rear cap is screwed down, the spring action of the contacts 100 provide a forwardly-directed bias against the contact board, urging the battery contacts into continuity with the respective batteries and maintaining the necessary electrical contact between the board and body spring-loaded contact 88 . The placement of the individual contact pins 100 about the circumference of the board insures that consistent and equal force is applied across the board to maintain alignment and prevent skewing.
With the batteries installed and contact board 82 placed on the guide pins 110 , rear cap 36 is screwed into the housing, the O-rings 50 maintaining a waterproof seal between the body and cap. The precise angular orientation of the cap with respect to the housing is not critical, as the contacts 100 create electrical continuity between the switch circuitry in the cap and the contact board and batteries, irrespective of their relative orientations. With the rear cap in place, operation of the flashlight is controlled by the angular position of switch piece 52 .
The rotating action of the switch piece 52 allows the flashlight to be operated, even if a diver is encumbered with diving gloves. Yet, as HID lamps are capable of generating a fair amount of heat, it is important that safeguards be provided to prevent inadvertent activation of the light, such as when it is packed away for storage. Thus, in addition to the use of thermal overload switch 78 , the flashlight may include a mechanical locking mechanism to maintain the power switch in the “off” orientation as desired. With reference to FIG. 3 , switch piece 52 may be provided with shoulder portion 118 carrying locking pin 112 . Elastic band 114 is retained on the cap 36 by bolt 116 and can be manually stretched over the pin 112 to apply a counterclockwise bias to the switch piece 52 and thereby maintaining the switch in the “off” position. The elastic band is simply lifted off the pin 112 to allow normal switch operation to occur.
Modifications and adaptations of the invention as specifically described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is to be determined upon reference to the claims appended hereto. | A flashlight has front and rear interconnected housing portions which define an interior waterproof chamber. The waterproof chamber carries an illumination source, an electronic drive for the illumination source and a power source. A switch system includes an electronic switch component for switching the relatively high current required for the electronic drive while a mechanical switch (e.g. a magnetic reed switch) activates the electronic switch component, therefore maintaining integrity of the waterproof seal about the chamber. A commutator assembly is provided to maintain electrical contact between the switch and other components. The power supply may be in the form of a plurality of battery stacks batteries aligned in the housing in a manner to provide a compact unit, while electrical components may be mounted to circuit boards positioned transversely to the length of the flashlight. | 5 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This continuation application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/089,165, filed Apr. 18, 2011 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/760,728, filed Jun. 8, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,926,571), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/359,059, filed Feb. 22, 2006 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,377,322), which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/079,950, filed Mar. 15, 2005 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,172), each of which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to a system for fracing producing formations for the production of oil or gas and, more particularly, for fracing in a cemented open hole using sliding valves, which sliding valves may be selectively opened or closed according to the preference of the producer.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Fracing is a method to stimulate a subterranean formation to increase the production of fluids, such as oil or natural gas. In hydraulic fracing, a fracing fluid is injected through a well bore into the formation at a pressure and flow rate at least sufficient to overcome the pressure of the reservoir and extend fractures into the formation. The fracing fluid may be of any of a number of different media, including sand and water, bauxite, foam, liquid CO 2 , nitrogen, etc. The fracing fluid keeps the formation from closing back upon itself when the pressure is released. The objective is for the fracing fluid to provide channels through which the formation fluids, such as oil and gas, can flow into the well bore and be produced.
[0006] One of the prior problems with earlier fracing methods is they require cementing of a casing in place and then perforating the casing at the producing zones. This in turn requires packers between various stages of the producing zone. An example of prior art that shows perforating the casing to gain access to the producing zone is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,727 to Zemlak, assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation. The perforating of the casing requires setting off an explosive charge in the producing zone. The explosion used to perforate the casing can many times cause damage to the formation. Plus, once the casing is perforated, then it becomes hard to isolate that particular zone and normally requires the use of packers both above and below the zone.
[0007] Another example of producing in the open hole by perforating the casing is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,888 to Wiemers. One of the problems with Wiemers is the fracing fluid is delivered over the entire production zone and you will not get concentrated pressures in preselected areas of the formation. Once the pipe is perforated, it is very hard to restore and selectively produce certain portions of the zone and not produce other portions of the zone.
[0008] When fracing with sand, sand can accumulate and block flow. United States Published Application 2004/0050551 to Jones shows fracing through perforated casing and the use of shunt tubes to give alternate flow paths. Jones does not provide a method for alternately producing different zones or stages of a formation.
[0009] One of the methods used in producing horizontal formations is to provide casing in the vertical hole almost to the horizontal zone being produced. At the bottom of the casing, either one or multiple holes extend horizontally. Also, at the bottom of the casing, a liner hanger is set with production tubing then extending into the open hole. Packers are placed between each stage of production in the open hole, with sliding valves along the production tubing opening or closing depending upon the stage being produced. An example is shown in U.S. Published Application 2003/0121663 A1 to Weng, wherein packers separate different zones to be produced with nozzles (referred to as “burst disks”) being placed along the production tubing to inject fracing fluid into the formations. However, there are disadvantages to this particular method. The fracing fluid will be delivered the entire length of the production tubing between packers. This means there will not be a concentrated high pressure fluid being delivered to a small area of the formation. Also, the packers are expensive to run and set inside of the open hole in the formation.
[0010] Applicant previously worked for Packers Plus Energy Services, Inc., which had a system similar to that shown in Weng. By visiting the Packers Plus website of www.packersplus.com, more information can be gained about Packers Plus and their products. Examples of the technology used by Packers Plus can be found in United States Published Application Nos. 2004/0129422, 2004/0118564, and 2003/0127227. Each of these published patent applications shows packers being used to separate different producing zones. However, the producing zones may be along long lengths of the production tubing, rather than in a concentrated area.
[0011] The founders of Packers Plus previously worked for Guiberson, which was acquired by Dresser Industries and later by Halliburton. The techniques used by Packers Plus were previously used by Guiberson/Dresser/Halliburton. Some examples of well completion methods by Halliburton can be found on the website of www.halliburton.com, including the various techniques they utilize. Also, the sister companies of Dresser Industries and Guiberson can be visited on the website of www.dresser.com. Examples of the Guiberson retrievable packer systems can be found on the Mesquite Oil Tool Inc. website of www.snydertex.com/mesquite/guiberson/htm.
[0012] None of the prior art known by applicant, including that of his prior employer, utilized cementing production tubing in place in the production zone with sliding valves being selectively located along the production tubing. None of the prior systems show (1) the sliding valve being selectively opened or closed, (2) the cement therearound being removed, and/or (3) selectively fracing with predetermined sliding valves. All of the prior systems known by applicant utilize packers between the various stages to be produced and have fracing fluid injected over a substantial distance of the production tubing in the formation, not at preselected points adjacent the sliding valves.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The invention is a method of producing petroleum from at least one open hole in at least one petroleum production zone of a hydrocarbon well. The method comprising the steps of locating a plurality of sliding valves along at least one production tubing; inserting the plurality of sliding valves and the production tubing into the at least one open hole; cementing the plurality of sliding valves in the at least one open hole; opening at least one of the cemented sliding valves; removing at least some of the cement adjacent the opened sliding valves without using jetting tools or cutting tools to establish at least one communication path between the interior of the production tubing and the at least one petroleum production zone; directing a fracing material radially through the at least one sliding valve radially toward the at least one production zone; producing hydrocarbons from the at least one petroleum production zone through the plurality of the sliding valves the cement adjacent to which has been removed.
[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, an open hole fracing system comprises at least one production tubing inserted into the at least one open hole; a plurality of sliding valves located along the at least one production tubing and in the at least one petroleum production zone, each of the sliding valves having radially-orientated openings therethrough; cement adjacent to the plurality of sliding valves; a fluid flowable radially through the openings of the at least one sliding valve to remove at least some of the adjacent cement without using jetting tools or cutting tools; a fracing material flowable radially through the plurality of sliding valves to cause fracturing of the at least one production zone.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a well with a cemented open hole fracing system in a lateral located in a producing zone.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal view of a mechanical shifting tool.
[0017] FIG. 3 is an elongated partial sectional view of a sliding valve.
[0018] FIG. 4 is an elongated partial sectional view of a single mechanical shifting tool.
[0019] FIG. 5A is an elongated partial sectional view illustrating a mechanical shifting tool opening the sliding valve.
[0020] FIG. 5B is an elongated partial sectional view illustrating a mechanical shifting tool closing the sliding valve.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a pictorial sectional view of a cemented open hole fracing system having multiple laterals.
[0022] FIG. 7 is an elevated view of a wellhead.
[0023] FIG. 8 is a cemented open hole horizontal fracing system.
[0024] FIG. 9 is a cemented open hole vertical fracing system.
[0025] FIG. 10A is an elongated partial sectional view illustrating a ball-and-seat sliding valve in the “opened” position.
[0026] FIG. 10B is an elongated partial sectional view illustrating a ball-and seat sliding valve in the “closed” position.
[0027] FIGS. 11A-11C are enlarged sectional views of the valves of the cemented open hole vertical fracing system shown in FIG. 9 that disclose in more detail how the ball-and-seat sliding valves are selectively opened and closed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] A preferred embodiment of an open hole fracing system is pictorially illustrated in FIG. 1 . A production well 10 is drilled in the earth 12 to a hydrocarbon production zone 14 . A casing 16 is held in place in the production well 10 by cement 18 . At the lower end 20 of production casing 16 is located liner hanger 22 . Liner hanger 22 may be either hydraulically or mechanically set.
[0029] Below liner hanger 22 extends production tubing 24 . To extend laterally, the production well 10 and production tubing 24 bends around a radius 26 . The radius 26 may vary from well to well and may be as small as thirty feet and as large as four hundred feet. The radius of the bend in production well 10 and production tubing 24 depends upon the formation and equipment used.
[0030] Inside of the hydrocarbon production zone 14 , the production tubing 24 has a series of sliding valves pictorially illustrated as 28 a - 28 h . The distance between the sliding valves 28 a - 28 h may vary according to the preference of the particular operator. A normal distance is the length of a standard production tubing of 30 feet. However, the production tubing segments 30 a - 30 h may vary in length depending upon where the sliding valves 28 should be located in the formation.
[0031] The entire production tubing 24 , sliding valves 28 a - 28 h , and the production tubing segments 30 are all encased in cement 32 . Cement 32 located around production tubing 24 may be different from the cement 18 located around the casing 16 .
[0032] In actual operation, sliding valves 28 a - 28 h may be selectively opened or closed as will be subsequently described. The sliding valves 28 a - 28 h may be opened in any order or sequence.
[0033] For the purpose of illustration, assume the operator of the production well 10 desires to open sliding valve 28 h . A mechanical shifting tool 34 , such as that shown in FIG. 2 , connected on shifting string would be lowered into the production well 10 through casing 16 and production tubing 24 . The shifting tool 34 has two elements 34 a , 34 b that are identical, except they are reversed in direction and connected by a shifting string segment 38 . While the shifting string segment 38 is identical to shifting string 36 , shifting string segment 38 provides the distance that is necessary to separate shifting tools 34 a , 34 b . Typically, the shifting string segment 38 would be about thirty feet in length.
[0034] To understand the operation of shifting tool 34 inside sliding valves 28 a - 28 h , an explanation as to how the shifting tool 34 and sliding valves 28 a - 28 h work internally is necessary. Referring to FIG. 3 , a partial cross-sectional view of the sliding valve 28 is shown. An upper housing sub 40 is connected to a lower housing sub 42 by threaded connections via the nozzle body 44 . A series of nozzles 46 extend through the nozzle body 44 . Inside of the upper housing sub 40 , lower housing sub 42 , and nozzle body 44 is an inner sleeve 48 . Inside of the inner sleeve 48 are slots 50 that allow fluid communication from the inside passage 52 through the slots 50 and nozzles 46 to the outside of the sliding valve 28 . The inner sleeve 48 has an opening shoulder 54 and a closing shoulder 56 located therein.
[0035] When the shifting tool 34 shown in FIG. 4 goes into the sliding valve 28 , shifting tool 34 a performs the closing function and shifting tool 34 b performs the opening function. Shifting tools 34 a and 34 b are identical, except reverse and connected through the shifting string segment 38 .
[0036] Assume the shifting tool 34 is lowered into production well 10 through the casing 16 and into the production tubing 24 . Thereafter, the shifting tool 34 will go around the radius 26 through the shifting valves 28 and production pipe segments 30 . Once the shifting tool 34 b extends beyond the last sliding valve 28 h , the shifting tool 34 b may be pulled back in the opposite direction as illustrated in FIG. 5A to open the sliding valve 28 , as will be explained in more detail subsequently.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 3 , the sliding valve 28 has wiper seals 58 between the inner sleeve 48 and the upper housing sub 42 and the lower housing sub 44 . The wiper seals 58 keep debris from getting back behind the inner sleeve 48 , which could interfere with its operation. This is particularly important when sand is part of the fracing fluid.
[0038] Also located between the inner sleeve 48 and nozzle body 44 is a C-clamp 60 that fits in a notch undercut in the nozzle body 44 and into a C-clamp notch 61 in the outer surface of inner sleeve 48 . The C-clamp puts pressure in the notches and prevents the inner sleeve 48 from being accidentally moved from the opened to closed position or vice versa, as the shifting tool is moving there through.
[0039] Also, seal stacks 62 and 64 are compressed between (1) the upper housing sub 40 and nozzle body 44 and (2) lower housing sub 42 and nozzle body 44 , respectively. The seal stacks 62 , 64 are compressed in place and prevent leakage from the inner passage 52 to the area outside sliding valve 28 when the sliding valve 28 is closed.
[0040] Turning now to the mechanical shifting tool 34 , an enlarged partial cross-sectional view is shown in FIG. 4 . Selective keys 66 extend outward from the shifting tool 34 . Typically, a plurality of selective keys 66 , such as four, would be contained in any shifting tool 34 , though the number of selective keys 66 may vary. The selective keys 66 are spring loaded so they normally will extend outward from the shifting tool 34 as is illustrated in FIG. 4 . The selective keys 66 have a beveled slope 68 on one side to push the selective keys 66 in, if moving in a first direction to engage the beveled slope 68 , and a notch 70 to engage any shoulders, if moving in the opposite direction. Also, because the selective keys 66 are moved outward by spring 72 , by applying proper pressure inside passage 74 , the force of spring 72 can be overcome and the selective keys 66 may be retracted by fluid pressure applied from the surface.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 5A , assume the opening shifting tool 34 b has been lowered through sliding valve 28 and thereafter the direction reversed. Upon reversing the direction of the shifting tool 34 b , the notch 70 in the shifting tool will engage the opening shoulder 54 of the inner sleeve 48 of sliding valve 28 . This will cause the inner sleeve 48 to move from a closed position to an opened position as is illustrated in FIG. 5A . This allows fluid in the inside passage 58 to flow through slots 50 and nozzles 46 into the formation around sliding valve 28 . As the inner sleeve 48 moves into the position as shown in FIG. 5A , C-clamp 60 will hold the inner sleeve 48 in position to prevent accidental shifting by engaging one of two C-clamp notches 61 . Also, as the inner sleeve 48 reaches its open position and C-clamp 60 engages, simultaneously the inner diameter 59 of the upper housing sub 40 presses against the slope 76 of the selective key 66 , thereby causing the selective keys 66 to move inward and notch 70 to disengage from the opening shoulder 54 .
[0042] If it is desired to close a sliding valve 28 , the same type of shifting tool will be used, but in the reverse direction, as illustrated in FIG. 5B . The shifting tool 34 a is arranged in the opposite direction so that now the notch 70 in the selective keys 66 will engage closing shoulder 56 of the inner sleeve 48 . Therefore, as the shifting tool 34 a is lowered through the sliding valve 28 , as shown in FIG. 5B , the inner sleeve 48 is moved to its lowermost position and flow between the slots 50 and nozzles 46 is terminated. The seal stacks 62 and 64 insure there is no leakage. Wiper seals 58 keep the crud from getting behind the inner sleeve 48 .
[0043] Also, as the shifting tool 34 A moves the inner sleeve 48 to its lowermost position, pressure is exerted on the slope 76 by the inner diameter 61 of lower housing sub 42 of the selective keys 66 to disengage the notch 70 from the closing shoulder 56 . Simultaneously, the C-clamp 60 engages in another C-clamp notch 61 in the outer surface of the inner sleeve 48 .
[0044] If the shifting tool 34 , as shown in FIG. 2 , was run into the production well 10 as shown in FIG. 1 , the shifting tool 34 and shifting string 36 would go through the internal diameter of casing 16 , internal opening of hanger liner 22 , through the internal diameter of production tubing 24 , as well as through sliding valves 28 and production pipe segments 30 .
[0045] Pressure could be applied to the internal passage 74 of shifting tool 34 through the shifting string 36 to overcome the pressure of springs 72 and to retract the selective keys 66 as the shifting tool 34 is being inserted. However, on the other hand, even without an internal pressure, the shifting tool 34 b , due to the beveled slope 68 , would not engage any of the sliding valves 28 a - 28 h as it is being inserted. On the other hand, the shifting tool 34 a would engage each of the sliding valves 28 and make sure the inner sleeve 48 is moved to the closed position. After the shifting tool 34 b extends through sliding valve 28 h , shifting tool 34 b can be moved back towards the surface causing the sliding valve 28 h to open. At that time, the operator of the well can send fracing fluid through the annulus between the production tubing 24 and the shifting string 36 . Normally, an acid would be sent down first to dissolve the acid-soluble cement 32 around sliding valve 28 (see FIG. 1 ). After dissolving the cement 32 , the operator has the option to frac around sliding valve 28 h , or the operator may elect to dissolve the cement around other sliding valves 28 a - 28 g . Alternatively, the dissolving of the cement could also occur contemporaneously with the fracing process by using a fracing material having acidic properties.
[0046] Normally, after dissolving the cement 32 around sliding valve 28 h , then shifting tool 34 a would be inserted there through, which closes sliding valve 28 h . At that point, the system would be pressure checked to insure sliding valve 28 h was in fact closed. By maintaining the pressure, the selective keys 66 in the shifting tool 34 will remain retracted and the shifting tool 34 can be moved to shifting valve 28 g . The process is now repeated for shifting valve 28 g , so that shifting tool 34 b will open sliding valve 28 g . Thereafter, the cement 32 is dissolved, sliding valve 28 g closed, and again the system pressure checked to insure valve 28 g is closed. This process is repeated until each of the sliding valves 28 a - 28 h has been opened, the cement dissolved (or otherwise removed), pressure checked after closing, and now the system is ready for fracing.
[0047] By determining the depth from the surface, the operator can tell exactly which sliding valve 28 a - 28 h is being opened. By selecting the combination the operator wants to open, then fracing fluid can be pumped through casing 16 , production tubing 24 , sliding valves 28 , and production tubing segments 30 into the formation.
[0048] By having a very limited area around the sliding valve 28 that is subject to fracing, the operator now gets fracing deeper into the formation with less fracing fluid. The increase in the depth of the fracing results in an increase in production of oil or gas. The cement 32 between the respective sliding valves 28 a - 28 h confines the fracing fluids to the areas immediately adjacent to the sliding valves 28 a - 28 h that are open.
[0049] Any particular combination of the sliding valves 28 a - 28 h can be selected. The operator at the surface can tell when the shifting tool 34 goes through which sliding valves 28 a - 28 h by the depth and increased force as the respective sliding valve is being opened or closed.
[0050] Applicant has just described one way of shifting the sliding sleeves used within the system of the present invention. Other types of shifting devices may be used including electrical, hydraulic, or other mechanical designs. While mechanical shifting using a shifting tool 34 is tried and proven, other designs may be useful depending on how the operator wants to produce the well. For example, the operator may not want to separately dissolve the cement 32 around each sliding valve 28 a - 28 h , and pressure check, prior to fracing. The operator may want to open every third sliding valve 28 , dissolve the cement, then frac. Depending upon the operator preference, some other type shifting device may be easily be used.
[0051] Another aspect of the invention is to prevent debris from getting inside sliding valves 28 when the sliding valves 28 are being cemented into place inside of the open hole. To prevent the debris from flowing inside the sliding valve 28 , a plug 78 is located in nozzle 46 . The plug 78 can be dissolved by the same acid that is used to dissolve the cement 32 . For example, if a hydrochloric acid is used, by having a weep hole 80 through an aluminum plug 78 , the aluminum plug 78 will quickly be eaten up by the hydrochloric acid. However, to prevent wear at the nozzles 46 , the area around the aluminum plus 78 is normally made of titanium. The titanium resists wear from fracing fluids, such as sand.
[0052] While the use of plug 78 has been described, plugs 78 may not be necessary. If the sliding valves 28 are closed and the cement 32 does not stick to the inner sleeve 48 , plugs 78 may be unnecessary. It all depends on whether the cement 32 will stick to the inner sleeve 48 .
[0053] Further, the nozzle 46 may be hardened any of a number of ways instead of making the nozzles 46 out of titanium. The nozzles 46 may be (a) heat treated, (b) frac hardened, (c) made out of tungsten carbide, (d) made out of hardened stainless steel, or (e) made or treated any of a number of different ways to decrease and increase productive life.
[0054] Assume the system as just described is used in a multi-lateral formation as shown in FIG. 6 . Again, the production well 10 is drilled into the earth 12 and into a hydrocarbon production zone 14 , but also into hydrocarbon production zone 82 . Again, a liner hanger 22 holds the production tubing 24 that is bent around a radius 26 and connects to sliding valves 28 a - 28 h , via production pipe segments 30 a - 30 h . The production of zone 14 , as illustrated in FIG. 6 , is the same as the production as illustrated in FIG. 1 . However, a window 84 has now been cut in casing 16 and cement 18 so that a horizontal lateral 86 may be drilled there through into hydrocarbon production zone 82 .
[0055] In the drilling of wells with multiple laterals, or multi-lateral wells, an on/off tool 88 is used to connect to the stinger 90 on the liner hanger 22 or the stinger 92 on packer 94 . Packer 94 can be either a hydraulic set or mechanical set packer to the wall 81 of the horizontal lateral 86 . In determining which lateral 86 , 96 to which the operator is going to connect, a bend 98 in the vertical production tubing 100 helps guide the on/off tool 88 to the proper lateral 86 or 96 . The sliding valves 102 a - 102 g may be identical to the sliding valves 28 a - 28 h . The only difference is sliding valves 102 a - 102 g are located in hydrocarbon production zone 82 , which is drilled through the window 84 of the casing 16 . Sliding valves 102 a - 102 g and production tubing 104 a - 104 g are cemented into place past the packer 94 in the same manner as previously described in conjunction with FIG. 1 . Also, the sliding valves 102 a - 102 g are opened in the same manner as sliding valves 28 a - 28 h as described in conjunction with FIG. 1 . Also, the cement 106 may be dissolved in the same manner.
[0056] Just as the multi laterals as described in FIG. 6 are shown in hydrocarbon production zones 14 and 82 , there may be other laterals drilled in the same zones 14 and/or 82 . There is no restriction on the number of laterals that can be drilled nor in the number of zones that can be drilled. Any particular sliding valve may be operated, the cement dissolved, and fracing begun. Any particular sliding valve the operator wants to open can be opened for fracing deep into the formation adjacent the sliding valve.
[0057] By use of the system as just described, more pressure can be created in a smaller zone for fracing than is possible with prior systems. Also, the size of the tubulars is not decreased the further down in the well the fluid flows. Although ball-operated valves may be used with alternative embodiments of the present invention, the decreasing size of tubulars is a particular problem for a series of ball operated valves, each successive ball-operated valve being smaller in diameter. This means the same fluid flow can be created in the last sliding valve at the end of the string as would be created in the first sliding valve along the string. Hence, the flow rates can be maintained for any of the selected sliding valves 28 a - 28 h or 102 a - 102 g . This results in the use of less fracing fluid, yet fracing deeper into the formation at a uniform pressure regardless of which sliding valve through which fracing may be occurring. Also, the operator has the option of fracing any combination or number of sliding valves at the same time or shutting off other sliding valves that may be producing undesirables, such as water.
[0058] On the top of casing 18 of production well 10 is located a wellhead 108 . While many different types of wellheads are available, the wellhead preferred by applicant is illustrated in further detail in FIG. 7 . A flange 110 is used to connect to the casing 16 that extends out of the production well 10 . On the sides of the flange 110 are standard valves 112 that can be used to check the pressure in the well, or can be used to pump things into the well. A master valve 114 that is basically a float control valve provides a way to shut off the well in case of an emergency. Above the master valve 114 is a goat head 116 . This particular goat head 116 has four points of entry 118 , whereby fracing fluids, acidizing fluids or other fluids can be pumped into the well. Because sand is many times used as a fracing fluid and is very abrasive, the goat head 116 is modified so sand that is injected at an angle to not excessively wear the goat head. However, by adjusting the flow rate and/or size of the opening, a standard goat head may be used without undue wear.
[0059] Above the goat head 116 is located blowout preventer 120 , which is standard in the industry. If the well starts to blow, the blowout preventer 120 drives two rams together and squeezes the pipe closed. Above the blowout preventer 120 is located the annular preventer 122 . The annular preventer 122 is basically a big balloon squashed around the pipe to keep the pressure in the well bore from escaping to atmosphere. The annular preventer 122 allows access to the well so that pipe or tubing can be moved up and down there through. The equalizing valve 124 allows the pressure to be equalized above and below the blow out preventer 120 . The equalizing of pressure is necessary to be able to move the pipe up and down for entry into the wellhead. All parts of the wellhead 108 are old, except the modification of the goat head 116 to provide injection of sand at an angle to prevent excessive wear. Even this modification is not necessary by controlling the flow rate.
[0060] Turning now to FIG. 8 , the system as presently described has been installed in a well 126 without vertical casing. Well 126 has production tubing 128 held into place by cement 130 . In the production zone 132 , the production tubing 128 bends around radius 134 into a horizontal lateral 136 that follows the production zone 132 . The production tubing 128 extends into production zone 132 around the radius 134 and connects to sliding valves 138 a - 138 f , through production tubing segments 140 a - 140 f . Again, the sliding valves 138 a - 138 f may be operated so the cement 130 is dissolved therearound. Thereafter (or simultaneously therewith, such as when the fracing material has dissolving properties), any of a combination of sliding valves 138 a - 138 f can be operated and the production zone 132 fraced around the opened sliding valve. In this type of system, it is not necessary to cement into place a casing nor is it necessary to use any type of packer or liner hanger. The minimum amount of hardware is permanently connected in well 126 , yet fracing throughout the production zone 132 in any particular order as selected by the operator can be accomplished by simply fracing through the selected sliding valves 138 a - 138 f.
[0061] The system previously described can also be used for an entirely vertical well 140 as shown in FIG. 9 . The wellhead 108 connects to casing 144 that is cemented into place by cement 146 . At the bottom 147 of casing 144 is located a liner hanger 148 . Below liner hanger 148 is production tubing 150 . In the well 140 , as shown in FIG. 9 , there are producing zones 152 , 154 , and 156 . After the production tubing 150 and sliding valves 158 , 160 , and 162 a - 162 d are cemented into place by acid soluble cement 164 , the operator may now produce all or selected zones. For example, by dissolving the cement 164 adjacent sliding valve 158 , thereafter, production zone 152 can be fraced and produced through sliding valve 158 . Likewise, the operator could dissolve the cement 164 around sliding valve 160 that is located in production zone 154 . After dissolving the cement 164 around sliding valve 160 , production zone 154 can be fraced and later produced.
[0062] On the other hand, if the operator wants to have multiple sliding valves 162 a - 162 d operate in production zone 156 , the operator can operate all or any combination of the sliding valves 162 a - 162 d , dissolve the cement 164 therearound, and later frac through all or any combination of the sliding valves 162 a - 162 d . By use of the method as just described, the operator can produce whichever zone 152 , 154 or 156 the operator desires with any combination of selected sliding valves 158 , 160 or 162 .
[0063] Alternative embodiments of the present invention may include any number of sliding sleeve variants, such as a hydraulically actuated ball-and-seat valve 200 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B . More specifically, FIG. 10A discloses a ball-and-seat valve 200 that has a mandrel 202 threadedly engaged at its upper end 204 with an upper sub 208 and at the lower end 206 with lower sub 210 , respectively, attachable to production tubing segments (not shown). The mandrel 202 has a series of mandrel ports 212 providing a fluid communication path between the exterior of the ball-and-seat valve 200 to the interior of the mandrel 202 .
[0064] FIG. 10A shows the ball-and-seat valve 200 in a “closed” position, wherein the fluid communication paths through the mandrel ports 212 are blocked by a lower portion 214 of the outer surface of an inner sleeve 216 , which lower portion 214 is defined by a middle seal 218 and a lower seal 220 , respectively. The middle seal 218 and lower seal 220 encircle the inner sleeve 216 to substantially prevent fluid from flowing between the outer surface of the inner sleeve 216 to the mandrel ports 212 in the mandrel 202 .
[0065] The inner sleeve 216 is cylindrical with open ends to allow fluid communication through the interior thereof. The inner sleeve 216 further contains a cylindrical ball seat 222 opened at both ends and connected to the inner sleeve 216 . When the ball-and-seat valve 200 is closed as shown in FIG. 10A , fluid may be communicated through the inner sleeve 216 and cylindrical ball seat 222 affixed thereto in either the upwell or downwell direction.
[0066] FIG. 10B shows the ball-and-seat valve 200 in an “open” position. When the ball-and-seat valve 200 is to be selectively opened, a ball 223 sealable to a seating surface 224 of the cylindrical ball seat 222 is pumped into the ball-and-seat valve 200 from the upper sub 208 . The ball 223 is sized such that the cylindrical ball seat 222 impedes further movement of the ball 223 through the ball-and-seat valve 200 as the ball 223 contacts the seating surface 224 and seals the interior of the seat 222 from fluid communication therethrough. In other words, the sealing of the ball 223 to the ball seat 222 prevents fluid from flowing downwell past the ball-and-seat valve 200 .
[0067] To open the ball-and-seat valve 200 —in other words, to move the inner sleeve 216 to the “open” position—downward flow within the production tubing (not shown) is maintained. Because fluid cannot move through the seat 222 because the ball 223 is in sealing contact with the seating surface 224 thereof, pressure upwell from the ball 223 may be increased to force the ball 223 , and therefore the inner sleeve 216 , downwell until further movement of the inner sleeve 216 is impeded by contacting the lower sub 210 .
[0068] As shown in FIG. 10B , when the inner sleeve 216 is in the “open” positioned, a series of sleeve ports 226 provide a fluid communication path between the exterior and interior of the inner sleeve 216 and are aligned with the mandrel ports 212 to permit fluid communication therethrough from and to the interior of the ball-and-seat valve 200 , and more specifically to the interior of the inner sleeve 216 . When the ball-and-seat valve 200 is “open,” fluid communication to and from the interior of the ball-and-seat valve 200 other than through the mandrel ports 212 and sleeve ports 226 is prevented by an upper seal 228 and the middle seal 218 encircling the outer surface of the inner sleeve 216 . The ball-and-seat valve 200 may thereafter be closed through the use of conventional means, such as a mechanical shifting tool lowered through the production tubing, as described with reference to the preferred embodiment.
[0069] When multiple ball-and-seat valves are used in a production well, each of the ball-and-seat valves will have a ball seat sized differently from the ball seats of the other valves used in the same production tubing. Moreover, the valve with the largest diameter ball seat will be located furthest upwell, and the valve with the smallest diameter ball seat will be located furthest downwell. Because the size of the seating surface of each ball seat is designed to mate and seal to a particularly-sized ball, valves are chosen and positioned within the production string so that balls will flow through any larger-sized, upwell ball seats until the appropriately-sized seat is reached. When the appropriately-sized ball seat is reached, the ball will mate and seal to the seat, blocking any upwell-to-downwell fluid flow as described hereinabove. Thus, when selectively opening multiple ball-and-seat valves within a production string, the valve furthest downwell is typically first opened, then the next furthest, and so on.
[0070] Referring to FIGS. 11A-11C in sequence, and by way of example, assume that the production well shown in FIG. 9 uses four ball-and-seat valves 162 a - 162 d in the production zone 156 . As shown in FIG. 11A , further assume that the ball-and-seat valves 162 a - 162 d are sized as follows: The deepest ball-and-seat valve 162 d has a ball seat 163 d with an inner diameter of 1.36″ and matable to a ball (not shown) having a 1.50″ diameter; the next deepest ball-and-seat valve 162 c has a ball seat 163 c with an inner diameter of 1.86″ and matable to a ball (not shown) having a 2.00″ diameter; the next deepest valve 162 b has a ball seat 163 b with an inner diameter of 2.36″ and matable to a ball (not shown) having a 2.50″ diameter; and the shallowest ball-and-seat valve 162 a has a ball seat 163 a with an inner diameter of 2.86″ and matable to a ball (not shown) having a 3.00″ diameter. The ball-and-seat valves 162 a - 162 d are connected with segments of production tubing 150 . The ball-and-seat valves 162 a - 162 d and production tubing 150 are cemented into place in an open hole with cement 164 .
[0071] As shown in FIG. 11B , to open the deepest valve 162 d , a ball 165 d having a 1.50″ diameter is pumped through the production tubing 150 and shallower ball-and-seat valves 162 a - 162 c . Because the 1.50″ diameter of the ball 165 d is smaller than the inner diameters of each of the ball seats 163 a - 163 c of the other valves 162 a - 162 c —which are 2.86″, 2.36″, and 1.86″, respectively—the ball 165 d will flow in a downwell direction 172 through each of the shallower ball-and-seat valves 162 a - 162 c until further downwell movement is impeded by the smaller 1.36″ diameter ball seat 163 d of the deepest ball-and-seat valve 162 d . At that point, if the ball-and-seat valve 162 d is in the closed position (see FIG. 10A ), fluid pressure within the production tubing 150 may be increased to selectively open the ball-and-seat valve 162 d as previously described with reference to FIG. 10B hereinabove. After selectively opening the deepest ball-and-seat valve 162 d , the cement 164 adjacent thereto may be dissolved with a solvent 171 and the production zone 156 can be fraced and produced through ball-and-seat valve 162 d , as previously described. As shown in FIG. 11C , dissolving the cement 164 adjacent thereto leaves passages 170 through which fracing material may be forced into cracks 180 in the production zone 156 and through which oil from the surrounding production zone 156 may be produced.
[0072] Further referring to FIG. 11C , to open the next deepest ball-and-seat valve 162 c , a ball 165 c having a 2.00″ diameter is pumped through the production tubing 150 and two shallower ball-and-seat valves 162 a , 162 b . Because the 2.00″ diameter of the ball 165 c is smaller than the inner diameters of the two shallower ball-and-seat valves 162 a , 162 b —which are 2.86″ and 2.36″, respectively—the ball 165 c will flow in a downwell direction 172 through each of the ball-and-seat valves 162 a , 162 b until further downwell movement is impeded by the smaller 1.86″ diameter ball seat 163 c of the second deepest valve 162 c . If the ball-and-seat valve 162 c is closed, fluid pressure within the production tubing 150 may be increased to selectively open the ball-and-seat valve 162 c as previously described with reference to FIG. 10B hereinabove. After selectively opening the ball-and-seat valve 162 c , the cement 164 adjacent thereto may be dissolved and the production zone 156 can be fraced and produced through ball-and-seat valve 162 c . This process may be repeated until all desired valves within the production well have been selectively opened and fraced and/or produced.
[0073] After having been pumped into the production well to selectively trigger corresponding ball-and-seat sliding valves, the balls may be pumped from the production well during production by reversing the direction of flow. Alternatively, seated balls may be milled, and thus fractured such that the pieces of the balls return to the well surface and may be retrieved therefrom.
[0074] By use of the method as described, the operator, by cementing the sliding valves into the open hole and thereafter dissolving the cement, can frac just in the area adjacent to the sliding valve. By having a limited area of fracing, more pressure can be built up into the formation with less fracing fluid, thereby causing deeper fracing into the formation. Such deeper fracing will increase the production from the formation. Also, the fracing fluid is not wasted by distributing fracing fluid over a long area of the well, which results in less pressure forcing the fracing fluid deep into the formation. In fracing over long areas of the well, there is less desirable fracing than what would be the case with the present invention.
[0075] The present invention shows a method of fracing in the open hole through cemented in place sliding valves that can be selectively opened or closed depending upon where the production is to occur. Preliminary experiments have shown that the present system described hereinabove produces better fracing and better production at lower cost than prior methods.
[0076] The present invention is described above in terms of a preferred illustrative embodiment of a specifically described cemented open-hole selective fracing system and method, as well as an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other alternative embodiments of such a system and method can be used in carrying out the present invention. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention may be obtained from a study of this disclosure and the drawings, along with the appended claims. | A method of producing petroleum from at least one open hole in at least one petroleum production zone of a hydrocarbon well comprising the steps of locating a plurality of sliding valves along at least one production tubing; inserting the plurality of sliding valves and the production tubing into the at least one open hole; cementing the plurality of sliding valves in the at least one open hole; opening at least one of the cemented sliding valves; removing at least some of the cement adjacent the opened sliding valves without using jetting tools or cutting tools to establish at least one communication path between the interior of the production tubing and the at least one petroleum production zone; directing a fracing material radially through the at least one sliding valve radially toward the at least one production zone; producing hydrocarbons from the at least one petroleum production zone through the plurality of the sliding valves the cement adjacent to which has been removed. | 4 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/069,623 filed Oct. 28, 2014, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the manufacturing of metallic cups from flat sheet material to form container bodies. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for forming metallic cups with reduced height and reformed bottoms having an inwardly oriented projection. The cups are subsequently formed into metallic container bodies, such as aerosol containers.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Metallic containers offer distributors and consumers many benefits by providing optimal protection properties for products. For example, metallic containers prevent CO 2 migration and block UV radiation which can have a damaging effect on personal care, pharmaceutical, and food products and on other UV-sensitive formulations, negatively influencing the effectiveness of ingredients, as well as the fragrance, appearance, flavor, or color of the product. Metallic containers also offer an impermeable barrier to light, water vapor, oils and fats, oxygen and micro-organisms and keep the contents of the container fresh and protected from external influences, thereby guaranteeing a long shelf-life.
[0004] The increased durability of metallic containers compared to glass containers reduces the number of containers damaged during processing and shipping, resulting in further savings. Additionally, metallic containers are lighter than glass containers of comparable size, resulting in energy savings during shipment. Further, metallic containers can be manufactured with high burst pressures which make them ideal and safe for use as containers holding products under pressure, such as aerosol containers. Finally, recycling metallic containers is generally easier than recycling glass and plastic containers because labels and other indicia are printed directly onto the metallic body of the container while glass and plastic containers typically have labels that must be separated during the recycling process.
[0005] Metallic containers may include a container body that is formed in a draw and wall ironing (DWI) process separately from a can end. The manufacture of the DWI container body starts by forming a cup from a metallic stock material which is typically shipped and stored in large rolls. Referring to FIG. 1 , which depicts the prior art process, a sheet 4 of metallic stock material is fed into a draw-redraw apparatus 2 . As shown in FIG. 1A , a blank and draw die 6 cuts a blank 8 from the sheet 4 . The blank 8 can have any desired shape. The cut blank 8 is illustrated in FIG. 1A separate from apparatus 2 for clarity. The blank and draw die 6 then draws the blank 8 into a cup 9 with sidewalls 10 and a closed endwall 11 with a first diameter, as illustrated in FIG. 1B . Referring now to FIGS. 1C-1D , optionally a redraw die 12 redraws the cup 9 into a formed cup 13 with a closed endwall 14 . As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, during a redraw operation, the direction of the sidewalls 15 of the cup 14 are reversed. Thus, the open end of the cup 13 faces a direction substantially opposite of the direction of the open end of cup 9 . The redraw operation also generally lengthens the sidewalls 15 compared to sidewalls 10 of cup 9 , reducing the diameter of the closed endwall 14 . Thus, the endwall 14 of the formed cup 13 has a second diameter that is less than the first diameter. The formed cup 13 is then ejected from the apparatus 2 and another portion of the sheet 4 is fed into the apparatus 2 , as illustrated in FIG. 1E . In the prior art apparatus 2 illustrated in FIG. 1 , the formed cup 13 has a cross-section with generally linear sidewalls 15 , as shown in FIG. 1D . The closed endwall 14 is also generally linear. After forming the cup 13 , the apparatus 2 ejects the cup in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sheet 4 of stock material. The formed cup 13 is subsequently formed into a container body by a bodymaker by methods known to those of skill in the art. Generally, the size of the container body is directly related to the size of the blank 8 used to form the formed cup 13 , i.e., the larger the blank, the more material that is present to form the formed cup 13 and, subsequently, the container body.
[0006] To form a taller or wider container body, such as an aerosol container, current manufacturing methods require a blank of a larger size resulting in a formed cup 13 with an increased height. For example, to form a taller or wider container body using the method and apparatus of FIGS. 1A-1E , the height of the sidewall 15 of the formed cup 13 is increased. However, as the height of the formed cup increases, the bodymaker must use a longer punch stroke and longer stroke redraw carriage to form the formed cup 13 into the container body, reducing the speed and efficiency of the bodymaker.
[0007] Accordingly, there is an unmet need for a method and apparatus of forming a cup from a blank with a larger size without increasing the height of the cup so that the cup can be reformed into a larger container body without reducing the speed and efficiency of a conventional bodymaker. Further, by utilizing conventional bodymaker tools, equipment costs can be reduced because new tooling is not required in the manufacturing plant. The present invention is particularly useful to manufacture metallic cups which can be utilized in a bodymaker to form aerosol containers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention provides novel methods and apparatus for forming a cup with a reformed closed endwall having an inwardly oriented projection for the purpose of reducing the overall height of the cup. After the cup with the reformed closed endwall is formed, the cup may be formed into a container body of any size, shape, or type for any product. One aspect of the present invention is to provide a cup with a reformed closed endwall. The cup generally comprises, but is not limited to, an open end, a sidewall, a closed endwall, and an inwardly oriented protrusion formed in a portion of the closed endwall. In one embodiment of the present invention, the cup has a reduced height compared to a cup of a similar diameter formed from a blank of substantially the same size.
[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a die center punch with a cavity. The die center punch is adapted to support a portion of an interior surface of a cup endwall as an inward projection is formed in the cup.
[0010] Still another aspect of the present invention is a reform punch with an extension. The extension is adapted to apply pressure to a portion of an exterior surface of a cup endwall to form an inward projection in the cup.
[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is a draw-redraw apparatus operable to form a cup with a reformed closed endwall and a reduced cup height. In one embodiment, the draw-redraw apparatus includes a die center punch, a reform punch, and a reform draw pad. The reform draw pad has a cavity therethrough that aligns with an extension of the reform punch. At least a portion of the extension passes at least partially through the cavity of the reform draw pad and applies a force to a predetermined portion of a bottom surface of the cup. A portion of the bottom of the cup is deformed into a cavity formed at the end of the die center punch, forming an inwardly oriented projection in the bottom of the cup.
[0012] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a novel method of forming a metallic cup having a sidewall and a reformed bottom is provided. This includes, but is not limited to, a method generally comprising: (1) providing a sheet of stock metal material; (2) shearing the sheet of stock metal material with a tool to form a substantially circular blank with a predetermined size; (3) drawing the blank into a cup with a first diameter by pushing a peripheral edge of the blank downward with a first tool while supporting a center portion of the blank with a second tool, the cup including a closed endwall; (4) reforming the cup by applying pressure to a portion of the closed endwall of the cup to form an inwardly oriented protrusion, the protrusion reducing the interior volume of the cup; and (5) ejecting the metallic cup. In one embodiment, the method may further comprise redrawing the cup with a first diameter to form a cup with a second diameter that is less than the first diameter.
[0013] In one embodiment, reforming the cup to form an inwardly oriented protrusion comprises utilizing a die center punch with a cavity formed therein. The inwardly oriented protrusion is formed at least partially within the cavity of the die center punch by applying pressure to an exterior surface of the cup endwall with a reform punch. In one embodiment, the reform punch includes an extension with a generally cylindrical shape. In another embodiment, the extension has a horizontal cross-sectional shape that substantially conforms to a horizontal cross-sectional shape of the cavity of the die center punch.
[0014] In one embodiment, the inwardly oriented projection in the bottom portion of the cup formed by the extension of the reform punch has a generally cylindrical shape. In another embodiment, the inwardly oriented projection in the bottom portion of the cup has a shape that is not cylindrical. For example, in one embodiment, the reform punch is generally conically shaped. In yet another embodiment, the reform punch generally has the shape of a frustum.
[0015] In one embodiment, reforming the cup to form the inwardly oriented protrusion decreases a height of the cup. A diameter of the cup with the inwardly oriented protrusion is substantially the same as the first diameter of the cup. In another embodiment, the diameter of the metallic cup with the protrusion is at least about 5% less than a diameter of cup of approximately the same height and formed from a blank of approximately the same diameter that does not have an inwardly oriented projection. In still another embodiment, the protrusion reduces the internal volume of the cup by at least about 10%. It will be appreciated that varying the dimensions of the protrusion change internal volume of a cup with a protrusion. Accordingly, in still another embodiment, a cup with a protrusion has an internal volume that is reduced by from about 15% to about 22% compared to the same cup without the protrusion.
[0016] In another embodiment, reforming the cup comprises extending an unsupported portion of the closed endwall of the cup. In one embodiment, the second tool that supports the center portion of the blank comprises a reform draw pad with a cavity formed there-through. The reform draw pad is positioned between the reform punch and the die center punch. In one embodiment, the cavity is substantially centered on the reform draw pad. In another embodiment, the cavity of the reform draw pad has a generally circular shape.
[0017] In one embodiment, the blank has a generally circular shape, but in another embodiment, the blank has a non-circular shape. In another embodiment, the blank has a shape resembling one of an oval, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a circle, or any combination thereof.
[0018] In one embodiment, the metallic cup has a generally cylindrical shape. In another embodiment, the metallic cup is not cylindrical.
[0019] It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a method of forming a metallic cup with an inwardly oriented protrusion. The method generally comprises, but is not limited to: (1) drawing a substantially circular metallic blank into a cup with a first diameter by pushing a peripheral edge of the blank with a first tool while supporting a portion of the blank with a second tool, the cup including a closed endwall and a sidewall; (2) redrawing the cup to form a cup with a second diameter that is less than the first diameter; and (3) reforming the cup by applying pressure to a portion of the closed endwall to form a protrusion within an interior of the cup, the protrusion reducing a length of the cup sidewall.
[0020] In one embodiment, reforming the cup to form the protrusion does not substantially change the second diameter of the cup. In another embodiment, reforming the cup comprises extending an unsupported portion of the closed endwall of the cup into a cavity of a die center punch positioned within the interior of the cup. In still another embodiment, a reform punch applies pressure to an unsupported bottom surface portion of the closed endwall of the cup during the reforming. In one embodiment, a reform draw pad is positioned between the reform punch and the closed endwall of the cup during the reforming. The reform draw pad includes a cavity to receive at least a portion of the punch.
[0021] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an improved apparatus for forming a metallic cup having a conical shaped bottom portion with an inwardly extending projection from a cup with a substantially flat bottom portion is disclosed. The improvement generally comprises, but is not limited to: (1) providing a metallic cup with a substantially flat bottom portion and a sidewall; (2) a first tool to support an interior surface of the bottom portion of the metallic cup proximate to at least the sidewall; and (3) a second opposing tool to apply pressure to an exterior surface of the bottom portion of the metallic cup opposite of the first tool, the second tool comprising a projection which travels at least partially into a cavity formed in the first tool to form an inwardly oriented projection in the cup bottom portion.
[0022] In one embodiment, the first tool comprises a die center punch with the cavity formed therein. In another embodiment, the second tool comprises a reform punch with an upwardly extending projection.
[0023] In one embodiment, a reform draw pad with a substantially centered cavity is positioned between the first tool and the second tool as the inwardly oriented projection is formed. In another embodiment, the sidewall of the metallic cup is supported by a third tool as the inwardly oriented projection is formed.
[0024] In one embodiment, the cavity of the reform draw pad has a shape that is generally round, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the extension of the reform punch has a shape that is generally spherical, conical, cylindrical, rectangular, triangular, a frustum, or any combination thereof.
[0025] The above-described embodiments, objectives, and configurations are neither complete nor exhaustive. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the invention are possible using, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.
[0026] As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the method and apparatus of the current invention may be used to form cups of any material used to form metallic containers, including without limitation aluminum, tin, steel, and combinations thereof. Further, the method and apparatus of the current invention may be used to form cups that are subsequently formed into container bodies or vessels of any size and shape and for storing any type of product for any industry. Accordingly, cups formed by the method and apparatus of the present invention may be formed into containers or vessels used to store or contain liquids and gases of all types, including consumer products and beverages as well as industrial chemicals and products.
[0027] The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or,” as used herein, are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.
[0028] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, dimensions, conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.”
[0029] The term “a” or “an” entity, as used herein, refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein.
[0030] The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Accordingly, the terms “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof can be used interchangeably herein.
[0031] It shall be understood that the term “means” as used herein shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112(f). Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials, or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the Summary of the Invention, Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, Abstract, and Claims themselves.
[0032] The Summary of the Invention is neither intended, nor should it be construed, as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. Moreover, references made herein to “the present invention” or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the present invention and should not necessarily be construed as limiting all embodiments to a particular description. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements or components. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the Detailed Description, particularly when taken together with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0033] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the Summary of the Invention given above and the Detailed Description of the drawings given below serve to explain the principles of these embodiments. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the disclosure or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. Additionally, it should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale.
[0034] FIGS. 1A-1E depict a prior art method and apparatus used to form a metallic cup;
[0035] FIGS. 2A-2F depict a method and apparatus for forming a cup with an inwardly oriented projection in a closed endwall portion with a draw-redraw apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention as well as a cup with an inward projected formed by the apparatus; and
[0036] FIGS. 3A-3F depict a method and apparatus for forming a cup with an inwardly oriented projection in a closed endwall portion with a draw-redraw apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention as well as a cup with an inward projected formed by the apparatus.
[0037] Similar components and/or features may have the same reference number. Components of the same type may be distinguished by a letter following the reference number. If only the reference number is used, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same reference number.
[0038] To assist in the understanding of one embodiment of the present invention the following list of components and associated numbering found in the drawings is provided herein:
[0000]
Number
Component
2
Draw-redraw apparatus;
4
Sheet of metallic stock material
6
Blank and draw die
8
Blank
9
Cup
10
Sidewalls
11
Closed endwall
12
Redraw die
13
Formed cup
14
Closed endwall
15
Sidewall
16
Draw-redraw apparatus
18
Blanking die
20
Cut edge
22
Blank and draw die
24
Draw pressure pad
26
Redraw pressure pad
28
Redraw die
29
Void between blank and draw die and redraw die
30
Die center punch
31
Cavity of die center punch
32
Reform draw pad
33
Cavity of reform draw pad
34
Reform punch
35
Extension of reform punch
36
Leading surface of blank and draw die
37
Leading edge
38
Blank
40
Cup
41
Closed endwall
42
Redrawn cup
43
Sidewalls
44
Projection
45
Open end
46
Finished cup with reformed closed endwall
48
Diameter of blank
50
First sidewall height
52
First diameter of endwall
54
Second sidewall height
56
Second diameter of endwall
58
Third sidewall height
60
Third diameter of endwall
62
Projection height
64
Projection diameter
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0039] The present invention has significant benefits across a broad spectrum of endeavors. It is the Applicant's intent that this specification and the claims appended hereto be accorded a breadth in keeping with the scope and spirit of the invention being disclosed despite what might appear to be limiting language imposed by the requirements of referring to the specific examples disclosed. To acquaint persons skilled in the pertinent arts most closely related to the present invention, a preferred embodiment that illustrates the best mode now contemplated for putting the invention into practice is described herein by, and with reference to, the annexed drawings that form a part of the specification. The exemplary embodiment is described in detail without attempting to describe all of the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied. As such, the embodiments described herein are illustrative, and as will become apparent to those skilled in the arts, may be modified in numerous ways within the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0040] Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims. To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term by limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning.
[0041] Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2F , a draw-redraw apparatus 16 with a novel die set of one embodiment of the present invention is provided. The apparatus 16 generally comprises a blank die 18 with a cut edge 20 , a blank and draw die 22 , a draw pressure pad 24 , a redraw pressure pad 26 , a redraw die 28 , a die center punch 30 , a reform draw pad 32 , and a reform punch 34 . The apparatus 16 is operable to form a plurality of cups from a sheet 4 of metallic stock material through a draw and wall ironing (DWI) process. Optionally, the apparatus 16 may redraw the cups. The finished cups 46 are formed from a blank 38 with an increased diameter 48 and have an inwardly oriented projection 44 in a closed endwall portion that reduces a height of the cup compared to cups formed from a similar sized blank using the prior art process illustrated in FIG. 1 . Other forming operations may subsequently be used to form the cups into container bodies of any shape for any variety of products, including aerosol cans.
[0042] As illustrated in FIG. 2A , a sheet 4 of metallic stock material is fed into the apparatus 16 . The blank and draw die 22 is then moved in a first direction toward the blanking die 18 and the draw pressure pad 24 until a leading surface 36 of the blank and draw die 22 contacts and applies pressure to an upper surface of the sheet 4 . The sheet 4 is forced against the cut edge 20 of the blanking die 18 , as illustrated in FIG. 2B . The sheet 4 is sheared to form a blank 38 of a predetermined size and shape. The blank 38 is also illustrated in FIG. 2B separated from the apparatus 16 for clarity. In one embodiment, the blank 38 has a generally circular shape with a predetermined diameter 48 of between about 5 inches and about 10 inches, and in some embodiments the diameter is more preferably between about 7 inches and about 8 inches. In other embodiments the blank diameter is between about 6.75 inches and about 8.25 inches to form smaller sized cups. However, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the blank 38 can have any desired diameter depending upon the desired size of the finished container. Further, the blank may have any shape, including oval, square, rectangular, triangular, circular, and/or combinations thereof.
[0043] In conjunction with the movement of the blank and draw die 22 and the draw pressure pad 24 , the redraw pressure pad 26 and the die center punch 30 are moved towards the redraw die 28 . The bottom surface of the blank 38 is then contacted with the redraw die 28 . The peripheral edge of the blank 38 is pushed in the first direction while a center portion of the blank is supported. The blank 38 is deformed, or drawn, under pressure and conforms to an interior surface of a hollow interior of the blank and draw die 22 forming a cup 40 with a predetermined, generally cylindrical shape. In an alternative embodiment a projection 44 may be formed in the cup at this stage or later as described below. The cup 40 generally includes an open end 45 , sidewalls 43 with a first height 50 and a closed endwall 41 with a first diameter 52 , as illustrated in FIG. 2C . In one embodiment, the cup 40 has a generally cylindrical shape, although as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the cup 40 can have any desired shape, including a non-cylindrical shape. An exterior surface of the redraw die 28 , which comprises a smaller outer diameter than the internal diameter of the hollow interior of the blank and draw die 22 , is nested within the hollow interior of the blank and draw die 22 . As the blank 38 is deformed, the blank 38 transitions out of a space between the blank and draw die 22 and the draw pressure pad 24 .
[0044] Referring now to FIG. 2D , a portion of an upper surface of the cup 40 is contacted with the die center punch 30 . Optionally, the cup 40 may be reformed (or partially redrawn) to form a redrawn cup 42 as the die center punch 30 continues to move in the first direction, conforming a portion of the cup 40 to the interior shape of the redraw die 28 under pressure. As illustrated in FIG. 2D , the material of the cup 40 is translated out from a space 29 between the blank and draw die 22 and the redraw die 28 . While the cup is redrawn, the cup 40 also transitions out of a space between the redraw pressure pad 26 and the redraw die 28 . The redrawn cup 42 in FIG. 2D has a closed endwall 41 with a second diameter 56 that is less than the endwall diameter 52 of the cup 40 shown in FIG. 2C . In one embodiment, the redrawn cup 42 has a diameter of between about 2.5 inches and about 5.0 inches and in another embodiment between about 3.5 inches and about 4.25 inches. For smaller cups, the diameter of the redrawn cup is between about 2.75 inches and 3.50 inches. The redrawn cup 42 illustrated in FIG. 2D has sidewalls 43 with a height 54 that may be the same as, or different from, the height 50 of the sidewalls 43 of cup 40 . As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the cup 40 may be reformed any number of times, including zero times. Each time the cup is reformed, the diameter of the closed endwall is decrease by a predetermined amount.
[0045] A closed endwall portion of the reformed redrawn cup 42 contacts the reform draw pad 32 and moves the reform draw pad 32 in the first direction toward the reform punch 34 as the die center punch 30 continues moving in the first direction forming the optional redrawn cup 42 . An extension 35 of the reform punch 34 aligns substantially concentrically with a cavity 33 formed through the reform draw pad 32 . In one embodiment, the extension 35 has a generally cylindrical shape with a tapered or rounded upper edge 37 . However, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the extension 35 can have any desired shape. In one embodiment, the extension has a cross-section with a round shape, an oval shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, a triangular shape, a frustum, and/or combinations thereof. The cavity 33 of the reform draw pad 32 has a shape adapted to at least partially receive the extension 35 of the reform punch 34 . In one embodiment, the cavity 33 has a generally circular shape with an interior diameter of between about 2.0 inches and about 2.75 inches, and more preferably between about 1.5 inches and about 3.0 inches, which is greater than an exterior diameter of the extension 35 . Thus, the interior diameter of the cavity 33 is between about 40% and about 75% of the diameter of the draw pad 32 , and in other embodiments between about 50% and about 65% of the diameter of the cavity 33 . As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the cavity 33 can have any desired shape adapted to at least partially receive the extension 35 . In one embodiment, the cavity 33 is substantially centered on the reform draw pad 32 . In another embodiment, the cavity has a shape that is different than the cross-sectional shape of the extension.
[0046] Referring now to FIG. 2E , as the die center punch 30 continues to move in the first direction to form the redrawn cup 42 , the reform draw pad 32 also continues to move in the first direction. The extension 35 of the reform punch 34 projects at least partially through the cavity 33 and contacts the closed endwall portion 41 of the redrawn cup 42 . The extension 35 applies force to the closed endwall 41 and reforms the closed endwall, displacing the closed endwall at least partially into a cavity 31 of the die center punch 30 . The cavity 31 is adapted to at least partially receive the extension 35 and a portion of the closed endwall of the redrawn cup 42 . In one embodiment, the cavity 31 has a generally cylindrical shape and is substantially concentrically aligned with the cavity 33 of the reform draw pad 32 . The cavity 31 has a diameter that is at least equal to the exterior diameter of the punch extension 35 . Thus, the extension 35 pushes against an unsupported portion of the closed endwall 41 of the cup 42 . As the extension 35 pushes against an exterior surface of the endwall, a portion of the interior surface of the closed endwall is supported.
[0047] In one embodiment, the cavity 31 has an interior diameter that is at least equal to the interior diameter of the cavity 33 of the reform draw pad 32 . In one embodiment the cavity 31 has a diameter of between about 1.5 inches and about 3.0 inches, and alternatively between about 2.0 inches and about 2.75 inches. As the extension 35 applies force to the closed endwall portion of the redrawn cup 42 , the closed endwall portion of the redrawn cup 42 is reformed and an inwardly oriented projection 44 is formed in a portion of the closed endwall 41 of the finished cup 46 . Although the inwardly oriented projection 44 is illustrated being formed on a redrawn cup 42 , it will be appreciated that an inwardly oriented projection 44 can also be formed in a cup 40 that has not been reformed using the method and apparatus of the present invention.
[0048] The finished cup 46 illustrated in FIG. 2E has a closed endwall 41 with a predetermined diameter 60 of between about 2.5 inches and about 5.0 inches and preferably between about 3.5 inches and about 4.25 inches. In one embodiment, the diameter 60 is substantially the same as the redrawn cup 42 diameter 56 illustrated in FIG. 2D . The cup 46 has sidewalls 43 with a predetermined height 58 of between about 2.0 inches and about 5.0 inches and more preferably between about 2.5 inches and about 4.5 inches. The projection 44 has a predetermined height 62 of between about 0.25 inches and about 1.5 inches and more preferably between about 0.5 inches and about 1.25 inches. A diameter 64 of the projection 44 is between about 1.5 inches and about 3.0 inches. In a more preferred embodiment, the diameter is between about 2.0 inches and about 2.75 inches. The inwardly oriented projection 44 can have any desired size or shape. In one embodiment, the projection 44 has a cross-section of a truncated cone, or frustum, with a first diameter 64 proximate to the closed endwall surface 41 of the finished cup 46 that is greater than a second diameter at a top of the projection 44 . In another embodiment, the projection has a generally cylindrical shape with a substantially constant diameter. Thus, the volume of the cup 40 shown in FIG. 2C when compared to the cup 46 shown in FIG. 2E is reduced by between about 15% and about 50%. More preferably, the internal volume is reduced by between about 20% and about 45%. Of course, as will be appreciated, the size (or volume) of the projection 44 may be altered. Accordingly, the internal volume of the cup 46 may change. In one embodiment, the internal volume of cup 40 is reduced by between about 5% and about 15% when the projection 44 is formed to create cup 46 . In a more preferred embodiment, the internal volume of cup 46 is about 10% less than cup 40 . In another embodiment, the internal volume of cup 46 is at least 7% less than cup 40 .
[0049] After forming the projection 44 , the tooling is separated and/or extracted, and the finished cup 46 with the reformed bottom is ejected as illustrated in FIG. 2F . In one embodiment, the die center punch 30 , reform draw pad 32 , and the redraw pressure pad 26 each move in the second direction toward their starting positions illustrated in FIG. 2A . As the reform draw pad 32 moves in the second direction, the finished cup 46 moves out of the redraw die 28 until the bottom surface of the finished cup 46 is substantially level with the upper surface of the blanking die 18 . The finished cup 46 is then ejected from the apparatus 16 and another portion of the sheet 4 of metallic stock material is fed into the apparatus 16 , as illustrated in FIG. 2A . In one embodiment, the finished cup 46 is ejected laterally from the apparatus 16 .
[0050] Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3F , a draw-redraw apparatus 16 A according to another embodiment of the present invention is provided herein. Apparatus 16 A is used to form a finished cup 46 with an inwardly oriented projection 44 in a number of sequential steps in a manner similar to the method illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2F . In apparatus 16 A, a reform punch 34 A is positioned further from the sheet 4 of metallic stock material with respect to the redraw die 28 compared to the position of the reform punch 34 of the embodiment of the present invention described in conjunction with FIG. 2 . Thus, the optional redraw of the cup 40 to form the redrawn cup 42 , illustrated in FIG. 3D , is substantially completed before the reform punch 34 A reforms the closed endwall portion of the redrawn cup 42 , illustrated in FIG. 3E . In one embodiment, the reform punch 34 A has substantially the same size and shape as reform punch 34 A.
[0051] Referring now to FIG. 3A , a sheet 4 of metallic stock material is fed into the apparatus 16 A. A blank 38 with diameter 48 is sheared from the sheet 4 as illustrated in FIG. 3B . The blank 38 illustrated in FIG. 3B may be the same as, or similar to, blank 38 illustrated in FIG. 2B . Similarly, the diameter 48 may have the same, or similar, dimensions as discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 2B .
[0052] Referring now to FIG. 3C , the apparatus 16 A forms the blank 38 into a cup 40 with a predetermined shape. The cup 40 may have the same shape, endwall diameter 52 , and sidewall height 50 as the cup 40 illustrated in FIG. 2C . Optionally, the cup 40 is redrawn to form a redrawn cup 42 , as illustrated in FIG. 3D . The redrawn cup 42 illustrated in FIG. 3D may have the same endwall diameter 56 as the redrawn cup 42 illustrated in FIG. 2D . However, in this embodiment of the present invention, the sidewalls 43 are substantially completely re-drawn before the closed endwall 41 is reformed. Accordingly, the redrawn cup 42 illustrated in FIG. 3D has sidewalls with a generally linear cross-sectional height 54 which is distinct from the shape and size of the sidewalls of the cup 42 of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2D . In one embodiment, the height 54 of cup 42 illustrated in FIG. 3D is between about 2.0 inches and about 4.5 inches. More preferably, the height 54 is between about 2.5 inches and about 3.75 inches. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, in one embodiment, the cup 42 shown in FIG. 3D may be ejected from the apparatus 16 A and used to form a container. Thus, in one embodiment, the cup 42 shown in FIG. 3D may be used to form a container with a predetermined shape and size without forming a projection in the closed end-wall of the cup.
[0053] The closed endwall 41 of the redrawn cup 42 is reformed by the reform punch 34 A to form a finished cup 46 with a reformed closed endwall comprising an inwardly oriented projection 44 , as illustrated in FIG. 3E . The height 58 of the cup 46 is less than the height 54 of cup 42 illustrated in FIG. 3D after forming the inwardly oriented projection 44 . Thus, the total internal volume, or the overflow volume, of cup 42 is reduced. More specifically, the volume of the cup 46 shown in FIG. 3E is reduced with respect to the volume of the cup 42 shown in FIG. 3D by between about 5% to about 40%. In a more preferred embodiment, the volume of cup 46 is between about 10% and about 30% less than the internal volume of cup 42 illustrated in FIG. 3D . In another embodiment, the volume of cup 46 is between about 15% and about 21% less than the internal volume of cup 42 shown in FIG. 3D . In a still more preferred embodiment, the cup 46 has a volume that is about 18% less than the volume of cup 42 of FIG. 3D . As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, changing the size or shape of the projection 44 changes the relative volumes of cups 42 and 46 . Thus, in still another embodiment of the present invention, the volume of cup 42 of FIG. 3D is reduced by at least 10% when the projection 44 is formed to make cup 46 . The cup 46 and projection 44 illustrated in FIG. 3E may generally have the same shape and dimensions as the cup 46 projection 44 illustrated and described in conjunction with FIG. 2E , above. Thus, in one embodiment, the cup 46 has the same endwall diameter 60 , sidewall height 58 , projection diameter 64 , and projection height 62 as the cup 46 of the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 2E .
[0054] Referring now to FIG. 3F , the finished cup 46 is ejected from the apparatus 16 A. In one embodiment, the finished cup 46 is ejected laterally from the apparatus 16 . The finished cup 46 is subsequently formed into a container body by a bodymaker by any method known to those of skill in the art.
[0055] In various embodiments, pneumatic compressed air or other means provides force to one or more of the tooling components of the draw-redraw apparatus 16 described herein. For example, in one embodiment, a tooling component, such as the redraw pressure pad 26 is provided with an “inner” air pressure which applies a clamping force as shown in FIGS. 2B-2D and 3B-3D and another tooling component, such as the draw pressure pad 24 , is supplied with an “outer” air pressure, which is illustrated as a clamp force in FIGS. 2B and 3B .
[0056] By reforming the closed endwall portion 41 of the finished cup 46 with the projection 44 , the height 58 of the finished cup 46 is decreased compared to the height of the cup 13 formed by the prior art method. Accordingly, existing tooling and bodymakers can be used to form cups 46 into container bodies that are larger. In this manner, container bodies with an increased height and/or an increased diameter can be formed. The finished cup 46 has a height 58 that is less than the height of the formed cup 13 formed using the prior art method and apparatus, although the diameter 48 of the blanks 8 , 38 used to form cups 13 , 46 are substantially equal.
[0057] Further, reforming the closed endwall portion of the finished cup 46 enables a shorter bodymaker ram stroke and a shorter stroke redraw carriage to be used when forming the container body. Thus, the bodymaker can operate at a higher speed than is possible when forming a container body from a cup 13 without the reformed closed endwall having the inwardly oriented projection. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the maximum amount that the diameter of a cup can be reduced by a bodymaker in a subsequent redraw step is known as a “draw ratio.” By forming an inwardly oriented projection 44 on a closed endwall portion of a finished cup 46 with a diameter corresponding to the draw ratio of a bodymaker, the amount of the material in the finished cup 46 can be increased while the height 58 of the finished cup 46 is shortened. Thus, the finished cup 46 can be formed into a container body by a conventional bodymaker.
[0058] A further advantage of reforming the closed endwall portion 41 of the finished cup 46 is that the finished cup 46 of a predetermined blank size and maximum height may be formed with a smaller transverse dimension of a longitudinal cross section than would otherwise be possible. For example, a cylindrical cup with reformed closed endwall and specified maximum height may have a smaller diameter than a cylindrical cup of the same height made from a blank of the same size. In one embodiment of the present invention, the diameter 60 of a finished cup 46 with a cylindrical shape having a reformed closed endwall is approximately 5% less than that of a cylindrical cup 13 of the same height without an inwardly oriented projection 44 , although both cups 13 , 46 are formed from substantially the same size blank 8 , 38 . This reduction in the transverse dimension of the finished cup 46 facilitates the redraw operation in the bodymaker. The redraw operation in the bodymaker must reduce the internal diameter of the cylindrical cup to the diameter of the finished container body. Reduction of the cup diameter to the finished container body diameter is most reliably accomplished when the reduction in the diameter of the cup is small. If the attempted diameter reduction is too large, the redraw operation will fail by any of several means, including wrinkling or rupture of the cup material. In one embodiment, the reduction in diameter from cup diameter to container body diameter, as compared to the cup diameter, is limited to not more than 40%. In another embodiment, the reduction is limited to not more than 35%.
[0059] The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the invention to the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments described and shown in the figures were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention.
[0060] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Moreover, references made herein to “the present invention” or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the present invention and should not necessarily be construed as limiting all embodiments to a particular description. It is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims. | An apparatus and method of forming a metallic cup that is subsequently reformed into a container body is provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and methods used to form a metallic cup with a reformed bottom having an inwardly oriented projection. The inwardly oriented projection reduces a height of the metallic cup but utilizes the same amount of metallic stock material as a taller cup with substantially the same diameter that does not have an inward projection. The inwardly oriented projection thus allows the use of a conventional bodymaker and other can manufacturing tools to convert the cup into a container body of a preferred size and shape. | 1 |
PRIORITY CLAIM
This application claims the benefit of and priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/548,037 filed on Oct. 17, 2011, that is incorporated in its entirety for all purposes by this reference.
FIELD
The present application relates to drill bits used for earth boring, such as water wells; oil and gas wells; injection wells; geothermal wells; monitoring wells, mining; and, other operations in which a well-bore is drilled into the Earth.
BACKGROUND
Specialized drill bits are used to drill well-bores, boreholes, or wells in the earth for a variety of purposes, including water wells; oil and gas wells; injection wells; geothermal wells; monitoring wells, mining; and, other similar operations. These drill bits come in two common types, roller cone drill bits and fixed cutter drill bits.
Wells and other holes in the earth are drilled by attaching or connecting a drill bit to some means of turning the drill bit. In some instances, such as in some mining applications, the drill bit is attached directly to a shaft that is turned by a motor, engine, drive, or other means of providing torque to rotate the drill bit.
In other applications, such as oil and gas drilling, the well may be several thousand feet or more in total depth. In these circumstances, the drill bit is connected to the surface of the earth by what is referred to as a drill string and a motor or drive that rotates the drill bit. The drill string typically comprises several elements that may include a special down-hole motor configured to provide additional or, if a surface motor or drive is not provided, the only means of turning the drill bit. Special logging and directional tools to measure various physical characteristics of the geological formation being drilled and to measure the location of the drill bit and drill string may be employed. Additional drill collars, heavy, thick-walled pipe, typically provide weight that is used to push the drill bit into the formation being drilled. Finally, drill pipe connects these elements, the drill bit, down-hole motor, logging tools, and drill collars, to the surface where a motor or drive mechanism turns the entire drill string and, consequently, the drill bit, to engage the drill bit with the geological formation to drill the well-bore deeper.
A standard roller cone drill bit 202 is shown in FIG. 3 . In FIG. 3 , the roller cone drill bit 202 is comprised of a body 300 having a shank 302 and a plurality of legs 304 . Although not shown in FIG. 3 , the shank 302 has an external thread for connection to an adjacent drill string component. A bore 310 extends from the shank 302 through the body 300 of the roller cone bit 202 . The legs 304 extend towards the front of the roller cone bit 202 and have a roller cone 306 disposed at an end of the leg 304 . Although not illustrated, each roller cone 306 has at least one cutter disposed on an external surface of the roller cone 306 for degrading a formation. The cutters may be formed of a hardened material or have a coating of a hard material such as polycrystalline diamond. The roller cones 306 have a central axis about which they rotate, with the roller cone 306 being rotatably connected to the leg 304 .
As a bore hole is drilled, fluid, typically a water or oil based drilling fluid referred to as drilling mud, is pumped down the drill string through the drill pipe and any other elements present and through the drill bit. Other types of drilling fluids are sometimes used; including air, nitrogen, foams, mists, and other combinations of gases, fluids, and mixtures of gases and fluids, but for purposes of this application, drilling fluid and/or drilling mud refers to any type of drilling fluid, including gases, fluid, and combinations thereof. In other words, drill bits typically have a fluid channel within the drill bit to allow the drilling mud to pass through the bit and out one or more jets, ports, or nozzles. The purpose of the drilling fluid is to cool and lubricate the drill bit, to stabilize the well-bore from collapsing, to prevent fluids present in the geological formation from entering the well-bore, and to carry fragments or cuttings removed by the drill bit up the annulus and out of the well-bore.
In a standard roller cone bit, drilling fluid is pumped to a working face 308 of the roller cone bit 202 through the drill string to the roller cone drill bit 202 . The fluid flows through the bore 310 of the roller cone drill bit 202 to the roller cones 306 and around the roller cone bit 202 . The drilling fluid returns up an annulus (the space between the exterior of the drill pipe and the wall of the well-bore). As the drilling fluid flows from the working face 308 to the outside of the roller cone bit 202 , the drilling fluid carries cuttings from the formation away from the roller cone bit 202 .
It may be beneficial in some situations to reverse the circulation of the drilling fluid. In such situations the drilling fluid is pumped down the annulus of the well-bore, across the face of the drill bit, and into the inner fluid channels of the drill bit through and up into the interior of the drill string. Alternatively, the drill string may have at least one section of double-wall pipe. Double wall pipe has an inner passage defined by an inner surface of the inner wall of the pipe and an outer passage defined by the outer surface of the inner wall and the inner surface of the outer wall. The drilling fluid may then be pumped down the outer passage and exit the exterior of the drill string proximate the drill bit. The drilling fluid then returns through the inner passage. It is also possible for the fluid to be pumped down the inner passage and crossover to the outer passage prior to the drill bit where the drilling fluid exits the drill string.
In either situation, the drilling fluid being pumped down the annulus or the drilling fluid being pumped down the outer passage of the double wall pipe, the drilling fluid does not necessarily pass across the face of the drill bit. Often much of the drilling fluid bypasses the face of the drill bit and flows to the inner channels of the drill bit through other paths, such as between the legs in the roller cone bit. To direct more of the fluid to the face of the roller cone bit, extensions may be welded to the roller cone bit between each of the legs. However, the process of welding the extensions may heat the bearings and seals of the roller cones affecting the longevity of the drill bit. Thus there is a need for a way to direct more of the fluid to the face of an existing roller cone drill bit without detrimentally affecting the longevity of the drill bit.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the present invention include a drill bit assembly for earth boring. The drill bit assembly includes a drill bit and a bit sub. The drill bit has a front bit end and a rear bit end. The front bit end has a plurality cutting elements at a forward face of the front bit end and a first fluid return passage extending through the drill bit to the rear end. The bit sub is disposed about the rear bit end and couples to the rear bit end. The bit sub includes a body with a front sub end, a rear sub end, and a bore disposed at the front sub end sized and shaped to receive the rear bit end of the drill bit. The rear sub end is adapted to connect to an adjacent downhole component, such as a drill pipe. A plurality of legs extends from a mid sub region toward the front sub end between pairs of cutting elements. The plurality of legs preferably have a fluid delivery passage disposed therein with the fluid delivery passage extending from the plurality of legs to the rear sub bit end. The bit sub has a second fluid return passage connecting the first fluid return passage to the rear sub bit end with the second fluid return passage preferably being isolated from the fluid delivery passage within the bit sub.
In another embodiment, a bit sub includes a body, a plurality of legs, and a fluid return passage. The body has a front end, a rear end, and a bore disposed at the front end sized and shaped to receive a drill bit. The rear end is adapted to connect to an adjacent downhole component. The plurality of legs extends from the front end and has a forward end. The plurality of legs is adapted to complement an outer surface of the drill bit. Each of the plurality of legs has a fluid delivery passage disposed therein with the fluid delivery passage extending from the forward end to the rear sub bit end. The fluid return passage connects to the bore sized and shaped to receive a drill bit and is isolated from the fluid delivery passage within the body.
In another embodiment, a method of fabricating a reverse circulation drill bit assembly from a standard drill bit includes providing a standard drill bit and a bit sub component. The standard drill bit includes a shank and the bit sub component has a plurality of legs extending from a front end of the bit sub component. The shank is inserted into bit sub component such that the plurality of legs extends past the shank to a working surface of the drill bit. The bit sub component is then secured to the drill bit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the one or more present inventions, reference to specific embodiments thereof are illustrated in the appended drawings. The drawings depict only typical embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting. One or more embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of a cross-section of a bore hole having a drill string compatible with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a reverse flow bit assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates a cross section of a three cone roller cone bit used in reverse flow bit assembly of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross section of a skirt section used in the reverse flow bit assembly of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section of the nut section used in the reverse flow bit assembly of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 6 illustrates a cross section of a check valve section used in the reverse flow bit assembly of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 7 illustrates a cross section of the reverse circulation drill bit assembly of FIG. 2 showing the flow of drilling fluid.
FIG. 8 illustrates a reverse flow bit assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the current invention.
FIG. 9 illustrates a cross section of a skirt section used in the reverse flow bit assembly of FIG. 8 .
FIG. 10 illustrates a cross section of the nut section used in the reverse flow bit assembly of FIG. 8 .
FIG. 11 illustrates a cross section of the reverse circulation drill bit assembly of FIG. 8 showing the flow of drilling fluid.
The drawings are not necessarily to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As used herein, “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.
Various embodiments of the present inventions are set forth in the attached figures and in the Detailed Description as provided herein and as embodied by the claims. It should be understood, however, that this Summary does not contain all of the aspects and embodiments of the one or more present inventions, is not meant to be limiting or restrictive in any manner, and that the invention(s) as disclosed herein is/are and will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to encompass obvious improvements and modifications thereto.
Additional advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following discussion, particularly when taken together with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of a cross-section of a borehole 100 having a drill string 102 disposed therein. A derrick 104 connects the drill string 102 to the top surface of an earthen formation 106 . The drill string 102 is comprised of a plurality of down-hole tool components, such as pipe segments, measuring tools, and drill bits. The pipe segments have an inner bore providing a passageway for fluid to be transferred through the drill string. The pipe segments may be double walled providing two separate passages for fluid. An annulus 108 is formed between the drill string 102 and an inner wall of the borehole 100 . A drill bit 110 disposed at the bottom of the drill string 102 . Movement of the drill bit 110 degrades the formation 106 allowing the drill string 102 to proceed further into the formation 106 .
FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a reverse circulation bit assembly 200 . The reverse circulation drill bit assembly 200 is generally comprised of a roller cone bit 202 and a skirt 204 . The reverse circulation bit assembly 200 further comprises a nut section 206 and a check valve section 208 . In the embodiment of FIG. 2 the skirt 204 , the nut section 206 , and the check valve section 208 are shown as three distinct parts, but in some embodiments they may be combined with one another so as to have less than three distinct components. The skirt 204 , the nut section 206 , and the check valve section 208 are generally referred to as a bit sub, whether they are distinct components or combined. Furthermore, the skirt 204 , the nut section 206 , or the check valve section 208 may each be comprised of individual parts making up that component.
FIG. 3 illustrates the roller cone bit 202 of FIG. 2 in more detail. The illustrated roller cone bit 202 is a standard three cone roller cone bit. However, other types of bits may be used in the reverse circulation bit assembly 200 and embodiments are not limited to three cone roller cone bits. The bits may be off the shelf parts and modified to become a reverse circulation bit assembly.
The operation of the roller cone bit of FIG. 3 was previously described as a standard circulation drill bit. Using embodiments of the current invention, the roller cone bit of FIG. 3 can be used as a reverse circulation drill bit. Embodiments of the current invention enable most drill bits to be used as a reverse circulation drill bit.
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-section of the skirt 204 . The skirt 204 enables the standard roller cone bit 202 to be used as a reverse circulation bit. The skirt 204 has a plurality of legs 402 that extend towards the working face 308 of the roller cone bit 202 . Each leg 402 is sized and shaped to fit closely around and between the roller cone bit legs 304 . In some embodiments, the roller cone bit legs 304 may be modified to have a profile that is complementary to that of the skirt legs 402 , or in other embodiments the roller cone bit legs 304 may be unmodified and the skirt legs 402 may have been modified to complement the profile of the roller cone bit legs 304 . In some embodiments, a combination of modifying the roller cone bit legs 304 and the skirt legs 402 may be used.
At least one skirt leg 402 has a passageway 404 through which drilling fluid can be delivered. The passageway 404 exits the skirt leg 402 proximate the working face 308 of the roller cone bit 202 . Since the drilling fluid is provided at the working face 308 , the drilling fluid is more likely to flow across the working face 308 and then into the bore 310 of the roller cone bit 202 , as opposed to flowing closer to the roller cone bit legs 304 without the skirt 204 .
The skirt 204 is sized and shaped to slide over the roller cone bit 202 such that the skirt legs 402 are proximate the roller cones 306 . The skirt 204 has a central bore 406 sized and shaped to complement the outer surface of the bit body 300 . In some embodiments, the skirt 204 may press fit over the bit body 300 .
FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the nut section 206 of the reverse circulation bit assembly 200 . The nut section 206 secures the skirt 204 to the roller cone bit 202 . The nut section 206 includes an internal surface having an internal thread sized and shaped to complement the external thread of the roller cone bit shank 302 . As the roller cone shank 302 is threaded into internal thread of the nut section 206 , the nut section 206 advances towards the working face 308 of the roller cone bit 202 . The skirt 204 is unable to advance past the front of the roller cone bit 202 and forms a stop for the nut section 206 . When a rear surface of the skirt 204 contacts a forward surface 504 of the nut section 206 , the nut section 206 can advance no further. The skirt 204 is then constrained from forward movement by the roller cone bit 202 and rearward movement by the nut section 206 .
The nut section 206 includes a trough 506 disposed in the forward surface 504 . The trough 506 is annular and the forward surface forms an inner sealing surface 510 and an outer sealing surface 508 about the trough 506 . When the rear surface of the skirt 204 and the forward surface 504 of the nut section 206 contact one another, a seal is formed between the skirt 204 and the nut section 206 such that the trough 506 forms a front annular passageway. The through bores 404 from the legs 402 of the skirt 204 extend through the back of the skirt 204 such that the through bores 404 are fluidly connected with the trough 506 forming the front annular passageway. As the nut section 206 is threaded onto the roller cone bit 202 with the skirt 204 in place, the angular position of the nut assembly 206 relative to the skirt 204 is unimportant, as the through bores 404 will always line up with the trough 506 forming the front annular passageway.
The nut section 206 may have at least one side bore 512 through which a set screw or pin can be inserted to secure the nut section 206 to the roller cone bit 202 . A matching side bore can me be machined in the roller cone bit 202 to receive the set screw or pin to prevent the roller cone bit 202 from rotating relative to the nut section 206 . The matching side bore may be machined prior to the nut section 206 being threaded on the roller cone bit 202 , or the matching side bore may be machined after the nut section 206 is threaded on the roller cone bit 202 . In some embodiments, no matching side bore may be present and the set screw or pin may press into the shank 302 of the roller cone bit 202 . Other means of securing the nut section or the entire bit sub to the bit may be employed.
A rear end 514 of the nut section 206 includes a rear annular trough 516 and a center protrusion 518 . A nut section bore 520 extends from the forward surface 504 of the nut section 206 to the rear end 514 of the center protrusion 518 . The nut section bore 520 aligns with the bore 310 of the roller cone bit 204 and provides a passage for the return of drilling fluid. The rear annular trough 516 and the front annular trough 506 are connected by at least one through passage 522 . The through passage 522 enables fluid communication between the rear annular trough 516 and the forward annular trough 506 .
FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the check valve section 208 . The check valve section 208 is generally cylindrical with an outer diameter 602 similar to that of the nut section 206 and the skirt section 204 . The check valve section 208 has a central bore 604 that extends from a front face 606 of the check valve section 208 to the rear of the check valve section 208 . A wall 610 is formed between the central bore 604 and an outer surface 608 of the check valve section 208 . Disposed within the wall 610 is at least one check valve passageway 612 providing fluid communication to the front face 606 of the check valve section 208 . The rear of the check valve section 208 has an enlarged bore 614 that extends from the rear of the check valve section 208 to about mid-way the length of the check valve section 208 .
Disposed within the check valve passageway 612 is a check valve assembly 616 . The check valve assembly 616 inhibits drilling fluid from flowing up the check valve passageway 612 . Although different types of check valves assemblies are compatible with the present embodiments, the check valve assembly 616 of FIG. 6 comprises a seat 618 , a biasing member 620 , and a piston 622 . The biasing member 620 biases the piston 622 into the seat 618 forming a seal. When a pressure differential across the seal is sufficient to overcome the bias of the biasing member 620 , the piston 622 moves against the bias, opening the valve.
The front face 606 of the check valve section 208 is coupled to the rear face of the nut section 206 . The front face 606 may be coupled by way of a welded connection or other connection means. The front face 606 seals to the rear annular trough 516 of the nut section 206 forming a rear annular passage. Like the relation between the nut assembly 206 and the skirt 202 , the angular position of the nut section 206 relative to the check valve section 208 is unimportant, as the check valve passageway 612 will always line up with the rear annular passageway.
As shown in FIG. 7 , an inner tube flange 700 is disposed within the enlarged bore 614 . The inner tubular flange 700 may be threaded into the check valve section 208 . The inner tubular flange 700 has an outer surface, an inner surface, and a wall there between. The inner surface defines an inner tube flange bore that aligns with the central bore 604 of the check valve section 208 and provides fluid communication from the rear end of the check valve section 208 to the bore 502 of the nut section 206 . The outer surface and the enlarged bore together define an annular passageway fluidly connecting the rear of the check valve section 208 and the check valve passageway 612 .
The rear end of the check valve section 208 is adapted to be connected to a tool string. The tool string may be a double walled tool string having two separate fluid paths. The tool string connects to the rear end of the check valve section 208 and connects the two separate fluid paths to the annular passageway of the check valve section 208 and the central bore of the check valve section 208 .
Although the bit sub was described with relation to the skirt 204 , nut section 206 , and check valve section 208 , the check valve section 208 may be combined with the nut section 206 . In some embodiments, the check valve section 208 may not include a check valve assembly 616 . For example, in some instances a drill operator may not be concerned about back flow and the check valve assembly 616 may be eliminated. In such instances, it may be simpler to manufacture the nut section 206 and the check valve section 208 as a single component.
The operation of the reverse circulation drill bit will be explained in relation to FIG. 7 , which is a cross section of the assembled reverse circulation drill bit assembly 200 . Drilling fluid is delivered to the annular passageway fluidly connecting the rear of the check valve section 208 and the check valve passageway 612 . The pressure of the drilling fluid generates a pressure differential across the check valve assembly 616 , causing the check valve assembly 616 to open. The drilling fluid flows from the check valve passageway 612 into the annular passageway formed by the rear annular trough 516 . The drilling fluid then flows from the rear annular trough 516 through the through passage 522 into the forward annular trough 506 . The forward annular trough 506 is in fluid communication with the skirt leg passage way 404 and the drilling fluid flows into the skirt leg passageway 404 .
From the skirt leg passageway 404 , the drilling fluid is delivered to the working face 308 of the roller cone bit 202 . The drilling fluid collects cuttings and other material and flows into the bore 310 of the roller cone bit 302 . The bore 310 of the roller cone bit 202 is in fluid communication with the inner tube flange bore through the nut section bore 502 and the check valve section bore 604 . The drilling fluid flows up the reverse flow bit assembly 200 and out of the inner tube flange bore.
FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a reverse circulation drill bit assembly 800 . The reverse circulation drill bit assembly 800 comprises a roller cone bit 202 , a skirt section 804 , and a nut section 806 . In this embodiment, the drilling fluid is delivered to the annulus between the drill bit and the bore wall and not through the skirt as described in the previous embodiment.
FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-section of the skirt section 804 of the reverse circulation drill bit assembly 800 . The skirt section has a plurality of legs 902 extending toward the working face 308 of the roller cone bit 202 . Each leg 902 is sized and shaped to fit closely around and between the roller cone bit legs 304 . In some embodiments, the roller cone bit legs 304 may be modified to have a profile that is complementary to that of the skirt legs 902 , or in other embodiments the roller cone bit legs 304 may be unmodified and the skirt legs 902 may have been modified to complement the profile of the roller cone bit legs 304 . In some embodiments, a combination of modifying the roller cone bit legs 304 and the skirt legs 902 may be used.
Unlike the previous embodiment, the skirt legs 902 do not have a passageway for the delivery of drilling fluid. Instead drilling fluid is delivered to the annulus of the drill bit and the skirt legs 902 inhibit the drilling fluid from flowing into the bore 310 of the roller cone bit 202 between the roller cone bit legs 304 . Since the drilling fluid is inhibited from flowing into the bore until 310 it reaches the working face 308 , the drilling fluid is more likely to flow across the working face 308 and into the bore 310 of the roller cone bit 202 , as opposed to between the roller cone bit legs 304 without the skirt legs 902 .
The skirt 804 is sized and shaped to slide over the roller cone bit 202 such that the skirt legs 902 are proximate the roller cones 306 . The skirt 804 has a central bore 906 sized and shaped to complement the outer surface of the bit body 300 . In some embodiments, the skirt 804 may press fit over the bit body 300 .
FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the nut section 806 of the reverse circulation bit assembly 800 . The nut section 806 secures the skirt 804 to the roller cone bit 202 and provides a means for connecting the reverse circulation bit assembly 800 to the drill string. The nut section 806 includes an internal surface 908 having an internal thread sized and shaped to complement the external thread of the roller cone bit shank 302 . As the roller cone shank 302 is threaded into internal thread of the nut section 806 , the nut section 806 advances towards the working face 308 of the roller cone bit 202 . The skirt 804 is unable to advance past the front of the roller cone bit 202 and forms a stop for the nut section 806 . When a rear surface of the skirt 804 contacts a forward surface 910 of the nut section 806 , the nut section 806 can advance no further. The skirt 804 is then constrained from forward movement by the roller cone bit 202 and rearward movement by the nut section 806 .
The nut section 806 includes a shank 910 adapted to connect to a drill string. The shank 910 may have an external thread (not shown) for threading into a drill string. An internal bore 912 aligns with the bore 310 of the roller cone bit 202 and allows fluid to flow from the bore 310 of the roller cone bit 202 to a drill string bore. The nut section 806 may include a side bore 914 that may receive a set screw or pin that can be inserted to secure the nut section 806 to the roller cone bit 202 . A matching side bore can be machined in the roller cone bit 202 to receive the set screw or pin to prevent the roller cone bit 202 from rotating relative to the nut section 806 . The matching side bore may be machined prior to the nut section 806 being threaded on the roller cone bit 202 , or the matching side bore may be machined after the nut section 806 is threaded on the roller cone bit 202 . In some embodiments, no matching side bore may be present and the set screw or pin may press into the shank 302 of the roller cone bit 202 . Other means of securing the nut section or the entire bit sub to the bit may be employed.
FIG. 11 illustrates a cross section of the reverse circulation drill bit assembly 800 and will be used to describe the reverse circulation of the drilling fluid. The direction of the flow of fluid is represented by the arrows on the figure. The drill fluid initially is delivered to the annulus 1202 and flows around the roller cone drill bit 202 . Near the working face 308 the fluid is inhibited from flowing between the roller cone legs 304 by the skirt legs 902 . The drilling fluid flow across the working face 308 and into the central bore 310 of the roller cone drill bit 202 . The drilling fluid flows from the central bore 310 to the bore 912 of the nut section 904 . From there the drilling fluid flows into the bore of the drill string.
The forgoing reverse flow bit assemblies 200 , 800 can be manufactured using a standard, off the shelf drill bit. Embodiments of the invention include a method of making a reverse flow circulation bit assembly.
The method includes providing a standard drill bit. The standard drill bit may be a roller cone bit as previously described, or it may include a fixed blade bit or any other type of drill bit. A skirt sized and shaped to complement the drill bit is provided. In some embodiments the standard drill bit may be modified to complement the size and shape of the skirt or the skirt may be modified to complement the size and shape of the standard drill bit. The skirt is placed over the shank of the drill bit.
A nut assembly is then provided and coupled to the standard drill bit. In some embodiments the nut assembly may have a female thread that complements the shank of the standard drill bit. In such embodiments the nut assembly is threaded onto the shank until the nut assembly contacts the skirt, securing the skirt in place. A set screw or pin may then be inserted into the nut assembly to hold the drill bit in place. After the nut is in place, a check valve section may then be coupled to the nut assembly. Such a coupling may be performed by welding, a threaded connection, or some other means of connection. In other embodiments, the check valve section may be coupled to the nut section prior to the nut section being coupled to the standard drill bit. In some embodiments, the check valve section and the nut may be single components that are coupled to the standard drill bit.
An inner tube flange is provided and coupled to the rear end of the check valve section. The inner tube flange may be coupled to the rear end of the check valve section prior to the check valve section being coupled to the nut section, or it may be coupled after. In some embodiments the inner tube flange is an integral part of the check valve section and is not removable.
The inner tube flange may be sized and shaped for connection to a specific type of drill string. For example, different inner tube flanges may be used to connect the reverse circulation bit assembly with different drill pipes. In this way a single reverse circulation drill bit assembly may be compatible with multiple types of drill pipe.
The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the invention are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.
Moreover, though the description of the invention has included description of one or more embodiments and certain variations and modifications, other variations and modifications are within the scope of the invention, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter. | A drill bit assembly for boring including a drill bit and a bit sub. A front bit end has a plurality cutting elements at a forward face of the front bit end and a first fluid return passage extending through the drill bit to a rear bit end. The bit sub couples to the rear bit end. The bit sub includes a bore disposed at a front sub end sized and shaped to receive the rear bit end of the drill bit. A plurality of legs extends from a mid-sub region toward the front sub end between pairs of cutting elements. The plurality of legs has a fluid delivery passage disposed therein with the fluid delivery passage extending from the plurality of legs to a rear sub bit end. The bit sub has a second fluid return passage connecting the first fluid return passage to the rear sub bit end. | 8 |
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to γ,δ-unsaturated α-amino acids of general formula (I). The present invention also provides a versatile process for the stereospecific synthesis of said compounds of formula (I), involving a Wittig reaction. The present invention also relates to intermediate products of general formulae (II) and (III), as shown below, which are involved in the synthesis of compounds (I).
[0000]
[0000] wherein
R1 represents a hydrogen atom or R5, wherein R5 is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl and alkenyl; R2 and R3 may be the same or different and represent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl and —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy and aryloxy; R4 represent a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl and alkenyl; Ra and Rb may be the same or different and representent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, metallocenyl and —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy and aryloxy.
[0006] Compounds of general formula (I) may useful as therapeutic substances, or as reagents or intermediates for fine chemistry.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0007] α-amino acids present an important biological interest, because they constitute peptides and proteins. As they play an important role in the organism, the chemist seeks to synthesize structural analogous, in order to obtain new biological properties or modified peptides. The use of non-natural amino acids allow for example to conduct studies of metabolism and of enzymatic cycles. Non-natural amino acids are also implied in the development of new drugs.
[0008] Among different strategies to develop analogous of natural amino acids, it is possible to introduce an unsaturation on the lateral chain. The unsaturation may be more or less distant from the alpha carbon. In the present invention, the Applicant has focused his interest on γ,δ-unsaturated α-amino acids.
[0009] The introduction of an unsaturation into amino acids implies structural modifications that can induce new biological properties. Especially, peptide chains comprising an unsaturated amino acid present a rigid secondary structure with a β-turn configuration. Such a structure is interesting to develop new drugs or to improve the fixation of bioactive molecules. Consequently, unsaturated amino acids are important for the synthesis of modified peptides, useful in biology or in medicinal chemistry. Unsaturated amino acids may also be used to develop new markers useful in medical imaging or for diagnosis.
[0010] For example, β,γ-unsaturated α-amino acids such as trans-3,4-dehydroarginine or rhizobitoxine have been shown to be enzyme inhibitors.
[0000]
[0011] Unsaturated amino acids have also been used for the preparation of antibiotics, such as Phomopsin (A), which is a hexapeptide constituted by two fragments. Fragment A is a cyclodedihydrotripeptide constituted only by non-classical amino acids whose β,γ-unsaturated L-Valine, and fragment B, which is a linear didehydrotripeptide with exocyclic framework.
[0000]
[0012] Unsaturated amino acids may also have applications for the preparation of peptide derivatives useful as sweeteners, in polyamide materials, in nanomaterials, as surfactants or as phytosanitary products.
[0013] Amino acids bearing an unsaturation on the lateral chain are also used in organic synthesis, in particular in Diels-Alder reactions, in cyclo-additions or in catalytic reactions (hydroformylation, metathesis, Heck coupling, Suzuki-Miyaura coupling). Especially, metathesis reactions on unsaturated amino acids may be used to obtain higher unsaturated homologues.
[0014] Unsaturated amino acids may also be used in total synthesis of products of biological interest, as it is the case in the synthesis of Nothapodytine B, a compound useful as antiviral drug, or in the case of the synthesis of the α-amino-arachidonic acid, a fatty acid.
[0015] Moreover, unsaturated amino acids may be functionalized by transition metals and resulting complexes may be used as contrast agents for medicinal imaging, as therapeutic agents, as synthesis intermediates or as chiral catalysts.
[0016] The presence of a double bond on the lateral chain of amino acid offers the possibility to further functionalize the molecule with a wide variety of chemical groups, such as aryl, alkyl, calixarenyl, azido or boronato groups, and therefore to obtain numerous compounds useful in high throughput synthesis.
[0017] Among the syntheses of unsaturated amino acids described in the literature, allylation of Shiff base with creation of C α -C β carbon bonds, catalyzed by palladium complex or under phase transfer conditions, is one of the methods the most used to access to such compounds (Scheme 1). This strategy allows the highly stereoselective synthesis of allylglycine derivatives, in the presence of an organocatalyst such as the ammonium salt depicted in Scheme 1. However, this method applies only to some allylic groups and it is mainly the Shiff base with a t-butyl ester that is employed. Therefore, this method is not versatile. Moreover, reactants and catalysts used in this method are expensive or difficult to prepare.
[0000]
[0018] Other routes of synthesis of unsaturated amino acids are available, such as Mitsunobu reactions with hydroxyacid derivatives, beta-elimination reactions, the use of cuprozincic derivatives of serine or Strecker reaction. However, the syntheses require numerous steps with uncertain yields and unguaranteed stereoselectivities. Especially, these methods are often associated with loss of reagents and are dedicated to the synthesis of a single compound. Therefore, these methods are not adapted to the synthesis of series of compounds. In the case of cuprozincic derivatives of serine, the use of cuprozincic products is difficult, depends of the substrats and requires expertise in the manipulation of such reagents.
[0019] The synthesis of γ,δ-unsaturated amino acids has also been envisaged by Wittig reaction. However, up to now, few examples of Wittig reaction involving amino acid moiety were described. Indeed, the basic conditions of reaction cause racemization and are incompatible with the polyfunctionality of an amino acid, even protected.
[0020] One example of synthesis of unsaturated amino acids through a Wittig reaction involves aldehydes derived from aspartic or glutamic acid (Kokotos G., Padron J. M., Martin T., Gibbons W. A. and Martin V. S., J. Org. Chem., 1998, 63, 3741-3744).
[0021] In this synthesis, represented in scheme 2, a Wittig reaction between a phosphonium ylide and the aldehyde derived from glutamic acid affords, after deprotection of acid and amine functions, the enantiomerically pure α-amino-arachidonic acid in 88% yield.
[0000]
[0022] Starting from aspartic acid instead of glutamic acid, this method may lead to γ,β-unsaturated amino acids. However, this strategy presents the inconvenient not to be versatile. Indeed, the introduction of different moieties after the double bond on the lateral chain of the amino acid requires the synthesis of each corresponding phosphonium salts. Therefore, this method is not adapted to synthesize a wide variety of unsaturated amino acid for high throughput synthesis.
[0023] An alternative method involving a Wittig reaction was proposed in a pioneering work of Itaya depicted in scheme 3 (Itaya T. and Mizutani A., Tetrahedron Lett., 1985, 26(3), 347-350). In this example, a phosphonium chloride was prepared in seven steps starting from L-serine. The phosphonium chloride was then reacted with an aldehyde, affording the corresponding β,γ-unsaturated amino acid with a yield of 5%, in a stereoselective manner.
[0000]
[0024] In further work on the synthesis of this particular unsaturated amino acid implied in the synthesis of Wybutine, Itaya improved the yield of the Wittig reaction to modest yields (<30%) by some optimizations of the conditions (Itaya T, Mizutani A. and Lida T., Chem. Pharm. Bull., 1991, 39(6), 1407-1414).
[0025] Therefore the method developed by Itaya does not allow obtaining satisfying yields, as required in high throughput synthesis. Moreover, conditions used by Itaya are drastic and the reaction is performed in presence of HMPT, a solvent suspected to be mutagen.
[0026] Alternatives to Itaya method were proposed by Sibi and by Baldwin to use a Wittig reaction in the synthesis of unsaturated amino acids, starting from a phosphonium salt derivative of amino acid.
[0027] The method developed by Sibi consists in protecting the carboxylic acid function of the amino acid by reduction in alcohol, in order to avoid the deprotonation of the ester in the basic conditions of the Wittig reaction (scheme 4) (Sibi M. P. and Renhowe P. A., Tetahedron Lett., 1990, 31(51), 7407-7410; Sibi M. P., Rutherford D., Renhowe P. A. and Li B., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1999, 121, 7509-7516). The L-serine is first protected into an oxazolidinone derivative with phosgene. The intermediate is then transformed into iodo-derivative after reduction, and finally in the phosphonium salt represented on scheme 4. After deprotonation of the phosphonium salt, the ylide reacts with aldehydes to afford the unsaturated derivatives which are then hydrolyzed into amino alcool. The β,γ-unsaturated amino acid is finally obtained after oxidation by pyridinium dichromate (PDC).
[0000]
[0028] The inconvenient of the method developed by Sibi lies in the fact of using phosgene and a chrome oxidizing agent. On the other hand, this reaction leads to unsaturated amino acids with the inverse absolute configuration D. Consequently, the synthesis of unsaturated L-amino acids requires using D-serine which is very expensive.
[0029] The method of Baldwin to synthesize γ,β-unsaturated amino acids by Wittig reaction consists in reacting an aziridine derived from L-serine, successively with a stabilized ylide and with an aldehyde (Scheme 5) (Baldwin J. E., Adlington R. M. and Robinson N. G., JCS Chem. Corn., 1987, 153-155; Baldwin J. E., Spivey A. C., Schofield C. J. and Sweeney J. B., Tetrahedron, 1993, 43, 6309-6330).
[0000]
[0030] One inconvenient of the synthesis developed by Baldwin lies in the fact that the adequately protected aziridine should first be synthesized. This preliminary step is not easy, all the more that the aziridine is not very stable. Moreover, the reaction implying an ylide stabilized by an ester function is not very general and lead to moderate yields. Another drawback of this method is the presence in all products of an ester group in γ-position.
[0031] Intramolecular Wittig reactions have also been described to yield substituted pyrroline derivatives starting from oxazolone compounds (Scheme 6) (Clerici, F.; Gelmi, M. L.; Pocar, D.; Rondene, R. Tetrahedron 1995, 51, 9985). In this method, oxazolone derivatives are first reacted with triphenylvinylphosphonium bromide to afford the intermediate phosphonium functionalized oxazolone derivatives through Michael addition. The quenching of the reaction with methanol and p-toluensulfonic acid as catalyst affords the corresponding acylamino methyl ester. In a second step, this latter phosphonium salt undergoes an intramolacular Wittig reaction to yield the expected pyrroline derivatives.
[0000]
[0032] The phosphonium bromide used by Clerici et al. is a derivative of amino acid wherein the alpha carbon is quaternary, which promotes the cyclization by Thorpe Ingold effect. The conditions used for the Wittig reaction are harsch, with the use of a strong base and reflux conditions. These conditions are known to be racemizing conditions and there is nothing in this document relative to the stereoselectivity of the reaction.
Technical Problem and Solution
[0033] As shown above, synthesis known in the prior art to obtain unsaturated amino acids are not adapted to the synthesis of libraries of compounds: either they are compound-specific, or involve multiple steps, or are not stereoselective, or have unsatisfying yields and more generally lack of versatility.
[0034] Therefore, there remains a need for the development of new methods of synthesis of libraries of unsaturated α-amino acids, and especially of γ,δ-unsaturated amino acids. Such methods should be versatile enough to easily lead to broad libraries of unnatural amino acids that may be tested for synthetic applications as well as for their biological activity.
[0035] In continuity to the phosphorus chemistry developed by the Applicant, intensive research was conducted on the synthesis of amino acids bearing organophosphorus group or metallophosphorus group on the lateral chain. These syntheses led the Applicant to study their application for the preparation of unsaturated amino acids by creation of a C═C double bond by Wittig or Wittig-Horner reaction.
[0036] As a result, the Applicant found an optimized process of synthesis of γ,β-unsaturated amino acids of general formula (I) implying a Wittig reaction between a phosphonium salt of general formula (II) derived from aspartic acid and various compounds (IV), said compounds (IV) being ketones or aldehydes of general formula R a COR b or ketones derivatives such as [R a , R b ]-trisubstituted trioxanes, imines of general formula R a R b C═NR c or bisulfitic combinations of general formula R a R b C(OH)(SO 3 Na) (Scheme 7).
[0000]
[0037] As depicted in scheme 8, when R1 is different from a hydrogen atom, compound (I) corresponds to the general formula (I′) wherein R5 is not an hydrogen atom and is obtained from compound (II′) which is yielded from compound (III). When R1 is a hydrogen atom, compound (I) corresponds to the general formula (I″) and is obtained from compound (II″) which is yielded from compound (II′).
[0000]
[0038] The process developed by the Applicant for producing compound (I′) or (I″) from (II′) and (II″) respectively, involves specific preliminary steps depending on the nature of R1 group. Compound (II′) results from the quaternization of a phosphine P(R4) 3 by the iodo derivative (III). Compound (II″) results from the deprotection of the acid function of compound (II′).
[0039] Applications of γ,β-unsaturated amino acids (I) as intermediates in organic synthesis have been explored. Especially, compounds (I) may be used as reactants in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling, Diels Alder reaction, Michael addition or in click chemistry. Compounds (I) may also have applications as contrast agents in medical imaging, especially in IRM or in PET, and may also presents interesting bioactivity.
DEFINITIONS
[0040] In the present invention, the following terms have the following meanings:
“alkyl”, refers to any saturated linear or branched hydrocarbon chain, with 1 to 12 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and more preferably methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl and tert-butyl. The alkyl group may be substituted by a substituted or unsubstitued aryl group; “cycloalkyl”, refers to a substituted or not substituted cyclic alkyl substituent such as cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl, or cyclohexyl; “aryl”, refers to a mono- or polycyclic system of 5 to 20, and preferably 6 to 12, carbon atoms having one or more aromatic rings (when there are two rings, it is called a biaryl) among which it is possible to cite the phenyl group, the biphenyl group, the 1-naphthyl group, the 2-naphthyl group, the tetrahydronaphthyl group, the indanyl group and the binaphthyl group. The term aryl also means any aromatic ring including at least one heteroatom chosen from an oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur atom. The aryl group can be substituted by 1 to 3 substituents chosen independently of one another, among a hydroxyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted linear or branched alkyl group comprising 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 carbon atoms, in particular methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, a cycloakyl group, an alkanoyl, an arylalkyl, an aralkyloxy, an alkoxy group, a halogen atom, in particular bromine, chlorine and iodine, a nitro group, a cyano group, an azido group, an adhehyde group, a boronato group, a phenyl, trifluoromethyl CF 3 , methylenedioxy, ethylenedioxy, SO 2 NRR′, NRR′, COOR (where R and R′ are each independently selected from the group consisting of H and alkyl), an second aryl group which may be substituted as above; “alkyloxy”, refers to any O-alkyl group; “cycloalkyloxy”, refers to any O-cycloalkyl group; “aryloxy”, refers to any O-aryl group; “alkenyl”, refers to any linear or branched hydrocarbon chain having at least one double bond, of 2 to 12 carbon atoms, and preferably 2 to 6 carbon atoms. The alkenyl group may be substituted by a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group; “metallocenyl” refers to a group comprising a metal sandwiched between two cyclopentadienyl groups; “Boc” refers to tert-butyloxycarbonyl, commonly used to protect the α-amino group in peptide synthesis; “electroattractive group” refers to a functional group having the ability to attract electrons, such as—but not limitatively—ester group, tosyl group or phosphonyl group. “about” preceding a figure means plus or less 10% of the value of said figure.
SUMMARY
[0052] The present invention relates to a process for producing a compound of formula (I),
[0000]
[0000] comprising performing a Wittig reaction by reacting a phosphonium salt of general formula (II)
[0000]
[0053] wherein
R1 represents a hydrogen atom or R5, wherein R5 is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl; R2 and R3 may be the same or different and represent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy, aryloxy; R4 represents a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl;
with compound (IV), wherein compound (IV) is selected in the group consisting of a ketone or aldehyde of formula RaCORb, an imine of formula RaRbC═NRc, a [Ra,Rb]-trisubstituted trioxane and a RaRbC(OH)(SO 3 Na); wherein Ra and Rb may be the same or different and representent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, metallocenyl and —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy and aryloxy; and wherein Rc represent a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or an electroattractive group;
in presence of a weak base and of a solvent suitable for phase transition conditions, resulting in compound (I), wherein the weak base is selected in the group comprising Cs 2 CO 3 , Li 3 PO 4 , NaH, K 3 PO 4 and K 2 CO 3 .
[0057] According to one embodiment, the process of the invention comprises reacting phosphonium salt (II′) and leading to compound (I′)
[0000]
[0058] wherein Ra, Rb, R2, R3, R4 and R5 are as defined above;
[0000] further comprises a preliminary step comprising the quaternization of a phosphine P(R4) 3 , wherein R4 is as defined above;
[0059] with a iodo derivative of general formula (III)
[0000]
[0060] wherein R2, R3 and R5 are as defined above,
[0000] resulting in the phosphonium salt of formula (II′).
[0061] According to another embodiment, the process of the invention comprises reacting phosphonium salt (II″) and leading to compound (I″)
[0000]
[0062] wherein Ra, Rb, R2, R3 and R4 are as defined above,
[0000] further comprises two preliminary steps:
a) quaternization of a phosphine P(R4) 3 , wherein R4 is as defined above, with a iodo derivative of general formula (III)
[0000]
[0064] wherein R2, R3 and R5 are as defined above,
[0065] resulting in a phosphonium salt of formula (II′)
[0000]
[0066] wherein R2, R3, R4 and R5 are as defined above, and
b) deprotecting the carboxylic acid function of phosphonium salt (II′), resulting in the corresponding phosphonium salt of formula (II″).
[0068] According to one embodiment, R2 is a hydrogen atom, R3 is a Boc group, R4 is phenyl and R5 is allyl.
[0069] According to one preferred embodiment, the weak base is K 3 PO 4 , Cs 2 CO 3 or K 2 CO 3 , more preferably the weak base is K 3 PO 4 .
[0070] According to one embodiment, the solvent suitable for phase transition conditions is selected from the group comprising chlorobenzene, dichloromethane, chloroform, dichlorobenzene, dichloroethane, dioxane, preferably is chlorobenzene or dioxane.
[0071] According to one embodiment, R1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atom, allyl group and benzyl group.
[0072] According to one embodiment, R2 is a hydrogen atom or Boc and R3 is Boc.
[0073] According to one embodiment, phosphine P(R4) 3 is selected from the group comprising tricyclohexylphosphine, triphenylphosphine, trifurylphosphine, tri(4-methoxyphenyl)phosphine, tri(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)phosphine, tri(4-fluorophenylphosphine) and tri(4-chlorophenyl)phosphine, preferably phosphine P(R4) 3 is triphenylphosphine.
[0074] According to one embodiment, RaCORb is selected from the group comprising benzaldehyde, 4-trifluoromethylbenzaldehyde, 4-nitrobenzaldehyde, 4-cyanobenzaldehyde, 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde, 2-furaldehyde, 3-phenylpropanal, paraformaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, 4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)benzaldehyde, aldehyde derived from calix-[4]-arene, ferrocene-carboxaldehyde, m-phthaldialdehyde, trans-cinnamaldehyde, (E)-4-azidophenylprop-2-enal, 4-oxo-2-butenoate, 3-methylbutenal, 4-nitro-trans-cinnamaldehyde, thiophene propenal, furyl propenal, and trifluoromethylacetophenone.
[0075] According to one embodiment, R5 is an allyl group and wherein the deprotection of the carboxylic acid function of compound (II′) is performed in presence of Pd 2 (dba) 3 , dppe and HNEt 2 .
[0076] The present invention also relates to a process for manufacturing iodo derivative (III) wherein R2 is hydrogen and R3 is Boc group of general formula (III′)
[0000]
[0077] wherein R5 is as defined above,
[0000] comprising:
protecting the acid function of the lateral chain of L-aspartic acid by transformation into monoester by esterification with methanol; protecting the amino function with a Boc group; protecting the remaining acid function by esterification in the presence of the bromide derivative R5-Br to lead to the corresponding diester; further protecting the amino function with a second Boc group; reducing the terminal ester in aldehyde using DIBAL; further reducing the aldehyde group with NaBH 4 to lead to the N,O protected homoserine derivative; reacting with iodine in the presence of triphenylphosphine and imidazole to lead to the N-diprotected amino ester; reacting with NaI in presence of CeCl 3 and further hydrolysing to obtain the N-monoprotected compound (III′).
[0086] The present invention also relates to a compound of general formula (I)
[0000]
[0087] wherein
Ra and Rb may be the same or different and representent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, metallocenyl and —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy and aryloxy; R1 represents a hydrogen atom or R5, wherein R5 is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl; R2 and R3 may be the same or different and represent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy, aryloxy; provided that when R1 is t-butyl and {R2, R3} is {H, PhF} or {PhF, H}, then {Ra, Rb} is not {H, —COOMe}, {—COOMe, H}, {H, —CO(CH 2 ) n CH(NHPhF)(CO 2 tBu) with n is 1, 2 or 3} or {—CO(CH 2 ) n CH(NHPhF)(CO 2 tBu) with n is 1, 2 or 3, H}; provided that when Ra is an aryl group or a group comprising an aryl substituent, Rb is not an aryl group or a group comprising an aryl substituent; provided that when Ra is a unsubstitued or alkyl-substituted α,ω-alkylene having from 0 to 3 carbon atoms substituted by a phosphino, phosphonyl or phosphono group, Rb is not selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, haloalkyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, arylalkyl, akenyl or aryl; provided that when R1 is a hydrogen atom and {R2,R3} is {H, H}, then {Ra, Rb} is not {H, H}; provided that when R1 is a hydrogen atom and {R2,R3} is {Troc, H} or {H, Troc}, then {Ra, Rb} is not {H, —CH═CH—CH(Me) 2 } or {—CH═CH—CH(Me) 2 , H}; provided that when R1 is a methyl group and {R2,R3} is {Boc, H} or {H, Boc}, then {Ra, Rb} is not {H, H}; provided that when R1 is a methyl group and {R2,R3} is {H, H}, then {Ra, Rb} is not {H, —CH═CH—CH(Me) 2 } or {—CH═CH—CH(Me) 2 , H}.
[0098] The present invention also relates to a compound of general formula (II)
[0000]
[0099] wherein
R1 represents a hydrogen atom or R5, wherein R5 is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl; R2 and R3 may be the same or different and represent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy, aryloxy; R4 represents a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl.
[0103] The present invention also relates to a compound of general formula (III)
[0000]
[0104] wherein
R2 and R3 may be the same or different and represent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy, aryloxy; R5 represents a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl; provided that when R5 is methyl, R2 and R3 are not both Boc groups; provided that when R5 is benzyl, {R2,R3} is not {H, Boc} or {Boc, H}; provided that when R5 is ethyl, {R2,R3} is not {H,C(═O)—O—CH 2 -Ph} or {C(═O)—O—CH 2 -Ph,H}.
[0110] The present invention also relates to a library of two or more compounds of formula (I) as described above.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0111] It is appreciated that in any of the mentioned reactions, any reactive group in the substrate molecules may be protected according to conventional chemical practice. Suitable protecting groups in any of the mentioned reactions are those used conventionally in the art. The methods of formation and removal of such protecting groups are those conventional methods appropriate to the molecule being protected.
Synthesis of γ,β-Unsaturated Amino Acids (I) by Wittig Reaction
[0112]
[0113] In the present invention, γ,β-unsaturated α-amino acids of general formula (I) are obtained by a Wittig reaction between a phosphonium salt of general formula (II) and a compounds (IV), said compound (IV) being a ketone or aldehyde of general formula R a COR b or ketones derivatives such as [R a , R b ]-trisubstituted trioxanes, imines of general formula R a R b C═NR c or bisulfitic combinations of general formula R a R b C(OH)(SO 3 Na).
[0000]
[0114] Classical conditions for Wittig reaction involve a phosphonium salt, an aldehyde or a ketone and a strong base. Therefore, the Applicant first performed the synthesis of compound (I) in classical conditions, using t-BuLi, LDA or LiHMDS as strong base. Surprisingly, compound (I) was obtained with yields ranging from 10 to 30% and, in some cases, partial racemization occurred. Optimization of these results was considered necessary in view of developing a process for the synthesis of libraries of compounds (I).
[0115] As a result of intensive research, the Applicant found that phase transfer conditions in combination with the use of a weak base give interesting results with yields over 50% (often over more than 70%) and with very few, if any, racemization. These results are all the more surprising as the phosphonium ylide formed from compound (II) during the Wittig reaction is not stabilized and as it is usually admitted than Wittig reaction implying weak bases are only possible with stabilized ylides.
[0116] Therefore, the present invention relates to a process for producing a compound of formula (I), comprising performing a Wittig reaction by reacting a phosphonium salt of general formula (II)
[0000]
[0117] wherein
R1 represents a hydrogen atom or R5, wherein R5 is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl; R2 and R3 may be the same or different and represent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy, aryloxy; R4 represents a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl;
with compound (IV), wherein compound (IV) is selected in the group consisting of a ketone or aldehyde of formula RaCORb, an imine of formula RaRbC═NRc, a [Ra,Rb]-trisubstituted trioxane and a RaRbC(OH)(SO 3 Na); wherein Ra and Rb may be the same or different and representent each a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, metallocenyl and —COR, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy and aryloxy; and wherein Rc represent a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or an electroattractive group.
in presence of a weak base and of a solvent suitable for phase transition conditions, resulting in compound (I).
[0121] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in presence of 1 to 10 equivalents, preferably of 1 to 5 of compound (IV). According to an embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in presence of 1.5 equivalents of compound (IV). According to another embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in presence of 1.2 equivalents of compound (IV). According to another embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in presence of 2 equivalents of compound (IV).
[0122] According to a preferred embodiment, compound (IV) is an aldehyde. According to a preferred embodiment, compound (IV) is selected from the group comprising benzaldehyde, 4-trifluoromethylbenzaldehyde, 4-nitrobenzaldehyde, 4-cyanobenzaldehyde, 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde, 2-furaldehyde, 3-phenylpropanal, paraformaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, 4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)benzaldehyde, aldehyde derive from calix-[4]-arene, ferrocene-carboxaldehyde, m-phthaldialdehyde, trans-cinnamaldehyde, (E)-4-azidophenylprop-2-enal, 4-oxo-2-butenoate, 3-methylbutenal, 4-nitro-trans-cinnamaldehyde, thiophene propenal, furyl propenal.
[0123] According to another embodiment, compound (IV) is a ketone. According to a preferred embodiment, compound (IV) is trifluoromethylacetophenone.
[0124] According to an embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in presence of a base. According to an embodiment, the base is a strong base selected from the group comprising n-BuLi, t-BuLi, lithium diisopropylamine (LDA), lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide (LiHMDS), KHMDS, NaHMDS, sec-BuLi, PhLi. According to another embodiment, the base is a weak inorganic base selected from the group comprising Cs 2 CO 3 , Li 3 PO 4 , NaH, K 3 PO 4 , K 2 CO 3 . According to a preferred embodiment, the base is K 3 PO 4 . According to a particular embodiment, the weak base is not NEt 3 .
[0125] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in presence of 1 to 10 equivalents of base. In one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in presence of 2 to 6, preferably 6 equivalents of base. In another embodiment, the synthesis is carried out in presence of 1 to 2 equivalents of base, preferably 1.2 equivalents of base.
[0126] According to one embodiment, the base used in the synthesis of compound (I) is in a solid or liquid form. According to a preferred embodiment, the base is in a solid form.
[0127] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in anhydrous conditions. According to another embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in presence of less than 1 equivalent of water, preferably about 0.8 equivalent of water.
[0128] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in a solvent selected from the group comprising tetrahydrofuran, ethanol, dimethylformamide, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, dichloromethane, chloroform, dichloroethane, dioxane, dimethylether (DME), ethylene glycol ethers, propylene glycol ethers, diglyme. According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is usually carried out in a solvent suitable for phase transfer conditions. According to a preferred embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in a solvent selected from the group comprising chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, dichloromethane, chloroform, dichloroethane, dioxane. According to a preferred embodiment the solvent used is chlorobenzene. According to another preferred embodiment, the solvent used is dioxane.
[0129] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out at a temperature ranging from 25 to 140° C., preferably from 50 to 120, more preferably 90° C.
[0130] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out for a time ranging from 1 to 48 hours, preferably from 12 to 24 hours, more preferably 12 hours.
[0131] According to a preferred embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in chlorobenzene as solvent, in anhydrous conditions, by heating the reaction at 90° C. overnight, using 6 equivalent of K 3 PO 4 , and 1.5 equivalent of aldehyde.
[0132] According to another preferred embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is carried out in dioxane as solvent, in anhydrous conditions, by heating the reaction at 90° C. overnight, using 6 equivalent of K 3 PO 4 , and 1.2 equivalent of aldehyde.
[0133] According to one embodiment, the yield of the synthesis of compound (I) is ranging from 10 to 100%, preferably from 50 to 100%.
[0134] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (I) is stereoselective.
[0135] According to one embodiment, compound (I) is purified by using chromatographic techniques or by recrystallization.
Compounds (I) with R1 Different from a Hydrogen Atom: (I′)
[0136]
[0137] In a particular embodiment of the invention, substituent R1 is different of a hydrogen atom. In this specific case, compounds (I) have the specific general formula (I′) wherein R5 is as defined above. Compounds (I′) are obtained as described above by Wittig reaction from the phosphonium salt of particular formula (II′).
[0138] In one embodiment, phosphonium salt (II′) is obtained by the quaternization of a phosphine P(R4) 3 , wherein R4 is as defined above with a iodo derivative of general formula (III) wherein R2, R3 and R5 are as defined above.
[0139] According to a preferred embodiment, R5 is allyl or benzyl, more preferably allyl. According to another preferred embodiment, R2 and R3 are each Boc groups. According to another preferred embodiment, R2 is a hydrogen atom and R3 is a Boc groups.
[0140] According to a preferred embodiment, the phosphine P(R4) 3 is selected from the group comprising tricyclohexylphosphine, triphenylphosphine, trifurylphosphine, tri(4-methoxyphenyl)phosphine, tri(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)phosphine, tri(4-fluorophenylphosphine), tri(4-chlorophenyl)phosphine. According to a very preferred embodiment, the phosphine P(R4) 3 is triphenylphosphine.
[0141] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (II′) is carried out in presence of 2 to 5 equivalents, preferably of 2 to 3, more preferably 2 equivalents of phosphine P(R4) 3 .
[0142] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (II′) is performed in a solvent selected from the group comprising tetrahydrofuran, acetonitrile, chloroforme, acetone, or mixtures thereof. According to another embodiment, the synthesis of compound (II′) is performed without solvent.
[0143] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (II′) is performed at a temperature ranging from 70 to 120° C., preferably from 70 to 90, more preferably at 80° C.
[0144] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (II′) is performed for a time ranging from 1 to 24 hours, preferably from 1 to 4 hours, more preferably for 2 hours.
[0145] According to one embodiment, compound (II′) is purified by using chromatographic techniques or by recrystallization.
[0146] According to a preferred embodiment, R4 is phenyl.
[0147] According to a preferred embodiment, when R4 is phenyl, the synthesis of the corresponding compound (II′) is performed without solvent by heating 2 hours at 80° C., using 2.5 equivalent of PPh 3 .
[0148] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (II′) is stereoselective.
[0149] According to one embodiment, the yield of the synthesis of compound (II′) is ranging from 30 to 80%, preferably from 40 to 70%.
Compounds (I) with R1 is a Hydrogen Atom: (I″)
[0150]
[0151] In a particular embodiment of the invention, substituent R1 is a hydrogen atom. In this specific case, compounds (I) have the general formula (I″) and is obtained as described above by Wittig reaction from the phosphonium salt of particular formula (II″).
[0152] In one embodiment, phosphonium salt (II″) is obtained by deprotecting the carboxylic acid function of phosphonium salt (II′). Protected phosphonium salt (II′) may be obtained as described above.
[0153] According to a preferred embodiment, R2 and R3 are each Boc groups. According to another preferred embodiment, R2 is a hydrogen atom and R3 is a Boc group.
[0154] In a particular embodiment, substituent R5 of compound (II′) is a allyl group. In this embodiment, the deprotection of carboxylic acid function of compound (II′) is performed by deallylation with diethylamine. According to a preferred embodiment, the deallylation is performed with diethylamine and is catalyzed by tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0) (Pd 2 (dba) 3 ) in presence of 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe). According to an embodiment, the catalysis is obtained in presence of 2.5% mol of Pd 2 (dba) 3 . According to a preferred embodiment, the deallylation is performed in the conditions described in Guibé, F. Tetrahedron, 1998, 54, 2967-3042.
[0155] According to one embodiment, the deallylation is carried out in a solvent selected from the group comprising THF, dioxane, benzene, dichloromethane, chloroforme, DMF, toluene.
[0156] According to one embodiment, the deallylation is carried out at a temperature ranging from 0 to 50° C., preferably at 25° C.
[0157] According to one embodiment, the deallylation is carried out for a time ranging from 4 to 48 hours, preferably from 12 to 24 hours.
[0158] According to one embodiment, the yield of the deallylation is ranging from 30 to 90%, preferably from 50 to 90%.
[0159] According to another embodiment, the deprotection of carboxylic acid function of compound (II′) is performed by deallylation reaction with phenylsilane. According to a preferred embodiment, the deallylation is performed with phenylsilane and is catalyzed by tetrakistriphenylphosphinepalladium(0) (Pd(PPh 3 ) 4 ). According to an embodiment, the catalysis is obtained in presence of 3.5% mol of Pd(PPh 3 ) 4 . According to a preferred embodiment, the deallylation is performed according to the procedure described in Vazquez M. E., Blanco J. B. and Imperiali B., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 1300-1306.
[0160] According to one embodiment, the enantiomeric purity of compound (II″) is determined by 31 P NMR by comparison with a racemic sample in presence of the commercially available complexing agent (M,R)-BINPHAT, in conditions described in Hebbe V., Londez A., Goujon-Gonglinger C., Meyer F., Uziel J., Jugé S, and Lacour J., Tetrahedron Lett., 2003, 44, 2467-2471.
[0161] According to one embodiment, the synthesis of compound (II″) is stereoselective.
[0162] According to one embodiment, compound (II″) is purified by using chromatographic techniques or by recrystallization.
Synthesis N-Protected γ-Iodo Aminoester (III)
[0163] In a particular embodiment of the invention, R2 is a hydrogen atom and R3 is a Boc group and compound (III) is of general formula (III′). In this case, the corresponding iodo derivatives (III′) may be synthesized according to scheme 12.
[0000]
[0164] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, iodo derivative (III) is prepared with an overall yield ranging from 20 to 40%, starting from L-aspartic acid according to Scheme 12.
[0165] According to this embodiment, the first step consists in protecting the acid function of the lateral chain of L-aspartic acid by transformation into monoester by esterification with methanol (Brown F. K., Brown P. J., Bickett D. B., Chambers C. L., Davies H. G., Deaton D.N., Drewry D., Foley M., McElroy A. B., Gregson M., McGeehan G. M., Myers P. L., Norton D., Salovich J. M., Schoenen F. J., Ward P., J. Med. Chem., 1994, 37, 674-688).
[0166] The second step consists in the protection of the amino group with a t-butyloxycarbonyl group (Ramalingam K. and Woodard R. W., J. Org. Chem., 1988, 53, 1900-1903).
[0167] The third step consists in the protection of the remaining acid function by esterification in the presence of the bromide derivative R5-Br to lead to the corresponding diester (Stein K. A. and Toogood P. L., J. Org. Chem., 1995, 60, 8110-8112).
[0168] The N-protected γ-iodo aminoester (III′) is obtained after four supplementary steps according to a strategy described in the literature (Adamczyk M., Johnson D. and Reddy R. E., Tetrahedron: Asymmetry, 2000, 11, 3063-3068). The amino group is first further protected with Boc 2 O. The terminal ester is then reduced in aldehyde using DIBAL. A further reduction with NaBH 4 leads to the N,O protected homoserine derivative. The iodo amino ester is finally obtained by reaction with iodine in presence of triphenylphosphine and imidazole.
[0169] The last step consists in the transformation of the N,N-diprotected γ-iodo aminoester into the corresponding N-monoprotected γ-iodo aminoester (III′), by reaction of NaI in presence of CeCl 3 .7H 2 O and further hydrolysis (Yadav J. S., Dubba Reddy B. V. and Reddy K. S., Synlett, 2002, 3, 468-470).
[0170] According to one embodiment, the analysis of the N-protected γ-iodo aminoester and of the N-monoprotected γ-iodo aminoester (III′) by HPLC on chiral column shows that no racemization occurs during all these steps of synthesis.
Applications of Compounds (I)
[0171] Applications of γ,β-unsaturated amino acids (I) as intermediates in organic synthesis have been explored. Especially, compounds (I) may be used as reactants in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling, Diels Alder reaction, Michael addition or in click chemistry. Compounds (I) may also have applications as contrast agents in medical imaging, especially in IRM or in PET, and may also presents interesting bioactivity.
EXAMPLES
[0172] The present invention is further illustrated by the following examples which are provided by way of illustration only and should not be considered to limit the scope of the invention.
A. Generalities
Material and Methods
[0173] Chiral HPLC analysis were performed on SHIMADZU 10-series apparatus, using chiral columns (Chiralcel OD-H, Chiralcel AD, Chiralcel OJ, Lux 5 μm cellulose-2), and with hexane/propan-2-ol mixtures as the mobile phase (Flow rate 1 mL min −1 ; UV detection λ=254 nm). Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was performed on 0.25 mm E Merck precoated silica gel plates and exposed by UV, potassium permanganate, ninhydrine or iodine treatment. Flash chromatography was performed with the indicated solvents using silica gel 60 A, (35-70 μm; Acros) or aluminium oxide 90 standardized (Merck). All NMR spectra data were recorded on BRUKER AVANCE 300, 500 and 600 spectrometers at ambient temperature. Data are reported as s=singlet, d=doublet, t=triplet, q=quartet, m=multiplet, brs=broad singlet, brd=broad doublet, dhept=doublet of heptuplet, coupling constant(s) in Hertz. Melting points were measured on a Kofler bench melting point apparatus and are uncorrected. Optical rotations values were recorded at 20° C. on a Perkin-Elmer 341 polarimeter, using a 10 cm quartz vessel. Infrared spectra were recorded on a Bruker Vector 22 apparatus. Mass and HRMS spectra were recorded on Mass, Bruker ESI micro TOF-Q apparatus, at the Universite de Bourgogne (Dijon). Elemental analyses were measured with a precision superior to 0.3% at the Microanalysis Laboratories of the University of Bourgogne (Analyseur CHNS/O Thermo Electron Flash EA 1112 Serie).
B. Synthesis of N-Protected γ-Iodo Aminoester (III)
B.1. Synthesis of (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)allyl-4-iodobutanoate (III′)
B.1.1 Synthesis of (S)-aspartate methyl monoester chlorhydrate
[0174]
[0175] To 3.8 mL (41.2 mmol) of SOCl 2 in 26 mL of dry methanol, were added at −10° C., 5 g of L-aspartic acid (37.6 mmol). The mixture was stirred two hours at room temperature and 75 mL of diethyl ether were added. The white solid was filtered and washed with 2×50 mL of diethyl ether to afford (S)-aspartate methyl monoester chlorhydrate in 85% yield. White solid. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO): δ (ppm)=3.05 (dd, J=3.4, 4.7 Hz, 2H, CH 2 ), 3.78 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 4.31-4.35 (m, 1H, CHN).
B.1.2. Synthesis of 2-(S)-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-(methoxycarbonyl)butanoic acid
[0176]
[0177] To a solution of 3.74 g (20.5 mmol) of (S)-aspartate methyl monoester chlorhydrate in 85 mL of a mixture dioxane/H 2 O (2:1), were added at 0° C., 2.21 g (20.8 mmol) of Na 2 CO 3 . After 30 minutes, 2.21 g (20.8 mmol) of Na 2 CO 3 and 5 g (25.7 mmol) of Boc 2 O were added to the mixture which was stirred overnight at room temperature. The solvent was concentrated under vacuum, and the residue was poured into a mixture ice-water (60 mL). The aqueous layer was washed with 2×25 mL of diethyl ether and acidified until pH=3 with 100 mL of NaHSO 4 (1M). The aqueous layer was extracted with diethyl ether (3×75 mL) and the organic layer dried over MgSO 4 . After filtration and evaporation, the residue was purified by chromatography with ethyl acetate as eluent to afford 2-(S)-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-(methoxycarbonyl)butanoic acid in 75% yield. White solid —R f : 0.50 (Ethyl acetate)-[α] D =+28.6 (c=0.3; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3429 (N—H), 2979 (C—H), 1714 (C═O), 1509, 1438, 1394, 1367, 1156, 1057, 1026, 843, 780, 734. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.42 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.82 (dd, J=4.8, 17.2 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.02 (dd, J=17.2, 4.1 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.69 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 4.59-4.62 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.57 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 1H, NHBoc), 10.8 (sl, 1H, COOH). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.2 (CH 3 ), 36.4 (CH 2 ), 49.7 (CHN), 52.1 (OCH 3 ), 80.5 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 155.6 (COO), 171.6 (COO), 175.8 (COO). Analysis calculated for C 10 H N NO 6 (337.15): C, 48.58; H, 6.93; N, 5.67. found C, 48.64; H, 7.04; N, 5.68.
B.1.3. Synthesis of (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-4-(methoxycarbonyl)allyl butanoate
[0178]
[0179] To a solution of 5.62 g (22.7 mmol) of 2-(S)-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-(methoxycarbonyl)butanoic acid in 70 mL of DMF, were introduced, under argon, 7.53 g (54.5 mmol) of K 2 CO 3 and 3.9 mL (45.4 mmol) of allyl bromide. After stirring overnight, 70 mL of water were added and the aqueous layer was extracted with 3×75 mL of ethyl acetate. The organic layer was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent evaporated to afford a residue which was purified by chromatography with a mixture of petroleum ether/ethyl acetate (4:1) as eluent. Compound (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-4-(methoxycarbonyl)allyl butanoate was isolated in 79% yield. Colorless oil —R f : 0.29 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 2:8) [α] D =+17.7 (c=0.7; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3370 (N—H), 2980 (C—H), 1716 (C═O), 1502, 1439, 1367, 1339, 1286, 1246, 1209, 1161, 1049, 1026, 992. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.41 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.79 (dd, J=17.0, 4.7 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.98 (dd, J=17.1, 4.6 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.65 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 4.53-4.57 (m, 1H, CHN), 4.60 (dt, J=1.3, 5.7 Hz, 2H, OCH 2 ), 5.20 (dq, J=1.2, 10.4 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.28 (dq, J=1.4, 17.2 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.79-5.92 (m, 1H, CH═). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 36.6 (CH 2 ), 50.0 (CHN), 52.0 (OCH 3 ), 66.2 (OCH 2 ), 80.1 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 118.6 (CH 2 ═), 131.5 (CH═), 155.4 (COO), 170.7 (COO), 171 . 4 (COO). Analysis calculated for C 13 H 21 NO 6 (227.14): C, 54.35; H, 7.37; N, 4.88. found C, 54.50; H, 7.38; N, 4.93.
B.1.4. Synthesis of (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(methoxycarbonyl)allyl butanoate
[0180]
[0181] To a solution of 4.86 g (16.9 mmol) of diester (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-4-(methoxycarbonyl)allyl butanoate in 80 mL of acetonitrile, were added successively under argon, 643 mg (5.2 mmol) of DMAP and 9.3 g (42.6 mmol) of Boc 2 O. After stiffing overnight at room temperature, the solvent was removed under vacuum and the residue was purified by chromatography with a mixture ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (1:4) to afford the diester N,N-diprotected (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(methoxycarbonyl)allyl butanoate in 88% yield. Colorless oil—R f : 0.32 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 1:4)-[α] D =−54.1 (c=0.7; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 2982-2954 (C—H), 1742 (C═O), 1702 (C═O), 1458, 1439, 1368, 1314, 1269, 1243, 1168, 1142, 1116, 993, 934. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.47 (s, 18H, CH 3 ), 2.71 (dd, J=16.4, 8.5 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.23 (dd, J=7.1, 16.4 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.67 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 4.59 (dt, J=1.3, 5.6 Hz, 2H, OCH 2 ), 5.19 (dq, J=1.3, 10.5 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.28 (dq, J=1.5, 17.2 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.42-5.47 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.79-5.90 (m, 1H, CH═). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.9 (CH 3 ), 35.6 (CH 2 ), 51.9 (CHN), 55.0 (OCH 3 ), 66.1 (OCH 2 ), 83.5 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 118.3 (CH 2 ═), 131.5 (CH═), 151.6 (COO), 169.5 (COO), 171.0 (COO). Analysis calculated for C 18 H 28 NO 8 (387.19): C, 55.80; H, 7.54; N, 3.62. found C, 56.16; H, 7.75; N, 3.53.
B.1.5. Synthesis of (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]allyl-4-oxobutanoate
[0182]
[0183] To a solution of 2 g (5.2 mmol) of diester (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(methoxycarbonyl)allyl butanoate in 60 mL of distilled diethyl ether, were introduced under argon, at −78° C., 8.2 mL (8.2 mmol) of DIBAL. The mixture was stirred one hour at −78° C. and hydrolyzed with 10 mL of distilled water at 0° C. After 5 minutes, the mixture was filtered on celite and washed with 3×25 mL of diethyl ether. After removing the solvent, the crude product was dried under vacuum, to afford the aldehyde (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]allyl-4-oxobutanoate and traces of the corresponding alcohol. This crude mixture was directly used for the second reduction with NaBH 4 . Colorless oil —R f : 0.45 (ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 2:8).
B.1.6. Synthesis of (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]allyl-4-hydroxybutanoate
[0184]
[0185] To a solution of 1.83 g (5.1 mmol) aldehyde (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]allyl-4-oxobutanoate in 50 mL of a mixture THF/H 2 O (4:1) under argon, were added 225 mg (5.9 mmol) of NaBH 4 . The mixture was stirred thirty minutes at 0° C. and the aqueous layer extracted with 3×75 mL of ethyl acetate. The organic layer was dried over MgSO 4 , filtered and evaporated. The crude product was purified by chromatography with ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (2:8 then 3:7 then 5:5) as eluent, to afford the homoserine derivative (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]allyl-4-hydroxybutanoate in 71% yield. Colorless oil —R f : 0.31 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ester 1:2). [α] D =−27.9 (c=0.7; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3524 (OH), 2980-2934 (C—H), 1740 (C═O), 1700 (C═O), 1457, 1368, 1272, 1254, 1144, 1119, 1049, 989, 930, 855. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.47 (s, 18H, CH 3 ), 1.97-2.07 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.36-2.44 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.54-3.61 (m, 1H, CH 2 OH), 3.68-3.73 (m, 1H, CH 2 OH), 4.59 (dt, J=1.4, 5.5 Hz, 2H, OCH 2 ), 4.99 (dd, J=4.7, 9.8 Hz, 1H, CHN), 5.20 (dq, J=1.3, 10.4 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.30 (dq, J=1.5, 17.2 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.81-5.92 (m, 1H, CH═). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.9 (CH 3 ), 32.8 (CH 2 ), 55.6 (CHN), 59.0 (CH 2 OH), 65.8 (OCH 2 ), 83.6 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 118.2 (CH 2 ═), 131.7 (CH═), 152.5 (COO), 170.5 (COO). Analysis calculated for C 17 H 29 NO 4 (359.19): C, 56.81; H, 8.13; N, 3.90. found C, 56.52; H, 8.32; N, 3.93.
B.1.7. Synthesis of (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]allyl-4-iodobutanoate (IIIa)
[0186]
[0187] In a flask, containing a solution of 1.33 g (3.7 mmol) of homoserine derivative (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]allyl-4-hydroxybutanoate in 20 mL of dry THF, were added 600 mg (8.8 mmol) of imidazole. In a second flask containing 1.52 g (5.8 mmol) of PPh 3 in 15 mL of dry THF, were added 1.55 g (6.1 mmol) of iodine. The precedent solution was then added, and the resulting mixture was stirred for two hours at room temperature. The reaction mixture was then hydrolyzed with 100 mL of 20% aqueous NaCl. The aqueous layer was extracted by 3×50 mL of ethyl acetate. After drying over MgSO 4 , filtration and evaporation, the crude product was purified by chromatography using a mixture of ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (1:9 then 8:2) to afford iodo aminoester (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]allyl-4-iodobutanoate (Ma) in 91% yield. Pale yellow oil —R f : 0.75 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 1:9) [α] D =−44.6 (c=0.7; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 2981-2936 (C—H), 1747 (C═O), 1704 (C═O), 1479, 1457, 1368, 1236, 1171, 1131, 988, 930, 853. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.52 (s, 18H, CH 3 ), 2.36-2.48 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.66-2.78 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.16-3.25 (m, 2H, CH 2 I), 4.63 (dt, J=1.4, 5.5 Hz, 2H, OCH 2 ), 5.03 (dd, J=5.5, 8.5 Hz, 1H, CHN), 5.24 (dq, J=1.3, 10.5 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.33 (dq, J=1.5, 17.2 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.84-5.97 (m, 1H, CH═). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=0.0 (CH 2 I), 26.2 (CH 3 ), 32.6 (CH 2 ), 52.8 (CHN), 64.1 (OCH 2 ), 87.7 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 116.5 (CH 2 ═), 129.8 (CH═), 150.2 (COO), 167.9 (COO). Analysis calculated for C 17 H 29 NO 6 I (469.10): C, 43.51; H, 6.01; N, 2.98. found C, 43.31; H, 6.24; N, 2.92.
B.1.8. Synthesis of (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)allyl-4-iodobutanoate (III′)
[0188]
[0189] To a solution of 1.6 g (3.4 mmol) of (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]allyl-4-iodobutanoate (Ma) in 20 mL of acetonitrile, were added 1.3 g (3.4 mmol) of CeCl 3 .7H 2 O and 513 mg (3.4 mmol) of NaI. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature and hydrolyzed with 20 mL of water. The aqueous layer was extracted with 3×20 mL of ethyl acetate and the organic layer was dried over MgSO 4 . After evaporation, the crude product was purified by chromatography with ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (2:8) as eluent to afford the mono N-protected iodo aminoester (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)allyl-4-iodobutanoate (III′) in 86% yield. Pale yellow oil —R f : 0.31 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 1:4) [α] b =+11.7 (c=0.5; CHCl 3 ) IR (cm −1 ): 2981-2936 (C—H), 1747 (C═O), 1704 (C═O), 1479, 1457, 1368, 1236, 1171, 1131, 988, 930, 853. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.42 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.10-2.23 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.37-2.43 (m, 1H, CH 2 ) 3.13-3.18 (m, 2H, CH 2 I) 4.32-4.34 (m, 1H, CHN), 4.62 (d, J=5.8 Hz, 2H, OCH 2 ), 5.05 (d, J=6.2 Hz, 1H, NH), 5.24 (dd, J=1.1, 10.4 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.31 (dd, J=1.4, 17.2 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ═), 5.82-5.95 (m, 1H, CH═). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=0.0 (CH 2 I), 28.9 (CH 3 ), 37.8 (CH 2 ), 55.0 (CHN), 66.9 (OCH 2 ), 80.9 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 119.8 (CH 2 ═), 132.0 (CH═), 155.9 (COO), 171.9 (COO). Analysis calculated for C 12 H 20 NO 4 I (369.09): C, 39.04; H, 5.46; N, 3.79. found C, 39.14; H, 5.59; N, 3.84.
B.2. Synthesis of (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)benzyl-4-iodobutanoate (III″)
B.2.1. Synthesis of 2-(S)-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-4-(methoxycarbonyl)benzyl butanoate diester
[0190]
[0191] To a solution of 1.42 g (5.7 mmol) of diester 2-(S)-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-(methoxycarbonyl)butanoic acid in 50 mL of DMF, were added under argon 1.15 g (8.3 mmol) of K 2 CO 3 and 1.48 mL (12.4 mmol) of benzyl bromide. After stiffing overnight at room temperature, 60 mL H 2 O were added and the aqueous layer was extracted with 3×75 mL of ethyl acetate. The organic layer was dried over MgSO 4 and the solvent removed under vacuum to afford a residue which was purified by chromatography with a mixture petroleum ether/ethyl acetate (4:1) as eluent. The 2-(S)-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-4-(methoxycarbonyl)benzyl butanoate diester was isolated in 85% yield. White solid —R f : 0.56 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 1:4). Enantiomeric excess >99%*−[α] D =+4.4 (c=0.5; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3429 (N—H), 2997-2850 (C—H), 1732 (C═O), 1693 (C═O), 1457, 1388, 1320, 1265, 1240, 1220, 1146, 1130, 1098, 1084, 998, 980, 923, 869, 840, 817, 762, 739. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.36 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.75 (dd, J=17.0, 4.7 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.94 (dd, J=17.1, 4.6 Hz, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.55 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 4.51-4.57 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.05-5.16 (m, 2H, OCH 2 Ph), 5.45 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H, NHBoc), 7.24-7.30 (m, 5H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ) 3 , 36.7 (CH 2 ), 48.1 (CHN), 50.1 (OCH 3 ), 67.4 (OCH 2 Ph), 80.2 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 128.3 (Carom), 128.4 (Carom), 128.6 (Carom), 135.3 (C arom), 170.9 (COO), 171.3 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 17 H 24 NO 6 [M+H] + : 338.1598. found 338.1618. Analysis calculated for C 17 H 23 NO 6 (337.15): C, 60.52; H, 6.87; N, 4.15. found C, 60.42; H, 6.95; N, 4.15. The enantiomeric excess was determined by HPLC (Chiralpack AD, hexane:iPrOH 98:2, 1 mL·min −1 , λ=210 nm, 24° C., t R (R)=45.8 min, t R (S)=55.6 min)
B.2.2. Synthesis of 2-(S)-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(methoxy carbonyl)benzyl butanoate diester
[0192]
[0193] To a solution of 1.60 g (4.7 mmol) of 2-(S)-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-4-(methoxycarbonyl)benzyl butanoate diester in 50 mL of acetonitrile, were added successively under argon 185 mg (1.5 mmol) of DMAP and 2.5 g (11.6 mmol) of Boc 2 O. After stiffing overnight at room temperature, the solvent was removed under vacuum and the residue purified by chromatography with a solvent mixture ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (1:4) to afford the diester 2-(S)-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(methoxy carbonyl)benzyl butanoate diester in 98% yield. White solid —R f : 0.60 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 1:4). Enantiomeric excess >99%−[α] D =−40.4 (c=0.2; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 2982 (C—H), 1732 (C═O), 1693 (C═O), 1457, 1388, 1366, 1320, 1265, 1240, 1220, 1146, 1128, 1098, 1014, 998, 980, 923, 869, 840, 817, 762, 739. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.47 (s, 18H, CH 3 ), 2.76 (dd, 1H, J=16.5, 6.5 Hz, CH 2 ), 3.30 (dd, 1H, J=16.5, 7.2 Hz, CH 2 ), 3.69 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 5.13-5.23 (m, 2H, OCH 2 Ph), 5.50-5.54 (t, J=6.8 Hz, 1H, CHN), 7.34-7.35 (m, 5H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.9 (CH 3 ), 35.5 (CH 2 ), 51.9 (OCH 3 ), 55.0 (CHN), 67.2 (OCH 2 Ph), 83.5 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 128.1 (C arom), 128.2 (C arom), 128.5 (C arom), 135.3 (C arom), 151.7 (COO), 169.7 (COO), 171 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 22 H 31 NO 8 Na [M+Na] + : 460.1942. found 460.1963. Analysis calculated for C 22 H 31 NO 8 (437.20): C, 60.40; H, 7.14; N, 3.20. found C, 60.55; H, 7.26; N, 3.23.*The enantiomeric excess was determined by HPLC (Chiralcel OD, hexane:iPrOH 95:5, 0.5 mL·min −1 , λ=210 nm, 24° C., t R (R)=76.7 min, t R (S)=83.1 min)
B.2.3. Synthesis of (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-benzyl oxobutanoate ester
[0194]
[0195] To a solution of 5.57 g (10.8 mmol) of 2-(S)-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(methoxy carbonyl)benzyl butanoate diester in 100 mL of distilled diethyl ether, were introduced under argon at −78° C. 17.3 mL (17.6 mmol) of DIBAL. The mixture was stirred one hour at −78° C. and hydrolyzed with 17 mL of distilled water at 0° C. After 5 minutes, the mixture was filtered on celite and washed with 3×25 mL of diethyl ether. After removing the solvent the crude product was purified by chromatography with a mixture of ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (1:9 then 1.5:8.5). The aldehyde (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-benzyl oxobutanoate ester was isolated in 96% yield. Colorless oil —R f : 0.45 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 2:8). [α] D =−32.0 (c=0.1; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 2982-2936 (C—H), 1741 (C═O), 1703 (C═O), 1457, 1370, 1253, 1146, 1126, 1047, 853, 783, 738, 700. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.41 (s, 18H, CH 3 ), 2.80 (ddd, 1H, J=17.4, 6.0, 1.1 Hz, CH 2 ), 3.26 (ddd, 1H, J=17.9, 6.8, 1.1 Hz, CH 2 ), 5.11 (m, 2H, OCH 2 Ph), 5.55 (t, J=6.4 Hz, 1H, CHN), 7.25-7.29 (m, 5H, Harom), 9.71 (t, 1H, J=1.1 Hz, CHO). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.9 (CH 3 ), 44.7 (CH 2 ), 53.0 (CHN), 67.4 (OCH 2 Ph), 83.7 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 127.0-129.8 (m, Carom), 135.3 (Carom), 151.7 (COO), 169.7 (COO), 198.5 (CHO). Analysis calculated for C 21 H 29 NO 7 (407.46): C, 61.90; H, 7.17; N, 3.44. found C, 62.07; H, 7.46; N, 3.05.
B.2.4. Synthesis of (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-hydroxybutanoate benzyl ester
[0196]
[0197] To a solution of 3.62 g (8.9 mmol) of aldehyde (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-benzyl oxobutanoate ester in 100 mL of a mixture THF/H 2 O (4:1) under argon, were added 1.30 g (18.5 mmol) of NaBH 4 . The mixture was stirred thirty minutes at 0° C. and the aqueous layer extracted with 3×75 mL of ethyl acetate. The organic layer was dried over MgSO 4 , filtered and evaporated. The crude product was purified by chromatography with a mixture ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (2:8 then 3:7 then 5:5), to afford the homoserine derivative (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-hydroxybutanoate benzyl ester in 83% yield. Colorless oil —R f : 0.30 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7). Enantiomeric excess >99%*−[α] D =−19.8 (c=0.6; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3528 (OH), 2980-2885 (C—H), 1744 (C═O), 1702 (C═O), 1500, 1479, 1457, 1369, 1315, 1274, 1145, 1122, 1047, 904, 853, 783, 750, 698. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.46 (s, 18H, CH 3 ), 1.99-2.08 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.40-2.53 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.58-3.63 (m, 1H, CH 2 OH), 3.72-3.76 (m, 1H, CH 2 OH), 5.03 (dd, 1H, J=9.7, 4.7 Hz, CHN), 5.14-5.19 (m, 2H, OCH 2 Ph), 7.26-7.36 (m, 5H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.9 (CH 3 ) 3 , 32.6 (CH 2 ), 55.7 (CHN), 59.0 (CH 2 OH), 66.9 (OCH 2 Ph), 83.6 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 127.0-129.8 (m, Carom), 135.6 (Carom), 152.6 (COO), 170.7 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 21 H 31 NO 7 Na [M+Na] + : 432.1998. found: 432.2007. Analysis calculated for C 21 H 31 NO 7 (409.48): C, 61.60; H, 7.63; N, 3.42. found C, 61.75; H, 7.85; N, 3.35.*The enantiomeric excess was determined by HPLC (Chiralcel OD, hexane:iPrOH 90:10, 0.5 mL·min −1 ), λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (R)=16.2 min, t R (S)=18.4 min).
B.2.5. Synthesis of (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-iodobutanoate benzyl ester (IIIb)
[0198]
[0199] In a flask, containing a solution of 2.71 g (6.6 mmol) of homoserine derivative (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-hydroxybutanoate benzyl ester in 20 mL of dry THF, were added 1.08 g (15.8 mmol) of imidazole. In a second flask containing 3.12 g (11.9 mmol) of PPh 3 in 14 mL of dry THF, were added 3.16 g (12.5 mmol) of iodine. The precedent solution was then added, and the resulting mixture was stirred for two hours at room temperature. The reaction mixture was then hydrolyzed with 100 mL of 20% aqueous NaCl. To the aqueous layer was added 3×50 mL of ethyl acetate. After drying over MgSO 4 , filtration and evaporation of the solvent, the crude product was purified by chromatography using a mixture of ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (1:9 then 8:2) to afford the iodine derivative (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-iodobutanoate benzyl ester (Mb) in 91% yield. Pale yellow oil —R f : 0.75 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 1:9). Enantiomeric excess >99%*−[α] D =−41.9 (c=0.6; CHCl 3 ); IR (cm −1 ): 2984-2937 (C—H), 1736 (C═O), 1690 (C═O), 1381, 1366, 1351, 1317, 1264, 1226, 1167, 1150, 1130, 1113, 1056, 976, 955, 896, 866, 851, 831, 789, 763, 752, 722, 700. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.46 (s, 18H, CH 3 ), 2.42 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.71 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.16-3.21 (m, 1H, CH 2 I), 3.27-3.31 (m, 1H, CH 2 I), 5.04 (dd, 1H, J=8.6, 5.5 Hz), 5.13-5.18 (m, 2H, CH 2 Ph), 7.37-7.33 (m, 5H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=0.2 (CH 2 I), 26.2 (CH 3 ), 32.4 (CH 2 ), 56.8 (CHN), 65.2 (OCH 2 Ph), 81.7 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 126.2-126.9 (m, Carom), 133.6 (Carom), 150.2 (COO), 168.1 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 21 H 31 NO 6 NI [M+H] + : 520.1196. found: 520.1202. Analysis calculated for C 2 H 30 NO 6 I (519.38): C, 48.56; H, 5.82; N, 2.70. found C 48.61, H 5.89, N 2.89.*The enantiomeric excess was determined by HPLC (Chiralpack AD, hexane: iPrOH 98: 2, 0.5 mL·min −1 , λ=210 nm, 10° C., t R (S)=21.7 min, t R (R)=29.2 min)
B.2.6. Synthesis of (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)benzyl-4-iodobutanoate (III″)
[0200]
[0201] To a solution of 0.80 g (1.9 mmol) of Synthesis of (S)-2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-iodobutanoate benzyl ester (IIIb) in 20 mL of acetonitrile, were added 0.70 g (1.9 mmol) of CeCl 3 .7H 2 O and 0.28 g (1.9 mmol) of NaI. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature and hydrolyzed with 10 mL of water. The aqueous layer was extracted with 3×20 mL of ethyl acetate and the organic layer was dried over MgSO 4 . After evaporation of the solvent, the crude product was purified by chromatography with a mixture of ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (2:8) as eluant to afford the mono N-protected iodo derivative (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)benzyl-4-iodobutanoate (III″) in 86% yield. Pale yellow oil —R f : 0.60 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 2:8); Enantiomeric excess >99%*−[α] b =+4.8 (c=0.4; CHCl 3 ); IR (cm − ): 3366 (N—H), 2985 (C—H), 1755 (C═O), 1682 (C═O), 1515, 1453, 1425, 1367, 1349, 1288, 1254, 1225, 1155, 1080, 1047, 1025, 954, 862, 791, 748, 694. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.37 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.05-2.18 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.32-2.38 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.04-3.09 (m, 2H, CH 2 I), 4.30-4.32 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.00-5.16 (m, 3H, OCH 2 Ph/NH); 7.26-7.31 (m, 5H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=0.0 (CH 2 I), 27.0 (CH 3 ), 32.4 (CH 2 I), 55.1 (CHN), 68.2 (OCH 2 Ph), 81.0 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 129.1 (Carom), 129.3 (Carom), 129.4 (Carom), 135.8 (Carom), 156.0 (COO), 172.1 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 21 H 31 NO 6 NI [M+Na]±: 442.0486. found 442.0507. Analysis calculated for C 16 H 22 NO 4 I (419.06): C 45.84, H 5.29, N 3.34. found C, 45.72; H, 5.42; N, 3.47.*The enantiomeric excess was determined by HPLC (Chiralpack AD, hexane:iPrOH 98:2, 0.5 mL min −1 , λ=210 nm, 10° C., t R (R)=22.5 min t R (S)=28.7 min,).
C. Synthesis of Compounds (II′)
C.1. Synthesis of allyl 2-[(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(triphenylphosphonium iodure)-butanoate (II′a)
[0202]
[0203] A mixture of 1.1 g (3.1 mmol) of iodo aminoester (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)allyl-4-iodobutanoate (III′) and 1.9 g (7.1 mmol) of triphenylphosphine was stirred under argon at 80° C. two hours. Then, 5 mL of toluene followed by 30 mL of diethyl ether were added to the mixture after cooling to room temperature. The white precipitate was washed with 2×25 mL of diethyl ether and purified by chromatography with a mixture of acetone/petroleum ether (7:3) as eluent. The phosphonium salt (II′a) iodo 2-(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-triphenyl phosphonium allyl butanoate was isolated in 72% yield. Pale yellow solid —R f : 0.57 (acetone/petroleum ether 7:3)−mp: 84-86° C. Enantiomeric excess=97%-[α] b =−17.5 (c=0.4; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm − ): 3249 (NH), 3053-2870 (C—H), 1699 (C═O), 1648 (C═O), 1587, 1508, 1486, 1437, 1391, 1366, 1340, 1309, 1251, 1229, 1158, 1111, 1052, 995, 931, 857, 785, 739, 723, 688, 606. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.39 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.26-2.30 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 3.58-3.73 (m, 1H, CH 2 P), 3.79-3.95 (m, 1H, CH 2 P), 4.53-4.60 (m, 3H, OCH 2 +CHN), 5.15-5.29 (m, 2H, CH 2 ═), 5.78-5.89 (m, 1H, CH═), 6.32 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 1H, NH), 7.65-7.83 (m, 15H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=20.3 (d, J=53.6 Hz, CH 2 P), 23.8 (CH 2 ), 28.3 (CH 3 ), 53.2 (d, J=17.3 Hz, CHN), 66.2 (OCH 2 ), 80.0 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 117.8 (d, J=86 Hz, Carom), 118.6 (CH 2 ═), 130.6 (d, J=12.8 Hz, Carom), 131.7 (CH═), 133.6 (d, J=9.8 Hz, Carom), 135.2 (d, J=3 Hz, Carom), 135.7 (COO), 170.7 (COO). 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+25.2 (s). Mass exact calculated for C 30 H 35 N 1 O 4 P 1 [M-I] + : 504.2298. found: 504.2278.
C.2. Synthesis of allyl 2-[(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-[tri-(4-trifluoromethyl phenyl)-(phosphonium iodure)]-butanoate (II′b)
[0204]
[0205] A mixture of 0.23 g (0.6 mmol) of iodo aminoester (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)allyl-4-iodobutanoate (III′) and 0.56 g (1.2 mmol) of [tri-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)]phosphine was stirred under argon at 80° C. three hours. Then, 3 mL of toluene followed by 30 mL of diethyl ether were added to the mixture after cooling to room temperature. The white precipitate was washed with 2×25 mL of diethyl ether and purified by chromatography with a mixture of acetone/petroleum ether (2:7) as eluent. The phosphonium salt (II′b) was isolated in 39% yield. 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+27 (s).
C.3. Synthesis of allyl 2-[(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-[tri-(4-methoxyphenyl)-(phosphonium iodide)]-butanoate (II′c)
[0206]
[0207] A mixture of 0.23 g (0.6 mmol) of iodo aminoester (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)allyl-4-iodobutanoate (III′) and 0.42 g (1.2 mmol) of [tri-(4-methoxyphenyl)]phosphine in 0.5 mL of dry THF was stirred under argon at 80° C. After three hours, 3 mL of toluene followed by 30 mL of diethyl ether were added to the mixture at room temperature. The white precipitate was washed with 2×25 mL of diethyl ether and purified by chromatography with a mixture of acetone/petroleum ether (3:7) as eluent. The phosphonium salt (We) was isolated in 70% yield. Pale yellow solid 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+21 (s).
C.4. Synthesis of allyl 2-[(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-[tri-(4-fluorophenyl)-phosphonium iodide]-butanoate (II′d)
[0208]
[0209] A mixture of 0.28 g (0.76 mmol) of iodo aminoester (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)allyl-4-iodobutanoate (III′) and 0.48 g (1.5 mmol) of [tri-(4-fluorophenyl)]phosphine in THF was stirred 24 h under argon at 80° C. Then, 3 mL of toluene followed by 30 mL of diethyl ether were added to the mixture at room temperature. The white precipitate was filtered off and washed with 2×25 mL of diethyl ether and purified by chromatography with a mixture of acetone/petroleum ether (2:7) as eluent. The phosphonium salt (II′d) was isolated in 63% yield. Pale yellow solid. 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+26 (s).
C.5. Synthesis of allyl 2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(tricyclohexyl phosphonium iodide)-butanoate (II′e)
[0210]
[0211] A mixture of 0.20 g (0.43 mmol) of iodo aminoester (Ma) and 0.24 g (0.85 mmol) of tricyclohexylphosphine was stirred under argon in a mixture of acetonitrile/THF (1:2). After 5 days stirring, 5 mL of toluene were added followed by 30 mL of diethyl ether. The white precipitate was filtered off and washed with 2×25 mL of diethyl ether to afford the phosphonium salt (II′e) in 79% yield. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.22-2.2 (m, 50H, CH 2 , cHex, Boc), 2.4-2.6 (m, 2H, P + CH 2 ), 2.7-2.9 (m, 3H, P+CH), 4.65 (d, J=6 Hz, 2H, OCH 2 ), 4.94 (t, J=7 Hz, 1H, CHN), 5.27 (d, J=11 Hz, 1H, CH(H)═), 5.34 (d, J=17 Hz, 1H, C(H)H═), 5.92 (m, 1H, —CH═). 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+32.5 (s).
C.6. Synthesis of allyl 2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(triphenylphosphonium iodide)-butanoate (II′f)
[0212]
[0213] A mixture of 0.12 g (0.26 mmol) of iodo aminoester (Ma) and 0.17 g (0.65 mmol) of triphenylphosphine was stirred under argon at 55° C. After 16 h stiffing at this temperature, the residue was purified by chromatography with a mixture of ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (7:3) as eluent. The phosphonium salt (II′f) was then obtained in 66% yield. Pale yellow solid —R f : 0.50 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 7:3). Enantiomeric excess >99%. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.48 (s, 18H, CH 3 ), 2.18 (m, 1H, CH(H)), 2.6 (m, 1H, C(H)H), 3.5-3.75 (m, 1H, CH 2 P), 3.8-3.95 (m, 1H, CH 2 P), 4.62 (d, 2H, CH 2 O), 5.15 (t, J=6 Hz, 1H, CHN), 5.21-5.34 (2d, 2H, CH 2 ═), 5.83-5.93 (m, 1H, —CH═).7.71-7.88 (m, 15H, Harom). 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+24.1 (s). Mass exact calculated for C 35 H 43 NO 6 PI [M-I]: 604.2855. found 604.2813.
C.7. Synthesis of benzyl[2-(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(triphenylphosphonium iodure)-butanoate (II′g)
[0214]
[0215] A mixture of 0.60 g (1.4 mmol) of iodo aminoester (III″) and 1.0 g (4 mmol) of triphenylphosphine was stirred under argon at 80° C. for two hours. Then, 5 mL of toluene followed by 30 mL of diethyl ether were added to the mixture after cooling to room temperature. The white precipitate was washed with 2×25 mL of diethyl ether and purified by chromatography with a mixture of acetone/petroleum ether (7:3) as eluent. The phosphonium salt (II′g) was then obtained in 70% yield. Enantiomeric excess=97%−[α] D =−15.8 (c=0.3; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3243 (NH), 3057 (C═CH), 2977-2931 (CH 2 , CH 3 ), 1737 (COO), 1699 (COO), 1500, 1437, 1365, 1158, 1111, 996, 738, 723, 688. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.30 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.16-2.28 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 3.54-3.75 (m, 1H, CH 2 P), 3.81-3.89 (m, 1H, CH 2 P), 4.53-4.55 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.09 (sl, 2H, OCH 2 Ph), 6.28 (d, J=6.5 Hz, 1H, NH), 7.20-7.26 (m, 5H, Harom), 7.59-7.73 (m, 15H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=20.4 (d, J=53.1 Hz, CH 2 P), 24.0 (CH 2 ), 28.0 (CH 3 ), 53.3 (d, J=16.8 Hz, CHN), 67.4 (OCH 2 Ph), 80.0 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 117.8 (d, J=86.6 Hz, Carom), 128.2 (Carom), 128.5 (Carom), 130.6 (d, J=12.6 Hz, Carom), 133.6 (d, J=10.0 Hz, Carom), 135.2 (d, J=2.9 Hz, Carom), 135.4 (Carom), 155.7 (COO); 170.9 (COO). 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+24.7 (s). Mass exact calculated for C 34 H 37 NO 4 PI [M-I]: 554.2455. found 554.2461. Analysis calculated for C 34 H 37 NO 4l I ( 681.67): C 59.92, H 5.47 N 2.06. found C 59.20, H 5.68, N 2.05.
D. Synthesis of Compounds (II″a)
D.1. Synthesis of 2-[(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(triphenylphosphonium iodide)-butanoic acid (II″a)
[0216]
[0217] To a solution of 1.28 g (2 mmol) of phosphonium salt (II′a) in 20 mL of dry THF, were successively added under argon at room temperature 46 mg (0.05 mmol) of Pd 2 dba 3 and 40 mg (0.1 mmol) of dppe. After five minutes stiffing 0.42 mL (4.2 mmol) of HNEt 2 was introduced and the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. After hydrolysis, extraction with dichloromethane, the combined organic layers were dried over MgSO 4 , evaporated under vacuum and purified by chromatography with a mixture of acetone/methanol (1:1) as eluent to afford the phosphonium salt (II″a) in 80% yield. White solid —R f : 0.50 (acetone/MeOH 1:1)−mp=152° C. Enantiomeric excess=97%−[α] D =+48.5 (c=0.4; CHCl 3 ); IR (cm −1 ): 3387 (NH), 3060-2932 (C—H), 1695 (C═O), 1605 (C═O), 1483, 1438, 1386, 1365, 1251, 1161, 1112, 1053, 1025, 997, 859, 830, 781, 739, 723, 689, 609. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.33 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.13-2.32 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 3.13-3.30 (m, 2H, CH 2 P), 4.08 (t, J=3.6 Hz, 1H, CHN), 6.27 (dl, J=2.7 Hz, 1H, NH), 7.52-7.64 (m, 12H, Harom), 7.70-7.77 (m, 3H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=18.4 (d, J=9.8 Hz, CH 2 P), 25.7 (CH 2 ), 28.4 (CH 3 ) 3 , 54.9 (d, J=17.3 Hz, CHN), 78.6 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 118.3 (d, J=86 Hz, Carom), 130.5 (d, J=12.8 Hz, Carom), 133.3 (d, J=9.8 Hz, Carom), 135.1 (d, J=3 Hz, Carom), 156 (COO), 172.6 (COO). 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+24.3 (s). Mass exact calculated for C 27 H 31 N 1 O 4 P 1 [M-I] + : 464.1985. found: 464.1963.
D.2. Synthesis of 2-[(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-[tri-(4-methoxyphenyl)-phosphonium iodide]-butanoic acid (II″c)
[0218]
[0219] To a solution of 0.2 g (0.3 mmol) of phosphonium salt (We) in 2 mL of dry THF were introduced successively under argon at room temperature, 6 mg (0.006 mmol) of Pd 2 dba 3 and 5 mg (0.013 mmol) of dppe. After five minutes stirring, 0.13 mL (1.2 mmol) of HNEt 2 was added and the solution was stirred during 16 hours at room temperature. The solvent was evaporated and the residue was purified by chromatographic column with acetone then a mixture of acetone/methanol (1:1) as eluent to afford the phosphonium salt (II″c) with 50% yield. 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+21 (s).
D.3. Synthesis of 2-[(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-[tri-(4-fluorophenyl)-phosphonium iodide]-butanoic acid (II″d)
[0220]
[0221] To a solution of 0.33 g (0.47 mmol) of phosphonium salt (II′d) in 4 mL of dry THF were introduced successively under argon at room temperature, 10 mg (0.011 mmol) of Pd 2 dba 3 and 9 mg (0.022 mmol) of dppe. After two hours stiffing, 0.17 mL (1.6 mmol) of HNEt 2 was added and the solution was stirred during 16 hours at room temperature. The solvent was evaporated and the residue was purified by chromatographic column using acetone then a mixture of acetone/methanol (1:1) as eluent to afford the phosphonium salt (II″d) with 50% yield. 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+26 (s).
D.4. Synthesis of 2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(tricyclohexyl phosphonium iodide)-butanoïc acid (II″e)
[0222]
[0223] To a solution of 0.11 g (0.15 mmol) phosphonium salt (II′e) in 3 mL of dry THF, were successively added under argon, at room temperature 3.4 mg (0.004 mmol) of Pd 2 dba 3 and 3 mg (0.007 mmol) of dppe. After five minutes stiffing, 0.031 mL (0.3 mmol) of HNEt 2 was introduced and the stiffing was maintained 16 hours at room temperature. After hydrolysis, extraction with dichloromethane, the combined organic layers were dried over MgSO 4 , evaporated under vacuum and purified by chromatography with a mixture of acetone/methanol (1:1) as eluent to afford the phosphonium salt (Ire) in 50% yield. 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+32 (s).
D.5. Synthesis of 2-[bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(triphenylphosphonium iodide)-butanok acid (II″f)
[0224]
[0225] To a solution of 0.65 mg (0.9 mmol) of phosphonium salt (III) in 2 mL of dry THF, were successively added under argon, at room temperature 4.6 mg (0.0025 mmol) of Pd 2 dba 3 and 1.9 mg (0.005 mmol) of dppe. After five minutes stiffing 0.022 mL (0.21 mmol) of HNEt 2 was introduced and the stirring was maintained for 16 hours at room temperature. After hydrolysis, extraction with dichloromethane, the combined organic layers were dried over MgSO 4 , evaporated under vacuum and purified by chromatography with a mixture of acetone/methanol (1:1) as eluent to afford the phosphonium salt (II′f) in 80% yield. 31 P NMR (121 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=+24 (s).
E. Synthesis of Compounds (I′)
E.1 Synthesis of (S)-allyl-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-phenylpent-4-enoate (I′ a)
[0226]
[0227] To a solution of 140 mg (0.2 mmol) of phosphonium (II′a) in chlorobenzene (1.5 mL) were added successively 31 mg of benzaldehyde (0.3 mmol, 1.5 eq.) and Cs 2 CO 3 (370 mg, 1.2 mmol, 6 eq.). The reaction mixture was stirred 16 hours at 50° C., hydrolyzed with distillated water (5 mL) and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×5 mL). The organic layers were dried over magnesium sulfate, and the solvent evaporated under vacuum. The crude product was then purified by chromatography on silica with a mixture of ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (1:9 then 1:4) as eluent to afford the corresponding amino ester (I′ a) in 83% yield in a ratio cis/trans=88:12. Colorless oil. Enantiomeric excess=83%*. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.45-1.48 (2s, 18H, CH 3 ), 2.87-3.20 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 5.12-5.18 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.63-5.72 (m, 0.12H, CH=cis), 6.13-6.24 (m, 0.88H, CH=trans), 6.45 (d, J=15.8 Hz, 0.88H, CH=trans), 6.58 (d, J=11.6 Hz, 0.12H, CH=cis), 7.18-7.37 (m, 5H, Harom), 10.7 (sl, 1H, COOH).*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC (Lux 5u cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 98:2, 0.7 mL·min −1 , λ=254 nm, 20° C.
F. Synthesis of Compounds (I″)
F.1. Use of Cs 2 CO 3 as Weak Base
F.1.1.(S)-2-[Bis(t-butyloxycarbonyl)amino]-5-phenylpent-4-enoïc acid
[0228]
[0229] To a solution of 300 mg (0.43 mmol) of phosphonium (II″f) in chlorobenzene (2.5 mL) were added successively 68 mg of benzaldehyde (0.65 mmol, 1.5 eq.) and Cs 2 CO 3 (706 mg, 2.2 mmol). The reaction mixture was stirred 16 hours at 50° C., hydrolyzed with distillated water (5 mL) and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×5 mL). The aqueous layer was acidified with a solution of KHSO 4 (1M) until pH=3, and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×5 mL). The organic layers were dried over magnesium sulfate, and the solvent evaporated under vacuum. The crude product was then purified by chromatography on silica with a mixture of ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (1:1)+1% acetic acid as eluent to afford the corresponding amino acid in 87% yield. Colorless oil. Enantiomeric excess >99%. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.53 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.64-2.95 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 4.42-4.49 (m, 1H, CHN), 4.60-4.62 (m, 2H, OCH 2 ), 5.10-5.12 (m, 1H, NH), 5.22-5.37 (m, 2H, CH 2 ═), 5.47-5.56 (m, 0.85H, CH═CH=cis), 5.80-5.99 (m, 1.15H, CH═+CH═CH=trans), 6.41 (d, J=15.8 Hz, 0.15H, CH═CH=trans), 6.53 (d, J=11.6 Hz, 0.85H, CH═CH=cis), 7.18-7.32 (m, 5H, Harom).
F.2. Use of K 3 PO 4 as Weak Base
General Procedure
[0230] To a solution of 120 mg (0.2 mmol) of phosphonium (II″a) in chlorobenzene (1.5 mL) were added successively aldehyde (0.4 mmol, 2 eq.), and K 3 PO 4 (254 mg, 1.2 mmol, 6 eq.). The reaction mixture was stirred 16 hours at 90° C., hydrolyzed with distillated water (5 mL) and extracted with diethyl ether (3×5 mL). The aqueous layer was acidified with a solution of KHSO 4 (1M) until pH=3, and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×5 mL). The organic layers were dried over magnesium sulfate, and the solvent evaporated under vacuum. The crude product was then purified by chromatography on silica with a mixture of ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (3:7) with 1% acetic acid as eluent to afford the corresponding amino acid (I″).
[0000]
TABLE 1
Wittig reactions of the phosphonium salt (II″a) with various
aldehydes RCHO
γ, δ-in-
saturated
cis/
amino
Yield
trans
entry
RCHO
acids (I″)
(%) a
(%)
1
(I″a)
72
30:70
2
(I″b)
98
10:90
3
(I″c)
75
15:85
4
(I″d)
96
20:80
5
(I″e)
67
24:76
6
(I″f)
76
20:80
7
(I″g)
80
— b
8
(I″h)
57
— b
9
(CH 2 O) n
(I″i)
55
— b
10
(I″j)
10
— b
11
(I″k)
57
25:75
12
(I″l)
25
— b
13
(I″m)
51 c
50:50
14
(I″n)
85
— b
15
(I″o)
77
— b
16
(I″p)
57
— b
17
(I″q)
58
— b
18
(I″r)
70
— b
19
(I″s)
70
— b
20
(I″t)
80
— b
21
(I″u)
73
— b
a isolated yield, e.e. > 98%.
b ratio not determined.
c isolated as methyl ester product
F2.1. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-phenylpent-4-enoïc acid (I″a)
[0231]
[0232] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 42.4 mg of benzaldehyde were used to afford the unsaturated amino acid (I″a) in 72% yield in a ratio cis/trans=30:70. Pale yellow oil —R f : 0.52 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+21.5 (c=0.6; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm − ): 3422 (N—H), 3026-2930 (CH 2 , CH 3 ), 1711 (C═O), 1496, 1450, 1395, 1368, 1249, 1163, 1053, 1026, 966, 910, 853, 774, 735, 694, 648, 609. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.65-2.81 (m, 1.4H, CH 2 trans), 2.92-2.98 (m, 0.6H, CH 2 cis), 4.28-4.38 (m, 0.3H, CHN cis), 4.49-4.51 (m, 0.7H, CHN trans), 5.05 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 0.3H, NH cis), 5.12 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 0.7H, NH trans), 5.60-5.69 (m, 0.3H, Hb′), 6.08-6.23 (m, 0.7H, Hb), 6.5 (d, J=15.9 Hz, 0.7H, Ha), 6.63 (d, J=11.7 Hz, 0.3H, Ha′), 7.22-7.38 (m, 5H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 31.1 (CH 2 cis), 35.8 (CH 2 trans), 53.1 (CHN), 80.2 (C(CH 3 ) 3 trans), 80.4 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis), 123.5 (CH═), 125.6 (CH═), 126.3 (Carom), 126.4 (Carom), 127.1 (Carom), 127.6 (Carom), 128.3 (Carom), 128.4 (Carom), 128.5 (Carom), 128.6 (Carom), 128.7 (Carom), 129.7 (Carom), 130.2 (Carom), 132.8 (CH═), 134.2 (CH═), 136.8 (Carom), 155.6 (COO), 176.5 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 16 H 21 N 1 Na 1 O 4 [M+Na] + : 314.1363. found 314.1343.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 98:2, 1.3 mL min −1 , λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (cis (S))=13.1 min, t R (trans (S))=16.5 min, t R (cis (R))=23.3 min, t R (trans (R)=32.2 min)
F2.2. (S)-2-(t-bityloxycarbonylamino)-5-[4-trifluoromethyl)phenyl]pent-4-enoïc acid (I″b)
[0233]
[0234] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 69.6 mg of 4-trifluoromethylbenzaldehyde were used to synthesize the unsaturated amino acid (I″b) in 98% yield in a ratio cis/trans=10:90. White solid —R f :0.33 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+40.9 (c=0.6; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3352 (N—H), 2973-2925 (C—H), 1710 (C═O), 1681 (C═O), 1615, 1521, 1433, 1415, 1392, 1367, 1326 (CF 3 ), 1287, 1267, 1252, 1159, 1108, 1084, 1069, 1046, 1025, 1016, 973, 951, 853, 834, 812, 779, 752, 693. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.44 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.68-2.70 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.76-2.80 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 4.21-4.23 (m, 0.1H, CHN cis), 4.30-4.52 (m, 0.89 H CHN trans), 5.17 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 0.9H, NH trans), 5.71-5.88 (m, 0.1H, Hb′), 6.22-6.27 (m, 0.9H, Hb), 6.52 (d, J=15.6 Hz, 0.9H, Ha), 6.62 (d, J=11.4 Hz, 0.1H, Ha′), 7.35 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 0.2H, NH cis), 7.43 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 2H, Harom), 7.53-7.58 (m, 2H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.2 (CH 2 cis ou trans), 28.2 (CH 3 ),34.3 (CH 2 cis or trans), 53.0 (CHN cis or trans), 54.4 (CHN cis or trans), 80.6 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis or trans), 82.1 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis or trans), 125.3 (q, J=271.7 Hz, CF 3 ), 125.3 (q, J=6.8 Hz, Carom), 126.4 (Carom), 126.6 (Carom), 127.7 (CH=cis or trans), 128.2 (Carom), 128.6 (CH═), 128.8 (q, J=31.7 Hz, Carom), 129.5 (CH=cis or trans), 129.6 (CH=cis or trans), 132.8 (Carom). Mass exact calculated for C 17 H 19 F 3 N 2 Na 1 O 4 [M+H] + : 358.1272. found 358.1256. The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC on chiral column after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 95:5, 1 mL·min −1 , λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (cis (S))=6.9 min, t R (trans (S))=8.2 min, t R (cis (R))=10.6 min, t R (trans (R))=17.2 min)
F2.3. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-(4-nitrophenyl)pent-4-enoïc acid (I″c)
[0235]
[0236] 120 mg of phosphonium (II″a) and 60.4 mg of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde were used to afford the unsaturated amino acid (I″c) in 75% yield in a ratio cis/trans=15:85. Orange oil —R f : 0.33 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*[α] D =+33.8 (c=0.6; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm − ): 3487 (N—H), 3059-2817 (C—H), 1703 (C═O), 1484, 1453, 1436, 1413, 1386, (N—O), 1366 (N—O), 1311, 1220, 1167, 1107, 1064, 1024, 1002, 954, 883, 823, 742, 698. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.43 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.65-2.78 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.83-2.89 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 4.54-4.56 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.2 (m, d, J=7.8 Hz, 0.85H, NH trans), 5.78-5.82 (m, 0.15H, Hb′), 6.30-6.54 (m, 0.85H, Hb), 6.56 (d, J=15.6 Hz, 0.85H, Ha), 6.68 (d, J=11.4 Hz, 0.15H, Ha′), 7.16 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 0.15H, NH cis), 7.46 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H, Harom), 8.14 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.2 (CH 3 ), 28.7 (CH 2 cis), 35.1 (CH 2 trans), 51.9 (CHN trans), 53.2 (CHN cis), 79.6 (C(CH 3 ) 3 trans), 81.3 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis), 122.6 (Carom cis), 122.9 (Carom trans), 125.8 (Carom trans), 128 (CH=trans), 129.8 (CH=cis), 130.2 (Carom cis), 131.1 (CH=trans), 133.8 (CH=cis), 142.2 (Carom trans), 145.6 (Carom cis), 145.9 (Carom trans), 149.9 (Carom cis), 154.4 (COO), 155.8 (COO), 174.9 (COO), 175.3 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 16 H 20 N 2 NaO 6 [M+Na] + : 359.1214. found 359.1228. The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 90:10, 1 mL·min −1 , λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (cis (S))=16.2 min, t R (trans (S))=20.4 min, t R (cis (R))=22.1 min, t R (trans (R))=34.2 min)
F2.4. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-(4-cyanophenyl)pent-4-enoïc acid (I″d)
[0237]
[0238] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 52 mg of 4-cyanobenzaldehyde were used to synthesize the unsaturated amino acid (I″d) in 96% yield in a ratio cis/trans=20:80. White solid —R f : 0.31 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =−21.5 (c=0.3; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm − ): 3416 (N—H), 3135-2865 (C—H), 2221 (CN), 1737 (C═O), 1662 (C═O), 1604, 1522, 1457, 1442, 1412, 1396, 1371, 1334, 1305, 1252, 1210, 1157, 1442, 1412, 1396, 1371, 1334, 1305, 1252, 1210, 1086, 1027, 974, 969, 951, 900, 850, 836, 805, 780, 745, 714, 642. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.43 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.62-2.72 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.78-2.88 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 4.30-4.32 (m, 0.2H, CHN cis), 4.48-4.52 (m, 0.8H, CHN trans), 5.21 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 0.8H, NH trans), 5.73-5.86 (m, 0.2H, Hb′), 6.24-6.34 (m, 0.8H, Hb), 6.50 (d, J=15.6 Hz, 0.8H, Ha), 6.59 (d, J=11.4 Hz, 0.2H, Ha′), 6.72 (d, J=6.3 Hz, 0.2H, NH cis), 7.17-7.20 (m, 2H, Ph), 7.24-7.27 (m, 2H, Ph). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.2 (CH 3 ), 29.0 (CH 2 cis or trans), 35.0 (CH 2 cis or trans), 51.9 (CHN cis or trans), 53.1 (CHN cis or trans), 79.6 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis or trans), 81.0 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis), 109.6 (Carom cis), 109.7 (Carom trans), 117.8 (CN cis ou trans), 117.9 (CN cis or trans), 125.8 (C arom), 126.5 (CH=cis or trans), 127.1 (CH=cis or trans), 127.8 (Carom), 128.3 (Carom), 128.5 (Carom), 130.1 (Carom), 131.1 (Carom), 131.4 (Carom), 131.5 (CH=cis or trans), 132.3 (CH=cis or trans), 140.2 (Carom), 155.4 (COO), 174.9 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 17 H 20 N 2 NaO 4 [M+Na] + : 339.1315. found 339.1299.
[0239] The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 85:15, 1 mL min −1 , λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (cis (S))=16.3 min, t R (trans (S))=19.2 min, t R (cis (R))=23.8 min, t R (trans (R))=32.1 min).
F2.5. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-(4-methoxyphenyl)pent-4-enoïc acid (I″e)
[0240]
[0241] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (Ira) and 136 mg (1 mmol, 5 eq) of 4-methoxybenzaldehyde were used to afford the amino acid (re) in 67% yield in a ratio cis/trans=24:76. Pale yellow oil —R f : 0.42 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+12.3 (c=0.5; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3288 (N—H), 2978-2838 (C—H), 1713 (C═O), 1578 (C═O), 1512, 1456, 1441, 1394, 1368, 1289, 1248, 1174 (O—CH 3 ), 1111, 1043, 968, 911, 839, 734, 633. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.44 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.56-2.79 (m, 1.5H, CH 2 trans), 2.94-2.99 (m, 0.5H, CH 2 cis), 3.81 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 4.33-4.43 (m, 1H, CHN cis+trans), 5.03-5.13 (m, 1H, NH cis+trans), 5.52-5.58 (m, 0.24H, Hb′), 5.93-6.02 (m, 0.76H, Hb), 6.43 (d, J=15.6 Hz, 0.76H, Ha), 6.54 (d, J=11.4 Hz, 0.24H, Ha′), 6.83-6.89 (m, 2H, Harom), 7.17-7.22 (m, 1H, Harom), 7.29-7.32 (m, 1H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 31.1 (CH 2 cis), 35.7 (CH 2 trans), 53.1 (CHN), 55.3 (OCH 3 ), 80.5 (C(CH 3 ) 3 trans), 80.6 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis), 113.8 (Carom), 114.0 (Carom), 121.1 (CH═), 123.9 (CH═), 125.3 (Carom), 127.5 (Carom), 128.3 (Carom), 129.0 (Carom), 129.7 (Carom), 130.0 (Carom), 132.2 (CH═), 133.7 (CH═), 137.9 (Carom), 155.8 (COO), 158.6 (Carom-OCH 3 cis), 159.2 (Carom-OCH 3 trans), 176.8 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 17 H 23 N 1 Na 1 O 5 [M+Na] + : 344.1468. found 344.1448.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC on chiral column after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 95:5, 1.5 mL·min −1 , λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis (R))=8.3 min, t R (trans (R))=10.4 min, t R (cis (S))=13.1 min, t R (trans (S))=16.7 min)
F2.6. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)pent-4-enoïc acid (I′f)
[0242]
[0243] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 200 mg (1.2 mmol, 6 eq) of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde were used to prepare the unsaturated amino acid (I″f) in 76% yield in a ratio cis/trans=20:80. Pale yellow oil —R f : 0.44 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 1:1+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+52.6 (c=0.5; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm − ): 3293 (N—H), 2975-2824 (C—H), 1743 (C═O), 1704 (C═O), 1604, 1515, 1463, 1393, 1265 (OCH 3 ), 1088, 1024, 964, 855, 783, 738, 656. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.43 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.59-2.81 (m, 1.6H, CH 2 trans), 2.85-2.99 (m, 0.4H, CH 2 cis), 3.88 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 3.90 (s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 4.24-4.27 (m, 0.24H, CHN cis), 4.47 (m, 0.74H, CHN trans), 5.07 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 0.7H, NH trans), 5.52-5.60 (m, 0.2H, Hb′), 5.94-6.04 (m, 0.8H, Hb), 6.2 (sl, 0.2H, NH cis), 6.44 (d, J=15.6 Hz, 0.8H, Ha), 6.55 (d, J=11.4 Hz, 0.2H, Ha′), 6.79-6.92 (m, 3H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ) 3 , 31.1 (CH 2 cis), 35.7 (CH 2 trans), 53.1 (CHN), 55.8 (OCH 3 ), 55.9 (OCH 3 ), 80.4 (C(CH 3 ) 3 trans), 81.7 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis), 108.8 (Carom), 111.1 (Carom), 121.3 (CH=cis), 121.4 (CH=trans), 125.3 (Carom), 128.2 (Carom), 129 (Carom), 129.6 (Carom), 129.9 (Carom), 132.5 (CH=cis), 133.9 (CH=trans), 148.1 (Carom-OCH 3 cis), 148.6 (Carom-OCH 3 trans),148.8 (Carom-OCH 3 cis), 149.0 (Carom-OCH 3 trans), 155.6 (COO), 176.7 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 18 H 24 NNa 2 O 6 [M+2Na] + : 396.1393. found 396.1403.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 95:5. 1.5 mL·min −1 , λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis (R))=8.3 min, t R (trans (R))=10.4 min, t R (cis (S))=13.1 min, t R (trans (S))=16.7 min)
F2.7. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-furylpent-4-enoïc acid (I″g)
[0244]
[0245] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 38.4 mg of 2-furaldehyde were used to synthesize the unsaturated amino acid (I″g) in 80% yield. Pale yellow oil —R f : 0.40 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−Mu=+43.3 (c=0.4; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm − ): 3338 (N—H), 2978-2931 (C—H), 1780, 1694 (C═O), 1511, 1455, 1393, 1367, 1254, 1157 (C—O), 1349, 1017, 925, 863, 811, 735, 702, 653. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.58-2.78 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.90-3.16 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 4.20-4.27 (m, 0.4H, CHN cis or trans), 4.34-4.48 (m, 0.6H, CHN cis or trans), 5.12-5.14 (m, 0.6H, NH cis or trans), 5.45-5.54 (m, 0.4H, Hb or Hb′), 6.00-6.10 (m, 0.6H, Hb or Hb′), 6.21 (d, J=3.3 Hz, 1H, Hfuryl), 6.35-6.41 (m, 3H, Ha, Ha′, Hfuryl), 7.17-7.20 (m, 0.4H, NH cis or trans) 7.36 (dd, J=21.9, 1.2 Hz, 1H, Hfuryl). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ) 3 , 31.8 (CH 2 cis or trans), 35.5 (CH 2 cis or trans), 53.1 (CHN cis or trans), 54.5 (CHN cis or trans), 80.4 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis or trans), 81.7 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis or tans), 107.5 (Cfuryl cis or trans), 110.2 (Cfuryl cis or trans), 111.1 (Cfuryl cis or trans), 111.2 (Cfuryl cis or trans), 120.5 (CH=cis or trans), 122.2 (CH=cis or trans), 122.6 (CH=cis or trans), 123.1 (CH=cis or trans), 141.8 (Cfuryl cis or trans), 142.0 (Cfuryl cis or trans), 152.3 (Cfuryl cis or trans), 152.6 (Cfuryl cis or trans), 155.5 (COO), 155.7 (COO), 176.3 (COO), 176.8 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 14 H 18 N 1 O 5 [M+H] + : 280.1190. found 280.1188.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 95:5.1 mL min −1 , λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis+trans (S))=10.2 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=14.5 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=16 min)
F2.8. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-phenylhept-4-enoïc acid (I″h)
[0246]
[0247] 120 mg phosphonium salt (II″a) and 120 mg (0.88 mmol, 4.4 eq) of 3-phenylpropanal were used to afford the unsaturated amino acid (I″h) in 57% yield. Orange solid —R f : 0.48 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+54.0 (c=0.2; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3235 (N—H), 3077-2808 (C—H), 2326, 1652 (C═O), 1497, 1454, 1394, 1368, 1055, 983, 817, 736, 698, 649. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.46 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.34-2.49 (m, 3H, CH 2 ), 2.57-2.72 (m, 3H, CH 2 ), 4.35-4.38 (m, 1H, CHN), 4.95 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H, NH), 5.32-5.40 (m, 1H, CH═), 5.62-5.68 (m, 1H, CH═), 7.11-7.23 (m, 3H, Harom), 7.27-7.34 (m, 2H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 29.2 (CH 2 cis or trans), 29.7 (CH 2 cis or trans), 30.9 (CH 2 cis or trans), 32.0 (CH 2 cis or trans), 34.3 (CH 2 cis or trans), 35.7 (CH 2 cis or trans), 53.0 (CHN), 79.2 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 123.3 (CH=cis or trans), 125.9 (CH=cis or trans), 128.3 (Carom), 128.5 (Carom), 128.7 (Carom), 133.4 (CH=cis or trans),134.8 (CH=cis or trans), 141.6 (Carom), 155.8 (COO), 176.9 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 18 H 25 NNaO 4 [M+Na] + : 342.1676. found 342.1647.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 95:5, 1 mL min −1 , λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis or trans (S))=6.9 min, t R (cis or trans (S))=7.8 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=10.2 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=12.7 min).
F2.9. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-4-pentenoic acid (I″i)
[0248]
[0249] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 12 mg of paraformaldehyde were used to afford the allylglycine (I″i) in 55% yield. Colorless oil —R f : 0.39 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+13.5 (c=0.2; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3313 (N—H), 3082-2932 (C—H), 1703 (C═O), 1662 (C═O), 1509, 1439, 1394, 1368, 1250, 1157, 1050, 1024, 993, 920, 855, 778, 754, 739, 655. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.46 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.57-2.67 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 4.10-4.42 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.04 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 0.7H, NH), 5.16-5.36 (m, 2H, CH 2 ═), 5.69-5.87 (m, 1H, CH═), 6.12 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 0.3H, NH). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.4 (CH 3 ), 35.3 (CH 2 ), 51.8 (CHN), 79.3 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 118.4 (CH 2 ═), 131.1 (CH═), 155.5 (COO), 175.7 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 10 H 17 NNaO 4 [M+Na] + : 238.1050. found 238.1039.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 98:2, 1 mL min −1 , λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (S)=12.2 min, t R (R)=20.2 min).
F2.10. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-6-phenylhex-4-enoïc acid (I″j)
[0250]
[0251] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 48 mg of phenylacetaldehyde were used to afford the unsaturated amino acid (I″j) in 10% yield. Colorless oil. Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+49 (c=0.2; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3446, 3054, 2824, 1714, 1496, 1395, 1368, 1163, 1053, 741, 698, 602. Mass exact calculated for C 17 H 23 NNaO 4 [M+Na] + : 328.1519. found 328.1502.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 97:3, 1 mL min −1 , λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (cis or trans (S))=12.1 min, t R (cis or trans (S))=14.7 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=21.5 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=28.1 min)
F2.11. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-[4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-[1,3,2]dioxaborolan-2-yl)]-pent-4-enoïc acid (I″k)
[0252]
[0253] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 93 mg of 4-(4,4,5,5-Tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)benzaldehyde prepared by reaction of pinacol with 4-formylbenzeneboronic acid, were used to prepare the unsaturated amino acid (I″k) in 57% yield in a ratio cis/trans=25:75. Colorless oil —R f : 0.40 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+12.8 (c=0.6; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3346 (N—H), 2979-2931 (C—H), 1714 (C═O), 1608, 1515, 1496, 1455, 1397, 1358, 1321, 1270, 1214, 1143 (C—O), 1089, 1052, 1019, 963, 859, 787, 696, 656, 607, 546, 540, 535, 524, 517. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.36 (s, 12H, (CH 3 ) 2 ) , 1.44 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.67-2.80 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 4.48-5.13 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.16-6.18 (m, 1H, NH), 5.61-5.73 (m, 0.25H, Hb′), 6.10-6.25 (m, 0.75H, Hb), 6.51 (d, J=15.6 Hz, 0.75H, Ha), 6.63 (d, J=12.3 Hz, 0.25H, Ha′), 7.15-7.41 (m, 4H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=24.8 ((CH 3 ) 2 ), 28.3 (CH 3 ), 31.2 (CH 2 cis), 35.9 (CH 2 trans), 53.1 (CHN trans), 54.4 (CHN cis), 80.4 (C(CH 3 ) 3 trans), 81.7 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis), 83.8 (C(CH 3 ) 2 ), 116.0 (Carom), 124.8 (Carom), 125.3 (CH=cis), 125.6 (CH=trans), 126.4 (Carom), 128.0 (Carom), 128.2 (Carom), 129.0 (Carom), 129.4 (Carom), 131.6 (Carom), 132.5 (Carom), 134.2 (Carom), 134.8 (CH=cis or trans), 135.1 (CH=cis or trans), 137.9 (Carom), 139.5 (Carom), 155.6 (COO), 176.1 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 22 H 32 BNNaO 6 [M+Na] + : 440.2219. found 440.2215.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 , (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 90:10, 1 mL·min −1 , λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (trans (S))=6.9 min, t R (cis (S))=7.8 min, t R (trans (R))=10.2 min, t R (cis (R))=12.7 min)
F2.12. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-(25,26,27,28-tetrapropoxycalix-4-arenyl)-4-enoïc acid (I″l)
[0254]
[0255] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 248 mg aldehyde derived from calix-Plarene were used to prepare the unsaturated amino acid (I″1) in 25% yield. Colorless oil —R f : 0.47 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+7.5 (c=0.4; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm − ): 3066 (N—H), 2957-2875 (C—H), 1716 (C═O), 1625, 1499, 1465, 1396, 1393, 1367, 1303, 1275, 1242, 1217, 1167, 1127 (OPr), 1086, 1039, 1005, 966, 917, 891, 831, 760, 726, 691, 665. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=0.98-1.03 (m, 12H, CH 3 , OPr), 1.47 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 1.94 (m, 8H, CH 2 , OPr), 2.57-2.72 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 3.16 (m, 4H, Ar—CH 2 —Ar), 3.80 (m, 4H, CH 2 O, OPr), 3.90 (m, 4H, CH 2 O, OPr), 4.35 (d, J=3.3 Hz, 1H, CHN cis or trans), 4.45 (m, 4H, Ar—CH 2 —Ar), 4.90 (d, J=7.8 Hz, 1H, NH), 5.03 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H, CHN cis or trans), 5.34 (m, 1H, CH═), 5.80 (m, 1H, CH═), 6.20-6.90 (m, 11H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=10.1 (CH 3 , OPr cis or trans), 10.2 (CH 3 , OPr cis or trans), 10.4 (CH 3 , OPr cis or trans), 10.5 (CH 3 , OPr cis or trans), 23.1 (CH 2 , OPr cis or trans), 23.2 (CH 2 , OPr cis or trans), 23.3 (CH 2 , OPr cis or trans), 23.4 (CH 2 , OPr cis or trans), 28.3 (CH 3 ), 29.6 (CH 2 cis or trans), 29.7 (CH 2 cis or trans), 31.0 (Ar—CH 2 —Ar), 53.1 (CHN cis or trans), 53.1 (CHN cis or trans), 76.7 (OCH 2 , OPr), 76.8 (OCH 2 , OPr), 80.4 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 115.3 (Carom cis or trans), 121.8 (Carom cis or trans), 121.9 (Carom cis or trans), 126.3 (Carom cis or trans), 126.5 (Carom cis or trans), 127.8-128.7 (m, Carom), 129.6 (Carom cis or trans), 130.1 (Carom cis or trans), 130.4 (Carom cis or trans), 132.8 (Carom cis or trans), 134.4 (Carom cis or trans), 134.5 (Carom cis or trans), 134.7 (Carom cis or trans), 135.5 (Carom cis or trans), 135.7 (Carom cis or trans), 156.3 (COO), 176.7 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 10 H N N 1 Na 1 O 4 [M+Na] + : 828.4446. found 828.4420.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 98:2, 0.8 mL·min −1 , λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis or trans (S))=14.6 min, t R (cis or trans (S))=21.4 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=30.8 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=39.2 min)
F2.13. (S)-methyl-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-5-ferrocenylpent-4-enoate (I″m)
[0256]
[0257] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 214 mg (1 mmol, 5 eq.) of ferrocene-carboxaldehyde were stirred at 90° C. with 254 mg (1.2 mmol, 6 eq) of K 3 PO 4 during 16 hours. The reaction mixture was hydrolyzed by distillated water (5 mL) and extracted with diethyl ether (3×5 mL). The aqueous layer was acidified with KHSO 4 (1M) until pH=3, and extracted with ethyl acetate (3×5 mL). The combined organic layers were dried over magnesium sulfate and the solvent was evaporated. The crude product was dissolved in 2 mL of a mixture toluene/methanol (3:2), and 0.13 mL (0.25 mmol) TMSCHN 2 were added. The reaction mixture was stirred 30 minutes at room temperature, and the solvent evaporated. The residue was purified by chromatography with ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (3:7) as eluent. Ferrocenyl amino ester (I″m) was obtained in 51% yield with a ratio cis/trans=50:50. Orange oil —R f : 0.42 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 1:4). [α] D =+133 (c=0.1; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3390 (N—H), 2927-2854 (C—H), 1779 (C═O), 1695 (C═O), 1509, 1455, 1392, 1366, 1251, 1158, 1106, 1048, 1023, 1001, 821, 734, 662. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.46-1.47 (2s, 9H, CH 3 cis and trans), 2.47-2.87 (2m, 2H, CH 2 ), 3.76-3.79 (2s, 3H, OCH 3 cis and trans), 4.12-4.14 (2s, 5H, Fc, cis and trans), 4.20-4.24 (2m, 2H, Fc, cis and trans), 4.30-4.35 (2m, 2H, Fc, cis and trans), 4.38-4.47 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.06-5.12 (m, 1H, NH), 5.33-5.39 (m, 1H, CH═), 5.58-5.68 (m, 1H, CH═), 6.22 (d, J=15.6 Hz, 0.52H, CH=trans), 6.26 (d, J=11.8 Hz, CH═, cis). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 31.7 (CH 2 ), 35.8 (CH 2 cis or trans), 52.3 (OCH 3 cis or trans), 52.4 (OCH 3 cis or trans), 53.0 (CHN, cis or trans), 53.1 (CHN, cis or trans), 66.6 (CH, Fc, cis or trans), 66.7 (CH, Fc, cis or trans), 68.6 (CH, Fc cis or trans), 68.7 (CH, Fc, cis or trans), 68.8 (CH, Fc cis or trans), 68.9 (CH, Fc cis or trans), 69.0 (CH, Fc cis or trans), 69.3 (CH, Fc cis or trans), 81.0 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 82.7 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 120.4 (CH=cis or trans), 121.7 (CH=cis or trans), 130.1 (CH=cis or trans), 131.8 (CH=cis or trans), 155.2 (COO, cis or trans), 155.3 (COO, cis or trans), 172.6 (COO, cis or trans), 173 (COO, cis or trans). Mass exact calculated for C 21 H 27 FeNNaO 4 [M+Na] + : 436.1182. found 436.1193.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 97:3, 0.8 mL min −1 , λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis (S))=27.4 min, t R (trans (S))=30.7 min, t R (cis+trans (R))=43.1 min)
F2.14. bis-[(S)-2-(t-Butyloxycarbonylamino)pent-4-en-5-yl-oïc acid]-1,3-benzene (I″n)
[0258]
[0259] 120 mg phosphonium salt (II″a) and 13.4 mg (0.1 mmol, 0.5 eq.) of m-phthaldialdehyde were used to prepare the unsaturated amino acid (I″n) in 85% yield. White solid —R f : 0.23 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+82.6 (c=0.5; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3555 (N—H), 3407 (N—H), 3056-3407 (C—H), 2326, 2244, 2030, 1949, 1583 (C═O), 1573 (C=01493, 1471, 1462, 1431, 1296, 1273, 1241, 1180, 1129, 1108, 1070, 1022, 909, 851, 824, 795, 731, 698. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.44 (s, 18H, CH 3 ), 2.59-2.89 (m, 4H, CH 2 ), 4.14-4.70 (m, 2H, CHN cis+trans), 5.26-5.32 (m, 1H, NH), 5.63-5.71 (m, 1H, CH═), 6.01-6.06 (m, 1H, CH═), 6.35-6.54 (m, 2H, CH═), 7.01-7.07 (m, 1H, NH), 7.08-7.11 (m, 2H, Harom), 7.14-7.18 (m, 2H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 31.3 (CH 2 ), 35.7 (CH 2 ), 53.1 (CHN cis or trans), 54.5 (CHN cis or trans), 80.4 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 125.3 (Carom), 126.0 (CH=cis or trans), 126.1 (CH=cis or trans), 127.5 (CH=cis or trans), 127.9 (Carom), 128.3 (CH=cis or trans), 128.5 (CH=cis or trans), 129.0 (Carom), 132.4 (CH=cis or trans), 134.1 (CH=cis or trans), 137.0 (Carom), 137.1 (Carom), 137.9 (Carom), 155.6 (COO), 156.8 (COO), 175.9 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 26 H 36 N 2 NaO 8 [M+Na] + : 527.2364. found 527.2372.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 and hydrogenation (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 90:10, 1 mL min −1 , λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (SS)=14.3 min, t R (RS+SR)=21.7 min, t R (RR)=32.2 min)
F2.15. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-phenylhept-4,6-dienoïc acid (I″o)
[0260]
[0261] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 53 mg of trans-cinnamaldehyde were used to synthesize the unsaturated amino acid (I″o) in 77% yield. White solid —R f : 0.53 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+33.6 (c=0.8; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3319 (N—H), 3083-3853 (C—H), 1710 (C═O), 1496, 1450, 1393, 1368, 1251, 1159, 1056, 1027, 989, 948, 920, 857, 807, 778, 752, 731, 694. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.44-1.47 (2s, 9H, CH 3 cis or trans), 2.47-2.94 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 4.14-4.33 (m, 0.3H, CHN cis or trans), 4.45-4.53 (m, 0.7H, CHN cis or trans), 5.04-5.20 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans or NH), 6.27-6.38 (m, 0.7H, CH=cis or trans or NH), 6.49-6.62 (m, 1H, CH cis or trans or NH), 6.76 (dd, J=10.2, 15.6 Hz, 0.7H, CH=cis or trans), 7.03 (dd, J=11.4, 15.6 Hz, 0.3H, CH=cis or trans), 7.18-7.36 (m, 5H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.3 (CH 3 ), 31.9 (CH 2 cis or trans), 35.6 (CH 2 cis or trans), 53.1 (CHN cis or trans), 54.6 (CHN cis or trans), 79.4 (C(CH 3 ) 3 cis or trans), 80.8 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ci or trans), 122.5 (Carom), 123.8 (CH=cis or trans), 124.0 (CH=cis or trans), 124.3 (Carom), 125.3 (Carom), 125.5 (Carom), 126.5 (Carom), 126.7 (Carom), 127.2 (Carom), 127.4 (Carom), 127.6 (Carom), 128 (Carom), 130.9 (CH=cis or trans), 131.4 (CH=cis or trans), 131.9 (CH=cis or trans), 133 (CH=cis or trans), 133.5 (CH=cis or trans), 133.6 (CH=cis or trans), 136.1 (Carom), 136.8 (Carom), 154.5 (COO), 155.7 (COO cis or trans), 175.2 (COO cis or trans), 175.5 (COO cis or trans). Mass exact calculated for C 17 H 19 F 3 N 2 NaO 4 [M−H] − : 316.1554. found 316.1560.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 95:5, 1 mL min −1 , λ=210 nm, 20° C., t R (cis or trans (S))=20.1 min, t R (cis or trans (S))=29 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=32.2 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=61.2 min).
F2.16. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-(4-azidophenyl)hept-4,6-dienoïc (I″p)
[0262]
[0263] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 69.2 mg of (E)-4-azidophenylprop-2-enal were used to afford the unsaturated amino acid (I″p) in 56% yield. Red solid —R f : 0.43 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid). Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+81.6 (c=0.4; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3346 (N—H), 2925-2854 (C—H), 2114 (N 3 ), 1706 (C═O), 1598, 1504, 1454, 1393, 1367, 1284, 1259, 1157, 1127, 1053, 1025, 986, 948, 825, 789, 754, 699. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.43-1.46 (2s, 9H, CH 3 cis and trans), 2.62-2.90 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 4.26-4.33 (m, 0.25H, CHN cis or trans), 4.44-4.46 (m, 0.75H, CHN cis or trans or NH), 5.42-5.50 (m, 0.55H, CH=cis or trans or NH), 5.67-5.77 (m, 0.5H, CH=cis or trans or NH), 6.24-6.38 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 6.42-6.56 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 6.65-6.70 (m, 0.53H, CH=cis or trans), 6.97 (dd, J=8.4, 3.0 Hz, 2H, Harom), 7.38 (dd, J=8.4, 13.2 Hz, 2H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=27.3 (CH 3 ), 28.7 (CH 2 cis or trans), 29.5 (CH 2 cis or trans), 52.1 (CHN), 79.4 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 118.2 (Carom), 122.2 (Carom), 124.0 (CH=cis or trans), 124.3 (CH=cis or trans), 126.5 (Carom), 126.9 (Carom), 127.2 (CH=cis or trans),128.1 (CH=cis or trans), 130.0 (Carom), 131.6 (Carom), 131.7 (Carom), 132.3 (Carom), 133.1 (Carom), 133.5 (Carom), 137.9 (Carom), 138.1 (Carom), 154.5 (COO), 175.3 (COO). Mass exact calculated for C 18 H 21 N 4 Na 2 O 4 [M−H+2Na] + =403.1358. found 403.1303.*The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5u cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 95:5, 1 mL min−1. λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis or trans (S))=12.2 min, t R (cis or trans (S)+t R (cis or trans (R))=16.2 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=30.4 min)
F2.17. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-ethoxycarbonyl-4,6-dienoïc acid (I″q)
[0264]
[0265] 120 mg of phosphonium salt II″a and 26 mg of ethyl 4-oxo-2-butenoate were used to afford unsaturated aminoacid I″q in 58% yield as a pale yellow oil —Rf: 0.36 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid); 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.22 (t, 3H, J=36.6 Hz, CH 3 ), 1.45 (s, 9H, (CH 3 ) 3 ), 2.40-2.79 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 4.12 (q, J=7.54 Hz, CH 2 ), 4.32-4.39 (m, 1H, CHN), 4.93-4.99 (m, 1H, NH), 5.77 (d, 0.8H, J=13.9 Hz, CH=cis or trans), 5.87 (d, J=13.4 Hz, 0.2H, CH=cis or trans), 5.91-6.03 (m, 1H, CH═), 6.15-6.24 (m, 1H, CH═), 6.16-6.24 (m, 1H, CH═); 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=14.2 (CH 3 ), 29.3 ((CH 3 ) 3 ), 39.9 (CH 2 ),52.8 (CHN), 60.5 (CH 2 O), 80.5 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 121.1 (CH=cis or trans), 122.9 (CH=cis or trans), 128.8 (CH=cis or trans), 130.9 (CH=cis or trans), 132.1 (CH=cis or trans), 136.6 (CH=cis or trans), 138.5 (CH=cis or trans), 143.8 (CH=cis or trans), 155.5 (COO), 167.1 (COO).
F2.18. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-dimethylhept-4,6-dienoïc acid (I″r)
[0266]
[0267] 120 mg of phosphonium salt II″a and 84 mg of 3-methyl-2-butenal were used to afford the unsaturated amino acid I″r in 70% yield as a colorless oil —Rf: 0.51 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid)-[α] D =+70.7 (c=0.75; CHCl 3 ); 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.36 (s, 9H, (CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.68 (d, J=5.82 Hz, 6H, CH 3 ), 2.51-2.66 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 4.19-4.33 (m, 2H, CHN,) 4.89-5.01 (m, 1H, NH), 5.31-5.49 (m, 1H, CH═), 5.72 (d, 0.8H, J=11.16 Hz, CH=cis or trans), 5.95 (d, J=12.1 Hz, CH=cis or trans), 6.21-6.32 (m, 1H, CH═); 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=25.9 (CH 3 ), 26.3 (CH 3 ), 28.3 ((CH 3 ) 3 ), 29.7 (CH 2 cis or trans), 30.0 (CH 2 cis or trans), 53.7 (CHN), 80.1 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 119.8 (CH=cis or trans), 121.8 (CH=cis or trans), 124.4 (CH=cis or trans), 124.6 (CH=cis or trans), 128.0 (CH=cis or trans), 128.5 (CH=cis or trans), 130.8 (CH=cis or trans), 134.8 (C=cis or trans), 137.0 (C=cis or trans), 155.8 (COO), 176.7 (COO); Mass exact calculated for C 14 H 22 NO 4 [M−H] + : 268.1543. found 268.1550.
F2.19. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-(4-nitrophenyl)hept-4,6-dienoïc acid (I″s)
[0268]
[0269] 120 mg of phosphonium salt II″a and 53 mg of 4-nitro-trans-cinnamaldehyde were used to synthesize the unsaturated amino acid I″s in 70% yield as a yellow solid —Rf: 0.46 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid)-Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+61.6 (c=0.25; CHCl 3 ); 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.34-1.7 (2s, 9H, CH 3 cis or trans), 2.47-2.94 (m, 1H, CH 2 ), 4.25-4.39 (m, 1H, CHN), 4.99-4.01 (m, 1H, NH), 5.51-5.60 (m, 0.2 H, CH═), 5.75-5.85 (m, 0.8H, CH=cis or trans), 6.21-6.31 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 6.45 (d, 0.8H, J=15.9 Hz, CH=cis or trans), 6.52 (d, 0.2 H, J=15.6 Hz, CH=cis or trans), 6.76-6.85 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 7.41 (d, J=8.7 Hz, 1.6H, H arom cis or trans), 7.45 (d, J=8.74 Hz, 0.4H, H arom ), 8.08-8.10 (2d, 2H, J=8.7, 9.0 Hz, H arom ); 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 35.7 (CH 2 ), 53.0 (CHN), 80.6 (C(CH 3 ) 3 , 123.6 (CH=cis or trans), 124.1 (CH=cis or trans), 125.3 (CH=cis or trans), 126.6 (CH=cis or trans), 126.9 (CH=cis or trans), 127.8 (CH=cis or trans), 128.2 (CH=cis or trans), 129.0 (CH=cis or trans), 129.6 (CH=cis or trans), 131.3 (CH=cis or trans), 131.5 (CH=cis or trans), 132.8 (C arom ), 133.9 (CH=cis or trans), 143.6 (C arom ), 143.7 (C arom ), 146.7 (C arom ), 146.8 (C arom ), 155.5 (COO), 176.1 (COO); Mass exact calculated for C 18 H 21 N 2 O 6 1M−HT:361.1391. found 361.1394.
The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 85:15, 0.8 mL min−1, λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis or trans (S))=16.8 min, t R (cis or trans (S))=22.2 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=30.9 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=35.8 min)
[0271] F2.20. (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-(2-thiophenyl)hept-4,6-dienoïc acid (I″t)
[0000]
[0272] 120 mg of phosphonium salt II″a and 55 mg of thiophene propenal were used to synthesize the unsaturated amino acid I″t in 80% yield as a pale yellow solid —Rf: 0.40 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid)-Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+61.6 (c=0.25; CHCl 3 ); 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.37 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.49-2.66 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 4.34-4.36 (m, 1H, CHN), 4.98-5.01 (m, 1H, NH), 5.54-5.56 (m, 0.17 H, CH═), 5.62-5.65 (m, 0.83H, CH=cis or trans), 6.11-6.19 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 6.42-6.52 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 6.87-6.90 (m, 2H, CH=cis or trans), 7.06-7.08 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 7.10-7.11 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans); 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 29.7 (CH 2 ), 53.1 (CHN), 80.5 (C(CH 3 ) 3 123.2 (CH=cis or trans), 124.3 (CH=cis or trans), 124.7 (CH=cis or trans), 124.9 (CH=cis or trans), 125.3 (CH=cis or trans), 125.8 (CH=cis or trans), 126.2 (CH=cis or trans), 126.9 (CH=cis or trans), 127.5 (CH=cis or trans), 128.1 (CH=cis or trans), 128.2 (CH=cis or trans), 128.9 (CH=cis or trans), 129 (CH=cis or trans), 132.1 (CH=cis or trans), 134.1 (CH=cis or trans), 134.2 (CH=cis or trans), 155.6 (COO), 176.5 (COO); Mass exact calculated for C 16 H 20 NO 4 S [M−H] − : 322.1108. found 322.1111.
[0273] *The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5u cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 90:10, 0.8 mL min-1, λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis or trans (S))=9.6 min, t R (cis or trans (S))=11.4 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=13.1 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=19.2 min).
F2.21 (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-(2-furyl)hept-4,6-dienoïc acid (I″a)
[0274]
[0275] 120 mg of phosphonium salt II″a and 50 mg of furyl propenal were used to synthesize the unsaturated amino acid I″u in 73% yield as a yellow solid —Rf: 0.50 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid)-Enantiomeric excess >98%*−[α] D =+236 (c=0.12; CHCl 3 ); 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.37 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.52-2.68 (m, 2H, CH 2 ), 4.31-4.33 (m, 1H, CHN), 4.99-5.05 (m, 1H, NH), 5.34-5.37 (m, 0.17 H, CH═), 5.57-5.67 (m, 0.83H, CH=cis or trans), 6.10-6.18 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 6.42-6.52 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 6.87-6.90 (m, 2H, CH=cis or trans), 7.06-7.08 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans), 7.10-7.11 (m, 1H, CH=cis or trans); 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 29.7 (CH 2 ), 53.1 (CHN), 80.3 (C(CH 3 ) 3 ) 108.3 (CH=cis or trans), 108.9 (CH=cis or trans), 111.5 (CH=cis or trans), 111.6 (CH=cis or trans), 119.3 (CH=cis or trans), 119.6 (CH=cis or trans), 121.4 (CH=cis or trans), 122.1 (CH=cis or trans), 125.2 (CH=cis or trans) 127.0 (CH=cis or trans), 127.9 (CH=cis or trans), 128.2 (CH=cis or trans) 129.0 (CH=cis or trans), 132.2 (CH=cis or trans), 134.2 (CH=cis or trans), 142.1.2 (CH=cis or trans), 142.3 (CH=cis or trans), 153.0 (COO), 176.2 (COO); Mass exact calculated for C 16 H 20 NO [M−H] − : 306.1336. found 306.1338.
[0276] *The enantiomeric purity was determined by HPLC after esterification with TMSCHN 2 (Lux 5 μm cellulose-2, hexane:iPrOH 95:5, 0.8 mL·min-1, λ=254 nm, 20° C., t R (cis or trans (S))=14.3 min, t R (cis or trans (S))=16.9 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=21.3 min, t R (cis or trans (R))=29.4 min)
F.3. Wittig Reaction with Ketone
Synthesis of 2-((t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-6,6,6-trifluoro-5-phenylhex-4-enoic acid (II″v)
[0277]
[0278] 120 mg of phosphonium salt (II″a) and 35 mg of trifluoromethylacetophenone were used to afford the unsaturated amino acid I″v as a yellow solid in 81% yield with a cis/trans ratio of 37:63 (81% yield); mp=38-40° C.; Rf: 0.62 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 3:7+1% acetic acid); [α] D =+40.9 (c 0.6, CHCl 3 ); 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): 1.18 (s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.35-2.38 (m, 0.44H, CH 2 ), 2.0.56 (m, 0.38H, CH 27 ), 2.74-2.84 (m, 0.66H, CH 2 ), 2.84-2.99 (m, 0.63H, CH 2 ), 4.17-4.36 (m, 1H, CHN), 5.07 (d, 0.6H, J=6.3 Hz, NH), 5.90 (t, 0.64H, J=7.5 Hz, CH═), 6.28 (t, 0.31H, J=7.5 Hz, CH═),7.08-7.31 (m, 5H, Harom); 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 22.7, 28.2, 29.3, 29.7, 31.5, 32, 52.7, 53.0, 80.6, 82.3, 108.7, 125.3 (q, J=276.2 Hz), 125.5 (q, J=10.8 Hz), 128.2, 128.3, 128.4, 128.6, 129, 129.1, 129.6, 131.6, 134.7, 135.1, 135.9, 155.5, 156.6, 174.8, 175.7; FTIR cm −1 (neat): 3348, 2965-2918, 1731, 1678, 1587, 1518, 1501, 1432, 1376, 1334, 3319, 1272, 1261, 1244, 1154, 1110, 1080, 1066, 1041, 1018. HRMS (ESI-Orbitrap) Calcd for C 17 H 19 F 3 NO 4 [M−H] − λ=358.1264. found 358.1261.
G. Optimization of the Synthesis of Phosphonium Salts (II′)
Synthesis of Phosphonium Salts Derivatives (II′) was Optimized with the Following compounds
[0279]
[0000]
iodoaminoester
(R4) 3 P
entry
R5
R4
Conditions
(II′)
yield %
1
All
(IIIa)
cHex
THF/CH 3 CN/
(II′e)
79
RT
2
All
(IIIa)
Ph
no solvent/2 h/
(II′f)
66
55° C.
3
All
(IIIa)
Ph
no solvent/2 h/
(II′f):1
70
80° C.
(85:15)
4
All
(III′)
Ph
no solvent/2 h/
(II′a)
72
80° C.
5
Bn
(III″)
Ph
no solvent/2 h/
(II′g)
70
80° C.
6
All
(III′)
4-CF 3 Ph
no solvent/3 h/
(II′b)
39
80° C.
7
All
(III′)
4-MeOPh
THF/2 h/80° C.
(II′c)
70
8
All
(III′)
4-F—Ph
no solvent/24 h/
(II′d)
63
80° C.
[0280] Thus, tricyclohexylphosphine was quaternized by the iodo amino ester (Ma) in a THF/CH 3 CN mixture at room temperature, to afford the phosphonium salt (We) enantiomeric ally pure with 79% yield (Table 2, entry 1). When triphenylphosphine is quaternized with iodo amino ester (Ma), at 50° C. under neat conditions during 2 h, the phosphonium salt (II′f) was obtained in 66% yield (entry 2). When this quaternization is carried out at 80° C., a mixture of mono-N-protected phosphonium salt (II′f) and N,N-diprotected phosphonium salt 1 was obtained, in a ratio 85:15 (entry 3).
[0281] When the iodo amino ester mono-N-protected (III′) was used to quaternize triphenylphosphine, the corresponding phosphonium salt (II′a) was isolated in 72% yield, after heating 2 h at 80° C. without solvent (entry 4). When the iodo amino ester (III″) reacts with triphenylphosphine, the corresponding phosphonium salts (II′g) was obtained with 70% yield (entry 5). In the case of the quaternization of tri-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)phosphine or the tri-(4-methoxyphenyl)phosphine with iodo amino ester (III′), the corresponding phosphonium salt (II′b) (or II′c) were obtained in 39 and 70% yield, respectively (entries, 6.7). Finally, heating at 80° C. for 24 h iodo derivative (III′) reacts with tri-(4-fluorophenyl)phosphine to afford the corresponding phosphonium salt (II′d) in 63% yield (entry 8).
H. Optimization of the Synthesis of Compounds (I′) and (I″)
H.1.1. Use of Strong Bases
[0282] Conditions of the Wittig reaction leading to compounds (I) have been explored in presence of a strong base and benzaldehyde (PhCHO) as aldehyde reactant:
[0000]
Phosphonium
Conditions of
PhCHO
Conditions of
Product
Entry
salt
deprotonation
(equiv.)
Wittig reaction
Yield (%)
1
(II′f)
t-BuLi (3 eq.)
0.9
adding PhCHO
15
−78° −> 0° C./1 h
at 78° C. then
RT° C./16 h
2
(II″f)
t-BuLi (3 eq.)
1
adding PhCHO
26
−78° −> −55° C./1 h
at 78° C. then
RT° C./16 h
3
(II′a)
t-BuLi (1.9 eq.)
0.9
adding PhCHO
15
−78° −> 0° C./1 h
at −78° C., then
RT° C./2 h
4
(II′a)
LDA (3 eq.)
0.9
adding PhCHO
20
−78° −> 0° C./1 h
at −78° C., then
RT° C./2 h
5
(II′a)
LiHMDS (3 eq.)
0.9
adding PhCHO
30
−78° −> 0° C./1 h
at −78° C., hen
RT° C./2 h
6
(II″a)
t-BuLi (3 eq.)
1
adding PhCHO
10
−78° −> −55° C./1 h
at 78° C. then
RT° C./16 h
[0283] Deprotonation of the phosphonium salt (III′f) (N(Boc) 2 ) with an excess of t-BuLi at −78° C. then at room temperature, before addition of benzaldehyde at −78° C. and reaction at room temperature, give the corresponding unsaturated amino ester with 15% yield and 80:20 Cis/Trans ratio (Table 3, entry 1). In the case of phosphonium salt (II′a) (NHBoc), deprotonation with t-BuLi, LiHMDS or LDA, in similar conditions, then reaction with benzaldehyde, lead to the corresponding amino ester with yield up to 30% (entries 3-5). In the same conditions, amino acid phosphonium salts (II″f) and (II″a), lead to corresponding 7-6 unsaturated amino acids with respectively 26% and 10% yield (entries 2, 6).
H.1. Use of Weak Bases
[0284] As it was possible that the phosphonium salt can serve as phase transfer agent able to activate the Wittig reaction with a weak inorganic base, the reaction with benzaldehyde was studied in these conditions. The results obtained depending on the phosphonium salts, base or phase transfer conditions were presented below:
[0000]
Yield %
PhCHO
Base
Solvent,
(%
e.e.
Entry
P+ salt
(equiv.)
(equiv.)
conditions
cis:trans)
(%)
1
(II″a)
1.5
Cs 2 CO 3
EtOH 90° C.
6
—
(6 eq.)
overnight
2
(II″a)
1.5
Cs 2 CO 3
THF 67° C.
8
—
(6 eq.)
overnight
3
(II″a)
1.5
Cs 2 CO 3
DMF 90° C.
33
—
(6 eq.)
overnight
4
(II″a)
1.5
Cs 2 CO 3
PhCl 90° C.
65
99
(6 eq.)
48 h
5
(II″a)
1.5
Li 3 PO 4
PhCl 90° C.
6
—
(6 eq.)
overnight
6
(II″a)
1.5
NaH
PhCl 90° C.
5
—
(3 eq.)
overnight
7
(II″a)
1.5
NEt 3
PhCl 90° C.
0
—
(3 eq.)
overnight
8
(II″a)
1.5
K 3 PO 4
PhCl 90° C.
70
>99
(6 eq.)
overnight
(30:70)
9
(II″a)
1.2
K 2 CO 3
0.8 eq. H 2 O/
7
—
(1.2 eq.)
MeOH 65° C.
overnight
10
(II″a)
1.2
K 2 CO 3
0.8 eq. H 2 O/
58
>99
(1.2 eq.)
dioxane 90° C.
overnight
11
(II″a)
1.2
K 3 PO 4
0.8 eq. H 2 O/
48
>99
(6 eq.)
MeOH 90° C.
(20:80)
overnight
12
(II″a)
1.2
K 3 PO 4
dioxane 90° C.
72
>99
(6 eq.)
overnight
(30:70)
13
(II″f)
1
Cs 2 CO 3
PhCl/50° C.
60
>99
(5 eq.)
overnight
14
(II″f)
1.5
Cs 2 CO 3
PhCl/50° C.
87
>99
(2 eq.)
overnight
15
(II′a)
1.5
Cs 2 CO 3
PhCl/50° C.
86
83
(6 eq.)
overnight
(12:88)
16
(II′a)
1.5
Cs 2 CO 3
PhCl/40° C.
39
88
(6 eq.)
overnight
17
(II′a)
1.5
Cs 2 CO 3
PhCl/RT ° C.
90
83
(6 eq.)
H 2 O (1 eq.)/
3 h 30
[0285] When the amino acid phosphonium salt (II″a) is heated overnight in ethyl alcohol (or THF) with the benzaldehyde (1.5 equiv.) in presence of 6 equivalents of Cs 2 CO 3 γ-β unsaturated aminoacids are obtained with low yields (<8%, entries 1, 2). If the reaction is performed with Cs 2 CO 3 in DMF or chlorobenzene at 90° C., γ-δ unsaturated amino acids are obtained respectively with 33% and 65% yield (entries 3, 4). The use of Li 3 PO 4 , NaH or triethylamine (weak organic base) in chlorobenzene at 90° C., did not lead to the formation of the product (entries 5-7). Better results were achieved when the amino acid phosphonium salt (II″a) is heated overnight in chlorobenzene with benzaldehyde in presence of 6 equivalents of K 3 PO 4 (entry 8). γ-δ unsaturated amino acid is then isolated with 70% yield in a 70:30 trans/cis ratio. HPLC analysis on chiral column of the corresponding methyl ester derivative shows that the γ-βunsaturated amino acids are obtained enantiomerically pure in these conditions (entry 8). Similarly, when the reaction is performed with K 3 PO 4 in dioxane at 90° C., the expected compound is isolated in 72% yield (70:30 trans:cis ratio) with ee >99% (entry 12).
[0286] When using K 2 CO 3 as base in presence of a trace of water, using methanol as solvent provides low yields (7%, entry 9). However, when using K 2 CO 3 as base in presence of a trace of water in dioxane as solvent a yield of 58% is obtained (entry 10). When using K 3 PO 4 in place of K 2 CO 3 in dioxane, comparable yields were obtained (48%, entry 11).
[0287] In the case of amino acid phosphonium salt (II″f) (N,N(Boc) 2 ), the heating with benzaldehyde (1 equiv.) overnight in chlorobenzene at 50° C. in presence of 5 equivalent of Cs 2 CO 3 , give γ-δ unsaturated amino acids enantiomerically pure with 60% yield (entry 13). If this reaction was performed in the same conditions of solvent and temperature, but in presence of 1.5 and 2 equivalents of benzaldehyde and Cs 2 CO 3 respectively, the amino acid is obtained with 87% yield (entry 14).
[0288] In the phase transfer conditions, amino ester phosphonium salt (II′a) reacts also with benzaldehyde to give the corresponding γ-δ unsaturated amino ester (entries 15-17). After heating overnight in chlorobenzene at 50° C. in presence of 6 equivalent of Cs 2 CO 3 , the product is obtained with 86% yield as a trans/cis mixture in 88:12 ratio (entry 15). HPLC analysis on chiral column shows that in these conditions, γ-δ unsaturated amino ester is obtained with 83% e.e. (entry 15). When the reaction was performed at 40° C., the yield obtained for the product decreases to 39% whereas enantiomeric excess increases to 88% (entry 16).
[0289] When the aminoester phosphonium salt (II′a) reacts with benzaldehyde in chlorobenzene in presence of one equivalent of water, γ-δ unsaturated amino ester is obtained after 3 h30 in 90% yield and with 83% of enantiomeric excess (entry 17). The partial racemization (83-88% e.e.) observed in the case of the use of amino ester phosphonium salt, can be explained again by a deprotonation in a position of the ester (reagents or procucts), in basic conditions.
I. Application of Compounds (I)
1.1. Complexation: (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-phenylhept-4,6-dienoate methyl ferricarbonyl
[0290] The diene derivatives (I″o) was used for the preparation of a new amino acid pentacarbonyl iron complexe:
[0000]
[0291] A solution of 62 mg of aminoester (I″o) (0.19 mmol) in 2 mL of dry di-n-butyl ether, were introduced 0.11 mL of Fe(CO) 5 (0.85 mol, 4.5 eq). The reaction mixture was heated at 130° C., during 16 h under argon, and evaporated under vacuum. The crude product was purified by chromatography on neutral alumina with ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (1:4) as eluent to afford (S)-2-(t-butyloxycarbonylamino)-7-phenylhept-4,6-dienoate methyl ferricarbonyl in 42% yield. Orange oil —R f : 0.39 (Ethyl acetate/petroleum ether 1:4). [α] D =+23 (c=0.3; CHCl 3 ). IR (cm −1 ): 3499 (N—H), 3028-2927 (C—H), 2363, 2143 (CO), 2041 (CO), 1749 (C═O), 1715 (C═O), 1689, 1625, 1599, 1577, 1528, 1493, 1448, 1437, 1348, 1312, 1252, 1212, 1168, 1155, 1119, 1071, 1040, 1012, 989, 947, 912, 861, 794, 757, 732, 694, 622, 609, 559, 540. 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.44-1.49 (4s, 9H, CH 3 ), 2.08-2.12 (2m, 1H, CH 2 ), 2.60-2.90 (4m, 1H, CH 2 ), 3.75-3.83 (4s, 3H, OCH 3 ), 4.40-4.56 (2m, 1H, CHN), 5.08-5.22 (2m, 1H, NH), 5.44 (dd, 1H, J=4.2, 5.1 Hz, CH═), 5.67-5.79 (2m, 1H, CH═), 6.28-6.37 (m, 1H, CH═), 6.55 (2d, 1H, J=8.1 Hz, J=7.8 Hz, CH═), 6.80 (2dd, J=2.7, 5.1 Hz, J=1.8, 5.7 Hz, CH═), 7.18-7.48 (m, 5H, Harom). 13 C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ(ppm)=28.3 (CH 3 ), 30.1 (CH 2 ), 30.9 (CH 2 ), 52.4 (CHN), 52.5 (CHN), 123.5 (CH=ou Carom), 123.9 (CH=ou Carom), 125.0 (CH=ou Carom), 126.1 (Carom), 126.3 (Carom), 126.5 (Carom), 127.5 (Carom), 127.8 (Carom), 128.6 (Carom), 132.7 (Carom), 134.5 (CH=ou Carom), 137.2 (Carom). Mass exact calculated or C 22 H 25 Fe 1 N 1 Na 1 O 7 [M+Na] + : 494.0873. found 494.0843.
1.2. Use of (I″k) in Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling
[0292] The boronato amino acid (I″k) may be used as reactant in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling:
[0000]
1.3. Use of (I″k) to Synthesize Trifluoroborate Derivatives
[0293] The boronato amino acid (I″k) may be reacted with fluoride ions to give trifluoroborate derivatives that may be used in IRM or PET medical imaging:
[0000]
1.4. Use of (I″p) in Click Chemistry
[0294] The azido amino acid (I″p) may be used for drafting functionalized aklynes by click chemistry:
[0000] | The γ,δ-unsaturated α-amino acids of general formula (I). Also, a versatile process for the stereospecific synthesis of said compounds of formula (I), involving a Wittig reaction. Further, intermediate products of general formulae (II) and (III), as shown below, which are involved in the synthesis of compounds (I).
Compounds of general formula (I) may be useful as therapeutic substances, or as reagents or intermediates for fine chemistry. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a needle for a tufting machine and more particularly to a needle wherein the shank or mounting portion thereof is offset from the blade of the needle so that the yarn guide groove that extends along the blade from the eye opens at a mouth which is in line with the groove and does not intersect the shank.
Needles for a tufting machine are well known. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,954,072 and 4,194,457, and German Patent No. 3,545,692. Such needles are used mainly in machines which manufacture floor coverings such as carpet. In such needles, in order to thread the yarn into the eye of the needle, it is necessary for yarn to be fed into an elongated yarn feed or guide groove in the needle body, the yarn passing down the groove and into the eye of the needle. With these known needles, the top of the yarn guide groove opens onto the side of the needle body which necessitates yarn being fed into the groove at an angle. Due to this angular feed of yarn into the yarn feed groove, during piercing of the backing material by the needle during operation of the tufting machine, the yarn can be damaged either because it is not lying correctly or completely in the yarn guide groove which can cause the yarn to be crushed between the needle body and the backing material during piercing of the backing material by the needle. This is particularly a problem where the backing material is relatively hard. A further consequence of the yarn not being correctly in the yarn feed groove is that the hole punctured in the backing material can be elongated by the yarn which results in a detraction of the appearance of the finished tufted fabric. Furthermore, problems may also arise due to backstitch retention, variation of the level of tufts in loop or cut pile, both of which also lead to a detraction in appearance in the finished fabric.
In order to alleviate this problem, a tufting needle has been proposed in the prior art in which a top part of the needle is generally offset from and substantially parallel to the needle body, and in the region of this offset, a second eye of the needle is formed, as an extension of the yarn guide groove formed in the needle body. This additional eye of the needle in conjunction with the yarn guide groove and the eye of the needle permits good guidance of yarn, but experience has shown that due to the weakening of the material of the needle by the presence of the second eye, there is a greater likelihood of needle breakage in this region of the needle. A further problem with a double-eyed needle of this type is that it can be extremely difficult to thread when used in a fine gauge configuration and almost impossible to thread when a staggered needle arrangement is used. A still further problem arises due to the elongation of the punctured hole in the backing material since this can give rise to a weakening of the tufted fabric. This can particularly give rise to problems when, for example, the tufted fabric is required to be molded, such as in the automobile industry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Consequently, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a needle for tufting machines which increases the likelihood of reliable yarn guidance and which is strong enough to be used in conjunction with tufting into all kinds of backing materials.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a needle in which the yarn is guided along a groove that is not angularly disposed relative to the direction the yarn enters the groove.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a needle for a tufting machine comprising a mounting part or shank for mounting a needle relative to a needle bar or module, a needle body or blade linked to the shank and terminating in a point, the blade being provided with a needle eye in proximity to said point, the blade having an elongated yarn guide groove provided therein extending intermediate the shank and the needle eye, wherein at least a part of the shank is disposed at an angle to the needle blade and the yarn feed or guide groove is substantially straight and terminates in an open mouth into which yarn may be fed.
With a needle constructed in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to feed yarn straight down the yarn guide groove and into the eye of the needle. There is thus no angular feed of yarn into the yarn feed groove, thereby reducing the likelihood of yarn lying outside the groove and thereby allowing the problems identified above to be overcome.
A further advantage of a needle constructed in accordance with the present invention is that since there is no compromise in the thickness or strength of the material of the needle as there is with prior art needles mentioned above, a needle according to the present invention is suitable for use with a great number of backing materials including those which are relatively hard.
Preferably, at least a portion of the shank of the needle extends substantially perpendicular to the needle blade. In one form of the invention, the shank is generally L-shaped, a first part thereof extending generally perpendicularly to the blade and a second part extending generally parallel to, but spaced from, the blade.
Moreover, in use, an additional yarn guide device may be used to assist in guidance of yarn into the open mount of the yarn feed groove and may be secured to the module in which the needle is mounted so that the eye of the yarn guide device is directly above the mouth of the yarn guide groove.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of prior art needle having a yarn guide groove which opens out to one side of the needle;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of a needle constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the needle of FIG. 2 illustrated as mounted in a needle module for mounting on a needle bar of a tufting machine with an additional yarn guide device disposed above the needle;
FIG. 4. is a view similar to FIG. 3 of a second embodiment of a tufting needle constructed in accordance with the present invention and a needle module adapted to be mounted on the needle bar of a tufting machine; and
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the needle illustrated in FIG. 2 shown mounted in a tufting machine utilizing a needle mounting device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a known form of prior art tufting needle 10 which comprises a top mounting part or shank 12 of substantially circular cross-section which, in use, mounts the needle relative to a needle module or needle bar of a tufting machine (not illustrated). A body or blade 13 of a generally flattened cross-section is linked to the shank 12, which blade 13 terminates in a needle point 14 at a lower end remote from the shank 12. In close proximity to the needle point 14 is disposed an eye 15 of the needle through which yarn may be threaded as is notoriously well known in the art. A yarn feed or guide groove 16 is provided in the needle blade 13 and extends between the eye 15 and one side of the needle blade 13 and opens out below the shank at the side of the needle at an entrance mouth 18. In use, yarn is fed from above and enters the yarn guide groove 16 from the mouth 18 and passes down the yarn guide groove 16 to the eye 15. A recess 19 in the shank 12 may be formed for aiding and securing the needle in a needle module in those instances where needles are mounted in such modules, see for example FIGS. 3 and 4. Due to the position of the mouth 18, it can be seen that entry of the yarn into the yarn guide groove 16 must be effected at an angle. This renders it likely that problems will arise in feeding the yarn correctly into the guide groove 16. On the opposite side of the needle to the yarn guide groove 16 is a recess 20 known in the art as the clearance above the eye or C.A.E. which cooperates, in use, with a looper of the tufting machine to seize and capture the yarn for purposes of forming a yarn loop.
One embodiment of an improved needle constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. The needle here is generally of similar construction to the needle illustrated in FIG. 1, but has some major significant differences. While in the prior art needle illustrated in FIG. 1, the yarn feed or guide groove 16 opens out at one side of the needle blade 13 in the mouth 18, in the needle 100 illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 2, an upper mounting part or shank 22 of the needle is angularly disposed relative to the needle blade 23 and the mouth 28 of the yarn guide groove 26 is in alignment with the remainder of the groove such that the yarn guide groove 26 is substantially straight from the eye 25 of the needle to the mouth 28 of the groove 26. The improved needle of FIG. 2 can simply be formed by taking the needle of FIG. 1 and causing the shank 12 to be moved into the position of the shank 22 illustrated in FIG. 2. This movement can be achieved in any suitable manner. for example, by bending at the location 21 so that the shank 22 and recess 29 are substantially perpendicular to the blade 23. It will thus be appreciated that the mouth 28 and guide groove 26 move to the position shown in FIG. 2, in which the yarn guide groove 26 is substantially straight the entire length of the blade 23. The point portion from the eye 25 to the point 24 is substantially identical to the needle of the prior art.
It will therefore be appreciated that with the needle shown in FIG. 2, yarn can be threaded into the eye 25 of the needle directly from above straight down the yarn guide groove 26. Thus, with this needle there is less likelihood that a yarn misfeed will occur relative to prior art needles.
FIG. 3 illustrates the needle of FIG. 2 molded within a needle module 30 which may have a plurality of such needles therein and may be mounted onto a needle bar of a tufting machine (not illustrated) in conventional manner by means of a screw which may be extended through a hole 30a in the needle module as is notoriously well known in the art and as illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,956. In order to further provide assistance to the guidance and threading of the yarn in addition to the straight form of yarn guide groove 26, a yarn guide device 102 may be disposed above the mouth 28 of the yarn guide groove 26. In the particular example shown in FIG. 3, the yarn guide device 102 is also mounted in the needle module 30, however, the device 102 may be mounted relative to the mouth 28 of the yarn guide groove 26 in any suitable manner as desired or appropriate. The yarn guide device 102 includes a yarn guide eye 104 through which the yarn is guided in a substantially straight path directly from a yarn supply or from a yarn guide on the tufting machine (not illustrated) to the mouth 28 of the yarn guide groove 26 of the needle.
It will be appreciated that the presence of the additional yarn guide device 102 and the substantially straight yarn guide groove 26 renders it considerably less likely that a yarn misfeed will occur than in the prior art needle shown in FIG. 1.
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a second embodiment of a needle 100 constructed in accordance with the present invention. In this needle, the shank or top mounting part 22 is formed in a substantially L-shaped, one arm 32 of which extends substantially at right angles to the needle blade 23 and the other arm 34 of which extends substantially parallel to, but spaced from, the needle blade 23. With this embodiment of the needle 100 the arm 34 of the shank 22 is mounted in the needle module 28 or a needle bar of the tufting machine whereby the needle blade 23 extends downwardly from the module or needle bar, and by sizing the length of the arm 32 of the arm 32 such that it is longer than the space from the front 30b of the module to the arm 34, the needle blade 23 is disposed spaced from the front 30b of the module or needle bar such that the mouth 28 of the yarn guide groove 26 is easily accessible from above for feeding of yarn. This insures that there is also little likelihood of yarn misfeeds in this embodiment also. In all other respects the needle illustrated in FIG. 4 is the same as that illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 shown a third embodiment of the needle in accordance with the present invention. This embodiment of the needle is generally similar in form to the needle shown in FIG. 2 except for the fact that no recess 29 is present in the mounting shank 42. This is because the form of needle is intended to be used with a different form of mounting within a tufting machine. Conventionally, in a tufting machine, needles are mounted either in modules which are attached to a needle bar, or directly into the needle bar itself. The embodiment of the needles shown in FIG. 5 is intended to be used with a needle mounting which comprises a generally plate or sheet-like support 45 in which there is provided a plurality of spaced holes 44. With this mounting, the needle blade 43 of the needle passes through a selected one of the plurality of holes 44 and the shank 42 which is substantially at right angles to the needle blade 43 abuts the top of the needle mounting 45 thereby retaining the needle in position. It may thus be seen that with such a needle mounting, the needles may be positioned in any desired position by mounting them in a selected one of the holes in the mounting. It may also be necessary to align the needles in the mounting 45 in a particular angular orientation relative to the hole. To achieve this, grooves 46 are provided in the surface of the needle mounting 45 and are angularly spaced around such holes. Therefore, in use, the shank 42 of the needle 100 can rest in a pre-selected one of the grooves 46 in the top surface of the mounting in order to restrain the needles from twisting or other movement relative to the looper. Once received within the groove, the needle is fixed by clamping or fasteners in a particular angular disposition relative to the looper.
The embodiments of the needle of the present invention described enable reliable and accurate yarn feed from a yarn supply to a yarn guide or groove provided in the needle. This is achieved by providing the yarn guide groove in substantially straight form with an open mouth which is in alignment with the remainder of the yarn guide groove. This insures that it is relatively simple to provide that the yarn is fed correctly into the yarn guide groove. This it will, of course, be appreciated reduce or eliminate the problems heretofore mentioned. A further advantage of the arrangement of the present invention is that there is no material. weakening of the blade of the needle such that there is reduced likelihood of the needle breaking, thereby rendering the needles of the invention suitable for all areas of application and for tufting through backings of all materials.
Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. | A tufting needle construction in which the mounting shank is offset from the axis of the blade and the yarn guide groove which extends to the eye and point portion of the needle. The yarn guide groove extends from a yarn entry mouth spaced from the shank so that yarn entering the groove from the mouth lies entirely within the groove and does not feed into the groove at an angle. Accordingly, when the needle pierces a backing material during the tufting process, the yarn is not crushed between the blade and the backing material. In one embodiment the shank is perpendicular to the blade. In another embodiment the shank has a first portion perpendicular to the blade and another portion parallel to the blade. | 3 |
This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/988,210 filed Dec. 10, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,295.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices, and more specifically, to a semiconductor device having a connecting hole not larger than 0.4 μm□ in size and an overlay mark. The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Background Art
In the manufacture of a semiconductor device, the higher integration and accompanying scaling down of the semiconductor device are making the width of a pattern line as well as the space between pattern lines smaller. In addition, strict overlay-accuracy for high density integration is required due to complication of the longitudinal structure of a device.
FIG. 11 is an illustration showing a conventional overlay technique. Overlapping is accomplished when a pattern on a photomask 20 is transferred to a wafer 21 . More specifically, in the overlaying, the position of a wafer overlay mark 23 in diffraction grating form formed on the wafer is measured using alignment light 24 through photomask 20 . The displacement between the position thus measured and a stage is corrected by moving the stage, and a chip pattern 25 on photomask 20 is transferred onto wafer 21 as a chip pattern 26 a . It is noted that the wafer alignment pattern to be used for overlapping the next layer is also transferred at the same time.
There are at least two types of such overlay marks 22 , one for the alignment in the X direction and the other in the Y direction.
For the high density integration and accompanying scaling down of a semiconductor device, a technique for forming a fine pattern using a halftone phase shift mask (hereinafter referred to as a halftone mask) as photomask 20 has been proposed.
With reference to FIG. 12, photomasks in general includes a usual mask and a phase shift mask. A halftone mask is known as an example of the phase shift mask. The usual mask is a glass plate on which a pattern formed of metal such as Cr or MoSi is formed. The halftone mask is a glass plate on which a metal pattern of MoSiON, CrON or the like is formed.
The halftone mask is provided with a material which inverts the phase of light passing through non-shading portions in the location corresponding to shading portions formed on the usual mask. The halftone mask enhances the light contrast of the pattern and forms a fine pattern as compared with the usual mask.
FIGS. 13A and 13B show the differences between the usual mask and the halftone mask. As for the halftone mask, the phase of light is inverted in the non-shading portion. The use of the halftone mask allows a pattern 26 and a peak 27 of light intensity to be clearly distinguished, thereby increasing resolution. A peak 28 of light intensity is however formed that can cause a ghost pattern as will be later described.
The problem associated with the manufacture of a semiconductor device by means of lithography technique using a conventional halftone mask will now be described.
With reference to FIG. 14, a connecting hole portion 29 and an overlay mark portion 30 are formed on a semiconductor substrate 9 . A first oxide film 10 , a barrier metal 11 , an aluminum film 12 , a titanium nitride film 13 and a second oxide film 14 are formed on semiconductor substrate 9 in connecting hole portion 29 . First and second oxide films 10 and 14 are formed on semiconductor substrate 9 in overlay mark portion 30 . Resist 15 for forming a connecting hole is provided in connecting hole portion 29 . Resist 15 b for forming an overlay mark is provided in overlay mark portion 30 . A halftone mask 31 having non-shading portions in the positions to have a connecting hole and an overlay mark, respectively, is prepared. Halftone mask 31 has shading and non-shading portions 32 and 33 in overlay mark portion 30 . Resist 15 is irradiated with light 34 using halftone mask 31 . At this time, portions 35 and 36 to have a connecting hole and an overlay mark, respectively, are also exposed to the light. Further, a ghost pattern 37 is produced in the non-shading portion at the time. Ghost pattern 37 is formed by the phase-inverted light (corresponding to peak 28 in the light intensity) reflected by the surface of substrate 9 and directed upon resist 15 b.
The formation of ghost pattern 37 will now be described in further detail. FIG. 22 shows changes in the reflectivity of the surface of an oxide film relative to changes in thickness when the oxide film is provided on a highly reflective substrate such as a silicon substrate. As is apparent from FIG. 22, the amplitude of the reflectivity caused by the change in the thickness of the oxide film is large. The change in the diameter of the opening portion of resist is accordingly large as shown in FIG. 23 . The amplitude period of reflectivity corresponds to about 1240 Å for a wavelength of 365 nm, and therefore the maximum and minimum values of reflectivity are within the range of the amplitude if the thickness of the oxide film changes by 620 Å. Thus, the diameter of the opening portion of the resist largely changes. When an oxide film having a thickness around 10000 Å is provided, the resist is inevitably exposed to light reflected from the silicon substrate due to the above mentioned change in the diameter if the thickness of the oxide film has a variation of 10% in its surface.
FIG. 24 is a graph showing the optimum exposure amount relative to the size of a connecting hole to be formed on the highly reflective substrate. The exposure amount allowing formation of a ghost pattern is also shown in FIG. 24 . Herein, the abscissa represents the size of the connecting hole, and the optimum exposure amount given in FIG. 24 also applies to an overlay mark having a diameter of at least 1 μm, which can be regarded as the same in terms of size to the connecting hole having a diameter of 1 μm.
Assuming that the optimum exposure amount in the case of a connecting hole of 1 μm□ is normalized as 1, 1.5 times of the optimum exposure amount is required for a connecting hole of 0.4 μm□. Then, the optimum exposure amount allowing formation of a ghost pattern is sufficiently between the normalized 1.5 and 1. With reference to FIG. 14, ghost pattern 37 is consequently formed in the overlay mark portion in forming connecting hole 35 .
It is noted that the overlay mark can be well or poorly formed because of the variation in reflectivity as is apparent from FIGS. 22 and 23. This variation is the problem.
Returning to FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 , development of resist 15 to form resist patterns 15 a and 15 b actually results in resist patterns 15 a and 15 b having an undesired void portion 38 caused by the light for forming a ghost pattern peculiar to a halftone mask as shown in FIG. 16 rather than those free from a void in a resist as shown in FIG. 15 .
It is noted that the overlay mark is in a striped pattern having a width of 1 μm and the size of the connecting hole is 0.4 μm□.
With reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, etching oxide film 14 using resist patterns 15 a and 15 b as masks forms oxide films 16 a and 16 b having a connecting hole 39 and a pattern 40 of an oxide film to be an overlay mark, respectively. A poorly shaped resist pattern causes a void 141 to be formed in pattern 40 of the oxide film, that is, in the overlay mark.
With reference to FIG. 18, a second interconnection layer 41 is formed to contact with a titanium nitride film 13 though connecting hole 39 . At the time, the component of the second interconnection layer is formed also in overlay mark portion 30 . Resist 42 is applied to cover second interconnection 41 .
Then, resist 42 is selectively exposed to light through a halftone mask using an overlay mark 40 as a reference for alignment to form a resist pattern 43 . Although resist pattern 43 is a portion for patterning second interconnection layer 41 , it is formed offset due to the poorly shaped overlay mark 40 as shown in FIG. 18 .
With reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, resist 42 is developed to form resist pattern 43 .
With reference to FIGS. 19 and 20, patterning of second interconnection layer 41 using resist pattern 43 as a mask forms second interconnection layer 41 disconnected from aluminum film 12 , the first interconnection layer. It is is noted that FIG. 21 is a cross section of a semiconductor device where the steps have ideally proceeded without having the above mentioned offset. In this case, second interconnection layer 41 is tightly connected to aluminum film 12 having titanium nitride film 13 interposed.
The above mentioned disconnection causes yield to decrease in the manufacture of a semiconductor device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to solve the above problem and it is an object to provide a method of manufacturing an improved semiconductor device to enhance overlay accuracy using a halftone mask.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device manufactured by such a method.
In a semiconductor device according to a first aspect of the invention, a first interconnection layer and a second interconnection layer provided thereabove are connected to each other through a connecting hole. The device is provided with a semiconductor substrate. A connecting hole portion having the connecting hole and an overlay mark portion having an overlay mark are provided on the semiconductor substrate. The overlay mark portion includes a pattern of oxide film to be an overlay mark and an antireflection film underlying the pattern of the oxide film.
In the semiconductor device according to a second aspect of the invention, the antireflection film is provided on a metal film formed on the semiconductor substrate.
In the semiconductor device according to a third aspect of the invention, the metal film is formed of a material mainly including aluminum, aluminum silicon, aluminum copper, copper or tungsten.
In the semiconductor device according to a fourth aspect of the invention, the antireflection film is formed of titanium, titanium nitride, amorphous silicon or silicon nitride.
In the semiconductor device according to a fifth aspect of the invention, the size of the connecting hole is not larger than 0.4 μm□.
In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a sixth aspect of the invention, a first interconnection layer and a second interconnection layer provided thereabove are connected through a connecting hole. A metal film for the first interconnection layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate. A conductive antireflection film is formed on the first metal film. An oxide film is formed on the antireflection film. A resist layer is formed on the oxide film. The resist layer is selectively irradiated with light using a halftone phase shift mask. Then, it is developed to form resist patterns for forming the connecting hole and an overlay mark. The oxide film is etched using the resist patterns for the connecting hole and the overlay mark as masks to form the connecting hole in the oxide film as well as a pattern of oxide film for the overlay mark. The second interconnection layer is formed to be electrically connected to the first interconnection layer through the connecting hole using the overlay mark as a reference for alignment by means of lithography technique.
In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a seventh aspect of the invention, the metal film is formed of a material mainly including aluminum, aluminum silicon, aluminum copper, copper or tungsten.
In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an eighth aspect of the invention, the antireflection film is formed of titanium, titanium nitride, amorphous silicon or silicon nitride.
In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a ninth aspect of the invention, the size of the connecting hole is not larger than 0.4 μm□.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing a semiconductor device in the first step of a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .
FIGS. 3 to 7 are cross sectional views of the semiconductor device in the second to sixth steps of the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relation between the thickness of an oxide film and reflectivity when a low reflective substrate is used.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relation between the thickness of an oxide film and the diameter of the opening portion in a resist when a low reflective substrate is used.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relation between the size of a connecting hole and the optimum exposure amount when a low reflective substrate is used.
FIG. 11 is a view showing a conventional overlay technique.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the types of conventional photo masks.
FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the functions of conventional usual and halftone type masks.
FIGS. 14 to 20 are cross sectional views of the semiconductor device in the first to seventh steps of a conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.
FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view of an imaginary semiconductor device if the steps can proceed ideally in the conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a relation between the thickness of an oxide film and reflectivity when a highly reflective substrate is used.
FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a relation between the thickness of an oxide film and the diameter of the opening portion of a resist when a highly reflective substrate is used.
FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a relation between the size of a connecting hole and the optimum exposure amount when a highly reflective substrate is used.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
With reference to FIG. 1, a semiconductor substrate 1 having a connecting hole portion 29 and an overlay mark portion 30 is prepared. Connecting hole portion 29 and overlay mark portion 30 both include a substrate 1 , a first oxide film 2 , a barrier metal 3 , an aluminum film 4 , a titanium nitride film 5 and a second oxide film 6 . Resist films 7 a and 7 b are provided on second oxide film 6 . A halftone mask 31 having non-shading portions at the positions to have a connecting hole and an overlay mark, respectively, is prepared. Resist films 7 a and 7 b are irradiated by light 34 using halftone mask 31 .
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 . With reference to FIG. 2, the size of connecting hole 39 is 0.4 μm□. The present invention is effective in forming a connecting hole not larger than this size. An overlay mark 22 is a striped pattern having a width of 1 μm.
Titanium nitride film 5 is not only essential to maintaining the reliability of aluminum interconnection 4 but also serves as an antireflection film for aluminum film 4 .
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, resist films 7 a and 7 b are developed. As titanium nitride film 5 serves as an antireflection film for aluminum film 4 in the overlay mark portion, the resulting resist pattern 70 b forming an overlay mark is free from a ghost pattern and a suitable shape is attained.
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a second oxide film 6 is etched using resist patterns 70 a and 70 b as masks to form an oxide film 8 a having connecting hole 39 as well as a pattern 8 b formed of an oxide film to have an overlay mark 40 .
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a second interconnection layer 41 is formed on semiconductor substrate 1 to contact with titanium nitride film 5 through connecting hole 39 . A resist film 42 is formed on second interconnection layer 41 . Resist film 42 is selectively exposed to light using overlay mark 40 as a reference for alignment.
With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, resist film 42 is developed to form a resist pattern 43 .
With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, second interconnection layer 41 is etched using resist pattern 43 as a mask to form a pattern for second interconnection layer 41 . The suitable shape of overlay mark 40 allows formation of the pattern for second interconnection layer 41 in a prescribed position without being offset.
Next, the reason why the overlay mark can be suitably formed will be described.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relation between the thickness of an oxide film and the reflectivity in the surface of the oxide film when the oxide film is formed on a low reflective substrate. As shown, the amplitude of reflectivity resulting from the change in thickness of the oxide film becomes smaller on the low reflective substrate. Accordingly, with reference to FIG. 9, the variation of the diameter of an opening portion for the resist also becomes smaller. FIG. 9 shows that even if there is a variation in the thickness of the oxide film, the change in the diameter of the opening portion in the resist can be restrained is not large when the change in the reflectivity is small.
FIG. 10 shows a relation between the size of a connecting hole and the optimum exposure amount on the low reflective substrate. The exposure amount allowing formation of a ghost pattern is also shown in this figure. Assuming that the optimum exposure amount for forming a connecting hole having a diameter of 1 μm is normalized as 1 , the optimum exposure amount for forming a connecting hole having a diameter 0.4 μm is 1.2. As is shown in FIG. 10, the optimum exposure amount allowing formation of a ghost pattern is above the (normalized) optimum exposure amount, 1.2. Thus, a ghost pattern is not formed with the optimum exposure amount for forming a connecting hole having a diameter of 0.4 μm.
It is noted that the titanium nitride film underlying the overlay mark functions as an antireflection film for the aluminum film in the present embodiment. As a result, according to the principles described in conjunction with FIGS. 8 to 10 , a ghost pattern is not formed in the overlay mark portion in forming a connecting hole, and therefore a suitable resist pattern can be obtained.
While the aluminum film is used as a metal film in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this and other films, for example of aluminum silicon, aluminum copper, copper or tungsten can be used.
In addition, while the titanium nitride film is used as an example of an antireflection film, the present invention is not limited to this and any of titanium film, amorphous silicon and silicon nitride films may be used.
Further, although a combination of the aluminum film and titanium nitride films as a structure of an interconnection film is used in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this and any film which serves as an antireflection film under an oxide film can be used. A film capable of absorbing light or buffering light may be used as an antireflection film. The titanium and titanium nitride films can prevent reflection by absorbing light, whereas the amorphous silicon and nitride silicon films can prevent reflection by means of buffering light.
In addition, although alignment light passes through a photo mask in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this and anything can be used as long as it can determine the position of the overlay mark on a wafer even when alignment light does not pass through a photo mask or a lens.
In a semiconductor device according to a first aspect of the invention, the overlay portion includes a pattern of an oxide film for the overlay mark and an antireflection film underlying the pattern of the oxide film, and therefore a ghost pattern is not formed in the overlay portion. As a result, a semiconductor device not having disconnection in the connecting hole portion can be obtained.
In the semiconductor device according to a second aspect of the invention, the antireflection film is provided on a metal film formed on a semiconductor substrate. As a result, reflection of light by the metal film can be prevented, thereby avoiding formation of a ghost pattern. Consequently, a semiconductor device without disconnection in a connecting hole portion can be obtained.
In the semiconductor device according to a third aspect of the invention, as the metal film is formed of aluminum, aluminum silicon, aluminum copper, copper or tungsten, a semiconductor device including an interconnection with high conductivity can be obtained.
In the semiconductor device according to a fourth aspect of the invention, since the antireflection film is formed of titanium or titanium nitride, the light causing a ghost pattern can effectively be absorbed. Further, reflection can be effectively prevented by buffering of light when aluminum silicon and nitride silicon are used as an antireflection film.
In the semiconductor device according to the a fifth aspect of the invention, as the size of a connecting hole is not larger than 0.4 μm□, it is effectively adaptable to high density integration of semiconductor devices.
In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a sixth aspect of the invention, since an antireflection film is formed under the oxide film located under a resist layer, a ghost pattern is not formed in the resist layer even when the resist layer is selectively irradiated by light using a halftone mask.
In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a seventh aspect of the invention, aluminum, aluminum silicon, aluminum copper, copper or tungsten is used for a metal film, and therefore a semiconductor device having an interconnection with high conductivity can effectively be obtained.
In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to an eighth aspect of the invention, titanium, titanium nitride, amorphous silicon or silicon nitride is used for an antireflection film, and therefore formation of a ghost pattern can effectively be prevented.
In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a ninth aspect of the invention, as the size of the connecting hole is not larger than 0.4 μm□, a semiconductor device having a fine pattern can effectively be obtained.
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims. | The object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an improved semiconductor device in which overlay-accuracy can be enhanced even when a halftone mask is used. An oxide film is formed on an antireflection film. Resist films are selectively irradiated with light using a halftone phase shift mask. Subsequently, it is developed to form resist patterns for a connecting hole and an overlay mark. According to the, present invention, the provision of an antireflection film under an oxide film prevents formation of a ghost pattern in an overlay mark portion. | 8 |
This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/054,773 filed Apr. 27, 1993 now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of vacuum cleaner attachments. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner attachment for cleaning elongate slats such as ceiling fan blades.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is often desirable to clean the blades of ceiling fans so that unsightly dust does not accumulate on the same. However, it has heretofore been a problem to efficiently and effectively clean such ceiling fan blades. This is so because dust has a tendency to quickly accumulate on the large surface area of fan blades and because prior art cleaning aids have been generally ineffective at removing such dust therefrom.
Thus, in the past, if a person desired to adequately remove dust which has settled upon ceiling fan blades, he or she would have to clean each individual fan blade by hand, usually while standing on a ladder, by using a damp dust cloth or the like. The ladder would have to be moved after cleaning a relatively small area to assure that too much pressure was not exerted on the fan blades, or to assure that dust was not merely being pushed off of an associated fan blade and onto other objects. Cleaning ceiling fan blades in the past was therefore a tedious task.
Accordingly, there is a great need for a cleaning aid for cleaning elongate slats such as ceiling fan blades, which will permit a person to efficiently and effectively remove dust which has accumulated on a ceiling fan blade without agitating such dust so as to create airborne dust particles which would be inhaled by individuals in the immediate area, or would otherwise settle on undesirable places. Additionally, an effective cleaning aid should also have a large degree of flexibility and pivotability so that the delicate balance of a ceiling fan is not disturbed during the cleaning process.
The prior art has not provided any solution to the problem of cleaning ceiling fan blades without disturbing the balance of the ceiling fan. Additionally, the prior art has not provided a vacuum cleaner attachment for effectively and efficiently cleaning ceiling fan blades. One prior art device which utilizes a vacuum cleaner in connection with a ceiling fan blade cleaner, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,431 to Carpenter. However, the Carpenter device has several major drawbacks. In particular, the Carpenter device has an entirely rigid construction and thus, it requires a great deal of movement by the user relative to a fan blade, which is being cleaned, to assure that the excessive pressure will not be exerted on the fan blade thus disturbing the balance of the entire ceiling fan. Additionally, the air flow generated by the vacuum cleaner associated with the Carpenter device is inefficiently applied to a ceiling fan blade to be cleaned. This is so because the Carpenter device does not include an air flow facilitation means, such as a flap, which concentrates the air flow on an associated fan blade. Thus, the fan blade cleaning device of Carpenter will not efficiently remove dust and other particulate matter from ceiling fan blades.
Accordingly, there has been a considerable need for an improved cleaning aid, such as the present vacuum cleaner attachment for cleaning elongate slats which will facilitate the quick and effective removal of particulate matter from the surface of ceiling fan blades without the risk of disturbing the balance of an associated ceiling fan.
It is thus evident from all the drawbacks of prior art cleaning aids, including the Carpenter device, that there is a considerable need for a new and improved vacuum cleaner attachment for cleaning elongate slats such as ceiling fan blades. The present invention solves all of the aforementioned problems and will greatly benefit all individuals who will undertake the task of cleaning ceiling fan blades.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention pertains to a vacuum cleaner attachment for cleaning elongate slats such as ceiling fan blades. The vacuum cleaner attachment comprises a housing adapted to receive at least one of the elongate slats therein. Brush means are arranged in the housing for brushing particulate matter off of a fan blade received within the housing. The present invention also includes connection means for pivotally connecting the housing to a vacuum cleaner, whereby the housing can be manipulated to receive said at least one slat without applying a large amount of force thereto and whereby the particulate matter can be sucked into the vacuum cleaner during cleaning of an associated fan blade. The pivotal connection between the present cleaning device and an associated vacuum cleaner helps assure that a ceiling fan will not be thrown out of balance while particulate matter is being removed from the fan blades thereof.
In a preferred embodiment, the connection means may comprise a flexible hose; however, it may also comprise a device including a pivot joint such as a ball-bearing device or a swivel device.
In another preferred embodiment, the housing of the present vacuum cleaner attachment includes a receiving side for receiving at least one fan blade therein and an exit side for permitting the same fan blade to emerge therefrom. Brush means is also included in this embodiment; however, the connection means need not pivotally connect the housing to an associated vacuum cleaner, but instead may comprise a fixed connection. The vacuum cleaner attachment of this embodiment also includes sealing means for concentrating a flow of air generated by the associated vacuum cleaner within the housing. The sealing means are adapted to permit the ceiling fan blade received within the housing to extend therethrough while at least partially closing the exit side of the housing with respect to the outside environment. Preferably, however, the connection means are pivotally arranged between the housing and an associated vacuum cleaner.
In still another preferred embodiment, the housing includes an elongate top panel and an elongate bottom panel. Each of the panels define a width including a distance sufficient to receive an associated ceiling fan blade therein. Each of the panels also define an elongate length adapted to extend a predetermined distance along the associated ceiling fan blade to be cleaned, wherein the predetermined distance corresponds to a distance at least substantially as great as that of the width. In another preferred embodiment, the elongate length may define a distance greater than the distance of the width.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner attachment for cleaning elongate slats such as ceiling fan blades, wherein the ceiling fan will not be thrown out of balance during cleaning of the blades thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner attachment wherein air flow created by the vacuum cleaner will be concentrated within a housing to effectively remove particulate matter from associated fan blades.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner attachment having sealing means, such as a flexible flap arranged adjacent an exit side of the housing wherein the flexible flap substantially blocks air from entering or leaving the exit side during cleaning of an associated fan blade.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner attachment having an elongate housing so that particulate matter can efficiently and effectively be removed from ceiling fan blades.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner attachment which will eliminate the need to constantly move a ladder which is being used to clean ceiling fan blades.
These and other objects of the present invention will be more clearly understood when read in conjunction with the detailed description and the accompanying drawings which follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner attachment of the present invention in assembled position on an associated vacuum cleaner.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner attachment shown in FIG. 1 in use on an associated ceiling fan blade.
FIG. 3 is a perspective cut away rear view of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cut away front view of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a detailed side perspective view showing the pivotable feature of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A vacuum cleaner attachment for cleaning ceiling fans blades is generally designated 10 in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 is adapted for use in connection with a vacuum cleaner 14 for cleaning elongate slats such as ceiling fan blades 38a-38d. The present invention may be used to clean many types of elongate slats besides ceiling fan blades; thus, one skilled in the art would readily appreciate that while cleaning of ceiling fan blades will be described throughout this application, such fan blades represent any elongate slat having a structure sufficiently adapted to be cleaned by the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 of the present invention.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 is disclosed as comprising an elongate housing 12. The elongate housing 12 includes a top side 16 and a bottom side 26 which collectively define a predetermined height therebetween as determined by opposing sidewalls 22 and 24. The elongate housing 12 also includes a front side 18 and a rear side 20. As will be discussed in more detail below, the elongate housing 12 is sufficiently sized and shaped to accommodate one of the ceiling fan blades 38a-38d therein during cleaning of such fan blade.
In a preferred embodiment, the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 may include a brush 28 arranged adjacent the front side 18. One skilled in the art would, however, appreciate that the location of the brush 28 may be moved to any location within the housing 12. Of course, it is preferable for the brush 28 to be arranged on the front side 18 of the housing 12; upstream from the airflow connector 32. Such arrangement will be better understood when the operation of the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 is discussed below.
The brush 28 comprises a plurality of bristles made of a relatively soft material so that such bristles do not scratch the surface of fan blades 38a-38d when removing particulate matter therefrom. Most preferably, the bristles are arranged to extend downwardly from the top panel 16 of the housing 12 and upwardly from the bottom panel 26. Thus, in this preferred embodiment, the brush 28 will effectively contact both planar surfaces of an associated fan blade 38a-38d. In an alternate embodiment (not shown) the brush 28 may comprise cloth-like material instead of bristles.
A flexible flap 30 is preferably manufactured of a polyethylene or rubber based material and is arranged at the rear side 20 of the housing 12. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rear side 20 may have beveled edges 20a and 20b. Of course, the edges 20a and 20b need not be beveled but may be perpendicular, as are the edges on the front side 18. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flexible flap 30 is fixed to the bottom 26 of the housing 12 at the rear side 20 thereof. It extends upwardly toward the top 16 and may completely seal the rear side 20, i.e., the exit side, of the housing 12 from communication with the outside environment. However, the flexible flap 30 is not attached to the top side 16 of the housing 12 but, instead, merely lies in contact against the top 16 so that the housing 12 only appears to be sealed at the rear side 20 when not in use. The flexible nature of the flap 30 permits a respective one of the ceiling fan blades 38a-38b to force the flap 30 away from the top 16 during cleaning of such fan blade.
As the function of the flexible flap 30 serves to increase the concentration of airflow within the housing 12, it should be understood that additional embodiments of the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 may include a pair of flexible flaps similar to flexible flap 30; each of such flaps being arranged adjacent the front side 18 and the rear side 20 of the housing 12, respectively. Such an embodiment would further increase the concentration of the airflow within the housing 12. In another embodiment of the present invention (not shown) the flexible flap 30 may be fixed to both the top 16 and the bottom 26 of the housing 12, but includes a central cut-out portion therein to permit an associated fan blade to extend therethrough.
In still another preferred embodiment (not shown) the flap 30 may be constructed of a rigid material. In this embodiment, the flap 30 does not extend entirely across the opening of the rear side 20. Instead, the flap 30 is sized and shaped to retain a small gap between the top 16 and the bottom 26 of the housing 12 so that an associated ceiling fan blade 38a-38d 38d can extend therethrough.
An air flow connector 32 is fixed to the housing 12 and is adapted to connect the same to an associated vacuum cleaner 14. The air flow connector 32 must therefore define a passageway therein between the inside of the housing 12 and the hose of the vacuum cleaner 14. In FIGS. 1 and 4, the air flow connector 32 has a generally elongate oval shape and is fixed on the side wall 22 of the housing 12. A pivot joint 34 is arranged on the air flow connector 32 for permitting the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 to have a large degree of movement during cleaning operations.
As can be appreciated with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the pivot joint 34 may include a ball-bearing device, a swivel device, a slide-bearing device or the like. The pivot joint 34 also has an air flow connector tube 35 attached thereto for connection to a hose of an associated vacuum cleaner 14. Of course, if the vacuum cleaner includes a rigid tubular member connected to the hose, the air flow connector tube 35 will be adapted to become engaged with such rigid member instead of the hose itself. As shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 4, the pivot joint 34 permits the housing 12 to have a large degree of movement with respect to the associated air flow connector tube 35. Such movement minimizes the stress exerted on a ceiling fan 36 when the fan blades 38a-38d are being cleaned and is thus one advantageous feature of the present invention over the prior art cleaning devices. Alternatively, the pivot joint 34 may be replaced by a flexible hose (not shown). The flexible hose should have a sufficient degree of flexibility to permit the housing 12 to easily "pivot", or move, with respect to the hose of the associated vacuum cleaner 14. The pivotability, i.e., flexibility, feature of the present vacuum cleaner attachment 10 will be best understood in connection with the operation of the same as described below.
The vacuum cleaner attachment 10 is used to remove particulate matter, such as dust, which may accumulate on the relatively large surface areas of associated fan blades 38a-38d of the ceiling fan 36 as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, in operation, the elongate housing 12 is arranged on an associated ceiling fan blade 38a so that it may slide end-to-end thereon.
As discussed above, the housing 12 has a sized and shaped front side 18, i.e., a receiving side, and a rear side 20, i.e., an exit side, aligned along a common plane therewith. The front side 18 is adapted to receive an end of the ceiling fan blade 38a therein while the rear side 20 is adapted to permit the same end of the ceiling fan blade 38a to emerge therefrom after dust particles have been removed from the fan blade. More particularly, when a first end of the ceiling fan blade 38a is received by the front side 18 of the housing 12, the brush 28 agitates dust particles which may have settled on the surface. When the vacuum cleaner 14 is placed in an on position it generates an air flow sufficient to suck the dust particles, which have been agitated by the brush 28, through the air flow connector 32, the pivot joint 34, the airflow connector tube 35 and into a storage tank thereof. As the fan blade 38a extends coplaner with the top side 16 and the bottom side 26 of the housing 12, it eventually encounters a flexible flap 30 at the rear side 20 of the housing 12. As discussed above, the flap 30 is adapted to permit the fan blade 38a to extend therethrough so that the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 can slide along the entire length of the fan blade 38a.
Preferably, the flexible flap 30 retains a substantially closed configuration between the inside of the housing 12 and the outside environment so that the airflow concentration generated by the vacuum cleaner 14 can be maximized within the housing 12. Thus, as the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 slides along the length of the fan blade 38a, it effectively and efficiently removes particulate matter thereon by agitating the same with the brush 18 and sucking such particulate matter into the associated vacuum cleaner 14. By cleaning fan blades 38a-38d in this manner, little or no dust will accidently be brushed from the surface of the fan blades onto the floor.
The pivot joint 34 is particularly useful during the cleaning process. More specifically, it permits the housing 12 to slide along an associated fan blade while placing a minimal amount of stress upon such fan blade. This is desirable when the fan blades are connected to a ceiling fan. In this regard, those familiar with ceiling fans can appreciate that most ceiling fans are relatively difficult to balance. Once they are balanced, they can easily be thrown out of balance by placing too much pressure on one of the fan blades. Thus, it is particularly desirable for a cleaning aid to place a minimal amount of stress on the fan blades while cleaning the same. This result is achieved by the pivot joint 34, which permits a user to clean particulate matter from ceiling fan blades while exerting a minimal amount of pressure upon the same. No known prior art device for cleaning ceiling fan blades includes pivot means, such as pivot joint 34, to reduce the stress exerted upon the fan blades during cleaning operations. Thus, in order to avoid disturbing the delicate balance of associated ceiling fan while using prior art devices to clean the fan blades, it is usually necessary for the person performing the cleaning operation to move along the entire length of each of the blades while cleaning the same. If such precaution is not followed, a large amount of stress will be transferred from the cleaning device to the fan blade and thus, the balance of the ceiling fan will be disturbed.
While the foregoing description and figures are directed toward the preferred embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it should be appreciated that numerous modifications can be made to each of the components of the vacuum cleaner attachment 10 as discussed above. Indeed, such modifications are encouraged to be made in the materials, structure and arrangement of the disclosed embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and the scope of the same. Thus, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments should be taken by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation with respect to the present invention as defined by the claims set forth below. | A vacuum cleaner attachment for cleaning elongate slats such as ceiling fan blades is disclosed. The vacuum cleaner attachment comprises a housing adapted to receive at least one of the slats. A brush device is arranged in the housing for brushing particulate matter off of at least one of the slats, a pivotable connection device is arranged between the housing and a vacuum cleaner for providing the vacuum cleaner attachment with a relatively large degree movement when used in cleaning operations. Additionally, a sealing device for concentrating a flow of air generated by the vacuum cleaner is arranged within the housing and is adapted to permit at least one slat to extend therethrough while at least partially closing off one side of the housing. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new and useful optically-active hydantoin derivatives in the field of medicinal chemistry. More particularly, it is concerned with certain novel 8-substituted derivatives of D-6-fluoro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, which are of especial value in view of their therapeutic and physical-chemical properties.
In the past, various attempts have been made by numerous investigators in the field of organic medicinal chemistry to obtain new and better oral antidiabetic agents. For the most part, these efforts have involved the synthesis and testing of various heretofore new and unavailable organic compounds, particularly in the area of the sulfonylureas, in an endeavor to determine their ability to lower blood sugar (i.e., glucose) levels to a substantially high degree when given by the oral route of administration. However, in the search for newer and still more effective antidiabetic agents, little is known about the effect of other organic compounds in preventing or arresting certain chronic complications of diabetes, such as diabetic cataracts, neuropathy and retinopathy, etc. Nevertheless, K. Sestanj et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,383 do disclose that certain aldose reductase inhibitors like 1,3-dioxo-1H-benz[d,e]-isoquinoline-2(3)-acetic acid and some closely-related derivatives thereof are useful for these purposes even though these particular compounds are not known to be hypoglycemic. These particular aldose reductase inhibitors function by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme aldose reductase, which is primarily responsible for regulating the reduction of aldoses (like glucose and galactose) to the corresponding polyols (such as sorbitol and galactitol) in the human body. In this way, unwanted accumulations of galactitol in the lens of galactosemic subjects and of sorbitol in the lens, peripheral nervous cord and kidney of various diabetic subjects are prevented or reduced. As a result, these compounds are of value as aldose reductase inhibitors for controlling certain chronic diabetic complications, including those of an ocular nature, since it is already known in the art that the presence of polyols in the lens of the eye leads to cataract formation together with a concomitant loss of lens clarity.
More recently, there is disclosed by R. Sarges in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,117,230 and 4,130,714 a series of spiro-hydantoin compounds which are useful as aldose reductase inhibitors for controlling certain chronic diabetic complications. The key compound disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,230 is dl-6-fluoro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, while the key compound disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,714 is the corresponding dextrorotatory isomer. The latter compound, viz., d-6-fluoro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione or sorbinil, is the most preferred member of this series and is of the 4S-configuration. It is particularly useful as an aldose reductase inhibitor in man for preventing or alleviating certain diabetes-associated chronic complications, including those of an ocular or neuritic nature (e.g., diabetic cataracts, retinopathy and neuropathy, etc.).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to certain novel 8-substituted derivatives of sorbinil, such as the 8-deutero, 8-tritio and 8-halo-substituted derivatives thereof. These compounds all have the 4S-configuration and are useful in the field of medicinal chemistry as aldose reductase inhibitors for the control of certain chronic diabetic complications. More specifically, the novel compounds of this invention are selected from the group consisting of the 4S-isomers of asymmetric spiro-hydantoins of the formula: ##STR1## and the base salts thereof with pharmacologically acceptable cations, wherein X is deuterium, tritium or halogen (fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine). These novel compounds are aldose reductase inhibitors and therefore posses the ability to inhibit sorbitol accumulation in the lens and peripheral nerves of diabetic subjects. The labeled 8-deutero and 8-tritio derivatives are also especially useful in metabolism pharmacokinetic studies and in binding studies with the drug in animals and man. The 8-halo derivatives are useful as intermediates for preparing the labeled forms of the drug, in addition to being potent aldose reductase inhibitors per se.
Of especial interest in this connection are such typical and preferred member compounds of the invention as 4S-6-fluoro-8-deutero-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, 4S-6-fluoro-8-tritio-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, 4S-6,8-difluoro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione and 4S-6-fluoro-8-chloro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the process employed for preparing the novel compounds of this invention, the known D-4S-6-fluoro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,714) is (a) directly halogenated at the 8-position of the molecule and the resulting 6-fluoro-8-halo intermediate is thereafter (b) converted to the corresponding 6-fluoro-8-deutero or 6-fluoro-8-tritio final products by means of catalytic reduction procedures with either deuterium or tritium, as the case may be. In this way, 4S-6-fluoro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione is converted via 4S-6-fluoro-8-chloro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione to 4S-6-fluoro-8-deutero-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione and 4S-6-fluoro-8-tritio-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, respectively.
The halogenation step in (a) is preferably effected by using conventional procedures, for example, by using elemental fluorine gas in nitrogen, or by using elemental chlorine or bromine optionally in the presence of a Friedel-Craft's catalyst such as ferric chloride, ferric bromide or iron powder, at a temperature that is generally in the range of about -50° C. to about 50° C., in a suitable reaction-inert organic solvent such as, for example, chloroform, nitrobenzene, dimethylformamide or glacial acetic acid, etc. Alternatively, chlorination or bromination may be carried out by simply using sulfuryl chloride or bromide, optionally in the presence of iodine as a catalyst, at a temperature that is generally in the same range as aforesaid and again in the presence of a suitable reaction-inert organic solvent, preferably glacial acetic acid or chloroform. Upon completion of the reaction, the desired 6-fluoro-8-halo intermediate is then recovered in a conventional manner and preferably by using known chromatographic techniques.
The 6-fluoro-8-halo intermediate product obtained in step (a) is then subjected to catalytic reduction as set forth in step (b) and this is preferably accomplished by using deuterium or tritium in conjunction with a noble metal catalyst such as palladium, usually suspended on a suitable catalyst support such as carbon or barium sulfate, etc. The preferred solvent for this reaction is generally a lower alkanol like methanol or ethanol or a cyclic ether such as dioxane or tetrahydrofuran. Upon completion of the reduction step, the catalyst is easily separated from the reaction mixture by filtration and the solvent thereafter removed from the resulting filtrate by means of evaporation under reduced pressure. In this way, a crude residual product is obtained that can easily be subjected to such standard purification techniques as column chromatography and the like to ultimately afford the desired final product (viz., the 8-labeled compound) in substantially pure form.
The chemical bases which are used as reagents to prepare the pharmaceutically acceptable base salts of this invention are those which form non-toxic base salts with the herein described acidic spiro-hydantoin compounds. These particular non-toxic base salts include those derived from such pharmacologically acceptable cations as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, etc. These salts can easily be prepared by simply treating the aforementioned spiro-hydantoin acidic compounds with an aqueous solution of the desired pharmacologically acceptable cation, and then evaporating the resulting solution to dryness while preferably being placed under reduced pressure. Alternatively, they may be prepared by mixing lower alkanolic solutions of the acidic compounds and the desired alkali metal alkoxide together, and then evaporating the resulting solution to dryness in the same manner as before. In either case, stoichiometric quantities of reagents are preferably employed in order to ensure completeness of reaction and maximum production of yields of the desired final product.
As previously indicated, the novel labeled 8-deutero and 8-tritio final products afforded by the process of this invention, like 4S-6-fluoro-8-tritio-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, are especially useful in metabolism pharmacokinetic studies and in binding studies with the drug in animals and man. The novel 8-halo derivatives, on the other hand, such as 4S-6-fluoro-8-chloro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, are useful as intermediates for preparing the labeled forms of the drug, in addition to being potent aldose reductase inhibitors per se. Furthermore, the herein described compounds of this invention can be administered by either the oral or parenteral routes of administration. In general, these compounds are ordinarily administered in dosages ranging from about 0.05 mg. to about 10 mg. per kg. of body weight per day, although variations will necessarily occur depending upon the weight and condition of the subject being treated and the particular route of administration chosen. However, it is to be understood that the use of the 8-tritio derivative is necessarily restricted to use in animals or to trace amounts in man (for the aforesaid tracer studies) in view of its radioactivity.
In connection with the use of the asymmetric spiro-hydantoin compounds of this invention for the aforesaid purposes, it is to be noted that these compounds may be administered either alone or in combination with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers by either of the routes previously indicated, and that such administration can be carried out in either single or multiple dosages. More particularly, the compounds of this invention can be administered in a wide variety of different dosage forms, i.e., they may be combined with various pharmaceutically-acceptable inert carriers in the form of tablets, capsules, lozenges, troches, hard candies, powders, sprays, aqueous suspensions, injectable solutions, elixirs, syrups, and the like. Such carriers include solid diluents or fillers, sterile aqueous media and various non-toxic organic solvents. In general, the compounds of the invention will be present in such dosage forms at concentration levels ranging from about 0.5% to about 90% by weight of the total composition to provide the desired unit dosage.
For purposes of oral administration, tablets containing various excipients such as sodium citrate, calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate may be employed along with various disintegrants such as starch and preferably potato or tapioca starch, alginic acid and certain complex silicates, together with binding agents such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, gelatin and acacia. Additionally, lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate, sodium lauryl sulfate and talc are often very useful for tabletting purposes. Solid compositions of a similar type may also be employed as fillers in soft and hard-filled gelatin capsules; preferred materials in this connection would also include the high molecular weight polyethylene glycols. When aqueous suspensions and/or elixirs are desired for oral administration, the essential active ingredient therein may be combined with various sweetening or flavoring agents, coloring matter or dyes, and if so desired, emulsifying and/or suspending agents as well, together with such diluents as water, ethanol, propylene glycol, glycerin and various like combinations thereof.
For purposes of parenteral administration, solutions of these asymmetric spiro-hydantoins in sesame or peanut oil or in aqueous propylene glycol of N,N-dimethylformamide may be employed, as well as sterile aqueous solutions of the corresponding water-soluble, alkali metal or alkaline-earth metal salts previously enumerated. Such aqueous solutions should be suitably buffered if necessary and the liquid diluent first rendered isotonic with sufficient saline or glucose. These particular aqueous solutions are especially suitable for intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous and intraperitoneal injection purposes. In this connection, the sterile aqueous media employed are all already obtainable by standard techniques well-known to those skilled in the art. Additionally, it is also possible to administer the aforesaid spiro-hydantoin compounds topically via an appropriate ophthalmic solution applied dropwise to the eye.
The activity of the compounds of the present invention, as agents for the control of chronic diabetic complications, is determined by their ability to successfully pass one or more of the following standard biological or pharmacological tests, viz., (1) measuring their ability to inhibit the enzyme activity of isolated aldose reductase; (2) measuring their ability to reduce or inhibit sorbitol accumulation in the sciatic nerve of acutely streptozotocinized (i.e., diabetic) rats; (3) measuring their ability to reverse already-elevated sorbitol levels in the sciatic nerve and lens of chronic streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats; (4) measuring their ability to prevent or inhibit galactitol formation in the lens of acutely galactosemic rats, and (5) measuring their ability to delay cataract formation and reduce the severity of lens opacities in chronic galactosemic rats.
EXAMPLE 1
In a suitable reaction vessel, there were placed 2.00 g. (0.00847 mole) of 4S-6-fluoro-spiro-[chroman4,4'-imidazolidine]-2'5'-dione (prepared according the procedure described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,714) dissolved in 100 ml. of glacial acetic acid at room temperature (˜20° C.). The reaction vessel was fitted with a gas scrubbing apparatus comprised of an ethanol solution of aniline (10:1 by volume) and a 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. A 10% fluorine in nitrogen (Matheson) solution of gas was then perfused through the mixture for a period of 60 minutes. After an additional 16 hours of perfusion with nitrogen, the resulting reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo to an oil and thereafter triturated and subsequently vacuum evaporated with two-100 ml. portions of hexane. The foam thus obtained was next triturated with diethyl ether to yield a brown solid substance. The latter solid was subsequently recrystallized from freshly prepared 10% aqueous sodium bisulfite solution and the resulting product thereafter chromatographed on a 8μ Zorbax C-8 high pressure liquid chromatographic column, using an 85:15 by volume water acetonitrile solution as eluant. The appropriate fractions were then combined and subsequently concentrated in vacuo to afford to a residual liquid, which was later azeotroped with ethanol, then with ethyl acetate and finally with cyclohexane to ultimately afford a white powdery substance as the desired product. Recrystallization of the latter material from water then gave 13 mg. of pure 4S-6,8-difluoro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, m.p. 198°-200° C. The pure product was further characterized by means of mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance data, in addition to elemental analysis. Mass spectrum: m/e, 254(P).
EXAMPLE 2
To a solution consisting of 1.181 g. (0.00465 mole) of 4S-6-fluoro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2'5'-dione dissolved in 10 ml. of dimethylformamide (sieve dry) containing a trace of anhydrous ferric chloride, there was added at -40° C. a stream of chlorine gas over a period of 20 minutes. The resulting solution was then stirred at -20° C. for period of 2-2.5 hours and then allowed to warm slowly to room temperature (˜20° C.) for another two hours. At this point, 50 ml. of water was slowly added to the reaction mixture, which was then stirred vigorously overnight at room temperature for a period of approximately 16 hours. Upon completion of this step, the spent mixture was next added to 100 ml. of ethyl acetate and the resulting aqueous phase therafter extracted with a fresh portion of ethyl acetate (25 ml.). The combined organic extracts were subsequently washed twice with brine and then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. After removal of the drying agent by means of filtration and the solvent by means of evaporation under reduced pressure, there was finally obtained a golden yellow oil as the residual liquid. The latter oil was then chromatographed on a 230-400 mesh silica gel column (4.5×15.0 cm.) and eluted with ethyl acetate in 30 ml. fractions. Fraction No. 7 was concentrated to a colorless oil which eventually crystallized to a white solid (yield, 0.251 g.), m.p. 108°-114° C. Fraction No. 8 was concentrated to a colorless oil which, when triturated with petroleum ether, gave 0.196 g. (15.4%) of pure 4S-6-fluoro-8-chloro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione (as a white solid), m.p. 99°-102° C. (decomp.). Fraction No. 9 was concentrated to a clear oil which, when triturated with pentane, gave a white crystalline solid which also consisted of pure 4S-6-fluoro- 8-chloro-spiro-[chroman-4,4-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, m.p. 100°-103° C. (decomp.); the yield of pure product from this fraction amounted to 0.257 g. (20.2%). The pure product from fraction No. 8 was further characterized by means of mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance data, in addition to elemental analysis. Mass Spectrum: m/e, 272/270 (P + ).
Anal. Calcd. for C 11 H 8 Cl 2 FN 2 O 3 . 1/3 H 2 O: C,47.75; H,3.16; N,10.13. Found: C,48.19; H,3.51; N,9.68
EXAMPLE 3
In a 35 ml. round-bottomed reaction flask, there was placed a solution consisting of 60 mg. (0.00022 mole) of 4S-6-fluoro-8-chloro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione (fraction No. 9 obtained in Example 2) dissolved in 4 ml. of ethanol. To this solution, there were then added 0.5 ml. of triethylamine and 100 mg. of 10% palladium on carbon catalyst. The resulting mixture was then treated with deuterium (D 2 ) gas in an atmospheric hydrogenator with stirring for a period of four hours. At the end of this time, stirring was discontinued and the reaction mixture was allowed to stand overnight at room temperature (˜20° C.) for a period of approximately 16 hours. The contents were then removed from the hydrogenator, filtered through celite to remove the catalyst and finally concentrated in vacuo to afford a residual solid yellow product that was subsequently pumped under high vacuum for a period of one hour to give a white solid. The latter substance, which proved to be crude 4S-6-fluoro-8-deutero-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, was then chromatographed in the form of an ethyl acetate suspension on a 230-400 mesh silica gel column (5 ml. in a 10 ml. pipette) and thereafter eluted with 100% pure ethyl acetate, collecting 1.5 ml. fractions. Fractions 5-9 were found to contain pure product and were subsequently combined and concentrated in vacuo, followed by pumping under high vacuum to remove excess ethyl acetate and ultimately afford a white waxy solid. Recrystallization of the latter material from ethanol/diethyl ether than gave pure 4S-6-fluoro-8-deutero-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, m.p. 228°-231° C. The pure product was further characterized by means of mass spectroscopy, which on comparison with an authentic sample of pure 4S-6-fluoro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, showed that 41% of the final product contains deuterium (i.e., 41% 2 H incorporation occurred in the deuteration step).
EXAMPLE 4
A solution consisting of 60 mg. (0.00022 mole) of 4S-6-fluoro-8-chloro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione (fraction No. 8 obtained in Example 2) dissolved in 4.0 ml. of ethanol containing 0.5 ml. of triethylamine was treated with 100 mg. of 10% palladium on carbon catalyst and stirred in a tritium atmosphere, using an atmospheric hydrogenator (atmospheric pressure) at room temperature (˜20° C.) for a period of 18 hours. At the end of this time, the contents were stripped from the hydrogenator, excess tritium was removed by means of a methanol azeotrope and the catalyst was recovered from the reaction mixture by means of filtration. The resulting filtrate was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue redissolved in a mixture of 5 ml. of methanol and 5 ml. of benzene. At this point, thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis, using 100% pure ethyl acetate as the eluant, showed no starting material to be present. The aforesaid solution, containing crude 4S-6-fluoro- 8-tritio-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, was then concentrated in vacuo and subsequently redissolved in 0.5 ml. of pure ethyl acetate and chromatographed on a 230-400 mesh silica gel column (5 ml. in a 10 ml. pipette), using 100% pure ethyl acetate as the eluant. Fraction Nos. 6 and 7 containing single peak material (as determined by a radioscan of TLC plate) were then combined and subsequently concentrated in vacuo to ultimately afford pure 4S-6-fluoro-8-tritio-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione. The pure product was found to contain 34.6% tritium on comparison with an authentic sample or pure starting material via radiochemical analysis (i.e., 34.6% 3 H incorporation occurred during the course of the above reaction step).
EXAMPLE 5
The conversion of 4S-6,8-difluoro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione to 4S-6-fluoro-8-tritio-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione is also accomplished by reduction over Raney nickel in aqueous potassium hydroxide using tritium gas according to the method of A. J. de Koning [Org. Prep. Proceed. Int., 7, 31-4 (1970)]. Purification of the desired final product is then achieved by using the same high pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) systems earlier employed in Example 1 to isolate the pure starting material. In this particular case, the corresponding final product obtained, viz., 4S-6-fluoro-8-tritio-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione, is identical in every respect with the product of Example 4.
EXAMPLE 6
The following asymmetric spiro-hydantoin compounds of Examples 1 and 2, respectively, were tested at a concentration level of 10 -6 M for their ability to reduce or inhibit aldose reductase enzyme activity via the procedure of S. Hayman et al., as described in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 240, p. 877(1965) and as modified by K. Sestanj et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,383. In each case, the substrate employed was partially purified aldose reductase enzyme obtained from calf lens. The results obtained with each compound are expressed below in terms of their percent inhibition of enzyme activity (%) with respect to the particular concentration level chosen (10 -6 M):
______________________________________ % InhibitionCompound at 10.sup.-6 M______________________________________Product of Example 1 74Product of Example 2 64______________________________________ | The 8-deutero, and 8-tritio-substituted derivatives of D-4S-6-fluoro-spiro-[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione (sorbinil) have been prepared. These compounds all have the 4S-configuration and are of value in the field of medicinal chemistry as aldose reductase inhibitors for the control of chronic diabetic complications. The labeled 8-deutero and 8-tritio derivatives are useful in metabolism pharmacokinetic studies and in binding studies with the drug in animals and man. The 8-halo derivatives are useful as intermediates for the labeled forms of the drug, in addition to being potent aldose reductase inhibitors per se. Methods for the preparation of these compounds are provided in some detail. | 8 |
This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 907,188, filed Sept. 12, 1986, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,446.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to new 23-imino derivatives of the compounds collectively defined as 23-keto C-076 compounds. These C-076 antibiotics preferably are produced by the fermentation of the microorganism Streptomyces avermitilis. The morphological characteristics, compounds and method for the production of the 23-keto C-076 compounds is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,760, issued to Mrozik et al on Sept. 15, 1981 and in German Patent Publication No. P 2717040.7-42 both incorporated herein by reference.
The C-076 compounds are complex macrolides which have a 23-hydroxy substituent, as well as two other hydroxy groups. The selective oxidation of this 23-hydroxy group to a 23-oxo group is disclosed. The present invention provides a further derivatization of the oxo group to afford 23-imino derivatives. These 23-imino derivatives of the C-076 compounds are useful for the prevention, treatment or control of helmintic, ectoparasitic, insect, acarid and nematode infections and infestations in warm-blooded animals and agricultural crops.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides novel 23-imino derivatives of the compounds designated 23-keto (or oxo) C-076 compounds.
The 23-keto C-076 compounds have the following structural formula: ##STR1## wherein, R 1 is isopropyl or sec-butyl;
R 2 is methoxy, hydroxy, lower alkanoyloxy or substituted lower alkanoyloxy wherein the substituent is hydroxy, carboxy, phenoxy or mono-, di- or tri-halo such as trifluoroacetyl, trichloroacetyl, chloroacetyl and the like; and
R 3 is hydrogen, α-L-oleandrosyl, 4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl, 4"-lower alkanoyl-4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl, or 4"(substituted lower alkanoyl)-4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl wherein the substituent is hydroxy, carboxy, phenoxy or mono-, di, or tri-halo such as trifluoroacetyl, trichloroacetyl, chloroacetyl and the like.
The compounds of the present invention are useful anthelmintics, ectoparasiticides, insecticides, acaricides and nematicides in treating, preventing or controlling such diseases in warm-blooded animals, such as poultry, cattle, sheep, swine, rabbits, horses, dogs, cats and human beings and agricultural crops.
Although these diseases have been recognized for years and therapies exist for the treatment and prevention of the diseases, the present invention provides novel compounds in the search for effective such therapy. For instance, U.S. application for Letters Pat. Ser. Nos. 907,186, 907,187, 907,259, 907,281, 907,283 and 907,284 of Asato and Asato et al, filed September 12, 1986 and incorporated herein by reference thereto provide compounds for such treatments. European Patent Application Publication No. 170,006 also provides such compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,360, Aoki et al, April 13, 1976 discloses certain antibiotic substances obtained by culturing a Streptomyces microorganism, said compounds being useful as insecticides and acaricides. Further, an entire series of U.S. patents relates to certain compounds produced by the fermentation of Streptomyces avermitilis (U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,314, Chabala et al, Oct. 16, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,569, Chabala et al, Apr. 22, 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,205, Mrozik et al, June 3, 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,519, Albers-Schonberg, Jan. 12, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,925, Buhs et al, June 8, 1982). U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,209, Mrozik, Dec. 27, 1983 relates to the process of converting some of these less desirable components to more preferred ones. Finally, British Patent Application No. 2166436 A discloses antibiotics also.
The present compounds or the pharmaceutically and pharmacologically acceptable salts thereof exhibit excellent and effective treatment, prevention and/or control of these serious diseases of warm-blooded animals.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide novel 23-imino derivatives of 23-keto C-076 compounds. It is a further object to provide a process for the preparation of these derivatives and to provide methods for preventing, treating or controlling endo and ectoparasitic (collectively parasitic), insect, nematode, acarid and helmintic diseases in warm-blooded animals and agricultural crops by providing compositions containing prophylactically, therapeutically or pharmaceutically-effective amounts of the present novel compounds.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent by the more detailed description of the invention provided hereinbelow.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The 23-keto C-076 compounds which may act as precursors of the present compounds are represented by the following structural formula, ##STR2## wherein, R 1 is isopropyl or sec-butyl;
R 2 is methoxy, hydroxy, lower alkanoyloxy or substituted lower alkanoyloxy wherein the substituent is hydroxy, carboxy, phenoxy or mono-, di- or tri-halo such as trifluoroacetyl, trichloroacetyl, chloroacetyl and the like; and
R 3 is hydrogen, α-L-oleandrosyl, 4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl, 4"-lower alkanoyl-4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl, or 4"(substituted lower alkanoyl)-4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl wherein the substituent is hydroxy, carboxy, phenoxy or mono-, di, or tri-halo such as trifluoroacetyl, trichloroacetyl, chloroacetyl and the like.
The compounds of the instant invention are represented by the following structural formula: ##STR3## wherein,
R 1 is 4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl or α-L-oleandrosyl; R 2 is isopropyl or sec-butyl; R 3 is methoxy, hydroxy, acetoxy, methoxyacetoxy or chloroacetoxy; X is NOR 4 , or N--NHR 5 ; R 4 is hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 4 alkoxymethyl, benzyl, allyl, propargyl, phenyl, CH 2 COO-alkyl (C 1 -C 4 ), N-(C 1 -C 6 alkyl)carbamoyl, N-(allyl)carbamoyl, N-(propargyl)carbamoyl, N-(phenyl)carbamoyl, N-(chlorophenyl)carbamoyl, N-(dichlorophenyl)carbamoyl, N-(benzyl)carbamoyl, C 1 -C 6 alkanoyl, chloroacetyl, methoxyacetyl, phenylacetyl optionally substituted on the phenyl ring with one or two halogens, C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups, or nitro groups, phenoxyacetyl optionally substituted on the phenyl ring by one or two halogens, C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups, or nitro groups, or benzoyl optionally substituted with one or two halogens, C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups, or nitro groups; R 5 is ##STR4## C 1 -C 6 alkanoyl, formyl, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, ##STR5## benzoyl optionally substituted with one or two halogens, C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups, or nitro groups; R 6 and R 7 are hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, or phenyl optionally substituted with one or two halogens, C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups, or nitro groups; R 8 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl or phenyl optionally substituted with one or two halogens, C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups, or nitro groups; R 9 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl or phenyl optionally substituted with one or two halogens, C 1 -C 4 alkyl groups, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy groups, or nitro groups; and the pharmaceutically and pharmacologically acceptable salts thereof.
A preferred group of compounds of structure (I) is defined by
X, R 1 , R 2 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 and R 9 as defined hereinabove; and
R 3 as hydroxy or methoxy.
Another preferred group of compounds of structure (I) is defined by
X is NOR 4 or N--NHR 5 , wherein R 4 is C 1 -C 3 alkyl, CONH-alkyl(C 1 -C 2 ), CONHC 6 H 5 , CONH-4-chlorophenyl, CONH-3,4-dichlorophenyl or CONHCH 2 C 6 H 5 ;
R 5 is ##STR6## or C 1 -C 6 alkyl; R 2 is isopropyl or sec-butyl;
R 3 is hydroxy; and
R 1 , R 6 , R 7 and R 8 are as defined hereinabove.
The most preferred group of compounds of structure (I) is where
X is NOR 4 or N--NHR 5
R 1 is 4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl.
R 2 is isopropyl or sec-butyl;
R 3 is hydroxy;
R 4 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl; and
R 5 is ##STR7##
The imino derivatives of the 23-keto (oxo) compounds are readily prepared by standard techniques such as procedures described by S. M. McElvain in The Characterization of Organic Compounds, published by MacMillan Company, New York, 1953, pages 204-205 and incorporated herein by reference.
Typically, a 23-oxo compound is stirred in alcohol, such as methanol or ethanol, or dioxane in the presence of acetic acid and an excess of the amino derivatizing agent, such as hydroxylamine hydrochloride, methoxyamine hydrochloride, semicarbazide hydrochloride and the like along with an equivalent amount of sodium acetate, at room temperature (25° C.) to 50° C. The reaction is usually complete in several hours to several days at room temperature but can be readily speeded by heating.
The compounds of structure (I) wherein X is NOR 4 and R 4 is C 1 -C 6 alkoxycarbonyl, chloroacety, methoxyacety, phenylacety, C 1 -C 6 alkyl-NHCO, are prepared by treating the structure (I) compounds, wherein X is NOH, with acid anhydrides or isocyanates. The reactions are conducted in inert solvents, such as methylene chloride, ethylene dichloride or dioxane, in the presence of a tertiary amine such as triethylamine or diisopropylethylamine. Generally, the reactions are conducted from 0° C. to room temperature (25° C.), but if the reactions are sluggish, heat is applied. An equivalent to a slight excess of the acid anhydride is used to avoid reaction at the 5- or 4"-hydroxy groups.
The novel compounds of the present invention have significant activity as anthelmintics, ectoparasiticides, insecticides, nematicides and acaricides in human and animal health areas and in agriculture.
The disease or group of diseases described generally as helminthiasis is due to infection of an animal host with parasitic worms known as helminths. Helminthiasis is a prevalent and serious economic problem in domesticated animals such as swine, sheep, horses, cattle, goats, dogs, cats and poultry. Among the helminths, the group of worms described as nematodes causes widespread and often times serious infection in various species of animals. The most common genera of nematodes infecting the animals referred to above are Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Ostertagia, Nematodirus, Cooperia, Ascaris, Bunostomum, Oestophagostomum, Chabertia, Trichuris, Strongylus, Trichonema, Dictyocaulus, Capillaria, Heterakis, Toxocara, Ascaridia, Oxyuris, Ancylostoma, Uncinaria, Toxascaris and Paracaris. Certian of these, such as Nematodirus, Cooperia, and Oesphagostomum primarily attack the intestinal tract while others, such as Haemonchus and Ostertagia, are most prevalent in the stomach. Still others such as Dictyocaulus are found in the lungs. Also, other parasites may be located in other tissues and organs of the body such as the heart and blood vessels, subcutaneous and lymphatic tissue and the like. The parasitic infections known as helminthiases lead to anemia, malnutrition, weakness, weight loss, severe damage to the walls of the intestinal tract and other tissues and organs, and if left untreated, may result in death of the infected host. The 23-imino derivatives of the 23-keto C-076 compounds of this invention unexpectedly have high activity against these parasites. Additionally, they also are active against Dirofilaria in dogs, Nematospiroides, Syphacia, Aspiculuris in rodents, arthropod ectoparasites such as ticks, mites, lice, fleas, blowfly of animals and birds, the ectoparasite Lucilia sp. of sheep, biting insects and migrating dipterous larvae such as Hypoderma sp. in cattle, Gastrophilus in horses and Cuterebra sp. in rodents.
The compounds of the present invention also are useful in treating, preventing or controlling parasites which infect human beings, as well. The most common genera of parasites of the gastrointestinal tract of man are Ancylostoma, Necator, Ascaris, Strongyloides, Trichinella, Capillaria, Trichuris, and Enterobius. Other medically important genera of parasites which are found in the blood or other tissues and organs outside the gastrointestinal tract are the filiarial worms such as Wuchereria, Brugia, Onchocerca and Loa, Dracunculus and extra-intestinal stages of the intestinal worms Strongyloides and Trichinella. The present compounds also are of value against arthropods parasitizing man, biting insects and other dipterous pests causing annoyance to man.
These compounds further are active against household pests such as the cockroach, Blattella sp., clothes moth, Tineola sp., carpet beetle, Attagenus sp., and the housefly Musca domestica.
Insect pests of stored grains such as Tribolium sp., Tenebrio sp., and of agricultural plants such as spider mites (Tetranycus sp.), southern army worms, tobacco budworms, boll weevils, aphids (Acyrthiosiphon sp.), migratory orthopterans such as locusts and immature stages of insects living on plant tissue are controlled by the present compounds as well as the control of soil nematodes and plant parasites such as Meloidogyne sp., which may be of importance in agriculture.
The compounds of the present invention may be administered orally or parenterally for animal and human usage, while they may be formulated in liquid or solid form for agricultural use. Oral administration may take the form of a unit dosage form such as a capsule, bolus or tablet, or as a liquid drench where used as an anthelmintic for animals.
The animal drench is normally a solution, suspension or dispersion of the active compound, usually in water, together with a suspending agent such as bentonite and a wetting agent or like excipient. Generally, the drenches also contain an antifoaming agent. Drench formulations generally contain about 0.001% to 0.5%, by weight, of the active compound. Preferred drench formulations contain about 0.01% to 0.1% by weight.
Capsules and boluses comprise the active ingredient admixed with a carrier vehicle such as starch, talc, magnesium stearate or di-calcium phosphate.
Where it is desired to administer the 23-imino derivatives of C-076 in a dry, solid unit dosage form, capsules, boluses or tablets containing the desired amount of active compound usually are employed. These dosage forms are prepared by intimately and uniformly mixing the active ingredient with suitable finely divided diluents, fillers, disintegrating agents and/or binders such as starch, lactose, talc, magnesium stearate, vegetable gums and the like. Such unit dosage formulations may be varied widely with respect to their total weight and content of the active compound depending upon factors such as the type of host animal to be treated, the severity and type of infection and the weight of the host.
When the active compound is to be administered via an animal feedstuff, it is intimately dispersed in the feed or used as a top dressing or in the form of pellets which may then be added to the finished feed or optionally fed separately. Alternatively, the active compounds of the present invention may be administered to animals parenterally, such as by intraruminal, intramuscular, intratracheal, or subcutaneous injection. In such an event, the active compound is dissolved or dispersed in a liquid carrier vehicle.
For parenteral administration, the active compound is suitable admixed with an acceptable vehicle, preferably of the vegetable oil variety such as peanut oil, cotton seed oil and the like. Other parenteral vehicles such as organic preparations using solketal, propylene glycol, glycerol formal, and aqueous parenteral formulation also are used. The active 23-imino compound or compounds of the present invention are dissolved or suspended in the parenteral formulation for administration. Such formulations generally contain about 0.005% to 5%, by weight, of the active compound.
Although the compounds of the present invention are primarily uses in the treatment, prevention or control of helminthiasis, they also are useful in the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by other parasites. For example, arthropod parasites such as ticks, lice, fleas, mites and other biting insects in domesticated animals and poultry are controlled by the present compounds. These compounds also are effective in treatment of parasitic diseases that occur in other animals including human beings. The optimum amount to be employed will, of course, depend upon the particular compound employed, the species ofanimal to be treated and the type and severity of parasitic infection or infestation. Generally, the amount useful in oral administration of these novel compounds is about 0.001 mg to 10 mg per kg of animal body weight, such total dose being given at one time or in divided doses over a relativelyshort period of time (1-5 days). The preferred compounds of the invention give excellent control of such parasites in animals by administering about 0.025 mg to 3 mg per kg of animal body weight in a single dose. Repeat treatments are given as required to combat re-infections and are dependent upon the species of parasite and the husbandry techniques being employed. The techniques for administering these materials to animals are known to those skilled in the veterinary field.
When the compounds described herein are administered as a component of the animal's feed, or dissolved or suspended in the drinking water, compositions are provided in which the active compound or compounds are intimately dispersed in an inert carrier or diluent. An inert carrier is one that will not react with the active component and that will be administered safely to animals. Preferably, a carrier for feed administration is one that is, or may be, an ingredient of the animal ration.
Suitable compositions include feed premixes or supplements in which the active compound is present in relatively large amounts, wherein said feed premixes or supplements are suitable for direct feeding to the animal or for addition to the feed either directly or after an intermediate dilution or blending step.
Typical carriers or diluents suitable for such compositions include distillers' dried grains, corn meal, citrus meal, fermentation residues, ground oyster shells, wheat shorts, molasses solubles, corn cob meal, edible bean mill feed, soya grints, crushed limestone and the like. The active compounds are intimately dispersed throughout the carrier by methods such as grinding, stirring, milling or tumbling. Compositions containing about 0.005% to 2.0%, by weight, of the active compound are particularly suitable as feed premixes.
Feed supplements, which are fed directly to the animal, contain about 0.0002% to 0.3%, by weight, of the active compounds. Such supplements are added to the animal feed in an amount to give the finished feed the concentration of active compound desired for the treatment, prevention and/or control of parasitic diseases. Although the desired concentration of active compound will vary depending upon the factors previously mentioned as well as upon the particular derivative employed, the compounds of this invention are usually fed at concentrations of about 0.00001% to 0.02% in the feed in order to achieve the desired antiparasitic result.
The compounds also may be administered by pouring on the skin of animals via a solution. Generally, the active compounds are dissolved in a suitable inert solvent, such as dimethylsulfoxide, propylene glycol of the like, alternatively in combination of solvents, for the pour-on administration.
The compounds of this invention also are useful in combating agricultural pests that inflict damage upon growing or stored crops. The present compounds are applied, using known techniques such as sprays, dusts, emulsions and the like, to the growing or stored crops to effect protection from such agricultural pests.
The present invention is illustrated by the following examples which are illustrated of said invention and not limitative thereof.
EXAMPLES 1 AND 2
23-Methoxime-C-076-B2a
In 54 mL of dry dioxane, 89 mg of 23-keto-C-076-B2a is stirred with 64 mg of MeONH 2 .HCl, 63 mg of NaOAc and 11 mL of HOAc for 24 hours. The mixture is poured into 200 mL each of CH 2 Cl 2 and H 2 O, and the layers are separated. The aqueous layer is further extracted with 50 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 , and the combined CH 2 Cl 2 extracts are washed with H 2 O, dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The crude product is purified by preparative layer chromatography (silica gel) using 5% MeOH in CH 2 Cl 2 to afford the title compound, that is identified by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy.
The 23-methoxime-C-076-B2b is prepared similarly.
EXAMPLES 3-15
In the manner described in Examples 1 and 2, the following compounds are prepared by substituting the appropriate O-substituted hydroxylamine hydrochloride for MeONH 2 .HCl, as needed, and purifying the products by chromatograph on silica gel. The products are identified by mass spectroscopy and NMR spectroscopy.
______________________________________ ##STR8##R.sub.1 = 4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyloxy.R.sub.4 R.sub.2 R.sub.3______________________________________C.sub.2 H.sub.5 OCOCH.sub.2 sec-butyl OHC.sub.2 H.sub.5 sec-butyl OHH sec-butyl OHn-C.sub.3 H.sub.7 sec-butyl OHi-C.sub.3 H.sub.7 sec-butyl OHn-C.sub.6 H.sub.13 sec-butyl OHPropargyl- sec-butyl OHAllyl- sec-butyl OHBenzyl- sec-butyl OHC.sub.2 H.sub.5 i-propyl OCH.sub.3C.sub.2 H.sub.5 sec-butyl OCH.sub.3Phenyl- sec-butyl OHH i-propyl OH______________________________________
EXAMPLE 16
4", 5-Di-O-(t-Butyldimethylsilyl)-23-oxime-C-076-B2a
In the manner described in Examples 1 and 2, 4", 5-di-O-(t-butyldimethylsilyl)-23-keto-C-076-B2a is treated with NH 2 OH.HCl to afford the title product. Purification is completed by chromatography on silica gel, and the title compound is characterized by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy.
EXAMPLE 17
23-[O-(Methylcarbamoyl)oxime]-C-076-B2a
In 5 mL of Et 2 O, 35 mg of 4", 5-di-O-(t-butyldimethylsilyl)-23-oxime-C-076-B2a is stirred under N 2 with 10 μl of Et 3 N and 50 μL of methyl isocyanate for 24 hours at room temperature. The ether is evaporated, and the residue is purified on a preparative chromatograpic plate (silica gel) using 5% MeOH in CH 2 Cl 2 . The product is then dissolved in 2 mL of MeOH containing p-toluenesulfonic acid.H 2 O (2 mole equivalents) and stirred for 0.5 hours. Then, EtOAc is added, and the solution is washed with NaHCO 3 solution and H 2 O (3×2 ml) and dried (Na 2 SO 4 ). Removal of solvents affords the title compound that is identified by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy.
EXAMPLE 18
4", 5-Di-O-(t-Butyldimethylsilyl)-23-keto-C-076-B2a
In 5 mL of DMF containing 0.5 g of 23-keto-C-076-B2a, 250 mg of imidazole is added followed by 250 mg of t-butyldimethylsilyl chloride. The reaction mixtures is stirred under N 2 for 3 hours at 15° C., and 75 mL of Et 2 O and 25 mL of H 2 O are added. The layers are separated, and the aqueous layer is extracted further with Et 2 O. The combined Et 2 O layers are washed with H 2 O several times, dried (M 9 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The residue is purified by preparative layer chromatography using 5% MeOH in CH 2 Cl 2 . The title compound is identified by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy.
EXAMPLE 19
23-[O-(Acetyl)oxime]-C-076-B2a
In 0.5 mL of pyridine, 25 mg of 4", 5-di-O(t-butyldimethylsilyl)-23-oxime-C-076-B2a is stirred at 0° C. while 0.05 mL of Ac 2 O is added. The mixture is allowed to stir at room temperature for 2 hours and poured into ice-water. The mixture is extracted with CH 2 Cl 2 , and the extract is washed with 5% NaHCO 3 solution. After drying (Na 2 SO 4 ), the CH 2 Cl 2 is evaporated to dryness and the residue is dissolved in 2 mL of MeOH and stirred with 20 mg of p-toluenesulfonic acid hydrate at 15° C. for 0.5 hours. The mixture is diluted with 5 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 , and the solution is washed with dilute NaHCO 3 solution and water. The solution is dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and chromatographed over silica gel using 2% MeOH in CH 2 Cl 2 to afford the title compound that is identified by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy.
The title compound also is prepared by dissolving 100 mg of 23-oxime-C-076-B2a in 3 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 containing 52 mg of diisopropylethylamine and adding 25 mg of acetic anhydride in 0.5 mL of Ch 2 Cl 2 at 0° C. After an hour, the mixture is quenched with ice, extracted with CH 2 Cl 2 , and the CH 2 Cl 2 solution is evaporated to dryness. The crude product is then purified by chromatography in the manner described hereinabove to afford the title compound.
EXAMPLE 20-26
23-[O-(substituted)oxime]-C-076-Compounds
In the manners described in Example 19, the following compounds are prepared by using the requisite acid anhydride with appropriate 23-oxime-C-076 compounds
______________________________________ ##STR9##R.sub.1 R.sub.2 R.sub.3______________________________________ClCH.sub.2 CO sec-butyl OHCH.sub.3 OH.sub.2 CO sec-butyl OHn-C.sub.3 H.sub.7 CO sec-butyl OHbenzyl-CO sec-butyl OHbenzoyl- sec-butyl OHCH.sub.3 OCH.sub.2 CO i-propyl OHCH.sub.3 OCH.sub.2 CO sec-butyl CH.sub.3 O______________________________________
and R 1 is 4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl.
EXAMPLES 27-37
23-[O-(N-substituted carbamoyl)oxime]-C-076-B2a (or B2b) Compounds
In the manner described in Example 17, the following 23-O-(N-substituted carbamoyl)oximes of C-076 compounds are prepared by using the appropriate isocyanates and 4", 5-di-O-(t-butyldimethylsilyl)-23-oxime-C-076-B2a (or B2b) compounds:
______________________________________ ##STR10##R.sub.4 R.sub.2______________________________________C.sub.2 H.sub.5 NCO sec-butyli-C.sub.3 H.sub.7 NHCO sec-butyln-C.sub.6 H.sub.13 NHCO sec-butylBenzyl-NHCO sec-butylPhenyl-NHCO sec-butyl3,4-Dichlorophenyl-NHCO sec-butyl4-Chlorophenyl-NHCO sec-butylAllyl-NHCO sec-butylPropargyl-NHCO sec-butylC.sub.2 H.sub.5 NHCO .sub.-i-propylCH.sub.3 NHCO .sub.-i-propyl______________________________________
and R 1 is 4'-(α-L-oleandrosyl)-α-L-oleandrosyl.
EXAMPLES 38-39
23-Methoxime-C-076-B2a-4", 5-di-O-Acetate
By the procedure described in Examples 1 and 2, 23-keto-C-076-B2a-4", 5-di-O-acetate is reacted with MeONH 2 .HCl to afford the title compound that is purified over silica gel and identified by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy.
Similarly, the 23-methoxime-C-076-B2a-5-O-acetate is prepared in the above manner from its corresponding ketone.
EXAMPLE 40
23-Methoxime-C-076-B2a-4", 5-di-O-chloroacetate
In the manner described in Examples 1 and 2, 23-keto-C-076-B2a-4", 5-di-O-chloroacetate is converted into the title compound. This is then purified by chromatography over silica gel and identified by mass spectral analysis and NMR spectroscopy.
EXAMPLES 41-47
23-(2-Carbomethoxyhydrazone)-C-076-B2a
In 15 mL of MeOH, 50 mg of 23-keto-C-076-B2a is stirred with 25 mg of methyl carbazate in the presence of 10 μL of HOAc. After 3 days, the mixture is poured on ice and diluted with H 2 O. The aqueous phase is saturated with sale, and then is extracted CH 2 Cl 2 several times. The extracts are dried (Na 2 SO 4 ) and evaporated to dryness. The residue is chromatographed on silica gel using 2% isopropanol in CH 2 Cl 2 as eluent to afford the title compound.
In the same manner, the 2-carbethoxyhydrazone and 2-carbobutoxyhydrazones are prepared using the corresponding carbazates. The 2-carbomethoxyhydrazone and 2-carbethoxyhydrazones of 13-deoxy-23-oxo-C-076-B2a-aglycone are also prepared in the same manner. Also 1-methylhydrazine and acethydrazide are substituted for methylcarbazate to afford 23-(1-methylhydrazone)-C-076-B2a and 23-(acethydrazone)-C-076-B2a, respectively.
EXAMPLES 48-55
23-Semicarbazide-C-076-B2a
In the manner described in Examples 1 and 2, semicarbazide hydrochloride is substituted for MeONH 2 .HCl, and the reaction mixture is stirred for 6 days to afford the title compound after purification by chromatography.
Similarly, the semicarbazone and thiosemicarbazone of 13-deoxy-23-oxo-C-076-B2a-aglycone are prepared from the corresponding N-substituted thiosemicarbazides and semicarbazides.
______________________________________ ##STR11##R.sub.6 R.sub.7______________________________________CH.sub.3 HCH.sub.3 CH.sub.3n-C.sub.4 H.sub.9 HCH.sub.3 H (thiosemicarbazone)CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 (thiosemicarbazone)______________________________________
EXAMPLES 56-59
Imino Derivatives of 23-Keto-C-076-B2a-Monosaccaride
The following 23-imino derivatives of 23-keto-C-076-B2a-monosaccaride are prepared using the methods in the Examples specified:
______________________________________23-Methoxime Examples 1 and 223-Semicarbazone Examples 48-5523-(1-Methylhydrazone) Examples 41-4723-Acethydrazone Examples 41-47______________________________________ | The present invention relates to novel 23-imino derivatives of the compounds collectively referred to as 23-keto C-076 compounds. The C-076 compounds (collectively) are isolates from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces avermitilis. These novel compounds have potent anthelmintic, insecticidal, ectoparasiticidal, nematicidal and acaricidal activity. Compositions containing these 23-imino derivatives of 23-keto C-076 also are described herein. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a mounting strip with carpet gripping means for relocatable partition walls.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Movable partition walls are often installed over fully carpeted areas to eliminate any carpet patching when the movable partitions are relocated. Power driven fasteners, which are typically used in this type of installation, are driven through the floor runner, carpet, and into the floor. Upon removal of these penetrating fasteners, damage to the floor and carpeting may occur. If the floor is concrete, when the penetrating fasteners are removed, the concrete surface crumbles into mounds, thereby causing visible bulges in the carpeting. Damage also may occur as a result of the partition weight crushing carpet fibers.
With the desirability of relocating partition walls in carpeted areas, such as in offices, schools and residential recreational areas, it would be desirable to allow such versatility without damage to flooring and carpeting. It would also be very useful to provide a mounting strip which may be relocated and reusable at other locations for movable partition wall systems.
(3) Objects of the Invention
It is accordingly a primary object of the invention to provide a mounting strip for mounting relocatable partition walls over carpeted flooring without damage to carpet fibers or flooring.
It is also a goal of the invention to provide a mounting strip which can accommodate floor runners disposed between spaced apart rows of partition walls.
It is an allied object of the invention to provide a mounting strip which provides support shelves for mounting wall panels thereon and avoids damage to carpeting.
It is additionally a goal of the invention to provide a mounting strip which is easily affixed to carpeted flooring and may be readily removed without damage to the carpet or the floor below.
It is a concomitant goal of the invention to provide a mounting strip that is capable of gripping a carpet and adapted to support wall panels thereon, which resists lateral movement of the floor runner and eliminates normally required floor fasteners.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In satisfying all the aims, objects and goals of the invention as set forth, a mounting strip with carpet gripping means for relocatable partition walls is provided. The mounting strip comprises a central portion having a generally rectangular configuration, support shelves integral with said central portion and extending outwardly from marginal edges thereof, a multiplicity of barbs extending downwardly from said mounting strip, and locating tabs extending upwardly from said central portion along said marginal edges defining an accommodating path for floor runners therebetween. Said mounting strip being capable of gripping a carpet at said barbs and adapted to support wall panels along said support shelves while accommodating floor runners between said locating tabs. Whereby said mounting strip is movable without harmfully affecting a carpet to permit relocation of a movable partition wall construction mounted thereon.
Further aims and objects of the invention are attained by the provision of a movable partition wall constructed over a carpeted floor. Said partition wall comprises two spaced-apart rows of panels with studs supporting said panels at wall panel joints and floor runners extending between said rows of panels in supportive engagement with said panels. The movable partition wall further includes a mounting strip for accommodating said floor runners and supporting said wall panels. The mounting strip comprises a central portion, integral support shelves extending outwardly from marginal side edges of central portion, a multiplicity of carpet gripping barbs extending downwardly from said mounting strip, and locating tabs extending upwardly from said central portion and being spaced apart a sufficient distance to accommodate said floor runners therebetween. The wall panels of said movable partition wall being supported along the support shelves and said floor runners disposed between said locating tabs. The movable partition wall constructed over a carpeted floor further includes a floor with covering comprising carpeting wherein said carpeting is gripped by the barbs of the mounting strip and supporting said mounting strip thereon. Wherein said partition wall construction is demountable and said mounting strip is disengageable from said carpeting without harmfully affecting said carpet and floor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view partially broken away showing the mounting strip of this invention in its preferred embodiment for use with a conventional partition wall.
FIG. 2 is an end view of the inventive mounting strip of this invention shown in an exploded alignment with a conventional partition wall as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the mounting strip as shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the mounting strip as shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is an end view of the mounting strip, alone, similar to FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is an alternate preferred embodiment for the mounting strip as installed with a conventional partition wall in a partially exposed perspective view.
FIG. 7 is another alternate preferred embodiment for the mounting strip of this invention shown in a perspective view for use with a conventional partition wall.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates the use of this invention with a conventional partition wall 10. Conventional partition wall 10 is easily removable in a fashion widely known to the industry and as such the ability to mount it over carpeted flooring is desirable. Conventional partition wall 10 comprises spaced apart wall panels 11 meeting at joints and interengaged by studs 12, which have a general H-shape. Other widely used removable studs configurations are equally suitable for use with this invention as would be well understood. Disposed between, and supportive thereof, wall panels 11 is floor runner 13. Floor runner 13 comprises a conventional channel-shape suitable for affixation of wall panels 11 by means of screw fasteners 14. Screw fasteners 14 are conventionally known dry wall screws for such purposes. Along lower portions of wall panels 11, covering screw fasteners 14 and providing a decorative appearance, is base trim 15. Base trim 15 is shown partially removed for better illustration. Conventional partition wall 10 is supported atop floor 16 having a covering comprising carpet 17. In order to provide for such removability, it is very desirable to allow conventional partition wall 10 to be removed without damage to the fibers of carpet 17 or to floor 16. In satisfaction thereof, mounting strip 18 is provided for utilization with conventional partition wall 10 to attain these goals.
To more fully describe the utilization of mounting strip 18, joint reference is now made to FIGS. 1 and 2. In its preferred form, mounting strip 18 comprises a central portion 19 having opposite ends 20 and opposite marginal edges 21. Central portion 19 thus has a generally rectangular-shape. Extending adjacent central portion 19 are support shelves 22 integrally connected at opposite marginal edges 21 of central portion 19. In its preferred form, support shelves 22 and central portion 19 are co-planar. Support shelves 22 are thus envisioned as being continuing planar adjacent surfaces for support of wall panels 11 thereon. In order to facilitate ease of installation, support shelves 22 terminate at downwardly angled lip portions 23. Thus, wall panels 11 may be positioned atop support shelves 22 in a facile manner. Mounting strip 18 accommodates floor runner 13 by means of locating tabs 26. Locating tabs 26 are struck out from mounting strip 18 generally along opposite marginal edges 21 of central portion 19. In the preferred form, locating tabs 26 are struck out adjacent opposite ends 20. In this formation, a mounting strip 18 is provided at stud 12 locations at joints between wall panels. Thereby, each wall panel will be supported at its opposite edges by a mounting strip 18 at stud 12 locations. In order to accommodate sufficient supportive engagement for conventional partition wall 10, mounting strip 18 is provided in a preferred length of from about 4" to about 12" . To afford resistance to lateral forces and to securely maintain conventional partition wall 10 in place, barbs 27 are provided. Barbs 27 are struck downward from mounting strip 18 for engagement with carpet 17. Preferably, barbs 27 are struck out downwardly from both central portion 19 and support shelves 22. Barbs 27 are provided both in longitudinal and transverse alignments for proper securement as shown in FIG. 2 more clearly. It is however within the scope of the invention, that barbs 27 may only be struck out from central portion 19 or from support shelves 22. This is envisioned within the range of construction for mounting strip 18.
Continuing further with FIGS. 1 and 2, mounting strip 18 is shown to be an easily positioned means for support of conventional partition wall 10 while yet affording proper support for wall panels 11. By supporting wall panels 11 atop support shelves 22, crushing of carpet fibers of carpet 17 is minimized. Moreover, in previous carpet mounting designs, mechanical fasteners would be driven into floor 16 through carpet 17. Such fasteners may be nails, screws, or other driven mechanical fasteners. One of the problems which the invention solves is the elimination of damage to both carpet and flooring incidental to such fastening techniques. When these previously used fasteners are removed in order to relocate or completely remove a conventional partition wall, damage to the floor may be evident by mounds of material which are left as the fasteners are removed. Plus, carpet fibers may be torn or shreaded at such engagement points. Thus mounting strip 18 alleviates these problems while yet affording excellent supportive engagement for conventional partition wall 10.
With more specific regard to mounting strip 18, reference is now made to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. FIG. 3 shows mounting strip 18 from a top view. As can be seen, central portion 19 is generally provided as existing between locating tabs 26 wherein opposite marginal edges 21 are the imaginary parallel lines extending longitudinal of mounting strip 18 generally in line with locating tabs 26. Support shelves 22 extend adjacent central portion 19 along opposite marginal edges 21 and are integral therewith. Support shelves 22 are provided to accommodate the particular width of wall panels 11 used. Such widths are of a conventional dimension of from about 3/8" to about 1". The width of central portion 19 is provided to accommodate floor runner 13 between locating tabs 26. Accordingly, the width of central portion 19 can vary with the particular dimension of floor runner 13 used. Such dimension may be in the range of from about 1" to about 4" depending on the wall construction. Mounting stip 18 is preferrably comprised of steel and may be manufactured by conventional equipment. A preferrable thickness is 26 gauge (0.0217") and comprises hot dipped galvanized steel. The range of gauges for mounting strip 18 is not critical but it is envisioned that such thickness would be most suitably found in the ranges of from between 18 gauge to 30 gauge. The lip portions 23 generally incline downwardly at a preferred angle of about 30° for positioning wall panels 11 thereon. Such downward angle is again not critical and may be provided in a range of from about 0° to about 45°. Additionally, the length of mounting strip 18, in the preferred form, is about 8" with about twenty five barbs 27 struck downwardly from both central portion 19 and support shelves 22, as previously described. In order to facilitate resistance to both lateral forces and longitudinal forces, approximately half of barbs 27 will be oriented longitudinal of mounting strip 18 with the remainder transverse. It is additionally envisioned that barbs 27 do not extend downwardly from that part of central portion 19 between locating tabs 26, but may, however, be alternately provided at these locations within the scope of the invention. Lip portions 23 may alternately be deleted and mounting strip 18 would simply afford support shelves 22 for positioning of wall panels 11 thereon. Base trim 15, which would be lastly installed, covers screw fasteners 14 and covers lip portions 23, if provided.
Turning now to FIG. 6, an alternate preferred embodiment for the invention is shown as mounting strip 18a. Similar reference numerals in FIG. 6 correspond to reference numerals previously mentioned with regard to FIGS. 1-5. Whereby, conventional partition wall 10a is shown with wall panels 11a spaced apart in parallel relationship. 13a is shown for affixation of wall panels 11a by means of screw fasteners 14a passing therethrough. In this embodiment base trim 15a is again provided for decorative covering of screw fasteners 14a. Conventional partition wall 10a is supported atop floor 16a covered by carpeting 17a. Conventional partition wall 10a has wall panels 11a supported along mounting strip 18a with all panels 11a resting upon support shelves 22a. Mounting strip 18a has central portion 19a with opposite ends 20a and opposite marginal edges 21a. Central portion 19a has an elongate rectangular configuration. In this embodiment, mounting strip 18a is provided for the full extent of wall panels 11a and thus bottom surfaces of wall panels 11a rest for their full length atop support shelves 22a as shown. In this Figure support shelves 20a do not include lip portions but lip portions could be provided as previously discussed. For accommodation and positioning of floor runners 13a, locating tab 26a are struck upwardly from mounting strip 18a generally along opposite marginal edges 21a of central portion 19a. Support shelves 22a are integral with, and adjacent to, central portion 19a and a co-planar relationship is thereby provided. In the embodiment of FIG. 6 mounting strip 18a has locating tabs 26a at spaced-apart intervals along opposite marginal edges 21a intermediate opposite ends 20a, rather than adjacent opposite ends 20a. It is preferable that locating tabs 26a be provided in opposing pairs at these spaced-apart intervals. Thus, a symmetric relationship is disclosed for ease of manufacture and installation. However, locating tabs 26a may be staggered along either side as would be well understood. Mounting strip 18a may be provided in varying lengths. A single mounting strip 18a could be provided for the full extent of a wall panel 11a, wherein a conventional wall panel 11a width would be from about 24" to about 48". Longer lengths could be manufactured for extension beneath all or most of a wall construction. Lengths could also be provided equal to, or less than, the widths of panels and as such a series of mounting strips 18a could be abutted end-to-end. Barbs 27a are shown struck downwardly from mounting strip 18a both along central portion 19a and support shelves 22a. However, within the scope of this invention, and within the ambit of the alternate preferred embodiment from mounting strip 18a, barbs 27a may be struck downwardly only from central portion 19a, or only from support shelves 22a. Barbs 27a, similar to barbs 27 of the embodiment for mounting strip 18, are desirably provided both longitudinal and transverse of mounting strip 18a to afford resistance to both lateral and longitudinal forces in supportive engagement with carpet 17a. However, all, or a majority, of barbs could be provided parallel of mounting strip when longitudinal forces are not anticipated. The distance between locating tabs 26a across central portion 19a corresponds to the particular dimension for the particular floor runner 13a width utilized. Such dimension is typically in the range up from about 1" to about 4".
With reference now taken to FIG. 7, another alternate embodiment for the mounting strip of this invention is shown as mounting strip 18b. Mounting strip 18b is shown supporting wall panels 11b of conventional partition wall 10b. Conventional partition wall 10b utilizes wall panels 11b in a spaced-apart relationship meeting at joints. Floor runner 13b is disposed for affixation of screw fasteners 14b for supportive engagement of wall panels 11b thereto. Mounting strip 18b provides central portion 19b having opposite ends 20b and opposite marginal edges 21b. Support shelves 22b extend adjacent and integrally from central portion 19b along marginal edges 21b. Similarly, support shelves 22b and central portion 19b extend in the same plane. Support shelves 22b are provided in widths to accommodate the particular wall panel 11b widths involved. In the alternate preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7, mounting strip 18b is characterized by the provision wherein support shelves 22b, rather than terminating in lip portions, terminate in upwardly extending flanges 24b, which in turn terminate at upper portions in outwardly angled lip portions 25b. Thus, wall panels 11b are disposed between locating tabs 26b and upwardly extending flanges 24b. The outwardly angled lip portions 25b facilitate positioning of wall panels 11b upon support shelves 22b. In this embodiment, a base trim 15b is provided in a slotted configuration for nesting atop upwardly extending flanges 24b as shown. Thereby base trim 15b decoratively covers screw fasteners 14b to provide an esthetically pleasing base portion. Locating tabs 26b are again preferably provided in opposing pairs at spaced apart intervals along opposite marginal edges 21b of central portion 19b. Mounting strip 18b, similar to alternate preferred embodiment 18a, could be provided for continuous support of wall panels 11b along support shelves 22b, or may also be provided in shorter lengths for location at joints similar to the preferred embodiment for mounting strip 18. One length, or a multiplicity of strips, may be provided. When more than one length is used, mounting strips 18b could abut end-to-end to provide said continuous support, as would be well understood. In the preferred embodiment, wall panels 11b rest completely atop support shelves 22b over carpeting 17b. Damage to floor 16b and carpet 17b is minimized allowing removability of conventional partition wall 10b therefrom. The thickness of mounting strip 18b, as well as 18a, corresponds to the dimensions previously discussed, for mounting strip 18.
In the embodiments of conventional partition walls 10, 10a, and 10b, channel-shaped floor runners and H-shape studs are envisioned. However, other demountable partition assemblies utilizing other configurations can be accommodated within the scope of this invention. The accommodation of floor runners 13, 13a and 13b between locating tabs 26, 26a and 26b affords positive installation. It is also to be noted that the upwardly extending flanges 24b of mounting strip 18b may extend upwardly and angle inwardly from support shelves 22b, as shown in FIG. 7, and are not limited to a right angle intersection thereto. Barbs 27b of mounting strip 18b, as shown in FIG. 7, may be struck downward from both central portion 19b and support shelves 22b, or from either of those portions, sufficient to resist lateral and longitudinal forces affecting conventional partition wall 10b.
Thus it is seen that a mounting strip has been provided for utilization with conventional partition wall construction permitting demountability from a carpeted floor surface without damage to the flooring or the carpeting. While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. | A mounting strip with carpet gripping means for relocatable partition walls is disclosed. Said mounting strip comprises a central portion having a generally rectangular configuration, support shelves integral with said central portion and extending outwardly from marginal edges thereof, a multiplicity of barbs extending downwardly from said mounting strip, locating tabs extending upwardly from said central portion along said marginal edges defining an accommodating path for floor runners therebetween. Said mounting strip is capable of gripping a carpet at said barbs and adapted to support wall panels along said support shelves and accommodate floor runners between said locating tabs. Said mounting strip is removable without harmfully affecting a carpet to permit relocation of a movable partition wall construction mountable thereon. | 4 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automated multiple rip saw feeding and sawing apparatus wherein the boards are inspected to identify the maximum usable clear area of each board, and the boards are then sequentially passed through a multiple rip saw to form a plurality of components.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many high quality manufactured wood products require the use of wood components which are free of any imperfections, such as knots, splits, bowed edges, or the like. Thus it is conventional practice to manually inspect each board to locate any such imperfections, and to then manually pass the boards through a rip saw so as to remove the portion of the board containing the imperfection. As a result, a substantial portion of many of the boards becomes waste.
In one prior inspection and sawing process which is intended to reduce the waste, each board is delivered to an inspection station where a pair of parallel lines of laser light are projected so as to extend longitudinally along the length of the board. The positioning of the light lines are manually adjusted in the lateral direction, so that the operator is able to define one straight side edge of the board and the maximum clear area of the board from the identified straight side edge. The board is then delivered to a saw feeding table which is designed to support the board as it is fed longitudinally through a multiple rip saw. The saw feeding table includes provision for projecting a second pair of lines of laser light onto the saw feeding table in accordance with the setting provided by the operator at the inspection station for each board. The lines projected onto the saw feeding table are then used by a second operator at the saw feeding station to laterally position a movable guide fence, which is designed to engage one side edge of the board and which thereby serves to guide the board in its longitudinal advance through the multiple rip saws and so as to achieve the most effective use of the identified clear area of the board.
While the above system of inspection and sawing of the boards is reasonably effective in reducing waste, it is labor intensive in that two operators are required, and it is expensive in that two laser light systems are required. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an automated rip saw feeding apparatus which is able to avoid the above noted disadvantages and limitations of the prior system, and which is able to maximize the yield of the boards.
It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide an automated multiple rip saw feeding apparatus wherein each board to be cut into components is automatically aligned with a multiple rip saw so as to maximize the yield of the board.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a saw feeding table of substantial longitudinal length, and which is able to transversely align boards sequentially delivered thereto in a rapid and highly accurate manner, and to maintain the accuracy of the alignment as the board is fed into the saw.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved in the embodiment illustrated herein by the provision of an automated multiple rip sawing apparatus which comprises a board inspection station for sequentially receiving elongate boards at a fixed location thereon, means for identifying and storing the lateral boundaries of the maximum clear area of the board, a saw feeding table defining a longitudinal direction and adapted to sequentially receive the boards from the inspection station with the boards aligned with the longitudinal direction, multiple rip saw means including a plurality of laterally spaced apart blades and positioned adjacent and in longitudinal alignment with the saw feeding table, and means for longitudinally conveying each board from the saw feeding table through the multiple rip saw means. Computer control means is also provided, for automatically adjusting the lateral positioning of each board received at the saw feeding table so as to longitudinally align each board with the multiple rip saw means, and with the alignment being determined by the stored lateral boundaries for such board and a predetermined program designed to maximize the yield of each board upon being rip cut in the multiple rip saw means.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the saw feeding table comprises a longitudinally extending fixed support frame defining an upper longitudinally extending horizontal support surface, a longitudinally extending guide fence positioned above said support surface and adapted to engage one side edge of each board received thereon, and means mounting the guide fence to the support frame so as to permit adjustable movement thereof in a transverse direction which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The mounting means for the guide fence comprises (a) a framework fixedly mounted to the guide fence, (b) first guide means comprising a pair of transversely extending and longitudinally separated guide rods fixedly mounted to one of said support frame and said framework, and a pair of sleeve bearing means fixedly mounted to the other of said support frame and said framework and operatively surrounding respective ones of said guide rods, whereby the guide rods and sleeve bearing means are adapted to slide relative to each other in said transverse direction, and (c) second guide means comprising a pair of longitudinally separated and rotatably interconnected gears mounted to one of said support frame and said framework and so as to be rotatable in unison about a common longitudinal axis, and a pair of racks fixedly mounted to the other of said support frame and said framework, and with said racks extending in said transverse direction and operatively meshing with respective ones of said gears, whereby the meshing engagement of said gears and racks assists in maintaining relative alignment of the framework and support frame during transverse sliding of the framework.
The table also includes drive means for selectively moving the framework and thus the guide fence in opposite transverse directions. This drive means comprises electric drive cylinder means interconnected between the support frame and the framework, with the electric drive cylinder means comprising a housing fixedly mounted to one of said support frame and said framework, a lead screw rotatably mounted in said housing and extending in said transverse direction, a roller nut threadedly mounted to said lead screw and connected to the other of said support frame and said framework, and a reversible electric drive motor mounted in said housing and operatively connected to said lead screw.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Some of the objects and advantages having been stated, others will appear as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an automated multiple rip sawing apparatus in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation view of the apparatus and taken substantially along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view taken substantially along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the saw feeding station of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the saw feeding station of the present invention and taken substantially along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4;
FIGS. 6-9 are sectional views taken substantially along the lines 6--6, 7--7, 8--8, and 9--9 respectively in FIGS. 4 and 5; and
FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of the computer control of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring more particularly to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the automated multiple rip sawing apparatus of the present invention is indicated generally at 10 in FIG. 1. Viewing the apparatus 10 in the machine or board feeding direction, the apparatus comprises an in-feed conveyor 12, a break-down conveyor 14, an inspection station 16, an accumulation conveyor 18, a saw feeding table 20, a multiple rip saw 22, a free standing pinch roll assembly 24, and a discharge or exit conveyor 26.
Referring now to the above described components in more detail, the in-feed conveyor 12 comprises three driven conveyor chains 28 which receive a plurality of boards B from a fork lift truck or the like. The downstream end of the in-feed conveyor includes pivotally mounted arms 29 which are designed to periodically convey the boards onto the upstream end of the break-down conveyor 14.
The break-down conveyor 14 includes five driven conveyor chains 30, with an individual board dealer system 31 (FIG. 2) at the downstream end. The board dealer system 31 includes transverse fingers 32 which are mounted for pivotal movement between the raised position as shown in FIG. 2 for engaging the edge of the adjacent board, and a lowered position (not shown) which releases the board. This pivotal movement is controlled by an arm 33 which mounts the fingers 32 at one end thereof, with the arm 33 being pivotally connected to the frame of the apparatus at 34. The other end of the arm 33 is connected to a pneumatic cylinder 35. Also, a photocell 36, which comprises a light emitter, is positioned above the conveyor 14 adjacent the fingers 32, and a sensor 37 is disposed below the photocell. Further, there are provided a plurality of coaxial speed-up dealer wheels 38 at the downstream end of the conveyor 14 for pulling a gap between the lead board and the following boards as the lead board is released onto the declined guide surface 39 which leads to the upstream end of the accumulation conveyor 18.
To describe the operation of the board dealer system 31 in more detail, the fingers 32 are normally raised to hold the boards on the break-down conveyor 14, and when the operator desires for another board to be fed to the inspection station, a switch on the console 40 (FIG. 3) is closed which activates the cylinder 35 to release a board. The dealer wheels 38 are interconnected to the chains 30 by interengaging gears (not shown) and so as to rotate at a peripheral speed of about twice that of the chains. Thus the released lead board rapidly moves away from the following boards, and when a gap is detected between the boards by the photocell 36, the cylinder 35 is deactivated to lift the fingers 32 and catch the next board.
Each board which is released from the break-down conveyor 14 descends along the guide surface 39 and onto the accumulation conveyor 18, and so as to be conveyed to the inspection station 16. The accumulation conveyor comprises five conveyor chains 42 which are driven by the motor 43 which acts through the gear box 44 and drive chain 46.
The inspection station 16 is defined by the finger 48 which is normally in a raised position as seen in FIG. 2, and which serves to define a fixed location for the boards B at the inspection station. The finger 48 is pivotally movable between the raised position and a lowered position (not shown), by means of a pivotally mounted arm 49 and cylinder 50 which are structurally similar to the arm 33 and cylinder 35 at the end of the break-down conveyor 14.
The inspection station 16 is further composed of the console 40, which mounts the various controls which are manually operated by the operator standing on the adjacent platform 52. Also, a framework 54 extends over the operator, with the framework mounting a pair of laser light emitting devices 56, 57 of conventional design, and which emit a line of light directed toward the board. The devices 56, 57 are mounted on separate laterally extending threaded members 58, 59, and each threaded member is rotatable by a reversible electric drive motor 60, 61. The drive motors 60, 61 are in turn manually controlled by rotatable controls 62, 63 located on the console 40, so that each device 56, 57 may be moved in a lateral back and forth direction by the operator. The devices 56, 57 are oriented such that the lines of light may be directed along the length direction of the board positioned at the inspection station, and with the lines of light being laterally adjustable by moving the devices through operation of the controls 62, 63 and the motors 60, 61. This permits the operator to visually identify the lateral boundaries of the maximum clear area of the board, by positioning the lines of light so that the maximum clear area is positioned therebetween.
The drive motors 60, 61 incorporate encoders which are also electrically connected to the computer control 64 (FIG. 10) of the apparatus and which includes a conventional memory. Thus the adjusted lateral positions of the lines of light, which represent the lateral boundaries of the maximum clear area for each board, may be stored in the memory.
When the operator has completed the adjustment of the light emitting devices 56, 57, a switch on the console 40 is actuated to effect storage of the positions in the memory, and momentary actuation of the cylinder 50 to lower the fingers 48 and release the board at the inspection station.
At the downstream end of the accumulation conveyor 18, there is positioned a second board dealer system 65, which includes fingers 66 mounted to one end of a pivotal arm 68, a pneumatic cylinder 70 which is mounted to the other end of the arm, and speed-up dealer wheels 71. The arm 68, cylinder 70, and wheels 71 are structurally and functionally similar to the corresponding components of the board dealer system 31 at the end of the break-down conveyor 14, and FIG. 3 illustrates the interengaging gears 72 which serve to rotatably interconnect the wheels 71 with the chains 42 at a speed ratio of about two to one. Also, the system 65 includes a photocell emitter 73 and a sensor 74, which operates to lift the fingers 66 as further described below.
From the accumulation conveyor 18, the boards individually slide down an inclined surface 75 and onto the saw feeding table 20 which is best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. The saw feeding table 20 comprises a longitudinally extending fixed support frame 76, composed of a number of vertical uprights 77 and two horizontal beams 78a, 78b which are joined to the upper portions of the uprights and which extend in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of longitudinally spaced apart, parallel rollers 80 are rotatably mounted upon the two beams 78a, 78b, and so as to define a longitudinally extending horizontal support surface for the boards B. The rollers 80 are oriented so that their axes are horizontal and intersect the longitudinal direction, and more particularly, such that their axes are inclined at an acute angle from a transverse direction, i.e. a direction which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the beams 78a, 78b.
The rollers 80 of the saw feeding table are each rotated by a drive system which includes an electric motor 81, a gear box 82, and a drive chain 83 which is connected directly to the shaft of one of the rollers 80. The remaining rollers 80 are interconnected by drive chains 85 and pulleys as best seen in FIG. 4. The direction of rotation is such that the boards may be advanced to the left as seen in FIG. 4.
The saw feeding table 20 also includes a longitudinally extending guide fence 86 positioned above the support surface and adapted to engage one side edge of each board received thereon. The fence 86 is mounted to the support frame 76 so as to permit selective movement thereof in the transverse direction, and this mounting means comprises a rigid framework 88 fixedly mounted to the fence and which is composed of vertical beams 89 and upper and lower horizontal beams 90, 91. The framework 88 is slideably mounted to the support frame by guide means, which includes a pair of transversely extending and longitudinally separated parallel guide rods 92 which are fixedly mounted to the support frame 76, and a pair of sleeve bearings 93 which are fixedly mounted to the framework and which operatively surround respective ones of the guide rods 92. Thus the sleeve bearings are adapted to slide along the guide rods in the transverse direction.
To provide additional rigidity to the framework 88 during its transverse movement, and to keep it square with the support frame 76 during such movement, there is provided further guide means which comprises a pair of longitudinally separated and rotatably interconnected gears 95 fixedly mounted on a longitudinally extending shaft 96, with the shaft being rotatably mounted to the framework 88, so that the gears rotate in unison. Also, a pair of racks 97 are fixedly mounted to the support frame 76, with the racks extending in a transverse horizontal direction and operatively meshing with respective ones of the gears.
The table 20 also includes an electric drive cylinder 102 which is interconnected between the support frame 76 and the framework 88 of the saw feeding table 20, and which extends in the transverse direction. As best seen in FIG. 8, the cylinder 102 is positioned at the longitudinal center of the table 20, and it comprises a housing 103 fixed to the support frame 76, a lead screw 104 rotatably mounted in the housing and extending in the transverse direction, a roller nut 105 threadedly engaging the lead screw and connected to the framework 88, and a reversible electric drive motor 106 mounted in the housing and operatively connected to the lead screw. The motor includes a conventional encoder feedback to permit an accurate monitoring of the positioning of the nut 105, and the motor 106 is electrically connected to the computer control 64 as indicated schematically in FIG. 10. Thus the computer control is able to operate the motor 106 in either direction to effect transverse movement of the framework 88 and thus the fence 86, with the lateral positioning of the fence being accurately determined and rapidly reached. An electric cylinder of the described type is commercially available, and is sold by Origa Corporation of Elmhurst, Ill. as their Series 50 model.
A pinch roll assembly 110 is positioned at the downstream end of the saw feeding table 20, and is thus disposed between the saw feeding table 20 and the multiple rip saw 22 so as to positively advance the board therebetween. In this regard, it will be noted that the inclination of the rollers 80 of the saw feeding table 20 is such that the rotation of the rollers imparts a force component to the conveyed board which tends to hold the board against the fence 86 to thereby maintain the desired alignment of the board with the multiple rip saw as the board is longitudinally advanced therethrough.
The pinch roll assembly 110 comprises a bottom roll 112 mounted for rotation about a fixed transverse axis, and with the bottom roll being at the same elevation as the rollers 80 of the saw feeding station. The pinch roll assembly also includes a top roll 114 disposed above and parallel to the bottom roll, and pneumatic means for selectively lifting the top roll from the bottom roll so as to permit receipt of the forward end of a board therebetween. This pneumatic lifting means comprises a rigid outer frame 115 surrounding the rolls, and a pair of fixed vertical guide rods 116 mounted on opposite sides of the outer frame 115. An inner frame 118 is provided which rotatably mounts the top roll 114, and the inner frame includes mounting blocks 119 at its opposite ends which are slideably received on respective ones of the guide rods 116. Also, a pneumatic cylinder 120 is positioned between the outer frame 115 and inner frame 118, for lifting the frame 115 and thus the top roll, with the mounting blocks 119 sliding along the guide rods 116. The pinch roll assembly also includes a photocell emitter 122 which is mounted to one side of the frame 115, and a sensor 124 which is mounted adjacent the other side of the frame 115, and so that a beam of light is projected along the nip of the rolls in the absence of a board.
For control purposes, and as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide fence 86 mounts a vertically aligned photocell assembly 125, and a second vertically aligned photocell assembly 126 which is longitudinally spaced from the first photocell assembly 125 in the rearward direction. Both of the photocells 125, 126 are positioned so that the emitted beams of light are broken by a board advancing toward the saw 22. The photocell 125 is designed to signal the computer to deliver a board to the table 20 as further described below, and the second photocell 126 is positioned to cause the cylinder 120 to lift the upper roll 114 of the pinch roll assembly when the trailing end of the advancing board clears the photocell 126. This point is determined so that at that time, the leading end of the advancing board is in the saw. Thus the pinch roll assembly 110 releases the board once sawing is commenced, so that the rolls cannot interfere with the alignment of the board.
In operation, the light beam of the photocell 122 is broken by the leading end of a board being fed toward the rip saw, and the upper roll 114 is thereby lowered. When the trailing edge of a board leaves the pinch roll assembly 110, the photocell 122 is again actuated which signals the computer control to activate the cylinder 70 and lower the fingers 66 to release the next board from the board dealer system 65. When the photocell 73 detects a gap between the delivered lead board and the following board, the cylinder 70 is deactivated to lift the fingers 66 and catch the next board at the end of the conveyor 18. The photocell 122 also acts to signal the computer control to move the fence 86 to the proper position for the particular board being delivered. The next board thus is delivered to the saw feeding table, aligned by the fence 86, and advanced through the pinch roll assembly 110 to the multiple rip saw.
The photocell 125 acts to override the photocell 122 in certain instances. Specifically, the photocell 125 acts to signal the computer control to move the fence 86 and to deliver another board to the table 20 by activating the cylinder 70, whenever the board clears the photocell 125 and the computer control determines that the fence is to move away from the board being delivered (i.e. toward the left as seen in FIG. 1). Thus these movements may commence prior to the board passing through the pinch roll assembly 110, to thereby increase the operational speed of the apparatus, since movement of the fence in the left direction will not interfere with or deflect the advancing board. Thus when the computer control determines that the next board to be delivered onto the table will require that the fence move toward the right, the photocell 125 is deactivated and the photocell 122 controls the operation of the cylinder 70 and fence 86, and it is thereby assured that the board on the table has cleared the nip roll before the next board is delivered and the fence moves. However, when the computer control senses that the fence should move toward the left as seen in FIG. 1, the photocell 125 is activated and so that a signal is sent to the cylinder 70 and the fence 86 begins to move immediately upon the board clearing the photocell 125. Thus in about one half of the deliveries, the delivery of the board and the movement of the fence is started early, which serves to significantly increase the operational efficiency of the apparatus.
The support frame 76 of the table 20 also mounts a further photocell assembly 129 (FIG. 4) which projects a vertical beam of light which is broken by the fence 86 upon the fence being moved into the right side of the table 20 as seen in FIG. 1. The photocell 129 is designed to serve as a benchmark or zero calibration position of the fence, and the computer control is programmed to send the fence to this zero position upon being initially started.
The multiple rip saw 22 is of conventional design, and it includes a driven feed chain 127, and an arbor 128 mounting a plurality of saw blades 130 in a transversely spaced apart relationship, and with the separation of the saw blades 130 being adjustable. As a typical example, the blades may be separated at varying distances, ranging from about 1 and 1/2 inches to about 2 and 1/2 inches, for the particular wood components produced by the illustrated embodiment. The rip saw also includes an anti-kick back plate 131, note FIG. 5, and a pair of guide rollers 132, 133 on opposite sides of the cutting blades 130, all of conventional design.
From the rip saw 22, the cut board components pass through the free standing pinch roll assembly 24, which is similar in construction to the pinch roll assembly 110 which is upstream of the rip saw. From the pinch roll assembly 24, the wood components are received on the exit conveyor 26, which is of conventional design.
As indicated above, the computer control 64 provides an output signal that activates the cylinder 70 of the board dealer system 65, and automatically controls the positioning of the movable guide fence 86 of the saw feeding table 20, and so as to longitudinally align each board with the multiple rip saw 22. In this regard, the positioning of the fence 86 is controlled by a program in the computer control which receives as an input the adjusted positions of the two laser lights for the board in question, and which then determines the optimum position of the fence utilizing the various actual spacings of the cutting blades 130 of the multiple rip saw, and so that the board is ripped into the number and size of wood components which achieves a maximum yield. For example, the system may be operated so that the operator at the inspection station 16 will set the right side light line (as seen by the operator) to identify the desired finished edge along the right or leading edge of the board, and the operator may then position the left light line to identify the desired finished edge along the left edge of the board. The computer control then determines the most effective portion of the rip saw to be used from the spacing between the two lines, and it utilizes the right side setting to "zero" or center the intended finished edge with the indicated blade 130 of the rip saw. By this arrangement, the yield of each board may be maximized.
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, this was for purposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being in accordance with the following claims. | An automated multiple rip sawing apparatus is disclosed, wherein the boards are inspected at an inspection station to identify the lateral boundaries of the maximum usable clear area of each board. Each board is then delivered to an elongated saw feeding table which includes a transversely movable guide fence, and the board is then fed through a multiple rip saw having blades of differing separations, to thereby form a plurality of separate wood components. The transverse movement of the fence is automatically adjusted by a computer control, which includes the stored value of the boundaries of the maximum clear area of the board, and so that the board is ripped into the number and size of wood components which achieves a maximum yield from each board. Also, the saw feeding table includes a fixed support frame, and guide means for supporting the transverse movement of the fence while maintaining a high degree of accuracy in its alignment with respect to the fixed support frame. | 8 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to circuit boards. In particular, the present invention relates to, but is not limited to, multilayer circuit boards for applications at frequencies equal to or greater than 1 GHz.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Various radio frequency/microwave applications make use of multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs). The use of multilayer PCBs involves the use of buried layers with e.g. transmission lines, contact pads, vias, and the like.
[0003] A variety of known processes are used in the manufacture of multilayer PCBs, for example electroplating, etching, bonding, and drilling, including back-drilling.
[0004] The close proximity of the layers, vias, contact pads, and the like leads to manufacturing complexity and restraints, and performance limitations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a multilayer circuit board for applications at frequencies equal to or greater than 1 GHz, comprising: a plurality of printed circuit board layers arranged stacked together; and a conductively plated via passing through at least one of the printed circuit board layers; wherein a surface of a one of the printed circuit board layers through which the via passes comprises a conducting region surrounding a non-conducting region; the non-conducting region is substantially centred around a point on the surface where the via intersects the surface; a smallest width dimension, that includes the point on the surface, of the non-conducting region is greater than or equal to 4 times the diameter of the via; the via electrically connects a conductive contact pad on a surface of one printed circuit board layer to a further conductive contact pad on a surface of another printed circuit board layer, with the printed circuit board with the non-conducting region lying between the two printed circuit board layers with pads connected by the via; and the largest width dimension of the conductive contact pads on the surfaces of the printed circuit board layers connected by the via are less than the smallest width dimension of the non-conducting region.
[0006] A width of a conductive track connected to one of the conductive contact pads may be substantially larger than a largest width dimension of the conductive contact pads.
[0007] The smallest width dimension may be greater than or equal to 6 times the diameter of the via.
[0008] The smallest width dimension may be greater than or equal to 8 times the diameter of the via.
[0009] The non-conducting region may be substantially circular, and the smallest width dimension is the diameter of the non-conducting region.
[0010] The largest width dimension of the conductive contact pads may be their diameters.
[0011] The conductive track may be spaced from one or more conductive transmission lines on that surface, and the conductive track may be substantially parallel to the one or more conductive transmission lines.
[0012] The multilayer circuit board may further comprise a plurality of further conductively plated vias passing through the printed circuit board layers.
[0013] The further conductively plated vias may be arranged in more than one parallel rows of vias.
[0014] In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a multilayer circuit board for applications at frequencies equal to or greater than 1 GHz, the method comprising: providing a plurality of printed circuit board layers; providing, on the surface of one of the printed circuit board layers, a conducting region surrounding a non-conducting region; stacking together the plurality of printed circuit board layers; and forming a conductively plated via passing through at least the printed circuit board layer with the non-conducting region, the via being formed such that the non-conducting region is substantially centred around a point on the surface of the printed circuit board layer where the via intersects the surface; wherein the non-conducting region is provided such that a smallest width dimension, that includes the point on the surface, of the non-conducting region is greater than or equal to 4 times the diameter of the via; the via electrically connects a conductive contact pad on a surface of one printed circuit board layer to a further conductive contact pad on a surface of another printed circuit board layer, with the printed circuit board with the non-conducting region lying between the two printed circuit board layers with pads connected by the via; and the largest width dimension of the conductive contact pads on the surfaces of the printed circuit board layers connected by the via are less than the smallest width dimension of the non-conducting region.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a process flowchart showing certain process steps carried out in an embodiment of a fabrication process for fabricating a multilayer circuit board;
[0016] FIG. 2 is schematic illustration of a layer of unetched printed circuit board;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a top view of the first layer;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a top view of the second layer;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a top view of the third layer;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a top view of the fourth layer;
[0021] FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an exploded view of the bonded layers and a primary via;
[0022] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an exploded view of the bonded layers secondary vias; and
[0023] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of an exploded view of the bonded layers 11 - 15 , a primary via and a back-drilled portion of the primary via.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] FIG. 1 is a process flowchart showing certain process steps carried out in a fabrication process for fabricating a multilayer circuit board. The steps performed in the fabrication process are the same as those used in conventional fabrication methods for fabricating a multilayer circuit board, except where stated otherwise below. In particular, certain of the patterned, or etched, PCB layers from which the multilayer circuit board is formed are not conventional and are described in more detail later below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 .
[0025] Terminology used in the description of the process that describes relative positions of features of the multilayer circuit board, such as “the top”, “the bottom” etc. is used in a merely relative sense for ease of reference and is non-limiting.
[0026] In this embodiment, the multilayer circuit board is a laminated structure comprising five PCB layers, hereinafter referred to as the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, the fourth layer, and the fifth layer, bonded together. At step s 2 , five layers of unetched, or blank, PCB are provided.
[0027] FIG. 2 is schematic illustration (not to scale) of a layer of unetched PCB 2 . The unetched PCB 2 comprises a conductive layer 4 , and a dielectric layer 6 . The conductive layer 4 is deposited on a top surface of the dielectric layer 6 .
[0028] In this embodiment, the conductive layer 4 and the dielectric layer 6 are bonded together using epoxy resin. The conductive layer 4 is made of copper. The dielectric layer 6 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
[0029] At step s 4 , each of the five unetched PCBs 2 are patterned to form the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth layers of the multilayer circuit board respectively. The unetched PCBs 2 are patterned using a conventional process, for example a process of photoengraving using a photomask and chemical etching to remove unwanted copper from the dielectric layer 6 . The respective structures of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth layers of the multilayer circuit board are described in more detail later below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 respectively. The remaining steps s 6 -s 14 of the fabrication process for fabricating a multilayer circuit board will described after the descriptions of FIGS. 3 to 6 .
[0030] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of a top view of the first layer. The first layer of the multilayer circuit board is hereinafter indicated by the reference numeral 11 .
[0031] The top surface of the first layer 11 is substantially rectangular, having a front edge 20 , a rear edge 22 , a first side edge 24 , and a second side edge 26 . The front edge 20 is substantially parallel to the rear edge 24 . The front edge 20 is on an opposite side of the rectangular top surface of the first layer 11 to the rear edge 24 . The first side edge 24 is substantially parallel to the second side edge 26 . The first side edge 24 is on an opposite side of the rectangular top surface of the first layer 11 to the second side edge 26 . The front edge 20 and the rear edge 22 are each substantially perpendicular to each of the first side edge 24 and the second side edge 26 .
[0032] In this embodiment, the first layer 11 comprises a first central track 110 , a first contact pad 112 and transmission lines 114 , each formed from the conductive layer 4 .
[0033] The first central track 110 is a substantially rectangular strip of copper, i.e. the material of the conductive layer 4 , joining a central portion of the front edge 20 to the first contact pad 112 . The first central track 110 runs along a central axis of the top surface of the first layer 11 , substantially parallel to, and substantially equidistant from, the first and second side edges 24 , 26 . In this embodiment, the first central track is 1.6 mm wide.
[0034] The first contact pad 112 is a substantially circular portion of copper, i.e. the material of the conductive layer 4 , attached to one end of the first central track 110 . The first contact pad 112 is positioned on the top surface of the first surface 11 such that it is substantially equidistant from the first and second side edges 24 , 26 , and such that it is closer to the rear edge 22 than it is the front edge 20 . In this embodiment, the first contact pad 112 is of diameter 1.3 mm.
[0035] In this embodiment, the width of the first central track 110 , i.e. the length of the edge of the central track 110 that joins the front edge 20 the top surface of the first layer 11 , is wider than the diameter of the first contact pad 112 (as mentioned above, the central track 110 is 1.6 mm wide, and the first contact pad 112 is of diameter 1.3 mm).
[0036] The transmission lines 114 are formed from a strip of copper i.e. the material of the conductive layer 4 , on the top surface of the first layer 11 that runs adjacent to the first side edge 24 , the rear edge 22 , and the second side edge 26 . The transmission lines 114 are also adjacent to the outermost portions of the front edge 20 , i.e. the portions of the front edge 20 that adjoin the first and second side edges 24 , 26 respectively. The transmission lines 114 are separated from the first central track 110 and the first contact pad 112 , i.e. the portion of the conductive layer 4 between the transmission lines 14 and the combination of the first central track 110 and the first contact pad 112 has been removed via etching.
[0037] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of a top view of the second layer. The second layer of the multilayer circuit board is hereinafter indicated by the reference numeral 12 .
[0038] The second layer 12 is substantially the same size and shape as the first layer 11 . However, the second layer 12 is patterned differently to the first layer 11 . In FIG. 4 , the edges of the top surface of the second layer 12 are indicated by the same reference numerals as those used to indicate the corresponding edges of the top surface of the first layer 11 in FIG. 3 . Thus, the top surface of the second layer 12 is substantially rectangular, having a front edge 20 , a rear edge 22 , a first side edge 24 , and a second side edge 26 .
[0039] In this embodiment, the second layer 12 comprises a first clearance hole 120 . The first clearance hole 120 is a substantially circular hole in the conductive layer 4 of the second layer 12 . The first clearance hole 120 is formed by etching away a portion of the conductive layer 4 to reveal the dielectric layer 6 below. In this embodiment, the first clearance hole 120 is of diameter 2.38 mm.
[0040] The first clearance hole 120 is positioned such that the when the first layer 11 is positioned on top of the second layer 12 such that the edges of the first layer 11 are aligned with the corresponding edges of the second layer 12 , the centre of the first clearance hole 120 is positioned substantially directly below the centre of the first contact pad 112 . Thus, the first clearance hole 120 is positioned on the top surface of the second surface 12 such that it is substantially equidistant from the first and second side edges 24 , 26 , and such that it is closer to the rear edge 22 than it is the front edge 20 .
[0041] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of a top view of the third layer. The third layer of the multilayer circuit board is hereinafter indicated by the reference numeral 13 .
[0042] The third layer 13 is substantially the same size and shape as the first and second layers 11 , 12 . However, the third layer 13 is patterned differently to the first and second layers 11 , 12 . In FIG. 5 , the edges of the top surface of the third layer 13 are indicated by the same reference numerals as those used to indicate the corresponding edges of the top surfaces of the first and second layers 11 , 12 in FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively. Thus, the top surface of the third layer 13 is substantially rectangular, having a front edge 20 , a rear edge 22 , a first side edge 24 , and a second side edge 26 .
[0043] In this embodiment, the third layer 11 comprises a second central track 130 , and a second contact pad 132 , each formed from the conductive layer 4 .
[0044] The second central track 130 is a substantially rectangular strip of copper, i.e. the material of the conductive layer 4 , joining a central portion of the front edge 20 of the third layer 13 to the second contact pad 132 . The second central track 130 runs along a central axis of the top surface of the third layer 13 , substantially parallel to, and substantially equidistant from, the first and second side edges 24 , 26 of the third layer 13 . In this embodiment, the second central track 130 is 0.47 mm wide.
[0045] The second contact pad 132 is a substantially circular portion of copper, i.e. the material of the conductive layer 4 , attached to one end of the second central track 130 . In this embodiment, the second contact pad 132 is of diameter 0.8 mm.
[0046] The second contact pad 132 is positioned such that the when the first layer 11 is positioned on top of the third layer 13 such that the edges of the first layer 11 are aligned with the corresponding edges of the third layer 13 , the centre of the second contact pad 132 is positioned substantially directly below the centre of the first contact pad 112 . Equivalently, the second contact pad 132 is positioned such that the when the second layer 12 is positioned on top of the third layer 13 such that the edges of the second layer 12 are aligned with the corresponding edges of the third layer 13 , the centre of the second contact pad 132 is positioned substantially directly below the centre of the first clearance hole 120 . Thus, the second contact pad 132 is positioned on the top surface of the third surface 11 such that it is substantially equidistant from the first and second side edges 24 , 26 of the third layer 13 , and such that it is closer to the rear edge 22 than it is the front edge 20 of the third layer 13 .
[0047] In this embodiment, the width of the second central track 130 , i.e. the length of the edge of the second central track 130 that joins the front edge 20 of the top surface of the third layer 13 , is narrower than the diameter of the second contact pad 132 (as mentioned above, the width of the second central track 130 is 0.47 mm and the diameter of the second contact pad 132 is 0.8 mm). Thus, the width of the second central track 130 is narrower than the width of the first central track 110 .
[0048] The fourth layer of the multilayer circuit board is substantially the same as the second layer 12 , as described above with reference to FIG. 4 .
[0049] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of a top view of the fourth layer. The fourth layer of the multilayer circuit board is hereinafter indicated by the reference numeral 14 .
[0050] In FIG. 6 , the edges of the top surface of the fourth layer 14 are indicated by the same reference numerals as those used to indicate the corresponding edges of the top surfaces of the first, second, and third layers 11 - 13 in FIGS. 3-5 respectively. Thus, the top surface of the second layer 12 is substantially rectangular, having a front edge 20 , a rear edge 22 , a first side edge 24 , and a second side edge 26 .
[0051] The fourth layer 14 is patterned to be substantially the same as the second layer 12 . In this embodiment, the fourth layer 14 comprises a second clearance hole 140 that is etched from the conductive layer 4 to reveal the dielectric layer 6 below.
[0052] The second clearance hole 140 is positioned such that the when the first layer 11 is positioned on top of the fourth layer 14 such that the edges of the first layer 11 are aligned with the corresponding edges of the fourth layer 14 , the centre of the second clearance hole 140 is positioned substantially directly below the centre of the first contact pad 112 . Equivalently, the second clearance hole 140 is positioned such that the when the second layer 12 is positioned on top of the fourth layer 14 such that the edges of the second layer 12 are aligned with the corresponding edges of the fourth layer 14 , the centre of the second clearance hole 140 is positioned substantially directly below the centre of the first clearance hole 120 . Equivalently, the second clearance hole 140 is positioned such that the when the third layer 13 is positioned on top of the fourth layer 14 such that the edges of the third layer 13 are aligned with the corresponding edges of the fourth layer 14 , the centre of the second clearance hole 140 is positioned substantially directly below the centre of the second contact pad 132 . Thus, the second clearance hole 140 is positioned on the top surface of the third surface 11 such that it is substantially equidistant from the first and second side edges 24 , 26 of the third layer 13 , and such that it is closer to the rear edge 22 than it is the front edge 20 of the third layer 13 .
[0053] In this embodiment, the diameter of the first clearance hole 120 is 2.38 mm and the diameter of the second clearance hole 140 is 2.04 mm.
[0054] In this embodiment, the diameters of the first and second clearance holes 120 , 140 are greater than the diameters of the first and second contact pads 112 , 132 .
[0055] In this embodiment, the fifth layer of the multilayer circuit board is unpatterned at step s 4 of the fabrication process, i.e. the fifth layer of the multilayer circuit board is an unetched PCB 2 , as described above with reference to FIG. 2 .
[0056] At step s 6 , the above described layers are bonded together in the following order: the first layer 11 , the second layer 12 , the third layer 13 , the fourth layer 14 , and the fifth layer.
[0057] A bottom surface of the first layer 11 , i.e. a surface of the first layer 11 that is opposite the top surface of the first layer 11 shown in FIG. 3 , is bonded to the top surface of the second layer 12 . A bottom surface of the second layer 12 , i.e. a surface of the second layer 12 that is opposite the top surface of the second layer 12 shown in FIG. 4 , is bonded to the top surface of the third layer 13 . A bottom surface of the third layer 13 , i.e. a surface of the third layer 13 that is opposite the top surface of the third layer 13 shown in FIG. 5 , is bonded to the top surface of the fourth layer 14 . A bottom surface of the fourth layer 14 , i.e. a surface of the fourth layer 14 that is opposite the top surface of the fourth layer 14 shown in FIG. 6 , is bonded to the top surface of the fifth layer, i.e. the conductive layer 4 of the fifth layer.
[0058] In this embodiment, the layers are bonded together using epoxy resin.
[0059] At step s 8 , a plurality of vias is drilled through the bonded layers. The vias that are drilled through the bonded layers at step s 8 are described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 . The remaining steps s 10 -s 14 of the fabrication process for fabricating a multilayer circuit board will described after the descriptions of FIGS. 7 and 8 .
[0060] FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of an exploded view of the bonded layers i.e. the first layer 11 , the second layer 12 , the third layer 13 , the fourth layer, and the fifth layer (which is indicated hereinafter by the reference numeral 15 ). For reasons of clarity, FIG. 7 shows only the top surfaces of the layers 11 - 15 . FIG. 7 further shows a via, hereinafter referred to as the “primary via 70 ”, that is formed through all of the bonded layers. The primary via 70 is indicated schematically in FIG. 7 by dotted lines.
[0061] The primary via 70 is formed using a drilling process. In this embodiment, the primary via 70 is formed by drilling downwards through the following: the centre of the first contact pad 112 and the dielectric layer 6 of the first layer 11 ; the centre of the first clearance hole 120 and the dielectric layer 6 of the second layer 12 ; the centre of the second contact pad 132 and the dielectric layer 6 of the third layer 13 ; the centre of the second clearance hole 140 and the dielectric layer 6 of the fourth layer 14 ; and the conductive layer 4 and the dielectric layer 6 of the fifth layer 15 . In this embodiment, the diameter of the primary via 70 is 0.4 mm.
[0062] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of an exploded view of the bonded layers 11 - 15 . For reasons of clarity, FIG. 8 shows only the top surfaces of the layers 11 - 15 . FIG. 8 further shows a plurality of further vias. Each further via of the plurality of further vias is indicated by a dotted line through each of the bonded layers 11 - 15 . These further vias are hereinafter referred to as “secondary vias” and are each indicated by the reference numeral 80 . The secondary vias 80 are arranged in two substantially parallel rows of vias. A first row of the secondary vias 80 comprises five vias, which are equally spaced on the portion of the transmission line 114 of the top surface of the first layer 11 that is contiguous with the first side edge 24 . A second row of the secondary vias 80 comprises five vias, which are equally spaced on the portion of the transmission line 114 of the top surface of the first layer 11 that is contiguous with the second side edge 26 .
[0063] The secondary vias 80 are each formed using a drilling process. In this embodiment, the secondary vias 80 are each formed by drilling downwards through the following: the transmission line 114 and the dielectric layer 6 of the first layer 11 ; the conductive layer 4 and the dielectric layer 6 of the second layer 12 ; the dielectric layer 6 of the third layer 13 ; the conductive layer 4 and the dielectric layer 6 of the fourth layer 14 ; and the conductive layer 4 and the dielectric layer 6 of the fifth layer 15 . In this embodiment, the diameter of the secondary vias 80 is 0.5 mm.
[0064] In operation the secondary vias 80 provide grounding and suppression of electromagnetic parallel plate modes.
[0065] In this embodiment, the primary via 70 and the secondary vias 80 are formed such that they are substantially parallel through the bonded layers 11 - 15 .
[0066] In this embodiment, the width of the primary via 70 is such that the ratio of the diameter of the first clearance hole 120 (2.38 mm) to the diameter of the primary via 70 (0.4 mm) is 5.95:1, i.e. approximately 6:1. Generally (e.g. in other embodiments) the ratio of the diameter of the first clearance hole 120 to the diameter of the primary via 70 is greater than or equal to 4:1, preferably for example greater than or equal to 6:1, or for example greater than or equal to 8:1.
[0067] Also, in this embodiment the ratio of the diameter of the second clearance hole 140 (2.04 mm) to the diameter of the primary via 70 (0.4 mm) is 5.1:1, i.e. approximately 5:1. Generally (e.g. in other embodiments) the ratio of the diameter of the second clearance hole 140 to the diameter of the primary via 70 is greater than or equal to 4:1, preferably for example greater than or equal to 6:1, or for example greater than or equal to 8:1.
[0068] At step s 10 , the primary via 70 and the secondary vias 80 are plated to form conductive vias between the layers 11 - 15 . This provides that current can flow between the layers or shielding can take place. In this embodiment, the primary via 70 and the secondary vias 80 are plated using copper.
[0069] At step s 12 , a portion of the primary via 70 is back-drilled, as described below with reference to FIG. 9 .
[0070] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration (not to scale) of an exploded view of the bonded layers 11 - 15 . For reasons of clarity, FIG. 9 shows only the top surfaces of the layers 11 - 15 . FIG. 9 further shows the primary via 70 and a lower portion of the primary via and surrounding material that has been removed by a process of back-drilling, i.e. drilling away material from the bottom surface of the bonded layers 11 - 15 . The portion of the primary via and surrounding material that has been removed by a process of back-drilling is hereinafter referred to as the “back-drilled hole 90 ”.
[0071] In this embodiment, the back drilled hole 90 is formed along the path of the primary via 70 , and is formed by drilling upwards through the following: the dielectric layer 6 and the conductive layer 4 of the fifth layer 15 ; the dielectric layer 6 and the centre of the second clearance hole of the fourth layer 14 ; and a portion of the dielectric layer 6 of the third layer 13 . The back-drilled hole 90 does not pass through the top surface of the third layer 13 .
[0072] The back-drilled hole 90 is substantially wider than that used to form the primary via 70 . In this embodiment, the diameter of the back-drilled hole 90 is 1.0 mm. Thus, in this embodiment, the ratio of the diameter of the back-drilled hole 90 (1.0 mm) to the diameter of the primary via 70 (0.4 mm) is 2.5. Such a ratio (or for example, any ratio greater than or equal to 2:1) advantageously tends to ensure that the back drilled hole 90 is formed such that all of the copper plating of the primary via 70 through which the back-drilled hole 90 is formed, is removed cleanly. The diameter of the back-drilled hole 90 is further selected to attempt to provide that although it is larger than the diameter of the primary via 70 , nevertheless it is small enough to avoid or minimise radio frequency being radiated from it.
[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ratio of the diameter of the second clearance hole 140 (2.04 mm) to the diameter of the back-drilled hole 90 (1.0 mm) is 2.04:1, i.e. approximately 2:1. Generally (e.g. in other embodiments) the ratio of the diameter of the second clearance hole 140 to the diameter of the back-drilled hole 90 is greater than or equal to 1.5:1, preferably for example greater than or equal to 2:1 or for example greater than or equal to 3:1. Such ratios advantageously provide that the process of back-drilling the portion of the primary via 70 carried out at step s 12 of the fabrication process for fabricating a multilayer circuit board, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 9 , tends to be easier to perform for at least the following reason. The relatively large diameter of the second clearance hole 140 enables the back-drilled hole 90 to be wider than the primary via 70 without the process of back-drilling the back-drilled hole 90 removing or otherwise displacing any of the conductive layer 4 of the fourth layer 14 , for example in particular in a manner that might lead to short-circuits or other errors. This also allows a wider back-drilled hole 90 than might otherwise be the case, which therefore tends to provide greater leeway when ensuring that all of the copper plating of the primary via 70 through which the back-drilled hole 90 is formed, is removed. These advantages are provided to at least some extent provided that the diameter of the second clearance hole 140 is greater than the diameter of the back-drilled hole 90 . However, these advantages are then further enhanced by the second clearance hole diameter being greater than the diameter of the back-drilled hole 90 to the extent of the various ratios mentioned above.
[0074] At step s 14 , the back-drilled hole 90 is filled with dielectric material. Preferably the dielectric material is the same, or similar, material as the main dielectric material of the printed circuit boards.
[0075] The device that results from performing steps s 2 to s 14 of the fabrication process is the multilayer circuit board. Thus, a fabrication process for fabricating a multilayer circuit board is provided.
[0076] During an example operation of the multilayer circuit board fabricated using the above described method, current flows along the second central track 130 from the front edge 20 of the third layer 13 to the second contact pad 132 , along the plated primary via 70 through the second layer 12 to the first contact pad 112 of the first layer, and along the first central track 110 from the first contact pad 112 to the front edge 20 of the first layer 11 .
[0077] An advantage provided by the first clearance hole 120 having a larger diameter than the first contact pad 112 (due in part to the ratio between the diameter of the first clearance hole 120 and the primary via 70 being approximately 6:1) is that, during use, the capacitance between the first layer 11 and the second layer 12 tends to be reduced. This is because, as a result of the wider first clearance hole 120 , the conductive surfaces 4 of the first and second layers 11 , 12 tend to be further apart than in conventional multilayer circuit boards. Thus, the performance of the provided multilayer circuit board tends to be improved. Also, the first clearance hole 120 has a larger diameter than the second contact pad 132 . Thus, the capacitance between the second layer 12 and the third layer 13 tends to be reduced. This is because, as a result of the wider first clearance hole 120 , the conductive surfaces 4 of the second and third layers 12 , 13 tend to be further apart than in conventional multilayer circuit boards. Thus, the performance of the provided multilayer circuit board tends to be improved.
[0078] An advantage provided by the second clearance hole 140 having a larger diameter than the second contact pad 132 is that, during use, the capacitance between the third layer 13 and the fourth layer 14 tends to be reduced. This is because, as a result of the wider second clearance hole 140 , the conductive surfaces 4 of the third and fourth layers 13 , 14 tend to be further apart than in conventional multilayer circuit boards. Thus, the performance of the provided multilayer circuit board tends to be improved.
[0079] An advantage provided by filling the back-drilled hole 90 with dielectric material, as described above at step s 14 is that, during use of the multi-layer circuit board, the risk of shorting to lower layers tends to be reduced. For example, air and/or water in an unfilled back-drilled hole may enable current to flow from the second contact pad 132 to the fourth or fifth layers 14 , 15 .
[0080] An advantage provided by the first central track 110 being of relatively large width (i.e. the first central track 110 being of width larger than that of the second central track 130 ) is that a 50 Ohm impedance, which is required for microwave transmissions, can be maintained in the multilayer circuit board whilst enabling the first contact pad 112 to be of smaller diameter than would be enabled if using a relatively narrower central track, as is used in a conventional multilayer circuit board. The first contact pad 112 having a relatively small diameter advantageously tends to provide that the capacitance in the multilayer circuit board is reduced. In other words, by virtue of the first contact pad 112 having a relatively small diameter, excess capacitance is reduced. Thus, the performance of the provided multilayer circuit board tends to be improved.
[0081] An advantage provided by the secondary vias 80 formed at steps s 8 and s 10 of the above method, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 8 is that, during use, grounding and suppression of electromagnetic parallel plate modes tends to be provided. Moreover, the drilling and inspection of the secondary vias 80 tends to be easier than for a different configuration of vias, for example a horse-shoe shaped arrangement of vias. Also, analysis of the multilayer circuit board tends to be easier than analysis of a circuit board with a different arrangement of vias.
[0082] A further advantage provided by the secondary vias 80 is that the secondary vias allow for different orientations of incoming/outgoing tracks without the need to reposition the secondary vias 80 . In the above embodiment the second central track 130 is the incoming track because, during use, current enters the multilayer circuit board along this track, and the first central track 110 is the outgoing track because, during use, current exits the multilayer circuit board along this track. Thus, current enters and exits the multilayer circuit board via the front edge 20 . However, in other embodiments, current may enter and/or exit the multilayer circuit board without the need to rearrange, i.e. change the positions of, the secondary vias 80 . For example, current may enter the multilayer circuit board via the front edge 20 and exit via the rear edge 22 , or current may enter the multilayer circuit board via the rear edge 22 and exit via the front edge 20 , or current may enter the multilayer circuit board via the rear edge 22 and exit via the rear edge 22 . In embodiments in which current enters the multilayer circuit board via the front edge 20 the third layer 13 may be configured such that the second central track 130 joins a central portion of the rear edge 22 of the third layer 13 to the second contact pad 132 and runs along a central axis of the top surface of the third layer 13 , substantially parallel to, and substantially equidistant from, the first and second side edges 24 , 26 of the third layer 13 . In embodiments in which current exits the multilayer circuit board via the rear edge 22 , the first layer 11 may be configured such that the first central track 110 joins a central portion of the rear edge 22 to the first contact pad 112 and runs along a central axis of the top surface of the first layer 11 , substantially parallel to, and substantially equidistant from, the first and second side edges 24 , 26 . Also, the transmission lines 114 may run adjacent to the first side edge 24 , the front edge 20 , and the second side edge 26 .
[0083] A further advantage provided by the parallel layout of the secondary vias 80 is that they tend to be effective at preventing radio frequency radiation from the second clearance hole 140 being propagated into the lower dielectric layer (significantly more so than is the case with e.g. a conventional horseshoe layout).
[0084] An advantage provided by the transmission lines 114 formed on the top surface of the first layer 11 , and separate from the first central track 110 and first contact pad 132 , is that microstrip transmission tends to be reduced. This is because the transmissions lines 114 provide for coplanar microwave transmission which, during use, tends to confine the electric field close to the top surface of the first layer and reduce radiation into the surrounding atmosphere. Thus, the performance of the provided multilayer circuit board tends to be improved.
[0085] In the above embodiments, the unetched PCB comprises a conductive layer, and a dielectric layer. Also, the conductive layer is deposited on a top surface of the dielectric layer. However, in other embodiments the unetched PCB may comprises any number of appropriate layers, configured in any appropriate manner. For example, in other embodiments the unetched PCB comprises a dielectric layer, a conductive layer deposited on a top surface of the dielectric layer, and a further conductive layer deposited on a bottom surface of the dielectric layer.
[0086] In the above embodiments, the conductive layer is made of copper. However, in other embodiments the conductive layer is made of a different appropriate material.
[0087] In the above embodiments, the dielectric layer is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). However, in other embodiments the dielectric layer is made of a different appropriate material.
[0088] In the above embodiments, at step s 4 the unetched PCBs are patterned using a conventional process, for example a process of photoengraving using a photomask and chemical etching. However, in other embodiments the unetched PCBs are patterned using any a different appropriate process or combination of processes.
[0089] In the above embodiments, during the fabrication process certain layers are bonded together using epoxy resin. However, in other embodiments the layers are bonded together using a different appropriate process.
[0090] In the above embodiments, at steps s 8 -s 10 vias are formed through the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth layers. However, in other embodiments any number of the vias is formed through any subset of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth layers.
[0091] In the above embodiments, the secondary vias are arranged as two parallel rows of five substantially secondary vias along a first and second side edge of the multilayer layer circuit board. However, in other embodiments the set of secondary vias comprises any number of vias that may be configured in an appropriate manner. For example, in other embodiments the secondary vias are configured in a horse-shoe shape surrounding the first contact pad. In other embodiments, some or all of the vias are not parallel.
[0092] In the above embodiments, the vias are formed by a drilling process after the layers of the multilayer circuit board have been bonded together. However, in other embodiments any number of the vias is formed by any different appropriate process. Also, in other embodiments any number of the vias is formed before some or all of the layers are bonded together.
[0093] In the above embodiments, the width of the first central track is wider than the diameter of the first contact pad. However, in other embodiments the width of the first central track is less than or equal to the diameter of the first contact pad.
[0094] In the above embodiments, the width of the second central track is narrower than the diameter of the second contact pad. However, in other embodiments the width of the second central track is greater than or equal to the diameter of the second contact pad.
[0095] In the above embodiments, the width of the second central track is narrower than the width of the first central track. However, in other embodiments the width of the second central track is greater than or equal to the width of the first central track.
[0096] In the above embodiments, at step s 14 the back-drilled hole is filled with dielectric material. However, in other embodiments the back-drilled hole is filled with different appropriate material. Also, in other embodiments, the back-drilled hole is not filled.
[0097] In the above embodiments, the multilayer circuit board comprises the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth layers which are patterned as described above at step s 4 , with reference to FIGS. 3-6 . However, in other embodiments a multilayer circuit board having the same functionality as described above is fabricated using a different number of layers. In other embodiments, the layers are implemented in a different appropriate order so as to provide the above described functionality. Also, in other embodiments, some or all of the layers are patterned in the same or a different way to those layers described above so as to provide the above described functionality.
[0098] In the above embodiments, the multilayer circuit board is fabricated using steps s 2 -s 14 of the fabrication process for fabricating a multilayer circuit board, as described above with reference to FIG. 1 . However, in other embodiments any of steps s 2 -s 14 are carried out in a different appropriate order. In other embodiments, any of steps s 2 -s 14 are carried out simultaneously. Also, in other embodiments, a multilayer circuit board having the above described functionality is fabricated using a different appropriate process having some of the same or different method steps.
[0099] In the above embodiments, the clearance holes 120 , 140 (i.e. non-conducting regions) are circular shaped and hence their relevant dimension in the above description is their diameter. However, these clearance holes (non-conducting regions) need not be circular shaped, and when they are shaped other than circular, then their relevant dimension for comparison with and forming ratios with the other dimensions described, is their smallest width dimension that includes the point on the surface of the circuit board where the relevant primary via 70 (or an extension of the direction of the primary via 70 ) intersects the surface where the clearance hole is located.
[0100] The above embodiments, including the various dimensions and ratios described, are selected for use with microwave/radio frequency applications up to 15 GHz. However, more generally, other embodiments may be implemented for use within some or all of the range of, say, 1 to 100 GHz. To accommodate frequencies higher than 15 GHz, the example dimensions of the particular embodiments described above are typically scaled down accordingly.
[0101] Although all the various layers have been described in the above embodiments, it will be appreciated that just the details of the layers 11 and 12 , or of the layers 11 , 12 and 13 , in themselves provide embodiments of the invention, that may be implemented in arrangements that do not necessarily include the details of the other layers as described above. | A multilayer circuit board, comprising: a plurality of printed circuit board layers arranged stacked together; and a conductively plated via; a surface of a through which the via passes comprises a conducting region surrounding a non-conducting region that is substantially centered around a point where the via intersects the surface; a smallest width dimension, e.g. diameter of the non-conducting region is greater than or equal to 4 times the diameter of the via; the via connects a conductive contact pad on one printed circuit board layer to a conductive contact pad on another printed circuit board layer, with the printed circuit board with the non-conducting region lying between the two connected layers; and the largest width dimension of the conductive contact pads on the surfaces of the printed circuit board layers connected by the via are less than the smallest width dimension of the non-conducting region. | 7 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to reception control with respect to chargeable channels in a community antenna television (hereinafter abbreviated to CATV) system, and particularly to a system for mixing jamming signals into CATV signals in frequency bands of channels which are not permitted to be viewed (hereinafter simply referred unpermitted channels) so as to scramble the CATV signals in the specified channels in subscriber side CATV signal distributing systems.
Conventionally, a CATV system can be used for providing changeable programs for subscribers, and various systems have been realized to prevent viewing of unpermitted channels. Here, the term "chargeable program" means reception of a specified channel determined on the basis of a contract for an individual subscriber beyond the basic service determined by the contract with the subscriber.
The simplest arrangement to prevent a person from unauthorized viewing of chargeable programs is one in which a frequency converter for the CATV signal is provided at each subscriber's terminal for converting the frequency band of the CATV signal into that of a VHF channel so that the CATV signal can be received by a TV set, wherein a band-elimination filter is provided in the coaxial cable leading to the subscriber's terminal for preventing the subscriber from receiving channels other than the contracted ones.
In this system, however, there have been such disadvantages that it is necessary to change the band elimination filter (hereinafter referred to as a trap) every time there occurs a change in the contracted channels, resulting in a considerable cost. Also, the number of traps which can be used at any one location is limited so that the number of the changeable channels is limited correspondingly.
In order to eliminate these disadvantages, addressable subscribers' terminals have been used. The arrangement of such a terminal will be described hereunder.
In this system, each subscriber's terminal is subject to polling by the program broadcasting station (hereinafter referred to as a center), wherein an address stored in advance in the terminal is compared with a polling address. If the two values coincide, viewing is allowed. Hence, reception control can be performed by data communications from the center. The subscriber terminal is therefore provided with a demodulator and a microprocessor for reading and processing the received data.
Further, with respect to the chargeable programs, a method has been employed whereby the CATV signal of a chargeable program is scrambled in advance at the center, and a control signal in a special CATV channel is descrambled at the subscriber's terminal. Typically, in such a channel scrambling system, horizontal synchronizing signals of the scrambled TV signal are eliminated at the center so that it is difficult to perform synchronized reproduction at an unauthorized viewer's TV set. Accordingly, it is necessary to restore the synchronizing signals for subscribers authorized to receive such signals, and therefore it is required to provide a descrambler and a demodulator for receiving data for controlling the descrambler and the demodulator at the subscriber's terminal.
In the conventional unauthorized viewing preventing systems described above, it is necessary to provide a descrambler and a demodulator for data communication at each subscriber's terminal, and hence such systems are expensive. Further, there have been disadvantages in that the quality of the received picture is deteriorated in the scrambling and descrambling process. Moreover there is still a possibility for an unauthorized subscriber to receive chargeable programs by reconstructing the terminal.
Further, in consideration of the foregoing disadvantages, there has been proposed an unauthorized viewing preventing system in which time-division type jamming signals for the chargeable channels are produced at various distribution points in the system, which jamming signals are selectively supplied to CATV signals in unauthorized channels.
In such a system in which jamming signals are applied to the chargeable channel signals and mixed therewith for jamming purposes, it has generally been the practice to provide the jamming signals using one or more voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) and phase-locked loops. The voltage-controlled oscillators are periodically stepped through the frequencies of the various CATV channel signals to be jammed. That is, the jamming signals are provided on a time-divisional basis.
In order to provide effective jamming, it is necessary that the jamming signal not only be of a sufficient amplitude, but it must also have a sufficient repetition period and accuracy of frequency so as to disturb the horizontal and vertical synchronizing signals to the extent that it is impossible to receive an unauthorized channel. However, it has been found difficult to attain this using conventional circuitry in that the lock-in time and synchronizing time of the phase-locked loop is not negligible. Accordingly, the level of the scrambling function or the number of channels which can be scrambled in this manner is limited.
Further, in order to provide a phase-locked loop system which can operate at a high-speed, it is necessary to employ as a reference signal a signal of a high-frequency. This makes the circuitry expensive.
Still further, if a jamming signal generator of this type is provided for every channel, the overall system cost is quite high. Moreover, using conventional circuitry, the output frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator tends to vary outside the band of the signal to be jammed prior to lock-in. This causes an unwanted influence in channels which are not to be scrambled. Yet further, it has proven difficult to control the change over switch used to control jamming signal mixing operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a reception control system in which the foregoing disadvantages have been eliminated.
Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a reception control system having a compact size and which is economical to construct and operate.
In accordance with these and other objects of the invention, there is provided a CATV reception controlling system comprising a branching device for branching a CATV signal from a transmission line to a plurality of subscriber terminals, a plurality of directional couplers for applying a jamming signal in a time-divisional manner to individual subscriber branch lines, a plurality of switches for controlling the application of the jamming signal to and from the directional couplers, computer means for controlling operations of the switches in a time-divisional manner in response to program controlling data received from a center, a voltage-controlled oscillator for generating the jamming signal, a digital-to-analog converter for generating a voltage for controlling the frequency of the output of the voltage-controlled oscillator in response to digital data from the computer means, and a counter for periodically counting the output signal of the voltage-controlled oscillator during a predetermined period of time, the computer means also reading out a count value produced from the counter and supplying the digital-to-analog converter with a digital output.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a CATV system in which the present invention is employed;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of a CATV distributing system constructed according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of a CATV signal distributing system of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a connection diagram provided for explaining a jamming signal generating system using a D/A converter and a VCO and constructed in accordance with a particular feature of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a timing track used for explaining the operation of the jamming signal generating system of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart detailing the way in which the jamming signal is controlled in accordance with outputs of a microcomputer; and
FIG. 7 shows memory maps of respective ROM and RAM storage devices in the CATV signal distribution system of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a CATV signal distributing system of the present invention. In this drawing, a signal source 11 sends out a video signal and an audio signal with a predetermined frequency interval therebetween. A central computer 12 is provided which performs polling operations so as to control the permission/nonpermission of reception of particular channels on the basis of stored data. A modem (modulator/demodulator) 13 modulates the polling signal provided by the central computer 12 with an RF signal. Further in FIG. 1, reference numeral 14 designates a signal coupler; 15, a trunk line amplifier; 16, a branch line amplifier; 17, an extension amplifier; 19a and 19b, signal distributors (embodying particular features of the invention); 20a to 20j, individual subscriber drop lines; 21a and 21b, subscribers premises; 22a and 22b, CATV converters; and 23a and 23b, TV sets.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one of the distributors 19a and 19b. In FIG. 2, connectors 24a and 24b are connected to the output line extending from the amplifier 17. Branching devices 25 and 25 branch the signal on the line from the output of the amplifier 17. A modem 27 demodulates the data received from a broadcast center, which data is generated in accordance with a polling system.
Further in FIG. 2, reference numeral 28 designates a microcomputer; 29, a ROM for storing polling addresses corresponding to respective subscribers and frequency selection data for generating jamming signals; and 30, a RAM for storing data generated in accordance with the contracts with the individual subscribers indicating which channels are chargeable for the respective subscribers. The ROM 29 and the RAM 30 are connected to the microcomputer 28 via address and data busses 31a and 31b, respectively. A VCO 40 is provided for generating a jamming signal. A D/A converter 39 supplies the VCO 40 with a voltage corresponding to a frequency to be generated at given instants. Reference numeral 38 designates a data bus used for supplying the D/A converter with data indicative of the voltage to be generated, this data being outputted by the microcomputer 28.
A frequency divider 37 divides the frequency of the output signal produced by the VCO 40 by a factor of 1/M, the divider 37 acting as a prescaler for converting an RF level into a logic signal. Reference numeral 36 designates the output of the divider 37. A binary n-bit counter 37 supplies its output to the microcomputer 28. Reference numerals 32 and 33 designate signals produced by the microcomputer 28 for controlling the resetting of and enabling/disabling of the counter 35. A distributor 42 distributes a jamming signal 41 produced by the VCO 40 to respective input terminals of RF switches 43a to 43f. Control signal lines 44a to 44f carry signals which control the positions (on/off) of the respective RF switches 43a to 43f in response to instructions received from the microcomputer 28, specifically, in response to the data indicative of which channels are allowed to be viewed by which subscribers. Accordingly, a jamming signal 41 is generated by the VCO 40 and supplied to subscriber output terminals 48a to 48f as determined by the states of the various RF switches 43a to 43f.
Branching devices (directional couplers 45a to 45f) are connected to a branching unit 47 for receiving signals from the respective RF switches 43a to 43f. A jammed (composite) signal, having a frequency spectrum determined in accordance with the CATV signal obtained by combining the signals at the outputs of the branching device 47 and the jamming signal at the outputs of the RF switches 43a to 43f, is supplied to each of the subscriber output terminals 48a to 48f.
As described above, the jamming signal acts on the synchronizing signals applied to the various subscribers' TV sets and, accordingly, on the AGC levels of the sets, so as to prevent unauthorized reception of unpermitted channels. However, it is well-known that noise elimination circuitry is ordinarily provided in each TV set to reduce the level of noise contained in the video output, particularly, to eliminate noise having levels exceeding a predetermined value relative to the level of the synchronizing signals. Therefore, in order to effectively jam the CATV signals, it is necessary to maintain the amplitude of the jamming signals at a fixed amplitude level relative to the ordinary TV signals.
As a result of experiments, it has been determined that the most effective results can be obtained where the level of the jamming signal is set to an amplitude larger by about 5 to 10 dB than the video signal in a given channel. Further, since the amplitude of the CATV signal can vary depending on the characteristics of the line amplifiers and/or the frequency characteristics of the coaxial cables of the CATV system, it is desirable to vary the level of the jamming signal in accordance with the variations in amplitude of the ordinary CATV signals.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of a jamming signal generating system of the present invention in which such an amplitude-following function is provided. The system of FIG. 3 is generally similar to that of FIG. 2. However, in the FIG. 3 embodiment, not only is the frequency of the jamming signal controlled in the same manner as described above with respect to the FIG. 2 embodiment, but also the amplitude of the jamming signal is made to follow the amplitude variations in the CATV signal so that an optimum jamming signal level is continuously maintained. In FIG. 3, elements corresponding to those in the embodiment of FIG. 2 are designated by like reference numerals.
In FIG. 3, a VCO 40 for generating the jamming signal is provided with a VCO unit 40H connected to a D/A converter 39, a first mixer 40B connected to a distributor 47 through a low-pass filter (LPF) 40A and to the VCO unit 40H through an amplifier 40I. Thereby, the output of the VCO unit 40H is mixed with a CATV signal obtained from the branching signal 47. The frequency of the output signal of the VCO unit 40H is controlled by the output voltage level from the D/A converter 39 so as to cause the output frequency of the mixer 40B of the channel to be jammed tp be an intermediate frequency f L =f j +f v , where f j and f v respectively represent the frequency of the output signal of the VCO unit 40H and the frequency of the CATV signal of the specific channel to be jammed.
The VCO 40 is further provided with intermediate frequency bandpass filters (BPFs) 40C, 40A and 40J, an intermediate frequency amplifier 40D, and a second mixer 40F for thereby producing outputs signals having frequencies f L -f j and f L +f j . Accordingly, an output signal having a frequency f v =f L -f j is derived at the output of the BPF 40G. That is, a jamming signal having a level equivalent to that of the CATV signal to be jammed is produced at the output of the BPF 40G. The amplitude level of this jamming signal is maintained at a fixed ratio relative to the level of the CATV signal being jammed. Further, the jamming signal jams both the audio carrier f v as well as the audio carrier f a so that scrambling is effected to both the picture and sound.
FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the VCO controlling section. Features of the VCO controlling section enable the jamming signal generating apparatus of the invention to operate at a high speed and yet allow the overall system to be implemented at a low cost. In FIG. 4, elements seen also in FIGS. 2 and 3 are correspondingly designated.
In FIG. 4, D/A converter units 39a and 39b, and an adder 39c constitute a D/A converter section used for controlling the VCO. The D/A converter unit 39a is constituted by CMOS logic gates 39a-1 to 39a-4, resistors 39a-5 to 39a-9, and an operational amplifier 39a-10. Similar to the D/A converter unit 39a, the D/A converter unit 39b is constituted by CMOS logic gates 39b-1 to 39b-4, resistors 39b-5 to 39b-9, an operational amplifier 39b-10, and further an additional resistive attenuator 39b-11.
Assuming that each of the D/A converter units 39a and 39b has a digital input of n bits, and if the resistance value of the attenuator 39b-11 is set so that half the LSB of the D/A converter unit 39a is equal to the MSB of the D/A converter unit 39b, a simple D/A converter section of 2n bits is provided. The adder 39c sums the outputs of the respective D/A converter units 39a and 39b.
FIG. 5 is a timing chart used for explaining the operations of the jamming signal generating system of the invention. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 50 shows a graph of the voltage versus time relationship of the output of the D/A 39 used for controlling the VCO 40, time being represented on the abscissa and the amplitude of the voltage applied to the VCO or, equivalently, the frequency generated by the VCO, on the ordinant. It is assumed that the number of channels to be scrambled by the jamming signal is i, that the jamming signal is applied to each of the i channels during a period of time T 0 , and that the total time required for applying the jamming signal to all i channels is T 1 . Further, T 2a and T 2b represent frequency correction periods. Each of the periods T 2a and T 2b is expanded in the diagram designated by 51. A diagram designated at 52 shows a state in which the counter 35 is controlled by the microcomputer 28 in the manner described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. In the diagrams 52 and 53, the counter enabling/disabling signal 33 and the counter reset signal 32, respectively, are shown. Referring to the diagram 51 in FIG. 5, t c1 , t 2 , t c3 and t c4 indicate the counting times required for the counting operations of the frequency counter 35; t r1 , t r2 and t r3 represent reading times required for reading the count results by the microcomputer 28; t r1 , t r2 and t r3 represent the reset times of the counter 35; and t D1 , t D2 and t D3 represent the conversion times required by the D/A converter 39.
Further in FIG. 5, diagrams 54, 55, 56 and 57 show the control timing for the RF switches 43a to 43f. In each of the diagrams 54 to 57, H and L designate the opened and closed states, respectively, of the RF switches. For example, for a subscriber for which the jamming signal is applied in accordance with the timing indicated in the diagram 54, each of channels at frequencies f 1 , f 2 , f 4 and f i is scrambled by the jamming signal, while for another subscriber for which the jamming signal is produced as shown in the diagram 55, the channels at frequencies f 1 and f 3 are scrambled by the jamming signal.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the frequency correction operations performed by the microcomputer 28, which represents another specific feature of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows memory maps A and B of the ROM 29 and the ROM 30, and are used for explaining the control system in accordance with the present invention, which effects control with the microcomputer 28 on the basis of data representing the contract conditions for the various subscribers.
The operation of the embodiments of the invention discussed above will now be described in more detail.
First, with reference to FIG. 2 showing the construction of the distributors 19a and 19b of FIG. 1, in communication of polling data from the center, when an address stored in advance and the polling address coincide, the data than present is received and employed to indicate which channels can be viewed by which subscribers. For such data communications, usually FSK (frequency-shift keying) modulation techniques are employed in an otherwise empty frequency band of the CATV system, usually in the vicinity of 100 MHz. The modem 27 demodulates the data communication signals. When coincidence has been detected, the microcomputer 28 reads the data and stores the contract information contained therein in the ROM 29. The ROM 29 may be a mechanical storage element employing switches or the like, a semiconductor storage device, or any other available and suitable type of storage device. The memory map A of FIG. 7 shows, by way of example, subscriber addresses ADR 1 to ADR i stored therein. The memory map B shows polling data CH-E/D 1 to CH-E/D i stored therein, this data indicating which channels are allowed for viewing by which subscribers.
In the ROM 29, there is further stored frequency arrangement data values f 1-count to f j-count stored in the memory map A. The microcomputer 28 reads out one of the frequency arrangement data values from the memory map A of FIG. 7, with the values read out being selected on the basis of the polling data in correspondence with a reception-controlled channel, that is, for a channel carrying a chargeable program. The read-out frequency arrangement data is applied to the D/A converter 39. The data applied to the D/A converter 39 is changed at a predetermined rate, as shown by the diagram 50 in FIG. 5, so that a jamming signal is generated on a time-divisional basis for all chargeable channels. The microcomputer 28 controls the states of the RF switches 43a to 43f in response to the reception controlling data CH-D/D 1 to CH-E/D i stored in the RAM 30.
Assuming that the RF switches 43a, 43b, 43c and 43f correspond to the subscribers corresponding to the diagrams 54, 55, 56 and 57, when the output of the D/A converter 39 causes the VCO 40 to generate the jamming frequency f 1 , the subscribers 54, 55 and 57 are inhibited from receiving the channel at the frequency f 1 . That is, the RF switches 43a, 43b and 43f, corresponding to the subscribers 54, 55 and 57, respectively, are closed, thereby superimposing the jamming signal upon the designated channel during the period of time T 0 . For the subsequent period of time T 0 , the channel at the frequency f 2 is jammed. As indicated in FIG. 5, during this subsequent period, the subscribers 54 and 57 are prevented from receiving the channel at the frequency f 2 . For this purpose, the RF switches 43a and 43f, corresponding to the subscribers 54 and 57, respectively, are closed. In general, each of the RF switches 43a to 43f should be capable of switching signals in the CATV band of 50 to 450 MHz at a high speed. For this purpose, an analog switch, such as one implemented with an FET, a high-frequency transistor, a PIP diode, or the like may be used.
The jamming signal generation period t 1 indicated in FIG. 5 should be selected to be an integer multiple of the horizontal scanning period of one of the CATV signals.
As will be readily understood from the foregoing description, the shorter the jamming signal generation period T 1 , the better the jamming effect will be. On the other hand, if an improvement in the jamming effect is not needed, the number of chargeable channels which can be controlled can be increased.
In order to shorten the time period T 1 , it is necessary to reduce the jamming signal generation time T 0 , the RF switch operating time, and the response time of both the VCO 40 and the D/A converter 39.
Next, a description will be provided regarding the control technique for the VCO 40 for generating the jamming signal, which is another important feature of the present invention. Frequency control for the VCO 40 is generally formed by controlling the voltage applied across a varistor diode. However, the frequency versus voltage characteristics of individual varistor diodes may vary widely, and further these characteristics can vary strongly as a function of temperature. Hence, varistor diodes, as are generally employed in conventional circuits, are generally unsuitable. It is to be further noted that the best jamming effect can be obtained if the jamming signal frequency is set to a value within the range of f v ±500 KHz, where f v is the video carrier frequency of a given CATV channel.
In accordance with the invention, frequency control is achieved in the following manner:
(1) In the initial state, a selected one of the values of f 1-count to f j-count is read out of the ROM 29, and the data thus obtained is multiplied by the data conversion coefficient D/A con of the D/A converter 39, as shown in the memory map A of FIG. 7. This product is applied to the D/A converter 39.
(2) Next, the counter 35 is enabled in response to the control signal 33 so as to start its counting operation.
(3) After the counter 35 has operated for a predetermined period of time, the counter 35 is stopped, and the value of the count reached in that period of time is taken as a measure of the frequency of the signal generated at the output of the VCO 40. It is necessary to perform start/stop control of the counter 35 so that the counter performs its counting operation for this predetermined period of time. The predetermined period of time may be controlled in accordance with a clock signal provided externally, or it may be determined by an internal command/execution step in the microcomputer.
(4) The difference between a selected frequency data value f 1-count to f i-count and the measured frequency f 0 is obtained as the frequency difference.
(5) By increasing/decreasing the data value applied to the D/A converter 39, the steps (1) to (4) are repeatedly carried out until a different value f k-count -f 0 occurs within a predetermined error range, wherein k represents a selected channel.
(6) The above steps are performed for each of the channels designated as chargeable channels. Finally, all of the data of the D/A converter 39 is stored in the RAM 30 as data values CMP lM to CMP kL , wherein M and L represent the output CMP iM and CMP iL of the D/A converter 39 corresponding to the upper and lower bit sides thereof.
Accordingly, data correction of the D/A converter 39 in the initial state is performed. During the reception control operations for a chargeable program, it is necessary to correct the values CMP lM to CMP kL at predetermined intervals in order to suppress frequency drift.
The periods T 2a and T 2b in the diagram 50 of FIG. 5 represent the correction period. In the diagram 51, each of the correction periods T 2a and T 2b is indicated in detail. For example, in the case where data correction for ten jammed channels is to be performed, correction for each jammed channel is performed every six minutes. If correction is performed within periods of hundreds of milliseconds, the data correction will scarcely affect the scrambling results.
Referring to FIG. 4, a practical operation will be described by way of example. It is assumed that the D/A converter has a capacitor of 16 bits as provided by the D/A converter units 39a and 39b. It is further assumed that the divider (prescaler) 37 has a scaling or dividing ratio of 1/64, the counter 35 has a capacity of 16 bits, an interrupt signal is applied to the microcomputer 28 when the counter 35 produces a carry, and counting is performed in accordance with the software of the microcomputer 28. The VCO 40 generates a signal having a frequency in the UHF band in order to cover the 50 to 450 MHz frequency range; downward frequency conversion is employed. For example, the VCO 40 generates a signal having a frequency in a range of (50 to 450 MHz)+600 MHz, and the frequency of this signal is downwardly converted to a signal having a frequency within a range of (50 to 450 MHz)+600 MHz-600 MHz. Accordingly, the input frequency to the divider 37 is in a range of 650 to 1,050 MHz, and the input frequency to the counter 35 is in the range of 10.156 to 16.406 MHz. Further, assuming that the counting period of the counter 35 for the counter to generate a carry (for an input clock in a range of 0.0397 to 0.064 MHz) is 1 millisecond, a count value of 10.126k to 16.406k will be reached, and an accuracy of 13 bits or more is provided. On the other hand, if the period is set to be 2 milliseconds, it is possible to measure the frequency with an accuracy of 14 bits or more.
The measured value of frequency can be expressed by:
CV.sub.s ×2.sup.8 +CV.sub.c ×64/1 msec,
where CV s and CV c represent the count value produced by the microcomputer software and the count value produced by the counter, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 4, the operation of the arrangement shown therein will be further described. In FIG. 4, the CMOS logic gates 39a-1 to 39a-4 correspond to the CMOS logic gates 39b-1 to 39b-4, respectively; the resistors 39a-5 to 39a-9 are the same as the resistors 39b-5 to 39b-9; and the operational amplifier 39a-10 is the same as the operational amplifier 39b-10. Accordingly, similar D/A converter units 39a and 39b are provided. Assuming the resistance value of the resistor 39a-5 is represented by R, and the resistor 39a-6, 39a-7 and 39a-8 have resistance values of 2×R, 2 2 ×R and 2 7 ×R, respectively, the D/A converter unit 39a is implemented in the form of a simple eight-bit D/A converter. The resistance value of the resistor 39a-9, which determines the conversion gain, can be selected as desired.
In the D/A converter unit 39a, the current drive capabilities of the CMOS gates 39a-1 to 39a-4 are employed. That is, the logic level H or L signals passing through the CMOS gates 39a-1 to 39a-4 are divided by current dividers constituted by the respective resistors 39a-5 to 39a-9, and the current is converted into a voltage by the current-to-voltage converting operational amplifier 39a-10. The arrangement of the D/A converter unit 39b is substantially similar to that of the D/A converter unit 39a, except that the attenuator 39b-11 is provided so that the maximum bit output of the operational amplifier 39b-10 is equal to half the minimum bit output of the operational amplifier 39a-10. Accordingly, a simple sixteen-bit D/A converter is realized inexpensively.
FIG. 6 shows a flowchart depicting the operations required for calculating the frequency controlling data for the D/A converter in the initial state and for correcting the same during the controlling operations. This flowchart shows the process for one jammed channel. It is of course necessary to repeat the process for every channel to be jammed.
In step 1, a determination is made as to whether the D/A data is in the initial state. If NO, the operation is shifted to step 2, while if YES the operation is jumped to step 3.
In step 2, the correction D/A data CMP i is initialized or set to zero. For example, the frequency data F count-k of the channel k is multiplied by the data conversion coefficient D/A con of the D/A converter so as to force the D/A data to be DAD.
In step 3, a value DAD+CMP i is set as the correction D/A data.
In step 4, the correction D/A data is inputted to the D/A converter.
In step 5, waiting is carried out until the D/A conversion operation has been completed.
In step 6, the counter 35 is reset.
In step 7, the counter 35 is enabled to begin its counting operation.
In step 8, the frequency count is carried out for the predetermined period of time.
In step 9, a determination is made as to whether the operation has been carried out on the upper eight bits of the data. If YES, the operation is shifted to step 10, while if NO, the operation returns to step 8. In this embodiment, it is sufficient for the time taken to execute step 8 to be about 0.5 msec, while on the other hand, it is sufficient for the time period allowed for step 9 to be completed that is, for the lower-bits side D/A correction, to be 2 8 ×0.5 msec=128 msec.
In step 10, the counter is disabled from further counting.
In step 11, a frequency difference ΔF between the frequency data f i-count in the ROM and the actually measured frequency is obtained.
In step 12, a determination is made as to whether the absolute value of the frequency difference ΔF is larger than predetermined value N 1 . If YES, the operation is shifted to step 15, while if NO, the operation is branched to step 13.
If the frequency difference ΔF is positive, that is, if the actually generated frequency is lower than the reference frequency, the operation shifts to step 16. In step 16, the correction data CMP ij is increased by 1, while in the case the frequency difference F is negative, the correction data is decremented by 1 and the operation jumps to step 13.
In step 13, if the upper bit side correction has been completed, a loop parameter J is incremented by 1, and when the parameter becomes 3, it is determined further that the lower bit side correction has been completed, whereupon this routine is ended.
The above operations are carried out for all channels.
A description has been given relating to the operation of the D/A converter 39 and the frequency correction thereof with reference, by example, to FIGS. 4 to 6.
In FIG. 3, an embodiment is shown which, as described above, is provided with the additional function of causing the jammed carrier level to follow level fluctuations of the CATV signals so as to maintain a predetermined ratio between the CATV signal level and the jamming signal level. The arrangement of FIG. 3 is the same as that of level. The arrangement of FIG. 3 is the same as that of FIG. 2 generally, and hence a further description will be given only of the VCO section 40 with respect to this additional function.
In FIG. 3, the input side LPF 40A eliminates frequency components other than those fall in the CATV signal band, that is, those in a frequency range of 50 to 450 MHz. The so-obtained CATV signal and the output signal from the VCO unit 40H, amplified by the amplifier 40I, are mixed by the first mixer 40B and the intermediate frequency component thereby produced is extracted with the intermediate frequency BPFs 40C and 40E and the intermediate frequency amplifier 40D. That is, the VCO unit 40H is controlled in such a manner that the output signal thereof satisfies the relation f Li =f vi +f ji , where f Li , F vi and f ji represent the frequency of the video carrier in the signal i to be jammed (obtained from the LPF 40A), the intermediate frequency supplied to the second mixer 40F, and the frequency of the output signal of the VCO unit 40H.
The intermediate frequency signal fLi and the oscillation frequency signal f ji are mixed with each other by the second mixer 40f, and the frequency component f vi =f Li -f ji is extracted via the BPF 40G. The video carrier frequency f v of the CATV signal in the channel to be jammed is set with a predetermined gain. Similarly, the audio carrier signal at the frequency f a is set to a predetermined gain. Using the thus-obtained video carrier signal and audio carrier signal as the signals to be jammed, both the picture and the sound are effectively blocked.
As is apparent from the foregoing description, according to the present invention, it is made possible to provide time-division generated jamming signals at a high speed with a simple circuit arrangement. Moreover, the following specific advantages are obtained:
(1) As an improvement over the conventional frequency control system in which a VCO is used together with a PLL, it is possible to perform frequency control at a high speed because it is unnecessary to allow for time for lock-in of the PLL and the like.
(2) Since the correction of the VCO oscillation frequency is performed by a D/A converter by means of software and a microcomputer, a highly accurate D/A converter is not required; that is, a very simple D/A converter can be employed, thereby reducing the cost of the system.
(3) It is possible to increase the number of channels which can be jammed and to improve the jamming effect simultaneously because frequency control can be performed at a high speed.
(4) The apparatus is economical as a whole because of its simple circuit arrangement. | A reception controlling apparatus for a CATV system in which jamming signals are added to the signals sent to each subscriber's terminal unit in such a manner as to accurately jam the designated nonpermitted channels without interfering with the permitted channels. A microcomputer receives data from a broadcast center indicating which subscribers are permitted to view which channels. A jamming signal is generated in a time-division manner and gated onto the lines to the individual subscribers under the control of the microcomputer. The jamming signal is produced by a VCO controlled by the microcomputer. The jamming signal is produced by a VCO controlled by the microcomputer while providing correction to its output frequency. | 7 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to independent and self-contained position sensors for sensing the position of an attached device. In particular, there is a cover mounted position sensor that has resistors and conductors mounted on the cover of the sensor housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various devices and methods of dealing with the design of position sensors are legion. Examples of patents related to the present invention are as follows, and each patent is herein incorporated by reference for the supporting teachings:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,818, is a throttle valve adjusting unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,295, is a combined pedal force switch and position sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,144, is a throttle position validation method and apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,068, is an electronic accelerator pedal assembly with pedal force sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,980, is an integrated throttle position sensor with independent position validation sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,321, is an integrated throttle control and idle validation sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,975, is a resistor substrate for a variable resistor employed in a throttle sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,649, is a throttle valve opening sensor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,420, is a throttle valve position detecting device for a vehicle engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,504, is a throttle position sensor with a potentiometer module that fits into a connector casing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,691, is a dual track resistor element having nonlinear output.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,352, is a method of making a variable resistance control.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,634, is a rotary potentiometer with molded terminal package.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,290, is a modular position sensor.
The foregoing patents reflect some of the relevant of which the applicant is aware and are tendered with the view toward discharging applicants' acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be pertinent in the examination of this application. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that none of these patents teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the applicant's claimed invention.
3. Problem with the Related Art
There are several common problems occurring with the prior art. It can be more expensive, for example, to make a sensor unit that contains more parts. In particular, using a separate assembly or piece to hold the sensing elements such as a flexible film is expensive. The separate assembly requires additional holding mechanisms and assembly steps during fabrication. It would be less expensive to be able to omit some components and have fewer parts to assemble. Therefore, there is a need for a position sensor unit that is less expensive.
The preferred embodiment of the invention is designed to solve the problems herein described and other problems not discussed, which are discoverable by a skilled artisan.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a feature of the invention to provide an independent and self-contained position sensor for sensing the position of an attached device. In particular, there is a cover mounted position sensor that has resistors and conductors mounted on the cover of the sensor housing.
Yet, another feature of the invention is to provide a position sensor that includes a housing having a plurality of terminals attached. A cover is attached to the housing. The cover has several resistors and conductors mounted thereon. Several conductive traces are located on the cover and electrically connect the conductors and resistors to the terminals. A rotor is positioned between the housing and the cover, and has a contactor mounted thereon for contacting the resistor and the conductor such that as the rotor rotates a resistance value indicative of the sensor position is varied. The cover has a terminal insert which connects between the conductive traces and the terminals. A leaf spring rotates the rotor back to a starting position.
It is a feature of the invention to provide a position sensor that includes a housing having a several terminals attached to the housing and a cover attached to the housing. A sensor mechanism is located on the cover and is electrically connected to the terminals for sensing the position of an attached device and generating an electrical signal representative thereof. A rotor mechanism is positioned between the housing and the cover for contacting the sensor mechanism such that as the rotor mechanism rotates the electrical signal is varied. A leaf spring rotates the rotor back to a starting position.
The invention resides not in any one of these features per se, but rather in the particular combination of all of them herein disclosed and claimed. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Further, the abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, neither is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a Cover Mounted Position Sensor.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional assembled view of FIG. 1.
It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to scale. The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements between the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cover mounted position sensor 10 is shown. A housing 12 has a connector shroud 13 and a pair of mounting flanges 14 attached. Mounting flange 14 has a mounting hole 16 passing therethrough for bolting or screwing to a mounting location. A connector tab 18 and connector aperture 19 are located on connector shroud 13 for connecting with an external electrical connector (not shown). A terminal flange 20 extends upwardly from the top surface of housing 12 and holds terminals 21. A first spring post 22 and a second spring post 23 extend upwardly form the top surface of the housing and a recess 24 extends into the housing. A spacer 26 is ultrasonically welded to housing 12. A rotor assembly 30 has a rotor body 32, a rotor support portion 25 that fits into recess 24, a spring actuator 34 that extends below rotor body 32 and a rotor flange 36 extends upwardly from rotor body 32. Rotor 30 further has a rotor body upper portion 38 and a shaft aperture 39 in an end of the rotor body. A shaft (not shown) on an adjacent device would rest in and be held by shaft aperture 39 during operation. A pair of contactors 40 is mounted to rotor body 32. Contactors 40 have several contact fingers 42 extending outwardly. A leaf spring 28 has one end that is held by spring post 22. Leaf spring 28 wraps around spring post 23 and has another end held by spring actuator 34. Leaf spring 28 rotates rotor assembly 30 back to a starting position.
A cover 50 is ultrasonically welded over spacer 26 to enclose rotor assembly 30. Cover 50 has terminal inserts 52 therein, conductive traces 54, resistors 56, conductors 58 and a cover hole 62. Terminal inserts 52 are copper inserts that are insert molded into cover 50 and electrically connect terminals 21 to conductive traces 54. Conductive traces 54, resistors 56, and conductors 58 are conventional thick film materials applied by conventional thick film techniques. A seal 45 is located between cover 50 and rotor flange 36 to seal the sensor from potentially harmful external environmental conditions.
Position sensor 10 is assembled as follows: First, terminals 21 are insert molded into housing 12. Spacer 26 is then ultrasonically welded to housing 12. Contactors 40 are heat staked to rotor body 32. Spring 28 has an end attached to post 22 and is then wrapped around post 23. Rotor 30 is placed on housing 12 with the other end of spring 28 resting against spring actuator 34. Next, seal 45 is placed over rotor upper body 38. Terminal inserts 52 are insert molded into cover 50 then the traces 54, resistors 56 and conductors 58 are screen printed and cured on cover 50. The cover 50 is then placed on and ultrasonically welded to spacer 26 completing the assembly. During installation of cover 50, terminals 21 press-fit into terminal inserts 52.
Position sensor 10 operates as follows: a rotating shaft of an external device whose position is desired to be sensed is located in shaft aperture 39 and as the shaft rotates, rotor assembly 30 also rotates. As rotor body 32 rotates, contact fingers 42 are swept across resistors 56 and conductors 58 causing a measured electrical resistance to change or an applied voltage level to change. An external electrical signal applied to the terminals is conducted through a terminal 21, terminal insert 52, trace 54, resistor 56, contact fingers 42, through another set of contact fingers 40, conductor 58, another trace 54, another terminal insert 52 and to another terminal 21 where it connects with an external electrical connector such as a wiring harness. As the rotor 30 rotates, the resistance value indicative of the shaft position varies. Leaf spring 28 is coupled to the rotor 30 and rotates the rotor back to a starting position when force on the shaft is released.
Remarks About the Preferred Embodiment
One of ordinary skill in the art of designing and using position sensors will realize many advantages from studying and using the preferred embodiment. For example, since the resistors and conductors are located on the cover, the sensor unit can be produced less expensively than previous sensor devices that included a separate piece such as a flexible film.
One skilled in the art would also realize that cover 50, rotor 30 and spacer 26 could be a standard set of parts and that only housing 12 need be changed to customize the independent and self contained sensor for a particular application of sensor mounting orientation or connector requirements.
A skilled artisan will understand that the terminal inserts 52 provide a disconnectable electrical connection between the traces and the terminals.
One knowledgeable in the art would also realize that the leaf spring 28 has advantages over a coil spring for short degrees of rotation. For example, the leaf spring is easier to install and less expensive.
One skilled in the art would know that the connector shroud 13 is used for both mechanically and electrically coupling to external electrical wires (not shown), for example. The electrical wires are used for directing power to the sensor, and for directing position sensor signals to appropriate devices. Of course, the shroud encloses either female or male electrical contacts for coupling to the external wires.
A skilled artisan will understand that although the position sensor was shown in a particular application, an infinite number of applications are possible for such a device and it is manifestly intended that the applications be limited only by the possibilities of the human imagination.
Variations of the Preferred Embodiment
Although the illustrated embodiments discuss using ultrasonic welding to connect spacer 26 to housing 12 and cover 50, it is contemplated to use heat staking or adhesives or press-fitting.
An additional variation of the invention contemplates the use of a different connection between terminals 21, inserts 52 and conductive traces 54. For example, solder could be used to electrically connect terminal 21 to trace 54, omitting insert 52. Also, other types of connectors could be pressed between traces 54 and terminals 21 such as a z-axis tape interconnect product which has columns of electrical connections in the z-axis.
Although the preferred embodiment depicts a certain shaped cover 50, many variations are possible. For example, the resistors 56 and conductors 58 could be at one end of cover 50. Additionally, it is even contemplated to place the resistors and conductors in different locations, like on one side of the cover or even on the inside surface of the housing. Of course this would require a different shaped rotor 30. It is also, contemplated to include more or fewer resistors 56 or conductors 58 on cover 50.
Although spacer 26 was shown as a separate piece, It is contemplated to integrally mold spacer 26 as part of housing 12 or cover 50.
While the invention has been taught with specific reference to these embodiments, someone skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. | A position sensor for sensing the position of an attached device. There is a housing having terminals and a cover attached to the housing. Resistors, conductors and conductive traces are located on the cover and electrically connected to the terminals. A rotor is positioned between the housing and the cover, and has a contactor mounted thereon for contacting the resistor and the conductor such that as the rotor rotates a resistance value indicative of the sensor position is varied. The cover has a terminal insert which connect between the conductive traces and the terminals. A leaf spring rotates the rotor back to a starting position. | 7 |
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 0/112,648 filed on Oct. 26, 1987 now, abandoned.
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to the manufacture of alkanesulfonic acids and alkanesulfonyl chlorides by oxidation of the corresponding alkanethiol, dialkyldisulfide or alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate. More particularly, it relates to the oxidation of such corresponding compounds in mixtures of hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen chloride to form alkanesulfonic acids and alkanesulfonyl chloride free of undesirable side products arising from side-chain chlorination of the alkyl group as commonly observed in direct chlorine oxidation.
PRIOR ART
The most commonly used method for the manufacture of alkanesulfonic acids or alkanesulfonyl chlorides involves oxidation of corresponding alkanethiol or dialkyldisulfide by chlorine in concentrated hydrochloric acid media (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 626,004; 4,280,966 and EP No. 0,040,560) according to the following proposed equations:
RSH+3Cl.sub.2 +2H.sub.2 O→RSO.sub.2 Cl+5HCl
RSH+3Cl.sub.2 +3H.sub.2 O→RSO.sub.3 H+6HCl
RSSR+5Cl.sub.2 +4H.sub.2 O→2RSO.sub.2 Cl+8HCl
RSSR+5Cl.sub.2 +6H.sub.2 O→2RSO.sub.3 H+10HCl
A problem associated with the direct chlorine oxidation method is the formation of undesirable side-products arising from the chlorination of the alkyl side-chain. This problem becomes particularly serious in the manufacture of higher alkanesulfonic acids and alkanesulfonyl chlorides (C 3 and higher) due to the ease of direct side-chain chlorination. Because of the inherent thermal instability of alkanesulfonyl chlorides, it is extremely difficult to purify the crude product resulting from direct chlorine oxidation.
Another problem with the direct chlorine oxidation method is the large amount of by-product hydrochloric acid produced in the process. For each mole of alkanesulfonyl chloride, four and five moles of hydrochloric acid are produced using dialkyldisulfide and alkanethiol, respectively. Similarly, for each mole of alkanesulfonic acid, five and six moles of hydrochloric acid are produced using dialkyldisulfide and alkanethiol respectively. This causes a severe disposal problem both from economic and environmental considerations.
A method has previously been proposed to form (C 4 -C 20 ) alkanesulfonyl chlorides with decreased side-products resulting from side-chain chlorination of the alkyl group wherein the corresponding alkanethiol or dialkyldisulfide is oxidized by a mixture of a small amount of oxygen in chlorine gas introduced to a mixture of a thiol or disulfide suspended in aqueous hydrogen chloride (See U.S. Pat. No. 3,248,423). While this method apparently decreases the formation of unwanted side-products in the preparation of C 4 and higher alkanesulfonyl chlorides as compared to the direct chlorine oxidation method, appreciable quantities of the side-product are shown to be formed. In addition, this method suffers from the disadvantage that a large amount of hydrogen chloride is formed as a by-product of the oxidation reaction.
STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a process for preparing alkanesulfonic acids and alkanesulfonyl chlorides comprising contacting an alkanethiol, a dialkyldisulfide or an alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate in aqueous hydrochloric acid with hydrogen peroxide to produce the corresponding alkanesulfonic acid or alkanesulfonyl chloride.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The method of this invention involves oxidation of an organosulfur reactant selected from alkanethiols, dialkyldisulfides and alkyl alkanethiolsulfonates with a combination of hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid according to the following chemical equations:
RSH+3H.sub.2 O.sub.2 +HCl→RSO.sub.2 Cl+4H.sub.2 O
RSSR+5H.sub.2 O.sub.2 +2HCl→2RSO.sub.2 Cl+6H.sub.2 O
RSO.sub.2 SR+3H.sub.2 O.sub.2 +2HCl→2RSO.sub.2 Cl+4H.sub.2 O
RSO.sub.2 Cl+H.sub.2 O→RSO.sub.3 H+HCl
The alkanethiols that are employed in the present invention have 1-18 carbon atoms, preferably 1-8 carbon atoms. Thus, there is used, for example, methanethiol, ethanethiol, n-propanethiol, isopropanethiol, 1-butanethiol, 2-butanethiol, 1-hexanethiol, 1-octanethiol or 1-decanethiol. As the dialkyldisulfide, there is used, for example, compounds having 2-20 carbon atoms combined in the alkyl moieties, preferably 2-16 carbon atoms. For example, dimethyl disulfide, diethyl disulfide, dipropyl disulfide, diisopropyl disulfide, dibutyl disulfide, diamyl disulfide, dihexyl disulfide, dioctyldisulfide, or didecyl disulfide are used. As the alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate there is used, for example, compounds having 2-20 carbon atoms in the combined alkyl and alkane moieties, preferably 2-16 carbon atoms. For example, methyl methanethiolsulfonate, ethyl ethanethiolsulfonate, propyl propanethiolsulfonate, isopropyl isopropanethiolsulfonate, butyl butanethiolsulfonate, pentyl pentanethiolsulfonate, hexyl hexanethiolsulfonate, octyl octanethiolsulfonate and decyl decanethiolsulfonate are used.
The concentration of peroxide in the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution that can be employed can range from 3 weight percent to 90 weight percent; however, concentrations of about 30 weight percent to 70 weight percent hydrogen peroxide, because of its availability, are preferred.
The amount of hydrogen peroxide used in the process of this invention can range from about 3-4 moles for each mole of alkanethiol or alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate and about 5-6 moles for each mole of dialkyldisulfide. Preferably, the amount of hydrogen peroxide used is about 3.3 moles for each mole of alkanethiol or alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate and about 5.5 moles for each mole of dialkyldisulfide.
The concentration of hydrogen chloride in the aqueous hydrochloric acid solution that can be employed is from 10 weight percent to 38 weight percent. Preferably, the concentration of hydrogen chloride is about 36-38 weight percent.
The amount of hydrogen chloride used can range from 1-10 moles for each mole of alkanethiol or from 2-20 moles for each mole of dialkyldisulfide or alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate. Preferably, the amount of hydrogen chloride used is between about two and four moles for each mole of alkanethiol and between about four and six moles for each mole of dialkyldisulfide or alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate.
The temperature at which the process of this invention is carried out can vary from about 0° C. to about 60° C. Preferably the temperature is between 25°-35° C. for the preparation of alkanesulfonyl chloride and between 50°-60° C. for the preparation of alkanesulfonic acid.
The manner in which the process of this invention is carried out depends upon the individual organosulfur reactant employed and the product desired. In general, when alkanesulfonyl chloride is the desired product, aqueous hydrogen peroxide is added slowly to a mixture of alkanethiol (or dialkyldisulfide or alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate as the case may be) and aqueous hydrochloric acid over a period of one to two hours while the temperature is raised from 0° C. to 35° C. over the addition period. The reaction mixture is stirred at 35° C. for an additional one or two hours. After this time, the reaction mixture is cooled and extracted with a suitable organic solvent such as, methylene chloride, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, toluene, or equivalent solvent. The resultant organic extract is evaporated to obtain the alkanesulfonyl chloride. In most cases the product alkanesulfonyl chloride separates out as a lower layer. If desired the process of this invention can be run in a continuous manner by removing the lower product layer and charging fresh feed.
Similarly, if the desired product is alkanesulfonic acid, aqueous hydrogen peroxide is added to a mixture of alkanethiol (or dialkyldisulfide or alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate as the case may be) and aqueous hydrochloric acid over a period of one to two hours while the temperature is raised from 0° C. to about 60° C. over the addition period. The reaction mixture is stirred at 60° C. for an additional one or two hours. The desired concentration of alkanesulfonic acid can then be produced from the product mixture by methods known to those skilled in the art.
The process of this invention is demonstrated in the following examples.
EXAMPLE 1
There was added, with vigorous stirring using a mechanical stirrer, 62.3 g of 30 weight percent aqueous hydrogen peroxide (550 mmole) to a mixture of 9.4 g of dimethyldisulfide (100 mmole) and 50 g of 36.5 weight percent aqueous hydrochloric acid (500 mmole) over a period of one and one-half hours while the reaction temperature was increased from 5° C. to 35° C. The reaction mixture was stirred at 35° C. for an additional hour. The reaction mixture was then cooled to about 25° C. and extracted with three 25 ml aliquots of methylene chloride. Analysis of the methylene chloride extract by gas chromatography indicated that no detectable products arising from the side chain chlorination are formed. The organic extract was evaporated using a rotary evaporator, and the resulting product was distilled under reduced pressure to obtain 5.1 g of pure methanesulfonyl chloride.
EXAMPLE 2
There was added, with vigorous stirring using a mechanical stirrer, 62.3 g of 30 weight percent aqeuous hydrogen peroxide (550 mmole) to a mixture of 15.0 g of di-n-propyl-disulfide (100 mmole) and 50 g of 36.5 weight percent aqueous hydrochloric acid (500 mmole) over a period of one and one-half hours while the reaction temperature was increased from 5° C. to 35° C. The reaction mixture was stirred at 35° C. for an additional one hour. The reaction mixture was then cooled and extracted with three 25 ml portions of methylene chloride. Analysis of the methylene chloride extract by gas chromatography indicated that no detectable products arising from the side-chain chlorination are formed. From the methylene chloride extract, 16.9 g. (118.3 mmoles) of pure n-propanesulfonyl chloride was isolated in the same manner as in Example 1.
EXAMPLE 3
60 g of 30 weight percent aqueous hydrogen peroxide (530 mmole) was added, with vigorous stirring using a mechanical stirrer, to a mixture of 23.4 g of 1-octanethiol (160 mmole) and 50 g of 36.5 weight percent aqueous hydrochloric acid (500 mmole) over a period of two hours while the reaction temperature was increased from 25° C. to 50° C. The reaction mixture was stirred for an additional one hour at 50° C. The reaction mixture was then cooled and extracted with three 25 ml portions of methylene chloride. Analysis of the methylene chloride extract by gas chromatography indicated that no detectable products arising from the side-chain chlorination are formed. From the organic extract 14.7 g of pure 1-octanesulfonyl chloride was obtained in the same manner as described in Example 1.
EXAMPLE 4
There was added with vigorous stirring using a mechanical stirrer 62.3 g of 30 weight percent aqueous hydrogen peroxide (550 mmoles) to a mixture of 9.4 g of dimethyldisulfide (100 mmole) and 50 g of 36.5 weight percent aqueous hydrochloric acid (500 mmole) over a period of one and one-half hours while the reaction temperature was increased from 5° C. to 60° C. The reaction mixture was stirred at 60° C. for an additional hour. After this time the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature. In this manner 13.4 g of methanesulfonic acid was obtained as analyzed by ion chromatography. No products arising from the side-chain chlorination are detected.
EXAMPLE 5
There was added with vigorous stirring using a mechanical stirrer 37.4 g of 30 weight percent aqueous hydrogen peroxide (330 mmoles) to a mixture of 12.6 g of methyl methanethiolsulfonate (100 mmole) and 50 g of 36.5 weight percent aqueous hydrochloric acid (500 mmoles) over a period of one and one-half hours while the reaction temperature was increased from 5° C. to 35° C. The reaction mixture was stirred for an additional one hour at 35° C. After this stirring time, the reaction mixture was cooled and extracted with three 25 ml. portions of methylene chloride. Analysis of the methylene chloride extract by gas chromatography indicated that no detectable products arising from side-chain chlorination are formed. From the organic extract, 15.63 g of pure methanesulfonyl chloride was obtained in the same manner as described in Example 1.
For comparison with the results of the above examples, the following described reaction demonstrates the formation of side-chain chlorinated impurities in the preparation of n-propanesulfonyl chloride by reaction of n-propanethiol with chlorine in a concentrated aqueous hydrochloric acid medium as known in the prior art. n-propanethiol (5.50 gms) was added to 70 mls (80.90 gms) of concentrated hydrochloric acid (37.4 weight-% HCl) in a five-necked, tapered flask equipped with a sintered-glass gas dispersion tube, a mechanical stirrer, thermometer, and a reflux condenser. The flask was immersed in a water bath at 20° C. and chlorine was introduced through the gas dispersion tube beneath the surface of the liquid at a rate of about 40 mls/min with vigorous mechanical mixing for a period of one hour. The product mixture was extracted with three 25 ml. portions of methylene chloride. Analysis of the organic extract by gas chromatography indicated that n-propanesulfonyl chloride was produced in 95% yield but that it contained 1.35 weight-% of a mixture of 1-chloropropanesulfonyl chloride and 3-chloropropanesulfonyl chloride as impurities. | Alkanesulfonic acids and alkanesulfonyl chlorides, free of undesirable side products arising from side-chain chlorination, are prepared by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide of the corresponding alkanethiol, dialkyldisulfide or alkyl alkanethiolsulfonate mixed with aqueous hydrochloric acid. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention discloses a process for treating polyester fabrics so as to improve their moisture wicking, soil-release, soil-redeposition, and anti-static characteristics.
Although polyester fabrics have been used successfully in the manufacture of clothing, for a long time, such fabrics have several disadvantages. Polyester fibers do not have the excellent moisture wicking properties of cotton yarns. That is, moisture deposited on the polyester fiber tends to remain where it is, and is not easily carried away along the fiber. Fabrics made of polyester feel uncomfortable when worn near the skin because body moisture cannot easily spread and evaporate. Thus, polyester fabric has been used to make fine outerwear, but has been considered unacceptable in the intimate apparel or active sportswear market.
The hydrophobic nature of polyester fiber, which results in its inferior wicking characteristics, also contributes to its poor soil-resistance properties. Since polyester fabrics are both hydrophobic and oleophilic, they tend to pick up oil-based stains which are not easily removed by rinsing. As polyester fabrics also tend to pick up soil during laundering, such fabrics often become increasingly gray after continued washings.
Another disadvantage of polyester is its tendency to cling because of a build-up of electrostatic charges. The tendency toward static cling is another factor that has made polyester fabric unsuitable for the intimate apparel market.
There have been many attempts to solve the above-described problems of polyester fabrics, some of which have been partially successful. One method is to use a finishing agent on the fabric which would impart properties of soil-release, increased water absorbency, and improved anti-static properties. The finishing agents which have been used are essentially copolymers having both hydrophilic and oleophilic groups. The oleophilic groups can be introduced into the polyester fiber such that the hydrophilic groups remain on the surface, thereby imparting the desired properties. The finishing agents have been applied to polyester by padding and drying and heat setting. Finishing agents have also been applied during the dyeing operation, by exhausting the product onto the fiber.
Finishing agents of the type described have been marketed under the name of Zelcon 4730 (by the E. I. duPont Company) and Milease T (by Imperial Chemical Industries). Details of such finishing agents are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,416,952, and 3,557,039.
In particular, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,039, such a finishing agent can comprise an aqueous dispersion of 10-50% by weight ethylene terephthalate units, together with 50-90% by weight polyoxyethylene terephthalate units, wherein the average molecular weight of the polyoxyethylene units is 1000 to 4000, wherein the molar ratio of ethylene terephthalate to polyoxyethylene terephthalate is in the range of 2:1 to 6:1, the viscosity ratio of the copolymer being between 1.10 and 1.50, and the melting point being above 100° C., as measured by the temperature of disappearance of birefringence.
One disadvantage of copolymers such as Milease-T is that the anti-static property does not remain as the fabric is laundered many times. Of course, a fabric is not useful if its necessary characteristics are not permanent.
Another method of improving the properties of polyester fabrics has been to treat the polyester with sodium hydroxide. A caustic solution would be used to attack the polyester polymer chain chemically, preferably in the presence of a suitable catalyst such as a quaternary ammonium compound. The catalyst, after being exhausted onto the fiber, would provide an affinity for the caustic to attach to the fiber. This treatment results in the formation of carboxyl groups on the surface of the polyester polymer. The carboxyl groups tend to make the polyester fabric more hydrophilic, thereby improving its moisture-wicking, anti-static and other properties. However, the improvement which results from this treatment is not especially great, and the process is somewhat difficult to control, because it is necessary to attack the fiber uniformly, and to stop the process before the fiber is unduly weakened. Also, the caustic treatment gives very little improvement in anti-static properties at low humidities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a process which comprises elements of both of the processes described above. That is, polyester fabric is first treated, according to the present invention, in a bath containing sodium hydroxide, or potassium hydroxide, in the presence of an appropriate catalyst. This caustic solution is then treated so as to neutralize its alkalinity. In the preferred embodiment, the pH is adjusted further to about 5.0. A polyester copolymer of the type described above is then applied to the fabric. The fabric can then be dyed and rinsed in a conventional manner.
The process according to the present invention therefore combines the two treatments described above, namely the caustic treatment, and the treatment by a copolymer having both hydrophilic and oleophilic groups. It has been found that the combination of these two treatments, in the manner to be more fully described below, provides improved properties in the fabric which would be unattainable by the use of either treatment alone.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for treatment of polyester fabric which imparts improved moisture wicking, soil-release, soil-redeposition, and anti-static properties to the fabric.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process as described above, which, when applied to a fabric, enables that fabric to be used in the manufacture of intimate apparel or active sportswear.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process as described above, wherein the fabric produced by the process retains its desirable properties after repeated washings.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process as described above, wherein the process is suitable for use with very thin yarns, of the order of 40 denier.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process which enhances the desirable properties of polyester fabrics, wherein the process includes treatment of substantially the entire fabric, and not merely the surface thereof.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of the invention and the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The process according to the present invention can be described in qualitative terms as follows. A polyester fabric is first treated, in a water bath, with caustic (sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) and a catalyst, the catalyst preferably being a quaternary ammonium compound. Next, the caustic is removed, and the fabric is kept in the bath. The pH of the bath is adjusted to fall within the acid range, preferably in the range of 4.5-5.5. Next, an appropriate polyester copolymer, having both hydrophilic and oleophilic groups, is added to the bath, and the polyester copolymer is exhausted onto the fabric. At this point, conventional dyeing steps can be performed by adding a carrier, leveling agents, and dye stuff, and by carrying out the dyeing at about 230° F.
Although the invention comprises a caustic treatment followed by a copolymer treatment, the invention is not a mere combination of two previously known steps. In the past, when either the caustic or the copolymer treatment was used, the treatment was concluded by the application of dyes and finishing agents. In the present invention, no finishing is done between the caustic treatment and the copolymer treatment. As will be quantitatively apparent below, the results obtained from the process of the present invention are considerably better than would have been predicted on the basis of its component steps.
The caustic and copolymer components of the process are believed to interact with each other in the following way. During the application of the caustic, the polyester fiber structure is opened by the introduction of carboxyl groups resulting from hydrolysis. The carboxyl groups, as is known from the prior art, make the fabric more hydrophilic. But it is also believed that the opening-up of the polyester fiber structure during the caustic treatment enhances the effectiveness of the next step, namely the addition of the polyester copolymer. This copolymer has both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups, and the hydrophobic end is thus introduced into the open areas of the polyester fabric, as by adsorption, and not by a chemical bond. The hydrophilic end of the copolymer remains near the surface, and imparts the desired properties to the fabric. Thus, it is believed that the caustic process assists in increasing the effectiveness of the polyester copolymer by enabling the latter to penetrate more deeply and permeate the fabric to produce the desired properties.
Of course, this invention is not to be deemed limited by the above interpretation of the chemical mechanism involved. The above description is given only to suggest a possible explanation of the phenomenon which has been discovered.
This invention is suitable for use with especially lightweight fabrics, making the invention particularly suitable for use in intimate apparel or active sportswear.
The following first five examples describe the procedures used to prepare fabric samples which were used to evaluate the present invention. The actual practice of the present invention is illustrated in Example 4. The other examples show procedures which omit particular parts of the process of the present invention, or which contain other changes. The fabric samples treated according to these examples are compared quantitatively with the fabric treated according to the invention. Example No. 1 shows the procedure for producing a fabric treated with a caustic solution only. Example No. 2 shows a procedure for producing a fabric treated with the copolymer only. Example No. 3 is a procedure for producing an untreated control fabric. Example No. 4, as stated above, represents the process according to the present invention. Example No. 5 is a procedure which combines the caustic and copolymer treatments, but in separate baths, in contrast to the procedure of the present invention.
All of these first five examples were used to produce samples whose properties were evaluated, in various tests. These tests are fully described in Examples 6-9, below.
It is noted that in each of Examples 1-5, no dyes were added to the fabric. However, in each example, it is indicated at what point in the procedure dyes could be added. For purposes of the evaluation of the process according to the present invention, it was desired that the fabrics be white, in order better to observe their properties. Therefore, no dyes were added in producing the samples described. However, it is understood that in each of Examples 1-5, dyes could be added, in the place indicated, without affecting the results. Any dyes suitable for polyester fabrics could be used. It has been found that the presence or absence of the dyes has no effect on the properties of the fabrics tested by the procedures to be described below.
EXAMPLE 1
This example shows the procedure for obtaining a fabric treated with the caustic solution only, and without any copolymer treatment.
A dye machine containing a sample of polyester fabric (Greige Style, R 1822/6) is filled with water at 70°-80° F. In this Example, and in Examples 2-5, the relative amounts of dye bath and fabric are 15 parts dye bath to one part fabric, by weight. A quaternary compound, to assist in the caustic/polyester reaction, is added in the amount of 1 g/l and the bath is allowed to circulate (the circulation being accomplished by a pump) for five minutes. The quaternary compound used is known as BTC 824, which is obtainable from the Refined-Onyx Co. (624 Schuyler Avenue, Lyndhurst, N.J.). BTC is a registered trademark of the afore-mentioned company.
Next, a predissolved caustic soda flake is added to the bath, so that the bath has a concentration of 5 g/l of caustic soda. The bath is allowed to circulate for ten minutes.
The temperature of the bath is then raised to 200° F., at 3° F. per minute. The bath is allowed to circulate for 30 minutes. The bath is then subjected to an overflow rinse, and is cooled to 90° F. The pH of the bath is adjusted to 5.0 with acetic acid, and the bath is allowed to circulate for 5 minutes.
Next, various chemicals are added to the bath. These chemicals are: Permalev PES (a non-ionic dye leveling agent, obtainable from the Refined Onyx Company), in the amount of 4% owf (i.e., on the weight of the fabric). Next there is added a dye carrier, such as trichlorobenzene with an emulsifying agent, in the amount of 4% owf. Next there is added Fancolene ND (a sequestering agent, obtainable from W. F. Fancourt Co. Inc., P.O. Box 20328, Greensboro, N.C.), in the amount of 0.25% owf. Next there is added acetic acid (17%), at a pH of approximately 4.2, in the amount of 0.25% owf. The bath is allowed to circulate for five minutes.
The temperature of the bath is raised to 100° F.
At this point, dyes could be added if desired. In this example, no dyes were added.
The temperature of the bath is raised to 230° F., at 3° F. per minute, and the bath is allowed to circulate for 1 hour.
The bath is cooled to 180° F., and subjected to an overflow rinse. The water is drained, and the fabric is removed from the dye machine, extracted and dried at 320° F., and heat set at 360° F.
EXAMPLE 2
This example shows the procedure used to produce a fabric sample which has been treated with the copolymer, but has not been treated with the caustic solution.
The dye bath, containing a sample of fabric of the type given in Example 1, is set at 90° F. The dye chemicals, Permalev PES, the dye carrier, and the Fancolene ND, are added in the same amounts as stated in Example 1. Also, acetic acid having a pH of about 4.2, is added, and the bath is allowed to circulate for five minutes.
The copolymer Milease-T (described above) in a concentration of 7.0% owf, diluted 5:1 with cold water, is added to the bath.
The pH of the bath should be between 4.5-5.5. The temperature of the bath is raised to 140° F., and the bath is allowed to circulate for 15 minutes.
At this point, dyes could be added to the bath, although in this example, no dyes were used.
The temperature of the bath is raised to 230° F. at 3° F. per minute. The bath is allowed to circulate for 1 hour. The bath is then cooled to 180° F., and subjected to an overflow rinse. The water is drained, and the fabric is removed from the bath, extracted, dried at 320° F., and heat set at 360° F.
EXAMPLE 3
This example describes the procedure which was used for producing an untreated control fabric to be used in testing the results of the present invention.
The bath containing the fabric (of the same type as that given in Example 1) is set at 90° F. The chemicals Permalev PES, the dye carrier, the Fancolene ND, and the acetic acid are added in the same amounts as given in Example 1. The bath is allowed to circulate for five minutes.
The pH of the bath is checked; it should be within 4.5-5.5. The temperature of the bath is raised to 140° F., and the bath is allowed to circulate for 15 minutes.
At this point, dyes could be added, although in this example, no dyes were used.
The temperature of the bath is raised to 230° F., at 3° F. per minute. The bath is allowed to circulate for 1 hour. The bath is then cooled to 180° F. and subjected to an overflow rinse. The water is drained. The fabric is removed from the bath, extracted, dried at 320° F., and heat set at 360° F.
EXAMPLE 4
This example gives the precise procedure used for practicing the present invention. That is, this example includes both the caustic and copolymer treatments, with the proper intermediate steps.
The dye bath containing the fabric (of the same type as that given in Example 1) is filled with water at 70°-80° F. There is added the quaternary compound BTC 824 (the same compound more fully described in Example 1) in the amount of 1 g/l. The bath is allowed to circulate for 5 minutes.
Next, there is added predissolved caustic soda flake so as to make the concentration in the bath 5 g/l of caustic soda. The bath is allowed to circulate for 10 minutes.
The temperature of the bath is raised to 200° F. at 3° F. per minute. The bath is allowed to circulate for 30 minutes. The bath is then cooled to 90° F., and the pH is adjusted to about 5.0, with acetic acid. The bath is then allowed to circulate for 5 minutes.
Dye chemicals (Permalev PES, the dye carrier, Fanoclene ND, and acetic acid in the amount specified as in Example 1) are added to the bath, and the bath is allowed to circulate for 5 minutes.
Next there is added the copolymer Milease-T (described above), in a concentration of 7.0% owf, diluted 5:1 with cold water. The pH of the bath is checked to be sure that it lies in the range 4.5-5.5. The temperature of the bath is raised to 140° F., and the bath is allowed to circulate for 15 minutes.
At this point, dyes could be added. In this example, no dyes were used.
The temperature of the bath is raised to 230° F. at 3° F. per minute. The bath is allowed to circulate for 1 hour. The bath is then cooled to 180° F., and subjected to an overflow rinse. The water is drained from the bath. The fabric is removed, extracted, dried at 320° F., and heat set at 360° F.
EXAMPLE 5
This example gives a procedure for producing a sample fabric which has been treated with caustic and with Milease-T, but in separate baths, in contrast to the single bath used in the method according to the present invention. The purpose of this example is to provide a comparison between the process of the present invention, and the mere combination of the two known procedures, namely the caustic process and the Milease-T process.
A dye bath containing fabric (of the same type used in the previous Examples) is filed with water at 70°-80° F. A quaternary compound BTC 824 (as identified more fully in Example 1) is added in the amount of 1 g/l, and the bath is allowed to circulate for 5 minutes.
Next there is added predissolved caustic soda flake to give the dye bath a concentration of 5 g/l of caustic soda. The bath is allowed to circulate for 10 minutes.
The temperature of the bath is raised to 200° F. at 3° F. per minute. The bath is allowed to circulate for 30 minutes. The bath is then subjected to an overflow rinse, and is cooled to 90° F. The pH is adjusted to 5.0 with acetic acid, and the bath is again allowed to circulate for 5 minutes.
Next the dye chemicals (Permalev PES, the dye carrier, Fancolene ND, and the acetic acid) are added in the same amounts as described in the previous examples, and the bath is allowed to circulate for 5 minutes.
The temperature of the bath is raised to 100° F.
At this point a dye could be added, although no dye was used in this example.
The bath is allowed to circulate for 10 minutes. The temperature is then raised to 230° F. at 3° F. per minute, and the bath is allowed to circulate for 1 hour.
The bath is next cooled to 180° F. and subjected to an overflow rinse. The water is drained from the bath. The dye machine is then refilled with water at 90° F. The pH is adjusted to 5.0 with acetic acid.
There is next added the copolymer Milease-T, having a concentration of 7.0% owf, diluted 5:1 with cold water. The pH is checked; it should lie within the range 4.5-5.5.
The temperature of the bath is raised to 140° F. to exhaust all of the Milease-T onto the fabric. The bath is allowed to circulate for 5 minutes.
The bath is rinsed and drained. The fabric is removed, dried at 320° F., and heat set at 360° F.
The above examples have given the procedures used to produce fabric samples to be tested, so as to evaluate the present invention. For convenience, the fabrics produced according to Examples 1 through 5 will be referred to as Samples 1 through 5, respectively. Thus, a fabric which has been treated in accordance with the present invention is represented by Sample No. 4.
The following examples give the procedures used to perform tests of the samples, together with the results of these tests.
EXAMPLE 6
This example is designed to evaluate the degree to which a fabric releases oil stains. This test is simple, and avoids the variability in stain-release associated with differences among various commercial laundry detergent compositions. The test involves only oil in water at room temperature. A fabric that releases oil in water at room temperature, without the use of a detergent, has excellent oily soil release properties.
In this test, the specimens of each fabric tested should be 3 inches square. A container, about 6 inches in diameter and at least 3 inches deep, is filled with tap water to a depth of at least 2 inches. The water should have a temperature of about 70°-80° F., and its pH should be in the range of 6-7.5.
The fabric specimen is placed on a paper towel. Olive oil, tinted with an oil soluble dye, is placed in a dropper. The dye is used for easier visibility, but the dye should not be capable of staining the fabric to be tested. A suitable dye is Waxolene Red OS (available from Imperial Chemical Industries). Enough oil is applied to cover completely and saturate an area about 1.5 inches in diameter in the center of the fabric specimen. The specimen is allowed to remain on the paper towel for about 2 minutes. The specimen is then transferred to a clean paper towel to blot out lightly any excess oil. The oiled specimen is then transferred to the surface of the water in the container. The specimen is placed flat on the surface of the water.
The specimen is observed to see whether it readily wets out and sinks to the bottom of the container. If it does not wet out readily, it is observed whether some or all of the oil reamins on the surface of the water. If some oil remains on the fabric, the specimen is swirled with a stirring rod for 10 seconds, then removed and transferred to a clean paper towel.
If the fabric specimen fails to wet out readily, and tends to float on the surface of the water, a stirring rod is used to immerse the specimen, and the specimen is swirled in the water for 10 seconds, and removed and transferred to a clean paper towel.
The data for this test are given in terms of a rating on a scale of 1-5. The following is an explanation of the meaning of each rating.
If all of the oil is released from the fabric, and floats on the surface of the water, while none of the oil remains on the specimen, and no stirring is needed, the fabric is given a rating of 5.
If some of the oil is released and floats on the surface of the water, while some remains on the specimen, without stirring, the fabric is given a rating of 4.
If all of the oil is released and floats on the surface of the water, while none remains on the specimen, with stirring, the fabric is given a rating of 3.
If some of the oil is released and floats on the surface of the water while some remains on the specimen with stirring, the fabric is given a rating of 2.
If no oil is released to float on the surface of the water and all of it remains on the specimen, the fabric is given a rating of 1.
The results of the tests for the five samples are given in Table 1. Data is given both for unlaundered fabric, and for fabrics which have been machine washed and tumble dried for 10 cycles.
TABLE 1______________________________________OIL RELEASE 10 CYCLESSAM- SAMPLE UNLAUN- Machine Wash/PLE # IDENTIFICATION DERED Tumble Dry______________________________________1 Caustic Only 4 22 Milease T only 5 33 Untreated Control 1 14 Caustic/Milease T 5 55 Caustic followed by 5 3 Milease T in separate baths______________________________________
It is clear that the fabric treated according to the present invention, Sample #4, has the best oil release properites. While it is true that the fabrics treated with the copolymer (Milease-T) only, or with caustic and Milease-T in separate baths, have excellent oil release properties while unlaundered, the oil release properties of such fabrics deteriorate after laundering. An important consideration in the present invention is that of durability of the properties imparted to the polyester fabric. It is clear that the process according to the present invention imparts oil release properties which remain after the fabric is laundered.
EXAMPLE 7
This example discusses the vertical wick rate test which is used to evaluate the fabric treated according to the present invention. As stated above, in order for a fabric to be useful as an inner garment, it must be capable of carrying away moisture from the skin. That is, the fibers must act as "wicks" which disperse moisture rapidly so that it can be evaporated. The following is a description of a test used on the five samples to determine the speed and effectiveness of wicking.
Two test specimens, each measuring 1"×8", are used. One specimen is not laundered. The other is washed and tumble dried 26 times. Hot water is run over the laundered samples for 10 minutes to remove any detergent which might affect the wicking properties.
A beaker is filled with distilled water to which a small amount of dye is added. The fabric specimen is suspended over the beaker of water so that it comes in contact with the water.
The height to which moisture wicking is observed is measured after 5 seconds, 30 seconds, and 10 minutes.
The results are displayed in Table 2.
TABLE 2__________________________________________________________________________ Wicking Height, Inches, at different Time Intervals LAUNDERED & ORIGINAL TUMBLE DRIED,SAMPLE SAMPLE UNLAUNDERED 26, CYCLESNUMBER IDENTIFICATION 5 sec. 30 sec. 10 min. 5 sec. 30 sec. 10 min.__________________________________________________________________________1 Caustic only 0.50" 0.75" 2.50" 0.375" 0.50" 2.00"2 Milease T only 0.375 0.625 2.25 0.125 0.188 0.8753 Untreated 0.125 0.313 1.375 0.0 0.625 1.00 control4 Caustic followed 1.0 1.25 3.50 0.50 0.75 3.00 by Milease T in the same bath5 Caustic followed 0.40 0.625 2.375 0.375 0.50 2.125 by Milease T in separate baths__________________________________________________________________________
It is apparent that the fabric treated according to the present invention is considerably superior to all of the other samples, both with respect to the original fabric, unlaundered, and for the fabric which has been laundered 26 times. For each given time interval, the height to which the water wicks is greater for the sample treated according to the present invention than for any of the other samples.
EXAMPLE 8
This test shows the tendency of fabrics to cling due to electrostatic charges. The method used is a standard method published in the Technical Manual of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), using Test Method 115-1980. This test is essentially a measurement of the time during which a fabric clings to a metal plate after having been rubbed with a standard rubbing fabric. Of course, the shorter the time, the more desirable the fabric. Tables 3 and 4 illustrate the results obtained by using the AATCC method on fabrics treated according to the procedures of Examples 1-5. The table shows data rubbing with fabrics of both nylon and dacron. Table 3 presents test results for unwashed fabrics. Table 4 contain results for fabrics which were washed and tumble dried ten times.
TABLE 3______________________________________ Average Cling Time, Rubbing in MinutesSample Fabric Length WidthNo. Sample Identification Type Direction Direction______________________________________1 Caustic Only Nylon 6.5 8.4 Dacron 8.5 9.52 Milease T only Nylon 4.0 7.2 Dacron 6.2 8.83 Untreated control Nylon >10.0 >10.0 Dacron >10.0 >10.04 Caustic followed by Nylon 0.0 0.0 Milease T, in same bath Dacron 0.0 0.05 Caustic followed by Nylon 6.1 7.2 Milease T, in separate baths Dacron 8.2 8.8______________________________________
TABLE 4______________________________________ Average Cling Times, Rubbing in MinutesSample Fabric Length WidthNo. Sample Identification Type Direction Direction______________________________________1 Caustic only Nylon 8.0 >10.0 Dacron >10.0 >10.02 Milease T only Nylon >10.0 >10.0 Dacron >10.0 >10.03 Untreated control Nylon >10.0 >10.0 Dacron >10.0 >10.04 Caustic followed by Nylon 3.9 5.2 milease T, in same bath Dacron 4.6 6.65 Caustic followed by Nylon 9.1 >10.0 Milease T, in separate baths Dacron >10.0 >10.0______________________________________
It is seen that, for unwashed fabrics, fabrics treated according to the present invention have an average cling time of zero, while all the other fabrics cling, on average, for several minutes. After all the fabrics have been washed and dried 10 times, the fabrics treated according to the present invention still outperform all of the other samples, by having the shortest average cling times. Thus, treating a fabric according to the present invention imparts to the fabric a durable antistatic quality.
EXAMPLE 9
This test evaluates the tendency of fabrics to pick up dirt from wash water. That is, the test measures soil redeposition properties.
In this soil redeposition test, about 500 ml of water is heated to approximately 205°-210° F. Approximately 0.1 grams of household detergent are added, and dissolved in the water. The hot detergent solution is poured into a mason jar having a capacity of approximately 800 ml. A 3"×3" pre-soiled cotton flannel swatch is placed against each side of the test specimen. The "sandwich" specimens thus made are inserted into the jar, and the sealed jar is shaken for five minutes.
The specimens are then removed, and the soiled swatches are discarded. The test specimens are rinsed thoroughly in lukewarm water.
The specimens are laid out flat, and rated for soil redeposition properties on a 1 to 5 scale, with the heaviest soiled specimen being given a 1 and the least soiled specimen being rated a 5.
The results obtained are displayed in Table 5 below, for samples which are unlaundered, and for samples which have been machine washed and tumble dried ten times.
TABLE 5______________________________________SOIL REDEPOSITION Ratings LaunderedSample No. Sample Identification Unlaundered 10 Times______________________________________1 Caustic Only 3 22 Milease T only 5 23 Untreated control 1 14 Caustic followed by 5 4 Milease T in same bath5 Caustic followed by 4 2-3 Milease T in separate baths______________________________________
It is seen that the fabric treated according to the present invention has the best soil redeposition ratings. Although Sample No. 2 is of equal quality for an unlaundered fabric, the sample treated according to the invention retains more of its desirable soil redeposition qualities after the specimen has been laundered ten times.
From the data presented in the examples above, it is apparent that the use of the present invention produces unexpected and desirable results. In particular, it is important to note that in every test, Sample No. 4 outperformed Sample No. 5. Sample No. 5, as stated earlier, comprises the mere combination of the two known processes, the caustic treatment and the copolymer treatment. Sample No. 4, however, which was treated according to the present invention, involves the use of caustic and copolymer steps combined according to the procedure of Example 4. It is clear that the combination of these steps, in the manner shown in Example 4, yields a vastly different result from that which would be obtained by a mere combination of the two known processes, as was done in Example 5. And of course, the data also show that Sample No. 4 easily outperforms the remaining samples in each of the tests.
A fabric treated according to the present invention suffers no increase in flammability. In fact, fabrics so treated can pass the federal test for children's sleepwear flammability (Standard No. FF3-71).
Because of the excellent soil release properties of fabrics treated by the invention, it is not always necessary to wash such fabrics in hot water. (Recall that, in Example 6, the soil release test, the water had a temperature of only 70°-80° F.) Thus, fabrics treated according to the invention save energy, because they do not always need to be washed in hot water.
Another feature of fabrics treated by the invention is the softness of such fabrics. The use of the caustic treatment causes enough of the fabric to be eaten away so that the fabric tends to feel like fine silk. This effect is in addition to the softening effect of the copolymer treatment.
The description of the process given above is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Various modifications could be made to the invention without departing from its teachings. For example, the choice of the quaternary compound, used in the caustic treatment steps, could be altered. The choice of copolymer is likewise not limited to the specific brand name mentioned above. And the auxiliary chemicals mentiond in the examples can be varied in many ways. If dyes are used, any dyes suitable for polyester would be acceptable. All these modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. | A process for treatment of polyester fabrics imparts improved characteristics to the fabric, including improved moisture wicking, soil-release, and soil-redeposition properties, and less static cling. The process comprises treatment of the fabric with a caustic solution, preferably in the presence of an appropriate catalyst, followed by the application of a polyester copolymer, the copolymer having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups. The process treats the entire fabric, not just the surface, and provides a product sufficiently comfortable to be used for intimate apparel and active sportswear. | 3 |
[0001] A wood post anchoring method is described which addresses the deleterious effects of wood contact to soil or concrete, moisture induced post end cracking, cross grain penetration and splitting by exposed mechanical fasteners, and corrosion of post standard metal connectors.
[0000] Inventor/Assignee: Clarence Dunnrowicz
REFERENCES CITED
U.S. Patent Documents
[0002]
6461084
October 2002
Stuart, I.
6560935
May 2003
Barefield, et al
6729089
May 2004
Spragg, R.
Other Publications
[0000]
Prowell, C.—Charles Prowell Woodworks Installation Guide, http://www. prowellwoodworks.com/installation_full.pdf
Morrison, D.—“Pressure Treated Wood: The Next Generation”, Fine Homebuilding #160,pp. 82-85, Taunton Press
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] 1. Field of Invention
[0006] This invention is directed to the anchoring of wood posts. Specifically, this invention is directed toward applications in which high rainfall, soil moisture content, acidic rain, corrosion, utilization of pressure treated wood is objectionable, or maximum lifetime are major factors.
[0007] 2. Description of Related Art
[0008] The vertical attachment of wood posts is a basic foundation requirement for many structures. Although there are many advantages to the selection of wood as a post material, the problem of decay is often the determining factor in the resultant waste of time, labor, and material involved in the replacement of the otherwise serviceable above ground structure.
[0009] The use of more decay resistant species such as redwood or cedar has been the historical preferred choice for this application. However, the availibility of tight grain, old growth wood necessary for the expected decay resistance is severely limited, and many would consider innapropriate use of an irreplaceable resource. New growth wood is expensive, and because of open grain structure does not have the necessary decay resistance.
[0010] To improve decay resistance one alternate approach is to use less expensive and decay resistant species which are surface impregnated with copper and arsenic compounds. However, these compounds are highly toxic and during structure fabrication can leave exposed sections prone to decay, speeding the inevitable release of these non-biodegradable inorganic compounds into the soil and water.
[0011] Approximately 20,000 tons of toxic chromated copper arsenate (CCA) was used yearly before being banned by the EPA in 2004. However, it is still permitted for agricultural, industrial, and certain residential applications.
[0012] Although CCA is being phased out by less toxic alkaline copper quat and copper azole compounds, this variant is even more expensive than CCA treated wood, plus, it is significantly more corrosive to steel fasteners. These higher costs necessitated manufacturers pressure treat to different saturation levels, and therefore grade lumber depending on end use. Such distribution and stocking complexity will add to overall cost and increase probability of using an improper lumber grade for a given application.
[0013] Various below ground post anchoring schemes exist in common literature, and historically have been accepted as standard construction practice. Common among these techniques is the cursory instruction to partially backfill the post hole bottom with gravel to allow water to drain away from post end grain. However, in many cases the effectiveness of this method is marginal for extending the post lifetime.
[0014] Prowell's improved method includes backfilling ⅔ of post hole with course gravel/pea gravel for improved drainage and then using a top concrete post collar for added stability. An approximate 4× increase in post longevity is claimed. For gate support requirements the post sits on a layer of gravel and the majority of post hole backfilled with concrete as in standard method. The large dimension (2-6×6 each side), high quality cedar gate posts are pre-treated with preservative (see Ref. Cited).
[0015] Above ground post anchoring methods usually entail assemblies which can be pre-driven into the ground, or post end attachments which connect to pre-existing wood, metal, or concrete footings. Note that most of these methods suffer from end grain water intrusion and poor transverse stability exacerbated by nailing near post end or elevating the post. Redwood and cedar tend to be brittle and subject to splintering. Most metal connectors are thin galvanized material which corrode rapidly when exposed to acidic rain, salt, chemicals found in back splash water, and pressure treated wood.
[0016] Stainless steel connectors are expensive special order items and often exhibit similar poor attachment practice. Typically, these standard designs list vertical or uplift force test results, but must rely on inter-connected top members for lateral strength, and are not recommended for fence lines. Test load results following accelerated environmental exposure are typically not available.
[0017] Design variations meant to improve transverse stability or exclude water by more rigid attachment methods are prone to failure because they do not accommodate seasonal wood movement. Anchors fabricated from plastic are most subject to ultraviolet degradation, and cracking from low temperatures or large thermal expansion mismatch.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] A resilient, above ground wood post anchor assembly for new or retrofit concrete footings has been developed with primary focus on longevity. To satisfy these requirements, a three stage resilient wood end grain sealing process was developed in conjunction with a mechanical attachment method consistent with wood expansion and contraction.
[0019] First, the intrinsic end grain tendency to absorb water and split was reduced by applying a low viscosity penetrating epoxy. Epoxies have excellent adherence, low vapor permeability, and good mechanical properties to strengthen wood fibers. However, it is expected that over time seasonal wood movement will lead to small cracks developing in this surface layer.
[0020] Second, a marine grade polyurethane sealant is employed to seal these inevitable cracks and also form a resilient stress buffer layer between the post and lower stainless steel (SST) end cap plate seperator. Polyurethane is known for its good adhesive properties and exterior exposure performance. Further improvements can be realized by employing inorganic fillers. Alternate environmentally stable elastomeric, one and two-component compounds can be substituted for polyurethane sealant layer.
[0021] Third, a thin (˜18 ga.SST) sheet forms a corrosion resistant mechanical protection bottom end cap, spacing the above end grain seal off the hygroscopic concrete footing, and placing the polyurethane layer under compression. The SST spacer also assists with uniformly distributing the non-uniform end grain forces resulting from post variable lateral loads. There are no exposed cross grain penetrations by mechanical fasteners to weaken the highly stressed post end. The central rebar rod, SST spacer plate, and post cross sectional bearing area work together to resist the racking forces resulting from lateral loads.
[0022] The long term, above grade anchor resilience is the main focus of this invention, rather than the often short lived, initial rigidity of post standard burial methods. Within scope of this invention, additional lateral rigidity can be realized by increasing the cross sectional bearing area while addressing the seasonal wood movement requirement. For example, in FIG. 1 is shown a nominal 4×4 intermediate post with two side additions meant to increase cross section bearing area for resisting lateral loads perpendicular to a fence line. To one skilled in the art, laminating two or more structural wood members to resist the additional stresses of fence end and gate posts while accommodating wood movement is another further embodiment of this invention ( FIG. 3 ). In this embodiment, the post side additions 2 shown in FIG. 1 can be omitted. This embodiment also makes efficient use of readily available standard lumber without requiring expensive and rare old growth, large dimensioned lumber with associated stability problems.
[0023] With the post anchor assembly effectively sealed against capillary water migration, and SST sheet bottom plate mechanically seperating post end from the elevated footing surface, there is no requirement to elevate post anchor above footing surface and compromise lateral rigidity. This can be accomplished during initial concrete footing fabrication, or by drilling a hole to accommodate the post anchor on a pre-existing footing by imbedding in structural epoxy.
[0024] In the case of a new concrete footing, a small shrinkage gap underneath the SST spacer bottom cap will typically develop after the initial concrete cure. The size of this gap will depend on well known factors of footing depth, concrete mix water content, curing conditions, etc. One method to eliminate this small gap is to leave approximately a two inch space under SST plate, let concrete footing cure overnight, and then fill the space with exterior grade grout. Grout typically has superior mechanical properties than normal concrete, is inexpensive, and if necessary can be further fortified for specific applications. Also, the formation method of the elevated concrete footing to be described permits self-leveling of nominal 4×4 intermediate post without using additional customary wooden lateral supports.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 Illustrates a side view for the post anchor assembly intended for mounting on a newly fabricated concrete footing. For mounting on a pre-existing concrete footing, the coated rebar 5 can be shortened from approximately 24″ to 5″.
[0026] FIG. 2 Illustrates a side view for the preferred example embodiment of the post anchor assembly shown in FIG. 1 , mounted on a newly fabricated concrete footing as described below in Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments.
[0027] FIG. 3 Illustrates a bottom view of an preferred embodiment example of a multiple post lamination for added lateral stability.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] ( FIG. 1 ) is a drawing of the post anchor assembly. The wood post should have 12-15% moisture content and dried in a manner to avoid checking or warping. Lightly plane all post surfaces, and for nominal 4×4 post, glue two 1″×8″ side additions 2 to increase lower cross section. Trim ends to remove checking, and break edges using ⅛″ radius round-over bit. The post sides have been planed and edges given slight radius round-over to improve weatherability and reduce splintering, respectively.
[0029] For standard 4×4″ nominal post drill ¾″ diameter perpendicular hole 3 approximately 5″ deep in post bottom end. Partially fill hole with sufficient structural epoxy 4 , and insert ⅝″ diameter×24″ length coated rebar 5 . For pre-existings footings, the rebar can be shorter. Remove excess epoxy and let cure according to manufacturer specification.
[0030] Fabricate nominal 18 ga. thickness stainless steel bottom plate 8 with ⅝″ center hole and exterior dimensions such that plate extends approximately ±¼″ larger than post bottom on all sides. Do not abrade or roughen SST plate.
[0031] Saturate post bottom and approximately ±½″ up post sides with penetrating epoxy 6 . When epoxy surface become tacky, generously apply marine grade polyurethane sealant 7 to post bottom. Mount plate 8 onto rebar rod 5 , align with post bottom, and lightly clamp to squeeze out excess polyurethane 7 . The excess polyurethane squeezeout material should be molded or shaped to form a concave meniscus between the SST plate and post bottom edges. Let polyurethane sealant cure according to manufacturer instructions.
[0032] For pre-existing concrete footings drill appropriate size hole to accommodate protruding rebar rod 5 , and imbed post anchor assembly using structural epoxy following manufacturer instructions.
[0033] According to an aspect of the invention, a preferred concrete footing fabrication method for above wood post anchor will now be outlined. For poor load bearing soils, extreme climates, high wind loading, chemical exposure, etc., appropriate modifications will be required by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. For instance, exposure to high salt conditions near marine environments may justify the use of pressure treated post 1 , 2 , 316 stainless steel rebar rod 5 , plate 8 , and sulphate resistant concrete 13 , to maximize overall longevity. In hard feezing climates, the footing depth and shape near surface grade will need to be modified to prevent heaving, etc.
[0034] ( FIG. 2 ) is an example drawing of the completed post anchor assembly mounted to new concrete footing. The following is a description of a preferred embodiment for footing fabrication within the scope of the post anchor invention meant to illustrate its advantages, and is not intended to be an instructional primer. No liability is assumed for any resultant property damage or personal injury that may result from the description unintended usuage. Local building codes should be followed, and consult with a structural engineer as required.
[0035] The following method can be performed by a single individual. For 4×4, 6 ft. intermediate fence posts in average soil, dig post hole using an auger approximately 6″ diameter by 36″ deep. Remove any loose soil along hole sides and bottom. Backfill with approximately 3″ of coarse gravel. Cut hole in plastic sheet to be used as large concrete funnel and place over post hole. Using concrete mixer, thoroughly mix concrete according to instructions. Do not add excess water, and keep mixture slightly stiff. Pour mixture into post hole, and then use a concrete vibrator to consolidate voids. Add additional concrete as necessary such that as vibrator is withdrawn from the hole, excess concrete on the plastic sheet funnel will flow into hole and form an above grade, self-leveling plug slightly wider than hole and approximately two inches above grade (refer to FIG. 2 ). Remove plastic sheet and briefly trowel the concrete as necessary to shape plug edges. Position a 8″ diameter by 3″ high concrete collar form on concrete surface plug, re-level as necessary, and then place two temporary ⅛″ thick steel supports across collar form (temporary supports not shown in FIG. 2 ). This method facilitates leveling of collar form while minimizing soil disturbance. Let concrete stiffen slightly, attach dual axis level to post, and insert post rebar anchor 5 into concrete paying attention to lateral post alignment. With post anchor bottom plate 8 resting on temporary steel collar supports, level post vertically, and let concrete cure over night.
[0036] Remove temporary steel bridging supports, and there should be an approximate 2-3″ gap between post anchor bottom plate 8 and top of concrete. Fill this gap with good quality, exterior grade anchoring grout and pea gravel mixture. A grout with one hour pot life will allow a more relaxed working pace when backfilling several posts. Do not disturb post while grout cures, and avoid strong, direct sun exposure.
[0037] Although post footing sits above soil level, it is suggested that coarse gravel or stone be spread around footing after concrete form 9 is removed. This will reduce soil splash back during heavy rain, and facilitate removal of normal ground litter buildup using a leaf blower. Keep forest litter and any soil buildup below footing top surface. After concrete footing fully cures it is also suggested to speed water runoff by coating wooden post with a preservative that can also be applied to footing. However, only lightly coat post top end to facilitate water evaporation. A post top cap should also be used to prevent sun exposure and water intrusion along end grain wood fibers. | A chemically untreated wood post has the end grain sealed against moisture penetration and strengthened using a combination of penetrating epoxy, polyurethane sealant, and thin stainless steel sheet end cap. A coated rebar tension rod extension is internally epoxied into the wood post. This post-anchor assembly is rigidly locked onto an above grade, elevated concrete footing using an expansive grout surface layer. | 4 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to combustion apparatus, and more particularly, to a burner which may be part of a system including a plurality of interchangeable or modular heat utilizing appliances.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Fuel burners are used to operate heat utilizing appliances, such as cooking grills, cooktops, food smoking apparatus, space heaters, and pyrolyzers. It is a great convenience to use a solid fuel in such a burner, as solid fuels such as firewood, charcoal briquettes, and others are readily available. However, despite availability of solid fuels, it is desirable to optimize efficiency of a burner, and to limit unburned fuel emissions.
[0003] It is also desirable to have modular heat utilizing appliances, so that only one burner need be acquired to operate diverse heat utilizing appliances.
[0004] Accordingly, there exists a need for an efficient, clean burning burner capable of being used with diverse heat utilizing appliances.
SUMMARY
[0005] The disclosed concepts address the above stated situation by providing a an efficient, clean burning burner and a system for removably attaching heat utilizing appliances thereto.
[0006] The burner has a combustion chamber enclosed by an outer wall surrounding a fuel holder. Air flows both through the fuel holder to support initial combustion, and also around the fuel holder, to be directed to flame and fumes just above the fuel holder to support secondary combustion. A shroud providing a second wall surrounds the outer wall, thereby establishing a flow path for tertiary combustion air also impinging on the flame and fumes, and also providing an external surface cool enough to avoid burns if casually contacted
[0007] The burner has legs holding the combustion chamber well above ground level, and a pivotally coupled ash pan. A perforate food grate is pivotally coupled to the burner, and is movable to a deployed position above the flame, and to a stowed position to the side of the combustion chamber and associated outer walls. Opposite the perforate food grate, a cover is pivotally coupled to the burner, enabling the combustion chamber to be closed to prevent inadvertent ingress of dropped items, inadvertent exposure of the user to heat and exhaust fumes, and to suppress escape of live embers.
[0008] The burner has manual couplings for removably coupling modular heat utilizing appliances to the burner, the modular heat utilizing appliances including closed and open cookers, a food smoker, a space heater, and a pyrolyzer.
[0009] The nature of the disclosed concepts will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the disclosed concepts will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a burner and modular heat utilizing appliances therefor, with some components shown in cross section, according to at least one aspect of the disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross sectional view of the burner of FIG. 1 , according to at least one aspect of the disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic detail side view of optional components located at the lower central portion of FIG. 2 ;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a schematic detail side view of the lowermost portion of FIGS. 1 and 2 ;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a schematic detail side view of components near the lower portion of FIG. 2 ;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a schematic detail side view of an assembly incorporating the component shown in FIG. 2 with one of the modular heat utilizing appliances shown in FIG. 1 , and represented generically in FIG. 6 ; and
[0017] FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of components of a pyrolyzer partially shown in FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Referring first to FIG. 1 , according to at least one aspect of the disclosure, there is shown an overview of a system comprising a burner 100 for a heat utilizing appliance and a plurality of interchangeable or modular heat utilizing appliances. Only one of the modular heat utilizing appliances is coupled to burner 100 at any one time.
[0019] Referring also to FIG. 2 , there is shown in greater detail a burner 100 for a heat utilizing appliance. Burner 100 comprises a housing 102 and a fuel holder 104 within housing 100 . Housing 102 may comprise a lateral wall 106 surrounding and spaced apart from fuel holder 104 , and a top wall 108 including a constricted exhaust outlet 110 of transverse dimensions 112 (see FIG. 1 ) less than transverse dimensions 114 (see FIG. 1 ) of lateral wall 106 . Constricted exhaust outlet 110 is located above fuel holder 104 . An air inlet opening 116 admits air to fuel holder 104 . Lateral wall 106 and top wall 108 are collectively configured to guide inducted air flowing around fuel holder 104 inwardly from a periphery of housing 102 to join exhaust products flowing upwardly through exhaust outlet 110 when solid fuel 118 is being burned in fuel holder 104 , thereby supporting secondary combustion above fuel holder 104 .
[0020] It should be noted at this point that orientational terms such as over and below refer to the subject drawing as viewed by an observer. The drawing figures depict their subject matter in orientations of normal use, which could obviously change with changes in body posture and position. Therefore, orientational terms must be understood to provide semantic basis for purposes of description only, and do not imply that their subject matter can be used only in one position.
[0021] Exhaust outlet 110 is constricted in that transverse dimension 111 of exhaust outlet 110 is less than a corresponding transverse dimension 113 of housing 102 . This relationship causes top wall 108 and the immediately overlying portion of outer shroud 128 to channel products of combustion and secondary and tertiary combustion air towards exhaust outlet 110 , so that heat may be concentrated advantageously.
[0022] In FIG. 2 , hinges 158 of cover 154 and 164 of grill 160 are fixed to an outer shroud 128 . Accordingly, respective arms 156 and 162 are L-shaped.
[0023] In FIGS. 1 and 2 , arrows having outlined heads indicate flow of secondary and tertiary combustion air as combustion air flows by convection through burner 100 . Arrows having solid, filled heads indicates flow of flames and heat produced by combustion of solid fuel 118 . Constricted exhaust outlet 110 may be frustoconical, with the narrowest portion thereof at the center of top wall 108 , as shown, to advantageously concentrate flames and heat at the center of burner 100 .
[0024] Fuel holder 104 may comprise a perforate receptacle 120 enabling air inducted from air inlet opening 116 to come into combustion support relation to solid fuel 118 in fuel holder 104 . Fuel holder 104 may comprise an imperforate lateral wall 124 above perforate receptacle 120 . In some implementations (not shown) of burner 100 , imperforate lateral wall 124 may be eliminated. Perforate receptacle 120 may be made from metallic wire welded into a mesh, for example. Other components of burner 100 exposed to heat of combustion may be fabricated from a suitable metallic alloy, such as a suitable steel.
[0025] Outer shroud 128 may surround and be spaced apart from upper portion 122 of housing 102 of burner 100 . Outer shroud 128 may be configured to constrain air immediately outside housing 102 to flow by convection radially inwardly to join exhaust products flowing upwardly from exhaust outlet 110 , thereby further supporting secondary combustion and also interposing a thermally insulating barrier between lateral wall 106 of housing 102 and an exterior of burner 100 . Similarly, air flowing upwardly past fuel holder 104 , between fuel holder 104 and lateral wall 106 , cools lateral wall 106 and conserves heat taken therefrom, returning recovered heat to flame and exhaust above exhaust outlet 110 . Introduction of secondary and tertiary combustion air will in most cases cause secondary combustion of unburned and partially burned solid fuel 118 to burn so completely that visible smoke is largely eliminated. This decreases both fuel consumption and also air pollution.
[0026] An ash pan 130 may be releasably coupled to burner 100 below fuel holder 104 . Ash pan 130 may comprise a floor 132 and a vertical peripheral wall 134 projecting upwardly from floor 132 . Ash pan 130 thereby forms a sump capable of storing a supply of water 136 to extinguish burning embers (not shown) falling from fuel holder 104 .
[0027] Referring specifically to FIG. 3 , air inlet opening 116 may open through vertical peripheral wall 134 of ash pan 130 . To this end, air inlet opening 116 may include a conduit 138 and a damper 140 rotatably supported in conduit 138 . A lever 142 controlling rotational position of damper 140 may be provided for manual throttling of combustion air.
[0028] Referring specifically to FIG. 4 , in some implementations of burner 100 , air inlet opening 116 may open through lateral wall 106 of housing 102 .
[0029] Referring specifically to FIG. 2 , in some implementations of burner 100 , ash pan 130 is permanently coupled to housing 102 and is movable between a closed position closing a bottom of housing 102 of burner 100 and an open position enabling removal of ashes from ash pan 130 . The closed position is shown in solid lines in FIG. 2 . The open position is shown in broken lines in FIG. 2 . Ash pan 130 may be pivotally coupled to housing 102 by a hinge 144 . Pivotal coupling of ash pan 130 retains the former to housing 102 , and also facilitates draining water 136 from ash pan 130 .
[0030] As seen in FIG. 5 , a hook 146 engageable with a multiple position catch 148 may be employed to secure ash pan 130 in any one of several degrees of inclination from the closed position shown in FIG. 2 . Hook 146 may be pivotally mounted to ash pan 130 by a hinge 150 . The degrees of inclination may be utilized to control the amount of combustion air entering the interior of housing 102 .
[0031] In summary, burner 100 may comprise an air damper controlling volume of air flow through air inlet opening 116 , the air damper being air damper 140 , or alternatively, ash pan 130 serving as an air damper by virtue of its degree of inclination enabled by multiple position catch 148 .
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 , burner 100 may comprise at least one leg 152 coupled to and projecting below burner 100 , whereby burner 100 may be supported above a ground surface (not shown). Where one leg 152 is provided, leg 152 may be driven into the ground sufficiently deep as to prevent burner 100 from falling over. Alternatively, where one leg 152 is provided, leg 152 may include an extension (not shown) projecting beneath the center of gravity of burner 100 . Where the latter alternative is provided, the extension will be sufficiently broad as to stably support burner 100 on the ground. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 , a plurality of legs 152 , preferably three legs 152 distributed evenly around housing 102 , may be provided. Leg(s) 152 provide sufficient clearance to enable ash pan 130 to be lowered into the open position shown in broken lines in FIG. 2 without lifting burner 100 from the ground.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 2 , burner 100 may further comprise a cover 154 dimensioned and configured to close exhaust outlet 110 of burner 100 . Burner 100 may comprise a hinge 158 pivotally coupling cover 154 to burner 100 by an arm 156 . Cover 154 is solid or imperforate, and prevents inadvertent ingress of objects and a user's hand and fingers (none of these is shown) into combustion chamber 126 . Cover 154 also prevents emission of live embers from combustion chamber 126 . Cover 154 is shown in a stowed position in solid lines, and approaching a deployed position covering and substantially sealing exhaust outlet 110 in broken lines.
[0034] Burner 100 may further comprise a grill 160 attachable to housing 102 above exhaust outlet 110 . Grill 160 includes openings (not shown) to enable hot gases to pass from combustion chamber 126 through grill 160 . Burner 100 may further comprise a hinge 164 pivotally coupling grill 160 to housing 102 via an arm 162 supported on a post 166 . Hinge 158 of cover 154 may be similarly supported to housing 102 by a post 168 . Grill 160 is shown in a deployed position in solid lines and in a stowed position by broken lines in FIG. 2 . Cover 154 and grill 160 may be located in diametric opposition on housing 102 , or otherwise located to enable each to be lowered over exhaust outlet 110 without interfering with the other.
[0035] Turning now to FIG. 6 , burner 100 may further comprise a coupling for detachably coupling a modular heat utilizing appliance 170 to burner 100 . The coupling may comprise at least one draw latch 172 . Two draw latches 172 located in diametric opposition on outer shroud 128 are depicted. However, one or more than two draw latches 172 could be utilized. Draw latches engage projections 176 in well known fashion. Modular heat utilizing appliance 170 generically represents any one of a number of different types of appliances, any one of which may be coupled to burner 100 at one time.
[0036] Again referring to FIG. 1 , burner 100 may further comprise a modular heat utilizing appliance 170 ( FIG. 6 ) further comprising a cooker 174 A further comprising a cooker housing 178 including a bottom section 180 open to exhaust outlet 110 ( FIG. 2 ) of burner 100 , a top section 182 including a vent 184 for venting exhaust, and a support surface 186 inside cooker 174 , for supporting items being cooked (not shown). Support surface 186 may comprise a wire rack for example. Cooker 174 A is a closed cooker wherein food or other items being cooked are substantially enclosed, for example, to achieve higher cooking temperatures. Top section 182 rests on bottom section 180 , and is readily lifted therefrom.
[0037] Cooker 174 B presents an open, flat cooking surface 188 . Cooker 174 B may include internal baffles 190 to establish a serpentine flow path for exhaust gases from burner 100 .
[0038] Cooker 174 C, intended for smoking, may include a smoking chamber 192 enclosing a wire rack 194 . Smoking chamber 192 is substantially sealed against loss of smoke, apart from vent pipe 194 .
[0039] Burner 100 may further comprise a gas-to-gas heat exchanger 198 , whereby environmental air can be heated for space heating. Gas-to-gas heat exchanger 198 may include internal baffles 200 and a vent 202 . Gas-to-gas heat exchanger may transfer heat by convection, radiation, or both. A powered fan (not shown) may be provided to enhance heat transfer to air.
[0040] Referring also to FIG. 7 , burner 100 may further comprise a modular heat utilizing appliance further comprising a pyrolyzer 204 including a substantially air-tight heating chamber 206 for pyrolyzing carboniferous materials, such as vegetation (not shown). Heating chamber 206 may include a tightly fitting cap 208 and latches 210 to securely retain cap 208 in place. Heating chamber 206 may be contained within a casing 210 surrounding heating chamber 206 and exposing heating chamber 206 to heat from burner 100 . After transferring heat to heating chamber 206 , products of combustion may be exhausted from vent 212 .
[0041] Referring also to FIG. 7 , pyrolyzer 204 may further comprise a condenser 214 for condensing vaporized liquid products of pyrolysis conducted to condenser 214 through a conduit 216 in communication with heating chamber 206 . Condenser 214 is a heat exchanger causing vaporized liquid products of pyrolysis to be recovered as liquids. Liquids of different boiling points may be recovered separately, as represented by two capture conduits 218 , 220 . Gaseous products of pyrolysis may be conducted to a water chamber 222 through a conduit 224 , and bubbled through water 226 . Because heating chamber 206 is sealed, products of pyrolysis will be under sufficient pressure to overcome resistance of water 226 . Gaseous products of pyrolysis may be conducted to a heat exchanger 228 through a conduit 230 , and cooled to a predetermined temperature at which they are deemed safe. Cooled gaseous products of combustion may be collected in a bifurcated conduit 232 for subsequent distribution (conduit 232 B) or use as a fuel in burner 100 (conduit 232 A). Conduits 232 A, 232 B will be understood to include valves (not shown) and other components to achieve functions described herein.
[0042] To these ends, pyrolyzer 204 may further comprise conduit 216 , 224 , 230 , 232 , 232 A in fluid communication with substantially air-tight heating chamber 206 and with burner 100 , whereby vaporized products of pyrolysis may be conducted to burner 100 for supplementing solid fuel 118 in fuel holder 104 , or for entirely eliminating use of solid fuel 118 . Also, pyrolyzer 204 may further comprise conduits 216 , 224 , 230 , 232 , 232 B in fluid communication with substantially air-tight heating chamber 206 , an outlet (conduit 232 B) for conducting vaporized products of pyrolysis to an external conduit or storage receptacle (neither shown), and a shutoff valve 234 in the conduit, the shutoff valve enabling control over flow of vaporized products of pyrolysis conducted to the outlet.
[0043] Burner 100 may be provided with a fuel feed feature (not shown) to enable renewing the fuel supply during operation, to enable continuous, long term operation. The fuel feed feature may comprise a door in the outermost wall of burner 100 , and optionally, a chute leading from the door to the opening over exhaust outlet 110 . Solid fuel loaded through the door and forced along the chute will drop into fuel holder 104 .
[0044] While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the present embodiments are not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but rather the description is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.
[0045] It should be understood that the various examples of the apparatus(es) disclosed herein may include any of the components, features, and functionalities of any of the other examples of the apparatus(es) disclosed herein in any feasible combination, and all of such possibilities are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Many modifications of examples set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. | A burner for burning fuels and modular heat utilizing appliances therefor. The burner includes a fuel holder, an outer wall surrounding the fuel holder and defining a combustion chamber, and optionally, a second wall surrounding the outer wall. Air is inducted from an inlet which may be an ash pan pivotally coupled to the outer wall at the bottom to open the combustion chamber. Supplementary combustion air is conducted to just above the fuel holder by the outer wall. Additional supplementary combustion air is conducted to just above the fuel holder by the second wall. The burner may include a pivotally mounted cooking grate and a pivotally mounted solid cover for closing the combustion chamber, and supporting legs. Modules individually yet replaceably attachable to the burner include a closed or open cooker, a smoker, a space heater, and a pyrolyzer. | 5 |
BACKGROUND & SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates a platelike structural element with outer surfaces of sheet metal plates, such as sheet steel plates, with a foamed material core between the plates, the latter of which is tightly formed to turned surfaces of the plates.
In many construction uses, platelike or slab-like structural elements or panels have been used advantageously, providing they exhibit certain qualities. Various plates of wood or plastic glued shavings, such as chip board or gypsum plaster board, or other slab-like structural elements of organic or inorganic materials have been considered in such construction uses. Such materials cannot always be employed, however, because of their mechanical strength, their combustibility or their low durability to water or dampness.
Structural elements in platelike or slab-like configuration are advantageous where the elements not only have the largest possible area, but are also relatively lightweight and exhibit the necessary mechanical strength, are nonflammable or at least ignite with difficulty, can withstand environmental effects for a long period of time, and exhibit sufficient corrosion resistance.
Such platelike or slab-like structural elements have been usable in building as well as vehicle construction and also in interior furnishings of ships and other vessels.
A problem of the present invention is to produce such a slab-like structural element or panel that has such universal use capability.
This problem is resolved in the structural element incorporating the principles of the present invention wherein at least two sheet steel plates cover the foamed material core and lie next to each other and are seamed together at their edges. Because of this, a platelike or slab-like structural element or panel results of practically any desired length and width. The surfaces of the element of panel are formed of at least two sheet plates positioned next to each other, between which is a foamed material core that is tightly joined to turned surfaces of the sheet steel plates, either in the process of the foaming of the foamed material core between the plates or by gluing or attachment with other suitable adhesives.
The plates preferably are formed of 0.5 mm thick sheet steel, also called body sheet, which can be superficially heat treated and primed.
One such platelike structural element or panel is suitable for the various uses. For most uses such element has adequate strength and a durable, corrosion-resistant surface that is essentially free of joints and seams. A shallow crease only exists in the area of the grooved seam of the two adjacent plates.
Although the sheet metal plates of the present invention could be formed of aluminum having a wide variety of widths, aluminum does have certain disadvantages with respect to its strength and its cost. Thus, sheet steel is preferred for the metal plates of the present invention.
Where the sheet metal to be employed in the element or panel of the present invention is thin, it is frequently only available in narrow widths. The edges of several of such narrow plates could be joined together through a single shear-riveted joint joined by means of grooves. However, the riveted plate edges result in metal which is exposed to the environment which can lead to corrosion. Thus, additional protective measures must be taken with such joints.
In the preferred embodiment of structural element or panel incorporating the principles of the present invention, the plates are joined or seamed at grooves and have the advantage that the cut edge of the plates is imbedded in the groove and is protected by bent back plate layers. The surfaces of both joined plates are thereby contiguous and the groove is sealed externally. In this way, structural elements or panels incorporating the principles of the present invention can be produced in practically in any size, so long as they are still manageable.
Moreover, one or the other plate can also be provided, before the grooving, with a superficial structure or change of form, e.g. with an incorporated slit or crease. The production of the latter form of structural element or panel is preferably continuous, such as from at least two sheet metal coils provided for the upper and lower layers or surfaces. The plate may be continually removed from the coils, transported to corresponding grooving equipment, and seamed together so as to be receptive to a further operation in which the foamed material that forms the core and that joins both sheet metal layers with each other can be positioned between the seamed plates. These structural elements or panels can then be cut to certain desired dimensions and be transported for further processing.
In one principal aspect of the present invention, a platelike structural panel includes first and second surfaces spaced from each other with a core of foamed material therebetween. Each of the surfaces comprises at least a pair of longitudinally extending sheet steel plates each of which has a longitudinal edge extending adjacent the longitudinal edge of the next adjacent plate, and grooved seam means is formed from these edges joining and locking the adjacent plates along their longitudinal edges.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the course of this description, the drawing will frequently be referred to in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of structural element or panel incorporating the principles of the present invention in which three plates are joined together;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectioned side elevational view of the element or panel as viewed substantially along line I--I in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of one of the plate junctions or seams shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of another preferred embodiment of plate junction or seam incorporating the principles of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of still another preferred embodiment of plate junction or seam incorporating the principles of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Prior to discussing the structural elements or panels incorporating the principles of the present invention, it should be noted that the machinery for the production of such structural elements or panels is not the subject of the present invention. Any suitable machine may be employed which produces grooves to be formed from a thin sheet metal coil of sheet metal plate of about 0.5 mm thickness and such that the plate edges are brought together so that they may be formed in a suitable rolling mill and seamed together.
Such forming is generally known and, preferably, results not only in seaming of the plates for the upper plate layer of the structural element or panel, but also results in the plates for the lower plate layer being simultaneously and continuously pulled from sheet metal coiled and seamed together with the upper plates, and the foamed material core may be positioned in between the plates.
The positioning of the foamed material core between the plates can be such that the foam, in the form of a certain formula, such as a polyurethane, can be injected or otherwise admitted between the plates and developed to a foam there so that the foam develops toward the turned surfaces of the plates, presses against the plates and tightly contacts them.
The corresponding surfaces of the plates can, thereby, be prepared shortly before the introduction of the foam forming material so that there is a good and complete surface connection with the foamed material.
It is also possible to form such platelike structural elements or panels of finite pieces of sheet metal that are seamed together, if that should be necessary for some reason. Primarily for economy of production costs, the continual production from the coil is preferred, however.
As soon as the preferred structural element or panel incorporating the principles of the present invention is formed, it is cut to certain desired measurements transverse to its grooved seams.
A preferred structural element or panel incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The panel comprises three plate sections 1, 2, and 3 forming the upper surfaces of the panel and these plate sections are joined together by grooved seams 4 and 5.
These grooved seams 4 and 5 are shown in more detail in FIG. 2, which is a cross section of the structural element shown in FIG. 1, the section being exaggerated in size for purposes of illustration.
From FIG. 2 it will be seen that the grooved seams for the upper or first and lower or second sheets are placed vertically relative to each other. Those of the lower layer are denoted 4' and 5', while the section plates are identified as 1', 2', and 3'. The foamed material core 6 is also shown. It will be understood, however, that the grooved seams need not lie directly under each other, but they may be staggered relative to each other, for example, at a half width of each of the plate sections. Such staggering can be of advantage in some end uses.
One of the grooved seams 4 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown in further enlarged detail in FIG. 3. The left plate section 1 and right plate section 2 are also shown. Grooved seam 4 is imbedded in the foamed material core 6 of which part is also shown.
In FIG. 3, it can also be seen that the cut edge 7 of plate 2 and edge 8 of plate 1 are covered at all angles by the bent back plate edge strips and that there is surface contact between these four layers or strip portions at 9. Only a shallow V-shaped groove 10 faces outwardly. Groove 10 has curved edges. This groove, with further processing of the plate, might be smoothed or filled by the addition of more coats of paint or superficial coats to the plates 1 and 2 so that the structural element or panel has a homogeneous superficial appearance.
The surfaces of the plates may be heat treated, primed, or similarly treated, so that the groove 10 may be practically sealed when the various plate edges are pressed together so that the cut edges 7 and 8 are protected.
Moreover, the foamed core material 6 also imbeds the underside of the seam from every angle and its strip portions and renders it liquid and gas-proof, so that, contrary to rivet seams, there is excellent protection for the grooved seam.
The large surfaced platelike structural element or panel of the present invention can be employed extensively in a wide range of uses. It may be used where previously surfaces or components had to be constructed of many small slab or block-shaped elements.
The formula for the generation of the foamed material for the core 6 of the structural element or panel and for the foamed material itself, in case it is joined to the plates by gluing or other adhesive, is preferably selected so that the foamed material itself contributes to the strength of the structural element as a construction panel. Such foam material is within the selection of those skilled in the art after they have considered the disclosure herein. In view of this, it is possible to use relatively thin sheet steel.
It is desirable to avoid cracking in the superficially heat treated plates, which may be, for example zinc or lacquer coats, due to sharp bending back of the plate strips in the area of the seam. Such cracks can result in corrosion and all of the disadvantages arising therefrom. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the bending of the edge strip of the outer plate 1 has a proportionately large sweep so that the bending is substantially tear-shaped in cross section. The bending of the other plate 2 to be seamed to form its strip portions can be bent more sharply, because it is inside of the panel and is also imbedded in the foamed material.
Such large radius bend 12 can, if desired, be filled with a longitudinally extending flexible substantially cylindrical filler, for example a plastic wire 13. The locking of the seam lies further inward, as shown at 9', where the plate edge strips and the portions thereof are tightly pressed against each other.
In the shaping of this seam, the bent plate edge strip is preferably broader than in the shaping of the seam shown in FIG. 3.
A third embodiment of grooved seam is shown in FIG. 5. The seam shaping in this embodiment is also espcially advantageous and is simple and efficient to produce.
This seam differs from the previously described seams in that the bent plate edge strips that are touching each other are first at approximately right angles to the plane of the plates 1 and 2. The one plate 1 only has a single bent back edge portion almost at right angles, while the other plate 2 is bent back over a large area at right angles, and about half of this bent edge strip is further bent outwards in a U-shape to define a pair of strip portions. The single bent back edge strip portion of plate 1 is marked 17, and the U-shaped bent back edge strips of plate 2 are marked 16 and 16'.
A feature in the grooved seam shown in FIG. 5 is that the three interrelated strip portions 16, 16' and 17 are additionally stamped, at regular intervals so that circular impressions or irregularities 15 are formed. By these circular, interlocking cup-shaped impressions 15, all three strip portions 16, 16' and 17 are correspondingly changed in form, so that there is a further interlocking seaming action apart from the seaming caused by adherence of the strip portions 16, 16' and 17 with each other giving additional strength to the seam. The seam which now projects into the foam core 6 is ribbed on the inside surfaces, and thereby lends additional stiffness and strength to the structural element or panel.
The bending back of both plates 1 and 2 at 13 is again also performed so that no damage occurs to the superficial coatings, such as tears or hairline cracks.
It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention which have been described are merely illustrative of a few of the applications of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without deparating from the true spirit and scope of the invention. | A platelike structural panel is disclosed having spaced surfaces with a foamed core material therebetween. The surfaces are formed of sheet metal plates having adjacent longitudinal edges which are bent so as to form grooved seams joining and locking the plates together. The surfaces may be formed by continuously joining and seaming sheet metal from a coil and the foamed core may be formed by foaming the material between the joined plates or by gluing already foamed material between the plates. | 4 |
[0001] This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/DE02/04284 which has an International filing date of Nov. 21, 2002, which designated the United States of America and which claims priority on German Patent Application number DE 101 58 758.9 filed Nov. 29, 2001, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention generally relates to a marine or boat propulsion system, having at least one vessel propeller. Preferably, it includes at least one electric motor, by which the at least one vessel propeller can be driven, and a converter-fed electrical power supply, by which the at least one electric motor can be supplied with electric power. It further preferably has at least one drive machine and at least one generator which can be driven by it. The at least one electric motor and the at least one generator for supplying electrical power are preferably in the form of three-phase synchronous machines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Diesel/electric marine propulsion systems are known, whose power supply has synchronous generators which are accommodated at some suitable point in the vessel's hull, and which themselves feed converter-fed synchronous or else asynchronous motors. The electric motors which drive the vessel propellers may, for example, be arranged as in-board motors, and may drive the vessel propellers via shaft systems.
[0004] Furthermore, pod propulsion systems are known, which have a synchronous motor with permanent-magnet excitation, arranged in a motor gondola which can be rotated. The motor gondola is arranged outside the vessel's hull and may have one or two vessel screws. The heat losses from the electric motor are in this case dissipated solely by the external surface of the motor gondola to the sea water. The asynchronous motors and generators have air/water heat exchangers.
[0005] Furthermore, JP 63217969 and JP 04304159 disclose marine propulsion systems for two vessel propellers including an associated so-called “homopolar motor”, which comprises two disc rotors or cylindrical rotors through which direct current flows in opposite directions via brushes, and in which a torque is produced in the field of a superconducting coil.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An embodiment of the invention is based on an object of further-developing the marine propulsion system such that it can be designed to be at least one of more space-saving, more weight-saving, and/or to be more efficient.
[0007] According to an embodiment of the invention, an object may be achieved in that the at least one electric motor (which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine) and/or the at least one generator (which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine) for supplying electrical power have/has a rotating field winding composed of HTSL (high-temperature superconductor) wire. Further, each rotating field winding composed of HTSL wire is arranged in a cryostat, which is vacuum-insulated and can be cryogenically cooled by means of the rotating field winding composed of HTSL wire to a temperature between 15 and 77 K.
[0008] Without significantly changing the power levels and rotation speed values with pod marine propulsion systems as known from the prior art and the marine propulsion system according to an embodiment of the invention, the ratio between the diameter of the motor housing and the propeller external diameter in the case of the marine propulsion system according to an embodiment of the invention can be reduced to 30%, in comparison to 35 to 40% with the prior art. In comparison to marine propulsion systems which are known from the prior art and which weigh, for example, about 310 t in total, this weight can be reduced to 100 to 200 t by using the marine propulsion system according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0009] Furthermore, the efficiency of the electric motor for the marine propulsion system according to an embodiment of the invention can be increased to 99% in comparison to 97.5% in the case of marine propulsion systems as known from the prior art. The considerable reductions in the physical volume and the total weight, which amount to a factor of approximately two or more, lead either to the usable volume in the hull of the vessel being increased, or allow the hull of the vessel to be designed to be smaller for the same usable volume. The machine bases may be designed to be less complex, thus resulting in considerable financial advantages. Since the excitation is produced without any power consumption, the efficiency is better, and the cooling complexity is reduced.
[0010] According to one advantageous embodiment of the marine propulsion system according to the invention, the at least one electric motor (which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine) and/or the at least one generator (which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine) for supplying electrical power have/has an air gap three-phase winding composed of loomed copper conductors, which is arranged in an annular gap between a rotor and a laminated magnetic iron yoke. In the case of this stator air gap winding, no iron teeth are provided as a source of noise, so that the electric motors and the generators run more quietly.
[0011] The reduced weight of the rotor makes it possible to considerably reduce the vibration that occurs. The low synchronous reactance results in a very high short-term torque and stalling torque. An air gap of between 5 and 50 mm, which is larger than that with the prior art, is permissible between the rotor and the stator. The assembly process is considerably simplified, since wider tolerances are permissible for shaft bending, twisting due to vessel propeller forces, etc.
[0012] It has been found to be particularly advantageous for the HTSL wire of the rotating field winding to be formed from multifilament ribbon conductors Bi2 Ba2 Sr2 Cu3 Ox or Bi2 Ba2 SrCu2 Ox in a silver or silver-alloy matrix, of YBa2 Cu3 Ox as a thin film on steel strip, nickel strip, strip composed of an alloy containing nickel, silver strip or an MgB2 superconductor.
[0013] In order to achieve electric motors of the HTSL type with external diameters which are as small as possible, it is expedient for the rotor (which has the rotating field winding composed of HTSL wire) of the at least one electric motor or generator (which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine) to have 6 to 12 poles, and preferably 8 poles.
[0014] According to one development of the marine propulsion system according to an embodiment of the invention, each cryostat can be supplied with coolant by way of a coolant circuit.
[0015] In order to improve the operational reliability of the cooling apparatus, each cryostat can advantageously be supplied with coolant by at least two redundant coolant circuits.
[0016] Cold helium or hydrogen gas is expediently provided as the coolant in the coolant circuit between a cold head and a transfer coupling to the cryostat.
[0017] Alternatively, the coolant circuit between a cold head and a transfer coupling to the cryostat may be designed on the cryo heatpipe principle, in which case the transfer coupling is then supplied with liquid coolant, such as liquid neon, liquid hydrogen, liquid nitrogen or a liquefied gas mixture, and vaporized coolant is fed back to the cold head.
[0018] The cold head of each coolant circuit can be operated in a simple manner by way of a closed-cycle compressed-gas circuit.
[0019] The cooling for the compressed-gas circuit for the cold head can once again be provided by way of a central cooling water supply, sea water, or indirectly by way of a heat exchanging device, which is itself thermally connected to outer surfaces of the vessel over which sea water washes.
[0020] If the marine propulsion system according to an embodiment of the invention is in the form of a pod propulsion system, with the at least one electric motor, which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine and has the rotating field winding composed of HTSL wire, is accommodated in a motor gondola which is arranged outside the vessel hull. The external diameter of the at least one electric motor may be less than 32% of the external diameter of the vessel propeller by virtue of the high power density which can be achieved in this way. This makes it possible to considerably improve the hydraulic efficiency of the pod propulsion system designed according to an embodiment of the invention, in comparison to the prior art.
[0021] If the cold head of each coolant circuit is arranged in an azimuth module (which can be rotated) of the pod propulsion system, it is easily accessible, and in which case, furthermore, there is no need for rotating couplings.
[0022] Alternatively, the cold head of each coolant circuit may be arranged in a strut module of the pod propulsion system, in which case it is also possible to achieve easy accessibility to the cooling system, in a maintenance-friendly manner.
[0023] Furthermore, when appropriate requirements exist, it is possible to arrange the cold head of each coolant circuit in the motor gondola of the pod propulsion system close to the transfer coupling via which coolant can be introduced into the cryostat which holds the rotating field winding composed of HTSL wire.
[0024] A further improvement in accessibility and thus in maintenance-friendliness of the cooling apparatus may be achieved. This can be achieved if the compressed-gas circuit is arranged together with the cold head on or within the azimuth module (which can be rotated) of the pod propulsion system.
[0025] The operational reliability of the pod propulsion system designed as described above can be increased if the cryostat of the single electric motor which is arranged in the motor gondola of the pod propulsion system can be supplied with coolant by use of two coolant circuits, each of which has an associated cold head. These two coolant circuits, which are designed as described above, are then mutually redundant with respect to the cooling of the cryostat.
[0026] If two co-rotating or contra-rotating (counter-rotating) vessel propellers are provided on the motor gondola of the pod propulsion system, each of which is associated with one of two independent electric motors which are arranged in the motor gondola and whose two rotors are arranged in, in each case, one cryostat, it is advantageously possible to achieve greater redundancy for the same volume as that for pod propulsion systems known from the prior art, with the capability for the two vessel propellers to contra-rotate making it possible to achieve better hydrodynamic efficiency.
[0027] In order to improve the operational reliability of the two electric motors which are arranged in the motor gondola, it is advantageous for the two cryostats to be connected to in each case one cold head via a respective coolant circuit.
[0028] The configuration of the cooling device can be simplified if the two cryostats are connected via a respective coolant circuit to a single cold head, which is shared by them.
[0029] Each cold head advantageously has a respective associated compressed-gas circuit.
[0030] The compressed-gas circuit may, for example, be cooled down by way of an integrated sea-water cooling circuit.
[0031] Alternatively, each compressed-gas circuit may be cooled down by way of an integrated fresh-water circuit, with a gas/water heat exchanger being provided for heat transmission from the compressed-gas circuit to the integrated fresh-water circuit.
[0032] The heat dissipation from the integrated fresh-water circuit can be achieved in a simple manner by this circuit having a further heat exchanger, by which it is thermally connected to sea water.
[0033] The transfer of the thermal energy from the integrated fresh-water circuit into the surrounding sea water can be achieved in a physically/technically less complex manner and nevertheless very effectively, by arranging the further heat exchanger for the integrated fresh-water circuit close to the wall of the strut module of the pod propulsion system, so that it can be cooled down by way of sea water via this wall.
[0034] Furthermore, if appropriate requirements exist, a refinement may be advantageous in which each compressed-gas circuit is equipped with an integrated gas/water heat exchanger, which is itself arranged close to the wall of the strut module of the pod propulsion system, is thermally connected to the latter, and can be cooled via the latter by way of sea water. This allows the amount of heat from the compressed-gas circuit to be emitted directly to the sea water without the interposition of further circuits.
[0035] In a further advantageous embodiment of the marine propulsion system according to an embodiment of the invention, the cold head or heads is or are arranged in the strut module, and the compressed-gas circuit or circuits is or are arranged in or on the azimuth module (which can be rotated) of the pod propulsion system.
[0036] Alternatively, the cold head or heads may be arranged in the motor gondola of the pod propulsion system close to the transfer coupling or couplings and the compressed-gas circuit or circuits is or are arranged in or on the azimuth module (which can be rotated) of the pod propulsion system.
[0037] Instead of the marine propulsion system according to an embodiment of the invention being in the form of a pod propulsion system, it is also possible for the at least one electric motor, which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine and has the rotating field winding composed of HTSL wire, to be accommodated in a propeller shaft pipe on one deck of the vessel.
[0038] Furthermore, the at least one electric motor, which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine and has the rotating field winding composed of HTSL wire, may be arranged as an in-board motor, by which the vessel propeller associated with it is driven via a shaft system.
[0039] The electrical power supply for the marine propulsion system can advantageously be formed by a drive machine and a generator, whose cryostat, which holds its rotating field winding, together with the cryostat of the electric motor can be supplied with coolant by use of a coolant circuit which is shared by the two cryostats.
[0040] In order to improve the operational reliability of the marine propulsion system, it is expedient to be possible to supply the cryostat for the generator, together with the cryostat for the electric motor, with coolant by way of two mutually redundant cooling circuits which are shared by the two cryostats.
[0041] In order to provide a coolant supply by the force of gravity in a simple manner, it is expedient for the cold head of each coolant circuit to be arranged in the vertical direction above that cryostat which is arranged at the highest point in the vertical direction and is supplied from this coolant circuit.
[0042] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, each electric motor, which has its own coolant supply, in the motor gondola of the pod propulsion system is provided with its own electrical power supply.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0043] Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become evident from the description of illustrated embodiments given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein:
[0044] FIG. 1 shows a cross-section illustration of a first embodiment of a marine propulsion system according to the invention in the form of a pod propulsion system;
[0045] FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section illustration of a second embodiment of the marine propulsion system according to the invention in the form of a pod propulsion system;
[0046] FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section illustration of a third embodiment of the marine propulsion system according to the invention in the form of a pod propulsion system;
[0047] FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section illustration of a fourth embodiment of the marine propulsion system according to the invention in the form of a pod propulsion system;
[0048] FIG. 5 shows a longitudinal section illustration of a fifth embodiment of the marine propulsion system according to the invention in the form of a pod propulsion system;
[0049] FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal section illustration of a sixth embodiment of the marine propulsion system according to the invention in the form of a pod propulsion system;
[0050] FIG. 7 shows a cross-section illustration of the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , of the marine propulsion system according to the invention in the form of a pod propulsion system;
[0051] FIG. 8 shows a longitudinal section illustration of a marine propulsion system according to the invention arranged in a propeller shaft pipe at the stern of the ship;
[0052] FIG. 9 shows a longitudinal view of a further embodiment of the marine propulsion system according to the invention arranged in the propeller shaft pipe at the stern of the ship;
[0053] FIG. 10 shows a longitudinal view of a marine propulsion system according to the invention, equipped with an in-board motor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0054] A first embodiment (which is illustrated in the form of a cross section in FIG. 1 ) of a marine propulsion system according to the invention in the form of a pod propulsion system 1 has a motor gondola 2 which is arranged underneath the hull 3 of the vessel, and which is illustrated by dashed lines and only partially in FIGS. 1 to 7 .
[0055] Within the hull 3 of the vessel, the pod propulsion system 1 has an azimuth module 4 , which is firmly connected to the motor gondola by way of a strut module 5 through the hull 3 of the vessel.
[0056] The pod propulsion system 1 can be rotated about a vertical axis with respect to the hull 3 of the vessel, as can be seen from the circular arrows 6 in FIGS. 2 to 6 .
[0057] The pod propulsion system 1 as shown in FIG. 1 has an electric motor 7 arranged within the motor gondola 2 . A vessel propeller 8 , which is arranged at the rear end of the motor gondola 2 such that it can rotate, is driven by means of this electric motor 7 .
[0058] For this purpose, the electric motor 7 (which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine) has an 8-pole rotor 9 , which is equipped with a rotating field winding 10 composed of HTSL (high-temperature superconductor) wire.
[0059] This HTSL wire may be formed from multifilament ribbon conductors Bi2 Ba2 Sr2 Cu3 Ox or Bi2 Ba2 Sr Cu2 Ox in a silver or silver-alloy matrix, of YBa2 Cu3 Ox as a thin film on steel strip, nickel strip, silver strip or an MgB2 superconductor.
[0060] The electric motor 7 (which is in the form of a three-phase synchronous machine) furthermore has an air gap three-phase or stator winding 11 composed of loomed copper conductors, which is arranged in an annular gap 12 between the 8-pole rotor 9 (which is equipped with the rotating field winding 10 composed of HTSL wire) and a laminated magnetic iron yoke 13 .
[0061] The 8-pole rotor 9 which has the rotating field winding 10 composed of HTSL wire is held within a cryostat 14 , which is designed to be vacuum-insulated and can be cryogenically cooled by means of the rotating field winding 10 composed of HTSL wire to a temperature between 15 and 77 K.
[0062] The cryostat 14 is included in a coolant circuit 16 via a transfer coupling 15 which is arranged coaxially with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the 8-pole rotor 9 . A cold head 17 is integrated in the coolant circuit 16 and is cooled on the basis of the Gifford-MacMahon, Stirling or Pulsetube principle by means of a compressed-gas circuit 18 , which includes a compressor 19 and a gas/water heat exchanger or cooler 20 .
[0063] The coolant circuit 16 , which is provided by the cold head 17 on the one hand and the rotor-side or cryostat-side transfer coupling 15 on the other hand, may carry cold helium or hydrogen gas as the coolant. Furthermore, the coolant circuit 16 may be designed on the cryo heatpipe principle, in which case it is then supplied as the liquid coolant with liquid neon, liquid hydrogen, liquid nitrogen or a liquefied gas mixture to the cryostat 14 and to the transfer coupling 15 , and feeds back vaporized neon, vaporized hydrogen, vaporized nitrogen or a vaporized gas mixture from the cryostat 14 and from the transfer coupling 15 to the cold head 17 .
[0064] The compressed-gas circuit 18 including the cold head 17 is, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , accommodated in an easily accessible manner on or within the azimuth module 4 (which can be rotated) of the pod propulsion system 1 , so that there is no need for rotary couplings.
[0065] An embodiment of the pod propulsion system 1 , shown in the form of a longitudinal section in FIG. 2 , has two mutually independent electric motors 21 , 22 , by which two vessel propellers 23 , 24 are driven, which are mounted such that they can rotate at the front end and rear end of the motor gondola 2 . The vessel propellers 23 , 24 may be oriented such that they contra-rotate. FIG. 2 also shows the two three-phase supply lines 25 , 26 for the two electric motors 21 , 22 . Each electric motor 21 , 22 has a separate cryostat 27 , 28 . Each cryostat 27 , 28 is connected via transfer couplings 15 to a coolant circuit 29 , 30 , with a respective cold head 31 or 32 being arranged in the respective coolant circuit 29 or 30 . Each respective cold head 31 or 32 is in turn associated with a respective compressed-gas circuit 33 or 34 .
[0066] The two compressed-gas circuits 33 , 34 are arranged in the azimuth module 4 , and the two cold heads 31 , 32 are arranged in the strut module 5 of the pod propulsion system 1 , so that they are easily accessible and are maintenance-friendly. The provision of two electric motors 21 , 22 whose 8-pole rotors 9 are supplied with coolant independently of one another results in better availability of the pod propulsion system 1 in comparison to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 .
[0067] The availability can be increased if the electrical power supply for each electric motor 21 , 22 is provided individually via respectively separate sliprings or converters. FIG. 2 shows only a single converter supply, which supplies both electric motors 21 , 22 at the same time.
[0068] FIG. 3 shows a modified form of the pod propulsion system 1 as shown in FIG. 2 , in the form of a longitudinal section, in which the cryostats 27 , 28 of the two electric motors 21 , 22 are supplied with coolant by way of the two coolant circuits 29 , 30 . The two coolant circuits 29 , 30 are however, in contrast to FIG. 2 , connected to a cold head 35 which is shared by them and is arranged close to the two transfer couplings 15 of the cryostats 27 , 29 in the motor gondola 2 of the pod propulsion system 1 .
[0069] The cold head 35 is itself cooled by a compressed-gas circuit 36 , whose major components are arranged in or fitted to the azimuth module 4 of the pod propulsion system 1 .
[0070] The compressed-gas circuit 36 is cooled by use of an integrated sea-water cooling circuit 37 , which extracts thermal energy from the compressed-gas circuit 36 via a heat exchanger unit 38 . The major components of the integrated sea-water cooling circuit 37 are also arranged in or on the azimuth module 4 of the pod propulsion system 1 .
[0071] The components which are provided for supplying coolant circuits 29 , 30 which are associated with the cryostats 27 , 28 may also be designed in redundant or duplicated form in order to improve the operational reliability, as shown in the embodiment in FIG. 3 .
[0072] In the case of the embodiment of the pod propulsion system 1 shown in FIG. 4 , the cold head 35 is also arranged in the motor gondola 2 , close to the transfer couplings 15 which are arranged coaxially with respect to the rotor axis 39 of the rotors 9 of the two electric motors 21 , 22 . The compressed-gas circuit 36 , which is associated with the cold head 35 , is cooled down by means of a gas/water heat exchanger 40 , which is arranged in the compressed-gas circuit 36 and is also a component of an integrated fresh-water circuit 41 .
[0073] The integrated fresh-water circuit 41 is cooled by way of a further heat exchanger 42 , which is thermally connected to the wall 43 of the strut module 5 of the pod propulsion system 1 . The further heat exchanger 42 in the integrated fresh-water circuit 41 is thus cooled down by use of sea water through the wall 43 of the strut module 5 of the pod propulsion system 1 .
[0074] The major components both of the compressed-gas circuit 36 and of the integrated fresh-water circuit 41 are arranged in a maintenance-friendly manner in the azimuth module 4 of the pod propulsion system 1 , while in contrast the cold head 35 is, as already mentioned above, seated in the motor gondola 2 of the pod propulsion system 1 .
[0075] Alternatively, two cold heads 35 may be provided, each of which is associated with a respective one of the two electric motors 21 , 22 , and both of which may be cooled down by way of the compressed-gas circuit 36 .
[0076] The pod propulsion system 1 which is shown in FIG. 5 has an electric motor 7 which drives the single vessel propeller 8 of the pod propulsion system 1 , and occupies virtually the entire interior (whose diameter is constant) of the motor gondola 2 of the pod propulsion system 1 . In comparison to the pod propulsion systems equipped with two electric motors as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , the length of the motor gondola 2 is made better use of for installation of a higher motor power.
[0077] The cryostat 14 of the electric motor 7 is connected by way of the transfer coupling 15 to two coolant circuits 44 , 45 , which are based on the cryo heatpipe principle, and which have a respectively associated cold head 46 and 47 . The two cold heads 46 , 47 are arranged in the azimuth module 4 of the pod propulsion system, and are cooled down by way of compressed-gas circuits 33 , 34 , which are likewise provided in the azimuth module 4 of the pod propulsion system 1 . The redundancy which is provided by the duplicated form of the components which are provided for cooling of the electric motor 7 improves the operational reliability of the pod propulsion system 1 .
[0078] In embodiments of the pod propulsion system 1 , illustrated as longitudinal sections and cross sections respectively in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the cryostat 14 of the single electric motor 7 which is arranged in the motor gondola 2 is supplied with coolant from a coolant circuit 16 by the transfer coupling 15 . The cold head 17 , which is associated with the coolant circuit 16 , is arranged in the strut module 5 in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , and is arranged in the azimuth module 4 of the pod propulsion system 1 in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 . In both embodiments, the cold head 17 is cooled down by means of a compressed-gas circuit 18 , with an integrated gas/water heat exchanger 48 being used to extract heat from this compressed-gas circuit 18 . This gas/water heat exchanger 48 is arranged on the wall 43 of the strut module 5 , as can be seen in particular in FIG. 7 .
[0079] This gas/water heat exchanger 48 is thermally connected in a corresponding manner to the wall 43 of the strut module 5 , and thus to the sea water surrounding the strut module 5 . In the embodiments shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , the compressed-gas circuit is cooled down directly by the sea water, in which case the heat exchanger pipe runs 49 in the gas/water heat exchanger 48 can be arranged directly against the wall 43 of the strut module 5 .
[0080] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , an electric motor 7 for the marine propulsion system is arranged fixed in a propeller shaft pipe 51 , which is formed at the stern 50 of the vessel. The cryostat 14 of the electric motor 7 is connected by way of the transfer coupling 15 to two coolant circuits 44 , 45 , which have a respective cold head 46 , 47 . The two cold heads 46 , 47 are respectively cooled down by a compressed-gas circuit 33 , 34 . The cooling of the cryostat 14 of the electric motor 7 is thus redundant.
[0081] In addition to the electric motor 7 for the marine propulsion system, FIG. 9 also shows a power generating system with a generator 52 , which is driven by a drive machine in the form of an internal combustion engine 53 .
[0082] The generator 52 has a rotor, which is not illustrated in detail in the figures, with a rotating field winding composed of HTSL wire, with the cryostat for the generator 52 being supplied with coolant in a redundant manner both by the coolant circuit 44 and by the coolant circuit 45 , as can be seen in FIG. 9 . Alternatively, it is possible to supply the generator 52 and the electric motor 7 by way of a single coolant circuit and the associated system parts.
[0083] The cold heads 46 , 47 which are shown in FIG. 9 are arranged on a higher deck than the load that is arranged at the highest point, so that the coolant can be supplied by the force of gravity via the coolant circuits 44 , 45 , which are designed on the basis of the cryo heatpipe principle.
[0084] Alternatively, the coolant circuits 44 , 45 may also be in the form of separate liquid and cold-gas lines.
[0085] In the embodiment of the marine propulsion system according to the invention as illustrated in FIG. 10 , the electric motor 7 is in the form of an in-board motor, on the output side driving a shaft system 54 , which itself rotates the vessel propeller 8 .
[0086] An internal combustion engine 53 is provided as the drive machine for the marine propulsion system, drives the generator 52 , and may be in the form of a diesel engine, a gas turbine or a steam turbine.
[0087] The generator 52 and the electric motor 7 each have a rotor with a rotating field winding composed of HTSL wire. The two cryostats of the generator 52 and of the electric-motor 7 are supplied with coolant by way of a coolant circuit 16 , with the cold head 17 in the coolant circuit 16 being cooled down by way of the compressed-gas circuit 18 . The cold head 17 is arranged above the highest coolant load, so that—as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 —the coolant can be supplied by the force of gravity.
[0088] According to one exemplary embodiment of a pod propulsion system, a drive stage (equipped with two electric motors of the HTSL type) for a pod propulsion system 1 has a rating of 20 MW at 130 rpm. The available rotation speed range is between 70 and 160 rpm. The external diameter of the vessel propeller is 6250 mm. The external diameter of the motor housing and of the motor gondola of the pod propulsion system is 30% of the external diameter of the vessel propeller. The overall length of the pod propulsion system is approximately 11 000 mm. The vessel propeller torque is approximately 1480 kNm. The weight of the entire system is approximately 100 to 200 t, with the efficiency of the motor stage being approximately 99%.
[0089] Exemplary 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 present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. | A boat propulsion system includes at least one propeller, at least one electric motor by which the at least one propeller can be driven, and one converter-fed power supply unit. The at least one electric motor can be supplied with electric power by the power supply unit which includes at least one prime mover and at least one generator powered by the prime mover. The at least one electric motor and the at least one generator of the power supply unit may be embodied as three-phase synchronous machines. In order to reduce the volume and weight of such a boat propulsion system while increasing its effectiveness, at least one of the electric motor and the at least one generator configured as a three-phase synchronous machine, includes a rotating excitation coil made of high-temperature super conductor wire. Each rotating excitation coil made of high-temperature super conductor wire is arranged in a vacuum-tight, insulated cryostat by which the rotating excitation coil made of high-temperature super conductor wire can be chilled to a temperature of 15 to 77 K. | 5 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to apparatus for heating and mixing materials and more particularly to new and improved heating apparatus and the combination thereof with a drum mixer adapted for use on a vehicular assembly for mixing and heating asphalt aggregate materials during vehicular movement thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the construction of roads and highways large drum mixers are often utilized to mix and heat asphalt aggregate mixtures for preparing the materials for application as a pavement. In addition, these drum mixers are often utilized in reconditioning applications where materials are removed from an existing roadway, heated and mixed with a conditioner, and then used to repave the roadway.
In the past, most of the drum mixers used for this purpose have been stationary installations requiring the materials to be transported to and from the installation. As pointed out in my copending application Ser. No. 747,295 entitled "Asphaltic Pavement Treating Apparatus and Method," there are numerous advantages in having the apparatus moved over the surface in a vehicular movement during which the materials are treated on a continuous basis. In that application there is shown a form of combination drum mixer and heating apparatus that is operated during vehicular movement wherein one or more burners emit an open flame for producing the hot gases. When an open flame is utilized, it is desirable to prevent the materials from directly contacting the flame, which because of its high temperature may cause the asphalt to flash and smoke, emitting pollutants into the atmosphere. In addition, it is also desirable to effect a uniform temperature distribution throughout the drum to prevent localized hot spots and uneven heating, which can also cause overheating and flashing of the asphalt.
For this reason in some drum mixers, such as the mixer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,941 to Mendenhall, the materials are tumbled over heated pipes which prevent direct exposure of the material to the flames and hot gases produced by the heating apparatus. Alternately, baffle plates or flame barriers, such as the barriers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,743 to Mendenhall, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,171 to Shearer, may be mounted between the open flame and the interior of the drum to help prevent the material from directly contacting the open flame and to aid in the distribution of gases from the heating apparatus into the mixing drum.
Some of the problems with these prior art drum mixers is that the heating apparatus and flame barriers do not effectively distribute the hot gases through the mixing drum and/or are not sturdy enough to withstand the temperatures and the vibrations, jarring and impacts encountered during usage and transport as the apparatus is moved forwardly over the road or like supporting surface. In addition, some prior art flame barriers must be fabricated from expensive metals and materials in order to avoid warping and withstand the high temperatures present in the drum mixers.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide simple, durable and relatively inexpensive heating apparatus for use in combination with drum mixers for producing hot gases and for uniformly distributing the gases into the drum mixer for heating materials.
Another object of the present invention is to provide heating apparatus for use in combination with drum mixers wherein an open flame is utilized for producing hot gases and the material to be heated is shielded from the open flame.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide heating apparatus for use in combination with drum mixers, having a refractory lined combustion chamber and gas distributor plate constructed to withstand the impacts and high temperatures encountered in a drum mixer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Heating apparatus and a combination thereof with a drum mixer for treating asphalt aggregate material or the like. The heating apparatus generally comprises a plurality of flame emitting gas burners for producing hot gases and a refractory lined combustion chamber with a refractory lined plate assembly located between the combustion chamber and mixing drum with an array of ports for distributing the hot gases from the combustion chamber into the mixing drum. The combustion chamber is mounted at the discharge end of the mixing drum and is constructed by attaching refractory bricks with metal backing plates to a rigid framework. In addition, the gas burners are attached to the framework for emitting open flames into the combustion chamber for producing the hot gases. The hot gases produced in the combustion chamber are drawn by a fan or by natural circulation from the combustion chamber through the gas distributor plate assembly into the mixing drum. The plate assembly is generally circular in shape and the spaced ports are arranged in a radially and circumferentially spaced pattern over all quadrants of a 360-degree circle for uniformly radially dispersing and distributing the hot gases into a plurality of substantially evenly spaced streams as the gases are drawn into the mixing drum. The plate assembly is constructed by casting refractory material on either side of four metal backing plates fixed to the framework but free to move relative to one another to permit the gas distributor plate to expand and contact with temperature variations. The gas distributor plate assembly also functions to prevent the open flames from contacting the asphalt aggregate material.
Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts have similar reference numerals and in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view partly cut away of a combination heating and mixer apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along section line 2--2 of FIG. 1 showing a cross section of the combustion chamber and gas distributor plate assembly of the invention;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevation view, partly cut away with parts removed, of the combustion chamber and gas burners of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along section line 4--4 of the gas distributor plate assembly of the invention;
FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the gas distributor plate assembly of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a refractory brick of the invention;
FIG. 8 is an assembly perspective view showing the construction of the gas distributor plate;
FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of an arrangement utilizing two spaced gas distributor plate assemblies; and
FIG. 10 is a rear view of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1, the heating apparatus shown is generally designated 10. The heating apparatus 10 is shown in combination with a drum mixer 11 that is suitable for treating asphalt aggregate material. Drum mixer 11 shown generally comprises a hollow cylindrical mixing drum 12 rotatably mounted on a trailer frame 14 for tumbling and mixing the asphalt aggregate materials during vehicular movement and has an inlet opening for receiving untreated materials and outlet openings for discharging the treated materials. The trailer frame 14 is supported on sets of front wheels 16 and rear wheels 18 for towing by a truck.
The mixing drum 12 is mounted on the trailer frame 14 for rotation about its longitudinal axis and is supported on an external front bearing band 20 and an external rear bearing band 22 which are rotatably mounted on bearings 24 and 26, respectively, on the trailer frame 14. The mixing drum 12 may be rotated by an electric motor 28 through a drive gear 30 that meshes with an external ring gear 32 affixed to the periphery of the drum. The trailer frame 14 is inclined to support the drum 12 with a slightly downward incline from front to rear for gravity-feeding asphalt aggregate materials through the drum from the inlet to the outlet thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, this angle for the drum is approximately 9 degrees to the horizontal.
A plurality of lifting and tumbling flights 34 are attached to the interior wall of the mixing drum 12 and extend from end to end therealong. As the mixing drum 12 is rotated about its longitudinal axis, tumbling flights 34 tumble and mix the asphalt aggregate materials that move by gravity through the mixing drum 12.
An inlet hopper 36 is mounted on the trailer frame 14 at the inlet portion of the mixing drum 12 for feeding asphalt aggregate material from an inlet conveyor 38 or the like through a central inlet opening of the mixing drum into the interior of the drum. Inlet hopper 36 is stationary with respect to the rotatable mixing drum 12. A plurality of outlet openings 40 (FIG. 3) are located at the discharge end of the mixing drum 12 circumferentially spaced along the periphery of the drum 12. A discharge casing or shroud 42 (FIG. 1) surrounds the rear end of the mixing drum 12 and encompasses these discharge openings 40. Discharge casing 42 is fixedly mounted with respect to the drum 12 on the trailer frame 14 and has downwardly converging wall portions that form a chute to direct the material discharged from the discharge openings 40 onto a discharge conveyor 44 or the like.
The heating apparatus 10 is also supported for vehicular movement by frame 14 and is provided for heating the materials within the drum. Heating apparatus 10 generally stated includes a combustion chamber 46 and a plurality of gas burners 47 for producing hot gases. Structural means in the form of a plate assembly 48 with gas distributing ports 80 is mounted between the interior of the combustion chamber 46 and the interior of the drum to direct and distribute hot gases from the combustion chamber 46 into the interior of the drum 12.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the construction of the combustion chamber 46 is shown. The combustion chamber 46 is generally cylindrical in shape and is constructed using a plurality of refractory bricks 50 welded to a rigid framework 52 (FIG. 3) fixedly mounted on the trailer frame 14 adjacent to the discharge end of the drum 12. As shown in FIG. 3, framework 52 comprises a generally cylindrical support shroud 54, eight tubular support members 56, six annular support plates 58, and thirty-two right-angle strut members 60. Support shroud 54 has an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the rear end portion of the mixing drum 12 and, as shown in FIG. 3, is fixedly supported with an end portion extending into the interior of the end portion of drum 12 concentric with or coaxially alined with the drum with the drum free to rotate around the shroud 54. An annular ring 61 is attached to the interior surface of the drum 12 adjacent to but spaced from the support shroud 54 to prevent hot gases from escaping through the clearance space between the rotatable drum 12 and fixed support shroud 54. This construction facilitates the ready installation and use of the heating apparatus 10 with a number of different types of commercially available drum mixers.
To form the framework the tubular support members 56 are welded to the support shroud 54 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the combustion chamber 46. Annular support plates 58 are welded to the tubular support members 56 in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the combustion chamber 46, and angle strut members 60 are welded between the annular support plates 58 to rigidify the framework. The framework 52 is fixedly supported by channel members 63, 64, 65 (FIG. 10) attached to the trailer frame 14 to support the combustion chamber 46 adjacent to the discharge end of the drum for discharging hot gases into the interior of the drum.
To enclose the framework 52 and form the combustion chamber 46 the refractory bricks 50 are welded to the framework 52 along the periphery of the framework. As shown in FIG. 7, refractory bricks 50 are constructed by casting refractory material 62 capable of withstanding high temperatures without warpage or shrinkage, onto a curved metal backing plate 64. The refractory material used may be similar to the refractory material utilized for lining gas furnaces or the like. A plurality of fasteners 66 are welded to the backing plate and enbedded in the refractory material before it is fired and have flat end portions 66a which are welded to the backing plate 64 and hook end portions 66b which are embedded in the refractory material 62. Each refractory brick 50 has a curved interior surface 67 which matches the curvature of the backing plate 64 and stepped side edge surfaces 68. This construction forms a strong rigid brick capable of withstanding the shocks and impacts encountered in a mixer.
When the refractory bricks 50 are welded or similarly attached to the framework 52, the spaces between the refractory bricks 50 are filled with insulating wool 72 (FIG. 2) for sealing the combustion chamber 46 and for providing expansion joints between adjacent refractory bricks 50. The stepped side edge 68 construction of the refractory bricks 50 permits the insulating wool 72 to be easily packed between the bricks. The insulating wool 72 may be of the aluminum silicate type such as the product of Carborundum Corporation sold under the trademark "Fibre-frax."
The combustion chamber 46 has an end wall 74 (FIG. 1) welded to the framework 52 for mounting the gas burner assemblies 47 for directing open flames 78 into the interior of the combustion chamber 46 via an end opening 70 for producing the hot gases. As shown in FIG. 10, there are four gas burner assemblies 47 mounted to the end wall 74 at circumferentially spaced equal distances from each other in a generally square pattern with one burner located in each quadrant of a 360-degree span. The gas burner assemblies 47 may be of the type further described in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,321 and typically emit a very high temperature open flame 78 for producing hot gases in the combustion chamber 46. Refractory material 62 (FIG. 1) may be cast to the end wall 74 circumjacent to the burner assemblies 47 and attached to the end wall 74 with fasteners 66 in the same manner that the refractory bricks 50 previously described are constructed.
The plate assembly 48 is mounted to the support shroud 54 concentric to or coaxially alined with the combustion chamber 46 and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mixing drum 12 and is located between the interior of the combustion chamber 46 and interior of the mixing drum 12 downstream from the open flames 78 produced by the burner assemblies 47.
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, plate assembly 48 has a generally circular peripheral configuration with an outside diameter approximately equal to the inside diameter of the mixing drum 12 and has an array of spaced apertures or ports 80 that extend through the thickness of the plate assembly 48. The gases are drawn from the combustion chamber 46 into the mixing drum 12 by a fan 100 located at the inlet end of the mixing drum 12. In some applications a fan is not required to circulate the hot gases.
The ports 80 may be spaced in a variety of uniform arrays or patterns which will distribute the hot gases into a plurality of radially uniformly spaced streams as the hot gases are drawn through the distributor plate 48. The positioning of the ports 80 is generally similar in each quadrant of a span of 360 degrees and this positioning is characterized as equal spacing in a radial direction for uniformly radially dispersing the heated gases into the drum mixer. In addition, the gas distributor plate 48 functions as a flame barrier to prevent the open flames 78 from extending out of the combustion chamber 46 into the interior of the drum 12 and contacting the asphalt aggregate material.
Referring now to FIG. 8, the construction of the plate assembly 48 is shown. The plate assembly 48 is constructed from four sections 82 each having a generally pie-shaped peripheral configuratin with an arcuate outside edge 92 and two straight inside edges 94. Each pie-shaped section includes a metal support plate 84 having refractory material 62 cast and affixed to fasteners 90 on each side or on opposite faces thereof to provide a double thickness of refractory material. The fasteners 90 are metal and of a generally V-shaped configuration and are welded on both ends to a slide of the support plate 84 and embedded in the refractory material 92 prior to firing to hold the refractory material onto the support plate 84.
Each support plate 84 has a plurality of the spaced ports 80 arranged in a similar array or pattern and the refractory material 62 is cast to the support plates 84 such that the ports are left unobstructed. The straight inside edges 94 of the support plates 84 are stepped so that the support plates may be lapped over one another, as shown in FIG. 5, for constructing the gas distributor plate.
For assembling the circular gas distributor plate 48, each pie-shaped support plate 84 is attached along its outside arcuate edge 92 to the support shroud 54 (FIG. 1). The inside straight stepped edges 94 of each support plate are left unattached and mate with the stepped inside straight edge 94 on an adjacent support plate permitting the plates to be lapped as shown. This lapped construction allows the support plates 84 to move relative to one another permitting the gas distributor plate to expand and contract with temperature differentials. When casting the refractory material 62 onto the pie-shaped support plates 84, spaces are left between adjacent plates and packed with insulating wool 72, as previously explained, to form expansion joints.
One effective method of constructing the gas distributor plate 84 is to first affix the metal fasteners 90 to both sides of the four pie-shaped support plates 84 and cast refractory material on only one side of the support plates 84. The support plates 84 can then be attached along their outside arcuate edges 92 to the support shroud 54 and the plates lapped along their inside edge to form the completed circular structure. Insulating wool 72 can then be packed between the pie-shaped sections 82 on the cast refractory side. On the opposite side of the support plates 84 wood strips can be attached to the support plates 84 in the spots between adjacent support plates 84 where expansion joints are desired and the refractory material can be cast over the entire side. When the refractory material is fired the wood strips will burn off and insulating wool 72 can be packed in the resultant space for forming the expansion joints.
As shown in FIG. 1, the gas distributor plate is attached to the inside diameter of the support shroud 54 in coaxial alinement with the axis of the combustion chamber 46 and prevents the open flames 78 of the burner assemblies 47 from contacting the asphalt aggregate material in the interior of the mixing drum 12 and directs the hot gases formed in the combustion chamber through its ports 80 for uniformly distributing the hot gases. Additional refractory material 62 is attached to the inside walls of the support shroud 54 on either side of the gas distributor plate 48 in the manner previously described.
Alternately the gas distributor plate 48 may be fabricated with refractory material 62 attached to only one side and mounted with the refractory material facing the open flames.
OPERATION
In operation the gas burners 47 are fired for producing open flames 78 in the combustion chamber 46. The burning flames heat the air present in combustion chamber 46 and product hot gases which are drawn by a fan 100 or through natural circulation through the ports 80 of the gas distributor plate 48, into the interior of the drum 12 for heating the materials present in the drum. The hot gases are then drawn out through the inlet hopper 36 to the atmosphere. The direction of hot gas flow is indicated by arrows in FIG. 1.
The plate assembly 48 protects the asphalt aggregate material from contacting the open flames 78 in the combustion chamber 70. The spaced ports 80 of the plate assembly are located in the direction of flow of the hot gas stream and radially disperse and uniformly direct the hot gases from the combustion chamber 46 into the interior of the drum 12 so that a substantially uniform radial temperature distribution is maintained throughout the drum for uniformly heating the material. The ports 80 function to uniformly distribute the hot gases by channeling the unitary gas stream produced by the gas burners into a plurality of smaller evenly spaced gas streams. Because the plate assembly has a diameter approximately equal to the inside diameter of the mixing drum, the hot gas streams are distributed uniformly substantially throughout the entire cross section of the mixing drum.
In an alternate embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 9, two spaced gas distributor plates 48 may be mounted within the support shroud 54 between the combustion chamber 46 and the interior of the mixing drum 12. The two gas distributor plates 48 may be spaced apart a distance of approximately one foot for providing extra protection from the open flames and additional spaced ports 80 for distributing the hot gases.
In both embodiments the combustion chamber 46 and gas distributor plate 48 function effectively to produce and distribute hot gases throughout the mixing drum. The rigid framework and construction enable the combustion chamber to stand up against the vibrations, shocks, and impacts encountered during vehicular movement and in association with a drum mixer. In addition, the refractory brick and expansion joint construction of the combustion chamber is able to withstand the high temperatures and temperature gradients that occur. The refractor lines plate assembly 48 is also able to withstand shocks and impacts and high temperatures, and the lapped sectional construction of the plate assembly allows it to expand and contract with temperature gradients.
Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. | Heating apparatus is disclosed that is particularly suited for use in combination with a drum mixer for treating asphalt aggregate materials to make such materials suitable for being applied to the ground surface. The heating apparatus generally comprises a plurality of flame-emitting gas burners and a combustion chamber for producing hot gases. A refractory lined plate assembly with an array of gas distributing ports is provided for spreading out hot gases discharged from the combustion chamber over the surface area of the plate assembly and also for inhibiting the open flames from passing from the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber is constructed to withstand the impacts and high temperatures encountered during operation of the mixer, as during transport, by attaching refractory bricks with metal backing plates to a rigid framework. The plate assembly is constructed in sections that are movable relative to one another to permit expansion and contraction with temperature variations. In the combination the heating apparatus and drum mixer are mounted end-to-end in coaxial alinement and on a vehicle for vehicular movement with the plate assembly between the combustion chamber and the interior of the drum and with the heating apparatus stationary relative to the rotational movement of the drum. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pressure-sensitive copying material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a pressure-sensitive copying member, comprises the combination of an upper sheet having coated on the back surface thereof minute microcapsules having dissolved therein an electron-donating substantially colorless organic compound capable of undergoing a color reaction, i.e., color former, and a lower sheet having coated on the surface thereof an electron-accepting material, i.e., a color developer. When these two coated surfaces are brought into contact with each other and a localized pressure is applied to the assembly by handwriting or typewriting, microcapsules located at the pressure-applied area are ruptured and the organic color former contained in the organic solvent comes into contact with the color developer to form color.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As a result of detailed investigations on the color former for pressure-sensitive copying members, it has now been found that a pressure-sensitive copying material capable of forming a purple to green color can be obtained by using as a color former a novel benzoxazine derivative represented by the formula (Ia) ##SPC3##
A novel benzodioxane derivative represented by the formula (Ib) ##SPC4##
Or a mixture thereof, wherein R 1 and R 3 , which may be the same or different, each represents, a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a benzyl group or a phenyl group, in which the aromatic nucleus of the benzyl and phenyl groups may be substituted with a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a di-lower alkylamino group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each of the alkyl moieties thereof; R 2 and R 4 , which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a benzyl group or a phenyl group, in which the aromatic nucleus of the benzyl and phenyl groups may be substituted with a halogen atom or a di-lower alkylamino group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each of the alkyl moieties thereof; R 5 represents a hydrogen atom, a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, a di-lower alkylamino group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each of the alkyl moieties thereof, a dibenzylamino group, an N-lower alkyl-N-benzylamino group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the lower alkyl moiety thereof or an N-lower alkyl-N-phenylamino group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the lower alkyl thereof, in which the aromatic nucleus of the benzylamino and phenylamino groups may be substituted with a halogen atom, a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and X represents a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a lower alkenyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, a cyclohexyl group, an aralkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety thereof or an aryl group, wherein the aromatic nucleus of the aralkyl and aryl groups may be substituted with a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a lower alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a di-lower alkylamino group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each of the alkyl moieties thereof, a halogen atom, a nitro group, and when the aralkyl group is a benzyl group, the aromatic nucleus thereof may also be substituted with an N-lower alkyl-N-phenyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the N-lower alkyl moiety thereof.
It has also been found that a pressure-sensitive copying member capable of forming an optionally desired color by using the above novel color former in combination with a known color former or color formers can be obtained.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the above general formulas (Ia) and (Ib), suitable examples of lower alkyl groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms include methyl, ethyl, propyl, iso-propyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl and tert-butyl groups. Suitable examples of lower alkoxy groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms include methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, iso-propoxy, n-butoxy, sec-butoxy and tert-butoxy. Suitable examples of di-lower alkylamino groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each of the alkyl moieties thereof include N,N-dimethylamino, N-methyl-N-ethylamino, N-ethyl-N-iso-propylamino, N-methyl-N-butylamino, etc., groups. Typical examples of halogen atoms which can be employed are chlorine, bromine, and iodine atoms. Suitable examples of N-lower alkyl-N-benzyl groups include N-methyl-N-benzyl, N-ethyl-N-benzyl, N-propyl-N-benzyl, etc., groups. Suitable examples of N-lower alkyl-N-phenyl groups include N-methyl-N-phenyl, N-ethyl-N-phenyl, N-propyl-N-phenyl, etc., groups. In addition, suitable examples of N-lower alkyl-N-benzylamino groups include N-methyl-N-benzylamino, N-ethyl-N-benzylamino, N-propyl-N-benzylamino groups, and suitable examples of N-lower alkyl-N-phenylamino groups include N-methyl-N-phenylamino, N-ethyl-N-phenylamino, N-n-propyl-N-phenylamino groups, etc. Typical examples of alkenyl groups having 2 to 4 carbon atoms include ethenyl, propenyl, 1-butenyl and 2-butenyl groups. Suitable examples of aralkyl groups include benzyl, phenethyl, phenylpropyl, etc., groups. Suitable examples of aryl groups include phenyl and naphthyl groups.
The novel color former represented by the formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture thereof which can be used in the present invention is a substantially colorless or slightly colored powder which is stable in the atmosphere but undergoes changes in color to purple to green upon heating. The powder is soluble in or miscible with natural or synthetic high molecular weight compounds such as animal, vegetable and mineral waxes, ethyl cellulose, polyvinyl acetate, rosin-modified alkyd resins and the like, and is also soluble in a wide variety of organic liquids such as methanol, ethanol, ethyl Cellosolve, chloroform, benzene, toluene, chlorobenzenes, alkylnaphthalenes, ethylene glycol, diethylphthalate, naphthylalkyl alcohol, benzyltoluene, dibenzyltoluene, dibenzylbenzene, trioctylphosphate and the like. A solution of the powder in an organic liquid enumerated above is adsorbed onto a color developer, for example, an active clay substace such as acid clay, attapulgite, zeolite, bentonite and the like; a solid organic acid such as succinic acid, maleic acid, tannic acid, benzoic acid and the like; and an acidic polymer such as carboxypolyethylene, a phenol-aldehyde copolymer, a styrenemaleic anhydride copolymer having free acid groups and the like thereby developing a purple to green color. The color thus developed has a high color density and has excellent light-fastness, water-resistance and anti-sublimation properties.
Pressure-sensitive copying members such as pressure-sensitive copying papers using as a color former the novel benzoxaxine derivative of the formula (Ia), the novel benzodioxane derivative of the formula (Ib) or a mixture thereof are colorless or slightly colored before color reaction, but when in contact with the color developer, immediately a purple to green color with high color density is formed. The thus formed color is excellent in light-fastness, water-resistance and anti-sublimation property.
Further, pressure-sensitive copying papers using the color former of the present invention in combination with a known color former or formers immediately form an optional color when brought into contact with the color developer. The thus formed color undergoes little change in hue with the lapse of time after color formation.
The benzoxazine derivative of the formula (Ia) and the benzodioxane derivative of the formula (Ib) which can be used for the pressure-sensitive copying papers of the present invention can be prepared as follows:
A triphenylmethane derivative of the formula (II) ##SPC5##
wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and X are as defined above is dispersed or dissolved in water or a volatile inert organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, benzene, toluene, chlorobenzenes and the like, preferably dissolved in the volatile inert organic solvent described above, and the resulting dispersion or solution is oxidized using an inorganic oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide, manganese dioxide, lead peroxide, hypochlorous acid and the like or an organic oxidizing agent such as chloranil, p-benzoquinone, anthraquinone and the like, with an organic oxidizing agent being preferred. A suitable amount of the oxidizing agent can range from about 0.7 to 2, preferably 0.9 to 1.5 mol, per mole of the triphenylmethane derivative of the formula (II). Subsequently, the reaction mixture is treated with an aqueous solution of an inorganic basic compound such as sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate and the like or an organic basic compound such as triethylamine, triethanolamine and the like, with an inorganic compound being preferred, e.g,, simply rendered alkaline, to obtain a compound of the formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture thereof.
The triphenylmethane derivatives having the formula (II) which can be used for the preparation of the color former of the present invention can be prepared using the processes described below.
1. 1 mole of a 4-substituted-amino-4'-substituted-aminobenzhydrol and 1 to 1.5 moles of a substituted phenol are reacted in a volatile solvent such as methanol, ethanol, benzene or toluene or water and the like in the presence of a condensing agent such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, boric acid, zinc chloride, aluminum chloride, and the like at a temperature of from about 20° to 110°C for a period of from 2 to 10 hours to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-hydroxy-substituted-phenyl)methane.
1 Mole of the thus obtained compound and 0.9 to 1.2 moles of an isocyanate compound, e.g., having the formula X-NCO wherein X is as herein defined, are then reacted in a volatile inert organic solvent such as benzene, toluene, chlorobenzenes and the like, and if desired, in the presence of a small amount of a volatile tertiary amine, e.g., a tertiary amine having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each of the alkyl moieties, such as triethylamine, as a catalyst at a temperature of from 20° to 110°C for 1 to 5 hours to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy)-substituted-phenyl)-methane.
2. 1 Mole of a 4-substituted-amino-4'-substituted-aminobenzhydrol and 1 to 1.5 moles of an N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-benzene are reacted in the same solvent as described in (1) above in the presence of the same condensing agent as described in (1) above at 20° to 100°C for 2 to 10 hours to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane. If desired, the product may be recrystallized.
3. 2 Moles of an N-substituted-aniline and 0.9 to 1.1 moles of a substituted-salicylaldehyde are reacted in the presence of urea and 1 to 1.5 moles of zinc chloride at a temperature of 50° to 120°C for about 5 to 15 hours to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-hydroxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane. If desired, the product may be recrystallized.
1 Mole of the thus obtained product and 0.9 to 1.2 moles of an isocyanate compound (e.g., as described in (1) above) are then reacted in the same manner as described in (1) above to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane. If desired, the product may be recrystallized.
4. 2 Moles of a substituted-aniline and 0.9 to 1.1 moles of a 2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-benzaldehyde are reacted in the same manner as described in (3) above to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane. If desired, the product may be recrystallized.
5. 1 Mole of a 4-substituted-amino-4'-substituted-amino-substituted-benzophenone and 0.9 to 1.3 moles of a substituted-phenol are reacted in phosphorus oxychloride at a temperature of 30° to 90°C for 1 to 5 hours to obtain a (4-substituted-aminophenyl-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-hydroxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane.
1 Mole of the thus obtained compound and 0.9 to 1.2 moles of an isocyanate compound (e.g., as described in (1) above) are then reacted in the same manner as described in (1) above to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane. If desired, the product may be recrystallized.
6. 1 Mole of a 4-substituted-amino-4'-substituted-amino-benzophenone and 0.9 to 1.1 moles of 2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-benzaldehyde are reacted in the same manner as described in (5) to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane. If desired, the product may be recrystallized.
7. 1 Mole of a 4'-substituted-amino-2-hydroxy-substituted-benzophenone and 0.9 to 1.5 moles of a substituted-aniline are reacted in the presence of phosphorus oxychloride at a temperature of 20° to 100°C for 2 to 8 hours to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-hydroxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane. If desired, the product may be recrystallized.
1 Mole of the thus obtained compound and 0.9 to 1 mole of an isocyanate compound (e.g., as described in (1) above) are then reacted in the same manner as described in (1) above to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane. If desired, the product may be recrystallized.
8. 1 Mole of a 4'-substituted-amino-2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-benzophenone and 0.9 to 1.5 moles of a substituted-aniline are reacted in the presence of phosphorus oxychloride in the same manner as described in (7) above to obtain a crystalline (4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(4-substituted-aminophenyl)-(2-N-substituted-carbamoyloxy-substituted-phenyl)-methane. If desired, the product may be recrystallized.
Of these processes for preparing the triphenylmethane derivatives, the process as described in (1) above is preferred. For example, bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-[2-N-phenyl)carbamoyloxy-4-diethylaminophenyl]-methane can be prepared as follows:
To an aqueous solution of 20 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid, 100 ml of water and 17 ml of methanol were added 20 g of 4,4'-bis(dimethylamino)-benzhydrol followed by 13.5 g of 3-dimethylaminophenol. The resulting solution was allowed to react at 70° to 80°C for 5 hours while stirring. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature (about 20°-30°C) and adjusted to a pH of 10 to 11 with a dilute aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. The precipitate thus formed was filtered, washed with water and dried to obtain 30.6 g of a blue solid. The solid was recrystallized from a benzene-ethanol solution (2:1 by volume) to obtain 24.7 g of bis(4-dimethylamino-phenyl)-(2-hydroxy-4-diethylaminophenyl)-methane as pale blue crystals having a melting point of 94° to 95°C.
12 g of the above obtained bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-(2-hydroxy-4-diethylaminophenyl)-methane was added to 50 ml of toluene, and 10 drops of triethylamine were then added thereto. 3.8 g of phenyl isocyanate was added to the solution, and the resulting mixture was allowed to react at a temperature of 40° to 45°C for 1 hour. After completion of the reaction, the mixture was cooled to 5° to 10°C. The precipitate formed was filtered and recrystallized from toluene to obtain 18.7 g of bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-[2-(N-phenyl)carbamoyloxy-4-diethylaminophenyl]-methane as substantially colorless crystals having a melting point of 145° to 146°C.
A preferred embodiment for the preparation of the novel benzoxazine derivative of the formula (Ia) and/or the novel benzodioxane derivative of the formula (Ib) is given below:
1 Mole of a triphenylmethane derivative having the formula (II) is dissolved in 0.5 to 2.5 liter of benzene, toluene or chlorobenzenes. 0.4 to 0.7 moles of chloranil or p-benzoquinone is added to the resulting solution, and the mixture is stirred at a temperature of 15° to 90°C for 0.5 to 7 hours. After the reaction mixture is cooled to room temperature, a dilute aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide is added thereto to adjust the pH of the mixture to 10 to 12. The benzene, toluene or chlorobenzene layer is separated and washed with water followed by distillation to remove benzene, toluene or chlorobenzene whereby a substantially colorless or slightly colored color former represented by the formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture thereof can be obtained as crystals.
The proportion of the color former of the formula (Ia) to the color former of the formula (Ib) varies depending upon the chemical structure of the color former obtained, the process employed for the preparation thereof and the like, but regardless of the proportion, any color former according to the present invention can be used.
If desired, the color former thus obtained can be repeatedly recrystallized using a solvent, such as methanol, ethanol, benzene, toluene or a mixture thereof, to obtain the desired compound having either of the formula (Ia) or (Ib) in high purity.
Representative compounds having the formula (Ia), (Ib) or a mixture thereof which can be used for the pressure-sensitive copying papers of the present invention are those prepared from the following triphenylmethane derivatives having the formula (II) as shown in Table I below.
Table I__________________________________________________________________________R.sub.1 R.sub.2 R.sub.3 R.sub.4 X R.sub.5 Substituent Substituent Position__________________________________________________________________________--CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 H" " " " --CH.sub.2 =CHCH.sub.2 H" " " " H" " " " H" " " " H" " " " H" " " " H" " " " --C.sub.4 H.sub.9 --(n) H" " " " --C.sub.4 H.sub.9 --(i) H" " " " H" " " " H" " " " H" " " " H " --CH.sub.2 -- " --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 H " " --CH.sub.3 H " " --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 H " " H C.sub.2 H.sub.5--CH.sub.3 " --CH.sub.3 " --CH.sub.3 --N∠ (4-position) C.sub.2 H.sub.5 C.sub.2 H.sub.5" " " " --C.sub.4 H.sub.9 (n) N∠ (4-position) C.sub.2 H.sub.5" " " " " "" " " " " "" " " " " "" " " " " " --CH.sub.3 (4-position)--C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --CH.sub.3 (5-position) CH.sub.3--CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --N∠ (4-position) CH.sub.3 C.sub.2 H.sub.5" " " " --N∠ (5-position) C.sub.2 H.sub.5" " " " " "" " " " --CH.sub.3 "" " " " (5 position) CH.sub.3--C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --N∠ " CH.sub.3--CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 "--C.sub.4 H.sub.9 (n) " --C.sub.4 H.sub.9 (n) " " "--CH.sub.3 " --CH.sub.3 " " --OCH.sub.3 " Cl (4-position)" " " " Cl (5-position)" " " " --OC.sub.2 H.sub.5 (4-position) CH.sub.3" --H " --H --N∠ " CH.sub.3 " " " CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --N∠ (4 position) CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --OCH.sub.3 " CH.sub.3--CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --N∠ " CH.sub.3 CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --CH.sub.3 --N∠ " C.sub.2 H.sub.5 CH.sub.3" " " --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --N∠ " CH.sub.3 " --CH.sub.3 " "--CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --CH.sub.3 --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 "" " " " " "" --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 " --C.sub.2 H.sub.5 --CH.sub.3 (4 position)" " --OCH.sub.3 " CH.sub.3" " --CH.sub.3 --N∠ " CH.sub.3__________________________________________________________________________
The process for preparing the color former used in the present invention, i.e., benzoxazine derivatives and/or benzodioxane derivatives, will now be illustrated by the following Preparation Examples. In these Preparation Examples and Examples hereinafter given, all parts, percentages, ratios and the like are by weight unless otherwise indicated.
PREPARATION EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-methyl-7-diethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and/or 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-methylimino-7-diethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane
4.0 g of bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-[2-(N-methyl)-carbamoyloxy-4-diethylaminophenyl]-methane was dissolved in 80 ml of benzene, and 2.0 g of chloranil was added to the solution. The resulting mixture was allowed to react at a temperature of 40° to 45°C for 7 hours. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature. The benzene layer was removed and washed successively with a dilute aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide and water followed by treatment with active carbon. The benzene was distilled off to obtain 3.0 g of a mixture of 4,4-bis(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-3-methyl-7-diethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-2-methylimino-7-diethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane as substantially colorless crystals having a melting point of 220° to 223°C (Color Former No. 1). When the thus obtained crystals were allowed to stand in the atmosphere for a long period of time or when a solution of the crystals in dibenzyltoluene was exposed to direct sunlight for a long period of time, the crystals did not decompose or develop a color and no decrease in color developing ability was observed. A toluene solution of the crystals was adsorbed on acid clay or a phenol resin, and a pale blue color was developed several minutes later. The thus developed color changed into a intense blue color about 24 hours after the color formation. This intense blue color exhibited an extremely excellent water-resistance, light-fastness and anti-sublimation properties.
The IR spectrum of the crystals showed a strong absorption at 1720 cm - 1 (>C=O), at 1640 cm - 1 (>C=N--) and at 1100 cm - 1 ##EQU1##
2.0 g of the above obtained crystals was repeatedly recrystallized from benzene-petroleum ether (3:1 by volume) to obtain 0.3 g of 4,4-bis(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-3-methyl-7-diethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one represented by the formula ##SPC6##
in high purity as substantially colorless crystals having a melting point of 215° to 217°C (Color Former No. 2). The IR spectrum of these crystals showed a strong absorption at 1720 cm - 1 but no absorption at 1640 cm - 1 and 1100 cm - 1 . A benzene solution of the thus obtained crystals developed a pale blue color immediately after adsorption on acid clay, which color changed to an intense blue several hours later.
The mother liquor which had been set aside after isolating the above described compound was repeatedly recrystallized from benzene-methanol-petroleum ether (5:2:1 by volume) to obtain 1.1 g of 4,4-bis(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-2-methylimino-7-diethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane represented by the formula ##SPC7##
in high purity as substantially colorless crystals having a melting point of 222° to 224°C (Color Former No. 3). The IR spectrum of the crystals showed a strong absorption at 1640 cm - 1 and 1100 cm - 1 and a weak adsorption at 1720 cm - 1 . A benzene solution of the crystals was adsorbed on acid clay. Several hours later a pale blue color was observed and 24 hours later the color changed to an intense blue.
PREPARATION EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-phenyl-7-diethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and/or 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-phenylimino-7-diethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane
4.0 g of bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-[2-(N-phenyl)-carbamoyloxy-4-diethylaminophenyl]-methane was dissolved in 80 ml of benzene, and 1.8 g of chloranil was added to the solution. The resulting mixture was allowed to react at a temperature of 40° to 50°C for 7 hours, and the reaction product was worked up in the same manner as described in Example 1 to obtain 1.7 g of a mixture of 4,4-bis(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-3-phenyl-7-diethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one represented by the formula ##SPC8##
and 4,4-bis(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-2-phenylimino-7-diethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane represented by the formula ##SPC9##
as a substantially colorless powder having a melting point of 204° to 206°C (Color Former No. 4). A benzene solution of the thus obtained powder developed an intense blue color several hours after adsorption on acid clay. The color thus developed had an extremely excellent water-resistance, light-fastness and anti-sublimation properties.
1.0 g of the above obtained powder was repeatedly recrystallized from benzene-petroleum ether (3:1 by volume) in the same manner as described in Example 1 to obtain 0.9 g of 4,4-bis(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-3-phenyl-7-diethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one in high purity as substantially colorless crystals having a melting point of 206° to 207°C (Color Former No. 5). The IR spectrum of this product showed a strong absorption at 1720 cm - 1 but almost no absorption at 1640 cm - 1 and 1100 cm - 1 . A toluene solution of the above crystals developed a heavy blue color about 2 hours after adsorption on acid clay.
PREPARATION EXAMPLES 3 TO 5
The triphenylmethane derivative of the formula (II) indicated in Table II below was reacted in the same manner as described in Preparation Example 1 to obtain the color former of the formula (Ia) or (Ib) as shown in Table II below. The physical properties of the thus obtained color former and the color developed with the color former are also shown in Table II below.
Table II__________________________________________________________________________ Color Former Represented by the Formula (Ia) or Ib)Color Triphenylmethane Derivative MeltingFormer Represented by the Formula YieldPoint CrystalNo. (II)(amount used) (g)(°C)Appearance__________________________________________________________________________ 6 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl-3-methyl-3H-1,3- [2-(N-methyl)carbamoyloxy- benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylamino- phenyl]-methane phenyl)-2-methylimino-1,3-benzodioxane (3.0 g) 2.1187-191Pale greenish white 7 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl-3-benzyl-3H-1,3- [2-(N-benzyl)carbamoyloxy- benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylamino- phenyl]-methane phenyl)-2-benzylimino-1,3-benzodioxane (1.0 g) 0.3230-234Pale greenish white 8 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(4'-chloro)- [2-(N-4'-chlorophenyl)- phenyl-7-diethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one carbamoyloxy-4-diethylamino- and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-(4'-chloro)- phenyl]-methane phenylimino-7-diethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 1.6219-223Pale bluish white 9 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(4'-methyl)phenyl- 5 [2-(N-4'-methylphenyl- 7-diethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4- carbamoyloxy-4-diethylamino- bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-(4'-methyl)phenyl- phenyl]-methane imino-7-diethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 1.8184-188Pale bluish white10 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(1'-naphthyl)-7- [2-(N-1'-naphthyl)carbamoyl- diethylamine-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis- oxy-4-diethylaminophenyl]- (4'Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-(1'-naphthyl)imino-7- methane diethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 1.6199-201Pale bluish white11 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(4'-methoxy)- [2-(N-4'-methoxyphenyl- phenyl-7-dibenzylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one carbamoyloxy-4-dibenzyl- and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-(4'- aminophenyl]-methane methoxy)phenylimino-7-dibenzylamino-1,3-benzodioxane (1.0 g) 0.4171-176Pale bluish white12 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-ethyl-7-methoxy- [2-(N-ethyl)carbamoyloxy- 3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethyl- 4-methoxyphenyl]-methane aminophenyl)-2-ethylimino-7-methoxy-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 1.2169-173Pale bluish white13 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-n-butyl-7-diethyl- [2-(N-n-butyl)carbamoyloxy- amino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'- 4-diethylaminophenyl]-methane Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-n-nbutylimino-7-diethylamino- 5 (2.0 g) 1,3-benzodioxane 1.3197-199Pale bluish white14 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-cyclohexyl-7- [2-(N-cyclohexyl)carbamoyl- diethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4- oxy-4-diethylaminophenyl]- bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-cyclohexylimino-7- methane diethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 1.4173-178Pale bluish white15 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-benzyl-7-diethyl- [2-(N-benzyl)carbamoyloxy- amino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'- 4-diethylaminophenyl]- Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-benzylimino-7-diethylamino- methane 1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 1.5201-205Pale bluish white16 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-allyl-3H-1,3- [2-(N-allyl)carbamoyloxy- benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylamino phenyl]-methane phenyl)-2-allylimino-1,3-benzodioxane (3.0 g) 1.2Pale greenish white17 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-i-butyl-3H- [2-(N-i-butyl)carbamoyloxy- 1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethyl- phenyl]-methane aminophenyl)-2-i-butylimino-1,3-benzodioxane (3.0 g) 1.8Pale bluish white18 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-cyclohexyl-3H- [2-(N-cyclohexyl)carbamoyl- 1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylamino- oxyphenyl]-methane phenyl-2-cyclohexylimino-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 0.9White19 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-phenethyl-3H- [2-(N-phenethyl)carbamoyloxy- 1,3-benzexazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylamino- phenyl]-methane phenyl)-2-phenethylimino-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 1.0 Pale greenish white20 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-[4'-(N-methyl- [2-N- 4'-(N'-methyl-N'- N-benzyl)aminophenyl]-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and phenyl)aminobenzyl carbamoyl- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-[4'(N-methyl- oxyphenyl]-methane N-benzyl)aminophenylimino]-1,3-benzodioxane (3.0 g) 1.1Pale bluish greenish white21 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(1'-naphthyl- [2-N-1'-naphthylmethyl)- methyl)-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'- carbamoyloxyphenyl]-methane Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-(1'-naphthylmethyl)imino- (2.0 g) 1,3-benzodioxane 0.5Pale greenish white22 bis[4-(N-Methyl-N-benzyl)- 4,4-bis[4'-(N-Methyl-N-benzyl)aminophenyl]-3- aminophenyl]-[2-N-ethyl)- ethyl-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis[4'- carbamoyloxyphenyl]-methane (N-Methyl-N-benzyl)aminophenyl]-2-ethylimino- (2.0 g) 1,3-benzodioxane 0.4Pale purple23 bis(4-Methylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Methylaminophenyl)-3-phenyl-7-dimethyl- [2-(N-phenyl)carbamoyloxy-4- amino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'- dimethylaminophenyl]-methane Methylaminophenyl)-2-phenylimino-7-dimethylamino- (2.0 g) 1,3-benzodioxane 0.5Pale purplish white24 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(3'-dimethylamino- . [2-(N-3'-dimethylaminophenyl)- phenyl)-7-dimethylamino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one carbamoyloxy-4-dimethylamino and 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-(3'-dimethyl- phenyl[-methane amino)phenylimino-7-dimethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 0.3Pale bluish white25 bis(4-Diethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Diethylaminophenyl)-3-(3'-nitrophenyl)-7,8 - [2-(N-3'-nitrophenyl)carba- dimethyl-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'- moyloxy-4,5-dimethylphenyl]- Diethylaminophenyl)-2-(3'-nitrophenyl)imino-7,8- methane dimethyl-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 1.5Pale bluish white26 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-methyl-7-(N- [2-(N-methyl)carbamoyloxy- methyl-N-benzyl)amino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one 4-(N-methyl-N-benzyl)amino- and 4,4-bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-methylimino- phenyl]-methane 7-(N-methyl-N-benzyl)amino-1,3-benzodioxane (3.0 g) 1.2Pale purplish bluish white27 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(4'-benzylphenyl)- [2-(N-4'-benzylphenyl)- 6,7-dichloro-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis- carbamoyloxy-4,5-dichloro (4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-(4'-benzylphenyl)imino- phenyl]-methane 6,7-dichloro-1,3-benzodioxane (3.0 g) 1.5Pale greenish white28 bis(4-Dimethylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Diethylaminophenyl)-3-(4'-chloro-1'- [2-N-4'-chloro-1-' -naphthyl)- naphthyl)-7-ethoxy-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and carbamoyloxy-4-ethoxyphenyl]- 4,4-bis(4'-Dimethylaminophenyl)-2-(4'-chloro-1'- methane naphthyl)imino-7-ethoxy-1,3-benzodioxane (3.0 g) 0.8White29 bis(4-Dibenzylaminophenyl)- 4,4-bis(4'-Dibenzylaminophenyl)-3-methyl-7-dimethyl- [2-(N-methyl)carbamoyloxy- amino-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and 4,4-bis(4'- 4-dimethylaminophenyl]- Dibenzylaminophenyl)-2-methylimino-7-dimethylamino- methane 1,3-benzodioxane (3.0 g.) 0.7Pale bluish white30 bis[4-(N-Benzyl-N-phenyl)- 4,4-bis[4'-N-Benzyl-N-phenyl)aminophenyl]-3- aminophenyl]-[2-N-phenyl)- phenyl-7-dimethylamino-3H-1,3-benzodazine-2-one and carbamoyloxy-4-dimethylamino- 4,4-bis[4'-(N-Benzyl-N-phenyl)aminophenyl]-2- phenyl]-methane phenylimino-7-dimethylamino-1,3-benzodioxane (2.0 g) 0.4Pale bluish green31 bis[4-(N-4'-methylphenyl- 4,4-bis[4'-(N-4"Methylphenyl-N-methyl)amino-N-methyl)aminophenyl]-[2- phenyl]-3-methyl-3H-1,3-benzoxazine-2-one and (N-methyl)carbamoyloxyphenyl]- 4,4-bis[4'-(N-4"-Methylphenyl-N-methyl)amino- methane phenyl]-2-methylimino-1,3-benzodioxane (3.0 g) 2.1Pale bluish green__________________________________________________________________________
Processes of producing pressure-sensitive copying members using the benzoxazine derivative of the formula (Ia), the benzodioxane derivative of the formula (Ib) or a mixture thereof, as a color former are well known in the art and include the method in which complex coacervation is utilized to produce microcapsules as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,800,457 and 2,800,458. The color former is generally used in an amount of from about 0.5 to 5% by weight based on the weight of the organic solvent. Suitable organic solvents are solvents such as ethylene glycol, chlorobenzenes, dibenzylbenzene, dibenzyltoluene, diethylphthalate, trioctylphosphate, alkylnaphthalenes, and naphthylalkyl alcohols, etc. Suitable examples of pressure-sensitive copying members applicable to this invention are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,180.
Pressure-sensitive copying members using as a color former at least one of the benzoxazine derivative of the formula (Ia), the benzodioxane derivative of the formula (Ib) and a mixture thereof generally comprise a combination of a sheet having the microencapsulated color former coated thereon and a sheet having a color developer coated thereon or comprise a sheet having both the microcapsules containing the color former and the color developer coated on the same surface thereof.
A pressure-sensitive copying paper using the color former of the formula (Ia) and/or (Ib) will now be illustrated in greater detail by reference to the following Examples. The invention is not to be construed as being limited to these Examples.
EXAMPLE 1
2.0 g of Color Former No. 1 was dissolved in 100 g of 4-naphthyl-n-butyl alcohol and 20 g of gum arabic and 160 g of water were added thereto at a temperature of 50°C to emulsify. 20 g of acid-treated gelatin and 160 g of water were added to the resulting emulsion, and under stirring, acetic acid was added thereto to adjust the pH to 5. 500 g of water was then added thereto to allow coacervation to proceed thereby forming a thick, liquid film of gelatin-gum arabic around oil droplets of the 4-naphthyl-n-butyl alcohol having the color former dissolved therein. After adjusting the pH to 4.4, 4 g of a 37% formaldehyde aqueous solution was added thereto to harden the above-described liquid film. Then, the system was cooled to 10°C and, after adjusting the pH to 9 with dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide, allowed to stand for 5 to 6 hours to complete the encapsulation.
The resulting microcapsule-containing liquid was applied to a sheet of paper by a coating method such as roll-coating and air knife-coating, etc., and dried to obtain a colorless coated paper (upper sheet paper). When the resulting coated paper was allowed to stand in the atmosphere for a long period of time or exposed to direct sun-light for a long period of time, no decomposition or color development was observed. Thus, the resulting coated paper had excellent stability, light-fastness and anti-sublimation properties and no decrease in color developing capability was observed.
The thus obtained upper sheet paper was intimately superposed on a lower sheet paper having coated thereon an active clay substance and/or an acidic organic polymer as a color developer and a localized pressure was applied to the assembly by handwriting. Immediately after the application of the pressure, almost no color formation was observed on the lower sheet paper at the pressed area, but several minutes after the application of the pressure a pale blue color was developed, which color changed into an intense blue color 24 hours after the color formation. Almost no discoloration or fading of the thus developed intense blue color was observed even when the paper was exposed directly to sun-light for a long period of time and also excellent water-resistance and anti-sublimation properties were exhibited by the paper.
EXAMPLE 2
The same procedures as described in Example 1 were repeated except that 2.0 g of Color Former No. 2 was employed to obtain a colorless upper sheet paper. When this upper sheet paper was allowed to stand in the atmosphere for a long period of time or exposed directly to sun-light for a long period of time, no decomposition or color formation was observed and the upper sheet paper posessed stability and light-fastness without any decrease in color developing capability.
When this upper sheet paper was intimately superposed on a lower sheet paper having coated thereon an active clay substance and/or an acidic organic polymer as a color developer and a localized pressure was applied thereby by handwriting, a pale blue color was immediately developed on the lower sheet paper at the pressed area, which color changed into an intense blue several hours later. Almost no discoloration or fading of the thus developed intense blue color was observed even when the paper was directly exposed to sun-light for a long period of time. The developed color also had excellent water-resistance and anti-sublimation properties.
EXAMPLE 3
The same procedures as described in Example 1 were repeated except that 2.0 g of Color Former No. 3 was used to obtain a colorless upper sheet paper. The resulting paper was intimately superposed on a lower sheet paper having coated thereon an active clay substance an/or an acidic organic polymer as a color developer. When a localized pressure was applied to the assembly by handwriting, a pale blue color was formed on the lower sheet paper at the pressed area several hours after the pressure-application, which color changed into an intense blue about 24 hours later. The thus formed color had excellent water-resistance and anti-sublimation properties and almost no discoloration or fading was observed even when the paper was directly exposed to sun-light for a long period of time. pg,37
EXAMPLE 4
The procedures as described in Example 1 were repeated except that 2.0 g of each of Color Former Nos. 4 and 5 was employed to obtain a colorless upper sheet paper. The resulting sheet paper was intimately superposed on a lower sheet paper having coated thereon an active clay substance and/or an acidic organic polymer as a color developer. When a localized pressure was applied to the assembly by handwriting, an intense blue color was developed on the lower sheet paper at the pressed area. The thus developed intense blue color exhibited a sufficiently stable light-fastness with the lapse of time for practical use, and also had excellent water-resistance and anti-sublimation properties.
EXAMPLE 5
The procedures as described in Example 1 were repeated using 2.0 g of each of Color Former Nos. 6 to 30. When each of the resulting papers was intimately superposed on a lower sheet paper having coated thereon an acid clay substance and/or an acidic organic polymer as a color developer, and a localized pressure was applied to the assembly by handwriting, an intense color image was developed on the lower sheet paper at the pressed area. The hues developed on the lower sheets are shown in Table III below.
Table III______________________________________Color ColorFormer Hue Former Hue______________________________________No.6 intense bluish green No.7 intense bluish greenNo.8 intense blue No.9 intenblueNo.10 intense blue No.11 intense purplish blueNo.12 intense greenish blue No.13 intense blueNo.14 intense blue No.15 intense blueNo.16 intense bluish green No.17 intense bluish greenNo.18 intense bluish green No.19 intense bluish greenNo.20 intense bluish green No.21 intense bluish greenNo.22 intense purplish blue No.23 intense bluish purpleNo.24 intense blue No.25 intense greenish blueNo.26 intense purplish blue No.27 intense greenish blueNo.28 intense purple No.29 intense purpleNo.30 intense greenish blue______________________________________
EXAMPLE 6
The procedures as described in Example 1 were repeated except 1.0 g of Color Former No. 1, 0.5 g of Crystal Violet Lactone, 0.3 g of 3,6-dimethoxyfluoran and 1.5 g of 2,7-bis-diethylaminofluoran were used as the color former to prepare an upper sheet paper. When the resulting upper sheet paper was superposed on a lower sheet paper having coated thereon an active clay substance as a color developer and a localized pressure was applied to the assembly by handwriting, a black color was immediately developed on the lower sheet paper. Substantially no change in the hue of or fading of the developed black color was observed.
While the present invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. | A pressure-sensitive copying material comprising a support having thereon a microencapsulated color former capable of forming a distinct color when reacted with an electron-accepting solid, the microencapsulated color former comprising at least one benzoxazine derivative represented by the formula (Ia) ##SPC1##
, a benzodioxane derivative represented by the formula (Ib) ##SPC2##
And a mixture thereof, wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and X are as defined hereinafter. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of mechanical blowers used in industrial applications, and more particularly relates to medium speed high pressure multistage centrifugal blowers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Centrifugal blowers are commonly used in many industrial applications. In blower terminology, 15 to 25 pound per square inch gage (psig) is generally considered relatively high pressure compared to the conventional medium pressure of 5–15 psig. Examples of common industrial applications of high-pressure capability blowers include: deep tank aeration in modern wastewater treatment plant, supplying air as an oxygen source to the combustion processes, boosting pressure of various gases, and vacuum applications as power source.
However, the pressure in 15–25 psig range is difficult to obtain in conventional direct drive multistage centrifugal blowers. This is mainly due to the low impeller rotational speed, the limitation of number of stages by rotor critical speed, and excessive leakage recycled through impeller eye which causes high discharge temperature.
As a result, many multistage centrifugal blowers are of the medium pressure type, typically having an outlet pressure between 5 to 15 psig when the inlet is at about the atmospheric pressure (blowers below 5 psig are often considered as fans, and blowers above 25 psig are often considered as compressors).
Referring to FIG. 1 , there is shown at 10 a typical type of conventional centrifugal direct drive multi-stage (DDMS) blowers. DDMS centrifugal blowers are simple in construction and need little maintenance. They are reliable and low noise because of the low speed and direct drive arrangement.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the conventional DDMS blower 10 has several impellers 12 arranged in series on a common shaft 14 supported by two rolling element bearings 16 at each end. Each stage consists of one of the impellers 12 mounted on the shaft 14 , and a diffuser 18 followed by a return channel 20 . An alternative current (AC) induction motor is typically used to directly drive the blower through a direct drive shaft 22 at 3,000 revolutions per minute (RPM) with 50 Hz power supply (or 3,600 RPM with 50 Hz power supply).
Usually several such stages are needed to obtain the required pressure, and the more stages, the higher the resulting pressure. In conventional DDMS blowers, the vertically split casing style is used to accommodate the requirement of multiple stages so that additional stages can be easily added to obtain higher pressure. However, the maximum number of stages is limited by the rotor's lateral critical speed. Since rolling element bearings are used to simplify the construction, operating speed must be 15–20% below the first critical. For this reason, aluminum impellers are used to lighten up the rotor so that more stages can be stacked to maximize the pressure gain.
Inside each stage, the compression process starts with the rotating impeller 12 where air is accelerated and pressure is raised proportional to the impeller tip velocity square. The air is then discharged into the diffuser 18 where the high-kinetically energized air is further converted into pressure. The return channel 20 then takes the decelerated air, de-swirls and guides it back to the inlet of the next stage. This process will be repeated in the following stages until the pressure reaches the desired level. However, the gas temperature is also raised in this compression process.
Because of the rising pressure across the successive stages, seals are required between the rotating impeller eye and the stationary casing to minimize the leakage losses for each stage. The effectiveness of these seals are therefore directly related to the blower efficiency and discharge temperature.
Referring to FIG. 2 , there is shown the most common and economical type of impeller eye seal used in a conventional DDMS 10 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the impeller eye 24 is the straight labyrinth type. The labyrinth could be on the rotating impeller 12 or on stationary casing 26 . The conventional impeller eye seal 28 is arranged in radial direction, where close clearances are kept between the tip of the labyrinth and opposing surface in radial direction. To minimize the leakage for a higher efficiency, especially when flow rate is relatively low, the clearance are kept as small as possible. However, the requirement of very close clearance often increases the manufacturing cost and endangers the machine because any contact with the impeller 12 will result in a machine seizure.
Additional problems exist when DDMS centrifugal blowers are used with 50 Hz power supply which is used in many countries around the world.
For example, if a blower speed is reduced by 20% (for example from 3,600 RPM with 60 Hz power supply to 3,000 RPM with 50 Hz power supply), about 20% of flow and 44% of the pressure would be lost for the same size blower. To compensate the pressure loss while maintaining direct drive arrangement, more stages have to be added. This is not only expensive but also limited by rotor lateral critical speed. Alternatively, external gearbox needs to be added to increase the blower speed. However, this arrangement is bulky in size, complicates the machine setup and maintenance, and increases the capital cost.
Another potential problem of the DDMS used in a high pressure application is caused by the commonly used radial eye seals. Since the main blower parts are vertically split in design and are interlocked together in assembly, there will be accumulated tolerance and clearance in radial direction that reduce the design clearance, which potentially may cause impeller eye seal to rub the casing which in turn causes seizure of the blower. At the same time, the thermal expansion differential between aluminum impeller and cast iron casing would further reduce the radial clearance because aluminum expands twice as much as the cast iron. This effect become worse when higher pressure is attempted because it is always accompanied by higher temperature rise that in turn causes more thermal expansion differential.
Partially to address these limitations, another type of centrifugal blower, high speed integral gear single stage (IGSS) centrifugal blowers have been developed in the past 20 years and became quite popular, especially in countries with 50 Hz power supply.
Referring to FIG. 3 , there is shown at 30 a typical IGSS centrifugal blower.
As shown in FIG. 3 , the IGSS centrifugal blower 30 has a single impeller 32 overhung on the high-speed pinion shaft 34 of an integral gearbox 36 that is in turn driven by an standard AC motor (not shown). To get the required pressure in a single stage compression, the impeller 32 is rotating at very high speed, typically ranges between 10,000 to 100,000 RPM. The air flow and pressure can be adjusted by changing the gear ratio.
The problems of DDMS blowers are avoided for IGSS by selecting a higher speed ratio gear set without changing the blower. The IGSS blowers are more compact and lightweight, and can also be fitted optionally with inlet guide vane (IGV) and variable diffuser vanes (VDV) to enhance the off-design-point performances.
However, the high impeller speed has to be accommodated by high-speed technologies and ultra-precision manufacturing methods.
For example, the high cost hydrodynamic bearings 40 are often needed instead of the rolling element bearings. In addition, the more costly and complicated forced oil lubrication system 42 are used instead of the simple oil splash system 44 (in FIG. 1 ). The high speed impeller 32 is made of high strength 5-axis milled or welded steel instead of low cost cast aluminum.
The high-speed IGSS blower 30 also generates much higher noise than a low speed DDMS 10 , primarily due to the higher impeller blade loading and tip speed. The noise is of the high frequency, thus very annoying or potentially damaging to its operators nearby. For such higher level noise, the applicable regulations and standards often require a sound enclosure, which further adds to the cost and increases the difficulty in machine maintenance.
It is always desirable to provide a new design and construction of high pressure centrifugal blowers that can achieve high pressure rise and pressure ratio while overcome the problems existed in conventional centrifugal blowers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a compact, medium speed high pressure multistage centrifugal blower that include an integral gearbox and multiple vertically stacked centrifugal stages employing the aluminum or steel impellers featuring axially oriented eye labyrinth seals.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and unique design and construction of a blower that can achieve higher pressure rise and pressure ratio than conventional centrifugal blowers.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a new and unique design and construction of a high-pressure centrifugal blower that utilizes multistage impeller arrangement to achieve higher pressure rise and pressure ratio.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and unique design and construction of a high-pressure centrifugal blower that utilizes an integral gear box arrangement to achieve higher pressure rise and pressure ratio.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide a new and unique design and construction of a high pressure centrifugal blower that utilizes an axial labyrinth-sealing device which is less sensitive to higher temperature and longer stages for achieving higher-pressure capability without incurring higher cost.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and unique design and construction of a high pressure centrifugal blower that utilizes an axial labyrinth-sealing device which operates with smaller and more predictable clearances to increase the blower efficiency and reliability.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a new and unique design and construction of a high pressure multi-stage centrifugal blower that is efficient, safe and reliable, that costs less for manufacturing and transportation, and that can be used with both 50 Hz and 60 Hz power supply systems.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a compact sized, medium speed and high pressure blower which incorporates multiple vertically stacked centrifugal stages utilizing aluminum or steel impellers with axially oriented eye labyrinth seals, and further incorporates an integral gearbox.
The present invention has many novel and unique features and advantages. It provides a blower that can achieve higher pressure rise and pressure ratio than conventional centrifugal blowers, with multistage impeller and integral gear box arrangements, with an axial labyrinth-sealing device which has much smaller and more predictable clearances to increase the blower efficiency and reliability, and is more durable in higher temperature and longer stages environment. The present invention high pressure multi-stage centrifugal blower is compact, efficient, safe and reliable, and costs effective in manufacturing and transportation, and may be used in countries with either 50 Hz or 60 Hz power supply system.
These and further novel features and objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, discussion and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring particularly to the drawings for the purpose of illustration only and not limitation, there is illustrated:
FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART) is a side cross-sectional diagram showing the main construction and features of a conventional direct drive multistage (DDMS) centrifugal blower with vertically split aerodynamic stages, rolling element bearings, radial impeller eye seals and splash lubrication;
FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART) is a partial side cross-sectional diagram showing the construction and feature of a typical radial impeller eye seal used in conventional DDMS centrifugal blowers;
FIG. 3 (PRIOR ART) is a side cross-sectional diagram showing the construction and features of a conventional integral gear single stage (IGSS) centrifugal blower with gears, hydrodynamic bearings and forced oil lubrication;
FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention high pressure integral gear drive multi-stage (IGMS) centrifugal blower with a build-in gearbox and an axial impeller eye seal;
FIG. 5 a partial side cross-sectional diagram showing present invention arrangement of an axial impeller eye seal with teeth on the impeller; and
FIG. 6 a partial side cross-sectional diagram showing present invention arrangement of an axial impeller eye seal with teeth on the casing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Although specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and merely illustrative of but a small number of the many possible specific embodiments which can represent applications of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the present invention as further defined in the appended claims.
Referring to FIG. 4 , there is shown at 100 a preferred embodiment of the present invention high pressure integral-gear drive multi-stage (IGMS) centrifugal blower.
As shown in FIG. 4 , the present invention IGMS blower 100 has several aluminum or steel impellers 112 arranged in series on a common high-speed pinion shaft 114 supported by rolling element bearings 116 at each end. Each stage consists of one of the impellers 112 mounted on the high-speed pinion shaft 114 , and a diffuser 118 followed by a return channel 120 .
The present invention IGMS centrifugal blower 100 also incorporates an integral gearbox 136 which in turn can be driven by an standard AC motor (not shown) through a drive shaft 144 .
The gearbox 136 of the present invention IGMS centrifugal blower is an integral part of the blower 100 , which makes the blower 100 more compact and cost less than the conventional DDMS with external gearbox arrangement.
The gear ratio of the present invention high pressure IGMS centrifugal blower 100 may range from 1:1 up to 2:1 or 3:1, so that the impellers 112 can rotate considerably faster than those of the conventional DDMS. The increased impeller speed increases the pressure generated by the impellers 112 , and requires fewer stages to reach the same pressure. This results in the reduction of the weight and size of the blower 100 .
The higher speed capability of the present invention high pressure IGMS centrifugal blower 100 also increases the blower efficiency by utilizing more efficient backward curved impellers 112 in place of conventional less efficient radial impellers. The use of backward curved impellers 112 have a steeper performance curve, which enhances the control capability when coupled with a piping system.
To adjust for 50 Hz applications, the present invention IGMS 100 may utilize a 1.2:1 higher ratio gear, so that the impeller speed can be raised to the same level as in the 69 Hz application.
Since the speed of IGMS centrifugal blower is considerably lower than conventional IGSS blowers, standard rolling element bearings 116 and simple splash lubrication system 144 can still be utilized, and the low cost manufacturing requirements of traditional DDMS can still be applied, which result in a substantial saving in production costs as compared to the IGSS blowers.
In addition, since the impeller speed of present invention IGMS centrifugal blowers 100 is considerably lower than conventional IGSS blowers, they do not generate the high noise as the IGSS blowers do.
Another important and critical feature of the present invention high pressure IGMS centrifugal blower 100 is that it utilizes axial impeller eye seals, as compared to the radial impeller eye seals used in conventional DDMS blowers.
Referring to FIG. 5 , there is shown the axial impeller eye seal 152 with the teeth on the impeller 112 .
Referring to FIG. 5 , there is shown the axial impeller eye seal 152 with the teeth on the casing 126 .
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , since the impeller eye seals are now axial (rather than radial as in the conventional blowers), the axial clearances become independent of the radial movement caused by the accumulated clearances of stacked stages and the thermal expansion differential between aluminum impeller and cast iron casing. Therefore, the blower is more capable of achieving higher pressure and has less potential contact problems for long stage machines.
Defined in detail, the present invention is a high pressure centrifugal blower, comprising: (a) a casing having a vertically split structure with an inlet port and an outlet port interconnected by internal air channels; (b) at least two stages each having a centrifugal impeller mounted on a common pinion shaft rotatably supported inside said casing structure for propelling flow from said inlet port to said outlet port and achieving higher pressure rise and higher pressure ratio therebetween; (c) an integral gear box located at one end of said pinion shaft and having a gear set with a predetermined gear ratio for transmitting rotation from a driving shaft to said pinion shaft; and (d) an axial impeller eye seal applied between an impeller eye of said impeller and said casing structure for preventing internal leakage and accidental mechanical contact.
Defined broadly, the present invention is a high pressure centrifugal blower, comprising: (a) a casing having a vertically split structure with an inlet port and an outlet port interconnected by internal air channels; (b) at least two stages each having a centrifugal impeller mounted on a common pinion shaft rotatably supported inside said casing structure for propelling flow from said inlet port to said outlet port and achieving higher pressure rise and higher pressure ratio therebetween; and (c) an integral gear box located at one end of said pinion shaft and having a gear set with a predetermined gear ratio for transmitting rotation from a driving shaft to said pinion shaft.
Alternatively defined broadly, the present invention is a high pressure centrifugal blower, comprising: (a) a casing having a vertically split structure with an inlet port and an outlet port interconnected by internal air channels; (b) at least two stages each having a centrifugal impeller mounted on a common pinion shaft rotatably supported inside said casing structure for propelling flow from said inlet port to said outlet port and achieving higher pressure rise and higher pressure ratio therebetween; and (c) an axial impeller eye seal applied between an impeller eye of said impeller and said casing structure for preventing internal leakage and accidental mechanical contact.
Of course the present invention is not intended to be restricted to any particular form or arrangement, or any specific embodiment, or any specific use, disclosed herein, since the same may be modified in various particulars or relations without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention hereinabove shown and described of which the apparatus or method shown is intended only for illustration and disclosure of an operative embodiment and not to show all of the various forms or modifications in which this invention might be embodied or operated.
The present invention has been described in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent laws by providing full public disclosure of at least one of its forms. However, such detailed description is not intended in any way to limit the broad features or principles of the present invention. | A high pressure centrifugal blower having vertically split casing and aluminum or steel impellers mounted on a common shaft housed within the casing, and at least two oil-enclosing bearing housings to rotatably support the rotors, where an integral gearbox is formed as part of the blower casing so as to increase the impeller rotational speed to achieve higher pressure, and axial impeller eye seals are utilized to reduce the clearance and enhance reliability for higher pressure applications. | 5 |
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a hydraulic circuit and more particularly to a control system therefor having a pair of control valves arranged so that each control valve controls fluid flow to and from only one port of a reversible hydraulic motor.
2. Background Art
A hydraulic circuit for controlling a reversible hydraulic motor typically includes a three-position, four-way directional control valve having a single spool for controlling fluid flow from a pump to the motor and from the motor to a tank, a pair of line reliefs operatively associated with opposite sides of the reversible hydraulic motor, load check valves to block reverse flow of fluid if the load pressure is higher than the pump pressure at the time the directional control valve is shifted, and make-up valves for providing make-up fluid to a cavitated side of a motor in an overrunning condition. Additionally, if the circuit is integrally included in a load sensing or pressure compensated system, each circuit may also include a pressure compensating flow control valve for maintaining a predetermined pressure differential across the directional control valve and a resolver for directing the highest load pressure of the system to the pump controls.
One of the problems encountered with such circuit is that the use of all those valves to achieve the desired operating parameters of a single circuit generally adds to the cost of each circuit. Another problem encountered is that the directional control valve commonly has a single spool with the timing of the metering slots designed to optimize the control of the pump-to-motor fluid flow. Thus, the spool is generally inadequate for metering motor-to-tank fluid flow in an overrunning load condition. Another problem with such circuit is that a considerable amount of engineering development time is spent to provide proper operational metering characteristics for a given valve application. Current technology of valve development requires that the control valve be developed to meet subjective operator desired characteristics. The development is usually done with many trial and error iterations that coordinates the correct metering relationship of pump-to-motor and motor-to-tank fluid flows versus valve stem displacement.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to minimize the number of valves of a typical control circuit to thereby reduce the cost thereof while retaining all the operating parameters normally associated with such control circuits. It would also be desirable to be able to reduce the amount of engineering time to develop a control valve that meets subjective operator desired characteristics.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, a control system is provided for a control circuit having a tank, a pump connected to the tank, and a reversible hydraulic motor having a pair of motor ports. The control system comprises first and second electrohydraulic control valves with each being disposed between an associated one of the ports and the pump and the tank. Each of the control valves has a neutral position at which the associated port is blocked from the pump and the tank and is movable in a first direction in response to receiving a first control signal for establishing communication between the associated port and the pump and in a second direction in response to receiving a second control signal for establishing communication between the associated port and the tank. The extent of movement in either direction is dependent upon the magnitude of the control signal received thereby. A means is provided for outputting a command signal to establish a desired fluid flow rate and direction of fluid flow through both of the control valves. A control means is provided for processing the command signal, producing first and second discrete control signals in response to the command signal, and outputting the first control signal to one of the control valves and the second control signal to the other of the control valves.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The sole figure is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present invention.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A control system 10 is shown in association with a hydraulic circuit 11. The hydraulic circuit includes a tank 12, an exhaust conduit 13 connected to the tank 12, a hydraulic fluid pump 14 connected to the tank, a supply conduit 16 connected to the pump 14, and a reversible hydraulic motor 17 in the form of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder having a pair of motor ports 18,19. Another hydraulic circuit 20 having a control system 20a associated therewith is connected to the supply conduit 13 in parallel flow relationship to the circuit 11. The pump 14 is a variable displacement pump having an electrohydraulic displacement controller 21 which is operative to control the displacement of the pump in response to receiving an electrical control signal with the extent of displacement being dependent upon the magnitude of the control signal.
A pair of electrohydraulic proportional control valves 22,23 are individually connected to the motor ports 18,19 through a pair of motor conduits 24,26 respectively. The control valves are also connected to the pump 14 and the tank 12. The control valve 22 includes a pilot operated valve member 27 having opposite ends 28,29 and being connected to the supply conduit 16, the exhaust conduit 13, and the motor conduit 24. The control valve 22 also includes a pair of electrohydraulic proportional valves 31,32, both of which are connected to the supply conduit 16 and the exhaust conduit 13. The proportional valve 31 is connected to the end 28 of the valve member 27 through a pilot line 33 while the proportional valve 32 is connected to the end 29 of the valve member 27 through a pilot line 34. The proportional valves 31,32 constitute a proportional valve means 35 for controlling the position of the valve member 27 in response to receiving electrical control signals. Alternatively, the proportional valves 31,32 can be integrated into a single three position proportional valve for selectively directing pressurized fluid to the opposite ends of the valve member 27.
The control valve 23 similarly has a pilot operated valve member 36 connected to the supply, exhaust, and motor conduits 16,13,26, and a pair of electrohydraulic proportional valves 37,38 connected to the supply conduit 16 and the exhaust conduit 13. The proportional valve 37 is connected to an end 39 of the valve member 36 through a pilot line 41 while the proportional valve 38 is connected to an end 42 of the valve member 36 through a pilot line 43. The valve members 27 and 36 are resiliently biased to the neutral position shown by centering springs 44.
Alternatively, each of the control valves 22,23 can be replaced with an electrohydraulic proportional valve wherein the valve member 27,36 is moved directly by an electric solenoid.
With the valve member 27 of the control valve 22 at the neutral position, the motor conduit 24 is blocked from the supply conduit 16 and the exhaust conduit 13. The valve member 27 is movable in a rightward direction for establishing communication between the supply conduit 16 and the motor conduit 24 and in a leftward direction for establishing communication between the motor conduit 24 and the exhaust conduit 13. The extent of movement of the valve member 27 in either direction is dependent upon the pilot pressure in the pilot lines 33 or 34. The proportional valves 31,32 are normally spring biased to the position shown at which the pilot lines 33 and 34 are in communication with the exhaust conduit 13. The proportional valve 31 is movable in a rightward direction to establish communication between the supply conduit 16 and the pilot line 33 in response to receiving an electrical control signal. Similarly, the proportional valve 32 is movable in a leftward direction for establishing communication between the supply conduit 16 and the pilot line 34 in response to receiving an electrical control signal. The fluid pressure established in the respective pilot lines 33,34 is dependent upon the magnitude of the control signal received by the respective proportional valve. Thus, the extent of the movement of the valve member 27 in either direction is dependent upon the magnitude of the control signal received by the proportional valves 31,32.
The control valve 23 is operational in essentially the same manner as the control valve 22.
The control system 10 also includes a microprocessor 46 connected to the proportional valves 31,32,37,38 through electrical lead lines 47,48,49,50, respectively. A control lever 52 is operatively connected to a position sensor 53 which in turn is connected to the microprocessor 46 through an electrical lead line 54. A fluid pressure sensor 56 is connected to the supply conduit 16 and to the microprocessor through a pressure signal line 57. Another pressure sensor 58 is connected to the motor conduit 24 and to the microprocessor through a pressure signal line 59. Still another pressure sensor 61 is connected to the motor conduit 26 and to the microprocessor 46 through a pressure signal line 62. The microprocessor is connected to the control system 20a through a lead line 63.
The control lever 52, the position sensor 53, and the lead line 54 provide a means 64 for outputting a command signal to establish a desired fluid flow rate and direction of fluid flow through both of the control valves 22,23.
The microprocessor 46 provides a control means 65 for processing the command signal, for producing first and second discrete control signals in response to the command signal, and for outputting the first control signal to one of the control valves 22,23, and the second control signal to the other of the control valves.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
In operation, when the control lever 52 is in the centered position shown, no command signal is being transmitted through the signal line 54 to the microprocessor 46. When the microprocessor is not receiving a command signal, no control signals are being outputted through any of the control signal lines 47-51, such that the valve members 27 and 36 of the control valves 22 and 23 are in the neutral position to hydraulically lock the motor 17 in a fixed position. When no command signal is being received by the displacement controller 21, the displacement of the pump in this embodiment is reduced to a position to maintain a low standby pressure in the supply conduit 16.
To extend the hydraulic motor, the operator moves the control lever 52 rightwardly an amount corresponding to the speed at which he wants the motor to extend. In so doing, the position sensor 53 senses the operational position of the lever 52 and outputs a command signal to establish the direction of fluid flow and fluid flow rate through both control valves and 23 to achieve the desired motor speed. The command signal is transmitted through the lead line 54 to the microprocessor 46 which processes the command signal, produces first and second discrete valve control signals in response to the command signal and outputs the first signal through the lead line 47 to the proportional valve 31 and the second valve signal through the lead line 50 to the proportional valve 38. The microprocessor 46 simultaneously processes three discrete pressure signals received from the pressure sensors 56,58, and 61 to determine the magnitude of the first and second control signals dependent upon the forces acting on the hydraulic motor 17.
For example, assume that the force acting on the motor is one resisting extension thereof such that the pressure signal from the pressure sensor 58 is greater than the pressure signal from the pressure sensor 61. Under this condition, the microprocessor is operative to determine that the desired motor speed is to be achieved by controlling the fluid flow rate to the motor 17 through the control valve 22. Thus, the magnitude of the first control signal being outputted to the proportional valve 31 will correspond to the command signal. The proportional valve 31 is energized by the first control signal and moves rightwardly to direct pressurized fluid from the supply conduit 16 through the pilot line 33 to the end 28 of the valve member 27 causing it to move rightwardly to establish communication between the supply conduit 16 and the motor conduit 24. The proportional valve 38 is likewise energized by the second control signal and moves leftwardly to direct pressurized fluid from the supply conduit 16 through the pilot line 43 to the end 42 of the valve member 36 causing it to move leftwardly to establish communication between the motor conduit 23 and the exhaust conduit 13. The magnitude of the second control signal is selected by the microprocessor to result in the valve member 36 moving to a position providing substantially unrestricted fluid flow therethrough to the tank.
The microprocessor 46 is operative under the above operating conditions to delay the opening of the control valve 22 until the pressure in the supply conduit 16 exceeds the load or force generated fluid pressure in the motor conduit 24. More specifically, when the microprocessor receives the command signal, it compares the pressure signal from the sensor 58 with the pressure signal from the pressure sensor 56. When the pressure signal from the pressure sensor 58 is greater than that from the pressure sensor 56, the microprocessor 46 delays outputting of the first control signal until a pump control signal has been outputted to the displacement controller 21 to increase the pump displacement sufficient to cause the pressure in the supply conduit 16 to increase to a predetermined level greater than the pressure in the motor conduit 24. Once the desired pressure differential is reached, the first and second control signals are outputted to the proportional valves 31 and 38 of the control valves 22 and 23 respectively, to move the valve members 27 and 36 to the positions described above.
The fluid flow rate through the valve member 27 at a given operating position is determined by the pressure drop thereacross. In one mode of operation, the microprocessor 46 is operative to maintain a substantially constant pressure drop across the valve member 27 once the valve member is at an operating position by controlling the displacement of the pump 14. More specifically, the microprocessor continuously compares the pressure signals from the pressure sensors 56 and 58 and controls the magnitude of the pump control signal outputted to the displacement controller 21 so that the fluid pressure in the supply conduit 16 is higher than the fluid pressure in the motor conduit 22 by a predetermined pressure margin.
In another mode of operation, the microprocessor 46 is operative to determine the degree of opening of the valve member 27 in response to an operating pressure drop across the valve member 27 to achieve the desired flow rate. For example, assume that the hydraulic circuit 20 is also being operated simultaneously with the desired extension of the hydraulic motor 17 and that the fluid pressure required by the hydraulic circuit 20 is higher than that required to extend the hydraulic motor 17 by an amount greater than the predetermined pressure margin. Under that condition, the microprocessor 46 compares the pressure signals from the pressure sensors 56 and 58, determines the pressure drop occurring across the valve member and modifies the first valve control signal to the proportional valve 31 so that the degree of opening of the valve member 27 will be appropriate to achieve the desired flow rate at that operating pressure drop thereacross.
Assume now that the operator has moved the control lever 52 rightwardly to extend the hydraulic motor 17 but the force acting on the hydraulic motor is an overrunning load which assists the extension of the motor. In such condition, the pressure signal from the pressure sensor 61 will be greater than that of the pressure sensor 58. The microprocessor 46 in processing the pressure signals is operative to determine that under this condition, the desired motor speed is more appropriately achieved by controlling the fluid flow rate of the fluid being expelled from the hydraulic motor through the control valve 23. Accordingly, the magnitude of the second valve control signal outputted to the proportional valve 38 is precisely controlled to achieve the desired flow rate dictated by the position of the lever 52. The magnitude of the second control signal will vary depending upon the magnitude of the pressure signal from the pressure sensor 61 since the magnitude of that pressure signal correlates to the pressure drop across the valve member 36. The magnitude of the first control signal being directed to the proportional valve 31 from the microprocessor 46 will be sufficient to cause the control valve 27 to move to a position permitting substantially unrestricted fluid flow from the supply conduit 16 to the motor conduit 22 to fill the expanding side of the hydraulic motor 17.
To retract the hydraulic motor 17, the operator moves the control lever 52 leftwardly an amount corresponding to the speed at which he wants the hydraulic motor to retract. The control system 10 reacts similarly to that described above, but with the first control signal being outputted through the lead line 49 to the proportional valve 37 and the second control signal being outputted through the lead line 48 to the proportional valve 32. The microprocessor is operative to determine the magnitude of the first and second control signals as well as the control signal to the displacement controller 21 similarly to that described above dependent upon the forces acting on the hydraulic motor 17.
The microprocessor 46 is also operative to automatically relieve the fluid pressure in either motor conduit 24 or 26 should the pressure therein exceed a predetermined magnitude. For example, in some industrial operations, a load induced pressure may be generated in either of the motor conduits 24 or 26 due to an external load being applied to the hydraulic motor 17. The microprocessor continuously monitors the pressure signals from the sensors 58 and 61 and should the pressure signal generated from either one of those pressure sensors exceed a predetermined value, the microprocessor will automatically output a second control signal to the appropriate one of the proportional valves 32 or 38 to move the associated valve element 27 or 36 leftwardly for establishing communication between the appropriate motor conduit 24 or 26 with the exhaust conduit 13. Once the pressure is relieved, the microprocessor will stop the outputting of the second control signal and the effected valve member will move back to its locking position.
In view of the above, it is readily apparent that the structure of the present invention provides an improved control system for a hydraulic circuit in which a pair of electrohydraulic control valves controlled by a microprocessor provide the functions of a directional control valve, pressure compensated flow control valves, load check valves, line relief valves, and make-up valves. Moreover, the microprocessor can select which of the control valves are utilized to achieve a desired flow rate therethrough regardless of whether the hydraulic motor is subjected to positive or overrunning load conditions without any attention by the operator. Also, the control system will greatly reduce the amount of engineering development required to provide the subjective operator desired characteristics for a given hydraulic valve application. The control valves rely on one metering relationship versus travel whereby modulation changes can be made through changing the software of the microprocessor to meet the operator's subjective performance requirements.
Other aspects, objects, and advantages of this invention can be obtained from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. | Hydraulic control of reversible hydraulic motors typically requires several different valves to provide for the various operating parameters. The subject hydraulic control circuit has only a pair of electrohydraulic control valves to provide all the typical operating parameters. Operation of the control valves is controlled by a microprocessor in response to receiving command signals from a manually controlled command signal outputting device which establishes a desired fluid flow rate and direction of flow through the control valves. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to footwear construction, and more particularly to a footwear construction in which the sole is attached to the upper by a welt.
A variety of different sole constructions are used by the footwear industry. For the most part, each sole construction has characteristics that make it particularly well-suited for specific applications. For example, some sole constructions are selected for their durability, others for their flexibility and comfort, while still others are selected for their aesthetic appeal. One particularly popular type of sole construction is referred to as a welt construction. Welt constructions are popular because they are durable and are aesthetically desirable. There are a variety of different types of welt constructions, but in each construction a “welt,” for example, a strip of material such as leather or hard rubber, is used to intersecure the sole and the upper. FIG. 1 is an exploded sectional view of a conventional welt construction. This construction includes a welt 150 that interconnects an upper 158 and a sole 172 . The welt 150 includes a base portion 152 with an upwardly extending rib 154 located toward the center of the base portion and a downwardly extending rib 156 located at the inner edge of the base portion 152 . The sole 172 includes an insole 160 , a midsole 168 , and an outsole 170 . The insole 172 includes a downwardly extending rib 164 that is used in interconnecting the insole 160 , upper 158 and welt 150 .
Assembly of this construction involves a number of common steps. First, the elements of the upper 158 are cut from the desired material and fit together (typically by sewing). The fitted upper 158 is then wrapped tightly around a foot-shaped form, or last, and secured to the insole 160 by stapling, stitching, or otherwise fastening it to the insole rib 164 . This step gives the upper 158 the desired shape and is commonly referred to as lasting. Once lasted, the welt 150 is stitched or stapled to the upper 158 and insole 160 by stitches or staples that extend through the inner welt rib 156 , the bottom periphery of the upper 158 , and the insole rib 164 . The midsole 168 is stitched, stapled or otherwise secured to the bottom of the upper/insole assembly. Typically, the midsole 168 is attached to the upper/insole assembly by stitching that extends through the base portion 152 of the welt 150 and the midsole 168 . Afterwards, the outsole 170 is secured to the bottom of midsole 168 , typically by cement or other adhesives. Although this construction is durable and aesthetically appealing, it is a relatively heavy construction and it does not provide the flexibility of other constructions.
In an effort to improve the flexibility and reduce the weight of the sole, a variety of sole constructions have been developed which incorporate polyurethane. For example, some footwear manufacturers currently sell footwear that incorporates a solid polyurethane outsole. Typically, the polyurethane outsole is either directly attached to the upper or it is attached to a midsole that is in turn attached to the upper. Polyurethane is a relatively soft material and it is not as wear-resistant as many other outsole materials, such as leather and rubber. Also, polyurethane has relatively low tear-resistant characteristics. As a result, it does not hold a stitch or staple well, and is consequently not well suited for use in a welted construction.
In an effort to overcome these problems, a number of attempts have been made to enclose the polyurethane in a shell. The shell is relatively wear resistant and it forms the wear surface of the sole. One such construction includes a rubber shell that is filled with polyurethane. The shell is cemented to the upper in a conventional manner. Although this construction provides the improved comfort and weight characteristics of polyurethane, it fails to provide the durability and aesthetic benefits of a welt construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aforementioned problems are overcome by the present invention wherein a sole construction is provided which includes a polyurethane filled outsole shell that is secured to the upper by a welt. The sole construction includes a generally conventional insole, an outsole shell manufactured from a durable, wear-resistant material, and a welt that interconnects the outsole shell and the insole with the upper. The outsole shell defines a chamber that contains a polyurethane filling material. The polyurethane filling material fills the chamber and bonds directly to the insole, welt, and outsole.
In a preferred embodiment, the welt includes a base portion that is stitched to the shell and a downwardly extending rib that is stitched to both the upper and the insole rib. The shell preferably defines a stitch channel that extends entirely around the circumference of shell to receive the stitches that interconnect the welt and the shell.
In a second aspect, the shell includes a plurality of protrusions, such as scallops, that extending into the polyurethane chamber. The polyurethane surrounds and attaches to the protrusions to enhance the connection between the polyurethane and the shell.
The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a shoe. First, the upper is lasted and either stitched or stapled to the insole. The welt is then stitched or stapled to the insole/upper combination. Then, polyurethane is poured into the chamber in the shell and the shell is direct attached to the upper/insole/welt assembly. As the polyurethane cures, it expands to fill the space and bond to the shell, the insole, and the welt. The welt is then stitched to the shell around the entire periphery of the sole. The stitch extends between a stitch channel in the welt and a stitch channel in the shell, and preferably does not extend through the polyurethane.
The present invention provides a durable and comfortable sole construction. Because the present invention does not require a midsole, the construction is relatively flexible. The outsole shell provides the sole with excellent wear characteristics. Also, the use of polyurethane makes the outsole lighter and more resilient than a conventional welted construction. In addition, the stitch channel in the shell receives the stitching to protect it from abrasion and wear. The present invention is also easily manufactured using conventional machinery. Further, as the polyurethane cures, it expands into and seals the stitch holes and the seams between the insole, the welt, and the upper. As a result, the present invention allows the possible manufacture of the waterproof welted footwear without the need for a membrane.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a welt sole construction according to the prior art;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an article of footwear incorporating the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the article of footwear;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an article of footwear incorporating the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the shell;
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the shell; and
FIG. 7 is sectional view of the shell taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A boot constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention in shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and generally designated 10 . For purposes of disclosure, the present invention is described in connection with a conventional ¾ height boot. One of ordinary skill in the art will, however, readily appreciate that the present invention is well suited for use with other types of soled footwear. For purposes of this disclosure, the terms inner and outer will be used to denote the directions toward and away from the inside of the boot, respectively.
In general, the boot 10 includes an upper 12 that is secured to the sole 14 by a welt 16 . As perhaps best shown in FIG. 3, the sole 14 includes an insole 18 and an outsole shell 20 . The outsole shell 20 defines a void 22 that contains a filling material 24 , such as polyurethane. The welt 16 is attached to and interconnects the upper 12 , insole 18 , and shell 20 .
The upper 12 is generally conventional and will not be described in detail. Suffice it to say that the upper 12 includes a quarter 29 , a vamp 28 , and a backstay 30 . The upper 12 terminates in a lower peripheral edge 26 that is attached to the sole 14 as described in detail below. The upper 12 is preferably manufactured from leather, canvas, nylon or other suitable materials, and may include a liner (not shown) or other conventional accessories.
The welt 16 extends entirely around the boot 10 to interconnect the upper 12 and the sole 14 . As perhaps best shown in FIG. 4, the welt 12 is also generally conventional. The welt 12 includes a generally horizontal base portion 32 with an upwardly extending upper rib 34 located toward the center of the base portion 32 and a downwardly extending lower rib 36 located at the inner edge of the base portion 32 . The outer surface of the upper rib 34 is rounded to, among other things, reduce the profile of the welt 16 . The lower rib 36 is generally rectangular in cross-section and is of sufficient size to receive staples, stitching or other fastening elements. The horizontal base portion 32 defines an upwardly opening stitch groove 38 that extends around the welt 16 near its outer edge. The stitch groove 38 is adapted to receive the stitching 72 that interconnects the shell 20 and welt 16 as described in more detail below.
As noted above, the sole 14 includes an insole 18 , an outsole shell 20 , and a filling material 24 , such as polyurethane. If desired, the sole 14 may also include a shank (not shown), a filler (not shown) or other conventional sole components. The insole 18 is generally conventional and includes a base 42 and a downwardly extending rib 44 . The base 42 is generally planar and corresponds in shape with the outline of a foot. The insole rib 44 extends downwardly from and around the base 42 near its outer edge. The insole rib 44 is of sufficient size to receive staples, stitching or other fastening elements.
The outsole shell 20 is preferably manufactured from a relatively hard rubber or other sufficiently durable and wear-resistant material. The outsole shell 20 generally includes a bottom 46 and a peripheral wall 48 extending upwardly from the periphery of the bottom 46 . The bottom 46 includes an inner surface 50 and an outer surface 52 . The outer surface 52 forms the wears surface of the sole 14 and is contoured to define the desired heel and tread pattern. The outer surface 52 may also be textured as desired to improve the traction and aesthetic appeal of the boot. The peripheral wall 48 also includes an inner surface 54 and an outer surface 56 . The outer surface 56 of the peripheral wall 48 may be contoured or textured to provide the desired visual appearance. The outer surface 56 defines an outwardly opening stitch groove 58 . The stitch groove 58 extends around the peripheral wall 48 near its upper edge. The stitch groove 58 is generally rectangular in cross section. However, its shape may vary from application to application. The peripheral wall 48 includes a plurality of scallops 60 , or other protrusions, that extend inwardly near the upper edge of the peripheral wall 48 . The scallops 60 interlock with the filler 24 improve the interconnection of the various sole components. If desired, the scallops 60 may define apertures (not shown) through which the filler 24 can flow to further improve the interconnection of the sole components. Obviously, the scallops 60 can be replaced by other similar protrusions.
The filling material 24 is preferably a conventional polyurethane foam. The inner surface 50 of the bottom 46 and the inner surface 54 of the peripheral wall 48 cooperatively define a void 22 that receives the filling material 24 . As described below, the filling material 24 is preferably pour molded into the void 22 during assembly of the boot 10 such that it expands to flow around and interlock the insole 18 , the outsole shell 24 , and the welt 16 . The density and precise chemical make-up of the polyurethane will vary from application to application depending on a variety of factors, including the size of void 22 and the desired cushioning and flexibility characteristics.
Manufacture and Assembly
The boot 10 is manufactured using generally conventional machinery. The insole 18 is manufactured using conventional techniques and apparatus. The insole base 42 and insole rib 44 are manufactured in a conventional manner. The insole rib 44 is attached to the undersurface of the insole base 42 by cement, adhesives or other conventional methods. Alternatively, the insole 18 can be manufactured with an integral base and rib. The insole 18 is stapled or otherwise secured to the bottom surface of a conventional last (not shown).
The upper 12 is manufactured using generally conventional techniques and apparatus. The desired upper material (not shown) is cut to form the various elements of the upper, including the vamp 28 , quarter 29 , and backstay 30 . The elements of the upper 12 are then fitted and sewn together using conventional methods and apparatus. A lining (not shown) may be sewn within the upper during the fitting step. The fitted upper 12 is stretched over a last (not shown) and stapled to insole 18 . The insole rib 44 is stapled directly to the lower peripheral edge 26 of the upper 12 using conventional apparatus and techniques to intersecure the upper 12 and insole 18 . Alternatively, insole rib 44 can be sewn to the upper 12 in a conventional manner.
The welt 16 is manufactured using conventional techniques and apparatus. For example, the welt 16 can be extruded from a hard durable rubber. Once the upper 12 is lasted to the insole 18 , the welt 16 is attached to the upper 12 and insole 18 . First, lower welt rib 36 is stitched around the periphery of the upper 12 and insole 18 using conventional apparatus and techniques. This rib stitch 40 preferably extends entirely through the lower welt rib 36 , the lower peripheral edge 26 of the upper 12 , and the insole rib 18 . If desired a filler (not shown), shank (not shown) or other conventional sole component can be cemented to the bottom surface of the insole 18 using conventional adhesive or cement.
The outsole shell 20 is manufactured using conventional techniques and apparatus. The outsole shell 20 is preferably injection or pour molded from a hard, durable rubber using conventional molding apparatus. The outsole shell 20 can, however, be manufactured from other durable outsole materials. The stitch groove 58 , scallops 60 , void 22 and desired tread pattern are all formed during the molding operation as an integral part of the outsole shell 20 .
Once the outsole shell 20 is manufactured, it is attached to the upper/welt/insole combination using conventional machinery. The machinery preferably includes a conventional die (not shown) that facilitates assembly of the boot 10 . The die includes a top half, which receives the upper/welt/insole combination, and a bottom half, which receives the outsole shell 20 . The die halves are designed such that they can be closed to hold the upper/welt/insole combination in appropriate alignment with the outsole shell 20 . The die holds the bottom surface of the welt 16 directly against the top surface of the peripheral wall 48 firmly enough to prevent the expanding polyurethane from entering the seam during assembly.
After the outsole shell 20 and the upper/welt/insole combination are inserted into the appropriate die halves, the appropriate volume of filler material 24 , preferably polyurethane foam, is poured into void 22 . As the polyurethane foam is poured into the void 22 , it begins to expand and cure. The die is immediately closed bringing the upper/welt/insole combination into proper alignment with the outsole shell 20 . The polyurethane foam continues to expand and cure, causing it to surround, entrap, and interlock the various elements, including the insole 18 , welt 16 , and outsole shell 20 . By virtue of its expansion, the polyurethane foam flows into the seams between the welt 16 , upper 12 , and insole 18 and into the stitch holes in these elements. As a result, the polyurethane filling material 24 allows for the possible manufacture of waterproof welted footwear without the need for a conventional membrane.
Polyurethane foam is generally well-known in the footwear industry, and therefore will not be described in detail. Suffice it to say that polyurethane foam is typically derived by combining a polyether, such as polypropylene glycol, with a diisocyanate in the presence of water and a catalyst. The resulting chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide which causes the polymer to foam. The rigidity and flexibility of the polyurethane foam can be varied from application to application, as desired, using a variety of well-known techniques, such as by adjusting the type and proportionate amount of the reactants. In addition, the rigidity and flexibility of the polyurethane foam can be varied by adjusting the volume of polyurethane foam deposited in the void 22 .
After the filling material 24 is sufficiently cured, the welt 16 is stitched directly to the outsole shell 20 using conventional machinery. This outsole stitch 72 extends around the periphery of the boot 10 through the welt 16 at stitch groove 38 and the outsole shell 20 at stitch groove 58 . The stitches 72 are recessed in the grooves 38 and 58 so that they are protected from abrasion and wear. As shown in FIG. 4, the outsole stitch 72 does not pass through the filling material 24 .
Finally, a number of conventional finishing operations are performed on the boot 10 . For example, the edge of the sole 14 is trimmed and shaped; the upper 12 is cleaned, polished, and treated as appropriate and necessary; and the laces are inserted in the eyelets.
The above description is that of a preferred embodiment of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. | A shoe construction having a sole with an outsole shell that is filled with a filling material, such as polyurethane foam, and secured to the upper by a welt. The sole includes an insole having a downwardly extending rib, an outer shell defining a void containing the filling material, and a welt that interconnects the outsole shell and the insole with the upper. To assemble the construction, the upper is lasted and either stitched or stapled to the insole. The welt is then stitched or stapled to the insole/upper combination. Next, the filling material is poured into the void in the outsole shell and the shell is directly attached by the filling material to the upper/insole/welt assembly. The outsole welt is stitched to the shell around the entire periphery of the sole. The stitch extends between a stitch groove in the welt and a stitch groove in the outsole shell. | 0 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to power control. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for power control operating at medium voltage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Some electrical systems require power controllers to control the power supply to these systems. A power controller is designed to dictate the manner in which power from a power source (e.g., the mains power supply) is transferred to a load (e.g., motor, heating element, boiler, etc.).
[0003] For example, when an AC motor is operated at a medium voltage, a soft starter, which is a kind of a power controller, may be used. The soft starter is designed to prevent wear of the mains, motor and load caused by a sudden current surge, by initially providing reduced voltage to the motor and increasing the voltage over a predetermined time period, typically to a maximal level, so as to facilitate a “soft start” of the motor. Once the motor has properly started, the power for that motor is supplied directly (typically by providing a direct bypass connection overriding the soft starter).
[0004] In the context of the present specification, the term “medium voltage” is understood to refer to 1000V and above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] There is thus provided, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, a power controller for controling power supply to a load at medium voltage. The power controller may include a switching module electrically connected between a meduim voltage AC power supply and a load to switch on or to switch off power supply to the load. The power controller may further include a cooling system for cooling the switching module. The power controller may also include a control module to control the switching module by causing the switching module to operate under a switching scheme, wherein the switching scheme includes switching on and off for predetermined periods of time of varying durations.
[0006] According to some embodiments, the switching module may include thyristors, and the control module may be configured to provide firing signals to switch the thyristors on and off.
[0007] In some embodiments, the thyristors comprise SCRs.
[0008] According to some embodiments, the SCRs may be arranged in one or a plurality of pairs, in opposing configuration.
[0009] In some embodiments, the coiling system may include one or a plurality of heat sinks.
[0010] According to embodiments, said one or a plurality of heat sinks may include cooling fins to allow air passing between the cooling fins to dissipate heat.
[0011] According to some embodiments, the heat sinks are made of aluminum.
[0012] In some embodiments, the cooling system may include fans.
[0013] According to some embodiments, the cooling system may include a plurality of fan units mounted on a rack and positioned adjacent to the switching module.
[0014] In some embodiments, the switching module may include a plurality of thyristors and wherein the rack is positioned adjacent to the thyristors.
[0015] In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling medium voltage power supply to a load. The method may include electrically connecting a switching module between a meduim voltage AC power supply and the load to switch on or to switch off power supply to the load. The method may also include cooling the switching module using a cooling system. The method may further include using a control module, causing the switching module to operate under a switching scheme, wherein the switching scheme includes switching on and off for predetermined periods of time of varying durations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] In order for examples to be better illustrated, the following figures are provided and referenced hereafter. It should be noted that the figures are given as examples only and in no way limit the scope of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that, for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Like components are denoted by like reference numerals.
[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic electric block diagram of a power controller, according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates a design for a switching device, for use in a power controller, according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 3A illustrates a fan assembly for use in a power controller according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3B illustrates a fan unit of the fan assembly shown in FIG. 3A .
[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates a plot of a typical temperature vs. time in an operation scheme of a power controller designed to provide power to a heater.
[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates a control module of a power controller according to some embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the methods and systems. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present methods and systems may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present methods and systems.
[0024] Although the examples disclosed and discussed herein are not limited in this regard, the terms “plurality” and “a plurality” as used herein may include, for example, “multiple” or “two or more”. The terms “plurality” or “a plurality” may be used throughout the specification to describe two or more components, devices, elements, units, parameters, or the like. Unless explicitly stated, the method examples described herein are not constrained to a particular order or sequence. Additionally, some of the described method examples or elements thereof can occur or be performed at the same point in time.
[0025] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification, discussions utilizing terms such as “adding”, “associating” “selecting,” “evaluating,” “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “designating,” “allocating” or the like, refer to the actions and/or processes of a computer, computer processor or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate, execute and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities within the computing system's registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computing system's memories, registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
[0026] Some embodiments of the present invention are aimed at providing a power controller designed for controlling medium voltage power supply to a load over substantially extended periods of time (e.g. many minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, continuously). More objects and advantages will become apparent after reading the present specification and reviewing the appended figures.
[0027] Reference is made to the figures.
[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic electric block diagram of a power controller 100 , according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0029] In the example depicted in FIG. 1 , the power controller 100 is designed to receive input power from a mains supply network that provides three phase input (L 1 , L 2 , L 3 ), and is designed to provide power through three output bus bars or cables (U, V and W) to a load.
[0030] The load may be, for example, a single or a plurality of heating elements, e.g., an electric heater (for example, a furnace), operating at medium voltage.
[0031] The power control 100 includes a switching module 115 that includes a switching device for each input line (e.g. switching devices 131 , 133 and 135 for lines L 1 , L 2 and L 3 , respectively). Each of the switching devices includes one or a plurality of pairs of electronically controlled switching elements (such as thyristors—e.g., Silicon Controlled Rectifiers—SCRs, 120 a, 120 b, arranged in opposing configuration).
[0032] An SCR is a current controlling device, which in an “off” state allows only leakage current through. When applying a firing signal to the gate-to-cathode, that exceeds a threshold voltage value, the SCR turns “on” and conducts current through in a designated direction. The SCR remains conductive until the current drops below the holding current. The opposing configuration is designed to handle alternating current (AC), with each SCR of the pair handling one of the polarities (i.e., negative and positive).
[0033] The firing signals are provided and controlled by control module 102 , which is configured to activate and operate the switching devices via line 132 in a predetermined switching scheme. Typically, the firing signals are transmitted via fiber optic wires. Control module 102 may be configured to sense voltage and current (V&I 104 ) for each of the input lines (L 1 , L 2 and L 3 ) and use this information for firing of the thyristors in a predetermined manner according to predefined setting of parameters of the control unit. Some physical parameters such as voltages, currents and power may also be displayed on a display device and may be transmitted over a communication link to another device (e.g., via serial link).
[0034] The power controller 100 is configured to operate over short or extended periods of time, e.g., for seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, weeks, and years, continuously.
[0035] As power controller 100 may operate at and is designed to deliver medium voltage, the switching devices ( 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 , and 130 ) would heat up substantially. In order to cool the heated switching devices cooling devices, e.g., fans 134 are provided, placed adjacent to the switching devices, configured to operate continuously or at pre-designated times to blow ambient air at the SCRs to cool them.
[0036] In some embodiments of the present invention, the fans may be operated in various modes of operation. For example, the fans may be continuously or intermittently. In some embodiments a controller may activate the fans when a threshold temperature at or near the SCRs is reached and deactivate the fans when a lower temperature threshold is reached.
[0037] The cooling devices, according to some embodiments of the present invention, may include air cooling, liquid cooling), and may be, for example, fans, heat sinks, etc.
[0038] A user interface 101 may be provided to allow a user to input information and/or commands to a designated operation program run by the power controller.
[0039] FIG. 2 illustrates a design for a switching device 133 (see also FIG. 1 ), for use in a power controller, according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0040] Switching device 133 includes one or a plurality of pairs of SCRs—two in this example, where a first pair of SCRs, 202 and 204 , and a second pair of SCRs 206 and 208 are provided. In each pair of opposing SCRs one SCR ( 202 and 208 ) is oriented to facilitate a flow of a current in one direction (one polarity of the AC) whereas the other SCR of the pair ( 204 and 206 ) is oriented to facilitate the flow of a current in the opposite direction (the opposite polarity of the AC). Lines 201 connect ports of the SCRs via connectors 212 to facilitate the opposite configuration. The SCRs ( 202 , 204 , 206 and 208 ) are all lined over bus bar 220 , which is fixed at one end to base support 218 and fixed at an opposite end to anchoring support 230 , tightened by nut 222 .
[0041] SCRs 202 , 204 , 206 and 208 are separated by spacers 226 , with each pair of adjacent SCRs being fastened together by fastening bars 224 .
[0042] In some embodiments of the present invention, all the switching device elements other than the SCRs are made of a highly insulating material to withstand medium voltage and prevent undesired current leakage and partial discharge.
[0043] According to some embodiments of the present invention, each SCR comprises a base 214 which is made of good electrical and heat conductive material or materials, such as, for example, Molybdenum, and is designed to conduct electrical current and include a main body that acts as a heat-sink (e.g., an aluminium body). For example, the SCR may be provided with one or a plurality of heat-sink bodies 216 that may include cooling fins, so as to allow good heat dissipation.
[0044] In addition to or alternatively, fans may be used to cool the SCRs.
[0045] FIG. 3A illustrates a fan assembly 300 for use in a power controller according to some embodiments of the present invention. The fan assembly 300 may include a plurality of fan units 302 a - 302 e, mounted on rack 306 , fastened to rack 306 by screws 304 , and arranged in a linear arrangement, matching the linear arrangement of the switching device (see FIG. 2 ). In this arrangement, the fan assembly may be placed next to the SCRs' heat sinks and blow cooling air on them during the operation of the switching device.
[0046] The fan units 302 a - 302 e are typically electrically connected in parallel, via connectors 308 .
[0047] FIG. 3B illustrates a fan unit 312 of the fan assembly shown in FIG. 3A .
[0048] Each fan unit may include a support sheet 315 provided with a hole 317 over which fan 314 is mounted.
[0049] Returning to FIG. 3A , the fan units 302 a - 302 e are powered by an AC power input 318 . A fan failure detection device 316 may be provided, which is capable of determining that any of the fans is malfunctioning by sensing changes in voltage or current through the fan units 302 a - 302 e of the assembly 300 .
[0050] Removing and replacing a malfunctioning fan unit may be accomplished easily by unscrewing and sliding out the malfunctioning fan unit from the rack and removing and replacing it with a properly functioning one.
[0051] An example of a power controller, according to some embodiments of the present invention, is a power controller for controlling power of a heater.
[0052] Operation times of a heater may vary (ranging from short spells of seconds and minutes to hours, days, weeks, months and even years, e.g., a furnace). A power controller according to some embodiments of the present invention may be used to control medium voltage power supply to the heater.
[0053] FIG. 4 illustrates a plot of temperature vs. time in an operation scheme of a power controller designed to provide power to a heater. For example, such a power controller may be designed to employ a switching scheme as follows: initially the power controller may cause the switching module to provide power to the heater for an extended period of time until temperature 400 of the heater reaches a desired predetermined upper threshold temperature 404 . The temperature may be measured using an external or internal temperature controller When the temperature controller detects that the desired upper threshold temperature was reached (t1) the power controller causes the switching module to stop supplying power. As a result a temperature drop is sensed, which when reaching a predetermined lower threshold temperature 406 causes the power controller to cause the switching module to resume supplying power to the heater until the heater heats up to the upper threshold 404 temperature again. By selecting the upper and lower threshold temperatures (e.g., through the user interface 100 , see FIG. 1 , or by configuring the power controller accordingly) a user may determine a mean operating temperature 402 and set it to a desired level.
[0054] In some embodiments of the present invention phase control (power on-off occuring every half cycle of the mains power supply in each one of the phases), zero-crossing (power on off occurring once per several cycles of the mains power supply) operation methodology, or a combination between the two methods may be employed.
[0055] FIG. 5 illustrates a control module 500 for a power controller (see 102 in FIG. 1 ) according to some embodiments of the invention.
[0056] Control module 500 may include a processing unit 502 (e.g., one or a plurality of processors, on a single machine or distributed on a plurality of machines) for executing a method according to some embodiments. Processing unit 502 includes a memory 506 on which a program implementing a method according to examples and corresponding data may be loaded and run from, and storage device 508 , which includes a non-transitory computer readable medium (or mediums) such as, for example, one or a plurality of hard disks, flash memory devices, etc. on which a program implementing a method according to examples and corresponding data may be stored, or which may be used as a recorder. Control module 500 may further include display device 504 (e.g., CRT, LCD, LED etc.) on which one or a plurality user interfaces associated with a program implementing a method according to embodiments of the present invention and corresponding data may be presented. Control module 500 may also include input device 501 , such as, for example, one or a plurality of keyboards, pointing devices, touch sensitive surfaces (e.g., touch sensitive screens), etc. for allowing a user to input commands and data.
[0057] Some embodiments of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a system, a method or a computer program product. Similarly, examples may be embodied as hardware, software or a combination of both. Some embodiments of the present invention may be embodied as a computer program product saved on one or more non-transitory computer readable medium (or media) in the form of computer readable program code embodied thereon. Such non-transitory computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to execute method steps in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the instructions stores on the computer readable medium may be in the form of an installed application and in the form of an installation package.
[0058] Such instructions may be, for example, loaded by one or more processors and get executed.
[0059] For example, the computer readable medium may be a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be, for example, an electronic, optical, magnetic, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof.
[0060] Computer program code may be written in any suitable programming language. The program code may execute on a single computer system, or on a plurality of computer systems.
[0061] Some embodiments of the present invention are described hereinabove with reference to flowcharts and/or block diagrams depicting methods, systems and computer program products according to various embodiments.
[0062] Features of various embodiments discussed herein may be used with other embodiments discussed herein. The foregoing description of the embodiments has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise form disclosed. It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that many modifications, variations, substitutions, changes, and equivalents are possible in light of the above teaching. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the disclosure. | A power controller for controling power supply to a load at medium voltage is disclosed. The power controller may include a switching module electrically connected between a meduim voltage AC power supply and a load to switch on or to switch off power supply to the load. The power controller may also include a cooling system for cooling the switching module, and a control module to control the switching module by causing the switching module to operate under a switching scheme, wherein the switching scheme includes switching on and off for predetermined periods of time of varying durations. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Drilling fluids are used in wells drilled by the rotary method. In that process, a fluid is generally circulated downward through a hollow drill pipe, whereupon it issues through ports in the bit attached to the lower end of the drill pipe, and rises to the top of the well in the space between the drill pipe and the walls or casing of the hole. The fluid is cleaned of any cuttings or drilling debris which it has brought to the surface, and then recirculated into the drill pipe. The bore hole normally is maintained full of drilling fluid during drilling. The fluid functions to raise cuttings, to keep formation fluids from issuing into the hole by exerting a higher pressure hydrostatically, to cool and lubricate the bit and drill string, to buoy the drill pipe, and to bring formation samples to the surface for inspection. Accordingly, the fluid must have a suitable density, 2.0 g/cc or higher often being necessary; it must have proper rheological characteristics, in particular an apparent viscosity at high rates of shear of ten or twenty times that of water and a low but appreciable gel strength; however, it must be subject to thixotropic increase upon standing, and be able to resist filtration into a porous medium.
The first fluids consisted simply of clay in water, however, clays alone rarely permit fluid densities greater than about 1.25, so that finely ground, inert materials of high intrinsic density were later introduced for deeper drilling with its higher hydrostatic pressures. Barite, hematite, celestite, witherite, and other minerals have been used.
Water-base fluids are subject to increase in consistency from a number of causes, for example, an increased solids content from formation cuttings and salts and thermal degradation of the thinners. Large quantities of polyphosphates were formerly used in combatting thickening in drilling fluids, particularly from flocculation. Polyphosphates are not well suited, however, to drilling fluids used at extreme depths because the higher bottom hole temperatures rapidly bring about hydrolytic degradation to orthophosphates. Of growing importance, therefore, is the use of organic thinners, the most widely used of which are lignite and lignosulfonate derivatives, especially ferrochrome lignosulfonate. Although more stable than polyphosphates, lignite and lignosulfonate also have use limitations; i.e., they require high pH, degrade above 375° F., and generally require high use levels.
Polymers have also been added to drilling fluids for improving various properties. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,872 teaches the use of a copolymer of styrene and maleic anhydride to control viscosity of drilling fluids. U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,900 employs styrene sulfonic acidmaleic anhydride copolymers as stabilizers in drilling fluids and U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,530 employs non-halogen containing acrylic acid polymers to reduce thermal degradation in these fluids.
Such polymers have also found use as scale control agents. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,065,607 and 4,223,120 teach the use of terpolymers of maleic anhydride, acrylamide and a monomer such as octene or styrene and U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,670 teaches the use of acrylate-maleate copolymers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises an aqueous drilling fluid suitable for high-temperature use comprising a water base, clay suspended in said base and from about 0.01-25 pounds per barrel total composition of a hydrolysed terpolymer of maleic anhydride, styrene and a third monomer selected from acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, the molar ratio of maleic anhydride to styrene to said third monomer being from about 30:10:60 to 50:40:10, and the alkali metal, ammonium and lower aliphatic amine salts thereof, the weight-average molecular weight of said hydrolyzed terpolymer being from about 500-10,000.
The fluid is preferred wherein said third monomer is acrylamide or acrylic acid. The fluid is also preferred wherein, when said third monomer is acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, the partial amide form of said terpolymer is employed.
The present invention further comprises an aqueous drilling fluid suitable for high-temperature use comprising a water base, clay suspended in said base and from about 0.01-25 pounds per barrel total composition of a hydrolyzed copolymer of maleic anhydride and a second monomer selected from acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylic acid, and methacrylic acid, the molar ratio of maleic anhydride to the second monomer being from about 25:75 to 75:25, and the alkali metal, ammonium and lower aliphatic amide salts thereof, the weight-average molecular weight of hydrolyzed copolymer being from about 500-10,000. The fluid is preferred wherein the second monomer is acrylamide.
Another feature of the present invention is the process of drilling a well wherein a clay-containing drilling fluid is employed, having the improvement which comprises maintaining the fluid in a flowable state at elevated temperatures with or without lignosulfonate being present by incorporating therein from about 0.01-25 pounds per barrel total composition of a hydrolyzed terpolymer of maleic anhydride, styrene and a third monomer selected from acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, the molar ratio of maleic anhydride to styrene to the third monomer being from about 30:10:60 to 50:40:10, and the alkali metal, ammonium and lower aliphatic amine salts thereof, the weight-average molecular weight of hydrolyzed terpolymer being from about 500-10,000. The process is preferred wherein the third monomer is acrylamide or acrylic acid.
A final feature of the present invention is the process of drilling a well wherein a clay-containing drilling fluid is employed, having the improvement which comprises maintaining the fluid in a flowable state at elevated temperatures by incorporating therein from about 0.01-25 pounds per barrel total composition of a hydrolyzed copolymer of maleic anhydride and a second monomer selected from acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, the molar ratio of maleic anhydride to the second monomer being from about 25:75 to 75:25, and the alkali metal, ammonium and lower aliphatic amine salts thereof, the weight-average molecular weight of hydrolyzed copolymer being from about 500-10,000. The process is preferred wherein the second monomer is acrylamide.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The hydrolyzed terpolymers and copolymers employed in preparing the drilling fluids of this invention can be prepared by known methods such as are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,065,607, 4,223,120 and 4,390,670. At times, the terpolymer and copolymer compositions were further modified by treatment with strong acids or caustic as described in this invention. For example, a terpolymer useful in the present invention is formed by first contacting from 30 to 50 mole percent maleic anhydride with from 1 to 21 weight percent di-t-butyl peroxide based on total monomers in an appropriate reaction solvent. The mixture is heated to the appropriate temperature and then from 10 to 40 mole percent styrene and 60 to 10 mole percent acrylamide are continuously added as separate streams to the reaction mixture, preferably at such a rate so as to complete addition within a time period of from 15 to 180 minutes. The usual addition time period is approximately 30 to 60 minutes.
To form a copolymer useful in the present invention, from 30 to 70 mole percent maleic anhydride is contacted with from 30 to 70 mole percent acrylamide or methacrylamide in the same manner as that described for the terpolymers except that the third monomer is omitted. The reaction is preferably conducted under an inert atmosphere, e.g., nitrogen. Agitation of the reaction mixture is preferably maintained throughout the course of the reaction, e.g., by stirring or sparging.
Isolation of the unhydrolyzed polymer can be accomplished by any of the standard techniques available and known to the art. The preferred method includes washing the filtered reaction material with organic solvents such as ether, tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and similar nonpolar, nonhydroxylic organic solvents. This will yield polymer substantially free of unreacted monomer. Normally the hydrolyzed polymer is isolated as an aqueous solution, by addition of water to the hot reaction mixture, followed by layer separation, and subsequent removal of residual solvents and monomers by azeotropic distillation.
The alkali metal, and ammonium salts of the hydrolyzed polymers can be formed by adding the alkali metal base, ammonia, ammonium hydroxide or organic amine to the water solution of the hydrolyzed terpolymer or by employing the base or acid directly to hydrolyze the unhydrolyzed terpolymer or copolymer. Subsequent removal of the water will allow isolation of the desired terpolymer or copolymer salt or it may be used directly in aqueous solution without isolation. Common alkali metal bases include sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and lithium hydroxide. Common ammonium bases and amines include ammonium hydroxide, ammonia, mono-, di-, and trialkyl amines having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms in each alkyl group and morpholine. Common acids include sulfuric, hydrochloric, or phosphoric acids or sulfonic acid ion-exchange resins.
To prepare the drilling fluids of the present invention the polymers described above will be admixed with standard drilling muds, either weighted or unweighted. Generally a clay such as bentonite and a low yield clay (Rev Dust) will be added to water in a mixer and mixed thoroughly. Various additives can then be included such as sodium chloride, ferrochrome lignosulfonate, sodium hydroxide, lignite, lime dust, and if desired, a weighting agent such as barite. All of the chosen ingredients will be mixed thoroughly and the mud generally will be allowed to age at least overnight. The prepared mud will then be re-mixed under high shear, its pH will be adjusted to about 10, if needed, and from 0.01-25 pounds per barrel of one of the polymers described will be added with stirring. The pH will then be readjusted to about 10.5 with base, if needed.
The efficacy of these drilling fluids under high temperatures can be evaluated by determining the standard shear stress (dyne/cm 2 ) versus shear rate (sec -1 ) plots as a function of increasing fluid temperature. These data are automatically generated by Model 50C FANN VISCOMETER. The temperature at which the mud gells or degrades is noted by a sharp increase in fluid viscosity which appears as an abrupt discontinuity in the FANN rheology plots. The mud performance data in Table 3 shows comparative fluid gelation temperatures for the polymers of this invention versus prior art thinners. One standard drilling fluid is a freshwater bentonite mud which contains the low-temperature thinner, ferrochrome lignosulfonate. The second drilling fluid which represents a more severe and more realistic high-temperature test contains a barite-weighted mud without lignosulfonate.
In the field, these drilling fluids are employed by injecting them directly into the wells which are being drilled for oil, gas, or water explorations, such as water or steam-dominated geothermal wells. The amount and type of fluid utilized will vary with well depth, pipe diameter, and geology encountered. Formation characteristics, borehole properties, drilling depth, contaminants, temperatures and pressures encountered and drilling fluid weight will influence the determination of quantities to be utilized in order to achieve the desired effect. In addition, the particular properties of the fluid produced will also influence the determination of quantities needed in the process. Because of this, it is impossible to specifically state nominal usage levels under all environments or conditions. Those skilled in the art of drilling will be able to easily determine use levels by testing samples obtained from the borehole, checking formation characteristics, monitoring mud viscosity, fluid loss and temperatures and by otherwise determining the rheological properties that will be required. Nevertheless, it can be stated that under most high temperature drilling conditions, about 0.1-10 pounds per barrel of the polymers described will be used in unweighted bentonite fluids while somewhat higher levels may be required in weighted fluids.
The examples and preparative examples to follow are illustrative and do not limit the scope of this invention as defined in the claims.
PREPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1
To a one liter, 4-neck round bottom flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer, thermometer, and reflux condenser topped with a nitrogen inlet was added xylenes (146.0 g), methyl isobutyl ketone (146.0 g), powdered maleic anhydride (83.2 g, 0.85 mole), and di-t-butyl peroxide (9.38 g, 0.06 mole). The flask was purged with nitrogen and then maintained under a nitrogen atmosphere. The mixture was heated to reflux (128°-130° C.), and then separate streams of styrene (21.6 g, 0.21 mole) and acrylamide (67.1 g, 0.94 mole) were added continuously over 1 hour. The resulting polymeric dispersion was heated at reflux for an additional 5 hours. The mixture was cooled to approximately 90° C. and hot water (365 g) was added. The mixture was reheated and maintained at reflux for 1 hour. Stirring and heating were stopped and the layers were allowed to separate. After the organic layer was decanted, the aqueous layer was reheated to reflux and residual solvent was azeotropically distilled (approximately 100 ml of distillate was removed over 2 hours).
The polymer solution was cooled to room temperature to afford 418.9 g (45.6% solids) of a dark amber solution; yield 111% based on charged monomers.
The molecular weight distribution of the hydrolyzed terpolymer was determined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a series of three 27.5 cm 60 A° gel permeation columns using an acetate-phosphate buffer eluent adjusted to pH 7.4 with 1 N aqueous sodium hydroxide, the columns being calibrated with 1,2,3,4-butane-tetracarboxylic acid and polyacrylic acids of known molecular weight. This analysis indicated that the above terpolymer has a weight-average molecular weight of 3100 and a dispersity of 3.1. Combustion analyses and acid values (meq H + /g active polymer using a pH=11.0 endpoint) were determined on solid samples of the isolated hydrolyzed terpolymers. In the case of aqueous polymer solutions in which the polymer is present in its free acid form (no alkali metal salts) the solution was freeze dried and then the solid polymer was analyzed for C, H, and N, as well as, Karl Fischer water determination. A weighted sample of the solid polymer was also titrated to a pH 11.0 endpoint with standardized aqueous caustic. For polymer solutions in their salt or partial salt forms, these solutions were ion-exchanged through a sulfonic acid resin and then freeze dried. The terpolymer of example #1 contained gN/gC=2.9×10 -2 and meq H + /g=8.1 at pH=11.0).
PREPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2
The aqueous polymer solution (418.9 g, 45.6% solids) of Example 1 was heated to reflux with stirring. Once at reflux, a 50% (w/w) sodium hydroxide solution (137.5 g, 1.72 mole NaOH) was added slowly over 30 minutes. Antifoam agent (5-10 ppm) was added, and then an ammonia/water condensate (137.5 g) was distilled from the reaction over 6 hours. An amber polymer solution (pH=9.2) was obtained which contained approximately 51% solids.
Ion-exchanged polymer possessed meq H + /g=10.3 at pH=11.0; gN/gC=8.1×10 -2 ; Mw=3000 with dispersity of 3.2.
PREPARATIVE EXAMPLE 3
Maleic anhydride (166.4 g, 1.70 mole) and di-t-butyl peroxide (18.8 g, 0.13 mole) were added to 600 g. of methyl isobutyl ketone which was placed in a flask equipped with mechanical stirrer, reflux condenser, and a nitrogen inlet. The flask was purged and maintained under dry nitrogen while the reactants were heated to reflux. Once at reflux (124° C.), a solution of styrene (43.2 g, 0.41 mole) in glacial acrylic acid (136.1 g, 1.89 mole) wad added continuously over 3.5 hours. The yellowish polymer solution was heated at reflux (117° C.) for an additional 0.75 hours and then cooled to room temperature.
To one half (˜500 ml) of the above polymer solution, 0.8 liters of water was added. The resulting mixture was heated to reflux and then methyl isobutyl ketone/water azeotrope was distilled overhead. After approximately 500 ml of distillate was removed, the product was cooled to room temperature to give 416.7 g (47.3% solids; 114% yield) of a greenish-yellow, aqueous, polymer solution. (Freeze Dried terpolymer: meq H + /g=13.0 at pH=11.0; Mw=5610 with D=3.5).
PREPARATIVE EXAMPLE 4
The second-half of the MIBK terpolymer solution from Example 3 was slowly added to stirred diethyl ether (1.5 liters) to precipitate the anhydride form of the terpolymer. The solid was rapidly filtered at reduced pressure and then dried in vacuo to give 160.9 g (93% yield) of white powder. The solid polymer was then slowly added at room temperature to stirred, concentrated ammonium hydroxide (1.2 liters). The hazy solution was stirred overnight and then concentrated to a solid (174.0 g) at reduced pressure. Ion-exchanged polymer: meq H + /g=10.9 at pH=11.0; gN/gC=9.2×10 -2 ; Mw=5610 with D=3.5).
PREPARATIVE EXAMPLE 5
The terpolymer solution of Example 1 was heated at reflux for an additional 30-48 hours. The solution was cooled to room termperature and then 300 grams of 12.5 M NaOH solution was added with stirring over 5 minutes. The temperature of the polymer solution rose to approximately 70° C. during mixing. Once the addition was completed, the solution was rapidly heated to reflux and maintained at reflux for 80 minutes. The solution was cooled to give a 27% active amber terpolymer solution.
(Freeze dried polymer after ion-exchange: gN/gC=7.1-10 -2 and meq H + /g=9.7 at pH=11.0).
PREPARATIVE EXAMPLE 6
To 500 grams of a 40% (w/w) polymer solution of Example 1 was added approximately 610 ml of DOWEX 50W-X8H + ion-exchange resin (acid form). The mixture was heated at reflux with stirring for 24 hours. The mixture was cooled to room temperature and then filtered at reduced pressure. A 40% hydrolyzed terpolymer solution was obtained.
(Freeze dried terpolymer: gN/gC=6.7×10 -2 and meq H + /g=8.5 at pH=11.0).
Table 1 shows sundry process variations in hydrolyzed terpolymer syntheses.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________TERPOLYMER SYNTHESES PROCESS DATA COMON- POLY- CHARACTERIZATION DATA di-t- OMER MERIZA- gN/ Bu.sub.2 O.sub.2 ADD TION AQUEOUS gC × 10.sup.+2MONOMERS SOLVENT (mole TIME TIME HYDROLYSIS MeqH.sup.+ /g (ion-(mole %) (wt. %) %) (HR) (HR) TIME (HR) YIELD Mw/D (pH = 11.0) exchanged)__________________________________________________________________________ MAN/AAM/STY Xylenes/ 3.0 1.0 6.0 3.0 113 3100/3.1 8.1 10.9 (43:47:10) MIBK(1:1) (61) MAN/AAM/STY MIBK 3.1 1.0 6.0 8.0 109 3600/3.1 7.5 9.3 (43:47:10) (62) MAN/AAM/STY Xylenes/ 0.5 1.0 50 20 -- 3110/3.4 -- -- (43:47:10) MIBK(1:1) (92) MAN/AAM/STY Xylenes/ 16.0 1.0 6.0 13 104 2800/2.3 -- -- (43:47:10) MIBK(1:1) (61) MAN/AAM/STY Xylenes/ 3.1 1.0 6.0 7.0 104 -- 7.3 8.1 (37:42:20) MIBK(1:1) MAN/AAM/STY MIBK 3.1 1.0 6.0 2.0 119 7850/2.3 -- -- (30:40:30) (62) MAN/AAM/STY MIBK 3.1 1.0 2.0 2.0 -- 8000/2.4 -- -- (30:30:40) (62) MAN/AAC/STY MIBK 3.8 3.5 5.5 5.0 104 3610/3.1 12.0 -- (50:30:20) (61) MAN/AAC/STY MIBK 3.8 3.5 5.5 6.0 100 4730/3.0 -- -- (35:35:30) (61)__________________________________________________________________________
PREPARATIVE EXAMPLE 7
To a 5-liter, 4-neck round bottom flask equipped as in Example 1 was added methyl isobutyl ketone (2.4 kg), powdered maleic anhydride (588.4 g, 6.0 mole), and di-t-butyl peroxide (66.2 g, 0.45 mole). The flask was purged with nitrogen and then heated to reflux. Once at reflux, aliquots of acrylamide (36×11.85 g, 6.0 mole) were added at 5 minute intervals over a three hour period. Once these additions were completed, the thick polymer slurry was heated at reflux for an additional 12 hours. The mixture was cooled to 60° C. and then suction filtered. The copolymer was washed with ether (2×200 ml), filtered, and then dried in vacuo. A white solid (1113.4 g) was obtained in 110% yield.
(Dried copolymer: meq H + /g=8.0 at pH=11.0; gN/gC=15.5×10 -2 ; Mw=2350 with D=2.3).
PREPARATIVE EXAMPLE 8
The solid copolymer (15.0 g) of Example 7 was slurried at room temperature in approximately 100 ml of 0.5 N NaOH, and then the pH was slowly adjusted to 7 by addition of 50% aqueous NaOH (˜6 ml). An aqueous copolymer solution was obtained.
Some synthetic process variations for the preparation of maleic copolymers are reported in Table 2.
TABLE 2__________________________________________________________________________COPOLYMER SYNTHESES PROCESS DATA POLY- di-t- CO- MERIZA- SOL- Bu.sub.2 O.sub.2 MONOMER TION AQUEOUS CHARACTERIZATION DATAMONOMERS VENT (mole ADD TIME HYDROLYSIS MeqH.sup.+ /g gN/(mole %) (wt. %) %) TIME (HR) (HR) TIME (HR) YIELD Mw/D (pH = 11.0) gC × 10.sup.+2__________________________________________________________________________ MAN/AAM MIBK 3.7 1.0 7.0 -- 90% 4150/4.2 -- -- (50:50) (68) MAN/AAM MIBK 3.7 1.0 7.0 -- 100% 4195/3.3 -- 25.0 (25:75) (68) MAN/AAM MIBK 3.1 2.0 7.0 7 111% 1900/2.7 9.6 10.4 (75:25) (68) MAN/AAM Xylene/ 3.8 1.0 23 -- 65% 1860/2.0 9.4 9.7 (75:25) MIBK (1:1) (66) MAN/AAC MIBK 10.0 3.0 4.0 2.0 119% 2730/3.1 15.4 -- (60:40) (54) MAN/MAAC MIBK 10.0 3.0 4.0 2.0 106% 4400/3.0 12.7 -- (60:40) (54)__________________________________________________________________________
EXAMPLE 9
Preparation of Barite-Weighted Drilling Mud (15 lbs/gal)
To 2.1 -liters of distilled water in a Premier Dispersator was slowly added Wyoming bentonite (120 g, Aquagel), Rev. Dust (300 g, Mil-White), barite (2400 g, Baroid), and lignite (24 g, Carbonox) while maintaining a relatively high (30 volts) constant shear rate. The final pH of the mud was adjusted to 10.0-10.5 with 50% (w/w) NaOH. The fluid was aged at least 16 hours in a closed container before use.
EXAMPLE 10
Preparation of Fresh Water/Bentonite Drilling Mud (9.1 lbs/gal)
To 2.1-liters of distilled water in a Premier Dispersator was slowly added Wyoming bentonite (150 g, Aquagel), Rev. Dust (300 g, Mil-White), sodium chloride (1.2 g), and 30 g ferrochrome lignosulfonate (Q-Broxin) in 23 ml of 10 N NaOH while maintaining a relatively high (30 volts) constant shear rate. The final pH of the mud was adjusted to 10.0-10.5 with 50% (w/w) NaOH. The fluid was aged at least 16 hours in a closed container before use.
EXAMPLE 11
Preparation of Dispersed Drilling Fluids and Testing
Place 500 ml of a thoroughly mixed, hydrated fluid in a Premier Dispersator and then mix for 2 minutes at high shear (30 volts). Readjust the pH to approximately 10, if required. With stirring, slowly add 2.84 grams of active dispersant (based on the free acid form) to give 2.0 pounds dispersant/barrel mud. Readjust the pH to 10.5 with 1 N NaOH and then mix to 6 minutes on Dispersator.
The rheology of the drilling fluids (shear stress versus shear rate plots) was determined from room temperature to the fluid's gelation temperature using a FANN 50C Viscometer.
Table 3 shows the comparative high-temperature performance of the drilling fluids of the present invention with prior art materials using both unweighted and weighted drilling fluids.
TABLE 3__________________________________________________________________________PERFORMANCE OF HYDROLYZED POLYMERS IN DRILLING FLUIDS (2.0 ppb) HYDROLYSIS Meq H.sup.+ /g MUD GELATION TEMPERATURE (°F.)POLYMER CONDITIONS (pH = 11.0) gN/gC × 10.sup.+2 Mw/D WEIGHTED BARITE BENTONITE__________________________________________________________________________Example 1 -- 8.1 12.9 3100/3.1 -- 400-415Example 1 6 .sub.--N HCl 8.8 9.1 -- 445 (3 hr, 35° C.)Example 1 H.sub.2 O.sub.2 /OH 7.5 -- 410 (3 hr, 25° C.)Example 2 -- 10.3 8.1 3000/3.2 450 450Example 2 0.96 mole NaOH 8.6 8.6 -- 445 (Reflux 15 hrs)Example 2 2.40 mole NaOH 10.9 5.6 3670/3.9 -- 445 (Reflux 12 hrs)Example 3 -- 13.0 -- 5610/3.5 450 --Example 4 -- 10.9 9.2 5610/3.5 440 --Example 5 -- 9.7 7.1 3100/3.1 -- 425Example 6 -- 8.5 6.7 3100/3.1 -- 428Example 7 DOWEX 50W-X8H.sup.+ 9.8 8.8 2350/2.3 445 -- (Reflux 24 hrs)Example 8 Neutralization 8.0 15.5 2350/2.3 -- 400Table 1, Sample 2 -- -- 440Table 1, Sample 4 2800/2.3 450 --Table 1, Sample 5 -- 445 --Table 1, Sample 6 7850/2.3 450 --Table 1, Sample 9 Neutralization 4730/3.0 400 --Table 2, Sample 5 Aqueous 15.4 -- 2730/3.1 400 --Table 2, Sample 6 Aqueous 12.7 -- 4400/3.0 375 --Prior Art PolymersFerrochrome Lignosulfonate (5.0 ppb) -- 340Polyacrylic Acid 4800/2.3 -- 385Maleic/Sulfonated Styrene (1:1) Copolymer 4850/2.9 300 450Maleic/Styrene (1:1) Copolymer 5060/2.7 335 --__________________________________________________________________________ | An aqueous drilling fluid suitable for high-temperature use comprising a water base, clay suspended in said base and from about 0.01-25 pounds per barrel total composition of a hydrolyzed terpolymer of maleic anhydride, styrene and a third monomer selected from acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, the molar ratio of maleic anhydride to styrene to said third monomer being from about 30:10:60 to 50:40:10, and the alkali metal, ammonium and lower aliphatic amine salts thereof, the weight-average molecular weight of said hydrolyzed terpolymer being from about 500-10,000. An improved drilling process wherein such fluids remain flowable at elevated temperatures is also disclosed. | 2 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/050,092 and 13/050,333, both filed on Mar. 17, 2011. The contents of both applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
Typically, the business knowledge and user terminology of an enterprise are distributed throughout an entire company, in the way the employees speak to one another, and in the many documents of the company.
Business software applications used by enterprises are built from business objects that group/encapsulate the definition of business terminology according to relevant content information (e.g. attributes defining business data which are described by underlying global data type) used by the application. For example, a defined business object, such as a material business object provides business-related terminology, such as the definition of the material (e.g., medium-density fiberboard in a home improvement company) and the material names (e.g., MDF) used/defined in a particular company. In addition, the acronym “MDF” may also refer to a product, such as a “metallic dual faucet.” In this situation, there are different subject matter categories. In the particular instance, there is a product category, and sub-categories for wood products, (e.g., the medium density fiberboard), and plumbing products (e.g., the metallic dual faucet).
In addition, in large enterprises, a term may not have the same acronym from one division to the next, or, as above, the acronym may have an entirely different definition. Furthermore, an accounting department may have similar terms or acronyms as a sales department. A common problem is how to detect, and determine the business terminology being used within all divisions of the company, and how to consolidate it in a category-oriented data structure.
A challenge to accomplishing the indexing of data values is how to detect and determine the business terminology that is used in the everyday vernacular of the enterprise, and then consolidating the determined business terminology in respective categories. The consolidating of the business terminology into categories for a specific business may be developed manually by populating a database with the specific business terms and their definitions. However, such a manual approach is time consuming and costly.
An existing solution allows only the import of preconfigured semantic terminology, or the manual creation and/or adaption of information stored in a semantic network having domains, terms and term types.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system for building the semantic network according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method for building the semantic network according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary hardware configuration for implementing a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The proposed solution uses the business terminology stored in business applications and exposed via business objects and search engine to build business terminology. The creation process is an automatic process that requires the import of an initial configuration which is typically provided by the business application provider (e.g. SAP).
Business data is typically organized in business objects, and is accessed by data connectors according to a data structure definition. The business objects as a source of data are used to define structure of searchable sources; this means, the BO elements are mapped to the search source elements. The particular elements of the search sources definition are assigned indirectly (via BO elements) to the global data types. Such defined search sources are user to build data indexes. A search engine simplifies accessing the business data by searching the data indexes. This is because each searchable data contains the back reference to the original business data. For example, an end-user calls the search engine to find required data, and then uses the search engine to open the original business data. Therefore, business objects, search source definitions and indexes of data values are ideal sources of terminology because they provide definitions of terms as well as term metadata.
A semantic network is a network that represents semantic relations among terms (e.g., concepts). The semantic network may be used as a form of knowledge representation, and therefore may be used to model business knowledge in companies and their various parts, e.g. as enterprise knowledge and/or terminology. The semantic network may be used with different techniques to identify the meaning of the term and/or sentence in a search request, but mainly the search terms are defined as words in some order or relation. The semantic network allows for creation of terms, i.e., phrases that are defined by types which characterize or specify the particular term. Although, a term may be assigned to different types. Additionally, the term may be used in different knowledge areas and may have a different (or slightly different) meaning for each area. The semantic network may be organized according to different knowledge areas, or knowledge domains. The semantic network may contain business information organized according to domain-grouped (knowledge domain) terminology and its relationships, which allows defining the meaning of particular terms (definition of terminology types) and related terms (e.g. synonyms, homonyms).
A knowledge domain, similar to a subject matter category, may be a data structure to group terms that belong to the same subject or expertise area, for example, information technology (IT), finance, etc. The expertise area may be grouped into subject matter categories, or knowledge domains, which may be used to specify the context of the required information and deliver data with better quality. Typically, the business knowledge and the terminology used is distributed through the whole company through the jargon used by company employees as well as in the many documents associated with the company. A problem in any enterprise is how to share among employees the currently used business terminology to simplify business communication, e.g. providing phrase or term suggestions in composing documents, like mail, documentations, marketing documents and flyers, etc., and how to update the terminology in a near-real time manner. Additionally, the same business knowledge (in the form of a business semantic network) may be reused in other business areas, e.g., searching for business information, documents or data.
A common usage for relating business terminology may be in search engines, where the network may be searched using different techniques to identify the meaning of the term and/or sentence. Search terms may be defined as words in some order or relation. The searched term may then be interpreted by the search engine as a string/term. For example, the search result for “Lotus” may be divided into results about “Lotus” as a model of a car, “Lotus” as a brand of car oil, and “Lotus” as a flower. In this situation, there may be different knowledge domains, or information categories, in which the search results may be categorized. The “Lotus” example presents different elements that are used to create terms in a semantic network, for example, the term “Lotus” as a model of a car, “Lotus” as a brand of car oil could be provided by the material business object and the semantic terminology importer (see the structure extractor, 124 . 1 ) may map the BO attributes to the different term type. The computer application provider may provide the initial configuration of a mapping schema and the customer may adapt it to their current system configuration. This is because the meaning of the data may be defined in the customer system by a customizing definition, for example, as a domain specific language and the structure extractor can be adapted to the current customer setting. The third variant—“Lotus” as a flower can be, for example, defined by a separate business object or not imported if the customer is not interested in the “Lotus” as a flower definition. The customer may define in the semantic terminology importer 124 . 1 the scope of interest for particular search results; in other words, which means the business objects that are more relevant to the operation of the business enterprise are used to create relevant business terminology.
Embodiments provide a method for building a semantic network. The exemplary method may include accessing a search request definition. Data terms in a search request may be retrieved according to the search request definition. A data terms data structure may be accessed, and the processor may be determine if data terms in the search request already exist in knowledge domain data structures. Based on a determination that the data term in the search request does not exist in the domains, the processor may create terms using current domain, terminology and terminology types to create terms. Links may be generated from newly created terms to pre-existing terms that are related by terminology type in other domains. A terminology definition may be verified based on the newly created term.
Embodiments may also provide a machine readable storage medium embodied with computer instructions for causing a processor to execute a process for building a semantic network. The processor may access a search request definition. Data terms in a search request may be retrieved by the processor according to the search request definition. A data terms data structure may be accessed by the processor, and the processor may be determine if data terms in the search request already exist in knowledge domain data structures. Based on a determination that the data term in the search request does not exist in the domains, the processor may create terms using current domain, terminology and terminology types to create terms. The processor may, according to the program instructions, generate links from any newly created terms to pre-existing terms that are related by terminology type in other domains. A terminology definition may be verified based on the newly created term.
A system for building a semantic network may include a database, a user input-output device, and a processor. The database may store data related to an enterprise. A user input-output device may be coupled to the database. The processor may be responsive to inputs from the user input device and coupled to the database. The processor may further be configured to perform process steps to build the semantic network. The processor may access a search request definition. Data terms in a search request may be retrieved by the processor according to the search request definition. A data terms data structure may be accessed by the processor, and the processor may be determine if data terms in the search request already exist in knowledge domain data structures. Based on a determination that the data term in the search request does not exist in the domains, the processor may create terms using current domain, terminology and terminology types to create terms. The processor may generate links from any newly created terms to pre-existing terms that are related by terminology type in other domains. A terminology definition may be verified based on the newly created term.
An initial configuration may be provided by a computer application provider, or which may be generated by a user. Commonly, the initial configuration includes primarily a business object (BO) definition (BO elements) and global data type definitions (GDTs) in a data structure or hierarchical configuration of domains and terms types. Additionally, the computer application provider may provide the configuration of the search sources, its elements and default/initial mapping which is used by the semantic terminology importer to create custom-specific terminology. The software provider, e.g. SAP or other software provider, understands the business objects and its business logic, therefore may define the configuration to simplify import process at or by the customer system. This configuration may be used by the customer system without modifications, for example, the customer may use the “standard” configuration of the business object. If the customer has done some customizing modifications, for example, has slightly different definition/understanding of the particular BO elements that are then mapped to knowledge domains and/or term types), the customer may modify them before the customer starts the import actions. This data structure or hierarchical configuration of domains and term types may be used as a basis to build a custom-specific semantic network. The business objects may be used to build knowledge domains (or domains for short) in a business semantic network. The business object (BO) definition, can be used as a source of metadata (e.g. BO elements and the assigned global data types (GDT)) and as a source for terminology types (so-called term types) for construction of the knowledge domain. The terms may be collected and defined (e.g., as in a word list) to provide a common repository of terms used by various users. The term types may define the usage of the assigned terms that allows for classification of the terms. The term type is the term metadata. This means, the term type and metadata contains attributes that characterize the term, e.g. string, language, as a simple term or as a compound term, etc.
Embodiments provide a system including a semantic terminology importer, executing on a processor, for automatically generating a knowledge domain data structure based on business object data and structure of a business application. FIG. 1 illustrates a functional block diagram of a system utilizing a semantic terminology importer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 may include a computer application 110 , a search engine 120 , a knowledge definition database 130 and a global data type database 140 .
The computer application 110 may include computer objects 112 (broader name of business object) and web services 115 . The computer application 110 may be, for example, an invoicing application, and may interface with a user, for example, through a graphical user interface presented on a display device. Each of the computer objects 112 may comprise an object node structure 114 (broader name of business object structure). The object node structure 114 may include data elements, or attributes in metadata as well as sub-nodes. The object node structure 114 attributes may include an attribute name and an assigned global data type (GDT). Other data, for example, a local identifier, or statistics related to the object may also be included. The global data type attribute may be imported from the global data type database 140 . In addition, the computer application 110 may exchange data with the knowledge definition 130 . For example, the computer application 110 may be used by a user to update a product name, add a product, or term into the knowledge definition database 130 This may be done by the application provider when the initial knowledge definition is created. The initial knowledge definition may be imported as the initial configuration in customer system. An administrative tool 190 may be provided either externally or internally and allow an administrator user to administer the semantic knowledge (e.g., the terminology in semantic network).
The web services 115 of the computer application 110 may be computer object methods that respond to requests or executing processes of the computer application 110 . For example, the computer application 110 may need data that is related to a process being executed and may submit a request via a particular web service 115 to the search engine 120 . In response, the search engine 120 may send a request for particular data to the particular web service 115 . In response to the received requests, the web services 115 may provide the appropriate object method to satisfy the request. The search engine may use this web service to obtain BO data from the computer application. The computer application provider may define a default web service and the customer, if necessary, may adapt/extend the new web service or provide a new web service, which may be dependent on customer requirements/application adaptations.
The search engine 120 may include data connector 120 , data indexes 122 , search manager 123 , semantic terminology importer 124 , knowledge importer 125 and semantic network 126 . The search manager 123 may control the operation of the search engine 120 , and be communicatively coupled with the computer application 110 via web services 115 , the global data types 140 and the knowledge definition 130 . The search manager 123 may exchange data with the data indexes 122 and semantic network 126 . The data connector 120 may include data structure definition 120 . 1 , which defines the structure of search sources and its elements and the data used by the particular enterprise. The global data types are used respectively in search sources and the search source's elements bases/maps on computer object elements because the definition of search sources and their respective elements bases/maps on computer object elements via the link between computer search engine 120 and global data types 140 . The same global data types and search source elements and computer object elements are used in semantic terminology importer 124 . The semantic network 126 may include data structures for the knowledge domain 126 . 1 , terms 126 . 2 and the term types 126 . 3 . The knowledge domain 126 . 1 may include a plurality of knowledge domains related to the data terms in terms 126 . 2 and term types 126 . 3 . The knowledge domains 126 . 1 may be ordered hierarchically, which allows for knowledge grouping, for example, as in the “Lotus” example above, the first two meanings may belong to similar knowledge domains, and the last meaning may have nothing in common with the first two means, and may be defined in a completely different category/knowledge group (e.g., as a flower). The structure of the plurality of knowledge domains in knowledge domain 126 . 1 may be configured to include links (e.g., addresses or pointers) to related terms and/or term types in terms 126 . 2 and term types 126 . 3 . The semantic network 126 once built may be continuously updated. Each of the knowledge domain 126 . 1 , terms 126 . 2 and the term types 126 . 3 data structures may be updated based on data imported to the search engine 120 by the knowledge importer 125 as well as by the semantic terminology importer 124 .
The semantic terminology importer 124 may include a structure extractor module 124 . 1 , a data extractor module 124 . 2 and a related term analyzer 124 . 3 . The structure extractor module 124 . 1 may contain the default meaning of the business objects, its elements, and search sources and its elements. Additionally, the structure extractor module 124 . 1 may contain mapping/modeling of data transfer conditions between source data structures (business objects, its elements, and search sources and its elements) and its destinations; therefore the structure extractor module may access the data structures of the semantic network 126 . For example, the structure extractor 124 . 1 may access one or all of knowledge domain 126 . 1 , term 126 . 2 and term types 126 . 3 . The term types 126 . 3 may include metadata related to term and the knowledge domain as well as additional information related to the term type. Data in the term 126 . 2 may include domain identifiers, term identifiers, and its relations. Similarly, term types in types 126 . 3 may include type identifiers, and its metadata that describes particular type (similar to element type and its description—global data type). Meanwhile, the data extractor 124 . 2 may extract data from both the semantic network 126 and the data indexes 122 . After processing the extracted data according to the extracted structure, the processed data may be incorporated into the semantic network 126 .
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method for building the semantic network according to an embodiment of the present invention. A computer processor may be configured to execute program instructions to perform the method 200 . In step 210 , an initial configuration provided by the application provider may be imported into the semantic network (as an initial set of domains, terms and term types), and relationship mapping between source structures (business computer objects, the business computer object's elements, and search sources and the search source's elements) and target elements and respective assignment/link conditions (simple assignment and/or relation model) may occur. As mentioned above, the initial configuration may contain business object definitions and global data type definitions. After a search request is entered by a user for a particular term, the semantic terminology importer 124 via a structure extractor 124 . 1 , for example, using data from the initial configuration and/or data configured/modified by the customer (e.g., a customer-related adoption that reflect customer-specific deviations from the standard application configuration/customizing) may, at step 220 , access the search request definition. The search request definition (which may include objects defined on the search sources using elements which defines the access to the particular indexes—search source specific interface defined to support attributed search in business objects) may, for example, define which business data may be accessed by the semantic terminology importer 124 , and may incorporate data objects from the initial configuration imported in step 210 . The data extractor 124 . 2 may, at step 230 , access the terms data structure 126 . 2 to extract, for example, business application data—terminology. During the accessing of the search request definition and the terms data structure, the search engine 125 may also access, at step 240 , indexes already created (either in the initial configuration, by the semantic terminology importer 124 , or by a user) for each business/computer object data (search source) and may provide the access by using, for example, an object request. In other words, the search engine may use the indexes that the search engine provides as the best hits (result containing business information) for particular requests. Because the indexes are built from the search source definition (which are created from the computer object/business object definition), the semantic terminology importer 124 may access the data indexes directly (data containing in the indexes) and map data/transfer data directly from index to semantic network, thereby creating, or updating, terms, domains and term types. Therefore, the data extractor 124 . 2 does not have to call the search requests every time it obtains data.
Also, in step 240 , the data extractor 124 . 2 may access the same indexed business information via defined request attributes. The defined request attributes may include, for example, an attribute identifier (ID), name of the attribute in business objects, attribute type and length, and a description. The name of the attribute in a business object may be an identifier that allows assignment of the business object definition element, which can be used by the semantic terminology importer 124 in the assignment/mapping conditions and furthermore its global data type which may extend the definition of the term types.
Using this information, the semantic terminology importer 124 may, at step 250 , take an existing definition of particular domains in knowledge domain 126 . 1 and the terminology types from term types 126 . 3 to call for terminology, which may be stored in particular indexes within term 126 . 2 . For example, if the semantic terminology importer 124 is tasked to fill the material domain with values of material data types, the indexes containing material data may be called via respective search request attributes to obtain existing terms in a customer system. The same may happen in other domains for appropriate business object data according to the search request.
Each result provided by the search engine may contain a search term and related terms in a result object that are used by the related term analyzer 124 . 3 . The related term analyzer 124 . 3 is then accessed by or linked to data extractor 124 . 2 to enrich existing terminology. The search engine can be configured to provide a certain number of related terms in each result. This means the related term analyzer 124 . 3 may analyze a particular domain according to a domain identifier within knowledge domain 126 . 1 to determine if the related term already exists in the particular domain, and if none exists, a new term is created (Step 260 ). By this process, the most often used terms in the result object (at least in this particular customer business application) may be automatically detected. The most often used terms may be stored as additional terms in a particular knowledge domain 126 . 1 of the semantic network 126 .
The semantic terminology importer 124 can be additionally configured to support the extraction of grouped attribute values, for example, attributes that are provided by a business computer object in separate elements but which belong together, for example, a company name and its abbreviations, amount and unit, data and date format, time and time zone, and the like. The business object provider may group any number of defined attributes together and therefore reflect its specific meaning. For example, the customer may configure some attributes or group of attributes that defines the assignment of the business data (terms) to different terminology types. The typical example could be some attribute that defines different types of material, in which case the attributes may be assigned to different term types (reflection of material classification).
When a term is not found in any particular domain at step 260 , the semantic terminology importer 124 , at step 270 , may use the current domain identifier, terminology and terminology type identifiers to create terms. New terms may be created by calling a method of the semantic network (that operates like a SQL command) to create/update terms, domains and term types. Data access request (direct access to data index does not require building of search call) may be created using the initially imported semantic terms from the initial configuration, for example, and the subsequent access requests may be generated using newly imported/created terminology. This functionality may use defined “stopping” conditions that an administrator may define as how many new values must be retriever before an import process in particular domain stops providing search results.
Such created terms in a knowledge domain (identified by domain ID and term ID which describes a unique meaning of the term in particular knowledge domain) may be linked with already existing terms in other knowledge domains at step 280 . In other words, the terms may be linked with other terms defined in other business objects. The terminology extractor uses the business object definition to build links between the terms.
Additionally, a terminology administrator, for example, a person that may be responsible for administering the semantic knowledge (e.g., the terminology in semantic network) can verify the terminology definition and modify the term definition (e.g. add related terms) at step 290 . The terminology administrator can be used as a convenient tool to build links, e.g. usage of external terminology definition (e.g. third-party definition—lexicons) to propose related terms. Otherwise, links may be created automatically by referencing metadata connections in the data indexes (e.g., 122 ), knowledge domain (e.g., 126 . 1 ), term data structure (e.g., 126 . 2 ), and term type metadata (e.g., 126 . 3 ) by the semantic terminology importer 124 . Alternatively, links may be formed either by both the administrator and the semantic terminology importer 124 .
The building of the semantic knowledge, e.g. structuring and entering of the terminology and its organization (assignment to domains and term types) in each company is time consuming (high cost of implementation) and very often error prone (many terms, domains, term types). Therefore, the process simplification—defining of automatic process that supports the terminology creation brings a huge savings in the implementation phase of the semantic-based solutions (e.g. Semantic Business Applications and its usage in other business applications—ERP, CRM, SCM, etc.)
The above-described exemplary solution supports automatic creation for each business object; this means business application provider (e.g. SAP) provides initial configuration—domains mapped to BO definition and term types defined from BO element definition and the whole content—terms used by customer are then automatically created from content stored in business application and available via search results. In addition, embodiments use the business terminology (e.g. material, products, customers, etc.) stored in business applications and exposed via business objects to the search engine. The terminology may be, in an automatic way, obtained and used to create terms in a semantic network.
The building of the semantic knowledge, e.g. structuring and entering of the terminology and its organization (assignment to domains and term types) in each company is time consuming (a high cost of implementation) and very often error prone (many terms, domains, term types). Therefore, the process simplification—defining of automatic process that supports the terminology creation brings a huge savings in the implementation phase of the semantic-based solutions (e.g. Semantic Business Applications and its usage in other business applications—ERP, CRM, SCM, etc.). And finally, the solution allows a better understanding of business terminology used in particular company and defined/used by business experts and its sharing is very critical part of the daily job.
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary hardware configuration for implementing a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 300 may comprise one or more networked servers 310 and 315 , one or more client terminals 321 , 323 , 324 and 326 , data storage devices 317 , wired and wireless communication links 340 , 342 , wireless access point 334 , and a portable device(s) 331 . The one or more networked servers 310 and 315 may execute a multi-application software system. The servers 310 , 315 may include processor(s), internal memory and related computer program instructions (all not shown).
The server 310 and/or 315 may execute on a processor a search engine program (as described with respect to FIG. 1 ) that facilitates generation of a semantic network including data transfers between the networked servers 310 and 315 , and the client terminals 321 , 323 , 324 and 326 , and/or portable device(s) 331 over wired or wireless communication paths. The server 310 may access data storage device(s) 317 that store machine-readable software instructions that may be accessed and executed by the processor(s) of the server 310 .
The data storage device(s) 317 also may store data related to the operation of an enterprise including generated by the search engine and the semantic network interpreter. The data storage device 317 that may be a hard disk drive, non-volatile memory, flash memory, or any suitable device for storing electronic data, and may be organized as a object-oriented or relational database. The data storage may maintain hierarchical data structures containing information related to a variety of different business functions of an enterprise. For example, in a human resources environment, department staffing including headcount, projected growth, and attrition, employee profiles and salary information, key positions and employee performance, and the like may be maintained. Or, in an accounting environment, invoicing, accounts due, accounts payable, projected revenue and the like may be maintained.
The servers 310 and 315 may communicate with client terminal(s) 321 , 323 , 324 , 326 and portable device(s) 331 via network connections 340 and 342 . The client terminals 321 , 323 , 324 , 326 may include a processor, display device, and data storage device, such as a hard disk (all not shown). The client terminals 321 , 323 , 324 , 326 may participate in execution of program instructions. The portable device 331 may be a smartphone, personal digital assistant, tablet, notebook or mini-notebook computer capable of wired and/or wireless communication. The portable device 331 may include memory, a processor, input device, display, and devices that enable wired or wireless communication.
The number of servers, number of clients and topology of the network connections between them are immaterial to the present discussion unless otherwise noted. For example, in a human resources environment, department staffing including headcount, projected growth, and attrition, employee profiles and salary information, key positions and employee performance, and the like may be maintained. Or, in an accounting environment, invoicing, accounts due, accounts payable, projected revenue and the like may be maintained.
The exemplary method and computer program instructions may be embodied on a machine readable storage medium such as a computer disc, optically-readable media, magnetic media, hard drives, RAID storage device, and flash memory. In addition, a server or a database server may include machine readable media configured to store machine executable program instructions. The features of the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof and utilized in systems, subsystems, components or subcomponents thereof. When implemented in software, the elements of the disclosed embodiments are programs or the code segments used to perform the necessary tasks. The program or code segments can be stored on machine readable storage media. The “machine readable storage media” may include any medium that can store information. Examples of a machine readable storage medium may include electronic circuits, semiconductor memory device, ROM, flash memory, erasable ROM (EROM), floppy diskette, CD-ROM, optical disk, hard disk, fiber optic medium, any electromagnetic storage device, or optical. The code segments may be downloaded via computer networks such as Internet, Intranet, etc. The disclosed embodiments may be used in a semantic business application solution to support context-related search in SAP business applications (e.g. SAP ERP, SAP CRM, etc.) and/or non-SAP systems. The business knowledge provided by a semantic network can be used by all business applications, e.g. as a semantic extension.
Although the invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not limited to the above embodiments and the specific configurations shown in the drawings. For example, some components shown may be combined with each other as one embodiment, or a component may be divided into several subcomponents, or any other known or available component may be added. The operation processes are also not limited to those shown in the examples. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be implemented in other ways without departing from the sprit and substantive features of the invention. For example, features and embodiments described above may be combined with and without each other. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. | A method, machine readable storage medium, and system for generating a semantic network that utilizes existing relationships between related terms in a searchable database. Upon detection of the absence of a searched term from a database, a term data structure and indexes in a particular domain in which related terms related to the results provided by the search engine may be analyzed to determine if a new term related to the unfound search term should be created. Upon creation of the term, attributes related to the term are generated so the term may be placed in the most proper domain, and linkages to other terms in the same or different domains may be generated. All of the information is stored in the database. User input is not needed to accomplish the creation of the new term in the database. | 6 |
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/560,314 filed Nov. 17, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,690.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of telecommunication and the processes by which digital data is transmitted between computer systems over a telephone network or other communications link. The invention is particularly suitable for use in devices that support Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) digital telephone services or other serial communications.
B. Description of Related Art
The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) provides a standard method of encapsulating network layer protocol information over point-to-point links. The PPP also defines an extensible Link Control Protocol (LCP), and proposes a family of Network Control Protocols (NCPs) for establishing and configuring different network-layer protocols. The PPP is described in detail in a series of documents known as the Request For Comments, with which those of skill in the art are familiar. The Request For Comments (RFC) 1661, which is incorporated by reference herein, gives an informative overview of the PPP.
The initial deployment of the PPP has been over short local lines, leased lines, and plain-old-telephone-service (POTS) using modems. As new packet services and higher speed lines are introduced, PPP is easily deployed in these environments as well.
The PPP has three main components:
1. A procedure for encapsulating datagrams over serial links;
2. A Link Control Protocol (LCP) for establishing, configuring, and testing the data-link connection; and
3. A family of Network Control Protocols (NCPs) for establishing and configuring different network-layer protocols.
In order to establish communications over a point-to-point link, each end of the PPP link must first send LCP packets to configure the data link during the Link Establishment phase. After the link has been established, PPP provides for an optional Authentication phase before proceeding to the Network-Layer Protocol phase.
PPP encapsulation of data communications is possible when the data is transmitted over digital communication lines, such as ISDN lines. ISDN Basic Rate Service comprises two data channels (referred to as bearer channels or "B" channels), and a control channel known as the "D" channel. The ISDN D-channel can also be used for sending PPP packets when suitably framed, but is limited in bandwidth and often restricts communication links to a local switch. Since the ISDN B-channel is by definition a point-to-point link, PPP is well suited to use over ISDN lines.
The ISDN Primary Rate Interface may support many concurrent B-channel links. The PPP Link Control Protocol and Network Control Protocol mechanisms are particularly useful in this situation in reducing or eliminating hand configuration, and facilitating ease of communication between diverse implementations.
In order to accommodate ISDN data links over multiple channels simultaneously, a protocol known as PPP MultiLink or MP is used. The PPP MultiLink protocol is described in the Request For Comments 1717, which is incorporated by reference herein. A good discussion of the advantages of PPP Multilink can be found in an article authored by George E. Conant, entitled "Multilink PPP: One Big Virtual WAN Pipe", Data Communications, Sep. 21, 1995. In MP, the data stream, which consists of packets, is split up and inverse-multiplexed onto multiple channels (such as the two ISDN B channels), transmitted through the ISDN network, and then directed to the destination over multiple channels. The term "bundle", as used herein, is intended to mean a collection of links or logical connections that the are used for the communication session. In ISDN basic rate service, and where the two bearer channels are used for the session, the two bearer channels comprise a "bundle." At the destination, the data packet stream arriving in separate channels must be reconstituted or reconstructed after transiting the communication channels.
The above circumstance presents a challenge to the design of equipment for running PPP Multilink on a Primary Rate Interface server at the destination, since the server or termination point is interfacing with a large number of channels of incoming calls, two of which may together comprise a bundle. Heretofore, one approach as been that of fixed mapping, i.e., restricting all calls to a single server or gateway card. An alternative approach is time division multiplexing, but this approach has limited flexibility.
The present invention provides for a much more flexible solution. As described below, bundling information is shared between all of the termination units that receive the calls at the Primary Rate Interface. The present invention provides a method for controlling and coordinating bundles of data streams among multiple termination units, and the reconstitution of the session data at a designated termination unit for transmission of the call to the intended destination.
While the discussion below is primarily directed to an ISDN application, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the invention is applicable to any communication system in which a session arrives via multiple links at different termination units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method is provided for coordinating and controlling multiple data streams representing a session that terminates in different termination units (such as network access servers). The termination units are placed in communication with each other preferably over a local area network. One of the termination units that receives a data stream representing a call is designated as the termination unit to receive and reconstruct the call. The designated termination unit is the "owner" of the bundle. The designated termination unit may be the first termination unit to receive a call in the session, or it may be determined by an operator at the destination or host for the termination units. The designated termination unit broadcasts an "advertisement" consisting of a software structure referred to herein as a "bundle mapping update packet." The bundle mapping update packet contains an identification field to alert the other termination units that it has received the call. The identification field notifies the other termination units that if they should receive a portion of the data stream via a channel that belongs in the call originator's "bundle", representing the session, they should forward their packets of data to the designated termination unit, such as by encapsulating the packets within an MPIP redirection header.
When the other termination units receive the advertisement, they update their bundle maps and determine if any new data packet streams that arrive are designated for redirection. If so, they (1) determine from the bundle map which termination unit to send the packet stream to, (2) send an update message to the designated termination unit to let it know that it has another portion of the session, and (3) flush their buffers containing the data stream to the designated termination unit. The sharing of bundle information between the termination units gives a great deal of flexibility in the design and type of termination units that may be employed.
While the invention in its simplest form is the coordination of two termination units to handle a session over two channels, the session may take place over an arbitrary number of channels. The sharing of bundle information between a large number of termination units permits the invention to be used in much larger and more sophisticated systems. The flexibility of the present invention is believed to offer a substantial improvement over prior art method of implementing PPP Multilink in a multiple termination unit environment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Presently preferred embodiments of the invention are depicted in the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements in the various views, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a overall block diagram of a system implementing a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the invention, showing the linking of two termination units of FIG. 1 via a router and a network;
FIG. 3 is a diagram of an alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein a supervisor S exercises control over the broadcasting of bundle mapping update packets and controls the reconstruction of the data stream;
FIG. 4 is a diagram of a protocol structure for implementing the invention in a PPP Multilink environment;
FIG. 5A and 5B are is an illustration of a bundle mapping updating packet according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bundle mapping update packet containing a field identifying the designated termination unit to reconstruct the call at the destination;
FIG. 6 is an illustration of an MPIP packet according to the invention, the MPIP packet containing a multilink frame of data from the source for transmission to the designated termination unit; and
FIG. 7 is a software structure that embodies a list element. A bundle mapping table (or Link Redirection Table) is a circularly linked list comprised of the software structure of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A. System Overview
Referring to FIG. 1, a representative implementation of the invention is shown diagrammatically in a communication system 10. While the following discussion is based on an ISDN implementation, it will be appreciated that the techniques are applicable to other types of communication systems (such as T-1) and other WAN topologies. The system 10 includes a source of data 12 that is linked to a client server A (reference numeral 16) via a network or communication line 14. The client server A may be, for example, an ISDN terminal adapter, or an internal PC card in the source 12. The server A has an ISDN basic rate interface providing two bearer channels 18A and 18B for data. The channels 18A and 18 are linked to an ISDN network 20. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the client server 16 supports PPP Multilink protocol. Thus, when the client server A places a call to a destination 26, the data is split over the two bearer channels 18A and 18B and transmitted through the network 20 to a destination call receiving system 26. In this embodiment, an ISDN Primary Rate Interface with PPP Multilink is supported by the destination 26, thus the call may come in on two of the channels 22 and 24 that are part of the ISDN Primary Rate Interface.
In the representative embodiment of FIG. 1, the destination 26 is composed of a plurality of termination units for incoming calls, such as a group of network access servers 28, 30 and 32. Any number of additional termination units may be provided. The network access servers 28, 30 and 32 contain communications interface cards to receive incoming packets of data from the lines 22 and 24, and gateway cards containing suitable hardware and software systems to place the calls on a network 36 for transmission to a destination computer 38, for example, over a network. Persons of skill in the art are familiar with network access servers, and such products are available from companies such as U.S. Robotics Access Corp., 8100 N. McCormick Blvd., Skokie, Ill., the assignee of the present invention. Such network access serves are also described in the patent literature, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,595 to Dale Walsh et al., also assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which is incorporated by reference herein.
As noted above, the data stream representing the call from the source 12 is split up into two data streams that are received at the remote termination units 28 and 32. In accordance with the invention, the termination units 28, 30, 32, etc. are all in communication with each other, such as by a local area network 34. The local area network 34 may be a backplane linking the network access servers 28, 30 and 32 together over a high speed time division multiplexed bus, a Token Ring network, an Ethernet network, or any other suitable communications medium. The termination units are linked together so as to share bundling information between the termination units that happen to receive the data stream on the lines 22 and 24.
More specifically, when the call from the source is split up in lines 18A and 18B in accordance with PPP Multilink, the data streams will arrive at the destination 26 in lines 22 and 24 at different points in time. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first termination unit to receive the call, such as termination unit or network access server B, is designated as a receiving termination unit. It has the responsibility of reassembling the data stream and forwarding the data on to the remote computer 38. When it receives the call, the termination unit B broadcasts or "advertises" via the local area network 34 that it (unit B) is the designated termination unit. The broadcast is made to the other termination units in the destination 26, such as unit D. If any of the other termination units receive calls from the source 12 or client server A (such as unit D) that belong in the bundle comprising the session, they should transmit the data to the designated termination unit B. The designation of a termination unit as a termination unit for reconstituting the data stream may be made locally at the destination by a suitable control or operator program, rather than simply being the consequence of being the first termination unit to receive a call in the bundle.
This advertising or broadcasting is done by passing a software structure referred to herein as a "bundle mapping update packet" along the local area network 34. The bundle mapping update packet contains a header field that identifies the particular termination unit that is designated to reconstruct the call.
In the above example, the other termination units (such as units C, D, etc.) are also receiving calls from the other channels in the PRI, and when one of them receives a data stream that is part of the session from the source 12, the other termination unit knows to send its data stream to the receiving termination unit designated as the bundle owner because it will have received a bundle mapping update packet indicating the termination unit that it is the bundle owner. For example, if termination unit D also receives a data packet stream from the source, unit D will have received the broadcast message (i.e., bundle mapping update packet) from unit B alerting it that unit B is the designated termination unit. As the bundle mapping update packet makes its way around the local area network 34, 34, it updates a bundle map software structure resident in the termination units B, C and D, thus keeping all of the termination units up-to-date as to what calls are coming in on the PRI. Preferably, the bundle mapping update packets are circulated frequently around the termination units at the destination 26, such as every 60 to 120 seconds.
Of course, the invention can be implemented in a wide variety of network topologies, and the number and type of termination units will vary depending on the complexity of the system. Gateway cards and network access servers are just two representative examples of what is meant by "termination units". The ability to combine different types of termination units to receive the incoming calls in multiple communication channels gives an enormous amount of flexibility to the system 10, promoting an efficient utilization of PPP Multilink technology.
Referring to FIG. 2, the two termination units 28 and 32 that receive the data packet streams may be linked via a router 36 and a network 38, with the bundling information being shared between the termination units 28 and 32 via the router 36 and network 38.
As an alternative configuration, FIG. 3 illustrates how the termination units 28, 30 and 32 may be linked to each other by a network 34, with a supervisor server or computer 40 also on the network 34. The supervisor 40 monitors the sharing of bundling information among the termination units 28, 30 and 32 and directs the processing of the incoming calls among the termination units.
The embodiments of FIGS. 1-3 illustrate only a few of many possible combinations of termination units, routers, servers, local area networks, in which the invention may be implemented. Persons of skill in the art will readily appreciate that more elaborate arrangements may be designed without departure from the spirit of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the latency (i.e., delay) in routing of the portion of the call received by termination unit D to receiving termination unit B is an important factor in implementing the invention. The latency should be reduced as much as possible. Having the termination units B, C and D, etc. on a local area network, ATM (Asynchrounous Transfer Mode) network or backplane is a preferred embodiment, as this design produces a minimum of latency. The use of a supervisory controller such as supervisor 40 (FIG. 3), or routers, may increase latency and diminish performance of the system.
B. Sharing of Bundling Information
A protocol has been developed for implementing the invention in a PPP Multilink environment. We have termed this protocol the Multilink Protocol Interspan Protocol (MPIP).
FIG. 4 is a diagram of a protocol structure for implementing the invention in a PPP Multilink environment. A MAC (Medium Access Control) header and Data Frame Area are at the lowest level. Above the lowest level there is an IP (Internet Protocol) header and an IP Data Area. At the top there is a UDP (Unnumbered Data Packet) header and a UDP Data Area. MPIP packets are used to carry bundle identification headers and 1 Multilink Protocol PPP payload packet. An MPIP packet 50 is shown in FIG. 6. Note the header fields 60 and the Multilink protocol PPP packet 62 form the bulk of the MPIP packet. The Multilink Protocol PPP packet 62 in the MPIP packet 50 contains the data that is transmitted from one termination unit in the destination to the designated receiving termination unit.
The UDP IP packets are used to carry the bundle mapping update packets and MP frames. A bundle mapping update packet 70 is shown in FIG. 5 and is used to update the bundle maps in the termination units. The bundle mapping update packet 70 has an arbitrary number of bundle map update fields 72, 74, etc. The NUP field 76 identifies the number of update fields 72, 74 there are in the packet 70.
The list of entries shown in FIG. 7 are used to hold bundle information from the other termination units at the destination. These list of entries are linked together and circulated around the termination units as a linked list. Entries are created dynamically as there is no way to predict the number of termination units on the local area network 34.
The following rules govern the behavior of a chassis on the local area network 34 for this protocol.
1. Information will be sent out concerning only those bundles that are possessed by the termination units.
2. All the "owned" table (or bundle map) entries will be sent out every 60 seconds over the local area network 34.
3. The IP packet will have a broadcast destination IP and MAC addresses and a time to live of 1.
4. Entries in the table with age out in 120 seconds if not updated via periodic updates from the bundle mapping update packet.
5. When a termination unit receives a bundle advertisement from another termination unit, if it also holds a bundle with the same identification (indicating that the call came over the two data channels from the source 12 at the same time), the two will compare tie breaker values, and the one with the higher value will assume ownership of the bundle. The tie breaker values can be arbitrarily assigned, such as the physical address of the termination unit's network interface card (not shown) or some other criteria, the details of which are not important.
If the termination unit holds the lower value (it lost the tie-breaker) it adds an entry into the map for the now foreign bundle, marks the mp -- bundle -- owner field FALSE, indicating that it is not the bundle owner and, hence, is is not responsible for reconstitution of the the packet stream. The termination unit sends a new update message to the owner of the bundle identifying its stream and then flushes its buffers to the bundle owner, thereby routing the portion of the call received by the termination unit to the bundle owner. mp -- bundle -- owner is an entry in the list data structure of FIG. 7.
If the termination unit holds a higher value because it was assigned a higher value in the tie breaker, or was assigned a higher value by an operator program at the destination, it immediately sends an advertisement to the peers. Specifically, it sends out a new bundle mapping update packet over the local area network 34 to the other termination units identifying and noting its ownership of the bundle.
The following PPP routines will be modified to implement the MPIP protocol. n -- input()
This function's first test will be to check for an MPIP UDP packet. This test must be done extremely fast to prevent slowing down other IP traffic.
1. Test the IP protocol field looking for IPPROTO -- UDP.
2. If TRUE check for MPIP destination socket
3. If MPIP -- DATA -- SOCK then call asynch PPP input routine with port determined by bundle lookup. Search algorithm will key off of bundle id type and then first word or id to speed search.
4. if MPIP -- CONTROL -- SOCK then call mpip -- in().
MPIP Specific Routines
mpip -- in()
This function takes an MPIP -- CONTROL -- SOCK packet and processes it according to the type of packet. switch (type)
1. New Bundle--Check Link Redirection Table (the "LRT" otherwise know as as the bundle map) for match.
2. If the host termination unit (such as an ISDN gateway card or ISDN-GWC) owns the bundle, compare LAN MAC addresses.
If host wins send out MPIP control packet with New Bundle type.
If host loses send out MPIP control packet with New Link type.
2. If host doesn't find entry in LRT, make a new entry and mark as redirected.
2. Sustained Bundle--Check LRT for matching entry.
If found reset aging timer
If not found create a new entry marked as redirected
If found that host owns bundle, treat as New Bundle type
3. Dropped bundle--check LRT for match
If not found discard info.
If found and sender is owner of record, delete entry else discard.
4. New Link--check LRT for match
If found and host owns bundle, delete redirect link.
If not found ignore default: discard info
mpip -- send(type, mp -- bundle-struct *ptr)
This function will be responsible for the sending out of all types and sizes of packets. This keeps maintenance to a minimum.
type=MPIP -- COMPLETE(full LRT advertisement), ptr=NULL
1. If no entries in table exit
2. Get memory buffer to hold message
3. Build MPIP header with empty entries count in message buffer
4. march down table, creating one appropriate entry in the packet for each entry in the LRT.
type=MPIP -- FLASH(response to bundle ownership claims), ptr=target entry
1. get memory buffer to hold message
2. Build MPIP header with entries count equal to 1 in message buffer
3. create one entry in the packet for the entry in the LRT.
4. call network send routine
mpip -- timer()
This function runs every 5 seconds.
1. Add 5 seconds to the complete update timer.
2. Is it time to run complete update?
Yes call mpip send with MPIP -- COMPLETE code to cause all owned bundles to be advertised (invalid bundles are always advertised).
3. Run down the LRT and increase the age by 5 seconds for each entry. When an entry is 120 seconds old, it is marked as FALSE (invalid).
4. If an entry is 10 seconds past the time when it was marked invalid, delete it. This permits an aged out entry to be advertised 3 times as dead. This will ensure a faster end to orphaned redirected links than would normally occur with an aging-out.
It will be appreciated from the forgoing description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention that some variation in the above procedure is envisioned depending on the particular features of the data transmission medium, the capabilities of the termination units and the network linking the termination units. Such variations will apparent to those of skill in the art and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. This true spirit and scope is defined by the appended claims, to be interpreted in light of the foregoing specification. | A method for coordinating and controlling multiple data streams representing a data transmission session that terminate in different termination units (such as network access servers). The data streams are transmitted over two or more links, collectively forming a "bundle". The termination units are linked together preferably over a local area network. One of the termination units that receives a data stream is designated as the termination unit to receive and reconstruct the call. The designated termination unit is the "owner" of the bundle. The termination unit broadcasts an advertisement consisting of a bundle mapping update packet software structure with an identification header to alert the other termination units that it is to reconstruct the call. The identification header in the advertisement notifies the other termination units that if they should receive a portion of the data stream in the bundle, they should forward their packets of data to the designated termination unit. The sharing of bundle information between the termination units gives a great deal of flexibility in the design and type of termination units that may be employed. | 7 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to safety barriers, railings, and supports incorporating mountings that will absorb substantial impact without permanent deformation. More specifically, the present invention relates to barriers, railings, and supports that will, on a continuing and reliable basis, without frequent repair or replacement, protect personnel from injury and plant and facilities from damage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Almost every dangerous curve on a highway has some sort of a crash barrier or guardrail intended to keep an out-of-control vehicle on the highway right-of-way. After a crash, such a barrier is often sufficiently damaged to require repair in order to restore its strength to try to save the next unlucky driver.
Most factories that have indoor vehicular traffic have crash barriers to confine the vehicles to designated paths and to keep them out of areas where they are not wanted. Unless such a barrier has been exceedingly overdesigned for the weight and expected speed of the vehicles used in the factory, in time the barriers will become bent, twisted, loose from the factory floor, and otherwise deformed so as to impair their appearance and probably even impair their effectiveness.
Hand railings and other edge supports are usually placed on stairwells and ramps for the support and safety of pedestrians using those facilities. If hand trucks and perhaps larger vehicles also use those facilities, the railings, etc., must either be seriously overdesigned for pedestrian purposes or will in time become bent and deformed from impacts by the much heavier, and less yielding wheeled vehicles.
Therefore, what is needed is a low-cost barrier, guardrail, or hand railing system which can receive and shrug off, without permanent deformation, the inevitable, occasional impacts from vehicles, without the need for massive overdesign of the barrier system, while maintaining a clean and neat appearance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention contemplates a resilient safety barrier that is resiliently supported on a base of some sort comprising a barrier member with the resilient support having a perimeter calculated to resiliently support the perimeter of the barrier member, and the barrier member being biased toward the resilient support and the base, so as to allow limited, non-destructive, shock-absorbent movement of the barrier member with respect to the base.
The present invention also contemplates a resilient mounting for a post structure on the surface of a base which includes a plurality of peripherally-arranged fastening facilities, with a plurality of peripherally-arranged fastening means also associated with the post, and a plurality of individual resilient bushings supporting the post, each such bushing associated with one of the plurality of peripherally-arranged fastening facilities associated with the base and with one of the plurality of peripherally-arranged fastening means associated with the post, so as to allow limited, non-destructive, shock absorbent movement of the post with respect to the base.
The present invention further contemplates a resilient mounting for a barrier rail on at least two upright support members, with a rail member extending substantially between the two upright support members, a resilient gasket located between the rail member and each upright support member, so as to allow limited, non-destructive, shock-absorbent movement of the rail member relative to the upright support member, and with a clamp for squeezing the resilient gasket between the rail member and the upright support member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the present invention will be had from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numbers refer to the same or corresponding parts shown throughout the several views, in which:
FIG. 1 is an elevation of an upright barrier member shown partially cut away in cross section to illustrate the mounting of rails to the barrier member and the resilient support on which the barrier member is mounted to a base;
FIG. 2 is an alternative arrangement for mounting the barrier member to the resilient support;
FIG. 3 is another alternative arrangement for mounting the barrier member to the resilient support;
FIG. 4 is a partial view, in cross section, of the barrier member of FIG. 1 but showing a top resiliently held onto the barrier member;
FIG. 5 is a detail, in cross section, of an alternative top held in an alternative manner to the barrier member;
FIG. 6 is a partial cross sectional view showing one way to hold a rail to the barrier member;
FIG. 7 is a partial cross sectional view showing another way to hold a rail to the barrier member;
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an elevational view in cross section of a lightweight, resilient post-mounting structure;
FIG. 10 is a detail view of a collar used for flexibly mounting a post, with a fragment of the post shown in cross section; and
FIG. 11 is a view, taken along line 11--11 of FIG. 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, an upright, steel support member or barrier 20 of cylindrical shape is shown partially broken away in cross section. Two circular steel barrier rails or guardrails 22 are also shown, one shown in cross section. The guardrails 22 extend between the barrier 20 and another, similar barrier, not shown.
The bottom end of the upright support member or barrier 20 is preferably bent or otherwise formed inward to include a circular lip 24. A circular block 26 of an elastomer such as resilient urethane is preferably molded around the bottom end of the barrier 20 and the lip 24 with approximately the same circular shape as the barrier 20. The bottom of the urethane block is shaped flat so as to rest on a suitable base 30, usually of concrete or other paving or flooring material.
While urethane is preferred, any resilient material with advantageous mechanical properties and a strong resistance to taking a permanent set under stress can be used.
A domed steel plate 34 is preferably molded into the inside of the urethane block 26. A central hole 35 in the plate 34 accommodates a mounting bolt or stud 36 that is rigidly anchored into the base 30. The central hole 35 in the plate 34 is made slightly oversize for the stud 36, in order to allow manual adjustment of the barrier 20 and to accommodate manufacturing and installation tolerances.
While the domed plate 34 is shown molded into the inside of the urethane block 26, alternatively, a step could be formed in the inner, upper perimeter of the block 26; and the domed plate 34 could be nested into that step.
One or more (preferably three) spring washers 38 are placed around the stud 36 and on top of the plate 34. These spring washers 38 are generally dome-shaped and are compressed when, during installation of the barrier 20, a nut 40 is tightened onto the stud 36, in order resiliently to apply a substantial downward force on the plate 34 and thus hold the barrier in place. The pile-up of spring washers 38 is made by putting each spring washer in an alternating orientation as they are placed down about the stud 36.
Thus, the first spring washer 38 is placed in an orientation so that its periphery contacts the plate 34. This orientation of the first spring washer 38 has the advantage of having the periphery of the spring washer 38 extend beyond the oversize perimeter of the hole 35. The second spring washer 38 is then placed upside down with respect to the first spring washer and on top of the first spring washer, with the edge of its central aperture touching the edge of the central aperture of the first spring washer. Then the third spring washer 38 is oriented just like the first spring washer and is placed down on top of the second spring washer with the outer peripheries of the second and third spring washers in contact. In this way, the tightening of the nut 40 partially compresses the three spring washers 38 and forces or presses the plate 34 down and thus yieldably holds or biases the barrier 20 and the block 26 down to the floor or base 30.
If the base 30 is slightly uneven, such that the barrier 20 would stand tipped slightly to one side, the installer can move the barrier toward the lower side of the base 30, using some of the oversize diameter space allowed in the hole 35 through which the stud 36 extends. Then, when the nut 40 is tightened, the downward pressure is applied more strongly on the uppermost or higher side of the urethane block 26. That tends to compress the higher side of the urethane block 26 more than its lower side. That differential compression of the urethane block 26 tends to straighten the barrier 20, bringing it into a more vertical or plumb condition.
The barrier 20 is preferably made from a length of common steel pipe of sufficient diameter and thickness to do the job. It is preferred that a standard, stock size of pipe be used and cut to the desired length. Therefore, preferably, the upright barrier 20 is open at the top in order to provide access to the inside of the barrier for on-site assembly and installation. However, the barrier 20 should preferably be capped for safety and cleanliness, as a final step in the on-site assembly process.
Preferably, a cap 44 of pressed steel, molded thermoplastic rubber or any other crack-resistant, sturdy material can be mounted on the top of the upright support member or barrier 20 in order to protect anyone casually touching the barrier and to keep out dirt and moisture. Any removable mounting can be used for the cap 44. FIGS. 4 and 5 show two preferred mountings for a cap 44 and will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.
If the barrier 20 is struck by a vehicle, it will yield under the impact. The steel barrier cylinder 20 will not noticeably BEND under the impact so much as the barrier cylinder 20 will ROCK and squeeze the far side of the resilient, elastomeric urethane block 26, which will act as a high-hysteresis spring and absorb the energy of impact. The spring washers 38 will also yield slightly as the plate 34 rocks, so as to accommodate the selective squeezing of the block 26 that results from an impact. All of this is calculated to let the barrier resist the impact but yet yield under the impact without permanent deformation.
The barrier 20 can be either painted or covered by slipping a molded plastic cover over it, in order to reduce rust and defacing of its surface that would inevitably result from numerous impacts from vehicles.
The barrier 20 can stand alone to protect a corner or can be one of many vertical barriers used to protect a wall or line. Alternatively, the barrier 20 can be linked to another barrier, not shown, by a pair of guardrails 22 which provide a continuous barrier to traffic and thus protect a wall or line without necessitating an unreasonable number of individual vertical barriers.
The guardrails 22 can also be resiliently mounted to the barrier 20, as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, the guardrails 22 are made of circular steel pipe of standard, off-the-shelf size and wall thickness. A stepped urethane gasket or plug 50 is slipped into each end (only one end shown) of the guardrail 22. Each plug 50 has a central hole which accommodates a rod or shaft 54, which extends into the interior of the barrier 20. The shaft 54 has threads at least at each end thereof for cooperating with a nut 56 which pulls on the two barriers 20 that support the ends of the guardrail 22 and compresses the gasket or plug 50 at each end of the guardrail 22.
The on-site installation of the barrier 20 and guardrails 22 (if fitted to the barrier 20) can preferably be done with the cap 44 off of the cylindrical barrier 20 and only mounted on the barrier 20 as nearly the final step in the on-site installation procedure. Therefore, all of the internal assembly, such as tightening the nuts 40 and 56, can be done through the open top of the barrier 20, before the cap 44 is installed.
Alternatively, but not preferred, the cap 44 can be either integrally formed with the cylindrical barrier 20 or can be welded to the cylindrical barrier 20 at the factory and preferably not welded on site but possibly welded on site. If the cap 44 is an integral part of the barrier 20, either by integral forming or by welding, as it is delivered to the installation site, access should be provided for tightening the installation nuts 40 and 56 on site. Therefore, an access opening (not shown) can be provided on the side of the barrier 20 opposite from the expected impacts, with machine screw or other fasteners for closing the door of the access opening.
When a guardrail 22 is struck by a vehicle, not only does the upright support member or barrier 20 yield under the impact, by reason of the block 26; but the gasket or plug 50 also yields slightly in order further to absorb the energy of impact.
ALTERNATIVES
Referring now to FIG. 2, if production volume is not adequate to justify tooling to form the lip 24 at the lower end of the barrier 20, the plate 34 can be welded, for example at a weld bead 60, onto the inside of the bottom or lower end of the barrier 20. The plate 34 can be a flat circle and need not be domed. Also, the weld bead 60 can be either on the top or on the bottom of the plate 34, although the bottom might be easier and thus cheaper. Without the need to mold the lip 24 and the plate 34 (FIG. 1) into the urethane block 26, the urethane block 26 can be cut and minimally shaped from flat, but thick, urethane stock. The base 26 can be cut with a shelf 62 to support the plate 34 and the barrier 20 and to accommodate the weld bead 60, if necessary. The bottom end of the barrier 20, together with the perimeter of the plate 34 and perhaps also with the weld bead 60, thus also constitutes a shelf which rests on the shelf 62 that is formed on the resilient mounting support or block 26.
Referring now to FIG. 3, if production volume is adequate to justify significant tooling, the lip 24 at the bottom of the barrier 20 can be formed into a plurality of lips 24 bent in alternate directions around the periphery of the bottom end of the barrier 20, much like the teeth of a saw are "set" to alternate sides of the blade.
Referring now to FIG. 4, the center and one side of the barrier 20 are shown in cross section with an example of a molded cap 44 of thermoplastic rubber. In order to removably hold the cap 44 in place on top of the barrier 20, a hole 70 is preferably formed in a web or boss on the inside of the cap 44. A hook or a cut or "jump" ring 72 (not shown in cross section, for clarity) is passed through the hole 70 and preferably through a hole 74 in the top end of a resilient rubber tarp strap or "bungee" strap 76. Another hook or jump ring 78 is passed through a hole 80 at the bottom end of the resilient strap 76 and through a hole 82 formed near the top end of the stud 36. Alternatively, a loop or an eye can be formed at the top end of the stud 36 or can be welded, screwed on, or otherwise formed on the top of the nut 40.
If a hook or a cut or jump ring 72 and 78 is cut or open at one point in its circumference, the entire load that it carries resolves to a bending stress that is at a peak on the side of the ring opposite from the cut. Therefore, the rings 72 and 78 should be designed accordingly. Such cut or jump rings are commonly used, albeit on a much smaller size scale, in the jewelry art. The hooks or jump rings 72 and 78 can be installed on site or can be factory installed with the last connection to the hole 82 being done on site. It will be evident to one skilled in the art that there are any number of alternate ways resiliently to hold the cap 44 to the barrier 20.
FIG. 5 shows, in fragmentary cross section, an alternate cap 44, in the form of a steel dome, and means for holding it in place.
A plurality of angle irons 90 are riveted around the inside edge of the cap 44 in the factory using rivets 92 having flat, recessed heads in countersunk holes on the exposed surface of the cap 44. The other arm of each angle iron 90 has a threaded hole. Flat-head machine screws 94 extend through countersunk holes around the top end of the barrier 20 to fasten the angle irons 90 and thus the cap 44 to the top end of the barrier 20.
FIG. 6 shows in cross section an alternate embodiment of the end treatment of the guardrail 22. Instead of the rod or shaft 54 (FIG. 1) with threaded ends and a nut 56 to tension the shaft 54, a larger central hole is formed in the gasket or plug 50 and a pipe or tube 100--the functional and structural equivalent of the rod or shaft 54--passes through the plug 50. With a tube 100 of larger diameter than the shaft 54, significantly higher friction can be achieved between the plug 50 and the tube 100 than is possible with the shaft 54. Therefore, it is more feasible to preassemble at the factory a plug 50 in each end of the guardrail 22 with the tube 100 firmly pressed into both plugs to hold them tightly in place. That subassembly can then be shipped to the assembly or job site with little fear that it will fall apart. The tube 100 is preferably on the order of a steel water pipe with either a galvanized or black oxided finish and internal threads formed at each end.
Consequently, at the assembly or job site, the guardrail 22 subassembly is placed into position between two barriers 20 and a bolt 102 is inserted through a hole in each barrier and threaded into each internally threaded end of the tube 100. In this way, the two barriers 20 don't have to be forced apart to allow the insertion of the ends of the shaft 54, which must be a bit longer than the distance between adjacent barriers.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show in cross section another alternative embodiment for holding the guardrail 22 to a barrier 20. The purpose of this embodiment is to obviate the long shaft 54 (FIG. 1) and the long tube 100 (FIG. 6). The whole idea is to grip the inside of each end of the guardrail 22. In this embodiment, the plug 50 is shaped with preferably six slots 106 (see FIG. 8) extending axially part way from the end of the plug 50 that is inside of the guardrail 22. At least one (but preferably three) hard steel slugs 110 are placed into each slot 106. The slugs 110 are long enough so that they will always be at an acute angle with respect to the axis of the guardrail 22. An inner edge of each slug bears against the unthreaded portion of a bolt 112 that extends out through the end of the guardrail 22 and the plug 50 and into the interior of the barrier 20. The slots 106 are just a bit smaller than the width of the slugs 110 so as to frictionally capture and hold the slugs in place.
At the assembly or job site, the slugs 110 are pressed into the slots in the plug 50, around the bolt 112, to form a subassembly. That subassembly is then pushed into the end of the guardrail 22, with the bolt 112 loosely in place or even pushed slightly into the plug 50 so as not to cause the slugs 110 to bind as they are eased into the end of the guardrail 22. When the plug 50 is as far into the end of the guardrail 22 as it should go, the bolt 112 is pulled tight to set the slugs, as shown in FIG. 7, into engagement with both the inside of the guardrail 22 and the unthreaded portion of the bolt 112. The bolt 112 can still be pushed in and out slightly to allow easy assembly of the guardrail 22 to the barrier 20.
When in place between two barriers 20, the threaded end of the bolt 112 is pulled into the interior of the barrier 20 and the nut 56 is threaded onto the bolt 112. The bite of the slugs 110 against the bolt 112 keeps it from rotating while the nut 56 is tightened, drawing a washer 114 on the head 116 of the bolt 112 against the slugs 110, wedging them into place, which causes the slugs 110 to bite into the interior surface of the guardrail 22 which prevents their axial movement out of the guardrail 22. If the bolt initially tends to rotate with the nut 56, a screwdriver slot can be formed at the threaded end of the bolt 112 to enable the assembler to keep the bolt 112 from rotating until the wedging action of the slugs 110 comes into play to apply great gripping force on the bolt 112.
The slugs 110 are preferably inexpensive, rectangular chunks of steel. While not fully shown in FIG. 7, the edges of the slugs 110 are not curved but are squared off, as more nearly illustrated in FIG. 8, where the slugs 110 meet the inside surface of the guardrail 22. Therefore, each slug 110 actually meets that inside surface of the guardrail 22 only at two points. Similarly, each slug 110 actually meets the unthreaded portion of the bolt 112 at only one point.
The inside diameter of the guardrail 22, the unthreaded portion of the bolt 112 and the slugs 110 are all sized such that the slugs 110 are all oriented much as shown in FIG. 7, whether tighten into place or just barely touching each other. Each slug 110 touches the inside of the guardrail 22 at one of its edges. That slug 110 also touches the unthreaded portion of the bolt 112 at the diagonally opposite edge of the slug 110 (see FIG. 7). Once installed in the guardrail 22, an imaginary diagonal line along the side of the slug 110 that extends between those two diagonally opposite edges should never be allowed to be perpendicular to the axis of the guardrail 22. That imaginary diagonal line should preferably be about ten degrees from the perpendicular.
While a pipe is an inexpensive and convenient structure for the guardrail 22, it will be evident that tubing of square or rectangular or any other suitable cross section can be equivalently used. Also, it will be evident that the ends of the guardrail 22 can be either squared off or can be curved on top and bottom to define a more uniform spacing between the ends of the guardrail 22 and the outside of the upright barrier 20.
While not specifically illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, it will be evident to one skilled in the art that an equivalent of the clamping means shown in those three figures could strongly expand the portion of the urethane plug or gasket 50 within the inside of the guardrail 22 so as firmly to grip by friction the inside of the guardrail 22. For example, a frustoconical, 3-D wedge nut at the end of the plug 50 inside of the guardrail 22 could be internally threaded to cooperate with the threads of the bolt 102 so as to press inwardly at that inside end of the plug 50 as the bolt 102 is tightened, thereby tending strongly to expand that inside end of the plug 50 as well as biasing outwardly the entire length of the plug 50 within the guardrail 22. In may even be useful to either insert or mold into the plug 50 a second frustoconical wedge, with a clearance hole to accommodate the bolt 102. That second frustoconical wedge could be arranged in the reverse direction from the first wedge and located at or near the end of the plug 50 that is nearest to the upright barrier 20. The result would be even stronger expansion and pressing by the plug 50 on the inside surface of the guardrail 22.
The inside of the guardrail 22 can be coated with epoxy or other material to enhance the frictional grip of the elastomeric or urethane plug 50 on the inside of the guardrail 22. As an alternative, the resilient elastomeric plug 50 can even be bonded to the inside of the guardrail 22.
In order to enhance the resilience of the mounting of the guardrail 22 to the upright barrier 20, the clearance hole formed in the upright barrier 20 in order to accommodate the bolt 102 can be made larger than the minimum size necessary to accommodate the bolt 102. Then an elastomeric, e.g., urethane, spacer can be placed in the bolt clearance hole, around the bolt 102 and between the head of the bolt 102 and the inside of the upright barrier 20.
It will be evident to one skilled in the applicable art that all of the embodiments disclosed for attaching the rail member or guardrail 22 to the upright support member or barrier 20 constitute some form of clamp for squeezing the resilient gasket or plug 50 between the guardrail 22 and the barrier 20.
While a resiliently-mounted upright barrier 20 has been disclosed herein with respect to a plurality of guardrails 22 between adjacent upright barriers, it will be recognized that one or more guardrails 20 could be installed in a free-standing condition, without any guardrails 22 between them. Also, any number of guardrails 22 can be used, besides the two shown.
LIGHTWEIGHT EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 9, a lightweight resilient barrier support is shown for such uses as resiliently supporting hand railings along a pedestrian concourse or other passageway. A post 120 extends up from the area of the floor or base 122 which can be concrete or other material as in the case of the base 30 of FIG. 1. A base plate 124 rests on a resilient isolator pad 126, thereby locating the base plate 124 slightly above the base 122. The base plate 124 and the isolator 126 have a central hole at least large enough to accommodate a stud 128 that is firmly anchored into the base 122. A nut 130 is threaded onto the stud 128 and is tightened to bear down on a steel washer 132 which in turn bears down on a resilient washer 134 (not shown in section) that presses the base plate 124 onto the isolator 126 and holds the base plate 124 firmly but with a slight resilience over the base 122.
The central hole in the base plate 124 is preferably somewhat larger than necessary to accommodate the stud 128. A portion of the resilient isolator 126 extends up through the central hole in the base plate 124, between the material of the base plate 124 and the stud 128 for resiliently locating the base plate 124 laterally with respect to the stud 128. The use of the resilient isolator pad 126 and the resilient washer 134 allow a little bit of impact-absorbing movement of the base plate 124 and with it the post 120, but not enough movement for purposes of the present invention.
Four square holes placed at 90-degree positions about the base plate 124 accept and hold four carriage-type bolts 138 that extend upward from the base plate 124. A thick, resilient urethane block or bushing 140 (not shown in section), of preferably about 90-95 durometer stiffness, is placed around each of the four bolts 138 and on top of the base plate 124. A post support plate 142 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) rests on top of the four bushings 140, with the four bolts 138 extending through four holes 144 in four ears 146 on the support plate 140. A nut 148 is threaded onto each of the four bolts 138 and tightened down to squeeze the resilient bushings 140 between the support plate 142 and the base plate 124. It will be evident to one skilled in the art that a single, large resilient urethane block having the necessary four holes therein can be used in place of the four bushings 140.
The ears 146 on the support plate 142 are all in the same plane (see FIG. 11). The support plate 142 has a large central hole 150 large enough to accommodate the outside diameter of the post 120. There are four webs 152 between the four ears 146 (see FIGS. 10 and 11). The webs 152 are twisted so as to expose a slightly curved, interior surface that preferably engages the exterior of the post 120 (see FIG. 9). There is a hole 154 in each web 152. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, four bolts 156 extend through the holes 154 in the webs 152 and through matching holes in the post 120--a fragment of which is shown in cross section in FIG. 10--and are threaded into square nuts 158 on the inside of the post 120. The post 120, with the bolts 156 and the nuts 158, are preferably assembled to the support plate 142 before putting the support plate on the four bushings 140.
Preferably, the support plate 142 and the post 120 can be bolted together at the factory. However, if they are to be shipped separately to the installation site, preferably, there is a slight interference or press fit between the large central hole 150 and the outside diameter of the post 120. The interference fit should be loose enough to allow easy on-site assembly to bring the bottom of the support plate 142 even with the bottom of the post 120 by light tapping with a mallet or tapping of the post and plate on the base 122. However, the interference fit should be tight enough to hold the plate 142 tightly enough to the post 120 so that four holes can be drilled in the post 120 in direct alignment with the holes 154 in the webs 152, using the holes 154 as guides for free-hand drilling.
If the material of the support plate 142 is too thick for easy forming or for cost and scrap saving on low-volume production, the support plate 142 can be fabricated from four pieces of thinner strip that would then be spot welded together. For example, each strip would be the width of the ear 146. Each strip would be twisted (and holes punched) to form a single web 152 in the center with an ear 146 on each end. The two ears 146 would be 90 degrees apart, and the two ears would be offset by the thickness of the material. After electroplating for corrosion resistance, four such strips would be arranged in a spot welding jig. The web 152 of each strip would be 90 degrees away from its neighbor and the offset ears 146 from adjacent webs 152 would overlap. For example, the ear from the web to the right would be above and would overlap the ear from the web on the left, in each case. Then, the ears would be spot welded to the extent necessary in order to achieve the desired cantilever beam strength of each ear 146.
In order to get the post 120 to stand vertically or plumb, the nuts 148 are selectively tightened to bias the support plate 142 in two directions.
A dust cover 160 of urethane or some other type of rubber can be snapped over the entire structure shown in FIG. 9, extending from the post 120 to the base 122, using a groove molded into the lower, inner edge of the dust cover 160 to cooperate with a corner or ridge molded onto the periphery of the resilient isolator 126 to hold the dust cover 160 in place.
While this embodiment of the present invention is referred to as the "lightweight" embodiment, its size can be scaled up or down to almost any extent. Besides hand railings, the lightweight embodiment can be used to mount such diverse things as partitions and room dividers, turnstiles, wire fencing, time clocks and time card racks, signs of all kinds, parking meters, etc., etc.
While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims. | A resilient mounting system for safety barriers, including guardrails hand rails, etc., includes a urethane rubber or other resilient material substantially between the periphery of the barrier and a floor or base. The barrier is biased against the base so as to provide an initially stiff yet resilient impact resistance that yields to absorb the energy of impact, such as from a vehicle, rather than requiring the structural material of the barrier itself to absorb and perhaps become deformed by the impact. The resilient material can be shaped generally like the periphery of the barrier or it can be a standard shape that is replicated and arranged to engage a support for the barrier. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to carts for transporting persons over golf courses and more particularly designed for those persons who for one reason or another cannot walk or stand sufficiently to properly participate in playing the game of golf.
More specifically, the invention relates to a golf cart for the handicapped wherein the golf bag carrier and the steering mechanism are designed to be moved to a position which completely eliminates any obstruction in the swinging pattern of the golf club of the person seated on the cart.
2. Prior Art
The prior art is replete with vehicular mechanism useful for transporting handicapped persons. These vehicles are designed to facilitate ingress and egress, but do not address the problem faced by the non-ambulatory person who is desirous of playing golf.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to produce a golf cart which will meet the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA 1990) which dictates that golf courses open to the public must provide suitable transportation for the handicapped who are desirous of playing golf.
It is another object of the invention to produce a golf cart capable of transporting at least one person provided with a golf bag holder selectively positionable in respect of the cart.
Another object of the invention is to produce a golf cart wherein the steering mechanism and the golf bag carrying support may be moved from an operative position to a secondary position enabling the operator to swing a golf club through the entire arc of the swing without obstruction.
Still another object of the invention is to produce a specialized golf cart which can be driven on greens and tee boxes with minimal damage to the turf.
Another object of the invention is to produce a golf cart provided with supporting seat rotation which permits a person, paralyzed from the waist down, to play golf from the cart.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a golf cart incorporating the features of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the golf cart illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view partially in section illustrating the collapsible steering mechanism of the golf cart illustrated in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings, and in particular FIG. 1, there is illustrated a golf cart 10 which includes a frame 12, only partially illustrated, having a plurality of ground engaging front wheels 14 and rear wheels 16 suitably attached to the frame 12. A body 18 is superposed over the frame 12. The body 18 is typically formed of a fiberglass reinforced resin, for example. The body 18 may be formed in a single molded part or may be formed of a plurality of interrelated body components.
Also, while mention is made of a separate frame and body, it will be understood that satisfactory results could readily be achieved by fabricating a monocogue structure wherein no separate frame is required and the body portion is attached directly to and suspended by the wheel assemblies. Such structures are well known in the automotive field.
In the illustrated embodiment, the front wheels 14 are employed to steer the golf cart through conventional cart steering linkage mechanism (not shown) coupled to a collapsible steering column. The upper portion 20 of the steering column is further provided with a handle bar assembly 24 which used to impart rotational movement to the steering column and thence to the steering wheels 14. Also, the handle bar assembly 24 supports such accoutrements as brake controls, ignition switch, light switch, and speed control, for example.
The steering column is provided with mechanism, generally indicated by reference numeral 26 as manufactured by Ranger All Season Corporation of George, Iowa to enable the upper portion 20 of the steering column and the associated handle bar assembly to be pivoted relative to the lower portion 22. Mechanism of the general type is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,082 to Stegeman et al. Typically, the mechanism 26 is illustrated in FIG. 4 and includes a generally quadrant shaped member 28 integrally affixed to the upper terminal end of the lower portion 22 of the steering column. The member 28 is provided with an arcuately formed upper edge surface having a plurality of spaced apart notches 30.
The lower end of the upper portion 20 of the steering column terminates in a downwardly depending generally U-shaped yoke 32 pivotally connected to the upper end of the lower portion 22 of the steering column by a journal member 34 and an associated threaded fastener 36.
The inclination of the upper portion 20 relative to the lower portion 22 is effected through a plunger 38 which is normally biased downwardly by a helical spring 40. Normally, the spring 40 biases the plunger 38 into engagement with a selected one of the spaced apart notches 30. When it is desired to change the inclination of the upper portion 20, an upwardly extending rod or cable 42 coupled to the plunger 38, is caused to be pulled upwardly unseating the plunger 38 from the one of the notches 30. Then the upper portion 20 is pivoted to the desired position and the plunger 38 is allowed to return to its normal positions by the spring 40 causing the plunger 38 to once again seat in a notch 30. Movement of the cable or rod 42 is effected, for example, by connection with the pivotally mounted lever 44. Should a more complete collapse of the steering column be desired to the position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 4, for example, the plunger 38 is pulled upwardly against the bias of the spring 40 and the upper portion 20 is moved completely free of the notched plate 28.
The rear wheels 16 are typically driven by a battery powered electric motor typically housed within the body 18. The wheels 16 are typically driven by an electric motor coupled thereto through a suitable gear train and differential gearing. Suitable access means is provided in the body 18 to facilitate the servicing of the motor and associated driving mechanism.
An occupant's seat 50 is mounted on the body 18 and is provided adjustable arm rests 52 and a seat belt 54 of the type having a housing 56 for retrieving and storing the seat belt webbing when not in use. The seat 50 is mounted to the body 18 by a conventional swivel mounting 58 by the type manufactured by Ranger All Season Corporation of George, Iowa. A lever 60 is provided to unlatch and latch the seat 50 to enable the seat 50 to be rotated typically through 360°.
A golf bag carrier assembly 70 is detachably mounted adjacent the rear of the body 18. The carrier 70 includes an upstanding U-shaped member 72 having an outwardly extending base 74. The base 74 includes a bottom panel 76, upstanding side walls 78, and a horizontally disposed U-shaped member 80.
The base 74 is attached to the U-shaped member 72 by a pair of threaded fasteners 82 and 84.
At the upper portion of the member 72 is a golf bag attaching assembly including an adjustable belt 86 which extends rearwardly and in general alignment with the base 74.
On the opposite side of the member 72 is a score and holding device 88 cable of holding a score card facing the occupant of the cart.
A second U-shaped member 90 is pivotally affixed to the U-shaped member 72 by a pivot pin 92.
In order to latch the U-shaped members 72 and 90 in the fixed relative position illustrated in full lines on the drawings and to provide for left or right positions, as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 2, there is provided a plate 94. The plate 94 is welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the upper portions of the spaced apart legs of the U-shaped member 90. The plate 94 is disposed to extend forwardly of the U-shaped member 90. Also, the plate 94 is provided with a downwardly turned rearward edge 96 for supporting an outwardly extending generally H-shaped bracket 98. The bracket 98 is adapted to effectively limit the pivotal movement of the U-shaped member 72 by receiving a respective leg of the member 72 during left or with pivotal movement thereof.
Further, T-handle rubber latches 100 and 102 are pivotally connected to respective legs of the U-shaped member 72. The latches 100 and 102 cooperate with keeper brackets 104, 106, 108 suitably mounted on and secured to spaced relation on the upper surface of the rear edge of the plate 94. FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show the normal relative position of the U-shaped members 72 and 90 wherein the T-handle rubber latches 100 and 102 are connected in the paper brackets 104 and 108, respectively. It will be understood that the use of such latching mechanism provides vibration and sound dampening and compensation for misalignment between the latching components. Opening or releasing of the latching mechanisms is easily achieved by simply pulling the T-handles 100, 102 and sliding the bulbous portions thereof out of the keeper brackets 104, 108, respectively. Latching is effected by a reversal of the above procedure.
The U-shaped member 72 may be latched in a left or right pivot position by coupling the T-shaped handle 100, 102, respectively, in the centermost keeper bracket 106.
The entire golf bag carrier assembly 70 is detachably secured to the main cart 10. A base plate 110, having spaced apart apertures 112 and 114, is suitably secured to cart 10 and extends rearwardly therefrom.
The plate 110 is adapted to support the lower portion of the carrier assembly 70 by the receipt of a pair of leg members 116 and 118 which depend downwardly from the U-shaped member 90. The leg members 116 and 118 are aligned with and received by the apertures 112 and 114. A cooperating latching bracket assembly 120 is mounted to the body 18 in spaced relation above the base plate 110. The latching bracket assembly 120 includes latching means 122, 124 which cooperate with keeper hooks 126 and 128, respectively, mounted on the plate 94. The latching means 122, 124 of the drawhook toggle-type may be used satisfactorily.
Satisfactory results have been obtained through the use of tension latches for the latching means 122 and 124 of the type manufactured and sold by Camloc Products Group, Fairchild Fasteners Group, Fairchild Corporation, of Hasbrook Heights, N.J. 07604 and identified as medium duty tension latches 5/L Series.
It will be understood by the aforedescribed description and the accompanying drawing that a motorized golf cart has been described which is provided with a 360° seat rotation and an associated seat belt which enables a person, paralyzed, for example, from the waist down, to play golf without moving from the cart. Rotation of the golf bag carrier 70 will permit the forward swing of the golf club. Positioning the steering column in a collapsed position enables the backswing of the golf club.
In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be understood that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope. | A golf cart for persons who are obliged to traverse a golf course in a cart which includes a golf bag carrier mechanism, steering assembly, and an adjustable seat to enable the person to swing a golf club without interference with the aforementioned components. The seat may be rotated in either direction from the traversing axis of the cart to enable the person to face the golf ball to be struck. The steering mechanism and the golf bag carrier are capable of being moved to a position free from the swing pattern of the seated person. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a gas cylinder, including a hydrogen storage cylinder, that may store fuel gas, such as hydrogen, safely at high efficiency, as well as a method for producing such a gas cylinder, and a method for storing/discharging gas using the gas cylinder.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Most automobiles are now powered by engines running on gasoline or diesel oil. Such automobiles pose various environmental problems, such as CO 2 emission, and are thought to be gradually replaced by fuel cell vehicles in the future. Fuel cell vehicles equipped with a 35 MPa gas cylinder are currently on the market, but still have various problems to be solved for popularization, such as cost and mileage. For example, for achieving practical mileage, a gas cylinder is said to be required to withstand ultra-high pressure of about 70 MPa. However, such a cylinder has not yet been put into practical use due to problems in safety and difficulty in gas introduction.
[0005] As means for eliminating necessity to increase the pressure to the ultra-high level, for example, carbonaceous gas storage materials are attracting attention, such as carbon nanotubes, carbon aerogel, and activated carbon, which have high storage capacity of gas, such as hydrogen, and lighter weight compared to hydrogen storage alloys, such as LaNi alloys, that have conventionallybeen proposed. The carbonaceous gas storage materials are generally proposed to be packed for use in a pressure resistant gas cylinder made of steel or aluminum alloys.
[0006] However, the carbonaceous gas storage materials have a low bulk density, and thus are hard to be packed at high density. On the other hand, if the carbonaceous gas storage material is forcedly packed at a high density in a high-pressure gas cylinder usually equipped with a mouthpiece with a gas introducing function, the cylinder and the mouthpiece will undergo excessive stress, and the threads on the mouthpiece are contaminated with the carbonaceous material, which may result in difficulties in thread fastening.
[0007] Thus irrespective of their excellent gas storage capacity, the carbonaceous gas storage materials may be packed in a gas cylinder only at a limited density, and hard to provide practical gas storage capacity.
[0008] As alternative means, there has recently been proposed a methane gas storage material composed of a metal carboxylate complex of a high volume density, or a hydrogen storage body wherein a porous material is filled with a carbonaceous material (for example, see Patent Publications 1 and 2).
[0009] However, no technology has hitherto been proposed for making effective use of and putting into practical use of the excellent gas storage property originated in the carbonaceous storage materials by improving the method of producing a gas cylinder.
[0000] Patent Publication 1: JP-2000-309592-A
[0000] Patent Publication 2: JP-2000-281324-A
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas cylinder, such as a hydrogen storage cylinder, which includes a shaped product of a carbonaceous gas storage material capable of achieving practical gas storage capacity, which allows full exploitation of excellent gas storage property of the carbonaceous gas storage material, and which has excellent pressure resistance and is expected to be safe, and to provide a method for producing such a gas cylinder that allows easy production thereof.
[0011] It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for storing/discharging gas that provides stable storage and discharge of gas, such as hydrogen, at high efficiency.
[0012] According to the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a gas cylinder comprising the steps of:
[0013] preparing a gas cylinder-shaped product by shaping a carbonaceous gas storage material into the form of a gas cylinder capable of being fitted with a cylinder mouthpiece,
[0014] fixing a cylinder mouthpiece on said gas cylinder-shaped product,
[0015] first covering of the outer surface of the gas cylinder-shaped product with a substantially gas barrier material, and
[0016] second covering of the outer surface of a covering of the gas barrier material, with fiber reinforced plastic.
[0017] According to the present invention, there is also provided a gas cylinder produced by the above method, comprising:
[0018] a gas cylinder-shaped product including a carbonaceous gas storage material;
[0019] a covering layer covering said gas cylinder-shaped product and having a gas barrier material layer and a fiber reinforced plastic layer; and
[0020] a mouthpiece having a gas introducing function and a gas discharging function.
[0021] According to the present invention, there is further provided a method for storing/discharging gas comprising:
[0022] a gas storing step including connecting the mouthpiece of the gas cylinder mentioned above to a gas introduction pipe, introducing gas through the gas introduction pipe into the gas cylinder, and sealing the gas in the gas cylinder, and
[0023] a gas discharging step including discharging the gas sealed in the gas cylinder.
[0024] The method for producing a gas cylinder according to the present invention provides simple production of a gas cylinder, such as a hydrogen storage cylinder, which includes a shaped product of a carbonaceous gas storage material capable of achieving practical gas storage capacity, which allows full exploitation of excellent gas storage property of the carbonaceous gas storage material, and which has excellent pressure resistance and is expected to be safe. Accordingly, production of a gas cylinder filled at a high density with a carbonaceous gas storage material, is facilitated, which was difficult according to the conventional method, wherein the carbonaceous gas storage material is introduced through the opening of a high-pressure cylinder.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The present invention will now be explained in detail.
[0026] According to the method for producing a gas cylinder of the present invention, first the step of preparing a gas cylinder-shaped product is performed by shaping a carbonaceous gas storage material into the form of a gas cylinder capable of being fitted with a cylinder mouthpiece.
[0027] The carbonaceous gas storage material to be used in the preparation step may be any gas storage material as long as it is of light weight and contains carbon having large capacity per unit mass for storing gas, such as hydrogen. Examples of the material may include activated carbon, activated carbon fibers, single-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, carbon nanohorns, carbon aerogel, carbon cryogel, carbon xerogel, exfoliated carbon fibers, graphite intercalation compounds, and charcoals obtained by charring natural products.
[0028] Examples of the graphite intercalation compounds may include graphite-Li, graphite-Na, graphite-K, graphite-Rb, graphite-Cs, graphite-Ca, graphite-Sr, graphite-Ba, graphite-HNO 3 , graphite-H 2 SO 4 , graphite-HClO 4 , graphite-F, and graphitic acid.
[0029] The gas storage capacity of the carbonaceous gas storage material, when the gas to be stored is hydrogen, is usually 0.2 to 2 mass %, preferably 0.5 to 2 mass %, at 30° C. at 3 MPa. If the storage capacity is less than 0.2 mass %, the performance of the resulting hydrogen storage cylinder is too low. Higher hydrogen storage capacity is preferred, but usually a carbonaceous hydrogen storage material having storage capacity of over 2 mass % is not readily available.
[0030] The gas storage capacity of the carbonaceous gas storage material may be measured by volumetric method. Upon measuring, care should be taken about the points described in “Tanso (carbon) ”, 2002, No. 205, p 231-237, The Carbon Society of Japan.
[0031] The carbonaceous gas storage material may be prepared according to a conventional method or the like, or may be commercially available.
[0032] In the preparation step, the term, “the form of a gas cylinder capable of being fitted with a cylinder mouthpiece” does not mean a particular shape, but includes any shape that has at least one recess in which a flange of a cylinder mouthpiece having a gas introducing function maybe fitted, and that is capable of providing the functions of a gas cylinder.
[0033] In the preparation step, the shaping may be performed, for example, by compression molding or hot forming.
[0034] The compression molding or hot forming maybe performed, for example, using a mold of a gas cylinder shape, i.e. a mold having a cavity of a desired gas cylinder shape. The mold may have a shape of a gas cylinder which may be or may not be fitted with a cylinder mouthpiece. When a mold having a shape of a gas cylinder which is not fitted with a cylinder mouthpiece is used, the molded product resulting from the compression molding or hot forming may be processed at least at one end thereof, for example, by cutting out a recess in which a flange of a cylinder mouthpiece may be fitted. The form of a gas cylinder may be, for example, a shape of a cylinder having a dome at both ends.
[0035] The starting materials to be introduced into the mold for compression molding include the carbonaceous gas storage material, and optionally a binder and a solvent. The use of a binder and/or a solvent may suitably be decided depending on the kind of the carbonaceous gas storage material or the conditions for compression.
[0036] The binder may usually be a resin material, such as PVDF, PTFE, carboxymethylcellulose, or a mixture of two or more of these.
[0037] The solvent maybe, for example, water, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, ethanol, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, t-butanol, N-methylpyrrolidone, or amixture of two or more of these.
[0038] The contents of the binder and the solvent may vary depending on the kind of the carbonaceous hydrogen storage material, but may preferably be 0 to 30 parts by mass for the binder and 0 to 150 parts by mass for the solvent, based on 100 parts by mass of the carbonaceous hydrogen storage material. For stabilizing the shape, a higher content of binder is preferred, but for the gas storage capacity, a lower content is preferred.
[0039] The pressure conditions for the compression molding may be such as to hold at about 10 to 20 N for about 1 minute, and are preferably decided depending on the composition of the starting materials so that the resulting molded product is given a bulk density of 0.2 to 2.1 g/ml.
[0040] The molded product obtained by compression molding is demolded and dried. The drying may be air drying, drying by heating, vacuum drying, or drying by heating in vacuum, with drying by heating in vacuum being preferred. The drying may be performed, for example, after a reduced pressure is created by means of a vacuumpump, at preferably 40 to 170° C., more preferably 70 to 120° C., for 10 to 15 hours.
[0041] The hot forming may be employed when the carbonaceous gas storage material is in the form of gel, such as carbon aerogel, carbon cryogel, or carbon xerogel. The hot forming may be performed, for example, by introducing a gel precursor into the mold, hot forming, demolding the resulting gel molded product, drying, and calcining the dried gel in a furnace.
[0042] The gel precursor may be, for example, a mixture of resorcinol, a formaldehyde solution, sodium carbonate, and water. The content of each component in the gel precursor may preferably be, based on 100 parts by mass of resorcinol, 140 to 150 parts by mass of a 37% formaldehyde solution, 0.1 to 2 parts by mass of sodium carbonate, and 100 to 600 parts by mass of water.
[0043] The gel precursor may be molded and solidified usually at room temperature for 2 days, and then at 60 to 80° C. for 12 hours. The resulting gel molded product may be dried by super critical drying, lyophilizing, drying by heating in vacuum, or air drying, with drying by heating in vacuum being preferred in view of the drying efficiency. The drying may preferably be performed, after a reduced pressure is created by means of a vacuum pump, at 70 to 120° C. for 10 to 15 hours. The dried gel may be calcined by heating the dried gel up to 1000° C. at a heating rate of 5° C./min, and holding at 1000° C. for about 4 hours.
[0044] In the preparation step, depending on the kind of the carbonaceous gas storage material, the shaping may alternatively be performed, instead of compression molding or hot forming, by pouring the starting materials containing a solvent over a filter to shape the carbonaceous gas storage material into a sheet form, and rolling the resulting sheet into the form of a gas cylinder. For example, when the carbonaceous gas storage material is carbon nanotubes, the process may include mixing the nanotubes with a solvent, such as acetone, shaping the material into a sheet form, shaping the resulting sheet into the form of a gas cylinder, and drying by heating in vacuum. Here, the product shaped into the form of a gas cylinder may have irregularities in its ends or on its surface. Such surface irregularities may preferably be treated by abrasion, which may be performed with, for example, a sand paper.
[0045] The gas cylinder-shaped product obtained by the preparation step has a bulk density of usually 0.2 to 2.1 g/ml, preferably 0.5 to 2.1 g/ml. At less than 0.2 g/ml, the effect of improving the gas storage capacity is little, whereas at over 2.1 g/ml, hydrogen dispersion into the shaped product may remarkably be deteriorated, or the internal structure of the hydrogen storage material may be collapsed.
[0046] According to the method for producing a gas cylinder of the present invention, the step of fixing a cylinder mouthpiece on the gas cylinder-shaped product produced in the preparation step is performed.
[0047] The cylinder mouthpiece may be fixed immediately after the preparation step, or alternatively, after the covering step to be discussed later. The mouthpiece may be fixed by embedding a flange of the mouthpiece in at least one recess for fitting a cylinder mouthpiece therein provided in the gas cylinder-shaped product.
[0048] The mouthpiece may be similar to those used with common resin liners. For example, a mouthpiece described in JP-3-89098-A may be used. The type of the mouthpiece may suitably be selected depending on the working pressure range of the gas cylinder. Inview of the strength, the mouthpiece may preferably be made of metal, such as carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or titanium. The mouthpiece is usually provided with a flange for giving pressure resistance.
[0049] According to the method for producing a gas cylinder of the present invention, after the preparation step or the mouthpiece fixing step, the first covering step is performed by covering the outer surface of the gas cylinder-shaped product with a substantially gas barrier material.
[0050] In the first covering step, the substantially gas barrier material is a material substantially impermeable to gas, and may be, for example, a gas barrier resin material or an aluminum alloy.
[0051] Examples of the gas barrier resin material may include polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyacrylonitrile, polymethylacylate, polyimide, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinylchloride, and polytetrafluoroethylene.
[0052] The thickness of the covering layer made of the resin material may suitably be selected depending on the working pressure range of the gas cylinder to be produced, and is usually 0.2 to 5 cm, preferably 1 to 2 cm.
[0053] The covering with the resin material may be performed by, for example, injection molding. More specifically, the injection molding may be performed by placing the gas cylinder-shaped product in a mold having a cavity of the size of the gas cylinder-shaped product plus the thickness of the covering layer of the resin material, and injecting the resin material into the mold to cover the gas cylinder-shaped product with the resin material.
[0054] When the resin material is thermoplastic, the covering step may be performed by injecting the resin in a molten state into the mold containing the gas cylinder-shaped product, and heating the mold to cure. Alternatively, when the resin material is a resin other than the thermoplastic resin, the covering step may be performed by injecting a precursor of the resin into the mold containing the gas cylinder-shaped product, and heating the mold to cure.
[0055] The molding machine used for performing the covering with a resin material is preferably designed so as to cover the cylinder mouthpiece only on its flange.
[0056] Another method of covering with a resin material employs a bag of a heat shrinkable resin. For example, a bag made of a heat shrinkable resin, such as polyethylene, is placed over the gas cylinder-shaped product, and hot air is blown to the bag to shrink and cure the heat shrinkable resin, thereby forming the covering.
[0057] The cured resin may have irregularities on its outer surface, so that it is preferred to abrade the surface to smooth it in order for the fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) layer to be formed in the following step to exhibit its strength.
[0058] The method for covering with an aluminum alloy may be performed, for example, by placing a tube made of an aluminum alloy over the gas cylinder-shaped product, and squeezing the ends of the tube. The thickness of the aluminum alloy may suitably be decided depending on the working pressure range of the gas cylinder to be produced, and is usually 0.1 to 1 cm, preferably 0.2 to 0.5 cm. The aluminum alloy tube may be squeezed to conform to a certain shape of the gas cylinder-shaped product. This may result in increased thickness of the aluminum alloy, which is, however, usually within 3 cm.
[0059] According to the method for producing a gas cylinder of the present invention, the second covering step is performed by covering with FRP the outer surface of the covering of the gas barrier material produced in the first covering step.
[0060] In the second covering step, the covering of the outer surface with FRP may preferably be performed by the filament winding method (FW method). The FW method is a method wherein fibers (fiber bundles) impregnated with a matrix resin are continuously wound around a rotating molded product, and then cured and shaped by heating.
[0061] There are two types of FW method, namely the wet FW method, wherein the fibers to be used are being impregnated with a matrix resin in a wet process while they are wound around the molded product, and the dry FW method, wherein tow prepreg prepared in advance by impregnating fiber tows with a matrix resin, is wound around the molded product. Either method may be employed in the method of the present invention, but the dry FW method using tow prepreg is preferred for easy production and for the controllability of the amount of the matrix resin.
[0062] For preferable winding in the FW method, hoop winding, helical winding, and in-plane winding are combined according to the shape and pressure resistance of the gas cylinder-shaped product. The specific winding manner may be designed with reference to “Fukugo Zairyo Handbook (Composite Material Handbook)”, p863-874, Nov. 20, 1989, edited by The Japan Society for Composite Materials.
[0063] The fibers mentioned above may be, for example, carbon fibers, glass fibers, aramid fibers, or silicon carbide fibers, with carbon fibers being preferred for its stiffness and light weight. The carbon fibers may be categorized into the polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibers of 230 to 490 GPa and the pitch-based carbon fibers of 490 to 950 GPa, and either may be used in the present invention. The pitch-based carbon fibers are characterized by their high elasticity, whereas the PAN-based carbon fibers are characterized by their high tensile strength.
[0064] Preferred examples of the matrix resin may include thermosetting resins, such as epoxy, phenol, cyan ate, unsaturated polyester, polyimide, and bismaleimide resins. The thermosetting resin may be mixed with fine particles of rubber or resin, or with a thermoplastic resin dissolved therein, in order to give impact resistance and toughness to the resin.
[0065] It is sufficient that the method for producing a gas cylinder of the present invention includes the above-mentioned steps, but the present invention may optionally include additional steps, if desired. For example, in addition to the first and second covering steps, another covering step may be included.
[0066] The gas cylinder according to the present invention is a gas cylinder, such as a hydrogen storage cylinder, produced by the method of the present invention, and includes a gas cylinder-shaped product including a carbonaceous gas storage material, a covering layer covering the gas cylinder-shaped product and having a gas barrier material layer and a fiber reinforced plastic layer, and a mouthpiece having a gas introducing function and a gas discharging function.
[0067] The gas cylinder-shaped product preferably has the preferred bulk density discussed above. The covering layer, including the gas barrier material layer and the fiber reinforced plastic layer, may include other covering layers in addition thereto. The mouthpiece maybe provided with both the gas introducing and gas discharging functions, or alternatively, two separate mouthpieces maybe used each having a gas introducing function or a gas discharging function.
[0068] The method for storing/discharging gas according to the present invention encompasses a gas storing step including connecting the mouthpiece of the gas cylinder to a gas introduction pipe, introducing gas through the gas introduction pipe into the gas cylinder, and sealing the gas in the gas cylinder, and a gas discharging step including discharging the gas sealed in the gas cylinder.
[0069] Upon introducing gas into the gas cylinder, the gas pressure is preferably not lower than the atmospheric pressure.
[0070] The gas storage/discharge may be performed not only at room temperature, but also under a suitably combined cooling and/or heating. For example, when the gas is hydrogen, the temperature for storing/discharging may be controlled, for example, according to the following combinations: both storage and discharge near room temperature; storage at a lower temperature and discharge near room temperature; storage at a lower temperature and discharge at a higher temperature; or storage near room temperature and discharge at a higher temperature.
[0071] Here, the terms, “near room temperature”, “a lower temperature”, and “a higher temperature” mean relative temperatures in working, and “near room temperature” may preferably mean 0 to 40° C., “a lower temperature” −196 to 0° C., and “a higher temperature” 40 to 100° C.
EXAMPLES
[0072] The present invention will now be explained in further detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples, which are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the present invention.
Example 1
[0073] 300 g of activated carbon having hydrogen storage capacity of 0.4 mass % as measured by volumetric method at room temperature at 3 MPa, 30 g of PVDF, and 150 g of acetone were stirred at 50° C. The resulting mixture was poured under heating into a mold of a gas cylinder shape having an inner diameter of 6 cm and a length of 20 cm, and held under the pressure of 20 N for 1 minute. The molded product was demolded, dried in a vacuum dryer at 70° C. for 12 hours, and abraded to adjust the configuration, to thereby obtain a gas cylinder-shaped product capable of being fitted with a cylinder mouthpiece. The resulting shaped product had a bulk density of 0.7 g/ml.
[0074] After a mouthpiece was fixed on the gas cylinder-shaped product, the shaped product with the mouthpiece was placed in an injection mold, and polyethylene molten under heating was injected into the mold to form a covering layer of polyethylene. The surface irregularities of the covering layer were removed by abrasion. The thickness of the covering layer thus formed was 0.9 to 1.1 cm in actual measurement, with respect to the designed thickness of 1 cm.
[0075] Next, onto the outer surface of the gas cylinder-shaped product having the rein covering layer, tow pregreg of PAN-based carbon fibers of 230 GPa impregnated with 20 mass % of epoxy resin, was wound by the FW method. The winding was performed in accordance with a program designed by the finite element method so that the resulting gas cylinder had a pressure resistance of 10 MPa.
[0076] The gas tightness of the gas cylinder thus obtained was confirmed by charging the cylinder with hydrogen at 3 MPa, leaving the cylinder for 7 days, and measuring the decrease in pressure. It was determined that the decrease in pressure was not higher than 0.1 MPa.
[0077] Further, the hydrogen storage capacity of the gas cylinder was determined by charging the cylinder with hydrogen at 3 MPa and measuring the amount of desorbed hydrogen. It was determined that the amount of desorbed hydrogen was 23.5 liters. For comparison, a hollow steel gas cylinder of the same volume was charged with hydrogen at 3 MPa, and the amount of desorbed hydrogen was measured. It was determined that the amount of desorbed hydrogen was only 16.1 liters. Accordingly, the effectiveness of the gas cylinder of the present invention was confirmed.
Example 2
[0078] 300 g of resorcinol, 450 g of a 37% formaldehyde solution, 3 g of sodium carbonate, and 1200 g of purified water were mixed, poured into a mold of a gas cylinder shape having an inner diameter of 8 cm and a length of 26 cm, and reacted at room temperature for 2 days and subsequently at 60° C. for 12 hours, to obtain a gel molded product. The gel molded product was demolded, and dried by heating in vacuum at 70° C. for 10 hours. The resulting dried product was placed in a carbonization furnace, heated up to 1000° C. at the heating rate of 5° C./min, and held at 1000° C. for 4 hours to carbonize. The surface of the gel molded product was relatively smooth, but was changed through carbonization. Thus the carbonized product was cut and abraded into a gas cylinder shape having a diameter of 6 cm and a length of 20 cm, to thereby obtain a gas cylinder-shaped product capable of being fitted with a cylinder mouthpiece. The shaped product thus obtained had a bulk density of 0.6 g/ml.
[0079] After a mouthpiece was fixed on the gas cylinder shaped product, the shaped product with the mouthpiece was placed in an injection mold, and polyethylene molten under heating was injected into the mold to form a covering layer of polyethylene. The surface irregularities of the covering layer were removed by abrasion. The thickness of the covering layer thus formed was 0.9 to 1.1 cm in actual measurement, with respect to the designed thickness of 1 cm.
[0080] Next, onto the outer surface of the gas cyinder-shaped product having the resin covering layer, tow prepreg of PAN-based carbon fibers of 230 GPa impregnated with 20 mass % of epoxy resin, was wound by the FR method. The winding was performed in accordance with a program designed by the finite element method so that the resulting gas cylinder had a pressure resistance of 10 MPa.
[0081] The gas tightness of the gas cylinder thus obtained was confirmed by charging the cylinder with hydrogen at 3 MPa, leaving the cylinder for 7 days, and measuring the decrease in pressure. It was determined that the decrease in pressure was not higher than 0.1 MPa.
[0082] Further, the hydrogen storage capacity of the gas cylinder was determined by charging the cylinder with hydrogen at 3 MPa and measuring the amount of desorbed hydrogen. It was confirmed that the amount of desorbed hydrogen was 25.3 liters. For comparison, a hollow steel gas cylinder of the same volume was charged with hydrogen at 3 MPa, and the amount of desorbed hydrogen was measured. It was determined that the amount of desorbed hydrogen was only 16.1 liters. Accordingly, the effectiveness of the gas cylinder of the present invention was confirmed.
Example 3
[0083] 200 g of single-walled carbon nanotubes having hydrogen storage capacity of 0.5 mass % as measured by volumetric method at room temperature at 3 MPa were mixed with 100 g of acetone and stirred, and the resulting mixture was applied over a filter paper placed on wire mesh to form a film. The applied mixture was smoothed with a round bar into a uniform thickness, and left overnight to dry. The dried carbon nanotubes were in the form of a sheet, which was rolled into a columnar mass having a diameter of about 6 cm and a length of about 20 cm. The columnar mass was dried in a vacuum dryer at 70° C. for 12 hours for completely removing acetone, and abraded on its surface to thereby obtain a gas cylinder-shaped product. The resulting shaped product had a bulk density of 0.5 g/ml.
[0084] After a mouthpiece was fixed on the gas cylinder-shaped product, an aluminum tube closed at one end having an inner diameter of 6 cm, a length of 23 cm, and a thickness of 0.3 cm, was placed over the shaped product, and the open end of the tube was squeezed into tight contact with the mouthpiece, and brazed thereto.
[0085] Next, onto the outer surface of the gas cylinder-shaped product having the aluminum alloy covering layer, tow prepreg of PAN-based carbon fibers of 230 GPa impregnated with 20 mass % of epoxy resin, was wound by the FW method. The winding was performed in accordance with a program designed by the finite element method so that the resulting gas cylinder had a pressure resistance of 35 MPa.
[0086] The gas tightness of the gas cylinder thus obtained was confirmed by charging the cylinder with hydrogen at 3 MPa, leaving the cylinder for 7 days, and measuring the decrease in pressure. It was determined that the decrease in pressure was not higher than 0.1 MPa.
[0087] Further, the hydrogen storage capacity of the gas cylinder was determined by charging the cylinder with hydrogen at 3 MPa and measuring the amount of desorbed hydrogen. It was determined that the amount of desorbed hydrogen was 24.8 liters. For comparison, a hollow steel gas cylinder of the same volume was charged with hydrogen at 3 MPa, and the amount of desorbed hydrogen was measured. It was determined that the amount of desorbed hydrogen was only 16.1 liters. Accordingly, the effectiveness of the gas cylinder of the present invention was confirmed.
Comparative Example 1
[0088] Activated carbon having hydrogen storage capacity of 0.4 mass % as measured by volumetric method at room temperature at 3 MPa was poured into a hollow steel gas cylinder having an inner diameter of 6 cm and a length of 20 cm, through the opening of the cylinder, and 107 g of the activated carbon could be packed in the cylinder. Since the threads on the mouthpiece were contaminated with the activated carbon, the threads were wiped with a cloth, but the carbon could hardly be removed completely. A valve was fixed to the resulting gas cylinder to thereby obtain a hydrogen storage cylinder.
[0089] The gas tightness of the gas cylinder thus obtained was confirmed by charging the cylinder with hydrogen at 3 MPa, leaving the cylinder for 7 days, and measuring the decrease in pressure. It was determined that the decrease in pressure was not higher than 0.7 MPa.
[0090] Further the hydrogen storage capacity of the gas cylinder was determined by charging the cylinder with hydrogen at 3 MPa and measuring the amount of desorbed hydrogen. It was determined that the amount of desorbed hydrogen was 19.5 liters. | The present invention provides a method for easily producing a gas cylinder which includes a shaped product of carbonaceous gas storage material capable of achieving practical gas storage capacity, which allows full exploitation of excellent gas storage property of the carbonaceous gas storage material, and which has excellent pressure resistance and is expected to be safe. The invention also provides the gas cylinder obtained by the method, and a method for storing/discharging gas using the cylinder, which provides stable storage and discharge of gas at high efficiency. The present production method includes the steps of preparing a gas cylinder-shaped product by shaping a carbonaceous gas storage material into the form of a gas cylinder capable of being fitted with a cylinder mouthpiece, fixing a cylinder mouthpiece on said gas cylinder shaped product, first covering of the outer surface of the gas cylinder-shaped product with a substantially gas barrier material, and second covering of the outer surface of t a covering of the gas barrier material, with fiber reinforced plastic. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application is a continuation-in-part of our application, Ser. No. 835,038 filed Feb. 28, 1986 and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,679. This application is also related to our copending application Ser. No. 037,531, filed Apr. 13, 1987.
The present invention is directed to articles of footwear, and in particularly, to footwear having relatively stiff upper shells mounted to a sole. Accordingly, the present invention has specific application in the ski and hiking boot industries.
The technology developed in the skiing industry in recent times has been quite fast paced, with improvements being made to skis, bindings and the boots. One area of interest has been the interrelationship between alpine, or "downhill", skiing and nordic, or "cross-country", skiing. In alpine skiing, a rigid ski boot is locked into front and rear bindings on a relatively wide ski that is provided with cutting edges for permitting fast turns on steep downgrades. In alpine skiing, a typical ski boot has a completely rigid sole and a completely rigid upper shell that extends over the foot, around the ankle and over a portion of the lower leg. Such ski boots do not typically have the ability to flex so that the entire lower leg and foot of the human body is maintained in a relative unalterable configuration. Some ski boots, such as the boot shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,103 issued July 24, 1984 to Annovi, provide a pivot between the foot shell and the ankle shell to allow limited relative movement. These boots often utilize resilient stiffening members so that resilient force may be applied by the skier to the toe portion of the foot by bending the knees forward against the resilient member.
On the other hand, in nordic skiing, it is important that a wide range of flexibility be maintained between the rear of the foot and the toe of the foot since nordic skiing has similarities to walking. In the past, typical nordic skiing boots or shoes have comprised a rather pliable leather article of footwear having a forward toe hinge that mounts in a front binding of a relatively narrow ski. The rear of the nordic boot is not secured to the ski so that the user may bend the boot along an area adjacent the ball of the foot. Indeed, for competent nordic skiing, it is necessary that the pivotal relationship between the toe and the heel of the foot exceed the typical range of flexing movement that takes place during walking.
One problem with nordic boots, however, has been their inability to resist torsional rotation about a longitudinal axis and their inability to resist lateral motion of the heel. This problem was recognized in U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,056 issued Mar. 19, 1985 to Beneteau. In the Beneteau patent, a cross-country ski boot is provided having a plurality of weakening ribs that extend adjacent the ball of the foot across the sides and top of thereof. To allow the boot to pivot, Beneteau encases his boot in a relatively stiff shell having a front toe portion and a rear heel portion separated and interconected by a flat, flexing region of the rigid shell. The shell is then pivotally attached to a ski binding so as to prevent torsional rotation and lateral movement of the heel.
In addition to the prior art devices noted above, many other inventors have recognized the lack of comfort generated by an inflexible alpine boot when the skier removes the skis and attempts to walk from one location to another. To this end, there have been numerous developments of ski boots which flex slightly to allow greater ease in walking. On such prior art device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,134 to Kastinger wherein a boot having a stiff sole and a rigid upper shell includes regions of reduced strength at a fore part of the foot to allow bending of the foot forwardly of the ankle, and pleats are provided at a forward part of the ankle to facilitate walking. U.S. Pat. No. 3,535,800, issued Oct. 27, 1970 to Stohr, shows a ski boot that flexes about a pivot on the ankle with this flexing accomplished by baffles extending forwardly and rearwardly of the boot at the ankle region. U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,930, issued May 4, 1976 to Ramer, also discloses a ski boot designed for greater ease in walking. In the Ramer structure, a flexible sole is provided to support a rigid shell defining a heel portion and a forward foot portion, with the forward foot portion being telescopically inserted into a rigid shell defining a toe portion for the boot. As the skier walks in this boot, the toe portion and the heel/foot portion telescope with respect to one another. Limit stop means for preventing hyperextension of the floating toe portion is provided to limit relative movement between the toe portion and the heel portion.
Despite the improvements of these prior art patents over earlier ski and hiking boots, there remains the need for a boot that may be employed for both alpine skiing and for nordic skiing, which boot allows pivotal or rotational movement about the ball of the foot while at the same time remaining rigid against torsional rotation and lateral movement of the heel when the toe portion is secured to a front ski binding. There is further a need that allows greater flexibility of pivotal movement between the toe portion and heel portion so that nordic style skiers may implement telemark turns on relatively steep downgrades. There is further a need to provide a boot that can be used for both nordic skiing, alpine skiing and for walking which boot is acceptable in a wide variety of typical bindings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful article of footwear having independent toe and heel portions that are pivotally rotatable with respect to one another over a fairly large angular range.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an article of footwear wherein independent toe and heel portions are pivotally connected to one another about the axis of the ball of the foot so as to allow relative ease in walking even when such boot is constructed of rigid materials.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an article of footwear wherein the independent toe and heel portions so that they are pivotally rotatable with respect to one another include hyperextension limit stop structure to prevent hyperextension of the human foot placed therein.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an article of footwear wherein the independent toe and heel portions are pivotally rotatable but include an adjustable hyperextension limit stop structure.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an article of footwear which includes upper and lower baffle structure to prevent the ingress of unwanted materials into the article during use.
In order to accomplish these objects, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to an article of footwear adapted to receive the human foot and operative to prevent torsional rotation of the foot while preventing bending movement about the ball of the foot. To this end, the broad form of the present invention includes a toe portion having a first sole portion and a relatively rigid first upper shell. The toe portion is configured to extend around and enclose a forward part of the human foot from a forward tip receiving the toes rearwardly to a location just behind the ball of the foot. An independent heel portion includes a second sole portion and a relatively rigid second upper shell with the second upper shell having an access opening to permit insertion and removal of the foot. The second upper shell extends around the rear of the foot and forwardly to a location approximately the ball of the foot so that the second upper shell and the second sole portion encloses a rearward part of the foot between the heel and the ball thereof. A hinge means interconnects the toe portion and the heel portion to permit relative rotational movement about a fixed rotational axis with this rotational axis being in an axis plane generally parallel to the first sole portion. Preferably, the hinge means comprises a pair of oppositely projecting trunnion pins received in bearings with the trunnion pins and bearings interconnecting the toe and heel portions. The hinge permits pivotal movement between a flat position wherein the first and second sole portions are substantially oriented in parallel planes, and a second, flexed position, wherein the planes of the first and second sole portions are at an angle with respect to one another. The hinge may also include expansion linkage to help avoid unwanted binding or pinching of the foot during wear.
The relatively stiff upper shells prevent both torsional rotation and lateral movement of the heel portion when the toe portion is secured. When this article of footwear comprises a ski boot, this structure allows both alpine skiing and nordic skiing. When used in the nordic syle, the rigidity of the upper shells permits substantial control over the nordic ski believed to be not heretofore obtained. When the footwear is used for skiing, an upper protective sheath or baffle extends between a wedge-shaped cut out between the upper shells of the toe and heel portions to prevent the ingress of snow or other unwanted materials. Likewise, a lower bottom baffle is mounted in and extends between the first and second sole portions. This baffle may either slide in the sole portions or may be fabricated of a stretchable material. Similarly, in order to prevent hyperextension of the boot and foot, an adjustable limit stop is provided. The lower baffle, in turn, helps prevent hyperflexion of the boot.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an article of footwear, in the form of a ski boot, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of the ski boot shown in FIG. 1 shown in the flat position;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken about lines 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a side view in elevation of the ski boot shown in FIG. 2 shown in the flexed position;
FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the ski boot shown in FIG. 2 in the flat position;
FIG. 6 is a side view in elevation of a first alternate embodiment of a ski boot according to the present invention, providing an auxillary sole plate and positioned in an alpine binding;
FIG. 7 is a side view in elevation of the ski boot shown in FIG. 6, in the flexed position, with the sole plate secured to heel portion of the ski boot;
FIG. 8 is a side view in elevation of the ski boot shown in FIG. 6, with the ski boot now being positioned in an alpine binding;
FIG. 9 is a top plan view of auxillary sole plate shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken about lines 10--10 of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a side view in elevation of a second alternate embodiment of the present invention shown in the flat position;
FIG. 12 is a side view in elevation of the ski boot shown in FIG. 11 in the flexed position;
FIG. 13 is a side view in elevation of a third alternate embodiment of the present invention shown in the flat position;
FIG. 14 is a side view in elevation of the ski boot shown in FIG. 13 in the flexed position;
FIG. 15 is a fourth alternate embodiment of the present invention, in the form of a hiking boot, in the flexed position;
FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of a fifth alternate embodiment of the present invention showing adjustable hyperextension structure;
FIG. 17 is a side view in elevation of the assembled boot shown in FIG. 16;
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a sixth alternate embodiment of the present invention showing expansion linkage structure;
FIG. 19 is a side view in elevation of the boot shown in FIG. 18;
FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken about lines 20--20 of FIG. 19; and
FIG. 21 is a bottom plan view of the front toe portion of another embodiment of expansion linkage for use with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention relates to various articles of footwear which have relatively stiff upper shells which would normally limit the motion between the toes, foot and ankle. As such, the present invention has particular applicability to ski boots and hiking boots. However, it should be appreciated by one ordinarily skilled in the art that the many features described and claimed herein can extend to a variety of types of footwear in addition to those specifically mentioned.
In FIG. 1, a ski boot 10 is shown having a toe portion 12 and a heel portion 14 with heel portion 14 having an upward extension 16 adapted to encircle the lower leg of the wearer. Toe portion 12, heel portion 14 and upward extension 16 define a cavity to receive the human foot and lower leg through access opening 18. When received by boot 10, a forward part of the human foot including the toes and the portion of the foot generally known as the "ball" is received in toe portion 12. That part of the foot extending from the ball of the foot to the heel, and the lower leg and ankle area, is received in heel portion 14, including upper extension 16. Suitable fastening clamps 20, not forming part of this invention, are provided to fasten the ski boot 10 around the foot, as is known in the art.
The more detailed features of ski boot 10 are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In FIG. 2, toe portion 12 includes a first sole portion 22 that defines a first plane, and a sole portion 22 is secured to a relatively rigid first upper shell 24. Toe portion 12 terminates in a rear edge 26 that extends from the top of the foot downwardly and rearwardly behind the ball of the foot. Heel portion 14 includes a second sole portion 28 that defines a second plane, and sole portion 28 is secured to a relatively rigid second upper shell 30 and terminates at a forward edge 32 that extends downwardly from the top of shell 30 and forwardly of the ball of the foot. Accordingly, heel portion 14 has a side wing on either side of boot 10, such as side wings 34 and 36 shown in FIG. 3. Forward edge 32 and rear edge 26 define a wedge-shaped cut out region 38 between toe portion 12 and heel portion 14, with this cut out region 38 being protected by a pleated baffle member or shield 40 that prevents ingress of unwanted material into the ski boot cavity.
It should be appreciated that toe portion 12 and heel portion 16 are structured independently of one another but are rotateably connected by hinge means as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In these figures, a pair of trunnion pins 42 and 44 extend laterally outwardly from side wings 34 and 36, respectively, and are rotateably received in bearings 46 and 48 mounted in suitable lateral openings on the lateral sides of first upper shell 24 adjacent rear edge 26 so that trunnion pins 42, 44 and bearings 46, 48 are located on either side of the ball of the foot above the common plane of sole portion 22 and sole portion 28 when the sole portions are in the flat position shown in FIG. 2.
It should be understood, then, that toe portion 12 and heel portion 14 may rotate with respect to one another about the rotational axis defined by trunnion pins 42 and 44 to pivot with respect to one another. In order to prevent excessive pivotal motion, limit stop means are provided in the form of a first post 50 upwardly projecting from upper shell adjacent edge 26, and a second post 52 upwardly projecting from second upper shell 30 adjacent edge 32. A liner 54 is positioned within the cavity of the ski boot, as is common in the art, and a relatively stiff yet pliable pad 56 that underlies between liner 54 and sole portions 22 and 28. As will be discussed more thoroughly below, pad 56 yieldably resists relative rotation of the toe and heel portions.
Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, it should be appreciated that toe portion 12 and heel portion 14 may be rotated between a flat position shown in FIG. 2, and a flexed position shown in FIG. 4. As noted above, posts 50 and 52 provide limit stop means so that, as is shown in FIG. 4, when the boot 10 is placed in the flexed position, post 52 will abut post 50 to prevent further angular movement in the direction of arrow "A". In the flexed position, pleat shield 40 is squeezed together, in an accordion-like manner whereas shield 40 is expanded in the flat position shown in FIG. 2. It is further desirable to limit relative rotation of toe portion 12 and heel portion 14 in a direction from a flexed position past a flat position in order to avoid hyperextension of the foot. To this end, a downward limit stop means is provided to operate in conjunction with the upper limit stop means provided by posts 50 and 52. As is best shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a downward stop may be provided conveniently by means of a rigid plate 58, preferrably formed out of steel or other rigid metal, with plate 58 being affixed to one of first and second sole portions 22 and 28. In FIGS. 2-5, plate 58 is secured by means of a plurality of screws 60 to first sole portion 22 of toe portion 12. Plate 58 extends rearwardly from screws 60 across separation region 62 between toe and heel portions 22 and 28. Plate 58 then extends rearwardly along second sole portion 28. In the preferred embodiment, as is shown in FIG. 5, plate 58 is mounted in a first depression 64 in first sole portion 22, and extends in a second depression 66 formed at a forward part of second sole portion 28. In this manner, as is shown in FIG. 2, when boot 10 is in the flat position, plate 58 is recessed with respect to bottom surface 68 of boot 10.
The operation of boot 10 may now be more readily appreciated and understood based on the foregoing description. In the flat position, toe portion 12 and heel portion 14 are rotated to receive the human foot in a normal, unflexed state so that sole portions 22 and 28 are substantiallly coplanar. Hyperextension is prevented by means of plate 58 which prevents relative rotation of the toe and heel portions past the flat position. In the flat position, ski boot 10 may be received in traditional alpine bindings and retained therein in a normal manner for control of the alpine ski. When the skier desires to walk, or use ski boot 10 for nordic skiing, toe portion 12 and heel portion 14, by virtue of the hinge means provided by the trunnion pins and bearings, is allowed to pivot forwardly as is shown in FIG. 4. While this is the normal walking position, it should be appreciated, that, for nordic skiing, toe portion 12 would be received in a standard nordic toe binding. Since toe portion 12 and heel portion 14 are formed as rigid shells, and are attached at two points along axis F, ski boot 10 has torsional stability even when used for nordic skiing. Further, as is shown in FIG. 5, when ski boot 10 is shown for a left foot, trunnion pin 42 lies forwardly of trunnion pin 44 so that axis F is located at an angle with respect to longitudinal axis L of ski boot 10. Further, as is shown in FIG. 2, axis F is positioned somewhat midway between sole portions 22 and 28 and the top of upper shells 24 and 30 so that axis F is oriented generally at the center of the ball of the foot. Particularly, the hinging of toe portion 12 to heel portion 14 is constructed so that axis F generally extends along the functional axis of the metatarsal phalangial joint articulation between the proximal phalanges and the metatarsals of the foot. Accordingly, axis F lies along the normal flex axis for the toes and the foot.
As noted above, pad 56 is relatively stiff, yet flexible, and is positioned between sole portions 22 and 28 and liner 54. When walking or using boot 10 for nordic skiing, the relative stiffness of pad 56 yieldingly resists the rotational movement of toe and heel portions 12 and 14, and thus the human foot placed in boot 10. Further, the resiliency of pad 56 tends to return boot 10 to the flat position. By selecting the stiffness and resiliency of pad 56, boot 10 may be cutomized for skiers of different weights and skiing abilities.
A first alternate embodiment of a ski boot according to the present invention is shown best in FIGS. 6-8. In these figures, ski boot 70 includes a toe portion 72 and a heel portion 74. Toe portion 72 has a first sole portion 76 which is hingeably secured by wing 78 of hinge 80 to a second sole portion 82 of heel portion 74. Second sole portion 82 is secured to hinge 80 by means of wing 84 so that toe and heel portion 72 and 74 may relatively rotate with respect to one another as described with respect to the preferred embodiment. An auxillary sole plate 86 is also affixed to hinge 80 by means of wing 88 so that toe portion 72, heel portion 78 and auxillary sole plate 86 may rotate with respect to one another about the axis of hinge 80.
An auxillary sole plate 86 is also affixed to hinge 80 by means of wing 88 so that toe portion 72, heel portion 78 and auxillary sole plate 86 may rotate with respect to one another about the rotational axis of hinge 80. Auxillary plate 86 may be releaseably secured to heel portion 74 by means of mounting fingers 90 on plate 86 and releaseable clasps, such as clasp 92, on oppsite sides of heel portion 74. Thus, heel portion 74 and auxillary plate 86 may be secured to one another, as is shown in FIG. 7, for common movement; alternately, auxillary sole plate 86 may be released from heel portion 74 for independent movement therewith, as is shown in FIG. 6. Sole plate 86 terminates, at a rear edge, in a binding mount 94 that is adapted to be secured in a standard alpine rear binding, such as rear binding 96 shown in FIG. 8.
An alternate structure is provided for the forward and rearward stop means, as is shown in FIGS. 6-8. In this alternate embodiment, an arcuate slot, such as slot 98 is formed near the front of heel portion 74, on opposite lateral sides of boot 70. A pair of side wings, such as side wing 100 are formed as an extension of rear edge 102 of toe portion 72 with side wings 102 projecting into the cavity defined by second upper shell 106 of heel portion 74. Each side wing, such as wing 102, is formed as an extension of first upper shell 104, and each carries a pin 108 that is received in each slot 98 so that pin 108 may move along slot 98 during the pivotal motion with the relative rotation of toe portion 72 and heel portion 74 being limited by the abutment of pin 108 against the ends of slot 98.
Sole plate 86 is best shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 where it should be appreciated that auxillary sole plate 86 has a pair of oppositely projecting fingers 90 and is provided with a plurality of openings 110 which function as described below. Further, since it is desirable that auxillary sole plate 86 be locked in a substantially planar relationship with first sole portion 76, a locking means as shown in FIG. 10, and in phantom FIG. 8. This locking means comprises a relatively flat locking plate 112 that is slideably received in brackets 114 so that it may be slid from an unlocked position shown in FIG. 10 to a locked position shown in phantom in FIGS. 8 and 10. To this end, plate 112 may be received in a locking bracket 116, shown in phantom in FIG. 8, to prevent plate 86 from pivoting with respect to sole portion 76. As is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, auxillary sole plate 86 is oriented in a substantially spaced parallel relation to the bottom surface 118 of heel portion 74 so that an opening 120 is located therebetween. Space 120 is provided since snow tends to build up on the underside of the boot 70. For this reason, openings 110 are provided so that snow may be removed from space 120. To this end, also, the bottom of heel portion 74 is provided with a plurality of projections 122 which are oriented to pass within at least some of openings 110 to eject snow accumulating therein.
The operation of boot 70 may now be more fully appreciated. When it is desired to alpine ski, boot 70 is placed with toe portion 72 in a standard front binding 124 with binding mount 94 of plate 86 being received in rear binding 96 on ski 126. In this configuration, plate 86 is secured, by a respective clasp 92 to a respective finger 90. Locking plate 112 is slid to engage locking brackets 116. This boot may now be used for alpine skiing. Should the skier desire to nordic ski, the skier simply unfastens clasps 92 from fingers 90, as is shown in FIG. 6. In this position, heel portion 74 may be rotated with respect to toe portion 72 within the limits provided by pin 108 in slot 98. For walking, boot 70 is detached from the ski bindings, and plate 86 is again attached to heel portion 74 by clasps 92 and pins 90, and locking plate 112 is released.
A second alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. Here, ski boot 140 includes toe portion 142 and heel portion 144 which are hinged together by means of hinge 146 in a manner similar to that described above. In this embodiment, though, a different means for yieldingly resisting the rotational movement of toe portion 142 and heel portion 144 as provided. Also, a different configuration for the forward and rearward limit stops are employed. In FIG. 11, a stiff but bendable strap 148 has a forward edge secured by means of screw 150 to first upper shell 152 of toe portion 142. Strap 148 extends rearwardly under a friction roller 154 along the upper surface of second shell portion 156 and upwardly through a guide bracket 158. A rearward limit stop comprises a rib 160 formed on strap 148 in order to prevent hyperextension of the toe and heel portions. Similarly, the forward limit stop in the form of rib 162 is also provided on strap 148. Thus, strap 148 may slideably pass under roller 154. To this end, it should be appreciated that bracket 158 is provided with a slot to provide rib 160 to pass therethrough.
In order to adjust the force resisting the rotational movement, a threaded nut assembly 164 is attached to the side wall of heel portion 144 so that the support arm 166 of roller 154 may be drawn toward threaded nut assembly 164 so that roller 154 applies greater frictional pressure on strap 148.
A third alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, with these figures showing a ski boot 170 having a construction similar to that described with respect to FIGS. 1-5. In FIGS. 13 and 14, though, a different means for resisting relative rotation is provided in the form of a pair of side mounted pistons, such as piston 172, extending between toe portion 174 and heel portion 176. Such pistons, such as piston 172, may be spring actuated as is shown by spring 178 to ordinarily increase the resistance to rotational force as the boot 170 moves from the flat position shown in FIG. 13 to the flexed position shown in FIG. 14. Pistons 172 could, if desired, be fluid actuated pistons, such as liquid shock absorbers or air cylinders.
A fourth alternate embodiment, in the form of hiking boot 180, is shown in FIG. 15. Here, again, toe portion 182 is secured to heel portion 184 by means of a sole mounted hinge 186 so that boot 180 is more comfortable for walking while maintaining its torsional stability.
A fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 and includes one improvement in the form of an adjustable limit stop to prevent hyperextension of the boot and the foot placed therein and another improvement in form of a lower masking panel that helps prevent the ingress of unwanted materials into the interior of the boot. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the ski boot 210 includes a toe portion 220 and a heel portion 230. Toe portion 220 includes a relatively rigid upper toe shell 222 which is integrally formed and relatively rigid with respect to lower toe sole 224. Lower toe sole 224 terminates in a forward tip 226 adapted to be received and engaged by the front binding of a ski. A toe baffle 246 forms part of toe portion 220 and has pleats 228 to allow flexing of the upper portion of toe baffle 226. Heel portion 230 includes a relatively rigid upper rear shell 232 and a rear sole 234. Rear shell 232 has an upwardly located longitudinal split 237 which separates the upper portion of rear shell 232 into a pair of side panels 235. An ankle baffle 268 is attached to rear shell 232 across split 237 and has additional pleats 238 in order to allow flexing at the ankle area of the foot. Pleats 228 and pleats 238 run transversely across the upper surface of ski boot 210. Toe portion 220 and heel portion 230 are hinged together, such as by a trunnion pin hinge 240 similar to that described above with respect to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, heel portion 230 pivots with respect to toe portion 220 about hinge 240 between a relatively flat position and a flexed position, as described above.
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 includes an adjustable downward limit stop to prevent hyperextension. To this end, it should be appreciated that each of side panels 235 are provided with holes 239 which receive trunnion pin hinges 240, and each panel 235 includes an arm 241 that projects forwardly of hinge 240. Toe portion 220 is provided with a pair of adjustable blocks, such as block 266 which is secured by means of a screw 269 to toe portion 220. Block 266 includes a slot 267 through which tightening screw 269 extends. Accordingly, block 266 can be longitudinally positioned at selected positions to determine the location at which each arm 241 abuts the block to define the location of the limit stop when toe portion 30 is pivoted to advance arm 241 into the abutted relationship with block 266.
As is shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, toe shell 222 and toe sole 224 are formed as a unit independently of heel shell 232 and heel sole 234. Accordingly, an open region 250 separates the toe and heel portions. In order to prevent the unwanted ingress of dirt, snow and other materials, a lower masking panel is provided to extend across separation region 250 beneath the foot. To this end, a flexible masking panel 248 is provided which is adapted to be received in a pair of facing cavities respectively formed in toe sole 224 and heel sole 234. Thus, as is best seen in FIG. 16, such cavity 252 is sized to receive masking panel 248 and as is shown in FIG. 17, a cavity 254 is formed in toe sole 224 to receive masking panel 248. In order to secure panel 248 in position, a forward and rearward edge of panel 248 terminates in downwardly extending shoulders 249 which innerlock in similar slots such as slot 255 shown in phantom in FIG. 17. Accordingly, masking panel 248 is constructed of a stretchable material. However, it should be appreciated that panel 248 could be formed of a flexible but non-stretchable material that would merely slide within cavities 252 and 254. Yet another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 18-20. Here, ski boot 310 is constructed almost identically as that described with respect to ski boot 10 of the preferred embodiment described above. In ski boot 310, however, toe portion 312 is pivotally mounted to heel portion 314 by means of expansion linkage defined by links 316. Toe portion 312 is pivotally connected to a first end of each extension link 316 and the heel portion is pivotally connected to a second end of the extension link 316. Thus, a forward portion of each link 316 receives trunnion pin 342 and a rearward portion of link 316 receives a similar trunnion pin 343. The toe and heel portion are therefore pivoted with respect to one another on a pair of pivot axes. Upward limit stops in the form of blocks 350 and 352 are provided to prevent hyperflexion of ski boot 310 and a sliding masking panel 348 is provided to mask separation region 349 between toe portion 312 and heel portion 314. Sliding panel 348 is received in cavities 360 and 362 and again an upper baffle 330 is provided along with a liner 354.
Finally, an alternate embodiment of the expansion linkage for a ski boot is shown in FIG. 21. Here, the trunnion pin and link arrangement is replaced by alternate structure. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 21, the hinge means includes a double plate hinge 450 having a forward plate 452 secured by screws 451 to sole portion 422 of toe portion 420. A rear plate 454 is secured to sole portion 432 of heel portion 430 by means of screws 455. An intermediate extension plate 460 pivotally interconnects plates 452 and 454. To this end, intermediate plate 460 is pivotally secured at a forward edge to forward plate 452 and pivotally secured at a rearward edge to rear plate 454. A dual pivot axis arrangement is thus obtained by this three plate structure. Adjustable blocks 466 again provide an adjustable hyperextension block in a manner similar to that described with respect to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 and 17.
Accordingly, the present invention has been described with some degree of particularity directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated, though, that the present invention is defined by the following claims construed in light of the prior art so that modifications or changes may be made to the preferred embodiment of the present invention without departing from the inventive concepts contained herein. | An article of footwear, expecially adapted as a ski boot or hiking boot, has a toe portion and a heel portion respectively having a first and second sole portion that are pivotally rotatable with respect to one another over a fairly large angular range about a hinge between a first position wherein the first and second sole portions are substantially parallel and a second flexed position. The hinged fixedly interconnects the toe and heel portions in a manner preventing relative torsional rotation, and a downward limit stop prevents hyperextension of the foot. An upward limit stop may be included to prevent hyperflexion of the foot. The toe and heel portions may be independent pieces; and a masking panel extends therebetween beneath the foot. Likewise, an upper baffle may extend across the top of the foot between the toe and heel portions. Extension linkage my be employed as part of the hinge. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to short-term storage of cultured tissue. More particularly, the invention relates to short-term storage of cultured epithelial tissue sheets useful as skin wound dressings in a manner which maintains cell viability and colony-forming efficiency.
It has been a priority in the medical community to develop a skin wound dressing which will encourage new growth while preventing fluid loss and infection following skin wounds from burns, ulceration, or surgical excision. Bandages and dressings fail to protect large-scale wounds adequately, and various alternatives have been developed. Among these are split- and full-thickness grafts of cadaver skin, porcine skin, and human allografts and autografts. Most have proved unsatisfactory for covering large wounds since all but autografts eventually are rejected by the body in the absence of immunosuppressive therapy. Autografts are useful in small areas, but for massive injury, conventional autografting is not practical.
Green et al. have developed a method of culturing epithelial cell sheets several cells thick for repairing burns, ulcerations and other skin wounds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,036 discloses the method for serially culturing keratinocytes to produce stratified sheets of epithelium. U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,866 discloses the method of producing transplantable cell sheets by culturing keratinocytes and detaching the sheet from its anchorage substratum using an enzyme such as dispase U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,687 discloses agents useful to promote growth of epithelial cells. The disclosure of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. In the culture system developed by Green et al., epithelial cells divide rapidly on the surface of tissue culture dishes or flasks, and ultimately form a confluent, modestly stratified sheet of tightly interconnected cells. These confluent cultures can be released as a cohesive cell sheet by treatment, for example, with the enzyme dispase (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,866). The cultured sheets then may be stapled to petrolatum impregnated gauze, or other non-adhesive backing, transported in culture medium to the operating room, and applied to the patient.
Autograft materials prepared by these methods are preferred for burn dressings, but require time to culture. While the autografts are being cultured, it is possible to maintain the wound with allograft material which is effective as a temporary wound dressing. Cultured epidermal allograft material promotes healing of chronic skin ulcers and split-thickness graft donor sites. Cultured epidermal autograft and allograft material made by the method of Green, et al. are now available from Biosurface Technology, Inc. of Cambridge, Mass. for commercial use and clinical trials.
A severe, very practical limitation on the use of cultured epithelial grafts is their limited shelf life. The viability and colony-forming efficiency of the cells in the sheets fall rapidly after they are removed from the anchorage substratum. The cell sheets are extraordinarily fragile. They are reproducibly able to resume growth and form a differentiated epithelium when applied to wounds for a maximum of about eight hours after dispase treatment. This limits the locations to which grafts can be shipped to those in proximity to a production facility. Expanding the availability requires either many production facilities throughout the world, or development of a method of lengthening the viability interval for the cultured sheets.
The art is replete with descriptions of various tissue preservation methods including cryopreservation, use of special cell media, and certain packaging techniques. Cryopreservation allows for long-term storage by freezing the material in the presence of a cryoprotective agent. This agent displaces the aqueous material in the cells and thereby prevents ice crystals from forming. Numerous disclosed protocols vary the nature or amount of cryoprotective agent, and/or the time course, or temperature of the freezing process in an attempt to retain cell viability after a freeze-thaw cycle. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,298, U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,387, and especially EP 0 296 475.
A second method of potentially lengthening the viable storage interval involves selection of the medium which surrounds the cells. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,839 discloses a system for preserving living tissue separated from its host organism by placing the tissue in a gas-permeable bag containing a "biscuit" which releases electrolytes, a buffering agent, a chemical energy source, high-energy phosphate compounds, metabolites, and sorptive material to remove toxic debris. Also, the patents of DeRoissart describe a method and apparatus for preserving living tissue in a nutrient fluid pressurized with a biochemically inert gas. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,607,646 and 3,772,153.
A third method of potentially maintaining viability involves the use of various types of containers such as the corneal storage system described in the Lindstrom et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,536, or the container for storing solid living tissue portions of U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,448.
Tissues stored at non-cryopreservation temperatures are commonly stored at 4° C. See Rosenquist et al., "Short-Term Skin Preservation at 4° C.: Skin Storage Configuration and Tissue-to-Volume Medium Ratio" 9(1) J.B.C.R. 52-54 (1988).
Storing tissue by means of cryopreservation is a complicated and expensive process. It is not currently a practical approach for transporting grafts from a production facility to an operating room. None of the other systems has been shown to extend the storage viability beyond very short periods, i.e., eight hours. See, for example, Pittelkow et al., 86 J. Invest. Dermatol. 4: 410-17, 413-14 (1986).
This invention seeks to provide a means for extending cultured epithelial graft viability, and to allow extension of the storage and transport time from production facility to the operating room so that life-saving graft materials may be transported long distances while maintaining and/or improving their ability to resume growth and serve as a living epithelial wound covering. The invention also seeks to accomplish these objectives while avoiding shipping the grafts in costly cryopreservation chambers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A simple method has now been discovered for maintaining and often improving the colony-forming efficiency of a cultured epithelial sheet following separation from its substrate. This method comprises the step of maintaining the sheet in a sterile environment for a time period in excess of 8 hours at a temperature within the range of about 8° C. to about 25° C., preferably 13° C. to 23° C. Use of this method permits maintenance of the sheet for time periods well in excess of 8 hours, reproducibly for at least as long as 26 hours, and sometimes up to 72 hours, and allows the sheets to be transported easily throughout the world without expensive and complicated cyropreservative packages. This method not only lengthens the viable storage interval of the cultured epithelial sheets, but also for at least the first day of storage usually improves the measured colony-forming efficiency of the cells in the sheets. The percent "take" on patients of grafts stored at the proper temperature for 24 hours after separation from its growth substratum and prior to application to the patient is at least as high as and can be higher than that of grafts stored for fewer than 6 hours.
In another aspect the invention provides a wound dressing, e.g., a skin wound dressing, ready for application to a patient comprising a cohesive living sheet of cultured epithelial cells which has been separated from its substratum for a period in excess of eight hours. This wound dressing has a colony-forming efficiency greater than the colony-forming efficiency of the culture when initially separated.
In another aspect, the invention provides a storage-stabilized product for wound repair comprising a cultured cohesive sheet of human epithelial cells mounted on a nonadherent substrate, housed in a sterile package including means for maintaining the temperature of the sheet within the range of about 8° C. to about 25° C. Maintaining the sheet at a temperature within the range of about 13° C. to about 23° C. for a time period in excess of eight hours has the effect not only of lengthening the viable storage interval but also of often increasing the colony forming efficiency of the cells in the sheet following separation from its substratum. The preferred temperature range is between about 13° C. and about 23° C. The sheets can be maintained at this temperature for about 8-72 hours while maintaining or improving colony forming efficiency.
The epithelial cells preferably are keratinocytes. The cohesive sheet preferably is several cells thick consisting of at least germinative and differentiated cells.
Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the drawing, description, and claims which follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a photomicrograph of a perpendicular section of a stratified cultured keratinocyte sheet of the type used in the practice of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a container for shipping cultured epithelial sheets suitable for use in the practice of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a graph displaying the viability of grafts stored at 13°-23° C. for 20 and 26 hrs as a percent of the viability of control grafts, i.e., freshly harvested grafts. The viability is represented as total cell recovery, colony-forming efficiency (CFE) of cells after disaggregation of the cell sheet, and survival of colony forming cells, (CFC). CFC=cells recovered X CFE of the recovered cells;
FIG. 4 is a graph summarizing the changes in total colony-forming cells in detached cell sheets stored for 20 to 30 hours at various temperatures; and
FIG. 5 is a graph of the temperature changes of the graft storage medium in boxes designed as described hereinafter. The temperature was measured with a calibrated electronic thermocouple.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Cultured human epithelial cell sheets can regenerate a permanent epidermis for repair of burns or other epidermal defects. As temporary allograft material, the sheets are also a highly effective burn wound dressing and can promote healing of chronic skin ulcers and split-thickness graft donor sites. The sheets are produced using a culture system developed by Rheinwald and Green, wherein epithelial cells divide rapidly on the surface of tissue culture dishes or flasks and ultimately form a confluent, modestly stratified sheet of tightly interconnected cells. Confluent epithelial cultures can be released as cohesive cell sheets by treatment with an enzyme, such as dispase, then stapled to gauze impregnated with Vaseline®, transported in culture medium to the operating room, and applied to the patient.
A significant limitation in the use of cultured epidermal grafts is their extreme fragility and short shelf life. Previous experiments had indicated that cell viability in the grafts decreased significantly when the grafts had been separated for longer than 8 hours, as measured by the ability of disaggregated cells to resume growth and form colonies when replated under optimal culture conditions. For this reason, distribution of cultured epithelial sheets was limited geographically, i.e., to those hospitals which could be reached within 8 hours from the time dispase was first added to the cultures to initiate detachment at the production facility. Actual time in transit could be only a few hours as time was consumed in preparing the grafts. Operating room scheduling and time of arrival of the grafts had to be coordinated carefully.
A possible explanation for such a short period of viability of detached epithelial cell sheets was provided by the observation that epithelial cells are found to lose the potential for further division and commit to terminal differentiation when, as single cells disaggregated from cultures by trypsin and EDTA treatment, they are temporarily maintained under conditions that prevent them from reattaching to a surface. Green, Terminal Differentiation of Cultured Human Epidermal Cells. Cell 11:405-16 (1977); and Rheinwald and Beckett, Defective terminal differentiation in culture as a consistent and selectable character of malignant human keratinocytes. Cell 22:629-32 (1980).
Experiments assessing viability beyond eight hours revealed that the temperature at which the dispase-treated grafts were maintained was extremely critical to cell viability as measured by colony forming efficiency (CFE) and the total number of colony forming cells recovered (CFC, or total cells recovered X CFE, see FIG. 4). Maintenance of the cultured epithelial sheets at physiological temperature (about 37° C.) failed to maintain the CFC at the level of freshly detached cell sheets. Similarly, maintenance at 4° C. resulted in extensive loss of viability, despite careful control of media conditions, pH, and CO 2 balance. However, it was discovered that storing detached epithelial sheets at temperatures within the range of 8° C. to 25° C., preferably 10° C. to 23° C., and more preferably 13° C. to 23° C., maintained or actually increased the viability of the grafts as measured by CFE and CFC (See FIG. 3).
As is evident from the data, attempts to maintain the cell sheets at physiological temperature and at the traditional cold storage temperature for biological samples (4° C.) result in severe decreases in CFC vs. freshly detached sheets. When the sheets are maintained in the preferred temperature range, CFE and CFC actually can improve relative to that of freshly detached sheets. This temperature range is readily maintained by storage with cold packs inside a foam insulated box as described below or by other means.
The results of storage under such conditions may be assessed by controlled experiments designed to measure the graft's suitability as a wound dressing. The ability to generate a well-formed and differentiating epidermis within one week after grafting, as determined by transplanting to the dermis of an athymic (nu/nu) mouse, is useful as an animal model test of graft performance in vivo. By these criteria, the storage period of optimally viable grafts prepared according to the method of the invention is at least 24 hours when the grafts are maintained within a temperature range of 13° C. to 23° C. Other conditions of storage, aside from temperature, may be conventional. It is not critical that the temperature be maintained static during storage, provided the temperature of the graft does not fluctuate significantly outside the range noted above.
The validity of the laboratory studies is supported by the results of four field tests, in which the percent take (the effectiveness of cultured grafts in generating epidermis) of grafts stored for 24 hours before application to the patient was at least as high as that of grafts stored for less than 8 hours. These clinical tests have confirmed that grafts greater than 20 hours old treated in accordance with the invention consistently are at least as effective as 6-8 hour old grafts.
The invention may be understood further in view of the following non-limiting examples.
PREPARATION OF CULTURED EPITHELIAL SHEETS
Cultures were generated by seeding epidermal cells (keratinocytes) into T150 culture flasks at plating densities that reached confluence in 10-12 days. Cultures were maintained in gas-tight flasks at 37° C. in "FAD" medium (a mixture of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DME) and Hams F12 supplemented with adenine) plus 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 0.4 μg/ml hydrocortisone, 5 μg/ml insulin, 5 μg/ml transferrin, 1×10 -10 M cholera toxin, and 2×10 -9 M triiodothyronine) and grown in the presence of lethally irradiated 3T3 fibroblasts. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,036. Ten ng/ml epidermal growth factor is included from the first feeding.
The cell cultures were used to prepare grafts within 2 days after reaching confluence. The upper portion of each T150 flask was removed by burning with a soldering iron. The supernatant medium was aspirated and 40 ml of Dispase II (Boehringer Mannheim) at a final concentration of 2.5 mg/ml (approximately 1.2 U/ml) was added to the flask. The lid was replaced and the flask was put into a sterile plastic bag and incubated at 37° C. When the edges of the sheet became detached (-45 min.), the flask was transferred to a laminar flow hood.
The enzyme solution was replaced by 20 ml of DME medium, and the sheet of epithelial cells then was gently dislodged with the aid of a rubber policeman and rinsed again with 20 ml of DME. After aspirating all but 3-4 ml of the second rinse, a 5×10 cm piece of petroleum jelly (Vaseline®)-impregnated gauze (Chesebrough Ponds) is placed over each sheet of cells with the superficial cells facing the gauze dressing. The cohesive cell sheet is then attached to the dressings with 12-15 staples (Ligaclips, Ethicon/J&J). The grafts are then transferred to 100 mm dishes with the epithelium facing up. The edges of the graft are pressed to the dish with a rubber policeman to prevent the graft from floating. Twelve ml of DME is gently added and the dish is transferred to the storage container.
FIG. 1 illustrates a perpendicular section through a typical cultured sheet made in accordance with the foregoing process The cell sheet has been released from the culture dish using Dispase. The basal or germinative layer is the single cell layer nearest the bottom of the photograph. The clear intercellular spaces are a tissue fixation artifact.
TEMPERATURE MAINTENANCE
Culture dishes containing the grafts may be stored or shipped in a gas-tight box 10 as shown in FIG. 2 constructed of, for example, stainless steel (316L, 16 gauge) with outer dimensions of 111/2"×81/4"×11". The door 12 on the box is made from 1/4" lexan with a silicon rubber gasket 14 and is sealed with 3 pressure latches 16. Two gas nipples 17 protrude from the door 12. The interior of the box 10 contains a shelf 18 placed near the top 19. The culture dishes 20 containing the grafts are placed in the bottom compartment (up to 63 dishes) and coolant packs 26 are placed on the top shelf 18.
Room temperature storage (21°-23° C.) is achieved simply by placing the box on a lab bench in space maintained within this temperature range. A temperature range of 13° to 23° C. is achieved, for example, by placing on the upper shelf 18, of the chamber 10 two bags 26 each containing 1 Kg of water at 4° C. and one bag 26 containing 250 g of ice at -15° C. A narrower temperature range slightly below ambient may be achieved by placing on the upper shelf four, 12 ounce cold packs (UTEK #412, Polyfoam Packers, Wheeling, IL) previously cooled to 4° C. The steel box is placed within a fiberboard box 21 lined with 1" of styrofoam insulation 22 on all sides.
In all cases, the storage chamber is filled with 10% CO 2 in air immediately after the grafts are placed inside. Chamber temperature may be monitored with a thermocouple and recorder for experimental purposes. An example of the average temperature profile using the box and cold packs described above is illustrated in FIG. 5. An electronic unit designed to monitor temperature changes adjacent the dishes 20 may be used to indicate to the surgeon whether in shipment the permissible temperature range has been maintained.
EFFICACY OF TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED STORAGE
Viability assays were performed on grafts that were stored at various temperatures for 20 and 26 hours after detachment from the growth substratum (timed from the addition of dispase), and compared with that of cell sheets within 2 hours after dispase addition (controls). The released cell sheet is dissociated to a single cell suspension in a mixture of trypsin (0.05%) and EDTA (0.01%). Enzymatic action is arrested by addition of calf serum. This is followed by two serial 1:10 dilutions of 0.5 ml cell suspension to 4.5 ml FAD. An aliquot of the initial cell suspension is counted in a hemocytometer and the total number of recovered cells is determined. A final concentration of 2,000 cells/ml is prepared, and 1 ml of this cell suspension is plated into 100 mm dishes in complete medium as described above and maintained at 37° C. in a humidified atmosphere of 10% CO 2 in air.
After 14 days, cultures are fixed with 10% formalin in PBS and stained with a mixture of 1% Rhodamine and 1% Nile Blue A. Colonies are counted under a dissecting microscope and scored as either growing or aborted. CFE is calculated as follows: ##EQU1## The total number of colony forming cells (CFC) is calculated as follows:
CFC=total cell recovery×CFE/100
Five experiments were conducted using three different epithelial cell strains from burn patients who had been candidates for autografting. Cultures were grown and prepared as grafts as described above. Four grafts were used for each time point in each experiment. Grafts were assigned to the different storage times in an experiment such that the two grafts originating from each flask were stored for different times. In addition, an equal number of grafts originating from the front and from the rear of flasks were used for each storage condition. In the 5 experiments conducted during this test, grafts were stored in a foam-insulated box containing prechilled (4° C.) cold packs, as described above.
The total number of cells recovered by trypsin/EDTA disaggregation from each graft and the colony-forming efficiency of the cells were determined. The total number of colony-forming cells in each graft was then calculated as described above. The results are presented in Table 1 and in FIG. 3. The table shows the results of five experiments in which cultured epithelial grafts attached to gauze backings were stored for up to 26 hours at temperatures between 13° and 23° C. To assay viability, epithelial sheets were enzymatically dissociated into single cells and cell recovery, colony forming efficiency (CFE) and the number of colony forming cells (CFC) per graft were determined at the storage times indicated. The data are summarized further as number of colony forming cells (CFC) remaining relative to that of control grafts.
TABLE 1______________________________________SHELF LIFE OF CULTURED EPIDERMAL GRAFTSExperiment 1 2 3 4 5______________________________________Total cellsrecovered/graft(× 10.sup.6)<2.0 hr 7 11.5 9.2 5.0 8.820 hr 7.4 14.0 7.3 4.4 12.526 hr 5.7 14.2 6.9 3.7 11.4CFE (%)<2.0 hr 2.7 1.7 3.2 3.9 6.520 hr 3.4 3.3 8.3 10.8 12.626 hr 5.5 4.5 7.7 10.0 11.1CFC (× 10.sup.6)<2.0 hr 0.19 0.20 0.29 0.20 0.5720 hr 0.25 0.46 .57 .46 1.5226 hr 0.31 0.64 .58 .37 1.17Relative CFC 2 hr 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%20 hr 182% 277% 194% 224% 286%26 hr 184% 388% 196% 172% 221%______________________________________
Total cells recovered after all times of storage examined was greater than 74% of the control graft (i.e., <2 hours of storage) and averaged 100% over the 5 experiments. There was a very slight, but statistically insignificant, reduction in total cells recovered after 26 hours of storage as compared with 20 hours of storage.
Colony-forming cells recovered were not significantly reduced between 20 and 26 hours of storage, and interestingly, are consistently 2 to 2.5 times as great as that of control grafts. The reason for this unexpected behavior is unknown. However, it is hypothesized that dispase-released and mounted cell sheets may sustain some reversible cell damage. Some of this damage may be spontaneously repaired during the first 20 hours of storage under appropriate temperature conditions, yielding the observed results.
In another series of experiments (see Table 2 below), Strain YF29 (neonatal foreskin) keratinocytes were grown into sheets. In experiment 1, the sheets were released from the plastic using dispase and incubated at 18°-23° C. for the times shown in DME medium in an atmosphere of 10% CO 2 . In experiments 2 and 3 the sheets were attached to a gauze backing as described above and incubated at the temperatures and times indicated. The results of these experiments indicate substantial survival of CFC at storage times beyond 24 hours. Values ranged from 44%-91% at 44-48 hours and values ranged from 46%-48% at 68-72 hours under the controlled conditions.
TABLE 2______________________________________VIABILITY OF EPIDERMAL GRAFTS AFTERPROLONGED STORAGEStorageTime (Hrs) 2-4 20-24 30 44-48 55 68-72 120______________________________________EXPERIMENT 1 (18-23° C., Unmounted Cell Sheets)Total cells 4.7 4.1 3.5 2.4 2.6recovered/graft(× 10.sup.6)CFE (%) 9.2 12 8.2 8 8CFC 0.43 0.49 0.29 0.19 0.21(× 10.sup.6)EXPERIMENT 2 (13-23° C., Mounted on Gauze Backing)Total cells 16 12 16.1 8.8recovered/graft(× 10.sup.6 )CFE (%) 22.9 21.1 13.2 19.1CFC 3.66 2.53 2.13 1.68(× 10.sup.6)EXPERIMENT 3 (17-19° C., Mounted on Gauze Backing)Total cells 19 17 19 18 15recovered/graft(× 10.sup.6)CFE (%) 21.3 24 19.3 19.8 10.1CFC 4.05 4.08 3.67 3.56 1.52(× 10.sup.6)RELATIVE CFCEXPERI- 100% 81% 77% 44% 48%MENT 1EXPERI- 100% 69% 58% 46%MENT 2EXPERI- 100% 99% 91% 88% 38%MENT 3______________________________________
ANIMAL MODEL FOR ASSESSING GRAFT VIABILITY
Female athymic mice were obtained from Taconic Farm, New York. All mice were of the strain NIH nu/nu and were 6 to 8 weeks old (18-20 g body weight). They were anesthetized by subcutaneous injection of sodium pentobarbital (0.038 mg/g body weight). The mice were kept in a warm cage until they regained consciousness and then were caged separately until grafts were harvested.
Epithelial cell sheets were mounted on Vaseline® gauze as disclosed above and then stored for 4, 20 and 26 hours in serum-free medium at 18°-22° C. Four grafts were prepared for each storage condition. At grafting, a disc (1 cm in diameter) of sterile Silastic (Dow Corning, N.J.) was inserted between the cell sheet and the gauze backing. Using a sterile scalpel blade, the sheet was cut to the size of the disc. The Silastic disc and adherent epithelium were gently lifted by an edge with forceps and transferred to the site of grafting.
Grafting was carried out according to a variation of the technique of Barrandon, Li, and Green, New Techniques for the Grafting of Cultured Human Epidermal Cells onto Athymic Mice. J. Invest. Dermatol. 91:315-8 (1988). The dorsal surface of the mouse was disinfected with alcohol. A flap was made in the skin with scissors and lifted cranially. The Silastic with the adherent epithelial sheet was gently laid on the thoracic wall just over the rib cage with the basal surface of the epithelium facing upward. The skin flap was folded back in place over the graft and the incision closed with sterile Ligaclips.
To harvest the graft, the animal was sacrificed using ether anesthesia A flap was made which contains the human epithelial graft. The Silastic was peeled away and the mouse tissue surrounding the graft trimmed away. The sample which contains mouse epidermis on its outer surface and human epidermis generated from the graft on its inner surface was then transferred to fixative. Biopsies were fixed in 3.7% formaldehyde and embedded in parrafin. Sections were cut at 5 μm and stained with Harris' hematoxylin solution in 5% alcoholic eosin. Twelve mice were grafted for the three experimental conditions. The grafts were harvested 7 days after grafting.
The frequency of take was 100%. The human epidermis was visible as a pale area under the mouse skin. When examined after removal of the skin flap, the graft appears as a white area which is clearly demarcated from the surrounding mouse tissue. Differentiation of the keratinocyte sheet into a fully stratified epidermis occurs by 7 days post grafting. In paraffin sections perpendicular to the surface, the four principal layers of human epidermis can be distinguished in the grafts: the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum and stratum corneum. The stratum basale consists of a single layer of basophilic cells resting on the lamina. Its cells are cuboidal and occasional mitotic figures are observed. The cells of the stratum spinosum have a flattened, polyhedral form. The stratum granulosum consists of two layers of flattened cells whose distinguishing feature is the presence of keratohyaline granules. The thickness of the stratum corneum is variable in the 7 day grafts.
There were no apparent histological differences among grafts stored for 4, 20, and 26 hours. At 7 days, the epidermis is 4-6 cells thick 40 μm). The 4 layers were present in the same proportion in the three cases. The integrity and order of the stratum basale can be assessed by quantitating the number of nuclei per fixed distance. For all 3 periods of storage, the average number of basal cell nuclei was 9.0 per 100 μm. Mitotic figures were occasionally observed, but there was no apparent change in their number in different conditions. The most conspicuous feature of the grafts was the prominent nucleated stratum granulosum which, again, is the same in 4, 20, and 26 hour specimens. These results are illustrated in Table 3 below.
TABLE 3______________________________________SHELF LIFE EXPERIMENTSNUDE MICE GRAFTSIncubation Basal Nuclei/ Thickness ofTime (Hr) 100 μm Epithelium (μm)______________________________________ 4 9.0 3720 9.4 4026 9.2 37______________________________________
As is apparent from the foregoing, no loss of colony-forming cells or reduction in the ability to form epithelial tissue on a graft bed results from storing cultured epithelial grafts for as long as 26 hours before use, thus demonstrating that the "shelf life" of prepared grafts may be extended from 8 to at least 26 hours. The storage temperature is very important; grafts exhibit optimum retention of colony-forming cells, as measured by the in vitro assay, when stored between 13 and 23° C. Survival of grafts stored at room temperature is nearly as good as slightly lower temperatures.
A temperature range of 15°-20° C. can be maintained easily for about 18 hours (with the chamber temperature subsequently rising to room temperature) if prechilled cold packs are placed within the insulated air chamber, and the ambient temperature remains about 21°-23° C. )69.8°-73.4° F.). To maintain an internal box temperature between 13° C. and 23° C. for 24 hours, given an external temperature no lower than about 20° C., and heat stress of the type which may be encountered--air priority shipment, a foam insulated (one inch) box of steel containing 2 liters of 4° C. water in sealed plastic bags and 250 ml of ice will suffice. This type of container may be shipped readily and has a capacity of about 63, 100 mm culture dishes, each containing 12 ml of medium. Of course, other ways to maintain the temperature range effectively, reliably, and inexpensively will occur to those skilled in the art.
The data set forth above indicate that the viability of cultured epithelial graft material can be maintained for at least 26 hours and as long as 72 hours when stored under the described conditions. This conclusion also is supported by the results of five clinical tests which clearly indicate that take of grafts stored for 24 hours before use is at least as high as those applied to the patient within 6 hours of preparation.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms, and other embodiments fall within the claims which follow. | The viability of cohesive sheets of cultured epithelial cells such as keratinocytes used as wound dressings is maintained or improved by storage at a temperature within the range of 8°-25° C., preferably 13°-23° C., for periods greater than 8 hours, preferably up to 26 hours. This method and the resulting product permits a significant increase in the shipping radius of cultured dressings manufactured in a central facility, and increases flexibility in scheduling of shipments and surgical procedures. | 0 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is the US National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2008/050024, filed Jan. 5, 2010 and claims the benefit thereof. The International Application claims the benefits of European Patent Office application No. 09000797.2 EP filed Jan. 21, 2009. All of the applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The invention refers to a turbine stator blade carrier, especially for a stationary gas turbine.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Gas turbines are used in many fields for driving generators or driven machines. In this case, the energy content of a fuel is used for producing a rotational movement of a turbine shaft. To this end, the fuel is combusted in a combustion chamber, wherein compressed air is supplied from an air compressor. The operating medium, which is produced in the combustion chamber as a result of combustion of the fuel, is directed in this case under high pressure and under high temperature via a turbine unit, which is connected downstream to the combustion chamber, where it is expanded, performing work.
For producing the rotational movement of the turbine shaft, in this case a number of rotor blades, which are customarily assembled into blade groups or blade rows, are arranged on this and drive the turbine shaft via an impulse transfer from the operating medium. For flow guiding of the operating medium, moreover, stator blades, which are connected to the turbine casing and assembled to form stator blade rows, are customarily arranged between adjacent rotor blade rows. These stator blades are fastened via a blade root on a customarily hollow cylindrical or hollow conical stator blade carrier and on their side facing the turbine axis are fastened via a blade tip on an inner ring which is common to the respective stator blade row. In the case of stationary gas turbines, this inner ring frequently consists of an upper and a lower half which are interconnected via flanges.
In the design of such gas turbines, in addition to the achievable power, a particularly high efficiency is customarily a design aim. An increase of the efficiency can basically be achieved in this case, for thermodynamic reasons, by an increase of the discharge temperature at which the operating medium flows out of the combustion chamber and flows into the turbine unit. In this case, temperatures of about 1200° C. to 1500° C. are aimed at, and also achieved, for such gas turbines.
Such high temperatures of the operating medium, however, lie far above the melting temperature of the component materials which are used in the discharge region of the combustion chamber, for example, so that the critical components have to be intensely cooled and protected with complex coating systems for ensuring the necessary function of the gas turbine. In this case, it cannot be excluded occasionally that despite application of these highly developed and frequently tested technologies for cooling and coating the blades a premature exchange of stator blades becomes necessary since the blade function, as result of partial loss of the coating or closing off of cooling air holes, for example, is impermissibly impaired. In the case of large stationary gas turbines, such an exchange measure can last at best several days, but on average about two weeks, so that as a result an undesired and expensive interruption of the operation of the gas turbine or of a gas and steam turbine power plant, in which the gas turbine is used, is brought about.
A stator blade ring for a turbomachine is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,300,180. The stator blade ring comprises a stator blade carrier which consists of two clamping rings which in each case are assembled from two 180° large segments. Stator blade segments are clamped between the two clamping rings, forming a stator blade ring. In this case, the stator blade segments are further stabilized on their inner end by means of an inner ring.
It is disadvantageous, however, that for removal of a stator blade segment which is to be exchanged the one or both segment(s) of one of the two clamping rings has or have to be completely removed. This is associated with increased time consumption and greater space requirement.
Furthermore, a turbine stator blade carrier, which extends over the entire axial length of the turbine unit, is known from US 2005/0132707 A1. This is then of a multiply segmented construction in the circumferential direction.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The invention is therefore based on the object of disclosing a turbine stator blade carrier, especially for a gas turbine, which while maintaining particularly high efficiency, also enables a particularly simple exchange of individual stator blades and therefore is designed for a particularly short repair duration.
This object is achieved according to the invention by the turbine stator blade carrier being designed according to the features of the claims.
The invention in this case is based on the consideration that a curtailed repair duration would be possible as a result of a particularly simple exchangeability of the stator blades if their installation and removal could be simplified. At present, specifically on account of the constructional circumstances in modern stationary annular combustion chamber machines, the turbine has to be opened up in order to enable access to its stator blades. In this case, the stator blades lie within the stator blade carrier which in the case of stationary gas turbines consists of an upper and a lower solid cast part, and therefore also has to be disassembled for exchange of the stator blades. In order to avoid this opening up and lifting the upper cast part of the stator blade carrier, the stator blade carrier should therefore be multiply segmented in at least one section. By the use of more than two segments in this section, these are smaller than the remaining segments. As a result, just by lifting individual segments it is possible to reach the region which is surrounded by them. In order to also ensure reachability of the stator blades in the process one segment should extend in this case over the entire radial extent of the stator blade carrier and the connection of the respective segment to the remaining stator blade carrier should be releasable. Therefore, for a repair or an exchange of an individual stator blade of the first turbine stage the upper cast part of the stator blade carrier no longer has to be lifted but only the connection of the respective segment to the remaining section of the stator blade carrier and to circumferentially adjacent segments is released, as a result of which—since the segment in question extends over the entire radial extent of the stator blade carrier—a direct reaching of the radially further inwardly disposed stator blades and their exchange is possible after removal of the respective segment.
The highest temperatures in the gas turbine exist at the exit of the combustion chamber. Therefore, the stator blade of the first turbine stage, i.e. the stator blade which lies closest to the combustion chamber, is exposed to these extremely high temperatures and is subjected to the greatest wear. Accordingly, a premature exchange as a result of damage due to blockage of the cooling air holes (for example as a result of cooling air holes oxidizing up on the inside) is particularly to be expected in the case of this turbine stator blade. In order to also simplify in particular the exchange of these stator blades individually, the stator blade carrier should therefore advantageously be multiply segmented in the section of the stator blade row which lies closest to a combustion chamber of the gas turbine. In other words, the inflow-side section of the turbine stator blade carrier should have more segments than the remaining section of the turbine stator blade carrier.
In order to achieve a reachability of all the stator blades of a stator blade row, provision should be made for such a number of segments that each segment can be handled by one or, in the worst case, two fitters. Therefore, in each circumferential section an exchange of stator blades can be carried out by only the respective segment radially outside the affected stator blade being removed. In this case, the accurate geometric design of the segmentation should be adapted in a practical manner to the handling of the machine.
In a further advantageous development, the respective connection between axially adjacent segments is a screwed connection and/or a tongue-in-groove connection. By screws, a particularly simple releasable connection of segments to each other and/or to the remaining stator blade carrier is possible. As a result of the circular arrangement of the segments around the entire circumference, however, a hook-in fastening in the style of a tongue-in-groove connection is also possible, in which the individual segments are only screwed to each other and only hooked into the rest of the stator blade carrier. In this way, a particularly simple removal and installation of the individual segments is possible.
In order to further simplify the removal of the stator blades which can now be reached as a result of the segmentation of the stator blade carrier, the stator blade fixing of a gas turbine should be provided in a practical manner in such a way that an uninterrupted removal of any segment lying on the circumference is ensured so that depending upon the position of the blade which is to be replaced only the affected, radially further outwardly disposed segment has to be removed. To this end, in an advantageous development the stator blade of the respective stator blade row is releasably connected to one of the segments of the remaining section. Consequently, after removal of the affected segment the stator blade can be withdrawn by releasing the connection to the segment of the section. The segments which are located in the inflow-side section therefore do not serve for the fastening of stator blades but only for establishing or maintaining the integrity of the gas turbine and, if applicable, for the separation of chambers for cooling air at different pressures and/or temperatures.
In order to enable a simple removal of the stator blade in a gas turbine not only on the blade root side but also on the blade tip side of the respective stator blade, the stator blade of the respective stator blade row, on its side facing the turbine axis, is advantageously releasably connected in the radial direction to an inner ring. Therefore, a radial removal of the stator blade is possible. This allows a particularly simple exchange as a result.
A particularly simple exchange of the stator blade is possible by the fixing of the stator blade on the inner ring being designed as a simple push-in connection. To this end, the respective stator blade advantageously includes a tongue which can be pushed into a groove of the inner ring in the radial direction. As a result, for exchanging the respective stator blade the blade root-side connection of the stator blade to the remaining stator blade carrier can simply be released and the respective stator blade can simply be withdrawn from the turbine in the radial direction by releasing the push-in connection. In this case, as a result of the blade root-side fixing of the stator blade on the stator blade carrier, adequate security is also ensured during operation.
In the previous type of construction, the stator blades of a stator blade row were fixed on the inner ring via a connection secured with pins so that for disassembly the entire inner ring had to be removed and the stator blades could then be withdrawn. With a releasable connection, for example in the style of a simple push-in connection of the stator blades to the inner ring, the inner ring should therefore be fixed to the combustion chamber hub, i.e. to a component which is connected to the combustion chamber and therefore to the static part of the gas turbine. To this end, the inner ring is advantageously connected to a combustion chamber hub. This can be carried out by a fixing by welding, clamping, or the like, for example. In the case of the new construction of a gas turbine, the inner ring can also be produced directly as a component part of the combustion chamber hub.
Between the individual stator blades, provision is made both on the blade root and on the blade tip in the previous type of construction for grooves in which sealing plates are arranged between the stator blades in the circumferential direction. If, however, the stator blades are to be removed individually, the sealing plates which lie in the grooves of stator blade root and stator blade tip block the stator blades, however, and can therefore possibly hinder the removal. Therefore, the fixing of the sealing plates should be modified in such a way that their removal is possible and therefore removal of individual stator blades is simplified. For this purpose, stepped edges, in which the sealing plate is fixed by means of a clamping element, are advantageously introduced on the sides of the blade root and/or blade tip facing the adjacent stator blade in each case. Before removal of the stator blades, therefore, the clamping element can be released and the sealing plate can be removed so that a particularly simple removal of the stator blade is possible.
In an advantageous development, such a turbine stator blade carrier is used in a gas turbine. In order to enable a particularly simple reachability of the stator blade for exchanging individual stator blades, an outer casing of the gas turbine in this case advantageously includes a manhole through which simple access to the segments of the stator blade carrier for service personnel is possible.
A gas and steam turbine power plant advantageously comprises such a gas turbine.
The advantages which are achieved with the invention are especially that as a result of the different segmentation of the stator blade carrier in the inflow-side section and in at least one remaining section, those stator blades which are encompassed by the inflow-side segments and supported by the remaining section in the process can be released after removing a respective inflow-side segment from the remaining stator blade carrier. As a result, a particularly simple exchange of stator blades of a stator blade row becomes possible since the outer casing of the turbine and the upper cast half of the turbine stator blade carrier do not have to be lifted from the rest of the gas turbine during such an exchange. The fitters who carry out the exchange of the stator blades can therefore exchange the stator blades in the gas turbine with the outer casing closed, which significantly reduces the cost for exchanging the stator blades and can considerably reduce the necessary downtime of the gas turbine. Such a simplified exchange especially of the first stator blade stage directly downstream of the combustion chamber also enables an increase of the exit temperature in conjunction with an increase of the efficiency of the gas turbine since as a result of the simplified exchangeability of the stator blades less consideration has to be made for their durability. In this case, variable exchange concepts are conceivable during operation. Furthermore, such a construction, as result of the simplified exchange, enables a comparatively quicker test of new prototypes of stator blades, for example with new types of coating or new cooling concepts, in research and development.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to a drawing. In the drawing:
FIG. 1 shows a stator blade system, with hook-in fastened segments, in longitudinal section,
FIG. 2 shows a stator blade system, with screwed segments, in longitudinal section,
FIG. 3 shows a cross section through the segments perpendicularly to the turbine axis,
FIG. 4 shows a combustion chamber hub of an annular combustion chamber,
FIG. 5 shows the blade tip-side fixing of the stator blade according to the prior art,
FIG. 6 shows the blade tip-side fixing of the stator blade with a push-in connection,
FIG. 7 shows a combustion chamber hub with the inner ring as a component part,
FIG. 8 shows a cross section through two adjacent stator blades perpendicularly to the turbine axis with sealing elements fixed in grooves, according to the prior art,
FIG. 9 shows a section through two adjacent stator blades perpendicularly to the turbine axis with sealing elements fixed by clamping elements, and
FIG. 10 shows a half-section through a gas turbine.
Like components are provided with the same designations in all the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a turbine stator blade carrier 1 —also just called a stator blade carrier—in detail in the region of the first two stator blade rows which follow a combustion chamber 2 in the hot gas direction. The view shows in this case a half-section through the upper half 4 of a conically formed stator blade carrier and also the stator blades 6 of the first turbine stage and stator blades 8 of the second turbine stage which are arranged in each case at the apex of the stator blade ring.
The stator blades 6 , 8 in this case each comprise a blade root 10 , 12 and also a blade tip 14 , 16 , via which their fastening on the remaining components is carried out. The stator blades 6 , 8 of the first and second turbine stage in this case are fastened by their blade roots 10 , 12 on the stator blade carrier 1 and by their respective blade tips 14 , 16 are fixed on inner rings 18 , 20 . In this case, both the inner ring 20 and the stator blade carrier 1 comprise a large number of cooling systems which ensure a cooling air feed to the stator blade carrier 1 , to the stator blades 6 , 8 and to the inner ring 20 in order to adequately cool these components on account of the high hot gas temperatures.
The highest temperatures occur in this case at the exit of the combustion chamber 2 which is why the stator blades 6 of the first stator blade row are exposed to the highest temperatures. As a result, despite all the cooling measures, damage to the stator blades 6 , and a premature exchange of these stator blades 6 which is necessary as a result, cannot be excluded. In order to now enable a particularly simple exchange of the stator blades 6 , the stator blade carrier 1 is multiply segmented in the region of the first stator blade row.
The stator blade carrier 1 , in an inflow-side section 23 , comprises a number (in this case 12 pieces, cf. FIG. 3 ) of segments 24 , and in a remaining section 25 comprises a stator blade carrier 1 which is segmented only into two halves 26 . All the segments 24 , 26 are releasably interconnected. In FIG. 1 , the connection between the segments 24 of the inflow-side section 23 and the segments 26 of the remaining section 25 is realized in this case via a hook-in fastening by means of grooves 28 and tongues 30 which are introduced into the segments 24 and the segments 26 . An exactly identical connection of the segments 24 to the combustion chamber wall 32 is provided in order to separate a radially further outwardly lying chamber from the stator blades 6 and to enable the connection between combustion chamber 2 and remaining segments 26 which is necessary for the stability and rigidity of the gas turbine.
An upper and a lower half of a stator blade carrier, which is annular in cross section, as is already known in the case of statically installed gas turbines, is understood as the remaining stator blade carrier. In this case, two segments 26 are provided in the remaining section 25 of the stator blade carrier 1 . In this respect, more segments 24 are always provided in sections for the circumference than remaining segments 26 .
As a result of the hook-in fastening, the connection of the respective segments 24 to the remaining segment 26 can be released and the segment 24 can be withdrawn in the radial direction. Therefore, the stator blades 6 of the first turbine stage can be reached from the outside without complete opening up of the entire turbine. The stator blade 6 of the first turbine stage is releasably fastened via the blade root 10 on the remaining segment 26 by means of a fastening device 34 . After removal of the segment 24 , this connection can be released and the stator blade 6 can be withdrawn in the radial direction. The blade tip 14 of the stator blade 6 of the first turbine stage in this case includes a tongue 36 which is pushed in a groove 38 of the inner ring 18 . The fastening on the inner ring 18 is therefore designed simply as a push-in connection so that the stator blade 6 can be simply withdrawn outwards after releasing the fastening device 34 .
FIG. 2 also shows the stator blade system 1 as in FIG. 1 , but in this case the releasable connection of the segment 24 on the remaining segment 26 is realized via a screw 40 . The hook-in fastening of the segment 24 to the combustion chamber wall 32 via grooves 28 and tongues 30 is unaltered in this case. Such a connection with a screw 40 may be desirable depending upon rigidity requirements or geometric requirements in the stator blade carrier 1 .
FIG. 3 now shows a section, lying perpendicularly to the turbine axis 1 , through the stator blade carrier 1 at the level of the segments 24 . In the depicted example, provision is made for altogether twelve segments 24 which via flanges 52 are connected by a screwed connection, for example. As a result, a secure retention of the multiply segmented section 23 of the stator blade carrier 1 is ensured, even if the individual segments 24 are connected only via a hook-in fastening to the remaining segment 26 , as shown in FIG. 1 . The segmentation can also be created in another way, however, and can be correspondingly adapted to the handling of the machine.
FIG. 4 shows the combustion chamber hub 54 of a gas turbine. This includes a groove 56 into which is inserted the inner ring 18 which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . Furthermore, provision is made for a groove 58 in which a sealing plate is provided for sealing the gap between blade root 14 of the stator blade 6 of the first turbine stage and the combustion chamber hub 54 .
FIG. 5 shows a known fastening of the stator blade root 14 on the combustion chamber hub 54 of the gas turbine in detail. In this case, the blade root 14 includes a tongue 36 which is inserted into a groove 38 of the inner ring 18 . The stator blade 6 of the first turbine stage is fixed there by means of a pin 60 . The inner ring 18 is then inserted into the groove 56 of the combustion chamber hub 54 . At the same time, the blade root 14 includes a groove 62 for accommodating a sealing plate 64 which also lies in the groove 58 of the combustion chamber hub 54 .
Since the pin 60 extends parallel to the turbine axis, a complete removal of the inner ring 18 has been necessary up to now for removal of the stator blade 6 of the first turbine stage. Only after removal of the inner ring can the pin 60 be removed and the stator blade 6 withdrawn. Therefore, the connection of the stator blade 6 to the combustion chamber hub 54 is now realized as shown in FIG. 6 :
The tongue 36 of the blade root 14 is now no longer connected via a pin to the inner ring 18 in its groove 38 but is only pushed onto the inner ring 18 . Instead, the inner ring 18 is fastened on the combustion chamber hub 54 by means of a pin 66 or a screw. As a result, the stator blades 6 can also be removed individually without disassembling the inner ring 18 . A secure retention of the stator blades 6 is still ensured in this case via the fastening device 34 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .
In such an embodiment, it is also possible to produce the inner ring 18 directly as a component part of the combustion chamber hub 54 . As a result, separate parts are no longer necessary. Such a development is shown in FIG. 7 .
FIG. 8 shows a section perpendicularly to the turbine axis through two adjacent stator blades 6 of the first turbine stage, as customary according to the prior art. In this case, grooves 68 are introduced into the blade roots 10 and blade tips 14 on the face pointing to the adjacent stator blade 6 in each case, into which grooves are inserted sealing plates 70 which close off the gaps between the blade roots 10 and blade tips 14 . These sealing plates 70 , however, can be a hindrance during a radial withdrawal of individual stator blades 6 .
Consequently, a plurality of stator blades 6 are first to be unlocked and shifted in the circumferential direction so that one stator blade 6 disengages from the sealing plates 70 and can be removed in the radial direction.
In order to avoid this, as shown in FIG. 9 , the grooves 68 are replaced by stepped edges 72 . The sealing plates 70 are now inserted into the stepped edges 72 and secured there by means of clamping elements 74 . For removal of an individual stator blade 6 , the clamping element 74 can now be released first and the sealing element 70 can be removed. The stator blade 6 can then be withdrawn in the radial direction. Therefore, an exchange of individual stator blades is made significantly easier.
Such a stator blade system 1 which is described here is advantageously used in a gas turbine 101 .
A gas turbine 101 , as shown in FIG. 10 , has a compressor 102 for combustion air, a combustion chamber 2 and also a turbine unit 106 for driving the compressor 102 and for driving a generator or a driven machine, which is not shown. To this end, the turbine unit 106 and the compressor 102 are arranged on a common turbine shaft 108 which is also referred to as a turbine rotor to which the generator or the driven machine is also connected, and which is rotatably mounted around its center axis 109 . The combustion chamber 2 which is constructed in the style of an annular combustion chamber is equipped with a number of burners 110 for combusting a liquid or gaseous fuel.
The turbine unit 106 has a number of rotatable rotor blades 112 which are connected to the turbine shaft 108 . The rotor blades 112 are arranged on the turbine shaft 108 in a ring-like manner and therefore form a number of rotor blade rows. Furthermore, the turbine unit 106 comprises a number of fixed stator blades 6 , 8 , 114 which are also fastened in a ring-like manner on a stator blade carrier 1 of the turbine unit 106 , forming stator blade rows.
The rotor blades 112 in this case serve for driving the turbine shaft 108 as a result of impulse transfer from the operating medium M which flows through the turbine unit 106 . The stator blades 6 , 8 , 114 on the other hand serve for flow guiding of the operating medium M between two consecutive rotor blade rows or rotor blade rings in each case, as seen in the flow direction of the operating medium M. A consecutive pair, consisting of a ring of stator blades 114 or a stator blade row and a ring of rotor blades 112 or a rotor blade row, in this case is also referred to as a turbine stage.
Each stator blade 114 has a blade root 118 which, for fixing of the respective stator blade 114 on a stator blade carrier 1 of the turbine unit 106 , is arranged as a wall element. Each rotor blade 112 is fastened in a similar way on the turbine shaft 108 via a blade root 119 .
Between the platforms 118 —which are arranged in a spaced apart manner—of the stator blades 114 of two adjacent stator blade rows, a ring segment 121 is arranged in each case on the stator blade carrier 1 of the turbine unit 106 . The outer surface of each ring segment 121 in this case is at a distance in the radial direction from the outer end of the rotor blades 112 lying opposite it by means of a gap. The ring segments 121 which are arranged between adjacent stator blade rows in this case especially serve as cover elements which protect the inner casing in the stator blade carrier 1 or other installed components of the casing against thermal overstress as a result of the hot operating medium M which flows through the turbine 106 .
The combustion chamber 2 in the exemplary embodiment is designed as a so-called annular combustion chamber in which a multiplicity of burners 110 , which are arranged around the turbine shaft 108 in the circumferential direction, lead into a common combustion chamber space. For this, the combustion chamber 2 in its entirety is designed as an annular structure which is positioned around the turbine shaft 108 .
By using a turbine stator blade carrier 1 of the design which is specified above in such a gas turbine 101 , a considerably simplified repair can be achieved with high efficiency of the gas turbine 101 at the same time as a result of a significantly simpler exchangeability of individual stator blades 6 , especially of the first turbine stage. | A turbine guide vane system, in particular for a gas turbine is provided. The turbine guide vane system includes a number of guide vane rows and a guide vane carrier, to enable particularly simple replacement of guide vanes, while maintaining a particularly high degree of efficiency, and thus designed for particularly short repair durations. For this purpose, the guide vane carrier has a number of segments, wherein a segment extends over the entire radial extension of the guide vane carrier and the connection of the remaining segments may be detached, and wherein the turbine guide vane carrier includes at least two sections along the axial extension thereof that are connected to one another and have a different number of segments. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns an apparatus for severing a fibre layer composed of mutually slideable staple fibres, with two driven pairs of rolls, which form two nip lines for the fibre layer guided therebetween.
The term fibre layer as used in the context of the present invention and this disclosure is understood to describe any fibre array extending in longitudinal direction, independently of the form of its cross-section, i.e. fibre arrays of circular or centrally symmetrical cross-sections (such as e.g. the drawframe slivers in staple fibre spinning) as well as of elongated cross-sections (such as e.g. the fibre layer in a lap-forming machine or the web of a card in staple fibre spinning), in which the fibres are arranged in any shape (e.g. as longitudinally extended individualized fibres or flocks) and cohere substantially only owing to the interfibre adhesion forces.
Severing a fibre layer is known to be effected by guiding the fiber layer through the nip lines of two consecutive driven pairs of rolls, the surface speeds of which (which for continuous transport of the fibre layer without a draft are chosen the same, or, if a draft is to be effected between the nip lines, are chosen in a ratio corresponding to the draft ratio desired) can be changed relative to each other to such a degree, that the fibre layer is torn apart and thus is severed. Such severing methods are described, e.g. in German Pat. No. 910 754, in which it is shown already also, in which manner, according to first solutions the severing is effected by a sudden acceleration of the pair of delivery rolls, arranged, as seen in the direction of fibre transport, as the subsequent pair of rolls, as it can be effected, according to a further solution, by suddenly slowing down the pair of input rolls arranged as the first pair of rolls, as seen in the direction of fibre transport. These two solutions operate under application of at least one clutch, by means of which the drive of the pair of delivery rolls can be coupled with a faster rotating shaft for acceleration, or, respectively, the drive of the pair of input rolls can be de-clutched, and thus, the pair of input rolls can be brought to standstill.
These solutions show the disadvantage that a complicated drive system for the pairs of rolls, with at least one clutch, is required, which renders the device expensive and requires a great deal of maintenance work.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It thus is an important object of the present invention to propose an apparatus of the type mentioned initially, which is of simple and reliable design, requiring a minimum of maintenance work, and in particular does not require a clutch in the drive arrangement for both pairs of rolls.
This object is achieved by an apparatus of the type mentioned initially, which is characterized in that the two pairs of rolls are kinematically coupled using a flexible power transmitting element, and that the element is guided about the drive roll of the driven roll of each pair of rolls, and about at least two further deflecting rolls, which are fixed relative to the room, as well as about two rolls, which are movable with respect to the room and are interconnected into a roll tandem, in such a manner that it forms a a respective loop between the drive rolls and one of the rolls of the tandem, and between the two deflecting rolls and the other roll of the tandem, such that, as the movable roll tandem is moved, one of the loops is shortened by a certain length, while the other one is lengthened by the same length, and that thus one pair of rolls can be rotated relative to the other one, the fibre layer clamped between the nip lines being severed by drafting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described in more detail in the following with reference to an illustrated design example and further preferred embodiments.
In the single FIGURE a schematic, much simplified view of the inventive apparatus is shown, used according to a preferred embodiment of the invention in a lap-forming machine of a combing preparatory process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In a machine of this type a plurality of staple fibre slivers (two only being shown in the example according to the FIGURE) are taken from creel cans 1 and 2 (shown schematically and in a much reduced scale in the FIGURE) and are doubled by suitable means (not shown), i.e. are lined up side by side and are integrated into a large fibre layer 3. A fibre layer 3 of such type usually is of a width of approximately 300 mm. This fibre layer 3, which forms a thick layer, is wound onto a lap 4. This is effected in that the fibre layer 3 at the start of the winding process is fixed on the surface of the tube 5 in any suitable manner. The tube 5 is contactingly supported on a friction drive drum 6, which is driven by drive means described later on, and is rotated by the friction drive drum 6 which is in frictional contact drive with tube 5. In this process the fibre layer 3 is wound onto the tube 5 and forms a lap 4, the diameter of which increases accordingly. The tube 5 of course moves correspondingly with respect to the friction drive drum 6, which is effected by corresponding holding means. In the example shown, such holding means are of the form of two guides 7,8 arranged at right angles to the friction drive drum 6, which guide the tube 5 at both rims (one rim only being shown). Of course, also other types of holding means can be provided for holding the tube 5, such as closing arms guiding the tube 5 along a circular path, etc.
In this arrangement it is also possible for the tube 5 to be pressed against the friction drive drum 6 by suitable means (not shown), for enhancing the entrainment effect exerted by the friction drive drum 6. Furthermore, an arrangement is possible wherein the drive of the lap 4 is not effected by frictional contact of the friction drive drum 6, but instead in that the tube 5 itself is driven by drive arrangements (not shown), suitable control means taking care of continuous adaption of the lap rotational speed to the increasing diameter. Also mixed drive arrangements, i.e. combinations of a direct drive of the lap 4 and by a friction drive drum, also are applicable within the scope of the present invention.
Immediately upstream of, as seen in the direction of movement of the fibre layer 3, the lap 4, it is contemplated according to the invention to provide two pairs of rolls 9/10 and 11/12, which form two nip lines m and n for the fibre layer 3 guided therebetween. The lower rolls 9 and 11 of the pairs of rolls in this arrangement are driven rolls, as to be explained in more detail later on, and are supported to be rotatable about the axes or shafts 13 and 14 in bearings (not shown) fixed with respect to the room on a machine frame (also not shown).
The upper rolls 10 and 12 of the pairs of rolls, on the other hand, are designed as pressure rolls, which are guided to be movable vertically in a body 17 which is fixed relative to the room or space and provided with vertical guides for the corresponding axes or shafts 15 and 16, and which are pressed against the driven rolls 9 and 11, respectively, by using a related pressure spring 18.
The two driven rolls 9 and 11 of the pairs of rolls 9/10 and 11/12 according to the invention are kinematically coupled by using a flexible power transmission element 19, the element 19 preferably being an element functioning slippage-free. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the power transmission element 19 is a chain or a toothed belt, which meshes with corresponding pulleys for slippage-free transmission of power and movement.
The power transmission element 19 in this arrangement is guided about the drive roll 20 and 21, respectively, of the driven roll 9 and 11, respectively, of each pair of rolls, and about at least two further deflecting or space rolls 22 and 23 arranged fixed with respect to the room and the axes 24 and 25 of which are rotatably supported in the machine frame (not shown). Furthermore, in the path of movement of the power transmitting element 19 there are provided two rolls 27 and 28, which are movable with respect to the room or space and which are interconnected into a roll tandem 26. The axes or shafts 29 and 30 of the rolls 27 and 28 for this purpose are rotatably supported in a common bearing body 31. Owing to this arrangement of the rolls 20, 21, 22, 23, 27 and 28 the power transmitting element 19 forms a respective loop 32 and 33 between the drive rolls 20 and 21 and the roll 27, and between the two deflecting rolls 22, 23 and the roll 28. Since the rolls 20, 21, 22 and 23 are fixed with respect to the room or space, the circumference of the flexible power transmitting element 19 is independent of the position of the roll tandem 26. As the roll tandem 26 moves, e.g. from its position A, indicated with solid lines in the FIGURE, into the position B, indicated with broken lines, the loop 32 is shortened by the length L and the loop 33 is lengthened by the same length L, which, however, requires a relative rotation of one of the pairs of rolls 9,10 and 11,12 with respect to the other.
For moving the roll tandem 26, according to the FIGURE, a system comprising a piston 34 and a cylinder 35 is provided, the piston rod 36 of which is directly connected to the bearing or mounting body 31. The cylinder 35 is connected via a duct 37 with a valve 38 and with a pressure source (not shown) for a suitable fluid medium, and such cylinder 35 contains a resetting spring 39. As the valve 38 is opened, the pressure medium flows into the cylinder 35 from below and moves the piston 34 including the piston rod 36 upward, the force exerted by the resetting spring 39 being overcome in such a manner that the bearing body 31 is moved from, e.g. the position A into the position B. As the pressre in the cylinder 35 is released, the piston 34 including the bearing body 31 is brought back to its initial position under the influence of the force of the resetting spring 39. Of course also other methods (e.g. purely mechanical drives using gear rack and pinion arrangements, not shown) are applicable.
For driving the rolls and the power transmitting element 19, according to the design example shown in the FIGURE, the shaft 24 of the deflecting roll 22 is equipped with a belt pulley 40 for a belt 41. The belt 41 is driven by a motor 42 equipped with a belt pulley 43, and thus, drives the power transmitting element 19 so as to perform a revolving motion. Furthermore, the arrangement is constituted such that the friction drive drum 6 is driven from the shaft 14 of the roll 11 via a belt pulley 44, a belt 45 and a belt pulley 46, in such a manner, that between the roll 11 and the friction drive drum 6 there prevails a kinematic coupling. The belt 45 in this arrangement is preferably chosen as a toothed belt. Instead of a belt drive arrangement also a chain drive arrangement can be considered for driving the friction drive drum 6. The ratio of the diameters of the belt pulleys 44 and 46 is chosen substantially equal to the ratio of the diameters of the roll 11 and the friction drive drum 6, in such a manner that between the nip line n and the friction drive drum 6 the fibre layer 3 is not subject to any draft (not considering a possible tensioning draft, neglegible in this context).
The here illustrated type of drive of the power transmitting element 19 and of the friction drive drum 6 is not the only one which can be considered within the scope of the present invention: thus the drive of the element 19 could be effected, e.g. by driving the shaft 13 of the roll 9, whereas the friction drive drum 6 could be driven by kinematically coupling with the shaft 25 of the deflecting roll 23.
Furthermore, it is to be noted that the rolls 9 and 11 (as shown in the FIGURE) need not necessarily possess the same diameter and/or need not be kinematically coupled by using drive rolls 20 and 21 of the same dimensions. If this is the case, both driven rolls 9 and 11 of the pairs of rolls 9/10 and 11/12 rotate at the same surface speed, in such manner that the fibre layer 3 is carried on between the nip lines m and n without drafts, as the power transmitting element 19 circulates around the roll tandem 26 which is not moved with respect to the room or space. If, however, the fibre layer 3 is to be subject to a determined draft at all times during operation of the apparatus, then it is only necessary to correspondingly choose the above mentioned diameters of the rolls 9 and 11 and/or of the drive rolls 20 and 21: the pairs of rolls 9/10 and 11/12 in this case respectively act in known manner as the take-in pair of rolls 9/10 and the delivery pair of rolls 11/12 of the drafting zone of a drafting arrangement.
In a preferred alternative design example it further is contemplated that during the movement of the roll tandem 26 one of the pairs of rolls is stopped with respect to the other, such that the relative rotation of the second pair of rolls is effected with respect to a pair of rolls which is at a standstill. This is achieved, e.g. in the apparatus shown in the FIGURE, in that the roll 9 is directly braked by a brake 50 activated via a system comprising a cylinder 47, a piston 48 and a piston rod 49. The piston 48 is activated via valve 52 and duct 51. This depicted manner of holding the pair of rolls 9/10 at standstill represents just one of many possible arrangements which could be utilized: Thus, e.g. application of a so-called stop-motor, i.e. of a motor equipped with a brake, instead of motor 42, also could be considered as a good solution.
The apparatus illustrated functions as follows:
During normal operation, i.e. while the lap 4 is being built up, the cylinders 35 and 47 are not under pressure, i.e. the roll tandem 26 is in its lower position A, and the roll 9 is not braked.
The drive motor 42 in this arrangement drives via the belt 41 and the power transmission element 19, the pairs of rolls 9/10 and 11/12, which continuously transport the fibre layer 3 from the cans 1 and 2 to the lap 4. The lap 4 rotates since it is frictionally driven by the friction drive drum 6, which also is driven by the motor 42, and the fibre layer 3 is wound onto the lap surface.
When the lap or package 4 has reached its predetermined final diameter, the motor 42 is stopped. In this arrangement the fibre layer 3 is continuously maintained between the nip lines m and n and from the nip line n to the lap 4.
Now the lap or package 4 is to be exchanged against a new, empty tube 5, and that the fibre layer 3 is to be severed in this process.
For this purpose the valves 52 and 38 are activated simultaneously or one shortly after the other, such that the brake 50 is activated and that the roll tandem 26 is moved from its lower position A into its upper position B, indicated with broken lines. As the roll tandem 26 is moved over the distance L while the roll 9 is braked, the drive roll 21 and the deflecting roll 23 effect a clockwise rotation, which causes rotation of the rolls 11, 12 in the sense of transporting the fibre layer 3 from the left hand side to the right hand side. Since the rolls 9,10 are at a standstill, the fibre layer 3 is severed between the nip lines m and n by drafting it apart, which is the object of the invention.
Between the path of movement or displacement path L of the roll tandem 26, the diameter d of the drive roll 21 of the driven roll 11 of the pair of rolls 11/12 which is further rotated, the diameter D of the driven roll 11 and the maximum staple lengths of the fibre layer 3 there preferably prevails the following relation:
L>(s·d)/2D
Maintenance of this relation ensures that the movement of the fibre layer 3 to the right hand side of the showing of the drawing by the pair of rolls 11/12 exceeds the maximum staple length s, i.e. that the fibre layer is severed completely.
It is to be noted that with the rotation of the roll 11 the friction drive drum 6, which is kinematically coupled with the roll 11, is also always rotated further over the same surface length, in such a manner that the fibre layer 3 always is correctly wound onto the lap surface of the lap or package 4.
After the fibre layer 3 is severed between the nip lines m and n, the severed end of the fibre layer (not shown) can be wound onto the lap surface of the lap 4 according to two methods, the lap 4 thus being prepared for the exchange thereof.
According to a first method the drive motor 42 can be started up again for a short period of time; in this process, as during normal operation, the rolls 9, 11 and 6 are driven such, that the fibre layer upstream and downstream of the severing point is moved from the left to the right. When the end of the layer on the lap side has reached the surface of the lap 4, the motor 42 is stopped again, and the lap or package 4 is exchanged against a new, empty tube 5 either by hand, or automatically, using known means (not shown).
According to a second method, the translatory displacement path L of the roll tandem 26 can be chosen such, that by the relative rotation of the rolls 11, 12 and 6 with respect to the rolls 9, 10 not only the fibre layer 3 is severed, but that the severing point of the fibre layer 3, or its end on the lap side, respectively, is transported to the surface of the lap 4, while the rolls 9 and 10 are at standstill. Also in this arrangement, the lap change operation can be effected in known manner.
Resetting the roll tandem 26 from the position B to its position A for normal operation (effected by the resetting spring 39 while the cylinder 35 is not pressurized) in this second case (in which between the nip line n and the rolls 11, 12 no fibre layer 3 remains) can be effected immediately during the exchange operation; it is of no consequence in this arrangement, whether the rolls 11 and 12 are to be rotated back (counter-clockwise) for this purpose. If, however, the first mentioned method is applied, in which the fibre layer 3 passes the nip line n of the pair of rolls 11/12 already before the change operation takes place, resetting of the roll tandem 26 from the position B into its position A is to be effected during normal operation, i.e. during the subsequent phase of build-up of the next lap 4. In this arrangement this movement is effected at such a low speed with respect to the surface speed of the rolls 9, 11 and 6, that the naturally resulting change in fibre mass of the fibre layer 3 after passage through the rolls 11, 12 is neglegible.
While there are shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims. Accordingly, | The present invention concerns an apparatus for severing a fibre layer (3) composed of mutually slidable staple fibres, and containing two driven pairs of rolls (9/10; 11/12) forming two nip lines for the fibre layer (3) guided therebetween. Severing is achieved in that the two pairs of rolls (9/10; 11/12) are kinematically coupled using a flexible power transmitting element (19) in such a manner that by moving a roll tandem (26) contained in the path of movement of the power transmitting element (19) one pair of rolls (11/12) is rotated relative to the other one (9/10). Owing to this relative rotation of the pairs of rolls the fibre layer clamped between the nip lines is severed. This apparatus presents the advantage that its design is simple and reliable and that, in particular, no clutch is required. | 3 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application is related to U.S. patent application also entitled “Height Measuring Device” filed simultaneously. This application is related by subject matter to that disclosed in the commonly owned, and simultaneously-filed application.
BACKGROUND
Field of the Disclosure
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for measuring height. ratus and method for measuring height.
Background of the Disclosure
Height measurement devices have evolved over the years. Traditionally, a person's height is either taken with a limp tape measure at home or at the doctor's office using a bulky, oversized height scale, typically having a floor base. Other wall mounted devices use a long cumbersome graduated rod having a sliding plank, or a basic graduated retractable tape having a hard to read parallax sight, and a plank.
Several additional electronic measurement devices have been introduced over the past decades to capture height measurements. Some devices electronically track the vertical position of a person and report the corresponding height measurement, by physically placing a device on top of a person's head, calculating the person's height by measuring the distance from the floor to the ceiling, and then subtracting the distance from the person's head to the ceiling. However, this requires a clear line of sight to a non-vaulted ceiling, and a floor. Due to the ability of the device sliding off the person's head, it has a higher probability of improperly calculating the person's height.
However, this current height-measuring device provides more stability by being mounted onto a surface, not balancing atop of a user's head, and not needing to be located at a prescribed distance from the floor. Further, it does not rely on a bulky floor base apparatus to measure height and there is no parallax error in the reading of its measurements. It provides a more efficient and accurate height measurement through the incorporation of a distance sensor, such as a laser, that calculates heights via the difference of a calibration reading from a distance reading, and it is triggered when a foot platform is moved to a different position.
BRIEF SUMMARY
An apparatus, method, and system for measuring height are provided. The apparatus, and method includes initiating, and calibrating a height-measuring device, by engaging a distance sensor to capture and store the calibration reading. The distance sensor may be in the form of a laser or other line-of-sight device. A foot platform, connected to a retractable tape, is pulled atop an object/user. A reading is captured and is used as the distance reading. The distance sensor captures, stores and calculates a height measurement for the user/object, and displays the height measurement on a screen. stores and calculates a height measurement for the user/object, and displays the height measurement on a screen.
The system includes processor instructions that are capable of capturing, calculating, and storing calibration data as well as height measuring data for one or more objects, including users. It then displays calculated height results of the objects/users. Further, the height data can be compared for more than one object/user. The height data may also be processed using a predictive algorithm in order to predict future heights of one or more user. The height measurements, including compared heights, and predicted heights may be stored, and displayed on any plurality of screens, including smartphones, scales, tablets, and the like.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is illustrated by the following non-limiting drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a height-measuring device.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the height-measuring device with the foot in an extended position.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the height-measuring device having a laser sensor.
FIG. 4 is an illustrative view of the height-measuring device being calibrated using a laser method.
FIG. 5 is an illustrative view of the height-measuring device showing user engagement.
FIG. 6 is an illustrative view of the height-measuring device able to correspond to a smart application and/or scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 depicts a height-measuring device [ 1 ] comprising a housing having a front shell assembly [ 9 ] and corresponding rear-facing shell [ 50 ]. The front shell assembly [ 9 ] in the preferred decorative embodiment includes a head [ 2 ] having a molded snap tab [ 7 ], a belly [ 5 ] having a display aperture [ 10 ], a screen display [ 30 ] having an integrated camera [ 31 ], at least one manual pushbutton [ 32 ], and decorative arms [ 3 ]. However, the front shell assembly [ 9 ] is not limited to having any decorative façade features and may be purely functional in design. The foot platform [ 12 ], having a slider tab [ 24 ] shown in a closed position, perpendicularly abuts the underside of the belly [ 5 ] and the bottom of the rear-facing shell [ 50 ] of the housing. The foot platform [ 12 ] preferably includes one or more bumpers [ 20 ] to prevent the foot platform [ 12 ] from directly contacting and damaging the underside of the housing. The foot platform [ 12 ] may include a decorative design, such as molded toe cutouts to heighten user experience.
FIG. 2 . depicts the height-measuring device [ 1 ] with the foot platform [ 12 ] in a partially extended position. The foot platform [ 12 ] is connected to a retractable tape [ 15 ] and is affixed by a foot bracket [ 23 ] or other attachment. In a preferred embodiment, the retractable tape [ 15 ] has similar form and structure to that of a spring-loaded tape measure. In this view, a laser beam [ 25 ] is capable of projecting in a vertical downward manner from the underside of the shell assembly [ 9 ] towards the foot platform [ 12 ], namely onto the slider tab [ 24 ] being in a closed position.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the height-measuring device [ 1 ], wherein a time-of-flight type laser device [ 37 ] is fixed onto a sensor bracket [ 42 ]. The laser device [ 37 ] captures height measurements of users or objects by means of a laser beam [ 25 ] reflecting off of the slider tab [ 24 ] in its closed position, which is located on the topside of the retractable foot platform [ 12 ]. The foot platform [ 12 ] has an aperture [ 61 ] positioned and hidden underneath the slider tab [ 24 ], and the slider tab [ 24 ] is closed during operation mode of the height-measuring device. Otherwise, the aperture [ 61 ] is exposed when the slider tab [ 24 ] is pulled away from the aperture [ 61 ], and is in its open position during calibration mode of the height-measuring device [ 1 ]. The retractable tape [ 15 ] is made from thin, rigid, but flexible material, and is preferably contained within a spring loaded tape housing [ 40 ]. In order to hold the tape housing [ 40 ] into place, it is inserted between walls [ 53 ], which protrude perpendicularly from the rear-facing shell [ 50 ]. When the foot platform [ 12 ] is pulled down vertically, the retractable tape [ 15 ] synchronously travels downward while the remaining length of the retractable tape [ 15 ] remains in a coiled state within the spring loaded tape housing [ 40 ]. As the retractable tape [ 15 ] extends, it exits from the tape housing [ 40 ], becoming uncoiled, and passes through a partially surrounding sensor bracket [ 42 ], which keeps the retractable tape [ 15 ] confined within a certain clearance. The retractable tape [ 15 ] and foot bracket [ 23 ] provides vertical parallelism and horizontal rigidity of the foot platform [ 12 ] along its travel path. The rear-facing shell [ 50 ] is configured to be mountable onto a surface, such as a wall, using mounting screws [ 46 ] and washers [ 47 ]. Bubble type or electronic level indicator [ 45 ] may be affixed within the housing, preferably onto the interior of the rear-facing shell [ 50 ], to ensure the height-measuring device [ 1 ] has the truest perpendicular wall mount with respect to the floor. The rear-facing shell [ 50 ] may attach to the front shell assembly [ 9 ] using one or more fasteners [ 56 ] through molded bosses [ 55 ]. The head [ 2 ] section attaches, or detaches, by means of one or more molded snap tabs [ 7 ], providing for a non-fastener access to the power supply/battery [ 60 ], as well as convenient access to the mounting screws [ 46 ] of the height-measuring device [ 1 ] itself.
A screen display [ 30 ] having an integrated camera [ 31 ] is incorporated into the front shell assembly [ 9 ] and is positioned adjacent to a corresponding Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) board [ 35 ]. The ASIC board [ 35 ] houses system hardware such as manual pushbuttons [ 32 ], processors, wireless radios, memory modules, voice recognition modules, face recognition modules, camera modules, microphones, audio speakers, and other electronics and microelectronics. Along with the manual pushbuttons [ 32 ], the screen display [ 30 ] may be used as a touch screen that enables the user to press buttons, add information, and/or manipulate objects using Graphic User Interface (GUI) buttons on the screen display [ 30 ]. Camera [ 31 ] may be used for face recognition and/or user, or object photographs. The height-measuring device [ 1 ] software accepts user inputs and/or object information, such as individual, or family member assignment, and can send data to the corresponding LED, LCD or similar screen display [ 30 ]. These options allow the user to easily input, initiate, manipulate, and/or associate user/object information, and password functionality.
Once the foot platform [ 12 ] is pulled downward and comes to rest atop of a user or object for a certain time, such as 3 seconds, the laser device [ 37 ] fires a downward directed laser beam [ 25 ] from its fixed mounting position on the sensor bracket [ 42 ] and reflects off of the foot platform's [ 12 ] slider tab [ 24 ]. Next, the laser device's [ 37 ] processor and algorithm instantaneously evaluate the time-of-flight data and output the precise travel distance of the plain retractable tape [ 15 ] and the adjoined foot platform [ 12 ]. Technologically, the laser device [ 37 ] heretofore is mentioned as being of the time-of-flight type, but may utilize triangulation, or any other technology that supports line-of-sight distance measurement.
FIG. 4 depicts the height-measuring device [ 1 ] in calibration mode and illustrates the calibration process for the laser device [ 37 ]. After mounting the height-measuring device [ 1 ] onto a wall or other surface, the height-measuring device [ 1 ] should be calibrated electronically in order to record its relative position with respect to the floor or other surface. Referencing FIG. 3 , the foot platform [ 12 ] has a slider tab [ 24 ], which perpendicularly extends, and is slidable across the aperture [ 61 ] allowing the user to open or close the aperture [ 61 ] and thereby control mode of operation of the height-measuring device [ 1 ]. During calibration mode, the foot platform [ 12 ] abuts the height-measuring device, and the slider tab [ 24 ] on the foot platform [ 12 ] automatically slides into an open position, or is manually slid open by the user. Once the slider tab [ 24 ] is open, the aperture [ 61 ] is exposed, and the laser beam [ 25 ] has a clear line of sight through the foot platform [ 12 ], and aperture [ 61 ], to the floor, or other surface. To initiate calibration, a pushbutton [ 32 ] is manually depressed for a certain period of time, such as 7 seconds, or the process may be activated via the touchscreen screen display [ 30 ], or by voice recognition. A concurrent audible beep may emit, while the laser beam [ 25 ] instantaneously passes through the aperture [ 61 ] and reflects off the floor, or other surface, transmitting the electronic distance signal back to the laser device [ 37 ] processor in order to capture and record the as-mounted calibration reading. The results of the calibration reading are stored in the ASIC board's [ 35 ] memory and may be displayed on the screen display [ 30 ], and/or alternately status information may be played from an audio speaker. Once the height-measuring device [ 1 ] is calibrated, the aperture [ 61 ] is either manually or automatically reclosed, and the height-measuring device [ 1 ] is now ready for use by individuals, or objects whose physical height is comfortably less than the calibrated as-mounted distance. No separate individualized calibration is necessary, but the height-measuring device [ 1 ] must be recalibrated if/when the vertical mounting position of height-measuring device [ 1 ] changes.
FIG. 5 illustrates the measurement process for a user who is positioned underneath the foot platform [ 12 ]. Given a certain setup protocol, the user may first program their personal pushbutton [ 32 ], which enables the height-measuring device [ 1 ] to recognize who is about to use the device [ 1 ], and then permanently correlates the user with the specific programmed pushbutton [ 32 ]. Likewise, the user selection of a personalized pushbutton [ 32 ] allows height measurements to be added to previously stored personal user data, not limited to previous height, weight, age, name, and gender. Alternately, the user could be automatically recognized via the integrated camera [ 31 ] using face recognition software capability.
In operation, the user simply depresses his/her personalized pushbutton [ 32 ], and within a certain timeframe, such as 10 seconds, the user pulls the foot platform [ 12 ], or it automatically travels downward until it abuts, and rests flatly on the crown of the user's head. Once the foot platform [ 12 ] comes to rest on user's head for a predetermined time, such as 3 seconds, an audible beep may emit, and the laser device [ 37 ] will automatically capture, and store in memory, the travel distance of the foot platform [ 12 ]. The total user or object height calculation is simply the difference between the stored as-mounted calibration distance, and the actual travel distance of the foot platform [ 12 ] as it comes to rest atop its target below. The ASIC board's system algorithm will cache, log, and save the digital height, and this data may be displayed on the screen display [ 30 ] and/or played from an audio speaker. Wired or wireless [ 101 ] data transmissions from the height measuring device [ 1 ] may be shared with a scale [ 100 ], a smart phone [ 111 ], or any other connected user device. Here, the height-measuring device's screen display [ 30 ] is not limited to displaying the user's first and last name, height, weight, age, estimated height, and/or photograph. Concurrently, the connected smart phone [ 111 ] is not limited to displaying shared data that may include the user's first and last name, current height, estimated future height, DOB, weight, gender, privacy settings, mother's name, mother's height, father's name, father's height, as well as user photographs, that are age, date, and height stamped. Similarly, the connected scale [ 100 ] is not limited to displaying the user's name, weight, and the like.
FIG. 6 depicts the preferred system including the height-measuring device [ 1 ] connected to a proprietary weight scale [ 100 ] having shared data, memory, and foot-activated pushbuttons [ 132 ] corresponding to the height-measuring device's manual pushbuttons [ 32 ]. It also depicts smart phones [ 112 ], [ 113 ], and [ 114 ] which represent any number of connected possibilities such as tablets, monitors, personal computers, smart phones, or other devices. Smart phone [ 113 ] illustrates a screen, wherein the height-measuring device [ 1 ] is calculating, and displaying, a scaled graphical representation of a user's height juxtapose to a figure representing his/her comparative future height. Smart phone [ 114 ] illustrates a screen, wherein the height-measuring device [ 1 ] is calculating, and displaying, a scaled graphical representation of the user's height juxtapose to a comparative figure of a family member of equal, or different height. Smart phone [ 112 ] illustrates a screen in the process of receiving and/or transmitting pairing codes to the height-measuring device [ 1 ], and to the weight scale [ 100 ] respectively. Once all connected devices have been paired, and information synced and accumulated, the results may be displayed, shared, printed, and/or saved. The general scope of the height-measuring device's [ 1 ] data set includes, but is not limited to: personal information, sibling information, parent information, family tree data, medical records, demographic information, and other shared demographic API data.
The description of the disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited in the form disclosed. It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects. | An apparatus, system, and method for measuring height of one or more objects/users. Once the height-measuring device is calibrated, a retracting foot platform is positioned atop a user/object and its distance is captured, stored, and calculated by a laser sensor to determine the resulting heights of the objects/users. The height measurements may be displayed on a screen, including the screen display of the height-measuring device itself, or other devices such as a tablet, smartphone, or scale.
The height data from each user/object may be compared to one another. The height measuring device also includes a predictive algorithm that determines the future height of one or more user. | 6 |
[0001] This application claims priority to and incorporates by reference German Patent Application No. 198 54 672.6 filed Nov. 26, 1998 and German Patent Application No. 198 56 301.9 filed Dec. 7, 1998 through International Application No. PCT/DE99/03732 filed Nov. 19, 1999, and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/856,723 filed Sep. 17, 2001, of which this application is a division.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0002] The invention relates to an isolated polypeptide identical or similar (i.e., the same in function and effect) to a protein that occurs naturally in keratinocytes and is increasingly expressed when the keratinocytes are in an activated state. It also relates to an isolated nucleic acid, which encodes a polypeptide or protein typical for human keratinocytes, and to the use of this polypeptide and this nucleic acid for detection, in particular diagnostic, and/or therapeutic purposes, and reagents manufactured with the use of at least one of these molecules, in particular recombinant vector molecules and antibodies.
[0003] Based on prior art as currently exists, essentially pharmaceuticals with a broad range of action are used in skin treatment to influence epidermal disturbances, e.g., autoimmune dermatoses “Pemphigus vulgaris” and “Bullous Pemphigoid”, in particular locally or systemically applied glucocorticoids, vitamin A acid derivatives, antimetabolites and cytostatics, or more or less non-specific measures are used in treatment, such as “dye therapy” or “light therapy”. However, the disadvantage to all known agents or measures is that they are not very specific, and hence of course bring about numerous side effects.
[0004] The preparation of more specific agents has thus far been unsuccessful due to a basic problem that has persisted in dermatology for a long time, namely that the number of cellular target molecules, hereinafter generally referred to as target structures (“targets”), which might serve as a point of attack for exerting a (specific) influence on cellular metabolism, in particular from a medical or even cosmetic standpoint, is narrowly restricted in epidermal keratinocytes.
[0005] Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide new target structures in epidermal keratinocytes that can serve as a point of attack for diagnostic, therapeutic and cosmetic agents, or generally for influencing cellular metabolism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] One solution to this object involves preparing a polypeptide or protein of the kind mentioned at the outset, which is upwardly adjusted in activated keratinocytes, i.e., increasingly expressed or produced, and kept at a higher concentration level, and which has the amino acid sequence indicated in either the SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4 sequence protocol or the SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8 sequence protocol, or an allele or derivative of this amino acid sequence obtained through amino acid substitution, deletion, insertion or inversion. In the following, the polypeptides with the SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4 or the SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8 amino acid sequence shall also be referred to as protein pKe#83.
[0007] Another solution to this object involves preparing an isolated nucleic acid that codes a protein, which is identical or similar to a protein that occurs naturally in human keratinocytes and is increasingly expressed when the keratinocytes are in an activated state, and which has the nucleotide sequence indicated in either the SEQ ID NO:1 sequence protocol or the SEQ ID NO:7 sequence protocol, or a nucleotide sequence complementary thereto, or a partial sequence of one of these two nucleotide sequences, or a nucleotide sequence that hybridizes wholly or in part with one of these two nucleotide sequences, wherein “U” can take the place of “T” in these sequence protocols SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:7. This group of nucleic acids or nucleotide sequences according to the invention also includes in particular splice variants (e.g., SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:5) and sense or antisense oligonucleotides, which hybridize with the nucleotide sequence indicated in the SEQ ID NO:1 sequence protocol or the SEQ ID NO:7 sequence protocol, preferably identical or (partially) complementary to the latter. Two preferred splice variants of the inventive nucleotide sequence according to SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:7 are indicated in the SEQ ID NO:2 and SEQ ID NO:5 sequence protocols.
[0008] As a result, the invention also encompasses proteins or polypeptides of the kind mentioned at the outset, which have an amino acid sequence that results from such a splice variant, in particular the splice variant of an mRNA, which is identical or wholly or partially complementary to the nucleotide sequence indicated in the SEQ ID NO:1 sequence protocol or the SEQ ID NO:7 sequence protocol.
[0009] The sense or antisense oligonucleotides according to the invention encompass at least 6, preferably 8 to 25 nucleotides.
[0010] The term “hybridized” relates to the hybridization procedures known in the art under conventional, in particular also under highly stringent hybridization conditions. The expert selects the specific hybridization parameters based on the used nucleotide sequence and his or her general technical knowledge (compare: Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Vol. 1, 1997, John Wiley & Sons Inc., Suppl. 37, Chapter 4.9.14).
[0011] In addition to the nucleotide sequences indicated in sequence protocols SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 2 and SEQ ID NO: 5 and the nucleotide sequences corresponding to these sequences in terms of genetic code degeneration, this invention also encompasses those nucleotide sequences that hybridize with them under stringent conditions. In this invention, the term “hybridize” or “hybridization” is used as in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor, Laboratory Press, 1989, 1.101 to 1.104. According to this publication, hybridization under stringent conditions exists when a positive hybridization signal is still observed after washing for one hour with 1×SSC and 0.1% SDS, preferably with low-concentrated SSC, in particular 0.2×SSC, at a temperature of at least 55° C., preferably 62° C. and especially preferred 68° C. Each nucleotide sequence that hybridizes under such washing conditions with a nucleotide sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 5 or with one having the sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 7 or SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 5 within the framework of degeneration of the nucleotide sequence corresponding to the genetic code belongs to the subject matter of the present invention.
[0012] The nucleic acid(s) according to the invention can be obtained from both a natural source or synthetically or semi-synthetically. Its presentation as cDNA has proven to be particularly effective in practice.
[0013] The polypeptide that has the amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:8 and is coded by the nucleic acid indicated in the SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:7 sequence protocol, and that is referred to as protein pKe#83 below, is upwardly adjusted in human epidermal keratinocytes, namely increasingly expressed (produced) and kept at a significantly higher concentration level in comparison to the initial state if these cells are in the “activated” state, i.e., in a state of proliferation and/or migration, among others, e.g., after an accidental skin injury or given the autoimmunologically induced bullous dermatoses “Pemphigus vulgaris” (triggered by autoantibodies against desmosomes) and “Bullous Pemphigoid” (triggered by autoantibodies against hemidesmosomes). The activated state of the human epidermal keratinocytes is also manifested in an elevated expression of known activation markers uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator) and uPA-R (receptor for urokinase-type plasminogen activator) relative to the resting state (initial state), and can be qualitatively and quantitatively detected based on these markers. (compare: Schäfer, et al., 1996: Dispase - mediated basal detachment of cultured keratinocytes induces urokinase - type plasminogen activator ( uPA ) and its receptor ( uPA - R, CD 87), Exp. Cell Res. 228, pp. 246-253).
[0014] Protein pKe#83 has a so-called prenyl-group binding site (“CAAX Box”). This is a binding site that allows a post-translational change of numerous eukaryotic proteins by appending a farnesyl or gerany-geranyl group to a cysteine residue that is three amino acids away from the C terminal, wherein the two amino acids situated at the C terminal are generally aliphatic. Ras proteins and numerous G proteins have such a CAAX box.
[0015] In addition, the “pKe#83” protein has several putative phosphorylation sites. The cited motifs indicate that the pKe#83 protein is involved in signal transduction processes.
[0016] The (isolated) preparation of protein pKe#83, namely the description of nucleotide sequences that code this protein, and the indication of (one of) its amino acid sequence(s) make it possible to exert a targeted influence on the metabolism of physiologically active or activated keratinocytes, and of course of other cells that express protein pKe#83, in particular for purposes of medical therapy and cosmetic treatment.
[0017] The invention also relates to recombinant DNS vector molecules, which encompass a nucleic acid according to the invention, and which have the ability to express a protein that occurs in human keratinocytes and is increasingly expressed when the keratinocytes are in an activated state, in particular protein pKe#83, in a prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell. These DNS vector molecules preferably involve derivatives of the plasmid pUEX-1 and/or the plasmid pGEX-2T and/or the plasmid pcDNA3.1, since these vectors have proven to be highly suitable in practice. Especially preferred are the vector construct pGEX-2T-pKe#83 according to the vector protocol disclosed on FIG. 2 , and the vector construct pcDNA3.1/pKe#83-FLAG according to the vector protocol disclosed on FIG. 3 . While the eukaryotic cell includes in particular cells from cell cultures, e.g., COS cells, the respective cell can just as well also be a constituent of a living organism, e.g., a transgenic mouse.
[0018] Therefore, the invention also encompasses transformed host cells that contain a nucleic acid according to the invention that is linked with an activatable promotor, which is contained in these cells naturally or as the result of recombination, and that (consequently) have the ability to express a protein that occurs naturally in human keratinocytes and is increasingly expressed when the keratinocytes are in an activated state, in particular protein “pKe#83”.
[0019] The invention also relates to the use of a nucleic acid according to the invention or a vector molecule according to the invention to manufacture transgenic mammals, in particular mice or rats.
[0020] The transfectants according to the invention open up an opportunity for research and development work aimed at further clarifying the protein “pKe#83”-induced changes in cell morphology and cellular base functions such as proliferation, adhesion, migration and differentiation, in particular with an eye toward answering the question as to whether protein “pKe#83” itself possesses a “pathogenic” activity.
[0021] The object of this invention also relates to a reagent for the indirect detection of a protein that is encountered in human keratinocytes and increasingly expressed when the keratinocytes are in an activated state, in particular protein “pKe#83”, wherein this reagent is characterized by the fact that it encompasses at least one nucleic acid according to the invention. In this context, “for the indirect detection” implies that the protein-coding mRNA is actually directly detected, and hence the protein is only indirectly detected (by means of this mRNA).
[0022] Protein “pKe#83” and the polypeptides related thereto, i.e., to the amino acid sequence indicated in the SEQ ID NO:3 sequence protocol or SEQ ID NO:8 sequence protocol, i.e., the polypeptides that can be derived through substitution, deletion, insertion and/or inversion from the amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:8, or that have an amino acid sequence resulting from a splice variant of an mRNA, which is identical or complementary to the nucleotide sequence according to the SEQ ID NO:1 sequence protocol or the SEQ ID NO:7 sequence protocol, or to a partial sequence of thereof, or at least hybridized, offer numerous applications in the area of dermatological research and development. In particular, antibodies can be developed against these polypeptides or proteins, which then can be correspondingly modified for use either as diagnostic or therapeutic agents, or as cosmetic agents (“cosmeceuticals”).
[0023] Consequently, the invention also encompasses the use of such a protein or polypeptide for manufacturing a (monoclonal or polyclonal) antibody against this polypeptide, the aforementioned antibody itself, and also its use for the diagnostic and/or therapeutic treatment of dermatological diseases, for the cosmetic treatment of the epidermis, and for the diagnostic and/or cosmetic treatment of other tissues or organs that express protein “pKe#83”.
[0024] According to more recent scientific knowledge, sense and/or antisense oligonucleotides are also possible as active agents for pharmacotherapy (compare G. Hartmann et al. 1998: Antisense Oligonucleotides, Deutsches Ärzteblatt 95, Issue 24, C1115-C1119), and also as active agents with a fundamentally new operating principle in pharmacotherapy.
[0025] Therefore, the present invention also relates to the use of sense or antisense oligonucleotides according to the invention for diagnostic and/or therapeutic treatment, in particular of dermatological diseases, or for the cosmetic treatment in particular of the epidermis.
[0026] One technically and economically important potential application for a polypeptide according to the invention or a nucleic acid according to the invention also involves not least the fact that such a molecule can be used in a screening procedure to isolate materials from a very high number of provided materials that specifically bind to the respective nucleic acid or respective polypeptide. These substances can then serve as the parent material (lead structure) for the development of substances for use in pharmacology, and hence offer the preconditions for the development of alternative pharmaceuticals for diagnosis and therapy, in particular with respect to the dermatological diseases mentioned at the outset and/or other diseases in which protein “pKe#83” plays an important role.
[0027] In this regard, the invention also relates to the application of a polypeptide according to the invention or a nucleic acid according to the invention for identifying substances that can be used in pharmacology, which bind to the polypeptide or nucleic acid, thereby influencing its/their function and/or expression, in particular exerting an inhibiting or activating effect.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] The invention will be explained in greater detail below based on manufacturing and application examples. The figures mentioned in conjunction with these examples show:
[0029] FIG. 1 : an rt-PCR-detection of “pKe#83 ”-specific mRNA
[0030] FIG. 2 : the vector construct pGEX-2T/pKe#83 (the nucleotide sequences are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 10 and 11 respectively, in order of appearance).
[0031] FIG. 3 : the vector construct pcDNA3.1/pKe#83-FLAG (the nucleotide sequence is shown in SEQ ID NO: 12).
[0032] FIG. 4 : an immunoblot detection of recombinant pKe#83 protein in E. Coli cells after transfection with the vector construct pGEX-2T/pKe#83
[0033] FIG. 5 : an immunoblot detection of recombinant pKe#83 protein in Cos cells after transfection with the vector construct pcDNA3.1/pKe#83-FLAG
[0034] FIG. 6 : an immunoblot detection of anti-protein pKe#83 antibodies from rabbit serum on recombinant pKe#83 protein (A) and an immunoblot detection of expressed protein pKe#83 in transfected Cos cells with antiprotein pKe#83 antibodies from rabbit serum (B).
[0035] FIG. 7 : a “sandwich”-ELISA test using antibodies directed against the pKe#83 protein.
[0036] FIG. 8 : an immune fluorescence test using rabbit “anti-pKe#83 IgG” on normal skin sections (C), NHEK sheets directly after dispase-induced detachment and (A) and NHEK sheets 8 hours after dispase-induced detachment (B).
[0037] FIG. 9 : Keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) after treatment with pKe#83-specific antisense oligonucleotides (B) and control oligonucleotides (A)
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLE 1
Manufacture of Protein pKe#83
[0038] A) Extraction or Manufacture of a Polynucleotide that Codes Protein “pKe#83”
[0039] The polynucleotide source consisted of human epidermal keratinocytes of a cell culture or cell culture model described extensively in the publication of Schäfer B. M. et al., 1996: Dispase mediated basal detachment of cultured keratinocytes induces urokinase - type plasminogen activator ( uPA ) and its receptor ( uPA - R, CD 87), Exp. Cell Res. 228, pp. 246-253. Reference is hereby made expressly to the content of this publication. This cell culture or cell culture model is characterized by the fact that it makes it possible to convert keratinocytes from the resting [uPA − /uPA-R − ] to the activated [uPA + /uPA-R + ] state through enzymatic disruption of the cell/matrix contacts, i.e., dispase-induced detachment of the keratinocytes from the culture matrix. The induction of the activated state is reversible: the (renewed) formation of a confluent (=grown to maximal density), multilayered, keratinocyte “sheet” consisting of differentiated keratinocytes results in the downward adjustment of uPA and uPA-R, i.e., the slowing of production and setting to a lower concentration level (see the publication of Schäfer B. M, et al., 1996: Differential expression of urokinase - type plasminogen activator ( uPA ), its receptor ( uPA - R ), and inhibitor type -2 ( PAI -2) during differentiation of keratinocytes in an organotypic coculture system, Exp. Cell Res. 220, pp. 415-423).
[0040] Cells in this cell culture or cell culture model shall also be referred to as NHEK below (=“normal human epidermal keratinocytes”).
[0041] The following measures were implemented for preparing the cell culture or cell culture model: NHEK obtained from a skin biopsy were trypsinated overnight at 4° C. and then cultivated in Petri dishes or 175 cm 2 culture flasks according to the “feeder-layer” technique of J. G. Rheinwald und H. Green (1975, Serial cultivation of strains of human epidermal keratinocytes: the formation of keratinizing colonies from single cells, Cell 6, pp. 331-334) for a duration of 8 days in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) with a content of 10% (vol./vol.) fetal calf serum (FCS) and added adenine hemisulfate, insulin, transferrin, triiodothyronine, hydrocortisone, Forskolin, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and antibiotics (penicillin, streptomycin and gentamycin) under differentiation conditions, namely elevated calcium levels (37° C., 7% CO 2 ). Therefore, cultivation took place under conventional conditions common in prior art. Under these conditions, keratinocytes form confluent two to three-layer “epidermis equivalents”, or keratinocyte “sheets”.
[0042] These epidermis equivalents or keratinocyte sheets were detached from the culture matrix in a 30-minute treatment with dispase II (2.4 mg/ml in DMEM without FCS), washed twice in DMEM and then incubated in complete, conditioned DMEM for a duration of 4 or 8 hours. Incubation in conditioned DMEM took place to preclude the influence of fresh FCS. During incubation, the expression of known activation markers uPA and uPA-R was upwardly adjusted in these floating keratinocyte sheets, as was protein pKe#83 described for the first time herein. The uPA/uPA-R upward adjustment could be detected by means of known techniques, such as enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in-situ hybridization and immune fluorescence. The total RNA was extracted from the incubated cells (“RNA-Clean” kit, AGS company in Heidelberg) using the guanidinium-thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction method known in the art (compare Chromczynski P. and Sacchi N., 1986: Single - step method of RNA isolation by acid guanidinium thiocyanate - phenol - chloroform extraction. Anal. Biochem. 162: pp. 156-159). The mRNA was isolated from the total RNA through binding on poly-T coated microbeads. This mRNA was used as the starting material for the ensuing step of subtraction cloning.
[0043] mRNA was isolated from adherent keratinocyte sheets for use in control tests or for comparison preparations, specifically according to the same procedural pattern described above, except that a dispase inhibitor, e.g., phosporamidone (100 μg/ml), was additionally applied to the dispase for the duration of dispase treatment.
[0044] The principle of subtraction cloning was used to establish a gene bank, which preferably contained cDNA of the dyshesion-induced gene, i.e., of those genes that were increasingly expressed after detachment of the keratinocyte sheets in the latter (or their cells). To this end, the mRNA obtained from the cells of the adherent keratinocyte sheets was again bound to poly-T coated microbeads, rewritten into single-strand cDNA on the latter, and then hybridized against the mRNA of detached, i.e., non-adherent keratinocyte sheets. Those mRNA molecules that were expressed only in the non-adherent state, i.e., after dyshesion, and hence found no hybridization partner, remained behind as a supernatant. They were rewritten into cDNA and cloned into the cloning vector pUEX-1.
[0045] For purposes of verification, the resultant gene bank was then also subjected to a southernblot procedure with [ 32 P]-marked cDNA of adherent and non-adherent keratinocyte sheets. Those cDNAs, or rather the host cell clones containing them, here the E. coli strain MC1061, which exhibited a distinct upward adjustment after dyshesion, were subsequently cultivated or multiplied overnight at 30° C. under conventional culture conditions. The plasmid DNA (pUEX1-cDNA) were prepared from these E. coli clones, and the cDNA fragments cut out of the pUEX1 vector were [ 32 P]-marked by means of random priming. The marked cDNA was used as a probe in northernblots with RNA from adherent and non-adherent keratinocyte sheets. The clones containing cDNA, which revealed no or only a slight signal with the RNA of adherent keratinocytes when used as a probe in the northernblot procedure, but exhibited a distinct signal with RNA of non-adherent keratinocytes, were selected for the ensuing step of sequencing.
[0046] Upon sequencing the respective clones by means of “non-radioactive cycle sequencing”, which is a modification of the sequencing method according to Sanger (F. Sanger et al., 1977: DNA sequencing with chain terminating inhibitors, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 74: 5463-5467) and has in the meantime become a common method in prior art, the gene with the nucleotide sequence according to sequence protocol SEQ ID NO:1 and according to sequence protocol DEQ ID NO:7 was found, among others. In addition, the splice variants indicated in protocols SEQ ID NO:2 and SEQ ID NO:5 were found. The gene with the nucleotide sequence according to protocol SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:7 and the accompanying protein were designated pKe#83.
[0047] More detailed analyses of the mRNA that belongs to gene pKe#83, i.e., is pKe#83-specific mRNA (from dissolved, i.e., non-adherent keratinocyte sheets), provided information as to the fact that this mRNA has a size of about 2.6 kb (SEQ ID NO:1) to about 4.9 kb (SEQ ID NO:7). The nucleotide sequence according to SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:7 has a stop codon at the 3′ end at position 1651-1653 (SEQ ID NO:1) or at position 3895-3897 (SEQ ID NO:7) respectively, which stipulates the probable location of the transcription end. A so-called polyadenylation site is located at position 2612-2617 according to SEQ ID NO:1 or position 4856-4261 according to SEQ ID NO:7, respectively, exactly 26 nucleic acids before the poly-A site. A splice variant (SEQ ID NO:2) 111 nucleic acids (position 669-780 according to SEQ ID NO:1) shorter was discovered, as well as a second splice variant (SEQ ID NO:5) 108 nucleic acids (position 670-777 according to SEQ ID NO:1) shorter. FIG. 1C shows the result of cloning the pKe#83 overall cDNA sequence, wherein:
Trace 1=DNA molecular weight marker VI (154-2176 Bp, Boehringer Mannheim), Trace 2=SEQ ID NO: 1 (1570 Bp) Trace 3=SEQ ID NO: 2 (1460 Bp).
[0051] The polymerase chain reaction was used to show that the pKe#83-specific mRNA is upwardly adjusted following the dispase-induced detachment of the NHEK. FIG. 1A shows the result of a polymerase chain reaction after reverse transcription (rt-PCR) of the mRNA into cDNA and amplification with pKe#83-specific oligonucleotide primers. This result indicates that only a low amount of pKe#83-mRNA is present, or at least detectable, immediately after detachment of the NHEK, but a distinct upward adjustment could already be discerned 2 hours later.
[0052] B) Derivation of the Amino Acid Sequence and Characterization of the pKe#83 Protein by Means of the Polynucleotide Coding Therefore
[0053] Based on the genetic code of the “pKe#83”-cDNA and using a computer-assisted procedure (program: “HUSAR” [=Heidelberg Unix Sequence Analysis Resources], Version 4.0, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, 1997), an amino acid sequence indicated in the SEQ ID NO:3 and SEQ ID NO:8 sequence protocols was derived from the nucleotide sequence according to sequence protocol SEQ ID NO:1 and sequence protocol SEQ ID NO:7. A structural analysis of these amino acid sequences according to the SEQ ID NO:3 and SEQ ID NO:8 sequence protocol with this very program yielded the following information.
[0054] From the amino acid composition of the pKe#83 protein a molecular weight of 60380 Da (according to SEQ ID NO:3 ) and 122180 Da (according to SEQ ID NO:8), respectively, with an isoelectric point of pH 5.3 (according to SEQ ID NO:3 ) and pH 4,9 (according to SEQ ID NO:8), respectively, is calculated.
[0055] The pKe#83 protein has a so-called prenyl-group binding site (“CAAX box”) and a series of possible phosphorylation sites (9× protein kinase C, 15× casein kinase II, 2× tyrosine kinase according to SEQ ID NO:3 and 24× protein kinase C, 29× casein kinase II, 5× tyrosine kinase according to SEQ ID NO:8). The cited motifs indicate that the pKe#83 protein is involved in signal transduction processes. Furthermore the protein pKe#83 according to SEQ ID NO:8 has some (eight) myristylation sites.
EXAMPLE 2
Detection of “pKe#83 ”-Specific mRNA in Cells Via Reverse Polymerase Chain Reaction
[0056] The polymerase chain reaction after reverse transcription (rt-PCR) was used to detect pKe#83-specific mRNA in cells (NHEK) of keratinocyte sheets after dispase treatment and in HaCaT cells. To this end, RNA was isolated from cells of keratinocyte sheets after dispase treatment and incubation for various intervals of time, and from HaCaT cells using standard methods (guanidinium-thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction method) and rewritten to cDNA according to standard methods. This cDNA was subjected to a PCR, during which a partial fragment of 388 kb was amplified from the pKe#83-specific cDNA. A combination of the primers “pKe#83-forward 10” ( 1032 GAATAGACCAGAGATGAAAAGGCAG 1056 )(residues 1032-1056 of SEQ ID NO: 1) and “pKe#83-reverse 17” ( 1418 CGGTTCAGCAGCTCATACC 1399 )(SEQ ID NO: 9) was used as the primer pair. 10 ng of cDNA were mixed with 10 μmM of primer along with a mixture of heat-stable DNA polymerase, ATP, TTP, GTP, CTP and polymerase buffer (e.g., compare: Current protocols in Molecular Biology, Vol. 1, 1997, John Wiley & Sons. Inc, Suppl. 37, Chapter 15), in this example in the form of the commercially available, ready-to-use “PCR master mix” from Clontech. In addition, the following control tests were performed: 1. The batch described above with the plasmid pUEX-1/pKe#83 instead of the cDNA (“positive control”); 2. The reaction batch described above without added cDNA (“negative control”); 3. The batch described above with GAPDH-specific primers (#302047, stratagenes; “GAPDH control”).
[0057] The reaction products of the PCR reaction were electrophoretically fractionated in agarose gel. FIG. 1A shows the result of a pKe#83-specific PCR fractionation. The following applies:
Trace 1=DNA molecular weight marker VII (359-8576 Bb, Boehringer Mannheim) Trace 2=HaCaT Trace 3=HMEC (cell line in which pKe#83 is not detectable) Trace 4=NHEK T0 (immediately after detachment), Trace 5=NHEK T2 (2 h after detachment) Trace 6=NHEK T4 (4 h after detachment) Trace 7=NHEK T8 (8 h after detachment), Trace 8=pUEX/pKe#83-plasmid Trace 9=no cDNA.
[0067] A PCR product of the expected size of ≈390 Bp was detected in traces 2,5-8, meaning that pKe#83-specific mRNA was detected in the keratinocyte sheets (NHEK) at times 2, 4 and 8 hours after dispase-induced detachment, and also in HaCaT cells.
[0068] FIG. 1 .B shows the result of a GAPDH-specific PCR. The following applies:
Trace 1=DNA molecular weight marker VII (359-8576 Bb, Boehringer Mannheim) Trace 2=HaCaT Trace 3=HMEC Trace 4=NHEK T0 Trace 5=NHEK T2 Trace 6=NHEK T4 Trace 7=NHEK T8
[0076] This GAPDH-specific PCR (“GAPDH-control”) proves that a negative PCR result in the pKe#83-specific batch cannot be attributed to the lack of cDNA, since a PCR product of the expected size of 600 Bp was detectable in all reaction times of T0-T8.
[0077] The rt-PCR makes it possible to detect pKe#83 expression even in cases where the pKe#83 protein cannot be detected using immunohistological methods, ELISA or immunoblot procedures due to an excessively low expression level.
EXAMPLE 3
Manufacture of Vector Molecules With the Ability to Express the Protein pKe#83 in Prokaryotic or Eukaryotic Cells, and Production and Purification of the Recombinant pKe#83 Protein
[0078] Two approaches were taken to manufacture or express the recombinant pKe#83 protein. In the first, the vector construct pGEX-2T/pKe#83 was fabricated according to vector protocol on FIG. 2 for expression in bacteria ( E. coli DH5α). In the second, the vector construct pcDNA3.1/pKe#83-FLAG according to vector protocol on FIG. 3 was manufactured for purposes of expression in eukaryotic cells (Cos cells).
[0079] The vector construct pGEX-2T/pKe#83 was used according to standard protocols of the transformation of E.coli DH5α. The pKe#83 glutathion-S transferase (GST) fusion protein was expressed in bacteria, and the bacterial lysate was analyzed in an immunoblot procedure with anti-GST antibodies, specifically in comparison to the lysate of bacteria that were transformed with a control plasmid (no GST).
[0080] The pKe#83/GST fusion protein was washed out of the bacterial lysates through affinity chromatography using glutathion-sepharose 4B. The fractions from this purification were then analyzed with anti-GST antibodies in the immunoblot procedure.
[0081] FIG. 4 .B shows the product obtained form the immunoblot procedure, while FIG. 4 .A depicts the corresponding protein stain (Ponceau red) of the blot before antibody staining. The following applies:
Trace 1=Bacterial lysate of the control transfectants Trace 2=Bacterial lysate of the pUEX-2T/pKe#83-GST transfectants Trace 3=Passage through column Trace 4-6=Washing fraction 1-3 Trace 7-11=Elution fraction Trace 12=pKe#83/GST fusion protein before thrombin digestion Trace 13=pKe#83/GST fusion protein after thrombin digestion
[0089] The pKe#83/GST fusion protein had an apparent molecular weight of approx. 90 KDa. This allows us to conclude that the 90 KDa pKe#83/GST fusion protein consists of the GST protein (approx. 26 kDa) and an approx. 60-65 KDa large fragment of the pKe#83 protein.
[0090] In the eukaryotic system, the pcDNA3.1/pKe#83-FLAG vector ( FIG. 3 ) was transformed into so-called cos cells, i.e., into cells of the cos-cell line generally known in prior art. The cells were made to absorb the plasmid-DNA in a standard procedure through treatment with DEAE-dextran/chloroquine. The transformed cells were then incubated for three days under standard conditions (37° C. and 7% CO 2 ). The cos cells were subjected to lysis and analyzed in the immunoblot procedure using an antibody against the FLAG epitope. FIG. 5 shows the product of the immunoblot:
Trace 1=Cos cells transfected with pcDNA3.1/pKe#83-FLAG vector construct, developed with an isotope-identical control antibody, Trace 2=Cos cells transfected with the pcDNA3.1 vector (without pKe#83), developed with an isotope-identical control antibody, Trace 3=Cos cells transfected with pcDNA3.1/pKe#83-FLAG vector construct, developed with the anti-FLAG antibody, Trace 4=Cos cells transfected with the pcDNA3.1 vector (without pKe#83), developed with the anti-FLAG antibody, Trace 5=FLAG-marked control protein demonstrating the functionality of the anti-FLAG antibody.
[0096] The result of this test documents the expression of the pKe#83-FLAG fusion protein in Cos cells, that were transfected with the pcDNA3.1/pKe#83-FLAG vector construct.
EXAMPLE 4
Manufacture and Characterization of Antibodies Against the pKe#83 Protein, Along With Immunological Detection of the pKe#83 Protein Via Immunoblot (“Westernblot”), Immune Histology and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
[0097] Purified, recombinant pKe#83 non-fusion protein was used for the adjuvant-assisted immunization of rabbits and mice. The details involved in the immunization procedure are generally known in prior art. The rabbits were immunized in response to a customer order placed at Dr. J. Pineda Antikörper-Service (Berlin). Sera were obtained before (“pre-immune serum”) and after (“post-immune serum”) immunization. The IgG fraction was isolated from the sera based on standard procedures by means of ammonium sulfate precipitation. The resulting IgG preparations are referred to as “anti-pKe#83 IgG” below.
[0098] The “anti-pKe#83 IgG” rabbit exhibited a distinct immune reaction with the recombinant pKe#83 protein used for immunization. FIG. 6 .A shows the product of this immunoblot procedure. The following applies:
Trace 1=Pre-immune rabbit IgG, 1:10 000 diluted, Trace 2=anti-pKe#83 IgG 1:50 000 diluted Trace 3=anti-pKe#83 IgG 1:100 000 diluted Trace 4=anti-pKe#83 IgG 1:200 000 diluted
[0103] The arrow marks the position of the pKe#83 protein.
[0104] In addition, the polyclonal rabbit “anti-pKe#83 IgG” and polyclonal mouse “anti-pKe#83 IgG” were used to test cellysates of pKe#83-transfixed Cos cells in an immunoblot procedure for the expression of the pKe#83 protein. FIG. 6 .B shows the product of this immunoblot procedure. The following applies:
Trace 1=Pre-immune rabbit IgG, Trace 2=Rabbit “anti-pKe#83 IgG”, Trace 3=Normal mouse IgG, Trace 4=Mouse anti-pKe#83 IgG, Trace 5=Anti-FLAG antibodies.
[0110] Immune histology: A cryotom was used to manufacture 5 μm thick frozen sections of tissues from skin biopsies of clinically unpathological, normal skin and dispase-detached NHEK “sheets” at times T0 and T8. These were air-dried at room temperature and fixed in 100% acetone (100% methanol, 100% ethanol or 4% paraformaldehyde can be used instead of acetone). The sections were then treated according to the “blocking procedure” known in prior art to block non-specific binding sites for the antibody. In this example, two blocking steps are performed: (1) blocking with avidin/biotin and (2) blocking with normal serum. In the first blocking step, the avidin/biotin blocking was performed using the avidin-biotin blocking kit from Vector Laboratories according to the manufacturer's instructions, i.e., incubation was performed at room temperature initially for 15 minutes with the avidin finished solution, and then 15 minutes with the biotin finished solution. Subsequently, the sections were incubated with 10 vol. % normal serum in PBS (normal serum of species from which the second antibody originates, here goat normal serum; PBS=phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.2-7.4) for 15 minutes at room temperature.
[0111] After blocking, the sections in PBS were incubated for 1 hour at room temperature with a content of 5 μg/ml rabbit “anti-pKe#83 IgG”. To remove the unbound antibody, the sections were then washed in PBS with a content of 0.2% (weight/volume) bovine serum albumin. This is followed by incubation, for example with a biotin-marked antibody from the goat oriented against rabbit IgG (1:500 diluted in PBS/0.2% BSA; 30 minutes at room temperature), another washing step and the application of a streptavidin marked with the fluorescent dye Cy3 (1:1,000 in PBS/0.2% BSA diluted). A fluorescent dye other than Cy3 can also be used to mark the streptavidin, e.g., FITC. After a last washing step, the sections were covered with a covering agent, e.g., elvanol or histogel, and then analyzed and evaluated under a fluorescence microscope.
[0112] FIG. 8 shows the results obtained from an immune fluorescence detection performed in this manner: The rabbit “anti-pKe#83 IgG” antibody exhibits a weak intracellular and strong cellular membrane-associated immune staining on normal skin sections ( FIG. 8 .C). The NHEK “sheets” T0 (=immediately after dispase-induced detachment from substrate) exhibit only a slight background staining ( FIG. 8 .A), while the NHEK “sheets” T8 (=8 hours after dispase-induced detachment from substrate) show a distinct immune staining ( FIG. 8 .B). This result indicates that little pKe#83 protein was present, or at least detectable, immediately after detachment, but that an elevated expression had already taken place 8, hours later, so that distinctly higher quantities of pKe#83 protein could be detected as a result.
[0113] Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): To quantify the pKe#83 protein in complex solutions, a so-called “sandwich” ELISA ( FIG. 7 ) was performed. To this end, a microtiter plate was coated with an antibody oriented against pKe#83 (e.g., rabbit anti-pKe#83 IgG, 1 μg/well). The still remaining non-specific binding sites of the microtiter plate were then blocked via treatment with 0.1% w/w gelatine in phosphate-buffered saline solution (“PBS/gelatine”). The microtiter plate was subsequently mixed in with various concentrations of the pKe#83 protein as a calibrator, or with dilutions of unknown samples (in which the pKe#83 concentration was to be determined). After a washing step with 0.05% v/v tween-20 in PBS (PBS/tween), the plate was incubated with an IgG preparation from a second species (e.g., with mouse anti-pKe#83 IgG) (e.g., for one hour while shaking at room temperature). After another washing step with PBS/tween, the plate was incubated with a peroxidase-labelled commercial rabbit anti-mouse IgG antibody preparation (e.g., Fc-specific Fab 2 -POX from Dianova GmbH, Hamburg). “Peroxidase” here stands for practically any labelling of the antibody, e.g., with enzymes, fluorescence molecules or luminescence molecules. After an additional washing step to remove unbound, enzyme-labelled antibodies, the colorless peroxidase substrate orthophenylene diamine was added, which is converted into a colored product by the peroxidase activity. The color formation is quantified by means of an absorption measurement in a microtiter plate photometer at 490 against 405 nm (ordinate).
[0114] FIG. 7 shows the result of such a test. It shows that the color concentration (indicated as absorption in the ordinate) is proportional to the amount of used pKe#83 protein (=“calibrator”, shown in the abscissa). To demonstrate the functionality of the test system, lysates from two different Cos transfectant batches differing in pKe#83 expression were tested at the same time. The Cos cells of the one batch were transfected with the vector construct pcDNA3.1/pKe#83 (“Cos pKe#83” batch), while those of the other batch were transfected with the pcDNA3.1 vector without insert (“Cos” batch).
[0115] Cells of these transfectant batches were subjected to lysis according to standard procedures using the Triton X-100 detergent. These lysates were tested in a 1:10 dilution in PBS/tween 20 in the ELISA. Lysates of the “Cos pKe#83” transfectant batch showed a positive reaction. Taking into account the calibrator data, a concentration of approx. 120 ng pKe#83/10 6 CospKe#83 cells was determined. No pKe#83 protein could be detected in the lysates from the control transfectant “Cos” batches. Consequently, this test procedure can be used to quantify an unknown quantity of the pKe#83 protein in a sample.
[0116] The substance orthophenylene diamine here stands for any desired peroxidase substrate that detectably changes its color due to the peroxidase activity. Instead of the polyclonal antibodies used here as an example, use can just as well be made of monoclonal antibodies, which are targeted against the protein pKe#83. Instead of the indirect batch via a marked species-specific anti-IgG antibody, execution can also take place with a directly marked anti-pKe#83 antibody.
EXAMPLE 5
Influencing of Keratinocytes With pKe#83-Specific Oligonucleotides
[0117] Antisense nucleotides are absorbed by cells, also keratinocytes (compare G. Hartmann et al. 1998: Antisense - Oligonukleotide, Deutsches Ärzteblatt 95, Heft 24, C1115- C1119). They bind in a specific way to the mRNA present in the cell, inhibiting its translation, and hence expression of the corresponding protein (compare Y.-S. Lee, et al. 1997, Definition by specific antisense oligonucleotides of a role for proteinkinase Cα in expression of differentiation markers in normal and neoplastic mouse epidermal keratinocytes, Molecular Carcinogenesis 18, pp. 44-53). Suitable antisense oligonucleotides were manufactured using the pKe#83-specific nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:7). They were set to a concentration of 100 μM with a suitable buffer medium (so-called “oligobuffer”). HaCaT cells were cultivated at 37° C. and 7% CO 2 up to a confluence of 70-80%. The cells were trypsinated off (10 minutes, 0.2% EDTA, 0.1% w/w trypsin, 5-10 minutes,) and set to a concentration of 25,000 cells/ml. 100 μl cell suspension (corresponds to 2,500 cells) were pipetted in per well of a microtiter culture plate (96-well). The cells were incubated for 1 hour, followed by the addition of the antisense oligonucleotide (2 μl of a 100 μM solution) and further incubation for 24-48 hours. The negative control consisted of cell batches to which was added oligonucleotides with the same base distribution, but a randomly selected sequence.
[0118] The cells treated in this manner were analyzed under a microscope for phenotypic changes. The result of the microscopic analysis is shown on FIG. 9 : FIG. 9 .A shows HaCaT cells that were treated with control oligonucleotides, while FIG. 9 .B shows HaCaT cells treated with pKe#83-specific antisense oligonucleotides
[0119] The microscopic analyses showed that greatly enlarged cells were encountered in the HaCaT cultures treated with antisense oligonucleotides ( FIG. 9 .B, arrow), which could not be found in the cultures treated with control oligonucleotides. These large cells correspond to differentiated keratinocytes in terms of their morphology. The findings indicate that cells treated with pKe#83-specific antisense oligonucleotides exhibit an increased tendency toward differentiation.
[0120] This disclosure further incorporates by reference the electronically submitted text file entitled “Sequence_Listing” created Mar. 13, 2007 and having a size of 40 KB. | The invention relates to an isolated polypeptide which is the same as or similar to (i.e., has the same function and effect as) a protein which occurs naturally in human keratinocytes and is more strongly expressed when the keratinocytes are in their activated state. The invention also relates to an isolated nucleic acid which codes a polypeptide or protein of this type that is typical for human keratinocytes and to the use of said polypeptide and said nucleic acid for detection, especially diagnostic purposes and/or for therapeutic purposes or the use of reagents, especially recombinant vector molecules and antibodies, against molecules of this type. The inventive protein has the amino acid sequence shown in sequence protocol SEQ ID NO:3 or an allele or derivative of this amino acid sequence produced therefrom by amino acid substitution, deletion, insertion, or inversion, and the inventive nucleic acid has either the amino acid sequence shown in sequence protocol SEQ ID NO:1 or a nucleotide sequence complementary thereto or a partial sequence of one of these two nucleotide sequences or a nucleotide sequence which is completely or partially hybridizable one of these two nucleotide sequences. | 2 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/667,455, filed Mar. 24, 2015, pending, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/989,118, filed Mar. 25, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,011,870, issued Apr. 21, 2015, which is a National Stage Entry under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/NL2006/000382 filed Jul. 20, 2006, published in English as International Patent Publication WO 2007/011216 A2 on Jan. 25, 2007, which itself claims priority under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty to EP 05076680.7 filed Jul. 20, 20015, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The application relates to the areas of immunology and vaccine delivery. More specifically, it relates to a bacterial vaccine delivery technology with built-in immunostimulatory properties, which allows the immobilization of any antigen of interest, without prior antigen modification.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Vaccine delivery or immunization via attenuated bacterial vector strains expressing distinct antigenic determinants against a wide variety of diseases is now commonly being developed. Mucosal (for example nasal or oral) vaccination using such vectors has received a great deal of attention. For example, both systemic and mucosal antibody responses against an antigenic determinant of the hornet venom were detected in mice orally colonized with a genetically engineered human oral commensal Streptococcus gordonii expressing the antigenic determinant on its surface (Medaglini et al., PNAS 1995, 2:6868-6872).
[0004] Also, a protective immune response could be elicited by oral delivery of a recombinant bacterial vaccine wherein tetanus toxin fragment C was expressed constitutively in Lactococcus lactis (Robinson et al., Nature Biotechnology 1997, 15:653-657). Especially mucosal immunization as a means of inducing IgG and secretory IgA antibodies directed against specific pathogens of mucosal surfaces is considered an effective route of vaccination. Immunogens expressed by bacterial vectors are presented in particulate form to the antigen-presenting cells (for example M-cells) of the immune system and should therefore be less likely to induce tolerance than soluble antigens. In addition, the existence of a common mucosal immune system permits immunization on one specific mucosal surface to induce secretion of antigen-specific IgA, and other specific immune responses at distant mucosal sites. A drawback to this approach is the potential of the bacterial strain to cause inflammation and disease in itself, potentially leading to fever and bacteremia. An alternative approach avoids the use of attenuated bacterial strains that may become pathogenic themselves by choosing recombinant commensal bacteria as vaccine carriers, such as Lactobacillus ssp. and Lactococcus ssp.
[0005] However, a drawback of the use of such recombinant organisms is that they may colonize the mucosal surfaces, thereby generating a long term exposure to the target antigens expressed and released by these recombinant micro-organisms. Such long term exposure can cause immune tolerance. In addition, the mere fact alone that such organisms are genetically modified and contain recombinant nucleic acid(s) is meeting considerable opposition from the (lay) public as a whole, stemming from a low level of general acceptance for products containing recombinant DNA or RNA. Similar objections exist against the use of (even attenuated) strains of a pathogenic nature or against proteins or parts of proteins derived from pathogenic strains.
[0006] As explained above, commonly used techniques of heterologous surface display of proteins in general entail the use of anchoring or targeting proteins that are specific and selective for a limited set of micro-organisms which in general are of recombinant or pathogenic nature, thereby greatly restricting their potential applications.
[0007] This issue was previously addressed in patent applications WO 99/25836 and WO 02/101026, which describe the use of a chimeric fusion protein containing an AcmA(-like) binding domain fused to an antigen to attach antigens to non-viable spherical peptidoglycan particles derived from non-recombinant Gram-positive bacteria. The Gram-positive bacteria receive a non-enzymatic pretreatment (see WO 02/101026) before they are formulated with the antigens. The peptidoglycan particles, previously referred to as “ghosts,” still contain bacterial components, like peptidoglycan, which have immunostimulatory properties. Accordingly, these particles are now referred to as Gram-positive Enhancer Matrix (“GEM”) or “GEM particles.”
[0008] Thus, the methods disclosed in WO 99/25836 and WO 02/101026 avoid the use of live bacteria and/or of micro-organisms which in general are of recombinant or pathogenic nature. However, these previously disclosed methods are limited to the attachment of proteinaceous antigens that can be produced (recombinantly) as a chimeric proteinaceous product. For some protein antigens this may not be a feasible approach. There may for instance be specific requirements for the production of the antigen in which the presence of an AcmA(-like) binding domain, can interfere. In addition, for non-proteinaceous antigens a genetic fusion can of course not be made. Also, the method does not allow the attachment of particulate antigens.
[0009] It can be envisaged to couple an antigen of interest covalently by chemical means to a peptidoglycan particle, for instance, using a chemical cross-linker reactive with both the antigen and the bacterial particle. The peptidoglycan layer of the cell wall of lactic acid bacteria is covered by a variety of substances, for example (lipo)teichoic acids, neutral and acidic polysaccharides, and (surface) proteins. However, this chemical approach may not be suitable for every type of antigen since chemical modification can interfere with antigen efficacy to induce the immune system. Furthermore, most chemical cross-linkers require a specific reactive group (e.g., SH) to mediate a covalent interaction, which group may not always be present or which may be located at an undesirable (e.g., antigen binding) site within the molecule(s) cross-linked.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0010] Bifunctional polypeptides have been developed that contain a functionality to bind (non-covalently) an antigen of interest as well as a functionality to bind (non-covalently) an immunogenic carrier, such as a GEM particle. This system allows the immobilization of any antigen of interest, without prior modification, on the surface of GEM particles. The antigens can be (poly)peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, DNA, RNA or any other bio-organic compound and can even have a particulate nature by themselves, e.g., viral particles.
[0011] Described is an antigen-loaded immunogenic carrier complex comprising at least one polypeptide attached to an immunogenic carrier, the polypeptide comprising a peptidoglycan binding domain (PBD) through which the polypeptide is attached to the carrier, fused to an antigen binding domain (ABD) capable of binding an antigen of interest. In an antigen-loaded complex, at least one antigen of interest is bound (non-covalently) to the ABD. The PBD comprises an amino acid sequence capable of binding to peptidoglycan, which sequence is selected from the group consisting of (i) a LysM domain, (ii) an amino acid sequence retrieved from a homology search in an amino acid sequence database with one of the three LysM domains (repeated regions) in the C-terminus of Lactococcus lactis cell wall hydrolase AcmA (the domains herein also referred to as AcmA LysM domains) and (iii) a sequence showing at least 70% identity to any one of the three AcmA LysM domains.
[0012] The PBD is capable of attaching to the cell wall of a Gram-positive microorganism. The term “antigen binding” is meant to indicate the capacity to bind an antigen of interest. The capacity is conferred by at least one bifunctional polypeptide.
[0013] The term “bifunctional” indicates that the polypeptide has at least two different functionalities: a peptidoglycan binding functionality and an antigen binding functionality. The functionalities can be multivalent, e.g., a bifunctional polypeptide may comprise multiple antigen binding sites.
[0014] The term “immunogenic carrier” refers to a moiety which, upon administration to a subject, has the capacity to enhance or modify the immune-stimulating properties of an antigen attached to it. An immunogenic carrier thus has adjuvant properties. Furthermore, it comprises peptidoglycans to allow attachment of one or more bifunctional linker polypeptide(s) via its peptidoglycan binding domain (PBD). Non-recombinant immunogenic carriers are preferred for reasons given above.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the immunogenic carrier complex is a non-viable spherical peptidoglycan particle obtained from a Gram-positive bacterium (GEM particle, or “ghost”). Methods for the preparation of GEM particles have been described before, for instance in patent applications WO 02/101026 and WO 2004/102199. The process preserves most of the bacteria's native spherical structure. Briefly, the method comprises treating Gram-positive bacteria with a solution capable of removing a cell-wall component, such as a protein, lipoteichoic acid or carbohydrate, from the cell-wall material. The resulting GEM particles may be subsequently stored until it is contacted with a desired bifunctional polypeptide. GEM particles bind substantially higher amounts of a PBD fusion than untreated Gram-positive bacteria. Therefore, a high loading capacity can be achieved for antigens on GEM particles (WO 02/101026). GEM particles are also better able to bind to and/or are more easily taken up by specific cells or tissues than mechanically disrupted cell-wall material. The ability of GEM particles to target macrophages or dendritic cells enhances their functional efficacy. The non-recombinant, non-living immunogenic carrier complex of the disclosure is therefore well suited as a vaccine delivery vehicle. See also WO 02/101026 and WO2004/102199.
[0016] In one embodiment, provided is a vaccine delivery technology that is based on GEM particles with one or more antigens attached to the particles through the use of bifunctional polypeptides, wherein the GEM particles serve as immunogenic backbone to surface attach compounds of pathogenic origin, thereby mimicking a pathogenic particle ( FIG. 1 ). This delivery technology can mimic a pathogen by delivering subunit vaccines as a particle to the immunoreactive sites.
[0017] The GEM particles can, in principle, be prepared from any Gram-positive bacterium. The cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria include complex networks of peptidoglycan layers, proteins, lipoteichoic acids and other modified carbohydrates. Chemical treatment of the bacterial cell-wall material may be used to remove cell-wall components such as proteins and lipoteichoic acids to result in GEM particles with improved binding characteristics. Preferably, such an antigen binding immunogenic carrier complex comprises GEM particles obtained using an acid solution (see, e.g., WO 02/101026).
[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the immunogenic carrier complex is prepared from a non-pathogenic bacterium, preferably a food-grade bacterium or a bacterium with the G.R.A.S. (“generally-recognized-as-safe”) status. In one embodiment, the cell-wall material is derived from a Lactococcus , a Lactobacillus , a Bacillus or a Mycobacterium ssp. Use of a Gram-positive, food-grade bacterium, such as Lactococcus lactis , offers significant advantages over use of other bacteria, such as Salmonella or Mycobacterium , as a vaccine delivery vehicle. L. lactis does not replicate in or invade human tissues and reportedly possesses low intrinsic immunity (Norton et al., 1994).
[0019] L. lactis expressing tetanus toxin fragment C has been shown to induce antibodies after mucosal delivery that protect mice against a lethal challenge with tetanus toxin even if the carrier bacteria were killed prior to administration (Robinson et al., 1997). In contrast to the non-recombinant GEM particles in an immunogenic carrier complex disclosed herein, these bacteria still contain recombinant DNA that will be spread into the environment, especially when used in wide-scale oral-immunization programs. This uncontrollable shedding of recombinant DNA into the environment may have the risk of uptake of genes by other bacteria or other (micro) organisms.
[0020] A polypeptide hereof comprises a peptidoglycan binding domain (PBD) which allows for the attachment of any antigen of interest to an immunogenic carrier, such as a GEM. In one embodiment, the PBD comprises an amino acid sequence (peptide) capable of binding to peptidoglycan, which sequence is a LysM domain. Preferably, a polypeptide comprises at least two, more preferably at least three LysM domains. The LysM (lysin motif) domain is about 45 residues long. It is found in a variety of enzymes involved in bacterial cell wall degradation (Joris et al., FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 1992; 70:257-264). The LysM domain is assumed to have a general peptidoglycan binding function. The structure of this domain is known (“The structure of a LysM domain from E. coli membrane-bound lytic murein transglycosylase D (MltD).” A. Bateman and M. Bycroft, J. Mol. Biol. 2000; 299:1113-11192). The presence of the LysM domains is not limited to bacterial proteins. They are also present in a number of eukaryotic proteins, whereas they are lacking in archaeal proteins. A cell wall binding function has been postulated for a number of proteins containing LysM domains.
[0021] Partially purified muramidase-2 of Enterococcus hirae , a protein similar to AcmA and containing six LysM domains, binds to peptidoglycan fragments of the same strain. The p60 protein of Listeria monocytogenes contains two LysM domains and was shown to be associated with the cell surface. The γ-D-glutamate-meso-diaminopimelate muropeptidases LytE and LytF of Bacillus subtilis have three and five repeats, respectively, in their N-termini and are both cell wall-bound.
[0022] A skilled person will be able to identify a LysM domain amino acid sequence by conducting a homology-based search in publicly available protein sequence databases using methods known in the art. A variety of known algorithms are disclosed publicly and a variety of publicly and commercially available software can be used. Examples include, but are not limited to MacPattern (EMBL), BLASTP (NCBI), BLASTX (NCBI) and FASTA (University of Virginia). In one embodiment, PFAM accession number PF01476 for the LysM domain (see WorldWideWeb.sanger.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Pfam/getacc?PF01476) is used to search for an amino acid sequence which fulfils the criteria of a LysM domain. The PFAM website provides two profile hidden Markov models (profile HMMs) which can be used to do sensitive database searching using statistical descriptions of a sequence family's consensus. HMMER is a freely distributable implementation of profile HMM software for protein sequence analysis.
[0023] The C-terminal region of the major autolysin AcmA of L. lactis contains three homologous LysM domains, which are separated by nonhomologous sequences. For the amino acid sequences of the three AcmA LysM domains see, for example, FIG. 10 of WO99/25836 wherein the three LysM domains are indicated by R1, R2 and R3. The C-terminal region of AcmA was shown to mediate peptidoglycan binding of the autolysin (Buist et al. [1995 ] J Bacteriol. 177:1554-1563). In one embodiment, an antigen binding immunogenic carrier complex comprises a bifunctional polypeptide bound via its PBD to a peptidoglycan at the surface of the immunogenic carrier, preferably a GEM particle, wherein the PBD comprises at least one LysM domain as present in AcmA. Variations within the exact amino acid sequence of an AcmA LysM domain are also comprised, under the provision that the peptidoglycan binding functionality is maintained. Thus, amino acid substitutions, deletions and/or insertions may be performed without losing the peptidoglycan binding capacity. Some parts of the AcmA LysM domains are less suitably varied, for instance the conserved GDTL and GQ motifs found in all three domains. Others may however be altered without affecting the efficacy of the PBD to bind the immunogenic carrier. For example, amino acid residues at positions which are of very different nature (polar, apolar, hydrophilic, hydrophobic) amongst the three LysM domains of AcmA can be modified. Preferably, the PBD comprises a sequence that is at least 70%, preferably 80%, more preferably 90%, like 92%, 95%, 97% or 99%, identical to one of the three LysM domains of L. lactis AcmA. The PBD of a polypeptide for use in the disclosure may contain one or more of such (homologous) AcmA LysM domains, either distinct or the same. Typically, the LysM domains are located adjacent to each other, possibly separated by one or more amino acid residues. The LysM domains can be separated by a short distance, for example 1-15 amino acids apart, or by a medium distance of 15-100 amino acids, or by a large distance, like 150 or even 200 amino acids apart.
[0024] In a certain aspect, a PBD comprising an amino acid sequence having at least about 80% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 81% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 82% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 83% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 84% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 85% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 86% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 87% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 88% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 89% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 90% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 91% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 92% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 93% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 94% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 95% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 96% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 97% amino acid sequence identity, alternatively at least about 98% amino acid sequence identity and alternatively at least about 99% amino acid sequence identity to an AcmA LysM domain.
[0025] The “percentage of amino acid sequence identity” for a polypeptide, such as 70, 80, 90, 95, 98, 99 or 100 percent sequence identity may be determined by comparing two optimally aligned sequences over a comparison window, wherein the portion of the polypeptide sequence in the comparison window may include additions or deletions (i.e., gaps) as compared to the reference sequence (which does not comprise additions or deletions) for optimal alignment of the two amino acid sequences. The percentage is calculated by: (a) determining the number of positions at which the identical amino acid occurs in both sequences to yield the number of matched positions; (b) dividing the number of matched positions by the total number of positions in the window of comparison; and (c) multiplying the result by 100 to yield the percentage of sequence identity. Optimal alignment of sequences for comparison may be conducted by computerized implementations of known algorithms, or by inspection. Readily available sequence comparison and multiple sequence alignment algorithms are, respectively, the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST®) (S. F. Altschul, et al. 1990 , J. Mol. Biol. 215:403; S. F. Altschul, et al. 1997 , Nucleic Acid Res. 25:3389-3402) and ClustalW programs both available on the internet.
[0026] In another embodiment, a PBD comprises a LysM domain which is present in an amino acid sequence retrieved from a homology search in an amino acid sequence database with an AcmA LysM domain, wherein the LysM domain is capable of attaching the substance to the cell wall of a Gram-positive microorganism. Preferably, the amino acid sequence retrieved is an amino acid sequence originating from a Gram-positive bacterium. It is for instance an amino acid sequence of a bacterial cell wall hydrolase. Preferably, the retrieved amino acid sequence shows at least 70%, more preferably 80%, most preferably at least 90% sequence identity with an AcmA LysM domain. Examples of sequences that may be retrieved can be found in FIG. 11 of patent application WO99/25836.
[0027] As will be clear from the above, a PBD can be structurally defined in various manners. However, in all cases a PBD can be defined as a means for binding to the cell wall of a microorganism, wherein the means for binding is of peptidic nature. In one embodiment, the PBD is capable of binding to a Gram-positive bacterium or cell wall material derived thereof (e.g., a GEM particle). The binding capacity of a PBD can be readily determined in a binding assay comprising the steps of labeling the PBD with a reporter molecule, contacting the labeled PBD with a Gram-positive micro-organism to allow for binding of the means to the micro-organism; and determining the binding capacity of the PBD by detecting the absence or presence of reporter molecule associated with the micro-organism.
[0028] The reporter molecule, also referred to as detectable molecule, for use in the binding assay can be of various nature. Many types of reporter molecules are known in the art. It is for example a fluorescent molecule (e.g., FITC), an antigen, an affinity tag (e.g., biotin) an antibody or an enzyme. A reporter molecule can be conjugated to the PBD by methods known in the art.
[0029] If the reporter molecule is of peptidic nature, the step of labeling the PBD with a reporter molecule preferably comprises the generation of a genetic fusion between the PBD and reporter molecule. Such fusions have been described in the art. For example, WO99/25836 describes the generation of fusion constructs between a polypeptide comprising zero, one, two or three AcmA LysM domains and a reporter enzyme (in that case either α-amylase or β-lactamase). To determine whether a given polypeptide is a PBD of the disclosure, a person skilled in the art will be able to apply standard recombinant DNA techniques to provide a fusion with a reporter polypeptide (enzyme, antigen or the like) which can subsequently be tested for cell binding activity.
[0030] Preferred enzyme reporter molecules are those that allow for colorimetric or fluorescent detection of their activity. Many reporter enzyme systems are described in the art which make use of colorimetric or fluorimetric substrates, like horseradish peroxidase (HRP)/2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS); alkaline phosphatase/4-nitro phenylphosphate or beta-galactosidase/2-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (2-NPG).
[0031] In case the PBD is labeled with an antigen, determining the binding capacity of the PBD by detecting the absence or presence of reporter molecule associated with the micro-organism typically comprises the use of an antibody (e.g., a monoclonal murine antibody) specifically reactive with the antigen. The antigen-antibody complex can be detected using a secondary antibody (e.g., rabbit anti-mouse IgG antibody) carrying a detectable label in a so-called sandwich format. The secondary antibody is, for instance, provided with a reporter enzyme whose activity can be measured using a colorimetric substance mentioned above. It is also possible to label the PBD with a primary antibody as reporter molecule and detect the absence or presence of reporter molecule associated with the micro-organism using a secondary antibody carrying a detectable label (enzyme, fluorochrome).
[0032] A Gram-positive microorganism for use in a binding assay can be viable or non-viable. Included are Gram-positive bacteria, such as a Bacillus ssp., Streptococcus ssp., Mycobacterium ssp., Listeria ssp. or a Clostridium ssp. The step of contacting the labeled PBD with a Gram-positive micro-organism to allow for binding of the means to the micro-organism can involve the resuspension of a pelleted culture of exponentially growing Gram-positive bacteria, like L. lactis , in a solution comprising the labeled PBD or a crude cell extract containing the labeled PBD. The solution can also be a culture supernatant of a host cell expressing and secreting the labeled PBD.
[0033] Following a certain period of incubation, for instance 1-120 minutes at 4-40° C., like 1-30 minutes at 10-40° C., the Gram-positive bacteria are pelleted and washed to remove any non-specifically bound reporter molecule. Thereafter, the amount of reporter molecule associated with the pelleted bacteria is determined.
[0034] In a specific embodiment, a cell binding assay comprises the use of α-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis or E. coli TEM β-lactamase as reporter molecule as a fusion to PBD. Fusion proteins are recombinantly produced in a bacterial host cell which secretes the fusion protein in the culture supernatant. GEM particles are be used as Gram-positive microorganisms in the binding assay. They can be prepared as described in WO 02/101026 and herein below. GEM particles loaded with both fusion proteins were spun down and washed twice with PBS. Enzyme activity of bound α-amylase − and β-lactamase PBD fusions are measured colorimetrically. α-Amylase activity is determined by incubating the loaded GEM particles in 1 ml amylose azure (Sigma) substrate solution (0.6 mg/ml amylose azure in 20 mM K 2 HPO 4 /KH 2 PO 4 -buffer, 50 mM NaCl, pH 7.5), at 37° C. and 200 rpm. After 60 minutes, GEM particles and insoluble amylose azure were spun down, and the absorbance at 595 nm was measured. β-Lactamase activity was measured by adding 40 μl nitrocefin (CalBiochem) to GEM particles loaded with β-lactamase PBD fusion in a final volume of 1 ml PBS. After 30 minutes the absorbance at 486 nm was measured.
[0035] A polypeptide comprising a PBD and an ABD wherein the PBD comprises the three LysM domains of L. lactis cell wall hydrolase AcmA, also referred to as cA or protein anchor in WO 99/25836 and WO 02/101026, will herein be termed “Protan linker.” As will be understood by the skilled person, the Protan linker may contain one or more amino acid substitutions as compared to the naturally occurring AcmA LysM sequences, provided that the peptidoglycan binding capacity is maintained.
[0036] The relative positions of the ABD and the PBD within the polypeptide can vary. However, it will be understood that allowing attachment of the polypeptide to the immunogenic carrier via the PBD on the one hand and binding of an antigen via the ABD on the other hand requires a certain degree of spacing between the domains to avoid or minimize mutual interference. In a preferred embodiment, the polypeptide comprises a PBD fused via a linker or spacer sequence to an ABD. The linker or spacer can be a relatively short stretch of amino acids, e.g., 1-200, a medium size linker, e.g., 200-600 amino acids, or a larger linker, of more than 600 residues. For example, in one embodiment the N-terminal part of the polypeptide comprises a PBD which is fused via a linker to an ABD located in the C-terminal part. In another embodiment, the PBD constitutes the C-terminal part of the polypeptide and the ABD the N-terminal part. The ABD and/or PBD do not have to reside at the extreme ends of the polypeptides; one or more amino acid residues can be present at either end of the polypeptide which are neither part of the ABD nor of the PBD.
[0037] A polypeptide of the disclosure comprises one or more antigen binding domains (ABDs). A multiplicity of ABDs within a single polypeptide allows the presentation of an antigen on an immunogenic carrier complex at a high density. In one embodiment, a polypeptide comprises two ABDs, capable of binding either the same or distinct antigens of interest. If multiple ABDs are present, it may be advantageous to place them adjacent to each other, e.g., with one or more amino acids in between to allow for an optimal binding of the multiple antigens to the polypeptide.
[0038] An ABD present in a polypeptide hereof is a proteinaceous moiety capable of binding to an antigen of interest. Any type of antigen can be bound to an antigen binding immunogenic carrier complex of the disclosure, provided that there is a suitable ABD available. The antigen of interest can be selected from the group consisting of polypeptides, carbohydrates, lipids, polynucleotides and pathogenic antigens, including inactivated viral particles and purified antigenic determinants. In one embodiment, an antigen of interest is an antigen which cannot be produced as a fusion to a PBD, like an antigen comprising at least one non-proteinaceous moiety.
[0039] In one embodiment, the antigen of interest is a polynucleotide. Immunization with polynucleotides is a recent development in vaccine development. This technology has been referred to as genetic immunization or DNA immunization. The basis for this approach to immunization is that cells can take-up plasmid DNA and express the genes within the transfected cells. Thus, the vaccinated animal itself acts as a bioreactor to produce the vaccine. This makes the vaccine relatively inexpensive to produce. Some of the advantages of polynucleotide immunization is that it is extremely safe, induces a broad range of immune responses (cellular and humoral responses), long-lived immunity, and, most importantly, can induce immune responses in the presence of maternal antibodies. Although this is one of the most attractive developments in vaccine technology, there is a great need to develop better delivery systems to improve the transfection efficiency in vivo. In a specific aspect, an immunogenic carrier complex is used to deliver dsRNA, for example in an RNA interference (RNAi)-based therapy. Such therapy is particularly suitable to combat viral infections.
[0040] It will be understood that the structural characteristics of an ABD will primarily depend on the antigen of interest. Known binding partners of an antigen of interest, or a part of such known binding partner, may be used as ABD. For example, the capacity of the polypeptide to bind a pathogen, e.g., virus or bacterium, may be conferred by using a normal host receptor for the pathogen. Pathogen host receptors are known in the art and their sequences have been determined and stored in publicly available databases. For example, ICAM-1 is a host receptor for human rhinovirus (HRV) and CD4 for HIV.
[0041] In another aspect, the ABD comprises an antibody or functional fragment thereof, e.g., a Fab fragment, containing the antigen binding site, or other polypeptide, that binds to an antigen of interest. Many specific antibody (fragments) known in the art can be used in the disclosure. For instance, an antibody (fragment) that binds to a conserved determinant on the viral surface, such as VP4 on poliovirus, or gp120 on HIV, or HA on influenza virus. Industrial molecular affinity bodies (1M AB ®) are also suitably used as ABD (see, e.g., WO2004108749 from CatchMabs BV, The Netherlands). NANOBODIES® developed by Ablynx, Gent, Belgium may also be used.
[0042] WO 02/101026 in the name of the applicant discloses the use of GEM particles as delivery vehicles for a polypeptide fusion between an AcmA-type protein anchor and a reactive group, like proteins, peptides and antibodies. Therein, the antibodies do not serve as carrier for an antigen but they are therapeutic substances themselves i.e., through specific interaction with endogenous antigens. Of course, for that purpose the antibody must not be “pre-loaded” with antigen, as is the case in the disclosure. WO 02/101026 therefore does not disclose or suggest the loading of an antibody attached to GEM-particles with antigen of interest.
[0043] Antibody fragments and peptides specific for essentially any antigen, be it a peptide, sugar, lipid, nucleic acid or whole organism etc., can be selected by methods known in the art. Peptide libraries containing large amounts of randomly synthesized peptides which can be used in selecting a suitable binding partner for an antigen of interest are commercially available. For instance, New England Biolabs offers pre-made random peptide libraries, as well as the cloning vector M13KE for construction of custom libraries. The pre-made libraries consist of linear heptapeptide and dodecapeptide libraries, as well as a disulfide-constrained heptapeptide library. The randomized segment of the disulfide-constrained heptapeptide is flanked by a pair of cysteine residues, which are oxidized during phage assembly to a disulfide linkage, resulting in the displayed peptides being presented to the target as loops. All of the libraries have complexities in excess of two billion independent clones. The randomized peptide sequences in all three libraries are expressed at the N-terminus of the minor coat protein pIII, resulting in a valency of five copies of the displayed peptide per virion. All of the libraries contain a short linker sequence (Gly-Gly-Gly-Ser) between the displayed peptide and pIII.
[0044] Of particular interest is the use of phage display technology. Many reviews on phage display are available, see, for example, Smith and Petrenko (1997) Chem. Rev. 97:391-410. Briefly, phage display technology is a selection technique in which a library of variants of a peptide or human single-chain Fv antibody is expressed on the outside of a phage virion, while the genetic material encoding each variant resides on the inside. This creates a physical linkage between each variant protein sequence and the DNA encoding it, which allows rapid partitioning based on binding affinity to a given target molecule (antibodies, enzymes, cell-surface receptors, etc.) by an in vitro selection process called panning. In its simplest form, panning is carried out by incubating a library of phage-displayed peptides with a plate (or bead) coated with the target (i.e., antigen of interest), washing away the unbound phage, and eluting the specifically bound phage. The eluted phage is then amplified and taken through additional binding/amplification cycles to enrich the pool in favor of binding sequences. After 3-4 rounds, individual clones are typically characterized by DNA sequencing and ELISA. The DNA contained within the desired phage encoding the particular peptide sequence can then be used as nucleic acid encoding an ABD in a nucleic acid construct encoding a polypeptide of the disclosure.
[0045] There are several examples in the art of successful applications of phage display technology to identify peptides that bind selectively to micro-organisms. These teachings can be used to identify a peptide which can be used as antigen binding domain according to the disclosure. For example, Knurr et al. ( Appl. Environ Microbiol. 2003 November; 69(11):6841) describe the screening of phage display peptide libraries for 7- and 12-mer peptides that bind tightly to spores of B. subtilis and closely related species.
[0046] Lindquist et al. ( Microbiology 2002 February; 148(Pt 2):443-51) used a phage-displayed human single-chain Fv antibody library to select binding partners specific to components associated with the surface of Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies (EBs). While phage display has been used in the art primarily to select specific antibodies for purified components, these data show that this technology is suitable for selection of specific probes from complex antigens such as the surface of a microbial pathogen.
[0047] As another useful example, JP2002284798 discloses peptides, obtained by phage display technology, that bind specifically to influenza virus/hemagglutinin (HA).
[0048] Also of particular interest for the disclosure is a recent study by Kim et al. (J . Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Apr. 1; 329(1):312) which describes the screening of LPS-specific peptides from a phage display library using epoxy beads. LPS (lipopolysaccharide; endotoxin) is the major surface-exposed structural component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Its structure can be divided into three regions: (1) a phospholipids (lipid A) that is responsible for most of its biological activities, (2) a core oligosaccharide, and (3) an O-specific chain, which is an antigenic polysaccharide composed of a chain of highly variable repeating oligosaccharide subunits.
[0049] Kim et al., using biopanning on LPS-conjugated epoxy beads, repeatedly enriched clones encoding AWLPWAK (SEQ ID NO:1) and NLQEFLF (SEQ ID NO:2). These peptides were found to interact with the polysaccharide moiety of LPS, which is highly variable among Gram-negative bacterial species. In addition, it was found that phages encoding these peptides preferentially bound to the LPS of Salmonella family. AWLPWAK (SEQ ID NO:1)-conjugated beads could be used to absorb Salmonella enteritidis from solution.
[0050] Whereas the disclosure allows the immobilization of unmodified antigens to an immunogenic carrier, it is not restricted to unmodified antigens. In one embodiment, the ABD is capable of binding to an antigen of interest through a (chemical) modified or tagged version of the antigen of interest. For instance, an antigen can be provided with an affinity tag, which tag can be bound to the ABD. Example 2 herein below shows the binding of a biotin-tagged enzyme to GEM particles by virtue of a bifunctional Streptavidin-Protan bifunctional linker.
[0051] Also provided herein is a method for providing an antigen binding immunogenic carrier complex. As is exemplified below, such a method comprises the steps of providing an immunogenic carrier, providing a polypeptide comprising a peptidoglycan binding domain (PBD) fused to an antigen binding domain (ABD), and allowing the attachment of the polypeptide to the immunogenic carrier to yield an antigen binding immunogenic carrier complex. As already indicated above, the use of phage display technology is particularly useful to obtain an ABD for a particular antigen of interest. Use can be made of commercial peptide or antibody fragment libraries.
[0052] The bifunctional polypeptide comprising an ABD and a PBD can be readily made by constructing a genetic fusion of the respective domains, typically spaced by a linker sequence, and expressing the gene in a suitable (bacterial) host cell employing methods well known in the art. As is exemplified in the Examples below, the recombinantly obtained polypeptide can be simply contacted with the immunogenic carrier to allow binding of the bifunctional polypeptide to peptidoglycans at the surface of the particles resulting in the antigen binding immunogenic carrier complex. In a specific aspect, the step of providing an immunogenic carrier comprises the preparation of non-viable spherical peptidoglycan particles from a Gram-positive bacterium (GEM particles).
[0053] The resulting carrier complex is contacted with one or more (modified) antigen(s) of interest to provide an antigen-loaded immunogenic carrier complex wherein at least one antigen of interest is bound to an ABD. It is however also possible to reverse the order of binding, i.e., bind an antigen of interest to a polypeptide via its ABD prior to attaching the antigen-loaded polypeptide(s) via the PBD to the immunogenic carrier.
[0054] In one embodiment, provided is a pharmaceutical composition comprising an antigen-loaded immunogenic carrier complex. For example, it provides an immunogenic composition comprising an antigen-loaded immunogenic carrier complex. An immunogenic composition is capable of inducing an immune response in an organism. In one embodiment, the immunogenic composition is a vaccine composition capable of inducing a protective immune response in an animal. The immunogenic composition, e.g., the vaccine, may be delivered to mucosal surfaces instead of being injected since mucosal surface vaccines are easier and safer to administer. A L. lactis derived immunogenic carrier complex may be used for mucosal vaccination since this bacterium is of intestinal origin and no adverse immune reactions are generally expected from L. lactis . Also provided is the use of an antigen binding immunogenic carrier complex for the delivery of an (protective) antigen of interest to the immune system of a subject. The antigen binding immunogenic carrier complex comprises at least one bifunctional polypeptide attached to an immunogenic carrier, the polypeptide comprising a peptidoglycan binding domain (PBD) through which the polypeptide is attached to the carrier, fused to an antigen binding domain (ABD) capable of binding the antigen of interest, wherein the PBD comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of (i) a LysM domain, (ii) an amino acid sequence retrieved from a homology search in an amino acid sequence database with a LysM domain in the C-terminus of AcmA LysM domain and (iii) a sequence showing at least 70% sequence identity to an AcmA LysM domain, provided that the PBD is capable of attaching the substance to the cell wall of a Gram-positive microorganism. Also provided is the use of an antigen-loaded immunogenic carrier complex for the delivery of an (protective) antigen of interest to the immune system of a subject, preferably a human subject. Delivery to the immune system preferably comprises antigen delivery to a mucosal site, such as intranasal delivery, e.g., by means of a spray, or oral, vaginal or rectal delivery.
[0055] In a preferred embodiment, provided is a subunit vaccine based on an immunogenic carrier complex disclosed herein. Subunit vaccines are vaccines developed against individual viral or bacterial components, also referred to as “immunogenic determinants” that play a key role in eliciting protective immunity. In order to develop subunit vaccines, it is important to identify those components (often (glyco)proteins) of the pathogen that are important for inducing protection and eliminate the others. Some proteins, if included in the vaccine, may be immunosuppressive, whereas in other cases immune responses to some proteins may actually enhance disease. Combining genomics with our understanding of pathogenesis, it is possible to identify specific proteins from most pathogens that are critical in inducing the immune responses (see WO2004/102199). In addition to using a whole protein as a vaccine, it is possible to identify individual epitopes within these protective proteins and develop peptide vaccines. The potential advantages of using subunits as vaccines are the increased safety and less antigenic competition since only a few components are included in the vaccine, ability to target the vaccines to the site where immunity is required, and the ability to differentiate vaccinated animals from infected animals (marker vaccines). One of the disadvantages of subunit vaccines known in the art is that they generally require strong adjuvants and these adjuvants often induce tissue reactions. An immunogenic carrier complex as disclosed herein has built-in immunostimulatory properties and can efficiently deliver antigenic determinants as a particle to immunoreactive sites. Especially GEM particles are readily bound by and/or taken up by specific cells or tissues. The ability of GEMs to target macrophages or dendritic cells enhances their functional efficacy. In fact, it is now possible to mimic a pathogen with respect to its antigenic components while avoiding the undesired effects of other components while maintaining the adjuvant properties. Of course, an immunogenic carrier can be provided with multiple polypeptides. Some of these polypeptides being hybrid antigen-Protan fusions (e.g., as described in WO 99/25836 and WO 02/101026) and some being bifunctional Protan fusions as disclosed herein, each comprising at least one ABD (see FIG. 1 ). The use of polypeptides with distinct ABDs allows the binding of distinct antigens of interest to a single immunogenic carrier. The use of multiple ABDs, being part of a single polypeptide or of distinct polypeptides, allows for the preparation of multiple epitope vaccines.
[0056] In a further aspect, described is a diagnostic method comprising the use of an immunogenic carrier complex. Also described is a diagnostic kit comprising the use of an immunogenic carrier complex. The ABD can be used to capture and immobilize an antigen of interest in a sample, e.g., a biological sample, onto the carrier complex. This “loaded” carrier complex is suitably used to separate the antigen of interest from the remainder of the sample, for example by centrifugation. Subsequently, the amount of carrier-associated antigen of interest can be detected or quantitated. Thus, the immunogenic carrier complex, for instance a GEM particle, can be used as “biological affinity bead” to isolate an antigen of interest, optionally followed by analysis of the antigen of interest.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0057] In the drawings, which illustrate what is currently considered to be the best mode for carrying out the invention:
[0058] FIG. 1 . Schematic presentation of the vaccine delivery technology of the disclosure. Shown on the right is an immunogenic GEM particle loaded with several different antigens bound to the particle through the use of antigen-Protan fusion proteins and/or bifunctional polypeptides comprising an antigen binding domain (ABD) and a peptidoglycan binding domain (PBD), in this case Protan.
[0059] FIG. 2 . GEM-binding analysis of the ProtA-Protan bifunctional polypeptide. M=Molecular weight marker prestained Precision Plus All Blue (BioRad); BG=TCA precipitation of ProtA-Protan production medium before binding to GEM particles (200 μl supernatant); AG=TCA precipitation of production medium after binding to and removal of GEM particles (200 μl supernatant); G=GEM particles loaded with ProtA-Protan (0.4 unit GEM with 800 μl supernatant). The arrow indicates the expected migration position of the ProtA-Protan fusion protein (50.7 kilodalton [kDa]).
[0060] FIG. 3 . Binding of mouse IgG to GEM particles with attached ProtA-Protan. Upper part: Colorimetric values obtained due to the activity of alkaline phosphatase (AP). AP is conjugated to a secondary antibody that recognizes mouse IgG. Thus, if mouse IgG is bound, AP activity can be detected. Lower part: description of the sample composition of the corresponding samples in the upper part.
[0061] FIG. 4 . GEM-binding analysis of Streptavidin-Protan. M=Molecular weight marker prestained Precision Plus All Blue (BioRad); BG=TCA precipitation of Streptavidin-Protan containing medium before binding to GEM particles (200 μl supernatant); AG=TCA precipitation of medium after binding to and removing of GEM particles (200 μl supernatant); G=GEM particles loaded with Streptavidin-Protan (0.4 unit GEM with 800 μl supernatant). The arrow indicates the expected migration position of the Streptavidin-Protan fusion protein (35.8 kDa).
[0062] FIG. 5 . Binding of Biotin-HRP to GEM particles with attached Streptavidin-Protan. Upper part: the graphic shows the colorimetric values that are obtained due to the activity of horse radish peroxidase (HRP). Biotin is conjugated to HRP. Thus, if biotin is bound, HRP activity will be measured. Lower part: describes the sample composition of the corresponding samples in the upper part of the figure. If no Streptavidin-Protan fusion is present (sample 1 and 3), only Protan is present on the GEM particles (sample 3), no Biotin-HRP (sample 2) or GEM particles (sample 5) are added: no activity is measured as expected. Activity is only measured in sample 4, which means that Streptavidin-Protan on the GEM particles binds the Biotin-HRP conjugate. In conclusion, the Streptavidin-Protan bifunctional linker can be attached to GEM particles and this complex can bind biotinylated compounds.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Experimental Section
Example 1
Loading of Antibodies on GEM Particles
[0063] This example describes the preparation of an antigen binding immunogenic carrier complex using GEM particles as immunogenic carrier and Protein A as antigen binding domain to attach antibodies as antigen of interest to the carrier complex.
[0064] Protein A (ProtA) of Staphylococcus aureus is a 42 kDa protein that binds to the Fc region of IgG antibodies. It can be used to capture antibodies from a solution and immobilize them on a surface. Here we made a genetic fusion of ProtA with the peptidoglycan binding domain (cA) of the L. lactis cell wall hydrolase AcmA comprising three AcmA LysM domains, also herein referred to as protein anchor or “Protan linker.” The resulting ProtA-Protan bifunctional linker was expressed and secreted by recombinant L. lactis . After removal of the recombinant producer cells, the bifunctional linker was attached to lactococcal GEM particles by the Protan moiety in the hybrid linker. The ProtA moiety in the same hybrid linker was still able to bind IgG antibodies, thereby immobilizing these on the GEM particles.
Bacterial Strains and Growth Conditions
[0065] The bacterial strains used in this study are listed in Table 1. L. lactis strains were grown in 30° C. in M17 broth (DIFCO) as standing cultures or on MI 7 plates containing 1.5% agar. All media were supplemented with 0.5% glucose (w/v) (GM17) and, when necessary, supplemented with 5 μg/ml chloramphenicol (SIGMA) for plasmid selection. Induction for P nisA -driven gene expression was done with the culture supernatant of the nisin producing L. lactis strain NZ9700 as described previously (Kuipers et al. [1997 ] Trends Biotechnol. 15:135-140).
[0000]
TABLE 1
Bacterial strains and plasmids
Relevant phenotype or genotype
Reference or origin
Strain
Lactococcus
lactis subsp.
cremoris
PA1001
Derivative of the strain NZ9000
Steen et al. [2003]
(MG1363 pepN::nisRK) carrying a
J. Biol.
Chem.
701-bp SacI/SpeI deletion in acmA
278: 23874-23881.
and a complete deletion of htrA
NZ9700
Nisin-producing transconjugant
Kuipers et al. [1997]
containing the nisin-sucrose
Trends Biotechnol.
transposon Tn5276
15: 135-140)
Plasmids
pPA3
cm R , pNZ8048 derivative containing
Steen et al. [2003]
the Protan domain under control of
J. Biol. Chem.
P nisA
278: 23874-23881.
pPA217
cm R , pPA3 containing Protein A
Example 1
fusion to the Protan domain under
control of P nisA
pPA218
cm R , pPA3 containing Streptavidin
Example 2
core fusion to the Protan domain
under control of P nisA
CM R : chloramphenicol resistance gene.
P nisA : nisA promoter.
General Molecular Biology
[0066] Enzymes and buffers were purchased from New England Biolabs or Fermentas. Electro-transformation of L. Laois was carried out as described previously (Holo and Nes [1995 ] Methods Mol. Biol. 47:195-199) using a Bio-Rad Gene Pulser (Bio-Rad). Nucleotide sequence analyses were performed by BaseClear (Leiden, The Netherlands).
Production of the Fusion Construct Containing ProtA-Protan.
[0067] ProtA (NCBI accession number BAB93949.1; U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,350; Uhlen et al. [1984 ] J. Biol. Chem. 259:1695-1702) from S. aureus contains five homologous IgG-Fc binding regions consisting of approximately 58 amino acids each. For the fusion of ProtA to Protan, only the Fc binding domains were amplified by PCR using primers SpA.fw and SpA.rev (see Table 2).
[0000]
TABLE 2
Primers used in this study
Restriction
Name
Sequence (5′ → 3′)
site
SpA.fw
C CGTCTC CCATGGTTGCTGAT
Esp3I
GCGCAACAAAATAAC
(underlined,
(SEQ ID NO: 3)
resulting in
NcoI sticky
end)
SpA.rev
C CGTCTC GAATTCGTTTTGGT
Esp3I
GCTTGAGCATCG
(underlined,
(SEQ ID NO: 4)
resulting in
EcoRI sticky
end)
[0068] After amplification of the Fc-binding part from the S. aureus genome, the 710 bp PCR fragment was isolated from gel and digested with Esp3I, resulting in NcoI and EcoRI sticky ends. The digested product was ligated into pPA3 which was digested with EcoRI and NcoI. The ligation mixture was transferred by electroporation to L. lactis PA1001 and resulted in plasmid pPA217. Strain L. lactis (pPA217) produces secreted ProtA-Protan polypeptide.
TCA Precipitation of Produced Fusion Proteins
[0069] For detection of the amount of produced polypeptide in the cell free culture medium, a TCA precipitation was performed. This was done by addition of 200 μl 50% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) to 1 ml of cell free culture medium containing the Protan fusion protein. The mixture was placed on ice for 1 hour after vortexing. The precipitated protein was spun down in a centrifuge for 20 minutes at 14,000 rpm (4° C.), was washed with acetone, dried in a vacuum exicator and resuspended in SDS sample buffer.
GEM Production and Binding Conditions
[0070] Chemical pre-treatment of L. lactis NZ9000 for the production of GEM, was routinely done with hydrogen chloride (HCl, pH 1.0) as follows: cells of stationary phase cultures were collected by centrifugation and washed once with 0.5 volume of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS: 58 mM Na 2 HPO 4 , 17 mM Na 2 H 2 PO 4 , 68 mM NaCl, pH 7.2). Cells were resuspended in ⅕ th volume of HCl, pH1.0 solution and boiled for 30 minutes. Subsequently, the GEM particles formed in this way were washed three times with PBS, and resuspended in PBS until an average of 2.5×10 10 GEM particles/ml as was determined with a Burker-Turk hemocytometer. GEM particles were either immediately used for binding experiments or stored in 1.0 ml aliquots at −80° C. until use.
[0071] In a typical binding experiment 2.5×10 9 GEM particles (1 unit) were incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature in an over-end rotator with 2 ml of cell-free culture medium containing a bifunctional polypeptide (Protan fusion protein). After binding, GEM particles were collected by centrifugation, washed twice with PBS and analyzed by SDS-PAGE or enzymatic activity.
AP Enzyme Assay
[0072] Enzyme activity of bound rabbit anti-mouse IgG Alkaline Phosphatase (AP) (Sigma) was measured colorimetrically. 0.5 unit GEM particles loaded with the fusion protein ProtA-Protan, mouse IgG1 (kappa light chain) (Sigma) (1 ml 1:100 dilution in PBS) and rabbit anti-mouse IgG AP (Sigma) (1 ml 1:10,000 dilution in PBS) were spun down and washed twice with PBS. Alkaline phosphatase activity was determined by incubating the loaded GEM particles in 1 ml 4-nitro phenylphosphate (Sigma) (1 mg/ml in 50 mM sodium carbonate buffer, pH 9.6, 1 mM MgCl 2 ) at room temperature. After 5 minutes, the reaction was stopped by addition of 0.5 ml 2 M NaOH. GEM particles were spun down, and the absorbance of the supernatant at 405 nm was measured by a spectrophotometer (BioRad Smartspec 300).
Attaching of the ProtA-Protan Polypeptide to GEM Particles
[0073] Production of the polypeptide was induced as described above. After overnight induction, the expression of the protein was tested by performing a GEM-binding assay with 1 ml supernatant of the producing strain to 0.5 U of GEM. The results are given in FIG. 2 . It is clear that most of the produced ProtA-Protan fusion peptide (lane BG) is specifically removed from the production medium (lane AG) and binds efficiently to the GEM particles (lane G). The smear in lane G is caused by the degraded L. lactis proteins present in the GEM particles.
Mouse IgG Binding to ProtA-Protan-GEM Particles
[0074] The antibody-binding activity of the ProtA-Protan polypeptide attached to GEM particles was tested using the reported enzyme alkaline phosphatase (AP) as described above. For this experiment different control groups were taken into account, as described in FIG. 3 . The results clearly demonstrate that mouse-IgG binds to GEM particles that are activated with attached ProtA-Protan fusion protein (sample 1). No activity was detected when no ProtA-Protan was added to the GEM particles (sample 2) or when no secondary antibody with conjugated AP was added (sample 5), as expected. The anti-mouse secondary antibody that contains the conjugated AP is also an IgG antibody and binds as well to the ProtA-Protan-GEM complex even in the absence of mouse IgG (sample 4). In the absence of GEM particles some activity is measured (sample 3), most likely due to some aggregation of the ProtA-Protan fusion that is spun down during the procedure or due to some aspecific binding of the protein to the plastic reaction tube. In conclusion, the ProtA-Protan bifunctional linker can be attached to GEM particles and this complex can bind IgG antibodies.
[0075] In conclusion, the ProtA-Protan bifunctional polypeptide can be attached to GEM particles to yield an immunogenic carrier complex and this complex can be loaded with IgG antibodies.
Example 2
Immobilization of Biotinylated Compounds on GEM Particles
[0076] Streptavidin of Streptomyces avidinii is a 15 kDa protein that is functional as a tetramer and binds biotin. It can be used as antigen binding domain (ABD) to capture biotinylated substances from a solution and immobilize them on a surface. Here we made a genetic fusion of Streptavidin with the Protan linker described in Example 1. The resulting Streptavidin-Protan bifunctional polypeptide was expressed and secreted by recombinant L. lactis . After removal of the recombinant producer cells, the bifunctional linker was attached to lactococcal GEM particles by the peptidoglycan binding domain (PBD) of the Protan moiety of the polypeptide. The ABD in the same polypeptide was still functional and was used to bind to and immobilize biotinylated horse radish peroxidase as antigen of interest on the GEM particles.
[0077] Bacterial strain, plasmids and procedures for growth conditions, general molecular biology techniques, GEM production and binding conditions and TCA precipitation of produced fusion proteins were the same as in Example 1.
HRP Enzyme Assay
[0078] Enzyme activity of bound Biotin-Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) (Molecular Probes) was measured colorimetrically. 0.5 U GEM particles loaded with the fusion protein Streptavidin-Protan and Biotin-HRP (1 ml 1:2000 Biotin-HRP (1 mg/ml) in PBS) were spun down and washed twice with PBS. Horse radish peroxidase activity was determined by incubating the loaded GEM particles in 1 ml ABTS (Fluka) (10 mg in 100 ml 0.05 M phosphate-citrate buffer pH 5.0) and 1 μl H 2 O 2 (100%) at room temperature. After 5 minutes, the reaction was stopped by addition of 100 μl 10% SDS.
[0079] GEM particles were spun down, and the absorbance of the supernatant at 405 nm was measured by a spectrophotometer (BioRad Smartspec 300).
Production of the Fusion Construct Containing Streptavidin-Protan
[0080] Only the core of Streptavidin was used as ABD for the production of the bifunctional polypeptide (Streptavidin-Protan). This core is the biotin binding unit of Streptavidin (NCBI accession number CAA00084), containing amino acids A 37 -S 163 . (Argaraña et al. [1986 ] Nucleic Acid Research 14:1871-1882, Pähler et al. [1987 ] J. Biol. Chem. 262: 13933-13937). For the fusion of Streptavidin core to the Protan moiety comprising the PBD, 8 primers were designed. These primers could be amplified to each other, first Strep1.fw until Strep4.rev and Strep5.fw until Strep8.rev in two different PCR reactions. The two PCR products were mixed and amplified with the two exterior primers Strep1.fw and Strep8.rev in which a streptavidin-core gene-fragment of 397 by was produced that was optimized for L. lactis codon usage. The primers used for the production of this gene fragment are described in Table 3.
[0081] To be able to screen the PCR fragment for containing the correct DNA sequence, the ZERO BLUNT® TOPO® Cloning Kit (Invitrogen) was used. The ZERO BLUNT® TOPO® plasmid containing the correct streptavidin-core gene fragment was digested with EcoRI and NcoI. This digestion product was ligated into pPA3 which was also digested with EcoRI and NcoI. The ligation mixture was transferred by electroporation to L. lactis PA1001 and resulted in plasmid pPA218. Strain L. lactis (pPA218) produced and secreted Streptavidin-Protan polypeptide in the culture medium.
Attaching the Polypeptide to Immunogenic Carrier
[0082] Production of the fusion protein was induced as described above. After overnight induction, the expression of the protein was tested by performing a GEM-binding assay with 1 ml supernatant of the producing strain to 0.5 unit of GEM particles ( FIG. 4 ). It is clear that most of the produced Streptavidin-Protan fusion (lane BG) is specifically removed from the production medium (lane AG) and binds efficiently to the GEM particles (lane G). The smear in lane G is caused by the degraded L. lactis proteins present in the GEM particles.
[0083] Table 3: Primers used for production of streptavidin core gene.
[0084] The nucleotide stretches which are either in italics, underlined, double underlined, in lower case letters, in italics and underlined, in lower case letters and underline or in lower case letters and in italics and underlined can anneal to each other.
[0000]
Sequence (5′ → 3′)
Restriction
Name
Restriction sites are written in bold
site
Strep1.fw
TAT CCATGG TT GCA GAA GCA GGT ATT ACA GGT
NcoI
(SEQ ID NO: 5)
ACA TGG TAT AAT CAA CTT GGT TCA ACA TTT ATT
GTT ACA GCT GGT G
Strep2.rev
ACC AAC AGC TGA TTC ATA TG T TCC TGT AAG AGC
NdeI
(SEQ ID NO: 6)
ACC ATC AGC ACC AGC TGT AAC AAT AAA TGT TGA
ACC
Strep3.fw
CTT ACA GGA ACA TAT G AA TCA GCT GTT GGT AAT
NdeI
(SEQ ID NO: 7)
GCT GAA AGT CGT TAT gtt ctc act ggt cgt tat
gat agt gc
Strep4.rev
ACC GTC
KpnI
(SEQ ID NO: 8)
TGT AGC TGG Agc act atc ata acg acc agt gag
aac
Strep5.fw
TT GCA TGG
KpnI
(SEQ ID NO: 9)
AAA AAT AAT TAT CGT
aat gct cat tca gct aca act tgg agt
Strep6.rev
aag aag cca ttg tgt att aat tct agc
—
(SEQ ID NO: 10)
TTC AGC ACC ACC
AAC ATA TTG ACC
act cca aat tgt aac taa ata aac att
Strep7.fw
gct aga att aat aca caa tgg ctt ctt
—
(SEQ ID NO: 11)
ACA TCA GGT ACA ACT
GAA GCT AAT GCT TGG AAA TCA ACT CTT GTT GGT
Strep8.rev
G GAATTC T TGA TGC AGC TGA TGG TTT AAC TTT
EcoRI
(SEQ ID NO: 12)
AGT AAA TGT ATC ATG ACC AAC AAG AGT TGA TTT
CCA AGC ATT
Biotin-HRP Binding to Streptavidin-Protan-GEM Particles
[0085] The biotin binding activity of the fusion protein bound to GEM was tested as described herein below using HRP as reported enzyme. For this experiment different control groups were taken into account, as described in FIG. 5 . If no Streptavidin-Protan fusion is present (sample 1 and 3), only Protan is present on the GEM particles (sample 3), no Biotin-HRP (sample 2) or GEM particles (sample 5) are added, no activity is measured as expected. Activity is only measured in sample 4 which means that Streptavidin-Protan on the GEM particles binds the Biotin-HRP conjugate.
[0086] In conclusion, the Streptavidin-Protan bifunctional polypeptide can be attached to immunogenic GEM particles and this complex can bind a biotin-modified antigen of interest.
Example 3
Immobilization of Inactivated Whole Poliovirus on GEM Particles Using Bifunctional Protan Linkers
[0087] Phage display (Smith and Petrenko [1997 ] Chem. Rev. 97:391-410) has emerged as a powerful technique for the selection of specific binding peptides (Sidhu et al. [2000 ] Meth. Enzymol. 328:333-344; Cwirla et al. [1990 ] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 87:63786382). A DNA sequence encoding the peptide is translationally fused to DNA encoding the gene 3 minor coat protein, yielding display of the peptide on the surface of the phage. In this way a physical linkage was established between the displayed peptide and the DNA encoding this peptide. Phage peptide libraries can be used to efficiently search for specific binders out of a pool of variants by selection on a specific target, a process called panning. Selected phage can subsequently be amplified in Escherichia coli and subjected to additional rounds of panning to enrich peptides that specifically bind to the target.
[0088] Random peptide libraries have been used in various applications such as binding to proteins (Sidhu et al. [2000 ] Meth. Enzymol. 328:333-344), polysaccharides Kim et al. [2005 ] Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 329:312-317), bacterial spores Knurr et al. [2003 ] Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69:6841-6847), whole cells (Brown [2000 ] Curr. Opinion. Chem. Biol. 4:16-21), and inorganic materials (Whaley et al. [2000 ] Nature 405:665-668).
[0089] In the current application, phage display can be used for the selection of specific binding peptides that are subsequently used for the construction of bifunctional Protan linkers. Application of the bifunctional polypeptides like Protan linkers allows the non-covalent attachment of a compound of interest, i.e., proteins, polysaccharides, bacteria, viruses, or fungi to GEM particles. Peptides are advantageous over binding proteins in that they are less immunogenic, and easy to produce. In this Example we describe the construction of a phagemid-based peptide library which was used for the selection of specific binding peptides targeted to inactivated whole poliovirus. Selected peptides that specifically bind to whole poliovirus were genetically fused to Protan and the bifunctional Protan linkers were attached to lactococcal GEM particles. This allows the non-covalent coupling of inactivated whole poliovirus. The resulting antigen-loaded immunogenic carrier complex of GEM particle with inactivated whole poliovirus is directly applicable in vaccines.
Construction of Peptide Phage Display Vector
[0090] The phagemid pPEP is constructed from pCANTAB 5EST (Amersham Pharmacia) for the display of short peptide sequences. The display of peptides requires the in frame fusion of peptides to the minor coat protein 3 (g3p) of phage M13. Therefore, superfluous nucleotide sequences in pCANTAB 5EST between the HindIII and BamHI recognition sequence are removed and replaced by a PCR-assembled fragment encoding only the relevant sequence elements. In addition, KpnI and BpiI recognition sequences are introduced to allow cloning of peptide sequences at the 5′-end of gene 3. Furthermore, in order to improve the target accessibility of a displayed peptide a small spacer sequence of three glycine residues is included between the cloned peptide and the minor coat protein.
[0091] The construction of the peptide phage display vector involves a number of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) steps. First a DNA fragment from the HindIII recognition sequence until the start of gene 3 is synthesized by two successive overlap PCRs. A temporary assembly PCR product is produced from oligonucleotides Cb1F2.fw, 5′-ggagccttttttttggagattttcaacgtgaaaaaattattattcgcaattcctttagtggta (SEQ ID NO:13); Cb1F.3.fw, 5′-gcaattcctttagtggtacctttctatgcggcccagccggccatggcccagggcgctgggaga (SEQ ID NO:14); and Cb1F4.rev, 5′-ttcaacagtaccgccaccccgtcttctcccagcgccctgggc (SEQ ID NO:15). This temporary amplicon is purified and used in a second overlap PCR as template together with the outside primers Cb1F1.fw, 5′-atgattacgccaagatt-ggagccttttttttggag (SEQ ID NO:16) and Cb1F5.rev 5′-aggtalgctaaacaactccaacagtaccgccacc (SEQ ID NO:17), yielding the final assembled PCR fragment. A second DNA fragment containing the first 617 nucleotides of gene 3 is produced by PCR using the oligonucleotides Cb2.fw, 5′-actgttgaaagttgtttagcaaaacct (SEQ ID NO:18) and Cb2.rev 5′-agacgattggccttgatattcacaaac (SEQ ID NO:19). In the final overlap PCR, the latter amplicon is combined with the first assembly PCR product and the outside primers Cb1F1.fw and Cb2.rev yielding a 711 bp PCR fragment. This amplification product is digested with HindIII and BamHI and ligated into the same sites of pCAN TAB 5EST resulting in phagemid pPEP.
Construction of Random Peptide Libraries
[0092] Phagemid pPEP contains KpnI and BpiI recognition sites at the 5′ end of gene 3 for display of random peptides as N-terminal g3p fusions. Since pPEP is a phagemid, peptides are displayed in a monovalent format, i.e., only one or two copies of g3p on the surface of each phage particle will be fused to the cloned peptide.
[0093] A library of oligonucleotides encoding 12-amino acid linear random peptides is constructed according to Noren and Noren [2001] ( Methods 23:169-178). Briefly, a 92 nucleotide library oligonucleotide, PEP12Lib.rev, is designed with the sequence 5′-accgaagaccccacc(BNN)12ctgggccatggccggctgggccgcatagaaaggtacccggg (B=C or G or T) (SEQ ID NO:20). The universal extension primer PEPext.fw 5′catgcccgggtacctttctatgcgg (SEQ ID NO:21) is annealed and extended in a Klenow reaction. The resulting double stranded library oligonucleotide is purified, digested with KpnI and BpiI, and ligated into pPEP that had been digested with the same enzymes yielding pPEP12. The ligation mixture is transferred to E. coli XL1-blue or TG1 cells (Stratagene) by electroporation until ≈10 9 independent clones are obtained. To produce phagemid particles E. coli TG1 or XL1 blue cells containing pPEP12 are infected with a 30-fold excess M13K07 helper phage. From the infected culture, phagemid particles are purified by PEG precipitation.
Biopanning
[0094] Inactivated whole poliovirus particles are used for affinity selection of specific binding peptides. Poliovirus is captured on ELISA plates coated with rabbit anti-poliovirus IgG (0.5-μg/ml). Alternatively, poliovirus is displayed on GEM particles loaded with anti-poliovirus IgG bound to ProtA-Protan fusions (Example 1). Approximately 10 11 phagemid particles in phosphate buffered saline (PBS)+0.1% Tween 20 (PBS-T) from the dodecapeptide library are allowed to react in wells, or with ≈10 9 GEMs with the inactivated poliovirus for 1 hour at room temperature. After incubation, unbound phages are removed. The GEMs or wells are washed ten times with PBS-T and bound phages are eluted with 0.2 M glycine/HCl (pH 2.2). The eluted phage suspension is neutralized with 2 M Tris base. The eluted phages are used to infect E. coli TG1 or XL1 blue cells. A total of 6 cycles of selection are performed, after which individual phage clones are isolated for further analysis.
Binding Analysis
[0095] To evaluate binding of peptides to the poliovirus multi-well plates are coated with anti-poliovirus IgG (0.5-1 μl/ml). After washing with PBS-T, the wells are blocked with 1% BSA in PBS-T for 1 hour at room temperature. Inactivated whole poliovirus is added in PBS-T+1% BSA, and incubated for 1 hour at room temperature. Selected peptide-phages (10 10 cfu/ml) in PBS-T are added to the wells. After 1 hour room temperature the plates are washed three times with PBS-T. Peptide-phages bound to poliovirus are detected with HRP-conjugated anti-M13 antibody (Pharmacia) using ABTS [2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] as a substrate. The absorbance is measured after a suitable time period at 410 nm. Two peptide-phages that show the best binding to the poliovirus are selected for further characterization by sequence analysis. The two phagemids are designated pPEP-PV1 and pPEP-PV2.
Construction of PEP-Protan Fusion Proteins
[0096] Based on the nucleotide sequence of the binding peptides in pPEP-PV1 and pPEP-PV2, two complementary oligonucleotides corresponding to binding peptides PV1 and PV2 are designed and produced with BsaI and BpiI overhanging 5′-ends. Equal molar concentrations of both oligonucleotides are annealed in a total volume of 100 μl 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0). The mixture is heated to 94° C. and slowly cooled to room temperature in a thermal cycler. The annealed oligonucleotides are ligated into pPA224 digested with BsaI and BpiI. Plasmid pPA224 is a derivative of pPA3 (Steen et al. [2003 ] J. Biol. Chem. 278:23874-23881), which lacks the c-myc sequence and has a modified multiple cloning site between the usp45 signal sequence and the Protan sequence. After ligation the mixtures are transferred to L. lactis PA1001 by electroporation. The results are plasmids pPA224-PV1 and pPA224-PV2 in which PV1 and PV2, respectively, are transcriptionally fused to the 5′-end of the Protan sequence.
[0097] L. lactis PA1001(pPA224-PV1) and L. lactis PA1001(pPA224-PV2) secrete PV1-Protan and PV2-Protan bifunctional linkers, respectively, into the growth medium. The producer cells are removed from the production medium by microfiltration and/or centrifugation.
Binding of Inactivated Poliovirus to Antigen-Binding GEM Particles
[0098] The bifunctional polypeptides PV1-Protan and PV2-Protan attaches efficiently to lactococcal GEM particles, either each alone or in combination. The antigen-binding immunogenic carrier complexes PV1-Protan-GEM, PV2-Protan-GEM and PV1+PV2-Protan-GEM thus obtained are mixed with a suspension containing inactivated poliovirus particles. In all cases the poliovirus particles efficiently bind to the GEM-bifunctional Protan complexes.
[0099] This Example illustrates that specific antigen binding domains can be selected using phage display, even for an entire viral particle and that this binding domain can be used in a bifunctional polypeptide to immobilize the entire virus on an immunogenic carrier.
[0100] Furthermore, the examples demonstrate that either known antigen binding domains or newly selected binding domains from a random peptide library can be used in Protan fusions as bifunctional Protan linkers to immobilize a desired compound (e.g., antigen) on GEM particles, without the need to modify the compound of interest before binding to an immunogenic carrier. | The disclosure relates to the areas of immunology and vaccine delivery. More specifically, it relates to a bacterial vaccine delivery technology with built-in immunostimulatory properties which allow the immobilization of any antigen of interest, without prior antigen modification. Provided is an antigen-loaded immunogenic carrier complex comprising at least one bifunctional polypeptide attached to an immunogenic carrier, the bifunctional polypeptide comprising a peptidoglycan binding domain (PBD) through which the polypeptide is attached to the carrier, fused to an antigen binding domain (ABD) to which at least one antigen of interest is bound. Also described is a pharmaceutical (e.g., vaccine) composition comprising an antigen-loaded immunogenic carrier complex. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to embroidery in general, and more particularly to the fabric used in making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The art of embroidery is an ancient one, and hardly any changes have been made in it since times immemorial. To recapitulate, it involves making adorning articles by passing threads of different colors with the aid of a needle or a similar instrument as individual stitches through holes pre-existing, or made or enlarged by the instrument, in a sheet- or strip-shaped substrate, thus creating different aesthetically pleasing patterns or even images or scenes that in some instances embellish the otherwise rather bland substrate, and in others completely cover the same, especially if the latter has a rather unappealing appearance or is preprinted with a faint "original" of the image or pattern to be replicated on the substrate by using the various colored threads.
The present invention is concerned with that kind of embroidery--hereafter referred to as cross-stitching or needlepoint regardless of the courses the particular stitches follow--in which the substrate--hereafter referred to as fabric irrespective of the kind of filamentary material it consists of--remains a part and parcel, albeit often a concealed one, of the finished article. In this milieu, the manner in which the fabric behaves while being handled either in the course of the embroidering process or afterwards, is of a critical importance.
So, for instance, it is well known even by those with a very cursory acquaintance with embroidery that not all kinds of textile materials or fabrics are well suited for use as the fabric as that term is being used here; rather, the textiles chosen for this purpose typically consist of fibrous materials--monofilaments, threads, yarns, strands or the like, either and all referred to hereafter as fibers without distinguishing among them--that not only form a mesh with clearly discernible holes or interstices between the individual fibers or the like arranged in generally orthogonally extending arrays, but also, while still flexible, possess a certain, rather pronounced, degree of stiffness or rigidity. This is so because it is very difficult, if not impossible, to provide the desired patterns or images on fabrics that behave as if "alive", i.e. change the courses along which they extend seemingly indiscriminately in response to every little external influence, be it a minuscule movement of the embroiderer's fingers or a whiff of air. To avoid this undesirable effect, it is a frequent practice of the embroiderers to span the fabric, even a relatively stiff one, over a rigid frame that confers increased rigidity to the portion of the fabric being worked on. Of course, this increase in rigidity is a temporary one and does not carry over into the finished article.
It goes without saying that it would be possible to solve the above-mentioned handling problem and/or avoid the attendant need to use a reinforcing frame by using for the fabric one that consists in its entirety of fibers of sufficiently high stiffness for the fabric not to yield in such an objectionable manner. This, however, would not be a very practical solution in many cases because the resulting article would be rather unwieldy so that it would not gracefully drape itself around corners if used as an embellishment of or a cover for a horizontal surface of an article of furniture, or around curtains, draperies or the like if used as an adorning holder for their central to lower regions or in many other known applications; just about the only use for such a stiff article would be if it were to be hanged on a wall either by itself--a Gobelin tapestry of sorts--or mounted in a frame. Besides, such a stiff article would not be too pleasant to touch--again a pronounced disadvantage in many possible uses. The same or similar considerations would also apply if just the warp fibers, or just the weft fibers of the woven fabric possessed the higher rigidity, and the situation would not be much better even if only some of such warp or weft fibers, substantially equally distributed throughout the respective fiber array, were to exhibit such increased rigidity.
It is probably for the reasons mentioned above why such uniform uni- or bi-directional internal fabric rigidification or reinforcement has not been successfully proposed and/or employed before in embroidery fabrics, even though it has been suggested for use in other fields of human behavior, as exemplified by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,467,006 to Hasegawa et al., 4,567,094 to Levin or 4,861,645 to Standing.
Of these patents, the only one in which such a stiffening is actually the desired result rather than an incidental byproduct of a measure taken for a different purpose is the Hasegawa et al patent. It is disclosed there that a metallic fiber, extending along a serpentine path from one edge of a reinforcement cloth strip to the other and back, can be used to give the strip "staying power", that is to cause it to generally retain the shape that has been impressed onto it. While this approach may well achieve excellent results in the field for which it has been developed, namely that of making molded synthetic plastic material articles of intricate shapes including embedded reinforcements or mesh-like skeletons, it would not be suited at all for use in embroidery, precisely for the reasons mentioned before, especially because it would result in overall rigidification of the fabric and hence of the final article--an undesired effect.
The other two patents are concerned with making the weave, mesh or fabric conductive so as to, for instance, avoid local accumulation of an electric charge (static electricity) or assure delivery of electric current to remote regions of a strip at all times. In the Standing patent, this is achieved by substituting electrically conductive (metallic) fibers at regular intervals throughout the strip for the graphite or similar fibers constituting the regular warp fibers, while in the Levin case a similar effect is accomplished by wrapping very thin electrically conductive wires around selected, regularly distributed ones, of the warp (and also the weft) fibers. While neither one of these patents is concerned with or even mentions the reinforcing effect of such metallic fibers on the remainder of the strip, it is more than likely that it exists in both instances; if so, the aforementioned disadvantages stemming from the presence of the reinforcements throughout the strip, albeit at regular intervals, are encountered here as well. Hence, it would be totally futile, useless and even counterproductive to try to use either one of the three variations of the same overall concept of dispersing the reinforcing fibers throughout the strip as disclosed by the above three patents in the manufacture of fabrics for use in the embroidery field.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an embroidery fabric that does not possess the drawbacks of the known fabric of this type.
Still another object of the present invention is to devise an embroidery fabric of the type here under consideration which, and especially the article made of the same by utilizing well-known cross-stitching or needlepoint techniques, can be deformed to any desired shape and will retain it even after the termination of the deformation forces.
It is yet another object of the present invention to design the above embroidery fabric in such a manner that the overall look and feel of the embroidered article made on such fabric is the same or better than in the traditional articles of this kind despite the shape-retaining properties of such fabric.
A concomitant object of the present invention is so to construct the embroidery fabric of the above type as to be relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and yet reliable in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In keeping with the above objects and others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of the present invention resides in an embroidery fabric which includes a main body including two filamentary arrays each including a multitude of substantially parallel fibers that are interwoven with those of the respective other array and extend substantially normal thereto to form between themselves respective rows and columns of openings for the passage of embroidery threads through them. The body has two elongated marginal portions spaced from one another by an intervening portion of a width many times exceeding that of the marginal portions. At least one of the marginal portions is substantially straight and extends in substantial parallelism to the fibers of one of the filamentary arrays.
In accordance with the present invention, there is further provided reinforcing means for reinforcing at least the aforementioned one of the marginal portions of the body to the exclusion of at least the intervening portion, including at least one elongated reinforcing element of a plastically deformable material secured to the one marginal portion and extending fully within its confines at least substantially over the entire length of the one marginal portion. A particular advantage of the fabric of the present invention as described so far is that the reinforcing means, by virtue of being absent from the intervening portion, does not adversely impact the properties of such intervening portion and ultimately of the final article made with the use of the fabric, that is it does not impose unnecessary and undesirable rigidity on the intervening portion, while at the same time the increased rigidity that the reinforcing means confers, but only on the affected marginal portion of the fabric, renders it possible to give the article any desired shape for the article to stay in indefinitely. Advantageously, the reinforcing element is secured to the main body by being interwoven with its weft fibers.
A particularly advantageous construction of the embroidery fabric of the present invention is obtained when the reinforcing means includes at least one further elongated reinforcing element similar to the one elongated reinforcing element and extending substantially parallel thereto also fully within the confines of, and at least substantially over the entire length of, the one marginal portion. This improves the shape-retaining function, while the confinement of the reinforcing means, no matter how many of the elongated elements it includes to the marginal portion area, still avoids the detrimental effect that inclusion of reinforcing elements in the intervening portion would have on the properties of the article at that area.
The above is also true when, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the other of the marginal portions is also elongated and substantially straight, and the reinforcing means further includes at least one additional elongated reinforcing element of a plastically deformable material secured to the other marginal portion and extending fully within the confines thereof at least substantially over the entire length of the other marginal portion. In this instance as well, the reinforcing means advantageously includes at least one further additional elongated reinforcing element similar to the one additional elongated reinforcing element and extending substantially parallel thereto also fully within the confines of, and at least substantially over the entire length of, the other marginal portion.
Last but not least, it is to be mentioned that especially advantageous results are obtained when the main body has an elongated, strip-shaped configuration, and the one marginal portion extends, or both of the marginal portions extend, longitudinally of the main body. The particular advantage of this approach is that, because of the relative narrowness of the body and hence of the resulting article, preferably on the order of 5 cm to 15 cm, the width of the intervening portion, while still many times that of the marginal portions, is small enough for the reinforcing means to have a profound effect--not a rigidifying one, though, but rather a shape-conferring one--on the intervening portion. More particularly, if so desired, the marginal portions can be deformed in such a manner that the interfering portion obtains a series of regular or even irregular peaks and valleys, thus complementing the inherent softness of the intervening portion to the touch with a visual representation of this quality.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a fragment of an embroidery fabric strip embodying the present invention at a scale that may substantially correspond to reality;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of the fabric strip fragment, taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1, on a greatly exaggerated scale; and
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through another portion of the strip fragment on line 3--3 of FIG. 1, on a scale substantially corresponding to that of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawing in detail, and first to FIG. 1 thereof, it may be seen that the reference numeral 10 has been used therein to identify a fabric strip embodying the present invention, in its entirety. As its name implies, the strip 10 not only is longer than it is wide, but also is intended to serve as a fabric as that word is used in the world of arts and crafts, that is as a substrate for a rendering, in this case that produced by resorting to cross-stitching or needlepoint techniques.
As such, the fabric 10 includes two arrays of substantially orthogonally extending weft and warp fibers 11 and 12 that are visible particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing, respectively. In order not to unduly encumber the drawing, though, not all of such weft and warp fibers 11 and 12 are identified by the respective reference numerals in the drawing, and they are not individually shown in FIG. 1 at all; rather, their presence is merely indicated there by appropriate regional shading or cross-hatching. It will be appreciated, though, that the actual orientation of the fibers is not what it would appear from the cross-hatching; rather, the warp fibers 12 extend longitudinally of the strip 10, while the weft fibers 11 extend in the transverse direction of the strip 10.
The fabric strip 10 is produced by a well-known weaving process on a loom or a similar machine in that sub-arrays of alternate ones of the warp fibers 12 are moved up or down as a shuttle pulls the weft fiber 11 first in one transverse direction and then, after the sub-arrays of the alternating fibers 11 have exchanged their positions, in the opposite transverse direction through the V-shaped gap delimited by such sub-arrays. This method, which is well known in the textile industry, results in a structure depicted in FIG. 3 of the drawing in which the warp fibers 12 undulate between the weft fibers 11 and vice versa meaning that the fibers 11 and 12 alternatingly pass over and under one another as considered both in the longitudinal and in the transverse direction of the strip 10.
Yet, the structure of the fabric strip is not as tight as it would appear to be from observing FIG. 3 of the drawing; rather, the fibers 11 and 12 form a mesh with respective holes or interstices between the respective adjacent ones of the fibers 11 and 12. These holes are arranged in respective row and column arrays extending in the weft and warp directions, respectively, and serve initially as visual guides for determining, by counting the number of the intervening fibers, through which of them a needle pulling a colored thread is to pass next in the course of the embroidering process to form a respective stitch of the desired or predetermined length, and subsequently for the passage of the needle and of the thread through it. In a cross-stitching fabric, the holes along both said directions are all of the same size. All this is well known, so that it need not be elaborated upon any more.
Unlike conventional formations of this kind that are uniform in construction throughout, the strip 10 of the present invention is provided, in at least one of its longitudinally extending marginal portions 10a and 10b, with at least one elongated reinforcing element 13. As illustrated particularly in FIG. 3 of the drawing, the element 13 is incorporated into the strip structure in lieu of a corresponding warp fiber 12; however, it is conceivable and contemplated by the present invention to situate the element 13 next to the respective warp fiber 12 so that both the element 13 and the adjacent fiber 12 pass through the very same space delimited by the respective undulation of each of the two adjacent weft fibers 11.
Moreover, the element 13 does not necessarily pass through each and every possible such space that it encounters or would be able to form on its way; rather, as a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2 with one another will reveal, the element 13 may skip or bypass every second one of such possible spaces, so that it passes under one of the warp threads 11, then over the next three of such warp threads 11, then under the next one, then over the following three, etc. This is possible to accomplish even if the remainder of the fabric structure is regular (with the respective adjacent warp fiber 12 passing alternatively over and under the successive weft threads) in that the element 13 joining the adjacent warp thread 12 during its passage through one of such spaces but bypassing the next one, then rejoining, then bypassing again, etc.
The element 13 is made of a material that is bendable, but does not exhibit any, or only a very small or negligible amount of, resilience. Materials that satisfy these requirements are certain metals, metalloids and metal alloys; therefore, the elongated element 13 will henceforth be referred to, in the alternative, as a wire. It may be seen especially in FIG. 1 of the drawing that there are four such wires 13 incorporated in the structure of the elongated fabric strip 10, but not uniformly or equidistantly spaced throughout the width of the strip 10. Rather, such wires 13 are arranged in respective pairs, relatively close to one another, only in the respective longitudinal marginal portions 10a and 10b of the strip 10.
As alluded to before, just one, rather than the illustrated two, wires 13 may be used in the respective marginal portion 10a or 10b; moreover, more than two of such wires 13 may be used in the respective marginal portion 10a or 10b. The number of the wires 13 may be the same in both of the marginal portions 10a and 10b, or may differ from each other even to the extent that one of such marginal portions 10a and 10b contains no wire 13, as may have already been inferred from some of the above statements.
In any event, though, the wire or wires 13 are present exclusively in the marginal portions 10a and 10b, and an intervening portion 10c of the strip 10 that is situated intermediate such marginal portions 10a and 10b is totally devoid of such wires 13. As a result, the fabric 10 exhibits the desired so-to-speak indiscriminate pliability in between such marginal portions 10a and 10b, but is merely flexible and/or bendable at its marginal portions 10a and 10b, so that the built-in courses along which such marginal portions 10a and 10b extend are, on the one hand, predetermined and constant so long as the forces acting on the marginal portions 10a and 10b are within the range of elastic deformation of the wires 13, and alterable at will by applying forces exceeding such range, that is in the plastic deformation range of the wires 13, to selected regions of such marginal portions 10a and 10b, on the other hand. Of course, once the wires 13 are thus deformed, they will have a tendency to retain their shape forever or until, again, sufficiently high external forces to overcome this tendency and cause another plastic deformation are applied to the respective selectively affected regions of the marginal portions 10a and 10b.
While this combination of a relatively pliable intermediate portion 10c of the fabric strip 10 with the relatively more rigid, albeit deformable, marginal portions 10a and 10b may bring about certain advantages already during the creation of the embroidery, namely those stemming from the fact that the thus reinforced marginal portions 10a and 10b constitute a kind of a built-in frame facilitating the handling of the fabric strip 10 by the embroiderer, its real advantage comes to the fore only when the embroidered article is finished and is to be used for various decorative purposes, such as an ornamental holder for a curtain or a drape. Then, the fact that only the marginal portions 10a and 10b of the strip 10 are reinforced with the bendable wires 13 while the region 10c between them remains pliable renders it possible to give the strip 10 any desired shape, including the aesthetically pleasing puffed-up look where the marginal portions 10a and 10b are closer to one another than what would correspond to the width of the strip 10 and follow not only arcuate but undulating courses, so that a seemingly random series of peaks and valleys forms in the pliable region 10c between them, an effect that would not be obtainable if the intermediate region 10c were reinforced too.
A further advantage of this approach is that, inasmuch as in this application and others similar to it the region of the strip 10 that a nearby person is likely to brush against or otherwise come into contact with is the central region 10c that contains none of the wires 13 and hence is rather pliable and otherwise pleasant to the touch, the overall tactile impression of the article is the same if not (because of the additional "softening" resulting from the peak-and-valley configuration) better than that encountered in the context of traditional (not reinforced) strips of this nature. These and similar advantages arising from the fact that the marginal portions 10a and 10b or the fabric strip 10, and only they, are reinforced in accordance with the present invention, are above and beyond those attributable merely to the reinforcement of the strip 10, such as the ability to assume and retain a certain shape.
Depending on the type of embroidery with which the strip 10 is adorned, the wires 13 may be completely obscured from view by the aforementioned stitches, so that their very existence is concealed from casual observers. However, even if the cross-stitching or similar needlepoint creation does not cover the entire strip 10 and especially the parts of the marginal portions 10a and 10b at which the wires 13 are located, the wires 13 are still hardly noticeable except on close inspection, especially when, in accordance with the present invention, they are rather thin (much thinner than the fibers of the fabric 10) and of a color (such as silvery, grey or the like) that blends into the background constituted by the fibers of the fabric 10. Furthermore, even if they could be seen, they still would not adversely affect the overall appearance of the strip 10; as a matter of fact, they could be considered or made to appear to be a part of the ornamental design of the article.
It will be appreciated that at least most of the above advantages, if not all, would also be present to a greater or lesser degree if only one of the marginal portions 10a or 10b were provided with one or more of the wires 13. It will also be realized that, while the present invention has been developed for, and finds a highly advantageous application in, embroidery strips 10 of about 5 cm to 15 cm in width, it could also be used in conjunction with other shapes and sizes of embroidery fabrices, with the same or similar advantages. So, for instance, the marginal portion wires 13 could confer "plastic" (relief) looks to embroidered articles to be used as tapestries, but they could also be employed in embroidered articles to be used as doilies of sorts or for similar ornamental and/or utilitarian purposes; in that case, the inherent plastic deformability of the wires 13 would make it possible to drape the article around obtuse-, right-, or even acute-angle corners of furniture pieces or the like so that the very presence of such wires 13 would be hardly noticeable from the way the article would drape itself around the respective corner or even from the "feel" of the article, and yet the shape-retaining action of such wires 10 would be there, but only in the likely-to-curl marginal portions while the rest of the article would remain pliable and retain the "soft" looks and touch. For greater decoration value, the outer edges of both marginal portions can be scalloped or otherwise configured.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the type described above.
While the present invention has been described and illustrated herein as embodied in a specific construction of a strip-shaped embroidery fabric, it is not limited to the details of this particular construction, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.
What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims: | An embroidery fabric includes a main body consisting of interwoven weft and warp fibers that delimit between themselves respective rows and columns of openings for the passage of embroidery threads through them. At least one of the elongated marginal portions of the main body is substantially straight and is reinforced by one or more elongated reinforcing elements of a plastically deformable material secured to it and extending fully within the confines of, and at least substantially over the entire length of, such one marginal portion. The corresponding other marginal portion may also be reinforced in the same manner, while the intermediate portion situated between the marginal portions and having a width many times in excess of that of the marginal portions is devoid of any such reinforcement. The fabric is advantageously of an elongated, strip-shaped, configuration, and the affected marginal portions are those extending in the longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped fabric. | 3 |
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 229,437, Filed Apr. 7, 1988, now abandoned, which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 59,430, filed Jun. 8, 1987, now abandoned.
This invention concerns a hinge, suitable for use in a variety of applications. The design and construction of the hinge allow it to join two members, while being itself completely hidden, and permit a very close fit between the members when in its initial position. When the hinge is folded open, its exposed portions provide an unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing design.
In one of its embodiments, the hinge can be used in a folding table and leaf arrangement. The hinge is constructed to be exceptionally strong, to support weight placed on the extended leaf of the table. In the extended position, the hinge is completely invisible and thus provides an unbroken table-top surface.
The hinge may also be modified for use in a variety of cabinet doors. These embodiments are of light construction, but retain all the durability and features of the table hinge.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention belongs to the family of hinges used to join two members, of wood or a honeycomb material for example, in a variety of applications. More particularly, this invention relates to hidden hinges having multiple pivotal axes.
The original concept of a folding hinge is by no means a new one. Many varieties of such devices exist and are common knowledge to the general public.
There are also numerous hinges that pivot around more than a single axis, pivot through an arc of at least 180°, or may be constructed so as to be hidden in some position. The present invention, however, provides a hinge capable of performing all of these functions in a practical and aesthetic manner, not found in previous hinges.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,236,400, issued to Follmer, discloses a hinge with two axes of pivot. The hinge is completely visible, however, when it is mounted in the face of the table-top it is designed for use with.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,735,696, issued to Ridley, discloses a hidden hinge, that makes use of a link to join its two axes of pivot. The patent discloses no means to insure that the members in which the hinge is mounted will not contact one another and bind the hinge's motion.
The hinges of the prior art suffer from the fact that they cannot be truly hidden, and still perform their intended function, without risking damage to the members in which they are mounted. In order to assure that these hinges can pivot without causing the edges of the members to come into contact and bind, there must be a sizable gap between the members, and that makes the connecting link visible. In addition, the hinges of the prior art have an even greater tendency to bind if the direction of motion is changed part way through the hinge's rotation.
It would be advantageous to provide a hinge which could be completely hidden in its initial position, and yet allow the members it joins to move in a smooth and reliable manner, regardless of the direction of motion, while being unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing in its folded position.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a hinge that will be truly hidden in its initial position.
A further object is to provide a hinge which will facilitate a fit between the joined members that is so close as to be virtually unbroken, i.e. with only a very narrow gap between the members.
A further object is to provide a hinge which can pivot through its arc of travel in one easy, smooth motion, and not bind or allow the edges of the members to come into contact with one another and be damaged.
A further object is to provide a hinge which will be unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing when folded completely open.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the assembled hinge of the first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the same hinge as in FIG. 1, but disassembled.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge depicted FIG. 1, taken along the line 3--3 in FIG. 1, but also showing with broken lines the outline of a table top and leaf to which the hinge is mounted.
FIG. 4 depicts the same mounted hinge as FIG. 3, but in a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the hinge as depicted in FIG. 3, but with the table leaf folded halfway back.
FIG. 6 depicts the same hinge as in FIG. 5, but with the table leaf completely inverted.
FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the assembled hinge of the second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the second embodiment hinge in its disassembled state.
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a third embodiment hinge in its disassembled state.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the hinge depicted in FIG. 9, assembled and in the leaf-extended position, with the table top and leaf shown by broken lines.
FIG. 11 shows the same hinge as in FIG. 10, but with the leaf folded halfway back.
FIG. 12 shows the same hinge as in FIG. 10, but with the table leaf nearly completely inverted.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 11--11 in FIG. 9, but also showing mounting screws and, in broken lines, the leaf to which the mounting plate is attached.
FIG. 14 is an isometric view of the assembled flush-mount hinge, showing in broken lines the outline of the member in which the loose plate is mounted.
FIG. 15 is an isometric view of the same hinge as in FIG. 14, but disassembled.
FIG. 16 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the mounted hinge of FIG. 14, taken along the line 5--5, with the door folded halfway open.
FIG. 17 depicts the same hinge as FIG. 16, but with the door folded completely open.
FIG. 18 is an isometric view of the 90° hinge, partly disassembled.
FIG. 19 shows the first step in the mounting process of the hinge of FIG. 18, which is a cross-sectional view of the stationary stile.
FIG. 20 depicts the stile of FIG. 19, but with the trenches cut for the mounting of an extension mount.
FIG. 21 shows the stile of FIG. 20 with the extension mount in place.
FIG. 22 is an exploded view of the stile with extension mount, hinge, and mounting screw and pin.
FIG. 23 shows the completed 90° hinge assembly.
FIG. 24 shows an orthogonal view of the mounted hinge from the front, with the cap removed and the facing of the door "peeled back".
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a hinge constructed of two mounting plates and a substantially U-shaped center link which connects the axes of pivot of the two plates. The link and plates contain stop mechanisms which determine their respective limits of pivot. In addition, the hinge contains a means for restraining the rotation of only one of the mounting plates around its corresponding link arm to insure a pattern of motion that is always consistent, and allows for the hinge to be mounted with a very narrow gap between the members being joined. The hinge of the present invention can be variably constructed to conform to a number of alternative uses.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Table Hinge
The first embodiment of this invention concerns a hinge for a fold-up table leaf. More particularly, it relates to a hinge that provides strong horizontal support for the extended leaf, without being visible. Also, the hinge permits a very close fit between the stationary table top and the leaf when in the extended position.
Fold-up table leaves that are unsupported by a leg when placed in the extended position are found in a variety of applications, including passenger vehicles and hotel rooms. In executive jet aircraft, for instance, built-in card tables often are equipped with fold-up leaves to permit easier access to the seats at the table. The hinges for these table leaves have to be exceptionally strong, in order to support any weight placed on the extended leaf. Also, it is desirable that the hinges not interrupt the top surface of the table when in the extended position, in other words, that the hinges be invisible when the leaf is down. This is for both practical and aesthetic reasons.
The hinge of the present invention satisfies both of these objectives. It is comprised of a mounting plate that attaches to the edge of a stationary table top, a substantially U-shaped link that is pivotally attached near the end of one of its arms to the mounting plate, and another mounting plate that is pivotally attached to the second arm of the link, and to which plate the fold-up leaf is attached.
For purposes of the following discussion, the two mounting plates will be referred to as a "first" mounting plate and a "second" mounting plate. It should be understood, however, that either plate can be mounted to the table top or to the fold-up leaf.
Each mounting plate has a front surface and a rear surface. The rear surface is the surface that faces the edge of the table top or leaf when the hinge is mounted. The front surface of each mounting plate includes a pair of bracket members. The U-shaped link has a base and two substantially parallel arms. In one embodiment each of the arms of the link is pivotally attached near its end to one of the pairs of these bracket members. Each arm of the link preferably is thick enough (measured in the direction perpendicular to the U-shaped plane of the link) that it touches both of the bracket members to which it is attached. The axis of rotation of the attachment between each mounting plate and the arm of the link preferably will be substantially parallel to that plate's rear surface and perpendicular to the U-shaped plane of the link. The hinge is constructed so that the link and the first mounting plate are pivotable between a first limit, in which the arms of the link are substantially parallel to the rear surface of the first mounting plate, and a second limit that is at least about 90° of arc away from the first limit.
Similarly, the axis of rotation of the attachment of the second link arm to the bracket members of the second plate preferably is substantially parallel to that plate's rear surface and perpendicular to the U-shaped plane of the link. The construction of the hinge is such that the link and second plate are pivotable between a first limit, in which the plate's rear surface preferably is substantially parallel to the arms of the link, and a second limit that is approximately 90° of arc away from the first limit.
When both mounting plates and the link are at their first limits of pivot, the table leaf will be in the extended (i.e., unfolded or "down") position. When both plates and the link are at their second limits of pivot, the table leaf will be in the folded (i.e., inverted or "up") position.
The hinge will include means for increasing the inertial resistance between the first mounting plate and the U-shaped link, so as to partially restrain the link and the first mounting plate from being swung apart when they are at their first limit of pivot. The hinge includes no such means, however, between the link and the second mounting plate. In other words, the second mounting plate and the link are able to freely swing away from their first limit of pivot, but the first mounting plate and the link resist swinging apart when at their first limit of pivot. In this way, when the table leaf is in the extended position and force is applied to fold it up, that force will first cause the link and second plate to swing apart by approximately 90° (so that the leaf is standing straight up) and then, after that motion is completed, will cause the link and first mounting plate to swing apart until the inverted leaf comes to rest on top of the table. This partial restraining feature assures that the leaf will swing wide and not hit the table top.
Normally, a pair of hinges will be used. The first mounting plate, with the preferred restraining feature (what we might call the "tight" plate), can be attached either to the table or to the leaf. Both hinges must be mounted the same way, however. In other words, the tight plates of both hinges must be aligned on the same side, either both attached to the table top or attached to the fold-up leaf.
To provide the first limit of pivot between the first mounting plate and the link, it is preferred that the plate and link be so dimensioned that the first arm of the link abuts the front surface of the first plate when the plate and link are at their first limit of pivot. This abutment halts further movement between the first plate and the link.
To provide the first limit of pivot between the link and the second mounting plate, it is preferred that the front surface of at least one of the two mounting plates include a protruding stop member that abuts the front surface of the other mounting plate when the link and the two mounting plates are at their first limits of pivot, i.e., in the leaf extended position. Ideally, the front surface of each of the two mounting plates will include a protruding stop member and those members will be so positioned that they abut one another when the link and the two plates are at their lower limits of pivot. It is preferred that these protruding stop members be located low on the mounting plates, i.e., near the base of the link when in the leaf extended position.
The first limit of pivot between the second mounting plate and the link can be provided by so dimensioning those parts that the second arm of the link abuts the front surface of the second plate when the plate and link are at their first limit of pivot, e.g., when the leaf is fully extended. This abutment feature may be used in addition to, or in place of, the use of one or two protruding stop members.
The second limit of pivot between the second mounting plate and the link preferably is provided by the combination of (a) a protruding member carried either by one of the brackets of the plate or by the second link arm and (b) a corresponding recess in the surface of the attached bracket or link arm, in which recess the protruding member rides when the link and second plate are pivoted. The recess must have an end wall which the protruding member abuts when the second mounting plate reaches its second limit of pivot. The protruding member can be provided by a variety of elements, for example either a removable pin or a lug that is integral with the bracket or link. I have found more strength to be provided by a lug that is integral with one of the brackets on the mounting plate. An optional, additional pin or lug can be used on the other bracket for further increased strength.
The hinge may optionally also include means for providing a second limit of pivot between the link and the first mounting plate that is approximately 90° to 100° of arc away from the first limit of pivot for those two parts. The same combination of a protruding member (carried either by one of the brackets or by the first link arm) and a corresponding recess in the surface of the bracket or link arm may be used to provide this second limit of pivot.
Each of the two mounting plates in the hinge of this invention preferably contains at least one screw hole located on each side of the link. These are for mounting the hinge. The axes of the screw holes should be substantially perpendicular to the plate's rear surface.
The preferred means of partially restraining the link and the first mounting plate from swinging apart when they are at their first limit of pivot is provided by a coil spring mounted on the axis of the first link arm, one end of the coil exerting torque on the mounting plate, the other end of the coil exerting an opposite torque on the link arm, urging the plate and the link toward their first limit of pivot.
In the preferred embodiment, one end of the coil lies in a notch cut in the first mounting plate, preferably near the center of the plate. The opposite end of the coil spring is inserted into a hole in the first link arm.
Use of the resistance spring provides inertial resistance to the motion of the link arm and first mounting plate from their first limit of pivot. That resistance can be overcome by manual force, however, and the first plate and arm moved to their second limit of pivot. Once at their second limit of pivot, the weight of the table leaf will be adequate to prevent the spring from automatically returning the plate and arm to their first limit of pivot; it will require manual force to do so. The spring insures that the first pivoting motion will always be at the second mounting plate; when the extended table leaf is folded up and when the folded-up leaf is swung down, the first pivoting motion will be at the first mounting plate. This order will be the same regardless of whether the "tight" side of the hinge is mounted to the table top or to the leaf. This order of hinge motion insures that the edges of the table, and of the leaf, will never come into contact with one another or bind in any way, even if the direction of motion is abruptly changed while the leaf is being swung up or swung down.
Another method of partially restraining the link and the first mounting plate from swinging apart when they are at their first limit of pivot is provided by the distance between the bracket members on the first mounting plate being made slightly less than the thickness of the first link arm, so that, in order to assemble the hinge, the link arm must be forced into the space between the brackets. This will cause the brackets to exert a constant clamping pressure against the link. After numerous cycles of use, the pressure exerted by the brackets against the link naturally will lessen. In this embodiment of the present invention, however, the following means can be provided for restoring the original tight fit.
The rear surface of the first mounting plate may be made so that it is slightly bowed inward. This is with reference to the direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the link. When the first plate is mounted to the straight edge of the table top or leaf, a shim may be placed behind the plate, centered between the two bracket members, in order to cause the plate to bow a little bit more when the mounting screws are tightened. The shim should not be so thick, however, as to cause all of the clamping pressure against the first arm of the link to be released. Later, when the joint has worn loose, the shim may be removed, thereby restoring the clamping pressure.
Preferably, a third screw hole will be provided in the first mounting plate, between the two bracket members. If the joint becomes loose a second time, a screw can be inserted in that middle hole to draw the center of the plate back further, until it is flush against the table or leaf edge. This will slightly bend the brackets toward one another, and once again restore the clamping pressure against the first arm of the link.
Obviously, in the preferred embodiment incorporating the coil spring, the first mounting plate need not be bowed, but a third screw hole may still be provided for additional mounting strength.
The hinge of the present invention is designed to be mounted in routed-out recesses in the edges of the table top and leaf. The recesses need not break through either the top or bottom surfaces of the table top or leaf. When the leaf is extended, this gives both of those surfaces a smooth appearance, interrupted only by a narrow, even gap between the table top and the leaf. The hinge is invisible, folded away inside the recesses, or pockets, in the two opposed edges. The structure of the hinge allows the leaf to be mounted so close to the table top that, in the extended position, the top and the leaf present a continuous writing surface.
The U-shaped design of the center link gives the hinge of the present invention a nice smooth appearance when it is in the folded-up position. Steel hinges of the prior art, lacking such an appearance, often have had to be plated with brass, chromium, gold, or silver to satisfy aesthetic demands.
If desired, however, the hinge of the present invention also can be metal plated. To facilitate the plating operation, it is preferred that the portions of each arm of the link that ride against the adjacent bracket members be raised land areas, machined to the desired finished tolerance. The height of the rise should be at least as great as the intended thickness of the plating. In this manner, the land areas can be chemically or physically masked during the plating operation, to prevent the link from becoming thicker in that area. Most, if not all, of the land area will be hidden from view in the assembled hinge, so the fact that it is not plated will not be noticeable.
Cabinet Hinge
Other embodiments of the present invention are intended for use with door and stile assemblages, useful for mounting cabinet doors. These embodiments are of lighter weight construction, but contain essentially the same features of the table leaf hinge. The cabinet versions allow a door either to be flush-mounted, so as to be coplanar with the stile when the door is closed, or mounted perpendicular to the stile. The "flush-mount" hinge contains mounting plates that are directly analogous to the table leaf hinge mounting plates. In the "90°" version, however, one of the mounting plates is designed to allow the hinge to be most easily and securely mounted to provide a 90° angle between the plane of the stile and the plane of the flat surface of the door, when the door is in the closed position. Both the flush-mount and 90° hinges will be described in further detail below.
In general, the cabinet hinge is comprised of a mounting plate that attaches to the edge of a stationary stile upon which a cabinet door is to be mounted, a substantially U-shaped link that is pivotally attached near the end of one of its arms to the mounting plate, and another mounting plate that is pivotally attached to the opposite arm of the link, and to which plate the cabinet door is attached.
For purposes of the following discussion, the two mounting plates will be referred to as a "first" mounting plate and a "second" mounting plate. The first mounting plates of both the flush-mount and 90° versions are essentially the same. The flush-mount hinge has a second mounting plate which is substantially similar to the first. In the 90° version, however, the second mounting plate is different from the first. It should be understood that for the flush-mount hinge, either plate can be mounted to the stile or to the door. In the 90° hinge, it is preferred that the second mounting plate be mounted in the stile.
Each mounting plate of the flush-mount hinge has a front surface and a rear surface. The rear surface is the surface that faces the edge of the stile or door when the hinge is mounted. In the 90° hinge, however, the front and rear surfaces of the second mounting plate are substantially perpendicular to the edge of the stile. For both versions, the front surface of each mounting plate includes a pair of bracket members. The U-shaped link has a base and two substantially parallel arms. Each of the arms of the link is pivotally attached near its end to one of the pairs of these bracket members. Each arm of the link preferably is thick enough (measured in the direction perpendicular to the U-shaped plane of the link) that it touches both of the bracket members to which it is attached. The axis of rotation of the attachment between each mounting plate and the arm of the link preferably is substantially parallel to that plate's rear surface and perpendicular to the U-shaped plane of the link. The hinge is constructed so that the link and the first mounting plate are pivotable between a first limit, in which the arms of the link are substantially parallel to the rear surface of the first mounting plate, and a second limit that is at least about 90° of arc away from the first limit.
Similarly, the axis of rotation of the attachment of the second link arm to the bracket members of the second plate preferably is substantially parallel to that plate's rear surface and perpendicular to the U-shaped plane of the link. The construction of the hinge is such that the link and second plate are pivotable between a first limit, in which the plate's rear surface is substantially parallel to the arms of the link, and a second limit that is approximately 90° of arc away from the first limit.
When both mounting plates and the link are at their first limits of pivot, the cabinet door will be in its closed position. When both plates and the link are at their second limits of pivot, the door will be open, and folded back approximately 180°.
The hinge will include means for increasing the inertial resistance between the first mounting plate and the U-shaped link, so as to partially restrain the link and the first mounting plate from being swung apart when they are at their first limit of pivot. The hinge includes no such means, however, between the link and the second mounting plate. In other words, the second mounting plate and the link are able to freely swing away from their first limit of pivot, but the first mounting plate and the link resist swinging apart when at their first limit of pivot. In this way, when the door is closed and force is applied to open it, that force will first cause the link and second plate to swing apart by approximately 90° (so that the flat plane of the door is perpendicular to the stile in the flush-mount version, or parallel to the stile in the 90° hinge) and then, after that motion is completed, will cause the link and first mounting plate to swing apart until the door is swung completely open. This partial restraining feature assures that the door will swing wide and not hit the edge of the stile.
Normally, a pair of hinges will be used. In the flush-mount hinge, the first mounting plate, with the preferred restraining feature (what we might call the "tight" plate), can be attached either to the door or to the stile. Both hinges must be mounted the same way. In other words, the tight plates of both hinges must be aligned on the same side, either both attached to the door or both attached to the stationary stile. In using the 90° hinge it is preferred that the tight plate be mounted in the door and the second plate be mounted in the stile. Again, both hinges must be mounted with the same orientation.
The limits of pivot are provided for in the same manner for the flush-mount and 90° hinges. To provide the first limit of pivot between the first mounting plate and the link, it is preferred that the plate and link be so dimensioned that the first arm of the link abuts the front surface of the first plate when the plate and link are at their first limit of pivot. This abutment halts further movement between the first plate and the link.
The first limit of pivot between the second mounting plate and the link also can be provided by so dimensioning those parts that the second arm of the link abuts the front surface of the second plate when the plate and link are at their first limit pivot, e.g., when the door is closed.
The second limit of pivot between the second mounting plate and the link preferably is provided by the combination of (a) a protruding member carried by one of the brackets of the plate and (b) a corresponding recess in the surface of the link arm, in which recess the protruding member rides when the link and second plate are pivoted. The recess must have an end wall which the protruding member abuts when the second mounting plate reaches its second limit of pivot. The protruding member can be provided by a variety of elements, for example either a removable pin or a lug that is integral with the bracket or link. I have found more strength to be provided by a lug that is integral with one of the brackets on the mounting plate. An optional, additional pin or lug can be used on the other bracket for further increased strength.
The hinge may optionally also include means for providing a second limit of pivot between the link and the first mounting plate that is approximately 90° to 100° of arc away from the first limit of pivot for those two parts. The same combination of a protruding member carried by one of the brackets and a corresponding recess in the surface of the link arm may be used to provide this second limit of pivot.
Each of the two mounting plates in the flush-mount embodiment of this invention preferably contains at least one screw hole located on each side of the link. These are for mounting the hinge. The axes of the screw holes should be substantially perpendicular to the plate's rear surface. Each of the plates of the flush-mount hinge, and the first plate of the 90° hinge, preferably contain similar screw holes. These plates are preferably mounted by being screwed directly into the edge of the member to which the plate is to be attached. The second plate of the 90° hinge must be mounted differently in order to more easily achieve the right-angle orientation of the door mount.
The second mounting plate of the 90° hinge preferably contains a female-threaded screw hole and a smooth pin hole. These holes are preferably located side-by-side on the plate, and at a lower level than the level of the base of the link arm when the plate is at its first limit of pivot. In this embodiment, the second mounting plate is mated to an extension mount which may be held (for example by glue) in a routed-out pocket in the edge of the stationary stile. The plate preferably is attached to the extension mount through the use of a machine screw screwed into the plate's threaded hole. The plate's smooth hole is fitted over a pin on the extension mount to keep the hinge from rotating around the axis of the mounting screw. When mounted, the hinge joins the stile and door so as to form a 90° angle between the plane of the stile and the plane of the flat surface of the cabinet door, when the door is in the closed position. This hinge can be mounted so as to allow the door to swing in either direction (i.e., left or right, relative to the stile). Other methods of joining the second plate to the extension mount, and a variety of such mounts, will be apparent to those skilled in the art of door-stile arrangements.
The preferred means of partially restraining the link and the first mounting plate from swinging apart when they are at their first limit of pivot is the same for all versions of the hinge of the present invention--namely, the aforementioned coil spring mounted on the axis of the first link arm, one end of the spring exerting torque on the mounting plate, the other end of the spring exerting an opposite torque on the link arm, urging the link and the plate toward their first limit of pivot.
The cabinet hinges of the present invention are designed to be mounted in routed-out recesses in the edges of the stile and door. The recesses need not break through either the top or bottom surfaces of the stile or door. When the door is closed, this gives both of those surfaces a smooth appearance, interrupted only by a narrow, even gap between the stile and the door. The hinge is invisible, folded away inside the recesses, or pockets, in the two opposed edges.
The U-shaped design of the center link is the same in the cabinet version as in the table-leaf version and gives the hinge the same smooth appearance when it is in the folded-open position. Again, to facilitate plating of the hinge, it is preferred that the portions of each arm of the link that ride against the adjacent bracket members be raised land areas, machined to the desired finished tolerance, the height of the rise being at least as great as the intended thickness of the plating.
This invention will be better understood in all its described embodiments by studying the drawings accompanying this specification. Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1-6 depict one embodiment of the table leaf hinge of the present invention, FIGS. 7 and 8 depict a second embodiment having an alternate restraining means, and FIGS. 9-13 depict a slightly different third embodiment of the table hinge. FIGS. 14-17 depict the first embodiment or flush-mount version of the cabinet hinge, and FIGS. 18-24 depict the 90° angle cabinet hinge and details of its mounting.
In the hinge of FIGS. 1-6 first or "fixed" mounting plate 10 is attached by screws 11 to stationary table top 12. Second or "pivoting" mounting plate 13 is attached by screws 14 to fold-up table leaf 15. Left arm 20 of U-shaped link 16 is attached to bracket members 17 and 18 of the fixed mounting plate 10 by pivot pin 19, which is mounted in hole 37. The distance between bracket members 17 and 18 is the same as the thickness of link arm 20. This prevents looseness in the hinge, but allows arm 20 to pivot freely about pivot pin 19, without any substantial interference from bracket members 17 and 18. Bracket members 25 and 26 of pivoting mounting plate 13 are attached to arm 21 of link 16 by pivot pin 22, which is mounted in hole 23. Brackets 25 and 26 carry lugs 27a and 27b that are integral with the mounting plate. Fixed mounting plate 10 similarly has lugs 28a and 28b protruding from brackets 17 and 18. The right arm 21 of link 16 is held in place by spring 9. One end of spring 9 is inserted in hole 8 in arm 21 of link 16. The opposite end of spring 9 rides in notch 7 in mounting plate 13.
The action of the hinge during the folding up of table leaf 15 can be seen by comparing FIGS. 3, 5, and 6. As seen in FIG. 5, upward force on leaf 15 causes link 16 to pivot on pin 19 until recess 30a and 30b in arm 20 come to rest against lugs 28a and 28b of bracket member 17 and 18. In this position leaf 15 is pointing straight up. Additional counterclockwise force on leaf 15 causes the flexing of spring 9, thus permitting plate 13 to pivot around pin 22. As illustrated in FIG. 6, this motion of plate 13 continues until lugs 27a and 27b on brackets 25 and 26 abut against recess 29a and 29b in arm 21. By this time leaf 15 is fully inverted and is folded back over table top 12.
As seen in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, when leaf 15 is in its fully extended position, coplanar with table top 12, it is prevented from dropping below horizontal by the abutment of feet 31 and 32, respectively, of mounting plates 10 and 13. Also working to hold the leaf 15 level is the abutment of link arm 21 against front wall surface 34 that extends between brackets 25 and 26 of pivoting mounting plate 13. Similarly, link arm 20 comes to rest against front wall surface 35 of fixed mounting plate 10. Preferably, feet 31 and 32 will meet when leaf 15 is still slightly above horizontal, e.g., about 2° above. Then, when any substantial weight is rested on leaf 15, the leaf can bend slightly downward without dipping below horizontal.
Link 16 has raised land areas 38 and 39 around its pivot pin holes 40 and 41. Although barely perceptible in the drawings, that feature is repeated on the opposite side of the link.
FIGS. 7 and 8 represent the second embodiment of the table leaf hinge. In this embodiment, the resistance of the "tight" plate 113 of the hinge is provided by the pinching action of the brackets 125 and 126 on the arm 121 of the link 116. In this version of the hinge only single lugs 127 and 128 that are integral with brackets 117 and 125 on each side of the link arm are used. The use of a single lug on each bracket allows for a hinge to be created with less material and machining, for applications that do not require the strength provided by the extra lugs.
This embodiment, though having a different restraining means, in this case the pinching action of brackets 125 and 126, follows the motion of the preferred embodiment shown in the description of FIGS. 5 and 6 above. The difference in this second embodiment is that in order to move from the position shown in FIG. 5 to that shown in FIG. 6, the additional counterclockwise force is added to get brackets 125 and 126 to release arm 121 and allow plate 113 to rotate around pin 122.
In the hinge of FIGS. 9-13, fixed mounting plate 213 is equipped with a stop pin 228 mounted in hole 236 of bracket 226. Unlike the embodiment of FIGS. 1-6 or 7-8, in this version of the hinge no protrusion from bracket or link arm is used to establish a second limit of pivot for the pivoting mounting plate 210. Instead, its second limit of pivot (when unmounted) would be the position at which the two mounting plates would contact one another. In other words, it is not necessary that the second limit of pivot between the link and the first mounting plate in the hinge of this invention be precisely at or near 90° of arc away from the first limit of pivot. It is only necessary that it be at least about 90° of arc away.
Arm 220 of link 216 is attached to pivoting mounting plate 210 by pivot pin 219, which is mounted in hole 237 in brackets 217 and 218. Arm 221 of link 216 is attached to brackets 225 and 226 of fixed plate 213 by pivot pin 222, which is mounted in hole 223. Link 216 has raised land areas 239 and 240 around pivot pin holes 241 and 242. Corresponding land areas (barely perceptible in the drawings) are on the opposite side of link 216 as well.
Stop pin 228 protrudes from bracket 226 and rides in curved recess 229 in link arm 221. As seen in FIG. 11, as table leaf 212 is lifted, link 216 rotates counterclockwise about pivot pin 222 until the end wall of recess 229 in link arm 221 abuts against the protruding end of stop pin 228. Plate 210 is temporarily restrained from pivoting about pin 219 by the pinching action of brackets 217 and 218. As shown in FIG. 12, as more counterclockwise force is applied to leaf 212, the brackets 217 and 218 release arm 220 and allow plate 210 to rotate about pin 219 until leaf 212 comes to rest (not shown) against table top 215. As mentioned above, in this embodiment no protruding stop member is used with the pivoting mounting plate 210.
As can be seen in FIGS. 9 and 13, the rear surface 238 of fixed mounting plate 210 is slightly bowed or arched. If the clamping pressure against link arm 220 decreases over time to the point that the hinge no longer operates in the correct sequence--that is, link 215 pivots around pin 222 before mounting plate 210 pivots around pin 219--then the pressure can be increased by driving middle screw 214 further into the edge of table leaf 212. As shown in FIG. 13, this serves to draw brackets 217 and 218 closer together, and thus reestablish the clamping action against link arm 220.
FIGS. 14-17 depict the "flush-mount" cabinet door embodiment of the hinge of the present invention. These figures show the cabinet hinge in the same orientation as the hinge of the figures above, in order to more clearly show that the cabinet hinge contains the same features as the table leaf hinge. The cabinet door hinges will mount in a door and stile arrangement. This arrangement can be in any orientation of cabinet desired. For instance, a cabinet with a flush-mouthed door that opens vertically, or one that opens horizontally. The hinge and stile shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 lie flat so as to be in the same orientation as the figures showing the table leaf hinge.
In FIGS. 14 and 15, fixed mounting plate 310 is attached to stationary stile 312. Pivoting mounting plate 313 mounts in cabinet door 315. Left arm 320 of U-shaped link 316 is attached to bracket members 317 and 318 of fixed mounting plate 310 by pivot pin 319, which is mounted in holes 337 and 340. The distance between bracket members 317 and 318 is approximately the same as the thickness of link arm 320. This prevents looseness in the hinge, but allows arm 320 to pivot freely about pivot pin 319, without any substantial interference from bracket members 317 and 318. Bracket members 325 and 326 of pivoting mounting plate 313 are attached to arm 321 of link 316 by pivot pin 322, which is mounted in holes 323 and 341. Brackets 325 and 326 carry lugs 327 that are integral with the mounting plate. Fixed mounting plate 310 similarly has lugs 328 protruding from brackets 317 and 318. The right arm 321 of link 316 is held at its first limit of pivot by the resistance supplied by spring 309. One end of spring 309 is inserted in hole 308 in arm 321 of link 316. The opposite end of spring 309 rides in notch 307 in mounting plate 313.
The action of the hinge during the opening of the cabinet door is the same as that of the table leaf hinge and can be seen by comparing FIGS. 14, 16, and 17. As seen in FIG. 16, a pulling force on door 315 causes link 316 to pivot on pin 319 until the front surface 330 of link arm 320 comes to rest against lugs 328 of bracket members 317 and 318. In this position door 315 is pointing straight out, perpendicular to stile 312. Additional counterclockwise force on door 315 causes the flexing of spring 309, thus permitting plate 313 to pivot around pin 322. As illustrated in FIG. 17, this motion of plate 313 continues until lugs 327 on brackets 325 and 326 abut against the front surface 329 of link arm 321. By this time the door 315 is completely folded back in front of stationary stile 312.
Link 316 has raised land areas 338 and 339 around its pivot pin holes 340 and 341. This feature is repeated on the opposite side of the link (not shown).
FIG. 18 shows a partly disassembled view of the 90° cabinet door hinge. This hinge contains the salient features of the hinge shown in FIG. 14 and follows an order of motion as is indicated in FIGS. 16 and 17. In FIG. 18, pivoting mounting plate 413 is essentially the same as fixed mounting plate 313 of FIG. 14. Left arm 421 of U-shaped link 416 is attached to bracket members 425 and 426 of pivoting mounting plate 413 by pivot pin 422, which is mounted in hole 423. Plate 413 has resistance supplied by spring 409 to hold link 420 against plate 413, i.e., at the first limit of pivot. Bracket members 425 and 426 contain lugs 427 which are integral with mounting plate 413. When pivoting plate 413 is at its second limit of pivot, lugs 427 of plate 413 abut against front surface of link arm 421.
Arm 420 of link 416 is attached to bracket members 417 and 418 of fixed mounting plate 410 by pivot pin 419, which is mounted in holes 437 and 423. The distance between bracket members 417 and 418 is the same as the thickness of link arm 420. This prevents looseness in the hinge, but allows arm 420 to pivot freely about pin 419, without any substantial interference from bracket members 417 and 418. Fixed mounting plate 410 similarly has lugs 428 protruding from bracket members 417 and 418, which are integral with plate 410. Fixed mounting plate 410 has screw hole 450 and pin hole 451 to enable mounting plate 410 to be attached to extension mount 452 (shown in broken lines).
Reference now is made to FIGS. 19-24 which describe a method of mounting the 90° hinge of FIG. 18 in a stile and door arrangement in which the door, when closed, is perpendicular to the plane of the stile. FIGS. 19-23 depict a sequence of steps, illustrating the general mounting procedure. In order to see the hinge mount clearly, the view of these figures is oriented from above in a cross section of the door and stile. FIG. 24 is a view of the front of a cabinet door made of a honeycomb material, with part of the facing "peeled back" to show the mounted hinge.
FIG. 19 shows stile 510, with the initial mounting area 511 that is to be routed out. The view is taken along a cross-section of the stile in order to show in solid lines what would be hidden within the stile if viewed from its top end.
Once the initial mounting area 511 has been cut out, two narrow channels 512 and 513 are routed out deeper into the stile as shown in FIG. 20. Channel 512 and channel 513 are provided to hold the "legs" of extension mount 514.
FIG. 21 shows extension mount 514 after it has been set in channels 512 and 513. Extension mount 514 is held in place by an adhesive, to form a strong bond with stile 510. Different adhesives may be used and may depend on the particular material of construction of the stile 510 and extension mount 514. Variations of materials and adhesives will be apparent to those skilled in the art of such mounting procedures. The cap 515 of extension mount 514 contains a pin hole 516, and a screw hole 517. These holes correspond to the mounting holes found in the second mounting plate of the 90° hinge.
FIG. 22 shows a partially exploded view of the 90° hinge as it is mated to extension mount 514. The hinge's second mounting plate 522 also contains a pin hole 518 and a screw hole 519. The second mounting plate 522 is aligned with cap 515 of extension mount 514 and secured with a machine screw 521 through holes 517 and 519. A straight pin 520 is inserted through holes 516 and 518 in order to keep mounting plate 522 from pivoting around the axis of screw holes 517 and 519. Straight pin 520 should be tight fitting to insure that it does not fall out. FIG. 22 also shows that the second mounting plate 522 is attached to the hinge's first mounting plate 523 by U-shaped center link 524.
FIG. 23 shows the complete hinge assembly mount. Once second mounting plate 522 has been mated to extension mount 514, first mounting plate 523 can then be mounted to a door 525. First mounting plate 523 is mounted as are the mounting plates of the flush-mount version of the hinge. Space is routed out in the edge of door 525, and plate 523 is simply screwed in place with flat head wood screws. Once door 525 has been mounted, a cap 526 is affixed to the edge of stile 510 in order to hide mounting plate 522 and extension mount 514. Cap 526 may be affixed with a proper adhesive and is of such thickness as to provide a flush surface with the outer face of door 525. If desired, the resulting empty space 527 behind second mounting plate 522 can be filled with a plug before cap 526 is glued in place, in order to strengthen the mount and provide further support for cap 526. Finally, the arrow shows the direction of motion in which door 525 will travel when it is opened.
FIG. 24 shows the mounted hinge assembly from an angle facing the front of the mounted door, with cap 526 removed and the face of door 525 peeled back to expose first mounting plate 523. This view shows more clearly the mounting arrangement of first plate 523, using wood screws 528, and its connection to link 524 and second plate 522. | The present invention provides a hinge construction of two mounting plates and a substantially U-shaped center link which connects the axes of pivot of the two plates. The link and plates contain stop mechanisms which determine their respective limits of pivot. In addition, the hinge contains a means for restraining the rotation of only one of the mounting plates around its corresponding link arm to insure a pattern of motion that is always consistent, and allows for the hinge to be mounted with a very narrow gap between the members being joined. The hinge of the present invention can be variably constructed to conform to a number of alternative uses. | 4 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. Letters Patent Ser. No. 09/918,764, filed Jul. 30, 2001, entitled A METHOD OF ATTACHING AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT TO A CHIP MOUNTING RECEPTACLE IN A PCB WITH A BOLSTER PLATE, the aforementioned application is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention pertains to the field of electrical equipment manufacture and, particularly, the electrical attachment of integrated circuit chips, such as microprocessors and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICS), to printed circuit boards. More specifically, the method of attachment uses a bolster plate to reinforce the printed circuit board during the attachment process.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] A variety of methods have been devised for the attachment of integrated circuit chips, such as microprocessors and ASCIS, to printed circuit boards in a manner that assures consistency in establishing good electrical contact. Many of these methods involve the use of high compressive loads, which are applied to the processors. The integrated circuit chips typically have a plurality of pins that mate with a corresponding female conductive receptacle in the printed circuit board. The printed circuit boards, alone, lack sufficient rigidity to support the compressive loads during attachment. For example, these loads may range from two hundred to three hundred pounds force (890 to 1300 Newtons). Resultant bending of the printed circuit board is capable of damaging wiring or other materials within the integrated circuit chip. Additionally, the bending moment is capable of disrupting the desired electrical contact.
[0006] The problem of printed circuit board bending under these heavy loads is typically resolved by using a bolster plate, which is a piece of metal that attaches to the printed circuit board, e.g., by bolting, riveting, or adhesion. The bolster plate may be constructed in any geometrical shape that provides the requisite support. The bolster plate is usually located on the reverse side of the printed circuit board opposite that side on which the integrated circuit chip resides.
[0007] Newer microprocessors and ASICS devices have increased numbers of pins in comparison to older devices. Furthermore, the newer devices operate at much higher speeds than did older devices. The increasing number of pins and higher levels of performance demand closer mechanical tolerances for manufacturing purposes. It has been discovered that the use of a bolster plate according to traditional practices does not sufficiently eliminate the bending moment in the printed circuit boards in light of these new demands. In applications where, for example, a force of 270 pounds (1200 Newtons) is applied to seat a microprocessor, a conventional bolster plate may bow a distance of 0.001 inch (0.0025 cm). Even this small amount of bending is sufficient damage the assembly or to cause failure in the electrical contact.
[0008] The bolster bow or bend is at maximum in the center of the bolster plate. Additional rigidity could be imparted by increasing the thickness of the bolster plate, but this requires additional room for the bolster plate. The increased thickness creates other difficulties in the context of fitting additional components on the printed circuit board and in assembling adjacent components in the intended use environment. Attempts have been made to pre-bow or pre-stress the bolster plate to accommodate the stress during the attachment of microprocessors, but the resulting bending moment from pre-stressing the bolster plate was not repeatable.
[0009] There remains a problem in preventing bolster plate bending due to the insertion of newer microprocessors and ASICS devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A bolster plate according to the principles described herein overcomes the problems described above and advances the art by providing a method, apparatus and software pertaining to a shim or shim assembly that compensates the bolster plate for bending deformations during the attachment of integrated circuit chips. The shim may be located, for example, at a position where the maximum amount of deformation occurs under load from the attachment process. Thus, the shim substantially fills the deformation under load and prevents damage to the microprocessor by providing support to the assembly preventing corresponding deformation in the integrated circuit chip, notably, in the pins, wiring and silicon, which are subject to breakage under small amounts of deformation.
[0011] A bolster plate according to these principles is used for supporting a printed circuit board during attachment of an integrated circuit chip to the printed circuit board. The bolster plate comprises a support rail presenting a contact face for use in contacting the printed circuit board. The rail demarcates a central well that contains a platform presenting a support surface configured to support a selected portion of the printed circuit board underneath the integrated circuit chip during attachment of the integrated circuit chip to the printed circuit board. Where the bolster plate is made out of a metal, an insulator preferably covers the support surface. A shim is interposed between the insulator and the support surface where the insulator is required to prevent short circuiting of the integrated circuit chip. With or without the insulator, the shim is positioned at a point or points of maximum deformation in the bolster plate. The dimensions of the shim are preselected to compensate for deformation of the bolster plate under the design load by filling the point or points of maximum deformation.
[0012] While the dimensions of the shim may be determined by trial and error, a much preferred manner of determining the shim dimensions is to calculate, e.g., through finite element mathematical modeling, the predetermined dimensions that are operable to compensate for bending of the bolster plate under a maximum applied load during attachment of the integrated circuit chip. This modeling assures that the deformed support surface under load is shim-compensated to present a total deformation of less than, for example, a 0.001 inch or 0.0005 inch (0.0025 or 0.0038 cm) bow at a center of the bolster plate under the maximum applied load. The term “finite element modeling” is hereby defined to include both finite analysis and finite difference modeling techniques.
[0013] The shim may have any geometrical shape, such as a square or rectangular shape, but a disk or ovaloid shape is preferred for correspondence with the shape of bow deformation in the bolster plate. Particularly preferred shims comprise a plurality of pieces, such as two disks, where the pieces have different dimensions and are concentrically stacked to present a stair-stepped edge providing a transition to the support surface that is less abrupt than a non-tapered shim. Alternatively, a single shim may be tapered or machined to have a stair-step, in order to ease the transition.
[0014] The bolster plate that is described above may be used in a method of attaching an integrated circuit chip to a chip-mounting receptacle in a printed circuit board. The method comprises the steps of assembling a bolster plate including the shim, attaching the bolster plate to the printed circuit board; and pressing the integrated circuit chip into the chip mounting receptacle. Further method steps preferably but optionally comprises modeling a bending moment in the bolster plate under a maximum applied load for use in the step of pressing the integrated circuit chip to provide model results for shim-based compensation of the bending moment, and selecting dimensions of the shim based upon the model results.
[0015] The principles described herein also pertain to a computer readable form comprising machine instructions that are operable for determining a bow deformation in the bolster plate when the bolster plate is placed under a maximum load during attachment of an integrated circuit chip, and identifying dimensions for the shim that may be used to compensate for the bow deformation. In a manufacturing environment, permits the selective adjustment of shim dimensions to compensate for bow deformation on the basis of different bolster plate designs and materials, as well as different applied loads. If an increase in device failure rate is traceable to the chip attachment process, the shim dimensions can be selectively adjusted to overcome the observed failure increases.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] [0016]FIG. 1 is an assembly view depicting attachment of a microprocessor to a printed circuit board with use of a bolster plate;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 2 is a top side view of a printed circuit board having a chip-mounting receptacle;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 3 is a bottom side view of the printed circuit board shown in FIG. 2, and shows a bolster plate installed underneath the chip-mounting receptacle;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of a bolster plate providing additional detail with respect to the bolster plate shown in FIG. 3;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the bolster plate from FIG. 4, further including a shim placed in the center of a support surface;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the bolster plate shown in FIG. 5 after installation of an insulating layer to cover the shim and the support surface;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 7 is a midsectional view of the bolster plate in unstressed condition taken along line 7 - 7 ′ of FIG. 6;
[0023] [0023]FIG. 8 depicts the bolster plate midsectional view of FIG. 7 under a heavy applied load; and
[0024] [0024]FIG. 9 depicts a process diagram for use in attaching an integrated circuit chip to a printed circuit board with use of the bolster plate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0025] There will now be shown by way of example and not by limitation, a bolster plate in use for supporting a printed circuit board during attachment of an integrated circuit chip to the printed circuit board. The bolster plate comprises a support rail presenting a contact face for use in contacting the printed circuit board. The rail demarcates a central well that contains a support surface configured to support a selected portion of the printed circuit board underneath the integrated circuit chip during attachment of the integrated circuit chip to the printed circuit board.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 1 is an assembly view showing an integrated circuit chip 100 , e.g., a microprocessor, that is being attached to a printed circuit board 102 by insertion into a chip socket 200 . A heat sink assembly 106 comprises a central electric fan 108 with a corresponding power coupling 110 , and well as heat-conductive fins 112 . A square base plate 114 at each corner contains a shoulder screw, such as screw 116 , that is circumscribed by a compression spring, such as compression spring 118 .
[0027] The shoulder screws, e.g., shoulder screw 116 , are each inserted into corresponding holes 120 , as well as threaded apertures, such as aperture 420 , in a bolster plate 300 that underlies the printed circuit board 102 . The heat sink assembly is lowered until the base plate 114 contacts integrated circuit chip 100 . Pins 130 are aligned with corresponding receptacles 132 . Gradual balanced tightening of the shoulder screws into the bolster plate 300 , e.g., as shoulder screw 116 is extended through hole 120 and threaded into threaded aperture 420 , then forces the pins 130 fully into receptacles 132 . The compression springs, e.g., compression spring 118 , are calibrated to place a uniform, permanent predetermined compressive load 134 on base plate 114 and integrated circuit chip 100 once the shoulder screws are fully and equally tightened. This load 134 may, for example, in combination from all of the compression springs range from 200 to 500 pounds force, and a load of 270 pounds is preferred for the attachment of microprocessors.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 2 provides additional detail with respect to the printed circuit board 102 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a top side view of printed circuit board 102 having the chip-mounting socket 200 comprising a plurality of female pin receptacles 202 , such as receptacle 132 . A top face 206 may contain any feature of printed circuit boards that facilitate design operations of the printed circuit board 102 . FIG. 2 does not show these features in detail, but they may include, for example, resistors, capacitors, inductors, additional integrated circuit devices, buses, and metalized pathways that establish communication between these components.
[0029] [0029]FIG. 3 provides additional detail with respect to the printed circuit board 102 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a bottom side view of the printed circuit board 102 , and shows a bolster plate 300 installed underneath the chip-mounting socket 200 (shown in phantom). A bottom face 302 may optionally contain any feature of printed circuit boards that facilitate design operations of the printed circuit board 102 . FIG. 3 does not show these features in detail, but they may include, for example, resistors, capacitors, inductors, additional integrated circuit devices, buses, and metalized pathways that establish communication between these components. The use of a dual-sided board including a bottom face 302 with these features installed increases the density of printed circuit board 102 .
[0030] [0030]FIG. 4 provides additional detail with respect to the bolster plate 300 shown in FIG. 3. The bolster plate 300 is preferably stamped from a single piece of metal to form rail 400 presenting flat contact surfaces 402 and 404 that is adapted to fit flush against the bottom face 302 (see FIG. 3) of printed circuit board 102 . The rail 400 may be discontinuous to present a plurality of flat contact surfaces, such as surfaces 402 and 404 . Discontinuities, such as discontinuities 406 and 408 in the rail 400 may be provided as a mater of design choice to permit the passage of metalization layers, electrically conductive leads, or other components on the printed circuit board (not shown) without interference from the bolster plate 300 . The bolster plate 300 may also contain cavities, such as cavities 410 , 412 , 414 , and 416 , as needed to permit the passage of components mounted on the printed circuit boards, such as selected bottom side portions of the pin mounting socket 200 (see also FIGS. 2 and 3). The rail 400 comprises a plurality of apertures, such as apertures 418 , 420 , and 422 , which may be used to bolt or rivet the bolster plate 300 to the printed circuit board 102 , as shown in FIG. 1.
[0031] The rail 400 substantially circumscribes a central square well 424 , which contains a microprocessor support platform 426 presenting a support surface 428 . The support surface 428 is typically lower than the contact surfaces 402 and 404 (as shown in FIG. 4), but may occupy the same elevation as or be higher than the contact surfaces 402 and 404 .
[0032] The bolster plate 300 , as shown and described to this point, may be any type of bolster plate for use on printed circuit boards. The dimensions and structure of the bolster plate 300 may be any dimensions and structure, as may be desired according to design choice. The specific geometry of the bolster plate 300 is not necessarily critical, except that the bolster plate must compliment the printed circuit board 102 for mounting purposes and should have sufficient strength to fulfill its purposes.
[0033] There will now be shown a modification to bolster plate 300 , according to the preferred instrumentalities described herein, to enhance the utility of bolster plate 300 by using a shim to facilitate improved support to a printed circuit board during attachment of an integrated circuit chip to the printed circuit board. The bolster plate comprises a support rail presenting a contact face for use in contacting the printed circuit board. The rail demarcates a central well that contains a support surface configured to support a selected portion of the printed circuit board underneath the integrated circuit chip during attachment of the integrated circuit chip to the printed circuit board. Where the bolster plate is made out of a metal, an insulator covers the support surface. The shim is interposed between the insulator and the support surface.
[0034] [0034]FIG. 5 depicts the bolster plate 300 , exactly as shown and described in FIG. 4, with the addition of a shim 500 that is centrally located with respect to support surface 428 . The shim 500 may have any geometrical shape, such as a square, rectangle, triangle, or combination of shapes, such as a square or triangle with rounded corners. The optimum dimensions of the shim 500 , such as width, length, and thickness, are preferably determined by finite element modeling of the bending moment in bolster plate 300 , as described below in additional detail.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, shim 500 comprises two separate disks 502 and 504 . Disk 502 is in direct contact with support surface 428 , and disk 504 resides concentrically above disk 502 . Disk 504 has a smaller diameter than does disk 502 , which presents a stair-step 506 or taper in progression downward from disk 504 to disk 502 and support surface 428 . Alternatively, a single-piece shim 500 may be used, additional disks of increasingly smaller diameter may be stacked atop disk 504 , or a single tapered disk may be used. The disks 502 and 504 may be coated with adhesive on one or both sides to enhance their positional stability during the assembly process.
[0036] [0036]FIG. 6 depicts the bolster plate 300 in final assembly as it is made-ready for attachment to a printed circuit board (not shown). The bolster plate 300 , as shown in FIG. 6, is identical to the bolster plate 300 as shown in FIG. 5, except a square insulator 600 , preferably but optionally with adhesive backing, has been placed in well 424 to cover the shim 500 and support surface 428 .
[0037] [0037]FIG. 7 is a midsectional view taken along line 7 - 7 ′ of FIG. 6. The scale of FIG. 7 is exaggerated to show relatively increased thicknesses of the insulator 600 and the shim 500 relative to other components. As shown in FIG. 7, the bolster plate 300 is in an unstressed state where the shim 500 causes a bulge 700 to form in the middle of well 424 .
[0038] [0038]FIG. 8 depicts the bolster plate 300 along the same midsectional view shown in FIG. 7, however, the bolster plate 300 as shown in FIG. 8 is stressed by loading conditions, such as may be imposed by a maximum applied load during use of the assembly shown in FIG. 1. A maximum applied load 800 has induced a bending moment in the support platform 426 , such that the bulge 700 of FIG. 7 has been substantially eliminated to present a flat surface. The bending moment causes buckling or deformation of vertical magnitude D, which is the approximate thickness of the shim 500 . Where the magnitude of D is, for example, 0.001 inches, the availability of shim 500 reduces the magnitude of such buckling presented at surface 428 to a value less than 0.001 inches under the static or dynamic loading conditions that are imposed by the maximum applied load 800 . Due to the relatively small thickness of shim 500 , it does not matter whether support platform is transiently or permanently deformed by the maximum applied load 800 .
[0039] The dimensions of shim 500 vary depending upon the dimensions of bolster plate 300 and the magnitude of applied load 800 . The bolster plate 300 may be any bolster plate that is designed for the support of any integrated circuit chip. Accordingly, no one set of dimensions in shim 500 can be used to accommodate all applications. The deformation in bolster plate 300 may be observed by physical measurements without the shim 500 attached. The deformation may also be modeled by finite element or finite difference techniques based upon the actual dimensions and materials that are used in bolster plate 300 . The dimensions of shim 500 may also be adjusted based upon experience-in-use factors. If, for example, manufacturing processes result in failures of integrated circuit chips due to breakage that is induced by the installation process, the dimensions of the shim 500 may be adjusted to provide more or less support in the area of breakage depending upon the nature of the breakage.
[0040] Along these lines, it should be noted that the dimensions of support table 426 are preselected as a matter of design choice in designing a conventional bolster plate. Designers, in choosing the dimensions structures like platform 426 and rail 400 , normally intend to support a corresponding area underlying a selected portion of the overlying pin mounting receptacle 200 , printed circuit board 102 and base plate 114 , that is selected in the judgment of such designers as being needful of support. Some circumstances may arise where the observed or modeled deformation in bolster plate 300 is difficult to compensate with a shim 500 due to complex geometrical constructions and alignment of parts. In these circumstances, a bolster plates may be designed to provide a less complex deformation that can be easily compensated through use for a shim 500 .
[0041] [0041]FIG. 9 is a process schematic diagram illustrating a preferred method 900 for attaching an integrated circuit chip to a chip-mounting receptacle in a printed circuit board with use of a bolster plate to support the printed circuit board. The method begins in step 902 with the modeling of bolster plate deformation under an applied load. A variety of commercially available finite element modeling packages may be used for this purpose. Two such commercially available finite element modeling programs that are particularly preferred for use in modeling the deformation of bolster plates, such as bolster plate 300 , include MECHANICA® and Pro/MECHANICA®, both of which are produced by Parametric Technology Corporation of Waltham, Mass. Other packages, such as RASNA®, formerly produced by Rasna Corporation of San Jose, Calif., and a variety of other packages may also be programmed with data to model such deformations. The dimensions of the shim, such as shim 500 , are intended to compensate for the modeled deformations by filling the point or points of maximum deformation under the maximum applied load, as shown in FIG. 8.
[0042] Step 904 entails assembling the bolster plate, as shown for bolster plate 300 in the context of FIGS. 3 through 6. The assembly, for example, as described above, preferably includes a rail 400 that provides a face 402 , 404 for use in contacting the printed circuit board 102 . The rail also demarcates a central well 424 . The central well contains a support surface 428 configured to support a selected portion of the printed circuit board underneath the integrated circuit chip during attachment of the integrated circuit chip to the printed circuit board. An insulator 600 covers the support surface 428 . A shim 500 embodies dimensions corresponding to the model results of step 902 and is interposed between the insulator and the support surface.
[0043] Step 906 includes attaching the bolster plate to the printed circuit board by any conventional means, such as bolting, riveting or adhesion. Step 908 includes pressing the integrated circuit chip into the chip mounting receptacle, e.g., as shown in FIG. 1.
[0044] Another aspect of the preferred instrumentalities described herein pertains to a computer readable form comprising machine instructions. The instructions are operable for determining a bow deformation in a bolster plate when the bolster plate is placed under a maximum load during attachment of an integrated circuit chip, and identifying dimensions for a shim that may be used to compensate for the bow deformation. This type of computer readable form may comprise a data file or object containing data and program instructions in combination with one of the commercially available finite element modeling packages described above in the context of step 902 , as shown in FIG. 9. The program instructions may. for example, include instructions for the formation of a grid that is useful for finite element modeling, materials information, dimensions of the bolster plate, and iteration/convergence criteria.
[0045] The foregoing discussion is intended to illustrate the concepts of the invention by way of example with emphasis upon the preferred embodiments and instrumentalities. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments and instrumentalities are not exhaustive of all options or mannerisms for practicing the disclosed principles of the invention. The inventor hereby states his intention to rely upon the Doctrine of Equivalents in protecting the full scope and spirit of the invention. | A bolster plate is attached to a printed circuit board and acts as a stiffener that reduces bending in the overall assembly during the attachment of an integrated circuit chip to the printed circuit board under a heavy applied load. The bolster plate is provided with a shim that compensates for bending of the bolster plate under load, thereby preventing damage to the integrated circuit chip. The dimensions of the shim may be selected according to computer model results representing bow deformation in the bolster plate without the shim. | 8 |
This is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 07/722,981 filed Jun. 28, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,748.
BACKGROUND OF INFORMATION
The present invention relates to novel substituted 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridines useful as pharmaceutical agents, to methods for their production, to pharmaceutical compositions which include these compounds and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and to pharmaceutical methods of treatment. The novel compounds of the present invention are central nervous system agents. More particularly, the novel compounds of the present invention are dopaminergic agents.
A series of 4-thienyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridines of the Formula I ##STR1## in which Ind is a 3-indolyl radical which can be substituted once or twice by alkyl, O-alkyl, S-alkyl, SO-alkyl, SO 2 -alkyl, OH, F, Cl, Br, CF 3 and/or CN or by a methylenedioxy group, A is --(CH 2 ) 4 --or CH-- 2 --L--CH 2 CH 2 --, L is --S--, --SO--or SO 2 --, and Th is a 2- or 3-thienyl radical, and in which the alkyl groups each have one to four carbon atoms, and their physiologically acceptable acid addition salts, having dopamine stimulating effects on the central nervous system, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,087.
A series of sulfur-containing indole derivatives of the Formula I ##STR2## wherein Ind is a 3-indolyl radical which can be substituted once or twice by alkyl, O-alkyl, S-alkyl, SO-alkyl, SO 2 -alkyl, OH, F, Cl, Br, CF 3 and/or CN or by a methylenedioxy group, A is --(CH 2 ) n --E--C m H 2m --or --(CH 2 ) n --E--Cm m-1 H 2m-2 CO--, n is 0 or 1, m is 2, 3 or 4, E is S, SO or SO 2 and Ar is a phenyl group which is unsubstituted or substituted once or twice by alkyl, O-alkyl, S-alkyl, SO-alkyl, SO 2 -alkyl, OH, F, Cl, Br, CF 3 and/or CN or by a methylenedioxy group and wherein the alkyl groups each have one to four carbon atoms, and their physiologically acceptable acid addition salts having dopamine stimulating effects on the central nervous system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,617,309.
However, the compounds disclosed in the aforementioned references do not disclose or suggest the combination of structural variations of the compounds of the present invention described hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is a compound of Formula I ##STR3## wherein R is ##STR4## X is --CH 2 --S(O) m --wherein m is zero or an integer of 1 or 2, or
--S(0) m --CH 2 --wherein m is as defined above;
n is an integer of 2,3, or 4;
R 1 is aryl, 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl or 2-, 3-, or 4 pyridinyl substituted by lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, or halogen, 2-, 4-, or 5-pyrimidinyl or 2-, 4-, or 5-pyrimidinyl substituted by lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, or halogen, 2-pyrazinyl or 2-pyrazinyl substituted by lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, or halogen, 2- or 3-thienyl or 2- or 3-thienyl substituted by lower alkyl or halogen, 2- or 3-furanyl or 2- or 3-furanyl substituted by lower alkyl or halogen, 2-, 4-, or 5-thiazolyl or 2-, 4-, or 5-thiazolyl substituted by lower alkyl or halogen; and corresponding isomers thereof; or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt thereof.
As dopaminergic agents, the compounds of Formula I are useful as antipsychotic agents for treating psychoses such as schizophrenia. They are also useful as antihypertensive agents and for the treatment of disorders which respond to dopaminergic activation. Thus, other embodiments of the present invention include the treatment, by a compound of Formula I, of hyperprolactinaemia-related conditions, such as galactorrhea, amenorrhea, menstrual disorders and sexual dysfunction, and several central nervous system disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, and depression.
A still further embodiment of the present invention is a pharmaceutical composition for administering an effective amount of a compound of Formula I in unit dosage form in the treatment methods mentioned above.
Finally, the present invention is directed to methods for production of a compound of Formula I.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the compounds of Formula I, the term "lower alkyl" means a straight or branched hydrocarbon radical having from one to six carbon atoms and includes, for example, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, n-pentyl, n-hexyl, and the like.
The term "aryl" means an aromatic radical which is a phenyl group or phenyl group substituted by one to four substituents selected from lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, lower thioalkoxy, halogen or trifluoromethyl such as, for example, phenyl, para-fluoro phenyl, and the like.
"Lower alkoxy" and "thioalkoxy" are O-alkyl or S-alkyl of from one to six carbon atoms as defined above for "lower alkyl."
"Halogen" is fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine.
"Alkali metal" is a metal in Group IA of the periodic table and includes, for example, lithium, sodium, potassium, and the like. "Alkaline-earth metal" is a metal in Group IIA of the periodic table and includes, for example, calcium, barium, strontium, magnesium, and the like.
Pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of the compounds of Formula I include salts derived from nontoxic inorganic acids, such as hydrochloric, nitric, phosphoric, sulfuric, hydrobromic, hydriodic, phosphorous, and the like, as well as the salts derived from nontoxic organic acids, such as aliphatic mono- and dicarboxylic acids, phenyl-substituted alkanoic acids, hydroxy alkanoic acids, alkanedioic acids, aromatic acids, aliphatic and aromatic sulfonic acids, etc. Such salts thus include sulfate, pyrosulfate, bisulfate, sulfite, bisulfite, nitrate, phosphate, monohydrogenphosphate, dihydrogenphosphate, metaphosphate, pyrophosphate, chloride, bromide, iodide, acetate, propionate, caprylate, isobutyrate, oxalate, malonate, succinate, suberate, sebacate, fumarate, maleate, mandelate, benzoate, chlorobenzoate, methylbenzoate, dinitrobenzoate, phthalate, benzenesulfonate, toluenesulfonate, phenylacetate, citrate, lactate, maleate, tartrate, methanesulfonate, and the like. Also contemplated are salts of amino acids such as arginate and the like and gluconate, galacturonate (see, for example, Berge, S. M., et al, "Pharmaceutical Salts," Journal of Pharmaceutical Science, Vol. 66, pages 1-19, (1977)).
The acid addition salts of said basic compounds are prepared by contacting the free base form with a sufficient amount of the desired acid to produce the salt in the conventional manner. The free base form may be regenerated by contacting the salt form with a base and isolating the free base in the conventional manner. The free base forms differ from their respective salt forms somewhat in certain physical properties such as solubility in polar solvents, but otherwise the salts are equivalent to their respective free base for purposes of the present invention.
Certain of the compounds of the present invention can exist in unsolvated forms as well as solvated forms, including hydrated forms. In general, the solvated forms, including hydrated forms, are equivalent to unsolvated forms and are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the present invention.
Certain of the compounds of the present invention (compounds wherein m is 1) possess asymmetric carbon atoms (optical centers); the racemeters as well as the individual enantiomers are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the present invention.
A preferred compound of Formula I is one wherein R is ##STR5## X is --CH 2 --S--, or --S--CH 2 --; n is an integer of 2 or 3;
R 1 is aryl, 2- or 3-thienyl, or 2- or 3-thienyl substituted by lower alkyl or halogen.
Another preferred embodiment is a compound of Formula I wherein
R is ##STR6## X is --CH 2 --S--, or --S--CH 2 --; n is an integer of 2 or 3;
R 1 is aryl, 2- or 3-thienyl, or 2- or 3-thienyl substituted by lower alkyl or halogen.
Particularly valuable are:
3-[[[2-(1,2,3,6-Tetrahydro-4-phenyl-1-pyridinyl)-ethyl-]thio]methyl]pyridine, dihydrochloride;
4-[[3-[3,6-Dihydro-4-(2-thienyl)-1(2H)-pyridinyl]propyl]thio]pyridine;
4-[[3-(3,6-Dihydro-4-phenyl-1(2H)-pyridinyl)-propyl]thio]pyridine;
1,2,3,6-Tetrahydro-4-phenyl-1-[4-(4-pyridinylthio)butyl]pyridine and 1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-1-[4-(4-pyridinylthio)butyl]-4-(2-thienyl)pyridine, dihydrochloride; or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt thereof.
The compounds of Formula I are valuable dopaminergic agents. The tests employed indicate that compounds of Formula I possess dopaminergic activity. Thus, the compounds of Formula I were tested for their ability to inhibit locomotor activity in mice according to the assay described by J. R. McLean, et al, Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, Volume 8, pages 97-99 (1978); for their ability to inhibit [ 3 H]-spiroperidol binding in a receptor assay described by D. Griogoriadis and P. Seeman, Journal of Neurochemistry, Volume 44, pages 1925-1935 (1985); and for their ability to inhibit dopamine synthesis in rats according to the protocol described by J. R. Walters and R. H. Roth, Naunyn-Schmiederberg's Archives of Pharmacology, Volume 296, pages 5-14 (1976). The above test methods are incorporated herein by reference. The data in the table show the dopaminergic activity of representative compounds of Formula I.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________Biological Activity of Compounds of Formula I Inhibition of % Reversal of Locomotor Brain Dopamine Inhibition ofExample Activity in Mice Synthesis in Rats [.sup.3 H] SpiroperidolNumberCompound ED.sub.50, mg/kg, IP at 10 mg/kg, IP Binding IC.sub.50,__________________________________________________________________________ μM1 3-[[[2-(1,2,3,6-Tetrahydro-4- 0.18 70phenyl-1-pyridinyl)ethyl]thio]methyl]pyridine,dihydrochloride2 4-[[3-[3,6-Dihydro-4- 0.5 86(2-thienyl)-1(2H)-pyridinyl]propyl]thio]pyridine3 4-[[3-(3,6-Dihydro-4- 0.4 48 46phenyl-1 (2H)-pyridinyl)propyl]thio]pyridine4 1,2,3,6-Tetrahydro-4-phenyl- 1.0 82 921-[4-(4-pyridinylthio)butyl]pyridine5 1,2,3,6-Tetrahydro-1-[4- 1.8 47 190(4-pyridinylthio)butyl]-4-(2-thienyl)pyridine,dihydrochloride__________________________________________________________________________
A compound of Formula Ia ##STR7## wherein R is ##STR8## n is an integer of 2, 3, or 4; R 1 is aryl, 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl or 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinyl substituted by lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, or halogen, 2-, 4-, or 5-pyrimidinyl or 2-, 4-, or 5-pyrimidinyl substituted by lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, or halogen, 2-pyrazinyl or 2-pyrazinyl substituted by lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, or halogen, 2- or 3-thienyl or 2- or 3-thienyl substituted by lower alkyl or halogen, 2- or 3-furanyl or 2- or 3 furanyl substituted by lower alkyl or halogen, 2-, 4-, or 5-thiazolyl or 2-, 4-, or 5 thiazolyl substituted by lower alkyl or halogen; and corresponding isomers thereof; or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt thereof may be prepared by reacting a compound of Formula II
R--S--(CH.sub.2).sub.n+1 --L II
wherein L is a leaving group such as, for example, halogen such as bromo, chloro, iodo, and the like or para-toluenesulfonyloxy and the like and R and n are as defined above with a compound of Formula III ##STR9## wherein R 1 is as defined above in the presence of a base such as, for example, an alkali metal or alkaline-earth metal carbonate or bicarbonate such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate and the like in a solvent such as, for example, dimethylformamide and the like at about 25° C. to about the reflux temperature of the solvent for about 1 hour to about 24 hours to afford a compound of Formula Ia. Preferably, the reaction is carried out in the presence of sodium bicarbonate in dimethylformamide at about 80° C. for about 14 hours.
A compound of Formula Ib ##STR10## wherein R, n and R 1 are as defined above may be prepared by reacting a compound of Formula IV
R--CH.sub.2 --S--(CH.sub.2).sub.n --L IV
wherein R, n and L are as defined above with a compound of Formula III using the methodology used to prepare a compound of Formula Ia from a compound of Formula II and a compound of Formula III to afford a compound of Formula Ib. Alternatively, a compound of Formula Ib may be prepared by reacting a compound of Formula V
R--CH.sub.2 --Cl V
wherein R is as defined above with a compound of Formula VI ##STR11## wherein R 1 and n are as defined above in the presence of a base such as, for example, triethylamine and the like in a solvent such as, for example, dimethylformamide, acetonitrile and the like at about 25° C. to about the reflux temperature of the solvent for about one hour to about 24 hours to afford a compound of Formula Ib. Preferably, the reaction is carried out in the presence of triethylamine in dimethylformamide at about 80° C. for about 8 hours.
A compound of Formula Ic ##STR12## wherein R, R 1 and n are as defined above may be prepared by reacting a compound of Formula Ia with an oxidizing reagent such as, for example, hydrogen peroxide and the like in a solvent such as, for example, ethanol and the like at about the reflux temperature of the solvent for about 8 hours to afford a compound of Formula Ic. Preferably, the reaction is carried out with 30% hydrogen peroxide in ethanol at about reflux for about 8 hours.
A compound of Formula Id ##STR13## wherein R, R 1 and n are as defined above may be prepared from a compound of Formula Ib using the methodology used to prepare a compound of Formula Ic from a compound of Formula Ia to afford a compound of Formula Id.
Preferably, optically active sulfoxides of Formula I designated Formulas Ic-1, Ic-2, Id-1 and Id-2 may be prepared as outlined in Scheme I. Thus, a compound of Formula X wherein R is as defined above is reacted with a compound of Formula IX wherein R * --OH is an optically active alcohol such as, for example, (-)menthol and the like to afford a compound of Formula VIII wherein R and R * are as defined above as a mixture of diastereomers. The diastereomers of Formula VIII are subsequently separated using conventional methodology such as, for example, chromatography and the like to afford a compound of Formula VIIIa and a compound of Formula VIIIb wherein R and R * are as defined above. Reaction of either a compound of Formula VIIIa or a compound of Formula VIIIb with a compound of Formula VII wherein R 1 and n are as defined above affords respectively either a compound of Formula Ic-1, or Formula Ic-2. Reaction of a compound of Formula XII wherein R is as defined above with a compound of Formula IX wherein R*-- OH is as defined above using the methodology used to prepare a compound of Formula VIII from a compound of Formula X affords a compound of Formula XI wherein R and R* are as defined above. Separation of a compound of Formula XI into a compound of Formula XIa and a compound of Formula XIb and subsequent reaction with a compound of Formula VIIa wherein R 1 and n are as defined above using the methodology used to prepare a compound of Formula Ic-1 or Formula Ic-2 from a compound of Formula VII affords either a compound of Formula Id-1 or Formula Id-2.
A compound of Formula Ie ##STR14## wherein R, R 1 and n are as defined above may be prepared by reacting a compound of Formula la with an oxidizing reagent such as, for example, hydrogen peroxide and the like in the presence of an organic acid such as, for example, acetic acid and the like at about the reflux temperature of the acid for about 8 hours to afford a compound of Formula Ie. Preferably, the reaction is carried out with 30% hydrogen peroxide in acetic acid at about reflux for about 8 hours.
A compound of Formula If ##STR15## wherein R, R 1 and n are as defined above may be prepared from a compound of Formula Ib using the methodology used to prepare a compound of Formula Ie from a compound of Formula Ia to afford a compound of Formula If.
A compound of Formula II wherein R, L and n are as defined above may be prepared from a compound of Formula XIII
L.sub.a --(CH.sub.2).sub.n+1 --L XIII
wherein La and L are leaving groups of different reactivity such as, for example, Br and Cl; I and Cl; para-toluenesulfonyloxy and Cl; and the like and n is as defined above and a compound of Formula XIV
R--SH XIV
wherein R is as defined above in the presence of a base such as, for example, an alkali metal carbonate or bicarbonate such as potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate and the like in a solvent such as, for example, acetone and the like at about 25° C. to about the reflux temperature of the solvent for about 30 minutes to about 24 hours to afford a compound of Formula II. Preferably, the reaction is carried out in the presence of potassium carbonate in acetone at about reflux for about 1 hour.
A compound of Formula IV wherein R, L and n are as defined above may be prepared from a compound of Formula XV
R--CH.sub.2 --S(CH.sub.2).sub.n --OH XV
wherein R and n are as defined above by converting the hydroxyl group into a leaving group with, for example, thionyl chloride, thionyl bromide and the like in a solvent such as, for example, chloroform and the like or para-toluenesulfonyl chloride and the like in the presence of a base such as, for example, pyridine and the like to afford a compound of Formula IV.
A compound of Formula XV wherein R and n are as defined above may be prepared from a compound of Formula XVI
HS--(CH.sub.2).sub.n --OH XVI
wherein n is as defined above and a compound of Formula XVII
R--CH.sub.2 --L XVII
wherein R and L are as defined above in the presence of a base such as, for example, triethylamine and the like, in a solvent such as, for example, acetonitrile and the like to afford a compound of Formula XV.
A compound of Formula XVII wherein R is as defined above may be prepared from a compound of Formula XVIII
R--CH.sub.2 OH XVIII
wherein R is as defined above using the methodology used to prepare a compound of Formula IV, from a compound of Formula XV to afford a compound of Formula XVII.
A compound of Formula VI wherein R 1 and n are as defined above may be prepared from a compound of Formula XIX
HS--(CH.sub.2).sub.n --L XIX
wherein L and n are as defined above and a compound of Formula III in a solvent such as, for example, acetonitrile and the like to afford a compound of Formula VI. Alternatively, a compound of Formula Vl may be prepared from a compound of Formula XX ##STR16## wherein n is as defined above and a compound of Formula III in a solvent such as, for example, toluene and the like to afford a compound of Formula VI.
A compound of either Formula VII or Formula VIIa wherein R 1 and n are as defined may be prepared from either a compound of Formula XXI or Formula XXIa, respectively ##STR17## wherein R 1 and n are as defined above in the presence of magnesium and a solvent such as, for example, diethyl ether and the like to afford either a compound of Formula VII or Formula VIIa, respectively.
A compound of either Formula XXI or Formula XXIa wherein R 1 and n are as defined above may be prepared from either a compound of Formula XXII or Formula XXIIa ##STR18## wherein Ts is para-toluenesulfonyl and n is as defined above and a compound of Formula III to afford either a compound of Formula XXI or Formula XXIa, respectively.
Compounds of Formula III, Formula V, Formula IX, Formula X, Formula XII, Formula XIII, Formula XIV, Formula XVI, Formula XVIII, Formula XIX and Formula XX are either known or capable of being prepared by methods known in the art.
Additionally, a compound of Formula I (wherein m is 1), which is a racemic mixture, may be further resolved into its enantiomers. Accordingly, as another aspect of the present invention, a compound of Formula (±)I (wherein m is 1) may be resolved into its enantiomers by the use of conventional methodology such as, for example, optically active acids. Thus, the resulting diastereomeric salts may be separated by crystallization and then converted by conventional methodology to the optically active enantiomer (+)I or (-)I (wherein m is 1).
The compounds of the present invention can be prepared and administered in a wide variety of oral and parenteral dosage forms. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the following dosage forms may comprise as the active component, either a compound of Formula I or a corresponding pharmaceutically acceptable salt of a compound of Formula I.
For preparing pharmaceutical compositions from the compounds of the present invention, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can be either solid or liquid. Solid form preparations include powders, tablets, pills, capsules, cachets, suppositories, and dispersible granules. A solid carrier can be one or more substances which may also act as diluents, flavoring agents, solubilizers, lubricants, suspending agents, binders, preservatives, tablet disintegrating agents, or an encapsulating material.
In powders, the carrier is a finely divided solid which is in a mixture with the finely divided active component.
In tablets, the active component is mixed with the carrier having the necessary binding properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired.
The powders and tablets preferably contain from five or ten to about seventy percent of the active compound. Suitable carriers are magnesium carbonate, magnesium stearate, talc, sugar, lactose, pectin, dextrin, starch, gelatin, tragacanth, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, a low melting wax, cocoa butter, and the like. The term "preparation" is intended to include the formulation of the active compound with encapsulating material as a carrier providing a capsule in which the active component, with or without other carriers, is surrounded by a carrier, which is thus in association with it. Similarly, cachets and lozenges are included. Tablets, powders, capsules, pills, cachets, and lozenges can be used as solid dosage forms suitable for oral administration.
For preparing suppositories, a low melting wax, such as a mixture of fatty acid glycerides or cocoa butter, is first melted and the active component is dispersed homogeneously therein, as by stirring. The molten homogenous mixture is then poured into convenient sized molds, allowed to cool, and thereby to solidify.
Liquid form preparations include solutions, suspensions, and emulsions, for example, water or water propylene glycol solutions. For parenteral injection liquid preparations can be formulated in solution in aqueous polyethylene glycol solution.
Aqueous solutions suitable for oral use can be prepared by dissolving the active component in water and adding suitable colorants, flavors, stabilizing and thickening agents as desired.
Aqueous suspensions suitable for oral use can be made by dispersing the finely divided active component in water with viscous material, such as natural or synthetic gums, resins, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, and other well-known suspending agents.
Also included are solid form preparations which are intended to be converted, shortly before use, to liquid form preparations for oral administration. Such liquid form preparations for oral administration. Such liquid forms include solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. These preparations may contain, in addition to the active component, colorants, flavors, stabilizers, buffers, artificial and natural sweeteners, dispersants, thickeners, solubilizing agents, and the like.
The pharmaceutical preparation is preferably in unit dosage form. In such form, the preparation is subdivided into unit doses containing appropriate quantities of the active component. The unit dosage form can be a packaged preparation, the package containing discrete quantities of preparation, such as packeted tablets, capsules, and powders in vials or ampoules. Also, the unit dosage form can be a capsule, tablet, cachet, or lozenge itself, or it can be the appropriate number of any of these in packaged form.
The quantity of active component in a unit dose preparation may be varied or adjusted from 1 mg to 1000 mg preferably 10 mg to 100 mg according to the particular application and the potency of the active component. The composition can, if desired, also contain other compatible therapeutic agents.
In therapeutic use as antipsychotic agents, the compounds utilized in the pharmaceutical method of this invention are administered at the initial dosage of about 1 mg to about 50 mg per kilogram daily. A daily dose range of about 5 mg to about 25 mg per kilogram is preferred. The dosages, however, may be varied depending upon the requirements of the patient, the severity of the condition being treated, and the compound being employed. Determination of the proper dosage for a particular situation is within the skill of the art. Generally, treatment is initiated with smaller dosages which are less than the optimum dose of the compound. Thereafter, the dosage is increased by small increments until the optimum effect under the circumstances is reached. For convenience, the total daily dosage may be divided and administered in portions during the day is desired.
The following nonlimiting examples illustrate the inventors' preferred methods for preparing the compounds of the invention.
EXAMPLE 1
3-[[[2-(1,2,3,6-Tetrahydro-4-phenyl-1-pyridinyl)ethyl]thio]methyl]pyridine, dihydrochloride
A solution of 3-picolyl chloride hydrochloride (2.50 g) and 3,6-dihydro-4 phenyl-1(2H)-pyridineethanethiol hydrochloride (3.90 g) (Example A) in 100 mL of dimethylformamide is treated with triethylamine (7.4 ml) and the mixture is heated at 80° C. for 8 hours. The solvent is evaporated in vacuo, and the residue is partitioned into chloroform/sodium bicarbonate solution. The organic extract is dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered and concentrated. The crude product is purified by column chromatography (silica gel; 2% methanol in chloroform) to yield 1.7 g of the title compound as an oil, which is converted into its hydrochloride salt (hydrogen chloride gas in diethyl ether) and recrystallized from ethanol/acetonitrile; mp 218°-220° C. (dec).
EXAMPLE 2
4-[[3-[3,6-Dihydro-4-(2-thienyl)-1(2H)-pyridinyl]propyl]thio]pyridine
A mixture of 4-(3-chloropropylthio)pyridine (2.2 g) Example B), 3,6-dihydro-4-(2-thienyl)-1(2H)-pyridine hydrochloride (3.54 g) and sodium bicarbonate (5.0 g) in 20 ml of dimethylformamide is heated at 80° C. under nitrogen for 14 hours. The mixture is concentrated in vacuo and the residue is partitioned into chloroform/water. The organic extract is dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated. The crude product is purified by column chromatography (silica; 2% to 5% methanol in chloroform) to give 2.34 g of the title compound as a solid; mp 86°-87° C.
In a process analogous to Example 2 using appropriate starting materials, the corresponding compounds (Examples 3 to 5) of Formula I are prepared as follows:
EXAMPLE 3
4-[[3-(3,6-Dihydro-4-phenyl-1(2H)-pyridinyl)propyl]thio]pyridine; mp 93°-95° C.
EXAMPLE 4
1,2,3,6-Tetrahydro-4-phenyl-1-[4-(4-pyridinylthio) butyl]pyridine; mp 57°-60° C.
EXAMPLE 5
1,2,3,6-Tetrahydro-1-[4-(4-pyridinylthio)butyl]-4-(2-thienyl)pyridine, dihydrochloride; mp 214°-217° C.
PREPARATION OF STARTING MATERIALS
EXAMPLE A
3,6-Dihydro-4-phenyl-1(2H)-pyridineethanethiol
4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine hydrochloride (68.1 g) is partitioned between 3N sodium hydroxide and chloroform. The organic extract is dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The residual oil is dissolved in 50 mL toluene and placed in a 3-neck flask fitted with a dry ice condenser and an addition funnel. The flask is placed under a nitrogen atmosphere, and ethyl 2-mercaptoethyl carbonate (26.1 g) is added dropwise. The reaction mixture is refluxed for 4 hours. The solid formed is filtered, washed with cold toluene, and discarded. The filtrate is concentrated and distilled in vacuo to give 24.9 g of the title compound as a light yellow liquid; bp 0 .3mm 134°-150° C., which is converted into a hydrochloride salt; mp 174°-184° C., in a conventional manner.
EXAMPLE B
4-(3-Chloropropylthio)pyridine
A mixture of 4-mercaptopyridine (5.0 g), 1-bromo-3-chloropropane (14.2 g), and anhydrous potassium carbonate in 250 mL acetone is refluxed under nitrogen for 1 hour. The mixture is cooled, filtered and concentrated. The residue is taken up into diethyl ether and washed with brine, dried over magnesium sulfate and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product is purified by column chromatography (silica; hexane: ethyl acetate, 50:50) to give the title compound (7.34 g) as a colorless oil which is used directly in further transformations.
EXAMPLE C
4-(4-Chlorobutylthio)pyridine
Using the procedure of Example B and replacing 1-bromo-3-chloropropane with 1-bromo-4-chlorobutane the title compound is obtained. This compound is converted to the hydrochloride salt; mp 80°-85° C. | Substituted 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridines are described, as well as methods for the preparation and pharmaceutical composition of same, which are useful as central nervous system agents and are particularly useful as dopaminergic, antipsychotic, and antihypertensive agents as well as for treating hyperprolactinaemia-related conditions and central nervous system disorders. | 2 |
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