description stringlengths 2.98k 3.35M | abstract stringlengths 94 10.6k | cpc int64 0 8 |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fixed or rigid thermocouple mountings having provisions to avoid metallic deposition on the mounting during case formation on ferrous articles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has heretofore been proposed, as described in American Society for Metals, Metals Handbook, Vol. 2, commencing at p. 677, to carburize the surface of a ferrous work piece or ion nitride the surface of a work piece to provide a case which may be hardened as the case is formed or which may subsequently be hardened.
Examples of ion nitriding by ionization in a chamber of a nitrogen containing gas are shown in the U.S. Patents to Egan, U.S. Pat. No. 1,837,256, Berghaus et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,837,654, Keller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,761,370, Jones et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,437,784 and 3,650,930, and Tanaka et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,157.
Materials that are sputtered from the work travel in straight lines, tend to build up on work supports and other exposed elements in the furnace and may cause electrical shorting. The tendency to shorting is greatly reduced in this structure by the use of shields which comprise insulating discs and spacers supported on the mounting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention a fixedly mounted thermocouple is provided particularly for use in an ion carburizing or ion nitriding vacuum furnace and in which the mounting has spaced shields to reduce line of sight deposition from sputtering in the furnace on the thermocouple mounting.
It is the principal object of the invention to provide protective shielding for the thermocouple mounting of a fixed thermocouple in a vaccum furnace to prevent metallic deposition on the mounting resulting from sputtering in the furnace.
It is a further object of the invention to provide simple but effective shields of spaced insulated discs.
It is a further object of the invention to provide shields of the character aforesaid which can be readily removed and replaced if desired.
Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof in which:
FIG. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a vacuum furnace chamber taken approximately on the line 1--1 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view, enlarged, taken aproximately on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3.
It should of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now more particularly to the drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of apparatus is illustrated, a vacuum furnace of any desired type is provided, the furnace illustrated being horizontal and preferably having an outer cylindrical wall or shell 10 closed at one end in any desired manner, such as by a door or an end closure plate 11. A door (not shown) is provided, hingedly mounted on the wall 10 at the other end and movable to a closed position with respect to the end flange 12 of the shell 10. Suitable vacuum tight packing (not shown) is interposed between the door (not shown) and the end flange 12 on the wall 10.
The shell 10 can be supported in any desired manner, such as by supports 14 with suitable intermediate bracing 15.
Suitable provisions (not shown) can be made for evacuating the furnace chamber and for providing a suitable gas or gas mixture to supply ions. One suitable apparatus for this purpose is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,199, dated Nov. 7, 1978 William R. Jones and Prem C. Jindal.
A vacuum chamber 20 is thus provided within the shell 10, the closure wall 11 and the door (not shown).
Within the shell 10, a cylindrical ring heat shield 21 is provided for reflecting heat inwardly within the shell 10 and reducing heat leakage outwardly.
Within the shield 21, a plurality of spaced alloy metal strip type heating elements 22 are also preferably provided disposed from end to end within the chamber 20. The heating elements 22 are supported in any desired manner and are provided with conductors 23 and 24 extending through sealing bushings 19 in the shell 10 for activation when desired.
Within the chamber 20, horizontal work supports of heat resistant metal of any suitable type are provided which include rails 25 extending lengthwise in the chamber 20. The rails 25 are carried in slots 26 in rail holders 27 and are centered by pins 28. The rail holders 27 are supported by vertical support rods 30, preferably ceramic rods with suitable electrical insulating properties. This structure is shown in detail in the application of Rush B. Gunther and Prem C. Jindal for Letters Patent for Work Support for Vacuum Electric Furnaces, fild Dec. 20, 1978, Ser. No. 971,483.
The support rods 30 are supported in sockets 32 of differing lengths to compensate for the curvature of the wall 10 and which are secured to the inner wall of the shell 10.
The support rods 30 on the exterior thereof, below the rail holders 27 are provided with a plurality of spaced discs 36 preferably formed of high temperature resistant non-electrical conductive material such as mica, asbestos, or other suitable material.
The discs 36 are preferably provided in two groups, five being shown in each group with a spacer tube 41 of ceramic between the groups.
The lower group of discs 36 is supported above the lower socket 32 by a ceramic tube 43.
The thermocouple mounting includes a socket 45 welded in place in the wall 10 of the furnace with a threaded plug 46 engaged in the socket 45. The plug 46 has a rim 47 to engage the outer end of the socket 45 with a tapered packing 48 of resilient material engaged in the plug 46.
A thermocouple tube 50 extends inwardly through the packing 48 and has a washer 51 secured thereto to abut on the inner end of the socket 45. The tube 50 has a spacer insulator 52, preferably of ceramic material thereon, at the inner end of which a plurality of spaced discs 54 are carried. The discs are preferably formed of high temperature resistant electrically non-conductive material such as mica, asbestos or other similar material with discs 55 of smaller diameter to provide spaces between the discs 54. An inner group of discs 54 and 55 are provided on the tube 50 with a spacer 56 therebetween. It is preferred that each group of discs 55 has a washer 57 therebeyond on which a tubular shield 58 of ceramic material is carried.
The tube 50 has a closed end 61. Within the tube a plurality of pairs of thermocouple wires 63 are provided, welded at their ends close to the closed end 61 of the tube 50. A plurality of pairs 63 are provided so that in the event of failure of one pair another pair may be utilized to determine the prevailing temperature.
The packing 48 is retained in position by inner sleeves 65 which are held in place by an outer sleeve 66 held in engagement therewith and with the pipe 50 by clamps 67. A protective cover 68 of rubber or the like covers the plug 46, packing 48, sleeve 66 and clamps 67.
In use metallic material from the sputtering in its line of sight movement will be prevented by inner groups of shields 55 from depositing on the spacer 54 contiguous to the shields 55 and by the outer group of shields 55 from depositing on contiguous and shielded portions of the spacer insulator 52.
It will be noted that the assembly and disassembly of the tubular shield 58, the washer 57, the discs 54 and 55, with their spacer 56 and spacer insulator 52 can be readily effected so that inspection, maintenance and replacement, as necessary, of various components can be quickly and easily carried out.
The tube 50, with its enclosed thermocouple wires 63, can also be readily detached upon removal of the clamps 67, the washers 65, the packing 48 and the plug 46. | A fixedly mounted thermocouple for vacuum electric furnaces is described, which is particularly suitable for furnaces for nitrided or carburized case formation and which is particularly suited to avoid line of sight metallic deposition on the mounting from sputtering in the furnace and which could result in shorting, spaced shields being provided on the thermocouple mounting for this purpose. | 2 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of and claims priority to copending nonprovisional utility application entitled, “ROTOR BLADE OF A WIND POWER INSTALLATION, COMPRISING A WARNING LIGHT,” having Ser. No. 10/498,187, filed Nov. 19, 2004, which is the U.S. National Phase of PCT/EP02/13845 filed Dec. 6, 2002, which claims priority to Application No. DE 101 60 360.6 filed Dec. 8, 2001, and Application No. DE 102 28 442.3, filed Jun. 26, 2002, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] Embodiments relate to rotor blades of a wind power installation.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Wind power installations with rotor blades of the most widely varying kinds have already long been known. It is also known that, in certain situations, the wind power installation has to be provided with a hazard light in order to draw the attention of air traffic in the region of the wind power installation to the existence of the installation, in good time. For the above-indicated purpose it is also known for the rotor blades to be provided with mostly red warning coats of paint so that it is possible to prevent an aircraft, in particular a military aircraft, from colliding with a wind power installation or the rotor thereof.
[0006] The proposal has also already been put forward, for improving the warning to air traffic, to use incandescent lamps or other lighting means at the tips of the rotor blades, besides coloring the rotor blades with signalling colors, the lamps or lighting means then being switched on at night so that they can be readily seen by air traffic. The disadvantage of incandescent lamps or other lighting means however is that they are only of limited durability and the costs of replacing worn-out lighting means is not reasonably related to the benefit. Thus the costs of replacing lighting means at a rotor blade tip can be several thousand DM, because not only does the wind power installation have to be stopped, which is very expensive, but also the service personnel have to be lifted to the rotor blade tip by means of a crane arrangement from the pylon of the wind power installation or from the ground in front of the wind power installation.
[0007] That expenditure is grossly mismatched with the actual technical failure.
[0008] As a solution in this respect, it has therefore also already been proposed that the lighting device at the rotor blade tip may be of a redundant nature. However even such a concept cannot always ensure that the lighting arrangement does not suffer from failure, in which respect the reasons for failure of the lighting means may vary greatly, either that the lighting means at the rotor blade tip are mechanically damaged (hit by particles, hail, rain etc) or the respective electrical contacts are interrupted, or also other reasons.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0009] A system and method for evaluating rotor blade stress is provided. One embodiment is a rotor blade; a light waveguide extending along a portion of the rotor blade, the light waveguide having a light receiving end and a light issuing end; a light producing device coupled to the light receiving end of the light waveguide and operable to input light into the light waveguide so that the light passes through the light waveguide; a detector coupled to the light issuing end of the light waveguide to measure an amount of light exiting the light issuing end; and an evaluation arrangement operable to receive information from the detector corresponding to the amount of light exiting the light issuing end, and operable to evaluate rotor blade stress based on the amount of light exiting the light issuing end.
[0010] Another embodiment is a method of measuring rotor blade distortion at a wind power installation that inputs light into a light waveguide of a rotor blade of the wind power installation so that light passes through the light waveguide, detects light emitted from the light waveguide, and evaluating rotor blade stress based on the emitted light.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention is described hereinafter by means of a specific embodiment. In the drawing:
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a rotor blade according to the invention, and
[0013] FIG. 2 shows an alternative further embodiment of a rotor blade.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] An object of the invention is to avoid the above-indicated disadvantages and to provide lighting for the rotor blade tips, which is more reliable than that proposed hitherto, wherein any damage which occurs is no longer so complicated and expensive to rectify as hitherto, but can be rectified extremely swiftly.
[0015] Various embodiments are based on the notion of moving all the lighting means from the tip region (rotor blade tip) of the rotor blades into the region in the proximity of the hub, for example the hub of the rotor itself. If then a lighting means fails, it can be replaced by the service personnel very easily and in a very uncomplicated fashion.
[0016] While the lighting means, that is to say a light-producing device such as for example a laser or a light emitting diode or a plurality thereof is disposed in the pod of the wind power installation, the light produced is fed into a glass fiber cable (light waveguide, light guide) which in turn is laid into the tip region of the rotor blade and is there arranged at the surface of the rotor blade in such a way that the light can readily issue.
[0017] Even if, and this is highly improbable, the end region of the light waveguide in the blade tip region should suffer from damage, that does not result in failure of the entire light waveguide, but rather it will continue to emit its light which is guided through it. As however there are no electrical elements whatsoever in the blade tip region, the light waveguides are highly protected.
[0018] Supplemental to the foregoing, or also alternatively, embodiments use the light guides for implementing possible stress and load measurements on the rotor blade itself.
[0019] In that respect reference may be made generally to the following: when light is introduced into a light guide, that light is reflected in the interior of the light guide at corresponding edges and is propagated to the exit at the light guide end.
[0020] From the quotient of the amount of light introduced to the amount of light issuing, it is also possible to assume a value in respect of quality, in which case quality in the optimum situation is one, when therefore the amount of light which is fed into the light guide corresponds to the intensity (lumens) of the amount of light at the issuing end of the light guide.
[0021] The quality of light guides however depends not just on the material of the light guide or the nature of the light introduced, but also on the way in which the light guide is laid. If for example the light guide is laid along a straight line, quality is generally greater than if the light guide is laid in various geometries involving winding serpentine configurations or arcs or other radii of curvature.
[0022] Movement of the light guide transversely to the direction in which it extends also means that propagation of the light in the interior of the light guide is in part limited, which has the result that the level of quality overall falls.
[0023] In accordance with the invention, in case of a rotor blade of a wind power installation, it is also possible to make use of that last-mentioned effect for optically/electrically measuring the flexing of the rotor blade, insofar as a light guide is passed virtually as a loop, beginning from the rotor blade hub by way of a given guide configuration in the rotor blade by way of the rotor blade tip and back to the hub again. Then, arranged at the issuing end of the light guide is a suitable detector which measures the intensity of the issuing light and that issuing amount of light is constantly related to the amount of light passing into the light guide, by way of a suitable processing device (processor).
[0024] When now with an increasing loading on the rotor blade (rising wind speed), the rotor blade progressively increasingly flexes, that automatically results in worsened or altered quality, and a measurement in respect of the mechanical loading on the rotor blade can also be deduced from the specific level of quality.
[0025] Therefore, with the above-indicated variant of the invention, it is also possible to establish the loading on a rotor blade not only integrally at the hub, the rotor blade root, but also at individual points, in particular also in the rotor blade tip region, and any overstretching which may occur of the rotor blade tip by virtue of a gust or another event can be very quickly established, and this can also be used at the same time to possibly stop the wind power installation or implement adjustment of the rotor blade angle (pitch) in order to avoid the unwanted overstretch situation, because such overload situations can usually result in a considerable reduction in the service life of the rotor blades and thus the entire wind power installation.
[0026] It will be self-evident that the light guides can be passed by way of the most widely varying geometries in the rotor blade itself or beneath the uppermost layer of the rotor blade or on the rotor blade. It is not only possible for the light guides to be directly passed from the rotor blade root to the rotor blade tip and back again on one side or on different sides of the rotor blade, but it is also possible for the light guides to be wound in a spiral configuration around the entire rotor blade from the rotor blade root to the rotor blade tip and back, or it is also possible for various bundles of light waveguides to be laid by way of widely varying geometrical configurations in respect of the rotor blade (or in the rotor blade itself.
[0027] The more a light guide is moved out of its lengthwise direction upon flexing of the rotor blade, the correspondingly greater will the drop in the level of quality generally also be, and by clever measurement and interchange of the outgoing and return lines, it is also possible under some circumstances to accurately establish where unwanted overstretching of a rotor blade takes place or has taken place.
[0028] The advantage of laying the light waveguides in or on the rotor blade is also that laying them in that way can already be implemented during production of the rotor blades and the light guides themselves are usually extremely robust and, as the light guides themselves are electrically non-conductive, they are also accordingly already well protected from possible disturbances due to a lightening strike on the rotor of the wind power installation.
[0029] In addition possible overloading of the rotor blade can be measured with the light guides (or waveguides) markedly more quickly than for example with a strain gauge strip (SGS) or another measuring device which measures the mechanical loading on a rotor blade integrally in the hub region or root region of the rotor blade. As an electrical signal about the intensity of the issuing light is also equally available by way of the light detector at the exit end of the light waveguide, that electrical signal can also be directly passed to a remote monitoring station of the wind power installation and can there be suitably evaluated and can be used for very swift intervention in the installation if the installation does not already have automatic control devices which, when the level of quality falls below a given value, automatically implement installation control or modification resulting in a relief of load on the rotor blades.
[0030] When the light waveguides are laid as a rotor blade tip lighting arrangement (tip lighting arrangement), it may also be appropriate for the tip lighting arrangement not to be switched on over the entire rotational extent of the rotor, but only when the respective rotor blade is in a region between the nine o'clock and three o'clock positions (the rotor blade rotating in the clockwise direction) or preferably only in the region between the ten o'clock and two o'clock positions.
[0031] It is also possible, by virtue of feeding in light by means of diodes, to feed not just monochrome white light into the light waveguides but also light of varying colors, and the light can also be directly emitted in various directions by virtue of the appropriate issue of the light waveguides at the rotor blade tip, in which case, to increase the level of intensity, the ends of the light waveguide are provided with a suitable lens which in turn at the same time once again also protects the corresponding end of the light waveguide.
[0032] FIG. 1 shows a rotor blade 10 with a light waveguide 14 which is laid thereon (or therein) and which is laid in a meander configuration in the region of the rotor blade tip 15 . A light emitting diode 16 is arranged at a connection of the light waveguide 14 and a corresponding light receiving diode 18 is arranged at the other connection. Light is fed into the light waveguide by the light emitting diode and the receiving diode 18 receives the light which has passed through the light guide.
[0033] Before now the wind power installation is brought into operation and the rotor blade is completely non-deflected (that is to say is no longer deformed by the wind), reference measurements are now implemented, the amount of received light being measured in the light receiving unit 18 in that situation. The quantitative proportion of light can usually also be expressed as a percentage value, the percentage value always being below 100%. With a measured value of 100%, the total light emitted by the sender unit 16 would have to arrive in the receiving unit 18 through the light waveguide 14 and the level of quality would then be 1.
[0034] When now the wind power installation is brought into operation, that also has the result, by virtue of the wind and dynamic pressure, that the entire rotor blade is deflected, in particular in the tip region. At the same time that also involves a change in the original position of the light waveguides, and that usually also results in a different reflection path within the light waveguide. The consequence of that is usually a reduction in the light yield with respect to the reference condition, and that lesser light yield is measured in the receiving unit 18 .
[0035] Accordingly the quantitative light measurement (light modulation measurement) in the receiving unit 18 (or light modulation measurement) can also ascertain a magnitude in respect of the deflection of the rotor blade as, upon deflection of the blade, the quality is below the level of quality in the reference condition.
[0036] If certain overstretching effects in respect of a rotor blade are unwanted, that is to say the level of quality falls below a predetermined value, then that can also be monitored by means of the invention and if necessary the measured data can also be used to shut down the entire wind power installation for its own protection.
[0037] The above-described alternative according to the invention also has the advantage that, in the event of a hairline crack which may possibly be present in the rotor blade of the wind power installation, with the hairline crack extending substantially transversely with respect to the light guide, the light guide can very quickly be torn away so that the entire transmission of light is then not only disturbed but can also collapse. A light guide can be torn away in that fashion because the light guides are usually designed to be extremely porous, in respect of their lengthwise extent, and are only slightly elastic. If now transmission of light through the light guide is sensitively disturbed by a hairline crack, the entire installation can be stopped and the rotor blade can be very closely investigated for possible hairline cracks at an early stage.
[0038] FIG. 1 does not show the arrangement for further processing of the measured light. This can involve conventional arrangements which produce an electrical signal from the measured amount of light and the corresponding electrical signal is then further processed in a processor or another processing apparatus in such a way that the quantitative value of the received light is ascertained, which is then also possibly related to the amount of light which has passed into the light guide. The value in respect of quality can be deduced directly from that difference value (amount of emitted light/amount of received light). It is appropriate to provide in a suitable memory a table for given levels of quality, wherein, when the ascertained quality falls below or rises above the given levels of quality, suitably desired measures can then be taken in relation to the wind power installation, for example the installation can be shut down.
[0039] Alternatively or supplemental to the structure shown in FIG. 1 FIG. 2 shows a bundle of light waveguides which are laid from the hub of the rotor blade (rotor blade root) to the rotor blade tip. In the hub region, light is fed into the light waveguides by means of a light 14 and in the tip region the light issues from the light waveguides so that the tip region is well lit at least at night and thus the attention of air traffic is drawn to the wind power installation.
[0040] It will be appreciated that the above-mentioned alternatives can also be combined with each other so that, besides an illuminated tip, it is also possible to implement monitoring of the light deflection of a rotor blade. The light 14 can in that case also represent a light emitting diode.
[0041] It will be appreciated that switching-on of the lights 14 and 16 can be made dependent on the respective time of day, darkness or the respective position of an individual rotor blade, for example the lights can be switched on when a rotor blade is in a 10.00 hours to 12.00 hours/14.00 hours position.
[0042] That measure has the advantage that on the one hand the lighting means are conserved and in addition the lighting means are lit up only in a rotor blade position where the rotor blade is still visible. In addition, pollution in respect of the environment around the wind power installation is minimized, when the lighting means are switched on.
[0043] It is apparent that the described tip lighting arrangement by means of a light waveguide can also be embodied by way of other lighting means, for example LEDs which are then supplied with power by way of suitable cables.
[0044] The control device for controlling the lighting means is preferably coupled to the wind power installation control system so that the lighting means can be switched on in dependence on rotor blade position.
[0045] All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
[0046] From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
[0047] These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure. | A system and method for evaluating rotor blade stress is provided. One embodiment is a rotor blade; a light waveguide extending along a portion of the rotor blade, the light waveguide having a light receiving end and a light issuing end; a light producing device coupled to the light receiving end of the light waveguide and operable to input light into the light waveguide so that the light passes through the light waveguide; a detector coupled to the light issuing end of the light waveguide to measure an amount of light exiting the light issuing end; and an evaluation arrangement operable to receive information from the detector corresponding to the amount of light exiting the light issuing end, and operable to evaluate rotor blade stress based on the amount of light exiting the light issuing end. | 5 |
This is a Continuation-in-Part of application Ser. No. 09/389,677 filed on Sep. 2, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,575 and relates to a connector that positively holds sheathing to underlying structural members, creating buildings that are resistant to earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
On the windward-side of hurricane-force winds, wind pressure creates tremendous force on the wall of a building. The house can be pushed off the foundation by wind pressure. On the leeward-side of hurricane-force winds, negative pressure can bow out the wall and detach it from the building.
Adjacent walls can tilt or rack when the windward and leeward walls are being pushed and pulled. Wall sheathing helps prevent the wall from racking, or tilting. Sheathing that is tightly secured to the walls, helps transfer lateral forces to the foundation.
Earthquakes generate lateral movements on the walls, causing them to rack or twist off the foundation. If the wall sheathing fails by being pushed in, pulled out, or rocked laterally, the walls can collapse because they can not stand when weakened and supporting the heavy load of the roof.
Failure of the wall sheathing is common during strong winds and seismic movements, mainly because of inadequate fastening of the wall sheathing to the underlying structural members. Sheet metal joints perform better than nailed joints in high winds and during seismic activity.
Hurricanes
Studies of damage after Hurricane Andrew show several problems with the attachment of wall sheathing that this invention solves. Some sheets of wall sheathing that were blown off houses had staples or nails that had rusted away, and on some sheets the nails had just pulled out from the studs.
The engineering staff of the American Plywood Association provided technical personnel to assess the damage from Hurricane Andrew in Florida. The majority of wood structural sheathing failures were attributed to improper connection details, and in every case investigated, the sheathing loss was a result of improper nailing (Keith, 1992). These problems have not been solved because staples and inadequate nailing schedules are still used to tie down sheathing.
Earthquakes
During an earthquake, the floor, wall, and roof diaphragms undergo shearing and bending. The shear forces from the roof boundary members are transferred to the top of the shear wall by way of toenails or blocking to the top plate. To withstand and transfer the shear loads, plywood sheets have to be spliced together to prevent adjoining edges from sliding past or over each other (Gray, 1990).
Butted together on the centerline of a 2×(nominally 1½-inches-wide), you've only got ¾ inch bearing for each plywood sheet, so the nail has to be ⅜ inch from the edge. This leaves little margin for error, and nailing has to be done with care to avoid splitting the plywood and missing or splitting the underlying member (Gray, 1990).
Tests at the University of California show that plywood secured by overdriven nails, nails that penetrated the plywood beyond the first veneer (usually by a powered nailgun), failed suddenly and at loads far below those carried by correctly nailed plywood panels (Gray, 1990).
Steel connectors, between different components of a wood-frame building's superstructure, provide continuity so that the building will move as a unit in response to seismic activity (Yanev, 1974).
PRIOR ART
A number of connectors have been developed to tie together the structural members of a house under construction. Up until this invention, nobody had seen how to make a compact connector that could tie two or more sheathing sheets together and to the underlying structural members of the stud and sill plate.
Some prior art prevents uplift, but this invention not only prevents uplift between the stud and sill plate during hurricane-force winds, but prevents lateral movement during earthquakes.
The Simpson Strong-Tie Co.'s January 2000 catalog (page 37) lists a PSCL Plywood Sheathing Clip. This clip provides a gap and aligns sheathing but does not tie the sheathing to underlying structural members or prevent uplift or lateral movement. No other sheathing ties were found in their catalog, but they do show several mudsill connectors (pages 10-13) that tie the sill plate or stud to the concrete foundation.
The Simpson catalog also shows a Strong-Wall™ Shear wall (pages 14-17). This complicated system ties the wall stud and sill plate to the foundation, and includes the sheathing. It appears that the Shear wall is purchased and installed as a complete system.
The Simpson catalog also shows hold-downs (pages 19-22) that use bolts imbedded in the foundation concrete to hold down a sill plate. Their other hold-downs (pages 23-25) must be inserted into wet concrete. None of the above hold down sheathing that is installed on site.
Timmerman's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,244,004 and 6,158,184 are Lateral Force Resisting Systems, but they do not tie down the wall sheathing.
Leek's U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,519 is a one-piece foundation-to-frame connection, but it too does not tie down the wall sheathing. In order to form the wall into a shear-wall, the wall sheathing must be held tightly to the wall stud and sill plate.
A prior art roof securing system by Llorens, U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,460 ties down a single sheet of roof sheathing to a support beam. This is a good connector, but it is long, and can only tie down one-size of sheathing. It must be hammered around the beam from below, but panels are installed from above the roof. Although Llorens' 460 could be used on a wall, it can only tie down one panel and provides little lateral support.
Another sheathing strap and alignment guide by Nellessen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,156 shows an apparatus for securing sheathing using a long strap, connecting bands, and saddles. This is a good connector, but it is long, complicated, and must be installed from below the roof. With sheathing in place, this is difficult. Although Nellessen's 156 could be used on a wall, it can only tie down panels of one size.
According to the magazine Fine Homebuilding, October/November, 1998, sheathing courses should begin with either a full or half sheet. The course of sheathing at the top row and beginning row are often odd-size, in order to get a reasonable width of sheathing on the top row (by the top plate).
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are that it helps secure the sheathing on the roof and wall, to keep the building from being destroyed by hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes.
This invention helps prevent the wall of a building from detaching from the wall studs during a hurricane or earthquake. It makes the wall into a stable shearwall, transferring shear forces into the foundation and ground.
This invention helps prevent the roof of a building from detaching from the rafters or roof trusses during a hurricane. It ties the roof sheathing securely to the underlying rafter or roof trusses, transferring lateral and uplift forces to the walls and to the foundation.
This invention helps prevent the floor of a building from detaching from the floor joists during an earthquake. It makes the floor into a horizontal shear wall, and helps the floor resist lateral forces in its horizontal plane. It also makes sure that any forces transferred from the roof and wall can be managed by the floor and transferred properly to the ground.
One object of this invention is to make each sheathing structure on a house into a shear-wall, that is, able to transfer forces without breaking or disconnecting. By tying the plywood securely to the underlying structural member, the plywood can reliably transfer and dissipate shear, lateral, and uplift forces to the ground.
During an earthquake or a hurricane, another object is for the building with my invention to move as a sturdy unit, resisting and transferring destructive forces to the ground. Mounted on the roof sheathing and rafter, my invention resists uplift, the most destructive force during a hurricane. Mounted on the wall stud and wall sheathing, my invention prevents the wall sheathing from being blown off or sucked out by the extreme negative pressure of a hurricane. Mounted on the floor sheathing and floor joists, my invention prevents the floor from separating, if it should get wet during a hurricane.
During an earthquake, when my invention is mounted on the roof, walls, and floors, they will turn each member into a shear wall. The secured plywood will absorb and dissipate earth movements, without becoming detached from the underlying structural members. It will also prevent the sheathing from sliding over or past each other.
This could improve a house to existing building codes, as sheet metal joints have been proven to perform better than nailed joints during hurricanes and earthquakes.
Another object of this invention is the large surface area on the top or outside part of the sheathing. This area prevents the plywood sheathing from splitting during nailing. The large surface area provides more strength in the hold-down process.
Still another advantage is the accurately placed nail holes on the invention. These nail holes prevent nails from splitting the plywood or underlying rafter, stud, or joist, by making the framer place nails at the correct and accurate location.
Another advantage is that the invention prevents overdriven nails from penetrating the fragile outer veneer of the plywood sheathing. The accurately placed nail holes prevent the nailhead from piercing the outer veneer of the plywood.
Another advantage is that some nails, on the invention, are driven into the strong broad side of a rafter, stud, or joist, forming a very strong connection to the sheathing, preventing the nails from pulling out.
Yet another advantage of this invention is during earthquakes, nails can sometimes bend with the movements of the house, but screws often break. Even though screws hold tighter than nails and provide a tight connection against uplifting forces from hurricanes, they are less resistant against earth movements. This invention absorbs and transmits most of the forces during an earthquake and hurricane so nails and/or screws can be used as fasteners.
Another advantage is that since the invention absorbs and transfers earthquake and hurricane forces, less nails and nailing could be used. Also, screws could be used in the invention in earthquake areas with less fear that the heads will shear off.
Still another advantage of the invention is in the ability to prevent plywood sheets from sliding past or over each other during an earthquake. Previously, only nails had to shear, but this entire connector must be sheared for the plywood to slide.
Another advantage is that plywood panels should not be butt together tightly or they may buckle when they expand due to heat or humidity. A slight gap should be left between panels. This invention provides a slight gap between each plywood panel that the invention is installed upon.
Still another advantage is that with the roof sheathing firmly attached to the rafters, roofing material will have a better chance of staying on during strong winds and earth movements. In addition, with the sheathing firmly connected, new materials may be attached to the roof, such as solar electric panels, without fear of them being blown off.
In areas with brush or forest fire danger, fire-proof material or heavy material, such as tile, stone or metal, can be applied to the roof with less danger of being blown or shaken off during earth tremors or high winds.
When the invention is applied to the studs and wall sheathing, fire-proof materials such as stucco or brick veneer can be applied to the sheathing with less chance of being shaken off during earth movements.
When the invention is applied to the floor joists and floor sheathing, the interior load-bearing walls can have a horizontal shear wall, inside the house, to help transfer earth movements.
Earth tremors and hurricanes always destroy the weakest parts of a house. By making each envelope of a house, the vertical walls, horizontal floors, and roof envelope into a strong unit, there will be less damage.
Another advantage is that the building contractor or a building inspector can visually inspect the roof sheathing, wall sheathing, and flooring for correct tie down, and can be assured that all the nails have been correctly placed. Previously, a visual inspection could not determine if the sheathing or flooring was properly applied and secured.
Still another advantage is that the invention can hold down standard-size or odd-size sheathing. According to Fine Homebuilding, October/November, 1998, sheathing courses should begin either with a full or half sheet. The course at the top row and beginning row are often odd-size, so that a reasonable width of sheathing is on the top row.
An advantage is that the framer can more accurately determine where the underlying structural member is located because the tie is on top of the sheathing, in line with the member.
Another advantage is the invention is, easily used with current framing methods. The invention is installed from the top side of the sheathing so the framer doesn't have to go under the sheathing, which can be dangerous.
Nailguns can be used to attach this invention if the nail protrudes from the gun, prior to being driven. Nailguns can be used to apply nails to the sheathing and underlying rafter in-between the installed inventions, just like conventional construction. Screw guns can be used as well.
Still another advantage of this invention is when it is applied to the floor joist and floor sheathing, it will keep each sheet of sheathing a slight distance from each other helping prevent squeaks. Also, after a house is built, the wood floor joists and plywood shrink at different rates, causing gaps between them. By being tightly secured with my invention, any gaps will be insignificant, averting any squeaks.
Still another object is that the invention is thin so that a covering or underlayment can be easily applied. There is no “ripping” effect where sharp corners or bends can cause stress points on the waterproof overlay. All bends and edges are smooth.
It is a further object of this invention that it easily, quickly, and economically protects houses from the destructive forces of earthquakes and hurricanes. It is a still further object that the connectors and fasteners are strong, attractive, permanent, functional, uncomplicated, simple to manufacture, easy to install, and economical. All of the embodiments can be made from a single sheet metal blank, without any welding.
A further object is that this invention can be used on various size sheathing, rafters, roof trusses, studs, wood or metal I-beams, TJI, and glue-lams, all made from wood or metal. There may be hurricane, earthquake, fire, and other insurance discounts for homeowners who have this invention installed on their houses.
Previously, architects, engineers, and builders did not know how important the attachment of plywood sheathing was to the roof, walls, and floors. It was thought that the weight of the roof would keep the sheathing attached during a storm. Prior to this invention, no thought had been given to the floor as a horizontal shear wall during an earthquake.
These and other objectives of the invention are achieved by simple and economical connectors that allow a builder to quickly and easily secure the weakest parts of a building against earth tremors and high winds.
Advantages of each will be discussed in the description. Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 Shows a perspective view of a multiple tie.
FIG. 2 Shows a top view of a multiple tie holding down three sheets of sheathing to a rafter.
FIG. 3 Shows a front view of a multiple tie holding down two sheets of sheathing to a wall stud and sill plate.
FIG. 4 Shows a flat pattern layout of a multiple tie.
FIG. 5 Shows a perspective view of a sill tie.
FIG. 6 Shows a perspective view of a sill tie installed on a stud and sill plate.
FIG. 7 Shows a perspective view of a sill tie holding down two sheets of sheathing to a wall stud and sill plate.
FIG. 8 Shows a flat pattern layout of a sill tie.
FIG. 9 Shows a perspective view of a stud tie installed on a wall stud and sill plate.
FIG. 10 Shows a flat pattern layout of a stud tie.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
1 . Multiple tie
2 . Rib
3 . Sheathing bend
4 . Sheathing tabs
5 . Nail holes
6 . Rafter bend
7 . Rafter web
8 . Edge bend
9 . Rafter tabs
10 . Nail holes
11 . Extension
12 . Cut lines
13 . Nail holes
14 . Sill tab
15 . Sill tie
16 . Stud tie
17 . Stud rib
18 . Left gusset
19 . Right gusset
20 . Face
21 . Sheathing tab
22 . Left brace
23 . Right brace
24 . Base
25 . Cut line
26 . Gusset bend
27 . Face bend
28 . Sheathing bend
29 . Left face bend
30 . Right face bend
31 . Nail holes
32 . Nail holes
33 . Nail holes
P. Sill plate
R. Rafter
S. Sheathing
W. Wall stud
DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a multiple tie 1 that can hold down three sheets of sheathing, and can tie two sheets of sheathing to a wall stud and sill plate. FIG. 1 shows a right-hand multiple tie 1 with the extension 11 on the right side. A left-hand multiple tie would be a mirror image with the extension on the left.
Sheathing is usually applied in a staggered pattern, like large, thin bricks, so the vertical edges are not in line. The multiple tie 1 can be installed along the thin edge of a rafter or wall stud. The rafter webs 7 would lie flush against almost half of this thin edge of the structural member.
A right angle bend, known as the edge bend 8 , at the end of the rafter webs 7 , forms the rafter tabs 9 bent down. The rafter tabs 9 would lie flush on the adjacent or wide side of the rafter or wall stud, and can be fastened to the member by fasteners through nail holes 10 . Any uplift force on the attached sheathing would have to shear these fasteners.
At the other end of the rafter webs 7 , a right angle bend, known as the rafter bend 6 , forms the rib 2 . The rafter webs 7 are formed alternately to the left and right from the rib 2 by rafter bends 6 bending left or right. The rib 2 is continuous for most of the multiple tie 1 until the horizontal extension 11 .
The upper part of the extension 11 can cover an intersecting horizontal edge of a sheet of sheathing, so the rib 2 cannot extend into it. The rib 2 would be contiguous to adjacent, generally vertical sheets of sheathing, and space them apart. The height of the rib 2 is generally equal to the thickness of the sheathing to be installed. When the multiple tie 1 is installed to a structural member, the rib 2 is generally on the centerline of the member, midway between the outer edges.
At the top of the rib 2 a right angle bend, known as the sheathing bend 3 , forms sheathing tabs 4 . The sheathing tabs 4 are bent alternately to the left and right, generally opposite the parallel rafter webs 7 .
The extension 11 , at one end of the rib 2 is an elongated sheathing tab, and covers two sheets of sheathing. Although the extension 11 is on the right side of the rib 2 in this figure, it could be on the bottom and left side. The extension 11 and sheathing tabs 4 can have sheathing placed underneath, and secured to the rafter or wall stud with fasteners through the nail holes 5 .
From the top of the multiple tie 1 , fasteners are driven through the nail holes 5 , on the sheathing tabs 4 and extension 11 , through the sheathing, and into the structural member.
FIG. 2 shows an aerial view of a multiple tie 1 holding down three sheets of sheathing S. FIG. 2 shows a left-hand multiple tie 1 with the extension 11 on the left side. On the lower part of the drawing, the vertical edges of two sheets of sheathing butt up against each other over the centerline of the rafter R.
The left sheet of sheathing S 2 has a vertical edge on the rafter R and a horizontal edge under the extension 11 of the multiple tie 1 . The right sheet of sheathing S 3 has a vertical edge on the rafter R and a horizontal edge parallel to the left sheet S 2 .
The right vertical edge of the left sheet of sheathing S 2 is under the lower left part of the extension 11 and under the left sheathing tab 4 . Fasteners through the nail holes 5 fasten the multiple tie 1 to the sheathing S 2 and the underlying rafter R.
The left vertical edge of the right sheet of sheathing S 3 is under the two right sheathing tabs 4 . Fasteners through the nail holes 5 fasten the multiple tie 1 to the sheathing S 3 and to the underlying rafter R.
A third sheet of sheathing S 1 , that has vertical edges on other rafters, is held down to the rafter R with fasteners driven into nail holes 5 through the extension 11 of the multiple tie 1 . The multiple tie 1 is now securing three sheets of sheathing (S 1 , S 2 , and S 3 ) to a structural member R.
The multiple tie 1 can be installed several ways. If the upper sheet of sheathing S 1 is installed first, the extension 11 can be placed over the sheet and the rafter tabs 9 can be placed over the underlying rafter R and fastened with fasteners through nail holes 10 . That will secure the multiple tie 1 to the structural member. The upper sheet of sheathing S 1 can be fastened with fasteners through nail holes 5 on the extension 11 . The lower sheets of sheathing S 2 and S 3 can be placed under the sheathing tabs 4 and secured to the rafter R with fasteners through nail holes 5 .
If one of the lower sheets of sheathing are to be installed first, such as the left sheet S 2 , the multiple tie 1 can be placed on the rafter R and the right edge of the left sheet S 2 placed under the sheathing tabs 4 and on the rafter R. The multiple tie 1 can be slid along the rafter until the rib 2 , under the extension 11 , is even with the horizontal edge of the left sheathing S 2 . The rafter tabs 9 can be fastened to the rafter R, and the other sheets of sheathing S 3 and S 1 can be installed and fastened to the multiple tie 1 and rafter R.
In this drawing, the multiple tie 1 is holding down roof sheathing to a rafter, but the tie can be used on a wall where the rafter is a wall stud and the sheathing is wall sheathing.
Refer now to FIG. 3 which shows a front view of a multiple tie 1 holding down two sheets of wall sheathing to a wall stud and sill plate.
The multiple tie 1 can be fastened to the lower part of a wall, where the vertical wall stud meets the horizontal sill plate. There are usually just one or two nails holding the wall stud to the sill plate. Nails can be driven in from the bottom, when building the wall on the ground and lifting it up, or nails can be toenailed when built in place. Toenailing has been proven to be a weak connection when subjected to uplift or lateral movements. Nails from the bottom of the sill plate can be bent when subjected to wind or seismic forces.
The multiple tie 1 holds multiple sheets of sheathing to an underlying structural member. The multiple tie 1 ties the vertical edges of two adjacent sheets of sheathing together and to the underlying wall stud and sill plate.
In FIG. 3, the vertical wall stud W has been previously attached to the horizontal sill plate P. A multiple tie 1 is placed on the wall stud W so the extension 11 is even with the sill plate P. The multiple tie 1 is attached to the wall stud W with fasteners through nail holes 10 on the rafter tabs 9 .
One sheet of sheathing S 1 can be slid in from the left and placed under the sheathing tabs 4 and left part of the extension 11 . The right sheathing sheet S 2 can be slid in from the right and placed under the rafter tabs 4 and right part of the extension 11 . Fasteners through the nail holes 5 on the rafter tabs 4 and extension 11 will secure both sheets of sheathing S 1 and S 2 to the wall stud W and sill plate P.
Any lateral or movement to the left and right, such as occurs during an earthquake, will be prevented as the corners of the sheathing are secured together and to the underlying structural members. The corners of the sheathing are prevented from detaching from the structural members, prevented from riding over each other, and prevented from splitting and splintering.
With the sheathing securely fastened to the structural members, the wall can truly be called a shear-wall, able to resist uplifting,forces from strong winds, able to resist lateral movements from seismic events, and able to resist thrusting from strong winds and snow loads on the roof.
Refer now to FIG. 4 which shows a flat pattern layout of a left-hand multiple tie 1 , prior to cutting and bending. The cut lines 12 are solid lines and the bend lines 3 , 6 , and 8 are dashed lines. There would be little waste of material during manufacture.
The rafter tabs 4 and the extension 11 are on the left side of the rib 2 , next to the sheathing bend 3 . The rib 2 extends for most of the length of the multiple tie 1 . Attached to the right side of the rib 2 are the rafter bend 6 , rafter webs 7 , edge bend 8 , and rafter webs 9 . On a right-hand multiple tie 1 , the pattern would be a mirror-image.
After the cuts and bending are done by tool and die methods, the multiple tie 1 can be used. The width of the rib 2 can be changed to fit various thickness of sheathing, as specified by local building codes. The rafter tabs 4 and rafter webs 7 can be changed to fit various thickness of structural members, although most are 2 by's, which are 1½ inches thick.
The multiple tie 1 can be used on the outside of a house to secure sheathing or insulating panels, or on the inside of a house to secure gypsum boards or insulating panels. The multiple tie 1 can be used on roofs where electrical panels or solar panels will be installed so they will be properly secured and won't be shaken or blown off by seismic events or strong winds.
Refer now to FIG. 5 which shows a perspective view of a sill tie 15 . The sill tie 15 is similar to the multiple tie 1 . Whereas the multiple tie 1 had a sheathing tab extended to form an extension 11 , the sill tie 15 has a rafter tab extended to form a sill tab 14 . The sill tie 15 can tie down two sheets of sheathing to a wall stud and sill plate.
The upper part of the sill tie 15 has a rib 2 that runs the length of the tie. Attached to the top of the rib 2 is the right angle sheathing bend 3 that forms sheathing tabs 4 , that are bent alternately left and right.
The lower part of the rib 2 has the right angle rafter bend 6 that forms rafter webs 7 , that are bent alternately left and right. Attached to the end of the rafter webs 7 are right angle edge bends 8 , that form rafter tabs 9 bent down.
The lowest rafter web 7 is not bent at the edge bend 8 . Instead, the tab is extended straight out at the rafter bend 6 , forming a sill tab 14 .
The sill tie 15 can be fastened to the lower part of a wall, where the vertical wall stud meets the horizontal sill plate. There are usually just one or two nails holding the wall stud to the sill plate. Nails can be driven in from the bottom, when building the wall on the ground and lifting it up, or nails can be toenailed when built in place. Toenailing has been proven to be a weak connection when subjected to uplift or lateral movements. Nails from the bottom of the sill plate can be bent when subjected to wind or seismic forces.
Like the multiple tie 1 , the sill tie 15 holds multiple sheets of sheathing to an underlying structural member. The sill tie 15 ties the vertical edges of two adjacent sheets of sheathing together and to the underlying wall stud and sill plate.
A sill plate is usually bolted to the foundation through the wide side of the sill plate, so the thin edge of the sill plate faces to the outside. The wall studs are placed so the thin edge of the wall stud is vertical, perpendicular, and abutting to the thin edge of the horizontal sill plate.
Refer now to FIG. 6 which shows a perspective view of a sill tie 15 attached to a wall stud W and sill plate P. Installation and use of the sill tie 15 is simple. Sheets of wall sheathing are usually placed vertically on a wall. If the wall studs are 16-inches-on-center, the four-foot wide sheet will cover four wall studs. On the fourth stud, the sheet will have it's vertical edge along the centerline of the stud. The sill tie 15 can be installed on every fourth stud before the sheathing is installed. Sheathing is usually installed immediately because the wall can rack, go out of square, or even fall down. The sill tie 15 helps prevent racking because the wall stud and sill plate are securely fastened.
The sill tie 15 is placed against the wall stud so the rafter tabs 9 are on the wide side of the wall stud, the rafter webs 7 are on the thin side of the wall stud, and then slid down until the sill tab 14 is against the thin side of the sill plate.
The sill tab 14 can be fastened to the sill plate with fasteners through the nail holes 13 on the sill tab 14 . The rafter tabs 9 can be fastened to the wall stud with fasteners through nail holes 10 on the rafter tabs 9 . The wall stud is now securely fastened to the sill plate. Lateral and uplift motions would have to shear the fasteners in the wall stud and sill plate.
Refer now to FIG. 7 which shows a perspective view of a sill tie 15 holding down two sheets of sheathing. After the sill tie 15 is installed on the wall stud W and sill plate P, the vertical edges of wall sheathing can then be inserted under the sheathing tabs 4 , against the rafter webs 7 , and against either side of the rib 2 .
The sheathing can be secured to the sill tie 15 and wall stud by fasteners through the nail holes 5 of the sheathing tabs 4 . The important lower corners of the sheathing are now securely fastened to the structural members. Standard fasteners can be used to tie the field of the sheathing to the wall studs.
Refer now to FIG. 8 which shows a flat pattern layout of a sill tie 15 . The cut lines 12 are solid lines and the bend lines 3 , 6 , and 8 are dashed lines. The rafter tabs 4 are on the left side, connected to the rib 2 . The rafter webs 7 and rafter tabs 9 are on the right side. The sill tab 14 does not have an edge bend 8 . This is a right-hand sill tie 15 , where the sill tab 14 is on the right side of the rib 2 . A left-hand sill tie 15 would have the sill tab 14 on the top of the flat pattern layout.
Refer now to FIG. 9 which shows a perspective view of a stud tie 16 mounted on a wall stud and sill plate. The stud tie 16 is similar to the sill tie 15 except the stud tie 16 has gussets 18 and 19 mounted to the top of the sill plate.
The stud tie 16 has a rectangular face 20 that mounts to the thin side of a wall stud W. A right-angle left face bend 29 , on the left side of the face 20 , forms a left brace 22 . A right-angle right face bend 30 , on the right side of the face 20 , forms a right brace 23 . The left brace 22 and right brace 23 wrap on the wide, opposite sides of a wall stud W.
On the upper part of the face 20 , right angle face bends 27 form stud ribs 17 that are parallel and planer to each other. Right angle sheathing bends 28 bend the sheathing tabs 21 alternately left and right.
The lower part of the face 20 has a trapezoid-shaped base 24 , which can be mounted to the thin edge of a sill plate P. A right angle gusset bend 26 forms a left gusset 18 off the bottom of the left brace 22 . A right angle gusset bend 26 forms a right gusset 19 off the bottom of the right brace 23 . The gussets 18 and 19 are mounted to the wide, top part of the sill plate P.
The wide, trapezoid-shaped base 24 is attached to the sill plate P with fasteners through nail holes 33 . This attachment helps prevent uplift and lateral movement between the wall stud W and sill plate P because the fasteners would have to be sheared. The gusset's 18 and 19 attachment to the wide, top part of the sill plate P with fasteners through nail holes 32 add extra support against racking, uplift, and thrusting.
Fasteners attached through the nail holes 32 on the left brace 23 and right brace 23 into the wide, opposite sides of the wall stud W add tremendous strength to the stud tie 16 .
The stud ribs 17 form a parallel line, so when sheathing is inserted from the left or right the sheathing will be spaced apart from each other correctly. The sheathing is inserted under the sheathing tabs 21 on the left and right and fasteners are driven through the nail holes 31 into the sheathing and into the underlying wall stud W.
The stud tie 16 is installed as shown in FIG. 9, where the vertical edges of two adjacent sheets of sheathing will abut over the centerline of a wall stud W. The left brace 22 and right brace 23 are placed around the wall stud W and slid down until the gussets 18 and 19 are on the wide, top part of the sill plate P. The base 24 will cover the thin, side part of the sill plate P. Fasteners through the numerous nail holes 32 and 33 will secure the stud tie 16 to the structural members. Sheathing inserted from the sides under the sheathing tabs 21 can be secured with fasteners through nail holes 31 . the gussets 18 and 19 are attached to the wide, bottom of the top plate. The base 24 can be extended up to cover and be attached to the sides of a double top plate.
Just as the multiple tie 1 can be used where multiple sheathing edges meet on a wall stud or rafter, the sill tie 15 can be used on the top of a wall stud W. By turning FIG. 6 upside-down, the sill tab 14 can be attached to a single top plate. By extending the sill tab 14 upward, it can cover and be attached to the sides of a double top plate.
With the top and bottom corners of the wall sheathing positively secured to the top plate, wall stud, and sill plate, the wall can transfer forces to the foundation. The secure attachment of the sheathing corners helps turn the wall into a shear-wall, able to resist forces from several directions.
Refer now to FIG. 10 which shows a flat pattern layout of a stud tie 16 . The solid lines are cut lines 25 and the dashed lines 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , and 30 are bend lines. This shows the right brace 23 and right gusset 19 that were hidden from view on FIG. 9 by the wall stud.
CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE
Thus, the reader will see that the sheathing tie of the invention provides a simple and economical connector that allows a builder to quickly, easily, and accurately secure weak parts of a building against earth tremors and high winds.
While my above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible.
There can be minor variations in size, and materials. For example, the ties can have more rounded corners or squarer corners as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, wavy lines instead of straight lines, more nail holes, slightly less nail holes, or be thicker or thinner, wider or longer. The ties can be made for 2×4's and ¾ inch sheathing, or 2×6's with ⅝ inch sheathing or many other combinations of sheathing or beam size, including metric sizes.
The ties can hold down boards instead of sheathing; they can also hold down insulated sheets or metal sheets. The ties can have a variety of shapes stamped in the sheathing tabs ( 4 , and 21 ) to hold down a variety of objects against sheathing.
The ties can have tongues and groves stamped into the ribs 1 for use on sheathing that has tongue and groove edges. The ties can have round webs and tabs to fit around circular beams.
In instances where the rafters are warped, twisted, or bowed, the ties can help straighten them by securing the sheathing tightly with screws. On rough or un-planed boards, timbers, or beams, the ties, by wrapping around three edges of the timbers, form a secure connection to the sheathing.
The ties can be attached to different types of structural beams including wood, plastic, metal, concrete, or light-weight composite materials. The ties can hold down different types of sheathing including wood, glass, plastic, metal, concrete, slate, and mane-made materials.
The ties can be stamped as mirror images of the flat pattern layouts, for example, creating a tie with the sheathing tabs and rafter webs on reversed sides.
The ties can be made of metal by stamping, forging, or casting. The ties can be made of plastic, by molding or casting. The ties can be made of recycled materials. The ties can be made with bright colors, so a builder or inspector knows they are in position. They can be of different thicknesses, where the gap between each sheet has to be a specific distance.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. | An improved metal connector that securely ties together sheathing and underlying structural members on a building to prevent hurricane and earthquake damage. The connector has alternating sheathing tabs for securing multiple sheets of sheathing. Connected underneath the sheathing tabs, a rib separates the sheathing and correctly spaces each adjoining sheet with a slight gap to avoid buckling. Below the rib, rafter webs alternate with the sheathing tabs to prevent movement of the sheathing and rafter. The large surface area and precise nail holes on the sheathing tabs avoid sheathing splitting and assures correct attachment to the underlying structural member. | 4 |
[0001] This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/114,712, filed Apr. 1, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/805,652, filed Mar. 13, 2001, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/285,329, filed Apr. 2, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,356,782, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/220,618, filed Dec. 24, 1998, now abandoned. All of the above patents and applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention is directed to subcutaneous cavity marking devices and methods. More particularly, a cavity marking device and method is disclosed that enable one to determine the location, orientation, and periphery of the cavity by radiographic, mammographic, echographic, or other non-invasive techniques. The invention typically is made up of one or more resilient bodies and a radiopaque or echogenic marker.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Over 1.1 million breast biopsies are performed each year in the United States alone. Of these, about 80% of the lesions excised during biopsy are found to be benign while about 20% of these lesions are malignant.
[0004] In the field of breast cancer, stereotactically guided and percutaneous biopsy procedures have increased in frequency as well as in accuracy as modem imaging techniques allow the physician to locate lesions with ever-increasing precision. However, for any given biopsy procedure, a subsequent examination of the biopsy site is very often desirable. There is an important need to determine the location, most notably the center, as well as the orientation and periphery (margins) of the subcutaneous cavity from which the lesion is removed.
[0005] In those cases where the lesion is found to be benign, for example, a follow-up examination of the biopsy site is often performed to ensure the absence of any suspect tissue and the proper healing of the cavity from which the tissue was removed. This is also the case where the lesion is found to be malignant and the physician is confident that all suspect tissue was removed and the tissue in the region of the perimeter or margins of the cavity is “clean”.
[0006] In some cases, however, the physician may be concerned that the initial biopsy failed to remove a sufficient amount of the lesion. Such a lesion is colloquially referred to as a “dirty lesion” or “dirty margin” and requires follow-up observation of any suspect tissue growth in the surrounding marginal area of the initial biopsy site. Thus, a re-excision of the original biopsy site must often be performed. In such a case, the perimeter of the cavity must be identified since the cavity may contain cancerous cells. Identification of the cavity perimeter necessary to avoid the risk of opening the cavity, which could release and spread cancerous cells. Moreover, the site of the re-excised procedure itself requires follow-up examination, providing further impetus for accurate identification of the location of the re-excised site. Therefore, a new marker will be placed after re-excision.
[0007] Prior methods of marking biopsy cavities utilize one or more tissue marking clips as the biopsy site marking device. Most commonly, these marker clips have a “horseshoe” configuration. The marker clips attach to the walls of the cavity when the free ends or limbs of the “horseshoe” are pinched together, trapping the tissue. This device has significant drawbacks.
[0008] For instance, prior to placing the marker clip at the cavity site, the site must be thoroughly cleaned, typically by vacuum, to remove any residual tissue debris. This minimizes the possibility that the marker clip attaches to any loose tissue as opposed to the cavity wall. Once the cavity is prepared, the clip must be examined to ensure that the limbs of the clip are substantially straight. If the limbs have been prematurely bent together, the clip will be discarded since it will most likely not attach properly to the cavity wall. Actual placement of the clip often requires additional vacuum of the cavity wall to draw the wall into the aperture between the limbs of the marking clip so that a better grip is obtained between the limbs of the clip. Additionally, there is always the possibility that the clip may detach from the cavity wall during or after withdrawal of the tools used to place the clip into the cavity.
[0009] Aside from the problems inherent in the placement of the marking clip, there are also limitations associated with how well the marking clip can identify a biopsy cavity. As the marking clip must trap tissue for proper attachment, in cases of endoscopic placement, the clip can only be placed on a wall of the cavity substantially opposite to the opening of the cavity.
[0010] Moreover, patient concern limits the number of clips that may be placed in a cavity. As a result, the medical practitioner is forced to identify the outline of a three dimensional cavity by a single point as defined by the marking clip. Obviously, determination of the periphery of a biopsy cavity from one point of the periphery is not possible.
[0011] These limitations are compounded as the biopsy cavity fills within a few hours with bodily fluids, which eventually renders the cavity invisible to non-invasive techniques. Another difficulty in viewing the clip stems from the fact that the clip is attached to the side, not the center, of the cavity. This makes determining the spatial orientation and position of the cavity difficult if not impossible during follow-up examination. Additionally, during a stereotactic breast biopsy procedure, the breast is under compression when the marking clip is placed. Upon release of the compressive force, determining the location of the clip can be unpredictable, and the orientation as well as the location of the periphery of the cavity are lost.
[0012] The marker clip does not aid in the healing process of the biopsy wound. Complications may arise if the marker strays from its original placement site. As described above, if a re-excision of the site is required, the marker clip may also interfere when excision of a target lesion is sought.
[0013] Other devices pertaining to biopsy aids are directed to assisting in the healing and closure of the biopsy wound; thus they do not aid the clinical need or desirability of accurately preserving the location and orientation of the biopsy cavity. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,347,234, 5,388,588, 5,326,350, 5,394,886, 5,467,780, 5,571,181, and 5,676,146.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] This invention relates to devices and procedures for percutaneously marking a biopsy cavity. In particular, the inventive device is a biopsy cavity-marking body made of a resilient, preferably bioabsorbable material having at least one preferably radiopaque or echogenic marker. The device may take on a variety of shapes and sizes tailored for the specific biopsy cavity to be filled. For example, the device in its simplest form is a spherical or cylindrical collagen sponge having a single radiopaque or echogenic marker located in its geometric center. Alternatively, the body may have multiple components linked together with multiple radiopaque or echogenic markers.
[0015] A further aspect of the invention allows the marker or the body, singly or in combination, to be constructed to have a varying rate of degradation or bioabsorption. For instance, the body may be constructed to have a layer of bioabsorbable material as an outer “shell.” Accordingly, prior to degradation of the shell, the body is palpable. Upon degradation of the shell, the remainder of the body would degrade at an accelerated rate in comparison to the outer shell.
[0016] The device may additionally contain a variety of drugs, such as hemostatic agents, pain-killing substances, or even healing or therapeutic agents that may be delivered directly to the biopsy cavity. Importantly, the device is capable of accurately marking a specific location, such as the center, of the biopsy cavity, and providing other information about the patient or the particular biopsy or device deployed.
[0017] The device is preferably, although not necessarily, delivered immediately after removal of the tissue specimen using the same device used to remove the tissue specimen itself. Such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,126,014 and 6,036,698, the entirety of each are hereby incorporated by reference. The device is compressed and loaded into the access device and percutaneously advanced to the biopsy site where, upon exiting from the access device, it expands to substantially fill the cavity of the biopsy. Follow-up noninvasive detection techniques, such as x-ray mammography or ultrasound may then be used by the physician to identify, locate, and monitor the biopsy cavity site over a preferred period of time.
[0018] The device is usually inserted into the body either surgically via an opening in the body cavity, or through a minimally invasive procedure using such devices as a catheter, introducer or similar type device. When inserted via the minimally invasive procedure, the resiliency of the body allows the device to be compressed upon placement in a delivery device. Upon insertion of the cavity marking device into the cavity, the resiliency of the body causes the cavity marking device to self-expand, substantially filling the cavity. The resiliency of the body can be further pre-determined so that the body is palpable, thus allowing tactile location by a surgeon in subsequent follow-up examinations. Typically, the filler body is required to be palpable for approximately 3 months. However, this period may be increased or decreased as needed.
[0019] The expansion of the resilient body can be aided by the addition of a bio-compatible fluid which is absorbed into the body. For instance, the fluid can be a saline solution, a painkilling substance, a healing agent, a therapeutic fluid, or any combination of such fluids. The fluid or combination of fluids may be added to and absorbed by the body of the device before or after deployment of the device into a cavity. For example, the body of the device may be pre-soaked with the fluid and then delivered into the cavity. In this instance, the fluid aids the expansion of the body of the device upon deployment. Another example is provided as the device is delivered into the cavity without being pre-soaked. In such a case, fluid is delivered into the cavity after the body of the device is deployed into the cavity. Upon delivery of the fluid, the body of the device soaks the fluid, thereby aiding the expansion of the cavity marking device as it expands to fit the cavity. The fluid may be, but is not limited to being, delivered by the access device.
[0020] By “bio-compatible fluid” what is meant is a liquid, solution, or suspension that may contain inorganic or organic material. For instance, the bio-compatible fluid is preferably saline solution, but may be water or contain adjuvants such as medications to prevent infection, reduce pain, or the like. Obviously, the liquid is intended to be a type that does no harm to the body.
[0021] After placement of the cavity marking device into the cavity, the bioabsorbable body degrades at a predetermined rate. As the body of the cavity marking device is absorbed, tissue is substituted for the bioabsorbable material. Moreover, while the body degrades, the marker, which is usually suspended substantially in the volumetric center of the body of the device, is left in the center of the cavity. Thus, during a subsequent examination, a medical practitioner having knowledge of the dimensions of the body of the cavity marking device can determine the location as well as the periphery of the biopsy cavity. The orientation of the cavity is self-evident as the marker is left in substantially the center of the cavity. For the case where multiple markers are used, the markers are usually placed in a manner showing directionality.
[0022] Both the body and the marker can be made, via radiopaque or echogenic coatings or in situ, to degrade and absorb into the patient's body over a predetermined period of time. It is generally preferred that if the marker's radiopacity or echogenicity is chosen to degrade over time, such degradation does not take place within at least one year after implantation of the inventive device. In this way, if a new lump or calcification (in the case of a breast biopsy) is discovered after the biopsy, such a marker will allow the physician to know the relation of such new growth in relation to the region of excised tissue. On the other hand, and as discussed below, a bioabsorption period of three months is preferred for any such coatings on the perimeter of the body itself.
[0023] This invention further includes the act of filling the biopsy cavity with a bioabsorbable liquid, aerosol or gelatinous material, preferably gelatinous collagen, allowing the material to partially solidify or gel and then placing a marker, which may have a configuration as described above, into the center of the bioabsorbable material. The gel may also be made radiopaque or echogenic by the addition of radiopaque materials, such as barium- or bismuth-containing compounds and the like, as well as particulate radio-opaque fillers, e.g., powdered tantalum or tungsten, barium carbonate, bismuth oxide, barium sulfate, to the gel.
[0024] This method may be combined with any aspect of the previously described devices as needed. For instance, one could insert a hemostatic or pain-killing substance as described above into the biopsy cavity along with the bioabsorbable material. Alternatively, a bioabsorbable marker could be inserted into a predetermined location, such as the center, of the body of bioabsorbable material.
[0025] It is within the scope of this invention that either or both of the marker or markers and the bioabsorbable body may be radioactive, if a regimen of treatment using radioactivity is contemplated.
[0026] This procedure may be used in any internal, preferably soft, tissue, but is most useful in breast tissue, lung tissue, prostate tissue, lymph gland tissue, etc. Obviously, though, treatment and diagnosis of breast tissue problems forms the central theme of the invention.
[0027] In contrast to the marker clips as described above, the cavity marking device has the obvious advantage of marking the geometric center of a biopsy cavity. Also, unlike the marking clip which has the potential of attaching to loose tissue and moving after initial placement, the marking device self-expands upon insertion into the cavity, thus providing resistance against the walls of the cavity thereby anchoring itself within the cavity. The marking device may be configured to be substantially smaller, larger, or equal to the size of the cavity; however, in some cases the device will be configured to be larger than the cavity. This aspect of the biopsy marking device provides a cosmetic benefit to the patient, especially when the biopsy is taken from the breast. For example, the resistance provided by the cavity marking device against the walls of the cavity may minimize any “dimpling” effect observed in the skin when large pieces of tissue are removed, as, for example, during excisional biopsies.
[0028] Although the subcutaneous cavity marking device and method described above are suited for percutaneous placement of the marker within a biopsy cavity it is not intended that the invention is limited to such placement. The device and method are also appropriate for intra-operative or surgical placement of the marker within a biopsy cavity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] FIG. 1A illustrates a tissue cavity marking device with a spherical body and a single centrally-located marker.
[0030] FIG. 1B shows a tissue cavity marking device with a cylindrical body and two ring-shaped markers aligned near the cylinder's longitudinal axis.
[0031] FIG. 1C shows another tissue cavity marking device with a multi-faced or irregular body and a single centrally-located marker.
[0032] FIG. 1D illustrates a tissue cavity marking device with a body having pores.
[0033] FIG. 1E is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 1D .
[0034] FIG. 1F illustrates a tissue cavity marking device with a body having an outer shell of a bioabsorbable material.
[0035] FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate various configurations of the marker.
[0036] FIG. 3A illustrates a cavity marking device having multiple body components traversed by a single wire or suture marker, or multiple wires or suture markers.
[0037] FIG. 3B illustrates a cavity marking device having a helically wound wire or suture marker.
[0038] FIG. 3C illustrates a cavity marking device having wire or suture markers on the perimeter of the body.
[0039] FIG. 3D illustrates a cavity marking device having wire or markers on the ends of the body.
[0040] FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a method of marking a biopsy tissue cavity with the device of the present invention.
[0041] FIGS. 4D-4F illustrate a method of marking a biopsy tissue cavity with the device of the present invention wherein a bio-compatible fluid is delivered to the cavity marking device after placement.
[0042] FIGS. 4G-4I illustrate a method of marking a biopsy tissue cavity with the device of the present invention wherein a bio-compatible fluid is used to push the cavity marking device out of the access device and into the biopsy tissue cavity.
[0043] FIGS. 4J-4K illustrate a method of marking a biopsy tissue cavity with the device of the present invention wherein the body material of the marking device is deposited into the biopsy cavity prior to the placement of the marker within the biopsy device.
[0044] FIGS. 5 A-B illustrate a spherical wire marking device for deployment without a filler body into a tissue cavity.
[0045] FIG. 5C illustrates a cylindrical wire marking device for deployment without a filler body into a tissue cavity.
[0046] FIGS. 5 D-E illustrate a helical coil wire marking device for deployment without a filler body into a tissue cavity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0047] FIGS. 1A-1C show various configurations of a preferred subcutaneous cavity marking device of the present invention. Here the marking device ( 100 ) is displayed as having either a generally spherical body ( 102 ) ( FIG. 1A ), a generally cylindrical body ( 104 ) ( FIG. 11B ), or a multi-faced or irregular body ( 106 ) ( FIG. 1C ). In general, it is within the scope of this invention for the body to assume a variety of shapes. For example, the body may be constructed to have substantially curved surfaces, such as the preferred spherical ( 102 ) and cylindrical ( 104 ) bodies of FIGS. 1A and 1B , respectively. The body may have conical or ellipsoidal, etc., shapes as well. It is further within the scope of this invention for the body to have substantially planar surfaces, such as polyhedric (i.e., cubic, tetrahedral, etc.) or prismatic, etc., forms. Finally, the body may also have an irregular or random shape, in the case of a gel, combining features of various curved and planar surfaces. Body ( 106 ) of FIG. 1C is an example of such an irregular body shape. The particular body shape will be chosen to best match to the biopsy cavity in which the device is placed. However, it is also contemplated that the body shape can be chosen to be considerably larger than the cavity. Therefore, expansion of the device will provide a significant resistance against the walls of the cavity. Moreover, the aspect ratio of the device is not limited to what is displayed in the figures. For example, the cylindrical body ( 104 ) may have a shorter or longer length as required.
[0048] In the bodies of FIGS. 1A and 1C , the generally spherical marker ( 150 ) is located at or near the geometric center of the body. Such a configuration will aid the physician in determining the exact location of the biopsy cavity, even after the body degrades and is absorbed into the human or mammalian body.
[0049] In the case of the ring-shaped markers ( 154 ) of FIG. 1B , they are generally aligned along the longitudinal axis ( 114 ) of body ( 104 ). Note that although the ring-shaped markers ( 154 ) are spatially oriented so that the longitudinal axis ( 114 ) of the body ( 104 ) lies along the longitudinal axis (not shown) of each marker ( 154 ), each marker may individually or together assume a wide variety of random or predetermined spatial orientations other than the aligned orientation as seen in FIG. 1C . It can be appreciated that any asymmetric marker such as marker ( 154 ) is useful in aiding a physician to determine the spatial orientation of the deployed inventive device.
[0050] Obviously, marker ( 150 ), ( 154 ) may reside in locations other than those demonstrated in FIGS. 1A-1C . It is, however, preferred that markers ( 150 ), ( 154 ) dwell in a predetermined, preferably central, location and orientation in the device body so to aid the physician in determining the location and orientation of the biopsy cavity. The markers herein described may be affixed to the interior or on the surface of the body by any number of suitable methods. For instance, the marker may be merely suspended in the interior of the body (especially in the case where the body is a gel), it may be woven into the body (especially in the case where the marker is a wire or suture), it may be press fit onto the body (especially in the case where the marker is a ring or band), or it may affixed to the body by a biocompatible adhesive. Any suitable means to affix or suspend the marker into the body in the preferred location is within the scope of the present invention.
[0051] Tissue regrowth in a particular orientation can also be promoted by a body design shown in FIG. 1D . Here, body ( 110 ) contains a number of pores ( 138 ) through which tissue may grow. The pores may also be aligned in a substantially parallel fashion, traversing the thickness of the body so that tissue may regrow from one side of the body through to the other side. This is demonstrated in inset FIG. 1E , which shows a portion ( 130 ) of FIG. 1D in partial longitudinal cross section, complete with pores ( 138 ) traversing through the thickness of portion ( 130 ). Such pores ( 138 ) can be parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 1E , or they may be perpendicularly, radially, or even randomly oriented in the device body.
[0052] A trio of markers is also shown in FIG. 1D evenly aligned along the body longitudinal axis ( 140 ). Barb marker ( 156 ), spherical marker ( 150 ), and ring-shaped marker ( 154 ) demonstrate the use of different multiple markers in a single body ( 110 ). As previously described, such a design helps a physician to determine the spatial orientation of the inventive device when it is deployed in a biopsy cavity. Although the barb marker ( 156 ) is illustrated in a ‘V’ configuration, it is an important aspect of the barb marker ( 156 ) to have a shape that is clearly not spherical. This allows the barb marker ( 156 ) to be easily distinguished from calcifications that may be observed during any non-invasive imaging techniques.
[0053] FIG. 1F depicts a further embodiment of the present invention in which body ( 112 ) is enveloped in an outer shell ( 142 ) consisting of a layer of bioabsorbable material such those mentioned above. This configuration allows the perimeter of the biopsy cavity to be marked to avoid exposing the cavity, in the case of a “dirty” margin where re-excision may be necessary, to remaining cancerous cells as the tissue begins to re-grow into the cavity. Such a shell ( 142 ) can be radiopaque and/or echogenic in situ, or it may be augmented with an additional coating of an echogenic and/or radiopaque material. The shell ( 142 ) can also be made to be palpable so that the physician or patient can be further aided in determining the location and integrity of the implanted inventive device.
[0054] Shell ( 142 ) may be designed to have a varying bioabsorption rate depending upon the thickness and type of material making up the shell ( 142 ). In general, the shell can be designed to degrade over a period ranging from as long as a year or more to as little as several months, weeks, or even days. It is preferred that such a bioabsorbable shell be designed to degrade between two and six months; especially preferred is three months. In the design of FIG. 1F , interior ( 144 ) of body ( 112 ) may be a cross-linked, collagenous material that is readily absorbed by the human or mammalian body once the shell ( 142 ) degrades. Interior ( 144 ) may be filled with a solid or gelatinous material that can be optionally made radiopaque by any number of techniques herein described.
[0055] As will be described in additional detail with respect to FIGS. 2A-2F , marker ( 150 ) in the device shown in FIG. 1F may be permanently radiopaque or echogenic, or it also may be bioabsorbable and optionally coated with a radiopaque and/or echogenic coating that similarly degrades over a predetermined period of time. It is more important from a clinical standpoint that the marker remain detectable either permanently or, if the patient is uncomfortable with such a scenario, for at least a period of about one to five years so that the physician may follow up with the patient to ensure the health of the tissue in the vicinity of the biopsy cavity. Especially preferable is a marker whose radiopacity or echogenicity lasts from between about one and three years.
[0056] Each of the bodies depicted in FIGS. 1A-1E may be made from a wide variety of solid, liquid, aerosol-spray, spongy, or expanding gelatinous bioabsorbable materials such as collagen, cross-linked collagen, regenerated cellulose, synthetic polymers, synthetic proteins, and combinations thereof. Also contemplated is a body made from a fibrin-collagen matrix, which further prevent unnecessary bleeding, and minimizes the possibility of hematoma formation.
[0057] Examples of synthetic bioabsorbable polymers that may be used for the body of the device are polyglycolide, or polyglycolic acid (PGA), polylactide, or polylactic acid (PLA), poly ε-caprolactone, polydioxanone, polylactide-co-glycolide, e.g., block or random copolymers of PGA and PLA, and other commercial bioabsorbable medical polymers. Preferred is spongy collagen or cellulose. As mentioned above, materials such as hemostatic and pain-killing substances may be incorporated into the body and marker of the cavity marking device. The use of hemostasis-promoting agents provides an obvious benefit as the device not only marks the site of the biopsy cavity but it aids in healing the cavity as well. Furthermore, such agents help to avoid hematomas. These hemostatic agents may include AVITENE Microfibrillar Collagen Hemostat, ACTIFOAM collagen sponge, sold by C. R. Bard Inc., GELFOAM, manufactured by Upjohn Company, SURGICEL Fibrillar from Ethicon Endosurgeries, Inc., and TISSEEL VH, a surgical fibrin sealant sold by Baxter Healthcare Corp. The device may also be made to emit therapeutic radiation to preferentially treat any suspect tissue remaining in or around the margin of the biopsy cavity. It is envisioned that the marker would be the best vehicle for dispensing such local radiation treatment or similar therapy. Also, the body itself may be adapted to have radiopaque, echogenic, or other characteristics that allow the body to be located by non-invasive technique without the use of a marker. Such characteristics permit the possibility of locating and substantially identifying the cavity periphery after deployment but prior to absorption of the device. Furthermore, an echogenic coating may be placed over the radiopaque marker to increase the accuracy of locating the marker during ultrasound imaging.
[0058] FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate various forms of the marker ( 110 ). The marker ( 110 ) may be in the form of a sphere ( 150 ) ( FIG. 2A ), a hollow sphere ( 152 ) ( FIG. 2B ), a ring or band ( 154 ) ( FIG. 2C ), a barb ( 156 ) ( FIG. 2D ), or a flexible suture or flexible wire ( 158 ) ( FIG. 2E ). Also, the marker may have a distinguishing mark ( 170 ) ( FIG. 2F ). As mentioned above, the barb ( 156 ) is illustrated in FIG. 2D as having a “V” shape. The barb ( 156 ) is intended to distinguish the marker from calcifications when viewed under non-invasive imaging techniques. As such, the barb ( 156 ) is not limited to the “V” shape; rather it has a shape that is easily distinguishable from a spherical or oval calcification.
[0059] The hollow sphere ( 152 ) marker design of FIG. 2B is more susceptible to detection by ultrasound than the solid sphere ( 150 ) of FIG. 2A . Such sphere markers ( 150 , 152 ) can be a silicon bead, for instance. In the case of a ring or band marker ( 154 ) seen in FIG. 2C , the body of the cavity marking device may be woven or placed through the band/ring ( 154 ). The marker may also be a wire or suture ( 158 ) as shown in FIG. 2E and as discussed in greater detail below. In such a case, the marker ( 158 ) may be affixed to the exterior perimeter of the body by an adhesive or woven through the body. Another improvement may arise from the marker wire or suture ( 158 ) being configured in a particular pattern within the body of the device, e.g., wrapping around the body in a helical manner. Further, the suture or wire marker can be deployed as a loosely wound ball or mass of suture that when deployed into a tissue cavity, fills the cavity. The suture or wire can also looped through the band/ring ( 154 ); in this configuration (not shown), the suture or wire can also act as the body of the inventive device. The suture or wire ( 158 ) is flexible to facilitate the expansion of the body while in the cavity. In the case of the marker ( 150 ) shown in FIG. 2F , distinguishing or identifying mark ( 170 ) can be in the form of simple marks as shown, or it may be one or more numbers, letters, symbols, or combinations thereof. These marks ( 170 ) are preferably located in more than one location on the marker ( 150 ) so that the marker may be readily and simply identified from multiple orientations under a variety of viewing conditions. Such a mark ( 170 ) can be used to identify the patient and her condition, provide information about the marker and body of the tissue cavity marking device, provide information about the circumstances and date of the implantation, who performed the procedure, where the procedure was performed, etc. In the case of multiple biopsy sites, this distinguishing mark ( 170 ) permits one to differentiate and identify each different site. The mark ( 170 ) may be applied via any number of techniques such as physical inscription, physical or plasma deposition, casting, adhesives, etc. The mark ( 170 ) may also be an electronic chip providing any necessary information in electronic form that can be remotely detected by appropriate means.
[0060] An important aspect of the invention is that the marker may be radiopaque, echogenic, mammographic, etc., so that it can be located by non-invasive techniques. Such a feature can be an inherent property of the material used for the marker. Alternatively, a coating or the like can be added to the marker to render the marker detectable or to enhance its detectability. For radiopacity, the marker may be made of a non-bioabsorbable radiopaque material such as platinum, platinum-iridium, platinum-nickel, platinum-tungsten, gold, silver, rhodium, tungsten, tantalum, titanium, nickel, nickel-titanium, their alloys, and stainless steel or any combination of these metals. By mammographic we mean that the component described is visible under radiography or any other traditional or advanced mammography technique in which breast tissue is imaged.
[0061] As previously discussed, the marker can alternatively be made of or coated with a bioabsorbable material. In this case, the marker can, for instance, be made from an additive-loaded polymer. The additive is a radiopaque, echogenic, or other type of substance that allows for the non-invasive detection of the marker. In the case of radiopaque additives, elements such as barium- and bismuth-containing compounds, as well as particulate radio-opaque fillers, e.g., powdered tantalum or tungsten, barium carbonate, bismuth oxide, barium sulfate, etc., are preferred. To aid in detection by ultrasound or similar imaging techniques, any component of the device may be combined with an echogenic coating. One such coating is ECHO-COAT from STS Biopolymers. Such coatings contain echogenic features which provide the coated item with an acoustically reflective interface and a large acoustical impedance differential. As stated above, an echogenic coating may be placed over a radiopaque marker to increase the accuracy of locating the marker during ultrasound imaging.
[0062] Note that the radiopacity and echogenicity described herein for the marker and the body are not mutually exclusive. It is within the scope of the present invention for the marker or the body to be radiopaque but not necessarily echogenic, and for the marker or the body to be echogenic but not necessarily radiopaque. It is also within the scope of the invention that the marker and the body are both capable of being simultaneously radiopaque and echogenic. For example, if a platinum ring marker were coated with an echogenic coating, such a marker would be readily visible under x-ray and ultrasonic energy. A similar configuration can be envisioned for the body or for a body coating.
[0063] The marker is preferably large enough to be readily visible to the physician under x-ray or ultrasonic viewing, for example, yet be small enough to be able to be percutaneously deployed into the biopsy cavity and to not cause any difficulties with the patient. More specifically, the marker will not be large enough to be palpable or felt by the patient.
[0064] Another useful version of the invention is shown in FIG. 3A . In this device, there are several cylindrical body members ( 302 ); however, there is no limit to the number of body members that can make up the device. The body members ( 302 ) can individually or together take on a variety of sizes and shapes as discussed above depending on the characteristics of the biopsy cavity to be filled. The body members ( 302 ) may uniformly or in combination be made of one or more materials suitable for use in a biopsy cavity as previously described.
[0065] Here one or more markers may traverse two or more body member segments through the interior of the body members ( 302 ) as shown in FIG. 3A . Here, markers ( 318 ) are located substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis ( 320 ) of each right cylindrical body member ( 302 ) in their interior, connecting each body member ( 302 ) while marking their geometric center as between the markers. Such a marker ( 318 ) may be used in conjunction with the other markers as described above and may also be accompanied by one or more additional markers arranged randomly or in a predetermined pattern to variously mark particular sections of the device. Alternately, such a marker may, singly or in combination with other markers, be affixed on or near the surface of the sponge so as to mark the perimeter of the body member ( 302 ).
[0066] Of course, when used in conjunction with other connecting markers, marker ( 318 ) need not necessarily connect each body member; it may be used solely to indicate the orientation or location of each individual sponge or the entire device, depending on the material, geometry, size, orientation, etc., of marker ( 318 ). When not used in this connecting function, therefore, marker ( 318 ) need not traverse two body members ( 302 ) as shown in FIG. 3A .
[0067] A variety of patterns can be envisioned in which all or part of the perimeter of the sponge body is marked. For example, a marker ( 322 ) can wrap around the body ( 302 ) in a helical pattern ( FIG. 3B ), or it can be used in conjunction with other markers ( 324 ) in a pattern parallel to the longitudinal axis ( 320 ) of the body ( FIG. 3C ). Another useful perimeter marking pattern is shown in FIG. 3D , where marker segments ( 326 ) are affixed at or near the surface of the circular bases of the cylindrical body ( 302 ) in a cross pattern, indicating the ends of the sponge and their center. As seen form the figures, the markers(s) may, but do not necessarily, have some texture. Any marker pattern, internal or external to the body, is within the scope of the present invention. For the applications depicted in FIGS. 3A-3D , it is preferred that the marker be a radiopaque or echogenic wire or suture.
[0068] Another possible configuration is obtained by combining the suture or wire markers ( 158 ) in a body with any other type marker ( 150 , 152 , 154 , or 156 ) or vice versa. For example, in FIG. 3B , a spherical marker ( 150 ) may be placed in the center of the cylindrical body ( 302 .) Therefore, the cylindrical body ( 302 ) would contain the suture or wire marker ( 322 ) wrapped helically adjacent to the outer perimeter, and a marker ( 150 ) would be placed in the center of the cylindrical body ( 302 ). Such a combination may be obtained with any of the body and marker configurations as defined above.
[0069] Also, turning back to the marking device ( 100 ) in FIG. 1A or the marking device ( 100 ) of FIG. 1B , the markers ( 150 or 154 ) may be substituted with one or more suture or wire markers ( 158 ) preferably, but not exclusively, extending through the center and pointing radially away from the center. This configuration allows marking of the cavity perimeter and establishing of the directionality of the cavity itself.
[0070] Any of the previously-described additional features of the inventive device, such as presence of pain-killing or hemostatic drugs, the capacity for the marker to emit therapeutic radiation for the treatment of various cancers, the various materials that may make up the marker and body, as well as their size, shape, orientation, geometry, etc., may be incorporated into the device described above in conjunction with FIGS. 3A-3D .
[0071] Turning now to FIGS. 4A-4C , a method of delivering the inventive device of FIG. 1A is shown. FIG. 4A details the marking device ( 402 ) just prior to delivery into a tissue cavity ( 404 ) of human or other mammalian tissue, preferably breast tissue ( 406 ). As can be seen, the step illustrated in FIG. 4A shows a suitable tubular percutaneous access device ( 400 ), such as a catheter or delivery tube, with a distal end ( 408 ) disposed in the interior of cavity ( 404 ). As previously described, the marking device ( 402 ) may be delivered percutaneously through the same access device ( 400 ) used to perform the biopsy in which tissue was removed from cavity ( 404 ). Although this is not necessary, it is less traumatic to the patient and allows more precise placement of the marking device ( 402 ) before fluid begins to fill the cavity ( 400 ).
[0072] In FIG. 4B , marking device ( 402 ) is shown being pushed out of the distal end ( 408 ) of access device ( 400 ) by a pusher ( 412 ) and resiliently expanding to substantially fill the tissue cavity ( 404 ).
[0073] Finally, in FIG. 4C , access device ( 400 ) is withdrawn from the breast tissue, leaving marking device ( 402 ) deployed to substantially fill the entire cavity ( 404 ) with radiopaque or echogenic marker ( 410 ) suspended in the geometric center of the marking device ( 402 ) and the cavity ( 404 ). As mentioned above, the marking device ( 402 ) may be sized to be larger than the cavity ( 404 ) thus providing a significant resistance against the walls of the cavity ( 404 ).
[0074] FIGS. 4D-4F show a method of delivering the marking device ( 402 ) into a tissue cavity ( 404 ) by a plunger ( 414 ) that is capable of both advancing the marking device ( 402 ) and delivering a bio-compatible fluid ( 416 ). The “bio-compatible fluid” is a liquid, solution, or suspension that may contain inorganic or organic material. The fluid ( 416 ) is preferably a saline solution, but may be water or contain adjuvants such as medications to prevent infection, reduce pain, or the like. Obviously, the fluid ( 416 ) is intended to be a type that does no harm to the body.
[0075] FIG. 4D details the marking device ( 402 ) prior to delivery into the tissue cavity ( 404 ). In FIG. 4E , a plunger ( 414 ) pushes the marking device ( 402 ) out of the access device ( 400 ). Upon exiting the access device ( 400 ) the marking device ( 402 ) begins resiliently expanding to substantially fill the cavity ( 404 ).
[0076] FIG. 4F shows the plunger ( 414 ) delivering the bio-compatible fluid ( 416 ) into the cavity ( 404 ). The fluid ( 416 ) aids the marking device ( 402 ) in expanding to substantially fill the cavity ( 404 ). In this example, the bio-compatible fluid ( 416 ) is delivered subsequent to the placement of the marking device ( 402 ) in the cavity ( 404 ). The marking device ( 402 ) may also be soaked with fluid ( 416 ) prior to placement in the cavity ( 404 ).
[0077] FIGS. 4G-4I show another method of delivering the marking device ( 402 ) into the tissue cavity ( 404 ) by using the bio-compatible fluid ( 416 ) as the force to deliver the marking device ( 402 ) into the tissue cavity ( 404 ).
[0078] FIG. 4G details the marking device ( 402 ) prior to delivery into the tissue cavity ( 404 ). FIG. 4H illustrates flow of the bio-compatible fluid ( 416 ) in the access device ( 400 ), the fluid ( 416 ) flow then pushes the marking device ( 402 ) out of the access device ( 400 ).
[0079] FIG. 4I shows the delivery device ( 400 ) continuing to deliver the bio-compatible fluid ( 416 ) into the cavity ( 404 ). The fluid ( 416 ) aids the marking device ( 402 ) in expanding to substantially fill the cavity ( 404 ). In this example, the bio-compatible fluid ( 416 ) is delivered after the placement of the marking device ( 402 ) in the cavity ( 404 ) although the invention is not limited to the continued delivery of the fluid ( 416 ).
[0080] FIG. 4J-4K shows the method of delivering the body ( 418 ) of the cavity marking device directly into the cavity ( 404 ) prior to the placement of the marker ( 410 ) in the device ( 402 ).
[0081] FIG. 4J shows the deposit of the body material ( 418 ) into the cavity ( 404 ). In this case the body material ( 418 ) may be a gel type material as described above. FIG. 4K details the filling of the cavity ( 404 ) with the body material ( 418 ). At this point, the delivery device (not shown in FIG. 4K ) may be withdrawn. FIG. 4L details the placement of the marker ( 410 ) into the body material ( 418 ).
[0082] FIGS. 5A-5E show yet another version of the invention in which a marker, preferably consisting of a radiopaque or echogenic wire, is deployed alone into a tissue cavity without the use of any body. In this device, the marker can be made of a shape memory material, such as a nickel-titanium alloy, which when deployed into the biopsy cavity, assumes a predetermined configuration to substantially fill the cavity, mark the cavity location and margin, and indicate the orientation of the marker inside the cavity.
[0083] In FIG. 5A , marker ( 500 ) is a three-dimensional sphere consisting of two rings ( 502 ), ( 504 ) pivotally connected at ends ( 506 ), ( 508 ) so to assume a spherical shape. Such a marker can be made of a shape memory metal so that when it is placed in a deployment tube ( 510 ) shown in FIG. 5B , marker ( 500 ) assumes a collapsed profile suitable for deployment through tube ( 510 ) by pusher ( 512 ). Upon exiting into the tissue cavity (not shown), marker ( 500 ) assumes the spherical shape of FIG. 5A to fill the cavity. The marker ( 500 ) may also be shaped into any similar shape such as an ellipsoidal shape.
[0084] Turning now to FIG. 5C , a marker ( 520 ) in the form of a wire cylinder is shown. Again, this device is structurally configured to assume the depicted cylindrical configuration when deployed in the tissue cavity, but may be (as described above) “collapsed” into a deployment tube for percutaneous delivery. This device is especially suitable for marking the distal and proximal ends of the tissue cavity due to its asymmetrical shape.
[0085] FIG. 5D shows a shape memory marker ( 530 ) in the form of a helical coil deployed into tissue cavity ( 532 ). Again, as seen in FIG. 5E , such a marker ( 530 ) may be deployed through delivery tube ( 510 ) by pusher ( 512 ) in a substantially elongated, straightened form, only to substantially assume the shape of the cavity ( 532 ) as shown in FIG. 5D . Any suitable delivery device or pusher ( 512 ) capable of deploying marker ( 530 ) into cavity ( 532 ) is within the scope of this invention.
[0086] Each of the markers shown in FIGS. 5A-5E is preferably a shape memory material coated or supplemented with a radiopacity-enhancing material, such as gold, platinum, or any other radiopaque material herein discussed. The markers may singly, or in combination with being radiopaque, be echogenic or be made echogenic by any of the materials or methods herein described.
[0087] From the foregoing, it is understood that the invention provides an improved subcutaneous cavity marking device and method. While the above descriptions have described the invention for use in the marking of biopsy cavities, the invention is not limited to such. One such application is evident as the invention may further be used as a lumpectomy site marker. In this use, the cavity marking device yield an improved benefit by marking the perimeter of the lumpectomy cavity.
[0088] The invention herein has been described by examples and a particularly desired way of practicing the invention has been described. However, the invention as claimed herein is not limited to that specific description in any manner. Equivalence to the description as hereinafter claimed is considered to be within the scope of protection of this patent. | These are biopsy site marking devices. More particularly, the devices include a body of gelatin and an x-ray detectable body of a specific, predetermined non-biological configuration embedded in the body of gelatin. In one embodiment, the x-ray detectable body is made from metal. In alternative embodiments, the x-ray detectable body can be made from stainless steel or metal oxides. | 0 |
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Application No. 61/364,914 filed on Jul. 16, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The following relates to systems and methods for performing access control.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In computer system security, access control is often used as an approach to restrict system access to authorized users. Role-based access control is a particular approach wherein, within an organization, roles are created for various functions. The permissions to perform certain operations are assigned to specific roles. Users or other entities or “subjects” are assigned particular roles, and through those role assignments acquire the permissions to perform particular system functions. Since the subjects are not assigned permissions directly, but only acquire them through their role (or roles), management of individual rights becomes a matter of assigning appropriate roles to the subject rather than individual permissions for each and every subject.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the appended drawings wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an access control system being used to restrict or control access to resources in an environment.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a role-based access control system based on positive access permissions.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a role-based access control system based on negative access permissions.
[0008] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an example role hierarchy structure.
[0009] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating another example role hierarchy structure.
[0010] FIG. 6 is a screen shot illustrating an example user interface (UI) for adding a new account for accessing the restricted environment.
[0011] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example set of computer executable instructions for controlling access based on negative access permissions.
[0012] FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example set of computer executable instructions for adding or modifying negative permissions.
[0013] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a provisioning system incorporating the access control system of FIG. 3 .
[0014] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating components used by an access control system incorporated into a provisioning system.
[0015] FIG. 11 is a screen shot of an example error message.
[0016] FIGS. 12 and 13 are state diagrams illustrating role and permission relationships.
[0017] FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example access control list model for implementing an access control system with a provisioning system.
[0018] FIG. 15 is a screen shot of an example user interface for creating a user account using positive permissions.
[0019] FIG. 16 is a screen shot of an example user interface for creating a user account using negative permissions.
[0020] FIG. 17 is a screen shot of an example user interface for a user to edit their own account.
[0021] FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating an example set of computer executable instructions for adding a new user account.
[0022] FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating an example set of computer executable instructions for adding a previously denied permission.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] Role-based access control systems that define a set of permissions for each role, typically include in the set of permissions, those interactions with a controlled or restricted environment that are permissible to any subject given that role. Although this enables roles to be updated and added rather than modifying or defining permissions on a subject-by-subject basis, it has been found that systems typically evolve over time and, in particular, when new features are added that are to be made available to several roles, each role needs to be updated with the additional permission. In systems with many roles, the addition of such permissions or, similarly, the modification of existing permissions (that relate to multiple roles), can be burdensome.
[0024] Rather than defining roles in terms of those resources and/or actions pertaining to the resources that are permitted to subjects having that role, it has been found that by instead defining a role by negative permissions, i.e. those resources and/or actions related thereto that are not permitted to subjects in that role, the evolution of a system is more convenient to manage. For example, if a new resource is added to a system or a minor system-wide modification is made to add an action to an existing resource, the resource and/or action may be added to the system and the role definitions and the roles only require updating if particular ones are denied that resource. In this way, the system is only required to track and update the denied resources for particular roles.
[0025] It has also been recognized that by defining a role in terms of negative permissions, i.e. what subjects in that role cannot do, malicious users can be thwarted from creating false user accounts since selecting functions associated with the resources will take permissions away rather than add them.
[0026] For the purposes of the following examples, a “resource” may refer to any data, object, item, etc. that is provided by or otherwise available within a particular environment which is being restricted or controlled. For example, a resource may be a data file such as an electronic document. Associated with each resource is at least one action, which may generally refer to any operation, function, or other ability to access or modify a resource. For example, various menu options may correspond to actions that can be applied to a data file, e.g. view, edit, delete, copy, etc. A permission (P) may refer to an action, pertaining to a particular resource, which is permitted. Conversely, a denial (D) may refer to an action, pertaining to a particular resource, which is not permitted. A subject may refer to any user or other entity (e.g. virtual user, server, other system, etc.) that is attempting to access the environment to perform an action pertaining to a particular resource.
[0027] Turning now to FIG. 1 , an access control system 10 is shown, which is incorporated into or interposed between a restricted or controlled environment 12 (the “environment 12 ” hereinafter) and one or more subjects 19 , for controlling access to one or more resources 14 considered to be part of, or within, the environment 12 . In this example, the access control system 10 provides access control to subjects 19 that connect via a network 16 such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc., as well as those that may connect thereto directly. Also shown in this example are both mobile communication devices 18 and other computing or communication devices such as a desktop computer 20 . The access control system 10 may be controlled or otherwise managed by an administrator 22 .
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates an example role-based access control system 10 that utilizes positive access permissions 34 (P 1 , P 2 , etc.) to define which resources 14 in the environment 12 a subject 19 associated with a particular role 32 may access. In this example configuration, a request 24 to access a particular resource 14 can be received or otherwise obtained using a communication interface 26 . The communication interface 26 is configured to reference an access control list 28 to determine if an access grant 29 is permitted for the subject 19 , based on the subject's role 32 and the permissions 34 associated with that role 32 . The access control list 28 comprises a mapping of registered subjects to one or more roles 32 . Although each subject 19 in FIG. 2 is associated with one role 32 , it can be appreciated that a subject 19 may be associated with more than one role 32 .
[0029] The access control list 28 can be used to determined which roles 32 are associated with the subject 19 making the request (i.e. the requestor). Once the role(s) 32 is/are determined, the access control list 28 may reference, or the access control system 10 itself may reference, a role definition database 30 . The role definition database 30 comprises, for each role 32 , one or more permissions 34 indicating which resources 14 that particular role is entitled to access in the environment 12 for performing one or more particular actions. In this way, by referencing a particular role 32 in the database 32 , the access control system 10 can determine if the requested action can be accessed by the requesting subject 19 .
[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates certain ones of the permissions in dashed lines to indicate that the roles 32 may form part of a hierarchy. In this example, R 3 provides a base role 32 with permission P 1 . R 2 may then extend from R 3 to inherit P 1 and add a further permission P 2 . Similarly, in this example, R 1 may then extend from R 2 to inherit both P 1 and P 2 (through the inheritance of R 3 in R 2 ) and add a further permission P 3 . It can be appreciated that FIG. 2 provides only one illustrative example of a simple hierarchical structure wherein R 1 has more permissions than R 2 , which has more permissions than R 3 . In other hierarchies (discussed later), the hierarchy may represent a logical mapping between what is permitted if a particular permission is inherited etc. and thus the hierarchy need not represent an organizational importance structure.
[0031] As discussed, in order to add or modify permissions, an administrator 22 via an administrator interface 36 in the example of FIG. 2 (using positive permissions P), would need to update each role 32 in the database 32 that is affected by the modification or addition or at least examine the effect of inheritances on the modifications. For example, although in FIG. 2 the modification would only be needed in R 2 since only R 1 inherits P 2 , more complex hierarchies would typically having multiple instances of the same permission. In other embodiments however, wherein a hierarchical inheritances are not used, a modification 38 to P 2 would amount to an update to both R 1 and R 2 . Similarly, an addition 40 that adds a new action 14 , A 4 , which in this example is accessible to all roles 32 , would require each role 32 to be updated, e.g. to provide a permission associate with an action related to A 4 , i.e. P 4 . Even if a hierarchical structure is used, the administrator interface 36 would need to determine, given the hierarchy, which role 32 P 4 could be placed to thereby propagate through to each role 32 that should have permission to perform that particular action associated with A 4 .
[0032] To more conveniently mange changes to the roles 32 , FIG. 3 illustrates a example configuration for the access control system 10 ′, wherein the suffix (′) indicates a component from FIG. 2 that is modified. Turning now to FIG. 3 , the communication interface 26 and administrator interface 36 may comprise a configuration similar to that shown in FIG. 2 . However, in FIG. 3 , a negative access, hierarchical, permission based, role definition database 30 ′ is utilized, wherein each role 32 ′ has associated therewith, one or more denials 42 indicative of an action (A) related to a resource 14 that subjects 19 associated with that role 32 ′ cannot perform (including accessing, modifying, deleting, copying, etc.). An action database 44 is also shown for illustrative purposes, which lists the actions 46 related to resources 14 in the environment 12 that are subject to access control. It can be appreciated that a set of denials 42 in the database 30 ′ for a particular role 32 ′ implies that the complement of this set corresponds to actions 46 that may be accessed by subjects 19 having that role 32 ′. In other words, the complement of a set of denials 42 corresponds to any action 46 in the action database 44 that is not associated with a denial 42 in that set.
[0033] By providing access control on the basis of negative access permissions (i.e. by listing denials 42 ), a new action addition 40 (e.g. new action for an existing resource 14 or new resource with at least one new action—e.g. view resource) simply updates the action database 44 with A 4 in this example, thereby indicating that unless specified as a denial 42 in the database 32 ′, a subject 19 may perform that action 46 . Similarly, any modification 38 to, for example, A 2 (e.g. protocol, format to be used, etc.), would need to be done in only the action database 44 without requiring each role 32 ′ to be modified or the hierarchy examined to ensure correct propagation. Only denial additions 48 would require the database 30 ′ to be updated, however, only those roles 32 ′ that are to be given such a negative permission need to be modified, which would be specified when the addition is being made.
[0034] It can be appreciated that FIG. 3 illustrates the negative of the permissions in FIG. 2 . In other words, R 1 may perform any action and thus has no denials 42 , R 2 is only denied action A 3 (and thus lists denial D 3 ), and R 3 is denied both A 2 and A 3 and thus lists denials D 2 and D 3 . The roles 32 ′ in FIG. 3 may also be hierarchically related. In this way, R 2 extends from R 1 to inherent zero denials 42 from R 1 (empty set) but add new denial D 3 . R 3 would then inherit the denial 42 from R 2 and add an additional denial 42 , namely D 2 . D 3 is thus shown in dashed lines in FIG. 3 to illustrate that D 3 would not necessarily need to be specified twice if R 3 extends from R 2 .
[0035] The access control list 28 ′ in FIG. 3 also includes an “Exception” column, which can be used to assign subject-specific exceptions to particular subjects 19 . For example, although Subject A is given role R 1 , a particular denial (e.g. D 6 —not shown) can be added that would not be associated with all subjects 19 having R 1 but to that particular subject 19 , i.e. Subject A in this example. When providing exceptions as shown in FIG. 3 , these subject-based restrictions would be checked before examining what is permitted within the associated role 32 ′. In this way, if that subject 19 is denied a particular action, there is no reason to examine the role's denials as the subject-based exception would supersede what is defined in the role 32 ′.
[0036] As discussed, the roles 32 , 32 ′ shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 can be related to one another using hierarchical relationships. In this way, a set of permissions 34 or denials 42 associated with a given role 32 , 32 ′ can be expanded to include any permission 34 or denial 42 that is inherited from another role 32 , 32 ′. Turning now to FIG. 4 , a hierarchical relationship between R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 is provided that corresponds to the denial sets shown in FIG. 3 .
[0037] A first node 50 corresponds to R 1 , which has associated therewith a first denial set 58 , namely Set A that is an empty list or placeholder object. By extending from R 1 , a second node 42 corresponding to R 2 inherits Set A and by adding a second denial set 62 , namely Set B, a first extended denial set 60 , namely Set A+B is associated with the second node 52 . By extending from R 2 , a third node 54 corresponding to R 3 inherits the second denial set 62 , namely Set A+B, and by adding a third denial set 66 , namely Set C, a second extended denial set 64 , namely Set A+B+C is associated with the third node 54 . A new role is also shown in FIG. 4 , thus creating a fourth node 56 . It can be appreciated that the fourth node 56 is not necessarily lesser in importance than the second node 52 nor more important that the third node 54 , for example—the hierarchy can be used to define how denials 42 are inherited in an object-oriented manner rather than define a strict organizational structure. The fourth node 56 in this example inherits the empty Set A from the first node 50 and adds the third denial set 66 , namely Set C to create a fourth extended denial set 68 , namely Set A+C. Therefore, it can be appreciated that the hierarchy of roles can be structured based on inheritances and thus similarities with other roles and does not necessarily reflect the relative importance of the nodes created and the subjects 19 having roles 32 , 32 ′ corresponding to the nodes.
[0038] FIG. 5 provides another example role-based hierarchy to illustrate the various ways in which roles 32 ′ may inherit negative permissions, and how exceptions may be permitted. In this example, a set of 12 distinct actions is assumed. R 1 is again an empty set that indicates all actions are permitted if given R 1 (e.g. an administrator 22 ). R 2 , R 3 , and R 5 all inherit this empty set and add particular sets of denials. R 2 denies actions A 1 and A 3 (denoted D 1 and D 3 ), R 3 denies actions A 2 and A 4 (denoted D 2 and D 4 ), and R 5 denies action A 5 (denoted D 5 ). It can be seen that R 4 , which is to deny A 1 -A 4 , plus A 10 , can inherit both R 2 and R 3 and additional deny D 10 . Therefore it can be appreciated that multiple roles can be inherited. It may also be noted that if R 4 did not add D 10 , the access control system 10 could instead enable subjects 19 to be given both roles R 2 and R 3 to in effect have the combined set of denials. FIG. 5 also illustrates an exception E 1 associated with User A. In this example, User A is given role R 4 but is denied access to A 5 instead of A 10 . Although a new role 32 could be created for User A (as shown in dashed lines), the exceptions enable true exceptions to be created until enough subjects 19 have the same exception thus warranting a new role. The new role could be created by inheriting R 2 , R 4 , and R 5 .
[0039] It may be noted that the denials (D 1 . . . DN) are not necessarily redundantly associated with each role 32 , 32 ′. The arrows suggest “inheritance” and thus the bracket surrounding the inherited denials 42 indicates in this example that the ACLs 28 , 28 ′ do not need to be attached in a flat way to a node in the security model (a node being either a Role 32 or a User), but rather ACLs 28 , 28 ′ are set at specific nodes in the ancestry and inherited by children nodes. For instance, the role R 4 has D 1 , D 2 , D 3 and D 4 in brackets to suggest they are inherited and only D 10 is shown as an additional denial 42 . Also, D 5 in the User A definition has an asterisk to indicate that it is a swapped denial due to an exception.
[0040] It may also be noted that roles 32 , 32 ′ may be defined to map closely to an application menu. The granularity depends on how many levels the menu has. If we roles 32 , 32 ′ are not defined in that way, it can be more difficult to describe ACLs 28 , 28 ′ hierarchically. The following example is based on a DVD analogy: An application has the following menu hierarchy:
[0000]
Top Menu
-> Title 1
-> Chapter1
-> Chapter2
...
-> Title 2
...
[0041] A role R 1 may be defined that is granted everything in this branch: Top Menu->Title 1. A role R 2 can also be defined that inherits from R 1 but is denied access to Top Menu->Title 1->Chapter 2. In effect, R 2 is granted any action within Title 1 (viewing/modifying any chapter) with the exception of Chapter 2.
[0042] FIG. 6 illustrates a screen shot of an example user interface (UI) 70 for adding a new subject account for the access control system 10 . It can be appreciated that the same or similar functionality can be used for modifying an existing user account (not shown). In this example, the UI 70 provides a role selection option 72 , which comprises a pull down list 74 of existing roles 32 , 32 ′, and a new role button 76 , which may be selected to define a new role 32 , 32 ′. Whether an existing role 32 , 32 ′ is chosen, or a new role 32 , 32 ′ is created, a list of resources 78 is provided, for selecting those resources 14 that should be denied to the particular role 32 , 32 ′. Each entry in the list 78 comprises a checkbox 80 that when selected denies access to that resource 14 . It can be appreciated that for an existing role, the list 78 may pre-populate those denials 42 already associated therewith and thus any further selections or de-selections would correspond to exceptions made for that particular subject 19 . An example provided below is given to further illustrate this principle (see FIGS. 15 and 16 ).
[0043] It has been recognized that by using the negative permission scheme discussed above, various malicious attacks can be thwarted. For example, an adversary that attempts to hack into the access control system 10 to create a new account with unlimited permissions would likely select many or all of the checkboxes 80 possible which would have the opposite effect that was intended, namely the adversary would instead be denied many or all actions in the environment 12 . In other words, the effect of deselecting all checkboxes is that nothing gets sent to the server. In HTML, values for the checked boxes are part of the payload sent over HTTP. Values for the unchecked boxes are ignored. Note that this only applies for entitlements administration over Web.
[0044] FIG. 7 illustrates an example set of computer executable instructions that may be executed by the communication interface 26 for controlling access to a resource 14 in the environment 12 , based on negative access permissions. At 100 , the communication interface 26 would perform or have performed, an authentication process (not shown) to authenticate the subject. For example, a username and password may be required to ensure a valid user is trying to access the system. This operation is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 7 to indicate that it may be done at an earlier time (e.g. if user enters a wider system for some other reason). At 102 , the communication interface 26 obtains a request to authorize a particular action in the environment 12 . In this example, since exceptions are permitted, the communication interface 26 may first determine if there is a user-specific exception associated with the requesting subject 19 at 103 , e.g. by referencing the access control list 28 ′. If an exception exists and that subject 19 is not permitted to perform the requested action (regardless of their assigned role(s) 32 ′), the communication interface 26 can immediately deny access to the requested action at 110 . If an exception does not exist for that subject 19 , the communication interface 26 then determines the role(s) 32 ′ associated with the subject 19 at 104 . By determining the role(s) 32 ′, the communication interface 26 may then determine if the role denies the ability to perform the requested action at 106 . If the role 32 ′ denies this action at 108 , operation 110 is performed. If not, use of the requested action is authorized at 112 .
[0045] FIG. 8 illustrates an example set of computer executable instructions that may be executed by the administrator interface 36 for adding or modifying negative permissions. At 114 , the administrator interface 36 detects a request to add or modify the permissions (e.g. via a user interface made available to an administrator 22 ). The administrator interface 36 then determines at 116 if the requestor is attempting to add or modify a permission. If the requestor wishes to modify a permission, the administrator interface 36 accesses the action database at 128 and modifies or replaces an existing action at 130 to thereby perform the requested modification. For example, an old protocol may be upgraded with a newer protocol.
[0046] If the requestor is trying to add a new permission, the administrator interface 36 determines at 118 whether the addition is a new denial or a new action and thus whether the action database 44 or role definition database 30 ′ is to be updated. If a new denial 42 is to be added, the administrator interface 36 determines the associated role(s) 32 ′ that will be affected at 120 and adds the new permission denial 42 to the role definitions at 122 . If a new action is to be added, the administrator interface 36 accesses the action database 44 at 124 , and adds the new action at 126 .
[0047] FIG. 9 illustrates an example environment 12 , comprising a wireless communication and mobile device infrastructure having a provisioning system. The provisioning system is a mission-critical system that often acts as the backbone of the mobile device infrastructure. Provisioning provides service access control to the customers (telecommunication carriers). The carriers act on behalf of their subscribers to enable/disable/add/modify/remove services on/from the device. Provisioning interfaces with various external systems as well as many systems internal to the infrastructure as shown in FIG. 9 . FIG. 9 shows the provisioning system in the center of the figure, exposing various interfaces to external systems such as SAP, Relay, Carriers etc. By incorporating the access control system 10 into the infrastructure shown in FIG. 9 , any of the systems external to the provisioning system (the “clients”) will need to pass the authorization access checks in order to perform their functions. Although not represented explicitly in FIG. 9 , the access control system 10 shields provisioning from all incoming requests ( 3 arrows on the left drawn from the clients towards Provisioning) to perform it authorization operations.
[0048] It has been realized that the negative logic scheme described above is suitable to provisioning because, as will be discussed in more detail below, the ACL management may be exposed over the Web using a GUI that has been familiar to the users for many years—in other words, it may not be easily changed. Also the negative logic saves a lot of time and prone to errors updates to a system when new features and functions are added with each new release. Without the negative logic, each new feature/function and related permissions would need to be granted specifically to each user/role that is entitled to perform that function. Without the negative logic, for each release of the system, all or most ALCs 28 , 28 ′ need to change because most likely existing users and roles would need access to the new functions.
[0049] In a provisioning system such as that shown in FIG. 9 , it has been found that a web interface therefor may provide access to business functions primarily on the client side. While there may be some server-side access checking, often this is minimal and not consistent. The disadvantage, of course, is that malicious users can spoof server requests and gain access to other business modules. In a more specific case, a user with a lesser role can create a user with more privileges. Somebody logged in as a support user can submit HTTP POST requests to the server and they will be executed without first checking whether the user is authorized to perform those requests. The above-described access control system 10 can be considered an Access Control List Framework (or ACL, for short) 10 that can be introduced into the provisioning system (or PRV for short), to provide server side access checking. At a high level, an ACL Service determines if a user has sufficient permissions to perform actions and access resources.
[0050] The ACL framework 10 can be configured to comprise 3 components: the front controller, the ACL Service, and the access control lists 28 , 28 ′. The front controller sits in front of PRV's presentation tier, intercepting and validating requests. This acts as a shield to PRV's business logic and can be implemented as a servlet filter. The ACL service is an authorization service that determines if the user has the permissions to perform the requested actions and access resources, and grants access accordingly. ACLs 28 , 28 ′ are defined for users and are stored in the database. This feature is backward compatible, maintaining the assigned association previously defined in PRV. The ACLs 28 , 28 ′ are loaded only one at application startup. Once loaded, the object model is cached; access checks are made against what is loaded in memory, reducing database hits.
[0051] FIG. 10 illustrates typical ACL components and how they interact with PRV. The front controller in this example is implemented as a servlet filter. This filter intercepts all HTTP requests. Authorization is performed by mapping incoming requests to ACL permissions, and asking the ACL Service, “is this user granted the privilege to execute this action against this resource?” The mapping part involves reading a clientAction request parameter, which is submitted as a hidden form field, and the request context path. If the ACL Service determines that access is granted, the request continues to its intended target. Otherwise, an AuthorizationException is provided, and a HTTP 403 response is returned, which is mapped to a new error page, authError.jsp shown in FIG. 11 .
[0052] When an access check fails, the event can be written to a wrapper log at INFO level. The user, action, and resource may then be logged, along with the user's ACL. As noted above, the ACL Service attempts to answer the question, “is this user granted the privilege to execute this action against this resource?” The ACL Service would then need 3 inputs to answer this question:
[0053] 1) User—For HTTP requests, this is the User object stored in the session. For non-interactive requests, the request sender passes along some authentication token to be able to retrieve a valid user from the ACLs.
[0054] 2) Action—Usually provided as a request parameter, it is one of multiple actions that a user can perform while working on a certain resource. If no action is specified, the read-only access is assumed.
[0055] 3) Resource—This is determined based on the “action”. If no action is specified, it is determined from a mapping between PRV servlets and their functional scope.
[0056] ACLs can be specified in any number of ways, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 . Roles 32 , 32 ′ can have 1 or more permissions, users can have 1 or more explicit permissions, users can have 1 or more explicit roles 32 , 32 ′, but to be backward compatible with existing accounts, a user will only be assigned 1 role 32 , 32 ′, users can be members of 1 or more groups, and groups can be considered special cases of users and so all of the above apply.
[0057] There are seven basic roles defined for the PRV shown herein, namely account manager, service manager, non-bill service manager, system manager, OTAS manager, read only administrator, and an infrastructure administrator. These roles are not typically assigned directly to existing users or new users, instead PRV can have composite roles which will use all or some of the permissions given by the basic roles 32 , 32 ′. The basic roles 32 , 32 ′ assist in defining the composite roles 32 , 32 ′ and also define logical grouping of permissions as they relate to certain provisioning modules. Composite roles 32 , 32 ′ are used to achieve the inheritance principles described above, and to reduce redundancy. One can override a basic role 32 , 32 ′ by extending it with a composite role 32 , 32 ′ but specifically granting or denying one or more actions.
[0058] In one example, the a support role 32 , 32 ′ can be configured to inherit all permissions from the account manager, non-bill service manager, and the OTASL manager roles 32 , 32 ′. The support role 32 , 32 ′ can thus perform partial account and service management. Permissions can be denied or granted by inclusion or omission of the “-” prefix. For “accountManagement”, it is easier to deny 4 out of 10 permissions, and similarly for “serviceManagement” it is easier to grant 3 out of 6 permissions. Permissions not explicitly granted are only available through role extension. For example, because “resetPassword” is part of “accountManagement”, and we have not explicitly granted it, the “support” role inherits this permission.
[0059] It was found that in the current model for security in provisioning, an ACCOUNT is an abstraction of a USER in PRV, a USER_TYPE (attribute of an ACCOUNT) is similar to a role 32 , 32 ′, and each ACCOUNT is associated with one user type. PERMISSIONS are then statically linked to a USER_TYPE and dynamically linked to an ACCOUNT at the time the account gets created or updated. A PERMISSION may be linked to one or more USER_TYPEs, and CUSTOMER_TYPE is linked to one or more USER_TYPEs and associated with a SAP_CUSTOMER. ACCOUNTS are linked to 1-to-1 with a SAP_CUSTOMER.
[0060] By incorporating the ACL 10 described herein, a new model, shown in FIG. 14 may be provided. In the new model, the ACCOUNTS and CUSTOMER_TYPES tables are preserved. The new tables are ACL_USER_PERMISSIONS, ACL_USER_ROLES, ACL_ROLES, ACL_ROLE_PERMISSIONS, ACL_ROLES_TREE. The delta script for 5.0.3 will create this new model and seed it with the appropriate data (e.g. basic roles, permissions, etc. . . . ). The script will also migrate the user data from the older model into this new schema. Once data population is complete, the old tables will be dropped, in favor of this model. The rollback script can completely revert the schema, and repopulate the data to the original tables, if necessary. The ACCOUNTS table will continue to store users and their attributes. The new ACL_ROLES table will have the same semantics as the old ROLES table, but will have different content. The ACL_ROLES_TREE table will model the role inheritance model that has been introduced. To support a user having multiple roles in the future, the USER_TYPE_ID attribute has been moved from the ACCOUNTS table and into the ACL_USER_ROLES table.
[0061] Roles and Users can have their associated Permissions defined in the ACL_ROLE_PERMISSIONS, and ACL_USER_PERMISSIONS tables, respectively. The structure and content of these two tables are ACL oriented; they may have nothing in common with the old PERMISSIONS, ROLE_PERMISSIONS, and ACCOUNT_PERMISSIONS tables.
[0062] Records in the ACL_USER_PERMISSIONS table override the permissions given by the Role (for instance to deny some actions that normally are granted by the role). The USER_ID will be the User's login Id from the ACCOUNTS table. Roles and Permissions are not given numeric identifiers in the example shown in FIG. 14 . Role IDs are descriptive character attributes and permissions will be defined through the couple (resource, actions) as explained earlier. The hierarchy of roles is defined as multiple inheritances (one child—multiple parents) and not as aggregation (one parent—multiple children). The basic and composite roles will be defined in ACL_ROLES table while their relationship will be defined in the ACL_ROLES_TREE table.
[0063] The following tables illustrate how the data is structured in the new schema, using the example discussed earlier.
[0000]
ACL_ROLES
CUSTOMER
ROLE_ID
DESCRIPTION
TYPE
Account Manger
Performs account management
N/A
Service Manager
Performs service management
N/A
Non-bill Service
Performs non-billable service
N/A
Manager
management
OTASL Manager
Performs OTASL management
N/A
Support
Performs support tasks
Infrastructure
[0000]
ACL_ROLE_PERMISSIONS
ROLE_ID
RESOURCE
ACTIONS
Account Manger
account management
*
Service Manager
service management
*
Non-bill Service
non-bill service
*
Manager
management
OTASL Manager
OTASL management
*
Support
account management
modify parameters, manage
partners, manage VARs,
manage subscribers
Support
service management
activate, deactivate, bulk
[0064] In the ACL_ROLES table are the 5 basic roles previously described. In the ACL_ROLE_PERMISSIONS, we see that AccountManager, ServiceManager, NonBillServiceManager, and OTASLManager can perform all actions on their respective resource, as indicated by the asterisk in the ACTIONS column. The support role has some permissions denied against the “accountManagement” resource, and some explicitly granted for the “serviceManagement” resource.
[0000]
ACL_ROLES_TREE
CHILD_ROLE_ID
PARENT_ROLE_ID
Support
account manager
Support
non bill service manager
Support
OTASL manager
[0000]
ACL_USER_ROLES
USER_ID
ROLE_ID
Ganymede
support
[0000]
ACL_USER_PERMISSIONS
USER_ID
RESOURCE
ACTIONS
Ganymede
service management
activate
[0065] The ACL_ROLES_TREE data depicts role extension; the support role extends from the Parent roles: AccountManager, NonBillServiceManager, and OTASLManager. In the ACL_USER_ROLES table the user “Ganymede” is given the role “support”. In the ACL_USER_PERMISSIONS table, the user “Ganymede” has been explicitly denied the “activate” permission. Because of this user's role membership, “support”, it was previously granted, but a user with a higher authority level was able to deny it.
[0066] Referring now to FIG. 15 , a Create User page is shown. A role is assigned by selecting a “Title”, after which a set of permissions associated with the role 32 is displayed. When a box is checked, that permission is granted. If un-checked, then that permission is denied. Permissions that can neither be given nor denied are visible on the page but disabled (grayed out). In a scheme utilizing positive permissions, as shown in FIG. 15 , a malicious user can construct a more powerful user by altering the HTTP POST and adding “checked” permissions which are just numeric IDs. In this example, the user is aware of the existence of the “Reset Password” permission and can possibly alter the POST request to include that permission.
[0067] As discussed above, now making reference to FIG. 16 , the use of the negative permissions described herein can address these problems. For example, the reverse logic described above can also applied to the way the checkboxes work. The user interface 200 shown in FIG. 16 enables a particular user to create a new user such that the sub-set of permissions granted to the new user are equal or less than those granted to the particular user or “creator”. By selecting a role from a Title drop down menu 202 , the permissions associated with the selected role are initially applied as a complete set. In the example shown, the permissions granted for the selected role will be equal or less than those of the creator. By associating a set of permission denials with a particular role, any attempt to maliciously add permissions or create a user with an inappropriate role, can be thwarted by an additional validation at the server side, namely by determining whether or not the user type is appropriate to the role.
[0068] Once a role is selected from the drop down menu 202 , rather than enabling selection of permissions to be granted to the user being created as shown in FIG. 15 , the permissions 204 that can be granted to a user having the selected role are listed with a selection mechanism such as check boxes as shown in FIG. 16 . In this way, the user creating the new user can only see the permissions they would be given (or a sub-set thereof) and any selections would amount to adding an indication of a denial to a request to create the account and thus the user profile, thereby taking that permission away (e.g., individual selections or “select-all” type inputs). A checked box in FIG. 16 indicates a denied permission (emphasized by highlighted font). Unavailable permissions are not displayed, as opposed to being grayed out. If a malicious user alters the request (e.g. HTTP POST) and adds permissions, they are effectively denying themselves more permissions. Even if such extraneous indications of permission denials are maliciously added to the request via checked boxes they can be ignored at the server side by not belonging to the selected title. In other words, the selected title or role will have a predetermined set of permission denials and thus a denial added to the request would not only have the opposite effect, it can be detected as a malicious modification due to the denial being associated with a permission already denied to that role. It can also be appreciated that other modifications to the request that may be capable of adding permissions would also be rejected on the server side by knowing which permissions and denials should be associated with a particular role. In this case, checking all boxes will deny all permissions for that role thus thwarting the attack since the created user would have no permissions.
[0069] It can therefore be appreciated that the security hole that was identified with respect to the use of positive permissions can be closed by providing the user interface of FIG. 16 and additional server side validations based on the selected role and the associated permission denial set for that role. This enables tighter security at the presentation level by the addition of the front controller. The introduction of the concept of Access Control Lists adds a more granular definition of what a user can or cannot do. Roles and permission sets can be inherited and extended. The ACL system 10 also provides the groundwork for other enhancements such as implementing the concept of groups, separation of duties, audit trails, etc.
[0070] Turning now to FIG. 17 , an example screen shot 206 is shown for a user editing their own profile. It can be seen in FIG. 17 that the role is no longer selectable such that the user cannot change their role and can only update their user name, password and email. Also, since the role cannot be changed in this example, no checkboxes are shown and thus the user cannot view any permission set and thus would not be able to discover permissions that could be added. As such, the minimal information is presented to the user to avoid being able to discover which other permissions may exist and to have those permissions added or denials removed.
[0071] FIG. 18 illustrates an example set of computer executable operations that may be performed in creating a new user via the UI 200 shown in FIG. 16 . At 210 , the selection of a role is detected. Based on the selected role, the associated denials for that role are determined at 212 , and the UI 200 is updated at 214 to include the permissions 204 denied to that role and check boxes are shown with each denied permission 204 . At 216 , the submission of a request to create or add a new user is detected (e.g. upon detecting selection of the “Submit” button shown in FIG. 16 ). At 218 , whether or not any permissions 204 have been selected is determined. If one or more checkboxes have been selected, the denials are added to the request to be sent to the ACL system 10 . It can be appreciated that the request may alternatively include the permissions remaining instead or the denied permissions. The request, which includes the username, password, role, email address, and language selections, as well as any denied permissions 204 is then sent to the ACL 10 at 222 . The request received by the ACL 10 may then be examined by the ACS 10 and whether or not the role is acceptable to the user is determined at 224 . If not, the request is denied at 226 . If the user is capable of having the requested role, any denials included in the request are determined at 228 . If at least one additional denial has been selected for the new user, the permission set associated with the specified role, which would remain static for any user having that role, may be obtained and the set of denials specified in the request subtracted therefrom to effectively obtain the permission set for the particular user being created. The inverse of the resultant permission set would be the permissions that are denied to that user and those may be stored as illustrated in the example embodiments above. It can be appreciated that for a new user, the denials specified in the request may also be added to the inverse of the permission set for the role instead of performing the subtractions shown.
[0072] If a permission has been denied to a user when that user is created, in order to subsequently update that user's profile to grant that permission, the operations shown in FIG. 19 may be executed. The administrator or other user having authority over the user being edited may display the currently selected denials at 240 by displaying the UI 200 shown in FIG. 16 . A de-selection of one or more checkboxes detected at 242 then causes a request to edit the user to be prepared at 244 , which would include a complete new set of denied permissions 204 . For example, if 4 denied permissions 204 were originally checked when the user was created, and 1 denied permission 204 was de-selected, an edit request specifying the remaining 3 denied permissions 204 is prepared. The edit request is sent to the ACS 10 at 246 , which is received by the ACS 10 at 248 . It can be appreciated that for an edit request, since the user is already created, a server-side validation could also be performed as shown in FIG. 18 to ensure that the new set of denied permissions 204 are appropriate for the user. In the example shown in FIG. 19 , the ACS 10 determines the set of denied permissions 204 in the edit request at 250 , and subtracts these from the list of permissions associated with the user's role in general at 252 , to obtain the new set of permissions. This effectively adds the previously denied permission since the subtracting would include an additional permission. The inverse of the permissions may then be stored at 254 as a new set of permission denials for that particular user.
[0073] It will be appreciated that any module or component exemplified herein that executes instructions may include or otherwise have access to computer readable media such as storage media, computer storage media, or data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Computer storage media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by an application, module, or both. Any such computer storage media may be part of the access control system 10 / 10 ′, communication interface 26 , access control list 28 , database 30 / 30 ′, administrator interface 36 , environment 12 , or accessible or connectable thereto. Any application or module herein described may be implemented using computer readable/executable instructions that may be stored or otherwise held by such computer readable media.
[0074] In general, there may be provided a method, computer readable medium and device for providing access control, wherein the method comprises: defining one or more roles; for each role, associating one or more actions pertaining to resources in a system that cannot be performed by a subject associated with a particular role; upon obtaining a request to perform a particular action, determining a corresponding role associated with a requestor, and determining if the particular action is denied to subjects having the corresponding role; and enabling access to the corresponding resource for the particular action for performing the particular action, if the particular action is not denied to that role.
[0075] Although the above has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims appended hereto. | Rather than defining roles in terms of those resources and/or actions pertaining to the resources that are permitted to subjects having that role, it has been found that by instead defining a role by negative permissions, i.e. those resources and/or actions related thereto that are not permitted to subjects in that role, the evolution of a system is more convenient to manage. In this way, the system is only required to track and update the denied resources for particular roles. It has also been recognized that by defining a role in terms of negative permissions, i.e. what subjects in that role cannot do, malicious users can be thwarted from creating false user accounts since selecting functions associated with the resources takes permissions away rather than adds them. | 6 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of the invention relates to surgical instruments, more particularly those that can be used in endoscopic surgery with the emphasis on applying hemostatic clips.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Endoscopic surgery frequently requires the application of hemostatic clips or the use of other instruments which can ligate, grab or rip for a variety of purposes. Several significant characteristics of such instruments need to be simplicity in construction, reliability in operation, as well as low cost. Components that come into contact with internal organs in the body must also be effectively sterilized. Alternatively, the construction needs to be sufficiently economical to allow disposability of contaminated components. The layout of the instrument needs to be such as to give the surgeon good feedback during the procedure as to allow as much control as possible while using the instrument. If component systems are used, it is important to have them securely attached to each other to avoid disconnection during the procedure which could jeopardize the patient's condition should detachment occur during a procedure.
Surgical instruments that are adaptable to more than one procedure are preferred. A versatile system of surgical instruments which allows different types of instruments to be used in conjunction with a given actuating system is also a desirable feature.
In the past, various surgical instruments have been developed which address some, but not all of these needs. Some of the problems in addressing many of these needs is that a solution to one of such needs works at cross purposes to another. The result in the past has been fairly complex instruments which have adequately addressed one or two of such design requirements while compromising on the others. Hemostatic clip applicators of varying complexity are known in the art as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,049,152; 5,084,057; 5,100,420; 5,163,945; 4,496,090; 3,675,688; and Reissue 28,932. Some of these patents reveal the use of a trigger grip to actuate a rod which motion is transferred directly to an operating component for accomplishing the purpose the instrument. Typical of such devices is U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,364 which illustrates pincers that are rod actuated. Yet, other clip appliers use a scissor grip and linkage in combination with spring forces to accomplish the clip application. U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,395 illustrates this principle. Other clip applicators that work in a similar fashion employ a ratcheted counterwheel, wherein, every time a clip is applied, the wheel is rotated giving a visual display to the surgeon of the number of clips remaining. This type of clip applier is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,038. Alternatively, to a ratcheted wheel indicating the number of clips remaining, transparent covers, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,395 have also been used to allow the surgeon to see how many clips remain in the stack.
Outside the medical field, staplers have been used to hold objects together, such as in upholstery construction. Typical of such staplers is U.S. Pat. No. 2,296,493 illustrating a hand-operated stapling machine using a rack and pinion linkage with regard to the staple feeding operation.
The apparatus of the present invention has the objectives of providing a simple and economical construction that gives good feedback in the surgeon's hand as to the procedure being conducted. A system of components is provided which has reusable and disposable features. The connection system between the components gives certainty of fixation, thereby eliminating the risk of accidental disconnection during a procedure within the body. The system also provides for adjustability for using clips of various lengths or widths. The clip applicator also provides a feature to ensure sufficient jaw opening prior to feeding of the next successive clip. This avoids the hazards of jamming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The surgical instrument system disclosed is particularly useful for endoscopic procedures. In the preferred embodiment, a hemostatic clip applicator can be directly connected to a trigger assembly or indirectly connected to the trigger assembly through the use of an extension. The connection between the extension and the clip applicator is secured to prevent accidental release during the procedure. The applicator receives a longitudinal input and translates the input into relative component motion through the use of gearing to apply the clips. The handle stem assembly in an alternative embodiment has a drive rod configuration that connects to a closure member so as not only to provide the distal biasing force, but also to provide, if needed, a proximal pulling force to assist in release of the jaw if it becomes necessary.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts an exploded view showing the assembly of the components of the clip applicator.
FIGS. 2A-2C are partial cutaway top views of the applicator as shown in FIG. 1 in a fully assembled condition and further illustrating the idler feature of the feeder.
FIG. 3 is the view at section lines 3--3 shown in FIGS. 2A-2C.
FIGS. 4A-4F are sectional elevational views of the applicator with the feeder in various positions.
FIG. 5 illustrates the extension member with a partial cutaway showing its operation.
FIG. 6 is a section view of the extension member of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is the view along section 7--7 shown in FIG. 6.
FIG. 8A shows the alignment of the applicator to the extension;
FIG. 8B shows insertion of the extension into the applicator;
FIG. 8C shows further extension of the extension over the applicator;
FIG. 8D illustrative relative rotation as between the applicator and the extension; and
FIG. 8E shows the secured position between the applicator and the extension.
FIG. 9 is the operating mechanism in an open position.
FIG. 10 is the operating mechanism in a closed position.
FIG. 11A illustrates a partial cutaway view of an alternative embodiment of a stapler showing a formed staple;
FIG. 11B is the stapler of FIG. 11A in a different position with the staple ejected; and
FIG. 11C is an elevational view of the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 11A in partial cutaway.
FIG. 12 is an elevational part section view of the handle stem assembly.
FIG. 13A is an exploded view of the proximal end of the end of the cartridge end assembly; and
FIG. 13B is an elevational view of the cover assembled over the plug and cartridge bottom members and an end view thereof.
FIG. 14 is a sectional elevational view of the handle stem assembly.
FIG. 15 is a plan view of the proximal end of the closure member.
FIG. 16A is at sectional elevational view of the distal end of the drive rod; and
FIG. 16B is an end view of the view shown in FIG. 16A.
FIG. 17 is a sectional elevational view of the handle stem assembly and cartridge end assembly prior to putting those two components together.
FIG. 18 is the sectional perspective view of FIG. 17 with the two components pushed together.
FIG. 19 is a section view along lines 19--19 of FIG. 18.
FIG. 20 is the sectional perspective view of FIG. 19 with the locking element displaced rearwardly in the coupling.
FIG. 21 is the sectional perspective view of FIG. 20 with rotation of the closure member showing alignment of the fingers on the locking member about to occur with the longitudinal slots on the plug.
FIG. 22 shows the view of FIG. 21 with further rotation of the cartridge to allow the fingers of the locking element to project into the slots of the plug.
FIG. 23 is a sectional elevational view along lines 23--23 of FIG. 22.
FIG. 24 is the view of FIG. 23 showing the initial step toward disengagement.
FIG. 25 shows complete disengagement between the cartridge end assembly and the handle stem assembly.
FIG. 26 is a plan view and section of the cartridge end assembly illustrating the last clip lockout feature shown with the last clip between the jaws.
FIG. 27 is the view of FIG. 26 with no more clips remaining in the cartridge end assembly and the feeder extended between the jaws.
FIG. 28 is a detailed view of the latched teeth built into the cartridge bottom to cartridge end assembly which selectively engage the rack to force the apparatus to completely cycle and to allow a sufficient delay so the jaws could open before the feeder can advance another clip.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The apparatus A of the present invention is an instrument, or a variety of instruments, useful for endoscopic or less invasive surgeries. The major components in the preferred embodiment are a clip applicator generally referred to as 10 (see FIG. 1); an extension member 12 (see FIG. 5); and an actuator 14 (see FIG. 9). These components can be used altogether or, alternatively, the actuator 14 can be applied directly to the clip applicator 10. Alternatively, actuator 14 can be used with other types of surgical instruments which are operable by longitudinal input movement which creates a relative movement in response to an input force to accomplish a surgical procedure.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the details of the construction and operation of the clip applicator 10 will be described. A cover tube 16 holds bottom housing 18 and top cartridge 20 together. A pusher spring 22 is connected at its distal end to top cartridge 20 and at its proximal end to pusher 24. The proximal end of pusher 24 has a pushing surface 26 which is a surface conforming to the clip 28. In the preferred embodiment, a series of clips 28 can be stacked end-to-end in front of pushing surface 26; however, the scope of the invention is broad enough to include an applicator that applies one or more clips in sequence. The clips 28 rest on a feeder 30 as does pusher 24. The distal end of feeder 30 comprising a pushing surface 32 which, like pushing surface 26, conforms to the body shape of the clips 28 for the purpose of further advancing a clip as will be described below. The feeder 30 rests on cartridge floor 34. It should be noted that the assembly of the top cartridge 20, pusher spring 22, pusher 24, clips 28, feeder 30 and cartridge floor 34 can be assembled as subassembly. The cartridge floor 34 has a plurality of cutouts 36 on both sides of its longitudinal centerline. A plurality of posts 38 conform to the shape of cutouts 36 and align the top cartridge 20 and the cartridge floor 34 to bottom housing 18.
Vessel stop 40 has a plurality of cutouts 42 which are aligned with cutouts 44 on jaw 46. Vessel stop 40 prevents vessel from dislodging clip 28. Jaw 46 and vessel stop 40 are put together by aligning openings 42 and 44 onto posts 48 in bottom housing 18 after initially slipping the assembly of vessel stop 40 and jaw 46 through the distal end 50 of closure member 52. Jaw 46 has a pair of opposed tapered surfaces 54 at the distal end of an elongated slot 56. Mounted distally to the tapered surfaces 54 are crimping members 58 and 60. Closure member 52 is mounted within housings 18 and 20 and can translate responsive to a force input. A spring 62 connected at its distal end to tab 64 on closure member 52 and on its proximal end to post 66 on bottom housing 18 applies a force in the proximal direction to closure member 52. Slot 68 on closure member 52 accommodates spring 62. Posts 48 in bottom housing 18 extend through openings 42 and 44 and into slot 70 on closure member 52, thereby, in the preferred embodiment, limiting the amount of travel of closure member 52 in the distal direction. While a transition 72 is illustrated to accommodate the placement of the floor 34 over the closure member 52, the apparatus A of the present invention encompasses a closure member that does not necessarily include such a transition surface 72.
Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2C and 3, bottom housing 18 accommodates spindle 74 of gear 76. Gear 76 is a compound gear, which, in the preferred embodiment, is really two gears parallel to each other supported by spindle 74. In the preferred embodiment, gear 76 has an upper gear 78 and a lower gear 80. The diameters and hence the number of teeth in gears 78 and 80 are different. The dictates of design determine the ratio of teeth and diameters of the gears 78 and 80 based on the degree of relative movement desired for the application. Different sized clips can be accommodated in the same applicator 10 by varying this ratio. While gears are recited, other motion reversing mechanisms are within the purview of the invention. This includes pulley systems as well as wheels that rely on friction to reverse motion, as well as lever assemblies. Spindle 74 may be motorized or powered to accomplish reverse motion as opposed to an input force to closure member 52 or to feeder 30 which are preferably stacked. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2C, it can be seen that feeder 30 has a plurality of teeth 82 which are visible in FIG. 1 due to a partial cutaway. Another view of teeth 82 is illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C. As indicated in FIGS. 2A-2C and 3, teeth 82 engage substantially in the same plane with upper gear 78. Lower gear 80 is substantially in the same plane as idler rack 84. Idler rack 84 has a plurality of teeth 86 which engage lower gear 80. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, teeth 82 face teeth 86 on opposite sides of longitudinal axis of cover tube 16 with teeth 82 being in a higher plane than teeth 86 of idler rack 84. Mounted to the distal end of idler rack 84 is rack latch 88. Rack latch 88 has a cantilevered and inclined finger 90. As shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, finger 90 extends obliquely toward teeth 82 but is in a plane below such teeth such that upon distal movement of closure member 52, finger 90 skips over tab 92 as shown by comparing the top two views of FIG. 2A-2C. When the closure member 52 moves in the proximal direction, a tab 94, which extends downwardly from the closure member parallel to its longitudinal axis, engages finger 90 and moves it up and over tab 92. The proximal end of idler rack 84 is connected to spring 96 with the proximal end of spring 96 secured to the bottom housing 18, as shown in FIG. 1. The underside of closure member 52 has a notched area 98, as shown in FIG. 1. Idler rack 84 has a shoulder 100 and an opposed shoulder 102. The notched area 98 in closure member 52 is defined by shoulders 104 and 106 (see FIG. 1). The distance between shoulders 100 and 102 is smaller than the distance between shoulders 104 and 106 for a purpose which will be described below. Closure member 52 has a notched surface 108 to accommodate the feeder 30, as shown in the section view of FIG. 3.
The operation of the clip applicator 10 is initiated by a force supplied to closure member 52. Prior to getting into the details of the operation of clip applicator 10, the operation of the extension member 12 and actuator 14 will be described. FIG. 1 illustrates that the top cartridge 20 has an L-shaped slot 110, which has a longitudinal component 112 and a radial component 114. While only one L-shaped slot is shown in FIG. 1, those skilled in the art can appreciate that a plurality of such L-shaped slots 110 can be employed for the purposes of securing the clip applicator 10 either to the extension member 12 or the actuator 14. The actuator 14 in its two positions is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. A handle 116 is mounted to a trigger 118 at pin 120. Trigger 118 has an extension tab 122 which extends into barrel 124o At least one pin 126 extends into barrel 124 and holder 128. Pin or pins 126 are mounted into a position so as to engage L-shaped slot 110 (see FIG. 1) of top cartridge 20. Through a bayonet-type mounting, the clip applicator 10 is longitudinally inserted so that longitudinal component 112 of L-shaped slot 110 passes by pin or pins 126. The clip applicator 10 is then rotated to move the radial component 114 of L-shaped slot 110 past pin or pins 126 to secure the attachment. It should be noted that there is a pin 126 for each L-shaped slot 110 provided in top cartridge 120.
Tab 122 extends into barrel 124 and engages a groove 130 on sleeve 132. A dowel 134 fixes rod 136 to sleeve 132. A knob 138 is rotatably mounted on its central axis to barrel 124 and is retained against longitudinal movements by virtue of pin 140 extending into groove 142 of sleeve 132. When the clip applicator 10 is inserted into barrel 124 and engaged on pins 126, rod 136 is aligned with closure member 52. As a result, moving the trigger from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 10, translates sleeve 132 and rod 136 distally, which, in turn, begins distal movement of closure member 52. It should be noted that the connection, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, is not a fail-safe connection in the sense that rotation of the clip applicator 10 can result in disengagement from actuator 14. However, without the use of extension member 12, the procedure being done with the clip applicator 10 connected directly to the actuator 14 is primarily not very deep within the body of the patient; therefore, making the security of the attachment a lesser concern than in a situation involving an endoscopic procedure. However, the connection, as previously described, at the distal end of barrel 124 involving pins 126 can be fashioned differently along the lines as will be described with reference to FIGS. 5-7 so as to provide a fail-safe connection if the clip applicator 10 is connected directly to the actuator 14.
It should be noted that the trigger 118 returns from its closed position shown in FIG. 10 to its open position shown in FIG. 9 by virtue of spring 201.
At times it may be desirable to use the apparatus A of the present invention in an endoscopic procedure. When doing so, the extension member 12 becomes an additional advantage. Referring to FIG. 5, the outer assembly of the extension member 12 is illustrated. An L-shaped slot 144 is at the proximal end of extension member 12 and is for the same purpose as previously described in L-shaped slot 110. L-shaped slot 144 is disposed in guide 146 which extends the substantial length of extension member 12. Concentrically mounted to guide 146 is extension rod 148. Also, concentrically mounted with respect to guide 146 is tube 150. Tube 150 is secured to guide 146 by pin 152 which extends radially through guide 146, tube 150, and fixed cuff 154. Extension rod 148 has a longitudinal slot 156 to allow extension rod 148 to translate with respect to pin 152 with pin 152 being a distal travel stop as shoulder 158 engages pin 152. The position of extension rod 148 corresponds to the open position of actuator 14, as shown in FIG. 9. When the actuator 14 is assembled to the extension member 12, rod 136 and extension rod 148 are in alignment for tandem movement. As shown in FIG. 7, guide 146 has a pair of opposed slots 160 and 162. Slides 164 and 166 are disposed in slots 160 and 162, respectively. A pin 168 extends through slide cuff 170 and into slide 164. Similarly, a pin 172 extends through slide cuff 170 and into slide 166. It should be noted that the tube 150 has slots 174 and 176 to allow the assembly of slide cuff 170 and slides 164 and 166 to move with respect to guide 146. A spring 178 biases slide cuff 170 distally as a result of it bearing on fixed cuff 154. One pin 180 for each L-shaped slot 110 mounted to clip applicator 10 is disposed at the distal end of extension member 12.
The L-shaped slots 110 on the clip applicator 10 are preferably identical to the L-shaped slots on the extension 12 for interchangeability with actuator 14. Likewise, the pins 180 on extension 12 are preferably identical to pins 126 on the actuator 14.
All of the components of extension member 12 having been described, the method of securing the clip applicator 10 will now be described. As shown in FIGS. 8A-8E, the longitudinal component 112 of L-shaped slot 110 is aligned with pin 180. The clip applicator 10 is advanced proximally until longitudinal slot 112 registers with pin 180, as shown as the second step in the sequence of motions in FIGS. 8A-8E. The next step requires further advancement of clip applicator 10 in the proximal direction until pin 180 bottoms in longitudinal slot 112. As the third step occurs, the slides 164 and 166 are pushed proximally from their position in the second step, which, in turn, translates slide cuff 170 and compresses spring 178. In the fourth step, the applicator 10 is rotated so that radial component 114 of L-shaped slot 110 moves past pin 180. As the rotation progresses, ultimately the longitudinal component 112 becomes aligned with a corresponding slide 164 or 166. At that time, the force of spring 178 acts on slide cuff 170, which, through pins 168 and 172, forces slides 164 and 166 distally until they are registered in longitudinal component 112. The force of spring 178 then retains the connection between extension member 12 and applicator 10 such that rotation is prevented and there is no accidental disconnection. If disconnection is desired, a force in the proximal direction must be applied to slide cuff 170 to overcome the force of spring 178 and translate slides 164 and 166 proximally to take them out of register with longitudinal component 112 of L-shaped slot 110. At that time, rotation in the opposite direction of the previous rotation reverses the steps shown in FIGS. 8A-8E and allows for disconnection between the extension member 12 and the clip applicator 10. The extension member 12 can be made of any desirable materials and, as previously stated, may have a similar connection at its proximal end, as illustrated for its distal end. This type of fail-safe connection could be positioned on the proximal end of extension member 12 in lieu of L-shaped slot 144. Accordingly, depending on the need, a fail-safe connection can be provided in the connection between the actuator 14 and the extension member 12, as well as between the extension member 12 and the clip applicator 10 and between the actuator 14 and the clip applicator 10.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the actuator 14 is reusable as can be extension member 12.
It should be noted that during the procedure, the surgeon can reorient the position of crimping members 58 and 60 (see FIG. 1) by applying a rotational force to knob 138 (see FIG. 9). A rotational force applied to knob 138 is transmitted through sleeve 132, dowel 134, into holder 128 and pins 126, which causes the clip applicator 10, or the combination of clip applicator 10 and extension member 12, to rotate in response to rotation of knob 138.
Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, the operation of the clip applicator 10 will now be described in detail. The process of positioning and feeding the clips 28 will be described by reference to FIGS. 4A-4F. In FIGS. 4A-4F, the feeder 30 is distally extended so that a clip 28 is between crimping members 58 and 60. Since the views of FIGS. 4A-4F are in sections, only crimping member 58 is illustrated. In the second step illustrated in FIG. 4B, the feeder 30 has been retracted thus allowing the pusher 24 (see FIG. 1) to push the clip stack 28 forward moving the next clip in line 28' through the intermediate position and final position illustrated in FIG. 4B. The pusher 24 pushes clip 28' into the delta point 182. The delta point 182 has a ramp surface 184. The top cartridge 20 has a ramp surface 186. The front end or legs 188 of clip 28' engage ramp surface 186. The first contact is made between legs 188 and ramp surface 186. After this first contact is made, the next clip in line 28' is rotated slightly before the inner apex 190 (see FIG. 1) of clip 28' contacts sloped surface 184. The next step as illustrated in FIG. 4C where the clip 28' is now in position to be fed between crimping members 58 and 60. The next step as shown in FIG. 4D where the feeder 30 is pushing the clip 28' distally. The next step is illustrated in FIG. 4E where clip 28' enters between crimping members 58 and 60.
Referring now to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the cartridge floor 34 has a flexible distal segment 192. The flexibility of the cartridge floor 34 gives the clip 28' the ability to rotate into approximately a 15° angle. FIG. 4F indicates the position shown in FIG. 4A with clip 28' now ready for application.
To obtain the motions previously described with reference to FIG. 4, FIGS. 1, 2A-2C, and 9 must be reviewed. The same sequence occurs if extension 12 is mounted to actuator 14. Moving the trigger 118 from the open position of FIG. 9 into the closed position of FIG. 10 advances rod 136 which, in turn, advances rod 148, which provides a distal pushing force on closure member 52 (or first member). Closure member 52 begins to move distally. As a result of such distal movement, shoulder 106 (see FIGS. 2A-2C) of closure member 52 engages shoulder 102 on rack 84 (see FIG. 1). Thereafter, closure member 52 and idler rack 84 move in tandem. As the idler rack 84 advances, it rotates lower gear 80 (a part of the rotating assembly) as a result of the engagement of gear 80 with teeth 86 on idler rack 84. Gear 76 then rotates through the connection between upper gear 78 and teeth 82 on feeder 30 (or second member), causing feeder 30 to move in the proximal direction, as seen by comparing FIGS. 4A to 4B. Simultaneously, while the feeder is being retracted, the closure member 52 is advancing toward tapered surfaces 54. The clip 28, which was between jaws 58 and 60 is crimped as jaws 58 and 60 move toward each other when distal end 50 of closure member 52 advances against ramp surfaces 54 pushing them together. It should be noted that the feeder 30 has retracted sufficiently out of position between crimping members 58 and 60 before members 58 and 60 start moving toward each other. The sequence of these movements can be facilitated by selective placement and angularity of ramp surfaces 54 on jaw 46.
As has been explained, the operation of actuator 14 results in crimping of clip 28 as closure member 52 advances distally over jaw 46. As this is occurring, the idler rack 84 moves distally as well, allowing finger 90 to snap over tab 92, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, by comparing the first and second positions. With the closure member 52 fully advanced distally, the trigger 118 can be released. Spring 62 urges closure member 52 proximally allowing the crimping members 58 and 60 to spread apart. Idler rack 84 moves proximally with closure member 52 in the proximal direction until finger 90 abuts tab 92. At that point, closure member 52 can continue to move proximally due to notched area 98 being longer than the distance between shoulders 100 and 102 of idler rack 84. However, once the finger 90 hits tab 92, idler rack 84 is immobilized preventing any further distal movement of the feeder 30. The closure member 52 continues to move proximally until tab 94 engages finger 90, as shown in FIG. 2C. The continuing proximal movement of closure member 52 forces finger 90 around tab 92. When this occurs, spring 96 vigorously pulls idler rack 84 proximally until shoulder 102 contacts shoulder 106 on the closure member 52 (see FIG. 1). The sudden proximal movement of idler rack 84 turns gear 76 vigorously resulting in rapid distal movement of feeder 30, as illustrated in FIG. 4D-4F. At that point, the next clip 28' is ready for application. The purpose of temporarily immobilizing idler rack 84 is to allow the closure member to retreat proximally a sufficient amount to allow the crimping members 58 and 60 to spread sufficiently before the feeder 30 advances the next clip 28' to position between crimping members 58 and 60. Without such a delay, a possibility of jamming could exist if the feeder 30 advances the next clip 28' prior to the crimping members 58 and 60 having had an opportunity to spread far enough to accept the next clip 28'.
FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate a stapler 10' which can be connected to the actuator 14 or the extension member 12 in the manner previously described. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 11A-11C, an L-shaped slot 110' is used in the manner previously described. A feeder 30' is mounted for reciprocal movement within a top cartridge housing 20' and a bottom housing 18'. A return spring 194 is mounted to the bottom housing 18' and bears on tab 196 to bias the feeder 30' in the proximal direction. The feeder 30' is actuated in a distal direction by using an actuator 14, which causes rod 136 to contact the feeder 30' in the manner previously described to move the feeder 30' distally advancing a staple 198 toward anvil 200. The staple 198 is formed around anvil 200 due to the advancement of feeder 30'. Upon release of the trigger 118, spring 194 pushes proximally on tab 196 which causes feeder 30' to move proximally. At that point, pusher 202 pushes the next staple in line downwardly into the forming path so that upon subsequent distal movement of feeder 30', the entire process is repeated.
As previously described, distal movement of the closure member 52 occurs when rod 136 abuts against it and pushes it distally. Return movement of the closure member was accomplished using spring 62. In the embodiment that is shown in the exploded view of FIG. 1, as well as FIG. 9, a relaxation of the handle 14 would not necessarily result in a pull in the proximal direction on the closure member 52. In the alternative embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 13A and B through 25 alternative configurations of the closure member 52 and rod 136 are disclosed to address the issue of application of a positive force in the proximal direction on the closure member from the drive rod. For simplification, although there is some overlap in parts, new numbers will be applied to the components described in FIGS. 13A-25 for simplicity. As shown in FIG. 13A, the closure member 11 has a different design at its proximal end. A proximally oriented C-shaped opening 13 is illustrated in the FIG. 13A. The proximal end 15 is on a higher plane than the plane of the balance of the closure member 11 which is generally indicated by numeral 17. As a result, there is a bent section giving the proximal end 15 a "dogleg" shape. FIG. 15 illustrates in plan view the C-shaped opening 13. The bent sections 19 form the transition from the plane 17 of the closure member 11 for most of its length and its proximal end 15 which is disposed slightly above. Extending into C-shaped opening 13 are a pair of detents 21 which are in the same plane as each other adjacent proximal end 15.
FIG. 12 illustrates the handle stem assembly H, which has a pair of grips 23 and 25. Plunger assembly 27 facilitates disassembly for cleaning. Movement of grip 23 toward grip 25 actuates piston 29 (see FIG. 14) which is operably connected to drive rod 31 for tandem movement as will be described below. A spring 33 biases piston 29 in the proximal direction thus putting an additional force in the proximal direction on drive rod 31. Thus, when grip 23 is released, spring 33 can push back piston 29 to accomplish a force in the proximal direction on closure member 11. Also included as part of the handle stem assembly H is coupling 35 which has a pair of bayonet pins 37 extending into bore 39. As shown in FIGS. 13A-13B, a cover tube 41 slips over a plug member 43. Plug member 43 along with cartridge bottom 45, when put together cover the internal components as previously described which include the alternative embodiment of closure member 11, define the cartridge end assembly C illustrated in FIG. 13A. Plug 43 and cartridge bottom 45 have an L-shaped slot 47. The slot is not visible in FIG. 13A on cartridge bottom 45 but is the mirror image of the one shown in the plug member 43.
Referring now to FIG. 14, a locking element 49 is movably mounted within coupling 35. Spring 51 and knob 53 bear down on sleeve 55 which in turn pushes on locking element 49. Locking element 49 has a pair of finger shaped detents 57 whose cross-sectional area may be seen in FIG. 19. Spring 51 biases locking element 49 in the distal direction until the force from spring 51 is overcome during assembly of the cartridge end assembly C to the handle stem assembly H, as illustrated in FIGS. 17-25.
As illustrated in FIG. 13A and 15, end 15 of closure member 11 is bent so that detents 21 are in proximate alignment with the center line of drive rod 31. The distal end of drive rod 31 can be seen in FIGS. 16A-16B. FIG. 16A shows the distal end which includes a shaft 59 having a groove 61 behind a head 63. Head 63, as seen on end in FIG. 16B, has a pair of opposed flats 65 which equal the dimension of the grooved component 61 of the drive rod 31. As seen on end, apart from the opposed flats, there are two rounded sections 67 that extend outwardly further than the two flat sections 65.
Referring now to FIG. 13B, when the plug member 43 is assembled to cartridge bottom 45 and seen on end, an opening 69 is presented that is rectangular with a protrusion approximately midpoint resembling the end view shown in FIG. 16B. This view is seen in better detail in FIG. 19. Upon assembly, the flats 65 are arranged in an orientation transverse to the longitudinal length of opening 69. The protrusion in the middle of opening 69 accommodates the end of drive rod 31 when oriented transversely to opening 69. Also visible in FIG. 19 through opening 69 is end 15 of closure member 11. As stated previously, closure member 11 has a C-shaped opening 13 which results in a pair of opposed elongated fingers which hold detents 21.
In assembling the cartridge end assembly C to the handle stem assembly H, the initial position of those two components is illustrated in FIG. 17. In FIG. 17, the initial alignment is made so that the cover tube 41 is aligned with bore 39 so that the L-shaped slot 47 has its longitudinal component in line with bayonet pins 37. FIG. 18 then shows an advancement of the cartridge end assembly C toward to the handle stem assembly H. Various covering components of the handle stem assembly H are removed for clarity of illustration. When the cartridge end assembly C is advanced into bore 39, it displaces in a proximal direction the detents 57 on locking element 49. This occurs because the detents 57 are at this point misaligned with the longitudinal component of L-shaped groove 47. While the motion just described in FIG. 18 is occurring, the head 63 of drive rod 31 is automatically in alignment, shown in FIG. 19, so that the head 63 can advance through the protruding portion of elongated slot 69 to put head 63 into C-shaped opening 13 of closure member 11.
At this point, as shown in FIG. 20, the cartridge end assembly C is pushed into bore 39 until it bottoms out. At that time, it is given a twist as shown in FIG. 21 putting the longitudinal component of L-shaped slot 47 in alignment with detents 57. At that point, spring 51 pushes the detents 57 forward into L-shaped slot 47 thus locking the connection between the cartridge end assembly C and the handle stem assembly H. At this time, the bayonet pins 37 are disposed in the transverse portion of the L-shaped slot 47 found in cartridge end assembly C. Meanwhile, the rotational movement of the cartridge end assembly C with respect to handle stem assembly H described in FIGS. 21 and 22 results in a reorientation of head 63 with respect to opening 69, as shown in FIG. 23. The rounded segments 67 are now literally behind the detents 21 of closure member 11. Accordingly, during operation of the apparatus A when handle grip 23 is released, spring 33 pushes back on piston 29 which is connected to drive rod 31. When this occurs, drive rod 31 moves proximally. Since the rounded segments 67 on drive rod 31 are now trapped in C-shaped opening 13 due to the contact with detents 21, a force in the proximal direction is exerted on closure member 11.
The extension of detents 57 into the longitudinal portion of L-shaped groove 47 also precludes the accidental disconnection between cartridge end assembly C and handle stem assembly H. This connection can be defeated as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 when it is desired to disconnect the cartridge end assembly C from the handle stem assembly H. In order to do this, knob 53 is pulled back as shown in FIG. 24. When this occurs, detents 57 move in tandem with knob 53 and out of the longitudinal segment of L-shaped groove 47 in the cartridge end assembly C. Having pulled the detents 57 all of the way out of groove 47 as shown in FIG. 24, the cartridge end assembly C can then be rotated to align pins 37 with the longitudinal segment of L-shaped slot 47 so that a pullback as shown in FIG. 25 can be accomplished to separate the cartridge end assembly C from the handle stem assembly H. The handle stem assembly H can then be properly cleaned and reused while the cartridge end assembly C is preferably a disposable product. This generates significant cost savings for the surgeon or hospital using the apparatus A since the entire handle assembly is saved and reused many times over while the more economical components are made to be disposable in the form of a removable cartridge end assembly C.
The dogleg feature described on the proximal end of the closure member 11 allows the drive rod in normal operation to bear down significantly on the closure member to push it distally for closing of the jaw 46. On the other hand, if for any reason the closure member does not easily return thereby allowing the jaw 46 to open, then the apparatus of the present invention allows a positive retraction force in the proximal direction to be applied to closure member 11 from drive rod 31. In order to apply a further force to release the jaw 46, handles 25 a 23 can bend physically separated which will provide a mechanical assist to proximal movement of closure member 11.
The positive locking feature which can be seen by comparing FIGS. 19 and 23 allows the surgeon assurance that the accidental separation between the cartridge end assembly C and the handle stem assembly H will not occur. When the detents 57 come into alignment with the groove 47 and are held in place by spring force applied from spring 51, the connection of the two components is assured.
This embodiment illustrated in FIG. 14 also has a detent 71 which includes groove 73. Upon rotation of knob 53, an indexing mechanism not shown gives an audible click upon change of rotational position of detent 71 so that the jaw 46 at the distal end of the apparatus A can have its orientation changed during a procedure in the manner described in FIGS. 9 and 10 of the embodiment.
Referring now to FIGS. 26-28, the last clip lockout feature will now be described. As previously stated, advancement of the drive rod 31 pushes the closure member 11 forward over the jaws 46 to form the clip 79. When a clip 79 is formed and the grip 23 is released, spring 33, as well as springs 201 (see FIG. 9) act on closure member 11 to move it in the proximal direction. After a predetermined amount of movement, closure member 11 and rack 73 (see FIG. 26) move in tandem. When the rack 73 moves in a proximal direction, it turns gear 75 which in turn drives a feeder 77 in the direction to advance the next clip 79. The jaws 46 have a retainer 81 to catch the next clip 79 which is fed. When the next clip 79 strikes the retainer 81, the forward movement of the feeder is impeded, as shown in FIG. 26. This occurs before the rack on the end of the feeder 77 runs off gear 75.
When the cartridge end assembly C runs out of clips, an undesirable situation can occur which has been prevented by the apparatus A of the present invention. If there are no more clips to feed, the surgeon may want to squeeze the handle 23 at a time when no clip 79 is between the jaws 46. This could create undesirable pinching of vessels or other body organs and cause unnecessary trauma to the patient. It is therefore desirable to prevent the jaws 46 from moving together when there is no clip 79 between them. To accomplish this feature, feeder 77 has its gear teeth 83 continuing all the way to its proximal end. The impact of having this type of design is illustrated by comparing FIG. 26 when a clip 79 is actually fed and FIG. 27 where there are no further clips 79 to be fed. In that situation, the movement of the components previously described is the same. However, since the forward motion of the feeder 77 is no longer stopped by a clip 79 abutting retainer 81, the feeder is free to advance until the feeder itself comes in contact with retainer 81. At that point, the feeder 77 is literally between the jaws 46 up against retainer 81. In that condition, any squeezing on handle 23 will not result in bringing jaws 46 together which could cause additional trauma to the patient if any organ or vessel is pinched therebetween.
Referring now to FIGS. 13A and 28, it can be seen that the cartridge bottom 45 has a pair of integrally formed teeth 85 and 87. The closure member 11 has a slot 89. The rack 73 has a transversely-positioned cylinder 91 (see FIG. 26) at its proximal end. Cylinder 91 extends upwardly into slot 89 and downwardly so that it can interact with teeth 85 and 87. As the closure member 11 moves in a distal direction to close the jaws 46, the rack 73 is carried with the closure member 11 due to portions of cylinder 91 extending into slot 89 at its proximal end 93. As the cylinder 91 is advanced distally, it climbs up the ramp of tooth 87 and falls distally behind it. Once this occurs, even if the handle 23 is released, the apparatus A must be fully cycled so that the clip that is at that time in the jaw 46 is fully formed. Thus, even if the surgeon releases the handle 23 he or she must still regrasp the handle 23 and continue squeezing to complete the cycle. Further distal movement of closure member 11 takes with it the cylinder 91 on rack 73 until such time as the rack 73 climbs up the ramp of tooth 85 and falls on the distal side of that tooth. At that point, the feeder 77 has come back sufficiently so that the next clip 79 can fall down in front of it. At that point, if the handle 23 is released the previous clip will fall out and the clip 79 that has just fallen down in front of the feeder will be fed. This occurs when the handle 23 is released allowing the closure member 11 to move in the proximal direction. At this time, a spring illustrated by arrow 95 urges the rack 73 proximally. Initially, the closure member 11 moves proximally a very small distance until cylinder 91 is engaged by the second tooth. At that point, the closure member 11 continues to move proximally as cylinder 91 is then urged to move away from proximal end 93 of slot 89 (see FIG. 13A). Further proximal movement of the closure member 11 ramps the cylinder 91 along the dogleg portion of slot 89 which allows cylinder 91 to clear tooth 85. A spring illustrated by arrow 95 (see FIG. 26) acts on the distal end 97 of rack 73 to begin urging the rack in a proximal direction. The same thing occurs as the closure member 11 continues to move in a proximal direction again ramping cylinder 91 on rack 73 over tooth 87. At that point, spring 95 can continue proximal movement along with the closure member 11. This proximal movement of rack 73 in turn is translated into distal movement of the feeder 77 through gear 75. Another view of the teeth 85 and 87 which are built into cartridge bottom 45 is illustrated in FIG. 28.
In all other ways, the cartridge end assembly C functions in the manner described for the embodiment in FIGS. 1-11.
The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. | The surgical instrument system disclosed is particularly useful for endoscopic procedures. In the preferred embodiment, a hemostatic clip applicator can be directly connected to a trigger assembly or indirectly connected to the trigger assembly through the use of an extension. The connection between the extension and the clip applicator is secured to prevent accidental release during the procedure. The applicator receives a longitudinal input and translates the input into relative component motion through the use of gearing to apply the clips. The handle stem assembly in an alternative embodiment has a drive rod configuration that connects to a closure member so as not only to provide the distal biasing force, but also to provide, if needed, a proximal pulling force to assist in release of the jaw if it becomes necessary. | 0 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 10/235,940, filed on Sep. 6, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,127,860, and U.S. Ser. No. 10/413,566, filed on Apr. 15, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,229, and claims the priority of SE 0103130-1, filed in Sweden on Sep. 20, 2001 and PCT International Application No. PCT/SE02/01731, filed on Sep. 20, 2002, and which designated the United States, and the present application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/372,082, filed in the United States on Apr. 15, 2002. PCT International Application No. PCT/SE02/01731 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/372,082 were incorporated by reference into U.S. Ser. No. 10/413,566. U.S. Ser. No. 10/235,940; U.S. Ser. No. 10/413,566; SE 0103130-1; PCT/SE02/01731; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/372,082 are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to the technical field of locking systems for floorboards. The invention concerns on the one hand a locking system for floorboards which can be joined mechanically in different patterns and, on the other hand, floorboards provided with such a locking system and various methods of installation. The invention is particularly suited for use in mechanical locking systems integrated with the floorboard, for instance, of the types described and shown in WO94/26999, WO96/47834, WO96/27721, WO99/66151, WO99/66152, WO00/28171, SE0100100-7 and SE0100101-5 which are herewith incorporated by reference, but is also usable in other joint systems for joining of flooring.
More specifically, the invention relates above all to locking systems which enable laying of mainly floating floors in advanced patterns.
FIELD OF APPLICATION
The present invention is particularly suited for use in floating wooden floors and laminate floors, such as massive wooden floors, parquet floors, laminate floors with a surface layer of high pressure laminate or direct laminate. Parquet floors frequently consist of a surface layer of wood, a core and a balancing layer and are formed as rectangular floorboards intended to be joined along both long sides and short sides. Laminate floors are manufactured by a surface layer and a balancing layer being applied to a core material consisting of wood fibres such as HDF. This application can take place by gluing an already manufactured decorative layer of high pressure laminate. This decorative layer is made in a separate operation where a plurality of impregnated sheets of paper are pressed together under high pressure and at high temperature. The currently most common method for making laminate floors, however, is direct lamination which is based on a more modern principle where both manufacture of the decorative laminate layer and the attachment to the fibreboard take place in one and the same manufacturing step. Impregnated sheets of paper are applied directly to the board and pressed together under pressure and heat without any gluing.
The following description of prior-art technique, problems of known systems as well as the object and features of the invention will therefore as non-limiting examples be aimed mainly at this field of application. However, it should be emphasised that the invention can be used in optional floorboards which are intended to be joined in different patterns by means of a mechanical joint system. The invention may thus also be applicable to floors with a surface of plastic, linoleum, cork, lacquered wood fibre surface, synthetic fibres and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditional laminate and parquet floors are usually laid in a floating manner, i.e. without glue, on an existing subfloor which does not have to be quite smooth or plane. Any irregularities are eliminated by means of underlay material in the form of e.g. cardboard, cork or foam plastic which is laid between the floorboards and the subfloor. Floating floors of this kind are usually joined by means of glued tongue-and-groove joints, (i.e. joints with a tongue on one floorboard and a tongue groove on an adjoining floorboard) on long side and short side. In laying, the boards are joined horizontally, a projecting tongue along the joint edge of one board being inserted into a tongue groove along the joint edge of an adjoining board. The same method is used on long side as well as short side, and the boards are usually laid in parallel both long side against long side and short side against short side.
In addition to such traditional floors which are joined by means of glued tongue/tongue groove joints, floorboards have been developed in recent years, which do not require the use of glue but which are instead joined mechanically by means of so-called mechanical joint systems. These systems comprise locking means which lock the boards horizontally and vertically. The mechanical joint systems can be formed by machining the core of the board. Alternatively, parts of the locking system can be made of a separate material which is integrated with the floorboard, i.e. already joined with a floorboard in connection with the manufacture thereof at the factory. The floorboards are joined, i.e. interconnected or locked together, by various combinations of angling, snapping-in and insertion along the joint edge in the locked position. By interconnection is here meant that floorboards with connecting means are mechanically interconnected in one direction, for instance horizontally or vertically. By locking-together, however, is meant that the floorboards are locked both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction.
The principal advantages of floating floors with mechanical joint systems are that they can be laid quickly and easily by different combinations of inward angling and snapping-in. They can also easily be taken up again and be reused in some other place.
KNOWN TECHNIQUES AND PROBLEMS THEREOF
All currently existing mechanical joint systems and also floors intended to be joined by gluing have vertical locking means which lock the floorboards across the surface plane of the boards. The vertical locking means consist of a tongue which enters a groove in an adjoining floorboard. The boards thus cannot be joined groove against groove or tongue against tongue. Also the horizontal locking system as a rule consists of a locking element on one side which cooperates with a locking groove on the other side. Thus the boards cannot be joined locking element against locking element or locking groove against locking groove. This means that the laying is in practice restricted to parallel rows. Using this technique, it is thus not possible to lay traditional parquet patterns where the boards are joined long side against short side in “herringbone pattern” or in different forms of diamond patterns.
Such advanced patterns have originally been laid by a large number of wood blocks of a suitable size and shape being glued to a subfloor, according to a desired pattern, possibly followed by grinding to obtain an even floor surface and finishing in the form of e.g. varnish or oil. The wood blocks according to this technique have no locking means whatever, since they are fixed by gluing to the subfloor.
Another known method of laying advanced patterns implies that the wood blocks are formed with a groove along all edges of the block. When the wood blocks are then laid, tongues are inserted into the grooves in the positions required. This results in a floor where the wood blocks are locked in the vertical direction relative to each other by the tongue engaging in tongue grooves of two adjoining wood blocks. Optionally this method is supplemented with gluing to lock the floor in the horizontal directions and to lock the floor in the vertical direction relative to the subfloor.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,787,027 (Wasleff) discloses another system for laying a herringbone parquet floor. The system comprises a plurality of wood blocks which are laid on a subfloor to form a herringbone parquet floor. Each wood block is provided with a set of tongues and tongue grooves which extend over parts of each edge of the wood block. When the wood blocks are laid in a herringbone pattern, tongues and tongue grooves will cooperate with each other so that the wood blocks are locked together mechanically in both the vertical and the horizontal direction. The tongues and tongue grooves that are shown in Wasleff, however, are of a classical type, i.e. they cannot be snapped or angled together, and the locking effect is achieved only when a plurality of wood blocks are laid together to form a floor. The system according to Wasleff consists of two types of wood blocks, which are mirror inverted relative to each other as regards the location of tongues and tongue grooves. The design of the locking system is such that a shank-end mill is necessary to form the tongue grooves shown. This is a drawback since machining using a shank-end mill is a relatively slow manufacturing operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,820 (Terbrack) discloses that floorboards can be joined long side against short side if the floor consists of two different floorboards which a joint system which can be laid merely by inward angling, which is not displaceable in the locked position and in which floorboards cannot be joined by snapping-in. Moreover FIGS. 11 and 23 show floorboards which are mirror inverted relative to each other. This is, however, not discussed in detail in the description. Col. 5, lines 10-13, seems to contain an indication that it is possible to join short side and long side. However, it is not shown how a complete floor can be joined using such floorboards to form a pattern. Owing to the non-existence of displaceability in the joined position and snappability, it is not possible to create, using such floorboards as disclosed by Terbrack, a floor of the type at which the present invention aims.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,341 (Kajiwara) discloses snappable floorboards which have two different long sides. One part of the long side is formed with a groove part and another part with a tongue part. Nor are such floorboards displaceable in the locked position. The manufacture is complicated, and nor can they be used to provide the desired pattern.
“Boden Wand Decke”, Domotex, January 1997 shows a laminate floor where floorboards with different surfaces have been joined to form a floor having a simple pattern. It is also shown that floorboards have been joined long side against short side, but only in such a manner that all the short sides which are joined with a long side extend along a straight line. Consequently, this is an application of a prior-art system.
All known floors which are laid in a herringbone pattern usually have a surface of wood. It is not known that laminate floors can be laid in a herringbone pattern. Such a laminate floor has the same appearance as a real wooden floor but can be produced at a considerably lower cost and with better properties as regards durability and impact strength.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY
An object of the present invention is to provide floorboards, joint systems, methods of installation, methods of production and a method of disassembly, which make it possible to provide a floor which consists of rectangular floorboards which are joined mechanically in advanced patterns long side against short side and which can be disassembled and reused. Another object is to provide such floors at a lower cost than is possible today by efficient manufacture and installation of floorboards in advanced patterns. A specific object of one embodiment is to provide such floors with a surface layer of high pressure laminate or direct laminate. The terms long side and short side are used to facilitate understanding. The boards can also be square or alternatingly square and rectangular, and optionally also exhibit different patterns or other decorative features in different directions.
According to a first aspect, the present invention comprises a system for making a flooring which comprises quadrangular floorboards which are mechanically lockable, in which system the individual floorboards along their four edge portions have pairs of opposing connecting means for locking together similar, adjoining floorboards both vertically and horizontally (D 1 and D 2 respectively), and wherein the connecting means of the floorboards are designed so as to allow locking-together in a first direction in the plane of the floorboard by at least snapping-in and locking-together in a second direction in the plane of the floorboard by inward angling and/or snapping-in. Moreover the system comprises two different types of floorboard A and B respectively, the connecting means of one type of floorboard A along one pair of opposite edge portions being arranged in a mirror-inverted manner relative to the corresponding connecting means along the same pair of opposite edge portions of the other type of floorboard B.
An advantage of the present invention is that floorboards can be laid long side against short side in advanced patterns and that joining can be made quickly and easily in all the laying alternatives that may be used when laying in all four directions from a centre.
The mirror-inverted joint systems need not be identical to allow joining. Surfaces that are not active in the vertical and horizontal locking means may, for instance, have a deviating shape. For example, the outer part of the tongue and the inner part of the groove may be varied.
According to a second aspect, the present invention comprises a system for making a flooring, which comprises quadrangular floorboards which are mechanically lockable, in which system the individual floorboards along their four edge portions have pairs of opposing connecting means for joining together similar, adjoining floorboards at least vertically, and wherein the pairs of opposing connecting means of the floorboards at least in a first direction in the plane of the floorboard are designed so as to allow locking-together both horizontally and vertically by inward angling and/or snapping-in. Moreover also this system comprises two different types of floorboard, the connecting means of one type of floorboard along one pair of opposite edge portions being arranged in a mirror-inverted manner relative to the corresponding connecting means along the same pair of opposite edge portions of the other type of floorboard.
According to a third aspect, the present invention comprises a flooring, which is formed by means of one of the systems described above. According to a fourth aspect, the present invention comprises a set of floorboards for making such a flooring. Such a set may be advantageous in terms of distribution since a customer, by buying such a set, can obtain a set of floorboards which are adjusted to each other. This is particularly advantageous if variations may appear in the manufacturing process as regards, for instance, the colour of the surface or the tolerances of the connecting means.
According to a fifth aspect, the present invention comprises fitting pieces, which have at least one oblique edge and which along their edge portions have connecting means for cooperation with adjoining floorboards. Such fitting pieces may constitute an important aid in installation of a floor with an advanced pattern, such as a herringbone pattern, by the possibility of quickly and efficiently laying floorboards at an angle other than 90° with each other. Since also the fitting pieces are provided with connecting means, a herringbone flooring can be obtained, where both the frame and the actual herringbone pattern are mechanically locked together so that the entire floor is held together mechanically.
According to a sixth aspect, the invention comprises a locking strip for interconnecting floorboards provided with identical locking means. This can be an aid, for instance, in the cases where a fitting piece is not available or if one chooses to form all fitting pieces with identical connecting means all the way round, for instance with a view to reducing the number of variants of fitting pieces.
According to a seventh aspect, the present invention comprises a method for rational production of floorboards which have a system as described above.
An advantage of identical and mirror-inverted joint systems according to the invention is that the floorboards can be produced rationally although they consist of two different types, for instance boards of type A and boards of type B which have identical but mirror-inverted joint systems on long side and short side compared with the boards of type A. All long sides of A and B boards can be machined, for instance, in a first machine. Then the A boards proceed to another machine where the short sides are machined. The boards that are to be provided with mirror-inverted joint systems, for instance the B boards, are however rotated through 1800 in the same plane before machining of the short sides. Thus the two types of board A and B can be manufactured using the same machines and the same set of tools.
According to an eighth aspect, the present invention comprises four alternative or supplementary methods for laying a flooring using the system above. Quick and efficient laying of a floor according to the present invention can be carried out by means of one of these methods.
According to a ninth and a tenth aspect, the present invention comprises a gripping tool as well as a method for disassembly of a flooring as described above.
According to an eleventh aspect, the present invention comprises a system for making a flooring, which comprises rectangular floorboards, joined in a herringbone pattern, with a surface layer of high pressure laminate or direct laminate, in which system the individual floorboards along their long sides have pairs of opposing mechanical connecting means for locking together similar, adjoining floorboards in both the vertical and the horizontal direction (D 1 and D 2 respectively). In this embodiment, the short sides need not have any locking means at all on the short sides since the floorboards are narrow and the short sides are held together by the long sides. The short sides may, however, have vertical and/or horizontal mechanical locking means as described above, and joining of the floor can also partly be made by means of glue which is applied to short sides and/or long sides or under the floorboards. The mechanical locking means on the long sides guide the floorboards and facilitate laying significantly also in the cases where glue is used.
If the length of the long side is a multiple of the length of the short side, for instance 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. times the length of the short side, symmetrical patterns can be produced. If the joint system can also be joined by angling, very quick installation can be carried out by, for instance, the long sides being laid by inward angling and the short sides by snapping-in.
The joint systems on long sides and short sides may consist of different materials or the same material having different properties, for instance wood or veneer of different wood materials or fibre directions or wood-based board materials such as HDF, MDF or different types of fibreboard. Also aluminum can be used in the joint system. This may result in lower production costs and better function as regards inward angling, insertion along the joint edge, snapping-in and durability.
The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings which by way of example illustrate currently preferred embodiments of the invention according to its different aspects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 a - e show prior-art joint systems.
FIGS. 2 a - e show a known floorboard which can be laid by angling and snapping-in.
FIGS. 3 a - b show laying in parallel rows according to prior-art technique.
FIGS. 4 a - b show a floorboard with a mirror-inverted joint system according to the invention.
FIGS. 5 a - b show laying of flooring according to the invention.
FIGS. 6 a - c show a first installation method according to the present invention.
FIGS. 7 a - b show a second installation method according to the present invention.
FIGS. 8 a - e show a third installation method according to the present invention.
FIGS. 9 a - e show fitting pieces for producing a herringbone pattern flooring according to the invention.
FIGS. 10 a - c show different laying patterns according to the invention.
FIG. 11 illustrates schematically a production method for producing floorboards according to the invention.
FIGS. 12 a - d show how floorboards can be detached from each other.
FIGS. 13 a - d show how long sides can be joined with short sides according to the invention.
FIG. 14 shows an alternative embodiment of a short side.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the following description, the two types of floorboards according to embodiments of the invention will be designated A and B respectively. This aims merely at illustrating the cooperation between two types of floorboard. Which type of board is designated A and B respectively is immaterial.
FIGS. 1 a - e illustrate floorboards 1 , 1 ′ with a surface 31 , a core 30 and a rear side 32 , whose joint edge portions are provided with prior-art mechanical joint systems. The vertical locking means comprise a groove 9 and a tongue 10 . The horizontal locking means comprise locking elements 8 which cooperate with locking grooves 12 . The joint systems according to FIGS. 1 a and 1 c have on the rear side 32 a strip 6 which supports or is formed integrally with the locking element 8 . The locking systems according to FIGS. 1 b, d and e are distinguished by the locking element 8 and the locking groove 12 being formed in the groove/tongue. The locking systems according to FIGS. 1 a - 1 c can be joined by inward angling, insertion along the joint edge and snapping-in, whereas the locking systems according to FIGS. 1 d and 1 e can only be joined by horizontal snapping-in.
FIGS. 2 a - e show a known floorboard 1 with known mechanical joint systems which can be joined with another identical floorboard 1 ′ by angling, insertion along the joint edge ( FIG. 2 d ) or snapping-in ( FIG. 2 e ). Floorboards of this type can only be joined with the long side 4 a against the long side 4 b since it is not possible to join tongue 10 against tongue or groove 9 against groove. The same applies to the short sides 5 a and 5 b.
FIGS. 3 a - b show a known installation method and a known laying pattern. In FIG. 3 a , the tongue side 10 on long side and short side is indicated with a thick line. The method which is used today in installation of wood and laminate flooring with mechanical connecting means is shown in FIG. 3 b . Identical boards are laid in parallel rows with offset short sides.
FIGS. 4 a - 4 b show two rectangular floorboards which are of a first type A and a second type B according to the invention and whose long sides 4 a and 4 b in this embodiment are of a length which is 3 times the length of the short sides 5 a , 5 b . The floorboards have a first pair of vertical and horizontal locking means, also called connecting means, which cooperate with a second pair of vertical and horizontal locking means. The two types are in this embodiment identical except that the location of the locking means is mirror-inverted. The locking means 9 , 10 allow joining of long side against short side when the first pair of locking means 9 is joined with the second pair of locking means. In this embodiment, joining can take place by both snapping-in and inward angling, but also insertion along the joint edge. Several variants may be used. The two types of floorboards need not be of the same format, and the locking means can also be of different shapes provided that, as stated above, they can be joined long side against short side. The connecting means can be made of the same material or different materials or be made of the same material but with different material properties. For example, the connecting means can be made of plastic or metal. They can also be made of the same material as the floorboard, but subjected to a property modifying treatment, such as impregnation or the like.
FIGS. 5 a - 5 b show a floor according to the invention which consists of floorboards according to FIGS. 4 a and 4 b , which are joined in a herringbone pattern long side against short side. The laying sequence can be, for instance, the one shown in FIG. 5 , where the boards are laid in the number series from 1 to 22.
The invention is applicable to floorboards of many different sizes. For example, the floorboards may be approximately the same size as the wood blocks in a traditionally patterned parquet floor. The width may vary, for instance, between 7 and 9 cm and the length between 40 and 80 cm. However, it is also possible to apply the invention to floorboards of the size that is today frequent on the market for parquet or laminate floors. Other sizes are also conceivable. It is also possible that boards of different types (for instance A and B) be given different sizes for creating different types of pattern. Moreover, different materials can be used in different floorboards in the same flooring. Suitable combinations are e.g. wood-laminate, laminate-linoleum and wood-linoleum. Floating floorboards can also be manufactured by a surface of artificial fibres, such as needle felt, being applied to, for instance, a wood fibre-based board such as HDF. Wooden and laminate floors may then also be combined with such an artificial fibre floor. These combinations of materials are particularly advantageous if the floorboards have preferably the same thickness and joint systems which enable joining of the different floorboards. Such combinations of materials allow manufacture of floors which consist of parts with different properties as regards sound, durability etc. Materials with great durability can be used, for example, in passages. Of course, these combination floors can also be joined in the traditional manner.
FIGS. 6-8 show different methods for installation of herringbone pattern floors using floorboards. LD designates in all Figures the direction of laying.
FIG. 6 shows a first installation method. In FIG. 6 a , a first floorboard G 1 and a second floorboard G 2 are interconnected and possibly locked together long side against short side. The interconnection can here take place by either snapping-in, insertion along the joint edge or inward angling. Such inward angling takes place by rotation about an essentially horizontal axis. A third floorboard G 3 is added by first being connected and locked long side against long side with the floorboard G 2 and then in the locked state being displaced along the floorboard G 2 to be connected or locked with its short side against the floorboard G 1 . The connection with the floorboard G 2 can take place by inward angling or snapping-in while the connection with the floorboard G 1 takes place by snapping-in.
FIG. 6 b shows an alternative way of adding the third floorboard G 3 , in which case the floorboard G 3 is first connected with its short side against the long side of the floorboard G 1 and then displaced in the locked state along the floorboard G 1 and connected or locked together by snapping together with the floorboard G 2 . The method according to FIG. 6 a and FIG. 6 b yields essentially the same result.
FIG. 6 c shows how a further floorboard G 4 is added in the same way as the floorboard G 3 was added, i.e. either by the connecting sequence according to FIG. 6 a or the connecting sequence according to FIG. 6 b . Further floorboards can then be added by repeating these steps.
FIG. 7 a shows a second installation method. In FIG. 7 a two floorboards G 1 and G 2 are locked together or connected in the same way as in FIG. 6 a above. Then the floorboard G 3 is connected or locked together with the short side of the floorboard G 1 and the long side of the floorboard G 2 , these short sides and long sides forming a uniform joint edge with essentially identical connecting means. Thus, the floorboard G 3 can be connected and possibly locked together by either inward angling, insertion along the joint edge or snapping-in. The location of the floorboard G 3 can possibly be adjusted by displacement of the floorboard along the joint edge so that its short side is aligned with the long side of the floorboard G 1 and, together with this, forms a uniform joint edge. FIG. 7 b shows how the floorboard G 4 is joined with the common joint edge formed by the floorboards G 1 and G 3 in the same way as the floorboard G 3 was added.
FIG. 8 shows a third installation method.
FIG. 8 a shows how a plurality of floorboards G 0 , G 1 and G 3 are arranged and joined long side against long side, the short sides of the floorboards being displaced relative to each other. The displacement of the short side is preferably the same as the width of the floorboard G 2 . The displacement can be performed, for instance, by using fitting pieces as will be shown in more detail in FIG. 9 . The adding of the floorboard G 2 can be carried out in two ways.
FIG. 8 a shows how the long side of the floorboard G 2 is first joined by inward angling, insertion or snapping-in with the short side of the floorboard G 1 . Then the floorboard G 2 is displaced in the connected state along the short side of the floorboard G 1 until the short side of the floorboard G 2 is connected with the long side of the floorboard G 3 by snapping-in.
FIG. 8 b shows the second way of adding the floorboard G 2 , i.e. its short side is first connected with the long side of the floorboard G 3 by inward angling, insertion or snapping-in and then in the connected state displaced along the same until the long side of the floorboard G 2 is connected with the short side of the floorboard G 1 by snapping-in.
FIG. 8 c shows how a further floorboard G 4 is added. First one long side of the floorboard G 4 is connected with the long side of the floorboard G 2 . Subsequently the floorboard G 4 is moved in between the floorboards G 2 and G 0 so that connection of the other long side of the floorboard G 4 and the short side of the floorboard G 0 takes place by a displacing motion, in which the connecting means of the floorboard G 4 are linearly displaced into the connecting means on the short side of the floorboard G 0 , for the connecting means on the short side of the floorboard G 4 to be connected with the long side of the floorboard G 1 by snapping-in.
The adding of further floorboards takes place by repeating the steps according to FIG. 8 c.
FIGS. 8 d and 8 e show an alternative way of adding floorboards to an installed row of boards G 0 , G 1 , G 3 .
In FIG. 8 d , the floorboard G 2 can be connected with the floorboard G 0 and G 1 either by the long side of the floorboard G 2 being first connected with the short side of the floorboard G 0 by inward angling, insertion or snapping-in and then being displaced in the connected state until its short side is connected with the long side of the floorboard G 1 by snapping-in, or by the short side of the floorboard G 2 first being connected with the long side of the floorboard G 1 by inward angling, insertion or snapping-in and then being displaced in the connected state along the same until its short side is connected with the long side of the floorboard G 1 by snapping-in.
FIG. 8 e shows the adding of a further floorboard G 4 . It is preferred for the long side of this floorboard first to be connected by inward angling, snapping-in or insertion with the floorboards G 1 and G 4 , whose long side and short side respectively are aligned with each other and form a uniform continuous joint edge. Then the floorboard G 4 is displaced along this joint edge until the short side of the floorboard G 4 is joined with the long side of the floorboard G 3 by snapping-in. Alternatively, the reverse joining sequence may be used, i.e. first the short side of the floorboard G 4 is joined with the long side of the floorboard G 3 by inward angling, insertion or snapping-in, and then the floorboard G 4 is displaced in the connected state along the long side of the floorboard G 3 until the long side of the floorboard G 4 is connected with the short sides and long sides respectively of the floorboards G 1 and G 2 .
The installation methods described above can be combined if required by the current installation situation. As a rule, when two joint edges are interconnected or locked together, that part of the joint edge which is active in the interconnection or locking-together of the joint edges may constitute a larger or smaller part of the joint edge. Interconnection or locking-together of two floorboards can thus take place even if only a small part of the joint edge of the respective floorboard is active.
FIGS. 9 a - e show different ways of terminating the floor along the walls. A simple method is just to cut the ends of the floorboards so that they obtain a shape that connects to the walls. After cutting, the cut-off edge may be covered with a baseboard in prior-art manner.
A second alternative may be to use a frame comprising one or more rows of floorboards which are laid along the walls and which may have a shape according to the numbered floorboards 1 - 13 . With such laying, all floorboards in the frame except the floorboard A 13 can be joined mechanically. The other floorboards can be cut off in conjunction with installation and be connected in a suitable manner using glue, or by making a tongue groove or tongue by means of, for instance, a hand-milling machine. Alternatively, a tongue groove and a loose tongue can be used as shown in FIGS. 9 c and 9 d.
A third alternative is that the frame 1 - 13 is filled with 10 different factory-made fitting pieces 14 - 23 , which are shown in FIG. 9 b and which have a mechanical joint system with a groove side 9 (indicated with a thin line) and a tongue side 10 (indicated with a thick line). The fitting pieces can be of different shapes, such as triangles or trapezoids, and preferably have an oblique side, which is cut to a suitable angle to fit the other floorboards. In a normal herringbone parquet floor this angle is preferably 45°. Also other patterns and angles than those shown in FIG. 9 are feasible. According to one embodiment, the fitting pieces are provided with connecting means on all edge portions for cooperation with adjoining floorboards, as shown in FIG. 9 b . It is also possible to make the fitting pieces by cutting the floorboards to a suitable shape and then providing them with connecting means, either on the site of installation by using a mobile set of tools, or by the fitting pieces after cutting being transferred to a factory or workshop for machining.
What is here said about designing of the connecting means on the floorboards is applicable in appropriate parts also to the fitting pieces.
If the fitting pieces are only provided with a groove 9 and if a loose tongue 10 is used as shown in FIG. 9 c for joining by means of glue or with a loose tongue 10 which also constitutes a mechanical joint system according to FIG. 9 d , the number of fitting pieces in the assortment can be reduced significantly since these fitting pieces can then be mirror-inverted. In the preferred alternative, the number of fitting pieces can be reduced to four different fitting pieces marked in FIG. 9 with 14 , 15 , 16 and 17 . A factory-made groove with a loose tongue may facilitate installation significantly since the vertical position of the groove in relation to the surface of the floorboards can be obtained with greater accuracy than is allowed when using, for instance, hand tools. The loose tongue 10 may consist of, for instance, an extruded section of plastic or aluminum. It can also be made by machining a suitable wood fibre based board, wood material or the like.
The loose tongue 10 shown in FIG. 9 d constitutes both a vertical and a horizontal locking means and thus enables mechanical joining of all sides of a board with other similar floorboards. The loose tongue 10 can be shaped in many different ways with one or more horizontal connecting means on both sides, and it can be designed for joining by snapping-in, insertion and/or inward angling. Variants of the tongue types 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 b , 1 d and 1 e as well as other known locking systems can be modified so that they may constitute two-sided loose tongue elements with locking elements 8 which lock floorboards whose joint edges are formed with suitable cooperating tongue grooves 9 with locking grooves 12 analogously to FIG. 9 d.
Further a strip can be provided, which can be mounted on a cut-off edge of a floorboard and which is intended for cooperation, such as interconnection or locking-together, with locking means of adjoining floorboards. The strip can be made of a suitable material, such as wood, aluminum, plastic etc, and can be adapted to be fastened to a floorboard edge which, as a result of e.g. cutting off, does not have an integrated mechanical locking system. The strip is conveniently adjusted to the type of connecting means with which the other floorboards are provided, and it can be mounted with or without preceding milling. The strip can be provided by the meter to be cut off as required. Suitably the strip is fastened to the floorboard in a mechanical manner, such as by engagement in some kind of strip, recess or hole in the floorboard, but also glue, screws, nails, clips, adhesive tape or other fastening means are conceivable.
It is also possible to combine the embodiments so that both fitting pieces with factory-made connecting means on all edge portions and fitting pieces with other arrangements of connecting means are used in the same floor. For instance, the factory-made pieces can in such a case contribute to simplifying the fitting between the floorboards which constitute the frame and the floorboards which constitute the actual herringbone pattern. By means of this system, the frame can thus be laid along one or two walls, after which the herringbone pattern is connected to the frame by means of the fitting pieces, and the floor is laid starting from a first corner in the room. Adjustment for connection to the other walls can then take place using other types of connecting means or even in a conventional way, completely without connecting means.
FIGS. 10 a - c show laying in a diamond pattern. Also in this embodiment, displacement in the locked position and snapping-in can be used for rational laying.
FIG. 10 a shows a pattern in which floorboards of two types A, B can be laid. The numbering in FIG. 10 a represents a possible laying sequence.
FIG. 10 b shows how floorboards of the two types A, B are joined short side against long side to form the pattern according to FIG. 10 a.
FIG. 10 c shows a method for facilitating laying of symmetrical patterns. The board A 4 is laid offset to facilitate laying of the other A boards aligned with the short sides of the B boards. Then the board A 4 may be pushed back to the correct position before continued laying, but it may also be centred between the A and B boards, and the diamonds can thus be laid in offset rows. The diamond pattern according to FIG. 10 can advantageously be combined with wood blocks of other sizes to form, for instance, a so-called Dutch pattern.
FIG. 11 shows schematically a method for producing floorboards according to the present invention. Rational production of floorboards is essentially carried out in such manner that a set of tools and a floorboard blank are displaced relative to each other. The set of tools can advantageously be adapted to machine two opposite edge portions in one and the same displacing motion. This can be achieved by sets of tools 109 and 110 for making the respective locking means being arranged on each side of the path of movement F of the floorboard. A set of tools consists preferably of one or more milling tools which are dimensioned for quick machining of a profile in a manner known to those skilled in the art. In the example according to FIG. 11 , use is a made of one set of tools 109 for machining the side where the groove 9 of the vertical locking means is formed and another set of tools 110 for machining the side where the tongue 10 of the vertical locking means is formed.
After a first machining step 109 which produces the locking means on one pair of opposite edges of the floorboard, a second machining step 105 is carried out, which produces the locking means on the other pair of opposite edges of the floorboard. This second machining step 105 takes place, just as the first, by displacement of the set of tools and the floorboard blank relative to each other but in a second direction which preferably is perpendicular to the first direction. The machining steps 101 , 105 take place in a manner known to those skilled in the art and the order between them may be varied within the scope of the present invention.
As a rule, production of large amounts of floorboards is fully automated. The floorboard is thus moved automatically between the two production steps, which can be arranged so that the floorboard blank is first moved in a first direction F 1 in the longitudinal direction of the floorboard through a first machining device which comprises the first set of tools 109 a , 110 a and then in a direction F 2 which is essentially perpendicular to the first direction through a second machining device which comprises the second set of tools 109 b , 110 b . The floorboards that are produced according to this method will all be of the same type, i.e. A or B according to the invention.
According to the invention, however, an existing production plant for production of floorboards of one type according to the invention can be adjusted for production of both types of floorboards using the same sets of tools. This takes place by a first type of floorboard (for instance A) being produced as described above, i.e. in two machining steps, while floorboard blanks which are to constitute a second type of floorboard (for instance B), after the first machining step 101 in step 104 is rotated half a turn in its plane. Subsequently the floorboard blank continues to the second machining step 105 . As a result, the position of one pair of connecting means on the floorboard B will be reversed, compared with the floorboard A. The floorboard B will thus be mirror-inverted in relation to the floorboard A.
Control of which boards are to be rotated can take place based on information from a control system 103 which controls a rotating device 102 which rotates the floorboard blank after the first machining step 101 before it is transferred to the second production step 105 .
When the floorboards A and B according to this preferred method are produced in the same line and with the same setting of tools, the two floorboards will have exactly the same length and width. This significantly facilitates symmetrical laying of patterns.
It is an advantage if the floorboards after installation can be taken up again and be relaid without the joint system being damaged. The take-up of a floorboard is conveniently made by a method which is essentially reversed compared with the installation method. One side, in most cases the short side, is released by the floorboard being pulled out horizontally so that the locking element 8 leaves the locking groove 12 by snapping-out. The other side, most conveniently the long side, can then be released by being pulled out along the joint edge, by upward angling or by snapping-out.
FIGS. 12 a - d show various alternatives of releasing floorboards. In FIG. 12 a , the floorboard 1 ′ has on the rear side 32 of the short side a gripping groove 120 which is adapted to a gripping tool 121 so that this gripping tool can engage in the gripping groove 121 with its gripping means 122 . This gripping means is connected with a means 123 which allows pressure or impact essentially in the horizontal direction K to be applied to the tool means outside the underside 32 of the floorboard and in this way release the board without it being damaged. The force can be applied by, for instance, impact (using e.g. a hammer or club, pulling or jerking at a handle or the like). The gripping tool can alternatively be designed so that its gripping means engages in another part of the floorboard, for instance the locking groove 12 or the locking element 8 , depending on the design of the joint system on the short side. Snapping-out can be facilitated by the locking element, for instance on the short side, being adjusted, for example by being made lower or with other radii etc. than on the long side, so that snapping-out and thus disconnection can take place at a lower tensile stress than, for example, for the long side. The joint system of the long side can consequently be designed, for instance, according to FIG. 12 a and the short side according to FIG. 12 b where the joint system has the same geometry except that the locking element 8 is lower. FIG. 12 b also shows that upper joint edges can be formed with bevelled portions 131 , 132 on long sides and/or short sides. If the floorboards are laid at an angle with long side against short side according to FIG. 5 b , the long sides will prevent the short sides from separating especially if parallel displacement along the long sides is counteracted or prevented by means of e.g. high friction, glue, mechanical means etc. In such a laying pattern, short sides can be formed merely with vertical locking means according to FIG. 12 c , or completely without locking means as in FIG. 12 d . The gripping tool can be used to release also other types of mechanically joined floorboards which are laid in other patterns, such as parallel rows. It will be appreciated that a plurality of different combinations of embodiments of connecting means and installation methods are feasible to provide an optimal flooring as regards both installation method, durability and disassembly for reuse.
FIGS. 13 a - 13 d show how long sides and short sides can be formed according to another embodiment. The long sides 4 a and 4 b in FIG. 13 a can be joined by inward angling. In the preferred embodiment, the floorboard consists of a material that does not allow sufficient bending down of the strip 6 so that horizontal snapping-in can be carried out. FIG. 13 b shows short sides 5 a and 5 b of the above floorboard. The locking element 8 has been made lower than on the long side and the locking surface of the locking groove has been made smaller. In this embodiment, the short sides cannot be locked in the horizontal direction. FIGS. 13 c and 13 d show that the long side can be locked against the short side by both inward angling and snapping-in since the modified locking system on the short sides only requires a small bending down of the strip 6 when the floorboards are joined horizontally and snapped together. The long side 4 a has in this embodiment a decorative groove 133 which only appears in one joint edge. The advantage is that the joint edge will be less visible than in the case when both joint edges of the boards 1 , 1 ′ have decorative grooves. Moreover, manufacture will be simplified.
As illustrated in FIG. 14 , in another alternative embodiment, the locking system on the short side, for instance, has no tongue. Therefore, the floorboards are lockable only in the horizontal direction.
The inventor has tested many different patterns which are all obvious, provided that floorboards of the same or different formats and with snappable and mirror-inverted joint systems are used in installation of flooring. Basically, the invention can be used to provide all the patterns that are known in connection with installation of parquet flooring with tongue and groove, but also parquet flooring which is laid by gluing or nailing to the base and which thus does not have a joint system which restricts the possibilities of joining optional sides. It is also possible to produce floorboards which have more than four sides and which can have a first pair of connecting means on 3, 4 or more sides and a second pair of connecting means on corresponding adjoining sides. Floorboards can also be made with more than two different pairs of cooperating locking means. It is possible to use all prior-art mechanical joint systems which can be snapped together.
Although the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that additions, deletions, modifications, and substitutions not specifically described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. | A flooring includes rectangular floorboards with long sides and short sides, the floorboards being joined in a herringbone pattern, long side to long side and long side to short side, wherein the floorboards have a surface layer of laminate, and the long sides of the floorboards have pairs of opposing mechanical connectors which at least allow locking-together both horizontally and vertically by inward angling. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel group of compounds and more particular to a novel group of compounds particularly well suited as sweeteners in edible foodstuff.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sweetness is one of the primary taste cravings of both animals and humans. Thus, the utilization of sweetening agents in foods in order to satisfy this sensory desire is well established.
Naturally occurring carbohydrate sweeteners such as sucrose, are still the most widely used sweetening agents. While these naturally occurring carbohydrates, i.e., sugars, generally fulfill the requirements of sweet taste, the abundant usage thereof does not occur without deleterious consequence, e.g., high caloric intake and nutritional imbalance. In fact, oftentimes the level of these sweeteners required in foodstuffs is far greater than the level of the sweetener that is desired for economic, dietic or other functional consideration.
In an attempt to eliminate the disadvantages concomitant with natural sweeteners, considerable reasearch and expense have been devoted to the production of artificial sweeteners, such as for example, saccharin, cyclamate, dihydrochalcone, aspartame, etc. While some of these artificial sweeteners satisfy the requirements of sweet taste without caloric input, and have met with considerable commercial success, they are not, however, without their own inherit disadvantages. For example, many of these artificial sweeteners have the disadvantages of high cost, as well as delay in the perception of the sweet taste, persistent lingering of the sweet taste, and a very objectionable bitter, metallic aftertaste when used in food products.
Since it is believed that many disadvantages of artificial sweeteners, particularly aftertaste, is a function of the concentration of the sweetener, it has been previously suggested that these effects could be reduced or eliminated by combining artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, with other ingredients or natural sugars, such as sorbitol, dextrose, maltose etc. These combined products, however, have not been entirely satisfactory either. Some U.S. Patents which disclose sweetener mixtures include for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,198; U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,068; U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,862; U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,477.
Also much work has continued in an attempt to develop and identify compounds that have a sweet taste. For example, in Yamato, et al., Chemical Structure and Sweet Taste Of Isocoumarin and Related Compounds, Chemical Pharmaceutical Bulletin, Vol. 23, p. 3101-3105 (1975) and in Yamato et al. Chemical Structure and Sweet Taste Of Isocoumarins and Related Compound, Chemical Senses And Flavor, Vol. 4 No. 1, p. 35-47(1979) a variety of sweet structures are described. For example, 3-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzyl phenyl ether is described as having a faint sweet taste.
Despite the past efforts in this area, research continues. Accordingly, it is desired to find a compound that provides a sweet taste when added to foodstuff or one which can reduce the level of sweetener normally employed and thus eliminate or greatly diminish a number of disadvantages associated with prior art sweeteners.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to a composition having a structure selected from the group consisting of: ##STR2## wherein:
R is selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl and propyl; and
R 1 is an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbyl group containing not more than 12 carbon atoms with the proviso that the cycloaliphatic group contain not more than 7 carbon atoms in the ring. In particular R 1 is alkyl, alkenyl, alkadienyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkyadienyl, bicycloalkyl and bicycloalkenyl, the total number of carbon atoms in R 1 being not greater than 12, the total number of ring carbon atoms in said cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkyadienyl, bicycloalkyl and bicycloalkenyl being not greater than 7; and salts thereof.
Most of the compounds of the formula and, in particular, the preferred compounds described hereinabove are sweeteners, the sweetness of which is many times that of comparable amounts of sucrose. The sweetness of compounds of the formula can be readily determined by a simple test procedure described herein.
Several compounds of the formula when tested for sweetness showed little, if any, sweetness to sucrose, whereas most compounds have greater sweetness than sucrose, e.g., 50-500 times greater. Compounds in which R 1 is methyl, showed no sweetness and are not within the preview of this invention. In general, the sweetener compound should possess a sweetness at least five times greater and preferably at least thirty times and more preferably 50 times greater than sucrose on comparable weight basis.
These compounds in addition to having sweet taste, function as a low calorie sweetening agent when employed with a foodstuff.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In accordance with the present invention, the preferred novel compounds are of the formula: ##STR3## wherein:
R is selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl and propyl;
R 1 is selected from the group consisting of ##STR4## each R 11 is selected from the group consisting of ##STR5## wherein
n is an integer from 1 to 5, p is an integer from 0 to 2, q is an integer from 0 to 2 and the sum of p and q is equal to or less than 3;
each R 12 is selected from the group consisting of ##STR6## wherein
q' is an integer from 1 to 4, r is an integer from 0 to 2, s is an integer from 0 to 2 and the sum of r and s is equal to or less than 2;
each R 10 is selected from the group consisting of H, CH 3 , CH 2 CH 3 , CH 2 CH 2 CH 3 , and CH(CH 3 ) 2 ;
each R 2 is selected from the group consisting of ##STR7##
each R 14 is selected from the group consisting of ##STR8## wherein
t is an integer form 1 to 3, u is an integer from 0 to 1, v is an integer from 0 to 1 and the sum of u and v is equal to or less than 1;
each R 15 is selected from the group consisting of ##STR9## wherein
w is an integer from 1 to 3, x is an integer from 0 to 1, y is an integer from 0 to 1 and the sum x plus y is equal to or less than 1;
each R 13 is selected from the group consisting of H, CH 3 and CH 2 CH 3 ;
each R 3 is selected from the group consisting of ##STR10##
each R 4 is selected from the group consisting of ##STR11##
each R 5 is selected from the group consisting of H and CH 3 with the provision that R 1 contain no more than 12 carbon atoms and with the proviso that when R 1 is ##STR12## then R 2 can not both be H and salts thereof.
Preferably R 1 will contain no more than 10 carbon atoms and more preferably will contain no more than 8 carbon atoms.
Illustrative compounds within the above formula include:
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl propyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-ethoxyphenyl propyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-propoxyphenyl butyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-ethoxyphenyl butyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl butyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-methylpropyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-ethylbutyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 3,3-dimethylbutyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl cyclopropyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-methylcyclopropyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl cyclobutyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl cyclopentyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl cyclohexyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl cycloheptyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl cyclopentylmethyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-norbornyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 5-norbornyl-2-carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 3-cyclohexyl-1-carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 3-methyl-2-butyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-cyclopentenylmethyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 1-cyclopentenyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-methylbutyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl cis-2-methyl-2-butyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-propyl-2-pentyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 4-pentenyl carbonate
3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 3-cyclohexenyl-1-carbonate.
These novel compounds are effective sweetness agents when used alone or in combination with other sweeteners in foodstuffs. For example, other natural and/or artificial sweeteners which may be used with the novel compounds of the present invention include sucrose, fructose, corn syrup solids, dextrose, xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, acetosulfam, thaumatin, invert sugar, saccharin, cyclamate, dihydrochalcone, hydrogenated glucose syrups, aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) and other dipeptides, glycyrrhizin and stevioside and the like.
Typical foodstuffs, including pharmaceutical preparations, in which the sweetness agents of the present invention may be used are, for example, beverages including soft drinks, carbonated beverages, ready to mix beverages and the like, infused foods (e.g. vegetables or fruits), sauces, condiments, salad dressings, juices, syrups, desserts, including puddings, gelatin and frozen desserts, like ice creams, sherbets and icings, confections, toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, cereals, baked goods, intermediate moisture foods (e.g. dog food) and the like.
In order to achieve the effects of the present invention, the compounds described herein are generally added to the food product at a level which is effective to perceive sweetness in the food stuff and suitably is in an amount in the range of from about 0.0005 to 2% by weight based on the consumed product. Greater amounts are operable but not practical. Preferred amounts are in the range of from about 0.001 to about 1% of the foodstuff. Generally, the sweetening effect provided by the present compound is experienced over a wide pH range, e.g. 2 to 10 preferably 3 to 7 and in buffered and unbuffered formulations.
It is preferred then when the compounds are used in the foodstuff that the compounds have a sucrose equivalent of at least 1 percent by weight, more preferably that they have a sucrose equivalent of at least 5 percent by weight and most preferably they have a sucrose equivalent of at least 7 percent by weight.
A test procedure for determination of sweetness merely involves the determination of sucrose equivalency.
Sucrose equivalency for sweetness is readily determined. For example, the amount of a sweetener that is equivalent to 10 weight percent aqueous sucrose can be determined by having a panel of tasters taste the solution of a sweetener and match its sweetness to the standard solution of sucrose. Obviously, sucrose equivalents for other than 10 weight percent are determined by matching the appropriate sucrose solutions.
It is desired that when the sweetening agent of this invention is employed in combination with another sweetener the sweetness equivalent of the other sweetener is equal to or above about 1 percent sucrose equivalent. Preferably the combination of sweeteners provides a sucrose equivalent in the range of from about 3 weight percent to about 40 weight percent and most preferably 4 weight percent to about 15 weight percent.
In order to prepare the compounds of the present invention an esterification reaction is employed. A 3-benzyloxy-4-R-oxyphenol is esterified with a chloroformate of the R 1 moiety (e.g., R 1 OCOCl). This provides a 3-benzyloxy-4-R-oxyphenyl R 1 carbonate. This is subsequently converted to the desired 3-hydroxy-4-R-oxyphenyl R 1 carbonate.
For example, when R is methyl then 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenol is used for the esterification reaction. To obtain 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenol, isovanillin which is also known 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde is used as a starting material. Isovanillin is a commercially available material. If R is to be other than methoxy then the appropriate 4-alkoxy compound is used as the starting material. The 4-alkoxy compound is made by alkylation is 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde which is commercially available. Isovanillin is converted to 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde which is then converted to 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenyl formate by the following reactions.
Performic acid is prepared by first heating a mixture of 30% by weight hydrogen peroxide and 97% by weight formic acid in a weight ratio of 1:5 to 60° C. and then cooling the mixture in an ice bath. The mixture is then added dropwise over a three hour period to an ice-cold 1M solution of 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde in methylene chloride. After the addition is completed a saturated solution of sodium bisulfite is added dropwise until the mixture exhibits a negative starch-iodide test for peroxides. The reaction mixture is poured into an equal volume of water. The phases separate and the aqueous phase is extracted with two parts of methylene chloride per part of aqueous phase. The combined organic phases are washed with water, dried over magnesium sulfate and the solvent is evaporated. The 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenyl formate is recrystallized from 95% by weight ethanol.
The 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenyl formate is then converted to 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenol by the following reaction. A mixture of 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenyl formate, methanol and 1M sodium hydroxide in a weight ratio of 1:6:10 is heated under reflux conditions for one hour, the mixture is allowed to cool and an equal volume of water is added. The solution is washed with ether and acidified to pH 3 with concentrated hydrochloric acid. The resulting mixture is extracted with ether. The combined extracts are washed with water and dried over magnesium sulphate and the solvent is evaporated to yield a tan solid which is 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenol.
The 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenol is reacted with the R 1 chloroformate as follows. The phenol (1.0 equiv.) and triethylamine (1.1 equiv.) are first dissolved in methylene chloride. The R 1 chloroformate (1.1 equiv.) is added and the mixture is stirred for a number of hours. The solvent is then evaporated and the residue is dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of ether and ethyl acetate. This solution is washed with 1M hydrochloric acid, saturated sodium bicarbonate, and water, and dried over magnesium sulfate. The solvent is evaporated to yield the desired product.
The benzyl protecting group is then removed by catalytic hydrogenation. The above product is dissolved in absolute ethanol and 10 percent palladium on carbon is added. The mixture is placed on a Parr hydrogenator, which is then charged with hydrogen to a pressure of 50 lb./in. 2 . Upon the cessation of hydrogen uptake (approximately 2-5 hours) the mixture is filtered through a celite pad and the solvent evaporated to yield the desired product.
Further details are described in McMurray et al. Journal Chemical Society, pages 1491-8 (1960) and Robinson et al. Journal Chemical Society, pages 3163-7 (1931).
The requisite chloroformate of the desired R 1 moiety is either commercially available, known in the art, or prepared from commercially available starting materials by known synthetic procedures.
Commercially available chloroformate precursors can be found in Chem. Sources U.S.A., Directories Publishing Co., Inc. Ormond Beach, Fla. as well as Chem. Sources Europe, Chem. Sources Europe Puglisher, Mountain Lakes, N.J.
Chloroformates, in general, can be prepared by the reaction of alcohols with phosgene. For a review of this method, as applied to the synthesis of chloroformates, see Matzner, Kurkjy, and Cotter, Chemical Reviews, 64, pages 645-687, (1964).
Alcohols, in general, can be prepared by a host of synthetic procedures from other available starting materials. Examples of these methods including specifics and reaction conditions can be found, in Survey of Organic Synthesis, Vols. 1 and 2, C. Buehler & D. Pearson, Wiley Interscience Inc., New York and Advanced Organic Chemistry; Reactions, Mechanisms and Structure, J. March, McGraw-Hill, New York.
In addition to these referenced methods, alcohols can be obtained by conversion of other chemical functionalities. A reference for the interconversion of chemical functionalities can be found in, Compendium of Organic Synthetic Methods, Vols. I & II, I. T. Harrison & S. Harrison, Wiley Interscience Inc., New York.
The synthetic procedures disclosed incorporate the benzyl group as a protecting agent for the phenolic hydroxy moiety during various synthetic reactions. Other groups may be employed in place of the benzyl group to achieve this protection. Examples of these groups include 2-methoxyethoxymethyl, methylthiomethyl, t-butyldimethylsilyl, t-butyl ethers, and the 2,2,2-trichloroethyl carbonate. Other protecting groups, as well as specific reaction conditions and references, can be found in "Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis" by Theodora W. Greene, John Wiley & Sons, NY, 1981, and in "Protective Groups in Organic Chemistry" by J. F. W. McOmie, Plenum Press, London, 1973.
The present new compounds form salts due to the presence of the phenolic hydroxy group. Thus, metal salts can be formed by reaction with alkali such as aqueous ammonia, alkali and alkaline earth metal compounds such as sodium, potassium and calcium oxides, hydroxides, carbonates and bicarbonate. The salts are of higher aqueous solubility than the parent compound and are useful for purification or isolation of the present products.
The following examples are presented to further illustrate this invention.
EXAMPLE 1
3-Hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl ethyl carbonate
In this example 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl ethyl carbonate was prepared as follows. An amount of 2.30 gms. of 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenol and 1.11 gms. of triethylamine was dissolved in 50 ml. of methylene chloride and the mixture was stirred at room temperature. To the mixture was added 1.19 gms of ethyl chloroformate and the resultant mixture was stirred for 2 hours. The reaction was then quenched with 1 ml. of water, and the solvent evaporated. The residue was dissolved in 100 ml. of a 1:1 mixture of ether and ethyl acetate. This solution was washed with equal volumes of 1M hydrochloric acid, saturated sodium bicarbonate, and water, dried over magnesium sulfate, and the solvent evaporated to yield 2.53 gm. of a tan solid which was 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenyl ethyl carbonate.
This compound was deprotected by dissolving 2.45 gms. of the compound in 250 ml. of absolute ethanol and then adding 10% palladium on carbon. This mixture was then placed on a Parr hydrogenator which was then charged with hydrogen gas to a pressure of 50 lb./in. 2 . After 3 hours the hydrogen uptake ceased and the mixture was filtered through a celite pad. The solvent was evaporated to yield 0.95 gms. of a light yellow oil which was ethyl 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl carbonate. The structure was confirmed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods.
A panel of experts determined that a 0.1 weight percent aqueous solution of this product had a sucrose equivalency of 4 weight percent.
EXAMPLE 2
In this example 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-methylpropyl carbonate was prepared substantially as in Example 1 except 2.30 gms. of 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenol was coupled with 1.50 gms. of isobutyl chloroformate. The structure was confirmed using NMR.
A panel of experts determined that aqueous 0.01 weight percent and 0.05 weight percent solutions of this product had sucrose equivalencies of 4.0 weight percent and 6.0 weight percent, respectively.
EXAMPLE 3
In this example 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl butyl carbonate was prepared substantially as in Example 1 except 2.30 gms. of 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenol was coupled with 1.50 gms. of butyl chloroformate. The structure was confirmed using NMR.
A panel of experts determined that a 0.01 weight percent aqueous solution of this product had a sucrose equivalency of 3 weight percent.
EXAMPLE 4
In this example 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl propyl carbonate was prepared substantially as in Example 1 except 2.30 gms. of 3-benzyloxy-4-methoxyphenol was coupled with 1.35 gms. of propyl chloroformate. The structure was confirmed using NMR.
A panel of experts determined that a 0.03 weight percent aqueous solution of this product had a sucrose equivalency of 3 weight percent.
EXAMPLE 5
A cherry flavored beverage is prepared by mixing 1.48 gms. of an unsweetened cherry flavored instant beverage base mix with 438 gms. of water, 0.13 gms. aspartame (APM) and 0.04 gms. (0.01 weight percent) of 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-methylpropyl carbonate. The base contains a malic acid and monocalcium phosphate buffer.
EXAMPLE 6
A mixed fruit gelatin is prepared by mixing 5.16 gms. of unsweetened gelatin base mix with 237 gms. of water, 0.07 gms. (0.029 weight percent) saccharin and 0.07 gms. (0.03 weight percent) of 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl butyl carbonate. The gelatin base contains an adipic acid and disodium phosphate buffer.
EXAMPLE 7
A vanilla flavored pudding is prepared by mixing 474 gms. of milk, 21.7 gms. of an unsweetened pudding base mix containing 1.35 gms. of sodium acid pyrophosphate, 36.0 gms. sucrose (6.8 weight percent) and 0.04 gms. (0.008 weight percent) of 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl 2-methylpropyl carbonate.
EXAMPLE 8
A lemon flavored beverage is prepared by mixing 8.1 gms. unsweetned lemon beverage base mix with 875 gms. of water and 0.88 gms. (0.1 weight percent) of 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl propyl carbonate. The lemon mix contains a citric acid, potassium citrate, and tricalcium phosphate buffer. | Novel 3-hydroxy-4-alkyloxyphenyl aliphatic carbonates particularly well suited as sweeteners in foodstuffs having the following basic structure: ##STR1## . | 0 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present invention is related to copending applications, "Cryocooler Cold Head Interface Receptacle", Ser. No. 215,114, now abandoned, and "Cryogenic Precooler for Superconductive Magnets", Ser. No. 07/335,268 both assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cryogenic precooler used during the initial cool down operation of a superconductive magnet. The precooler is a part of the superconductive magnet.
Superconducting magnets now in use operate at very low temperatures. To start up these magnets, the sensible heat needs to be extracted from the magnet to cool them from room temperature to cryogenic temperatures. Due to the large mass of the magnets used for whole body magnetic resonance imaging, the amount of energy to be withdrawn is substantial. A slow cooling of the magnet using the cryocooler, which is typically sized for steady state operation, can take many days. A fast cooling of the magnet can, however, result in thermal stresses which could structurally damage the magnet.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a precooler which can quickly cool down a superconductive magnet at a controlled rate to avoid excessive thermal stresses.
Presently precooling is accomplished in magnets having a cryocooler by cooling the shield by passing cryogenic liquid through a tube which is loosely wound around the magnet shield.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention a superconductive magnet coolable with a two stage cryocooler is provided. The superconductive magnet includes a cryostat containing a magnet winding, a thermal radiation shield surrounding the magnet winding and spaced away therefrom. The cryostat defines an aperture in which a cryocooler cold head interface receptacle is situated. The interface receptacle has a first and second heat station for connecting in a heat flow relationship with the first and second heat stations of the crycooler, respectively. A precooler has first and second stage heat exchangers connected in a heat flow relationship with the first and second heat stations of said interface, respectively. The interface has an inlet and outlet port for supplying and removing cryogens. Piping means fabricated from heat insulating material connect the first and second heat exchangers in a series flow relationship between the inlet and outlet ports.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of practice, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing FIGURE in which a partial sectional view of a precooler, cryostat, and cold head interface receptacle of a superconductive magnet is shown in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the sole FIGURE, a cryocooler cold head interface receptacle described in copending application Ser. No. 215,114, now abandoned, entitled "Cryocooler Cold Head Interface Receptacle", filed July 5, 1988, and hereby incorporated by reference, is shown as part of superconductive magnets which has been modified to include a precooler.
The cryocooler interface 9 is provided to removably connect a two stage cryocooler 11 to an opening 13 in a cryostat 15. The cryostat contains a cylindrical winding form 17 around which superconductive windings 21 are wound. The winding form is enclosed in copper casing 23 and supported inside the cryostat 15 by a suspension system (not shown). Surrounding the coil form containing the magnet windings but spaced away from the coil form and cryostat is a thermal radiation shield 25.
The cryocooler 11 is used to cool the windings 21 and the shield 25. The cryocooler 11 has two stages which achieve two different temperatures which are available at the cryostat first and second stage heat stations 27 and 29, respectively. The temperature achieved at the second heat station 29 is colder than the temperature achieved at the first heat station 27.
The cryocooler interface includes a first sleeve 31 having a closed end 31a which serves as the second stage heat station for the interface. A first stage heat station 33 for the interface is located inside the sleeve 31. The portion of the sleeve extending between the first stage heat station and the second stage heat station 31b is axially flexible and thermally insulated due to stainless steel bellows.
A second sleeve 35 surrounds the first sleeve 31. One open end of the second sleeve airtightly surrounds the perimeter of the cryostat opening 13. The sleeve walls are axially flexible and thermally insulative. The sleeve can be fabricated from stainless steel and include a flexible bellows portion.
A first flange 37 having a central aperture 39 is airtightly secured to the first and second sleeves 31 and 35, respectively, sealing the annulus formed between the first and second sleeves. The portion of the first sleeve extending from the first stage heat station and the fist flange 31c is fabricated from thermally insulating material such as thin wall stainless steel tubing. The central aperture of the first flange 39 is aligned with the first sleeves open end. The first sleeve, second sleeve and flange 37 airtightly seal the cryostat opening 39. A second flange 41 has a central opening 43 and is adjustably airtightly secured in the central aperture 39 of the first flange 37. The second flange is secured to a flange 45 of the cryocooler 11. With the cryocooler cold end situated in the first sleeve and the cryostat and first sleeve evacuated and the first sleeve exerts pressure between the second stage 29 of the cryocooler and the bottom of the inner sleeve 31. Moving the first flange 37 toward the second flange 43 by tightening bolts 47 elongates the axial flexible portion of the inner sleeve, increasing the force between the first stage interface heat station 33 and the cryostat heat station 27. The split collar 51 limits the movement of the flanges 37 and 47 toward the cryostat 15 when the cryostat is evacuated and the cryocooler 11 removed from its receptacle.
The closed end of the first sleeve 31 is supported against the copper surface 23 of the winding form 17 through a second stage heat exchanger 53. The second stage heat exchanger is part of a precooler. In addition to the second stage heat exchanger, the precooler comprises a first stage heat exchanger 55, piping 57, 59, and 61, and, inlet and outlet ports 63 and 65 situated in the first flange 37. The second stage heat exchanger 53 comprises a cylindrical core 67 of material with high thermal conductivity such as copper. A helical groove 71 is machined in the outer surface of the core. A sleeve of copper 73 is shrunk fit around the core 67 creating helical passageways beginning at one axial end of the core and ending at the other.
The first stage heat station 33 of the interface is formed as a part of the first stage heat exchanger 55. The first stage heat exchanger 55 comprises a cylindrical shell 75a of material having good thermal conductivity which has a large diameter portion, 75a a small diameter portion 75b and a radially inwardly extending ledge transitioning between the two 33. The shell forms a portion of the inner sleeve 33 with the shell axially aligned with the sleeve wall. The smaller diameter portion 75b is positioned toward the closed end of the sleeve. The ledge portion serves as the first stage heat station 33 of the interface. The larger diameter shell portion 75a has a helical groove 77 machined in the outer surface. A copper sleeve 81 is shrunk fit around the larger diameter shell portion 75a enclosing the grooves 77 forming a helical passageway. The small diameter 75b portion is attached through a plurality of braided copper straps 83 to a collar 85 of low emissivity material such as copper which is secured to the shield 25 in a manner to achieve good heat flow from the shield to the first heat station 33 of interface.
The two stage cryocooler 11 is shown in the first sleeve 31 of the interface with the first stage heat station of the cryostat 33 in contact with the first stage heat station 27 of the interface through a pliable heat conductive material such as an indium gasket (not shown). The second stage of the cryocooler 29 is in contact with the core 67 through a pliable heat conductive gasket (not shown).
Flange 37 has an inlet port 63 and an outlet port 65 for allowing piping made of material having low thermal conductivity such as stainless steel to extend inside the interface and circulate cryogenic liquid in the heat exchangers 53 and 55. Piping 57 extends from the inlet portion to an aperture in shell 75a in flow communication with one end of the helical passageway. Piping 59 extends form an aperture in shell 75a in flow communication with the other end of the helical passageway to an aperture in the second stage heat exchanger 53 in flow communication with one end of the helical passageway. Piping 61 extending from an aperture in flow communication with the other end of the helical passageway connects to the outlet port 65.
Joining of copper parts to copper parts can be done by electron beam or welding or brazing. Joining of stainless steel parts to copper parts can be done by brazing.
In operation during precooling the cryocooler 11 is situated in the inner sleeve 31. The cryostat 15 is evacuated as well as the first sleeve 31. Cryogenic liquid such as liquid nitrogen, is supplied to the inlet port 63 and is carried by the piping 57 to the helical passageway in shell 75a. The stainless steel piping 57, 59, and 61 and tubing reduce thermal conductivity between the outside of the cryostat and the first stage heat station 33. Forced convection boiling, enhanced by the centrifugal action of the helical passageways initially cools down the first stage heat station and shield 25, connected to the cryocooler interface first stage. The boiling liquid generates cryogenic vapor which enters the second stage heat exchanger 53 gradually cooling the second stage heat exchanger. The stainless steel bellows 31b reduces thermal conduction between the first and second stages. During the initial cooling of the second stage heat exchanger with cryogenic vapors, the radiative thermal exchange between the magnet winding form and windings and the shield 25 also causes some gradual and uniform precooling of the magnet windings 21. Once the shield is sufficiently cold, forced convection boiling occurs in the second stage heat exchanger, causing a more rapid cooling of the magnet windings. Towards the end of the cool down, the flow rate of cryogen should be gradually reduced in order to avoid wasting the cryogen liquid. The adjustment in flow rate required can be determined by observing the cryogen emerges from the outlet port and reducing the flow rate if liquid is being discharged with the vapor.
Because of the multistage capability of the precooler, due to the separate heat exchangers, the magnet shields can be cooled first, followed by the magnet itself. The initial gradual cooling of the magnet reduces the temperature gradient within the magnet windings resulting in lower thermal stresses.
In some cases, it may be advantageous to use different cryogenic liquids during precooling. Liquid nitrogen can be used for the initial cooling, down to 77° K., and then liquid helium can be used for further cooling. It may be desirable to change the direction of the coolant flow when liquid helium is introduced in order to cool the second stage heat station and therefore cool the magnet itself to a lower temperature than that of the shield. Once the cooling is complete, all cryogens, liquid and vapor phase must be removed from the heat exchanger and piping. If nitrogen remains in the piping it will freeze during magnet operation, creating a low thermal conduction path from the exterior to the interior of the cryostat. Helium vapor is a good thermal conductor and must be removed from the piping by evacuation.
The foregoing has described a cryogenic precooler which does not require removal of the cryocooler from the cold head interface receptacle avoiding the possibility of frost buildings in the interface. The precooler cools the magnet windings and shield at a controlled rate reducing temperature gradients and therefore thermal stresses.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to one embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. | A superconductive magnet coolable with a two stage cryocooler is provided. The superconductive magnet includes a cryostat containing a magnet winding, a thermal radiation shield surrounding the magnet winding and spaced away therefrom. The cryostat defines an aperture in which a cryocooler cold head interface receptacle is situated. The interface receptacle has a first and second heat station for connecting in a heat flow relationship with the first and second heat stations of the crycooler, respectively. A precooler has first and second stage heat exchangers connected in a heat flow relationship with the first and second heat stations of said interface, respectively. The interface has an inlet and outlet port for supplying and removing cryogens. Piping means fabricated from heat insulating material connect the first and second heat exchangers in a series flow relationship between the inlet and outlet ports. | 8 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to French Patent Application No. 08 05 472, filed Oct. 3, 2008, which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
The invention relates to nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, to their preparation and to their use as antibacterial drugs.
The application WO 04/052891 notably describes compounds fitting the following formula:
wherein:
R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, a COOH, COOR, CN, (CH 2 ) n ′R 5 , CONR 6 R 7 or radical
R is selected from the group formed by an alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms or with a pyridyl radical, a —CH 2 -alkenyl radical containing a total of 3 to 9 carbon atoms, a (poly)alkoxyalkyl group containing 1 to 4 oxygen atoms and 3 to 10 carbon atoms, an aryl radical containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms or an aralkyl radical containing 7 to 11 carbon atoms, the ring of the aryl or aralkyl radical being optionally substituted with an OH, NH 2 , NO 2 , alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkoxy radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms or with one or more halogen atoms,
R 5 is selected from the group formed by a COOH, CN, OH, NH 2 , CO—NR 6 R 7 , COOR, OR radical, R being defined as above,
R 6 and R 7 are individually selected from the group formed by a hydrogen atom, an alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkoxy radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl radical containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms and an aralkyl radical containing 7 to 11 carbon atoms and an alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms substituted with a pyridyl radical,
n′ is equal to 1 or 2,
R 3 and R 4 form together a phenyl or a heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, substituted with one or more R′ groups, R′ being selected from the group formed by the —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b —(O) a —CONR 6 R 7 , —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b —OSO 3 H, —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b —SO 3 H, —(O) a —SO 2 R, —(O) n —SO 2 —CHal 3 , —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b NR 6 R 7 , —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b —NH—COOR, —(CH 2 ) b —COOH, —(CH 2 ) b —COOR, —OR″, OH, —(CH 2 ) b — phenyl radicals and (CH 2 ) b -heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, the phenyl and the heterocycle being optionally substituted with one or more halogens, an alkyl containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkoxy containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms or CF 3 , R, R 6 and R 7 being as defined earlier, R″ being selected from the group formed by alkyl radicals containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms substituted with one or more hydroxy, protected hydroxy, oxo, halogen or cyano radicals, a being equal to 0 or 1 and b being an integer from 0 to 6, it being understood that when R′ is OH, R 1 represents the radical CONR 6 R 7 wherein R 6 or R 7 is an alkoxy containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms,
R 2 is selected from the group formed by a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom and R, S(O) m R, OR, NHCOR, NHCOOR and NHSO 2 R radicals, R being as defined earlier and m being equal to 0, 1 or 2,
X represents a divalent group —C(O)—B— linked to the nitrogen atom through the carbon atom,
B represents a divalent group —O—(CH 2 ) n ″— linked to the carbonyl through the oxygen atom, a group —NR 8 —(CH 2 ) n ″— or —NR 8 —O— linked to the carbonyl through the nitrogen atom, n″ is equal to 0 or 1 and R 8 is selected from the group formed by a hydrogen atom, an OH, R, OR, Y, OY, Y 1 , OY 1 , Y 2 , OY 2 , Y 3 , O—CH 2 —CH 2 —S(O) m —R, SiRaRbRc and OSiRaRbRc radical, Ra, Rb and Rc individually representing a linear or branched alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl radical containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms, and R and m being defined as earlier,
Y is selected from the group formed by the COH, COR, COOR, CONH 2 , CONHR, CONHOH, CONHSO 2 R, CH 2 COOH, CH 2 COOR, CHF—COON, CHF—COOR, CF2-COOH, CF2-COOR, CN, CH 2 CN, CH 2 CONHOH, CH 2 CONHCN, CH 2 -tetrazole, CH 2 -(protected tetrazole), CH 2 SO 3 H, CH 2 SO 2 R, CH 2 PO(OR) 2 , CH 2 PO(OR)(OH), CH 2 PO(R)(OH) and CH 2 PO(OH) 2 radicals,
Y 1 is selected from the group formed by the SO 2 R, SO 2 NHCOH, SO 2 NHCOR. SO 2 NHCOOR, SO 2 NHCONHR, SO 2 NHCONH 2 and SO 3 H radicals,
Y 2 is selected from the group formed by the PO(OH) 2 , PO(OR) 2 , PO(OH)(OR) and PO(OH)(R) radicals,
Y 3 is selected from the group formed by the radicals, tetrazole, tetrazole substituted with the radical R, squarate, NH or NR tetrazole, NH or NR tetrazole substituted with the radical R, NHSO 2 R and NRSO 2 R, CH 2 -tetrazole and CH 2 -tetrazole substituted with R, R being defined as above, and
n is equal to 1 or 2,
as well as the salts of these compounds with mineral or organic bases or acids.
The asymmetrical carbon atoms contained in the compounds of formula (I) may independently of each other have the R, S or RS configuration and the compounds of formula (I) therefore appear as pure enantiomers or pure diastereoisomers or as a mixture of enantiomers, notably of racemates, or mixtures of diastereoisomers. Further, the substituent R 1 , R 2 , or R 4 taken individually on the one hand and X on the other hand may be in the cis and/or trans position relatively to the ring on which they are attached, the compounds of formula (I) appear as cis isomers or trans isomers or mixtures thereof. Moreover, the application WO 02/100860 describes related compounds. The applicant has discovered that among the compounds described in the application WO 04/052891, certain particular compounds, none of which are described in the experimental part of this application, have quite unexpected antibacterial properties.
The unique character of the compounds of the invention lies in the fact that they have excellent activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a bacterial strain frequently encountered in nocosomial infections as well as in patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. This interesting and unexpected activity is not present in compounds closest to them as prepared in the application WO 04/052891. It is illustrated later on in the experimental part.
Moreover, the compounds of the invention proved to be active on animal infection models, including on strains usually resistant to commonly used antibiotics. The compounds of the invention are capable of thwarting the main mechanisms of bacterial resistance which are β-lactamases, efflux pumps and mutations of porins.
The compounds of the invention are compounds fitting the formula above wherein R 2 represents a hydrogen atom, X represents a divalent group C(O)NR 8 wherein R 8 is a OY 1 radical, Y 1 being a SO 3 H radical, and especially including the following particular combination of substituents R 1 , R 3 , R 4 :
R 1 represents an alkyl radical substituted with an amino radical and R 3 and R 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices substituted with a group including or consisting in a polar substituent of the amino or aminated aromatic heterocycle or carboxy type.
The object of the invention is thus the compounds of general formula (I), in their possible isomer or diastereoisomer forms or mixtures:
wherein:
R 1 represents a (CH 2 ) n —NH 2 radical, n being equal to 1 or 2;
R 2 represents an hydrogen atom;
R 3 and R 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices containing 1, 2 or 3 nitrogen atoms, substituted on this nitrogen atom or on one of these nitrogen atoms with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R 6 group, m being equal to 0, 1, 2 or 3, p being equal to 0 or 1 and R 5 representing a hydroxy group, in which case p is equal to 1, or an amino, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino group, or a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 or 2 nitrogen atoms, and, if necessary, an oxygen or sulphur atom; it being understood that when the sub-group (C(O)) p —R 6 forms a carboxy, amino or (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino group, m is different from 0 or 1; in free form and as zwitterions and salts with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids.
By alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, is notably meant the methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl radical, as well as a linear or branched butyl, pentyl or hexyl radical. By heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices containing 1, 2 or 3 nitrogen atoms, are meant those selected in the following list, the two bonds symbolizing the junction with the nitrogen-containing ring formed by R 3 and R 4 :
By nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 or 2 nitrogen atoms and if necessary 1 oxygen or sulfur atom, are meant those of the type illustrated above, or an oxazole or thiazole ring, or a ring with 6 apices of the pyridine, pyrazine, pyrimidine or pyridazine type, the heterocycle being attached to the chain or to the heterocycle formed by R 3 and R 4 through a nitrogen atom or a carbon atom. Among the acid salts of the products of formula (I), mention may i.a. be made of those formed with mineral acids such as hydrochloric, hydrobromic, hydroiodic, sulfuric or phosphoric acids or with organic acids such as formic, acetic, trifluoroacetic, propionic, benzoic, maleic, fumaric, succinic, tartaric, citric, oxalic, glyoxylic, aspartic, alkane-sulfonic acids, such as methane- and ethane-sulfonic acids, arylsulfonic acids such as benzene- and paratoluene-sulfonic acids. Among the salts of the products of formula (I), mention may be made, i.a., of those formed with mineral bases such as for example, sodium, potassium, lithium, calcium, magnesium or ammonium hydroxide or with organic bases such as for example methylamine, propylamine, trimethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, N,N-dimethylethanolamine, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, ethanolamine, pyridine, picoline, dicyclohexylamine, morpholine, benzylamine, procaine, lysine, arginine, histidine, N-methylglucamine, or further phosphonium salts such as alkylphosphoniums, arylphosphoniums, alkylarylphosphoniums, alkenylaryl-phosphoniums, or quaternary ammonium salts such as tetra-n-butylammonium salts.
The asymmetrical carbon atoms contained in the compounds of formula (I) may independently of each other have the R, S or RS configuration and the compounds of formula (I) therefore exist as pure enantiomers or pure diastereoisomers or as a mixture of enantiomers, notably of racemates or mixtures of diastereoisomers. Further, the substituent R 1 on the one hand and the chain —C(O)—N(OSO 3 H)— on the other hand may be in the cis and/or trans position relatively to the ring on which they are attached, the compounds of formula (I) exist as cis isomers or trans isomers or mixtures.
Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is notably the compounds wherein R 3 and R 4 form together a substituted pyrazolyl heterocycle. Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is notably those wherein R 1 is a (CH 2 ) n —NH 2 group, n being equal to 1 and the heterocycle formed by R 3 and R 4 is substituted with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R 5 group as defined earlier, and more particularly among the latter, those wherein R 5 represents an amino, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino, m and p being as defined earlier.
Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is most particularly the compounds described later on in the experimental part and notably those of the following names:
trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-carbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfo-oxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-methylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-1-(2-aminoethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-aminoethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)—O-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-pyridinyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfo-oxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans [[8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetic acid, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetamide,
in free form, as zwitterions and salt with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids, and as possible isomers or diastereoisomers, or mixtures.
Another object of the invention is a method for preparing compounds of formula (I), characterized in that a compound of formula (II) is treated:
wherein represents an R′ 1 radical wherein the nitrogen atom is protected, R 2 is as defined above, R′ 3 and R′ 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices containing 1, 2 or 3 nitrogen atoms and P represents a group protecting the hydroxy radical, in the presence of a base, with a compound of formula (III):
X—(CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R′ 5 (III)
wherein X represents a halogen atom or an OH group which may be activated, m and p are as defined above and R′ 5 represents an R 5 radical wherein the reactive amino or carboxy group is, if necessary, protected, in order to obtain a compound of formula (IV):
wherein R′ 1 , R 2 and P are as defined above and R″ 3 and R″ 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices as defined above for R 3 and R 4 , substituted with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R′ 5 group, m, p and R′ 5 being as defined above,
and the hydroxyl radical is then deprotected and the obtained compound is submitted to a sulfatation reaction by action of complexed SO 3 , and then, if necessary the obtained compound is submitted to one or more of the following reactions, in a suitable order:
deprotection of the present aminated function(s) and if necessary of the carboxy group,
salification,
ion exchange,
resolution or separation of diastereoisomers.
Preliminary protection of the amine at R′ 1 , and R ′5 is notably carried out in the form of benzylated or tritylated derivatives, of carbamates, notably allyl, benzyl, phenyl or tertbutyl carbamates, or further in the form of silylated derivatives such as tertbutyl dimethyl, trimethyl, triphenyl or further diphenyltertbutyl-silyl derivatives, or further phenylsulfonylalkyl or cyanoalkyl derivatives. Deprotection may be carried out with different methods known to one skilled in the art, depending on the nature of the protective group. It may notably be carried out through the action of an acid, for example trifluoroacetic acid, the deprotected compound being then obtained as a salt of the acid. It may further be carried out by hydrogenolysis or with soluble complexes of palladium(0) or through the action of tetrabutylammonium fluoride or by reduction. An illustration is provided further on in the experimental part.
The preliminary protection of the carboxy at R′ 5 is notably carried out in the form of derivatives of the ester type, notably alkyl, allyl, benzyl, benzhydryl or p-nitro benzyl esters. Deprotection may be carried out with different methods known to one skilled in the art, for example by saponification, acid hydrolysis, hydrogenolysis or cleavage with soluble complexes of palladium(0). The base in the presence of which the compound of formulae (II) and (III) are reacted may for example be an alkaline carbonate but other bases known to one skilled in the art may be used.
The preliminary protection of the hydroxyl of the compound of formula (II) is carried out in a standard way, in the form of ethers, esters or carbonates. The ethers may be alkyl or alkoxyalkyl ethers, preferably methyl or methoxyethoxmethyl ethers, aryl ethers, or preferably aralkyl ethers, for example benzyl ethers, or silylated ethers, for example the silylated derivatives mentioned above. The esters may be any cleavable ester known to one skilled in the art and preferably an acetate, propionate or benzoate or p-nitrobenzoate. The carbonates may for example be methyl, tertbutyl, allyl, benzyl or p-nitrobenzyl carbonates.
Deprotection is carried out with means known to one skilled in the art, notably saponification, hydrogenolysis, cleavage by soluble complexes of palladium(0), hydrolysis in an acid medium or further, for silylated derivatives treatment with tetrabutylammonium chloride, an illustration is provided further on in the experimental part. The possible activation of the hydroxyl of the compound of formula (III) is achieved in the form of a mesylate or tosylate, under conditions known to one skilled in the art. The sulfatation reaction is carried out by action of SO 3 complexes such as SO 3 -pyridine or SO 3 -dimethylformamide, by operating in pyridine or in dimethylformamide, the salt formed, for example the salt of pyridine, may be exchanged for example with a salt from another amine, a quaternary ammonium or an alkaline metal. An illustration is provided in the experimental part.
Salification by acids is if necessary carried out by adding an acid in a soluble phase to the compound. Salification by bases of the sulfo-oxy function may be achieved from the amine salt, and notably pyridine salt obtained during the action of the SO 3 -amine complex and the other salts are obtained from this amine salt. It is notably possible to operate with ion exchange on a resin. The separation of the enantiomers and diastereoisomers may be achieved according to techniques known to one skilled in the art, notably chromatography either on a chiral phase or not. Examples of conditions which may be used are also described in application WO 04/052891 or further application WO 02/100860.
The compounds of formula (I) wherein n is equal to 0, p is equal to 1 and R 5 represents R″ 5 , R″ 5 representing an amino, (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino, may further be obtained by a method characterized in that a compound of formula (II) as defined above is treated in the presence of a base, with diphosgene and then with an amine of formula
H—R″ 5
wherein R″ 5 has the values of R 5 above, in order to obtain a compound of formula (IV′):
wherein R′ 1 , R 2 and P are as defined above and R 3 and R 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices as defined above, substituted with a —C(O)—R″ 5 group, R″ 5 being as defined above, and the synthesis is then continued as described above in the case of the compound of formula (IV).
The base used during the action of diphosgene may notably be a tertiary amine such as triethylamine. These same compounds of formula (I) may further if necessary be obtained with a method characterized in that a compound of formula (II) as defined above is treated with trimethylsilyl isocyanate or with an isocyanate of formula
(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-N═C═O
In order to obtain a corresponding compound of formula (IV), the synthesis is then continued as described above. The compounds of formula (I) wherein R 5 represents a heterocycle may be obtained with different reactions known to one skilled in the art for forming C—N bonds and notably by catalysis with palladium or copper as the one described in one of the examples hereafter.
As indicated above, the compounds of general formula (I) have excellent antibiotic activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as on animal infection models by strains resistant to commonly used antibacterial agents. This remarkable and unexpected antibiotic activity had not been observed for the compounds described in application WO 04/052891 and notably for the compounds structurally close to them. This is illustrated later on. These properties make said compounds suitable in the free form or as zwitterions or salts of pharmaceutically acceptable acids and bases, for use as drugs in treating severe infections by Pseudomonas , notably nosocomial infections and, generally, major infections in subjects at risks. These may in particular be infections of the respiratory tracts, for example acute pneumonia or chronic infections of the lower tracts, blood infections for example septicemias, acute or chronic infections of the urinary tracts, those of the auditory system, for example malign external otitis, or suppurating chronic otitis, those of the skin and of soft tissues, for example dermatitises, infected wounds, folliculitis, pyodermatis, stubborn forms of acne, eye infections, for example corneal ulcer, those of the nervous system, notably meningitises and brain abscesses, heart infections such as endocarditis, infections of bones and joints, such as stenoarticular pyoarthrosis, vertebral osteomyelitis, pubic symphysitis, infections of the gastro-intestinal tract, such as necrosing enterocolitis and perirectal infections.
Therefore the object of the present invention also is, in the form of drugs, and notably as antibiotic drugs, the compounds of formula (I) as defined above, in free form and as zwitterions and salts with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids. Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is notably the compounds, as drugs, wherein R 3 and R 4 form together a substituted pyrazolyl heterocycle. Among of the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is more particularly the compounds as drugs, wherein R 1 is a (CH 2 ) n —NH 2 group, n being equal to 1 and the heterocycle formed by R 3 and R 4 is substituted with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R 5 group as defined earlier, and more particularly among the latter, those in which R 5 represents an amino, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino group, m and p being as defined earlier.
Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is most particularly the compounds, as a drug, with the following names:
trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-carbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfo-oxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-methylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-1-(2-aminoethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-aminoethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-pyridinyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans [[8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetic acid, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetamide,
in free form, as zwitterions and salts with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids, and in their possible isomer or diastereoisomer forms, or mixtures.
The object of the invention is also pharmaceutical compositions containing as an active ingredient, at least one of the compounds according to the invention as described above. These compositions may be administrated via a buccal, rectal, parenteral, notably intramuscular route, or via a local route, by topical application on the skin and mucosas. The compositions according to the invention may be solid or liquid and exist as pharmaceutical forms currently used in human medicine such as for example simple or sugar-coated tablets, gelatin capsules, granules, suppositories, injectable preparations, ointments, creams, gels; they are prepared according to the usual methods. The active ingredient(s) may be incorporated to excipients usually used in these pharmaceutical compositions, such as talc, gum arabic, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, cocoa butter, aqueous carriers or not, fats of animal or plant origin, paraffinic derivatives, glycols, various wetting agents, dispersants or emulsifiers, preservatives. These compositions may notably exist as a lyophilisate intended to be dissolved extemporaneously in a suitable carrier, for example, apyrogenic sterile water.
The administered dose is variable depending on the treated disease, the subject in question, the administration route, and the relevant product. It may for example be comprised between 0.250 g and 10 g daily, orally in humans, with the product described in Examples 1, 4 or 5 or further comprised between 0.25 g and 10 g daily via an intramuscular or intravenous route. The products of formula (I) may also be used as disinfectants of surgical instruments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following examples illustrate the invention.
Example 1
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-carbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
Trans-8-(hydroxymethyl)-4,8-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
The ester, methyl trans-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-8-carboxylate described in the application WO2004/052891 (Example 1, stage K) (5 g, 15.2 mmol) is put into solution in an anhydrous methanol/tetrahydrofurane mixture 1/1 (100 mL), under nitrogen. NaBH4 (2.3 g, 60.9 mmol) is then added portionwise. After one night of stirring at room temperature, the reaction mixture is treated with a 10% NaH 2 PO 4 aqueous solution (100 mL). After dry evaporation, the reaction medium is taken up into water. The formed precipitate is stirred for one night in ice, and then filtered and dried under reduced pressure in the presence of P 2 O 5 , in order to obtain the expected compound (3.30 g, 11.0 mmol, 72%) as a white powder.
MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =301
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.18-3.50 (ABX, 2H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 3.65-3.76 (ABX, 2H, N—CH— CH 2 —OH), 4.34 (t, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —OH), 4.46 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.88 (s, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 7.29-7.43 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.66 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 12.72 (broad, 1H, OH).
Stage B
1,1-dimethyl Trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenyl-methoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
The alcohol obtained in stage A of Example 1 (1.73 g, 5.76 mmol) is put into solution in anhydrous pyridine (35 mL) under nitrogen, at 0° C., and methanesulfonyl chloride (1.78 mL, 23 mmol) is then added dropwise. After 2 h 30 min of stirring at room temperature, the reaction medium is treated with a saturated ammonium chloride aqueous solution (100 mL), and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic phases are then washed with a saturated ammonium chloride aqueous solution, dried and then concentrated under reduced pressure in order to obtain the expected dimesylated derivative as a yellow oil.
The dimesylated intermediate is put into solution in anhydrous dimethylformamide (45 mL), under nitrogen, in the presence of sodium nitride (1.12 g, 17.3 mmol). The reaction mixture is heated to 70° C. for 24 h. 1 equivalent of nitride is added if necessary so that the conversion is complete. When the reaction is complete, the mixture is treated with a NaH 2 PO 4 10% aqueous solution (100 mL) and then extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic phases are dried and then concentrated under reduced pressure in order to obtain the expected nitride as a yellow oil.
The intermediate is reacted under nitrogen in absolute ethanol (17.5 mL), and then di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (1.38 g, 6.34 mmol), triethylsilane (1.38 mL, 8.64 mmol) and 10% palladium hydroxide on coal (52 mg) are added successively. After one night at room temperature, the reaction mixture is filtered and then concentrated in order to obtain a crude yellow oil. This crude is purified by chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH gradient 100/0 to 95/5 in 1% steps) in order to lead to the expected compound (1.36 g, 3.40 mmol, 34%) as a white solid.
MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =401
1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOH-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.51 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.21-3.59 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.36 (m, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —OH), 4.46 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.99 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 7.41-7.52 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.63 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage C
1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[2-carbamoyle-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
Under nitrogen, the amine obtained in stage B of Example 1 (100 mg, 0.250 mmol) is put into solution in dichloromethane). At 0° C., triethylamine (70 μL, 0.500 mmol) is added, followed by diphosgene (45 μL, 0.376 mmol) added rapidly dropwise. After 2 h 30 min of stirring at 0° C., ammonia (20% aqueous, 0.4 mL) is rapidly added and the medium is vigorously stirred at room temperature for 1 h. The medium is transferred into a separating funnel, rinsed with dichloromethane (5 mL), and then washed with a 10% sodium phosphate aqueous solution (10 mL). The aqueous phase is extracted with dichloromethane (10 mL). The organic phases are collected, washed with a saturated NaCl solution, dried and concentrated under reduced pressure in order to obtain after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /ethyl acetate 70/30), the expected derivative (94 mg, 0.212 mmol, 85%) as a beige solid.
MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =443
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.44 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.09 (dd, 1H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 3.32 (m, 2H, CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.72 (dd, 1H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 3.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.59 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.92 (AB, 2H, N—O— CH 2 -Ph), 5.93 (broad, 1H, NH ), 6.95 (broad, 1H, NH ), 7.37-7.41 (m, 5H, Ph), 8.03 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage D
Pyridinium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[2-carbamoyle-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
Under nitrogen, the derivative obtained in stage C (94 mg, 0.212 mmol) is put into solution in dimethylformamide (0.3 mL) and dichloromethane (0.9 mL), and then 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (68 mg, 0.032 mmol) is added. After purging with vacuum/nitrogen, the reaction medium is placed under a hydrogen atmosphere until disappearance of the initial product in HPLC. The mixture is then concentrated in vacuo and then co-evaporated with anhydrous dichloromethane, finally dried under reduced pressure in the presence of P 2 O 5 for 2 hrs, in order to obtain the expected debenzylated intermediate.
The debenzylated derivative is taken up in anhydrous pyridine (0.6 mL) in the presence of the pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (68 mg, 0.425 mmol). The reaction medium is then stirred at room temperature until full conversion in HPLC, and then dry evaporated after treatment with additional water. The reaction crude is chromatographed on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH gradient 100/0 to 80/20 in 5% steps) in order to obtain the expected product (50 mg, 0.093 mmol, 43%) as a white solid.
MS (ES (−)): m/z [M − ]=431
1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOH-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.52 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.41-3.53, 3.62-3.75 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.64 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 8.00 (m, 2H, Py), 8.28 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.74 (m, 1H, Py), 8.95 (m, 2H, Py).
Stage E
Sodium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[2-carbamoyle-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
A suspension of 6 g of DOWEX 50WX8 resin in a 2N soda solution (30 mL) is stirred for 1 h, and then poured on a chromatography column. The column is conditioned with demineralized water up to a neutral pH, and then with a water/THF 90/10 mixture. The derivative obtained in stage D of Example 1 (49 mg, 0.091 mmol) is dissolved in a minimum of methanol, deposited on the column, and then eluted with a water/THF 90/10 mixture. The fractions containing the substrate are collected, frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected sodium salt (44 mg, 0.091 mmol, 100%) as a beige solid.
MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =431
1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOH-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.52 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.41-3.53, 3.62-3.75 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.64 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 8.29 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage F
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-carbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
A solution of trifluoroacetic acid (2.4 mL) in dichloromethane (2.4 mL) is added dropwise to a solution of the sodium salt obtained in stage E (42 mg, 0.092 mmol) in dichloromethane (1.2 mL) under nitrogen and cooled to 0° C. The reaction is held under stirring for 1 h at room temperature. The mixture is dry evaporated and taken up in water in order to obtain a beige precipitate. The precipitate is filtered, and then washed with ethanol in order to obtain the expected derivative (12 mg, 0.026 mmol, 28%) as a beige solid.
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.18 (m, 1H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 3.40-3.47 (m, 3H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.68 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.85 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 7.79 (broad, 1H, CO NH 2 ), 7.87 (broad, 1H, CO NH 2 , 8.09 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ), 8.26 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Example 2
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
1,1-dimethylentyl trans [[4,5,6,8-dihydro-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-6-oxo-5-(phenyl methoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 1, the use of the derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (200 mg, 0.501 mmol), of dichloromethane (26 mL), of triethylamine (140 μL, 1.00 mmol), of diphosgene (91 μL, 0.751 mmol) and of dimethylamine (40 wt. % aqueous, 0.634 mL, 5.01 mmol) lead, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 99/1), to the expected derivative (170 mg, 0.361 mmol, 72%) as a beige solid.
MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =471
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.20 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 2.80 (dd, 1H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 2.93 (s, 6H, N( CH 3 ) 2 ), 3.09 (m, 2H, CH— CH 2 —NHBoc, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.51 (m, 1H, CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.74 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.33 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.69 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 4.90 (broad, 1H, NH ), 7.12-7.18 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.72 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage B
Pyridinium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, the use of the derivative obtained in stage A (176 mg, 0.374 mmol), of dimethylformamide (0.5 mL), of dichloromethane (1.6 mL) and of 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (119 mg, 0.032 mmol) lead to the expected debenzylated intermediate. The debenzylated intermediate, pyridine (1.1 mL) and the pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (119 mg, 0.748 mmol) lead, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH gradient 100/0 to 80/20 in 5% steps) to the expected derivative (167 mg, 0.309 mmol, 83%) as a beige solid.
MS (ES(−)): m/z [M−H] − =459
1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOH-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.52 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.23 (s, 6H, N( CH 2 ) 2 ), 3.41-3.53, 3.56-3.65 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.64 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 8.07 (m, 2H, Py), 8.20 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.60 (m, 1H, Py), 8.88 (m, 2H, Py).
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
By proceeding as indicated in stage E of Example 1, the use of the derivative obtained in stage B (167 mg, 0.309 mmol), of DOWEX 50WX8 resin (20 g) and of 2N soda (100 mL) lead to the expected sodium salt (139 mg, 0.288 mmol, 93%). By proceeding as indicated in stage F of Example 1, the sodium salt (139 mg, 0.288 mmol), dichloromethane (4 mL), trifluoroacetic acid (7.9 mL) in dichloromethane (7.9 mL) lead to the crude derivative which is taken up in water (˜2 mL) and then frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected derivative (143 mg, 0.288 mmol, 100%) as a beige solid.
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.07 (s, 6H, N( CH 3 ) 2 ), 3.23-3.27, 3.37-3.42 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.68 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.85 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 8.11 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ), 8.19 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Example 3
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-methylcarbamoyl-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-methylcarbamoyl-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 1, the reaction applying the derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (200 mg, 0.501 mmol), dichloromethane (26 mL), triethylamine (140 μL, 1.00 mmol), diphosgene (91 μL, 0.751 mmol) and a methylamine solution (40 wt % aqueous, 0.437 mL, 5.01 mmol) is repeated twice. The crude products are grouped and lead after chromatography on a silica column (CH 2 Cl 2 /AcOEt 100/0 to 80/20), to the expected derivative (170 mg, 0.372 mmol, 60%).
MS (ES(+): m/z [M+H] + =457
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.49 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.02 (d, 3H, NH—CH 3 ), 3.10 (AB, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.34-3.38 (m, 2H, N—CH 2 —CH—N et CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.8 (broad, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.00 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.56-4.60 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.88-5.06 (AB, 2H, N—O—CH 2 -Ph), 5.10 (broad, 1H, NH), 6.95 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.42-7.75 (m, 5H, Ph), 8.07 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage B
Pyridinium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-methylcarbamoyl-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, application of the derivative obtained in stage A (160 mg, 0.350 mmol), dimethylformamide (0.51 mL), dichloromethane (1.52 mL), 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (112 mg, 0.052 mmol) and hydrogenation for 2 h 15 min lead to the expected debenzylated intermediate.
Application of the debenzylated intermediate of pyridine (1.0 mL) and of pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (111 mg, 0.699 mmol) lead, after chromatography on a silica column conduit, (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 80/20), to the expected derivative (120 mg, 0.224 mmol, 64%) as a beige solid.
MS (ES(+): m/z [M+H] + =447) et (ES(−)): m/z [M−H]-=445
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.48 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.01 (d, 3H, NH—CH 3 ), 3.25 (broad, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.40 (broad, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.7 (broad, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.85 (broad, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc) 4.60 (broad, 1H, —CH 2 —CH—N), 5.03 (s, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 5.40 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.10 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.87-7.91 (m, 2H, Pyridine), 8.20 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.36 (t, 1H, Pyridine), 8.94 (d, 2H, pyridine).
Stage C
Sodium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-methylcarbamoyl-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
By proceeding as indicated in stage E of Example 1, application of the derivative obtained in stage B (120 mg, 0.228 mmol) deposited in a minimum of water, of DOWEX 50WX8 resin (20 g) and of 2N soda (70 mL) leads to the expected sodium salt (100 mg, 0.213 mmol, 93%) as a white lyophilisate.
MS (ES(−)): m/z [M−H] − =445
1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 1.48 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 2.85 (s, 3H, NH—CH 3 ), 3.40-3.70 (m, 4H, N—CH 2 —CH—N et CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.60 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 5.10 (s, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 8.23 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage D
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-methylcarbamoyl-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
By proceeding as indicated in stage F of Example 1, application of the sodium salt obtained in stage C ((94 mg, 0.2 mmol), of dichloromethane (3 mL) and of trifluoroacetic acid (2 mL) leads to the crude derivative which is taken up in water (10 mL) and then frozen and freeze-dried. The expected derivative is obtained (95 mg, 0.196 mmol, 98%) as a brown solid.
MS (ES(−)): m/z [M−H] − =345 et ES(+): m/z [M+H] + =447
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 +1 goutte D 2 O): 3.77 (s, 3H, NH— CH 3 ); 3.22-3.48 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.66-4.70 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.84 (s, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 8.23 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Example 4
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-1-(2-amino-ethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
Methyl trans-1-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-8-carboxylate, methyl
trans-2-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-8-carboxylate
The ester, methyl trans-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-8-carboxylate, described in application WO2004/052891 (Example 1, stage K) (1.13 g, 3.44 mmol) is put into solution in anhydrous dimethylformamide (4.0 mL) in the presence of potassium carbonate (712 mg, 5.16 mmol) and of 2-(boc-amino)-ethyl bromide (770 mg, 3.44 mmol). The reaction medium is heated to 55° C. Additional amounts of K 2 CO 3 (2×712 mg, 2×5.16 mmol) and of bromide (2×770 mg, 2×3.44 mmol) are added after 4 hrs and 14 additional hours. The reaction is further continued for 8 hrs at 55° C. The suspension is cooled, filtered and rinsed with ethylacetate. The organic phase is washed with 10% tartaric acid solution and then dried and concentrated under reduced pressure. The crude is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 90/10) in order to lead to the N1-substituted derivative (380 mg, 0.81 mmol, 23%) as well as to the N2-substituted isomer (475 mg, 1.01 mmol, 29%).
N1-Substituted Derivative:
MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =472
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.24 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.42 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.50 (m, 1H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.60 (m, 1H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.86 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.09 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHboc), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.19 (broad, 1H, NH), 5.23 (s, 1H, CH—CO 2 Me), 7.39-7.44 (m, 6H, H pyrazole+Ph).
N2-Substituted Derivative:
MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =472
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.48-3.53 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, CH 2 — CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.85 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.97 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.18 (m, 2H, CH 2 CH 2 —NHboc), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.29 (s, 1H, CH —CO 2 Me), 7.25 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.38-7.43 (massive, 5H, Ph).
Stage B
Trans 1-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-8-(hydroxymethyl)-4,5,6,8-teetrahydro-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
By proceeding as indicated in stage A of Example 1, application of the N1-substituted ester obtained in stage A (475 mg, 1.0 mmol), of NaBH 2 (76 mg+76 mg, 2.0 mmol+2.0 mmol), of tetrahydrofurane (12.5 mL) and of methanol (12.5 mL) at 0° C. leads, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 90/10) to the expected derivative (321 mg, 0.72 mmol, 72%).
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.42 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 )), 3.26-3.32 (m, 3H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.50 (m, 2H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHboc), 3.95 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.06 (m, 3H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc, CH—CH 2 —OH), 4.62 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —OH), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.28 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.36-7.44 (m, 6H, Ph+H pyrazole).
Stage C
1,1-dimethyl trans [[1-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
By proceeding as indicated in stage B of Example 1, the application of the alcohol obtained in stage B (320 mg, 0.72 mmol) in dichloromethane (20 mL), of methanesulfonyl chloride (83 μL+55 μL, 1.08 mmol+0.72 mmol) and of triethylamine (151 μL+100 μL, 1.08 mmol+0.72 mmol) leads, after purification by chromatography on a silica column (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 90/10) to the expected mesylated derivative (229 mg, 0.44 mmol, 61%).
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.46 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.17 (s, 3H SO 2 Me), 3.23 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.37 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.54 (m, 2H CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.97 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.07 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.62 (m, 2H, CH 2 —OMs), 4.87 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —OMs), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph) 5.06 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.38-7.45 (m, 6H, Ph, H pyrazole).
The mesylated intermediate (300 mg, 0.575 mmol) in dimethylformamide (4 mL) and NaN 3 (75 mg+75 mg, 1.15 mmol+1.15 mmol) lead to the expected azide.
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.43 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.24 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.31 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.49 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.75 (m, 2H, CH 2 —N 3 ), 3.94 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.99 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.68 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —N 3 ), 4.91 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.17 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.33-7.41 (m, 6H, Ph, H pyrazole).
Trimethylphosphine (1M solution in tetrahydrofurane, 748 μL, 0.75 mmol) is added at 0° C. to a solution of the azide obtained above (320 mg, 0.575 mmol) in tetrahydrofurane (2.5 mL) and toluene (2.5 mL). This solution is stirred for 2 hrs at room temperature, and then cooled down to 0° C. and a solution of BOC—ON (212 mg, 0.86 mmol) in tetrahydrofurane (2 mL) is added. The solution is stirred for 1 h at room temperature, and then hydrolyzed by adding a saturated NaHCO3 solution and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The collected organic phases are dried and then concentrated. The residue is purified by chromatography on silica column (eluent: gradient cyclohexane/ethyl acetate 60/40 to 30/70) in order to provide the expected derivative (220 mg, 0.41 mmol, 70%).
MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =543
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.44 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.45 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.13 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.25 (m, 2H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.56 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.75 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.95 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.11 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.55 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.92 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.29 (broad, 2H, NH), 7.35-7.43 (m, 6H, Ph, H pyrazole).
Stage D
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-1-(2-amino-ethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, the application of the compound obtained in stage C (210 mg, 0.387 mmol) in dimethylformamide (1 mL) and of dichloromethane (3 mL), Pd/C (50% H 2 O, 75 mg+40 mg) leads to the expected debenzylate derivate.
The application of the debenzylated intermediate, of the pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (123 mg, 0.775 mmol) and of pyridine (2 mL) leads after purification by chromatography on a silica column (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 80/20), to the expected pyridium salt (230 mg, 0.387 mmol, 100%).
By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 2, the application of the pyridinium salt obtained above (230 mg, 0.387 mmol), of a 2N soda solution (50 mL) and of DOWEX 50WX8 resin (18 g) leads to the expected sodium salt (121 mg, 0.22 mmol, 56%) as a white powder.
MS (ES(−)): m/z [M−H] − =531
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.37 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.41 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.20-3.33 (m, 5H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.43 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.99 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.44 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.65 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 6.92 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.11 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.43 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
The application of the sodium salt (55 mg, 0.099 mmol) in dichloromethane (1.5 mL) and of a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid (3 mL) and of dichloromethane (3 mL) leads to the expected sodium trifluoroacetate salt (47 mg, 0.081 mmol, 70%) as a cream-colored powder.
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.26-3.42 (m, 6H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NH 3 + , CH 2 —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.23 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.78 (m, 2H, CH—CH 2 —NH 3 + , N—CH 2 —CH—N), 7.60 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.02 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ), 8.19 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ).
Example 5
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-amino-ethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
Trans-2-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-8-(hydroxymethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
By proceeding as indicated in stage A of Example 1, the application of the N2-substituted ester obtained in stage A of Example 4 (623 mg, 1.32 mmol), of NaBH 4 (300 mg, 7.92 mmol), of tetrahydrofurane (13 mL) and of methanol (13 mL) to 0° C. leads, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 98/2 to 90/10) to the expected derivative (250 mg, 0.58 mmol, 43%).
MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =444
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.40 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.24 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.31 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.35 (m, 1H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.48 (m, 1H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.89-4.11 (m, 5H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —OH), 4.61 (dd, 1H, N—CH—CH 2 —N), 4.92 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.18 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.21 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.33-7.42 (m, 5H, Ph).
Stage B
1,1-dimethyl trans [[2-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 4, the application of the alcohol obtained in stage A (450 mg, 1.05 mmol) in dichloromethane (30 mL), of methanesulfonyl chloride (131 μL, 1.68 mmol) and of triethylamine (237 μL 1.68 mmol) leads to the expected mesylated derivative (532 mg, 1.02 mmol 97%) .
MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =522
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.15 (s, 3H. SO 2 CH 3 ), 3.20 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.40 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.50 (m, 2H. CH 2 —CH 2 —NHboc), 3.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.13 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.61 (m, 2H, CH 2 —OMs), 4.88 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —OMs), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 7.24 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.37-7.45 (m, 5H, Ph).
The application of the mesylated intermediate (532 mg, 1.05 mmol) in dimethylformamide (7.5 mL) and of NaN 3 (615 mg, 9.45 mmol) leads to the expected azide (566 mg, 1.05 mmol).
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.41 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 )), 3.20 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.35 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.44 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.65 (m, 2H, CH 2 —N 3 ), 3.95 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.09 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.71 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —N 3 ), 4.92 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 4.98 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.21 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.33-7.41 (m, 5H, Ph).
The application of the azide above (565 mg, 1.05 mmol), of trimethylphosphine (1M solution in tetrahydrofurane, 1.36 mL, 1.36 mmol), of BOC—ON (388 mg, 1.58 mmol), of tetrahydrofurane (5.5 mL) and of toluene (3 mL) leads to the expected product (205 mg, 0.38 mmol, 36%).
MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =543
1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.46 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.10 (d, 1H N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.29 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.37 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.49 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.69 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.94 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.10 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.58 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.91 (broad, 1H, NH), 4.92 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.13 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.20 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.37-7.44 (m, 5H, Ph).
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-amino-ethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, the application of the compound obtained in stage B (85 mg, 0.157 mmol) in a dimethylformamide/dichloromethane mixture (1/3, 2 mL) and of Pd/C (50% H 2 O, 30 mg) leads to the expected debenzylated derivative.
The application of the obtained debenzylated intermediate, of the pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (50 mg, 0.314 mmol) and of pyridine (0.75 mL) leads, after purification by chromatography on a silica column (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 98/2 to 80/20), to the expected pyridinium salt (85 mg, 0.139 mmol, 86%).
By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 2, the application of the pyridinium salt (85 mg, 0.139 mmol), of a 2N soda solution (42 mL) and of DOWEX 50WX8 (8.5 g) leads to the expected sodium salt (75 mg, 0.135 mmol, 86%), as a cream-colored powder.
MS (ES(−)): m/z [M − ]=531
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.37 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.40 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 )), 3.17-3.32 (m, 5H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.60 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.04 (m, 2H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.31 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.65 (s, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 6.94 (broad, 2H, NH), 7.65 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
The application of the sodium salt (75 mg, 0.135 mmol) in dichloromethane (2 mL) and of a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid (4 mL) and of dichloromethane (4 mL) leads to the sodium trifluoroacetate salt (35 mg, 0.059 mmol, 44%) as a cream-colored powder.
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.20-3.41 (m, 6H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NNH 3 + , CH 2 —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.30 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.63 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.77 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 7.85 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.04 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ), 8.17 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ).
Example 6
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-pyridinyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-(2-pyridinyl)-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
The derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (0.500 g, 1.248 mmol), 2-bromopyridine (217 mg, 1.373 mmol), L-proline (32 mg, 0.275 mmol), copper iodide (24 mg, 0.125 mmol) and potassium carbonate (345 mg, 2.497 mmol) are suspended in anhydrous dimethylsulfoxide (1.875 mL). The reaction is then continued under nitrogen, in a sealed tube at 100° C. for 48 hrs. The reaction medium is then treated with water and then extracted with dichloromethane. The organic phase is then dried and concentrated. The thereby obtained crude product is then purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 98/2 and then 95/5) in order to obtain the expected product (91 mg, 0.189 mmol, 15%).
MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =477
1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOD-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.51 (s, 9H, tBu), 3.37-3.39 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBOC), 4.44 (d, 1H, N—CH—CH 2 —NHBOC), 4.65 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.98 (AB, 2H, CH 2 Ph), 7.25-7.53 (m, 6H, Ph, pyridine), 7.90 (m, 2H, pyridine), 8.42 (d, 1H, pyridine), 8.51 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Stage B
Sodium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-(2-pyridinyl)-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7Hpyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]carbamate
By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, application of the derivative obtained in stage A (90 mg, 0.189 mmol), of a dimethylformamide/dichloromethane 1/3 mixture (2.0 mL) and of 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (36 mg) leads after 3 days under hydrogen to the expected benzylated intermediate.
The application of the debenzylated intermediate, of pyridine (0.73 mL) and of pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (60 mg, 0.378 mmol) leads, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 90/10), to the expected derivative (63 mg).
The crude is then taken up in pyridine (0.73 mL), under nitrogen, in the presence of the SO 3 /pyridine complex (60 mg, 0.378 mmol). The reaction medium is then stirred at room temperature until complete conversion in HPLC (72 hrs). After treatment by adding H2O, the mixture is filtered and then dry-evaporated. The thereby obtained crude product is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 90/10). The product is thus obtained pure (63 mg).
A suspension of 8.5 g of DOWEX 50WX8 resin in a 2N soda solution (43 mL) is stirred for 1 h, and then poured on a chromatography column. The column is conditioned with demineralized water up to a neutral pH. The obtained derivative (63 mg) is dissolved in a minimum of methanol and water, deposited on the column and then eluted with H 2 O. The fractions contained in the substrate are collected, frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected sodium salt (55 mg, 0.112 mmol, 60%) as a yellow powder.
MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =465
1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOD-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.53 (s, 9H, t Bu), 1.54 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.58 (dd, 2H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 5.02 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 7.34 (m, 1H, pyridine), 7.97 (m, 2H, pyridine), 8.47 (d, 1H, pyridine), 8.65 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-pyridinyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
By proceeding as indicated in stage F of Example 1, the application of the sodium salt obtained in step B (55 mg, 0.112 mmol), of anhydrous dichloromethane (1.92 mL), and of a trifluoroacetic acid/dichloromethane 1/1 mixture (7.68 mL) leads to a crude derivative which is taken up in water and then washed with diethyl ether. The insoluble product is filtered and dried under reduced pressure in order to obtain the expected product (20 mg, 0.04 mmol, 35%) as a beige powder.
MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =367
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.30-3.49 (2 ABX, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.75 (dd, 2H, N— CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.92 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 7.35 (m, 1H, pyridine), 7.83 (d, 1H, pyridine), 7.95 (m, 1H, pyridine), 8.49 (m, 1H, pyridine), 8.61 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Example 7
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans-8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetic acid
Stage A
1,1-dimethylethyl trans-5,6-dihydro-8-(tert-butoxycarbonyl-aminomethyl)-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4H-4,7-methano-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetate
The derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (0.200 g, 0.5 mmol) is put into solution in anhydrous dimethylformamide (0.5 mL), and then tert-butyl bromoacetate (234 mg, 1.2 mmol) and potassium carbonate (138 mg, 1 mmol) are added. The reaction is then continued under nitrogen, in a sealed tube at 75° C. The reaction is followed with HPLC. When the conversion is complete, the reaction medium is treated with H 2 O and then extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic phases are then dried on sodium sulfate, filtered and then concentrated. The thereby obtained crude product is then purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH2Cl2/MeOH 100/0 to 95/5) in order to obtain the expected product (186 mg, 0.36 mmol, 72%) as a mixture of 2 N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of about 1/2.
N2 Isomer:
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.41 (s, 18H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.19-3.32 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.30 (dd, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.49 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.85 (s, 2H, CH 2 CO 2 tBu), 4.89 (s, 2H, CH 2 Bn), 6.95 (m, 1H, NH BOC), 7.36-7.43 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.68 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Stage B
Sodium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans-5,6-dihydro-8-(tert-butoxycarbonylaminomethyl)-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetic acid
The compound obtained in stage A (186 mg, 0.362 mmol) is put into solution in a dichloromethane/dimethylformamide 3/1 mixture (4.12 mL). After purging with vacuum/nitrogen, the 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (74 mg) is added. After again purging with vacuum/nitrogen, the reaction mixture is placed under hydrogen and stirred at room temperature. Progression of the reaction is followed with HPLC. After disappearance of the initial product (3 h 30 min), the mixture is concentrated, co-evaporated with anhydrous dichloromethane, finally placed under reduced pressure in the presence of P 2 O 5 for 1 h. The crude is then taken up in pyridine (1.39 mL), under nitrogen, in the presence of the SO 3 /pyridine complex (115 mg, 0.724 mmol). The reaction medium is then stirred at room temperature until complete conversion in HPLC (24 hrs). After treatment by adding H 2 O, the mixture is filtered and dry-evaporated. The thereby obtained crude product is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 95/5 to 80/20). The expected product is thereby obtained (117 mg).
A suspension of 20 g of DOWEX 50WX8 resin in a 2N soda solution (100 mL) is stirred for 1 h, and then poured on a chromatography column. The column is conditioned with demineralized water up to a neutral pH. The obtained derivative (117 mg, 0.233 mmol) is dissolved in a minimum of water, deposited on the column, and then eluted with H 2 O. The fractions containing the substrate are collected, frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected sodium salt (66 mg, 0.126 mmol, 35%) as a white powder.
N2 Isomer:
MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =502
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ(ppm)=1.42 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.20-3.35 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.32 (dd, 2H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.81 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.85 (s, 2H, CH 2 CO 2 C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 6.99 (m, 1H, NH BOC), 7.67 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans-8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetic acid
By proceeding as indicated in stage F of Example 1, the application of the sodium salt obtained in stage B (66 mg, 0.126 mmol), of anhydrous dichloromethane (2.3 mL), and of a trifluoroacetic acid/dichloromethane 1/1 mixture (9.2 mL) leads to the crude derivative which is taken up in water and then washed with ether and hexane. The aqueous phase is then frozen and then freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected product (54 mg, 0.111 mmol, 88%) as a yellow solid. The product consists of a mixture of N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of 28/72.
N2 Ilsome
MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =346
1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOD-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=3.36-3.56 (m, 4H, N— CH 7 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.78 (dd, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.92 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.99 (s, 2H, CH 2 CO 2 H), 7.80 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Example 8
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans-8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetamide
Stage A
Trans-5,6-dihydro-8-(tert-butoxycarbonylaminomethyl)-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetamide
The derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (1 g, 2.5 mmol) is put into solution in anhydrous dimethylformamide (2.5 mL). 2-bromoacetamide (829 mg, 6 mmol) and potassium carbonate (692 mg, 5 mmol) are added. The reaction is stirred, under nitrogen in a sealed tube at 75° C. 2-bromoacetamide (1 eq.) and K 2 CO 3 (1 eq.) are added after one night, and the reaction is continued for 4 days (˜60% conversion). The reaction medium is treated with H 2 O and then extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic phases are then dried on sodium sulfate, filtered and then concentrated. The thereby obtained crude product is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 95/5) in order obtain the expected product (188 mg, 0.41 mmol, 16%) as a mixture of N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of about 1/2.
N2 Isomer:
MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =457
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.39 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.12-3.33 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.31 (m, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.40 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.66 (s, 2H, CH 2 CONH 2 ), 4.89 (s, 2H, CH 2 Bn), 6.99 (m, 1H, NH BOC), 7.58-7.62 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.66 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Stage B
Sodium salt of trans-5,6-dihydro-8-(tert-butoxycarbonyl-aminomethyl)-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methano-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetamide
By proceeding as in stage B of Example 7, the compound obtained in stage A (188 mg, 0.411 mmol) is hydrogenated, and then sulfated in the presence of SO 3 /pyridine complex (131 mg, 0.823 mmol) in pyridine (1.58 mL), under nitrogen at room temperature for 4 days. The obtained crude product is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH/NH 4 OH 80/20/1) in order to lead to the expected product (23 mg, 0.044 mmol, 11%) as a mixture of N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of about 1/2.
N2 Isomer:
MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =447
1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.41 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.24-3.32 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.36 (m, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.67 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.69 (s, 2H, CH 2 CONH 2 ), 7.02 (m, 1H, NH BOC), 7.40 (s, 2H, NH 2 ), 7.65 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Ion exchange is achieved on a DOWEX 50WX8 resin (4 g) as indicated in stage B of Example 7 in order to afford after freeze-drying the expected sodium salt (17 mg, 0.126 mmol, 35%) as a beige powder.
MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =445
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans-8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methano-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetamide
The compound obtained in stage B (17 mg, 0.036 mmol) is suspended in anhydrous dichloromethane (0.07 mL), under nitrogen. Trifluoroacetic acid (0.027 mL) is then added dropwise and the reaction is then continued at room temperature for 3 hrs. After dry evaporation, the product is then taken up in water, frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected product (17 mg, 0.035 mmol, 98%) as a beige solid, as a mixture of N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of about 1/2.
N2 Isomer
MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =345
1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOD-d 4 ): δ(ppm)=3.31-3.36 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.60 (m, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.71 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.74 (s, 2H, CH 2 CONH 2 ), 7.25 (broad s, 1H, NH), 7.45 (broad s, 1H, NH), 7.73 (s, 1H, pyrazole), 8.04 (sl, 1H, NH 3 + ).
Pharmaceutical Composition
A composition was prepared for injection containing:
Compound of Example 1: 500 mg
Sterile aqueous excipient: q.s.p. 5 cm 3
Pharmacological Study of the Compounds of the Invention
Activity in vitro, method of dilutions in a liquid medium: A series of tubes is prepared in which the same amount of sterile nutritive medium is distributed, increasing amounts of the product to be studied are distributed in each tube, and each tube is then sown with a bacterial strain. After incubation for 24 hrs in the oven at 37° C., inhibition of growth is appreciated by trans-illumination, which allows determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) expressed in μg/ml.
Thus tests are carried out with the products of Examples 1 to 8 in comparison with products of Examples 7, 9, 11 and 45 of application WO 04/052891. The products of the present application prove to be very active on Pseudomonas aeruginosa , which is absolutely not the case of the comparison products. The activity difference on Pseudomonas aeruginosa between the products of the invention and the closest products from the prior art is located according to the products in a range from 16 to more than 500.
Activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1771 Strain of the wild type)
MIC (μg/mL) 24 h
Molecule
( P, aerug , 1771)
Ex 1
0.25
Ex 2
2
Ex 3
2
Ex 4
0.25
Ex 5
0.25
Ex 6
8
Ex 7
4
Ex 8
0.5
Ex 7 Patent application
>128
WO 04/052891
Ex 9 Patent application
>128
WO 04/052891
Ex 11 Patent application
>128
WO 04/052891
Ex 45 Patent application
>128
WO 04/052891
IMP
1
CAZ
1
IMP = Imipenem and CAZ = Ceftazidime. (Results given as indications). | The invention relates to nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds of general formula (I)
wherein:
R 1 represents a (CH 2 ) n —NH 2 radical, n being equal to 1 or 2;
R 2 represents a hydrogen atom;
R 3 and R 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices containing 1, 2 or 3 nitrogen atoms, substituted on this nitrogen atom or one of these nitrogen atoms with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R 5 group, m being equal to 0, 1, 2 or 3, p being equal to 0 or 1 and R 5 representing a hydroxy group, in which case p is equal to 1, or an amino, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino, a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 or 2 nitrogen atoms and if necessary, an oxygen or sulfur atom;
it being understood that when the sub-group (C(O)) p —R 5 forms a carboxy, amino, (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl amino, group, m is different from 0 or 1; in free form or as zwitterions and salts with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids, to their preparation and to their use as antibacterial drugs. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lancet device for performing a pricking operation, for example for use in taking skin capillary blood samples.
Our granted British Patent No. 1599654 describes and claims one particular form of automatic lancet device, which is characterized by the lancet travelling a curved path for example being carried by an arm which rotates around a pivot. The present invention is applicable to devices including devices of that type.
The present invention is concerned with lancet devices in which a finger guard (referred to in G.B. No. 1599654 as a disposable foot) is provided against which the finger rest in use, and through which or past which the lancet makes the pricking action. The guard prevents the lancet from penetrating the finger too far and reassures the user as well as assisting in locating the lancet device on the finger for use.
Whilst ejection of the used lancet without the need to contact it with one's fingers is provided for in the known device no such provision has yet been proposed or made in respect of the finger guard. The finger guard is also liable to become contaminated with blood after it has been used and despite the increasing concern about the risk of infection from contaminated blood of other users and medical personnel e.g. in hospitals, some years have passed before we came to the conclusion that this risk could be diminished by providing for mechanical ejection of a finger guard from the lancet device by operation of an ejector at a location removed from the finger guard.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention the finger guard is mounted on the device so as to be displaceable therefrom. Preferably displacement means are permanently mounted on the device and are movable from a first position to a second position so that the said movement causes displacement of the finger guard from the device, the said movement being achievable actuation at a location remote from the finger guard.
Preferably the displacement means are such as to directly engage the finger guard and displace it fully from its recess in the lancet device. The device can thus be aimed at a receptacle and the displacement means operated to in effect project the finger guard into the receptacle, such projection being readily aided by gravity.
Indirect displacement of the finger guard is not excluded.
In a preferred embodiment, the lancet device is automatic in the sense that the lancet itself is biassed to pierce the finger and is then latched and actuation merely involves the user releasing the latch so that the biassing then drives the lancet into the user's finger. This biassing is normally achieved by a mechanical spring but any effective mechanism could be used.
The finger guard may be a plate with a hole or notch in it through which the lancet travels and a stem. The stem is desirably a push fit or a more or less tight fit in a slot or hole in the body of the lancet device. A balance must be struck between the desire for a fit tight enough to prevent accidental falling out of the finger guard and loose enough to permit ready ejection with needing too powerful a mechanism or too much effort by the user. The arrangement should desirably also be such that jamming of the stem in the recess is avoided.
The term stem is to be understood broadly as anything apt to achieve the necessary function of holding the finger guard portion ready for the piercing operation and in secured and known relationship to the lancet's site of action whilst also being such as to transmit the ejecting force of the displacement means.
It may be a plate or rod which may be solid or pierced and of any appropriate cross-section. It is desirably stiff but could tolerate a degree of flexibility so long as this did not interfere with its function.
The finger guard is preferably made of moulded plastics material and is stiff. The finger guard may be positively located as by some latch or functional engagement between it and its mounting or the stem may merely be of such a length that the finger guard tends to stay in the mounting due to the stem engaging, e.g. frictionally, the walls of the hole or recess.
The displacement means preferably have an actuating member which on movement of the displacement means from the first to the second position displaces the finger guard e.g. by engaging the stem of the finger guard. The displacement means may also have a remote activating surface extending out through a surface of the device remote from the finger guard so that a finger can be used to move the displacement means from the first to the second position without the finger coming into contact with the finger guard.
If desired the displacement means could be in two or more parts. Also the displacement means could be biassed and latched so that engagement of the activating surface would cause the finger guard to be projected away from the device e.g. facilitating its direction into a disposal bin. The insertion of a new finger guard could be arranged in effect to cock such biassable displacement means by loading the biassing mechanism and engaging a latching mechanism. The biassing mechanism could conveniently be a spring e.g. a mechanical spring such as a compression spring or a torsion spring.
One convenient and preferred form of displacement means is a captive bolt located in a slot, hole or recess in the body of the device which communicates with the recess in which the finger guard is mounted.
The bolt will desirably also have an activating surface engagable from outside the device at a location remote from the finger guard, or engagable or activatable by a further member which itself is engagable from outside the device.
Another form of displacement means may be a lever or levers pivoted to the device and actuatable from outside the device at a location remote from the finger guard so as to move a part of the lever or levers or one of the levers from a first to a second position whereby the finger guard is displaced. The pivot may be between the activating surface and the point of engagement with the finger guard or may be beyond the point of engagement with the finger guard.
The lancet device may be provided with latching mechanisms to prevent accidental displacement of the finger guard, and such latching mechanisms could engage either the finger guard or the displacement means, e.g. the captive bolt or lever of the above two specific forms of the invention. The device may also be provided with biassing and latching mechanisms as discussed above.
The invention may be carried into practice in various ways, but one specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example only with reference to a lancet device of the type shown in G.B. No. 1599654 and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lancet device with a needle and a finger guard in position for fitting;
FIG. 2 is an elevation of the device of FIG. 1, ready to be used;
FIG. 3 is a detail showing the relationship of the needle and the finger guard when a prick is made;
FIG. 4 is an elevation of the device with the cover removed and in the cocked position; and
FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 with the needle in the pricking position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The device comprises a two-part, preferably plastic, housing of generally quadrant shape having a base 10A and a separate detachable cover 10B, which can be mutually located by means of co-operating interengageable formations (not shown) and held together by screws 11. The two housing portions 10A and 10B have arcuate edges 14 between which a slot 15 is defined, and an arm 16 is pivotally mounted at its inner end in the housing by means of a pivot pin 17, and protrudes at its outer end through the slot 15. The axis of the pivot pin 17 is concentric with the edges.
At its outer end the arm has a holder 18 in the form of a cylinder with a bore opening through its lower end, which can receive and hold the ribbed mounting 20 of a mounted needle 21, to hold the needle with its pointed tip projecting generally tangentially with respect to the edges 14 and the pivot pin 17. The needle 21 has a protuberance 23 at its end remote from the tip by which a used needle can be pushed down or pulled up out of the bore in the holder 18. The bore may be slotted so as to give a spring engagement to the mounting of the needle.
A helical tension spring 25 extends between an anchorage pin 26 on the base 10A and an eye 27 formed on the arm 16 near its pivoted end, the eye 27 being radially-offset from the pivot pin 17. In a position of the arm intermediate between those shown in FIGS. 5 and 4 the spring 25 is directly aligned with the pivot pin 17 along the axis 22 so that it exerts no turning torque on the arm 16. That position of the arm 16 is thus a neutral or dead-centre position. When the arm is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 4 and 5 to a cocked position at the top end of the slot 15, the spring 25 will be extended and will exert a resilient torque on the arm 16 tending to turn the arm towards its neutral position; a resilient latch member 28 with a latch hook 28A and an operating trigger 29 is mounted in the base 10A to co-operate with a hook 30 formed in the arm 16 to latch the arm in its cocked position as shown in FIG. 4.
The latch member 28 is a plastic moulding with a stem 41 which is keyed into a slot defined between the rear wall 42 of the base and a projection 43 moulded integrally with the base. From the stem 41 an arcuate cantilever arm 44 extends towards the front of the device carrying the hook 28A at its end. The trigger 29 projects up through a slot in the top of the base 10A for manual operation. An integrally moulded spring tongue 45 acts against the edge of the base to bias the cantilever arm 44 in a direction to hold the hook engaged. Pressure on the trigger 29 will release the latch by disengaging the hooks 28A and 30 to allow the spring 25 to rotate the arm in the anti-clockwise direction in FIGS. 4 and 5 back to its neutral position. The inertia of the swinging arm will carry it through its neutral position for a pricking operation as will now be described.
A replaceable finger rest or guard 32 is detachably mounted in a slot 33 defined in the base 10A between the underside of a step 35 described below and a spaced parallel surface moulded as part of the base. The guard 32 has a hole 34 formed in its end which protrudes from the housing. The swinging arm after overrunning its neutral position will reach a limiting, operative position (shown in FIG. 5) in which it engages a step 35 in the base 10A, and the tip of the needle will then project through the hole 34 to perform a pricking operation. In that position the spring has been stretched as shown in FIG. 5 and that will return the arm to its neutral position, thus retracting the needle to a position with its tip within and guarded by the guard 32.
The finger guard 32 may be an inexpensive moulding of polyethylene or other flexible plastics material.
Thus to operate the pricker device, the user will fit a new sterile lancet or needle 21 in the holder 18 with its needle point directed towards the guard ring, and its protuberance 23 extending out of the holder 18A, and will fit a new sterile finger and guard rest in the slot 33 having first disposed of the old needle and finger guard. He will then set the device by turning the arm back into its retracted position where it will be held by engagement with the latch 28. He will then, holding the set device in one hand as shown in FIG. 2, place the finger guard ring 32 over the pulp of a finger from which he wishes to draw a blood sample, resting that finger on the curved bottom 36 of the housing, and will then press the trigger 20 to release the latch. The arm 16 and needle 21 will fly forward under the force of the spring 25, turning about the pivot 17, and travelling through the neutral position until the arm is checked by the step at the end of the slot 15 at which time the tip of the needle is projected through the centre of the finger guard 32 to prick the patient's skin below. The arm will rebound from its limiting operative position back into its neutral position, aided by the return force of the over-centre spring 25, retracting the tip of the needle from the patient's skin to a position within the guard 32. The used needle 21 and finger guard 32 are now removed and thrown away, and a sterile replacement needle 21 and finger guard 32 fitted into the holder 18 and slot 33 for the next operation.
The used needle can be removed from the holder 18 by means of the protuberance 23. The needle can thus be displaced into a disposal receptacle without needing to be touched, so that transfer of the previous user's possibly-contaminated blood to the next user or medical personnel is avoided.
The used finger guard is also liable to carry some of the previous user's blood. The present invention enables it to be displaced into a disposal receptacle without its needing to be touched.
That is made possible by a captive bolt 66 housed in a recess formed in the base 10A.
The bottom surface 36 of the base 10A has a slot 100 formed in it affording a flat base 101 parallel to the walls of the slot 33. The captive bolt 66 has a displacing member 67 which at all times rests in the slot 33.
The bolt 66 has a ribbed activating button 68 protruding below the curve of the edge 36 of the device. The button has a flat upper face which rests on and slides over the flat base 101 of the slot 100. The slot 100 extends through the bottom wall of the housing affording an opening into its interior which opening has front and rear ends 103 and 104 which engage front and rear faces 107 and 108 of a vertical arm of the bolt 66 so as to limit its movement. The bolt 66 also carries projecting rearwardly and slightly upwardly from its rear face a retaining and screening limb 112. This interferes with access to the interior of the housing when the captive bolt is in its forward or active position (shown in FIG. 4). The limb 112 holds the captive bolt securely within the housing by bearing against the inside of the housing wall when the bolt is in its retracted or passive position (shown in FIG. 5).
The vertical arm 110 is the full width of the bolt as are the activating surface 68 and the limb 112.
The dimensions of the stem 37 of the finger guard 32, the slot 33 and the actuating member 67 are such that full forward movement of the bolt 66 (FIG. 4) fully displaces the finger guard 32 from the slot 33. The bolt is retracted (FIG. 5) ready for insertion of a new finger guard in the slot 33. However the benefits of removal of the finger guard without the need to touch it can still be achieved when the dimensions are only such that the finger guard is partly displaced so long as it will then readily fall from the slot when the device is held with the slot 33 pointing downwards e.g. vertically downwards. | An automatic lancet device comprising a housing with a recess in one side through which a mounting member can move to carry a lancet from a retracted to an operative position, and a finger guard through which or past which the lancet makes its finger piercing movement in use. The finger guard is provided with a stem dimensioned to be removably located in a recess in the housing. A displacement member is permanently mounted on the device and is movable from a first position to a second position to cause displacement of the finger guard from the recess, the displacement being achievable by actuation at a location remote from the finger guard. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to microwave band-pass filters using microstrip lines and an adjusting method of the filter characteristic, and more particularly to microwave band-pass filters of which miniaturization and improvement of the filter characteristic are possible and a filter characteristic adjusting method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
Microwave band-pass filters utilizing the resonance of distributed parameter circuits are frequently used at present in the fields such as the satellite broadcasting, the personal radio. The microwave band-pass filters include two types, the comb line type and the interdigital type.
As shown in FIG. 17, a microwave band-pass filter of comb line type includes a dielectric substrate A, a grounding electrode B formed all over the back surface of the dielectric substrate A, a short-circuit electrode 4 formed on one side in a width direction of the dielectric substrate A, a plurality of resonant lines 11, 12, 13 formed in a length direction of the dielectric substrate A, of which one ends are commonly connected to the short-circuit electrode 4, an input line 2 connected to the resonant line 11 at the first stage among the plural stages of resonant lines, and an output line 3 connected to the resonant line 13 at the last stage among the plural stages of resonant lines. The dielectric substrate A formed of dielectric material having permittivity of about 90, e.g. BaO-Nd 2 O 3 -TiO 2 system material has a width of H. Each resonant line 11, 12, 13 has a length of L and a width of W.
In the above-described structure, the energy of the microwave inputted to the resonant line 11 is imprisoned in the dielectric substrate A to produce a standing wave having 1/4 wave length. Accordingly, when the wave length of the supplied microwave is λ 0 and the effective permittivity of dielectric substrate A is ε, the length of a resonant line can be λ 0 /4√ε. The characteristic impedance Zo of the resonant line is proportional to H/W.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a microwave band-pass filter of interdigital type. The microwave band-pass filter includes short-circuit electrodes 41, 42 formed on both sides in a width direction of a dielectric substrate A, resonant lines 11, 13 connected to the short-circuit electrode 41, a resonant line 12 connected to the short-circuit electrode 42, and an input line 2 and an output line 3 connected to the short-circuit electrode 42.
Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the comb line type and the interdigital type are different in that one ends of resonant lines of the comb line type are commonly connected to a short-circuit line, but one ends of resonant lines of the interdigital type are alternately connected to short-circuit electrodes 41, 42.
FIG. 19 is a diagram for describing the relationship between a coupling coefficient k 1 between resonant lines of a microwave band-pass filter of comb line type and a coupling coefficient k 2 between resonant lines of a microwave band-pass filter of interdigital type. Here, the coupling coefficient means the strength of inductive coupling between resonant lines. The coupling coefficient k is proportional to an interval d between resonant lines. The coupling coefficient k 1 of a comb line type microwave band-pass filter is larger than the coupling coefficient k 2 of an interdigital type microwave band-pass filter because the directions of electric fields in adjacent intervals between resonant lines of interdigital type are reverse to each other in contrast to that the directions of electric fields in adjacent intervals between resonant lines of comb line type are the same. Accordingly, when the same coupling coefficient k' is taken, an interval between resonant lines of interdigital type is a, and an interval between resonant lines of comb line type is b. From this fact, it can be said that a microwave band-pass filter of interdigital type is more advantageous than a microwave band-pass filter of comb line type in miniaturization.
So-called stepped impedance type resonant lines in which the width of an open end side of each resonant line is larger than the width on the short-circuit side are disclosed (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 62-164301).
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a microwave band-pass filter employing resonant lines of stepped impedance type disclosed in the above-identified gazette. Referring to the figure, each resonant line 11, 12, 13 includes a short-circuit portion 1c commonly connected to a short-circuit electrode 4 at its one end, an open portion 1a of which one end is open and width is wider than the width of the short-circuit portion 1c, and a connection portion 1b interposed between the open portion la and the short-circuit portion 1c. Also, the microwave band-pass filter includes a guard electrode 5 extending from the short-circuit electrode 4 to the main surface. The guard electrode 5 is formed in order to prevent difference of dimensions of resonant lines and so forth because of up and down movement of a circuit pattern in a length direction when forming a certain pattern on a substrate by the screen printing method, for example.
In the above-described structure, because the open portion 1a is wider than the short-circuit portion 1c, the electrostatic capacity can be made large. Thus, resonant frequency decreases. As a result, as compared to a microwave band-pass filter of resonant frequency same as the decreased resonant frequency, the length of resonant lines can be shorter to reduce size of a dielectric substrate.
However, the shape of the connection portion 1b is step-formed, so that disorder of an electric field and a magnetic field in the discontinuous portion become great, which causes a problem of degradation of a quality factor Q.
Also, for example, when forming a circuit pattern by the screen printing method, since the connection portion 1b is step-formed, an edge of a mask is changed in its form depending on the frequency in use of the mask. As a result, edge portions of connecting portions 1b have variations in shape to cause variations in the resonant frequency.
Furthermore, since capacitance is parasitically produced between the guard electrode 5 and open ends of the resonant lines 11, 12, 13, there is a problem that the capacitance influences the filter characteristic.
Furthermore, there are small differences in permittivity of dielectric substrates A, which produce differences in substantial length of the resonant lines and electrostatic capacitance to influence the filter characteristic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to make Q flat in a band-pass filter in which the width of an open side of a resonant line is wider than that of a short-circuit side.
It is another object of the present invention to restrain a disorder of an electric/magnetic field between resonant lines.
It is still another object of the present invention to restrain variations in dimensions of circuit patterns when screen printing circuit patterns on dielectric substrates.
It is yet another object of the present invention to restrain variations in filter characteristics produced due to variations of permittivity of dielectric substrates and variations in dimensions of circuit patterns.
Briefly stated, a microwave band-pass filter according to the present invention includes a dielectric substrate, a grounding electrode, short-circuit electrodes, resonant lines, an input line, and an output line. A grounding electrode is formed all over one main surface of the dielectric substrate. The short-circuit electrode is connected to the grounding electrode and formed on both sides in a width direction of the dielectric substrate. The resonant lines are formed in length directions on the other main surface of the dielectric substrate. Furthermore, the resonant lines include short-circuit portions, open portions and connection portions. The short-circuit portions are alternately connected to short-circuit electrodes formed on both sides in a width direction of the dielectric substrate at one ends thereof. One end of the open portion is opened and has a width wider than that of the short-circuit portion. The connection portion is interposed between the open portion and the short-circuit portion and has a width gradually increased in the direction toward the connection portion from the short-circuit portion. The input line is electromagnetically coupled to a resonant line at the first stage among a plurality of resonant lines. The output line is electromagnetically coupled to the resonant line at the final stage among a plurality of resonant lines.
In operation, connection portions of a plurality of resonant lines have gradually increased width, so that the disorder of an electric field and a magnetic filed between adjacent resonant lines and between resonant lines and input/output lines can be restrained. As a result, reflected waves can be restrained to make Q flat. Also, by gradually increasing the width of the connection portion, an edge angle of the connection portion can be made larger than a conventional case, so that the change in shape of the edge portion in screen printing can be avoided. As a result, variations of circuit patterns can be eliminated.
Briefly stated, in another aspect of the present invention, the filter characteristic adjusting method according to the present invention is a method in which a portion of a short-circuit electrode or a guard electrode is removed in a microwave band-pass filter including a short-circuit electrode and a guard electrode.
In operation, by removing a part of a short-circuit electrode or a guard electrode, the capacitance parasitically produced between open ends of resonant lines and the guard electrode can be decreased. As a result, the variations in filter characteristics due to variations in permittivity of dielectric substrates and variations in dimensions of resonant lines can be prevented.
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 diagram showing one embodiment of a microwave band-pass filter according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram in which a guard electrode is provided in the embodiment of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4A is a diagram in which a connection portion of an open portion of a resonant line and input/output lines is improved.
FIG. 4B is an enlarged diagram of the portion surrounded by a chain line of FIG. 4A.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modified example of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing filter characteristics of the microwave band-pass filter of FIGS. 3 and 4.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing actual dimensions of the microwave band-pass filters of FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively.
FIGS. 8A-8E and 9 are diagrams for describing the steps for forming a microwave band-pass filter.
FIG. 10 is a packaging diagram of a microwave band-pass filter.
FIG. 11 is a diagram for describing trimming positions of a microwave band-pass filter in adjusting the center frequency.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a microwave band-pass filter subjected to trimming.
FIG. 13 is a graph for describing the effect by trimming.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing trimming positions when restraining ripples.
FIG. 15 is a diagram for describing ripple restraint.
FIG. 16 is a diagram for describing adjustment of the filter characteristics of the microwave band-pass filter shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a conventional comb line type microwave band-pass filter.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a conventional interdigital type microwave band-pass filter.
FIG. 19 is a diagram for describing the relationship between a coupling coefficient and the distance between resonant lines.
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a conventional microwave band-pass filter using resonant lines of stepped impedance type.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a microwave band-pass filter of the present invention. Referring to the figure, this microwave band-pass filter and the microwave band-pass filters shown in FIGS. 18 and 20 are different in that the width of connecting portions 1b of resonant lines 11, 12, 13 is gradually increased according to a constant ratio from a short-circuit portion 1c to an open portion 1a, and that the width of connection portions 2b, 3b of an input line 2 and an output line 3 is incline to be parallel with the sides of adjacent resonant lines. By forming such a circuit pattern, the angle of the edge of the connection portion 1b can be made wider, so that concentration of electric charge to the edge portion can be restrained. As a result, the disorder of an electric field and a magnetic filed between connection portions 1b of adjacent resonant lines can be restrained. Also, the disorder of the magnetic/electric field between the connection portion 1b of resonant line 11 and the connection portion 2b of input line 2 and the magnetic/electric field between the connection portion 1b of resonant line 13 and the connecting portion 3b of output line 3 can be restrained. Accordingly, reflected waves due to the disorder of the electric and magnetic field can be restrained to make Q flat.
Furthermore, since the edge angle of connecting portions 1b, 2b and 3b is wider than the edge angle of conventional stepped impedance type, damage of a mask in screen printing can be prevented. As a result, variations in dimensions of resonant lines 11, 12, 13 and input/output lines 2, 3 can be restrained. Accordingly, the distances between resonant lines can be kept constant to prevent variations in coupling coefficients.
Furthermore, by increasing the width of open portion 1a, electrostatic capacitance can be increased, so that the area of substrate A can be reduced by 10 through 20% as compared to the microwave band-pass filter shown in FIG. 18.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a modification of the microwave band-pass filter of FIG. 1. Referring to the figure, this microwave band-pass filter is different from the microwave band-pass filter of FIG. 1 in that positions of connection portions 1b of resonant lines 11, 12, 13 and edges of connection portions 2b, 3b of input/output lines 2, 3 are formed according to predetermined curvature radiuses. This microwave band-pass filter also operates similarly to the microwave band-pass filter of FIG. 1 and has the same effect.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a microwave band-pass filter of FIG. 1 provided with guard electrodes. Referring to the figure, guard electrodes 51 and 52 enhance the dimensional accuracy when forming a circuit pattern on dielectric substrate A according to the screen printing method as described above. By providing guard electrodes 51, 52, however, the length of electromagnetically coupling portion (hereinafter referred to as a coupling length) of input line 2 and resonant line 11 and the coupling length of output line 3 and resonant line 13 are longer by the length x of the guard electrode than the coupling length of resonant line 11 and resonant line 12 and the coupling length of resonant line 12 and resonant line 13. The difference in the coupling lengths increases ripples in the band. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shapes of open ends of resonant lines 11, 13 adjacent to input/output lines 2, 3 are devised.
FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example in which the microwave band-pass filter of FIG. 3 is improved. FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion surrounded by a chain line of FIG. 4A. Referring to the figures, open portions 1a of resonant lines 11, 13 are made shorter by the length x of the guard electrode. A rectangular portion 1d having a length x on one side and a length obtained by subtracting the width l of the input/output lines from the width of the open end on the other side is formed on the resonant line 12 side of open end 1a. In other words, resonant lines 11, 13 have shapes in which rectangular portions are removed on the input/output line 2, 3 sides. In this way, the coupling lengths among respective lines can be made equal. As a result, ripples in the band can be reduced.
Also, the angle between the horizontal direction and the side connecting connection point 2e to short-circuit portion 2c of connection portion 2b and connection point 2d to input portion 2a of input line 2 is different from the tilt angle with respect to a horizontal direction of a side of resonant line 11. In this way, by adjusting the tilt angle of a side of a connection portion 2b and a position of connection portion 2b, fine adjustment can be applied to coupling coefficients. Fine adjustment of coupling coefficients, for example, can be applied easier by adjusting tilt angles rather than narrowing down the width of distances in the case where the intervals among input/output lines 2, 3 and resonant lines 11, 13 have to be narrowed down to about 200 μm to increase coupling coefficients.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification of the microwave band-pass filter of FIG. 4.
By shortening the length of open portions 1a of resonant lines 11, 13 by the length x of a guard electrode, a right angled triangle portion 1d is formed having one side with a length corresponding to the width of open portion 1a and a height x is formed. Edge portions of resonant lines 11, 12 and 13 and input/output lines 2, 3 have predetermined curvature radiuses.
This microwave band-pass filter also has the same filter characteristic as that of the microwave band-pass filter of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the filter characteristics of FIGS. 4 and 5, and the filter characteristics of the microwave band-pass filter shown in FIG. 3. The curve A shows a gain of the microwave band-pass filter shown in FIG. 4. The curve B shows a gain of the microwave band-pass filter shown in FIG. 3.
The actual dimensions employed in measuring the filter characteristics are shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The employed dielectric substrate has a thickness of 1.5 mm, a width of 10.0 mm, and a length of 6.6 mm. The unit in the figure is mm. From the measured results shown in FIG. 6, it is understood that a gain A in a bandwidth of microwave band-pass filters shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is more flat than a gain B of the microwave band-pass filter shown in FIG. 3.
In the embodiments described above, a circuit pattern is formed by the screen printing method. Next, a method for forming a circuit pattern by photolithography instead of this method will be described. The photolithography method has disadvantage in the aspect of cost, but the dimensional accuracy of a pattern is enhanced when it is employed.
A metal layer 18 such as silver and copper is formed all over the surface of a dielectric substrate A by an electroless plating method and so forth. Next, a photoresist layer 19 is formed and a mask 20 in which a predetermined circuit pattern is formed is provided on the photoresist layer 19 (refer to FIGS. 8A and 8B). Next, the photoresist layer 19 is exposed to light. Next, after removing mask 20, the exposed photoresist layer 19 is removed (FIG. 8C). The unnecessary portions of metal layer 18 is removed by etching (FIGS. 8D and 8E) to form a predetermined circuit pattern (FIG. 9).
FIG. 10 is a package diagram of a microwave band-pass filter. This microwave band-pass filter includes a dielectric substrate A on which a circuit pattern is formed, a metal case 21, and a resin member 22 interposed between the metal case 21 and the dielectric substrate A. On the back of dielectric substrate A, an input electrode 24 and an output electrode 25 are formed at positions opposing to an input terminal 23 of an input line 2 and an output terminal of an output line. A through hole 26 passing through input electrode 24 and input terminal 23 is formed and also a through hole 27 passing through output electrode 25 and the output terminal is formed.
Next, the method of adjusting the filter characteristics of a microwave band-pass filter will be described. This filter characteristic adjusting method of microwave band-pass filters can be used both in case of comb line type and interdigital type.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing trimming 1 in adjusting a center frequency of a microwave band-pass filter of comb line type. Referring to the figure, this microwave band-pass filter is characterized in that a short-circuit electrode 42 is provided also on open end sides of resonant lines 11, 12, 13, and that positions 61, 62, 63 opposing to open ends of resonant lines 11, 12, 13 of a short-circuit electrode 42 are subjected to trimming.
In such a filter, it is known that the resonant frequency f 0 is given by the following expression,
f.sub.0 =75/L·√ε
Here, L is a length of the resonant lines 11, 12, 13 and ε is an effective permittivity of dielectric substrate A.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a microwave band-pass filter which is subjected to trimming. Referring to the figure, each resonant line 11, 12, 13 includes a capacitance component and an inductance component and expressed as a unit element 9. An input line 2 and an output line 3 include a capacitance component and an inductance component and expressed as a unit element 8. 7 denotes an input terminal and an output terminal. By applying trimming to a part of a short-circuit electrode 42, parasitic capacitance 10 between unit element 9 and a grounding terminal is reduced. As a result, the center frequency f 0 can be changed as shown in FIG. 13.
FIG. 13 is a graph showing the effect by trimming. Here, the actual dimensions of the microwave band-pass filter employed in the measuring are illustrated in the following:
dimensions of substrate A; thickness 0.85 mm, width 18.0 mm, length 10.4 mm
dimensions of a resonant line; length 9.9 mm, width 3.7 mm
dimensions of input/output lines; length 10.4 mm, width 2.7 mm
intervals between resonant lines; 0.55 mm,
intervals between input/output lines and resonant lines; 0.48 mm
Referring to FIG. 13, the axis of ordinates shows a changing rate Δ f 0 (Mhz) of a center frequency f 0 and the axis of abscissa shows trimming positions. (a) shows the changed amount of the center frequency in the case of a trimming amount of 6 mm 2 , (b) trimming of 4 mm 2 , and (c) trimming of 2 mm 2 . From the characteristic figure, it is known that the changed amount of the center frequency varies depending on trimming positions and trimming amounts. Also, basically, the trimming positions and the amounts in this case are bilaterally symmetrical with respect to a length direction of resonant lines.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing trimming positions in the case of restraining ripples. Referring to the figure, adjustment of ripples in the band is performed by trimming a part of guard electrode 52 opposing to open ends of resonant lines 11, 12, 13.
FIG. 15 is a diagram for describing restraining effect of ripples. Referring to the figure, (a) is a characteristic curve before trimming the microwave band-pass filter of FIG. 14, and (b) is a characteristic curve after trimming. As seen from the figure, the characteristic curve after trimming has no ripples and has flat characteristic.
FIG. 16 is a diagram for describing adjustment of the filter characteristic of the interdigital type microwave band-pass filter of FIG. 3 according to the present invention. Referring to the figure, by trimming a part of a short-circuit electrode and a guard electrode of the interdigital type microwave band-pass filter, the center frequency can be varied to make the filter characteristic flat.
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. | A microwave band-pass filter of interdigital type employing microstrip lines and a filter characteristic adjusting method thereof are disclosed. The microwave band-pass filter includes plural stages of resonant lines. Furthermore, the resonant line includes a short-circuit portion, an open portion and a connection portion. The short-circuit portion has its one end grounded and the open portion has its one end open. The connection portion is interposed between the short-circuit portion and the open portion and has its width gradually increased from both sides of the short-circuit portion to both sides of the open portion. | 7 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the preparation of glycol diesters, which are useful as solvents and as chemical intermediates. In particular, the invention is a process for making glycol diesters from polyethers, especially polyether polyols.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Polyether polyols are useful intermediates for the production of polyurethanes. Polyurethanes can be transformed into aromatic amines and polyether polyols by basic hydrolysis. A largely unanswered question is how to best use polyether polyols recovered from polyurethanes. One approach is to purify and reuse the polyols, but purification is costly and often impractical. Another potential approach is to depolymerize the polyether polyol to give low molecular weight products using an ether cleavage reaction. Unfortunately, ether cleavage typically requires harsh reagents such as concentrated sulfuric acid and hydriodic acid, and is not commercially practical.
Ganum and Small (J. Org. Chem. 39 (1974) 3728) showed that aliphatic ethers react under mild conditions with acetic anhydride and ferric chloride to give esters. Aliphatic ethers also react with acid chlorides in the presence of Lewis acids to give esters, but alkyl chlorides are also produced. These reactions have apparently not been applied to polyether polyol depolymerization.
Crude polyether polyols recovered from polyurethanes usually contain many impurities. The polyols are hard to purify because of their typically high viscosities and high molecular weights. Distillation, an effective technique for purifying low molecular weight compounds, is usually not practical for polyols because of their low volatility. Of great value would be a practical way to convert polyols to low molecular weight products that are easily purified by distillation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a process for making a glycol diester from a polyether. The process comprises reacting a polyether with an acyclic, aliphatic anhydride in the presence of an effective amount of a Lewis acid to produce the glycol diester. Particularly useful polyethers for the process are polyether polyols recovered in crude form from polyurethanes.
The process is a surprisingly practical way to convert recovered polyethers to glycol diesters, which are valuable solvents and chemical intermediates. The glycol diester is readily purified by distillation. Thus, the process of the invention provides an effective way to transform a crude polyether macromolecule into a low molecular weight glycol diester of high purity and value.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a process for depolymerizing polyethers and, at the same time, a process for making glycol diesters. A polyether is reacted with an acyclic, aliphatic anhydride in the presence of a Lewis acid to produce the glycol diester.
Polyethers suitable for use in the invention are those derived from base or acid-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ethers such as epoxides, oxetanes, oxolanes, and the like. The polyethers have repeat units of oxyalkylene groups (-O-A-) in which A has from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably from 2 to 4 carbon atoms. The polyethers can have different end groups, depending upon how they are made or modified. For example, the polyether can have hydroxyl, ester, ether, acid, or amino end groups, or the like, or combinations of these. Mixtures of different types of polyethers can be used.
Preferred polyethers useful in the process of the invention are polyether polyols. Suitable polyether polyols include, for example, polyoxypropylene polyols, polyoxyethylene polyols, ethylene oxide-propylene oxide copolymers, polytetramethylene ether glycols, oxetane polyols, and copolymers of tetrahydrofuran and epoxides. Typically, these polyols will have average hydroxyl functionalities from about 2 to about 8, and number average molecular weights from about 250 to about 25,000. Preferably, the polyether polyols are recycled polyols derived from a polyurethane foam, elastomer, sealant, or the like.
An acyclic, aliphatic anhydride is used in the process of the invention. Although any acyclic, aliphatic anhydride can be used, it it preferred for reasons of economy and effectiveness to use an acyclic C 4 -C 10 aliphatic anhydride. Preferred anhydrides include acetic, propionic, butyric, and isobutyric anhydrides. Most preferred, because it is cheap, readily available, and gives easily distilled glycol diester products, is acetic anhydride. Mixtures of different anhydrides can be used.
The amount of acyclic, aliphatic anhydride used is usually not critical, but it is preferred to use an amount effective to convert substantially all of the ether groups in the polyether to ester groups. Thus, for a polypropylene glycol having an average of 10 oxypropylene units, for example, it is preferred to use at least about 10 moles of aliphatic anhydride per mole of polypropylene glycol. More preferably, an excess amount of the anhydride is used. The anhydride is advantageously used as a solvent; unreacted anhydride is simply separated from the glycol diester product by distillation and is recycled.
A Lewis acid catalyzes the process of the invention. Preferred Lewis acids are metal halides of the formula MX n , wherein M is a metal having an oxidation number from 2 to 4, X is a halogen, and n is an integer from 2 to 4. Suitable Lewis acids include, but are not limited to, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, stannous chloride, stannous bromide, aluminum chloride, ferric chloride, boron trifluoride, and the like, and mixtures thereof. Particularly preferred are zinc halides and tin(IV) halides. Most preferred are zinc chloride and zinc bromide.
The amount of Lewis acid used is not critical. Generally, the reaction proceeds more rapidly when higher catalyst levels are used. The amount of Lewis acid used is preferably within the range of about 1 to about 50 wt. % based on the amount of polyether; a more preferred range is from about 1 to about 15 wt. %.
The process of the invention is performed by simply combining, in any desired manner or order, the polyether, anhydride, and Lewis acid, and heating the mixture to the desired reaction temperature. Although any desired reaction temperature can be used, a temperature within the range of about 60° C. to about 220° C. is generally preferred. A more preferred temperature range is from about 140° C. to about 200° C. Often, a convenient reaction temperature is the boiling point of the acyclic anhydride. For example, depolymerizations performed with acetic anhydride are conveniently performed at about 140° C., which is the approximate boiling point of acetic anhydride.
The reaction can be performed, if desired, under an inert atmosphere of nitrogen, argon, or the like, although this is not required. Preferably, the reaction is well agitated during the process.
When the reaction has reached the desired degree of completion, the products are separated by any convenient means, preferably by distillation. Any unreacted acyclic anhydride can be returned to the reactor following removal of the desired glycol diester products.
The glycol diester can be redistilled to give a product of extremely high purity and value for solvent applications. The glycol diester can also be converted easily to glycol and ester products. For example, propylene glycol diacetate reacts with methanol to give propylene glycol and methyl acetate.
The following examples merely illustrate the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize numerous variations that are within the spirit of the invention and scope of the claims.
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of Propylene Glycol Diacetate from Recycled Polyether Polyol--Zinc Chloride Catalyst
A 250-mL, 3-neck, round-bottom flask is charged with recycled polyether polyol (30 g, recovered from a flexible slabstock polyurethane foam), and acetic anhydride (100 g). Anhydrous zinc chloride (5.0 g) is added, and the mixture is heated under reflux at 140° C. for 20 h. The condenser is removed, and a distillation head is attached. Unreacted acetic anhydride is removed by distillation. Propylene glycol diacetate is then collected at 120° C., 20 mm. Yield: 69 g (83%). Gas chromatography shows that the product is identical to an authentic sample of propylene glycol diacetate. The product structure is also confirmed by proton and 13 C NMR spectroscopies.
EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of Propylene Glycol Diacetate from Recycled Polyether Polyol--Ferric Chloride Catalyst
The procedure of Example 1 is followed, except that ferric chloride (5.0 g) is used in place of zinc chloride. The yield of propylene glycol diacetate is 10 g (12%).
EXAMPLE 3
Preparation of Propylene Glycol Diacetate from 3000 Mol. Wt. Polyether Triol--Zinc Chloride Catalyst
A 1-liter flask is charged with 3000 mol. wt. polyether triol (200 g, PO/EO copolymer having about 15 wt. % internal oxyethylene content; a flex-slab polyol), acetic anhydride (500 g), and zinc chloride (35 g). The mixture is heated to 140° C. for 7 h. Propylene glycol diacetate is isolated by distillation in 80% yield.
EXAMPLES 4-8 AND COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 9-12
Effect of Catalyst on Depolymerization of Polyether Polyols
A 250-mL, 3-neck, round-bottom flask is charged with 3000 mol. wt. polyether triol (20 g, see Ex. 3), acetic anhydride (40 g), and a catalyst (1 g, see Table 1). The mixtures are refluxed for 6 h, and the products are analyzed by gas chromatography. Yields appear in Table 1.
These depolymerization experiments show that Lewis acid catalysts are needed, and zinc halides are most effective.
EXAMPLE 13
Depolymerization of Polyethylene Glycol Using Acetic Anhydride and Ferric Chloride
A 250-mL, 3-neck, round-bottom flask is charged with 600 mol. wt. polyethylene glycol (10 g), acetic anhydride (40 g), and ferric chloride (3.5 g). The mixture is heated under reflux (140° C.) for 2 h. Analysis by gas chromatography shows a 12% yield of ethylene glycol diacetate.
EXAMPLE 14
Depolymerization of Polyethylene Glycol Using Acetic Anhydride and Zinc Chloride
The procedure of Example 13 is followed with 2.5 g of zinc chloride in place of ferric chloride. After 2 h, the yield of ethylene glycol diacetate is less than 10%.
EXAMPLE 15
Depolymerization of Polytetramethylene Ether Glycol (PTMEG) Using Acetic Anhydride and Zinc Chloride
A 100-mL flask is charged with 1000 mol. wt. PTMEG (5.0 g), acetic anhydride (32 g), and zinc chloride (1.0 g). The mixture is refluxed for 4 h at 140° C. Tetramethylene glycol diacetate is obtained in 31% yield.
The preceding examples are only illustrations; the true metes and bounds of the invention are defined by the following claims.
TABLE 1______________________________________Effect of Catalyst on Depolymerization of Polyether Polyols Propylene GlycolExample # Catalyst Diacetate (% Yield)______________________________________4 aluminum chloride 15 ferric chloride 76 stannous chloride 87 zinc chloride 298 zinc bromide 32C9.sup. ferrous sulfate 0C10 zinc acetate dihydrate 0C11 zinc oxide 0C12 zinc stearate 0______________________________________ C denotes comparative example Reaction conditions: 1 g catalyst/20 g polyether triol (3000 mol. wt.); 6 h, 140° C. Yields by gas chromatography. | A process for making glycol diesters from polyethers is disclosed. The polyether is reacted with an acyclic, aliphatic anhydride in the presence of a Lewis acid to produce the glycol diester. The invention provides a way to reuse polyether polyols recovered from polyurethanes by converting them to readily purified glycol diesters. The diesters are useful as solvents and as chemical intermediates. | 2 |
CLAIM TO PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/369,400 filed Jul. 30, 2010 entitled “Emergency Egress Lighting System” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to vehicle safety, more specifically to systems, devices and methods of providing cues to assist vehicle occupants in safely and quickly exiting a vehicle in the event of a catastrophic event.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Vehicles, especially military vehicles are sometimes subject to vehicle rollover, submersion, or an explosion near the vehicle. Under these circumstances it is not unusual for the vehicle to come to rest in an orientation other than the orientation in which the vehicle normally travels. These events can be disorienting to the occupants of the vehicle and occupants may expend valuable time attempting to exit the vehicle via an exit point that is blocked by the fact that the exit point may now be in contact with the ground and therefore inoperable for egress. These events may be accompanied by smoke, fire, dust and the dislodging of the vehicle contents from normal locations. This can lead to obscuration of normal cues that the occupants of the vehicle use to identify exit points as well as obscuration of operating controls for doors and hatches. It is not uncommon for normal internal vehicle lighting to be rendered inoperable in the event of a rollover. Darkness may add to the sense of disorientation for occupants suffering the effects of the vehicle coming to rest in a position not normal for the vehicle. In addition, occupants of military vehicles often have and have been trained to use night vision goggles (NVG). While night vision goggles assist in low light situations some are designed to automatically deactivate in the presence of white light. Night vision goggles also alter color sensitivity and color perception.
[0004] Vehicle occupants, after a catastrophic event such as vehicle rollover, submersion, or an explosion near the vehicle, can benefit from additional visual aids and cues to safely egress a damaged vehicle. Due to obscuration of exit points and associated operating mechanisms (e.g. handles, latches or pull chains) by smoke, flame, dislodged objects, debris, low ambient light levels, as well as potential ‘sensory disorienting’ effects of the event, time can be lost by vehicle occupants attempting to locate an operable exit and egress the vehicle. The need to rapidly exit a vehicle subject to the above discussed catastrophic events is particularly relevant to situations where troops are operating a combat vehicle in battlefield conditions.
[0005] Current measures to mark vehicle exits commonly utilize a reflective honeycomb tape as partial solution to highlighting vehicle egress points. Another existing product, the HALO system produced by the QinetiQ Group, marks vehicle egress points with white light if the vehicle becomes submerged. The HALO approach however utilizes white light that is not Night Vision Goggle compatible and can cause a temporary loss of vision due to the automatic shutdown feature of GEN III night vision devices when exposed to this light. The use of NVGs is a very common tactical scenario in combat environments since many operational movements take place at night. The HALO system also uses a moisture sensor that is prone to false activation (false-positives) in a high humidity environment, such as heavy rain. This can lead to an indication of submersion of the vehicle that is false.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Embodiments of the present invention are directed toward an Emergency Egress Lighting System (EELS) that provides a compact, robust, and self-contained lighting system that can automatically activate illumination to aid the occupants in exiting a vehicle. An example embodiment of the system activates if any one or more of a variety of trigger events takes place, such as vehicle rollover, vehicle submersion, or if the vehicle absorbs a shock or pressure wave associated with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) or other explosive detonation. The EELS automatically illuminates the vehicle interior space with a series of color coded LED arrays. The LED arrays are strategically placed to frame or highlight all egress points; as well as to mark necessary handholds, latches, or pull handles required for door or hatch activation.
[0007] In one example embodiment, The EELS sensor module includes logic architecture that enables the system to perform ‘vehicle orientation discrimination’ (VOD). VOD identifies which egress plane (or surface of the vehicle) is positioned on the ground after a rollover event based on measured pitch angle, roll angle and gyroscopic data. The VOD system can include a combination of sensors that determine the final resting orientation of the vehicle and a visually designates a suggested egress route or portal based on the final orientation of the vehicle. Based on acquired data the system can activate appropriate LED lights to indicate, for example by color coding, any egress points which are potentially blocked based on the vehicles final resting orientation, while marking by different color coding or illuminating the remaining unobstructed egress points. A rollover condition along any vehicle axis can activate the VOD logic. Vehicle exits that are not blocked can be illuminated with green LEDs and exits which are potentially blocked (typically by the ground) can be illuminated with an amber colored light or another appropriate distinguishing color. VOD in combination with the color-coded lighting assists the vehicle operator or passengers in quickly determining the vehicle orientation and prioritizing an exit strategy. Alternative embodiments optionally include audible indications to vehicle occupants as to the location of potentially blocked or operable egress locations.
[0008] In one example embodiment, the EELS system activates both visual and audible cues for the driver if the vehicle approaches its mobility limits. All measurable system limits and thresholds are configurable to support integration on virtually any vehicle platform. System limits and thresholds can include such elements as vehicle pitch or roll, and can dynamically adjust the warning limits to the operator based on the vehicle's speed, or rate of assent or descent along a trajectory.
[0009] In one example embodiment, if a trigger event is detected, the system's self-contained pre-charged battery pack provides power required for sustained system operation for approximately 45 minutes. In one embodiment a battery pack can include lithium ion (LI-ion) batteries. The integrated battery backup capability can enable an EELS system to function, after a catastrophic event where the vehicle loses its battery system or electrical power generation capability. The EELS system can remain in a ‘standby mode’ during normal vehicle operation while simultaneously charging or recharging the battery pack from the vehicle electrical system.
[0010] In one embodiment, the invention marks vehicle egress points using a combination of green and/or amber wavelength light which are NVG compatible, in the event a vehicle rolls over or becomes submerged while the vehicle occupants are wearing NVG devices or if the occupants don night vision goggles as a result of a loss of normal lighting. Additionally, the EELS system activates and marks egress points if the system senses an explosive force (acceleration) experienced by the vehicle in any of three independent axes.
[0011] In another example embodiment, the EELS design also includes data recording/logging capability that captures all sensor data during and immediately after a catastrophic event. This enables data recovery and event reconstruction. This “black box’ data capture approach can provide valuable measurement data that can aid vehicle engineers in designing better survivability solutions and platform upgrades. Additionally, this data can include valuable field intelligence that, once correlated with additional event data such as; vehicle damage, occupant injuries and enemy techniques, tactics and practices (TTPS) can then be used to make timely and accurate battlefield decisions and potentially save lives. From a medical perspective, the data enable medical personnel to determine the level of exposure the vehicle occupants have had to extreme accelerations and pressures (e.g. head trauma) and conduct appropriate care for, for example, traumatic brain injury.
[0012] In one example embodiment, the invention can include additional input and output (I/O) signal capability which provides integrated communication and mutual activation between the EELS system and other existing or future vehicle systems. The invention offers significant flexibility by supporting both current and future vehicle platform auxiliary systems, either in a stand alone or networked environment to increase occupant survivability rates.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
[0014] The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting system interconnections according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting the power input switching according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting a system control scheme according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a LED control scheme according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting a sensor module enclosure and interfaces according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a depiction of a pitch or roll sensor according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0021] FIG. 7 is a depiction of a three-dimension G-force acceleration sensor according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting sensor module interconnections according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram depicting an interconnection diagram according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0024] FIG. 10 is a block diagram depicting a sensor module system diagram according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0025] FIG. 11 is a depiction of a vehicle driver's side door illumination in green light from right rear-passenger perspective according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0026] FIG. 12 is a depiction of a vehicle driver's side door illumination in green light and the commander's (passenger) side door without illumination according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0027] FIG. 13 is a depiction of a crew exit door illuminated in green according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0028] FIG. 14 depicts a crew exit door illuminated in amber and roof hatches illuminated in green according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0029] FIG. 15 depicts various LED arrays marking exit hatch handles for a M1114 vehicle according to an example embodiment of the invention.
[0030] FIG. 16 depicts LED arrays making left edge of rear access and Driver's door handle and locking pin according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0031] While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are described in detail herein specific preferred embodiments of the invention. This description is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated.
[0033] FIG. 1 depicts an example embodiment of an emergency egress lighting system 20 that includes three basic subsystems. The subsystems generally include vehicle power supply 22 , sensor module 24 and LED array 26 .
[0034] Sensor module 24 includes sensors 26 , I/O switches 28 , hardware and processor logic 30 , battery power pack 32 and power supply board 34 . I/O switches 28 are positioned for operator interaction. Hardware and processor logic 30 is adapted to monitor and activate system function if a trigger event is detected. Battery power pack 32 is configured for backup energy storage in the event of a loss of vehicle power supply 22 .
[0035] LED arrays 26 subsystem includes numerous sets of lights or LEDs located or locatable adjacent to exit portals of an equipped vehicle. A suitable LED array 26 is LightForm™ LED strips manufactured by Grote Industries, Inc. of Madison, Ind. LED arrays can be equipped with mounting aids such as hook-and-loop or adhesive mounting provisions. When in use sub parts of LED arrays 22 are located to provide emergency illumination at egress points and associated handles and latches for unlatching and opening of portals of a vehicle. LED arrays can take the form of LED strips and can also provide driver-warning indications. In an example embodiment, LED arrays 26 are adapted to be daylight readable and night vision goggle (NVG) compliant.
[0036] Interconnect subsystem 36 includes low profile, lightweight cable or harness that provides electrical connectivity between the Sensor Module subsystem 10 and the LED Array subsystem 22 .
[0037] FIGS. 2 and 3 depict example I/O switches 28 that are located within a vehicle for user operation. FIG. 2 depicts two-position locking switch 38 that can be used to fully disengage electrical power for maintenance or based on user necessity.
[0038] FIG. 3 depicts three-position locking toggle switch 40 that can be utilized to control a powered system. First position 42 enables a combat over ride mode that can be pre-configured to disable all illumination or only activate LED arrays 26 in specific scenarios. Second position 44 activates a system-test mode that can be used to diagnose system errors or alternatively, illuminate all LEDs continuously or in sequence to facilitate, for example, replacement of individual lighting units. Third default position 46 enables normal, or automatic, system operation as discussed herein.
[0039] Once installed in a vehicle, EELS 20 can remain in an automatic or ‘standby mode’ during normal vehicle operation and battery power pack 32 is under a constant electrical charge via the vehicle electrical system. In the event of a loss of vehicle power supply 22 , the EELS 20 self-contained battery power pack 32 provides all electrical power required for sustained EELS 20 operation for up to 45 minutes after any potential loss of vehicle power supply 22 .
[0040] FIG. 4 depicts an example LED control scheme 48 , that includes controller 50 coupled to gate driver 52 to switch individual LED array 26 units on or off at the direction of controller 50 . Separate gate drivers 52 can be utilized for different color LED arrays 26 . Alternatively dual-output gate drivers (not shown) can be configured to operate LED arrays 26 equipped with multi-color LED arrays 26 . LED control scheme 48 also includes other circuit components 54 as known to those of skill in the art.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 5 , sensor module enclosure 56 includes various interfaces in one embodiment of a scalable EELS system architecture. Ports and connectors provide a variety of interfaces to enclosure 50 . These ports can include USB receptacle 58 , I2C port 60 , power ports for vehicle power supply 22 , LED output connectors 62 , and various sensor 64 inputs including submersion sensor connector 66 . The depicted enclosure 56 provides for the selection of various sensors 64 , tailoring the EELS system to specific vehicle types or theatre of operations. Sensor 64 options include, but are not limited to pitch sensor 68 , roll sensor 70 , micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopic sensor 72 , accelerometer 74 , submersion sensor 76 and pressure wave (Blast) sensor 78 . The EELS 20 is software configurable, allowing activation thresholds including, but not limited to, max pitch angle, max roll angle and acceleration rates. These rates and limits can be configured based on vehicle type (size and/or weight) and mobility specifications.
[0042] FIGS. 6 and 7 depict two sensors that can be included with EELS 20 . FIG. 6 depicts pitch sensor 68 and roll sensor 70 . Combination pitch sensor 68 and roll sensor 70 converts analog rotation of a vehicle along the X or Y axes into a digital signal that can be analyzed by controller 50 . Rotation about the Z-axis is not depicted in this embodiment, as the changing orientation of a vehicle at normal rates during normal operation is typically not indicative of a critical event. In an alternative embodiment Z-axis rotation of the vehicle can be collected, particularly when it occurs above a threshold rate and utilized in conjunction with the X-axis and Y-axis data.
[0043] FIG. 7 depicts three-axis accelerometer 74 . Three-axis accelerometer 74 , alone, or in combination with other orientation sensors can be utilized to input vehicle movements to controller 50 . When controller 50 receives one or more indications from any of sensors 64 EELS 20 can identify which side of the vehicle is positioned on the ground after a rollover event based on measured pitch angle, roll angle and gyroscopic data. An embodiment of the system can perform real-time event data recording, allowing an operator to download all of sensor measurement data after an event for analysis, recreation, and intelligence gathering.
[0044] FIG. 8 depicts an emergency egress lighting system 20 sensor module 24 with external input and output (I/O) signal capability, including integrated communication and mutual activation between the EELS system and other existing or future vehicle systems. In the depicted embodiment, both a USB port 58 and a programmable UART 80 are provided. Alternative wired or wireless interfaces (not shown) can also optionally be included with the system.
[0045] FIG. 9 depicts an embodiment of a sensor module 24 with multiple LED interconnections 82 , as well as submersion sensor connections 66 . Also depicted are two egress point LED arrays first egress point LED array 84 and second egress point LED array 86 located at first egress point 88 and second egress point 90 . First egress point LED array 96 includes, for example five individual colored light emitting diodes 92 including two green LEDs 94 and three amber LEDS 96 . In an alternate embodiment, separate green LED 94 and amber LED 96 arrays can be utilized, however, including multiple colors of LEDs 92 in a single LED array 26 can minimize the space required and installation time for the plurality LED arrays 26 that may be needed for an individual vehicle. Connectors 98 are disposed between sensor module 24 and first egress LED array 84 and second egress LED array 96 . The connectors 98 provide electrical signals to the LED arrays 94 , 96 and allow for individual LED arrays 26 to be replaced as needed due to failure or damage. While any of a variety of releasable or locking connectors 98 can be utilized in various embodiments of the invention, one potential supplier of military grade connectors 98 is Fischer Connections SA.
[0046] FIG. 10 depicts an example embodiment of an EELS controller 50 interconnected with various system devices. Three-axis shock sensor 100 is coupled via a buffer 102 to controller 50 to provide X, Y, and Z-axes data through analog to digital converter 104 coupled to a serial peripheral interface (not shown) of controller 50 . Associated X, Y and Z interrupt data can be indicated through at least one connection between controller 50 and an interrupt comparator 106 .
[0047] Analog tilt sensor 108 is coupled to controller 50 , for example, via a sixteen-channel ADC port 110 of the controller 50 to provide X, Y, and Z-axis data. A depicted example analog tile sensor 108 is an ADXL325 sensor, available from Analog Devices, Inc., is a small, low power, 3-axis accelerometer with signal conditioned voltage outputs. The sensor can measure acceleration with a minimum full-scale range of ±5 g. It can measure the static acceleration of gravity in tilt-sensing applications, as well as dynamic acceleration, resulting from motion, shock, or vibration.
[0048] Any number individual submersion sensors 76 can be located on various portions of a vehicle to detect partial submersion of one section or side of the vehicle. In the depicted embodiment three submersion sensors 76 are buffered into 16-channel ADC port 110 of controller 50 .
[0049] One exemplary shock sensor 100 is the ADXL001 accelerometer, available from Analog Devices, Inc., that can provide g-force data along the axis of the sensors orientation. Three depicted shock sensors 100 can be oriented such that each sensor detects acceleration in one of the three separate X, Y, and Z-axes. Shock sensor 100 can be coupled to controller 50 via a buffer that provides analog data from each axis of movement as well as an interrupt comparator that can provide a signal to the controller 100 indicating that sensor data is available.
[0050] An example first gyroscope 114 is a STMicroelectronics LPR510AL dual-axis gyro, which can measure the angular rates of rotation about the pitch (X) and roll (Y) axes. Two separate analog voltage outputs for each axis can provide angular velocity ranges to controller 50 . Vehicle yaw, or orientation, can be measured with example second gyroscope 116 , which can include the LY510ALH single axis gyroscope, also available from STMicroelectronics. Both first gyroscope 114 and second gyroscope 116 can be coupled to a sixteen-channel ADC port 110 of controller 50 .
[0051] In addition to analog tilt sensor 108 , digital tilt sensor 118 can also be coupled to controller 50 via a I2C bus 120 . One example digital tilt sensor is an ADXL345 sensor which includes a small, thin, low power, 3-axis accelerometer with high-resolution (13-bit) measurement at ±16 g.
[0052] A plurality of LED arrays 26 include multiple LEDs of various colors and be coupled to controller 50 via a system of MOSFETs 122 , gate drivers 124 and digital isolators 126 . As understood by those skilled in the art other lighting configurations can alternatively be utilized.
[0053] Additional connections to controller 50 include: a backup battery management system 128 coupled to battery power pack 32 and electrically erasable programmable read only memory 130 (EEPROM) coupled to controller 50 via I2C bus 132 , a USB receptacle 134 , system switches 136 and system status indicators 138 such as fuel status, system mode, and fault indicators.
[0054] An embodiment of an emergency egress lighting system 20 can be provided as a kit (not shown) in a small, robust and self-contained package including sensor module 24 , battery power pack 32 , interconnect subsystem 36 , and set of LED arrays 26 that can be removably mounted to an existing vehicle interior. The assembled kit (not shown) can automatically activate color coded LED arrays, providing visual cues to occupants, aiding in their egress of the vehicle.
[0055] Moisture sensors 140 can also be located external to the vehicle to provide sensing of the presence of water such as when the vehicle becomes submerged or partially submerged. Controller 50 is operably coupled to moisture sensors 140 and is programmed to determine which of first egress point 88 and second egress point are not submerged and to illuminate first egress LED array 84 or second egress LED array 86 to indicate a preferable exit.
[0056] In operation, EELS 20 can automatically activate when any one of the following configurable trigger events takes place:
1. The vehicle absorbs an excessive shock and/or pressure wave indicating an explosive event or other catastrophic high-acceleration scenario has occurred. 2. The vehicle exceeds its maximum mobility specification for pitch or roll. 3. The vehicle becomes completely or partially submerged.
[0060] In the presence of any one of these measured ‘trigger’ events, EELS 20 automatically illuminates the vehicle interior space with a series of LED arrays 26 . Trigger points are software configurable and can be adjusted to coincide with particular vehicle platform specifications. In one embodiment the system can illuminate nine independent egress points 88 , 98 .
[0061] FIG. 11 depicts an example vehicle driver's side door illumination in green light from right rear-passenger perspective. FIG. 12 depicts an example vehicle driver's side door illumination in green light and in comparison the commander's (passenger) side door is not illuminated. This lighting scenario can indicate to the vehicle occupants that egress is likely available through the driver's side of the vehicle.
[0062] FIG. 13 depicts a crew exit door illuminated in green, indicating that the exit is likely operable. Alternatively, FIG. 14 depicts a crew exit door illuminated in amber and roof hatches illuminated in green. This scenario indicates that the vehicle has exceeded its climb angle, or that the vehicle has come to rest on its backside, preventing or hindering the use of the rear hatch exit. An alternative escape route is indicated at the roof hatches that are illuminated in green.
[0063] FIG. 15 depicts various LED arrays marking exit hatch handles for a M1114 vehicle. FIG. 16 depicts LED arrays making left edge of rear access and Driver's door handle and locking pin. These LED arrays can help to highlight and indicate the location of various handles and mechanisms in a vehicle after a catastrophic event. By providing visual indications of the locations of the exit points, and their respective operating mechanisms, the time required for occupants of a vehicle to egress the vehicle can be reduced.
[0064] The embodiments above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Additional embodiments are encompassed within the scope of the claims. Although the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. | An emergency egress lighting system for a vehicle having multiple egress portals, including first sensors and second sensors that sense information as to vehicle orientation in pitch and roll. A plurality of indicators is changeable between a positive indication and a negative indication locatable inside the vehicle near one of the multiple egress portals. The plurality of indicators display a positive indication and a negative indication at each of the multiple egress portals based on the vehicle orientation in pitch and roll such that a first portion of the plurality of indicators displays the positive indication proximate least one first selected egress portal that is less or least likely to be blocked to prevent egress while a second portion of the of the plurality of indicators display the negative indication proximate at least one second selected egress portals that is more or most likely to be blocked to prevent egress. | 6 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/476,779 filed Nov. 5, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,407,123 which was the national stage application based on International Application PCT/US03/12417 filed Apr. 22, 2003, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 119(e) from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/375,531 filed Apr. 25, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to refining discs and plate segments for refining discs, and more particularly to the shape of the bars that define the refining elements of the discs or segments.
Disc refiners for lignocellulosic material, ranging from saw dust to wood chips, are fitted with refining discs or segments. The material to be refined is treated in a gap defined between two refining discs rotating relative to each other. The material moves in the grooves formed by the bars located on the disc surfaces, both in a generally radial plane, providing a transport function, and out of plane, providing a mechanism for material stapling on the leading edges of the crossing bars. The instantaneous overlap between the bars located on each of the two disc faces forms the instantaneous crossing angle. The crossing angle has a vital influence on the material stapling or covering capability of the leading edges.
Conventional bar geometries, particularly parallel straight line, radial straight line, and curved in the form of inviolate arcs on circular evolutes, show a change of bar crossing angle with respect to radial position within refining zones. Parallel straight-line patterns show furthermore a change of bar angle with respect to peripheral position within a field of parallel bars.
Since bar crossing angle is a determining factor for covering probability, a variation in bar angle leads to a variation in covering probability as well. Therefore an inhomogeneous distribution of material in the gap as a function of radial and angular position is unavoidable by conventional bar designs. Representative patents directed to particular configurations of bars and grooves on segments for refiner plates, include: U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,622 (Obitz), “Refining Disc For Disc Refiners”, Aug. 21, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,737 (Leider et al.), “Spiral Groove Pattern Refiner Plates”, May 17, 1977; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,217 (Reinhall), “Pulp Fiberizing Grinding Plate”, Jul. 4, 1972.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to provide a uniform covering along the length of the bars independent of radial or angular position the bars should be shaped in a form that provides constant bar crossing angle regardless of position.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a refining element bar shape with the desired feature of constant bar and thus constant crossing angle to promote a more homogeneous refining action.
A refiner disc or refiner plate segment wherein the bars assume the shape of a logarithmic spiral satisfies the foregoing object of the invention.
The invention may thus be characterized as a refining disc having a working surface, a radially inner edge and a radially outer edge, the working surface including a plurality of bars laterally spaced by intervening grooves and extending generally outwardly toward the outer edge across the surface, wherein the bars are curved with the shape of a logarithmic spiral.
From another aspect, the invention can be characterized as a disc refiner including first and second opposed, relatively rotatable refining discs which define a refining space or gap, the first and second discs each having a plate with a radially inner edge, a radially outer edge, and a working surface including a plurality of bars generally extending outwardly toward the outer edge across the surface, wherein the plurality of bars on at least the first disc are curved with the shape of a logarithmic spiral during operation of the refiner. Each of the bars on the first disc will be crossed in the refining space by a plurality of bars on the second disc, thereby forming instantaneous crossing angles. For each of the bars on the first disc, the crossing angle is a substantially constant nominal angle. Preferably for each of the plurality of bars on the first disc, all instantaneous crossing angles are within +/−10 degrees of the nominal crossing angle.
An additional feature of the logarithmic spiral is the variability of groove width, i.e., the distance between adjacent bars with respect to radial position. This makes the grooves open up in the direction of stock flow, which prevents plugging of the grooves with fibers and tramp material.
The invention may be described mathematically. Using polar coordinates r and φ, the following transformation function to Cartesian coordinates would apply:
x=r· cos φ
y=r· sin φ
r 2 =x 2 +y 2
The general shape of the logarithmic spiral bar is represented by
r=a·e k·φ
k=cot α
k=0→circle
where “a” is a scale parameter for r and α (alpha) is the intersecting angle between any tangent to the curve and a line through the center (generatrix) of the coordinate system.
In the case of alpha=90 deg or −90 deg, the tangent of the curve in any point would be orthogonal to the generatrix, and the curve is therefore a circle with radius a.
This unique bar shape provides not only identity for individual bar angles but also the so-called cutting or crossing angle assumes the same identity throughout the whole refining zone.
The invention includes a method for manufacturing a set of opposed plates including the steps of forming a pattern of bars and grooves that substantially conform to the foregoing mathematical expressions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with respect to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic of an internal portion of wood chip refiner, illustrating the relationship of opposed, relatively rotating discs, each of which carries an annular plate consisting of a plurality of plate segments;
FIG. 2 is a photograph of a refiner plate segment incorporating refiner bars in the shape of logarithmic spirals according to the invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic by which the mathematical representation of the invention can more easily be understood;
FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of the bar curvature for the value alpha=60 deg;
FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the bar curvature for the value alpha=−30 deg;
FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view similar to FIG. 2 , showing an embodiment wherein only the outer of a plurality of refining zones has bars in a logarithmic spiral pattern;
FIGS. 7 A and B are plan and section views of a portion of a plate segment, showing a variation having alternating larger and smaller spacing between bars at the identical radius from the center;
FIGS. 8 A and B are plan and section views of a portion of a plate segment, showing relatively larger and relatively smaller bar widths alternating at identical radius from the center;
FIGS. 9 A and B are plan and section views of a portion of a plate segment, showing relatively deeper and relatively shallower groove depths alternating at identical radius from the center;
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a portion of a plate segment, wherein the bar width dimensions increase with increasing radius;
FIG. 11 is a plan view of a portion of a plate segment, wherein the groove spacing dimensions increase with increasing radius;
FIG. 12 is a side view of a portion of a plate segment, wherein the groove depth dimensions increase with increasing radius;
FIGS. 13 A and B are schematic views of a portion of plate segment, having surface and surface dams, respectively, between adjacent bars.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 is a schematic showing a refiner 10 with casing 12 in which opposed discs are supported, each of which carries an annular plate or circle consisting of a plurality of plate segments. The casing 12 has a substantially flat rotor 14 situated therein, the rotor carrying a first annular plate defining a first grinding face 16 and a second annular plate defining a second grinding face 18 . The rotor 14 is substantially parallel to and symmetric on either side of, a vertical plane indicated at 20 . A shaft 22 extends horizontally about a rotation axis 24 and is driven at one or both ends (not shown) in a conventional manner.
A feed conduit 26 delivers a pumped slurry of lignocellulosic feed material through inlet opening 30 on either side of the casing 12 . At the rotor, the material is re-directed radially outward through the coarse breaker region 32 whereupon it moves along the first grinding face 16 and a third grinding face 34 juxtaposed to the first face so as to define a right side refining zone 38 therebetween. Similarly, on the left side of the rotor 14 , material passes through the left refining zone 40 formed between the second grinding face 18 and the juxtaposed grinding face 36 .
A divider member 42 extends from the casing 12 to the periphery, i.e., circumference 44 , of rotor 14 , thereby maintaining separation between the refined fibers emerging from the refining zone 38 , relative to the refined fibers emerging from the refining zone 40 . The fibers from the right refining zone are discharged from the casing through the discharge opening 46 , along discharge stream or line 56 , whereas the fibers from the left refining zone 40 are discharged from the casing through opening 48 along discharge line 58 .
Thus material to be refined is introduced near the center of a disc, such that the material is induced to flow radially outwardly in the space between the opposed refining plates, where the material is influenced by the succession of groove and bar structures, at a “beat frequency”, which is dependent on the dimensions of the grooves and the bars, as well as the relative speed of disc rotation. The material tends to moves radially outward, but the shape of the bars and grooves is intentionally designed to produce a stapling effect and a retarding effect whereby the material is retained in the refining zone between the plates for an optimized retention time.
Although the gap between plates where refining action occurs is commonly referred to as the “refining zone”, the opposed plates often have two or more distinct bar and groove patterns that differ at radially inner, middle, and outer regions of the plate; these are often referred to as inner, middle, and outer “zones” as well.
In accordance with the present invention, the further variable of the bar-crossing angle is maintained substantially constant. This is accomplished by the bars substantially conforming in curvature to the mathematical expressions set forth in the Summary. In particular, during operation of the refiner each of the bars on the first disc will be crossed in the refining space by a plurality of bars on the second disc, thereby forming instantaneous crossing angles, and for each of the bars on the first disc, the crossing angle is a substantially constant nominal angle. To the extent the invention is not perfectly implemented, a significant benefit relative to the state of the art can still be achieved when the instantaneous crossing angles in a given refining zone are within +/−10 degrees of the nominal crossing angle.
With reference to FIG. 2 , there is shown a refining segment 54 , which is disposed on the inside of a refining disc and which is intended for coaction with the same or different kind of refining segments on an adjacent refining disc on the other side of the refining gap. Several segments as shown in FIG. 2 are typically secured side by side to a base (e.g., rotor or stator) to form a substantially circular (e.g., circular or annular) refining plate. The segment has the general shape of a truncated sector of a circle. Each segment may be mounted to the plate holder surface of the base by means of machine screws inserted through countered bolt holes 56 . Some refiner designs may allow fastening the plates from the back, which eliminates the bolt holes from the face of the plate. In general segments are mounted on discs rotating relative to each other, which could be achieved by the presence of one rotor and one stator (single disc refiner), or by one rotor segmented on both sides and operating against two stators (double disc refiner), or by several rotors working against each other and a pair of stators (multi disc refiner), or by counter-rotating discs.
Each refining disc segment can be considered as having a radially inner end 58 , a radially outer end 60 , and a working surface therebetween, the working surface including a plurality of bars 62 laterally spaced by intervening grooves and extending generally outwardly toward the outer end across the surface. Preferably all, but at least most, of the bars are curved with the shape of a logarithmic spiral.
As is common for both low and high consistency refining of wood chip or second stage material, the bars on a plate formed by the segments of FIG. 2 are arranged in three radially distinct refining zones 64 , 66 , 68 , between the inner and outer plate edges 58 , 60 . A Z-shaped transition zone 70 accomplishes the material flow transition between the individual refining zones. In this embodiment, the bars in each zone follow a logarithmic spiral. The particular shape parameter (alpha) may be different for each zone, but the shape parameter for each confronting zone on the opposed plate, would preferably be the same.
This particular and unique shape provides the advantage of the independence of bar angle from the location of the bar on the plate in a particular refining zone. Since the particular shape of the logarithmic spiral guarantees the bar intersecting angle with lines through the center of the plate to be constant, no bar angle and therefore crossing angle variation in the course of the relative movement of rotor and stator segments occurs. Since bar angle has a significant impact on refining action and bar covering probability, any variation of bar and crossing angle will result in a variation of refining action. The invention achieves maximum homogeneity of refining action by minimizing bar angle variation.
The width of the groove between two adjacent logarithmic spiral bars is variable and increases with radial distance by the nature of the curve. Thus the groove width at the ID of zone 68 is smaller than on the OD of the zone, the OD of the outer edge 60 of the plate in this case. Therefore the open area available for stock flow increases disproportional with increasing radius. This feature provides increased resistance against plugging in comparison to parallel bar designs, where no groove width variation occurs.
With reference again to the mathematical expressions appearing in the summary above, and the associated FIG. 3 , the crossing angle β appears as the intersecting angle between the tangents t 1 and t 2 to the two curves c 1 and c 2 (i.e., the curved leading edges of crossing bars) at the point of intersection p i . The angle β between the tangents remains constant, at every possible crossing point. Each bar has an angle ∝ relative to the generatrix γ Passing through the center point p c .
FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic representations of the bar curvature for two different values of alpha. FIG. 4 shows the curvature for alpha=60 degrees, and FIG. 5 shows the curvature for alpha=−30 degrees. The designer has the flexibility to select the angle between plus 90 degrees and minus 90 degrees.
The mathematical expression for the shape of the logarithmic spiral bar, defines any given bar which in the limit, is a line of infinitesimal thickness such that the location of any given point on the line is a function of the angular position (phi) of the point relative to a reference radius or diameter through the center (along the generatrix of the coordinate system) and the intersecting angle (alpha) between the tangent to the curvature of the bar at the point, and the generatrix. This mathematical relationship is used in a practical sense, to design functional bar patterns.
This would typically be performed in a computer assisted design (CAD) system which is readily programmed to incorporate the mathematical model and which has an output that can translate the mathematical modeling of the segment, to equipment for producing a tangible counterpart from a segment blank. This would proceed by having one spiral curve calculated in radial increments, thereby establishing the “mother” of all the other bars, by determining the starting radius as well as the starting angle (arrived at by adding a constant to the calculation result). The one full curve (representing the leading edge of the “mother” bar) will be located somewhere on the segment. In a CAD system, the curve will not necessarily be a mathematically continuous, full logarithmic spiral but rather can be approximated by a spline fit. The accuracy of the spline depends on the radial increments selected. Moreover, the first few points on the spline, close to the inside diameter of the segment, may not match closely to the theoretically logarithmic spiral, but this artifact of the CAD system has little adverse consequence if limited to the small radius at the inside diameter. The typical CAD system (e.g., AutoCad®) then allows the user to offset the trailing edge of the mother bar, thereby giving the bar a selected width which is established from the inner to the outer radius of the segment. The mother bar can then be copied and rotated to fill the segment. For example, the user can specify the bar width at a given radius, the number of bars for the segment, or the minimum desired groove width at a given radius, etc.
It should be appreciated that, in view of modern manufacturing techniques, the term “logarithmic spiral” as used herein, although based on a mathematical expression, may in practice only approximate the mathematical expression through a series of straight or curved lines each of which is relatively short as compared with the full length of the curve from the inner to the outer radius of the segment, or from the inner radius to the outer radius of a given zone in the segment. Similarly, a reasonable degree of latitude should be afforded the inventor in reading the term “logarithmic spiral” on the shape of curved bars according to which one of ordinary skill in the relevant field of endeavor would recognize an attempt to maintain conservation of the bar crossing angle in the radial direction on a given segment, or within the zone of a given segment. The benefit of the present invention can be realized to a significant extent relative to the prior art, even if the logarithmic spiral is merely approximated, e.g., if the crossing angle is maintained within +/−10 degrees from the radially inner end to the radially outer end of a given bar.
Variations of the invention can be readily understood without reference to other drawings. For example, in the context of the invention as implemented in a refiner, a first refining disc faces a second relatively rotatable refining disc with a refining space there between. Either both or only one of the first and second discs has a shape and surface with an inner end and an outer end including a plurality of bars generally extending outwardly toward the outer end across the surface, with the plurality of bars being curved with the shape of a logarithmic spiral. If both discs have segments with curved bars following the same logarithmic spiral, constant bar crossing angles will be achieved. If the facing discs both have logarithmic spiral bar curvature, but with different parameters alpha, some design variability for specialty purposes can be achieved. If only one disc has a logarithmic spiral bar curvature, and the facing disc has a conventional bar pattern, the result will still advantageously reduce bar crossing angle variation relative to two facing discs having the same such conventional pattern.
In another embodiment the logarithmic spiral bar curvature is present in fewer than all the radial zones. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view similar to FIG. 2 , showing an embodiment of a segment 54 ′ wherein only the outer 68 ′ of a plurality of refining zones on working surface 62 ′ has bars in a logarithmic spiral pattern. In a two or three zone plate, the radially outermost zone would preferentially have the logarithmic spiral bars, because the number of fiber treatments increases with disc radius according the third power of the radius. In such case, the inner zone(s) 66 ′ would preferably follow the so-called “constant angle” pattern, as exemplified in the 079/080 pattern available from Durametal Corp. for the Andritz Twin-Flo refiner and shown only schematically in FIG. 6 .
Other implementations of the logarithmic spiral concept are shown in FIGS. 7-13 . FIGS. 7 A and B are plan and section views of a portion of a plate segment, showing a variation having alternating larger and smaller spacing 72 , 74 between bars 76 at the identical radius from the center of a segment 78 .
FIGS. 8 A and B are plan and section views of a portion of a plate segment 80 , showing relatively larger 82 and relatively smaller 84 bar widths alternating at identical radius from the center.
FIGS. 9 A and B are plan and section views of a portion of a plate segment 86 , showing relatively deeper 88 and relatively shallower 90 groove depths of the same spacing 92 alternating at identical radius from the center.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a portion of a plate segment 94 , wherein the bar width dimensions w 1 and w 2 increase with increasing radius while the grooves maintain constant spacing 96 as measured from the center point of the spiral are along lines I 1 and I 2 .
FIG. 11 is a plan view of a portion of a plate segment 98 , wherein the groove spacing dimensions d 1 and d 2 increase with increasing radius.
FIG. 12 is a side view of a portion of a plate segment 100 , wherein the groove depth dimensions g 1 and g 2 increase with increasing radius.
FIGS. 13 A and B are schematic views of a portion of plate segments 102 and 104 , having surface 106 and subsurface dams 108 , respectively, between adjacent bars 110 , 112 , respectively.
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to a particular, preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications can be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention. | A special shape of bars on refining discs or plate segments of a rotating disc refiner is disclosed including a plurality of bars generally extending outwards towards the outer end of the disk across its surface, arranged in a single, two or more radial zones, the plurality of the bars within a zone being curved with the shape of a logarithmic spiral. Disc refiners including such refining discs are also disclosed. | 3 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This invention is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/849,042 filed May 4, 2001, entitled “Side Emitting LED,” and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/849,084 filed May 4, 2001, entitled “LED Lens”. Both of these applications are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to light emitting devices and more particularly to side emitting light emitting diodes (LEDs).
BACKGROUND
FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional LED package 10 . LED package 10 has a hemispherical lens 12 of a type well-known in the art. Package 10 may also have a reflector cup (not shown), in which an LED chip (not shown) resides, that reflects light emitted from the bottom and sides of the LED chip toward the observer. In other packages, other types of reflectors reflect the LED chip's emitted light in a particular direction.
Lens 12 creates a field of illumination 14 roughly along a longitudinal package axis 16 of LED package 10 . The vast majority of light emitted from an LED package 10 with a hemispherical lens 12 is emitted upwards away from LED package 10 with only a small portion emitted out from the sides of LED package 10 .
FIG. 1B illustrates a known light emitting diode (LED) package 30 with a longitudinal package axis 26 . LED package 30 includes an LED chip 38 , a lens 32 with straight vertical sidewall 35 and a funnel-shaped top surface 37 . There are two main paths in which the light will travel through package 30 . The first light path P 1 is desirable with the light emitted from chip 38 and traveling to surface 37 where total internal reflection (TIR) causes the light to exit through sidewall 35 at approximately 90 degrees to the longitudinal axis. The second light path P 2 is light emitted from chip 38 towards sidewall 35 at an angle causing TIR or a reflection from sidewall 35 causing the light to exit package 30 at an angle not close to perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. This path is not desirable and limits the efficiency of side extracted light.
FIG. 2 illustrates the conventional LED package 10 of FIG. 1 coupled along an edge of a portion of a refractive light guide 20 . LED package 10 is positioned on the edge of light guide 20 along the width of light guide 20 . Light rays R 1 , R 2 , R 3 emitted by LED package 10 are propagated along the length of light guide 20 . FIG. 3 illustrates a plurality of conventional LED packages 10 positioned along the width of light guide 20 of FIG. 2 . These conventional LED/light guide combinations are inefficient as they require a large number of LED packages 10 to illuminate the light guide and result in coupling inefficiencies due to relatively small acceptance angles. These conventional LED packages 10 must be arranged along the entire length of one side of light guide 20 to fully illuminate light guide 20 .
A need exists for an LED package to couple efficiently to shallow reflectors and thin light guides. A need also exists for an LED package to allow these secondary optical elements to have relatively large illuminated areas.
SUMMARY
In accordance with one embodiment, a lens comprises a bottom surface, a reflecting surface, a first refracting surface obliquely angled with respect to a central axis of the lens, and a second refracting surface extending as a smooth curve from the bottom surface to the first refracting surface. Light entering the lens through the bottom surface and directly incident on the reflecting surface is reflected from the reflecting surface to the first refracting surface and refracted by the first refracting surface to exit the lens in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the lens. Light entering the lens through the bottom surface and directly incident on the second refracting surface is refracted by the second refracting surface to exit the lens in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the lens.
The inventive lens may be advantageously employed to provide side-emitting light-emitting devices that may be used with light guides and reflectors that have very thin profiles and/or large illuminated areas.
In accordance with another embodiment, a light-emitting device comprises a light-emitting semiconductor device and a lens. The lens comprises a bottom surface, a reflecting surface, a first refracting surface obliquely angled with respect to a central axis of the lens, and a second refracting surface extending as a smooth curve from the bottom surface to the first refracting surface. Light emitted by the semiconductor device, entering the lens through the bottom surface, and directly incident on the reflecting surface is reflected from the reflecting surface to the first refracting surface and refracted by the first refracting surface to exit the lens in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the lens. Light emitted by the semiconductor device, entering the lens through the bottom surface, and directly incident on the second refracting surface is refracted by the second refracting surface to exit the lens in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the lens.
The inventive light-emitting device may be efficiently coupled to shallow reflectors and to thin light guides. Secondary optics employed with the inventive light-emitting device may have relatively large illuminated areas.
In accordance with another embodiment, a lens cap comprises a bottom surface attachable to a lens, a reflecting surface, a first refracting surface obliquely angled with respect to a central axis of the lens cap, and a second refracting surface extending as a smooth curve from the bottom surface to the first refracting surface. Light entering the lens cap through the bottom surface and directly incident on the reflecting surface is reflected from the reflecting surface to the first refracting surface and refracted by the first refracting surface to exit the lens cap in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the lens. Light entering the lens cap through the bottom surface and directly incident on the second refracting surface is refracted by the second refracting surface to exit the lens cap in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the lens cap. The inventive lens cap may provide advantages similar to or the same as those described above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional LED package.
FIG. 1B illustrates another conventional LED package.
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a conventional edge-illuminated light guide.
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the light guide of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the LED package of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 5B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the lens mating to the housing of the LED package base.
FIG. 5C illustrates a close-up of the lens/housing mating of FIG. 5 B.
FIG. 5D illustrates a cross-sectional view of a lens cap mating to an LED package.
FIG. 5E illustrates ray-traces of one embodiment of a lens.
FIG. 5F illustrates ray-traces of another embodiment of a lens.
FIG. 5G illustrates ray-traces of a further embodiment of a lens.
FIG. 6 illustrates side-emission of light from the LED package of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 7A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the side-emission of light from the LED package of FIG. 4 into two light guides.
FIG. 7B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the LED package of FIG. 4 inserted into a blind hole in a light guide.
FIG. 7C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the LED package of FIG. 4 inserted into a through hole in a light guide.
FIG. 7D illustrates a cross-sectional of the LED package of FIG. 4 inserted into a through hole in a light guide that is thinner than the height of the LED package.
FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a light guide.
FIG. 9A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the LED package of FIG. 4 mounted in a blind-hole of a light guide.
FIG. 9B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the LED package of FIG. 4 mounted in a blind-hole of a light guide.
FIG. 9C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the LED package of FIG. 4 mounted in a blind-hole of a light guide.
FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the LED package of FIG. 4 mounted in a through-hole of a light guide.
FIG. 11 illustrates a conventional LED package coupled to a reflector.
FIG. 12 illustrates the LED package of FIG. 4 in combination with a shallow reflector.
FIG. 13 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting device in accordance with another embodiment.
FIG. 14 illustrates ray traces through the lens illustrated in FIG. 13 .
FIG. 15 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the lens illustrated in FIG. 13 superimposed over a cross-sectional view of a lens in accordance with another embodiment.
FIG. 16 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a lens cap mating to an LED package in accordance with another embodiment.
Use of the same reference symbols in different figures indicates similar or identical items. It should be noted that the dimensions in the figures are not necessarily to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a side emitting LED package 40 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. LED package 40 includes a longitudinal package axis 43 , an LED package base 42 and a lens 44 . Lens 44 is coupled to LED package base 42 . Longitudinal package axis 43 passes through the center of LED package base 43 and lens 44 . As seen in FIG. 5A, a surface of LED package base 42 supports an LED chip 52 (a semiconductor chip having a light emitting pn junction) for generating light. LED chip 52 may be one of any number of shapes, including but not limited to a truncated inverted pyramid (TIP) (shown), cube, rectangular solid, or hemisphere. LED chip 52 includes a bottom surface that may be in contact with, or coated with, a reflective material. Although LED chip 52 may emit light from all of its sides, base 42 is generally configured to reflect emitted light upwards towards lens 44 along the longitudinal axis of the package. Such bases are conventional and may include a parabolic reflector in which LED chip 52 resides on a surface of package base 42 . One such package is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,404, assigned to the present assignee and incorporated herein by reference.
Lens 44 may be manufactured as a separate component using a number of well-known techniques such as diamond turning (i.e., the lens is shaped by a lathe with a diamond-bit), injection molding, and casting. Lens 44 is made of a transparent material, including but not limited to cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), polymethylmethacrolate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), PC/PMMA, silicones, fluorocarbon polymers, and polyetherimide (PEI). Lens 44 includes an index of refraction (n) ranging from between about 1.35 to about 1.7, preferably about 1.53, but could have an index of refraction higher or lower based on the material used. In the alternative, lens 44 may be formed onto LED package base 42 and LED chip 52 by various techniques including but not limited to injection molding (e.g., insert molding), and casting.
There is a volume 54 between lens 44 and LED chip 52 . Volume 54 may be filled and sealed to prevent contamination of LED 52 using silicone. Volume 54 may also be in a vacuum state, contain air or some other gas, or be filled with an optically transparent material, including but not limited to resin, silicone, epoxy, water or any material with an index of refraction in the range of, for example, about 1.35 to about 1.7 that may be injected to fill volume 54 . The material inside volume 54 may be colored to act as a filter in order to allow transmission of all or only a portion of the visible light spectrum. If silicone is used, the silicone may be hard or soft. Lens 44 may also be colored to act as a filter.
Lens 44 includes a refractive portion 56 (which may, but does not necessarily, include one or more sawteeth as shown) and a total internal reflection (TIR) funnel portion 58 . The sawtooth portion 56 is designed to refract and bend light so that the light exits from lens 44 as close to 90 degrees to the longitudinal package axis 43 as possible. The sawteeth or refractive surfaces 59 of the sawtooth portion 56 are all light transmissive. Any number of sawteeth 59 may be used within a sawtooth portion of a given length. Lens 44 may be formed as a single piece or, in the alternative, as separate components coupled together.
Funnel portion 58 is designed to have a TIR surface. The TIR surface reflects light such that light exits from lens 44 as close to 90 degrees to a longitudinal package axis 43 of LED package 40 as possible. In one implementation, approximately 33% of the light emitted from LED chip 52 is reflected off the TIR surface of funnel-shaped portion 58 of lens 44 . A metallization layer (e.g., aluminum) may be placed on top of funnel portion 58 to prevent light transmission through the TIR surface. A coating or film (e.g., a U.V. inhibitor) may be placed on top of the funnel portion 58 to prevent degradation of the lens as PC degrades in the presence of U.V. light.
The interface between lens 44 and LED package base 42 may also be sealed using any well-known sealant, such as Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) or the like.
FIG. 5B illustrates a cross-sectional view of alternative mating of lens 44 to housing 46 of LED package base 42 . For clarity, LED chip 52 and other features of base 42 are not shown. Lens 44 may also be attached to LED package base 42 by various attachment methods, including but not limited to snap-fitting, friction-fitting, heat staking, adhesive bonding, and ultra-sonic welding. The features of lens 44 , as shown in FIG. 5B, are applicable to lenses that are either formed as a separate component or encapsulated onto LED package base 42 . FIG. 5C illustrates a close-up of the lens/housing mating of FIG. 5 B. Surface S may snap fit into surface R. Surface S may friction fit tight with surface R. Surface T may be welded to surface U using various methods including, without limitation, plastic welding, sonic welding, and linear welding. Sealing or bonding involves several possible combinations, such as surface S and/or T of lens 44 being sealed/bonded to surface R and/or U of housing 46 .
FIG. 5D illustrates a cross-sectional view of a lens cap 55 mating to a conventional LED package 10 with a hemispherical lens 12 . Lens cap 55 may be affixed to lens 12 of LED package 10 by an optical adhesive, for example. Lens cap 55 includes a refractive portion 56 (which may, but does not necessarily, include one or more sawteeth as shown) and reflective funnel portion 58 that may contain the same and/or similar features that operate in the same and/or similar manner, as described above and below, as refractive and TIR portions 56 , 58 of lens 44 .
FIGS. 5E, 5 F and 5 G illustrates ray-traces of light through lenses of various curvatures on the top surface of the lens. The features shown in FIGS. 5E-5G are applicable to lenses that are injection molded, cast or otherwise formed. In one implementation, approximately 33% of the light emitted from LED chip 52 (not shown; light is shown emitted from die focal point F) is reflected off the TIR surface I. FIG. 5E illustrates a curved funnel-shaped portion 58 where Surface I is defined from a curve that maintains an angle greater than the critical angle for TIR but directs the light out of the lens roughly at 90 degrees to longitudinal package axis 53 . FIG. 5F illustrates a bent-line funnel-shaped portion 58 where Surface I is defined from a line bent into two linear portions, each portion at an angle greater than the critical angle for TIR but directs the light out of the package roughly at 90 degrees to the package axis. FIG. 5G illustrates a linear funnel-shaped portion 58 where Surface I is defined by a straight line at an angle greater than the critical angle for TIR but directs the light out of the package roughly at 90 degrees to the package axis.
In FIGS. 5E-5G, Surface H works with surface I to emit light perpendicular to longitudinal package axis 53 . The angle defined by surface I relative to the die is roughly 80 degrees. Surfaces A, B, C, D & E have surface normals such that the incident light ray is refracted out of the lens at approximately 90 degrees to the longitudinal package axis 53 . Surfaces F, G & H are approximately parallel to direct incident light rays in order to minimize the amount of direct light transmitted through these surfaces. Surfaces below line N refract light out of the package. Surfaces above line M will direct light out of the lens through a combination of TIR and refraction. Lines's M & N need to be in close proximity of each other to optimize side emission and minimize emission in the longitudinal direction. FIGS. 5E-5G show two zones: zone refraction at approximately 45 degrees or more from longitudinal package axis 53 and zone TIR/refraction at up to approximately 45 degrees from longitudinal package axis 53 . For example, in FIGS. 5E-5G, an approximately 40 degree TIR/refraction zone is shown. The interface between the two zones is approximately 45 degrees from the longitudinal package axis 53 . A distance X between Line M and Line N is kept at a minimum in order to optimize the side extraction of light from the lens. Line M may equal Line N (i.e., X=0).
FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-section of the emission of light from LED package 40 of FIG. 4 . Lens 44 of LED package 40 creates a radiation pattern 62 roughly perpendicular to longitudinal package axis 66 of LED package 40 . In FIG. 6, this radiation pattern 62 is approximately perpendicular to LED package axis 66 and illustrates relative light intensity and distribution. This field of illumination 62 surrounds LED package 40 and is roughly disk-or toroidal-shaped. Light is emitted from lens 44 approximately parallel to an optical plane 64 .
The side-emission of light allows even a single LED package 40 to illuminate multiple light guides 72 , as seen in FIG. 7A, for example. FIG. 7 A. illustrates two planar light guides placed nearly end-to-end with space for at least one LED package 40 between light guides 72 . The side-emission of light from the LED package 40 allows light to enter each light guide 72 . The LED package 40 may also be inserted into the body of light guide 72 . Light guides of various shapes may be used. The sides along the length of the light guides may be planar or taper. For example, a single side emitting LED package 40 may be placed at the center of a disk-shaped light guide (not shown). As light is emitted from the side of LED package 40 over 360 degrees (i.e., in all directions from the center of LED package 40 ), the light enters the light guide and is refracted and reflected throughout the entire light guide (not shown).
The light guide can be made from optically transmissive materials, including but not limited to PC or PMMA. The light guide may be of constant thickness or tapered. Side emission of light allows efficient illumination of thin light guides with a thickness in the optimum range of 2 to 8 mm. FIG. 7B illustrates an example of a light guide 73 with a thickness of 5.0 mm which is greater than the height of lens 44 . As the thickness of light guide 73 is greater than the height of the lens 44 , a blind-hole 94 may be used in light guide 73 to allow coupling of the LED package 40 . The dimensions of lenses 44 of FIGS. 7B, 7 C & 7 D are measured from the focal point F of lens 44 . FIG. 7C illustrates an example of a light guide 75 with a thickness of 4.5 mm and equal to the height of lens 44 . As the thickness of light guide 75 is equal to the height of lens 44 , a through-hole 96 may be used in light guide 75 to allow coupling of LED package 40 . FIG. 7D illustrates side-emission of light from the LED of FIG. 4 into a light guide 77 thinner than the height of lens 44 . As the thickness of light guide 77 is less than the height of lens 44 , a through-hole 96 must be used in the light guide 77 to allow coupling of LED package 40 . Even though light guide 77 is thinner than the height of lens 44 , a large portion of the light emitted from LED chip 52 will still be directed into light guide 77 as the bulk of the light emitted from LED chip 52 is emitted from the sides of lens 44 . The large portion of the light emitted from lens 44 is targeted toward a light guide 77 that is positioned midway up the height of the lens. For example, the light emitted out the side of lens 44 near the top will be directed slightly downward and the light emitted out the side of lens 44 near the bottom will be directed slightly upward. The portion of light directed into light guide. 77 decreases as the thickness of light guide 77 relative to lens 44 decreases. Light guide 77 may be any shape including, without limitation, straight, tapered, rectangular, round or square.
It should be understood that the dimensions shown in FIGS. 7B-7D are meant to be illustrative but not limiting. In other implementations lenses and light guides may have dimensions either larger or smaller than those of the illustrated implementations.
FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of an end-portion of a planar light guide 82 . The side emitting LED package 40 allows LED package 40 to be placed inside light guide 82 . One or more holes 86 are made in the body of light guide 82 with a corresponding number of LED assemblies 40 placed within holes 86 . Holes 86 may be made to any desired depth in light guide 82 , including but not limited to the entire thickness of light guide 82 . Lens 44 of LED package 40 may not touch light guide 82 . A reflective coating or film 84 may be placed on at least one of the ends of light guide 82 to increase the internal illumination of light guide 82 .
FIG. 9A illustrates a side-emitting LED package 40 mounted in a blind-hole 94 of a planar light guide 82 . Top surface 91 of blind-hole 94 is approximately parallel with top surface 95 of planar light guide 82 . Top surface 91 of blind-hole 94 may be coated with a reflective coating or film to reflect light in order to allow for a thinner light guide package with a similar coupling efficiency.
FIG. 9B illustrates a side-emitting LED package 40 mounted in a funnel-shaped blind-hole 98 of a planar light guide 82 . The top surface 93 of funnel-shaped blind-hole 98 is approximately parallel with funnel-shaped portion 58 of lens 44 of LED package 40 . Top surface 93 of blind-hole 98 may be coated to reflect light in order to allow for a thinner light guide package with a similar coupling efficiency. The blind hole can have a flat, funnel or curved surface to assist with redirecting light emitted from the LED into the light guide.
FIG. 9C illustrates a side-emitting LED package 40 mounted in a v-shaped blind-hole 97 of a planar light guide 82 . The v-shaped top surface 99 of the blind-hole 97 is approximately parallel with funnel-shaped portion 58 of lens 44 of LED package 40 . The blind hole can have a flat, funnel or curved surface to assist with redirecting light emitted from the LED into the light guide. The top surface 99 of blind-hole 97 may be coated to reflect light in order to allow for a thinner light guide package with a similar coupling efficiency.
FIG. 10 illustrates a side-emitting LED package 40 mounted in a through-hole 96 of a planar light guide 82 . Through-hole 96 allows LED package 40 to be mounted approximately perpendicular with light guide 82 .
FIG. 11 illustrates a conventional LED/reflector arrangement. It is known to use an LED package 10 with a hemispherical lens 12 in combination with a deep reflector 92 . The deep shape of the cavity of reflector 92 collimates light emitted from the hemispherical lens 12 of LED package 10 . This deep reflector cavity is required to control the light.
As seen in FIG. 12, a shallow, large-area reflector 102 can be used in combination with a side-emitting LED package 40 to emit light over a broader area than a conventional LED package 10 . The longitudinal package axis 116 of the lens is approximately parallel to a radial axis 122 of reflector 102 . The side-emission of light allows the walls of reflector 102 to be less deep than conventional reflectors 92 (FIG. 11 ). Light is emitted from lens 144 roughly perpendicular to longitudinal package axis 116 of LED package 40 . Side-emitting LED package 40 allows for very high collection efficiencies with shallow large area reflectors compared to conventional LEDs. Shallow reflectors 102 collimate emitted light over a broader area than narrow, deep reflectors 92 used in combination with conventional LED assemblies 10 . Shallow, large-area reflector 102 may be made of BMC bulk molding compound, PC, PMMA, PC/PMMA, and PEI. A reflective film 120 covering the inside of reflector 102 could be metallized, sputtered, or the like with highly reflective materials including, for example, aluminum (Al) and nickel chrome (NiCr). Side-emitting LEDs can achieve higher collection efficiencies with deep or shallow reflectors than the conventional LED/deep reflector combination.
Although the LED packages and light-emitting devices disclosed above include a lens 44 having several sawteeth, other embodiments may include a lens having only one sawtooth or no sawteeth. Referring to FIG. 13, for example, in accordance with one embodiment, a light-emitting device 150 includes a lens 152 similar to but differing from lens 44 disclosed above. In particular, lens 152 includes a funnel shaped portion 58 having a reflecting (e.g., totally internally reflecting) surface I and a refracting surface H, but does not include a refractive sawtooth portion such as sawtooth portion 56 of lens 44 (FIG. 5 A). Instead, lower portion 154 of lens 152 has a refracting surface 156 extending as a smooth curve from refracting surface H to a bottom surface 158 of lens 152 . If volume 54 is under vacuum or contains a gas, then bottom surface 158 of lens 152 may be considered to include the interface between volume 54 and the other portions of lens 152 . Alternatively if volume 54 includes a non-gaseous material such as a solid, liquid, or gel, then bottom surface 158 may be considered to include the interface of such material with LED package base 42 and with LED 52 .
Similarly to lens 44 disclosed above, lens 152 may be symmetrical (e.g., cylindrically symmetrical) about a central axis 43 . Reflecting surface I of lens 152 may have shapes such as, for example, those described above and depicted in FIGS. 5E-5G for surface I of lens 44 . Lens 152 may be formed from any of the materials and fabricated by any of the methods described above as suitable for fabrication of lens 44 .
Referring now to the ray traces illustrated in FIG. 14 as well as to FIG. 13, light emitted by a light-emitting semiconductor device such as LED 52 located approximately at the focal point F of lens 152 may enter lens 152 through bottom surface 158 of the lens. Light emitted from near focal point F that is directly incident on reflecting surface I is reflected from surface I to refracting surface H and refracted by surface H to exit lens 152 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis 43 of the lens. Light emitted from near focal point F that is directly incident on refracting surface 156 is refracted by surface 156 to also exit lens 152 in a direction substantially perpendicular to axis 43 .
For convenience of illustration, the light rays illustrated in FIG. 13 and in the other figures are not shown as refracted at the interface of volume 54 with the other portions of lens 152 . Generally, refraction of such light rays at this interface will occur due to a (typically small) difference in the refractive index between the material in volume 54 and the material of the other portions of the lens. The shapes of surfaces I, H, and 156 are typically chosen to take such refraction into account.
FIG. 15 illustrates a cross-sectional view of lens 152 superimposed over a cross-sectional view of a lens 160 (dashed line) that includes a single refractive sawtooth. Aside from having only a single refractive sawtooth, lens 160 is substantially similar in structure and function to lens 44 disclosed above. The implementations of lens 152 and 160 shown in FIG. 15 are optimized for use with substantially similar LEDs in substantially similar packages. Hence, the lowermost portions of lens 152 and lens 160 are substantially identical in size and shape.
As FIG. 15 shows, the diameter D 1 of the funnel shaped portion 58 of lens 152 is substantially less than the diameter D 2 of its lower portion 154 . In contrast, the diameter of the funnel shaped portion of lens 160 is approximately equal to the diameter of its lowermost portion. In some implementations, the relatively smaller diameter of the funnel shaped portion 58 of lens 152 makes lens 152 easier and less expensive than lens 160 (or other lenses including refractive sawteeth) to manufacture, to insert into and to attach to an LED package, and to fill with, for example, silicone or resin.
Light-emitting device 150 may be employed with, for example, light guides and shallow, large-area reflectors similarly as disclosed above for other LED packages and light-emitting devices.
In another embodiment (FIG. 16 ), a lens cap 162 mates to a conventional LED. package 10 having a hemispherical lens 12 . Lens cap 162 may be attached to lens 12 by an optical adhesive, for example. Lens cap 162 includes a funnel shaped portion 58 having a reflecting (e.g., totally internally reflecting) surface I and a refracting surface H, as well as a lower portion 154 having a refracting surface 156 extending as a smooth curve from refracting surface H to a bottom surface 158 . Lens cap 162 may have the shapes and symmetries disclosed above for lens 152 , and may be formed from any of the materials and by any of the methods described above as suitable for fabrication of lenses 44 and 152 . As described above with respect to lens 152 , light emitted by LED package 10 is directed by surfaces I, H, and 156 of lens cap 162 in a direction substantially perpendicular to a central axis 43 of the lens cap.
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. It will thus be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the appended claims encompass all such changes and modifications as falling within the true spirit and scope of this invention. | A lens comprises a bottom surface, a reflecting surface, a first refracting surface obliquely angled with respect to a central axis of the lens, and a second refracting surface extending as a smooth curve from the bottom surface to the first refracting surface. Light entering the lens through the bottom surface and directly incident on the reflecting surface is reflected from the reflecting surface to the first refracting surface and refracted by the first refracting surface to exit the lens in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the lens. Light entering the lens through the bottom surface and directly incident on the second refracting surface is refracted by the second refracting surface to exit the lens in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the lens. The lens may be advantageously employed with LEDs, for example, to provide side-emitting light-emitting devices. A lens cap attachable to a lens is also provided. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an automatic fluid transmission and more particularly to a fluid pressure control system for automatic fluid transmissions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fluid pressure control system for controlling the flow of pressurized fluid to the clutch or brake assemblies of the vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved fluid pressure control system which is capable of precisely controlling the fluid pressure in order to maximize the functions of the transmission.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved fluid pressure control system which is capable of responding to all existing conditions present over a wide range of operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a fluid pressure control system constructed according to the present invention and showing its cooperative parts;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing however still another embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a modulator valve which may be utilized within the system of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, an oil pump 10 is driven by means of the vehicle engine, not shown, and the oil pumped thereby is transmitted into the oil pressure control circuit. A first regulator valve, generally indicated by the reference character 11, includes a port 13 into which the pressurized oil from the pump 10 is transmitted through means of conduit 12 and such fluid is regulated at a predetermined high pressure value. A manual shift valve, generally indicated by the reference character 14 is fluidically connected with regulator valve 11 through means of port 23 thereof and a conduit 16 which thereby supplies the regulated high line pressure, from the first regulator valve 11, and the regulated low line pressure, one of such line pressures being selectively applied to a clutch 17 or brakes 18 and 19 by means of fluid conduits 43 and 44, whereby the transmission, not shown, is able to attain the different drive ratios as a result of the selective actuation of either the clutch 17 or one of the brakes 18 and 19.
The first regulator valve 11 includes a valve spool 20 having two lands 20a and 20b disposed thereon and fluid chambers 21 and 22 associated therewith at opposite ends thereof for applying fluid pressure to the lands 20a and 20b. The port 23 of the first regulator valve 11 is fluidically connected to a port 25 of another regulator valve, generally indicated by the reference character 24 through means of a branch conduit connected with the conduit 16. An orifice 26 is provided in conjunction with chamber 21 and is fluidically connected with conduit 12, the orifice serving to absorb any pulses characteristic of the pressurized fluid supplied to the chamber 21 so as to thereby prevent the valve spool 20 from vibrating. Another orifice 27 similarly associated with valve 20 serves to regulate the flow quantity of the lubricating oil to a torque converter 73 through means of a conduit 72. When the oil pressure within the chamber 21 is applied to the land 20a of valve spool 20 the opening and closing operation of a discharging port 29 of valve 11 is controlled by means of the land 20b of the valve spool 20 against the biasing force of a spring 28, which is associated with the end of spool 20 opposite that end upon which is disposed land 20a, and a throttle pressure transmitted into the chamber 22 and the resulting force applied to the land 20b of the valve spool 20, and consequently the high line pressure, which varies in accordance with the variation in the throttle pressure, is supplied to the conduit 16.
The regulator valve 24 similarly includes a valve spool 30, having two lands 30a and 30b of the same diameter, and a spring 31 associated with the end of spool 30 opposite that end upon which is disposed land 30a which normally biases the spool 30 in the downward direction as seen in FIG. 1. The regulator valve 24 is normally in the state shown in FIG. 1 as a result of the biasing force of spring 31, and when the valve is in this state, the port 25 connected to conduit 16 is closed by means of the land 30b. When the governor pressure supplied into the lower chamber 32 of valve 24 through means of a conduit 63 is greater than a predetermined value such as to overcome biasing force of the spring 31, the valve spool 30 will be displaced in the upward direction as seen in FIG. 1 whereby the port 25 will be connected, through means of another chamber 30c defined between lands 30a and 30b, to a conduit 35 which in turn is connected to a port 33 and a chamber 34 of still another regulator valve, generally indicated by the reference character 15. The latter valve is provided with a valve spool 36 which includes two lands 36a and 36b of the same diameter, and a spring 37 for biasing the valve 36 in the downward direction as seen in FIG. 1.
The oil pressure transmitted from the port 33 to a chamber 38, defined between lands 36a and 36b, controls the displacement of spool 36 and the opening and closing of a drain port 40 through means of land 36b at a pressure substantially equal to the oil pressure supplied to the chamber 34 through means of an orifice 39, which serves to prevent the vibration of valve spool 36 and such oil pressure is regulated as the lower line pressure, rather than the high line pressure regulated by means of the first regulator valve 11. This low line pressure is applied to the manual shift valve 14 through means of the conduit 35, the chamber 30c of the regulator valve 24, and the conduit 16. At this time, the line pressure within the conduit 16 becomes low line pressure so that the valve spool 20 of the first regulator valve 11 is moved in the downward direction as a result of the biasing force of the spring 28 and the first regulator valve 11 is disposed in a non-actuating state.
When the manual shift valve 14 is positioned to the neutral position designated N, the end of conduit 16 associated with valve 14 is closed by means of a land 41d disposed upon valve spool 41 and the conduits 42, 43, and 44 are connected with a discharge or drain port 76 of valve 14 whereby the brakes 18 and 19 are in a released state, the neutral state thus being presented. When the manual shift valve 14 is shifted to the drive position designated D, the conduit 16 is fluidically connected to the conduits 42 and 43 through means of a chamber 41e defined between a land 41c and the land 41d of spool 41, and when the manual shift valve 14 is shifted further to the low position designated L, the conduit 16 is connected solely to conduit 43. Similarly, when the manual shift valve 14 is displaced to the reverse position designated R, conduit 16 is fluidically connected with conduit 44 only.
Conduit 42 is fluidically connected to ports 47 and 48 of a reducing valve, generally indicated by the reference character 45, and a shift valve, generally indicated by the reference character 46, respectively. The regulated pressure of the reducing valve 45 is in turn transmitted to a port 50 of a throttle valve generally indicated by the reference character 49, which regulates the throttle pressure in accordance with the degree to which the engine throttle valve not shown, is opened, and the pressure regulated by means of the throttle valve 49 is then supplied to a chamber 52 of the shift valve 46 through means of a conduit 51 as well as to the chamber 22 of the first regulator valve 11 through means of a conduit 53. In this manner, the high line pressure regulated by means of the first regulator valve 11 is varied in accordance with the degree to which the engine throttle valve, not shown, is opened. The conduit 51 is also connected to another chamber 54 provided within the reducing valve 45 and the pressure regulated by means of the reducing valve 45 is thus varied in accordance with the throttle pressure value.
The reducing valve 45 also includes a valve spool 46 having a land 46a disposed upon the right end portion thereof as seen in FIG. 1, a plug 71 movably disposed within the left end portion of the valve as seen in FIG. 1, and a spring 48 interposed between valve spool 46 and plug 71 for biasing such components apart from each other. When the throttle pressure regulated by means of the throttle valve 49 is supplied to chamber 54 of reducing valve 45, plug 71 will be moved toward the right as seen in FIG. 1 and valve 46 is similarly moved toward the right through means of the spring 48. The line pressure supplied from conduit 42 to another chamber 55, via port 47, of the reducing valve 45 is also supplied in still another chamber 58 defined within the extreme right end portion, as seen in FIG. 1, of the valve 45 through means of an orifice 57 provided within a conduit 56 which serves to connect chambers 55 and 58, and consequently the valve spool 46 will be moved toward the left as seen in FIG. 1 against the biasing force of the spring 48 whereupon the communication between the conduit 42 and the chamber 55 will be terminated by means of the land 46a of spool 46. A drain port 59 is simultaneously opened whereby the oil pressure within the conduit 56 and the chamber 58 is decreased and the reducing valve 45 regulates the line pressure in accordance with the throttle pressure within chamber 54 and the setting load of spring 48, such regulated pressure being supplied to conduit 56 which of course is connected to the port 50 of the throttle valve 49. It is thus readily appreciated that when the regulated pressure within chamber 58 and conduit 56 is increased, fluidic communication with conduit 42 is interrupted by means of the land 46a of valve spool 46 whereupon such pressurized fluid will not be supplied to conduit 42, and conversely, when the regulated pressure within chamber 58 and conduit 56 is decreased, the conduit 42 is in fluidic communication with the conduit 56, through means of the chamber 55, and this would be true even if drain port 59 within reducing valve 45 were to be omitted.
Still referring to FIG. 1, a spring 61 is similarly disposed within the chamber 52 of the shift valve 46 for biasing a valve spool 60 toward the right as seen in FIG. 1, which movement corresponds to the low speed operation, and a chamber 62, supplied with the governor pressure through means of a conduit 63, is defined within the extreme right end portion of valve 46 whereby the governor pressure may counteract the forces of the spring 61 and the throttle pressure within chamber 52. Consequently, when the governor pressure within chamber 62 is low and the forces of the throttle pressure within chamber 52 and the spring 61 are large, and the valve spool 60 is within the state shown in FIG. 1, the port 48 of the shift valve 46 which is fluidically connected with the conduit 42 is closed by means of a land 60a of the valve spool 60, and conversely, when the governor pressure is increased such that the force of such pressure becomes larger than the forces of the throttle pressure and the spring 61, the conduit 42 will be fluidically connected to a conduit 65, which leads to an engaging chamber 91 defined within the clutch 17 and a disengaging chamber 64 defined within the first brake 18, through means of a chamber 60b defined within valve 46. The conduit 43 is likewise connected to an engaging chamber 66 of the first brake 18 and a port 68 of a governor valve 67, and the conduit 44 is connected to an engaging chamber 69 of the second brake 19, a spring 70 being disposed within brake assembly 19 for biasing the same to a non-actuated position.
The throttle valve 49 includes a plug 82 movably disposed within the right end portion thereof, a valve spool 83 having a plurality of lands 83a, 83b and 83c, and a spring 89, disposed within a chamber 88 which is interposed between plug 82 and valve spool 83, for urging the valve spool 83 toward the left as seen in FIG. 1. A chamber 85 is defined within the left end portion of valve 49 and has a spring 84 disposed therewithin, and an orifice 87 is provided within a conduit 86 associated with the valve, while a throttle arm 81 is in abutment with plug 82.
The port 29 of the first regulator valve 11 is connected to a fluid reservoir 75 through means of a conduit 74, and an oil cooler 78 is adapted to cool the pressurized oil passing through the torque convertor 73 through means of a conduit 77, suitable lubrication means 80 being connected to the oil cooler 78 through means of a conduit 79 for lubricating the gear trains, frictional sliding means, not shown, or the like associated with the transmission.
The operation of the embodiment disclosed within FIG. 1 will now be described hereinbelow in detail. The neutral state is shown in FIG. 1 and the high line pressure regulated by means of the first regulator valve 11 is supplied from port 23 of valve 11 to conduit 16, however, such high line pressure within conduit 16 is blocked by means of the land 41d of valve spool 41 of the manual shift valve 14 as well as by land 30b of valve spool 30 of the regulator valve 24, and consequently, such high line pressure is not able to be transmitted to conduits 42, 43, and 44. Accordingly, the clutch 17 and the brakes 18 and 19 are not able to be engaged.
When the governor valve 67 is actuated and the manual shift valve 14 is displaced from the above state to the drive or D position, the line pressure within the conduit 16 is now able to be transmitted to the conduits 42 and 43 through means of the valve chamber 41e within valve 14. The first brake 18 is thus able to be engaged as a result of the line pressure being transmitted through the conduit 43, which at this time, such line pressure within conduit 43 is a high line pressure as regulated by means of the first regulator valve 11, and this line pressure is additionally supplied to port 48 of the shift valve 46 through means of conduit 42. At the same time, it must also be noted that the line pressure within valve 45 is greater than the biasing force of spring 48 of the reducing valve 45 and the throttle pressure supplied to chamber 54 and the resulting pressure is supplied to port 50 of the throttle valve 49 and is regulated as a throttle pressure in accordance with the leftward movement of the plug 82 as a result of the movement of the throttle arm 81.
Thereafter, the line pressure, now regulated as a throttle pressure, is transmitted to chamber 52 of the shift valve 46 through means of conduit 51 and to chamber 22 of the first regulator valve 11 through means of conduit 53. The throttle pressure thus transmitted to chamber 22 serves to further regulate the high line pressure regulated by means of the first regulator valve 11 to an increased value in accordance with the degree to which the engine throttle valve, not shown, is opened. The throttle pressure supplied to chamber 52 of the shift valve 46 serves to move the valve spool 60 of the shift valve 46 toward the right against the governor pressure characteristic of the chamber 62 as supplied from the engaging chamber 92 of the governor valve 67 through means of the conduit 63. Fluidic communication from conduit 42 connected to port 48 of valve 46 is thus terminated by means of the land 60a of the valve spool 60 until the governor pressure is increased to a pressure sufficient to overcome the throttle pressure within chamber 52. Consequently, when the manual shift valve 14 is in the drive or D position and the vehicle speed is low whereby the governor pressure is not sufficiently high, low speed forward movement is obtained. At this time, the input pressure supplied from port 56 of the reducing valve 45 to the throttle valve 49 is regulated at a value slightly greater than the throttle pressure at that time as a result of the action of reducing valve 45, and even when the difference in pressure between the line pressure and the throttle pressure is greater than that noted above, the input pressure heretofore noted is not influenced by such high line pressure and the throttle pressure is not insignificant.
Continuing, further, when the vehicle speed is increased while the manual shift valve 14 is still within the drive or D position, the governor pressure supplied to chamber 62 of the shift valve 46 will naturally be increased so as to move the valve spool 60 toward the left as a result of overcoming the throttle pressure within chamber 52 and the biasing force of spring 61. The line pressure within conduit 42 is thus able to engage the clutch 17 as a result of transmission through chamber 60b of shift valve 46 and the conduit 65, and simultaneously therewith, the first brake 18 is released whereupon high speed forward movement is accomplished. At this time, the reducing valve 45 regulates the pressure supplied to valve 49 to a value greater than the required throttle pressure by a predetermined amount, and when the governor pressure is increased over a predetermined value, the governor pressure transmitted to chamber 32 of the regulator valve 24 is sufficient to move the valve spool 30 in an upward direction thereby over coming the downward biasing force of spring 31. As a result of such movement, previously blocked conduit 16 is now fluidically connected to conduit 35 through means of the chamber 30c of regulator valve 24, and consequently, the first regulator valve 11 is in the non actuation phase as aforementioned and the second regulator valve 15 is actuated whereby the low line pressure regulated by means of the second regulator valve 15 is supplied to conduit 16 whereby engaging pressure for clutch 17 is thus low line pressure.
The pressurized fluid supplied to the throttle valve 49 is regulated to a value lower than the line pressure and higher than the required throttle pressure, by a predetermined amount, by means of the reducing valve 45 and in no instance is the throttle pressure influenced by means of the high line pressure so as to exhibit an unanticipated value.
Referring now to FIG. 2, another embodiment of the present invention, having a different construction from that of FIG. 1, will now be described hereinbelow in detail. Within this embodiment, conduit 65 is connected to a signal chamber 94 of a changeover valve, generally indicated by the reference character 93, and conduit 43 is connected to engaging chamber 66 of the first brake 18 as well as to the changeover valve 93 and a chamber 104 of a modulator valve 95. The changeover valve 93 is seen to include a valve spool 96 and a spring 97 for biasing spool 96 toward the left as seen in FIG. 2, and the valve serves to fluidically connect conduit 43 to another conduit 98 leading to modulator valve 95 until the line pressure transmitted into the signal chamber 94 of the changeover valve 93 through means of the conduit 65 reaches a predetermined pressure, that is, the line pressure attains a pressure value capable of moving the valve spool 96 of changeover valve 93 toward the right thereby overcoming the biasing force of spring 97. When such actuation occurs, communication between the conduits 43 and 98 is interrupted by means of a land, not numbered, of spool 96, and conduit 98 is then fluidically connected to a drain port 99.
The modulator valve 95 is similarly seen to include a valve spool 100 which is provided with a plurality of lands 100a and 100b having different surface areas from each other and another land 100c the diametrical extent of which is the same as that of land 100b, a spring 101 being disposed within the right end portion of valve 95 for urging the valve spool 100 toward the left as seen in the FIGURE. Modulator valve 95 further includes a chamber 102 defined between land 100a and the left end wall of the valve for supplying the line pressure to land 100a from conduit 98 and changeover valve 93, and additional chambers 103 and 104 interposed between lands 100a and 100b, and between lands 100b and 100c, respectively, for similarly supplying the line pressure within conduit 43 to the differential surface areas of lands 100a and 100b, chambers 103 and 104 being suitably interconnected by means of a bore 100d which extends through land 100b, a drain port 105 also being associated therewith. The pressurized fluid transmitted from conduit 43 into chambers 104 and 103 through means of orifice or bore 100d acts upon the differential pressure areas of lands 100a and 100b and somewhat compresses spring 101 whereby valve spool 100 is moved slightly toward the right as seen in FIG. 2 and the opening and closing operation of the drain port 105 is controlled and regulated at an almost certain pressure which is supplied to port 68 of governor valve 67 through means of a conduit 106. When the line pressure is, however, transmitted into chamber 102 via changeover valve 93 and conduit 98, this regulated pressure is low pressure and when the line pressure is not transmitted into chamber 102, the regulated pressure is high pressure. The conduit 44 is of course connected to the engaging chamber 69 of the second brake 19.
The operation of FIG. 2 will now be described hereinbelow in detail. When the manual shift valve 14 is shifted from the neutral position N to the drive position-D, the line pressure within conduit 16 is transmitted to the conduits 42 and 43 through means of the chamber 41e of the manual shift valve 14. The first brake 18 is thus engaged by the line pressure transmitted by means of conduit 43, the line pressure at such time being high line pressure regulated by means of the first regulator valve 11, and this line pressure is further transmitted to chamber 102 of the modulator valve 95 through means of the changeover valve 93 and the conduit 98, the modulator pressure thus regulated as a low pressure by means of the line pressure transmitted to chamber 102 of the modulator valve 95 then being supplied to port 68 of the governor valve 67 by means of conduit 106. At this time, the high line pressure transmitted to the conduit 42 through means of the chamber 41e of the manual displacement valve 14 is in turn transmitted through port 48 and orifice 90 as well as throttle valve 49. The high line pressure transmitted through orifice 90 is regulated as the throttle pressure in accordance with the leftward movement of plug 82 as a result of the actuation of throttle arm 81 of the throttle valve 49 and is thereafter transmitted to chamber 52 of shift valve 46, through means of conduit 51, as well as to chamber 22 of the first regulator valve 11 through means of conduit 51, chamber 51 of shift valve 46, and conduit 53.
Furthermore, the high line pressure regulated by means of the first regulator valve 11 is thus regulated to an increased pressure value in accordance with the degree to which the engine throttle valve, not shown, is opened, at the same time the throttle pressure is provided to chamber 22 of the first regulator vlave 11 through means of the conduit 53. In addition, valve spool 60 of shift valve 46 is moved toward the right, against the governor pressure within chamber 62 which is transmitted from port 92 of governor valve 67 and through means of conduit 63, by means of the throttle pressure transmitted to chamber 52 of the valve 46 through conduit 51 as well as the biasing force of spring 61. As a result, conduit 42 is blocked by means of valve spool 60 until the governor pressure is increased to a pressure value which is sufficient to overcome the throttle pressure within chamber 52 and the force of spring 61 whereby communication between conduits 42 and 65 may be established. Accordingly, when the manual shift valve 14 is within the drive position D and the vehicle speed is low whereby the governor pressure is not increased to a sufficient pressure value, only low speed forward movement of the vehicle is attained and the input pressure supplied to port 68 of governor valve 67, through means of conduit 106, is regulated at a value slightly higher than the low governor pressure by means of the actuation of changeover valve 93 and modulator valve 95. Thus the governor pressure is not insignificant as a result of the influence of the high line pressure even when the difference in pressure between the line pressure and the governor pressure is excessively large.
Continuing further, when the vehicle speed is increased, the manual shift valve 14 remaining within the drive position D, the governor pressure within the chamber 62 of shift valve 46 will be sufficient to move the valve spool 60 toward the left and overcome the throttle pressure within the chamber 52 and the biasing force of spring 61. As a result, clutch 17 is able to be fully engaged by means of the line pressure within conduit 42 being transmitted through conduit 65, and the first brake 18 is similarly released as a result of the line pressure from conduit 42 being supplied to the releasing chamber 64 of the first brake 18, high speed forward movement of the vehicle now being accomplished. In addition, at this time, the fluid pressure within conduit 65, that is, the line pressure, is also supplied to the signal chamber 94 of changeover valve 93 and the valve spool 96 of changeover valve 93 is moved toward the right whereupon communication between conduits 43 and 98 is interrupted while communication between conduit 98 and drain port 99 is established.
Accordingly, the pressurized fluid within chamber 102 of modulator valve 95 is exhausted through means of conduit 98 whereby only the hydraulic fluid within chamber 103 opposes the force of spring 101. As a result, the pressurized fluid within chambers 103 and 104 becomes greater than when the line pressure remains within chamber 102, and this high pressure is then connected to port 68 of governor valve 67. At such time, the vehicle speed is high and the governor pressure becomes high as a result of the modulator pressure being increased which, as already noted, continuously and effectively increases the governor pressure. When the governor pressure becomes greater than a predetermined value, valve 30 of the regulator valve 24 is moved in an upward direction by means of the governor pressure within chamber 32 of the regulator valve 24 as transmitted through conduit 63, such pressure overcoming the downward biasing force of spring 31. Conduit 16, which had been previously blocked by land 30b of valve 30, is now able to be connected to conduit 35 through means of chamber 30c whereupon the first regulator valve 11 is disposed within the non-actuation state and the second regulator valve 15 becomes actuated. Therefore, the low line pressure regulated by means of the second regulator valve 15 is able to be supplied to the conduit 16 and serves as the engaging pressure for the clutch 17.
During the time of the low speed, forward movement of the vehicle, the vehicle speed is low and the pressure is less than the high line pressure and is modulated at a pressure greater than the governor pressure characteristic of the low speed, such pressure being supplied to port 68 of the governor valve 67. During the time of the high speed, forward movement of the vehicle the vehicle speed becomes high whereby the governor pressure is increased, and the modulated pressure as is necessary and sufficient in order to generate the high governor pressure, is applied to the governor valve 67, and therefore, the governor pressure regulated by means of the governor valve 67 becomes stable in accordance with the vehicle speed. It is thus readily understood that in order to change such governor pressure, the governor pressure may be supplied to the signal chamber 94 of the changeover valve 93 as a signal pressure and when the governor pressure within the signal chamber 94 reaches a predetermined value, that is, a pressure greater than the biasing force of spring 97, the regulated pressure of modulator valve 95 supplying such oil pressure to the governor valve 67, will be increased.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a further embodiment of the present invention is disclosed as having a construction different from that of the embodiment of FIG. 2, wherein more particularly, the modulator valve 95 and the signal pressure associated therewith will be described hereinbelow in detail. The pressurized fluid transmitted from conduit 43 to chamber 104 of modulator valve 95 is also supplied to chamber 103 through means of the orifice 100d and the valve spool 100 is moved toward the right against the biasing force of spring 101 as a result of the pressure being applied to the surface area of the land 100b of valve spool 100. When the valve spool 100 of modulator valve 95 is so moved, communication between conduit 43 and chamber 104 is interrupted by means of land 100b and chamber 104 is fluidically connected with drain port 105 whereupon the pressure within chambers 103 and 104 is decreased. Therefore, the pressure within the chambers 103 and 104 becomes responsive to the biasing force of spring 101 and the chamber 107 within which the spring 101 is disposed is connected to conduit 63 for supplying the governor pressure transmitted from governor valve 67, whereby the pressure within chambers 103 and 104 is increased or decreased in accordance with the variation in the governor pressure. In other words, the regulating pressure of the modulator valve 95 becomes greater than the governor pressure by an amount equal to the oil pressure for opposing the biasing force of spring 101, and the supply pressure to governor valve 67 becomes greater than the governor pressure by a predetermined value.
Turning now to FIG. 4 wherein there is shown another embodiment of the modulator valve 95, the signal chamber 109 is disposed away from the valve spool 100 and the diameter of valve plug 108 which includes the land 100a is different from that of the valve spool 100. The valve plug 108 is moved toward the left by means of the signal pressure supplied to the signal chamber 109 through means of the conduit 63 as seen in FIG. 4, and the pressure regulated by modulator valve 95 is therefore varied. The remaining construction and operation of the valve 95 shown in FIG. 4 is similar to the valve 95 shown in FIG. 3, and consequently, a description of the same is omitted herefrom. It may also be noted that it is possible to construct the valve 95 such that the right end portion of spring 101 is received within a portion of the plug 108 and the spring force is varied by compressing the spring 101 in response to the values of the signal pressure within chamber 109 applied to the plug 108.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is to be understood therefore, that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. | A fluid pressure control system for automatic fluid transmissions includes a fluid pressure source, a fluid pressure regulating valve for regulating the fluid from the source to a particular line pressure, and a plurality of frictional engaging devices, adapted to be actuated by the line pressure through means of a manual shift valve, for attaining a particular gear ratio within the gear train of the transmission which are interposed between the input and output shafts. A governor valve generates a governor pressure in response to the rotational speed of the input shaft, a throttle valve generates a throttle pressure in response to the engine throttle valve, and a shift valve selectively actuates the frictional engaging devices in response to the governor and throttle pressures. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a method and apparatus for fabricating resin mats. The resin mats produced by the method and apparatus may be utilized in various environments, for example, to reinforce joint areas in various parts of boats.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Resin mats have been used, for example, in boat hulls and decks to reinforce joints or seams, to make compartments, or to form supports. Often, this reinforcement by means of resin mats is accomplished by impregnating sheets of mat materials with resin and then applying the mat material to the joint area.
As shown in FIG. 10, one method of impregnating a mat material according to the prior art is to immerse a roll of mat material 100 in a resin-filled tank 101. After the material is impregnated in this manner, the material can be cut to a desired length. While the equipment needed for this operation is relatively simple, the roll of mat material 100 can harden before it is used or the resin in the tank can harden and make the roll of mat material 100 unusable.
Also in accordance with known prior art, as depicted in FIG. 11, it is possible to feed mat material 100 from a roll and, using a guide roller 103, to immerse the mat material 100 in a resin tank 101. The mat material 100 then passes through an advance roller 102, in order to fully impregnate the material with the resin. Finally, the mat material can be cut to a desired length for use. In this case, however, the resin in the resin tank 101 can harden or resin from the impregnated mat material 100 could adhere and harden on the advanced roller 102. In either situation, frequent maintenance is required.
Further, as also known in the art and shown in FIG. 12, mat material 100 can be conveyed from a roll by a belt conveyor 104 and then a spray nozzle 105, positioned above the belt conveyor 104, can spray resin onto the mat material 100 to impregnate it. However, just as with the arrangements depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the resin is impregnated into the mats and a number of mats 100 are to be laminated together, it is necessary to apply a great deal of resin to the outside of the mat to ensure that there will be sufficient impregnation at the center of the laminate. After this operation, there exists a great deal of surplus resin on the outside which can adhere to the conveying mechanism and cause problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the fabrication of resin mats having a plurality of mat layers and, further, to provide a method for the fabrication of such impregnated resin mats.
In order to resolve the problems associated with the prior art as discussed above, a multiple layered resin mat is prepared according to the present invention by conveying mat material in the form of sheets from two sides so that the mat materials converge. At the stage just prior to the convergence of the plurality of mat materials, resin is fed between the mat materials. The resin feeding system supplies resin to opposing mat sides prior to the mat layers being merged together which enables multiple layered resin mats to be prepared using an apparatus having a very simple structure. Since resin is applied to both opposing surfaces between at least two mat sheets, the resulting mat has multiple layers. This ensures that the resin impregnation has reached the center of the mat and lessens the amount of resin adhering to the outside surface of the mat which simplifies any subsequent seaming operation for the mat. In addition, this resin supply arrangement minimizes the amount of resin which can flow from between the mat layers as the layers converge. This lessens the amount of resin which can adhere to the conveying mechanism.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the resin mat fabrication apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the principal parts of the mat fabrication apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the principal parts of the mat fabrication apparatus shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 depicts an initial set-up stage for the resin mat fabrication process.
FIG. 5 shows the preliminary impregnation stage in the resin mat fabrication process.
FIG. 6 shows a mat fabrication stage in accordance with the resin mat fabrication process of the invention.
FIG. 7 depicts a terminating stage of the resin mat fabrication process.
FIG. 8 shows a time chart for the operation of the resin mat fabrication apparatus.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a resin mat produced in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 10 depicts a known resin impregnation method for mat materials.
FIG. 11 depicts another known resin impregnation method for mat materials.
FIG. 12 depicts still another known resin impregnation method for mat materials.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With initial reference to FIGS. 1-3, the frame of the mat fabrication apparatus according to the present invention is generally indicated at 1. Although the resin mats fabricated by this apparatus are generally of the type used to reinforce seams or joints in boats, it should be understood that these resin mats may also have other applications as well.
The mat fabrication apparatus includes a pair of impregnating rollers 2, 3 which are rotatably mounted upon frame 1, with a predetermined gap or space therebetween. More specifically, impregnating rollers 2, 3 include respective shaft ends 2a, 3a which are rotatably supported by bearing units 4, 5 respectively attached to frame 1. Frame 1 further carries a pair of spaced guide rollers 6, 7 which are adapted to guide respective mat materials 8, 9 in the form of sheets to the area between impregnating rollers 2, 3 as will be discussed more fully below. In the preferred embodiment, mat materials 8, 9 comprise glass sheets made from cut glass fibers which have been hardened with a polyester resin powder.
An additional guide roller 10 is rotatably mounted upon frame 1 at a position between and above guide rollers 6, 7 as shown in FIG. 1. Roller 10 is adapted to guide an intermediate mat material 11 between mat materials 8, 9 to the space between impregnating rollers 2, 3. In the preferred embodiment, intermediate mat material 11 comprises roping sheets made from woven glass fibers. Each of the mat materials 8, 9 and 11 are adapted to be conveyed simultaneously in a manner such that the sheets are merged together when passed between impregnating rollers 2, 3 by an advancing drive system as will be more fully discussed below.
Mat materials 8, 9 are carried by respective spools 12, 13 upon which are rolled a certain length of matting. In a similar manner, intermediate mat material 11 is carried by a spool 14. Spools 12, 13 and 14 have associated therewith shafts 12a, 13a and 14a which are rotatably mounted by means of respective bearing units 15, 16 and 17, fixedly secured to frame 1, so that spools 12, 13 and 14 are free to rotate relative to frame 1. Although not particularly shown in the drawings, the particular height at which shafts 12a, 13a and 14a are supported by bearings 15-17 may be adjustable so as to assure that no positional shifting between mats 8, 9 and 11 occur as the sheets are being conveyed between impregnating rollers 2, 3.
With particular reference to FIG. 1, beating units 5, which rotatably support shaft 3a of impregnating roller 3, are fixedly secured to frame 1. On the other hand, bearing units 4, which rotatably support shaft 2a of impregnating roller 2, are movably mounted relative to frame 1 such that the distance between bearing units 4, 5 is adjustable. More specifically, bearing units 4 are interconnected by rods 18 to a pair of operating levers 19. Operating levers 19 are adapted to be locked once the desired spacing between impregnating rollers 2, 3 is established. To establish this locked condition, mat materials 8, 9 and 11 are first set fully in place. By this arrangement, impregnating roller 2 can be separated from impregnating roller 3 by releasing operating levers 19.
Positioned at spaced axial locations between impregnating rollers 2, 3 are a pair of dam members 20, 21. Dam members 20, 21 are adapted to be fixed relative to frame 1 once a predetermined distance between dam members 20 and 21 has been established by means of an arm (not shown). The distance between dam members 20, 21 is adapted to be set so as to conform to the width of mat materials 8, 9 and 11. One function of dam members 20, 21 is to serve as position indexers for the mat sheets. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, one of the dam members, for example dam member 21, is movably mounted relative to dam member 20 which, in turn, is fixed to frame 1. In this manner, only one dam member needs to be adjusted to provide for mat sheets of varying widths.
Dam members 20 and 21 also aid in setting the distance (indicated at D in FIG. 2) between impregnating rollers 2, 3. The setting of this roller distance D is a key element in obtaining an appropriate level of impregnation, as will be more fully discussed below, since the setting conforms to the sum of the free thickness of each of the mat materials 8, 9 and 11. Dam members 20, 21 further serve to prevent the leakage of resin which is sprayed between both mat materials 8, 11 and mat materials 9, 11 by means of a nozzle 33 in the manner which will be more fully discussed below. In addition, dam members 20, 21 function to maintain an appropriate resin reservoir thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the resin by enhancing the consistent application of the resin to the mats. Therefore, dam members 20, 21 are structural elements that establish a resin reservoir while preventing leakage of resin outwardly from between the mat sheets.
In the preferred embodiment, the resin utilized is a thermoplastic resin. In addition, impregnating rollers 2, 3 and dam members 20, 21 are respectively formed from metal pipe, such as iron, to which a Teflon coating has been applied. This not only allows any adhering resin to be wiped away easily, but it also makes it possible for rollers 2, 3 to rotate smoothly.
Positioned below impregnating rollers 2, 3 as best indicated in FIG. 2 is a pair of wiping scrapers 22, 23. Wiping scrapers 22, 23 extend across substantially the entire length of impregnating rollers 2, 3. Wiping scrapers 22, 23 serve to wipe off the resin or the glass fibers from the mat materials that may adhere to impregnating rollers 2, 3 during operation of the mat fabrication apparatus, thereby allowing impregnating rollers 2, 3 to convey the mat materials 8, 9 and 11 with a desired amount of slippage.
The advancing or drive mechanism incorporated in the mat fabrication apparatus of the present invention will now be described. A driven gear 24 is carded by and rotates with shaft 3a of impregnating roller 3. Driven gear 24 is interengaged with a follower gear 25 which is attached to shaft 2a of impregnating roller 2. A motor unit 26, preferably fixedly secured to frame 1, includes an output shaft 27 which carries a output or drive gear 28. Output gear 28 is interengaged with driven gear 24. In this manner, rotation of output shaft 27 by motor 26 functions to rotate output gear 28, driven gear 24 and follower gear 25. Rotation of drive gear 24 and follower gear 25, on the other hand, cause impregnating rollers 2, 3 to rotate.
In the preferred embodiment, motor 26 constitutes a pneumatic motor, however, it should be readily understood that various other types of motors known in the an may be utilized. Motor 26 is attached to a plate 29 which is affixed to the side of frame 1. A controller 30 is also mounted upon frame 1 and is adapted to control the operation of motor 26 in a manner known in the art. A support platform 31 is attached to the top of plate 29 and extends inwardly, substantially parallel to shafts 2a and 3a. Mounted upon support platform 31 is a resin feed device 32. As best shown in FIG. 1, projecting from one end of resin feed device 32 is a tubular end portion 33b of nozzle 33. As clearly shown in FIG. 1, end portion 33b of nozzle 33 includes a 90° bend. Resin feed device 32 is adapted to receive a supply of resin through a supply line (not labeled) and to deliver a controlled quantity of resin to nozzle 33 through tubular end portion 33b. As clearly shown in FIGS. 1-3, nozzle 33 forks into two branches or supply lines, each of which extends along an opposite side of mat material 11. In other words, one of the forked branches is positioned between mat materials 8, 11 while the other forked branch is positioned between mat materials 9, 11. In this manner, when resin is fed to nozzle 33, the resin is fed on both sides of mat material 11 which enables the resin to become thoroughly impregnated in mat material 11. The ends of the forked branches of nozzle 33 are positioned such that the resin is directed from outlets 33a of nozzle 33 at the longitudinal centerline C of mat materials 8, 9 and 11 as indicated in FIG. 3.
When work is halted, nozzle 33 can be rotated about tubular base portion 33b toward the outside of frame 1 by 180° so as assume the position shown by the broken lines in FIG. 3. Shifting nozzle 33 in this manner enables a cleaner, such as acetone, to be fed through the resin feed device 32 and nozzle 33 which prevents the resin within the nozzle 33 from hardening.
Positioned beneath impregnating rollers 2, 3 is a resin mat collecting pan 34. During the resin impregnation process, resin mat pan 34 is adapted to collect the fabricated resin mat 35 made by the apparatus which is guided to resin mat pan 34 via guide plate 36. By this arrangement, since the fabricated resin mat 35 is located atop guide plate 36 which, in turn, is located beneath wiping scrapers 22, 23, any resin which is scraped off impregnating rollers 2, 3 by wiping scrapers 22, 23 will fall atop resin mat 35 and will thereby be put into effective use.
As previously stated, mat materials 8, 9 and 11 are conveyed simultaneously between impregnating rollers 2, 3 and, during this process, the intermediate mat 11 has resin applied to it from both sides. The combination of the dam members 20, 21 and mat materials 8, 9 and 11 form resin reservoirs as the mat materials are laminated to form resin mat 35 having a plurality of layers. This arrangement assures that a continual impregnation of the mat materials will be accomplished and greatly reduces the amount of resin leakage at the outer longitudinal edges of the mat materials while reducing the amount of resin which may adhere to the impregnating rollers 2, 3. Furthermore, in addition to assuring resin impregnation of the mat materials, this arrangement improves the quality of the bond between the mat layers thereby creating a resin mat 35 that has consistent, quality formed seams.
The manner in which resin mat 35 is prepared with the resin mat fabrication apparatus of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to FIGS. 4-8. Magazines 12, 13 and 14, which hold mat materials 8, 9 and 11 respectively, are supported axially on frame 1 in the manner set forth above. When operating levers 19 are shifted to their lock release positions, impregnating roller 2 is initially moved farther away from impregnating roller 3 so as to increase the spacing therebetween. This enables the ends of mat materials 8, 9 and 11 to be brought down between the pair of impregnating rollers 2, 3. Operating levers 19 are then pivoted to shift impregnating roller 2 toward impregnating roller 3 and then are locked in position. This operation sets the proper distance between impregnating rollers 2, 3 in dependence upon the thickness of mat materials 8, 9 and 11 and secures the ends of mat materials 8, 9 and 11 in place (FIG. 4).
After mat materials 8, 9 and 11 have been set in place, the resin feed device 32 is actuated and, after resin feed device 32 has run for a period of time T1 as shown in FIG. 8, impregnating rollers 2, 3 are rotated by means of motor 26. Time T1 corresponds to a preliminary impregnation time. More specifically, time T1 is the time required for the resin reservoirs to build up between the mat materials 8, 9 and 11 and dam members 20, 21.
Time T2 indicated in FIG. 8 is the operational time of the apparatus or, in other words, the prescribed intermittent running time established by a duty ratio wherein resin mat 35 is fabricated while maintaining the resin reservoirs at a specified resin capacity in a manner generally shown in FIG. 6. Resin mat 35 can then be cut to desired lengths and then used for various proposes.
When terminating the fabrication of resin mat 35, the resin feed device 32 is shut off and the impregnating rollers 2, 3 are still driven for a specified period of time T3 (FIG. 8) until the resin remaining in the reservoirs are completely expelled by the impregnation of mat materials 8, 9 and 11 (FIG. 7). By driving impregnating rollers 2, 3 after resin feed device has been shut off, all of the resin from the reservoirs can be effectively expelled which prevents excess resin from adhering to the impregnating rollers 2, 3. This, in turn, permits the apparatus to be readily used again.
Although not particularly shown in the drawings, a cutting machine may be located beneath impregnating rollers 2, 3 to automatically cut the resin mat 35 to desired lengths as mat 35 is formed. Or, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the resin impregnated mat 35 may be folded back and forth, perhaps with the aid of a folding machine, to a desired folding length L.
The diameter of impregnating rollers 2, 3 are selected such that the amount of resin contained in the reservoirs is greater than the amount of resin needed to impregnate mat materials 8, 9 and 11. In the preferred embodiment, the minimum amount of resin contained in the reservoirs equals that necessary to form a resin mat 35 having a length of approximately 1 meter. In other words, the resin reservoir should hold an amount of resin which is greater than that needed to impregnate resin materials 8, 9 and 11 in fabricating one laminate resin mat. In FIG. 8, this quantity is indicated by "q". In addition, it is important that the roller diameter be such that the resin does not overflow over the top of the impregnating rollers 2, 3.
Since there is enough resin in the resin reservoirs to impregnate mat materials 8, 9 and 11 in order to make a resin mat 35 having a predetermined length, the mat materials 8, 9 and 11 can also be pre-impregnated prior to impregnating rollers 2, 3 so as to assure that there is effective impregnation of the mat materials 8, 9 and 11 by impregnating rollers 2, 3. The height of the resin reservoirs can be just less than the height of impregnating rollers 2, 3, as determined by their respective diameters, so that the assembly can be made as compact as possible. On the other hand, it has been found that even better impregnation can be assured by making the diameters of impregnating rollers 2, 3 rather large such that the top of impregnating rollers 2, 3 is much higher than the reservoir level. This serves to lengthen the contact time between impregnating rollers 2, 3 and the mat materials 8, 9 and 11.
As shown in FIG. 8, impregnating rollers 2, 3 are not rotated until the "q" amount of resin has accumulated in the reservoirs. According to another aspect of the invention, operation of the apparatus can also be halted when the resin reservoir falls below the "q" level. Halting the operation of the apparatus in this manner would assure a good yield of resin mat from the pre-impregnated mat materials 8, 9 and 11.
It is also possible in the spirit of the present invention to lengthen the circumferential length of impregnating rollers 2, 3 as compared to the amount of mat materials 8, 9 and 11 fed per unit time. In other words, mat materials 8, 9 and 11 can be fed between impregnating rollers 2, 3 at a speed such that impregnating rollers 2, 3 slip against the outside surface of mat materials 8, 9. In feeding mat materials 8, 9 and 11, impregnating rollers 2, 3 would have to be strongly pressed against mat materials 8, 9 and 11 in order to prevent any slippage. Pressing impregnating rollers 2, 3 strongly against mat materials 8, 9 and 11 could cause much of the impregnating resin to be wrung out of the mat materials. However, by allowing impregnating rollers 2, 3 to slip against mat materials 8, 9 and 11, it assures that there will be sufficient resin left to fully impregnate mat materials 8, 9 and 11. By making the distance between impregnating rollers 2, 3 equal to the sum of the free thickness of the mat materials 8, 9 and 11, one can ensure that there is an appropriate amount of resin impregnated so long as mat materials 8, 9 and 11 are fed at a suitable speed by impregnating rollers 2, 3.
Although the present invention has been described with respect to a particular fabrication apparatus, along with a particular type of resin mat 35 produced, it should be readily understood that various changes and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as described without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, although resin mat 35 described above was formed with 3 layers (see FIG. 9), it should be readily understood that the apparatus of the present invention may be used to make a mat having two or more layers. In addition, the apparatus of the present invention was described as including a pair of dam members 20, 21 to ensure that the reservoirs of resin were formed between them and the mat materials 8, 11 and 9, 11 respectively, but the use of such dam members is not absolutely necessary. For example, the time required before driving impregnating rollers 2, 3 could be shortened in combination with not utilizing these dam members. In general, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims. | A method and apparatus for fabricating resin mats having a plurality of mat layers is provided. Multiple mat sheets are conveyed between two spaced rollers while being impregnated with resin contained in at least one reservoir formed between the rollers and sheets. A resin feeding system supplies resin to a location between the sheets which substantially corresponds to the longitudinal centerlines of the sheets to ensure adequate impregnation of the mat layers while minimizing any residual resin from adhering to the rollers. Dam members are also positioned between the rollers at the longitudinal sides of the sheets to aid in forming the reservoir(s) and also to maintain an appropriate spacing between the rollers. The roller spacing is configured to permit a predetermined degree of slippage between the rollers and the mat layers. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for support of objects on pressure balanced bearings.
2. Prior Art
A system for hydrostatic bearings using a pressure balance configuration in its broad sense is shown in my copendng patent application Serial No. 470,631, filed May 16, 1974, now Pat. No. 3,921,286. The present device is one which specifically uses a valve that has external sensing of height for an object being supported.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pressure balanced hydrostatic bearing providing support for an object through use of a plurality of adjustable piston and cylinder combinations at spaced locations on the object. The piston and cylinder combinations are controlled by external height control valves that sense deviations of the supported object relative to the supporting surface to provide adjustments in flow supplied to the bearings for height control.
In the form shown, a large mass is shown supported in relation to a surface using multiple pressure balanced bearings that are connected together in selected sets with a single external control valve for each of the sets to give the automatic height control. The use of a common conduit connection between the individual bearings in a set allows cross flow so that all of the bearings in a set equally share the load despite distortions of the bearing surfaces. The external height control valve in turn regulates the volume of oil supplied to the bearings in its set and is responsive to changes in height of the object being supported.
In the form shown, the mass block being supported is controlled through the use of three external control valves mounted in a tripod arrangement on the block to maintain the block at a desired height and in position for biaxial motion. The external height control valve can either be a three way valve used with a fixed pressure source, or a two way valve if operated from a fixed flow source.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a typical mass block support on the hydrostatic bearing controlled in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary part schematic view taken as on line 2--2 in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a typical control valve utilized for external height control sensing in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, a block 10 is shown. The block 10 is a mass block that must be capable of bilateral motion for example in a horizontal plane under external forces. The mass block must be supported so that it moves relative to the support floor with little restriction. In other words, no significant forces acting on the support surface should be transmitted to the mass, or vice versa.
In a typical system, the mass block may be on the order of 30 feet by 30 feet square, and weight in the range of several hundred tons. Thus, the physical size and dimensions may be great.
In the form shown, on the underside of the mass block 10 there are a plurality of pressure balanced bearings each of which may be identically constructed physically. The pressure balanced bearings are hydraulic cylinder-piston assemblies which will support the mass block on a pressurized perimeter scaled area on the floor surface, while permitting biaxial motion of the mass block.
In the form shown, there are three of these pressure balanced bearing assemblies at each of the corners of the rectilinear block, and these bearing assemblies are arranged in bearing sets. Each of the bearing sets is controlled by a separate coaxial control valve that in turn is used for sensing the height of the mass block above the supporting surface and will control flow to the bearings in the associated set.
The bearings in each set are coupled for cross flow, as will be explained. For example, there is a first control valve 11 that is used for providing fluid under pressure to a bearing set consisting of hydrostatic bearing assemblies 12, 13, 14 and 15. There is a control valve 16 at the opposite side of the mass block 10 which is used for controlling a hydrostatic bearing set comprising hydrostatic bearing assemblies 17, 18, 19 and 20. There is a third external control valve 23 which is used for controlling a set of hydrostatic bearings comprising the bearing assemblies 24, 25, 26 and 27. As can be seen, the control valves 11, 16 and 23 are arranged in a tripod (three point) arrangement and the sets of bearings for each of the control valves include at least one bearing that is adjacent to the side controlled by another of the valves. This arrangement provides for non-redundant load sharing between the sets of bearings.
Now referring specifically to FIG. 2, a detailed showing of two of the bearing assemblies is provided in relation to their external control valve, and it is to be understood that each of the hydrostatic bearings is substantially identically constructed. The showing in FIG. 2 is somewhat schematic for simplicity, but each of the individual bearing assemblies, for example the assemblies 12 and 13 shown in FIG. 2, includes a cylinder member 30 which is suitably fastened to the bottom surface of the mass block 10, and which has interior piston chamber 31 mounting a piston member 32 that has a part spherical outer wall 33, and O-ring seal 34 which permits the piston to cock slightly with respect to the wall of the interior chamber 31 to compensate for irregularities in a supporting surface 36, which for example could be the floor on which the mass block is being supported.
The chambers 31 are connected to suitable conduits leading to a source of pressure, as shown a conduit 37, which is a common conduit connected to all of the interior chambers 31 of the respective bearing set. Suitable connections to the interior chambers are made to each of the chambers of the bearings in the particular set.
A passageway 38 is provided through each of the pistons 32 leading to the exterior surface of the cylinders, that is the surface 32A which faces the floor 36. The outer surface 32A is provided with an annular groove which mounts a sealing ring 40 and a back-up resilient O-ring 41 in the same groove to provide a sealed area on the surface indicated generally at 42 on the interior of the sealing rings.
The sealing ring arrangement is also explained in copending application Ser. No. 470,631, filed May 16, 1974. It can therefore be seen that any pressure in chamber 31 will also be present in the chamber 42 defined by the sealing ring 40, and this will provide a hydrostatic bearing surface between the surface 32A and the surface of the floor 36. The sealing ring 40 is a low friction material as tetrafloroethylene to insure that excessive friction is not present. The pressure inside the sealing ring will change when the pressure in the cylinders changes.
The control valve 11 is shown typically as including a housing 50, that is supported in a suitable manner on a bracket 51 supported with respect to the mass block 10. The valve has an interior spool 52 that is mounted in the housing 50 and has a spring 53 which is used for counteracting the weight of the spool and tends to hold the spool down. The lower end of the spool has a sliding foot 54 thereon that engages the surface 36. As shown, the valve is a three way valve having a pressure inlet port 55, a return port 56, and an outlet port 57. The pressure is from a separate constant pressure source that is provided from a suitable regulator. Also, the spool has a control land edge 52A which controls flow from the pressure port and a land edge 52B which controls flow to the return port.
The shoe 54 is adjusted to permit the desired height to be achieved by the mass block. The pressure in the cylinders is maintained so that the pistons are not bottomed in their cylinders. That is, the pistons are supported on fluid under pressure at all times during use. If the mass block settles so that the spool is moved upwardly relative to the housing 50, the flow from port 55, which is from a constant pressure source in the three way valve shown, will be provided to port 57, (edge 52A lifts up slightly from the position shown) and thus additional volume of oil will be provided to conduit 37 and subject the interior chambers 31 of the hydrostatic bearings in this set to additional pressure, tending to lift the mass block. The spool will remain in position with the shoe 54 on the surface 36 and the valve housing will thus be lifted along with the mass block until the edge 52A closes off the flow. The valve assemblies will modulate and reach an equilibrium where the mass block is supported at the desired height.
If the block moves and the shoe drops down because of an irregularity for example, the port 57 will be open to the return port 56 permitting some fluid to escape from the chambers 31 and letting the mass block lower.
When the hydrostatic bearings are arranged in sets as shown, they will all share the load so that if for example the end of the mass block supported by hydrostatic bearings 24, 25, 26 and 27 lowers, the bearing assemblies 15 and 20 tend to collapse causing back flow to the other bearings in the set and increasing the pressure to share the load.
As shown in FIG. 3 the valve 11 includes a dead band where pressure from the source is closed off by edge 52A and edge 52B is also keeping the return port closed. When the valve is in this position, cross flow is still permitted between the bearing in the set.
If a constant flow source is used for the fluid under pressure, a two way valve could be utilized. In such a case, with constant flow, the valve would include an external sensing foot as shown, and the amount of back pressure would relate to the opening of the valve in response to movement of the foot along a surface. The valve would close more as the mass block was lowered, just as it is illustrated in FIG. 3 in a three way valve.
The surface on which foot 54 moves does not necessarily need to sense the same surface as the surface on which the mass block is supported. The foot can be sensing position relative to a separate reference surface, if desired.
It should be understood that the arrangement of the piston and cylinder may be reversed from that shown. That is, the interior piston may be fixed to the object, while the outer cylinder may engage the floor surface. In such a case the hydrostatic film area would be enclosed by a ring carried on the bottom of the cylinder member. | A pressure balance bearing providing a hydrostatic bearing film, which is connected to maintain a load or device in a constant position in relation to a reference or support surface. Several support bearings are plumbed together so that there may be cross flow between the bearings. An external control valve is mounted on the member and senses the relative position of the object. The valve in turn adjusts the flow of oil into the bearings as a function of changes of relative position of the object and reference or support surface. As shown, a large mass is supported on the pressure balance bearings and is capable of bilateral movement. The mass is supported on a plurality of bearings using three control valves arranged in a tripod configuration. | 5 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to structural panels for buildings and is particularly directed to structural insulated panels having a foam core, opposed facings of common structural materials attached to the core, and a metal peripheral edge bonded to the edges of the core and facings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The traditional house is stick built, i.e., constructed of 2× dimensional structural lumber members and nails. This method of construction is slow and manpower intensive, requires a large supply of a limited commodity, and affords a limited number of structural shapes.
Another construction approach uses Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). The basic structural unit in the SIP construction approach employs two rigid faces on either side of a light insulated foam core. This approach requires good adhesion of the faces to the core to form a structural I-beam. Panels of this type are also joined with lumber and nails.
A more recent approach uses steel studs rather than the 2× dimensional lumber approach. Substituting steel for lumber increases material and labor costs. In addition, steel is a good thermal conductor which gives rise to an increase in energy loss on the order of 50% over the conventional lumber construction approach if steel studs are installed between the inside and outside casings of the panels. Using steel and studs as a replacement for lumber also does not make optimum use of the positive structural characteristics of steel as a building material. In addition, SIPs are typically made with rather thick facings as compared to metal edging. SIP panel facings are typically on the order of 0.25" to 0.75" in thickness in the form of a flat sheet that is not readily formed. The junctures of such panels typically employ a lumber spline with nails and screws for joining. Building supply centers stock such building components pre-hung, pre-finished, and pre-assembled with the exception of the main structure of the house. This limits variation in house construction and design.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing a structural insulated panel with metal edges disposed about and securely attached to a center foam core and outer opposed facings affixed to the center core.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structural insulated panel with improved strength which can be assembled in the field for custom applications.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a metal strip around the peripheral edge of a foam core, sandwich-type structural panel for substantially increasing the strength of the panel, facilitating panel connection to adjacent, similar panels, and other structural members, and reducing heat transfer between the surfaces of a wall formed of a plurality of such panels.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an open face structural panel having a foam core with a plurality of spaced fastening access grooves for accommodating wire runs within the panel.
A further object of the present invention is provide a modular building system using standard size structural panels and employing a grid wherein the outer panels enclose an area which is a multiple of the basic module and the inner and outer panels are of the same size.
This invention contemplates laminating a light gauge metal section on the edge of a bonded panel with thick facings. The metal may be on the inside or outside edge of the panel and does not extend through the panel so as to act as a conductor for heat loss. The metal edge portion may be on one or all of the edges of the panel, with the metal edge joined structurally at the corners in the latter case. The metal edge may be flat or contoured and is easily laminated into the structural insulated panel because the panel's plastic foam core is sufficiently compressible (without machining the foam) to allow for easy bonding. The panel's thick outer facings are generally comprised of a conventional building material such as plywood, oriented strand board, drywall, composite gypsum with recycled newsprint, or other rigid production boards from 1/4" to 3/4" thick. The metal edging is preferably galvanized steel, but may also be aluminum or painted steel or even a thin structural plastic. The panel's inner core may be expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, urethane, polyisocyanurate or other conventional insulating material. Non-plastic insulating materials such as paper, egg crate, honey comb, and straw board may also be used. The metal edges may serve as self-aligning splines or recesses for screwing or bolting panels together. The metal edge may assume virtually any shape depending upon the use of the structural panels in the construction. For exterior wall panels, a spline system, a toe screw system, or an open channel bolt-together arrangement may be used. For roof panels, the spline system is preferred. For interior walls, a ship lap side panel junction allows for a four corner connection while still maintaining a module connection. When steel is used for the metal edging, a less costly facing material may be used because the steel carries much of the load. The edging need only be attached to one of the panel facings because it is a fully adhered component of the panel, with attachment to only one side of the panel substantially improving the panel's insulation value as the steel edging does not function as a through conductor.
Several types of panel-to-panel junctures may be employed with the peripheral metal edging of the present invention. The junctures can be an open or closed system. The open system has an open recess at the panel edge and connection is made in the open slot. A closed system employs a solid panel with a minimum number of holes through the panel required for connection. Screws, wedges, or cam-lock connection devices can be used with a closed system.
The open or closed type of connection allows for precise connection between panels and also permits the panels to be disconnected and reconnected. Structural insulated panels in accordance with the present invention thus provide flexibility for changing panel configuration or building expansion without destruction of components. The connection in the open system can be made easily with nut and bolt combinations with the bolts acting as alignment pins so that panels can be easily and quickly assembled. The open system allows for a wiring chase in the fastening access groove, with additional wiring chases provided through the panel. Structural insulated panels in accordance with the present invention can be mass-produced in a variety of shapes and provided to local building centers where homes can be purchased as a series of pre-fabricated panels. The homes cannot only be erected using a bolt together system, but also can be changed without destroying the building structure components.
Another aspect of this invention contemplates a modular system that allows buildings to be constructed with panels of a standard size. The panels work off a grid in which the outside panels always enclose, or form the perimeter of, an area that is a multiple of the module. The inside panels work off of the same module using the same model and ship lap ends to allow for corner junctures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The appended claims set forth those novel features which characterize the invention. However, the invention itself, as well as further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like reference characters identify like elements throughout the various figures, in which:
FIG. 1 is a horizontal-sectional view of a modular arrangement for a building structure incorporating structural insulated panels in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a generally vertical sectional view illustrating details of the manner in which a structural insulated panel in accordance with the present invention may be attached to roof, floor, ceiling and structural support members in accordance with the present invention;
FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are front elevation, top plan, and lateral elevation views of a structural insulated panel in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view illustrating the manner in which a pair of structural insulated panels as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 may be connected together;
FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of a pair of structural insulated panels in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view of another coupling arrangement for a plurality of structural insulated panels in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention incorporated as walls in a building structure;
FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of an edge of one of the structural insulated panels shown coupled together in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of another embodiment of a structural insulated panel in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a plan view of an edge portion of the structural insulated panel of FIG. 10 illustrating details of its metal edge;
FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view showing a coupling arrangement for a pair of structural insulated panels as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11;
FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view showing another arrangement for coupling a structural insulated panel in accordance with the present invention to floor and roof members;
FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view showing details of the coupling between two structural insulated panels similar to the wall panel shown in FIG. 13;
FIGS. 15 and 16 are top plan views of two other embodiments of structural insulated panels in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a partial sectional view showing the coupling between a pair of adjacent structural insulated panels as shown in FIG. 15;
FIG. 18 is a partial sectional view showing the coupling between a pair of adjacent structural insulated panels as shown in FIG. 16;
FIGS. 19-23 are partial sectional views of various embodiments of structural insulated panels in accordance with the present invention, each having a different coupling arrangement for attachment to an adjacent, identical panel;
FIGS. 24 and 25 are partial plan and sectional views, respectively, of another embodiment of a structural insulated panel in accordance with the present invention and a coupling arrangement therefor;
FIGS. 26, 27 and 28 are respectively plan, side elevational and sectional views of an open face insulated structural panel in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 28 is a sectional view of the panel taken along site line 28--28 in FIG. 26; and
FIGS. 29 and 30 are sectional views of the panel shown in FIGS. 26, 27 and 28 illustrating additional details thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a horizontal sectional view of a modular system 10 including a plurality of insulated structural panels for use in building construction in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. The modular system 10 includes first, second, third, fourth, and fifth structural insulated panels 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. Each of the structural insulated panels includes a foam core and opposed outer and inner facings. Thus, first panel 12 includes an inner foam core 12a and outer and inner facings 12b and 12c. The second panel 14 includes foam core 14a and outer and inner facings 14b and 14c. The third panel 16 includes foam core 16a and outer and inner facings 16b and 16a, respectively. Finally, the fourth and fifth panels 18 and 20 respectively include foam cores 18a and 20a, outer facings 18b and 20b and inner facings 18c and 20c. The modular system 10 further includes an outer corner 22 coupled to the first and second panels 12, 14 and an inner corner 26 coupled to the fourth and fifth panels 18, 20 as described below.
The first panel 12 includes a metal edge 42 which is inserted between the panel's inner foam core 12a and its inner facing 12c. An adhesive is applied to metal edge 42 for securely affixing it to the panel's foam core 12a and inner facing 12c. Metal edge 42 extends over the entire peripheral edge portion of the panel. Similarly, the second panel 14 includes a metal edge 44 extending around its peripheral edges which is coupled to the panel's inner foam core 14a and inner facing 14c by means of a conventional adhesive such as an epoxy cement or glue. Coupling arrangement 40 connects the first and second panels 12, 14 to the outside corner 22 by means of the combination of a metal channel connecting strip 46 and a plurality of screws 48, 50 and 52. Thus, screw 48 is inserted through the connecting strip 46 and metal edge 42, screw 50 is inserted through the connecting strip and the outside corner's inner metal facing 22a, and screw 52 is inserted through metal edge 44 and the connecting strip. Similarly, another portion of the metal edge in combination with a connecting angle 56, screw 57 and drywall screw 58 is used to securely couple the second panel 14 to the third panel 16. A similar coupling arrangement 68 attaches the opposing edge of the third panel 16 to the fourth panel using a metal edge 16d of the third panel 16.
Inner corner 26 includes an inner metal bracket 26a and an outer facing 26b on two sides thereof. Another coupling arrangement 30 connects the fourth panel 18 to the inside corner 26 along adjacent edges thereof in the following manner. The fourth panel 14 includes a metal edge 32 extending around the periphery thereof and securely attached to the panel's foam core 18a and inner facing 18c by means of an adhesive. Similarly, the inner metal bracket 26a of the inside corner 26 is affixed to the corner's foam core and outer facing 26b by means of an adhesive. A metal channel connecting strip 36 is disposed in contact with the fourth panel's metal edge 32 and the inside corner's inner metal bracket 26a and screws 38a and 38b are inserted through the connecting strip and metal edge 32 and screws 38c and 38d are inserted through metal channel connecting strip 36 and the inside corner's inner metal bracket 26a. First and fourth screws 38a and 38d draw the fourth panel 18 and the inner corner 26 together in tight fitting engagement when tightened. A similar coupling arrangement 54 connects the inside corner 26 to the fifth panel 20 as shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a sectional view of another arrangement incorporating structural insulated panels in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a roof panel 60 coupled to and supported by first, second, and third wall panels 62, 64 and 66 which, in turn, are attached to and supported by a concrete foundation 68. Attached to an upper surface of the concrete foundation 68 is finished flooring 70. The third wall panel 66 includes an outer facing 66a, an inner facing 66b, and an insulating foam core 66c. Similarly, the first and second structural insulated panels 62 and 64 respectively include outer facings 62a and 64a, inner facings 62b and 64b, and insulating foam cores 62c and 64c, respectively. Roof panel 60 includes a lower panel 60a, a foam core 60b, and upper facing (which is not shown in the figure for simplicity). The first, second, and third wall panels 62, 64 and 66 each have a respective peripheral metal edge 62d, 64d and 66d disposed about the inner periphery thereof. The first panel's metal edge 62d is adhered to the panel's foam core 62c and inner facing 62b. Similarly, the peripheral metal edges 64d and 66d of the second and third panels 64, 66 are adhered to the foam cores 64c and 66c and inner facings 64b and 66b of these respective panels.
Disposed in the roof panel 60 is a metal coupling bracket 60c. The roof panel 60 is connected to the first panel's metal edge 62d by means of the combination of a coupling bracket 60d and a pair of screws 72a and 72b. Screw 72a is inserted through coupling bracket 60d and the first panel's metal edge 62d, while screw 72b is inserted through coupling brackets 60c and 60d. Peripheral metal edge 62d is also used for connecting the first panel 62 to the second panel 64 by means of a combination of coupling bracket 76, screws 74a and 74b, and the second panel's peripheral metal edge 64d. Disposed intermediate the first and second structural insulated panels 62 and 64 is a panel edge strip 62e. A similar coupling arrangement 78 is used to securely connect the second panel 64 to the third panel 66, with an edge strip 64f disposed intermediate the second and third panels. The second panel 64 is shorter than the first and third panels 62, 66 to accommodate the thickness of a second floor 82 described below. The lower edge of the third panel 66 is coupled by means of its peripheral metal edge 66d to the concrete foundation 68 by means of the combination of screws 81 and 82 and coupling angle 80. An outer peripheral metal edge 66e of the third panel 66 is affixed to the panel's foam core 66c and outer facing 66a and engages and rests upon the concrete foundation 68.
An interior wall panel 102 in accordance with the present invention includes first and second outer facings 102a and 102b and a foam core 102c disposed therebetween. A generally U-shaped peripheral metal edge 104 is disposed about the periphery of the panel's foam core 102c and is attached to peripheral edge portions of the two outer panels 102a, 102b. A lower edge of the structural insulated panel 102 is maintained in position on the foundation's flooring 70 by means of a combination of a U-shaped mounting bracket 106 and screw 108. The panel's peripheral metal edge 104 is inserted in U-shaped mounting bracket 106 and is securely maintained in fixed position on the concrete foundation 68. An upper portion of the panel's peripheral metal edge 104 is positioned within an upper U-shaped mounting bracket 98 which is attached to the ceiling 88 of the second floor 82 by means of screws 100. Channels formed in the upper edge of the interior wall panel 102 by its peripheral metal edge 104 receive the upper mounting bracket 98 and permit the wall panel to be raised, allowing its lower portion to be removed from the lower mounting bracket 106 for relocating or removing the wall panel.
Second floor 82 includes a plurality of spaced floor joists 86 connected to the second wall panel 64 by means of the combination of coupling bracket 76 and screws 74c and coupling arrangement 78. An end of floor joist 86 is disposed in contact with the second wall panel's inner facing 64b. Ceiling 88 is suspended from the floor joist 86 by means of a plurality of brackets such as brackets 92 and 94 attached to the floor joist 86 as well as to the ceiling 88 by means of a plurality of screws 96a, 96b and 96c. Disposed on the upper surface of the floor joist 86 is a floor surface 84 such as of carpet.
Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, there are respectively shown front elevation, top plan, and lateral elevation views of a structural insulated panel 114 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Structural panel 114 includes an inner foam core 122 and first and second outer facings 116 and 118. Disposed along an edge of the structural panel 114 are first and second spaced metal strips 120a and 120b. Each of the first and second metal strips 120a, 120b is attached to an edge of the foam core 122 and two respective inner edge portions of the first and second panels 116, 118 by means of an adhesive.
Additional details of the structural insulated panel of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 as well as details of the coupling between adjacent similar panels is shown in the sectional view of FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, a first structural insulated panel 124 is attached to a second, identical structural insulated panel 126. The first structural insulated panel includes first and second outer facings 124a, 124b and an inner foam core 124c. Similarly, the second structural insulated panel 126 includes first and second outer facings 126a and 126b and an inner foam core 126c. Disposed along an edge of the first structural insulated panel 124 are first and second metal edge strips 128a and 128b. Disposed along an opposing edge of the first panel 124 is a recessed portion as shown in the second structural insulated panel 126 which is adapted for receiving the first and second metal edge strips 128a and 128b as shown in the figure. First and second screws 130a and 130b inserted through the first and second outer facings 126a, 126b as well as through the metal edge strips 128a, 128b securely maintain the first and second panels 124, 126 connected together in a tongue and groove arrangement. The extended portion 124d of the first panels foam core 124c is positioned in abutting contact with the recessed edge 126d of the second panel's foam core 126c.
Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a sectional view of a pair of panels 125 and 132 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The first panel 125 includes first and second outer facings 125a, 125b, a foam core 125c, and first and second metal edge strips 129a and 129b. The second panel 132 includes first and second outer facings 132a and 132b as well as an inner foam core 132c. In the recessed end portion of the second panel are disposed first and second metal edge strips 134a and 134b. The extended lateral edge of the foam core 125c and first and second metal edge strips 129a, 129b of the first panel 125 are adapted for insertion in the recessed edge portion of the second panel 132. With the respective edge portions of the first and second panels 125, 132 disposed in abutting contact, first and second screws 136a and 136b are inserted through the metal edge strips 134a, 134b of the second panel 132 and the metal edge strips 129a, 129b of the first panel 125 for securely coupling the two panels along their respective abutting edges.
Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown a generally horizontal sectional view of a panel coupling arrangement 140 employing metal edge strips in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. The panel coupling arrangement 140 couples first, second, third and fourth interior insulated panels 142, 144, 146 and 148 together. The panel coupling arrangement 140 of FIG. 8 also securely couples first and second exterior panels 156 and 158 together as well as to the fourth interior insulated panel 148. As in the previously described embodiments, all of the panels shown in FIG. 8 include first and second outer facings and an inner foam core. The insulated interior panels 142, 144, 146 and 148 respectively include metal edge strips 142a, 144a, 146a and 148a. Each of the metal edge strips is securely bonded to the outer facing and inner core of its associated panel structure. Each of the metal edge strips 142a, 144a, 146a and 148a includes an angled distal portion having a respective aperture therein allowing the four metal edge strips to be securely joined as shown in the figure. With the four metal edge strips arranged as shown in FIG. 8, self-tapping screws 154b and 154d are respectively inserted through metal edge strips 142a, 144a and 146a, 148a. The access provided by the coupling arrangement 140 shown in FIG. 8 allows screws 154b and 154d to be driven in by a power drive such as a power screw driver rather than by a hand-operated ratchet tool. Self-tapping screws 154a and 154c may also be respectively inserted through metal edge strips 142a, 148a and 144a, 146a for increasing the strength of the panel coupling arrangement 140 shown in FIG. 8.
Metal edge strip 160 attached to the opposing edge of the fourth insulated interior panel 148 also includes a pointed distal end portion having an aperture therethrough. Metal edge strip 160 is attached to the first and second exterior panels 156 and 158 by means of the combination of screws 164a and 164b, connecting bracket 162, and metal edge connecting strips 156a and 158a disposed respectively in the first and second exterior panels 156, 158. Screw 164a is inserted through aligned apertures in metal edge connecting strip 160 and connecting bracket 162. Similarly, screw 164b is inserted through aligned apertures in connecting bracket 162 and the metal edge connecting strips 156a, 158a of the first and second exterior panels 156, 158.
Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown additional details of the metal edge strip 148a of the fourth insulated interior panel 148. The distal angled portion 150 of the metal edge strip 148a facilitates secure connection of the interior insulated panel 148 to one or more similar panels by means of screws (not shown) inserted through apertures 152a and 152b in the distal end portion of the metal edge strip. Metal edge strip 148a is attached to the outer panels 148b, 148c and the foam core 148d of the interior insulated panel 148 by conventional means such as an adhesive.
Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown another embodiment of a metal edged insulated panel 170 in accordance with the present invention. Panel 170 includes exterior and interior facings 174 and 176 attached to an inner foam insulating core 172. Disposed about the inner periphery of panel 170 and attached to the panel's inner core 172 and interior facing 176 is a contoured metal edge strip 178. A corner portion of the metal edge strip 178 disposed about the panel's interior facing 176 is shown in the plan view of FIG. 11 of a portion of the panel. The metal edge strip 178 of the panel 170 is provided with a plurality of pre-punched apertures 178a for connection to adjacent panels as shown in the partial sectional view of first and second panels 180 and 182 of FIG. 12. The first panel 180 includes interior and exterior facings 180a and 180c and an inner foam core 180b. Similarly, the second panel 182 includes interior and exterior facings 182a and 182c and an inner foam insulating core 182b. The apertures in the metal edge strips 180d and 182d of the first and second structural insulated panels 180, 182 are aligned with corresponding apertures in a metal channel connecting strip 184. Screws 186a, 186b, 186c and 186d are inserted through aligned apertures in the metal channel connecting strip 184 and metal edge strips 180d and 182d for securely coupling the first and second structural insulated panels 180, 182. The first and second panels 180, 182 are drawn together when screws 186a and 186d are tightened. A filler interior facing 220 shown in dotted line form in the figure may be provided to cover and conceal the connection hardware.
Referring to FIG. 13, there is shown a vertical sectional view of another arrangement for connecting an exterior insulated wall panel 192 to a roof panel 190 and a concrete foundation 196. Insulated panel 192 includes exterior and interior facings 192a and 192c and an insulating foam core 192b. Disposed about the interior edge portion of panel 192 is a metal strip 192e. A lower portion of the metal edge strip 192e is affixed to the concrete foundation 196 by means of an anchor bolt and nut combination 194. An upper portion of the metal edge strip 192e is securely attached to the roof panel 190 by means of the combination of a roof panel connecting plate 190c, an angle roof attachment plate 200, screws 198a and 198b, and a nut and bolt combination 202. Roof connecting plate 190c is attached to an interior surface of the roof panel's interior facing 190b and is disposed in its inner foam core 190a.
Referring to FIG. 14, there is shown the manner in which a pair of insulated wall panels similar to the wall panel 192 shown in FIG. 13 may be securely coupled together. In FIG. 14, a first wall panel 204 includes inner and outer facings 204a and 204b and a foam core 204c. Similarly, a second wall panel 206 includes inner and outer facings 206a and 206b and a foam core 206c. The first wall panel 204 further includes metal edge strip 204d bonded to the panel's inner facing 204a and its foam core 204c. Similarly, the second wall panel 206 includes a metal edge strip 206d attached to the panel's inner facing 206a and its foam core 206c by conventional means such as an adhesive. Each of the metal edge strips 204d and 206d extends around the entire peripheral portion of its associated panel and includes a respective aperture for receiving a nut and bolt combination 208 for coupling the peripheral metal edge strips of adjacent panels 204 and 206 as shown in FIG. 14. An interior panel strip 210 may be placed over the metal edge strips 204d and 206d and maintained in position by an adhesive to conceal the panel coupling hardware. First and second sealant strips 212a and 212b may also be positioned intermediate the first and second panels 204 and 206 to provide a watertight seal between the panels.
Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, there are shown two additional embodiments of structural insulated panels in accordance with the present invention. A first structural insulated panel 222 is shown in FIG. 15, with the manner in which two such panels may be coupled together shown in the sectional view of FIG. 17. Structural insulated panel 222 includes first and second outer facings 222a, 222b and an inner foam core 222c. Disposed on opposing lateral edge portions of panel 222 are a first pair of identical metal edge strips 224a and 224b. A second pair of identical metal edge strips 226a and 226b are also disposed on opposing lateral edges of panel 222. In addition, first and second edge slots 228a and 228b are disposed in opposing lateral edges of panel 222. The manner in which a pair of structural insulated panels 230 and 232 identical to the panel 222 shown in FIG. 15 may be coupled together is shown in FIG. 17. The first panel 230 includes first and second metal edge strips 230a and 230c as well as a first edge slot 230b. The second panel 232 similarly includes first and second metal edge strips 232a and 232c as well as an edge slot 232b. Metal edge strips 230a and 232c and metal edge strips 230c and 232a are arranged in abutting contact when the first and second panels 230, 232 are arranged edge-to-edge. Self tapping screws 234a and 234b are inserted respectively through metal edge strips 230a, 232c and 230c, 232a for securely coupling the first and second panels 230, 232 together.
Referring to FIG. 16, there is shown another embodiment of a structural insulated panel 238 in accordance with the present invention. Panel 238 includes first and second outer facings 238a, 238b and a foam insulating core 238c. Disposed on a first lateral edge of panel 238 are first and second metal edge strips 240a and 240b. Also disposed in the first lateral edge of panel 238 are first and second edge slots 242a and 242b. Disposed on the second, opposing edge of panel 238 are third and fourth metal edge strips 244a and 244b. The manner in which a pair of panels as shown in FIG. 16 may be coupled together is shown in the sectional view of FIG. 18. In FIG. 18, first and second panels 246 and 248 are shown coupled together by means of self-tapping screws 250a and 250b respectively inserted through metal edge strips 246a, 248a and 246b, 248b. In the structural insulated panels shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, each of the metal edge strips is bonded to the panel's inner foam core and an adjacent outer facing by means of an adhesive as in the previous embodiments.
Referring to FIGS. 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23, there are shown various structural panel arrangements in accordance with the present invention. The structural insulated panel 252 shown in FIG. 19 includes first and second metal edge strips 252a and 252b and provides a tongue and groove connection between adjacent panels. Structural insulated panel 254 shown in FIG. 20 includes metal edge strips 254a and 254b on a first edge of the panel and metal edge strips 254c and 254d on a second, opposed edge of the panel. Additional details of structural panel 254 are shown in FIGS. 16 and 18. A pair of structural panels 254 as shown in FIG. 20 are connected together by means of a toe screw arrangement as previously described. The structural insulated panel 256 shown in FIG. 21 includes first and second metal edge strips 256a and 256b on opposed lateral edges thereof which provide a bolt together exterior coupling arrangement between adjacent panels. The structural insulated panel 258 shown in FIG. 22 includes first and second metal edge strips 258a and 258b which when coupled to adjacent, similar panels provides a bolt together interior modular coupling arrangement.
Referring to FIG. 23, there is shown yet another embodiment of a structural insulated panel 260 providing a tongue and groove with a catch type of coupling arrangement. Structural insulated panel 260 includes first and second outer facings 260a and 260b and a foam core 260c disposed therebetween. On one edge of panel 260 are disposed first and second metal edges 262a and 262b which are bonded to the foam core 260c as well as to first and second outer facings 260a and 260b, respectively. The opposed edge of panel 260 is provided with a pair of notches, or recesses, 266a and 266b respectively disposed on the inner surfaces of the first and second outer facings 260a and 260b. Notches 266a, 266b are adapted for receiving a respective tooth 264a, 264b on the distal end of one of the metal edges 262a or 262b of an adjacent panel. Thus, when a pair of panels 260 are positioned in abutting, edge to edge contact, teeth 264a and 264b respectively engage notches 266a and 266b for securely attaching the two panels. The tongue and groove with catch coupling arrangement provided by structural insulated panel 260 thus provides a locking feature for adjacent coupled panels.
Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, there are respectively shown partial plan and sectional views of a pair of structural insulated panels 270 and 272 in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. A first structural panel 270 includes first and second outer facings 270a and 270b as well as an inner foam core 270c. Similarly, the second structural insulated panel 272 includes first and second outer facings 272a and 272b as well as an inner foam core 272c. The first panel 270 further includes a metal edge strip 274, while the second panel 272 also includes first and second metal edge strips 276a and 276b. With the first and second panels 270, 272 positioned in edge abutting contact, adjacent portions of metal edges 274 and 276a are arranged in an overlapping manner permitting a self-threading screw 278a to be inserted through the two metal strips. A second self-threading screw 278b is inserted through the second outer facing 270b of the first panel 270 and the second metal edge strip 276b of the second panel 272. A notch 280 in the first outer facing 270a of the first panel provides access to the overlapped arrangement of metal edge strips 274 and 276a to permit installation of screw 278a for maintaining the first and second panels 270, 272 in secure coupling.
Referring to FIGS. 26 and 27, there are respectively shown plan and lateral elevation views of an open face panel 292 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Open face panel 292 includes an interior facing 302 which is omitted from FIG. 26 for simplicity. FIG. 28 is a sectional view of the open face panel 292 shown in FIG. 26 taken along site line 28--28 therein. In addition to its interior facing 302, open face panel 292 includes a foam core 294 having a matrix array of recesses, or channels, 298 disposed in a surface thereof. The linear array of recesses 298 provides a wire run, or chase, for installing electrical wiring in the open face panel. Disposed on the same surface of the foam core 294 as the recesses 298 are a plurality of spaced, linear metal strips 296. Metal strips 296 are generally U-shaped and are affixed to the surface of the foam core 294 by means of an adhesive and are further attached to the panel's interior facing 302 by means of a plurality of screws 300 as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 29. The inner metal strips 296 provide a gap, or airspace, 306 between the panel's foam core 296 and interior facing 302. This gap 306 may also be used for wire runs within the open face panel 292.
FIG. 30 is a sectional view showing the manner in which two open face panels 308 and 310 are coupled together by means of first and second brackets 312 and 314 and first and second screws 316 and 318. The open face panel 292 shown in FIGS. 26, 27 and 28 is typically shipped to a job site with the metal strips 296 exposed allowing wire runs to be routed within the panel's recesses 298, followed by attachment of the panel's interior facing 302. The open face panel 292 provides easy access to the interior of the panel for electrical wiring, is easily assembled on site, is lighter than conventional panels, and requires minimal accessory hardware for electrical wiring. Providing the inner metal strips 296 with sufficient surface adhering to the panel's inner foam core 294 permits the open face panel 292 to be used as a structural panel.
There has thus been shown a structural insulated panel with metal edges which provides a lightweight, high strength structural member. The inventive structural insulated panel is particularly adapted for use with gypsum and cement-type panel faces which are brittle and weak in tension. The metal edge strip disposed either around the panel's entire periphery or along one edge thereof reinforces the gypsum, or cement faces, spreading the concentrated load of the panel fastening screws. Current building codes typically require 1/2 of gypsum drywall (or equivalent) as a fire barrier on the inside of all residential structures. Most prior art structural panels use a composite wood panel for the inside face. This wood inside face must be covered with gypsum to meet these building codes. If the original inside face is gypsum, it eliminates the need for an entire facing of wood. By adhering the metal edge strip to the panel's periphery, the tensile strength of the gypsum panel is substantially increased, allowing the panel to be used as a structural panel. The lamination of the metal edge strip to the edge of a structural insulated panel in accordance with the present invention is a simple and inexpensive means for making a new building system for economical housing. The metal edge strip is bonded in shear to an external face of the panel as well as to its foam inner core to substantially increase the panel's structural strength. In effect, the metal edge strip becomes an extension of the facing. Using a high quality adhesive, the structural strength of the panel's facing may be continued through to the metal edge strip with only a short overlap. An overlap of four to eight times the thickness of the panel's facing is generally sufficient for full strength continuation of the structural strength of the panel's facing. Another advantage of the coupling arrangement made possible by the panel's metal edge strip is in the use of power drive systems rather than a hand-powered ratchet wrench for attaching the panels. The coupling arrangements described above thus provide improved access to the coupling screws or nut and bolt combinations for joining and mounting the structural insulated panels.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art. | A generally flat structural panel includes a center foam core and opposed outer facings, or sheets, with a metal insert disposed about and attached to the edges of the core and at least one of the outer facings. The metal edge insert provides high strength for the insulated foam panel, eliminates the need for structural members such as studs which act as thermal conductors, and facilitates coupling between adjacent panels, ceilings and floors using various connection arrangements. The structural insulated panels also form the basis of a modular construction system that allows for the use of standard size inside and outside panels of the same size which form a grid in which the outside panels always enclose an area that is a multiple of the module. In one embodiment, a lateral surface of the foam core is provided with a linear array of recesses, or grooves, and a facing is attached to that surface in the field to permit electrical wire routing in the recesses, as required, at the construction site. In another embodiment, metal strips attached to the surface of the core and adapted for secure attachment to a facing such as of drywall provide a space between the foam core and drywall sheet for wire routing. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a system and a method for charging the energy storage cells of an energy storage device, particularly in a battery direct inverter circuit for supplying power to electric machines.
[0002] The trend is that, in the future, electronic systems that combine new energy storage technologies with electrical drive technology will be used increasingly both in stationary applications, such as wind power installations or solar installations, and in vehicles, such as hybrid or electric vehicles.
[0003] The supply of multiphase current to an electric machine is usually accomplished by a converter in the form of a pulse-controlled inverter. To this end, a DC voltage provided by a DC voltage intermediate circuit can be converted into a multiphase AC voltage, for example a three-phase AC voltage. In this case, the DC voltage intermediate circuit is powered by a line of battery modules connected up in series. In order to be able to meet the demands on power and energy for a respective application, a plurality of battery modules are frequently connected in series in a traction battery.
[0004] The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,275 A1 describes a battery system with an integrated inverter function. Systems of this kind are known by the name of multilevel cascaded inverter or else battery direct inverter (BDI). Such systems comprise DC sources in a plurality of energy storage module lines that can be connected directly to an electric machine or an electrical system. In this case, single-phase or polyphase supply voltages can be generated. The energy storage module lines have a plurality of series-connected energy storage modules in this case, each energy storage module having at least one battery cell and an associated controllable coupling unit that allows control signals to be taken as a basis for interrupting the respective energy storage module line or bypassing the respective associated at least one battery cell or connecting the respective associated at least one battery cell into the respective energy storage module line. Suitable actuation of the coupling units, e.g. using pulse width modulation, also allows suitable phase signals to be provided for controlling the phase output voltage, as a result of which it is possible to dispense with a separate pulse-controlled inverter. The pulse controlled inverter required for controlling the phase output voltage is therefore integrated in the BDI so to speak.
[0005] BDIs usually have a higher level of efficiency and a higher level of failsafety in comparison with conventional systems. Failsafety is ensured, inter alia, by the ability for faulty, failed or not fully effective battery cells to be disconnected from the energy supply lines by virtue of suitable bypass actuation of the coupling units. The phase output voltage of an energy storage module line can be varied, and, in particular, set in a stepped manner, by virtue of appropriate actuation of the coupling units. In this case, the step range of the output voltage is obtained from the voltage of a single energy storage module, with the maximum possible phase output voltage being determined by the sum of the voltages of all the energy storage modules in an energy storage module line.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] According to one aspect, the present invention provides a method for charging energy storage cells in an energy storage device that has: n first output connections, wherein n≧1, for outputting a supply voltage at each of the output connections, a second output connection, wherein a charger can be connected between the first output connections and the second output connection, and n parallel-connected energy supply branches that are each coupled between a first output connection and the second output connection, wherein each of the energy supply branches has a multiplicity of series-connected energy storage modules that each comprise an energy storage cell module that has at least one energy storage cell, and a coupling device having coupling elements that are designed to selectively connect the energy storage cell module into the respective energy supply branch or bypass it. In this case, the method has the following steps: determination of a maximum possible charging voltage for a charger that provides a charging voltage for the energy storage device, determination of the maximum number of energy storage cell modules in an energy supply branch for which the sum of the output voltages from the energy storage cell modules, which output voltages are dependent on the instantaneous states of charge of the energy storage cells of all the energy storage cell modules in an energy supply branch, is still lower than the maximum possible charging voltage, and selection and actuation of the coupling elements of energy storage modules in the energy supply branch, so that only the maximum number of energy storage cell modules is ever coupled into the energy supply branch.
[0007] According to a further aspect, the present invention provides a system having an energy storage device that has n first output connections, wherein n≧1, for outputting a supply voltage at each of the output connections, a second output connection, wherein a charger can be connected between the first output connections and the second output connection, and n parallel-connected energy supply branches that are each coupled between a first output connection and the second output connection, wherein each of the energy supply branches has a multiplicity of series-connected energy storage modules that each comprise an energy storage cell module that has at least one energy storage cell, and a coupling device having coupling elements that are designed to selectively connect the energy storage cell module into the respective energy supply branch or bypass it. In addition, the system comprises a control device that is coupled to the coupling devices and that is designed to carry out an inventive method for charging the energy storage cells of the energy storage cell modules.
[0008] The concept of the present invention is to connect the energy storage cell modules of a controllable energy storage device to the energy supply branches in a specific manner during a charging operation, so that the required charging voltage varies in a predefined voltage framework throughout the entire charging operation. To this end, the state of charge of the respective energy storage cells can be ascertained in order to determine the required charging voltage per energy storage module therefrom and, as a result, to connect those energy storage modules whose accumulated required charging voltages correspond to the predefined voltage framework into the energy supply branch. In the case of energy storage cells with different states of charge, the respective energy storage cells to be charged can be cyclically exchanged.
[0009] A significant advantage of this arrangement is that the voltage range that needs to be covered over the entire charging operation for an energy storage device can be reduced. This affords the advantage that the chargers that are used for charging the energy storage cells may have a smaller output voltage range, which results firstly in savings in volume and production costs and secondly in improved efficiencies. The chargers may have smaller transformers, no longer need to be of multistage design and can accordingly be provided by cheaper and less challenging components. Efficiency is improved indirectly by reduced power losses. In addition, chargers having alternative topologies, for example resonant converters, can be used that, depending on design, permit only a small voltage spread.
[0010] A further advantage is that a charger can be used for different areas of use by virtue of suitable selection of the voltage range, for example for electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles in equal measure.
[0011] Moreover, a significant advantage is that different states of charge of energy storage cells, which can arise due to operation or due to aging, for example, can be compensated for during the charging operation itself without this requiring further cell balancing methods. This reduces the total charging time before a full state of charge for all the energy storage cells is reached.
[0012] According to one embodiment of the inventive method, it is also possible for cyclic exchange of the respective energy storage cell module coupled into the energy supply branch to be effected through selection and actuation of the coupling elements of respective other energy storage modules in the energy supply branch in predetermined time cycles. This allows all the energy storage modules to be charged uniformly without extending the charging time.
[0013] According to a further embodiment of the inventive method, it is also possible for actuation of the coupling elements of a further of the unselected energy storage modules in the energy supply branch to be effected at a variable duty ratio. The variable duty ratio matches the mean voltage required for this energy storage module to an instantaneous charging voltage. If, in one advantageous embodiment, the variable duty ratio is determined on the basis of the difference between the maximum possible charging voltage and the sum of the output voltages from the energy storage cell modules or the difference between the minimum possible charging voltage and the sum of the output voltages from the energy storage cell modules, it is possible for the charging voltage that needs to be provided by a charger to be advantageously kept constant.
[0014] According to a further embodiment of the inventive method, it is also possible for monitoring of the output voltages from the selected energy storage modules in the energy supply branch during the charging operation, and reduction of the determined maximum number of energy storage cell modules in an energy supply branch, to be effected if the sum of the output voltages from the selected energy storage cell modules exceeds a desired charging voltage, for example the maximum possible charging voltage. This advantageously makes it possible to remain in a predefined voltage range of the charger throughout the entire charging operation. Particularly if, according to an advantageous embodiment, the reduction of the determined maximum number of energy storage cell modules comprises the reduction of the number by one energy storage cell module in each case, it may be possible not just to remain below the maximum possible charging voltage at each instant of the charging operation but also always to maintain a charging voltage above a minimum possible charging voltage. This serves to reduce the necessary spread of the output voltage range for a charger.
[0015] According to a further embodiment of the inventive method, it is possible for monitoring of the output voltages from the selected energy storage modules in the energy supply branch during the charging operation, and actuation of the coupling elements of energy storage modules whose output voltages exceed a desired final voltage, for the purpose of permanently decoupling the energy storage modules from the energy supply branch during the remainder of the charging operation. This makes it possible to achieve the advantage that energy storage cell modules of different energy storage modules can be brought to different final voltages without adversely affecting the charging operation for the remainder of the energy storage cell modules of other energy storage modules in the same energy supply branch.
[0016] According to one embodiment of the inventive system, a charger may be provided that is coupled to the n first output connections and to the second output connection and that is designed to provide a charging voltage for the energy storage device in the voltage range between a minimum possible charging voltage and the maximum possible charging voltage.
[0017] According to a further embodiment of the inventive system, a changeover device may be provided that is coupled between the charger and the n first output connections and that is designed to selectively isolate the charger from the energy storage device. This advantageously allows the charger to be separated from the energy storage device during the operation of the energy storage device, for example following termination of the charging operation. In addition, the changeover device can be used to perform specific charging of individual energy supply branches.
[0018] According to a further embodiment of the inventive system, the coupling devices may comprise coupling elements in a full-bridge circuit.
[0019] According to a further embodiment of the inventive system, the coupling devices may comprise coupling elements in a half-bridge circuit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] Further features and advantages of embodiments of the invention are obtained from the description below with reference to the appended drawings.
[0021] In the drawings:
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a system having an energy storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of an energy storage module of an energy storage device according to a further embodiment of the invention;
[0024] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of an energy storage module of an energy storage device according to a further embodiment of the invention;
[0025] FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a system with an energy storage device according to a further embodiment of the invention;
[0026] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a system with an energy storage device according to a further embodiment of the invention;
[0027] FIG. 6 shows a schematic illustration of an actuation strategy for an energy storage device for charging energy storage cells of the energy storage device according to a further embodiment of the invention;
[0028] FIG. 7 shows a schematic illustration of an actuation strategy for an energy storage device for charging energy storage cells of the energy storage device according to a further embodiment of the invention; and
[0029] FIG. 8 shows a schematic illustration of a method for charging energy storage cells of an energy storage device according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] FIG. 1 shows a system 100 for the voltage conversion of DC voltage provided by energy storage modules 3 into an n-phase AC voltage. The system 100 comprises an energy storage device 1 having energy storage modules 3 that are connected in series in energy supply branches. Three energy supply branches are shown by way of example in FIG. 1 , which are suitable for producing a three-phase AC voltage, for example for a three-phase machine 2 . However, it is clear that any other number of energy supply branches may likewise be possible. At each energy supply branch, the energy storage device 1 has a first output connection 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, which are respectively connected to phase lines 2 a, 2 b and 2 c. By way of example, the system 100 in FIG. 1 is used for supplying power to a three-phase electric machine 2 . However, provision may also be made for the energy storage device 1 to be used for producing an electric current for an energy supply system 2 .
[0031] Furthermore, the system 100 may comprise a control device 9 that is connected to the energy storage device 1 and that can be used to control the energy storage device 1 in order to provide the desired output voltages at the respective first output connections 1 a, 1 b, 1 c. In addition, the control device 9 may be designed to actuate the respective active switching elements of the energy storage device 1 when the energy storage cells of the energy storage device 1 are charged.
[0032] The energy supply branches can be connected at their end to a reference-ground potential 4 (reference-ground rail) that, in the embodiment shown, carries a mid potential with respect to the phase lines 2 a, 2 b, 2 c of the electric machine 2 . By way of example, the reference-ground potential 4 may be a ground potential. Each of the energy supply branches has at least two series-connected energy storage modules 3 . By way of example, the number of energy storage modules 3 per energy supply branch is three in FIG. 1 , but any other number of energy storage modules 3 is likewise possible. Preferably, each of the energy supply branches in this case comprises the same number of energy storage modules 3 , but it is also possible to provide a different number of energy storage modules 3 for each energy supply branch.
[0033] The energy storage modules 3 each have two output connections 3 a and 3 b that can be used to provide an output voltage for the energy storage modules 3 . Since the energy storage modules 3 are primarily connected in series, the output voltages from the energy storage modules 3 are summed to produce a total output voltage that can be provided at the respective one of the first output connections 1 a, 1 b, 1 c of the energy storage device 1 .
[0034] Exemplary designs of the energy storage modules 3 are shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2 and 3 . In this case, the energy storage modules 3 each comprise a coupling device 7 having a plurality of coupling elements 7 a, 7 c and also possibly 7 b and 7 d. In addition, the energy storage modules 3 each comprise an energy storage cell module 5 having one or more series-connected energy storage cells 5 a to 5 k.
[0035] In this case, the energy storage cell module 5 may have, by way of example, series-connected batteries 5 a to 5 k, for example lithium ion batteries. The number of energy storage cells 5 a to 5 k in the energy storage modules 3 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is in this case two, for example, but any other number of energy storage cells 5 a to 5 k is likewise possible.
[0036] The energy storage cell modules 5 are connected to input connections of the associated coupling device 7 via connecting lines. By way of example, the coupling device 7 in FIG. 2 is in the form of a full-bridge circuit with two coupling elements 7 a, 7 c and two coupling elements 7 b, 7 d in each instance. In this case, the coupling elements 7 a, 7 b, 7 c, 7 d may each have an active switching element, for example a semiconductor switch, and a freewheeling diode connected in parallel therewith. In this case, provision may be made for the coupling elements 7 a, 7 b, 7 c, 7 d to be in the form of MOSFET switches, which already have an intrinsic diode. Alternatively, it is possible for just two couplings elements 7 a, 7 c to be produced in each case, so that—as shown by way of example in FIG. 3 —a half-bridge circuit is provided.
[0037] The coupling elements 7 a, 7 b, 7 c, 7 d can be actuated, for example by means of the control device 9 shown in FIG. 1 , such that the respective energy storage cell module 5 is selectively connected between the output connections 3 a and 3 b or such that the energy storage cell module 5 is bypassed. With reference to FIG. 2 , the energy storage cell module 5 can be connected between the output connections 3 a and 3 b in the forward direction, for example, by virtue of the active switching element of the coupling element 7 d and the active switching element of the coupling element 7 a being put into a closed state while the other two active switching elements of the coupling elements 7 b and 7 c are put into an open state. By way of example, a bypass state can be set by virtue of the two active switching elements of the coupling elements 7 a and 7 b being put into a closed state while the two active switching elements of the coupling elements 7 c and 7 d are kept in an open state. Similar considerations can be employed for the half-bridge circuit in FIG. 3 .
[0038] Suitable actuation of the coupling devices 7 therefore allows individual energy storage cell modules 5 of the energy storage modules 3 to be integrated specifically into the series circuit of an energy supply branch. This may be particularly for the specific actuation of the coupling devices 7 for the purpose of selectively connecting the energy storage cell modules 5 of the energy storage modules 3 into the energy supply branches during a charging operation for the energy storage cells 5 of the energy storage modules 3 .
[0039] For a charging operation for the energy storage cells 5 a to 5 k of each of the energy storage cell modules 5 of the energy storage modules 3 , a charger 6 may be provided that, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 , is connected via a first charging connection 2 d to a star point on the electric machine 2 , on the one hand, and a supply voltage for charging the energy storage cells 5 a to 5 k is connected via a second output connection 1 d of the energy storage device 1 , on the other hand. Alternatively, the charger 6 may also be an external electrical energy source such as an electrical energy system or the like, for example.
[0040] FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a further system 200 for the voltage conversion of DC voltage provided by energy storage modules 3 into an n-phase AC voltage. The system 200 differs from the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 essentially in that the charging connection 2 d of the charger 6 is coupled directly to the first output connections 1 a, 1 b, 1 c of the individual energy supply branches of the energy storage device 1 . To this end, the charging connection may be coupled to the first output connections 1 a, 1 b, 1 c via a first changeover device 6 a, for example. The first changeover device 6 a may have semiconductor switches, for example, that can be connected when the energy storage cell modules 5 of the energy storage device 1 are meant to be charged. In addition, a second changeover device 6 b can be produced between the first output connections 1 a, 1 b, 1 c of the energy storage device 1 and the phase connections of the electric machine 2 , said changeover device being designed to decouple the electric machine 2 from the energy storage device 1 during a charging operation for the energy storage device 1 in order to avoid the occurrence of unwanted currents and hence possibly torques in the electric machine. The second changeover device 6 b may also have semiconductor switches, for example, that can be opened for a charging operation.
[0041] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a further system 400 . In this regard, the system 400 has an energy storage device 10 that can be coupled to input connections of an inverter 13 via a first output connection 10 a and a second output connection 10 b. The energy storage device 10 may have one or more energy supply branches of series-connected energy storage modules 3 , as shown by way of example in FIGS. 2 and 3 . The energy storage device 10 and the inverter 13 may have an LC filter coupled between them, for example, which has an intermediate circuit capacitor 12 and an energy storage inductor 11 . By way of example, the inverter 13 can use a pulse width modulation method (PWM) to provide an AC voltage, for example a three-phase AC voltage for an electric machine 2 . To this end, the inverter 13 can be supplied with a DC voltage from the intermediate circuit capacitor 12 , which is in turn powered from the energy storage device 10 .
[0042] A charger 6 for charging the energy storage cell modules 5 of the energy storage device 10 can be coupled across the output connections 10 a and 10 b, for example. For a charging operation, a control device 9 may be provided that is coupled to the energy storage device 10 and that is designed to connect the energy storage cell modules 5 of the energy storage device 10 specifically into the energy supply branches or the energy supply branch of the energy storage device 10 by means of selective actuation of the coupling devices 7 of the energy storage modules 3 of the energy storage device 10 .
[0043] FIG. 6 shows a schematic illustration of an actuation strategy for an energy storage device for charging energy storage cells of the energy storage device, particularly energy storage cells 5 a to 5 k of the energy storage device 1 in FIG. 1 or 4 or the energy storage device 10 in FIG. 5 . FIG. 7 shows a schematic illustration of a further actuation strategy for an energy storage device for charging energy storage cells of the energy storage device, particularly energy storage cells 5 a to 5 k of the energy storage device 1 in FIG. 1 or 4 or the energy storage device 10 in FIG. 5 .
[0044] FIGS. 6 and 7 each show an exemplary voltage graph that illustrates the voltage U of energy storage cells in comparison with the state of charge SOC of the energy storage cells. By way of example, lithium ion batteries have a basic voltage that is greater than zero volt in the completely discharged state, that is to say that SOC=0%. In order to charge such a lithium ion battery, it is necessary to provide at least this basic voltage. As the state of charge increases, the output voltage of the lithium ion battery increases up to a rated voltage at a state of charge SOC of 100%. When lithium ion batteries are in a series circuit, these values increase accordingly.
[0045] By way of example, a voltage profile k 1 for a series circuit comprising energy storage cells 5 a to 5 k of an energy storage cell module 5 is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 . When a plurality of energy storage cell modules 5 are connected in series in an energy supply branch, corresponding voltage profiles k 2 , k 3 , k 4 , k 5 and k 6 are obtained. By way of example, the voltage profiles can be ascertained by measuring the output voltages of energy storage cells at different states of charge, and can be stored in the control device of the energy storage device as reference values.
[0046] In FIG. 6 , a charging operation begins with a state of charge for the energy storage cells first of all being ascertained. By way of example, the state of charge of all the energy storage cells is 0%, so that first of all the initially necessary charging voltage for a value of SOC=0% is ascertained. When the state of charge of the energy storage cells is more than 0%, a similar perspective applies. In the example, the number of energy storage cell modules is ascertained for which the sum of the output voltages of the energy storage cell modules is only just lower than a maximum possible charging voltage Umax. The maximum possible charging voltage Umax can be prescribed by the charger used, and may be between 200 volts and 450 volts, for example, other values naturally likewise being possible. In addition, the charger has a voltage spread, that is to say that the charger can provide a charging voltage range between a minimum possible charging voltage Umin and the maximum possible charging voltage Umax. In this case, the minimum possible charging voltage Umin should be lower than the sum of the basic voltages of all the energy storage cells in the completely discharged state, since otherwise it is not possible to ensure that a charging operation can be initiated in every case. It may naturally be possible in this case for the values of the minimum possible charging voltage Umin and the maximum possible charging voltage Umax to be flexibly matched to the desired charging situation, that is to say that it is not absolutely necessary for the values of the minimum possible charging voltage Umin and the maximum possible charging voltage Umax to be prescribed by the technical circumstances of the charger.
[0047] In the present example in FIG. 6 , the voltage profile k 6 is that whose sum of the output voltages at SOC=0% given the maximum number of energy storage cell modules is only just lower than the maximum possible charging voltage Umax. If this number corresponds to the total number of all the energy storage cell modules in the respective energy supply branch under consideration, it is simply possible to begin charging all the energy storage cell modules. If this number is smaller than the total number of all the energy storage cell modules in the respective energy supply branch under consideration, however, it is necessary to select energy storage cell modules, as explained further below.
[0048] When the charging operation has begun, the state of charge of the energy storage cells rises, so that to a particular degree the necessary charging voltage for the energy storage cells also rises, as shown in FIG. 6 . In a particular state of charge SOC=p 1 , this necessary charging voltage for the energy storage cells precisely reaches the value of the maximum possible charging voltage Umax. In this case, the number of energy storage cell modules that are being charged simultaneously is reduced, so that now the voltage profile k 5 of the reduced number of energy storage cell modules is critical for the charging voltage. By way of example, the voltage profile k 5 may correspond to the number of energy storage cell modules that is reduced by one in comparison with the number of energy storage cell modules that is associated with the voltage profile k 6 .
[0049] In the next charging profile, no longer are all the energy storage cell modules simultaneously supplied with charging voltage. It is therefore necessary to ensure that all the energy storage cell modules remains in an identical state of charge by virtue of the active energy storage cell modules being cyclically exchanged. To this end, new active energy storage cell modules can be selected on the basis of predetermined time cycles, so that on average each of the energy storage cell modules is supplied with the charging voltage over an identical cumulated period of time.
[0050] For a state of charge of SOC=p 2 , the process is repeated again, so that in the example in FIG. 6 the completely charged state of SOC=100% is effected with the simultaneous charging of a number of energy storage cell modules that corresponds to the voltage profile k 4 .
[0051] FIG. 7 shows a further modification of the actuation strategy from FIG. 6 . First of all, the maximum number of energy storage cell modules that is only just lower than a desired charging voltage UL, for example the maximum possible charging voltage Umax, or the minimum possible charging voltage Umin, is determined again at the beginning of the charging operation. In the example in FIG. 7 , this number corresponds to the number associated with the voltage profile k 4 . At the same time, however, a further energy storage cell module is actuated with a variable duty ratio t 1 , which can be formed on the basis of the difference between the charging voltage UL and the sum of the output voltages from the energy storage cell modules that is determined by the voltage profile k 4 . This equalizes precisely the differential voltage between charging voltage UL and the voltage profile k 4 on average, for which reason the charging voltage UL can be kept at a constant value. For a state of charge of SOC=p 3 , the number of energy storage cell modules that are permanently connected into the energy supply branch at the same time is in turn reduced. Otherwise, in a similar manner to in FIG. 6 , all the energy storage cell modules that are permanently connected into the energy supply branch at the same time are again cyclically exchanged in FIG. 7 . A further one of the energy storage cell modules is then actuated with a variable duty ratio t 2 from the state of charge SOC=p 2 onward.
[0052] In the previous explanations, it has been assumed by way of example that the voltage profiles k 1 to k 6 each relate to sums of identical states of charge for the energy storage cell modules, that is to say that each of the energy storage cell modules is brought to the same final state of charge or the same final voltage by a charging operation. The actuation strategies detailed above may also allow various energy storage cell modules to be brought to various final states of charge or final voltages. In this case, voltage profiles can be obtained that differ from the voltage profiles shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 .
[0053] By way of example, the output voltages from the selected energy storage modules of the energy supply branch can be monitored during the charging operation. If it is found that the output voltages from particular energy storage modules exceed a desired final voltage, the coupling elements of these energy storage modules can then be actuated such that the energy storage modules are permanently decoupled from the energy supply branch, that is to say during the remainder of the charging operation. Since energy storage cell modules of various energy storage modules can be selectively coupled into the energy supply branch, each of the energy storage cell modules can be brought to a different final voltage without adversely affecting the charging operation for the remainder of the energy storage cell modules of other energy storage modules in the same energy supply branch.
[0054] The actuation strategies shown schematically and by way of example in FIGS. 6 and 7 can be used to perform a method 20 —shown schematically in FIG. 8 —for charging the energy storage cells of an energy storage device, particularly of the energy storage device 1 in FIG. 1 or 4 or the energy storage device 10 in FIG. 5 .
[0055] In a first step 21 of the method 20 , a maximum possible charging voltage Umax for a charger 6 that provides a charging voltage UL for the energy storage device 1 or 10 is determined. In a second step 22 , the maximum number of energy storage cell modules 5 in an energy supply branch for which the sum of the output voltages from the energy storage cell modules 5 , which output voltages are dependent on the instantaneous states of charge of the energy storage cells 5 a to 5 k of all the energy storage cell modules 5 in an energy supply branch, is still lower than the maximum possible charging voltage Umax is determined.
[0056] Next, a step 23 involves selection of which coupling elements 7 a, 7 b, 7 c, 7 d of energy storage modules 3 in the energy supply branch are actuated, so that in each case only the maximum number—determined in step 22 —of energy storage cell modules 5 is coupled into the energy supply branch. It may also be possible to monitor the output voltages of the selected energy storage modules 3 in the energy supply branch during the charging operation, so that if the sum of the output voltages of the selected energy storage cell modules 5 exceeds the maximum possible charging voltage Umax, it is possible for the determined maximum number of energy storage cell modules 5 in an energy supply branch to be reduced. The number can be reduced incrementally, for example, that is to say that the number of selected energy storage cell modules 5 can be decreased by one each time the maximum possible charging voltage Umax is found to have been exceeded. This continually maximizes the number of energy storage cell modules 5 that currently need to be charged simultaneously, so that the total charging time for a charging operation can be minimized.
[0057] In a step 24 a, the respective energy storage cell modules 5 coupled into the energy supply branch can be cyclically exchanged by selecting and actuating the coupling elements 7 a, 7 b, 7 c, 7 d of respective other energy storage modules 3 in the energy supply branch in predetermined time cycles. This allows uniform charging of all the energy storage cell modules 5 . At the same time, provision may be made for a step 24 b to involve actuation of the coupling elements 7 a, 7 b, 7 c, 7 d of a further one of the unselected energy storage modules 3 in the energy supply branch using a variable duty ratio. If the variable duty ratio is determined on the basis of the difference of the maximum possible charging voltage Umax and the sum of the output voltages from the energy storage cell modules 5 , it is possible for the charging voltage UL to be advantageously kept at a constant value, since precisely the differential voltage between maximum possible charging voltage and the stepped summed output voltage from currently selected energy storage modules 3 can be set, on average, on the energy storage modules 3 actuated with the variable duty ratio. | The invention relates to a method for charging the energy storage cells of an energy storage device, which comprises: n first output connections, wherein n>1, for issuing a supply voltage at each of the output connections, a second output connection, wherein a charging device can be connected between the first output connections and the second output connection, and n parallel-connected energy supply branches, which are each coupled between a first output connection and the second output connection, wherein each of the energy supply branches comprises a plurality of series-connected energy storage modules, which each comprise an energy storage cell module comprising at least one energy storage cell, and a coupling device having coupling elements that are designed to selectively connect or bridge the energy storage cell module in the respective energy supply branch. The method according to the invention comprises the following steps: determining a maximum possible charging voltage of a charging apparatus, which provides a charging voltage for the energy storage device; determining the maximum number of the energy storage cell modules of an energy supply branch at which the sum of the output voltages of the energy storage cell modules, which is dependent on the instantaneous charge states of the energy storage cells of all the energy storage cell modules of an energy supply branch, is still lower than the maximum possible charging voltage; and selecting and controlling the coupling elements of energy storage modules of the energy supply branch, such that in each case only the maximum number of energy storage cell modules is coupled into the energy supply branch. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field Of The Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to swap body containers, and more specifically, to a device that restrains a parked swap body container.
2. Description Of Related Art
A swap body is typically a large freight container having four retractable legs. The legs are usually retracted while the swap body is in transit on the bed of a truck, trailer, ship, or rail car. When parked at a truck loading dock, the legs are typically extended to support the container upon a driveway with the floor of the container generally aligned flush to the floor of the loading dock. This allows a forklift to drive into the container for loading or unloading, yet allows the truck that delivered the container to leave.
While the legs provide a vertical/columnar support for the weight of the container and its contents (and material handling equipment), the legs are not designed to resist substantial horizontal forces. Substantial horizontal forces, however, can be exerted on the legs. For example, if the forklift inside the container was to suddenly stop by applying the brakes or striking cargo, the horizontal reaction force would be transmitted to the container's legs. Since a forklift can weigh thousands of pounds, and given the relative instability of the legs to resist horizontal movement, it is possible that an abrupt stop or collision could cause the container to move horizontally away from the dock, opening up a potentially hazardous gap between the container and the dock. Further, such horizontal movement could place a torque or bending force on one or all of the legs, causing them to buckle, or fold up, or (in a worst-case scenario) to collapse altogether. Such an accident might seriously harm the forklift operator, others nearby, the cargo or surrounding structure.
One means for restraining a truck trailer atop a railroad car is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,800. The device includes a support plate (item 18) for engaging a kingpin that extends out from underneath the bottom of the trailer. The support plate is rather wide, possibly to accommodate a slot having a wide lead-in for catching a kingpin that may be disposed substantially off-center or difficult to see, and thus, possibly difficult to align to the slot. Moreover, with the kingpin being underneath the container, it may be difficult to visually confirm that the pin is fully engaging the plate. Of course, such a device also relies upon the presence of a kingpin to properly operate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to minimize undesirable horizontal movement of a swap body, there is provided a restraint for a parked swap body container that includes a face stop that can be positioned to a restraining position or a release position relative to the front face of the container. In the restraining position, the face stop is adapted to engage a front face of the container to limit the extent to which the parked container can move away from an edge of a truck loading dock. In the release position, the face stop allows movement of the container, for example to allow a truck to remove the container from the loading dock.
Such a restraint helps keep a swap body container from slipping too far away from the edge of the dock, thereby possibly avoiding creating a hazardous gap between the container and the edge of the loading dock and the related undesirable forces on the legs that could lead to their failure.
In some embodiments, the restraint is able to be removed to a location that is completely out of the way for delivering and removing a swap body from a loading dock, or possibly for facilitating snow removal of the loading dock's driveway.
Some embodiments also include a fine adjustment which is advantageous in further limiting the extent to which a parked swap body container could otherwise move away from the loading dock.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of a restraint engaging a swap body container that is parked at a loading dock.
FIG. 2 is a left end view of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a more detailed side view of the restraint of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a right end view of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 is a side view of the restraint of FIG. 3, but with the restraint in its release position.
FIG. 6 is a side view of another embodiment with a restraint in its release position.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the restraint of FIG. 6, but with the restraint in its restraining position.
FIG. 8 is a side view of another restraint embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, show a side and front view of a swap body 10 parked upon a driveway 12 of a truck loading dock area 14 . Swap body 10 is primarily a relatively large freight container 16 whose length 18 from a front face 20 to a rear face 22 may exceed 23 feet and whose width 24 may be about 8 feet or more. Swap body 10 typically includes four legs 26 that can extend downward to support the weight of container 16 when parked. However, when swap body 10 is in transit on, for example, the trailer bed of a truck, legs 26 are typically repositioned for storage by being folded up underneath a bottom 28 of container 16 . When a truck delivers swap body 10 to loading dock area 14 , extending legs 26 allows the truck to leave, while container 16 may be loaded or unloaded by a forklift 30 through a user access 32 .
Movement of lift truck 30 inside the container, particularly quick stops and quick starts, results in forces F (FIG. 1) being exerted on the container. As legs 26 support container 16 in place, these forces F are transmitted to the legs, and can lead to torques and stresses within the legs that could lead to their failure. Use of a container restraint as disclosed herein helps support the container to minimize its movement away from the dock, and thus minimize harmful stresses on the legs. Accordingly, this problem is minimized by providing a restraint that limits the movement of container 16 away from an adjacent structure such as a loading dock by engaging a front surface of the container.
An example of such a restraint is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Here, a restraint 38 is provided with a base such as, for example, a channel 41 anchored to driveway 12 by way of anchor bolts. To prevent horizontal movement of the container 16 , a face stop 42 is coupled to the base or channel 41 so as to be movable between a restraining position (wherein the face stop 42 is disposed adjacent face 20 of container 16 to prevent or impede movement thereof) and a release position (wherein face stop 42 is disposed to not impede movement of face 20 ). The coupling between face stop 42 and base 41 is such that face stop 42 can be secured or locked into the restraining position.
While a face stop according to one embodiment could be directly coupled to the base (see FIG. 8, for example), the exemplary restraint according to FIGS. 3-5 shows the face stop 42 coupled to the base 41 through additional components. In particular, an engaging assembly 55 is provided, which includes face stop 42 . Engaging assembly 55 also includes a bottom support such as channel 56 , upon which face stop 42 is preferably mounted for movement, as discussed in greater detail below. Bottom support 56 also advantageously engages and supports a bottom surface 28 of container 16 when the restraint is in the restraining position, helping to give enhanced vertical stability and collapse-prevention to container 16 .
The coupling of face stop 42 to base 41 is achieved by virtue of engaging assembly 55 being mounted for movement relative to base 41 through a movable assembly 43 . In the restraint of FIGS. 3-5, the movable assembly is a linkage comprising arms 44 , 46 , 50 and 52 , each of which are pivotally mounted both to the engaging assembly 55 and to base 41 . At base 41 , arms 44 and 46 pivot together as a pair about a common axis 68 , while arms 50 and 52 also pivot as a pair about another common axis 70 . The upper ends of arms 44 , 46 , 50 and 52 are pivotally coupled to engaging assembly 55 at pivot points 58 , 60 , 62 and 64 respectively. The arms are of generally the same length and pivot in unison with each other to raise and lower engaging assembly 55 in an attitude that is generally level or parallel to base 41 . This allows face stop 42 and bottom support 56 to remain generally square to container 10 , as assembly 43 lifts assembly 55 to the restraining position.
In one embodiment, movable assembly 43 is moved by a powered actuator, such as a fluid actuated cylinder 66 (e.g., hydraulic or pneumatic). In this restraint, cylinder 66 extends between lower axis 70 and an upper shaft 71 . It should be appreciated, however, that cylinder 66 can be mounted in other configurations that can also forcibly pivot the arms of assembly 43 . For example, cylinder 66 can be mounted in a configuration similar to that of a manual jack 108 shown in FIG. 6 . Also, instead of a cylinder, other actuators or manual power could be used. Cylinder 66 , however, has an additional benefit of being lockable in an extended position, and thus also serves to lock face stop 42 in place relative to base 41 to further provide a restraining function.
While face stop 42 could be fixed relative to bottom support 56 , here an adjustment 76 advantageously mounts stop 42 for horizontal movement. Varying lengths of swap bodies could mean that a non-adjustable stop 42 could be significantly displaced from front face 20 even when in the restraining position. So the horizontal adjustment provides a way of “snugging up” or taking up the gap that might otherwise exist between stop 42 and the face of various length containers. In one embodiment, a lead screw 90 driving a nut 88 provides the horizontal adjustment. Nut 88 extends through a slot 78 to attach to face stop 42 . Lead screw 90 is rotatably supported by a bearing plate 92 at one end and driven at an opposite end by a drive 94 , such as a motor (e.g., hydraulic, pneumatic or electric). Drive motor 94 rotating screw 90 moves nut 88 to feed stop 42 linearly in a direction that depends on the motor's direction of rotation. Guide tracks 86 can be added to further guide the movement of stop 42 along bottom support 56 .
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that the foregoing description of adjustment 76 is just one of many mechanisms available to adjust stop 42 relative to frame 40 . Therefore, adjustment 76 has been schematically illustrated to encompass those other mechanisms, examples of which would include, but not be limited to: manual actuators, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, linear ratchets, discrete repositionable stops, and various clamping devices. Moreover, it is well within the scope of invention to incorporate the adjustment anywhere from stop 42 to driveway 12 such as, for example, at an interface where frame 40 engages driveway 12 .
In the operation of restraint 38 , cylinder 66 extends to lower engaging member 55 down to a release position, possibly all the way down against driveway 12 , as shown in FIG. 5 . The low profile provides enough vertical clearance to allow a truck carrying a swap body to pass over restraint 38 with the truck's right and left wheels straddling each side. After the truck positions swap body 10 at loading dock 14 , legs 26 are extended downward to a position to support container 16 upon driveway 12 . Once swap body 10 is self-supported, the truck can depart the loading dock area. Cylinder 66 then retracts to pull the four arms of linkage assembly 43 back to a more upright position. This raises face stop 42 (here carried on engaging member 55 ) to a restraining position where channel 56 or track 86 engages the underside of container 16 , as shown in FIG. 3 and 4. Should a gap result between face stop 42 and front face 20 , adjustment 76 can drive stop 42 against face 20 to close the gap, and thus more firmly restrain container 16 . After container 16 is safely loaded or unloaded, it can be released by cylinder 66 once again lowering engaging member 55 back down to its release position, as shown in FIG. 5 .
In a closely related embodiment, shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a restraint 96 includes a mobile base 41 ′ that is mountable to driveway 12 . However, retractable swivel casters 98 extending below a bottom surface 102 of base 41 ′ also allow restraint 96 to be moved in a lateral direction across driveway 12 . This allows restraint 96 to be removed from the area, so it presents no impediment to a truck delivering or removing swap body 10 . It also allows a single restraint to be used at several positions within one dock area to accommodate swap bodies of various lengths, or even moved to another dock area altogether.
One possible way of temporarily fixing restraint 96 to driveway 12 to allow it to perform its restraining function is by having a plug 100 protrude below surface 102 of restraint 96 , so that it extends into a socket 106 imbedded in driveway 12 . In this exemplary embodiment, casters 98 normally extended by springs 110 support base 41 ′ to elevate plug 100 above the top surface of driveway 12 . This allows positioning of restraint 96 (without plug 100 dragging against the driveway) to align plug 100 to a socket 106 . Once aligned, an actuator, e.g., manually operated jack 108 , pivots arms 104 to raise an engaging assembly 55 ′ up against container 16 . Continued jacking of assembly 55 ′ up against the bottom of container 16 forces base 41 ′ downward against the surface of driveway 12 . The forced downward motion of base 41 ′ overcomes springs 110 to retract casters 98 and force plug 100 into socket 106 , as shown in FIG. 7 .
If a gap remains between face stop 42 and the front face of container 16 after restraint 96 is in its restraining position (e.g., base 41 ′ is fixed relative to driveway 12 ), the gap can be reduced or eliminated by an adjustment assembly 76 .′ In this restraint, adjustment 76 ′ includes a manually operated crank 114 that operates a screw and nut combination (e.g., screw 90 ′ and nut 88 ) for feeding stop 42 in a manner comparable to that of adjustment 76 . Further, the horizontal positioning of face stop 42 could be carried out in a variety of other ways, such as those already discussed with reference to adjustment 76 .
To return restraint 96 to its release position, jack 108 is retracted until base 41 ′ lifts plug 100 out of socket 106 , so restraint 96 can be rolled laterally clear of container 16 . By moving face stop 42 laterally to its release position and clear of container 16 , restraint 96 does not necessarily have to collapse all the way down to driveway 12 in order for a truck to have access to deliver or remove container 16 . It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that although a pivoting style lifting mechanism is used to position face stop 42 in its restraining position, other mechanisms or structure could be employed such as, for example, mounting a face stop on a conventional wheeled trailer jack releasably lockable to driveway 12 .
As an option, in FIG. 6, socket 106 can be shielded by a sliding plunger 116 to help keep dirt from entering socket 106 . In this example, a threaded adjustment 118 helps align plunger 116 flush with driveway 12 , while a compression spring 120 allows plug 100 to still protrude into socket 106 .
In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 8, container 16 is restrained by a pivoting face stop 122 that is directly coupled to a base 124 anchored to driveway 12 . To restrain or release container 16 , face stop 122 pivots about a pin 125 that attaches face stop 122 directly to base 124 . In the restrain position, a brace 126 , attached to face stop 122 (either the front or back) and base 124 by way of pins 130 and 132 respectively, holds face stop 122 generally up against face 20 of container 16 . Any gap remaining between stop 122 and face 20 can be taken up by an adjustment 128 , such as, for example, a turnbuckle that varies the length of brace 126 between its mounting pins 130 and 132 . Other examples of adjustment 128 would include, but not be limited to, lead screws, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, linear ratchets, discrete repositionable stops, and various manual actuators or adjustable clamping devices. Of pins 130 and 132 , at least one is preferably made readily detachable or disengagable to allow face stop 122 to be quickly raised and lowered between its restrain and release position. In one exemplary embodiment, a series of holes or detents 134 provides a selection of locations at which pins 125 and 132 can be positioned to accommodate containers of various lengths.
To release container 16 , detachable pin 132 allows stop 122 and brace 126 to swing down and clear of container 16 . The pivoting motion can be performed manually or powered by some conventional actuator, such as those already discussed.
It should be noted that each restraint shown herein could also be provided with a means for sensing when the restraint is in a restraining position. Appropriate visual signals (red and green lights, etc.) or audio signals could be connected to this sensing means to give dock personnel, drivers and the like appropriate indications that the swap body either is or is not properly restrained from movement.
Although the invention is described with respect to a preferred embodiment, modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be determined by reference to the claims that follow. | A restraint for a parked swap body container includes a face stop that can be selectively positioned to a restraining position and a release position. In the restraining position, the face stop is adapted to engage a front face of the container to limit the extent to which the parked container can move away from an edge of a truck loading dock. In The release position, the face stop allows a truck to remove the container from the loading dock. The restraint may also include a frame that can be repositioned longitudinally to accommodate containers of various lengths. A fine adjustment can be added to further limit horizontal movement of the container. And an optional bottom support could engage the bottom of the container to provide even more support. | 1 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for lining pipe. In particular, the invention relates to lateral connections that are used to compliment relining of an existing sewer line or similar conduit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Liners for pipe, such as that used in sewer pipelines, are often applied as the pipe ages to extend the life of the original fixture. Means for lining pipe are well known in the art. One such method is disclosed by LeDoux et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,196. This method employs a thermoplastic liner which is initially formed in a cylindrical shape with a diameter slightly larger than the internal diameter of the pipe. The liner is temporarily deformed at an elevated temperature to a reduced cross section, preferably U-shaped, to reduce its overall cross-sectional dimension and facilitate insertion into the pipe to be lined. After insertion, the liner is re-heated and pressurized so that shape memory characteristics of the thermoplastic material cause the liner to return to its original cylindrical shape. The liner is further adapted to conform to the interior surface of the pipe by means of increasing pressure within the liner in two stages. Additionally, an expansion pig may be employed to ensure even more exact conformance.
Other methods, which also employ liners, are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,921 by Steketee, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,634 by Renaud. The Steketee, Jr. patent suggests that such a liner may be restored to a cylindrical shape by plugging the ends of the liner and pressurizing the liner with an expanding material such as live steam or hot water. It also teaches the use of an apparatus comprising a mandrel having a heating means therein which may be drawn through the liner to expand the liner to the desired diameter.
Still another recommended method, disclosed in the Steketee, Jr. patent, involves flushing hot water or steam down the original pipeline alongside the folded liner until the desired temperature is achieved at the downstream end. Once the desired temperature is reached, the liner is pressurized with hot water and expanded under pressure to fit.
The Renaud patent discloses a method of lining ducts wherein a sleeve permeable over at least a part of its thickness to a heat hardenable resin, such as an epoxy resin, is introduced into the duct. The sleeve is able to enlarge its section under the action of a pressure exerted on its internal wall and able to adapt its section to that of the duct without the composite material for such sleeve undergoing an elastic or plastic deformation. The internal pressure is exerted via an inflatable balloon until the external wall of the sleeve is applied against the internal wall of the duct, and it is held in place until the resin hardens, at which time the balloon is deflated and removed. The surface of the balloon for this apparatus may include a heating element or elements in the form of metal wires or strips to aid in curing the resin. Heating is provided by electric means.
Unfortunately, current pipe lining methods are not a complete solution to the problems posed by a deteriorating pipeline. When sewer lines and similar conduits are relined, the newly emplaced liner will normally cover lateral entrances for smaller pipes which feed into the freshly lined pipe. As a result, holes must be cut in the liner to reexpose these entrances. Holes cut into the liner, however, will permit waste and effluent to enter the space created between the new liner and old pipeline at the point where the lateral line feeds in. The possible results from this entry include separation of the liner from the pipeline, escape of effluents and further decay of the original pipeline. This could, in turn, leave spaces between the liner and the surface of the original pipeline which would promote decay and freeze-thaw failures for the liner.
Limited efforts toward solving this problem have been made. KWS·VSH leidingrenovatie v.o.f. has recently developed a method for emplacing a thermoplastic protective lining at a laterally intersecting pipeline junction. The method involves cutting a hole in the liner of a relined main pipeline to expose a lateral opening and placing an annular thermoplastic lining which has a mastic on the outside diameter within the opening. The annular lining is then expanded and sealed to the liner of the main pipeline by heating and expanding the lining thereby squeezing the mastic to form a seal with the aid of an axially placed expandable heated mandrel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an apparatus and method by which a lateral pipe connection may be sealed when existing sewer pipelines are relined to give them added life.
The invention features a bushing which may be installed within a lateral sewer pipeline at the intersection of a relined main pipeline and an incoming lateral line. The bushing is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the lateral pipeline to permit insertion into the lateral line. The bushing is heated and is then made to conform against the interior walls of the lateral line with an expandable mandrel and control means. The bushing is preferably comprised of a thermoplastic material having an integral heating system and employs a number of O-rings to seal against the sides of the lateral connection. The O-rings are preferably made of an elastomeric material and may reside in grooves around the exterior of the bushing. When the bushing is conformed against the walls of the lateral line, the rings will provide for greater sealing.
Preferably, the integral heating system comprises two differentially controlled heating assemblies comprised of a number of electrically conductive heating elements. One heating assembly is disposed throughout the bushing and can be energized to heat the bushing to malleability and allow it to be conformed to the walls of the lateral pipeline. Another heating assembly is disposed in the surface of the bushing adjacent the lining and can be energized to effect a seal between the bushing and the thermoplastic liner.
If emplacement of the bushing occurs after the main sewer line has been relined, the bushing secures the loose edges of liner created by the cut holes and permits the interior surface of the liner to be made continuous with the interior surface of the bushing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further details are explained below with the help of the examples illustrated in the attached drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the bushing of the present invention disposed within an intersecting lateral pipe.
FIG. 2 depicts a preferred embodiment for the bushing of the present invention axially seated upon an expandable mandrel which is interconnected with a control means.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIG. 1. In accordance with the present invention, bushing 10 is illustrated in its initial position within lateral pipeline 12. Bushing 10 is preferably constructed of thermoplastic material which would be expected to conform to the walls of the lateral pipeline, upon application of pressure and increased temperature to the material. The outside diameter of bushing 10 is slightly smaller than the interior diameter of the lateral pipeline to permit ease of entry into the lateral line.
Bushing 10 further comprises one or more O-rings 11 which surround the upper portion of bushing 10 and are designed to contact and friction seal against the inner wall of the lateral pipeline 12. Preferably, bushing 10 would have a plurality of these annular rings to provide for greater sealing. The annular rings 11 are preferably constructed of rubber, neoprene, or a similar elastomeric material with durability and good sealing qualities against liquids. Rings 11 may reside in annular channels 13 along the exterior circumference of bushing 10 to prevent axial movement along the exterior of the bushing.
The height of bushing 10 depends upon the diameter of the main pipe and the height of the control means 18 which is used to position the bushing in the lateral connection. In one embodiment, bushing 10 would have a height of about 5 inches when main pipe 20 has an internal diameter of about 10 inches.
Bushing 10 includes an integral heating system. In a preferred embodiment, the heating system comprises differentially controllable heating assemblies. Upper heating assembly 14 is fixedly disposed throughout the walls of bushing 10. Upper heating assembly 14 may be comprised of at least one internally disposed heating element such as electrically resistive metal wire, metal strips, or mesh or at least one superficially disposed heating element such as a heating tape or pad. The upper heating assembly should provide sufficient heat to bushing 10 to permit the bushing to become malleable so that it may be conformed to the walls of the lateral pipeline. Upper heating assembly 14 may be configured to provide heating to the entire wall of housing 10 or selected portions.
Bushing 10 also includes a lower heating assembly 15. Lower heating assembly 15 may also be comprised of at least one internally or superficially disposed heating element such as the type described above. Lower heating assembly 15 is preferably annular in configuration and disposed proximate the outer surface of the bushing. The lower heating assembly should provide sufficient heat to the bottom portion of bushing 10 to cause the thermoplastic material of the bushing to fuse with the thermoplastic material of the liner.
Bushing 10 is interconnectable with means for energizing heating elements 14 and 15. Connecting means 16 comprises at least one socket or other device which will permit interconnection with a power source such as an electric generator.
Referring now to FIG. 2, prior to emplacement, bushing 10 is axially seated upon an expandable mandrel 17 which is interconnected with control means 18. Control means 18 may comprise a robot similar to those devices which move through a sewer line following a relining operation to cut lateral openings in the newly emplaced liner. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,908.
Control means 18 provides support for expandable mandrel 17 as well as means for operating the expansion and contraction of said mandrel. Preferably, control means 18 contains power transmission means 19 which is interconnectable with connecting means 16 as well as easily disconnectable therewith. In one embodiment, connecting means 16 is preconnected with power transmission means 19 by "breakaway" connections in which the connecting means is readily disengaged from the power transmission means upon withdrawal of the power transmission means and control means following emplacement of the bushing into the lateral line. A plug and socket arrangement is one example of a suitable embodiment for such a connection. Another suitable arrangement employs thin wires which would themselves be broken upon withdrawal of the control means. Power transmission means 19 preferably comprises an electrical conduit for carrying electrical current from a nearby generator or other power source. Alternatively, power transmission means 19 may comprise a battery or series of batteries housed within control means 18.
Radial expansion and contraction of mandrel 17 may be accomplished a number of ways. Expandable mandrel 17 is preferably constructed of a durable material which is able to withstand repeated heating and cooling by heating assemblies 14 and 15. A suitable expandable mandrel would comprise an inflatable bladder 22 constructed of a material such as heat resistant canvas and inflated by gas or fluid and which radially surrounds a solid core 23. Mechanical mandrels could also be used.
Referring now to the method or process by which a lateral pipe connection may be sealed and protectively lined, the steps thereof are substantially as follows. Bushing 10 is axially seated upon expandable mandrel 17. Connecting means 16 is interconnected with power transmission means 19. Control means 18 is used to place bushing 10 and expandable mandrel 17 within lateral pipe 12 proximate the intersection of lateral pipe 12 with the main pipe 20. It is highly preferred that the bottom edge of bushing 10 be made flush with or extend beyond the inside diametrical surface of emplaced pipe liner 21.
Upper heating assembly 14 is energized to make the thermoplastic material of bushing 10 malleable. Expandable mandrel 17 is then radially expanded to cause bushing 10 to substantially conform to the surface of lateral pipe 12. O-rings 11 provide a sealed closure between bushing 10 and the surface of lateral pipe 12.
Once sealed closure has been achieved between bushing 10 and the surface of lateral pipe 12, lower heating assembly 15 may be energized. The lower heating assembly imparts a greater temperature to the surrounding sections of bushing 10 than does upper heating assembly 14. Further, lower heating assembly 15 will also heat the surrounding portions of liner 21. Heating of the lower portion of bushing 10 should occur until a portion of the thermoplastic material approaches its liquid limit and creates a seal with the adjoining liner 21. The thermoplastic material comprising the bottom portion of bushing 10 will ideally fuse or meld with the thermoplastic material comprising liner 21 to form a relatively continuous surface over the interiors of liner 21 and bushing 10.
Once the above seals have been established, the upper and lower heating assemblies should be deenergized and bushing 10 allowed to cool. Power transmission means 19 may be disconnected from connecting means 16. After bushing 10 has cooled sufficiently to maintain its shape and seals, expandable mandrel 17 may be contracted and withdrawn by control means 18.
While the preferred forms and applications of the invention are herein described, it is noted that the invention is not limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth. The inventor reserves to himself any modifications or variations that may appear to those skilled in the art as set forth within the spirit and scope of the claims. For example, in practicing the method of the invention, the heating assemblies may be energized prior to emplacement of the bushing proximate the intersection of lateral pipe 12 and main pipeline 20. | The invention provides an apparatus and method by which an opening into a lateral pipe connection for a pipeline into which a liner is being installed may be sealed and protectively lined. The invention features a bushing which is emplaced in the lateral connection by use of an expandable mandrel and a control means. The bushing includes an integral heating element for softening the thermoplastic material from which the bushing is formed. O-rings are positioned between the bushing and the lateral pipe to form a seal. | 1 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a Continuation-in-Part application of U.S. Ser. No. 08/955,714, filed Oct. 22, 1997, now abandoned, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/644,657, filed Apr. 24, 1996, abandoned, the entire contents of applications Ser. Nos. 08/955,714 and 08/644,657 being incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recording medium supplying apparatus having a raised central region for preventing a recording medium from skewing as the medium is fed.
The above described apparatus is used for supplying a recording medium such as a sheet having a predetermined size to a register unit arranged in front of a printing unit in a copying machine or facsimile apparatus.
FIG. 8 schematically shows a structure of the conventional apparatus of the above described kind. As shown in FIG. 8, the conventional apparatus comprises a recording medium sending-out unit 10 for sending out a paper sheet P, and a recording medium transfer guide unit 16 for guiding the sheet P sent out from the sending-out unit 10 to a register unit 14 arranged in front of a printing unit 12. In the conventional apparatus of FIG. 8, the register unit 14 is structured by a pair of register rollers 14a.
The recording medium sending-out unit 10 comprises a recording medium cassette 10a containing a plurality of sheets P in a stacked state, a pickup roller 10b contacting an upper surface of an uppermost sheet P in the plurality of the sheets in the cassette 10a at a position near an inlet opening of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16 and selectively moving the uppermost sheet P toward the inlet opening, and a sending-out roller 10c for sending out the uppermost sheet P moved toward the inlet opening by the pickup roller 10b, into the recording medium transfer guide unit 16 through the inlet opening.
The recording medium transfer guide unit 16 includes a pair of guide members 16a and 16b which face each other with a gap much larger than the thickness of the sheet P. The guide member 16a has a portion constantly and slidingly contacting the sheet P to guide the transfer of the sheet P. A sliding contact surface of the portion of the guide member 16a has a comb-teeth like cross section as shown in FIG. 9 in order to reduce a sliding friction generating between the sliding contact surface and the sheet P. Projecting end surfaces of the ribs 18, the ribs 18 structuring the sliding contact surface of the comb-teeth like cross section of the guide member 16a, are placed on the same plane so that all of the projecting end surfaces of the ribs 18 covered by the sheet P slidingly contacting the sliding contact surface of the guide member 16a contact the sheet P.
The register unit 14 is arranged near an outlet of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16, and a length of a sheet transferring passage from the sending-out roller 10c to the register unit 14 via the recording medium transfer guide unit 16 is shorter than a length of the sheet P measured in its moving direction.
The sheet P discharged from the outlet of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16 abuts its leading end on a contact line between the paired register rollers 14a, 14a of the register unit 14. If the sheet P skews at this time with regard to the contact line as shown in FIG. 10, a moment M will be produced in the sheet P which is applied with a moving force F by the sending-out roller 10c, to turn the sheet P around at one corner L of the leading end contacting the contact line and to move another corner R of the leading end not contacting the contact line toward the contact line.
Whether the sheet P skews or not, the register unit 14 is driven to send out the sheet P toward the printing unit 12 after a sufficient time for correcting the skew of the sheet P has passed from a time when the sheet P is sent out from the cassette 10a. The printing unit 12 prints an image on the sheet P reached thereto on the basis of printing information supplied to the printing unit 12 in advance.
Even after the leading end of the sheet P has reached the contact line between the paired register rollers 14a, 14b of the register unit 14, the sheet P is still applied with the moving force F by the sending-out roller 10c, and thus the sheet P is bent due to the moving force F. The bend may easily occur, particularly in a portion at which the moving direction of the sheet P is changed in the sheet transferring passage in the recording medium transfer guide unit 16, i.e., in a bending portion of the transfer guide unit 16. A peak of the bend is strongly pushed against the projecting end surfaces of the ribs 18 of the guide member 16a. The bend of the sheet P is shown in FIG. 8 by a dotted line.
In the conventional apparatus structured as described above, the friction produced between the sheet P and each of the projecting end surfaces of the ribs 18 is substantially equal to each other. Therefore, if the sheet P skews, a turn of the sheet P for correcting the skew of the sheet P cannot be easily generated because the peak of the bend is strongly pushed against the projecting end surfaces bf the ribs 18 of the guide member 16a.
As a result of this, the sheet P may be supplied to the printing unit 12 without the skew of the sheet P being corrected by the register unit 14, so that an image may be printed on the sheet P in a wrong position or wrinkles of the sheet P may be generated in the sheet P, the wrinkles being able to clog the sheet P in the sheet transferring passage.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is derived from the above described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium supplying apparatus which can always surely correct a skew of a recording medium by a register unit, and can always surely prevent a decrease in printing quality on the recording medium, generation of wrinkles in the recording medium, and clogging of the recording medium in a recording medium transferring passage.
In order to achieve the object, a recording medium supplying apparatus according to the present invention comprises a paper sheet sending-out unit which sends out a paper sheet as a recording medium, and a paper sheet transfer guide unit which guides a transfer of the paper sheet sent out by the sending-out unit.
The paper sheet transfer guide unit includes a straight portion having a straight passage and a curved portion having a curved passage.
One end of the straight passage is connected to the paper sheet sending-out unit and another end of the straight passage is connected to one end of the curved passage.
The curved portion is curved at an angle of not less than 90° with respect to the straight portion, and has an inwardly indented curved surface and an outwardly projected curved surface arranged to face the inwardly indented curved surface to form the curved passage.
The inwardly indented curved surface is arranged such that the paper sheet which is sent out by the paper sheet sending-out unit and transferred through the straight passage is slidably in contact with the inwardly indented curved surface so as to change a transfer direction of the paper sheet.
The inwardly indented curved surface has a plurality of ribs arranged in a transverse direction crossing the transfer direction of the paper sheet in the curved passage and extending in the transfer direction.
The inwardly indented curved surface further has a cross section that extends in the transverse direction and has a central region and two side regions located at respective sides of the central region in the transverse direction.
Not more than three of the ribs are arranged in the central region and a remainder of the plurality of ribs are arranged in the two side regions.
The number of the ribs in each of the side regions is larger than the number of the ribs in the central region.
The not more than three ribs in the central region have the same height with respect to each other and is larger in height than each of the remainder of the ribs in the two side regions.
The straight passage and the curved passage have a total length which is shorter than a length of the paper sheet in the transfer direction of the paper sheet in the straight passage and the curved passage.
The recording medium supplying apparatus further comprises a register unit which is arranged at another end of the curved passage, with which a leading end of the paper sheet discharged from another of the curved passage is in contact so that a portion of the paper sheet facing the inwardly indented curved surface is pressed on the inwardly indented curved surface at the central region of the cross section while the paper sheet is sent out from another end of the curved passage and the leading end of the paper sheet contacts the register unit, whereby the paper sheet is slid on the inwardly indented curved surface at the central region of the cross section to register the paper sheet to the printing unit when the paper sheet skews in the straight passage and the curved passage, and the register unit allows the paper sheet to pass toward the printing unit in a predetermined timing after the paper sheet is registered.
With this structure, when a bend is produced in the recording medium such that the register unit prevents the recording medium from moving, and a peak of the bend contacts the recording medium contact portion of the recording medium transfer guide unit, the contact occurs only at the central region of the portion and does not occur at opposite sides of the central region. Moreover, only not more than three ribs are arranged in the central region. Accordingly, the friction force generated between the portion of the guide member of the recording medium transfer guide unit and the peak of the bend of the recording medium due to the contact is generated only between not more than three ribs in the central region of the portion of the guide member and the peak of the bend. Therefore, even if the recording medium skews, the recording medium can be easily turned to correct the skew.
In the apparatus, any recording medium skewing will not be supplied by the register unit to the recording unit such as a printing unit. As a result of this, information can be precisely recorded on the recording medium. Further, the recording medium will not be wrinkled, and thus clogging of the recording medium in the recording medium transferring passage will not occur.
In the recording medium supplying apparatus according to the invention and structured as described above, it is preferable that the heights of the remainder of the ribs in each side region decrease as a position of each of the remainder of the ribs is farther away from the central region in the transverse direction.
The recording medium contact portion of the recording medium transfer guide unit structured as above, further decreases the frictional force generated between it and the recording medium slidingly contacting thereon.
Alternatively, the ribs arranged in the each side region may have the same height but less than that in the central region.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a recording medium supplying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a part of an inwardly indented curved surface of one guide member, the guide member being provided in a recording medium transfer guide unit of the recording medium supplying apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the inwardly indented curved surface of the guide member, taken along a line III--III in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an operation of a register unit of the recording medium supplying apparatus in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a main portion of a first modification of the inwardly indented curved surface of the guide member, taken along the same line as indicated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6A is a sectional view showing a main portion of a second modification of the inwardly indented curved surface of the guide member, taken along the same line as indicated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6B is a sectional view showing a main portion of a third modification of the inwardly indented curved surface of the guide member, taken along the same line as indicated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 7A is a sectional view showing a main portion of a fourth modification of the inwardly indented curved surface of the guide member, taken along the same line as indicated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 7B is a sectional view showing a main portion of a fifth modification of the inwardly indented curved surface of the guide member, taken along the same line as indicated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a conventional recording medium supplying apparatus;
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along a line IX--IX in FIG. 8; and
FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing an operation of a register unit of the conventional recording medium supplying apparatus shown in FIG. 8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A recording medium supplying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Most of components of the apparatus of the present invention are the same as those of the conventional apparatus described above with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. Therefore, the same or like components in the apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention as those in the above described conventional apparatus are designated by the same reference numerals as those used to designate the corresponding components in the conventional apparatus, and the detailed description of the same or like components of the apparatus of the one embodiment of the present invention are omitted.
The recording medium supplying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention differs from the above described conventional apparatus in a shape of a cross section of an inwardly indented curved portion of one guide member 16a' of a recording medium transfer guide unit 16'. The curved portion is a portion of the one guide member 16a' against which a peak of a bend of a recording medium P is pushed when a leading end of the recording medium P contacts a contact line between a pair of register rollers 14a, 14a of a register unit 14, moving of the recording medium P by a sending-out roller 10c is stopped, and the recording medium P is bent as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 1. As stated in the description of the conventional apparatus, the bend of the recording medium P may easily occur particularly in the curved portion of a recording medium moving passage in the recording medium transfer guide unit 16', i.e., at that portion the moving direction of the recording medium P is changed. In this embodiment, the recording medium P is a paper sheet as in the above described conventional apparatus.
Also In this embodiment as in the above described conventional apparatus, the entire sliding contact surface of the one guide member 16a' which faces another guide member 16b of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16' is structured by projecting end surfaces of a plurality of ribs 18'. And, the ribs are spaced apart from each other at substantially the same intervals in a direction which is along the contact surface of the one guide member 16a' and perpendicular to the moving direction of the sheet P in the recording medium transfer guide unit 16', and extend in the moving direction of the sheet P, as shown in FIG. 2.
As is clearly shown in FIG. 3, the present invention is characterized by a cross section of the one portion (curved portion) of the one guide member 16a'. That is, one rib 18' arranged in the central region in the direction which is along the contact surface of the one guide member 16a' and perpendicular to the moving direction of the sheet P, protrudes higher than the other ribs 18' arranged on both sides of the central region. More specifically, the ribs 18' arranged on each of the sides of the central region are formed such that the heights of the ribs arranged on each of the sides of the central region decrease stepwisely as the positions of the ribs are farther away from the central region. That is, in the cross section of FIG. 3, two lines each connecting the projecting end surfaces of the ribs arranged on each of the sides of the central region are taperingly inclined with regard to a plane of the sheet P slidingly contacting a projecting end surface of one rib 18' arranged in the central region.
A cross section of the other portion (a vertically raising straight portion extending from an inlet of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16' adjacent to a sending-out roller 10c to the bending or curved portion, and a horizontal straight portion extending from the bending or curved portion to an outlet of the transfer guide unit 16' adjacent to the paired register rollers 14a, 14a of the register unit 14) of the guide member 16a' is formed similarly to that of the conventional apparatus. That is, projecting end surfaces of the plurality of ribs 18' structuring the sliding contact surface of the other portion of the guide member 16a' are arranged in the same plane so that all of the projecting end surfaces of the plurality of ribs 18' covered by the sheet P slidingly contacting the sliding contact surface of the other portion can slidingly contact the sheet P to make the sheet P move stably in the other portion.
As in the conventional apparatus, in the apparatus according to this embodiment and structured as described above, when the sheet P is discharged from the outlet of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16', the leading end of the sheet P contacts the contact line between the paired register rollers 14a, 14a of the register unit 14 and the movement of the sheet P by the sending-out roller 10c is stopped. At this time, if the sheet P skews with regard to the contact line, a moment M is produced in the sheet P in which a moving force F1 is applied by the sending-out roller 10c to turn sheet P around one corner L of the leading end contacting the contact line and to move another corner R which does not contact the contact line toward the contact line.
In this situation, since the sheet P is still applied with the moving force F1 by the sending-out roller 10c even after the leading end of the sheet P has been in contact with the contact line between the paired register rollers 14a, 14b of the register unit 14, the sheet P is bent as shown in FIG. 1 by a dotted line, and a peak of the bend is pushed against the sliding contact surface of the bending or curved portion of the one guiding member 16a' of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16'. At this time, the peak of the bend, however, contacts only the projecting end surface of the rib 18' arranged in the central region in the direction which is along the sliding contact surface and perpendicular to the moving direction of the sheet P, and does not contact projecting end surfaces of the ribs 18' on the both sides of the central region.
As is clearly shown in FIG. 4, a friction F2 which is generated between the projecting end surfaces of the ribs 18' arranged on both sides of the central region and both sides of a central region of the sheet P in its width direction perpendicular to the moving direction thereof, is quite smaller than a friction F1 which is generated between the projecting end surface of one rib 18' arranged in the central region and the central region of the sheet P in its width direction. In this structure, when the sheet P skews, the sheet P can be easily turned in the direction which is along the sliding contact surface and perpendicular to the moving direction of the sheet P, to correct the skew of the sheet P while the peak of the bend of the sheet P is pushed only against the projecting end surface of one rib 18' arranged in the central region of the plurality of ribs 18' of the one guide member 16a' of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16'.
In this manner, the sheet P is supplied by the register unit 14 to the printing unit 12 after the skew of the sheet P has been surely corrected. Therefore, the shift of the image on the sheet P will not occur, the sheet P will not be wrinkled, and clogging of the sheet P in the recording medium moving passage of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16' will not occur.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a main portion of a first modification of the recording medium supplying apparatus according to the one embodiment of the present invention, taken along the same line indicated in FIG. 3.
In this modification, the cross section of the one portion (the bending or curved portion) of the one guide member 16a' of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16' is formed as shown in FIG. 5. That is the plurality of ribs 18' arranged on both sides of the central region in the direction which is along the sliding contact surface and perpendicular to the moving direction of the sheet P, have the same height less than that of one rib 18' in the central region. Also in this structure, one rib 18' arranged in the central region protrudes higher than the ribs 18' on both sides of the central region.
Alternately, as long as one rib 18' arranged in the central region projects more than the ribs 18' arranged on both sides of the central region, the ribs 18' arranged on both sides of the central region may decrease in their heights as the position of the rib 18' is farther away from the central region in units of two or three ribs 18'. Further, the ribs 18' arranged on both sides of the central region may have various heights different from each other.
FIG. 6A is a sectional view showing a main portion of a second modification of the recording medium supplying apparatus according to the one embodiment of the present invention, taken along the same line indicated in FIG. 3.
In this modification, the cross section of the one portion (the bending or curved portion) of the one guide member 16a' of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16' is formed as shown in FIG. 6A. That is, two ribs 18' having the same height as to each other are arranged in the central region. And, the plurality of ribs 18' arranged in each side region decrease their heights as a position of each of the ribs 18' is farther away from the central region in the transverse direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the paper sheet P.
FIG. 6B is a sectional view showing a main portion of a third modification of the recording medium supplying apparatus according to the one embodiment of the present invention, taken along the same line indicated in FIG. 3.
In this modification, the cross section of the one portion (the bending or curved portion) of the one guide member 16a' of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16' is formed as shown in FIG. 6B. That is, two ribs 18' having the same height as to each other are arranged in the central region. And the plurality of ribs 18' arranged in each side region have the same height less than that of two ribs 18' in the central region.
FIG. 7A is a sectional view showing a main portion of a fourth modification of the recording medium supplying apparatus according to the one embodiment of the present invention, taken along the same line indicated in FIG. 3.
In this modification, the cross section of the one portion (the bending or curved portion) of the one guide member 16a' of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16' is formed as shown in FIG. 7A. That is, three ribs 18' having the same height as to each other are arranged in the central region. And, the plurality of ribs 18' arranged in each side region decrease their heights as a position of each of the ribs 18' is farther away from the central region in the transverse direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the paper sheet P.
FIG. 7B is a sectional view showing a main portion of a fifth modification of the recording medium supplying apparatus according to the one embodiment of the present invention, taken along the same line indicated in FIG. 3.
In this modification, the cross section of the one portion (the bending or curved portion) of the one guide member 16a' of the recording medium transfer guide unit 16' is formed as shown in FIG. 7B. That is, three ribs 18' having the same height as to each other are arranged in the central region. And the plurality of ribs 18' arranged in each side region have the same height less than that of three ribs 18' in the central region.
The modifications structured in the above described manner can perform the same operation and can attain the same advantage as those of the recording medium supplying apparatus according to the aforementioned one embodiment and described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.
Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. | A paper sheet supplying apparatus comprises a transfer guide unit, a register unit and a paper sheet sending-out unit. The supplying apparatus supplies a paper sheet through the transfer guide unit to the register unit from the paper sheet sending-out unit. The guide unit has a straight portion and a curved portion, and guides the paper sheet from the sending-out unit to the register unit. An inwardly indented curved surface of the curved portion, on which the paper sheet is in contact, has a plurality of ribs separated from each other. Not more than three ribs of the plurality of ribs are arranged in a center region of the curved surface in the transfer direction, and the remaining ribs of the plurality of ribs are arranged in each side region located proximate the center region. Each of the ribs in the center region has a first height, and each rib in each side region has a height which is smaller than the first height. | 6 |
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. N00024-96-C-5204 ERGM. The Government may have certain rights in this invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to antennas. Specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for selectively directing or receiving a beam of energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems for directing beams of energy are employed in various demanding applications including microwave, radar, ladar, laser, infrared, and sonar sensing and targeting systems. Such applications demand space-efficient and cost-effective receivers and antennas with sufficient gain and bandwidth characteristics for optimal sensing.
Efficient and accurate systems for directing electromagnetic energy are particularly important in projected munition guidance and fusing applications, where collateral damage must be avoided. Smart munitions, such as a smart artillery shells, often incorporate electronics and accompanying fuses to time munition detonation. Such electronics may include sensors for detecting target location and selectively triggering detonation when the munition is within a predetermined range of the target. The sensors may include directional antennas, often called end-fire antennas, which aim beams of electromagnetic energy forward of the projected munitions. The directed beams may reflect from targets, yielding return beams. Sensors may detect and time target return beams to determine target range and closing rate.
Unfortunately, various conventional antennas, such as doorstop, patch, and monopole antennas have various shortcomings, making their use in projected munition applications problematic. Doorstop antennas are often too large to efficiently incorporate into compact munition designs. Patch antennas often insufficiently direct electromagnetic energy and exhibit undesirable bandwidth constraints. Monopole antennas often lack sufficient gain or bandwidth characteristics.
Hence, a need exists in the art for a compact and efficient antenna that exhibits excellent beam-directing, bandwidth, and gain characteristics and that is suitable for munitions applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The need in the art is addressed by the compact broadband antenna of the present invention. In the illustrative embodiment, the antenna is an end-fire antenna adapted for use in munitions applications. The antenna includes a first mechanism for receiving input electromagnetic energy. A second mechanism provides radiated electromagnetic energy upon receipt of the input electromagnetic energy. The radiated electromagnetic energy is provided via an antenna element having one or more angled surfaces. A third mechanism directs the radiated electromagnetic energy in a specific direction.
In a more specific embodiment, the third mechanism includes a reflective backstop that is strategically positioned behind the second mechanism to reflect back-radiated energy forward of the second mechanism, thereby causing reflected electromagnetic energy to combine in phase with forward-radiated energy from the second mechanism. The third mechanism further includes plural layers of dielectric material. One or more of the plural layers of dielectric material partially surround an angled radiating surface of the second mechanism.
In the specific embodiment, the second mechanism includes a conical antenna element. The longitudinal axis of the antenna element is approximately parallel to the surface of the back-reflector. The conical antenna element is supported by and partially surrounded by first a layer of dielectric material. A top portion of the conical antenna element lacks dielectric material. The first mechanism includes an antenna feed having an input stripline transmission line that is coupled to a coaxial feed transmission line or wire, which is coupled to a vertex of the conical antenna element.
The stripline transmission line includes a center conductor having a tapered section. A dielectric material having mode-suppression holes therethrough, is positioned between a top ground plane and a bottom ground plane, which have corresponding antenna tuning holes, of the stripline transmission line. The dielectric material accommodates a stripline center conductor. A second dielectric layer is positioned between the top ground plane and the first dielectric layer.
The novel design of the present invention is facilitated by the second and third mechanisms, which enable a compact, high-gain, antenna with broadband performance. An embodiment of the present invention, wherein the second mechanism includes a substantially conical transmit element, and the third mechanism includes a back-reflector, is particularly efficient for end-fire applications that must withstand significant acceleration and thermal loads.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a compact broadband antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a more detailed exploded view of the compact broadband antenna of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the compact broadband antenna of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 shows the bottom stripline groundplane surface of the first layer section of the compact broadband antenna of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 shows the top surface of the first layer section of the compact broadband antenna of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 6 shows the bottom surface of the third layer section of the compact broadband antenna of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 7 shows the top stripline groundplane surface of the third layer section of the compact broadband antenna of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 8 is a diagram of an exemplary mounting system adapted for use with the compact broadband antenna of FIG. 2 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a compact broadband antenna 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For clarity, various features, such as power supplies, frequency generators, network analyzers, and so on, have been omitted from the figures. However, those skilled in the art with access to the present teachings will know which components and features to implement and how to implement them to meet the needs of a given application.
The compact broadband antenna 10 includes a input coaxial connector 12 that is connected to base layer sections 14 via connector pins 60 , which include a coaxial-to-stripline center conductor transition 16 to a stripline center conductor 18 . The base layer sections 14 accommodate a stripline transmission line having the center conductor 18 . The stripline transmission line center conductor 18 is coupled to a coaxial feed transmission line, 22 , which together form a feed network 20 . The coaxial feed transmission line 22 is coupled to a vertex 24 of a conical antenna element 26 , which is strategically positioned adjacent to a back-reflector 28 . The antenna element 26 has selectively angled sidewalls 27 , which provide an efficient radiating surface.
The feed network 20 , conical antenna element 26 , and back-reflector 28 are supported by various layer sections 30 , which include support layers, bond layers, and dielectric layers, including a top chamfered dielectric 32 , and the base layer sections 14 , as discussed more fully below. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that while the conical antenna element 26 is employed as a radiating element in the present embodiment, the element 26 may act as a receiving element and/or a transmitting element, depending on the application.
In the present specific embodiment, the conical antenna element 26 is oriented relative to the back-reflector 28 and the various layer sections 30 so that a longitudinal axis 34 of the conical antenna element 26 is approximately perpendicular to the various layer sections 30 and parallel to the surface of the back-reflector 28 .
The top chamfered dielectric 32 includes various facets 36 - 42 including a right facet 36 , a left facet 38 , an output facet 40 , and the top facet 42 . The various facets 36 - 42 enhance the compact form factor of the broadband antenna 10 and may facilitate beam shaping. Beam shaping, mode selection, and broadband performance are further facilitated by strategic selection of layer sections 30 , including dielectric layer sections, as discussed more fully below. Beam mode selection is also facilitated by features of the feed network 20 , including mode-suppression holes 44 , which are positioned through the layer sections 30 and strategically placed about the coaxial feed transmission line 22 that feeds the conical antenna element 26 . In the present specific embodiment, the through holes 44 are separated by approximately 30° of angular separation. The mode-suppression holes 44 may facilitate tuning the antenna 10 so that the resulting radiation pattern includes a lobe that extends forward in the direction of a beam 46 . Additional mounting holes 48 are positioned in the base layer sections 14 to facilitate mounting the antenna 10 . The mounting holes 48 are positioned to minimize their effect on the output beam 46 .
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exact dimensions and angles of the facets 36 - 42 are application-specific and may be determined by those skilled in the art to meet the needs of a given application without undue experimentation. Furthermore, the facets 36 - 42 may be vertical facets without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the side facets 36 , 38 are beveled at approximately 22.4°, while front facet is angled approximately 10.4° relative to the top surface 42 .
In operation, electromagnetic energy of a desired frequency is input to the stripline transmission line formed by the center conductor 18 via the input coaxial connector 12 . Input electromagnetic energy propagates along the stripline center conductor 18 between groundplanes formed via the layers 14 and then couples to the coaxial feed transmission line 22 . The energy then propagates from the coaxial feed transmission line 22 to the conical antenna element 26 . As the input electromagnetic energy propagates through the feed network 20 and to the conical antenna element 26 , various features, such as the mode-suppression holes 44 , and dielectric constants of the layer sections 30 facilitate tuning of the electromagnetic energy in preparation for transmission from the conical antenna element 26 .
When the electromagnetic energy reaches the conical antenna element 26 , the energy radiates from the angled surface 27 , which is angled approximately 27° relative to the longitudinal axis 34 in the present embodiment. Partially due to the back-reflector 28 and the beam-shaping effects of the layered sections 30 , including the top chamfered dielectric section 32 , most energy will radiate forward from the output facet 40 , forming a directional output beam 46 . The output beam 46 propagates in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 34 of the conical antenna element 34 .
By strategically positioning the back-reflector 28 relative to conical antenna element 26 and by selecting appropriate element 26 and reflector 28 dimensions for a particular application and input frequency, additional gain is achieved. Appropriate use of the back-reflector 28 may result in gains of 5 dBi or greater, as energy propagating backward from the conical antenna element 26 is reflected forward, combining in phase with energy 46 radiating forward from the conical antenna element 26 . The peak of the resulting beam 46 is forward of the compact broadband antenna 10 .
In the present specific embodiment, the back-reflector 28 is formed from a flat plate of nickel and/or copper or is painted or plated with a silver layer. The back-reflector 28 is cut so that edges of the back-reflector 28 align with the right chamfered facet 36 and the left chamfered facet 38 of the top dielectric layer 32 . The back-reflector 28 may be another shape other than flat without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the back-reflector 28 may be curved, such as parabolic-shaped and oriented so that the parabola opens in the direction of the conical antenna element 26 to facilitate focusing electromagnetic energy forward of the antenna 10 .
The conical antenna element 26 is substantially hollow or solid and may be constructed via well-known lithographic techniques. For example, a conic depression may be formed in the layers 30 and then plated with nickel or painted with a silver metallic conductive paint. Alternatively, the conical antenna element 26 is solid, such as solid copper. The conical antenna element 26 may be another shape. For example, the element 26 may have parabolic or trapezoidal vertical cross-section or a multi-faceted horizontal cross-section, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Use of a cone or other appropriate antenna element that increases in diameter from the input end 24 to a top surface 42 as a primary radiation source may provide greater bandwidth than conventional antennas used to create directional beams.
In some implementations, the coaxial feed transmission line 22 may be omitted, and instead, the conical antenna element 26 may directly couple to the stripline center conductor 18 , without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, various features of the feed network 20 , including the stripline 18 , the input coaxial connector 12 , and mode-suppression holes 44 are application-specific and may be modified, omitted, or replaced by other types of feed networks to meet the needs of a given application without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Electric fields radiate radially outward from the center conductor 56 and terminate on the mode-suppression holes 44 , which occurs when current is flowing up the center conductor 56 . However, this only occurs where mode-suppression holes 44 are present in layers. As the fields reach layers 62 - 70 and 32 , the electric fields begin to expand into the dielectric regions (see layer 32 ) and are shaped by those dielectrics and by bouncing off the plated back wall 28 of the top chamfered dielectric section 32 until they collimate and exit the antenna 10 as the beam 46 . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the mode-suppression holes 44 are spaced such that gaps between them are much smaller than 1/10 of a wavelength.
While transmit operations of the broadband antenna 10 are discussed with reference to FIG. 1 , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the broadband antenna 10 may also be employed for receive functions.
FIG. 2 is a more detailed exploded view of the compact broadband antenna 10 of FIG. 1 . The base layer sections 14 include a first layer section 50 , a second layer section 52 , and a third layer section 54 . The first layer section 50 accommodates the stripline transmission line center conductor 18 . The first layer section 50 includes a groundplane disposed on a bottom surface and the metallic stripline center conductor 18 disposed on a top surface 76 and supported by core dielectric material, as discussed more fully below. In the present specific embodiment, the core dielectric material is Rogers 3003 dielectric.
The mode-suppression holes 44 have plated walls, i.e., they are plated through-holes that extend through the first layer section 50 and are strategically placed about a center coaxial feed conductor 56 , which terminates one end of the stripline transmission line center conductor 18 . Another end of the stripline transmission line center conductor 18 terminates at coaxial connector holes 58 . The coaxial connector holes 58 are designed to accommodate the input coaxial connector 12 and accompanying pins 60 so that energy from the coaxial connector 12 will efficiently couple to the stripline transmission line formed via the center conductor 18 and accompanying ground planes, as discussed more fully below.
The second layer section 52 acts as a bond layer and facilitates bonding the first layer section 50 to the third layer section 54 . The second layer section 52 may be constructed from Dupont Bond Film (Part No. FEP 200 C-20). The second layer section 52 also includes the strategically placed through holes 44 , which align with the corresponding through holes 44 in the first layer section 44 and the third layer section 54 . The various base layer sections 14 ( 50 - 54 ) have coaxial connector holes 58 , some of which are plated and some of which are not plated. Those skilled in the art will know which of the coaxial connector holes 58 to plate and which holes to leave clear without undue experimentation. Furthermore, the exact dimensions of the various antenna features, including mode-suppression holes 44 , the thickness of the various layers 30 , and so on, are application-specific and may be determined by one skilled in the art to meet the needs of a given application without undue experimentation.
The third layer section 54 includes a metallic groundplane top surface 78 and a bottom surface 92 , which are supported by a dielectric core, as discussed more fully below. In the present specific embodiment, the dielectric core is Rogers 3003 dielectric, and the groundplane 78 is implemented via Rogers ElectroDeposited Copper (EDC) foil with nickel plating.
A fourth layer 62 acts as a bond layer between the third layer 54 and a fifth layer 64 . The fifth layer 64 is a strategically-place dielectric layer that facilitates antenna tuning and associated broadband antenna performance and beam shaping. In the present specific embodiment, the fifth layer 64 is implemented via Rogers 3006 unclad dielectric. The fifth layer 64 is unclad, lacking any plating on top or bottom surfaces of the layer 64 .
A sixth layer 66 acts as a bond layer and is positioned atop the fifth layer 64 and beneath a seventh layer 68 . The bond layer 66 may be constructed from Rogers 3001 bond film. The seventh layer 68 is a second special dielectric layer that facilitates antenna tuning and associated broadband antenna performance. The seventh layer 68 may also be constructed from unclad Rogers 3006 dielectric.
An eighth layer 70 acts as a bond layer and is positioned atop the seventh dielectric layer 68 and beneath the top chamfered dielectric 32 . The eighth layer 70 may be implemented via Rogers 3001 bond film. The ninth layer, corresponding to the top chamfered dielectric 32 , is implemented via Rogers TMM4 unclad dielectric in the present specific embodiment. A tenth layer 71 acts as a stiffening structure and is positioned atop the fifth layer 64 and adjacent to the seventh layer 68 and the tenth layer 71 . The stiffening tenth layer 71 may be constructed of aluminum or various materials known in the art. Additional stiffening layers may be added or removed from the antenna 10 without departing from the scope of the present invention.
In the present specific embodiment, an electrically conductive adhesive 72 , such as Ablebond™, is employed to secure the conic antenna element 26 in a conical hole 74 in the top chamfered dielectric 32 . The conical antenna element 26 is shown connected to the coaxial feed transmission line center conductor 56 . The coaxial feed transmission line center conductor 56 and the conical antenna element 26 may be implemented as one piece, wherein the center conductor 56 of the coaxial feed transmission line is bonded to an input end, i.e., vertex end 24 of the conical antenna element 72 . The coaxial feed transmission line center conductor 56 extends through the various layers 30 and couples to the stripline transmission line center conductor 18 at the center coaxial feed transmission line conductor 56 in the first layer 50 . The mode suppression holes 44 only extend through the base layer sections 14 .
FIG. 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the compact broadband antenna 10 of FIG. 2 . The first layer section 50 includes a first stripline groundplane surface 90 and a top center stripline conductor surface 76 . The first stripline groundplane surface 90 is constructed from a metal, such as nickel-plated copper. The top center stripline conductor surface 76 is primarily dielectric material, but includes the conductive stripline center conductor 18 of FIG. 2 , which may be made from copper. The stripline surfaces 76 , 90 are supported by a dielectric core, which may be constructed from Rogers 3003 dielectric.
The third layer section 54 includes the conductive groundplane surface 78 , which is implemented via nickel-plated copper in the present embodiment. The ground plane surface 78 is formed on a dielectric core, which also provides the bottom surface 92 of the third layer section 54 .
The fifth layer 64 , seventh layer 66 , and the ninth chamfered dielectric layer 32 , which are separated by bonding layers 66 , 70 , represent layered dielectrics that facilitate beam-shaping and antenna tuning. Layer thickness and dielectric constants may be adjusted by those skilled in the art to meet the needs of a given application without undue experimentation.
In the present specific embodiment, the fifth layer section 64 and the seventh layer section 68 are approximately 0.025 inches thick. The chamfered dielectric layer 32 is approximately 0.26 inches thick. The longitudinal axis 34 , which corresponds to the centerline of the radiating element 2 , is positioned approximately 0.2 inches from the metallic back-reflector 28 .
The conical hole 74 , which accommodates the adhesive 72 and conical antenna element 26 has sidewalls that are angled approximately 27° relative to the longitudinal axis 34 of the antenna element 26 . In the present embodiment, the groundplanes 90 , 78 are at least 0.0015 inches thick copper with a nickel overplate that is that is approximately 150 microinches thick.
The various transmission line feed holes that accommodate the center conductor 56 and outer conductor 82 may include padding or dielectric to facilitate accommodating the coaxial feed transmission line (see 22 of FIG. 1 ) formed by the outer conductor 82 and center conductor 56 . The exact type of padding or dielectric is application-specific and may be omitted without departing from the scope of the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows the bottom stripline groundplane surface 90 of the first layer section 50 of the compact broadband antenna 10 of FIG. 2 . The bottom groundplane surface 90 includes the plated mode-suppression holes 44 , which are partially distributed about the center coaxial feed section 22 , which shows a cross-section of the inner coaxial feed conductor 56 that passes through the outer coaxial feed conductor, which is implemented via the groundplane 90 . The bottom groundplane surface 90 also includes coaxial connector holes 58 for accommodating a standard coaxial cable connector and accompanying pins 60 , which may be implemented via a Corning GPO RF connector, part No. A008-L35-02. The coaxial connector holes 58 include a center hole 86 that accommodates a center conductor of the input coaxial connector 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2 . In the present embodiment, the groundplane surface 90 is implemented via 0.0015 inch thick copper that is overplated with nickel that is at least 150 microinches thick.
FIG. 5 shows the top surface 76 of the first layer section 50 of the compact broadband antenna 10 of FIG. 2 . The top surface 76 includes the stripline center conductor 18 that connects to a center coaxial cable connector (see center pin of pins 60 of FIG. 1 ) at the center coaxial connector hole 86 at the coaxial-to-stripline center conductor transition 16 . The stripline center conductor 18 connects to the center conductor 56 of the coaxial feed transmission line 22 at a stripline-to-coaxial center conductor transition 84 .
The stripline center conductor 18 includes a first leg 94 that connects to a telescoping leg 96 at a ninety-degree bend 98 having a forty-five degree bevel 100 . The telescoping leg 96 includes a wider section 102 that extends into a narrower section 104 . In the present specific embodiment, the first leg 94 and the wider section 102 of the telescoping leg 96 are approximately 0.026 inches wide, while the narrower section 104 is approximately 0.021 inches wide. The telescoping section 96 facilitates antenna tuning.
FIG. 6 shows the bottom surface 92 of the third layer section 54 of the compact broadband antenna 10 of FIG. 2 . The bottom surface 92 includes the metal-walled mode-suppression holes 44 and the coaxial feed transmission line section 22 with the inner conductor 56 . The surface 92 also accommodates the coaxial connector 58 .
FIG. 7 shows the top groundplane surface 78 of the third layer section 54 of the compact broadband antenna 10 of FIG. 2 . The coaxial connector holes 58 and the mode-suppression holes 44 terminate at the top groundplane surface 78 . The coaxial feed section 22 extends through the surface 78 to the top chamfered dielectric 32 of FIG. 2 , where it terminates. The center conductor 56 extends partially into the conical antenna element 26 or is bonded to the vertex of the conical antenna element 26 in implementations wherein the conical antenna element 26 is solid or is substantially hollow.
FIG. 8 is a diagram of an exemplary mounting system 110 adapted for use with the compact broadband antenna 10 of FIG. 2 . The antenna 10 is mounted to a surface of the mounting system 110 and oriented so that energy 46 from the antenna 10 emanates forward and approximately parallel to a system longitudinal axis 112 . The mounting system 110 may also accommodate other antennas, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna 114 . The mounting system 110 represents the front end of a projected munition with its radome cover removed.
In various embodiments disclosed herein, Rogers materials were selected for their ability to withstand temperature without losing thermal stability, hence alleviating concerns that the antenna would expand unduly with heat and thereby de-tune the antenna. The effects of G-forces are further alleviated with the aluminum stiffeners (see 71 of FIG. 2 ).
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the antenna 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 may be caused to operate at a lower or higher frequency by scaling all components in size while maintaining component aspect ratios.
Thus, the present invention has been described herein with reference to a particular embodiment for a particular application. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the present teachings will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof.
It is therefore intended by the appended claims to cover any and all such applications, modifications and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.
Accordingly, | A compact broadband antenna. The antenna includes a first mechanism for receiving input electromagnetic energy. A second mechanism provides radiated electromagnetic energy upon receipt of the input electromagnetic energy. The radiated electromagnetic energy is provided via an antenna element having one or more angled surfaces. A third mechanism directs the radiated electromagnetic energy in a specific direction. In a more specific embodiment, the third mechanism includes a reflective backstop that is selectively positioned behind the second mechanism to reflect back-radiated energy forward of the second mechanism, thereby causing reflected electromagnetic energy to combine in phase with forward-radiated energy from the second mechanism. The third mechanism further includes plural layers of dielectric material. One or more of the plural layers of dielectric material partially surround an angled radiating surface of the second mechanism, which is implemented via a substantially conical transmit element in the specific embodiment. | 7 |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0001] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, including its features and advantages, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:
[0002] FIG. 1 is a diagram utilized to explain an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0003] While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that may be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention.
[0004] Pregnenolone is a natural hormone that is sometimes referred to as the body's “master hormone” since it is the precursor for all other steroid hormones. It is converted directly into dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and/or progesterone. DHEA converts to testosterone and estrogens; progesterone converts to estrogens, cortisol and aldosterone. It is this succession of conversions that makes human life possible. Without pregnenolone, there can be no human steroid hormone production.
[0005] Back in the 1940's, when researchers started experimenting with the use of pregnenolone, they realized that it could be helpful for people under stress and it could increase energy in those who were fatigued. However, about the same time, cortisol was discovered.
[0006] Cortisol stole the limelight. When cortisol was given to individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, they experienced outstanding short-term improvements. Photographs of these remarkable recoveries were circulated and the medical community was impressed. Scientists then basically put pregnenolone aside to focus on cortisol. The structure of cortisol was altered to make similar molecules such as dexamethasone and prednisone, much more powerful steroids. Dexamethasone and other similar corticosteroids could be patented, and thus a pharmaceutical company could make a lot of money. Pregnenolone has stayed in relative obscurity since the 1940's, with only rare mentions in the medical literature. However, there have been few studies published on pregnenolone in recent years, and only a couple of the studies involve human subjects.
[0007] Some people find pregnenolone improves energy, vision, memory, clarity of thinking, wellbeing, and often sexual enjoyment or libido. Pregnenolone may be considered a good brain enhancer in those who are deficient. Studies in rodents show pregnenolone to be one of the most effective and powerful memory boosters. In addition, pregnenolone may increase levels of acetylcholine in the hippocampus and other memory regions in the brain. Some women report lessening of hot flashes or premenstrual symptoms.
[0008] Pregnenolone production has also been found to decrease as humans get older. Like many health-promoting hormones, levels of pregnenolone drop with age. Although the data is not as abundant or definitive for pregnenolone as it is for DHEA, Dr. Eugene Roberts, a pioneer in hormone research, believes that the age-related drop in pregnenolone is as dramatic as the drop in DHEA. At 75, our bodies typically make 60% less pregnenolone than at age 35. This is a point of great concern, considering pregnenolone's numerous protective, health-promoting properties Pregnenolone replacement therapy normally consists of patients taking oral supplements but the therapy is still evolving.
[0009] An embodiment of the present invention utilizes pellets of pregnenolone that are injected into the subcutaneous fat (fat beneath the skin) of a patient at various areas. FIG. 1 illustrates an example patient 100 . In this embodiment, the pregnenolone pellets are injected into the subcutaneous fat in the hands 104 of the patient 100 . Moreover, the pellets can also be injected into the thighs 110 of the patient. This embodiment contemplates an injection every 10-12 weeks in each of those areas. In addition, the pellets used are 25 and 50 milligram. First, the 25 milligram pellets are used, then the blood pressure of the patient should be checked before use of the 50 milligram pellets. If the blood pressure rises, use of the 50 milligram pellets should be avoided. Applications of this type have shown to positively effect the energy level of patients as well lowering the stress levels of the patients.
[0010] Another embodiment includes equal parts of pregnenolone and DHEA combined into a cream and is applied directly on the skin. Application directly on the skin helps replenish the pregnenolone and DHEA normally produced within the skin. Consequently, direct skin application has been found to improve the overall health of a patient. In addition, positive effects have been found if the cream is applied to thin vascular skin such as between the inner arm and the side of the arm or flank.
[0011] In this embodiment, the pregnenolone/DHEA cream is applied topically to skin on the face 102 , hands 104 and the chest 106 of the patient 100 . This embodiment contemplates two applications per day in each of those areas. Applications of this type have shown to positively effect the mood and well-being of patients. In addition, these types of applications have also shown to decrease pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion production stimulated by ACTH and stress. Such, the applications have been shown to improve the muscle to fat ratio of patients.
[0012] The pregnenolone/DHEA cream can also be applied to the nipples and clitoris of a female patient and the head of a male's penis. This application has been shown to improve libido and sexual response of the patients. One reason that this type of application helps is because the combined pregnenolone/DHEA cream has been shown to have a strong affinity for the Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG).
[0013] These types of applications have a strong affinity for serum albumin and positively effect cognition, depression and mobility. In addition, the applications affect global self-rated health for men and especially women. Moreover, the applications lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health in men. Further, the applications are antagonistic to cortisol and thus decrease abdominal fat. The applications also improve the skin and joints and increase hair growth.
[0014] Although this invention has been described with reference to an illustrative embodiment, this description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description. It is therefore intended that the appended claims accomplish any such modifications or embodiments. | A method is described herein for improving the overall health of a patient by providing subcutaneous pellets containing pregnenolone to at least one part of the body of the patient. In another embodiment, pregnenolone is mixed with DHEA into a cream and the resulting pregnenolone/DHEA cream is applied to at least one part of a body. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a power transmission system utilizing attraction/repulsion of a magnet to transmit a power from a driving side to a driven side.
[0002] Recently, a power transmission system utilizing attraction/repulsion of the magnet as transmission means replacing the conventional mechanic or hydraulic transmission means has been proposed with intent to alleviate a power loss during power transmission, to amplify an output (or achieve a joggle mechanism effect) and to achieve a reliability of transmission.
[0003] An example of such power transmission system utilizing attraction/repulsion of the magnet is disclosed in the document, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Gazette No. 2003-113923. This document discloses a power transmission system a magnet coupled to a driving side and a magnet coupled to a driven side are located to face each other in non-contacting relationship so that a rotary motion of the driving side may be converted to a sliding motion of the driven side under the effect of attraction/repulsion of the magnets.
[0004] The conventional power transmission system disclosed in the document comprises a plurality of disc-like shaped magnets arranged in a radial pattern so that the respective magnets on the driving side may synchronously rotate (rotate on axes thereof) and thereby switch-over of attraction/repulsion may be efficiently achieved.
[0005] However, the power transmission system of the prior art as disclosed in the document has disadvantageously accepted a considerable power loss due to the fact that it has been required for this system of the prior art to provide complicated transmission means such as gear means to rotate a plurality of magnets on the driving side and the precedent attraction/repulsion necessarily resists switch-over of attraction/repulsion due to the fact that the magnets face each other always along same surfaces of the magnets.
[0006] In view of the problem as has been described above, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a power transmission system improved so that a power loss possibly occurring during switch-over of attraction/repulsion can be effectively alleviated and an output of the system can be amplified (or an efficient joggle mechanism effect can be obtained).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In this invention, a power transmission system comprising a pair of inner magnets coupled to a driven side so as to be located between a pair of outer magnets coupled to a driving side and facing said pair of outer magnets in non-contact relationship therewith so that rotation of said pair of outer magnets coupled to the driving side causes said pair of inner magnets coupled to the driven side to reciprocate, said power transmission system being characterized in that, each of these magnets is rod shaped and said pair of the outer magnets coupled to the driving side are rotated around an axis passing through longitudinal centers of the respective magnets.
[0008] Such measure advantageously eliminates demand for complicated transmission means such as gears to rotate a plurality of magnets on the driving side. Depending on relative angular positions of the inner/outer magnets as rotation of the outermagnets, the magnets are partially free from face-to-face relationship so that resistance of attraction/repulsion to switch-over of attraction/repulsion is correspondingly alleviated. Specifically, about 1/100 to 1/120 of a force required to separate the magnets from each other as these magnets are stuck fast to each other without relative rotation is sufficient to separate these magnets from each other while these magnets relatively rotate.
[0009] A plurality of rod-shaped magnets are arranged in parallel one to another in each pair of the inner/outer magnets. With such measure, it is possible to adjust attraction/repulsion in said pair of magnets by increasing or decreasing the number of the magnets.
[0010] And three magnets are assembled in parallel one to another so that an intermediate magnet in each of magnet assemblies is staggered outward with respect to the remaining magnets. With such measure, attraction/repulsion of the intermediate magnet is relatively weakened.
[0011] Each of the magnets is magnetized in a direction orthogonal to the length of its rod shaped magnet so that the intermediate magnet in each of the magnet assemblies has a magnetic pole which is opposite to those of the magnets over- and underlying the intermediate magnet. Such measure facilitates the magnets to be assembled in parallel one to another without particular connecting means.
[0012] Thus, it is unnecessary for the power transmission system according to the present invention to employ complicated stages of power transmission and, depending on the relative angular positions of the rod-shaped magnets, the magnets have portions which are free from face-to-face relationship. Consequentially, resistance of precedent attraction/repulsion to a switch-over between attraction/repulsion of the magnets is alleviate so that the magnets can smoothly rotate, resulting in further alleviation of power loss.
[0013] Attraction/repulsion of the magnets can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of the magnets forming each of the magnet assembly comprising the magnets arranged in parallel one to another, and thereby amplification of the power transmission system can be easily achieved.
[0014] The middle magnet in each of the magnet assemblies has its attraction/repulsion relatively weakened and consequentially a resistance of precedent attraction/repulsion to switch-over of attraction/repulsion can be correspondingly alleviated. Further, the magnets arranged in parallel one to another can be easily obtained and as a result, the system can be easily manufactured at a low cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the power transmission system according to the present invention, of which (A) through (C) illustrate a sequence in which the system operates.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 1 , of which (A) through (C) correspond to (A) through (C) of FIG. 1 .
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a variation in a face-to-face relation of outer magnets facing inner magnets on one side, of which (A) illustrates the state corresponding to both FIG. 1(A) and FIG. 2(A) ; (B) illustrates the transitional state from FIG. 1(A) and FIG. 2(A) to FIG. 1(B) and FIG. 2(B) ; and (C) illustrates the state corresponding to both FIG. 1(B) and FIG. 2(B) .
[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a mechanical composition corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2 .
[0019] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a variant of the mechanical composition shown by FIGS. 1 and 2 .
[0020] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a variant of the mechanical composition shown by FIG. 5 .
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0021] Details of the power transmission system according to the present invention will be more fully understood from the description given hereunder in reference with the accompanying drawings.
[0022] This power transmission system comprise a pair of outer magnet assemblies, each composed of three outer magnets 1 coupled to a driven side and a pair of inner magnet assemblies, each composed of three inner magnets 1 coupled to a driven side located between a pair of the outer magnet assemblies as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The inner magnets 2 are located on both sides of a core 3 respectively.
[0023] Each of these magnets 1 , 2 is square rod-shaped and in each of the magnet assemblies, a plurality of magnets 1 , 2 (three magnets 1 a , 1 b , 1 c or 2 a , 2 b , 2 c ) are arranged in parallel one to another so as to be magnetized in alternative polarities in a direction orthogonal to the length of the respective rod-shape magnets 1 , 2 (See FIG. 2 ). Especially, intermediate magnets 1 b , 2 b in each of the magnet assemblies is magnetized in the direction orthogonal to the length thereof so as to have a polarity opposite to that of the magnets 1 a , 1 c or 2 a , 2 c over- and underlying the intermediate magnet 1 b or 2 b respectively (see FIG. 2(A) ).
[0024] The individual magnets 1 or 2 arranged in parallel one to another may be directly integrated without interposition of any connector means or the like to assure generation of magnetically high attraction/repulsion. In this way, a magnetic structure adapted to generate high attraction/repulsion can be easily obtained.
[0025] The outer magnets 1 in each of the outer magnet assemblies both coupled to the driving side are opposed to each other at a predetermined distance therebetween so as to have symmetric magnetic polarities (see FIG. 2(A) ) . The inner magnets 2 in each of the inner magnet assemblies both coupled to the driven side are located on both sides of a core 3 made of impermeable material as a block (see FIG. 2(A) ). Between the pair of the outer magnets 1 , the pair of the inner magnets 2 face the outer magnets 2 respectively in parallel but spaced therefrom.
[0026] The intermediate magnet 1 b in each of the outer magnet assemblies is staggered outward with respect to the remaining magnets 1 a , 1 c over- and underlying the intermediate magnet 1 b . Namely, the intermediate magnet 1 b is staggered outward with respect to the plane in which the outer magnet assembly faces the inner magnet assembly and kept in contact with the adjacent magnet 1 a , 1 c over- and underlying the intermediate magnet 1 b.
[0027] The intermediate magnet 2 b in each of the inner magnet assemblies is staggered outward with respect to the remaining magnets 2 a , 2 c over- and underlying the intermediate magnet 2 b . Namely, the intermediate magnet 2 b is staggered outward with respect to the plane in which the inner magnet assembly faces the outer magnet assembly and kept in contact with the adjacent magnet 2 a , 12 over- and underlying the intermediate magnet 2 b.
[0028] Thus, the outer magnets 1 always have poles facing the unlike poles of the inner magnets 2 on one side and have poles facing the same poles of the inner magnets 2 on the other side in the sate that the inner/outer magnet assemblies are arranged in parallel each other (see in FIG. 2(A) and FIG. 3(A) ). Further, such magnetic attraction/repulsion generated along an interface defined between each pair of the adjacent magnets 1 a , 1 c or 2 a , 2 c is reduced toward the middle of the magnetic structure.
[0029] And the outer magnets 1 are adapted to be synchronized with each other to rotate around respective centers of the rod-shaped magnets.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 4 , rotating mechanism 4 for the outer magnets 1 coupled to the driving side may comprise, for example, a rotary shaft 41 coupled to a device A such as electric motor on the driving side, a pair of gears 42 , 42 secured around said rotary shaft 41 , a rotary shaft 44 for a pair of rotary discs 43 , 43 and a pair of gears 45 , 45 secured around said rotary shaft 44 so that the gears 42 , 42 may be engaged with the gears 45 , 45 , respectively. The core 3 is coupled to a device B on the driven side.
[0031] And the pair of the inner magnets 2 as well as the core 3 coupled to the driven side are controlled so as to reciprocate between the pair of the outer magnets 1 coupled to the driving side.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 5 , a control mechanism 5 for the magnets 2 coupled to the driven side may comprise, for example, a spindle 51 to which the core 3 is coupled by the intermediary of an arm 52 so that the inner magnets 2 and the core 3 may reciprocate like a pendulum. Alternatively, the control mechanism may comprise rail means 53 and the runner means 54 coupled to the core 3 movably engaged with said rail means 53 , as schematically illustrated by FIG. 6 .
[0033] In a sate that the pair of the outer magnets 1 face the pair of the inner magnets 2 in mutually parallel relationship respectively (in the course of the rotation of the outer magnets 1 ), the outer magnets 1 cause the inner magnets 2 (together with the core 3 ) to be attracted to the side in which the poles of the inner magnets 2 face the unlike poles of the outer magnets 1 and to be repulsed from the side in which the poles of the inner magnets 2 face the same poles of the outer magnets 1 (see FIG. 1(A) , (C), FIG. 2(A) , (C)) and FIG. 3(A) )
[0034] In a state that the pair of the outer magnets 1 face the pair of the inner magnets 2 in mutually orthogonal relationship, the outer magnets 1 cause the inner magnets remain in equilibrium, and consequentially the inner magnets 2 are located midway between the pair of the outer magnets 1 (see FIGS. 1(B) , 2 (B) and 3 (C)).
[0035] In this manner this process is alternately repeated (as illustrated by (A) through (C) of FIG. 1 and the process illustrated by (A) through (C) of FIG. 2 ), and thereby a rotary motion on the driving side is transmitted to the driven side in the form of conversion to a reciprocating motion. Power transmission in this fashion allows considerable amplification (like an effect of toggle mechanism) to be obtained because the magnets 1 and 2 provide effectively powerful magnetic attraction/repulsion.
[0036] In addition, such power transmission advantageously alleviates a power loss during the process of power transmission since it is unnecessary for the power transmission of this fashion to employ complicated stages of power transmission as have been required for the conventional power transmission system (as disclosed in the Patent document).
[0037] Furthermore, during transition from the state illustrated by (A) and (C) of FIG. 1 and correspondingly (A) and (C) of FIG. 2 to the state illustrated by (B) of FIG. 1 and correspondingly (B) of FIG. 2 , the magnets 1 and 2 respectively have portions h which are free from face-to-face relationship due to the fact that the magnets 1 and 2 are square rod-shaped, and portions g which have relatively weak attraction/repulsion due to the fact that the intermediate magnets in the magnet assemblies are staggered outward with respect to the remaining magnets over- and underlying the intermediate magnets, respectively (see FIG. 3(B) ). Consequentially, resistance of the attraction/repulsion to a switch-over between attraction/repulsion of the magnets 1 and 2 is alleviate so that the magnets 1 and 2 can smoothly rotate, resulting in further alleviation of power loss.
[0038] The present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments as have been described above in reference with the accompanying drawings. Specifically, the number of individual magnets 1 , 2 forming each of the magnet assemblies may be selectively increased or decreased to adjust attraction/repulsion of the magnets 1 , 2 . Amplification of the power transmission also can be easily or effectively achieved. It is also possible without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention to provide two sets of magnets 1 , 2 in each of the magnet assemblies. | The present invention aims to alleviate a power loss possibly occurring when a power is transmitted from a driving side to a driven side using attraction/repulsion of magnets and to amplify (improve a joggle mechanism effect) an output.
A pair of inner magnets coupled to a driven side is located between a pair of outer magnets coupled to a driving side so as to face the pair of outer magnets 1 in non-contact relationship with the outer magnets 1 . Rotation of the outer magnets 1 coupled to the driving side causes the inner magnet 2 coupled to the driven side to reciprocate. Each of the magnets 1 and 2 has a rod-like shape and the magnets 1 coupled to the driving side are respectively rotated around longitudinal centers of the respective rode shaped magnets 1. | 7 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The following co-pending applications are assigned to the same assignee of the present application and are related to the present application:
a. "Current Pump Structure" by Mark Fitzpatrick et al., filed concurrently herewith and assigned Serial No. 07/506,418;
b. "Floating Transistor Switch" by Mark Fitzpatrick et al., filed concurrently herewith and assigned Ser. No. 07/505,858, which was issued on Apr. 2, 1991 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,971;
c. "New Phase/Frequency Detector" by Robert Burd et al., filed concurrently herewith and assigned Ser. No. 07/505,856;
d. "Circuit and Method for Extracting Clock Signal from a Serial Data Stream" by Andrew C. Graham et al., filed concurrently herewith and assigned Ser. No. 07/505,857; and
e. "Phase Detector Implemented With Diode Logic" by Andrew Graham et al., filed concurrently herewith and assigned Ser. No. 07,505,306.
The disclosures of these concurrently filed applications are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Background of the Invention
This invention relates to the design of phase-locked loops; and, in particular, relates to the design of phase-locked loops sensitive to frequency errors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Phase-locked loops find wide applications in communication and signal processing, such as in recovering an encoded signal embedded in a carrier. A phase-locked loop provides an output signal related to the input signal by a fixed frequency or phase relationship. The output signal may be the same or a harmonic signal.
A typical configuration of a phase-locked loop is shown in FIG. 1a. As shown in FIG. 1a, this phase-locked loop comprises a phase detector stage 100, a filter stage 101, and a voltage-controlled oscillator stage 102. The input signal V in is provided at the phase detector stage 100. The output signal V out of the voltage-controlled oscillator 102, can also be the output signal of the phase-locked loop. This output signal V out is fed back to the phase detector stage 100. In many applications, where it is desired to have the phase-locked loop's output signal frequency to be an integral multiple (N) of the input signal's frequency, a divide-by-N counter 103 is used to divide the feedback output signal V out to the input's signal frequency before feeding back as V out' into the phase detector stage 100. This optional divide-by-N counter 103 is also shown in FIG. 1a.
The phase detector 100 provides as output signal V.sub.Φ a waveform which is related to the phase difference between the input signal V in and the feedback signal V out' (V.sub.Φ =KΦ(θ i -θ fb )), where θ i and θ fb are the phase angles of the input signal V in and the feedback signal V out' respectively. In some phase detectors, each phase detector provides two outputs "up" and "down", corresponding to results of two logic functions applied to the input feedback signal V out' and the input signal V in , where the amount of time of the up signal in the active state relative to the amount of time of the down signal in the active state indicates whether the feedback signal V out' is leading or lagging input signal V in . In some embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 1b, charge pump circuits are provided to convert the up and down signals to a current waveform at the output of charge pump 104. This current waveform is then integrated to become a voltage waveform V a as shown at the output of filter 101. Alternatively, the up and down signals may be provided to the filter stage 101.
The filter stage 101 provides a time-average voltage level V a of the difference waveform V.sub.Φ. Or, if the up and down signals are provided instead V.sub.Φ, the filter stage 101 will also perform signal processing for the up and down signals. The signal processing in filter stage 101 is similar to that described above in the phase detector 100 for such signals. This time-average voltage level V a is a correction signal to the voltage-controlled oscillator 102 to adjust the phase of the output signal V out . FIGS. 1a and 1b each show the frequency f out of the output voltage V out being proportional to its input signal V a , and centered around a principal frequency f 0 .
There are many kinds of phase detector circuits known in the art, some are sensitive only to the difference in phase between the input and the feedback signals, and others are sensitive to both phase and frequency differences in the input and feedback signals. Two examples of phase detector circuits may be found in the part MC4344/4044, shown at page 7-25 of the Motorola MECL data book, copyrighted 1983, series D, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In MC4344/4044, there are two different phase detector circuits, referred to as phase frequency detector number 1, and phase detector number 2. (In the diagram shown at page 7-25 of the above reference, both phase detectors are labelled phase frequency detectors. This is a misnomer, since phase detector number 2 is not sensitive to frequency variations.) Phase frequency detector number 1 is a sequential circuit having an output signal proportional not only to the phase difference of the two input signals V in and V out' , but also to the frequency difference of these input signals as well. Phase detector number 2 is a combinatorial logic circuit, and is strictly a phase detector and is unable to respond to frequency difference with a consistent average output voltage level. In fact, the averaged output signal alternates between high and low levels at a rate related to the frequency difference (i.e. a beat note).
FIG. 2a shows an active high logic gate 200 being used as a phase detector. This logic gate 200 belongs to the class of "quadrature" phase detectors, since the phase detector "locks" on to the input voltage waveform 90 degrees out of phase. The phase detector 200 provides two outputs, labelled respectively "up" and "down". Both outputs (up and down) may be fed into a filter circuit which, in turn, provides a correction signal corresponding to the relative strengths (see below) of the up and down signals. This correction signal directs the voltage-controlled oscillator to provide an output having a higher or lower frequency in the output feedback signal, as the case may be. A truth table is included in FIG. 1a' to show the output logic values V Up and V Down in phase detector 200 in response to the input logic values V fb and V in .
FIG. 2b shows the operations of the phase detector under the conditions at which the feedback voltage waveform is leading, tracking or lagging the locking condition.
The input voltage waveform V in is shown at the top of FIG. 2b. The feedback voltage waveform V fb1 illustrates the condition in which the feedback signal V fb1 leads the input signal V in by θ e . Under the leading condition, the feedback voltage waveform V fb1 is (90-θ e ) degrees out of phase with the input voltage waveform V in . The output of the phase detector 200 yields the voltage waveforms labelled V upl and V down1 . In this instance, the percentage of time at active high for V upl is smaller than the percentage of time at active high for V down1 , i.e. the time-average voltage of V upl is smaller than the time-average voltage of V down1 ; in other words, the down output of the phase detector 200 is relatively stronger than its up output. The VCO will be directed to provide an output with a lower frequency (down) in order to minimize the phase difference between V in and V fbl .
The feedback voltage waveform V fb2 illustrates a feedback waveform in quadrature lock condition with the input waveform V in . The output voltage waveforms V up2 and V down2 of this phase detector 200 are at logic high substantially the same percentage of time. Therefore, the filter output signal V a to the voltage controlled oscillator will tend to maintain the output of the voltage-controlled oscillator at the current frequency.
The feedback voltage waveform V fb3 illustrates a feedback waveform lagging the quadrature lock condition by a phase of θ e . The output voltage waveform V up3 of this phase detector 200 has a higher percentage of time in the active high state than the output waveform V down3 , hence the relative strength of the output signal at the up output of the phase detector is stronger than the output signal at the down output of the phase detector. Under this condition, the filter output signal V a at filter stage 101 will drive the voltage-controlled oscillator 102 to increase the frequency of the feedback signal V fb3 until signal V fb3 is in quadrature lock relationship with the input signal V in again.
FIG. 3 shows another phase detector 300, which comprises a sequential circuit. The output voltage waveforms up and down of this phase detector are dependent not only on the difference in phase between the input signal V in and the feedback signal V fb , but are also dependent on the difference in frequency between these same signals V in and V fb . The type of phase detectors which are sensitive both to phase and frequency, such as phase detector 300, is usually known as phase frequency detectors. A detailed discussion of the operation of this phase detector 300 may be found at pages 7-27 to 7-28 in the Motorola MECL data book referenced above. The detailed operation of this phase detector 300 is known in the art, and is therefore not repeated here.
A phase-locked loop using strictly a phase detector (i.e. a detector of the type not sensitive to frequency differences), may be unable to lock on a signal V in if the frequency of the initial feedback signal V fb of the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is very different from the input signal V in . This is because the phase detector, being insensitive to the frequency difference between the input signal V in and the feedback signal V fb , does not provide a frequency correction signal to the VCO to pull the two signals closer to each other. The range of the frequencies in which a phase-locked loop is able to lock an input signal V in , when the phase-locked loop is not initially locked, is known as the "pull-in" range. The pull-in range of a phase-locked loop having only a strict phase detector is often limited; such a loop will often only lock an incoming signal V in if the initial frequency of the VCO deviates within a narrow range of the incoming signal. An analysis of the pull-in process for a phase-locked loop having only a strict phase detector may be found in Appendix A of the book "Phase-locked Loops" by Dr. Roland E. Best, published by McGraw Hill Inc., New York (1984), hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
On the other hand, if the phase detector used in a phase-locked loop has a frequency sensitivity (i.e. a phase frequency detector), the pull-in range of the phase-locked loop is greatly enhanced to allow locking of signals over a wide range of frequencies, provided a wide range VCO is used. A phase frequency detector always provides a correction signal to drive the VCO in the direction in which the frequency error is reduced even if the difference in frequency between the input signal V in and the feedback signal V fb is large. This signal assumes a phase correction character as the frequency difference between the incoming signal V in and the feedback signal V fb narrows. A phase-locked loop using a phase frequency detector can hence tolerate an initial wide variation in frequency. In fact, as long as the incoming signal V in is within the signal range of the VCO, locking is almost certain to happen; that is, the pull-in range of such a phase-locked loop is essentially the range of the VCO. (Of course, if a divide-by-N counter is interposed between in the feedback signal, the pull-in range will be essentially the range of the VCO divided by N).
However, as can be seen by a comparison between FIGS. 2a and 3, a strict phase detector is much simpler in structure. There are numerous occasions when a strict phase detector is preferable to a phase frequency detector. The strict phase detector may have no feedback in the circuit, and hence a much shorter critical-path gate delay. As a result, the strict phase detector may operate at a much higher frequency, if its narrow pull-in range can be tolerated. Furthermore, the strict phase detector has a superior noise performance over the phase frequency detector. For example, if the incoming signal to be locked is mixed with a number of signals of different frequencies, or its signal level is low relative to the noise of the environment, a phase detector having no frequency correction performs significantly better than a phase frequency detector which may often track the undesired signals, or may not obtain lock on any signal at all.
FIG. 4 shows a signal in an application particularly suited for a phase detector with no frequency sensitivity. The waveform shown in FIG. 4 is a clock signal with embedded data using a pulse encoding scheme. The clock signal is made up of regular transitions, such as those shown during the time period T1, which are interrupted by the encoding data. For example, time periods T2, T4 and T6 are such data embedded periods, and time periods T1, T3 and T5 are periods of regular transition. When provided with this signal as input, a phase-locked loop using a phase frequency detector will most likely lock on to an average frequency, if it locks at all, rather than the desired clock frequency of regular transitions. However, a phase-locked loop having the strict phase detector could ignore the time periods of no transition (e.g. time periods T2, T4 and T6), and lock on to the clock signal.
Being unable to provide a frequency correction signal, a strict phase detector can lock on to a harmonic frequency. When the feedback signal is a harmonic and in phase with the harmonic component of the incoming signal, the phase-locked loop may operate at the harmonic, even if there is no noise in the environment. A phase frequency detector in this situation will be able to provide a correction signal to adjust the VCO to lock the incoming signal at the correct frequency.
Hence, the two types of phase detectors discussed above are favored in different applications. It would be, however, very desirable to have a phase detector circuit being able to lock onto a wide range of frequencies, but at the same time having the advantages of a simple phase detector, i.e. the ability to extract a clock signal from embedded data or surrounding noise, or from a signal mixed in with signals of a multitude of frequencies etc. Such a phase detector is useful in a tuner for T.V. signal, for example; or for recovering clock and data signals from a pulse train whose carrier frequency might take on a number of values. In general, a manufacturer of the phase-locked loops may desire to offer to customers one phase-locked loop capable of operating over a range of frequencies, e.g. a two-to-one range, and allow the customer the flexibility of selecting from that range a particular frequency to operate the phase-locked loop. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a phase-locked loop, with the advantages of a narrow pull-in range of a strict phase detector, which can be tuned to lock an incoming signal of a frequency to be determined at the time of use, rather than at the time of design.
In the prior art, a narrow range phase-locked loop allowing the customer to set an operating frequency at the time of use may be achieved by requiring the use of external components to tune the VCO to a center frequency at the center of the customer's range of frequencies. These external components are typically a resistor, an inductor, a capacitor, or a combination of two or more of these components. It is up to the customer to provide carefully chosen external components to achieve the desired operating frequency. Often, the customer may have to go through some experimentation, or obtain precisely calibrated components, in order to achieve the frequency which is the center of his range. Furthermore, the external components are often critical to the timing of the VCO itself. In high frequency applications, having external components causes problems. In fact, as the external components to a phase-locked loop in an integrated circuit package are connected to the integrated circuit by the lead frame and bonding wires, the integrated circuit may become susceptible to the noise on the circuit board, or from adjacent pins in the package. The effects on the sensitive VCO circuit include undesirable jitter or phase noise. If the noise is caused by output switching in the various outputs of the integrated circuit, under certain conditions, the phase-locked loop may lose its lock on the signal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a phase-locked loop is provided comprising a reference phase-locked loop using a user-provided reference frequency, in combination of a recovery phase-locked loop having a strict phase detector. The phase-locked loop in accordance to the present invention achieves the superior noise performance and narrow lock range of a strict phase detector phase-locked loop and possesses, at the same time, the ability to accept a wide range of input frequencies, as in a phase frequency detector phase-locked loop.
In accordance with the present invention also, a voltage clamp between the reference phase frequency detector phase-locked loop and the strict phase detector phase-locked loop is provided to restrict the strict phase detector phase-locked loop from locking on strong harmonics, and to help it acquire lock on frequencies near a center frequency established by the reference phase-locked loop.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1a shows a typical phase-locked loop in diagram form.
FIG. 1b shows in block diagram form an alternative implementation of a typical phase-locked loop.
FIG. 2a shows an implementation in the prior art of a logic gate phase detector.
FIG. 2b shows the operation of a phase-locked loop using the logic gate phase detector shown in FIG. 2a, under leading, locking, and lagging condition.
FIG. 2a' is a truth table showing the output logic states of the logic gate phase detector shown in FIG. 2a.
FIG. 3 shows a phase frequency detector.
FIG. 4 shows a signal waveform made up of a clock signal and embedded data.
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a phase-locked loop in accordance to the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows a schematic voltage clamp circuit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 7a shows one part of an embodiment of a voltage clamp circuit in accordance with the present invention; this part of the clamping circuit prevents the output node of the clamping circuit from falling below a predetermined voltage.
FIG. 7b shows another part of an embodiment of a voltage clamp circuit in accordance with the present invention; this part of the clamping circuit prevents the output node of the clamping circuit from rising above another predetermined voltage.
FIGS. 7c' and 7c", which together form FIG. 7c, show another embodiment of a voltage clamp circuit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 7d shows an alternative implementation of a part of a voltage clamp circuit in accordance with the present invention; this part of the clamping circuit prevents the output node of the clamping circuit from rising above a predetermined voltage.
FIG. 8 shows a frequency spectrum that could correspond to a signal of the type shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 9 shows an alternative implementation of a phase-locked loop in accordance with the present invention; in this FIG. only the filter stages 502a and 502b, and the voltage controlled oscillators 503a and 503b are shown.
FIG. 10 shows the current I REC at node REC as a function of the voltage V REC at node REC due to the application of a voltage clamp in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
For the sake of consistency and simplicity, in the following description active high logic will be used throughout the rest of the description. Similarly, voltage levels are assumed to be relative to ground; and, wherever a transistor is used, a metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MESFET) is assumed. However, unless otherwise specified, using active high logic, relative-to-ground voltage reference and MESFETs are for example only. The skilled person will be able to, in view of the following description and accompanying drawings, utilize voltage levels relative to other power supply voltages, use active low logic elements, or use other transistors, such as bipolar transistors or MOSFETs, upon suitable modification of the circuits using techniques known in the art.
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a phase-locked loop in accordance with the present invention. The phase-locked loop shown in FIG. 5 comprises two component phase-locked loops 500a and 500b, respectively called the "reference" phase-locked loop and the "recovery" phase-locked loop. Each phase-locked loop comprises a phase detector section (501a and 501b), a filter section (502a and 502b) and a VCO section (503a and 503b) similar to the phase-locked loop described in FIG. 1a. The optional divide-by-N counters 504a and 504b are also shown, although such counters are optional, as discussed in conjunction with FIG. 1a. The input to the reference phase-locked loop 500a is a reference signal V in1 of the reference frequency f in1 supplied by the user at the time of operation; this reference frequency f in1 is related to the frequency in the incoming signal V in2 , which is close to or equal to a center frequency f in2 , about which the phase detector is expected to lock, by the relation:
f.sub.in1 =(N2/N1)*f.sub.in2. (F.1)
In phase-locked loop 500a, the phase detector section is composed of a phase frequency detector 501a, which is responsive to both frequency and phase differences between the input signal V in1 and V fbl . This phase frequency detector 501a may be provided by a circuit such as that shown in FIG. 3. Recalling that the pull-in range of a phase-locked loop using a phase frequency detector is substantially the range of the VCO divided by the division factor of the feedback divide-by-N counter, the reference phase-locked loop 500a will lock on the reference signal V in1 , if the reference frequency f in1 is within the range of VCO 503a divided by N1. In one embodiment of the present invention, the pull-in range is described as "two-to-one", i.e the maximum frequency within the range is two times the minimum frequency within the range.
The VCOs 503a and 503b in accordance with the present invention are designed to be well-matched, such that substantially identical voltage inputs at the respective VCO input terminals will result in output signals of substantially identical output frequencies. This matching may be achieved in an integrated circuit by forming the VCOs using substantially identical layout, and placing them in close proximity with each other. Other techniques for matching such circuits are also known in the art.
The recovery phase-locked loop 500b has a strict phase detector 501b, not responsive to frequency differences, but having all the advantages of the strict phase detector phase-locked loop as discussed above in conjunction with FIGS. 2a and 2b. The input signal V ab to VCO 503b in this recovery phase-locked loop 500b is provided by summing the output signals V a and V b of the filter sections 502a and 502b in the reference phase-locked loop 500a and the recovery phase-locked loop respectively. The output signals V a and V b of the filter sections 502a and 502b respectively are combined by the summing circuit 520 comprising the resistors 505a and 505b and the buffers 506a, 506b and 507. These buffers 506a, 506b and 507 are provided for desirable isolation of the filter circuits 502a and 502b, but are in fact unnecessary for the practice of the present invention. In practice, the buffer circuits 506a , 506b and 507 may provide gain. For simplicity in the present discussion, however, a unity gain in the buffer circuits suffices.
It is evident from the summing circuit 520 shown that the voltage V ab at node 509 is given by:
V.sub.ab =(R2*V.sub.a +R1*V.sub.b)/(R1+R2) (F.2)
where R1 and R2 are resistance values of the resistors 505a and 505b respectively, and V a and V b are voltages at nodes 508a and 508b respectively. Therefore, the respective resistance values R1 and R2 of resistors 505a and 505b determine the voltage at node 509. Specifically, the larger the resistance R2 relative to the resistance R1, the greater the influence of the reference phase-locked loop 500a on the recovery phase-locked loop 500b.
Therefore, if the frequency of the initial feedback signal V fb2 of VCO 503b is significantly different from the product of the counter ratio (N1/N2) and the reference frequency f in1 of the reference signal V ref , the voltages V a and V b at nodes 508a and 508b will also be significantly different. The voltage V ab at node 509, determined by the relation F.2 above, will be a frequency correction signal to VCO 503b to pull the recovery phase-locked loop 500b to lock the portion of incoming signal V in2 if it is at or about the reference frequency f in1 times the counter ratio (N1/N2), even though recovery phase-locked loop 500b does not have a phase frequency detector. On the other hand, if the frequency of signal V fb2 of the VCO 503b is close to the reference frequency f in1 times the counter ratio (N1/N2), the voltages V a and V b at nodes 508a and 508b will be close to equal, so that the recovery phase-locked loop will lock the incoming signal V in2 , acting as if the reference and recovery phase-locked loops 500a and 500b are decoupled. Hence, the reference phase-locked loop sets a center frequency f in2 equal to f in1 times counter ratio (N1/N2) for the recovery phase-locked loop 500b. In fact, because the reference phase-locked loop 500a will provide a strong correction signal to the recovery phase-locked loop 500b when the reference frequency f in1 times the counter ratio (N1/N2) is significantly different from the frequency of the incoming signal V in2 , tending to coerce the recovery phase-locked loop 500b to lock a signal close to the frequency f in1 times the counter ratio (N1/N2), the pull-in range of the recovery phase-locked loop 500b is related to the pull-in range of the reference phase-locked loop 500a by the counter ratio (N1/N2) and the choice of resistor values R1 and R2. If R1 is much greater than R2, the influence of the reference phase-locked loop 500a upon recovery phase-locked loop 500b is more attenuated, allowing recovery phase-locked loop 500b to maintain its narrow pull-in range. It can be seen that, if R1 is chosen to be smaller in relation to R2, the influence of the reference phase-locked loop 500a is stronger, tending to coerce the recovery phase-locked loop 500b to lock even closer to the center frequency set by the reference phase-locked loop 500a. Hence, the smaller R1 will effectuate an even narrower pull-in range for the recovery phase-locked loop 500b.
In summary, it can be seen that the reference phase-locked loop 500a provides a center frequency about which the recovery phase-locked loop 500b may lock an incoming signal V in2 , while the recovery phase-locked loop 500b provides the fine tuning to lock within its narrow pull-in range, but maintaining the superior noise performance as a phase-locked loop having only simple phase detection ability.
Taken in total, the reference and recovery phase-locked loops 500a and 500b provide a phase-locked loop capable of locking a wide range of frequencies, and once a target frequency is selected within that wide range, the phase-locked loop has the advantages of a strict phase detector phase-locked loop. These advantages are realized inexpensively because the reference frequency may be provided in high accuracy using a crystal. Because the reference frequency is a digital signal, it is not particularly susceptible to noise. The sensitive analog components, such as the VCO or the filter stages, are kept entirely on-chip, thereby isolating them from both noise in the environment and output noise of the integrated circuit itself.
There are situations in which adding the summation circuit shown in FIG. 5 may still be insufficient to provide locking at the desired frequency. For example, consider the frequency spectrum shown in FIG. 8, which is a possible frequency spectrum for a waveform of the type shown in FIG. 4. This frequency spectrum not only has a high amplitude spike at the clock frequency f 1 (frequency of the signal shown in FIG. 4 for the time period T1), but a myriad of spikes at harmonics which are fractionally related to the clock frequency. (These are fractional harmonics, i e. they are related to the principal frequency f 1 by a rational fraction--i.e. a ratio of two integers). The fractional harmonics may be found very close to the principal frequency, hence there is a danger that the recovery phase-locked loop may lock one of the fractional harmonics, because of its ability to lock onto a weak signal out of noise. In order to further restrict the pull-in range of the recovery phase-locked loop 500b, a voltage clamp 510 is introduced, as shown in FIG. 5. By constraining the voltage difference between nodes 508a and 508b to a restricted range, this voltage clamp 510 will ensure the signal locked by the recovery phase-locked loop 500b will remain close to the center frequency set by the reference signal. The voltage clamp 510 also initializes the VCO 503b to operate at a point close to the center frequency within the pull-in range of the desired input frequency.
It is, however, not required to provide the voltage clamp at the output nodes 508a and 508b of the filters 502a and 502b respectively. A different scheme achieving the voltage clamping effect on nodes 508a and 508b is shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, filter 502a is shown to be implemented as a having two poles and one zero using two capacitors 901a and 903a, and resistor 902a. Filter 502b is shown to be identically constructed. Instead of applying the voltage clamp 510 to nodes 508a and 508b as shown in FIG. 5, the voltage clamp 510 is applied to nodes 910a and 910b inside the filters 502a and 502b between the junction of resistor 902a and capacitor 903a and between resistor 902b and capacitor 903b respectively. Under locking condition, no net current should flow through resistors 902a and 902b; therefore, nodes 508a and 910a have the same average voltage. Likewise, nodes 508b and 910b are at the same average voltage. Under locking condition, the voltage clamp 510 constrains nodes 508a and 508b as previously. However, by applying the voltage clamp at nodes 910a and 910b, the nodes 508a and 508b may each have a larger dynamic range, allowing the recovery phase-locked loop 500b to have better response to variations in the input signal V in2 .
Clamp 510 may be implemented in a variety of ways. One embodiment is shown schematically in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the circuit enclosed in the box 600 can be an amplifier or voltage follower with a unity gain. This amplifier or voltage follower 600 provides isolation between the input node REF and the output node REC of this voltage clamp. Diodes 601a and 601b, each biased respectively by voltage sources 602a and 602b, set the range of voltages in which signal V REC at node REC is allowed to deviate from signal V REF at node REF. It can be seen that, if voltage V REF at node REF is greater than the voltage V REC at node REC by greater than the bias voltage V2 and a forward-biased diode drop, diode 601a will turn on to constrain the voltage difference to V2 plus the forward-biased diode voltage drop. Conversely, if voltage V REC at node REC falls below V REF at node REF by greater than bias voltage V3 plus a forward-biased diode drop, diode 601b will turn on to constrain the voltage difference to V3 plus the forward-biased diode drop. Thus, the voltage swing allowed by clamp 510 (FIG. 5) can be mathematically expressed as:
V.sub.REF +V2+D2>=V.sub.REC >=V.sub.REF -D3-V3
where V2 and V3 are the values of voltage sources 602a and 602b respectively, and D2 and D3 are the forward-biased diode voltage drops across the diodes 601a and 601b respectively.
Hence, the phase-locked loop in accordance to the present invention is provided with (i) the ability to lock a signal from within a narrow pull-in range selected from a wide range of frequencies related to the pull-in range of the reference phase-locked loop 500a, (ii) the simple phase detector's ability for tracking signals in noise or the presence of other signals by the recovery phase-locked loop 500b, and (iii) the ability to avoid locking fractional harmonics using the voltage clamp 510.
Another embodiment of the voltage clamp 510 is shown in two parts in FIGS. 7a and 7b. The circuit shown in FIG. 7a prevents the output node REC from falling below a predetermined voltage. The circuit shown in FIG. 7b prevents the output node REC from rising above another predetermined voltage.
In FIG. 7a, the transistors 701a and 701b form a well-matched differential pair. The load devices 702a, 702b, 703 and 704 act as constant current sources. Load devices 702a and 702b are designed to match each other as closely as possible. Load device 704 is designed such that, at the balance point of the differential pair 701a and 701b, load device 704 provides a smaller current than the current flowing through load device 703. This smaller current is preferably, but not necessarily, one half of the current in load device 703. In this example, to simplify the discussion below, the current in load device 704 is assumed to be substantially equal to one half of the current in load device 703. The resistor R1 provides a control voltage drop V c between the gate of transistor 701a and the cathode of diode 706a. This control voltage drop V c is determined by the current of current source 702a, since all current through current source 702a must flow through resistor R1, the gate of transistor 701a being of high impedance. Transistor 701a is biased such that it has a reasonable drain-to-source voltage and operating in the saturation region of the transistor. Transistors 707a, 707b, 701a and 701b have their drains connected to a positive power supply.
Diodes 706a and 706b are designed to be as closely matched as possible. Likewise, transistors 707a and 707b, and resistors 708a and 708b, are also designed to be as closely matched as possible.
The structure formed by transistor 707a, resistor 708a and diode 706a, together with the corresponding structure formed by transistor 707b, resistor 708b and diode 706b are not necessary for the practice of the present invention; the matched transistor, resistor and diode pairs may each be eliminated independent of the other matched pairs. Transistors 707a and 706b obviate the need for node REF and REC respectively to provide the current in current sources 702a and 702b, hence transistors 707a and 707b may be eliminated if the nodes REF and REC can provide the necessary currents for current sources 702a and 702b. In that case, the nodes REF and REC will be connected to the anodes of diodes 706a and 706b respectively. The presence of diodes 706a and 706b enhances the common mode range of the circuit, and allows voltages at nodes REC and REF to go higher than if the diodes 706a and 706b are not present. Diodes 706a and 706b also help to ensure that transistors 701 a and 701b operate in their respective saturation regions, by ensuring that the drain voltages at transistors 701a and 701b are substantially above their gate voltages. These diodes are not necessary if the transistors 701a and 701b are true enhancement devices, where drain and gate voltages may be substantially the same even operating at the region of saturation. However, in many processes, the threshold voltage targets of the enhancement mode devices are very close to zero volts, such that over variation of process and/or temperature, the threshold voltage may actually be negative.
Resistors 708a and 708b perform a function similar to the function of diodes 706a and 706b (i.e. level shifting). Resistors are more versatile than diodes in that the voltage drops attainable across resistors may each be much smaller than the forward-biased voltage of a diode. If a larger voltage drop is desired, the resistors 708a and 708b may be replaced by one or more diodes.
It should also be evident that the level shifting function of the diodes 706a and 706b, resistors 708a and 708b may be provided alternatively by other combinations of resistors and diodes. The function of transistors 707a and 707b, likewise, may be provided by any transistors including MOSFETs, JFETs, and bipolar transistors.
When the differential pair 701a and 701b is not balanced, e.g. when voltage V REC at the output node REC is falling, so that the gate of transistor 701b is slightly below the corresponding gate voltage at transistor 701a, slightly less than half of the current in current source 703 will be provided by the current through transistor 701b. As a result, the voltage at the drain of transistor 701b will begin to rise, pulled by current source 704 towards the power supply voltage, until the point when the diode 705 is forward-biased to cause a current to flow from current source 704, through diode 705 and out of the output node REC to oppose any further drop of the voltage V REC at node REC.
At the point when the differential pair 701a and 701b are balanced, the voltage at gate 701a is the voltage V REF less the gate-to-source voltage of transistor 707a, the diode drop of diode 706a and the voltage drop V c at resistor R1. Since the transistors 707a and 707b, and the diodes 706a and 706b are designed to be as closely matched as possible, at this balance point of differential pair 701a and 701b, the voltage difference between the voltage V REF at the input node REF, and the voltage V REC at the output node REC must be equal to the control voltage drop V c . If the voltage V REC at the output node REC falls below voltage (V REF -V c ), the mechanism discussed above whereby current will flow out of node REC to oppose further drop of V REC will initiate.
On the other hand, if the voltage at REC rises, such that the gate voltage at transistor 701b is slightly above the gate voltage at corresponding transistor 701a, then more than half of the current at current source 703 will have to be provided through transistor 701b. As a result, the voltage at the drain terminal of transistor 701b falls, resulting in the diode 705 being reversed biased. The source voltage at the source terminal of transistor 701bwill continue to fall. Hence, it is seen that the circuit in FIG. 7a prevents the voltage V REC at output node REC from falling below the predetermined voltage (V REF -V c ), provided, of course, that the current flowing out of node REC is sufficient to overwhelm the external circuit trying to pull the node REC lower.
FIG. 7b shows a circuit in accordance with the present invention which prevents the voltage V REC at node REC to rise above a predetermined voltage.
The circuit shown in FIG. 7b is similar to the circuit shown in FIG. 7a. In fact, the elements of this circuit shown in FIG. 7b having counterparts performing similar function in FIG. 7a are given the same reference numerals, each distinguished from its counterpart in FIG. 7a by a "'" appended to its reference numeral. Hence, in FIG. 7b, the differential pair are numbered 701a' and 701b', the transistors 707a' and 707b' are similar in function to their counterparts 707a and 707b in FIG. 7a etc. One difference between the circuits in FIGS. 7a and 7b is the resistor R1', which is now on the output node REC side of the circuit, as distinguished from resistor R1 in FIG. 7a, which is shown on the REF side of the circuit. It is therefore apparent that, in order to achieve balanced condition in the circuit, i.e. equal voltages at the gates of transistors 701a' and 701 b', the voltage V REC at node REC must be higher than the voltage V REF at node REF by the control voltage V c' . This voltage V c' need not be equal in magnitude to the voltage V c shown in FIG. 7a. In fact, the choice of V c and V c' must be determined by the environment in which the circuit is to operate.
The diode 705 in FIG. 7a does not have a counterpart in FIG. 7b. Instead, transistor 709' and diode 710' are provided in its place in FIG. 7b; transistor 709' and diode 710' have no counterparts in FIG. 7a. Diode 710' is not necessary for the practice of the present invention. The benefit of providing diode 710' will be discussed at a later section. If the voltage at node REC rises above the balance point of the differential pair 701a' and 701b', then more than half of the current flowing through current source 703' will flow through transistor 701b'. As a result, the voltage at the drain of transistor 701b, will drop below the gate voltage of transistor 709' by greater than the threshold voltage of transistor 709', thereby turning on transistor 709'. The current through transistor 709' will be drawn from node REC', tending to counteract the rising voltage V REC' at node REC'.
On the other hand, if the voltage V REC' at REC' falls, such that the voltage at the gate of transistor 701b' falls below the gate voltage at transistor 701a', then less than half the current in current source 703' will flow through transistor 701b', tending to pull the drain voltage of transistor 701b' towards power supply level. At some point, the difference between the voltage at the drain of 701b' and the gate voltage of transistor 709' will be less than the threshold voltage of transistor 709', thereby turning transistor 709' off, as the voltage V REC' at node REC' continues to fall. It can be seen that the voltage drop across the drain and source terminals of transistor 701b' is substantially V c' because the drain voltage of transistor 701b' is a threshold voltage below the gate voltage of transistor 709', the source voltage of transistor 701b is again a threshold voltage below the gate voltage of transistor 701b' , and the voltage drop between the gates of transistors 701b' and 709' is V c' .
Therefore, the circuit shown in FIG. 7b prevents the voltage V REC' at node REC' to rise above the voltage (V REF' +V c' ).
FIG. 7d shows another implementation of a circuit to prevent the voltage V REC' at node REC' from rising above a predetermined voltage, in accordance with the present invention In FIG. 7d, in contrast with FIG. 7b, the transistor 709' is replaced by diode 740'. As the voltage V REC' at node REC' rises above the balance point (V REF' +V c' ), more than half of the current through current source 703' flows through transistor 701b'. As a result, the voltage at the drain of the transistor 701b' drops below the voltage V REC' by greater than the forward biased diode drop of diode 740'. At that point, current will be drawn by diode 740' (now forward biased) from node REC' to counteract the rising voltage V REC' . It can be similarly seen that a falling voltage V REC' at node REC' will cause the node at the drain of transistor 701b' to rise, thereby reverse biasing diode 740'.
It is now evident that by providing the circuits shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b or alternatively, the circuits in FIGS. 7a and 7d, in parallel, i.e. by connecting node REC to node REC' and node REF to node REF', the voltage V REC at node REC may be clamped between (V REF -V c ) and (V REF +V c' ), suitable for use as the voltage clamp 510 shown in FIG. 5.
A summary of current I REC flowing into node REC as a result of voltage swing at node REC is shown in FIG. 10.
Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 7c, which is shown in two parts as FIGS. 7c' and 7c". In FIG. 7c, the circuit 700a for preventing voltage V REC at node REC to rise above a predetermined voltage is shown in the upper portion (i.e. FIG. 7c') of FIG. 7c, and the circuit 700b for preventing voltage V REC from falling below another predetermined voltage is shown in the lower portion (i.e. FIG. 7c") of FIG. 7c. Some elements of the circuit in FIG. 7c, such as the differential pair 701a and 701b, and the resistors R1 and R1' providing the control voltage drops, performs the same function as corresponding elements in the circuits provided in FIGS. 7a and 7b. These circuit elements are given the same reference numerals in FIG. 7c to highlight the equivalence with their counterparts in FIGS. 7a and 7b. These elements are transistors 701a, 701 b, 701a', 701b', 707a, 707b, 707a', 707b' and 709'; diodes 706a, 706b, 706a', 706b', 705 and 710'; and resistors R1, R1', 708a' and 708b'. The functions of the above listed circuit elements are discussed in detail above, and will not be repeated here.
On the left hand side of FIG. 7c (FIG. 7c") is shown a circuit comprising transistors 720, 721, and 723, diode 722 and a number of resistors. This circuit is used to provide a constant voltage, labelled VT, used in various places of the circuit shown in the FIG. 7c to provide constant current sources. The structure consisting of transistor 723 and resistors R4 and R5 is essentially a constant current source The gate terminal of transistor 723 and one side of R4 is tied to a voltage source V EE which has a voltage below common ground. The current flowing through the series resistors R4 and R5 is determined by the sum of their resistance values, and the voltage drop across the gate and source of transistor 723. Note that transistor 723 is a depletion mode device, so that the gate-to-source voltage drop is negative. There is an analogous structure consisting of transistor 720 and resistor R3. The current flowing through the resistor R3 is similarly determined by its resistance value and the gate-to-source drop in transistor 720, which is also a depletion mode device.
In this embodiment, the size of transistor 720 is deliberately chosen to be five times the size of transistor 723. Similarly, the resistance of R3 is also deliberately chosen to be five times smaller than the total resistance of resistors R4 and R5 connected in series. Since the voltage drop across R3 and the voltage drop across the series resistors R4 and R5 are the same, being the gate-to-source voltage of transistor 720 and 723 respectively, the current flowing through resistor R3 will be five times the current flowing through the series transistors R4 and R5. This ratio may be changed by using different values of resistors R3, R4, and R5, or different "pinch-off" voltages of transistors 720 and 723, or different sizes of transistors 720 and 723.
It is evident from FIG. 7c (FIG. 7c") that the current through transistor 720 and resistor R3 must be sunk to common ground or voltage source V EE through either transistor 721 or the structure of transistor 722 and resistors R4 and R5. Therefore, the size of transistor 721 may be chosen such that at the point where transistor 721 is conducting at a low current density (i.e. the voltage drop across the gate and source terminals of transistor 721 is not significantly above transistor 721's threshold voltage), one-fifth of the current through transistor 720 is sunk via transistor 723, and the rest (i.e. four-fifths) of the current through transistor 720 is sunk through transistor 721. Transistor 721 is shown to be an enhancement mode transistor, although a depletion mode transistor may also be used. The voltage source V EE is necessary to provide for a diode drop across the drain and gate of transistor 721, and to allow a negative gate-to-source voltage drop in transistor 721. Transistor 721 may have a very small threshold voltage above ground, or in fact a slight negative threshold voltage even, due to variations in process and temperature in some instances, and particularly if transistor 721 is a depletion mode transistor.
Notice that if the value of VT at the gate of transistor 721 is higher than the voltage required to cause four-fifths of the current through transistor 720 to be sunk through transistor 721, the drain voltage of transistor 721 will begin to fall because of the larger current now flowing through transistor 721. However, the voltage at the gate terminal of transistor 721, which is one forward-biased diode drop below the drain voltage of transistor 721, will also fall accordingly. The falling voltage at the gate terminal of transistor 721 will in turn act to restrict the current flowing through transistor 721, until the current through transistor 721 is once again about four-fifths of the current through transistor 720.
Conversely, if the voltage VT at the gate of transistor 721 is lower than is required to sink four-fifths of the current through transistor 720, the drain voltage at transistor 721 will rise towards the supply voltage at point A. The voltage VT at the gate terminal of transistor 721 will correspondingly rise, due to the action of diode 722. The rise of voltage VT at the gate of transistor 721 tends to increase the current flowing through transistor 721, thereby providing a pull on the drain voltage of transistor 721 in the opposite direction, until the balance point is reached, whereby transistor 721 sinks four-fifths of the current through transistor 720. Therefore, it can be seen that the structure of transistors 720, 721 and 723 provides a circuit with negative feedback tending to drive the voltage VT towards a balance point, and hence serves well as a constant voltage source, over a range of conditions of process and temperature. The voltage VT is biased at a 721. Capacitor C1 is provided at the gate terminal of transistor 721 to provide noise immunity, further stabilizing the output voltage VT.
This constant voltage source VT is provided to the gate of depletion mode transistor 711a, which is connected in series with resistor 712a. The combination of transistor 711a and resistor 712a is intended to perform the function of current source 702a shown in FIG. 7a. Therefore, a box is drawn around transistor 711a and resistor 712a to highlight the correspondence. Since the threshold voltage of a depletion mode transistor is negative, called the "pinch-off" voltage, the drop across resistor 712a is the sum of VT and the magnitude of the pinch-off voltage. In many processes the sum of the threshold voltage of an enhancement mode transistor and the magnitude of the pinch-off voltage of a depletion mode transistor is fairly constant over process variation and temperature, from wafer to wafer, and from die to die. As a result, the current through resistor 712a will be fairly constant, providing an accurate and inexpensive constant current source. The same type of current sources are provided to structures formed by transistors 711b and resistor 712b, transistor 711a' and resistor 712a', and transistor 711b' and resistor 712b'. These structures are also respectively labelled 702b, 702a' and 702b' to highlight their correspondence to the identically numbered structures in FIGS. 7a and 7b.
Resistors, 712a, 712b, 712a' and 712b' can be made adjustable, as shown in FIG. 7c, to provide adjustability to the control voltages V c and V c' . A technique, for example, involving laser programmable fuses may be used to adjust the resistance in resistors 712a, 712b, 712a' and 712b' to achieve the control voltages V c and V c' desired.
The structure formed by depletion mode transistor 713 and resistors R6, R13, R18 and R19 forms another constant current source 703 (FIG. 7c'), so numbered to highlight its correspondence to current source 703 shown in FIG. 7a. A similar structure formed by transistor 713' and resistors R8, R10, R11 and R12 forms another constant current source 703' in the lower circuit (i.e. FIG. 7c") in FIG. 7c. The current in constant current source 703 is determined by the equivalent resistance value of these resistors R6, R13, R18, and R19 and the threshold voltage (pinch-off voltage) of transistor 713.
Another constant current source 704 (FIG. 7c') is provided by the transistor 714 and resistors R15 and R9. This current source 704 is so numbered to highlight the correspondence to current source 704 shown in FIG. 7a. The current flowing through transistor 714 is determined by the total resistance value of resistors R15 and R9 connected in series, the threshold (or pinch-off) voltage of transistor 714, and the size of transistor 714. This current through transistor 714 is designed to be half the value of the current through transistor 713 in the constant current source 703. The function of this current value is discussed above in conjunction with the differential pair 701a and 701b, and is not repeated here. An analogous current source 704' is provided in the lower circuit shown in FIG. 7c, designed to provide half the current sunk in current source 703'.
One difference between the upper circuit 700a (FIG. 7c') shown in FIG. 7c and the circuit shown in FIG. 7a is the transistor 715. Transistor 715 is connected at its drain terminal to a positive power supply and connected at its source terminal in series with the drain terminal of transistor 701a. As is seen in FIG. 7a, transistor 701a can be connected directly to the positive power supply. However, the addition of transistor 715 is preferable, in that transistor 715 allows transistor 701a to have a constant drain-to-source voltage over variations in V REF at node REF As can be seen from FIG. 7c, the source voltage of transistor 701a is V REF minus the sum of the gate-to-source voltage drop of transistor 707a, the voltage drop across diode 706a, the voltage drop across resistor R1 and the gate-to-source voltage drop of transistor 701a. At the same time, the drain voltage of transistor 701a is V REF minus the gate-to-source voltage drop of transistor 715. Hence, as V REF fluctuates, the drain-to-source voltage in transistor 701a remains constant. A similar effect across transistor 701a' is achieved by transistor 715' in the lower circuit 700b (FIG. 7c") of FIG. 7c.
Another difference between the upper circuit 700a (FIG. 7c') shown in FIG. 7c and the circuit shown in FIG. 7b is transistor 716 in FIG. 7c. If the voltage at the gate terminal of transistor 701b is higher than the voltage at the gate terminal of transistor 701a, the current through 701b will be greater than half the current sunk in current source 703, and is capable of "overwhelming" current source 704. As a result, the drain voltage of transistor 701b may drop so much that the transistor 701b goes into the linear region of operation. To prevent transistor 701b from going into the linear region, transistor 716 is provided. Transistor 716 will clamp the voltage at the drain terminal of transistor 701b to V REC minus the gate-to-source voltage drop of transistor 716, thereby preventing transistor 701b from going into the linear region of transistor operation.
One difference between the lower circuit 700b (FIG. 7c") shown in FIG. 7c and the circuit shown in FIG. 7b is the presence of diode 710'. As discussed previously, as the voltage V REC at node REC falls, such that the voltage at the gate terminal of transistor 701b' falls below the voltage at the gate terminal of transistor 701a', less than one half of the current in current source 703' will be supplied by transistor 701b', causing the voltage at the drain terminal of transistor 701b' to rise. However, the drain voltage of transistor 701b' will only rise until the drain-to-source voltage of transistor 701b' is substantially equal to the forward-biased diode voltage drop of diode 710', which prevents the drain voltage of transistor 701b' from rising further by turning on and diverting the current of current source 704' to current source 703', thereby bypassing transistor 701b'. Diode 710' therefore provides a constant drain-to-source voltage over variations of V REC at node REC for transistor 701b', similar in function to that of transistor 716 for transistor 701b. The forward-biased voltage drop at diode 710' is designed to be a few hundred millivolts higher than V c' , sufficient to allow the transistor 709' to turn off when the drain voltage of transistor 701b' rises, but constraining the voltage drop across the source and drain of transistor 701b' to be no more than the forward-biased voltage of diode 710'. Obviously, more diodes or other clamping means could be used to constrain the voltage swing at the drain terminal of transistor 701b', if one forward-biased diode voltage drop is not enough for the value of V c' chosen.
Note that the embodiments of the present invention described herein are constructed with components commonly and currently available in Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) or similar compound semiconductor technology. For example, note that, in the embodiments described herein, the present invention does not depend on the use of insulated gate device or other structures not readily available in GaAs technology. In addition, note that, in this application, the MESFETs are biased such that the gate-to-source diode is generally forward-biased (i.e., conducting current).
The above detailed description and embodiments in accordance to the present invention are meant to be exemplary and not limiting. The skilled person in the art will be able to provide numerous modifications and variations within the scope of the present invention, after consideration of the above detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | A phase-locked loop responsive to both phase and frequency difference between the incoming signal and the feedback signal is provided. Using a reference signal, this phase-locked loop accepts a wide range of frequencies similar to a phase-locked loop having a phase frequency detector, and also achieves the noise performance of a phase-locked loop having only a simple phase detector. In one embodiment, the phase-locked loop is a combination including first and second phase-locked loops. The reference signal is provided to the first phase-locked loop, which includes a phase frequency detector. This first phase-locked loop is used to control a second phase-locked loop, which includes a phase detector. A voltage clamp can also be provided to enhance the ability to lock a signal among several signals, or from a noisy background. | 7 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/713,183 filed Oct. 12, 2012. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to a closed loop control system for a fuel pump which also includes calibration functionality.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fuel pumps are commonly used to transfer fuel to an injection system for an engine. It is common for a fuel pump to be driven by a type of motor, such as an electric motor. The operation of the fuel pump and motor are typically controlled by some type of closed-loop feedback system, where pressure is monitored, and the speed of the pump is adjusted based on a comparison of the measured pressure to the desired pressure. These types of closed-loop feedback control systems require a pressure sensor to monitor the pressure. The type of pressure sensor required for a closed-loop feedback system is costly and adds components to the system.
Other attempts have been made to control a fuel pump and motor by using an open-loop control system. An open-loop control system includes a control map which includes various speeds and flow rates which correspond to each speed, the pump operates at a particular speed to generate the correct flow. An open-loop system for a fuel pump does not provide a measurement of pressure that is used for comparison to a desired pressure. There are several speeds used to provide different flow rates, and the operation of the pump is changed to correspond to a desired flow rate. Known mapped control systems (such as open-loop control systems) exhibit a high uncertainty with regard to the real pressure and may not always take advantage of full potential energy savings, since under certain conditions high fitting pressure adversely affects the energy balance.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a closed-loop control system for a fuel pump which does not require a pressure sensor, and is more accurate than an open-loop control system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a closed loop control system for a fuel pump based on characteristics of speed, pressure, and current.
The pressure generated by the pump system of the present invention is increased at the point in time when the pump system is working against a dead head system (i.e., coasting) to a level that the calibration valve is opened to a determined working point. By measuring the characteristic phase current as a function of the speed, the characteristic is able to be compared at the inflection point, with the pre-calibrated value of the hardware to perform an error compensation algorithm.
The error compensation is overlaid with the standard pressure characteristic (as a function of speed and phase current) resulting in an effective pressure which is more precise.
The error compensation uses the pre-calibrated opening pressure value (inflection point) of the calibration valve and/or in addition to the change of the speed (influenced in the short term by changes in viscosity, media, and in the long-term by wear) to the initial (first calibration) or to a sliding average therefrom.
The pump system of the present invention is more precise than a preconfigured map control (which has a total failure of the summation of component tolerances), and does not require a pressure sensor. The approach of the present invention also allows for the prediction of long term deviations caused by wear, as well as actual conditions (short term) caused by changes of fluid properties.
In one embodiment, the present invention is a pump system having a motor, a pump for generating a pumping action to pump fluid, where the pump is connected to and driven by the motor. The pump system also has an inlet conduit in fluid communication with the motor, allowing fluid to pass into the pump, and an outlet conduit in fluid communication with the pump, such that the fluid flowing into the outlet conduit is pressurized by the pump. A secondary conduit is in fluid communication with the outlet conduit such that a portion of the fluid pressurized by the pump flows into the secondary conduit. A calibration valve is in fluid communication with the secondary conduit, and the calibration valve changes between an open position and a closed position to limit the maximum pressure in the secondary conduit and outlet conduit. The pressure of the fluid in the outlet conduit and the secondary conduit is based on the position of the calibration valve and the current applied to the motor, such that a substantially constant pressure is maintained.
In one embodiment, the motor is a three-phase motor, the current applied to the motor is phase current, and the speed of the motor is based on the phase current applied to the motor. As the phase current applied to the three-phase motor changes, the speed of the motor changes, and the output of the pump changes, while maintaining substantially constant pressure.
The pump system also has closed loop functionality, where the pump operates at a plurality of speeds, and the current is measured at each of the speeds. A first rate of change is based on a first difference in measured current between two of the commanded speeds, a second rate of change is based on a second difference in measured current between two more commanded speeds, and the first rate of change is greater than the second rate of change. The first rate of change occurs when the valve is closed, and the second rate of change occurs when the valve is open.
The pump system also includes a calibration function. A third rate of change is based on a third difference in measured current between another two of the commanded speeds, and a fourth rate of change is based on a fourth difference in measured current between yet another two of the commanded speeds. The third rate of change is greater than the fourth rate of change, and the third rate of change occurs when the valve is open, and the fourth rate of change occurs when the valve is closed.
The pump may be different types of pumps, such as a gerotor pump, an impeller pump, or the like.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is diagram of a pump system, according to embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a first chart having speed and the corresponding phase current for a pump system according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a second chart having speed and the corresponding phase current for a pump system according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a third chart having speed and the corresponding phase current for a pump system according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a fourth chart having speed and the corresponding phase current for a pump system according to the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a fifth chart having speed and the corresponding phase current for a pump system according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
A diagram of a pump system according to the present invention is shown at 10 . The pump system 10 includes a motor 12 and a device 14 for generating a pumping action, such as, but not limited to, a gerotor pump, an impeller pump, or any other mechanism suitable for creating a pumping action. The motor 12 is in fluid communication with an inlet conduit 16 . The motor 12 is also connected to the device 14 through a mechanical connection 18 . The device 14 is in fluid communication with an outlet conduit 20 , and the outlet conduit 20 is in fluid communication with a secondary conduit 22 . In fluid communication with the secondary conduit 22 is an internal calibration valve, shown generally at 24 . The pump system 10 is controlled by a control unit 26 . The input signal into the control unit 26 determines the nominal pressure, by using the phase current and/or speed of the pump system 10 (and more specifically, the motor 12 ) in a way such that the pressure requirement is met.
In operation, fuel flows through the inlet conduit 16 and through the motor 12 , a pumping action is created by the motor 12 driving the device 14 , which draws the fuel from the inlet conduit 16 , through the motor 12 , the device 14 , and out of the outlet conduit 20 . A portion of the fuel also flows into the secondary conduit 22 , and the fluid in the outlet conduit 20 and the secondary conduit 22 is allowed to reach a maximum value as determined by the calibration valve 24 . The calibration valve 24 is capable of changing between an open position and a closed position. The calibration valve 24 remains in a closed position until a predetermined pressure level is met in the secondary conduit 22 and the outlet conduit 20 .
In this embodiment, the motor is a three-phase motor 12 having three windings. The speed of the motor 12 is a function of current, more particularly phase current. The engine requires different amounts of fuel based on the different speeds at which the engine operates. The phase current of the motor 12 is proportional with the pressure generated by the device 14 for one dedicated engine speed. As the pressure in the outlet conduit 20 and the secondary conduit 22 generated by the motor 12 remains constant, the current of the motor 12 , speed of the motor 12 , and the flow rate of the pump 14 change accordingly. By knowing at least the phase current of the motor 12 , information regarding the pressure may be obtained, and the pressure readings are more accurate by compensation of the slope over the speed of the motor 12 .
Referring to FIGS. 2-6 , various charts are shown representing the correlation between the phase current and speed of the motor 12 , and the corresponding pressure generated by the pump 14 . Referring to the first chart 28 A in FIG. 2 , the second chart 28 B in FIG. 3 , and the third chart 28 C shown in FIG. 4 , the current (in Amps), indicated generally at 30 , is located along a Y-axis, shown generally at 32 , and the speed (in revolutions per minute (RPM)), indicated generally at 34 , is located along an X-axis, shown generally at 36 . There are also several curves plotted on the charts 28 A, 28 B, 28 C with each curve representing a different pressure of the fuel flowing through the system 10 .
A first curve 38 represents pressure at 2.0 Bar, a second curve 40 represents pressure at 3.0 Bar, a third curve 42 represents pressure at 4.0 Bar, a fourth curve 44 represents pressure at 5.0 Bar, and a fifth curve 46 represents pressure at 6.0 bar. In order to maintain a specific pressure level, the speed 34 and current 30 are changed, which varies the output flow rate of the pump 14 . The fuel flows out of the outlet conduit 20 and to the other fuel system components, such as a fuel rail 48 having one or more injectors 50 .
As can be seen when looking at the charts 28 A, 28 B, 28 C, the first curve 38 represents pressure at 2.0 Bar, and as the phase current 30 is increased, the speed of the motor 12 is also increased. In order to maintain the desired pressure of 2.0 Bar, as the speed 34 and therefore the phase current 30 of the motor 12 is increased, a larger amount of fuel passes through the injectors 50 , and therefore the flow rate is increased. Conversely, as the speed 34 and therefore the phase current 30 of the motor is decreased, the smaller amount of fuel passes through the injectors 50 , and therefore the flow rate is decreased to maintain the desired pressure of 2.0 Bar. The flow rate is also changed as the phase current 30 and the speed 34 are changed, and a desired pressure is maintained as indicated by the other curves 40 , 42 , 44 , 46 in the charts 28 A, 28 B, 28 C.
The phase current 30 is also known because the phase current 30 is measured; the speed 34 of the motor 12 is controlled, and the phase current 30 needed to obtain the desired speed 34 is measured, and therefore the speed 34 is of the motor 12 corresponds to the required phase current 30 input to the motor 12 . Because the motor 12 is a three-phase motor, the motor 12 therefore has three coil pairs, and only one coil pair is needed to monitor the phase current 30 .
When the pump system 10 is assembled, the system 10 is calibrated to function correctly using the speed 34 and measured phase current 30 . Referring to the fourth chart 28 D shown in FIG. 5 and the fifth chart 28 E shown in FIG. 6 , a pressure calibration curve 52 is generated using the current 30 and speed 34 of the motor 12 , and the pump 14 . The calibration valve 24 is designed to open when the pressure of the fluid in the secondary conduit 22 approaches a predetermined value, which in this embodiment is about 6.5 Bar. Once the pressure level of 6.5 Bar is reached, the system 10 is coasting to a level such that the valve 24 is opened to a predetermined working point.
As shown in FIGS. 5-6 , the calibration curve 52 has two different slopes, a first portion 54 having a first slope, and a second portion 56 having a second slope. The first portion 54 of the curve 52 represents the operation of the motor 12 and pump 14 when the valve 24 is closed, and the second portion 56 of the curve 52 represents the operation of the motor 12 and pump 14 when the valve 24 is open. To generate the curve 52 , the motor 12 is commanded to operate at various speeds, and the phase current 30 is then measured at each speed. There is no sensor used for detecting whether the valve 24 is open or closed.
In this embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 6 , when the motor 12 is commanded to operate at a first speed, which in this embodiment is about 1100 rpm, the measured current 30 is about 4.0 Amperes, and when the motor 12 is operating at a second speed, about 1500 rpm, the current 30 is about 6.1 Amperes. Furthermore, when the motor 12 is operating at a third speed, about 2500 rpm, the current 30 is about 8.9 Amperes, and when the motor 12 is operating at a fourth speed, about 3000 rpm, the current 30 is about 9.1 Amperes. Along the first portion 54 of the curve 52 , the current 30 increases about 2.1 Amperes as the speed 34 increases from the first speed of 1100 rpm to the second speed of 1500 rpm, a difference of 400 rpm (a rate of change of about 0.525 Amperes for every increase in 100 rpm). Along the second portion 56 of the curve 52 , the current 30 increases about 0.2 Amperes as the speed 34 increases from the third speed of 2500 rpm to the fourth speed of 3000 rpm, a difference of 500 rpm (a rate of change of about 0.04 Amperes for every increase in 100 rpm).
To increase the speed 400 rpm along the first portion 54 of the curve 52 , the current increased 2.1 Amperes, and to increase the speed 500 rpm along the second portion 56 of the curve 52 , the current 30 increased only 0.2 Amperes. The current 30 increases (as the speed 34 is increased) at a different rate along the first portion 54 of the curve 52 compared to the second portion 56 of the curve 52 . Therefore, the first portion 54 of the curve 52 has a first rate of change (of current 30 versus speed 34 ) of about 0.525 Amperes for every increase in 100 rpm, and the second portion 56 of the curve 52 has a second rate of change (of current 30 versus speed 34 ) of about 0.04 Amperes for every increase in 100 rpm.
Furthermore, as the speed 34 is increased, the pressure in the system 10 is increased. However, the increase in pressure as the speed 34 is increased is limited by the calibration valve 24 . Once the pressure in the system 10 reaches 6.5 Bar, the valve 24 opens, maintaining the pressure at 6.5 Bar, even as the speed 34 continues to increase; the valve 24 opens further to allow for an increase in flow and a constant pressure to be maintained. The change in current 30 required to increase the speed 34 of the motor 12 when the valve 24 is closed is greater than the change in current 30 required to increase the speed 34 of the motor 12 when the valve 24 is opened. Therefore, the increase in unit of current 30 per increase in unit of speed 34 is greater along the first portion 54 of the curve 52 (i.e., the first rate of change) compared to the second portion 56 of the curve 52 (i.e., the second rate of change).
The area of the calibration curve 52 where the first portion 54 ends and the second portion 56 begins is an inflection point 58 . The inflection point 58 also represents the point during operation when the calibration valve 24 opens. After the calibration valve 24 opens, less current 30 is required to increase the speed 34 , because the valve 24 opens further to allow for an increase in flow, while maintaining the maximum allowed pressure, which as previously mentioned in this example is 6.5 Bar. Along the second portion 56 of the curve 52 , if the speed 34 is increased, the flow is increased, and the current 30 increases as well.
In addition to having closed loop functionality, the system 10 also includes tolerance compensation capability, or a calibration function, as well. Referring to FIG. 6 , to compensate for the tolerance in the pump system 10 , the calibration curve 52 is generated when the motor 12 and pump 14 are new. During the life of the system 10 , a second curve, or operation curve 60 is generated also having a first portion 62 , a second portion 64 , and an inflection point 66 . The second curve 60 is created by commanding the motor 12 to operate at a specific speed 34 , and the phase current 30 is then measured as the motor 12 operates at each speed 34 .
To obtain a measurement of current 30 of about 4.0 Amperes along the operation curve 60 , the motor 12 is commanded to operate at a fifth speed, which in this embodiment is about 1200 rpm, and to obtain a measurement of current 30 of about 6.1 Amperes, the motor 12 is commanded to operate at a sixth speed of about 1600 rpm. The first portion 62 of the curve 60 has a third rate of change (of current 30 versus speed 34 ), of about 0.525 Amperes for every increase in 100 rpm, which is similar to the first rate of change. However, while the first rate of change and third rate of change are substantially similar, the measurements of current 30 occur at different speeds, which is a result of a change in the operation of the system 10 over time due to wear, changes in fluid viscosity, or other factors.
To obtain a measurement of current 30 of about 8.9 Amperes along the operation curve 60 , the motor 12 is commanded to operate at a seventh speed, about 2600 rpm, and to obtain a measurement of current 30 of about 9.1 Amperes, the motor 12 is commanded to operate at an eighth speed, about 3100 rpm. The second portion 64 of the curve 60 has a fourth rate of change (of current 30 versus speed 34 ) of about 0.04 Amperes for every increase in 100 rpm, which is similar to the second rate of change. However, while the second rate of change and fourth rate of change are substantially similar, the measurements of current occur at different speeds, which is a result of a change in the operation of the system 10 over time due to wear, changes in fluid viscosity, or other factors.
It is shown in FIG. 6 that the calibration curve 52 is different from the operation curve 60 . The calibration curve 52 represents the operation of the system 10 when the system 10 is new, and the operation curve 60 represents the operation of the system 10 after a period of time has passed, and the various components of the system 10 have undergone some level of wear, or other factors may have occurred which affect the operation of the system 10 . The operation curve 60 provides an indication of how the operation of the system 10 has changed over time. A new operation curve 60 may be generated based on specific time intervals, such as daily, monthly, or yearly, or may be generated under specific conditions, such as upon vehicle start up, when there is a significant temperature change, or the like. The operation curve 60 provides a different operation functionality to the pump system 10 . This allows for the system 10 to not only provide closed loop functionality, but also provides for compensation for tolerances and variations in the function of the system 10 over time.
In alternate embodiments, it is also possible to have the pump system 10 operate without the use of the calibration valve 24 . The phase current and/or speed of the motor 12 is used such that the pressure requirement is met.
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention. | A closed loop control system for a fuel pump based on characteristics of speed, pressure, and current. The pressure generated by the pump system is increased at the point in time when the pump system is working against a dead head system (i.e., coasting) to a level that a calibration valve is opened to a determined working point. By measuring the characteristic phase current as a function of the speed, the characteristic is able to be compared, with the pre-calibrated value of the hardware to perform an error compensation algorithm. The error compensation is overlaid with the standard pressure characteristic as a function of speed and phase current, and uses the pre-calibrated opening pressure value (i.e., the inflection point) of the calibration valve and/or in addition the change of the speed to the initial (first calibration), or to a sliding average therefrom. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to document authentication. The use of electronic documents is gaining popularity and a variety of different formats of electronic documents exist that can be processed by different computer software applications. One example of a common, platform-independent type of electronic document is a PDF (Portable Document Format) document, which has been developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated, San Jose, Calif. PDF documents can be read by PDF readers, such as Adobe® Acrobat® and Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®, or other types of software applications.
While electronic documents are convenient from many points of view, they also present new problems that do not have to be addressed for regular paper documents. One example of such a problem is that an electronic document can be modified in different ways than a conventional printed paper document. Malicious users may, for example, manipulate an electronic document such that the document no longer reflects what the author originally wrote.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, in one aspect, this invention provides methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for document authentication. An electronic document is presented to a user. The electronic document has data representing a signed state and a current state. An unauthorized difference between the signed state and the current state is detected, based on one or more rules that are associated with the electronic document. A digital signature associated with the electronic document is invalidated in response to the detecting.
Advantageous implementations can include one or more of the following features. The signed state of the electronic document can be presented to the user. The electronic document can include an object hash representing the signed state of the electronic document. The object hash can be generated subject to the rules that are associated with the electronic document. The object hash can be based on content items of the electronic document that are invariant to a set of one or more operations authorized by the rules associated with the electronic document. The set of one or more operations can be authorized by an author providing the signed state of the electronic document. Detecting a difference can include generating an object hash of the current state according to a set of rules associated with the signed state of the electronic document and comparing the generated object hash with the object hash in the electronic document.
The electronic document can include a byte range hash. Detecting a difference can include generating a byte range hash according to a saved version of the electronic document and comparing the generated byte range hash with the byte range hash in the electronic document. The difference between the signed state and the current state can relate to one or more of the following operations performed on data in the electronic document: digitally signing the electronic document, entering data into predefined fields of the electronic document, and annotating the electronic document. An input defining a second signed state can be received and a difference between the second signed state and the current state can be detected.
A digital signature relating to the second signed state can be invalidated if the detected difference between the current state and the second signed state represents a difference that is not permitted by the rules associated with the electronic document. A digital signature associated with the electronic document can be validated prior to detecting a difference. Invalidating the digital signature can include invalidating the digital signature if the detected difference between current state and the signed state represents a difference that is not permitted by an author providing the digital signature.
The invention can be implemented to realize one or more of the following advantages. An author or content provider can ensure that individual users can only make changes to an electronic document that are allowed by the author of the electronic document. The allowed changes can be governed by rules that the author defines for the object, and/or rules that are defined for a recipient of the document. Together these two types of rules define permissions authorizing the recipient to perform operations on the document. Generating a digitally signed digest of objects invariant to authorized changes provides a mechanism for detecting unauthorized changes to the document. This enables workflows in which the author of an electronic document can control to what extent a particular electronic document can be changed. One example of such a workflow might feature a government agency, such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), that would like to distribute forms (such as tax forms) electronically to a large number of recipients. At the same time, the agency has the ability to limit the ways in which users can make changes in the document—for example, by limiting what fields can be changed and what type of changes can be made to those fields. If a user with malicious intent manages to make unauthorized changes to an electronic document, for example, by using a different software application than the application in which the electronic document is normally used, the unauthorized changes will be discovered when the document is opened again in the application. A user may also view (or “roll back” to) a signed state of the electronic document, since the electronic document includes both the signed state and the current state both are part of the same electronic document. This functionality can also make it possible to display the differences between the signed state and the current state, and remove any unauthorized changes from the current state of the electronic document. The author may also completely prevent any recipients of the electronic document from making changes. For example, a company may put out a press release in an electronic document and add a rule preventing any changes from being made to the press release. The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating an electronic document including a set of document rules.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting unauthorized modifications to an electronic document.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for preventing unauthorized modifications to an electronic document.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The document modification and prevention techniques that will be described below enable controlled interaction between two major categories of people or entities: document authors and document users. Related techniques have been described in the following three copending patent applications, which are also incorporated by reference in their entireties: U.S. Ser. No. 10/080,923, filed on Feb. 21, 2002; U.S. Ser. No. 10/306,635, filed on Nov. 27, 2002; and U.S. Ser. No. 10/306,779, also filed on Nov. 27, 2002. A document author is someone who for a particular electronic document defines a set of rules that specify what parts of an electronic document are allowed to change as a result of user interaction with the document. A user is generally a person or an entity for which the electronic document is intended. The user is only allowed to make modifications to the electronic document that do not violate the rules that the author has defined for the electronic document. If the user tries to make changes that are not allowed by the author, the electronic document will be classified as invalid, for example, by invalidating a signature that the author has added to the document. An electronic document, as used herein, refers to a collection of information that can be read or otherwise processed as a single unit in a computer or some type of electronic document reader. A document can contain plain or formatted text, graphics, sound, other multimedia data, scripts, executable code; or hyperlinks to other documents. An electronic document does not necessarily correspond to a file. A document may be stored in a portion of a file that holds other documents, in a single file dedicated to the document in question, or in multiple coordinated files.
As can be seen in FIG. 1 , a method 100 for generating an electronic document begins by receiving an electronic document (step 105 ). In the present example, the received electronic document is prepared in an authoring software application, such as a PDF authoring application. The electronic document can be authored by an author, that is, the same person who determines what rules should apply to the content of the electronic document, or it can be obtained from a different source. It should be noted that although the invention is explained by way of example, with reference to PDF documents, the techniques described apply to other types of electronic documents or data types in which rules relating to the content of the document can be included.
A set of rules is then received (step 110 ). The set of rules defines the extent to which changes are authorized to the contents of the electronic document when a user views the electronic document in an electronic document reader. Typically, the set of rules is provided by the author and reflects the author's intent for the document. Alternatively, some or all of the rules can be selected automatically for the document—for example, depending on the document's content and format. Examples of changes that can be allowed by the rules include digitally signing the electronic document (for example, in a predefined signature field), entering data into predefined fields of the electronic document (such as fill-in form fields or importing form data) and annotating the electronic document (such as adding, deleting, editing, or importing comments or annotations). The rules can be received as part of the electronic document, or separately from the electronic document. It should be noted that rules can apply both globally (i.e., to the entire electronic document) or locally (i.e., to an individual content item of the electronic document or to a group of content items in the electronic document). As will be seen below, the rules are specified permanently when the author signs the electronic document. Thus, the rules are made part of what is covered by the author's signature and cannot be modified by any recipients of the document.
Next, an object digest (also referred to as selective digest) is generated (step 115 ). A digest is generally a piece of data of specific length, calculated from a file or message, in such a way that there is a high probability that any change to the original file or message will result in a change to the digest. The digest typically embodies a one-way mapping function in that is relatively easy to generate the digest from the file or message, but extremely hard to generate the message from the digest. An object digest, as defined in this application, is a digest that is based on selected content items of an electronic document. In particular, in one implementation, the object digest is based on the content items of the electronic document that are not allowed to change based on the rules that the author of the electronic document has assigned—that is, content items that are invariant to authorized changes to the document. For instance, if the rules do not allow alterations of page content, addition or deletion of pages, addition or deletion of form fields, any changes to these types of content items will result in an electronic document having a different object digest. On the other hand, the rules may allow form fill in, addition or deletion of comments, and so on, and such changes will not cause the object digest to change.
To generate the object digest, the rules are first read to determine filter criteria to be used when selecting which objects will be considered in the generation of the object digest. For each content item in the electronic document, it is then determined whether the rules allow the content item to change. If the content item is not allowed to change, then the content item is included in the generation of the object digest. If the content item is allowed to change, then the content item is ignored and not used in creating the object digest. The object digest is generated from content items that reside in the memory of the computer or electronic document reader on which the electronic document is processed, that is, the absolute latest version of the electronic document, which typically corresponds to what is displayed on a computer screen. In one implementation, the object digest is represented as a hash, which acts as a fingerprint of the electronic document and the associated rules, and thus uniquely identifies the electronic document. In another implementation, the object digest acts as a fingerprint of only one or more parts of the electronic document and the rules associated with these parts, and thus uniquely identifies only those specific parts of the electronic document.
A specific implementation of calculating an object digest will be described below with reference to a PDF document. PDF is a file format that is used to represent a document in a format that is independent of the computer software application, hardware, and operating system used to create it. A PDF file contains a PDF document and other supporting data. A PDF document can contain one or more pages. Each page in the document can contain any combination of text, graphics, and images in a device-independent and resolution-independent format. This combination is also referred to as the page description. A PDF document can also contain information possible only in an electronic representation, such as executable code, hypertext links, and so on. In addition to a document, a PDF file contains the version of the PDF specification used in the file and information about the location of different important structures in the file.
A PDF document can conceptually be thought of as having four parts. The first part is a set of basic object types used by PDF to represent content items. Examples of such data types include booleans, numbers, strings, names, arrays, dictionaries, and streams. The second part is the PDF file structure. The file structure determines how the content items are stored in a PDF file, how they are accessed, and how they are updated. The file structure is independent of the semantics of the content items. The third part is the PDF document structure. The document structure specifies how the basic object types are used to represent various parts of a PDF document, such as pages, annotations, hypertext links, fonts, and so on. The fourth and final part is the PDF page description. The PDF page description is a part of the PDF page object, but only has limited interaction with other parts of the PDF document. A further explanation of PDF files and documents can be found in “Portable Document Format Reference Manual” by Tom Bienz and Richard Cohn, Adobe Systems Incorporated, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1993.
In an implementation in which the electronic document is a PDF document, the content items that are evaluated for inclusion/non-inclusion in the object digest can, for example, include: MediaBox regions, CropBox regions, resource dictionaries, and the entire page content stream. In this implementation, the object digest is represented as a hash based on the content items of the document that are invariant to user changes. The hash has a bottom layer, an intermediate layer and a top layer. The bottom layer of the hash is a recursive algorithm and contains the functionality for digesting a basic PDF content item. Simple content items, such as booleans, integers, numbers, strings, and names form the basis of recursion in the bottom layer algorithm. Compound content items, such as dictionaries, arrays, and so on, are digested by recursively digesting the content items making up the compound content items. Special consideration may be necessary for some types of content items, such as PDF language streams (which are combinations of a dictionary and a stream), but ultimately all content items are mapped to a sequence of bytes, which is digested by a byte hashing algorithm. For each content item, an object type identifier and the length of the data being digested is included in the digest along with the digest of the particular content item instance. For example, if the digesting algorithm encounters an integer of value 42 , a type identifier corresponding to the integer type will be included in the digest, along with the byte length of the integer when represented as data, along with a four byte value signifying the value 42 . This makes it possible to distinguish the integer representation 42 from an identical 4 byte string, and so on.
The hashing algorithm can be a conventional hashing algorithm, such as a SHA-1 algorithm, which is a version of the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) and described in the ANSI X9.30 (part 2) standard. SHA-1 produces a 160-bit (20 byte) digest. Similarly, an MD5 hash algorithm, which has a 128 bit (16 byte) digest and often is a faster implementation than the SHA-1 algorithm, can be used. The hashing algorithm must be capable of providing a condensed and unique representation of the invariant document content, so that the result can be used to determine whether unauthorized changes have been made to the document.
The intermediate layer of the object hash contains the functionality for digesting semi-complex content items, such as annotations and form fields. The intermediate layer calls the bottom layer whenever necessary. For every field annotation in the PDF document, the content items can include: an annotation region, a text label for the annotation's pop-up window, a field type, a content stream of the page on which the field annotation resides, a normal appearance stream, a default field value, and if form rights are turned off, an actual field value. PDF form field content items have associated annotation content items. The form field content items are therefore digested by including selected elements from the annotation as well as the field dictionary.
The top layer of the object hash contains the functionality for digesting complex content items, such as pages or an entire PDF document. A PDF page is digested by digesting selected elements from the associated page dictionary. A page template is digested by including a content stream of the page template, and optionally annotations on the page template. An entire PDF document is digested by digesting all the pages, all the form fields, and all page templates, if available.
A few further considerations arise when the hash forming the object digest of a PDF document is generated, as will now be described. First, in order to avoid infinite recursions, the method for creating the object digest keeps track of all indirect content items visited during a recursive descent into each content item. No recursion is performed on an indirect content item that has already been visited once. If an already visited content item is encountered, the object hash generating method merely adds the object type and a fixed integer into the object digest to indicate that the content item was encountered again.
Second, if form fill-in is allowed by the rules set by the author, the content of a value field in a field dictionary of the PDF document is never included in the object digest, since this value could be modified during form fill-in. However, if form fill-in is not allowed, or if some form fields are present before the digest is present and the author wishes to lock these form fields, the content of the value field in the field dictionary of the PDF document is included in the object digest, so that the form fields cannot be changed. In one implementation, it is also possible to select which form fields to include in the object digest, such that some form fields can be changed while others must remain unchanged. The same is true for the content stream of the widget annotation corresponding to a field.
Returning now to FIG. 1 , after the object digest has been generated, a byte range digest is generated (step 120 ). The byte range digest can be described as a “snapshot” of the bytes representing the electronic document as saved on disk. Like the object digest, the byte range digest can be stored as a hash, although this hash is simpler to compute than the object hash, since only a range of bytes are hashed and not any complex objects, which is the case with the object hash. The byte range hash makes it possible for a user to see the version of the document that was signed, since the hash will change between different versions as new bytes are added due to modifications of the document. The byte range hash alone cannot be used to detect or prevent any changes beyond the signed version of the document. For example, the document may contain JavaScripts that execute when the document is viewed. As a result, the document displayed to the user may have a different appearance than the signed version of the document, upon which the byte range hash is based. The combination of the byte range hash and the object hash, however, allows a user to view the version of a document that was actually signed, and provides for control by the author over what changes can be made to the document subsequent to the author's signing of the document. This is possible since the object hash is regenerated every time a user attempts to validate the document. Several types of advanced workflows can be enabled through this mechanism.
Finally, the author adds the object digest, and the byte range digest to the electronic document and signs this aggregate (step 130 ), which completes the electronic document generating method and results in an electronic document that is ready to be provided to one or more users. The digital signature is a unique sequence of bytes that identifies the author. The form of the digital signature of the electronic document can vary and can be generated from, for example, a document digest that has been encrypted with a public/private key, a biometric signature (such as a fingerprint or a retinal scan), and so on. Signing the electronic document, the MDP settings, and the attestations simply means appending the unique sequence of bytes to the document in such a way that the recipient can read and identify it as a signature document.
FIG. 2 shows a method 200 for detecting modifications made to an electronic document when the electronic document is opened on a computer or other type of electronic document reader. First, an electronic document signed by an author (and optionally one or more intermediate users) is received along with a set of rules, an object digest, and a byte range digest (step 205 ). The electronic document can be received by any type of conventional means, such as through a network as e-mail or be downloaded to a user's computer. Alternatively, the electronic document can be stored on some type of carrier for digital data, such as a floppy disk or a CD that is sent or given to a user.
When the document has been received, the electronic document reader verifies the author's (and optionally any intermediate user's) identity (step 210 ). The verification can, for example, be performed using a public key that matches a private key with which the author signed the electronic document.
The electronic document reader then generates a new object digest and a new byte range digest of the electronic document (step 215 ). The generation is performed in the same manner as described above with reference to FIG. 1 , with the set of rules included in the document as a content filtering guide for the generation of the object digest.
The new object and byte range digests are compared with the signed object and byte range digests that are stored in the electronic document (step 220 ). The new object digest and byte range digest are identical to the stored object digest and byte range digest, respectively, only if the invariant content items in the electronic document matches the electronic document that the author signed. If the new object digest and the stored object digest are identical (the “Yes” branch of step 225 ), the author's signature is considered to be valid and the electronic document reader opens the electronic document (step 235 ) in the electronic document reader and the operations that are allowed by the rules can be performed on the electronic document by a user. The opened document that is displayed to the user can be referred to as the current state of the document, as opposed to the signed state, which represents the original document that the author signed. As long as no changes have been made to the document, the current and signed states are identical.
On the other hand, if it is found in step 225 that the new object digest and the stored object digest are not identical (the “No” branch of step 225 ), an error message is displayed (step 230 )—for example, a warning that an unauthorized change has been detected, and/or a warning that the author's (and/or one or more intermediate user's) digital signature is invalid, and the user is prevented from making any modifications to the document.
FIG. 3 shows a method 300 for preventing a user from making modifications to a document that are not allowed by the rules established by the author of the document. The method starts with the display in an electronic document reader of the current state of an electronic document (step 305 ), as described above with reference to FIG. 2 . A user input is then received, with the purpose of altering the current state of the electronic document to generate a new current state of the electronic document (step 310 ). The user input is then checked against the rules established by the author to determine whether the changes proposed by the user are allowed or not (step 315 ). For example, if the user input describes a modification to an annotation, the user input is checked against any rules relating to annotations of the document to determine whether the modification can take place. If the user input represents an allowed change (i.e. the “Yes” branch of step 315 ), then the method accepts the change, displays the modified document, and waits for a new user input. However, if the user input does not represent an allowed change (i.e. the “No” branch of step 315 ), then the prevention method invalidates the author signature (step 320 ). Consequently, a user cannot make unauthorized changes to the document, since the document in any subsequent workflow steps will have an invalid signature that indicates that the content of the document is not approved by the author and cannot be trusted. Optionally, the method can also reject any unauthorized changes and the display can revert to a previous state (such as the signed state) of the electronic document. Note that some viewing applications may not honor the rules and may therefore permit any changes without restriction, but any unauthorized changes will be detected using the detection method discussed above with reference to FIG. 2 .
As was described above, in one implementation, in addition to the rules that have been defined for the document, there may also be a different set of rules that are associated with the user for whom the document is intended. For example, the document may be encrypted in addition to having the rules described above, so that only a particular group of users can access the content of the document. Alternatively, the document may contain additional information about enabling or disabling features of the user's electronic document reader. Together with the rules for the document, these user-specific rules, form a set of user permissions that define which operations a user can perform on the electronic document. The permissions thus constitute the logical “AND” group of the rules defined for the document and the rules defined for the recipient. In the simplest case, there are no user-specific limitations, and the permissions are governed exclusively by the rules of the document.
In another implementation of the invention, it is possible for the author to define operations that are associated with user signatures of the electronic document. The principles of this implementation are easiest described by way of example. Assume that a government agency, such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), is the author of an electronic document, for example, a tax form. The tax form contains three signature fields where users may digitally sign the document. For the sake of this example, it can be assumed that the users are a husband, his wife, and their accountant. The author, that is, the IRS, can add rules to the document that define what will happen when each individual user signs the electronic document. For example, there can be a rule for the husband saying “When the husband signs the document, all the fields that relate to his personal income will be locked”, a rule for the wife saying “When the wife signs the document, all the fields that relate to her personal income will be locked,” and a rule relating to the accountant saying “when the accountant signs this tax form, no more changes can be made.” As soon as one of these three people signs the document, all of their fields will be locked according to the rules established by the original author. If an unauthorized change is made to, for example, a field in which the husband's income is listed, the husband's signature will become invalid, while the wife's signature still remains valid. If the accountant had signed the form at the time the unauthorized change was made, the accountant's signature would also become invalid, since the rule for the accountant stated that no field could be changed. This mechanism is possible through the computation of one object digest each that includes the locked fields for the husband, wife, and accountant, respectively, at the time of signing. These individual object digests can then be recomputed and verified, as described above, to make sure that none of the locked fields that were used in computing each respective digest has changed. Many similar scenarios can be constructed in which parts of documents are signed by different users and only a particular part becomes invalid in the event of unauthorized changes being made to the electronic document.
The invention can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. The invention can be implemented as a computer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device or in a propagated signal, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.
Method steps of the invention can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing a computer program to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output. Method steps can also be performed by, and apparatus of the invention can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).
Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.
To provide for interaction with a user, the invention can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.
The invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the steps of the invention can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. The processes above have been described for situations with only one author, but in some situations there may also be an original author and one or more subsequent authors in a workflow who may change the rules associated with the entire document, or parts of the document. The methods discussed above also allow these additional authors to supply their signatures as author signatures in addition to the original author, and a chain of signatures can be created in which permissions on each level may vary. | Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for document authentication. An electronic document is presented to a user. The electronic document has data representing a signed state and a current state. A disallowed difference between the signed state and the current state is detected, based on one or more rules that are associated with the electronic document. A digital signature associated with the electronic document is invalidated in response to the detecting. | 7 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Divisional of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/132,835, filed Apr. 25, 2002 incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates generally to semiconductors, and more specifically to methods and apparatus for making anisotropic electrical interconnects.
[0003] Anisotropic electrical interconnects are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,492 B1 discloses an anisotropic conductive film which exhibits a conductivity in the thickness direction thereof by pressurizing the film in the thickness direction, the film including: an adhesive; and conductive particles dispersed in the adhesive; wherein the adhesive is a thermosetting or photosetting adhesive containing as a main component at least one kind selected from a group consisting of (a) a polymer obtained by acetalation of a polyvinyl alcohol, (b) a compound containing an allyl group, (c) a monomer containing an acryloxy group or methacryloxy group, and (d) a polymer obtained by polymerization of one or more selected from a group consisting of an acrylic monomer and a methacrylic monomer.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,339 discloses an anisotropically electricity-conductive film obtainable by dispersing in an adhesive agent electrically conductive particles, the adhesive agent being a curable adhesive agent comprising as a major component at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer; a copolymer of ethylene, vinyl acetate and an acrylate and/or methacrylate monomer; a copolymer of ethylene, vinyl acetate and maleic acid and/or maleic anhydride; a copolymer of ethylene, an acrylate and/or methacrylate monomer and maleic acid and/or maleic anhydride; and an ionomer resin wherein molecules of an ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer are linked with each other through a metal ion.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,703 discloses an anisotropic, electrically conductive adhesive film including insulating adhesive, electrically conductive particles dispersed in the electrically insulating adhesive, and transparent, spherical glass particles dispersed in the insulating adhesive.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,087 discloses an anisotropic conductive adhesive composition comprising an insulating adhesive component and particles dispersed in said insulating adhesive component, said anisotropic conductive adhesive composition being characterized in that said insulating adhesive component comprises a copolymer of acrylic ester having an alkyl group of 1-4 carbon atoms and a maleimide derivative, 5 to 60 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the copolymer, of a thermosetting resin, and 0.05 to 5.0 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the copolymer, of a coupling agent, and said particles are metallic-layer containing particles comprising a core made of resin, a metallic layer covering said core and a resin layer formed from finely divided resin fixed by the dry blending method on the surface of said metallic layer.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,657 discloses an adhesive composition or film capable of exhibiting anisotropic-electroconductivity comprising electroconductive particles comprising polymeric core materials coated with thin metal layers, and electrically insulating adhesive component.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,064 discloses an anisotropically electroconductive adhesive to be used for establishing electric connection between terminals of, for example, an IC chip and of a circuit pattern, which adhesive comprises an electrically insulating adhesive matrix and electroconductive particles comprise at least two electroconductive particulate products of different average particle sizes and wherein each particle of both the particulate products is coated with an electrically insulating resin insoluble in the insulating adhesive matrix.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,456 discloses an anisotropic conductive material including micro-capsules dispersed in a bonding resin. The micro-capsules contain, as a filler material, a conductor and a polymerization initiator, a curing agent or a curing promotor. A wall member encapsulating the filler material is formed of a thermoplastic or thermosetting insulative resin. Therefore, if the micro-capsules in the anisotropic conductive material are broken or destroyed by pressure or both of pressure and heat, electrical connection can be established between electrode pads and electrode terminals of a wiring substrate through the conductors contained in the micro-capsules. Simultaneously, the polymerization initiator, the curing agent or the curing promotor flows out, so that the insulative bonding resin is solidified.
[0010] The above prior art typically achieves the anisotropic effect by controlling filler loading. In other words, to obtain an anisotropic interconnect the adhesive must use few particles. However, these prior art methods still have serious leakage problems if the filler loading is too high or too uneven. The filler loading is hard to control especially if the filler responds to gravity or magnetic fields.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In one preferred embodiment, the invention is an electrical interconnect comprising (a) at least one first electrical contact; (b) at least one second electrical contact; and, (c) an adhesive interposed between and in contact with the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, the adhesive comprising an electrically non-conductive resin and particles, the particles comprising at least one electrically conductive material and a breakable coating of at least one electrically non-conductive material, wherein the first electrical contact is positioned close enough to the second electrical contact to break the breakable coating of the particles in the interposed adhesive such that the electrically conducting material of the particles is exposed and in contact with both the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, wherein the exposed electrically conducting material has sharp edges. This embodiment includes semiconductor dies or chips and semiconductor packages comprising such an interconnect.
[0012] In another preferred embodiment, the invention is an electrical interconnect comprising: (a) a first substrate having a surface and at least one first electrical contact projecting from the first substrate surface; (b) a second substrate having a surface and at least one second electrical contact projecting from the second substrate surface and aligned with the first electrical contact, such that the first substrate surface is substantially parallel to the second substrate surface; and, (c) an adhesive interposed between and in contact with the first substrate surface and electrical contact and the second substrate surface and electrical contact, the adhesive comprising an electrically non-conductive resin and particles, the particles comprising a core of at least one electrically conductive material and a breakable coating of at least one electrically non-conductive material, wherein the first electrical contact is positioned close enough to the second electrical contact to break the breakable coating material of the particles in the adhesive interposed between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact such that the electrically conducting material of the particles is exposed and in contact with both the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, wherein the exposed electrically conducting material has sharp edges, provided that the coating of the particles interposed between the first substrate surface and the second substrate surface, but not interposed between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, is not broken. This embodiment includes semiconductor dies or chips and semiconductor packages comprising such an interconnect.
[0013] In another preferred embodiment, the invention is an electrical interconnect comprising: (a) at least one first electrical contact; (b) at least one second electrical contact; and, (c) an adhesive interposed between and in contact with the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, the adhesive comprising an electrically non-conductive resin and particles, the particles comprising a core of at least one electrically conductive reactive material and a breakable coating of at least one electrically non-conductive material, the core comprising: (1) at least one first subparticle comprising a reactive resin, having conductive material therein, encapsulated inside a rupturable membrane; and, (2) at least one second subparticle comprising a catalyst encapsulated inside a rupturable membrane, wherein the first electrical contact is positioned close enough to the second electrical contact to break the breakable coating of the particles in the interposed adhesive such that the first subparticle membrane and the second subparticle membrane are ruptured, whereby the reactive resin and the catalyst react to form a conductive adhesive between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact. This embodiment includes semiconductor dies or chips and semiconductor packages comprising such an interconnect.
[0014] In yet another preferred embodiment, the invention is an electrical interconnect comprising: (a) a first substrate having a surface and at least one first electrical contact projecting from the first substrate surface; (b) a second substrate having a surface and at least one second electrical contact projecting from the second substrate surface and aligned with the first electrical contact, such that the first substrate surface is substantially parallel to the second substrate surface; and, (c) an adhesive interposed between and in contact with the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, the adhesive comprising an electrically non-conductive resin and particles, the particles comprising a core of at least one electrically conductive reactive material and a breakable coating of at least one electrically non-conductive material, the core comprising: (1) at least one first subparticle comprising a reactive resin, having conductive material therein, encapsulated inside a rupturable membrane; and, (2) at least one second subparticle comprising a catalyst encapsulated inside a rupturable membrane, wherein the first electrical contact is positioned close enough to the second electrical contact to break the breakable coating of the particles in the interposed adhesive such that the first subparticle membrane and the second subparticle membrane are ruptured, whereby the reactive resin and the catalyst react to form a conductive adhesive between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact provided that the coating of the particles interposed between the first substrate surface and the second substrate surface, but not interposed between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, is not broken. This embodiment includes semiconductor dies or chips and semiconductor packages comprising such an interconnect.
[0015] In yet another preferred embodiment, the invention is an electrical interconnect comprising: (a) at least one first electrical contact; (b) at least one second electrical contact; and, (c) an adhesive interposed between and in contact with the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, the adhesive comprising: (1) an electrically non-conductive resin; (2) multiple first particles, each first particle comprising a core comprising at least one reactive resin, having an electrically conductive material therein, and a breakable coating of at least one electrically non-conductive material; and (3) multiple second particles, each second particle comprising a core comprising a catalyst and a breakable coating of at least one electrically non-conductive material, wherein the first electrical contact is positioned close enough to the second electrical contact to break the breakable coatings of the first particles and the second particles in the interposed adhesive, whereby the reactive resin and the catalyst react to form a conductive adhesive between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact. This embodiment includes semiconductor dies or chips and semiconductor packages comprising such an interconnect.
[0016] In another preferred embodiment, the invention is an electrical interconnect comprising: (a) a first substrate having a surface and at least one first electrical contact projecting from the first substrate surface; (b) a second substrate having a surface and at least one second electrical contact projecting from the second substrate surface and aligned with the first electrical contact, such that the first substrate surface is substantially parallel to the second substrate surface; and, (c) an adhesive interposed between and in contact with the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, the adhesive comprising: (1) an electrically non-conductive resin; (2) multiple first particles, each first particle comprising a core comprising at least one reactive resin, having an electrically conductive material therein, and a breakable coating of at least one electrically non-conductive material; and (3) multiple second particles, each second particle comprising a core comprising a catalyst and a breakable coating of at least one electrically non-conductive material, wherein the first electrical contact is positioned close enough to the second electrical contact to break the breakable coatings of the first particles and the second particles in the interposed adhesive, whereby the reactive resin and the catalyst react to form a conductive adhesive between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, contact provided that the coating of the particles interposed between the first substrate surface and the second substrate surface, but not interposed between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, is not broken. This embodiment includes semiconductor dies or chips and semiconductor packages comprising such an interconnect.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the following accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only. Throughout the following views, reference numerals will be used in the drawings, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout the several views and in the description to indicate same or like parts.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the apparatus of the invention prior to the formation of the interconnect.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a particle of FIG. 1.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 at a processing step subsequent to forming the interconnect.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 4 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the apparatus of the invention prior to the formation of the interconnect.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a particle of FIG. 4.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 4 at a processing step subsequent to forming the interconnect.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-section view of one embodiment of the apparatus of the invention prior to the formation of the interconnect.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-section view of the apparatus of FIG. 7 at a processing step subsequent to forming the interconnect.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] In the following detailed description, references made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0027] The terms “wafer” or “substrate” used in the following description include any semiconductor-based structure having a silicon surface. Wafer and substrate are to be understood as including silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) technology, doped and undoped semiconductors, epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductor foundation, and other semiconductor structures. Furthermore, when references made to a wafer or substrate in the following description, previous process steps may have been used to form regions or junctions in the base semiconductor structure or foundation. Preferred substrates are semiconductor structures such as semiconductor dies, semiconductor chips and semiconductor packages.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 1 shows a step of a preferred process for making one embodiment of the inventive electric interconnect. A first substrate 1 having a first electrical contact 3 is positioned opposite a second substrate 5 having a second electrical contact 7 . The first substrate 1 and the second substrate 5 are positioned relative to each other such that the first electrical contact 3 is aligned with the second electrical contact 7 . An adhesive 9 is interposed between the first electrical contact 3 and the second electrical contact 7 . The adhesive 9 comprises particles 11 .
[0029] The adhesive 9 may be any insulating adhesive resin usable in the art. Such adhesives resins are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,443, incorporated herein by reference, and include ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymeric resins unmodified or modified with carboxyl groups, copolymers of ethylene with methyl, ethyl or isobutyl acrylate, polyamide resins, polyester resins, poly(methyl methacrylate) resins, poly(vinyl ether) resins, poly(vinyl butyral) resins, polyurethane resins, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers unmodified or modified with carboxyl groups, styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymeric resins, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymers unmodified or modified with maleic acid, polybutadiene rubbers, polychloroprene rubbers unmodified or modified with carboxyl groups, styrene-butadiene copolymeric rubbers, isoprene-isobutylene copolymers, nitrile rubbers modified with carboxyl groups, epoxy resins, silicone resins and the like. These polymeric materials can be used either singly or as a combination of two kinds or more according to need.
[0030] It is optional that the above named adhesive polymeric material is admixed with a tackifier such as rosins and derivatives thereof, terpene resins, terpene-phenol copolymeric resins, petroleum resins, coumarone-indene resins, styrene-based resins, isoprene-based resins, phenolic resins, alkylphenol resins and the like either singly or as a combination of two kinds or more.
[0031] Further, the adhesive resin can optionally be admixed with various kinds of known additives including reaction aids, catalysts, or cross-linking agents such as phenolic resins, polyol compounds, isocyanate compounds, melamine resins, urea resins, urotropine compounds, amine compounds, acid anhydrides, organic peroxides, metal oxides, metal salts of an organic acid, e.g., chromium trifluoroacetate, alkoxides of a metal, e.g., titanium, zirconium and aluminum, and organometallic compounds, e.g., dibutyltin oxide, as well as photopolymerization initiators, e.g., 2,2-diethoxy acetophenone and benzil, sensitizer, e.g., amine compounds, phosphorus compounds and chlorine compounds, and so on. The adhesive 9 is preferably in the form of a film or a paste.
[0032] Preferably, the adhesive resin does not expand when cured, more preferably, the adhesive resin shrinks during cure.
[0033] The adhesive 9 may be positioned to interpose the two substrates before the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 5 are aligned in relation to each other. For example, the adhesive 9 may be deposited over the surface of one of the substrates followed by positioning the other substrate.
[0034] [0034]FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of particle 11 . Typically, the particles 11 are generally rounded in shape, preferably spherical. Particles 11 typically have an average diameter of between about 0.5 ∥ to about 100 μ. The particle 11 has a core 13 of an electrically conductive material, or a material that can react to form an electrically conductive material, surrounded by a breakable coating 15 of an electrically non-conducting material. Optionally, the core may be pre-broken to form fracture lines 17 . The pre-broken core can be formed by thermally or chemically stressing the core. A pre-broken core may also be formed as an agglomeration of fragments.
[0035] In one preferred embodiment, the core 13 comprises any metal that will form sharp edges when fractured. The metal is preferably nickel, copper, silver or molybdenum. The metal can also be a metal that oxidizes in the presence of oxygen because the metal is in a controlled environment in the interconnect. The metal is preferably pre-cracked in order to facilitate the formation of sharp edges and surfaces on the metal when the particle is broken by compression. The sharp edges and surfaces ensure contact between the contact surfaces.
[0036] The breakable electrically non-conductive coating can be any appropriate material that can hold the conductive material together until the particles are broken by compression between the contacts. Examples of suitable electrically non-conductive materials include polymer resins and ceramics. A suitable ceramic is alumina oxide.
[0037] [0037]FIG. 3 shows the process after the interconnect has been formed. The first substrate 1 and the second substrate 5 have been repositioned closer to each other to compress the adhesive 9 . In particular, the two substrates have been repositioned such that the electrically conducting particles 11 are compressed and broken between the first contact 3 and the second contact 7 . The broken particles 19 preferably have sharp edges 21 to enhance the electrical connection between the broken particles 19 and the contacts. The broken particles 19 typically have an average largest dimension of about 0.1 ∥ to about 20 μ. The particles 11 in adhesive 9 which are not located between the contacts are not subjected to enough compression to break the coating on those particles. As such, an electrical connection is formed between the first contact 3 and the second contact 7 but the adhesive 9 and particles 11 not located between the two contacts remain non-electroconductive.
[0038] [0038]FIG. 4 shows a step of this process for making another preferred embodiment the inventive electric interconnect. A first substrate 101 having a first electrical contact 103 is positioned opposite a second substrate 105 having a second electrical contact 107 . The first substrate 101 and the second substrate 105 are positioned relative to each other such that the first electrical contact 103 is aligned with the second electrical contact 107 . An adhesive 109 is interposed between the first electrical contact 103 and the second electrical contact 107 . The adhesive 109 comprises particles 111 .
[0039] The adhesive 109 may be any insulating adhesive resin usable in the art as described above. The adhesive 109 is preferably in the form of a film or a paste.
[0040] The adhesive 109 may be positioned to interpose the two substrates before the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 105 are aligned in relation to each other. For example, the adhesive 109 may be deposited over the surface of one of the substrates followed by positioning the other substrate.
[0041] [0041]FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the particle 111 . Typically, the particles 111 are generally rounded in shape, preferably spherical. The particle 111 has a core 113 of a material that can react to form an electrically conductive material, surrounded by a breakable coating 115 of an electrically non-conducting material. Particle 111 typically has an average diameter of about 0.5 μ to up to about 250 μ.
[0042] Core 113 comprises a multiplicity of first subparticles 117 and second subparticles 123 . First subparticles 117 comprise a rupturable membrane 119 and a reactive resin 121 which is electrically conductive. Rupturable membrane 119 may be made of any suitable organic material, for example, polymer resins insoluble in reactive resin 121 . Reactive resin 121 can comprise any resin usable for adhesive 109 , preferably an epoxy resin. Reactive resin 121 is rendered electrically conductive through filling with chunks of electrically conductive materials such as silver, nickel, copper, molybdenum. Second subparticle 123 comprises a rupturable membrane 125 and a catalyst 127 enclosed therein. Rupturable membrane 125 may be any suitable organic material that is insoluble in catalyst 127 , preferably a polymer resin. Catalyst 127 is selected to react with reactive resin 121 to form a cured adhesive.
[0043] The breakable electrically non-conductive coating 115 can be any appropriate material that can hold the conductive material together until the particles are broken by compression between the contacts. Examples of suitable electrically non-conductive materials include polymer resins and ceramics. A suitable ceramic is alumina oxide.
[0044] [0044]FIG. 6 shows the process after the interconnect has been formed. The first substrate 101 and the second substrate 105 have been repositioned closer to each other to compress the adhesive 109 . In particular, the two substrates have been repositioned such that the particles 111 are compressed and broken between the first contact 103 and the second contact 107 .
[0045] When particles 111 are compressed and broken, membranes 119 of first subparticles 117 and 125 of second subparticle 123 are ruptured permitting reactive resin 121 and catalyst 127 to intermingle and react. As a result, a cured adhesive bond is formed between first contact 103 and second contact 107 wherein the adhesive is electrically conductive.
[0046] [0046]FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a process for making one embodiment of the inventive electric interconnect. A first substrate 201 having a first electrical contact 203 is positioned opposite a second substrate 205 having a second electrical contact 207 . The first substrate 201 and the second substrate 205 are positioned relative to each other such that the first electrical contact 203 is aligned with the second electrical contact 207 . An adhesive 209 is interposed between the first electrical contact 203 and the second electrical contact 207 . The adhesive 209 comprises first particles 211 and second particles 217 .
[0047] The adhesive 209 may be any insulating adhesive resin usable in the art as described above. The adhesive 209 is preferably in the form of a film or a paste.
[0048] The adhesive 209 may be positioned to interpose the two substrates before the first substrate 201 and the second substrate 205 are aligned in relation to each other. For example, the adhesive 209 may be deposited over the surface of one of the substrates followed by positioning the other substrate.
[0049] First particle 211 comprises a conductive resin 215 contained within a breakable coating 213 of an electrically nonconducting material. Conductive resin 215 comprises one-half of a two-part adhesive, preferably an epoxy resin, filled with electrically conducting material. The electrically conducting material is preferably silver but may also be nickel, copper or molybdenum. The breakable electrically non-conductive coating 215 can be any appropriate material that can hold the conductive material together until the particles are broken by compression between the contacts. Examples of suitable electrically non-conductive materials include polymer resins and ceramics. A suitable ceramic is alumina oxide.
[0050] Second particle 217 comprises a catalyst 221 encased within a breakable coating 219 made from an electrically nonconducting material. The catalyst 221 is selected to react with the conductive resin 215 as the other component of the two-part adhesive, preferably an epoxy resin. The breakable electrically non-conductive coating 219 can be any appropriate material that can hold the conductive material together until the particles are broken by compression between the contacts. Examples of suitable electrically non-conductive materials include polymer resins and ceramics. A suitable ceramic is alumina oxide.
[0051] [0051]FIG. 8 shows the process after the interconnect has been formed. The first substrate 201 and the second substrate 205 have been repositioned closer to each other to compress the adhesive 209 . In particular, the two substrates have been repositioned such that the particles 211 and the second particles 217 are compressed and broken between the first contact 203 and the second contact 207 . The conductive resin 215 from broken first particles 211 intermingles with and reacts with the catalyst 221 from broken second particles 217 . The reaction of conductive resin 215 with catalyst 221 results in a cured adhesive 223 . First particles 211 and second particles 217 which are not located between first contact 203 and second contact 207 are not broken in the compression step.
[0052] The electrical interconnect of the current invention is usable for any interconnection between two semiconductor parts each having a contact. In particular, the inventive interconnect is usable on semiconductor dies, chips or package. The inventive adhesive could replace solder paste in forming interconnects with die, chips and packages. The inventive adhesive can also be used as a surface mount material.
[0053] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown and described, since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents. | An anisotropic electrically conducting interconnect is disclosed in which an adhesive comprising particles having a breakable coating of at feast one electrically nonconductive material is compressed between a first contact and a second contact. Compression to two contacts breaks the breakable coating exposing an electrically conducting material which makes contact with the first and second contacts. The electrically conducting material may be a metal conductor or a two-part reactive conductive resin/catalyst system. Also disclosed are processes for making such electrical interconnects and adhesives for use in making electrical interconnect. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a spacer and a parts attachment device for attaching a cathode ray tube (CRT) to a TV receiver cabinet while adjusting the spacing between the cabinet and the CRT without warping the cabinet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the parts of an example of a prior art CRT mounting structure. In FIG. 20, a boss 2 is integrally provided on the inside surface of a cabinet 1 . Reference numeral 3 denotes a CRT, and numeral 4 denotes a CRT mounting flange provided on the side of the CRT 3 . Located on the end of the boss 2 is a recess portion that holds a fixing screw 7 and a matching nut 5 , with the nut 5 being held so that it cannot rotate. Numeral 6 denotes a fitting that is shaped like an inverted U, so it is open at the lower end. The inside of the top portion is indented to allow it to be bent down at each side, forming opposing flaps each having a cutout. The pair of cutouts is used to hold the boss 2 between the flaps.
The attachment of the CRT 3 to the cabinet 1 will now be described. First, the cabinet 1 is set level, the nut 5 is inserted into a hexagonal recess formed in the top of the boss 2 , and the fitting 6 is placed over the boss 2 . The CRT 3 is then positioned so that the flange 4 is on the fitting 6 , and the fixing screw 7 is inserted into a hole in the fitting 6 through a hole in the flange 4 and screwed into engagement with the nut 5 .
Screwing the fixing screw 7 into the nut 5 draws the nut 5 upward until it is in contact with the fitting 6 , moving the fitting 6 to a position at which the gap between the cabinet 1 and the flange 4 is closed. Further tightening the fixing screw 7 deforms the top of the fitting 6 flat. moving the flaps of the fitting 6 towards each other, clamping the boss 2 between the flaps, to thereby affix the CRT 3 to the cabinet 1 . This type of CRT mounting arrangement is disclosed by, for example, JP-A HEI 11-313276. Tightening the fixing screw 7 moves the fitting 6 into contact with the flange 4 . Since the boss 2 is clamped between the opposing flaps of the fitting 6 , the CRT 3 is attached to the cabinet 1 with an appropriate spacing being maintained between the cabinet 1 and the flange 4 that prevents the cabinet 1 being warped by the operation. However, a drawback of this configuration is that the CRT 3 is attached with a weak attaching force, which is the force by which the boss 2 is clamped by the opposing flaps of the fitting 6 .
An object of this invention is to resolve the above-described weak attaching force that is a drawback of the prior art, by providing a spacer and a parts attachment device that enables parts to be securely affixed without warping the member to which the part is affixed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To attain the above object, the present invention provides a spacer comprising a first cam having an inclined cam surface and a second cam having an inclined cam surface, with an overall length of the two cams being changed by contacting the cam surfaces together to move the cams relative to each other.
The above object is also attained by a device for attaching parts via a spacer comprising a first cam having an inclined cam surface and a second cam having an inclined cam surface, with an overall length of the two cams being changed by contacting the cam surfaces together to move the cams relative to each other.
The spacer can also include a ratchet means for preventing the overall length of the cams from decreasing. A configuration can be used in which the cams are cylindrical and the ratchet means comprises engaging teeth provided on the peripheral wall of one of the cams and a pawl provided on the peripheral wall of the other cam that engages with the engaging teeth of the first cam. Using cams that are cylindrical, the ratchet means can also comprise engaging teeth provided on the cam surface of one cam and a pawl provided on the cam surface of the other cam that engages with the engaging teeth of the first cam.
The spacer can also include a torque limiter provided on a threaded engaging portion of one cam that engages with a fixing screw, a torque of the screwing action of the fixing screw relative to the threaded engaging portion being larger than a ratchet torque of the ratchet means, so that when a cam is brought into abutment with a member by rotation of the fixing screw in the threaded engaging portion, the action of the torque limiter screws the fixing screw into the engaging portion.
The cams are moved relative to each other in a linear direction to change the overall length of the cams, and it is preferable to provide a means for coupling the two cams together, at least in their initial state.
As described in the above, in accordance with this invention, a spacer is constituted of the first and second cams, enabling the overall length of the spacer to be adjusted to match the gap between the CRT fixing flange and the cabinet. Enabling the flange to be directly attached to the cabinet by fixing screws resolves the problem of weak attaching force that is a drawback of the prior art mounting.
Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and following detailed description of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a fixed cam used in a spacer according to a first embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the fixed cam of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the fixed cam of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view along line IV—IV of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 is a front view of a rotary cam used in the spacer according to the first embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the rotary cam of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the rotary cam of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 8 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view along line VIII—VIII of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 9 is an cross-sectional view along line IX—IX of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 10 is a front view showing the spacer with the rotary cam attached to the fixed cam.
FIG. 11 is a plan view of the spacer of FIG. 10 .
FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the spacer of FIG. 10 .
FIG. 13 is a plan view showing part of the back of a cabinet.
FIG. 14 is a view of the rib seen in FIG. 13, as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow.
FIG. 15 illustrates the attachment of a CRT to the cabinet, using the spacer according to the first embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 16 is another illustration of the attachment of the CRT to the cabinet using the spacer according to the first embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 17 is a disassembled perspective view of a spacer according to a second embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 18 illustrates the attachment of a CRT to a cabinet, using the spacer according to the second embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 19 is another illustration of the attachment of the CRT to the cabinet using the spacer according to the second embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of parts of an example of a prior art CRT mounting structure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 4 show a fixed cam used in a spacer according to a first embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, reference numeral 11 denotes a first cam that is a fixed cam. The fixed cam 11 is formed of synthetic resin, and is cylindrical in shape, comprising a large-diameter portion 12 and a small-diameter portion 15 . The large-diameter portion 12 is provided with a projection 13 that extends radially from the peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 12 . Two cam surfaces 14 are provided on the upper surface of the large-diameter portion 12 . Each cam surface 14 slopes up at a predetermined angle, extending 180 degrees in a clockwise direction. The peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion 15 has teeth 16 for a ratchet means. A pawl 17 that constitutes a coupling means is provided between predetermined teeth 16 .
FIGS. 5 to 9 show a rotary cam used as a second cam in the spacer of the first embodiment. The rotary cam 21 is formed of synthetic resin, and comprises an outer cylinder 22 , a threaded inner cylinder (or threaded engaging portion) 25 , and a ceiling portion 27 that connects the top ends of the outer cylinder 22 and the threaded inner cylinder (or threaded engaging portion) 25 . The lower face of the outer cylinder 22 is provided with two cam surfaces 23 , each of which slopes upwards at the same angle as the cam surface 14 of the fixed cam 11 , extending 180 degrees in a clockwise direction. The peripheral surface is provided with a pawl 24 to form a rachet means. The pawl 24 has teeth 24 a for engaging with the teeth 16 of the fixed cam 11 . These teeth 24 a constitute a coupling means. The inside surface of the threaded inner cylinder (or threaded engaging portion) 25 has built-up portions 26 provided at, for example, 120-degree intervals to limit circumferential torque (i.e., the built-up portions 26 on the inside surface of the threaded inner cylinder or threaded engaging portion 25 act as a torque limiter).
FIGS. 10 to 12 show the spacer with the rotary cam 21 attached to the fixed cam 11 . As shown by these drawings, the spacer is assembled so the overall length of the cam 11 and cam 21 is at the minimum, which is when the small-diameter portion 15 of the fixed cam 11 is inserted into the outer cylinder 22 of the rotary cam 21 with the teeth 16 engaged with the teeth 24 a of the pawl 24 and the cam surfaces 14 and 23 pressed into contact. When the resiliency of the pawl 24 enables the teeth 24 a to ride over the pawl 17 , the top of the teeth 24 a become positioned at the bottom of the pawl 17 , as shown in FIG. 4, preventing the fixed cam 11 slipping free of the rotary cam 21 . Therefore, the initial assembly state is maintained by the coupling means constituted by the pawl 17 and teeth 24 a . By using the coupling means to prevent the fixed cam 11 disengaging from the rotary cam 21 , the spacer S stays in its initial assembly position, in which it is easier to handle.
FIG. 13 is a plan view showing part of the back of a cabinet, and FIG. 14 shows the rib of FIG. 13, as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow. In the drawings, reference numeral 51 denotes a cabinet, and numeral 52 denotes a rib formed integrally with the cabinet 51 , in the shape of a cylinder open at one side when seen in plan view. The rib 52 is used to position the spacer S and control rotation of the fixed cam 11 . Reference numeral 53 denotes a boss located at the center of the rib 52 . The boss 53 is formed as an integral part of the cabinet 51 , with an outside diameter that allows the boss to fit into the fixed cam 11 .
FIGS. 15 and 16 show how a CRT is attached to a cabinet, using the spacer of the first embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, reference numeral 61 denotes the part or member to be attached, which is a CRT. On the side of the CRT, there is a fixing flange 62 that has a hole 63 into which a fixing screw 71 is inserted.
The attaching of the CRT 61 to the cabinet 51 will now be explained. First, as shown in FIG. 15, the cabinet 51 is placed so it is level, and the boss 53 is inserted into the fixed cam 11 of the assembled spacer S, and the spacer S is positioned inside the rib 52 . Next, the CRT 61 is positioned with the flange 62 on the spacer S. The fixing screw 71 is then inserted into the hole 63 of the flange 62 and screwed into a built-up portion 26 in the inner cylinder 25 of the rotary cam 21 .
When the screw 71 is being screwed into the built-up portion 26 , the torque of the screwing action exceeds the ratchet torque of the ratchet means, causing the spacer S to rotate clockwise. The rotation of the fixed cam 11 is prevented by the projection 13 coming into contact with the rib 52 . With the rotation of the fixed cam 11 being thus prevented, only the rotary cam 21 rotates. As the rotary cam 21 rotates, the resiliency of the pawl 24 enables the teeth 24 a to ride over the teeth 16 one tooth at a time, whereby as the rotary cam 21 rotates clockwise, it is elevated as it is guided along the cam surfaces 14 and 23 , gradually increasing the overall length of the spacer S. In this way, the rotary cam 21 is moved to a position at which the gap between the cabinet 51 and the flange 62 is appropriately closed.
When the rotation of the rotary cam 21 moves about two of the teeth 16 past the pawl 17 from the initial position, the pawl 17 and the teeth 24 a disengage, allowing the rotary cam 21 to move axially. Also, as shown in FIG. 16, when the rotary cam 21 is pressed against the flange 62 , screwing the screw 71 into the built-up portions 26 and the boss 53 clamps the flange 62 between the spacer S and the screw 71 , enabling the CRT 61 to be attached securely to the cabinet 51 .
Thus, as described in the above, in accordance with the first embodiment of this invention, the spacer S is comprised of a first cam 11 and a second cam 21 . By pressing the cam surfaces 14 and 23 of the two cams together, the cams 11 and 21 are rotated relative to each other, thereby making it possible to increase the overall length of the spacer S, appropriately closing the gap between the cabinet 51 and the flange 62 . It therefore becomes possible to securely affix the CRT 61 to the cabinet 51 without warping the cabinet 51 .
Also, the spacer S is provided with a ratchet mechanism that maintains the spacer in the state in which it is attached, by preventing any shortening of the overall length of the spacer S. Moreover, the cams 11 and 21 are cylindrical, and have a ratchet mechanism provided between the peripheral walls of the cams. This configuration enables a ratchet mechanism to be provided without increasing the overall size of the spacer. The spacer S is also provided with a torque limiter, which enables the overall length of the spacer S to be readily increased to an appropriate length to fill the gap between the cabinet 51 and the flange 62 . A coupling means is also provided between the cams 11 and 21 , which maintains the cams in their initial assembly state, making it easier to handle the spacer and also facilitating the operation of attaching the CRT 61 to the cabinet 51 .
FIG. 17 is a disassembled perspective view of a spacer according to a second embodiment of the invention. Parts that are the same as, or correspond to, parts in FIGS. 1 to 16 have been given the same reference numerals or symbols, and further explanation thereof is omitted. In FIG. 17, reference numeral 31 denotes a first cam that is a fixed cam. The first cam 31 is formed of synthetic resin, and comprises a cylindrical portion 32 into which a boss 53 of a cabinet 51 is inserted, and a wedge-shaped cam portion 33 . The upper surface of the cam portion 33 forms a cam surface that slopes upwards at a predetermined angle. Engaging teeth 34 are provided at each side, forming a ratchet mechanism. The cam portion 33 is also provided with a guide groove 35 and a hole 36 (FIG. 18) that communicates with the cylindrical portion 32 .
Reference numeral 41 denotes a wedge-shaped second cam, formed of synthetic resin, that is movable. The lower face of the movable cam 41 is formed as a cam surface 42 that slopes upwards at the same angle as the cam engaging teeth 34 . The lower surface also has a ratchet mechanism comprising pawls 43 provided at each side, and a guide member 44 , preventing disengagement from the guide groove 35 . The movable cam 41 has a long hole 45 , which enables the hole 45 to remain in communication with the hole 36 even when the movable cam 41 is moved on the fixed cam 31 . The guide mechanism constituted by the guide groove 35 and guide member 44 also forms a coupling means.
FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate the attachment of a CRT to a cabinet, using the spacer according to the second embodiment of the invention. Parts that are the same as, or correspond to, parts in FIGS. 1 to 17 have been given the same reference numerals or symbols, and further explanation thereof is omitted. FIG. 18 shows the initial assembly state, with the guide member of the movable cam 41 inserted in the guide groove of the fixed cam 31 and the teeth 34 at the lower part in engagement with the pawls 43 . This initial state is maintained by the coupling (i.e. guide) means. In this initial state, the spacer S is easier to handle, since the coupling means keeps the cams together.
The attaching of the CRT 61 to the cabinet 51 will now be explained. First, as shown in FIG. 18, with the cabinet 51 (not shown) in a level position, the boss 53 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 32 of the assembled spacer S, and the CRT 61 (not shown) is positioned so that the flange 62 is on the spacer S. The gap between the movable cam 41 and the flange 62 can then be closed, as shown in FIG. 19, by pushing in the movable cam 41 .
When the movable cam 41 is thus pushed, the resiliency of the pawl 43 enables it to ride over the engaging teeth 34 one tooth at a time, allowing the movable cam 41 to move up along the guide groove 35 (the cam surface 42 ), thereby increasing the overall length of the spacer S, until the spacer is at a length that fills the gap between the cabinet 51 and the flange 62 . As shown in FIG. 19, the fixing screw 71 is then inserted through the long hole 45 and the hole 36 and screwed into the boss 53 . This clamps the flange 62 between the spacer S and the screw 71 , ensuring that the CRT 61 is attached securely to the cabinet 51 .
The same effect that is obtained with the spacer S of the first embodiment can also be obtained with this spacer S of the second embodiment.
In the arrangement of the first embodiment described above, a ratchet mechanism is provided between the peripheral surfaces of the first and second cams 11 and 21 . However, the same effect can be obtained by providing the ratchet means on the cam surfaces 14 and 24 . Also, although in the case of the first and second embodiments, the fixed cams 11 and 31 are formed as parts that are separate from the cabinet 51 , the fixed cams 11 and 31 can be formed as integral parts of the cabinet 51 . The coupling means is not limited to the example configuration described with reference to the first and second embodiments. Instead, any configuration may be used that provides the same function.
As described in the foregoing, in accordance with this invention, a spacer is provided that is comprised of a first fixed cam and a second movable cam. It is noted that the first cam may be a movable one and the second cam may be a fixed one. The cams are moved relative to each other with the cam surfaces in mutual contact. This enables the overall length of the spacer to be increased, which is used to fill gaps when attaching a part, such as the gap between a CRT and a cabinet in which the CRT is attached. The spacer makes it possible to use screws to effect a strong, direct attachment of parts, without warping the cabinet or other such member to which the part is affixed.
A ratchet mechanism is provided that prevents the overall length of the spacer from decreasing, and the assembly state can be maintained. Since the cams can be cylindrically formed and the ratchet mechanism can be provided between the peripheral walls or cam surfaces of the cams, it is possible to provide a configuration that enables a ratchet mechanism to be added without increasing the overall size of the spacer.
The spacer can also be provided with a torque limiter that enables the overall length of the spacer to be readily increased to the appropriate length to fill the gap between the part and the member to which the part is attached.
A coupling means can be provided between the cams. This maintains the initial assembly state of the spacer, that is, it keeps the cams from separating, making the spacer easier to handle and to use for attaching parts. | A spacer includes a first cam having an inclined cam surface and a second cam having an inclined cam surface. The overall length of the two cams can be changed by contacting the cam surfaces together to move the cams relative to each other. | 8 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of pending prior application Ser. No. 10/163,757, filed Jun. 6, 2002 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Discrimination and Counting,” which in turn is a continuation of prior application Ser. No. 09/453,200, filed Dec. 2, 1999 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Discrimination and Counting” and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,806 on Oct. 1, 2002, which in turn is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/841,203, filed Apr. 29, 1997 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Currency Discrimination and Counting” and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,951 on Feb. 22, 2000, which in turn is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/339,337, filed on Nov. 14, 1994, entitled “Method And Apparatus For Currency Discrimination And Counting” and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,067 on Nov. 25, 1997, which in turn is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/127,334, filed on Sep. 27, 1993, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,405 on Nov. 14, 1995, which in turn is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/885,648, filed May 19, 1992, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,196 on Mar. 15, 1994, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/475,111, filed Feb. 5, 1990, and now abandoned. All of the above applications and patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to currency identification. The invention relates more particularly to a method and apparatus for automatic discrimination and counting of currency bills of different denominations using light reflectivity characteristics of indicia printed upon the currency bills.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of techniques and apparatus have been used to satisfy the requirements of automated currency handling systems. At the lower end of sophistication in this area of technology are systems capable of handling only a specific type of currency, such as a specific-dollar denomination, while rejecting all other currency types. At the upper end are complex systems which are capable of identifying and discriminating among and automatically counting multiple currency denominations.
Currency discrimination systems typically employ either magnetic sensing or optical sensing for discriminating between different currency denominations. Magnetic sensing is based on detecting the presence or absence of magnetic ink in portions of the printed indicia on the currency by using magnetic sensors, usually ferrite core-based sensors, and using the detected magnetic signals, after undergoing analog or digital processing, as the basis for currency discrimination. The more commonly used optical sensing technique, on the other hand, is based on detecting and analyzing variations in light reflectance or transmissivity characteristics occurring when a currency bill is illuminated and scanned by a strip of focused light. The subsequent currency discrimination is based on the comparison of sensed optical characteristics with prestored parameters for different currency denominations, while accounting for adequate tolerances reflecting differences among individual bills of a given denomination.
A major obstacle in implementing automated currency discrimination systems is obtaining an optimum compromise between the criteria used to adequately define the characteristic pattern for a particular currency denomination, the time required to analyze test data and compare it to predefined parameters in order to identify the currency bill under scrutiny, and the rate at which successive currency bills may be mechanically fed through and scanned. Even with the use of microprocessors for processing the test data resulting from the scanning of a bill, a finite amount of time is required for acquiring samples and for the process of comparing the test data to stored parameters to identify the denomination of the bill.
Most of the optical scanning systems available today utilize complex algorithms for obtaining a large number of reflectance data samples as a currency bill is scanned by an optical scanhead and for subsequently comparing the data to corresponding stored parameters to identify the bill denomination. Conventional systems require a relatively large number of optical samples per bill scan in order to sufficiently discriminate between currency denominations, particularly those denominations for which the reflectance patterns are not markedly distinguishable. The use of the large number of data samples slows down the rate at which incoming bills may be scanned and, more importantly, requires a correspondingly longer period of time to process the data in accordance with the discrimination algorithm.
A major problem associated with conventional systems is that, in order to obtain the required large number of reflectance samples required for accurate currency discrimination, such systems are restricted to scanning bills along the longer dimension of currency bills. Lengthwise scanning, in turn, has several inherent drawbacks including the need for an extended transport path for relaying the bill lengthwise across the scanhead and the added mechanical complexity involved in accommodating the extended path as well as the associated means for ensuring uniform, non-overlapping registration of bills with the sensing surface of the scanhead.
The end result is that systems capable of accurate currency discrimination are costly, mechanically bulky and complex, and generally incapable of both currency discrimination and counting at high speeds with a high degree of accuracy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for identifying and counting currency bills comprising a plurality of currency denominations.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved method and apparatus of the above kind which is capable of efficiently discriminating among and counting bills of several currency denominations at a high speed and with a high degree of accuracy.
A related object of the present invention is to provide such an improved currency discrimination and counting apparatus which is compact, economical and has uncomplicated construction and operation.
Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, the objectives enumerated above are achieved by means of an improved optical sensing and correlation technique adopted to both counting and denomination discrimination of currency bills. The technique is based on the optical sensing of bill reflectance characteristics obtained by illuminating and scanning a bill along its narrow dimension, approximately about the central section of the bill. Light reflected from the bill as it is optically scanned is detected and used as an analog representation of the variation in the dark and light content of the printed pattern or indicia on the bill surface.
A series of such detected reflectance signals are obtained by sampling and digitally processing, under microprocessor control, the reflected light at a plurality of predefined sample points as the bill is moved across the illuminated strip with its narrow dimension parallel to the direction of transport of the bill. Accordingly, a fixed number of reflectance samples is obtained across the narrow dimension of the note. The data samples obtained for a bill scan are subjected to digital processing, including a normalizing process to deaccentuate variations due to “contrast” fluctuations in the printed pattern or indicia existing on the surface of the bill being scanned. The normalized reflectance data represent a characteristic pattern that is fairly unique for a given bill denomination and incorporates sufficient distinguishing features between characteristic patterns for different currency denominations so as to accurately differentiate therebetween.
By using the above approach, a series of master characteristic patterns are generated and stored using standard bills for each denomination of currency that is to be detected. The “standard” bills used to generate the master characteristic patterns are preferably bills that are slightly used bills. According to a preferred embodiment, two characteristic patterns are generated and stored within system memory for each detectable currency denomination. The stored patterns correspond, respectively, to optical scans performed on the green surface of a bill along “forward” and “reverse” directions relative to the pattern printed on the bill. For bills which produce significant pattern changes when shifted slightly to the left or right, such as the $10 bill in U.S. currency, it is preferred to store two patterns for each of the “forward” and “reverse directions, each pair of patterns for the same direction represent two scan areas that are slightly displaced from each other along the long dimension of the bill. Preferably, the currency discrimination and counting method and apparatus of this invention is adapted to identify seven (7) different denominations of U.S. currency, i.e., $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. Accordingly, a master set of 16 different characteristic patterns is stored within the system memory for subsequent correlation purposes (four patterns for the $10 bill and two patterns for each of the other denominations.
According to the correlation technique of this invention, the pattern generated by scanning a bill under test and processing the sampled data is compared with each of the 16 prestored characteristic patterns to generate, for each comparison, a correlation number representing the extent of similarity between corresponding ones of the plurality of data samples for the compared patterns. Denomination identification is based on designating the scanned bill as belonging to the denomination corresponding to the stored characteristic pattern for which the correlation number resulting from pattern comparison is determined to be the highest. The possibility of a scanned bill having its denomination mischaracterized following the comparison of characteristic patterns, is significantly reduced by defining a bi-level threshold of correlation that must be satisfied for a “positive” call to be made.
In essence, the present invention provides an improved optical sensing and correlation technique for positively identifying any of a plurality of different bill denominations regardless of whether the bill is scanned along the “forward” or “reverse” directions. The invention is particularly adapted to be implemented with a system programmed to track each identified currency denomination so as to conveniently present the aggregate total of bills that have been identified at the end of a scan run. Also in accordance with this invention, currency detecting and counting apparatus is disclosed which is particularly adapted for use with the novel sensing and correlation technique summarized above. The apparatus incorporates an abbreviated curved transport path for accepting currency bills that are to be counted and transporting the bills about their narrow dimension across a scanhead located downstream of the curved path and onto a conventional stacking station where sensed and counted bills are collected. The scanhead operates in conjunction with an optical encoder which is adapted to initiate the capture of a predefined number of reflectance data samples when a bill (and, thus, the indicia or pattern printed thereupon) moves across a coherent strip of light focused downwardly of the scanhead.
The scanhead uses a pair of light-emitting diodes (“LED”'s) to focus a coherent light strip of predefined dimensions and having a normalized distribution of light intensity across the illuminated area. The LED's are angularly disposed and focus the desired strip of light onto the narrow dimension of a bill positioned flat across the scanning surface of the scanhead. A photo detector detects light reflected from the bill. The photo detector is controlled by the optical encoder to obtain the desired reflectance samples.
Initiation of sampling is based upon detection of the change in reflectance value that occurs when the outer border of the printed pattern on a bill is encountered relative to the reflectance value obtained at the edge of the bill where no printed pattern exists. According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, illuminated strips of at least two different dimensions are used for the scanning process. A narrow strip is used initially to detect the starting point of the printed pattern on a bill and is adapted to distinguish the thin borderline that typically marks the starting point of and encloses the printed pattern on a bill. For the rest of the narrow dimension scanning following detection of the border line of the printed pattern, a substantially wider strip of light is used to collect the predefined number of samples for a bill scan the generation and storage of characteristic patterns using standard notes and the subsequent comparison and correlation procedure for classifying the scanned bill as belonging to one of several predefined currency denominations is based on the above-described sensing and correlation technique.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the conceptual basis for the optical sensing and correlation method and apparatus, according to the system of this invention;
FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic perspective illustration of the successive areas scanned during the traversing movement of a single bill across the scanhead;
FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a bill and the preferred area to be scanned on the bill;
FIG. 1C is a diagrammatic side elevation of the scan areas illustrated in FIG. 1A , to show the overlapping relationship of those areas;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred circuit arrangement for processing and correlating reflectance data according to the optical-sensing and counting technique of this invention;
FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating a circuit arrangement for producing a reset signal;
FIGS. 3-8A are flow charts illustrating the sequence of operations involved in implementing the optical sensing and correlation technique;
FIGS. 9A-C are graphical illustrations of representative characteristic patterns generated by narrow dimension optical scanning of a currency bill;
FIGS. 10A-E are graphical illustrations of the effect produced on correlation pattern by using the progressive shifting technique, according to an embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing currency discrimination and counting apparatus particularly adapted to and embodying the optical sensing and correlation technique of this invention;
FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view illustrating the mechanism used for separating currency bills and injecting them in a sequential fashion into the transport path;
FIG. 13 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 11 illustrating the separation mechanism and the transport path;
FIG. 14 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 11 illustrating details of the drive mechanism;
FIG. 15 is a top view of the currency discriminating and counting apparatus shown in FIGS. 11-14 ;
FIG. 16 is an exploded top perspective view of the optical scanhead used in the system of FIGS. 1-15 ;
FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective view of the scanhead of FIG. 16 , with the body portion of the scanhead sectioned along a vertical plane passing through the wide slit at the top of the scanhead;
FIG. 18 is a bottom perspective view of the scanhead of FIG. 16 , with the body portion of the scanhead sectioned along a vertical plane passing through the narrow slit at the top of the scanhead;
FIG. 19 is an illustration of the light distribution produced about the optical scanhead;
FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic illustration of the location of two auxiliary photo sensors relative to a bill passed thereover by the transport mechanism shown in FIGS. 11-15 ;
FIGS. 21-23 are flow charts illustrating the sequence of operations involved in various enhancements to the operating program for the basic optical sensing and correlation process; and
FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating a routine for monitoring and correcting various line voltages.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is shown a functional block diagram illustrating the optical sensing and correlation system according to this invention. The system 10 includes a bill accepting station 12 where stacks of currency bills that need to be identified and counted are positioned. Accepted bills are acted upon by a bill separating station 14 which functions to pick out or separate one bill at a time for being sequentially relayed by a bill transport mechanism 16 , according to a precisely predetermined transport path, across an optical scanhead 18 where the currency denomination of the bill is scanned, identified and counted at a rate in excess of 800 bills per minute. The scanned bill is then transported to a bill stacking station 20 where bills so processed are stacked for subsequent removal.
The optical scanhead 18 comprises at least one light source 22 directing a beam of coherent light downwardly onto the bill transport path so as to illuminate a substantially rectangular light strip 24 upon a currency bill 17 positioned on the transport path below the scanhead 18 . Light reflected off the illuminated strip 24 is sensed by a photodetector 26 positioned directly below the strip. The analog output of photodetector 26 is converted into a digital signal by means of an analog-to-digital (ADC) convertor unit 28 whose output is fed as a digital input to a central processing unit (CPU) 30 .
According to a feature of this invention, the bill transport path is defined in such a way that the transport mechanism 16 moves currency bills with the narrow dimension “W” of the bills being parallel to the transport path and the scan direction. Thus, as a bill 17 moves on the transport path on the scanhead 18 , the coherent light strip 24 effectively scans the bill across the narrow dimension “W” of the bill. Preferably, the transport path is so arranged that a currency bill 17 is scanned approximately about the central section of the bill along its narrow dimension, as best shown in FIG. 1 . The scanhead 18 functions to detect light reflected from the bill as it moves across the illuminated light strip 24 and to provide an analog representation of the variation in light so reflected which, in turn, represents the variation in the dark and light content of the printed pattern or indicia on the surface of the bill. This variation in light reflected from the narrow dimension scanning of the bills serves as a measure for distinguishing, with a high degree of confidence, among a plurality of currency denominations which the system of this invention is programmed to handle.
A series of such detected reflectance signals are obtained across the narrow dimension of the bill, or across a selected segment thereof, and the resulting analog signals are digitized under control of the CPU 30 to yield a fixed number of digital reflectance data samples. The data samples are then subjected to a digitizing process which includes a normalizing routine for processing the sampled data for improved correlation and for smoothing out variations due to “contrast” fluctuations in the printed pattern existing on the bill surface. The normalized reflectance data so digitized represents a characteristic pattern that is fairly unique for a given bill denomination and provides sufficient distinguishing features between characteristic patterns for different currency denominations, as will be explained in detail below.
In order to ensure strict correspondence between reflectance samples obtained by narrow dimension scanning of successive bills, the initiation of the reflectance sampling process is preferably controlled through the CPU 30 by means of an optical encoder 32 which is linked to the bill transport mechanism 16 and precisely tracks the physical movement of the bill 17 across the scanhead 18 . More specifically, the optical encoder 32 is linked to the rotary motion of the drive motor which generates the movement imparted to the bill as it is relayed along the transport path. In addition, it is ensured that positive contact is maintained between the bill and the transport path, particularly when the bill is being scanned by the scanhead 18 . Under these conditions, the optical encoder is capable of precisely tracking the movement of the bill relative to the light strip generated by the scanhead by monitoring the rotary motion of the drive motor.
The output of photodetector 26 is monitored by the CPU 30 to initially detect the presence of the bill underneath the scanhead and, subsequently, to detect the starting point of the printed pattern on the bill as represented by the thin borderline 17 B which typically encloses the printed indicia on currency bills. Once the borderline 17 B has been detected, the optical encoder is used to control the timing and number of reflectance samples that are obtained from the output of the photodetector 26 as the bill 17 moves across the scanhead 18 and is scanned along its narrow dimension.
The detection of the borderline constitutes an important step and realizes improved discrimination efficiency since the borderline serves as an absolute reference point for initiation of sampling. If the edge of a bill were to be used as a reference point, relative displacement of sampling points can occur because of the random manner in which the distance from the edge to the borderline varies from bill to bill due to the relatively large range of tolerances permitted during printing and cutting of currency bills. As a result, it becomes difficult to establish direct correspondence between sample points in successive bill scans and the discrimination efficiency is adversely affected.
The use of the optical encoder for controlling the sampling process relative to the physical movement of a bill across the scanhead is also advantageous in that the encoder can be used to provide a predetermined delay following detection of the borderline prior to initiation of samples. The encoder delay can be adjusted in such a way that the bill is scanned only across those segments along its narrow dimension which contain the most distinguishable printed indicia relative to the different currency denominations.
In the case of U.S. currency, for instance, it has been determined that the central, approximately two-inch portion of currency bills, as scanned across the central section of the narrow dimension of the bill, provides sufficient data for distinguishing among the various U.S. currency denominations on the basis of the correlation technique used in this invention. Accordingly, the optical encoder can be used to control the scanning process so that reflectance samples are taken for a set period of time and only after a certain period of time has elapsed since the borderline has been detected, thereby restricting the scanning to the desired central portion of the narrow dimension of the bill.
FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate the scanning process in more detail. As a bill is advanced in a direction parallel to the narrow edges of the bill, scanning via the wide slit in the scanhead is effected along a segment S of the central portion of the bill. This segment S begins a fixed distance d inboard of the border line B. As the bill traverses the scan head, a strip s of the segment S is always illuminated, and the photodetector produces a continuous output signal which is proportional to the intensity of the light reflected from the illuminated strip s at any given instant. This output is sampled at intervals controlled by the encoder, so that the sampling intervals are precisely synchronized with the movement of the bill across the scanhead.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1C , it is preferred that the sampling intervals be selected so that the strips s that are illuminated for successive samples overlap one another. The odd-numbered and even-numbered sample strips have been separated in FIGS. 1A and 1C to more clearly illustrate this overlap. For example, the first and second strips s 1 and s 2 overlap each other, the second and third strips s 2 and s 3 overlap each other, and so on. Each adjacent pair of strips overlap each other. In the illustrative example, this is accomplished by sampling strips that are 0.050 inch wide at 0.029 inch intervals, along a segment S that is 1.83 inch long (64 samples).
The optical sensing and correlation technique is based upon using the above process to generate a series of master characteristic patterns using standard bills for each denomination of currency that is to be detected. According to a preferred embodiment, two or four characteristic patterns are generated and stored within system memory, preferably in the form of an EPROM 34 (see FIG. 1 ), for each detectable currency denomination. The characteristic patterns for each bill are generated from optical scans, performed on the green surface of the bill and taken along both the “forward” and “reverse” directions relative to the pattern printed on the bill.
In adapting this technique to U.S. currency, for example, characteristic patterns are generated and stored for seven different denominations of U.S. currency, i.e., $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. As explained previously, four characteristic patterns are generated for the $10 bill, and two characteristic patterns are generated for each of the other denominations. Accordingly, a master set of 16 different characteristic patterns is stored within the system memory for subsequent correlation purposes. Once the master characteristic patterns have been stored, the pattern generated by scanning a bill under test is compared by the CPU 30 with each of the 16 pre-stored master characteristic patterns to generate, for each comparison, a correlation number representing the extent of correlation, i.e., similarity between corresponding ones of the plurality of data samples, for the patterns being compared.
The CPU 30 is programmed to identify the denomination of the scanned bill as corresponding to the stored characteristic pattern for which the correlation number resulting from pattern comparison is found to be the highest. In order to preclude the possibility of mischaracterizing the denomination of a scanned bill, as well as to reduce the possibility of spurious notes being identified as belonging to a valid denomination, a bi-level threshold of correlation is used as the basis for making a “positive” call, as will be explained in detail below.
Using the above sensing and correlation approach, the CPU 30 is programmed to count the number of bills belonging to a particular currency denomination as part of a given set of bills that have been scanned for a given scan batch, and to determine the aggregate total of the currency amount represented by the bills scanned during a scan batch. The CPU 30 is also linked to an output unit 36 which is adapted to provide a display of the number of bills counted, the breakdown of the bills in terms of currency denomination, and the aggregate total of the currency value represented by counted bills. The output unit 36 can also be adapted to provide a print-out of the displayed information in a desired format.
Referring now to FIG. 2 , there is shown a representation, in block diagram form, of a preferred circuit arrangement for processing and correlating reflectance data according to the system of this invention. As shown therein, the CPU 30 accepts and processes a variety of input signals including those from the optical encoder 32 , the photodetector 26 and a memory unit 38 , which can be an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM). The memory unit 38 has stored within it the correlation program on the basis of which patterns are generated and test patterns compared with stored master programs in order to identify the denomination of test currency. A crystal 40 serves as the time base for the CPU 30 , which is also provided with an external reference voltage V REF on the basis of which peak detection of sensed reflectance data is performed, as explained in detail below.
The CPU 30 also accepts a timer reset signal from a reset unit 44 which, as shown in FIG. 2A , accepts the output voltage from the photodetector 26 and compares it, by means of a threshold detector 44 A, relative to a pre-set voltage threshold, typically 5.0 volts, to provide a reset signal which goes “high” when a reflectance value corresponding to the presence of paper is sensed. More specifically, reflectance sampling is based on the premise that no portion of the illuminated light strip ( 24 in FIG. 1 ) is reflected to the photodetector in the absence of a bill positioned below the scanhead. Under these conditions, the output of the photodetector represents a “dark” or “zero” level reading. The photodetector output changes to a “white” reading, typically set to have a value of about 5.0 volts, when the edge of a bill first becomes positioned below the scanhead and falls under the light strip 24 . When this occurs, the reset unit 44 provides a “high” signal to the CPU 30 and marks the initiation of the scanning procedure.
In accordance with a feature of this invention, the machine-direction dimension of the illuminated strip of light produced by the light sources within the scanhead is set to be relatively small for the initial stage of the scan when the thin borderline is being detected. The use of the narrow slit increases the sensitivity with which the reflected light is detected and allows minute variations in the “gray” level reflected off the bill surface to be sensed. This is important in ensuring that the thin borderline of the pattern, i.e., the starting point of the printed pattern on the bill, is accurately detected. Once the borderline has been detected, subsequent reflectance sampling is performed on the basis of a relatively wider light strip in order to completely scan across the narrow dimension of the bill and obtain the desired number of samples, at a rapid rate. The use of a wider slit for the actual sampling also smooths out the output characteristics of the photodetector and realizes the relatively large magnitude of analog voltage which is essential for accurate representation and processing of the detected reflectance values.
Returning to FIG. 2 , the CPU 30 processes the output of photodetector 26 through a peak detector 50 which essentially functions to sample the photodetector output voltage and hold the highest, i.e., peak, voltage value encountered after the detector has been enabled. The peak detector is also adapted to define a scaled voltage on the basis of which the pattern borderline on bills is detected. The output of the peak detector 50 is fed to a voltage divider 54 which lowers the peak voltage down to a scaled voltage V S representing a predefined percentage of this peak value. The voltage V S is based upon the percentage drop in output voltage of the peak detector as it reflects the transition from the “high” reflectance value resulting from the scanning of the unprinted edge portions of a currency bill to the relatively lower “gray” reflectance value resulting when the thin borderline is encountered. Preferably, the scaled voltage V s is set to be about 70-80 percent of the peak voltage.
The scaled voltage V S is supplied to a line detector 56 which is also provided with the incoming instantaneous output of the photodetector 26 . The line detector 56 compares the two voltages at its input side and generates a signal L DET which normally stays “low” and goes “high” when the edge of the bill is scanned. The signal L DET goes “low” when the incoming photodetector output reaches the pre-defined percentage of the peak photodetector output up to that point, as represented by the voltage V S . Thus, when the signal L DET goes “low”, it is an indication that the borderline of the bill pattern has been detected. At this point, the CPU 30 initiates the actual reflectance sampling under control of the encoder 32 (see FIG. 2 ) and the desired fixed number of reflectance samples are obtained as the currency bill moves across the illuminated light strip and is scanned along the central section of its narrow dimension.
When master characteristic patterns are being generated, the reflectance samples resulting from the scanning of a standard bill are loaded into corresponding designated sections within a system memory 60 , which is preferably an EPROM. The loading of samples is accomplished through a buffered address latch 58 , if necessary. Preferably, master patterns are generated by scanning a standard bill a plurality of times, typically three (3) times, and obtaining the average of corresponding data samples before storing the average as representing a master pattern. During currency discrimination, the reflectance values resulting from the scanning of a test bill are sequentially compared, under control of the correlation program stored within the memory unit 38 , with each of the corresponding characteristic patterns stored within the EPROM 60 , again through the address latch 58 .
Referring now to FIGS. 3-7 , there are shown flow charts illustrating the sequence of operations involved in implementing the above-described optical sensing and correlation technique of this invention. FIG. 3 , in particular, illustrates the sequence involved in detecting the presence of a bill under the scanhead and the borderline on the bill. This section of the system program, designated as “TRIGGER”, is initiated at step 70 . At step 71 a determination is made as to whether or not a start-of-note interrupt, which signifies that the system is ready to search for the presence of a bill is set, i.e., has occurred. If the answer at step 71 is found to be positive, step 72 is reached where the presence of the bill adjacent the scanhead is ascertained on the basis of the reset procedure described above in connection with the reset unit 44 of FIG. 2 .
If the answer at step 72 is found to be positive, i.e., a bill is found to be present, step 73 is reached where a test is performed to see if the borderline has been detected on the basis of the reduction in peak value to a predefined percentage thereof, which, as described above, is indicated by the signal L DET going “low.” If the answer at step 73 is found to be negative, the program continues to loop until the borderline has been detected. If the answer at step 72 is found to be negative, i.e., no bill is found to be present, the start-of-note interrupt is reset at step 74 and the program returns from interrupt at step 75 .
If the borderline is found to have been detected at step 73 , step 76 is accessed where an A/D completion interrupt is enabled, thereby signifying that the analog-to-digital conversion can subsequently be performed at desired time intervals. Next, at step 77 , the time when the first reflectance sample is to be obtained is defined, in conjunction with the output of the optical encoder. At step 78 the capture and digitization of the detected reflectance samples is undertaken by recalling a routine designated as “STARTA2D” which will be described in detail below. At the completion of the digitization process, an end-of-note interrupt must occur, which resets the system for sensing the presence of the following bill to be scanned, which is enabled at step 79 . Subsequently, at step 80 the program returns from interrupt.
If the start-of-note interrupt is not found to have occurred at step 71 , a determination is made at step 81 to see if the end-of-note interrupt has occurred. If the answer at 81 is negative, the program returns from interrupt at step 85 . If a positive answer is obtained at 81 , step 83 is accessed where the start-of-note interrupt is activated and, at step 84 , the reset unit, which monitors the presence of a bill, is reset to be ready for determining the presence of bills. Subsequently, the program returns from interrupt at step 85 .
Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B there are shown, respectively, routines for starting the STARTA2D routine and the digitizating routine itself. In FIG. 4A , the initiation of the STARTA2D routine at step 90 causes the sample pointer, which provides an indication of the sample being obtained and digitized at a given time, to be initialized. Subsequently, at step 91 , the particular channel on which the analog-to-digital conversion is to be performed is enabled. The interrupt authorizing the digitization of the first sample is enabled at step 92 and the main program accessed again at step 93 .
FIG. 4B is a flow chart illustrating the sequential procedure involved in the analog-to-digital conversion routine, which is designated as “A2D”. The routine is started at step 100 . Next, the sample pointer is decremented at step 101 so as to maintain an indication of the number of samples remaining to be obtained. At step 102 , the digital data corresponding to the output of the photodetector for the current sample is read. The data is converted to its final form at step 103 and stored within a pre-defined memory segment as X IN .
Next, at step 105 , a check is made to see if the desired fixed number of samples “N” has been taken. If the answer is found to be negative, step 106 is accessed where the interrupt authorizing the digitization of the succeeding sample is enabled and the program returns from interrupt at step 107 for completing the rest of the digitizing process. However, if the answer at step 105 is found to be positive, i.e., the desired number of samples have already been obtained, a flag indicating the same is set at step 108 and the program returns from interrupt at step 109 .
Referring now to FIG. 5 , there is shown the sequential procedure involved in executing the routine, designated as “EXEC”, which performs the mathematical steps involved in the correlation process. The routine is started at step 110 . At step 111 , all interrupts are disabled while CPU initialization occurs. At step 112 , any constants associated with the sampling process are set and, at step 113 , communications protocols, if any, for exchange of processed data and associated results, bad rates, interrupt masks, etc. are defined.
At step 114 , the reset unit indicating the presence of a bill is reset for detecting the presence of the first bill to be scanned. At step 115 , the start-of-note interrupt is enabled to put the system on the look out for the first incoming bill. Subsequently, at step 116 , all other related interrupts are also enabled since, at this point, the initialization process has been completed and the system is ready to begin scanning bills. A check is made at step 117 to see if, in fact, all the desired number of samples have been obtained. If the answer at step 117 is found to be negative the program loops until a positive answer is obtained.
In accordance with this invention, a simple correlation procedure is utilized for processing digitized reflectance values into a form which is conveniently and accurately compared to corresponding values pre-stored in an identical format. More specifically, as a first step, the mean value X for the set of digitized reflectance samples (comparing “n” samples) obtained for a bill scan run is first obtained as below:
X
_
=
∑
i
=
0
n
X
i
n
(
1
)
Subsequently, a normalizing factor Sigma “σ” is determined as being equivalent to the sum of the square of the difference between each sample and the mean, as normalized by the total number n of samples. More specifically, the normalizing factor is calculated as below:
σ
=
∑
i
=
0
n
X
i
-
X
_
2
n
(
2
)
In the final step, each reflectance sample is normalized by obtaining the difference between the sample and the above-calculated mean value and dividing it by the square root of the normalizing factor Sigma “σ” as defined by the following equation:
X
n
=
X
1
-
X
_
(
σ
)
1
/
2
The result of using the above correlation equations is that, subsequent to the normalizing process, a relationship of correlation exists between a test pattern and a master pattern such that the aggregate sum of the products of corresponding samples in a test pattern and any master pattern, when divided by the total number of samples, equals unity if the patterns are identical. Otherwise, a value less than unity is obtained. Accordingly, the correlation number or factor resulting from the comparison of normalized samples within a test pattern to those of a stored master pattern provides a clear indication of the degree of similarity or correlation between the two patterns.
According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, the fixed number of reflectance samples which are digitized and normalized for a bill scan is selected to be 64. It has experimentally been found that the use of higher binary orders of samples (such as 128, 256, etc.) does not provide a correspondingly increased discrimination efficiency relative to the increased processing time involved in implementing the above-described correlation procedure. It has also been found that the use of a binary order of samples lower than 64, such as 32, produces a substantial drop in discrimination efficiency.
The correlation factor can be represented conveniently in binary terms for ease of correlation. In a preferred embodiment, for instance, the factor of unity which results when a hundred percent correlation exists is represented in terms of the binary number 2 10 , which is equal to a decimal value of 1024. Using the above procedure, the normalized samples within a test pattern are compared to each of the 16 master characteristic patterns stored within the system memory in order to determine the particular stored pattern to which the test pattern corresponds most closely by identifying the comparison which yields a correlation number closest to 1024.
According to a feature of this invention, a bi-level threshold of correlation is required to be satisfied before a particular call is made, for at least certain denominations of bills. More specifically, the correlation procedure is adapted to identify the two highest correlation numbers resulting from the comparison of the test pattern to one of the stored patterns. At that point, a minimum threshold of correlation is required to be satisfied by these two correlation numbers. It has experimentally been found that a correlation number of about 850 serves as a good cut-off threshold above which positive calls may be made with a high degree of confidence and below which the designation of a test pattern as corresponding to any of the stored patterns is uncertain. As a second thresholding level, a minimum separation is prescribed between the two highest correlation numbers before making a call. This ensures that a positive call is made only when a test pattern does not correspond, within a given range of correlation, to more than one stored master pattern. Preferably, the minimum separation between correlation numbers is set to be 150 when the highest correlation number is between 800 and 850. When the highest correlation number is below 800, no call is made.
Returning now to FIG. 5 , the correlation procedure is initiated at step 119 where a routine designated as “PROCESS” is accessed. The procedure involved in executing this routine is illustrated at FIG. 6A which shows the routine starting at step 130 . At step 131 , the mean X is calculated on the basis of Equation (1). At step 132 the sum of the squares is calculated in accordance with Equation (2). At step 133 , the digitized values of the reflectance samples, as represented in integer format XIN, are converted to floating point format XFLOAT for further processing. At step 134 , a check is made to see if all samples have been processed and if the answer is found to be positive, the routine ends at step 135 and the main program is accessed again. If the answer at step 134 is found to be negative, the routine returns to step 132 where the above calculations are repeated.
At the end of the routine PROCESS, the program returns to the routine EXEC at step 120 where the flag indicating that all digitized reflectance samples have been processed is reset. Subsequently, at step 121 , a routine designated as “SIGCAL” is accessed. The procedure involved in executing this routine is illustrated at FIG. 6B which shows the routine starting at step 140 . At step 141 , the square root of the sum of the squares, as calculated by the routine PROCESS, is calculated in accordance with Equation (2). At step 142 , the floating point values calculated by the routine PROCESS are normalized in accordance with Equation (3) using the calculated values at step 141 . At step 143 , a check is made to see if all digital samples have been processed. If the answer at step 143 is found to be negative, the program returns to step 142 and the conversion is continued until all samples have been processed. At that point, the answer at step 143 is positive and the routine returns to the main program at step 144 .
Returning to the flow chart of FIG. 5 , the next step to be executed is step 122 where a routine designated as “CORREL” is accessed. The procedure involved in executing this routine is illustrated at FIG. 7 which shows the routine starting at 150 . At step 151 , correlation results are initialized to zero and, at step 152 , the test pattern is compared to the first one of the stored master patterns. At step 153 , the first call corresponding to the highest correlation number obtained up to that point is determined. At step 154 , the second call corresponding to the second highest correlation number obtained up to that point is determined. At step 155 , a check is made to see if the test pattern has been compared to all master patterns. If the answer is found to be negative, the routine reverts to step 152 where the comparison procedure is reiterated. When all master patterns have been compared to the test pattern, step 155 yields a positive result and the routine returns to the main program at step 156 .
Returning again to FIG. 5 , step 124 is accessed where a routine designated as “SEROUT” is initiated. The procedure involved in executing the routine SEROUT is illustrated at FIG. 8 which shows the routine as starting at step 160 . Step 161 determines whether the correlation number is greater than 799. If the answer is negative, the correlation number is too low to identify the denomination of the bill with certainty, and thus step 162 generates a “no call” code and returns to the main program at step 163 .
An affirmative answer at step 161 advances the system to step 164 , which determines whether the correlation number is greater than 849. An affirmative answer at step 164 indicates that the correlation number is sufficiently high that the denomination of the scanned bill can be identified with certainty without any further checking. Consequently, a “denomination” code identifying the denomination represented by the stored pattern resulting in the highest correlation number is generated at step 165 , and the system returns to the main program at step 163 .
A negative answer at step 164 indicates that the correlation number is between 800 and 850. It has been found that correlation numbers within this range are sufficient to identify $1 and $5 bills, but not other denominations of bills. Accordingly, a negative response at step 164 advances the system to step 166 which determines whether the difference between the two highest correlation numbers is greater than 149. If the answer is affirmative, the denomination identified by the highest correlation number is acceptable, and thus the “denomination” code is generated at step 165 .
If the difference between the two highest correlation numbers is less than 150, step 166 produces a negative response which advances the system to step 167 to determine whether the highest correlation number identified the bill as either a $1-bill or a $5-bill. If the answer is affirmative, the highest correlation number is acceptable as identifying the bill denomination, and thus the “denomination” code is generated at step 165 . A negative response at step 167 indicates that the bill was not identified as a $1-bill or a $5-bill by the highest correlation number, the difference between the two highest correlation numbers was less than 150, and the highest correlation number was less then 850. This combination of conditions indicates that a positive call cannot be made with a high degree of confidence, and thus the “no call” code is generated at step 162 .
One problem encountered in currency recognition and counting systems of the above-described kind is the difficulty involved in interrupting (for a variety of reasons) and resuming the scanning and counting procedure as a stack of bills is being scanned. If a particular currency recognition unit (CRU) has to be halted in operation due to a “major” system error, such as a bill being jammed along the transport path, there is generally no concern about the outstanding transitional status of the overall recognition and counting process. However, where the CRU has to be halted due to a “minor” error, such as the identification of a scanned bill as being a counterfeit (based on a variety of monitored parameters which are not pertinent to the present disclosure) or a “no call” (a bill which is not identifiable as belonging to a specific currency denomination based on the plurality of stored master patterns and/or other criteria), it is desirable that the transitional status of the overall recognition and counting process be retained so that the CRU may be restarted without any effective disruptions of the recognition/counting process.
More specifically, once a scanned bill has been identified as a “no call” bill (B 1 ) based on some set of predefined criteria, it is desirable that this bill B 1 be transported directly to the system stacker and the CRU brought to a halt with bill B 1 remaining at the top-most stacker position while, at the same time, ensuring that the following bills are maintained in positions along the bill transport path whereby CRU operation can be conveniently resumed without any disruption of the recognition/counting process.
Since the bill processing speeds at which currency recognition systems must operate are substantially high (speeds of the order of about 1000 bills per minute are desirable), it is practically impossible to totally halt the system following a “no call” without the following bill B 2 already being transported under the optical scanhead and partially scanned. As a result, it is virtually impossible for the CRU system to retain the transitional status of the recognition/counting process (particularly with respect to bill B 2 ) in order that the process may be resumed once the bad bill B 1 has been transported to the stacker, conveniently removed therefrom, and the system restarted. The basic problem is that if the CRU is halted with bill B 2 only partially scanned, there is no possibility of referencing the data reflectance samples extracted therefrom in such a way that the scanning may be later continued (when the CRU is restarted) from exactly the same point where the sample extraction process was interrupted when the CRU was stopped.
Even if an attempt were made at immediately halting the CRU system following a “no call” any subsequent scanning of bills would be totally unreliable because of mechanical backlash effects and the resultant disruption of the optical encoder routine used for bill scanning. Consequently, when the CRU is restarted, the call for the following bill is also likely to be bad and the overall recognition/counting process is totally disrupted as a result of an endless loop of “no calls.”.
According to an important feature of the present invention, the above problems are solved by an improved currency detecting and counting technique whereby a scanned bill identified as a “no call” is transported directly to the top of the system stacker and the CRU is halted without adversely affecting the data collection and processing steps for a succeeding bill. Accordingly, when the CRU is restarted, the overall bill recognition and counting procedure can be resumed without any disruption as if the CRU had never been halted at all.
According to the improved currency detecting/counting technique, the CRU is operated in the normal fashion described above in detail whereby an incoming bill is scanned and processed in order to make a call as to the bill denomination. If the bill is identified as a “no call” based on any of a variety of conventionally defined bill criteria (such as the criteria in FIG. 8 ), the CRU is subjected to a controlled deceleration process whereby the CRU operating speed, i.e., the speed at which test bills are moved across the system scanhead along the bill transport path, is reduced from its normal operating level. During this deceleration process the “no call” bill (B 1 ) is transported to the top of the stacker and, at the same time, the following bill B 2 is subjected to the standard scan and processing procedure in order to identify the denomination thereof.
The rate of deceleration is such that optical scanning of bill B 2 is completed by the time the CRU operating speed is reduced to a predefined operating speed. While the exact operating speed at the end of the scanning of bill B 2 is not critical, the objective is to permit complete scanning of bill B 2 without subjecting it to backlash effects that would result if the ramping were too fast while, at the same time, ensuring that the bill B 1 has in fact been transported to the stacker in the meantime.
It has experimentally been determined that at nominal operating speeds of the order of 1000 bills per minute, the deceleration is preferably such that the CRU operating speed is reduced to about one-third of its normal operating speed at the end of the deceleration phase, i.e., by the time optical scanning of bill B 2 has been completed. It has been determined that at these speed levels, positive calls can be made as to the denomination of bill B 2 based on reflectance samples gathered during the declaration phase with a relatively high degree of certainty (i.e., with a correlation number exceeding about 850.)
Once the optical scanning of bill B 2 has been completed, the speed is reduced to an even slower speed until the bill B 2 has passed bill-edge sensors S 1 and S 2 described below whereby it is then brought to a complete stop. At the same time, the results of the processing of scanned data corresponding to bill B 2 are stored in system memory. The ultimate result of this stopping procedure is that the CRU is brought to a complete halt following the point where the scanning of bill B 2 has been reliably completed since the scan procedure is not subjected to the disruptive effects (backlash, etc.) which would result if a complete halt were attempted immediately after bill B 1 is identified as a “no call.”
More importantly, the reduced operating speed of the machine at the end of the deceleration phase is such that the CRU can be brought to a total halt before the next following bill B 3 has been transported over the optical scanhead. Thus, when the CRU is in fact halted, bill B 1 is positioned at the top of the system stacker, bill B 2 is maintained in transit between the optical scanhead and the stacker after it has been subjected to scanning, and the following bill B 3 is stopped short of the optical scanhead.
When the CRU is restarted, presumably after corrective action has been taken responsive to the “minor” error which led to the CRU being stopped (such as the removal of the “no call” bill from the top of the stacker), the overall bill recognition/counting operation can be resumed in an uninterrupted fashion by using the stored call results for bill B 2 as the basis for updating the system count appropriately, moving bill B 2 from its earlier transitional position along the transport path into the stacker, and moving bill B 3 along the transport path into the optical scanhead area where it can be subjected to normal scanning and processing. A routine for executing the deceleration/stopping procedure described above is illustrated by the flow chart in FIG. 8A . This routine is initiated at step 170 with the CRU in its normal operating mode. At step 171 , a test bill B 1 is scanned and the data reflectance samples resulting therefrom are processed. Next, at step 172 , a determination is made as to whether or not test bill B 1 is a “no call” using predefined criteria in combination with the overall bill recognition procedure, such as the routine of FIG. 8 . If the answer at step 172 is negative, i.e., the test bill B 1 can be identified, step 173 is accessed where normal bill processing is continued in accordance with the procedures described above. If, however, the test bill B 1 is found to be bad at step 172 , step 174 is accessed where CRU slowdown is initiated, e.g., the transport drive motor speed is reduced to about one-third its normal speed.
Subsequently, the bad bill B 1 is guided to the stacker while, at the same time, the following test bill B 2 is brought under the optical scanhead and subjected to the scanning and processing steps. The call resulting from the scanning and processing of bill B 2 is stored in system memory at this point. Step 175 determines whether the scanning of bill B 2 is complete. When the answer is negative, step 176 determines whether a preselected “bill timeout” period has expired so that the system does not wait for the scanning of a bill that is not present. An affirmative answer at step 176 returns the system to the main program at step 175 while a negative answer at step 176 causes steps 175 and 176 to be reiterated until one of them produces an affirmative response.
An affirmative response at step 175 causes step 177 to further reduce the speed of the transport drive motor, i.e., to one-sixth the normal speed. Before stopping the transport drive motor, step 178 determines whether either of the sensors S 1 or S 2 (described below) is covered by a bill. A negative answer at step 178 indicates that the bill has cleared both sensors S 1 and S 2 , and thus the transport drive motor is stopped at step 179 . This signifies the end of the deceleration/stopping process. At this point in time, bill B 2 remains in transit while the following bill B 3 is stopped on the transport path just short of the optical scanhead.
Following step 179 , corrective action responsive to the identification of a “no call” bill is conveniently undertaken; the top-most bill in the stacker is easily removed therefrom and the CRU is then in condition for resuming the recognition/counting process. Accordingly, the CRU can be restarted and the stored results corresponding to bill B 2 , are used to appropriately update the system count. Next, the identified bill B 2 is guided along the transport path to the stacker, and the CRU continues with its normal processing routine.
Referring now to FIGS. 9A-C there are shown three test patterns generated, respectively, for the forward scanning of a $1 bill along its green side, the reverse scanning of a $2 bill on its green side, and the forward scanning of a $100 bill on its green side. It should be noted that, for purposes of clarity the test patterns in FIGS. 9A-C were generated by using 128 reflectance samples per bill scan, as opposed to the preferred use of only 64 samples. The marked difference existing between corresponding samples for these three test patterns is indicative of the high degree of confidence with which currency denominations may be called using the foregoing optical sensing and correlation procedure.
The optical sensing and correlation technique described above permits identification of pre-programmed currency denominations with a high degree of accuracy and is based upon a relatively low processing time for digitizing sampled reflectance values and comparing them to the master characteristic patterns. The approach is used to scan currency bills, normalize the scanned data and generate master patterns in such a way that bill scans during operation have a direct correspondence between compared sample points in portions of the bills which possess the most distinguishable printed indicia. A relatively low number of reflectance samples is required in order to be able to adequately distinguish between several currency denominations.
A major advantage with this approach is that it is not required that currency bills be scanned along their wide dimensions. Further, the reduction in the number of samples reduces the processing time to such an extent that additional comparisons can be made during the time available between the scanning of successive bills. More specifically, as described above, it becomes possible to compare a test pattern with two or more stored master characteristic patterns so that the system is made capable of identifying currency which is scanned in the “forward” or “reverse” directions along the green surface of the bill.
Another advantage accruing from the reduction in processing time realized by the present sensing and correlation scheme is that the response time involved in either stopping the transport of a bill that has been identified as “spurious”, i.e., not corresponding to any of the stored master characteristic patterns, or diverting such a bill to a separate stacker bin 21 (see FIG. 1 ), is correspondingly shortened. Accordingly, the system can conveniently be programmed to set a flag when a scanned pattern does not correspond to any of the master patterns. The identification of such a condition can be used to stop the bill transport drive motor for the mechanism. Since the optical encoder is tied to the rotational movement of the drive motor, synchronism can be maintained between pre- and post-stop conditions. In the dual-processor implementation discussed above, the information concerning the identification of a “spurious” bill would be included in the information relayed to the general processor unit which, in turn, would control the drive motor appropriately.
The correlation procedure and the accuracy with which a denomination is identified directly relates to the degree of correspondence between reflectance samples on the test pattern and corresponding samples on the stored master patterns. Thus, shrinkage of “used” bills which, in turn, causes corresponding reductions in their narrow dimensions, can possibly produce a drop in the degree of correlation between such used bills of a given denomination and the corresponding master patterns. Currency bills which have experienced a high degree of usage exhibit such a reduction in both the narrow and wide dimensions of the bills. While the sensing and correlation technique of this invention remains relatively independent of any changes in the wide dimension of bills, reduction along the narrow dimension can affect correlation factors by realizing a relative displacement of reflectance samples obtained as the “shrunk” bills are transported across the scanhead.
In order to accommodate or nullify the effect of such narrow dimension shrinking, the above-described correlation technique can be modified by use of a progressive shifting approach whereby a test pattern which does not correspond to any of the master patterns is partitioned into predefined sections, and samples in successive sections are progressively shifted and compared again to the stored patterns in order to identify the denomination. It has experimentally been determined that such progressive shifting effectively counteracts any sample displacement resulting from shrinkage of a bill along its narrow dimension.
The progressive shifting effect is best illustrated by the correlation patterns shown in FIGS. 10A-D . For purposes of clarity, the illustrated patterns were generated using 128 samples for each bill scan as compared to the preferred use of 64 samples. FIG. 10A shows the correlation between a test pattern (represented by a heavy line) and a corresponding master pattern (represented by a thin line). It is clear from FIG. 10A that the degree of correlation between the two patterns is relatively low and exhibits a correlation factor of 606.
The manner in which the correlation between these patterns is increased by employing progressive shifting is best illustrated by considering the correlation at the reference points designated as A-E along the axis defining the number of samples. The effect on correlation produced by “single” progressive shifting is shown in FIG. 10B which shows “single” shifting of the test pattern of FIG. 10A . This is effected by dividing the test pattern into two equal segments each comprising 64 samples. The first segment is retained without any shift, whereas the second segment is shifted by a factor of one data sample. Under these conditions, it is found that the correlation factor at the reference points located in the shifted section, particularly at point E, is improved.
FIG. 10C shows the effect produced by “double” progressive shifting whereby sections of the test pattern are shifted in three stages. This is accomplished by dividing the overall pattern into three approximately equal sized sections. Section one is not shifted, section two is shifted by one data sample (as in FIG. 10B ), and section three is shifted by a factor of two data samples. With “double” shifting, it can be seen that the correlation factor at point E is further increased.
On a similar basis, FIG. 10D shows the effect on correlation produced by “triple” progressive shifting where the overall pattern is first divided into four (4) approximately equal sized sections. Subsequently, section one is retained without any shift, section two is shifted by one data sample, section three is shifted by two data samples, and section four is shifted by three data samples. Under these conditions, the correlation factor at point E is seen to have increased again.
FIG. 10E shows the effect on correlation produced by “quadruple” shifting, where the pattern is first divided into five (5) approximately equal sized sections. The first four (4) sections are shifted in accordance with the “triple” shifting approach of FIG. 10D , whereas the fifth section is shifted by a factor of four (4) data samples. From FIG. 10E it is clear that the correlation at point E is increased almost to the point of superimposition of the compared data samples.
The advantage of using the progressive shifting approach, as opposed to merely shifting by a set amount of data samples across the overall test pattern, is that the improvement in correlation achieved in the initial sections of the pattern as a result of shifting is not neutralized or offset by any subsequent shifts in the test pattern. It is apparent from the above figures that the degree of correlation for sample points falling within the progressively shifted sections increases correspondingly.
More importantly, the progressive shifting realizes substantial increases in the overall correlation factor resulting from pattern comparison. For instance, the original correlation factor of 606 ( FIG. 10A ) is increased to 681 by the “single” shifting shown in FIG. 10B . The “double” shifting shown in FIG. 10C increases the correlation number to 793, the “triple” shifting of FIG. 10D increases the correlation number to 906, and, finally, the “quadruple” shifting shown in FIG. 10E increases the overall correlation number to 960. Using the above approach, it has been determined that used currency bills which exhibit a high degree of narrow dimension shrinkage and which cannot be accurately identified as belonging to the correct currency denomination when the correlation is performed without any shifting, can be identified with a high degree of certainty by using progressive shifting approach, preferably by adopting “triple” or “quadruple” shifting.
Referring now to FIG. 11 , there is shown apparatus 210 for currency discrimination and counting which embodies the principles of the present invention. The apparatus comprises a housing 212 which includes left and right hand sidewalls 214 and 216 , respectively, a rear wall 218 , and a top surface generally designated as 220 . The apparatus has a front section 222 which comprises a generally vertical forward section 224 and a forward sloping section 225 which includes side sections provided with control panels 226 A and 226 B upon which various control switches for operating the apparatus, as well as associated display means, are mounted.
For accepting a stack of currency bills 228 ( FIG. 12 ) which have to be discriminated according to denomination, an input bin 227 is defined on the top surface 220 by a downwardly sloping support surface 229 on which are provided a pair of vertically disposed side walls 230 , 232 linked together by a vertically disposed front wall 234 . The walls 230 , 232 and 234 , in combination with the sloping surface 229 , define an enclosure where the stack of currency bills 228 is positioned.
From the input bin, currency bills are moved along a tri-sectional transport path which includes an input path where bills are moved along a first direction in a substantially flat position, a curved guideway where bills are accepted from the input path and guided in such a way as to change the direction of travel to a second different direction, and an output path where the bills are moved in a flat position along the second different direction across currency discrimination means located downstream of the curved guideway, as will be described in detail below. In accordance with the improved optical sensing and correlation technique of this invention, the transport path is defined in such a way that currency bills are accepted, transported along the input path, the curved guideway, and the output path, and stacked with the narrow dimension “W” of the bills being maintained parallel to the transport path and the direction of movement at all times.
The forward sloping section 225 of the document handling apparatus 210 includes a platform surface 235 centrally disposed between the side walls 214 , 216 and is adapted to accept currency bills which have been processed through the currency discrimination means for delivery to a stacker plate 242 where the processed bills are stacked for subsequent removal. More specifically, the platform 235 includes an associated angular surface 236 and is provided with openings 237 , 237 A from which flexible blades 238 A, 240 A of a corresponding pair of stacker wheels 238 , 240 , respectively, extend outwardly. The stacker wheels are supported for rotational movement about a stacker shaft 241 disposed about the angular surface 236 and suspended across the side walls 214 and 216 . The flexible blades 238 A, 240 A of the stacker wheels cooperate with the stacker platform 235 and the openings 237 , 237 A to pick up currency bills delivered thereto. The blades operate to subsequently deliver such bills to a stacker plate 242 which is linked to the angular surface 236 and which also accommodates the stacker wheel openings and the wheels projecting therefrom. During operation, a currency bill which is delivered to the stacker platform 235 is picked up by the flexible blades and becomes lodged between a pair of adjacent blades which, in combination, define a curved enclosure which decelerates a bill entering therein and serves as a means for supporting and transferring the bill from the stacker platform 235 onto the stacker plate 242 as the stacker wheels rotate. The mechanical configuration of the stacker wheels and the flexible blades provided thereupon, as well as the manner in which they cooperate with the stacker platform and the stacker plate, is conventional and, accordingly, is not described in detail herein.
The bill handling and counting apparatus 210 is provided with means for picking up or “stripping” currency bills, one at a time, from bills that are stacked in the input bin 227 . In order to provide this stripping action, a feed roller 246 is rotationally suspended about a drive shaft 247 which, in turn, is supported across the side walls 214 , 216 . The feed roller 246 projects through a slot provided on the downwardly sloping surface 229 of the input bin 227 which defines the input path and is in the form of an eccentric roller at least a part of the periphery of which is provided with a relatively high friction-bearing surface 246 A. The surface 246 A is adapted to engage the bottom bill of the bill stack 228 as the roller 246 rotates; this initiates the advancement of the bottom bill along the feed direction represented by the arrow 247 B (see FIG. 13 ). The eccentric surface of the feed roller 246 essentially “jogs” the bill stack once per revolution so as to agitate and loosen the bottom currency bill within the stack, thereby facilitating the advancement of the bottom bill along the feed direction.
The action of the feed roller 246 is supplemented by the provision of a capstan or drum 248 which is suspended for rotational movement about a capstan drive shaft 249 which, in turn, is supported across the side walls 214 and 216 . Preferably, the capstan 248 comprises a centrally disposed friction roller 248 A having a smooth surface and formed of a friction-bearing material such as rubber or hard plastic. The friction roller is sandwiched between a pair of capstan rollers 248 B and 248 C, at least a part of the external peripheries of which are provided with a high friction-bearing surface 248 D.
The friction surface 248 D is akin to the friction surface 246 A provided on the feed roller and permits the capstan rollers to frictionally advance the bottom bill along the feed direction. Preferably, the rotational movement of the capstan 248 and the feed roller 246 is synchronized in such a way that the frictional surfaces provided on the peripheries of the capstan and the feed roller rotate in unison, thereby inducing complimentary frictional contact with the bottom bill of the bill stack 228 .
In order to ensure active contact between the capstan 248 and a currency bill which is jogged by the feed roller 246 and is in the process of being advanced frictionally by the capstan rollers 248 B, 248 C, a pair of picker rollers 252 A, 252 B, are provided for exerting a consistent downward force onto the leading edges of the currency bills stationed in the input bin 227 . The picker rollers are supported on corresponding picker arms 254 A, 254 B which, in turn, are supported for arcuate movement about a support shaft 256 suspended across the side walls of the apparatus. The picker rollers are free wheeling about the picker arms and when there are no currency bills in contact with the capstan 248 , bear down upon the friction roller 248 A and, accordingly, are induced into counter-rotation therewith. However, when currency bills are present and are in contact with the capstan 248 , the picker rollers bear down into contact with the leading edges of the currency bills and exert a direct downward force on the bills since the rotational movement of rollers is inhibited. The result is that the advancing action brought about by contact between the friction-bearing surfaces 248 D on the capstan rollers 248 B, 248 C is accentuated, thereby facilitating the stripping away of a single currency bill at a time from the bill stack 228 .
In between the picker arms 254 A, 254 B, the support shaft 256 also supports a separator arm 260 which carries at its end remote from the shaft a stationary stripper shoe 258 which is provided with a frictional surface which imparts a frictional drag upon bills onto which the picker rollers bear down. The separator arm is mounted for arcuate movement about the support shaft 256 and is spring loaded in such a way as to bear down with a selected amount of force onto the capstan.
In operation, the picker rollers rotate with the rotational movement of the friction roller 248 A due to their free wheeling nature until the leading edges of one or more currency bills are encountered. At that point, the rotational movement of the picker rollers stops and the leading edges of the bills are forced into positive contact with the friction bearing surfaces on the periphery of the capstan rollers. The effect is to force the bottom bill away from the rest of the bills along the direction of rotation of the capstan. At the same time, the separator shoe 258 also bears down on any of the bills that are propelled forward by the capstan rollers.
The tension on the picker arm 254 A is selected to be such that the downward force exerted upon such a propelled bill allows only a single bill to move forward. If two or more bills happen to be propelled out of the contact established between the picker rollers and the capstan rollers, the downward force exerted by the spring loaded shoe should be sufficient to inhibit further forward movement of the bills. The tension under which the picker arm is spring loaded can be conveniently adjusted to control the downward bearing force exerted by the shoe in such a way as to compliment the bill stripping action produced by the picker rollers and the capstan rollers. Thus, the possibility that more than two bills may be propelled forward at the same time due to the rotational movement of the capstan is significantly reduced.
The bill transport path includes a curved guideway 270 provided in front of the capstan 248 for accepting currency bills that have been propelled forward along the input path defined by the forward section of the sloping surface 229 into frictional contact with the rotating capstan. The guideway 270 includes a curved section 272 which corresponds substantially to the curved periphery of the capstan 248 so as to compliment the impetus provided by the capstan rollers 248 B, 248 C to a stripped currency bill.
A pair of idler rollers 262 A, 262 B is provided downstream of the picker rollers for guiding bills propelled by the capstan 248 into the curved guideway 270 . More specifically, the idler rollers are mounted on corresponding idler arms 264 A, 264 B which are mounted for arcuate movement about an idler shaft 266 which, in turn, is supported across the side walls of the apparatus. The idler arms are spring loaded on the idler shaft so that a selected downward force can be exerted through the idler rollers onto a stripped bill thereby ensuring continued contact between the bill and the capstan 248 until the bill is guided into the curved section 272 of the guideway 270 .
A modified feed mechanism is described in the assignee's copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/680,585, filed Apr. 4, 1991, for “Feed Arrangement For Currency Handling Machines,” which is incorporated herein by reference.
Downstream of the curved section 272 , the bill transport path has an output path for currency bills. The output path is provided in the form of a flat section 274 along which bills which have been guided along the curved guideway 270 by the idler rollers 262 A, 262 B are moved along a direction which is opposite to the direction along which bills are moved out of the input bin. The movement of bills along the direction of rotation of the capstan, as induced by the picker rollers 252 A, 252 B and the capstan rollers 248 B, 248 C, and the guidance provided by the section 272 of the curved guideway 270 changes the direction of movement of the currency bills from the initial movement along the sloping surface 229 of input bin 227 (see arrow 247 B in FIG. 13 ) to a direction along the flat section 274 of the output path, as best illustrated in FIG. 13 by the arrow 272 B.
Thus, a currency bill which is stripped from the bill stack in the input bin is initially moved along the input path under positive contact between the picker rollers 252 A, 252 B and the capstan rollers 248 B, 248 C. Subsequently, the bill is guided through the curved guideway 270 under positive contact with the idler rollers 262 A, 262 B onto the flat section 274 of the output path.
In the output path, currency bills are positively guided along the flat section 274 by means of a transport roller arrangement which includes a pair of axially spaced, positively driven transport rollers 301 , 302 which are respectively disposed on transport shafts 303 and 304 supported across the sidewalls of the apparatus. The first transport roller 301 includes a pair of projecting cylindrical sections 301 A, 301 B which preferably have a high-friction outer surface, such as by the provision of knurling thereupon. The second transport roller 302 which is downstream of the first roller along the flat section of the transport path also has similar cylindrical high-friction knurled sections 302 A and 302 B.
The flat section 274 is provided with openings through which each of the knurled sections of the transport rollers 301 and 302 are subjected to counter-rotating contact with corresponding passive transport rollers 305 A, 305 B, 306 A and 306 B. The passive rollers are mounted below the flat section 274 of the transport path in such a manner as to be freewheeling about their axes and biased into counter-rotating contact with the corresponding knurled sections of the first and second transport rollers. While any appropriate mechanical suspending and pressuring arrangement may be used for this purpose, in the illustrative embodiment passive rollers 305 A and 306 A are biased into contact with knurled sections 301 A and 302 B by means of an H-shaped leaf spring 307 . The rollers are cradled in a freewheeling fashion within each of the two cradle sections of the spring through a support shaft (not shown) appropriately suspended about the spring. The arrangement is such that the leaf spring 307 is mounted relative to the passive rollers 305 A and 306 A in such a way that a controllable amount of pressure is exerted against the rollers and pushes them against the active rollers 301 and 302 . A similar leaf spring/suspension arrangement is used to mount the other set of passive rollers 305 B and 306 B into spring-loaded, freewheeling counter-rotating contact with the knurled sections 301 B and 302 B of the active transport rollers 301 and 302 .
Preferably, the points of contact between the active and passive rollers are made coplanar with the output path so that currency bills can be moved or positively guided along the path in a flat manner under the positive contact of the opposingly disposed active and passive rollers.
The distance between the two active transport rollers and, of course, the corresponding counter-rotating passive rollers, is selected to be just short of the length of the narrow dimension of the currency bills that are to be discriminated. Accordingly, currency bills are firmly gripped under uniform pressure between the two sets of active and passive rollers within the scanhead area, thereby minimizing the possibility of bill skew and enhancing the reliability of the overall scanning and recognition process.
The first active transport roller 301 is driven at a speed substantially higher than that of the capstan rollers in the feed section. Since the passive rollers are freewheeling and the active rollers are positively driven, the first transport roller 301 causes a bill that comes between the roller and its corresponding passive rollers 305 A, 305 B along the flat section of the output path to be pulled into the nip formed between the active and passive rollers (more specifically, between these passive rollers and the corresponding knurled sections 301 A, 301 B on the active transport roller). The higher speed of the active transport roller imparts an abrupt acceleration to the bill which strips the bill away from any other bills that may have been guided into the curved guideway along with the particular bill being acted upon by the transport roller.
Currency bills are subsequently moved downstream of the first transport roller along the flat section into the nip formed between the knurled sections 302 A, 302 B on the second active transport roller 302 and the corresponding passive rollers 306 A, 306 B with the second active transport roller being driven at the same speed as that of the first transport roller.
The disposition of the second transport roller is selected to be such that the positive contact exerted by the cylindrical knurled sections 302 A, 302 BA on the second transport roller 302 and the corresponding passive rollers 306 A, 306 B upon a currency bill moving along the output path occurs before the bill is released from the similar positive contact between the knurled sections 301 A, 301 B on the first transport roller 301 and the corresponding passive rollers 305 A, 305 B. As a result, the second transport roller 302 and its corresponding passive rollers 306 A, 306 B together positively guide a currency bill through the scanhead area (where the transport rollers are located) onto the stacker platform 235 , from where the stacker wheels 238 , 240 pick up the bill and deposit it onto the stacker place 242 .
Bills are held flat against the scanhead 18 by means of a plurality of O-rings 308 which are disposed in corresponding grooves 309 on the transport rollers 301 and 302 . In a preferred arrangement, five such O-rings 308 A-E are used, one at each end of the transport rollers and three in the central regions of the rollers.
The positive guiding arrangement described above is advantageous in that uniform guiding pressure is maintained upon bills as they are transported through the optical scanhead area; more importantly, this is realized without adding significantly to mechanical complexity. In effect, the bill feeding operation is made stable, and twisting or skewing of currency bills is substantially reduced. This positive action is supplemented by the use of the H-spring for uniformly biasing the passive rollers into contact with the active rollers so that bill twisting or skew resulting from differential pressure applied to the bills along the transport path is avoided. The O-rings 308 function as simple, yet extremely effective means for ensuring that the bills are held flat. Since the O-rings constitute standard off-the shelf items, any adjustment of the center distance between the two active transport rollers can be conveniently accommodated.
Referring now in particular to FIGS. 14 and 15 , there are shown side and top views, respectively, of the document processing apparatus of FIGS. 11-13 , which illustrate the mechanical arrangement for driving the various means for transporting currency bills along the three sections of the transport path, i.e., along the input path, the curved guideway and the output path. As shown therein, a motor 320 is used to impart rotational movement to the capstan shaft 249 by means of a belt/pulley arrangement comprising a pulley 321 provided on the capstan shaft 249 and which is linked to a pulley 322 provided on the motor drive shaft through a belt 323 . The diameter of the driver pulley 321 is selected to be appropriately larger than that of the motor pulley 322 in order to achieve the desired speed reduction from the typically high speed at which the motor 320 operates.
The drive shaft 247 for the drive roller 246 is provided with rotary motion by means of a pulley 324 provided thereupon which is linked to a corresponding pulley 321 provided on the capstan shaft 249 through a belt 326 . The pulleys 324 and 321 are of the same diameter so that the drive roller shaft 247 and, hence, the drive roller 246 , rotate in unison with the capstan 248 mounted on the capstan shaft 249 .
In order to impart rotational movement to the transport rollers, a pulley 327 is mounted on the transport roller shaft 287 corresponding to the first set of transport rollers and is linked to a corresponding pulley 328 on the capstan shaft 249 through a belt 329 . The diameter of the transport roller pulley 327 is selected to be appropriately smaller than that of the corresponding capstan pulley 328 so as to realize a stepping-up in speed from the capstan rollers to the transport rollers. The second set of transport rollers mounted on the transport roller shaft 288 is driven at the same speed as the rollers on the first set of transport rollers by means of a pulley 330 which is linked to the transport pulley 327 by means of a belt 325 .
As also shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , an optical encoder 299 is mounted on one of the transport roller shafts, preferably the passively driven transport shaft 288 , for precisely tracking the lateral displacement of bills supported by the transport rollers in terms of the rotational movement of the transport shafts, as discussed in detail above in connection with the optical sensing and correlation technique of this invention.
In order to drive the stacker wheels 238 and 240 , an intermediate pulley 330 is mounted on suitable support means (not shown) and is linked to a corresponding pulley 331 provided on the capstan shaft 249 through a belt 332 . Because of the time required for transporting currency bills which have been stripped from the currency stack in the input bin through the tri-sectional transport path and onto the stacker platform, the speed at which the stacker wheels can rotate for delivering processed bills to the stacker plate is necessarily less than that of the capstan shaft. Accordingly, the diameter of the intermediate pulley 333 a is selected to be larger than that of the corresponding capstan pulley 331 so as to realize a reduction in speed. The intermediate pulley 333 a has an associated pulley 333 which is lied to a stacker pulley 334 provided on the drive shaft 241 for the stacker wheels 238 , 240 by means of a belt 335 . In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 11-15 , the stacker wheels 238 , 240 rotate in the same direction as the capstan rollers. This is accomplished by arranging the belt 335 between the pulleys 333 , 334 in a “Figure-8” configuration about an anchoring pin 336 disposed between the two pulleys.
The curved section 272 of the guideway 270 is provided on its underside with an optical sensor arrangement 299 , including an LED 298 , for performing standard currency handling operations such as counterfeit detection using conventional techniques, doubles detection, length detection, skew detection, etc. However, unlike conventional arrangements, currency discrimination according to denomination is not performed in this area, for reasons described below.
According to a feature of this invention, optical scanning of currency bills, in accordance with the above-described improved optical sensing and correlation technique, is performed by means of an optical scanhead 296 which is disposed downstream of the curved guideway 270 along the flat section 274 of the output path. More specifically, the scanhead 296 is located under the flat section of the output path between the two sets of transport rollers. The advantage of this approach is that optical scanning is performed on bills when they are maintained in a substantially flat position as a result of positive contact between the two sets of transport rollers at both ends of the bill along their narrow dimension.
It should be understood that the above-described drive arrangement is provided for illustrative purposes only. Alternate arrangements for imparting the necessary rotational movement to generate movement of currency bills along the tri-sectional transport path can be used just as effectively. It is important, however, that the surface speed of currency bills across the two sets of transport rollers be greater than the surface speed of the bills across the capstan rollers in order to achieve optimum bill separation. It is this difference in speed that generates the abrupt acceleration of currency bills as the bills come into contact with the first set of transport rollers.
The drive arrangement may also include a one-way clutch (not shown) provided on the capstan shaft and the capstan shafts, the transport roller shafts and the stacker wheel shafts may be fitted with fly-wheel arrangements (not shown). The combination of the one-way clutch and the fly wheels can be used to advantage in accelerated batch processing of currency bills by ensuring that any bills remaining in the transport path after currency discrimination are automatically pulled off the transport path into the stacker plate as a result of the inertial dynamics of the fly wheel arrangements.
As described above, implementation of the optical sensing and correlation technique of this invention requires only a relatively low number of reflectance samples in order to adequately distinguish between several currency denominations. Thus, highly accurate discrimination becomes possible even though currency bills are scanned along their narrow dimension. However, the accuracy with which a denomination is identified is based on the degree of correlation between reflectance samples on the test pattern and corresponding samples on the stored master patterns. Accordingly, it is important that currency bills be transported across the discrimination means in a flat position and, more importantly, at a uniform speed.
This is achieved in the bill handling apparatus of FIGS. 11-15 , by positioning the optical scanhead 296 on one side of the flat section 274 of the output path between the two sets of transport rollers. In this area, currency bills are maintained in positive contact with the two sets of rollers, thereby ensuring that the bills move across the scanhead in a substantially flat fashion. Further, a uniform speed of bill movement is maintained in this area because the second set of passive transport rollers is driven at a speed identical to that of the active transport rollers by means of the drive connection between the two sets of rollers. Disposing the optical scanhead 296 in such a fashion downstream of the curved guideway 270 along the flat section 274 maintains a direct correspondence between reflectance samples obtained by the optically scanning of bills to be discriminated and the corresponding samples in the stored master patterns.
According to a preferred embodiment, the optical scanhead comprises a plurality of light sources acting in combination to uniformly illuminate light strips of the desired dimension upon currency bills positioned on the transport path below the scanhead. As illustrated in FIGS. 17-18 , the scanhead 296 includes a pair of LEDs 340 , 342 , directing beams of light 341 A and 343 B, respectively, onto the flat section 274 of the output path against which the scanhead is positioned. The LEDs 340 , 342 are angularly disposed relative to the vertical axis Y in such a way that their respective light beams combine to illuminate the desired light strip. The scanhead 296 includes a photodetector 346 centrally disposed on an axis normal to the illuminated strip for sensing the light reflected off the strip. The photodetector 346 is linked to a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown) for processing the sensed data in accordance with the above-described principles of this invention. Preferably, the beams of light 340 A, 340 B from the LEDs 340 , 342 , respectively, are passed through an optical mask 345 in order to realize the illuminated strips of the desired dimensions.
In order to capture reflectance samples with high accuracy, it is important that the photodetector capture reflectance data uniformly across the illuminated strip. In other words, when the photodetector 346 is positioned on an axis passing through the center of the illuminated strip, the illumination by the LED's as a function of the distance from the central point “0” along the X axis, should optimally approximate a step function as illustrated by the curve A in FIG. 19 . With the use of a single light source angularly displaced relative to the vertical the variation in illumination by an LED typically approximates a Gaussian function, as illustrated by the curve B in FIG. 19 .
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the two LEDs 340 and 342 are angularly disposed relative to the vertical axis by angles α and β, respectively. The angles α and β are selected to be such that the resultant strip illumination by the LED's is as close as possible to the optimum distribution curve A in FIG. 19 . According to a preferred embodiment, the angles α and β are each selected to be 19.9 degrees. The LED illumination distribution realized by this arrangement is illustrated by the curve designated as “C” in FIG. 19 which effectively merges the individual Gaussian distributions of each light source to yield a composite distribution which sufficiently approximates the optimum curve A.
The manner in which the plurality of light strips of different dimensions are generated by the optical scanhead by means of an optical mask is illustrated in FIG. 16-18 . As shown therein, the optical mask 345 essentially comprises a generally opaque area in which two slits 354 and 356 are formed to allow light from the light sources to pass through so as to illuminate light strips of the desired dimensions. More specifically, slit 354 corresponds to the wide strip used for obtaining the reflectance samples which correspond to the characteristic pattern for a test bill. In a preferred embodiment, the wide slit 354 has a length of about 0.500″ and a width of about 0.050″. The second slit 356 forms a relatively narrow illuminated strip used for detecting the thin borderline surrounding the printed indicia on currency bills, as described above in detail. In a preferred embodiment, the narrow slit 356 has a length of about 0.300″ and a width of about 0.010″.
It is preferred that a separate pair of light sources 340 and 342 be provided for each of the two slits 354 and 356 . Thus, as can be seen in FIGS. 17 and 18 , a first pair of LED'S 340 A and 342 A are provided for the narrow slit, and a second pair of LED's 340 B and 342 B are provided for the second slit. Similarly, two separate photodetectors 346 A and 346 B are provided for detecting reflected light from the two slits. As can be seen in FIGS. 17 and 18 , the channel for transmitting reflected light from the narrow slit to the photodetector 346 A is narrower in the transverse direction than the channel for transmitting reflected light from the wide slit to the photodetector 346 B.
According to another feature of the present invention, the undesired doubling or overlapping of bills in the transport system is detected by the provision of a pair of optical sensors which are co-linearly disposed opposite to each other within the scan head area along a line that is perpendicular to the direction of bill flow, i.e., parallel to the edge of test bills along their wide dimensions as the bills are transported across the optical scan head. As best illustrated in FIG. 20 , the pair of optical sensors S 1 and S 2 (having corresponding light sources and photodetectors which are not shown here) are co-linearly disposed within the scan head area in close parallelism with the wide dimension edges of incoming test bills. In effect, the optical sensors S 1 and S 2 are disposed opposite each other along a line within the scan head area which is perpendicular to the direction of bill flow.
It should be noted that FIGS. 11 , 13 and 15 also include an illustration of the physical disposition of the sensors S 1 and S 2 within the optical scanhead area of the currency recognition and counting apparatus. For purposes of clarity, the sensors S 1 and S 2 are represented only in the form of blocks which correspond to the light sources associated with the sensors. Although not illustrated in the drawings, it should be noted that corresponding photodetectors (not shown) are provided within the scanhead area in immediate opposition to the corresponding light sources and underneath the flat section of the transport path. These detectors detect the beam of coherent light directed downwardly onto the bill transport path from the light sources corresponding to the sensors S 1 and S 2 and generate an analog output which corresponds to the sensed light. Each such output is converted into a digital signal by a conventional ADC convertor unit (not shown) whose output is fed as a digital input to and processed by the system CPU (not shown), in a manner similar to that indicated in the arrangement of FIG. 1 .
The presence of a bill which passes under the sensors S 1 and S 2 causes a change in the intensity of the detected light, and the corresponding change in the analog output of the detectors serves as a convenient means for density-based measurements for detecting the presence of “doubles” (two or more overlaid or overlapped bills) during the currency recognition and counting process. For instance, the sensors may be used to collect a predefined number of density measurements on a test bill and the average density value for a bill may be compared to predetermined density thresholds (based, for instance, on standardized density readings for master bills) to determine the presence of overlaid bills or doubles.
A routine for using the outputs of the two sensors S 1 and S 2 to detect any doubling or overlapping of bills is illustrated in FIG. 21 . This routine starts when the denomination of a scanned bill has been determined at step 401 , as described previously. To permit variations in the sensitivity of the density measurement, a “density setting choice” is retrieved from memory at step 402 . The operator makes this choice manually, according to whether the bills being scanned are new bills, requiring only a high degree of sensitivity, or used bills, requiring a lower level of sensitivity. After the “density setting choice” has been retrieved, the system then proceeds through a series of steps which establish a density comparison value according to the denomination of the bill. Thus, step 403 determines whether the bill has been identified as a $20-bill, and if the answer is affirmative, the $20-bill density comparison value is retrieved from memory at step 404 . A negative answer at step 403 advances the system to step 405 to determine whether the bill has been identified as a $100-bill and if the answer is affirmative, the $100-bill density comparison value is retrieved from memory at step 406 . A negative answer at step 405 advances the system to step 407 where a general density comparison value, for all remaining bill denominations, is retrieved from memory.
At step 408 , the density comparison value retrieved at step 404 , 406 or 407 is compared to the average density represented by the output of sensor S 1 . The result of this comparison is evaluated at step 409 to determine whether the output of sensor S 1 identifies a doubling of bills for the particular denomination of bill determined at step 401 . If the answer is negative, the system returns to the main program. If the answer is affirmative, step 410 then compares the retrieved density comparison value to the average density represented by the output of the second sensor S 2 . The result of this comparison is evaluated at step 401 to determine whether the output of sensor S 2 identifies a doubling of bills. Affirmative answers at both step 409 and step 411 results in the setting of a “doubles error” flag at step 412 , and the system then returns to the main program. The “doubles error” flag can, of course, be used to stop the bill transport motor.
FIG. 22 illustrates a routine that enables the system to detect bills which have been badly defaced by dark marks such as ink blotches, felt-tip pen marks and the like. Such severe defacing of a bill can result in such distorted scan data that the data can be interpreted to indicate the wrong denomination for the bill. Consequently, it is desirable to detect such severely defaced bills and then stop the bill transport mechanism so that the bill in question can be examined by the operator.
The routine of FIG. 22 retrieves each successive data sample at step 450 and then advances to step 451 to determine whether that sample is too dark. As described above, the output voltage from the photodetector 26 decreases as the darkness of the scanned area increases. Thus, the lower the output voltage from the photodetector, the darker the scanned area. For the evaluation carried out at step 451 , a preselected threshold level for the photodetector output voltage, such as a threshold level of about 1 volt, is used to designate a sample that is “too dark.”
An affirmative answer at step 451 advances the system to step 452 where a “bad sample” count is incremented by one. A single sample that is too dark is not enough to designate the bill as seriously defaced. Thus, the “bad sample” count is used to determine when a preselected number of consecutive samples, e.g., ten consecutive samples, are determined to be too dark. From step 452 , the system advances to step 453 to determine whether ten consecutive bad samples have been received. If the answer is affirmative, the system advances to step 454 where an error flag is set. This represents a “no call” condition, which causes the bill transport system to be stopped in the same manner discussed above in connection with FIG. 8A .
When a negative response is obtained at step 451 , the system advances to step 455 where the “bad sample” count is reset to zero, so that this count always represents the number of consecutive bad samples received. From step 455 the system advances to step 456 which determines when all the samples for a given bill have been checked. As long as step 456 yields a negative answer, the system continues to retrieve successive samples at step 450 . When an affirmative answer is produced at step 456 , the system returns to the main program at step 457 .
It is desirable to maintain a predetermined space between each pair of successive bills to facilitate the resetting of the scanning system between the trailing edge of the scanned area on one bill and the leading borderline on the next bill. The routine for performing this spacing check is illustrated in FIG. 23 . This routine begins with step 500 , which checks the output signals from the sensors S 1 and S 2 to determine when the leading edge of a bill is detected by either sensor. The detection of a predetermined change in the output from either sensor S 1 or S 2 advances the system to step 501 , which determines whether the detected output change is from the first sensor to see the leading edge of a bill. If the answer is affirmative the system returns to the main program at step 503 . A negative response at step 501 advances the system to step 504 to determine whether the spacing check is done yet. If the answer is “yes,” the system returns to the main program. If the answer is “no,” step 505 determines whether a spacing check is to be performed, based on whether the first bill in a new stack of bills placed in the CRU has been detected. That is, there is no need to initiate a spacing check until the first bill reaches the sensors S 1 and S 2 . Thus, a negative answer at step 505 returns the system to the main program, while an affirmative answer advances the system to step 506 which compares the actual spacing count, i.e., the number of encoder pulses produced after detection of the leading edge of the bill, to a preselected minimum spacing count retrieved from memory. If the actual spacing count is above the preselected minimum, there is no error and consequently the next step 507 yields a negative response, indicating that there is no spacing error. The negative response sets a “spacing error checked” flag at step 509 . If the actual spacing count is below the preselected minimum, step 509 detects a spacing error and consequently produces an affirmative response which sets an error flag at step 508 . The system then returns to the main program at step 503 . It is this flag that is read at step 504 .
A routine for automatically monitoring and making any necessary corrections in various line voltages is illustrated in FIG. 24 . This routine is useful in automatically compensating for voltage drifts due to temperature changes, aging of components and the like. The routine starts at step 550 which reads the output of a line sensor which is monitoring a selected voltage. Step 551 determines whether the reading is below 0.60, and if the answer is affirmative, step 552 determines whether the reading is above 0.40. If step 552 also produces an affirmative response, the voltage is within the required range and thus the system returns to the main program step 553 . If step 551 produces a negative response, an incremental correction is made at step 554 to reduce the voltage in an attempt to return it to the desired range. Similarly, if a negative response is obtained at step 552 , an incremental correction is made at step 555 to increase the voltage toward the desired range. | A currency evaluation device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly evaluating all the bills in the stack comprises an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations to be evaluated. According to one embodiment, a transport mechanism transports the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 800 bills per minute. A denomination discriminating unit which includes a detector positioned along the transport path evaluates the bills. The device comprises a single denominated bill output receptacle positioned to receive bills whose denomination have been determined by the discriminating unit including bills of a plurality of denominations. A separate stacker bin is provided and a diverter positioned along the transport path routes bills whose denomination cannot be determined to the separate stacker bin. | 1 |
This application claims priority from German patent application serial no. 10 2012 216 595.9 filed Sep. 18, 2012.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a method for controlling a transmission brake of an automated change-speed transmission that is of countershaft design and is provided with claw clutches, the brake being functionally connected on its input side to a transmission shaft and being actuated hydraulically or pneumatically by means of an inlet valve and an outlet valve, each of these being in the form of a 2/2-way magnetic switching valve, such that for an upshift from a gear under load to a target gear, when the loaded gear has been disengaged, to synchronize the target gear first the inlet valve is opened and the outlet valve is closed, then to produce a braking torque the inlet valve is closed after having been open for a certain time, and to reach a synchronous rotational speed the outlet valve is opened after having been closed for a certain time, the time for which the inlet valve is open determined as a function of a specified characteristic parameter of the synchronization process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A transmission that is designed for longitudinal mounting and is of countershaft structure usually has an input shaft, at least one countershaft and an output shaft. The input shaft can be connected to the driveshaft of the drive engine and separated therefrom by an engine clutch which acts as a starting and shifting clutch. The countershaft is arranged with its axis parallel to the input shaft and is in permanent driving connection therewith by way of an input constant usually formed by a spur gear pair with two fixed wheels arranged in a rotationally fixed manner on the respective transmission shaft (input shaft and countershaft). The output shaft is arranged axis-parallel to the countershaft and coaxially with the input shaft, and can be connected selectively to the countershaft by way of a number of gear steps with different transmission ratios. The gear steps are usually in the form of spur gear steps, each comprising a fixed wheel arranged in a rotationally fixed manner on one transmission shaft (countershaft or output shaft) and a loose wheel mounted to rotate on the other transmission shaft (output shaft or countershaft). To engage a gear, i.e. to form a driving connection between the countershaft and the output shaft with the transmission ratio of the spur gear step concerned, a gear clutch is associated with each loose wheel. The loose wheels of adjacent spur gear steps are usually arranged at least in pairs on the same transmission shaft, so that the gear clutches can correspondingly be combined in pairs in dual shifting elements, each having a common shifting sleeve.
The shifting sequence for an upshift from a gear under load to a higher, target gear generally begins when the torque delivered by the drive engine is reduced and approximately at the same time the engine clutch is opened, before the loaded gear is disengaged. This is followed by synchronization of the target gear, in which the input rotational speed, i.e. the speed determined by that of the input shaft or the countershaft at the input-side part of the gear clutch of the target gear, is reduced to the synchronous speed at the output-side part of the gear clutch of the target gear, which is determined by the rotational speed of the output shaft. Thereafter the target gear is engaged and then, at approximately the same time, the engine clutch is closed and the torque produced by the drive engine is increased again.
In automated transmissions the input rotational speed is usually detected by a speed sensor arranged on the input shaft, whereas the output speed is detected by a speed sensor arranged on the output shaft. For comparability of the two speeds it is necessary to relate them to a common transmission shaft, i.e. to convert them correspondingly. However, since particularly when the loose wheels on the countershaft and the output shaft are arranged in alternating pairs it would be relatively complicated to convert the rotational speeds in each case to the respectively relevant transmission shaft associated with the gear clutch of the target gear concerned, it is usual to relate the two speeds, in each case independently of the arrangement of the loose wheel concerned, uniformly to the same transmission shaft, preferably the input shaft. For this it is only necessary to convert the output rotational speed detected at the output shaft, by multiplication by the gear ratio of the target gear and the gear ratio of the input constant to the input shaft, whereas the input speed detected at the input shaft itself can be retained unchanged. Here the rotational speed conversion, which is known per se, will not be explained explicitly; rather, the input speed and the output speed will be understood to mean the respective rotational speeds already related to a common transmission shaft, in particular the input shaft.
In general, compared with gear clutches synchronized by means of friction rings and locking teeth, unsynchronized gear clutches known as claw clutches have a considerably more simple structure, lower production costs and more compact dimensions, and are substantially less prone to wear and defects. In an automated transmission fitted with claw clutches, during an upshift the target gear is preferably synchronized by means of a centrally arranged, controllable brake device, such as a transmission brake functionally connected to the input shaft or to the countershaft. Compared with control-path-dependent, adjustment-speed variable and adjustment-force-variable control of a shift-control element for synchronizing and engaging a synchronized target gear, the control of a transmission brake and of a shift-control element for synchronizing and engaging an unsynchronized target gear is comparatively simple since in essence the sensor data from the rotational speed sensors on the input and output shafts are sufficient for that purpose.
A typical transmission brake of an automated transmission of countershaft design is described, for example, in DE 10 2010 002 764 A1 with reference to FIG. 4 thereof. This known transmission brake is in the form of a pneumatically actuated disk brake and is arranged on the engine-side end of the countershaft of the transmission. The disks of the transmission brake are connected in alternation in a rotationally fixed manner, by means of inner and outer locking teeth, to the countershaft and to a brake housing mounted fixed on the transmission housing. The transmission brake is actuated by means of a piston arranged to move axially in a brake cylinder, which piston is acted upon axially on the outside by the controllable control pressure in the pressure chamber of the brake cylinder and is thereby pressed against the disks in opposition to the restoring force of a spring arranged between the piston and the countershaft. The control pressure acting in the pressure chamber is controlled by means of an inlet valve connected on the inlet side to a pressure line and an outlet valve connected on the outlet side to an unpressurized line, which on the outlet and inlet sides are respectively connected to the pressure chamber of the brake cylinder by way of a short duct in each case. In this case the two valves are in the form of 2/2-way magnetic switching valves, which are relatively inexpensive and which enable simple control sequences. Since in the deactivated condition the transmission brake should reliably remain open without energy consumption, in the non-actuated, i.e. de-energized condition the inlet valve is closed whereas in the non-actuated condition the outlet valve is open.
During the synchronization process of an upshift the two valves are generally controlled in such manner that when the loaded gear has been disengaged, at approximately the same time the inlet valve is opened and the outlet valve is closed. Thereby the pressure medium flows out of the pressure line into the pressure chamber of the transmission brake which is closed on the outlet side and the piston presses the inner and outer disks against one another, so that a braking torque is produced which brakes the input shaft. When the braking torque required for synchronizing the target gear has built up, the inlet valve is closed. This traps the pressure medium inside the pressure chamber of the transmission brake, whereby the braking torque of the transmission brake is kept constant. To reach the synchronous speed and avoid over-braking the input shaft, the outlet valve is opened at just the right time before the synchronous speed has been reached so that the pressure medium can flow out of the pressure chamber of the transmission brake into the unpressurized line, which causes the braking torque to fall, i.e. the transmission brake is deactivated.
Previous known methods for controlling a transmission of this type are limited, during a braking of the input shaft necessitated by an upshift, with a braking gradient applied by the transmission brake, to determining the optimum time for opening the outlet valve, i.e. for deactivating the transmission brake.
DE 102 24 064 B4 describes a corresponding method for controlling a transmission brake, in which when the transmission brake has been activated, the input rotational speed is extrapolated by means of the input speed gradient and the deactivation time of the transmission brake is determined in such manner that when the target gear is engaged, the input speed corresponds within a specified tolerance to the synchronous speed determined by the output speed. For the determination of the deactivation time a deactivation lag time of the transmission brake and an output speed gradient are taken into account, which are attributable to a resultant resistance torque acting on the output shaft and which give rise to a corresponding change of the synchronous speed. However, in this known method the reduction of the braking torque during the deactivation of the transmission brake is perceived as an unsteady or abrupt process that does not exactly match reality and leads to a certain imprecision of the method.
In contrast, in the method known from DE 10 2010 002 764 A1 for controlling a transmission brake it is provided that for the determination of the deactivation time of the transmission brake, in addition to a deactivation lag time of the transmission brake and an output rotational speed gradient, i.e. a change of the synchronous speed, a steady reduction of the braking torque during the deactivation process of the transmission brake is also taken into account. For this the reduction of the input speed gradient brought about by the braking torque of the transmission brake is described by a quadratic time function whose quadratic portion is weighted by a transmission-specific and brake-specific deactivation factor F Abs of the transmission brake. This improved method enables a substantially more accurate determination of the deactivation time of the transmission brake.
Basically, a synchronization process carried out by the transmission brake during an upshift should take place as quickly as possible. However, to be able to reliably determine the optimum time for opening the outlet valve, i.e. for deactivating the transmission brake, the input speed gradient has to be determined relatively precisely. But for an accurate determination of the input speed gradient from the speed signal of a rotational speed sensor arranged on the input shaft, a minimum steady application time of the transmission brake is necessary during which the braking torque of the transmission brake and hence the input speed gradient are substantially constant, since when the engine clutch is opened and the loaded gear is disengaged the input shaft usually undergoes rotation fluctuations and the rotational speed signal concerned can be ‘noisy’.
During the synchronization of the target gear by means of the transmission brake it should also be taken into account that the supply pressure in the pressure line of the transmission brake can fluctuate, so that the maximum braking torque of the transmission brake that can be set is limited. For example, this is the case if the pressure line is connected not to a system pressure line with a largely constant, high system pressure, but to a shifting pressure line of the transmission in which, by virtue of an associated pressure regulating valve, shift-dependent shifting pressures of varying size are produced. However, to produce a particular braking torque by means of the transmission brake, if the supply pressure is lower a longer opening duration of the inlet valve is needed that with a higher supply pressure. In addition the production of a particular braking torque is made more difficult because the transmission brake is not usually provided with a pressure sensor by means of which the brake pressure present in the pressure chamber of the transmission brake could be determined.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the purpose of the present invention is to indicate a method for controlling a transmission brake of the type mentioned at the start, of an automated change-speed transmission of countershaft design having claw clutches, by means of which method, during an upshift process and for a predetermined characteristic parameter of the synchronization process, the optimum opening duration or the corresponding deactivation time of the inlet valve of the transmission brake can be determined.
With the characteristics described below, this objective is achieved by first detecting by means of sensors the input rotational speed n E — 0 and the corresponding output speed n A — 0 , existing at the beginning of the synchronization process (t=t 0 ), from these determining the input speed gradient ng E — W and the corresponding output speed gradient ng A existing before the activation of the transmission brake, then, using these values and with transmission-specific and brake-specific characteristic values, determining for a specified application duration T H of the transmission brake at a constant braking torque M Br the necessary braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft, then determining the brake pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake in order to obtain the braking gradient ng E — Br , and finally determining the opening duration T VE of the inlet valve required in order to produce the brake pressure p Br , as a function of the pressure p V being supplied to the transmission brake at the time.
Advantageous design features and further developments of the method according to the invention are also discussed below.
Thus, the invention begins from a transmission brake which is arranged in an automated change-speed transmission of countershaft design provided with claw clutches and which is functionally connected on its input side to a transmission shaft, i.e. to the input shaft or a countershaft. In addition the invention assumes that the transmission brake can be actuated hydraulically or pneumatically by means of an inlet valve and an outlet valve, each in the form of a 2/2-way magnetic switching valve. In an upshift from a gear under load to a target gear, after the loaded gear has been disengaged, in order to synchronize the target gear first the inlet valve of the transmission brake is opened and the outlet valve is closed. To produce a substantially constant braking torque M Br , after a determinable opening duration T VE the inlet valve is closed again and, to reach a synchronous speed determined by the output speed n A , the outlet valve is opened again after a determinable closing duration T VA . The stated objective of the present invention is now to determine the opening duration T VE of the inlet valve as a function of a specified characteristic parameter of the synchronization process.
For that purpose it is provided that in a first process step the input rotational speed n E — 0 and the corresponding output speed n A — 0 existing at the beginning of the synchronization process (t=t 0 ) are detected by sensors. From these values the input speed gradient ng E — W and the corresponding output speed gradient ng A existing before the transmission brake is activated are then determined. Since, despite the open inlet valve and the closed outlet valve, owing to an activation lag time T 1 the transmission brake has not yet built up any braking torque M Br , the existing input speed gradient ng E corresponds to a drag gradient ng E — W which is caused by a resistance torque that acts upon the input shaft and the countershaft and is the result of bearing, gearing and splash resistances. The output speed gradient ng A corresponds to the rotational speed gradient of the output shaft converted relative to the input shaft, which owing to the drive connection to the drive wheels is determined by the acceleration or deceleration of the motor vehicle during the shift-related interruption of the traction or thrust force.
In good agreement with the actual rotational speed variations of the input speed n E and the output speed n A , the drag gradient ng E — W of the input shaft until the beginning of the braking force build-up by the transmission brake and the output speed gradient ng A until the engagement of the target gear can in each case be assumed to be constant and, in a manner known per se, they can each be calculated as a difference quotient of two actual, consecutively determined speed values n E — i , n E — i+1 ; n A — i , n A — i+1 and the time interval t i+1 −t i between the detection of the speed values, in accordance with the equations:
ng E — W =( n E — i +1 −n E — i )/( t i+1 −t i )
and
ng A =( n A — i +1 −n A — i )/( t i+1 −t i )
In these n E — i and n A — i are the values of the input speed n E and the output speed n A , respectively determined at time t i , whereas n E — i+1 and n A — i+1 are the corresponding rotational speed values determined at the next time point t i+1 .
Since the speed signals n E (t), n A (t) detected by rotational speed sensors can be affected by noise and/or by superimposed oscillations, for the above determination of the speed gradients ng E — W , ng A it may be necessary to carry out a prior smoothing of the speed signal concerned, for example by low-pass filtering or in the form of a complicated numerical method for determining the speed gradients ng E — W , ng A .
From these values just mentioned (n E — 0 , n A — 0 , ng E — W , ng A ) and with transmission-specific and brake-specific characteristic parameters such as the activation lag time T 1 of the transmission brake, a deactivation lag time T 4 of the transmission brake, and a deactivation factor F Abs which is known from DE 10 2010 002 764 A1 and which characterizes the braking force reduction of the transmission brake, for a specified application duration T H of the transmission brake at a constant braking torque (M Br =const.) the required braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft is then determined. The application duration T H of the transmission brake used according to the invention as the characteristic parameter of the synchronization process is specified in such manner that the braking torque M Br of the transmission brake and hence the braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft are kept constant for long enough to make possible an accurate determination of the braking gradient ng E — Br .
In a second process step the brake pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake in order to produce the braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft is then determined.
Then, in a third process step the opening duration T VE of the inlet valve required in order to produce the brake pressure p Br is determined as a function of the pressure p V currently being supplied to the transmission brake.
Thus, this method for controlling a transmission brake makes it possible to determine the optimum opening duration T VE or the deactivation time point of the inlet valve of the transmission brake for a specified application duration T H . With this method, other, known methods can be extended, in particular the method known from DE 10 2010 002 764 A1 for controlling a transmission brake, with which the optimum closing duration T VA or deactivation time point of the outlet valve of the transmission brake for a given braking gradient ng E — Br can be determined.
In principle the braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft, the brake pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake and the necessary opening duration T VE of the inlet valve can be determined concretely in each case by an appropriate calculation method or with reference to previously determined characteristic curves or performance characteristics stored in a data memory of the transmission control unit.
However, it is preferable for the necessary braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft to be determined from the specified application duration T H and the rotational speeds n E — 0 , n A — 0 at the beginning of the synchronization process (t=t 0 ), whether these are determined by sensors or calculated, as well as the speed gradients ng E — W , ng A , using the equation:
ng E — Br =F Abs *T H −ng E — W +2 ng A +{( F Abs *T H −ng E — W +2 ng A ) 2 +2 F Abs [n E — 0 −n A — 0 +( T 1 +T H )( ng E — W −2 ng A )]} 1/2
in which F Abs denotes the transmission-specific and brake-specific deactivation factor of the transmission brake and T 1 denotes the device-specific activation lag time of the transmission brake. This equation can be derived from the given functional relationships with a few simplifications.
The transmission-specific and brake-specific deactivation factor F Abs of the transmission brake can be stored in a data memory of the transmission control unit in the form of a characteristic curve or a performance characteristic. However, the deactivation factor F Abs can also be calculated in each case at the time, using the equation:
F Abs =−M Br /( J GE *4π *T 5 )
in which M Br denotes the braking torque of the transmission brake at the beginning of a deactivation process, J GE denotes the mass moment of inertia of the input shaft and of the transmission shafts and gearwheels in driving connection with it, and T 5 denotes the time taken to deactivate the transmission brake on the assumption that the braking torque M Br decreases in a linear manner.
The brake pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake increases linearly with the size of the necessary braking gradient ng E — Br and can therefore be determined from a corresponding characteristic line or calculated using the equation:
p Br =p Br — 0 −ng E — Br *F Br
in which p Br — 0 is a device-specific pressure offset of the transmission brake that corresponds to the spring force of a brake-internal restoring spring and F Br is a device-specific proportionality factor of the transmission brake.
The proportionality factor F Br of the transmission brake is not a constant but can vary as a function of changes of the friction coefficient of the friction linings of the transmission brake, i.e. as a function of the wear condition and the current operating temperature of the transmission brake. It is therefore provided that the proportionality factor F Br of the transmission brake is corrected as a function of deviations of the actual braking gradient ng E — Br — ist of the input shaft from the braking gradient ng E — Br to be produced, in the sense that if the deceleration of the input shaft is too slow (|ng E — Br — ist |<|ng E — Br |) the proportionality factor F Br is increased by a defined correction step width ΔF K :
( F Br =F Br +ΔF K )
whereas if the deceleration of the input shaft is too rapid (|ng E — Br — ist |>|ng E — Br |) the proportionality factor F Br is reduced by a defined correction step width ΔF K :
( F Br =F Br −ΔF K ).
In order to avoid the correction of brief and in part oppositely directed deviations of the actual braking gradient ng E — Br — ist of the input shaft from the braking gradient ng E — Br to be produced, it is preferably provided that the proportionality factor F Br of the transmission brake is only corrected if, over a defined number of synchronization processes, deviations of the actual braking gradient ng E — Br — ist of the input shaft from the braking gradient ng E — Br to be produced, which are all in the same direction, have been detected.
However, if the brake pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake is higher than the pressure p V currently being supplied to the transmission brake (p Br >p V ), i.e. because the supply pressure p V is too low the brake pressure p Br required cannot even be produced, it is provided that in such a case a deviation of the actual braking gradient ng E — Br — ist of the input shaft from the braking gradient ng E — Br * calculated using the current supply pressure p V by means of the equation ng E — Br *=(p Br — 0 −p V )/F Br is evaluated for a correction of the proportionality factor F Br .
The necessary opening duration T VE of the inlet valve can be determined, with the brake pressure p Br of the transmission brake to be produced therein, from a family of several characteristic curves determined for different supply pressures p V .
However, it is also possible for the necessary opening duration T VE of the inlet valve, with the brake pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake, to be determined from a single characteristic curve which has been determined from a family of several characteristic curves determined for different supply pressures p V .
In this case, however, a deviation of the actual braking gradient ng E — Br — ist of the input shaft from the braking gradient ng E — Br to be produced should not be taken into account for a correction of the proportionality factor F Br if the opening duration T VE of the inlet valve is in a range with large deviations of the characteristic curves determined for different supply pressures p V , from which the characteristic curves used was determined.
But if the brake pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake is higher than the current supply pressure p V of the transmission brake (p Br >p V ) and can therefore not even be reached, it is provided in such a case that the necessary opening duration T VE of the inlet valve is taken to be a predetermined maximum opening duration T VE — max (T VE =T VE — max )
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For the further clarification of the invention the description of drawings are attached, which illustrate an example embodiment and which show:
FIG. 1 A flow-chart diagram of the method according to the invention for controlling a transmission brake,
FIGS. 2 a - 2 c The time variations of the input-side and output-side rotational speeds and the input-side speed gradients and switching times of the control valves of the transmission brake during the synchronization process for an upshift,
FIGS. 3 a and 3 b A simplified time variation of the input-side rotational speed gradient and the switching times of the inlet valve and the outlet valve of the transmission brake during the synchronization process for the upshift according to FIG. 2 ,
FIG. 4 A characteristic line for determining the necessary brake pressure as a function of the braking gradient to be produced, and
FIG. 5 A family of characteristic curves for determining the opening time of the outlet valve as a function of the brake pressure to be produced and of the pressure supplied to the transmission brake.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to the flow-chart of FIG. 1 the method for controlling a transmission brake, by means of which the opening duration T VE of the inlet valve of the transmission brake for a specified synchronization duration T S is determined, is divided into three process steps 1 , 2 and 3 .
In the first process step 1 the input rotational speed n E — 0 existing at the beginning of the synchronization process (t=t 0 ) and the corresponding output speed n A — 0 are detected by sensors, from these the input speed gradient ng E — W existing before the activation of the transmission brake and the corresponding output speed gradient ng A are determined, and from those values as well as with transmission-specific and brake-specific characteristic parameters the braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft required for the specified application duration T H of the transmission brake is determined.
In the second process step 2 the brake pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake in order to obtain the braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft is determined.
In the third process step 3 the opening duration T VE of the inlet valve required in order to obtain the brake pressure p Br is determined as a function of the pressure p V currently being supplied to the transmission brake.
Below, it will now be described how, in the first process step 1 , the necessary braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft is determined, how, in the second process step 2 , the brake pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake is determined and how, in the third process step 3 , the necessary opening duration T VE of the inlet valve is determined.
For a better understanding of the control sequences, in the three-part diagram of FIGS. 2 a - 2 c the part-diagram FIG. 2 a shows the time variations of the input-side and output-side rotational speeds n E (t), n A (t), the part-diagram FIG. 2 b shows the time variations of the input-side speed gradients, i.e. the drag gradient ng E — W and the braking gradient ng E — Br , while the part-diagram FIG. 2 c shows the switching times of the control valves of the transmission brake, i.e. the opening time T VE of the inlet valve and the closing time T VA of the outlet valve, during the synchronization process for an upshift.
The synchronization process begins at time t 0 , when the gear under load is disengaged and the two control valves of the transmission brake are activated, namely the inlet valve is opened and the outlet valve is closed. The rotational speed difference Δn to be bridged by the input shaft by virtue of the transmission brake during the synchronization process is given by the difference between the current output speed n A — 0 and the current input speed n E — 0 as well as the change ng A *T S of the output speed that takes place during the synchronization duration T S , so that the equation Δn=n A — 0 −n E — 0 +ng A *T S applies ( FIG. 2 a ).
The output speed gradient ng A is determined by the acceleration or deceleration of the motor vehicle during the shift-related traction force interruption. From time t 0 the input shaft is subjected to the action of a resistance torque which results from the bearing, gearing and splash resistances acting on the input shaft and the countershaft. Consequently, during the shift-related traction force interruption the input shaft is slowed down with a drag gradient ng E — W ( FIG. 2 b ). The rotational speeds n E — 0 , n A — 0 existing at the beginning of the synchronization process (t=t 0 ) are detected by sensors and from them, taking note of at least two consecutive values, the corresponding gradients ng E — W , ng A are determined ( FIGS. 2 a , 2 b ).
After the lapse of an activation lag time T 1 of the transmission brake, at time t 1 the build-up of the braking torque begins and this is completed after the lapse of an activation duration T 2 of the transmission brake, namely at time t 2 . Thus, from time t 2 onward the substantially constant braking torque M Br is applied to the input shaft so that the shaft, in addition to the drag gradient ng E — W , is also slowed down by the braking gradient ng E — Br which is constant from that time ( FIG. 2 b ). After the lapse of the still to be determined opening duration T VE of the inlet valve already during the activation duration T 2 of the transmission brake, the inlet valve is deactivated, i.e. closed at time t 1 ′ ( FIG. 2 c ).
After the lapse of a time interval T 3 during which the braking torque M Br is constant, at time t 3 the outlet valve is deactivated, i.e. opened, and for this the corresponding closed duration T VA of the outlet valve is preferably determined in accordance with the method known from DE 10 2010 002 764 A1. After the lapse of a deactivation lag time T 4 of the transmission brake, during which the braking torque M Br still remains constant, at time t 4 the reduction of the braking torque of the transmission brake begins and this is completed after the lapse of a deactivation duration T 5 of the transmission brake, namely at time t 5 . From time t 5 onward the input shaft is still acted upon only by the resultant resistance torque, so that now it is still slowed down by the drag gradient ng E — W only, until at time t 6 , the target gear is engaged ( FIGS. 2 a , 2 b ).
Accordingly, the synchronization duration T S is the sum of the five above-mentioned partial time intervals T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 and T 5 , in accordance with the equation:
T S =T 1 +T 2 +T 3 +T 4 +T 5
The application duration T H specified in the method according to the invention, during which the transmission brake is kept applied at a constant braking torque (M Br =const.), extends over the time intervals T 3 and T 4 , so that the equation T H =T 3 +T 4 applies.
Thus, and on the assumption—confirmed with sufficient accuracy in practice—that the build-up of the braking torque M Br of the transmission brake takes the same length of time as the decrease of the braking torque M Br (T 2 =T 5 ), the overall relationship can be simplified to:
T S =T 1 +T H +2 T 5
Likewise, the rotational speed difference Δn bridged during the synchronization duration T S of the input shaft is the sum of the speed differences Δn 1 , Δn 2 , Δn 3 , Δn 4 and Δn 5 bridged during the individual part-intervals T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 and T 5 , i.e.:
Δn=Δn 1 +Δn 2 +Δn 3 +Δn 4 +n 5
On the assumption confirmed with sufficient accuracy in practice —that during the build-up of the braking torque M Br of the transmission brake the rotational speed difference bridged is the same as during the reduction of the braking torque (Δn 2 =Δn 5 ), this relationship simplifies to:
Δn=Δn 1 +Δn 3 +Δn 4 +2 Δn 5
For a more accurate consideration of the speed gradients ng E — W , ng E — Br and ng A , FIG. 3 a shows the drag gradient ng E — W and the braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft in a simplified, linearized form relative to the output speed gradient ng A , whereas the switching condition of the control valves of the transmission brake shown in FIG. 3 b corresponds to the representation in FIG. 2 c . From the representation in FIG. 3 a it follows directly that:
Δn 1 =T 1 ( ng E — W −ng A )
n 3 +Δn 4 =( T 3 +T 4 )( ng E — Br +ng E — W −n A )
2 Δn 5 =T 5 [ng E — Br +2( ng E — W −ng A )]
Using the above-mentioned equation for the application duration T H of the transmission brake and the equation derived in DE 10 2010 002 764 A1 for a complete reduction of the braking torque M Br :
T 5 =−1/(2 F Abs ) ng E — Br ,
in which F Abs is a transmission-specific and brake-specific deactivation factor, the third-from-last equation above becomes:
Δn 3 +Δn 4 =T H ( ng E — Br +ng E — W −ng A )
and the second-from-last equation becomes:
2 Δn 5 =−1/(2 F Abs ) ng E — Br [ng E — Br +2( ng E — W −ng A )]
By inserting these relationships in the equation for Δn and therein replacing Δn by the equation with n E — 0 , n A — 0 and ng A first-mentioned above, replacing T 5 by the aforesaid overall relationship with T 1 , T H and T 5 , and also replacing T 5 by the known formula with F Abs and ng E — Br , the following quadratic equation is obtained for the braking gradient ng E — Br sought:
0 =n E — 0 −n A — 0 +( T 1 +T H ) ( ng E — W −2 ng A ) +[ T H −1/ F Abs ( ng E — W −2 ng A )]* ng E — Br −1/(2 F Abs )* ng E — Br 2 ,
the solution of which is given by the equation:
ng E — Br =F Abs *T H −ng E — W +2 ng A +{( F Abs *T H −ng E — W +2 ng A ) 2 2 F Abs [n E — 0 −n A — 0 +( T 1 +T H )( ng E — W −2 ng A )]} 1/2
using which the braking gradient is preferably calculated in the first process step 1 according to FIG. 1 as a function of the specified application duration T H of the transmission brake.
In the second process step 2 according to FIG. 1 the braking pressure p Br to be produced in the transmission brake in order to obtain the determined braking gradient ng E — Br of the input shaft can be determined, optionally, either with reference to a characteristic line an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 4 , or by calculation using the equation:
p Br =p Br — 0 −ng E — Br *F Br
in which p Br — 0 denotes a device-specific pressure offset of the transmission brake that takes into account the spring force of a brake-internal restoring spring, and F Br denotes a device-specific proportionality factor of the transmission brake.
In the third process step 3 according to FIG. 1 , the necessary opening duration T VE of the inlet valve for the brake pressure p Br of the transmission brake to be produced therein can be determined from a family of several characteristic curves determined for different supply pressures p V , or from a single characteristic curve which has been determined from a family of characteristic curves determined for different supply pressures p V .
Examples of corresponding characteristic curves are shown in the diagram of FIG. 5 , in which the brake pressure p Br to be produced, related in each case to the existing supply pressure p V of the transmission brake, is plotted against the opening duration T VE of the inlet valve. The diagram shows six characteristic curves determined for different supply pressures p V between 4 bar and 9 bar, as well as a linearized equalizing characteristic indicated as a dot-dash line and denoted Ref. To determine the opening duration T VE of the inlet valve it is thus possible to use the characteristic that corresponds to the actual supply pressure p v existing at the time, or the one closest to it. Likewise, however, it can also be provided, independently of the currently existing supply pressure p V , to use the linearized equalizing characteristic shown in FIG. 5 or, alternatively, a characteristic averaged from the family of pressure-dependent characteristics (not shown in FIG. 5 ).
Indexes
1 First process step
2 Second process step
3 Third process step
F Abs Deactivation factor of the transmission brake
F Br Proportionality factor of the transmission brake
i Order number
i+1 Order number
J GE Input-side mass moment of inertia
M Torque
M Br Braking torque of the transmission brake
n Rotational speed
n A Output speed, synchronous speed
n A — 0 Output speed at time t 0
n A — i Output speed at time t i
n A — i+1 Output speed at time t i+1
n E Input rotational speed
n E — 0 Input speed at time t 0
n E — i Input speed at time t i
n E — i+1 Input speed at time t i+1
ng Rotational speed gradient
ng A Output speed gradient
ng E Input speed gradient
ng E — Br Braking gradient of the input shaft
ng E — Br — ist Actual braking gradient of the input shaft
ng E — Br * Braking gradient of the input shaft calculated using p V
ng E — W Drag gradient of the input shaft
p Pressure
p Br Brake pressure of the transmission brake
p Br — 0 Offset pressure of the transmission brake
p V Pressure supplied to the transmission brake
t Time, time point
t 0 Beginning of the synchronization process
t 1 Time point, beginning of the braking torque build-up
t 1 ′ Time point, deactivation time of the inlet valve
t 2 Time point, end of the braking torque build-up
t 3 Time point, deactivation time of the outlet valve
t 4 Time point, beginning of braking torque reduction
t 5 Time point, end of the synchronization process
t 6 Time point, end of the shifting process
t i Particular time point
t i+1 Next time point
T 1 Activation lag time of the transmission brake
T 2 Activation duration of the transmission brake
T 3 Time interval with constant braking torque
T 4 Deactivation lag time of the transmission brake
T 5 Deactivation duration of the transmission brake
T H Application duration
T S Synchronization duration
T VA Outlet valve closing duration
T VE Opening duration of the inlet valve
T VE — max Maximum opening duration of the inlet valve
U Control voltage of a magnetic valve
U VA Control voltage of the outlet valve
U VE Control voltage of the inlet valve
ΔF K Correction step width of the proportionality factor F Br
Δn Rotational speed difference bridged
Δn 1 Speed difference bridged during time interval T 1
Δn 2 Speed difference bridged during time interval T 2
Δn 3 Speed difference bridged during time interval T 3
Δn 4 Speed difference bridged during time interval T 4
Δn 5 Speed difference bridged during time interval T 5 | A method of controlling a transmission brake of an automated change-speed transmission, of a countershaft design provided with claw clutches, the brake being functionally connected, on its input side, to a transmission shaft and actuated hydraulically or pneumatically by way of inlet and outlet valves such that, for an upshift from a gear under load to a target gear, when the loaded gear is disengaged, in order to synchronize the target gear, first the inlet valve is opened and the outlet valve is closed, then to produce a substantially constant braking torque, the inlet valve is closed after having been open for a determinable opening duration, and to reach a synchronous rotational speed, the outlet valve is opened after having been closed for a determinable closing duration. The time during which the inlet valve is open is determined as a function of a specified characteristic parameter of the synchronization process. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an implantable medical prosthesis for delivering precise doses of medication to selected tissues and in particular, to an implantable prosthesis for supplying medication to the body to stimulate a natural penile erection.
Therapeutic success has been widely reported, in the last decade or so, for the injection directly into the penis of certain nerve blocking agents which permit normal body functions to stimulate dilation of the blood vessels in the penis, thus causing the arterial pressure by which an erection is created.
A broad discussion of this subject and of the chemical compositions effecting penile erection is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,118 in which use was made of a dual barrel hypodermic device by which the selected vasodilator is injected from the exterior of the penis directly into the corpora cavernosa.
While improvement in the chemical agents have been made as reported on in more recent medical journals, little improvement, if any, has been made in the apparatus by which the agents are injected into the penis. The use of an external hypodermic device has several disadvantages, particularly amongst which is the pain caused to the user each time an injection is made. Another disadvantage lies in the absence of surety that the necessary specific dose is delivered in precise manner directly to the corpora canervosa so that a natural erection can be had. Still another disadvantage lies in the fact that the injection must be made sufficiently prior to the initiation of coitus so as to avoid interruption or to avoid any psychological reluctance in the presence of the female partner. It is not infrequent that the injection is made so early that its effect has dissipated before successful coitus.
It is the object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages found in the prior art devices and to provide means by which precise doses of vasodilators can be easily and effectively delivered to the corpora cavernosa in a timely and on demand manner.
It is a specific object of the present invention to provide an implantable prosthesis from which precise doses can be delivered to the penis without repeated injection.
It is another object to provide an implantable prosthesis capable of holding and delivering repeated doses of chemical agents over an indefinite time period, and which is capable of heing refilled periodically.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an implantable prosthesis in the form of a dosimeter capable of delivering precise doses or calculated amounts of chemical agents by hand manipulation by the user alone.
These objects and advantages together with numerous other advantages will become apparant from the following disclosure of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, an implantable prosthesis is provided specifically for use in stimulating penile erection, although it can be employed readily to deliver medication to varous other body parts or organs. The prothesis comprises a manually compressible reservoir, such as a rubber bulb, in which a liquid medication is maintained and from which an outlet conduit extends to the selected body part. The prothesis includes means for storing separately from the reservoir a predetermined dose of medication and which means is responsive to the manual compression of the reservoir to discharge the predetermined dose and on release to automatically cause the medication to flow from the reservoir to restore a predetermined dose so that repeated operation and delivery of medication is possible.
The reservoir is refillable from outside the body, by simple hypodermic syringe. However, it is preferred that the dose be calculated as a small fraction of the medication held in the reservoir so that the reservoir can hold sufficient medication to enable the delivery of a large number of doses before the reservoir needs refilling. The reservoir bulb is provided with at least a small section, which is self sealing so that repeated puncturing will not destroy the integrity of the reservoir.
Preferably, the means for storing and delivering the predetermined dose comprises a cylinder/piston pump like dosimeter in which the piston normally divides the cylinder into a precise fixed volume storage chamber in which medication is held, and an antechamber communicating with and receiving fluid from the reservoir. The piston is provided with a valve disc, which is closed, on squeezing of the reservoir, causing the piston to move through the fixed volume chamber to expel the precise dose and on release of the reservoir opens allowing the piston to reverse its direction and permitted passage of fluid from the antechamber into the fixed volume chamber. Thus, the dosimeter is constantly filled with fluid, avoiding any air pockets which might be harmful to the patient or to the smooth operation of the prothesis.
To insure a continuous body of fluid in the dosimeter a unidirectional valve is provided sealing the reservoir from the dosimeter in the non-operative or rest position.
Full details of the present invention are set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the prosthesis embodying the present invention implanted within the body;
FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the prosthesis;
FIGS. 3A through 3D are sectional views of the dosimeter device, employed in the prosthesis, showing in sequence its operational cycle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a prosthesis generally depicted by the numeral 10, consisting of a resiliently flexible bulb 12 serving as a reservoir, to the neck 14 of which is attached a screw cap 16 from which a flexible conduit 18 extends into the penis 20. The entire device 10 as seen, is implanted within the scrotum 22 with the conduit 18 extending into the penis where it is implanted within both or a selected one of the corpora cavernosa (not shown).
To insure proper dispensing and dosing, the prosthesis is provided with a dosimeter, generally depicted by the numeral 24, located below the cap 16 within the neck 14 of the bulb. The neck 14 is relatively hard, as compared with the remainder of the bulb, and is provided as seen in FIG. 3, in its interior with a radial shoulder 26, a smooth interior wall 28, and an internal thread 30 at its free end into which the cap 16, having an exterior thread is screwed.
As seen in FIGS. 3A-3D, the dosimeter 24 is divided into a unidirectional check valve assembly 32 and a pump 34 for discharging a fixed volume of fluid to the conduit 18. The check valve assembly 32 comprises an annular wall 36 inserted into the neck 14 of the bulb 12 to seat against the radial shoulder 26. The wall 36 has a central conically shaped hole 38 in which a ball 40 is seated, biased by a spring 42. The spring 42 is itself seated within a central boss 44 formed in an inverted cup-shaped spacer 46, placed over the wall 36 and pressing against the wall 36 so as to define an enclosed space 48 for receiving fluid passing through the conical hole 38. Surrounding the boss 44 of the spacer 46 are a plurality of holes 50 allowing flow of fluid out of the space 48.
The pump assembly 34 comprises an exterior sleeve-like housing 52 extending from the top of the spacer 46 to the cap 16 which cap presses the housing 52 against spacer 46, on being screwed within the neck 14. The end opposite the spacer 46 is provided with a radially inwardly directed flange 54, defining an enlarged central opening 56. Between the flange 54 and the spacer 46 the housing 52 defines a chamber 58, in which is housed a movable piston 60, dividing the chamber 58 into a lower antechamber 58a communicating with the reservoir through the check valve 32, and an upper pump chamber 58b communicating with the conduit 18.
The piston 60, which like the housing is a cylinder having a radially inwardly directed flange 62. The piston 60 is slidable in fluid tight contact with the wall of the housing 52 between a lower position seen in FIG. 3A, wherein its lower edge abuts against the spacer 46 to an upper position seen in FIG. 3C, where the housing flange 54 forms a stop for the piston.
A plurality of radially inwardly directed pins 64 are spaced below the flange 62, the pins 64 being integrally formed and circumferentially spaced from each other to permit introduction between them of a valve disc 66. The pins 64 are also spaced axially from the flange 62 so as to permit the valve disc 66 to move freely between the pins and flange to open the hole and close the hole in the piston. The disc 66 is sufficiently rigid so as to be unbendable under the pressure exerted by the fluid in the prosthesis and to provide a closed seal in combination with the piston flange 62 when in abutment against the flange.
The disc 66 is normally biased away from the flange 62 by a spring 68 which is seated at one end in a boss 70 formed on the upper face of the disc 66 and at its other end in a boss 72 formed on the lower face of the cap 16.
The central opening 56 opens from the pump assembly into a space 74 formed in the cap 16 from which extends a radially directed outlet port 76 to which is connected the conduit 18 leading to the corpora cavernosa.
The prosthesis is preferably formed of durable plastic material inert to body fluids and particularly to the chemical constituents of the vasodilator used. The thickness of the bulb wall is relatively thin so as to be responsive to squeezing by the patient so as to discharge the fluid into the corpora cavernosa but of sufficient memory retention so as to automatically resume its original shape and maintain its shape against unintentional forces exerted on the scrotum. A portion of the bulb 12 is formed of self-sealing puncture material, 78 (FIG. 1) allowing it to be periodically filled by hypodermic syringe. The size of the bulb and the amount of vasodilator needed for any given dose may be calculated such that even a small bulb capable of being implanted in the scrotum would be sufficient to hold a supply of vasodilator for several months thereby perhaps requiring refilling, at most twice a year.
At the time the prosthesis is implanted, the bulb 12 is filled with the desired fluid and simultaneously the dosimeter, as generally defined is primed with fluid so that all the cavities within the spacer 46 and the housing 52 below the flange 54 are filled with the fluid. Once the device is thus prepared, the dosimeter takes the positions shown in FIG. 3A wherein the ball 40 seats in hole 38 and check valve assembly 32 is closed off from the fluid in the bulb. The pressure of the remaining fluid in the dosimeter combined with the bias of the spring 42 maintains the check valve closed.
When the patient desires an erection, he merely squeezes the bulb 12. The fluid from the bulb forces itself through the hole 38, lifting the ball 40 from its seat and causing the fluid in the entry space 48 to increase in pressure. The fluid pressure passes through holes 50 increasing likewise the pressure in the ante pump chamber 58a causing the disc valve to move and seat against the flange 62 of the piston 60. The piston 60 is thereafter subjected to increasing pressure from the ante pump chamber 58a and the piston 60 is itself raised against the bias of the spring 68. This reduces the volume of the upper chamber 58b causing the fluid previously found in the upper pump chamber 58b to pass through the central opening 56 into the cap and out the outlet port 76. Simultaneously fluid continues to flow from the bulb 12, as seen in FIG. 3B into the check valve space 48, and the antechamber 58a which is now increased size.
Once the piston 60 reaches its uppermost positon, the piston flange 62 and valve disc 66 seal the central opening 56 and no further fluid can pass through to the outlet port 58 and thus fluid flow from the bulb through the dosimeter is arrested. This arrestation is sensed by the patient who thus releases the bulb. As a result of which the ball 40 drops immediately closing the check valve 32. This causes a decrease in pressure on the valve disc 66 which then falls onto the pins 64, opening passage for fluid, from the antechamber 58a, to pass through the piston into the upper pump chamber 58b. Consequently, together with the bias of the spring 68, the reduction in pressure allows the piston, and the piston disc to descend as seen in FIG. 3C. As the piston descends, the upper pump chamber 58b enlarges becoming filled with fluid once again. When the dosimeter returns to its initial or rest position once again, as seen in FIG. 3A, the upper pump chamber 58b is completely full containing exactly the same fixed volume of fluid as it had during the initial and/or preceding cycle of operation. The check valve 32 is closed and the internal spaces and chambers are again prepared and readied for the next cycle of operation. It is obvious that only the amount of fluid contained in the upper chamber had passed into the corpora cavernosa.
It will be obvious from the foregoing that the several objects and advantages enumerated earlier have been obtained by the present invention in its various embodiments. Several embodiments and changes have been suggested herein, others will be obvious to those skilled in this art. It is intended, therefore, that the present disclosure be taken as illustrative only and not limiting of the present invention. | A manually compressible reservoir, such as a rubber bulb is provided in which a liquid medication is maintained and from which an outlet conduit extends to a selected body part. The prosthesis includes a piston for storing separately from the reservoir a predetermined dose of medication and which piston is responsive to the manual compression of the reservoir to discharge the predetermined dose and on release to automatically cause the medication to flow from the reservoir to restore a predetermined dose so that repeated operation and delivery of medication is possible. | 0 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a divisional application of co-pending, commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/943,578 filed Sep. 17, 2004.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the protection of exposed pipeline joints of pipelines used in offshore operations, and relates more particularly to a pliable protective cover sleeve securing therein a protective substance in order to protect a pipe joint.
BACKGROUND
[0003] It is conventional in the offshore pipeline industry to use weight coated pipe for pipelines which are used on ocean floors or other underwater surfaces. The weight coats traditionally have been made of dense materials such as concrete, and are typically several inches thick around the circumference of the pipe. The weight coats protect the pipeline and provide sufficient weight to maintain the pipeline submerged in a non-buoyant condition.
[0004] In most cases, the weight coats are applied to the full length of the pipe except for a short distance where there is a bare pipe end portion, approximately one foot from the end of each pipe section. The end portion of the pipe remains without the weight coat to facilitate welding together individual sections of the weight coated pipe in order to make up the pipeline. In this manner, sections of pipe are placed on a barge and welded sequentially onto preceding sections forming a pipeline extending from the barge. The newly formed pipeline is placed on rollers, and as the barge moves forward, the pipeline is carried over the rollers, then lowered, and then laid on the bed of the body of water.
[0005] The portions of pipe not having a weight coat had a corrosion coating applied to the surface of the pipe to prevent the pipe from corroding due to exposure to the elements. Generally, the corrosion coatings used were a heat shrinking tape or a fusion bonded epoxy. After the sections of pipe were welded together, various techniques were used to protect the corrosion coating on the exposed portions of pipe around each joint.
[0006] One prior known procedure was to wrap sheet metal over the weight coating adjacent the exposed portion of the pipe and band the sheet metal in place with metal bands. Generally, a zinc coated sheet metal was used. The space between the pipe and sheet metal was then filled with a molten material which would solidify as it cooled. However, in most cases, the pipeline had to be in a condition for handling immediately after the sleeves were filled so that the laying of the pipeline could proceed without delay. The molten filling did not set or harden to a sufficiently strong material within the required time to allow further processing of the pipe and the molten material would leach out into the water if the pipeline was lowered before the molten material was adequately cured.
[0007] Other known procedures have typically replaced the molten material with other types of materials. For example, one alternative material utilized to cover the exposed portion of pipe was granular or particulate matter such as gravel or iron ore which did not pack solidly or uniformly. Then elastomeric polyurethanes were injected into the mold to fill the interstices between the granular filler materials. After the polymer material had reacted, the mold would be removed from the surface of the infill.
[0008] Another known procedure involves wrapping the exposed portions of pipe with a thermoplastic sheet. The sheet overlapped the ends of the weight coat adjacent the exposed joint and then was secured in place by screws, rivets, or straps. To increase the rigidity and impact resistance, this joint protection system required the installation of reinforcing members such as plastic bars or tubes to the interior of the sheet. The reinforcement bars or tubes either had to be precut and stored on the barge or else cut to the required fitting form as part of the installation process on the barge. Yet another known procedure entailed filling the lower portion of the annular space between the pipe and the plastic sheet with a material such as pre-formed foam half shells.
[0009] A more recently used technique involved encasing the pipe joint by circumferentially wrapping a pliable sheet of cover material around the exposed portion of the joint connection. The longitudinal end portions of the pliable cover overlapped the adjacent edges of the weight coating, such that an annular pocket was formed about the exposed joint section. Polyurethane forming chemicals were then injected into the empty annular space where they reacted to form high-density, open cell foam which filled the annular space. The open cell polyurethane foam was intended to absorb moisture and ultimately increase the ballast of the pipeline.
[0010] In many cases, vibrations during offshore operations at times could cause the foam to vibrate, and move around, tending to separate the foam from the pipe, because there was no locking mechanism to hold the polyurethane foam securely in its place. Of further concern, the outer diameter portions of the foam were more susceptible to movement, agitation, or damage than the inner diameter portions of the foam, because the outer diameter portions might have a lower density than the inner diameter portions of the foam.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Briefly, the present invention provides a new and improved apparatus and method for protecting exposed pipe joints on weight coated pipelines used in offshore applications. A pliable synthetic resin cover sleeve overlaps a pair of weight coated sections that surround the pipeline on each side of the pipe joint. The cover sleeve circumferentially envelops the pipe joint, forming an annular space between the pipe and the cover sleeve and longitudinally between the pair of weight coated sections. The cover sleeve includes a number of ridges that extend inwardly from the sheet and form a number of chambers between the ridges. The chambers are in communication with the annular space.
[0012] A filler composition is injected into the annular space, and the filler composition undergoes a hardening reaction to form a high density, open cell polyurethane foam. The annular space and the chambers receive the filler composition as it is reacting and the resultant high density, open cell polyurethane interlocks with the ridges in the cover sleeve while hardening. The expansion of the reacting, hardening foam into the chambers produces a locking effect with the structure of the ridges and the resultant polyurethane foam mechanically locks onto the ridges.
[0013] The present invention forms a composite system to protect the joint connection with the foam providing continuous compressive reinforcements and impact resistance and the cover sleeve provides puncture resistance and protection from water jetting/post trenching operations plus abrasion resistance. The present invention further provides a better bond between the foam and the cover sleeve, which provides for greater overall stability and reliability.
[0014] To better understand the characteristics of the invention, the description herein is attached, as an integral part of the same, with drawings to illustrate, but not limited to that, described as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the detailed description set forth below is reviewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 depicts a side elevation view of a pipeline, showing two sections of weight coated pipe welded together at a pipe joint;
[0017] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a pliable cover sleeve according to the present invention shaped in cylindrical form and used to encase the exposed joint section;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a pipeline, showing a pliable cover sleeve according to the present invention wrapped and sealed around the exposed joint section;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the pipeline and cover sleeve of FIG. 3 .
[0020] FIG. 5 depicts a vertical cross sectional view taken along the lines 5 - 5 of FIG. 4 , showing a locking mechanism of the cover sleeve interlocked with the joint-filling material.
[0021] FIG. 6 shows a plan view of an unwrapped cover sleeve like that of FIG. 2 in accordance with the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view, like that of FIG. 5 , but along the lines 7 - 7 of FIG. 4 .
[0023] FIGS. 8 , 9 , and 10 are vertical cross-sectional views of alternative embodiments of the cover sleeve according to the present invention interlocked with the joint-filling material.
[0024] To better understand the invention, we shall carry out the detailed description of some of the modalities of the same, shown in the drawings with illustrative but not limited purposes, attached to the description herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] Although the following detailed description contains many specific details for purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiment of the invention described below is set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations thereon, the claimed invention.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a conventional, prior art weight coated pipeline 10 formed by welding together two pipe sections 12 , 14 , each of which is covered by a weight coat 16 , 18 , respectively. The weight coat 16 , 18 , which is formed from concrete or another suitable material, completely covers the pipe sections 20 , 22 circumferentially and longitudinally except for a portion of each pipe end 24 , 26 of the pipe section 20 , 22 . The pipe ends 24 , 26 are left exposed to facilitate welding of the two pipe sections 12 , 14 together as sections of a pipeline. However, these exposed pipe ends 24 , 26 leave gaps of pipe not coated with weight coat 16 , 18 in the pipeline 10 , which would be covered only by a corrosion coating 34 . The present invention is provided to protect the pipe joint of the pipe ends 24 , 26 between the coated pipe sections 16 , 18 .
[0027] As such, the present invention provides for the utilization of a cover sleeve 40 that is used to enclose and provide structural protection for the exposed corrosion coating 34 on the pipe end 24 , 26 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the preferred embodiment uses a cover sleeve material 40 that is pliable, yet strong, and which can be formed into a cylindrical shape to fit around the pipeline 10 . The coated end portion 16 is not shown in FIG. 2 and the coated end portion 18 is shown in phantom so that structure of the cover sleeve 40 may be more clearly seen. The cover sleeve material 40 is formed from a high-density synthetic resin, polypropylene, polyethylene, or other alternative thermoplastic material. The cover sleeve 40 should be at least approximately 0.2 mm thick and may be considerably thicker if stronger support and impact resistance is desired. Water depth, pipe size, pipe weight and other considerations may dictate the use of a cover sleeve 40 which is up to approximately 12 mm in thickness. The cover sleeve 40 may be a flexible flat sheet or may be preformed into a cylindrical shape.
[0028] An example of a suitable cover sleeve 40 is a sheet material in the form of a twin wall profile extrusion made from polyethylene or polypropylene that is manufactured, for example, by Primex Plastics Corporation, Richmond, Ind., and which may be identified by the brand name Cor-X. Sheet materials of this type can be extruded in thickness ranges of 0.006 to 0.5 inches. The sheet material used for the cover sleeve 40 is modified in a manner described below in order to permit ease of access of a joint infill or filler substance into the structure of the cover sleeve 40 and also to permit mechanical interlocking of the protective sleeve and the joint infill material. It should also be understood, as will be described in greater detail below, that the structure of the cover sleeve 40 may take a number of shapes to achieve such mechanical interlocking.
[0029] For example, the cover sleeve material 40 may take the form of a wall 41 and a wall 42 spaced from and interconnected to each other by a series of ribs or ridges 44 between two outer layers arranged to extend over the length of the sleeve material 40 in a direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the pipeline 10 . Spaces between the walls 41 and 42 and adjacent ribs or ridges 44 thus take one form of a number of longitudinally extending tubes or passages 45 . As will be set forth below, portions of the wall 42 are removed or opened along both the longitudinal and transverse extent of the sheet material 40 . As a result when sheet material is formed into a cylindrical cover sleeve 40 , the tubes, or passages 45 take the form of chambers which are in flow communication with an annular space 54 formed between the sleeve 40 and the pipe 24 , 26 .
[0030] The pliable cover sleeve 40 is wrapped into a cylindrical shape around the exposed pipe ends 24 , 26 such that the outer diameter of the cylinder of cover sleeve 40 is slightly greater than the outside diameter of the weight coat 16 , 18 on the pipeline 10 . More specifically, the inside diameter of the cylinder of cover sleeve 40 is substantially the same as the outside diameter of the weight coat 16 , 18 . The cover sleeve 40 should be long enough to overlap the adjacent ends or edges 30 , 32 of both sides of the weight coating 16 , 18 by several inches to allow the weight coating 16 , 18 to act as a structural support for the cover sleeve 40 . Once the cover sleeve 40 is fitted over the adjacent edges 30 , 32 of the weight coat 16 , 18 , the longitudinal side edges 41 and 43 of cover sleeve 40 are tightly pushed together such that the side edges 41 , 43 overlap. The cover sleeve 40 may be tightened down and held in place on the ends of the weight coat 16 , 18 with conventional removable cinch belts (not shown) or some other form of securing structure. The outside edge 43 is then sealed to the surface of the cover sleeve 40 and the cylindrical, externally sealed cover sleeve 50 is formed.
[0031] The cover sleeve 40 can be sealed by plastic welding an edge onto the surface of the cover sleeve 40 , forming a longitudinally extending plastic weld 43 the entire length of the cover sleeve 40 as shown in FIG. 3 . Alternative techniques for sealing such as heat fusion, riveting, gluing, taping, or banding can also be utilized to seal the cover sleeve 40 .
[0032] Referring to FIG. 3 , the cover sleeve 40 thus becomes the cover sleeve 50 , sealed by the outer wall 41 forming a protective barrier around the exposed portion of pipe 24 , 26 and remaining a permanent part of the pipeline 10 . The annular space 54 is thus formed around the pipe 24 , 26 by installing the sealed cover sleeve 50 . The annular space 54 so formed between the pipe 24 , 26 and the sealed cover sleeve 50 extends longitudinally between the weight coat portions 16 , 18 .
[0033] A hole 48 is formed in the sealed cover sleeve 50 , through which reactive chemicals or compositions are injected into the annular space 54 to form a joint-filler substance or composition 62 . The composition 62 is comprised of polyurethane chemicals of the type disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,195 as described below. The hole 48 may be drilled, cut, or otherwise completed in the cover sleeve 50 to thereafter allow the yet-to-be reacted chemical or substance 62 to be injected into the annular space 54 . The hole 48 may be precut into the cover sleeve 40 prior to installation on the weight coated pipeline 10 or may be cut after the sealed cover sleeve 50 is in place. The diameter of the hole 48 to be drilled is dependent upon the particular type of mixing head used to inject the reactive chemical or substance 62 . Industry standard or conventional injection heads are acceptable, but suitable alternatives would also suffice.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 4 , the annular space 54 is filled through hole 48 by a mixing head with reactive chemicals or compositions, preferably those causing a reaction of components, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,195. The composition 62 formed by such a reaction is, as a result, a high-density rapid-setting polypropylene or polyurethane foam system 62 . The foam 62 serves as a shock absorber and protects the corrosion coating on the pipe 24 , 26 . Also, because the foam 62 is open celled, it can absorb water and increase the ballast effect for the pipeline 10 . Alternatively, other polymerizing or hard setting compounds such as marine mastics, quick setting concretes, polymers, or elastomeric compounds may be used to fill the annular space 54 . Any alternative filler substance 62 typically is quick hardening, such that the process of laying the pipeline 10 is not inhibited.
[0035] The preferred polyurethane or polypropylene system utilized to form the protective high-density foam 62 in this process is a combination of an isocyanate and a polyol system. When reacted, this combination system rapidly cures and forms high-density open celled polyurethane or polypropylene foam 62 , which resists degradation in seawater. The isocyanate is a polymeric form of diphenylmethane diisocyanate, as manufactured, for example, by Bayer Corp. The preferred polyol system is a mixture of multifunctional polyether and/or polyester polyols, catalysts for controlling the reaction rate, surfactants for enhancing cell formation, and water for a blowing agent. The blended polyol system is manufactured, for example, by Dow Chemical Co., Bayer Corp., and other companies.
[0036] The preferred system produces foam 62 with a density of about 8 to 10 pounds per cubic foot and has about eighty percent or greater open cells. The compressive strength of the preferred foam 62 is approximately 200 psi or greater at 10 percent deflection and 2000 psi or greater at 90 percent deflection. Reaction of the preferred system components can be characterized by a 18 to 28 second cream time, the time between discharge from the mixing head and the beginning of the foam rise, a 50 to 60 second rise time, the time between discharge from the mixing head and the complete foam rise, and a 240 to 250 second cure time, the time required to develop the polymer strength and dimensional stability.
[0037] The cover sleeve 50 acts as a mold and receives the foam 62 in the annular space 54 and chambers 45 , and further interlocks and forms a mechanical bond with the foam 62 as it is cured. As shown in FIG. 4 , preferably this foam 62 substantially fills the annular space 54 and chambers 45 without leaving significant void areas. Preferably, no additional filler materials are needed to be used in conjunction with the foam 62 . The foam 62 should substantially fill the annular space 54 and protrude to some extent upward through the hole 48 on the sealed cover sleeve 50 .
[0038] Referring to FIG. 4 , the sealed cover sleeve 50 together with the foam 62 provide a protective system which protects the exposed pipe 24 , 26 and the corrosion coating 34 during handling and laying of the pipeline 10 and continues to provide protection from damage due to drag lines or trawler boards attached to fishing trawler nets. Further, the sealed cover sleeve 50 is not subject to the corrosion problems of prior systems and therefore does not create an underwater hazard or a danger to fishing nets. Additionally, the protective system provided by the present invention acts to deflect the high pressure water jets used to bury pipelines in shallow waters which have resulted in damage to the corrosion coating on pipe joints protected by prior systems.
[0039] FIG. 5 depicts an axial cross section along the lines 5 - 5 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the cover sleeve 50 filled and interlocked with the expanded, cured protective foam substance 62 . The wall 41 of cover sleeve 50 now serves as an outer wall of the cylindrical cover sleeve 50 and thus exhibits a smooth exterior. The ribs or ridges 44 of the cover sleeve 50 thus extend radially inwardly from an inner surface 41 a of wall 41 in the assembled cylindrical cover sleeve 50 with the chambers 45 between them for receiving the protective foam substance as indicated at 72 . The size of the chambers 45 or and thus relative presence, or chambers-per-linear-foot extending in a circumferential manner around the interior of sleeve 50 may be varied according to needs of a particular pipeline. For example, the relative number may range from about fifty chambers per twelve inches to eighty or more chambers per twelve inches for walls 41 and 42 of cover sleeve 50 which may range in thickness from about 2 mm through about 6 mm. Further, cover sleeves 50 with wall thickness of from seven mm through twelve mm typically contain about thirty chambers per twelve inches.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 5 , the structure of cover sleeve 50 has the walls 41 and 42 connected by ridges 44 that hold the inner and outer walls together. The sleeve material is then modified such that a series of longitudinal cuts or slices 46 are formed extending through the inner wall 42 in a direction corresponding to the axis of the pipeline 10 .
[0041] In addition, circumferential bands of the inner wall 42 are removed at longitudinally spaced positions as indicated at 74 . The longitudinally spaced positions can be relatively closer or further apart and the width of the circumferential band removed from inner wall is usually from ⅛ inch to about two inches along the interior of the cover sleeve for ease of entry of the reacting chemicals of the foam 72 into the chambers 45 . The inner wall 42 may be modified such that longitudinally extending portions or are removed between certain of the ridges 44 . The inner wall 42 thus may have a series of channels, as shown in FIG. 2 at 75 .
[0042] The cover sleeve 50 is thus a permanent outer cladding with from about ten to twenty circumferentially spaced ridges per square inch of the annular extent of the cover sleeve 50 , forming chambers 45 in flow communication with the annular space 54 being filled with the chemicals reacting to form the polyurethane foam 62 . FIGS. 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , and 10 depict several possible embodiments forms suitable for the ridges according to the present invention. Generally the ridges have some portion extending in a direction transverse to a radial direction inwardly from the wall 41 toward the longitudinal axis of the pipeline 10 and cylindrical sleeve 50 . Thus, the ridges may take various forms, generally in the form of two portions, one of which is transverse the other in their final extent or location in the cured foam filing portions 62 and 72 ; or extending in a curved or arcuate direction away from the cylindrical inner wall; or in some combination of these or similar forms. It is desirable that some parts or portions of the structure of the ridges in their final location in the cured foam extend in a direction transverse that of a radius of the cylindrical sleeve 50 . In this manner, cured foam is located on each side of some portion of the ridges, thus interlocking with the inner structure of the ridges, sleeve rather than relying on physical bonding between cylindrical surfaces of the foam and the sleeve, as in previous infill coatings.
[0043] The ridges 44 may be generally inverted T-shaped, as shown in FIG. 5 , formed as a result of the slices 46 mentioned above with a first portion 44 a of the ridges 44 extending inwardly from the inner surface 41 a of the outer wall 41 . In the embodiment of FIG. 5 , second portions 42 a and 42 b of the inner wall 42 on each side of the slices 46 extend transversely and generally substantially perpendicularly to the ridges 44 . The portions 42 a and 42 b thus extend perpendicularly across the ridges 44 as shown in FIG. 5 . As can also be seen, the ridges 44 formed in this manner have an inverted T-shape in their extent inwardly into and interlocking engagement with the cured foam 62 and 72 .
[0044] It should also be understood that the wall portions of the ridges to interlock with the foam may take a variety of other configurations. As examples, the cover sleeve 50 may have ridges 47 ( FIG. 8 ) or 48 ( FIG. 9 ) extending inwardly therefrom in the shape or design of a loop or a curved web extending in arcuate form from the cover sheet 50 . The webbed ridges 47 and 48 each have a space for the components reacting and forming the foam 62 to penetrate the chambers 72 and interlock with the ridges 47 and 48 . The arcuate segments 48 ( FIG. 9 ) are circumferentially disposed along the inner wall surface 41 a of the cover sheet 50 , with alternate sets of the arcuate segments 48 formed with inner end portions spaced from each other to form a space 48 b for entry of foam into the chambers 54 . In the embodiment of FIG. 8 , the ridges 47 extend inwardly from the cover sleeve 50 in a somewhat comparable manner as do corrugation layers formed in cardboard materials. In the embodiment of FIG. 10 , ridges 49 extend inwardly from the cover sleeve 50 in a generally hook-shaped manner. In each of the embodiments of the present invention, the chemicals reacting and causing the form 62 to be formed are able to enter the chambers 72 through the spaces shown between adjacent ridges or adjacent ones of the various ridges extending inwardly from the cover sleeve 50 .
[0045] Turning now in greater detail to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the ridges may be formed as a series of arcuate segments extending inwardly from the cover sheet. The arcuate segments may take the form of undulating or wave-shape in vertical cross-section circumferentially disposed along the inner surface 41 a of the wall 41 of cover sheet 40 , as shown at 47 in FIG. 8 , with a central portion 47 a mounted with or formed as an integral portion of the outer wall 41 and having two curved or arcuate segments 47 b and 47 c extending inwardly to be received in and interlock with the chemicals as they react to cause formation of the cured foam 62 . The arcuate segments 47 b and 47 c may result from forming longitudinal cuts or slices, leaving spaces 47 d in a wave-shaped sheet of material 47 . Alternatively, the ridges may be in the form of a number of separate arcuate segments 47 mounted at spaced locations as shown at 47 d from each other.
[0046] Further, as has been discussed, the ridges may take the form of a series of arcuate segments, such as curved wall members 48 ( FIG. 9 ). As shown in detail in FIG. 9 , the curved wall members 48 are formed extending in arcuate form circumferentially disposed and extending inwardly from inner surface 41 a of the cover sheet with alternate sets of the curved wall members 48 having end portions 48 a spaced from each other as shown at 48 b to form chambers 45 in the flow communication with the annular space 54 to receive the foam 62 and 72 .
[0047] Further, in another embodiment shown in FIG. 10 ridges according for protective covers for joint infill according to the present invention may take the form of inverted-L or hook shape as shown at 49 in FIG. 10 , with a first portion 49 a extending inwardly from the inner surface 41 a of the outer wall 41 . A second portion 49 b of the ridge 49 extends transversely or perpendicularly to the first portion 49 a , with an optional third portion 49 c extend generally radially inwardly to the wall 41 , leaving a space 71 providing flow communication for the foam 72 .
[0048] It should also be understood that in the embodiments of FIGS. 8-10 , circumferential bands as indicated at 74 and, where applicable, channels 75 , are typically present to provide flow communication so that the foam 62 as it is forming and cures penetrates and fills the chambers 45 as shown at 72 . The resultant foam in chambers 45 engages, interlocks, and substantially bonds with the ridges 70 in the interior of the cover sleeve 50 . As the foam 62 reacts to fill the annular space 54 , it also expands and substantially penetrates the chambers 45 formed by the ridges 44 . The present invention provides thus for a better mechanical bond at the interface between the polyurethane or polypropylene foam 62 and the cover sleeve 50 .
[0049] It should be understood that the ridges 44 extending inwardly from the cover sleeve 50 may take a number of forms according to the present invention. For example, the invention cover sleeve 50 need not have both longitudinal cuts 46 and circumferential bands 74 for flow communication from the annular recess 54 into the chambers 45 . The cover sleeve 50 may thus be provided with only longitudinal cuts 46 or circumferential bands in inner wall 42 for fluid communication.
[0050] It should be understood that the Figures of the present invention are generally not drawn according to scale with respect to the relative sizes of various structural elements shown. Rather, the relative size of some of the structural elements are enlarged in comparison to other structure in order to more clearly illustrate the features of such structural elements. For example, in FIGS. 5 and 7 - 10 , the ridges are enlarged in comparison to cover sleeve 50 in order to more clearly illustrate the structure of the ridges and their interlocking with the filler foam substance 62 .
[0051] From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides an apparatus and method for protecting the corrosion coating 34 on exposed pipeline joints such as 12 , 14 on weight coated pipelines 10 used in offshore applications. The cover sleeve 50 and the foam 62 work together to protect the joint connection. The aforementioned methodology allows quick installation on a lay barge where pipeline sections 24 , 26 are being welded together for offshore installation. The present invention further provides a locking mechanism to secure the foam 62 inside the cover sleeve 50 , thus preventing the foam 62 from subsidence away from the cover sleeve 50 , or movement or agitation relative to the pipe in a circular or circumferential manner around the pipe, which otherwise may occur from vibrations occurring during offshore operations.
[0052] Moreover, because the outer diameter portions of the foam 62 may have a lower density than the inner diameter portions of the foam 62 , prior embodiments in the art indicate that the outer diameter portions of the foam 62 are more susceptible to movement or agitation relative to the pipe than the inner diameter portions of the foam 62 . For this reason, the positioning of the locking mechanism on the outer side of the foam 62 , rather than on the inner side of the foam 62 , should be regarded with considerable importance.
[0053] The invention can be used for pipe joints that are part of a pipeline located on the floor of a body of water. The invention can be used in many applications, including use as a deep water insulation joint infill, and as a deep sea abrasion sleeve. In this manner, a better, more secure, and more stabilizing bond is formed between the foam 62 and the cover sleeve 50 , which provides greater overall stability and reliability during offshore operations. Thus, the present invention improves the performance of pipelines where pipe ends 24 , 26 are welded together on pipelines coated with concrete weight coating 16 , 18 and installed on the seabed in large bodies of water.
[0054] The invention has been sufficiently described so that a person with average knowledge in the matter may reproduce and obtain the results mentioned in the invention herein Nonetheless, any skilled person in the field of technique, subject of the invention herein, may carry out modifications not described in the request herein, to apply these modifications to a determined structure, or in the manufacturing process of the same, requires the claimed matter in the following claims; such structures shall be covered within the scope of the invention.
[0055] It should be noted and understood that there can be improvements and modifications made of the present invention described in detail above without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims. | An apparatus for protecting exposed pipeline joints on weight coated pipelines used in offshore applications includes a pliable cover sleeve which overlaps a pair of weight coat sections that surround the pipeline on each side of the pipe joint. The cover sleeve circumferentially envelops the pipe joint, forming an annular space enclosed between the pipe and the cover sleeve and bordered by the pair of weight coat sections. The cover sleeve includes a number of protruding ridges forming a number of chambers between the ridges in flow communication with the annular space. A joint-filling material of polyurethane foam formed by polyurethane chemicals fills the annular space and the chambers between the ridges of the cover sleeve. As the joint filling material hardens it interlocks with the ridges of the cover sleeve, securing the joint filling material between the cover sleeve and the pipe joint. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to feature extraction from an image for classification purposes. In particular, the present invention relates to feature extraction based on spatial frequency using wavelets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The problem addressed by the present invention relates to feature extraction based on spatial frequency content for a statistical pattern recognition system. There is a need to reduce the dimensionality and to remove ambiguities, such as noise, in the data to be classified while maintaining the separability of the data set. Extracting features based on frequency involves a tradeoff between resolution in the time or space domain and resolution of the power spectral density estimate of the original signature. The power spectral density estimate is an indication of the frequency distribution in the signature. Another issue to be considered in the feature extraction process is the amount of required computation time.
The prior art technology consists of using orthogonal transforms such as the Fourier Transform and conventional digital filtering techniques (Finite Impulse Response (FIR) or Infinite Impulse Response (IIR)) to extract the frequency information. The discrete wavelet transform offers a tradeoff between spatial and frequency resolution that is desirable in problems such as feature extraction. The Fourier Transform and digital filtering techniques have a "fixed" resolution tradeoff regardless of the frequency content of the original signature.
The wavelet transform, however, has short basis functions to detect the high frequency band and long basis functions to detect the low frequency band. This unique characteristic of the wavelet transform allows for noise removal and a reduction in dimensionality of the original signature that is superior to that of classical transform and filtering techniques for many applications.
Although there are many applications which would benefit from improvement in spatial frequency feature extraction, the present invention has during testing shown improvements possible in the design of a ship classification system using high resolution radar range profiles. It has been shown that wavelet processing has maintained more separability than the Fourier Transform has for a data set consisting of high resolution radar returns from two separate ships.
The first step in the method is to preselect a set of filters having the characteristics desired for the particular application, each filter defined by a particular wavelet function. For the purposes of the present invention it is required that filter action maximize the amount of separability while minimizing processing time. There are many tradeoffs to address and a considerable body of open literature available describing these tradeoffs. For example, and in relation to the present invention, in applications involving ship images obtained from radar profiles the following wavelet was considered for the reasons set forth:
Wavelet 1 = Daubechies wavelet with the following four coefficients: 0.48296291, 0.8365163, 0.22414386, -0.1294095.
The reasons are set forth as follows: A small number of coefficients are required for computational efficiency, time localization and orthogonal filter.
The above is exemplary only and should not be deemed limiting our invention in any way.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a means for extracting features from an input signal to permit reliable classification of data.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a means for extracting as few features from an input signal as needed to permit reliable and repeatable classification of the target represented by such signal.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a means for extracting features of input signals to permit differentiation between them by determining and maximizing the separability between the filtered input signal data.
It is finally another object of the present invention to provide a means for maintaining an improved level of separability between data elements in a data set consisting of data from two separate sources such as high-resolution radar returns from two separate targets consisting of, for example ships or aircraft, simultaneously illuminated by a radar or other illumination source.
These and other objects of the present invention are satisfied by an apparatus and method for performing spatial frequency feature extraction using wavelets in order to implement a classification system.
The present invention comprises an iterative process to determine the appropriate wavelet function and combination of scales of this function that provide data in which there is a large amount of separability compared to the separability of the data set prior to the wavelet processing. The amount of separability between the input data sets is determined and compared to a pre-established criterion. If the criterion is not met the process continues until the criterion is met.
The invention requires the creation of a library of preselected wavelet functions, hereinafter referred to as wavelets. Wavelets are selected for inclusion in the library in accordance with criteria dictated by the particular application.
The shapes and numbers of coefficients of the wavelets are selected to produce the filtration of input data to provide computational efficiency and data separability consistent with the feature extraction demands of the application. After input signal digitization wavelets from the library are applied to the digitized signal by convolution digitally to perform digital filtering. The convolution of each wavelet is performed for the number of times dictated by the coefficients of that wavelet for each of the input signal samples, where the number of samples is a function of the scales selected by the analyst. The scales are chosen to obtain the levels of resolution desired and consistent with the quantity of data available to support the choice. Each scale has a resolution that is one-half that of the previous scale. The greater the number of samples, the finer the resolution. The fewer the number of samples, the coarser the resolution. Each wavelet is applied at each scale and coefficient to each set of input data. Separability of the resultant wavelet implemented digital filtration is determined for each of the scales of filtration. Separability is calculated as a percentage for each wavelet. The separation data is stored in memory until all wavelets have been applied in the iterative process of the present invention.
When all wavelets have been applied, the separability data is examined to identify the wavelet producing the greatest separation. The data separability is estimated using the likelihood ratio after the probability densities for each of the two sets of profile data are estimated. The lower and upper bounds for the Bayes error are determined using the resubstitution (R) and the leave one out (L) methods, respectively.
An appreciation of the objectives of the present invention and a more complete understanding of its structure and method of operation may be had by studying the following description of the preferred embodiment and by referring to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the data separation portion of the present invention; and
FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D are a series of range profiles including those wavelets processed for multiresolution results.
FIG. 4 is a KNN plot used for deriving a Bayes error estimate; and
FIG. 5 is a comparative plot of Bayes error versus number of features for two classes of range-only-radar target profiles for wavelet and PSD processing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention is a method and an apparatus for implementing the method for extracting spatial frequency features from an analog profile or signature information produced by a target, either directly or by reflection. The present invention extracts features in a manner that optimizes the separability of the data processed so that multiple targets simultaneously present in the data are easily distinguished.
Referring now to FIG. 1, this figure depicts the apparatus of the present invention as well as the methodology involved. In FIG. 1 the feature extraction apparatus 10 of the present invention is shown to comprise a preassembled wavelet library 14 of a type selected for inclusion on the basis of general inclusion criteria. General inclusion criteria includes consideration of the type of data to be operated upon. Ship, aircraft, ground vehicle, noise content and other factors relating to the application data are considered. The wavelet selection device 18 may be, for example, a keyboard or a computer program subroutine connected to communicate with and between itself and the wavelet library 14 and the digital processor 26. A scale selection device 22 can likewise be one of several means for communicating scale selection for each wavelet selected to the digital processor 26. Thus, a keyboard or digital means such as a computer subroutine may be used to provide the appropriate scale inputs consistent with the wavelet selected.
The range profile input device 30 may be a radar receiver or an analog signal storage means. The range profile input 30 is connected to the analog to digital (A/D) converter 34 for digitizing the analog input signal from the range profile input device 30. The digital output of digital processor 26 is connected to an output device 42 which may be a video display, a printer, or a combination of output devices. Digital processor 26 is connected to communicate with a memory 38 which may be internal or external to digital processor 26 or a combination of both internal and external memory as applications environments, and weight and space limitations of a host vehicle dictate. Digital processor 26 also connects to range profile input device 30 via a connecting link 32. A convolver 46 and a separation processor 50 are internal to digital processor 26. Memory 38 is connected to output device 42.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, FIG. 2 depicts the data separation processor 50 of FIG. 1 which is depicted as being located within digital processor 26. Data separation processor 50 comprises a probability density estimator 54 which is connected to receive wavelet-filtered input data from convolver 46 in digital processor 26 and to provide its output to a likelihood ratio processor 58. The output of likelihood ratio processor 58 is connected to a resubstitution (R) processor 62 and a leave-one-out (L) processor 66 which are in parallel with each other. The outputs of R processor 62 and L processor 66 are connected to a Bayes error processor 70 which is connected to provide its output to memory 38 (FIG. 1) and output device 42 (FIG. 1).
OPERATION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, feature extraction apparatus 10 requires the preparation of the wavelet library 14. Wavelet functions selected for the particular type of data to be processed and the data separation desired are obtained from sources such as Daubechies, as discussed below. The wavelet shapes, coefficients, and the scales at which they are to be applied to the number of samples of input data are considered. Computational efficiency is a consideration when real versus non-realtime operation is important. In addition, the following considerations and others in the literature guide the user of the present invention in selecting the wavelets for inclusion in library 14. How much and what kind of information can be acceptably filtered out? What information must survive the filtering process and be maintained?
By way of example and as used in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, wavelets were selected from those identified by Ingrid Daubechies in her paper titled "Orthonormal Bases of Compactly Supported Wavelets" from Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, Vol. XII, 909,996 (1988) John Wiley and Sons, Inc.. An Example of a wavelet included in library 14 of the present invention is:
a. a Daubechies wavelet with the following coefficients: 0.48296291, 0.8365163, 0.22414386, --0.1294095.
b. The Daubechies wavelet was selected for inclusion for the following reasons (in relation to selection criteria): A small number of coefficients are required for computational efficiency, time localization and orthogonal filter.
For an embodiment of the present invention applied to two sets of ship profile data which was input from analog radar receivers and having approximately 1500 data points per set, library 14 was created with Daubechies wavelets having coefficients of 2, 6, 8 and 10.
To initiate processing by the present invention range profile data in analog form is obtained by range profile input 30 which may be a radar receiver providing direct input or an analog storage device containing data received from a receiver of some type. The analog input is digitized by analog to digital converter 34 and the digital data is input to digital processor 26.
The present invention requires that the user initiate wavelet selection via wavelet selection device 18 calling for a particular wavelet from wavelet library 14. The wavelet selection device 18 may be a keyboard, a preprogrammed digital device or a computer subroutine called directly or indirectly by the user. The user also initiates scale selection device 22 so that the appropriate first scale, and those following in order, serially or in parallel are forwarded to digital processor 26 for use with the first selected wavelet.
Digital processor 26 operates on the incoming digitalized profile data in each of the two sets. In the preferred embodiment, the two sets of ship profiles contained approximately 1500 profiles each. The digital processor 26 performs a wavelet transform with the selected wavelet at each of the scales selected on each of the data samples from each profile in each target set. The transform process is convolution. The waveform convolutions with each profile data sample produces in effect a filtered result for each of the scales used for each selected wavelet. Thus, for a coefficient of 2 the number of data points to which the wavelet transform is applied was 128, for a coefficient of 6 the number of data points was 64, for a coefficient of 8 the number of data points was 32, and for a coefficient of 10 the number of data points was 16. The wavelet transform comprising the convolution of wavelet values at the coefficient points with each of the data samples of the input data signal is a filtering operation for which the output is numerous versions of the filtered original signal at different resolutions. Each version of the original signal has a resolution that is one-half of the previous version. Each version is commonly referred to as a scale. The user can choose any number of scales for the wavelet transform if there is enough data to support the choice. The transform for one wavelet at one scale is performed on the profile or signature data in each of the two sets representing individually two separate targets.
After completion of the convolution filtering, the filtered data for each scale is operated upon by separation processor 50. The filtered data is input to the probability density estimator 54 for each of the two sets of data being operated upon. The probability density is estimated using a nonparametric K Nearest Neighbor (KNN) estimator. This estimator appears as a computer software subroutine in Appendix A. The KNN density estimate is a non-parametric estimation technique in which the probability density is estimated locally by a small number of neighboring samples in a potentially high-dimensional space. The volume from which the samples are drawn in obtaining this estimate is inversely proportional to the density within the volume. The equation for the KNN density estimate is as follows: ##EQU1## where, X= the location at which the density function is estimated.
V(X,k)= the hyperspherical volume of the local region surrounding X, which encompasses all k nearest neighbors.
N= the total number of samples drawn.
k= the total number of samples that are within the volume V(X,k).
After the probability density is estimated for each data set the likelihood ratio classification of the data is performed by the likelihood ratio processor 58. The likelihood ratio is a ratio of one probability density to another and is used to develop an optimal classification given a known probability density function. In the present invention the objective is to quickly find and apply the best of the pre-selected wavelets to permit digital wavelet filtration of two sets of data to achieve maximum separation of that data. Thus, for each wavelet applied to the two sets of data an estimate of the separability is obtained based on the likelihood ratio.
The likelihood ratio data is next sent to the resubstitution (R) processor 62 and the leave-one-out (L) processor 66 for controlled input to the Bayes error processor 70. The upper and lower bounds for the Bayes error calculation is thus determined using the resubstitution (R) and leave-one-out (L) methods, respectively. The results of this processing of the two data sets is depicted in FIG.4 where the leave-one-out plot 94 and resubstitution plot 98 are graphically depicted asymptotically approaching the graphic representation (plot) 102 representing the Bayes error for the separability of the two data sets filtered by one wavelet at one scale.
Using the present invention method implemented and mechanized by the apparatus of the invention, the results of using the discrete wavelet transform for feature extraction for an actual Range-Only-Radar (ROR) ship classification problem is illustrated in FIG. 5. Approximately 1500 range profiles for each of two different ships were used in testing the performance of the wavelet transform for feature extraction. As described previously, the range profiles were fed into the feature extraction apparatus 10, the wavelet transform applied, a KNN probability density estimation process performed, and a Bayes error estimation obtained in separation processor 50. FIGS. 3b, 3c and 3d illustrate three stages of range profile decomposition for the range profile of FIG. 3a using the present invention. FIG. 4 shows the plot of the output of the L and R processors for different values of K. FIG. 5 shows how the Bayes error is dependent on the number of features used in a classification system using the wavelet technique of the present invention versus a Fourier transform. The separability of two classes is inversely proportional to the Bayes error. It is noted from FIG. 5 that the performance of the wavelet transform 106 using the present invention is far superior to that obtained using the Fourier transform 110 approach.
The structures and methods disclosed herein illustrate the principles of the present invention. The 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 as exemplary and illustrative rather than restrictive. Therefore, the appended claims rather than the foregoing description define the scope of the invention. All modifications to the embodiments described herein that come within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims are embraced within the scope of the invention. ##SPC1## | An iterative process to determine the wavelet function and combination of ales of the function which provides data where there is a large separability compared to the separability of the data set prior to processing. Wavelets are selected for inclusion in a library in accordance with predetermined criteria and then applied to a digitized signal by convolution to perform digital filtering. The convolution of each wavelet is performed for the number of times dictated by the coefficients of the wavelet for each of the input signal samples. Separability of the wavelet implemented digital filtration is calculated as a percentage for each wavelet. The separation data is stored in memory until the iterative process is applied to all wavelets. The separability data is then examined to identify the wavelet producing the greatest separation. The data separability is estimated using a likelihood ratio after the probability densities for each of two sets of profile data are estimated. The lower and upper bounds for a Bayes error are determined using resubstitution (R) and leave one out (L) methods, respectively. | 6 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention, a Method for Geolocating Logical Network Addresses, relates to networked communications, and more particularly to a method for determining or verifying the physical location of a logical network address.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] As more of the nation's commerce and communication have moved from traditional fixed-point services to electronically switched networks the correlation between who you are communicating or doing business with and where they are physically located no longer exists. In the past, communication and commerce took place between parties at known physical locations, whether across a store counter or between post office addressees. Even telephone numbers correlated, more or less, to a permanent fixed location.
[0003] There are still many advantages to knowing the physical location of a party one is dealing with across electronically switched networks. For example, in the realm of advertising, knowing the geographic distribution of sales or inquires can be used to measure the effectiveness of advertising across geographic regions. As another example, logon IDs and passwords can only go so far in providing security when a remote user is logging into a system. If stolen, they can be easily used to masquerade as valid users. But if an ability to check the location were part of the security procedure, and the host machine knew the physical location of the remote user, a stolen logon/password could be noted or disabled if not used from or near the appropriate location. Network operators could benefit from knowing the location of a network logon to ensure that an account is being accessed from a valid location and logons from unexpected locations could be brought to the network operator's attention.
[0004] Methods of locating electronic emitters to a point on the earth, or geolocating emitters, have been used for many years. These methods include a range of techniques from high-frequency direction finding triangulation techniques for finding a ship in distress to quickly locating the origin of an emergency “911” call on a point-to-point wireline telephone system. These techniques can be entirely passive and cooperative, such as when geolocating oneself using the Global Positioning System or active and uncooperative, such as a military targeting radar tracking its target.
[0005] These geolocation techniques may be targeted against a stationary or moving target but most of these direction finding and geolocation techniques start with the assumption they are working with signals in a linear medium. For example, in radio triangulation, several stations each determine the direction from which a common signal was intercepted. Because the assumption can be made that the intercepted signal traveled in a straight line, or at least on a known line of propagation, from the transmitter to each station, lines of bearing can be drawn from each station in the direction from which the signal was intercepted. The point where they cross is the point at which the signal source is assumed to be located.
[0006] In addition to the direction of the signal, other linear characteristics can be used to geolocate signals, including propagation time and Doppler shift, but the underlining tenets that support these geolocation methodologies are not applicable to a network environment. Network elements are not connected via the shortest physical path between them, data transiting the network is normally queued and later forwarded depending on network loading causing the data to effectively propagate at a non-constant speed, and switching elements within the network can cause the data to propagate through non-constant routing. Thus, traditional time-distance geolocation methodologies are not effective in a network environment.
[0007] In his book “The Cuckoo's Egg” (Doubleday 1989, Ch. 17), Clifford Stoll recounted his difficulties in using simple echo timing on a network to determine the distance from his computer to his nemesis, a computer hacker attacking a University of California at Berkeley computer. Network switching and queuing delays produced echo distance results several orders of magnitude greater than the actual distance between the computers.
[0008] In a fully meshed network, every station, from which a geolocation in initiated, is directly connected to every endpoint from which an “echo timing” is measured. The accuracy results of geolocation using round-trip echo timing are dependent on: the degree to which the network is interconnected or “meshed,” the specific web of connectivity between the stations and endpoints, the number and deployment of stations, and the number and deployment of endpoints chosen.
[0009] Fortunately many of the survivability concerns for which the original ARPAnet was designed, and the commercial forces which gave rise to the expansion of the follow-on Internet and continue to fuel its growth, are also forces and concerns which drive it not only to be more interconnected and meshed but are also working to minimize the effects of latency due to line speed, queue size, and switching speeds. As a result there is a reasonable expectation that forces will continue to work toward the development of a highly meshed Internet.
[0010] There are other methods for physically locating a logical network address on the Internet that do not rely on the physics of electronic propagation. One method currently in use for determining the location of a network address relies on network databases. This method of network geolocation looks up the IP address of the host computer to be located, retrieves the physical address of a point of contact for that logical network address from the appropriate registry and then cross-references that physical address to a latitude and longitude. An example of an implementation of such a method can be found at the University of Illinois web site: http://cello.cs.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/slamm/ip2ll. This implementation uses the Internic registry and the listed technical point of contact to report the physical location of the logical address.
[0011] There are a number of shortcomings to this method. First, the level of resolution to which the address is resolved is dependent on the level of resolution of the information in the registry. Second, there is an assumption that the supplied data in the registry correctly and properly identifies the physical location of the logical network address. It is entirely possible the host associated with the logical address is at a completely different physical location than the physical address given for the technical point of contact in the registry. Third, if the supplied physical address given cannot be cross-referenced to a physical location no geolocation is possible. Geolocation information is often available from network databases but access to and the veracity of this information is uncertain. An independent method is needed to geolocate network addresses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In consideration of the problems detailed above and the discrepancies enumerated in the partial solutions thereto, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining the physical location of network hardware using a logical network address on a non-linear electronically switched network.
[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining the physical location of network hardware using a logical network address on a nonlinear electronically switched network evolving in real-time.
[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining the physical location of network hardware using a logical network address on a nonlinear electronically switched dynamic network independent of databases of network geolocation information.
[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining the physical location of network hardware using a logical network address on a nonlinear electronically switched dynamic network without reliance on time-distance correlations.
[0016] In order to attain the objectives described above, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for geolocating logical network addresses.
[0017] This invention describes a methodology for geolocation in a non-linear electronically switched dynamic network environment. The instant invention uses the latency of communications to and from an address to be located (ATBL) to determine its location. In order to do this a network latency topology map must first be created. The network latency topology is mapped by measuring the round-trip latency between one or more network stations of known location and many network endpoints, which can themselves be network stations, of known location. Endpoints are chosen to be points dispersed across the network within the area where geolocations will be performed. Potential geolocation resolution is enhanced with an increasing density of endpoints.
[0018] The next step is to measure network latency between each station and each endpoint. Latency is the time between when the station sends a message to an endpoint and when an automatic immediate response is received at that station from the endpoint addressed. Multiple latency measurement between each station-endpoint pair are made. The smallest latency value from these multiple measurements between a station-endpoint pair is the empirically determined T min for that station-endpoint pair.
[0019] Multiple stations determine their respective Tmin values to each endpoint, these are known as T mins . The set of T mins for each endpoint as measured from each station define an endpoint vector specifying the location of that endpoint in latency space relative to the stations. Additionally, a set of T mins is measured between each station and the ATBL, defining an ATBL vector specifying the location of the ATBL in latency space relative to the stations. Next, the distances between the ATBL vector and each endpoint vector are calculated. The smallest of these distances is identified. The ATBL is determined to be most nearly co-located with the endpoint associated with this smallest distance measurement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] This invention may best be understood when reading the following specification with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate several embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
[0021] [0021]FIG. 1 is a stylized depiction of a non-linear electronically switched dynamic network showing multiple endpoints and stations, as well as, an address to be located;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 2 is a flow chart detailing the steps of the present method; and
[0023] [0023]FIG. 3 is an example of a latency topology map.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] In order to geolocate an address to be located (ATBL) 104 on a non-linear electronically switched network 106 as depicted in FIG. 1 the signaling propagation characteristics of the network 106 must be measured. Signaling propagation across a network is measured as a latency. In the instant methodology this latency will be measured as the time it takes for a message to go from a station 100 to some specific addressed equipment, producing an immediate automated response, and back to the originating station 100 . That specific addressed equipment can be either an endpoint 102 , an ATBL 104 , or another station 100 . The aggregate of this round-trip latency characteristic for many stations 100 , each measuring latency to many endpoints 102 , is a latency topology map 130 (See FIG. 3) which characterizes the network latency among network stations 100 and endpoints 102 .
[0025] Data moves through a network 106 at different rates depending on the amount of traffic being handled, the physical characteristic of the network 106 , the size of data packets, routing software characteristics, queue size, hardware switching speed, network line speeds and bandwidths, and the physical length to be transited. In network operations there are times the network 106 is slow and there are times when the network 106 is fast. Normally the slow periods occur when the system is heavily loaded with much traffic and the fast periods occur when the system is lightly loaded. These impressions result from the cumulative effect of what happens to many individual packets as they traverse the network 106 . Individual packets generally do not all take the same amount of time even when traversing the same path. For some network issues it can be useful to think in terms of an average time, T avg , for a packet to travel from one point to another. In general, the amalgamation of transmission times for all packets produces a recognizable distribution. When the network 106 is lightly loaded such a distribution shows many packets with times not too much greater than the minimum round-trip latency time, T min . When the network 106 is very busy, the distribution is skewed towards times greater than T min .
[0026] A crude estimate of the distance through the network 106 between a station 100 and endpoint 102 could be calculated based on the round-trip latency of a data packet. This estimate would be very crude because of the many factors effecting network data rates identified above. Regardless of these many factors, there is an absolute network minimum round-trip latency time, T minabs , between any two points on a network. Geolocations could be determined much more accurately if T minabs could be precisely determined. T minabs could theoretically be measured if a packet of minimum length could be transmitted from a network station 100 to an endpoint 102 and back again on a network which had no other data transiting at the time, had no data queues, and was operating optimally—a situation not ready achievable on any significant real-world network.
[0027] However if one knows a network's latency characteristics, T min can be determined with some probability to be within some limit of T minabs . A statistically significant number of latency measurements can be made. The probability density function of that sample can then be used to determine whether one has obtained a T min within some limit of T minabs .
[0028] For example, given a desired limit of 2 ms, the empirical probability, P, of obtaining a latency value that is within 2 ms of T min for a known latency probability density function (flat for this example) can be determined. In this very simple example the probability of a sample not being within the defined range limit of T min , zero to 2 ms, is
(1−P).
[0029] The probability that n independent measurements are not within that range is
(1−P) n .
[0030] So, the probability that at least one of n measurements is within that range is
1−((1−P) n ).
[0031] Thus once some probability is specified; it is then possible to determine n. If 95% were specified as that probability, then the number of measurements required to obtain a 95% probability of being within 2 ms of T min would be
n =( log (1−0.95))/( log (1 −P )),
[0032] where the value for a fractional answer to n is rounded up to the next integer.
[0033] The decision in this example to use 2 ms as the limit is not completely arbitrary. 2 ms was chosen since standard UNIX commands “PING” and “TRACEROUTE” report time in 1 ms increments. Obviously the confidence and limits required will be determined by the accuracy and timeliness required for any geolocation.
[0034] Network round-trip latency may be measured for any data packet using a variety of methods, the UNIX commands “PING” and “TRACEROUTE” being two of the most common. For simplicity “ping” will be used hereinafter to designate the determination of network round-trip latency for a data packet. The choice of this single latency measurement method is not intended to limit the instant invention to any latency measurement methods.
[0035] The first step 180 in this geolocation method is to choose network stations 100 and endpoints 102 of known physical locations. The choice of stations 100 in most practical applications is already determined; they will be the geolocator's own indigenous network connections from which ping operations may be initiated. The physical locations of stations 100 will therefore typically be known to a high degree of accuracy although this information is not required in the instant geolocation method.
[0036] Endpoints 102 are chosen to be geographically dispersed across the area in which the ATBL 104 is expected to be located. A global distribution would, of course, provide global coverage. Endpoints 102 may be the geolocator's own indigenous equipments or any network equipment, of known physical location, capable of responding to a ping. Stations 100 may also be used as endpoints 102 as long as their physical location is known.
[0037] In addition to the probability desired and the limit chosen, as explained above, geolocation accuracy will depend on the density and physical distribution of the endpoints 102 chosen, as well as to a lesser extent the number and physical distribution of the stations 100 . In some instances the physical distribution of the endpoints 102 chosen will not allow the desired geolocation accuracy. In such instances another set of endpoints 102 may need to be chosen to achieve the desired geolocation accuracy.
[0038] Endpoints 102 may be iteratively chosen, based on prior geolocation estimates, to achieve whatever geolocation accuracy is required. Based on an initial geolocation, another set of endpoints 102 physically distributed within the general geographic region of the initial geolocation, may be chosen to allow the initial geolocation to be refined. This process may be repeated to achieve ever more accurate geolocations to the limits of network topology and endpoint 102 availability.
[0039] In a special location verification case, there may be only one endpoint 102 . As stated above, geolocation accuracy depends on the distribution of endpoints 102 chosen. When only one endpoint 102 is chosen accurate geolocation is not possible. However if this one chosen endpoint 102 were network equipment being used to access the network 106 and the validity and identity of that access from that network equipment location could be independently verified then future access requests using the same identity could be vetted to determine if they were originating at the same network equipment through comparison of the single endpoint 102 multiple station 100 latencies as further described below. In this special location verification case neither the geolocation of the verified access or any future access need be known—it need only be verified that the two locations are the same or within some predefined network latency proximity. Thus a stolen logon identification could not be used except from the same, typically protected, physical location as the valid user. Of course, a valid user might have several “authorized” logon locations.
[0040] Multiple latency measurements are made (step 200 ) between a station 100 and an endpoint 102 over a specified calibration period. Nominally, T min is measured between each station 100 endpoint 102 pair to the limit and probability desired. Network operations or equipment failures may sometimes prohibit determination of a particular station 100 endpoint 102 T min measurement. T min between each station 100 endpoint 102 pair is measured by pinging over a calibration period. In most instances this calibration period is never ending. An alternative methodology is to measure the latency endpoints 102 and ATBL 104 simultaneously over a very short period of time, the shortest period of time being the minimum time required to capture the minimum number of samples for the accuracy desired. The station 100 endpoint 102 pair T mins are continually refined and are updated as network topology changes. Because network topology evolves due to changes in connectivity, routing, and equipment, T min must be based on contemporary information.
[0041] A latency topology map 130 (LTM) is generated (step 220 ) where the LTM 130 is an M by N matrix, of N station-endpoint M-dimensional T min vectors, where M is the number of stations 100 and N is the number of endpoints 102 and the entries are the station 100 endpoint 102 pair T mins . If the relationship between network latency and any external factors are well known and repeatable, multiple latency topology maps 130 may be generated for use as the network is affected by such external factors. For example, different latency topology maps 130 of whatever granularity desired may be used for different days of the week, such as business versus non-business days, or times of the day, such as peak daytime hours versus early morning hours.
[0042] T min is measured between the ATBL 104 and each station 100 to the limit and probability desired within any time or resource constraints, step 240 . A station-ATBL M-dimensional T min vector is then generated consisting of T min from each station 100 to the ATBL 104 in the same order as that used in the LTM 130 , step 260 .
[0043] Next the vector distance between the station-ATBL M-dimensional T min vector and each of the N station-endpoint M-dimensional T min vectors is calculated, step 280 : Thus, the ATBL 104 is determined to be physically closest to the endpoint 102 whose corresponding station-endpoint M-dimensional T min vector is closest in vector space to the station-ATBL M-dimensional T min vector, step 300 .
[0044] Vector distances can be computed using a variety of methods, to include but not limited to, such methods as the Euclidean and Mahalanobis.
[0045] Although various methods of the present invention have been described herein in detail to provide for complete and clear disclosure, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing form the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. | Method for geolocating logical network addresses on electronically switched dynamic communications networks, such as the Internet, using the time latency of communications to and from the logical network address to determine its location. Minimum round-trip communications latency is measured between numerous stations on the network and known network addressed equipment to form a network latency topology map. Minimum round-trip communications latency is also measured between the stations and the logical network address to be geolocated. The resulting set of minimum round-trip communications latencies is then correlated with the network latency topology map to determine the location of the network address to be geolocated. | 7 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to the general subject connecting a low or negative pressure accumulator to the low pressure side of the pistons operating blowout preventer rams in a high pressure subsea environment to increase the shearing force.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0003] Not applicable
REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”
[0004] Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The field of this invention is that operating blowout preventers in deep water operations to seal the well bore and protect the environment in emergency situations when an obstruction is in the well bore.
[0006] Blowout preventer systems are major pieces of capital equipment landed on the ocean floor in order to provide a conduit for the drill pipe and drilling mud while also providing pressure protection while drilling holes deep into the earth for the production of oil and gas. The typical blowout preventer stacks have an 18¾ inch bore and are usually of 10,000 psi working pressure. The blowout preventer stack assembly weighs in the range of five hundred to eight hundred thousand pounds. It is typically divided into a lower blowout preventer stack and a lower marine riser package.
[0007] The lower blowout preventer stack includes a connector for connecting to the wellhead at the bottom on the seafloor and contains several individual ram type blowout preventer assemblies, which will close on various pipe sizes and in some cases, will close on an open hole with what are called blind rams. Characteristically there is an annular preventer at the top, which will close on any pipe size or close on the open hole.
[0008] The lower marine riser package typically includes a connector at its base for connecting to the top of the lower blowout preventer stack, it contains a single annular preventer for closing off on any piece of pipe or the open hole, a flex joint, and a connection to a riser pipe which extends to the drilling vessel at the surface.
[0009] The purpose of the separation between the lower blowout preventer stack and the lower marine riser package is that the annular blowout preventer on the lower marine riser package is the preferred and most often used pressure control assembly. When it is used and either has a failure or is worn out, it can be released and retrieved to the surface for servicing while the lower blowout preventer stack maintains pressure competency at the wellhead on the ocean floor.
[0010] The riser pipe extending to the surface is typically a 21 inch O.D. pipe with a bore larger than the bore of the blowout preventer stack. It is a low pressure pipe and will control the mud flow which is coming from the well up to the rig floor, but will not contain the 10,000-15,000 psi that the typical blowout preventer stack will contain. Whenever high pressures must be communicated back to the surface for well control procedures, smaller pipes on the outside of the drilling riser, called the choke line and the kill line, provide this function. These will typically have the same working pressure as the blowout preventer stack and rather than have an 18¾-20 inch bore, they will have a 3-4 inch bore. There may be additional lines outside the primary pipe for delivering hydraulic fluid for control of the blowout preventer stack or boosting the flow of drilling mud back up through the drilling riser.
[0011] The blowout preventers are operated or closed in response to an electric signal from the surface to an electro-hydraulic control valve which directs fluid stored under pressure in accumulator bottles to the operating cylinders on the blowout preventer. Any number of events can prevent this sequence from occurring such as failure in the surface controls to send the signal, failure in the connecting lines from the surface to depth as great as 12,000′, failure of the electro-hydraulic valve to close, and absence of fluid stored under pressure.
[0012] All subsea blowout preventers have 100% redundant control systems to minimize the risk of non-operation. They are very characteristically called the yellow system and blue system and represent primary and secondary means to operate any function on the blowout preventer stack.
[0013] When all else fails, it is not necessary to have emergency operation of multiple components in the subsea blowout preventer stack. A single component—the blind shear rams can immediately secure an uncontrolled flow of oil or gas from the well. A flat faced gate from each side will meet at the middle to seal off the bore. If a pipe of any sort is in the bore at the time, it will simply shear the pipe in half and then seal. The blind shear ram is the ultimate safety device, but it must operate. Unfortunately, contemporary rams will not shear every kind of pipe in half, but are rather limited to shearing the smaller drill pipe bodies. Larger cross section and higher strength materials provide limitations on contemporary devices, providing situations in which the safety devices simply will not close.
[0014] The need to be able to send a single command which will quickly secure the well bore against discharges to the environment has long been known in the industry as indicated by a test demonstration of shearing a drill collar at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston more than 20 years ago. Since this demonstration of the desire for this to be accomplished, manufacturers have not accomplished this, but rather have settled back in a mode of building systems which in some cases will shear only the drill pipe body and the tool joint, and in some cases the products offered will only shear the drill pipe body and will not shear the drill pipe tool joint. The need for this level of safety has long been known, and industry has simply not figured out how to practically achieve this.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The object of this invention is to provide a method of using the ambient subsea pressure to increase the force available for shearing pipe or other objects in the well bore.
[0016] A second object of this invention is to provide a method of connecting a vacuum tank to the low side of the pistons operating shear rams to increase the force on the shear rams.
[0017] A third object of this invention is to provide a solution which can be added to the systems presently in the field rather than solely depending on long term obsolescence of present systems and upgrades on new system only.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a view of a deepwater drilling system such as would use this invention
[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic of a portion of a blowout preventer stack illustrating how the yellow and blue control pods direct operating fluids from pressurized accumulators to the function to be actuated, illustrating various items which might be in the well bore when closure is needed, and illustrating shear rams which are intended to cut the items in the well bore.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic similar to FIG. 2 showing the negatively charged accumulator of this invention added to the system.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a schematic similar to FIG. 3 showing the negatively charged accumulator of this invention having assisted in shearing a tool joint of the drill pipe in the well bore.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1 , a view of a complete system for drilling subsea wells 20 is shown in order to illustrate the utility of the present invention. The drilling riser 22 is shown with a central pipe 24 , outside fluid lines 26 , and cables or hoses 28 .
[0023] Below the drilling riser 22 is a flex joint 30 , lower marine riser package 32 , lower blowout preventer stack 34 and wellhead 36 landed on the seafloor 38 .
[0024] Below the wellhead 36 , it can be seen that a hole was drilled for a first casing string, that string 40 was landed and cemented in place, a hole drilled through the first string for a second string, the second string 42 cemented in place, and a hole is being drilled for a third casing string by drill bit 44 on drill string 46 .
[0025] The lower Blowout Preventer stack 34 generally comprises a lower hydraulic connector for connecting to the subsea wellhead system 36 , usually 4 or 5 ram style Blowout Preventers, an annular preventer, and an upper mandrel for connection by the connector on the lower marine riser package 32 .
[0026] Below outside fluid line 26 is a choke and kill (C&K) connector 50 and a pipe 52 which is generally illustrative of a choke or kill line. Pipe 52 goes down to valves 54 and 56 which provide flow to or from the central bore of the blowout preventer stack as may be appropriate from time to time. Typically a kill line will enter the bore of the Blowout Preventers below the lowest ram and has the general function of pumping heavy fluid to the well to overburden the pressure in the bore or to “kill” the pressure. The general implication of this is that the heavier mud will not be circulated, but rather forced into the formations. A choke line will typically enter the well bore above the lowest ram and is generally intended to allow circulation in order to circulate heavier mud into the well to regain pressure control of the well.
[0027] Normal drilling circulation is the mud pumps 60 taking drilling mud 62 from tank 64 . The drilling mud will be pumped up a standpipe 66 and down the upper end 68 of the drill string 46 . It will be pumped down the drill string 46 , out the drill bit 44 , and return up the annular area 70 between the outside of the drill string 46 and the bore of the hole being drilled, up the bore of the casing 42 , through the subsea wellhead system 36 , the lower blowout preventer stack 34 , the lower marine riser package 32 , up the drilling riser 22 , out a bell nipple 72 and back into the mud tank 64 .
[0028] During situations in which an abnormally high pressure from the formation has entered the well bore, the thin walled drilling riser 24 is typically not able to withstand the pressures involved. Rather than making the wall thickness of the relatively large bore drilling riser thick enough to withstand the pressure, the flow is diverted to a choke line or outside fluid line 26 . It is more economic to have a relatively thick wall in a small pipe to withstand the higher pressures than to have the proportionately thick wall in the larger riser pipe.
[0029] When higher pressures are to be contained, one of the annular or ram Blowout Preventers are closed around the drill pipe and the flow coming up the annular area around the drill pipe is diverted out through choke valve 54 into the pipe 52 . The flow passes up through C&K connector 50 , up pipe 26 which is attached to the outer diameter of the central pipe 24 , through choking means illustrated at 74 , and back into the mud tanks 64 .
[0030] On the opposite side of the drilling riser 22 is shown a cable or hose 28 coming across a sheave 80 from a reel 82 on the vessel 84 . The cable or hose 28 is shown characteristically entering the top of the lower marine riser package. These cables typically carry hydraulic, electrical, multiplex electrical, or fiber optic signals. Typically there are at least two of these systems for redundancy, which are characteristically painted yellow and blue. As the cables or hoses 28 enter the top of the lower marine riser package 32 , they typically enter the top of control pod to deliver their supply or signals. When hydraulic supply is delivered, a series of accumulators are located on the lower marine riser package 32 or the lower Blowout Preventer stack 34 to store hydraulic fluid under pressure until needed.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 2 , portion of the complete system for drilling subsea wells 20 is shown in greater detail for better clarity and shows a conventional dual pod (yellow and blue) control system. Connector 100 at the bottom is hydraulically operated to provide a connection between the lower blowout preventer stack 34 and the subsea wellhead system 36 as shown in FIG. 1 . Ram type blowout preventers are shown at 102 and 104 and an annular blowout preventer is shown at 106 . An annular blowout preventer is basically a ring of rubber which is pushed into the bore to seal the bore or on anything in the bore, but is not presently under consideration.
[0032] Ram type blowout preventer 104 has pistons 110 and 112 connected to rams 114 and 115 respectively. Ram 114 has seal element 116 and shear blade portion 117 . Ram 115 has seal element 118 and shear blade portion 119 . When pressure and flow are introduced into line 120 , the pistons and rams move toward one another and sealingly engage in the center of the bore 122 . When rams 114 and 115 are appropriately constructed, they will shear pipe which is within bore 122 and then seal across the bore. When pressure and flow are introduced into line 124 the pistons 110 and 112 along with rams 114 and 115 move away (retract) from each other until the bore 122 is unobstructed.
[0033] The yellow pod control system 130 is shown with a single valve 132 , pressure supply from accumulator 134 , and control wire or umbilical 136 going to the surface vessel. The blue pod control system 140 is an exact duplicate for the yellow pod control system 132 , except for the color. It shows a single valve 142 , pressure supply from an accumulator 144 , and control wire or umbilical 146 going to the surface. Control valves 132 and 142 are illustrative of dozens of similar valves in each of the control pods for various functions.
[0034] When control valve 132 is shifted to the right and pressure line 148 communicates with line 150 , it supplies pressure and flow to shuttle valve 152 , moving the internal ball 154 opposite the position as shown directing the fluid to line 124 to push rams 114 and 115 into the bore 122 to shear pipe in the well and seal across the bore. When control valve 132 is shifted to the left and pressure line 148 communicates with line 156 , it supplies pressure and flow to shuttle valve 158 , moving the internal ball 160 to the position opposite the position as shown directing the fluid to line 124 to retract rams 114 and 115 out of the center of bore 122 .
[0035] Similarly, when control valve 142 is shifted to the right and pressure line 170 communicates with line 172 , it supplies pressure and flow to shuttle valve 152 , moving the internal ball 154 to the position as shown directing the fluid to line 124 to push rams 114 and 115 into the bore 122 to shear pipe in the well and seal across the bore. When control valve 142 is shifted to the left and pressure line 170 communicates with line 174 , it supplies pressure and flow to shuttle valve 158 , moving the internal ball 160 to the position as shown directing the fluid to line 124 to retract rams 114 and 115 out of the center of bore 122 .
[0036] Within bore 122 a drill string 46 is shown with bit 44 at the bottom. Drill pipe body 180 is illustrative of what the majority of the drill string and will typically be of high grade steel of 5.5 inch O.D. and 0.5 or 0.6 wall thickness. All conventional shear rams will shear the drill pipe body 180 . Tool joint 182 is a threaded section connecting 30 foot sections of drill pipe body together. The tool joint 182 is always thicker in cross section and is frequently of higher strength steel. Some conventional shear rams will shear a tool joint and some will not. Due to the relative length of the drill pipe body sections and the length of the tool joints, there is about 1 chance in 30 of hitting a tool joint. In calm times the footage of the pipes in the well bore can be calculated to minimize the risk. In emergency situations, these calculations may not be able to be made and the operator must simply close hoping to miss a tool joint.
[0037] Drill collars 184 immediately above the bit 44 are 30 foot long sections of small I.D. and large O.D. tubes for the purpose of concentrating weight on the bit to enhance drilling. If the drill collars are in the way of the shear rams at the time of emergency closure, none of the conventional rams will shear the drill collars.
[0038] The primary reason for the inability to shear the thicker cross section is the limited force generated by the pressure in line 120 pushing on the piston area of the pistons 110 and 112 . The piston area is typically limited by the general geometry of the assembly.
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 3 , a valve 190 has been introduced into line 124 dividing it into lines 124 A and 124 B. Negative accumulator 192 is connected to valve 190 by line 194 . It should be noted that negative accumulator 192 does not have the internal symbols of an accumulator indicating a division of the nitrogen gas 196 and control liquid 198 as is seen in accumulators 144 and 148 . Negative accumulator 192 can be simply an empty bottle with atmospheric pressure in it or can have an internal pressure higher or lower than atmospheric pressure, but less than the anticipated ambient pressure at the working depth. If we are drilling in 7000 foot seawater depth, the water (ambient) pressure is 7000*0.465 p.s.i./ft. or 3255 p.s.i. Relatively speaking, the negative accumulator has a pressure 3255 p.s.i. lower than subsea ambient, or −3255 p.s.i.
[0040] Referring now to FIG. 4 , when valve 132 or valve 142 directs the pressure from accumulator 134 or 144 respectively to line 120 the rams 114 and 115 are pushed forward by the force of the fluid on sides 200 and 202 of the piston 110 and 112 respectively. The magnitude of the force is the 3000 p.s.i. differential of the fluid from the accumulator to ambient across the piston area.
[0041] If this force is not adequate to shear the pipe, valve 190 can be actuated to block line 124 a and communicate with line 194 and therefore to negative accumulator 192 . The differential pressure across the pistons 110 and 112 will now be the 3000 p.s.i. from the accumulator plus the −3255 p.s.i. negative charge of accumulator 192 creating a differential pressure of 6255 p.s.i. Again, as the force is a function of the differential pressure times the piston area, the force available for shearing is now doubled. Portion 210 of tool joint 182 is seen as it would be bent over if the tool joint was restrained from falling out of the shear rams such as when the bit is landed on the bottom of the hole being drilled. The upper portion of the sheared tool joint is not shown as the drill string will typically and it will simply move upward.
[0042] There will continue to be extremely large objects going through the rams which cannot be sheared such as casing hangers and running tools, but doubling the force available for shearing will substantially improve the safety of the system by improving the chances that whatever is in the bore will be sheared.
[0043] The non-obviousness of this invention is clearly demonstrated by the need for enhanced safety in emergency situations, the extended period over which the need has been known, and the lack of recognition of this solution to the problem.
[0044] The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below. | The method of providing increased motive force for one or more rams of a subsea blowout preventer comprising providing a one or more pistons connected to the one or more ram, the pistons having a distal side and a proximate side with respect to the ram, providing a tank contain a first pressure less than the ambient pressure of seawater at the location of the subsea blowout preventer, and communicating the first pressure with the proximate side of the one or more pistons to cause or enhance the differential pressure across the one or more pistons to urge the rams toward the center of the bore of the subsea blowout preventer. | 4 |
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates to semiconductor device, specifically to integrating semiconductor and GaN structures on the same device.
[0002] Gallium nitride (GaN) is a binary III/V direct bandgap semiconductor commonly used in bright light-emitting diodes. Its wide band gap of 3.4 eV affords it special properties for applications in optoelectronic, high-power and high-frequency devices. For example, GaN is the substrate which makes violet (405 nm) laser diodes possible, without use of nonlinear optical frequency-doubling. Its sensitivity to ionizing radiation is low, making it a suitable material for solar cell arrays.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0003] An embodiment of the invention may include a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure may include a substrate, where a trench is located in the substrate, and the substrate contains silicon. There may be a gallium-nitride layer located in the trench. The top surface of the gallium-nitride layer may be coplanar with a top surface of the substrate. A semiconductor structure may be located on the substrate. And a GaN structure located above the gallium nitride layer.
[0004] Another embodiment may include a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure may include a substrate, where a trench is located in the substrate, and the substrate contains silicon. There may be a gallium-nitride layer located in the trench. Additionally, there may be an aluminum-gallium-nitride layer located on the gallium nitride layer. The top surface of the aluminum-gallium-nitride layer may be coplanar with a top surface of the substrate. A semiconductor structure may be located on the substrate. And a GaN structure located above the gallium nitride layer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate, according to an example embodiment;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate following deposition of a nitride and etching a trench, according to an example embodiment;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate following deposition of a Gallium-Nitride layer, according to an example embodiment;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate following deposition of a masking layer, according to an example embodiment;
[0009] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate following deposition and patterning of a lithographic layer, according to an example embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate following etching of the masking layer and the Gallium-Nitride layer, according to an example embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate following deposition and planarization of an insulating layer, according to an example embodiment.
[0012] Elements of the figures are not necessarily to scale and are not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. For clarity and ease of illustration, dimensions of elements may be exaggerated. The detailed description should be consulted for accurate dimensions. 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.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Exemplary embodiments now will be described more fully herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments.
[0014] For purposes of the description hereinafter, terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosed structures and methods, as oriented in the drawing figures. Terms such as “above”, “overlying”, “atop”, “on top”, “positioned on” or “positioned atop” mean that a first element, such as a first structure, is present on a second element, such as a second structure, wherein intervening elements, such as an interface structure may be present between the first element and the second element. The term “direct contact” means that a first element, such as a first structure, and a second element, such as a second structure, are connected without any intermediary conducting, insulating or semiconductor layers at the interface of the two elements.
[0015] In the interest of not obscuring the presentation of embodiments of the present invention, in the following detailed description, some processing steps or operations that are known in the art may have been combined together for presentation and for illustration purposes and in some instances may have not been described in detail. In other instances, some processing steps or operations that are known in the art may not be described at all. It should be understood that the following description is rather focused on the distinctive features or elements of various embodiments of the present invention.
[0016] Gallium Nitride (GaN) may be a useful material to create LED and solar power devices. As technology progresses, the inclusion of such devices into a semiconductor chip may allow for more efficient systems, by helping to maintain voltage between semiconductor and GaN based devices and reducing the distances between such devices. By integrating both materials into a single chip, GaN and semiconductor devices may be developed (possibly in parallel) on a single substrate in order to achieve more efficient overall performance.
[0017] Referring to FIG. 1 , a substrate 100 may be provided. In some embodiments, the substrate 100 may be either a bulk substrate or a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) substrate. The substrate 100 may be made of any semiconductor material typically known in the art, including, for example, silicon, germanium, silicon-germanium alloy, silicon carbide, silicon-germanium carbide alloy, and compound (e.g. III-V and II-VI) semiconductor materials. Non-limiting examples of compound semiconductor materials include gallium arsenide, indium arsenide, and indium phosphide. In a preferred embodiment, the semiconductor material may be silicon, germanium, silicon-germanium, silicon carbide, or alloys thereof. In embodiments where the substrate 100 is an SOI substrate, a base semiconductor substrate may be separated from a top semiconductor layer by a buried insulator layer (not shown). In such embodiments, the top semiconductor layer and the base semiconductor substrate may be made of the same materials as the bulk substrate discussed above. The buried insulator layer may have a thickness ranging from approximately 100 to approximately 500 nm, preferably about 200 nm.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 2 , a nitride layer 110 may be deposited above the substrate 100 , and trench 115 may be formed in the substrate. The nitride layer 110 is intended to protect the substrate 100 during etching and the subsequent epitaxial growth. The nitride layer 110 may be made from any of several known nitrides or oxides such as, for example, silicon nitride. In such embodiments, the nitride layer 110 may have any thickness capable of protecting the substrate 100 , for example thickness ranging from, but not limited to, approximately 10 nm to approximately 400 nm. Deposition of the nitride layer 110 may be performed by any suitable deposition technique known in the art, including atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), molecular beam deposition (MBD), pulsed laser deposition (PLD), or liquid source misted chemical deposition (LSMCD).
[0019] Still referring to FIG. 2 , a trench 115 may be formed in the substrate 100 and the nitride layer 110 through lithographic patterning and etching, leaving an etched substrate 105 . The trench 115 may be created to provide a space to deposit gallium nitride in order to create a space on a device for LED or laser emitting structures. The trench 115 may be formed using a photolithography process followed by an anisotropic etching process such as reactive ion etching (RIE) or plasma etching. The trench 115 may have a depth of 1 to 10 um, and a width to 0.1 to 10 um, although larger or smaller dimensions may be contemplated.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 3 , a Gallium-Nitride layer 120 may be epitaxially grown in the trench 115 . In an embodiment, the mole % of each constituent molecule in the Gallium-Nitride layer 120 may be, for example, approximately 30% to approximately 70% gallium and approximately 30% to approximately 70% nitrogen with preferred embodiment at 50% Galium and 50% Nitrogen. In other embodiments, an Aluminum-Gallium-Nitride layer may be located above the Gallium-Nitride layer 120 . In such embodiments, the mole % of each constituent the Gallium-Nitride layer 120 may be, for example, approximately 10% to approximately 50% gallium, approximately 30% to approximately 50% nitrogen and approximately 10 to approximately 50% aluminum. The Gallium-Nitride layer 120 may be epitaxially grown on the existing crystal lattice of the recessed substrate 105 in the trench 115 .
[0021] The terms “epitaxial growth and/or deposition” and “epitaxially formed and/or grown” mean the growth of a semiconductor material on a deposition surface of a semiconductor material, in which the semiconductor material being grown may have the same crystalline characteristics as the semiconductor material of the deposition surface. In an epitaxial deposition process, the chemical reactants provided by the source gases are controlled and the system parameters are set so that the depositing atoms arrive at the deposition surface of the semiconductor substrate with sufficient energy to move around on the surface and orient themselves to the crystal arrangement of the atoms of the deposition surface. Therefore, an epitaxial semiconductor material may have the same crystalline characteristics as the deposition surface on which it may be formed. For example, an epitaxial semiconductor material deposited on a { 100 } crystal surface may take on a { 100 } orientation. In some embodiments, epitaxial growth and/or deposition processes may be selective to forming on semiconductor surfaces, and may not deposit material on dielectric surfaces, such as silicon dioxide or silicon nitride surfaces.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 4 , a masking layer 130 may be deposited on the Gallium-Nitride layer 120 . The masking layer 130 may allow selective etching of the Gallium-Nitride layer 120 . The masking layer 130 may include any suitable oxide masking material such as, for example, silicon oxide. The masking layer 130 may be formed by any suitable deposition technique or techniques known in the art, including, for example, ALD, CVD, PVD, MBD, PLD, and LSMCD.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 5 , a photoresist layer may be deposited and patterned, using known lithographic patterning techniques, to create a photoresist column 140 . The photoresist column 140 may allow for removal of the gallium-nitride layer 120 and the masking layer 130 in the unwanted regions.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 6 an anisotropic etch may be performed remove the uncovered gallium-nitride layer 120 and masking layer 130 , leaving a gallium-nitride insert 125 and a hardmask cap 135 . More specifically, a pattern defined by the photoresist column 140 may be transferred into the the gallium-nitride layer 120 and the masking layer 130 . The etch may be performed using a single etch, or multiple etches. In embodiments using multiple etches, each etchant may be selected to selectively remove the undesired exposed layers, while maintaining the desired exposed layers.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 7 , an interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer may be deposited, and planarized, to isolate the etched substrate 115 from the gallium-nitride insert 125 . The ILD layer 150 may include any suitable dielectric material, for example, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, hydrogenated silicon carbon oxide, silicon based low-k dielectrics, flowable oxides, porous dielectrics, or organic dielectrics including porous organic dielectrics and may be formed using any suitable deposition techniques including ALD, CVD, plasma enhanced CVD, spin on deposition, or PVD. After deposition, the ILD layer 150 may be planarized, using, for example, chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) to remove excess material and expose the surface of the etched substrate 115 .
[0026] Following the deposition and deposition of the ILD layer, a structure may exist where a gallium-nitride region is embedded in a semiconductor substrate. The substrate may either be a bulk substrate or a SOI substrate. In additional embodiments, an aluminum-gallium-nitride layer is located above the gallium nitride region. The gallium-nitride region may have a bottom surface located directly on the bulk substrate (in either bulk substrate or SOI), while the vertical surfaces of the substrate and gallium-nitride region are separated by an insulating layer. Additionally, a top surface of the gallium-nitride region, or aluminum-gallium-nitride layer, may be coplanar with the top surface of the substrate. Following the creation of the gallium nitride region, the nitride and oxide regions covering the structure may be removed and semiconductor structures, such as, for example, gates, EDRAM, SRAM, fuses, etc., may be created on the semiconductor substrate. Additionally GaN structures, such as LEDs, may be created on the gallium nitride region. The structures may be electrically connected, thereby creating a single structure that incorporates GaN and semiconductor structures, and reducing the overall voltage and increasing efficiency of the combined system.
[0027] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiment, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable other of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. It is therefore intended that the present invention not be limited to the exact forms and details described and illustrated but fall within the scope of the appended claims. | A method and structure for integrating gallium nitride into a semiconductor substrate. The method may also include means for isolating the gallium nitride from the semiconductor substrate. | 7 |
The United States Government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48 between the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of California for the operation of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process for producing cubic boron nitride. More specifically, it relates to a process for making wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride utilizing inexpensive starting compounds to produce hexagonal boron nitride which in turn is converted to wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride by the use of a high pressure shock wave.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wurtzitic and cubic boron nitrides are extremely hard refractory materials which possess superior properties as compared to diamond when used for grinding or cutting of materials containing nickel, cobalt or iron. These metals, i.e., nickel, cobalt and iron, and their alloys, are known to chemically attack diamond at the hot cutting edge. Thus, cutting tools with diamond cutting edges, deteriorate quickly when used to cut these metals or their alloys and are, therefore, expensive to use.
Though expensive, diamonds are used for cutting tools because boron nitrides, such as cubic born nitride, or wurtzitic boron nitride, are even more expensive overall.
Wurtzitic and cubic boron nitrides are expensive because they are not naturally occurring, and the process used to make them involves the use of expensive high temperature-high pressure equipment and reactants that are relatively expensive.
Boron nitride can be found in at least five different states, i.e., hexagonal boron nitride, rhombohedral boron nitride, graphitic boron nitride, wurtzitic boron nitride, and cubic boron nitride. Of the five states, cubic boron nitride is most desirable because it is the hardest. It is suitable for use not only as a cutting tool, but also as a crucible in the melting of metals, as a polishing material and the like.
THE PRIOR ART
U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,420, discloses a cubic system boron nitride which is produced by a shock wave compression method in which a thermodynamically stable shock wave having a compressing pressure of from about 100 to 1500 kbar is applied to a rhombohedral system boron nitride to convert the rhombohedral system boron nitride to cubic system boron nitride. The thermodynamically stable pressure is applied by propelling a flyer plate or projectile plate by an explosion wave generated by detonation of an explosive. The flyer plate collides with a sample vessel to produce a strong shock wave. When the shock wave pressure is imparted to the starting material, the rhombohedral system boron nitride is converted to cubic system boron nitride.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,979 relates to a method of producing highly imperfect wurtzitic boron nitride with enhanced activity, which consists of preparing a mixture of a powder of graphitic boron nitride and a sufficient amount of a water or aqueous alkaline additive to fill the pores between the particles of the graphitic boron nitride, and subjecting the mixture to the action of a shock wave with a pressure of not less than 100 kbar. The shock wave is applied by the use of an explosive charge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,242 describes a process of synthesizing refractory metal nitrides using a solid source of nitrogen. In the process, a metal azide is mixed with an amount of a transition metal of the III B, IV B groups, a rare earth metal, or a mixture thereof, igniting the resulting mixture and forming a refractory nitride composition.
Sodium azide is the preferred azide for use in the process, and preferred metals include: Sc, Y, La, Ti, Zr, Hf, Yb, Er, and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,244 describes a method of synthesizing cubic boron nitride from hexagonal boron nitride. In this patent, it is disclosed that if water is incorporated into the raw material (graphitic hexagonal boron nitride) in an amount of at least 3 percent by weight, cubic boron nitride can be obtained under lower temperature and lower pressure conditions than in conventional methods. Even so, unacceptably high pressures and temperatures are required.
European Patent Application 0,240,913 discloses a method of manufacturing a sintered compact of cubic boron nitride which is accomplished by mixing alkaline earth metal boron nitride powder with hexagonal boron nitride powder, forming the mixture into a compact, causing it to adsorb from 0.005 to 1.000 percent by weight water, then sintering it at a temperature of 1200° C. or more, and under high pressure. Hexagonal boron nitride is converted to cubic boron nitride by the process described.
As can be seen from the processes described in the prior art, an essential requirement, in most cases, is that the process be conducted at high temperatures and under high pressure. This is expensive and inefficient. The quantity of product which can be made is limited.
It would be desirable in the art to develop a process for making cubic boron nitride using inexpensive starting materials. It would also be desirable to develop a process which eliminates the need for high pressures and other expensive process conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide an economical process of producing wurtzitic and cubic boron nitride using inexpensive starting materials.
Another object of the invention is to provide a process of producing wurtzitic and cubic boron nitride which does not require continuous high temperatures or high nitrogen pressures.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a quick and efficient process for producing wurtzitic and cubic boron nitride.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the process for producing wurtzitic and cubic boron nitride comprises the steps of:
[A] preparing an intimate mixture of powdered boron oxide, a powdered metal selected from the group consisting of magnesium and aluminum, and a powdered metal azide;
[B] igniting the mixture and bringing it to a temperature at which self-sustaining combustion occurs, whereby nitrogen is liberated from the metal azide and reacts with the boron formed during the combustion process to form hexagonal boron nitride; [C] shocking the mixture at the end of the combustion thereof with a high pressure wave, thereby converting said hexagonal boron nitride to wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride and forming as a reaction product, a material containing wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride and an occluded metal oxide; and, optionally, [D] leaching the occluded metal oxide from the reaction product material.
The above described process employs economical starting materials and an in-situ source of nitrogen, eliminating the necessity of using high temperature equipment.
Additionally, conversion of the starting boron oxide to the refractory wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride is maximized. The process of the present invention is energy efficient, and requires much less time than processes which are currently used.
In another aspect, the invention encompasses the reaction products of the method of the invention, i.e., a composite of wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride containing occluded metal oxides, and wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride obtained after removal of the occluded metal oxides.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In carrying out the process of the invention, the first step is to prepare a mixture of powdered boron oxide, powdered magnesium or aluminum and a powdered metal azide. The individual compounds are obtained, and intimately mixed with each other until a uniform mixture is obtained. Stoichiometric ratios are preferred.
The individual components of the mixture are all commercially available in powder form. Boron oxide can be obtained from the Borax Company, aluminum or magnesium from Cerac, Inc., and metal azide from the Alfa Products*company.
Magnesium is the preferred metal for use in the process.
Nitrogen gas is required in the process to react with boron. The nitrogen gas is preferably generated in-situ during the reaction. A solid nitrogen compound can be used to generate nitrogen gas in-situ.
A source of solid nitrogen is a metal azide. Suitable metal azides are formed from the alkaline earth metals and the alkali metals, as listed in Table I below. The preferred azide is NaN 3 .
TABLE I______________________________________ NaN.sub.3 Be(N.sub.3).sub.2 KN.sub.3 Mg(N.sub.3).sub.2 LiN.sub.3 Ba(N.sub.3).sub.2 CaN.sub.3 Sr(N.sub.3).sub.2 RbN.sub.3 Br(N.sub.3).sub.2 CoN.sub.3______________________________________
The azides useful in the process of the present invention are readily prepared from hydrazoic acid and the oxide or carbonate of the metal, or by metathesis of the metal sulfate with barium azide.
Sodium azide is readily prepared by reacting NaNH 2 with N 2 O, as illustrated in the following equation:
2 NaNH.sub.2 +N.sub.2 O→NaN.sub.3 +NaOH+NH.sub.3
A complete description of this process is found in B.T. Fedoroff, et al., Encyclopedia of Explosives and Related Items, pages A601 to A619 [Picatinny Arsenal, Dover, N.J., USA 1960], incorporated herein by reference.
The metal azide is mixed with at least a stoichiometric amount of boron oxide and magnesium or aluminum. Excesses of the metal azide can be used, to ensure complete reaction of the nitrogen which is liberated on heating, with the boron which is liberated.
Preferably, the materials in the mixture will have particle sizes ranging from about 10 to about 30 microns; however, mixtures of compounds having particle sizes falling outside of this range are also suitable for use.
Once the mixture is obtained, it is ignited so that the top or bottom surface of the mixture is brought to the ignition temperature of the composition. Once this temperature is reached, the process becomes self-sustaining. Suitable methods for heating or igniting the mixture include use of heated tungsten coils or carbon strips; pulsed laser beams; electric arcs; focused high intensity radiation lamps, and the like.
Although a sufficient amount of nitrogen for the process is obtained from the metal azide, a nitrogen atmosphere is preferably additionally employed during the synthesis. A nitrogen atmosphere of about 1 atmosphere is preferred. If desired, however, the reaction can be conducted in vacuum.
Once the mixture is ignited, and combustion begins, the temperature of the mixture rises to a point where the metal azide decomposes, and nitrogen is liberated therefrom. The liberated nitrogen reacts with the boron which is produced by reduction of boron oxide with the active metal, Mg or Al. The steps believed to take part in the reaction are shown below, when magnesium is used as the reducing element, and sodium Azide the source of nitrogen. ##STR1##
The temperature of combustion will vary depending to some extent on the specific ratios of starting compounds in the mixture, but in general will range from about 1800° to about 2100° C. The combustion of the mixture occurs very fast and is completed within seconds after ignition commences.
While the mixture can, if desired, be ignited when the mixture is in a loose powder stage, preferably the mixture is formed into a compact prior to ignition. The compact is made by compressing the loose powder into a formed shape conforming to the dimensions of a specific die. Normally, the shape will be that of a flat tablet or wafer, having a dimension wider than it is thick.
After completion of combustion, which is determined by a signal from a thermocouple located at the bottom surface of the burning compact, the completely combusted mixture is subjected to a shock wave which has the effect of converting hexagonal boron nitride, produced as a consequence of the combustion of the mixture, to a reaction product material which is wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride occluded with a metal oxide, i.e., magnesium oxide, or aluminum oxide.
The shock wave parameters applicable to this invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,979. That patent is hereby incorporated by reference to the extent provided by law. It has been found in conjunction with the process of this invention, that shock waves ranging between about 100 and 300 kbar in pressure result in the production of wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride. It is essential that the shock waves be applied to the combustion mixture as uniformly as possible, and normally this is accomplished by means of an explosive device, or a gas gun.
After the combustion products are subjected to the shock wave, which produces wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride and occluded metal oxide, the Mg0 is thereafter optionally leached from the reaction product, yielding substantially pure wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride.
The leaching can be done by subjecting the reaction product to a suitable acid such as hydrochloric acid or phosphoric acid.
It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the product obtained after the shock wave is Propagated through the combustion material can include either wurtzitic boron nitride, or cubic boron nitride. The specific product obtained depends upon the combustion temperature and pressure of the shock wave. In general, lower combustion temperatures and shock wave pressures result in the production of wurtzitic boron nitride, rather than cubic boron nitride. Because cubic boron nitride is the preferred nitride, the process is preferably carried out at sufficiently high combustion temperatures and shock wave pressures to insure formation of cubic boron nitride.
The combustion temperature may be decreased, if desired, by the addition of magnesium oxide as a diluent. The shock wave pressure may be controlled by the proper selection of the explosive charge.
The following examples are illustrative of the invention, and are not to be regarded as limiting its scope, which is defined in the appended claims.
EXAMPLE 1
A powder mixture is prepared by charging 18.5 grams powdered B 2 O 3 , 19 grams powdered Mg, and 12.5 grams powdered NaN 3 into a container and mixing thoroughly. The particle size of B 2 O 3 is 30 micron, Mg is 15 micron, and NaN 3 is 30 micron. Next, the powder mixture is cold-pressed into compacts with a L/D ratio of 0.5. One of the cold-pressed compacts is placed into a six-inch diameter stainless steel die with grafoil lining the sides and bottom of the cavity. Situated at the bottom of the die cavity, is a horizontal tungsten coil which acts as an igniter for the combustion reaction. Electric leads, which are insulated, extend down through the bottom of the die and are connected to an 5 appropriate power source. The compact is ignited from the bottom, and a combustion wave rapidly propagates to the top surface converting the reactants into hexagonal boron nitride, magnesium oxide and sodium, the latter which vaporizes off. The completion of the reaction is detected by a W-Re thermo couple bead positioned at the top surface of the reactant compact. While the combustion products are still at a high temperature (approximately 2937° C.) and at the time the combustion wave reaches the top surface of the compact, a steel plug is driven into the reactant compact with an explosive charge producing a shock wave. The shock wave has a pressure of 150 kbar. The shock wave transforms the hexagonal boron nitride into the cubic form. The impurity gases adsorbed on the powder (water vapor) and the sodium are vented through slots in the die wall prior to generation of high pressures.
The product, which is a multi-phase composite of cubic boron nitride and magnesium oxide powder, is leached with hydrochloric acid, which leaches out the magnesium oxide.
EXAMPLE 2
The procedure of Example 1 is repeated, using a starting mixture of 34.9 g B 2 O 3 , 36.6g Mg, and 6.8 g MgO, and 21.7g NaN 3 . The temperature of combustion is 2825° C., and the shock wave pressure is 125 kbar. The product produced is 24.9 g wurtzitic boron nitride occluded with 67.4 g MgO. The occluded is removed by leaching with HCl.
EXAMPLE 3
The procedure of Example 1 is repeated starting with a mixture of 41.7 g B 2 O 3 , 32.3 g Al, and 26.0 g NaN 3 .
The temperature of combustion is 2970° C., and the shock wave pressure is 200 kbar. The product produced is 29.7 g cubic boron nitride occluded with 61.1 g Al 2 O 3 . The Al 2 O 3 is not removed.
EXAMPLE 4
The procedure of Example 1 is repeated starting with a mixture of 34.6 g B 2 O 3 , 26.9 g Al, 16.9 g Al 2 O 3 , and 21.6 g NaN 3 .
The temperature of combustion is 2660° C., and the shock wave pressure is 100 kbar. The product is 24.7 g wurtzitic boron nitride occluded with 67.7 g Al 2 O 3 . The Al 2 O 3 is not removed.
The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the 5 precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications, as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto. | Disclosed is a process for producing wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride comprising the steps of:
[A] preparing an intimate mixture of powdered boron oxide, a powdered metal selected from the group consisting of magnesium or aluminum, and a powdered metal azide;
[B] igniting the mixture and bringing it to a temperature at which self-sustaining combustion occurs;
[C] shocking the mixture at the end of the combustion thereof with a high pressure wave, thereby forming as a reaction product, wurtzitic or cubic boron nitride and occluded metal oxide; and, optionally
[D] removing the occluded metal oxide from the reaction product.
Also disclosed are reaction products made by the process described. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a water spraying nozzle.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
As shown in FIG. 1, Japanese Patent Application No. 24644/1979 (Laid-Open No. 116459/1980) filed also by the inventor of the present invention discloses one of conventional water spraying nozzles of this kind.
Such conventional water spraying nozzle is provided with a base sleeve 82 to a rear end of which is threadably connected a hose connecting portion 80. A front end of the base sleeve 82 is closed to form a first valve portion 84 behind which is provided a peripheral wall having a first through-hole 81. The base sleeve 82 is inserted into a nozzle body 83 and threadably connected thereto to make it possible that the base sleeve 82 is axially moved relative to the nozzle body 83 when rotated relative to the same 83. By making such axial movement of the base sleeve 82, the first valve portion 84 of the base sleeve 82 is abutted/separated on/from a first valve seat 95 of the nozzle body 83 to close/open a fluid path formed therebetween.
A front end of the nozzle body 83 is closed to form a second valve portion 89 at a front end portion of which is projectively formed a controlling bar portion 98 behind which is provided a peripheral wall having a second through-hole 87.
A front portion of the nozzle body 83 is inserted into an intermediate sleeve 85 so as to be threadably connected thereto. At a front end of the intermediate sleeve 85 is projectively formed a small sleeve portion 93 provided with a nozzle opening 90 in which the controlling bar portion 98 of the nozzle body 93 is disposed. Behind the small sleeve portion 93 of the intermediate sleeve 85 is provided a peripheral wall having a third through-hole 88. Between such third through-hole 88 and the nozzle opening 90 is formed a third valve portion 91 in the intermediate sleeve 85. In operation, the intermediate sleeve 85 is rotated relative to the nozzle body 83 so as to be axially moved relative to the same 83. By making such axial movement of the intermediate sleeve 85, the second valve portion 89 of the nozzle body 83 is abutted/separated on/from a second valve seat 96 of the intermediate sleeve 85 to close/open a fluid path formed therebetween.
A front portion of the intermediate sleeve 85 is inserted into an outer sleeve 86 so as to be threadably connected thereto. A front end of the outer sleeve 86 is shaped into a funnelform portion having an opening in which is mounted a porous plate 92 having a through-hole 94 in which the small sleeve portion 93 of the intermediate sleeve 85 is slidably inserted. An annular third valve seat 97 of the outer sleeve 86 is formed at a position opposite to the third valve portion 91 of the intermediate sleeve 85. Consequently, when the outer sleeve 86 is rotated relative to the intermediate sleeve 85, the outer sleeve 86 is axially moved relative to the intermediate sleeve 85 so that the third valve portion 91 of the intermediate sleeve 85 is abutted/separated on/from the third valve seat 97 of the outer sleeve 86, whereby a fluid path formed therebetween is closed/opened according to such axial movement of the outer sleeve 86.
In the conventional water spraying nozzle having the above construction, in order to change a water discharging condition or mode thereof, it is necessary to conduct a complex operation such as rotations of: the nozzle body 83 relative to the base sleeve 82; the intermediate sleeve 85 to the nozzle body 83; and the outer sleeve 86 to the intermediate sleeve 85.
Consequently, it is hard for some users to smoothly conduct such operation of the conventional water spraying nozzle. In addition to the above difficulty in use, the conventional water spraying nozzle also suffers from a large material cost and a large labor cost in producing thereof due to a complex assembling process of a large number of parts thereof and complex processes for producing such parts, which makes it impossible to provide the water spraying nozzle at a low cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a water spraying nozzle constructed of a relatively small number of parts which can be easily assembled to produce the water spraying nozzle at a low cost, which nozzle is easy in handling.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provide: In a water spraying nozzle including a tubular nozzle body which is provided with a water inlet at its rear end while closed at its front end, and a controlling sleeve into which said nozzle body is inserted and connected thereto, the improvement wherein: said nozzle body is provided with a first communication hole at its peripheral wall while closed at its front end to projectively form a controlling bar portion behind which is formed a first valve portion, a rear portion of said nozzle body being connected with a rear portion of said controlling sleeve so as to permit them to conduct an axial relative movement therebetween; said controlling sleeve is provided with an inner and an outer sleeve portions at its front portion to form an outer fluid path between said inner and said outer sleeve portions, while between said inner sleeve portion of said controlling sleeve and said peripheral wall of said nozzle body is formed an inner fluid path, said inner sleeve portion of said controlling sleeve being provided with a nozzle opening at its front end and a valve seat provided behind said nozzle opening together with a second communication hole provided at its peripheral wall behind said valve seat, in which nozzle opening is received an expanded head portion of said controlling bar portion of said nozzle body, which valve seat is provided at a position opposite to said first valve portion of said nozzle sleeve, while a second valve portion is provided between an outer peripheral surface of said nozzle body and an inner peripheral surface of said inner sleeve portion of said controlling sleeve; a porous plate is mounted in a front end opening of said controlling sleeve, at least one of said controlling sleeve and said nozzle body being able to travel between a first position and a second position, in which first position said first valve portion of said nozzle body is abutted on said valve seat of said inner sleeve portion of said controlling sleeve to close a fluid path formed therebetween while said second valve portion shuts off a water flow between said first and second communication holes, in which second position said first valve portion of said nozzle body is separated from said valve seat of said inner sleeve portion of said controlling sleeve to open said fluid path formed therebetween while said second valve portion closes a fluid path formed between said first communication hole of said nozzle sleeve and said nozzle opening of said inner sleeve portion of said controlling sleeve, said first communication hole being fully opened together with said second communication hole of said inner sleeve portion of said controlling sleeve so as to be communicated with each other in said second position.
In the water spraying nozzle having the above construction, in case that the controlling sleeve or the nozzle body is located at the first position, a water flow having issued from the hose to the nozzle body of the water spraying nozzle passes through the first communication hole of the nozzle body to enter the inner fluid path defined between the nozzle body and the inner sleeve portion of the controlling sleeve. When the first valve portion of the nozzle body is abutted on the valve seat of the controlling sleeve in the front end portion of the water spraying nozzle, the water flow is shut off between the inner fluid path and the nozzle opening the inner sleeve portion of the controlling sleeve while also shut off between the first and the second communication holes by means of the second valve portion to stop a water spraying through the porous plate.
In case that the controlling sleeve or the nozzle body is located at the second position, since the water flow is shut off between the nozzle opening of the inner sleeve portion of the controlling sleeve and the first communication hole of the nozzle body by means of the second valve portion, a linear water discharging through the nozzle opening stops. At the same time, since the first and the second communication holes are fully opened to communicate with each other, the water flow issued from the hose passes through these communication holes and the outer fluid path defined between the inner and the outer sleeve portions of the controlling sleeve to reach the porous plate provided in the front end of the controlling sleeve, from which porous plate the water flow is issued in showers outward to form a linear water sprinkling.
Consequently, according to the traveling of the controlling sleeve or that of the nozzle body, the water spraying nozzle performs sequentially various water discharging charging modes, i.e., the water spraying through the nozzle opening, the linear water discharging through the nozzle opening, stopping of the linear water discharging and the linear water sprinkling through the porous plate.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a gripping sleeve provided with a hose connecting portion at its rear end is connected to a rear end of the nozzle body which is threadably connected with the controlling sleeve in front of the gripping sleeve, whereby the controlling sleeve is axially traveled or moved relative to the nozzle body so as to permit the water spraying nozzle to perform the various water discharging modes mentioned above in case that the controlling sleeve is operated through the gripping sleeve so as to be rotated relative to the nozzle body.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the gripping sleeve is connected to the rear end of the controlling sleeve which is inserted into a sleeve-like element in front of the gripping sleeve, said sleeve-like element being provided with a spiral groove in its inner surface so as to keep the controlling sleeve not axially movable but rotatable, provided that the controlling sleeve is provided with an axially extending linear slot at a position corresponding to that of the spiral groove of the sleeve-like element and that a pin is provided in a peripheral surface of the nozzle body so as to be brought into a slidable contact with each of the sprial groove and the axially extending linear slot to permit the nozzle body to axially move relative to the controlling sleeve, whereby the various water discharging modes mentioned above are performed by the water spraying nozzle.
In further another embodiment of the present invention, the controlling sleeve is divided into an inner sleeve portion and an outer sleeve portion so that the gripping sleeve is connected to a rear end of the inner sleeve portion in which is formed the axially extending linear slot, while the sleeve-like element in which is provided the spiral groove forms a part of the outer sleeve portion inside the same. In this case, only the inner sleeve portion of the controlling sleeve is kept stationary, while the outer sleeve portion of the controlling sleeve is kept rotatable to permit the nozzle body to axially move, whereby the various water discharging modes mentioned above are performed by the water spraying nozzle.
In a still further another embodiment of the present invention, a threaded sleeve portion having a female screw portion in its inner peripheral surface is integrally connected to a front end of the gripping sleeve, which female screw portion is threadably engaged with a male screw portion formed in a surface of a projecting portion of a peripheral surface of a rear portion of the nozzle body, which projecting portion is brought into a slidable contact with the axially extending linear slot of the controlling sleeve a rear end of which is brought into a slidable contact with a rear end surface of the threaded sleeve portion, whereby, in case that the controlling sleeve is rotated, the nozzle body is also rotated through its projecting portion slidably contacting the axially extending linear slot of the controlling sleeve so that the male screw portion of the projecting portion is axially moved relative to the female screw portion of the threaded sleeve portion while the controlling sleeve is kept stationary to make it possible that the water spraying nozzle performs the various water discharging modes mentioned above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a typical conventional sample of the water spraying nozzle in the art similar to that of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a first embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention in a condition in which the water is discharged in the form of mist from the water spraying nozzle;
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention in a condition in which the water is discharged in the form of a single linear water flow;
FIG. 5 is a longitduinal sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention in a condition in which the first communication hole of the nozzle body of the water spraying nozzle is closed;
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention in a condition in which the water is discharged in the form of plurality of weak linear water flows;
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention in a condition in which the water is discharged in the form of plurality of strong linear water flows;
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a second embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention, similar to FIG. 2;
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 3;
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 4;
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 5;
FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 6;
FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 7;
FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a third embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention, similar to FIG. 2;
FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of the third embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 3;
FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of the third embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 4;
FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the third embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 5;
FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view of the third embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 6;
FIG. 19 is a longitudinal sectional view of the third embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 7;
FIG. 20 a perspective, partially broken and exploded view of the third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the third embodiment of the present invention in one of applications in use;
FIG. 22 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention, similar to FIG. 2;
FIG. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 3;
FIG. 24 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 4;
FIG. 25 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 5;
FIG. 26 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 6;
FIG. 27 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 7;
FIG. 28 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention; and
FIG. 29 is a longitudinal sectional veiw of a sixth embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 2 to 7 show a first embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention.
In such first embodiment of the present invention, the reference numeral 1 denotes a tubular connecting portion a front end portion of which is threadably connected with a rear portion of a gripping sleeve 3 to a front end portion of which is connected a rear end portion of a tubular nozzle body 6.
The nozzle body 6 is provided with a first communication hole 5 in its peripheral wall 4 while closed at its front end to form a first valve portion 11 which is projectively provided with a controlling bar portion 10 extending forward form the first valve portion 11 and having an expanded head portion 24. A rear end portion 7 of the nozzle body 6 is threaded to form a male screw in front of which is formed an annular groove in which an O-ring 30 is mounted.
As shown in FIG. 2, the reference numeral 9 denotes a controlling sleeve in which is inserted the nozzle body 9. An operating portion 8 having a female screw is provided in a rear portion of the controlling sleeve 9 and threadably connected through its female screw to a male screw of a rear end portion of the nozzle body 6. In a front portion of the controlling sleeve 9 are formed an inner 16 and an outer 17 sleeve portions between both of which is formed an outer fluid path 18. On the other hand, an inner fluid path 15 is formed between an inner peripheral surface of the inner sleeve portion 16 of the controlling sleeve 9 and an outer peripheral wall 4 of the nozzle body 6. In a front end of the inner sleeve portion 16 is formed a small sleeve portion 13 having a nozzle opening 12 in which is located the expanded head portion 24 of the controlling bar portion 10 of the nozzle body 6. A valve seat 14 is formed in the inner sleeve portion 16 at a position behind the smaller sleeve portion 13 so as to be opposite to the first valve portion 11 of the nozzle body 6. A second communication hole 22 is formed in a peripheral wall of the inner sleeve portion 16 of the controlling sleeve 9 at a position behind that of the first communication hole 5 of the nozzle body 6. As shown in FIG. 2, in a condition in which the first valve portion 11 of the nozzle body 6 is abutted on the valve seat 14 of the controlling sleeve 9 to close the nozzle opening 12 of the small sleeve portion 13 thereof, a second valve portion 23 is formed in the inner fluid path 15 so as to shut off a water flow established between the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes. In such first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, the second valve portion 23 is constructed of: a pair of annular flanges 27 projectively provided in the inner peripheral surface of the inner sleeve portion 16 of the controlling sleeve 9; and an O-ring 28 disposed in a position between such annular flanges 27 of the inner sleeve portion 16. At a front end portion of the controlling sleeve 9 is provided a funnelform sleeve portion 19 diverging forward to provide a divergent opening portion in which is mounted a porous plate 20 having a through-hole 21 in which the small sleeve portion 13 of the controlling sleeve 9 is slidably inserted.
FIG. 2 shows a condition in which the water discharging from the water spraying nozzle of the present invention stops, namely, the first valve portion 11 of the nozzle body 6 is abutted on the valve seat 14 of the controlling sleeve 9 to shut off a water flow at a position between the interior of the nozzle body 6 and the nozzle opening 12 of the small sleeve portion 13, while the second valve portion 23 shuts off a water flow at a position between the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes in the inner fluid path 15.
FIG. 3 shows a condition in which the water spraying nozzle of the present invention discharges water in the form of mist. In this case, the user holds the operating portion 8 of the controlling sleeve 9 and rotates the same relative to the nozzle body 6 so as to axially slightly move the controlling sleeve 9 formed relative to the same 6, whereby the first valve portion 11 of the nozzle body 6 is separated from the valve seat 14 of the controlling sleeve 9. As a result, a narrowwidth annular opening is formed around the expanded head portion 24 of the controlling bar portion 10 of the nozzle body 6 to communicate with the nozzle opening 12 of the small sleeve portion 13, while the water flow between the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes is still shut off. Under such circumstances, in case that the water is supplied from a hose (not shown) to the nozzle body 6, the water passes sequentially through the first communication hole 5, inner fluid path 15 and the nozzle opening 12 and is issued from the above-mentioned narrow-width annular opening in the from of mist.
FIG. 4 shows a condition in which the water spraying nozzle of the first embodiment of the present invention discharges the water in the form of a single linear flow. In this case, the controlling sleeve 9 is further moved forward relative to the nozzle body 6, so that the expanded head portion 24 of the controlling bar portion 10 of the nozzle body 6 is retracted so as to open the nozzle opening 12 to enable a large amount of water to be discharged from the nozzle opening 12, while the water flow between the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes are still shut off, whereby the water is discharged from the nozzle opening 12 in the form of a strong single linear flow.
FIG. 5 shows a condition in which the first communication hole 5 is closed again in the first embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the controlling sleeve 9 is still further moved forward relative to the nozzle body 6. As a result, the first communication hole 5 is closed by the O-ring 28 of the second valve portion 23 to prevent the water inside the nozzle body 6 from flowing out of the same 6.
FIG. 6 shows a condition in which the water spraying nozzle of the first embodiment of the present invention discharges the water in the form of plurality of linear flows. In this condition, the controlling sleeve 9 is yet further moved forward relative to the nozzle body 6. As a result, in the inner fluid path 15, the second valve portion 23 shuts off the water flow established between the nozzle opening 12 and the first communication hole 5, while a part of the first communication hole 5 communicates with the second communication hole 22. Consequently, the water inside the nozzle body 6 passes through the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes and the outer fluid path 18, and is then discharged from the porous plate 20 in the form of plurality of linear flows as if it is discharged from a conventional watering pot.
FIG. 7 shows a condition in which the water spraying nozzle of the first embodiment of the present invention discharges the water in showers. In this case, the controlling sleeve 9 is moved to its most advanced position relative to the nozzle body 6 to fully open both of the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes so as to permit them to communicate with each other. As a result, a flow rate of the water passing through the outer fluid path 18 increases to permit the porous plate 20 to discharge the water in strong showers through its plurality through-holes.
FIGS. 8 to 13 show a second embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention, which second embodiment is substantially similar in construction to the first embodiment described above, so that similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings illustrating these embodiment, whereby redundancy in description is eliminated.
In this second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8 illustrating a condition in which the first valve portion 11 of the nozzle body 6 is abutted on the valve seat 14 of the controlling sleeve 9, a second valve portion corresponding to the second valve portion 23 of the first embodiment of the present invention is constructed of a pair of valve portions 33 and 33' between which is interposed the first communication hole 5. Each of the valve portions 33 and 33' is constructed of a pair of annular flanges and an O-ring 34 disposed between such pair of annular flanges. On the other hand, an annular ridge portion 35 abutting on the O-ring 34 is formed in an inner surface of the inner sleeve portion 16 of the controlling sleeve 9.
The second embodiment of the present invention having the above construction is substantially similar in operation to the first embodiment of the present invention. Namely, as shown in FIG. 8, in case that the first valve portion 11 is abutted on the valve seat 14 as is in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the second valve portion 33' is abutted on the annular ridge portion 35 of the inner sleeve portion 16 so that the water flow is shut off at each of positions between the interior of the nozzle body 6 and the nozzle opening 12 and between the interior of the nozzle body 6 and the second communication hole 22, whereby the water discharging of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention stops. In a condition shown in FIG. 9, the controlling sleeve 9 is operated as is in the first embodiment of the present invention in its condition shown in FIG. 3, so that the narrow-width annular opening is formed around the expanded head portion 24 so as to communicate with the nozzle opening 12, while the second valve portion 33' abuts on the annular ridge portion 35 of the inner sleeve portion 16 to shut off the water flow at a position between the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes, whereby the water spraying nozzle of the second embodiment of the present invention discharges the water in the form of mist through such narrow-width annular opening. In a condition shown in FIG. 10, the controlling sleeve 9 is operated as is in the first embodiment of the present invention in its condition shown in FIG. 4, so that the water flow is shut off at a position between the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes while the narrow-width annular opening is expanded in width so as to permit the nozzle opening 12 to discharge the water in the form of a single linear flow. In a condition shown in FIG. 11, the controlling sleeve 9 is operated as in the first embodiment of the present invention in its condition shown in FIG. 5, so that the first communication hole 5 is disposed between the second valve portions 33 and 33' which abut on the annular ridge portion 35 of the inner sleeve portion 16 to shut off the water flow at each of the positions between the first communication hole 5 and the nozzle opening 12 and between the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes, whereby the water spraying nozzle of the present invention stops its water discharging. In a condition shown in FIG. 12, the controlling sleeve 9 is operated as is in the first embodiment of the present invention in its condition shown in FIG. 6, so that the second valve portion 33 abuts on the annular ridge portion 35 of the inner sleeve portion 16 to shut off the water flow at a position between the the first communication hole 5 and the nozzle opening 12, while the water passing through the first communication hole 5 is permitted to flow to the second communication hole 22 through a fluid path restricted by the annular ridge portion 35 of the inner sleeve portion 16, so that the water thus having reached the second communication hole 22 enters the outer fluid path 18 through which the water reaches a plurality of through-holes of the porous plate 20 and is discharged in the form of plurality of linear flows therefrom. In a condition shown in FIG. 13, the controlling sleeve 9 is operated as is in the first embodiment of the present invention in its condition shown in FIG. 7, so that the water flow is still shut off at the position between the first communication hole 5 and the nozzle opening 12, while both of the first 5 and the second 22 communication holes are fully opened so as to permit the porous plate 20 to discharge the water in showers through its plurality of the through-holes.
FIGS. 14 to 21 show a third embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention, which third embodiment is substantially similar in construction to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, so that similar reference numerals refer to similar part throughout the drawings illustrating these embodiment, whereby redundancy in description is eliminated.
In each of the first and the second embodiments of the present invention described above, although the nozzle body 6 and the controlling sleeve 9 are threadably connected with each other at their rear end portions so as to permit the controlling sleeve 9 to axially move relative to the nozzle body 6 for changing the water discharging modes thereof, the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 14 is different in construction from these first and second embodiments of the present invention in that the nozzle body 36 is axially moved relative to the controlling sleeve 39 held stationary in contrast with the first and the second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 14, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle body 36 is extended into an inside of the gripping sleeve 3 at its rear end portion which forms a large-diameter flange portion 42 in which is fixedly mounted an O-ring 41 which is brought into a slidable contact with an inner surface of the gripping sleeve 3 so as to be axially movable. In the nozzle body 36, in front of the large-diameter flange portion 42 are provided a long 43 and a short 43' ridge portions which are diametrically opposite to each other and axially extend, while pins 44 and 44' are provided in front of the long 43 and the short 43' ridge portions, respectively.
In the third embodiment of the present invention, the controlling sleeve 39 is also extended rearward at its rear end portion which forms a large-diameter flange portion 48 as is clearly shown in FIG. 20. In a peripheral portion of such large-diameter flange portion 48 of the controlling sleeve 39 is formed a serrated portion 45 in front of which is formed a small-diameter portion 47 in an outer peripheral wall of which are formed a pair of slots 46 which are diametrically opposite to each other while axially extended forward from the large-diameter flange portion 48. In these slots 46 are inserted the pins 44 and 44' of the nozzle body 36. As clearly shown in FIG. 20, a pair of semicylindrical members 51 and 51' are assembled to form a cylindrical member 51, 51' provided with a pair of diametrically opposite ridges 50 and 50' in its outer peripheral surface and a spiral groove 49 in its inner peripheral surface, which ridges 50 and 50' extend axially in parallel to each other, while the spiral groove 49 receives the pins 44 and 44' provided in the front ends of the ridge portions 43 and 43' of the nozzle body 36, respectively. In assembling of the semicylindrical members 51 and 51', a convex portion 52 of the semicylindrical member 51' is inserted into a concave portion 53 of the semicylindrical member 51 to precisely position these members 51 and 51' relative to each other. The small-diameter portion 47 of the controlling sleeve 39 is received in the cylindrical member 51, 51'. The ridges 50 and 50' of the cylindrical member 51, 51' are received in a pair of slots 54 and 54' of an operating sleeve 55, respectively.
In assembling of the third embodiment of the present invention having the above construction, the nozzle body 36 is inserted into the controlling sleeve 39 from the rear end of the same 39 so that the pins 44 and 44' of the nozzle body 36 are inserted into the diametrically opposite slots 46 of the controlling sleeve 39. After that, the semicylindrical members 51 and 51' are assembled around the small-diameter portion 47 of the controlling sleeve 39 so that the thus assembled cylindrical member 51, 51' receives the small-diameter portin 47 therein, whereby the pins 44 and 44' of the nozzle body 36 are received in the spiral groove 49 of the cylindrical member 51, 51'. Then, the ridges 50 and 50' of the cylindrical member 51, 51' are inserted into the slots 54 and 54' of the operating sleeve 55 so that the thus assembled cylindrical member 51, 51' is inserted into the operating sleeve 55, whereby the serrated portion 45 of the large-diameter portion 48 of the controlling sleeve 39 is meshed with a serrated portion of the gripping sleeve 3 as shown in FIG. 14.
In operation of this third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 14 to 21, the gripping sleeve 3 is held stationary while the operating sleeve 55 is rotated relative to the gripping sleeve 3. As a result, the controlling sleeve 39 is also held stationary since the serrated portion 45 of the controlling sleeve 39 is meshed with that of the gripping sleeve 3.
On the other hand, the cylindrical member 51, 51' is rotated according to the rotation of the operating sleeve 55, since the ridges 50 and 50' of the cylindrical member 51, 51' are engaged with the slots 54 and 54' of the operating sleeve 55 in an insertion manner, respectively. In this case, since the pins 44 and 44' of the nozzle body 36 are engaged with the the spiral groove 49 of the cylindrical member 51, 51' while also engaged with the slots 46 of the controlling sleeve 39, the pins 44 and 44' are axially moved in the slots 46 so as to axially move the nozzle body 36 relative to the controlling sleeve 39.
Through the above operation, as is clear from FIGS. 14 to 19, the water spraying nozzle of the third embodiment of the present invention can discharge the water in the same modes as those performed in the above-mentioned second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 8 to 13, so that the description of the water discharging modes of the third embodiment of the present invention are eliminated to eliminate redundancy in description.
FIG. 21 shows a condition in which the water spraying nozzle of the third embodiment of the present invention is coupled with its mount 58 in use. The mount 58 is provided with a U-shaped bar 59 having a bolt 60 in its upper portion and a leg bar 61 in its lower portion. In use, as shown in FIG. 21, the controlling sleeve 39 of the third embodiment of the present invention is received in the U-shaped bar 59 of the mount 58 and fixed therein by means of the bolt 60, while the leg bar 61 of the mount 58 is sticked into the ground.
FIGS. 22 to 27 show a fourth embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention, which fourth embodiment is similar in construction to the third embodiment of the present invention except that the second valve portion 23 thereof is the same in construction as that of the first embodiment of the present invention, so that like reference numerals identify like parts throughout the drawings. In addition, as for the water discharging modes, there is no difference between the third and the fourth embodiments of the present invention, so that the description of the water discharging modes of the fourth embodiment of the present invention is eliminated to eliminate redundancy in description.
FIG. 28 shows a fifth embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention, which fifth embodiment is similar in construction to the third embodiment of the present invention as to the nozzle body 36 while different in construction from any one of the foregoing embodiments of the present invention as to the controlling sleeve 39. As shown in FIG. 28, in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the controlling sleeve 39 is divided into an inner 65 and an outer 66 sleeve portions which are similar in partial construction to the controlling sleeve 9 of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 8 to 13 so that like reference numerals identify like parts throughout these drawings in order to eliminate redundancy in description. Consequently, hereinbelow, only the differences in construction between these embodiments of the present invention will be described.
In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 28, a rear end surface of the outer sleeve portion 66 of the controlling sleeve 39 is brought into a slidable contact with a front end surface of the gripping sleeve 3 in front of which the operating sleeve portion 67 is integrally formed with the outer sleeve portion 66 of the controlling sleeve 39. In an inner peripheral surface of the operating sleeve portion 67 is formed a spiral groove 68 in which the pins 44 and 44' of the nozzle body 36 are received in the same manner as that of the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 14 to 21. In the inner surface of the operating sleeve portion 67, there is provided a projecting portion 69 in front of the spiral groove 68.
In a rear end portion of the inner sleeve portion 65 of the controlling sleeve 39, there are formed the large-diameter flange portion 48 and the slots 46 both of which are formed in the same manner as those of the third embodiment of the present invention, so that the large-diameter portion 48 of the inner sleeve portion 65 is integrally engaged with the gripping sleeve 3 through its serrated portion 45 engaging with the serrated portion of the gripping sleeve 3. In addition, the inner sleeve portion 65 of the controlling sleeve 39 is provided with an annular flange 70 at a position in front of the slots 46, which flange 70 is brought into a slidable contact with the projecting portion 69 of the operating sleeve portion 67 of the controlling sleeve 39. An O-ring 71 is mounted in an outer peripheral surface of the inner sleeve portion 65 at a position in front of the annular flange 70 so as to be brought into a slidable contact with an inner peripheral surface of the outer sleeve portion 66 of the controlling sleeve 39.
In operation of this fifth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 28, when the operating sleeve portion 67 of the controlling sleeve 39 is rotated, the nozzle body 36 is axially moved relative to the inner sleeve portion 65 of the controlling sleeve 39 in the same manner as that of the third embodiment of the present invention, while the outer sleeve portion 66 of the controlling sleeve 39 is rotated together with the operating sleeve portion 67 thereof relative to the inner sleeve portion 65 of the controlling sleeve 39 in a manner different from that of the third embodiment of the present invention. However, since there is no difference in water discharging modes between the fifth and third embodiments of the present invention, the water discharging modes of the fifth embodiment of the present invention is eliminated to eliminate redundancy in description.
FIG. 29 shows a sixth embodiment of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention, which sixth embodiment is the substantially same in construction as that of the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 14 to 21 so that like reference numerals identify like parts throughout the drawings in order to eliminate redundancy in description.
In this sixth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 29, in place of the pins 44 and 44' of the third and the fourth embodiments of the present invention, a pair of projecting portions 73 having male screw portions are provided in a rear portion of the nozzle body 36, which male screw portions are meshed with a female screw portion of a threaded sleeve portion 74 fixedly mounted in a front end portion of the gripping sleeve 3. The projecting portions 73 of the nozzle body 36 are slidably received in the axially-extending slots 75 of the controlling sleeve 39, which slots 75 are provided in a rear end portion or a guide sleeve porton 76 of the controlling sleeve 39. A rear end portion of the guide sleeve portion 76 of the controlling sleeve 39 is expanded outward to form a flange portion which is brought into a slidable contact with a rear end surface of the threaded sleeve portion 74.
In operation of this sixth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 29, when the controlling sleeve 39 is rotated relative to the gripping sleeve 3, the nozzle body 36 is rotated together with the controlling sleeve 39 while axially moved relative to the controlling sleeve 39, in which the sixth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 29 is different from any one of the foregoing embodiment of the present invention. However, since there is no difference in water discharging modes between the sixth and the foregoing embodiments of the present invention, the description of the water discharging modes of the sixth embodiment of the present invention are eliminated to eliminate redundancy in description.
Although the preferred embodiments of the water spraying nozzle of the present invention has been described in detail in the above for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the preferred embodiments, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention. | A water spraying nozzle of the present invention is constructed of a relatively small number of parts which can be easily assembled to produce the water spraying nozzle at a low cost, which nozzle is easy in handling to enable any user to smoothly operate it without any special training. In the water spraying nozzle of the present invention, the outer and intermediate sleeves employed in the conventional water spraying nozzle are replaced with a novel controlling sleeve comprising an inner and an outer sleeve portions enabling the user to operate the water spraying nozzle in a very simple manner. | 1 |
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/743,106 filed Jan. 9, 2006, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This invention relates generally to refiners for removing contaminants from fiber materials, such as recycled or recovered paper and packaging materials. In particular, the present invention relates to teeth on refiner plates and especially to the leading sidewall surfaces and leading edges of such teeth.
[0003] Refiner plates are used for imparting mechanical work on fibrous material. Refiner plates having teeth (in contrast to plates having bars) are typically used in refiners which role is to deflake, disperge or mix fibrous materials with or without addition of chemicals. The refiner plates disclosed herein are generally applicable to all toothed plates for dispergers specifically and refiners in general.
[0004] Disperging is primarily used in de-inking systems to recover used paper and board for reuse as raw material for producing new paper or board. Disperging is used to detach ink from fiber, disperse and reduce ink and dirt particles to a favorable size for downstream removal, and reduce particles to sizes below visible detection. The disperger is also used to break down stickies, coating particles and wax (collectively referred to as “particles”) that are often in the fibrous material fed to refiner. The particles are removed from the fibers by the disperger, become entrained in a suspension of fibrous material and liquid flowing through the refiner and are removed from the suspension as the particles float or are washed out of the suspension. In addition, the disperger may be used to mechanically treat fibers to retain or improve fiber strength and mix bleaching chemicals with fibrous pulp.
[0005] There are typically two types of mechanical dispergers used on recycled fibrous material: kneeders and rotating discs. This disclosure focuses on disc-typed disperger plates that have toothed refiner plates. Disc-type dispergers are similar to pulp and chip refiners. A refiner disc typically has mounted thereon an annular plate or an array of plate segments arranged as a circular disc. In a disc-type disperger, pulp is fed to the center of the refiner using a feed screw and moves peripherally through the disperging zone, which is a gap between the rotating (rotor) disk and stationary (stator) disk, and the pulp is ejected from the disperging zone at the periphery of the discs.
[0006] The general configuration of a disc-type disperger is two circular discs facing each other with one disc (rotor) being rotated at speeds usually up to 1800 ppm, and potentially higher speeds. The other disc is stationary (stator). Alternatively, both discs may rotate in opposite directions.
[0007] On the face of each disc is mounted a plate having teeth (also referred to as pyramids) mounted in tangential rows. A plate may be a single annular plate or an annular array of plate segments mounted on a disc. Each row of teeth is typically at a common radius from the center of the disc. The rows of rotor and stator teeth interleave when the rotor and stator discs are opposite each other in the refiner or disperger. The rows of rotor and stator teeth intersect a plane in the disperging zone that is between the discs. Channels are formed between the interleaved rows of teeth. The channels define the disperging zone between the discs.
[0008] The fibrous pulp flows alternatively between rotor and stator teeth as the pulp moves through successive rows of rotor and stator teeth. The pulp moves from the center inlet of the disc to a peripheral outlet at the outer circumference of the discs. As fibers pass from rotor teeth to stator teeth and vice-versa, the fibers are impacted as the rows of rotor teeth rotate between rows of stator teeth. The clearance between rotor and stator teeth is typically on the order of 1 to 12 mm (millimeters). The fibers are not cut by the impacts of the teeth, but are severely and alternately flexed. The impacts received by the fiber break the ink and toner particles off of the fiber and into smaller particles, and break the stickie particles off of the fibers.
[0009] Two types of plates are commonly used in disc-type dispergers: (1) a pyramidal design (also referred to as a tooth design) having an intermeshing toothed pattern, and (2) a refiner bar design. A novel pyramidal tooth design has been developed for a refiner plate and is disclosed herein.
[0010] FIGS. 1 a , 1 b and 1 c show an exemplary pyramidal plate segment having a conventional tooth pattern. An enhanced exemplary pyramidal toothed plate segment is shown in commonly-owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0194482, entitled “Grooved Pyramid Disperger Plate.” For pyramidal plates, fiber stock is forced radially through small channels created between the teeth on opposite plates, as shown in FIG. 1 c . Pulp fibers experience high shear, e.g., impacts, in their passage through dispergers caused by intense fiber-to-fiber and fiber-to-plate friction.
[0011] With reference to FIGS. 1 a , 1 b and 1 c , the refiner or disperger 10 comprises disperger plates 14 , 15 which are each securable to the face of one of the opposing disperger discs 12 , 13 . The discs 12 , 13 , only portions of which are shown in FIG. 1 c , each have a center axis 19 about which they rotate, radii 32 and substantially circular peripheries.
[0012] A plate may or may not be segmented. A segmented plate is an annular array of plate segments typically mounted on a disperger disc. A non-segmented plate is a single piece, annular plate. Plate segment 14 is for the rotor disc 12 and plate segment 15 is for the stator disc 13 . The rotor plate segments 14 are attached to the face of rotor disc 12 in an annular array to form a plate. The segments may be fastened to the disc by any convenient or conventional manner, such as by bolts (not shown) passing through bores 17 . The disperger plate segments 14 , 15 are arranged side-by-side to form plates attached to the face of the each disc 12 , 13 .
[0013] Each disperger plate segment 14 , 15 has an inner edge 22 towards the center 19 of its attached disc and an outer edge 24 near the periphery of its disc. Each plate segment 14 , 15 has, on its substrate face concentric rows 26 of pyramids or teeth 28 . The rotation of the rotor disc 12 and its plate segments 14 apply a centrifugal force to the refined material, e.g., fibers, that cause the material to move radially outward from the inner edge 22 to the outer edge 24 of the plates. The refined material predominantly move through the disperging zone channels 30 formed between adjacent teeth 28 of the opposing plate segments 14 , 15 . The refined material flows radially out from the disperging zone into a casing 31 of the refiner 10 .
[0014] The concentric rows 26 are each at a common radial distance (see radii 32 ) from the disc center 19 and arranged to intermesh so as to allow the rotor and stator teeth 28 to intersect the plane between the discs. Fiber passing from the center of the stator to the periphery of the discs receive impacts as the rotor teeth 28 pass close to the stator teeth 28 . The channel clearance between the rotor teeth 28 and the stator teeth 28 is on the order of 1 to 12 mm so that the fibers are not cut or pinched, but are severely and alternately flexed as they pass in the channels between the teeth on the rotor disc 12 and the teeth on the stator disc 13 . Flexing the fiber breaks the ink and toner particles on the fibers into smaller particles and breaks off the stickie particles on the fibers.
[0015] FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show a top view and a side perspective view, respectively, of a standard tooth geometry 34 used in disperging. The tooth 34 has a pyramidal design including strait sidewalls 36 that taper to the top 38 of the tooth. The sidewalls are planar and flat. The sidewalls of the conventional tooth are each substantially parallel to a radius of the plate.
[0016] A primary role of the disperger plate is to transfer energy pulses (impacts) to the fibers during their passage through the channels between the discs. The widely accepted toothed plate has generally incorporated the square pyramidal tooth geometry with variations in edge length and tooth placement to achieve desired results.
[0017] Refiner material passing through the channels on the plates can erode teeth. Each tooth has a leading edge that faces the pulp flow resulting from the rotation of the rotor plate. The leading edge is formed by the intersection of the front tooth surface and a leading tooth sidewall. The tooth sidewalls are planar, i.e., flat, on conventional teeth. Further, the corner of the sidewall and front surface of a conventional tooth is typically 90°. The leading edges of the teeth wear and become rounded due to the erosion.
[0018] Disperger plates are replaced typically because their teeth become rounded and lose their efficiency for disperging or refining the pulp and lose the ability to feed the pulp through the refining or disperging zone. The rounding of the teeth often results in taking the disperger or refiner offline to replace plate segments. This reduces the efficiency of the disperger and refiner. There is a long felt demand for teeth designs that extend the life of plate segments and reduce the wear on teeth.
SUMMARY
[0019] A toothed refiner plate has been developed having teeth with a leading sidewall, wherein the surface of the sidewall on the radially innermost part of the tooth forms an angle with the surface of the leading sidewall on the radially outermost part of the tooth. This angle in the leading sidewall may be formed by a V-shaped sidewall surface, a curvilinear sidewall surface, or other sidewall surface that yields an angle between the radially inward portion of the surface and the radially outward portion of the surface.
[0020] The angle between the radially inward portion of the sidewall surface and the radially outward portion may be in a range of 170 degrees to 75 degrees, and preferably in a range of 165 degrees to 90 degrees. Further, the angle in the sidewall surface results in portions of the sidewall surface forming angles with respect to a radial line of the plate. Preferably, the portions of the sidewall surface form an angle in a range of 0 degrees to 60 degrees with respect to a radial line, and preferably in a range of 5 degrees to 45 degrees.
[0021] A refiner plate is disclosed comprising: a generally planar surface having annular rows of teeth arranged concentrically on the plate, and at least one of said rows includes teeth having a leading edge corner angle of less than 90 degrees. The leading edge corner is formed by a front surface of each tooth and the leading sidewall of the tooth. The interior angle between the leading sidewall and the front surface is the leading edge corner angle. The leading sidewall faces the direction of plate rotation. The front tooth surface may be substantially tangential to its row on the plate.
[0022] The leading sidewall (at least the radially inward portion of the sidewall adjacent the leading corner) forms an angle of 0° to 60° with respect to a radial of the plate and may be in a narrow angular range of 5° to 45°. The leading sidewall may also have a radially outward portion slanted in a direction opposing the rotation of the plate. Further, the leading sidewall may form a V-shape in which a radially inward surface has an edge forming the leading edge corner. The angle of the V-shape may be in a range of 170° to 75° and more narrowly in a range of 165° to 90°.
[0023] The trailing sidewall of the tooth (which is opposite to the leading sidewall) may be symmetrical to the leading sidewall, e.g., includes a V-shape, such that a gap between the trailing side wall and the leading sidewall of the adjacent tooth is substantially constant across the length of the two teeth. Further, the radially outer row of the teeth may include teeth having rear walls normal to a substrate of the plate and front walls that slope upward from the substrate.
[0024] In another embodiment, the disperger plate may comprise: rows of teeth wherein the rows are concentrically arranged; the teeth each include a leading sidewall facing a rotational direction of the plate or of another plate rotating with respect to the plate, and the leading sidewall comprises a V-shape having a radially inner section with a leading edge and a radially outward section slanted with respect to a radial of the disc in a direction opposing the disc rotation. The angle of the V-shape is in a range of 170° to 75° and may be in a narrower range of 165° to 120°. The leading edge may be formed by an intersection of a front surface of the tooth and the leading sidewall, wherein an angle between the front surface and leading sidewall is in a range of 0° to 60° or in a narrower range of 5° to 45°.
[0025] A method has been developed of refining pulp material with opposing discs comprising: feeding the pulp material to an inlet of at least one of the discs, wherein the inlet is at or near a center axis inlet; rotating one disc with respect to the other disc while pulp material is moved between the discs due to centrifugal force; refining the pulp material by subjecting the material to impacts caused by the rows of teeth on the rotating disc intermeshing with the rows of teeth on the other disc, wherein refining further includes feeding the pulp into successive rows of teeth on the discs, wherein at least one of the rows on at least one of the discs includes teeth having a leading edge corner formed by a front tooth surface and a leading sidewall having an angle therebetween of less than 90 degrees. The method may further include deflecting pulp passing through the at least one of the rows on the at least one of the discs with a radial outward surface of the leading sidewall that is slanted in a direction opposing the rotation of at the disc. Further, the leading sidewall may form a V-shape wherein a radially inward edge of the sidewall is the leading edge corner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] FIGS. 1 ( a ) and 1 ( b ) are a front view and side view, respectively, of a pyramidal toothed plate segment conventionally used in disc-type dispergers.
[0027] FIG. 1 ( c ) is a side partially cross-sectional view of a stator and rotor disperger plates with a gap therebetween.
[0028] FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are a top down view and a side perspective view, respectively, of a conventional tooth geometry for a disperger plate segment.
[0029] FIGS. 3 a and 3 b are a top down view and a side perspective view, respectively, of an angled tooth for a disperger plate segment.
[0030] FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are a front plan view and a side cross-sectional view, respectively, of a disperging rotor plate segment having double angled teeth.
[0031] FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are a front plan view and a side cross-sectional view of a disperging stator plate segment having double-angled teeth.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] A novel arrangement of teeth for toothed refiner plates has been developed in which the teeth have sidewalls that are angled to form a V-shape. The V-shaped teeth have a double-angled geometry. In particular, the surface of at least a leading sidewall of a tooth has an inner portion that forms an angle with respect to a radially outward portion. The V-shaped can be applied to the teeth of plate segments for any type of disperger and refiner plate segments with teeth. The V-shaped sidewalls can be applied to teeth located on either or both the rotor and stator plate portions of a disperger or refiner. In a preferred embodiment, both the rotor and stator plate segments include teeth with V-shaped sidewalls.
[0033] FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show a top view and a side perspective view, respectively, of an angled stator tooth 40 where the sides of the tooth are angled to form a V-shape. At least the leading sidewall 42 of the tooth 40 has a V-shape geometry. The trailing sidewall 43 may have a V-shape. While the sidewalls 42 , 43 as shown taper towards the top 46 of the tooth, it is not necessary that the teeth are tapered from the substrate to their top and it may be preferable that there be no taper from the substrate to the top. The base 48 of the tooth is at the substrate of the plate. The front wall 50 of the tooth faces radially inward and the rear wall 52 of the tooth faces radially outward. The front and rear walls may each be substantially perpendicular to a radial of the plate. The front and rear walls may also slope towards the top of the tooth.
[0034] Each V-shape tooth has a leading sidewall 42 that faces the pulp flow resulting from the rotation of the rotor plate. The leading sidewall has an inner surface 54 that is radially inward of an outer surface 56 . The inner and outer surfaces of the leading sidewall are not planar and together form a V-angle that is preferably in a range of 170° to 75°, and more preferably in the range of 165° to 120°. The angle of the V-shaped leading wall 42 is selected depending on disperging and feeding needs. The opposite (trailing) sidewall 43 preferably also has an inverted V-shape that forms a complementary angle to the leading sidewall, such as an angle of from 190° to 285°. A row of teeth with complementary leading and trailing sidewalls may have constant width gaps between the teeth.
[0035] Alternatively, the trailing sidewall may have a sidewall with a convex profile, e.g. a continually curved bulging profile, and have complementary angles to the angles of a convex (continually curved with a bowel profile) profile leading sidewall. A row of teeth having a concave leading sidewall and convex trailing sidewall (in which the angles of the leading and trailing sidewalls are complementary) may have constant width gaps between the teeth in the row.
[0036] The trailing sidewall 43 may or may not have a similar surface geometry to the leading sidewall 42 . The surface profile of the leading sidewall need not be complementary to the surface profile of the trailing sidewall. For example, the trailing sidewall may be entirely planar and straight. Further, a concave surface profile on both leading and trailing sidewalls of all teeth allows a plate to perform equally in both directions of rotation and provides for a reversible plate.
[0037] Further, the V-shaped leading sidewall may have a curved cup shape from the leading edge to a radially outward edge. The angle of the sidewall should change by at least 10° from the leading edge to the radially outward edge. Further, the V-shaped sidewall teeth may be confirmed to one or a few rows of teeth on the rotor or stator plates, or may be on all teeth rows in the rotor or stator plates.
[0038] The V-shaped angle of the leading sidewall 42 forms a concave surface facing the direction of rotation 57 on the rotor plate. The first and second sidewall surfaces 54 , 56 preferably each form an angle with respect to a radial of the plate. The angles are preferably in a direction opposite to the rotation of the rotor disc. For example, the first and second sidewall surfaces 54 , 56 may be each at an angle of 0° to 60° with respect to a radial 32 ( FIG. 1 a ). In a preferred embodiment, the first and second 54 , 56 surfaces may be each at an angle of 5° to 45° with respect to a radial. While the first and second sidewall surfaces 54 , 56 may each have the same magnitude of angle, they may alternatively have different angles with respect to a radial 32 . For example, the first sidewall surface 54 may form an angle of 7.5° and the second sidewall surface 56 may form an angle 35° with respect to a radial. The angle of the first surface 54 and a radial is a feeding angle.
[0039] The leading edge 60 of the corner of a disperger tooth 40 may be formed by an front edge of the first surface 54 (radially inward) and a leading edge of the front wall of 50 . The angle may be less than 90° between the first surface 54 of the sidewall and the front wall 50 . For example, the leading edge 60 of the tooth may have an angled of 85° to 30°0, and more preferably 82.5° to 65° . The leading edge is sharp as compared to the 90° corners of traditional disperger teeth. The sharp leading corners should retain a sharp edge better as they wear, as compared to traditional 90° edges.
[0040] The second surface 56 may have an angle and length such that it deflects refiner material particle moving radially between the teeth. The deflection slows the refined material radially flowing between the teeth. Slowing refined material reduces the erosion of the leading edges of teeth because the impact against the leading edge is lessened by the slower refined material. The angle and length of the second surface 56 may be such that its length perpendicular to a radial is at least a width of the gap between the tooth and an adjacent tooth. The angle of the second surface 56 to a radial is the holdback angle. Any combination of feeding and holdback angles may be employed depending on the desired dispersing effects.
[0041] The transition 62 between the surfaces 54 , 56 of the sidewall 42 of the tooth can either be a sharp corner or a radius which may have the same width as the upper surface of the tooth (as shown in FIG. 3 b ), so that the angle across the whole height of the tooth edge is constant. A smooth radius across the whole sidewall surface (collectively 54 , 56 and 62 ) would also achieve the same overall goals of a sharp leading edge and a holdback surface, even if the angle at the leading edge is not constant.
[0042] The described rotor plate design can be used with a stator plate with a standard tooth. On the other hand, the stator plate may also have V-shaped sidewalls. The stator design may present the same sharp crossing corner angle, e.g., greater than 90°, to the process to maintain better wear characteristics. The crossing angle is from a tangent line extending in front of the tooth edge and back to the surface of the sidewall adjacent the edge. The stator plate segments may include double-angle teeth having the convex sidewalls that face the rotation, so that the angle of the tooth edge at the crossing interface would be greater than 90°. A crossing angle of greater than 90° is not perceived as a problem for stator wear, because edge rounding mostly occurs on the rotor teeth. It may be desirable to for the crossing angles of rotor and stator tooth surfaces to vary to improve disperging efficiency and feed transfer through the interface of rotor and stator teeth.
[0043] FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are a front plan view and a side-cross-sectional view, respectively, of an exemplary disperger rotor plate segment 70 that is to be mounted on a disc and in opposition to a stator plate. The rotational direction for the rotor plate is counter clock-wise as indicated by arrow 72 .
[0044] The disperger plate segment 70 includes rows 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 and 84 of teeth 86 . The rows of teeth may be each at a respective radius 88 of the disc, but may also be slanted with respect to the radius. Similarly, the stator plate ( FIGS. 5 a and 5 b ) has rows of teeth that interleave with the rows of rotor teeth, when the plates are arranged in the disperger.
[0045] To promote feeding and retention of the pulp into the disperging zone, the rotor may include at least one inner row (see row 74 ) of disperging teeth 86 . The stator is not limited to the inlet for feeding and may include disperging teeth, feeding inlets (such as the feed injectors disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,071), breaker bars and other features. These inlet features may be selected for a particular disperger plate depending on the disperging requirements for the plate.
[0046] FIGS. 5 ( a ) and 5 ( b ) show a top down view and a side cross-sectional view, respectively, of an exemplary stator disperger plate segment 100 employing the double angle geometry teeth 102 arranged in rows 104 , 106 , 108 , 110 , 112 and 114 . The stator disperger plate segment (when arranged in a plate) is intended to be opposite the rotor plate 70 such that the respective rows of the rotor and stator plates intermesh. The stator plate 100 includes an outermost row 114 of disperger teeth in holdback to prevent wear of the inner portion of the refiner casing. The rear wall of teeth in the outer row 114 may be perpendicular to the substrate of the plate and not tapered as is the near wall of the inner rows of teeth. The holdback angle is the angle with respect to a radial formed by the second section 116 (which is radially outward) of the sidewall of the tooth. The holdback angle may be at least as great as the holdback angle of the last row of teeth 84 on the rotor plate 60 . The angles of the teeth sidewalls of the rows of the stator plate segment 100 are show as being similar to the sidewall angles for corresponding rows on the rotor plate segment 70 . However, the sidewall angles on the stator plate segment need not necessarily correspond to the sidewall angles of the rows of rotor teeth.
[0047] While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. | A refiner plate including a generally planar surface having annular rows of teeth arranged concentrically on the plate, and at least one of said rows includes teeth including a leading edge corner angle of less than 90 degrees. These teeth may include a leading sidewall having a radially outward portion slanted in a direction opposing the rotation of the plate. | 3 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation application of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/428,897 filed on Apr. 23, 2009, which claims priority to European Patent Application EP 08007994.0 filed in the European Patent Office on Apr. 25, 2008, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to controlling a service in a service provisioning system, and, in particular, though not necessarily, to a method and a system for controlling a service in service provisioning system, wherein a user terminal connected to the service provisioning system comprises one or more services.
BACKGROUND
Current service providing network systems, such as the IP Multimedia Subsystem as developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), are designed to provide IP Multimedia over mobile communication networks (3GPP TS 22.228, TS 23.218, TS 23.228, TS 24.228, TS 24.229, TS 29.228, TS 29.229, TS 29.328 and TS 29.329). For fixed broadband services, such as Voice over IP (VoIP), the ETSI TISPAN working group is further developing IMS (TS 29.229: IP Multimedia Call Control Protocol based on SIP and SDP).
Within the IMS architecture the basic end-user subscription functions and the IP session management are decoupled from the specific VoIP service functions, e.g. number analysis, CLIP/R, Call Waiting, Call Barring, Call Waiting, etc. These services are handled within one or more application servers which reside in the network.
IMS, which makes use of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to set up and control client-to-client call services and client-to-server call services, provides the delivery of reliable VoIP services which meet the requirements regarding Quality of Services (QoS) and the regulatory demands for routing, privacy, security and legal interception.
Although IMS enables a large amount of multimedia services, it also has disadvantages, especially within the context of VoIP. Within the IMS standard, VoIP is only described in combination with the use of application servers in the network to maintain call state and offer the voice service features. The application servers hosting the VoIP services require user-specific configuration data for each service. Conventional IMS application servers are required to be involved in the call session for the complete duration of the call to maintain call state and will cause a substantial amount of SIP messaging to be exchanged between the various clients and servers involved. The capacity of an application server is dependent on the number of subscribers to the services, while the capacity of the IMS system scales with the volume of data traffic. Hence, the dimensioning of the network resources in such conventional IMS system is complex and based on forecasts of the VoIP service behaviour of the users is needed.
One way of solving these problems is an IMS-based call handling architecture wherein a predetermined number of the VoIP call services, which normally reside in the network, are located in the user terminals connected to the IMS. Such architecture, which hereafter will be referred to as the “flat” IMS architecture, is described in European patent application no. 080053937, which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
Within the flat IMS architecture, the initial Filter Criteria (iFC) in the user service profile of the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) may comprise information which determines whether or not a SIP message should be routed to a service located in a particular application server. The iFC may be defined according to the standard in paragraph B.2.2 of document TS 129 228, which is hereby incorporated by reference in this application. An iFC may comprise a Trigger Point, i.e. a Boolean flag determined by a set of conditions and the SIP URI of an application server the SIP request should be routed to in case of a received SIP message fulfils the condition(s) set by the Trigger point (Trigger point is TRUE). In case the Trigger point is FALSE, the SIP message will not be routed to the application server comprising the service identified in the iFC.
Hence, the iFC may be defined in such a way that a user terminal may be prevented from registering to services located in the application servers of the IMS which correspond to the call services present in the user terminal. This may be realized by setting the Trigger Point in the iFCs associated with the VoIP call services corresponding to the call services in the UE to FALSE. Hence, after registration, the iFCs in the service profile may determine the S-CSCF to route SIP messages via one or more application servers only when these application servers host services which are not present or active in the user terminal.
FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary flow diagram 100 of a VoIP call session in a flat IMS architecture, which includes the activation of a Call Forwarding service.
The core of the IMS may be formed by the conventional Call/Session Control Functions (CSCF) comprising amongst others a Proxy-CSCF (P-CSCF), an Interrogating-CSCF (I-CSCF) and a Serving-CSCF (S-CSCF). A first user terminal UE-A 102 , a second user terminal UE-B 104 and a third user terminal UE-C 106 may comprise a predetermined number of originating VoIP services (OS) and/or terminating VoIP services (TS) ( 108 , 110 , 112 ) connected to a SIP client. Each user terminal may be registered with the flat IMS. Upon registration the user profile associated with each user terminal may instruct its serving S-CSCF not to route SIP messages via application servers for all services or at least one or more services which are already present in the user terminal. For each of these services the Trigger Point in its associated iFC may be set to FALSE.
The call session depicted in FIG. 1 starts with the first terminal UE-A 102 receiving a request for a call. Such request may be initiated e.g. by the user dialing a local number 3434343 of the second user terminal UE-B. The request triggers a service 108 residing in UE-A, e.g. a VoIP number normalization service. This service generates a normalized number of the user terminal UE-B, which is subsequently inserted as a R-URI in the header of the SIP INVITE message 114 generated by the SIP client of UE-A. The SIP message is then routed via a Session border Controller (SBC) and the P-CSCF to the S-CSCF 116 serving the first user terminal UE-A.
On the basis of the user profile retrieved from a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 118 the S-CSCF may directly forward the SIP message to the I-CSCF of user terminal UE-B using ENUM and DNS. No routing to an VoIP application server takes place. Similarly, the S-CSCF 120 of the second user terminal UE-B 104 may directly route the SIP INVITE message to the SIP client of user terminal UE-B without addressing the one or more application servers connected to the IMS comprising the call services in the second user terminal UE-B. In response to the reception of the SIP message, a Call Forward service 110 located in the user terminal UE-B may be executed. The SIP client of UE-B thereafter sends the SIP INVITE message with the R-URI identifying the third user terminal UE-C (in this case a telephone number +31201234567) to the S-CSCF 122 serving UE-B.
In response, the S-CSCF 122 serving UE-B may identify the I-CSCF of the third user terminal UE-C using ENUM and DNS and directly forwards the SIP INVITE message via the I-CSCF to the S-CSCF serving UE-C 124 , which subsequently forwards the SIP INVITE message on the basis of the user profile of UE-C to the SIP client of UE-C 106 .
User terminal UE-C may confirm the establishment of a call session between UE-C and UE-B by sending a SIP response message, typically a SIP 200 OK message, back to UE-B and UE-B may confirm the establishment of the call session between UE-A and UE-B by sending a SIP 200 OK message back to UE-A (not shown in FIG. 1 ). In this way, a call session between UE-A and UE-C is established wherein the voice data are communicated over the connection using e.g. the RTP protocol.
Hence, service provisioning in the flat IMS architecture results in a significant signaling load reduction in the network, especially with regard to the IMS core and the application servers. It thus allows a very low cost solution of VoIP services. Within the flat IMS architecture however certain problems regarding service control may still be present.
In a conventional IMS the SIP client of UE-A inserts the identity of user terminal A in the FROM field of the SIP message header. The receiving SIP client of UE-B may present this identity as a Calling Line Identity to the called user of UE-B. The called user may trust this identity as being controlled by the logic of a VoIP application server of the serving telecom operator.
Furthermore, in a conventional IMS it is the service logic of a VoIP application server in the network that performs the forwarding actions to a further user terminal UE-C. In that case the VoIP service assumes separate call legs. For a call being forwarded, the first call leg is defined by the call between UE-A and UE-B and the second call leg is defined by the call between UE-B and UE-C, wherein the user of UE-A typically pays for the first call leg and the user of UE-B pays for the second call leg. Hence in a conventional IMS it is the service logic of a (VoIP) application server in the network that maintains the call state of the call between UE-A and UE-B and, between UE-B and UE-C.
In an IMS architecture wherein part of the VoIP services reside in the end-terminals however the identity of user terminal UE-A cannot be guaranteed as the content of the FROM field will be passed on transparently. As a result, the identity of UE-A may be changed by mistake or manipulated for fraud reasons and the user terminal UE-B can be mislead.
Moreover, forwarding actions will be performed by the SIP client EU-B located in the user terminal B. Hence, UE-B may reject an incoming call with a SIP response message, e.g. a SIP 302 Moved Temporarily message. This is illustrated by the flow diagram 200 of FIG. 2 . Similar to the flow diagram in FIG. 1 , a SIP INVITE 214 is sent by the SIP agent of user terminal UE-A 202 to the SIP agent of user terminal UE-B 206 . In response to the SIP INVITE UE-B sends a SIP 302 Moved Temporarily message 216 back to UE-A. The SIP 302 response message instructs the UE-A to set-up a direct call session 218 between UE-A and UE-C. This redirection is out of the control of the user of UE-A and may lead to the situation that the user of UE-A is billed for the call to the forwarded call to user terminal UE-C. This may lead to unwanted payments, especially when the user terminal UE-C is a highly priced 900-number. Moreover, user terminal UE-B may return an error response code whereby user terminal UE-A becomes uncontrollable for its user.
SUMMARY
It is an object of the invention to reduce or eliminate at least one of the drawbacks of the flat IMS architecture. In a first aspect the invention may relate to a method of controlling a service in a service provisioning network wherein the method may comprise the steps of: a serving network node associated with a user terminal receiving a registration message, said user terminal comprising one or more of services, preferably VoIP services; and/or the serving network node retrieving in response to the registration message service routing information associated with the first user terminal, the service routing information being arranged to route one or more service messages associated with said first user terminal via a call stateless application server, wherein said call stateless application server is adapted to perform one or more control actions on said service messages.
The invention may further relate to a method of handling integrity of a service in a service provisioning network, such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). The method may comprise the steps of: a serving network node associated with a user terminal, e.g. a S-CSCF serving a user terminal, receiving a registration message such as a SIP register message, said user terminal comprising a one or more services, such as call services VoIP services; and, said a serving network node retrieving in response to the registration message a user service profile associated with the first user terminal, the user service profile comprising one or more initial Filter Criteria (iFC) arranged to route one or more service messages, such as SIP messages, via a call stateless application server, wherein the server is configured managing the integrity of the service messages and/or controlling the service messages during the establishment of a service session, e.g. a call session.
In order to manage the integrity of the SIP messages the stateless application server does not require registration of user-specific configuration data for each service and thus provides simple service controlling operation, similar to P-CSCF standardized behaviour. Further, the inclusion of a stateless application server in a flat IMS architecture will not introduce scaling problems, as the capacity of a stateless application server only depends on traffic volumes and is not dependent on the number of subscribers to the IMS.
In a further embodiment the user service profile further may comprise one or more initial Filter Criteria (iFC) arranged to prevent registration of the user terminal to one or more application servers connected to the service provisioning network, wherein said application servers comprise one or more services corresponding to one or more services in the terminal. Configuring the iFCs of the user terminal according to the services present in the user terminal results in a significant signaling load reduction in the network, especially with regard to the IMS core and the application servers. Such IMS-based call handling architecture thus allows a very low cost solution of VoIP services.
In yet a further embodiment each initial Filter Criteria (iFC) may comprise one or more Trigger Points and wherein the Trigger Point of an iFC associated with a service corresponding to one of the services in the user terminal is set to FALSE.
In one embodiment the user service profile may further comprise one or more initial Filter Criteria (iFC) arranged to route all SIP messages for establishing a session associated with a service, e.g. a call session, via the stateless application server. In a further embodiment the routing of said SIP messages may be terminated if the S-CSCF has received a SIP response, preferably a SIP 200 OK message, acknowledging the establishment of the call session. The control actions of the stateless application server, may only be required during the establishment of a session associated with a requested service. Once the called party acknowledges the establishment of a session, e.g. with a SIP 200 OK response, there is no further need for the stateless application server to be involved in the session. As a result resource utilization will be far more efficient when compared to the use of a conventional VoIP application server.
In a further embodiment the stateless application server may initiate a control action in response to the receipt of a SIP message from a predefined group of SIP messages. In one embodiment the stateless application server may be triggered to perform a control action if a service message received by the stateless application server matches a service message listed in a predefined list of service messages. In one variant said list may be stored in a memory of said stateless application server. In another variant said list may be stored in a database connected to said stateless application server.
In a further variant said list of service messages may comprise one or more SIP response messages, preferably one or more redirection messages and/or one or more error messages, more preferably one or more SIP response messages from the SIP response code class 3xx and/or from the SIP response code class 5xx.
The stateless application server may only triggered by one of the SIP messages of a predefined group of SIP messages and it does not require information about the state the session is in nor the state of a call transported in said session. Hence, the control action is implemented in simple trigger-response model which can be easily modified by changing the “triggers”, i.e. the group of SIP messages, to which the server should respond to.
In one embodiment said control action may comprise the step of checking whether said service message comprises an allowable destination. In another embodiment said control action comprises the step of checking whether the destination in said service message is listed in a whitelist or a blacklist stored in the memory of said stateless application server or stored in a database connected to said stateless application server. In yet another embodiment said control action may further comprise the step of initiating a session by a SIP Request message, preferably a SIP INVITE message, in response to a received SIP redirect message. In another embodiment said control action may further comprise the step of replacing SIP redirect message by a SIP response message from the response code class 4xx.
In a further variant, the control action may further comprise the step of the SAS acting as a Back-To-Back (B2BUA) user agent. On the basis of the information in the header of the SIP redirection message (e.g. the URL of a user terminal identified in the SIP 302 message) the B2BUA may act as an endpoint for the communication session associated with a SIP redirection message and may initiate a new session to the redirection target and mediates all SIP signaling between both ends of the call. Using such control steps the SAS may efficiently prevent redirection to highly priced 900-numbers and/or other unauthorized services and terminate the call session in a controlled way.
In another embodiment the control action may comprise the step of the stateless application server checking in response a SIP request message the caller identity of the originating call by comparing the FROM field with P-Asserted-Identity field in the header of the SIP message. In one embodiment the stateless application server may use the contents of the P-Asserted-Identity header field to be copied in the FROM header field. The P-Asserted-Identity header field is inserted by the P-CSCF into the header of SIP messages. The P-Asserted-Identity is used among trusted SIP entities to carry the identity of the user sending a SIP message as it was verified by authentication thus serving as a reliable and trustable information for checking the identity of the caller.
In one embodiment the control action may comprise the step of the stateless application server preventing in response to a SIP response message, preferably a SIP 302 Moved Temporarily message, the SIP response message from being routed to the user terminal. Blocking SIP response messages, e.g. a SIP 302 Moved Temporarily response message, from a called user terminal may prevent the establishment of unwanted call session, which is out of the control of the calling user terminal and which may lead to unwanted billing of the call.
In a further embodiment the stateless application server may send a SIP request, preferably a SIP INVITE message, to a further user terminal identified in the SIP response message. By sending a SIP INVITE to the user terminal to which the call is forwarded to, the stateless application server is capable of maintaining the integrity of the separate call legs between the calling user terminal and the called/forwarding user terminal and between the called/forwarding user terminal and the user terminal to which the call is forwarded. This way unwanted billing may be avoided.
In a further aspect the invention may relate to a stateless application server for use in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). The application server may be configured to manage the integrity of SIP messages and/or control the service messages during the establishment of a call session, the server comprising: means for receiving a SIP message from a S-CSCF serving a user terminal, the user terminal comprising a predetermined number of call services, preferably VoIP services; and, means for initiating a control action in response to the receipt of a SIP message from a predefined group of SIP messages, preferably the group comprising at least a SIP INVITE message and/or a SIP 302 Moved Temporarily message.
In one embodiment the stateless server may comprise means for checking whether a service message comprises an allowable destination. In another embodiment said control action may further comprise the means for initiating a session by a SIP Request message, preferably a SIP INVITE message, in response to a received SIP redirect message. In yet another embodiment the server may comprise means for replacing a SIP redirect message by a SIP response message from the response code class 4xx, such as a SIP 480 message.
In an embodiment the stateless application server may further comprise: means for checking the caller identity of the originating call by comparing the FROM field with P-Asserted-Identity field in the header of the SIP message; and,
means for copying the contents of the P-Asserted-Identity in the FROM field.
In another embodiment the stateless application server may further comprise: means for preventing a SIP response message, preferably a SIP 302 Moved Temporarily message, from being routed to the user terminal; and, means for sending a SIP request, preferably a SIP INVITE message, to a further user terminal identified by the URL in said response message.
In yet another aspect the may invention relate to a system for controlling service messages in a service provisioning network, preferably comprising an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), wherein the service provisioning network may be connected to at least one user terminal, wherein the user terminal may comprise one or more services, preferably VoIP services and wherein said service provisioning network may be further connected to a stateless application server as described in the embodiments above.
The invention may also relate to a computer program product for controlling service messages in a service provisioning network, preferably comprising an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), the computer program product comprising software code portions configured for, when run on one or more network nodes in said service provisioning network, executing the method steps as described in the embodiments above.
The invention will be further illustrated with reference to the attached drawings, which schematically show embodiments according to the invention. It will be understood that the invention is not in any way restricted to these specific embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts a schematic flow diagram of forwarded call in a flat IMS architecture.
FIG. 2 depicts provides a schematic flow diagram of another forwarded call in a flat IMS architecture.
FIG. 3 depicts a schematic flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 depicts a schematic flow diagram of another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 depicts a schematic flow diagram of yet another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 3 depicts a schematic flow diagram 300 of an exemplary embodiment of the invention. A first user terminal (EU) 302 may comprise a SIP client 306 (also referred as a SIP User Agent or SIP UA) and functional unit 304 , comprising one or more number of originating, intermediate and/or terminating services, preferably VoIP specific services, e.g. number normalization, Caller ID Blocking, Call Forwarding (conditional, no answer, busy), Calling Line Identification Presentation (CLIP), VoiceMail, Call Return Busy Destination, Call Waiting, Conferencing, Call Hold, etc. Alternatively, the services may be multimedia services, such as (interactive) television, Content on Demand or videophone services. In general, the invention may apply to all services that may be made available to users through application servers. Other types of services include virus scanning, parental control functionality and/or firewall or proxy services.
These services may be implemented in the terminal as one or more software programs executed by a processor in the memory of the terminal, as hardware (e.g. one or more chipsets providing the desired service) or a combination of hardware and software.
The user terminal may be an IP telephone or, alternatively, the user terminal may be “soft” IP phone, i.e. a computer program executed on a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or a smart phone providing the functionality of the telephone. In case of services related to multimedia services, the user terminal may be a device capable of providing multimedia services to the user, such as television, a combination of a television and a set-top box or a home gateway.
In order to execute the software programs the terminal may comprise an Operating System (OS) for managing the resources of the terminal, e.g. one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), memory for storing program instructions and data and Input/Output (I/O) devices such as a radio module for providing wireless access to the network. Further, the OS may comprise Application Programming Interfaces (AIPs) through which one or more application programs may access services offered by the OS. The OS may comprise AIPs for setting up wired and/or wireless connections to a communications network, such as an IMS network.
FIG. 3 schematically depicts a registration process of the user terminal UE to a flat IMS system, which is capable of managing the integrity of the SIP messages during the establishment of a call session. The registration process may be started by the user terminal UE sending a registration messages, e.g. a SIP REGISTRATION message, via the SBC and the P-CSCF to the I-CSCF 308 (step 1 ). The I-CSCF selects on the basis of the information provided by the HSS 310 a suitable S-CSCF (step 2 ). The registration message may then be forwarded to the S-CSCF 312 serving UE for authenticating the user (steps 3 and 4 ).
After authentication of the user, the S-CSCF may inform the HSS that the user has been successfully registered. In return the HSS may provide the S-CSCF with service routing information which may be contained in or associated with the service profile of the user (step 5 ). On the basis of the service routing information, the S-CSCF may register the user with one or more services in the one or more application servers by sending a register message (such as a SIP REGISTER message) to the application servers identified in the service routing information. The services may be identified by a set of initial filter criteria (iFC) in or associated with the user service profile.
An iFC may be generally regarded as service routing rules comprising a filter part and a decision part, wherein the filter part comprises so-called Trigger Points, defining one or more filter criteria which are applied to the incoming service message. The decision part specifies the action(s) to be taken when the incoming message matches with the filter criteria of the rule. The iFC thus comprised information for determining whether or not a SIP message should be routed to a service located in a particular application server. The iFCs are defined in the standard in paragraph B.2.2 of document TS 129 228, which is hereby incorporated by reference in this application. An iFC may comprise one or more Trigger Points, i.e. Boolean flags determined by a set of conditions to be met by the SIP request, and one or more SIP URIs of application servers the SIP request should be routed to in case the Trigger Point is TRUE. In case the Trigger Point is FALSE, it will not be routed to the application server comprising the service identified in the iFC.
According to the present invention the scripts in the iFCs of the user service profile of UE may instruct the S-CSCF to route messages to a stateless application server 314 which manages the control of the SIP messages during the establishment of a call session (step 6 ). In one embodiment this may be achieved by setting the Trigger Point in the iFCs associated with the stateless application server to TRUE.
The stateless application server (SAS) is adapted to perform one or more control actions on service messages (i.e. messages, such as SIP messages, associated with a service session) it receives. In particular, the SAS may be configured to take action upon service messages which may result in undesired situations such as redirection messages leading to undesired call sessions and/or error messages which cause a user terminal to become uncontrollable. Such messages may include SIP messages from the SIP response code class 3xx regarding redirection of a request to another location and SIP response code class 5xx defining error messages indicating that a request was not completed due to error in recipient and that a request is to be tried at another location.
To that end the SAS may comprise a pre-configured list or table comprising service messages. Such service message table may be stored in a memory of the SAS. In a further variant, the service message table may be stored in a database connected to the SAS. If a received service message matches a service message in the table, the SAS may trigger a control action. Hence, the SAS does not require information about the state the call is in. The SAS treats each SIP message it receives as a SIP message which is independent of subsequent messages or earlier received messages. Hence, the SAS can be session aware but does not rely on the maintenance of state (i.e., information about the state of the end-to-end communication, which is the responsibility of end nodes such as UE and an application server), thereby adhering to RFC 1958.
In response to a trigger, the SAS may initiate a control action. For example for integrity control, it may replace and/or amend certain fields in the header field of the SIP message. In a further embodiment, in response to the trigger, the SAS may act as a Back-To-Back (B2BUA) user agent, by acting as endpoint for the communication session associated with a SIP redirection message and initiating a new session to the redirection target and mediates all SIP signaling between both ends of the call. In yet a further embodiment, in response to the trigger the SAS may disconnect itself from the S-CSCF serving a user terminal. Hence, the SAS allows simple implementation of control actions in the service provisioning network, such as an integrity control action and/or a call leg control action, by amending information in the service message and/or by initiating a B2BUA (e.g. a B2BUA as defined in RFC3261). These control actions are implemented in a simple trigger-response model, which may be easily modified by changing the “triggers”, i.e. the group of SIP messages, to which the server should respond to. The advantages of the use of such stateless server will be become more apparent from the examples as described hereunder with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .
In a further variant, step 6 in the process as described in FIG. 3 , may further include service routing information, for example in the form of one or more scripts in the iFCs of the user service profile, instructing the S-CSCF to only register with the application servers hosting the services which are not present and/or active in the user terminal UE. In one embodiment, prevention of registration of these services may be achieved by setting the Trigger Point in the iFCs associated with the services corresponding to the services in the UE (e.g. VoiP or multimedia services) to FALSE. Hence, after registration, the service routing information may determine the S-CSCF to route SIP messages via the SAS and, optionally, via one or more application servers which host services which are not present and/or active in the user terminal UE.
FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram 400 of a further embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the process may be started by the UE 402 sending a SIP INVITE 414 to another user terminal in order to establish a call session. In the header of the SIP message 416 the FROM field comprises a URI identifying the user terminal. The URI may be inserted in the FROM field by the SIP agent in the user terminal UE and may be used by the called user terminal to identify the caller. The SIP INVITE message may be sent via the P-CSCF to the S-CSCF serving user terminal UE. The P-CSCF, which authenticates the user terminal UE, may subsequently insert a P-Asserted-Identity header field into the SIP INVITE message 418 .
The P-Asserted-Identity header field is used among trusted SIP entities, such as two or more user terminals registered to an IMS, to carry the identity of the user sending a SIP message as it was verified by authentication. The P-Asserted-Identity header field is described in more detail in IETF Specs RFC 3325, which are hereby incorporated by reference into the application.
Thereafter the SIP INVITE is sent to the S-CSCF, which forwards the INVITE message on the basis of the iFCs to a stateless application server 420 which is configured to take action upon reception of a SIP INVITE message. The SIP INVITE message triggers the stateless application server 420 and—in response—the stateless application server 420 copies the contents of the P-Asserted-Identity header field into the FROM field 422 thereby providing guarantee to the called party about the identity of the party making the VoIP call. Normally the FROM field and the P-Asserted-Identity field should match. Differences may be caused by manipulation or an error. Hence, in this embodiment the stateless application server may perform a simple control action, in particular an integrity control action, by copying the P-Asserted-Identity in the FROM field.
FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram 500 of a further embodiment of the invention. The flow diagram is similar to the one described in relation with FIG. 2 . In FIG. 5 however the S-CSCF 508 serving user terminal EU-A may now be connected to SAS 514 , which is capable of performing one or more control actions on SIP messages received by the SAS during the establishment of a call session as described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .
In the example of FIG. 5 , the control action of the SAS is triggered by a SIP 302 redirect message (i.e. a SIP response message). The SIP 302 message 512 originating from user terminal EU-B is sent to the S-CSCF serving user terminal EU-A 508 , which forwards the SIP 302 message on the basis of the iFCs to the SAS. The SIP 302 Moved Temporarily message, triggers the SAS 514 to perform a control action.
In one embodiment, the SAS may initiate the control action by checking whether the contents of the destination field (i.e. the Contact C field) of the SIP redirect message is listed in a white list, i.e. a list of allowable destinations. Alternatively, in another embodiment the SAS may check whether destination field of the SIP redirect message is listed in a blacklist, i.e. a list of not allowable destinations. The lists of allowable and/or non-allowable destinations may be stored in the memory of the SAS or, alternatively, in a database connected to the SAS.
If it is established that the destination is an allowable destination, in embodiment the SAS may continue the control action by acting as a Back-To-Back (B2BUA) user agent. On the basis of the information in the header of the SIP redirection message (e.g. the URL of a user terminal identified in the SIP 302 message) the B2BUA may act as an endpoint for the communication session associated with a SIP redirection message and may initiate a new session to the redirection target and mediates all SIP signaling between both ends of the call
This process is illustrated in FIG. 5 . Instead of passing the SIP 302 response message to the user terminal UE-A, the SAS may act as a B2BUA agent 514 which acts as a terminating network node for the SIP UE of the B-party 512 and an originating network node for the SIP UE of the C-party 504 . The B2BUA may send a SIP INVITE 516 to user terminal UE-C as identified by the URL in the SIP 302 response message, thereby establishing a direct call leg between user terminal UE-A and user terminal UE-C, so that the users involved in the call session are correctly billed.
If it is established that the destination is not an allowable destination (not shown in FIG. 5 ), the SAS may continue the control action by replacing a first SIP response message, preferably the SIP redirect message (e.g. the SIP 302 message), by a second SIP response message, preferably a SIP response message from the response code class 4xx regarding client failure responses (e.g. a SIP 480 Temporarily Unavailable message) and subsequently returning the second SIP message to user terminal UE-A on the basis of information in the header of the first SIP message (e.g. the URL of user terminal UE-A identified in the FROM header in the SIP 302 message). This way the SAS may efficiently prevent redirection to highly priced 900-numbers and/or other unauthorized services and terminate the call session in a controlled way.
Further, the stateless server 514 may be triggered by a SIP 200 OK response message. Such message indicates that a call session between an originating party and a termination party is successfully established. In that case, there is no need for the SAS to be further involved in the call session so that the SAS may be disconnected from the S-CSCF serving user terminal UE-A until a new call session is initiated. As a result, resource utilization will be reduced when compared to the situation wherein a conventional VoIP application server is used to perform control actions.
It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any one embodiment may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, and may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other of the embodiments, or any combination of any other of the embodiments. For example, in further embodiments, not all user terminals in the call session require call services to be present in the user terminal. For example the third user terminal UE-C in FIG. 5 may be a conventional user terminal having a serving S-CSCF which routes the SIP messages via one or more services (e.g. VoIP and/or multimedia services) located in one or more application servers connected to the IMS core. Other variants include methods and systems wherein the number and/or type of services in the one or more user terminals may different, as it is the user profile associated with each user terminal which determines whether or not a specific service is included in the routing of the SIP messages. Further, the invention is not limited to IMS but may also be implemented in a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) or 3GPP Service Architecture Evolution (SAE) networks. Moreover, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, which may be varied within the scope of the accompanying claims. | A method and a system is described for controlling a service in a service provisioning network. The method including the steps of: a serving network node associated with a user terminal receiving a registration message, the user terminal having one or more of services, preferably VoIP services; and, the serving network node retrieving in response to the registration message service routing information associated with the first user terminal, the service routing information being arranged to route service messages associated with the first user terminal via a stateless application server, the stateless application server being adapted to perform control actions on said service messages. | 7 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to European Patent Application 05291027.0, filed May 12, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of securing a tire-based unit of a tire condition sensing system to a rim and to an associated apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of securing a tire-based unit to a rim using a self-pierce rivet and an associated apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical tire condition sensing system for a vehicle includes a vehicle-based unit and a plurality of tire-based units. Each tire of the vehicle has an associated tire-based unit. Each associated tire-based unit senses a condition of its tire and provides a signal to the vehicle-based unit indicative of the sensed parameter. Common tire conditions that are sensed by the tire-based unit include tire pressure and tire temperature.
It is common to secure an associated tire-based unit to the rim upon which its tire is mounted. One known method for securing the tire-based unit to the rim includes extending a strap circumferentially around the rim and securing the tire-based unit to the strap. A potential drawback to the use of the strap, however, is that the strap may slip relative to the rim. This slipping of the strap may affect the balance of the tire.
It is also known to secure a tire-based unit to a rim using an adhesive. Adhesives, however, typically degrade over time, especially when subjected to the temperatures common in a vehicle tire. Also, special surface preparation of the rim may be required for the adhesive to property adhere to the rim.
Another known method attaches a mounting bracket to the rim using rivets. The tire-based unit is secured to the mounting bracket. A drawback of using rivets is that each rivet is associated with a hole that extends through the rim. Air may escape the tire through the associated rivet holes. As a result, the associated rivet holes must be sealed to prevent air leaks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of securing a tire-based unit of a tire condition sensing system to a rim. The method comprises the steps of: positioning a mounting bracket on the rim; disposing the rim and the mounting bracket in a press between a female mold portion and a self-pierce rivet; pressing the self-pierce rivet against the mounting bracket and toward the female mold portion of the press, so as to pierce a portion of the mounting bracket and to deep draw a portion of the rim into the female mold portion to secure the mounting bracket relative to the rim; removing the rim and secured mounting bracket from the press; and attaching the tire-based unit to the mounting bracket.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for a vehicle having a tire condition sensing system. The apparatus comprises a rim upon which a tire of the vehicle is mounted. The apparatus also comprising a tire-based unit of the tire condition sensing system. The tire-based unit includes electronics for sensing a condition of the tire and for transmitting a signal indicative of the sensed condition. The apparatus further comprises a mounting bracket to which the tire-based unit is attachable. The mounting bracket is positioned on the rim. The apparatus still further comprises a self-pierce rivet for securing the mounting bracket to the rim. The self-pierce rivet, when positioned against the mounting bracket and pressed against the mounting bracket, pierces a portion of the mounting bracket and deep draws a portion of the rim so that the self-pierce rivet secures the mounting bracket and the deep drawn portion of the rim.
In accordance with yet another aspect, the method of the present invention uses advantageously a self-piercing rivet comprising a shank with a first end, a second, free, end and an outer periphery; and an enlarged head at the first end of the shank with a non-circular outer periphery, wherein the second end of the shank is provided with a bifurcating slot extending in an axial direction of the shank, from the second end thereof and transversely therethrough; and wherein the outer periphery of the head does not extend in the transverse direction (d) of extension of the slot, substantially beyond the outer periphery of the shank of the rivet on at least one side of the shank.
Preferably, the self-pierce rivet is disposed with the transverse direction (d) of extension of the slot oriented in the axial direction of the rim.
The use of such a slotted self-pierce rivet allows placing the rivet at a significantly smaller distance of the flanges of the drop well without deep drawing the material of the drop well portion in the axial direction. This is very advantageous in the case of steel wheel comprising a rim and a disk assembled under the drop well of the rim.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates, upon reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle having a tire condition sensing system and apparatuses constructed in accordance with the method of the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is exploded view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 illustrates a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 2 located in a press during formation of the apparatus; and
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 2 constructed in accordance with the method of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a section of a conventional rim, with assembly below the rim well.
FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a preferred slotted self-pierce rivet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle 10 including a tire condition sensing system 12 . For illustrative purposes, the vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 is an automobile having four tires 16 , 18 , 20 , and 22 . Vehicles having a number of tires other than four are also contemplated by the present invention.
The tire condition sensing system 12 of FIG. 1 includes four tire-based units 24 , 26 , 28 , and 30 and a vehicle-based unit 32 . Each tire 16 , 18 , 20 , and 22 of the vehicle 10 includes an associated tire-based unit 24 , 26 , 28 , and 30 , respectively. Each of the associated tire-based units 24 , 26 , 28 , and 30 includes electronics for sensing at least one condition of the tire and for transmitting a tire condition signal indicative of the sensed condition(s) to a vehicle-based unit 32 of the tire condition sensing system 12 . The sensed tire condition(s) may include one or both of inflation pressure and temperature, as well as various other conditions. The transmitted tire condition signals for the tire-based units 24 , 26 , 28 , and 30 are indicated in FIG. 1 as tire condition signals 38 , 40 , 42 , and 44 , respectively.
As shown in FIG. 1 with reference to tire-based unit 24 , the electronics of tire-based unit 24 include a power source 34 for providing the tire-based unit with electrical energy, a sensor 36 for sensing tire conditions, transmitter electronics 46 for providing the associated tire condition signals 38 , and an antenna 48 from which the tire condition signals 38 are transmitted. Preferably, the tire condition signals 38 that are transmitted by the tire-based unit 24 are a radio frequency (“RF”) signals. Tire-based units 26 , 28 , and 30 include electronics similar to those of tire-based unit 24 .
The vehicle-based unit 32 includes an antenna 50 that is connected to a receiver 52 . Tire condition signals 38 , 40 , 42 , and 44 received by the antenna 50 are demodulated in the receiver 52 . Each demodulated tire condition signal is then transferred to a controller 54 of the vehicle-based unit 32 . The controller 54 of the vehicle-based unit 32 operates an algorithm for determining whether the received tire condition signal under consideration originated from one of the tire-based units 16 , 18 , 20 , and 22 associated with the vehicle 10 . The algorithm operated by the controller 54 , upon determining that the received tire condition signal originated from one of the tire-based units 24 , 26 , 28 , and 30 associated with the vehicle 10 , also determines from which of the tire-based units the tire condition signal originated.
The controller 54 of the vehicle-based unit 32 is operatively connected to a display 56 or other device for providing a vehicle operator with tire condition information. Preferably, the display 56 is located within the occupant compartment of the vehicle 10 and provides the vehicle operator with visual information regarding the tires 16 , 18 , 20 and 22 of the vehicle.
Each of the tires 16 , 18 , 20 , and 22 of the vehicle 10 is mounted on an associated rim. FIG. 2 illustrates tire 16 mounted on rim 60 . The tire-based unit 24 that is associated with tire 16 is secured to the rim 60 . The method for securing the tire-based unit 24 to the rim 60 will be discussed in detail below. An apparatus in accordance with the present invention is formed from an assembly of a tire, its associated rim, and its associated tire-based unit. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates apparatus 62 formed from an assembly of tire 16 , rim 60 , and tire-based unit 24 .
For purposes of brevity, the present application will only specifically discuss the method of securing tire-based unit 24 to rim 60 , which is associated with fire 16 . It should be understood that tire-based units 26 , 28 , and 30 may be secured to the associated rims of tires 18 , 20 , and 22 using the same method as is used for securing tire-based unit 24 to rim 60 .
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus 62 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the tire-based unit 24 is secured to the rim 60 at a location within tire 16 . In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 , the rim 60 is formed from metal. The rim 60 may be formed from any malleable material that is suitable for use as a vehicle rim. The rim 60 includes an annular base wall 64 . Inner and outer bead flanges 66 and 68 are located on opposite sides of the base wall 64 . A drop well 72 extends into the base wall 64 and toward a center (axis A) of the rim 60 . The drop well 72 extends circumferentially around the rim 60 and includes a lower wall 74 and opposite side walls 76 and 78 .
The sidewalls 84 and 86 of the tire 16 terminate at ends opposite the tread portion 82 with bead portions 88 and 90 , respectively. When the tire 16 is mounted on the rim 60 , bead portion 88 seats in bead flange 66 and bead portion 90 seats in bead flange 68 . Also, when the tire 16 is mounted on the rim 60 , an annular chamber 92 is formed within the tire. The rim 60 defines an interior edge of the annular chamber 92 .
FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 . The lower wall 74 has a curved profile that is centered at the center (axis A) of the rim 60 . The lower wall 74 includes inner and outer surfaces 102 and 104 , respectively. The inner surface 102 is located nearer the center (axis A) of the rim 60 than the outer surface 104 . The lower wall 74 has a generally uniform thickness, measured between the inner and outer surfaces 102 and 104 .
As shown in FIG. 3 , the tire-based unit 24 associated with tire 16 includes a protective housing 108 . The protective housing 108 includes a metallic lower portion 110 and a plastic upper portion 112 . The lower portion 110 has opposite ends 114 and 116 , respectively. A rectangular lock tooth 118 extends outwardly of each of the ends 114 and 116 . A cavity (not shown) is formed in the protective housing 108 between the lower portion 110 and the upper portion 112 . The electronics of the tire-based unit 24 are located within the cavity. The cavity of the protective housing 108 is subject to the same environmental conditions as the annular chamber 92 . For example, the air pressure within the cavity of the protective housing 108 is equal to the air pressure within the annular chamber 92 .
A mounting bracket 124 is associated with the tire-based unit 24 . The mounting bracket 124 secures the protective housing 108 of the tire-based unit to the rim 60 . As is shown in FIG. 2 , the tire-based unit 24 is secured to the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 . When secured to the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 , the protective housing 108 of the tire-based unit 24 is located below, or nearer to the center (axis A) of the rim 60 , than the annular base wall 64 . As a result, when the tire 16 is mounted on the rim 60 , the bead portions 88 and 90 of the tire 16 may pass along the annular base wall 64 and over the drop well 72 without contacting the tire-based unit 24 .
The mounting bracket 124 is formed from metal or another resilient material. The mounting bracket 124 includes a base portion 126 and opposite end portions 130 and 132 , respectively. The base portion 126 of the mounting bracket 124 has a curved profile. The curved profile of the base portion 126 of the mounting bracket 124 corresponds to the curved profile of the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 of the rim 60 , as is illustrated in FIG. 3 . The base portion 126 preferably has a width, measured into the paper as viewed in FIG. 3 , that is less than half a width of the lower wall 74 , measured in a direction parallel to axis A between opposite side walls 76 and 78 of the drop well 72 .
The end portions 130 and 132 of the mounting bracket 124 extend from opposite ends of the base portion 126 in a direction radially outward relative to a center of the curved profile of the base portion. A rectangular opening 136 extends through each of the end portions 130 and 132 . Each rectangular opening 136 is sized for receiving a rectangular lock tooth 118 of the lower portion 110 of the protective housing 108 of the tire-based unit 24 for securing the tire-based unit to the mounting bracket 124 .
FIG. 3 also illustrates two self-pierce rivets 140 . The two self-pierce rivets 140 illustrated in FIG. 3 are identical to one another. Each self-pierce rivet 140 is formed as a monolithic body and not from multiple structures secured together. Each self-pierce rivet 140 is formed from hardened steel.
Each of the self-pierce rivets 140 includes upper and lower portions 142 and 144 , respectively. The upper portion or head 142 includes a flat, circular-shaped upper surface 150 . A frustoconical side surface 152 of the head 142 narrows as it extends away from the upper surface 150 . The lower portion or shank 144 of the self-pierce rivet 140 is tubular and presents a central hole 154 and a tapered mouth 156 . The diameter of the shank is identical to the diameter of the neck 162 of the head 142 . The surface 156 is the lower end of shank 144 .
The two self-pierce rivets 140 are used for piercing the mounting bracket 124 and deep drawing the rim 60 to secure the mounting bracket relative to the rim. A number of self-pierce rivets 140 other than two may be used. By using the self-pierce rivets 140 in accordance with the method of the present invention, the mounting bracket 124 may be secured to the rim 60 without the rim being penetrated and without the rim requiring special surface preparation.
To secure the mounting bracket 124 to the rim 60 , the base portion 126 of the mounting bracket 126 is positioned on the outer surface 104 of the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 of the rim 60 . Preferably, the mounting bracket 124 is positioned at equal distances from each of the side walls 76 and 78 of the drop well 72 . The rim 60 and the mounting bracket 124 are then positioned in a press 168 ( FIG. 4 ) having a female mold portion 170 and a plunger portion 172 . The rim 60 and the mounting bracket 124 are positioned in the press 168 at a location between the female mold portion 170 and the plunger portion 172 . FIG. 4 illustrates the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 and the mounting bracket 124 being interposed between the female mold portion 170 and the plunger portion 172 .
The female mold portion 170 of the press 168 includes an upper surface 178 upon which the inner surface 102 of the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 is positioned. Preferably, the upper surface 178 of the female mold portion 170 has a curved profile that corresponds to the curved profile of the inner surface 102 of the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 of the rim 60 . A cavity 180 extends into the upper surface 178 of the female mold portion 170 . The cavity 180 is generally cylindrical and is defined by an annular side surface or recess 182 and a centrally disposed upstanding anvil 184 . A curved shoulder 186 connects the annular side surface 182 to the surface of the anvil 184 . The cavity 180 has a depth, measured generally in the vertical direction as viewed in FIG. 4 , that is approximately equal to the height of the self-pierce rivet 140 . The height of the self-pierce rivet 140 is a distance between the upper surface 150 and the lower surface 156 of the shank 144 of the self-pierce rivet 140 . The cavity 180 has a width, measured generally horizontally as viewed in FIG. 4 , that is larger than the diameter of the tubular shank 144 of the self-pierce rivet 140 .
The self-pierce rivet 140 is positioned on the base portion 126 of the mounting bracket 124 at a location above the cavity 180 of the female mold portion 170 . When positioned on the mounting bracket 124 , the lower surface 156 of the self-pierce rivet 140 abuts the base portion 126 of the mounting bracket 124 and the upper surface 150 of the self-pierce rivet is engaged by the plunger portion 172 of the press 168 . Thus, as shown in FIG. 4 , the rim 60 , the mounting bracket 124 , and the self-pierce rivet 140 are interposed between the female mold portion 170 and the plunger portion 172 of the press 168 .
Next, the press 168 is actuated so that the plunger portion 172 presses the self-pierce rivet 140 against the mounting bracket 124 and toward the cavity 180 of the female mold portion 172 . As shown in FIG. 5 , as the self-pierce rivet 140 is pressed toward the cavity 180 of the female mold portion, it acts initially as a piercing punch so that a slug 128 of material defined by the piercing of the material of the base portion 126 of the mounting bracket 124 by the rivet 140 lies within the hollow 158 of the rivet. Thereafter the slug 128 is driven forwardly with the rivet 140 and the combined slug and rivet act as a drawing punch on the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 of the rim 60 on their path. This material displaced by the forward movement of the combined slug and rivet is drawn into the cavity 180 of the female mold portion 170 . As the displaced lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 of the rim 60 reaches the anvil 184 of the female mold 170 it is trapped between the advancing rivet 140 and the anvil 184 . Further forward movement of the rivet and slug causes the tubular portion of the rivet 140 to roll radially outwardly. The tubular portion of the rivet is thus spread radially outwardly and the material displaced is trapped by the recess 182 of the female mold portion 170 as can be seen with reference to FIG. 5 .
After the base portion 126 of the mounting bracket 124 is secured to the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 of the rim 60 , the rim 60 and mounting bracket 124 are removed from the press 168 . The method of the invention is repeated for securing the mounting bracket 124 to the rim 60 with additional self-pierce rivet 140 .
After all of the self-pierce rivets 140 have been pressed into positions securing the mounting bracket 124 to the rim 60 , the protective housing 108 of the tire-based unit 24 is attached to the mounting bracket. To attach the protective housing 108 to the mounting bracket 124 , the rectangular lock tooth 118 on the end 114 of the lower portion 110 of the protective housing 108 is inserted through the rectangular opening 136 in the end portion 130 of the mounting bracket 124 . The protective housing 108 is then pressed downward toward the base portion 126 of the mounting bracket 124 so that the rectangular lock tooth 118 on the end 116 of the lower portion 110 of the protective housing 108 snaps into the rectangular opening 136 in the other end portion 132 of the mounting bracket 124 . The tire 16 is then mounted on the rim 60 in a known manner. The apparatus 62 , which includes the rim 60 , the tire 16 , and the secured tire-based unit 24 , is then ready for assembly onto the vehicle 10 having the tire condition sensing system 12 .
The previous self-pierce rivet, which is axisymmetrical, is appropriate in all the cases where the thickness of the drop well portion of the wheel is regular. FIG. 6 presents a section of a steel wheel rim 60 assembled to a disk 61 under the lower wall 74 of the drop well 72 . In this case the tire-based unit is preferably placed in the portion of the drop well adjacent the disk. The axial width L of this portion is limited and it is advantageous to use a slotted self-pierce rivet 200 which will expand substantially only in the circumferential direction of the rim.
Such a slotted self-pierce rivet 200 is presented in the FIGS. 7 to 9 . The slotted self-pierce rivet 200 differs from that shown in FIGS. 3-5 mainly in two respects. First, the head 210 of the slotted rivet is modified by removing two opposing sectors of the head up to the shank 220 of the rivet. Thus, the head 210 of the rivet has two opposed arcuate portions defining there between a major dimension D and two opposed straight portions defining there between a minor dimension d, the straight portions being parallel to each other and being substantially tangential to the shank 220 , giving rise to a head which has a major dimension D which extends beyond the shank 220 of the rivet 200 and a minor dimension d, perpendicular to the major dimension, which does not extend beyond the shank 220 of the rivet. Second, the shank 220 of the rivet is formed with, in addition to a central hole 222 extending the length of the shank of the rivet and a tapered mouth 224 , a slot 226 positioned substantially perpendicular to the straight portions of the head and extending from the mouth 224 or the central hole 222 towards the closed end thereof. The geometry of the female mold portion of the press is adapted to the geometry of the slotted self-pierce rivet in order to guide the displaced material in the appropriate circumferential direction.
The use of such a slotted self-pierce rivet allows placing the rivet at a significantly smaller distance of the flange 78 on one side and of the axial end of the disk 63 on the other side. The bifurcated slot allows securing the mounting bracket and the drop well portion of the rim by deep drawing the drop well portion mainly in the circumferential direction of the rim. A circumferential section of the tire-based unit mounted on the rim is very similar to FIG. 5 .
The slotted rivet 200 described here is just an example of the numerous versions possible. Other examples are presented, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,560, which is incorporated herein by reference.
From the above description of the invention, those skilled in the art will perceive improvements, changes and modifications. Such improvements, changes and modifications within the skill of the art are intended to be covered by the appended claims. | A method of securing a tire-based unit ( 24 ) of a tire condition sensing system ( 12 ) to a rim ( 60 ) and an associated apparatus ( 62 ) are provided. The method comprising the steps of: positioning a mounting bracket ( 124 ) on the rim ( 60 ); positioning a self-pierce rivet ( 140, 200 ) against the mounting bracket ( 124 ), so that a portion of the mounting bracket ( 124 ) is interposed between the self-pierce rivet ( 140, 200 ) and the rim ( 60 ); pressing the self-pierce rivet ( 140, 200 ) against the mounting bracket ( 124 ) and toward the female mold portion of the press, so as to pierce a portion of the mounting bracket and to deep draw a portion of the rim into the female mold portion to secure the mounting bracket relative to the rim; removing the rim and secured mounting bracket from the press; and attaching the tire-based unit ( 24 ) to the mounting bracket ( 124 ). | 1 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/165,849, filed Jun. 22, 2011, claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61,358,774, filed Jun. 22, 2010. Each of the foregoing applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present application generally relates to gas lift barrier valves and associated side pocket mandrels, and more particularly to a dual gas lift barrier valve and mandrel design.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The present application generally relates to a gas lift barrier and associated side pocket mandrel design. For purposes of communicating well fluid to a surface of a well, a well may include production tubing. More specifically, the production tubing typically extends down hole into a wellbore of the well for purposes of communicating well fluid from one or more subterranean formations through a central passageway of the production tubing to the well's surface. Due to its weight, the column of well fluid that is present in the production tubing may suppress the rate at which the well fluid is produced from the formation. More specifically, the column of well fluid inside the production tubing exerts a hydrostatic pressure that increases with well depth. Thus, near a particular producing formation, the hydrostatic pressure may be significant enough to substantially slow down the rate at which the well fluid is produced from the formation.
[0004] For purposes of reducing the hydrostatic pressure and thus, enhancing the rate at which fluid is produced, an artificial-lift technique may be employed. One such technique involves injecting gas into the production tubing to displace some of the well fluid in the tubing with lighter gas. The displacement of the well fluid with the lighter gas reduces the hydrostatic pressure inside the production tubing and allows reservoir fluids to enter the wellbore at a higher flow rate. The gas to be injected into the production tubing typically is conveyed down hole via the annulus (the annular space surrounding the production tubing) and enters the production tubing through one or more gas lift barrier valves.
[0005] A gas lift system can include production tubing that extends into a wellbore. For purposes of gas injection, the system includes a gas compressor that is located at the surface of the well to pressurize gas that is communicated to an annulus of the well. To control the communication of gas between the annulus and a central passageway of the production tubing, the system may include several side pocket gas lift mandrels. Each of the gas lift mandrels can have an associated gas lift barrier valve for purposes of establishing one way fluid communication from the annulus to the central passageway. Near the surface of the well, one or more of the gas lift barriers may be unloading valves. An unloading gas lift barrier opens when the annulus pressure exceeds the production tubing pressure by a certain threshold, a feature that aids in pressurizing the annulus below the valve before the valve opens. Other gas lift barriers, typically located farther below the surface of the well, may not having an opening pressure threshold.
[0006] The gas lift barrier can contain a one way check valve element that opens to allow fluid flow from the annulus into the production tubing and closes when the fluid would otherwise flow in the opposite direction. For example, the production tubing may be pressurized for purposes of setting a packer, actuating a tool, performing a pressure test, etc. Thus, when the pressure in the production tubing exceeds the annulus pressure, the valve element is closed to ideally form a seal to prevent any flow from the tubing to the annulus. However, it is possible that this seal may leak, and if leakage does occur, well operations that rely on production tubing pressure may not be able to be completed or performed. Thus, an intervention may be needed, which may be costly, especially for a subsea well.
[0007] Thus, there exists a continuing need for better ways to increase reliability of gas lift barrier valves and to prevent a gas lift barrier assembly/design from leaking
SUMMARY
[0008] The following is brief summary of a combination of embodied features and is in no way meant to unduly limit any present or future claims relating to this application.
[0009] A gas lift barrier valve mandrel assembly includes a longitudinally extending tubular member that defines a production conduit and has a central longitudinal axis. A side pocket mandrel has a first pocket for accepting a gas lift barrier valve and has a first central axis. The side pocket mandrel has a second pocket for accepting a gas lift barrier valve and has a second central axis. The central axis of the production conduit, first axis and second axis are non-coaxial and are parallel to one another. A first passage fluidly connects an outside of the mandrel to an inside of the first pocket. A second passage fluidly connects the inside of the first pocket to an inside of the second pocket. A third passage fluidly connects the inside of the second pocket to the production conduit. A fourth passage connects the first pocket to the production conduit and allows insertion of a gas lift barrier valve into the first pocket. A fifth passage connects the second pocket to the production conduit and allows insertion of a gas lift barrier valve into the second pocket.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] The present disclosure can be understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is emphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a side sectional schematic view of a gas lift system according to various embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 2A is a top sectional schematic view of a gas lift system according to various embodiments.
[0013] FIG. 2B is a top sectional schematic view of a gas lift system according to various embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 3A is a side sectional schematic view of a gas lift system according to various embodiments.
[0015] FIG. 3B is a side sectional schematic view of a gas lift system according to various embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of present embodiments. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present embodiments may be practiced without many of these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments are possible. This detailed description is not meant in any way to unduly limit any present or future claims relating to the present application.
[0017] As used here, the terms “above” and “below”; “up” and “down”; “upper” and “lower”; “upwardly”, “downwardly”; “up hole” and “down hole” and other like terms indicating relative positions above or below a given point or element are used in this description to more clearly describe some embodiments. However, when applied to equipment and methods for use in wells that are deviated or horizontal, such terms may refer to a left to right, right to left, or diagonal relationship as appropriate.
[0018] A gas lift barrier apparatus that is usable with a well includes a gas lift barrier valve and a side pocket mandrel in connection with production tubing. The gas lift barrier includes a valve element that is located in a pocket connecting between an annulus and a production conduit of tubing. U.S. Pat. No. 7,647,975 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,228,909 discusses various aspects of gas lift barrier valves and associated side pocket mandrels and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to provide some background in this area.
[0019] To begin, side pocket mandrels serve as a down hole receptacle for slickline retrievable gas lift barrier valves and flow control devices. Side pocket mandrels contain an offset pocket. The pocket configuration can allow the insertion and retrieval of a gas lift barrier valves or flow control devices, of various numbers, types and sizes, with a slickline conveyed kick-over, running and/or pulling tools. The gas lift barriers and flow control devices can incorporate an integral in-line reverse flow check valve to prevent well fluids from flowing in a reverse direction through the valve or flow control device. When installed with a gas lift barrier or flow control device in a side pocket mandrel, this reverse flow check valve also serves as a pressure barrier between the flow conduits and allows injection or fluid flow in only one direction. When the valve or flow control device, with the integral check valve, is removed from the side pocket mandrel well fluids are no longer adequately prevented from flowing in a reverse direction and as such there can be a communication between the production conduit and the casing annulus. It is desirable to have a design that can facilitate the operation, installation and retrieval of gas lift barrier valves and flow control devices, as similarly described above, while providing a capability and capacity to maintain a pressure barrier between the production and casing annulus when and after a gas lift barrier valve or flow control device is retrieved from the side pocket mandrel pocket.
[0020] Along those lines, the present application includes various embodiments where a side pocket mandrel has independent, separate, slickline retrievable or alternately deployed reverse flow check valve mechanisms (gas lift barrier valve(s)) that allow for continuous pressure integrity while allowing independent and selective operation, retrieval and installation of a gas lift barrier or flow control device while also maintaining the benefits similar to that of a standard side pocket mandrel. Additionally, various embodiments of the side pocket mandrel design will utilize gas lift barrier and flow control device conveyance tools (including kick-over tools, running tools and pulling tools).
[0021] Various embodiments relate to a dual parallel pocket or multiple parallel pocket side pocket mandrel designs. At least two internal parallel pockets can be utilized where one pocket is ported or communicating with the external (exterior) side of the mandrel body (annulus) while also in direct communication with the second or other parallel pocket(s) which will house the primary flow control device (gas lift barrier valve) and will communicate and regulate the fluid flow through the parallel pocket(s) between the casing conduit (annulus) and the tubing production conduit. The first pocket bore can contain a slickline retrievable or alternately deployed barrier check valve system and locking mechanism which can be the primary pressure barrier for the system assembly. The second or alternate pocket bore(s) can contain the primary slickline retrievable or alternately deployed flow control device(s) and locking mechanism(s). The barrier check valve system (located in the first pocket bore) can prevent misdirected fluid flow or pressure communication between the production conduit and casing conduit during and when the primary retrievable flow control device and locking mechanism is removed from the second or alternate pocket bore(s).
[0022] An embodied feature is a flow path and communication configuration between the exterior of the side pocket mandrel, through the parallel pocket bores, and to the interior main production conduit (bore) of the side pocket mandrel. This configuration of bores, pockets and communication portals will allow for the use of two (or more) separate and distinct retrievable flow control devices that will work independently to serve the flow control and pressure barrier requirement of the system. Each of the pocket bores may be consistent with side pocket mandrel designs and fluid flow configurations or be of a unique design that will facilitate variable flow configurations. Either design will facilitate standard gas lift flow configurations where gas or fluid flows from the casing annulus to the production conduit or from the production conduit to the casing annulus, chemical injection flow configurations where fluids flow from the casing annulus to the production conduit or from a separate external conduit (control line) from the surface to the side pocket mandrel pocket bore, or water flood flow configurations where fluid flows from the production conduit to the casing conduit or any other flow configuration that may be dictated by the operating oil or gas well conditions.
[0023] Some benefits associated with these present embodiments are that a long term positive sealing system (barrier gas lift barrier and barrier side pocket mandrel) will provide gas lift systems with a redundant pressure barrier system during different phases of operation with zero or minimal fluid release after their closure. This could offer a cost effective and positive closure system to reduce the potential for inadvertent hydrocarbon releases into the environment, e.g., when well shut-in is required in wells where a gas lift system is present.
[0024] Looking more specifically at some preferred embodiments, the present application relates to gas lift mandrels and the associated gas lift barrier valves. As noted earlier, an issue that is common and continually addressed in this area of technology is the prevention of flow from inside the mandrel and/or production tubing out via failed or faulty gas lift barrier valves and into the annulus outside the mandrel and/or production tubing. One way to address this issue is by using two gas lift barrier valves to provide a dual barrier and increase the overall one-way-check valve functionality and reliability. Given the desire to have each valve be replaceable and accessible while down hole, it is advantageous to provide a parallel and adjacent configuration where one valve can be removed while maintaining a one-way-check-valve function between inside the mandrel and the outside of the mandrel.
[0025] FIG. 1 shows a combination of embodied features along these lines. A side pocket mandrel 3 is connected with production tubing 1 that is located within a wellbore lined with casing 2 . The side pocket mandrel 3 has a production conduit 9 that extends though the middle of the production tubing 1 and the side pocket mandrel 3 . The production conduit 9 has a central axis 16 . A first pocket 14 is located in the side pocket mandrel 3 and is located adjacent to the production conduit 9 . The first pocket 14 has a central axis 17 . A second pocket 15 is located in the side pocket mandrel 3 and has a central axis 18 . The pockets 14 and 15 can be cylindrical in shape.
[0026] A first gas lift barrier valve 4 is located in the first pocket 14 . The first gas lift barrier valve 4 forms a seal 19 with the inside of the pocket 14 . A one-way-check-valve 11 in the gas lift barrier valve 4 allows flow only in one direction. A port 6 connects the outside of the side pocket mandrel 3 to the inside of the first pocket 14 and the inside of the first gas lift barrier valve 4 . Gas can pass though the port 6 and through the one-way-check-valve 11 into a port 7 . From the port 7 the gas can pass into the second pocket 15 and into the second gas lift barrier valve 5 . The gas passes though a one-way-check-valve 11 of the second gas list barrier valve 5 and though an opening 8 into the production conduit 9 . The second gas lift barrier valve 5 has a seal 11 that seals with the inside of the second pocket 15 . Due to the seals 11 of the first gas lift barrier valve 4 and the second gas lift barrier valve 5 , gas traveling along the aforementioned path is prevented from passing into the production conduit 9 by way of openings 13 to each pocket. Each opening 13 connects with either the first pocket 14 or the second pocket 15 . The openings 13 are used to place the gas lift barriers into the pockets.
[0027] The side pocket mandrel 3 is integrated with the production tubing 1 . The outside diameter of the side pocket mandrel 3 portion is generally larger than the outside diameter of the production tubing 1 , while the contour of the production conduit 9 remains substantially uninterrupted.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 1 , the first gas lift barrier 4 is adjacent to the second gas lift barrier 5 and overlaps with the second gas lift barrier in a direction perpendicular to the axis 16 . The first gas lift barrier 4 and the second gas lift barrier can be offset in the axial direction. The offset positioning can facilitate flow and connection between the first pocket 14 and the second pocket 15 . This configuration can be advantageous to allow for gas flow into the port 6 , through the gas lift one way check valves and into the conduit 1 . Of course, other variations on this configuration are possible.
[0029] FIGS. 2A and 2B show a sectional top view corresponding to FIGS. 1 , 3 A and 3 B respectively. The first pocket 14 is adjacent and parallel to the second pocket 15 . Also, the passage 7 connects the first pocket 14 to the second pocket 15 . The cross section here also shows the cross section of the side pocket mandrel portion 3 having a larger outside diameter than the production tubing 1 as noted earlier.
[0030] FIG. 3A and 3B show sectional side views of the embodied design shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 A and 2 B. In FIG. 3A , the sectional side view shows the first pocket 14 connecting with the passage 6 to the outside of the side pocket mandrel 3 . Also, FIG. 3A shows the contour of the side pocket mandrel portion 3 . The central axis 17 of the first pocket 14 is adjacent to and substantially parallel to the central axis 16 of the production conduit 9 . FIG. 3B shows a side sectional view with the second pocket 15 . The second pocket 15 connects with the inside of the production conduit 9 by way of the passage 7 . Together, FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the substantially parallel and adjacent positioning between the first pocket 14 and the second pocket 15 .
[0031] The preceding description is meant to provide one skilled in the art with an adequate understanding of various embodiments and features of the present patent application. The disclosures and descriptions are not meant in any way to unduly limit any present or future claims relating to this application. | A gas lift barrier valve mandrel assembly includes a longitudinally extending tubular member that defines a production conduit and has a central longitudinal axis. A side pocket mandrel has a first pocket for accepting a gas lift barrier valve and has a first central axis. The side pocket mandrel has a second pocket for accepting a gas lift barrier valve and has a second central axis. The central axis of the production conduit, first axis and second axis are non-coaxial and are parallel to one another. A passage fluidly connects an outside of the mandrel to an inside of the production conduit and is intersected by the first and second pockets. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of stabilizing N-oxyl compounds in vinyl compounds.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that vinyl compounds such as (meth)acrylic acid and esters thereof are liable to polymerize by light and heat. In order to prevent polymerization of vinyl compounds, various kinds of polymerization inhibitors are added therein.
JP-B-4-14121 describes to use N-oxyl compounds such as bis-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinoxyl)-sebacate as a polymerization inhibitor for vinyl compounds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have researched stability of the vinyl compounds in which N-oxyl compounds have been added as a polymerization inhibitor during storage or transportation thereof, and then found the following: Such N-oxyl compounds were lost with time in the vinyl compounds, so that the vinyl compounds could not be stably stored or transported.
With a view to the above circumstance, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of stabilizing N-oxyl compounds in vinyl compounds.
We have found that by allowing an N-oxyl compound in vinyl compounds to co-exist with an N-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound and a 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound, a disappearance of the N-oxyl compound with time can be reduced, and then the present invention has been achieved.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method of stabilizing an N-oxyl compound in vinyl compounds by allowing the N-oxyl compound in the vinyl compounds to co-exist with an N-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound and a 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound.
In accordance with the present invention, the reduction in concentration of the N-oxyl compound that has been added in the vinyl compounds for a stabilizer is controlled, and then the vinyl compound is maintained stably. More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, the concentration reduction of N-oxyl compounds in the vinyl compound can be controlled and then the vinyl compound can be stably maintained in the case of handling the vinyl compound, such as storing in a tank, transportation by a tank truck and piping.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of the preferred embodiments.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The viny compound to be used in the present invention is a compound having a vinyl bond and polymerizable during the production or handling thereof, and may include for example (meth)acrylic acid, esters thereof and acrylonitrile. Among them, (meth)acrylic acid and esters thereof are more preferable.
As the representative of acrylic esters, it may cite methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate and 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate, etc. As the representative of methacrylic esters, it may cite methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, etc.
The amount of N-oxyl compounds to be used is not particularly restricted as long as polymerization of vinyl compounds can be prevented, but may be in the range of 0.0005 to 0.1 part by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the vinyl compound.
The N-oxyl compound to be used in the present invention is not particularly restricted, but may include N-oxyl compounds, which are generally used for preventing polymerization of the vinyl compounds. Among them, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl compounds represented by the formula (1):
wherein R 1 stands for CHOH, CHCH 2 OH, CHCH 2 CH 2 OH, CHOCH 2 OH, CHOCH 2 CH 2 OH, CHCOOH or C═O, and R 2 stands for a hydrogen atom or CH 2 OH, are preferable.
As the representative of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl compounds, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl, 4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl, and 4-carboxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl, etc may be cited. The N-oxyl compound may be used singly or in a combination of two or more thereof. Among them, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl and 4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl are preferable, and 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl is most preferable.
As the representative of N-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperadine compounds, 1,4-dihydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, and 1-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, etc may be cited. The N-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compounds may be used singly or in a combination of two or more thereof.
The amount of the N-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound is not particularly restricted as long as reduction in the amount of the N-oxyl compound with time can be controlled, but may be in the range of 0.01 to 500 parts by weight, preferably 0.1 to 150 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the N-oxyl compound.
As the representative of 2,2,6, 6-tetramethylpiperidine compounds, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, and 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, etc may be cited. The 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compounds may be used singly or in a combination of two or more thereof.
The amount of the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound is not particularly restricted as long as reduction in the amount of the N-oxyl compound with time can be controlled, but may be in the range of 0.01 to 500 parts by weight, preferably 0.1 to 150 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the N-oxyl compound.
A method of adding to the vinyl compounds, the N-oxyl compound, the N-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound and the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound is not particularly restricted, and they may be added separately or simultaneously.
The vinyl compound to be used in the present invention may include impurities which were by-produced in the production thereof, or derived from the raw materials therefor. When acrylic acid is used for the vinyl compound, an advantageous stabilizing effect of the present invention can be expected even if water, organic acids such as acetic acid, aldehydes such as acrolein and the like are contained.
In the present invention, conventional polymerization inhibitors such as phenothiazine, methoquinone, copper dialkyldithiocarbamate, manganese acetate, p-phenylenediamine or the like may be additionally incorporated in the vinyl compounds. The amount of the conventional polymerization inhibitors is not particularly restricted as long as it may be usually used, but may be in the range of 0.0005 to 0.1 part by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the vinyl compound.
In accordance with the present invention, the quantity reduction of the N-oxyl compounds in the vinyl compound can be effectively controlled or suppressed in the case of handling the vinyl compounds, such as storing in a tank, transportation by a tank track, and piping. As a result, polymerization of the vinyl compounds can be also prevented.
EXAMPLES
The following examples are described several preferred embodiments to illustrate the invention. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments.
The amounts of 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl (referred to as “4H-TEMPO”), 1,4-dihydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (referred to as “1,4DH-TEMP”), and 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (referred to as “4H-TEMP”) are measured by a liquid chromatography.
Examples
Samples of acrylic acid solutions were prepared by dissolving a stabilizer having a composition and concentration shown in the following Table 1 in acrylic acid which polymerization inhibitors had been removed by distillation, respectively in each sample tubes. The samples were preserved at room temperature (25° C.). Each samples was measured for the concentration of 4H-TEMPO in acrylic acid from 30 minutes to 10 hours after the dissolution. These results obtained are shown in Table 2 below.
TABLE 1
Concentration of the stabilizer (ppm)
4H-TEMPO
1,4DH-TEMP
4H-TEMP
1(Ex)
100
100
100
2(Ex)
96
2
2
3(C-Ex)
100
200
—
4(C-Ex)
100
—
200
5(C-Ex)
100
—
(Ex): Example (C-Ex): Comparative Example
TABLE 2
Concentration of 4H-TEMPO (ppm)
30 min. later
2 hrs. later
5 hrs. later
10 hrs. later
1(Ex)
100
100
100
98
2(Ex)
92
77
70
65
3(C-Ex)
62
45
32
21
4(C-Ex)
58
43
30
18
5(C-Ex)
49
31
22
13
(Ex): Example (C-Ex): Comparative Example
It is clear from the above Tables that the prevention of the reduction of 4H-TEMPO, i.e. an N-oxyl compound which is used as the stabilizer for vinyl compounds in the present invention are found compared to the comparative examples.
The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-368430 filed on Dec. 24, 1999 including specification, claims and summary are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. | It intends to prevent the reduction in quantity with time of an oxyl compound in vinyl compounds. The quantity reduction of the N-oxyl compound is suppressed by causing an N-oxyl compound, N-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound and a 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine compound to co-exist in vinyl compounds. | 2 |
This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 330,550, filed Dec. 16, 1981, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,292.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for solidifying non-settling waste "slime" suspensions, such as encountered in mineralogical operations, to a solid, stable matrix. More particularly, the present invention relates to consolidating finely divided colloidal earthy material in aqueous suspension, such as the slimes derived from phosphate operations for recovery or disposal as solid matter.
Slime ponds develop during many mineralogical operations. The ponds generally comprise a suspension of finely divided earthy materials at a solids concentration of about 0.5 to 20% or more in essentially a non-settling aqueous media and generally include colloidal argillaceous particles finer than about 150 U.S. standard mesh (and most less than 1 micron). The composition of the slime solids will vary depending upon the particular operation; but the non-settling characteristic, whether from mining activities, well drilling, water treatment or other industrial operations producing clay containing ponds that are difficult to settle, is rather constant. Such will be exemplified hereinafter by reference to the phosphatic clay slimes generated in phosphate or beneficiation operations.
In phosphate ore processing, a common procedure is to convert one or more land areas into lagoons by means of low dikes provided with proper outfalls to discharge effluent water, so as to contain the earthy solids washed from the ore and the solids liberated from the matrix during grinding, dressing and other beneficiation operations. As transferred to the impounding area from the beneficiation plant, the slimes may contain as little as about 1.5 to 5% solids on a dry weight basis. The solids concentration increases during settling; but after a level of about 20-25% solids is reached in the over-all pond, a virtually impervious crust of materials containing about 20% water forms over the surface of the slime pond, preventing further evaporation and settling. This becomes a considerable storage problem for continued operations because about 0.5-1.5 tons of slime suspension are produced per ton of finished phosphate ore. Because of the great water content of these aqueous suspensions, the slime volume exceeds the volume of the matrix mined.
A typical wet process phosphoric acid plant also produces about 1.5 to 1.6 tons of phosphogypsum per ton of rock digested. A common procedure to handle the gypsum, is to stack or pile it, initially using two or more lagoon areas. As one area becomes filled, the gypsum stream is diverted to the other and the first is allowed to drain and dry out sufficiently to support mechanical equipment. The dike on the first is then increased in height, using deposited gypsum as a source of diking material and the output shifted from the second to the altered first area. It has been estimated that there are over 2 billion tons of phosphatic clay slime solids currently being stored in lagoons in Florida; and annually, 10-25 million tons are being added to this figure. Yet to date no practical means exists for completely dewatering and consolidating these aqueous colloidal suspensions to a solid matrix.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Both government and industry have been long concerned with the problems posed by the phosphate slime ponds and have conducted considerable research to find a suitable method for dealing with them. Most of the various methods that have been considered focus only on thickening the slimes to a more concentrated aqueous suspension. The Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations No. 6163 entitled "Chemical and Physical Beneficiation of Florida Phosphate Slimes" published in 1963; No. 6844 entitled "Chemical Processing of Florida Phosphate Rock Slime", published in 1966; No. 8611 entitled "Large Scale Dewatering of Phosphate Claim Waste from Central Florida" published in 1982; and Information Circular 8668 entitled "The Florida Phosphate Slimes Problem", published in 1975; and such industry efforts as U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,027 entitled "Settling Clay-Containing Slimes" illustrate these endeavors.
Attempts to consolidate the slime suspensions to a solid material include U.S. Pat. No. 2,947,418 which proposes dewatering the slimes to 40% solids in very thin layers of slime in the settling basin and removing the settled surface water before successive very thin layers are added in order that each layer may dry out before additional slime suspension is added. This is not practical on a commercial basis. U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,041 observes that when the phosphatic slimes are mixed with sand tailings, the slimes dewater faster; and proposes that the mixtures could possess acceptable bearing strengths approaching that of normal soils. U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,698 proposes that the slimes be compacted with tailings by mixing the slime with a liquid coagulant under shearing agitation to flocculate the suspension allowing settling with continued slow agitation to dewater the slime and then adding the tailings in hopes of forming a porous aggregate. However, none of these proposals to consolidate the slimes appears to have been practiced in the field nor gained any commercial success and the conventional practice of passing the freshly generated slime suspension to retention basins for perpetual storage continues.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
From the above, there is a need in the art for an effective means to alleviate the perpetual maintenance of non-settling slime ponds. The technology exists to partly dewater such slime suspension; however, heretofore there does not appear to be any known practical means to consolidate these aqueous suspensions to a stable set solid, such as to a soil or to a load-bearing, strength possessing solid. Furthermore, there is a need in the industry for reducing stockpiling of other waste materials in the industry operations such as the waste gypsum and the sand tailings stock piles.
In our co-pending patent application Ser. No. 330,550 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,292 it was found that small anhydrite crystal relics, obtained in a purification of phosphogypsum, could be admixed with amounts of phosphatic clay slime and, in about 3 to 6 weeks time, the mass would set up forming a stable solid material.
Such inherently non-settling colloidal argillaceous suspensions as phosphatic clay slimes heretofore have not been amenable to fully dewatering and coalescing into a solid form. Surprisingly, we have now found that such suspensions will very significantly dewater and coalesce into a load bearing solid upon the addition of effective amounts of hydratable calcium sulfate. Thus, we have found that non-settling phosphatic clay slimes of about 1-40 weight % solids may be solidified by mixing them with a hydratable calcium sulfate, such as anhydrite II or hemihydrate in amounts of about 1 to 9 times or more by weight of calcium sulfate based on the dry weight of suspended argillaceous solids, provided that the total solids of the admixtures are in the general range of about 50-70% total solids for hemihydrate and up to 85% for anhydrite. The manner of mixing and handling the clay suspension, and the particular proportions and specific type of hydratable calcium sulfate to suspended clay solids, and the time of hydrating for any particular slime to achieve significant dewatering and coalescing will depend upon the content of the particular argillaceous solids, type and source of hydratable calcium sulfate and the degree of coalescence from a loose soil condition to a rigid load bearing solid that is desired in the coalesced solids.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plot of percent by weight suspended solids in a clay suspension versus various weight proportions of calcium sulfate hemihydrate to slime solids on a dry weight basis and showing whether various mixtures did or did not significantly dewater and coalesce into a solid in a short period of time.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
One highly preferred embodiment comprises blending fresh, very dilute phosphatic clay slime directly from the beneficiation operation at a few percent suspended solids with an aged and thickened slime from one of the older lagoons to result in a suspension of about 10-20% solids. Hydratable calcium sulfate, such as alpha hemihydrate derived from the phosphogypsum piles of the phosphoric acid plant, and the suspension are mixed by pumping each to a new lagoon. In from about 1/2 hour to about 6 hours depending upon the proportions of the solids in the suspension, the suspension will dewater, coagulate, coalesce and harden to a load bearing solid. The solids may then be used to increase the levee of this lagoon and a second batch of fresh blended suspension may be added to the lagoon.
Another preferred embodiment comprises metering hydratable calcium sulfate, such as anhydride II into phosphatic slime or used waste drilling mud suspensions, and pumping the blend to a reservoir. After about 25-60% of the anhydrite present in the blend has hydrated to dihydrate, there is flocculation and coagulation of the solids as a thick pulp. A dike is opened to drain the clarified water for recycle in drilling operations, and the moist coagulated pulp solids are allowed to coalesce by the further hydration of the anhydrite in the blend to a point sufficient to support mechanical equipment. Thereupon, the hardened solids are scraped out and passed to a land fill and a fresh blend is introduced into the reservoir.
The argillaceous suspension which may be treated in the process of the present invention may be any aqueous suspension of very finely divided solids in a non-settling state, such as phosphatic clay slimes and drilling mud slimes, water treatment slimes and other such suspensions. Such suspensions may be exemplified further by other mining waste slimes encountered in coal, taconite, copper, iron and uranium mining operations. Oil, gas and water drilling muds may also be treated. Industrial and municipal slimes from gas scrubbers, water and sewage treatment, waste paper pulp slimes and aluminum red muds are also included. Generally, the solids content will vary from about 1 to 20% or more. In the evaluations to date, 15 to 20% suspended solids slimes appear to be a preferred level for handling in the field. In the case of phosphatic clay slimes, such a preferred level of handling may be obtained directly from the older holding ponds or lagoons. Further, fresher phosphatic clay slimes may be treated with conventional flocculating or thickening agents prior to treatment according to the present invention. In addition, sludges from these older ponds may be blended with fresher slimes directly from the desliming operation, and pug mill blended with the hydratable calcium sulfate to obtain the preferred levels of total solids and preferred proportions of hydratable calcium sulfate to clay solids for treatment according to the present invention.
Any hydratable calcium sulfate may be used in the process of the present invention. The time that can be tolerated for coagulation, coalescing and hardening, and the cost and availability of a particular hydratable calcium sulfate source appear to be determinant for any particular application according to the present invention. The hydratable calcium sulfate may be derived from natural rock or may be chemically derived for use in the presence process. Soluble anhydrite III is suitable but is not preferred due to cost of production and a tendency to convert so fast as to fully hydrate without full flocculation and coalescence of the suspended clay solids. Beta hemihydrate is also suitable but hydrates rapidly and thus is not preferred. For convenience in phosphate operations, as applied to phosphatic clay slimes, alpha hemihydrate and anhydrite II derived from the co-produced phosphogypsum calcium sulfate of the phosphate plant are materials of preference. For other clay suspensions, hydratable calcium sulfates may of course be derived from natural rock, flue gas desulfurization operations, or other chemical processes such as from titanium dioxide, citric acid and hydrofluoric acid manufacturing operations.
The ratio of the particular hydratable calcium sulfate to the argillaceous solids, and the total solids in the blend are critical. If the total solids in the blend is above about 70% by weight the hemihydrate yields a mixture that, as a practical matter is too dry to handle readily and is uneconomical to process. Below generally about 47% total solids in the admixture, at least for hemihydrate and suspensions containing about 5-40% clay solids in the suspension, the blend does not coalesce. For anhydrite II higher total solids should be present; however this may be accomplished in stages due to its slower hydration rate. Thus in the case of a dilute slime (e.g. 1-10% solids), anhydrite II may be blended and after about 2 days to about 2 weeks the clarified supernatant liquor may be removed to increase the solids and proportion to anhydrite to clay in the remaining hydrating mass. Optimum total amounts of anhydrite II additive appear to be about 4-5 parts of anhydrite per 1 part of clay solids to provide about 70-80% total solids having a soft soil-like coalescence; and weight proportions of anhydrite to clay solids above about 8:1 to provide about 75-85% total solids have a high strength bearing coalescence without extensive soft spots in the coalesced mass.
It appears that when there is sufficient total solids and sufficient hydratable calcium sulfate in proportion to the argillaceous solids in the hydrating mass, a simultaneous dewatering and coagulation of the loose hydrous clay platelet structure occurs by the hydrating crystals of the calcium dihydrate growing between the platelets. The hydrating gypsum crystals gather the finely divided clay solids as the gypsum crystals grow and interlock into a coagulation particle. If there are insufficient total solids and hydratable calcium sulfate, the clay solids appear to act as a suspending agent for the calcium sulfate during its hydration, so that the crystals of dihydrate being formed cannot gather the fine clay particles and interlock them into a coagulation particle. Instead, such blends form a coacervate, and a hydrated gel is formed that does not coalesce to a solid, load-bearing structure. It has been found that the point between coacervation and coalescent coagulation will vary somewhat depending upon the particular impurities in the clay suspension that affect crystal shape and amount of dihydrate growth. Of course, this can be offset somewhat by other additives favoring the growth of large, rapidly hydrated dihydrate crystals such as conventional accelerators and crystal habit modifiers. These are generally acid or salt materials that include for example, salt cations of potassium, sodium, ammonium, ferrous, aluminum, calcium and hydrogen.
The admixture of slime and hydratable calcium sulfate is thoroughly mixed by combining the materials in any high viscosity blender such as a pug mill and pumping the admixture to storage for coalescing. Either slime or calcium sulfate may be added to the other in forming the admixtures, and hydration conveniently occurs at ambient temperatures with about 15°-22° C. being optimum.
The following examples will further illustrate various specific embodiments of the process of the present invention. All amounts expressed will be parts by weight unless specified to the contrary. Of course, it is to be understood that the examples are by way of illustration only and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention.
EXAMPLE 1
In a first series of evaluations, phosphatic clay slime suspensions (18% solids) from beneficiation operations were mixed with phosphoanhydrite II and sent to settling tanks for two weeks initial clarification. Thereafter, the supernatant liquor was drained off and the settled wet matrix sludge was allowed to continue to hydrate and dry. It was then evaluated for disintegration on immersion in water. In one such evaluation, 770 parts on a dry weight basis of phosphoanhydrite were mixed with 230 parts of phosphatic clay slime solids to give a suspension of 25% total solids in the admixture and passed to the settling tanks. After two weeks, supernatant liquor was removed and the thickened settled sludge was manually discharged. The sludge was found to be a moist sedimentation matrix of about 50% free water, 230 parts clay solids, 154 parts gypsum solids and 616 parts anhydrite solids. After four weeks to allow for further hydration of the anhydrite, a set matrix was removed that comprised less than 30% free water and about 230 parts clay solids, 462 parts anhydrite solids and 308 parts gypsum solids. A portion of the matrix was then submersed in water and was found to be still intact with no evidence of segregation or disintegration after 6 months. In this evaluation the solids were proportioned in the initial blending so that when fully hydrated to gypsum, the mass would be 80% by weight gypsum and 20% phosphatic clay slime solids. In comparison, a blending of phosphogypsum (hydrated) at the same proportion completely disintegrated within 3 hours when immersed in water. Reducing the amount of anhydrite in the initial mixing to allow for 10% by weight of gypsum seed crystals resulted in a soft matrix which when immersed in water disintegrated in one week. Proportioning the anhydrite to clay solids in a ratio of 3.3:1 by weight in the initial admixture provided a hard set matrix which withstood over 6 months immersion; changing the ratio to 1.47:1 disintegrated in 6 hours.
EXAMPLE 2
In another evaluation with the slime of Example 1, various mixtures were made with an alpha hemihydrate and observed for consolidation. Those proportions which solidified within about 2-5 hours were evaluated for compressive strengths.
Surprisingly, an 18% solids slime as obtained in the phosphastic-clay slime ponds developed a set mass in about 41/2 hours when mixed with hemihydrate in weight proportions of hemihydrate that were 4 times the weight % slime solids in the clay suspension. This was surprising in view of the first fact that neither equal amounts of hemihydrate to slime solids nor 70 weight % hemihydrate to 30 weight % slime solids in a 15% clay solids suspension from the pond resulted in a solid mass after 20 days of settling. Cast cubes from the mixture which did set (weight composition 47.7% water, 10.5 weight % slime solids and 41.9 weight % hemihydrate) after drying and curing at ambient conditions for one week and 24 hours at 40° C. obtained a compressive strength of 359.4 pounds per square inch.
When the phosphatic-clay slime from the ponds was thickened with flocculants and/or heat to 30-40% solids in the slime, lower percentages of alpha hemihydrate not only solidified the mixtures but produced stronger cast cubes. Thus, a thickened slime at 40% slime solids mixed with an equal amount by weight of hemihydrate to the slime solids resulted in solidification at about 41/2 hours, and cast cubes with a density of 1.45 grams per cubic centimeter had average compressive strengths of 706.5 pounds per square inch. A slime thickened to 30% solids and mixed in weight proportions of 70 parts hemihydrate to 30 parts slime solids resulted in a suspension of 60% total solids that solidified in about 2 hours and cast cubes with a density of 1.13 grams per cubic centimeter and average compressive strengths of 773.8 pounds per square inch.
EXAMPLE 3
In a series of laboratory experiments, various weight proportions of hydratable calcium sulfate solids to suspended solids in non-settling argillaceous slimes were evaluated.
In the first evaluation, various total solids concentrations and proportions of alpha hemihydrate calcium sulfate to clay solids were examined. Typical phosphatic clay slime suspensions of from 3 to 40 weight % suspended solids were mixed with an alpha hemihydrate. The hemihydrate was obtained by calcining phosphogypsum for 1/2 hour under 30 psig saturated steam pressure. The produced hemihydrate contained about 91% hemihydrate, 1% unreacted dihydrate and about 2% sand. The hemihydrate was mixed with the slime suspensions in weight proportions to obtain total suspended solids in the mixture of about 50 to about 70 weight %; and the mixtures observed for handling properties and for rehydration to a set solid matrix within 24 hours of mixing. Exemplary results are set forth in FIG. 1, in which mixtures which formed easily pumpable and handleable slurries and which set to a solid matrix within the time period are shown by the symbol "o". Those which did not set or were too stiff to pump are shown by the symbol "x". It may be seen from the figure that generally, within the preferred total solids range, as argillaceous solids content increases proportionally less hemihydrate is required to result in a coalesced solid.
In a second series of evaluations, various clay suspensions of a non-settling nature were mixed with different hydratable calcium sulfates. In a first evaluation in this series, a phosphatic clay slime of 30% suspended solids was mixed with fluoroanhydrite and with natural anhydrite rock. The fluoroanhydrite was itself a waste material of fine grain particle size, average particle size of 5 microns. The natural anhydrite rock contained 10 weight % gypsuum and was dry ball milled to 5100 cm 2 /gm Blaine surface area before mixing with the slime. Both hydratable calcium sulfates were mixed with the slime in a weight proportion of 90 parts anhydrite to 10 parts of suspended solids in the slime on a dry weight basis. The resultant mixtures had total solids contents of 81.1 weight %. Results upon breaking the cast wet materials were:
______________________________________ Natural Anhy- Fluoroanhydrite II drite______________________________________Time allowed for 21/2 months 1 monthhydration:free moisture 12.4% 6.2%gypsum content 34% 63%cast unconfinedcompressive strengthwet 163 psi 875 psidry 915 psi 1116 psi______________________________________
In comparison, the natural anhydrite sample, with an accelerated hydration rate of the gypsum in the ground rock, developed 437% more strength in the hydrating matrix in one-fifth the time of the fluoroanhydrite sample.
In a second evaluation in this series, a phosphogypsum sample was dehydrated at 204° C. for 3 days to soluble anhydrite III. It was then mixed with a 30% phosphatic clay slime in proportions to give 74% total solids in the mixture, of which, on a dry solids basis, 15% was phosphatic clay solids and 85% was soluble anhydrite (1:5.7 weight proportions). The soluble anhydrite immediately pulled the water out of the slime suspension resulting in a damp soil-like mass. After allowing the mass 39 days to hydrate and cure, it was submitted to California Soil Test analysis. The mass was compacted by ASTM D1557 procedures and tested for load bearing and unconfined compressive strength under ASTM D1883 procedures. This material had an unconfined compacted compressive strength of 128 psi; California Bearing Ratio of 56.5% of standard; and 120 psi load bearing at 1/2 inch penetration; showing that the material would be satisfactory as a load bearing landfill soil.
EXAMPLE 4
In another evaluation, a non-settling drilling mud waste slime of 21.5% suspended argillaceous solids was obtained. The mud was mixed with natural anhydrite rock that contained 10% gypsum impurity which could act as a hydration accelerator for the anhydrite. The rock was ground to 5100 cm 2 /g Blaine surface area before mixing with the slime; and 80.3 parts by weight of the ground rock were blended with high viscosity agitation into 19.7 parts of the slime. This resulted in an admixture containing 84.6% total solids and a weight proportion of 85.5% anhydrite, 9.5% gypsum seed and 5% drilling mud solids on a dry weightbasis (or 17 parts anhydrite and 1.9 parts of seed per part by weight on a dry weight basis of slime solids). On examination after six days, the mass had coalesced to a moist matrix (11.7% free water) having a wet compressive strength of 613 psi. On analysis it was found that about half of the anhydrite present in the starting admixture had hydrated to gypsum forming an interlocking matrix of gypsum crystals. A portion of the mass was compacted by ASTM D1557 procedures and tested for load bearing under ASTM D1883 procedures. The sample had a California Bearing Ratio of 44% of standard and showed 1220 psi load bearing at 1/2 inch penetration into the mass.
In another evaluation in this series the drilling mud slime was mixed with natural anhydrite to produce an admixture of 73.25% total solids with a proportion of 9 parts of anhydrite (containing gypsum impurity) per 1 part of drilling mud slime solids. On examination 23 days later, the hydrated mass had a wet compressive strength of 363 psi.
In a further evaluation a 15% suspended solids phosphatic clay slime and phosphogypsum from phosphate operations were mixed with fluoroanhydrite from hydrogen fluoride production. The admixture was blended with agitation to contain 81.8% fluoroanhydrite, 8.1% phosphogypsum and 9.98% phosphatic clay slime (64% total solids; 8.18:1 proportioning of anhydrite to slime solids on a dry solids basis plus 10% gypsum seed crystals). In 15 days the mixture had coalesced to a solid matrix having an average wet compressive strength of 354 psi. Another admixture of 30% phosphatic clay slime and natural anhydrite rock with 10% gypsum impurity were blended to 81% total solids and weight proportion of anhydrite to slime solids of 9:1 on a dry weight basis. In one month the coalesced matrix contained 63 weight % gypsum and had a wet compressive strength of 871 psi. A portion of the latter mass was compacted by ASTM D1557 procedures and tested for load bearing under ASTM D1883 procedures. The sample had a California Bearing Ratio of 61.5% of standard and showed 1260 psi load bearing at 1/2 inch penetration into the mass. | Solidification of colloidal argillaceous matter in essentially non-settling, aqueous slime media into a solid stable matrix is accomplished by mixing such slime with a hydratable calcium sulfate and hydrating to form an interlocking strength bearing matrix. The method is particularly useful for coalescing phosphatic clay slimes with hydratable calcium sulfate prepared from the co-produced waste phosphogypsum. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plumbing related device for use in connection with regulating the flow of water through a faucet. The water flow regulating device has particular utility in connection with providing a hands free method for permitting and prohibiting the flow of water to a faucet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Water flow regulating devices are desirable for controlling the flow of hot or cold water to a faucet. Regulating the water flow to specific faucets allows the user to conserve potable water and the energy used to heat it. This translates to a financial savings as well as an aid to conservation of natural resources.
Most conventional faucets include one or more fluid valves that are turned on manually by the user who operates the valve control device. These devices require the user to manipulate the valve controls first with dirty hands and then again after he washes his hands. This could lead to the user picking up the same germs and dirt he just attempted to wash off as well as any dirt and germs left by previous users. The proposed water flow regulating device would allow the user a hands free method of washing his hands, eliminating the possibility of picking up extraneous material from the valve controls. Additionally, when the user engages in an activity which requires repeated pauses in the need for water flow, such as washing the dishes, washing the car, watering in the garden, and the like, it is oftentimes more convenient to leave the water running than to readjust the temperature and pressure each time the water is turned off and then on again. Thus, conventional faucets can lead to the waste of many gallons of water.
The use of water regulating devices is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,692 to Norman A. Forbes discloses a proximity control for a lavatory that uses a dual antenna system to determine when a person is waiting for water flow from the faucet. However, the Forbes '692 patent does not allow the user to determine how long the water runs since water is only permitted to flow for a predetermined amount of time, and has further drawbacks of forcing the user to wait a predetermined amount of time before the water is permitted to flow again. This can be very inconvenient and time consuming for the user who requires more than the predetermined amount of time to clean his hands, a spill from his clothing, or to help clean a child's hands. Additionally, the complexity of the internal components for the Forbes '692 device complicates the manufacturing process, thereby increasing the price for the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,780 to Simcha Z. Pollack discloses an automated bathroom that comprises an electronically controlled shower, bathtub, sink, and toilet. The Pollack '780 device includes temperature sensors in all of the receptacles, water level sensors, and timers to determine the amount of time allowed for water flow. However, the Pollack '780 device is extremely complex, leading to higher manufacturing prices. Additionally, due to the complexity of the device, the Pollack '780 device would be time consuming and difficult to master for proper usage.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,792 to Carlos W. Veach discloses a push button controlled water system which controls both the mixing of hot and cold water and the subsequent flow of water to the spigot. However, the Veach '792 patent does not provide for hands free operation, requiring manual operation of the “ON” and “OFF” push button controls, as well as the rotational temperature control valve.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 295,614 to Joseph Touch discloses the ornamental design for a water temperature and flow regulator panel. However, the Touch '614 patent provides only a panel for regulating water flow and not the actual hardware to accomplish this function.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,070 to Edward C. Surabian discloses an electric faucet valve operator and adapter that use push buttons to electromechanically control the rotational force necessary to manipulate a faucet. However, the Surabian '070 patent does not provide hands free operation of the device, since the buttons require that the user place his fingers on them for activation. Additionally, the Surabian '070 device is battery powered, requiring frequent replacement of batteries and increasing the cost and waste associated with such a device.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 313,761 to Peter W. Bressler discloses the ornamental design for an actuator plate for a temperature control valve. However, the Bressler '761 patent does not deal with the issue of water regulation and is not pertinent to the present invention.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a water flow regulating device that allows a hands free method for permitting and prohibiting the flow of water to a faucet. The Forbes '692 patent would not be applicable for home use since it does not allow the user to determine how long the water runs, shutting off water flow after a predefined amount of time. Both the Forbes '692 and Pollack '780 devices are extremely complex, leading to higher manufacturing prices. Additionally, due to the complexity of the device, the Pollack '780 device would be time consuming and difficult to master for proper usage. Neither the Veach '792 nor the Surabian '070 patents provide hands free operation of the devices. Furthermore, the Surabian '070 device is battery powered, requiring frequent replacement of batteries and increasing the cost and waste associated with such a device. While the Touch '614 patent provides a panel for regulating water flow, it does not provide the actual hardware to accomplish this function. Finally, the Bressler '761 patent deals with the issue of temperature control and is not pertinent to the discussion of water flow regulation of the present invention.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved water flow regulating device that can be used to provide a hands free method for permitting and prohibiting the flow of water to a faucet. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the water flow regulating device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of conserving water by controlling the flow of water to a faucet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of water flow regulating devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved water flow regulating device, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved water flow regulating device which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a water flow regulating device which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a pair of solenoid valve assemblies connected to the hot and cold water pipes and a coupling device connected to the faucet. The coupling device has a control switch assembly with an “OFF” and “ON” position which prohibits or permits water flow through the solenoid valve assemblies. A set of push panel switches can be connected to the circuit and placed at various positions on the sink cabinet such that they can be accessed by the hand, hip, elbow, knee, or foot of the user.
A second embodiment of the present invention is for a faucet with a water flow regulating switch which essentially comprises a valve assembly inserted into a conventional faucet assembly which is controlled by a switch assembly on the faucet. The switch assembly has an “OFF” and “ON” position which prohibit or permit water flow through the valve assembly.
A third embodiment of the present invention essentially comprises a pair of valve assemblies connected to the hot and cold water pipes and a faucet assembly having a control switch on its external surface. The control switch has an “OFF” and “ON” position which prohibit or permit water flow through the valve assemblies. A set of push panel switches can be connected to the circuit and placed at various positions on the sink cabinet such that they can be accessed by the hand, hip, elbow, knee, or foot of the user.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include a discussion of the placement of the push panel switches and consideration of different power sources. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved water flow regulating device that has all of the advantages of the prior art water flow regulating devices and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved water flow regulating device that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved water flow regulating device that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such water flow regulating device economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new water flow regulating device that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a water flow regulating device for permitting and prohibiting the flow of water to a faucet. This allows the user to turn the water off and on without having to readjust the temperature and pressure each time.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a water flow regulating device that helps conserve potable water and the energy used to heat it. This translates to a financial savings as well as an aid to conservation of natural resources.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved water flow regulating device that allows hands free regulation of water flow. This allows the user keep his hands and the faucet germ and dirt free and provides a more sanitary method of hand washing.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the water flow regulating device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the external faucet adapter embodiment of the water flow regulating device of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a left sectional view of the water flow regulating device of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a left sectional view of the internal faucet adapter embodiment of the water flow regulating device of the present invention.
The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1-4, a preferred embodiment of the water flow regulating device of the present invention is shown and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 .
In FIG. 1, a new and improved water flow regulating device 10 of the present invention for providing a hands free method for permitting and prohibiting the flow of water to a faucet is illustrated and will be described. More particularly, the water flow regulating device 10 is shown mounted in a cabinet style sink 12 such as is found in a household bathroom. The water flow regulating device 10 has dual solenoids 14 , one on the cold water pipe 16 and one on the hot water pipe 18 , which provides control of both temperatures of water with one device. The solenoids 14 are connected via wiring 20 to the external control switch, 24 , 26 , and 28 , which is shown in three locations. The water flow regulating device 10 can have multiple configurations. The first configuration is the hip or hand-level switch 24 shown attached to the top front of the cabinet sink 12 . The second configuration is a knee-level switch 26 attached towards the bottom front of the cabinet sink 12 . The third configuration is a floor-level switch 28 which resides on the top under the overhang of the cabinet sink 12 . These configurations could exist in tandem with one another for multiple operating options, or a single control switch could be installed. The wiring 20 is shown attached to an external faucet adapter 30 which provides a switch 32 , as seen in FIG. 2, for manual control of water flow from the valve. This could come in handy for precluding the use of the faucet by a child who can reach the other control switches. The wiring 20 is also attached to the electrical system of the house.
FIG. 2 shows the faucet adapter 30 configuration of the water flow regulating device 10 of the present invention. This external faucet adapter 30 could be installed as a unit with the solenoids 14 , such that the external switch 32 is the only control switch. The faucet adapter 30 is affixed to the faucet 34 with a screw 36 that is tightened until a secure fitting is accomplished.
FIG. 3 shows a left sectional view of the water flow regulating device 10 of the present invention. Again, the location of the three cabinet switches, 24 , 26 , and 28 can be seen. The connections between the wiring 20 , the switches, 24 , 26 , and 28 , the solenoid 14 , and the faucet adapter 30 is made evident in this view.
FIG. 4 shows a left sectional view of the internal faucet adapter 38 of the water flow regulating device 10 of the present invention. In this configuration, a valve 40 is attached to the interior of a standard faucet 34 . This valve is controlled by a rocker switch 42 connected by wiring 44 to the electrical system of the house.
In use, it can now be understood that a number of configurations can be selected for use of the water flow regulating device. For preexisting faucets, several options can be considered. A pair of solenoids is added to the hot and cold water pipes, and control of the solenoids is accomplished by any combination of the following:
an external faucet adapter attached to the faucet,
a hip-level switch placed on the front of the fixture in which the sink resides,
a knee-level switch placed on the front of the fixture in which the sink resides,
a floor-level switch placed on the floor in front of the fixture in which the sink resides.
Of course, the switches could be placed according to the user's desires.
Several modified faucet configurations are also available for those building a new residence or replacing existing faucets. In the first configuration, a valve and associated wiring would be placed internally in the faucet. The wiring would connect the valve to solenoids on the hot and cold water pipes and also to a switch located on the faucet housing. The second configuration consists of valves attached to the water pipes which are controlled by an external switch located on the faucet housing.
For any of the chosen configurations, the user simply pushes the appropriate control switch and adjusts the water to the desired temperature and pressure. As the user washes dishes, takes a shower, or completes other water-related functions, the flow of water can easily be stopped and restarted without having to readjust the temperature or pressure. Strategically stopping the flow of water can result in significant conservation of water and financial savings.
While a preferred embodiment of the water flow regulating device has been described in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. For example, although the present configurations have been presented in relation to a sink, it should be appreciated that the water flow regulating device herein described is also suitable for use in a shower, bathtub, or any other environment where it might be beneficial to regulate the flow of water to a faucet.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. | A water flow regulating device that connects to a faucet and allows a user to set water temperature and pressure that flows from the faucet, and then turn it off and on without having to readjust the water pressure or temperature. Control of the water flow is accomplished through a manual switch located on the faucet housing or by a variety of push switches that could be activated by the hip, elbow, knee, or foot for hands free operation. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to food casings and more particularly relates to food casings having cling properties for stuffed food products permitting slicing without separation of portions of the casing from sliced product, known as “being knocked off” and to prevent partial separation of casing from products intended to retain the casing, e.g. salamis, summer sausage, etc. Such partial separation often results in formation of unsightly grease pockets at separation locations, known as “greasing” or “fatting out”. Casing detachment in slicing in cooked sausage, or “knock-off”, is a significant problem in industrial practice.
[0002] Solutions to the above problems have been actively pursued for many years and, while improvements have been made, there has been no complete solution to the problems.
[0003] For example, a number of patents have been issued that relate to casing adhesion with the contained meat or that relate to fatting out.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,488 (Firth; John W., Tee-Pak, Inc., 1964), proposes the use of proteins (gelatin, albumin, etc) as internal coating ingredients in Fibrous casing for the casing to adhere to “dry” sausage emulsion and follow the shrinkage of the sausage during curing. The use of protein to assist in cling has offered improvement but not nearly as much as desired.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,379 (Shiner; Edward A., Union Carbide Corporation, 1968), water soluble or water dispersible cationic thermosetting resins were disclosed for improving cling/adhesion behavior of Fibrous casing to dry sausage emulsion during drying process. While cationic resins such as KYMENE® have offered improvement in retaining cling, again the improvement has not been nearly as much as desired.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,697 (Dowell; Arthur M & Judd; Henry E., Tee-Pak, Inc., 1979), a method of utilizing a source of surface activating energy for changing the internal surface of casing was described to increase the adhesion between casing and dry sausage emulsion during drying processing. This has not met with any great success.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,778 (Judd; Henry E., Dowell, Jr.; Arthur M. & Rahman; Matiur, Tee-Pak, Inc., 1984), disclosed the use of a vinyl acetate polymer as an adhesion-promoting coating material for dry sausage and again the improved cling was not nearly as much as desired.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 6,395,356 (Wielockx; Pierre & Borgers; Luc, Teepak Properties, LLC, 2002), and patent application US 20010045236 (Verschueren; Eric M. J. & Fichtner; Reinhard), discloses adhesion-promoting resins and proteins applied in injection into the viscose solution instead of as coating ingredients.
[0009] U.S. Patent Application 20070172558 (Hammer; Klaus-Dieter, Kuenzel; Udo, & Effern; Volker), discloses internal coating with both adhesion-promoting material and release-enhancing ingredients and was claimed as suitable for mild or aged dry sausages. Presence of both adhesion and release ingredients was desirable for a minimum meat cling.
[0010] All above mainly address the casing adhesion to dry sausages, and are not specifically for solving adhesion problems with cooked wet sausages, especially not for dealing with ‘knock-off’ in slicing cooked sausage.
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,200 (Hammer; Klaus-Dieter & others, Hoechst, 1982) depicts a casing structure with an outside coating of water-vapor-impermeable film and an inside coating of an adhesion-promoting layer. Such structured casing was claimed suitable for packaging cooked sausage. The casing makes close contact with the filling after it has been soaked in water, filled with a sausage emulsion and simmered or boiled. The casing was, however, not intended to prevent knocking off of casing from sliced sausage and one skilled in the art would not expect that knocking off would be prevented.
[0012] Despite all of the efforts in the art, problems with poor meat adhesion continue. For example:
[0013] 1) With known modifications, there are inconsistent interactions between meat and casing, assessable by increased difficulty in peeling the casing off cooked sausage at a defined condition. Some modification, such as cured internal coating with a content of protein, can result in meat fibers pulled off sausage surface at peeling.
[0014] 2) Casing detachment at a local section, technically termed “knock-off”, still can happen at slicing, most noticeably at sections where sausages are laid on metal bars on racks, or usually described as “bar marks”.
[0015] 3) At occasions in that there is a moistened spot or section in surface of cooked sausage, casing can be peeled off easily at the spot or section and casing inside surface appears slick at that spot or section.
[0016] 4) There are multiple stages in cooking and before slicing, when the sausage can be susceptible to external surface attack by moisture, such as showering in cooking, chilling in brine, moisture condensation when sausage is removed from chill room and placed in slice room, as well as accelerated moisture condensation caused by the contact between sausage surface and metal bars.
[0017] It is also known that a number of materials act as release agents when coated on the inside of casings, i.e. they help with casing removal in applications where removal is desired, e.g. in the case of “skinless” hot dogs. An example of a material that can act as a release agent is QUILON®, a complex of chromic chloride with a fatty acid, e.g. stearic acid or myristic acid. Such a product, e.g. QUILON C, is the chromic acid complex dispersed or dissolved in a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and acetone, e.g. 35-45% alcohol, 8-12% acetone and 0.7-0.9% HCl. Such complexes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,135 incorporated herein by reference.
[0018] The use of internal coatings of stearato chromic chloride in casings for easy peeling purpose is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,358.
[0019] It is further known that food casings can be coated on the exterior with water resistant coatings to prevent casing from drying out or to prevent water from entering contained food product, increasing chances of spoilage, bad appearance and sliming. Such a coating commonly used is polyvinylidene choride.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The invention includes food casing having a water vapor permeable tubular wall at least partly of regenerated cellulose and having inner and outer surfaces. The tubular wall preferably has a water vapor permeable interior coating on the inner surface that increases cling to meat contained therein and has an exterior coating on its outer surface that is water impermeable and water vapor permeable.
[0021] The food casing is usually a fibrous food casing, i.e. one that has a fibrous structure at least partly impregnated with regenerated cellulose. The fibrous structure is usually, but not essentially, a non-woven felt like structure that is most commonly paper. It is also envisioned that the invention can be used for non-reinforced food casings in instances where premature release, knocking off or fatting out may be problems.
[0022] The invention also includes the use of the food casing of the invention for encasing protein containing food products such as meat and includes the product having high protein food product encased by the food casing of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] In accordance with the invention, it has been entirely unexpectedly discovered that the use of a water vapor permeable-water impermeable coating (VPWI coating) on the exterior of food casing can significantly improve adhesion of casing to meat within the casing. This is especially unexpected since similar coatings can act as release coatings when applied to the interior of the food casing. Significant improvement is shown with respect to any interior surface or interior coating. In other words, when the interior surface of the food casing has no treatment, adhesion is improved with an exterior VPWI coating. Similarly, when the interior surface of the food casing has an adhesion improving coating, e.g. protein and/or cationic resin, an exterior VPWI coating in addition to the adhesion improving interior coating, provides better adhesion than the interior adhesion improving coating alone.
[0024] While not being bound by any particular theory, it is believed that a water impermeable outer layer acts as a block to moisture invasion from the outside, thus the casing tends to maintain its dimensional stability and invading water does not adversely affect the cling properties of the interior coating. Further, it is believed that the vapor permeable outer layer permits moisture to escape that would otherwise permit water to affect the cling properties of the interior coating. It is believed that this trapped water is largely responsible for separation of casing from contained food product.
[0025] This invention utilizes a water impermeable-water vapor permeable outer coating that causes the significant improvement in non-desired food casing separation from contained food product.
[0026] “Water impermeable” as used herein means that the casing wall will resist rewetting when the external casing surface is exposed to liquid water.
[0027] “Water vapor permeable” means that the casing wall will transmit at least 1500 grams of water vapor per square meter in a day. The casing of the invention preferably has a transmission rate of at least 2000 grams of water vapor per square meter per day.
[0028] The exterior coating may be any food compatible coating that is water impermeable and water vapor permeable. Such coatings should have a water vapor permeability rate that is at least 50 percent and preferably at least 75 percent of the water vapor permeability rate of the base casing.
[0029] Examples of such coatings are
[0030] Light polyolefin coatings, such as polypropylene, that have been calendared. Such materials are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,568.
[0031] Films provided with micropores that permit passage of water vapor but prevent the passage of water as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,471. Again, not to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that such micropores permit passage of vapor which is essentially of molecular size, but prevent passage of water due to surface tension inhibition. It is to be understood that such pores may be created mechanically or chemically. The size of such pores depend somewhat upon the material involved but can be expected to be smaller than 100 μm and should be closely spaced, e.g. intervening spaces less than three times the diameter of pores, to permit high vapor transfer while still repelling liquid water.
[0032] Exceedingly thin coating films may also be used, e.g. from 30 to 100 μm and specially made water impermeable-vapor permeable films may be used as described in U.S. Patent Publication 20080254270.
[0033] Some of the above films, while being functional, do not have a vapor transfer rate as high as desired. For example, some of those polymers have been tested in emulsion form as a coating to fibrous casing and were found not to have adhesion to the viscose cellulose surface as high as desired. Further, Some of those polymers have been tested in emulsion form as a coating to fibrous casing and were found not to have stretchability as high as desired.
[0034] Especially suitable materials for forming water impermeable-vapor permeable films are trivalent metal (oxidation state 3) complexes with fatty acids. It is believed that such materials do not form a continuous film but form a layer with small discontinuities that allow the passage of water vapor but significantly impare the passage of water. Preferred materials of this type are Werner type chromic chloride complexes with fatty acids. Preferred fatty acids are stearic and myristic acids. Such materials are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,135. Such materials are available from Zaclon LLC under the trademark QUILON®. The QUILON materials are solutions of complexes of chromic chloride with fatty acids in a mixture of alcohol and acetone. An especially desirable material for use in accordance with the invention is QUILON C, which is a solution of myristo and/or stearato chromic chloride in 35 to 45% alcohol, 8-12% acetone, and 0.7 to 0.9% HCl.
[0035] Desirably, the exterior water impermeable-water vapor permeable exterior coating is used in conjunction with an adhesion-promoting inside coating.
[0036] Tri-ionic metallic complexes with fatty acids, e.g. especially chromic chloride complexes with stearic and/or myristic acids are particularly suitable for use in such exterior coatings. The vapor permeable non-film-forming character of such metallic complexes allows casing to form a system for regulating moisture transportation. Moisture vapor can escape the system while liquid moisture cannot enter. Liquid moisture therefore has less impact on casing dimension in soaking, showering, and brining. Further, moisture condensation on the casing surface when sausage is removed from cooling is expected to be less and play a minimum role in swelling casing and in affecting the adhesion between sausage meat and casing formed in cooking.
[0037] The fatty acid chromic chloride materials are especially suitable since they do not form films that reduce vapor transfer rates. For example, polymers mentioned in U.S. Patent application 20080254270 are film formers and film moisture transfer rates (MVTRs) are usually lower than 1500 g/m2/day from the data presented. Fibrous casing with or without non-barrier coating has MVTRs range around 3000 g/m2/day. Quilon C is not a film former and MVTR is not impaired at all by its application.
[0038] In accordance with the invention, QUILON C, has been used as the vapor permeable non-film-forming base material on the outside of casing, working with adhesion-promoting ingredients, including protein, thermo-setting resin, and starch on the inside of the casing. Testing has shown increased casing-sausage adhesion.
[0039] Further, such casings have shown integrity in slicing, i.e. the casing remains on sliced product with little or no “knocking off”.
[0040] Collection of unsightly grease pockets, i.e. greasing out, has not been observed in casings of the invention.
[0041] The following examples serve to illustrate and not limit the present invention.
[0042] Test Method I—coated Fibrous casing was stuffed with meat emulsion of a conventional formulation. After designated cooking cycle, cooked sausage chubs were stored in refrigerator for a designated period (1 day, 2 days, or 3 days). Cooked sausage chubs were taken into a chilling room to reach 18° F. to 24° F. The chubs were peeled to remove Fibrous casing from sausage meat. A rating was obtained by a group of judges with observations of difficulty in peeling, meat pull off sausage surface by Fibrous casing, and meat pull off sausage surface specifically in bar marks areas. Rating scale is between 1 to 3. Rating 1 represents low level of difficulty in peeling, no or least amount of meat pull off sausage surface in whole piece of peeled off Fibrous casing and in specific area of bar marks. Rating 3 represents high level of difficulty in peeling, covered meat pull in whole piece of peeled off Fibrous casing and in specific area of bar marks. Individual ratings were read against peeling difficulty, total meat pull, and meat pull specifically in bar marks areas. Final rating as indication of Fibrous casing to sausage meat surface was a weighted number of individual ratings.
[0043] Test Method II—coated Fibrous casing was stuffed with meat emulsion of a conventional formulation. After designated cooking cycle, cooked sausage chubs were stored in refrigerator for a designated period. Cooked sausage chubs were taken into a chilling room, and then sliced on an automatic Formax slicer with sausage meat temperature between 24° F. and 32° F. Knock-off observation was noted.
EXAMPLE 1
[0044] A Fibrous casing was produced with a cling-promoting interior coating comprising a polyamide epichlorohydrin thermosetting polymer and a protein. This casing serves as current standard and was used as a control for the test. The casing was subjected to Test Method I and II. The results were listed in Table I and II respectively.
EXAMPLE 2
[0045] A Fibrous casing with a cling-promoting interior coating same as in Example 1, was also externally coated with a Quilon C solution. Quilon C solution comprises 1% Quilon C. The casing was externally coated at wet gel state and then went through a drying tunnel. Dried casing showed significantly improved hydrophobicity at outside surface. The casing was subjected to Test Method I. The result was listed in Table I.
EXAMPLE 3
[0046] A Fibrous casing with a cling-promoting interior coating same as in Example 1, was also externally coated with a Quilon C solution. Quilon C solution comprises 4% Quilon C. The casing was externally coated at wet gel state in a same manner as in Example 2. Dried casing showed excellent hydrophobicity at outside surface. The casing was subjected to Test Method I. The result was listed in Table I.
EXAMPLE 4
[0047] A Fibrous casing with a cling-promoting interior coating same as in Example 1, was also externally coated with a Quilon C solution. Quilon C solution comprises 2.5% Quilon C. The casing was externally coated at wet gel state in a same manner as in Example 2. Dried casing showed pronounced hydrophobicity at outside surface. The casing was subjected to Test Method II. The result was listed in Table II.
[0000]
TABLE I
Test Method I Results
Casing-Meat
Sample in Example
Adhesion Rating
1
1-2
2
2-2.5
3
2-3
[0000]
TABLE II
Test Method II Results
Casing Knock-off
Sample in Example
in Slicing
1
Some
4
None
[0048] Specific method steps that may be used in accordance with the invention include the following:
1. For chrome fatty complex, the aqueous concentration of chrome fatty acid is between 0.1% to 50%, preferably between 0.5% to 10%. 2. The aqueous solution is applied to outside of Fibrous casing, preferably when the casing is still in a wet state. 3. A solution or emulsion of casing-sausage adhesion enhancing ingredients is applied to inside of casing, preferable at wet casing state. 4. The casing is dried through a heating tunnel as in a conventional casing producing process. Both outside and inside additives receive adequate cure through the drying process. Dried reel stock demonstrates pronounced hydrophobic character outside, detectable by either surface tension test, or drop water beading up test. 5. The casing goes through a conversion step, including printing, moisturizing and/or shining, ready for sausage stuffing. | A food casing having a water vapor permeable tubular wall including regenerated cellulose and having inner and outer surfaces. The tubular wall has a water vapor permeable interior coating on the inner surface that increases cling to meat contained therein and has an exterior coating on its outer surface that is water impermeable and water vapor permeable. The invention also includes methods for making the casing and methods of using it. | 0 |
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/399,296 filed Oct. 14, 2003, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,337, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a yarn feeding device for a weaving machine, and to a method of inserting weft yarns into a weaving machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
According to known methods a winding package consisting of contacting or separated and spaced apart windings is formed on a storage body. The insertion system pulls the yarn from the winding package over the front end of the storage body. The windings on the storage body may be advanced forward by different advance assemblies. The storage body is axially longer than the winding package. During withdrawal a yarn balloon is formed which generates significant yarn tension variations and a considerable yarn tension which both delay the insertion. In order to achieve high insertion speeds a considerable energy input thus is needed in the insertion system. On the other hand this means a high mechanical load for the weft yarn. The most important drawback is the long insertion time dictated by this method, i.e. the time period between the start of the insertion and the arrival of the then stopped weft yarn at the opposite fabric edge. The basically very high efficiency potential of modem weaving machines cannot be used satisfactorily due to the long insertion time of such known insertion methods. Furthermore, other methods are known according to which the insertion system does not directly withdraw the weft yarn from the winding package on a storage body but instead weft yarn material is presented for the insertion system in loose and substantially tensionless condition. The influence of a yarn balloon is avoided thereby such that higher insertion speeds can be achieved with low energy input while the weft yarn material is treated with respect. For example, a weft yarn portion is presented by mechanical means in zigzag form or loop form. The mechanical means release the weft yarn portion in synchronism with the withdrawal motion. The method needs high efforts in terms of the devices but is too slow for modem weaving machines because of the mass inertia of the mechanical elements and a plurality of very precisely controlled movements of the mechanical elements.
There are further methods according to which the weft yarn is presented by mechanical means in a single large loop to the insertion system. The loop is released with the start of the insertion. In this case an undesirably large space is needed and the achievable insertion speeds are limited.
Finally, it is known to present the weft yarn section to the insertion system loosely and substantially without tension in random configuration in the interior of a cavity. The random configuration of the weft yarn section easily might lead to disturbances due to weft yarn breakages and yarn tension variations during the withdrawal.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method and a yarn feeding device, as mentioned above, which allow to achieve optimal short insertion times with low energy consumption and high operational safety in highly efficient modem weaving machines.
Said object is achieved by the features of the yarn feeding device and method as disclosed herein.
Surprisingly, the winding package portion set free from the support for the withdrawal in orderly arranged windings shows a tendency, among others, due to the inherent inertia property and the form stability of the windings, to safely remain in a tubular configuration in the free space even without any mechanical inner suspension and such that the weft yarn during withdrawal first runs inwardly from the tube without forming any balloon and then runs further centrally and consumes the windings from the tube in a clean fashion, even up to the last in-fed winding which may still be supported on the support. The released winding package section does not collide. The windings do not tend to entangle or to collapse, provided that the withdrawal is carried out rapidly and in a timewise precisely controlled adaptation to the release of the winding package section. Astonishingly short insertion times can be achieved by the method. The astonishingly short insertion times allow to optimally use the capabilities of modern weaving machines in terms of high yarn speeds and high insertion frequencies. The released yarn package section may be supported from the outer side. Such a suspension, however, is more a safety measure. Expediently, the winding on speed of the substantially continuous winding process may be matched with the insertion frequency and the length of the respective inserted weft yarn section such that each insertion substantially consumes the released winding package section before a subsequent winding package section is released. Even in case of extremely high yarn speeds it can be seen that the centrally withdrawn weft yarn does consume the first winding in withdrawal direction substantially radially inwardly and without any ballooning and that the tubular configuration of the windings in the released winding package section is maintained till the end of the insertion with optimum yarn geometry. The released winding package section may contain a number of yarn windings which substantially correspond to the weft yarn length which is to be inserted, or may contain a larger number corresponding to several weft yarns which are to be inserted one after the other.
It may be expedient to overlap the withdrawal timewise with the release of the winding package section such that the released winding package section or the windings at the withdrawal side of the winding package section, respectively, have as little time as possible to leave the tubular configuration of the orderly arranged windings.
The method can be carried out in a simple way if the windings in the winding package section are set free by axial overfilling of the inner support beyond the withdrawal side end of the support. The released windings are consumed during the withdrawal before the released winding package section can collide or get into a state of disorder. The overfilling is carried out by continuous winding on of new weft yarn material.
Alternatively or additively the windings may be released by advancing the winding package on the support beyond the withdrawal side end of the support. In this case advance assemblies of any suitable kind may be employed.
In order to maintain the tubular configuration of the released yarn package section as stably as possible, and in order to optionally even use the natural adhesion between the contacting windings, the winding package and the released winding package section may be conveyed in withdrawal direction obliquely upwards.
A further alternative may be to release the windings in the winding package section released for withdrawal by a respective conveying movement or adjusting movement of at least a part of the support. In this case mechanical adjusting devices of the support may be employed.
It is important for the course of the method to extend the tendency of the released winding package section to remain freely in space without inner mechanical suspension as long as possible. This tendency also depends on the form stability of the yarn material and the windings and from the at least preliminarily inherent form stability of the winding package section. The form stability is good when the windings are wound on the support with a curvature of the yarn material which at least substantially corresponds to the smallest natural and unforced capability of the weft yarn material to store a curvature. Said capability to store the curvature may be explained as follows: a section of the weft yarn material is laid on a smooth surface. Both ends of the section are brought towards each other as close as possible. By this the weft yarn section receives a certain curvature. If then both ends are released, the weft yarn section will relax into a residual curvature representing the smallest natural capability to store a curvature. Surprisingly, it has been found that different weft yarn materials behave only slightly differently or behave even very similarly. In case that the weft yarn material in the winding package is wound at least substantially with the smallest natural capability to store a curvature, then the windings in the released winding package section will not have a considerable tendency to increase or decrease the winding radius themselves such that the released winding package section maintains the tubular configuration formed by the winding process on the inner support relatively long even if there is no further support from inside. Any adhesion between the equally formed contacting windings can support this effect.
In case of insertion methods employing an insertion system which itself cannot precisely measure the length of the respective inserted weft yarn section it may be expedient to mechanically measure the weft yarn section between the insertion system and the winding package section remaining on the support. For that purpose mechanical systems may be employed which are controlled in adaptation to the weaving cycles.
The yarn feeding device is designed predominantly but not restrictive for the measurement of the weft yarn length for a weaving machine which is unable to measure the weft yarn length by itself, e.g. a jet weaving machine. In order to hardly influence the formation of the yarn winding package and the release of the yarn winding package section by the measurement or the definition of the correct weft yarn length for each insertion, the engaging stop element is moved into the stop position without using a separate drive, but by the forward moving yarn winding package only. The stop element is brought into the engagement position just in front of a winding just generated on the support and in a position suitable for measuring the length without interfering with the conveying movement of the winding package. Then the stop element drifts with the forwardly conveyed winding package until finally the stop position is reached where the stop element defines the end of the withdrawn weft yarn length. In order to bring the stop element later again into the home position, a power drive is provided which moves the stop element exclusively in the moved away release position and substantially opposite to the withdrawal direction while at the same time yarn windings can be withdrawn without hindrance by the moved away stop element. This results in a stepwise method run during which the power drive always returns the stop element while the yarn package moves the stop element forward. In the engaging stop position the stop element is responsible for the termination of the insertion.
Expediently, the stop element functionally co-operates with a yarn clamp which is responsible for the start of the insertion and which is controlled in timewise adaptation to the operation movements of the stop element. The yarn clamp holds the weft yarn firmly while the disengaged stop element is returned to the home position. The yarn clamp releases the weft yarn first precisely at the start of the insertion cycle. The insertion then is terminated when the engaging stop element has reached the stop position and is caught at the stop position, before the yarn clamp again holds the yarn in preparation for the return motion of the stop element.
When the stop element terminates the insertion in the engaging stop position, the weft yarn may be subjected to a significant longitudinal tension between the stop element and the insertion system or between the stop element and even the weaving machine. The longitudinal tension acts backwards at least towards the stop element. The weft yarn section between the yarn clamp adjusted into the clamping position and holding the yarn and the stop element as well will remain under longitudinal tension. In case that then the stop element would be moved from the engaging stop position into no longer engaging the release position, the tension depending friction of the weft yarn at the moving stop element could disturb the tubular configuration of the yarn winding package. Furthermore, the unavoidably occurring relaxation of the tensioned yarn during the movement of the stop element into the release position also could cause a disorder of the tubular configuration of the yarn windings. However, by means of the auxiliary drive the yarn clamp holding the yarn can be adjusted such that by an adjustment travel of the yarn clamp in the direction towards the stop element still positioned in the engaging stop position the weft yarn section extending therebetween becomes gradually relaxed and will be totally relaxed as soon as the stop element then moves into the release position for the next insertion. This adjustment of the yarn clamp avoids damages to the tubular configuration of the yarn winding package. Basically, it also may be expedient, to move the yarn clamp out of the moving space of the yarn at least in the final phase of an insertion, e.g. with the help of a further actuator or even with the same auxiliary drive. This minimises the danger that the yarn might be caught by the yarn clamp. Under certain conditions it might suffice to move a shield for a short while over the clamping region of the yarn clamp, or to provide a deflector at the yarn clamp or adjacent to the clamping region of the yarn clamp which deflector then guides the yarn sidewardly past the clamping region, namely at the sides from which the yarn normally enters the clamping region.
In order to move as little mass as possible during the movement of the stop element in withdrawal direction by the yarn winding package, a hinge should be provided between the stop element and the power drive of the stop element. Furthermore, the stop element ought to be guided in its moving direction in order to have precise positioning at least in the stopping position which is important for measuring the yarn length. The guidance either may be achieved by a defined hinge axis perpendicular to the withdrawal direction and/or a guiding curve in the support or even in a structure adjacent to the support at the outer side, which guiding curve then may extend exactly in this direction.
A power drive on a magnetic basis is constructionally simple and functionally safe. A stationary solenoid pulls or pushes the at least partially magnetically conductive stop element in the released position back into the home position by using the hinge. Alternatively, for the same purpose other drives might be employed instead.
A correct positioning of the stop element in the stop position may be achieved by a stop provided in the guiding notch either in the support or in the outwardly located adjacent structure. The yarn winding package moves the stop element in conveying direction against the stop.
Since by an abrupt stop of the withdrawn weft yarn in the stop position of the stop element unavoidably a whiplash effect or sudden stretching occurs in connection with a momentary yarn tension rise in this technique, conventionally a controlled yarn brake (end-of-insertion-brake) is employed which dampens the tension rise. Such controlled yarn brakes are expensive and need a complicated control system. For this reason and according to the invention in a structurally simple way the yarn instead is dampened at the stop position of the stop element precisely at the location where the whiplash effect or the stretching effect occurs, namely at the stop element; The dampening is carried out by deflecting the stop element counter to a predetermined elastic counter force essentially in circumferential direction of the support and by the energy which is transferred on the stop element by the stop the weft yarn. By deflecting the stop element counter to the elastic counter force the weft yarn is decelerated gradually and energy will be dissipated to significantly alleviate or remove the weft yarn tension peak. For this reason a controlled yarn brake can be omitted here.
The above-mentioned function e.g. can be achieved by using a stop element which itself is designed for an elastic return behaviour, e.g. with a springy hinge portion such that the stop element is deflected like a bending spring only under the energy increase of the whiplash effect to alleviate the yarn tension rise. Alternatively a sidewardly positioned retainer could be provided for the stop element in the support or in the structure adjacent to the support. The retainer then is temporarily dislocated sidewardly under the force of the weft yarn counter to the predetermined counter force and together with the sidewardly moving stop element in order to dissipate energy. As soon as the whiplash effect is over the retainer or stop element, respectively, is returned in circumferential direction into the predetermined correct length defining stop position.
The yarn clamp which is responsible for the start of the insertion has considerable importance since the point in time of the release of the weft yarn has to be adapted very precisely to the operation of the weaving machine and since only a very short time should expire between the command to start the insertion and the actual release of the weft yarn. For that reason the yarn clamp is used as the trigger of the insertion. The yarn clamp should occupy as little space in the yarn path and should act just as close in front of the front end of the support that the released yarn package section can be set free for the insertion with the desired size and without any mechanical interference. The adjustability of the yarn clamp in withdrawal direction, either in a linear or a pivoting motion, is important in order to relax the weft yarn section provided between the yarn clamp holding the yarn and the stop element positioned in the stop position after the insertion, and, under certain conditions, to move a yarn disturbing part of the yarn clamp at least substantially out of the yarn moving area. A step motor is e.g. a useful rotational drive. A solenoid assembly can be used as a linear drive.
An effective clamping at a small spot and with precisely adjusted clamping force may be achieved by a notch-like clamping region in a slim protrusion of the yarn clamp. The clamping force is mechanically generated by spring force. This can be done, because the clamping action for the yarn is of timewise secondary importance since then the weft yarn is caught by the stop element anyway. The spring force has to assure that the clamping force is sufficient for safely holding the weft yarn back even under tension produced by the insertion system.
Of importance is, however, that the yarn clamp releases the weft yarn precisely at the desired point in time and as rapidly as possible, when an insertion is to be introduced. This can be achieved by a switching solenoid in a functionally simple way. The armature of the switching solenoid is in an initial position with an intermediate predetermined distance from a bolt tightly holding the weft yarn while the switching solenoid is excited. Thanks to the intermediate distance the armature has sufficient time to overcome the static starting friction and to convert the increasing magnetic force in high speed and to build up high kinetic energy and to accelerate strongly before the armature hits the bolt. The switching solenoid then does not need to overcome the spring force by accelerating the armature from speed zero, but overcomes the counter force of the spring abruptly by the then accelerated and by the high kinetic energy of the armature. This results in an abrupt release of the clamped weft yarn. In practice, release times in a range of only one millisecond can be achieved.
While the yarn winding package has the tendency to keep the tubular configuration for a longer time in its released section which is no longer suspended from the inner side, it may be expedient, to then support the yarn winding package from the outer side at least in certain regions on guiding surfaces. The suspension from the outer side maintains the tubular configuration and allows during withdrawal to withdraw the weft yarn from the first winding radially inwardly and then along the prolongation of the axis of the support such that no balloon is formed which could cause a delay and could dissipate energy, and such that the desired high insertion speeds or the short insertion times, respectively, are achieved.
The guiding surfaces could be formed such that they suspend at least the lower half of the released yarn winding package section. In some cases even a bigger part or even the entire yarn winding package section may be suspended. In this case the guiding surfaces could be formed by surface parts or rods or the like in order to generate as low friction as possible on the released yarn winding package section, or to generate friction only there where it might be expedient, e.g. at an upper location at the front most windings in withdrawal direction in order to prevent that those windings may inadvertently tilt forwardly.
Alternatively or additively at least a part of the guiding surface may be inclined upwardly in withdrawal direction. This contributes to maintain the released yarn winding package section compact and dense while it moves forwards, and even during withdrawal of the yarn.
A further alternative may be to move the guiding surface together with the forwardly conveyed yarn winding package in order to keep friction influences between the guiding surface and the yarn winding package as low as possible. This may be achieved, e.g. by a caterpillar structure of driven guiding surfaces which hold and convey the yarn winding package from the outer side like spaced apart gear wheels. At the end of an insertion even the last yarn winding on the support may be consumed up to the stop element in the stop position. The undesirable whiplash effect or stretching effect could then lead to an undesirable increase of the weft yarn tension. For that reason a hold-back element with the shape of a lamella or a brush could be provided on top of the yarn winding package. The element co-operates with the front end of the support to slow down the weft yarn speed before the weft yarn comes to a total standstill at the stop element. This element has to be adjustable such that it comes into action only at the respective desired point in time, namely at the end of the insertion, but does not influence the released yarn winding package section during the remaining time period.
In a structurally simple way the support is designed as a rod cage. The fingers of the rod cage may have individual eccentric adjustment devices with a common adjusting eccentric which is accessible from the front side of the support. In this way diameter variations of the rod cage can be made comfortably. Since the support for carrying out the method has a relatively small diameter, approximately corresponding to the smallest natural and unforced capability of the weft yarn material to store a curvature, a simple eccentric adjustment device is enough, because a diameter variation corresponding to the length of one yarn winding only requires a relatively small radial adjustment stroke.
Here two possibilities can be realised. The adjusting eccentric either is rotated in the carrier and displaces the finger outwardly or inwardly, or the adjusting eccentric is rotated in the finger and is displaced within the carrier together with the finger and via the eccentric portion.
An outer diameter between about 20 mm and about 50 mm is expedient for the support, preferably between about 30 mm to about 40 mm. This is a diameter range corresponding to the smallest natural and unforced capability to store a curvature of most of the weft yarn materials processed nowadays.
Since, of course, any disturbance of the tubular configuration of the yarn winding package is to be avoided in order to achieve a yarn winding package as homogenous and stable as possible, and also a stable, homogenous released yarn winding package section, it may be expedient to provide the stop element at the lower side of the support where the gravitation force contributes towards avoiding disturbing influences of the stop element.
The yarn clamp should substantially be aligned in the direction of the stretched out yarn with the region at which the stop penetrates into the support.
According to a very important aspect of the invention the operational safety of the method can be improved significantly by a loop-suppressing body centrally provided at the support and projecting substantially in alignment with the support axis in withdrawal direction such that its free end is positioned at a location with a distance in front of the support. The basic advantages of the method are extremely high insertion speeds or short insertion times, respectively. This positive effect results from the fact that the yarn during withdrawal out of the frontmost winding of the released winding package section directly runs substantially radially inwardly and first then in axial direction into the weaving machine, and without any balloon formation. This yarn movement is carried out with very high speed and a high dynamic. Since the windings in the released winding package section are not supported from the inner side but remain so to speak freely in the space, particularly in case of lively yarn quality occasionally snarls may be formed which would lead to fabric faults if inserted while twisted or which then could cause disturbances in the insertion system, respectively. The snarl suppressing body supports the yarn run there where the yarn runs substantially radially inwards from the frontmost winding and then further in axial direction. In this region the suppressing body hinders by its structural presence that a snarl may get twisted. Instead the untwisted snarl will be pulled open again. The contact occurring during the running dynamic of the yarn with the suppressing body significantly also calms the yarn which then moves relatively linearly in axial direction into the insertion system.
Expediently, the snarl suppressing body has a coat surface which is rotationally symmetrical and which is tapered towards the free end. This assures that a formed snarl will slide off there and hinders that the snarls gets twisted. The shape also hinders that the snarl even might tend to wrap and tighten around the body under the withdrawal tension.
Structurally simple the snarl suppressing body is a pin, preferably a conical pin. The pin offers an ideal possibility for placing a withdrawal sensor there for registering each withdrawn winding.
The outer diameter of the pin should, at least close to its free end, only amount to a fraction of the diameter of the support.
The free end should markedly project beyond the front side of the support in order to function also in the region in which the yarn is running inwardly from the released winding package section. Preferably, the free end even is located in withdrawal direction downstream of the position of the yarn clamp in order to reach into an area downstream where snarls are no longer formed and where no danger exists that a snarl could get twisted and could form a knot.
The coat surface should be smooth and should have a low coefficient of friction, optionally the coat surface should have a low friction overlay. Low friction has the meaning that the surface should generate only low friction with the yarn material. This is because the suppressing body only by its bodily presence and extension substantially in withdrawal direction has to effect that snarls which are in process of being generated cannot be twisted. The body should impose as little mechanical and delaying load as possible on the yarn.
Expediently the forward advancing movement of the winding package is initiated by means of a predetermined conicity of the support. The cone-conveying principle leads to the advantage of directly contacting yarn windings which then also may stick to each other in the released yarn winding package section. Furthermore, this is a low cost and safe solution.
Alternatively an advancing principle employing a wobbling element in the support may be used which is driven in synchronism with the winding the element, does not rotate but generates a wobbling motion due to its inclined axis which wobbling motion is transferred onto the first yarn winding exiting from the winding element and being formed on the support. The first yarn winding then pushes further the downstream yarn windings.
As a further alternative the yarn winding package can be advanced axially with so-called yarn separation generated by driven advancing elements. The advancing elements are placed between the fingers or rods of the rod cage and use e.g. a common drive hub which has a skew axis in relation to the axis of the support or the drive axis of the winding element, respectively.
Basically, the yarn winding package section when presented for withdrawal without tension and loosely, is released by overfilling the support. As an alternative, the support may be pulled back in relation to the yarn winding package and opposite to the withdrawal direction in order to release the yarn winding package section at the right moment. In this case an assisting strip member may contribute to release the yarn winding package from the pulled back support in compact form and in tubular configuration.
According to a further alternative an auxiliary support is associated to the front side of the support. The auxiliary support is used to first form a yarn winding package supported from the inner side. Thereafter, the auxiliary support is coaxially pulled away from the support in order to release the yarn winding package section which is intended to be inserted. In this case the pull-back of the auxiliary support can be assisted by a stripper member which may be of advantage to keep the released yarn winding package section in compact shape.
The stretching effect or whiplash effect at the end of an insertion into a jet weaving machine fed by weft yarns originating from a measuring feeding device is a mechanical consequence of the abrupt deceleration of the inserted weft yarn at the stop element. In order to avoid damages, in practice controlled yarn brakes are employed which start to brake in advance before the weft yarn is caught at the stop element and which gradually decelerate the weft yarn. Controlled yarn brakes of this kind need a precise electronic control system and are complicated and costly. According to an important aspect of the invention the stop element itself which is responsible for the whiplash effect or the stretching effect when reaching the stop position, is used for dampening or attenuating the yarn tension rise at the end of an insertion. That is, the attenuation is carried out in the weft yarn exactly at the location where the undesirable yarn tension rise would come from. For that purpose the stop element can be deflected counter to a predetermined elastic force and over a dampening stroke substantially in circumferential direction of the support. In more detail, the stop element is adjusted from a first catching position in which it starts to decelerate the weft yarn over the dampening stroke into a second catching position and is loaded by the reaction force from the weft yarn, such that energy is dissipated before the weft yarn is totally stopped. The stop element then is returned by the predetermined elastic force. In toto this allows a very good yarn control resulting without yarn breakage in a finally linearly stretched weft yarn.
For this case it may be expedient to provide at least one hinge region between the linear drive which controls the stop element between the engaged position and the released position, and the support. The hinge region allows the sideward movability or this degree of freedom of the stop element without the necessity to accordingly move the linear drive as well. The damping element movably arranged with a predetermined moving direction in a stationary guide can yield against spring force. The damping element is moved by the stop element by the reaction force of the weft yarn counter to the spring force and over the dampening stroke, such that energy is dissipated and that the yarn is braked gradually without suffering from a significant yarn tension rise. The damping element does not need to move strictly in circumferential direction of the support, but could instead move obliquely in a direction approximately corresponding with the orientation of the resulting yarn reaction force at the stop element. The orientation results from the substantially circumferential force of the yarn extending between the last winding at the withdrawal side and the stop element and the substantial axial force of the downstream yarn portion. The automatic return of the damping element after the compensation of the yarn tension peak offers the advantage to then also pull back the weft yarn at least for a small distance.
In an alternative embodiment the yarn winding package already is formed with several yarn windings which are larger than adjacent ones and which define engagement locations for a respective one out of a plurality of stop elements. The stop elements may be formed like hooks and can e.g. be turned and move together with the yarn winding package such that they sequentially may engage in the enlarged windings. This particularly expedient when the yarn winding package is formed with a size which represents a weft yarn length for several subsequent insertions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will be explained with the help of the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the course of a method according to the invention, i.e. a method for inserting weft yarn sections into a weaving machine,
FIG. 2 is a perspective schematic illustration explaining the so-called smallest unforced capability of a weft yarn material to store a curvature,
FIG. 3 is a detail variant,
FIG. 4 is a further detail variant,
FIG. 5 is a further detail variant, prior to the start of withdrawal,
FIG. 6 is the detail variant of FIG. 5 after the start of withdrawal,
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a yarn feeding device,
FIG. 8 is a radial section belong to FIG. 7 ,
FIG. 9 is a radial section similar to the radial section of FIG. 8 of another embodiment, in a home position of a movable stop element,
FIG. 10 is a radial sectional view similar to FIG. 9 of the same embodiment in another position of the stop element,
FIG. 11 is a detail section in the plane XI-XI in FIG. 10 ,
FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a further embodiment,
FIG. 13 is a longitudinal section of a yarn clamp as it is used e.g. in FIG. 7 ,
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing by means of different curves the operation of several components in relative association during the method,
FIG. 15 is a perspective front view of a detail of FIG. 7 ,
FIG. 16 is a detail of FIG. 15 , in a perspective view and with enlarged scale,
FIG. 17 is a schematic view of a method and device variant,
FIG. 18 is a top view of a detail of a yarn feeding device of FIG. 17 ,
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a further detail,
FIG. 20 is a detail variant in a perspective view, and
FIG. 21 is a further variant in a perspective view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In FIG. 1 endless weft yarn material Y, e.g. coming from a not shown yarn supply, is pulled into a rotating winding element W which is moved by a drive M with a substantially continuous rotational winding movement R. The weft yarn material Y is wound by the winding element W on an inner mechanical support S in subsequent or adjacently placed windings T as a tubular winding package which moves forward on the support S by a speed V in the direction of an arrow. The windings T then are set free in a winding package section B beyond the end of the support S in withdrawal direction and further in the direction of the axis X from the support S, while they maintain the tubular configuration. In the set free winding package section B the windings T 1 are conveyed forward loosely and substantially without tension. Due to inertia and the form stability of the winding package the windings T 1 remain free in the space. Approximately in alignment with the axis X an insertion system A of a weaving machine L is provided which insertion system A withdraws the weft yarn Y intermittently (indicated by single arrows C) and inserts each weft yarn Y into a weaving machine L. Between the insertion system A and the winding package section B set free from the support S at one side and/or in the region of the end of the support S at the other side, mechanical assemblies H and G may be provided for measuring the respective correct weft yarn length for an insertion. Those assemblies H, G are controlled in adaptation to the weaving cycles. The weft yarn Y withdrawn from the set free winding package section B essentially coaxial to the axis X consumes the respective first winding in withdrawal direction without any balloon formation and runs substantially radially inwards and then further axially, e.g. such that finally all windings T 1 of the set free winding package section B may be consumed at the end of the insertion. Subsequently, the next following winding package section for the next following insertion is set free.
The winding package consisting of the windings T and the winding package section B are of round or polygonal tubular configuration. At least in the winding package section B the windings T 1 are more or less densely contacting each other, are arranged in good order and have substantially the same form. The diameter D of the winding package is selected such that the winding curvature corresponds at least approximately to the smallest natural and unforced capability of the weft yarn material to store a curvature.
FIG. 2 illustrates what is meant by the smallest natural and unforced capability to store a curvature. A section E of the weft yarn material Y is laid on a smooth surface 5 . Both ends 3 , 4 of the section A are moved in the direction of the arrows 1 to each other and then are released. The section E returns by its inherent elasticity in the direction of the dotted arrows 2 to the shown position in which the section has a residual curvature the radius RN of which corresponds to the smallest natural and unforced capability of this weft yarn material to store a curvature. This radius RN of the curvature corresponds approximately to half of the diameter D of the winding package in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 explains schematically another variant for carrying out the method. The inner support S on which the weft yarn winding package is formed by a substantially continuous winding process has rearward stationary elements 6 and frontward (in withdrawal direction) located elements 8 which can be displaced inwardly and which e.g. are connected via respective hinges 7 with the elements 6 . By means of a corresponding control system for the movement in the direction of the dotted arrow 9 the windings T 1 which are pushed forward during the winding process are set free for withdrawal similar as shown in FIG. 1 by displacing the elements 8 of support S inwardly.
In FIG. 4 the support S includes e.g. cage-like provided elements 10 on a carrier 11 carrying the elements 10 , and, in some cases, also a stationary retainer 12 . By pulling back the carrier 11 in the direction of the arrow 13 a desired number of windings is set free from the support S for withdrawal. Alternatively, it may be possible to set free the windings by pushing the retainer 12 forward.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a further variant of the method. The support S consists of a stationary support section S 1 on which the winding element W forms the winding package with the windings T, T 1 with the help of a substantially continuous winding movement R. In withdrawal direction in front of the support section S a further, e.g. coaxial auxiliary support S 2 is provided. The auxiliary support S 2 is inwardly open and includes rod-shaped elements 15 constituting a cage-like configuration connected to a carrier 14 . The elements 15 prolong the support section S 1 in withdrawal direction as long as the carrier 14 remains in the position as shown in FIG. 5 . In some cases a stationary stripper member may be provided, although this member is not necessary in any case. As soon as by overfilling the support section S 1 a predetermined number of windings T 1 is formed on the support part S 2 in tubular configuration the carrier 14 together with the element 15 is pulled away rapidly in the direction of the arrow 17 . By this action the windings T 1 are set free. From the first winding in withdrawal direction the weft yarn Y then runs inwardly and in withdrawal direction through the stripper member 16 and the carrier 14 which are formed with inner through openings.
In FIG. 6 the windings T 1 already are set free. The support section S 2 is adjusted into the right end position. By the withdrawal of the weft yarn Y indicated by the arrow C the set free windings T 1 are successively consumed back to the support section S 1 . After that the support part S 2 again is returned into the position shown in FIG. 5 , such that by overfilling the support section S 1 again windings T 1 may be brought into the tubular configuration and can be pushed off from the support part S 1 .
With the method variants of FIGS. 3-6 also the assemblies H, G for measuring the weft yarn length may be used, e.g. for an insertion system A which is not able to measure the inserted weft yarn length by itself, e.g. in case of a jet weaving machine. The assembly H, e.g. directly co-operating with the support S, may be a controlled stop device with a stop element used to terminate an insertion by catching the weft yarn material Y, while the other assembly G may be controlled yarn clamp which initiates the start of an insertion by an opening stroke.
In all above described method variants the winding package produced by the winding process is pushed forwards by the winding process itself. Alternatively or additively even advance elements or advance assemblies may be employed which convey the windings forward. It is even possible to operate on the support S with a separation (pitch) between adjacent yarn windings.
For safety's sake (in FIG. 1 indicated in dotted lines) a mechanical (or pneumatic) guiding surface arrangement F may be provided for the winding package section B set free from the support S. The guiding surface arrangement acts on the set free windings, however, exclusively from outside. The suspension by the guiding surface arrangement F is not a must, may, however, be of advantage in order to prevent collapsing or lowering of the set free winding package section B. Furthermore, it is possible, to provide means which engage at the set free winding package section B exclusively on top and from the outer side which means suppresses that the first windings T 1 at the withdrawal side in the set free winding package section B may tilt forward. Those means as well as the suspension by the guiding surface arrangement S do not have any influence on the balloon free consumption of the windings T 1 during the central inward withdrawal of the weft yarn Y in the direction of the axis X of the winding package section B. The diameter D e.g. may lie in a range of about 30 mm. Special yarn qualities, however, may demand a larger or even a smaller diameter D. Experience has shown that a wide variation of yarn qualities and yarn counts have a very similar smallest natural and unforced capability to store a curvature corresponding to a radius of the curvature of about 15 mm.
The method is not only intended for jet weaving machines but may as well e.g. be employed with gripper weaving machines, rapier weaving machines and projectile weaving machines.
FIG. 7 illustrates a yarn feeding device 18 for carrying out the method. Several details of the yarn feeding device 18 are shown in FIGS. 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 and 13 . The yarn feeding device 18 of FIG. 7 e.g. serves for feeding weft yarn Y into a jet weaving machine, e.g. an air jet weaving machine, the insertion system A of which is unable to measure the weft yarn length by itself. For this reason the assemblies H, G are provided in the yarn feeding device 18 .
The driving motor M of the winding element W is received in a housing. The winding element W rotates in relation to the stationary support S which is formed as a kind of a rod cage having circumferentially distributed, freely ending rods 19 extending substantially parallel to the withdrawal direction X. The assembly H is provided at the lower side of the support S and will be described in detail with the help of FIGS. 8-10 , while the assembly G is provided downstream of support S and is constituted by a controlled yarn clamp 20 .
The yarn clamp 20 is pivoted backwards and forwards by means of an auxiliary drive 21 and about a pivot axis 21 ′ oriented perpendicular to the withdrawal direction X. The yarn clamp 20 comprises a tubular projection 41 and a notch-shaped clamping region 42 for the weft yarn. The projection 41 extends from outside and perpendicular to the pivot axis 21 ′ essentially below a prolongation of the support axis. A double arrow 22 indicates how the yarn clamp 22 is adjusted back and forth by means of the auxiliary drive 21 . The rotational auxiliary drive 21 includes, e.g., a rapidly responding step motor. Alternatively, a linear drive assembly could be provided which reciprocally displaces the yarn clamp 20 parallel to the withdrawal direction and corresponding to the double arrow 22 . Guiding surfaces F axially overlap the support S and serve for the yarn winding package or the set free yarn winding package section, respectively. The guiding surfaces F, in this embodiment, are arranged at the lower side and at both sides in order to guide and support the set free yarn winding package section, if necessary.
Basically, it may be expedient to remove the yarn clamp 20 in the end phase of an insertion temporarily from the moving space of the yarn, e.g. by means of a separate, not shown, actuator or even by means of the auxiliary drive 21 , e.g. into a position Q in FIG. 7 . Alternatively, a shield could be moved for a short while above the clamping region 42 . As a further alternative, a permanent deflector could be provided there. Those measures hinder that the yarn can be caught accidentally by the yarn clamp 20 at the end of an insertion.
FIG. 8 is radial section of a variant of the yarn feeding device 18 . In this embodiment, the assembly H is provided below the support S and is constituted by a stopping device having a movable stop element 24 . The rods 19 of the support S are provided in a stationary carrier 23 in a freely cantilevering fashion. The winding element W rotates around the support SW. The carrier 13 , e.g. is rotatably supported on the driving shaft of the winding element W; however, not shown solenoid arrangements hinder the carrier 23 from rotating with the driving shaft such that the carrier 23 remains stationary.
The stop element 24 is pin-shaped and is connected via a hinge 28 having a hinge axis perpendicular to the withdrawal direction X with an armature 25 of a solenoid drive 26 (linear drive) by which the stop element 24 is reciprocally movable in the direction of the double arrow 27 between the shown release position and an engagement position. In the engagement position the free end of the stop element 24 engages into a cut-out or a longitudinal guide 13 of one rod 19 . At the left end in FIG. 8 of the longitudinal guide 31 a stop 32 is provided which defines a stop position in which the engaging stop element 24 hinders that weft yarn will be further withdrawn from the windings on the support S. The free end of the stop element 24 , e.g., is reciprocally movable in the direction of the double arrow 21 in the hinge 28 . A stop 30 defines the home position of the stop element 24 shown in FIG. 8 . In the home position the stop element can be brought from the shown release position upwardly into the longitudinal guide 31 such that it will be placed in front of the yarn exiting from the winding element W and behind at least a first yarn winding in withdrawal direction which first yarn winding already is placed on the support S. Thanks to the hinge 28 during the further formation of the yarn windings the stop element 24 is carried along by the axially growing yarn winding package until it is caught in the stop position at stop 32 . The insertion is terminated as soon as the withdrawn weft yarn is caught at the stop element 24 . After the termination of the insertion the stop element 24 again is pulled back by the solenoid drive 26 into the release position such that the yarn winding package can further overfill the support S or such that again weft yarn can be withdrawn. For returning the stop element 24 in the home position shown FIG. 8 a power drive 33 is provided, which is stationary with respect to the stop element 24 and which may be, e.g., a controlled solenoid 33 . The solenoid 33 only is active when the stop element 24 has to be returned. The stop element 24 only has to control the end of an insertion. The start of an insertion is controlled by the yarn clamp 20 .
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a detail variant having a stop element 24 the hinge 28 of which is constituted by an elastic hinge section 28 ′ which provides movability in all directions. The hinge section 28 ′ consists, e.g., of an elastomeric part. The adjustment of the stop element 24 from the stop position shown in FIG. 10 back into the home position shown in FIG. 9 is carried out by the inherent elasticity of the hinge section 28 ′, so to speak, automatically. The spring action in the spring section 28 ′ ought to be as weak as possible in order to resist as little as possible the yarn winding package conveying the stop element 24 forward. A permanent magnet 33 can be provided for safety's sake in order to ensure in co-action with a magnetic section 35 the home position of the stop element 24 as shown in FIG. 9 .
Adjacent to the support S or the rods 19 , respectively, in this embodiment a stationary structure 34 is provided distant from the spaced apart from the outer sides of the rods 19 and includes a longitudinal guide 31 ′ for the stop element 24 . Within rod 19 or in-between two rods 19 a cut-out 39 is provided as a longitudinal guide or as a passing path for the stop element 24 . Within the structure 34 as a stop 32 ′ a retainer 36 is provided which defines a damping element and which will be explained with the help of FIG. 11 . The retainer 36 has to define the stop position of the stop element 24 and constitutes in co-operation with the stop element 24 a damping device of the yarn feeding device 18 .
The sectional view in FIG. 11 shows that the longitudinal guide 31 ′ is a slot guiding the engaging stop element 24 while the yarn winding package conveys the stop element 24 forward. In a lateral guide notch 38 substantially oriented in circumferential direction of the support S or oriented in a direction which is oblique in relation to the withdrawal direction, the retainer 36 is displaceable counter to the force of a spring 37 . The retainer 36 on the one hand forms the stop 32 ′ for defining the stop position, and on the other hand constitutes a damping element which elastically can be displaced by the reaction force of the decelerated weft yarn via the stop element 24 from a first catching position k over a damping stroke into a second catch position I. During this stroke kinetic energy will be dissipated such that a yarn tension rise at the end of an insertion is moderated or even avoided.
In a not shown alternative embodiment the stop element 24 itself could be displaced substantially in circumferential direction of the support S with a counter force and resiliently and could directly constitute the damping device.
FIG. 12 shows a back-holding element 39 associated to the support S (a lamella or a brush) which extends obliquely downwards in withdrawal direction for co-operation with the front end of the support S or the weft yarn, respectively, which weft yarn just is in progress to be caught at the stop element 24 in the stop position. The back-holding element 33 is adjustable, e.g., in the direction of a double arrow 40 back and forth in order to act indeed only towards the end of an insertion on the yarn to reduce the yarn speed.
FIG. 13 illustrates the structure of the controlled yarn clamp 20 of FIG. 7 . The tube-shape projection 41 is secured to a housing 47 receiving the solenoid drive 48 , 49 serving to adjust the yarn clamp from the shown clamping position into the not shown passive position. The notch-shaped clamping region 42 is defined by a boundary surface 43 of an outwardly open notch of the projection 41 and a clamping surface 44 provided at a shoulder of a bolt 45 which is slideably received in the projection 41 . The bolt 45 is loaded in clamping direction by the force of a spring 46 . The spring 46 , finally, serves to hold the weft yarn Y. A plunger-shaped armature 49 is provided in the solenoid drive 48 . The armature rests in the initial position as shown in FIG. 13 as long as the solenoid 48 is not excited. In this initial position the armature 49 is spaced apart from the bolt 45 by an intermediate distance 50 . The intermediate distance 50 allows that the armature 49 upon excitement of the solenoid 48 accelerates rapidly and then hits with full vehemence against the bolt 45 such that the held weft yarn Y is released abruptly (opening time in the range of one millisecond).
The yarn clamp 20 is adjusted from the clamping position shown in FIG. 13 into the passive position by means of a trig signal transmitted from the weaving machine. By this adjustment the weft yarn Y is released for withdrawal in order to start the insertion cycle. On the other hand, e.g., the stop element 24 is pulled back from the engaging stop position at the point in time after the yarn clamp 20 is brought into the clamping position by a signal generated from a not detailed shown control system of the yarn feeding device. In some cases even a signal of the control device of the yarn feeding device may be used to control the yarn clamp 20 . An adjustment of the stop element 24 from the home position into the engagement position as well may be controlled by a signal of the control device of the yarn feeding device, e.g., as soon as the counted number of wound on yarn windings reaches a target value. A Hall sensor HS ( FIG. 8 ) placed in the stationary part of the yarn feeding device may e.g. serve to count the wound on yarn windings. The Hall sensor may be aligned to a permanent magnet PM provided at the winding element W.
The method carried out with the yarn feeding device 18 will be explained with the help of the diagram of FIG. 14 for two subsequent insertion cycles (notch I′). The horizontal axis shows the time t or the rotational angle of the weaving machine, respectively, while the vertical axis among others represents the travel strokes of the assemblies H, G in two opposite direction.
The horizontal lower parts of the notch I′ represent times during which no yarn consumption takes place, while arc-shaped parts of the curve represent respective insertions during which the predetermined weft yarn lengths are inserted by the insertion system A into the weaving shed of the weaving machine.
The curve II indicates the substantially radial adjustment of the assembly H, i.e. of the stop element 24 , between the release position a and the engagement position b. The curve III indicates the adjustment of the assembly G, i.e., of the clamping surface 44 relative to the boundary surface 43 of the yarn clamp 20 in longitudinal direction of the projection 41 between the clamping position d and the passive position c. The curve IV indicates the travel of the stop element 24 in the assembly H in and counter to the withdrawal direction between the home position f similar as shown in FIG. 8 and the stop position e similar as shown in FIG. 10 . The curve V indicates the adjustment of the assembly G, i.e. of the yarn clamp 20 , in the direction of the double arrow 22 in FIG. 7 , i.e., in and counter to the withdrawal direction between a position g in which the yarn clamp 20 is furthest from the support S over an intermediate position h into a position i in which the yarn clamp 20 is closest to the support S.
According to curve II the stop element 24 in the release position and prior to an insertion, is adjusted at a point in time t 1 into the engagement position b, more precisely according to curve IV in the home position f close to the winding element W. Now successively new yarn windings are formed such that according to curve IV the stop element 24 conveyed by the windings gradually reaches the stop position e until the point in time t 3 . When at the point in time t 1 the stop element 24 is adjusted into the engagement position b, the yarn clamp 20 still is in the clamping position d according to curve III, such that the yarn clamp 20 still holds the weft yarn. During this time period the yarn clamp 20 still is in the position g with the largest distance from the support S and according to curve V. For example, at point in time t 2 a trig signal is transmitted. The yarn clamp 20 now is adjusted into the passive position c. The insertion starts. In the passive position the yarn clamp 20 gradually is moved into the intermediate position h and according to curve V such that the yarn clamp 20 will reach the intermediate position h at point in time t 4 . At point in time t 3 the insertion is to be terminated. The stop element 24 has reached the stop position e and stops, according to curve IV, such that the weft yarn is caught. The insertion has ended. At point in time t 4 the yarn clamp 20 again is adjusted into the clamping position d according to curve III such that the yarn clamp 20 again holds the yarn. Thereafter the closed yarn clamp 20 is moved from the intermediate position h according to curve IV into the position i closest to the support S such that the yarn clamp relaxes the yarn section between the stop element 24 and yarn clamp 20 . After the relaxation of the yarn in point in time t 4 the stop element 24 is moved into the release position according to curve II. This movement is carried out without significant friction on the yarn and without jerking motions of the yarn, because the yarn already is relaxed. As soon as the stop element 24 has reached the release position, the stop element 24 is brought by the power drive 33 according to curve IV from the stop position e into the home position f close to the winding element W until the home position f is reached in point in time t 1 . Then the stop element 24 again is adjusted into the engagement position b (curve II) before at point in time t 2 the next insertion will start. After the stop element 24 has been brought into the release position at point in time t 5 in curve II, the yarn clamp 20 is moved according to curve V in withdrawal direction from the position i closest to the support S gradually into the position g in which the yarn clamp (according to curve III) holds the yarn until the point in time t 2 , i.e., the start of the insertion.
According to curve V the yarn clamp 20 first is adjusted gradually from the position g into the intermediate position h such that the yarn clamp 20 reaches the intermediate position h at point in time t 4 . Only then the further adjustment into the position i is carried out and after the stop element 24 has been adjusted into the release position.
Alternatively, the yarn clamp 20 may, different from the curve V, remain approximately in the position g between the points in time t 2 and t 3 . The yarn clamp 20 then will be adjusted first after point in time t 4 in one stroke into the position i such that it reaches the position i at point in time t 5 or shortly before.
In case of only one stop element 24 the releasably weft yarn length only can be an integer multiple of the circumferential length of the support S (diameter D′). In order to adapt the weft yarn length to the weaving width of the weaving machine the diameter D′ has to be variable. For this purpose and according to FIGS. 15 and 16 the support S is designed with a variable diameter. The rods 19 are, preferably in groups, provided at fingers 51 which are radially movable in guides of the stationary carrier 23 . The respective radial adjustment position of the fingers 51 is fixed by at least one fastening screw 52 . Each finger 51 has an individual eccenter adjustment device 53 allowing to steplessly vary the diameter D′ of the support S. The eccenter adjustment device comprises an adjusting eccentric portion 55 penetrating a cut-out 56 in the finger 51 . The function of the adjusting eccentric portion 55 will be explained with reference to FIG. 16 .
The eccentric portion 55 is rotatably supported about the axis 57 in carrier 23 in FIG. 16 , and particularly by means of a rotatable portion 58 (secured in place by a not shown safety element engaging into circumferential groove 61 ). The adjusting eccentric portion 55 comprises an eccentric portion 59 the eccentric axis of which is offset in relation to the rotation axis 57 , and a handle 60 for the engagement of a turning tool. The eccentric portion 59 engages into the cut-out 56 which extends substantially in circumferential in the finger 51 , preferably in a sliding fit. By turning the adjusting eccentric portion 55 , e.g. over a limited rotational range of 180°, the entire adjusting range for each finger 51 is defined. An adjustment is carried out after first loosening the fastening screw 52 . A new adjustment position is fixed by again tightening the fastening screw 52 .
Alternatively (not shown) the adjusting eccentric portion 55 only could be supported rotatably in finger 51 such that it engages with its eccentric portion 59 into a cut-out in the carrier 23 which cut-out is similar to the cut-out 56 .
FIG. 17 indicates schematically how according to the method a number of windings is formed in the yarn winding package. The number of windings corresponds to several weft yarn lengths. For defining the length of each weft yarn section several stop elements 24 ′ are provided which expediently move together with the yarn winding package in withdrawal direction and which can be brought into engagement into selected windings T′. The windings T′ are formed larger than the adjacent windings T, e.g. with the help of a device 62 which preliminarily is placed close to the winding element W (double arrow 63 ) and which then forms one larger winding T′. A respectively selected of the stop elements 24 ′ engages into one of the enlarged windings T′ in order to terminate the insertion of all of the windings T′ located downstream in withdrawal direction. Later, this stop element 24 ′, e.g. is returned by a turning motion into a release position, as soon as the next insertion starts, which next insertion then will be terminated by the subsequent engaging stop element 24 ′.
In FIG. 18 the stop elements 24 ′ are formed like hooks and are held in rotatable bearings 65 . The stop elements 24 ′ can be turned between the engagement positions and the released positions back and forth by means of gear rims 66 , 67 . An arrow 64 indicates the movement of the stop elements 24 ′ together with the forwardly conveyed yarn winding package in FIG. 17 .
In the yarn path downstream of the yarn clamp 20 a controlled yarn brake may be provided (not shown).
In case of a weaving machine the insertion system of which automatically is capable of mechanically defining the weft yarn length (projectile weaving machine or rapier weaving machine) the assemblies H, G may be omitted.
During withdrawal of the yarn from the set free winding package section B the yarn of the frontmost winding first runs directly substantially radially inwards before running further substantially in axial direction. Depending on the adhesion between the yarn windings and the elasticity and the liveliness of the yarn material occasionally almost a full winding may move inwardly or the yarn may run spiralling inwardly from the frontmost winding, respectively. This could mean that occasionally a snarl is formed which then, in case of a lively yarn material, might have the tendency to fully get twisted at the location where the yarn crosses. Due to the high withdrawal speed such a snarl could result in a knot or may not be removed but would be inserted. This could cause a fabric fault or an insertion disturbance. For this reason a snarl suppressing body 70 is provided in FIG. 19 which eliminates the above-mentioned effect. The rods 19 at the fingers 51 which are mounted in the support S at the carrier 23 about which the winding element W rotates, e.g. in the direction of the arrow, define a support surface having a certain axial length and the above-mentioned diameter D′. The snarl suppressing body 68 , 70 is stationarily secured by a foot part 69 at support S within the rods 19 . The snarl suppressing body 68 , 70 may be easily removably inserted or even screwed in. The snarl suppressing body 68 , 70 extends substantially in the direction of the axis of the support beyond the front end of the support S, i.e. beyond the front end defined by the rods 19 , and has a free end 71 . In the shown embodiment a tapered rotation symmetrical pin 70 is provided the diameter of which is significantly smaller than the diameter of the supporting surface. At least the free end 71 has a diameter which only is a fraction of the diameter of the supporting surface. The pin 70 may be linearly conical or may have a concave or convex generatrice. It even may be formed like a pointed cone or as a cylinder. The coat surface 72 of the pin ought to be smooth, in some cases it even might carry a low friction overlay in order to generate as little friction resistance for the yarn as possible. In the shown embodiment the snarl suppressing body 68 reaches with its free end 71 in withdrawal direction beyond the position of the yarn clamp 20 . The yarn clamp 20 is positioned in the withdrawal path of the yarn from the support S outside of the support axis and substantially aligned with the stop element 24 such that the yarn running off from the stop element 24 safely reaches the clamping section 42 . FIG. 19 also shows the guiding slot 31 for the stop element 24 .
The free end 71 of the pin 70 of the snarl suppressing body 68 does not need to be necessarily downstream of the yarn clamp 20 . It is possible to place the free end 71 exactly at the position of the yarn clamp 20 , or even between the yarn clamp 20 and the support S. In each case the snarl suppressing body 68 ought to project beyond the front end of the support S in order to be able to hinder that snarls get twisted and occasionally even form knots on their way downstream.
In operation the withdrawn yarn at least sometimes may contact the coat surface 72 . In case that a snarl is in progress which has the tendency to twist about its crossing location, e.g. in case of lively yarn material, this is hindered by the bodily presence of the snarl suppressing body 68 . A snarl cannot get twisted but will be opened and consumed or removed. Surprisingly, a particularly positive effect of the snarl suppressing body 68 is a very calm run behaviour of the yarn into the insertion system.
The snarl suppressing body 68 may consist of plastic material or metal. Instead of a pin several parallel or conically converging wire section or the like could be employed. As mentioned, the conical pin 70 could be formed with a concave or convex generatrice of its coat surface 72 .
Advantageously, the snarl suppressing body 68 may be used to place a reliable yarn withdrawal sensor ( FIGS. 20 and 21 ) for detecting the withdrawn windings. In FIG. 20 a reflecting surface 73 (e.g. a mirror) is placed on or in the coat surface 72 . The surface 75 co-acts with an optoelectric sensor 74 , 75 . In FIG. 21 a lateral passage 76 is formed in the pin 70 . A detection beam of a light emitting sensor 74 ′, 75 ′ is directed through the lateral passage 76 . In FIG. 20 each winding is detected once (one count) per passage, in FIG. 21 each winding is detected twice (two counts) per passage. | The invention relates to a method for inserting weft yarn material, comprising an insertion system in a loom. According to the invention, for every insertion the insertion system (A) is supplied with a substantial part of the weft yarn required for the insertion in a loose and substantially tension-free manner so as to be intermittently pulled off. A tubular package of adjacent windings is produced from the weft yarn material on an inner mechanical support (S) by way of an at least substantially continuous winding process and is conveyed forward in withdrawal direction. For an insertion, a number of windings that corresponds at least approximately to the weft yarn section intended to be inserted is detached or set free from the support while maintaining its tubular configuration without yarn tension. The weft yarn material is withdrawn directly inwardly from the frontmost winding and then further along the tube axis (X). | 3 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of Przyborski, et. al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/186,733, filed Jan. 25, 1994 now Pat. No. 5,475,425, and entitled Apparatus and Method for Creating Video Outputs that Emulate the Look of Motion Picture Film.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for storing and displaying images provided by a video signal that emulates the look of motion picture film. More specifically, the invention provides a method and apparatus for storing and displaying a video signal created by real time digital video simulation of motion picture film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Television broadcasts generally can be thought of as providing two distinctly different "looks." Viewers of television broadcasts can commonly discern a difference between the look of a broadcast from a video camera and the look of the broadcast from motion picture film. For example, the news, game shows and afternoon soap operas are typically shot on video cameras whose signals are recorded on videotape. In contrast, broadcasts of programming that originated on motion picture film are often thought of as presenting a different and richer "look" than that of a video camera broadcast.
Motion picture film is commonly transferred to videotape for editing and broadcast purposes. However, even under such circumstances the motion picture film retains the unique richer film "look." This richer look is associated with the higher quality, more expensive production process of motion picture as compared to the look of a broadcast recorded from a video camera.
Production of works that originate on motion picture film typically costs three to five times as much as does the production of a video originated work. In addition, motion picture production often requires crew positions and film equipment that is much more expensive than broadcast video equipment.
The visually perceivable difference between the look of a broadcast made on a conventional video camera and the look of a broadcast made from motion picture film that has been transferred or converted to a video signal, can be important to the nature of the work being created and the medium in which it is intended to be broadcast, as well as the market it is trying to reach. This difference in appearance between these two methodologies is attributable in part to the differences between the way in which a conventional video camera captures and displays images as compared to the way in which a motion picture camera does the same.
A first difference between a video camera broadcast and a broadcast of motion picture film transferred or converted to a video signal is related to the way in which the video camera captures or freezes time as compared to how the motion picture camera captures or freezes time. A second difference in the broadcast outputs between these two methodologies is related to the contribution of film emulsion grain to the visual appearance of a motion picture film.
A conventional video camera captures action as a series of horizontal electronic scans of a photosensitive pick-up tube or a solid state, charged coupled device (CCD) type image sensor. The action in front of the lens of the video camera is output as a series of interlaced fields, or half frames. Two video fields are required to make up one complete video frame. The first video field consists of the odd numbered scan lines, while the second video field consists of the even numbered scan lines.
In the United States and other countries that use 60 Hz power, a broadcast field rate is approximately 60 fields per second, which yields a frame rate of about 30 frames per second.
A motion picture camera captures action as a series of still photographs by opening and closing the camera shutter at a predetermined rate. When viewed in rapid succession, these still images create the illusion of motion. In the United States and most other countries that have 60 Hz power, the standard camera and film projection speed is 24 frames per second. Those countries that have 50 Hz power use 25 frames per second as their standard film projection speed.
In order to view motion picture film on a conventional National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) video system, the film's 24 images per second must be converted to 60 video fields (or 30 video frames) per second. This film-to-video conversion process requires that 6 additional video frames be created each second from the 24 images per second motion picture film. Conventionally, these 6 extra video frames per second are created by scanning every other film image for three fields rather than two fields. This process of converting 24 images per second to 30 video frames per second is called "3-2 conversion." This process is well known in the broadcast industry as the methodology for converting motion picture film to video for broadcast.
With a conventional video camera, one second of time produces 60 independent video fields. By dividing each second into 60 separate video fields, the conventional video camera yields a smooth continuity of motion when broadcast.
For those countries and locations that do not use NTSC television systems, such as the United Kingdom and much of Europe, the 3-2 conversion process is not used. This is so because the motion picture film in these countries is photographed and projected at 25 frames per second, where each frame of film yields two video fields or one complete video frame. Occasionally, film for television broadcast is photographed at an increased rate of image capture of 30 frames per second. When this is done, the need for the 3-2 conversion for transferring the film to video is eliminated.
The 3-2 film-to-video conversion process creates a video sequence whereby motion within the scenes of the original motion picture film is displayed discontinuously. The viewer of such a broadcast may notice a "stepping" or "skipping" action to rapid motion within the scenes of the original film. In contrast, because of the way in which video cameras capture images, this stepping or skipping is largely undetected.
As noted above, the second major factor that contributes the look of motion picture film is the film media itself. The photochemistry of the light sensitive film emulsion that coats the film results in a granular image. The grain on film media appears as random patterns of similarly sized particles, localized into areas of similar exposure and density. The localized random patterns of particles creates a microscopic mosaic that produces a visual "texture" that is associated with the look of motion picture film.
Since each film image is photographed on and developed from a different piece of the film stock, the precise grain particle placement is uniquely different from frame to frame although the intensity of grain tends to be similar. As a result, even the photographing of a static scene will yield a constantly changing granularity on film media. The intensity of the grain effect can vary depending upon the film stock. Film stock with a higher sensitivity to light generally exhibits more visible grain than does film which is less sensitive to light.
Electronic noise of some level is generally produced by all video cameras. Some forms of random high frequency noise can appear as a type of granularity on video systems. However, this type of granularity is not of the same degree and nature, visually, as is the granularity created by the photochemistry of motion picture film. Random electronic noise has no spatial dependence and is generally only one scan line high.
The visual differences between broadcasts of works originally created on video cameras as compared to those created using motion picture film and motion picture cameras are well known to those skilled in the art. The principal causes of these differences as described above are used in connection with the present invention to help provide a video camera for real time simulation of the visual appearance of motion picture film that has been transferred or converted to a video signal, as well as a method for effecting such simulation. The desirability of producing movie quality broadcasts through a video medium has been long-felt, and there have been several attempts to achieve these and other related objectives, none of which employ the unique elements and steps of the present invention.
A method and apparatus for video image film simulation is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,816 to Faber, whose description is incorporated by reference herein. Faber discloses a method and apparatus for receiving a conventional video signal from a prerecorded videotape or conventional video camera and processing the signal to provide the appearance of a motion picture film recorded image to be output directly for television broadcast or recording on videotape. Faber notes that video of recorded images does not contain grain and that noise or "snow" in a video system is typically undesirable. Faber states that extensive electronic filtering is employed to eliminate noise from electronic circuits and cameras, recorders and television sets for a clear picture.
Faber identifies three basic approaches for recording moving pictures; (1) photographic film exposed using a motion picture camera which is developed and printed to projection film, which may then be shown using a projector and screen; (2) videotaping where images are recorded directly on magnetic tape from a television or video camera; and (3) video cameras and videotape used for initial recording of moving picture images, followed by the breakdown of the recorded video into red, green and blue components which is then scanned onto photographic film, which is then processed and returned to videotape using the "telecine" process. Faber indicates that each of these approaches has certain technical limitations and undesirable costs associated with them.
Faber's solution to these shortcomings is to input a video signal from a video camera or prerecorded videotape and split it to provide a first real time signal for picture information and a second real time signal for synchronization and color burst information, and a first delayed signal and a second delayed signal. Faber provides clipped filter white noise with the picture portion of the first real time signal to simulate the "grain" of film, and then forms two interrelated fields that are routed through a third delay equal in length to the first delay. By sequentially repeating the interpolation of fields to be timed with predetermined delays, when processed the resultant video output comprises five field sets wherein each of the first four fields is an interpolation of a preceding and succeeding frame pair while the fifth field is a repeat of the third interpolated field.
Commercial efforts at creating film-like video cameras include a product known as the Ikegami EC 35 and a CEI/Panavision video camera. These two commercial products were introduced in the early 1980s, and both employed a similar concept of attempting to adapt a film lens to a modified hand-held tube type color camera. The external appearance of these two commercial products was much like a film camera, but the output pictures were generally on par with a high quality video camera and were not effective in simulating the look of a motion picture camera.
None of the above-described attempts at creating a video signal that can emulate the look of motion picture film has succeeded in creating a commercial and effective product, having the attributes of the present invention which are described hereafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a video camera provides a process for real time simulation of the visual appearance of motion picture film that has been transferred or converted to a video signal. The video camera simulates the effect of a motion picture camera's shutter by using non-interlaced scanning of the solid state image sensors. The data from each complete image scan is stored digitally in local camera memory, and it is thereafter read from the local memory at the desired speed (at a predetermined rate). The camera of the present invention then combines the stored video signal with a two dimensional digital grain effect generator, before being output as a conventional interlaced video signal. The apparatus of the present invention comprises a video storage medium containing the conventional interlaced video signal that emulates the look of motion picture film created by the camera of the present invention. The method of the present invention comprises the steps of creating the film-like video signal, storing the video signal in the video storage medium and retrieving the video signal from the video storage medium for display.
A process is provided for creating the look of broadcast motion picture film comprising the steps of increasing the scan rate of CCD image sensors and outputting non-interlaced video images, converting said video images from analog to digital form, writing said video images to memory, reading said video images from said memory to a video output data bus at predetermined rates, adding a selective adjustable amount of two dimensional electronic artifacts to simulate film grain, and converting said video images from digital to analog form for broadcast or videotape recording.
The local memory and associated control circuitry of the present invention provide a 3-2 simulation of a 24 frame per second film transfer, as well as a 1 to 1 simulation of motion picture film that was shot and transferred to video tape at 30 frames per second. The present invention further provides a video memory that has the ability to freeze a full resolution frame of video. In the present invention, since the image is stored digitally, a simulation of film grain can be added as a two dimensional, random mosaic structure before the digital video is converted to a conventional interlaced output signal. Grain effect circuitry is provided which allows for the adjustment of the size and amount of grain in order to simulate various film emulsions and effects.
A method is provided for displaying images provided by a video signal that emulates the look of motion picture film wherein the method comprises the steps of creating a video signal by the process described herein, storing the video signal in a video storage medium, and retrieving the video signal from the video storage medium for display. A further method is provided for displaying images provided by a video signal that emulates the look of motion picture film wherein the method comprises the steps of receiving a video signal created by the process described herein and employing display means for transmitting the video signal to a display device.
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for storing a video signal that emulates the look of motion picture film. It is an object of the invention to provide a method for displaying images provided by video outputs that emulate the look of motion picture film, either directly from a video camera or some other electronic signal transmitter to a viewing screen, or by first fixing the outputs in a video storage medium and thereafter displaying the images.
It is still another an object of the invention to provide a video camera that can be used to create video outputs that emulate the look of motion picture film, whether in black and white or color. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for creating the look of a motion picture film that has been transferred to video.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method that operates in a non-interlaced, sequential mode at increased scan rates, to provide adjustable electronically-generated grain to the video signal, to have a capability to write to memory in a non-interlaced increased speed mode at the same time as reading out of memory in an interlaced, conventional NTSC TV mode, to provide a switch selectable method for creating the simulated look of motion picture film, and to provide video memory circuits capable of freezing a full resolution video picture.
It is still another object of the present invention to make the camera and method operate within the PAL and SECAM standards of the United Kingdom and France, respectively, as well as to make the camera and method claimed herein operative in conjunction with high definition television (HDTV).
It is still a further object of the present invention to reduce production costs in generating video output signals that provide motion picture quality looks, and to reduce the amount of time necessary between the shooting of a scene and the creation of motion picture quality video output for editing and broadcast purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the drawings and detailed description of the invention set forth herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a comparison of how time is captured at two different speeds on motion picture film and on a prior art video camera.
FIG. 2 illustrates how motion picture film shot at 24 frames per second is transferred to 30 frames per second video tape, also known as 3-2 transfer.
FIG. 3 illustrates how motion picture film shot at 30 frames per second is transferred to 30 frames per second video tape, also known as a 1 to 1 transfer.
FIG. 4 illustrates a block flow diagram showing the overall elements and steps of the present invention, including their inter-relationship.
FIG. 5 illustrates a block flow diagram of an analog signal input conditioning circuit.
FIG. 6 illustrates a block flow diagram of an analog to digital converter circuit.
FIG. 7 illustrates a block flow diagram of a timing and control circuit.
FIG. 8 illustrates a block flow diagram of an address multiplexer and memory control circuit, including three high speed field memory banks.
FIG. 9 illustrates a block flow diagram of a post-conditioning digital processing circuit.
FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of a digital to analog converter circuit.
FIG. 11 are tables describing the present devices memory buffer read and write cycles when simulating film that was shot at 30 frames per second and at 24 frames per second.
FIG. 12 is a video camera of the present invention having type of video storage medium in it, a conventional video tape.
FIG. 13 is one type of method for displaying images provided by a video signal that emulates the look of motion picture
FIG. 14 is another type of method for displaying images provided by a video signal that emulates the look of motion picture
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The camera and method of the present invention use a non-interlaced image sensor to capture full frames of video at an increased scan rate to simulate the exposure duration of a motion picture camera shutter. Thereafter, the present invention converts said non-interlaced video images from analog to digital data. The present invention then separates the odd and even numbered scan lines of said data and writes this data into two of three memory banks. Thereafter, the present invention reads the memory banks in a predetermined order. Digital artifacts, simulating film grain are then combined with the image data. The resultant data is then converted to a standard interlaced video signal.
The description that follows refers to a NTSC TV system. If this present invention were to operate within PAL, SECAM or the various HDTV systems that are employed or in development around the world, the speeds, frequencies, number of horizontal lines, number of pixels per line, memory requirements and frame rates would be modified to accommodate proper synchronization and operation within the appropriate TV system.
This detailed description relates to the present invention's operation within a black and white, NTSC video system. In a color system, this invention operates on the video signal(s) prior to the color encoding process. Hence, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that most of the described circuitry would be duplicated three times to accommodate the separate red, green and blue video signals. In a color system, all the control and clock signals would be synchronous in timing and phase between the red, green and blue video signals and data paths.
The input format of the video signal that enters the present invention requires that it be digitized and stored very quickly. The output format of the stored video data requires a slower conversion. The inherent characteristics of this present invention necessitates different input and output data rates.
The high speed requirements of the input stage of the present invention make it more feasible to do as much of the data alterations at the slower output stage of the present invention. This is made clear by considering the following volume and rates of data that pass through the present invention.
In NTSC color or black and white versions, the input signal enters the present invention as a non-interlaced video frame. A complete black and white video frame is digitized and stored into memory in less than 16.7ms. Each frame contains 525 horizontal scan lines, each consisting of 756 pixels. A total of 395,850 samples of data must be digitized and stored within each 16.7 ms digitizing period. The digitization rate for sampling the non-interlaced input video is set at 28.63636 MHz. This digitization rate is derived by multiplying the frequency of the NTSC color subcarrier by eight.
To achieve NTSC standards, the original non-interlaced signal must ultimately be output by the present invention as two interlaced fields. The first field of each frame consists of the odd numbered horizontal scan lines. The second field consists of the even numbered horizontal scan lines. Each of these two fields contains approximately 197,925 samples of the original digitized frame. However, of the 525 original horizontal lines that makeup the frame, approximately 486 horizontal lines are the active picture area. The remaining lines in an NTSC system are used for synchronization purposes.
By storing only the active picture area, the storage requirements of the present invention are reduced from 262 horizontal lines to 243 horizontal lines per field. Each line of a field is addressed by an 8 bit digital address. Each pixel within each line is addressed with a 10 bit digital address. Each field of active picture area can be stored in a 256K by 10 bit memory device. Non-NTSC and High Definition versions of the present invention will require more memory per field.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an imaging element, an analog conditioning circuit, an analog-to-digital converter, a memory circuit, a post-conditioning circuit, a digital-to-analog converter, and a timing and control circuit.
The method of the present invention creates video outputs that emulate the look of motion picture film where an image is captured and converted to a non-interlaced analog signal which comprises the steps of converting the analog signal to a digital representation, separating the digital representation into odd and even numbered scan lines and storing the separated digital representation in a plurality of memory banks, retrieving the separated digital representations from the plurality of memory banks in a predetermined manner, adding grain to the digital representations, and converting the digital representation to an interlaced analog signal.
The present invention is not limited to any particular input or output standard, including but not limited to NTSC, SECAM, PAL, PAL-M and evolving HDTV (High Definition Television) standards.
FIG. 1 shows how images are captured or recorded by a motion picture film camera and with a conventional, prior art video camera during a one second interval of time.
FIG. 2 shows how film shot at 24 images per second is transferred to 60 video fields per second with the prior art methodology, known as 3-2 conversion. Specifically, in the NTSC color television standards, there are actually 59.94 video fields per second, or 29.97 video frames per second which are rounded off to 60 and 30, respectively.
FIG. 3 shows a similar conversion process, where the film is shot at the increased rate of 30 images per second. Since the 30 images per second of film is transferred to 30 frames of video (60 fields), the transfer is referred to as one-to-one since each film image yields one complete video frame. This, too, is known in the prior art.
FIG. 4 shows an overview of the elements of the present invention. The interrelationship of these elements is discussed in succeeding paragraphs. A conventional imaging element 401 is shown which provides 60 frames per second of non-interlaced video. Signal 501 is a non-interlaced, 60 frames per second, 1 volt video signal. Signal 701 is composite blanking from the imaging element to indicate blanking intervals between horizontal and vertical traces. Signal 710 is the imaging element horizontal drive signal. Signal 753 is the vertical drive signal. Analog signal conditioning circuit 402 is shown, as is analog to digital converter 403 ("ADC"). Timing and control circuit 404 is provided, as is memory circuit 405. Post-conditioning circuit 406 is shown, as is the digital-to-analog converter 407. Finally, interlaced video output 408 is shown, which the video output connection provides the standard 30 interlaced video frames per second output.
The step of converting an analog signal to digital representation is accomplished through the use of the conditioning circuit and the use of the ADC, as described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the analog signal conditioning circuit (corresponding to FIG. 4, circuit 402) used to prepare the non-interlaced, input video for analog to digital conversion. The signal conditioning functions include a DC restoration/video buffer that clamps the input analog video signal so that picture blanking equals 0 converter units.
The signal conditioning circuitry will also amplify the clamped video signal so as to utilize the complete dynamic range of the selected analog to digital converter and to compensate for the inherent loss of the low pass filter. The gain is dependent on the specific requirements of the selected analog to digital converter and the selected low pass filter.
The present invention's signal conditioning circuitry includes a 12 MHz low pass, anti-aliasing filter 504 to prevent signals above the Nyquist frequency of 14.32 MHz from appearing as undesired artifacts in the digitized signal.
In FIG. 5, a video signal 501 from a 60 frame-per-second, non-interlaced video source, such as a video imaging camera, is input to a high impedance/low impedance switch 502 for impedance matching. The output is passed to a video amplifier 503 which provides a gain of 2. The resultant signal is input to a 12 Mhz low pass filter 504 which limits the signal to less than the Nyquist frequency of one half the required digital conversion rate. The filtered signal output from low pass filter 504 is input to another amplifier 505 which compensates for the loss caused by the low pass filter. Signal 508 CBLANK is composite video blanking provided by the timing control circuit 404 (see FIG. 7, output 702). Signal 508 is input to amplifier 509 which inverts the signal to match the JFET switch 510. A 1.41 DC voltage reference signal 511 is provided. Signal 511 is inverted by inverter 512. The signal from inverter 512 is input to a driver amplifier 513 and also output as signal 515. Amplifier 513 is used to drive the JFET switch 510. The JFET switch 510 uses signal 517 to make and break the connection between signals 516 and 518. The output of amplifier 505, after having been restored to the necessary level, and signal 518 are input to a resistor network summation circuit 506 to clamp the blanking portion of video signal 501 to the reference voltage. The output of circuit 506 is input to amplifier 507, a 75 ohm driver with a gain of 2. Driver amplifier 507 outputs signal 514, a conditioned video signal, for subsequent analog to digital conversion.
FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the analog to digital converter circuit used to convert the conditioned non-interlaced input video to digital format. It utilizes a 10 bit, high speed, bipolar analog to digital converter 606 (ADC). The selected conversion rate for a NTSC system is 28.6363 MHz. This sampling frequency was selected to be 8 times the frequency of the color subcarrier used in NTSC television standards (3.57954 Mhz). While it is known in the art to digitize video at 4 times the frequency of the color subcarrier, the present invention utilizes a multiplier of 8 because the present invention operates in a non-standard mode which inputs video to the ADC circuitry at 60 complete frames per second as opposed to the standard NTSC rate of 30 frames per second.
The present invention employs a 10 bit analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog data path. 10 bits yields up to 1024 steps from black to white. It would be possible to construct the present invention with an 8 bit data path, however this would yield a maximum of only 256 steps from black to white.
The ADC pixel clock is locked to horizontal sync. The ADC will not convert during the vertical sync, horizontal sync and blanking interval of the non-interlaced input video signal. The ADC's conversion is controlled by timing and control circuit 404, shown in greater detail in FIG. 7.
As shown in FIG. 6, conditioned video signal 601 (corresponding to signal 514 in FIG. 5) is input to a 75 ohm termination resistor 605. Input 603 is the negative voltage reference (corresponding to signal 515 in FIG. 5) and is passed to a precision voltage reference circuit 607 which generates reference points output as signal set 613. Terminated signal 609 is the input analog signal to analog to digital converter 606 ("ADC"). Signal 602 (corresponding to signal 703 in FIG. 7) provides ADC 606 convert pulses. ADC 606 takes the analog input signal 609 and uses the encode signal 602 and voltage reference signal set 613 to generate digital video data 604 and overflow signal 612. The overflow indicator 608 provides the operator an indicator for setting the white level by adjusting the gain of amplifier 505 in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 shows the timing and control circuit 404, which controls the present invention's timing from input to output. This includes a master clock 719. Timing control signals are derived from master clock 719 and mode select input switches described hereafter. The timing and control circuit is described generally hereafter, with detailed reference to FIG. 7 provided after said general description.
Master clock 719 and the horizontal sync of the video signal are phased locked. This insures that pixels from each scan line of video are vertically aligned, eliminating horizontal jitter within the video frame. To insure proper phase locking, horizontal sync is derived from master clock 719.
Timing and control circuit 404 can have two user selected digital inputs. The inputs are a "freeze frame" selector signal and "24/30" images per second selector signal.
Operator selection of the freeze frame mode causes the next occurring video frame to be held in memory and displayed until the "freeze frame" mode is changed.
The "24/30" mode selector switch 715 determines the order that the video input data bus is written to the three field memory banks (856, 857 and 858 of FIG. 8) and read from these memory banks to the video output data bus. The memory read and write operations are simultaneous. Data on the video input data bus is written to two of the banks of memory while it is being read to the video output bus from the third bank of memory. These three, high-speed video memory banks are shown in FIG. 8.
Operator selection of the "30" mode causes the present invention to output an interlaced frame of video that is derived from every other non-interlaced frame from the CCD imaging device. The "30" mode simulates the "look" of motion as captured on a conventional motion picture film camera operating at 30 frames per second (see FIG. 3).
The timing and control signals for the "30" mode sequence the input and output of the three field memory banks as a circular buffer. For any given image, one of the three field memory banks will be used to store the odd numbered horizontal scan lines. One of the two remaining field memory banks will be used to store the even numbered horizontal lines that make up a complete frame of video. An effort has been made to sequence the three memory banks so that the number of reads and writes to each of the three memory banks is balanced. This technique best distributes power dissipation among the memory banks.
Table 1 of FIG. 11 details the memory timing scheme for operation in the "30" mode. This timing scheme repeats on the 7th field.
Although the third memory bank is necessary only for the "24" mode, it is utilized in the "30" mode to evenly distribute heat dissipation of the memory circuitry.
Operator selection of the "24" mode causes the present invention to simulate the 3-2 conversion (see FIG. 2) required to transfer motion picture film, shot at 24 frames per second, to video. The memory read and write method as described above in the "30" mode is utilized in the "24" mode, but the sequence of the reads and writes is altered.
In the "24" mode, during the output of every other video frame, one of the field memory banks is read twice. It is important that the order of even and odd fields of video be preserved to prevent vertical jitter and maintain full vertical resolution. The 24 fps memory timing scheme repeats itself on the 11th frame. Table 2 of FIG. 11 details the memory timing scheme for operation in the "24" mode.
In a color video system the timing control signals would be common to all three (red, green and blue) video channels. This provides precise synchronization between the three parallel video channels.
As shown in FIG. 7., input signal 701 (see also FIG. 4) composite blanking from the non-interlaced video source is converted to a digital signal by a 75 ohm buffer 718. The output of buffer 718 is the video source composite blanking signal or CBLNK signal 702. Input signal 712 is the external horizontal drive. Signal 712 is converted to a digital logic level signal 742 by the 75 ohm buffer 716. Input signal 713 is external vertical drive. Signal 713 is converted to a digital logic level signal 743 by the 75 ohm buffer 717. Operator interface 714 controls freeze frame control logic signal 744.
Operator interface 715 provides the operator a choice between 24 and 30 frames per second film simulation modes, through 24/30 frame selector logic signal 746. The overall system is controlled by master clock 719. The frequency of the master clock is variable and controlled by signal 740. Signal 740 is generated by phase locked loop 720. Phase locked loop 720 generates control voltage as a phase comparison of clock signal 741 and horizontal drive signal 742. Master clock 719 also generates a write clock signal 703 by logically "ANDing" clock signal 741 with video source composite blanking signal 702 and also logically ANDing the signal 744 from operator interface 714. Read clock signal 705 is one half the internal clock frequency. It is derived by dividing signal 742 by 2 and logically ANDing the result with composite blanking signal 708. Master sync generator circuit 721 combines horizontal drive signal 742, signal 743, and clock signal 741 to generate interlaced video horizontal drive 748, system vertical drive 749, interlaced video mixed sync 707, interlaced video composite blanking 708, vertical sync 751, field indicator 752, and camera horizontal drive 747. The signal of camera horizontal drive 747 is twice the frequency of horizontal drive 748 because of the 60 frame per second frame rate of the video source.
State circuit 722 uses the vertical sync 751 control logic and field indicator 752. State circuit 722 also uses freeze frame control logic signal 744 and the 24/30 frame selector signal 746 to generate state bus signal 709 to control memory sequence based on the tables shown in FIG. 11.
Signal 746 controls which state table to use. Signal 752 is used to synchronize the start of the state sequence, as it is compared to the field bit (read even or odd) which is encoded in the state sequence to insure the correct field is being read. Signal 744 stops and starts the sequencing. Signal 751 controls the timing of the sequencing. State circuit 722 sets state bus 709 during the vertical blanking interval. Because state selection occurs during horizontal intervals, this slow rate allows a microprocessor, for example, to be used for the state circuit.
Write address counter 723 combines write clock signal 703, camera horizontal drive 747, and system vertical drive 749 to generate a write address 704. Write address 704 consists of 10 pixel address bits per line, a bit to specify odd or even fields, and 8 bits to address the line number. Consequently, write address counter 723 is a 19 bit counter. Each write clock signal 703 increments the lower 10 bit section of write address counter 723. Every camera horizontal drive pulse 747 clears the lower 10 bit section of write address counter 723 and increments the upper 9 bits of write address counter 723. System vertical drive 749 clears both sections of write address counter 723, all 19 bits.
Read address counter 724 combines read clock 705, interlaced horizontal drive 748, and system vertical drive 749 to generate a read address 706. Read address 706 consists of 10 pixel address bits per line and 8 bits to address the line number. Consequently, read address counter 724 is an 18 bit counter. Each read clock pulse signal 705 increments the lower 10 bit section of the read address counter 724. Every interlaced horizontal drive pulse 748 clears the lower 10 bit section of read address counter 724 and increments the upper 8 bits of read address counter 724. System vertical drive 749 clears both sections of the counter, all 18 bits. A 75 ohm driver 725 amplifies camera horizontal drive signal 747 and outputs signal 710. Driver 726 amplifies mixed sync signal 707 and outputs signal 711. Driver 727 amplifies vertical drive signal 749 and outputs signal 753.
FIG. 8 shows three banks of random access memory to store the digitized video data. This memory is necessary to convert the non-interlaced incoming video image into an interlaced output signal with the selected effective framing rate (24 fps, 30 fps or freeze frame). In FIG. 8, the memory sub-systems of the present invention include the address multiplexer and memory control circuitry. These circuits direct which of the three high speed field memory banks will save the incoming data from analog to digital converter 403. This circuitry directs which of these field memory banks will be output to digital to analog converter 407. Also, the address multiplexer and memory control circuitry directs the read and the write memory addresses to the proper memory bank.
The present invention's high speed field memory banks consist of three identical banks of memory that are each used to store one field of video data. Based on the speed requirements for the present invention, the memory write cycle must be less than 35 nsec. The minimum size requirements for a 10 bit, NTSC system is256K×10 bits per field memory bank. A total of three field memory banks are used in a black and white camera. A color version of the present invention employs nine field memory banks.
In FIG. 8, bus 804 contains the state bus data (corresponding to bus 709 in FIG. 7). Input signal 805 is write clock/encode (corresponding to bus 703 in FIG. 7). Bus 804 and input signal 805 are used by memory control 810 to generate signals for memory control. Control buses 850, 851, 852 determine whether a memory bank is read enabled, write enabled, or disabled and provides the rate clock. Address bus selectors 811, 814, and 817, one for each memory bank, are used to select either write address bus 802 or read address bus 803 and generate addresses for address buses 853, 854, and 855, again one for each memory bank. Memory banks 812, 815, and 818 provide 10 bit, high speed digital memory, and use control buses 850, 851, and 852 and address buses 853, 854 and 855 to store and retrieve digitized video data via bidirectional video data buses 856, 857, and 858. Upon memory write the data bus selectors 813, 816, and 819 use the information from control buses 850, 851, and 852 to move data either to memory from video data bus 801 (corresponding to bus 604 in FIG. 6) via bidirectional video data buses 856, 857, and 858 to memory banks 812, 815, and 818. Upon memory read, the data bus selectors 813, 816 and 819 use the information from control buses 850, 851 and 852 to move data from memory banks 812, 815, and 818 via bidirectional video data buses 856, 857, and 858 to digital video data out bus 806. Otherwise, the data bus selectors 813, 816, and 819 provide no operation on memory.
These salient features of memory control 810 insure that only one bank is read and no more than one bank is written at any given time (see FIG. 11, Tables 1 and 2), disable unused memory banks, and cause digital video data to be written to memory.
The step of separating the digital representation of the video image into odd and even numbered scan lines and storing the separated digital representations in a plurality of memory banks is accomplished through the use of the timing and control circuit 404 and memory circuit 405, as described with respect to FIGS. 7 and 8, while the step of retrieving said separated digital representations from said plurality of memory banks in a predetermined manner is accomplished through these same circuits and described with respect to these same FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 11 describes the manner in which read and write cycles occur for simulating film shot at 30 frames per second (fps) and 24 frames per second.
FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of the present invention's post-conditioning circuit 406, for the addition of simulated film grain and other effects. The primary use of this data port is to digitally introduce simulated film grain to the video data stream.
In FIG. 9, input state bus 904 (corresponding to bus 709 in FIG. 7) and composite blanking signal 903 (corresponding to signal 708 in FIG. 7) are used by random number generator 910 to synchronize the generation and placement of a random starting address for each frame on preset address bus 950. The random number for example can be generated by a microprocessor. The number is generated between frames as determined by state bus 904 and is synchronized by composite blanking signal 903. Preset counter 911 uses read clock signal 902 (corresponding to signal 705 in FIG. 7), composite blanking signal 903 and preset address bus 950 to generate and place an address on EPROM address bus 951. The address is generated by first setting the address to the value on preset address bus 950 at composite blanking 903 and then incrementing the addresses by read clock 902 for each output pixel in the frame. An EPROM 912 is preprogrammed with data representing a very large field of two dimensional artifacts simulating film grain. The very large field is more than 3 times larger than a pixel count of an interlaced video frame. In order to get sufficient size and speed, several EPROM's can be used in parallel. The address to be read is taken from address bus 951. The data at the address specified by address bus 951 is output on the set of parallel data buses 952. The data on parallel data buses 952 are reduced to 4 bit data on digital grain bus 953 by Data Selector 913 using the lower address bits of EPROM address bus 951. The intensity of the grain is specified by grain intensity selector 905 and is output on bus 954.
Digital adder circuit 914 adds 0 to 4 bits, as determined by bus 954, of the digital grain data from bus 953 to digital video data on bus 901 (corresponding to bus 806 in FIG. 8) and outputs the result on digital video data out bus 906. The intensity of the grain is determined by the number of bits of digital grain data from bus 953 which are added. For example, the operator selects the grain intensity with a multiposition rotary switch of selector 905.
The step of adding grain to said digital representations is accomplished through the use of post-conditioning circuit 406 as described with respect to FIG. 9.
FIG. 10 shows the present invention's digital to analog video converter 407 (DAC) which converts the post-conditioned video data stream from FIG. 9 to a conventional, composite, monochromatic, analog video signal.
In a black and white system, the DAC's output represents the luminescence signal. In a color system, the output of three DACs represents the individual red, green and blue video signals, prior to the color encoding process.
In FIG. 10, voltage reference 1005 generates signal 1048 to be used as a reference for the specific digital to analog converter being used. Full scale adjust 1006 outputs signal 1049, which is used to adjust the white level of analog video output 1007. Digital to analog converter 1010 converts the digital video data on bus 1001 (corresponding to bus 906 in FIG. 9) to an analog video signal 1050. Digital-to-analog converter 1010 converts the data on bus 1001 when signaled by read clock 1002 (corresponding to signal 705 in FIG. 7). Voltage reference signal 1048 and full scale adjust signal 1049 are used to determine the full scale value of analog output 1050 of digital-to-analog converter 1010. Digital to analog converter 1010 inserts blanking level when signaled by composite blank 1003 (corresponding to signal 708 in FIG. 7) and inserts video synchronization pulse when signaled by mixed sync 1004 (corresponding to signal 707 in FIG. 7). Analog signal 1050 is band limited by low pass filter 1011 and output as analog video signal 1051. Analog video signal 1051 is amplified by 75 ohm driver 1012 and output as a conventional, interlaced analog video output 1007.
The step of converting said digital representation to an interlaced analog signal is accomplished through the use of digital to analog converter 407, as described with respect to FIG. 10.
Referring to FIG. 12, video camera 1201 is shown with a video storage medium 1202, wherein said video storage medium comprises an electronically impressionable material and where said electronically impressionable material has a video signal created by the process described herein fixed on it.
Referring to FIG. 13, one type of method for displaying images provided by a video signal that emulates the look of motion picture film is described. Specifically, a video signal is created by the process described herein and stored in a video storage medium 1301, such as a video tape. Thereafter, the video storage medium 1301 is placed within video tape player 1302. Video tape player 1302 is electronically connected to a display device 1303, such as a television.
Referring to FIG. 14, computer 1401 is the type that can read digital disks 1402, such as CD-ROMs. Computer 1401 is electronically connected to display device 1403, a movie screen. Digital disk 1402 contains the video output images generated by the process described herein.
FIGS. 12-14 each show a single arrangement of the elements described in this application, but it would be possible to use a wide variety of pieces of hardware and arrangements to accomplish the objectives of this invention.
A further method of the present invention includes creating a video signal according to the steps described herein, storing the video signal in a video storage medium, and retrieving the video signal from the video storage medium for display. A number of video storage media exist for storing the video signal. Examples of such video storage media include analog and digital video tape, digital discs, the new digital versatile disks (DVDs), magnetic-optical discs, and photo compact discs. The storing step will vary depending upon the type of video storage media used. For example, the storing step may include recording the video signal onto an analog or digital video tape using conventional recording means. It may also include burning the video signal onto digital discs. Again, the storing step will vary depending upon the nature of the storage medium.
Also, the video signal can be retrieved and ultimately displayed in a number of different ways. For example, the retrieving step could include using a video tape player, a disc player and/or a computer, in conjunction with a television or other screen, or some other type of monitor to display the video signal stored in the video storage medium. While these examples have been provided herein, it is to be distinctly understood that other apparatus and storage media could be used and still be within the scope of the inventions claimed herein.
Still a further method of the present invention includes receiving a video signal created according to the steps described herein and employing display means for transmitting the video signal to a display device. The video signal is capable of being received and/or transmitted in a number of ways. For example, it can be received and/or transmitted electronically, using a wire or cable system, a satellite system, or a computer based communication system such as the Internet, or physically in a video storage medium in which it has been fixed such as an analog video tape, as described above. The electronic transmission takes the signal from a first location to a second location. Display means is used to allow visual observation of the images provided by the video signal created by the process described herein. The display means can comprise the means for transmitting the video signal, alone or in combination with a display device, as the vehicle for allowing visual observation. Display means by which the video signal can be observed include a video tape player, a disc player, a satellite, a cable, a computer, a television, a monitor or a movie screen, or combinations thereof. Display devices such as televisions, computer monitors and movie screens can be employed in the present invention. Again, while these examples have been provided herein, it is to be distinctly understood that other means for receiving or transmitting the video signal that emulates the look of motion picture film can be used and other display devices for displaying the signal can also be used and be within the scope of the inventions claimed herein.
Having now described the invention in detail as required by the patent statutes, those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein for specific applications. Such modifications are within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims. | A process for creating the look of broadcast motion picture film comprising the steps of increasing the scan rate of CCD image sensors to output non-interlaced video images, converting the video images from analog to digital form, writing the video images to memory, adding a selective, adjustable amount of two dimensional, electronic artifacts to simulate film grain, reading the video images from memory banks to a video output data bus at predetermined rates, and converting the video images from digital to analog form for recording or broadcast. | 6 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to new isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds as well as to a method for their preparation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Silicon-organic isocyanurates, such as 1,3,5-tris(trialkoxysilylpropyl)-isocyanurate are known from the U.S. Pat. No. 382,218. These compounds, that can be used as adhesive agents, develop through the trimerization of the corresponding silylorganoisocyanates. The isocyanates, on the other hand, are prepared by effecting a reaction between silylorganohalides and metal cyanates, such as potassium cyanate.
Thermally hardenable compositions, consisting essentially of (a) a silicon-hydrogen compound with at least two hydrogen atoms bonded to the silicon atom and (b) at least one isocyanuric acid compound in the form of a trialkenylisocyanurate or of a derivative thereof, are known from the German Published Patent Application 24 21 038. These compositions can also contain an addition polymerization catalyst or this type of catalyst and a radical polymerization catalyst. The components (a) and (b) are usually mixed and hardened in an essentially equimolar ratio. During the hardening, products are formed that have good thermal resistance, mechanical strength and adhesive property.
A method for preparing organopolysiloxane elastomers is known from the German Published Patent Application 36 31 125, Wherein substances that are cross-linkable as a result of the attachment of Si-bonded hydrogen to SiC-bonded vinyl groups are cross-linked. The substances contain an additive to improve the adherence of the elastomers to the bases, on which they are produced. This additive can be, inter alia, an organosilicon compound that is obtained through the hydrosilylation of triallylisocyanurate with an organosiloxane of the formula HSi(CH 3 ) 2 [OSi(CH 3 ) 2 ] n H, in which n is a whole number with a value of 1 to 5. Isocyanurate-containing organosilicon compounds are thereby formed, whereby each isocyanurate nitrogen is bonded via a (CH 2 ) 3 grouping to a Si-H-functional polysiloxane chain, in particular--Si(CH 3 ) 2 OSi(CH 3 ) 2 H.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides isocyanurate-containing organosilicon compounds of the general formula ##STR2## in which Q=--(CH 2 ) 3 SiR 2 O(SiR 2 O) n SIR 2 R', n is an integer from 0 to 25 and x is an integer from 0 to 10, and the following holds for the residues R and R', which can be the same or different:
R=alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl or alkylaryl, and
R'=an epoxy-functional residue with 4 to 10 C-atoms or a (meth)acrylate-functional residue with at least 6 C-atoms.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The residues R in the above-defined compounds represent alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl or alkylaryl groups, where these groups can be unsubstituted or substituted. As an example, the following groups are named for the residues R:
alkyl with 1 to 4 C-atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl and isobutyl, where the methyl residue is preferred;
cycloalkyl with 5 to 8 C-atoms, such as cyclohexyl, methylcyclohexyl and cycloheptyl;
aryl with 6 to 10 C-atoms, such as phenyl and naphthyl;
arylalkyl, such as β-phenylethyl, β-phenylpropyl, o-methylphenylethyl, 3.5-dimethylphenylethyl, p-nonylphenylethyl, o-bromophenylethyl, 3.5-dibromophenylethyl, p-chlorophenylethyl and 3.5-dichlorophenylethyl;
alkylaryl, such as tolyl.
The epoxy-functional residues R' have 4 to 10 C-atoms, where the epoxide group is bonded to the siloxane chain via a carbon bridge that can also contain heteroatoms. The residues R' are derived from vinyl- or allyl-functional epoxides in a manner such that the vinyl or allyl function is added to a Si-H function. For example, the following compounds are named as vinyl- or allyl-functional epoxides: allylglycidylether, 4-vinylcyclohexene oxide, 4-vinylnorbornene oxide and 1.2-epoxy-3-butene.
In the case of the (meth)acrylate-functional residues R' the (methy)acrylate group is likewise bonded to the siloxane chain via a carbon bridge. These residues can be derived from the epoxy-functional residues, and to be specific in a way such that a fission of the epoxide ring takes place by means of (meth)acrylic acid. In this case the (meth)acrylate-functional residues have 7 to 14 C-atoms. The (meth)acrylate group of the (meth)acrylate-functional residues R' can also be bonded ester-like or via a carbonate grouping or a urethane grouping to a carbon bridge leading to the siloxane chain.
Organosilicon compounds of the following type are preferred:
Compounds in the case of which the residues R' are epoxy-functional residues, which are derived from the following unsaturated epoxides: 1,2-epoxy-3-butene, 1,2-epoxy-5-hexene, 1,2-epoxy-7-octene, allylglycidylether, 4-vinylcyclohexene oxide, 4-vinylnorbornene oxide, norbornadiene oxide, limonene oxide and dicyclopentadiene oxide;
Compounds in the case of which the residues R' are (meth)acrylate-functional residues, produced through the ring fission of the epoxide residue of compounds of the above-mentioned type with (meth)acrylic acid;
Compounds in the case of which the residues R' are (meth)acrylate-functional residues, which are bonded ester-like or via a carbonate grouping or a urethane grouping to a carbon bridge leading to the siloxane chain.
The compounds according to the invention are new polymerizable, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds that have epoxy and/or (meth)acrylate functions. Thus, with the invention, liquid prepolymers are produced, in whose chemical composition rigid structural elements and flexible structural elements are united These prepolymers have reactive groups which enable a polymerization (of the prepolymers) to take place.
The isocyanurate-containing organosilicon compounds according to the invention can be prepared in several ways. With one method, epoxy-functional or hydroxy-functional organosilicon compounds are prepared in a first process step and, to be precise, by reacting unsaturated epoxides (with 4 to 10 carbon atoms) or unsaturated alcohols (with 3 to 5 carbon atoms) with organosilicon compounds of the structure HSiR 2 O(SiR 2 O) n SiR 2 H, that is to say with compounds that have two terminal Si--H bonds. In this so-called hydrosilylation reaction, the molar ratio of the organosilicon compound to the epoxide or alcohol generally amounts to 1:1 to 1.2:1, so that the reaction product in the average has one Si--H function.
The above named compounds, in particular allylglycidylether, are used as unsaturated epoxides. The following compounds can be used as unsaturated alcohols: allylalcohol, 2-methyl-2-propene-1-ol, 3-methyl-3-butene-1-ol, 1-butene-3-ol, 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol and 3-methyl-2-butene-1-ol, where allylalcohol is preferred. The hydrosilylation of the unsaturated epoxides and alcohols takes place in a manner that is known per se (c.f.: U.S. Pat. No. 834,326, U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,678 and German Published Patent Application 33 16 166 as well as "J. Amer. Chem. Soc.", vol. 81 (1959), pp 2632 fol, or European Published Patent Application 0 159 729, U.S. Pat. No. 2,970,150 and German Published Patent Application 32 22 839). The starting components are thereby reacted with each other, generally at an elevated temperature, in the presence of a catalyst; suitable catalysts are metals of the eighth subgroup of the periodic table or corresponding metal compounds. A hydrosilylation reaction proceeds, for example, at approx. 100° C. in toluene as a solvent with hexachloroplatinum acid (H 2 PtCl 6 .6 H 2 O) as a catalyst.
The epoxy-functional or hydroxy-functional organosilicon compounds of the above mentioned type are then reacted in a second process step with triallyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trione (triallylisocyanurate). The reaction, that is the hydrosilylation, is thereby effected in such a way that at least equimolar quantities of Si-H functions are apportioned to the allyl functions.
The hydrosilylation itself takes place in an inert solvent, such as dioxan, tetrahydrofuran or toluene, preferably at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures of 80° to 120° C., in the presence of a noble metal catalyst. Possible catalysts are aluminum oxide coated with platinum, hexachloroplatinum acid or a platinum/vinylsiloxane complex. The quantity of the catalyst that is used depends on the type of catalyst and on the reaction temperature.
While the epoxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds (1a) prepared in the second process step already represent compounds according to the invention, the corresponding hydroxy-functional isocyanurate-containing silicon compounds (2a) must still be converted into compounds according to the invention. This is achieved in that the hydroxy-functional compounds are reacted with a monofunctional (meth)acrylic acid derivative and, to be specific, in such a manner that the hydroxyl groups are at least partially converted (Meth)acrylate-functional isocyanurate-containing organosilicon compounds (3a) result thereby, in the case of which the (meth)acrylate functions can be partially replaced by hydroxyl functions. In a corresponding manner, the hydroxy-functional compounds can be converted with epichlorohydrin into epoxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds (4a), whereby the epoxide functions likewise can be partially replaced by hydroxyl functions.
The epoxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds (1a) also can be converted into (meth)acrylate-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds (5a). To this end, the epoxy-functional compounds are reacted with (meth)acrylic acid in a manner such that the epoxide functions are completely or partially converted into (meth)acrylate functions. Therefore, with reference to 1 mole of epoxide, the quantity of (meth)acrylic acid can amount to between 0.5 and 5 mole.
In the above mentioned conversion, a fission of the epoxide ring takes place by means of the carboxylic acid, whereby a secondary hydroxyl group is formed (c.f.: U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,678 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,082). The reaction is carried out in inert solvents, such as toluene, at temperatures of between 25° and 120° C. (at atmospheric pressure), preferably at about 100° C., in the presence of an alkaline catalyst, in particular in the presence of an aminic catalyst. Suitable catalysts are, for example, benzyltrimethylammoniumchloride, benzyldimethylamine, dimethylaniline or 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octan, that are applied in a quantity of 0.1 to 2% by weight, with reference to the epoxy-functional compound.
In the case of another method for preparing the isocyanurate-containing organosilicon compounds according to the invention, in a first process step, triallyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trione is reacted with an organosilicon compound of the structure HSiR 2 O(SiR 2 O) n SiR 2 H in the molar ratio of 1.1:1 to 2:1 to form an allyl-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compound. The reaction takes place in a manner known per se in a solution and in the presence of a noble metal catalyst of the above mentioned type (c.f.: German Published Patent Application 24 21 038).
In this connection, reference is also made to the fact that it is possible to modify the organosiloxane constituent of the allyl-functional compounds. For that purpose, the allyl-functional compounds are equilibrated in the usual - acidic or alkaline -manner with other organosiloxanes, for example with octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane.
The allyl-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds of the above mentioned type are reacted in a second process step with an epoxy-functional or a hydroxy-functional organosilicon compound, which--in the described manner--is obtained from an unsaturated epoxide (with 4 to 10 carbon atoms) or with an unsaturated alcohol (with 3 to 5 carbon atoms) and an organosilicon compound of the structure HSiR 2 O(SiR 2 O) n SiR 2 H. The reaction is effected thereby in the specified manner, whereby the quantities of the starting components are selected such that at least equimolar quantities of Si-H functions are apportioned to the allyl functions.
While the epoxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds (1b) prepared in the second process step, again, already represent compounds according to the invention, the corresponding hydroxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds (2b) must still be converted into compounds according to the invention. This is achieved--in the specified manner--through a reaction with a monofunctional (meth)acrylic acid derivative or with epichlorohydrin, whereby the hydroxyl groups are at least partially converted, so that (meth)acrylate-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds (3b) or corresponding epoxy-functional compounds (4b) result, in the case of which the functional groups can be partially replaced by hydroxyl functions.
The following compounds can be used as monofunctional (meth)acrylic acid derivatives:
(meth)acrylic acid chloride:
The reaction is effected by adding an aminic acid catching agent and by separating the amine hydrochloride that is produced; the (meth)acrylate functions are bonded, ester-like, in the final products.
(meth)acrylic acid ester:
For example, methyl(meth)acrylate, ethyl(meth)acrylate, n-propyl(meth)acrylate and n-butyl(meth)acrylate are mentioned.
The reaction is effected, while the alcohol produced during the transesterification is removed by means of distillation; the (meth)acrylate functions are bonded, esterlike, in the final products.
Chloroformic acid esters of hydroxyfunctional (meth)acrylates:
These are compounds of the general formula ##STR3##
Multiple (meth)acrylic acid esters of pentaerythritol, trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane and glycerol as well as their dimers, can thereby also be used as hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylates, that is as unsaturated alcohols. The reaction is effected by adding an aminic acid catching agent, and by separating the amine hydrochloride that is produced; the (meth)acrylate functions are bonded via carbonate groupings in the final products.
Isocyanate-functional (meth)acrylates:
These are compounds of the general formula ##STR4##
Preferably, adducts of hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylates on diisocyanates are thereby applied, whereby the adducts in the average respectively have one isocyanate and one, (meth)acrylate function.
Preferably, 2,4-toluene diisocyanate and isophorone diisocyanate are used as the diisocyanate; suited hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylates are hydroxyethyl-, hydroxypropyl- and hydroxybutyl-(meth)acrylate, as well as caprolactone acrylate, trimethylolpropane-di(meth)acrylate, glycerol-di(meth)acrylate and pentaerythritoltri(meth)acrylate. The (meth)acrylate functions are bonded in the final products by way of urethane groupings.
The above described epoxy-functional isocyanurate-containing organosilicon compounds (1b) can also be converted into (meth)acrylate-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds (5b). This takes place--as described previously--by effecting a reaction with (meth)acrylic acid. The epoxide functions, again, can thereby be completely or partially converted into (meth)acrylate functions.
The invention shall be explained in greater detail based on the following exemplified embodiments.
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of an organosilicon compound of the structure ##STR5##
67.1 g of 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (0.5 mole), 300 ml toluene and 5 ml of a 0.01.molar solution of hexachloroplatinum acid in tetrahydrofuran are placed in a 1000 ml round-bottom flask provided with a reflux condenser, agitator, internal thermometer and dropping funnel. One adds to this by drops, a mixture of 57 g allylglycidylether (0.5 mole) and 50 ml toluene, while mixing within 10 hours at 95° C. After refluxing for 14 hours, the toluene and volatile components are removed at 50° C. and at a pressure of 15 mbar. A subsequent distillation yields 66 g of the desired product with the following data:
Boiling point: 73° C./0.1 mbar;
Refractive index n D 20 : 1.492;
SiH content: 0.402 mole/100 g;
Epoxide value 0.395 mole/100 g.
EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of an organosilicon compound of the structure ##STR6##
67.1 of 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (0.5 mole), 100 ml toluene and--as a catalyst--2 g of an aluminum oxide coated with 1% platinum are placed in a 1000 ml round-bottom flask provided with a reflux condenser, agitator, internal thermometer and dropping funnel. One adds to this by drops, a mixture of 29 g allylalcohol (0.5 mole) and 100 ml toluene, while mixing within 4 hours at 60° C. After mixing for one hour at 60° C. and subsequently cooling to room temperature, the catalyst is separated off by means of pressure filtration through a membrane filter having a pore width of 0.45 μm. The toluene and volatile components are then removed at 50° C. and at a pressure of 15 mbar. A subsequent distillation yields 32.7 g of the desired product having the following data:
Boiling point: 50° to 54° C./0.2 mbar;
Refractive index n D 20 : 1.4190;
SiH content: 0.540 mole/100 g.
EXAMPLE 3
Preparation of an organosilicon compound of the structure ##STR7##
129 g of a α, ω-SiH-functional polydimethylsiloxane (0.2 mole) with a SiH content of 0.31 mole/100 g, 500 ml toluene and 2 ml of a 0.02 molar solution of hexachloroplatinum acid in tetrahydrofuran are placed in a 1000 ml round-bottom flask provided with a reflux condenser, agitator, internal thermometer and dropping funnel. One adds to this by drops, a mixture of 22.8 g allylglycidylether (0.2 mole) and 100 ml toluene, while mixing, within 10 hours at 95° C. After refluxing for 14 hours, the toluene is removed at 50° C. and at a pressure of 15 mbar. Other volatile components are removed by heating for two hours to 70° C. at a pressure of 0.06 mbar. 123.5 g of the desired product are obtained having the following data:
Refractive index n D 20 : 1.4139;
SiH content: 0.129 mole/100 g;
Epoxide value: 0.114 mole/100 g.
EXAMPLE 4
Preparation of an organosilicon compound of the structure ##STR8##
In the manner as described in Example 2, 161.3 g of a α, ω-SiH-functional polydimethylsiloxane (0.25 mole) with a SiH content of 0.31 mole/100 g and 14.5 g allylalcohol (0.25 mole) are reacted. The toluene is then removed at 50° C. and at a pressure of 15 mbar. Other volatile components are removed by heating to 50° C. at a pressure of 0.06 mbar. 134 g of the desired product are obtained having the following data:
Refractive index n D 20 :1.4042;
SiH content: 0.142 mole/100 g.
EXAMPLE 5
Preparation of an epoxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compound (1a) of the structure ##STR9## 50 g of triallylisocyanurate (0.2 mole), 50 ml toluene and 6 ml of a 0.01 molar solution of hexachloroplatinum acid in tetrahydrofuran are placed in a 500 ml round-bottom flask provided with a reflux condenser, agitator, internal thermometer and dropping funnel. One adds to this by drops, a mixture of 149 g of the organosilicon compound (0.6 mole) prepared according to Example 1 and 100 ml toluene, while mixing, within 2 hours at 95° C. After refluxing for 4 hours, the toluene is removed at 50° C. and at a pressure of 15 mbar. Other volatile components are removed by heating to 100° C. at a pressure of 0.06 mbar. 183 g of the desired product are obtained as residue having the following data: Viscosity at 25° C.: 220 mPa.s;
Refractive index n D 20 : 1.4710;
Epoxide value: 0.299 mole/100 g.
EXAMPLE 6
Preparation of an acrylate-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compound (5a) of the structure ##STR10##
99.4 g of the epoxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compound (0.1 mole) prepared according to Example 5, 100 ml toluene and 0.8 g N.N-dimethylbenzylamine are placed in a 500 ml round-bottom flask provided with a reflux condenser, agitator, internal thermometer and dropping funnel. One adds to this by drops, a mixture of 32.4 g of acrylic acid (0.45 mole) and 50 ml toluene, while mixing, at 100° C. within 30 minutes. The obtained solution is still heated for 19 hours to 100° C.; the toluene is then removed at 50° C. and at a pressure of 15 mbar. After adding 10 mg phenothiazine, solvent residues and unreacted acrylic acid are removed by heating to 70° C. at a pressure of 0.06 mbar. 97 g of the desired product are obtained as residue having the following data:
Viscosity at 25° C.: 2500 mPa.s;
Refractive index n D 20 : 1.4790;
Acrylate content: 0.252 mole/100 g.
EXAMPLE 7
Preparation of a hydroxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compound (2a) of the structure ##STR11##
25 g of triallylisocyanurate (0.1 mole), 100 ml toluene and 0.3 ml of a platinum/divinyltetramethyldisiloxane complex (solution in xylene with 3 to 3.5% platinum, calculated as element) are placed in a 1000ml round-bottom flask provided with a reflux condenser, agitator, internal thermometer and dropping funnel. One adds to this by drops, a mixture of 57.7 g of the 1-(3-hydroxypropyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (0.3 mol) prepared according to Example 2 and 250 ml toluene, while mixing, at 60° C. within 15 hours. This is then subsequently mixed for 2 hours at 60° C. After the toluene is removed at 50° C. and at a pressure of 15 mbar, 79.6 g of a viscous fluid, whose structure is confirmed through nuclear resonance and infrared absorption spectra, is obtained having the following data:
Viscosity at 25° C.: 1600 mPa.s;
Refractive index n D 20 : 1.4738.
EXAMPLE 8
Preparation of an acrylate-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compound (3a) of the structure ##STR12##
50 g of the hydroxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compound (0.06 mole) prepared according to Example 7, 250 ml toluene, 0.01 g phenothiazine and 0.2 ml dibutyltindilaurate are placed in a 1000 ml round-bottom flask provided with an agitator, internal thermometer and dropping funnel. One adds to this by drops, a solution of 52.3 g of an isocyanate-functional acrylate (0.18 mole) in 250 ml toluene in such a manner, that the temperature of the reaction mixture does not exceed 20° C. The isocyanate-functional acrylate was prepared by reacting 1 mole of 2.4-toluene diisocyanate with 1 mole of acrylic acid-2-hydroxyethylester (melting point: 42° C). After mixing for 20 hours at 20° C., solid components are separated off by means of pressure-filtration through a membrane filter having a pore width of 0.45 μm. After the toluene is removed at 50° C. and at a pressure of 15 mbar, 72 g of a highly viscous resin is obtained having the following data:
Viscosity at 25° C. 250000 mPa.s;
Refractive index n D 20 : 1.5198;
Acrylate content: 0.155 mole/100 g.
EXAMPLE 9
Preparation of an epoxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compound (lb) of the structure ##STR13##
50 g of triallylisocyanurate (0.2 mole), 100 ml toluene and 0.5 ml of a platinum/divinyltetramethyldisiloxane complex (solution in xylene with 3 to 3.5% platinum, calculated as element) are placed in a 1000 ml round-bottom flask provided with reflux condenser, agitator, internal thermometer and dropping funnel. One adds to this by drops, a mixture of 64.5 g of a α, ω-SiH-functional polydimethylsiloxane (0.1 mole) with a SiH content of 0.31 mole/100 g and 100 ml of toluene, while mixing, within 3 hours at 100° C. The reaction is completed after two hours at 100° C., as shown by the disappearance of the SiH band in the infrared spectrum at 2120 cm -1 . Subsequently, a mixture of 99.3 g of the organosilicon compound (0.4 mole) prepared according to Example 1 and 100 ml of toluene are added by drops, while mixing within two hours at 100° C. The reaction is completed after five hours at 100° C. The reprocessing is carried out as described in Example 5. 186 g of the desired product are obtained as residue having the following data:
Viscosity at 25° C.: 1000 mPa.s;
Refractive index n D 20 : 1.4602;
Epoxide value: 0.182 mole/100 g.
EXAMPLE 10
Preparation of an epoxy-functional, isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compound (1b) of the structure ##STR14##
In accordance with Example 9, 37.4 g of triallylisocyanurate (0.15 mole) are reacted with 64.5 g of a α, ω-SiH-functional polydimethylsiloxane (0.1 mole) with a SiH content of 0.31 mole/100 g. The reaction product is subsequently reacted with 62.1 g of the organosilicon compound (0.25 mole) prepared according to Example 1, and is then reprocessed. 136 g of the desired product are obtained having the following data:
Viscosity at 25° C.: 800 mPa.s;
Refractive index n D 20 : 1.4574;
Epoxide value: 0.141 mole/100 g. | The invention relates to isocyanurate-containing, organosilicon compounds of the general formula ##STR1## in which Q=--(CH 2 ) 3 SiR 2 O(SiR 2 O) n SiR 2 R', n is an integer from 0 to 25 and x is an integer from 0 to 10, and the following holds for the residues R and R', which can be the same or different:
R=alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl or alkylaryl, and
R'=an epoxy-functional residue with 4 to 10 C-atoms or a (meth)acrylate-functional residue with at least 6 C-atoms. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new and useful impovements in electric dry shavers and more particularly to an improved latch and release arrangement for an auxiliary trimmer device in a dry shaver.
Trimmer devices have been used as auxiliary cutter units in electric dry shavers and are most frequently employed to trim sideburns and moustaches. The trimmer device generally includes an assembly of a stationary comb member, a movable, toothed, cutter member which is reciprocated adjacent the comb member for cutting hairs fed into its moving path and a means for actuating the cutter member. This assembly is supported in a rotatably mounted housing on the electric dry shaver and is generally flush with the surface of the shaver when the trimmer device is inoperative but is rotatable into an operative position for use.
A variety of mechanisms have been provided for latching the trimmer device in an inoperative position and for releasing it to an operative position. These mechanisms usually include actuating release means which require a relatively complex placement of parts on the shaver casing resulting in difficult and cumbersome assembly procedures, an increase in the overall manufacturing cost and maintenance of the shaver and a decrease in the reliability of the trimmer unit.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved trimmer device for an electric dry shaver.
Another object is to provide an improved means for latching a trimmer device in an inoperative position and for releasing it to an operative position.
Another object is to provide a latch and release means for a trimmer device which is relatively compact, readily assembled, reliable, utilizes a relatively small number of parts, and permits relatively large manufacturing tolerances.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the features of this invention, a trimmer device for an electric dry shaver having a main cutter head supported on a casing comprises a trimmer cutter assembly which is mounted for rotatable movement between inoperative and operative positions on the shaver. Means are provided for biasing the assembly to an operative position. A latch and release arrangement for the trimmer assembly includes a resilient latch body and means for providing a cantilever support for the latch body. The resilient latch body is supported in a home position which is located in the path of travel of the rotatable assembly. A catch means is provided for effecting and maintaining engagement between the latch body and the assembly after deflection of the latch body by the assembly. A release actuating means is positioned for deflecting the latch body in order to disengage the catch means thereby enabling the release of the assembly to the biased operative position.
These and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent with reference to the following specification and to the drawings wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric dry shaver constructed in accordance with features of one embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation view, partly cut away, illustrating a trimmer device latch and release means;
FIG. 3 is a partial front elevation view of the shaver of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary portion of a view taken along lines 4--4 of FIG. 3 and illustrating a trimmer device latched in an inoperative position;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary portion of a view taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 3 and illustrating a trimmer device in an operative position;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, partially cut away, front elevation view illustrating a latch body constructed in accordance with features of one embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the main cutter head of an electric dry shaver illustrating a means for mounting the resilient latch body in accordance with one embodiment of this invention; and
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a trimmer cutter assembly and housing therefor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings for a more detailed description of the present invention, an electric dry shaver which incorporates one embodiment thereof is generally indicated by reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1. The shaver 10 is of a known general construction in that it includes a main casing section 12, and upper cutter head supporting section 14 in which is supported a main cutter head assembly generally indicated by the reference numeral 16. The cutter head assembly 16 is of the known general foil type and includes an outer cutter 18 and a plurality of inner cutter blades (not illustrated) which are coupled and actuated by an electric motor 19 positioned in the lower portion of the casing 12.
A trimmer device constructed in accordance with features of the present invention is generally indicated in FIG. 1 by reference numeral 20. Trimmer device 20 is positioned beneath main cutter head 16 within a cavity portion 21 which is provided in one face of an upper portion of the casing 12 and it is generally flush with the casing in an inoperative position.
The trimmer device includes a trimmer cutter assembly indicated generally by reference numeral 23. As illustrated in FIG. 4 and Fig. 5, the trimmer cutter assembly 23 includes a stationary toothed comb 22 which is mounted by studs 24 to a support plate 26. A toothed movable cutter 28 is positioned adjacent the stationary comb 22 and is reciprocated adjacent to comb 22 for cutting hairs which are fed into its moving path. The movable cutter 28 is oscillated by an actuating member 30 having a fork segment 32 (FIG. 6) which engages a trimmer cutter drive shaft 34 when the assembly is positioned in an operative position as illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. The drive shaft 34 is mechanically coupled to the electric motor 19, and is reciprocated from left to right as viewed in FIG. 6 when the motor is energized. Decoupling of the trimmer cutter assembly from the drive shaft 34 is provided when the assembly is rotated to its inoperative position as illustrated in FIG. 4. The movable cutter 28 is rigidly secured to the actuating member 30 by sandwiching a surface segment 29 of the cutter 28 between a flat surface 31 of the member 30 and a flange segment 36. Tabs 38, (FIG. 8) which are integrally formed in the member 30 and which extend into apertures 40 of the movable cutter provide for alignment between the cutter teeth and the actuator member 30. A spring plate 44 is provided and is positioned between the support plate 26 and the actuating member 30. Spring tabs 46 which are integrally formed in this plate are provided for biasing the movable cutter against the surface of the stationary cutter. The studs 24 which secure the stationary cutter 22 to the support plate 26 extend through windows 48 which are formed in the movable cutter 28. Narrow bore segments of the studs extend through aligned apertures 50 and 52 of the spring plate 44 and support plate 26 respectively. Narrow bores on opposite ends of the studs 24 extend through apertures 54 and 55 in the stationary cutter 22 and are peened over for rigidly securing this cutter to the plate 26. The assembly of the cutter 28 and the actuating member 30 can be actuated in reciprocating motion with respect to the stationary cutter 22, when the member 30 is actuated.
A means for mounting the trimmer cutter assembly for rotatable movement between the inoperative and operative positions on the shaver includes a trimmer device housing 60 which, with the support plate 26, encloses the stationary and removable cutters, the spring plate 44 and portions of the actuator 30. The support plate 26 is secured to the housing member 60 by studs 62 and 64 which, as shown in FIG. 8, align with and extend through apertures 66 and 68 respectively of the support plate 26 and which are peened over for mounting the plate to housing 60. A pivotal means for rotatably supporting the housing 60 is provided by trunnion segments 70 and 72 which are integrally formed with the housing 60. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the shaver head includes wall segments 74 and 76 having bearing means 78 and 80 for receiving the trunnions 72 and 70 respectively and for providing a rotatable mounting for the trimmer cutter assembly.
A means for biasing the trimmer cutter assembly in the operative position wherein the cutter teeth extend away from the shaver body generally as illustrated in FIG. 5 is provided. These means comprise a torsion spring 82 having a coil which is positioned about the trunnion 72. An elongated segment 84 of the torsion spring bears against an inner wall segment of the wall 74 while a second relatively shorter segment 86 engages an inner surface of the housing 60 thereby biasing the assembly to an operative position.
A resilient latch body is provided and comprises a leaf spring 90 which is formed of spring steel. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the leaf spring 90 includes a bend 92 extending across its width and which is formed at an intermediate position along its length. The leaf spring 90 includes spaced apart support legs 94 and 96 located at one end thereof and a pair of spaced apart legs 98 and 100 located at an opposite end of the spring. The spring thus has a generally bow-shaped, H configuration.
A cantilever support means for the latch body 90 is provided by a pair of pockets 102, 104 which are integral with and depend from a plastic motor shroud member 106. The pockets receive the lower segments of the legs 94 and 96 of the leaf spring latch body 90. It will be noted that the lower legs 94, 96 each include split tab segments 108 and 110 respectively. These tab segments have teeth 112 and 114 respectively which engage side segments of the pockets 102 and 104 and which inhibit the removal of the latch body from the pockets.
The leaf spring latch body 90 which is supported at one end thereof is positioned in a generally central location with respect to the elongated housing 60 of the trimmer cutter device and is positioned in the path of travel of the rotatable trimmer cutter assembly. The latch body 90 has a mounted, undeflected home position 115 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5. When the trimmer cutter assembly is rotated in a clockwise direction to its inoperative position as illustrated in FIG. 5, the latch body 90 is deflected from its home position toward the main cutter head by contact with the rotating trimmer assembly.
A catch means is provided and maintains engagement between the latch body 90 and the trimmer cutter assembly. The catch means comprises U-shaped projections 116 and 118 which are located at distal portions of the spaced apart leg segments 98 and 100 of the latch body 90. The catch means further includes U-shaped projections 120 and 122 which extend from a lower surface of the cutter assembly support plate 26 and which are aligned with the projections 116 and 118 of the latch body. As best seen in FIG. 5, the trimmer cutter assembly is rotated by the application of finger pressure in a clockwise direction into the cavity 21. The projections 120 and 122 on plate 26 contact the projections 116 and 118 causing the latch body 90 to deflect from its home position toward the main cutter head. In addition during this deflection, the latch body projections 116 and 118 rotate in a counterclockwise direction about an axis located at or near the bend 92 and allow the projections 120 and 122 to slide over the top segments of the projections 116 and 118 and nestle on an opposite side thereof to provide contact and engagement between projection surfaces. As the cutter trimmer assembly is rotated fully clockwise in the cavity 21, the projections engage as indicated and the latch body 90 returns to its home position while engagement of the surfaces of the catch projections is maintained. A positive detenting engagement is thus provided between the latch body 90 and the trimmer cutter assembly which secures the assembly in the inoperative position.
A release actuating means is provided and is positioned for deflecting the latch body in order to cause disengagement of the catch means and to release the trimmer cutter assembly for rotation by the biasing means 82 toward an operative position. The release means comprises a latch body contact member 124 which is shown to comprise a plastic body located in an aperture 126 of a wall segment 128 of the casing 12. The contact member 124 includes an integrally formed shoulder segment 130 which captivates the push button within the aperture adjacent to the bend 92 in the latch body. As illustrated in FIG. 5, release of the cutter trimmer assembly to an operative position is effected by depressing the push button 124 which causes movement of the latch body from its home position and results in disengagement of the catch means projections. Since the restraining influence for the cutter trimmer in the cavity 21 is thereby removed, the cutter trimmer yields to the bias force of the torsion spring 82 and rotates in a counterclockwise direction to the operative position.
An improved trimmer device for an electric dry shaver has thus been described which includes an improved latch and release means of advantageous construction. The described latch and release means enhances the reliability of operation, reduces the complexity of the structure and the complexity in placements of parts during assembly and reduces the overall cost of the trimmer unit.
While I have described a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. | A trimmer device for an electric dry shaver is disclosed having a trimmer cutter assembly which is mounted for rotation between operative and inoperative positions on the shaver. The trimmer cutter is biased to an operative position. A latch and release for securing the assembly in an inoperative position and for releasing the assembly to an operative position comprises a resilient latch body and a cantilever support for the latch body which positions the latch body in a path of travel of the rotatable assembly. A catch is provided for effecting and maintaining engagement between the latch body and the assembly and for effecting disengagement upon tactile actuation thereof. | 1 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sewing machines in general and more particularly to sewing machines constructed with a presser foot which is arcuately rotatable to effectuate removal from the presser bar.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Finger guards for sewing machines are well known in the prior art. Finger guards have not heretofore been designed to cooperate with presser foot attachments which are readily removable from the presser bar. It is advantageous for a sewing machine operator to be able to readily exchange presser feet to suit the special demands of particular sewing situations. One problem associated with prior finger guards is that they make the rapid replacement of a presser foot a cumbersome task. Another problem is that some finger guards must be removed from the presser bar before the presser foot can be easily replaced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a finger guard for the needle of a sewing machine which permits the convenient replacement of a snap on presser foot.
Still another object is to provide a finger guard which is self-aligning when fastened to the presser bar of a sewing machine.
The disclosed objects and other advantages of this invention are achieved by providing a finger guard which is restrained to the presser bar by a presser clamp screw. The finger guard partially encloses the space penetrated by the needle to present an obstruction to stray hand movement in the stitch forming area of the sewing machine. The walls defining the area enclosed by the finger guard are spaced away from the presser foot, thereby allowing a pivotally mounted presser foot to be arcuately rotated upwardly and removed from the presser foot shank.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects of this invention will become evident from an understanding of the preferred embodiment which is hereinafter set forth in such detail as to enable those skilled in the relevant art to fully understand the function, operation, construction and advantages of it when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a fragment of a sewing machine illustrating the finger guard of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation view similar to FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an overhead view of a presser bar having the finger guard of this invention attached thereto;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 1 showing the ability to remove a snap-on presser foot with the finger guard of this invention fastened to the presser bar; and
FIG. 5 is a disassembled perspective view showing how the finger guard of this invention is aligned with the presser bar by the shank of the presser foot.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a fragment of a sewing machine having a bed 12 and a sewing head 14 overhanging the bed 12. Journalled in the sewing head 14 is a needle bar 16 which is driven in endwise reciprocatory motion toward and away from a stitch forming location on the bed 12. A needle 18 is attached to the needle bar 16 with a needle clamp 20. Also carried in the sewing head 14 is a presser bar 22 having a presser foot which is shown generally at 24 and which is attached to one extremity thereof with a clamp screw 26. The presser foot 24 cooperates with a feed dog 28 which rises through a throat plate 29 carried in the bed 12 of the sewing machine to feed fabric past the needle 18 in a well known manner.
FIG. 5 shows that the presser foot 24 consists of a sole plate portion 30 and a shank portion 32. The sole plate portion 30 is formed with a pair of bifurcated toes 33 extending away from the stitch area. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art of sewing that the size and shape of the sole plate 30 employed to clamp fabric as it is moved by the feed dog 28 past the stitch forming area is dependent on the nature of the fabric and the stitch pattern sought to be sewn by the operator. It will therefore be apparent that it is advantageous for a sewing machine operator to be able to rapidly and conveniently change the sole plate 30 with a minimum of effort. To that end the sewing machine illustrated herein is shown having a snap-on sole plate 30 of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,114 which issued on Jan. 13, 1970 to Seck and which is owned by the assignee of this invention.
The sole plate 30 is secured to the presser foot shank 32 by a cylindrical pivot pin 34 which is carried on the sole plate 30 between a pair of upstanding ears 36. The presser foot shank 32 contains a downturned socket 38 which resistively engages the cylindrical pivot pin 34 when the shank 32 is pressed against the sole plate 30. The sole plate 30 may be disengaged from the shank 32 by arcuate upwardly rotation of the sole plate 30 about the cylindrical pin 34. To that end, it will be appreciated that space must be available within the vicinity of the sole plate 30 to conveniently grasp one of the bifurcated toes 33 of the sole plate 30 and turn it upwardly, as illustrated in FIG. 4.
The shank 32 is attached to the presser bar 22 by the clamp screw 26. The presser bar 22 is provided with an operator influenced presser lifting lever 40 which may be used to disengage the presser foot 24 from contact with the fabric being sewn, thereby making it convenient to reposition or turn the fabric.
One skilled in the art of sewing will further appreciate that the sewing process is consummated by the needle bar 16 reciprocatorily advancing the needle 18 toward and away from the stitch forming area. It will also be apparent that it is necessary for a sewing machine operator to position her hands quite close to the stitch forming area to insure that fabric is accurately fed toward the needle 18, and that an error in hand movement may cause a finger to be placed beneath the reciprocating needle 18. To the end of minimizing the potential danger inherent in a finger being placed in the path of the reciprocating needle 18, but yet to permit convenient removal of the presser foot 24, a finger guard which is shown generally at 42 is attached to the presser bar 22 to guard the space in which the needle 18 reciprocates.
The finger guard 42 is shown in FIG. 5 as having a body portion 44 and a mounting portion 46. Preferably the mounting portion 46 has a pair of out-turned clips 48 which embrace a like pair of out-turned bifurcations 50 carried on the presser foot shank 32. The mounting portion 46 also contains an abutment wall 52 which aligns with an out-turned tab 54 on the presser foot shank 32 to insure the correct positioning of the finger guard 42 relative to the presser foot shank 32. Preferably the finger guard 42 is fastened to the presser bar 22 by passing the clamp screw 26 which clamps the presser foot shank 32 to the presser bar 22 through an aperture 56 which is formed between the out-turned clips 48 of the mounting portion 46 of the finger guard 42.
The finger guard body portion 44 is fastened to the mounting portion 46 at a rear element 58 which is preferably fastened to the abutment wall 52 by any convenient means such as soldering or riveting. FIG. 3 shows that the rear element 58 is preferably sufficiently long to extend the body portion 44 of the finger guard 42 beyond the sole plate 30. Preferably a side element 60 extends from the rear element 58 at a substantially normal angle and is preferably long enough to extend beyond the front edge of the sole plate 30. The side element 60 contains an aperture 62 formed along the top edge thereof to accommodate alternate forms of needle clamps, having appendages which require an aperture to permit reciprocation toward the stitch forming area. A front extension 64 is formed at the forward extremity of the elongated side 60 and, as shown in FIG. 3, extends toward the central portion of the sole plate 30. The front extension 64 carries a free extremity 66 which extends inwardly parallel to the side element 60 and toward the needle 18. Preferably the rear element 58 has a tab 68 formed substantially normal thereto which extends outwardly parallel to the side element 60 and in clearance of the sole plate 30.
It will be apparent from FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 that the finger guard 42 is positioned on the presser bar 22 with respect to the needle 18 and the sole plate 30 to permit the sole plate 30 to be easily rotated upwardly and removed from the shank 32 to which it is attached. Preferably a bifurcated toe 33 of the sole plate 30 may be conveniently grasped by the sewing machine operator as shown in FIG. 4 and will not strike the finger guard 42 while being rotated upwardly, thereby encouraging the sewing machine operator to operate the sewing machine with the finger guard 42 in position, even if required to frequently change the sole plate 30 to perform a variety of sewing tasks.
It will be appreciated that what has been disclosed is a novel and useful finger guard which will aid a sewing machine operator to perform the sewing process while reducing the potential for injury occurring from the reciprocating needle. One skilled in the related art may, in the light of the above teachings, become aware of modifications and variations to the preferred embodiment hereinabove described. It is to be understood that variations may be made to the preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. | A finger guard for a sewing machine is disclosed which fastens to the presser bar and protectively encloses a portion of the needle. The finger guard permits an operator to easily remove an arcuately rotatable snap on presser foot without the necessity of disturbing the finger guard. | 3 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/474,582, filed Apr. 12, 2011 and titled PROPELLANT GAS OPERATION/INITIATION OF A NON-PYROTECHNIC PROJECTILE TRACER, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference thereto.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention is related to projectile tracer assemblies, and more particularly to non-pyrotechnic projectile tracer assemblies and related methods.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Base-mounted tracers for gun-launched projectiles have traditionally been characterized by the use of pyrotechnic compounds that are ignited/initiated by the act of firing the projectile. The hot propellant gases come into contact with and ignite the tracer's pyrotechnic compounds. Upon the projectile's exit from the launching gun and for a portion of or all of the projectile's flight, the tracer marks the projectile's trajectory by virtue of the combusting pyrotechnic tracer compound.
[0004] Because tracers are pyrotechnic in nature, they present a potential fire hazard during employment, particularly on firing ranges during training operations. This issue is addressed by the use of non-pyrotechnic tracer elements such as liquid bi-chemical chemiluminescent elements (U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,905). Typically, chemiluminescent systems consist of two liquid chemicals that when brought together in intimate contact experience a reaction, the products of which are visible light and infrared energy. Initially, the two chemicals are kept separate by the use of special/frangible containers (transparent or equipped with a transparent section) positioned coaxially one inside the other. Upon activation, one or both of these special/frangible containers is ruptured, thus allowing the two liquid chemicals to come into contact with each other and start the reaction. The rupturing of the container(s) is accomplished by subjecting the projectile to stimulation at the desired time of tracer activation, typically launch and/or target impact. Launch stimuli may be predicated upon acceleration (setback) of the projectile, spin-up of spin-stabilized projectiles in guns that are rifled, and deceleration (set forward) of the projectile as it emerges from the gun's barrel (ending acceleration) and encounters open air. These stimuli act upon designed mechanisms, such as inertia masses (US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0175577), to rupture the container(s).
SUMMARY
[0005] The present invention overcomes drawbacks experienced in the prior art and provides other benefits. Embodiments of the invention provide a non-pyrotechnic projectile tracer, such as an ammunition round with chemiluminescent tracer portion configured for propellant gas operation or initiation of the non-pyrotechnic tracer material upon firing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a projectile having a tracer configured in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a projectile having a tracer with a piston-activator configured in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a small-caliber projectile having a tracer configured in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a projectile 100 having a tracer 110 configured in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. The tracer 110 includes an outer cylindrical ampoule 112 positioned within a tracer cavity 114 . In one embodiment, the outer ampoule 112 is non-frangible when the projectile is fired from a gun or other launching mechanism. The illustrated outer ampoule 112 has an open internally-threaded end 116 and an opposite closed end 118 with a pronounced protrusion 120 . The outer ampoule 112 is positioned on an aft end 122 of the projectile 100 such that the protrusion 120 on the outer ampoule 112 is bearing against a blind end 124 of the projectile tracer cavity 114 . The tracer 110 includes an externally threaded stepped closure 126 equipped with a central window 128 constructed of a rugged, high temperature resistant material, such as sapphire. The window 128 can be substantially transparent to visible and/or infrared radiation. The stepped closure 126 can have threads to match the outer ampoule 112 . The tracer 110 further includes an inner frangible cylindrical ampoule 130 positioned longitudinally within the outer ampoule 112 , the inner ampoule 130 having a first end 132 bearing against the outer ampoule protrusion 120 and a second end 134 opposite the first end 132 and proximate to the central window 128 . The outer ampoule 112 can contain a first chemiluminescent component and the inner ampoule 130 can contain a second chemiluminescent component.
[0010] The tracer 110 can further include an externally threaded capture ring 136 (threaded to match the designated projectile interface) whose central hole can permit a smooth sliding fit with the stepped closure 126 . The capture ring 136 can include an internal sliding seal that bears upon the smaller diameter section of the stepped closure 126 . The entire outer ampoule 112 is sized to be a sliding fit in the projectile's tracer cavity 114 . The tracer 110 is secured in the projectile 100 by the capture ring 136 external threads mating up with the projectile tracer cavity 114 internal threads. When assembled, the outer ampoule 112 is captured in the projectile tracer cavity 114 by the capture ring 136 with the outer ampoule protrusion 120 bearing against the blind closed end 124 of the projectile tracer cavity 114 and the transparent window 128 exposed and flush with the aft end of the capture ring 136 . In some embodiments, the projectile 100 comprises a medium (i.e., 20-75 mm) or large caliber (75 mm and larger) direct fire ammunition.
[0011] The tracer 110 activation sequence is as follows: upon firing, the cartridge primer ignites the main propelling charge which generates the propelling gasses. As the cartridge internal pressure rapidly increases, the cartridge internal pressure bears against all exposed surfaces (the cartridge case internal surfaces and the projectile 100 base) including the smaller diameter section of the stepped tracer closure 126 with the tracer transparent window 128 . The propelling gas pressure force generated on the stepped tracer closure column 126 loads the tracer outer ampoule 112 , which in turn passes the column load against the closed end protrusion 120 that in turn bears against the blind end 124 of the projectile tracer cavity 114 . At a predetermined pressure value, the protrusion 120 is loaded to the point where it collapses, crushing the frangible inner ampoule 130 . This action frees the two liquid chemiluminescent chemicals to come into contact and react in a luminescent reaction, while maintaining a liquid-tight integrity. The radiation released from this reaction (visible and/or infrared) escapes from the outer ampoule 112 through the transparent window 128 facing aft towards the gunner. The forward sliding motion of the outer ampoule 112 is arrested when the outer ampoule 112 is crushed to the point where the two liquid chemicals are hydraulically compressed, halting the forward motion of the outer ampoule 112 . In some embodiments, a physical/mechanical motion limiting/stop feature (not illustrated) can also be utilized. The tracer 110 is accordingly activated independent of the motion of the projectile 100 , (including projectile acceleration/setback, spin-up, and deceleration/set-forward/impact).
[0012] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a projectile 200 having a tracer 210 with a piston-activator 240 configured in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. The projectile 200 includes several features generally similar to those described with reference to FIG. 1 , including an inner ampoule 230 positioned within an outer ampoule 212 within a projectile tracer cavity 214 . The inner ampoule 230 is positioned against an outer ampoule protrusion 220 as described above with reference to FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the tracer 210 is shielded from the propellant gasses by a stepped piston 240 , the smaller diameter of which bears against an aft surface 242 of the outer ampoule 212 , leaving the larger diameter's aft end 244 to be acted upon by the propellant gasses. The whole piston 240 is supported by the projectile's aft end or drag cone/fin 252 . A plurality of small equalizing ports/holes 246 is positioned in a tapered forward-facing end 248 of a projectile drag cone/fin 252 that communicates with the stepped diameter of the piston 240 . The piston 240 is held in position by a plurality of shear pins 250 arranged radially around the periphery of the piston's larger diameter and anchored in the projectile aft end or drag cone/fin 252 . The sheer pins 250 are configured to securely maintain the piston's position and prevent activation of the tracer 210 prior to firing of the projectile, such as during rough handling and/or transport. The shear pins 250 , however, are configured so they will shear and release the piston upon application of very high loads applied on the piston by the pressurized gas generated upon firing of the projectile.
[0013] The piston 240 is positioned in the projectile's aft end or drag cone/fin 252 such that the force of the propellant gasses can push the piston 240 forward a calculated distance after first shearing the shear pins 250 . In some operational settings, the propellant gasses provide approximately 82,000 pounds psi of force at launch. The moving piston 240 transmits this force to the tracer ampoule 212 causing it to move forward as well. This forward motion crushes the outer ampoule protrusion 220 and initiates the tracer action in a manner similar to the embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 1 . Upon shot exit from the gun barrel and after the projectile 200 transitions the muzzle shock bottle phenomenon, the forward motion of the projectile 200 causes a near vacuum/low-pressure area to be established at the projectile's aft end or drag cone/fin 252 as well as air to be forced into the forward facing equalizing ports 246 . This near vacuum/low pressure acting upon the aft face of the large diameter section of the piston 240 , coupled with air pressure on the forward surface of the stepped section of the piston 240 from the air entering the forward facing equalizing ports 246 , results in a force to effect the separation of the piston 240 from the projectile 200 . This separation unmasks the functioning tracer 210 .
[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a small-caliber projectile 300 having a tracer 310 configured in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. The projectile 300 includes several features generally similar to those described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . In this embodiment, the projectile 300 has a tubular aft end 344 in which is positioned a metallic cylindrical liner 360 . In some embodiments, the liner 360 can be steel or an alloy of steel. The liner 360 serves as a re-enforcing element to maintain projectile integrity upon the spin-stabilized projectile's 300 exit from the barrel as centrifugal forces act upon the chemiluminescent payload to burst the projectile 300 . A frangible inner ampoule 330 containing one of the chemiluminescent components is positioned within the liner 360 . The frangible ampoule 330 has a smaller diameter than the inside diameter of the metallic liner 360 and its forward end 362 is nested into a centrally-located depression 364 . In some embodiments, the inner ampoule 330 is long enough so that when seated into the projectile 300 , an aft end 366 projects slightly from an aft end 368 of the metallic liner 360 ; i.e., the inner ampoule 330 is slightly longer than the metallic liner 360 . An annular space 370 between the frangible ampoule 330 and the inside diameter of the metallic liner 360 is nearly filled with the second chemiluminescent component leaving a small air space. A transparent lens 328 manufactured from a tough heat and shock resistant transparent material (such as, for example, artificial sapphire as commonly used with scratch-proof watch crystals), is treated with a sealant on its periphery then positioned in the base of the projectile 300 , in effect sealing the aft open end 344 of the projectile 300 . The lens 328 is held in this position by the sealant as well as a cannelure/crimp groove 372 impressed on the projectile's outer surface 374 . The cannelure 372 is configured to maintain the lens' 328 position and prevent activation of the tracer 310 during handling and transport. Lastly, the lens 328 is secured by rolling the aft open end 344 of the projectile copper jacket 374 over the aft outer edge of the lens 328 . In some embodiments, the projectile 300 is a small-caliber ammunition, such as 5.56 mm×45 (.22-caliber), 7.62 mm×51 (.30-caliber), 12.7 mm×99 (.50 caliber Browning Machine Gun), and up to 20 mm caliber.
[0015] The tracer 310 functions at firing by the lens 328 being moved forward by the propelling gas pressure acting upon it. During this slight forward motion, independent of the projectile 300 , the lens 328 first overcomes the cannelure 372 then fractures the internal frangible ampoule 330 , allowing the chemiluminescent components to mix and fluoresce. In some embodiments, the lens 328 can make contact with the aft end 368 of the metallic liner 360 shortly before the lens 328 comes into light contact with the aft end 366 of the frangible ampoule 330 . The small air space in the annular chemiluminescent component 370 enables the slight forward motion of the lens 328 without the hydraulic resistance should the chemiluminescent components become solidly compressed. The lens' 328 forward motion is halted by the lens 328 outer periphery encountering the annular aft end 368 of the metallic liner 360 . The radiation liberated by the chemiluminescent payload escapes rearward from the projectile 300 through the transparent lens 328 to be seen by the weapon's gunner/spotter.
[0016] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims. | The present disclosure is directed to propellant gas initiation of a non-pyrotechnic projectile tracer. In some embodiments, cartridge-propellant gasses act upon a piston to break a frangible chemiluminescent liquid chemical ampoule to initiate a luminous reaction independently of and prior to any projectile motion. The piston may be a distinct piston, a separate component functioning as a piston, or the overall tracer container acting in the manner of a piston. Embodiments of the disclosure are applicable to direct-fire ammunition ranging from small arms through large caliber main battle tank ammunition. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a biochip, and more particularly, to a biochip having an image sensor with a back side illumination photodiode structure which collects light from the back side of a wafer in order to improve capability of sensing light emitted from reaction regions of a biochip.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In general, a biochip is manufactured in a type in which reference samples constituted biological molecules such as DNAs, proteins and the likes are regularly arranged on a substrate made of a material such as glass, silicon and nylon.
[0005] Biochips are divided into a DNA chip, a protein chip, and so forth, depending upon the kind of reference samples to be arranged. Basically, a biochip uses biochemical reactions between reference samples and target samples which are fixed with respect to a substrate. Representative examples of the biochemical reactions between the reference samples and the target samples include a complementary binding of DNA bases and an antigen-antibody reaction.
[0006] For the most part, diagnosis by a biochip is implemented by detecting a degree to which a biochemical reaction occurs, through an optical procedure using an image sensor. The optical procedure generally uses a fluorescence or luminescence phenomenon.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the configuration of a conventional biochip having an image sensor with a front side illumination photodiode structure.
[0008] Referring to FIG. 1 , a conventional biochip 100 having an image sensor with a front side illumination photodiode structure includes a biochip layer 100 a and an image sensor layer 100 b.
[0009] The biochip layer 100 a has a plurality of first reaction region 110 a , second reaction region 110 b and third reaction region 110 c which have shapes of grooves. The first, second and third reaction regions 110 a , 110 b and 110 c respectively have target samples 111 a , 111 b and 111 c in the upper portions thereof and reference samples 112 a , 112 b and 112 c in the lower portions thereof.
[0010] The image sensor layer 110 b has a plurality of first front side illumination photodiode 151 a (PD 1 ), second front side illumination photodiode 151 b (PD 2 ) and third front side illumination photodiode 151 c (PD 3 ) which are formed in an epitaxial layer 150 of a wafer.
[0011] A plurality of stacked metal wiring lines 131 and 133 are formed in an interlayer dielectric 130 which is formed on the upper surface of the epitaxial layer 150 .
[0012] However, in the conventional biochip 100 having an image sensor with a front side illumination photodiode structure, light 120 , which is emitted depending upon degrees of biochemical reactions between the target samples 111 a , 111 b and 111 c and the reference samples 112 a , 112 b and 112 c of the plurality of first, second and third reaction regions 110 a , 110 b and 110 c , is likely to be absorbed by the metal wiring lines 131 and 132 which are formed over the plurality of first, second and third front side illumination photodiodes 151 a , 151 b and 151 c , as a result of which the light sensitivity of the plurality of first, second and third front side illumination photodiodes 151 a , 151 b and 151 c may be degraded.
[0013] Meanwhile, in the manufacture of the biochip layer, a surface treatment technology is regarded important for the attachment of bio-materials. That is to say, in order to allow the bio-materials to be easily attached to a substrate, surface treatment is performed in such a way as to provide hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity. Such surface treatment is performed mainly using plasma.
[0014] In the conventional structure adopting the front side illumination (FSI), as the plasma is incident on the photodiodes during the surface treatment, the dark current of the photodiodes may be increased. Further, due to the fact that the biochip layer is formed on the interlayer dielectric, solutions, which are employed in the manufacture and reaction procedures of the biochip layer, may infiltrate into underlying circuits by passing through the interlayer dielectric. As a consequence, problems may be caused in that it is difficult to form the interlayer dielectric and limitations may exist in performing the surface treatment for the biochip layer and using reacting solutions, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Accordingly, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a biochip having an image sensor with a back side illumination photodiode structure which can directly collect light with biochemical reaction information, emitted from a biochip layer, so as to improve light sensitivity, and can prevent the characteristics of circuits from deteriorating due to surface treatment conducted during a manufacturing procedure of the biochip layer and infiltration of a solution occurring during a biochemical reaction procedure.
[0016] In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a biochip having an image sensor with a back side illumination photodiode structure, including: a biochip layer; and an image sensor layer attached to one surface of the biochip layer and configured to sense light with biochemical reaction information, which is emitted from the biochip layer, wherein the image sensor layer includes a plurality of light sensing parts which receive the light directed toward a back side of a wafer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The above objects, and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent after a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the configuration of a conventional biochip having an image sensor with a front side illumination photodiode structure; and
[0019] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the configuration of a biochip having an image sensor with a back side illumination photodiode structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the configuration of a biochip having an image sensor with a back side illumination photodiode structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 2 , a biochip 200 having an image sensor with a back side illumination photodiode structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a biochip layer 200 a and an image sensor layer 200 b.
[0023] The biochip layer 200 a has a plurality of first reaction region 210 a , second reaction region 210 b and third reaction region 210 c which have shapes of grooves.
[0024] The first reaction region 210 a has a target sample 211 a in the upper portion thereof and a reference sample 212 a in the lower portion thereof. Similarly, the second reaction region 210 b has a target sample 211 b in the upper portion thereof and a reference sample 212 b in the lower portion thereof, and the third reaction region 210 c has a target sample 211 c in the upper portion thereof and a reference sample 212 c in the lower portion thereof.
[0025] Hereafter, functions of the target sample 211 a and the reference sample 212 a of the first reaction region 210 a will be mainly described in detail.
[0026] The target sample 211 a may be used to include a luminescent material which emits light by itself when external illumination is blocked. A representative example of the luminescent material is luciferin. Luciferin becomes active luciferin when activated by ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). As the active luciferin is oxdidated under the action of luciferase and becomes oxyluciferin, chemical energy is converted into light energy and light is produced.
[0027] Also, the target sample 211 a may be used to include a fluorescent material which can generate light of a specified wavelength band by external illumination (not shown). The fluorescent material may be produced in the first reaction region 210 a as a result of a reaction between the reference sample 212 a and the target sample 211 a , or may be produced in such a manner that an optional fluorescent material such as GFP (green fluorescence protein) is left in the first reaction region 210 a after a specified biochemical reaction is induced between the reference sample 212 a and the target sample 211 a by binding the optional fluorescent material with the target sample 211 a.
[0028] The reference sample 212 a may include different materials depending upon which biochemical reaction is targeted. For example, if the biochemical reaction is an antigen-antibody reaction, the reference sample 212 a may be an antigen, and if the biochemical reaction is a complementary binding of DNA bases, the reference sample 212 a may be a gene which is genetically engineered to be capable of complementary binding.
[0029] The target sample 211 a is selected depending upon the reference sample 212 a which is determined according to the kind of the biochemical reaction. For example, if the reference sample 212 a is an antigen, the target sample 211 a may be blood, and the like, and if the reference sample 212 a is a genetically engineered gene, the target sample 211 a may be a user's gene, and the like.
[0030] The image sensor layer 200 b has a configuration which is placed on the bottom surface of the biochip layer 200 a and forms a back side illumination (BSI) image sensor.
[0031] The back side illumination (BSI) image sensor is formed by performing the same processes as the conventional front side illumination (FSI) image sensor and by finally overturning a processed wafer such that the resultantly obtained image sensor can directly collect light.
[0032] That is to say, when observed from the standpoint of the conventional front side illumination (FSI) image sensor, the back side illumination (BSI) image sensor according to the present invention collects light from the bottom portions of the photodiodes, that is, the bottom surface of the wafer.
[0033] The image sensor layer 200 b has a plurality of first back side illumination photodiode 251 a (PD 1 ), second back side illumination photodiode 251 b (PD 2 ), and third back side illumination photodiode 251 c (PD 3 ) which are formed in an epitaxial layer 250 of the wafer.
[0034] The first back side illumination photodiode 251 a (PD 1 ) senses light 220 which is emitted from the first reaction region 210 a depending upon a degree of a biochemical reaction between the target sample 211 a and the reference sample 212 a in the first reaction region 210 a . Similarly, the second back side illumination photodiode 251 b (PD 2 ) senses light 220 which is emitted from the second reaction region 210 b depending upon a degree of a biochemical reaction between the target sample 211 b and the reference sample 212 b in the second reaction region 210 b , and the third back side illumination photodiode 251 c (PD 3 ) senses light 220 which is emitted from the third reaction region 210 c depending upon a degree of a biochemical reaction between the target sample 211 c and the reference sample 212 c in the third reaction region 210 c.
[0035] The light 220 , which is respectively emitted from the first reaction region 210 a , the second reaction region 210 b and the third reaction region 210 c , directly reaches and is absorbed by the first back side illumination photodiode 251 a (PD 1 ), the second back side illumination photodiode 251 b (PD 2 ) and the third back side illumination photodiode 251 c (PD 3 ), without passing by metal wiring lines which are stacked over the photodiodes in the formation of the conventional front side illumination (FSI) image sensor, whereby light sensitivity can be significantly improved according to the present invention.
[0036] The light sensed by the first back side illumination photodiode 251 a (PD 1 ), the second back side illumination photodiode 251 b (PD 2 ) and the third back side illumination photodiode 251 c (PD 3 ) is outputted as electrical signals. The electrical signals are processed by a signal processing unit such as an ISP (image signal processor) 255 which is provided in the image sensor layer 200 b.
[0037] Preferably, the upper portion of the epitaxial layer 250 may include optical filters (not shown) which transmit light of a preselected band and micro lenses (not shown) which focus light on the optical filters.
[0038] An interlayer dielectric 230 is disposed under the epitaxial layer 250 and a plurality of stacked metal wiring lines 231 and 233 are formed in the interlayer dielectric 230 . This structure is distinguished from the structure of the conventional front side illumination (FSI) image sensor in which the interlayer dielectric 130 is disposed on the epitaxial layer 150 and the metal wiring lines 131 and 133 are formed in the interlayer dielectric 130 .
[0039] In the conventional structure using front side illumination (FSI), due to the fact that the biochip layer is formed on the interlayer dielectric, the characteristics of the photodiodes are likely to be changed due to surface treatment implemented during a procedure of manufacturing the biochip layer, and reacting solutions may influence underlying circuits by passing through the interlayer dielectric.
[0040] However, in the present structure using back side illumination (BSI), since the biochip layer is formed on a back side which faces away from a region where circuits are formed, the characteristics of the photodiodes are not influenced by the surface treatment implemented during a procedure of manufacturing the biochip layer, and it is possible to prevent misoperation of circuits from being caused due to infiltration of solutions used in reaction procedures.
[0041] As is apparent from the above description, in the embodiment of the present invention, due to the fact that light with biochemical reaction information, which is emitted from a biochip layer, is directly collected at the bottom portion of a back side illumination photodiode structure, that is, at the bottom surface of a wafer, light sensitivity can be improved.
[0042] Also, in the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the characteristics of circuits from deteriorating due to surface treatment conducted during a manufacturing procedure of the biochip layer and infiltration of a solution occurring during a biochemical reaction procedure.
[0043] Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. | A biochip having an image sensor with a back side illumination photodiode structure includes: a biochip layer; and an image sensor layer attached to one surface of the biochip layer and configured to sense light with biochemical reaction information, which is emitted from the biochip layer, wherein the image sensor layer includes a plurality of light sensing parts which receive the light directed toward a back side of a wafer. | 6 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/508,260, filed on May 4, 2012, which claims the benefit of a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT patent application PCT/US10/55712, filed on Nov. 5, 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/259,368, filed Nov. 9, 2009, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Disclosed herein are compositions and methods for stimulating the growth of hair and treating disorders resulting in hair loss wherein said compositions include a cyclopentane heptanoic acid, 2-cycloalkyl or arylalkyl compound represented by the formula I:
wherein the dashed bonds represent the presence or absence of a double bond which can be in the cis or trans configuration and A, B, Z, X, R 1 and R 2 are as defined in the specification and a penetration enhancer. Such compositions are used in stimulating hair growth of human or non-human animals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Dermatologists recognize many different types of hair loss, the most common being “alopecia” or “baldness” wherein humans (mostly males) begin losing scalp hair at the temples and on the crown of their head. However, hair loss may be due to many other disorders.
Hair loss is often accompanied by a change in the hair growth cycle. All mammalian hair passes through a life cycle that includes the anagen phase, the catagen phase and the telogen phase. The anagen phase is the period of active hair growth. In the scalp, this phase lasts from 3-5 years. The catagen phase is a short 1-2 week transitional phase between the anagen phase and the telogen phase. The final telogen phase is considered a “resting phase” where all growth ceases. This phase is also relatively short-lived lasting about 3-4 months before the hair is shed and a new one begins to grow. With the onset of baldness, a successively greater proportion of hairs are in the telogen phase with correspondingly fewer in the active growth anagen phase.
Additionally, different types of hair exist including terminal hairs, vellus hairs and modified terminal hairs. Terminal hairs are coarse, pigmented, long hairs in which the bulb of the hair follicle is seated deep in the dermis. Vellus hairs, on the other hand, are fine, thin, non-pigmented short hairs in which the hair bulb is located superficially in the dermis. Modified terminal hairs are seen in eye lashes and eye brows. As alopecia progresses, a transition takes place wherein the hairs themselves change from the terminal to the vellus type. Accordingly, alopecia (baldness) also includes a deficiency in terminal hairs.
One non-drug treatment for alopecia is hair transplantation. Plugs of skin containing hair are transplanted from areas of the scalp where hair is growing to bald areas. This approach can be reasonably successful, however it is costly, time-consuming and painful. Other non-drug related approaches to treating alopecia include ultra-violet radiation, massage, psychiatric treatment and exercise therapy. None of these approaches, however, have been generally accepted as effective. Even such things as revascularization surgery or acupuncture have shown little, if any, effect.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Compositions and methods are disclosed herein for topical application of an effective amount of at least one penetration enhancer and cyclopentane heptanoic acid, 2-cycloalkyl or arylalkyl compound represented by the formula I:
wherein the dashed bonds represent the presence or absence of a double bond which can be in the cis or trans configuration, A is an alkylene or alkenylene radical having from two to six carbon atoms, which radical can be interrupted by one or more oxo radicals and substituted with one or more hydroxy, oxo, alkyloxy or akylcarboxy groups wherein the alkyl radical comprises from one to six carbon atoms; B is a cycloalkyl radical having from three to seven carbon atoms, or an aryl radical, selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a lower alkyl radical having from four to ten carbon atoms wherein the heteroatom is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur atoms; X is —N(R 4 ) 2 wherein R 4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a lower alkyl radical having from one to six carbon atoms,
wherein R 5 is a lower alkyl radical having from one to six carbon atoms; Z is ═O; one of R 1 and R 2 is ═O, —OH or a —O(CO)R 6 group, and the other one is —OH or —O(CO)R 6 , or R 1 is ═O and R 2 is H, wherein R 6 is a saturated or unsaturated acyclic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or —(CH 2 )mR 7 wherein m is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 10, and R 7 is cycloalkyl radical, having from three to seven carbon atoms, or a hydrocarbyl aryl or heteroaryl radical, as defined above in free form or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in association with a penetration enhancer in particular formulations adapted for topical application to mammalian skin.
In one embodiment, the cyclopentane heptanoic acid, 2-cycloalkyl or arylalkyl compound represented by the formula I is the compound bimatoprost.
Another embodiment includes a composition comprising bimatoprost at a concentration of about 0.001-1.5% w/w, from 0.01-1.0% w/w, from 0.02-1.0% w/w, 0.03 to about 1.0% w/w, 0.03 to 0.9% w/w, 0.04 to 0.8% w/w, 0.05-0.7% w/w, 0.06%-0.6% w/w, 0.07%-0.5% w/w, 0.08-0.4% w/w, 0.09-0.3% w/w, 0.1% w/w, 0.2% w/w, 0.3% w/w, 0.4% w/w, 0.5% w/w, 0.6% w/w, 0.7% w/w, 0.8% w/w, 0.9% w/w and 1.0% w/w. The following excipients may be also be included: Carbomer at a concentration of about 0.05-1.0% w/w; base at a concentration of about 0.01 to about 2.0% w/w; ethanol at a concentration of about 10 to about 90% w/w; glycerin at a concentration of about 1.0 to about 20% w/w; diethylene glycol monoethyl ether at a concentration of about 1.0 to about 50% w/w; polysorbate 20 at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5.0% w/w; polysorbate 40 at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5.0% w/w; polysorbate 60 at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5.0% w/w; polysorbate 80 at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5.0% w/w; PPG-5 ceteth-20 at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5.0% w/w; oleic acid at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5.0% w/w; isostearyl isostearate at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 10% w/w; isopropyl myristate at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 10% w/w; dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether at a concentration of about 1 to about 50% w/w; diethylene glycol at a concentration of about 1 to about 50% w/w; dipropylene glycol at a concentration of about 1 to about 50% w/w; caprylic/capric at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 10% w/w; benzyl alcohol at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 2.0% w/w; silicone at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 10% w/w; and/or water at a concentration of about 0 to about 90% w/w.
Another embodiment includes a composition comprising bimatoprost at about 0.1% w/w; carbomer at about 0.10% w/w; NaOH at about 0.035% w/w; ethanol at about 15.0% w/w; diethylene glycol monoethyl ether at about 10.0% w/w; and water at about 74.8% w/w.
Another embodiment includes a composition comprising bimatoprost at about 0.1% w/w; carbomer at about 0.15% w/w; triethylamine (TEA) at about 0.22% w/w; ethanol at about 15.0% w/w; diethylene glycol monoethyl ether at about 10.0% w/w; polysorbate 20 at about 4.0% w/w; and water at about 70.5% w/w.
Another embodiment includes a composition comprising bimatoprost at about 0.1% w/w; carbomer at about 0.125% w/w; TEA at about 0.18% w/w; ethanol at about 30.0% w/w; diethylene glycol monoethyl ether at about 20.0% w/w; and water at about 49.59% w/w.
Another embodiment includes a composition comprising bimatoprost at about 0.1% w/w; carbomer at about 0.10% w/w; TEA at about 0.15% w/w; ethanol at about 30.0% w/w; propylene glycol at about 20% w/w; and water at about 49.7% w/w.
Another embodiment includes a composition comprising bimatoprost at about 0.1% w/w; carbomer at about 0.20% w/w; TEA at about 0.22% w/w; ethanol at about 60.0% w/w; glycerin at about 5.0% w/w; and water at about 34.48% w/w.
Another embodiment includes a composition comprising bimatoprost at about 0.1% w/w; carbomer at about 0.25% w/w; TEA at about 0.38% w/w; ethanol at about 60.0% w/w; polysorbate 20 at about 4.0% w/w; and water at about 35.27% w/w.
Another embodiment includes a composition comprising bimatoprost at about 0.1% w/w; carbomer at about 0.25% w/w; TEA at about 0.38% w/w; ethanol at about 50.0% w/w; diethylene glycol monoethyl ether at about 10% w/w; polysorbate 20 at about 4.0% w/w; and water at about 35.27% w/w.
The compositions were manufactured using the following general procedure. Non-aqueous components (e.g. bimatoprost, ethanol, glycols) were combined in a beaker and stirred using a propeller type overhead mixer until the solution was clear. Water was added to the non-aqueous mixture followed by the addition of the thickening agent. Upon dispersion of the thickening agent, a base was added to neutralize the polymer and thicken the solution into a gel other desired composition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Bimatoprost is a moderately soluble compound intended for topical delivery to the skin to stimulate hair growth. Hair growth includes, without limitation, stimulating the conversion of vellus hair to growth as terminal hair as well as increasing the rate of growth of terminal hair. Embodiments disclosed herein provide formulations of bimatoprost and similar compounds with penetration enhancers. These penetration enhancers facilitate active component penetration and/or maintenance at their site of action in the skin. Formulations disclosed herein can be self-preserved or contain an antimicrobial agent such as benzyl alcohol.
In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, active components are represented by
The active components are provided in particular formulations that include penetration enhancers. Some examples of representative compounds useful in the practice of embodiments disclosed herein include the compounds shown in Table 1:
TABLE 1
Representative Compounds
cyclopentane heptenamide-5-cis-2-(3α-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1-trans-
pentenyl)-3,5-dihydroxy, [1 α ,2 β ,3 α ,5 α ] cyclopentane
N,N-dimethylheptenamide-5-cis-2-(3α-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1-trans-penten-
yl)-3,5-dihydroxy, [1 α ,2 β ,3 α ,5 α ]
cyclopentane heptenylamide-5-cis-2-(3α-hydroxy-4-meta-chlorophenoxy-
1-trans-pent-enyl)-3,5-dihydroxy, [1 α ,2 β ,3 α ,5 α ]
cyclopentane heptenylamide-5-cis-2-(3α-hydroxy-4-
trifluoromethylphenoxy-1-trans--pentenyl)-3,5-dihydroxy, [1 α ,2 β ,3 α ,5 α ]
cyclopentane N-isopropyl heptenamide-5-cis-2-(3α-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1-
trans-pentenyl)-3,5-dihydroxy, [1 α ,2 β ,3 α ,5 α ]
cyclopentane N-ethyl heptenamide-5-cis-2-(3α-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1-
trans-pentenyl)-3,5-dihydroxy, [1 α ,2 β ,3 α ,5 α ]
cyclopentane N-methyl heptenamide-5-cis-2-(3α-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1-
trans-pentenyl)-3,5-dihydroxy, [1 α ,2 β ,3 α ,5 α ]
cyclopentane heptenamide-5-cis-2-(3α-hydroxy-4-meta-chlorophenoxy-1-
trans-buteny-l)-3,5-dihydroxy, [1 α ,2 β ,3 α ,5 α ]
In one embodiment, the compound is a cyclopentane heptanoic acid, 2-(phenyl alkyl or phenyloxyalkyl) represented by the formula II:
wherein y is 0 or 1, x is 0 or 1 and x and y are not both 1, Y is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, halo, e.g. fluoro, chloro, etc., nitro, amino, thiol, hydroxy, alkyloxy, alkylcarboxy, halo substituted alkyl wherein said alkyl radical comprises from one to six carbon atoms, etc. and n is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 3 and R 3 is ═O, —OH or —O(CO)R 6 wherein R 6 is as defined above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
In another embodiment, the compound is a compound of formula III:
wherein hatched lines indicate α configuration, solid triangles are used to indicate β configuration. In another embodiment, y is 1 and x is 0 and R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are hydroxy.
One exemplary compound is cyclopentane N-ethyl heptanamide-5-cis-2-(3α-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1-trans-pentenyl)-3,5-dihy-droxy, [1 α , 2 β ,3 α ,5 α ], also known as bimatoprost and sold under the name of LUMIGAN® by Allergan, Inc., California, USA. This compound has the following structure:
The synthesis of the above compounds has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,978 which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Effective amounts of the active compounds can be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art but will vary depending on the compound employed, frequency of application and desired result. The compound will generally range from about 1×1 0-7 to about 50% w/w of the composition, in one embodiment from about 0.001 to about 50% w/w of the composition and in another embodiment from about 0.1 to about 30% w/w of the composition. Ranges of within about 10-50% w/w; about 20-50% w/w; about 30-40% w/w and about 35% are also included.
The pharmaceutical formulations disclosed herein can include one or more penetration enhancers. The phrase “penetration enhancers” includes any agent that facilitates the transfer of active components to their site of action or maintains them at their site of action. Non-limiting examples of classes of appropriate penetration enhancers include alcohols, glycols, fatty acids, ethers, esters, occlusive agents and surface active agents. Representative examples of these classes are provided below.
Alcohols include, without limitation, ethanol, propanol, N-propanol, isopropanol, butyl alcohol, octanol, benzyl alcohol and acetyl alcohol, in one embodiment, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,244, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. Fatty alcohols include, for example, stearyl alcohol and oleyl alcohol.
Glycols include, without limitation, glycerine, propyleneglycol, polyethyleneglycol and other low molecular weight glycols such as glycerol and thioglycerol.
Fatty acids, esters and ethers include, without limitation, oleic acid, palmitoleic acid, straight chain C 4 -C 20 saturated monocarboxylic and dicarboxylic acids, octanoic and decanoic acids, methyl laurate, ethyl oleate, polyethylene glycol monolaurate, propylene glycol monolaurate, propylene glycerol dilaurate, glycerol monolaurate, glycerol monooleate, isopropyl n-decanoate, octyldodecyl myristate, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether and compounds wherein a C 2 -C 4 alkane diol or triol is substituted with one or two fatty ether substituents.
Occlusive agents include, without limitation, silicones, mineral oils and greases, long chain acids, animal fats and greases, vegetable fats and greases, water insoluble polymers, paraffin, paraffin oil, liquid paraffin, petrolatum, liquid petrolatum, white petrolatum, yellow petrolatum, microcrystalline wax and ceresin.
Surface active agents include without limitation, polysorbate 20, 40, 60 and 80, TWEEN® (20, 40, 60, 80), POLOXAMER® (231, 182, 184), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), lecithin, lysolecithin, nonylphenoxypolyoxyethylene, lysophosphatidylcholine, polyethylenglycol 400, polyoxyethylene ethers, polyglycol ether surfactants, DMSO, sodium laurate, sodium lauryl sulfate, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and benzalkonium chloride.
Additional penetration enhancers will be known to those of ordinary skill in the art of topical drug delivery, and/or are described in the pertinent texts and literature.
Embodiments disclosed herein can also include viscosity increasing agents. Appropriate agents include, without limitation, methylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate.
Certain embodiments disclosed herein can include preservatives including, without limitation, benzyl alcohol, benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine, chlorobutanol, methyl-, propyl-, or butyl-parahydroxybenzoic acids, phenylmercuric salts including, without limitation, nitrate, chloride, acetate, and borate and betain.
Various other additives may be included in the compositions of the present invention in addition to those identified above. These include, but are not limited to, antioxidants, astringents, perfumes, emollients, pigments, dyes, humectants, propellants, and sunscreen agents, as well as other classes of materials whose presence may be cosmetically, medicinally or otherwise desirable. The compositions and formulations may also be taken in conjunction with minoxidil and propecia.
Compositions can also be formulated as “slow-releasing” formulations so that the activity of active components is sustained for a longer period of time between treatments.
While particular embodiments disclosed herein can include each of the components discussed above, other particular embodiments can be required to be “substantially free” of one or more of these components in various combinations. “Substantially free”, as used herein, means that the component is not added to a formulation and cannot be present in any amount greater than about 1% w/w.
While not limiting the scope of express exclusion of the preceding paragraph, particular embodiments disclosed herein can be substantially free of one or more of bimatoprost, carbomer, NaOH (s), TEA, ethanol, glycerin, diethylene glycol, monoethyl ether, propylene glycol, polysorbate 20, polysorbate 40, polysorbate 60, polysorbate 80, PPG-5 ceteth-20, oleic acid, isostearyl isostearate, isopropyl myristate, dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, triglycerides, caprylic/capric, benzyl alcohol, silicone and water.
All components of formulations described herein will be included in amounts that are dermatologically-acceptable. As used herein, “dermatologically-acceptable” means that the compositions or components thereof are suitable for use in contact with human skin without undue toxicity, incompatibility, instability, allergic response, and the like. As used in herein as applied to active agents and excipients, the term “about” refers to variations in concentrations which are considered to be bioequivalent.
Embodiments disclosed herein find application in mammalian species, including both humans and animals. In humans, the compounds of embodiments disclosed herein can be applied without limitation, to the scalp, face, beard, head, pubic area, upper lip, eyebrows, and eyelids. The compositions of the present inventions may be used for treating various hair loss disorders including but not limited to alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, anagen effluvium, cicatricial alopecia and scarring alopecia; hair shaft abnormalities such as trichorrexis nodosa, loose anagen syndrome, trichotillomania and traction alopecia; infectious hair disorders such as tiniea capitis, sebohorreic dermatitis, and follicullitus of the scalp; genetic disorders such as androgenetic alopecia and patients undergoing hair loss due to chemotherapy, hormonal imbalance (e.g., thyroid conditions such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, pregnancy, child birth, discontinuation of birth control pills and changes in menstrual cycle), fungal infection of the scalp such as ringworm, medicines which cause hair loss such as anti-coagulants, medicine for gout, depression, high blood pressure and certain heart medications. The formulations of the present invention may be used to treat hair loss related to other disease such as diabetes, lupus, and poor nutrition, mental and physical stress such as due to surgery, illness and high fever. Environmental factors and chemicals used in hair treatment (dying, tinting and bleaching).
In animals raised for their pelts, e.g., mink, the formulations can be applied over the entire surface of the body to improve the overall pelt for commercial reasons. The process can also be used for cosmetic reasons in animals, e.g., applied to the skin of dogs and cats having bald patches due to mange or other diseases causing a degree of alopecia.
The compositions and methods of the present invention may be applied to patients suffering from hair loss or in healthy patients simply wanting to increase hair growth in any part of the body.
The compositions disclosed herein are formulated for topical administration. The term “topical administration” as used herein includes applying a formulation as described herein to the outer skin or hair. The application will generally occur at or near the area of desired hair growth.
Accordingly, appropriate formulation or composition types include, without limitation, solutions, gels, ointments, foams, films, liniments, creams, shampoos, lotions, pastes, jellies, sprays and aerosols. Such formulation types can be applied in swaths, patches, applicators or through the use of impregnated dressings depending on the situation and part of the body to be treated.
Typically, the formulations described herein will be applied repeatedly for a sustained period of time to the part of the body to be treated. In particular embodiments, formulations disclosed herein can include one or more applications daily, one or more applications weekly, one or more applications monthly or one or more applications yearly for a period of treatment of at least one day, at least one week, at least one month, at least one year or until the treatment has achieved or achieved and maintained a desired result.
Formulations described herein will be administered in safe and effective amounts. As used herein, “safe and effective amounts” include an amount sufficient so that the composition provides the desired hair growth stimulation effect at a reasonable benefit/risk ratio attendant with any medical treatment. Within the scope of sound medical judgment, the amount of active components used can vary with the particular condition being treated, the severity of the condition, the cause of the condition, the duration of the treatment, the specific active component employed, its concentration, the specific vehicle utilized, the general health of the patient, the tolerance of the patient to various effects of the administration, other drugs being administered to the patient, and like factors within the specific knowledge and expertise of the patient or attending physician.
For daily administration, an appropriate dose can include, without limitation, about 0.1 ng to about 100 mg, about 1 ng to about 10 mg per day or in another embodiment about 10 ng to about 1 mg per day.
Non-limiting examples of some components with their appropriate concentration ranges and function are provided in Table 1 below. Particular examples of non-limiting formulations or compositions are provided in Table 2.
TABLE 1
Example Components with Function and Concentration Ranges
Ingredient
Function
Composition (% w/w)
bimatoprost
Active
0.03-1.0
carbomer
Thickener
0.05-1.0
base
Neutralizing Agent
0.01-2.0
ethanol
Penetration
10-90
glycerin
enhancers
1.0-20
diethylene glycol
1.0-50
monoethyl ether
propylene glycol
1-50
polysorbate 20
0.1-5.0
polysorbate 40
0.1-5.0
polysorbate 60
0.1-5.0
polysorbate 80
0.1-5.0
PPG-5 ceteth-20
0.1-5.0
oleic acid
0.1-5.0
isostearyl isostearate
0.1-10
isopropyl myristate
0.1-10
dipropylene glycol dimethyl
1-50
ether
diethylene glycol
1-50
dipropylene glycol
1-50
caprylic/capric triglycerides
0.1-10
benzyl alcohol
Preservative
0.1-2.0
silicone
Occlusive Agent
0.1-10
water
Vehicle
0-90
TABLE 2
Example Compositions
Ingredient
Function
Composition (% w/w)
bimatoprost
Active
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
carbomer
Thickener
0.10
0.15
0.125
0.10
0.20
0.25
0.25
NaOH (s)
Neutralizing
0.035
Agent
TEA
Neutralizing
0.22
0.18
0.15
0.22
0.38
0.38
Agent
ethanol
Penetration
15.0
15.0
30.0
30.0
60.0
60.0
50.0
glycerin
enhancers
5.0
diethylene glycol
10.0
10.0
20.0
10
monoethyl ether
propylene glycol
20
polysorbate 20
4.0
4.0
4.0
water
Vehicle
74.8
70.5
49.595
49.7
34.48
35.27
35.27
Example I
Preparations of Bimatoprost Scalp Hair Growth Gel Compositions
Ethyl alcohol is weighed into a suitable media jar equipped for mixing, bimatoprost is then added to the ethyl alcohol and stirred at moderate speed until bimatoprost is dissolved. Into separate mixing tank water for injection, glycerin, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, and propylene glycol are added and mixed until the solvents are dispersed. Ethyl alcohol/bimatoprost solution is then added into the water mixture and mixed until the components are homogenously mixed (about 5 minutes of mixing). To the above mixture the carbomer thickener is added and mixed until well dispersed, once dispersed a base is added to thicken the solution into a gel. Representative formulations made according to the method above are shown in Table 3 below.
TABLE 3
Bimatoprost Scalp Hair Growth Topical Gel Formulations
Bimatoprost
Bimatoprost
Bimatoprost
Bimatoprost
0.03%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
(Propylene
(Propylene
(Propylene
(Propylene
Glycol)
Glycol)
Glycol)
Glycol)
Ingredient (% w/w)
Function
Solution
Solution
Solution
Solution
Bimatoprost
Active
0.03
0.1
0.3
0.2
Propylene glycol
Penetration
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
Diethylene glycol
enhancer
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
monoethyl ether
Ethyl alcohol
30.0
30.0
30.0
30.0
Glycerin
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
Carbomer (Ultrez 10)
Thickener
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.15
Triethanolamine
Neutralizing
0.16
0.16
0.16
0.16
agent
Purified water
Vehicle
47.66
47.59
47.39
47.49
Example II. In Vivo Treatment
A study is initiated to systematically evaluate the appearance of hair on the scalp and eyebrows who are administered bimatoprost gel formulations as in Table 3. The study involves 10 subjects, 5 male, 5 female, average age 70 years, (ranging from 50-94 years). Each subject is treated daily by the topical application of bimatoprost by the 0.3% w/w bimatoprost formulation of Table 3.
The study is limited to subjects who have administered bimatoprost for more than 3 months. The mean duration of exposure to the 0.3% w/w bimatoprost gel formulation prior to assessing the parameter of hair or eyebrow growth between the control and study eye is 129 days (range 90-254 days). Observations are made under high magnification at a slit lamp biomicroscope. Documentation of differences between the control and treatment areas is accomplished using a camera specially adapted for use with a slit lamp biomicroscope.
The Results of the Observations Will Be as Follows:
Length of hair and eyebrows: Increased length of hair in both groups is regularly observed. The difference in length varies from approximately 10% to as much as 30%.
Number of hairs and eyebrows: Increased numbers of hairs are observed on the scalp and eyebrows of each patient. The difference in number of hair and eyebrows varies from approximately 5% to as much as 30%. Whether statistically significant or not, bimatoprost with a penetration enhancer will provide better and/or faster results than bimatoprost without a penetration enhancer.
The foregoing observations will establish that 0.03% w/w bimatoprost composition penetrates skin and grows hair.
Example III. Topical Cream
A topical 0.2% w/w bimatoprost cream is prepared as follows: Tegacid and spermaceti are melted together at a temperature of 70-80° C. Methylparaben is dissolved in about 500 gm of water and propylene glycol, polysorbate 80, bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer are added in turn, maintaining a temperature of 75-80° C. The methylparaben mixture is added slowly to the Tegacid and spermaceti melt, with constant stirring. The addition is continued for at least 30 minutes with additional stirring until the temperature has dropped to 40-45° C. Finally, sufficient water is added to bring the final weight to 1000 gm and the preparation stirred to maintain homogeneity until cooled and congealed.
Example IV. Topical Cream
A 0.1% w/w bimatoprost topical cream is prepared as follows: Tegacid and spermaceti are melted together at a temperature of 70-80° C. Methylparaben is dissolved in water and propylene glycol, polysorbate 80, bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer are added in turn, maintaining a temperature of 75-80° C. The methylparaben mixture is added slowly to the Tegacid and spermaceti melt, with constant stirring. The addition is continued for at least 30 minutes with additional stirring until the temperature has dropped to 40-45° C. Finally, sufficient water is added to bring the final weight to 1000 gm and the preparation stirred to maintain homogeneity until cooled and congealed.
Example V. Topical Ointment
An Ointment Containing 2.0% w/w Bimatoprost is Prepared as Follows:
White petrolatum and wool fat are melted, strained and liquid petrolatum is added thereto. Bimatoprost, a penetration enhancer, zinc oxide, and calamine are added to the remaining liquid petrolatum and the mixture milled until the powders are finely divided and uniformly dispersed. The mixture is stirred into the white petrolatum, melted and cooled with stirring until the ointment congeals. In other variants, the zinc oxide and/or calamine can be omitted such that the formulation is substantially free of the zinc oxide or calamine.
Example VI. Ointment
An ointment containing 5% w/w bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer is prepared by adding the active compound to light liquid petrolatum. White petrolatum is melted together with wool fat, strained, and the temperature adjusted to 45-50° C. The liquid petrolatum slurry is added and the ointment stirred until congealed. The ointment can be packaged in 30 gm tubes.
Example VII. Spray Formulation
An aqueous spray formulation containing 0.03%, w/w bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer are prepared as follows. Bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer are dissolved in water and the resulting solution is sterilized by filtration. The solution is aseptically filled into sterile containers with a spray nozzle for application on top of the head. The formulation is as follows:
TABLE 4
Bimatoprost Spray Formulation of Example VII
Ingredient (% w/w)
Function
Spray formulation
Bimatoprost
Active
0.03
Propylene glycol
Penetration
5
Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether
enhancer
5
Ethyl alcohol
15
Light mineral oil
—
Ceteareth 12
—
Glycerin
1
Carbomer (Ultrez 10)
Thickener
—
Triethanolamine
Neutralizing
—
agent
Purified water
Vehicle
24
Hydrofluoro carbon, hydrocarbon
Propellant
49.97
propellant, CO 2 , or, Nitrogen
Example VIII. Lotion
A sample of bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer is dissolved in the vehicle of N-methyl pyrrolidone and propylene glycol to make a 0.5% w/w bimatoprost lotion for application to the scalp or other parts of the body for growing hair.
Example IX. Aerosol
An aerosol containing approximately 0.1% w/w bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer is prepared by dissolving the bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer in absolute alcohol. The resulting solution is filtered to remove particles and lint. This solution is chilled to about −30° C. A chilled mixture of dichlorodifluoromethane and dichlorotetrafluoroethane is then added to the solution. Thirteen ml plastic-coated amber bottles can be cold filled with 11.5 gm each of the resulting solution and capped. The aerosol may be sprayed onto the scalp or other parts of the body to grow hair.
Example X. Topical Foam Formulation
A 0.1% w/w bimatoprost topical foam formulation is prepared as follows: Methylparaben is dissolved in about 500 gm of water and propylene glycol, polysorbate 80, bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer are added in turn, maintaining a temperature of 75-80° C. The methylparaben mixture is added slowly to Tegacid and spermaceti, with constant stirring. The addition is continued for at least 30 minutes with additional stirring until the temperature has dropped to 40-45° C. Finally, sufficient water is added to bring the final weight to 1000 gm and the preparation stirred to maintain homogeneity until cooled and congealed.
An alternative foam formulation prepared in a similar manner as taught in Example X in Table V is as follows:
Ingredient (% w/w)
Function
Foam formulation
Bimatoprost
Active
0.03
Propylene glycol
Penetration
—
Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether
enhancer
5
Ethyl alcohol
10
Light mineral oil
6
Cctcarcth 12
5
Glycerin
—
Carbomer (Ultrez 10)
Thickener
—
Example XI. Dusting Powder
A powder of the compound bimatoprost and a penetration enhancer is prepared by mixing in dry form with talcum powder at a weight/weight ratio of 1:1:10.
Example XII. Related Compounds
Following the procedures of the preceding Examples, compositions are similarly prepared substituting an equimolar amount of a compound of Table 1 for the bimatoprost disclosed in the preceding Examples.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions, etc. used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” “About” refers to variations in concentrations of excipients and types of excipients which are considered to be bioequivalent according to the FDA and other regulatory authorities.
Example XIII
A 44 year old Caucasian male undergoing hair loss due to alopecia areata applies once daily before sleeping the 0.1% w/w bimatoprost composition of Table 3 for a period of 6 months. After 3 months of application, the subject will notice new hair growth where there previously had been none and darkening of the follicles of old hair. Observations of new hair growth are made under high magnification at the slit lamp biomicroscope and by computer assisted image analysis. Documentation of differences between the control and treatment areas is accomplished using a camera specially adapted for use with the slit lamp biomicroscope.
Example XIV
A 37 year old Hispanic male suffering from male pattern baldness due to androgenetic alopecia applies the 0.2% w/w bimatoprost composition of Table 3 twice daily in areas where hair is noticeably thinning. After 63 days of application, increased growth of hair will be noticed as will be new hair growth as measured by high magnification at the slit lamp biomicroscope and by computer assisted image analysis. After satisfactory levels of hair growth are observed, the patient applies the 0.2% w/w bimatoprost composition only twice a week.
Example XV
A 29 year old Caucasian healthy female wishes to have fuller hair and more hair growth even though no disease or hair loss condition has been diagnosed by doctors. The patient will apply the 0.3% w/w bimatoprost composition of Table 3 once daily until more hair growth is observed after approximately three months of use. The patient continues to apply the composition once a week to maintain the increased hair growth.
Example XVI
A 35 year old African American male diagnosed with follicular degeneration syndrome and associated hair loss will apply the 0.03% w/w bimatoprost composition of Table 3. The composition will be applied twice daily, once in the morning after showering and once in the evening. After 46 days of application, increased hair growth will be noticed and easing of the symptoms of follicular degeneration syndrome. The patient continues application for another 6 months. | Methods and compositions for stimulating the growth of hair are disclosed wherein said compositions include a cyclopentane heptanoic acid, 2-cycloalkyl or arylalkyl compound represented by the formula I
wherein the dashed bonds represent the presence or absence of a double bond which can be in the cis or trans configuration and A, B, Z, X, R 1 and R 2 are as defined in the specification and a penetration enhancer. Such compositions are used in stimulating hair growth of human or non-human animals. | 0 |
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 325,094, filed 11/25/81, now abandoned, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 272,999 filed June 12, 1981, abandoned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a debris separator which is inserted in the downspout of a gutter system so that leaves or other debris which might ordinarily clog the downspout are deflected and pass out through an opening in one wall of the downspout so that the water is permitted to flow through the balance of the downspout without any substantial chance of clogging the downspout.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the grating comprises a plurality of parallel bars which are set at an acute angle to the vertical. By having the bars at an acute angle, preferably less than 30° from vertical, the flow of water is very rapid which gives a good flushing action so that the force of additional debris and the down flowing water combined with the lubricity and carrying capacity of the water cause the leaves and other debris to be swept downward along the bars and out of the system.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention a deflector is provided which is opposite the grating so that water containing debris is deflected into the grating at a high rate of speed.
Another aspect of the invention provides for the angling grating bars to be directed back into the downspout to a substantially vertical position which prevents dripping from the open port and also facilitates the separation of debris from the bars and out of the device.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, side walls of the deflector chamber are curved inwardly to deflect water and debris toward the center of the grating, thus preventing leaves and the like from adhering to the walls of the deflection chamber.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the balance of the specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the present invention, partly in section.
FIG. 2 is a side view on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the open side of the separator unit.
FIG. 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of my invention.
FIG. 6 is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a section on the line 7--7 of FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 are enlarged sectional views on the respective lines of AA; BB; CC and DD of FIG. 6.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to that embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4, the device of the present invention has an opening which would normally be attached to the bottom of the gutter, said opening being defined by side walls 9 and 11, a front wall 13, and a back wall 15. The back wall 15, as is best seen in FIG. 2, has a vertical section near the top and angling section 17 to the rear, a second angling section 19 and terminates in a bottom section 21 which again angles to the rear. The front wall 13 is provided with an inwardly directed deflector 23 the purpose of which will be later explained. Below the deflector 23 is an open throat portion which extends from the deflector to a point just below the junction of the back walls 19 and 21. Below the open throat section is a section 25 which is opposite the section 21.
Disposed within the separator are s series of parallel bars 27 which extend from the junction of the sections 17 and 19 at the rear of the device at an acute angle downwardly and are joined to the top portion of the member 25 at the upstanding substantially vertical flange 29.
The angle of the back wall 29 is not particularly critical, it being only necessary that sufficient clearance be provided between the bars 27 and the back wall 19 so that water can flow freely down through the device. However, the location of the bars 27 is critical since they must form an acute angle with the vertical, preferably less than 30°. In operation, water flows down through the device, which water is normally contaminated with leaves and other debris. Water follows the path of the arrow 31 and the deflector 23 directs the debris containing water back against the bars 27. Since these bars are set at an acute angle to the vertical, there is a strong rushing flow of water through and along the bars so that leaves or the like are swept along and out of the device as is shown at 33. The water being freed of the debris now flows down the passage formed by the walls 21 and 25, as well as the side walls in the direction shown by the arrow 35. It will be seen that the angle of the grating 27 is very steep so that the water has a substantial velocity as it pases along the grating, sweeping any debris from the grating. Further, since the lower portion of the grating terminates in the upturned substantially vertical flange 29, there is no substantial tendency for the device to drip. Also, any debris tending to stand upon the grating is impacted upon and otherwise pressed upon by subsequent debris guided to the grating by the deflector, causing the standing debris to be forced downward along the bars to the region of their curvature to the substantially vertical, wherein the weight of the accumulated debris, plus the reduced contact area with the bars due to curvature, overcomes its tendency to adhere to the bars and the debris then falls away out of the system.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-8, curved side walls are used to lessen the possibility that any debris might cling to the side walls or wedge between the outside grating bar and sidewall surface, and not be washed free by the down flowing water. In this embodiment of the invention, the inner walls are sloped inwardly as is shown at 37 and 39 and the grating is formed of 4 bars designated 41, 43, 45 and 47. Of course, any number of bars might be employed. In this embodiment of the invention the lower lip is curved as at 49 and the bars terminate at the bottom edge on the member 51. In this way, maximum velocity of the water is assured since the incurved walls 37 and 39, coupled with the curved bottom opening 49 insure the maximum velocity of water so that even if the flow is slight, it will be directed to the center of the separator and still have substantial scrubbing ability to keep debris from clogging the device.
In addition, the inward slant of lip 49 in the zone described by FIGS. 8A and 8B directs residual water flow into the interior of the separator, thereby preventing dripping.
It will be seen that in this, as well as the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, the lower terminal ends of the bars are substantially vertical. It has been found that in separators having straight bars, the debris tends to stick on the ends of the bars after the point where the water has been separated away. With the curved bars, however, at the point where the carrying water is mostly gone, the traveling debris encounters the curvature to the vertical, or near vertical, and the curvature itself, plus the vertical aspect of the bars tends to disengage the debris and prevent anything sticking at that point.
Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been shown, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations can be made in the exact structure shown without departing from the spirit of this invention. | A debris separator is provided in the downspout of a gutter system wherein a steeply angled grating is provided in the downspout which permits water to flow down through the downspout while leaves and other debris are carried downwardly along the grating and out of an opening in the downspout. | 1 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority as a continuation application under 35 U.S.C. §120 to PCT/EP2010/066043, which was filed as an International Application on Oct. 25, 2010 designating the U.S., and which claims priority to German Application 102009053901.8 filed in Germany on Nov. 20, 2009. The entire contents of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a valve, such as a valve arrangement or valve system for actuating a piston of a piston/cylinder arrangement for a hydraulic or fluidic device.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A generic valve arrangement is known from DE 201 16 920 U1. Valve arrangements of this type are used to activate piston/cylinder arrangements in which, within a cylinder space, a piston is located, to one side face of which is connected one end of a piston rod which is extendable out of the cylinder space and is retractable into this. The space beneath the piston is located on that side of the piston which the piston rod adjoins, whereas the space above the piston is arranged on the other side of the piston. As a result, the cross-sectional area of the space above the piston is greater than the cross-sectional area below the piston, because, in the case of the latter, the cross-sectional area of the piston rod is subtracted. When high-pressure fluid is supplied to the spaces above and below the piston, the piston moves in the direction of the extension of the piston rod; when the space above the piston is relieved in that this space and the fluid located in it are connected to a reservoir which is at low pressure, also called a low-pressure tank, the piston moves in the opposite direction on account of the high pressure in the space below the piston, so that the piston rod is retracted.
By means of this piston/cylinder arrangement, for example, the movable contact pieces of a high-voltage circuit breaker can be actuated.
Of course, by means of such a piston/cylinder arrangement, other components can also be moved, such as, for example, crane arms, buckets or bucket excavators, and the like.
In many applications, for example, a changeover is to take place without reversal losses, that is to say when a volume flow from the pressure connection via the two control edges to the low-pressure tank is to be avoided during the switching operation, so that a different flow resistance or volume flow, depending on the switching position, a short switching time or actuation by means of a low pilot control volume can be achieved.
However, when a 3/2-way valve is used, these specifications often can be fulfilled only inadequately or at a high outlay in production terms and with high production costs. If two 2/2-way valves are used as main control valves, in the event of a changeover the open valve first has to be closed before the closed valve is opened, if a reversal loss is to be avoided and if no further measures are taken. However, for this purpose, in the case of pilot-controlled valves, at least two pilot control valves with suitable activation electrics, for example with time-delayed or sensor-controlled triggering of the second valve, should be used. This entails further high costs and an unnecessarily long delay in the opening of the second 2/2-way valve after the closing of the first.
SUMMARY
An exemplary valve arrangement for actuating a piston of a piston/cylinder arrangement for a hydraulic or fluidic device, and for actuating the piston/cylinder arrangement for actuating of a movable contact piece of a high-voltage circuit breaker is disclosed. The valve arrangement comprising: a main control valve arrangement including two 2/2-way valves which are activatable by a pilot control valve arrangement and provides a way for the fluid, which is under high pressure, to flow into a space above the piston and connects the space to a low-pressure tank for relieving pressure in the space, wherein the 2/2-way valves are connected to a pilot control valve arrangement, such that the 2/2-way valves feed or deliver fluid to the main control valve arrangement at either a high pressure or a low pressure, wherein when the fluid, which is under high pressure, is supplied to the space above the piston, a first pilot control valve of the pilot control valve arrangement opens a path for the fluid which is under high pressure to flow into a main control face of a first main control valve of the main control valve arrangement, so that the first main control valve feeds the fluid which is at high pressure to the space above the piston and a second pilot control valve of the pilot control valve arrangement is closed, and wherein when pressure is relieved in the space above the piston, the second pilot control valve opens a path from a main control face of a second main control valve of the main control valve arrangement to the low-pressure tank and the second main control valve opens a path from the space above the piston to the low-pressure tank.
A valve arrangement for actuating a piston of a piston/cylinder arrangement for a hydraulic or fluidic device is disclosed, comprising: a main control valve arrangement including two 2/2-way valves which are activatable by a pilot control valve arrangement and provides a way for the fluid, which is under high pressure, to flow into a space above the piston and connects the space to a low-pressure tank for relieving pressure in the space; and a pilot control valve arrangement having first and second pilot control valves that are connected to the two 2/2 way valves, respectively, of the main control valve arrangement, wherein when high pressure fluid is supplied to the space above the piston, the first pilot control valve opens a path for the high pressure fluid to flow into a first main control valve of the main control valve arrangement, so that the first main control valve feeds the high pressure fluid to the space above the piston, and wherein when pressure is relieved in the space above the piston, the second pilot control valve opens a path from a second main control valve of the main control valve arrangement to the low-pressure tank and the second main control valve opens a path from the space above the piston to the low-pressure tank.
A valve arrangement for actuating the piston/cylinder arrangement for actuating of a movable contact piece of a high-voltage circuit breaker is disclosed, comprising: a main control valve arrangement including two 2/2-way valves which are activatable by a pilot control valve arrangement and provides a way for the fluid, which is under high pressure, to flow into a space above the piston and connects the space to a low-pressure tank for relieving pressure in the space; and a pilot control valve arrangement having first and second pilot control valves that are connected to the two 2/2 way valves, respectively, of the main control valve arrangement, wherein when high pressure fluid is supplied to the space above the piston, the first pilot control valve opens a path for the high pressure fluid to flow into a first main control valve of the main control valve arrangement, so that the first main control valve feeds the high pressure fluid to the space above the piston, and wherein when pressure is relieved in the space above the piston, the second pilot control valve opens a path from a second main control valve of the main control valve arrangement to the low-pressure tank and the second main control valve opens a path from the space above the piston to the low-pressure tank.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The disclosure and also further advantageous refinements and improvements and further advantages will be explained in more detail and described by means of the drawing which illustrates two exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and in which:
FIG. 1 shows a circuit arrangement of a valve system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic illustration of the second main valve in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 shows a diagrammatic illustration of a first arrangement of the first main valve in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 shows a second arrangement of the first main valve in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 5 shows a force/path graph of the second arrangement of the main valve according to FIG. 4 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure improve further and to simplify a valve arrangement of the type initially mentioned.
The advantages can be achieved by the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, in particular, that, by means of a valve arrangement composed of two commercially available pilot control valves and of two correspondingly designed 2/2-way valves as main valves or main control valves, the specifications stated above, such as, for example, changeover without reversal losses, a different flow resistance or volume flow depending on the switching position, a very short switching time and actuation by means of a low pilot control volume, can be fulfilled in spite of a comparatively low outlay in production terms.
In this case, according to an exemplary embodiment, the valve arrangement is characterized in that, to supply the high-pressure fluid into the space above the piston, the first pilot control valve opens the way for the fluid which is at high pressure to the main control face of the first main valve, so that the latter feeds the fluid which is at high pressure to the space above the piston, the second pilot control valve being closed, and in that, to relieve the space above the piston, the second pilot control valve opens the way from the main control face of the second main control valve to the low-pressure tank and consequently the second main control valve opens the way from the space above the piston to the low-pressure tank.
A further advantageous embodiment of an exemplary valve arrangement may be that a orifice having a small cross section is provided between the main control faces of the main control valves and the space above the piston of the piston/cylinder arrangement.
This orifice is important inasmuch as, in the event of leakage of, for example, the pilot control valves, it can maintain the high pressure or even the low pressure upstream of the piston/cylinder arrangement, so that faulty movement of the piston in the event of an undesirable lowering of the high pressure or an undesirable rise in the low pressure due to leakage is prevented.
According to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein the piston of the first main control valve, designed as a bistable valve, is retained in its end positions. In a first embodiment, this is achieved in that the piston is retained mechanically by means of a spring-assisted ball latching. In a further refinement, the piston can be retained in its end positions mechanically and magnetically. In this case, the piston can move in a cylinder, a permanent magnet being provided at one end of the cylinder and a spring being provided between this end and the piston, and the force acting upon the piston having a zero crossing.
FIG. 1 shows a circuit arrangement of a valve system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrate a valve arrangement 10 serving for activating a piston/cylinder arrangement 11 , by means of which an electrical high-voltage circuit breaker 12 can be actuated. The piston/cylinder arrangement 11 includes a cylinder 13 in which is movable a piston 14 , to one side of which is connected a piston rod 15 which is connected to a movable contact piece 16 of the high-voltage circuit breaker 12 . The piston 14 subdivides the cylinder inner space into a space 17 above and a space 18 below the piston 14 , the latter space receiving the piston rod 15 . Since the piston rod 15 adjoins the piston face which delimits the space 18 below the piston 14 and consequently reduces the piston face by the amount of the cross section of the piston rod 15 , the piston face which delimits the space 17 above the piston 14 is greater than the piston face confronting the space 18 below the piston 14 .
To drive the piston 14 so that the latter is extended, hydraulic fluid is supplied by means of a pump or in another way from a high-pressure reservoir 19 , depending on the position of the valve arrangement, to the space 17 above the piston 14 and to the space 18 below the piston 14 , as follows, this being an operation to switch on the circuit breaker.
The high-pressure reservoir 19 has adjoining it a first line section or line length 20 which connects the high-pressure reservoir 19 to the space 18 below the piston 14 . The first line section 20 has adjoining it a second line section 21 which is connected to a first pilot control valve 22 . The pilot control valve 22 is connected to a third line section 23 which issues into the space 17 above the piston 14 and connects the first pilot control valve 22 to the space 17 above the piston 14 . The first line section 20 and there, in particular, the junction point between the first and the second line section 20 , 21 have adjoining them a fourth line section 24 which is connected to the first port, also called below the inlet port 25 of a first main control valve 26 . The second port, also called below the outlet port 27 of the first main control valve 26 , has adjoining it a fifth line section 28 which is connected to the third line section 23 at a junction point 29 . On the first main control valve 26 , a first return 30 is provided, which adjoins the inlet port 25 and which is connected to a second control face F 2 / 26 . Furthermore, a third control face F 3 / 26 is provided, which is connected to the outlet port 27 via a second return 31 .
The first main control valve 26 includes a first control face F 1 / 26 which is dimensioned such that the following relation applies:
F 1 /26 =F 2 /26 +F 3 /26.
The first control face F 1 / 26 is connected to the third line section 23 via a second junction point 32 . Between the first junction point 29 and the second junction point 23 is located a orifice 33 having a small cross section, see also further below.
Connected to the third line section 23 is a sixth line section 34 in which a second pilot control valve 35 is located.
The sixth line section 34 is connected to a seventh line section 36 which issues, on the one hand, into a low-pressure tank 37 and, on the other hand, into a first port, also called below the inlet port 38 of a second main control valve 39 . The second port, also called below the outlet port 40 of the second main control valve 39 , is connected to the first junction point 29 via an eighth line section 36 a.
A first control face F 1 / 39 of the second main valve 39 is connected to the second junction point 32 ; the second main control valve 29 includes in each case a second and a third control face F 2 / 39 and F 3 / 39 corresponding to the control faces F 2 / 26 and F 3 / 26 , here, too, the rule: F 1 / 39 =F 2 / 39 +F 3 / 39 applying, the pressures acting upon the control faces F 1 / 39 and F 2 / 39 +F 3 / 39 acting in the opposite direction upon the piston (see further below) of the main control valve 39 . As in the case of the first main control valve 26 , the inlet port 38 of the second main control valve 39 is connected to a first return 42 and to the second control face F 2 / 39 , and the outlet port 40 of the second main control valve 39 is connected to the third control face F 3 / 39 via a return 43 .
The pilot control valves 22 , 35 are driven electromagnetically and are brought out of the blocking position shown in FIG. 1 into the passage position by means of an electromagnetic system 44 or 45 ; in each case a restoring spring 46 and 47 replaces the pilot control valves 22 and 35 in the blocking position.
The valve arrangement 10 , then, operates as follows:
FIG. 1 shows the circuit breaker 12 in the switch-off position. When the circuit breaker 12 is to be switched on, the first pilot control valve 22 is briefly brought into the opening position. High pressure thereby arrives via the line length 23 at the first control face F 1 / 26 , with the result that the first main valve 26 is opened and the line length 24 is connected to the line length 28 , so that the high-pressure fluid is conveyed into the space 17 above the piston 14 . On account of the different piston faces, a force is generated which moves the piston 14 and consequently the piston rod 15 in the direction of the arrow P 1 , with the result that the movable contact piece 16 is brought into the switch-on position. Since the first main control valve 26 is a bistable 2/2-way valve, as will be explained in more detail further below, the first main control valve 26 remains in the passage position. The hydraulic forces upon the piston 14 are in this case zero on account of the above formula. The control face F 1 / 39 of the second main control valve 39 is also acted upon with high pressure via the junction point 32 , so that the second main control valve 39 remains in the closing position.
The pilot control valve 22 then returns to the blocking position on account of the restoring spring 46 . The region between the first main control valve 26 and, via the line length 41 , also between the second main control valve 39 and the piston/cylinder arrangement 11 is consequently at high pressure.
In a switch-off action, the valve arrangement 10 operates as follows:
When the movable contact piece 16 is to assume the opening position, the space 17 above the piston 14 must be relieved. This takes place in that the second pilot control valve 35 is reversed to passage, with the result that low pressure prevails in the line length 23 between the second pilot control valve 35 and the orifice 33 , so that low pressure likewise prevails at the first control face F 1 / 26 of the first main valve 26 . As a result, the first main control valve 26 (it may be added here that “main control valve” and “main valve” are the same) is reversed back to the blocking position again on account of the force generated on the piston of the first main valve 26 by the control forces F 2 / 26 and F 3 / 26 . Furthermore, low pressure prevails at the first control face F 1 / 39 , so that the second main valve 39 is reversed to passage, because, although low pressure prevails at the second control face F 2 / 39 , high pressure nevertheless acts at the third control face F 3 / 39 on account of the return 43 . As a result, the piston (see further below) of the second main control valve 39 moves into the passage position, so that the space 17 above the piston 14 is relieved via the second main control valve 39 . As a consequence of this, owing to the high pressure located in the space 18 below the piston, the piston 14 and consequently the piston rod 15 move in an arrow direction which is opposite to the direction of the arrow P 1 . A switch-off of the circuit breaker 12 is thereby brought about.
FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic illustration of the second main valve in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The second main valve 39 , as illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 2 , includes a cylinder body 50 , also called in brief a cylinder 50 , in which a piston 51 is movable back and forth, the piston 51 having a free face 52 which is connected to the low-pressure tank 37 and is consequently not acted upon by the high pressure. An inner duct 55 issues into the inner face 54 lying opposite the free face 52 and engaging into a depression 53 of the cylinder 50 , the other end of said inner duct issuing into the free face 52 , so that the low pressure which prevails at the free face 52 acts upon the inner face 54 , also called briefly the inside face 54 , so that the inner face 54 is connected to the tank 37 . The free face 52 merges via a sealing edge 56 into a first piston section 57 which has adjoining it a step 58 , via which the first piston section 57 is connected to a second piston section 59 , the outside diameter of which is larger than the outside diameter of the first piston section 57 . The second piston section 59 merges via a further step 60 into a third piston section 61 which engages into the depression 53 , the outside diameter of which is smaller than the outside diameter of the piston section 57 , the inner face 54 adjoining said third piston section.
In the region of the free face 52 , the cylinder body 50 includes a first cylinder section 62 , the inside diameter of which is smaller than the outside diameter of the first piston section 57 , the inner end of the first cylinder section 62 having a chamfer 63 which opens at an angle of about 45 degrees into the interior of the cylinder 50 , so that this chamfer 63 serves as a sealing seat for the sealing edge 56 . Provided on the cylinder body 50 is a second cylinder section 50 a , the inside diameter of which corresponds to the outside diameter of the second piston section 59 , so that the second piston section 59 is movable slidably in the second cylinder section 50 a . This second cylinder section 50 a has adjoining it a step 50 b which runs radially and via which the second cylinder section 50 a merges into the depression 53 .
The two faces 52 and 54 form as a whole the second control face F 2 / 39 , whereas the step 58 forms the control face F 3 / 39 . The step 60 then corresponds to the first control face F 1 / 39 .
The piston 51 is under the pressure of a spiral compression spring 64 which is located in the depression 53 between the inner face 54 and the bottom of the depression 53 .
Located in the cylinder body 50 are two holes 65 and 66 , of which the hole 65 corresponds to the outlet port 40 , whereas the free face 52 is assigned to the inlet port 38 . The depicted position of the second main control valve 39 corresponds to the position in which the relief to the tank 37 is concluded.
The hole 66 issues with a generatrix into the step 50 b.
FIG. 3 shows a diagrammatic illustration of a first arrangement of the first main valve in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure
The first main control valve 26 according to FIG. 3 includes a cylinder body 70 in which a piston 71 is arranged movably. The piston 71 includes a free face 72 which has adjoining it a first piston section 73 which merges via a first radial step 74 into a second piston section 75 and which has a reduced diameter with respect to the first piston section 73 . This second piston section 75 has adjoining it a third piston section 76 , a second radial step 77 being provided between the second and the third piston section 75 and 76 . The edge between the second step 77 and the third piston section 76 forms a sealing edge 78 . The third piston section 76 has adjoining it a fourth piston section 79 which engages into a depression 80 in the cylinder body 70 .
The outside diameter of the first piston section 73 is larger than the outside diameter of the second piston section 75 . The third piston section 76 includes an outside diameter which is larger than the outside diameter of the first piston section 73 , and the inside diameter of the depression 80 and in consequence the inside diameter of the fourth piston section 79 are smaller than the outside diameter of the first piston section 73 . Inside the depression 80 , the piston 71 is delimited by an inner end face 91 .
The cylinder body 70 includes a first cylinder section 81 , the inside diameter of which corresponds to the outside diameter of the first piston section 73 and which merges via a step 82 into a second cylinder section 83 , there being formed at the transition point between the first cylinder section 81 and the step 82 a chamfer 84 which corresponds to the chamfer 63 and which together with the sealing edge 78 forms a seal.
Located on the outer face of the fourth piston section 79 is a radially projecting projection 85 which has two oblique faces 86 and 87 assigned to one another in the form of a roof. The depression 80 has issuing into it radially a blind hole bore 88 in which is guided a ball 89 which is pressed permanently against the oblique faces 86 or 87 by a spiral spring 90 .
In the position which is shown in FIG. 3 , the ball 89 presses against the oblique face 86 and thus prevents the piston 71 from being capable of moving into the depression 80 in the direction of the arrow P 1 when no special forces are acting upon the piston 71 . When the first main valve 26 is reversed by the pilot control valve 22 , high pressure acts upon the first control face F 1 / 26 which corresponds to the free face 72 , so that the piston 71 is displaced in the direction of the arrow P 1 , with the result that the ball 89 runs up on the oblique face 86 and is pressed into the interior of the blind hole bore 88 . As soon as the ball 89 reaches the oblique face 87 , with no further forces otherwise acting upon the piston 71 , the ball 89 will retain the piston 71 , the ball 89 being located between the oblique face 87 and the third piston section 76 .
A duct 92 issues into the second piston section 75 and into the inner end face 91 and connects the space outside the second piston section 75 to the inner space of the depression 80 . The same pressure consequently prevails at the step 77 and at the inner face 91 .
The cylinder body 70 includes a first radial hole 93 and a second radial hole 94 , the first hole 93 issuing into the region of the second piston section 75 and the hole 94 issuing into the second cylinder section 83 . The position according to FIG. 3 is that position which the piston 71 assumes when low pressure prevails at the first control face F 1 / 26 =free face 72 . As soon as the first pilot control valve 22 is controlled in the passage direction and the second pilot control valve 35 is in the blocking position, the piston 71 is moved to the right on account of the high pressure prevailing at the face 72 , with the result that the sealing point 78 / 84 is opened, so that high-pressure fluid can flow via the hole 94 . The hole 94 then corresponds to the inlet port 25 and the hole 93 to the outlet port 27 .
When the first pilot control valve 22 is reversed, high pressure prevails both on the face F 1 / 26 of the first main control valve 26 and on the face F 1 / 39 of the second main control valve 39 . Since the pilot control valve 22 is opened only briefly, high pressure prevails at both first control faces F 1 / 26 and F 1 / 39 . The second pilot control valve 35 is closed. If leakage then occurs at the second pilot control valve 35 , the pressure between the two control faces F 1 / 26 and F 1 / 39 may then fall, so that undesirable switching actions of the two main control valves 26 and 39 may be caused. The orifice 33 , which is located between the two control faces F 1 / 26 and F 1 / 39 and the space 17 above the piston, is intended to deliver pressure fluid to these two control faces F 1 / 26 and F 1 / 39 , so that compensation can thereby take place.
In the case when the second pilot control valve 35 is opened briefly, low pressure prevails at the two first control faces F 1 / 26 and F 1 / 39 . On account of leakage in the first pilot control valve 22 , high pressure could pass into the line 23 and consequently arrive at the two first control faces F 1 / 26 and F 1 / 39 , so that undesirable switching actions would be caused even as a result of this, if the orifice 33 were not to ensure compensation.
In other words:
the two steps, to be precise the pilot control valve step and the main control valve step, are connected to one another via the orifice 33 , so that compensation leading to unwanted switching actions is achieved via the orifice 33 .
FIG. 4 shows a second arrangement of the first main valve in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the first main control valve is constructed in a similar way to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , and it therefore receives the reference numeral 26 a here. It includes a cylinder body 100 in which is guided a piston 101 which engages by means of an inner face 102 in a depression 103 . Arranged on the bottom of the depression 103 is a permanent magnet 104 which is embedded into a non-magnetizable material part 105 ; arranged between the inner face 102 and the free face of the non-magnetizable material part 105 is a spiral spring 106 which seeks to press the piston 101 permanently in the direction of the arrow P 2 . Integrally formed on the inner face 102 is an axial extension 107 which, when the piston 101 is pressed into the interior of the depression 103 opposite to the direction of the arrow P 2 and the free face of the axial extension 107 comes to bear against the free face of the non-magnetizable material part 105 , is permanently attracted by the permanent magnets 104 counter to the pressure of the spring 106 . As soon as the piston 101 is pressed in the direction of the arrow P 2 on account of the hydraulic pressure forces, the force of the compression spring 106 predominates in the direction of the arrow P 2 , as a result of which, overall, a stable valve is brought about. The main valve 26 a is otherwise constructed identically to the main valve 26 , but without the latching.
FIG. 5 shows a force/path graph of the second arrangement of the main valve according to FIG. 4 . FIG. 5 shows force conditions corresponding to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4 . The force is plotted against the path S which the piston covers, the spring force decreasing linearly from its maximum value F springmax during the movement of the piston to the left in the direction P 2 , whereas the magnetic force F magnet approaches zero non-linearly from a maximum value, when the piston 101 is in the position in which the spring force is at a maximum, when the piston 101 moves away from the permanent magnet 104 . The resultant force F total includes a zero crossing N. On the left of the zero crossing, that is to say when the distance between the piston and the permanent magnet is small, the force of attraction of the permanent magnet predominates, and on the right of the zero crossing, when the magnetic force decreases, the force of the spring predominates, so that the resultant curve F total is formed.
It should be understood that both the cylinder body 100 and the movable piston 101 can be produced from ferromagnetic material, whereas the embedding mass 105 should be formed as a non-magnetizable material part.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restricted. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changes that come within the meaning and range and equivalence thereof are intended to be embraced therein.
LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS
10 Valve arrangement
11 Piston/cylinder arrangement
12 High-voltage circuit breaker
13 Cylinder
14 Piston
15 Piston rod
16 Movable contact piece
17 Space above the piston
18 Space below the piston
19 High-pressure reservoir
20 First line section, line length
21 Second line section, line length
22 First pilot control valve
23 Third line section
24 Fourth line section
25 Inlet port
26 First main control valve
26 a First main control valve
27 Outlet port
28 Fifth line section
29 Junction point
30 First return
31 Second return
32 Second junction point
33 Orifice
34 Sixth line section
35 Second pilot control valve
36 Seventh line section
37 Low-pressure tank
38 Inlet port
39 Second main control valve
40 Outlet port
41 Eighth line section
42 First return
43 Second return
44 Electromagnetic system
45 Electromagnetic system
46 Restoring spring
47 Restoring spring
50 Cylinder body
51 Piston
52 Free face
53 Depression
54 Inner face
55 Inner duct
56 Sealing edge
57 First piston section
58 Step
59 Second piston section
60 Further step
61 Third piston section
62 First cylinder section
63 Chamfer
64 Spiral compression spring
70 Cylinder body
71 Piston
72 Free face
73 First piston section
74 First step
75 Second piston section
76 Third piston section
77 Second step
78 Sealing edge
79 Fourth piston section
80 Depression
81 First cylinder section
82 Step
83 Second cylinder section
84 Chamfer
85 Projection
87 Oblique face
88 Blind hole bore
89 Ball
90 Spiral spring
91 Inner face
92 Duct
93 First hole
94 Second hole
100 Cylinder body
101 Piston
102 Inner face
104 Permanent magnet
105 Material part
106 Spiral spring
107 Projection | Exemplary embodiments are direct to a valve system for actuating the piston of a piston cylinder arrangement for a hydraulic or fluid device, and for actuating the piston cylinder arrangement for actuating the movable contact piece of a high-voltage circuit breaker. The system including a main control valve arrangement, having two 2/2-way valves used as main valves and which can be controlled by a pilot control valve arrangement. The main control valve arrangement directs a path for the high pressure fluid to the chamber above the piston and connects the chamber to a low-pressure tank for discharging the chamber above the piston. Two 2/2-way valves which form the pilot control valve arrangement are associated with the main control valve arrangement such that the 2/2-way valves direct or supply either a high-pressure control pressure or a low-pressure control pressure to the main control valve arrangement. | 8 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a gas chromatograph for the analysis of a sample, having a feed arrangement for feeding the sample, an open tubular capillary column for separating the components of the sample, temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the column, and a detector for detecting the separated components of the sample, wherein said column comprises a bundle of open tubular capillaries.
BACKGROUND
The chemical state of a gas phase sample is formed by vaporized or gaseous chemical species mixed with an ambient medium, typically environmental air. Instead of air, the medium can be process gases or vacuum. The detector is used to detect and identify defined chemical species in the defined surrounding media.
Characteristic for a chemical detector is its capability to convert a chemical state to an electrical signal and transmit the signal for further processing. Typically it is aimed at performing both qualitative and quantitative determination of defined chemical species in a defined ambient medium. In that case, a technical concern is that the detector output is not completely specific, but possesses sensitivity to other chemical species than those aimed at. This behaviour is often referred as cross-sensitivity and typically leads to false positive identification.
Two fundamental ways to reduce the cross-sensitivity problem of the chemical detectors are (i) the development of more specific sensors (where the sensor is considered as the first part of a measuring chain converting the input variable into a signal suitable for measurement) or (ii) performing chemical separation before detection. Typical solutions for the latter case are using chromatography techniques or filtration or controlled adsorption-desorption techniques or applying sample preparation procedures including for example dissolution, phase separation, extraction, chemical derivatization and ion exchange. In the case of detecting the gas phase chemical state, and more preferably when detecting minor constituents in the environmental air by a portable detector, the sample preparation steps are less favoured as they are difficult to automatize, difficult to mobilize and also time consuming, and thus not suitable for fast real-time monitoring.
Of the remaining possibilities, chromatography is a well-known method in analytical chemistry for performing chemical separation. Gas chromatography (GC) is a method of choice for the separation of stable and volatile compounds as well as of gas phase samples. The method accomplishes chemical separation by partitioning the components of a mixture between a mobile gas phase and a stationary solid or liquid phase held on a solid support. In a fixed chromatographic system the retention time (which is the time passing when the sample travels from the inlet through the column to the detector) is constant for a particular analyte and, therefore, can be used to identify it. Thus, although chromatography is primarily a separation technique, it is possible to identify the separated compounds of a complex sample by their retention times. The process is carried out in a GC instrument consisting typically of a sample feed arrangement, a carrier gas and its flow controller unit(s), one or more columns inside a chamber (typically equipped with a thermostat), and one or more of said chemical detectors.
A crucial technical component of GC in respect to separation power and thus resolution of the analysis is the column. Two basic columns can be distinguished: (i) the packed column and (ii) the open tubular or so called capillary column. The packed columns are constructed from tubing of e.g. stainless steel, nickel or glass, inner diameters ranging typically from 1 mm to 10 mm. The columns are packed with an inert support powder, usually diatomaceous earth with an average internal pore diameter of 1-10 μm and a particle size of 100-200 μm. The second column type, the open tubular capillary column, has a narrow internal diameter of 10-1000 μm. It is typically constructed of fused silica (a very high purity glass) while the outer wall is protected by hard and tough polymer, like polyimide. Furthermore, they are characteristically of tubular shape with an unrestricted flow path in the middle of the column. The inner fused silica surface is chemically modified by various type of coatings or films which provide so called stationary phases with different polarity and thus selectivity for the separation process. The stationary phase can be a liquid layer or a thin film typically made of polymer such as polysiloxane, silicone or polyamide, optionally functionalised in different ways. Factors such as chemistry, microstructure, morphology and thickness of the stationary phase film influence the total separation power of the column.
Of the column types, the open tubular capillary column is favoured in analytical chemistry due to its better separation power per total analysis time, better long-term stability and higher quality due to a more reproducible manufacturing process.
The use of open tubular GC capillary tubes in combination with various portable chemical detectors is well-known in the art as can be concluded from the following citations: U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,439 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,856,616 disclose the use of compact sized and low power consuming GC columns for portable applications. Also WO9941601 discloses the use of a combined specific sampling system and a low power consuming GC column. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,295 discloses the use of “a commercially available” GC column in combination with detector formed by an array of electrochemical sensors (CPS), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,160 discloses the use of a GC column in parallel with SAW-sensor based detectors, where the open tubular GC columns may also be those formed on silicon wafers.
Applying the GC method in portable devices, and preferably in hand-held size devices, requires devices which are low-power consuming, light and compact sized and have a fast detection while still maintaining a high resolution through high separation power. So far, the improvements of portable devices have mainly concerned the use of high column temperatures as well as improvements in temperature control and in the construction of the heating system. Furthermore, prior art improvements have concerned modifications of the carrier gas flow as well as design of special sampling and detecting systems.
Other ways for improving the GC method's suitability to portable applications have included shorter columns and columns with smaller inner diameter in order to enhance the efficiency and the speed of the analyses. However, these improvements will lead to reduced separation or alternatively, they will reduce the sample volume and increase significantly the power requirement and thus the cost and dimensions of the pump due to increased pressure drop in the column. The drawbacks of using a low sample volume is that it typically leads to weakened response by the detector and increased sensitivity to local variations in the sample leading thus poorer accuracy in retention time. Also controlling small volumes of fluid can be a technically demanding as well as an expensive solution.
These drawbacks have been overcome by using a column which comprises a bundle of open tubular capillaries. See e.g. Baumbach et al. (1997) and Baumbach et al. (2000).
Such columns are manufactured and/or sold by only a few companies, namely, Alltech Associates Inc. (Deerfield, Ill., USA), ChemSpace s.r.o (Pardubice, Czech Republic), Sibertech (Novosibirsk, Russia). The advantages of multicapillary columns are that they provide short retention times and thus fast detection times at sufficiently high resolution and separation capability. Furthermore, they retain high efficiency over a wide range of carrier gas flow rates and, thus, compared to conventional single capillary columns, they can be operated with larger sampling volumes that are easy to inject and detect.
Thus, the properties of the claimed multicapillary column makes it ideal for a hand-portable gas chromatograph.
However, since multicapillary columns are typically formed by hundreds of single capillary columns, it is difficult to obtain uniform thermal distribution with low power consumption for the sufficiently massive bundles, which reduces the accuracy of the GC analysis.
Even though multicapillary GC columns facilitate much higher sampling flow rate (or carrier gas flow rate) through the column than a single open tubular GC column, the compatible gas flow rate for conventional multicapillary columns still remains below 300 ml/min. In some detector types this flow rate can be still far too low. Such detector is, for example, a hyphenated multisensor-ion mobility spectrometer designed for detecting gaseous chemical species in the environmental air by direct flow-through principle as described in references WO9416320 and Utriainen et al. (2003).
The detector employs a special type of ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) referred to as aspiration condenser type or open loop type IMS combined with other sensors such as semiconductor gas sensors, temperature and humidity sensors. The detector is manufactured for hand-held and portable chemical detector devices under trademarks such as ChemPro100, M90-D1-C (Environics Oy, Mikkeli, Finland) and MultiIMS (Dräger Safety, Lubeck, Germany). Further characteristic for this detector is that it employs continuous, typically 800-3500 ml/min, preferably 1000-2000 ml/min flow-through providing thus good statistical sampling accuracy and fast response and recovery times which are all essential features especially when aiming at to provide reliable early warning of the presence of toxic substances in the air. Characteristic feature for this detector is also that the sensitivity depends on flow rate in such manner that the higher flow rate is favored. Other characteristic features of the detector are the sensitivity to rapid flow (and pressure) changes and rapid and large humidity and temperature changes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, a need for further improvement exists. This need has in the invention been satisfied so that in the multicapillary column used according to the invention, the open tubular capillaries have gas permeable walls comprising a polymer membrane. The polymer membrane wall selectively delays some and lets through some components of the streaming sample gas and thus further improves the separation of the column. The column can be made shorter and less pressure is needed to pump the gas.
According to a preferred embodiment, the present invention employs a bundle of such hollow fiber membrane capillaries as a multicapillary GC column to perform chemical separation in a portable chemical detector to improve the detector's chemical specificity. The portable chemical detector is most preferably part of a hand-held analyzator. The hollow fiber membrane bundles have before been extensively used in industrial gas separation processes, industrial gas dryers, on-site gas generators as well as in dialysis filters for separating components in liquid phase. The wide range of applications of the hollow fiber membranes provides high manufacturing volumes and that way access to low cost components for niche applications like for the claimed chemical detection.
A purely polymer-based structure of the membrane capillaries provide lower processing and material costs compared to conventional GC capillary columns of used silica, and that way also more cost-efficient solution.
The hollow fiber capillary membrane walls are characteristically permeable, at least to low molecular weight gases, while conventional fused silica based GC columns are not. Also, the materials used for the present hollow fiber manufacturing are characteristically polymers, which are, furthermore, characteristically suitable for low temperature synthetic fiber spinning processes. Examples of such materials are polyolefins, polyamide and polyester as well as less common materials in fiber spinning such as polysulfone and cellulose acetate. Also so called bicomponent fibers are suitable for hollow fiber capillary membranes, meaning formation of designed structure of two polymer materials. Typical example is a layered capillary where inner and outer wall are constructed of different polymers in one process or in several process steps. The inner wall is according to one embodiment a membrane polymer and the outer wall a porous polymer supporting the membrane polymer. Thus, the wall as a whole is selectively permeable.
The bundle of hollow fibres is typically elastic and easily handled in packaging process. Due to its common use as membranes, the outer side of fiber takes part in the separation process and is typically thus left without any interstitial material which allows fluid stream on both sides. This assembly is advantageous for obtaining homogeneous thermal distribution due to possibility to use fluids for thermostatting of bundles. Simple and low power consuming thermostatting possibility allows reducing thermal effects on the detector as well as to improve accuracy for the chemical identification.
Further advantage of the invention is that when using a hollow fiber membrane bundle, initially designed to an industrial dryer, a simultaneous and selective elimination of water and other analytically uninteresting small molecular substances from the sample can be obtained. Moisture is considered as an interferent for chemical detection, in general, and can be especially a concern in the case of high volume flow-through detectors and ion mobility spectrometers. Similarly, other types of gas permeation selective bundles of hollow fiber capillary membranes are useful to perform simultaneously filtration based chemical separation with the chromatographic separation. Namely, as discussed above, the filtration can be considered as an alternative approach to improve chemical separation power of the chemical detectors, in general.
The dimensions and number of the capillaries forming the bundle column used according to the invention can vary widely. Typically, there are between 10 and 10000 pieces of open tubular membrane capillaries in the bundle. Each capillary typically has a length of 10 to 100 cm and an inner diameter of 10 to 1000 μm. Preferably, the bundle contains 100 to 4000 pieces of said open tubular capillaries. The inner diameter of the tubular capillaries is preferably from 50 to 1000 μm.
Generally, the bundle consists of said open tubular capillaries in essentially straight and parallel formation having open space between them. The unwanted small molecules such as water migrate out of the capillaries into the open space and therefrom to a vent of the system. When constructing the column and/or bundle used by the invention, a holder or cap typically holds together said capillaries so that only gas from within the capillaries reaches the detector. A cover may surround said bundle.
In the gas chromatograph according to the invention, the used temperature control means preferably include a heating medium arranged to flow through said open space between said capillaries. The construction resembles a heat exchanger and excellently solves the heat transfer problems usually connected with small portable gas chromatographs. For such heating problems, see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,439.
Said temperature control means also preferably include the above-mentioned cover which is made of heat insulating material and has inlet and outlet openings for allowing the heating medium to flow through the open space between the capillaries. When using a heating medium which streams past the capillaries, the temperature control means further include a thermostat heater for controlling the temperature of said heating medium and preferably a pump and a hose or tube. The pump conveys the heating medium between the thermostat heater and the bundle, further through the open space between the capillaries and preferably back to the heater.
The feed arrangement of the claimed gas chromatograph typically comprises an absorbing filter for generating a clean air reference for the chromatographic system. Further, said feed arrangement comprises a gas inlet for letting the gas sample into said column. There may also be a valve for directing the sample to the column, alternatively directly or through said filter, and another valve for directing the sample, alternative through the column or directly to the detector.
In the claimed gas chromatograph, said detector typically comprises an ion mobility spectrometer IMS. Preferably, the IMS is a hyphenated multisensor IMS designed for direct flow-through of the sample.
The invention also relates to a method for analyzing a sample by means of the above described gas chromatograph. Typically, the sample is fed to the column with a speed of 100 to 100000 ml/min. Preferably, the speed is 100 to 3500 ml/min and most preferably 1000 to 2000 ml/min. It is advantageous to feed the sample continuously to the detector. As stated above, the system can be packed into a small space and is therefore suitable as a hand-held analyzer. Thus, the claimed method has the feature that the gas chromatograph is carried by hand to and/or from the spot of analysis.
The idea of the invention is to combine an open tube capillary bundle with a detector. The bundle effectively separates the components of the sample to be analyzed and the detector detects them. Thus, the invention also relates to the use of a bundle containing open tubular capillaries having a wall of a gas permeable polymer membrane together with a detector for separating and analyzing a gas sample.
Said bundle may form a dialysis filter, whereby the inner capillary wall preferably has a high specific surface area. The bundle may also form an industrial dryer, which is its original field of use. In that case, the inner wall of the capillaries is smooth and has a low permeability. Most preferably, the bundle forms the column and the detector forms a detector, of a gas chromatograph. The properties of such a gas chromatograph are given above. Because of its efficiency, the gas chromatograph is preferably a hand-held gas analyzer.
Optimally, a hollow fiber capillary membrane based GC unit combined with the chemical detector according to the invention can provide sufficient chemical separation power to improve significantly the cross-sensitivity problem. The device can be operated by a high flow rate, without any notable pressure or flow rate changes and can stabilize rapid humidity and temperature changes. Furthermore, it is sufficiently small, low weight and low power consuming device to be used in mobile applications and low cost device for facilitating commercial success.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is illuminated in the enclosed FIGS., in which:
FIG. 1 ( a ) shows the air flow when the claimed system is in non-alarmed position;
FIG. 1 ( b ) shows the air flow when the claimed system is in alarmed position;
FIG. 1 ( c ) shows the air flow when the claimed system receives a sample;
FIG. 2 ( a ) shows the cross-section of a single open tubular capillary used in the claimed gas chromatograph;
FIG. 2 ( b ) shows the longitudinal section of an open capillary membrane bundle used as a GC column according to the invention;
FIG. 2 ( c ) shows the cross-section of said open capillary membrane bundle; and
FIG. 3 shows the result of feeding mixtures of methyl salicylate (MeS) and di-isopropyl methyl phosphonate (DIMP) (1% DIMP and 99% MeS) through a bundle of hollow fiber membranes to a detector according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 describes one preferred embodiment of using the hollow fiber capillary membrane bundle ( 2 ) as a GC column combined with a chemical detector ( 1 ). The sampling arrangement contains a valve ( 4 ), a vapor adsorbing filter ( 3 ), a gas inlet ( 5 ) and an optional additional valve ( 6 ). The position of the valve ( 4 ) determines whether the sample flows through the filter, see FIG. 1 ( b ), or directly, see FIG. 1 ( c ), to the hollow fiber bundle based multicapillary GC column ( 2 ). The moment of switching the valve from the position shown in FIG. 1 ( b ) to the position shown in FIG. 1 ( c ) represents the point t=0 of the retention time.
Another preferred embodiment, also shown in FIG. 1 , involves the additional valve ( 6 ) which is used to control whether the hollow fiber bundle based GC column is in use the positions shown in FIGS. 1 ( b ) and 1 ( c )) or not the position shown in FIG. 1 ( a )). A faster response time is possible when a hollow fiber bundle is not used the position shown in FIG. 1 ( a )), but a more specific identification with less cross-sensitivity is possible when using the bundle shown in FIGS. 1 ( b ) and ( c )).
FIG. 2( a ), shows the cross-section of a single hollow fibre used in a membrane bundle according to the invention. The wall consists of an outer layer of support material ( 18 ) and an inner active membrane layer ( 19 ). FIG. 2 ( b ) shows a longitudinal section and FIG. 2 ( c ) shows a cross-section of a preferred embodiment of a temperature regulation arrangement for the hollow fiber capillary membrane bundle used as a GC column. The bundle is packed in an airtight closed package where the cover ( 14 ) is made of heat insulator material. Controllably heated and thermostated ( 13 ) fluid (liquid or gas) is circulated ( 11 ) through the package by means of a pump ( 12 ) and a tube ( 15 ), thus forming an interstitial medium ( 7 ) between the capillaries ( 16 ). In one preferred embodiment the interstitial medium fluid ( 7 ) is glycerol or industrial coolant solution. In another preferred embodiment the interstitial medium fluid ( 7 ) is air.
Another preferred embodiment employs a similar construction as shown in FIG. 2 , but in this case, the system can either have heater ( 13 ) or not. In this preferred embodiment the interstitial medium fluid ( 7 ) is air, with a primary role for purging the system. Air is pumped only into the inlet ( 10 ) opening ( 8 ) and out through the outlet ( 10 a ) opening ( 8 a ) (i.e. the heating media tube 15 is missing).
In all cases, the interstitial medium fluid ( 7 ) is isolated from the sample gas by a stopper construction at the tube end ( 6 ). In the preferred embodiment the filling material ( 9 ) seen at the tube end (cross section view) fills only the space between capillaries and also bonds the capillaries together. In one preferred embodiment the filling material ( 9 ) is epoxy polymer.
In one preferred embodiment, the bundle ( 2 ) is a high-selective type hollow fiber capillary membrane bundle from industrial dryer sold under trademarks as Drypoint (Beko), MF-Dryer (CKD, Wilkinson), SF-Serie (Whatman, Balston), Sunsep (Zander, SMC), VarioDry (Ultrafilter) and Porous Media (Norgren). In this case, the structure of the capillary wall is shown in FIG. 2 a and consists characteristically of an actual hollow fiber as a porous support ( 18 ) and an active dense layer (membrane) ( 19 ) covering the inner surface.
In one preferred embodiment the detector ( 1 ) is a hyphenated multisensor-IMS sold under trademarks as ChemPro100 (Environics), M90-D1-C (Environics), Multi-IMS (Dräger) or any other IMS based detector.
EXAMPLES
The following examples illustrate, but do not limit, the basic features of the present invention.
The arrangement is similar as those presented in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . The bundle of hollow fiber membrane capillaries originates from a membrane dryer (Drypoint Beko). The detector is ChemPro100 (Environics) using 1 l/min flow rate.
The zero time (retention time=0) is determined by switching the valve ( 4 ) from the position shown in FIG. 1 ( b ) to the position shown in FIG. 1 ( c ).
FIG. 3 shows a result of feeding mixtures of methyl salicylate (MeS) and di-isopropyl methyl phosphonate (DIMP) (1% DIMP and 99% MeS) through a bundle of hollow fiber membranes to the detector.
The detector sucks air through a filter and measure a clean background signal. The valve ( 4 ) was switched to the position shown in FIG. 1 ( c ) and the sample was introduced at the same time. After three seconds the valve 4 was switched to the position shown in FIG. 1 ( b ). This procedure introduces a sample bolus into the fibers between clean air.
Within about forty seconds, both chemicals have eluted through the column and detected selectively by ion mobility spectrometry (DIMP) and by metal oxide gas sensor (MeS). If in case the sample had been introduced through valve 6 as in FIG. 1 ( a ), there would be no time delay between the signals.
The present invention concerns an apparatus which is used as a chemical detector, and more preferably as an additional device which performs chemical separation and is combined with any chemical detector. The invention improves the chemical specificity of chemical detectors, consists of low cost components and facilitates rugged design. The invention is especially useful when it is used for identifying the presence of chemical warfare agents and other toxic and flammable gases and vapors in applications such as military, industrial or personal protection or industrial or environmental hygiene or industrial process control.
REFERENCES
U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,439: Hail, M. E. and Yost, R. A., Direct resistive heating and temperature measurement of metal-clad capillary columns in gas chromatography and related separation techniques.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,295: Solomon, Z. and Stetter, J., Portable System and Method Combining Chromatography and Array of Electrochemical Sensors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,856,616 Waleed, M. M. and Snyder, P. A., Hand-held temperature programmable modular gas chromatograph.
WO9941601 Thekkadath, G. and Haley, L. V., Hand-held detection system using GC/IMS.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,944 Koo, J. C. and Yu, C. M., System and Method for preconcentrating, identifying and quantifying chemical and biological substances
Utriainen, M., Paakkanen, H. and Kärpänoja, E., Combining miniaturized ion mobility spectrometer and metal oxide gas sensor for the fast detection of toxic chemical vapors, Sens. Actuators B 93 (2003) 17-24.
WO9416320 Paakkanen, H., Kärpänoja, E., Kättö, T., Karhapää, T., Oinonen, A. and Salmi, H., Method and equipment for definition of foreign matter contents in gases.
Baumbach, J. I., Eiceman, G. A., Klockow, D., Sielemann, S., von Irmer, A., Exploration of a multicapillary column for use in elevated speed chromatography, Int. J. Env. Anal. Chem. 66(1997)225-239.
Baumbach, J. I., Sielemann, S., Pilzecker, P., Coupling of multi-capillary columns with two different types of ion mobility spectrometer, Int. J. for Ion Mobility Spectometry 3(2000)28-37. | The invention relates to a gas chromatograph for the analysis of gas samples. It has a feed arrangement for feeding the sample, an open tubular capillary column for separating the components of the sample, temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the column, and a detector for detecting the separated components of the sample. The efficiency has been improved and a convenient hand-held version has been made possible by constructing the column of a bundle of open tubular capillaries having a gas permeable wall comprising a polymer membrane. The invention also relates to the use of such a column together with a detector for identifying gaseous samples. | 1 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a continuation-in-part of International Patent Application PCT/US08/87970, filed Dec. 21, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This patent specification relates to downhole acoustic measurements in connection with downhole fluid sampling and testing. More particularly, this patent specification relates to systems and methods for making and analyzing acoustic measurements in combination with a downhole hydraulic fracturing tool system.
[0004] 2. Background of the Invention
[0005] In the oilfield service industry, characterizing commercially viable reservoirs of hydrocarbons is a main objective of well logging services. Downhole sampling and testing tools such as the Modular Dynamic Formation Tester (MDT) from Schlumberger are used during the well logging phase to gain a more direct assessment of the production characteristics of the accumulation. In one common configuration, the MDT is arranged with dual packers set against the borehole wall, thereby creating an isolated fluid interval in the annulus bounded by the tool outer surface, the borehole wall, and the two inflatable packers. Additional modules within the MDT enable controlled changes in pressure and flow in the interval.
[0006] In some types of testing operations, rapid changes in pressure sometimes occur. For example, in a microhydraulic fracturing test, the interval is pressurized by pumping fluid into the annulus until a tensile fracture begins. The initiation is recorded by a breakdown on a pressure-vs-time record sampled at about one sample per second. It is desirable to evaluate these rapid changes in greater detail. Further detail of acoustic measurements during microhydraulic fracturing testing and in connection with other downhole sampling and testing tool systems is disclosed in International Patent Application PCT/US08/87970, filed Dec. 21, 2007 which is incorporated by reference herein. It is desirable to farther improve the evaluations of the formation when performing microhydraulic fracturing testing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to embodiments, system for measuring acoustic signals in a borehole during a fracturing operation is provided. The system includes a downhole toolstring designed and adapted for deployment in a borehole formed within a subterranean rock formation. A downhole rock fracturing tool forms part of the toolstring, and is designed and adapted to open and propagate a fracture in the subterranean rock formation. One or more acoustic sources are mounted to the toolstring, and are designed and adapted to transmit acoustic energy into the subterranean rock formation. One or more acoustic sensors are also mounted to the toolstring, and are designed and adapted to measure part of the acoustic energy traveling through the subterranean rock formation.
[0008] According to embodiments, a method for measuring acoustic signals in a borehole during a fracturing operation is provided. The method includes positioning a downhole toolstring in a borehole formed within a subterranean rock formation; inducing fracturing in rock formation using a rock fracturing tool forming part of the toolstring; transmitting acoustic energy into the rock formation using one or more acoustic sources mounted to the toolstring; and measuring acoustic energy traveling through the rock formation using one or more acoustic sensors mounted to the toolstring.
[0009] Further features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The present invention is further described in the detailed description which follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to embodiments;
[0012] FIG. 2 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to embodiments;
[0013] FIG. 3 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to other embodiments;
[0014] FIG. 4 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to further embodiments;
[0015] FIG. 5 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to yet further embodiments;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing steps in running an system as shown in FIG. 5 , according to embodiments;
[0017] FIGS. 7 a and 7 b show repositioning of a downhole system such as shown in FIG. 5 , according to some embodiments;
[0018] FIG. 8 shows further detail of a receiver module for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to some embodiments;
[0019] FIG. 9 shows the receiver module of FIG. 8 mounted within a microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to embodiments; and
[0020] FIG. 10 shows further detail of an acoustic sensor mounted on a receiver module, according to some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the present invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice. Further, like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicated like elements.
[0022] It has been found that by making and properly recording acoustic and/or micro-acoustic frequency measurements, in-situ evaluations of rock mechanical properties and environmental stress can be performed. For example, by monitoring changes in the rock's acoustic response before, during and/or after the creation of a mini-hydraulic fracture, such evaluations can be made. According to embodiments, evaluating minimum stress direction stress and estimation of hydraulic fracture compliance by detecting changes in acoustic propagation can be accomplished using a combination of the mini-hydraulic fracturing tool such as Schlumberger's MDT tool, and an acoustic tool having cross dipole sources and receivers, such as Schlumberger's Sonic Scanner tool. In addition, the combination of known stress test procedures and an acoustic monitoring device can be used to get a more accurate closure pressure time to estimate the magnitude of the minimum stress.
[0023] When a fracture in a rock formation is induced by hydraulic fracturing (or drilling) process, the fracture azimuth is related to stress directions. Acoustic tool such as Schlumberger's Sonic Scanner tool can be used to detect fracture azimuth by looking for changes in cross-dipole shear anisotropy due to the induced or natural fracture. See, e.g. Prioul, R., C., Signer, A., Boyd, A., Donald, R., Koepsell, T., Bratton, D., Heliot, X., Zhan, 2007, “Discrimination of fracture and stress effects using image and sonic logs hydraulic fracturing design,” The Leading Edge, September 2007; and Prioul, R., A., Donald, R., Koepsell, Z. El Marzouki, T., Bratton, 2007, “Forward modeling of fracture-induced sonic anisotropy using a combination of borehole image and sonic logs,” Geophysics, Vol. 72, pp. E135-E147, both of which are incorporated by reference herein. Furthermore, acoustic data from a tool such as Schlumberger's Sonic Scanner can be used to estimate the fracture compliance property required to assess area of fracture and farther geomechanical analysis. See, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 7,457,194; and Prioul, R., J. Jocker, P. Montaggioni, L. Escare, “Fracture compliance estimation using a combination of image and sonic logs,” SEG 2008, both of which are incorporated by reference herein.
[0024] According to embodiments, the ability is provided to detect mechanical and acoustic changes depending on the stress state and the fracture adding excess compliance to the rock system at the time the log is run (after the pressure has returned to equilibrium). According to some embodiments, the effect is enhanced, and hence, the measurement made more robust, by making the acoustic measurements while the fracture is still held open by the annular pressure in the MDT interval. According to other embodiments, the acoustic measurements are made while the fracture is held open by a proppant material that is significantly compliant in shear. Moreover, by measuring the acoustic response before and during fracture opening, the data can be analyzed to determine complex fracture trajectories and estimate hydraulic fracture compliances. For instance, early in the fracture growth the hoop stress dominates and the fracture growth is responsive to hoop stress geometries. The corresponding interpretation determines the direction and geometry of the fracture subject to this near wellbore condition. As the fracture continues to grow, differential analysis of the acoustic signature coupled with previous determinations of the characteristics of the (growing) fracture enables the evolution of the fracture to be determined.
[0025] Various embodiments are described herein, with many having the following components in common:
[0026] 1. A cross-dipole transmitter (e.g. a vibration-generating device capable of creating vibration with mirror-antisymmetry with respect to either of two mutually orthogonal axial planes) such as the transmitter section of Schlumberger's Sonic Scanner tool;
[0027] 2. A fracturing device (FD), such as the dual-packer MDT tool from Schlumberger, capable of generating, in an axisymmetric way, pressure sufficient to initiate and grow a fracture in an isolated interval of borehole; and
[0028] 3. A cross-dipole receiver (e.g. a vibration-sensing device capable of detecting vibration with mirror-antisymmetry with respect to either of two mutually orthogonal axial planes) such as the receiver section of Schlumberger's Sonic Scanner tool.
[0029] FIG. 1 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to embodiments. Wireline logging system 100 is shown including multiple tools for taking geophysical measurements. Wireline 103 is a power and data transmission cable that connects the tools to a data acquisition and processing system 105 on the surface. The tools connected to the wireline 103 are lowered into a well borehole 107 to obtain measurements of geophysical properties for the surrounding subterranean rock formation 110 . The wireline 103 supports tools by supplying power to the tool string 101 . Furthermore, the wireline 103 provides a communication medium to send signals to the tools and to receive data from the tools.
[0030] The tools, sometimes referred to as modules are typically connected via a tool bus 193 to telemetry unit 191 which is turn is connects to the wireline 103 for receiving and transmitting data and control signals between the tools and the surface data acquisition and processing system 105 . Commonly, the tools are lowered to a particular depth of interest in the borehole and are then retrieved by reeling-in by the data acquisition and processing system 105 . For sampling and testing operations, such as Schlumberger's MDT tool, the tool is positioned at location and data is collected while the tool is stationary and sent via wireline 103 to data acquisition and processing system 105 at the surface, usually contained inside a logging truck or logging unit (not shown).
[0031] Electronic power module 120 converts AC power from the surface to provide DC power for all modules in the tool string 101 . Pump out module 130 is used to pump unwanted fluid, for example mud filtrate, from the formation to the borehole, so that representative samples can be taken from formation 110 . Pump out module 130 can also be used to pump fluid from the borehole into the flowline for inflating packers in module containing inflatable packers. Pump out module 130 can also be configured to transfer fluid from one part element of the tool string to another. Hydraulic module 132 contains an electric motor and hydraulic pump to provide hydraulic power as may be needed by certain modules. The tool string 101 can also include other sensor such as a strain gauge and a high resolution CQG gauge. Examples of a fluid sampling system using probes and packers are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,936,139 and 4,860,581 where are incorporated by reference herein.
[0032] Dual-packer module 150 includes an upper inflatable packer element 152 , lower packer element 154 , valve body 160 and electronics 162 . Inflatable packer elements 152 and 154 seal against the borehole wall 107 to isolate an interval of the borehole. Pumpout Module 130 inflates the packers with wellbore fluid. The length of the test interval (i.e., the distance between the packers) about 3.2 ft (0.98 m) and can be extended by inserting spacers between the packer elements. The area of the isolated interval of the borehole is about many orders of magnitude larger than the area of the borehole wall isolated by a probe. Dual-packer module 150 can be used to perform micro-hydraulic fracturing that can be pressure tested to determine the minimum in situ stress magnitude. A fracture, such as fracture 136 , is created by pumping wellbore fluid into the interval between the inflatable packer elements. Below dual-packer module 150 are one or more sample chamber units 170 for holding fluid samples collected downhole.
[0033] According to embodiments, tool string 101 is provided with one or more acoustic transmitters and receivers for making acoustic measurements in connection with downhole fluid sampling and or testing. Transmitter module 128 can be a transmitter section of a wireline deployable sonic tool such as from the Sonic Scanner Tool from Schlumberger. Transmitter module 128 includes one or more monopole acoustic transmitters 122 that can produce strong pressure pulses or “clicks” generating clear P- and S-waves, from low frequency Stoneley mode to high frequency energy useful for some types of evaluations. Transmitter module 128 also includes two dipole transmitters 124 a and 124 b, which essentially are shaking devices, each consisting of an electromagnetic motor mounted in a cylinder suspended in the tool housing. The dipole sources generate a high-pressure dipole signal without inducing significant vibration in the tool housing. The dipole sources 124 a and 124 b are oriented orthogonally with respect to each other, such that one vibrates in line with the tool reference axis and the other at 90 degrees to the axis. The dipole sources generate strong flexural modes that propagate up and down the borehole and also into the formation to different depths that depend on their frequencies. According to embodiments, the dipole sources 124 a and 124 b are designed generate frequencies in a sweep from about 300 Hz to 8 kHz.
[0034] According to some embodiments, the transducer elements of sources 124 a and 124 b are arcuate shaped and are designed an arranged such that they can be excited separately in a selected pattern to effectively excite other acoustic modes, such as quadrupole and higher-order modes. According to some embodiments, for example, each source 124 a and 124 b includes four-quadrant arcuate shaped members which are operated to generate quadrupole mode acoustic energy into the wellbore and rock formation. For further description of suitable transducer elements including arcuate shaped transducers for generating monopole, dipole, quadrupole and high-order modes, see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 7,460,435, U.S. Pat. No. 7,364,007, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0254767, each of which are incorporated by reference herein.
[0035] The receiver module 126 is a multi-pole receiver unit such as the receiver section of the Sonic Scanner Tool from Schlumberger. Receiver module 126 includes a number, for example 13 , of axial receiver stations 134 in a 6 foot (1.8 meter) receiver array. Each receiver station includes eight azimuthally distributed acoustic receivers, placed every 45 degrees for a total of 104 sensors on module 126 . The receiver module is preferably constructed using a central mandrel having a mass-spring structure. For further details of a suitable acoustic transmitter and receiver modules having mass-spring structure and a central mandrel, see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 7,336,562, and Franco et. al. “Sonic Investigations In and Around the Borehole,” Oilfield Review, Spring 2006, pp. 16-45, each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0036] According to some embodiments, a geopositioning and inclinometry tool 180 is also included in toolstring 101 . Tool 180 includes both a three-axis inclinometer and a three-axis magnetometer to make measurement for determining tool orientation in terms of three parameters: tool deviation, tool azimuth an relative bearing. According to some embodiments, a tool such as Schlumberger's General Purpose Inclinometry Tool (GPIT) is used for tool 180 . The measurements from tool 180 can be used for orientation of the acoustic sensors. Although not shown, it is understood that a geopositioning and inclinometry tool such as described herein can be included in the embodiments described with respect to FIGS. 2-5 below.
[0037] Note that unlike many commercially used acoustic tools such as Schlumberger's Sonic Scanner Tool, the transmitter module 128 does not have to be synchronized with the receiver module 126 . Additionally, as long as the orientation of the transceiver module 128 is not changed during the measurement procedure, the tool orientation need to be controlled or known. Preferably, the orientation of the receiver module 126 is known, and the receiver module 126 is capable of listening continuously or repeatedly with a substantial duty cycle. Also, according to some embodiments, the source time signature is controlled and known with enough precision to allow the received signal to be stacked for noise reduction and processed to determine relative orientation of the source and receiver dipoles. It has been found to be sufficient, for example, to have alternating pulses in the two dipole orientations repeated continuously with a precisely known delay between successive pulses. According to alternative embodiments, m-sequences, sweeps, or chirps are used.
[0038] According to some embodiments, source dipoles can be denoted SA and SB. Receiver dipoles can be denoted Ra, Rb, and are not assumed to be parallel with SA, SB. The source firing schedule should alternate long (for example, 10 second) repetitions of SA and SB, followed by interleaved repetitions with a precisely controlled delay. Since the source firing schedule is known, the long states (LSA, LSB) can be known and separated timewise. Receiver states Ra and Rb are separate channels in the recording. Thus the total recorded signal during the long states can be partitioned into four distinct components LSARa, LSARb, LSBRa, LSBRb. Signal energy (sum of squared signal amplitude) from these components are then analyzed using known methods (for example, the Alford Rotation method) to determine rotation unit vectors to be used to minimize cross-energy.
[0039] If the initial state of the rock is Transversely Isotropic with its symmetry axis aligned to the borehole, this minimization will only depend on the relative angle between source and receiver rotations, which will be a measure of the orientation of the source. In an orthorhombic initial state (as can be expected with unequal horizontal stresses), the minimum will only be achieved when the receivers are rotated to align to the orthorhombic stress symmetry planes and the sources are rotated to align with the receivers.
[0040] After rotation, the received signal in the interleaved data will show delays between repetitions that are slightly large when alternating from slow to fast directions and slightly small when alternating from fast to slow and hence can be used to determine which are the fast and slow shear directions. Without a time synchronization between source and receiver, absolute traveltime will not be directly measureable. However, since velocity across the receiver array can be measured, equations requiring a reference traveltime can use a reference traveltime obtained by dividing the known Transmitter/Receiver spacing by this measured velocity at the receiver. Note that the determination of relative source orientation need only be performed once.
[0041] As the fracture is created and grown, the azimuthal anisotropy becomes larger both in the energy difference and time difference between fast and slow directions. Time-lapse processing, in which baseline waveforms are subtracted to enhance the ability to see slight changes or drifts, are useful here. Time reference for this subtraction may be obtained either by aligning on some detected feature in the waveforms, or by maximizing cross-correlation, or by relying upon the known, precise repetition rate of the source.
[0042] FIG. 2 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling, according to embodiments. The system of FIG. 2 is very similar to that of FIG. 1 with like reference numbers used for the same modules. However in the embodiment of FIG. 2 the positions of the transmitter module 128 and the receiver module 126 on toolstring 101 are switched such that the transmitter module 128 is located above the dual packer module 150 and the receiver module 126 is located below dual packer module 150 .
[0043] FIG. 3 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to other embodiments. Similar to the systems shown in FIGS. 1-2 , wireline logging system 300 includes multiple tools for taking geophysical measurements. Wireline 303 is a power and data transmission cable that connects the tools to a data acquisition and processing system 305 on the surface. The tools connected to the wireline 303 are lowered into a well borehole 307 to obtain measurements of geophysical properties for the surrounding subterranean rock formation 310 . The wireline 303 supports tools by supplying power to the tool string 301 . Furthermore, the wireline 303 provides a communication medium to send signals to the tools and to receive data from the tools.
[0044] The tools are connected via a tool bus 393 to telemetry unit 391 which is turn is connects to the wireline 303 for receiving and transmitting data and control signals between the tools and the surface data acquisition and processing system 305 . The tool is positioned at a location and data is collected while the tool is stationary and sent via wireline 303 to data acquisition and processing system 305 at the surface, usually contained inside a logging truck or logging unit (not shown). Similar to the system shown in FIG. 1 , electronic power module 320 , pump out module 330 , and hydraulic module 332 are provided.
[0045] Tool string 301 also includes a receiver module 326 , which is similar to module 126 shown and described with respect to FIG. 1 . Receiver module 326 includes a number, for example 13, of axial receiver stations 334 in a 6 foot (1.8 meter) receiver array, and each receiver station includes eight azimuthally distributed acoustic receivers, placed every 45 degrees.
[0046] Dual-packer module 350 includes an upper inflatable packer element 352 , lower packer element 354 , valve body 360 and electronics 362 . Inflatable packer elements 352 and 354 seal against the borehole wall 307 to isolate an interval of the borehole. Pumpout Module 330 inflates the packers with wellbore fluid. Dual-packer module 350 can be used to perform micro-hydraulic fracturing that can be pressure tested to determine the minimum in situ stress magnitude. A fracture, such as fracture 336 is created by pumping wellbore fluid into the interval between the inflatable packer elements. The packer module 350 includes an autonomous acoustic source 328 . Source 328 is similar to transmitter module 128 shown and described with respect to FIG. 1 , and includes one or more monopole acoustic transmitters 322 as well as two multi-pole (e.g. dipole or quadrupole) transmitters 324 a and 324 b. According to embodiments, source 328 is autonomous and is programmed to fire on a precise regular schedule while using measuring the acoustic response using receiver module 326 . These acoustic measurements are carried out preferably before, during and after the formation of fracture 336 . Below dual-packer module 350 are one or more sample chamber units 370 for holding fluid samples collected downhole.
[0047] FIG. 4 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling, according to further embodiments. The system of FIG. 4 is very similar to that of FIG. 3 with like reference numbers used for the same modules. However in the embodiment of FIG. 4 the positions of the source 328 and the receiver module 326 on toolstring 301 are switched such that source 328 is located above the dual packer module 350 and the receiver module 326 is located between the packers of dual packer module 350 .
[0048] FIG. 5 shows a downhole system for making acoustic measurements with downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling, according to yet further embodiments. Similar to the systems shown in FIGS. 1-4 , wireline logging system 500 includes multiple tools for taking geophysical measurements. Wireline 503 connects the tools to a data acquisition and processing system 505 on the surface. The tools connected to the wireline 503 are lowered into a well borehole 507 to obtain measurements of geophysical properties for the surrounding subterranean rock formation 510 . The wireline 503 supports tools by supplying power to the tool string 501 , and provides a communication medium to send signals to the tools and to receive data from the tools. The tools are connected via a tool bus 593 to telemetry unit 591 which is turn is connects to the wireline 503 . The tool is positioned at a location and data is collected while the tool is stationary and sent via wireline 503 to data acquisition and processing system 505 at the surface. Similar to the systems shown in FIGS. 1-4 , electronic power module 520 , pump out module 530 , and hydraulic module 532 are provided.
[0049] Dual-packer module 550 includes an upper inflatable packer element 552 , lower packer element 554 , valve body 560 and electronics 562 . Inflatable packer elements 552 and 554 seal against the borehole wall 507 to isolate an interval of the borehole. Pumpout Module 530 inflates the packers with wellbore fluid. Dual-packer module 550 can be used to perform micro-hydraulic fracturing that can be pressure tested to determine the minimum in situ stress magnitude. A fracture, such as fracture 536 is created by pumping wellbore fluid into the interval between the inflatable packer elements. Below dual-packer module 550 are one or more sample chamber units 570 which can be used for holding fluid samples collected downhole. According to some embodiments, sample chamber units 570 can also be used to hold proppant material which is pumped into the packed-off interval and into the fracture 536 , as will be described in further detail herein.
[0050] Tool string 501 also includes a receiver module 526 , which is similar to module 126 shown and described with respect to FIG. 1 . Receiver module 526 includes a number, for example 13 , of axial receiver stations 534 in a 6 foot (1.8 meter) receiver array, and each receiver station includes eight azimuthally distributed acoustic receivers, placed every 45 degrees. Tool string 501 also includes a transmitter module 528 is similar to transmitter module 128 shown and described with respect to FIG. 1 . Transmitter module 528 includes one or more monopole acoustic transmitters 522 as well as two multi-pole (e.g. dipole or quadrupole) transmitters 524 a and 524 b.
[0051] According to some embodiments, stored in one or more of the sample chamber units 570 is a proppant material that is significantly compliant in shear and which can decay with time over a relatively short period.
[0052] Examples of a suitable proppant material include: (1) calcined calcium carbonate, which can be dissolved using mild acid; (2) polylactic, polyglycolic acid beads or the like in water, which dissolve at various rates as temperature increases; (3) crystalline sodium chloride in a sodium chloride solution, which can be dissolved by “flowing back” or circulating pure water; and (4) magnesium oxide which can be dissolved by circulating an ammonium chloride solution. According to other embodiments, the fracture 536 is propagated with a resinous material such as polyurethane, epoxy or other curing polymeric material that forms a solid mass after a predetermined time.
[0053] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing steps in running an system as shown in FIG. 5 , according to embodiments. In step 610 , a toolstring having both dual packer downhole fracturing capability and cross dipole acoustic sources and receivers, such as shown in FIG. 5 , deployed downhole. In step 612 , the dual packers are set. In step 614 , the rock fracturing is initiated. After opening and growing the fracture with the fracturing tool module, stress cycles are performed to determine minimum stress value of the formation (i.e. until the fracture exits the hoop stress region and fully enters the far field stress region). In step 616 , proppant material is injected into the fracture to prevent or delay the fracture closure.
[0054] In step 618 , the tool combination is shifted so that the fracture is between the transmitter and receiver sections of the sonic tool. In step 620 , the sonic tool transmitters generate dipole acoustic energy and the sonic tool receivers measure the response. In step 622 , an analysis is performed for determination of fracture azimuth and excess compliance. The analysis can be as described, for example, in: Prioul, R., A., Donald, R., Koepsell, Z. El Marzouki, T., Bratton, 2007, Forward modeling of fracture-induced sonic anisotropy using a combination of borehole image and sonic logs, Geophysics, Vol. 72, pp. E135-E147; and Prioul, R., J. Jocker, P. Montaggioni, L. Escare (2008), Fracture compliance estimation using a combination of image and sonic logs, SEG 2008, which is incorporated by reference herein.
[0055] According to some embodiments, time-lapse processing, in which baseline waveforms are subtracted to enhance the ability to see slight changes or drifts, and to make evaluations of rock properties at locations further from the borehole than would be possible without such subtraction techniques. Time reference for this subtraction may be obtained either by aligning on some detected feature in the waveforms, or by maximizing cross-correlation, or by relying upon the known, precise repetition rate of the source. For further detail in analyzing the sonic and ultrasonic waveforms, see, U.S. Pat. No. 5,859,811, which is incorporated by reference herein
[0056] FIGS. 7 a and 7 b show repositioning of a downhole system such as shown in FIG. 5 , according to some embodiments. In FIG. 7 a, toolstring 501 is positioned such that dual packer module 550 is able to isolate an annular region and create fracture 536 . As described herein, a proppant material is injected into fracture 536 such that the fracture remains open long enough for the toolstring to be repositioned and for acoustic measurements to be made. In FIG. 7 b, The toolstring 501 is shown repositioned such that the induced fracture 536 is between acoustic transmitter module 528 and acoustic receiver module 526 .
[0057] FIG. 8 shows further detail of a receiver module for making acoustic measurements with a downhole microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to some embodiments. Receiver module 826 includes sensor section 830 . Sensor section 830 includes a number of sensors, including acoustic sensors and 3-axis geophones. A number of acoustic sensors, for example, sensors 834 a and 834 b are mounted on the surface of sensor section 830 . In this example, four azimuthally spaced acoustic sensors are mounted in each station, and there are six stations for a total of 24 acoustic sensors on sensor section 830 . Six geophones are also included in sensor section 830 , four geophones are shown in the view of FIG. 8 , namely geophones 840 a, 840 b, 840 c and 840 d. Each geophone is mounted on an extendable arm so as to be in contact with the borehole wall during measurement. The extendable arms are similar to those used on centralizer arms commonly used in downhole tools. Geophones 840 a, 840 b, 840 c and 840 d are shown mounted on arms 842 a, 842 b, 842 c and 842 d, respectively. Each of the geophones are 3-axis and by contacting the borehole wall, they allow for recording of both compressional and shear components of the incident acoustic waves. According to some embodiments, the geophones are also capable of receiving micro-acoustic emissions at ultrasonic frequency.
[0058] Flowline 810 allows for fluid communication between other modules of the microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool which may be located both above and below receiver module 826 as described elsewhere herein. Valves 812 a, 812 b, 812 c and 812 d may be manual or automatically closed depending on the hydraulic layout of the tool system. Control signals to and data from both the acoustic sensors and geophones on sensor section 830 are sent and received from module electronics 816 . Module electronics 816 , in turn, sends and receives data with the rest of the tool system and with the surface via tool bus 893 .
[0059] FIG. 9 shows the receiver module of FIG. 8 mounted within a microhydraulic fracturing and fluid sampling tool, according to embodiments. In the example shown, receiver module 826 is mounted immediately above dual packer module 950 and below other modules such as a pump out module and/or a hydraulic module (not shown) as described in FIG. 1 . According to some embodiments, a bumper guard 910 is provided to protect the sensors on sensor section 830 . The bumper guard 910 is useful, for example, in cases where extendable arms are not used in connection with geophones. Note although the receiver module 830 is shown immediately above the dual packer module 950 in FIG. 8 , the receiver module as described in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be used in other positions and incorporated into other modules as shown and described with respect to FIGS. 1-5 herein.
[0060] FIG. 10 shows further detail of an acoustic sensor mounted on a receiver module, according to some embodiments. A sonic detector 1012 is shown mounted on tool housing wall 1020 . A detector housing 1014 surrounds the detector 1012 , which receives control signals and sends data via wire 1024 passing through a small hole in housing 1020 . Additionally, guards 1010 a and 1010 b are provided to protect the detector from mechanical damage in the downhole environment.
[0061] Whereas many alterations and modifications of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art after having read the foregoing description, it is to be understood that the particular embodiments shown and described by way of illustration are in no way intended to be considered limiting. Further, the invention has been described with reference to particular preferred embodiments, but variations within the spirit and scope of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the words, which have been used herein, are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims. | Methods and related systems are described for measuring acoustic signals in a borehole during a fracturing operation. The system includes a downhole toolstring designed and adapted for deployment in a borehole formed within a subterranean rock formation. A downhole rock fracturing tool opens and propagates a fracture in the subterranean rock formation. Dipole and/or quadrupole acoustic sources transmit acoustic energy into the subterranean rock formation. A receiver array measures acoustic energy traveling through the subterranean rock formation before, during and after the fracture induction. Geophones mounted on extendable arms can be used to measure shear wave acoustic energy travelling in the rock formation. The toolstring can be constructed such that the sources and receivers straddle the fracture zone during the fracturing. Alternatively, the sources or the receivers can co-located axially with the fracture zone, or the toolstring can be repositioned following fracturing such that the fracture zone is between the acoustic sources and receivers. | 4 |
DESCRIPTION
The new device according to the invention offers the advantage, that besides the fact that it is sturdy and operates dependably, the loops of yarn are laid on the conveyor belt straightway in the correct direction, so that it is no longer required, as with existing devices, to provide an extra device for turning over the loops of yarn, before the yarn can again be wound up after having been processed. With this new device the loops of yarn are deposited in such a manner on the conveyor belt that they slant slightly downward, in the direction of the movement of the conveyor belt, and partially overlapping each other, so that the uppermost loop can be lifted off without the slightest problem, for the purpose of rewinding the yarn after processing.
In order to attain this purpose, the device consists, according to the main characteristic of the invention, of the combination of a hollow shaft driven to rotate and having a side opening; an arm attached to this shaft and provided with a thread guiding eyelet; a stationary drum with cone shaped peripheral surface, the center line of which is along the extension of said hollow shaft, and upon which the yarn is wound via the hollow shaft, the side opening in this shaft and the thread guiding eyelet; a pressing-off disc, fitted on a slant with respect to the drum and cooperating with same; and a means for moving the disc with a wobbling motion so as to press off the wound up yarn from the peripheral surface of the drum in loops onto the conveyor belt.
According to another important characteristic of the invention, the device is installed at an angle and with the drum directed upward, along the extension of and close to the conveyor belt of the yarn processing chamber.
In consequence hereof, the loops of yarn are deposited in such a manner on the conveyor belt, that at the location of pick-up for rewinding, each loop is placed on top of the other loops and lies totally free, so that no difficulties occur during rewinding.
Merely as an example, and without the slightest intent at restriction, a more detailed description shall be given hereinafter of a preferred form of embodiment of the device according to the invention, with reference to the appended drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of the device and of the yarn processing chamber;
FIG. 2 shows an enlarged longitudinal section of the device for deposition loops of yarn;
FIG. 3 shows a section according to line III--III in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a top view of the yarn deposited in loops onto the conveyor belt.
In these figures it can be seen that the device for depositing loops of yarn, comprises a hollow shaft 1 upon which is fixed a belt pulley 2 over which passes a belt 3 which also passes over a belt pulley 4 which is fixed upon the shaft 5 of an electric driving motor 6. The hollow shaft 1 is fitted in roller bearings 7 which are housed in a frame 8. In said shaft there is a side opening 9 through which the yarn A is guided outward, which is fed axially into the hollow shaft. The hollow shaft is provided with an extension 10 of which the peripheral surface forms an angle with respect to the center line of said shaft, and which is attached to same by means of bolts 11. Fixed to this extension 10 there is a circular cover plate 12, of which an arm 13 is an integral part which extends beyond said plate and which is provided with a yarn guiding eyelet 14 for guiding the yarn which comes out of the side opening 9 in hollow shaft 1. The equally hollow extension 10 is fitted by means of a bail bearing 15 and a needle bearing 16 upon a free shaft 17 to which is attached a cone shaped drum 18. A sleeve 20 is fitted by means of bail bearings 19 upon the slanting peripheral surface of extension 10, and upon this sleeve a disc 21 is fitted for the purpose of pressing the yarn off drum 18. This disc is provided towards its circumference with several slots 22 which fit over protruding teeth 23 of drum 18. Openings 24 are also provided towards the circumference of this disc, into which fit pins 25 which are solidly fixed in a ring 26 which itself is an integral part of frame 8. In order to eject the loops of yarn B in the correct direction from drum 18 onto the conveyor belt 27 of a yarn processing chamber, so that the rewinding of the yarn can be performed without trouble, the device for depositing the loops of yarn is located at an angle and with the drum pointing upward, in line with and close to conveyor belt 27. In order to deposit the yarn one loop at a time upon the conveyor belt, a counter roller 28 is fitted between the conveyor belt and the device for depositing the yarn.
The operation of the device will be described hereinafter. The yarn A, supplied from several yarn bobbins C, is led via hollow shaft 1 and opening 9 to yarn guiding eyelet 14, from where the yarn is wound around drum 18. When motor 6 is started, the hollow shaft 1 will be driven in rotation in roller bearings 7, via belt pulleys 4-2 and driving belt 3. Extension 10 which is slantingly fitted upon said shaft is then driven so as to rotate together with arm 13 and yarn guiding eyelet 14. Hereby the yarn guiding eyelet 14, which rotates around the drum, lays the yarn A onto this drum. Pressure disc 21, which is fitted by means of roller bearings 19 upon the slanting extension 10 which is driven so as to rotate and which fits over the teeth 23 of drum 18, so that the latter can't rotate, thereby performs a wobbling motion so that the yarn is constantly pressed to the free end of cone shaped drum 18. The joint rotation of drum 18 and of pressing-off disc 21 is prevented by the pins 25 which are fitted in a fixed ring 26 and cooperate with openings 24 provided in disc 21 and by the teeth 23 of drum 18 which pass through slots 22 in disc 21. In consequence of the conically shaped peripherel surface area of drum 18, the yarn will fit less tightly around the free end of the drum, so that the loops of yarn can easily be pressed off the drum by pressing-off disc 21. The counter roller 28, which is fitted between the device and conveyor belt 27, deposits the yarn one loop at a time on conveyor belt 27 which subsequently feeds the yarn into the yarn processing chamber 29, which may be used for any desired purpose whatever. This chamber may for instance be intended for the steam processing of yarn, but might just as well be intended for the processing of any other sort of objects. The loops of yarn ejected by means of this device are thus immediately deposited in the correct sense onto the conveyor belt (FIG. 4) in other words, at the spot where the yarn will be picked up again in order to be rewound, and each loop of yarn lies entirely free on top of the remaining loops of yarn. It consequently is no longer necessary, as used to be the case with the previously known devices, to turn about the loops of yarn, either before or after the processing, so as to permit the rewinding of the yarn, for instance by means of a cross spooling machine, without running into trouble.
It is quite obvious that the shape and the dimensions of the parts described above may vary, that some of the parts described above could be replaced by others which fulfill the same purpose, and that the mutual fitting of the parts described above may also vary, without going beyond the scope of the present invention. | The invention pertains to a device for forming and depositing loops of yarn in such a manner on an endless belt conveyor which passes through a yarn processing chamber, that the loops partially overlap and lie sufficiently free to be able to undergo any sort of processing. This known processing of the yarn may, for instance, consist of a heat processing, for instance by means of steam under pressure. | 3 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Copending application Ser. No. 554,174, filed Nov. 22, 1983, now abandoned herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, teaches a method for deinking secondary fiber sources, such as wastepaper, by fiberizing the secondary fiber source in a substantially dry state to produce substantially discrete fibers and ink-containing fines and separating the fibers from the fines.
In designing a commercial dry deinking process for processing large volumes of wastepaper as described in the above-mentioned application, it has been found advantageous to provide a consistent and uniform feed rate of shredded wastepaper to the fiberizers. To accomplish this, one might suggest feeding the shredded wastepaper to the fiberizers from a storage/metering bin (hereinafter more fully described) which provides a large material residence time to overcome any upstream fluctuations in material flow rates and at the same time provide a controlled, finely-tuned feed rate to the fiberizers. However, it has been found that in order to provide sufficient metering of the shredded wastepaper to the fiberizers, the outlets of the storage/metering bin must be relatively small. It has also been discovered that if too many oversized pieces of shredded wastepaper enter the storage/metering bin which do not pass through the outlets, the oversized pieces simply recycle within the storage/metering bin and quickly accumulate, causing the storage/metering bin to fill and overflow.
Since wastepaper generally is provided in baled form containing a wide range of sizes and shapes of wastepaper and contaminants, it is necessary to first shred the wastepaper into pieces no larger than a size which is suitable for subsequent processing. Because of the size limitations of the outlets of the storage/metering bin described above, it is therefore necessary to control the size of the shredded wastepaper leaving the shredding device. A screened shredding device, such as a screened hammermill, having screen openings of a size sufficiently small to be compatible with the size of the storage/metering bin outlets would seemingly provide control of the size of the shredded wastepaper sufficient to satisfy the storage/metering bin size limitation. Large pieces are retained within the shredding device until they are reduced to a size small enough to pass through the screen and hence, by design, also small enough to pass through the outlets of the storage/metering bin. Such a shredding device could be, as is common practice, coupled with a shredder fan, positioned just downstream of the shredder screen, which would serve to pull air and entrained materials through the shredding device and screen and propel or airvey the shredded material downstream. The thus shredded and screened wastepaper could then be deposited into the storage/metering bin(s).
However, it has also been discovered that in some instances screened shredders, such as screened hammermills, allow wadded-up wastepaper to pass through their screens if the wadded-up wastepaper has a sufficiently small 2-dimensional size. The wadded-up wastepaper, such as is commonly found in office wastebaskets, is initially present in the baled feed material and, if wadded-up tightly enough, can pass through the shredder virtually unaltered. Surprisingly, these wadded-up materials are thereafter "opened-up" by the blade action of the shredder fan which, as previously mentioned, is used to draw the feed material through the shredders and propel the shredded material downstream. Some of these opened-up pieces of wastepaper are larger (2-dimensionally) than the openings in the shredder screen through which they passed in a wadded form and are also too large to exit the storage/metering bin. This situation can cause operational problems with the storage/metering bin as previously mentioned.
The foregoing discoveries led to the solution of screening the shredded material a second time, but at some point in the process after the shredder fan and prior to the storage/metering bins to remove any opened-up pieces of wastepaper which would have been too large to pass through the openings in the shredder screen or the outlets of the storage/metering bin(s). The need for an additional screening step after the shredder screen is unexpected since the shredder screen could be expected to be sufficient. However, due to the peculiar nature of wastepaper as a feedstock, most notably its flexibility, low density, and wide variety of shapes and sizes, which allows wadded-up wastepaper to open up or "expand" to a larger 2-dimensional size, a second screening is necessary. This problem is not present when processing other materials, such as wood chips, for which storage/metering bins are designed. Hence because of the novelty of the dry deinking process, it has become necessary to invent ways to handle wastepaper in preparation for dry deinking
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the invention resides in a method of preparing wastepaper for fiberization comprising: (a) shredding the wastepaper in a screened shredding device, through which the wastepaper is drawn by a fan; (b) passing the resulting shredded-and-screened wastepaper through the fan, wherein wadded-up pieces of wastepaper which passed through said screen are opened up; and (c) screening out opened-up pieces of wastepaper. Suitable screened shredding devices include screened hammermills, which are suitably coupled with a shredder fan which serves to draw the wastepaper through the screened hammermill and open up any wadded-up pieces of wastepaper. Screening out the opened-up pieces of wastepaper is suitably accomplished by using a disc-type screen which is especially adapted for handling low density materials such as wastepaper. However, other screening devices, such as vibrating screens, can also be used. Preferably, the screened-out pieces of wastepaper are recycled back to the shredding operation.
In another aspect, the invention resides in a system for deinking wastepaper by dry fiberization of the wastepaper comprising:
(a) means for shredding the wastepaper into pieces suitable for fiberization;
(b) means for drawing the wastepaper through the shredding means, said means opening up wadded pieces of wastepaper and propelling the wastepaper downstream;
(c) means for screening the wastepaper propelled downstream to remove the opened-up pieces of wastepaper and to retain the suitably-sized pieces of wastepaper;
(d) means for metering suitably-sized pieces of wastepaper to a fiberization means;
(e) means for fiberizing the metered wastepaper into substantially discrete fibers and ink-containing fines; and
(f) means for separating the fines from the fibers.
In a further aspect, the invention resides in an improved process for deinking wastepaper wherein a wastepaper feed material is shredded to a size suitable for fiberization and fiberized substantially dry to form substantially discrete fibers and ink-containing fines which are thereafter separated, the improvement comprising: (a) shredding the wastepaper feed material in a screened shredding device, through which the wastepaper is drawn by a fan; (b) screening the shredded material after it passes through the fan to remove wadded-up pieces of wastepaper which have been opened up by the fan; (c) depositing the screened wastepaper into at least one storage/metering bin; and (d) metering the screened wastepaper to one or more fiberizers.
In a still further aspect, the invention resides in a system for preparing wastepaper for fiberization comprising: (a) a screened hammermill for shredding the wastepaper into pieces suitable for fiberization; (b) a shredder fan for drawing the wastepaper through the screened hammermill and propelling the resulting shredded pieces of wastepaper downstream; (c) a disc screen for removing opened-up pieces of wastepaper propelled downstream by the shredder fan; and (d) a storage/metering bin for receiving and metering pieces of wastepaper passing through the disc screen.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a block flow diagram of the process of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a block flow diagram of a process of this invention as applied to a dry deinking feed preparation process.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a storage/metering bin suitable for practicing the process of this invention as applied to a dry deinking feed preparation process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 illustrates the basic process steps of this invention. A wastepaper feed material, i.e. wastepaper which is substantially free of metals or other materials which might damage downstream apparatus, is shredded to a size sufficiently small to permit passage through downstream equipment by any suitable means, such as by one or more hammermills, the last of which contains a screen. It will be appreciated that the size of the shredded pieces is only limited by the sizing of the inlets and outlets of the particular apparatus used throughout the remainder of the process and is not a limitation of the process of this invention. In the preferred embodiment of the process, the limiting size is the outlets of the storage/metering bins(s) being used. Hence the openings of the shredder screen are designed to only allow pieces of wastepaper to pass through which are also of a size which will pass through the storage/metering bins(s) located downstream. The shredder fan which pulls material through the shredder screen provides an airstream which carries the shredded material downstream. As previously mentioned, it has been discovered that the shredder fan also tends to open up any wadded-up or crumpled pieces ofwaste paper which pass through the shredder screen, hence "creating" oversized pieces.
Therefore, after leaving the shredder fan, the shredded-and screened wastepaper is screened again to remove those oversized pieces which were opened up by the shredder fan. The oversized opened-up pieces are recycledback to the shredder(s) as shown. A particularly suitable screening device to carry out this function is a disc screen because the low bulk density of shredded paper is particularly disadvantageous for other screening devices. However, alternative screening devices can also be used, such as vibratory, oscillating, or orbital shaker screens.
The acceptably-sized pieces of wastepaper are then directed to a storage/metering bin, which is preferably of the type illustrated in FIG. 3. This apparatus provides a large reservoir of material to dampen or eliminate process feed fluctuations. It is also designed to carefully meter the suitably-sized pieces of wastepaper to the fiberizers at a constant and controlled rate. As previously mentioned, apparatus of this type possess the inherent characteristic that those having the finest metering abilities also have the smallest outlets and hence are more sensitive to the size of the wastepaper pieces to be metered.
FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed, preferred method of carrying out this invention as designed for dry deinking 100 tons of wastepaper per day. Specifically, bales of wastepaper to be deinked are weighed and placed on a bale receiving conveyor in a manner to provide the desired feed rate of material through the process. The bales are broken up by a suitable device, such as a Norba Model KS5-4 bale breaker, which also distributes the baled material onto a shredder feed conveyor. The feed material is then passed under a metal detector to remove any metal objects which mightdamage downstream apparatus. If a piece of metal is detected, the conveyor momentarily diverts the feed material to the reject tote box. After the flow has been diverted for a time sufficient to permit the detected metal to fall into the tote box, the conveyor redirects the feed material downstream to the primary shredder. This operation is coordinated to minimize the amount of feed material which is diverted with the metals.
After metals are removed, the feed material is preferably directed to two shredders in series: a primary shredder, which is unscreened, and a secondary shredder, which contains a screen over the outlet to limit the output to a certain maximum size. A suitable screen mesh size has an opening of about 11/2-2 inches, which size is compatible with the particular storage/metering bins used in this process. The primary shredder can be, for example, a Williams XL Size 50 hammermill which serves to initially shred the feed material into a more manageable feed tothe secondary shredder. The secondary shredder can be, for example, a Williams TF Size 50 screened hammermill. The secondary shredder is followed by a shredder fan which essentially pulls or draws the material through the shredders and blows or propels it downstream. Such fans are also referred to as centrifugal materials handling fans and are known commercially available equipment. As previously discussed, it has been found that the shredder fan also opens up some of the wadded-up, crumpled,balled, folded, etc. pieces of wastepaper which had previously passed through the shredder screen. This oversized material must be screened out to ensure proper operation of the particular storage/metering bin chosen.
After shredding, the shredded material is preferably airveyed to a pneumatic distributor to remove the air and dust. The shredded material, which contains opened-up pieces of wastepaper, is then deposited into a disc screen, such as a Rader Companies Model RDS-55, which separates out the oversized pieces and recycles them to the shredder feed conveyor. The suitably-sized wastepaper pieces passing through the disc screen are then deposited onto a metering conveyor and directed to an air/density separator, which is an apparatus for removing the heavier contaminants from the wastepaper by placing the material into an upwardly flowing air stream which carries the lighter pieces (paper) with the air and allows the heavier pieces (contaminants) to fall out. A specific apparatus found to be suitable, for example, is a Rader Companies air/density separator unit which is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,003.
The acceptable material leaving the air/density separator is then preferably passed to another pneumatic distributor to again remove air anddust. The remaining wastepaper material is dropped into an airlock and thereafter into at least one storage/metering bin. A specific storage/metering bin which is preferred is manufactured by Schenck as model Type D and is illustrated in FIG. 3. The storage/metering bin metersthe wastepaper to the fiberization means and fiberization and ink removal can be achieved as described in copending patent application Ser. No. 554,174, filed Nov. 22, 1983.
FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of the storage/metering bin described above. As shown, the storage/metering bin comprises a housing 1 having a feed inlet 2 and an overall outlet 3. Inside the housing, the feed material is deposited onto a scraper conveyor 4 which continuously fills the bin to the rear by moving the material across the top of the stored material 5 and adding it to the slope at the rear of the bin as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3. The scraper conveyor is supported by a plate 6 at the point of the feed inlet to prevent damage to the scraper conveyor due to the momentum of the incoming feed material. The stored material 5 is supported at the bottom of the storage/metering bin by a live non-slippingbottom belt 7 which continuously carries the stored material forward to thedischarge end of the storage/metering bin for discharge through a pluralityof small internal outlets formed by the pick rolls 8. It is the size of these outlets that is the major source of concern referred to herein with respect to the presence of oversized pieces of wastepaper. The rate of discharge is controlled primarily by the spacing of the pick rolls and thespeed of the bottom belt. However, if the pieces of the stored material become too large, there is an increasing tendency for them not to pass between the pick rolls and be internally recycled or, in extreme cases, even possibly plug the overall outlet 3. Therefore it is necessary to adequately screen the wastepaper material before it enters the storage/metering bin(s) in order to remove those pieces which are too large to pass through. | A method of preparing wastepaper for fiberization comprising: (a) shredding the wastepaper in a screened shredding device, through which the wastepaper is drawn by a fan; (b) passing the resulting shredded-and-screened wastepaper through the fan, wherein wadded-up pieces of wastepaper which passed through said screen are opened up; and (c) screening out opened-up pieces of wastepaper. | 3 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automatic item handling systems and methods for the sorting of a product item and the packing of said product item into a receptacle where packing of the item is performed by spatially manipulating the item to an optimal orientation prior to depositing it into a storage or packing receptacle for the most efficient usage of the receptacles storage volume. More specifically, the invention relates to such an automatic item handling apparatus and methods where the item is a type of now conforming material, such as a subprimal cut of meat, to be packed in a cardboard packing box.
2. Related Art
There is a need for an automated item handling system for meat packing facilities, or other like facilities, where the item handler can automatically pack items in packing receptacles while filling the volume of the receptacle with product items in a pre-defined orientation and without the need for manual interaction. Item handling systems generally perform the function of capturing an item in the manufacturing flow and operating on it and manipulating it in such a way as to prepare it or spatially position it for the next series of operations in the manufacturing flow. In the case of an item handling system that has the specific function of packing an item or multiple items into a storage receptacle or a simple packing box, there are several key objectives that must be achieved in order to develop an effective item handling system. It is desired that an item handling system for the purpose of packing will have the flexibility to handle various types of items and quantity of items to be packed. The types of items can vary in size, shape, and weight and the quantity to be packed can vary for a given receptacle. It is also desired that an item handling system has the ability to automatically deposit an item into a receptacle or box with a specific positional orientation which is based on the size and shape of the item, and each item has its own orientation such that the interior storage volume of the receptacle or box is utilized most efficiently and guarantees quality of product. Another desire is that the item handling system will pack same-type items into receptacles of various volumes.
A typical automated item handler/packing device that is utilized in a factory environment is integral with a network of conveyors that transport items to and from the sorting and packing stations. In the art area of package handling or item handling, a conveyor has been traditionally employed to forward a package from one work-station to another in order to accomplish the various handling functions. In many factory operations the work stations for placing an item in a storage receptacle or a shipping container are totally manual operations. In other factory operations the work-stations are somewhat more automated but still have limitations that negatively effect the efficiency and the cost of the packaging function.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,278 issued Jan. 17, 1989 to Cornacchia addresses a conveyor system that has the ability to turn packages upside down in a very gentle fashion. The conveyor device is interposed in line with a separate feed conveyor and discharge conveyor. The device receives a package from a feed conveyor and then turns the package upside down and discharges the package onto a subsequent discharge conveyor. The conveyor includes a rotateable turning element which receives at least one package and an intermittent rotational mechanism which tumbles the turning element in rotation. This mechanism allows the package to be turned upside down without actually gripping the package with a gripping mechanism. This patent is similar to the subject invention in that the apparatus of this patent allows an item to be positionally manipulated in order to automatically facilitate the handling of said item. However, the apparatus of this patent does not address the needs as satisfied by the subject invention. There is a need in the art area for an automated apparatus that has the ability to positionally/spacially manipulate an item and discharge the item to a specific location whether within a receiving receptacle or other container. Also, for greater flexibiliy and efficient use of the receptacles volume, the system should have the ability to position a receptacle unit, specifically a packing box, at the proper location such that the item to be packaged can more readily be placed in said receptacle at a specific location. The conveyor belt in the case of the referenced patent is actually utilized to manipulate the position of the item by flipping it upside down. However, the limited ability to flip an item upside down is a spatial manipulation that in many cases will not be adequate to position an item to be packed in a receptacle in the most efficient manner.
Another example of item handling is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,564 issued Oct. 13, 1987 to Cetrangolo which addresses an apparatus that has the ability to rotate a heavy object 180°. The device comprises a set of spaced parallel circular conveyor tracks that have an ability to rotate 180° on roller bearings. The parallel circular roller conveyor tracks line the top and bottom faces of a slot defined by said tracks. When the parallel tracks are rotated 180° end-over-end, any heavy object currently resting on the lower track will be transferred to the upper track, which will become the bottom track once the 180° rotation is complete. The center of gravity of the loaded turning apparatus coincides with the center of rotation, thereby requiring very little turning power. Traverse rollers permit entry and exit of a heavy object at opposite ends of the slot defined by the roller tracks. Once the 180° rotation is complete, any object that rests on the lower track (formerly upper) will have been flipped upside down. At that point, the object can exit the slot via the roller tracks and be tranported on to an integral conveyor for carriage to the next station. However, this apparatus does not have the ability to directly deposit the item into a packing receptacle, thus an additional step and mechanism is required. Also, as noted with Cornacchia, '278 above the limited ability to flip the item over in many cases will not be adequate to position an item to be packed in a receptacle in the most efficient manner.
A slightly different approach to this item handling problem is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,302 issued Nov. 23, 1993 to Hauers which addresses a device for packing receptacles with complimentary shapes. That is, when the receptacle is rotated 180° laterally with respect to an adjacent receptacle, the meeting portions of the receptacles have complimentary shapes and contours. These specially-shaped receptacles or containers allow for items to be efficiently packed in a receiving receptacle or box. The embodiment described in the cited patent utilizes the method of rotating the receiving receptacle or box 180° instead of actually rotating the complimentary shaped receptacles. The receiving receptacle and/or the box is rotated 180° each time a new complimentary shaped unit is deposited in said receiving unit or box. The apparatus described in the cited patent requires that a special type of package be utilized in order to implement this packing. This will result in a significant cost increase particularly if different size product items are being utilized.
It should also be noted that the above cited patents do not address an integral sorting function that is needed to handle different product types and to control capacity flow to a given packing station. A better approach is needed.
A way is needed to reliably sort items based on their varying shapes, weights and sizes, or sort items due to a given flow path reaching its limited capacity. After said sorting function, there is still a need for the item handler to then automatically pack the items in receiving receptacles or packing boxes of various volumes in an efficient space saving manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is in view of the above problems that the present invention was developed. It is an object of this invention to sort items by type and more efficiently pack the item in a storage receptacle or a shipping container such as a cardboard box.
It is also an object of this invention to better automatically three-dimensionally spatially manipulate an item so that an item can be deposited into a receptacle in such a way as to make the most efficient use of the internal receptacle volume and to assure quality packing of the product.
It is also an object of this invention to receive an empty receptacle and position it for more efficient insertion of items therein than was performed by prior devices.
It is also an object of this invention to more reliably automate a packaging facility.
It is also an object of this invention to sort product items to control the volume of product flow down a given path and to optionally segregate product paths by type.
It is also an object that the product items can be dynamically re-assigned to a different product staging station also known as the packing station.
It is also an object of this invention to passively conform to a given products size and weight when executing its packing methods.
The invention satisfies the above objects by providing a method and apparatus for positioning a receptacle and three dimensionally manipulating a product item for packaging to a spatial position so that depositing the product item in said receiving receptacle can be performed in a more efficient manner. The apparatus of the present invention is a modular packing manipulator and more preferably a sorter, selector, manipulator, placer and packer for packing vacuum-packed sub-primal cuts of meat into packing boxes. The apparatus can also be used to pack other vacuum packed meat products such as various ground beef products. The above invention preferably is a software controlled item handling method that automatically sorts and packs sub-primal cuts of meat into boxes.
We noted that past efforts to design item handling systems to automate and facilitate packing of items have concentrated largely on the ability to flip the item upside down or to translate the unit from one conveyor to another. Also, trap door mechanisms have been implemented to drop the item into a box. In addition we noted that some methods to facilitate packing have relied on the shape of special pre-packed cartons such that when the packing box is automatically rotated 180 degrees in alternating fashion the specially complimentary shaped cartons conform together in order to conserve volume.
We chose not to employ the above methods because they are limited in that the manipulator of the item to be packed only provides two dimensional translation of the item instead of three dimensional translation. This limitation restricts the shape of the item and/or number of types of items that can be manipulated by a given manipulator. More flexibility in an item handling system is desired.
In addition, a problem faced is that in a meat packing environment there may be several different product types (sub-primal cuts of meat) of widely varying sizes, weights and shapes that have to be handled and packed. Also, for a given product item there may be several different packing quantities, e.g. five primal cuts per a large box as opposed to three cuts per a small box. The total number of pieces to be placed into the box may also vary depending on the size of individual items for a given product item and box size. The size and weight for a given product item, such as a sub primal cut, can also vary all of which makes adaptability of the fixture very important. It is desirable to have one manipulator model that can handle any of the product items with which a system may have to handle.
The sorting functions and manipulator functions are all preferably software controlled. The sort that is performed and the manipulation that is performed can be determined by the product type. The product type can be input manually or by some automated means such as bar code sensing. Once the product type has been input specific routines may be executed to accomplish the packing.
The inventor has determined that three dimensional manipulation and initial sorting is necessary for an effective automated meat packing system and these are the keys to the inventor's method and apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The advantages of this invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawing, in which
FIG. 1 shows a top-right front perspective view of the overall system of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a top-right front perspective view of the receptacle handling apparatus of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 shows a top-right front perspective view of the elevator platform of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 shows a top-right front perspective view of the orientor module of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 5 shows a top-right front perspective view of the manipulator of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 6 shows a front vertical cross section of the manipulator.
FIG. 7A shows a side view of the orientor module and the elevator module just prior to the product item and the empty receptacle being kicked laterally off their respective conveyors.
FIG. 7B shows the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module just after the product item and the receptacle have been kicked laterally off their respective conveyors.
FIG. 7C shows the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module just prior to the product item being kicked into the manipulator chute.
FIG. 7D shows the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module just after the product item has been kicked into the manipulator kicker chute.
FIG. 7E shows the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module just after the product item has been deposited into the receptacle.
FIG. 7F shows the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module just after the receptacle has been conveyed on to the outgoing receptacle conveyor.
FIG. 8A shows a flow diagram of the product item handling control functions.
FIG. 8B shows a flow diagram of the receptacle handling control functions.
FIG. 8C shows a flow diagram of the orientation and box unload control functions.
FIG. 8D shows a flow diagram of the empty box transfer and box load control functions.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The automated packing system, such as that best mode shown in the drawings or other embodiment within the scope of the appended claims, comprises several stages or groups of sub-steps.
In the first sorting stage, the vacuum packed primal cuts of meat are sorted by a system of conveyors and kicking devices which convey the product item to the appropriate robot manipulator bank based on product type and manipulator capacity. Early in this stage, a branch kickoff apparatus, which is in-line with the conveyor, performs initial sorting.
The branch kickoff apparatus sorts by laterally translating selected items on to another secondary branch conveyor path which either leads to a waiting and hold station for manual handling (accumulation station) or leads to a second bank of manipulators. As an option the accumulation station or waiting and hold station can be fully automated such that items are temporarily held and then automatically released back into the process flow once volume allows. One function of the accumulation station is to transfer low volume product items or high weight items to the accumulation station and then inserted back in to the process flow when needed. The branch kickoff apparatus is adapted to transversely extend across the conveyor. Once initial sorting occurs, the cuts of meat can in this way be conveyed down various conveyor belts that lead to the appropriate pack-off robot manipulator for a second stage. If no sorting occurs at this stage the conveyor conveys the product item to the primary manipulator bank to begin the selection stage.
To perform the secondary sorting of the selection stage, a manipulator bank can comprise several pack-off robot manipulators and a secondary sorting or selection function can be performed at the inlet of a given manipulator bank. Hereforth this secondary sorting will be termed the “selection” stage. Preferably, a manipulator bank may comprise a row of two or more manipulators contained in an orientor module and between each manipulator inline to the conveyor there is optionally a stopping plate that drops down to stop the item adjacent to the desired manipulator. When the stopping plate stops the item a kicker or other similar apparatus kicks the item laterally off the conveyor to a staging point adjacent the inlet of the chute of the manipulator. As the piece of meat or other product item travels down the conveyor, it can thus be kicked to a staging point where it can then be translated into the manipulator's inlet chute when in position. The term “pack-off robot” is used to emcompasses the stepping plate, the kicker, the orientor module, the elevator module and the manipulator module.
Once sorted and selected, the workpiece (i.e. meat in the example), proceeds into the manipulator or manipulator stage. The preferred pack-off robot manipulator has a hollowed chute opened on both ends. The piece of meat is kicked into the inlet of the chute through one opening when in position during the selection stage. The chute of the pack-off robot manipulator preferalbly has an interior expandable bladder member that is integral with the interior wall of the chute which extends radially inward thereby forcing a support pressure plate radially inward which applies pressure against the item to be packed when the bladder member extends radially inward internal to the chute thereby radially displacing the pressure plate inward and essentially parallel to the side wall of the chute of which it is an integral part thereby holding the product in place. In addition to the primary pressure plate a pair of similar but smaller pressure plates can be made integral with the two adjacent opposing side walls to justify smaller items to one direction or the other. Once the product item is held in place by the pressure plate, the pack-off robot manipulator has the ability to longitudinaly and laterally translate and axially rotate and tilt the meat into position to be placed into a desired position in an empty package.
We will call the following action the product item placement stage. In this product item placement stage, once the meat is positioned appropriately, the chute can be tipped toward the opposite end opening and the radially extendable bladder member and pressure plate interior holding device is retracted, such that the product is released and dropped into the receptacle. In this way the manipulation stage and workpiece portion of the product item placing stage are combined.
The invention also comprises a receptacle handling module to place the box or other receptacle into the proper position to receive the item from the manipulator chute. This function is referred to as the receptacle placement stage. The receptacle handling system comprises a receptacle handling elevation table that receives, grasps, and positions a packing receptacle appropriately by raising the receptacle to the necessary height and tilting appropriately for deposit of the sub-primal cuts of meat.
Referring to FIG. 1, the top-side view of the overall item handling system 101 including a conveyor system 103 and a primary bank 104 of manipulators is shown. An operator control station 106 is the point that the various product items enter into the conveyor system 103 of the item handling apparatus. There is an operator control panel 108 shown. The operator control panel allows the operator (not shown) to define the product items that are currently being input into the item handling conveying system. The operator's control panel selection would cause the initiation of software routines which will control the item handling conveying system and manipulator system. Once the product type has been defined and the software routine have been initiated, the product item travels down the item receiving input conveyor 110 from the input portion on the operator control station side of the receiving input conveyor to the output portion.
The product item is then conveyed past an accumulation station 112 . At this point, products may be rerouted in any appropriate manner down a secondary branch conveyor (not shown) to a secondary bank of manipulators (not shown but similar to the one shown in this Figure) or may be rerouted to an accumulation table 114 for manual handling and disposition. This is referred to above as the sorting stage.
Rerouting of the product items occurs when the primary bank 104 of manipulators have reached their maximum capacity and/or the secondary bank of manipulators have been predisposed to handle that particular product item. Rerouting is also used to accumulate low volume pieces or high weight pieces. The rerouting occurs when an accumulation or branch kicker 116 laterally displaces the product item onto the accumulation table 114 for manual handling or when the accumulation kicker 116 laterally displaces the product item onto a secondary branch conveying system, (not shown). The kicker 116 has a rod like member 118 with an over-sized blunt end, preferably a T-shaped end, that selectively extends laterally across the conveyor to kick the item off. This selective extension of member 118 serves as the initial sorting stage as noted earlier. The secondary conveying system would lead to an identical bank of manipulators which is not shown in this figure.
If the product item is conveyed without rerouting at the accumulation station, the product item is conveyed to the product staging station 120 . An actuated hinged diverter plate or door (not shown) will swing down or across to stop the product item adjacent to the selected manipulator. The hinged door provides a secondary sorting function by stopping the production at the appropriate manipulator and starts the selection stage referred to earlier. It is at this point that the product item is laterally displaced into an orientor module 122 starting the manipulator stage as referred to above and then the product item is inserted into one of the manipulator chutes within the bank of manipulators. This occurs in a three step mechanization. The item is first laterally kicked off the conveyor to a staging point into a manipulator buffer guide. The item is then shoved down the guide into the manipulator chute with a two step kicking mechanization to end the selection and manipulator stages and begin the receptacle placement stage and the manipulation stage. This three step mechanization is described in more detail when FIG. 7 is discussed.
For best efficiency and safety the receptacle placement stage could begin prior to the manipulation stage in which the product item is inserted into the manipulator chute. That is, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an empty packing receptacle or box 200 is first positioned below and out of the orientation module 122 so that the next receptacle just doesn't fall on the floor. Empty receptacles are conveyed along an empty receptacle incoming conveyor 124 adjacent to an elevator module 126 from the input portion to the output portion which is to be further described below. When the empty receptacle is in position it is kicked (in any conventional manner) into the elevator module unit where it is conveyed by a feed conveyor 202 from an input portion to an output portion toward a receptacle handling elevator platform conveyor 204 . It is at this point that the receptacle handling conveyor 204 captures the empty receptacle and then positions the receptacle appropriately such that the manipulator can place the product item into the receptacle as desired. The capturing of the receptacle and holding it in place on the platform will be described further when discussing FIG. 3 .
Once insertion of the product items in the manipulator stage is complete, the full receptacle 206 is conveyed down to a full receptacle outgoing conveyor 128 which is positioned below the empty receptacle incoming conveyor. The full box is then conveyed to the appropriate area for final packing, not shown.
Referring to FIG. 2, a detailed top-right front perspective view of the receptacle elevator module 126 is shown. An empty receptacle or box 200 is shown oriented in the position just prior to being kicked into the elevator module. The empty receptacle 200 is kicked off the empty receptacle incoming conveyor 124 , refer to FIG. 1, onto an empty receptacle feed conveyor 202 which conveys the receptacle onto the elevator platform conveyor 204 . It is at this point that the pair of receptacle clamping arms 208 capture the empty receptacle by translating inwardly on a track rod toward the side walls of the receptacle or box and the pair of clamping arms apply pressure on opposing sides of the box thereby firmly holding the box in position. Refer to FIG. 3 for more detail. Once the box is held in position a pair of flapper members 210 each having a series of suction members 212 and each attached to one of the pair of clamping arms 208 by a pinion member flap down laterally rotating inwardly to essentially a horizontal position. Whereby, each flapper member 210 engages one of two opposing box flaps with its series of suction members 212 . The flapper members then laterally rotate outwardly returning to essentially a vertical position and thereby opening the box flaps 214 to a position allowing for easy insertion of product items. The box flaps 214 are held in an open position until the packing of the box is complete at which time they are disengaged by the suction members.
Once the empty receptacle 200 has been captured by the inwardly translating grasping arm members 208 , the elevator platform 216 has the ability to move up and down, to tilt front to back from about 0 to about 20°, and tilt side to side from about 0 to about 10°. Other ranges of motion could be utilized dependent on the application. This range of motion facilitates the depositing of the product items by the manipulator chute. See FIG. 3 for more detail. This completes the receptacle placement stage.
Subsequent to the placement stage or coincident with the placement stage the manipulator stage is performed where the production item is oriented to the desired position and then is deposited into the receptacle. The manipulation stage and the platform tilting portion of the placement stage are repeated until the receptacle is filled. Once an empty receptacle has been filled, the elevator platform lowers to its lowest vertical position. At this point the grasping arm members 208 release the full receptacle 206 and then the elevator platform conveyor 204 conveys the packed receptacle 206 onto the tilted full receptacle transition conveyor 218 which in turn conveys the box onto the full receptacle outgoing conveyor 128 , see FIG. 1 . The receptacle is then conveyed to a final packing stage.
Referring to FIG. 3, a detailed top-right front perspective view of the elevator platform 216 is shown which performs the receptacle placement. Two opposed grasping arm members 208 with actuating flapper members 210 , and integral suction cups 212 are shown. Track wheels 302 are shown which provide the means for the elevator platform to travel up and down. A set of elevator platform conveyor rollers 204 is shown. The elevator platform has the ability to tilt front to back and side to side by pivoting on shaft pivots 304 and 306 . The tilting motion of the elevator platform is actuated by multiple air cylinders similar to the air cylinder 308 shown. The lateral inward movement of the grasping arm members 208 are actuated by air cylinders 310 shown. The lateral inward rotational movement of the flapper members are actuated by a pair of air cylinders 312 . The optional suction cups 212 can be passive suction cups or active, as shown, with attached vacuum lines (not shown).
Referring to FIG. 4, a top-right front perspective of the orientor module 122 is shown. The orientor module performs the manipulation stage of the process. The orientor module 122 comprises a metal cage frame 400 which forms a cube about the manipulator module 402 disposed within. The manipulator module 402 is capable of moving in a longitudinal direction by being attached to interface track plate 404 which translates longitudinally along guide rails 406 and 408 from 0 to about 31 inches under the force of a servo motor belt drive 410 and the manipulator module is capable of moving laterally from about −3.5 to about +3.5 inches by translating on lateral tracks on the under side of the track plate 404 under the power of a servo motor belt drive 410 or similar device.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the manipulator module unit 82 comprises a manipulator holding chute 412 , a yoke bracket 414 and pinion drive 416 and motor 418 which allows the chute 412 to tilt forward from about 0 to a 90 degree angle which is one of the dimensional ranges of motion to manipulate the product item. The manipulator unit also comprises an outer stator ring 502 bracket with an internal track bearing member in which a circular inner rotor wheel 504 having a center channel that surrounds the chute member 412 can freely rotate under the force of a motor. The manipulator unit is supported by the yoke bracket 414 and the pinion drive members 416 and 506 and the yoke bracket is attached to a track plate which in turn is attached to and translatable on track guide rails 406 and 408 of the orientor module 122 .
Referring to FIG. 5, a detailed top-right front perspective view of the manipulator module unit 402 is shown. The manipulator chute has the ability to tilt front to back about the axis defined by the pair of pinion drive members 416 and 506 that mechanically connect diametrically opposing sides of the stator ring 502 to the opposing parallel legs of the U-shaped yoke bracket 414 where member 416 provides the active drive and member 506 follows. The manipulator chute 412 coaxially extends through a center channel of the surrounding rotor wheel member 504 which has the ability to rotate within a surrounding stator ring member 502 . The rotation is about the cylindrical axis of the wheel and this is a second dimensional range of motion to manipulate the product. The rotor wheel can rotate from about −90° to about +90° or some other desired range depending on the application. Also, within the chute member 412 there is preferably a pressure plate 508 that applies holding pressure or other pressure applicator against a product item that has been inserted into the manipulator chute. This pressure plate holds the product item in place while the manipulator unit is operating within its programmed range of motion. In addition a similar but a smaller pair of pressure plates 510 may be integral with the opposing interior side walls adjacent to the primary pressure plate in order displace smaller items from side to side in order to properly locate.
Referring to FIG. 6, a vertical cross section of the manipulator module 402 is shown. The inverted U-shaped yoke support bracket 414 is shown. The manipulator outer stator ring 502 is laterally mounted within the U-shaped bracket 414 on pinion drive members, powered pinion member 416 and follower pinion member 506 , which allows front to back tilting of the outer stator ring 502 and all hard mounted members attached thereon. The manipulator stator ring 502 is adapted with an inner track bearing member which mates to an inner rotor wheel 504 that freely rotates within the track. The rotor wheel is concentric with the outer stator ring and has an outer most diameter slightly less than the interfacing inner diameter of the track bearing member. This wheel 504 is rotated within the stator 502 by a motor 600 and drive wheel 602 (outline projection shown). The manipulator chute coaxially extends through the center channel of the wheel 604 . The inwardly radially expanding bladder member and the integral horizontal pressure plate 508 is shown and the pair of vertical pressure plates 510 with their respective integral bladder members are shown. The bladder member and the pressure plate combination holds the product item in place within the chute while the desired orientation is being achieved.
Referring to FIGS. 7A to 7 F, a side view of the kicker and conveying system for the product item manipulator stage and the empty receptacle placement stage in operation is shown. The kicker member 701 is a rod with a T-shaped blunt end, see FIG. 7 B. The kicker 701 extends in a horizontal direction and at a right angle (laterally) to the conveyance of the product item. When the kicker 701 extends it laterally displaces the product item into the guide buffer area 702 which channels the product item into the manipulator chute 412 . A pair of buffer manipulator stepped kicker devices 704 kicks the product item down the guide buffer 702 and into the manipulator chute 412 . The stepped motion of the stepped kicker 704 is as follows: lowers such that the first kicking member face 703 is adjacent and to the left of the item; pushes or “kicks” the item to the right; raises; moves to the left; lower such that second kicking member face 705 is adjacent and to the left of the item; and pushes the item further to the right. The first step is into recess 707 where it is pushed by first face 703 to the right and the second step is to the right of a second face 705 as seen in FIG. 7 C. The stepped kicker device 704 positions first face 703 behind the product item and kicks the product item partially down the buffer guide at which point the second face member 705 of the stepped kicker device 704 positions itself behind the product item and continues to kick the product item down the buffer guide and into the manipulator chute.
Once the product item is in the manipulator chute 90 (see FIGS. 7A and 7D) the manipulator orients the item as desired and then the item is dropped (see FIG. 7E) into the receptacle 200 . The meat is shown in FIGS. 7D-7F as not being rotated, but could be inverted. Prior to dropping the product item the receptacle 200 is positioned by a kicker on the elevator platform 216 and the platform has oriented the receptacle accordingly. FIG. 7A shows a side view of the orientor module and the elevator module just prior to the product item and the empty receptacle being kicked laterally off their respective conveyors.
Referring to FIG. 7B, the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module is shown just after the product item and the receptacle have been kicked laterally off their respective conveyors by kicker 701 but before being pushed by step kicker device 704 .
Referring to FIG. 7C, the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module is shown just prior to the product item being kicked into the manipulator chute.
Referring to FIG. 7D, the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module is shown just after the product item has been kicked into the manipulator kicker chute.
Referring to FIG. 7E, the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module is shown just after the product item has been deposited into the receptacle.
Referring to FIG. 7F, the side view of the orientor module and the elevator module is shown just after the receptacle has been conveyed on to the outgoing receptacle conveyor.
Referring to FIGS. 8A through 8D, a flow diagram of the product item loading, sorting and orienting controller, the empty box transfer, loading, and unloading functions are shown.
The product loading functional module 800 comprises three sub modules, the main operator controller module 802 , the escapement controller module 804 and the station controller module 806 . The main operator controller module 802 receives inputs entered by the operator for the type of cut of meat and the weight. If this invention is utilized for product items that are not sub-primal cuts of meat then the product item can be identified by a different module (not shown). This input will be utilized by this module to select the receptacle type, the orientation routine, and the manipulator station. The station controller and main controller module 806 tracks what product item is being packed and the next item to be packed. The station controller also determines if a receptacle is loaded and if so can it accommodate the next product item to be packed. If the next product item can not be accommodated by the receptacle currently loaded then the product item is kicked off the conveyor as it moves past the accumulation station. However, if no receptacle has been loaded then receptacle loading is initiated. The escapement controller module 804 provides the control function for orientation of the product item prior to laterally displacing the item on to the conveyor and initiates weighing and optional labeling (not shown in flow chart) of the item.
The sorting functional module 810 comprises two sub functional modules, the buffer kicker module 812 and the manipulator sorter module 814 . The kicker module 812 controls the actuation and control of the buffer kickers. The sorter module 814 controls the actuation of the manipulator sorter kicker and the selection stage manipulator sorter blocking plate.
The orientation module 816 receives inputs from the main controller and the station controller indicating the type of meat that has just been loaded in the chute and the nth product item count. Then the appropriate orientation routine is performed to achieve the desired translational and rotational movement of the manipulator.
The empty box transfer module 820 has four sub modules, the escapement module 822 , the labeling module 824 , the sensing module 826 and the actuate module 828 . The empty box transfer module 820 is initiated when an input is received from the product loading module 800 indicating that a product item is in queue. The escapement module 822 controls the release of an empty receptacle to the main empty receptacle incoming conveyor. The receptacle is released once this module determines the box size required based on operator input. The Labeling module 824 labels the receptacle to identify the product items. The sensing module 826 keeps track of the number of receptacles that have been transferred. The actuate module 828 controls the kicking of the receptacle in to the appropriate receptacle handling elevator.
The box loading module 830 comprises three sub modules the sensing module 832 , the clamping module 834 , and the elevate to load level module 836 . The sensing module 832 receives an input from a sensor that senses when a receptacle is present on the elevator platform and provides an initiation output to initiate the clamping of the receptacle. The clamping module 834 actuates the vacuums and the clamping arms. The elevate to load level module 836 moves the receptacle to the loading level and tilts the receptacle to the appropriate orientation for the given packing sequence.
The box unload module 840 comprises three sub modules the deactivate vacuum module 842 , the elevate module 844 , and the tilt and release module 846 . The deactivate vacuum module 842 deactivates the vacuums when the packing sequence is complete. The elevate module 844 lowers the receptacle to the receptacle discharge level. The tilt and release module 846 actuates the release of the clamping arms and tilts the elevator platform to translate the receptacle to the outgoing full receptacle conveyor.
In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the stated objects of the invention are achieved. The above description explains the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
All patents, if any, referenced herein are incorporated in their entirety for purposes of background information and additional enablement. | An item handling system that sorts and packs items in a storage or shipping receptacle. The system is specifically designed to handle items such as sub-primal cuts of beef or pork or items of like size and weight. The system is adapted to sort items based on product type or based on system capacity. The packing mechanism is adapted to properly orient the item prior to placing the item in the storage or shipping receptacle. The system is specifically adapted to handle cardboard shipping boxes. | 1 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 14/033,664 filed Sep. 23, 2013, which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 13/398,526 filed Feb. 16, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,453,230 issued Sep. 27, 2016, and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/443,470, filed Feb. 16, 2011, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
INCORPORATED-BY-REFERENCE OF SEQUENCE LISTING
[0002] The contents of the text file named “37847-505C01US_Sequence_Listing.txt”, which was created on Jan. 26, 2017 and is 94 KB in size, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The invention provides compositions and methods for producing purified oligosaccharides, in particular certain fucosylated and/or sialylated oligosaccharides that are typically found in human milk.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Human milk contains a diverse and abundant set of neutral and acidic oligosaccharides (human milk oligosaccharides, HMOS). Many of these molecules are not utilized directly by infants for nutrition, but they nevertheless serve critical roles in the establishment of a healthy gut microbiome, in the prevention of disease, and in immune function. Prior to the invention described herein, the ability to produce HMOS inexpensively at large scale was problematic. For example, HMOS production through chemical synthesis was limited by stereo-specificity issues, precursor availability, product impurities, and high overall cost. As such, there is a pressing need for new strategies to inexpensively manufacture large quantities of HMOS for a variety of commercial applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The invention described herein features efficient and economical methods for producing fucosylated and sialylated oligosaccharides. The method for producing a fucosylated oligosaccharide in a bacterium comprises the following steps: providing a bacterium that comprises a functional β-galactosidase gene, an exogenous fucosyltransferase gene, a GDP-fucose synthesis pathway, and a functional lactose permease gene; culturing the bacterium in the presence of lactose; and retrieving a fucosylated oligosaccharide from the bacterium or from a culture supernatant of the bacterium.
[0006] To produce a fucosylated oligosaccharide by biosynthesis, the bacterium utilizes an endogenous or exogenous guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-fucose synthesis pathway. By “GDP-fucose synthesis pathway” is meant a sequence of reactions, usually controlled and catalyzed by enzymes, which results in the synthesis of GDP-fucose. An exemplary GDP-fucose synthesis pathway in Escherichia coli is set forth below. In the GDP-fucose synthesis pathway set forth below, the enzymes for GDP-fucose synthesis include: 1) manA=phosphomannose isomerase (PMI), 2) manB=phosphomannomutase (PMM), 3) manC=mannose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase (GMP), 4) gmd=GDP-mannose-4,6-dehydratase (GMD), 5) fcl=GDP-fucose synthase (GFS), and 6) ΔwcaJ=mutated UDP-glucose lipid carrier transferase.
[0000] Glucose→Glc-6-P→Fru-6-P→ 1 Man-6-P→ 2 Man-1-P→GDP-Man- 4.5 GDP-Fuc 6 Colanic acid.
[0007] The synthetic pathway from fructose-6-phosphate, a common metabolic intermediate of all organisms, to GDP-fucose consists of 5 enzymatic steps: 1) PMI (phosphomannose isomerase), 2) PMM (phosphomannomutase), 3) GMP (mannose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase), 4) GMD (GDP-mannose-4,6-dehydratase), and 5) GFS (GDP-fucose synthase). Individual bacterial species possess different inherent capabilities with respect to GDP-fucose synthesis. Escherichia coli , for example, contains enzymes competent to perform all five steps, whereas Bacillus licheniformis is missing enzymes capable of performing steps 4 and 5 (i.e., GMD and GFS). Any enzymes in the GDP-synthesis pathway that are inherently missing in any particular bacterial species are provided as genes on recombinant DNA constructs, supplied either on a plasmid expression vector or as exogenous genes integrated into the host chromosome.
[0008] The invention described herein details the manipulation of genes and pathways within bacteria such as the enterobacterium Escherichia coli K12 ( E. coli ) or probiotic bacteria leading to high level synthesis of HMOS. A variety of bacterial species may be used in the oligosaccharide biosynthesis methods, for example Erwinia herbicola ( Pantoea agglomerans ), Citrobacter freundii, Pantoea citrea, Pectobacterium carotovorum , or Xanthomonas campestris . Bacteria of the genus Bacillus may also be used, including Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus thermophilus, Bacillus laterosporus, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus lentus, Bacillus cereus , and Bacillus circulans . Similarly, bacteria of the genera Lactobacillus and Lactococcus may be modified using the methods of this invention, including but not limited to Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus jensenii , and Lactococcus lactis. Streptococcus thermophiles and Proprionibacterium freudenreichii are also suitable bacterial species for the invention described herein. Also included as part of this invention are strains, modified as described here, from the genera Enterococcus (e.g., Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus thermophiles ), Bifidobacterium (e.g., Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium infantis , and Bifidobacterium bifidum ), Sporolactobacillus spp., Micromomospora spp., Micrococcus spp., Rhodococcus spp., and Pseudomonas (e.g., Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ). Bacteria comprising the characteristics described herein are cultured in the presence of lactose, and a fucosylated oligosaccharide is retrieved, either from the bacterium itself or from a culture supernatant of the bacterium. The fucosylated oligosaccharide is purified for use in therapeutic or nutritional products, or the bacteria are used directly in such products.
[0009] The bacterium also comprises a functional β-galactosidase gene. The β-galactosidase gene is an endogenous β-galactosidase gene or an exogenous β-galactosidase gene. For example, the β-galactosidase gene comprises an E. coli lacZ gene (e.g., GenBank Accession Number V00296 (GI:41901), incorporated herein by reference). The bacterium accumulates an increased intracellular lactose pool, and produces a low level of β-galactosidase.
[0010] A functional lactose permease gene is also present in the bacterium. The lactose permease gene is an endogenous lactose permease gene or an exogenous lactose permease gene. For example, the lactose permease gene comprises an E. coli lacY gene (e.g., GenBank Accession Number V00295 (GI:41897), incorporated herein by reference). Many bacteria possess the inherent ability to transport lactose from the growth medium into the cell, by utilizing a transport protein that is either a homolog of the E. coli lactose permease (e.g., as found in Bacillus licheniformis ), or a transporter that is a member of the ubiquitous PTS sugar transport family (e.g., as found in Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus ). For bacteria lacking an inherent ability to transport extracellular lactose into the cell cytoplasm, this ability is conferred by an exogenous lactose transporter gene (e.g., E. coli lacY) provided on recombinant DNA constructs, and supplied either on a plasmid expression vector or as exogenous genes integrated into the host chromosome.
[0011] The bacterium comprises an exogenous fucosyltransferase gene. For example, the exogenous fucosyltransferase gene encodes α(1,2) fucosyltransferase and/or α(1,3) fucosyltransferase. An exemplary α(1,2) fucosyltransferase gene is the wcfW gene from Bacteroides fragilis NCTC 9343 (SEQ ID NO: 4). An exemplary α(1,3) fucosyltransferase gene is the Helicobacter pylori 26695 futA gene. One example of the Helicobacter pylori futA gene is presented in GenBank Accession Number HV532291 (GI:365791177), incorporated herein by reference.
[0012] Alternatively, a method for producing a fucosylated oligosaccharide by biosynthesis comprises the following steps: providing an enteric bacterium that comprises a functional β-galactosidase gene, an exogenous fucosyltransferase gene, a mutation in a colanic acid synthesis gene, and a functional lactose permease gene; culturing the bacterium in the presence of lactose; and retrieving a fucosylated oligosaccharide from the bacterium or from a culture supernatant of the bacterium.
[0013] To produce a fucosylated oligosaccharide by biosynthesis, the bacterium comprises a mutation in an endogenous colanic acid (a fucose-containing exopolysaccharide) synthesis gene. By “colanic acid synthesis gene” is meant a gene involved in a sequence of reactions, usually controlled and catalyzed by enzymes that result in the synthesis of colanic acid. Exemplary colanic acid synthesis genes include an rcsA gene (e.g., GenBank Accession Number M58003 (GI: 1103316), incorporated herein by reference), an rcsB gene, (e.g., GenBank Accession Number E04821 (GI:2173017), incorporated herein by reference), a wcaJ gene, (e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) BAA15900 (GI:1736749), incorporated herein by reference), a wzxC gene, (e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) BAA15899 (GI:1736748), incorporated herein by reference), a wcaD gene, (e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) BAE76573 (GI:85675202), incorporated herein by reference), a wza gene, (e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) BAE76576 (GI:85675205), incorporated herein by reference), a wzb gene, and (e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) BAE76575 (GI:85675204), incorporated herein by reference), and a wzc gene (e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) BAA15913 (GI:1736763), incorporated herein by reference).
[0014] This is achieved through a number of genetic modifications of endogenous E. coli genes involved either directly in colanic acid precursor biosynthesis, or in overall control of the colanic acid synthetic regulon. Specifically, the ability of the host E. coli strain to synthesize colanic acid, an extracellular capsular polysaccharide, is eliminated by the deletion of the wcaJ gene, encoding the UDP-glucose lipid carrier transferase. In a wcaJ null background, GDP-fucose accumulates in the E. coli cytoplasm. Over-expression of a positive regulator protein, RcsA, in the colanic acid synthesis pathway results in an increase in intracellular GDP-fucose levels. Over-expression of an additional positive regulator of colanic acid biosynthesis, namely RcsB, is also utilized, either instead of or in addition to over-expression of RcsA, to increase intracellular GDP-fucose levels. Alternatively, colanic acid biosynthesis is increased following the introduction of a null mutation into the E. coli ion gene (e.g., GenBank Accession Number L20572 (GI:304907), incorporated herein by reference). Lon is an adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP)-dependant intracellular protease that is responsible for degrading RcsA, mentioned above as a positive transcriptional regulator of colanic acid biosynthesis in E. coli . In a ion null background, RcsA is stabilized, RcsA levels increase, the genes responsible for GDP-fucose synthesis in E. coli are up-regulated, and intracellular GDP-fucose concentrations are enhanced.
[0015] For example, the bacterium further comprises a functional, wild-type E. coli lacZ + gene inserted into an endogenous gene, for example the ion gene in E. coli . In this manner, the bacterium may comprise a mutation in a ion gene.
[0016] The bacterium also comprises a functional β-galactosidase gene. The β-galactosidase gene is an endogenous β-galactosidase gene or an exogenous β-galactosidase gene. For example, the β-galactosidase gene comprises an E. coli lacZ gene. The endogenous lacZ gene of the E. coli is deleted or functionally inactivated, but in such a way that expression of the downstream lactose permease (lacY) gene remains intact.
[0017] The bacterium comprises an exogenous fucosyltransferase gene. For example, the exogenous fucosyltransferase gene encodes α(1,2) fucosyltransferase and/or α(1,3) fucosyltransferase. An exemplary α(1,2) fucosyltransferase gene is the wcfW gene from Bacteroides fragilis NCTC 9343 (SEQ ID NO: 4). An exemplary α(1,3) fucosyltransferase gene is the Helicobacter pylori 26695 futA gene. One example of the Helicobacter pylori futA gene is presented in GenBank Accession Number HV532291 (GI:365791177), incorporated herein by reference.
[0018] A functional lactose permease gene is also present in the bacterium. The lactose permease gene is an endogenous lactose permease gene or an exogenous lactose permease gene. For example, the lactose permease gene comprises an E. coli lacY gene.
[0019] The bacterium may further comprise an exogenous rcsA and/or rcsB gene (e.g., in an ectopic nucleic acid construct such as a plasmid), and the bacterium optionally further comprises a mutation in a lacA gene (e.g., GenBank Accession Number X51872 (GI:41891), incorporated herein by reference).
[0020] Bacteria comprising the characteristics described herein are cultured in the presence of lactose, and a fucosylated oligosaccharide is retrieved, either from the bacterium itself or from a culture supernatant of the bacterium. The fucosylated oligosaccharide is purified for use in therapeutic or nutritional products, or the bacteria are used directly in such products.
[0021] The bacteria used herein to produce HMOS are genetically engineered to comprise an increased intracellular guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-fucose pool, an increased intracellular lactose pool (as compared to wild type) and to comprise fucosyl transferase activity. Accordingly, the bacterium contains a mutation in a colanic acid (a fucose-containing exopolysaccharide) synthesis pathway gene, such as a wcaJ gene, resulting in an enhanced intracellular GDP-fucose pool. The bacterium further comprises a functional, wild-type E. coli lacZ + gene inserted into an endogenous gene, for example the ion gene in E. coli . In this manner, the bacterium may further comprise a mutation in a ion gene. The endogenous lacZ gene of the E. coli is deleted or functionally inactivated, but in such a way that expression of the downstream lactose permease (lacY) gene remains intact. The organism so manipulated maintains the ability to transport lactose from the growth medium, and to develop an intracellular lactose pool for use as an acceptor sugar in oligosaccharide synthesis, while also maintaining a low level of intracellular beta-galactosidase activity useful for a variety of additional purposes. The bacterium may further comprise an exogenous rcsA and/or rcsB gene (e.g., in an ectopic nucleic acid construct such as a plasmid), and the bacterium optionally further comprises a mutation in a lacA gene. Preferably, the bacterium accumulates an increased intracellular lactose pool, and produces a low level of beta-galactosidase.
[0022] The bacterium possesses fucosyl transferase activity. For example, the bacterium comprises one or both of an exogenous fucosyltransferase gene encoding an α(1,2) fucosyltransferase and an exogenous fucosyltransferase gene encoding an α(1,3) fucosyltransferase. An exemplary α(1,2) fucosyltransferase gene is the wcfW gene from Bacteroides fragilis NCTC 9343 (SEQ ID NO: 4). Prior to the present invention, this wcfW gene was not known to encode a protein with an α(1,2) fucosyltransferase activity, and further was not suspected to possess the ability to utilize lactose as an acceptor sugar. Other α(1,2) fucosyltransferase genes that use lactose as an acceptor sugar (e.g., the Helicobacter pylori 26695 futC gene or the E. coli O128:B12 wbsJ gene) may readily be substituted for Bacteroides fragilis wcfW. One example of the Helicobacter pylori futC gene is presented in GenBank Accession Number EF452503 (GI:134142866), incorporated herein by reference.
[0023] An exemplary α(1,3) fucosyltransferase gene is the Helicobacter pylori 26695 futA gene, although other α(1,3) fucosyltransferase genes known in the art may be substituted (e.g., α(1,3) fucosyltransferase genes from Helicobacter hepaticus Hh0072, Helicobacter bilis, Campylobacter jejuni , or from Bacteroides species). The invention includes a nucleic acid construct comprising one, two, three or more of the genes described above. For example, the invention includes a nucleic acid construct expressing an exogenous fucosyltransferase gene (encoding α(1,2) fucosyltransferase or α(1,3) fucosyltransferase) transformed into a bacterial host strain comprising a deleted endogenous β-galactosidase (e.g., lacZ) gene, a replacement functional β-galactosidase gene of low activity, a GDP-fucose synthesis pathway, a functional lactose permease gene, and a deleted lactose acetyltransferase gene.
[0024] Also within the invention is an isolated E. coli bacterium as described above and characterized as comprising a defective colanic acid synthesis pathway, a reduced level of β-galactosidase (LacZ) activity, and an exogenous fucosyl transferase gene. The invention also includes: a) methods for phenotypic marking of a gene locus in a β-galactosidase negative host cell by utilizing a β-galactosidase (e.g., lacZ) gene insert engineered to produce a low but readily detectable level of β-galactosidase activity, b) methods for readily detecting lytic bacteriophage contamination in fermentation runs through release and detection of cytoplasmic β-galactosidase in the cell culture medium, and c) methods for depleting a bacterial culture of residual lactose at the end of production runs. a), b) and c) are each achieved by utilizing a functional β-galactosidase (e.g., lacZ) gene insert carefully engineered to direct the expression of a low, but detectable level of β-galactosidase activity in an otherwise β-galactosidase negative host cell.
[0025] A purified fucosylated oligosaccharide produced by the methods described above is also within the invention. A purified oligosaccharide, e.g., 2′-FL, 3FL, LDFT, is one that is at least 90%, 95%, 98%, 99%, or 100% (w/w) of the desired oligosaccharide by weight.
[0026] Purity is assessed by any known method, e.g., thin layer chromatography or other electrophoretic or chromatographic techniques known in the art. The invention includes a method of purifying a fucosylated oligosaccharide produced by the genetically engineered bacterium described above, which method comprises separating the desired fucosylated oligosaccharide (e.g., 2′-FL) from contaminants in a bacterial cell extract or lysate, or bacterial cell culture supernatant. Contaminants include bacterial DNA, protein and cell wall components, and yellow/brown sugar caramels sometimes formed in spontaneous chemical reactions in the culture medium.
[0027] The oligosaccharides are purified and used in a number of products for consumption by humans as well as animals, such as companion animals (dogs, cats) as well as livestock (bovine, equine, ovine, caprine, or porcine animals, as well as poultry). For example, a pharmaceutical composition comprising purified 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL), 3-fucosyllactose (3FL), lactodifucotetraose (LDFT), or 3′-sialyl-3-fucosyllactose (3′-S3FL) and an excipient is suitable for oral administration. Large quantities of 2′-FL, 3FL, LDFT, or 3′-S3FL are produced in bacterial hosts, e.g., an E. coli bacterium comprising a heterologous α(1,2)fucosyltransferase, a heterologous α(1,3) fucosyltransferase, or a heterologous sialyltransferase, or a combination thereof. An E. coli bacterium comprising an enhanced cytoplasmic pool of each of the following: lactose, GDP-fucose, and CMP-Neu5Ac, is useful in such production systems. In the case of lactose and GDP-fucose, endogenous E. coli metabolic pathways and genes are manipulated in ways that result in the generation of increased cytoplasmic concentrations of lactose and/or GDP-fucose, as compared to levels found in wild type E. coli . For example, the bacteria contain at least 10%, 20%, 50%, 2×, 5×, 10× or more of the levels in a corresponding wild type bacteria that lacks the genetic modifications described above. In the case of CMP-Neu5Ac, endogenous Neu5Ac catabolism genes are inactivated and exogenous CMP-Neu5Ac biosynthesis genes introduced into E. coli resulting in the generation of a cytoplasmic pool of CMP-Neu5Ac not found in the wild type bacterium. A method of producing a pharmaceutical composition comprising a purified HMOS is carried out by culturing the bacterium described above, purifying the HMOS produced by the bacterium, and combining the HMOS with an excipient or carrier to yield a dietary supplement for oral administration. These compositions are useful in methods of preventing or treating enteric and/or respiratory diseases in infants and adults. Accordingly, the compositions are administered to a subject suffering from or at risk of developing such a disease.
[0028] The invention therefore provides methods for increasing intracellular levels of GDP-fucose in Escherichia coli by manipulating the organism's endogenous colanic acid biosynthesis pathway. This is achieved through a number of genetic modifications of endogenous E. coli genes involved either directly in colanic acid precursor biosynthesis, or in overall control of the colanic acid synthetic regulon. The invention also provides for increasing the intracellular concentration of lactose in E. coli , for cells grown in the presence of lactose, by using manipulations of endogenous E. coli genes involved in lactose import, export, and catabolism. In particular, described herein are methods of increasing intracellular lactose levels in E. coli genetically engineered to produce a human milk oligosaccharide by incorporating a lacA mutation into the genetically modified E. coli . The lacA mutation prevents the formation of intracellular acetyl-lactose, which not only removes this molecule as a contaminant from subsequent purifications, but also eliminates E. coli 's ability to export excess lactose from its cytoplasm, thus greatly facilitating purposeful manipulations of the E. coli intracellular lactose pool.
[0029] Also described herein are bacterial host cells with the ability to accumulate a intracellular lactose pool while simultaneously possessing low, functional levels of cytoplasmic β-galactosidase activity, for example as provided by the introduction of a functional recombinant E. coli lacZ gene, or by a β-galactosidase gene from any of a number of other organisms (e.g., the lac4 gene of Kluyveromyces lactis (e.g., GenBank Accession Number M84410 (GI: 173304), incorporated herein by reference). Low, functional levels of cytoplasmic β-galactosidase include β-galactosidase activity levels of between 0.05 and 200 units, e.g., between 0.05 and 5 units, between 0.05 and 4 units, between 0.05 and 3 units, or between 0.05 and 2 units (for unit definition see: Miller J H, Laboratory CSH. Experiments in molecular genetics. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.; 1972; incorporated herein by reference). This low level of cytoplasmic β-galactosidase activity, while not high enough to significantly diminish the intracellular lactose pool, is nevertheless very useful for tasks such as phenotypic marking of desirable genetic loci during construction of host cell backgrounds, for detection of cell lysis due to undesired bacteriophage contaminations in fermentation processes, or for the facile removal of undesired residual lactose at the end of fermentations.
[0030] In one aspect, the human milk oligosaccharide produced by engineered bacteria comprising an exogenous nucleic acid molecule encoding an α(1,2) fucosyltransferase, is 2′-FL (2′-fucosyllactose). Preferably, the α(1,2)fucosyltransferase utilized is the previously completely uncharacterized wcfW gene from Bacteroides fragilis NCTC 9343 of the present invention, alternatively the futC gene of Helicobacter pylori 26695 or the wbsJ gene of E. coli strain O128:B12, or any other α(1,2) fucosyltransferase capable of using lactose as the sugar acceptor substrate may be utilized for 2′-FL synthesis. In another aspect the human milk oligosaccharide produced by engineered bacteria comprising an exogenous nucleic acid molecule encoding an α(1,3) fucosyltransferase, is 3FL (3-fucosyllactose), wherein the bacterial cell comprises an exogenous nucleic acid molecule encoding an exogenous α(1,3) fucosyltransferase. Preferably, the bacterial cell is E. coli . The exogenous α(1,3) fucosyltransferase is isolated from, e.g., Helicobacter pylori, H. hepaticus, H. bilis, C. jejuni , or a species of Bacteroides . In one aspect, the exogenous α(1,3) fucosyltransferase comprises H. hepaticus Hh0072, H. pylori 11639 FucTa, or H. pylori UA948 FucTa (e.g., GenBank Accession Number AF194963 (GI:28436396), incorporated herein by reference). The invention also provides compositions comprising E. coli genetically engineered to produce the human milk tetrasaccharide lactodifucotetraose (LDFT). The E. coli in this instance comprise an exogenous nucleic acid molecule encoding an α(1,2) fucosyltransferase and an exogenous nucleic acid molecule encoding an α(1,3) fucosyltransferase. In one aspect, the E. coli is transformed with a plasmid expressing an α(1,2) fucosyltransferase and/or a plasmid expressing an α(1,3) fucosyltransferase. In another aspect, the E. coli is transformed with a plasmid that expresses both an α(1,2) fucosyltransferase and an α(1,3) fucosyltransferase. Alternatively, the E. coli is transformed with a chromosomal integrant expressing an α(1,2) fucosyltransferase and a chromosomal integrant expressing an α(1,3) fucosyltransferase. Optionally, the E. coli is transformed with plasmid pG177.
[0031] Also described herein are compositions comprising a bacterial cell that produces the human milk oligosaccharide 3′-S3FL (3′-sialyl-3-fucosyllactose), wherein the bacterial cell comprises an exogenous sialyl-transferase gene encoding α(2,3)sialyl-transferase and an exogenous fucosyltransferase gene encoding α(1,3) fucosyltransferase. Preferably, the bacterial cell is E. coli . The exogenous fucosyltransferase gene is isolated from, e.g., Helicobacter pylori, H. hepaticus, H. bilis, C. jejuni , or a species of Bacteroides . For example, the exogenous fucosyltransferase gene comprises H. hepaticus Hh0072, H. pylori 11639 FucTa, or H. pylori UA948 FucTa. The exogenous sialyltransferase gene utilized for 3′-S3FL production may be obtained from any one of a number of sources, e.g., those described from N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae . Preferably, the bacterium comprises a GDP-fucose synthesis pathway.
[0032] Additionally, the bacterium contains a deficient sialic acid catabolic pathway. By “sialic acid catabolic pathway” is meant a sequence of reactions, usually controlled and catalyzed by enzymes, which results in the degradation of sialic acid. An exemplary sialic acid catabolic pathway in Escherichia coli is described herein. In the sialic acid catabolic pathway described herein, sialic acid (Neu5Ac; N-acetylneuraminic acid) is degraded by the enzymes NanA (N-acetylneuraminic acid lyase) and NanK (N-acetylmannosamine kinase). For example, a deficient sialic acid catabolic pathway is engineered in Escherichia coli by way of a null mutation in endogenous nanA (N-acetylneuraminate lyase) (e.g., GenBank Accession Number D00067 (GI:216588), incorporated herein by reference) and/or nanK (N-acetylmannosamine kinase) genes (e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) BAE77265 (GI:85676015), incorporated herein by reference). Other components of sialic acid metabolism include: (nanT) sialic acid transporter; (ManNAc-6-P) N-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate; (GlcNAc-6-P) N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate; (GlcN-6-P) Glucosamine-6-phosphate; and (Fruc-6-P) Fructose-6-phosphate.
[0033] Moreover, the bacterium (e.g., E. coli ) also comprises a sialic acid synthetic capability. For example, the bacterium comprises a sialic acid synthetic capability through provision of an exogenous UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase (e.g., neuC of Campylobacter jejuni or equivalent (e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) AAG29921 (GI:11095585), incorporated herein by reference)), a Neu5Ac synthase (e.g., neuB of C. jejuni or equivalent, e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) AAG29920 (GI: 11095584), incorporated herein by reference)), and/or a CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase (e.g., neuA of C. jejuni or equivalent, e.g., GenBank Accession Number (amino acid) ADN91474 (GI:307748204), incorporated herein by reference).
[0034] Additionally, the bacterium also comprises a functional β-galactosidase gene and a functional lactose permease gene. Bacteria comprising the characteristics described herein are cultured in the presence of lactose, and a 3′-sialyl-3-fucosyllactose is retrieved, either from the bacterium itself or from a culture supernatant of the bacterium.
[0035] Also provided are methods for producing a 3′-sialyl-3-fucosyllactose (3′-S3FL) in an enteric bacterium, wherein the enteric bacterium comprises a mutation in an endogenous colanic acid synthesis gene, a functional lacZ gene, a functional lactose permease gene, an exogenous fucosyltransferase gene encoding α(1,3) fucosyltransferase, and an exogenous sialyltransferase gene encoding an α(2,3)sialyl transferase. Additionally, the bacterium contains a deficient sialic acid catabolic pathway. For example, the bacterium comprises a deficient sialic acid catabolic pathway by way of a null mutation in endogenous nanA (N-acetylneuraminate lyase) and/or nanK (N-acetylmannosamine kinase) genes. The bacterium also comprises a sialic acid synthetic capability. For example, the bacterium comprises a sialic acid synthetic capability through provision of an exogenous UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase (e.g., neuC of C. jejuni or equivalent), a Neu5Ac synthase (e.g., neuB of C. jejuni or equivalent), and/or a CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase (e.g., neuA of C. jejuni or equivalent). Bacteria comprising the characteristics described herein are cultured in the presence of lactose, and a 3′-sialyl-3-fucosyllactose is retrieved, either from the bacterium itself or from a culture supernatant of the bacterium.
[0036] Also provided is a method for phenotypic marking of a gene locus in a host cell, whose native β-galactosidase gene is deleted or inactivated, by utilizing an inserted recombinant β-galactosidase (e.g., lacZ) gene engineered to produce a low, but detectable level of β-galactosidase activity. Similarly, the invention also provides methods for depleting a bacterial culture of residual lactose in a β-galactosidase negative host cell, whose native β-galactosidase gene is deleted or inactivated, by utilizing an inserted recombinant β-galactosidase (e.g., lacZ) gene engineered to produce a low but detectable level of β-galactosidase activity. Finally, also provided is a method for detecting bacterial cell lysis in a culture of a β-galactosidase negative host cell, whose native β-galactosidase gene is deleted or inactivated, by utilizing an inserted recombinant β-galactosidase (e.g., lacZ) gene engineered to produce a low but detectable level of β-galactosidase activity.
[0037] Methods of purifying a fucosylated oligosaccharide produced by the methods described herein are carried out by binding the fucosylated oligosaccharide from a bacterial cell lysate or bacterial cell culture supernatant of the bacterium to a carbon column, and eluting the fucosylated oligosaccharide from the column. Purified fucosylated oligosaccharide are produced by the methods described herein.
[0038] Optionally, the invention features a vector, e.g., a vector containing a nucleic acid. The vector can further include one or more regulatory elements, e.g., a heterologous promoter. The regulatory elements can be operably linked to a protein gene, fusion protein gene, or a series of genes linked in an operon in order to express the fusion protein. In yet another aspect, the invention comprises an isolated recombinant cell, e.g., a bacterial cell containing an aforementioned nucleic acid molecule or vector. The nucleic acid sequence can be optionally integrated into the genome.
[0039] The term “substantially pure” in reference to a given polypeptide, polynucleotide or oligosaccharide means that the polypeptide, polynucleotide or oligosaccharide is substantially free from other biological macromolecules. The substantially pure polypeptide, polynucleotide or oligosaccharide is at least 75% (e.g., at least 80, 85, 95, or 99%) pure by dry weight. Purity can be measured by any appropriate calibrated standard method, for example, by column chromatography, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, thin layer chromatography (TLC) or HPLC analysis.
[0040] Polynucleotides, polypeptides, and oligosaccharides of the invention are purified and/or isolated. Purified defines a degree of sterility that is safe for administration to a human subject, e.g., lacking infectious or toxic agents. Specifically, as used herein, an “isolated” or “purified” nucleic acid molecule, polynucleotide, polypeptide, protein or oligosaccharide, is substantially free of other cellular material, or culture medium when produced by recombinant techniques, or chemical precursors or other chemicals when chemically synthesized. For example, Purified HMOS compositions are at least 60% by weight (dry weight) the compound of interest. Preferably, the preparation is at least 75%, more preferably at least 90%, and most preferably at least 99%, by weight the compound of interest. Purity is measured by any appropriate calibrated standard method, for example, by column chromatography, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, thin layer chromatography (TLC) or HPLC analysis. For example, a “purified protein” refers to a protein that has been separated from other proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids with which it is naturally associated. Preferably, the protein constitutes at least 10, 20, 50 70, 80, 90, 95, 99-100% by dry weight of the purified preparation.
[0041] By “isolated nucleic acid” is meant a nucleic acid that is free of the genes which flank it in the naturally-occurring genome of the organism from which the nucleic acid is derived. The term covers, for example: (a) a DNA which is part of a naturally occurring genomic DNA molecule, but is not flanked by both of the nucleic acid sequences that flank that part of the molecule in the genome of the organism in which it naturally occurs; (b) a nucleic acid incorporated into a vector or into the genomic DNA of a prokaryote or eukaryote in a manner, such that the resulting molecule is not identical to any naturally occurring vector or genomic DNA; (c) a separate molecule such as a cDNA, a genomic fragment, a fragment produced by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), or a restriction fragment; and (d) a recombinant nucleotide sequence that is part of a hybrid gene, i.e., a gene encoding a fusion protein. Isolated nucleic acid molecules according to the present invention further include molecules produced synthetically, as well as any nucleic acids that have been altered chemically and/or that have modified backbones. For example, the isolated nucleic acid is a purified cDNA or RNA polynucleotide.
[0042] A “heterologous promoter”, when operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence, refers to a promoter which is not naturally associated with the nucleic acid sequence.
[0043] The terms “express” and “over-express” are used to denote the fact that, in some cases, a cell useful in the method herein may inherently express some of the factor that it is to be genetically altered to produce, in which case the addition of the polynucleotide sequence results in over-expression of the factor. That is, more factor is expressed by the altered cell than would be, under the same conditions, by a wild type cell. Similarly, if the cell does not inherently express the factor that it is genetically altered to produce, the term used would be to merely “express” the factor since the wild type cell did not express the factor at all.
[0044] The terms “treating” and “treatment” as used herein refer to the administration of an agent or formulation to a clinically symptomatic individual afflicted with an adverse condition, disorder, or disease, so as to effect a reduction in severity and/or frequency of symptoms, eliminate the symptoms and/or their underlying cause, and/or facilitate improvement or remediation of damage. The terms “preventing” and “prevention” refer to the administration of an agent or composition to a clinically asymptomatic individual who is susceptible to a particular adverse condition, disorder, or disease, and thus relates to the prevention of the occurrence of symptoms and/or their underlying cause.
[0045] The invention provides a method of treating, preventing, or reducing the risk of infection in a subject comprising administering to said subject a composition comprising a human milk oligosaccharide, purified from a culture of a recombinant strain of the current invention, wherein the HMOS binds to a pathogen and wherein the subject is infected with or at risk of infection with the pathogen. In one aspect, the infection is caused by a Norwalk-like virus or Campylobacter jejuni . The subject is preferably a mammal in need of such treatment. The mammal is, e.g., any mammal, e.g., a human, a primate, a mouse, a rat, a dog, a cat, a cow, a horse, or a pig. In a preferred embodiment, the mammal is a human. For example, the compositions are formulated into animal feed (e.g., pellets, kibble, mash) or animal food supplements for companion animals, e.g., dogs or cats, as well as livestock or animals grown for food consumption, e.g., cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, and goats. Preferably, the purified HMOS is formulated into a powder (e.g., infant formula powder or adult nutritional supplement powder, each of which is mixed with a liquid such as water or juice prior to consumption) or in the form of tablets, capsules or pastes or is incorporated as a component in dairy products such as milk, cream, cheese, yogurt or kefir, or as a component in any beverage, or combined in a preparation containing live microbial cultures intended to serve as probiotics, or in prebiotic preparations intended to enhance the growth of beneficial microorganisms either in vitro or in vivo. For example, the purified sugar (e.g., 2′-FL) can be mixed with a Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus in a probiotic nutritional composition. (i.e. Bifidobacteria are beneficial components of a normal human gut flora and are also known to utilize HMOS for growth.
[0046] By the terms “effective amount” and “therapeutically effective amount” of a formulation or formulation component is meant a nontoxic but sufficient amount of the formulation or component to provide the desired effect.
[0047] The transitional term “comprising,” which is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. By contrast, the transitional phrase “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim. The transitional phrase “consisting essentially of” limits the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps “and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s)” of the claimed invention.
[0048] Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, and from the claims. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All published foreign patents and patent applications cited herein are incorporated herein by reference. Genbank and NCBI submissions indicated by accession number cited herein are incorporated herein by reference. All other published references, documents, manuscripts and scientific literature cited herein are incorporated herein by reference. In the case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0049] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing the synthetic pathway of the major neutral fucosyl-oligosaccharides found in human milk.
[0050] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration showing the synthetic pathway of the major sialyloligosaccharides found in human milk.
[0051] FIG. 3 is a schematic demonstrating metabolic pathways and the changes introduced into them to engineer 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) synthesis in Escherichia coli ( E. coli ). Specifically, the lactose synthesis pathway and the GDP-fucose synthesis pathway are illustrated. In the GDP-fucose synthesis pathway: manA=phosphomannose isomerase (PMI), manB=phosphomannomutase (PMM), manC=mannose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase (GMP), gmd=GDP-mannose-4,6-dehydratase, fcl=GDP-fucose synthase (GFS), and ΔwcaJ=mutated UDP-glucose lipid carrier transferase.
[0052] FIG. 4 is a photograph of a thin layer chromatogram of purified 2′-FL produced in E. coli.
[0053] FIG. 5 is a schematic demonstrating metabolic pathways and the changes introduced into them to engineer 3′-sialyllactose (3′-SL) synthesis in E. coli . Abbreviations include: (Neu5Ac) N-acetylneuraminic acid, sialic acid; (nanT) sialic acid transporter; (ΔnanA) mutated N-acetylneuraminic acid lyase; (ManNAc) N-acetylmannosamine; (ΔnanK) mutated N-acetylmannosamine kinase; (ManNAc-6-P) N-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate; (GlcNAc-6-P) N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate; (GlcN-6-P) Glucosamine-6-phosphate; (Fruc-6-P) Fructose-6-phosphate; (neuA), CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid synthetase; (CMP-Neu5Ac) CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid; and (neuB), N-acetylneuraminic acid synthase.
[0054] FIG. 6 is a schematic demonstrating metabolic pathways and the changes introduced into them to engineer 3-fucosyllactose (3-FL) synthesis in E. coli.
[0055] FIG. 7 is a plasmid map of pG175, which expresses the E. coli α(1,2)fucosyltransferase gene wbsJ.
[0056] FIG. 8 is a photograph of a western blot of lysates of E. coli containing pG175 and expressing wbsJ, and of cells containing pG171, a pG175 derivative plasmid carrying the H. pylori 26695 futC gene in place of wbsJ and which expresses futC.
[0057] FIG. 9 is a photograph of a thin layer chromatogram of 3FL produced in E. coli containing the plasmid pG176 and induced for expression of the H. pylori 26695 α(1,3)fucosyltransferase gene futA by tryptophan addition.
[0058] FIG. 10 is a plasmid map of pG177, which contains both the H. pylori 26695 α(1,2)fucosyltransferase gene futC and the H. pylori 26695 α(1,3)fucosyltransferase gene futA, configured as an operon.
[0059] FIG. 11 is a photograph of a thin layer chromatogram of 2′-FL, 3FL, and LDFT (lactodifucotetraose) produced in E. coli , directed by plasmids pG171, pG175 (2′-FL), pG176 (3FL), and pG177 (LDFT, 2′-FL and 3FL).
[0060] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the replacement of the ion gene in E. coli strain E390 by a DNA fragment carrying both a kanamycin resistance gene (derived from transposon Tn5) and a wild-type E. coli lacZ+ coding sequence.
[0061] FIG. 13A-B is a DNA sequence with annotations (in GenBank format) of the DNA insertion into the ion region diagrammed in FIG. 12 (SEQ ID NOs 9-15).
[0062] FIG. 14 is a table containing the genotypes of several E. coli strains of the current invention.
[0063] FIG. 15 is a plasmid map of pG186, which expresses the α(1,2)fucosyltransferase gene futC in an operon with the colanic acid pathway transcription activator gene rcsB.
[0064] FIG. 16 is a photograph of a western blot of lysates of E. coli containing pG180, a pG175 derivative plasmid carrying the B. fragilis wcfW gene in place of wbsJ and which expresses wcfW, and of cells containing pG171, a pG175 derivative plasmid carrying the H. pylori 26695 futC gene in place of wbsJ and which expresses futC.
[0065] FIG. 17 is a photograph of a thin layer chromatogram of 2′-FL produced in E. coli by cells carrying plasmids pG180 or pG171 and induced for expression of wcfW or futC respectively.
[0066] FIG. 18 is a photograph of a thin layer chromatogram showing the kinetics and extent of 2′-FL production in a 10 L bioreactor of E. coli host strain E403 transformed with plasmid pG171.
[0067] FIG. 19 is a column chromatogram and a TLC analysis of the resolution on a carbon column of a sample of 2′-FL made in E. coli from a lactose impurity.
[0068] FIG. 20 is a photograph of a thin layer chromatogram showing 3′-SL in culture medium produced by E. coli strain E547, containing plasmids expressing a bacterial α(2,3)sialyltransferase and neuA, neuB and neuC.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0069] Human milk glycans, which comprise both oligosaccharides (HMOS) and their glycoconjugates, play significant roles in the protection and development of human infants, and in particular the infant gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Milk oligosaccharides found in various mammals differ greatly, and their composition in humans is unique (Hamosh M., 2001 Pediatr Clin North Am, 48:69-86; Newburg D. S., 2001 Adv Exp Med Biol, 501:3-10). Moreover, glycan levels in human milk change throughout lactation and also vary widely among individuals (Morrow A. L. et al., 2004 J Pediatr, 145:297-303; Chaturvedi P et al., 2001 Glycobiology, 11:365-372). Previously, a full exploration of the roles of HMOS was limited by the inability to adequately characterize and measure these compounds. In recent years sensitive and reproducible quantitative methods for the analysis of both neutral and acidic HMOS have been developed (Erney, R., Hilty, M., Pickering, L., Ruiz-Palacios, G., and Prieto, P. (2001) Adv Exp Med Biol 501, 285-297. Bao, Y., and Newburg, D. S. (2008) Electrophoresis 29, 2508-2515). Approximately 200 distinct oligosaccharides have been identified in human milk, and combinations of a small number of simple epitopes are responsible for this diversity (Newburg D. S., 1999 Curr Med Chem, 6:117-127; Ninonuevo M. et al., 2006 J Agric Food Chem, 54:7471-74801). HMOS are composed of 5 monosaccharides: D-glucose (Glc), D-galactose (Gal), N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), L-fucose (Fuc), and sialic acid (N-acetyl neuraminic acid, Neu5Ac, NANA). HMOS are usually divided into two groups according to their chemical structures: neutral compounds containing Glc, Gal, GlcNAc, and Fuc, linked to a lactose (Galβ1-4Glc) core, and acidic compounds including the same sugars, and often the same core structures, plus NANA (Charlwood J. et al., 1999 Anal Biochem, 273:261-277; Martifn-Sosa et al., 2003 J Dairy Sci, 86:52-59; Parkkinen J. and Finne J., 1987 Methods Enzymol, 138:289-300; Shen Z. et al., 2001 J Chromatogr A, 921:315-321). Approximately 70-80% of oligosaccharides in human milk are fucosylated, and their synthetic pathways are believed to proceed in a manner similar to those pathways shown in FIG. 1 (with the Type I and Type II subgroups beginning with different precursor molecules). A smaller proportion of the oligosaccharides in human milk are sialylated, or are both fucosylated and sialylated. FIG. 2 outlines possible biosynthetic routes for sialylated (acidic) HMOS, although their actual synthetic pathways in humans are not yet completely defined.
[0070] Interestingly, HMOS as a class, survive transit through the intestine of infants very efficiently, a function of their being poorly transported across the gut wall and of their resistance to digestion by human gut enzymes (Chaturvedi, P., Warren, C. D., Buescher, C. R., Pickering, L. K. & Newburg, D. S. Adv Exp Med Biol 501, 315-323 (2001)). One consequence of this survival in the gut is that HMOS are able to function as prebiotics, i.e. they are available to serve as an abundant carbon source for the growth of resident gut commensal microorganisms (Ward, R. E., Nifionuevo, M., Mills, D. A., Lebrilla, C. B., and German, J. B. (2007) Mol Nutr Food Res 51, 1398-1405). Recently, there is burgeoning interest in the role of diet and dietary prebiotic agents in determining the composition of the gut microflora, and in understanding the linkage between the gut microflora and human health (Roberfroid, M., Gibson, G. R., Hoyles, L, McCartney, A. L., Rastall, R., Rowland, I., Wolvers, D., Watzl, B., Szajewska, H., Stahl, B., Guarner, F., Respondek, F., Whelan, K., Coxam, V., Davicco, M. J., Léotoing, L., Wittrant, Y., Delzenne, N. M., Cani, P. D., Neyrinck, A. M., and Meheust, A. (2010) Br J Nutr 104 Suppl 2, S1-63).
[0071] A number of human milk glycans possess structural homology to cell receptors for enteropathogens, and serve roles in pathogen defense by acting as molecular receptor “decoys”. For example, pathogenic strains of Campylobacter bind specifically to glycans in human milk containing the H-2 epitope, i.e., 2′-fucosyl-N-acetyllactosamine or 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL); Campylobacter binding and infectivity are inhibited by 2′-FL and other glycans containing this H-2 epitope (Ruiz-Palacios, G. M., Cervantes, L. E., Ramos, P., Chavez-Munguia, B., and Newburg, D. S. (2003) J Biol Chem 278, 14112-14120). Similarly, some diarrheagenic E. coli pathogens are strongly inhibited in vivo by HMOS containing 2′-linked fucose moieties. Several major strains of human caliciviruses, especially the noroviruses, also bind to 2′-linked fucosylated glycans, and this binding is inhibited by human milk 2′-linked fucosylated glycans. Consumption of human milk that has high levels of these 2′-linked fucosyloligosaccharides has been associated with lower risk of norovirus, Campylobacter , ST of E. coli -associated diarrhea, and moderate-to-severe diarrhea of all causes in a Mexican cohort of breastfeeding children (Newburg D. S. et al., 2004 Glycobiology, 14:253-263; Newburg D. S. et al., 1998 Lancet, 351:1160-1164). Several pathogens are also known to utilize sialylated glycans as their host receptors, such as influenza (Couceiro, J. N., Paulson, J. C. & Baum, L G. Virus Res 29, 155-165 (1993)), parainfluenza (Amonsen, M., Smith, D. F., Cummings, R. D. & Air, G. M. J Virol 81, 8341-8345 (2007), and rotoviruses (Kuhlenschmidt, T. B., Hanafin, W. P., Gelberg, H. B. & Kuhlenschmidt, M. S. Adv Exp Med Biol 473, 309-317 (1999)). The sialyl-Lewis X epitope is used by Helicobacter pylori (Mahdavi, J., Sondén, B., Hurtig, M., Olfat, F. O., et al. Science 297, 573-578 (2002)), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Scharfman, A., Delmotte, P., Beau, J., Lamblin, G., et al. Glycoconj J 17, 735-740 (2000)), and some strains of noroviruses (Rydell, G. E., Nilsson, J., Rodriguez-Diaz, J., Ruvoën-Clouet, N., et al. Glycobiology 19, 309-320 (2009)).
[0072] While studies suggest that human milk glycans could be used as prebiotics and as antimicrobial anti-adhesion agents, the difficulty and expense of producing adequate quantities of these agents of a quality suitable for human consumption has limited their full-scale testing and perceived utility. What has been needed is a suitable method for producing the appropriate glycans in sufficient quantities at reasonable cost. Prior to the invention described herein, there were attempts to use several distinct synthetic approaches for glycan synthesis. Novel chemical approaches can synthesize oligosaccharides (Flowers, H. M. Methods Enzymol 50, 93-121 (1978); Seeberger, P. H. Chem Commun (Camb) 1115-1121 (2003)), but reactants for these methods are expensive and potentially toxic (Koeller, K. M. & Wong, C. H. Chem Rev 100, 4465-4494 (2000)). Enzymes expressed from engineered organisms (Albermann, C., Piepersberg, W. & Wehmeier, U. F. Carbohydr Res 334, 97-103 (2001); Bettler, E., Samain, E., Chazalet, V., Bosso, C., et al. Glycoconj J 16, 205-212 (1999); Johnson, K. F. Glycoconj J 16, 141-146 (1999); Palcic, M. M. Curr Opin Biotechnol 10, 616-624 (1999); Wymer, N. & Toone, E. J. Curr Opin Chem Biol 4, 110-119 (2000)) provide a precise and efficient synthesis (Palcic, M. M. Curr Opin Biotechnol 10, 616-624 (1999)); Crout, D. H. & Vic, G. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2, 98-111 (1998)), but the high cost of the reactants, especially the sugar nucleotides, limits their utility for low-cost, large-scale production. Microbes have been genetically engineered to express the glycosyltransferases needed to synthesize oligosaccharides from the bacteria's innate pool of nucleotide sugars (Endo, T., Koizumi, S., Tabata, K., Kakita, S. & Ozaki, A. Carbohydr Res 330, 439-443 (2001); Endo, T., Koizumi, S., Tabata, K. & Ozaki, A. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 53, 257-261 (2000); Endo, T. & Koizumi, S. Curr Opin Struct Biol 10, 536-541 (2000); Endo, T., Koizumi, S., Tabata, K., Kakita, S. & Ozaki, A. Carbohydr Res 316, 179-183 (1999); Koizumi, S., Endo, T., Tabata, K. & Ozaki, A. Nat Biotechnol 16, 847-850 (1998)). However, low overall product yields and high process complexity have limited the commercial utility of these approaches.
[0073] Prior to the invention described herein, which enables the inexpensive production of large quantities of neutral and acidic HMOS, it had not been possible to fully investigate the ability of this class of molecule to inhibit pathogen binding, or indeed to explore their full range of potential additional functions.
[0074] Prior to the invention described herein, chemical syntheses of HMOS were possible, but were limited by stereo-specificity issues, precursor availability, product impurities, and high overall cost (Flowers, H. M. Methods Enzymol 50, 93-121 (1978); Seeberger, P. H. Chem Commun (Camb) 1115-1121 (2003); Koeller, K. M. & Wong, C. H. Chem Rev 100, 4465-4494 (2000)). Also, prior to the invention described herein, in vitro enzymatic syntheses were also possible, but were limited by a requirement for expensive nucleotide-sugar precursors. The invention overcomes the shortcomings of these previous attempts by providing new strategies to inexpensively manufacture large quantities of human milk oligosaccharides for use as dietary supplements. The invention described herein makes use of an engineered bacterium E. coli (or other bacteria) engineered to produce 2′-FL, 3FL, LDFT, or sialylated fucosyl-oligosaccharides in commercially viable levels, for example the methods described herein enable the production of 2′-fucosylactose at >50 g/L in bioreactors.
Example 1. Engineering of E. coli to Generate Host Strains for the Production of Fucosylated Human Milk Oligosaccharides
[0075] The E. coli K12 prototroph W3110 was chosen as the parent background for fucosylated HMOS biosynthesis. This strain had previously been modified at the ampC locus by the introduction of a tryptophan-inducible P trpB -cI+ repressor construct (McCoy, J. & Lavallie, E. Current protocols in molecular biology/edited by Frederick M. Ausubel . . . [et al.](2001)), enabling economical production of recombinant proteins from the phage λP L promoter (Sanger, F., Coulson, A. R., Hong, G. F., Hill, D. F. & Petersen, G. B. J Mol Biol 162, 729-773 (1982)) through induction with millimolar concentrations of tryptophan (Mieschendahl, M., Petri, T. & Hänggi, U. Nature Biotechnology 4, 802-808 (1986)). The strain GI724, an E. coli W3110 derivative containing the tryptophan-inducible P trpB -cI+ repressor construct in ampC, was used at the basis for further E. coli strain manipulations ( FIG. 14 ).
[0076] Biosynthesis of fucosylated HMOS requires the generation of an enhanced cellular pool of both lactose and GDP-fucose ( FIG. 3 ). This enhancement was achieved in strain GI724 through several manipulations of the chromosome using) Red recombineering (Court, D. L, Sawitzke, J. A. & Thomason, L. C. Annu Rev Genet 36, 361-388 (2002)) and generalized P1 phage transduction (Thomason, L. C., Costantino, N. & Court, D. L. Mol Biol Chapter 1, Unit 1.17 (2007)). FIG. 14 is a table presenting the genotypes of several E. coli strains constructed for this invention. The ability of the E. coli host strain to accumulate intracellular lactose was first engineered in strain E183 ( FIG. 14 ) by simultaneous deletion of the endogenous β-galactosidase gene (lacZ) and the lactose operon repressor gene (lacI). During construction of this deletion in GI724 to produce E183, the lacIq promoter was placed immediately upstream of the lactose permease gene, lacY. The modified strain thus maintains its ability to transport lactose from the culture medium (via LacY), but is deleted for the wild-type copy of the lacZ (β-galactosidase) gene responsible for lactose catabolism. An intracellular lactose pool is therefore created when the modified strain is cultured in the presence of exogenous lactose.
[0077] Subsequently, the ability of the host E. coli strain to synthesize colanic acid, an extracellular capsular polysaccharide, was eliminated in strain E205 ( FIG. 14 ) by the deletion of the wcaJ gene, encoding the UDP-glucose lipid carrier transferase (Stevenson, G., Andrianopoulos, K., Hobbs, M. & Reeves, P. R. J Bacteriol 178, 4885-4893 (1996)) in strain E183. In a wcaJ null background, GDP-fucose accumulates in the E. coli cytoplasm (Dumon, C., Priem, B., Martin, S. L., Heyraud, A., et al. Glycoconj J 18, 465-474 (2001)).
[0078] A thyA (thymidylate synthase) mutation was introduced into strain E205 to produce strain E214 ( FIG. 14 ) by P1 transduction. In the absence of exogenous thymidine, thyA strains are unable to make DNA, and die. The defect can be complemented in trans by supplying a wild-type thyA gene on a multicopy plasmid (Belfort, M., Maley, G. F. & Maley, F. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 80, 1858 (1983)). This complementation is used herein as a means of plasmid maintenance (eliminating the need for a more conventional antibiotic selection scheme to maintain plasmid copy number).
[0079] One strategy for GDP-fucose production is to enhance the bacterial cell's natural synthesis capacity. For example, this is enhancement is accomplished by inactivating enzymes involved in GDP-fucose consumption, and/or by overexpressing a positive regulator protein, RcsA, in the colanic acid (a fucose-containing exopolysaccharide) synthesis pathway. Collectively, this metabolic engineering strategy re-directs the flux of GDP-fucose destined for colanic acid synthesis to oligosaccharide synthesis ( FIG. 3 ). By “GDP-fucose synthesis pathway” is meant a sequence of reactions, usually controlled and catalyzed by enzymes, which results in the synthesis of GDP-fucose. An exemplary GDP-fucose synthesis pathway in Escherichia coli as described in FIG. 3 is set forth below. In the GDP-fucose synthesis pathway set forth below, the enzymes for GDP-fucose synthesis include: 1) manA=phosphomannose isomerase (PMI), 2) manB=phosphomannomutase (PMM), 3) manC=mannose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase (GMP), 4) gmd=GDP-mannose-4,6-dehydratase (GMD), 5) fcl=GDP-fucose synthase (GFS), and 6) ΔwcaJ=mutated UDP-glucose lipid carrier transferase.
[0000] Glucose→Glc-6-P→Fru-6-P→ 1 Man-6-P→ 2 Man-1-P→GDP-Man- 4.5 GDP-Fuc 6 Colanic acid.
[0080] Specifically, the magnitude of the cytoplasmic GDP-fucose pool in strain E214 is enhanced by over-expressing the E. coli positive transcriptional regulator of colanic acid biosynthesis, RscA (Gottesman, S. & Stout, V. Mol Microbiol 5, 1599-1606 (1991)). This over-expression of RcsA is achieved by incorporating a wild-type rcsA gene, including its promoter region, onto a multicopy plasmid vector and transforming the vector into the E. coli host, e.g. into E214. This vector typically also carries additional genes, in particular one or two fucosyltransferase genes under the control of the pL promoter, and thyA and beta-lactamase genes for plasmid selection and maintenance. pG175 (SEQ ID NO: 1 and FIG. 7 ), pG176 (SEQ ID NO: 2), pG177 (SEQ ID NO: 3 and FIG. 10 ), pG171 (SEQ ID NO: 5) and pG180 (SEQ ID NO: 6) are all examples of fucosyltransferase-expressing vectors that each also carry a copy of the rcsA gene, for the purpose of increasing the intracellular GDP-fucose pool of the E. coli hosts transformed with these plasmids. Over-expression of an additional positive regulator of colanic acid biosynthesis, namely RcsB (Gupte G, Woodward C, Stout V. Isolation and characterization of rcsb mutations that affect colanic acid capsule synthesis in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol 1997, July; 179(13):4328-35.), can also be utilized, either instead of or in addition to over-expression of RcsA, to increase intracellular GDP-fucose levels. Over-expression of rcsB is also achieved by including the gene on a multi-copy expression vector. pG186 is such a vector (SEQ ID NO: 8 and FIG. 15 ). pG186 expresses rcsB in an operon with futC under pL promoter control. The plasmid also expresses rcsA, driven off its own promoter. pG186 is a derivative of pG175 in which the α(1,2) FT (wbsJ) sequence is replaced by the H. pylori futC gene (FutC is MYC-tagged at its C-terminus). In addition, at the XhoI restriction site immediately 3′ of the futC CDS, the E. coli rcsB gene is inserted, complete with a ribosome binding site at the 5′ end of the rcsB CDS, and such that futC and rcsB form an operon.
[0081] A third means to increase the intracellular GDP-fucose pool may also be employed. Colanic acid biosynthesis is increased following the introduction of a null mutation into the E. coli ion gene. Lon is an ATP-dependant intracellular protease that is responsible for degrading RcsA, mentioned above as a positive transcriptional regulator of colanic acid biosynthesis in E. coli (Gottesman, S. & Stout, V. Mol Microbiol 5, 1599-1606 (1991)). In a ion null background, RcsA is stabilized, RcsA levels increase, the genes responsible for GDP-fucose synthesis in E. coli are up-regulated, and intracellular GDP-fucose concentrations are enhanced. The ion gene was almost entirely deleted and replaced by an inserted functional, wild-type, but promoter-less E. coli lacZ + gene (Δlon::(kan, lacZ + ) in strain E214 to produce strain E390. λRed recombineering was used to perform the construction. FIG. 12 illustrates the new configuration of genes engineered at the ion locus in E390. FIG. 13A-E presents the complete DNA sequence of the region, with annotations in GenBank format. Genomic DNA sequence surrounding the lacZ+ insertion into the Ion region in E. coli strain E390 is set forth below (SEQ ID NO: 7) The ion mutation in E390 increases intracellular levels of RcsA, and enhances the intracellular GDP-fucose pool. The inserted lacZ + cassette not only knocks out ion, but also converts the lacZ − host back to both a lacZ + genotype and phenotype. The modified strain produces a minimal (albeit still readily detectable) level of β-galactosidase activity (1-2 units), which has very little impact on lactose consumption during production runs, but which is useful in removing residual lactose at the end of runs, is an easily scorable phenotypic marker for moving the ion mutation into other lacZ E. coli strains by P1 transduction, and can be used as a convenient test for cell lysis (e.g. caused by unwanted bacteriophage contamination) during production runs in the bioreactor.
[0082] The production host strain, E390 incorporates all the above genetic modifications and has the following genotype:
[0000] ampC::(P trpB λcI + ),P lacI q (ΔlacI-lacZ) 158 lacY + ,ΔwcaJ,thyA 748 ::Tn10,Δlon::(kan,lacZ + )
[0083] An additional modification of E390 that is useful for increasing the cytoplasmic pool of free lactose (and hence the final yield of 2′-FL) is the incorporation of a lacA mutation. LacA is a lactose acetyltransferase that is only active when high levels of lactose accumulate in the E. coli cytoplasm. High intracellular osmolarity (e.g., caused by a high intracellular lactose pool) can inhibit bacterial growth, and E. coli has evolved a mechanism for protecting itself from high intra cellular osmolarity caused by lactose by “tagging” excess intracellular lactose with an acetyl group using LacA, and then actively expelling the acetyl-lactose from the cell (Danchin, A. Bioessays 31, 769-773 (2009)). Production of acetyl-lactose in E. coli engineered to produce 2′-FL or other human milk oligosaccharides is therefore undesirable: it reduces overall yield. Moreover, acetyl-lactose is a side product that complicates oligosaccharide purification schemes. The incorporation of a lacA mutation resolves these problems. Strain E403 ( FIG. 14 ) is a derivative of E390 that carries a deletion of the lacA gene and thus is incapable of synthesizing acetyl-lactose.
[0084] The production host strain, E403 incorporates all the above genetic modifications and has the following genotype:
[0000] ampC::(P trpB λcI + ),P lacI q (ΔlacI-lacZ) 158 lacY + ,ΔwcaJ,thyA 748 ::Tn10,Δlon::(kan,lacZ + )ΔlacA
Example 2. 2′-FL Production at Small Scale
[0085] Various alternative α(1,2) fucosyltransferases are able to utilize lactose as a sugar acceptor and are available for the purpose of 2′-FL synthesis when expressed under appropriate culture conditions in E. coli E214, E390 or E403. For example the plasmid pG175 (ColE1, thyA+, bla+, P L2 -wbsJ, rcsA+) (SEQ ID NO: 1, FIG. 7 ) carries the wbsJ α(1,2)fucosyltransferase gene of E. coli strain O128:B12 and can direct the production of 2′-FL in E. coli strain E403. In another example plasmid pG171 (ColE1, thyA+, bla+, P L2 -futC, rcsA+) (SEQ ID NO: 5), carries the H. pylori 26695 futC α(1,2)fucosyltransferase gene (Wang, G., Rasko, D. A., Sherburne, R. & Taylor, D. E. Mol Microbiol 31, 1265-1274 (1999)) and will also direct the production of 2′-FL in strain E403. In a preferred example, the plasmid pG180 (ColE1, thyA+, bla+, P L2 -wcfW, rcsA+) (SEQ ID NO: 6) carries the previously uncharacterized Bacteriodes fragilis NCTC 9343 wcfW α(1,2)fucosyltransferase gene of the current invention and directs the production of 2′-FL in E. coli strain E403.
[0086] The addition of tryptophan to the lactose-containing growth medium of cultures of any one of the strains E214, E390 or E403, when transformed with any one of the plasmids pG171, pG175 or pG180 leads, for each particular strain/plasmid combination, to activation of the host E. coli tryptophan utilization repressor TrpR, subsequent repression of P trpB and a consequent decrease in cytoplasmic cI levels, which results in a de-repression of P L , expression of futC, wbsJ or wcfW, respectively, and production of 2′-FL. FIG. 8 is a coomassie blue-stained SDS PAGE gel of lysates of E. coli containing pG175 and expressing wbsJ, and of cells containing pG171 and expressing futC. Prominent stained protein bands running at a molecular weight of approximately 35 kDa are seen for both WbsJ and FutC at 4 and 6 h following P L induction (i.e., after addition of tryptophan). FIG. 16 is a coomassie blue-stained SDS PAGE gel of lysates of E. coli containing pG180 and expressing wcfW, and of cells containing pG171 and expressing H. pylori futC. Prominent stained bands for both WcfW and FutC are seen at a molecular weight of approximately 40 kDa at 4 and 6 h following P L induction (i.e., after addition of tryptophan to the growth medium). For 2′-FL production in small scale laboratory cultures (<100 ml) strains were grown at 30 C in a selective medium lacking both thymidine and tryptophan to early exponential phase (e.g. M9 salts, 0.5% glucose, 0.4% casaminoacids). Lactose was then added to a final concentration of 0.5 or 1%, along with tryptophan (200 μM final) to induce expression of the α(1,2) fucosyltransferase, driven from the P L promoter. At the end of the induction period (˜24 h) TLC analysis was performed on aliquots of cell-free culture medium, or of heat extracts of cells (treatments at 98 C for 10 min, to release sugars contained within the cell). FIG. 11 shows a TLC analysis of cytoplasmic extracts of engineered E. coli cells transformed with pG175 or pG171. Cells were induced to express wbsJ or futC, respectively, and grown in the presence of lactose. The production of 2′-FL can clearly be seen in heat extracts of cells carrying either plasmid. FIG. 17 shows a TLC analysis of cytoplasmic extracts of engineered E. coli cells transformed with pG180 or pG171. Cells were induced to express wcfW or futC, respectively, and grown in the presence of lactose. The production of 2′-FL can clearly be seen with both plasmids. Prior to the present invention the wcfW gene had never been shown to encode a protein with demonstrated α(1,2) fucosyltransferase activity, or to utilize lactose as a sugar acceptor substrate.
[0087] The DNA sequence of the Bacteroides fragilis strain NCTC 9343 wcfW gene (protein coding sequence) is set forth below (SEQ ID NO: 4).
Example 3. 2′-FL Production in the Bioreactor
[0088] 2′-FL can be produced in the bioreactor by any one of the host E. coli strains E214, E390 or E403, when transformed with any one of the plasmids pG171, pG175 or pG180. Growth of the transformed strain is performed in a minimal medium in a bioreactor, 10 L working volume, with control of dissolved oxygen, pH, lactose substrate, antifoam and nutrient levels. Minimal “FERM” medium is used in the bioreactor, which is detailed below.
[0000] Ferm (10 liters): Minimal medium comprising:
40 g (NH 4 ) 2 HPO 4 100 g KH 2 PO 4 10 g MgSO 4 .7H 2 O 40 g NaOH Trace elements: 1.3 g NTA 0.5 g FeSO 4 .7H 2 O 0.09 g MnCl 2 .4H 2 O 0.09 g ZnSO 4 .7H 2 O 0.01 g CoCl 2 .6H 2 O 0.01 g CuCl 2 .2H 2 O 0.02 g H 3 BO 3 0.01 g Na 2 MoO 4 .2H 2 O (pH 6.8) Water to 10 liters DF204 antifoam (0.1 ml/L) 150 g glycerol (initial batch growth), followed by fed batch mode with a 90% glycerol-1% MgSO 4 -1× trace elements feed, at various rates for various times.
[0105] Production cell densities of A 600 >100 are routinely achieved in these bioreactor runs. Briefly, a small bacterial culture is grown overnight in “FERM”—in the absence of either antibiotic or exogenous thymidine. The overnight culture (@˜2 A 600 ) is used to inoculate a bioreactor (10 L working volume, containing “FERM”) to an initial cell density of ˜0.2 A 600 . Biomass is built up in batch mode at 30° C. until the glycerol is exhausted (A 600 ˜20), and then a fed batch phase is initiated utilizing glycerol as the limiting carbon source. At A 600 ˜ 30, 0.2 g/L tryptophan is added to induce α(1,2) fucosyltransferase synthesis. An initial bolus of lactose is also added at this time. 5 hr later, a continuous slow feed of lactose is started in parallel to the glycerol feed. These conditions are continued for 48 hr (2′-FL production phase). At the end of this period, both the lactose and glycerol feeds are terminated, and the residual glycerol and lactose are consumed over a final fermentation period, prior to harvest. 2′-FL accumulates in the spent fermentation medium at concentrations as much as 30 times higher than in the cytoplasm. The specific yield in the spent medium varies between 10 and 50 g/L, depending on precise growth and induction conditions. FIG. 18 is a TLC of culture medium samples removed from a bioreactor at various times during a 2′-FL production run utilizing plasmid pG171 transformed into strain E403. All of the input lactose was converted to product by the end of the run, and product yield was approximately 25 g/L 2′-FL.
Example 4. 2′-Fucosyllactose Purification
[0106] 2′-FL purification from E. coli fermentation broth is accomplished though five steps:
1. Clarification
[0107] Fermentation broth is harvested and cells removed by sedimentation in a preparative centrifuge at 6000×g for 30 min. Each bioreactor run yields about 5-7 L of partially clarified supernatant. Clarified supernatants have a brown/orange coloration attributed to a fraction of caramelized sugars produced during the course of the fermentation, particularly by side-reactions promoted by the ammonium ions present in the fermentation medium.
2. Product Capture on Coarse Carbon
[0108] A column packed with coarse carbon (Calgon 12×40 TR) of ˜1000 ml volume (dimension 5 cm diameter×60 cm length) is equilibrated with 1 column volume (CV) of water and loaded with clarified culture supernatant at a flow rate of 40 ml/min. This column has a total capacity of about 120 g of sugar (lactose). Following loading and sugar capture, the column is washed with 1.5 CV of water, then eluted with 2.5 CV of 50% ethanol or 25% isopropanol (lower concentrations of ethanol at this step (25-30%) may be sufficient for product elution). This solvent elution step releases about 95% of the total bound sugars on the column and a small portion of the color bodies (caramels). In this first step capture of the maximal amount of sugar is the primary objective. Resolution of contaminants is not an objective. The column can be regenerated with a 5 CV wash with water.
3. Evaporation
[0109] A volume of 2.5 L of ethanol or isopropanol eluate from the capture column is rotary-evaporated at 56 C and a sugar syrup in water is generated (this typically is a yellow-brown color). Alternative methods that could be used for this step include lyophilization or spray-drying.
4. Flash Chromatography on Fine Carbon and Ion Exchange Media
[0110] A column (GE Healthcare HiScale50/40, 5×40 cm, max pressure 20 bar) connected to a Biotage Isolera One FLASH Chromatography System is packed with 750 ml of a Darco Activated Carbon G60 (100-mesh): Celite 535 (coarse) 1:1 mixture (both column packings obtained from Sigma). The column is equilibrated with 5 CV of water and loaded with sugar from step 3 (10-50 g, depending on the ratio of 2′-FL to contaminating lactose), using either a celite loading cartridge or direct injection. The column is connected to an evaporative light scattering (ELSD) detector to detect peaks of eluting sugars during the chromatography. A four-step gradient of isopropanol, ethanol or methanol is run in order to separate 2′-FL from monosaccharides (if present), lactose and color bodies. e.g., for B=ethanol: Step 1, 2.5 CV 0% B; Step 2, 4 CV 10% B (elutes monosaccharides and lactose contaminants); step 3, 4 CV 25% B (Elutes 2′-FL); step 4, 5 CV 50% B (elutes some of the color bodies and partially regenerates the column). Additional column regeneration is achieved using methanol @ 50% and isopropanol @ 50%. Fractions corresponding to sugar peaks are collected automatically in 120-ml bottles, pooled and directed to step 5. In certain purification runs from longer-than-normal fermentations, passage of the 2′-FL-containing fraction through anion-exchange and cation exchange columns can remove excess protein/DNA/caramel body contaminants. Resins tested successfully for this purpose are Dowex 22 and Toyopearl Mono-Q, for the anion exchanger, and Dowex 88 for the cation exchanger. Mixed bed Dowex resins have proved unsuitable as they tend to adsorb sugars at high affinity via hydrophobic interactions. FIG. 19 illustrates the performance of Darco G60:celite 1:1 in separating lactose from 2′-fucoyllactose when used in Flash chromatography mode.
5. Evaporation/Lyophilization
[0111] 3.0 L of 25% B solvent fractions is rotary-evaporated at 56 C until dry. Clumps of solid sugar are re-dissolved in a minimum amount of water, the solution frozen, and then lyophilized. A white, crystalline, sweet powder (2′-FL) is obtained at the end of the process. 2′-FL purity obtained lies between 95 and 99%.
[0112] Sugars are routinely analyzed for purity by spotting 1 μl aliquots on aluminum-backed silica G60 Thin Layer Chromatography plates (10×20 cm; Macherey-Nagel). A mixture of LDFT (Rf=0.18), 2′-FL (Rf=0.24), lactose (Rf=0.30), trehalose (Rf=0.32), acetyl-lactose (Rf=0.39) and fucose (Rf=0.48) (5 g/L concentration for each sugar) is run alongside as standards. The plates are developed in a 50% butanol:25% acetic acid:25% water solvent until the front is within 1 cm from the top. Improved sugar resolution can be obtained by performing two sequential runs, drying the plate between runs. Sugar spots are visualized by spraying with α-naphtol in a sulfuric acid-ethanol solution (2.4 g α-naphtol in 83% (v/v) ethanol, 10.5% (v/v) sulfuric acid) and heating at 120 C for a few minutes. High molecular weight contaminants (DNA, protein, caramels) remain at the origin, or form smears with Rfs lower than LDFT.
Example 5. 3FL Production
[0113] Any one of E. coli host strains E214, E390 or E403, when transformed with a plasmid expressing an α(1,3)fucosyltransferase capable of using lactose as the sugar acceptor substrate, will produce the human milk oligosaccharide product, 3-fucosyllactose (3FL). FIG. 9 illustrates the pathways utilized in engineered strains of E. coli of this invention to achieve production of 3FL. For example, the plasmid pG176 (ColE1, thyA+, bla+, P L2 -futA, rcsA+) (SEQ ID NO: 2), is a derivative of pG175 in which the α(1,2) FT (wbsJ) sequence is replaced by the Helicobacter pylori futA gene (Dumon, C., Bosso, C., Utille, J. P., Heyraud, A. & Samain, E. Chembiochem 7, 359-365 (2006)). pG176 will direct the production of 3FL when transformed into any one of the host E. coli strains E214, E390 or E403. FIG. 11 shows a TLC analysis of 3FL production from E403 transformed with pG176. Additionally there are several other related bacterial-type α(1,3)-fucosyltransferases identified in Helicobacter pylori which could be used to direct synthesis of 3FL, e.g., “11639 FucTa” (Ge, Z., Chan, N. W., Palcic, M. M. & Taylor, D. E. J Biol Chem 272, 21357-21363 (1997); Martin, S. L., Edbrooke, M. R., Hodgman, T. C., van den Eijnden, D. H. & Bird, M. I. J Biol Chem 272, 21349-21356 (1997)) and “UA948 FucTa” (Rasko, D. A., Wang, G., Palcic, M. M. & Taylor, D. E. J Biol Chem 275, 4988-4994 (2000)). In addition to α(1,3)-fucosyltransferases from H. pylori , an α(1,3)fucosyltransferase (Hh0072, sequence accession AAP76669) isolated from Helicobacter hepaticus exhibits activity towards both non-sialylated and sialylated Type 2 oligosaccharide acceptor substrates (Zhang, L., Lau, K., Cheng, J., Yu, H., et al. Glycobiology (2010)). Furthermore, there are several additional bacterial α(1,3)-fucosyltransferases that may be used to make 3FL according to the methods of this invention. For example, close homologs of Hh0072 are found in H. H. bilis (HRAG_01092 gene, sequence accession EEO24035), and in C. jejuni (C1336_000250319 gene, sequence accession EFC31050).
[0114] 3FL biosynthesis is performed as described above for 2′-FL, either at small scale in culture tubes and culture flasks, or in a bioreactor (10 L working volume) utilizing control of dissolved oxygen, pH, lactose substrate, antifoam and carbon:nitrogen balance. Cell densities of A 600 ˜100 are reached in the bioreacter, and specific 3FL yields of up to 3 g/L have been achieved. Approximately half of the 3FL produced is found in the culture supernatant, and half inside the cells. Purification of 3FL from E. coli culture supernatants is achieved using an almost identical procedure to that described above for 2′-FL. The only substantive difference being that 3FL elutes from carbon columns at lower alcohol concentrations than does 2′-FL.
Example 6. The Simultaneous Production of Human Milk Oligosaccharides 2′-Fucosyllactose (2′-FL), 3-Fucosyllactose (3FL), and Lactodifucohexaose (LDFT) in E. coli
[0115] E. coli strains E214, E390 and E403 accumulate cytoplasmic pools of both lactose and GDP-fucose, as discussed above, and when transformed with plasmids expressing either an α(1,2) fucosyltransferase or an α(1,3) fucosyltransferase can synthesize the human milk oligosaccharides 2′-FL or 3FL respectively. The tetrasaccharide lactodifucotetrose (LDFT) is another major fucosylated oligosaccharide found in human milk, and contains both α(1,2)- and α(1,3)-linked fucose residues. pG177 ( FIG. 10 , SEQ ID NO: 3) is a derivative of pG175 in which the wbsJ gene is replaced by a two gene operon comprising the Helicobacter pylori futA gene and the Helicobacter pylori futC gene (i.e., an operon containing both an α(1,3)- and α(1,2)-fucosyltransferase). E. coli strains E214, E390 and E403 produce LDFT when transformed with plasmid pG177 and grown, either in small scale or in the bioreactor, as described above. In FIG. 11 (lanes pG177), LDFT made in E. coli , directed by pG177, was observed on analysis of cell extracts by thin layer chromatography.
Example 7. 3′-SL Synthesis in the E. coli Cytoplasm
[0116] The first step in the production of 3′-sialyllactose (3′-SL) in E. coli is generation of a host background strain that accumulates cytoplasmic pools of both lactose and CMP-Neu5Ac (CMP-sialic acid). Accumulation of cytoplasmic lactose is achieved through growth on lactose and inactivation of the endogenous E. coli β-galactosidase gene (lacZ), being careful to minimize polarity effects on lacY, the lac permease. This accumulation of a lactose pool has already been accomplished and is described above in E. coli hosts engineered for 2′-FL, 3FL and LDFT production.
[0117] Specifically, a scheme to generate a cytoplasmic CMP-Neu5Ac pool, modified from methods known in the art, (e.g., Ringenberg, M., Lichtensteiger, C. & Vimr, E. Glycobiology 11, 533-539 (2001); Fierfort, N. & Samain, E. J Biotechnol 134, 261-265 (2008)), is shown in FIG. 5 . Under this scheme, the E. coli K12 sialic acid catabolic pathway is first ablated through introduction of null mutations in endogenous nanA (N-acetylneuraminate lyase) and nanK (N-acetylmannosamine kinase) genes. By “sialic acid catabolic pathway” is meant a sequence of reactions, usually controlled and catalyzed by enzymes, which results in the degradation of sialic acid. An exemplary sialic acid catabolic pathway in Escherichia coli is set forth in FIG. 5 . In the sialic acid catabolic pathway in FIG. 5 , sialic acid (Neu5Ac; N-acetylneuraminic acid) is degraded by the enzymes NanA (N-acetylneuraminic acid lyase) and NanK (N-acetylmannosamine kinase). Other abbreviations for the sialic acid catabolic pathway in FIG. 5 include: (nanT) sialic acid transporter; (AnanA) mutated N-acetylneuraminic acid lyase; (AnanK) mutated N-acetylmannosamine kinase; (ManNAc-6-P) N-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate; (GlcNAc-6-P) N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate; (GlcN-6-P) Glucosamine-6-phosphate; (Fruc-6-P) Fructose-6-phosphate; (neuA), CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid synthetase; (CMP-Neu5Ac) CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid; and (neuB), N-acetylneuraminic acid synthase.
[0118] Next, since E. coli K12 lacks a de novo sialic acid synthesis pathway, sialic acid synthetic capability is introduced through the provision of three recombinant enzymes; a UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase (e.g., neuC), a Neu5Ac synthase (e.g., neuB) and a CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase (e.g., neuA). Equivalent genes from C. jejuni, E. coli K1 , H. influenzae or from N. meningitides can be utilized (interchangeably) for this purpose.
[0119] The addition of sialic acid to the 3′ position of lactose to generate 3′-sialyllactose is then achieved utilizing a bacterial-type α(2,3)sialyltransferase, and numerous candidate genes have been described, including those from N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae (Gilbert, M., Watson, D. C., Cunningham, A. M., Jennings, M. P., et al. J Biol Chem 271, 28271-28276 (1996); Gilbert, M., Cunningham, A. M., Watson, D. C., Martin, A., et al. Eur J Biochem 249, 187-194 (1997)). The Neisseria enzymes are already known to use lactose as an acceptor sugar. The recombinant N. meningitidis enzyme generates 3′-sialyllactose in engineered E. coli (Fierfort, N. & Samain, E. J Biotechnol 134, 261-265 (2008)). FIG. 20 shows a TLC analysis of culture media taken from a culture of E. coli strain E547 (ampC::(Pr trpB λcI + ), P lacI q (ΔlacI-lacZ) 158 lacY + , ΔacA, Δnan) and carrying plasmids expressing neuA,B,C and a bacterial-type α(2,3)sialyltransferase. The presence of 3′-sialylactose (3′-SL) in the culture media is clearly seen.
Example 8. The Production of Human Milk Oligosaccharide 3′-Sialyl-3-Fucosyllactose (3′-S3FL) in E. coli
[0120] Prior to the invention described herein, it was unpredictable that a combination of any particular fucosyltransferase gene and any particular sialyl-transferase gene in the same bacterial strain could produce 3′-S3FL. Described below are results demonstrating that the combination of a fucosyltransferase gene and a sialyl-transferase gene in the same Lac + E. coli strain resulted in the production of 3′-S3FL. These unexpected results are likely due to the surprisingly relaxed substrate specificity of the particular fucosyltransferase and sialyl-transferase enzymes utilzied.
[0121] Humans synthesize the sialyl-Lewis X epitope utilizing different combinations of six α(1,3)fucosyl- and six α(2,3)sialyl-transferases encoded in the human genome (de Vries, T., Knegtel, R. M., Holmes, E. H. & Macher, B. A. Glycobiology 11, 119R-128R (2001); Taniguchi, A. Curr Drug Targets 9, 310-316 (2008)). These sugar transferases differ not only in their tissue expression patterns, but also in their acceptor specificities. For example, human myeloid-type α(1,3) fucosyltransferase (FUT IV) will fucosylate Type 2 (Galβ1->4Glc/GlcNAc) chain-based acceptors, but only if they are non-sialylated. In contrast “plasma-type” α(1,3) fucosyltansferase (FUT VI) will utilize Type 2 acceptors whether or not they are sialylated, and the promiscuous “Lewis” α(1,3/4) fucosyltransferase (FUT III), found in breast and kidney, will act on sialylated and non-sialylated Type 1 (Galβ1->3GlcNAc) and Type 2 acceptors (Easton, E. W., Schiphorst, W. E., van Drunen, E., van der Schoot, C. E. & van den Eijnden, D. H. Blood 81, 2978-2986 (1993)). A similar situation exists for the family of human □ α(2,3)sialyl-transferases, with different enzymes exhibiting major differences in acceptor specificity (Legaigneur, P., Breton, C., El Battari, A., Guillemot, J. C., et al. J Biol Chem 276, 21608-21617 (2001); Jeanneau, C., Chazalet, V., Augé, C., Soumpasis, D. M., et al. J Biol Chem 279, 13461-13468 (2004)). This diversity in acceptor specificity highlights a key issue in the synthesis of 3′-sialyl-3-fucosyllactose (3′-S3FL) in E. coli , i.e., to identify a suitable combination of fucosyl- and sialyl-transferases capable of acting cooperatively to synthesize 3′-S3FL (utilizing lactose as the initial acceptor sugar). However, since human and all other eukaryotic fucosyl- and sialyl-transferases are secreted proteins located in the lumen of the golgi, they are poorly suited for the task of 3′-S3FL biosynthesis in the bacterial cytoplasm.
[0122] Several bacterial pathogens are known to incorporate fucosylated and/or sialylated sugars into their cell envelopes, typically for reasons of host mimicry and immune evasion. For example; both Neisseria meningitides and Campylobacter jejuni are able to incorporate sialic acid through 2,3-linkages to galactose moieties in their capsular lipooligosaccharide (LOS) (Tsai, C. M., Kao, G. & Zhu, P. I Infection and Immunity 70, 407 (2002); Gilbert, M., Brisson, J. R., Karwaski, M. F., Michniewicz, J., et al. J Biol Chem 275, 3896-3906 (2000)), and some strains of E. coli incorporate α(1,2) fucose groups into lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (Li, M., Liu, X. W., Shao, J., Shen, J., et al. Biochemistry 47, 378-387 (2008); Li, M., Shen, J., Liu, X., Shao, J., et al. Biochemistry 47, 11590-11597 (2008)). Certain strains of Helicobacter pylori are able not only to incorporate α(2,3)-sialyl-groups, but also α(1,2)-, α(1,3)-, and α(1,4)-fucosyl-groups into LPS, and thus can display a broad range of human Lewis-type epitopes on their cell surface (Moran, A. P. Carbohydr Res 343, 1952-1965 (2008)). Most bacterial sialyl- and fucosyl-transferases operate in the cytoplasm, i.e., they are better suited to the methods described herein than are eukaryotic golgi-localized sugar transferases.
[0123] Strains of E. coli engineered to express the transferases described above accumulate a cytoplasmic pool of lactose, as well as an additional pool of either the nucleotide sugar GDP-fucose, or the nucleotide sugar CMP-Neu5Ac (CMP-sialic acid). Addition of these sugars to the lactose acceptor is performed in these engineered hosts using candidate recombinant α(1,3)-fucosyl- or α(2,3)-sialyl-transferases, generating 3-fucosyllactose and 3′-sialyllactose respectively. Finally, the two synthetic capabilities are combined into a single E. coli strain to produce 3′-S3FL.
[0124] An E. coli strain that accumulates cytoplasmic pools of both lactose and GDP-fucose has been developed. This strain, when transformed with a plasmid over-expressing an α(1,2)fucosyltransferase, produces 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) at levels of ˜10-50 g/L of bacterial culture medium. A substitution of the α(1,2) fucosyltransferase in this host with an appropriate α(1,3) fucosyltransferase leads to the production of 3-fucosyllactose (3FL). The bacterial α(1,3) fucosyltransferase then works in conjunction with a bacterial α(2,3)sialyltransferase to make the desired product, 3′-S3FL.
[0125] An α(1,3)fucosyltransferase (Hh0072) isolated from Helicobacter hepaticus exhibits activity towards both non-sialylated and sialylated Type 2 oligosaccharide acceptor substrates (Zhang, L., Lau, K., Cheng, J., Yu, H., et al. Glycobiology (2010)). This enzyme is cloned, expressed, and evaluated to measure utilization of a lactose acceptor and to evaluate production of 3FL in the context of the current GDP-fucose-producing E. coli host. Hh0072 is also tested in concert with various bacterial α(2,3)sialyltransferases for its competence in 3′-S3FL synthesis. As alternatives to Hh0072, there are two characterized homologous bacterial-type 3-fucosyltransferases identified in Helicobacter pylori, “ 11639 FucTa” (Ge, Z., Chan, N. W., Palcic, M. M. & Taylor, D. E. J Biol Chem 272, 21357-21363 (1997); Martin, S. L., Edbrooke, M. R., Hodgman, T. C., van den Eijnden, D. H. & Bird, M. I. J Biol Chem 272, 21349-21356 (1997)) and “UA948 FucTa” (Rasko, D. A., Wang, G., Palcic, M. M. & Taylor, D. E. J Biol Chem 275, 4988-4994 (2000)). These two paralogs exhibit differing acceptor specificities, “11639 FucTa” utilizes only Type 2 acceptors and is a strict α(1,3)-fucosyltransferase, whereas “UA948 FucTa” has relaxed acceptor specificity (utilizing both Type1 and Type 2 acceptors) and is able to generate both α(1,3)- and α(1,4)-fucosyl linkages. The precise molecular basis of this difference in specificity was determined (Ma, B., Lau, L. H., Palcic, M. M., Hazes, B. & Taylor, D. E. J Biol Chem 280, 36848-36856 (2005)), and characterization of several additional α(1,3)-fucosyltransferase paralogs from a variety of additional H. pylori strains revealed significant strain-to-strain acceptor specificity diversity.
[0126] In addition to the enzymes from H. pylori and H. hepaticus , other bacterial α(1,3)-fucosyltransferases are optionally used. For example, close homologs of Hh0072 are found in H. bilis (HRAG_01092 gene, sequence accession EEO24035), and in C. jejuni (C1336_000250319 gene, sequence accession EFC31050).
[0127] Described below is 3′-S3FL synthesis in E. coli . The first step towards this is to combine into a single E. coli strain the 3-fucosyllactose synthetic ability, outlined above, with the ability to make 3′-sialyllactose, also outlined above. All of the chromosomal genetic modifications discussed above are introduced into a new host strain, which will then simultaneously accumulate cytoplasmic pools of the 3 specific precursors; lactose, GDP-fucose and CMP-Neu5Ac. This “combined” strain background is then used to host simultaneous production of an α(1,3)fucosyltransferase with an α(2,3)sialyltransferase, with gene expression driven either off two compatible multicopy plasmids or with both enzyme genes positioned on the same plasmid as an artificial operon. Acceptor specificities for some of the bacterial α(1,3)fucosyltransferases and α(2,3)sialyltransferases, particularly with respect to fucosylation of 3′-sialyllactose and sialylation of 3-fucosyllactose and different combinations of α(1,3)fucosyltransferase and α(2,3)sialyltransferase enzymes are evaluated. Production levels and ratios of 3′-SL, 3FL and 3′-S3FL are monitored, e.g., by TLC, with confirmation of identity by NMR and accurate quantitation either by calibrated mass spectrometry utilizing specific ion monitoring, or by capillary electrophoresis (Bao, Y., Zhu, L. & Newburg, D. S. Simultaneous quantification of sialyloligosaccharides from human milk by capillary electrophoresis. Anal Biochem 370, 206-214 (2007)).
[0128] The sequences corresponding to the SEQ ID NOs described herein are provided below.
[0129] The sequence of PG175 is set forth below (SEQ ID NO: 1):
[0000]
TCGCGCGTTTCGGTGATGACGGTGAAAACCTCTGACACATGCAGCTCCCGGAGACGGTCACAGCTTGTCTGTAAG
CGGATGCCGGGAGCAGACAAGCCCGTCAGGGCGCGTCAGCGGGTGTTGGCGGGTGTCGGGGCTGGCTTAACTATG
CGGCATCAGAGCAGATTGTACTGAGAGTGCACCATATATGCGGTGTGAAATACCGCACAGATGCGTAAGGAGAAA
ATACCGCATCAGGCGCCTCCTCAACCTGTATATTCGTAAACCACGCCCAATGGGAGCTGTCTCAGGTTTGTTCCT
GATTGGTTACGGCGCGTTTCGCATCATTGTTGAGTTTTTCCGCCAGCCCGACGCGCAGTTTACCGGTGCCTGGGT
GCAGTACATCAGCATGGGGCAAATTCTTTCCATCCCGATGATTGTCGCGGGTGTGATCATGATGGTCTGGGCATA
TCGTCGCAGCCCACAGCAACACGTTTCCTGAGGAACCATGAAACAGTATTTAGAACTGATGCAAAAAGTGCTCGA
CGAAGGCACACAGAAAAACGACCGTACCGGAACCGGAACGCTTTCCATTTTTGGTCATCAGATGCGTTTTAACCT
GCAAGATGGATTCCCGCTGGTGACAACTAAACGTTGCCACCTGCGTTCCATCATCCATGAACTGCTGTGGTTTCT
GCAGGGCGACACTAACATTGCTTATCTACACGAAAACAATGTCACCATCTGGGACGAATGGGCCGATGAAAACGG
CGACCTCGGGCCAGTGTATGGTAAACAGTGGCGCGCCTGGCCAACGCCAGATGGTCGTCATATTGACCAGATCAC
TACGGTACTGAACCAGCTGAAAAACGACCCGGATTCGCGCCGCATTATTGTTTCAGCGTGGAACGTAGGCGAACT
GGATAAAATGGCGCTGGCACCGTGCCATGCATTCTTCCAGTTCTATGTGGCAGACGGCAAACTCTCTTGCCAGCT
TTATCAGCGCTCCTGTGACGTCTTCCTCGGCCTGCCGTTCAACATTGCCAGCTACGCGTTATTGGTGCATATGAT
GGCGCAGCAGTGCGATCTGGAAGTGGGTGATTTTGTCTGGACCGGTGGCGACACGCATCTGTACAGCAACCATAT
GGATCAAACTCATCTGCAATTAAGCCGCGAACCGCGTCCGCTGCCGAAGTTGATTATCAAACGTAAACCCGAATC
CATCTTCGACTACCGTTTCGAAGACTTTGAGATTGAAGGCTACGATCCGCATCCGGGCATTAAAGCGCCGGTGGC
TATCTAATTACGAAACATCCTGCCAGAGCCGACGCCAGTGTGCGTCGGTTTTTTTACCCTCCGTTAAATTCTTCG
AGACGCCTTCCCGAAGGCGCCATTCGCCATTCAGGCTGCGCAACTGTTGGGAAGGGCGATCGGTGCGGGCCTCTT
CGCTATTACGCCAGCTGGCGAAAGGGGGATGTGCTGCAAGGCGATTAAGTTGGGTAACGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGT
CACGACGTTGTAAAACGACGGCCAGTGCCAAGCTTTCTTTAATGAAGCAGGGCATCAGGACGGTATCTTTGTGGA
GAAAGCAGAGTAATCTTATTCAGCCTGACTGGTGGGAAACCACCAGTCAGAATGTGTTAGCGCATGTTGACAAAA
ATACCATTAGTCACATTATCCGTCAGTCGGACGACATGGTAGATAACCTGTTTATTATGCGTTTTGATCTTACGT
TTAATATTACCTTTATGCGATGAAACGGTCTTGGCTTTGATATTCATTTGGTCAGAGATTTGAATGGTTCCCTGA
CCTGCCATCCACATTCGCAACATACTCGATTCGGTTCGGCTCAATGATAACGTCGGCATATTTAAAAACGAGGTT
ATCGTTGTCTCTTTTTTCAGAATATCGCCAAGGATATCGTCGAGAGATTCCGGTTTAATCGATTTAGAACTGATC
AATAAATTTTTTCTGACCAATAGATATTCATCAAAATGAACATTGGCAATTGCCATAAAAACGATAAATAACGTA
TTGGGATGTTGATTAATGATGAGCTTGATACGCTGACTGTTAGAAGCATCGTGGATGAAACAGTCCTCATTAATA
AACACCACTGAAGGGCGCTGTGAATCACAAGCTATGGCAAGGTCATCAACGGTTTCAATGTCGTTGATTTCTCTT
TTTTTAACCCCTCTACTCAACAGATACCCGGTTAAACCTAGTCGGGTGTAACTACATAAATCCATAATAATCGTT
GACATGGCATACCCTCACTCAATGCGTAACGATAATTCCCCTTACCTGAATATTTCATCATGACTAAACGGAACA
ACATGGGTCACCTAATGCGCCACTCTCGCGATTTTTCAGGCGGACTTACTATCCCGTAAAGTGTTGTATAATTTG
CCTGGAATTGTCTTAAAGTAAAGTAAATGTTGCGATATGTGAGTGAGCTTAAAACAAATATTTCGCTGCAGGAGT
ATCCTGGAAGATGTTCGTAGAAGCTTACTGCTCACAAGAAAAAAGGCACGTCATCTGACGTGCCTTTTTTATTTG
TACTACCCTGTACGATTACTGCAGCTCGAGTTATTATAATTTTACCCACGATTCGGGAATAATATCATGTTTAAT
ATCTTTCTTAAACCATTTACTCGGAGCAATTACTGTTTTATTTTTATTTTCATTTAACCAAGCAGCCCACCAACT
GAAAGAACTATTTGAAATTATATTATTTTTACATTTACTCATAAGCAGCATATCTAATTCAACATGATAAGCATC
ACCTTGAACAAAACATATTTGATTATTAAAAAATATATTTTCCCTGCACCACTTTATATCATCAGAAAAAATGAA
GAGAAGGGTTTTTTTATTAATAACACCTTTATTCATCAAATAATCAATGGCACGTTCAAAATATTTTTCACTACA
TGTGCCATGAGTTTCATTTGCTATTTTACTGGAAACATAATCACCTCTTCTAATATGTAATGAACAAGTATCATT
TTCTTTAATTAAATTAAGCAATTCATTTTGATAACTATTAAACTTGGTTTTAGGTTGAAATTCCTTTATCAACTC
ATGCCTAAATTCCTTAAAATATTTTTCAGTTTGAAAATAACCGACGATTTTTTTATTTATACTTTTGGTATCAAT
ATCTGGATCATACTCTAAACTTTTCTCAACGTAATGCTTTCTGAACATTCCTTTTTTCATGAAATGTGGGATTTT
TTCGGAAAATAAGTATTTTTCAAATGGCCATGCTTTTTTTACAAATTCTGAACTACAAGATAATTCAACTAATCT
TAATGGATGAGTTTTATATTTTACTGCATCAGATATATCAACAGTCAAATTTTGATGAGTTCTTTTTGCAATAGC
AAATGCAGTTGCATACTGAAACATTTGATTACCAAGACCACCAATAATTTTAACTTCCATATGTATATCTCCTTC
TTCTAGAATTCTAAAAATTGATTGAATGTATGCAAATAAATGCATACACCATAGGTGTGGTTTAATTTGATGCCC
TTTTTCAGGGCTGGAATGTGTAAGAGCGGGGTTATTTATGCTGTTGTTTTTTTGTTACTCGGGAAGGGCTTTACC
TCTTCCGCATAAACGCTTCCATCAGCGTTTATAGTTAAAAAAATCTTTCGGAACTGGTTTTGCGCTTACCCCAAC
CAACAGGGGATTTGCTGCTTTCCATTGAGCCTGTTTCTCTGCGCGACGTTCGCGGCGGCGTGTTTGTGCATCCAT
CTGGATTCTCCTGTCAGTTAGCTTTGGTGGTGTGTGGCAGTTGTAGTCCTGAACGAAAACCCCCCGCGATTGGCA
CATTGGCAGCTAATCCGGAATCGCACTTACGGCCAATGCTTCGTTTCGTATCACACACCCCAAAGCCTTCTGCTT
TGAATGCTGCCCTTCTTCAGGGCTTAATTTTTAAGAGCGTCACCTTCATGGTGGTCAGTGCGTCCTGCTGATGTG
CTCAGTATCACCGCCAGTGGTATTTATGTCAACACCGCCAGAGATAATTTATCACCGCAGATGGTTATCTGTATG
TTTTTTATATGAATTTATTTTTTGCAGGGGGGCATTGTTTGGTAGGTGAGAGATCAATTCTGCATTAATGAATCG
GCCAACGCGCGGGGAGAGGCGGTTTGCGTATTGGGCGCTCTTCCGCTTCCTCGCTCACTGACTCGCTGCGCTCGG
TCGTTCGGCTGCGGCGAGCGGTATCAGCTCACTCAAAGGCGGTAATACGGTTATCCACAGAATCAGGGGATAACG
CAGGAAAGAACATGTGAGCAAAAGGCCAGCAAAAGGCCAGGAACCGTAAAAAGGCCGCGTTGCTGGCGTTTTTCC
ATAGGCTCCGCCCCCCTGACGAGCATCACAAAAATCGACGCTCAAGTCAGAGGTGGCGAAACCCGACAGGACTAT
AAAGATACCAGGCGTTTCCCCCTGGAAGCTCCCTCGTGCGCTCTCCTGTTCCGACCCTGCCGCTTACCGGATACC
TGTCCGCCTTTCTCCCTTCGGGAAGCGTGGCGCTTTCTCATAGCTCACGCTGTAGGTATCTCAGTTCGGTGTAGG
TCGTTCGCTCCAAGCTGGGCTGTGTGCACGAACCCCCCGTTCAGCCCGACCGCTGCGCCTTATCCGGTAACTATC
GTCTTGAGTCCAACCCGGTAAGACACGACTTATCGCCACTGGCAGCAGCCACTGGTAACAGGATTAGCAGAGCGA
GGTATGTAGGCGGTGCTACAGAGTTCTTGAAGTGGTGGCCTAACTACGGCTACACTAGAAGGACAGTATTTGGTA
TCTGCGCTCTGCTGAAGCCAGTTACCTTCGGAAAAAGAGTTGGTAGCTCTTGATCCGGCAAACAAACCACCGCTG
GTAGCGGTGGTTTTTTTGTTTGCAAGCAGCAGATTACGCGCAGAAAAAAAGGATCTCAAGAAGATCCTTTGATCT
TTTCTACGGGGTCTGACGCTCAGTGGAACGAAAACTCACGTTAAGGGATTTTGGTCATGAGATTATCAAAAAGGA
TCTTCACCTAGATCCTTTTAAATTAAAAATGAAGTTTTAAATCAATCTAAAGTATATATGAGTAAACTTGGTCTG
ACAGTTACCAATGCTTAATCAGTGAGGCACCTATCTCAGCGATCTGTCTATTTCGTTCATCCATAGTTGCCTGAC
TCCCCGTCGTGTAGATAACTACGATACGGGAGGGCTTACCATCTGGCCCCAGTGCTGCAATGATACCGCGAGACC
CACGCTCACCGGCTCCAGATTTATCAGCAATAAACCAGCCAGCCGGAAGGGCCGAGCGCAGAAGTGGTCCTGCAA
CTTTATCCGCCTCCATCCAGTCTATTAATTGTTGCCGGGAAGCTAGAGTAAGTAGTTCGCCAGTTAATAGTTTGC
GCAACGTTGTTGCCATTGCTACAGGCATCGTGGTGTCACGCTCGTCGTTTGGTATGGCTTCATTCAGCTCCGGTT
CCCAACGATCAAGGCGAGTTACATGATCCCCCATGTTGTGCAAAAAAGCGGTTAGCTCCTTCGGTCCTCCGATCG
TTGTCAGAAGTAAGTTGGCCGCAGTGTTATCACTCATGGTTATGGCAGCACTGCATAATTCTCTTACTGTCATGC
CATCCGTAAGATGCTTTTCTGTGACTGGTGAGTACTCAACCAAGTCATTCTGAGAATAGTGTATGCGGCGACCGA
GTTGCTCTTGCCCGGCGTCAATACGGGATAATACCGCGCCACATAGCAGAACTTTAAAAGTGCTCATCATTGGAA
AACGTTCTTCGGGGCGAAAACTCTCAAGGATCTTACCGCTGTTGAGATCCAGTTCGATGTAACCCACTCGTGCAC
CCAACTGATCTTCAGCATCTTTTACTTTCACCAGCGTTTCTGGGTGAGCAAAAACAGGAAGGCAAAATGCCGCAA
AAAAGGGAATAAGGGCGACACGGAAATGTTGAATACTCATACTCTTCCTTTTTCAATATTATTGAAGCATTTATC
AGGGTTATTGTCTCATGAGCGGATACATATTTGAATGTATTTAGAAAAATAAACAAATAGGGGTTCCGCGCACAT
TTCCCCGAAAAGTGCCACCTGACGTCTAAGAAACCATTATTATCATGACATTAACCTATAAAAATAGGCGTATCA
CGAGGCCCTTTCGTC
[0130] The sequence of pG176 is set forth below (SEQ ID NO: 2):
[0000]
TCGCGCGTTTCGGTGATGACGGTGAAAACCTCTGACACATGCAGCTCCCGGAGACGGTCACAGCTTGTCTGTAAG
CGGATGCCGGGAGCAGACAAGCCCGTCAGGGCGCGTCAGCGGGTGTTGGCGGGTGTCGGGGCTGGCTTAACTATG
CGGCATCAGAGCAGATTGTACTGAGAGTGCACCATATATGCGGTGTGAAATACCGCACAGATGCGTAAGGAGAAA
ATACCGCATCAGGCGCCATGAAACAGTATTTAGAACTGATGCAAAAAGTGCTCGACGAAGGCACACAGAAAAACG
ACCGTACCGGAACCGGAACGCTTTCCATTTTTGGTCATCAGATGCGTTTTAACCTGCAAGATGGATTCCCGCTGG
TGACAACTAAACGTTGCCACCTGCGTTCCATCATCCATGAACTGCTGTGGTTTCTGCAGGGCGACACTAACATTG
CTTATCTACACGAAAACAATGTCACCATCTGGGACGAATGGGCCGATGAAAACGGCGACCTCGGGCCAGTGTATG
GTAAACAGTGGCGCGCCTGGCCAACGCCAGATGGTCGTCATATTGACCAGATCACTACGGTACTGAACCAGCTGA
AAAACGACCCGGATTCGCGCCGCATTATTGTTTCAGCGTGGAACGTAGGCGAACTGGATAAAATGGCGCTGGCAC
CGTGCCATGCATTCTTCCAGTTCTATGTGGCAGACGGCAAACTCTCTTGCCAGCTTTATCAGCGCTCCTGTGACG
TCTTCCTCGGCCTGCCGTTCAACATTGCCAGCTACGCGTTATTGGTGCATATGATGGCGCAGCAGTGCGATCTGG
AAGTGGGTGATTTTGTCTGGACCGGTGGCGACACGCATCTGTACAGCAACCATATGGATCAAACTCATCTGCAAT
TAAGCCGCGAACCGCGTCCGCTGCCGAAGTTGATTATCAAACGTAAACCCGAATCCATCTTCGACTACCGTTTCG
AAGACTTTGAGATTGAAGGCTACGATCCGCATCCGGGCATTAAAGCGCCGGTGGCTATCTAAGGCGCCATTCGCC
ATTCAGGCTGCGCAACTGTTGGGAAGGGCGATCGGTGCGGGCCTCTTCGCTATTACGCCAGCTGGCGAAAGGGGG
ATGTGCTGCAAGGCGATTAAGTTGGGTAACGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGTCACGACGTTGTAAAACGACGGCCAGTGC
CAAGCTTTCTTTAATGAAGCAGGGCATCAGGACGGTATCTTTGTGGAGAAAGCAGAGTAATCTTATTCAGCCTGA
CTGGTGGGAAACCACCAGTCAGAATGTGTTAGCGCATGTTGACAAAAATACCATTAGTCACATTATCCGTCAGTC
GGACGACATGGTAGATAACCTGTTTATTATGCGTTTTGATCTTACGTTTAATATTACCTTTATGCGATGAAACGG
TCTTGGCTTTGATATTCATTTGGTCAGAGATTTGAATGGTTCCCTGACCTGCCATCCACATTCGCAACATACTCG
ATTCGGTTCGGCTCAATGATAACGTCGGCATATTTAAAAACGAGGTTATCGTTGTCTCTTTTTTCAGAATATCGC
CAAGGATATCGTCGAGAGATTCCGGTTTAATCGATTTAGAACTGATCAATAAATTTTTTCTGACCAATAGATATT
CATCAAAATGAACATTGGCAATTGCCATAAAAACGATAAATAACGTATTGGGATGTTGATTAATGATGAGCTTGA
TACGCTGACTGTTAGAAGCATCGTGGATGAAACAGTCCTCATTAATAAACACCACTGAAGGGCGCTGTGAATCAC
AAGCTATGGCAAGGTCATCAACGGTTTCAATGTCGTTGATTTCTCTTTTTTTAACCCCTCTACTCAACAGATACC
CGGTTAAACCTAGTCGGGTGTAACTACATAAATCCATAATAATCGTTGACATGGCATACCCTCACTCAATGCGTA
ACGATAATTCCCCTTACCTGAATATTTCATCATGACTAAACGGAACAACATGGGTCACCTAATGCGCCACTCTCG
CGATTTTTCAGGCGGACTTACTATCCCGTAAAGTGTTGTATAATTTGCCTGGAATTGTCTTAAAGTAAAGTAAAT
GTTGCGATATGTGAGTGAGCTTAAAACAAATATTTCGCTGCAGGAGTATCCTGGAAGATGTTCGTAGAAGCTTAC
TGCTCACAAGAAAAAAGGCACGTCATCTGACGTGCCTTTTTTATTTGTACTACCCTGTACGATTACTGCAGCTCG
AGTTAATTCAAATCTTCTTCAGAAATCAATTTTTGTTCCAAACCCAATTTTTTAACCAACTTTCTCACCGCGCGC
AACAAAGGCAAGGATTTTTGATAAGCTTTGCGATAGATTTTAAAAGTGGTGTTTTGAGAGAGTTCTAATAAAGGC
GAAGCGTTTTGTAAAAGCCGGTCATAATTAACCCTCAAATCATCATAATTAACCCTCAAATCATCAATGGATACT
AACGGCTTATGCAGATCGTACTCCCACATGAAAGATGTTGAGAATTTGTGATAAATCGTATCGTTTTCTAAAATC
GTTTTAAAAAAATCTAGGATTTTTTTAAAACTCAAATCTTGGTAAAAGTAAGCTTTCCCATCAAGGGTGTTTAAA
GGGTTTTCATAGAGCATGTCTAAATAAGCGTTTGGGTGCGTGTGCAGGTATTTGATATAATCAATCGCTTCATCA
AAGTTGTTGAAATCATGCACATTCACAAAACTTTTAGGGTTAAAATCTTTCGCCACGCTGGGACTCCCCCAATAA
ATAGGAATGGTATGGCTAAAATACGCATCAAGGATTTTTTCGGTTACATAGCCATAACCTTGCGAGTTTTCAAAA
CAGAGATTGAACTTGTATTGGCTTAAAAACTCGCTTTTGTTTCCAACCTTATAGCCTAAAGTGTTTCTCACACTT
CCTCCCCCAGTAACTGGCTCTATGGAATTTAGAGCGTCATAAAAAGCGTTCCTCATAGGAGCGTTAGCGTTGCTC
GCTACAAAACTGGCAAACCCTCTTTTTAAAAGATCGCTCTCATCATTCACTACTGCGCACAAATTAGGGTGGTTT
TCTTTAAAATGATGAGAGGGTTTTTTTAAAGCATAAAGGCTGTTGTCTTTGAGTTTGTAGGGCGCAGTGGTGTCA
TTAACAAGCTCGGCTTTATAGTGCAAATGGGCATAATACAAAGGCATTCTCAAATAACGATCATTAAAATCCAAT
TCATCAAAGCCTATGGCGTAATCAAAGAGGTTGAAATTAGGTGATTCGTTTTCACCGGTGTAAAACACTCGTTTA
GTGTTTTGATAAGATAAAATCTTTCTAGCCGCTCCAAGAGGATTGCTAAAAACTAGATCTGAAAATTCATTGGGG
TTTTGGTGGAGGGTGATTGCGTAGCGTTGGCTTAGGATAAAATAAAGAACGCTCTTTTTAAATTCTTTAATTTCT
TCATCTCCCCACCAATTCGCCACAGCGATTTTTAGGGGGGGGGGGGGAGATTTAGAGGCCATTTTTTCAATGGAA
GCGCTTTCTATAAAGGCGTCTAATAGGGGTTGGAACATATGTATATCTCCTTCTTGAATTCTAAAAATTGATTGA
ATGTATGCAAATAAATGCATACACCATAGGTGTGGTTTAATTTGATGCCCTTTTTCAGGGCTGGAATGTGTAAGA
GCGGGGTTATTTATGCTGTTGTTTTTTTGTTACTCGGGAAGGGCTTTACCTCTTCCGCATAAACGCTTCCATCAG
CGTTTATAGTTAAAAAAATCTTTCGGAACTGGTTTTGCGCTTACCCCAACCAACAGGGGATTTGCTGCTTTCCAT
TGAGCCTGTTTCTCTGCGCGACGTTCGCGGCGGCGTGTTTGTGCATCCATCTGGATTCTCCTGTCAGTTAGCTTT
GGTGGTGTGTGGCAGTTGTAGTCCTGAACGAAAACCCCCCGCGATTGGCACATTGGCAGCTAATCCGGAATCGCA
CTTACGGCCAATGCTTCGTTTCGTATCACACACCCCAAAGCCTTCTGCTTTGAATGCTGCCCTTCTTCAGGGCTT
AATTTTTAAGAGCGTCACCTTCATGGTGGTCAGTGCGTCCTGCTGATGTGCTCAGTATCACCGCCAGTGGTATTT
ATGTCAACACCGCCAGAGATAATTTATCACCGCAGATGGTTATCTGTATGTTTTTTATATGAATTTATTTTTTGC
AGGGGGGCATTGTTTGGTAGGTGAGAGATCAATTCTGCATTAATGAATCGGCCAACGCGCGGGGAGAGGCGGTTT
GCGTATTGGGCGCTCTTCCGCTTCCTCGCTCACTGACTCGCTGCGCTCGGTCGTTCGGCTGCGGCGAGCGGTATC
AGCTCACTCAAAGGCGGTAATACGGTTATCCACAGAATCAGGGGATAACGCAGGAAAGAACATGTGAGCAAAAGG
CCAGCAAAAGGCCAGGAACCGTAAAAAGGCCGCGTTGCTGGCGTTTTTCCATAGGCTCCGCCCCCCTGACGAGCA
TCACAAAAATCGACGCTCAAGTCAGAGGTGGCGAAACCCGACAGGACTATAAAGATACCAGGCGTTTCCCCCTGG
AAGCTCCCTCGTGCGCTCTCCTGTTCCGACCCTGCCGCTTACCGGATACCTGTCCGCCTTTCTCCCTTCGGGAAG
CGTGGCGCTTTCTCATAGCTCACGCTGTAGGTATCTCAGTTCGGTGTAGGTCGTTCGCTCCAAGCTGGGCTGTGT
GCACGAACCCCCCGTTCAGCCCGACCGCTGCGCCTTATCCGGTAACTATCGTCTTGAGTCCAACCCGGTAAGACA
CGACTTATCGCCACTGGCAGCAGCCACTGGTAACAGGATTAGCAGAGCGAGGTATGTAGGCGGTGCTACAGAGTT
CTTGAAGTGGTGGCCTAACTACGGCTACACTAGAAGGACAGTATTTGGTATCTGCGCTCTGCTGAAGCCAGTTAC
CTTCGGAAAAAGAGTTGGTAGCTCTTGATCCGGCAAACAAACCACCGCTGGTAGCGGTGGTTTTTTTGTTTGCAA
GCAGCAGATTACGCGCAGAAAAAAAGGATCTCAAGAAGATCCTTTGATCTTTTCTACGGGGTCTGACGCTCAGTG
GAACGAAAACTCACGTTAAGGGATTTTGGTCATGAGATTATCAAAAAGGATCTTCACCTAGATCCTTTTAAATTA
AAAATGAAGTTTTAAATCAATCTAAAGTATATATGAGTAAACTTGGTCTGACAGTTACCAATGCTTAATCAGTGA
GGCACCTATCTCAGCGATCTGTCTATTTCGTTCATCCATAGTTGCCTGACTCCCCGTCGTGTAGATAACTACGAT
ACGGGAGGGCTTACCATCTGGCCCCAGTGCTGCAATGATACCGCGAGACCCACGCTCACCGGCTCCAGATTTATC
AGCAATAAACCAGCCAGCCGGAAGGGCCGAGCGCAGAAGTGGTCCTGCAACTTTATCCGCCTCCATCCAGTCTAT
TAATTGTTGCCGGGAAGCTAGAGTAAGTAGTTCGCCAGTTAATAGTTTGCGCAACGTTGTTGCCATTGCTACAGG
CATCGTGGTGTCACGCTCGTCGTTTGGTATGGCTTCATTCAGCTCCGGTTCCCAACGATCAAGGCGAGTTACATG
ATCCCCCATGTTGTGCAAAAAAGCGGTTAGCTCCTTCGGTCCTCCGATCGTTGTCAGAAGTAAGTTGGCCGCAGT
GTTATCACTCATGGTTATGGCAGCACTGCATAATTCTCTTACTGTCATGCCATCCGTAAGATGCTTTTCTGTGAC
TGGTGAGTACTCAACCAAGTCATTCTGAGAATAGTGTATGCGGCGACCGAGTTGCTCTTGCCCGGCGTCAATACG
GGATAATACCGCGCCACATAGCAGAACTTTAAAAGTGCTCATCATTGGAAAACGTTCTTCGGGGCGAAAACTCTC
AAGGATCTTACCGCTGTTGAGATCCAGTTCGATGTAACCCACTCGTGCACCCAACTGATCTTCAGCATCTTTTAC
TTTCACCAGCGTTTCTGGGTGAGCAAAAACAGGAAGGCAAAATGCCGCAAAAAAGGGAATAAGGGCGACACGGAA
ATGTTGAATACTCATACTCTTCCTTTTTCAATATTATTGAAGCATTTATCAGGGTTATTGTCTCATGAGCGGATA
CATATTTGAATGTATTTAGAAAAATAAACAAATAGGGGTTCCGCGCACATTTCCCCGAAAAGTGCCACCTGACGT
CTAAGAAACCATTATTATCATGACATTAACCTATAAAAATAGGCGTATCACGAGGCCCTTTCGTC
[0131] The sequence of pG177 is set forth below (SEQ ID NO: 3):
[0000]
TCGCGCGTTTCGGTGATGACGGTGAAAACCTCTGACACATGCAGCTCCCGGAGACGGTCACAGCTTGTCTGTAAG
CGGATGCCGGGAGCAGACAAGCCCGTCAGGGCGCGTCAGCGGGTGTTGGCGGGTGTCGGGGCTGGCTTAACTATG
CGGCATCAGAGCAGATTGTACTGAGAGTGCACCATATATGCGGTGTGAAATACCGCACAGATGCGTAAGGAGAAA
ATACCGCATCAGGCGCCATGAAACAGTATTTAGAACTGATGCAAAAAGTGCTCGACGAAGGCACACAGAAAAACG
ACCGTACCGGAACCGGAACGCTTTCCATTTTTGGTCATCAGATGCGTTTTAACCTGCAAGATGGATTCCCGCTGG
TGACAACTAAACGTTGCCACCTGCGTTCCATCATCCATGAACTGCTGTGGTTTCTGCAGGGCGACACTAACATTG
CTTATCTACACGAAAACAATGTCACCATCTGGGACGAATGGGCCGATGAAAACGGCGACCTCGGGCCAGTGTATG
GTAAACAGTGGCGCGCCTGGCCAACGCCAGATGGTCGTCATATTGACCAGATCACTACGGTACTGAACCAGCTGA
AAAACGACCCGGATTCGCGCCGCATTATTGTTTCAGCGTGGAACGTAGGCGAACTGGATAAAATGGCGCTGGCAC
CGTGCCATGCATTCTTCCAGTTCTATGTGGCAGACGGCAAACTCTCTTGCCAGCTTTATCAGCGCTCCTGTGACG
TCTTCCTCGGCCTGCCGTTCAACATTGCCAGCTACGCGTTATTGGTGCATATGATGGCGCAGCAGTGCGATCTGG
AAGTGGGTGATTTTGTCTGGACCGGTGGCGACACGCATCTGTACAGCAACCATATGGATCAAACTCATCTGCAAT
TAAGCCGCGAACCGCGTCCGCTGCCGAAGTTGATTATCAAACGTAAACCCGAATCCATCTTCGACTACCGTTTCG
AAGACTTTGAGATTGAAGGCTACGATCCGCATCCGGGCATTAAAGCGCCGGTGGCTATCTAAGGCGCCATTCGCC
ATTCAGGCTGCGCAACTGTTGGGAAGGGCGATCGGTGCGGGCCTCTTCGCTATTACGCCAGCTGGCGAAAGGGGG
ATGTGCTGCAAGGCGATTAAGTTGGGTAACGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGTCACGACGTTGTAAAACGACGGCCAGTGC
CAAGCTTTCTTTAATGAAGCAGGGCATCAGGACGGTATCTTTGTGGAGAAAGCAGAGTAATCTTATTCAGCCTGA
CTGGTGGGAAACCACCAGTCAGAATGTGTTAGCGCATGTTGACAAAAATACCATTAGTCACATTATCCGTCAGTC
GGACGACATGGTAGATAACCTGTTTATTATGCGTTTTGATCTTACGTTTAATATTACCTTTATGCGATGAAACGG
TCTTGGCTTTGATATTCATTTGGTCAGAGATTTGAATGGTTCCCTGACCTGCCATCCACATTCGCAACATACTCG
ATTCGGTTCGGCTCAATGATAACGTCGGCATATTTAAAAACGAGGTTATCGTTGTCTCTTTTTTCAGAATATCGC
CAAGGATATCGTCGAGAGATTCCGGTTTAATCGATTTAGAACTGATCAATAAATTTTTTCTGACCAATAGATATT
CATCAAAATGAACATTGGCAATTGCCATAAAAACGATAAATAACGTATTGGGATGTTGATTAATGATGAGCTTGA
TACGCTGACTGTTAGAAGCATCGTGGATGAAACAGTCCTCATTAATAAACACCACTGAAGGGCGCTGTGAATCAC
AAGCTATGGCAAGGTCATCAACGGTTTCAATGTCGTTGATTTCTCTTTTTTTAACCCCTCTACTCAACAGATACC
CGGTTAAACCTAGTCGGGTGTAACTACATAAATCCATAATAATCGTTGACATGGCATACCCTCACTCAATGCGTA
ACGATAATTCCCCTTACCTGAATATTTCATCATGACTAAACGGAACAACATGGGTCACCTAATGCGCCACTCTCG
CGATTTTTCAGGCGGACTTACTATCCCGTAAAGTGTTGTATAATTTGCCTGGAATTGTCTTAAAGTAAAGTAAAT
GTTGCGATATGTGAGTGAGCTTAAAACAAATATTTCGCTGCAGGAGTATCCTGGAAGATGTTCGTAGAAGCTTAC
TGCTCACAAGAAAAAAGGCACGTCATCTGACGTGCCTTTTTTATTTGTACTACCCTGTACGATTACTGCAGCTCG
AGTTAATTCAAATCTTCTTCAGAAATCAATTTTTGTTCAGCGTTATACTTTTGGGATTTTACCTCAAAATGGGAT
TCTATTTTCACCCACTCCTTACAAAGGATATTCTCATGCCCAAAAAGCCAGTGTTTGGGGCCAATAATGATTTTT
TCTGGATTTTCTATCAAATAGGCCGCCCACCAGCTATAAGTGCTATTAGCGATAATGCCATGCTGACAAGATTGC
ATGAGCAGCATGTCCCAATACGCCTCTTCTTCTTTATCCCTAGTGGTCATGTCCATAAAAGGGTAGCCAAGATCA
AGATTTTGCGTGAATTCTAAGTCTTCGCAAAACACAAAAAGCTCCATGTTTGGCACGCGCTTTGCCATATACTCA
AGCGCCTTTTTTTGATAGTCAATACCAAGCTGACAGCCAATCCCCACATAATCCCCTCTTCTTATATGCACAAAC
ACGCTGTTTTTAGCGGCTAAAATCAAAGAAAGCTTGCACTGATATTCTTCCTCTTTTTTATTATTATTCTTATTA
TTTTCGGGTGGTGGTGGTAGAGTGAAGGTTTGCTTGATTAAAGGGGATATAGCATCAAAGTATCGTGGATCTTGG
AAATAGCCAAAAAAATAAGTCAAGCGGCTTGGCTTTAGCAATTTAGGCTCGTATTCAAAAACGATTTCTTGACTC
ACCCTATCAAATCCCATGCATTTGAGCGCGTCTCTTACTAGCTTGGGGAGGTGTTGCATTTTAGCTATAGCGATT
TCTTTCGCGCTCGCATAGGGCAAATCAATAGGGAAAAGTTCTAATTGCATTTTCCTATCGCTCCAATCAAAAGAA
GTGATATCTAACAGCACAGGCGTATTAGAGTGTTTTTGCAAACTTTTAGCGAAAGCGTATTGAAACATTTGATTC
CCAAGCCCTCCGCAAATTTGCACCACCTTAAAAGCCATATGTATATCTCCTTCTTGCTCGAGTTAATTCAAATCT
TCTTCAGAAATCAATTTTTGTTCCAAACCCAATTTTTTAACCAACTTTCTCACCGCGCGCAACAAAGGCAAGGAT
TTTTGATAAGCTTTGCGATAGATTTTAAAAGTGGTGTTTTGAGAGAGTTCTAATAAAGGCGAAGCGTTTTGTAAA
AGCCGGTCATAATTAACCCTCAAATCATCATAATTAACCCTCAAATCATCAATGGATACTAACGGCTTATGCAGA
TCGTACTCCCACATGAAAGATGTTGAGAATTTGTGATAAATCGTATCGTTTTCTAAAATCGTTTTAAAAAAATCT
AGGATTTTTTTAAAACTCAAATCTTGGTAAAAGTAAGCTTTCCCATCAAGGGTGTTTAAAGGGTTTTCATAGAGC
ATGTCTAAATAAGCGTTTGGGTGCGTGTGCAGGTATTTGATATAATCAATCGCTTCATCAAAGTTGTTGAAATCA
TGCACATTCACAAAACTTTTAGGGTTAAAATCTTTCGCCACGCTGGGACTCCCCCAATAAATAGGAATGGTATGG
CTAAAATACGCATCAAGGATTTTTTCGGTTACATAGCCATAACCTTGCGAGTTTTCAAAACAGAGATTGAACTTG
TATTGGCTTAAAAACTCGCTTTTGTTTCCAACCTTATAGCCTAAAGTGTTTCTCACACTTCCTCCCCCAGTAACT
GGCTCTATGGAATTTAGAGCGTCATAAAAAGCGTTCCTCATAGGAGCGTTAGCGTTGCTCGCTACAAAACTGGCA
AACCCTCTTTTTAAAAGATCGCTCTCATCATTCACTACTGCGCACAAATTAGGGTGGTTTTCTTTAAAATGATGA
GAGGGTTTTTTTAAAGCATAAAGGCTGTTGTCTTTGAGTTTGTAGGGCGCAGTGGTGTCATTAACAAGCTCGGCT
TTATAGTGCAAATGGGCATAATACAAAGGCATTCTCAAATAACGATCATTAAAATCCAATTCATCAAAGCCTATG
GCGTAATCAAAGAGGTTGAAATTAGGTGATTCGTTTTCACCGGTGTAAAACACTCGTTTAGTGTTTTGATAAGAT
AAAATCTTTCTAGCCGCTCCAAGAGGATTGCTAAAAACTAGATCTGAAAATTCATTGGGGTTTTGGTGGAGGGTG
ATTGCGTAGCGTTGGCTTAGGATAAAATAAAGAACGCTCTTTTTAAATTCTTTAATTTCTTCATCTCCCCACCAA
TTCGCCACAGCGATTTTTAGGGGGGGGGGGGGAGATTTAGAGGCCATTTTTTCAATGGAAGCGCTTTCTATAAAG
GCGTCTAATAGGGGTTGGAACATATGTATATCTCCTTCTTGAATTCTAAAAATTGATTGAATGTATGCAAATAAA
TGCATACACCATAGGTGTGGTTTAATTTGATGCCCTTTTTCAGGGCTGGAATGTGTAAGAGCGGGGTTATTTATG
CTGTTGTTTTTTTGTTACTCGGGAAGGGCTTTACCTCTTCCGCATAAACGCTTCCATCAGCGTTTATAGTTAAAA
AAATCTTTCGGAACTGGTTTTGCGCTTACCCCAACCAACAGGGGATTTGCTGCTTTCCATTGAGCCTGTTTCTCT
GCGCGACGTTCGCGGCGGCGTGTTTGTGCATCCATCTGGATTCTCCTGTCAGTTAGCTTTGGTGGTGTGTGGCAG
TTGTAGTCCTGAACGAAAACCCCCCGCGATTGGCACATTGGCAGCTAATCCGGAATCGCACTTACGGCCAATGCT
TCGTTTCGTATCACACACCCCAAAGCCTTCTGCTTTGAATGCTGCCCTTCTTCAGGGCTTAATTTTTAAGAGCGT
CACCTTCATGGTGGTCAGTGCGTCCTGCTGATGTGCTCAGTATCACCGCCAGTGGTATTTATGTCAACACCGCCA
GAGATAATTTATCACCGCAGATGGTTATCTGTATGTTTTTTATATGAATTTATTTTTTGCAGGGGGGCATTGTTT
GGTAGGTGAGAGATCAATTCTGCATTAATGAATCGGCCAACGCGCGGGGAGAGGCGGTTTGCGTATTGGGCGCTC
TTCCGCTTCCTCGCTCACTGACTCGCTGCGCTCGGTCGTTCGGCTGCGGCGAGCGGTATCAGCTCACTCAAAGGC
GGTAATACGGTTATCCACAGAATCAGGGGATAACGCAGGAAAGAACATGTGAGCAAAAGGCCAGCAAAAGGCCAG
GAACCGTAAAAAGGCCGCGTTGCTGGCGTTTTTCCATAGGCTCCGCCCCCCTGACGAGCATCACAAAAATCGACG
CTCAAGTCAGAGGTGGCGAAACCCGACAGGACTATAAAGATACCAGGCGTTTCCCCCTGGAAGCTCCCTCGTGCG
CTCTCCTGTTCCGACCCTGCCGCTTACCGGATACCTGTCCGCCTTTCTCCCTTCGGGAAGCGTGGCGCTTTCTCA
TAGCTCACGCTGTAGGTATCTCAGTTCGGTGTAGGTCGTTCGCTCCAAGCTGGGCTGTGTGCACGAACCCCCCGT
TCAGCCCGACCGCTGCGCCTTATCCGGTAACTATCGTCTTGAGTCCAACCCGGTAAGACACGACTTATCGCCACT
GGCAGCAGCCACTGGTAACAGGATTAGCAGAGCGAGGTATGTAGGCGGTGCTACAGAGTTCTTGAAGTGGTGGCC
TAACTACGGCTACACTAGAAGGACAGTATTTGGTATCTGCGCTCTGCTGAAGCCAGTTACCTTCGGAAAAAGAGT
TGGTAGCTCTTGATCCGGCAAACAAACCACCGCTGGTAGCGGTGGTTTTTTTGTTTGCAAGCAGCAGATTACGCG
CAGAAAAAAAGGATCTCAAGAAGATCCTTTGATCTTTTCTACGGGGTCTGACGCTCAGTGGAACGAAAACTCACG
TTAAGGGATTTTGGTCATGAGATTATCAAAAAGGATCTTCACCTAGATCCTTTTAAATTAAAAATGAAGTTTTAA
ATCAATCTAAAGTATATATGAGTAAACTTGGTCTGACAGTTACCAATGCTTAATCAGTGAGGCACCTATCTCAGC
GATCTGTCTATTTCGTTCATCCATAGTTGCCTGACTCCCCGTCGTGTAGATAACTACGATACGGGAGGGCTTACC
ATCTGGCCCCAGTGCTGCAATGATACCGCGAGACCCACGCTCACCGGCTCCAGATTTATCAGCAATAAACCAGCC
AGCCGGAAGGGCCGAGCGCAGAAGTGGTCCTGCAACTTTATCCGCCTCCATCCAGTCTATTAATTGTTGCCGGGA
AGCTAGAGTAAGTAGTTCGCCAGTTAATAGTTTGCGCAACGTTGTTGCCATTGCTACAGGCATCGTGGTGTCACG
CTCGTCGTTTGGTATGGCTTCATTCAGCTCCGGTTCCCAACGATCAAGGCGAGTTACATGATCCCCCATGTTGTG
CAAAAAAGCGGTTAGCTCCTTCGGTCCTCCGATCGTTGTCAGAAGTAAGTTGGCCGCAGTGTTATCACTCATGGT
TATGGCAGCACTGCATAATTCTCTTACTGTCATGCCATCCGTAAGATGCTTTTCTGTGACTGGTGAGTACTCAAC
CAAGTCATTCTGAGAATAGTGTATGCGGCGACCGAGTTGCTCTTGCCCGGCGTCAATACGGGATAATACCGCGCC
ACATAGCAGAACTTTAAAAGTGCTCATCATTGGAAAACGTTCTTCGGGGCGAAAACTCTCAAGGATCTTACCGCT
GTTGAGATCCAGTTCGATGTAACCCACTCGTGCACCCAACTGATCTTCAGCATCTTTTACTTTCACCAGCGTTTC
TGGGTGAGCAAAAACAGGAAGGCAAAATGCCGCAAAAAAGGGAATAAGGGCGACACGGAAATGTTGAATACTCAT
ACTCTTCCTTTTTCAATATTATTGAAGCATTTATCAGGGTTATTGTCTCATGAGCGGATACATATTTGAATGTAT
TTAGAAAAATAAACAAATAGGGGTTCCGCGCACATTTCCCCGAAAAGTGCCACCTGACGTCTAAGAAACCATTAT
TATCATGACATTAACCTATAAAAATAGGCGTATCACGAGGCCCTTTCGTC
[0132] The sequence of Bacteroides fragilis NCTC 9343 wcfW CDS DNA is set for the below (SEQ ID NO: 4):
[0000]
ATGATTGTATCATCTTTGCGAGGAGGATTGGGGAATCAAATGTTTATTTA
CGCTATGGTGAAGGCCATGGCATTAAGAAACAATGTACCATTCGCTTTTA
ATTTGACTACTGATTTTGCAAATGATGAAGTTTATAAAAGGAAACTTTTA
TTATCATATTTTGCATTAGACTTGCCTGAAAATAAAAAATTAACATTTGA
TTTTTCATATGGGAATTATTATAGAAGGCTAAGTCGTAATTTAGGTTGTC
ATATACTTCATCCATCATATCGTTATATTTGCGAAGAGCGCCCTCCCCAC
TTTGAATCAAGGTTAATTAGTTCTAAGATTACAAATGCTTTTCTGGAAGG
ATATTGGCAGTCAGAAAAATATTTTCTTGATTATAAACAAGAGATAAAAG
AGGACTTTGTAATACAAAAAAAATTAGAATACACATCGTATTTGGAATTG
GAAGAAATAAAATTGCTAGATAAGAATGCCATAATGATTGGGGTTAGACG
GTATCAGGAAAGTGATGTAGCTCCTGGTGGAGTGTTAGAAGATGATTACT
ATAAATGTGCTATGGATATTATGGCATCAAAAGTTACTTCTCCTGTTTTC
TTTTGTTTTTCACAAGATTTAGAATGGGTTGAAAAACATCTAGCGGGAAA
ATATCCTGTTCGTTTGATAAGTAAAAAGGAGGATGATAGTGGTACTATAG
ATGATATGTTTCTAATGATGCATTTTCGTAATTATATAATATCGAATAGC
TCTTTTTACTGGTGGGGAGCATGGCTTTCGAAATATGATGATAAGCTGGT
GATTGCTCCAGGTAATTTTATAAATAAGGATTCTGTACCAGAATCTTGGT
TTAAATTGAATGTAAGATAA
[0133] The sequence of pG171 is set forth below (SEQ ID NO: 5):
[0000]
TCGCGCGTTTCGGTGATGACGGTGAAAACCTCTGACACATGCAGCTCCCGGAGACGGTCACAGCTTGTCTGTAAG
CGGATGCCGGGAGCAGACAAGCCCGTCAGGGCGCGTCAGCGGGTGTTGGCGGGTGTCGGGGCTGGCTTAACTATG
CGGCATCAGAGCAGATTGTACTGAGAGTGCACCATATATGCGGTGTGAAATACCGCACAGATGCGTAAGGAGAAA
ATACCGCATCAGGCGCCTCCTCAACCTGTATATTCGTAAACCACGCCCAATGGGAGCTGTCTCAGGTTTGTTCCT
GATTGGTTACGGCGCGTTTCGCATCATTGTTGAGTTTTTCCGCCAGCCCGACGCGCAGTTTACCGGTGCCTGGGT
GCAGTACATCAGCATGGGGCAAATTCTTTCCATCCCGATGATTGTCGCGGGTGTGATCATGATGGTCTGGGCATA
TCGTCGCAGCCCACAGCAACACGTTTCCTGAGGAACCATGAAACAGTATTTAGAACTGATGCAAAAAGTGCTCGA
CGAAGGCACACAGAAAAACGACCGTACCGGAACCGGAACGCTTTCCATTTTTGGTCATCAGATGCGTTTTAACCT
GCAAGATGGATTCCCGCTGGTGACAACTAAACGTTGCCACCTGCGTTCCATCATCCATGAACTGCTGTGGTTTCT
GCAGGGCGACACTAACATTGCTTATCTACACGAAAACAATGTCACCATCTGGGACGAATGGGCCGATGAAAACGG
CGACCTCGGGCCAGTGTATGGTAAACAGTGGCGCGCCTGGCCAACGCCAGATGGTCGTCATATTGACCAGATCAC
TACGGTACTGAACCAGCTGAAAAACGACCCGGATTCGCGCCGCATTATTGTTTCAGCGTGGAACGTAGGCGAACT
GGATAAAATGGCGCTGGCACCGTGCCATGCATTCTTCCAGTTCTATGTGGCAGACGGCAAACTCTCTTGCCAGCT
TTATCAGCGCTCCTGTGACGTCTTCCTCGGCCTGCCGTTCAACATTGCCAGCTACGCGTTATTGGTGCATATGAT
GGCGCAGCAGTGCGATCTGGAAGTGGGTGATTTTGTCTGGACCGGTGGCGACACGCATCTGTACAGCAACCATAT
GGATCAAACTCATCTGCAATTAAGCCGCGAACCGCGTCCGCTGCCGAAGTTGATTATCAAACGTAAACCCGAATC
CATCTTCGACTACCGTTTCGAAGACTTTGAGATTGAAGGCTACGATCCGCATCCGGGCATTAAAGCGCCGGTGGC
TATCTAATTACGAAACATCCTGCCAGAGCCGACGCCAGTGTGCGTCGGTTTTTTTACCCTCCGTTAAATTCTTCG
AGACGCCTTCCCGAAGGCGCCATTCGCCATTCAGGCTGCGCAACTGTTGGGAAGGGCGATCGGTGCGGGCCTCTT
CGCTATTACGCCAGCTGGCGAAAGGGGGATGTGCTGCAAGGCGATTAAGTTGGGTAACGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGT
CACGACGTTGTAAAACGACGGCCAGTGCCAAGCTTTCTTTAATGAAGCAGGGCATCAGGACGGTATCTTTGTGGA
GAAAGCAGAGTAATCTTATTCAGCCTGACTGGTGGGAAACCACCAGTCAGAATGTGTTAGCGCATGTTGACAAAA
ATACCATTAGTCACATTATCCGTCAGTCGGACGACATGGTAGATAACCTGTTTATTATGCGTTTTGATCTTACGT
TTAATATTACCTTTATGCGATGAAACGGTCTTGGCTTTGATATTCATTTGGTCAGAGATTTGAATGGTTCCCTGA
CCTGCCATCCACATTCGCAACATACTCGATTCGGTTCGGCTCAATGATAACGTCGGCATATTTAAAAACGAGGTT
ATCGTTGTCTCTTTTTTCAGAATATCGCCAAGGATATCGTCGAGAGATTCCGGTTTAATCGATTTAGAACTGATC
AATAAATTTTTTCTGACCAATAGATATTCATCAAAATGAACATTGGCAATTGCCATAAAAACGATAAATAACGTA
TTGGGATGTTGATTAATGATGAGCTTGATACGCTGACTGTTAGAAGCATCGTGGATGAAACAGTCCTCATTAATA
AACACCACTGAAGGGCGCTGTGAATCACAAGCTATGGCAAGGTCATCAACGGTTTCAATGTCGTTGATTTCTCTT
TTTTTAACCCCTCTACTCAACAGATACCCGGTTAAACCTAGTCGGGTGTAACTACATAAATCCATAATAATCGTT
GACATGGCATACCCTCACTCAATGCGTAACGATAATTCCCCTTACCTGAATATTTCATCATGACTAAACGGAACA
ACATGGGTCACCTAATGCGCCACTCTCGCGATTTTTCAGGCGGACTTACTATCCCGTAAAGTGTTGTATAATTTG
CCTGGAATTGTCTTAAAGTAAAGTAAATGTTGCGATATGTGAGTGAGCTTAAAACAAATATTTCGCTGCAGGAGT
ATCCTGGAAGATGTTCGTAGAAGCTTACTGCTCACAAGAAAAAAGGCACGTCATCTGACGTGCCTTTTTTATTTG
TACTACCCTGTACGATTACTGCAGCTCGAGTTTAATTCAAATCTTCTTCAGAAATCAATTTTTGTTCAGCGTTAT
ACTTTTGGGATTTTACCTCAAAATGGGATTCTATTTTCACCCACTCCTTACAAAGGATATTCTCATGCCCAAAAA
GCCAGTGTTTGGGGCCAATAATGATTTTTTCTGGATTTTCTATCAAATAGGCCGCCCACCAGCTATAAGTGCTAT
TAGCGATAATGCCATGCTGACAAGATTGCATGAGCAGCATGTCCCAATACGCCTCTTCTTCTTTATCCCTAGTGG
TCATGTCCATAAAAGGGTAGCCAAGATCAAGATTTTGCGTGAATTCTAAGTCTTCGCAAAACACAAAAAGCTCCA
TGTTTGGCACGCGCTTTGCCATATACTCAAGCGCCTTTTTTTGATAGTCAATACCAAGCTGACAGCCAATCCCCA
CATAATCCCCTCTTCTTATATGCACAAACACGCTGTTTTTAGCGGCTAAAATCAAAGAAAGCTTGCACTGATATT
CTTCCTCTTTTTTATTATTATTCTTATTATTTTCGGGTGGTGGTGGTAGAGTGAAGGTTTGCTTGATTAAAGGGG
ATATAGCATCAAAGTATCGTGGATCTTGGAAATAGCCAAAAAAATAAGTCAAGCGGCTTGGCTTTAGCAATTTAG
GCTCGTATTCAAAAACGATTTCTTGACTCACCCTATCAAATCCCATGCATTTGAGCGCGTCTCTTACTAGCTTGG
GGAGGTGTTGCATTTTAGCTATAGCGATTTCTTTCGCGCTCGCATAGGGCAAATCAATAGGGAAAAGTTCTAATT
GCATTTTCCTATCGCTCCAATCAAAAGAAGTGATATCTAACAGCACAGGCGTATTAGAGTGTTTTTGCAAACTTT
TAGCGAAAGCGTATTGAAACATTTGATTCCCAAGCCCTCCGCAAATTTGCACCACCTTAAAAGCCATATGTATAT
CTCCTTCTTGAATTCTAAAAATTGATTGAATGTATGCAAATAAATGCATACACCATAGGTGTGGTTTAATTTGAT
GCCCTTTTTCAGGGCTGGAATGTGTAAGAGCGGGGTTATTTATGCTGTTGTTTTTTTGTTACTCGGGAAGGGCTT
TACCTCTTCCGCATAAACGCTTCCATCAGCGTTTATAGTTAAAAAAATCTTTCGGAACTGGTTTTGCGCTTACCC
CAACCAACAGGGGATTTGCTGCTTTCCATTGAGCCTGTTTCTCTGCGCGACGTTCGCGGCGGCGTGTTTGTGCAT
CCATCTGGATTCTCCTGTCAGTTAGCTTTGGTGGTGTGTGGCAGTTGTAGTCCTGAACGAAAACCCCCCGCGATT
GGCACATTGGCAGCTAATCCGGAATCGCACTTACGGCCAATGCTTCGTTTCGTATCACACACCCCAAAGCCTTCT
GCTTTGAATGCTGCCCTTCTTCAGGGCTTAATTTTTAAGAGCGTCACCTTCATGGTGGTCAGTGCGTCCTGCTGA
TGTGCTCAGTATCACCGCCAGTGGTATTTATGTCAACACCGCCAGAGATAATTTATCACCGCAGATGGTTATCTG
TATGTTTTTTATATGAATTTATTTTTTGCAGGGGGGCATTGTTTGGTAGGTGAGAGATCAATTCTGCATTAATGA
ATCGGCCAACGCGCGGGGAGAGGCGGTTTGCGTATTGGGCGCTCTTCCGCTTCCTCGCTCACTGACTCGCTGCGC
TCGGTCGTTCGGCTGCGGCGAGCGGTATCAGCTCACTCAAAGGCGGTAATACGGTTATCCACAGAATCAGGGGAT
AACGCAGGAAAGAACATGTGAGCAAAAGGCCAGCAAAAGGCCAGGAACCGTAAAAAGGCCGCGTTGCTGGCGTTT
TTCCATAGGCTCCGCCCCCCTGACGAGCATCACAAAAATCGACGCTCAAGTCAGAGGTGGCGAAACCCGACAGGA
CTATAAAGATACCAGGCGTTTCCCCCTGGAAGCTCCCTCGTGCGCTCTCCTGTTCCGACCCTGCCGCTTACCGGA
TACCTGTCCGCCTTTCTCCCTTCGGGAAGCGTGGCGCTTTCTCATAGCTCACGCTGTAGGTATCTCAGTTCGGTG
TAGGTCGTTCGCTCCAAGCTGGGCTGTGTGCACGAACCCCCCGTTCAGCCCGACCGCTGCGCCTTATCCGGTAAC
TATCGTCTTGAGTCCAACCCGGTAAGACACGACTTATCGCCACTGGCAGCAGCCACTGGTAACAGGATTAGCAGA
GCGAGGTATGTAGGCGGTGCTACAGAGTTCTTGAAGTGGTGGCCTAACTACGGCTACACTAGAAGGACAGTATTT
GGTATCTGCGCTCTGCTGAAGCCAGTTACCTTCGGAAAAAGAGTTGGTAGCTCTTGATCCGGCAAACAAACCACC
GCTGGTAGCGGTGGTTTTTTTGTTTGCAAGCAGCAGATTACGCGCAGAAAAAAAGGATCTCAAGAAGATCCTTTG
ATCTTTTCTACGGGGTCTGACGCTCAGTGGAACGAAAACTCACGTTAAGGGATTTTGGTCATGAGATTATCAAAA
AGGATCTTCACCTAGATCCTTTTAAATTAAAAATGAAGTTTTAAATCAATCTAAAGTATATATGAGTAAACTTGG
TCTGACAGTTACCAATGCTTAATCAGTGAGGCACCTATCTCAGCGATCTGTCTATTTCGTTCATCCATAGTTGCC
TGACTCCCCGTCGTGTAGATAACTACGATACGGGAGGGCTTACCATCTGGCCCCAGTGCTGCAATGATACCGCGA
GACCCACGCTCACCGGCTCCAGATTTATCAGCAATAAACCAGCCAGCCGGAAGGGCCGAGCGCAGAAGTGGTCCT
GCAACTTTATCCGCCTCCATCCAGTCTATTAATTGTTGCCGGGAAGCTAGAGTAAGTAGTTCGCCAGTTAATAGT
TTGCGCAACGTTGTTGCCATTGCTACAGGCATCGTGGTGTCACGCTCGTCGTTTGGTATGGCTTCATTCAGCTCC
GGTTCCCAACGATCAAGGCGAGTTACATGATCCCCCATGTTGTGCAAAAAAGCGGTTAGCTCCTTCGGTCCTCCG
ATCGTTGTCAGAAGTAAGTTGGCCGCAGTGTTATCACTCATGGTTATGGCAGCACTGCATAATTCTCTTACTGTC
ATGCCATCCGTAAGATGCTTTTCTGTGACTGGTGAGTACTCAACCAAGTCATTCTGAGAATAGTGTATGCGGCGA
CCGAGTTGCTCTTGCCCGGCGTCAATACGGGATAATACCGCGCCACATAGCAGAACTTTAAAAGTGCTCATCATT
GGAAAACGTTCTTCGGGGCGAAAACTCTCAAGGATCTTACCGCTGTTGAGATCCAGTTCGATGTAACCCACTCGT
GCACCCAACTGATCTTCAGCATCTTTTACTTTCACCAGCGTTTCTGGGTGAGCAAAAACAGGAAGGCAAAATGCC
GCAAAAAAGGGAATAAGGGCGACACGGAAATGTTGAATACTCATACTCTTCCTTTTTCAATATTATTGAAGCATT
TATCAGGGTTATTGTCTCATGAGCGGATACATATTTGAATGTATTTAGAAAAATAAACAAATAGGGGTTCCGCGC
ACATTTCCCCGAAAAGTGCCACCTGACGTCTAAGAAACCATTATTATCATGACATTAACCTATAAAAATAGGCGT
ATCACGAGGCCCTTTCGTC
[0134] The sequence of pG180 is set forth below (SEQ ID NO: 6):
[0000]
TCGCGCGTTTCGGTGATGACGGTGAAAACCTCTGACACATGCAGCTCCCGGAGACGGTCACAGCTTGTCTGTAAG
CGGATGCCGGGAGCAGACAAGCCCGTCAGGGCGCGTCAGCGGGTGTTGGCGGGTGTCGGGGCTGGCTTAACTATG
CGGCATCAGAGCAGATTGTACTGAGAGTGCACCATATATGCGGTGTGAAATACCGCACAGATGCGTAAGGAGAAA
ATACCGCATCAGGCGCCTCCTCAACCTGTATATTCGTAAACCACGCCCAATGGGAGCTGTCTCAGGTTTGTTCCT
GATTGGTTACGGCGCGTTTCGCATCATTGTTGAGTTTTTCCGCCAGCCCGACGCGCAGTTTACCGGTGCCTGGGT
GCAGTACATCAGCATGGGGCAAATTCTTTCCATCCCGATGATTGTCGCGGGTGTGATCATGATGGTCTGGGCATA
TCGTCGCAGCCCACAGCAACACGTTTCCTGAGGAACCATGAAACAGTATTTAGAACTGATGCAAAAAGTGCTCGA
CGAAGGCACACAGAAAAACGACCGTACCGGAACCGGAACGCTTTCCATTTTTGGTCATCAGATGCGTTTTAACCT
GCAAGATGGATTCCCGCTGGTGACAACTAAACGTTGCCACCTGCGTTCCATCATCCATGAACTGCTGTGGTTTCT
GCAGGGCGACACTAACATTGCTTATCTACACGAAAACAATGTCACCATCTGGGACGAATGGGCCGATGAAAACGG
CGACCTCGGGCCAGTGTATGGTAAACAGTGGCGCGCCTGGCCAACGCCAGATGGTCGTCATATTGACCAGATCAC
TACGGTACTGAACCAGCTGAAAAACGACCCGGATTCGCGCCGCATTATTGTTTCAGCGTGGAACGTAGGCGAACT
GGATAAAATGGCGCTGGCACCGTGCCATGCATTCTTCCAGTTCTATGTGGCAGACGGCAAACTCTCTTGCCAGCT
TTATCAGCGCTCCTGTGACGTCTTCCTCGGCCTGCCGTTCAACATTGCCAGCTACGCGTTATTGGTGCATATGAT
GGCGCAGCAGTGCGATCTGGAAGTGGGTGATTTTGTCTGGACCGGTGGCGACACGCATCTGTACAGCAACCATAT
GGATCAAACTCATCTGCAATTAAGCCGCGAACCGCGTCCGCTGCCGAAGTTGATTATCAAACGTAAACCCGAATC
CATCTTCGACTACCGTTTCGAAGACTTTGAGATTGAAGGCTACGATCCGCATCCGGGCATTAAAGCGCCGGTGGC
TATCTAATTACGAAACATCCTGCCAGAGCCGACGCCAGTGTGCGTCGGTTTTTTTACCCTCCGTTAAATTCTTCG
AGACGCCTTCCCGAAGGCGCCATTCGCCATTCAGGCTGCGCAACTGTTGGGAAGGGCGATCGGTGCGGGCCTCTT
CGCTATTACGCCAGCTGGCGAAAGGGGGATGTGCTGCAAGGCGATTAAGTTGGGTAACGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGT
CACGACGTTGTAAAACGACGGCCAGTGCCAAGCTTTCTTTAATGAAGCAGGGCATCAGGACGGTATCTTTGTGGA
GAAAGCAGAGTAATCTTATTCAGCCTGACTGGTGGGAAACCACCAGTCAGAATGTGTTAGCGCATGTTGACAAAA
ATACCATTAGTCACATTATCCGTCAGTCGGACGACATGGTAGATAACCTGTTTATTATGCGTTTTGATCTTACGT
TTAATATTACCTTTATGCGATGAAACGGTCTTGGCTTTGATATTCATTTGGTCAGAGATTTGAATGGTTCCCTGA
CCTGCCATCCACATTCGCAACATACTCGATTCGGTTCGGCTCAATGATAACGTCGGCATATTTAAAAACGAGGTT
ATCGTTGTCTCTTTTTTCAGAATATCGCCAAGGATATCGTCGAGAGATTCCGGTTTAATCGATTTAGAACTGATC
AATAAATTTTTTCTGACCAATAGATATTCATCAAAATGAACATTGGCAATTGCCATAAAAACGATAAATAACGTA
TTGGGATGTTGATTAATGATGAGCTTGATACGCTGACTGTTAGAAGCATCGTGGATGAAACAGTCCTCATTAATA
AACACCACTGAAGGGCGCTGTGAATCACAAGCTATGGCAAGGTCATCAACGGTTTCAATGTCGTTGATTTCTCTT
TTTTTAACCCCTCTACTCAACAGATACCCGGTTAAACCTAGTCGGGTGTAACTACATAAATCCATAATAATCGTT
GACATGGCATACCCTCACTCAATGCGTAACGATAATTCCCCTTACCTGAATATTTCATCATGACTAAACGGAACA
ACATGGGTCACCTAATGCGCCACTCTCGCGATTTTTCAGGCGGACTTACTATCCCGTAAAGTGTTGTATAATTTG
CCTGGAATTGTCTTAAAGTAAAGTAAATGTTGCGATATGTGAGTGAGCTTAAAACAAATATTTCGCTGCAGGAGT
ATCCTGGAAGATGTTCGTAGAAGCTTACTGCTCACAAGAAAAAAGGCACGTCATCTGACGTGCCTTTTTTATTTG
TACTACCCTGTACGATTACTGCAGCTCGAGTTTAATTCAAATCTTCTTCAGAAATCAATTTTTGTTCTCTTACAT
TCAATTTAAACCAAGATTCTGGTACAGAATCCTTATTTATAAAATTACCTGGAGCAATCACCAGCTTATCATCAT
ATTTCGAAAGCCATGCTCCCCACCAGTAAAAAGAGCTATTCGATATTATATAATTACGAAAATGCATCATTAGAA
ACATATCATCTATAGTACCACTATCATCCTCCTTTTTACTTATCAAACGAACAGGATATTTTCCCGCTAGATGTT
TTTCAACCCATTCTAAATCTTGTGAAAAACAAAAGAAAACAGGAGAAGTAACTTTTGATGCCATAATATCCATAG
CACATTTATAGTAATCATCTTCTAACACTCCACCAGGAGCTACATCACTTTCCTGATACCGTCTAACCCCAATCA
TTATGGCATTCTTATCTAGCAATTTTATTTCTTCCAATTCCAAATACGATGTGTATTCTAATTTTTTTTGTATTA
CAAAGTCCTCTTTTATCTCTTGTTTATAATCAAGAAAATATTTTTCTGACTGCCAATATCCTTCCAGAAAAGCAT
TTGTAATCTTAGAACTAATTAACCTTGATTCAAAGTGGGGAGGGCGCTCTTCGCAAATATAACGATATGATGGAT
GAAGTATATGACAACCTAAATTACGACTTAGCCTTCTATAATAATTCCCATATGAAAAATCAAATGTTAATTTTT
TATTTTCAGGCAAGTCTAATGCAAAATATGATAATAAAAGTTTCCTTTTATAAACTTCATCATTTGCAAAATCAG
TAGTCAAATTAAAAGCGAATGGTACATTGTTTCTTAATGCCATGGCCTTCACCATAGCGTAAATAAACATTTGAT
TCCCCAATCCTCCTCGCAAAGATGATACAATCATATGTATATCTCCTTCTTGTCTAGAATTCTAAAAATTGATTG
AATGTATGCAAATAAATGCATACACCATAGGTGTGGTTTAATTTGATGCCCTTTTTCAGGGCTGGAATGTGTAAG
AGCGGGGTTATTTATGCTGTTGTTTTTTTGTTACTCGGGAAGGGCTTTACCTCTTCCGCATAAACGCTTCCATCA
GCGTTTATAGTTAAAAAAATCTTTCGGAACTGGTTTTGCGCTTACCCCAACCAACAGGGGATTTGCTGCTTTCCA
TTGAGCCTGTTTCTCTGCGCGACGTTCGCGGCGGCGTGTTTGTGCATCCATCTGGATTCTCCTGTCAGTTAGCTT
TGGTGGTGTGTGGCAGTTGTAGTCCTGAACGAAAACCCCCCGCGATTGGCACATTGGCAGCTAATCCGGAATCGC
ACTTACGGCCAATGCTTCGTTTCGTATCACACACCCCAAAGCCTTCTGCTTTGAATGCTGCCCTTCTTCAGGGCT
TAATTTTTAAGAGCGTCACCTTCATGGTGGTCAGTGCGTCCTGCTGATGTGCTCAGTATCACCGCCAGTGGTATT
TATGTCAACACCGCCAGAGATAATTTATCACCGCAGATGGTTATCTGTATGTTTTTTATATGAATTTATTTTTTG
CAGGGGGGCATTGTTTGGTAGGTGAGAGATCAATTCTGCATTAATGAATCGGCCAACGCGCGGGGAGAGGCGGTT
TGCGTATTGGGCGCTCTTCCGCTTCCTCGCTCACTGACTCGCTGCGCTCGGTCGTTCGGCTGCGGCGAGCGGTAT
CAGCTCACTCAAAGGCGGTAATACGGTTATCCACAGAATCAGGGGATAACGCAGGAAAGAACATGTGAGCAAAAG
GCCAGCAAAAGGCCAGGAACCGTAAAAAGGCCGCGTTGCTGGCGTTTTTCCATAGGCTCCGCCCCCCTGACGAGC
ATCACAAAAATCGACGCTCAAGTCAGAGGTGGCGAAACCCGACAGGACTATAAAGATACCAGGCGTTTCCCCCTG
GAAGCTCCCTCGTGCGCTCTCCTGTTCCGACCCTGCCGCTTACCGGATACCTGTCCGCCTTTCTCCCTTCGGGAA
GCGTGGCGCTTTCTCATAGCTCACGCTGTAGGTATCTCAGTTCGGTGTAGGTCGTTCGCTCCAAGCTGGGCTGTG
TGCACGAACCCCCCGTTCAGCCCGACCGCTGCGCCTTATCCGGTAACTATCGTCTTGAGTCCAACCCGGTAAGAC
ACGACTTATCGCCACTGGCAGCAGCCACTGGTAACAGGATTAGCAGAGCGAGGTATGTAGGCGGTGCTACAGAGT
TCTTGAAGTGGTGGCCTAACTACGGCTACACTAGAAGGACAGTATTTGGTATCTGCGCTCTGCTGAAGCCAGTTA
CCTTCGGAAAAAGAGTTGGTAGCTCTTGATCCGGCAAACAAACCACCGCTGGTAGCGGTGGTTTTTTTGTTTGCA
AGCAGCAGATTACGCGCAGAAAAAAAGGATCTCAAGAAGATCCTTTGATCTTTTCTACGGGGTCTGACGCTCAGT
GGAACGAAAACTCACGTTAAGGGATTTTGGTCATGAGATTATCAAAAAGGATCTTCACCTAGATCCTTTTAAATT
AAAAATGAAGTTTTAAATCAATCTAAAGTATATATGAGTAAACTTGGTCTGACAGTTACCAATGCTTAATCAGTG
AGGCACCTATCTCAGCGATCTGTCTATTTCGTTCATCCATAGTTGCCTGACTCCCCGTCGTGTAGATAACTACGA
TACGGGAGGGCTTACCATCTGGCCCCAGTGCTGCAATGATACCGCGAGACCCACGCTCACCGGCTCCAGATTTAT
CAGCAATAAACCAGCCAGCCGGAAGGGCCGAGCGCAGAAGTGGTCCTGCAACTTTATCCGCCTCCATCCAGTCTA
TTAATTGTTGCCGGGAAGCTAGAGTAAGTAGTTCGCCAGTTAATAGTTTGCGCAACGTTGTTGCCATTGCTACAG
GCATCGTGGTGTCACGCTCGTCGTTTGGTATGGCTTCATTCAGCTCCGGTTCCCAACGATCAAGGCGAGTTACAT
GATCCCCCATGTTGTGCAAAAAAGCGGTTAGCTCCTTCGGTCCTCCGATCGTTGTCAGAAGTAAGTTGGCCGCAG
TGTTATCACTCATGGTTATGGCAGCACTGCATAATTCTCTTACTGTCATGCCATCCGTAAGATGCTTTTCTGTGA
CTGGTGAGTACTCAACCAAGTCATTCTGAGAATAGTGTATGCGGCGACCGAGTTGCTCTTGCCCGGCGTCAATAC
GGGATAATACCGCGCCACATAGCAGAACTTTAAAAGTGCTCATCATTGGAAAACGTTCTTCGGGGCGAAAACTCT
CAAGGATCTTACCGCTGTTGAGATCCAGTTCGATGTAACCCACTCGTGCACCCAACTGATCTTCAGCATCTTTTA
CTTTCACCAGCGTTTCTGGGTGAGCAAAAACAGGAAGGCAAAATGCCGCAAAAAAGGGAATAAGGGCGACACGGA
AATGTTGAATACTCATACTCTTCCTTTTTCAATATTATTGAAGCATTTATCAGGGTTATTGTCTCATGAGCGGAT
ACATATTTGAATGTATTTAGAAAAATAAACAAATAGGGGTTCCGCGCACATTTCCCCGAAAAGTGCCACCTGACG
TCTAAGAAACCATTATTATCATGACATTAACCTATAAAAATAGGCGTATCACGAGGCCCTTTCGTC
[0135] The sequence of W3110 deltalon::Kan::lacZwithRBS Escherichia coli str. K-12 substr. W3110 is set forth below (SEQ ID NO: 7):
[0000]
GTCCATGGAAGACGTCGAAAAAGTGGTTATCGACGAGTCGGTAATTGATGGTCAAAGCAAACCGTTGCTGATTTA
TGGCAAGCCGGAAGCGCAACAGGCATCTGGTGAATAATTAACCATTCCCATACAATTAGTTAACCAAAAAGGGGG
GATTTTATCTCCCCTTTAATTTTTCCTCTATTCTCGGCGTTGAATGTGGGGGAAACATCCCCATATACTGACGTA
CATGTTAATAGATGGCGTGAAGCACAGTCGTGTCATCTGATTACCTGGCGGAAATTAAACTAAGAGAGAGCTCTA
TGATTCCGGGGATCCGTCGACCTGCAGTTCGAAGTTCCTATTCTCTAGAAAGTATAGGAACTTCAGAGCGCTTTT
GAAGCTCACGCTGCCGCAAGCACTCAGGGCGCAAGGGCTGCTAAAGGAAGCGGAACACGTAGAAAGCCAGTCCGC
AGAAACGGTGCTGACCCCGGATGAATGTCAGCTACTGGGCTATCTGGACAAGGGAAAACGCAAGCGCAAAGAGAA
AGCAGGTAGCTTGCAGTGGGCTTACATGGCGATAGCTAGACTGGGCGGTTTTATGGACAGCAAGCGAACCGGAAT
TGCCAGCTGGGGCGCCCTCTGGTAAGGTTGGGAAGCCCTGCAAAGTAAACTGGATGGCTTTCTTGCCGCCAAGGA
TCTGATGGCGCAGGGGATCAAGATCTGATCAAGAGACAGGATGAGGATCGTTTCGCATGATTGAACAAGATGGAT
TGCACGCAGGTTCTCCGGCCGCTTGGGTGGAGAGGCTATTCGGCTATGACTGGGCACAACAGACAATCGGCTGCT
CTGATGCCGCCGTGTTCCGGCTGTCAGCGCAGGGGCGCCCGGTTCTTTTTGTCAAGACCGACCTGTCCGGTGCCC
TGAATGAACTGCAGGACGAGGCAGCGCGGCTATCGTGGCTGGCCACGACGGGCGTTCCTTGCGCAGCTGTGCTCG
ACGTTGTCACTGAAGCGGGAAGGGACTGGCTGCTATTGGGCGAAGTGCCGGGGCAGGATCTCCTGTCATCTCACC
TTGCTCCTGCCGAGAAAGTATCCATCATGGCTGATGCAATGCGGCGGCTGCATACGCTTGATCCGGCTACCTGCC
CATTCGACCACCAAGCGAAACATCGCATCGAGCGAGCACGTACTCGGATGGAAGCCGGTCTTGTCGATCAGGATG
ATCTGGACGAAGAGCATCAGGGGCTCGCGCCAGCCGAACTGTTCGCCAGGCTCAAGGCGCGCATGCCCGACGGCG
AGGATCTCGTCGTGACCCATGGCGATGCCTGCTTGCCGAATATCATGGTGGAAAATGGCCGCTTTTCTGGATTCA
TCGACTGTGGCCGGCTGGGTGTGGCGGACCGCTATCAGGACATAGCGTTGGCTACCCGTGATATTGCTGAAGAGC
TTGGCGGCGAATGGGCTGACCGCTTCCTCGTGCTTTACGGTATCGCCGCTCCCGATTCGCAGCGCATCGCCTTCT
ATCGCCTTCTTGACGAGTTCTTCTAATAAGGGGATCTTGAAGTTCCTATTCCGAAGTTCCTATTCTCTAGAAAGT
ATAGGAACTTCGAAGCAGCTCCAGCCTACATAAAGCGGCCGCTTATTTTTGACACCAGACCAACTGGTAATGGTA
GCGACCGGCGCTCAGCTGGAATTCCGCCGATACTGACGGGCTCCAGGAGTCGTCGCCACCAATCCCCATATGGAA
ACCGTCGATATTCAGCCATGTGCCTTCTTCCGCGTGCAGCAGATGGCGATGGCTGGTTTCCATCAGTTGCTGTTG
ACTGTAGCGGCTGATGTTGAACTGGAAGTCGCCGCGCCACTGGTGTGGGCCATAATTCAATTCGCGCGTCCCGCA
GCGCAGACCGTTTTCGCTCGGGAAGACGTACGGGGTATACATGTCTGACAATGGCAGATCCCAGCGGTCAAAACA
GGCGGCAGTAAGGCGGTCGGGATAGTTTTCTTGCGGCCCTAATCCGAGCCAGTTTACCCGCTCTGCTACCTGCGC
CAGCTGGCAGTTCAGGCCAATCCGCGCCGGATGCGGTGTATCGCTCGCCACTTCAACATCAACGGTAATCGCCAT
TTGACCACTACCATCAATCCGGTAGGTTTTCCGGCTGATAAATAAGGTTTTCCCCTGATGCTGCCACGCGTGAGC
GGTCGTAATCAGCACCGCATCAGCAAGTGTATCTGCCGTGCACTGCAACAACGCTGCTTCGGCCTGGTAATGGCC
CGCCGCCTTCCAGCGTTCGACCCAGGCGTTAGGGTCAATGCGGGTCGCTTCACTTACGCCAATGTCGTTATCCAG
CGGTGCACGGGTGAACTGATCGCGCAGCGGCGTCAGCAGTTGTTTTTTATCGCCAATCCACATCTGTGAAAGAAA
GCCTGACTGGCGGTTAAATTGCCAACGCTTATTACCCAGCTCGATGCAAAAATCCATTTCGCTGGTGGTCAGATG
CGGGATGGCGTGGGACGCGGCGGGGAGCGTCACACTGAGGTTTTCCGCCAGACGCCACTGCTGCCAGGCGCTGAT
GTGCCCGGCTTCTGACCATGCGGTCGCGTTCGGTTGCACTACGCGTACTGTGAGCCAGAGTTGCCCGGCGCTCTC
CGGCTGCGGTAGTTCAGGCAGTTCAATCAACTGTTTACCTTGTGGAGCGACATCCAGAGGCACTTCACCGCTTGC
CAGCGGCTTACCATCCAGCGCCACCATCCAGTGCAGGAGCTCGTTATCGCTATGACGGAACAGGTATTCGCTGGT
CACTTCGATGGTTTGCCCGGATAAACGGAACTGGAAAAACTGCTGCTGGTGTTTTGCTTCCGTCAGCGCTGGATG
CGGCGTGCGGTCGGCAAAGACCAGACCGTTCATACAGAACTGGCGATCGTTCGGCGTATCGCCAAAATCACCGCC
GTAAGCCGACCACGGGTTGCCGTTTTCATCATATTTAATCAGCGACTGATCCACCCAGTCCCAGACGAAGCCGCC
CTGTAAACGGGGATACTGACGAAACGCCTGCCAGTATTTAGCGAAACCGCCAAGACTGTTACCCATCGCGTGGGC
GTATTCGCAAAGGATCAGCGGGCGCGTCTCTCCAGGTAGCGAAAGCCATTTTTTGATGGACCATTTCGGCACAGC
CGGGAAGGGCTGGTCTTCATCCACGCGCGCGTACATCGGGCAAATAATATCGGTGGCCGTGGTGTCGGCTCCGCC
GCCTTCATACTGCACCGGGCGGGAAGGATCGACAGATTTGATCCAGCGATACAGCGCGTCGTGATTAGCGCCGTG
GCCTGATTCATTCCCCAGCGACCAGATGATCACACTCGGGTGATTACGATCGCGCTGCACCATTCGCGTTACGCG
TTCGCTCATCGCCGGTAGCCAGCGCGGATCATCGGTCAGACGATTCATTGGCACCATGCCGTGGGTTTCAATATT
GGCTTCATCCACCACATACAGGCCGTAGCGGTCGCACAGCGTGTACCACAGCGGATGGTTCGGATAATGCGAACA
GCGCACGGCGTTAAAGTTGTTCTGCTTCATCAGCAGGATATCCTGCACCATCGTCTGCTCATCCATGACCTGACC
ATGCAGAGGATGATGCTCGTGACGGTTAACGCCTCGAATCAGCAACGGCTTGCCGTTCAGCAGCAGCAGACCATT
TTCAATCCGCACCTCGCGGAAACCGACATCGCAGGCTTCTGCTTCAATCAGCGTGCCGTCGGCGGTGTGCAGTTC
AACCACCGCACGATAGAGATTCGGGATTTCGGCGCTCCACAGTTTCGGGTTTTCGACGTTCAGACGTAGTGTGAC
GCGATCGGCATAACCACCACGCTCATCGATAATTTCACCGCCGAAAGGCGCGGTGCCGCTGGCGACCTGCGTTTC
ACCCTGCCATAAAGAAACTGTTACCCGTAGGTAGTCACGCAACTCGCCGCACATCTGAACTTCAGCCTCCAGTAC
AGCGCGGCTGAAATCATCATTAAAGCGAGTGGCAACATGGAAATCGCTGATTTGTGTAGTCGGTTTATGCAGCAA
CGAGACGTCACGGAAAATGCCGCTCATCCGCCACATATCCTGATCTTCCAGATAACTGCCGTCACTCCAGCGCAG
CACCATCACCGCGAGGCGGTTTTCTCCGGCGCGTAAAAATGCGCTCAGGTCAAATTCAGACGGCAAACGACTGTC
CTGGCCGTAACCGACCCAGCGCCCGTTGCACCACAGATGAAACGCCGAGTTAACGCCATCAAAAATAATTCGCGT
CTGGCCTTCCTGTAGCCAGCTTTCATCAACATTAAATGTGAGCGAGTAACAACCCGTCGGATTCTCCGTGGGAAC
AAACGGCGGATTGACCGTAATGGGATAGGTCACGTTGGTGTAGATGGGCGCATCGTAACCGTGCATCTGCCAGTT
TGAGGGGACGACGACAGTATCGGCCTCAGGAAGATCGCACTCCAGCCAGCTTTCCGGCACCGCTTCTGGTGCCGG
AAACCAGGCAAAGCGCCATTCGCCATTCAGGCTGCGCAACTGTTGGGAAGGGCGATCGGTGCGGGCCTCTTCGCT
ATTACGCCAGCTGGCGAAAGGGGGATGTGCTGCAAGGCGATTAAGTTGGGTAACGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGTCACG
ACGTTGTAAAACGACGGCCAGTGAATCCGTAATCATGGTCATAGTAGGTTTCCTCAGGTTGTGACTGCAAAATAG
TGACCTCGCGCAAAATGCACTAATAAAAACAGGGCTGGCAGGCTAATTCGGGCTTGCCAGCCTTTTTTTGTCTCG
CTAAGTTAGATGGCGGATCGGGCTTGCCCTTATTAAGGGGTGTTGTAAGGGGATGGCTGGCCTGATATAACTGCT
GCGCGTTCGTACCTTGAAGGATTCAAGTGCGATATAAATTATAAAGAGGAAGAGAAGAGTGAATAAATCTCAATT
GATCGACAAGATTGCTGCAGGGGCTGATATCTCTAAAGCTGCGGCTGGCCGTGCGTTAGATGCTATTATTGCTTC
CGTAACTGAATCTCTGAAAGAAGG
[0136] The sequence of pG186 is set forth below (SEQ ID NO: 8):
[0000]
TCGCGCGTTTCGGTGATGACGGTGAAAACCTCTGACACATGCAGCTCCCGGAGACGGTCACAGCTTGTCTGTAAG
CGGATGCCGGGAGCAGACAAGCCCGTCAGGGCGCGTCAGCGGGTGTTGGCGGGTGTCGGGGCTGGCTTAACTATG
CGGCATCAGAGCAGATTGTACTGAGAGTGCACCATATATGCGGTGTGAAATACCGCACAGATGCGTAAGGAGAAA
ATACCGCATCAGGCGCCTCCTCAACCTGTATATTCGTAAACCACGCCCAATGGGAGCTGTCTCAGGTTTGTTCCT
GATTGGTTACGGCGCGTTTCGCATCATTGTTGAGTTTTTCCGCCAGCCCGACGCGCAGTTTACCGGTGCCTGGGT
GCAGTACATCAGCATGGGGCAAATTCTTTCCATCCCGATGATTGTCGCGGGTGTGATCATGATGGTCTGGGCATA
TCGTCGCAGCCCACAGCAACACGTTTCCTGAGGAACCATGAAACAGTATTTAGAACTGATGCAAAAAGTGCTCGA
CGAAGGCACACAGAAAAACGACCGTACCGGAACCGGAACGCTTTCCATTTTTGGTCATCAGATGCGTTTTAACCT
GCAAGATGGATTCCCGCTGGTGACAACTAAACGTTGCCACCTGCGTTCCATCATCCATGAACTGCTGTGGTTTCT
GCAGGGCGACACTAACATTGCTTATCTACACGAAAACAATGTCACCATCTGGGACGAATGGGCCGATGAAAACGG
CGACCTCGGGCCAGTGTATGGTAAACAGTGGCGCGCCTGGCCAACGCCAGATGGTCGTCATATTGACCAGATCAC
TACGGTACTGAACCAGCTGAAAAACGACCCGGATTCGCGCCGCATTATTGTTTCAGCGTGGAACGTAGGCGAACT
GGATAAAATGGCGCTGGCACCGTGCCATGCATTCTTCCAGTTCTATGTGGCAGACGGCAAACTCTCTTGCCAGCT
TTATCAGCGCTCCTGTGACGTCTTCCTCGGCCTGCCGTTCAACATTGCCAGCTACGCGTTATTGGTGCATATGAT
GGCGCAGCAGTGCGATCTGGAAGTGGGTGATTTTGTCTGGACCGGTGGCGACACGCATCTGTACAGCAACCATAT
GGATCAAACTCATCTGCAATTAAGCCGCGAACCGCGTCCGCTGCCGAAGTTGATTATCAAACGTAAACCCGAATC
CATCTTCGACTACCGTTTCGAAGACTTTGAGATTGAAGGCTACGATCCGCATCCGGGCATTAAAGCGCCGGTGGC
TATCTAATTACGAAACATCCTGCCAGAGCCGACGCCAGTGTGCGTCGGTTTTTTTACCCTCCGTTAAATTCTTCG
AGACGCCTTCCCGAAGGCGCCATTCGCCATTCAGGCTGCGCAACTGTTGGGAAGGGCGATCGGTGCGGGCCTCTT
CGCTATTACGCCAGCTGGCGAAAGGGGGATGTGCTGCAAGGCGATTAAGTTGGGTAACGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGT
CACGACGTTGTAAAACGACGGCCAGTGCCAAGCTTTCTTTAATGAAGCAGGGCATCAGGACGGTATCTTTGTGGA
GAAAGCAGAGTAATCTTATTCAGCCTGACTGGTGGGAAACCACCAGTCAGAATGTGTTAGCGCATGTTGACAAAA
ATACCATTAGTCACATTATCCGTCAGTCGGACGACATGGTAGATAACCTGTTTATTATGCGTTTTGATCTTACGT
TTAATATTACCTTTATGCGATGAAACGGTCTTGGCTTTGATATTCATTTGGTCAGAGATTTGAATGGTTCCCTGA
CCTGCCATCCACATTCGCAACATACTCGATTCGGTTCGGCTCAATGATAACGTCGGCATATTTAAAAACGAGGTT
ATCGTTGTCTCTTTTTTCAGAATATCGCCAAGGATATCGTCGAGAGATTCCGGTTTAATCGATTTAGAACTGATC
AATAAATTTTTTCTGACCAATAGATATTCATCAAAATGAACATTGGCAATTGCCATAAAAACGATAAATAACGTA
TTGGGATGTTGATTAATGATGAGCTTGATACGCTGACTGTTAGAAGCATCGTGGATGAAACAGTCCTCATTAATA
AACACCACTGAAGGGCGCTGTGAATCACAAGCTATGGCAAGGTCATCAACGGTTTCAATGTCGTTGATTTCTCTT
TTTTTAACCCCTCTACTCAACAGATACCCGGTTAAACCTAGTCGGGTGTAACTACATAAATCCATAATAATCGTT
GACATGGCATACCCTCACTCAATGCGTAACGATAATTCCCCTTACCTGAATATTTCATCATGACTAAACGGAACA
ACATGGGTCACCTAATGCGCCACTCTCGCGATTTTTCAGGCGGACTTACTATCCCGTAAAGTGTTGTATAATTTG
CCTGGAATTGTCTTAAAGTAAAGTAAATGTTGCGATATGTGAGTGAGCTTAAAACAAATATTTCGCTGCAGGAGT
ATCCTGGAAGATGTTCGTAGAAGCTTACTGCTCACAAGAAAAAAGGCACGTCATCTGACGTGCCTTTTTTATTTG
TACTACCCTGTACGATTACTGCAGCTCGAGTTAGTCTTTATCTGCCGGACTTAAGGTCACTGAAGAGAGATAATT
CAGCAGGGCGATATCGTTCTCGACACCCAGCTTCATCATCGCAGATTTCTTCTGGCTACTGATGGTTTTAATACT
GCGGTTCAGCTTTTTAGCGATCTCGGTCACCAGGAAGCCTTCCGCAAACAGGCGCAGAACTTCACTCTCTTTTGG
CGAGAGACGCTTGTCACCGTAACCACCAGCACTGATTTTTTCCAACAGGCGAGAAACGCTTTCCGGGGTAAATTT
CTTCCCTTTCTGCAGCGCGGCGAGAGCTTTCGGCAGATCGGTCGGTGCACCTTGTTTCAGCACGATCCCTTCGAT
ATCCAGATCCAATACCGCACTAAGAATCGCCGGGTTGTTGTTCATAGTCAGAACAATGATCGACAGGCTTGGGAA
ATGGCGCTTGATGTACTTGATTAAGGTAATGCCATCGCCGTACTTATCGCCAGGCATGGAGAGATCGGTAATCAA
CACATGCGCATCCAGTTTCGGCAGGTTGTTGATCAGTGCTGTAGAGTCTTCAAATTCGCCGACAACATTCACCCA
CTCAATTTGCTCAAGTGATTTGCGAATACCGAACAAGACTATCGGATGGTCATCGGCAATAATTACGTTCATATT
GTTCATTGTATATCTCCTTCTTCTCGAGTTTAATTCAAATCTTCTTCAGAAATCAATTTTTGTTCAGCGTTATAC
TTTTGGGATTTTACCTCAAAATGGGATTCTATTTTCACCCACTCCTTACAAAGGATATTCTCATGCCCAAAAAGC
CAGTGTTTGGGGCCAATAATGATTTTTTCTGGATTTTCTATCAAATAGGCCGCCCACCAGCTATAAGTGCTATTA
GCGATAATGCCATGCTGACAAGATTGCATGAGCAGCATGTCCCAATACGCCTCTTCTTCTTTATCCCTAGTGGTC
ATGTCCATAAAAGGGTAGCCAAGATCAAGATTTTGCGTGAATTCTAAGTCTTCGCAAAACACAAAAAGCTCCATG
TTTGGCACGCGCTTTGCCATATACTCAAGCGCCTTTTTTTGATAGTCAATACCAAGCTGACAGCCAATCCCCACA
TAATCCCCTCTTCTTATATGCACAAACACGCTGTTTTTAGCGGCTAAAATCAAAGAAAGCTTGCACTGATATTCT
TCCTCTTTTTTATTATTATTCTTATTATTTTCGGGTGGTGGTGGTAGAGTGAAGGTTTGCTTGATTAAAGGGGAT
ATAGCATCAAAGTATCGTGGATCTTGGAAATAGCCAAAAAAATAAGTCAAGCGGCTTGGCTTTAGCAATTTAGGC
TCGTATTCAAAAACGATTTCTTGACTCACCCTATCAAATCCCATGCATTTGAGCGCGTCTCTTACTAGCTTGGGG
AGGTGTTGCATTTTAGCTATAGCGATTTCTTTCGCGCTCGCATAGGGCAAATCAATAGGGAAAAGTTCTAATTGC
ATTTTCCTATCGCTCCAATCAAAAGAAGTGATATCTAACAGCACAGGCGTATTAGAGTGTTTTTGCAAACTTTTA
GCGAAAGCGTATTGAAACATTTGATTCCCAAGCCCTCCGCAAATTTGCACCACCTTAAAAGCCATATGTATATCT
CCTTCTTGAATTCTAAAAATTGATTGAATGTATGCAAATAAATGCATACACCATAGGTGTGGTTTAATTTGATGC
CCTTTTTCAGGGCTGGAATGTGTAAGAGCGGGGTTATTTATGCTGTTGTTTTTTTGTTACTCGGGAAGGGCTTTA
CCTCTTCCGCATAAACGCTTCCATCAGCGTTTATAGTTAAAAAAATCTTTCGGAACTGGTTTTGCGCTTACCCCA
ACCAACAGGGGATTTGCTGCTTTCCATTGAGCCTGTTTCTCTGCGCGACGTTCGCGGCGGCGTGTTTGTGCATCC
ATCTGGATTCTCCTGTCAGTTAGCTTTGGTGGTGTGTGGCAGTTGTAGTCCTGAACGAAAACCCCCCGCGATTGG
CACATTGGCAGCTAATCCGGAATCGCACTTACGGCCAATGCTTCGTTTCGTATCACACACCCCAAAGCCTTCTGC
TTTGAATGCTGCCCTTCTTCAGGGCTTAATTTTTAAGAGCGTCACCTTCATGGTGGTCAGTGCGTCCTGCTGATG
TGCTCAGTATCACCGCCAGTGGTATTTATGTCAACACCGCCAGAGATAATTTATCACCGCAGATGGTTATCTGTA
TGTTTTTTATATGAATTTATTTTTTGCAGGGGGGCATTGTTTGGTAGGTGAGAGATCAATTCTGCATTAATGAAT
CGGCCAACGCGCGGGGAGAGGCGGTTTGCGTATTGGGCGCTCTTCCGCTTCCTCGCTCACTGACTCGCTGCGCTC
GGTCGTTCGGCTGCGGCGAGCGGTATCAGCTCACTCAAAGGCGGTAATACGGTTATCCACAGAATCAGGGGATAA
CGCAGGAAAGAACATGTGAGCAAAAGGCCAGCAAAAGGCCAGGAACCGTAAAAAGGCCGCGTTGCTGGCGTTTTT
CCATAGGCTCCGCCCCCCTGACGAGCATCACAAAAATCGACGCTCAAGTCAGAGGTGGCGAAACCCGACAGGACT
ATAAAGATACCAGGCGTTTCCCCCTGGAAGCTCCCTCGTGCGCTCTCCTGTTCCGACCCTGCCGCTTACCGGATA
CCTGTCCGCCTTTCTCCCTTCGGGAAGCGTGGCGCTTTCTCATAGCTCACGCTGTAGGTATCTCAGTTCGGTGTA
GGTCGTTCGCTCCAAGCTGGGCTGTGTGCACGAACCCCCCGTTCAGCCCGACCGCTGCGCCTTATCCGGTAACTA
TCGTCTTGAGTCCAACCCGGTAAGACACGACTTATCGCCACTGGCAGCAGCCACTGGTAACAGGATTAGCAGAGC
GAGGTATGTAGGCGGTGCTACAGAGTTCTTGAAGTGGTGGCCTAACTACGGCTACACTAGAAGGACAGTATTTGG
TATCTGCGCTCTGCTGAAGCCAGTTACCTTCGGAAAAAGAGTTGGTAGCTCTTGATCCGGCAAACAAACCACCGC
TGGTAGCGGTGGTTTTTTTGTTTGCAAGCAGCAGATTACGCGCAGAAAAAAAGGATCTCAAGAAGATCCTTTGAT
CTTTTCTACGGGGTCTGACGCTCAGTGGAACGAAAACTCACGTTAAGGGATTTTGGTCATGAGATTATCAAAAAG
GATCTTCACCTAGATCCTTTTAAATTAAAAATGAAGTTTTAAATCAATCTAAAGTATATATGAGTAAACTTGGTC
TGACAGTTACCAATGCTTAATCAGTGAGGCACCTATCTCAGCGATCTGTCTATTTCGTTCATCCATAGTTGCCTG
ACTCCCCGTCGTGTAGATAACTACGATACGGGAGGGCTTACCATCTGGCCCCAGTGCTGCAATGATACCGCGAGA
CCCACGCTCACCGGCTCCAGATTTATCAGCAATAAACCAGCCAGCCGGAAGGGCCGAGCGCAGAAGTGGTCCTGC
AACTTTATCCGCCTCCATCCAGTCTATTAATTGTTGCCGGGAAGCTAGAGTAAGTAGTTCGCCAGTTAATAGTTT
GCGCAACGTTGTTGCCATTGCTACAGGCATCGTGGTGTCACGCTCGTCGTTTGGTATGGCTTCATTCAGCTCCGG
TTCCCAACGATCAAGGCGAGTTACATGATCCCCCATGTTGTGCAAAAAAGCGGTTAGCTCCTTCGGTCCTCCGAT
CGTTGTCAGAAGTAAGTTGGCCGCAGTGTTATCACTCATGGTTATGGCAGCACTGCATAATTCTCTTACTGTCAT
GCCATCCGTAAGATGCTTTTCTGTGACTGGTGAGTACTCAACCAAGTCATTCTGAGAATAGTGTATGCGGCGACC
GAGTTGCTCTTGCCCGGCGTCAATACGGGATAATACCGCGCCACATAGCAGAACTTTAAAAGTGCTCATCATTGG
AAAACGTTCTTCGGGGCGAAAACTCTCAAGGATCTTACCGCTGTTGAGATCCAGTTCGATGTAACCCACTCGTGC
ACCCAACTGATCTTCAGCATCTTTTACTTTCACCAGCGTTTCTGGGTGAGCAAAAACAGGAAGGCAAAATGCCGC
AAAAAAGGGAATAAGGGCGACACGGAAATGTTGAATACTCATACTCTTCCTTTTTCAATATTATTGAAGCATTTA
TCAGGGTTATTGTCTCATGAGCGGATACATATTTGAATGTATTTAGAAAAATAAACAAATAGGGGTTCCGCGCAC
ATTTCCCCGAAAAGTGCCACCTGACGTCTAAGAAACCATTATTATCATGACATTAACCTATAAAAATAGGCGTAT
CACGAGGCCCTTTCGTC
Other Embodiments
[0137] While the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of the following claims.
[0138] The patent and scientific literature referred to herein establishes the knowledge that is available to those with skill in the art. All United States patents and published or unpublished United States patent applications cited herein are incorporated by reference. All published foreign patents and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0139] Genbank and NCBI submissions indicated by accession number cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference. All other published references, documents, manuscripts and scientific literature cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0140] 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. | The invention provides compositions and methods for engineering bacteria to produce fucosylated oligosaccharides, and the use thereof in the prevention or treatment of infection. | 2 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of polypropylene moulding compound having high impact and flexural strength. More particularly, it provides a process by which polypropylene can be modified with additives which impart high impact and flexural strength.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] There is a large demand for commodity polymers such as polypropylene having enhanced mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strength. This is especially true for their applications in automobile components. Impact strength becomes important for such applications. The impact strength of polypropylene is usually increased by incorporation of rubbery component either externally or internally by co-polymerization. However, this invariably affects the tensile and flexural strength of polypropylene due to differences in crystallinity and weak bonds at the interface. The tensile and flexural strengths are known to decrease considerably with incorporation of rubbery component (Ref: Handbook of Polyolefins, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1993 Chapter 10). The use of modified additives is disclosed in copending Indian Patent Application 2626/DEL/96 for improvement of impact strength. However, that process does not consider changes in the flexural strength and is not compatible with a large number of other additives. These drawbacks have to be overcome for improved performance of polypropylene in automobile components such as bumpers and dashboards which require both high impact and flexural strength. There is no prior art for increasing both impact and flexural strength of polypropylene moulding compound.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The main object of the present invention therefore is to provide a process for preparation of polypropylene moulding compound having high impact strength as well as high flexural strength.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Accordingly, the present invention provides a process for the preparation of polypropylene moulding compound having high impact strength above 30 Kg cm/cm and flexural strength above 330 Kg/cm 2 , which comprises blending polypropylene with another polymer in the range of 20 to 50 wt %, adding a compatibilizer agent and optionally a colouring agent, melt kneading the mixture in presence of a low molecular weight co-polymer, melt extruding the same in a twin screw melt extruder at a temperature in the range of 120 to 180° C. to give a polypropylene moulding compound having high impact and flexural strength.
[0005] In one embodiment of the invention, the polypropylene used has isotacticity index in the range of 95 to 98.
[0006] In another embodiment, the polymer used for blending is a random co-polymer of ethylene or propylene with butadiene in the ratio of 2:1.
[0007] In another embodiment, the ratio of the polypropylene to the co-polymer is in the range of 2:1 to 5:1.
[0008] In another embodiment, the compatibilizer is chosen from a branched polymer containing ethylene and octene units having ethylene to octene ratio of 0.1% to 1%.
[0009] In yet another embodiment the concentration of the compatibilizer agent is in the range of 10% to 50% of the total polypropylene compound.
[0010] In another embodiment the co-polymer used for melt kneading contains butyl, hexyl or octyl units modified with carboxylic acid, maleic acid and ethylene monomer having minimum melt flow index of 5 gm/10 min.
[0011] In still another embodiment of the present invention the temperature used for melt kneading is in the range of 120° C. to 180° C. preferably 160° C.
[0012] In another embodiment the melt extrusion is carried out at rate of 10 Kg/hr to 36 Kg/hr at the melt temperature in the range of 180° C. to 220° C.
[0013] In a feature of the present invention, the colouring agents may be used together with the compound causing no adverse effect on the properties of the moulded component.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The present invention provides a process for the preparation of polypropylene moulding compound having high impact strength above 30 Kg cm/cm and flexural strength above 330 Kg/cm 2 . The process of the invention comprises blending polypropylene with another polymer in the range of 20 to 50 wt % using a compatibilizer agent. Optionally, coloring agents may be used without detracting the properties of the final polymer. The mixture obtained is melt kneaded in the presence of a low molecular weight co-polymer and then melt extruded in a twin screw melt extruder at a temperature in the range of 120 to 180° C. to give a polypropylene moulding compound having high impact and flexural strength.
[0015] Preferably, the polypropylene used has isotacticity index in the range of 95 to 98. The polymer used for blending is a random co-polymer of ethylene or propylene with butadiene in the ratio of 2:1. The ratio of the polypropylene to co-polymer is in the range of 2:1 to 5:1.
[0016] The compatibilizer is chosen from a branched polymer containing ethylene and octene units having ethylene to octene ratio of 0.1% to 1%. The concentration of the compatibilizer agent is in the range of 10% to 50% of the total polypropylene compound.
[0017] The co-polymer used for melt kneading contains butyl, hexyl or octyl units modified with carboxylic acid, maleic acid and ethylene monomer having minimum melt flow index of 5 gm/10 min.
[0018] The temperature used for melt kneading is in the range of 120° C. to 180° C., preferably 160° C. and the melt extrusion is carried out at rate of 10 Kg/hr to 36 Kg/hr at the melt temperature in the range of 180° C. to 220° C.
[0019] The process of the present invention is described hereinbelow with examples, which are illustrative and should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.
EXAMPLE—1
[0020] Polypropylene (1 Kg) having isotactic index of 96, melt flow index of 10 was mixed with 4.6 Kg of random co-polymer containing ethylene and propylene in the ratio of 1:10, 0.4 Kg of compatibilizer having ethylene and octene units in the ratio of 100:1, 0.28 Kg maleic anhydride treated polpropylene, melt kneaded in sigma blade mixer at 160° C. for 20 min and melt extruded at 210° C. then quenched in water and chopped into small pellets to give polypropylene moulding compound. This compound was then injection moulded by conventional machine at 190° C. to form test pieces. The mechanical properties of the test pieces are indicated in Table—1.
EXAMPLE—2
[0021] Polypropylene (1 Kg) having isotactic index of 96, melt flow index of 10 was mixed with 4.6 Kg of random co-polymer containing ethylene and propylene in the ratio of 1:10, 0.4 Kg of compatibilizer having ethylene and octene units in the ratio of 100:1, 0.28 Kg polymer containing acrylate and ethylene units in the ratio of 1:10, melt kneaded in sigma blade mixer at 160° C. for 20 min and melt extruded at 210° C. then quenched in water and chopped into small pellets to give polypropylene moulding compound. This compound was then injection moulded by conventional machine at 190° C. to form test pieces. The mechanical properties of the test pieces are indicated in Table—1.
EXAMPLE—3
[0022] Polypropylene (1 Kg) having isotactic index of 96, melt flow index of 10 was mixed with 4.6 Kg of random co-polymer containing ethylene and propylene in the ratio of 1:10, 0.62 Kg of compatibilizer having ethylene and octene units in the ratio of 100:1, 0.28 Kg polymer containing maleic acid treated polypropylene, 0.08 Kg of linear low density polyethylene, melt kneaded in sigma blade mixer at 170° C. for 20 min and melt extruded at 210° C. then quenched in water and chopped into small pellets to give polypropylene moulding compound. This compound was then injection moulded by conventional machine at 190° C. to form test pieces. Mechanical properties of the test pieces are indicated in Table—1.
TABLE 1 Comparison of mechanical properties of polypropylene moulding compound Polypropylene Unmodified Moulded sample Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Polypropylene Izod Impact 37 30 45 7.0 Strength (Kg · cm/cm) Elongation at 140 109 200 46 Break (%) Melt Flow Index 5.4 5.5 6.6 8 (230° C./2.16 Kg) Tensile Strength 257 262 255 300 (Kg/cm 2 ) Flexural Strength 338 350 342 265 (Kg/cm 2 ) Flexural Modulus 18119 19078 18050 8534 (Kg/cm 2 )
[0023] A comparison of the values of impact strength and flexural strength/modulus given in the above Table—1 that the polypropylene moulding compound prepared by the process described in the present invention has much better properties than the original polymer.
[0024] The main advantage of the present invention is that it provides a simple method of preparation of polypropylene moulding compound which gives much higher impact strength as well as flexural strength with very little loss of tensile strength. | The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of polypropylene moulding compound which gives high impact and flexural strength to the moulded component which are extensively used in automobile industry. | 1 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/402,776 filed on Sep. 3, 2010.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention generally relates to single crystal ingots grown using the batch and continuous Czochralski methods and is more specifically directed to silicon single crystal ingots doped with gallium, indium and/or aluminum and methods of making and using the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Several processes are known in the art for growing crystal ingots of semi-conductor materials for use in fabricating integrated circuits and photovoltaic devices such as solar cells. Batch and continuous Czochralski (“CZ”) processes are widely used for semiconductor materials such as silicon, germanium, or gallium arsenide doped with an elemental additive such as phosphorus (n-type dopant) or boron (p-type dopant) to control the resistivity of the crystal. These processes are generally summarized as follows. A heated crucible holds a melted form of a charge material from which the crystal is to be grown. A seed is placed at the end of a cable or rod that will enable the seed to be lowered into the melt material and then raised back out of the melt material. When the seed is lowered into the melt material, it causes a local decrease in melt temperature, which results in a portion of the melt material crystallizing around and below the seed. Thereafter, the seed is slowly withdrawn from the melt material. As the seed is withdrawn or pulled from the melt material, the portion of the newly formed crystal that remains within the melt material essentially acts as an extension of the seed and causes melt material to crystallize around and below it. This process continues as the crystal is withdrawn or pulled from the melt material, resulting in crystal ingot growth as the seed is continually raised.
[0005] In batch CZ, the entire amount of charge material (semi-conductor and dopant) required for growing a single crystal ingot is melted at the beginning of the process. In continuous CZ (“CCZ”), the charge material is continually or periodically replenished during the growth process. In CCZ, the growth process may be stopped at intervals between crystal growth to harvest the crystal or may continue without stopping between crystal growth.
[0006] The batch CZ process is typically carried out using a pulling apparatus comprising a gas chamber, a quartz crucible positioned inside the chamber, semiconductor charge material and dopant loaded into the crucible, a heater for melting the charge material, and a pulling mechanism for pulling or drawing up a single crystal ingot of the doped semiconductor material. To carry out the CCZ process, it is necessary to modify the traditional apparatus to include a means for feeding additional charge material to the melt in a continuous or semi-continuous fashion. In an effort to reduce the adverse effects of this replenishing activity on simultaneous crystal growth, the traditional quartz crucible is modified to provide an outer or annular melt zone (into which the semi-conductor is added and melted) and an inner growth zone (from which the crystal is pulled). These zones are in fluid flow communication with one another.
[0007] In general, it is desirable for the dopant concentration in the crystal ingot to be uniform both axially (longitudinally) and radially. This is difficult to achieve due, in part, to segregation. Segregation is the tendency of the impurity or dopant to remain in the melt material instead of being drawn-up into the crystal ingot. Each dopant has a characteristic segregation coefficient that relates to the comparative ease with which the dopant atom can be accommodated into the ingot's crystal lattice. For example, because most dopant atoms do not fit into the silicon crystal lattice as well as a silicon atom, dopant atoms typically are incorporated into the crystal at less than their proportional concentration in the melt, i.e., dopants in a silicon melt generally have a segregation coefficient of less than 1. After the doped silicon is melted and crystal growth has begun, the dopant concentration increases in the melt due to rejection of the dopant at the crystal growth interface.
[0008] In general, the dopant concentration of the pulled single crystal is given as kC where the dopant concentration in the molten polycrystalline or raw material is C and where k is a segregation coefficient that is typically less than 1. During a doped batch CZ process, the amount of melt material in the crucible decreases as the crystal ingot grows, and as a result of segregation, the dopant concentration gradually increases in the remaining melt material. Due to the higher dopant concentration in the melt material, the dopant concentration in the crystal ingot also becomes higher, resulting in varying resistivity along the radial and longitudinal axis of the crystal. A doped batch CZ process potentially results in an ingot having the desired resistivity in only a small portion of the ingot.
[0009] It has been suggested that more uniform resistivity may be obtained using a CCZ process where the dopant concentration in the raw material fed successively into the annular melt zone is made equal to the dopant concentration in the pulled single crystal and the amount of single crystal pulled per unit time is made equal to the amount of charge material supplied. In so doing, it is intended that the amount of dopant supplied and pulled are balanced with each other so that the dopant concentration in the inner crucible equals C/k and the concentration in the outer crucible equals C in a steady state. A variety of different processes and configurations of crucibles have been suggested in an effort to maintain the relative concentrations of the dopant within the inner and outer zones of the crucible and to otherwise achieve uniform resistivity. One problem that continues to persist during a CCZ run is the tendency for dopant to migrate or diffuse to the outer melt zone of the crucible (due to the concentration gradient), which results in lower dopant concentration and higher resistivity at the seed end of the next crystal ingot until the steady state can be achieved again.
[0010] In the past, boron has traditionally been used as the dopant for silicon single crystals used in photovoltaic solar cell applications. It has been recognized, however, that boron forms recombination active defects with oxygen under illumination thereby lowering the minority carrier lifetime. This effect known as “light induced degradation” or “LID” causes a significant voltage and current drop of the solar cells when in operation. See, J. Schmidt, A. G. Aberle and R. Hezel, “ Investigation of carrier lifetime instabilities in Cz - grown silicon ,” Proc. 26th IEEE PVSC, p. 13 (1997); S. Glunz, S. Rein, J. Lee and W. Warta, “ minority carrier lifetime degradation in boron - doped Czochralski silicon ,” J. Appl. Phys., 90, pp. 2397 (2001). This problem can be circumvented by using low-oxygen material or high-resistivity material to minimize boron content; however, it is also known that higher efficiencies can be obtained using relatively low-resistivity material (around 1.0 Ω-cm or below). Low-resistivity material requires a higher dopant concentration.
[0011] It has been suggested that boron can be replaced by gallium, which shows similar electronic behavior in the silicon band structure but does not form recombination active defects under illumination. While it has been suggested that a gallium doped silicon single crystal can be produced via a batch CZ process, gallium has a much smaller segregation coefficient than boron, which means the batch CZ process results in a gallium doped crystal that exhibits a large axial resistivity variation. This lack of uniformity increases the cost of production due to the limited amount of acceptable material in each ingot and/or the cost of development of cell manufacturing processes that can accommodate material exhibiting a wide resistivity range. For this reason, the use of gallium doped crystals for solar cell applications has not been widely adopted in an industrial setting although the advantages of gallium doped silicon wafers in terms of LID reduction has been known for decades.
[0012] The use of CCZ has not been suggested for making ingots doped with gallium, aluminum, or indium, all of which have a small silicon segregation coefficient. This is likely due to the fact that elemental gallium (the most preferred of the three dopants) would be difficult to add in a sufficiently high concentration using a continuous or semi-continuous feeding apparatus because it melts near room temperature and would stick to the apparatus. This not only has the potential of damaging the apparatus, but also creates operational problems such as a lack of control of the actual amount of gallium being added to the melt. In addition, gallium forms a highly volatile suboxide (Ga 2 O) that results in significant loss of gallium from the melt due to evaporation. This evaporation effect would be exacerbated in a CCZ system due to the longer run times and greater melt surface area associated with CCZ.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention relates to a gallium, indium, or aluminum doped silicon single crystal ingot and a method of making the same. The ingot is characterized by uniform radial resistivity and uniform resistivity in the direction of growth (axial or longitudinal resistivity). Preferably, the radial and/or axial resistivity along the length of the ingot varies by less than 10%, more preferably by less than 5%, and most preferably less than 2%.
[0014] In one embodiment of the invention, a silicon single crystal ingot having relatively uniform radial and axial resistivity is grown using a CCZ process wherein a dopant selected from the group consisting of gallium, aluminum and indium or a combination thereof, and most preferably comprising gallium, is included within an initial charge of silicon and then subsequently added to the silicon melt within the inner growth chamber of the crucible between the growth of each crystal ingot. The dopant is preferably added to the inner growth chamber between ingot growth using a “sacrificial vessel” made from the melt material. The dopant is placed in the vessel in solid or liquid form and delivered to the melt in the inner growth chamber via lowering of the seed chuck. Adding dopant to the growth zone allows the system to reach its steady state more quickly, which reduces downtime and results in crystals having more uniform resistivity at the seed end. In addition and/or alternatively, dopant may be fed to the outer chamber in a continuous or semi-continuous manner during crystal growth and/or between crystal ingot growth utilizing a silicon/dopant alloy cube or a container made from silicon that encloses and retains solid or liquid elemental dopant. Given that the containers are made of silicon, the containers can be added via the feeding apparatus, along with the silicon charge material, without the dopant melting and sticking to portions of the feed apparatus during delivery.
[0015] In a related embodiment of the invention, the amount of dopant added in the initial charge, in the inner growth chamber at inter-ingot intervals and/or continuously or semi-continuously in the outer chamber is determined in accordance with a doping model that calculates the anticipated dopant concentration of the melt within the inner growth chamber by taking into consideration not only the amount of dopant removed from the melt via crystal growth but also the amount of dopant removed via evaporation. The amount of dopant determined to be added at each interval using the doping model is precisely controlled using containers or vessels filled with the correct amount of dopant. To achieve uniform resistivity in the ingot throughout crystal growth, additional dopant may be added in a controlled fashion to the outer chamber via the sealed containers (for higher concentrations of dopant) or alternatively silicon/dopant alloy (for lower concentrations of dopant). It is also anticipated that the doping model can be used to determine the appropriate amount of dopant to be incorporated within the initial charge for a batch CZ process and/or adjustments that could be made in relation to other parameters impacting the rate or amount of evaporation.
[0016] In a preferred embodiment, a gallium doped silicon single crystal is made having a resistivity ranging from 15 to 0.1 Ωcm and more preferably 10 to 0.1 Ωcm and most preferably 3 to 0.5 Ωcm. The resistivity is relatively uniform in the axial or longitudinal direction, preferably with a variation less than 10%, more preferably less than 5% and most preferably less than 2%. In addition, the radial resistivity is relatively uniform, preferably with a variation less than 10%, more preferably less than 5% and most preferably less than 2%. For the preferred resistivity ranges, the approximate concentration of gallium in the crystal ranges from about 8.9×10 14 atoms/cm 3 to 2.77×10 17 atoms/cm 3 , more preferably 1.34×10 15 atoms/cm 3 to 2.77×10 17 atoms/cm 3 , and most preferably 4.56×10 15 atoms/cm 3 to 3.21×10 16 atoms/cm 3 . The interstitial oxygen level is preferably less than 25 parts per million atoms, more preferably less than 18 parts per million atoms and most preferably less than 15 parts per million atoms.
[0017] The present invention also encompasses the use of a control system that utilizes the doping model to calculate and control the amount of dopant added during one or more doping events. A single ingot or a sequential series of ingots may be grown in accordance with the present invention. The silicon single crystal ingot grown in accordance with the present invention may be utilized as a substrate for the manufacture of photovoltaic devices such as solar cells.
[0018] Additional aspects of the invention, together with the advantages and novel features appurtenant thereto, will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplar apparatus for pulling single crystals by CCZ method used in the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a summary diagram of the dopant model, including Formula I.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a summary of the dopant model as used to calculate dopant additions in batch CZ without evaporation in accordance with the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a summary of the dopant model as used to calculate dopant additions in CCZ without evaporation in accordance with the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a summary of the dopant model as used to calculate dopant additions in CCZ with evaporation in accordance with the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a vessel formed on the end of a seed crystal in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a seed crystal inserted into a dopant vessel in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the dopant vessel of FIG. 7 mounted on the seed crystal via friction.
[0027] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a dopant vessel in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the dopant vessel of FIG. 9 mounted on the seed crystal via friction a wedge portion.
[0029] FIG. 11 is a summary chart of dopant properties relevant to the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a sealed dopant container used in accordance with the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an unsealed dopant container used in accordance with the present invention.
[0032] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an alloy cube in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 15 is a graph of radial resistivity of a single crystal ingot made in accordance with the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 16 is a graph of longitudinal resistivity of a single crystal ingot made in accordance with the present invention.
[0035] FIG. 17 is a chart of dopant additions relating to three single crystal ingots made in accordance with the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 18 is a graph of longitudinal resistivity of three single crystals made in accordance with the present invention.
[0037] FIG. 19 is a graph of longitudinal resistivity of three single crystals made in accordance with the present inventions.
[0038] FIG. 20 is a flow diagram of the selective emitter approach used in Example 3.
[0039] FIG. 21 is a graph of normalized open circuit voltage of one boron doped solar cell over a 48 hour irradiation period.
[0040] FIG. 22 is a graph of normalized open circuit voltage of one gallium doped solar cell over a 48 hour irradiation period.
[0041] FIG. 23 is a graph of the average VOC of boron and gallium cells over a 4 week daylight exposure period.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
CCZ Silicon Crystal Apparatus
[0042] With reference to FIG. 1 , the present invention may be practiced and made using a CCZ crystal ingot growing apparatus, which is shown in cross-section and generally designated by the numeral 10 . The process begins with loading an outer or annular chamber 12 and inner chamber 14 of a crucible 15 with a predetermined amount of charge material 22 . Crucible 15 is preferably made of quartz and coated with a devitrification promoter. The amount of dopant or dopant/silicon alloy added to inner chamber 14 and outer chamber 12 ultimately depends on the desired resistivity of the resulting ingot. Ingot resistivity and dopant concentration are substantially inversely related according to a function well known in the art. However, several factors affect the dopant concentration in the melt at the time the system reaches a steady state during crystal ingot pulling. The amount of dopant necessary to achieve the desired steady state dopant concentration, and thus produce an ingot having the desired resistivity, is determined in accordance with the doping model described below.
[0043] Crucible 15 is preferably configured to have a low aspect ratio (i.e., shallow) configuration so as require a relatively small charge mass within the crucible at any given time. The minimum melt mass within the crucible is preferably greater than 10 kg. Crucible 15 preferably has a relatively large diameter so as to enable growth of large diameter crystals ranging in diameter from 4 to 12 inches, preferably ranging from 6 to 9 inches, and a crystal ingot length ranging from 10 to 160 inches, preferably 40 to 120 inches. Outer chamber 12 has a diameter of about 18 inches to about 36 inches, preferably about 18 inches to about 28 inches. Inner growth chamber 14 has a diameter of about 10 inches to about 30 inches. Crucible 15 is supported by susceptor 30 and enclosed within furnace tank 16 . After chambers 12 and 14 are loaded with charge material 22 , furnace tank 16 is closed and backfilled with a continuous flow of inert gas, preferably dry argon gas. The flow of gas through the system is directed in part by purge cone 32 .
[0044] Next, melting is initiated by powering at least one periphery heater 18 and at least one bottom heater 19 . Heat shields 20 and 21 may be generally positioned within furnace tank 16 to control radiation and create the appropriate thermal gradients. As melting occurs, additional charge material 22 is fed into outer chamber 12 using feeding device 24 until the desired mass of melt material 42 is present in crucible 15 . Feeding device 24 generally comprises hopper 26 and vibratory chute 28 . As charge material 22 in outer chamber 12 melts, it flows into inner growth chamber 14 via a passageway (not shown). The passageway may comprise an aperture, a notch, or a pipe, all as known in the art. The area between the wall of outer chamber 12 and the wall of inner growth chamber 14 is referred to as melt zone 34 . The area within the wall of inner growth chamber 14 is referred to as growth zone 36 . A baffle, weir, partition wall, or other dividing structure may optionally be provided within melt zone 34 .
[0045] After the desired amount of charge material 22 is substantially melted in zones 34 and 36 , crystal ingot growth is initiated with seed crystal 38 mounted in seed chuck 40 . Seed crystal 38 may be a sample of the desired crystal material or any other material that has the same crystalline structure and a higher melting temperature than melt material 42 . To begin growth, seed crystal 38 is lowered into molten melt material 42 in growth zone 36 using seed cable 44 and pull head assembly 46 . As the portion of melt material 42 in contact with seed crystal 38 cools and crystallizes, seed crystal 38 is raised. During crystal ingot growth, pull head assembly 46 and seed cable 44 rotate seed crystal 38 in one direction and susceptor 30 rotates crucible 15 in the opposite direction. The rate of raising and rotation for seed crystal 38 and the rotation of susceptor 30 can be manipulated to change the mixing phenomenon the counter rotation creates in melt material 42 , the amount of dopant taken up into crystal 52 , and the size and shape of crystal 52 . A typical crystal ingot 52 comprises a neck 47 , shoulder 48 , body 50 , and tail (not shown). These various parts of crystal ingot 52 are grown by altering the rates of rotation, heating and lift. During growth, additional charge material 22 may be added to melt zone 34 using feeding device 24 .
[0046] After crystal ingot growth is terminated, crystal ingot 52 is separated from melt material 42 and lifted into pull chamber 54 where it is isolated from the environment in furnace tank 16 and allowed to cool. After cooling, crystal ingot 52 is harvested in a standard manner known to those skilled in the art. The growth process may then be repeated to form a second crystal ingot in a sequential series of ingots.
Doping Model and Control System
[0047] One embodiment of the invention is directed to the use of a doping model that factors in the evaporation of the dopant when determining the concentration of the melt at any given time. The doping model is used to calculate the amount of additional dopant needed to achieve uniform resistivity. This model can be employed utilizing a controller to calculate the amounts and direct the addition of the precise amount of dopant needed at any given time. The controller may be a CPU or other computerized controller adapted to monitor the melt level, crystal ingot weight, charge material weight, crystal ingot rotation rate, susceptor rotation rate, crystal ingot diameter, melt material temperature, and other variables relating to the CCZ process.
[0048] The controller is also programmed to monitor the run time of the system beginning with the initial charge and ending with conclusion of growth of the last crystal ingot within the run. Typically a run will last for about 25 to 400 hours with the growth of about 2 to 20 ingots. The controller is also programmed to control the amount of dopant and silicon charge material fed to the system during the initial charge, inter-ingot doping to inner growth chamber 14 and continuous or semi-continuous feeding and doping to outer chamber 12 . The amount of dopant added is determined by the controller in accordance with Formula I, as identified below and shown in FIG. 2 , which predicts the dopant concentration of the melt in inner growth chamber 14 at any given time, and then calculating the amount of additional dopant needed based on the desired resistivity for the ingot. Formula I:
[0000]
C
L
t
=
-
kC
L
M
L
M
x
t
+
1
M
L
N
F
t
-
gA
s
M
L
C
L
-
C
L
M
L
M
F
t
+
C
L
M
L
M
x
t
[0049] Where t=time, N d =number of atoms of dopant in the melt, M L =melt mass, C L =dopant concentration in melt=N d /M L , M x =crystal mass, M F =fed mass, N F =fed dopant, k=segregation coefficient, g=evaporation rate coefficient and A s =melt free surface area. The evaporation rate coefficient g will be a function of a number of factors, including the dopant type and concentration in the melt, the hot zone configuration (i.e. melt volume, melt temperature, seed and crucible rotations), the pressure and gas flow rates and path, the oxygen concentration in the melt, the dopant atoms in the feed entering the inner growth zone from the annular or melt zone (N F ), and the path through the melt zone to the inner growth zone. The melt free surface area (A s ) will be different during crystal growth (where there is less free surface area) and in the intervals between crystal growth (where there is greater free surface area). FIG. 2 depicts a model system and shows the derivation of Formula I. Most parameters of the model will have dependence on various environmental factors. These dependencies may be neglected for engineering purposes to the extent their impact on precision is small or may be incorporated into the model to further refine it. FIG. 3 shows an example of how Formula I is applied to batch Cz when evaporation is not a factor. In FIG. FIG. 4 shows an example of how Formula I is applied to CCZ when evaporation is not a factor. In FIG. 5 shows an example of how Formula I is applied to CCZ when evaporation is a factor.
Addition of Dopant to Inner Growth Chamber
[0050] In a second embodiment of the present invention, a predetermined amount of dopant is added to inner growth chamber 14 at intervals between growth of crystal ingot 52 . After a first crystal ingot is harvested, dopant is added to inner growth chamber 14 to replace dopant lost from melt material 42 through evaporation and taken up in the prior crystal. To avoid contamination of melt material 42 , the present inventors have developed a system for inter-ingot doping comprising the use of an open “sacrificial vessel” lowered into growth zone 36 via seed chuck 40 .
[0051] In a one embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , a sacrificial vessel 102 is grown on seed crystal 38 (or the neck of the prior crystal). A preferred shape for the vessel is a cup. The cup shaped vessel 102 may be grown by using seed crystal 38 to grow neck 47 . Then the seed lift is reversed slightly such that a small portion of neck 47 is positioned just below the surface level of the melt material. Surface tension creates cup shaped vessel 102 around the portion of neck 47 positioned just below the melt surface level, which permits upward growth around the perimeter of the meniscus. When the cup shaped vessel 102 is grown to a desired size, preferably having about a 6 cm diameter, the cup is rapidly withdrawn. It may then be filled with elemental dopant such as solid gallium pellet(s) and then submerged into growth zone 36 where it will melt and release the dopant.
[0052] In another embodiment, a pre-formed sacrificial silicon vessel is mounted on seed crystal 38 (or the neck of the prior crystal) at intervals between growth of crystal ingot. To prevent contamination of the melt, the pre-formed vessel may be cleaned by acid etching using a mixture of hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, and acetic acid as is well known in the art. In one embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , pre-formed vessel 68 is a machined rectangular silicon plate having an off-set aperture 74 through which the end of seed crystal 38 may be inserted for mounting the plate on the seed crystal. Top surface 70 of vessel 68 also has a pit or well 72 configured to hold an amount of dopant such as elemental gallium. Once the dopant is loaded into the well 72 , the lower end of seed crystal 38 is inserted through aperture 74 and the vessel 68 is moved upward such that it is positioned around the crystal at a location remote from the lower end of seed crystal 38 . As shown in FIG. 8 , when support for vessel 68 is removed, vessel 68 tilts due to the off-set nature of aperture 74 and the weight of the vessel. Vessel 68 is thereby mounted to the seed crystal via friction without the need for other attachment means. Vessel 68 , holding the dopant in well 72 , is then lowered into growth zone 36 via lowering of seed crystal 38 where it will melt and release the dopant. Using a machined vessel such as vessel 68 , as opposed to growing a sacrificial vessel, saves time in the crystal pulling process.
[0053] In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , pre-formed vessel 78 is a machined rectangular silicon plate having an off-set aperture 80 through which the end of seed crystal 38 may be inserted for mounting the plate on the seed crystal. Aperture 80 is generally diamond shaped and is positioned adjacent one edge of vessel 78 . A slot 82 extends from the outer edge of vessel to aperture 80 to accommodate expansion of the aperture. Top surface 84 of vessel 78 also has a well 98 configured to hold an amount of dopant such as elemental gallium. An elongated triangular shaped wedge 86 formed in vessel 78 has inner and outer serrated edges 88 a and 88 b , a top edge 90 and a lower edge 92 . A central slot 94 extending a distance from lower edge 92 toward top edge 90 of the wedge accommodates compression of the wedge. An opening is formed adjacent top edge 90 , inner side edge 88 b and a major portion of lower edge 92 so that these portions are not connected to the remainder of vessel 78 . The only connection between wedge 86 and the remainder of vessel 78 is a break-off bridge 96 extending from a portion of lower edge 92 along outer side edge 88 a . Before using vessel 78 , wedge 86 will be broken off from the remainder of vessel 78 along break-off bridge 96 . Dopant is loaded into well 72 , the lower end of seed crystal 38 is inserted through aperture 80 and vessel 78 is moved upward such that it is positioned around the crystal at a location remote from the lower end of seed crystal 38 . As shown in FIG. 10 , wedge 86 is then inserted upward through aperture 80 adjacent seed crystal and pushed until it is securely positioned in abutting engagement with portions of the inner edge of aperture 80 and seed crystal 38 . In this manner, vessel 78 is mounted to the seed crystal via friction without the need for other attachment means. The shape of wedge 86 accommodates various sizes of seed crystals within aperture 80 by permitting wedge 86 to be inserted further upward through aperture for smaller seed crystals to obtain a secure fit. Vessel 78 , holding the dopant in well 98 , is then lowered into growth zone 36 via lowering of seed crystal 38 where it will melt and release the dopant.
[0054] Because varying amounts of dopant may be selectively added to the vessel, the controller may control the precise amount of dopant to be added to growth zone 36 to achieve the desired concentration. For example, uniformly sized elemental gallium pellets having a fixed mass can be added to the vessel at the direction of the controller in the precise amount calculated in accordance with Formula I above to achieve the desired concentration for any given ingot. It should be understood, that while various configurations of the vessel have been described, other configurations of crystalline material grown from the melt material or pre-manufactured from crystalline material capable of receiving, retaining and delivering varying amounts of dopant to the melt in inner growth chamber 14 via lowering of the seed chuck 40 are within the scope of this invention.
Addition of Dopant to Outer Chamber
[0055] In another embodiment of the present invention, predetermined amounts of dopant are added to melt zone 34 at least once during growth of crystal ingot 52 . Several methods of adding dopant during the CCZ process are known in the art. These methods include adding dopant in the form of thin rods, which are fed continuously into the melt, or feeding dopant pellets into the melt. Although these methods may be sufficient for adding dopants with relatively high melting points, they are not sufficient for a dopant with a relatively low melting point, like gallium (see FIG. 11 ). The present inventors have devised a novel system for adding dopants, like gallium, at least once during growth of crystal ingot 52 using dopant container 64 that fully encapsulates the dopant. As shown in FIG. 12 , dopant container 64 comprises container body 58 , threaded plug 62 , and dopant.
[0056] With reference to FIG. 13 , container body 58 is preferably a hollow cube constructed out of charge material 22 , such as silicon. For purposes of doping with gallium, container body 58 preferably has a dimension ranging from about 4-24 mm 2 , most preferably about 12 mm 2 . Container body 58 includes threaded cavity 60 . A predetermined amount of elemental dopant is added to cavity 60 in solid form (such as a pellet) or liquid form. In the case of gallium, for example, elemental gallium in the form of a pellet having a diameter ranging from 0.5-5 mm, preferably 1 mm, and weighing approximately 0.015-0.15 g, preferably 0.03 g may be used. After the dopant has been loaded, threaded plug 62 is screwed into cavity 60 . Threaded plug 62 may be screwed in short of flush, flush (as shown in FIG. 12 ), or past flush with the top of container body 58 . Slot 66 is provided in the top of threaded plug 62 such that a screwdriver or other tool may be used to screw threaded plug 62 into cavity 60 of container body 58 to the desired depth. Container body 58 and plug 62 are machined using diamond-tipped tools, then etched with a formulation of acids and other materials known in the art, and finally bagged, preferably in polyethylene or other non-contaminating bags. Of course, dopant containers 64 may be any shape that can enclose a desired amount of dopant. The process for making, cleaning, and storing dopant containers 64 must be carefully controlled so as to avoid contamination, including iron contamination. Although doping using dopant containers 64 is particularly advantageous for volatile dopants or dopants with low melting points, any desired dopant or additive may be added to melt material 42 in this way. Potential dopants include phosphorous, boron, gallium, aluminum, indium, antimony, germanium, arsenic or silicon alloys thereof. Dopant containers 64 may also be used to dope between ingots (as described below) or in batch CZ as well.
[0057] Alternatively, solid dopant alloy cubes 100 as shown in FIG. 14 , may also be used to replenish the dopant in melt material 42 . Dopant alloy cubes can be made using the CCZ process (or any other silicon crystal growth process) to grow a silicon ingot that has a desired concentration of dopant (dopant containers 64 , described above, may be used to deliver dopant into the CCZ process used to grow the desired doped ingot) and then machining the ingot into the desired size cubes so as to have a precise amount or concentration of dopant. Of course other shapes may be used, such as a pyramid or sphere shape, and preferably each type of dopant alloy would have its own shape so as to avoid doping with the wrong dopant. When the dopant alloy is cube-shaped, the dimensions are preferably 8 mm 3 .
[0058] The dopant concentration in each dopant alloy cube is obtained by measuring the resistivity and using well-known relationships between geometry and concentration. The device used to measure resistivity is typically a four-point probe which measures resistivity through current and voltage characteristics of the material. This technique is well known to one of ordinary skill in the art and incorporates the international standards and procedures of organizations such as SEMI. The use of dopant alloy cubes is limited by the liquid solubility of the dopant in silicon (solid solubility values, which are useful for a relative comparison of solubility among the listed dopants, are provided for the dopants in FIG. 11 ). For example, when a dopant, such as gallium has a relatively low solubility in silicon, the required concentration of gallium in the liquid to make an 8 mm 3 dopant alloy cube is very large.
[0059] Dopant alloy cubes 100 or dopant containers 64 may be added to outer chamber 12 during crystal ingot growth using a doper mechanism configured to deliver a very well controlled amount of dopant. For example, dopant alloy cubes of phosphorous or boron may contain about 1e-4 g and up to about 1e-5 g of dopant per alloy cube. Dopant containers 64 may be designed to each contain similar amounts of boron or phosphorous or about 0.001 g to about 0.03 g of gallium depending on the resistivity level desired in the finished ingot. Because dopant containers 64 are formed of silicon, the dopant contained within the containers will likely melt during the feeding process, but the containers will not melt until they are incorporated into the melt. Thus, dopants having low melting points can be conveniently fed into melt zone 34 or growth zone 36 in precise quantities and without damaging the apparatus. The amount of dopant included within the containers may be a fixed amount or there may be a series of different containers with different fixed amounts of dopant available for selection by the controller depending upon the amount of dopant required in accordance with the doping model. For instance, where a larger concentration of dopant is required, dopant containers 64 are preferred since they hold elemental dopant. Where lower amounts of dopant are required, the silicon/dopant alloy cubes may be utilized in accordance with the doping model.
[0060] In one embodiment, the doper is located inside furnace tank 16 and is in flow communication with feeding device 24 . The doper comprises a loadable magazine and a dispensing actuator. One or more dopant containers 64 or dopant alloy cubes are loaded into the magazine. At one or more predetermined times during crystal growth, the dispensing actuator dispenses a dopant container or dopant alloy cube from the magazine into feeding device 24 , which deposits it in outer chamber 12 . In outer chamber 12 , dopant container 64 or dopant alloy cube melts and releases the dopant contained therein. A series of valves and isolation chambers may also be provided to allow reloading of the magazine during a run without losing pressure in or contaminating furnace tank 16 . Alternatively, the magazine may be positioned outside furnace tank 16 . In this embodiment, dopant containers 64 or dopant alloy cubes cross a pressure boundary just prior to being dispensed into a component of feeding device 24 within furnace tank 16 .
Example 1
[0061] In FIG. 15 , the radial resistivity of a crystal ingot (sample 1 ) made in accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention is shown. The crystal was the third ingot grown in a CCZ run wherein elemental gallium was added in the initial charge and within the growth zone 36 via a cup-like vessel formed on seed crystal 38 between ingots in an amount determined in accordance with the doping model. No additional dopant was added into the melt zone 34 during crystal growth or between ingot growth. As can be seen, the radial resistivity is relatively uniform throughout the length of the crystal. It is noted that the resistivity measurements for all examples were taken post thermal donor kill or TDK, a heat treatment that is applied to silicon wafers so that their measured resistivity better reflects actual working resistivities for use in solar cells. FIG. 16 shows the resistivity of the crystal sample 1 along the axial length of sample 1 .
Example 2
[0062] FIG. 17 shows the actual amount of gallium dopant added to three crystal ingots produced using the CCZ process and in accordance with the doping model of the present invention. The amount of dopant added inter-ingot was determined in accordance with the doping model and based upon the desired resistivity of the ingot. No additional dopant was added in the outer chamber during or between ingot growth. FIG. 17 shows the anticipated resistivity in accordance with the model and the actual measured resistivity.
[0063] FIG. 18 shows the actual resistivity of the three crystals grown and shown in preceding FIG. 17 along the length of each crystal. FIG. 19 shows the axial resistivity of crystals grown with both gallium doping in the inner growth chamber between ingot growth and additional dopant added during growth to the outer chamber by means of dopant containers, in comparison to a crystal with doping only to the inner growth chamber between ingot growth. It is noted that the resistivity is further flattened when additional dopant is added during growth.
Example 3
[0064] For this experiment, 40 solar cells were made from 125 mm×125 mm pseudo-square wafers. Next to a control group of 10 wafers for the optimization, 15 cells were made of boron doped substrates using a CCZ process with addition of dopant to the inner growth chamber between ingot growth and addition to the outer growth chamber during growth, and 15 cells were made of gallium doped substrates with addition of dopant to the inner growth chamber between ingot growth. The resistivities of the wafers are given in Table I. Note that Group 2 has approximately double the dopant concentration compared to Group 1.
[0000]
TABLE I
Resistivities of the used substrates.
Base doping
Resistivity
Group 1
p-type, Boron
2.1 Ω cm
Group 2
p-type, Gallium
1.0 Ω cm
[0065] With reference to FIG. 20 , the solar cell process used in this experiment was a selective emitter approach adhering closely to standards used in the industry. The cells underwent an alkaline texturing before POCl3 emitter diffusion to about 30 Ω/sq and plasma edge isolation. Subsequently, an etch resist grid was applied by inkjet printing, followed by selective emitter formation via acidic etch-back to around 70 Ω/sq. Afterwards, a SiNx anti-reflection coating was deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and the cells were metalized by screen printing Ag-paste on the front and Al-paste on the rear side before being cofired in a belt furnace.
[0066] Usually, the emitter is a major contributor to overall recombination due to its heavily doped “dead layer.” Application of a selective emitter helped to make the solar cells more sensitive to slight changes in the bulk lifetime since the recombination in the emitter region is suppressed. Immediately after firing, the solar cells were I-V measured to determine their undegraded initial state. The results are displayed in Table II.
[0000] TABLE II Solar Cell Results J SC V OC FF [mA/cm 2 ] [mV] Efficiency B, avg. 78.7% 35.9 633 17.9% B, best 79.0% 36.1 634 18.1% Ga, avg. 79.2% 35.7 634 17.9% Ga, best 79.6% 35.9 637 18.2%
Both groups are nearly identical in terms of efficiency. The gallium doped group shows a slight advantage in fill factor and VOC while the boron doped cells have a higher JSC. This could be an effect of the different net doping (see Table I).
Continuous Irradiation
[0067] After the initial IV measurements, the cells were subjected to continuous irradiation under 1 sun at 25° C. while their VOC was recorded along with cell temperature and illumination intensity for normalization purposes. Two exemplary graphs of these measurements are shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 for the boron doped cells and for the gallium doped cells respectively. The well-known kinetics of light-induced degradation can be observed: as shown in FIG. 21 , the cells lose around 5-6 mV due to the formation of recombination-active boron-oxygen pairs in an exponential decay over about 48 hours to a new plateau level. Its time constants are in accordance to those published for the boron-oxygen complex and saturation at the new VOC level is generally reached between 48 and 72 hours.
[0068] As shown in FIG. 22 , quite a different picture can be seen with the gallium doped cells. Their VOC development under illumination is displayed above and no degradation within the measurement errors can be detected. It is noteworthy that no gallium doped cell showed more than 0.5 mV VOC difference after 72 hours of continuous illumination.
[0069] After this procedure, the degraded cells were measured once again. A comparison of the cell parameter developments is given in Tables III and IV for the aforementioned exemplary solar cells.
[0000]
TABLE III
Boron cell before and after 48 hours of continuous irradiation at 25° C.:
Before
Diff.
After
FF
77.9%
−0.8
77.1%
J SC [mA/cm 2 ]
36.1
−0.1
36.0
V OC [mV]
637
−6
631
Efficiency
17.9%
−0.3
17.6%
[0000] TABLE IV Gallium cell before and after 48 hours of continuous irradiation at 25° C.: Before Diff. After FF 79.6% 0.0 79.6% J SC [mA/cm 2 ] 35.9 0.0 35.9 V OC [mV] 637 0 637 Efficiency 18.2% 0.0 18.2%
Here, the boron doped cells show a deterioration in all solar cell parameters, leading to a decrease of 0.3% absolute in cell performance while the gallium doped cells' parameters remain largely unchanged within measurement error by the procedure.
[0070] Some of the cells were exposed to daylight for 4 weeks. They were held under open circuit conditions. While the degradation experiments involving days of constant 1 sun illumination do not resemble realistic operation conditions, they match the voltage drop results found in these practical tests. The results of the 4 week test are shown in FIG. 23 . The boron doped cells show the same drop in VOC as seen in the continuous irradiation experiment after the saturation time, around 6 mV. The gallium doped samples' performance loss was on average 0.4 mV.
[0071] From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objectives herein-above set forth, together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the invention. Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.
[0072] While specific embodiments have been shown and discussed, various modifications may of course be made, and the invention is not limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts and steps described herein, except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims. Further, it will be understood that certain features and sub combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. | A doped silicon single crystal having a resistivity variation along a longitudinal and/or radial axis of less than 10% and a method of preparing one or a sequential series of doped silicon crystals is disclosed. The method includes providing a melt material comprising silicon into a continuous Czochralski crystal growth apparatus, delivering a dopant, such as gallium, indium, or aluminum, to the melt material, providing a seed crystal into the melt material when the melt material is in molten form, and growing a doped silicon single crystal by withdrawing the seed crystal from the melt material. Additional melt material is provided to the apparatus during the growing step. A doping model for calculating the amount of dopant to be delivered into the melt material during one or more doping events, methods for delivering the dopant, and vessels and containers used to deliver the dopant are also disclosed. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a digital information data recording and reproducing apparatus which is suitable for recording a digital image signal on a recording medium such as a disk, etc. and for reproducing it.
Heretofore, a digital information data recording apparatus for recording a digital information data such as a digital video signal, etc. on a recording medium such as a disk, etc. has been known. In general, since the digital video signal, etc. has much information, a highly efficient coding is adopted in order to compress a transmitted data amount. In various highly efficient codings, a practical use of a DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) is advanced.
A digital information data recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is previously proposed as the digital information data recording device using the DCT. As shown FIG. 1, an input terminal 1 is supplied with a video data which a digitized video data. The video data supplied to the input terminal 1 is supplied to a blocking circuit 2.
In the blocking circuit 2, the video data in an order of an interlace scan is converted into a data having a structure of, for example, a DCT block (8×8). That is, two blocks (4×8) at the same spatial position in time-continuous first and second fields are combined to each other, so that the block (8×8) is formed. In the block (8×8), a pixel data on an odd-numbered line is included in the first field, and a pixel data on an even-numbered line is included in the second field.
An output from the blocking circuit 2 is supplied to a shuffling circuit 3. An error is concentrated by a drop out, etc., whereby a deterioration of an image quality is generated. In order to prevent the deterioration of the image quality, in the shuffling circuit 3, such a process that a plurality of macro blocks MB are defined as a unit in one frame and the spatial position is varied from an original position, that is, a shuffling is carried out. In this example, a shuffling unit is equal to a buffering unit BU, and the unit is defined as five micro blocks (5 MB).
The output from the shuffling circuit 3 is supplied to a DCT (cosine conversion) circuit 4 and a movement detecting circuit 5. A coefficient data of (8×8) (that is, the coefficient data of a direct current component DC and an alternating current component AC) is generated from the DCT circuit 4. Relating to a moving block, the DCT circuit 4 is switched in such a manner that the DCT in the field is carried out relative to the block (4×8) included in the block (8×8).
The macro block MB is a plurality of blocks in which the coefficient data of the block (8×8) per DCT block is collected. For example, in case of the video data of a component method (Y:CB:CR=4:1:1) of a 525/60 system, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3, four Y blocks Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 , Y 4 , one CB block and one CR block at the same position in one frame, that is, the total six blocks constitute one macro block MB.
In case of a sampling frequency of fsc (fsc: color subcarrier frequency), the image in one frame is (910 samples×525 lines), and an effective data in the image is defined as (720 samples×480 lines). In the component method, the number of all the blocks in one frame is obtained by the following equation : (720×6/4)×480÷(8×8)=8100. Accordingly, 8100÷6=1350 is the number of the macro blocks MB in one frame.
The DC (direct current component) coefficient data in the coefficient data of (8×8) generated in the DCT circuit 4 is not compressed, and it is transmitted to the following-stage circuit. Remaining sixty-three AC coefficient data are supplied to a quantization circuit 7 via a buffer 6. As shown in FIG. 4, the AC coefficient data is sequentially transmitted from a low-order alternating current component to a high-order one in a zigzag-scan order. Furthermore, the AC coefficient data is also supplied to a classifying circuit 8 and a data amount estimate circuit 9.
The buffer 6 delays the coefficient data for a time necessary to determine an appropriate quantization number QNo by the estimate circuit 9. The buffer 6 is also to output each coefficient data of a still block and the moving block in a predetermined order. The quantization number QNo from the estimate circuit 9 is supplied to the quantization circuit 7, and also transmitted to the following stage.
The coefficient data from the DCT circuit 4 is generated in case of the DCT conversion in the frame. If the movement is detected by the movement detecting circuit 5, the DCT process in the field is selected. Specifically, it is an in-field DCT that the DCT is carried out for each of two blocks (4×8) at the same position in the time-continuous first and second fields.
If the block moves between the fields, the movement detecting circuit 5 detects the movement, and an in-frame DCT is changed into the in-field DCT in response to the detection. Based on a vertical coefficient data of when an Hadamard conversion is carried out relative to the image data in the block (8×8), a judgment of stillness/movement is carried out for every block. In addition, based on an absolute value of a difference between the fields, the movement may be detected.
In case of the in-field DCT, the coefficient data of the block (4×8) relating to the first field and the coefficient data of the block (4×8) relating to the second field are generated. As shown in FIG. 5, the coefficient data are processed as an arrangement of (8×8) located at upper and lower portions. A direct current component DC1 is included in the coefficient data in the first field. Similarly, a direct current component DC2 is also included in the second field. If the coefficient data in each field is independently processed, the following processes of the in-frame DCT and the in-field DCT must be processed independently of each other. As a result, there is such a problem that a scale of a hardware is increased, etc. Accordingly, instead of the direct current component DC2 in the second field, a differential direct current component Δ DC2=(=DC1-DC2) is transmitted.
A detection signal (movement flag) M from the movement detecting circuit 5 is supplied to the data amount estimate circuit 9. The movement flag M is inserted into the recording data in the following stage. In the data amount estimate circuit 9, the movement flag M is used in order to switch the order of outputting the coefficient data and the method of dividing an area according to the stillness/movement.
The quantization circuit 7 quantizes the alternating current component in the coefficient data. That is, in an appropriate quantization step, the AC coefficient data is divided, and its quotient is made as an integer. The quantization step is determined by the quantization number QNo from a QNo controller 10. In case of the digital information data recording apparatus, the process such as an edition, etc. is carried out by one field unit or one frame unit. Accordingly, it is necessary that a generated data amount per one field or one frame is a target value or less.
The data amount generated by the DCT and a variable length coding is changed according to a pattern to be coded. Accordingly, in order that the generated data amount by a buffering unit shorter than one field or one frame period may be the target value or less, a buffering process is carried out. The buffering unit is shortened in order that a buffering circuit may be simplified, for example, a memory capacity for buffering may be reduced, etc. In this example, five macro blocks (5 MB) (=30 DCT blocks) are defined as a buffering unit BU.
Furthermore, the classifying circuit 8 examines a fineness of the pattern at the macro block MB unit. An activity of the macro block MB is classified into four-step classes. An 2-bit activity code AT indicative of the class is generated by the classifying circuit 10. The detected result is supplied to the QNo controller 10. Furthermore, the activity code AT is inserted into the recording data in the following stage.
The output from the quantization circuit 7 is supplied to a variable length coding circuit 11, and a run length coding, a Huffman coding and the like are carried out therein. For example, a run length being a continuous number of "0" of the coefficient data and the coefficient data value are provided for a Huffman table stored in an ROM. A two-dimensional Huffman coding which generates a variable length code (coded output) is adopted. A coded signal from the variable length coding circuit 11 is supplied to the following stage.
Relating to the estimate circuit 9, a Huffman table 12 same as that referred to the variable length coding circuit 11 is provided. The Huffman table 12 generates a bit number data of an output data when the variable length coding is carried out. The estimate circuit 9 judges an optimum set of quantization step. The judged output therefrom is supplied to the QNo controller 10. The QNo controller 10 controls the quantization circuit 7 such that it may quantize the coefficient data by using the set of quantization step. Furthermore, the quantization number QNo for identifying the set of quantization step is transmitted from the QNo controller 10 to the following stage.
In the following-stage fixed length framing circuit 13, the data generated by the above process (the DC coefficient DCT, the variable length coded output, the quantization number QNo, the movement flag M, the activity code AT) are converted into a framing structure for an error correction coding process and the recording data. The recording data having a sync block SB structure is obtained from the framing circuit 13. The recording data is recorded on a hard disk.
By the way, in the framing circuit 13, the compressed data shown in FIG. 2A of 5 macro blocks (1 buffer unit) is packed in 5 sync blocks (5 SB) of 25 Mbps shown in FIGS. 2B, 2C, 2D to thereby carry out a framing process for forming the recording data.
Specifically, in FIGS. 2A to 2E, a shading portion denotes an effective data portion, and a blank portion denotes an ineffective data portion. In the framing circuit 13, in the first place, a pass 1 process is carried out such that the macro blocks MB 1 to MB 5 themselves of the compressed data shown in FIG. 2A may be packed in the macro blocks MB 1 to MB 5 in corresponding containers whose capacity is 25 Mbps shown in FIG. 2B, respectively.
In this case, when an extra data a is generated, a pass 2 process is carried out so that the extra data a may be packed in the blank portion in the same macro block from the beginning as shown in FIG. 2C.
When an extra data b which cannot be put into the same macro block by the pass 2 process is generated, a pass 3 process is carried out. In the pass 3 process, the extra data b is sequentially packed from the beginning of the blank portion of all the macro blocks MB 1 to MB 5 shown in FIG. 2D of one buffering unit BU.
In this case, after the framing process, a data format is shown in FIG. 2E. As shown in FIG. 2E, one sync block SB comprises 2 data in a sync data portion and 38 data in an information data portion, that is, 40 data. One data comprises 16 bits. In respective macro blocks MB, for example, as shown in FIG. 2E, the pass 1, pass 2 and pass 3 processes are carried out. Whenever the effective data is over, an end of block EOB is inserted.
In FIG. 2E, a reference symbol QNo denotes the quantization number. A reference symbol STA denotes an error information. A reference symbol AT denotes a classification information. A reference symbol M denotes the movement flag. A reference symbol DC denotes a direct current component information.
When such a framed recording data is recorded in the recording medium such as a hard disk, etc., the capacity of the recording medium such as the hard disk, etc. can be saved.
However, in even such a framed recording data, the ineffective data portion shown in FIGS. 2E and 3A (the blank portion in FIG. 2E and "0" portion in FIG. 6A) exists over a relatively wide portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital information data recording and reproducing apparatus which can reduce an ineffective data portion in a recording data and further can save a capacity of recording medium such as a hard disk, etc.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital information data recording apparatus which comprises a compressing coding means for compressing and coding a digital information data, a framing means for framing a compressed coded data obtained at an output side of the compressing coding means by a fixed length format, an ineffective data removing means for removing an effective data from a framing data of the fixed length format obtained at the output side of the framing means, and a recording means for recording an output signal from the ineffective data removing means on a recording medium.
According to the present invention, since the recording data is provided by removing the ineffective data from the framing data of the fixed length format framed by the framing means, the ineffective data portion in the recording data becomes less, and hence the capacity of the recording medium such as the hard disk, etc. can be saved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a constitution of an example of a conventional digital information data recording apparatus;
FIGS. 2A to 2E are each a diagram use for explaining a framing process;
FIG. 3 is a diagram accompanied with a description of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagram accompanied with a description of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a diagram accompanied with a description of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 6A and 6B are each a diagram used for a description of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a main portion of an embodiment of the digital information data recording apparatus according to the present invention;
FIGS. 8A to 8U are time charts used for explaining the embodiment shown in FIG. 7;
FIGS. 9A to 9G are a time charts used for explaining the embodiment shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the digital information data reproducing apparatus according to the present invention; and
FIGS. 11A to 11K are time charts used for explaining the embodiment shown in FIG. 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
An embodiment of a digital information data recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 7 shows a main portion of an embodiment of the digital information data recording apparatus according to the present invention. According to the present embodiment, the framing data of the fixed length format obtained at the output side of the framing circuit 13 for framing the fixed length format of the digital information data recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is supplied to an input terminal 20 shown in FIG. 7. Since FIG. 1 is described above, a description of FIG. 1 is omitted.
According to the present embodiment, for a simple description, as shown in FIG. 6A, the framing data for the fixed length format, that is, the data of a sync block SB is supplied to the input terminal 20.
In the fixed length format shown in FIG. 6A, one sync block SB has 40 data each of which is forty 16-bit data. A first data of the sync data portion is a blank. A next data has an 8-bit blank, and a 4-bit error information STA and a 4-bit quantization number QNo sequentially. Next twenty eight data are divided into four Y blocks Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 , Y 4 , each having seven data. Next every five data are a CR block and a CB block.
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, "0" after an end of block EOB is an ineffective data. In this case, according to the present embodiment, in the first place, "0" is written all over the data. Thenceforth, "0" is rewritten with an effective data.
The framing data for the fixed length format shown in FIGS. 6A and 8B supplied to the input terminal 20 is supplied to a 40-clock delay circuit 21 for delaying the data by a necessary time for processing the data. Furthermore, the framing data is also supplied to an ineffective data detecting circuit 22 for detecting the ineffective data.
The ineffective data detecting circuit 22 judges one data having all 16 bits of "0" to be the ineffective data. Accordingly, according to the present embodiment, the signal shown in FIG. 8G is obtained at the output side of the ineffective data detecting circuit 22.
Furthermore, in FIG. 7, a numeral 23 denotes a buffer unit pulse input terminal. One buffer unit pulse at every forty pulse which trails down at the beginning of the sync block SB, for example, shown in FIG. 8A is supplied to the buffer unit pulse input terminal 23.
The buffer unit pulse supplied to the buffer unit pulse input terminal 23 is supplied to a clear terminal CL of an up counter 25 via an OR gate circuit 24. A clock signal is supplied to a clock terminal 25a of the up counter 25. A count signal shown in FIG. 8C is obtained at an output terminal Q of the up counter 25.
The count signal obtained at the output terminal Q of the up counter 25 is supplied to a decoder 26 in which "0", "1", "2", "9", "16", "23", "30", "35", "30 or more" and "39" decode signals are obtained. The "39" decode signal of the decoder 26 is supplied to the clear terminal CL of the up counter 25 via the OR gate circuit 24, so that the up counter 25 is cleared at every forty clock.
The "0", "1", "2", "9", "16", "23", "30" and "35"decode signals of the decoder 26 are each supplied to an OR gate circuit 27. A mask signal shown in FIG. 8D is obtained at the output side of the OR gate circuit 27. Even if a portion where the mask signal exists is judged to be the ineffective data by the ineffective data detecting circuit 22, the portion is defined to be the effective data.
In FIG. 7, shown at 28 is a down counter. The mask signal shown in FIG. 8D which is obtained at the output side of the OR gate circuit 27 is supplied to a load terminal LD of the down counter 28 via an OR gate circuit 29. Furthermore, an ineffective data detecting signal shown in FIG. 8G, from the ineffective data detecting circuit 22 is supplied to the load terminal LD via the OR gate circuit 29. Accordingly, the load signal shown in FIG. 8H is supplied to the load terminal LD of the down counter 28.
Whenever the load signal becomes a high level "1", the down counter 28 sets a load value. When a count value of the up counter 25 is less than "30", the load value is "6". When the count value is "30" or more, the load value is "4".
Specifically, the load value "6" is inputted to an input terminal 30, and the load value "4" is inputted to an input terminal 31. The input terminal 30 is connected to one fixed contact 32a of a switch 32, while the input terminal 31 is connected to the other fixed contact 32b of the switch 32 and a movable contact 32c of the switch 32 may be switched by the "30 or more" decode signal of the decoder 26 shown in FIG. 8E. The load value shown in FIG. 8F obtained at the movable contact 32c is supplied to a load value input terminal of the down counter 28. A numeral 28a denotes a clock input terminal of the down counter 28 to which a down-counting clock signal is supplied.
The count value shown in FIG. 8I is obtained at the output terminal Q of the down counter 28. The count value obtained at the output terminal Q of the down counter 28 is supplied to data terminals D of latch circuits 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 for latching an effective data length, respectively. Furthermore, the "9" decode signal of the decoder 26 shown in FIG. 8J is supplied to an enable terminal EN of the latch circuit 33 for latching the effective data length of the Y 1 , block, so that the effective data length of the Y 1 block is latched in the latch circuit 33.
The "16" decode signal of the decoder 26 shown in FIG. 8K is supplied to enable terminal EN of the latch circuit 34 for latching the effective data length of the Y 2 block, so that the effective data length of the Y 2 block is latched in the latch circuit 34.
The "23" decode signal of the decoder 26 shown in FIG. 8L is supplied to an enable terminal EN of the latch circuit 35 for latching the effective data length of the Y 3 block, so that the effective data length of the Y 3 block is latched in the latch circuit 35.
The "30" decode signal of the decoder 26 shown in FIG. 8M supplied to an enable terminal EN of the latch circuit 36 for latching the effective data length of the Y 4 block, so that the effective data length of the Y 4 block is latched in the latch circuit 36.
Furthermore, the "35" decode signal of the decoder 26 shown in FIG. 8N is supplied to an enable terminal EN of the latch circuit 37 for latching the effective data length of the CR block, so that the effective data length of the CR block is latched in the latch circuit 37.
The "0" decode signal of the decoder 26 shown in FIG. 80 is supplied to an enable terminal EN of the latch circuit 38 for latching the effective data length of the CB block, so that the effective data length of the CB block is latched in the latch circuit 38.
According to the present embodiment, an input signal which is obtained at the output side of the 40-clock delay circuit 21 and is delayed by forty clocks shown in FIG. 9A is supplied to one fixed contact 39a of a switch 39. The effective data length headers of the Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 , Y 4 blocks obtained at the output sides of the latch circuits 33, 34, 35, 36 and shown in FIGS. 4P, 4Q, 4R, 4S are all supplied to the other fixed contact 39b of the switch 39.
A movable contact 39c of the switch 39 is controlled in switching by the "0" decode signal shown in FIG. 9B. The movable contact 39c is connected to the other fixed contact 39b during 1-bit period alone where the "0" decode signal exists so that the effective data length headers "3", "1", "0", "2" of the Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 , Y 4 blocks may be inserted. During other periods, the movable contact 39c is controlled so that the movable contact 39c is connected to the one fixed contact 39a.
The signal obtained at the movable contact 39c of the switch 39 is supplied to one fixed contact 40a of a switch 40. The effective data length headers of the CR and CB blocks obtained at the output sides of the latch circuits 37 and 38 and shown in FIGS. 8T and 8U are supplied to the other fixed contact 40b of the switch 40.
A movable contact 40c of the switch 40 is controlled is switching by the "1" decode signal of the decoder 26 shown in FIG. 9C. The movable contact 40c is connected to the other fixed contact 40b during the 1-bit period alone where the "1" decode signal exists so that the effective data length headers "1" and "2" of the CR and CB blocks may be inserted. During other periods, the movable contact 40c is controlled in switching so that the movable contact is connected to the one fixed contact 40a.
As shown in FIG. 9D, the sync block SB to the beginning portion of which the effective data length headers "3", "1", "0", "2" of the Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 , Y 4 blocks and the effective data length headers "1", "2" of the CR and CB blocks are added at its blank portion shown in FIGS. 6A and 8B is supplied to a data input terminal Din of a buffer memory 41a of a hard disk recording device 41. The sync block is also supplied to a write-enable signal generating circuit 42 which produces a write-enable signal for controlling a write of the buffer memory 41a.
At every time when a predetermined amount of a recording data is memorized in the buffer memory 41a, the hard disk recording device 41 is operated so as to record the recording data at a predetermined position of a hard disk 41b.
The write-enable signal generating circuit 42 is operated so that an ineffective data judge signal shown in FIG. 9F in which all the 16 bits of the data of the input signal are at a low level "0" and the mask signal shown in FIG. 9E which is obtained at the output side of the OR gate circuit 27 may take OR. At the output side of the write-enable signal generating circuit 42, a write-enable signal shown in FIG. 9G is obtained.
The write-enable signal obtained at the output side of the write-enable signal generating circuit 42 is supplied to a write-enable signal input terminal EN of the buffer memory 41a of the hard disk recording device 41.
The buffer memory 41a stores the input signal supplied to the data input terminal D in only when the write-enable signal is at a high level "1".
That is, according to the present embodiment, when the sync block SB supplied to the input terminal 20 is the data shown in FIG. 6A, the recording data stored in the buffer memory 41a becomes the signal comprising the portion where the mask signal added to the effective data length header shown in FIG. 6B exists and an effective data portion, in which other ineffective data is removed.
Accordingly, according to the present embodiment, the signal shown in FIG. 6B is recorded in the hard disk 41b. Accordingly, according to the embodiment, since the ineffective data portion becomes less in the recording data, there is such an advantage that a capacity of the hard disk 41b can be further saved.
Next, an example of the digital information data reproducing apparatus for reproducing the hard disk 41b recorded by the above-mentioned digital information data recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 10 and FIGS. 11A to 11K.
As shown in FIG. 10, there is provided a hard disk reproducing apparatus 50. The hard disk reproducing apparatus 50 outputs a reproducing signal from the hard disk 41b via a buffer memory 50a. From when a clear signal is supplied to a clear terminal CL of the buffer memory 50a, when the enable signal supplied to its enable terminal EN is at the high level "1", and at every time when the clock signal is supplied to a clock terminal 50b, the buffer memory 50a is operated so as to output one data (16 bits) from its data output terminal D out .
Furthermore, to a start signal input terminal 51 supplied is a start signal for starting a reproducing operation shown in FIG. 11A. The start signal supplied to the start signal input terminal 51 is supplied to the clear terminal CL of the buffer memory 50a of the hard disk reproducing apparatus 50. Furthermore, the start signal is supplied to a clear terminal CL of a counter 53 via an OR gate circuit 52.
The counter 53 counts a clock signal shown in FIG. 11K. A count signal shown in FIG. 11B which is obtained at the output terminal Q of the counter 53 is supplied to a decoder 54 from which decode signals "0", "1", "8", "15", "22", "29", "34" and "39" are obtained.
The "39" decode signal of the decoder 54 is supplied to the clear terminal CL of the counter 53 via the OR gate circuit 52, so that the counter 53 is cleared at every forty clocks.
Furthermore, the start signal and the decode signals "0", "1", "8", "15", "22", "29", "34" and "39" of the decoder 54 are all supplied to an input side of an OR gate circuit 55, respectively. A clear signal shown in FIG. 11C which is obtained at the output side of the OR gate circuit 55 is supplied to a clear terminal CL of a counter 56.
The counter 56 is operated so as to count the clock signal shown in FIG. 11K which is supplied to a clock input terminal 56a. A count signal shown in FIG. 11D which is obtained at the output side of the counter 56 is supplied to a B signal input terminal of a comparator 57 described later on.
Furthermore, 16 bits, data D 0 , D 1 , . . . D 15 obtained at the data output terminal Dout of the buffer memory 50a of the hard disk reproducing apparatus 50 are supplied to one input terminals of AND gate circuits 58 0 , 58 1 , . . . 58 15 , respectively.
Furthermore, bits D 12 to D 15 among the 16 bits D 0 , D 1 ,. . . D 15 of the data obtained at the data output terminal D out of the buffer memory 50a are supplied to a first shift register portion 60a of a shift register 60 via a 1-clock delay circuit 59. The bits D 8 to D 11 thereof are supplied to a second shift register portion 60b of the shift register 60 via a 1-clock delay circuit 61. The bits D 4 to D 7 thereof are supplied to a third shift register portion 60c of the shift resister 60 via a 1-clock delay circuit 62. The bits D 0 to D 3 thereof are supplied to a fourth shift register portion 60d of the shift register 60 via a 1-clock delay circuit 63.
Furthermore, the bits D 12 to D 15 among the 16 bits D 0 , D 1 , . . . D 15 of the data obtained at the data output terminal D out of the buffer memory 50a are supplied to a fifth shift register portion 60e of the shift register 60. The bits D 8 to D 11 thereof are supplied to a sixth shift register portion 60f of the shift register 60.
The "1" decode signal of the decoder 54 shown in FIG. 11E is supplied to a load terminal LD of the shift register 60. When the "1" decode signal is supplied, the effective data length header is supplied to the first to sixth shift register portions 60a to 60f.
In this case, when the recording data is one as shown in FIG. 6B, the effective data length "3" of the Y 1 block is supplied to the first shift register portion 60a. The effective data length "1" of the Y 2 block is supplied to the second shift register portion 60b. The effective data length "0 " of the Y 3 block is supplied to the third shift register portion 60c. The effective data length "2" of the Y4 block is supplied to the fourth shift register portion 60d. The effective data length "1" of the CR block is supplied to the fifth shift register portion 60e. The effective data length "2" of the CB block is supplied to the sixth shift register portion 60f.
Furthermore, in the shift register 60, the first to sixth shift register portions 60a to 60f are connected in series. At every time when a shift pulse is supplied to a shift pulse terminal SFT of the shift register 6D, one shift register portion is shifted. The effective data length shown in FIG. 11G which is obtained at the first shift register portion 60a is sequentially supplied to an A signal input terminal of the comparator 57.
Furthermore, a shift pulse shown in FIG. 11F which is obtained at the output side of an OR gate circuit 64 by supplying the decode signals "8", "15", "22", "29", "34" of the decoder 54 to the input side of an OR gate circuit 64, is supplied to the shift pulse terminal SFT.
An A signal supplied to the A signal input terminal is compared to a B signal to be supplied to the B signal input terminal in the comparator 57. As shown in FIG. 11H, when A≧B, the high level "1" is outputted to the output side of the comparator 57, while when A<B, the low level "0" is outputted to the output side thereof.
The output signal from the comparator 57 shown in FIG. 11H is supplied to the enable terminal EN of the buffer memory 50a. The output signal from the comparator 57 is supplied to the other input terminal of each of the sixteen AND gate circuits 58 0 , 58 1 , . . . 58 15 .
Accordingly, the signal of the fixed length format of the sync bit SB shown in FIG. 11I in which the effective data shown in FIG. 3B is inserted and other portions are the DC data is obtained at the data output terminal Dout of the buffer memory 50a. As shown in FIG. 11J, the fixed length format sync block SB shown in FIG. 6A in which a dummy data "0" is inserted according to the effective data length is obtained at the output side of the sixteen AND gate circuits 58 0 , 58 1 , . . . 58 15 .
The reproducing signal shown in FIG. 11J which is obtained at the output side of the sixteen AND gate circuits 58 0 , 58 1 , . . . 58 15 is supplied to a reproducing apparatus comprising a deframing circuit 70, a variable length decoding circuit 71, an inverse quantization circuit 72, an inverse DCT circuit 73, a deshuffling circuit 74, a deblocking circuit 75, etc. similar to the prior art so that the reproduced signal similar to the prior art can be obtained.
According to the above embodiment, an addition of the effective data length header is describes above. Instead of this, it is easily understood that an ineffective data length header may be added.
Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, the addition of the data length header is described above. Without adding the data length header, after a reproduction, the EOB is detected, and a break-point of a DCT block is found. Naturally, the dummy data is put into the blank so that the data may be outputted.
Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, after framing, whether or not all the bits of the framed ineffective data (blank) are at the low level "0" is judged and detected. Naturally, the ineffective data may be detected by any other methods.
According to the digital information data recording and reproducing apparatus the digital information data, the ineffective data (blank) is removed from the framing data of the fixed length format framed by the framing means, so that the data is defined as the recording data. Accordingly, the ineffective data (blank) in the recording data becomes less, and there is such an advantage that the capacity of a recording medium such as the hard disk, etc. can be further saved.
Having described preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and that various changes and modifications could be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. | A digital information data recording and reproducing apparatus is disclosed which can reduce an ineffective data portion in a recording data and can effectively use a capacity of a recording medium such as a hard disk, etc. In the apparatus, after the digital information data is compressed and coded, it is subjected to a framing process which uses a fixed length format. An ineffective data is removed from a framing data of the fixed length format obtained by the framing process, and then the data is recorded in the recording medium. | 7 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to DE 102004040090.3 filed Aug. 19, 2004 and PCT/EP2005/008129 filed Jul. 27, 2005.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an airbag to protect a vehicle occupant.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional airbags having several chambers are usually manufactured out of two cuttings which are sewn along their edge regions and which demonstrate darts to separate the chambers. In some airbags, the respective chambers have the task of protecting individual body areas of an occupant. Because of the different masses of the individual body areas, varying levels of forces may act upon them during an accident. Moreover, certain body areas, such as the rib cage, may require reduced stress levels. One approach is to inflate the chambers at different rates using different gas pressures.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,964 suggests aside airbag having an upper chamber assigned to protecting the thorax of the occupant and a lower chamber assigned to protect the pelvis of the occupant with the chambers being separated by a dividing seam. Because of the requirements imposed on the respective chambers in a side impact, it is provided that different gas pressures are used to fill the chambers. Thus in particular, the chamber assigned to the pelvic region is intended to be filled with a higher pressure than that which fills the chamber assigned to the thoracic region of the occupant.
One disadvantage of this conventional arrangement of the side airbag is that the dividing seam may be subjected to high stresses because of the different pressures in the chambers, and thus there exists the possibility of tearing the seam, which may cause some pressure leakage.
The present invention seeks an airbag for a vehicle which may offer advantages over the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, an airbag is provided. The airbag comprises a first and a second material layer, which are sewn to one another along their edge regions. The airbag has an opening which can be connected to a gas generator so that the gas generator can inflate the airbag during an accident. The airbag furthermore comprises a first and a second chamber region, which are separated from one another by a dividing seam. Each of the two material layers of the airbag comprises at least two material sections, each of which is respectively matched to the first or second chamber region. The material layers overlap in the region of the dividing seam, which fixes them.
Because of the overlapping in the region of the dividing seam, the dividing seam extends through four layers of the material sections. In this way, this region of the airbag is reinforced to better manage the force applied during the inflation process, minimizing seam tearing and the possibility of pressure leakage.
Moreover the separate material sections provide the possibility of introducing different fabric layers for the different application regions. Thus, very tearresistant fabrics may be used for higher stressed areas, whereas light, costeffective fabrics may be used for the remaining regions. In addition, specific material sections may be coated to minimize permeability and to additionally strengthen the fabric.
In at least one other embodiment of the present invention, the airbag includes another material layer which is fixed by the dividing seam in the same way as described in the foregoing paragraph, and which additionally protects the region around the dividing seam in the event of particularly high stresses resulting from very different gas pressures in the two chamber regions.
In at least another embodiment, the airbag is a side airbag to protect the vehicle occupants during a side impact. The chamber regions are assigned to the pelvic region and thoracic region of the occupant and can be filled with different gas pressures. In general, the chamber assigned to the pelvic region will be filled with a higher gas pressure than the chamber assigned to the thoracic region. Moreover, the airbag in the pelvic region may position itself particularly quickly and fix the center of gravity located in the pelvic region of the occupant in order to prevent the occupant from moving toward the side of the vehicle.
In order to maintain this high pressure in the airbag for the required time interval, the material sections assigned to the pelvic chamber region may include a particularly heavy fabric and can additionally be coated with a silicone layer or a film, so that the material sections are characterized by high tear resistance in addition to low gas permeability.
The material sections assigned to the thoracic region may be manufactured out of a more permeable fabric. Such a fabric is less expensive and has a lower weight.
Pursuant to another embodiment, the airbag is a curtain airbag and includes at least one additional chamber region and an additional dividing seam. In the curtain airbag, the central region below the opening, which can be connected to a gas generator, may be particularly stressed by the inflowing high-energy gases. The central chamber region therefore includes material sections made of a very heavy fabric, whereas the two external chamber regions may be manufactured out of less-heavy fabric sections.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described, by way of example, with references to the accompany drawings.
FIG. 1 is a top view of a side airbag;
FIG. 1 a is that which is depicted in FIG. 1 with a mounted gas generator;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section along line II-II of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is an assembly of an airbag pursuant to at least one embodiment;
FIG. 4 is an assembly of an airbag pursuant to at least another embodiment; and
FIG. 5 is a top view of a curtain airbag.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The construction of an airbag, which here is configured in the form of a side airbag, will be described in more detail on the basis of FIGS. 1 and 2 . Side airbags are normally arranged in the backrest of a vehicle seat or in the region of the side door.
The airbag 1 comprises two material layers 2 , 3 , which are manufactured out of fabric. These material layers 2 , 3 are sewn to one another by a seam 16 along their external contour. The circumferential seam 16 leaves open the fastening region 4 of the side airbag, so that an opening 23 for connecting to a gas generator 25 (illustrated in FIG. 1 a ) is formed. Gas generators frequently utilize fastening bolts, which are guided through the fastening holes 21 , 22 from the inside when the gas generator is inserted into the airbag and thereby fastening the airbag to the housing components.
A dividing seam 7 , which divides the inflatable region into two chamber regions 5 , 6 , is configured in an approximately central region of the airbag 1 . The dividing seam 7 is configured as a double seam, which extends from the edge region on the front side to the fastening region and is guided back to the front edge region in a curved course. As seen in FIG. 1 , the end of the dividing seam 7 facing the gas generator 25 (illustrated in FIG. 1 a ) is disposed approximately at the height of the center of the opening 23 for the gas generator 25 .
The dividing seam 7 is arranged in such a manner that the gas flowing from the gas generator 25 is guided directly into the two chamber regions 5 , 6 . Moreover, it is possible to introduce a deflector or a gas guide housing, for example, to selectively guide the gas jet. This is illustrated in FIG. 1 a , where a deflector 27 , which prevents the gases coming from the gas generator 25 from striking directly on the dividing seam 7 , is disposed between the gas generator 25 and dividing seam 7 . The gas generator 25 , deflector 27 and dividing seam 7 are arranged so as to provide a wide separation of the two chamber regions 5 , 6 . This facilitates producing different pressures in the two chamber regions 5 , 6 .
Subsequent to sewing of the surrounding seam 16 , side airbags 1 are usually turned inside out so that the seam 16 is disposed inside the airbag 1 . The side airbag 1 can thus be tucked through the opening 23 in the fastening region 4 so that the dividing seam 7 can then be added.
As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the side airbag 1 comprises four material sections 8 , 9 , 10 and 11 . The sections 8 and 10 are assigned to the upper chamber region 5 and sections 9 and 11 are assigned to the lower chamber region 6 . The pairs of material sections 8 , 10 and 9 , 11 are respectively assigned to one another and overlap in the central region, where they are fixed by the dividing seam 7 . The material sections 8 and 9 of the first material layer 2 are held together by the seam 19 whereas the material sections 10 and 11 of the second material layer 3 are held together by the seam 18 .
Within the overlapping region of the four material sections 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , the upper material sections 8 and 10 are disposed inside the lower material sections 9 and 11 . Pursuant to another embodiment (not illustrated), the lower sections 9 and 11 are disposed inside the upper sections 8 and 10 .
The chamber 6 assigned to the pelvic region of a vehicle occupant may comprise a relatively heavy fabric, which is preferably coated. Fabrics in the range of 580 to 700 dtex can be used, for example.
The chamber 5 assigned to the thoracic region of the occupant may comprise a relatively permeable fabric and is preferably not coated. Fabrics in the range of 235 to 580 dtex may be used here.
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the individual material sections 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 . The course of the dividing seam 7 is drawn dashed for the sake of clarity, although the dividing seam is added only after the individual material sections have been joined and sewn.
The two material sections 8 and 10 are formed from a single material layer, which has a butterfly-like shape. The fold axis, around which the material layer is folded, extends along axis of symmetry S. The two remaining material sections 9 and 11 are configured as separate pieces and are sewn onto the associated material sections in each material layer by means of the seams 18 , 19 .
Referring to FIG. 4 , at least one other embodiment of the present invention is provided. Both the upper material sections 8 and 10 and the lower material sections 9 and 11 are configured as butterfly-like material layers, each of which is folded around its axis of symmetry after the two parts have been joined. In addition, another material layer 12 , which ensures additional reinforcement in the region of overlap of the material sections, is added to this region.
The invention also includes other embodiments that are not illustrated in the figures. Thus all material sections 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 can consist of separate parts and be fastened to one another.
Moreover, the term “axis of symmetry” should be understood more broadly. Slight deviations, caused by manufacture, in the shaping of an airbag and the individual material sections may exist so that the material sections assigned to one another are generally symmetric but can deviate from one another.
FIG. 5 illustrates an airbag 1 , which is a curtain airbag, the upper edge of which are usually fastened to fastening points 4 in the roof frame of the vehicle, where it can be accommodated.
The curtain airbag demonstrates a first material layer 2 and a second material layer (not shown), which are sewn along their external contour. To this end, the seam leaves open the region of the opening 23 so that a gas generator and/or a gas guide element can be inserted into the opening.
The chamber regions 5 , 6 and 15 are partioned by dividing seams 7 and 17 so that two external and one central chamber are formed. In accordance with the preceding exemplary embodiment, the material sections 8 , 10 and 9 , 11 and 13 , 14 assigned to one another are connected by seams, of which the seams 18 and 20 are visible here.
Because of the relatively high stresses when the gas enters, the centrally arranged chamber 6 is provided with a relatively heavy and therefore stable fabric, which can still be coated for extra reinforcement, whereas the external chambers 5 and 15 are manufactured out of plainer fabric to reduce weight and cost. Pursuant to one embodiment, a coated fabric having 700 dtex is chosen for the centrally arranged chamber, whereas an uncoated fabric in the range of 235 to 580 dtex suffices for the external chamber regions.
As a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the above description is meant as an illustration of implementation of the principles of this invention. This description is not intended to limit the scope or appreciation of this invention in that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change, without departing from the spirit of this invention, as defined in the following claims. | An airbag for protecting a vehicle occupant comprising a first and a second material layer each having edge regions, wherein the first and the second layers are sewn together along the edge regions. A fastening section adapted for attaching to a part of the vehicle and connecting to a gas generator configured to inflate the airbag with a gas in response to an accident. A first and a second chamber region disposed opposite a dividing seam, wherein each of the material layers includes a first and a second material section each matched to one of the first or second chamber regions. | 1 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of, and priority to, U.S. patent application No. 61/811,523, filed Apr. 12, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure relates in general to a tubular string such as casing string, and in particular to a system and method for rotating casing string.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0003] In the oil and gas industry, advances in horizontal drilling have allowed drillers to drill extended reach horizontal sections of wellbores. In some cases, during the installation of a casing string into such an extended reach horizontal section, the casing string needs to be rotated to allow the casing string to be installed to the desired depth. However, rotating the casing string sometimes requires the application of torsion to the casing string using a tool. Such an application of torsion may increase the amount of torque retained in one or more connections between different components of the casing installation system. Additionally, after the torsion has been applied, attempting to disconnect the tool from the casing installation system may increase the risk of breaking connections between tubulars in the casing string. Therefore, what is needed is a system, apparatus or method that addresses one or more of the foregoing issues, or one or more other issues.
SUMMARY
[0004] In a first aspect, there is provided a system that includes a tool, a hanger connected to the tool, and a plurality of tubulars connected to the hanger and adapted to be positioned within a wellbore that traverses a subterranean formation. Each of the tubulars is connected to at least one other tubular. The tool, the hanger, and the plurality of tubulars, are rotatable in response to at least the application of torsion to the tool. The tool, the hanger, and the plurality of tubulars, are rotatable without transferring torque to the connection between the tool and the hanger.
[0005] In an exemplary embodiment, the hanger is a casing hanger, and the plurality of tubulars is a casing string.
[0006] In another exemplary embodiment, the tool, the hanger, and the plurality of tubulars, rotate in response to at least: the application of a tensile load across the tool; and the application of torsion to the tool during the application of the tensile load across the tool.
[0007] In certain exemplary embodiments, any trapped torsion between any of the respective connections between any two of the tubulars in the plurality of tubulars is released in response to the application of a compressive load across the tool.
[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, after the application of torsion to the tool, the connection between the tool and the hanger is capable of being broken without breaking any of the respective connections between any two of the tubulars in the plurality of tubulars.
[0009] In a second aspect, there is provided a method that includes positioning a tubular string within a wellbore that traverses a subterranean formation, the tubular string including a plurality of tubulars, each of the tubulars being connected to at least one other tubular. A hanger is connected to the tubular string. Torsion is applied to the tubular string to rotate the tubular string. To apply torsion to rotate the tubular string, a tool is connected to the hanger, and torsion is applied to the tool, in order to apply torsion to the hanger and thus to the tubular string, without transferring torque to the connection between the tool and the hanger.
[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, the tubular string is a casing string, and the hanger is a casing hanger.
[0011] In another exemplary embodiment, the tool includes a tubular member, and connecting the tool to the hanger includes connecting the tubular member to the hanger. Torsion is applied to the tool, in order to apply torsion to the hanger and thus to the tubular string, without transferring torque to the connection between the tubular member and the hanger.
[0012] In certain exemplary embodiments, the method includes applying a compressive load across the tool to release any trapped torsion between any of the respective connections between any two of the tubulars in the tubular string.
[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes breaking the connection between the tool and the hanger without breaking any of the respective connections between any two of the tubulars in the tubular string.
[0014] In another exemplary embodiment, applying torsion to the tubular string further includes applying a tensile load across the tool. Torsion is applied to the tool, in order to apply torsion to the hanger and thus to the tubular string, during applying the tensile load across the tool.
[0015] In a third aspect, there is provided an apparatus for rotating a tubular string within a preexisting structure. The apparatus includes a first tubular member, a second tubular member extending within the first tubular member, a third tubular member extending within the first tubular member. The apparatus includes a first configuration in which: the third tubular member is in a first position relative to each of the first and second tubular members; torque is permitted to be transmitted between the second and third tubular members to connect the apparatus to, or disconnect the apparatus from, a fourth tubular member adapted to be connected to the tubular string; and torque is not permitted to be transmitted between the first and third tubular members. The apparatus includes a second configuration in which: the third tubular member is in a second position relative to each of the first and second tubular members; torque is not permitted to be transmitted between the second and third tubular members; and torque is permitted be transmitted between the first and third tubular members to rotate the tubular string.
[0016] In an exemplary embodiment, the preexisting structure is a wellbore that traverses a subterranean formation, the fourth tubular member is a casing hanger, and the tubular string is a casing string.
[0017] In another exemplary embodiment, the apparatus includes a torsion nut connected to the first tubular member, and the third tubular member extends through the torsion nut. When the apparatus is in the second configuration, torque is permitted to be transmitted between the first and third tubular members via at least the torsion nut.
[0018] In certain exemplary embodiments, the third tubular member includes a first plurality of keys or slots, and a second plurality of keys or slots axially spaced from the first plurality of keys or slots.
[0019] In an exemplary embodiment, the second tubular member includes a third plurality of keys or slots for complementary engagement with the first plurality of keys or slots when the apparatus is in the first configuration. The torsion nut includes a fourth plurality of keys or slots for complementary engagement with the second plurality of keys or slots when the apparatus is in the second configuration.
[0020] In another exemplary embodiment, the apparatus includes a torsion nut connected to one end of the first tubular member, wherein the third tubular member extends through the torsion nut. The first tubular member includes a fifth plurality of keys or slots at the other end thereof for transmitting torque to the tubular string to rotate the tubular string.
[0021] In certain exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes the fourth tubular member, the fourth tubular member including a sixth plurality of keys or slots adapted to complementarily engage the fifth plurality of keys or slots of the first tubular member. When the fourth tubular member is connected to the tubular string, torque is adapted to be transmitted to the tubular string via the fourth tubular member.
[0022] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus includes a first annular groove formed in the outside surface of the third tubular member, wherein the first annular groove is generally aligned with an end of the torsion nut when the apparatus is in the first configuration, and a second annular groove formed in the outside surface of the third tubular member and axially spaced from the first annular groove, wherein the second annular groove is generally aligned with the end of the torsion nut when the apparatus is in the second configuration.
[0023] In another exemplary embodiment, the first and second tubular members include internal and external shoulders, respectively. The apparatus further includes an annular support that is sandwiched between the external shoulder of the second tubular member and the internal shoulder of the first tubular member when the apparatus is in the first configuration.
[0024] Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of the inventions disclosed.
DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0025] The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the various embodiments.
[0026] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus including a tool, a casing hanger and a tubular string.
[0027] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tool and the casing hanger of FIG. 1 , according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0028] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tool and the casing hanger of FIGS. 1 and 2 , according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0029] FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 , but depicts the tool in another configuration, according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of each of FIGS. 3 and 4 , but depicts the tool in yet another configuration, according to an exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , an apparatus is generally referred to by the reference numeral 10 and includes a hanger, such as a casing hanger 12 , to which a tool 14 is connected. A tubular string 16 is connected to the casing hanger 12 , and is positioned within a preexisting structure such as, for example, a wellbore 18 that traverses one or more subterranean formations. In an exemplary embodiment, the tubular string 16 is a casing string, which extends within the wellbore 18 to facilitate oil and gas exploration and production operations. The tubular string 16 includes a plurality of tubulars, each of which is connected to at least one other tubular in the tubular string 16 . For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the plurality of tubulars in the tubular string 16 includes at least tubulars 16 a , 16 b and 16 c . The tubular 16 a is connected to the casing hanger 12 to define a connection 20 a , the tubular 16 b is connected to the tubular 16 a to define a connection 20 b , and the tubular 16 c is connected to the tubular 16 b to define a connection 20 c . In an exemplary embodiment, each of the connections 20 a , 20 b and 20 c is a threaded engagement, with the threaded engagement being sufficiently tight so as to render the tubular string 16 operable for its intended purposes within the wellbore 18 (e.g., conveying fluids through the tubular string 16 , holding pressure within the tubular string 16 , providing structural support to the wellbore 18 , one or more other intended purposes, or any combination thereof). In an exemplary embodiment, each of the connections 20 a , 20 b and 20 c is a box and pin connection, with the box and pin connection being sufficiently tight so as to render the tubular string 16 sufficiently operable for its intended purposes within the wellbore 18 (e.g., conveying fluids through the tubular string 16 , holding pressure within the tubular string 16 , providing structural support to the wellbore 18 , one or more other intended purposes, or any combination thereof).
[0032] In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2 with continuing reference to FIG. 1 , the tool 14 includes a first tubular member, such as an outer torsion sleeve (or outer sleeve 22 ), a second tubular member, such as a casing hanger/running tool connection sleeve (or inner sleeve 24 ), a third tubular member, such as a landing tool/running tool pup (or pup 26 ), and a torsion nut 28 . The tool 14 further includes an annular support 30 , a plurality of torsion keys 32 , a plurality of torsion keys 34 , and a plurality of torsion keys 36 . In an exemplary embodiment, the annular support 30 is a bushing. In an exemplary embodiment, the annular support 30 is a high-capacity axial bearing assembly.
[0033] In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 with continuing reference to FIG. 1 , the outer sleeve 22 includes a plurality of openings 22 a formed in the bottom end thereof; respective internal threaded connections are formed in the openings 22 a . The torsion keys 32 include respective external threaded connections, which threadably engage with the internal threaded connections in the respective openings 22 a , thereby connecting the torsion keys 32 to the outer sleeve 22 . In an exemplary embodiment, the torsion keys 32 are connected to the outer sleeve 22 using fasteners, or are integrally formed with the outer sleeve 22 . The outer sleeve 22 further includes an internal threaded connection 22 b at the end portion thereof opposing the openings 22 a , and an internal shoulder 22 c positioned axially between the openings 22 a and the internal threaded connection 22 b.
[0034] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , and under conditions to be described below, the outer sleeve 22 is adapted to engage the casing hanger 12 so that the torsion keys 32 extend into respective openings 12 a formed in an external shoulder 12 b (see FIG. 2 ) of the casing hanger 12 , and so that an upper end portion 12 c of the casing hanger 12 extends within the outer sleeve 22 . An internal shoulder 12 d , and an internal threaded connection 12 e adjacent thereto, are formed in the upper end portion 12 c of the casing hanger 12 . The casing hanger 12 further includes a flange 12 f , which is adapted to engage a wellhead housing (not shown), under conditions to be described below.
[0035] The inner sleeve 24 extends within the outer sleeve 22 , and includes an external threaded connection 24 a at the lower end thereof, an external shoulder 24 b adjacent the external threaded connection 24 a , and an external shoulder 24 c above the external shoulder 24 b . Under conditions to be described below, the external threaded connection 24 a is adapted to threadably engage, and threadably disengage from, the internal threaded connection 12 e of the casing hanger 12 . Similarly, the external shoulder 24 b is adapted to engage, and disengage from, the internal shoulder 12 d of the casing hanger 12 , and the external shoulder 24 c is adapted to engage, and disengage from, the annular support 30 . The torsion keys 34 are positioned proximate the external shoulder 24 c , and are circumferentially spaced around, and connected to, the inner sleeve 24 . In an exemplary embodiment, the torsion keys 34 are connected to the inner sleeve 24 via fasteners 38 , which extend radially inwardly into the inner sleeve 24 . In an exemplary embodiment, the torsion keys 34 are connected to the inner sleeve 24 via other types of fasteners, or are integrally formed with the inner sleeve 24 .
[0036] The pup 26 extends within the outer sleeve 22 , and includes slots 26 a formed in the lower end thereof, an internal shoulder 26 b , and an external shoulder 26 c . Axially-spaced annular grooves 26 d and 26 e are formed in the outside surface of the pup 26 proximate the upper end portion thereof. The torsion keys 36 are positioned adjacent the external shoulder 26 c , and are circumferentially spaced around, and connected to, the pup 26 . In an exemplary embodiment, the torsion keys 36 are connected to the pup 26 via fasteners 40 , which extend radially inwardly into the pup 26 . In an exemplary embodiment, the torsion keys 36 are connected to the pup 26 via other types of fasteners, or are integrally formed with the pup 26 . The pup 26 extends through the torsion nut 28 , which includes an external threaded connection 28 a , which is threadably engaged with the internal threaded connection 22 b of the outer sleeve 22 , thereby connecting the torsion nut 28 to the outer sleeve 22 . The torsion nut 28 further includes a flange 28 b , which engages the upper end of the outer sleeve 22 . Slots 28 c are formed in the lower end of the torsion nut 28 . In several exemplary embodiments, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the tool 14 may include annular sealing elements, such as o-rings, which are axially-spaced from one another along the tool 14 and sealingly engage components thereof.
[0037] In operation, in an exemplary embodiment, with continuing reference to FIGS. 1 , 2 and 3 , the apparatus 10 facilitates oil and gas exploration and production operations. More particularly, the flange 12 f of the casing hanger 12 engages a wellhead housing (not shown), and the tubular string 16 hangs from the casing hanger 12 , being positioned within the wellbore 18 . In an exemplary embodiment, each of the connections 20 a , 20 b and 20 c is a threaded engagement, with the threaded engagement being sufficiently tight so as to render the tubular string 16 operable for its intended purposes within the wellbore 18 (e.g., conveying fluids through the tubular string 16 , holding pressure within the tubular string 16 , providing structural support to the wellbore 18 , one or more other intended purposes, or any combination thereof). In an exemplary embodiment, the tubular string 16 is in tension at least in part because it hangs from the casing hanger 12 . The casing hanger 12 suspends the tubular string 16 within the wellbore 18 , thereby causing the tubular string 16 to be in tension. In several exemplary embodiments, at any time during the operation of the apparatus 10 , the tool 14 may or may not be connected to the casing hanger 12 .
[0038] During operation, in several exemplary embodiments, it is desired to rotate the tubular string 16 about its longitudinal axis while the tubular string 16 is in tension and positioned within the wellbore 18 . The rotation of the tubular string 16 may be desirable in order to, for example, allow the tubular string 16 to be installed to the desired depth in the subterranean formation(s) through which the wellbore 18 extends. To so rotate the tubular string 16 , the tool 14 is connected to the casing hanger 12 .
[0039] To connect the tool 14 to the casing hanger 12 , the tool 14 is assembled in accordance with the foregoing, and then is moved downwards, as viewed in FIG. 3 . As a result, the upper end portion 12 c of the casing hanger 12 extends within the outer sleeve 22 , as shown in FIG. 3 . The inner sleeve 24 is moved downward within the outer sleeve 22 , as viewed in FIG. 3 , so that the external threaded connection 24 a may be threadably engaged with the internal threaded connection 12 e of the casing hanger 12 . The inner sleeve 24 may be so moved by moving the pup 26 downward, as viewed in FIG. 3 , so that the torsion keys 34 extend into the respective slots 26 a of the pup 26 . The pup 26 may be rotated, which rotation, due to the extension of the torsion keys 34 into the respective slots 26 a , transmits torque from the pup 26 to the inner sleeve 24 , causing the inner sleeve 24 to rotate and thus the external threaded connection 24 a to be threadably engaged with the internal threaded connection 12 e , thereby connecting the inner sleeve 24 to the casing hanger 12 . The inner sleeve 24 continues to be rotated until the inner sleeve 24 is sufficiently connected to the casing hanger 12 , thereby connecting the tool 14 to the casing hanger 12 . At this point, the outer sleeve 22 engages the casing hanger 12 so that the torsion keys 32 complementarily engage, and fully extend into, the respective openings 12 a of the casing hanger 12 . Further, the external shoulders 24 b and 24 c engage the internal shoulder 12 d and the annular support 30 , respectively. Still further, the annular support 30 is sandwiched between the external shoulder 24 c of the inner sleeve 24 and the internal shoulder 22 c of the outer sleeve 22 . Still further, the annular groove 26 e is generally axially aligned with the upper end of the torsion nut 28 , thereby providing an external visual indication that the inner sleeve 24 is sufficiently connected to the casing hanger 12 . In the configuration shown in FIG. 3 , no tensile load is applied across the tool 14 .
[0040] In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4 with continuing reference to FIGS. 1 , 2 and 3 , a tensile load is applied across the tool 14 . More particularly, the pup 26 is forced to move upwards, relative to the outer sleeve 22 , the inner sleeve 24 and the torsion nut 28 , until the torsion keys 36 complementarily engage, and fully extend into, the respective slots 28 c of the torsion nut 28 , as shown in FIG. 4 . Thus, the pup 26 shoulders out when the torsion keys 36 are keyed into the respective slots 28 c . As shown in FIG. 4 , the annular groove 26 d is generally axially aligned with the upper end of the torsion nut 28 , thereby providing an external visual indication that the pup 26 has shouldered out against the torsion nut 28 , and thus a tensile load is being applied across the tool 14 .
[0041] The tensile load of the tubular string 16 is transferred from the suspended tubular string 16 to the casing hanger 12 via the connection 20 a (see FIG. 1 ), from the casing hanger 12 to the inner sleeve 24 via the threaded engagement between the external threaded connection 24 a and the internal threaded connection 12 e , from the inner sleeve 24 to the outer sleeve 22 via the respective engagements between the external shoulder 24 c and the annular support 30 , and between the internal shoulder 22 c and the annular support 30 , from the outer sleeve 22 to the torsion nut 28 via the threaded engagement between the external threaded connection 28 a and the internal threaded connection 22 b , and from the torsion nut 28 to the pup 26 via the shouldering out of the pup 26 against the torsion nut 28 . In the configuration shown in FIG. 4 , the tensile load of the tubular string 16 is applied across the tool 14 ; as a result, the apparatus 10 is in tension while the tubular string 16 is positioned within the wellbore 18 .
[0042] After applying the tensile load of the tubular string 16 across the tool 14 , torsion is applied to the tubular string 16 , while the tubular string 16 is in tension and positioned within the wellbore 18 , in order to rotate the tubular string 16 within the wellbore 16 . More particularly, when the apparatus 10 is in the configuration shown in FIG. 4 and tension is applied across the tool 14 , the pup 16 is rotated about its longitudinal axis, thereby applying torsion to the tool 14 . The applied torsion is transmitted from the pup 26 to the torsion nut 28 via extension of the torsion keys 36 into the respective slots 28 c , from the torsion nut 28 to the outer sleeve 22 via the threaded engagement between the external threaded connection 28 a and the internal threaded connection 22 b , from the outer sleeve 22 to the casing hanger 12 via the extension of the torsion keys 32 into the respective openings 12 a , from the casing hanger 12 to the tubular 16 a via the connection 20 a (see FIG. 1 ), from the tubular 16 a to the tubular 16 b via the connection 20 b (see FIG. 1 ), from the tubular 16 b to the tubular 16 c via the connection 20 c (see FIG. 1 ), etc. In response to this applied torsion, the tubular string 16 rotates about its longitudinal axis within the wellbore 18 while remaining in tension. The applied torsion is not transmitted or transferred to the connection between the tool 14 and the casing hanger 12 , that is, the threaded engagement between the external threaded connection 24 a and the internal threaded connection 12 e.
[0043] In several exemplary embodiments, so long as tension is applied across the tool 14 while the tool 14 is connected to the casing hanger 12 , the tool 14 is capable of carrying the tensile load of, and rotating, the tubular string 16 , without transferring torque to the connection between the tool 14 and the casing hanger 12 , that is, the threaded engagement between the external threaded connection 24 a of the inner sleeve 24 and the internal threaded connection 12 e of the casing hanger 12 . Thus, the amount of torque necessary to disconnect the inner sleeve 24 (and thus the tool 14 ) from the casing hanger 12 is not increased as a result of applying torsion to the tool 14 , the casing hanger 12 and the tubular string 16 .
[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, when a compressive load is applied across the tool 14 , the pup 26 moves downward, as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4 , and un-keys from the torsion nut 28 . That is, the torsion keys 36 no longer extend into the respective slots 28 c , as shown in FIG. 3 . As a result, any trapped torsion between any two of the tubulars (e.g., the tubulars 16 a and 16 b , or the tubulars 16 b and 16 c ) in the tubular string 16 is released. Moreover, any trapped torsion between any two of the above-described pairs of components used to transmit or transfer torque from the pup 16 to the tubular 16 c is released. For example, any trapped torsion in any of the connections 20 a , 20 b and 20 c is released. In an exemplary embodiment, a compressive load may be applied across the tool 14 by forcing the pup 26 to move downward, as viewed in FIG. 3 . In an exemplary embodiment, a compressive load may be applied across the tool 14 by permitting the apparatus 10 to be dropped into, or landed in, the wellhead profile, and/or manipulating the apparatus 10 or components thereof so that the apparatus 10 drops into, or lands in, the wellhead profile. The pup 26 continues to move downward until it keys into the inner sleeve 24 , that is, the torsion keys 34 complementarily engage, and fully extend into, the respective slots 26 a of the pup 26 , as shown in FIG. 3 .
[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 5 with continuing reference to FIGS. 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 , after the pup 26 has keyed into the inner sleeve 24 , the tool 14 may be disconnected from the casing hanger 12 . To disconnect the tool 14 from the casing hanger 12 , the pup 26 is rotated, which rotation, due to the extension of the torsion keys 34 into the respective slots 26 a , transmits torque from the pup 26 to the inner sleeve 24 , causing the inner sleeve 24 to rotate and thus break the connection between the tool 14 and the casing hanger 12 , that is, the threaded engagement between the external threaded connection 24 a and the internal threaded connection 12 e . Accordingly, continued rotation of the pup 26 causes the external threaded connection 24 a to be threadably disengaged from the internal threaded connection 12 e . As a result, the tool 14 is disconnected from the casing hanger 12 . During or after the rotation effecting this disconnection, the pup 26 may be forced upwards until the annular groove 26 d is generally axially aligned with the upper end of the torsion nut 28 , thereby providing an external visual indication that the inner sleeve 24 , and thus the tool 14 , is fully disconnected from the casing hanger 12 . This external visual indication is shown in FIG. 5 . Since the tool 14 is disconnected from the casing hanger 12 , the tool 14 may be lifted off of the casing hanger 12 so that that the torsion keys 32 no longer extend into the respective openings 12 a of the casing hanger 12 .
[0046] During the above-described disconnection of the tool 14 from the casing hanger 12 , the connection between the tool 14 and the casing hanger 12 may be broken without breaking the connection 20 a (see FIG. 1 ), and without breaking any of the respective connections between any two of the tubulars in the tubular string 16 , such as the connection 20 b or 20 c (see FIG. 1 ). This is possible because the tool 14 permitted torsion to be applied to the tubular string 16 , in order to rotate the tubular string 16 within the wellbore 18 as described above, without transferring torque to the connection between the tool 14 and the casing hanger 12 . In several exemplary embodiments, use of the tool 14 to rotate the tubular string 16 eliminates, or at least reduces, the risk that the connection 20 b or 20 c , or any other connections between any two tubulars in the tubular string 16 , may be broken before the connection between the tool 14 and the casing hanger 12 is broken. As a result, all connections between the tubulars in the tubular string 16 (including the connections 20 b and 20 c ), and the connection 20 a , remain sufficiently tight so as to render the tubular string 16 operable for its intended purposes within the wellbore 18 (e.g., conveying fluids through the tubular string 16 , holding pressure within the tubular string 16 , providing structural support to the wellbore 18 , one or more other intended purposes, or any combination thereof).
[0047] In several exemplary embodiments, the tubular member, to which the tool 14 is adapted to be connected, may not be a casing hanger; instead of the casing hanger 12 , the tool 14 may be connected to another type of hanger, or another tubular member, in a manner similar to the manner in which the tool 14 is connected to the casing hanger 12 . In several exemplary embodiments, the tubular member substituted for the casing hanger 12 , as well as the tool 14 , may be positioned anywhere along the tubular string 16 , and may be characterized as part of the tubular string 16 . Since the tool 14 is part of the tubular string 16 , the tool 14 is operable to, for example, convey fluids through the tubular string 16 , hold pressure within the tubular string 16 , provide structural support to the wellbore 18 , or any combination thereof. Alternatively, in several exemplary embodiments, the tubular member substituted for the casing hanger 12 , as well as the tool 14 , may be positioned inline between the tubular string 16 and another tubular string, or may define a portion of the tubular string 16 upstream of the tool 14 and another portion of the tubular string 16 downstream of the tubular member substituted for the casing hanger 12 . Since the tool 14 is positioned inline between the tubular string 16 and another tubular string, or defines upstream and downstream portions of the tubular string 16 , the tool 14 is operable to, for example, convey fluids through the tubular string 16 , hold pressure within the tubular string 16 , provide structural support to the wellbore 18 , or any combination thereof.
[0048] In several exemplary embodiments, the tool 14 enables a customer to rotate the tubular string 16 while installing it in the wellbore 18 . This helps to reduce the risk of the tubular string 16 (such as casing string) getting stuck during installation. This also allows the customer to install the tubular string 16 (such as casing string) into long horizontal wellbore sections. In several exemplary embodiments, after the mandrel casing hanger has been landed in the wellhead profile and the tool 14 is in compression, the connection between the tool 14 and the casing hanger 12 is the lowest torqued connection in the entire tubular string 16 . When, for example, a left hand torque is applied to the entire tubular string 16 , the tool 14 will start to back off from the casing hanger 12 and allow for the tool 14 to be removed from the wellbore 18 . In several exemplary embodiments, the operation of the apparatus 10 , including the rotation of the tubular string 16 , does not increase the amount of torque retained in the respective connections between adjacent tubulars in the tubular string 16 . Moreover, in several exemplary embodiments, disconnecting the tool 14 from the casing hanger 12 (or from another tubular member) does not increase the risk of breaking any of the respective connections between adjacent tubulars in the tubular string 16 .
[0049] In the foregoing description of certain embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes other technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as “left” and right”, “front” and “rear”, “above” and “below” and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
[0050] In this specification, the word “comprising” is to be understood in its “open” sense, that is, in the sense of “including”, and thus not limited to its “closed” sense, that is the sense of “consisting only of”. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words “comprise”, “comprised” and “comprises” where they appear.
[0051] In addition, the foregoing describes only some embodiments of the invention(s), and alterations, modifications, additions and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.
[0052] Furthermore, invention(s) have described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention(s). Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature or component of any given assembly may constitute an additional embodiment. | In one aspect, a system includes a tool, a hanger connected to the tool, and a plurality of tubulars connected to the hanger and adapted to be positioned within a wellbore. The tool, hanger, and tubulars are rotatable in response to at least the application of torsion to the tool, and without transferring torque to the connection between the tool and the hanger. In another aspect, a method includes positioning a tubular string within a wellbore, connecting a hanger to the tubular string, and applying torsion to the tubular string to rotate the tubular string. To apply torsion to rotate, a tool is connected to the hanger, and torsion is applied to the tool without transferring torque to the connection between the tool and the hanger. In another aspect, there is provided an apparatus for rotating a tubular string in a preexisting structure, such as a wellbore. | 4 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2009-0071056 filed on Jul. 31, 2009, and No. 10-2009-0071058 filed on Jul. 31, 2009, No. 10-2010-0017969 filed on Feb. 26, 2010 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/230,590 and 61/230,510 filed on Jul. 31, 2009 in the USPTO, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This disclosure is directed to a washing machine, and more specifically, to a washing machine with a lid assembly which may increase reliability, stability, and convenience of use.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, a washing machine may include a laundry washer which gets rid of contaminants from clothing or bedding (hereinafter, referred to as “laundry”) using a chemical action between water and detergent and a mechanical action, and a dryer which dries wet laundry using air heated by a heater and a mechanical action. Also, a washing machine may have both a washing function and a drying function. Further, a washing machine may also include a refresher which sprays hot steam to laundry to prevent allergies. A washing machine may include various devices that exert physical or chemical actions to laundry to clean the laundry.
Washing machines may be categorized based on the location of a laundry entrance hole. For example, top load type washing machine have a laundry entrance hole at an upper surface of a cabinet and wash the laundry by a rotational water current generated when a washing tub rotates. Drum type washing machines have a laundry entrance hole at a front surface of a cabinet and wash the laundry by dropping the laundry in a drum while rotating the drum.
A lid assembly is arranged at an upper side of the cabinet of a top load type washing machine to open and close the laundry entrance hole.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a washing machine with a lid assembly which may increase stability, reliability, and convenience of use.
According to an embodiment, there is provided a washing machine comprising: a cabinet; a top cover arranged at an open top surface of the cabinet and has a laundry entrance hole; and a lid assembly disposed to be able to rotate at the top cover and opens/closes the laundry entrance hole, wherein the lid assembly includes a lid frame which forms the appearance and a lid inner coupled to an inside of the lid frame and has a hinge unit.
According to an embodiment, the lid frame includes an upper lid frame which forms an upper portion of the lid frame and supports the lid inner, and a lower lid frame coupled to a lower side of the upper lid frame.
According to an embodiment, the upper lid frame and the lower lid frame are coupled to each other by a connecting member in upper and lower directions.
According to an embodiment, the lid frame may have a lid inner inserting groove to which the lid inner is inserted.
According to an embodiment, a plurality of lid inners are provided that are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval, and wherein a plurality of hinge units are provided that are connected to neighboring lid inners of the plurality of lid inners.
According to an embodiment, the plurality of hinge units include a first hinge unit which adjusts a degree of rotation of the lid assembly when the lid assembly opens or closes, and a second hinge unit which adjusts rotation speed of the lid assembly when the lid assembly opens or closes.
According to an embodiment, the first hinge unit includes a hydraulic damper filled with a fluid and adjusts rotation speed by a fluid pressure, and the second hinge unit includes an elastic member which provides an elastic force in a direction which opens the lid assembly.
According to an embodiment, at least two or more lid inners having the hinge unit among the plurality of lid inners are arranged at a side of the lid frame, wherein each of the lid inners having the hinge unit are connected to the lid frame by a connecting member so that hinge axes of the hinge units connected to neighboring lid inners are in alignment with each other.
According to an embodiment, the plurality of lid inners include four lid inners which are spaced apart from each other, wherein each of the lid inners has a similar shape to that of a corner of the lid frame, wherein two lid inners are arranged at a side of the lid frame.
According to an embodiment, the plurality of hinge units include first and second hinge units which are arranged at the lid inners respectively, wherein the lid inners are connected to the lid frame by a connecting member so that a first hinge axis of the first hinge unit is in alignment with a second hinge axis of the second hinge unit.
According to an embodiment, the lid frame includes a gap press-fitting part protruded and is inserted into a gap between neighboring lid inners and pressurizes the lid inners in a direction away from each other, so that the lid inners are brought in tight contact with an inner surface of the lid frame.
According to an embodiment, the gap press-fitting part includes a plurality of ribs which protrude from the lid frame and are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval.
According to an embodiment, the lid frame includes a hinge cover extended and wraps around the hinge unit.
According to an embodiment, the hinge unit includes a housing inserted into the lid inner and wraps around a hinge shaft, and a connecting arm which protrudes from a side of the housing and fits into a side surface of the lid inner.
According to an embodiment, the lid inner, the connecting arm of the hinge unit, and the lid frame are arranged in an order thereof, and then integrally connected to each other by a connecting member.
According to an embodiment, each of the lid frame and the lid inner may be formed to have an opening at a central portion thereof, wherein a glass unit is arranged at the opening.
According to an embodiment, the lid inner further may include a glass guide rib which guides the positions of the glass unit.
According to an embodiment, a plurality of lid inners are provided, wherein the glass unit pressurizes the plurality of lid inners toward the lid frame so that the lid inners are brought in tight contact with the lid frame.
According to an embodiment, the washing machine may further comprise a handle which protrudes forwards more than the top cover so that a user's hand is inserted into a space between the lid frame and the top cover, wherein the user can hold the handle.
According to an embodiment, there is provided a washing machine comprising: a cabinet; a top cover arranged at an open top surface of the cabinet and has a laundry entrance hole; and a lid assembly disposed to be able to rotate at the top cover and opens/closes the laundry entrance hole, wherein the lid assembly includes a lid frame which forms the appearance, a plurality of lid inners which are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval inside the lid assembly, a plurality of hinge units connected to the lid inners and the lid frame, wherein a hinge unit is inserted into each of two neighboring lid inners among the plurality of lid inners, a glass unit coupled to the lid inner and pressurizes the lid inner toward the lid frame so that the lid inner is brought in tight contact with the lid frame, and a decoration panel coupled to a front and lower side of the lid frame.
The washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a lid assembly which opens/closes a laundry entrance hole, wherein the lid assembly includes a lid frame and a lid inner coupled to an inner portion of the lid frame and having a hinge unit. Thus, the washing machine may be easily and securely assembled, thereby allowing for a reliable, stable washing machine.
Further, the lid assembly may be easily opened and closed by the hinge unit. This may increase convenience of use.
Further, since the plurality of lid inners are arranged so that an end of a lid inner is spaced apart from an end of a neighboring lid inner, the lid inner may be prevented from colliding with each other even when the lid inners are deformed due to heat.
Further, the washing machine includes first and second hinge units wherein while the hinge axes of the first and second hinge units are arranged in alignment with each other, the two lid inners coupled with the first and second hinge units, respectively, are connected to the upper lid frame by a connecting member, such as a screw. Accordingly, the lid assembly may be prevented from being twisted when being opened or closed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the top cover and the lid assembly shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3 wherein the lid assembly is left open.
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the lid assembly shown in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the lid assembly shown in FIG. 6 .
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an upper surface of the upper lid frame shown in FIG. 7 .
FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a lower surface of the upper lid frame shown in FIG. 8 .
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view illustrating lid inners and hinge units which are dissembled from each other.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating lid inners and hinge units which are assembled to each other.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a bottom surface of the lid inners shown in FIG. 11 .
FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the lower lid frame shown in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating the lower surface of the lower lid frame shown in FIG. 13 .
FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating the decoration panel shown in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a lower surface of the decoration panel shown in FIG. 15 .
FIG. 17 is an expanded perspective view of part B shown in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view as viewed in the direction of arrow A of FIG. 17 .
FIG. 19 illustrates a process of assembling the lid assembly shown in FIG. 7 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of a top load type washing machine (hereinafter, referred to as “washing machine”) will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 .
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the washing machine W includes a cabinet 10 , a top cover 200 , a lid assembly 100 , and a control panel 500 . The top cover 200 is arranged at an upper side of the cabinet 10 and includes a laundry entrance hole 211 . The lid assembly 100 is connected to be able to rotate to the top cover 200 to open and close the laundry entrance hole 211 . The control panel 500 allows a user to control the washing machine W.
Referring to FIG. 2 , an outer tub 30 is supported by a support member 20 inside the cabinet 10 . An inner tub 35 for containing laundry is disposed to be able to rotate inside the outer tub 30 .
An upper end of the support member 20 is connected to the top cover 200 or an upper side of the cabinet 10 . A damper 25 connected to a lower portion of the outer tub 30 is provided at a lower end of the support member 20 .
A plurality of pores is provided along the circumferential surface of the inner tub 35 . A pulsator 40 is positioned at the bottom surface of the inner tub 35 to generate a rotational water flow.
A motor 55 is positioned at a lower portion of the outer tub 30 to rotate the inner tub 35 and the pulsator 40 . The motor 55 is connected to the inner tub 35 via a rotational shaft to rotate the inner tub 35 . A clutch (not shown) is positioned between the inner tub 35 and the pulsator 40 to selectively transfer a rotational force to at least one of the inner tub 35 and the pulsator 40 . By the clutch, either or both of the inner tub 35 and the pulsator 40 may be rotated.
A detergent box is positioned at the top cover 200 to receive a detergent.
The washing machine W further includes a water supply hose 75 which guides water from an external tab (not shown) to the detergent box 60 and a water supply valve (not shown) which opens/closes washing water passing through the water supply hose 75 .
The washing machine W further includes a drainage hose 80 connected to a lower portion of the outer tub 30 to guide washing water from the outer tub 30 to the outside, a drainage pump 86 which pumps washing water in the outer tub 30 , and a drainage valve 85 which opens/closes washing water discharged through the drainage hose 80 to the outside.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the top cover and the lid assembly shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3 wherein the lid assembly is left open, and FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 3 .
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5 , the lid assembly 100 is connected to be able to rotate to the top cover 200 to open/close the laundry entrance hole 211 . The lid assembly 100 may be connected to be able to rotate to the top cover 200 by a hinge unit 300 which will be described below.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the lid assembly shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the lid assembly shown in FIG. 6 .
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 , the lid assembly 100 includes a lid frame 110 which forms the appearance of the lid assembly 100 , a lid inner 140 connected to the lid frame 110 at the inside of the lid frame 110 and has a hinge unit 300 , a glass unit 150 positioned at a portion where the lid frame 110 and the lid inner 140 are open, and a decoration panel 160 connected to the lid frame 110 at a front portion of the lid frame 110 .
Referring to FIG. 7 , the lid frame 110 includes an upper lid frame 120 which forms the appearance of an upper portion of the lid frame 110 and a lower lid frame 130 which forms the appearance of a lower portion of the lid frame 110 and is connected to a lower side of the upper lid frame 120 .
A plurality of lid inners 140 may be positioned to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. For purposes of brevity, it is assumed that four lid inners 140 are provided. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, at least two or more lid inners 140 may be provided.
Each of the four lid inners 140 may have the similar shape to that of a corner of the lid frame 110 . For example, each of the four lid inners 140 may be shaped as the symbol Two lid inners 140 are arranged at each side of the lid frame 110 . For example, the lid inners 140 may include first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 , wherein the first and third lid inners 141 and 143 may be arranged at a front side, and the second and fourth lid inners 142 and 144 may be arranged at a rear side. The hinge unit 300 may be coupled to each of the second and fourth lid inners 142 and 144 .
At least one hinge unit 300 may be provided. For example, a plurality of hinge units may be provided so that one hinge unit may be coupled to each of a plurality of neighboring lid inners.
An embodiment will be described where the hinge unit 300 includes a first hinge unit 310 coupled to the second lid inner 142 and a second hinge unit 320 coupled to the fourth lid inner 144 . The hinge unit 300 will be described in greater detail later.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an upper surface of the upper lid frame shown in FIG. 7 , and FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a lower surface of the upper lid frame shown in FIG. 8 .
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , the upper lid frame 120 has an opening at its central portion. The glass unit 150 is arranged at the opening.
The upper lid frame 120 includes a rectangular frame part 121 which has an opening at its central portion and a coupling part 122 which extends from a front end of the frame part 121 and is coupled to the lower lid frame 130 .
The coupling part 122 of the upper lid frame 120 is formed to be inclined downwards from the front direction of the frame part 121 by a predetermined angle.
The decoration panel 160 is coupled to an upper side of the coupling part 122 of the upper lid frame 120 , and the lower lid frame 130 is coupled to a lower side of the coupling part 122 of the upper lid frame 120 .
Referring to FIG. 8 , the coupling part 122 of the upper lid frame 120 includes a connecting protrusion coupling hole 123 to which a connecting protrusion 161 is connected, a guide protrusion coupling hole 124 to which a guide protrusion 162 is connected, and a screw connecting hole 125 connected to the lower lid frame 130 via a connecting member, such as a screw. The connecting protrusion 161 and the guide protrusion 162 are formed on the decoration panel 160 . The connecting protrusion 161 and the guide protrusion 162 will be described below.
The guide protrusion 162 (refer to FIG. 16 ) is inserted into the guide protrusion coupling hole 124 in upper and lower directions to guide and position the decoration panel 160 upon assembly of the decoration panel 160 . For example, the guide protrusion coupling hole 124 may be shaped to correspond to the shape of the guide protrusion 162 which will be described below.
The connecting protrusion 161 is connected by sliding after being inserted to the connection protrusion coupling hole 123 , so that the decoration panel 160 can be connected by sliding to the coupling part 122 of the upper lid frame 120 .
The connecting protrusion 161 which will be described below is formed in the shape of The connecting protrusion coupling hole 123 includes an inserting part 123 a into which the connecting protrusion 161 is inserted and a connecting part 123 b which extends from the inserting part 123 a with a reduced width. The connecting protrusion 161 is connected to the connecting part 123 b.
Since the decoration panel 160 is positioned over the coupling part 122 of the upper lid frame 120 , the connecting protrusion coupling hole 123 , the guide protrusion coupling hole 124 , and the screw connecting hole 125 may be covered by the decoration panel 160 .
The left and right side surfaces and the rear surface of the frame part 121 may be coupled to the lower lid frame 130 . An embodiment will be described where each of the left and right side surfaces and rear surface of the frame part 121 is coupled via a connecting member, such as a screw, to the lower lid frame 130 connected with the hinge unit 300 .
The frame part 121 of the upper lid frame 120 , the hinge unit 300 , and the lid inner 140 may be integrally connected to each other by a screw. The frame part 121 of the upper lid frame 120 and the lid inner 140 may be only connected to each other by a screw. A side screw coupling hole 121 a is formed at each of the left and right side surfaces of the frame part 121 to for screw connection. A plurality of side screw coupling holes 121 a may be provided. The side screw coupling hole 121 a may be positioned at a location close to the hinge unit 300 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the side screw coupling hole 121 a may be omitted.
Referring to FIG. 9 , a rear screw coupling hole 121 b is provided at the rear surface of the frame part 121 for screw connection. Two rear screw coupling holes 121 b may be provided, each of which may be positioned at a location close to the hinge unit 300 . Because of being positioned at a location where the hinge unit 300 is connected, the side screw coupling hole 121 a and the rear screw coupling hole 121 b may effectively support the hinge unit 300 .
Each of the left and right side surfaces of the upper lid frame 120 may be connected to the lid inner 140 via a connecting member, such as a screw. The screw connecting hole 121 c may be formed at the left and right side surfaces of the upper lid frame 120 .
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , the upper lid frame 120 includes a hinge cover 127 which covers the hinge unit 300 .
The hinge cover 127 is extended downwards from each of the left and right side surfaces of the upper lid frame 120 . The hinge cover 127 has a through-hole 127 a for the hinge shaft of the hinge unit 300 to pass therethrough.
Referring to FIG. 9 , a lid inner inserting groove 120 a is formed at each of the left and right side surfaces of the upper lid frame 120 so that the lid inner 140 may be seated on the lid inner inserting groove 120 a . The lid inner inserting groove 120 a may have a cross section shaped as the symbol “[”.
The upper lid frame 120 may be made of a metallic material or an elastic material. An embodiment will be described where the upper lid frame 120 is made of steel with rigidity.
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view illustrating lid inners and hinge units which are dissembled from each other, FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating lid inners and hinge units which are assembled to each other, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a bottom surface of the lid inners shown in FIG. 11 .
As described above, the plurality of lid inners 140 include the first and third lid inners 141 and 143 positioned at a front side and the second and fourth lid inners 142 and 144 positioned at a rear side and having the hinge unit 300 .
Each of the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 is shaped as the symbol and positioned near a corner. Further, the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. Specifically, an end of each of the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 is spaced apart from an end of a neighboring lid inner of the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 . This prevents the lid inners from colliding with each other even when the lid inners are deformed due to heat.
The second lid inner 142 includes a first hinge unit receiving part 142 a to which the first hinge unit 310 is inserted.
The fourth lid inner 144 includes a second hinge unit receiving part 144 a to which the second hinge unit 320 is inserted.
Although the first and second hinge unit receiving parts 142 a and 144 a are described to be provided in the second and fourth lid inners 142 and 144 , the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first and second hinge unit receiving parts 142 a and 144 a may also be formed by coupling the second and fourth lid inners 142 and 144 with the lower lid frame 130 .
The first and second hinge units 310 and 320 are inserted in the axial direction into the first and second hinge unit receiving parts 142 a and 144 a , respectively.
The first and second hinge units 310 and 320 include hinge housings 311 and 321 , respectively, and connecting arms 312 and 322 , respectively. The hinge housings 311 and 321 are inserted to the second and fourth lid inners 142 and 144 , respectively, and wrap around the hinge shaft. The connecting arms 312 and 322 protrude from side surfaces of the hinge housings 311 and 321 , respectively, and fit into side surfaces of the second and fourth lid inners 142 and 144 , respectively.
The connecting arms 312 and 322 of the first and second hinge units 310 and 320 may be integrally connected to the lid inner 140 and the lid frame 110 , or may be connected only to the lid inner 140 .
The first and second hinge units 310 and 320 may have the same or different functions. An embodiment will be described where the first hinge unit 310 adjusts the degree of rotation of the lid assembly 100 when the lid assembly 100 is opened or closed and the second hinge unit 320 reduces the rotation speed of the lid assembly 100 when the lid assembly 100 is opened or closed to alleviate shock.
For example, the first hinge unit 310 may include a hydraulic damper filled with a fluid to adjust the rotation speed by fluid pressure.
The second hinge unit 320 includes an elastic member which provides an elastic force in the direction which opens the lid assembly 100 .
However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned hinges. The hinge unit may also include various devices or parts which may control the rotation angle or rotation speed.
Referring to FIG. 12 , a plurality of ribs are provided at a lower surface of the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 .
A glass guide rib 140 a protrudes from a lower surface of each of the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 to seat the glass unit 150 thereon.
The glass guide rib 140 a guides and positions the glass unit 150 upon assembly of the glass unit 150 . The protruded glass guide rib 140 a may also be bent in the shape of .
The first lid inner 141 and the third lid inner 143 are formed symmetrical to each other, and for purposes of brevity, the description will focus on the third lid inner 143 .
A first reinforcing rib 143 a is formed on a lower surface of the third lid inner 143 to reinforce intensity. The first reinforcing rib 143 a is longitudinally formed in the front and rear directions. A plurality of first reinforcing ribs 143 a may be provided in the left and right directions and be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. The first reinforcing rib 143 a may prevent the third lid inner 143 from being deformed due to a force exerted by the glass unit 150 to the third lid inner 143 when the glass unit 150 is assembled.
An inner downward rib 143 b protrudes downwards from a lower surface of the third lid inner 143 to be coupled to the lower lid frame 130 . A coupling hole 143 c is also formed on the lower surface of the third lid inner 143 to be coupled to the lower lid frame 130 .
Specifically, the inner downward rib 143 b is coupled to an inner downward rib coupling part 131 a provided in the lower lid frame 130 as shown in FIG. 13 . The inner downward rib coupling part will be described below.
The coupling hole 143 c is coupled to a frame rib 131 b provided on the lower lid frame 130 as shown in FIG. 13 . The frame rib 131 b is inserted into the coupling hole 143 c . A protrusion 143 d protrudes from a side surface of the coupling hole 143 c to hook the inserted frame rib 131 b.
A plurality of inner front protrusions 143 e spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval may protrude frontwards from a front surface of the third lid inner. The inner front protrusion 143 e is coupled to a front protrusion coupling rib 132 d provided in the lower lid frame 130 . The front protrusion coupling rib 132 d will be described below.
The second lid inner 142 and the fourth lid inner 144 may be formed symmetrical to each other. Accordingly, the description will now focus on the second lid inner 142 for purposes of brevity.
A second reinforcing rib 142 b is formed on a lower surface of the second lid inner 142 to reinforce intensity. The second reinforcing rib 142 b is longitudinally formed long in the front and rear directions. A plurality of second reinforcing ribs 142 b may be provided in the left and right directions to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. The second reinforcing rib 142 b may prevent the second lid inner 142 from being deformed due to a force exerted by the glass unit 150 to the second lid inner 142 when the glass unit 150 is assembled.
A coupling hole 142 c is formed on a lower surface of the second lid inner 142 to be coupled to a frame rib 131 c provided on the lower lid frame 130 as shown in FIG. 13 . The frame rib 131 b may be inserted into the coupling hole 142 c . A protrusion 142 d protrudes from a side surface of the coupling hole 142 c to hook the inserted frame rib 131 b.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the lower lid frame shown in FIG. 3 , and FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating the lower surface of the lower lid frame shown in FIG. 13 .
Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14 , the lower lid frame 130 includes a frame part 131 which opens at its central portion and a coupling part 132 which extends from a front end of the frame part 131 and is coupled to the upper lid frame 120 . The coupling part 132 of the lower lid frame 130 may be formed to be inclined from the frame part 131 by a predetermined angle. The coupling part 132 may include a locking device connecting hole 132 a for connecting a locking device.
Referring to FIG. 13 , the coupling part 132 includes a screw connecting hole 132 b which corresponds to the screw connecting hole 125 of the upper lid frame 120 .
A frame front rib 132 c protrudes frontwards from a lower end of the coupling part 132 to be coupled to the decoration panel 160 .
Specifically, the frame front rib 132 c is coupled to a decoration panel protrusion 163 as shown in FIG. 16 . The decoration panel protrusion 163 will be described below.
The coupling part 132 includes a gap press-fitting part 133 protruded and inserted into the gap between the two adjacent lid inners 140 and pressurizes the lid inners 140 in the direction away from each other so that the lid inners 140 may be brought in tight contact with an inner surface of the lid frame 110 .
The gap press-fitting part 133 includes a pair of ribs which protrude upwards from an upper surface of the coupling part 132 and are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. The gap press-fitting part 133 may also be a protrusion having a predetermined thickness. An embodiment will be described where the gap press-fitting part 133 includes a pair of ribs.
The gap press-fitting part 133 includes a front gap press-fitting part 133 a , a right gap press-fitting part 133 b , a rear gap press-fitting part 133 c , and a left gap press-fitting part (not shown). The front gap press-fitting part 133 a is provided at a front side of the coupling part 132 and inserted into the space between the first lid inner 141 and the third lid inner 143 . The right gap press-fitting part 133 b is provided at a right side of the frame part 131 and inserted into the space between the first lid inner 141 and the second lid inner 142 . The rear gap press-fitting part 133 c is provided at a rear side of the frame part 131 and inserted into the space between the second lid inner 142 and the fourth lid inner 144 . The left gap press-fitting part is provided at a left side of the frame part 131 and inserted into the space between the third lid inner 143 and the fourth lid inner 144 .
Both ends of the first lid inner 141 are pressurized by the front gap press-fitting part 133 a and the right gap press-fitting part 133 b so that the first lid inner 141 is brought in tight contact with a front and right edge in the upper lid frame 120 .
Both ends of the third lid inner 143 are pressurized by the front gap press-fitting part 133 a and the left gap press-fitting part so that the third lid inner 143 is brought in tight contact with a front and left edge in the upper lid frame 120 .
Both ends of the second lid inner 142 are pressurized by the right gap press-fitting part 133 b and the rear gap press-fitting part 133 c so that the second lid inner 142 is brought in tight contact with a rear and right edge in the upper lid frame 120 .
Both ends of the fourth lid inner 144 are pressurized by the rear gap press-fitting part 133 c and the left gap press-fitting part so that the fourth lid inner 144 is brought in tight contact with a rear and left edge in the upper lid frame 120 .
An inner downward rib coupling part 131 a is provided on the lower lid frame 130 to be coupled to the inner downward rib 143 b . The inner downward rib coupling part 131 a will be described below.
A frame rib 131 b inserted into the coupling hole 143 c protrudes from an upper surface of the lower lid frame 130 . The frame rib 131 b may be formed at each of left and right edges and the rear edge of the lower lid frame 130 . The frame rib 131 b includes a protrusion hole 131 c to which the protrusion 143 d provided on the coupling hole 143 c may be inserted.
The front protrusion coupling rib 132 d is formed on an upper surface of the lower lid frame 130 to be coupled to the inner front protrusion 143 e . The front protrusion coupling rib 132 d includes an inserting hole to which the inner front protrusion 143 e may be inserted in the front and rear directions.
Referring to FIG. 14 , the lower lid frame 130 forms the appearance of a lower portion of the lid assembly 100 .
The lower lid frame 130 may include a handle groove 134 which allows a user to easily hold the lid assembly. According to an embodiment, a handle which will be described below may be only used without the handle groove 134 .
A cushion part connecting hole 136 is formed on a lower surface of the lower lid frame 130 to mount a cushion part 135 .
FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating the decoration panel shown in FIG. 3 , and FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a lower surface of the decoration panel shown in FIG. 15 .
Referring to FIG. 15 , the decoration panel 160 is connected by sliding to the upper lid frame 120 coupled to the lower lid frame 130 . The decoration panel 160 may be formed to be inclined or bent downwards to correspond to a coupling part of the lower lid frame 130 .
Referring to FIG. 16 , a decoration panel protrusion 163 is formed on a lower surface of the decoration panel 160 to be coupled to the frame front rib 132 c of the lower lid frame 130 . The decoration panel protrusion 163 is connected to the connecting hole formed on the frame front rib 132 c.
A plurality of connecting protrusions 161 are formed on a lower surface of the decoration panel 160 . Each connecting protrusion 161 may be shaped as the symbol and is coupled to the connecting protrusion coupling hole 123 formed on the coupling part 122 of the upper lid frame 120 .
A plurality of guide protrusions 162 are formed on a lower surface of the decoration panel 160 . The guide protrusion 162 is coupled to the guide protrusion coupling hole 124 formed on the coupling part 122 to guide and position the decoration panel 160 upon assembling the decoration panel 160 .
FIG. 17 is an expanded perspective view of part B shown in FIG. 3 , and FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view as viewed in the direction of arrow A of FIG. 17 .
Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18 , a front end of the lid assembly 100 protrudes more than a front end of the top cover 200 , thereby defining a handle 400 .
Referring to FIG. 18 , a front end of the lid assembly 100 protrudes forwards more than the top cover 200 by a predetermined distance (d) to allow a user to easily hold the handle 400 .
The handle 400 and the top cover 200 are spaced apart from each other in the upper and lower directions and in the left and right directions, thereby defining spaces S 1 and S 2 . The spaces S 1 and S 2 are sized to sufficiently accommodate an adult hand. The space S 1 is formed in the upper and lower directions, and the space S 2 is formed in the left and right directions.
A user's hand is sequentially inserted into the space S 1 and the space S 2 so that the user may hold the handle 400 and lift the lid assembly 100 .
The spaces S 1 and S 2 may be formed by a step part 210 provided at a front side of the top cover 200 .
The step part 210 is formed by letting a front end of the top cover 200 spaced apart from the handle 400 by a predetermined interval. Each corner of the step part 210 may be rounded.
The handle 400 may be a lower part of a combined structure formed by coupling the lower lid frame 130 with the decoration panel 160 . The lower part of the handle 400 may be rounded.
A thickness (t) of the lower part of the handle 400 may be as long as a joint of adult middle finger. For example, the thickness (t) may be in a range from 15 mm to 17 mm. When the thickness (t) is set as above, user's hand may be easily inserted into the spaces S 1 and S 2 .
A process of assembling a lid assembly will be described with reference to FIG. 19 .
FIG. 19 illustrates a process of assembling the lid assembly shown in FIG. 7 .
Referring to FIGS. 19A and 19B , the upper lid frame 120 is arranged so that the lower surface faces the user.
The first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 are arranged on the lower surface of the upper lid frame 120 so that an end of each lid inner is spaced apart from an end of its adjacent lid inner. Each of the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 is formed to have the similar shape to each corner of the upper lid frame 120 . The first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 , are respectively arranged at the corners of the upper lid frame 120 .
After completing the arrangement of the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 , the glass unit 150 is assembled.
Referring to FIGS. 19C and 19D , the glass unit 150 is arranged on the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 . The glass unit 150 is guided by the glass guide rib 140 a for positioning. When a force is exerted onto the glass unit 150 with the glass unit 150 seated on the glass guide rib 140 a , the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 are pressurized to be brought in tight contact with four sides of the upper lid frame 120 . Each of the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 is inserted to the lid inner inserting groove 120 a as shown in FIG. 9 and then brought in tight contact with each corresponding side of the upper lid frame 120 . Therefore, the first, second, third, and fourth lid inners 141 , 142 , 143 , and 144 may be securely fixed to the upper lid frame 120 .
Referring to FIGS. 19E and 19F , the first hinge unit 310 and the second hinge unit 320 are coupled to the second lid inner 142 and the fourth lid inner 144 , respectively. The first hinge unit 310 is inserted to the first hinge unit receiving part 142 a of the second lid inner 142 as shown in FIG. 10 , and the second hinge unit 320 is inserted to the second hinge unit receiving part 144 a of the fourth lid inner 144 as shown in FIG. 10 .
Although it has been described that after the lid inner 140 and the upper lid frame 120 are coupled to each other, the first hinge unit 310 and the second hinge unit 320 are coupled, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the second lid inner 142 and the fourth lid inner 144 may be first coupled to the first hinge unit 310 and the second hinge unit 320 , and then with the upper lid frame 120 .
The hinge axis of the first hinge unit 310 and the hinge axis of the second hinge unit 320 need to be in alignment with each other since the lid assembly may be otherwise twisted when being opened and closed.
To arrange the hinge axes of the first hinge unit 310 and the second hinge unit 320 in alignment with each other, the second lid inner 142 and the fourth lid inner 144 coupled to the first hinge unit 310 and the second hinge unit 320 , respectively, are connected to the upper lid frame 120 by a connecting member, such as a screw. For example, the connection may be performed at a position close to the hinge units 310 and 320 . As shown in FIG. 9 , a side screw connecting hole 121 a and a rear screw connecting hole 121 b are formed at the upper lid frame 120 to be screw-connected to the second lid inner 142 and the fourth lid inner 144 , respectively.
Although it has been described that the second lid inner 142 and the fourth lid inner 144 are connected to the upper lid frame 120 , the second lid inner 142 and the fourth lid inner 144 may be connected to the lower lid frame 130 as well.
After the assembly of the glass unit 150 and the hinge units 310 and 320 , the lower lid frame 130 is assembled.
Referring to FIGS. 19G and 19H , the lower lid frame 130 is arranged over the glass unit 150 with the lower surface up. The lower lid frame 130 is coupled to the lid inner 140 . Specifically, the inner downward rib 143 b formed on the lid inner 140 as shown in FIG. 12 is coupled to the inner downward rib coupling part 131 a formed on the lower lid frame 130 as shown in FIG. 13 .
Further, the coupling hole 143 c formed on the lid inner 140 as shown in FIG. 12 is coupled to the frame rib 131 b formed on the lower lid frame 130 as shown in FIG. 13 .
Further, the inner front protrusions 143 e formed on the first lid inner 141 and the third lid inner 143 as shown in FIG. 12 is coupled to the front protrusion coupling rib 132 d formed on the lower lid frame 130 .
Accordingly, the lower lid frame 130 and the lid inner 140 may be securely assembled to each other.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 19 I, the assembled result shown in FIG. 19H is flipped so that the upper surface of the upper lid frame 120 faces upward.
The upper lid frame 120 and the lower lid frame 130 are connected to each other by a connecting member, such as a screw. Specifically, a connecting member, such as a screw, is inserted into the screw connecting hole 125 formed on the coupling part 122 as shown in FIG. 8 and the front protrusion coupling rib 132 d formed on the coupling part 132 as shown in FIG. 13 . Accordingly, the upper lid frame 120 and the lower lid frame 130 may be securely connected to each other.
Then, as shown in FIGS. 19I and 19J , the decoration panel 160 is coupled to the coupling part 122 of the upper lid frame 120 .
For example, the decoration panel 160 may be coupled by sliding to the coupling part 122 .
The guide protrusion 162 formed on the decoration panel 160 as shown in FIG. 16 is coupled to the guide protrusion coupling hole 124 formed on the coupling part 122 as shown in FIG. 8 .
The connecting protrusion 161 formed on the decoration panel 160 as shown in FIG. 16 is coupled to the connecting protrusion coupling hole 123 formed on the coupling part 122 as shown in FIG. 8 .
Since the decoration panel 160 is coupled by sliding to the coupling part 122 , the coupling process of the decoration panel 160 may be easily performed.
The invention has been explained above with reference to exemplary embodiments. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Further, although the invention has been described in the context its implementation in particular environments and for particular applications, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention's usefulness is not limited thereto and that the invention can be beneficially utilized in any number of environments and implementations. The foregoing description and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. | A washing machine which includes a lid assembly opening/closing a laundry entrance hole, wherein the lid assembly includes a lid frame and a lid inner coupled to an inside of the lid frame and having a hinge unit, is provided. The lid assembly may be easily assembled and maintain a secure coupling, thereby allowing for a reliable and stable washing machine. Further, the lid assembly may be easily opened or closed by the hinge unit, and this increases convenience. | 3 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to back light modules, and more particularly, to back light modules whose outer portion has higher luminance than inner portion thereof.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] A back light module is one of the key components for the liquid crystal display (LCD) or the scanner. The back light module comprises light sources and other optical devices for reflecting or refracting light to provide uniform light output. The light source of the back light module is typically a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) or light emitting diode (LED). In general, the back light module can be divided into two groups, the edge lighting type and the direct lighting type. The two groups are categorized by the positions of the light sources thereof.
[0005] In the conventional art, the main concept of designing both the edge lighting type and the direct lighting type is to provide a uniform light output from the back light module, i.e., to uniform the luminance distribution of the back light module. Unfortunately, such a design concept may negatively affect the performance of some applications.
[0006] For example, suppose that a conventional back light module having uniform luminance distribution is employed in a scanner as a back light source required for scanning transparencies, and positive or negative films. The brightness of the outer portion of a scanned image received by an optical module of the scanner is usually lower than the brightness of the inner portion of the scanned image due to the optical characteristics or mechanical designs of the optical module, and thereby reducing the scanning quality of the scanner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An exemplary embodiment of a back light module of edge lighting type is disclosed comprising: a light guide plate (LGP) for scattering incident light to a light output surface; a diffuser positioned on the light output surface of the light guide plate for diffusing light from the light output surface; a reflecting layer positioned on a reflection surface of the light guide plate for reflecting light into the light guide plate; and a light emitting device for emitting light to at least one side of the light guide plate, wherein the outer portion of the light emitting device along a first axis having higher luminous intensity than the inner portion thereof.
[0008] Another exemplary embodiment of a back light module of edge lighting type is disclosed comprising: a light emitting device for emitting light; a light guide plate (LGP) for scattering light from the light emitting device to a light output surface, wherein a plurality of reflection patterns (or referred to as reflection elements) being formed on a reflection surface of the light guide plate so that the outer portion of the light guide plate has higher luminance than the inner portion of the light guide plate; a diffuser positioned on the light output surface of the light guide plate for diffusing light from the light output surface; and a reflecting layer positioned on the reflection surface of the light guide plate for reflecting light into the light guide plate.
[0009] Another exemplary embodiment of a back light module of edge lighting type is disclosed comprising: a light emitting device for emitting light; a light guide plate (LGP) for scattering light from the light emitting device to a light output surface; a diffuser positioned on the light output surface of the light guide plate for diffusing light from the light output surface, wherein the outer portion of the diffuser has higher light transmittance than the inner portion of the diffuser; and a reflecting layer positioned on a reflection surface of the light guide plate for reflecting light into the light guide plate.
[0010] Another exemplary embodiment of a back light module of edge lighting type is disclosed comprising: a light guide plate (LGP) for scattering incident light to a light output surface; a diffuser positioned on the light output surface of the light guide plate for diffusing light from the light output surface; a reflecting layer positioned on a reflection surface of the light guide plate for reflecting light into the light guide plate; a light emitting device for emitting light to the light guide plate; and a reflector positioned on a side of the light emitting device such that the light emitting device being disposed between the reflector and the light guide plate, the reflector for reflecting light from the light emitting device to the light guide plate; wherein the outer portion of the reflector has higher reflectivity or larger reflecting area than the inner portion of the reflector.
[0011] Thereto, another exemplary embodiment of a back light module of edge lighting type is disclosed comprising: a light guide plate (LGP) for scattering incident light to a light output surface; a diffuser positioned on the light output surface of the light guide plate for diffusing light from the light output surface; a reflecting layer positioned on a reflection surface of the light guide plate for reflecting light into the light guide plate; a light emitting device for emitting light to the light guide plate; and two reflectors positioned on a side of the light emitting device with each corresponding to one of two ends of the light emitting device such that the light emitting device being disposed between the two reflectors and the light guide plate, the two reflectors for reflecting light emitted from the two ends of the light emitting device to the light guide plate.
[0012] These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of a back light module of the edge lighting type according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a luminous intensity distribution of a light emitting device of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing different embodiments of the light emitting device of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing reflection patterns/elements on a light guide plate of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are other embodiments of the back light module of the edge lighting type in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Please refer to FIG. 1 , which shows a simplified diagram of a back light module 100 of the edge lighting type according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the back light module 100 comprises a light guide plate (LGP) 110 ; a diffuser 120 position on a light output surface 112 of the LGP 110 ; a reflecting layer 130 positioned on a reflection surface 114 of the LGP 110 ; and a light emitting device 140 for emitting light to at least one side of the LGP 110 . The LGP 110 is arranged for scattering and guiding incident light to the light output surface 112 . Then, the diffuser 120 diffuses light from the light output surface 112 . The reflecting layer 130 is utilized for reflecting light into the LGP 110 to increase the light usage efficiency. The LGP 110 is generally made by acrylic resin, but this is not a restriction of the practical applications. Additionally, the LGP 110 can be planar or wedge-shaped.
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates a luminous intensity distribution of the light emitting device 140 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, in this embodiment, the outer portion 140 A and 140 B of the light emitting device 140 along a first axis 10 have higher luminous intensity than the inner portion 140 C of the light emitting device 140 . This configuration results in the two ends of the LGP 110 receiving more light than the middle portion (i.e., the inner portion) of the LGP 110 . As a result, the luminance of the outer portion of the LGP 110 along a second axis 12 is higher than the luminance of the inner portion thereof, i.e., the LGP 110 has a concave-down luminance distribution. Preferably, the LGP 110 has an arc-shaped luminance distribution such as a curve 16 shown in FIG. 1 .
[0020] FIG. 3 shows three different embodiments of the light emitting device 140 in accordance with the present invention. In implementations, the light emitting device 140 may be a lamp having a bended shape such as a U-shaped lamp 310 shown in FIG. 3 . The U-shaped lamp 310 can be implemented with a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL). A light emitting device 320 shown in FIG. 3 is an alternative embodiment. As shown, the light emitting device 320 comprises a straight lamp 332 (e.g., a straight CCFL) and a plurality of luminance units 324 for enhancing the luminous intensity of the outer portion of the light emitting device 320 . The plurality of luminance units 324 can be a plurality of electro luminances (ELs), a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), or a combination of the two. A light emitting device 330 shown in FIG. 3 is another embodiment. The light emitting device 330 is composed of a plurality of luminance units 332 . Similarly, the plurality of luminance units 332 can be a plurality of ELs, a plurality of LEDs, or a combination of the two. It can be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the luminous intensity of the outer portion of the light emitting device 330 along the axis 10 can become higher than the inner portion of the light emitting device 330 by properly adjusting the arrangement density (i.e., spacing) of the plurality of luminance units 332 .
[0021] Please note that the light emitting device 140 can also be implemented with other design choices. In addition, the number of light emitting devices employed in the back light module 100 is not a restriction of the present invention, i.e., two, or more than two, sets of light emitting devices may be employed as the light source in the back light module 100 .
[0022] In the previous embodiment, the back light module 100 enhances the luminance of the outer portion thereof (or the outer portion of the LGP 110 ) by utilizing the light emitting device 140 whose outer portion has higher luminous intensity than the inner portion. In practice, the back light module 100 can obtain the same optical characteristic by adopting other optical mechanisms.
[0023] For example, a plurality of reflection patterns (or referred to as reflection elements) are typically formed on the reflection surface 114 of the LGP 110 for destroying total reflection of light so that the incident light can be guided to the light output surface 112 . The reflection patterns/elements formed on the reflection surface 114 of the LGP 110 can be properly designed such that the outer portion of the LGP 110 has higher luminance than the inner portion thereof. Further details will be explained with reference to FIG. 4 .
[0024] FIG. 4 shows a diagram showing reflection patterns/elements on the reflection surface 114 of the LGP 110 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reflection patterns/elements on the reflection surface 114 of the LGP 110 is a plurality of reflector dots 410 printed on the reflection surface 114 . The plurality of reflector dots 410 has variety in size and arrangement density (or spacing). As shown in FIG. 4 , the outer portion of the reflection surface 114 along the axis 12 has larger reflector dots than the inner portion and has higher arrangement density of reflector dots than the inner portion. This configuration results in the outer portion of the LGP 110 has higher luminance than the inner portion of the LGP 110 .
[0025] Instead of the printed reflection dots, the reflection patterns/elements formed on the reflection surface 114 of the LGP 110 may be a plurality of microstructures such as micro-lens or v-cut grooves. Similarly, the luminance of the outer portion of the LGP 110 can become higher than that of the inner portion by properly arranging these microstructures. The method of creating micro-lens or v-cut grooves on the reflection surface 114 is well known in the art and further details are therefore omitted for brevity.
[0026] In addition, the luminance distribution of the back light module 100 can be adjusted by modifying the design of the diffuser 120 . For example, in one embodiment, the diffuser 120 of the back light module 100 has non-uniform light transmittance distribution. Specifically, the diffuser 120 of this embodiment is purposefully designed such that the light transmittance of the outer portion of the diffuser 120 along a third axis 14 is better than that of the inner portion thereof. As a result, the back light module 100 can obtain the same optical characteristic as the foregoing embodiments, i.e., the luminance of the outer portion of the back light module 100 along the second axis 12 (or the third axis 14 ) will be higher than the luminance of the inner portion.
[0027] FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are other embodiments of back light module of the edge lighting type in accordance with the present invention. A back light module 500 shown in FIG. 5 and another back light module 600 shown in FIG. 6 are similar to the back light module 100 described previously. Therefore, components that have the same implementations and operations are labeled the same. The difference among the back light modules 100 , 500 and 600 will be explained in below.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 5 , the back light module 500 further comprises a reflector 510 . The reflector 510 is positioned on a side of the light emitting device 140 such that the light emitting device 140 is disposed between the reflector 510 and the LGP 110 . The reflector 510 is arranged for reflecting light from the light emitting device 140 to the LGP 110 to improve the light usage efficiency. In this embodiment, the reflectivity of the reflector 510 is not uniform. Instead, the outer portion of the reflector 510 has higher reflectivity than the inner portion of the reflector 510 . Accordingly, the outer portion of the reflector 510 has better reflecting performance than the inner portion. In other words, the reflector 510 not only increases the light usage efficiency of the LGP 110 but also exposes the outer portion of the LGP 110 to more light thereby enhancing the luminance of the outer portion of the LGP 110 along the axis 12 . Alternatively, the reflecting area of the outer portion of the reflector 510 can be designed to be larger than the reflecting area of the inner portion to reach or enhance the above optical effect.
[0029] In the back light module 600 , two reflectors 610 and 620 are positioned on a side of the light emitting device 140 such that the light emitting device 140 is disposed between the two reflectors and the LGP 110 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the two reflectors 610 and 620 are respectively arranged to correspond to the two ends of the light emitting device 140 for reflecting light emitted from the two ends of the light emitting device 140 to the LGP 110 . It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the luminance of the outer portion of the LGP 110 can become higher than that of the inner portion thereof due to the configuration of the two reflectors 610 and 620 illustrated in FIG. 6 .
[0030] Note that, the different optical mechanism designs mentioned above can function independently or co-operate with each other to enhance the optical effect.
[0031] The disclosed back light module of the edge lighting type can be utilized as the back light source for various scanners and LCDs. For example, the back light module disclosed in accordance with the present invention can be applied in a scanner capable of scanning transparencies, and positive or negative films. The back light module disclosed in accordance with the present invention will significantly improve the fall off problems of the optical module caused by the optical characteristics or mechanical designs of the optical module.
[0032] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims. | Several optical mechanism designs for making luminance of the outer portion of a back light module of edge lighting type to become higher than luminance of the inner portion of the back light module are disclosed in accordance with the present invention. The disclosed optical mechanism designs can cooperate with each other to enhance the optical effect of the back light module. Additionally, the back light modules of the present invention are feasible for use in various scanners or liquid crystal displays. | 6 |
[0001] In recent decades in molecular biology studies have focused primarily on genes, the transcription of those genes into RNA, and the translation of the RNA into protein. There has been a more limited analysis of the regulatory mechanisms associated with gene control. Gene regulation, for example, at what stage of development of the individual a gene is activated or inhibited, and the tissue specific nature of this regulation is less understood. However, it can be correlated with a high degree of probability to the extent and nature of methylation of the gene or genome. Specific cell types can be correlated with specific methylation patterns and this has been shown for a number of cases (Adorjan et al. (2002) Tumour class prediction and discovery by microarray-based DNA methylation analysis. Nucleic Acids Res. 30 (5) e21).
[0002] In higher order eukaryotes DNA is methylated nearly exclusively at cytosines located 5′ to guanine in the CpG dinucleotide. This modification has important regulatory effects on gene expression, especially when involving CpG rich areas, known as CpG islands, located in the promoter regions of many genes. While almost all gene-associated islands are protected from methylation on autosomal chromosomes, extensive methylation of CpG islands has been associated with transcriptional inactivation of selected imprinted genes and genes on the inactive X-chromosome of females.
[0003] The cytosine's modification in form of methylation contains significant information. It is obvious that the identification of 5-methylcytosine in a DNA sequence as opposed to unmethylated cytosine is of greatest importance to analyze its role further. But, because the 5-methylcytosine behaves just as a cytosine for what concerns its hybridization preference (a property relied on for sequence analysis) its position cannot be identified by a normal sequencing reaction.
[0004] Furthermore, in any amplification, such as a PCR amplification, this relevant epigenetic information, methylated cytosine or unmethylated cytosine, will be completely lost.
[0005] Several methods are known that solve this problem. Usually genomic DNA is treated with a chemical or enzyme leading to a conversion of the cytosine bases, which consequently allows to differentiate the bases afterwards. The most common methods are a) the use of methylation sensitive restriction enzymes capable of differentiating between methylated and unmethylated DNA and b) the treatment with bisulfite. The use of said enzymes is limited due to the selectivity of the restriction enzyme towards a specific recognition sequence.
[0006] Therefore, the ‘bisulfite treatment’, allowing for the specific reaction of bisulfite with cytosine, which, upon subsequent alkaline hydrolysis, is converted to uracil, whereas 5-methylcytosine remains unmodified under these conditions (Shapiro et al. (1970) Nature 227: 1047) is currently the most frequently used method for analyzing DNA for 5-methylcytosine. Uracil corresponds to thymine in its base pairing behavior, that is it hybridizes to adenine; whereas 5-methylcytosine does not change its chemical properties under this treatment and therefore still has the base pairing behavior of a cytosine, that is hybridizing with guanine. Consequently, the original DNA is converted in such a manner that 5-methylcytosine, which originally could not be distinguished from cytosine by its hybridization behavior, can now be detected as the only remaining cytosine using “normal” molecular biological techniques, for example, amplification and hybridization or sequencing. All of these techniques are based on base pairing, which can now be fully exploited. Comparing the sequences of the DNA with and without bisulfite treatment allows an easy identification of those cytosines that have been unmethylated.
[0007] An overview of the further known methods of detecting 5-methylcytosine may be gathered from the following review article: Fraga F M, Esteller M, Biotechniques 2002 September; 33(3):632, 634, 636-49.
[0008] As the use of methylation-specific enzymes is restricted to certain sequences (comprising restriction sites), most methods are based on a bisulfite treatment that is conducted before a detection or amplifying step (for review: DE 100 29 915, A1 p. 2, lines 35-46 or the according translated U.S. application Ser. No. 10/311,661, see also WO 2004/067545). The term ‘bisulfite treatment’ is meant to comprise treatment with a bisulfite, a disulfite or a hydrogensulfite solution. As known to the expert skilled in the art and according to the invention, the term “bisulfite” is used interchangeably for “hydrogensulfite”.
[0009] Several protocols are known in the art. However, all of the described protocols, comprise of the following steps: The genomic DNA is isolated, denatured, converted several hours by a concentrated bisulfite solution and finally desulfonated and desalted (e.g.: Frommer et al.: A genomic sequencing protocol that yields a positive display of 5-methylcytosine residues in individual DNA strands. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1992 Mar. 1; 89(5):1827-31).
[0010] In recent times several technical improvements of the bisulfite methods were developed.
[0011] The agarose bead method incorporates the DNA to be investigated in an agarose matrix, through which diffusion and renaturation of the DNA is prevented (bisulfite reacts only on single-stranded DNA) and all precipitation and purification steps are replaced by rapid dialysis (Olek A. et al. A modified and improved method for bisulphite based cytosine methylation analysis, Nucl. Acids Res. 1996, 24, 5064-5066).
[0012] In the patent application WO 01/98528 (20040152080) a bisulfite conversion is described in which the DNA sample is incubated with a bisulfite solution of a concentration range between 0.1 mol/l to 6 mol/l in presence of a denaturing reagent and/or solvent and at least one scavenger. In said patent application several suitable denaturing reagents and scavengers are described. The final step is incubation of the solution under alkaline conditions whereby the deaminated nucleic acid is desulfonated.
[0013] In the patent application WO 03/038121 (US 20040115663) a method is disclosed in which the DNA to be analysed is bound to a solid surface during the bisulfite treatment. Consequently, purification and washing steps are facilitated.
[0014] In the patent application WO 04/067545 a method is disclosed in which the DNA sample is denatured by heat and incubated with a bisulfite solution of a concentration range between 3 mol/l to 6.25 mol/l. Thereby the pH value is between 5.0 and 6.0 and the nucleic acid is deaminated. Finally an incubation of the solution under alkaline conditions takes place, whereby the deaminated nucleic acid is desulfonated.
[0015] The understanding in the art that a “bisulfite conversion” usually comprises the step of desulfonation can for example be taken from said application: “According to the invention the term a “bisulfite reaction”, “bisulfite treatment” or “bisulfite method” shall mean a reaction for the conversion of a cytosine base, preferably cytosine bases, in a nucleic acid to an uracil base, preferably uracil bases, in the presence of bisulfite ions whereby preferably a 5-methyl-cytosine base, preferably 5-methyl-cytosine bases, is not significantly converted. This reaction for the detection of methylated cytosines is described in detail by Frommer et al., supra and Grigg and Clark (Grigg, G. and Clark, S., Bioessays 16 (1994) 431-436). The bisulfite reaction contains a deamination step and a desulfonation step, which can be conducted separately or simultaneously (see FIG. 1 ; Grigg and Clark, supra). The statement that 5-methyl-cytosine bases are not significantly converted shall only take the fact into account that it cannot be excluded that a small percentage of 5-methyl-cytosine bases is converted to uracil although it is intended to convert only and exclusively the (non-methylated) cytosine bases (Frommer et al., supra). The expert skilled in the art knows how to perform the bisulfite reaction, e.g. by referring to Frommer et al., supra or Grigg and Clark, supra who disclose the principal parameters of the bisulfite reaction.”
[0016] Furthermore in said application it is described what the general state of the art is with regard to the different protocols: “From Grunau et al., supra, it is known to the expert in the field what variations of the bisulfite method are possible. In summary, in the deamination step a buffer containing bisulfite ions, optionally chaotropic agents and optionally further reagents as an alcohol or stabilizers as hydroquinone are employed and the pH is in the acidic range. The concentration of bisulfite is between 0.1 and 6 M bisulfite, preferably between 1 M and 5.5 M, the concentration of the chaotropic agent is between 1 and 8 M, whereby preferably guanidinium salts are employed, the pH is in the acidic range, preferably between 4.5 and 6.5, the temperature is between 0° C. and 90° C., preferably between room temperature (25° C.) and 90° C., and the reaction time is between 30 min and 24 hours or 48 hours or even longer, but preferably between 1 hour and 24 hours. The desulfonation step is performed by adding an alkaline solution or buffer as e. g. a solution only containing a hydroxide, e. g sodium hydroxide, or a solution containing ethanol, sodium chloride and sodium hydroxide (e. g. 38% EtOH, 100 mM NaCI, 200 mM NaOH) and incubating at room temperature or elevated temperatures for several min, preferably between 5 min and 60 min.”
[0017] It is therefore clear that the desulfonation is an inherent feature of all of these methods, in any case a desulfonation takes place before the nucleic acids are used as templates for amplification reactions, in order to provide an ideal template for the polymerase utilized in the following reactions.
[0018] In the patent application WO 05/038051 improvements for the conversion of unmethylated cytosine to uracil by treatment with a bisulfite reagent are described. According to this method the reaction is carried out in the presence of 10-35% by volume, preferentially in the presence of 20-30% by volume of dioxane, one of its derivatives or a similar aliphatic cyclic ether. The bisulfite reaction can also be carried out in the presence of a n-alkylene glycol compound, particularly in the presence of their dialkyl ethers, and especially in the presence of diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DME). These compounds can be present in a concentration of 1-35 % by volume, preferentially of 5-25% by volume. According to this invention the bisulfite conversion is conducted at a temperature in the range of 0-80° C. and that the reaction temperature is increased for 2 to 5 times to a range of 85-100° C. briefly during the course of the conversion (thermospike). It is further preferred that the temperature increases to 85-100° C., in particular to 90-98° C. during the temperature increase of brief duration.
[0019] Subsequent to a bisulfite treatment, usually short, specific fragments of a known gene are amplified and either completely sequenced (Olek A, Walter J. (1997) The pre-implantation ontogeny of the H19 methylation imprint. Nat. Genet. 3: 275-6) or individual cytosine positions are detected by a primer extension reaction (Gonzalgo M L and Jones P A. (1997) Rapid quantitation of methylation differences at specific sites using methylation-sensitive single nucleotide primer extension (Ms-SNuPE). Nucleic Acids Res. 25 :2529-31, WO 95/00669) or by enzymatic digestion (Xiong Z, Laird P W. (1997) COBRA: a sensitive and quantitative DNA methylation assay. Nucleic Acids Res. 25: 2535-4).
[0020] Another technique to detect hypermethylation is the so-called methylation specific PCR (MSP) (Herman J G, Graff J R, Myohanen S, Nelkin B D and Baylin S B. (1996), Methylation-specific PCR: a novel PCR assay for methylation status of CpG islands. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 93: 9821-6). The technique is based on the use of primers that differentiate between a methylated and a non-methylated sequence if applied after bisulfite treatment of said DNA sequence. The primer either contains a guanine at the position corresponding to the cytosine in which case it will after bisulfite treatment only bind if the position was methylated. Or the primer contains an adenine at the corresponding cytosine position and therefore only binds to said DNA sequence after bisulfite treatment if the cytosine was unmethylated and has hence been altered by the bisulfite treatment so that it hybridizes to adenine. With the use of these primers, amplicons can be produced specifically depending on the methylation status of a certain cytosine and will as such indicate its methylation state.
[0021] Another technique is the detection of methylation via a labelled probe, such as used in the so called Tagman PCR, also known as MethyLight (U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,393). With this technique it became feasible to determine the methylation state of single or of several positions directly during PCR, without having to analyze the PCR products in an additional step.
[0022] In addition, detection by hybridization has also been described (Olek et al., WO 99/28498).
[0023] The treatment with bisulfite (or similar chemical agents or enzymes) with the effect of altering the base pairing behaviour of one type of cytosine specifically, either the methylated or the unmethylated, thereby introducing different hybridisation properties, makes the treated DNA more applicable to the conventional methods of molecular biology, especially the polymerase based amplification methods, such as the PCR.
[0024] Base excision repair occurs in vivo to repair DNA base damage involving relatively minor disturbances in the helical DNA structure, such as deaminated, oxidized, alkylated or absent bases. Numerous DNA glycosylases are known in the art, and function in vivo during base excision repair to release damaged or modified bases by cleavage of the glycosidic bond that links such bases to the sugar phosphate backbone of DNA (Memisoglu, Samson, Mutation Res. (2000), 451:39-51). All DNA glycosylases cleave glycosidic bonds but differ in their base substrate specificity and in their reaction mechanisms.
[0025] One widely recognized application of such glycosylases is decontamination in PCR applications. In any such PCR amplification, 2 to the 30 (2 30 ) or more copies of a single template are generated. This very large amount of DNA produced helps in the subsequent analysis, like in DNA sequencing according to the Sanger method, but it can also become a problem when this amount of DNA is handled in an analytical laboratory. Even very small reaction volumes, when inadvertently not kept in a closed vial, can lead to contamination of the whole work environment with a huge number of DNA copies. These DNA copies may be templates for a subsequent amplification experiment performed, and the DNA analysed subsequently may not be the actual sample DNA, but contaminating DNA from a previous experiment. This may also lead to positive negative controls that should not contain any DNA and therefore no amplification should be observed.
[0026] In practice, this problem can be so persistent that whole laboratories may move to a new location, because contamination of the work environment makes it impossible to still carry out meaningful PCR based experiments. In a clinical laboratory, however, the concern is also that contaminating DNA may cause false results when performing molecular diagnostics. This would mean that actually contaminating DNA that stems from a previous patient is analysed, instead of the actual sample to be investigated.
[0027] Therefore, measures have been implemented to avoid contamination. This involves, for example, a PCR amplification and detection in one tube in a real time PCR experiment. In this case, it is not required that a PCR tube be opened. After use, the tube will be kept closed and discarded and therefore the danger of contamination leading to false results is greatly reduced.
[0028] In addition, molecular means exist that reduce the risk of contamination. In a polymerase chain reaction, the enzyme uracil-DNA-glycosylase (UNG) reduces the potential for false positive reactions due to amplicon carryover (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,996 or Thornton C G, Hartley J L, Rashtchian A (1992). Utilizing uracil DNA glycosylase to control carryover contamination in PCR: characterization of residual UDG activity following thermal cycling. Biotechniques. 13(2):180-4). The principle of this contamination protection method is that in any amplification instead of dTTP dUTP is provided and incorporated and the resulting amplicon can be distinguished from its template and any future sample DNA by uracil being present instead of thymine. Prior to any subsequent amplification, uracil DNA-glycosylase (UNG) is used to cleave these bases from any contaminating DNA, and therefore only the legitimate template remains intact and can be amplified. This method is considered the standard method of choice in the art and is widely used in DNA based diagnostics. The following is a citation from a publication that summarizes the use of UNG (Longo M C, Berninger M S, Hartley J L (1990). Use of uracil DNA glycosylase to control carry-over contamination in polymerase chain reactions. Gene. 1990 Sep. 1; 93(1):125-8.):
[0029] “Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) synthesize abundant amplification products. Contamination of new PCRs with trace amounts of these products, called carry-over contamination, yields false positive results. Carry-over contamination from some previous PCR can be a significant problem, due both to the abundance of PCR products, and to the ideal structure of the contaminant material for re-amplification. We report that carry-over contamination can be controlled by the following two steps: (i) incorporating dUTP in all PCR products (by substituting dUTP for dTTP, or by incorporating uracil during synthesis of the oligodeoxyribonucleotide primers; and (ii) treating all subsequent fully preassembled starting reactions with uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG), followed by thermal inactivation of UNG. UNG cleaves the uracil base from the phosphodiester backbone of uracil-containing DNA, but has no effect on natural (i.e., thymine-containing) DNA. The resulting apyrimidinic sites block replication by DNA polymerases, and are very labile to acid/base hydrolysis. Because UNG does not react with dUTP, and is also inactivated by heat denaturation prior to the actual PCR, carry-over contamination of PCRs can be controlled effectively if the contaminants contain uracils in place of thymines.”
[0030] Another method for carry over protection in PCR has been described by Walder et al (Walder R Y, Hayes J R, Walder J A Use of PCR primers containing a 3-terminal ribose residue to prevent cross-contamination of amplified sequences. Nucleic Acids Res 1993 Sep. 11; 21(18):4339-43.)
[0031] It has been described here that carry over protection can be achieved—however not very reproducibly—by using primers consisting of a 3′-end which is characterized as a ribocytidine. After primer extension the amplification product is cleaved specifically at the site of this ribonucleotide by an enzyme known as RNase A. That way the potentially contaminating amplificates are shortened at their ends and cannot serve a templates for said primers in the following amplification procedure. However, the disadvantage inherent to this method is the instability of the primer molecules, containing a ribonucleotide at the 3′-end.
[0032] All of the documents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0033] As the existence of uracils is an inherent feature of bisulfite converted DNA and the necessary property relied upon for detecting methylation differences, the method of choice for carry over protection based on uracil-DNA-glycosylase enzyme activity as described above cannot be applied. However, a number of powerful assays for diagnosis are based on PCR performed on bisulfite converted DNA as a template. Therefore for the routinely performance of such assays in a laboratory new methods for carry over prevention need to be developed. There is a great need in the art to provide solutions to the problem of how to achieve a reliable carry over protection when analysing methylation of cytosine positions in DNA from patient samples.
[0034] The difficulty of solving the problem for decontamination of bisulfite converted templates is considered a general one, that can not be solved by adaptation of the standard UNG method, as any bisulfite converted DNA will contain uracil as well. It has therefore commonly been argued that, in any uracil-DNA-glycosylase step, the template DNA would be destroyed along with any contaminating DNA.
[0035] Surprisingly, the inventors were able to solve this principal problem by inventing the claimed method. The central idea of the method according to the invention is to sulfonate and/or deaminate unmethylated cytosines only without a subsequent desulfonation. After the unmethylated cytosines are converted to C6-sulfonated uracils the reaction mixture is treated with UNG, which degrades all uracil containing DNA and hence every contaminating DNA, but has no effect on the sulfonated uracil containing DNA. If the case may be, a deactivation of the UNG followed by a desulfonation of the sulfonated uracils can carried out.
[0036] The discovery, reported upon for the first time in this application, that sulfonation of uracil at the C6 position protects the uracil from being degraded by UNG allows to find a new and surprisingly easy solution to said problem. One embodiment of this invention therefore comprises a method which provides both a sufficient and reliable differentiation between methylated and unmethylated cytosines, as well as the applicability of the gold standard of carry over protection (based on use of UNG) for common PCR based assays.
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0037] Disclosed is a method for the specific amplification of template DNA in the presence of potentially contaminating PCR products from previous amplification experiments. This template DNA is usually derived from isolating the genomic DNA to be analysed before the method can be applied. Also, the template nucleic acid used in this method is usually already denatured and therefore present in a single stranded modus. In the first step of the method according to the invention the DNA is contacted with a bisulfite solution, which reacts with unmethylated cytosines but not with methylated cytosines, by sulfonating them. This results in a modification of said nucleic acids, which is known as sulfonation. This sulfonation of unmethylated cytosine in aqueous solution results in deamination of the cytosine whereby sulfonated uracil is generated. It has now for the first time been recognized said such sulfonation, which occurs only at the unmethylated cytosine bases a) protects the template nucleic acid from being a target for the enzyme UNG and thereby allows for discrimination of template nucleic acid and potentially contaminating nucleic acids. Any contaminating DNA, which contains unprotected unsulfonated or desulfonated uracils while UNG is active, is subsequently degraded enzymatically and only the template nucleic acid from the sample remains to be amplified in the next step.
[0038] After treatment with UNG has been accomplished and UNG activity was terminated the sulfonated uracil bases (which replace the unmethylated cytosines) are converted into uracil by desulfonation. The method is useful for decontamination of nucleic acid samples, or rather for avoiding amplification of ‘carry over products’ in particular in the context of DNA methylation analysis.
[0039] Presently, no method has been reported to decontaminate DNA samples that would be compatible with bisulfite treated DNA employed as the template for an amplification procedure like PCR.
[0040] By the provided method according to the invention, it could be achieved to make the most commonly used method based on the glycosylase enzyme UNG, as described above, applicable to DNA methylation analysis:
[0041] The present invention solves the problem by describing a method for providing a decontaminated template nucleic acid for polymerase based amplification reactions suitable for DNA methylation analysis, comprising the following steps:
[0000] incubating nucleic acids with a bisulfite reagent solution, whereby the unmethylated cytosines within said nucleic acid are sulfonated, or sulfonated and deaminated, and
[0000] mixing the sulfonated or sulfonated and deaminated template nucleic acid with the components required for a polymerase mediated amplification reaction or an amplification based detection assay, and
[0000] adding to this mixture UNG and incubating the mixture, whereby nucleic acids containing non-sulfonated uracil are degraded, and
[0000] terminating UNG activity and desulfonating the template nucleic acid, thereby converting unmethylated deaminated and sulfonated cytosines, i.e. sulfonated uracils into uracils.
[0042] Subsequently, a polymerase based amplification or amplification based assay is performed, which preferably takes place in the presence of dUTPs instead of dTTPs.
[0043] Preferably, during the polymerase activity is started during desulfonation step.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0044] The method will typically be carried out performing at least the following steps in the given order:
[0045] Firstly, incubating a template nucleic acids with a bisulfite reagent containing solution, whereby the unmethylated cytosines within said nucleic acid are sulfonated, or sulfonated and deaminated, and
[0046] secondly, mixing the sulfonated, or sulfonated and deaminated, template nucleic acid with the components required for a polymerase mediated amplification reaction or an amplification based detection assay, and thirdly, adding to this mixture UNG units and incubating said mixture, whereby any nucleic acids containing non-sulfonated uracils are degraded, whereas sulfonated uracils essentially remain intact and fourthly terminating UNG activity and desulfonating the template nucleic acid.
[0047] The sulfonation takes place at C6 of the base cytosine (see FIG. 1 ). Deamination of sulfonated cytosines takes place spontaneously in aqueous solution. Thereby the sulfonated cytosine is converted into a sulfonated uracil.
[0048] The method according to invention is based on two essential discoveries. Firstly, we found out that sulfonated nucleic acids are stable up to at least 6 days at 4° C., e.g. when stored in a common laboratory fridge. This discovery was essential to the method according to the invention because a spontaneous uncontrolled desulfonation of the nucleic acids would render the method unreliable and unstable. Whereas knowing that the nucleic acid's sulfonation pattern, basically resembling the nucleic acids methylation pattern, will remain stable when stored for several days at a lower temperature allows the use of this feature in performing sensitive assays to detect exactly which nucleic acids were methylated within a given sample to which extent.
[0049] Secondly, it could be shown in our hands that UNG (uracil-DNA-glycosylase) does not degrade nucleic acids containing sulfonated uracils, in other words sulfonated uracils are no substrate for UNG activity, and therefore protected from degradation with UNG.
[0050] It could also be shown that “real time PCR” assays using sulfonated nucleic acids as template performed well in presence of UNG activity, indicating that sulfonated nucleic acids as derived from the first step of the bisulfite treatment can serve as templates in PCR based assays.
[0051] Lastly, the question was to be answered whether the desulfonation reaction, which must take place before the nucleic acid can be amplified by a polymerase mediated amplification, can be performed within the PCR reaction.
[0052] The developed method, according to the invention, was tested successfully for GSTP1 and connexine, see examples.
[0053] In the first step, the bisulfite mediated cytosine sulfonation may be initiated according to the first steps of common bisulfite conversion protocols as indicated above, in particular as indicated in WO 05/038051. The reaction may take place both in solution as well as also on DNA bound to a solid phase. Preferably sodium disulfite (=sodium bisulfite/sodium metabisulfite) is used, since it is more soluble in water than sodium sulfite. The disulfite salt disproportionates in aqueous solution to the hydrogen sulfite anions necessary for the cytosine sulfonation. When bisulfite concentration is discussed in more detail, this refers to the concentration of hydrogen sulfite and sulfite anions in the reaction solution. For the method according to the invention, concentration ranges of 0.1 to 6 mol/l are possible. Particularly preferred is a concentration range of 1 to 6 mol/l, and most particularly preferred, 2-4 mol/l. However, when dioxane is used as a denaturing agent, the maximal working concentration of bisulfite is smaller. Dioxane may also be utilized in different concentrations. Preferably, the dioxane concentration amounts to 10 to 35%, particularly preferred is 20 to 30%, and most particularly preferred is 22 to 28%, especially 25%.
[0054] In the particularly preferred embodiments with a dioxane concentration of 22-28%, the final, preferred bisulfite concentration amounts to 3.3 to 3.6 mol/l, and in the most particularly preferred embodiment with a dioxane concentration of 25%, it amounts to 3.5 mol/l (see Examples).
[0055] In another preferred embodiment, DME is used as denaturing agent in different concentrations. DME is used in concentrations in the range of 1-35%, preferable in the range of 5-25%, and most preferably 10%.
[0056] In a particularly preferred embodiment the bisulfite conversion is carried out in the presence of scavengers. The preferred scavengers are chromane derivatives, e.g., 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8,-tetramethylchromane 2-carboxylic acid (also known as: Trolox-C™). Further scavengers are listed in the patent application WO 01/98528 (=DE 100 29 915; =U.S. application Ser. No. 10/311,661; incorporated herein in its entirety).
[0057] The bisulfite conversion can be conducted in a wide temperature range from 0 to 95° C. However, in a preferred embodiment the reaction temperature lies between 30-70° C. Particularly preferred is a range between 45-60° C.; most particularly preferred between 50-55° C.
[0058] The optimal reaction time of the bisulfite treatment depends on the reaction temperature. The reaction time normally amounts to between 1 and 18 hours (see: Grunau et al. 2001, Nucleic Acids Research; 29(13):E65-5.). The preferred reaction time is 4-6 hours for a reaction temperature of 50° C.
[0059] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the bisulfite conversion is conducted at mild reaction temperatures, wherein the reaction temperature is then clearly increased for a short time at least once during the course of the conversion. The temperature increases of short duration are named “thermospikes” below. The “standard” reaction temperature outside the thermospikes is denoted as the basic reaction temperature. The basic reaction temperature amounts to between 0 and 80° C., preferably between 30-70° C., most preferably 45°-55° C., as described above. The reaction temperature during a thermospike is increased to over 85° C. by at least one thermospike. The optimal number of thermospikes is a function of the basic reaction temperature. The higher the optimal number of thermospikes is, the lower is the basic reaction temperature. At least one thermospike is necessary in each case. And, on the other hand, in principle, any number of thermospikes is conceivable.
[0060] In a particular embodiment the preferred number of thermospikes is between 1 and 10 thermospikes, depending on the basic reaction temperature. Two to five thermospikes are particularly preferred. During the thermospikes the reaction temperature increases preferably to 85 to 100° C., particularly preferably to 90-98° C., and most preferably to 94° C.-96° C. The duration in time of the temperature increases also depends on the volume of the reaction batch.
[0061] The duration in time of the thermospikes also depends on the volume of the reaction batch. It must be assured that the temperature is increased uniformly throughout the total reaction solution. For a 20 μl reaction batch when using a thermocycler a duration between 15 seconds and 1.5 minutes, especially a duration between 20 and 50 seconds is preferred. In a particular preferred embodiment the duration is 30 seconds. Operating on a volume of 100 μl the preferred range lies between 30 seconds and 5 minutes, especially between 1 and 3 minutes. Particularly preferred are 1.5 minutes. For a volume of 600 μl, a duration of 1 to 6 minutes is preferred, especially between 2 and 4 minutes. Particularly preferred is a duration of 3 minutes. A person skilled in the art will easily be able to determine suitable durations of thermospikes in relation to a variety of reaction volumes.
[0062] The above described use of thermospikes leads to a significantly better conversion rates in the bisulfite conversion reaction, even when the above-described denaturing solvents are not utilized. According to the invention, a method for bisulfite conversion of DNA is hereby characterized in that the basic reaction temperature amounts to 0° C. to 80° C. and that the reaction temperature is increased for a short time to over 85° C. at least once in the course of the conversion.
[0063] In the second step, prior to any desulfonation step, units of an enzyme activity, which specifically degrades non-sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acids, are added to said premix. In a preferred embodiment, this degrading enzyme is a DNA-glycosylase or an endonuclease, in particularly UNG (uracil-DNA-glycosylase). The contaminating nucleic acid is characterized in that it contains non-sulfonated uracil bases. The added degrading enzyme is characterized by cleaving the non-sulfonated uracil base from the phosphodiester backbone of non-sulfonated uracil-containing nucleic acids, but has no effect on sulfonated-uracil containing nucleic acid or on thymine containing nucleic acid, that does not contain uracil. The resulting apyrimidinic sites block replication by DNA polymerases, and are very labile to acid/base hydrolysis.
[0064] In another preferred embodiment, the first step is carried out as described above. Thereafter, in an intermediate step, the sulfonated and/or deaminated nucleic acid is mixed with components required for a polymerase mediated amplification reaction or an amplification based detection assay. The amplification reaction mix is prepared according to standard protocols. Such an amplification mix, preferably a PCR mix, may contain at least one primer set of two primers and a polymerase. This polymerase preferably is a heat stable enzyme, even more preferred is the use of a thermally activated polymerase for hot start PCR, and most particularly preferred a thermally activated Taq polymerase is used.
[0065] The following second step is also carried out as described above. Units of an enzyme activity, which specifically degrades sulfonated-uracil containing nucleic acid, are added to said premix. The sulfonated sample nucleic acid and a set of at least two primer oligonucleotides are incubated with a composition of enzymes, including an enzyme with sulfonated-uracil containing nucleic acid degrading activity and buffers to cleave or degrade any contaminating nucleic acid. The contaminating nucleic acid is characterized in that it contains uracil bases. The added degrading enzyme activity is characterized by cleaving the uracil base from the phosphodiester backbone of non-sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acid, but has no effect on sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acid or on thymine containing nucleic acid, that does not contain uracil. The resulting apyrimidinic sites block replication by DNA polymerases, and are very labile to acid/base hydrolysis. In principle, the enzymatic activity is any enzymatic activity, which causes specifically apyrimidinic sites or one or more nicks adjacent to a non-sulfonated uracil base. In any case this will result in a block of the replication by DNA polymerase.
[0066] The primer oligonucleotides will be chosen such that they amplify a fragment of interest. It is particularly preferred that these primers are designed to amplify a nucleic acid fragment of a template nucleic acid sample by means of a polymerase reaction, in particular a polymerase chain reaction, as known in the art. The primer oligonucleotides are therefore designed to anneal to the template nucleic acids to form a double strand, following the Watson-Crick base pairing rules, and the length of these oligonucleotide primers will be selected such that they anneal at approximately the same temperature.
[0067] In said second step, an enzyme and the matching buffers are added to achieve cleavage of any present, contaminating amplificates that were generated in any of the preceding experiments. These amplificates will have the property that they comprise uracil bases instead of thymine bases, if generated in a polymerase reaction providing dUTPs instead of dTTPs. Therefore, not the sample nucleic acid at this step would be recognized and degraded by the enzyme, but only nucleic acids that were generated in preceding amplifications, the contaminating DNA that has to be removed before the next round of amplification.
[0068] It is particularly preferred that the enzyme employed in this second step is uracil-DNA-glycosylase (UNG). It is further preferred that said non-sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acid degrading enzyme is thermolabile, in particular the DNA-glycosylase or the Endonuclease are thermolabile, respectively, and most particularly preferred the UNG is thermolabile.
[0069] In the third step, after enzymatic degradation, the composition of enzymes and buffer is subsequently inactivated, in that it is not capable of substantially cleaving any product of the subsequent amplification step. The non-sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acid degrading enzyme activity is terminated, in particular the DNA-glycosylase activity or the endonuclease activity is terminated, and most particularly preferred the UNG activity is terminated.
[0070] After the composition of non-sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acid degrading enzymes and buffer is inactivated, in that it is not capable of substantially degrading any product of the subsequent amplification step, the fourth step is performed, that is the desulfonation of the template nucleic acids. Prior to the amplification by a polymerase, a fourth step must be conducted, that is the desulfonation of the sulfonated template nucleic. Desulfonation may take place under alkaline conditions (as described in the art). Desulfonation however may also be catalysed by an increase in temperature under pH conditions as they are common to the PCR reaction.
[0071] It is a preferred embodiment of the invention that steps 3 and 4 are conducted simultaneously by a short increase of the incubation temperature of said premix, which results in deactivation of the non-sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acid degrading enzyme on the one hand and in thermal desulfonation of the template nucleic acid, on the other hand. This increase in the incubation temperature can also be suitable to transfer double-stranded DNA into single-stranded form enabling an amplification.
[0072] The sample nucleic acid may now be amplified in the next step using the set of primer oligonucleotides and a polymerase, while any cleaved contaminating DNA is essentially not amplified. The sample nucleic acid may be amplified, using a set of primer oligonucleotides and a polymerase, while the cleaved or degraded contaminating nucleic acid cannot be amplified. The amplified products may now be analysed and the methylation status in the genomic DNA may be deduced from the presence of an amplified product and/or from the analysis of the sequence within the amplified product.
[0073] This amplification may be carried out, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, by means of a polymerase chain reaction, but also by other means of DNA amplification known in the art, like TMA (transcription mediated amplification), isothermal amplifications, rolling circle amplification, ligase chain reaction, and others.
[0074] The generated DNA fragments will then be analysed, concerning their presence, the amount, or their sequence properties or a combination thereof.
[0075] Therefore one embodiment of the invention is a method for providing a decontaminated template nucleic acid for polymerase based amplification reactions suitable for DNA methylation analysis, which is characterized by firstly, incubating a template nucleic acid with a bisulfite reagent containing solution, whereby the unmethylated cytosines within said nucleic acid are sulfonated and/or deaminated, and secondly, mixing the sulfonated and/or deaminated template nucleic acid with the components required for a polymerase mediated amplification reaction or an amplification based detection assay, and thirdly, adding to this mixture an enzyme with uracil-DNA-glycosylase activity and incubating the mixture, whereby nucleic acids containing non-sulfonated uracils are degraded, and fourthly, terminating the UNG activity, and fifthly, desulfonating the template nucleic acid. In a preferred embodiment of this invention the method is further characterized by a step 4 and 5 taking place simultaneously, by briefly incubating the mixture at an increased temperature, whereby the UNG activity is terminated, whereby desulfonation of the template nucleic acid takes place, and whereby the DNA is transferred from a double-stranded form into a single-stranded form suitable for amplification.
[0076] It is a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention wherein in a subsequent step 6 the template nucleic acid is amplified.
[0077] It is further preferred that upon termination of the non-sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acid degrading activity and desulfonation of the template nucleic acid a polymerase based amplification reaction is started and/or an amplification based assay is performed.
[0078] It is further preferred that the polymerase based amplification reaction is started by a brief incubation at increased temperature (heat activation).
[0079] In a preferred embodiment of the method the polymerase is a heat stable polymerase.
[0080] It is particularly preferred according to the invention that the polymerase mediated amplification or amplification based assay is performed in the presence of dUTPs instead of dTTPs.
[0081] In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the method is performed by adding an amount of units of the enzyme, which specifically degrades non-sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acids, in the second step that is required to degrade essentially all potential contaminating nucleic acids.
[0082] It is especially preferred that upon activation of the polymerase enzyme a polymerase based amplification reaction or an amplification based assay is performed.
[0083] It is further preferred that upon activation of the polymerase enzyme a polymerase based amplification reaction or amplification based assay is performed in the presence of dUTPs instead of dTTPs.
[0084] It is further preferred that this assay is a real time assay.
[0085] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the sample DNA is obtained from serum or other body fluids of an individual. It is further particularly preferred, that the DNA samples are obtained from cell lines, tissue embedded in paraffin, for example tissue from eyes, intestine, kidneys, brain, heart, prostate, lungs, breast or liver, histological slides, body fluids and all possible combinations thereof. The term body fluids is meant to comprise fluids such as whole blood, blood plasma, blood serum, urine, sputum, ejaculate, semen, tears, sweat, saliva, lymph fluid, bronchial lavage, pleural effusion, peritoneal fluid, meningal fluid, amniotic fluid, glandular fluid, fine needle aspirates, nipple aspirate fluid, spinal fluid, conjunctival fluid, vaginal fluid, duodenal juice, pancreatic juice, bile, stool and cerebrospinal fluid. It is especially preferred that said body fluids are whole blood, blood plasma, blood serum, urine, stool, ejaculate, bronchial lavage, vaginal fluid and nipple aspirate fluid.
[0086] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the chemical treatment is conducted with a bisulfite (=disulfite, hydrogen sulfite). It is again preferred that the chemical treatment is conducted after embedding the DNA in agarose, or that it is conducted in the presence of a denaturing agent and/or a radical scavenger.
[0087] The following methylation detection assays are all preferred embodiments of the invention when performed subsequently to the steps of the method according to the invention:
[0088] Methylation Assay Procedures. Various methylation assay procedures are known in the art, and can be used in conjunction with the present invention. These assays allow for determination of the methylation state of one or a plurality of CpG dinucleotides (e.g., CpG islands) within a DNA sequence. Such assays involve, among other techniques, DNA sequencing of bisulfite-treated DNA, and a number of PCR based methylation assays, some of them—known as COBRA, MS-SNuPE, MSP, nested MSP, HeavyMethyl and MethyLight—are described in more detail now.
[0089] BISULFITE SEQUENCING. DNA methylation patterns and 5-methylcytosine distribution can be analyzed by sequencing analysis of a previously amplified fragment of the bisulfite treated genomic DNA, as described by Frommer et al. (Frommer et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:1827-1831, 1992). As the bisulfite treated DNA is amplified before sequencing, the amplification procedure according to the invention may be used in combination with this detection method.
[0090] COBRA. COBRA analysis is a quantitative methylation assay useful for determining DNA methylation levels at specific gene loci in small amounts of genomic DNA (Xiong & Laird, Nucleic Acids Res. 25:2532-2534, 1997). Briefly, restriction enzyme digestion is used to reveal methylation-dependent sequence differences in PCR products of sodium bisulfite-treated DNA. Methylation-dependent sequence differences are first introduced into the genomic DNA by standard bisulfite treatment according to the procedure described by Frommer et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:1827-1831, 1992) or as described by Olek et al (Olek A, Oswald J, Walter J. (1996) Nucleic Acids Res. 24: 5064-6). PCR amplification of the bisulfite converted DNA is then performed using methylation unspecific primers followed by restriction endonuclease digestion, gel electrophoresis, and detection using specific, labeled hybridization probes. Methylation levels in the original DNA sample are represented by the relative amounts of digested and undigested PCR product in a linearly quantitative fashion across a wide spectrum of DNA methylation levels. In addition, this technique can be reliably applied to DNA obtained from microdissected paraffin-embedded tissue samples. Typical reagents (e.g., as might be found in a typical COBRA-based kit) for COBRA analysis may include, but are not limited to: PCR primers for specific gene (or methylation-altered DNA sequence or CpG island); restriction enzyme and appropriate buffer; gene-hybridization oligo; control hybridization oligo; kinase labeling kit for oligo probe; and radioactive nucleotides. Additionally, bisulfite conversion reagents may include: DNA denaturation buffer; sulfonation buffer; DNA recovery reagents or kits (e.g., precipitation, ultrafiltration, affinity column); desulfonation buffer; and DNA recovery components.
[0091] Additionally, restriction enzyme digestion of PCR products amplified from bisulfite-converted DNA is also used, in the method described by Sadri & Hornsby (Nucl. Acids Res. 24:5058-5059, 1996)
[0092] The bisulfite conversion and amplification procedure according to the invention may be used in combination with this detection method.
[0093] Ms-SNuPE (Methylation-sensitive Single Nucleotide Primer Extension). The Ms-SNuPE technique is a quantitative method for assessing methylation differences at specific CpG sites based on bisulfite treatment of DNA, followed by single-nucleotide primer extension (Gonzalgo & Jones, Nucleic Acids Res. 25:2529-2531, 1997). Briefly, genomic DNA is reacted with sodium bisulfite to convert unmethylated cytosine to uracil while leaving 5-methylcytosine unchanged. Amplification of the desired target sequence is then performed using PCR primers specific for bisulfite-converted DNA, and the resulting product is isolated and used as a template for methylation analysis at the CpG site(s) of interest. Small amounts of DNA can be analyzed (e.g., microdissected pathology sections), and it avoids utilization of restriction enzymes for determining the methylation status at CpG sites.
[0094] Typical reagents (e.g., as might be found in a typical Ms-SNuPE-based kit) for Ms-SNuPE analysis may include, but are not limited to: PCR primers for specific gene (or methylation-altered DNA sequence or CpG island); optimized PCR buffers and deoxynucleotides; gel extraction kit; positive control primers; Ms-SNuPE primers for specific gene; reaction buffer (for the Ms-SNuPE reaction); and radioactive nucleotides. Additionally, bisulfite conversion reagents may include: DNA denaturation buffer; sulfonation buffer; DNA recovery regents or kit (e.g., precipitation, ultrafiltration, affinity column); desulfonation buffer; and DNA recovery components.
[0095] The bisulfite conversion and amplification procedure according to the invention may be used in combination with this detection method.
[0096] MSP. MSP (methylation-specific PCR) allows for assessing the methylation status of virtually any group of CpG sites within a CpG island, independent of the use of methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes (Herman et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:9821-9826, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,146). Briefly, DNA is modified by sodium bisulfite converting all unmethylated, but not methylated cytosines to uracil, and subsequently amplified with primers specific for methylated versus unmethylated DNA.
[0097] MSP primer pairs contain at least one primer, which hybridizes to a bisulfite treated CpG dinucleotide. Therefore, the sequence of said primers comprises at least one CpG dinucleotide. MSP primers specific for non-methylated DNA contain a “T’ at the 3′ position of the C position in the CpG. Preferably, therefore, the base sequence of said primers is required to comprise a sequence having a length of at least 9 nucleotides which hybridizes to the bisulfite converted nucleic acid sequence, wherein the base sequence of said oligomers comprises at least one CpG dinucleotide. MSP requires only small quantities of DNA, is sensitive to 0.1% methylated alleles of a given CpG island locus, and can be performed on DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded samples. Typical reagents (e.g., as might be found in a typical MSP-based kit) for MSP analysis may include, but are not limited to: methylated and unmethylated PCR primers for specific gene (or methylation-altered DNA sequence or CpG island), optimized PCR buffers and deoxynucleotides, and specific probes.
[0098] The bisulfite conversion and amplification procedure according to the invention may be used in combination with this detection method.
[0099] NESTED MSP (Belinsky and Palmisano in US application 20040038245). Considering the apparent conflict of requiring high specificity of the MSP primer to sufficiently differentiate between CG and TG positions but allowing for a mismatch in order to create a unique restriction site it is preferred to use an amended version of MSP, known as nested MSP, as described in WO 02/18649 and US patent application 20040038245 by Belinsky and Palmisano. This method to detect the presence of gene-specific promoter methylation, comprises the steps of: expanding the number of copies of the genetic region of interest by using a polymerase chain reaction to amplify a portion of said region where the promoter methylation resides, thereby generating an amplification product; and using an aliquot of the amplification product generated by the first polymerase chain reaction in a second, methylation-specific, polymerase chain reaction to detect the presence of methylation. In other words a non methylation specific PCR is performed prior to the methylation specific PCR. The bisulfite conversion and amplification procedure according to the invention may be used in combination with this detection method.
[0100] HEAVYMETHYL. (WO 02/072880; Cottrell S E et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 2004 Jan. 13; 32(1):e10) A further preferred embodiment of the method comprises the use of blocker oligonucleotides. In the HeavyMethyl assay blocking probe oligonucleotides are hybridized to the bisulfite treated nucleic acid concurrently with the PCR primers. PCR amplification of the nucleic acid is terminated at the 5′ position of the blocking probe, such that amplification of a nucleic acid is suppressed where the complementary sequence to the blocking probe is present. The probes may be designed to hybridize to the bisulfite treated nucleic acid in a methylation status specific manner. For example, for detection of methylated nucleic acids within a population of unmethylated nucleic acids, suppression of the amplification of nucleic acids which are unmethylated at the position in question would be carried out by the use of blocking probes comprising a ‘CpA’ or ‘TpA’ at the position in question, as opposed to a ‘CpG’ if the suppression of amplification of methylated nucleic acids is desired.
[0101] For PCR methods using blocker oligonucleotides, efficient disruption of polymerase-mediated amplification requires that blocker oligonucleotides not be elongated by the polymerase. Preferably, this is achieved through the use of blockers that are 3′-deoxyoligonucleotides, or oligonucleotides derivatized at the 3′ position with other than a “free” hydroxyl group. For example, 3′-O-acetyl oligonucleotides are representative of a preferred class of blocker molecule.
[0102] Additionally, polymerase-mediated decomposition of the blocker oligonucleotides should be precluded. Preferably, such preclusion comprises either use of a polymerase lacking 5′-3′ exonuclease activity, or use of modified blocker oligonucleotides having, for example, thioate bridges at the 5′-termini thereof that render the blocker molecule nuclease-resistant. Particular applications may not require such 5′ modifications of the blocker. For example, if the blocker- and primer-binding sites overlap, thereby precluding binding of the primer (e.g., with excess blocker), degradation of the blocker oligonucleotide will be substantially precluded. This is because the polymerase will not extend the primer toward, and through (in the 5′-3′ direction) the blocker-a process that normally results in degradation of the hybridized blocker oligonucleotide.
[0103] A particularly preferred blocker/PCR embodiment, for purposes of the present invention and as implemented herein, comprises the use of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomers as blocking oligonucleotides. Such PNA blocker oligomers are ideally suited, because they are neither decomposed nor extended by the polymerase.
[0104] Preferably, therefore, the base sequence of said blocking oligonucleotide is required to comprise a sequence having a length of at least 9 nucleotides which hybridizes to the chemically treated nucleic acid sequence, wherein the base sequence of said oligonucleotides comprises at least one CpG, TpG or CpA dinucleotide.
[0105] The bisulfite conversion and amplification procedure according to the invention may be used in combination with this detection method.
[0106] Preferably, real-time PCR assays are performed specified by the use of such primers according to the invention. Real-time PCR assays can be performed with methylation specific primers (MSP-real time) as methylation-specific PCR (“MSP”; as described above), or with non-methylation specific primers in presence of methylation specific blockers (HM real-time) (“HEAVYMETHYL”, as described above). Real-time PCR may be performed with any suitable detectably labelled probes. For details see below.
[0107] Both of these methods (MSP or HM) can be combined with the detection method known as MethyLight™ (a fluorescence-based real-time PCR technique) (Eads et al., Cancer Res. 59:2302-2306, 1999), which generally increases the specificity of the signal generated in such an assay. Whenever the real-time probe used is methylation specific in itself, the technology shall be referred to as MethyLight™, a widely used method.
[0108] Another assay makes use of the methylation specific probe, the so called “QM” (quantitative methylation) assay. A methylation unspecific, therefore unbiased real-time PCR amplification is performed which is accompanied by the use of two methylation specific probes (MethyLight™) one for the methylated and a second for the ummethylated amplificate. That way two signals are generated which can be used to a) determine the ratio of methylated (CG) to unmethylated (TG) nucleic acids, and at the same time b) the absolute amount of methylated nucleic acids can be determined, when calibrating the assay with a known amount of control DNA.
[0109] MethyLight™. The MethyLight™ assay is a high-throughput quantitative methylation assay that utilizes fluorescence-based real-time PCR (TaqMan™) technology that requires no further manipulations after the PCR step (Eads et al., Cancer Res. 59:2302-2306, 1999), Briefly, the MethyLight™ process begins with a mixed sample of genomic DNA that is converted, in a sodium bisulfite reaction, to a mixed pool of methylation-dependent sequence differences according to standard procedures (the bisulfite process converts unmethylated cytosine residues to uracil). Fluorescence-based PCR is then performed either in an “unbiased” (with primers that do not overlap known CpG methylation sites) PCR reaction, or in a “biased” (with PCR primers that overlap known CpG dinucleotides) reaction, Sequence discrimination can occur either at the level of the amplification process or at the level of the fluorescence detection process, or both.
[0110] The MethyLight™ assay may be used as a quantitative test for methylation patterns in the genomic DNA sample, wherein sequence discrimination occurs at the level of probe hybridization. In this quantitative version, the PCR reaction provides for unbiased amplification in the presence of a fluorescent probe that overlaps a particular putative methylation site. An unbiased control for the amount of input DNA is provided by a reaction in which neither the primers, nor the probe overlie any CpG dinucleotides. Alternatively, a qualitative test for genomic methylation is achieved by probing of the biased PCR pool with either control oligonucleotides that do not “cover” known methylation sites (a fluorescence-based version of the “MSP” technique), or with oligonucleotides covering potential methylation sites.
[0111] The MethyLight™ process can by used with a “TaqMan®” probe in the amplification process. For example, double-stranded genomic DNA is treated with sodium bisulfite and subjected to one of two sets of PCR reactions using TaqMan® probes; e.g., with either biased primers and TaqMan® probe, or unbiased primers and TaqMan® probe. The TaqMan® probe is dual-labeled with fluorescent “reporter” and “quencher” molecules, and is designed to be specific for a relatively high GC content region so that it melts out at about 10° C. higher temperature in the PCR cycle than the forward or reverse primers. This allows the TaqMan® probe to remain fully hybridized during the PCR annealing/extension step. As the Taq polymerase enzymatically synthesizes a new strand during PCR, it will eventually reach the annealed TaqMan® probe. The Taq polymerase 5′ to 3′ endonuclease activity will then displace the TaqMan® probe by digesting it to release the fluorescent reporter molecule for quantitative detection of its now unquenched signal using a real-time fluorescent detection system.
[0112] Variations on the TaqMan™ detection methodology that are also suitable for use with the described invention include the use of dual-probe technology (LightCycler™) or fluorescent amplification primers (Sunrise™ technology). Both these techniques may be adapted in a manner suitable for use with bisulfite treated DNA, and moreover for methylation analysis within CpG dinucleotides.
[0113] Typical reagents (e.g., as might be found in a typical MethyLight™-based kit) for MethyLight™ analysis may include, but are not limited to: PCR primers for specific bisulfite sequences, i.e. bisulfite converted genetic regions (or bisulfite converted DNA or bisulfite converted CpG islands); probes (e.g. TagMan® or LightCycler™) specific for said amplified bisulfite converted sequences; optimized PCR buffers and deoxynucleotides; and a polymerase, such as Taq polymerase.
[0114] The bisulfite conversion and amplification procedure according to the invention may be used in combination with this detection method.
[0115] The fragments obtained by means of the amplification can carry a directly or indirectly detectable label. Preferred are labels in the form of fluorescence labels, radionuclides, or detachable molecule fragments having a typical mass, which can be detected in a mass spectrometer. Where said labels are mass labels, it is preferred that the labeled amplificates have a single positive or negative net charge, allowing for better detectability in the mass spectrometer. The detection may be carried out and visualized by means of, e.g., matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI) or using electron spray mass spectrometry (ESI).
[0116] Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) is a very efficient development for the analysis of biomolecules (Karas & Hillenkamp, Anal Chem., 60:2299-301, 1988). An analyte is embedded in a light-absorbing matrix. The matrix is evaporated by a short laser pulse thus transporting the analyte molecule into the vapour phase in an unfragmented manner. The analyte is ionized by collisions with matrix molecules. An applied voltage accelerates the ions into a field-free flight tube. Due to their different masses, the ions are accelerated at different rates. Smaller ions reach the detector sooner than bigger ones. MALDI-TOF spectrometry is well suited to the analysis of peptides and proteins. The analysis of nucleic acids is somewhat more difficult (Gut & Beck, Current Innovations and Future Trends, 1:147-57, 1995). The sensitivity with respect to nucleic acid analysis is approximately 100-times less than for peptides, and decreases disproportionally with increasing fragment size. Moreover, for nucleic acids having a multiply negatively charged backbone, the ionization process via the matrix is considerably less efficient. In MALDI-TOF spectrometry, the selection of the matrix plays an eminently important role. For desorption of peptides, several very efficient matrixes have been found which produce a very fine crystallisation. There are now several responsive matrixes for DNA, however, the difference in sensitivity between peptides and nucleic acids has not been reduced. This difference in sensitivity can be reduced, however, by chemically modifying the DNA in such a manner that it becomes more similar to a peptide. For example, phosphorothioate nucleic acids, in which the usual phosphates of the backbone are substituted with thiophosphates, can be converted into a charge-neutral DNA using simple alkylation chemistry (Gut & Beck, Nucleic Acids Res. 23: 1367-73, 1995). The coupling of a charge tag to this modified DNA results in an increase in MALDI-TOF sensitivity to the same level as that found for peptides.
[0117] The amplificates may also be further detected and/or analysed by means of oligonucleotides constituting all or part of an “array” or “DNA chip” (i.e., an arrangement of different oligonucleotides and/or PNA-oligomers bound to a solid phase). Such an array of different oligonucleotide- and/or PNA-oligomer sequences can be characterized, for example, in that it is arranged on the solid phase in the form of a rectangular or hexagonal lattice. The solid-phase surface may be composed of silicon, glass, polystyrene, aluminum, steel, iron, copper, nickel, silver, or gold. Nitrocellulose as well as plastics such as nylon, which can exist in the form of pellets or also as resin matrices, may also be used. An overview of the Prior Art in oligomer array manufacturing can be gathered from a special edition of Nature Genetics (Nature Genetics Supplement, Volume 21, January 1999, and from the literature cited therein). Fluorescently labeled probes are often used for the scanning of immobilized DNA arrays. The simple attachment of Cy3 and Cy5 dyes to the 5′-OH of the specific probe are particularly suitable for fluorescence labels. The detection of the fluorescence of the hybridized probes may be carried out, for example, via a confocal microscope. Cy3 and Cy5 dyes, besides many others, are commercially available.
[0118] The bisulfite conversion and amplification procedure according to the invention may be used in combination with this detection method.
[0119] A particular preferred embodiment of the invention is a method for providing a decontaminated nucleic acid for hybridisation on a DNA-Array, preferably an Oligonucleotide-Array, suitable for DNA methylation analysis.
[0120] Of course, a particular preferred embodiment of the invention is also a improved method for bilsulfite conversion of DNA. Thereby non-methylated cytosines are converted to uracil while methylated cytosines remain unchanged. According to this embodiment, a nucleic acid is incubated with a bisulfite reagent containing solution, whereby the unmethylated cytosines within said nucleic acid are sulfonated and/or deaminated but not yet desulfonated as this is described above. Afterwards the sulfonated and/or deaminated template nucleic acid is mixed with components required for a polymerase mediated amplification reaction or an amplification based detection assay. Thereafter the template nucleic acid is desulfonated by briefly incubating the mixture at an increased temperature. Subsequently the desulfonated template nucleic acid is amplified. In a particularly preferred variant the polymerase based amplification reaction is started by a brief incubation at increased temperature (heat activation). Simultaneously, this brief incubation at increased temperature serves to desulfonate the sulfonated and/or deaminated template nucleic acid. Furthermore it is particularly preferred that the polymerase is a heat stable polymerase.
[0121] This particular embodiment has the advantage in comparison to known methods of bisulfite treatment that the purification step after bisulfite treatment becomes dispensable. This is a Simplification which results in reduction of costs and handling effort, minimises loss of bisulfite treated DNA and is also time saving. Therefore the use of this embodiment is preferred if DNA samples are treated with bisulfite and subsequently are amplified. This is especially preferred if large amount of samples are analysed. The use of this embodiment is further preferred with regard to sensitive detection methods for DNA methylation analysis like COBRA, MS-SNuPE, MSP, nested MSP, HeavyMethyl and MethyLight.
[0122] Furthermore, the invention regards to a test kit for the realisation of the method according to the invention with a component containing bisulfite, for example a reagent or solution containing bisulfite, and a component containing an enzymatic activity. This enzymatic activity specifically degrades DNA containing non-sulfonated uracil. In particular this enzymatic activity is an activity of a DNA-glycosylase and/or an endonuclease, preferentially this enzymatic activity is an uracil-DNA-glycosylase, and more preferentially this enzymatic activity is uracil-N-DNA-Glycosylase (UNG). The added degrading enzyme activity is characterized by its ability to cause specifically apyrimidinic sites and/or one or more nicks adjacent to a non-sulfonated uracil base. In any case this will result in a block of the replication by DNA polymerase. In a particular test kit the enzymatic activity is characterized by cleaving the uracil base from the phosphodiester backbone of non-sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acid, but has no effect on sulfonated uracil containing nucleic acid or on thymine containing nucleic acid, that does not contain uracil. The resulting apyrimidinic sites block replication by DNA polymerases, and are very labile to acid/base hydrolysis.
[0123] A further test kit comprises one or more of the additional components. This can be:
one or more denaturing reagent and/or solution, for example: dioxane or diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DME) or any substance, which is suitable as described in WO 05/038051, one or more scavenger, for example 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane 2-carboxylic acid or other scavengers as described in WO 01/98528 or WO 05/038051, one or more primers, which are suitable for the amplification of one or more DNA amplificates, amongst others the primer or primers can be modified, for example with a quencher and/or a label for detection as well known by a person skilled in the art like the dye FAM or the quencher BHQ black hole or dabcyl, one or more probes, which can be any probe, which can be used to specifically record the amplification of one or more amplificates for example in a real-time-assay, amongst others the probe or probes can be modified, for example with a quenscher and/or a label for detection as well known by a person skilled in the art like the dye FAM or the quencher BHQ black hole or dabcyl, one or more blockers, which are nucleic acids and can be used to block the binding of a specific primer or the replication by DNA polymerase, amongst others the blocker or blockers can be modified, for example with a quenscher and/or a label for detection as well known by a person skilled in the art like the dye FAM or the quencher BHQ black hole or dabcyl, one or more reaction buffers, which are suitable for a bisulfite treatment and/or a PCR reaction, nucleotides, which can be dATP, dCTP, dUTP and dGTP or any derivative of these nucleotides, MgCl 2 as a substance or in solution and/or any other magnesium salt, which can be used to carry out a DNA polymerase replication, DNA polymerase, for example Taq polymerase or any other polymerase with or without proof-reading activity, —dye or quencher, which can be used for the detection of the amplificates as known in the art, for example an intercalating dye like SYBR Green or a dye for linkage to a primer or probe or blocker like the dye FAM or the quencher BHQ black hole or dabcyl, and/or any reagent, solution, device and/or instruction which is useful for realisation of an assay according to the invention.
[0134] The methods and test kits disclosed here are preferable used for the diagnosis and/or prognosis of adverse events for patients or individuals, whereby diagnosis means diagnose of a adverse event, a predisposition for a adverse event and/or a progression of a adverse events. These adverse events belong to at least one of the following categories: undesired drug interactions; cancer diseases; CNS malfunctions, damage or disease; symptoms of aggression or behavioral disturbances; clinical, psychological and social consequences of brain damage; psychotic disturbances and personality disorders; dementia and/or associated syndromes; cardiovascular disease, malfunction or damage; malfunction, damage or disease of the gastrointestinal tract; malfunction, damage or disease of the respiratory system; lesion, inflammation, infection, immunity and/or convalescence; malfunction, damage or disease of the body as an abnormality in the development process; malfunction, damage or disease of the skin, of the muscles, of the connective tissue or of the bones; endocrine and metabolic malfunction, damage or disease; headaches or sexual malfunction.
[0135] The methods and test kits also serve in a particularly preferred manner for distinguishing cell types, tissues or for investigating cell differentiation. They serve in a particularly preferred manner for analysing the response of a patient to a drug treatment.
[0136] In another preferred manner the methods and test kits of the invention can also be used to characterize the DNA methylation status in that positions are methylated or non-methylated compared to normal conditions if a single defined disease exists. In a particular preferred manner they can serve for identifying an indication-specific target, wherein a template nucleic acid is treated with bisulfite and UNG enzyme activity, and wherein an indication-specific target is defined as differences in the DNA methylation status of a DNA derived from a diseased tissue in comparison to a DNA derived from a healthy tissue. These tissue samples can originate from diseased or healthy patients or from diseased or healthy adjacent tissue of the same patient.
[0137] In a particular preferred manner the indication specific target is a protein, peptide or enzyme, and in particular a per se known modulator of the coded protein, peptide or enzyme is assigned with the specific indication of the diseased tissue. In a particular preferred manner this modulator serves for preparing a pharmaceutical composition with a specific indication, in particular a specific cancer indication.
[0138] In a particular preferred manner the enzyme UNG serves as an enzyme for generation of contamination free nucleic acids for methylation analysis.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0139] FIG. 1 :
[0140] FIG. 1 describes the complete conversion of unmethylated cytosine to uracil, so called bisulfite conversion.
[0141] The first step of this reaction takes place when unmethylated cytosine bases are contacted with hydrogensulfite at a pH around 5. The sulfonation takes place at position 6 of the cyclic molecule (C6 position).
[0142] The second step is the deamination that takes place rather spontaneously in aqueous solution and thereby converts cytosine sulfonate into uracil sulfonate.
[0143] The third step is the desulfonation step, which takes place in alkaline conditions, resulting in uracil.
[0144] FIG. 2 :
[0145] FIG. 2 is a plot of real time amplification of methylated DNA of the GSTP1 gene from desulfonated bisulfite converted DNA, according to the state of the art. The Y-axis shows the fluorescence signal measured in channel F2 normalized against channel F1 at each cycle (X-axis). 10 ng, 1 ng respective 0.1 ng bisulfite treated methylated DNA were added to the reaction. No signals were determined using the reaction mix containing Uracil-DNA-glycosylase (labeled in open circles) indicating a complete degradation of the bisulfite converted DNA. Amplification occurs only in absence of Uracil-DNA-glycosylase (labeled in rectangles). No template control is marked as solid line.
[0146] FIG. 3 :
[0147] FIG. 3 is a plot of real time amplification of methylated DNA of the GSTP1 gene from bisulfite converted DNA according to the claimed new method without desulfonation. The Y-axis shows the fluorescence signal measured in channel F2 normalized against channel F1 at each cycle (X-axis) 10 ng, 1 ng respective 0.1 ng bisulfite treated methylated DNA were added to the reaction. The signals generated from reaction without Uracil-DNA-glycosylase are labeled with circles. No significant difference in amplification was determined from the reaction containing Uracil-DNA-glycosylases (labeled in triangles) indicating that 6-Sulfon-Uracil containing DNA is not a template for UNG. No template control is marked as solid line.
[0148] FIG. 4 :
[0149] FIG. 4 demonstrates of the efficient degradation of uracil containing DNA. The plot shows the reamplification of PCR products containing uracil. The Y-axis shows the fluorescence signal measured in channel F2 normalized against channel F1 at each cycle (X-axis). 10 5 copies were added to the reaction. The signals determined from reaction without Uracil-DNA-glycosylase are labeled diamonds showing a high efficient reamplification. The reaction containing uracil-DNA-glycosylases results in dramatically increased crossing points (labeled in stars) indicating a strong degradation of uracil containing PCR products by UNG. No template control is marked as solid line.
[0150] FIG. 5 :
[0151] FIG. 5 shows a correlation plot of the results obtained in example 3 by the standard workflow and the method according to the invention (carry over prevention). Every symbol represents a single sample: quadrates tumor tissues, triangles normal adjacent tissues. The percentage of methylation determined according to the standard workflow (x-axis) or to the method according to the invention (y-axis) is indicated for each sample.
[0152] The method according to the invention has led only in 2 out of 24 samples to a different methylation percentage as the standard workflow. This means that although the samples treated according to the method of the invention were contaminated with uracil containing TPEF amplicons only DNA of the samples served as a template for amplification of the TPEF amplicon in nearly all cases. In case of the said two samples, the differing results occurred presumable because of the low methylation percentage of the DNA (smaller than 0.2%).
EXAMPLES
Example 1
[0153] Amplification of methylated DNA of the GSTP1 gene (also known as GST-pi gene) wherein human DNA containing sulfonated uracils served as template
[0154] The use of uracil-DNA-glycosylase is a method well known in the art to avoid false positive results in polymerase based amplification methods, caused by cross contamination by previously amplified products (Pang J., Mol Cell Probes. 1992 June; 6(3):251-6). This method is however not applicable for polymerase based amplification methods which have the purpose to detect uracil bases within the given template. This is the case in DNA methylation analysis, wherein one way to detect the difference between methylated and unmethylated cytosines is to mirror these differences into the difference between cytosine and uracil, which is facilitated by the widely spread use of common bisulfite conversion methods. These have the effect to convert unmethylated cytosines into uracils whereas methylated cytosines remain cytosines. Therefore in subsequent amplification reactions to detect methylation patterns the template contains uracils.
[0155] In the following example it was shown that the method according to the invention allows Uracil-DNA-glycosylase (UNG) based technique for carry over prevention of bisulfite converted DNA, without loss of the critical information, which bases were unmethylated and which were methylated. To achieve this the following steps were carried out:
[0156] Two nucleic acid samples, containing 1.5 μg GpGenome™ Universal Methylated DNA (Chemicon International) diluted in 100 μl water were mixed with 354 μl of bisulfite solution (5.89 mol/l) and 146 μl of dioxane containing a radical scavenger (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane 2-carboxylic acid, 98.6 mg in 2.5 ml of dioxane). The reaction mixture was denatured for 3 min at 99° C. and subsequently incubated with the following temperature program for a total of 5 h: 30 min at 50° C.; a first thermospike (99.9° C.) for 3 min; 1.5 h at 50° C.; a second thermospike (99.9° C.) for 3 min; 3 h at 50° C. One of the reaction mixtures served as a control whereas the other was treated according to the invention. The reaction mixtures of both the control and the test reaction were subsequently purified by ultrafiltration by means of a Millipore Microcon column. The purification was conducted essentially according to the manufacturers instructions. For this purpose, the reaction mixture was mixed with 200 μl of water, loaded onto the ultrafiltration membrane, centrifuged for 15 min and subsequently washed with water. The DNA remains on the membrane in this treatment. For the control sample an alkaline desulfonation was performed according to the methods, which are state of the art (see for example US 20040152080, 20040115663, WO 2004/067545). For this purpose, 100 μl of a 0.2 mol/l NaOH was added and incubated for 10 min. For the other sample this desulfonation step was replaced by adding 100 μl water. A centrifugation (10 min) was then conducted, followed by a final washing step with water. After this, the DNA was eluted. For this purpose, the membrane was mixed for 10 minutes with 50 μl of warm 1×TE buffer (50° C.) adjusted to pH 7. The membrane was turned over according to the manufacturer's instructions. Subsequently a repeated centrifugation was conducted, with which the DNA was removed from the membrane.
[0157] Subsequently the DNA was stored at 4° C. for 12 h and then used as template in a PCR reaction.
[0158] By stopping the chemical reaction after sulfonation all unmethylated cytosines are converted into C6 sulfonated uracils (5,6-Dihydro-6-sulfonyl-uracil) and methylated cytosines remain unchanged. However after a complete desulfonation, as described in the art, all unmethylated cytosines are converted in uracil and methylated cytosines remain unchanged.
[0159] As a control for the UNG activity 10 5 copies of a uracil containing PCR product were added to the reaction premix, generated by use of the same primers but under presence of dUTP instead of dTTP. Reamplification took place when UNG was absent, with the expected efficiency of a crossing point of 22.6. However when UNG was present in the PCR—mix the crossing points reached only a value of 35.8 ( FIG. 4 ). This difference demonstrates nicely the efficient degradation of PCR products by UNG resulting from the cleavage of uracils out of the DNA. In this example it was shown that desulfonated conventionally bisulfite treated DNA is also degraded by UNG ( FIG. 2 ). However, not desulfonated bisulfite treated DNA does not work as substrate for UNG and serves—even after preincubation with UNG—as working template in an amplification reaction ( FIG. 3 ).
[0160] In the example the desulfonation of template DNA required for the successful amplification took place during the initial denaturing phase of the PCR reaction at 95° C. Only precondition for this step is an alkaline pH, such as given in the utilized PCR buffer. Simultaneously the UNG activity is terminated and is hence not capable of cleaving or degrading newly generated PCR product anymore.
[0161] In this example three different concentrations (10 ng, 1 ng and 0.1 ng) of each desulfonated and sulfonated (containing 6-sulfonated 5,6-dihydro-uracils) DNA were used as templates in two different Hot-Start PCR reactions.
[0162] In one case the reaction mix contained 0.2 Units UNG, in the other case no UNG was added. PCR reactions were performed in the LightCycler in 20 μl reaction volume and contained:
[0000] 10 μl of template DNA (in different concentrations)
[0000] 2 μl of FastStart LightCycler Mix for Hybridization probes (Roche Diagnostics)
[0000] 3.5 mM MgCl 2 (Roche Diagnostics)
[0000] 0.30 μM forward primer (SeqID-1, TIB-MolBiol)
[0000] 0.30 μM reverse primer (SeqID-2, TIB-MolBiol)
[0000] 0.15 μM Probe1 (SeqID-3, TIB-MolBiol)
[0000] 0.15 μM Probe2 (SeqID-4, TIB-MolBiol)
[0000] optional 0.2 Unit Uracil-DNA-Glycosylase (Roche Diagnostics)
[0163] The temperature-time-profile was programmed as follows:
[0000] Pre-incubation (UNG active) 15 min by 25° C.
[0000] Activation of polymerase: 20 min by 95° C.
[0000] 50 temperature cycles: 10 sec by 95° C.
[0000]
30 sec at 56° C.
10 sec at 72° C.
[0166] Finally the reaction is cooled down to 35° C.
[0167] The primers (Seq ID 1, Seq ID 2) used amplify a 123 bp long fragment of the GSTP1 gene (Seq ID 5, nt 1184 to nt 1304 in Genbank Accession X08058). By utilizing sequence specific hybridization probes (SeqID 3, SeqID 4) the amplification rate was detected in a Real Time PCR. Data interpretation was carried out via the LightCycler Software in channel F2/F1.
[0168] The crossing point (Cp) was generated automatically by employing the method “Second Derivative Maximum” (Table 1).
[0169] The results of the experiment are summarized in table 1. The reamplification of 10 5 copies of uracil containing amplicons results in CT of 22.6 without UNG and 35.8 with UNG. The CT delay of 13 cycles demonstrates the efficient degradation of uracil containing template by the glycosylase. Also desulfonated bisulfite converted DNA was degraded by UNG and no amplification was measurable in the reaction with UNG. In the reaction without UNG the 10, 1, and 0.1 ng DNA was detected at CT of 28.5/31.7/33.8. In contrast to this, sulfonated DNA, prepared according to the invention, was amplified in both cases, without and with Uracil-DNA-Glycosylase with almost the same efficiency and were detected at CT of 29.3/32.2/34.1 and 29.9/32.7/34.8 respectively.
TABLE 1 Crossing point Crossing point of reaction with Template DNA of reaction 0.2 Unit UNG DNA in ng without UNG added PCR Amplicons 10 5 copies 22.6 35.8 containing Uracil desulfonated DNA 10 28.5 no signal 1 31.7 no signal 0.1 33.8 no signal sulfonated DNA 10 29.3 29.9 1 32.2 32.7 0.1 34.1 34.8
[0170]
TABLE 2
Sequences of Oligonucleotides
SeqID
Name
Sequence
Seq ID 1
GSTP1.10F1
GGGAttAtttTTATAAGGtT
Seq ID 2
GSTP1.10R5
TaCTaaaAaCTCTaAaCCCCATC
Seq ID 3
GSTP1.10-fluo1
TTCGtCGtCGtAGTtTTCGtt-Fluo
Seq ID 4
GSTP1.10-red1
red640-tAGTGAGTACGCGCGGtt-PH
Seq ID 5
GSTP1 amplicon
5′GGGAttAtttTTATAAGGtTCGGAGGtCGCGAGGttT
TCGtTGGAGTTTCGtCGtCGtAGTtTTCGttAttAGTGA
GTACGCGCGGttCGCGTtttCGGGGATGGGGtTtAGAG-
tTtttAGtA
[0171] Fluo=fluoresceine label, red640=LightCycler fluorescence label for channel F2, PH=3′OH-Phosphorylation. Small written t's point to converted cytosines by bisulfite treatment, respectively small a's point to the complementary adenosine bases in the reverse complement synthesized strand.
Example 2
[0172] In this experiment the stability of the sulfonated nucleic bases in the presence of UNG activity was analyzed when stored at 4° C. or 40° C. Again, two nucleic acid samples, containing 1.5 μg GpGenome™ Universal Methylated DNA (Chemicon International) diluted in 100 μl water were mixed with 354 μl of bisulfite solution (5.89 mol/l) and 146 μl of dioxane containing a radical scavenger (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane 2-carboxylic acid, 98.6 mg in 2.5 ml of dioxane). The reaction mixture was denatured for 3 min at 99° C. and subsequently incubated with the following temperature program for a total of 5 h: 30 min at 50° C.; a first thermospike (99.9° C.) for 3 min; 1.5 h at 50° C.; a second thermospike (99.9° C.) for 3 min; 3 h at 50° C. One of the reaction mixtures served as a control whereas the other was treated according to the invention. The reaction mixtures of both the control and the test reaction were subsequently purified by ultrafiltration by means of a Millipore Microcon column. The purification was conducted essentially according to the manufacturer's instructions. For this purpose, the reaction mixture was mixed with 200 μl of water, loaded onto the ultrafiltration membrane, centrifuged for 15 min and subsequently washed with water. The DNA remains on the membrane in this treatment. For the control sample an alkaline desulfonation was performed according to the methods, which are state of the art (see for example US 20040152080, 20040115663, WO 2004/067545) (named ‘desulfonated’ in table 3). For this purpose, 100 μl of a 0.2 mol/l NaOH was added and incubated for 10 min. For the other sample this desulfonation step was replaced by adding 100 μl water (named ‘sulfonated’ in table 3). A centrifugation (10 min) was then conducted, followed by a final washing step with water. After this, the DNA was eluted. For this purpose, the membrane was mixed for 10 minutes with 50 μl of warm 1×TE buffer (50° C.) adjusted to pH7. The membrane was turned over according to the manufacturer's instructions. Subsequently a repeated centrifugation was conducted, with which the DNA was removed from the membrane.
[0173] Subsequently the DNA was divided in aliquots and some of them were stored at 4° C. for 12 h, others at 4° C. for 144 h and then used as template in a PCR reaction. To show the robustness of the method according to the invention we wanted to analyze whether this protecting effect of sulfonation would be stable over a period of time. The PCR reaction was performed under the same conditions.
[0174] In addition aliquots were stored at an increased temperature of 40° C. for 22 h and then used as template in a PCR reaction.
[0175] By stopping the chemical reaction after sulfonation the unmethylated cytosines were converted into C6 sulfonated uracils (5,6-Dihydro-6-sulfonyl-uracil) and methylated cytosines remained unchanged. However after a complete desulfonation, as described in the art, all unmethylated cytosines would have converted into uracil instead and methylated cytosines remain unchanged.
[0176] As a control for the UNG activity 10 5 copies of a uracil containing PCR product were added to the reaction premix, generated by use of the same primers but under presence of dUTP instead of dTTP. Reamplification took place when UNG was absent, with the expected efficiency of a crossing point of 22.6. However, when UNG was present in the PCR—mix the crossing points reached only a value of 35.1 (table 3). This difference demonstrates nicely the efficient degradation of PCR products by UNG resulting from the cleavage of uracils out of the DNA.
[0177] In this example it could be shown that bisulfite treated DNA which is not desulfonated according to the invention is stable at 4° C. for a longer period of at least 144 hrs. In addition it could be shown that even storage at 40° C. for a period of 22 hrs does not have a major effect on the UNG protecting effect of sulfonation at C6-uracils.
TABLE 3 DNA after 12 h at 4° C. Crossing point Crossing point of reaction with Template DNA of reaction 0.2 Unit UNG in ng without UNG added PCR amplicons 10 5 copies 22.6 35.8 containing uracil desulfonated DNA 0.1 33.8 no signal sulfonated DNA 0.1 34.1 34.8 DNA after 144 h at 4° C. Crossing point Crossing point of reaction with Template DNA of reaction 0.2 Unit UNG in ng without UNG added PCR amplicona 10.00E5 copies 22.6 35.1 containing uracil desulfonated DNA 10 28.3 no signal desulfonated. DNA 1 30.8 no signal desulfonated DNA 0.1 33.5 no signal sulfonated DNA 10 28.7 29.5 sulfonated DNA 1 31.7 31.8 sulfonated DNA 0.1 33.7 34.2 DNA after 22 h at 40° C. Crossing point Crossing point of reaction with Template DNA of reaction 0.2 Unit UNG in ng without UNG added PCR amplicons 10.00E5 copies 22.6 35.7 containing uracil desulfonated DNA 10 29.5 no signal desulfonated DNA 1 32.5 no signal desulfonated DNA 0.1 34.9 no signal sulfonated DNA 10 29.5 30.5 sulfonated DNA 1 32.5 33.3 sulfonated DNA 0.1 34.6 36.1
Example 3
[0178] Comparison of the method according to the invention with the standard workflow by means of the determination of the methylation rate of the TPEF gene (also known as TMEFF2) in colon cancer tissue.
[0179] 1 μg of genomic DNA (200 μl) was extracted from tumours and normal adjacent tissue of 12 patients with colon cancer, respectively. The 24 samples obtained in this way were each divided into 2×100 μl DNA. 100 μl of each sample was treated according to standard procedures (bisulfite treatment protocol A, sample set A) or to the method according to the invention (bisulfite protocol B, sample set B). In between the DNA was stored at −20° C.
[0000] Standard Workflow:
[0000] Sample Set A:
[0180] Measurement of the DNA was performed according to the C3 quantification assay version A and according to the HeavyMethyl assay for the TPEF gene version A. A standard A was generated for calibration.
[0000] Generation of Standard A:
[0181] 5 tubes each with 2 μg universal methylated DNA were treated with bisulfite according to the bisulfite treatment protocol A and pooled afterwards. The concentration of the DNA in solution was determined by means of UV at 260 nm after the bisulfite reaction.
[0000] Bisulfite Treatment Protocol A (Standard Procedures):
[0182] 100 μl of the samples (sample set A) containing 0.5 μg DNA diluted in 100 μl water were mixed with 354 μl of bisulfite solution (5.89 mol/l) and 146 μl of dioxane containing a scavenger (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane 2-carboxylic acid, 98.6 mg in 2.5 ml of dioxane). The reaction mixture was denatured for 3 min at 99° C. and subsequently incubated with the following temperature program for a total of 5 h: 30 min 50° C.; one thermospike 99.9° C. for 3 min; 1.5 h 50° C.; one thermospike 99.9° C. for 3 min; 3 h 50° C. The DNA of the reaction mixtures was subsequently purified by ultrafiltration by means of a Millipore Microcon column. The purification was conducted essentially according to the manufacturer's instructions. For this purpose, the reaction mixture was mixed with 200 μl of water, loaded onto the ultrafiltration membrane, centrifuged for 15 min and subsequently washed with water. The DNA remains on the membrane in this treatment. For complete desulfonation 100 μl of a 0.2 mol/l NaOH solution was added and incubated for 10 min. A centrifugation for 10 min was then conducted, followed by a final washing step with water. After this, the DNA was eluted. For this purpose, the membrane was mixed for 10 minutes with 75 μl of prewarmed 1×TE buffer (50° C.) adjusted to pH 8.5. Then the membrane was turned over and centrifuged according to the manufacturer's instructions to recover the DNA from the membrane.
[0000] C3 Quantification Assay (EP05075404):
[0183] The C3 quantification assay is a quantification assay specific for the total amount of bisulfite converted DNA as described in detail in EP 05075404. The assay amplifies a fragment of DNA that comprises multiple cytosine (but not CpG) positions in the genomic form, which are initially converted to uracil and during amplification replaced by thymine in the bisulfite converted variant. Accordingly the assay does not quantify for unconverted or partially converted bisulfite treated DNA (i.e. wherein the target sequence comprises one or more cytosine positions which have not been converted to thymine). The quantity of DNA in the sample is deduced by comparison of the measured CP (crossing point, which represents the threshold cycle) to a standard curve relating such CP values to DNA amounts. The standard curve is based on measurements of known quantities of bisulfite converted DNA with the according assay.
[0000] C3 Quantification Assay Version A:
[0184] A 20 μl reaction mixture contained:
2 μl of template DNA 2 μl of FastStart LightCycler Mix for hybridisation probes (Roche Diagnostics) 3.5 mmol/l MgCl 2 (Roche Diagnostics) 0.60 μmol/l forward primer (Seq ID-6, TIB-MolBiol) 0.60 μmol/l reverse primer (Seq ID-7, TIB-MolBiol) 0.2 μmol/l probel (Seq ID-8, TIB-MolBiol)
[0191] The assay was performed according to the following temperature-time-profile:
activation 10 min at 95° C. 50 cycles: 10 sec at 95° C. 30 sec at 56° C. 10 sec at 72° C.
[0196] The used primers (Seq ID-6 and Seq ID-7) amplify a fragment of 123 bp of the GSTP1 gene (Seq ID-9. nucleotide 2273 to nucleotide 2402 of GenBank Accession Number X08058). The detection was carried out during the annealing phase at 56° C. in channel F1 at 530 nm. The crossing points (CP) were calculated according to the “second derivative maximum” method by means of the LightCycler software.
[0000] Detection of the Methylation Rate According to the HeavyMethyl Assay for the TPEF Gene Version A:
[0197] A 20 μl reaction mixture contained:
2 μl of template DNA 2 μl of FastStart LightCycler Mix for hybridization probes (Roche Diagnostics) 3.5 mmol/l MgCl 2 (Roche Diagnostics) 0.30 μmol/l forward primer (Seq ID-10, TIB-MolBiol) 0.30 μmol/l reverse primer (Seq ID-11, TIB-MolBiol) 4.0 μmol/l blocker (Seq ID-12, TIB-MolBiol) 0.15 μmol/l hybridization probe (Seq ID-13, TIB-MolBiol) 0.15 μmol/l hybridization probe (Seq ID-14, TIB-MolBiol)
[0206] The assay was performed according to the following temperature-time-profile:
activation 10 min at 95° C. 50 cycles: 10 sec at 95° C. 30 sec at 56° C. 10 sec at 72° C.
[0211] The used primers (Seq ID-10 and Seq ID-11) amplify a fragment of 113 bp of the TPEF gene (Seq ID-15. nucleotide 1102 to nucleotide 1214 of GenBank Accession Number AF242221). The detection was carried out during the annealing phase at 56° C. in channel F2/F1 at 640/530 mm. The crossing points (CP) were calculated according to the “second derivative maximum” method by means of the LightCycler software.
[0000] Calculation of DNA Amounts from CP:
[0212] Both the C3 quantification assay and HeavyMethyl assay for the TPEF gene are Real Time PCR assays using an external standard for calculating the DNA amount of the measured samples. The absolute value (ng) for an unknown concentration is obtained by a comparison of the amplification of DNA in an unknown Sample against a standard curve prepared with known concentrations of the same target. The standard samples are amplified in separate capillaries but within the same LightCycler run. The standard curve is the linear regression line through the data points on a plot of crossing points (threshold cycle) versus logarithm of standard sample concentration. The absolute amount of DNA (ng) of the unknown sample matches the data point of the standard curve at which the CP of the unknown sample fits the standard curve.
TABLE 4 Sequence of Oligonucleotides SeqID Name Sequence Seq ID-6 C3F GGAGTGGAGGAAAtTGAGAt Seq ID-7 C3R CCACACAaCAaaTaCTCAaAaC Seq ID-8 C3-TAQ FAMTGGGTGTTTGTAATTTTTGTTTTGTGTTAGGTT-BHQ1 Seq ID-9 C3- GGAGTGGAGGAAAtTGAGAtttAtTGAGGTTACGTAGTTTGttt amplicon AAGGTtAAGttTGGGTGttTGtAATttTTGtttTGTGttAGGtTG- ttTttt AGGTGTtAGGTGAGtTtTGAGtAttTGtTGTGTGG Seq ID-10 TPEF-61S aAAAaAaAAAaaCTCCTCTaCATAC Seq ID-11 TPEF-62S GGTtAtTGttTGGGttAAtAAATG Seq ID-12 TPEF-6B2 aCATACaCCaCaaaTaaaTTaCCaaaAaCATCaaCCaa-PH Seq ID-13 TPEF-6SF1 tTttttTTttCGGACGtCGtT-Fluo Seq ID-14 TPEF-6SR1 red640-tCGGtCGATGtTttCGGtAA-PH Seq ID-15 TPEF- GGTtAtTGttTGGGttAAtAAATGGAGttCGtTtTttttTTttCG- amplicon GACG TCGtTGttCGGtCGATGtTttCGGtAAtttAttCGCGGCGTATG- tAG AGGAGttTTTtTtTTTt
[0213] Fluo=fluoresceine label, red640+LightCycler fluorescence label for channel F2, PH=3′OH-Phosphorylation, FAM=5′-FAM label, BHQ1=BlackHoleQuencher1. Small written t's point to converted cytosines by bisulfite treatment, respectively small a's point to the complementary adenosine bases in the reverse complement synthesized strand.
METHOD ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION
[0000] Sample Set B:
[0214] Measurement of the DNA was performed according to the C3 quantification assay version B and according to the HeavyMethyl assay for the TPEF gene version B in addition of 10,000 copies of a PCR product of methylated DNA. A standard B (C6 sulfonated uracil containing DNA) was generated for calibration.
[0000] Generation of Standard B (C6 Sulfonated Uracil Containing DNA):
[0215] 5 tubes each with 2.0 μg universal methylated DNA were treated with bisulfite according to the bisulfite treatment protocol B. The concentration of the DNA in solution was determined by means of UV at 260 nm after the bisulfite reaction.
[0000] Generation of PCR Products.
[0216] 10 ng methylated bisulfite converted DNA generated according to standard procedures (bisulfite protocol A) were amplified by means of the HeavyMethyl assay for the TPEF gene version A. The PCR products were purified with the QIAquick PCR Purification Kit and subsequently analysed on a 2% agarose gel. After this, a serial dilution was carried out with water to a final dilution of 1:10 10 . 2 μl of this dilution was reamplified and quantificated according to the HeavyMethyl assay for the TPEF gene version A. The copy number was determined: 2 μl of the said dilution contain 10,000 copies of PCR product.
[0000] Bisulfite Treatment Protocol B (Protocol for Carry Over Protection):
[0217] 100 μl of the samples (sample set B) containing 0.5 μg DNA diluted in 100 μl water were mixed with 354 μl of bisulfite solution (5.89 mol/l) and 146 μl of dioxane containing a scavenger (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane 2-carboxylic acid, 98.6 mg in 2.5 ml of dioxane). The reaction mixture was denatured for 3 min at 99° C. and subsequently incubated with the following temperature program for a total of 5 h: 30 min 50° C.; one thermospike 99.9° C. for 3 min; 1.5 h 50° C.; one thermospike 99.9° C. for 3 min; 3 h 50° C. The DNA of the reaction mixtures was subsequently purified by ultrafiltration by means of a Millipore Microcon column. The purification was conducted essentially according to the manufacturer's instructions. For this purpose, the reaction mixture was mixed with 200 μl of water, loaded onto the ultrafiltration membrane, centrifuged for 15 min and subsequently washed with water. The DNA remains on the membrane in this treatment. In contrast to the bisulfite treatment protocol A the DNA was not incubated with NaOH, but additionally washed with water. After this, the DNA was eluted. For this purpose, the membrane was mixed for 10 minutes with 75 μl of prewarmed water (50° C.). Then the membrane was turned over and centrifuged according to the manufacturer's instructions to recover the DNA from the membrane.
[0000] C3 Quantification Assay Version B:
[0218] A 20 μl reaction mixture contained:
2 μl of template DNA 2 μl PCR product (10,000 copies) 2 μl of FastStart LightCycler Mix for hybridisation probes (Roche Diagnostics) 3.5 mmol/l MgCl 2 (Roche Diagnostics) 0.60 μmol/l forward primer (Seq ID-6, TIB-MolBiol) 0.60 μmol/l reverse primer (Seq ID-7, TIB-MolBiol) 0.2 μmol/l probel (Seq ID-8, TIB-MolBiol) 0.2 units uracil-DNA-glycosylase (Roche Diagnostics)
[0227] The assay was performed according to the following temperature-time-profile:
preincubation 10 min at 37° C. desulfonation/activation 30 min at 95° C. 50 cycles; 10 sec at 95° C. 30 sec at 56° C. 10 sec at 72° C.
[0233] The used primers (Seq ID-6 and Seq ID-7) amplify a fragment of 123 bp of the GSTP1 gene (Seq ID-9. nucleotide 2273 to nucleotide 2402 of GenBank Accession Number X08058). The detection was carried out during the annealing phase at 56° C. in channel F1 at 530 nm. The crossing points (CP) were calculated according to the “second derivative maximum” method by means of the LightCycler software.
[0000] Detection of the Methylation Rate According to the HeavyMethyl Assay for the TPEF Gene Version B:
[0234] A 20 μl reaction mixture contained:
2 μl of template DNA 2 μl PCR product (10,000 copies) 2 μl of FastStart LightCycler Mix for hybridisation probes (Roche Diagnostics) 3.5 mmol/l MgCl 2 (Roche Diagnostics) 0.30 μmmol/l forward primer (Seq ID-10, TIB-MolBiol) 0.30 μmol/l reverse primer (Seq ID-11, TIB-MolBiol) 4.0 μmol/l blocker (Seq ID-12, TIB-MolBiol) 0.15 μmol/l hybridisation probe (Seq ID-13, TIB-MolBiol) 0.15 μmol/l hybridisation probe (Seq ID-14, TIB-MolBiol) 0.2 units uracil-DNA-glycosylase (Roche Diagnostics)
[0245] The assay was performed according to the following temperature-time-profile:
preincubation 10 min at 37° C. desulfonation/activation 30 min at 95° C. 50 cycles: 10 sec at 95° C. 30 sec at 95° C. 10 sec at 72° C.
[0251] The used primers (Seq ID-10 and Seq ID-11) amplify a fragment of 113 bp of the TPEF gene (Seq ID-15, nucleotide 1102 to nucleotide 1214 of GenBank Accession Number AF242221). The detection was carried out during the annealing phase at 56° C. in channel F2/F1 at 640/530 nm. The crossing points (CP) were calculated according to the “second derivative maximum” method by means of the LightCycler software.
[0000] Calculation of DNA Amounts from CP:
[0252] Both the C3 quantification assay and HeavyMethyl assay for the TPEF gene are Real Time PCR assays using an external standard for calculating the DNA amount of the measured samples. The absolute value (ng) for an unknown concentration is obtained by a comparison of the amplification of DNA in an unknown sample against a standard curve prepared with known concentrations of the same target. The standard samples are amplified in separate capillaries but within the same LightCycler run. The standard curve is the linear regression line through the data points on a plot of crossing points (threshold cycle) versus logarithm of standard sample concentration. The absolute amount of DNA (ng) of the unknown sample matches the data point of the standard curve at which the CP of the unknown sample fits the standard curve.
[0253] Calculation of the methylation rate from DNA amounts: The results of the study are presented as methylation rates of the promoter region of the TPEF gene. According to the PMR value methode (Eads C A et al. Cancer Res 2001 Apr. 15; 61(8):3410-8. PMID: 11309301) the methylation rate is equal to the percentage of methylated copies measured in a sample as proportion of the total DNA measured in the same sample. In table 5 and 6 all CPs received from the C3 and the TPEF assay and the resulting DNA amounts are listed. In the right column the methylation rate (PMR) is shown, which was calculated from the DNA amounts listed in columns before.
RESULTS
[0254] Table 5: Results from the standard workflow. Colon cancer and normal adjacent tissue samples were bisulfite treated with bisulfite treatment protocol A followed by quantification with the C3 quantification assay version A using a calibration curve made by means of standard A. The table shows the crossing points and the calculated DNA amount of 2 replicates. The HeavyMethyl assay for the TPEF gene version A detects only methylated DNA from the promoter region of TPEF gene. The table shows the measured CP values of 2 replicates and the calculated DNA amount. Finally the methylation percentages (PMR) were calculated by the ratio of methylated DNA and total DNA.
HeavyMethyl Assay C3 Quantification Assay TPEF gene Version A Version B CP CP ng/PCR CP CP ng/PCR PMR Sample Type 1 st run 2 nd run mean 1 st run 2 nd run mean % standard A 20 ng 25.86 25.64 26.28 26.55 standard A 5 ng 28.29 27.72 28.51 28.24 standard A 5 ng 28.44 27.74 28.51 28.15 standard A 1.25 ng 30.27 30.2 29.91 30.46 standard A 1.25 ng 30.23 30.41 29.92 30.21 standard A 0.31 ng 32.48 32.01 31.46 31.51 standard A 0.31 ng 31.89 32.18 31.13 31.54 1 normal 31.49 32.6 0.4 27.27 28.68 7.4 5% 2 tumor — — 0.0 28.22 29.49 4.1 0% 3 normal 32.74 33.56 0.1 27.84 28.97 5.4 2% 4 tumor 29.51 30.96 1.5 28.08 29.42 4.4 33% 5 normal 31.97 33.03 0.3 27.72 29.09 5.6 5% 6 tumor 27.8 29.65 4.0 27.45 29.16 6.2 65% 7 normal 32.02 33.47 0.2 27.62 28.93 6.0 4% 8 tumor 28.5 30.53 2.5 27.56 29.2 5.9 43% 9 normal 32.47 33.8 0.1 28.06 29.13 4.7 3% 10 tumor 29.87 31.17 1.2 27.91 29.07 5.1 23% 11 normal 31.93 33.65 0.2 27.17 29.12 7.2 3% 12 tumor 32.07 33.27 0.2 27.1 28.29 8.6 3% 13 normal 31.45 33.41 0.3 27.52 28.61 6.7 5% 14 tumor 29.87 30.64 1.3 27.83 28.44 6.2 22% 15 normal 35.97 32.94 0.1 27.8 28.2 6.7 1% 16 tumor 28.92 29.07 2.8 28.54 28.73 4.4 64% 17 normal 32.49 34.58 0.1 27.98 29.45 4.6 3% 18 tumor 27.05 27.93 7.5 27.16 28.08 8.8 84% 19 normal 31.6 32.78 0.3 27.6 28.95 6.0 6% 20 tumor 28.78 30.11 2.4 27.59 28.79 6.2 38% 21 normal 35.23 35.88 0.0 28.07 29.32 4.5 0% 22 tumor 35 36.93 0.0 27.91 29.08 5.1 0% 23 normal 31.86 32.72 0.3 27.63 28.31 6.9 4% 24 tumor 30.01 31.55 1.0 27.47 28.58 6.9 15% neg. contr. — — — — — — —
[0255] Table 6: Results generated by the method according to the invention (carry over prevention). Colon cancer and normal adjacent tissue samples were bisulfite treated with bisulfite treatment protocol B resulting in C6 sulfonated uracil containing DNA. Total DNA was measured with the C3 quantification assay version B using a calibration curve made by means of standard B. The table shows the crossing points and the calculated DNA amount from 2 replicates. Before the measurement of the methylated DNA with the HeavyMethyl Assay for the TPEF gene version B, the reactions were contaminated with 10,000 copies of the TPEF amplicon containing uracil instead of thymine. The table shows the measured CP of 2 replicates and the calculated DNA amount. Finally the methylation percentages (PMR) were calculated by the ratio of methylated DNA and total DNA.
HeavyMethyl Assay C3 Quantification Assay for the TPEF gene Version B Version B CP CP ng/PCR CP CP ng/PCR PMR Sample Type 1 st Run 2 nd Run mean 1 st Run 2 nd Run mean % standard B 20 ng 27.73 27.29 27.63 27.31 standard B 5 ng 29.18 28.58 28.82 28.62 standard B 5 ng 29.18 28.89 28.76 28.73 standard B 1.25 ng 31.04 30.71 30.57 30.05 standard B 1.25 ng 31.08 30.51 30.33 30.01 standard B 0.31 ng 32.9 32.84 31.87 31.46 standard B 0.31 ng 32.78 32.65 32.27 31.69 1 normal 33.84 33.49 0.2 28.13 28.16 9.8 2% 2 tumor 37.54 — 0.0 28.53 29.14 5.3 0% 3 normal 34.43 34.72 0.2 29.14 29.68 3.0 5% 4 tumor 30.46 30.1 1.9 28.23 28.2 9.1 21% 5 normal 34.17 32.89 0.2 28.7 28.92 5.2 4% 6 tumor 29.23 28.69 5.6 27.87 27.83 13.1 43% 7 normal 32.97 32.87 0.3 27.92 28.01 11.7 2% 8 tumor 30.82 30.63 1.3 28.44 28.78 6.4 21% 9 normal 33.87 33.55 0.2 28.43 28.59 6.9 3% 10 tumor 30.97 31.19 1.0 28.58 29.12 5.2 20% 11 normal 33.14 33.53 0.2 28.11 28.2 9.7 3% 12 tumor 33.13 33.66 0.2 27.69 28 13.5 2% 13 normal 33.04 33.57 0.3 28.44 28.86 6.2 4% 14 tumor 31.08 31.54 0.9 28.03 28.79 8.4 10% 15 normal 33.09 33.6 0.2 28.03 28.54 9.0 3% 16 tumor 29.74 29.78 3.0 28.59 28.95 5.5 54% 17 normal 33.95 33.52 0.2 28.43 28.68 6.7 3% 18 tumor 28.66 28.69 7.3 28.09 28.09 10.3 70% 19 normal 33.01 34.08 0.2 28.11 28.2 9.7 3% 20 tumor 30.03 30.71 1.9 28.19 28.17 9.5 20% 21 normal 36.24 36.98 0.2 28.92 29.25 4.0 4% 22 tumor 36.04 35.12 0.1 28.58 28.9 5.6 2% 23 normal 33.79 33.77 0.2 28.1 28.43 9.0 2% 24 tumor 31.89 32.2 0.5 28.69 29.09 4.9 10% neg. contr. — — — — — — —
[0256] The results obtained by the standard workflow and the method according are compared in a correlation plot ( FIG. 5 ). Every symbol represents a single sample: quadrates tumor tissues, triangles normal adjacent tissues. The percentage of methylation determined according to the standard workflow (x-axis) or to the method according to the invention (y-axis) is indicated for each sample.
[0257] The method according to the invention has led only in 2 out of 24 samples to a different methylation percentage as the standard workflow. Although the samples treated according to the method of the invention were contaminated with uracil containing TPEF amplicons only DNA of the samples served as a template for amplification of the TPEF amplicon in nearly all cases. In case of the said two samples, the differing results occurred presumable because of the low methylation percentage of the DNA (smaller than 0.2%). | Disclosed is a method for the specific amplification of template DNA in the presence of potentially contaminating PCR products from previous amplification experiments. In the first step DNA is contacted with a bisulfite solution, which reacts with unmethylated cytosines but not with methylated cytosines, by sulfonating them. This results in deamination of the cytosine whereby sulfonated uracil is generated. Such sulfonation protects the template nucleic acid from being a target for the enzyme UNG. Any contaminating DNA, which contains unprotected unsulfonated or desulfonated uracils is degraded enzymatically while UNG is active. After UNG treatment and inactivation, the sulfonated uracil bases are converted into uracil by desulfonation. This method is useful for decontamination of nucleic acid samples, or rather for avoiding amplification of ‘carry over products’ in particular in the context of DNA methylation analysis. Furthermore it can be used as a simplified method of bisulfite treatment in general. | 2 |
BACKGROUND
Operation of computer systems and other electronic devices may generate electromagnetic fields (EM fields) in the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. These energies, referred to as electromagnetic interference (EMI) may cause “noise” or otherwise degrade performance of other computer systems and electronic devices. Accordingly, computer systems and other electronic devices may be shielded to reduce emissions which cause EMI and disrupt the operation of other equipment. Computer systems and electronic devices may also be shielded against EMI caused by other equipment in order to function properly in the intended environment.
Filters have been developed to reduce emissions that cause EMI. However, EMI filters may require modifying the circuitry, can be expensive, and do not protect against EMI caused by other computer systems or electronic devices. Alternatively, shielding may be used to reduce emissions that cause EMI. Shielding may be accomplished by enclosing circuits or other sources of EMI. Shielding also protects against EMI caused by other computer systems or electronic devices.
EMI shielding may be accomplished by sealing openings in enclosure with foam gaskets. These foam gaskets work well if the mating surfaces of the enclosure are highly conductive (e.g., metal). However, the materials used for these enclosures may include zinc or other heavy metals, and therefore may be insulated to comply with Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) standards. Obviously, foam gaskets cannot pierce this insulating layer, thereby reducing its effectiveness for EMI shielding.
Although a metal gasket may be used to pierce the insulating layer, metal gaskets typically requires relatively high compressive forces in order to pierce the insulating layer. Accordingly, the enclosure has to be designed to resist these forces. Such a design increases manufacturing costs and the size/weight of the final product, all of which are undesirable in electronic devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary computer system which may implement EMI shielding.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of two modules of the computer system shown in FIG. 1 shown pulled apart from one another to illustrate the use of an exemplary enclosure and gasket assembly for EMI shielding.
FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the two modules in FIG. 2 showing the gasket assembly bonding the edges of enclosures.
FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are high-level cross-sectional views showing the mating surfaces of exemplary enclosures and gasket assembly (a) in an open position, and (b) in a closed position.
FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are other high-level cross-section views showing alternative embodiments of the gasket assembly wherein (a) the finger is positioned at least partially over the soft core, and (b) the finger is positioned adjacent the soft core.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of an enclosure and gasket assembly are disclosed. The enclosure may include sheet metal or other conductive material (e.g., metalized plastic). Seams and other openings in the enclosure may be sealed with a gasket assembly. The enclosure and gasket assembly work together to reduce or altogether eliminate emissions that can cause EMI. The enclosure and gasket assembly do not require modifications to any circuitry, while reducing emissions and protecting against external EMI caused by the operation of other computer systems and/or other electronic devices.
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary computer system 100 which may implement EMI shielding. In one example, the computer system 100 may be a basic 8 processor system including eight separate modules 110 a - h . Each of the separate modules 110 a - h may be enclosed and bonded together by a gasket assembly to provide effective EMI shielding (as better seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 ).
In the basic 8 processor system, eight modules 110 a - h are mounted in a chassis 120 in two rows of four each. Accordingly, each module 110 a - h may be bonded to another module on the top (or bottom) and on at least one side. For example, module 110 a is bonded to module 110 b on the side and to module 110 e on the bottom. Module 110 f is bonded to modules 110 e and 110 g on the sides, and module 110 b on the top.
It is noted, that the chassis 120 may be configured for any number of modules 110 a - h . For example, the chassis 120 may also be configured for a single row of four modules. Other configurations are also contemplated. In addition, the enclosure and gasket assembly may also be implemented for components within each of the separate modules and/or for the chassis 120 itself, and is not limited to use only between the modules 110 a - h , as will be readily appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art after becoming familiar with the teachings herein.
Before continuing, it is noted that the embodiments of computer system 100 described herein are provided for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the enclosure and gasket assembly to use with any particular type or configuration of computer system or other electronic device.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of two modules 110 a and 110 b of the computer system 100 shown in FIG. 1 shown pulled apart from one another to illustrate the use of exemplary enclosures 130 a and 130 b (respectively) and gasket assembly 140 (respectively) for EMI shielding. The enclosures 130 a and 130 b may be made of sheet metal or other conductive material (e.g., metalized plastic).
In this illustration, gasket assembly 140 on enclosure 130 a may be used to bond the edge 150 of enclosure 130 b to enclosure 130 a . The other modules shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., modules 110 a - h ) may be similarly provided with gasket assemblies for bonding the edges of the enclosures to one another on the sides, top, and/or bottom in the chassis 120 , as discussed above.
It is noted that the gasket assembly 140 may also be used to seal an opening in a single enclosure, and is not limited only to use between enclosures. For example, at least one opening formed between mating conductive surfaces (e.g., a door on an enclosure) may also be sealed for EMI.
FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the two modules 110 a and 110 b in FIG. 2 showing the gasket assembly 140 bonding the edges of enclosures 130 a and 130 b . The gasket assembly 140 may include a soft core 142 , such as, but not limited to, mesh, elastomers, and fabric bonded to foam. The gasket assembly may also include a plurality of spaced-apart, strong, conductive fingers 144 as shown in the figures.
Poor conductivity through the gasket assembly 140 may reduce the effectiveness of the EMI shielding, and may even act as an EMI antenna, serving to transmit energy instead of reduce EMI. Therefore, the fingers 144 are readily compressible, but sufficiently strong so as to readily pierce any insulating layer that may be provided on the enclosure 130 a and 130 b , as better seen in the illustration shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b . Accordingly, the fingers 144 serve to maintain conductivity between mating surfaces of the enclosures 130 a and 130 b.
FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are high-level cross-sectional views showing the mating surfaces 152 and 154 of exemplary enclosures and gasket assembly (a) in an open position, and (b) in a closed position. The open position corresponds to an uncompressed state, e.g., as shown in FIG. 2 where the finger 144 of gasket assembly 140 is not in contact with the mating surface 154 of the enclosure. The closed position corresponds to a compressed state, e.g., as shown in FIG. 3 where the finger 144 of gasket assembly 140 is in contact with a mating surface 154 .
Although the finger 144 is shown positioned over the soft core 142 of gasket assembly 140 , other embodiments are also contemplated. For example, the finger 144 may be at least partially over the soft core 142 (e.g., extending half way over the soft core), as shown in FIG. 5 a . Alternatively, the finger 144 may be positioned next to or otherwise adjacent the soft core 142 , as shown in FIG. 5 b.
The gasket assembly 140 is also shown in FIG. 4 b with the finger 144 having pierced the insulating layer 160 of mating surface 154 . Accordingly, the gasket assembly 140 provides a low-impedance path for conducting current between mating surfaces 152 and 154 of the respective enclosures. At low frequencies the gasket assembly 140 may function as a resistor. At higher frequencies, the gasket assembly 140 may function as an inductor in series with a resistive load, or alternatively, as a shunt capacitor in parallel to a resistive load.
The gasket assembly 140 may also provide a wide functional frequency range. That is, the gasket assembly 140 provides good bonding of mating surfaces 152 and 154 of the enclosures to protect against emissions in the direct current (DC) through very high frequency (VHF) range. The soft core 142 of gasket assembly 140 may also provide bonding which reduces emissions in the VHF through microwave range.
It is noted that the exemplary embodiments discussed above are provided for purposes of illustration. Embodiments of the gasket assembly 140 described herein are not limited to use with any particular type or configuration of computer system. For example, gasket assembly 140 may be implemented with other computer systems, such as, e.g., a personal desktop or laptop computer. In addition, the gasket assembly is not limited to use with computer systems. For example, the gasket assembly 140 may also be implemented with any of a wide variety of other types of electronic devices or other EMI sources. It is also noted that the gasket assembly 140 may be implemented to shield against emissions which may cause EMI, as well as shielding against EMI caused by emissions from other computer systems or other electronic devices.
Still other embodiments are also contemplated. In addition to the specific embodiments explicitly set forth herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and illustrated embodiments be considered as examples only. | Enclosures and gasket assemblies for reducing EMI for computer systems and other electronic devices are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment a gasket assembly for reducing EMI may comprise a soft core sizable to extend along at least the length of an opening in an EMI housing. The gasket assembly may also comprise a plurality of fingers positionable at spaced-apart positions along the entire length of the opening in the EMI housing, the plurality of fingers maintaining conductivity between mating surfaces of the EMI housing. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to rotary regenerative air preheater and more particularly to bypass seals for rotary regenerative air preheaters.
A rotary regenerative air preheater transfers sensible heat from the flue gas leaving a boiler to the entering combustion air through regenerative heat transfer surface in a rotor which turns continuously through the gas and air streams. The rotor is supported in a housing and is divided into compartments by a number of radially extending plates referred to as diaphragms. These compartments are adapted to hold modular baskets in which the heat transfer surface is contained. In the normal arrangement, circumferential bypass seals are provided between the rotor and the housing to prevent the air and gas from flowing around the outside of the rotor.
In conventional air preheaters, the bypass seals have two, separate, overlapping leaves, a base leaf and a second, overlapping leaf which covers leakage paths through the base leaf. Each of the leaves is typically thirty six (36) inches long and there is fifty percent (50%) overlap between the leaves, providing a combined bypass seal length of fifty four (54) inches. The bypass seals are installed in the field, requiring the installer to hold the two seal leaves in place during the installation process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention involves an improved design of bypass seals for a rotary regenerative air preheater. The invention involves the use of primary and secondary seal leaves that are joined at a single position longitudinally intermediate their first and second ends to form a bypass seal. The first end portion of the primary seal leaf extends longitudinally beyond the first end of the secondary seal leaf and the second end portion of the secondary seal leaf extends longitudinally beyond the second end of the primary seal leaf such that the first end of the primary seal leaf defines the first end of the bypass seal and the second end of the secondary seal leaf defines the second end of the bypass seal. When installed in the air preheater, the first end portion of the primary seal leaf of each bypass seal in one of the seal rings overlaps the second end portion of the secondary seal leaf of an adjacent bypass seal in the seal ring.
Each of the seal leaves includes a base portion and a sealing portion extending from the base portion to a sealing edge. The sealing portion has a plurality of tabs separated by equidistantly spaced slots extending laterally from the sealing edge. The slots provide additional flexibility to the bypass seal and facilitate bending the bypass seal into an arcuate form during installation. One of the tabs of each seal leaf overlaps each of the slots of the other seal leaf to prevent leakage through the slot.
The base portions of each of the seal leaves define a plurality of complimentary equidistantly, longitudinally spaced mounting slots. The first of the mounting slots is positioned at a distance D 1 from the first end of the bypass seal and the last of the mounting slots is positioned at the distance D 1 from the second end of the bypass seal. The first mounting slot of the primary seal leaf is positioned at the distance D 1 from the first end of the primary seal leaf, the last mounting slot of the primary seal leaf is positioned at a distance D 2 from the second end of the primary seal leaf, the first mounting slot of the secondary seal leaf is positioned at a distance D 2 from the first end of the secondary seal leaf, and the last mounting slot of the secondary seal leaf is positioned at the distance D 1 from the second end of the secondary seal leaf, where D 2 >D 1 .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of a rotary regenerative air preheater.
FIG. 2 is a cross-section side view of a portion of a rotary regenerative air preheater illustrating the bypass seals of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the bypass seal of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 is a front view of the assembled bypass seal of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 is an enlarged and more detailed view of Area 5 of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 6 is an enlarged and more detailed view of Area 6 of FIG. 2 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a rotary regenerative air preheater 10 of the type to which the present invention applies. Forming the base of the unit is the cold end center section 12 which is constructed in the conventional manner known in the art and comprises structural steel support beams and the associated support members (not shown in detail) to form the support frame. The rotor of the air preheater (not shown in FIG. 1) is rotatably supported on this cold end center section 12 . The upper end of the rotor is supported by the hot end center section 14 .
Mounted on the sides of the cold end center section 12 are the cold end connecting plate duct assemblies 16 and 18 . These form the connections and the transition between the duct work of the steam generator and the generally circular housing 24 of the air preheater. Mounted on the sides of the hot end center section 14 are the hot end connecting plate duct assemblies 20 and 22 . Like the cold end connecting plate duct assemblies 16 and 18 , these form the connections and transition between the duct work and the air preheater housing 24 . Attached to and extending between the hot and cold connecting plate duct assemblies is the rotor housing 24 .
With reference to FIG. 2, the cold end center section 12 and the hot end center section 14 are shown in cross-section in a simplified form, excluding all the internal structural details. Attached to the sides of the cold end center section 12 are the cold end connecting plate duct assemblies 16 and 18 and the hot end connecting plate duct assemblies 20 and 22 are attached to the sides of the hot end center section 14 . The rotor 26 is rotatably mounted between the cold and hot end center sections.
FIG. 2 illustrates the rotor housing arrangement wherein the housing 24 rests on the horizontal housing support flange 28 which is installed around the periphery of the cold end connecting plate duct assemblies 16 and 18 . Mounted to the flange 28 are a series of vertical alignment bars 30 which extend upwardly from the flange 28 all around the periphery. The housing 24 and the alignment bars 30 are welded to a cold end circumferential connecting plate flange 32 . The hot end connecting duct assemblies 20 and 22 also have a horizontal flange plate 34 around the periphery similar to flange 28 . The alignment bars 36 are welded to and extend downwardly from this flange 34 . The upper end of the housing 24 and these alignment bars 34 are mounted to the hot end connecting plate flange 38 .
With reference to FIGS. 2, 5 , and 6 , annular “T-bar” sealing members 40 , 42 are attached around the periphery of the top and bottom end portions 44 , 46 of the rotor 26 . Extending inwardly from the inside of the housing 24 , generally near both the top and bottom ends 48 , 50 of the rotor 26 , are the connecting plate flanges 32 , 38 which each form a generally annular-shaped flange all around the rotor 26 . Attached to the flanges 32 , 38 are the bypass seal brackets 52 , 54 which likewise collectively extend all the way around the rotor 26 . Attached to the brackets 52 , 54 are the actual bypass seals 56 .
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a primary seal leaf 58 is mounted to a secondary seal leaf 60 to form each bypass seal 56 . Each seal leaf 58 , 60 includes a base portion 62 and a sealing portion 64 which extends at an obtuse angle α from the base portion 62 of the leaf. The seal leaves 58 , 60 are manufactured from conventional material, such that the assembled bypass seal 56 is a flexible member. The sealing portion 64 of each seal leaf 58 , 60 is divided into a plurality of tabs 66 by slots 68 which extend from the sealing edge 70 , to provide additional flexibility to the bypass seal 56 . The slots 68 are longitudinally, equidistantly spaced, providing tabs 66 that have substantially the same width W. When the primary and secondary seal leaves 58 , 60 are assembled to form the bypass seal 56 , the slots 68 in each leaf 58 , 60 is positioned adjacent to a tab 66 of the other leaf 60 , 58 , such that the tabs 66 of one leaf 58 , 60 block leakage through the slots 68 of the other leaf 60 , 58 .
Each seal leaf 58 , 60 has a plurality of equidistantly longitudinally spaced mounting slots 72 , preferably four such slots 72 , which are patterned non-symmetrically on the leaf 58 , 60 . That is, the first slot 74 in the primary seal leaf 58 is positioned at a distance D 1 from the right side edge 76 of the seal leaf 58 , the last slot 78 in the primary seal leaf 58 is positioned at a distance D 2 from the left side edge 80 of the seal leaf 58 , the first slot 82 in the secondary seal leaf 60 is positioned at a distance D 2 from the right side edge 84 of the seal leaf 60 , and the last slot 86 is positioned at a distance D 1 from the left side edge 88 of the seal leaf 60 , where D 2 >D 1 . Consequently, when the mounting slots 72 of the primary seal leaf 58 are aligned with the mounting slots 72 of the secondary seal leaf 60 , the left end segment 90 of the primary seal leaf 58 is not overlapped by the secondary seal leaf 60 and the opposite, right end segment 92 of the secondary seal leaf 60 is not overlapped by the primary seal leaf 58 . When the bypass seals 56 are installed in the air preheater 10 , the bypass seals 56 are positioned such that the left end segment 90 of the primary seal leaf 58 of each bypass seal 56 overlaps with the right end segment 92 of the secondary seal leaf 60 of an adjacent bypass seal 56 , thereby preventing leakage between adjacent bypass seals 56 . It should be appreciated that the subject invention also includes a bypass seal 56 having D 2 <D 1 , so long as the mounting slots 72 of the seal leaves 58 , 60 all of the bypass seals 56 to be installed in a single air preheater 10 have the same relationship.
In a preferred embodiment, multiple spot welds 94 located on the longitudinal centerline 96 of the bypass seal 56 mount the primary seal leaf 58 to the secondary seal leaf 60 . It should be appreciated that other conventional means for mounting the two seal leaves 58 , 60 together, for example a single spot weld, a seam weld, rivets, etc., may also be used. It should also be appreciated that the two seal leaves 58 , 60 may be mounted together at a longitudinal position other than the centerline 96 . When the bypass seal 56 is installed, it is bent to conform to the curvature of the housing 24 and rotor 26 . Such bending results in a small amount of relative movement between the two seal leaves 58 , 60 of the bypass seal 56 . If the seal leaves 58 , 60 are mounted together at two or more longitudinally spaced positions, the spot welds 94 (or other means for mounting the two seal leaves together) will constrain the relative movement between the two seal leaves 58 , 60 . Such constraint can result in deformation of the bypass seal 56 which could negatively impact its performance. If the two seal leaves 58 , 60 are mounted together at only one longitudinal position, relative motion on either side of the weld position is not constrained. Small variations in the longitudinal positions of the individual spot welds 94 in a bypass seal 56 are generally acceptable, so long as such variation does not result in substantial deformation of the bypass seal 56 during installation.
The assembled bypass seal 56 is mounted to the bypass seal bracket 52 , 54 in the field by a plurality of nuts 98 and bolts 100 , where the threaded shaft of each bolt 100 is inserted through an opening 102 in the bypass seal bracket 52 , 54 and a mounting slot 72 of the bypass seal 56 to be engaged within the threaded opening of the nut 98 . The lateral length L of the mounting slot 72 allows for proper positioning of the bypass seal 56 . The lateral length L of the mounting slot 72 and the obtuse angle α of the sealing portion 64 of the bypass seal 56 also allow the sealing edge 70 of the bypass seal 56 to be biased against the sealing surface 104 of the “T-bar” 40 , 42 . This provides a better seal and ensures that the sealing edge 70 maintains intimate contact with sealing surface 104 as the material of the sealing edge 70 is worn during use.
When the air preheater 10 is assembled, the bypass seals 56 form circumferential bypass seal rings 106 , 108 positioned between the bottom and top ends 50 , 48 of the rotor 26 and the bottom and top flanges 28 , 34 , respectively, and between the rotor 26 and the housing 24 , to prevent the bypass of air and gas around the rotor in the gap 110 between the rotor 26 and the housing 24 . When installed, the bypass seals 56 are flexible, circumferential members which are biased against the sealing surfaces 104 to form a gas and air tight seal.
While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation. | A bypass seal for a rotary regenerative air preheater includes primary and secondary seal leaves that are joined at a single position longitudinally intermediate their first and second sends. The first end portion of the primary seal leaf extends longitudinally beyond the first end of the secondary seal leaf and the second end portion of the secondary seal leaf extends longitudinally beyond the second end of the primary seal leaf. When installed in the air preheater, the first end portion of the primary seal leaf of each bypass seal in one of the seal rings overlaps the second end portion of the secondary seal leaf of an adjacent bypass seal in the seal ring. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a printed circuit board arrangement, in particular a multilayer printed circuit board. The printed circuit board arrangement comprises at least two printed circuit boards arranged mutually parallel and connected to one another.
[0002] In the case of printed circuit boards known from the prior art, which are equipped with electronic components, for example with sensors, the problem has been identified that the printed circuit boards together with the components arranged thereon may be excited in natural oscillations which can impair a detection result to be received by the sensor. This problem arises, for example, in the case of sensors which are formed as oscillation receivers, for example in the case of microphones, pressure sensors or acceleration sensors. Furthermore, the problem may consist in an oscillation frequency of the printed circuit board lying in a detection frequency range of the sensor, and thus leading to a detection result which is not in causal relationship with the measurement quantity to be detected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] According to the invention, in the case of a printed circuit board arrangement of the type mentioned in the introduction, at least one surface region of one printed circuit board is connected to another printed circuit board of the printed circuit board arrangement, by means of an element formed elastically and/or so as to be damping, in such a way that an oscillatory system, in particular a spring-mass system, an oscillatory flexion strip or a flexurally oscillatory plate, is formed by means of the surface region of the printed circuit board and the element.
[0004] In this way, the surface region and a component connected to the surface region, for example an oscillation receiver which is formed in order to generate, as a function of a received oscillation, a sensor signal representing the oscillation, in particular a pressure sensor, a rotation rate sensor or an acceleration sensor, can oscillate together with the surface region on the elastically formed element.
[0005] Preferably, the elastically formed element is additionally formed so as to be damping, and also form internal damping during the oscillation. In this way, a spring-mass system with an oscillation damper can advantageously be formed.
[0006] In the case of a multilayer-design printed circuit board arrangement, comprising at least two, preferably a plurality of printed circuit board layers, the elastically formed element, which is more preferably formed so as to be damping, may advantageously be arranged between two printed circuit boards. The printed circuit boards each form a layer of the multilayer-design printed circuit board arrangement.
[0007] The printed circuit board is, for example, a multilayer-design HDI printed circuit board (HDI=High-Density Interconnect), or an ECP printed circuit board (ECP=Embedded-Component Packaging). Interconnects of the individual printed circuit boards of the printed circuit board arrangement, in particular a multilayer printed circuit board, may preferably be connected to one another by means of through-contacts, also referred to as vias. By means of the vias, thermal connections may also be formed between printed circuit boards adjacent to one another. Preferably, the surface region is connected to an electronic component. The electronic component is, for example, a microphone, an acceleration sensor, a rotation rate sensor or a pressure sensor.
[0008] An acceleration sensor may, for example, comprise a proof mass and a piezo element connected to the mass. In another embodiment, the acceleration sensor is a micromechanical sensor, in particular a MEMS sensor (MEMS=Micro-Electro-Mechanical Sensor), which is formed in order to capacitively detect a deflection of a sensor mass. The sensor mass weighs, for example, a few micrograms and comprises webs which are connected to beams and are separated from one another along a beam longitudinal direction, which can oscillate between two electrodes forming a capacitor. For example, the sensor mass is maintained in particular in oscillation in an electric field. The oscillation of the sensor mass can be detuned in frequency and/or amplitude by an acceleration acting on the sensor mass, so that the frequency and/or amplitude of the acceleration can be detected as a function of the detuning.
[0009] In a rotation rate sensor, a mass of an acceleration sensor can be deflected as a function of a centrifugal force of a rate of a rotation, and the acceleration can thus be detected as a function of the deflection, in particular a capacitance change or piezo voltage proportional to the deflection.
[0010] The pressure sensor is preferably formed in order to detect a static air pressure, in particular a change in the air pressure, and to generate a sensor signal which represents the air pressure or the change in the air pressure. To this end, a pressure-sensitive membrane of a container may be connected to a piezo element or to a capacitive element, which can detect a deflection of the membrane.
[0011] By means of the electronic component, an additional mass can advantageously be formed, which can oscillate together with the surface region on the elastically formed element. Another electronic component may also be envisaged, as a sensor, for example a microprocessor, which is vibration-sensitive.
[0012] Preferably, a resonant frequency of the spring-mass system, comprising the surface region of the printed circuit board, the electronic component and the elastically formed element, is less than a frequency which can be detected by the sensor. Good damping of the vibrations can advantageously be achieved in this way. Also advantageously, the sensor can be decoupled from a resonance, in particular the flexural oscillation resonance, of the printed circuit board, which lies in the frequency detection range of the sensor.
[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the surface region is decoupled from oscillations, in particular flexural oscillations, of a surface of the printed circuit board next to the surface region, the printed circuit board comprising a recess for the surface region and the surface region being arranged in the recess. For example, the surface region is decoupled and thus separated from the surface region surrounding the surface region by means of slits, in particular sawed slits. The decoupling may, for example, be generated by means of a saw or by means of laser cutting. By means of the decoupling formed in this way, the surface region can oscillate freely on the elastic element relative to the surface region surrounding the surface region of the printed circuit board.
[0014] Preferably, the surface region is connected to the surface of the printed circuit board, in particular the printed circuit board surface surrounding it, by means of a film, in particular a cover film. Preferably, the film has a smaller thickness dimension than the printed circuit board. The intermediate space, in particular a gap, between the printed circuit board and the oscillatory surface region of the printed circuit board, can thus advantageously be sealed. By virtue of the sealing, advantageously no contamination can enter the intermediate space between the printed circuit boards. The film is, for example, coated with adhesive on at least one side. Such a film, in particular self-adhesive film, may also advantageously close the gap, formed for the decoupling, between the surface region and the printed circuit board surface surrounding it, after the printed circuit board has been fitted with components and also after the electronic components have been soldered to the printed circuit board.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the elastically formed element comprises silicone. By virtue of a silicone element, the element can advantageously have a damping property in addition to the elastic property. More advantageously, the silicone element is substantially resistant to various chemicals.
[0016] In another embodiment, the elastically formed element comprises a plastic foam, in particular a polyurethane foam. By virtue of the plastic foam, the elastic element can advantageously be provided economically.
[0017] Preferably, the element formed elastically and/or so as to be damping is inserted into a recess of the printed circuit board by means of injection onto the other printed circuit board. For example, the elastically formed element may be incorporated into an interlayer by means of an embedding method. Thus, the other printed circuit board, which is arranged next to and parallel to the printed circuit board, can form an oscillation counter-bearing and fastening point for the elastic element and the surface region, which is connected to the elastic element.
[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the element is arranged between the planes formed by the printed circuit board and the other printed circuit board. In this way, the surface region with the printed circuit board surrounding it can advantageously be arranged in the same plane. By virtue of the decoupling by means of the elastic element, in a multilayer printed circuit board assembly no more installation space in the height direction is used up by constructing a spring-mass system.
[0019] The invention also relates to a circuit arrangement having a printed circuit board according to the type described above. In the circuit arrangement, at least some of the components of the circuit arrangement are connected mechanically and/or electrically to a surface region of the printed circuit board, which forms an oscillatory system, in particular a spring-mass system, an oscillatory flexion strip or a flexurally oscillatory plate.
[0020] The surface region preferably has a surface size on which the sensor can be fastened. For example, a square surface region of a spring-mass system has an edge length of between one centimeter and five centimeters. An oscillatory system in the micro-range may also be envisioned, so that in the case of thin printed circuit boards, for example having a printed circuit board thickness of between 100 and 150 micrometers of the multilayer printed circuit board arrangement, a MEMS sensor with a square dimension having an edge length of 50 micrometers without electronic interconnection of the MEMS sensor may be less than one millimeter, preferably less than 500 micrometers, depending on the resonant frequency to be achieved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a printed circuit board arrangement having an oscillatory system formed by a surface region of a printed circuit board and a spring element;
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the printed circuit board arrangement represented in a sectional view in FIG. 1 ;
[0023] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a printed circuit board arrangement having an oscillatory system formed by a surface region of a printed circuit board and a damping element in plan view;
[0024] FIG. 4 shows the printed circuit board arrangement of FIG. 3 in a sectional representation;
[0025] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of a printed circuit board arrangement having an oscillatory system formed by a surface region of a printed circuit board and a damping element, the surface region forming a leaf spring having a freely oscillating end;
[0026] FIG. 6 shows the printed circuit board arrangement of FIG. 5 in a sectional representation;
[0027] FIG. 7 shows a diagram of two transfer functions of the printed circuit board arrangement in FIGS. 3 and 4 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a printed circuit board arrangement 1 . The printed circuit board arrangement 1 comprises a printed circuit board 5 and a printed circuit board 7 connected to the printed circuit board 5 . The printed circuit boards 5 and 7 are arranged mutually parallel, an interlayer 33 which connects the printed circuit boards 5 and 7 to one another being arranged at least locally between the printed circuit boards 5 and 7 . The printed circuit boards 5 and 7 are for example fiber-reinforced, in particular glass fiber-reinforced epoxy resin printed circuit boards. In this exemplary embodiment, the printed circuit board arrangement 1 forms a multilayer printed circuit board, the printed circuit boards 5 and 7 respectively forming a layer which enclose the interlayer 33 , also referred to as an inner layer, between them. For example, the interlayer 33 is formed by an epoxy resin layer. The printed circuit boards 5 and 7 each have a copper sheet on at least one side. The copper sheet may, for example, be formed by an RCC sheet (RCC=Resin-Coated Copper). In this exemplary embodiment, the printed circuit board arrangement 1 also comprises a plurality of electronic components. Electronic components 14 and 16 are represented, which are respectively arranged on one side of the printed circuit board 7 . In this exemplary embodiment, the components 14 and 16 are formed by an integrated circuit. The printed circuit board arrangement 1 also comprises electronic components 20 and 22 , which are respectively formed as capacitors. The components 20 and 22 are respectively arranged in the interlayer 33 , and therefore between the printed circuit boards 5 and 7 . An electronic component 18 is also represented, in this exemplary embodiment an integrated circuit, which is arranged on one side of the printed circuit board 5 and is connected to the printed circuit board 5 , in particular to copper tracks of the printed circuit board 5 .
[0029] The printed circuit board 7 comprises a surface region 9 which—for example by means of sawing—has been separated from the printed circuit board 7 . The surface region 9 therefore forms a kind of cover, which is enclosed by a gap 25 extending around the cover. The gap 25 is produced, for example, by sawing or laser cutting of the printed circuit board 7 . Advantageously, the gap may have been produced before connection of the printed circuit board 7 to the printed circuit board 5 . In the case of thin printed circuit boards, a plurality of printed circuit boards may be placed on one another and laser-cut or sawed together. In this way, the thin printed circuit boards cannot break, and more advantageously a plurality of printed circuit boards can be produced economically in one method step.
[0030] The surface region 9 of the printed circuit board 7 is connected to the printed circuit board 5 by means of a spring element 11 . In this exemplary embodiment, the spring element 11 is formed by a silicone rubber. In this exemplary embodiment, the spring element 11 also has damping properties.
[0031] A sensor 13 is also arranged on the surface region 9 of the printed circuit board 7 . The sensor 13 is for example a pressure sensor, in particular a microphone, an acceleration sensor or a rotation rate sensor. The sensor 13 is connected to the printed circuit board 7 , and there to at least one copper interconnect, by means of bonding wires 35 and 37 . In another embodiment, the sensor is electrically connected by means of flip-chip technology or by means of through-contacts, also referred to as vias.
[0032] Together with the surface region 9 of the printed circuit board 7 , the sensor 13 forms a mass of an oscillatory system, in particular of a spring-mass system. In this exemplary embodiment, the spring element 11 is arranged between the printed circuit boards 5 and 7 . In the region of the spring element 11 , the interlayer 33 comprises a recess, so that a cavity is formed in which the spring element 11 is arranged. The spring element 11 is therefore arranged in a cavity extending between the printed circuit boards 7 and 5 , in particular the surface region 9 and the printed circuit board 5 .
[0033] By means of the oscillatory system formed in this way, the sensor 13 can advantageously be decoupled from mechanical oscillations of the printed circuit board 5 and of the components connected to the printed circuit board 5 .
[0034] In this embodiment, the circumferential gap 25 is covered by an adhesive film 30 . The adhesive film 30 is, for example, a polyimide film which covers the gap 25 and advantageously has additional damping properties. When the sensor 13 together with the surface region 9 oscillates on the spring element 11 , the film 30 can move elastically together with the oscillation movements and generate damping in addition to the damping properties of the spring element 11 by means of the elastic deformations of the to-and-fro movements of the oscillation movement.
[0035] A resonant frequency f=ω/2Π of the spring-mass system formed in this way is calculated according to the formula:
[0000]
ω
=
s
m
[0036] with ω=angular frequency
[0037] s=spring stiffness of the spring element
[0038] m=mass of the sensor and the surface element.
[0039] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the printed circuit board arrangement represented in a sectional view in FIG. 1 . The printed circuit board 7 , which comprises an opening, is represented.
[0040] The surface element 9 , which has smaller dimensions than the opening, is arranged in the opening, so that a circumferential gap 25 which encloses the surface region 9 is formed between the surface region 9 and the printed circuit board 7 in the opening. The sensor 13 is arranged on the surface region 9 of the printed circuit board 7 and is connected thereto.
[0041] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a printed circuit board arrangement 2 . In this embodiment, the printed circuit board arrangement 2 comprises two printed circuit boards 5 and 7 . The printed circuit board 7 comprises an opening, extending lengthwise in a printed circuit board plane of the printed circuit board 7 , which forms a gap 29 . Transversely with respect to the gap 29 , a further gap 28 extends in the region of one end of the gap 29 . In the region of the other end of the gap 29 , a gap 24 extends in the same direction as the gap 28 . The ends of the gaps 24 and 28 which lie next to the gap 29 are respectively separated from the gap 29 by webs, the webs being formed in the printed circuit board 7 . The webs are, for example, formed by printed circuit board material of the printed circuit board 7 remaining during the sawing of the gaps 28 , 29 and 24 . The webs are therefore formed integrally onto the printed circuit board 7 . A gap 27 extends parallel to the gap 29 and in the region of the ends of the gaps 24 and 28 away from the gap 29 . A surface region 8 of the printed circuit board 7 which is connected to the printed circuit board 7 by means of the webs is therefore enclosed by means of the gaps 24 , 28 and 27 . The surface region 8 can therefore—suspended from the webs—oscillate to-and-fro transversely in the printed circuit board 7 with respect to a printed circuit board plane of the printed circuit board 7 . The to-and-fro oscillation of the surface region 8 causes deformation of the surface region 8 , which, for example in the case of a first oscillation mode, describes a kind of cushion shape toward the end regions of an oscillation amplitude.
[0042] A sensor 13 is arranged on the surface region 8 . The sensor 13 is for example a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor or a microphone.
[0043] FIG. 4 shows the printed circuit board arrangement 2 represented in a plan view in FIG. 3 in a sectional representation. The section extends through the gap 27 . In this way, the multilayer structure of the multilayer printed circuit board arrangement, comprising three layers in this exemplary embodiment, namely the printed circuit board 5 and the printed circuit board 7 and an interlayer 32 arranged between them. In this exemplary embodiment, the interlayer 32 comprises a cavity, in which a damping element 12 is arranged. The damping element 12 is formed for example by a plastic foam, in particular polyurethane foam, by a silicone rubber or by a gel element, in particular a silicone gel element.
[0044] The sensor can oscillate to-and-fro together with the surface region 8 transversely with respect to a printed circuit board plane of the printed circuit board 7 , the surface region 8 being suspended from the webs and connected to printed circuit board 7 by means of the webs.
[0045] The oscillation of the surface region 8 , in particular a resonant frequency, is therefore determined substantially by a flexural stiffness of the printed circuit board material of the printed circuit board 7 and its size. The printed circuit board material is for example fiber-reinforced, in particular glass fiber-reinforced, epoxy resin. In this exemplary embodiment, the oscillation amplitude of the oscillation of the surface region 8 is determined both by the damping properties of the printed circuit board 7 , in particular of the surface region 8 of the printed circuit board 7 , itself, and by the damping properties of the damping element 12 which connects the surface region 8 to the printed circuit board 5 and is arranged in the intermediate space between the surface region 8 and the printed circuit board 5 . The resonant frequency of the oscillatory system may, for example, with a predetermined flexural stiffness of the surface element 8 , be established by a length of the gaps 24 , 27 , 28 and 29 . The resonant frequency may, for example, be determined empirically.
[0046] A frequency profile of the oscillation of the surface region 8 is represented in FIG. 7 .
[0047] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of a printed circuit board arrangement 3 . In this exemplary embodiment, the printed circuit board arrangement 3 comprises three layers, of which one layer are respectively formed by a fiber-reinforced printed circuit board, namely in this exemplary embodiment a printed circuit board 5 and a printed circuit board 7 . The printed circuit boards 5 and 7 are connected to one another by an interlayer 34 . The interlayer 34 is formed, for example, by an epoxy resin layer. The interlayer 34 comprises a cavity 31 , in which a damping element 15 is arranged. In this exemplary embodiment, the damping element 15 fills the cavity 31 only partially. In this exemplary embodiment, the printed circuit board 7 has a U-shaped opening, which forms by the U-shaped gap 26 .
[0048] The U-shaped gap 26 encloses a surface region 10 of the printed circuit board 7 , and the cavity 31 extends between the surface region 10 of the printed circuit board 7 and the printed circuit board 5 . In this exemplary embodiment, the surface region 10 has an elongate shape. The surface region 10 can therefore oscillate, starting from a line 39 which joins the ends of the U branches of the gap 26 , into the cavity 31 and out of the printed circuit board surface 7 .
[0049] The surface region 10 may in this case—in a similar way to a springboard—flex in the manner of a spring along its lengthwise extent. The spring properties, in particular a resonant frequency of the oscillatory system formed in this way, are essentially determined by the flexural stiffness of the surface element 10 along its lengthwise extent, and, with a fixed width of the surface element 10 , by the freely oscillating length of the surface element 10 .
[0050] A damping element 15 is arranged in the region of one end of the surface element 10 . The damping element 15 connects an end region of the surface element 10 to the printed circuit board 5 . The damping element 15 is arranged in the cavity 31 between the printed circuit board 5 and the surface region 10 . By means of the damping element 15 , the oscillation movement of the surface region 3 transversely to the printed circuit board plane of the printed circuit board 7 can be damped. The damping element 15 is formed for example by a silicone rubber or a gel element, in particular a silicone gel element.
[0051] FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the printed circuit board arrangement 3 already represented in FIG. 5 . The sensor 13 is represented, which is connected in the region of one end of the lengthwise-extending surface region 10 , which forms a printed circuit board section of the printed circuit board 7 , to the surface region 10 . The gap 26 enclosing the surface region 10 is also represented. The gap 26 may, for example, have been produced by means of sawing or laser cutting.
[0052] FIG. 7 shows a transfer function of an oscillation of the surface region 8 , represented in FIG. 4 , of the printed circuit board 7 . The sensor 13 is connected to the surface region 8 . Together with the surface region 8 , the sensor 13 therefore forms an oscillatory system. FIG. 7 shows a diagram 40 . The diagram 40 has a frequency axis 42 and an amplitude axis 44 . On the amplitude axis 44 , the transfer value of the oscillation is plotted in decibels. The diagram 40 shows a transfer function 46 of an undamped oscillation of the surface region 8 . In the case of the undamped oscillation of the surface region 8 , the printed circuit board arrangement 2 does not have a damping element 12 . A pronounced resonant frequency 50 of the surface element 8 can be seen. The transfer function 46 falls off strongly toward higher frequencies. There is therefore damping of the oscillatory system toward higher frequencies. The oscillatory system can therefore advantageously be decoupled toward higher frequencies.
[0053] A transfer function 48 is also represented. The transfer function 48 represents an oscillation of the surface region 8 which is connected to the printed circuit board 5 by means of the damping element 12 . A resonant frequency 52 is also represented, which is greater than the resonant frequency 50 . A smaller oscillation amplitude in the region of the resonance 52 than in the region of the resonance 50 of the transfer function 48 can be seen. The smaller amplitude is advantageously caused by the damping of the damping element 12 . Starting from the resonant frequency 52 , the transfer function falls off steeply toward higher frequencies, so that oscillation decoupling can thereby effectively be produced. In this exemplary embodiment, the resonant frequency 50 is at about 5000 Hertz, and the resonant frequency 52 is at about 7000 Hertz. It can be seen that, starting at frequencies greater than 10,000 Hertz, the sensor 13 is effectively decoupled from oscillations. The sensor 13 can therefore be effectively decoupled by oscillations, in particular flexural oscillations, of the printed circuit boards 5 and 7 of the printed circuit board arrangement. In this way, advantageously, a detection range of the sensor, in particular a frequency range of the detection range of the sensor 13 , which lies above the resonant frequency 50 or 52 , cannot be impaired, or can be impaired only slightly, by oscillations of the printed circuit board arrangement. | The invention relates to a printed circuit board arrangement, more particularly a multilayer printed circuit board. The printed circuit board arrangement comprises at least two printed circuit boards which are arranged parallel to one another and connected to one another. According to the invention, in the case of the printed circuit board arrangement of the type mentioned initially, at least one surface region of one printed circuit board is connected to another printed circuit board of the printed circuit board arrangement by means of an element embodied in an elastic and/or damping fashion in such a way that an oscillatory system, more particularly a spring-mass system, an oscillatory bending strip or a flexurally oscillatory board is formed by means of the surface region of the printed circuit board and the element. | 6 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to half log siding which can be mounted to any pre-constructed wall that is flat while providing the illusion of full log construction with extended corners.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There has been a large number of attempts to simulate the appearance of the full log construction with the use of a siding system. Most of these attempts try to suggest that wood is no longer available or too expensive. Despite environmentalist concerns for protecting the wildlife, thus forcing reduction of usable timberlands and the unfortunate acid rain's destruction of large numbers of timber, the full log is readily available and reasonably priced in today's market. Some attempts are based on designs of using a pre-constructed wall with a chosen insulation and a wood siding being half log or less that out performs the insulating value of the full log. With the superior quality of insulating materials today, the thermal mass concept of the full log construction cannot compete in locations that experience extreme temperatures for extended periods. This lack of insulating value (R factor) with the full log can be identified in higher utility expenses. While other attempts combine stated reasons and also suggest an "easy to apply" siding method. This concept is true because any design or building code does not have to be considered and the installation can be accomplished as a simple siding procedure. Though simple enough, the considered applications are relating to pre-constructed walls consisting of and limited to wooden stud design. The intention for application to any other type of wall design is eliminated because of the method in which securing the siding to the wall is performed. Application is standard within the industry, all logs are securely mounted to the walls with the use of large nails (spikes). In recent years the introduction of a screw style nail has given better gripping power. These nails are driven directly into and through the half log then into the stud within the wall. Conveniently over looked is the damage the nails do to the studs as they penetrate. Being quite large the nails easily and frequently will split the stud severely, resulting in a dramatically weakened structure from the application. All nails are concealed by the stacking of the next row of half log siding. Decorative trim may be used around any area of the building that shows exposed cuts or needs a finished appearance. Understanding that most designs for the half log siding take into consideration for the weather, trying to keep the wind and rain out. Commonly used are tongue and groove cuts made into the logs to help provide this seal. Also widely used is a foam seal or caulk that is placed between where any two logs may join. With a variety of quality stains and sealers available today the maintenance required for a wood exterior is effectively reduced and no longer a major concern for the individuals who purchase them.
Despite the introduction of maintenance free vinyl and aluminum sidings with an arsenal of styles and colors, including imitation wood textures, the log home industry is experiencing substantial sales growth. Each year additional manufacturers and suppliers join the industry to enjoy an ever expanding market. Though the half log or insulated log wall is fairly new, the benefits and cost effectiveness of its construction are becoming quite popular and almost every supplier is offering a version of it.
The only compatible previous patent found, Kinser U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,925 Simulated Log Building Structure, will be discussed here to briefly enlighten the reader of the objectives of this patent, differences, flaws in design, and the limitations related with the application of this siding method. Kinser states that the object of his invention is to provide a prefabricated building system that when assembled gives the building the appearance of a log home that has been custom built by hand-hewing the ends of logs and caulking between adjacent logs for the log and mortar look. It is also clearly stated that this method of simulating the log and mortar is only applicable for new construction consisting of a wood studded wall and being the corner post is considered a main component of the building structure. Though the mortar spacer also later referred to as a mounting connector by Kinser was intended primarily as a decorative piece then decided to give it the duty of securing the log facing material to the wall. A nail which is illustrated or as suggested any conventional attachment means usable in the building industry to secure these elements must penetrate this mortar spacer and fasten to the wall, in doing so it is clearly noticeable that any authenticity in the custom built simulation will be lost because this in not required on such construction. Whereas the mounting system in present invention is specifically designed for the task of securely holding the large half logs in position on any pre-constructed wall that is flat and that which may be made of any building material. Remaining completely concealed within the assembly its means of fastening is not obvious, even to the skilled in the art which is a requirement with Kinser's method. Also with Kinser's method he has allowed for the natural movement in all wood products but unfortunately this movement is noticeable at the corner post made with the extensive cutting to make it appear as a real crafted dovetail notched corner assembly. The means in which this movement is noticed is by a separation of the log facing and mortar spacer at the abutting to the dovetail corner post. Again, any authenticity in this custom built assembly is lost because this is not found on log buildings. To further mark the boundaries of his invention he intentionally mentioned that this wall assembly is to be as thin as possible and obtain the R-19 insulation rating that he considers a high value and energy saving. The reality is that in today's building industry a simulated log wall easily achieves R-36 and greater values with the use of half logs and the improved insulating materials available.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
a) The principal object of the present invention is to give the illusion of full log construction to buildings with the use of half log sidings.
b) It is also an object of the present invention to enable this half log siding to be applied to any type of pre-constructed wall that is flat.
c) Another object of the present invention is to allow for ease of assembly without the expertise of carpentry or construction skills.
d) Yet another object of the present invention is to strengthen the structure it is applied to while simultaneously eliminating any stress that may be otherwise experienced through the natural movement related with wood.
e) A further object of the present invention is to provide superior seals to eliminate penetration of the weather.
f) Another object of the present invention is to be cost effective for both initial installation and long term ownership.
The foregoing objects of the present invention can be accomplished with a specific method of application for the half log siding. With the utilization of a separate piece of interlocking material having a definite shape, placed on the bottom and top of each stacked half log siding, this interlocking piece can then be employed to securely hold half log siding against the applied wall. Fasteners used to retain these half log sidings to the applied wall never penetrate the logs, the final half log siding being the only exception. This interlocking piece can then be better labeled as the mounting strips which performs the task of holding the logs to the applied wall. All fasteners go directly through the mounting strips. Since the logs are merely held in place it shall be acknowledged that the half log sidings are not to be considered fastened to the applied wall thus allowed to move as they would from temperature and humidity changes and not to interfere with the stability of the applied wall. There is a mounting strip for each level of half log siding mounted to the applied wall, in doing so means there are numerous horizontal braces increasing the wall's strength. The specific shape of the mounting strip, corresponding with the cuts previously machined into the half log sidings, allows for easy assembly, stays completely concealed and does not permit the penetration of the elements. The angle of which all fasteners are installed combined with the specific shape of the mounting strips gives this method a unique advantage of being able to be applied to any wall surface that is flat. The ends of the logs are also an important area of concern for sealing properly. A unique seal is illustrated in present invention that allows for log movement, provides an excellent seal and does not show air gaps created from the logs movement. The finished assembly looks authentic as any full log construction and is economical to apply since a lesser amount of material is required and being installed onto a pre-constructed wall the owner can choose any kind and amount of insulation thus reducing utility expenses. Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a superior siding arrangement and manner of applying a half log siding to any pre-constructed wall that is flat and that may consist of any building material. With the application of this siding system the illusion of full log construction is accomplished. Many benefits are appreciated resulting from the installation of present invention in relation to the full log; lower installation and maintenance expenses, lower utility expenses, older homes can be revived with new life, and in relation to other half log sidings; a stronger more stable structure, ease of installation and excellent seals are created at all the adjoining components in the system.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side plan view of the assembled interlocking mounting pieces of present invention with half log siding applied to a studded wall.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a front and corner of a building having the finished appearance of full log construction after application of the present invention with references of cross-sectional viewing for proper placement of siding components.
FIG. 3 is an exploded side plan view of the mounting strips and half log siding.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the half log siding assembled on a wall with the use of interlocking mounting strips screwed to a typical studded wall.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the half log siding assembled on a wall constructed of either block, brick or stone and the interlocking mounting strips used with anchors to firmly secure screws to wall.
FIG. 6 is a side plan view of the present invention also applied to the interior wall and the elements of the present invention shown in their proper placement.
FIG. 7 is a view in detail of the portion indicated by the section lines 1--1 in FIG. 2, the half log siding shown meeting a left corner half log siding at the corner, there also being shown the dado fit and double seal used in the installation of this siding system. Also shown is the placement of the half log siding for the interior wall.
FIG. 8 is a view in detail of the portion indicated by the section lines 3--3 in FIG. 2 being the half log siding is shown meeting the right corner half log siding at the corner displaying the dado fit that opposite of FIG. 7 which is how the half logs give the alternating stacked full log appearance. Also shown is the placement of the half log siding for the interior wall.
FIG. 9 is an inside perspective view of an assembled half log corner section depicting placement of the double seal consisting of rubberized adhesive butyl sealant.
FIGS. 10a and 10b are respective fragmentary perspective and top plan views showing the ship lap method of making the union and the placement of the double seal for abutting half log sidings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows the assembly of half log siding 14 to a pre-constructed studded exterior wall 24. The exterior wall 24 is of standard stud construction and can be commonly found on most home buildings. An exterior polystyrene foam insulation 28 is first applied to help increase the insulating abilities of the exterior wall 24. The application of an air infiltration barrier 30 over the foam insulation 28 dramatically decreases the drafts entering the exterior wall 24 and thus the building in general keeping a better controlled and more efficient environment. With the foam insulation 28 and air barrier 30 in place we are then ready to install the elements of the invention. The lower mounting strip 2 is securely mounted to the base of wall 24 with the use of a mounting screw 26. A deck screw is used for the mounting screw 26 and is preferred for a number of reasons; first is that these screws are considerably strong for their size and resist breaking, second is that the holding power of these screws is excellent and clearly out performs nails that may be used for same application, third is that the design characteristics allow for penetration while eliminating the possibility of splitting the studs within the wall (which is a problem when using nails), fourth is being of flat head design allows for them to be flush when inserted, and lastly being protective coated means that screws will not rust and that they will retain their original condition and more importantly their strength. With the lower mounting strip 2 in position, the first half log 14 can be easily placed in position due to the unique design of the mounting strips 2 and 4 which will be later explained with regards to FIG. 3. With the placement of the first piece of half log siding 14 the lower mounting strip 2 is concealed and retention of lower portion of siding 14 is accomplished. Next installed is the mounting strip 4 that is used throughout the rest of the assembly, again mounting screw 26 is used to secure mounting strip 4 which retains upper portion of half log siding 14. This assembly is repeated up the exterior wall 24 until the desired amount of half log siding is assembled or the soffet board 34 is reached. Once at the soffet board 34 the final half log siding 15 will be placed into position and secured to wall 24 with a longer mounting screw 27 that will give the same amount penetration (as screw 26) into the exterior wall 24. To provide a positive seal for the void area created at final half log 15 and soffet board 34 a foam sealant 32 is compressed into location. A decorative trim 36 is installed to beautify the final steps of assembly and again mounting screws 38 are utilized but of appropriate length which may be different from other locations previously mentioned. A standard finished interior wall 40 and ceiling 42 is shown expressing that the interior may remain original or conventional as may pertain.
With the half log siding 14 completely installed with the method of application as described in present invention using mounting strips 2 and 4 the building can easily be mistaken for a full log constructed building for there are no obvious indications that it is constructed otherwise. This completed assembly is presented in FIG. 2.
The elements utilized for the assembly of this system is unique for reason being that it allows for easy assembly while providing maximum holding power. The concealed interlocking material considered as mounting strip 4 is named for the particular function it is designed for. The specific shape of this mounting strip 4 (also 2 being the lower mounting strip) is described here in detail and the relationships are shown in FIG. 3. There are two tongues considered the upper locking tongue 10 and the lower locking tongue 12 (only the upper locking tongue 10 is present on lower mounting strip 2) that are designed in such a way as to allow for any slight imperfections with the flatness of a wall. Surfaces being inner diagonally cut edges 6 of mounting strip 4 and inner diagonal cut of dado in half log siding 21), when being assembled present initially a larger amount of room to place pieces together. This can be noted when placing lower tongue 12 of mounting strip 4 in accepting upper dado cut 18 in half log siding, or upper locking tongue 11) of mounting strip 4 accepting lower dado cut 16 in half log siding. As either piece is brought closer to being considered a proper fit diagonal cuts previously mentioned along with outer diagonally cut edge 8 of mounting strip 4 and outer diagonal cut 22 of dado in half log siding help align pieces of the assembly for an easily accomplished, tight, well mated join. When applied to a conventional studded wall as shown being fastened to exterior wall 24 in FIG. 4 the mounting screws 26 are placed so to penetrate studs within the wall which is common to be either 16 inches or 24 inches on center of each other. When mounting screws 26 are placed on each stud in exterior wall assembly 24 maximum holding power is obtained. A major benefit from securing at each point possible through mounting strips 4 is that with the network of horizontal braces formed from the repeated assembly of mounting strips 4 and half log siding 14 up the exterior wall 24 a dramatically stronger structure is created.
Versatility is another major benefit from using mounting strips 2 & 4. It can be realized in observation of FIG. 5 which demonstrates the application of half log siding 14 to an existing block wall 60. The task of applying a half log siding to other than a conventional studded wall has been avoided because current designs do not allow for this to be easily accomplished. The application onto solid surfaces such as block, brick or stone is achieved with little extra effort of pre-drilling the locations for mounting screws 26 & 27 and inserting anchors 62 which securely retains mounting screws 26 & 27 and thus mounting strips 2 & 4 will also be securely fastened in place which will perform the duties of holding half log siding 14 in position.
This siding system is also capable of being applied to any interior wall and can be recognized in FIG. 6 as an interior half log siding 48. There are no significant differences with the interior application as compared to the exterior application, however, mounting screw 58 will be of appropriate length and will not be the same length as either mounting screw 26 or 27 because no insulation or other type of board needs to be placed over the exposed studs. If half log siding 14 is to be applied to the inside of an exterior wall 24 it is necessary that a vapor barrier 56 be installed prior to avoid problems from humidity later on. At the top of the assembly the final half log siding 15 is secured with finishing nails 52 and will not be seen. It may be noted that if the desired amount of wall to be covered with half log siding 14 is not dimensionally correct that final top log 15 can and may be trimmed to meet height limitations. To fill the void created with the placement of final half log siding 15 and the ceiling 42 a bead of caulk sealant 54 can be used, or may be finished similar to the exterior by installing a decorative trim 36.
With reference to cross sectional lines 1--1 and 3--3 of FIG. 2 the alternating stacked corner appearance can be better interpreted by looking at FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 for details. First it must be noted that corner half log sidings (44 & 46) are an extension of a half log siding 14 and the method of mounting corner half log sidings (44 & 46) is exactly the same as for half log siding 14. This can be realized in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. In FIG. 7 a left hand corner half log 46 is shown placed in the corner of exterior wall assembly 24 with a half log siding 14 meeting same at dado 45. Placed within this dado 45 is a double seal of rubberized adhesive butyl sealant 64 that makes for an exceptional seal that is capable of being remarkably flexible with log movement and stay in tact with both surfaces it is placed between. This dado serves yet another purpose which is to conceal the joint between corner half log siding (left 46 or right 44) and half log siding 14, and the double butyl seal 64. As natural log movement occurs any gaps may become larger and be considered undesirable as well as unsightly. This dado 45 eliminates this dilemma as any log movement is contained within the dado 45. Also shown in FIG. 7 is how the interior half log siding 48 is properly fitted in the corner area. FIG. 8 is the exact opposite of FIG. 7 and this illustrates how an alternating stacked corner is accomplished and the inner appearance of the same.
Tight seals are a must at all corners which is the most likely area to allow for penetration of the weather. FIG. 9 exhibits the same double seal 64 that was shown in FIG. 7 & 8 but in full perspective. This double seal 64 completely wraps around all joining areas of both corner half log sidings 44 & 46 thus capable of providing the superior seal necessary to completely eliminate any possibility for the penetration of the weather elements.
The abutting half logs 14 is also of concern for proper sealing. With a long length of wall it would be impossible to cover this length with one log. There may be two or more half log sidings 14 added to the corner half log sidings 44 & 46 and thus a large number of unions would be made on the side of a building. With so many possibilities for the weather to penetrate it is of major concern that a high quality seal be made. FIG. 10a shows two adjacent ends of adjacent abutting half logs 14 which are provided with the ship lap cuts 66, inner seal 68 and outer seal 70 made of the same rubberized adhesive butyl sealant used in alternating stacked corner assembly shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10b shows the FIG. 10a adjacent log ends in longitudinal assembled relationship. The separation of the inner and outer seals (68 & 70) creates an effective thermal barrier with air pocket 72. It is a known fact that a "dead air space" makes for a good insulator as air by itself does not conduct temperature well at all. Also incorporated into this union of the half log siding 14 is an offset made with the ship lap cuts 66 and thus when half log siding 14 goes through its natural movement from the experienced temperature and humidity changes visual gap 74 will not allow for a large air gap to be seen but for the half log siding 14 itself, thus making for the gap not to appear obvious.
It is seen that this method of applying the half log siding is economical for short and long term, beneficial, that special skills are not required, and will most effectively give the illusion of a solid log constructed building having an alternating stacked corner while being applicable for whatever type of wall chosen to apply siding to.
The composition of mounting strips 2 & 4 can be of any material that would satisfactorily perform the duties explained herein and that also would not have to be solid in form but can be of any material that would allow for the specific shape and rigidity to be acquired. This specific shape being defined as having a progressive shape so designed to allow for easy assembly of the elements relating to the siding application while providing a tight precision fit.
In relation to this method of applying the half log siding; it shall not be limited to only the half log but where may be applied to other thickness' of the log such as quarter log, or if a simulated log made from other than wood may be used and applied. The dimensions of the elements used in present invention need not be discussed as there should be no limitation on size or proportion of the elements.
The final appearance of the illustrated embodiment is of alternating stacked corner design, however, this method of application using elements of the invention can be utilized on any extended corner design or if no corner extension is desired. Being more explicit, this half log siding system is capable of being utilized for any type of siding that would benefit from the advantages related directly from its use.
While my above description contains many specificity's, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiment(s) illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. | A system of and manner for applying half log siding to a pre-constructed wall with the use of a separate piece of interlocking material. Having a specific shape, this interlocking piece allows for easy assembly and will securely hold the bottoms and tops of the positioned half logs to the wall. This assembly is repeated up the wall until the desired amount of wall is covered with the siding. This separate interlocking piece is capable of being fastened to a wall constructed of any building material while remaining hidden within the completed assembly. The final appearance of the siding gives the illusion of full logs, the drawbacks related with their construction and settling is not experienced. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 709,458, filed Mar. 8, 1985 now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for exchanging contaminated room air with fresh outdoor air; more particularly, to the orientation of a heat recovery rotor in such apparatus in order to produce efficient operation without adversely affecting the overall size of the apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
There is developing an increased awareness of the need for regularly removing contaminated air from within buildings and residences and replacing that air with fresh air from the outdoors. In performing this air exchange operation, due consideration must be given to the differences in air temperature and humidity that may exist between indoors and outdoors. In order to avoid defeating the benefits of air conditioning and/or heating systems, it is therefore desirable to provide at least a heat exchange operation and often a moisture removal step in conducting the air exchange operation.
One type of apparatus that has been found useful for this purpose is one that employs a heat recovery rotor which turns slowly in the counter-flowing paths of fresh air and exhaust air; these paths are provided within a housing and are sealed from one another to prevent cross contamination. The slowly turning rotor absorbs the energy of the air being exhausted from a room and releases that energy to fresh air flowing from outside into the room. The rotor may be impregnated with a moisture absorbing agent to control the humidity of the fresh air being supplied to the room.
Because the rotor represents an obstacle to the free flow of air in the two passageways, a static pressure loss is experienced across the rotor. Since fans are used to move the fresh air and the exhaust air, it is desirable that static pressure losses in the system be minimized so that fans of relatively small size and having relatively low power requirements may be used.
It has been found that the ideal orientation of the rotor with respect to the air passages is where the axis of rotation of the rotor is generally parallel to the axes of the air passages. This orientation means that the air flow is substantially normal to the opposed surfaces of the rotor and the lowest static pressure loss across the rotor thereby is experienced. There are, however, cases where it is not possible to allow sufficient height in the housing to permit orientation of the rotor in this manner; for example, when the apparatus must be installed under the beam of a concrete structure, the height of the housing must be minimized. Such conditions may require that the diameter of the rotor be reduced. A reduction in rotor diameter, however, means an increase in rotor thickness to maintain comparable heat exchange capacity and such an increase in thickness results in an increased static pressure loss across the rotor at comparable conditions of air flow and velocity.
A more common problem, however, arising from limited vertical clearances in ceiling mounted air exchange units is the situation where the rotor must be mounted on a vertical axis of rotation and the airstreams enter the unit generally parallel with the plane of rotation of the rotor. This arrangement produces large static pressure losses across the rotor.
An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an air exchanging apparatus which is compact in size without reducing the diameter of the rotor. A further object of the invention is to provide a method for operating an air exchanging apparatus without experiencing high static pressure losses across the rotor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for reducing the static pressure loss across a heat recovery rotor of an air exchanging apparatus in which incoming air enters the apparatus in a substantially horizontal stream; the method comprises the step of inclining the plane of rotation of the rotor so that the plane of rotation and the incoming airstream form an acute included angle.
The present invention further provides apparatus for exchanging contaminated room air with fresh outdoor air. The apparatus includes a housing having a pair of substantially parallel air passageways sealed from one another for exhausting contaminated air and supplying fresh air in countercurrent flow. Mounted for rotation within the housing is a heat recovery rotor which rotates slowly through the sealed air passageways. The improvement of the present invention comprises inclining the plane of rotation of the heat recovery rotor at an angle, with respect to the axes of the air passageways, which produces substantially equal static air pressure across the opposed surfaces of the rotor.
The invention thus permits the use of a compact housing while minimizing the static pressure drop across the rotor. The latter feature permits operation of the air exchanging apparatus at relatively high efficiency and at relatively low noise levels.
Other advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an air exchanging apparatus embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a left side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an end view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 viewed from the right;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic showing of an inclined heat recovery rotor and its relationship with an incoming airstream; and
FIG. 6 is a curve showing static pressure loss as a function of the included angle of an incoming airstream with the plane of rotation of a heat recovery rotor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings, particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown an air exchanging apparatus 10 suitable for mounting to a ceiling or some other overhead structure. Apparatus 10 includes a box-like housing 12 (with the top cover removed in FIG. 1) divided by a longitudinally extending partition 14 to provide an intake passage 16 and an exhaust passage 18. Air movement through passages 16, 18 is provided by intake fan 20 mounted in intake passage 16 and exhaust fan 22 mounted in exhaust passage 18. Fans 20, 22 are driven on a common shaft by motor 24. Filters 26, 28 are mounted respectively at the intake ports to passageways 16, 18.
Mounted for rotation in passageways 16, 18, on opposite sides of partition 14, is a heat recovery rotor 30. Rotor 30 may be of well-known design and may be constructed of aluminum, plastic, paper and like in a honeycomb structure to provide a large surface air for heat exchange purposes. In certain applications, the surface of rotor 30 may be impregnated with a moisture absorbing agent to provide humidity control of the air passing therethrough. Rotor 30 is dimensioned to be snugly received in opening 32 of horizontal partition plate 34 and is provided with a circumferential seal 36 to prevent leakage of air across the outside surface of rotor 30. Rotor 30 is mounted between triangular-shaped support plates 38, 40, which form part of partition 14. Rotor 30 is driven by motor 42 at relatively slow speed, e.g. in the range of about 10-20 rpm.
As best shown in FIG. 5, rotor 30 is mounted in inclined fashion with respect to the incoming airstream (designated by the arrow 44) so that the plane of rotation of rotor 30 and the incoming airstream form an included angle θ. By geometric principles, the axis of rotation of rotor 30 is inclined from the vertical at the same angle. After the incoming air passes through rotor 30, i.e., across opposed surfaces 46, 48, the air flows away from the rotor (as represented by the arrow 50).
As alluded to above, it is desirable both from the standpoints of operating efficiency and noise control that the static pressure loss across rotor 30 be minimized. It is well known that the static pressure loss across rotor 30 will be minimized under any given. conditions of air flow, air velocity, rotor dimensions and construction and configuration of housing 12, when the static pressure across opposed surfaces 46, 48 of rotor 30 is substantially equal. Achieving such static pressure equalization is governed by well-known principles and depends primarily on the configuration of the chamber above and below the rotor, the angle between the rotor and the incoming airstream, the air flow rate and velocity, and the presence of objects such as baffles in the airstream. One well-known method for determining that pressure equalization is achieved is to place pressure sensors across the surfaces 46, 48 of rotor 30 and adjust the angle of inclination of the rotor until equalization is measured. Another technique for establishing the optimum angle of inclination for rotor 30 is to calculate the angle using well-known formula and applying the physical factors mentioned above.
As shown by the curve plotted in FIG. 6, the amount of inclination of rotor 30 need not be great to achieve the desired result, viz. minimal static pressure loss across rotor 30. When the plane of rotation of the rotor forms an included angle with the incoming airstream (angle θ) of zero or near zero, the static pressure loss across the rotor is relatively high. By inclining the plane of rotation of the rotor a small amount, say about 5°, the static pressure loss decreases at a rapid rate; the curve then becomes less steep as angle θ is increased. The condition in which the airstream and the plane of rotation form an included angle of 90° results in the minimum static pressure loss of 2.7 mmH 2 O. According to FIG. 6, which represents an actual test wherein the face velocity of the airstream was 1 M/s, an included angle θ selected in the range of about 10° to 35° would produce satisfactory results. In any case, the included angle between the plane of rotation of rotor 30 and the incoming airstream would be an acute angle.
In the operation of the present invention, after the proper angle of inclination of rotor 30 is established by either of the techniques discussed above, fresh air from the atmosphere is drawn by fan 20 through air passage 16. The fresh air passes through rotor 30 from the top downwardly (see FIGS. 2 and 4) and out of housing 12 into a room. Contaminated air is drawn by fan 22 through air passage 18. The contaminated air passes through rotor 30 from the bottom upwardly (see FIGS. 2 and 4) and out of housing 12 to the outside atmosphere. As the respective air streams pass through rotor 30 in their sealed passageways, heat exchange (and possibly moisture absorption/release) is carried out. | Apparatus for exchanging contaminated room air with fresh outdoor air and a method for operating same is disclosed. The apparatus includes a housing having a pair of substantially parallel air passageways sealed from one another and providing fluid communication between the room and the outdoors. A heat recovery rotor is disposed in the air passageways in an inclined orientation. | 8 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions for treating diseases caused by a virus of the herpes group (HV).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Virus infections are widespread among the world population. Among most widespread and dangerous virus infections there are diseases caused by viruses of the herpes group including zoster, herpetic keratitises, keratoconjunctivitises, virus hepatitises; encephalitises and the like. Prominent characteristics of the herpetic infection substantially hindering the control thereof reside in a long-time persistance of the herpes virus in the organism, frequent recurrences and plurality of clinical signs.
Common herpes (Herpes simplex) is characterized mainly by vesicular eruption. The infection intensity is different and can be accompanied by either moderate general symptoms of herpetic fever with a high body temperature, depression, headache and pain in joints. The signs of the disease can be also stomatitis, glossitis, keratitis and keratoconjunctivitis, pharyngitis, vesicular eruption on mucous membranes and skin. More frequently injured is the face in the regions of mouth, nose, eyelid, as well as genitalia. In the case of Herpes zoster the dermal injuries are preceded by inflammation phenomena and changes in ganglia roots and posterior columns of the spinal cord which is accompanied by strong, often intolerable pains along the nerve and local dermal signs: edema, itching, vesicular eruption. In herpetic diseases there are rather frequent cases of herpetic hepatitis in both children and adults. Relatively insufficiently studied are disturbances of the central nervous system in the form of meningitis, encephalitis and encephalomielitis. A generalized form of herpes with lethal outcome.
Despite an extensive search for preparations with antivirus activity, the problem of investigation of viral diseases caused by a virus of the herpes group still remains urgent. The existing antivirus preparations do not satisfy all the requirements imposed thereon and their application does not result in a full recovery, nor prevention from recurrences.
For the treatment of herpetic diseases attempts have been made to use antibiotics, certain chemical compositions, corticoids, specific and non-specific vaccino-therapy. It has been found out that the use of sulphanylamides and antibiotics does not provide any effect on the course of the herpetic disease and can merely prevent or eliminate the bacterial infection. Chemical preparations employed for the treatment of these diseases, namely: analogues of pyrimidine bases, JDU (5-iodine-2-desoxyuridine), 5-fluorouracyl are antimetabolites and, exerting an effect on the virus, they also affect the organism. Furthermore, they are rather toxic substances.
Consequently, the known antiviral preparations do not satisfy all necessary requirements (do not prevent recurrences, do not cause full recovery); thus, the problem of treating virus diseases caused by a virus pertaining to the group of herpes still has to be solved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a composition for treating diseases caused by a virus of the herpes group which possesses a high selective activity relative to the infectant, ensures a high therapeutic effect, is non-toxic and available in manufacture.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by a composition which comprises an active principle, namely: 2-C-β-D-glucopyranosyl-1,3,6,7-tetraoxyxanthone of the general formula: ##STR2## in combination with a pharmaceutical filler.
The active principle is an individual substance of the xanthone nature (mangiferin euxantogen) of the formula C 19 H 18 O 11 . As to its appearance, it is a yellow crystalline substance with a melting point of 258°-261° C., sparingly soluble in ethanol, insoluble in water, chloroform, ethyl ether. This compound has not been hitherto used in the medicine.
As has been mentioned hereinbefore, the active principle is used in combination with pharmaceutical fillers.
In the case of viral diseases of skin and mucous membranes (Herpes simplex, Herpes zoster, lichen planus, herpes genitalis, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitises, rhinitises and other diseases of the viral ethiology), for external application, it is advisable to make use of a composition containing said active principle in a combination with a pharmaceutical vehicle suitable for ointments comprising a mixture of vaseline oil and vaseline.
It is advisable to use a composition containing the following proportions of components: 2 to 5% by weight of the active principle, 4 to 10% of vaseline oil and 85 to 96% by weight of vaseline.
For per os administration it is preferable to use the medicated preparation in the form of tablets. To this end, as the pharmaceutical vehicle use is made of milk sugar, starch talc and calcium stearate. It is advisable to use tablets of the following composition: 40% by weight of the active principle, 40% by weight of milk sugar, 17% by weight of starch, 2% by weight of talc and 1% by weight of calcium stearate. This preparation can be administered in the case of the above-mentioned diseases, as well as in the case of viral hepatitis, encephalitis, meningitis and the like.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The preparation according to the present invention has been named "ALPIZARIN".
The study of antiviral properties of the active principle has been carried out in in vitro experiments in a culture of cells of fibroblasts of a chicken embryo following a commonly employed procedure for primary screening of antiviral preparations. Cells are grown in flasks or test-tubes on the nutrient medium 199 with the addition of 5 to 10 vol.% of cattle serum. Then, for the contact of the virus with cells, into the flasks a virus-containing material is added in doses of 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 TCD 50 . Adsorption of the virus on cells is effected at room temperature for one hour, whereafter the medium containing the virus is removed and the nutrient medium 199 is introduced into the flasks or test-tubes; the medium contains the active principle in a maximum tolerable concentration for cells (the substance in this concentration does not possess the cytotoxic effect). Flasks or test-tubes are then subjected to thermosetting at the temperature of 37° C. The virus-suppressing effect is determined for 5 days by way of comparison of the presence of cytopathogenic effect in the control and test flasks and test-tubes. As the control use is made of: control of the single layer of cells, the control of the active principle without virus and the control of the virus without the active principle.
As a result, it has been found that the active principle in the concentration of 10 μg/ml possesses a high virus-suppressing effect in respect of 100 TCD 50 HV.
The chemotherapeutic effect of the active principle and the pharmaceutical composition on the whole has been studied on an experimental virus model of herpetic encephalitis of white mice. In the experiments more than 1,500 animals were used. To obtain the experimental encephalitis, white mice weighing 8-10 g have been infected intracerebrally. Prior to the infection the animal head skin is smeared with iodine, then ten-times dilutions of the virus-containing liquid in the volume of 0.03 ml are injected by means of a tuberculin syringe into the supraorbital area near the front median line to a depth of 1-2 mm directly into the brain. 3 to 7 days thereafter in the animals there were observed the disease signs (excitation, coordination disturbance, adynamia, paresis and paralysis) which were rapidly intensified and terminated in death. The experiments were assessed by the animal survival (in percent) and by the average life span of the test animals as compared to the control.
For treatment purposes the active principle or the medicated compound in the form of tablets is administered to the infected animals per os by means of a gastric tube as an aqueous suspension in the volume of 0.5 ml in doses of 20 to 500 mg/kg of the body weight 1 or 2 times per day. The tests have been carried out according to three schemes. In the first scheme, in order to preliminarily saturate the animal's organism with the active principle or the preparation were administered to the animals 1-2 days before the infection (preventive test). In the second scheme, to reveal the therapeutic effect of the active principle or the pharmaceutical composition, the compositions were introduced on the infection day and one or two days after the infection. In the third scheme (treatment-prophylaxis) the active principle or the medicated compound is administered the day before the infection or on the infection day, in both cases the treatment of the animal is continued for 5 to 7 days after the infection.
Upon the administration of the active principle or the pharmaceutical composition according to the first two schemes the death of the animals occurred substantially within the same time limits, as in the control animals, therefore it was impossible to reveal statistically certain chemotherapeutic effect of the medicated compound or the active principle.
The most advantageous chemotherapeutic effect of the active principle or the pharmaceutical composition is manifested under the conditions of the treatment-prophylaxis application (third scheme). The test results are shown in the following Tables 1 and 2.
TABLE 1______________________________________Number of ad- Dose, Survi- Life span,ministrations mg/mice val, % days P______________________________________once a day 5 70 13.1 ± 2.7 above 0.5 1 90 14.0 ± 2.2 above 0.25 0.2 90 14.0 ± 2.3 above 0.25 0.04 80 13.3 ± 2.5 above 0.5Two times a day 5 90 14.3 ± 2.5 above 0.1 1 100 15.0 ± below 0.05 0.2 100 15.0 ± below 0.05 0.04 90 14.1 ± 0.9 above 0.1Control 70 12.7 ± 2.6______________________________________
From the data shown in Table 1 it is seen that upon administration of the active principle or the pharmaceutical composition the highest, statistically certain chemotherapeutic effect is attained upon its administration two times a day.
TABLE 2______________________________________Moment of ad-ministration Dose of theof the pre- preparation, Average lifeparation mg/mice span, days P______________________________________one day before 5 6.13 ± 1.04 below 0.05infection 2 6.05 ± 0.83 below 0.05 1 5.6 ± 0.82 0.05on the infection 5 6.41 ± 0.71 below 0.05day 2 5.0 ± 0.56 above 0.5 1 5.16 ± 0.91 above 0.25 -Control 4.78 ±______________________________________ 0.46
From Table 2 it follows that the chemotherapeutic effect of the active principle or the pharmaceutical composition is the highest upon their administration in maximum shortest time of the infection.
The study of pharmacological properties of the active principle is carried out in two ways: the effect on the cardio-vascular, central nervous systems; cardiorhythmic effect; on the system of blood coagulation, anti-inflammation and anti-ulcer and antidiabetic effect.
The study of the effect of this compound on the characteristics of hemodynamics and breathing has been carried out in an acute experiment on 6 narcotized cats (urethane 1.0 g/kg, chloralose 60 mg/kg) upon the intra-stomach administration of the active principle in the dose of 50 mg/kg. In each cat simultaneously recorded were the breathing frequency cardiac contraction frequency, systemic arterial pressure, amplitude of the volume blood flow in the abdominal aorta, amplitude of the brain rheograms and femur muscles rheorgrams.
The test results have shown that the active principle slightly lowers the systemic arterial pressure. The other characteristics of hemodynamics are not substantially changed. It has been found that the breathing frequency is reduced by 21% (10 minutes, P below 0.05) and by 32% (30 minutes, P below 0.01). The values of reduction of the arterial pressure and breathing frequency 60 and 90 minutes after the administration of this compound do not differ from the control.
The cardiological effect of the active principle has been studied in experiments on an isolated cat's heart; the effect on electrocardiographic characteristics has been studied in experiments on rabbits; the vasodilative effect--on vessels of an isolated rabbit's ear; the spasmolytic effect--on acetylcholine and barium spasms of smooth muscles of an isolated section of a rat's small intestine.
The studies have shown that upon the intravenous administration to rabbits of the active principle in the dose of 20 mg/kg it causes increased amplitude of cardiac contractions by 34% (P=0.05), in the dose of 50 mg/kg--by 41% (P=0.05); rarefaction of the rhythm of cardiac contractions in rabbits by 10-18% on the average and increase of the voltage of the peak P by 32%. Upon the intra-stomach administration in doses of 50 and 150 mg/kg the active principle provides no substantial effect on the rhythm of cardiac contractions and the duration of intervals of the cardiac cycle. A slight increase of the voltage of the peak P on the average by 20% is observed. Therefore, the active principle possesses no vasodilative and spasmolytic effect; a slight cardiostimulant effect of the active principle has no practical significance.
The cardiorhythmic effect of the active principle has been studied on the rat's aconitine model of arrhythmia upon its intravenous administration in the doses of 10 and 50 mg/kg. Analysis of the electrocardiograms has shown that the active principle in the studied doses possesses no cardiorhythmic effect.
The neurotropic activity of the active principle is assessed through its influence upon the somnific effects of hexenal or chloralhydrate. The substance is introduced per os in the doses of 1, 10 and 100 mg/kg. In these doses the compound provides no substantial effect on the duration of the sleep caused by chloralhydrate or hexenal.
The anti-ulcerous effect of the active principle has been studied on the model of caffeine-arsenic ulcer in rats. The substance is administered per os for nine days in the doses of 1, 10 and 20 mg/kg. It has been found that the compound provides a weak anti-ulcerous effect in the dose of 20 mg/kg.
In acute tests on cats the effect of the active principle on the intensity of bile secretion has been studied. In doses of 20 and 50 mg/kg the compound does not increase the bile secretion intensity.
The effect of the active principle on the acute exudative and chronical proliferative phases of inflammation in doses of 10 and 50 mg/kg has been studied upon per os administration to mice. The investigation results have shown that the compound has but a slight antiphlogistic effect: in the dose of 50 mg/kg it suppresses the development of the exudative phase of inflammation; possesses an antiphlogistic activity relative to formalin 12.7 (P below 0.005) and dextran 16.5 (P below 0.05) edema, lowers penetration of skin vessels by 15% (P below 0.05); on a model of a chronical proliferative inflammation it somewhat suppresses the exudative phase and retards the formation of a granulation-fibrous tissue during the proliferative stage of the chronical inflammation.
The study of the effect of the active principle on certain characteristics of blood coagulation has been carried out on 5 rabbits. The compound is administered per os in the dose of 50 mg/kg as a suspension in a 2% starch paste. Blood has been examined prior to the administration and during 4 hours after a single-time administration of the suspension; determined are: blood plasma recalcification, thrombin time, thrombelastographic characteristics and thrombocyte concentration. The analysis of the obtained results show that the active principle in the studied dose does not substantially affect the blood coagulation process.
To reveal the antidiabetic effect of the active principle, its effect on the content of glucose in rabbit's blood under the conditions of alimentary carbohydrate load has been studied. The active principle is administered in doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg once per os through a tube in a 1% starch paste. The experiment scheme is the following: the content of glucose in blood is determined in rabbit's blood on an empty stomach, and 40 minutes thereafter the content of glucose is again determined in blood. Afterwards, glucose is administered to the rabbits at the rate of 1.5 g/kg and the content of glucose in blood is determined 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after the administration thereof. The results thus obtained have demonstrated that the active principle in the dose of 50 mg/kg provides no effect of the character of variation of the glycemic curve under the conditions of carbohydrate load; in the dose of 100 mg/kg the glucose tolerance of rabbits is uncertainly increased by 14%.
Therefore, the investigations of pharmacological properties of the active principle have not revealed its essential activity in the above-described aspects.
The study of an acute toxicity and tolerance of the active principle and the medicated compound in the form of tablets has been carried out on white mice, rats, guinea pigs and dogs with different modes of administration.
The active principle and tablets of the are administered in the form of an aqueous suspension hypodermally, intraperitoneally and in stomach. It has been found that in the case of the intraperitoneal administration of the active principle and the pharmaceutical composition LD 50 is 3,000 to 4,000 mg/kg; in the case of hypodermal administration--above 5,000 mg/kg, and in the case of in-stomach administration--10,000 mg/kg.
The pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention in the form of an ointment also features a good tolerance and possesses no irritating effect on the skin. Thus, upon the application of a 10% ointment for 2 months on the skin of white rats, 1% ointment for 10 days on an eye mucous membrane of rabbits and 10% ointment on the vagina mucous membrane of white rats for 1.5 months no phenomena of the irritation effect on the site of application have been observed and no pathomorphological changes of the inner organs have been revealed.
The study of the teratogenic activity of the active principle has been carried out on 15 couples of adult rats weighing 350 g divided into 3 groups of 5 couples in each. The females of the first group were daily administred 10 mg/kg of the active principle per os for 30 days until the birth of small rats; the females of the second group were administered 100 mg/kg of the active principle during the same period; the females of the third group were the control.
It has been found that the active principles possesses no teratogenic properties: the small rats of the test groups were born in time, as compared to the control group, they were in adequate numbers and healthy.
The active principle possesses no mutagenous activity.
Therefore, both the active principle and the medicated compound based thereon are low-toxic.
The ointment forms of the medicated compound have been studied in dermatological, stomatological and otolaryngological clinics. The study has been carried out on 981 patients. Use was made of ointments containing 1% by weight, 2% by weight, 5% by weight and 10% by weight of the active principle. The ointments were administered by rubbing-in or application 1 to 3 times a day. The data of clinical studies are shown in Table 3 hereinbelow.
TABLE 3______________________________________ Number of patients Posi- Nega- tive tiveKind of disease effect effect Conclusion______________________________________1. Dermatology The highest effi- Herpes simplex, acute 180 12 ciency is noted and chronical, recur- for lichen pem- ring of different lo- phigoides of calization different locali- Herpes zoster 23 12 zation, lichen lichen planus 18 3 planus, flat warts, warts (flat and 65 17 acute aphthous common) stomatitis, chro- psoriasis 37 59 nical recurring other viral diseases 221 51 stomatitis, viral including neorodermite, diseases of oto- eczema, dermatitis, poin- laryngological ted condyloma and the organs. The pre- like paration is sub- stantially non- toxic.2. Stomatology acute aphthous 30 10 stomatitis chronical recur- 30 10 ring aphthous stomatitis proliferative exu- 23 22 dative erythema acute and chroni- 70 5 cal recurring her- pes of oral cavity3. Otolaryngology otitis 10 0 laryngitis and rhini- 65 0 tis of viral etiology TOTAL 780 201______________________________________
In the case of treatment of Herpes simplex on the second day the edematic character and intensity of vesiculae were lowered, on the 3-d day a thin crust was formed in the central part of vesiculae, eruption of new elements stopped and recovery was observed on the 5-7-th day.
A positive therapeutic effect is noted in children suffering from flat warts. Eruption was fully removed with 7-10 days. After the removal of the eruption of molluscum contagiosum the children were administered a 2% ointment to prevent from recurrence of the disease and complications due to pyococcus infection which gave a positive therapeutic effect.
In the case of lichen planum the therapeutic efficiency of ointments resides in the following: within the first day itching phenomena disappeared in the patients and a partial regress occurred within the following days. No new eruption is observed during the treatment with the ointments. However, no full resolution of papulous eruption was noted. For this reason, together with the administration of ointments, prednisolone was prescribed per os in the dose of 15 mg per day with a subsequent reduction of the dose thereof and cancellation after 21-25 days which enabled a full clinical recovery.
In the case of psoriasis, neuridermite, common warts and some other diseases the effect of ointment forms is manifested less clearly.
Therefore, in dermatology the highest efficiency is noted for Herpes simplex of various localization, lichen planum and flat warts.
In stomatology, ointment forms were used by application of 1 to 4 times a day in the case of acute and chronic stomatitis, multi-form erythema, herpes and other diseases. The efficiency of ointment forms containing 2% by weight and 5% by weight of the active principle is noted in the case of: herpes of lips--resolution of the process was observed within 5 to 7 days (usually 10-14 days), acute aphthous stomatitis--epithelization of erosions was observed within 3-5 days (general progress--up to 7-14 days).
In patients suffering from multi-form exudative erythema and chronic recurring aphthous stomatitis the employed ointment forms manifested a weaker effect.
In otolaryngology, ointment forms were employed in the case of acute respiratory diseases, acute bullous otitis, exacerbation of vasomotor rhinitis with herpetic eruption on the lip skin, nose and in acute external otitis.
In the case of acute respiratory diseases a high efficiency of ointment forms is observed; the use of ointments within the first two days substantially fully stops the development of the disease. In the case of herpetic eruption and bullous otitis the administration of ointment forms accelerated the process extinction by 2-3 days on the average and upon early administration it fully prevented the development of vesicular elements.
A good therapeutic effect in the case of all the above-mentioned diseases is attained through the use of ointment forms containing 2 to 5% by weight of the active principle. Increasing the active principle content up to 10% does not cause an enhanced therapeutic effect. Decreasing the content of the active principle to 1% slightly lowers the therapeutic effect of such ointment.
The preparation should be preferably administered as a 2% and 5% ointment 3-4 times a day at a single dose of from 0.2-1.0 g on the average depending on the character of the disease. Thus, treatment of viral skin diseases is effected by lubricating, rubbing-in or application with 2% or 5% ointment 1 to 3 times a day. The preparation is deposited by way of lubrication, application or by means of turundae 1-3 times a day. In the treatment of rhinitises of the viral etiology, it is advisable to smear the nose mucous membrane with a 2% ointment 1 to 3 times a day. In the treatment of otisises of the viral etiology it is advisable to introduce a 2% ointment by means of turundae 1-3 times a day. In the case of viral diseases of genitalia and anus, it is advisable to carry out treatment by smearing with a 2-5% ointment 1 to 3 times a day.
The duration of the treatment course is determined in each particular case depending on the type of the disease and individual tolerance of the preparation (i.e. from several days to 3 months).
In the case of a chronic recurring progress of the disease, it is possible to use repeated courses of treatment following the above-described scheme.
It is advisable to use 10 to 50 g of an ointment per patient for one treatment course.
Thus, in the case of Herpes simplex of lips, nose wings, viral otitis and rhinitis, it is sufficient to use 10 g of a 2% ointment for the treatment course; in the case of viral stomatitis and herpes genitalis--10-20 g of a 2-5% ointment; in the case of more extensive skin injuries, for example Herpes zoster--20 to 50 g of a 5% ointment.
The medicated compound according to the present invention widens the therapeutic opportunities of preparations of similar effect. It has no side phenomena and can be used both under stationary and ambulatory conditions.
No contraindications to the administration of the preparation have been found.
The preparation according to the present invention should be stored in a cool, light-protected place.
The active principle--2-c-β-D-glucopyranosyl-1,3,6,7-tetraoxyxanthone (mangiferin) can be prepared from the herb of Hedysarum alpinum, Hedysarum flavescenes sp. Fabaceae).
The over-ground part of the herb is extracted with a 80% ethanol at a temperature of from 60° to 70° C. for 4 hours. The volume ratio between the vegetable material and the extraction agent is equal to 1:10 respectively. Extraction is effected for 4 times. The combined extracts are evaporated, then combined with hot water (90°-95° C.) and the resulting mixture is settled for 12-14 hours at a temperature of from 5° to 10° C. The residue (accompanying products) is filtered-off and the mangiferin-containing solution is purified with chloroform. The purified solution is repeatedly treated with butanol saturated with water. Butanol extracts are evaporated in vacuum, cooled at a temperature of from 5° to 10° C. for 14 to 16 hours and the precipitate is filtered-off, then recrystallized from a mixture of dioxane-water (1:1). The pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention in the form of an ointment can have, for example, the following preferable compositions:
______________________________________Composition Iactive principle (mangiferin) 2 gvaseline oil 4 gvaseline to 100 gComposition IIactive principle (mangiferin) 5 gvaseline oil 10 gvaseline to 100 g.______________________________________
Ointments of the above-mentioned compositions can be prepared in the following manner.
Mangiferin is disintegrated into a fine powder by thoroughly rubbing it in a porcelain mortar. To the resulting powder the required amount of vaseline oil is added and again the whole mass is rubbed. Thereafter, vaseline is added in several portions under continuous stirring.
The medicated compound in the tablet form may have the following composition:
______________________________________active principle (mangiferin) 0.1 gmilk sugar 0.1 gstarch 0.0425 gtalc 0.005 gcalcium stearate 0.0025 gtotal weight of a tablet 0.25 g______________________________________
The tabletted medicated compound of the above-given composition can be prepared in the following manner.
All the components of the tablet mass are preliminarily screened. Then powders of mangiferin, milk sugar and starch are intermixed. The resulting mixture is thoroughly agitated and combined with a 5% starch paste. Then the resulting mass is rubbed through a sieve with a mesh size of 1.5-2 mm. The resulting granulate is dried at room temperature for one day. The resulting granules are powdered with pre-dried starch, talc and calcium stearate and again rubbed through a sieve, whereafter they are tabletted. | A pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of diseases caused by a virus pertaining to the herpes group comprising an active principle: 2-C-β-D-glucopyranosyl-1,3,6,7-tetraoxyxanthone of the formula: ##STR1## in combination with a pharmaceutical vehicle. | 8 |
This is a Continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08 / 859 , 561 , filed May 20 , 1997 , which is a Reissue Application of U.S. Pat. No. 5 , 417 , 017 , which issued May 23 , 1995 from U.S. Ser. No. 08 / 040 , 305 , filed Mar. 30 , 1993 , which is a Continuation-in-Part application of U.S. Ser. Nos. 07/575,908, filed Aug. 31, 1990, now abandoned, and 07/825,299, filed Jan. 23, 1992, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the control of termites in relation to buildings and other structures and in particular to achieving such control without the use of harmful chemicals.
The most popular procedure for providing a barrier to the access of termites to buildings or other structures supported in or on the ground is to saturate the ground beneath or around the structure with appropriate chemicals, to kill any existing termites, and to provide a residue of the chemical within the ground which will remain effective for many years against the passage of termites therethrough to the structure. It has been proposed in published patent specifications to provide a mat of fibrous or absorbent material to be laid below the foundations of a building with the fibre or porous material saturated with, or containing an appropriate chemical which will kill termites that attempt to pass therethrough. Refer to published Australian Patent Application Nos. 85176/82, 11412/83, 16980/83 and 21934/84.
These methods of termite control have the major disadvantage as the chemicals are usually of a composition that is considered highly dangerous to humans and thus constitute a hazard to the people applying the chemicals and to other people in the vicinity. Under some atmospheric conditions, the chemicals can be carried considerable distances from the area where they are being applied. Thus people unaware of the presence of the chemicals, and thus not alerted to take protective action, may also be exposed to the potential danger of the chemicals used to control termites. The danger continues to exist after the initial application of the chemical so long as the chemical remains effective against the termites.
Also, as it is necessary to establish a high concentration of the chemical in the ground beneath where the building is to be built in order to obtain the required period of protection against termite entry to the building, leaching of the chemical will occur over time. This leaching will naturally reduce the effectiveness of the chemical as a barrier to the termites. As the chemical in many instances is initially placed beneath a concrete slab upon which the building is erected, it is very difficult to apply further chemical to replace that removed by the leaching and so maintain an effective barrier. Even more importantly, chemicals leached from the ground beneath the building are carried by the leaching water into other areas where it may be hazardous to humans, animals or crops. Also the leached chemical can enter rivers, streams or lakes or underground water catchments which can potentially spread the chemicals over a very wide area thus increasing the potential exposure to the chemical. It will also be appreciated that the chemicals leached from building sites over a relatively wide area can collect in a single river, stream or other catchment, thus resulting in an accumulation of chemicals that break down very slowly.
Many buildings, particularly homes, are built on a slab of concrete and although termites can normally not penetrate concrete, cracks frequently develop in the concrete thus permitting the passage of termites therethrough into the building. Even when the cracks are of a fine nature, they do provide the facility for the termites to burrow through the concrete by secreting materials which will break down the concrete along the fine cracks and thus permit the termites to burrow therethrough.
Also, in buildings erected on a concrete slab, it is common practice to provide pipes or conduits that extend through the concrete slab, such as water and waste pipes. As the concrete is cast in situ about these pipes or conduits, a small opening often develops about the pipe or conduit due to shrinkage of the concrete during curing.
These openings also provide access for termites through the concrete into the building structure. Thus even where a building is erected on a concrete slab, the ground beneath the slab must be treated with substantial quantities of chemicals to prevent access by termites to these openings.
It has also been known to use sheet metal as a barrier to termites such as galvanized steel plates on the top of stumps that support a building. Although this may be effective and commercially viable in relation to a building supported on stumps, it is expensive and has installation problems when considered in respect to a building supported on a concrete slab. Sheet metal is difficult to join on-site in a manner to exclude passage of termites through the joint. Also, if the metal sheet is sufficiently strong to prevent accidental puncture by workman traffic on-site, it is then difficult to bend and shape to the required contours to fit with the building structure in a manner to provide an effective termite barrier. It would also be difficult to achieve an effective seal around pipes or conduits that must pass through the sheet.
Sheet metal, including stainless steel, as proposed in French Patent Application No. 79 04240 (Publication No. 2453952) is used to provide a barrier to termites travelling up a wall to enter a building in a manner analogous to a metal plate on a building stump. However, that sheet is preformed for a specific installation and is not appropriate for on-site construction to a range of shapes and configuration with the ability to maintain the integrity of a barrier against the passage of termites.
In addition to buildings, termites attack a wide range of structures and equipment including wooden poles and other wooden structures, underground cables and conduits made of a range of materials that will be attractive to termites. The only effective protection for such structures are chemical treatment or solid metal barriers that are resistant to termite attack.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a barrier that will inhibit the passage of termites such as into a building or structure, the barrier being both effective and avoids the use of chemicals that are harmful to humans and/or the environment.
With this object in view there is provided by the present invention an improved termite barrier which is substantially resistant to termite chewing and corrosion, the termite barrier comprising a mesh sheet formed of a material resistant to breakdown in the environment of use and substantially resistant to termite secretions, said material having a hardness of not less than about Shore D70 for resistance to termite chewing, the pores of the mesh having a linear dimension in any direction less than the maximum linear dimension of the cross section of the head of the species of termite to be controlled.
Conveniently the pores of the mesh having a linear dimension in at least one direction, less than the minimum lineal dimension of the cross section of the head of the species of termite to be controlled. Preferably, the pores in the mesh am polygonal with a maximum diagonal dimension less than the maximum linear dimension of the cross section of the head of the species of termite to be controlled.
Termites of the species which attack wood, timber or the like are characterised by having a head formed of a hard substantially nondeformable structure. The body of these termites is a relatively soft and weak material. Also these termites have a head which is of substantially larger cross sectional dimensions than any other part of their body. Accordingly the head cross sectional size determines the ability of the termite to pass through an opening or passageway such as may exist in any form of termite barrier.
It is also known that termites secrete a liquid saliva or material which is capable of breaking down the physical structure of many materials into at least particles of a size that can be transported by the termites so as to facilitate the formation of a passage for the termites to pass through. The secreted material includes, amongst other components, acids such as formic acid.
The mesh sheet can be laminated with a flexible plastic sheet or sandwiched between two separate sheets.
Alternatively the mesh may be embedded in one plastic sheet, preferably with both sides of the mesh sheet covered by the plastic material. The combining of the mesh sheet and the plastic provides protection of the mesh sheet against damage that may cause displacement of the strands forming the mesh, with resultant enlargement of the openings or pores of the mesh in a specific area thereof to a size to permit the passage of the termites therethrough.
It is also to be appreciated that it is normal practice to provide a sheet of plastic material beneath the concrete slab upon which a building is to be erected to provide a barrier against the entry of moisture through the concrete into the building. Accordingly, by incorporating the mesh sheet with or into a plastic sheet, the resulting assembly can perform the two functions of providing a moisture and a termite barrier.
In practical application of the termite material a continuous layer thereof is positioned beneath an underside of the slab extending to a perimeter of the slab in all directions and upwardly about the perimeter of the slab to a distance above the slab and above the ground level adjacent thereto.
Another application is in a building structure erected on a ground level or near ground level concrete slab, and having a non integral termite resistant adjacent structure and a strip of the termite barrier material arranged with the respective marginal edge portions along the opposite longitudinal edges of the strip integrally secured to the slab and the adjacent structure to establish integrity of the connection between the slab and the adjacent structure against the passage of termites.
Preferably the mesh is woven from fine stainless steel wire or filaments of the appropriate material, such as stainless steel, that is resistant to corrosion by most materials that the mesh will be in contact with or associated with during its use in the termite barrier. In particular, the stainless steel resists rust through contact with moisture, and resists attack by most acid materials, including formic acid and other constituents of the secretion released by termites. However, it is to be understood that wires, strands or filaments of other materials may be used to produce the mesh sheet provided the material has the required resistance to breakdown when exposed to the environment and materials present in the ground and to termite attack, and is sufficiently hard that the particular species of termites can not chew through the strands or filaments. Other materials may be fibres of ceramics, glass or hard plastics.
It is known that the physical dimensions of termites vary from species to species and that in different areas of the world, different species of termites are predominant. Accordingly, the actual size of the pores of the mesh will be determined by the particular termite or range of termites to be controlled in the particular area where the mesh is to be used.
In the area around Perth, Western Australia, the most common and dangerous termites are of the Coptotermes family which have a head of a generally circular cross sectional somewhat flattened shape, as shown in FIG. 2B with a maximum linear dimension of between 1 to 1.5 mm. It is thus suitable to use in that area a mesh having pores or openings having a maximum dimension in any direction of not more than 0.85 mm, and preferably not more than 0.6 mm. For convenience in manufacture, the pores will normally be of a generally rectangular shape with the length of the sides 0.4 and 0.7 mm respectively.
The wire of filament may be of any convenient commercial size and typically may be in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 mm in diameter. The wire of filament may be of cross-section is preferred and more readily commercially available in the manufacture of mesh. The mesh may also be produced by stamping or punching holes of the required shape in sheet or film of metal or other suitable material of an appropriate thickness.
In most species of termites there are worker termites and soldier termites, the latter having larger heads than the worker termites in some species, but not all. It is thought to be normal for the soldier termites to lead or at least travel with the invention. Thus it is believed that if the mesh has pores of a size to prevent the passage of the soldier termites, this would be effective in inhibiting the worker termites from passing alone through the mesh. The workers are the ones that cause the damage and must be stopped by the mesh.
The plastic material forming the sheet with which the mesh sheet can be laminated or embedded in, is conveniently PVC, but may be of any other suitable plastic which will provide a moisture barrier and will not deteriorate and break down when buried in the ground for the normal life expectancy of termite barriers which may be of the order of 15 to 30 years.
Conveniently, the termite barrier is produced in sheets of any convenient size and may be produced in a form of roll of a width of the order of 5 to 10 meters.
The advantages of the termite barrier as proposed above are principally that there are no harmful chemicals used in the creation of the barrier, the barrier will have an effective life commensurate with the life of the building. Further, the barrier can be conveniently transported and applied without the level of precautions required when handling pesticides or other chemicals and with a minimum of skill. Further as the barrier is in the form of a mesh, it is substantially more flexible and easily worked as by cutting, contouring and shaping, particularly in comparison with solid sheet metal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be more fully understood from the following description of the termite barrier as applied to buildings and other uses and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a section of mesh as proposed to be used as a termite barrier;
FIG. 2a is an enlarged view of a portion of the mesh shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 2b is an enlarged view from above of a typical termite
FIG. 2c is a cross sectional outline of the head of the typical termite along line 2 c— 2 c of FIG. 2b ;
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic sectional view through portion of a building showing the application of the termite barrier thereto;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the portion A shown in FIG. 3 where a conduit passes through the termite barrier;
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a portion of a building to which the termite barrier has been applied in an alternative form to that shown in FIG. 3 ;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of portion of an alternative type of building construction to which the termite barrier has been applied;
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of portion of a further alternative type of building construction to which the termite barrier has been applied;
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of a portion of a building to which the termite barrier has been fitted after construction of the building;
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of portion of a building slab through which a conduit extends and having a termite barrier fitted thereto in an alternative manner to that shown in FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cable in which the termite barrier has been incorporated; and
FIG. 11 is a sectional view through an upright post with the termite barrier fitted to the lower end thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 a- 2 c of the drawings, the termite barrier is in the form of a woven mesh 10 made of corrosion resistant stainless steel wires or filaments such as 304 grade stainless steel. The termite barrier may also include a flexible moisture impervious plastic sheet 121 formed to the woven mesh 10 . Preferably, both sides of the woven mesh 10 are covered by a plastic sheet 121 . The woven filaments form a series of pores or openings 15 in the mesh which are of a generally rectangular shape with the distance between the two more closely spaced sides 16 of the rectangle and the diagonal thereof is less than the maximum cross sectional dimensions of the head of the species of termite in respect of which the mesh is to form a barrier (FIG. 2 c). For instance, the soldier termite of species Mastotermes darwiniensis, of northern Australia, has a maximum head width of 3 . 25 mm. To form a termite barrier for Mastotermes darwiniensis, the distance between the two more closely spaced sides 16 of the rectangle and the diagonal thereof should be 3 . 25 mm or less.
Referring now to FIG. 3 which shows a cross section of a portion of a building having an external double brick wall 20 and an internal single brick wall 21 in association with a poured concrete slab base 23 . As is conventional in this form of construction, a continuous concrete footing 25 is formed to support the double brick wall 20 . The perimeter of the concrete slab 23 has a perimetal portion 26 of increased depth also supported on the footing 25 , and additional areas of increased depth are also provided beneath the internal single brick walls 21 as indicated at 28 in FIG. 3 .
After the footings 25 have been poured and cured, an integral sheet of termite barrier mesh 30 is laid over the complete area where the slab 23 is to be poured with portion of the mesh overhanging beyond the footing 25 as will be referred to further hereinafter. When the mesh 30 is laid it is contoured to closely follow the contour of the ground including following the contour of any trenches or depressions in the ground, such as are required to accommodate the increased thickness areas 26 and 28 of the concrete slab. Because the termite barrier is in the form of a wire mesh, it can be readily deformed to follow these contours, and can be readily folded where there is excess material resulting from a change in the contour of the surface over which it is being laid. Where a pipe or duct such as indicated at 31 is required to pass through the slab 23 , an appropriately located aperture is cut in the mesh 30 and the edge of the mesh clamped about the pipe or duct as hereinafter further described with reference to FIG. 4 .
For convenience in handling, the mesh is produced in rolls of a convenient width such as 5 m, and the mesh is laid in position with the edges of adjacent strips overlapped and secured together in a multi fold lap-type joint wherein as each fold is made it is hammered or rolled flat throughout its length to provide a secure and permanent join that is termite-proof.
After the strips of mesh have been placed in position and effectively secured along the overlapping edges, and the form-work for the concrete slab 23 is in position, the slab is poured in the conventional way with conventional steel reinforcement therein and a moist barrier sheet therebeneath (not shown). After the elapse of the appropriate curing time, the commencement of the erection of the external double brick wall of the building can be undertaken. In regard to the double brick wall construction as seen in FIG. 3 at 20 the overhanging edge portion 30 a of the termite barrier mesh is folded upwardly so as to lie between the respective inner and outer layers of bricks. The outer layer 20 a of bricks is built up to a level of at least 10 cm conveniently between 20 to 30 cm above the surrounding ground level, then the upper edge portion 30 of the barrier mesh is bent outwardly over the bricks forming the outer layer and thereafter, the rest of the bricks of the outer and inner wall are built up in the conventional manner.
There is thus formed a complete barrier in the perimeter double brick wall which is continuous with the barrier beneath the concrete slab to prevent the entry of termites into the interior of the building.
As an alternative, as shown in FIG. 5 , the barrier mesh 30 projects outwardly beneath both layers of the double brick wall and is then bend upwardly as indicated at 30 against the external face of the perimeter wall. If desired, the barrier mesh at the upper end is folded and entered between two layers of bricks at a level of 10 or more cm above the ground level. Each of the above alternative constructions may be used in other forms of external wall constructions such as a timber framed inner wall and a brick outer wall. Also the construction shown in FIG. 5 may be used with a single timber framed external wall.
Where a conduit, such as 31 in FIG. 3 previously referred to, projects through the concrete slab 23 , the barrier mesh has an aperture cut therein and prior to pouring the slab of the size smaller in diameter than the duct to be passed therethrough. The mesh about the periphery of the hole so formed can then be stretched and formed into an upwardly or downwardly projecting flange 35 as seen in FIG. 4 and a clamp 36 is fitted around the flange to press it firmly into engagement with the external surface of the duct 31 . The clamp 36 may conveniently be in the form of a conventional stainless steel hose clamp.
Preferably the flange 35 is formed to project upwardly from the normal level of the barrier mesh as shown in FIG. 4 so that when the slab is cast, the flange and the clamp secured about the duct will be embedded in the concrete forming the slab. It will be appreciated that a woven mesh is capable of being stretched without enlarging the holes or pores therein to a size to permit termites to pass through. The stretching is achieved by distorting the rectangular pores into a parallelogram shape thus reducing the dimensions of the pores in one direction while they are enlarged in the other direction. The reduction in one direction is sufficient to prevent the passage of termites.
Referring now to FIG. 6 of the drawings, there is shown in a simplified representation, a cross section through part of the slab and wall of a building. The footing 9 is constructed of concrete with appropriate metal reinforcement and is located some distance below the normal surface of the ground indicated at 11 . The concrete beam 12 is normally precast and located on site in position on the footing 9 , a series of such beams being provided to form the perimeter of the base of the building. As the beams 12 are precast and subsequently transported to the building site, it is not convenient to have barrier material embedded in the beam during the casting thereof, particularly as there is the possibility of damage to the barrier material during subsequent transportation and installation of the beams.
Following completion of the positioning of the perimeter beams 12 in place upon the footings, the area bounded by the beams is prepared for pouring of the concrete slab by the laying down and compacting of a bed of stones as indicated at 13 prior to the pouring of the full slab. Also prior to pouring of the slab, a continuous strip 15 of the termite barrier material is arranged so one marginal edge portion 16 is applied to the internal face of the beam 12 by appropriate mechanical fixings such as concrete nail and is overlayed by an adhesive cement layer as indicated at 17 . After curing of the adhesive cement, the concrete floor slab 19 is poured and during such pouring the other marginal edge portion 18 of the barrier material strip 15 is embedded in the concrete slab.
The concrete of the slab may extend up to and abut the internal face of the beam 12 , thereby also encasing the marginal portion 16 of the termite barrier strip that is adhered to the beam, or in alternative structures, an expansion gap, may as indicated at 22 be left between the perimeter edge of the slab 18 and the adjacent beam 12 . Where such an expansion gap is left, as seen in FIG. 6 , the barrier strip is provided with a re-entrant fold 21 extending the length thereof which will provide the flexibility and freedom for movement of the floor slab relative to the beam without the risk of fracture of the termite barrier strip. As shown in FIG. 6 , the marginal edge position 18 extends into the slab through the edge face thereof. However, it is to be understood that the termite barrier step may also extend into the underside of the slab with the marginal portion then turned upwardly into the under side of the slab.
It is also to be understood that the beam 12 as shown in FIG. 6 can be replaced by a cast in situ or precast wall or similar upwardly extending member. In such an arrangement the barrier strip can be installed as shown in FIG. 6 or each marginal edge portion of the barrier strip 15 can be embedded in the slab and upright member respectively during casting of each or can be embedded in one and adhered or bonded to the other. In constructions where the slab and other member are cast separately, it is preferable to provide a re-entrant fold 21 24 extending the length of the barrier strip 15 to provide the ability for limited freedom of movement between the structural members without fracture of the barrier strip.
The above description of the installation of the termite barrier strip between a beam or wall and a slab may also be applied to providing an effective termite barrier between an existing concrete member and a newly cast member which may be functioning as an extension of an existing structure. In such circumstances, the same technique and layout as above discussed with respect to the beam and slab, may be applied to extending an existing slab.
Referring now to FIG. 8 of the drawings where there is illustrated a further application of the termite barrier strip along the external perimeter wall of an existing building. In this situation as illustrated, the existing building comprises a conventional footing 25 , a floor slab 26 and an external wall 27 , which may be in the form of a brick or poured concrete construction. In such an existing structure, there is not access to the underside of the slab 26 or the interface between the slab 26 and the wall 27 and accordingly, it is necessary to install the termite barrier strip externally. This is achieved by initially removing the earth adjacent the external wall to a depth to expose the existing concrete footing and then applying the barrier material strip 28 extending up the external face of the wall from the footing to a substantial distance above the ground level. The lower marginal edge of the termite barrier strip, which is seated on the footing 25 , is secured thereto and to the lower portion of the wall by suitable adhesive cement as indicated at 29 . The upper marginal portion of the termite barrier strip may be anchored to the wall by concrete nails or the like at suitable intervals along the length, or may also be secured thereto by the use of adhesive cement or both. In this regard, it is to be noted that in view of the inability of the termites to survive when exposed to ambient conditions, it is only necessary for the termite barrier strip 15 to extend approximately 20 to 30 centimeters above normal ground level to effectively prevent termites entering the building or to cause them to build external galleries that are readily visible and hence detectable.
There is shown in FIG. 7 a modification of the construction shown in FIG. 8 which is suitable for use during the construction of the building as compared with that shown in FIG. 7 which is more appropriate for application to existing buildings. In FIG. 7 , the conventional footing 25 , floor slab 26 and external wall structure 27 are the same as that previously described with respect to FIG. 8 . The termite barrier strip 28 has a lower portion thereof embedded into the slab 26 during the pouring of the latter and is subsequently positioned so as to lie adjacent the wall 27 on the inner side thereof. During the laying of the bricks or blocks 29 which form the wall 27 , the other marginal edge portion of the barrier strip 28 is positioned between two adjacent bricks or blocks with the normal mortar or cement is located on either side of the marginal edge portion of the barrier strip so that when the wall is finished, the marginal edge portion is integral with the wall structure and will prevent the passage of termites.
It is to be understood that the term bricks or blocks includes building blocks of a range of materials including natural stone, rock, concrete and the brick or block may be of steel or aluminum in block or sheet form.
As previously referred to with respect to FIG. 4 , it is frequently necessary in building structures to provide conduits which project through the concrete base slab of the structure, and the opening provided in the slab for this purpose is a potential avenue for the passage of termites. In order to preclude the passage of termites, a sheet 34 of border material with a central aperture can be placed over the conduit 31 prior to the pouring of the slab with the inner peripheral portion of the sheet clamped above the exterior of the conduit such as by a conventional hose clip as indicated at 35 in FIG. 9 . During the subsequent pouring of the slab, the outer perimeter areas 33 of the sheet of termite barrier material is embedded in the concrete when poured and thereby provide an effective barrier to termites between the conduit and the slab as commonly arises in the prior art structures.
In the previous description of the practical application of the present invention, reference has been made to using adhesive cement to secure a marginal edge portion of the barrier strip to an adjacent member which may be concrete or building bricks or blocks. The nature of the adhesive cement is a mixture of conventional cement and fine sand to which there is added a proprietary cement adhesive agent, such as that marketed in Australia under the Registered Trade Mark BONDCRETE. The sand used in the adhesive cement is selected so that it is sufficiently fine that the individual particles will freely pass through the openings in the mesh of the barrier strip thereby ensuring an effective bond between the barrier strip and the adjacent structural member and to prevent the possible formation of areas which are not adhered and therefore potential passages for termites.
The termite barrier material used as above described in relation to building may also be used as a termite barrier in respect of a wide range of structures incorporating material which is subject to attack by termites. One such additional application is around the portion of a post or like member which has the lower portion thereof buried in the ground. It is customary to treat the lower portion of such posts with appropriate chemicals to inhibit attack by termites, however, such chemicals have a limited effective life and environmental disadvantages. The termite barrier material of the present invention can be formed into a sleeve or pocket 38 closed at one end 39 and fitted over the portion of the post to be buried in the ground with the closed end lowermost as shown in FIG. 11 . The sleeve is of sufficient length to project at least 10 to 20 centimeters above the ground level when the post is erected.
When the barrier mesh is to be used for this purpose, it may be initially woven in a tubular form and then cut to the requisite length for each particular application. The individual lengths of the tubular mesh are then folded at the bottom end to form an effective closure. This closure may be formed by flattening a portion of the end of the tube and then forming multiple folds therein with the folded portion being subsequently pressed or hammered flat to form a multi lapped joint which is not penetrable by the termites.
When the mesh is not produced in a tubular form, a flat piece of mesh may be rolled to form a tube with the respective edges of the strip folded in a multi lapped Joint which is again rolled or hammered flat.
In the above description the application of the termite barrier material to the lower end of a post it is to be understood that the same construction of termite barrier can be used on any member which is to be buried in the ground, whether it is in the nature of or forming the function of a post or for any other purpose.
Another use for the termite barrier material is in protecting cables, particularly underground cables which incorporate a material which is susceptible to attack by termites. Such cables normally are of a construction as shown in FIG. 10 and have an outer protective covering 40 of a suitable material in addition to the wires or other elements 41 of the cable, such as electrical or optical cable, and the normal insulation or other coatings or wrappings 42 in which they are located.
It is known to weave in situ about the core of such cables fabric or wire reinforcing materials and it is proposed by the present invention that there also be woven about such cable cores a mesh of stainless steel wires or filaments 43 of the required dimensions to form a barrier against the passage of termites into the cable. If the termite barrier is not woven in situ about the core of the cable, then a wrapping of the barrier material of the required construction may be fitted about the cable with a longitudinal seam being formed by a lapped joint in the manner previously discussed. The termite barrier is located in or beneath the outer tough covering normally provided on such cables, as an alternative to about the exterior as shown in the drawing.
The termite barrier as previously described may be used in many other applications in addition to those described with reference to the accompanying drawings without departing from the present invention. | A barrier to termites particularly suitable for protecting buildings comprising a mesh made of a material that is resistant to breakdown in the environment of use and is resistant to secretions deposited by termites, such as stainless steel, and is also sufficiently hard to not be attacked by termites, such as having a hardness not less than about Shore D70. The pores of the mesh being dimensioned so the maximum linear dimension in any direction of the pores is less than the maximum linear dimension of the cross-section of the head of the species of termite to be controlled. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a hydraulic system for machines provided with tools, particularly for wheel loaders, fork lifts or the like, having a load-damping system comprising at least one hydraulic accumulator connected to the hydraulic lines responsible for lifting and lowering the tool and that extend between the lifting cylinder and a control valve.
Construction machines having pneumatic tires must often travel a long distance when they are to be used at a construction site. They can be driven between construction sites and to their locations of use, because they fulfill the conditions of admission for participation in public traffic, even with trailers from time to time.
The driving speeds that can be attained during use contribute significantly to the transport capability and thus the economical aspect of the machine. However, even for tools that must be transported frequently between construction sites, or must use lengthy routes to reach these sites, the time required to do this is a significant factor in the cost calculation of the contractor.
The driving speed of this type of machine is not limited by the engine capability--with the exception of driving on steep gradients--but by the vibrations the vehicle experiences due to unevenness of the ground. The driver is thus obligated to select a speed considerably below the speed that could be attained. The primary cause of the "bumping" of the machine is the lack of a spring system. Up to now, spring systems have only been constructed in construction machines for special purposes, for example in military applications with the requirement of speeds up to over 60 km/h. The reasons these types of construction machines are built without spring systems are, on the one hand, that a spring system, because of its yielding under lifting and tensile forces, would be disadvantageous during loading. On the other hand, installing a spring system represents a relatively high construction expenditure that would by nature have to result in considerable additional costs.
From DE-C 3,909,205, a hydraulic system is known for construction machines, particularly wheel loaders, tractors and the like, that include a tool, particularly a loading shovel, that is operated by a hydraulic cylinder, wherein a main line is provided for operating the hydraulic cylinder that leads from a pressure source to the hydraulic cylinders via a control valve, from which line a connecting line that leads to at least one hydraulic accumulator branches off, and in which a switchable check valve is disposed. A feed line is provided that bridges the check valve and connects the main line to the hydraulic accumulator, and a pressure-reducing valve is disposed in the feed line. The pressure-reducing valve is set to the carrying pressure of the hydraulic cylinder, and is preferably configured as a pressure-limiting valve or as a pressure cut-off valve. The switchable check valve is configured as a magnet valve that is controlled as a function of the driving speed or the tilting angle of the tool, wherein during driving speed-dependent control of the magnet valve, the switching point is set such that it cannot be exceeded until second gear is reached.
Because only one predeterminable carrying pressure (e.g. 120 bar) can be set in the use of pressure-reducing valves, which cannot be viewed as being a realistic value in every working state, the load-damping system used here is viewed as inadequate for all operating states of the machine. Moreover, the gear- or driving speed-dependent switching of the pressure-reducing valve likewise cannot optimally manage the pitching vibrations established in the operating state.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The goal of the subject of the invention is to provide a damping system for the tool or the lifting device cooperating therewith such that pitching vibrations of the machine, particularly those occurring with unfavorable road surfaces, can be reduced.
This goal is achieved in accordance with the invention in that at least one nozzle connected to a plurality of distributing valves is provided between the load-damping system and the lifting cylinder for variably adapting the load pressure of the hydraulic accumulator to the respective load pressure of the lifting cylinder, wherein the valves can be operated via manometric switches, and the load-damping system can be activated or deactivated as a function of predeterminable operating states.
The hydraulic system of the invention is particularly suited for conveying and transport trips with an empty or loaded tool.
If the driver operates the pilot control actuator, the distributing valves are shifted into the neutral position by means of the manometric switches cooperating with the pilot control actuator, and the load-damping system is disconnected. The hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic accumulator is adapted via the nozzle to correspond to the load pressure in the lifting cylinder. If the driver again puts the pilot control actuator into the neutral position, the load-damping system is automatically activated. After the load pressure has nearly been adapted via the nozzle in the hydraulic accumulator, no notable sinking of the tool takes place during automatic deactivation. However, to guard against unacceptable spring deflections of the lifting cylinder(s) via the hydraulic accumulator, the load-damping system is automatically deactivated via an inductive switch at a specific lifting height.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The subject of the invention is described in detail by way of an embodiment. Shown are in:
FIG. 1--representation of a wheel loader; and
FIG. 2--hydraulic circuit diagram for the wheel loader of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As a fundamental representation, FIG. 1 shows a wheel loader 1 that can travel on pneumatic tires 2. The wheel loader 1 includes, among other features, a chassis 3 that has a driver's cab 4, and a bucket 5 seated to pivot on a mounting assembly 6, the mounting assembly 6 being connected to a plurality of hydraulic cylinders 7, 8 provided for the purpose of lifting and tilting the bucket 5.
FIG. 2 shows the hydraulic circuit diagram 9 (load-damping system) for the wheel loader 1 shown in FIG. 1, wherein it is carefully pointed out that this circuit diagram can be applied in the same manner to other tools, for example a fork lift. In accordance with hydraulic circuit diagram 9, the load-damping system is connected to the hydraulic lines 10, 11 responsible for lifting and lowering, respectively, and that extend between the lifting cylinders 12, 13 and the control valve 14. The hydraulic line 10 responsible for lifting is connected via a 2--2-way valve 15--blocked in the neutral position, free passage in the shift position--to one or a plurality of hydraulic accumulators 16, 17, 18, 19. The hydraulic accumulators 16-19 have a vehicle-specific gas bias. A nozzle 21 is located on the lifting side 10 in the bypass 20 between the hydraulic accumulators 16-19 and lifting cylinders 12, 13. The hydraulic line 11 responsible for lowering is connected via a further 2--2-way valve 22--blocked in the neutral position, free passage in the shift position--to the return conduit 23. Manometric switches 29, 30, 31, 32 are located in the pilot control lines 24, 25, 26, 27 (lifting, lowering, upward tilting, downward tilting), between the pilot control actuator 28 and the control valve 14. On the front frame of the wheel loader 1, which has no further reference numerals, an inductive switch 34 is provided at a predetermined height.
A main switch 35 is disposed in the driver's cab 4 of the wheel loader 1 for activating and deactivating the load-damping system. When the load-damping system is activated via the main switch, and the pilot control actuator 28 is in the neutral position, the 2--2-way valves 15, 22 in the lifting line 10 and the lowering line 11 switch to free passage. The lifting side 10, that is, lifting cylinders 12, 13, are thus connected to the hydraulic accumulators 16-19. The hydraulic line 11 responsible for lowering that is, lifting cylinders 12, 13, are consequently connected to the return conduit 23. Pitching movements of the wheel loader 1 caused by unevenness in the road are hence variably damped and reduced, e.g. as a function of the respective operating state, permitting high driving speeds.
If the driver operates the pilot control actuator 28, the 2--2-way valves 15, 22 are switched into the neutral position by means of the manometric switches 29-32, and the load-damping system is deactivated. The hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic accumulators 16-19 is adapted via the nozzle 21 to correspond to the load pressure in the lifting cylinders 12, 13. If the driver again puts the pilot control actuator 28 into the neutral position, the load-damping system is automatically deactivated. After the load pressure in the hydraulic accumulators 16-19 has been variably adapted to the respective operating state via the nozzle 21, no notable sinking of the bucket 5 or the mounting assembly 6 results.
As a guard against unacceptable spring deflections of the lifting cylinders 12, 13 via the hydraulic accumulators 16-19, the load-damping system is automatically deactivated at a predetermined lifting height via the inductive switch 34 on the frame of the wheel loader 1. For specific applications, it can be necessary in the operating state of the wheel loader 1 to deactivate the nozzle 21, for example by means of a magnet valve 33.
The function of the hydraulic system of the invention is intended to be clarified by way of a practical example.
During empty runs (empty bucket), the cylinders 12, 13 are under a pressure of, for example, 30 bar, and the hydraulic accumulators 16-19 are under their own prestress of 18 bar. Because of these pressures, the highest driving speeds can be achieved during empty travel, wherein vibrations, particularly pitching vibrations, can be suppressed to the greatest extent.
During loading of the bucket 5, the valves 15 and 22 are switched to neutral via the manometric switches 29-32, and the valve 33 is switched to passage. The hydraulic accumulators 16-19 are brought to the respective operating pressure via the pressure generated by the pump, not shown, and the nozzle 21. This can result in a pressure of approximately 200 bar when the pressure in the hydraulic cylinders 12, 13 is 200 bar.
On the wall, a cylinder carrying pressure of 180 bar would be established, for example via the magnet valve 33, in the region of the hydraulic cylinders 12, 13, whereas the accumulator pressure would approach this magnet value via the valve 33 and the nozzle 21 in order to bring about a balance in this manner. As soon as the driver operates the pilot control actuator 28, the valves 15 and 22 are switched open via the manometric switches 29-32, so that the hydraulic accumulators 16-19 are connected to the cylinders 12, 13. As already addressed, at a predetermined lifting frame height the inductive switch 34 is operated, and the load-damping system is deactivated. | A hydraulic system for machines provided with tools, particularly for wheel loaders, fork lifts or the like, including comprising at least one hydraulic accumulator, distributing valves, manometric switches and at least one nozzle for variably adapting the load pressure of the hydraulic accumulator to the load pressure of the lifting cylinder, wherein the load-damping system formed by the hydraulic accumulator is connected to the hydraulic lines responsible for lifting and lowering and extending between the hydraulic cylinder(s) and a control valve. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the field of semiconductor processing, and more particularly to a device for measuring warp in semiconductor wafer cassettes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wafer carriers, or cassettes, have been used for many years in the semiconductor arts to secure a number of semiconductor wafers in a rigid housing, and to allow the wafers to be processed at the same. Generally, such carriers are constructed to form a plurality of slots (e.g., 25-50), into which semiconductor wafers are placed for transport and processing.
Depending on the stage of processing, different cassette types may be used. For example, during washing stages, such as chemical cleaning, a chemical-resistant plastic, or possibly Teflon® material is used for the cassettes. In furnace operations, which require wafers to be baked at very high temperatures, it is common to utilize a material such as Quartz, which can withstand very high temperatures. In between these processing steps, automated transfer devices are used to transfer the wafers from one type of cassette to another.
More specifically, during chemical cleaning, wafers are placed into a Teflon cassette. The cassette is then immersed, sprayed and/or rinsed with liquids or gases. Some of the chemical baths include corrosive materials, and are located in chambers that reach high temperatures. Additionally, during the cleaning process, the cassette may be placed into a fixture that rotates the cassette at high speeds, placing considerable physical stress on the cassette.
Because of the corrosive environment into which the cassettes are used, as well as the temperatures and physical stresses placed on the cassette, it is common for cassettes to become warped after repeated use. For example, slots may begin to vary in alignment that in turn may alter the registry of particular wafers. Such distortion in cassettes creates undesirable variances in the manufacturing process. As cassettes become warped, the locations of the wafers inside the cassette may vary outside of the tolerance range of the automated wafer handling devices that are responsible for transferring the wafers from one cassette to another.
For example, an automated transfer device is typically programmed to pick up wafers within a Teflon cassette, and transfer these wafers to a quartz cassette or boat. The transfer device requires that wafers within a cassette be located within prescribed tolerances. If the Teflon cassette has become warped, placing the wafers outside the prescribed tolerances, there is a strong possibility that the transfer device will mishandle the wafers. Since the transfer device often operates at high speed, mishandling can cause scratches, chips and even broken wafers. In addition, a chip off one wafer can end up damaging the surface of surrounding wafers. Thus, it is not uncommon that when a cassette becomes warped outside of predetermined tolerances, mishandling results in the damage of several wafers. The financial loss from such an incident is substantial. Not only is there a delay in producing the final semiconductor product, but all of the materials used to fabricate, clean and process the wafers are lost.
It should therefore be appreciated that the use of warped cassettes should be reduced, or altogether eliminated. However, the prior art has heretofore not provided sufficient mechanisms to either test cassettes for warp, or ensure that warped cassettes are not used in the semiconductor manufacturing process.
One attempt that has been made is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,759 entitled BOAT TEST APPARATUS, to Goff et al. This invention provides a test fixture for a cassette that holds the cassette to be tested in a predetermined position. Test wafers are then inserted and removed into the cassette to determine whether the wafers properly seat within the cassette. If the wafers cannot be inserted into the cassette, the cassette is considered to fall outside of predefined tolerances.
However, Goff et al., relies on interaction between test wafers, a mounting structure which secures a cassette, and a movement arm to translate the wafers in and out of the cassette, to perform an accurate test. If any part of the test device falls outside of a tolerance range, the test will not provide the correct result. Moreover, the test apparatus does not provide any indication of the nature of warp in a cassette. It is merely a pass/fail test structure. The device, therefore, cannot trend the degree of warp over the lifetime of a cassette.
What is needed is an apparatus that solves the above problems by providing a mechanism that easily and accurately tests warp in semiconductor cassettes, and that provides an indication of the type of warp within a cassette.
SUMMARY
To address the above-detailed deficiencies, it is an object of the present invention to provide a test apparatus for measuring the warp on a end wall of a semiconductor wafer cassette.
Accordingly, in the attainment of the aforementioned object, it is a feature of the present invention to provide an apparatus for measuring warp of a wafer cassette. The apparatus includes mounting structure, light transmitter, light receiver, and a housing. The mounting structure secures the wafer cassette in a predetermined position. The light transmitter is disposed at a top end of a first surface of the wafer cassette when the wafer cassette is secured by the mounting structure. The light transmitter transmits a light reference along a first plane that is substantially parallel to the first surface of the wafer cassette. The light receiver is disposed at a bottom end of the first surface of the wafer cassette when the wafer cassette is secured by said mounting structure. The light receiver receives the light reference transmitted by the light transmitter. The housing is connected to the mounting structure, to the light transmitter, and to the light receiver to establish a repeatable reference position between the wafer cassette and the light transmitter and the light receiver. Measurement of light received by the light receiver from the light transmitter indicates warp on the first surface of the wafer cassette.
An advantage of the present invention is that warped cassettes may be detected, prior to being used to process semiconductor wafers.
An additional advantage of the present invention is that trending of warped cassettes may be detected and recorded for historical use, tracking, and service life prediction.
Another advantage of the present invention is that when the apparatus is used to test wafer cassettes, on a regular basis, wafer damage resulting from warped cassettes can be significantly reduced, if not altogether eliminated.
In another aspect, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a measurement system that determines surface warp on a end wall of a semiconductor wafer cassette. The measurement system includes a housing, a mounting mechanism, an array of laser diodes, an array of photo detectors, and electronic test equipment. The mounting mechanism is attached to the housing, and secures the wafer cassette in a predetermined position. The predetermined position places the end wall of the wafer cassette in parallel with, and in proximity to, a first plane. The array of laser diodes is also attached to the housing, and is arranged in parallel to the first plane. The array of laser diodes transmits a light reference across the end wall of the wafer cassette. The array of photo detectors is attached to the housing, and is arranged in parallel to the first plane, and opposite the array of laser diodes. The array of photo detectors receives the transmitted light reference. The electronic test equipment is connected to the array of photo detectors, and monitors the transmitted light reference received by the array of photo detectors. The amount of transmitted light reference received by the array of photo detectors varies, depending on the amount of warp on the end wall of the wafer cassette.
An advantage of the present invention is that by using it regularly to detect cassette warp, significant financial losses, resulting from processing wafers in warped cassettes, may be retained.
Another advantage is that repeated use of the present invention can provide valuable information on the relationship between processing stages, and their effect on particular cassette materials.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, and accompanying drawings where:
FIG. 1 is a top left perspective view of a semiconductor wafer cassette.
FIG. 2 a side view of a wafer cassette for insertion in a warp measuring device according to the present invention.
FIGS. 3A-3F are down views of a plurality of wafer cassettes, having different warp characteristics, inserted over an array of photo detectors mounted within the warp measuring device of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a top down view of a mounting structure for securing a wafer cassette within the warp measuring device of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the warp measuring device according to the present invention, connected to an electronic test apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a wafer cassette 100 is shown. The cassette 100 includes an end wall 102, and an H-bar 104, that are connected by two side walls 106 to form substantially a rectangular box. The cassette 100 has an opening 108 into which a plurality of wafers 116 are inserted. The wafers 116 are secured by a plurality of slots 114 fabricated on the inside of the side walls 106. The slots 114 both secure the wafers 116 inside the cassette 100, as well as separate the wafers 116 from each other. The cassette 100 also has a bottom opening 110 from which extends two feet 112. The feet 112 are used to secure the cassette 100 in a predetermined position. The cassette 100 further includes flanges 115 for use in transporting the cassette 100, either by hand, or by robotic means. The wafer cassette 100 is exemplary of those used in the chemical cleaning stages of semiconductor wafer processing.
One skilled in the art should appreciate that the primary structural support for the cassette 100 comes from the end wall 102. The end wall 102 is the largest continuous surface of the entire cassette 100, and therefore must remain straight and rigid if the cassette 100 is to carry wafers 116 in predetermined positions. Should the end wall 102 begin to warp, or become distorted, the positions of wafers 116 contained within the cassette 100 invariably are changed. The present invention therefore directs warp measurements of the cassette 100 at the end wall 102.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a side perspective of a wafer cassette 200 is shown which is positioned into a warp test device 230 according to the present invention. As in FIG. 1, the cassette 200 includes an end wall 202, an H-bar 210, an opening 208, and extension feet 212. The end wall 202 has a first edge 201 along a top surface of the cassette 200, and a second edge 203 along a bottom surface of the cassette 200. By dashed lines, the end wall 202 is shown to have a convex surface 220, or a concave surface 222, depending on the degree and type of warp located thereon.
The cassette 200 is represented by dashed lines to be secured within the warp test device 230. The test device 230 includes a base 232, a back wall 234, and a top 236. Within the base 232 is a mounting structure 240 for securing the cassette 200 in a predetermined position. In one embodiment, the cassette 200 is positioned so that the end wall 202 is parallel, and in close proximity to the back wall 234.
Within the top 236 is a light transmission device 250 into which a plurality of laser diodes 252, or other similar light sources, is placed. The light transmission device 250 is positioned within the top 236 to arrange the laser diodes 252 across the top of the end wall 202 of the cassette 200. The number and type of laser diodes 252 depend on the width of the end wall 202 to be tested, as well as the accuracy desired by the test. In one embodiment, five laser diodes 252 are placed within the device 250, spaced linearly across the top of the end wall 202.
Within the base 232 is a light reception device 254 into which is mounted a plurality of photo detectors (not shown), or other similar light receivers, corresponding to the number of light sources used. The light reception device 254 is positioned within the base 232 to arrange the photo detectors across the bottom of the end wall 202 of the cassette 200. The photo detectors are spaced linearly across the bottom of the end wall 202.
In operation, to test the warp of the end wall 202 of a cassette 200, the cassette 200 is positioned within the test device 230. The light transmission device 250 shines light across the end wall 202, and the light is received by the light reception device 254. Depending on the nature and degree of warp in the end wall 202, the amount of light received by the reception device 254, and the location of the light received by the reception device 254, will vary. This is particularly illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 3, shows six different possibilities of warp for the end wall 202 of the wafer cassette 200, labeled a) through f). In diagram a), a top down view is provided, illustrating five photo detectors 256 mounted within a light reception device 254. In one embodiment, the photo detectors 256 are four segment position sensitive photo detectors, each capable of distinguishing light received in one of four different quadrants. Five similarly mounted laser diodes are mounted in a corresponding light transmission device (not shown). In diagram a), all five photo detectors 256 receive transmitted light, indicating that a cassette 200 is not inserted into the test device 230.
In diagram b), a cassette 200 is shown positioned into the test device 230. In this diagram, the end wall 202 is not warped, so the end wall 202 blocks all of the light transmitted by the light transmission device 250. Therefore, none of the photo detectors 256 receives any light. This indicates that the end wall 202 is not warped.
In diagram c), a cassette 200 is shown positioned into the test device 230. In this diagram, the end wall 202 is concave. Thus, some, but not all of the photo detectors 256 receive light transmitted by the light transmission device 250. By measuring the amount of light received by each of the photo detectors 256, and by comparing the amount of light received by each of the photo detectors 256, an understanding may be had regarding the nature of warp on the end wall 202, as well as the degree of warp. If this warp falls outside of a predetermined standard, the cassette 200 should not be used for wafer fabrication.
In diagram d), a cassette 200 is shown which has a convex end wall 202. By testing a comparison as described above, the amount of light received by the photo detectors 254 can determine the nature and degree of warp in the end wall of the cassette 200.
In diagram e), a cassette 200 is shown which has an angled end wall 202. The amount of light received by the photo detectors 254 can determine the nature and degree of warp in the end wall 202 of the cassette 200.
In diagram f), a cassette 200 is shown which has an irregular warp in the end wall 202. Again, the amount of light received by each of the photo detectors 254, as well as a comparison of the amount of light received by each of the photo detectors 254, can indicate the degree and nature of the warp. If the degree or nature of the warp falls outside of a predetermined standard, the cassette 200 should be scrapped.
Now referring to FIG. 4, a mounting structure 440 is shown which is secured within the base 232 of the test device 230. The mounting structure 440, in one embodiment, includes two channels 442, 444 into which the feet 212 of the wafer cassette 200 may be inserted. The channels 442, 444 extend to the open end 446 of the mounting structure 440 to allow insertion of the cassette feet 212, but stop short of the opposite wall 448 of the mounting structure 440, to place the end wall 202 of cassettes in a fixed, repeatable relationship with respect to the light transmission device 250 and the light reception device 254.
Now referring to FIG. 5, a cassette 500 is shown for insertion into a test device 530. Elements in FIG. 5 that are also illustrated in FIG. 2 have like numbers to FIG. 2, with the hundreds digit replaced with a 5. The test device 530 is shown connected to electronic test equipment 560, such as a logic analyzer or oscilloscope, which is also connected to a computer 570 to create an automated test environment for measuring and recording warp of wafer cassettes. In one embodiment, every cassette used within a processing environment is assigned a tracking number. Then, as each cassette is placed within the warp test device 530, the particular cassette is identified, by either scan or manual input, and the test results of the cassette are placed into a history file. Statistics are then developed which identify the nature and degree of warp in either individual cassettes, or series of cassettes used in various stages of semiconductor processing. Measuring and recording of cassettes allows heuristics to be developed to better understand the relationship between particular wafer processing stages, and their effect on material types of cassettes.
Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in considerable detail, those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiments as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. For example, the mounting structures shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are exemplary only. Other mounting structures or jigs may be developed to secure cassettes of different sizes and dimensions within a test device according to the present invention. Also, the test device shown in FIG. 2 illustrates a light transmission device, and light receiving device, that measure warp across the length of the end wall of a cassette. It may be desirable to measure warp across the width of the end wall, either as a substitute for, or in addition to, measuring warp across the length of the end wall. Furthermore, an array of laser diodes, and an array of photo detectors have been shown for transmitting and receiving light. It is possible that other light sources, or other light detectors could be used, such as photo diodes, without departing from the idea of measuring surface distortions in a cassette to determine warp.
In addition, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. | An apparatus for measuring warp of a semiconductor wafer cassette is provided. A wafer cassette is secured within a housing that places the end wall of the cassette in a predetermined position. An array of laser diodes is arranged to transmit a light reference across the end wall of the cassette. An array of photo detectors is placed opposite the laser diodes to detect the transmitted light reference. If the end wall of the cassette is not warped, the transmitted light is blocked by the cassette. If the end wall of the cassette is warped, some or all of the photo detectors receive the transmitted light. Measurement of the light received by the photo detectors is used to determine the nature and degree of warp on the end wall of the cassette. | 7 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/929,433, filed Aug. 31, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,197,232 which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/883,175 filed on Jun. 19, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,364, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/257,187 filed on Feb. 25, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,249,639, which is a division of application Ser. No. 08/255,758 filed on Jun. 7, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,188. The contents of application Ser. Nos. 10/929,433, 09/883,175, 09/257,187 and 08/255,758 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus, or more in particular to a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus having a time-base restoration function.
2. Description of Related Art
The Journal of the Institute of Television Engineers of Japan, Vol. 47, No. 4, April 1993, pp. 494-499, describes a system conceived to transmit audio or video software through a radio wave or a cable to be recorded in each home.
In this conventional system, however, the rate at which software information is transmitted, recorded and reproduced is fixed. Especially, no measure is taken to shorten the recording time.
Also, the problem of the above-mentioned conventional system is that the sale or rent which may be made of audio or video software requires management of information on customers, number of days rented, etc.
One such system may be interactive, in which the user requests the video software he wants from the transmitting end, and the software supplier transmits the desired software. In such a case, however, it takes a predetermined length of time before the wanted digital information signal is actually transmitted from the time the particular video software is requested. More specifically, the transmitting end is required to prepare the video data to be transmitted or to stand by until a transmission channel becomes available. This leads to the problem that the user cannot determine the time to start his VTR.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the invention is to obviate the above-mentioned problems and to provide a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus having the functions of shortening the recording time and restoring the signal on time base.
A second object of the invention is to obviate the above-mentioned problems and to provide a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus capable of easily managing information on customers, number of days rented, etc.
A third object of the invention is to obviate the above-mentioned problems and to provide a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus simple to operate, in which recording errors can be minimized.
In order to achieve the first object, according to the invention, there is provided a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus in which software information is transmitted by being reduced to 1/n temporally, the received software reduced to 1/n temporally is recorded in magnetic tape at a predetermined rate, and the recorded signal is reproduced at the rate 1/n the recording rate.
In order to achieve the second object, according to the invention, there is provided a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus in which control codes such as the user number and the recording date are additionally recorded in the recording signal so that the information on customers, number of days rented, etc. are managed based on the added information at the time of reproduction.
According to a first method for achieving the third object of the invention, there is provided a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus comprising a control signal generator at the transmitting end for controlling the operating conditions of recording-reproducing means (VTR), wherein an output signal of the control signal generator is transmitted together with a digital information signal through transmission means before recording, and a control signal detector at the receiving end is connected with the receiver and produces an output signal thereby to control the VTR in recording mode.
According to a second method for achieving the third object of the invention, there is provided a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus comprising a control signal generator at the transmitting end for controlling the operating conditions of the VTR, second transmission means for transmitting an output signal of the control signal generator, and a control signal detector at the receiving end, wherein an output signal of the control signal generator is transmitted through the second transmission means before starting the recording, the VTR is controlled in recording mode by the output signal of the control signal detector, and the digital information signal transmitted through the first transmission means is recorded by the VTR.
According to a third method for achieving the third object of the invention, there is provided a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus wherein the magnetic tape is divided into a number a of recording areas ( a : integer of 1 or more) each assigned to one video software.
The recording time can be shortened to 1/n by recording the software information temporally compressed to 1/n.
At the time of reproduction, the signal is reproduced at the rate 1/n the recording rate, and therefore the time axis is expanded by n times to reproduce the original software information before temporal compression.
At the time of reproduction, the control information including the user number and recording date are read. In the case where the user number is different, however, no reproducing operation is performed. In the case of software rental, on the other hand, no reproducing operation is performed after the lapse of a predetermined time from the recording. By so doing, information on customers, the number of days rented, etc. can be managed appropriately.
According to the first method, the control signal for controlling the VTR in recording mode is transmitted through the same transmission channel of radio wave or cable before the digital information signal of the video software to be transmitted. A demodulator at the receiving end, once it has received the control signal, immediately sets the VTR in recording mode.
According to the second method, the control signal for controlling the VTR in recording mode is transmitted through a second transmission channel such as the telephone line different from the transmission channel for transmitting the digital information signal before the digital information signal of the video software to be transmitted. A second demodulator at the receiving end, once it has received this control signal, immediately or after the lapse of a predetermined time, sets the VTR in recording mode.
According to the third method, the magnetic tape is divided beforehand (preformatted) into a plurality of recording areas, each of which is assigned to a video software for sequentially recording the video data from the tape starting section. In the process, the recording information on the video data that has been recorded in each area is recorded in the header or tail section of the particular area, and according to the contents of the recording information, the next area to be recorded is automatically selected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a recording encoder according to the invention.
FIGS. 3A-3B are diagrams showing input and output signals of the recording encoder shown in FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example configuration of an ID signal.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a recording track pattern according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a reproducing track pattern according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 .
FIGS. 7A-7E show waveforms representing the reproducing operation according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a reproducing decoder according to the invention.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a recording encoder according to the invention.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example 5 configuration of a control signal.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a control signal recording system according to another embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a reproducing track pattern according to still another embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 14A-14E show waveforms representing the reproducing operation according to a further embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a reproducing decoder according to the invention.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the control signal according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 .
FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the output signal of a transmitting encoder according to the invention.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing divisions of the magnetic tape into areas according to another embodiment.
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an arrangement of recording information signals according to a further 5 embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A block diagram of a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1 . This apparatus roughly comprises a transmission system 100 , a receiving system 200 , and a recording-reproducing system 300 . Numeral 1 designates an input terminal, numeral 10 a transmitting encoder, numeral 20 a time-base reduction circuit, numeral 25 a modulator, numeral 30 a transmission channel, numeral 35 a demodulator, numeral 40 a recording encoder, numeral 45 a change-over switch, numeral 50 a rotary drum, numerals 51 a , 51 b magnetic heads, numeral 60 a magnetic tape, numeral 70 a reproducing decoder, numeral 80 a receiving decoder, and numeral 9 an output terminal. In the magnetic heads 51 a 51 b , (+) designates a positive azimuth, and (−) a negative azimuth.
In the transmission system 100 shown in FIG. 1 , the digital information signal inputted from the input terminal 1 is encoded in a predetermined format by the transmitting encoder 10 . The signal thus encoded is reduced temporally to 1/n by the time-base reduction circuit 20 to increase the transmission rate by n times, followed by modulation at the modulator 25 . The signal thus modulated is sent out on the transmission channel 30 .
In the receiving system 200 , the signal received through the transmission channel 30 is demodulated at the demodulator 35 . The signal thus demodulated is applied as it is to the recording encoder 40 of the recording-reproducing system 300 directly. The signal thus applied is encoded by the recording encoder 40 in a format suitable for recording and reproduction.
A block diagram representing an example configuration of the recording encoder 40 is shown in FIG. 2 . Numeral 41 designates a memory, numeral 42 an interface circuit, numeral 43 a parity generator, and numeral 44 a recording signal generator. In FIG. 2 , the data demodulated at the demodulator 35 of the receiving system 200 is stored first in the memory 41 through the interface circuit 42 . The demodulated data is shown in FIG. 3A . The parity generator 43 generates a parity from the demodulated data stored in the memory 41 , and the parity thus generated is stored in the memory 41 . The recording signal generator 44 reads the parity and the demodulated data from the memory 41 , and adding a sync signal and an ID signal, produces a signal in block form as shown in FIG. 3B . FIG. 4 shows an example configuration of the ID signal constructed of, for example, a track number for identifying the recording track, a block number for identifying the in-track position, a control code such as the program number or the recording time on the tape, and a parity for detecting and correcting an error of the ID signal.
The signal thus encoded for the recording system is applied to the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b mounted at 180 degrees to each other on the rotary drum 50 and is recorded in azimuth on the magnetic tape 60 . Assume that the rotation speed of the rotary drum 50 is R 1 and the traveling speed of the magnetic tape 60 is V 1 . This recording track pattern is shown in FIG. 5 . Character P designates a track pitch, and character W the width of the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b . According to the embodiment under consideration, the head width W is set larger than the track pitch P at, say, 1.5 times as large as the track pitch P.
At the time of reproduction, the rotary drum 50 is rotated at a speed of R 1 ×m/n, that is, m/n times (1<m≦n) the rotational speed for recording, the magnetic tape 60 is run at a speed of V 1 /n that is 1/n times the speed for recording, and the signal thus recorded is reproduced by the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the reproducing track pattern, in which the solid line represents a recorded track pattern and the dashed line a scanning trace of the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b . In this way, the rotary drum 50 is rotated at a speed of R 1 ×m/n that is m/n times the rate for recording and the magnetic tape 60 is run at a speed of V 1 /n that is 1/n times the rate for recording. Therefore, the scanning pitch of the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b is 1/m times the track pitch P. In spite of a small deviation of the scanning angle, therefore, substantially a number m of scans are effected per track. According to the present embodiment, m is assumed to be 3 for simplicity of explanation.
Waveforms representing the process for recovering signals from the number m of scans are shown in FIGS. 7A-7E . FIG. 7A designates the timing is of driving the rotary drum at the speed of R 1 /n that is 1/n times the speed for recording. In this case, signals a 0 , b 0 , a 1 , b 1 , a 2 , b 2 , a 3 , b 3 are assumed to be reproduced in that order. Character T designates the rotational period. FIG. 7B designates the timing of rotation at the speed of R 1 ×m/n (m=3) according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 7C shows an envelope of the signal reproduced by the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b . In this way, three scans are effected per track. Also, as described above, the width W of the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b is set to 1.5 times the track pitch P. Even when the scanning angle deviates from the recording track angle, therefore, the on-track condition is secured for the most part. The signal with the highest reproduction output level is retrieved, thereby producing the original data (waveform D) shown in FIG. 7D . This data is restored to three times on time base to reproduce an intended low-speed signal (waveform E) as shown in FIG. 7E .
As seen from above, at the time of reproduction, the rotary drum 50 is driven at the speed m/n times higher than for recording, and the magnetic tape 60 is made to travel at the speed 1/n times higher than for recording. The time-base restoration n times larger is thus made possible.
Further, if the value m is set appropriately, a high reproduction frequency can be obtained and the desired reproduction output level can be secured regardless of the coefficient n of time-base restoration. Furthermore, the number m of scans per track permits data reproduction even under the off-track condition, thus eliminating the need of accurate tracking control.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a reproducing decoder 70 for processing the whole reproduction system including the process for retrieving the signal from the number m of scans described above. Numeral 71 designates a memory, numeral 72 a block detector, numeral 73 an error correction circuit, and numeral 74 a reproducing signal generator. In FIG. 8 , the signal reproduced by the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b is first applied to the block detector 72 . The block detector 72 detects the sync signal and the ID signal, and stores them at a predetermined position in the memory 71 based on the track number and the block number in the ID signal. The error correction circuit 73 corrects the error in the reproduced data using the parity stored in the memory 71 , while at the same time generating a pointer representing the error condition and storing it in the memory 71 . In the process, the memory 71 is supplied with the data on the same track number and the block number a number m of times. The data with the best error state is finally stored by the pointer. The reproducing signal generator 74 reads the error-corrected data from the memory 71 in the order of the track numbers and the block numbers and produces the low-speed data having a restored time base.
The low-speed data signal thus processed in the reproducing decoder 70 is applied to the receiving system 200 and decoded by the receiving decoder 80 at the transmission system. The signal thus decoded into the original digital information signal is outputted from the output terminal 9 .
As described above, the receiving decoder 80 is acceptable as a low-speed processing device by being arranged in the last stage of the recording-reproducing system 300 .
A block diagram representing a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 9 . This embodiment is an example of a system in which the video software is encrypted and transmitted as data recordable and reproducible only by the subscriber. In FIG. 9 , numeral 15 designates an encryptor, numerals 52 a , 52 b magnetic heads, numeral 75 a decryptor, numerals 101 , 102 , 103 input terminals, numerals 111 , 112 A/D converters, numerals 121 , 122 bit reduction circuits, numerals 201 , 202 bit restoration circuits, numerals 211 , 212 D/A converters, and numerals 221 , 222 , 223 output terminals. Those component parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals respectively and will not be described below. In the magnetic heads 52 a , 52 b , (+) designates a positive azimuth, and (−) a negative azimuth.
In the transmission system 100 , the video signal applied from the input terminal 101 is A/D converted by the A/D converter 111 , and bit-compressed to an appropriate rate by the bit reduction circuit 122 . The audio signal applied from the input terminal 102 , on the other hand, is A/D converted by the A/D converter 112 and bit-compressed to an appropriate rate by the bit reduction circuit 122 . These video and audio signals A/D-converted and bit-compressed, together with the auxiliary data applied from the input terminal 103 , are encrypted and time-division multiplexed by the encryptor 15 and encoded by the transmitting encoder 10 . The encrypted signal, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , is compressed on time base to 1/n by the time-base reduction circuit 20 , modulated by the modulator 25 , and sent out to the transmission channel 30 .
The receiving system 200 , like in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , demodulates the signal received through the transmission channel 30 by the demodulator 35 , and applies the demodulated data to the recording encoder 40 of the recording-reproducing system 300 .
The recording-reproducing system 300 encodes the demodulated data through the recording encoder 40 , which data is supplied through the change-over switch 45 to two sets of magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b and 52 a , 52 b , and recorded in the magnetic tape 60 by 2-channel azimuth. The 2-channel recording using the two sets of magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b , 52 a , 52 b can reduce the recording frequency to one half. The rotational speed of the rotating drum 50 and the travel speed of the magnetic tape 60 are set, for example, at R 2 and V 2 respectively.
At the time of reproduction, the rotary drum 50 is rotated at the same rate R 2 as for recording (i.e., m=n). The magnetic tape 60 is run at the rate of V 2 /n that is 1/n the rate for recording, and the signal thus recorded is reproduced by a set of magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b . According to this embodiment, the coefficient n for time-base reduction is set sufficiently large (the larger the value n, the better). In view of the fact that a number n/2 of tracings per track is possible even for 1-channel reproduction by the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b , sufficient data reproduction is possible by the same processing through the reproducing decoder 70 as in the embodiment of FIG. 1 . As a result, a single channel of reproducing circuit serves the purpose, thereby reducing the circuit size. Also, since the rotary drum 50 is driven at the same speed as at the time of recording, the rotation control is simplified.
The receiving system 200 receives the signal decoded by the reproducing decoder 70 , decodes through the receiving decoder 80 the signal encoded at the transmission system, decrypts through the decryptor 75 the signal encrypted at the transmission system, and thus separates the video signal, the audio signal and auxiliary data. The video signal and the audio signal thus separated are expanded into the original bit rate by the bit restoration circuits 201 , 202 , D/A converted by the D/A converters 211 , 212 , and outputted from the output terminals 221 , 222 . Also, the auxiliary data thus separated are outputted from the output terminal 223 .
In this way, the video signal and the audio signal thus recorded are protected by arranging the decryptor 75 in the last stage of the recording-reproducing system 300 .
TABLE 1
Video rate (after bit reduction)
2.5 Mbps
Audio rate (after bit reduction)
256 kbps (2 ch)
Auxiliary data rate
256 kbps
Total bit rate (after encoding)
4 Mbps
Time-base compression rate
⅙ (n = 6)
Transmission rate after time-
24 Mbps
base reduction
Modulation method
32 QAM
Transmission channel
Cable (bandwidth 6 MHz)
Table 1 shows a specific example of the transmission specification of the transmission system 100 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 . Assuming that the post-compression video bit rate is 2.5 Mbps, the post-compression audio bit rate is 256 kbps, and the auxiliary data bit rate is 256 kbps, for example, the total bit rate after transmission encoding is about 4 Mbps. With this bit rate compressed on time base to ⅙ (n=6), the transmission rate is 24 Mbps. Assuming also that the CATV cable is a transmission channel, the bandwidth per TV channel is 6 MHz. If a signal of 24 Mbps in transmission rate is to be transmitted within the bandwidth of 6 MHz, the optimum modulation system is 32 QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation).
Instead of the CATV cable used for the transmission channel in Table 1 above, a communication satellite may be used for a QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) modulation system. In such a case, the bandwidth of the communication satellite is about 30 MHz per channel of the transponder, and therefore the transmission rate of about 48 Mbps is available. As a result, with the same bit rate as in Table 1, two sustaining program software can be transmitted simultaneously by time-division multiplexing. Alternatively, the bit rate may be increased twice (with the bit rates of the reduced image and voice as 5 Mbps and 512 kbps respectively and the bit rate for auxiliary data as 512 kbps) to improve the video and audio quality. Conversely, the transmission time may be shortened by time-base reduction to 1/12 (n=12).
TABLE 2
Example 1
Example 2
Input bit rate
24
Mbps
24
Mbps
Recording bit rate (after coding)
36
Mbps
36
Mbps
Number of recording channels
2
2
Tape width
½
in.
8
mm
Tape material
Metal-oxide
Metal-
evaporated
Drum diameter
62
mm
40
mm
Drum rotation speed (recording)
1800
rpm
1800
rpm
Tape speed (recording)
66.7
mm/s
28.69
mm/s
Track pitch
58
μm
20.5
μm
Drum rotation speed
1800
rpm
1800
rpm
(reproduction)
Tape speed (reproduction)
11.12
mm/s
4.78
mm/s
Table 2 shows specific examples of the specifications of the recording-reproducing system 300 corresponding to the transmission specifications shown in Table 1 according to the embodiment of FIG. 9 . Example 1 represents the case using a metal-oxide tape ½ inch wide, and Example 2 the case using a metal-evaporated tape 8 mm wide. The input bit rate is 24 Mbps in transmission rate as shown in Table 1, and the recording bit rate after the encoding in the recording system is about 36 Mbps. With two-channel recording, the recording rate is 18 Mbps per channel. In Example 1, the drum diameter is assumed to be 62 mm, and the recording drum rotation speed and the tape speed 1800 rpm and 66.7 mm/s respectively. The related track pitch is 58 μm, and the recording wavelength is about 0.64 μm. The use of a high-performance metal-oxide tape, therefore, can achieve a sufficient reproducing signal level. In Example 2, on the other hand, the drum diameter is assumed to be 40 mm, the recording drum rotation speed and the tape speed to be 1800 rpm and 28.69 mm/s, respectively. Then the track pitch is 20.5 μm. Under this condition, the recording wavelength is as short as about 0.42 μm, but a sufficient reproducing signal level can be secured by using the metal-evaporated tape. In both Examples 1 and 2, the reproducing drum rotation speed is the same 1800 rpm as for recording, while the tape speed is of course set to 11.12 mm/s and 4.78 mm/s respectively, which are ⅙ the corresponding figures for recording.
In the receiving system 200 , the signal received through the transmission channel 30 is demodulated at the demodulator 35 . The signal thus demodulated is applied as it is to the recording encoder 40 of the recording-reproducing system 300 directly. The signal thus applied is encoded by the recording encoder 40 in a format suitable for recording and reproduction.
A block diagram representing an example configuration of the recording encoder 40 is shown in FIG. 10 . Numeral 41 denotes a memory, numeral 42 an interface circuit, numeral 43 a parity generator, numeral 44 a recording signal generator, and numeral 301 a control code generator. In FIG. 10 , the data demodulated at the demodulator 35 of the receiving system 200 is stored first in the memory 41 through the interface circuit 42 . The demodulated data is shown in FIG. 3A . The parity generator 43 generates a parity from the demodulated data stored in the memory 41 , and the parity thus generated is stored in the memory 41 . The recording signal generator 44 reads the parity and the demodulated data from the memory 41 , and adding a sync signal and an ID signal including the control code generated at the control code generator 301 , produces a signal in block form as shown in FIG. 3B . FIG. 4 shows an example configuration of the ID signal constructed of, for example, a track number for identifying the recording track, a block number for identifying the in-track position, a control code such as the program number or the recording time on the tape, and a parity for detecting and correcting an error of the ID signal.
A configuration of the control signal is shown in FIG. 11 . The “program number” is information indicating the order of a program in the tape, and the “time code” indicates the lapse of time in the program and tape. The “type” is information indicating whether the digital information signal recorded is sold or rented. This information may be subdivided in accordance with whether the information is sold only to a specific user or the number of days rented. The “recording date & time” is the date and time recorded, and the “user No.” is a user registration number recorded, which are both stored in the receiving system 200 or the recording-reproducing system 300 .
The control code can be recorded by being distributed in a plurality of blocks to reduce the redundancy. Also, as shown in FIG. 12 , the control code may be recorded in a region different from the digital information signal. In such a case, the blocks are configured the same way as the digital information signal recording region, and the control code is recorded in the part where the demodulated data of (B) of FIG. 3 is recorded. The control code may be written several times for an improved reliability.
In the case where the user desiring the service of sale or rental of a digital information signal sends a request to the transmitting end, the transmitting end sends to the receiving end the digital information signal together with the user number and the additional information indicating the sale or rental. The receiving end discriminates the user number in the additional information at the recording-reproducing system 300 , and when they are coincident, records the information. In the process, the sale or rental is discriminated by the additional information and recorded as type information in the control code.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, at the time of reproduction, the rotating drum 50 is driven at the same rate R 1 as at the time of recording, the magnetic tape 60 is fed at the rate of V 1 /n that is 1/n times the rate for recording, and the signal thus recorded is reproduced by the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a reproducing track pattern, in which the solid line represents a recorded track pattern and the dashed line the scanning traces of the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b . In view of the fact that the rotating drum 50 is driven at the same rate R 1 as at the time of recording and the magnetic tape 60 is fed at the rate of V 1 /n that is 1/n times the rate for recording, the scanning pitch of the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b is 1/n times the track pitch P. As a result, although the scanning angle is deviated to some degree, substantially a number n of scans are effected per track. According to the embodiment under consideration, n is assumed to be 3 for simplicity. Character W designates the width of the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b . Normally, the head width W is set at, say, 1.5 times larger than the track pitch P.
FIGS. 14A-14E show waveforms representing the process of retrieving the signal from the number n of scans. FIG. 14A designates the timing with the rotary drum 50 driven at the conventional speed of R 1 /n. In this case, signals a 0 , b 0 , a 1 , b 1 , a 2 , b 2 , a 3 , b 3 are reproduced in that order. Character T designates the rotational period. FIG. 14B designates the timing of rotation made at the rate of R 1 (n=3) according to this embodiment. FIG. 14C designates an envelope of the signal reproduced by the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b . As described above, three scans are made per track and also the width W of the magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b is set to 1.5 times larger than the track pitch P. Even when the scanning angle deviates from the recording track angle, therefore, the on-track condition is secured for a considerable part. As a result, the original data (waveform D) as shown in FIG. 14D can be produced by retrieving the signal with the highest reproduction output level. By expanding this signal to three times on time base, the intended low-speed signal (waveform E) as shown in FIG. 14E can be reproduced.
As seen from the above explanation, the reproducing frequency can be increased without reducing the coefficient n of the time-base reduction by driving the rotating drum 50 for reproduction at the same rate as for recording, thereby securing the desired reproduction output level. Also, the control of the rotary drum 50 is simplified. Further, because of the number n of scans per track, the data can be reproduced even under off-track conditions, thereby eliminating the need of accurate tracking control.
A block diagram of an example configuration of the reproducing decoder 70 for processing the whole reproducing system is shown in FIG. 15 . Numeral 71 designates a memory, numeral 72 a block detector, numeral 73 an error correction circuit, numeral 74 a reproducing signal generator, and numeral 302 a control signal detector. In FIG. 15 , the signal reproduced by magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b is first applied to the block detector 72 . In the block detector 72 , a sync signal and an ID signal are detected and stored in a predetermined position on the memory 71 in accordance with the track number and the block number in the ID signal. The error correction circuit 73 corrects an error, if any, in the reproduced data using the parity stored in the memory 71 , while at the same time generating a pointer indicating the error condition and storing the pointer in the memory 71 . In the process, although the same data on the track number and the block number are stored a number n of times in the memory 71 , the data in the best error condition is finally stored by the pointer. In the reproducing signal generator 74 , the error-corrected data stored in the memory 71 is read out in the order of the track number and the block number thereby to produce low-speed data expanded on time base.
The low-speed data thus decoded for the reproducing system is sent to the receiving system 200 thereby to resolve the coding made at the transmitting system. The signal thus decoded to the original digital information signal is produced from the output terminals 221 , 222 , 223 .
In this way, the receiving decoder 80 is arranged not before but after the recording-reproducing system 300 , so that the receiving decoder 80 permits low-speed processing.
The control signal detector 302 identifies the control code and decides whether the reproduction is to be carried out. In the case of sold information, for example, when the user number is coincident, the information can be reproduced only by the apparatus that was used for recording but not by any other apparatuses. With information on rental, by contrast, the recording data and the rental period are compared, and if the rental period has passed, the information is prevented from being reproduced. This control operation can be alternatively performed by the receiving system 200 , in which case the control signal that has been reproduced at the recording-reproducing system 300 is applied to the receiving system 200 .
FIG. 16 shows a configuration of the control signal according to the embodiment of FIG. 9 . The encrypt information is the one required for decryption. Normally, this information is stored in the receiving system 200 . This encrypt information is stored as control code, and the encrypt information reproduced at the time of reproduction is applied to the receiving system 200 to perform decryption. Even when the encryption is changed, the recorded information can thus be reproduced.
Also, in the case of rented information, the encryption is regularly changed so that no encrypt information is recorded in the control code. In this way, the information that has passed a predetermined length of time cannot be decrypted, thereby making it possible to manage the rental period.
In this configuration, it takes some time before the user wanting to view a video software requests and receives an actual video data signal. This is because the transmitter is required to prepare the video data to be transmitted or to stand by until a transmission channel becomes available. This leads to the problem of when the user can decide to start the recording-reproducing system 300 . The recording reproducing system 300 , therefore, is desirably controlled by the video data transmitter.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 17 represents an example of transmitting a recording-reproducing control signal multiplexed on the digital information signal transmitted by satellite or cable as a transmission channel. For example, a signal for setting the recording-reproducing system 300 to a recording (REC) stand-by mode (with the drum 50 rotated while the magnetic tape 60 kept stationary) is supplied from the recording-reproducing control signal input terminal 2 approximately two minutes before transmitting a video signal actually to be recorded, and through the modulator 25 and the transmission channel 30 , is transmitted together with the ID code for identifying the receiving home and the recording-reproducing system 300 . The demodulator 35 that has received this signal sends out the received data to the recording-reproducing control signal detector 65 , and sets the change-over switch 45 of the recording-reproducing system 300 to the REC stand-by state.
Next, a signal for setting the recording reproducing system 300 to REC state is sent out about one second before transmission of the digital information signal, and the recording-reproducing control signal detector 65 sets the recording-reproducing system 300 in REC mode. The digital information signal is thus recorded in the magnetic tape 60 . Also, at the termination of the digital information signal, a stop signal is immediately transmitted thereby to stop the recording reproducing system 300 .
If the user confirms that the magnetic tape 60 has been inserted into the recording-reproducing system 300 in this configuration, then the remaining operation is performed by the recording-reproducing system 300 under the control of the transmission system 100 . The recording operation can therefore be performed positively without any special manipulation. This control data is in one of the three modes including (1) REC stand-by, (2) REC and (3) stop, and therefore is constituted by two bits at most. Further, the transmitting time is not limited to the above-mentioned value.
FIG. 18 shows a transmission data format according to an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 18 , a block is comprised of a sync signal, ID data, a parity associated with the ID data, a digital information signal to be recorded, and an error correction code for the digital information signal. This block is commonly used and similar to the one used for PCM voice for BS or DAT (Digital Audio Tape).
As seen from FIG. 18 , the recording-reproducing control signal described above, together with the home and recording-reproducing (VTR) ID signal (user code), is applied to the ID data section. In the process, the recording-reproducing control signal might be recorded if the recording format shown in FIG. 3 is employed. It is however possible to prevent only the control signal from being recorded by the recording signal generator 44 . Even if the control signal has been recorded, the reproducing decoder 70 can be controlled in such a manner as to ignore the particular signal at the time of reproduction.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 19 , the same component parts as those in FIG. 17 are designated by the same reference numerals respectively. Numeral 26 designates a modulator, numeral 31 a transmission channel, and numeral 36 a demodulator. This embodiment is different from that of FIG. 17 in that the recording-reproducing control signal is transmitted through a telephone line represented by the transmission channel 31 , for example, and comprises a dedicated modulator 26 and a dedicated demodulator 36 . The actual transmission data, as described with reference to the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 , has two-bit information. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 19 , no extraneous signal is superimposed on the transmission channel 30 for transmitting the digital information signal, and therefore the hardware of the transmitting system is simplified. Also, the modulator 26 and the demodulator 36 can be of low-speed type.
In the case where the telephone line is used as the transmission channel 31 in the embodiment under consideration, however, the channel connection time of about two seconds is required. Also, when the channels are very much congested, the recording-reproducing system 300 may not be instantaneously switched to REC mode. For this reason, the information predicting the recording time is preferably transmitted at the time of transmitting a REC stand-by signal about two minutes before the digital information signal as mentioned above, so that the recording-reproducing system 300 may be set to REC mode just at the time of starting the transmission of the digital information signal. The timer built in the recording-reproducing system 300 can of course be synchronized with the transmitting timer all the time or at the time of sending out the REC stand-by signal. This configuration increases the amount of information controlled for the recording-reproducing system 300 transmitted through the transmission channel 31 . The recording-reproducing system 300 , however, can thus be positively controlled to REC stand-by, REC or stop state by the transmitting end. This method can of course be applied also to the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 .
The use of the telephone line as the transmission channel 31 permits the bidirectional reception according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 19 . The operating conditions of the recording-reproducing system 300 can thus be decided at the transmitting end. Therefore, once a modulator and a demodulator are provided at the receiving and transmitting ends, respectively, an alarm can be issued to the user any time the recording-reproducing system 300 malfunctions. As a result, the recording operation can be performed more accurately than according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 .
As far as the recording-reproducing system 300 shown in FIGS. 1 and 19 is controlled appropriately, the recording-reproducing system 300 proper may comprise only a change-over switch operated by the user for switching three modes of reproduce, fast forward feed and rewind. The apparatus can thus be operated in very simple manner.
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the recording format for the magnetic tape 60 used with the recording-reproducing system 300 . In FIG. 20 , the magnetic tape 60 is divided into three areas along the longitudinal direction, for example, thereby to permit continuous recording of three types of video software.
Assuming that another set of magnetic heads 51 a , 51 b is added to provide two channels with n of 6, the recording of two-hour (120-minute) software requires the consumption amount of the magnetic tape 60 equivalent to 40 minutes for the conventional VTR. Generally, each movie software is less than two and half hours, and therefore a 50-minute recording area is required for each such software. If the 160-minute tape sold on the market is used, on the other hand, three pieces of software can be continuously recorded.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 20 , the magnetic tape 60 is preformatted and the intended information is recorded at the heads of the three recording areas 1 , 2 and 3 into which the magnetic tape 60 is divided. These information include the area number, the recording time, the recording date, and if required, the title. Further, the heads of the areas 2 and 3 have recorded therein the recording time and date of the digital information signal respectively for the preceding area respectively.
Explanation will be made about the case in which three types of software are recorded at different dates and times. Normally, the digital information signal is recorded in the areas 1 , 2 , and 3 in that order. Upon completion of recording up to the area 3 , the magnetic tape 60 is rewound and then the area 1 is recorded. At the same time, the recording date in the head and tail portions of the area 1 is read. In the case where the digital information signal in the area 1 is still in the valid period, the magnetic tape 60 is fed fast forward. The recording date in the area 2 is then referenced, and if it is within the valid period, the REC mode is provisionally cancelled and an input from the user is awaited. Even when the valid period for the software recorded still remains unexpired, if the particular software is not required, the user sets the recording-reproducing system 300 to the REC mode thereby to record in the area 1 or 2 . If the entire software is still needed, on the other hand, the magnetic tape 60 is changed. This operation is performed in the REC stand-by mode.
The area-divided configuration of the tape allows uniform access to the three areas. The resulting effect is to disperse tape damage and lengthen the service life of the magnetic tape 60 . Thus the user is not required to unload the magnetic tape 60 frequently from the recording-reproducing system 300 paying attention to the residual volume of the magnetic tape 60 , thereby improving the mechanical reliability. Also, since the record-start position is known in advance, the search is effected at very high speed. Further, the recording-reproducing system 300 can be controlled in simple manner for a lower hardware cost.
In the above-mentioned configuration, two areas are used for a digital information signal exceeding two and half hours in recording time. As shown in FIG. 20 , the record information can be accommodated not in the tail portion of the area 3 but may be in the portion immediately following the digital information recording section. In similar fashion, the record information for the areas 1 and 2 may be accommodated in the portion immediately following the digital information signal recording section of each area.
These recording time and recording date signals may be accommodated in the ID section indicated in FIG. 4 . Generally, however, the magnetic tape 60 is often in stationary state at the end of viewing a software. The use of the format described in FIG. 20 , therefore, quickens the search speed. Also, in the case where the user stops the magnetic tape 60 in the middle of an area, the magnetic tape 60 is fed fast forward or rewound to the record information section of the particular area.
FIG. 21 shows a magnetic tape format according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the recording information is recorded in accordance with the format of FIG. 21 at the head of an area immediately before start of recording and at the head of the next area immediately after the end of recording. The feature of this format is that since the recording information for a different area is accommodated at the start of the areas 2 and 3 , the search speed is further increased as compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 20 .
The area-divided system for the recording magnetic tape 60 is described above. In the recording-reproducing system 300 shown in FIGS. 1 and 19 , however, the digital information signal may be recorded sequentially from the head of the magnetic tape 60 without dividing it into areas.
The area-recorded information is preferably recorded for about ten seconds and written in multiplex in consideration of a high-speed search.
In the system described above, the next REC stand-by signal may be inputted during reproduction of the digital information signal recorded by the recording-reproducing system 300 . In such a case, the magnetic tape 60 is immediately fed fast forward or rewound to the next area to ready for recording. At the same time, provision is made to indicate the REC stand-by mode on the TV screen or in a part of the receiver. Then, in the case where the recording-reproducing system 300 enters the REC mode, the screen is switched to normal TV broadcast to indicate REC or turned off. This control operation can be easily performed normally by the microcomputer mounted on the VTR.
A normal video signal processing circuit can of course be connected to the recording-reproducing system 300 to permit the recording of the TV broadcast as in the prior art.
It will thus be understood from the foregoing description that according to the present invention, there is realized a digital information recording-reproducing apparatus for transmitting the software information like audio or video through radio wave or cable and recording/reproducing them, comprising the function of reducing the recording time to 1/n and expanding it to the original length on time base at the time of reproduction. At the same time, the reliability of the reproduced data is improved and the decoder circuit and the tracking control circuit are simplified. Further, the software information recorded is protected.
As described above, according to the invention, there is provided a system for selling or renting the software like audio or video through radio wave or cable, wherein the information on customers, rental period, etc. can be easily managed.
Also, as explained above, by using the magnetic recording-reproducing apparatus according to the invention, the digital information signal transmitted through a satellite or cable can be recorded accurately.
Further, according to another embodiment, the magnetic tape is divided into areas for recording, thus permitting high-speed search and lengthening the service life of the magnetic tape. | A digital information recording-reproducing apparatus which records and reproduces a digital information signal transmitted together with an additional information includes a discriminator which discriminates a type of the digital information signal based on the additional information, a recorder which generates control information based on the additional information, adds the control information to the digital information signal, and records the digital information signal having the control information added thereto, a reproducer which reproduces the recorded digital information signal recorded by the recorder, and a controller which controls reproduction based on the control information. When the discriminator discriminates the type of the digital information signal as being a specific type and the digital information signal is recorded by the recorder, the reproducer reproduces the digital information signal. | 7 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of our co-pending application Ser. No. 516,217, filed Oct. 21, 1974 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,954.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stabilized oral pharmaceutical formulation of prostaglandin E group (hereinafter, it is referred to as PGE group) and a process of preparing the formulation. More particularly, the invention relates to a stabilized oral PGE group formulation prepared from the lyophilized composition of an aqueous solution containing PGE group and at least a member selected from the group consisting of a thiol compound, dextrin, dextran, a lower alkyl cellulose, and a water-soluble salt of deoxycholic acid and a process of preparing the formulation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
PGE is the compound shown by the following formula ##STR1##
The compounds having the above-described basic structure include as PGE 1 , PGE 2 , PGE 3 , etc., and they are named according to the number of the double bonds in the structure. For example, PGE 2 has two double bonds at the 5-position and 13-position of the structure. The PGE group in this invention includes the compounds having substituents such as the methyl group, methoxy group hydroxy group, oxo group, etc., at various positions of the structure. Typical examples of the PGE 2 group are, for example, 16-methyl-PGE 2 , 3-methyl-PGE 2 , 3,16(R)-dimethyl-PGE 2 , 17-oxo-15-epi-PGE 2 , 16(R)-hydroxy-PGE 2 , 16,16-dimethyl-PGE 2 -methyl ester, 4(R),16(R)-dimethyl-PGE 2 , 4(R),16(S)-dimethyl-PGE 2 , 4(S),16(R)-dimethyl-PGE 2 , 4(S),16(S)-dimethyl-PGE 2 , 16(R,S)-methyl-20-methoxy-PGE 2 , 16(R)-methyl-20-methoxy-PGE 2 , and 16(S)-methyl-20-methoxy-PGE 2 .
The PGE group exhibits, even at a small dose, wide pharmaceutical effects such as control of the contractive force of the uterus or of hypotensitive activity, the treatment and prophylaxis of digestive organ ulcers, the control of lipid metabolism, bronchodilator activity, etc., but has a fault in that the aqueous solution thereof is unstable (see, Brummer, "J. Pharm. Pharmacol.", 23, 804-805(1971) and Karmin et al; "European J. Pharmacol.", 4, 416-420(1968).
For preparing stable compositions of PGE 2 , there are known, for example, a method of preparing a concentrated stock solution of PGE 2 by dissolving it in absolute alcohol as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,800 and a method of preparing a solution of PGE 2 by dissolving it in an anhydrous aprotic dipolar organic solvent such as N,N-dimethylacetamide as disclosed in Belgian Pat. No. 790,840. When the compositions of PGE 2 prepared by these methods are used as injections, they are usually diluted with water.
There is also known a method of stabilizing the PGE group by adding thereto an alkali metal sulfite salt as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,052 but the case of showing practically the stabilization effect by the method is limited to a stock solution of PGE prepared by dissolving it in alcohol together with an alkali metal sulfite salt and even in this case, however the potency of the solution about the stability becomes only about 70% when the solution is stored for 13 days at 60° C.
Moreover, there is known a method of preparing a solid dispersion of prostaglandin in polyvinyl pyrrolidone as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,823. According to said method, 1 part of prostaglandin is dissolved in a suitable solvent together with 10-100 parts of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and then the solution is dried by, for example, lyophilization to disperse the prostaglandin in polyvinyl pyrrolidone. However, the method is accompanied by the disadvantage in that a small amount of water in the solution does not evaporate completely by lyophilization due to the high hygroscopicity of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone itself and also the lyophilized product obtained is liable to be decomposed by the remaining water. Therefore, the lyophilization procedure must be conducted for a long period of time. Still further, in the case of preparing formulations such as, for example, tablets using the lyophilized composition thus obtained, the composition becomes sticky by absorbing ambient moisture. This will clearly cause difficulties in preparing the composition. Further, the moisture way also causes the possibility of the decomposition of PEG group. These difficulties had not yet been solved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As the result of various investigations to provide a stable oral formulation of PGE group, the inventors have discovered that the composition of the PGE group prepared by dissolving the PGE group in an aqueous solution of a thiol compound, dextrin, dextran, a lower alkylcellulose, or a water-soluble salt of deoxycholic acid and lyophilizing the solution is stable, the composition can maintain its stability sufficiently when an oral formulation is prepared from the lyophilized composition of the PGE group, and further the composition can maintain its stability after the preparation of the formulation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As the thiol compound used in this invention, there are glutathione, cysteine, N-acetylcysteine etc. As the lower alkylcellulose used in this invention, there are methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, etc. Also, as the water soluble salt of deoxycholic acid, there are alkali metal salts such as sodium salt, potassium salt, etc., and basic amino acid salts such as arginine salt, lysine salt, etc.
The lyophilized composition of the group PGE used in this invention can be prepared in the following manner. That is, the PGE group is usually dissolved in water together with the thiol compound, dextrin, dextran, the lower alkylcellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, or the water soluble salt of deoxycholic acid and then after adjusting, if necessary, the property of the solution, the aqueous solution is lyophilized by an ordinary manner. In this case, the thiol compound, dextrin, dextran, the lower alkylcellulose, and the water soluble salt of deoxycholic acid may be used individually or as a combination of any desired two or more components. Furthermore, in the case of using the water soluble salt of deoxycholic acid, deoxychloric acid may be dissolved beforehand in water together with an inorganic or organic base which will form the water soluble salt of deoxycholic acid.
In addition, the PGE group itself is soluble in water but requires
a long period of time to be dissolved completely in water and hence it is advantageous that PGE group is transformed beforehand into an amorphous form to enlarge the contact area with water by dissolving the crystal of the PGE group in a small amount of a volatile solvent such as ethanol and ethyl acetate and then distilling off the solvent.
There is no particular limitation about the volume ratio of PGE group and the additive such as the thiol compound, dextrin, dextran, the lower alkylcellulose, and the water soluble salt of deoxycholic acid but the proper ratio is 1-20 mg. for the thiol compound, 5-250 mg. for dextrin, dextran, or the lower alkylcellulose, or 5-100 mg. for the water soluble salt of deoxycholic acid, per 20-150γ of PGE group.
Since the lyophilized composition of PGE group thus obtained has a very high stability, it can be stored without
decomposition until the composition is used for preparing the formulation. Moreover, the stability of the composition of PGE group is not reduced when subject to the operation in preparing oral formulations such as tablets, capsules, powders, granules, etc., from the composition.
At the preparation of the formulations, the lyophilized composition of PGE group thus obtained is powdered and then formed into tablets, capsules, granules, powders, etc., by an ordinary way together with carrier which is usually employed for preparing such formulations. Examples of suitable non-toxic solid carriers used for the purpose include, pharmaceutical grades of mannitol, lactose, starches, magnesium stearate, talcum, and the like.
EXAMPLES 1-13
In a two liter vessel was placed a solution of 50 mg. of each of the prostaglandin E groups shown in Table 2 in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off under reduced pressure or nitrogen gas stream. The additives shown in the following table and 1,500 ml. of distilled water were added to the residue to dissolve the additive and then the pH of the solution was adjusted to 6.5 by adding an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution with stirring to dissolve the prostaglandin E group. Thereafter, distilled water was added to the solution to make the total amount to 2,000 ml. and then the solution was lyophilized.
Table 1______________________________________ Amount ofExample Prostaglandin E group Additive additive______________________________________1 4(R),16(R)-Dimethyl- Dextran 20* 400 g. PGE.sub.2 (I)2 (I) Dextrin 100 g.3 4(S),16(R)-Dimethyl- Dextran 20* 400 g. PGE.sub.2 (II)4 (II) Dextrin 100 g.5 4(S),16(S)-Dimethyl- Dextran 70** 120 g. PGE.sub.2 (III)6 (III) Dextrin 100 g.7 4(R),16(S)-Dimethyl- Dextran 20* 400 g. PGE.sub.2 (IV)8 (IV) Dextrin 100 g.9 (IV) Glutathione 40 g.10 16(R,S)-Methyl-20- Dextran 70** 120 g. methoxy-PGE.sub.2 (V)11 (V) Dextrin 100 g.12 (V) Deoxycholic 60 g. acid arginine salt13 (V) Glutathione 40 g.______________________________________ (*):Mean molecular weight of 20,000 (**):Mean molecular weight of 70,000.
In addition, for determining the stabilities of the lyophilzed products obtained in Examples 1-13, 1 ml of each of the solutions of the prostaglandin E groups prepared in the examples was lyophilized separately, stored for 10 days at 50° C., the content of each prostaglandin E group was measured, and the remained percentage thereof was calculated. The results are shown in Table 2.
Table 2______________________________________ Prostaglandin RemainedExample E group Additive percentage______________________________________1 (I) Dextran 20* 79.0%2 (I) Dextrin 88.8%Control (I) none 30.5%3 (II) Dextran 20* 79.5%4 (II) Dextrin 88.7%Control (II) none 29.6%5 (III) Dextran 70** 83.7%6 (III) Dextrin 83.6%Control (III) none 30.1%7 (IV) Dextran 20* 78.6%8 (IV) Dextrin 90.1%9 (IV) Glutathione 85.9%Control (IV) Mannitol 20.6%Control (IV) none 31.9%10 (V) Dextran 70** 83.3%11 (V) Dextrin 94.5%12 (V) Deoxycholic acid 100.4% arginine salt13 (V) Glutathione 90.7%Control (V) Mannitol 26.9%Control (V) none 39.4%______________________________________ (*):Mean molecular weight of 20,000 (**):Mean molecular weight of 70,000.
EXAMPLE 14
In a two liter vessel was placed a solution of 50 mg. of 16(R,S)-methyl-20-methoxy-prostaglandin E 2 in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off under reduced pressure or nitrogen gas stream. Then, 10 g. of methylcellulose and 1,500 ml. of distilled water were added to the residue to dissolve methylcellulose and then the pH of the solution was adjusted to 6.5 by adding an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution with stirring to dissolve the 16(R,S)-methyl-20-methoxy-prostagrandin E 2 . Thereafter, distilled water was added to make the total amount to 2,000 ml. and the solution was lyophilized.
One ml. of the solution of the prostaglandin E 2 prepared in the above example was lyophilized separately and stored for 10 days at 50° C. The percentage of 16(R,S)-methyl-20-methoxy-prostaglandin E 2 in the stored sample was 95.1%.
EXAMPLES 15-19
In a two liter vessel was placed a solution of 50 mg. of 16(S)-methyl-20-methoxy-prostaglandin E 2 (referred to as (VI)) in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off under a reduced pressure or nitrogen gas stream. Then, the additive shown in Table 5 and 1,500 ml. of distilled water to dissolve the additive were added and then the pH of the solution was adjusted to 6.5 by adding thereto an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution with stirring to dissolve the prostaglandin E group. Thereafter, distilled water was added to the solution to make the total amount to 2,000 ml.
The solution thus prepared was filtered, filled in a tray, and after lyophilizing the solution, the product was pulverized. The lyophilized composition thus obtained was allowed to stand for 10 days at 50° C. and thereafter the remained percentage of the prostaglandin E group was measured. The results are shown in the following table.
Table 3______________________________________ Addi-Ex. Prostaglandin E tion RemainedNo. group Additive amount percentage______________________________________15 -a16(S)-Methyl-20- Deoxycholic 60 g. 99%methoxy-PGE.sub.2 (VI) acid arginine salt16 -a(VI) Dextran 70 120 g. 85%17 -a(VI) Glutathione 40 g. 93%18 -a(VI) Dextrin 100 g. 92%19 -a(VI) Hydroxypropyl 20 g. 84% methylcelluloseCon- (VI) none 0 38%trolCon- (VI) Mannitol 111 g. 25%trol______________________________________
Formulations having the compositions shown in Table 4 were prepared using the prostaglandin-containing powders (referred to as PG-powder) obtained in aforesaid Examples 15-a to 19-a and also the remained percentages of the prostaglandin E groups in the formulations were determined by the same manner as above. The results are shown in the following table.
TABLE 4
EXAMPLE 15-b-1
______________________________________Tablet Amount in one tablet______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 15-a) 30 mg.Crystalline cellulose 120 mg.Calcium hydrogenphosphate 87 mg.Carboxymethylcellulose calcium 4 mg.Light silicic anhydride 1 mg.Talc 4 mg.Magnesium stearate 4 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 98%.
EXAMPLE 15-b-2
______________________________________Tablet Amount in one tablet______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 15-a) 30 mg.Crystalline cellulose 151 mg.Hydroxypropyl cellulose 3 mg.Starch 10 mg.Talc 4 mg.Magnesium stearate 2 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 100%.
EXAMPLE 15-b-3
______________________________________Powder______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 15-a) 30 mg.Lactose 250 mg.Starch 50 mg.D-mannitol 100 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 99%.
EXAMPLE 16-b-1
______________________________________Tablet Amount in one tablet______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 16-a) 60 mg.Crystalline cellulose 90 mg.Calcium hydrogenphosphate 87 mg.Carboxymethylcellulose sodium 4 mg.Light silicic anhydride 1 mg.Talc 4 mg.Magnesium stearate 4 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 85%.
EXAMPLE 16-b-2
______________________________________Tablet Amount in one tablet______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 16-a) 60 mg.Crystalline cellulose 121 mg.Hydroxypropyl cellulose 3 mg.Carboxymethylcellulose calcium 10 mg.Talc 4 mg.Magnesium stearate 2 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 86%.
EXAMPLE 16-b-3
______________________________________Tablet Amount in one tablet______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 16-a ) 60 mg.Crystalline cellulose 121 mg.Hydroxypropyl cellulose 3 mg.Carboxymethylcellulose sodium 10 mg.Talc 4 mg.Magnesium stearate 2 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 85%.
EXAMPLE 16-b-4
______________________________________Capsule Amount in one capsule______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 16-a) 60 mg.Lactose 300 mg.Starch 85 mg.D-mannitol 2.5 mg.Talc 10 mg.Magnesium stearate 2.5 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 84%.
EXAMPLE 17-b
______________________________________Tablet Amount in one tablet______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 17-a) 20 mg.Crystalline cellulose 130 mg.Calcium hydrogenphosphate 87 mg.Carboxymethylcellulose calcium 4 mg.Light silicic anhydride 1 mg.Talc 4 mg.Magnesium stearate 4 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 92%.
EXAMPLE 18-b-1
______________________________________Tablet Amount in one tablet______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 18-a) 50 mg.Crystalline cellulose 100 mg.Calcium hydrogenphosphate 87 mg.Carboxymethylcellulose calcium 4 mg.Light silicic anhydride 1 mg.Talc 4 mg.Magnesium stearate 4 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 94%.
EXAMPLE 18-b-2
______________________________________Capsule Amount in one capsule______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 18-a) 50 mg.Lactose 300 mg.Starch 85 mg.D-mannitol 2.5 mg.Talc 10 mg.Magnesium stearate 2.5 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 96%.
EXAMPLE 19-b-1
______________________________________Tablet Amount in one tablet______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 19-a) 10 mg.Crystalline cellulose 140 mg.Calcium hydrogenphosphate 87 mg.Carboxymethylcellulose sodium 4 mg.Light silicic anhydride 1 mg.Talc 4 mg.Magnesium stearate 4 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 85%.
EXAMPLE 19-b-2
______________________________________Powder______________________________________PG-powder (prepared in Example 19-a) 10 mg.Lactose 250 mg.Starch 50 mg.D-mannitol 100 mg.______________________________________
The remaining percentage when stored for 10 days at 50° C. was 84%.
EXAMPLE 20
In a two liter vessel was placed a solution of 100 mg. of the crystals of 16-methyl-prostaglandin E 2 in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off from the solution under reduced pressure or nitrogen gas stream. Then, 400 g. of dextran 20 (mean molecular weight of 20,000) and 1500 ml. of distilled water were added to the residue to dissolve the solid components and after adding thereto distilled water to make the total amount thereof to 2,000 ml., the solution was lyophilized.
EXAMPLE 21
In a two liter vessel was placed a solution of 100 mg. of the crystal of 16-methyl-prostaglandin E 2 in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off from the solution under reduced pressure or nitrogen gas stream. Then, 120 g. of dextran 70 (mean molecular weight of 70,000) and 1,500 ml. of distilled water were added to the resiude to dissolve the solid components and after adding thereto distilled water to make the total amount to 2,000 ml., the solution was lyophilized.
EXAMPLE 22
In two liter vessel was placed a solution of 100 mg. of the crystals of 3-methyl-prostaglandin E 2 in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off under reduced pressure or nitrogen gas stream. Then, 120 g. of dextran 20 (mean molecular weight of 20,000) and 1,500 ml. of distilled water were added to the residue to dissolve the solid components and after adding thereto distilled water to make the total amount to 2,000 ml., the solution was lyophilized.
EXAMPLE 23
In two liter vessel was placed a solution of 100 mg. of the crystal of 3,16(R)-dimethyl-prostaglandin E 2 in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off under reduced pressure or nitrogen gas stream. Then, 120 g. of dextran 20 (mean molecular weight of 20,000) and 1,500 ml. of distilled water were added to the residue to dissolve the solid components and after adding thereto distilled water to make the total amount to 2,000 ml., the solution was lyophilized.
EXAMPLE 24
In two liter vessel was placed a solution of 100 mg. of the crystals of 17-oxo-15-epi-prostaglandin E 2 in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off under reduced pressure or nitrogen gas stream. Then, 100 g. of dextrin and 1,500 ml. of distilled water were added to the residue to dissolve the dextrin and then the pH of the solution was adjusted to 6.5 by adding thereto an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution with stirring to dissolve 17-oxo-15-epi-prostaglandin E 2 . Thereafter, distilled water was added to the solution to make the total amount to 2,000 ml. and the solution was lyophilized.
EXAMPLE 25
In two liter vessel was placed a solution of 100 mg. of the crystals of 16(R)-hydroxy-prostaglandin E 2 in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off under reduced pressure or nitrogen gas stream. Then, 40 g. of glutathione and 1,500 ml. of distilled water were added to the residue to dissolve the glutathione and the pH of the solution was adjusted to 6.5 by adding thereto an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution with stirring to dissolve 16(R)-hydroxy-prostaglandin E 2 . Thereafter, distilled water was added to the solution to make the total amount to 2,000 ml. and the solution was lyophilized.
EXAMPLE 26
In two liter vessel was placed a solution of 100 mg. of the crystals of 16(R)-hydroxy-prostaglandin E 2 in 1 ml. of ethanol and after wetting the wall of the vessel with the solution, ethanol was distilled off under reduced pressure or Nitrogen gas stream. Then, 40 g. of oxidized type glutathione and 1,500 ml. of distilled water were added to the residue to dissolve the oxidized type glutathione and the pH of the solution was adjusted to 6.5 by adding an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution with stirring to dissolve 16(R)-hydroxy-prostaglandin E 2 . Thereafter, distilled water was added to the solution to make the total amount to 2,000 ml. and the sloution was lyophilized.
The stabilities of the lyophilized compositions of PGE group prepared in reference Examples 1-7 are shown below.
Method of quantitative analysis of remaining PGE group each 1 ml. of 2000 ml. of each of the PGE group-containing aqueous solutions prepared in Reference Examples 1-7 was lyophilized separately in a vial for the analysis. It was dissolved in 1 ml. of water and after adjusting the pH thereof to 3 or below 3 by adding citric acid, the solution was extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was dried and concentrated. Then, the total amount of the residue was subjected to a silica gel thin layer chromatography and developed by using a mixture of chloroform, methanol, acetic acid, and water (90 : 8 : 1 : 0.8 by volume ratio), after spraying an ethanol solution of 5% phosphorus molybdate over the developed product and heating to 105°-110° C. for 10 minutes to develop color the absorbance of each spot of the PGE 2 and the decomposition products thereof (correspond to PGA 2 group and PGB 2 group) was measured by a recording type densitometer (COSNO Densitometer Chromatoace D-109 type) to measure the area of the spot, and then the content of the PGE 2 in the sample was calculated from the area ratio. The remained percentage was shown by the ratio of the content of the PGE 2 group in the lyophilized samples obtained in Reference Examples 1-7 after storing them for 16 days at 45° C. to the content of the PGE 2 before storage. The results are shown in Table 5.
Table 5______________________________________Derivative of Stability when stored for 16 days at 45° C.Prostaglandin E.sub.2 Amount Remained(PGE.sub.2) Stablilizer per vial percentage______________________________________16-Methyl-PGE.sub.2 Dextran 20* 200 mg. 95% Dextran 70** 60 mg. 95% Mannitol (cont.) 56 mg. 70% Untreated (cont.) 0 60%3-Methyl-PGE.sub.2 Dextran 20 200 mg. 100% Mannitol (cont.) 56 mg. 70% Untreated (cont.) 0 60%3,16(R)-Dimethyl- Dextran 20 200 mg. 100%PGE.sub.2 Mannitol (cont.) 56 mg. 70% Untreated (cont.) 0 60%17-Oxo-15-epi- Dextrin 50 mg. 100%PGE.sub.2 Mannitol (cont.) 56 mg. 50% Untreated (cont.) 0 016(R)-Hydroxy- Glutathione 20 mg. 95%PGE.sub.2 Oxidized type glutathione 20 mg. 95% Mannitol (cont.) 56 mg. 70% Untreated (cont.) 0 60%______________________________________ *Mean molecular weight of 20,000 **Mean molecular weight of 70,000. | There is disclosed a dry, stabilized oral pharmaceutical formulation containing a prostaglandin E group prepared from a lyophilized composition comprising a prostaglandin E group and at least a member selected from the group consisting of a thiol compound, dextrin, dextran, a lower alkyl cellulose, and a water-soluble salt of deoxycholic acid. | 8 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] THIS invention relates to pipelines and pipeline components and methods of joining pipes terminated by flanges and flanged pipeline components. The invention has particular application to components known as “dismantling joints” especially in large high pressure pipelines but it can have application in low pressure pipelines.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Large pipelines typically include a plurality of flanged pipes joined to one another by bolts which pass through the flanges and hold the flanges together. Similarly, components such as valves, pumps and the like are often provided in the pipeline and they also have matching flanges which are joined to the pipe flanges in the same manner. Maintenance and servicing of a pipeline and its components often requires removal and replacement of a length of pipe or a component. It will be appreciated that removal of lengths of pipe or components can be difficult with large pipelines especially where the pipeline is underground or held in place by steel or concrete structures so that the pipeline cannot be axially or laterally moved. Such pipelines generally include dismantling joints between selected pipes or selected components which can be shortened for installation and removal and lengthened once in place to close the gap between the adjacent pipe flanges or component flanges as the case may be.
[0003] The presently known dismantling joints typically include two telescoping pipe or tube portions with flanges which correspond in size to the pipe flanges and they are held in place by bolts which pass through the adjacent pipe flanges (or component flanges) and through the corresponding flanges of the dismantling joint.
[0004] That arrangement can result in bending of the pipe flanges, known as “flange rotation” (a type of “cupping” of the adjacent flanges in the axial direction). Consequently, dismantling joints have require undesirably large heavy flanges to carry the applied loads.
[0005] Moreover, the removal or replacement of an existing dismantling joint is complicated and time-consuming because it is necessary to remove all of the tie-bolts that are used to secure the dismantling joint to adjacent pipeline components before the dismantling joint can be removed or replaced. Access to the nuts and/or bolts also requires dismantling joints to be undesirably long in the axial direction.
[0006] Additionally, when a dismantling joint is installed, there could be some misalignment between the faces of the flanges of the dismantling joint and the mating faces of the adjacent flanges of the pipeline. In existing arrangements, such misalignment is normally taken up by gaskets, but this approach is known to produce an inferior seal for the joint structurally and from the aspect of seal integrity.
[0007] The present invention is aimed at ameliorating at least one of the problems of presently known dismantling joints. The invention is also aimed at providing a dismantling joint which is reliable and efficient in use.
[0008] With the foregoing in view the present invention, in one aspect, resides broadly in a dismantling joint for joining a first pipeline component to a second pipeline component, the first and second pipeline components being connectable to one another along a common axis by a plurality of connectors spaced from the axis and each pipeline component having a sealing face opposed to the other, the dismantling joint including:
a first half and a second half, each half having a central axis, and the first half including a cylindrical spigot having an outer face and a flange extending outwardly from the outer face of the spigot, the flange having an inner face and an outer face remote from the inner face, and the second half including a socket adapted to slidably receive therein the spigot of the first half, the socket having a proximal end and a distal end remote from the proximal end, the proximal end being opposed to the inner face of the flange of the first half; and forcing means arranged between the inner face of the flange of the first half and the proximal end of the spigot to engage the inner face of the flange of the first half and the proximal end of the socket of the Second half adjacent the outer face of the spigot to force the first and second halves away from each other and into sealing engagement with the sealing faces of the pipeline components, and wherein
[0011] the forcing means is arranged about a pitch circle spaced from the central axes such that the spacing of the pitch circle is less than the spacing of the connectors when the central axes of the dismantling joint are aligned with the common axis of the pipeline components.
[0012] In another aspect, the present invention resides broadly in a dismantling joint for joining a first pipeline component to a second pipeline component, the first and second pipeline components being connectable to one another along a common axis by a plurality of connectors spaced from the axis and each pipeline component having a sealing face opposed to the other, the dismantling joint including:
a first half and a second half, each half having a central axis, and the first half including a cylindrical spigot and a flange extending outwardly therefrom, the flange having an inner end and an outer end remote from the inner end, the second half including a socket adapted to slidably receive the spigot of the first half, the socket having a proximal end and a distal end remote from the proximal end, the proximal end being opposed to the inner end of the flange of the first half; and forcing means arranged to engage the inner end of the flange of the first half and the proximal end of the socket of the second half adjacent the outer face of the spigot to force the first and second halves away from each other and into sealing engagement with the sealing faces of the pipeline components, and wherein
[0015] the forcing means is arranged about a pitch circle spaced from the central axes such that the spacing of the pitch circle is less than the spacing of the connectors when the central axes of the dismantling joint are aligned with the common axis of the pipeline components.
[0016] Preferably, the forcing means includes a plurality of bolts or screws each threadedly engaged with a threaded passage extending axially through either the flange or the socket such that the head of each bolt or screw abuts the other one of the proximal end or inner face respectively. However, it will be appreciated that the forcing means may take other forms, such as, but not limited to, a plurality of rods which extend between the inner end of the flange of the first half and the proximal end of the socket of the second half, each rod having location means for locating the rods in a radially and circumferentially fixed position with respect to both the flange and socket, and each rod further having threaded portions upon which two nuts are threadedly engaged to be wound away from one another against the inner end of the flange and the proximal end of the socket. The bolts or screws are arranged in circumferentially spaced disposition adjacent the outer face of the spigot, meaning relatively close to the outer face and such that the axial compressive force is exerted close to, or even in substantial alignment with, the pipe wall or equivalent thereto of the pipeline components being joined to one another. By being joined to one another, it. will be appreciated that the pipeline components are joined in axially spaced disposition with the dismantling joint interposed between them.
[0017] It will be seen that the axial or longitudinal compressive force of the forcing means is directed against the flanges of the pipeline components at each end of the dismantling joint, the compressive force being taken up by tie bolts joining the pipeline components to one another.
[0018] In another aspect, the present, invention resides broadly in a dismantling joint for interposition between a first pipeline component and a second pipeline, component joined to one another by pipeline fasteners, the first and second pipeline components being connectable to one another along a common axis by a plurality of connectors spaced from the axis and each pipeline component having a sealing face opposed to the other, the dismantling joint including:
a flanged spigot having a central axis and a flange and a spigot having an internal passage extending therethrough; a flange adaptor having a central axis and an internal bore for receiving the spigot; sealing means interposed between the flange and the flange adaptor for sealing against fluid flow from the internal passage of the flanged spigot; compression means adapted for interposition between the flange of the flanged spigot and the flange adaptor, the compression means, being operable to impart an axial compressive load therebetween; and wherein the flange and the flange adaptor are adapted to function independently of the pipeline fasteners and into sealing engagement with the sealing faces of the pipeline components, and wherein
[0024] the compression means is arranged about a pitch circle spaced from the central axes such that the spacing of the pitch circle is less than the spacing of the connectors when the central axes of the dismantling joint are aligned with the common axis of the pipeline components.
[0025] In another aspect, the present invention resides broadly in a method of dismantlably joining a first pipeline component to a second pipeline component by pipeline fasteners including:
providing a flanged spigot having a flange and a spigot having an internal passage extending therethrough; receiving an end of the flange remote from the flange into an internal bore of a flange adaptor; sealing the flange adaptor and flange against fluid flow from the internal passage of the flanged spigot to provide an axially expansible flanged assembly; operatively interposing the flanged assembly between the flanges of the first and second flanged components; and imparting an axial compressive load between the flange and the flange adaptor independently of the pipeline fasteners.
[0031] Preferably, the flange and spigot of the first half are integrally formed and may be in the form of the flanged spigot hereinbefore described. It is also preferred that the flange is at or near one end of the spigot. However, it will be appreciated that the flange and spigot may be separate components having sealing means operatively interposed between the components to seal against fluid flow from the internal passage through the spigot, that is, providing a sealing between the flange and the cylindrical outer face of the spigot.
[0032] Preferably, the sealing means includes a seal and a follower for pressing the seal against the spigot and the flange adaptor. In such form, the follower is in the form of a ring having dimensions substantially commensurate with the dimensions of the flange adaptor.
[0033] Preferably, the compression means includes a plurality of threaded rods and complementary threaded apertures extending axially into or through either, ox both the flange and the flange adaptor. In a preferred form, the threaded rods are provided in the form of bolts having a threaded portion, a non-threaded portion extending axially from the threaded portion and a compression face on the end of the non-threaded portion remote from the threaded portion. The non-threaded portion suitably includes two or more engagement faces for operable association with a wrench or the like far turning the bolts about their axes. Preferably, the compression faces of the bolts are domed to a degree sufficient to permit engagement with a bearing face of the follower substantially centrally of the compression faces notwithstanding engagement with the bearing faces at an angle slightly off perpendicular.
[0034] It will be seen that the compressive load may be imparted by turning the bolts in a direction which unscrews them from the complementary apertures in or through the flange and/or flange adaptor. Preferably, a lock nut is provided on each bolt for locking against rotation of the bolt once the desired compressive load has been provided by the unscrewing of the bolts.
[0035] The flange adaptor may include a rebate or groove for receiving the seal. Preferably, the dismantling joint includes a seal containment ring that surrounds the seal. In a preferred form, the follower includes a plurality of threaded holes. A relief ring may also be provided for operable interposition between the flange adaptor and the seal containment ring. The relief ring includes a plurality of clearance holes sized to permit axial penetration of the bolts therethrough, it being preferred that the clearance holes in the relief ring extend longitudinally all of the way through the relief ring. It is also preferred that the follower further includes a seal backing plate ring located between the relief ring and the flange adaptor.
[0036] Alternatively, the follower includes a plurality of apertures, each of which has a threaded portion and an unthreaded clearance portion, It is also preferred that the apertures extend longitudinally all of the way through the follower. It will be appreciated that the threaded apertures may be provided in an alternative form by incorporating a captured nut in a clearance aperture for each or any one of the threaded apertures.
[0037] The first and second flanged components may be selected from a pipeline, a valve, a pump, a joint or the like. Moreover, the flanged spigot or the flange adaptor may be incorporated into one end of a pipeline fitting such as a pump, valve, joint or the like to enable the fitting to be removed from the pipeline in similar manner to having the dismantling joint hereinbefore described provided separately in axial interposition between a pipeline flange and a flange on the pipeline fitting.
[0038] In another aspect, the present invention resides broadly in a dismantling joint for joining a first pipeline component to a second pipeline component, the first and second pipeline components being connectable to one another along a common axis by a plurality of connectors spaced from the axis and each pipeline component having a sealing face opposed to the other, the dismantling joint including:
a flanged spigot; a flange adaptor that receives the flanged spigot; a seal for sealing between the flanged spigot and the flange adaptor;
[0042] a follower for pressing the seal against the flanged spigot and the flange adaptor; and
a plurality of bolts spaced about a central axis and screwed into a plurality of threaded holes such that the bolts extend longitudinally between the flanged spigot and the follower such that the bolts are able to be partially unscrewed so that they are thereby able to move the flanged spigot and the follower away from each other so that the flanged spigot is able to press a first gasket against the first pipeline component, the flange adaptor is able to press a second gasket against the second pipeline component, and so that the follower is able to press the seal against the flanged spigot and the flange adaptor, and so that the flanged spigot and flange adaptor may be pressed into sealing engagement with the sealing faces of the pipeline components, and wherein
[0044] the bolts are arranged about a pitch circle spaced from the central axis such that the radius of the pitch circle is less than the spacing of the connectors from the common axis when the central axis of the dismantling joint is aligned with the common axis of the pipeline components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0045] In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practice, preferred embodiments thereof will now be described, along with a description of a dismantling joint according to the prior art, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0046] FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of pipeline incorporating a first dismantling joint according to the invention;
[0047] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a second dismantling joint according to the invention;
[0048] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a third dismantling joint according to the invention in juxtaposition with two flanged components of a pipeline between which the dismantling joint may be inserted;
[0049] FIGS. 4 to 7 are side views of a pipeline incorporating the third dismantling joint illustrated in FIG. 3 in progressive states of assembly;
[0050] FIG. 8 is a side, partly cut-away view of a fourth dismantling joint dismantling joint according to the invention;
[0051] FIG. 9 is a side partly cut-away view of a pipeline incorporating a fifth dismantling joint according to the invention;
[0052] FIG. 10 is a side partly cut-away view of a pipeline incorporating a sixth preferred dismantling joint according to the invention; and
[0053] FIG. 11 is a side partly cut-away view of a dismantling joint according to the invention when joined to a pipeline component.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0054] In the drawings, like features have been referenced with the same reference numbers. The pipeline 50 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a first pipeline component 51 , and a second pipeline component 52 . The first pipeline component 51 includes a pipe 53 , and a flange 54 that is secured to an end 55 of the pipe 53 . The second pipeline component 52 includes a pipe 60 , and a flange 61 that is secured to an end 62 of the pipe 60 . The flanges 54 , 61 , which are separated from each other by a gap 63 , function as an end 64 of the first component 51 , and an end 65 of the second component 52 respectively.
[0055] The first dismantling joint 70 , which is located in the gap 63 , joins the end 64 of the first component 51 to the end 65 of the second component 52 so that fluid is able to flow through the pipeline 50 from, the pipe 53 and into the pipe 60 through the joint 70 , and vice versa. The joint 70 includes a flanged spigot 71 that includes a spigot or pipe 72 that is welded or otherwise secured to a flange 73 such that the flange 73 is located adjacent an end of the pipe 72 . A first gasket 80 is located between the flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 and a raised face 81 of the flange 54 .
[0056] A flange adaptor 90 includes a flange 91 and receives the flanged spigot 71 such that the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 71 is received by the flange 91 . A second gasket 92 is located between the flange 91 of flange adaptor 90 and a raised face 93 of the flange 61 .
[0057] An elastomeric ring seal 100 forms a watertight seal between the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 71 and the flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 . The ring seal 100 is surrounded by a seal containment ring 110 which, like the ring seal 100 , abuts the flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 . The seal containment ring 110 inhibits the ring seal 100 from expanding radially outward when the seal 100 is pressed against the flange 91 . When the seal 100 is pressed against the flange 91 , it also pressed against the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 71 .
[0058] A follower 120 presses the seal 100 against the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 71 , and against the flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 so that the ring seal 100 forms a watertight seal between the pipe 72 and the flange 91 . The follower 120 includes a seal backing plate ring 121 , a relief ring 122 , and a threaded ring 123 . The threaded ring 123 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced threaded holes 124 that extend longitudinally through the threaded ring 123 . A specially machined compression bolt 125 having a threaded shank a head 127 is screwed into each hole 124 to extend longitudinally between the threaded ring 123 of the follower 120 and the flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 .
[0059] The relief ring 122 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced clearance holes 126 that extend longitudinally through the relief ring 122 . Each hole 126 is aligned with a respective threaded hole 124 of the threaded ring 123 , and is dimensioned for clearance fit of the threaded shank of the bolt 125 that is screwed into the threaded hole 124 when so aligned.
[0060] The bolts 125 may be partially unscrewed from the threaded ring 123 such that the head 127 of each bolt 125 presses against the flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 to move the flanged spigot 71 and the flange adaptor 90 away from each other. In particular, after the bolts 125 are unscrewed from the threaded ring 123 so that their heads 127 contact the flange 73 , further unscrewing of the bolts 125 causes the threaded ring 123 of the follower 120 to move away from the flange 73 .
[0061] As the threaded ring 123 moves away from the flange 73 , it pushes the relief ring 122 of the follower 120 away from the flange 73 , which in turn pushes the seal backing plate ring 121 of the follower 120 away from the flange 73 . The seal backing plate ring 121 in turn pushes the seal 100 , and the seal containment ring 110 away from the flange 73 , and the seal 110 and seal containment ring 110 push the flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 away from the flange 73 .
[0062] Unscrewing all of the bolts 125 by a sufficient and relatively even amount extends the joint 70 in the above-described manner so that the first gasket 80 is pressed against the raised face 81 of the flange 54 by the flange 73 , the second gasket 92 is pressed against the raised face 93 of the flange 61 by the flange 91 , and so that the seal 100 is pressed against the flange 91 and the pipe 72 by the seal backing plate ring 121 of the follower 120 .
[0063] A predetermined amount of torque is applied to each one of the bolts 125 to ensure adequate compression of the ring seal 100 , and to clamp the gaskets 80 , 92 securely between the flanges 73 , 54 , and 61 , 91 , respectively. Full compression of the ring seal 100 results in the seal 100 providing a leak-proof seal between the flanged spigot 71 and the flange adaptor 90 .
[0064] The seal backing plate ring 121 prevents the bolts 125 from being screwed into and damaging the seal 100 . The ring 121 is made to have a close fit with the outside diameter of the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 71 to prevent loss of compression of the elastomeric seal 100 through longitudinal extrusion of the compressed seal 100 between the gap between the pipe 72 and the relief ring 122 .
[0065] A plurality of circumferentially spaced holes 130 extend longitudinally through the flange 54 , and a plurality of circumferentially spaced holes 131 extend longitudinally through the flange 61 . Each hole 130 is aligned with a respective hole 131 . The dismantling joint 70 is further secured in position, and the components 51 , 52 are secured to each other, by a plurality of tie-bolts 132 that each extend longitudinally through a respective pair of aligned holes 130 , 131 , a plurality of washers 133 that receive the tie-bolts 132 , and by a plurality of nuts 134 that are screwed onto the ends of the tie-bolts 132 and tightened. The washers 133 are located between the nuts 134 and the flanges 54 , 61 .
[0066] The nuts 134 are tightened so that the flanges 54 , 61 are pulled towards each other, so that the gasket 80 is further compressed between the flanges 54 , 73 , and so that the gasket 92 is further compressed between the flanges 61 , 91 . The gaskets 80 , 92 are further compressed so that the gasket 80 forms a seal between the flanges 54 , 73 , and so that the gasket 92 forms a seal between the flanges 61 , 91 . In particular, the gaskets 80 , 92 are compressed by the amount required to ensure a leak-proof joint between the flanges 54 , 73 and between the flanges 61 , 91 . The inner bolts 125 are subjected to a compressive stress not only as a result of their pressing against the flange 73 , but also as a result of the flanges 54 , 61 being pulled towards each other. The bolts 125 resist this entire external compressive load.
[0067] The follower 120 applies compression to the ring seal 100 . The thickness of the ring seal 100 is such that, before it is compressed between the seal backing plate ring 121 of the follower 120 and the flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 , it protrudes from the bore of the seal containment ring 110 towards the follower 120 . The seal 100 is able to be compressed between the seal backing plate ring 121 and the flange 91 until the seal containment ring 110 is in contact with both the flange 91 and the seal backing plate ring 121 . Once the ring 110 is in contact with both the flange 91 and the ring 121 so that an annular cavity 135 defined by the flange 91 , ring 110 , and the ring 121 reaches its minimum size and volume, there are no gaps between the flange 91 , the ring 110 , and the ring 121 through which the seal 100 can escape. The seal containment ring 110 limits the amount by which the seal 100 is able to spread radially outward as it is compressed between the ring 121 and the flange 91 . The compressed seal 100 spreads radially inward so that it is compressed against the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 71 and forms a seal between the flange adaptor 90 and the flanged spigot 71 .
[0068] The dismantling joint 140 illustrated in FIG. 2 a simplified dismantling joint 140 that is identical with the dismantling joint 70 illustrated and described with reference to FIG. 1 , except that, rather than including the seal containment ring 110 , a groove 141 that receives the ring seal 100 is machined into or otherwise formed in a face 142 of the flange 91 such that the groove 141 extends along an inner circumference 143 of the flange 91 .
[0069] Also, the seal backing plate ring 121 , the relief ring 122 and the threaded ring 123 of the dismantling joint 70 have been dispensed with. Instead of the relief ring 122 and the threaded ring 123 , the follower 120 of the dismantling joint 140 includes a modified threaded ring 144 in which the relief ring 122 and the threaded ring 123 of the joint 70 have been integrally formed as a single part. The threaded ring 144 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced 13 threaded holes 145 that extend longitudinally all of the way through the ring 144 . Each hole 145 includes a threaded portion 146 and an adjoining, non-threaded clearance portion 147 .
[0070] The holes 145 in the threaded ring 144 do not overlie the seal ring 100 . Consequently, there is no need for the dismantling joint 140 to include the seal backing plate ring 121 to protect the seal 100 from being damaged by the bolts 125 , thereby permitting the sealing backing plate ring 121 to be omitted from the dismantling joint 140 .
[0071] The bolts 125 of the dismantling joint 140 are screwed into the holes 145 such that the bolts 125 extend longitudinally between the follower 120 and the flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 . The flanged spigot 71 and the flange adaptor 90 of the dismantling joint 140 are able to be moved away from each other by unscrewing the bolts 125 in the same manner as described in relation to the dismantling joint 70 .
[0072] Also, the dismantling joint 140 is able to be used to join two pipeline components in a similar manner to the dismantling joint 70 . When the dismantling joint 140 joins two pipe line component s in this way, the follower 120 , which includes the threaded ring 144 , presses the ring seal 100 into the groove 141 so that the seal 100 is pressed against the flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 and against the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 71 so as to form a leak-proof seal between the flange 91 and the pipe 72 . Also, the bolts 125 are subjected to a compressive force. Although the dismantling joint 140 is simpler than the joint 70 , the joint 70 has a significant advantage over the joint 140 in that the presence of the seal containment ring 110 in the joint 70 provides for easier removal of the seal 110 when dismantling the joint 70 .
[0073] The dismantling joint 160 illustrated in FIG. 3 is depicted in juxtaposition with a first pipeline component 51 and a second pipeline component 52 for insertion therebetween. The dismantling joint 160 is identical with the dismantling joint 140 except that the flange 91 of the dismantling joint 160 does not include the groove 141 that receives the ring seal 100 . Instead, the dismantling joint 160 includes the seal containment ring 110 of the dismantling joint 70 to surround the ring seal 100 . Before the dismantling joint 160 is inserted into the gap 63 between the ends 64 , 65 of the first and second pipeline components 51 , 52 , the components 51 , 52 are secured to one another with a pair of tie-bolts 132 .
[0074] Each tie bolt 132 extends longitudinally through a respective hole 130 in the flange 54 and a respective hole 131 in the flange 61 , and is secured to the flanges 54 , 61 by a pair of washers 133 through which the tie-bolt 132 is inserted, and a pair of nuts 134 that are screwed on to the ends of the tie-bolt 132 . The tie-bolts 132 are positioned such that they are both located at the bottom of the components 51 , 52 .
[0075] Each tie-bolt 132 extends through a respective spacer tube 161 . The spacer tubes 161 support the dismantling joint 160 after it is inserted between the ends 64 , 65 of the components 51 , 52 as shown in FIG. 7 . The wall thickness of each spacer tube 161 is such that the spacer tubes 161 support the dismantling joint 160 so that it is substantially concentric with the flanges 54 , 61 and is substantially aligned with the pipeline components 51 , 52 . After the dismantling joint 160 has been inserted between the ends 64 , 65 of the components 51 , 52 , the first gasket 80 is inserted between flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 and flange 54 of the first component 51 so that the gasket 80 is positioned between flange 73 and the raised face 81 of flange 54 . Also, the second gasket 92 is inserted between flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 and the flange 61 of the second component 52 so that the gasket 92 is positioned between the flange 91 and the raised face 93 of flange 61 . If the gaskets 80 , 92 include holes for the tie-bolts 132 to extend through, the gaskets 80 , 92 are installed prior to installing the first two tie-bolts 132 so that the tie-bolts 132 can be inserted through the holes in the gaskets 80 , 92 .
[0076] As illustrated in FIG. 5 , once the gaskets 80 , 92 have been installed in the aforementioned manner, the compression bolts 125 are partially unscrewed from the threaded ring 144 in sequence so that the bolt heads 127 press against the flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 and cause the flanged spigot 71 and the follower 120 to move away from each other, which in turn causes the flange adaptor 90 , which the follower 120 pushes against, to move away from the flanged spigot 71 . The bolts 125 are unscrewed so that the first gasket 80 evenly contacts the flange 73 and the raised face 81 of the flange 54 , and so that the second gasket 92 evenly contacts the flange 91 and the raised face 93 of the flange 61 .
[0077] As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the first and second pipeline components 51 , 52 are joined to one another by some additional tie-bolts 132 and their associated washers 133 and nuts 134 . The additional, tie-bolts 132 are located at circumferentially spaced positions around the dismantling joint 160 so that the installed tie-bolts 132 are able to effectively restrain the flanges 54 , 61 against further unscrewing of the bolts 125 . Once the additional tie-bolts 132 and their associated washers 133 and nuts 134 have been installed, all of the bolts 125 are further unscrewed from the threaded ring 144 to the required predetermined torque to ensure full compression of the ring seal 100 , secure clamping of the gasket 80 between the dismantling joint 160 and the first component 51 , and secure clamping of the gasket 92 between the dismantling joint 160 and the second component 52 .
[0078] All of the remaining tie-bolts 132 and their associated washers 133 and nuts 134 are then fitted, and the nuts 134 torqued up to the required setting in accordance with approved procedures for the gaskets 80 , 92 resulting in a completed pipeline portion 170 including the first component 51 joined to the second component 52 by the dismantling joint 160 as shown in FIG. 10 . The nuts 134 are tightened so as to increase the compression of the gaskets 80 , 92 to the value required to ensure a leak-proof joint. At this point, the bolts 125 resist the entire external load through compressive stress. Compression of the ring seal 100 between the flanged spigot 71 and the flange adaptor 90 occurs at the same time and in conjunction with the joint components, including the flanges 73 , 91 , follower 120 , and bolts 125 going into compression. Consequently, unlike conventional dismantling joints, no additional tightening and retightening of the bolts 125 is required after the remaining tie bolts 132 and their nuts 134 have been installed.
[0079] The same basic installation procedure is used regardless of the size of the components, including the components 51 , 52 and the dismantling joint 160 . The procedure for installing the dismantling joint 160 as just described enables the joint 160 to be installed faster than dismantling joints of the prior art. It also results in a joint assembly that is more reliable than joint assemblies of the prior art. The procedure saves time in the field and is more cost effective compared with dismantling joints of the prior art. The reverse of the above-described procedure is used to uninstall the dismantling joint 160 .
[0080] The dismantling joint 180 illustrated in FIG. 8 is identical with the dismantling joint 70 except that, the relief ring 122 and threaded ring 123 of the follower 120 have been dispensed with and replaced by a modified relief ring 181 and a plurality of nuts 182 . Each bolt 125 is screwed into a threaded hole 183 in each nut 182 . The relief ring 181 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced clearance holes 184 that are each for receiving a threaded shank of a respective one of the bolts 125 .
[0081] A plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses 185 are formed in an end face 186 of the relief ring 181 . Each recess 185 is aligned with a respective one of the holes 184 and has a peripheral shape that allows one of the nuts 182 to be received therein and be restrained from rotating relative to the relief ring 181 . This enables the flanged spigot 71 and the follower 120 to be moved away from each other by unscrewing the bolts 125 from the nuts 182 so that the joint 180 can join two pipeline components to each other. When the pipeline components are joined to each other, the bolts 125 are in compression. Incorporating the nuts 182 into the follower 120 enables the economic manufacture of the nuts in corrosion resistant material, similar to the compression bolts 125 . The relief ring 181 could be economically produced by casting or machining.
[0082] The portion of a pipeline 190 illustrated in FIG. 9 includes a dismantling joint 191 that joins a first pipeline component 51 and a second pipeline component 52 . The dismantling joint 191 is identical with the dismantling joint 70 except that the follower 120 of the dismantling joint 190 replaces the follower 120 of the joint 70 with a thicker seal backing plate ring 192 . In addition, the flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced threaded holes 193 in an end face 194 of the flange 73 . The bolts 125 are screwed into the holes 193 so that the bolt heads 127 abut against the seal backing plate ring 192 as shown.
[0083] The bolts 125 are partially unscrewed from the flange 73 so that they press against the follower 120 which includes the seal backing plate ring 192 which in turn presses against the ring seal 100 so that the seal 100 forms a seal between the flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 and the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 71 . A gasket 80 is pressed between the flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 and a raised face 81 of a flange 54 of the first component 51 . A gasket 92 is pressed between the flange 91 of the flange adaptor and a raised face 93 of the second component 52 . Also, the bolts 125 are compressed.
[0084] The portion of a pipeline 200 illustrated in FIG. 10 includes a dismantling joint 201 that joins a first pipeline component 51 and a second pipeline component 52 . The dismantling joint 201 is identical with the dismantling joint 190 except that the flanged spigot 71 of the dismantling joint 190 has been replaced with a modified flanged spigot 202 that is identical with the flanged spigot 71 except that it includes a thin flange 203 rather than the thicker flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 . The thin flange 203 does not include any threaded holes for the bolts 125 to screw into. In addition, the dismantling joint 201 includes a threaded ring 204 that receives the flanged spigot 202 and abuts against the thin flange 203 .
[0085] A plurality of circumferentially spaced holes 205 extend longitudinally through the threaded ring 204 . Each hole 205 includes a threaded portion 206 and an adjoining non-threaded clearance portion 207 . The bolts 125 of the dismantling joint 201 are screwed into the holes 205 such that the bolts 125 extend longitudinally between the follower 120 , which includes the seal backing plate ring 192 , and the threaded ring 204 , and such that the bolt heads 127 abut against the seal backing plate ring 192 . Because the threaded ring 204 is situated beside the flange 203 of the flanged spigot 202 , the bolts 125 effectively extend longitudinally between the follower 120 and the flanged spigot 202 . The threaded ring 204 supports the thin flange 203 in a flat condition that provides a suitable face for the gasket 80 to seal against the mating flange face 81 .
[0086] The bolts 125 of the dismantling joint 201 are partially unscrewed from the threaded ring 204 so that they press against the follower 120 which includes the seal backing plate ring 192 which in turn presses against the ring seal 100 so that the seal 100 forms a seal between the flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 and the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 202 . A gasket 80 is pressed between the flange 203 of the flanged spigot 202 and a raised face 81 of a flange 54 of the first component 51 . A gasket 92 is pressed between the flange 91 of the flange adaptor 90 and a raised face 93 of the second component 52 . Furthermore, the bolts 125 are compressed. The dismantling joint 201 has the most compact design of all of the dismantling joints described herein. The manufacture of the various components of the joint 201 is simplified so that there is a minimum amount of welding required.
[0087] The portion of a pipeline valve 210 illustrated in FIG. 11 incorporates a dismantling joint 211 . The valve 210 is shown joined to another pipeline component 212 . The dismantling joint 211 is identical with the dismantling joint 70 depicted in FIG. 4 except that rather than including the flange adaptor 90 of the joint 70 , the joint 211 includes a flange adaptor 213 that includes a flange 214 . The flange 214 is part of a valve body 215 , and surrounds a first opening 216 in the valve body 215 . In addition to including the flange 214 , the valve body 215 includes a second opening 217 , and a flange 218 that surrounds the second opening 217 . The flanges 214 , 218 each include a plurality of circumferentially spaced threaded holes 219 that extend longitudinally through them.
[0088] The valve 210 is joined to the pipeline component 212 and to another pipeline component (not depicted) that is separated from the component 212 by a gap by positioning the valve 210 in the gap such that the flange 73 of the dismantling joint's flanged spigot 71 is located adjacent a flange 220 of the component 212 and such that the flange 218 of the valve body 215 is located adjacent the other component.
[0089] The valve 210 and the component 212 are secured to one another by screwing an end of each one of a plurality of tie-bolts 132 into a respective one of the threaded holes 219 in the flange 214 , and the other end of each tie-bolt 132 is inserted through a respective one of a plurality of circumferentially spaced holes 221 that extend longitudinally through the flange 220 . The ends of the tie-bolts 132 that extend longitudinally through the holes 221 are each inserted through a respective washer 133 , and a respective nut 134 is then screwed on to each of those ends so that the valve 210 is thereby secured to the flange 220 of the component 212 .
[0090] A first gasket 80 is positioned between the flange 73 and a raised face 81 of the flange 220 , and a second gasket (not depicted) is positioned between the other component and the flange 218 . The compression bolts 125 of the dismantling joint 211 are partially unscrewed from the threaded ring 124 of the dismantling joint 211 so that the bolt heads 127 press against the flange 73 of the flanged spigot 71 and cause the flanged spigot 71 and the flange adaptor 213 to move away from each other.
[0091] The bolts 125 are unscrewed, and the nuts 134 are tightened so that the first gasket 80 is compressed between the flange 73 and the raised face 81 of the flange 220 so that the gasket 80 forms a watertight seal between the flange 73 and the flange 220 , and so that the second gasket is compressed between the flange 218 and the other component so that the second gasket forms a watertight seal between the flange 218 and the other component, and also so that the ring seal 100 of the dismantling joint 211 is compressed between the flange 214 . of the flange adaptor 213 and the pipe 72 of the flanged spigot 71 so that the ring seal 100 forms a watertight seal between the flange adaptor 213 and the flanged spigot 71 . Furthermore, the bolts 125 are compressed.
[0092] If the other component includes a flange, and the second gasket is positioned between that flange and the flange 218 , the flange 218 may be secured to the flange of the other component in an appropriate manner so that, the second gasket forms a seal between the flange of the other component and the flange 218 . For example, the flange 218 may be secured to the flange of the other component by a plurality of bolts that are each inserted through a respective hole in the flange of the other component and that are each screwed into a respective one of the threaded holes 219 of the flange 218 . Joining the component 212 and the other component with the valve 210 results in a completed pipeline portion 222 .
[0093] The dismantling joint according to the present invention uses considerably less material than prior, art dismantling joints. This is because it is significantly smaller in outside diameter and shorter in length compared with prior art dismantling joints. At the same time, the dismantling joint of the present invention may be rated for use at the same pressures as prior art dismantling joints. The reduction in the outside diameter of the dismantling joint according to the present invention is achieved because the joint does not have conventional flanges of the type that are adapted to be bolted to the flanges of the components to be joined to one another. The outside diameter is equivalent to the outer diameter of the raised faces of the mating flanges of the pipeline components that the dismantling joint joins to one another.
[0094] As the volume of material in a disc or annular ring is a function of the square of the diameter of the disc or ring, a reduction in the outside diameter significantly reduces the amount of material in the disc or ring, which significantly reduces the weight of the disc or ring. Therefore, as a consequence of the dismantling joint according to the present invention having smaller flanges than prior art dismantling joints, the weight of the dismantling joint according to the present invention is significantly less than prior art dismantling joints. Reduction in the length of the dismantling joint according to the present invention is achieved by the compact nature of its design. This has a direct effect on the weight and cost of the unit, and also reduces the cost of the tie-bolts used to secure the mating flanges of the components joined to one another. The combined effects of these material savings results in a lighter more economic design that is able to utilise more expensive, but desirable materials such as stainless steel for critical components resulting in a low maintenance long life application in adverse conditions.
[0095] For applications requiring a large diameter, high pressure joint, it is possible to further reduce the material required to produce a dismantling joint according to the present invention compared to the amount of material required for a prior art dismantling joint. The flanges of prior art dismantling joints are designed to withstand significant bending moments caused by the tie-bolts that secure the flanges to the mating flanges of the joined pipeline components. Because the end flanges of the dismantling joint according to the present invention are not subjected to the same high bending stress as the flanges of prior art dismantling joints, the design thickness of the flanges of the dismantling joint according to the present invention can be based primarily on the gasket compressive load (i.e. the load exerted on the flanges when they compress the gaskets between the dismantling joint and the mating flanges of the joined components). This results in thinner flanges for the dismantling joint according to the present invention for the same pipeline pressure. All of the above-mentioned factors reduce the manufacturing cost, material used, and weight of the dismantling joint according to the present invention when compared to prior art dismantling joints.
[0096] The dismantling joint according to the present invention is not affected by flange rotation as the longitudinal compressive forces on the joint are counteracted by the compression of the bolts 125 , which are located at the centre of the gasket line of action, and which therefore produce no bending stress on the end flanges of the joint. This means that the end flanges remain flat/unbent so that they can provide good support across the width of the gasket face. Although flange rotation will still be apparent on the mating conventional flange of the joined pipeline components, the mating gasket joint will be significantly less than the rotation of a conventional flange joint. A significant effect of this is a reduction in the wetted surface area of the flange face, reducing the area of the flanges that are exposed for potential corrosion.
[0097] Dismantling joints are classified as either restrained or non-restrained depending on whether they are capable of transmitting longitudinal force or not. The restrained type includes a Sub-type of partially restrained types if their restraint system does not allow them to take the full pipeline thrust generated by a dead end cap or 90 degree bend. Non-restrained dismantling joints, are generally cheaper than a restrained type because of their simpler construction. The dismantling joint according to the present invention is classified as a fully restrained system, but it can also be used in nearly all non-restrained applications as well.
[0098] It will be appreciated that in nearly all situations, mating flanges of pipeline components will be installed with some angular inaccuracy, i.e. the flange faces of the mating flanges might not be exactly parallel to each other, resulting in joint deflection. The dismantling joint according to the present invention accommodates some joint deflection by providing the heads 127 of the compression bolts 125 with a spherical contact surface, and by providing relief on other components which provides space for the various component rotations.
[0099] The modular nature of the dismantling joint according to the present invention means that it is easy to incorporate into other pipeline fittings, e.g. valve bodies where the flanged end of the valve body can be easily modified to function as the flange of the flange adaptor or flange spigot of the dismantling joint making it possible to combine the valve and the dismantling joint into a single unit. An advantage of combining the dismantling joint according to the present invention with another component such as a valve is that it eliminates one of the gasket joints of the dismantling joint, and one flange component, and makes the entire assembly shorter than it would otherwise be.
[0100] The dismantling joint according to the present invention can be used in all flange applications and is not limited to use in a particular industry. For example, it could be used in the water, waste water, oil, gas, chemical, and process industries. The materials from which the flange and ring seal are made may need to be altered to enable the joint to be used in a particular application. The various components of the dismantling joint may be manufactured from a material selected for the particular application, such as, for example, steel, stainless steel, and/or ductile cast iron. The manufacture of the components of the dismantling joint according to the present invention is similar to that of prior art dismantling joints in that they can be cut, cast, machined, or otherwise fabricated from selected raw materials.
[0101] Active components of the dismantling joint according to the present invention are under compressive loading once the dismantling joint has been installed in a pipeline. However, the compressive load is lower than that found in prior art dismantling joints. The dismantling joint according to the present invention may be installed in a similar manner to prior art dismantling joints in that the sealing faces of the pipeline and component flanges are secured to the mating faces of the dismantling joint to produce a leak-proof seal in the pipeline.
[0102] During installation of the dismantling joint according to the present invention, the joint is placed between the pipeline and component flanges. The bolts 125 of the joint are screwed out/unscrewed so that the flange adaptor and the flanged spigot are pushed into contact with the flanges of the pipeline components. This action also compresses the ring seal of the joint so that it provides a leak-proof seal between the pipe section of the flanged spigot and the flange of the flange adaptor. The bolts of the joint, are tightened to a predetermined torque.
[0103] Not all dismantling joints according to the present invention require a seal backing plate ring. The seal backing plate is only required for flange sizes where the holes, in the relief ring or the threaded ring may encroach in the area of the ring seal space, preventing the seal from being compressed evenly. Similarly to prior art dismantling joints, the dismantling joint according to the present invention can tolerate axial misalignment or angular deflection between the flange faces of the pipeline and component flanges. This is achieved by the amount that the bolts 125 are adjusted, and by a predetermined amount of clearance between the components of the joint that interact with the flanged spigot component of the joint. To remove the dismantling joint, the aforementioned installation procedure is reversed.
[0104] The provision of a seal containment ring in the dismantling joint according to the present invention provides an alternative option to using a groove in the flange adaptor to provide a sealing cavity to contain the ring seal. The seal containment ring also allows for easy removal of the ring seal so that it is easier to shorten the dismantling joint. Where a seal containment ring is not provided, the seal ring can become wedged, seized, or stuck over time, and make it difficult for the joint to be removed. The ability to move the seal containment ring relative to the flange adaptor aids in the removal of the seal.
[0105] The dismantling joint according to the present invention is simpler, smaller and lighter in design and construction than prior art dismantling joints. As a consequence, it is more cost effective to manufacture and easier to install compared with prior art dismantling joints. This is able to provide the dismantling joint according to the present invention with a competitive advantage in the market place. It is also shorter in length compared with existing dismantling joints that are designed for use with large diameter pipelines, and therefore allows pipeline structures to be reduced in size, which can save costs.
[0106] Where existing dismantling joints need to be replaced due to corrosion or damage, the dismantling joint according to the present invention can be easily lengthened to ensure that it is able to be fitted between the flanges of the pipeline components to be joined to one another. In contrast, existing dismantling joints that are too long cannot be shortened and therefore cannot be installed. Dismantling joints come in a wide range of diameters, from 100 mm to greater than 2 metres. The competitive advantage of the dismantling joint according to the present invention over prior art dismantling joints increases as the diameter of the joint increases.
[0107] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications to the invention described herein will be apparent without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The variations and modifications as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth. Prior art referred to herein does not necessarily form part of the common general knowledge in the art. | A dismantling joint for joining a first pipeline component to a second pipeline component including a first half and a second half, the first half including a cylindrical spigot having an outer face and a flange extending outwardly from the outer face of the spigot, the flange having an inner face and an outer face remote from the inner face, and the second half including a socket adapted to slidably receive therein the spigot of the first half, the socket having a proximal end and a distal end remote from the proximal end, the proximal end being opposed to the inner face of the flange of the first half; and forcing means arranged between the inner face of the flange of the first half and the proximal end of the spigot to engage the inner face of the flange of the first half and the proximal end of the socket of the second half adjacent the outer face of the spigot to force the first and second halves away from each other. | 5 |
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to wireless networks, and, more particularly, to managing transmission power between mobile stations and base stations.
2. Description of Related Art
a. CDMA Networks Generally
Many people use mobile stations, such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), to communicate with cellular wireless networks. These mobile stations and networks typically communicate with each other over a radio frequency (RF) air interface according to a wireless communication protocol such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), perhaps in conformance with one or more industry specifications such as IS-95 and IS-2000. Wireless networks that operate according to these specifications are often referred to as “1×RTT networks” (or “1× networks” for short), which stands for “Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology.” These networks typically provide communication services such as voice, Short Message Service (SMS) messaging, and packet-data communication.
Typical CDMA networks include a plurality of base stations, each of which provide one or more wireless coverage areas, such as cells and sectors. When a mobile station is positioned in one of these coverage areas, it can communicate over the air interface with the base station, and in turn over one or more circuit-switched and/or packet-switched signaling and/or transport networks to which the base station provides access. The base station and the mobile station conduct these communications over a frequency known as a carrier, which may actually be a pair of frequencies, with the base station transmitting to the mobile station on one of the frequencies, and the mobile station transmitting to the base station on the other. This is known as frequency division duplex (FDD). The base-station-to-mobile-station link is known as the forward link, while the mobile-station-to-base-station link is known as the reverse link.
Furthermore, using a sector as an example of a wireless coverage area, base stations may provide service in a given sector on one carrier, or on more than one. An instance of a particular carrier in a particular sector is referred to herein as a sector/carrier. In a typical CDMA system, using a configuration known as radio configuration 3 (RC3), a base station can, on a given sector/carrier, transmit forward-link data on a maximum of 64 distinct channels at any given time, each channel corresponding to a unique 64-bit code known as a Walsh code. Of these channels, typically, 61 of them are available as traffic channels (for user data), while the other 3 are reserved for administrative channels known as the pilot, paging, and sync channels.
When a base station instructs a mobile station—operating on a particular sector/carrier—to use a particular traffic channel for a communication session, such as a voice call or a data session, the base station does so by instructing the mobile station to tune to a particular one of the 61 Walsh-coded traffic channels on that sector/carrier. It is over that assigned traffic channel that the base station will transmit forward-link data to the mobile station during the ensuing communication session. And, in addition to that Walsh-coded forward-link channel, the traffic channel also includes a corresponding Walsh-coded reverse-link channel, over which the mobile station transmits data to the base station.
b. Reverse-Link Transmission-Power Management
i. The Power Control Bit (PCB) and the Ratio E b /N t
In CDMA networks, the transmitting power of a mobile station on the reverse link of a traffic channel at any given moment is based on a number of factors, two of which are known as the power control bit (PCB) and the ratio E b /N t . The PCB is a bit ( 0 or 1 ) that the base station sends to the mobile station on the forward link at a high frequency, on the order of 800 times per second (i.e. once every 1.25 milliseconds (ms)). The mobile station repeatedly responsively adjusts its transmission power to the base station on the reverse link. Typically, if the base station sends a 0, the mobile station will decrease the power by a set decrement, such as 1 dB, whereas, if the base station sends a 1, the mobile station will increase the power by a set increment, which may also be 1 dB. Thus, using these numbers, the mobile station's reverse-link transmission power would change by plus or minus 1 dB every 1.25 ms.
Each such 1.25-ms cycle, a typical base station determines whether to transmit a PCB equal to 0 or 1 to a given mobile station by comparing (i) a signal-to-noise ratio that the base station computes for that mobile station with (ii) a stored threshold value for that signal-to-noise ratio that the base station maintains on a per-mobile-station basis. This ratio is generally known and referred to herein as E b /N t , while the threshold is referred to herein as the E b /N t threshold. E b /N t compares the strength at which the base station is receiving the reverse-link signal from the mobile station (E b for “energy per bit”) with the strength at which the base station is receiving signals from all other sources on the frequency of the sector/carrier on which that mobile station is operating (N t for “noise”). E b /N t , then, is a signal-to-noise ratio for the reverse-link part of the traffic channel. As stated, the base station typically computes E b /N t at the same frequency at which it transmits the PCB, which again may be once every 1.25 ms.
Thus, in typical operation, for a given mobile station (and in fact for each mobile station that the base station is serving), every 1.25 ms, the base station compares the most recent computation of E b /N t for that mobile station with the E b /N t threshold for that mobile station. If E b /N t exceeds the threshold, then the base station is receiving a strong enough signal from the mobile station, and thus it transmits a PCB of 0, causing the mobile station to reduce its reverse-link transmission power. If, on the other hand, the computed E b /N t is less than the threshold, the base station is not receiving a strong enough signal, and thus it transmits a PCB of 1, causing the mobile station to increase its reverse-link power. Thus, the reverse-link power on the traffic channel typically stabilizes to a point that achieves an E b /N t value (as measured at the base station) that is near the E b /N t threshold. And this threshold can be changed during operation.
ii. Reverse-Link Frame Error Rate (RFER)
In CDMA networks, data is transmitted from the mobile station to the base station (and vice versa) in data units known as frames, which typically last 20 ms. Some frames received by the base station contain errors as a result of imperfect transfer from the mobile station, while some do not. The reverse-link frame error rate (RFER) is a ratio, computed on a per-mobile-station basis by the base station, of the number of error-containing frames that the base station receives from a given mobile station to the total number of frames that the base station receives from the given mobile station, over a given time period. Note that the RFER often also takes into account frames that are not received at all by the base station. And other things being more or less equal, the more power the mobile station uses to transmit to the base station, the lower the mobile station's RFER will be.
More particularly, at approximately the same frequency at which the base station is receiving reverse-link frames (i.e. once every 20 ms) from a given mobile station, the base station computes a RFER for that mobile station over some previous number of frames, which may be 20, 100, 200, or some other number. Thus, the base station essentially computes a RFER for some rolling window of previous frames. And each time the base station computes the RFER for that mobile station, the base station compares that computed value with a threshold: a sector/carrier-level parameter often referred to as the “RFER target,” which may be around 2%.
If the RFER for that mobile station exceeds the RFER target for the sector/carrier, the base station is receiving too many error-containing frames and/or missing too many frames from that mobile station, and thus the base station will responsively increase its E b /N t threshold related to that mobile station. In the short term, this will result in the base station's computed E b /N t for that mobile station falling below the increased threshold, which in turn will result in the base station repeatedly sending PCBs equal to 1 to the mobile station. This, in turn, will result in the mobile station increasing its reverse-link transmission power, which will then typically stabilize at a level that will result in the base station computing an E b /N t for that mobile station that is close to the new, increased E b /N t threshold that the base station is maintaining for that mobile station, and perhaps result in an acceptable RFER for that mobile station.
If, on the other hand, the RFER falls below the RFER target, the mobile station may be using excessive power for transmitting on the reverse-link—in essence, the base station may be receiving a signal from that mobile station that may be considered too strong, perhaps at the expense of that mobile station's battery life, and perhaps creating excessive noise from a single mobile station on the sector/carrier. If that situation holds for a specified period of time, the base station may decrease the E b /N t threshold that the base station is maintaining for that mobile station, resulting in the base station's computed E b /N t repeatedly exceeding the decreased threshold. This, in turn, will result in the base station repeatedly sending PCBs equal to 0 to the mobile station, which will result in the mobile station decreasing its reverse-link transmission power, which will then typically stabilize at a level that will result in the base station computing an E b /N t that is very close to the new, decreased E b /N t threshold.
Thus, the base station's repeated RFER calculation for the mobile station and comparison with the RFER target for the sector/carrier causes the base station to iteratively adjust its E b /N t threshold corresponding to the mobile station. In turn, the base station's even-more-frequent calculation of E b /N t and comparison with its current E b /N t threshold for the mobile station causes the base station to iteratively send PCBs of 0 (for less power) or 1 (for more power) to the mobile station, which then causes the mobile station to adjust its reverse-link transmission power on the traffic channel. This entire back-and-forth calibration process is conducted in an attempt to keep the RFER calculated by the base station and associated with the mobile station at or below what is deemed to be an acceptable threshold, which again may be around 2%.
Note that different situations may present themselves on a given sector/carrier at different times. For one, the number of mobile stations using traffic channels can vary between just a few, such as 10, to a larger number, such as 30, and perhaps approach the upper bound of 61 (assuming RC3). And, as stated, the power that the mobile stations use for transmission to the base station can vary. In particular, variables such as terrain, weather, buildings, other mobile stations, other interference, and distance from the base station can affect the RFER that the base station experiences for a given mobile station, and thus the amount of power the mobile station uses on the reverse link. Using too much power can drain battery life, and it may sometimes be the case that a mobile station reaches its maximum transmission power and still cannot achieve an acceptable RFER, in which case it may not be able to communicate with the base station.
Note that, in some implementations, a ratio other than E b /N t may be used. In particular, each mobile station, when operating on a traffic channel, may also transmit on the reverse-link on what is known as a reverse pilot channel. The base station may then compute a ratio known as E c /I o for that mobile station, which would be a ratio comparing (a) the power level at which the base station is receiving the reverse pilot channel (“E c ” for “energy per chip”) and (b) the power level at which the base station is receiving all transmissions (“I o ”) on the frequency (sector/carrier) on which the mobile station is operating (including the reverse pilot channel).
The base station would then operate with respect to E c /I o as described above with respect to E b /N t . That is, the base station would maintain an E c /I o threshold for each mobile station, and repeatedly compare the measured E c /I o with the E c /I o threshold, and send PCBs equal to 0 or 1, causing the mobile station to either decrease or increase its reverse-link transmission power. The base station would also adjust the E c /I o threshold as described above with respect to the E b /N t threshold, in an effort to keep each mobile station at or just below the RFER target.
iii. Reverse Noise Rise (RNR)
As stated, in general, interference can be—and often is—present on the reverse link of a given sector/carrier. That is, on the given sector/carrier, a base station will receive transmissions not only from mobile stations that are operating on that sector/carrier, but will also often receive transmissions on that frequency from other mobile stations, other transmitting devices, and/or any other sources of interference on that frequency in that area. At a given moment, the sum total of what a base station is receiving on a given sector/carrier (i.e. a given frequency)—including transmissions from mobile stations operating on that sector/carrier, as well as from all other sources—is known as the “reverse noise” on that sector/carrier.
Quite frequently (e.g., once per frame (i.e. once every 20 ms)), base stations compute a value known as “reverse noise rise” (RNR) for a given sector/carrier, which is the difference between (i) the reverse noise that the base station is currently detecting on the sector/carrier and (ii) a baseline level of reverse noise for the sector/carrier. Thus, the base station computes how far the reverse noise has risen above that baseline.
For the baseline level, CDMA networks may use a value such as the lowest measurement of reverse noise on the sector/carrier in the previous 24 hours, or perhaps an average of the 24-hour lows over the previous week, or some other value. Incidentally, some networks, including Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) networks, may periodically use what is known as a silent interval, which is a coordinated time period during which mobile stations know not to transmit anything to the base station. The base station can then measure whatever else is out there. In that case, the baseline level would correspond to the amount of reverse noise when the sector/carrier is unloaded. And other reverse-link-noise levels could be used as a baseline.
Other things being more or less equal, the lower the RNR is at a given moment, the more favorable the RF environment is for communication between mobile stations and the base station at that time. Correspondingly, the higher the RNR, the less favorable the RF environment is. Also, a low RNR generally corresponds to a sector/carrier being lightly loaded, in other words that is supporting communications for a relatively low number of mobile stations. A high RNR, as one might expect, generally corresponds to a sector/carrier being heavily loaded, in other words that is supporting communications for a relatively high number of mobile stations.
SUMMARY
Methods and systems are provided for dynamic adjustment of the reverse-link frame-error-rate (RFER) target based on reverse-link RF conditions. In one aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may take the form of a method. In accordance with the method, a base station provides service to at least one mobile station on a carrier in a wireless coverage area using a first RFER target. The base station calculates a reverse noise rise (RNR) value for the carrier in the wireless coverage area, and then selects a second RFER target based at least in part on the calculated RNR value. The base station then provides service to at least one mobile station on the carrier in the wireless coverage area using the second RFER target.
These as well as other aspects and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to the following drawings, wherein like numerals denote like entities.
FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a communication system, in accordance with exemplary embodiments;
FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of an example of correlation data, in accordance with exemplary embodiments;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method, in accordance with exemplary embodiments;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method, in accordance with exemplary embodiments; and
FIG. 5 is a table showing several exemplary situations, in accordance with exemplary embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
1. Overview
As presently contemplated, in exemplary embodiments, a base station will, on a given sector/carrier, dynamically adjust the RFER target in response to periodic calculations of RNR. Thus, if the base station determines that the sector/carrier has a relatively high RNR, the base station will increase (i.e. relax) the RFER target for that sector/carrier. This will tend to result in mobile stations decreasing transmission power on the reverse link. That, in turn, will tend to result in the sector/carrier having more capacity, albeit perhaps at a lesser quality of service. If, however, the base station determines that the sector/carrier has a relatively low RNR, the base station will decrease (i.e. make more strict) the RFER target. This will tend to result in mobile stations increasing transmission power on the reverse link. That, in turn, will tend to result in a higher quality of service (e.g. better voice quality), albeit perhaps at a lower capacity.
As explained, a relatively low RNR may correspond to a sector/carrier being lightly loaded with mobile stations, while a relatively high RNR may correspond to a sector/carrier being heavily loaded with mobile stations. Thus, one way to characterize the present invention is that the RFER target is being made dynamically responsive to loading conditions. And metrics of sector/carrier load other than RNR can be used—alone or in combination with RNR or each other—to dynamically adjust the RFER target for the sector/carrier. Some load-metric candidates include Walsh-code occupancy and paging-channel-timeslot occupancy, which are explained herein, any other load metrics, and any combination of these. Using RNR is preferred, however, since both it and RFER are related to reverse-link transmission power.
As also explained, a relatively low RNR could correspond to favorable RF conditions on a sector/carrier, while a relatively high RNR could correspond to unfavorable RF conditions. As such, another way to characterize the present invention is that the RFER target is being made dynamically responsive to RF conditions. And the loading-conditions and RF-conditions views are not mutually exclusive. That is, RNR generally reflects some of each, and each can certainly contribute to situations where it would be advantageous to adjust the RFER target.
In some embodiments, a threshold value of RNR may be used to dynamically adjust the RFER target. If the base station determines that RNR is above the threshold, the base station may increase (relax) the RFER target for the sector/carrier, such that mobile stations will likely then reduce their transmission power on the sector/carrier, bringing RNR back down. If, on the other hand, the base station determines that RNR is below the threshold, the base station may decrease (make more strict) the RFER target for the sector/carrier, such that mobile stations will likely then increase their transmission power on the sector/carrier, which will provide a higher quality of service, but may reduce capacity and eventually push RNR back up.
In other embodiments, more than two ranges—or more than one threshold value—of RNR may be used. For example, the base station may maintain a table of RNR ranges correlated with various values for the RFER target. Upon calculating RNR on the sector/carrier, the base station may determine into which range the calculated value falls, and set the RFER target for the sector/carrier equal to the RFER-target value corresponding to that range. In other embodiments, two RNR thresholds may be used: if RNR is below the lesser of the two thresholds, the base station may decrease the RFER target; if RNR is above the greater of the two thresholds, the base station may increase the RFER target; if RNR is between the thresholds, the base station may leave the RFER target unmodified. And other examples are possible.
Furthermore, it may be taken into consideration how frequently it would be advisable to change the RFER target for a given sector/carrier. Generally stated, the base station should change the RFER target often enough to be dynamically responsive to RNR conditions on the sector/carrier, but not so often so as to inefficiently consume resources such as processing power, memory, battery power, time, and/or other resources of the base station and/or the mobile stations. For example, in a situation where RNR is hovering near a threshold value or boundary between RNR ranges, the base station could guard against switching the RFER target every time RNR crosses the threshold or boundary value.
Thus, the base station could have a limit as to how often it would change the RFER target, such as once every 10 seconds, 30 seconds, minute, etc. If one of those time periods—or some other time period—were used as the interval, then the base station could, once per interval, base its decision on the most recent measurement of RNR, a measurement near the halfway point of such an interval, an average of several samples taken over the interval, or perhaps an average of all measurements taken over the interval. And other possibilities exist as well, without deviating from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
Moreover, while embodiments of the invention are described herein for the most part with respect to a single base station and, more particularly, with respect to a single sector/carrier, this mode of explanation is for clarity and not by way of limitation. Thus, the present invention could be implemented in all or any subset of the base stations of a given wireless network, and in all or any subset of the sectors and carriers of a given wireless network as well.
The present invention, then, makes the RFER target dynamically responsive to loading and RF conditions on a sector/carrier. Preferably, the RFER target is dynamically responsive to periodic calculations of RNR. Among other advantages, the invention improves service quality at the expense of capacity in situations where capacity is less of a concern, and improves capacity at the expense of service quality in situations where capacity is more of a concern.
2. Exemplary Architecture
a. Exemplary Communication System
FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a communication system, in accordance with exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that this and other arrangements described herein are set forth only as examples. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other arrangements and elements (e.g., machines, interfaces, functions, orders, and groupings of functions, etc.) can be used instead, and that some elements may be omitted altogether. Further, many of the elements described herein are functional entities that may be implemented as discrete or distributed components or in conjunction with other components, and in any suitable combination and location. Various functions described herein as being performed by one or more entities may be carried out by hardware, firmware, and/or software. Various functions may be carried out by a processor executing instructions stored in memory.
As shown in FIG. 1 , a communication system 100 includes a mobile station (MS) 102 , a base transceiver station (BTS) 104 , a base station controller (BSC) 106 , a mobile switching center (MSC) 108 , a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 110 , a packet data serving node (PDSN) 112 , and a packet-data network (PDN) 114 . And additional entities could be present as well. For example, there could be additional mobile stations in communication with BTS 104 ; furthermore, there could be additional entities in communication with PSTN 110 and/or PDN 114 . Also, there could be one or more devices and/or networks making up at least part of one or more of the communication links. For example, there could be one or more routers, switches, or other devices or networks on the link between PDSN 112 and PDN 114 .
Mobile station 102 may be any mobile device arranged to carry out the mobile-station functions described herein. As such, mobile station 102 may include a user interface, a wireless-communication interface, a processor, and data storage comprising instructions executable by the processor for carrying out those mobile-station functions. The user interface may include buttons, a touch-screen, a microphone, and/or any other elements for receiving inputs, as well as a speaker, one or more displays, and/or any other elements for communicating outputs.
The wireless-communication interface may comprise an antenna and a chipset for communicating with one or more base stations over an air interface. As an example, the chipset could be one that is suitable for CDMA communication. The chipset or wireless-communication interface in general may also be able to communicate with other types of networks and devices, such as IS-856 Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) networks, Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) networks, Bluetooth devices, and/or one or more additional types of wireless networks. The processor and data storage may be any suitable components known to those of skill in the art. As examples, mobile station 102 could be or include a cell phone, a PDA, a computer, a laptop computer, a hybrid CDMA/EV-DO device, and/or a multi-mode cellular/Wi-Fi device.
BTS 104 may be any network element arranged to carry out the BTS functions described herein. As such, BTS 104 may include a communication interface, a processor, and data storage comprising instructions executable by the processor to carry out those BTS functions. The communication interface may include one or more antennas, chipsets, and/or other components for providing one or more CDMA coverage areas such as cells and sectors, for communicating with mobile stations, such as mobile station 102 , over an air interface. The communication interface may also include one or more wired and/or wireless interfaces for communicating with at least BSC 106 . As an example, a wired Ethernet interface may be included.
BSC 106 may be any network element arranged to carry out the BSC functions described herein. As such, BSC 106 may include a communication interface, a processor, and data storage comprising instructions executable by the processor to carry out those BSC functions. The communication interface may include one or more wired and/or wireless interfaces for communicating with at least BTS 104 , MSC 108 , and PDSN 112 . In general, BSC 106 functions to control one or more BTSs such as BTS 104 , and to provide one or more BTSs such as BTS 104 with connections to devices such as MSC 108 and PDSN 112 . Note that the combination of BTS 104 and BSC 106 may be considered a base station.
However, BTS 104 or BSC 106 could, taken alone, be considered a base station as well. Furthermore, a base station may be considered to be either or both of those devices, and perhaps make use of one or more functions provided by MSC 108 , PDSN 112 , and/or any other entity, without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.
Referring to BTS 104 as a base station for illustration, BTS 104 may maintain one or more sets of data for use in carrying out exemplary embodiments. FIG. 2 depicts one possible set of such data. In particular, FIG. 2 depicts correlation data 200 , which generally (i.e. in each row of the table) correlates ranges of RNR values with RFER-target values. Thus, a low range of RNR is correlated with a RFER_TARGET_ 1 , a moderate range of RNR is correlated with a RFER_TARGET_ 2 , and a high range of RNR is correlated with a RFER_TARGET_ 3 .
Note that, while three RNR ranges and associated RFER-target values are depicted in FIG. 2 , any number of correlations could be used. Furthermore, these ranges and RFER targets could take on any values deemed suitable for a particular implementation. As one example, the low range could be RNR values that are less than 3 dB, the moderate range could be RNR values between 3 dB and 5 dB, and the high range could be RNR values greater than 5 dB. Further to this example, RFER_TARGET_ 1 could be 1%, RFER_TARGET_ 2 could be 2%, and RFER_TARGET_ 3 could be 3%. And many other examples are possible as well.
Returning to FIG. 1 , MSC 108 may be any networking element arranged to carry out the MSC functions described herein. As such, MSC 108 may include a communication interface, a processor, and data storage comprising instructions executable by the processor to carry out those MSC functions. The communication interface may include one or more wired and/or wireless interfaces for communicating with at least BSC 106 and PSTN 110 . In general, MSC 108 functions as a switching element between PSTN 110 and one or more BSCs such as BSC 106 , facilitating communication between mobile stations and PSTN 110 , which may be the well-known public switched telephone network.
PDSN 112 may be any networking element arranged to carry out the PDSN functions described herein. As such, PDSN 112 may include a communication interface, a processor, and data storage comprising instructions executable by the processor for carrying out those PDSN functions. The communication interface may include one or more wired and/or wireless interfaces for communicating with at least BSC 106 and PDN 114 . In general, PDSN 112 functions as a network access server between PDN 114 and BSCs such as BSC 106 , facilitating packet-data communication between mobile stations and PDN 114 .
PDN 114 may include one or more wide area networks, one or more local area networks, one or more public networks such as the Internet, one or more private networks, one or more wired networks, one or more wireless networks, and/or one or more networks of any other type. Devices in communication with PDN 114 may exchange data using a packet-switched protocol such as the Internet Protocol (IP), and may be identified by an address such as an IP address.
3. Exemplary Operation
a. A First Exemplary Method
FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3 , method 300 begins at step 302 , when BTS 104 provides service to at least one mobile station on a carrier in a wireless coverage area using a first RFER target. At step 304 , BTS 104 calculates an RNR value for the carrier in the wireless coverage area. At step 306 , BTS 104 selects a second RFER target based at least in part on the calculated RNR value. At step 308 , BTS 104 provides service to at least one mobile station on the carrier in the wireless coverage area using the second RFER target.
These steps are explained in the following subsections. And it should be noted that, although method 300 is described as being carried out by BTS 104 , this is not required. In some embodiments, method 300 may be carried out by BSC 106 , or perhaps by a combination of BTS 104 and BSC 106 . In general, method 300 could be carried out by any one or any combination of the network elements described herein, or any other network element(s).
i. Provide Service to Mobile Stations Using First RFER Target
At step 302 , BTS 104 provides service to mobile station 102 on a carrier in a wireless coverage area using a first RFER target. Note that, typically, BTS 104 will provide service to multiple mobile stations, perhaps on multiple carriers, in the given wireless coverage area (and, for that matter, in multiple coverage areas), and that mobile station 102 would simply be an exemplary one of these mobile stations. Furthermore, the service provided by BTS 104 may be or include CDMA service, perhaps in conformance with one or more well-known industry standards such as IS-95 and IS-2000, both of which are incorporated by reference herein.
And the coverage area could be a cell or sector. For the balance of the description of method 300 , for purposes of illustration only, one exemplary carrier in one exemplary sector will be described, and referred to, as above, as a sector/carrier. Furthermore, as an example, the first RFER target could be 2%, though other values could be used. And, in general, providing service to at least one mobile station on the carrier in the wireless coverage area using a given RFER target may involve calculating various RFERs for various mobile stations, and comparing those RFERs with the given RFER target.
If BTS 104 calculates a RFER for a given mobile station that is higher than the given RFER target, BTS 104 will typically instruct that given mobile station to increase transmission power on the reverse link (such as by increasing an E b /N t threshold or E c /I o threshold and by sending PCBs equal to 1), in an effort to bring its RFER back down to an acceptable level. In some implementations, if BTS 104 calculates a RFER for a given mobile station that is lower than the given RFER target, BTS 104 will instruct that mobile station to decrease transmission power on the reverse link (such as by decreasing an E b /N t threshold or E c /I o threshold and by sending PCBs equal to 0), which will tend to allow that mobile station's RFER to go back up.
ii. Calculate RNR
At step 304 , BTS 104 calculates an RNR value for the sector/carrier. This may involve, as explained above, BTS 104 measuring a current level of noise on the reverse link of the sector/carrier, and then calculating the RNR value as the difference between that current level of noise on the reverse link and a baseline level of noise on the reverse link. And, as also explained above, this baseline level could correspond to a minimum amount of reverse noise measured in the previous 24 hours, an average of 24-hour-minimum levels of reverse noise over a previous 7-day period, an amount of noise present when the wireless coverage area is unloaded, or some other value. As a general matter, step 304 could involve calculating an average of multiple RNR values calculated during a preceding time interval.
iii. Select Second RFER Target Based at Least in Part on RNR
At step 306 , BTS 104 selects a second RFER target based at least in part on the calculated RNR value from step 304 . In one embodiment, step 306 may involve BTS 104 comparing the calculated RNR with a threshold value for RNR. As one example, the threshold value could be 5 dB or thereabouts. If the calculated RNR is less than the threshold RNR, BTS 104 may select the second RFER target to be less than the first RFER target. This will tend to increase mobile stations' reverse-link transmission power and drive RNR back up. If, on the other hand, the calculated RNR is greater than or equal to the threshold RNR, BTS 104 may select the second RFER target to be greater than the first RFER target. This will tend to decrease mobile stations' transmission power on the reverse link, and drive RNR back down.
And BTS 104 may have particular increments that it uses in selecting the second RFER target, depending on the comparison of the calculated RNR to the threshold RNR. Thus, if the calculated RNR is less than the threshold RNR, BTS 104 may select the second RFER target to be 1% less than the first RFER target. If, on the other hand, the calculated RNR is greater than or equal to the threshold RNR, BTS 104 may select the second RFER target to be 1% greater than the first RFER target. Thus, if the first RFER target were 2%, the second may end up being either 1% or 3%. And other increments are certainly possible as well. And, obviously, certain limitations may be accounted for as well, such as not going to or below 0%, and perhaps not going above a certain upper bound as well.
In other embodiments, multiple RNR thresholds may be considered. For example, BTS 104 may compare the calculated RNR with both a lower RNR threshold and an upper RNR threshold, where the lower threshold is less than the upper threshold. If the calculated RNR is less than the lower threshold, BTS 104 may select the second RFER target to be less than the first RFER target. This is depicted in situation 508 in FIG. 5 , which in general depicts three exemplary scenarios 506 , 508 , and 510 in accordance with exemplary embodiments. Each scenario has an input 502 (to the left of dashed line 512 ) that pertains to the comparison of a calculated RNR value with one or more RNR thresholds. Each scenario further has an output 504 (to the right of the dashed line 512 ) that provides an exemplary decision with respect to how to adjust the RFER target for the sector carrier.
If, however, the calculated RNR is both (i) greater than or equal to the lower threshold and (ii) less than or equal to the upper threshold (situation 510 in FIG. 5 ), then BTS 104 may select the second RFER target to be equal to the first RFER target. That is, BTS 104 may leave the RFER target for the sector/carrier unmodified. Finally, if the calculated value of RNR is greater than the upper threshold (situation 506 in FIG. 5 ), BTS 104 may select the second RFER target to be a value that is greater than the first RFER target.
Note that explicit comparison with one of the thresholds could include implicit comparison with the other. That is, for example, a determination that the calculated RNR is less than the lower threshold obviates the need to explicitly compare the calculated RNR with the upper threshold. Again, any RFER-target increments could be used. And, as examples, the lower threshold could be approximately 3 dB, while the upper threshold could be approximately 5 dB, though other values could clearly be used.
In other embodiments, BTS 104 may maintain data that correlates each of multiple RNR ranges with a respective RFER-target value. For example, BTS 104 may maintain (which may encompass storing and/or having access to) data such as correlation data 200 of FIG. 2 . BTS 104 may thus determine that the calculated RNR falls within a particular one of the RNR ranges, and responsively select the second RFER target to be equal to whichever RFER-target value is associated with that particular RNR range. As one example, BTS 104 may determine that the calculated RNR falls within the low range, and responsively select RFER_TARGET_ 1 .
iv. Provide Service to Mobile Stations Using Second RFER Target
At step 308 , BTS 104 provides service to mobile stations, such as mobile station 102 , on the sector/carrier using the second RFER target, which was selected in step 306 . As described herein, this may involve determining various RFERs for mobile stations such as mobile station 102 , comparing those RFERs with the second RFER target, and instructing the mobile stations to adjust their reverse-link transmission power accordingly.
v. Generally
In general, it is contemplated that method 300 will be carried out repeatedly, so as to make the sector/carrier's RFER target dynamically responsive to RNR on the sector/carrier. Thus, method 300 may be carried out once every 10 seconds, 30 seconds, minute, or any other suitable time interval, on substantially a continuous basis. As such, starting with the second such time interval, the first RFER target of step 302 would be equal to the second RFER target of the previous time interval, and operation would continue iteratively from there.
And for a given time interval, step 304 may involve calculating RNR at the end of the time interval. In other embodiments, step 304 may involve calculating RNR approximately halfway through the time interval. And in still other embodiments, step 304 may involve calculating an average of multiple RNR values calculated during the time interval. And other possibilities exist as well.
b. A Second Exemplary Method
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As with method 300 of FIG. 3 , method 400 of FIG. 4 is described as being carried out by a BTS, and by BTS 104 in particular, though this is not required. Method 400 could be carried out by any one or any combination of the entities described as possibilities for carrying out method 300 , and/or any other entity or entities. And method 400 is similar to method 300 , and thus is not described in as great of detail.
As shown in FIG. 4 , method 400 begins at step 402 , when BTS 104 provides service to one or more mobile stations on a carrier in a wireless coverage area. At step 404 , BTS 104 determines whether the current level of load on the carrier is low or high. At step 406 , if the current level of load is low, BTS 104 decreases the RFER target for the carrier. At step 408 , if the current level of load is high, BTS 104 increases the RFER target for the carrier.
Note that, in step 404 , the determination as to whether the current level of load is low or high may involve consideration of any one or any combination of sector/carrier-load metrics. One such metric is RNR, as discussed herein. In particular, BTS 104 may calculate an RNR value and compare that calculated value with a threshold value. If the calculated RNR value is less than the threshold RNR value, BTS 104 may determine that the current level of load on the carrier is low. If, on the other hand, the calculated RNR value is greater than or equal to the threshold RNR value, BTS 104 may determine that the current level of load is high. And, as described herein, comparison with more than one threshold could be carried out as well.
Another load metric that could be used is Walsh-code occupancy, which may be computed as a ratio of (i) the number of Walsh codes currently assigned to mobile stations for traffic channels and (ii) the total number of Walsh codes generally available for traffic channels on the sector/carrier. Another possible metric is paging-channel-timeslot occupancy, which would be a similar ratio, though specifically pertaining to the finite number of timeslots available each time BTS 104 transmits the paging channel, as is known in the relevant art. And any other load metric or combination of load metrics could be used as well.
4. Conclusion
Various exemplary embodiments have been described above. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that changes and modifications may be made to those examples without departing from the scope of the claims. | Methods and systems are provided for dynamic adjustment of the reverse-link frame-error-rate (RFER) target based on reverse-link RF conditions. In an embodiment, a base station provides service to at least one mobile station on a carrier in a wireless coverage area using a first RFER target. The base station calculates a reverse noise rise (RNR) value for the carrier, and then selects a second RFER target based at least in part on the calculated RNR value. The base station then provides service to at least one mobile station on the carrier in the wireless coverage area using the second RFER target. | 7 |
This invention concerns a ready to assemble construction system (RTA) which is comprised of easily manufactured components which can utilize engineered wood products or solid sawn lumber. The engineered wood or solid sawn lumber, when combined with rigid attachment mechanisms, constitute a superior and low cost construction system which readily allows unskilled individuals in the construction trades to build a wide variety of structures and subassembly components. The key to the system is the connector plates which allows building component cross sections to be increased by mechanical lamination of small cross-sectional lumber, while simultaneously providing a superior component attachment mechanism.
One of the problems associated with wood construction has been the high and widely varying cost of wood coupled with the decreasing quality of the available timber supply. Some say this is because of the scarcity and others say it is because of the concentration of a few wood wholesalers in the market. Whatever the reason the last several decades have seen a search for substitutes for expensive construction wood which are less costly yet have the same desirable characteristics as wood.
The main reason for wanting to employ wood or wood product is that wood is a renewable resource which will not skyrocket in price due to finite amounts being available. The old growth forests have been, in the main, stripped badly with little total growth left. This fact negates any future use of superior old growth timber such as pine, oak, poplar, yellow birch or ash for construction material. The cheaper woods are imperfect at best and do not afford the uniform stress and bending characteristics desired in building materials. The cheaper woods are better utilized by making engineered wood products out of them such as, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), laminated strand lumber (LSL) and parallel strand lumber (PSL). Engineered wood products use a lower grade of wood yet offer greater strength and dimensional stability than their solid sawn lumber counterparts. The invention contemplates the use of engineered wood and/or solid sawn lumber.
The imperative for seeking cheaper and more reliable methods of habitat construction is that it is estimated that the world population of 5 billion people will double every 39 years based on the 1990 birth rate. This results in a net gain of 250,000 people per day, an astounding figure. How does government and business insure that adequate housing be found for these people? Surely the answer lies with cheap, sturdy and easy to assemble housing. The invention addressees this need by providing a means to rapidly construct a structurally sound dwelling with a small crew of unskilled labor using common hand tools. With two of the wood fastening methods, namely gluing and hand joinery, necessitating skilled labor, the most popular method is mechanical fastening. The range of mechanical fastening extends from simple nailing to the invention, the RTA construction system. The RTA system affords ease of transport of the system to the job site, low labor costs in terms of skill level and time involved in constructing the structure, low capital outlay in terms of production, superior resistance to uplift forces generated by high force winds such as hurricanes and tornadoes and the ability to rapidly assemble, disassemble and reassemble structures. Factory production of the components of this system is designed to be low tech lessening the upfront capital outlay.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention contemplates the use of improved connector mechanisms which are in and of themselves inexpensive to manufacture and are more than justified in terms of the labor time they eliminate in system assembly. The RTA connector laminates less expensive small dimension lumber into large product components capable of carrying structural loads which previously required expensive large wood products. The combination attachment and binding plates are made of a low grade steel or other suitable material and have a series of holes drilled therein to receive either pressed nails or elongated bolts for securing together two or more wood products together to produce one large member. This configuration approximates the load capability of the old post and bean construction and allows for that very method of construction in lieu of the standard platform framing method used today. The RTA system invention can use varying grades of lumber, from high to low quality, depending on the end use application. The simultaneous pressing of a nail plate with multiple nails is more resistant to wood splitting than the common practice of driving one nail at a time.
BACKGROUND ART
It is not believed there has been any prior attempts to accomplish what the RTA system invention does. The Center for Research Engineering and Manufacturing Building Systems in Kirov, Russia has developed and patented (in Russia) a nail plate connector which is used to laminate wood products. Several Russian patents are provided herewith which show this configuration. Generally, the Russian method of attaching laminates is designed around a plate with nails welded to the edges of the plate. Welding of nails on the plate perimeter limits nail placement, which limits the magnitude of stress that the plate can resist. The RTA connector differentiates from the Russian method inasmuch as it provides for locating the nails in the interior of the plate. Interior nail placement provides greater flexibility in plate design for the specific stresses that the nail plate assemblies must resist. Experiments have demonstrated that nails located in the plate interior will effectively resist shear stresses that can break the welds on the Russian nail plate. A great difference is that the RTA invention acts as a moment resistant connection between component laminate members. The nails in the RTA invention are friction fit not welded which resist sheer much more readily under tests conducted on the products. The RTA design is a result of testing components after design to insure that loads typically encountered can be accommodated without failure of the plate/member connection. This has dictated the interior located three/two parallel nail patterns which are found to be superior to edge nail fastening and other configurations.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved mechanical fastening system for wood construction that facilitates a rapid and easy assemble by persons unskilled in construction methods.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a superior fastening system utilizing laminated wood or wood products to lower the overall cost of construction.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide for an assembly system for structures which can readily be disassembled to be used again in other assemblies.
Another object of this invention is to provide an assembly system which is suitable for all light frame construction such as houses, shed, garages, etc.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a minimum of attachment mechanisms which will allow the component wood product members to be attached one to another in a simple, strong and efficient manner.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved fastener for framing structures which acts as a clamp to secure wood product components together for strength and acts as a superior attachment mechanism for these wood product components.
These and other objects will become readily apparent when reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing two laminate wood members joined to an attachment plate by a series of nails, and
FIGS. 2a and 2b show plan view of perpendicular-to-grain connection and parallel-to-grain connections respectively, and
FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c show three variations for plate members in built up laminate members, and
FIG. 4 shows a diagrammatic view of a truss configuration with the nail plates as pinned connectors, and
FIG. 5 shows a column to rafter connection of 30 degrees using a pivot connection, and
FIG. 6 shows a connector plate used to provide multiple column support in a structure, and
FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c show plans views of an L, a T and a Cross shaped attaching plates, respectively, on wood component members, and
FIG. 8 shows the three stages of component fabrication using the ready to assemble connector, and
FIG. 9 shows the joint layout partially assembled, and
FIG. 10 shows the layout of FIG. 9 bolted in place, and
FIG. 11 is a photograph showing the components as they arrive on a job site, and
FIG. 12 is a photograph showing the component layout on the job site, and
FIG. 13 is a photograph of a partially assembled frame, and
FIG. 14 is a photograph of an assembled frame, and
FIG. 15 shows the use of panels to attach to the framing members of FIG. 14 which enclose the structure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the photographs represented by FIGS. 10 through 15 it is seen that the members incorporating the RTA system invention come to the job site all assembled with their attachment mechanisms. They are laid out as in FIG. 11 and are assembled one at a time as in FIG. 12. FIGS. 14 and 15 show the assembled components in the form of the frame for an assembled shed.
Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown a cross sectional view which encapsulates this invention. An attachment plate is shown at 1 which is positioned between two layers of wood members 2 and 3. One member 3 is cut away as at 4 to allow for positioning of the plate 1. Plate 1 which has a securing portion extending between the laminate sections of wood members 2 and 3 and a connecting portion extending outwards therefrom. The connecting portion has apertures therein which are adapted to receive fasteners to secure the connecting portions together to prevent movement of one member relative to another has a series of holes 5 therein through which nails 6 are positioned and which, in turn, are driven into members 2 and 3. Plate 1 has predrilled holes 8 therein for receiving bolts (not shown) which bolt the plates together in a predetermined angle. As an option a threaded elongated bolt 9 is located in predrilled hole 10 for adding rigidity to the connection. An additional option is to secure the threaded elongated bolt 9 to the plate 1 with a weld at the rod plate interface. Both ends of the rod would be sharpened so that the entire plate 1 could be pressed into the wood members 2 and 3 without the necessity of pre-drilling. Compression nuts 11 and 12 enable one to tightly secure the plate 1 and the two members together but it is generally not used unless large stresses are encountered. The bolting of two or more wood members together enables one to achieve the rigidity and strength of large cross sectional members as in post and beam construction without the expense of purchasing the beams themselves. The nails are driven into the holes in the plates which are drilled out and slightly undersize for the nails allowing for a press fit. Instead of the press fit the nails may be welded in place but this is a more expensive process. The elongated bolt 9 shown in FIG. 1 may be used in lieu or in combination with the nails in the plate and would pass through predrilled holes and be secured as shown. The option exists for pressing one or more elongated bolts with sharpened ends without the need for pre-drilling. Several of these elongated bolts can be used for each plate depending on the strength of the connection desired.
FIG. 2 shows sample plate plan views. FIG. 2a shows the perpendicular-to-grain connection layout of a plate 20 with center fastening bolt holes 21 and a series of holes 22 aligned in two parallel rows which facilitates nailing the plate to a wood member with the grain running perpendicular to the long axis of the plate. FIG. 2b shows parallel-to-grain connection layout of a plate 25 with center bolt fastening hole 26 and a series of holes 27 aligned in parallel rows running crosswise to the grain of the wood member to which it is designed to be attached. The alignment of the holes 22 and 27 are designed so as not to cause splitting of the members when the nails are attached to the plates and forced into the wood by the initial pressing and the subsequent driving.
FIG. 3 shows three options for plate positioning when pressing the wood and connector plate together. Each plate has a securing portion which fits between the laminate sections and a connecting portion which extends outwardly therefrom to engage, by the use of fasteners, another connecting portion FIG. 3a shows the members 30, 31 pressed together on plate 33 which leaves space 32. Plate 36 is pressed between members 34 and 35 which creates space 37. Naturally the members are somewhat offset relative to one another when the plates 33 and 36 are joined. FIG. 3b shows members 41 and 45 being routed out to provide spaces 42 and 46, respectively, for connector plates 43 and 47. This allows for flush abutting of members 40 and 41 and members 44 and 45. FIG. 3c shows members 50 and 51 being pressed together on plate 52 in a fashion similar to those connections in FIG. 3a Plate 52 will mate with plate 57 which is located in a routed area of member 54 which, in turn, is spaced from member 55 by spacers 58 and 59. This arrangement allows for the assembly of multiple laminated components at one point while maintaining the same centerline for all components. A further option not shown is to route both members to 1/2 the depth of the plate member so that the surfaces of the members come together when the assembly is pressed together.
FIG. 4 shows three members, column 60, bottom chord 64 and top chord 68 positioned prior to fastening. Shown by the dotted lines inserted in the members are plates 61, 65 and 69, respectively. Each plate has a center hole 62, 66 and 71, respectively, for receiving a bolt to secure the members together. Each plate is secured to the laminated members by nails 63, 67 and 71 which secure the laminated members together on the plate. In lieu of the center one bolt hole additional smaller holes may be place around the center hole as it FIG. 5 so as to lock the plates against slippage relative to one another. In that figure, column member 72 has a connector plate 73 fastened therein by nails 74 and is rounded on the end to enclose a center bolt hole 75 designed, together with hole 80 in plate 78, to be bolted together. Annular holes 76 and 81 are designed to match up to receive a smaller bolt or shear pin to keep the plates from slipping relative to one another. Nails 79 secure plate 78 to rafter member 77 which is designed to be secured to column member 72 at a 30 degree angle as shown but can be designed to accommodate any angle by shear pin placement, which affords a rigid moment resisting type of connection.
FIG. 6 shows a connector plate 200 which is used to four wood components as in a columns. Plate 200 has a rounded portion 201 which has a center bolt hole 202 and adjustment holes for receiving a shear pin or the like designed to maintain the connection in a given angle. The lower end of plate 200 has "T" shaped extension portions 204 and 205 in which are located a series of two/three pattern securement nails 206 and 207, respectively, for securing the plate to laminate sections 209 and 210 of a double column. The corresponding portions of each member are not shown but would be secured to the upwardly extending nail adjacent the connector portion 201 of the plate 200. This plate can be used in conjunction with other plate configurations described in the specification and may be modified to include another bolt pattern extension which would be parallel to laminate portions 209 and 210. Portion 201 may be square with a rectangular four hole bolt pattern if that is required or desired.
FIG. 7 shows three type of connector plate configurations generally designated as FIG. 7a, the "L" plate, FIG. 7b, the "T" plate and FIG. 7c, the "Cross" plate. In the "L" plate the ends have bolt hole patterns 92 and 93, which form a loose square, tilted at a 45 degree angle to the edge of the squared off ends and member 91. These patterns align with patterns in other component plates to receive four securing bolts to bolt the plates and members together. Nails 94 in a two/three pattern as shown secure the plate to the member. FIG. 7b shows a "T" plate 95 having bolt patterns 96, 97 and 98 arranged thereon so as to allow three connections to other members. Nails 100 in a three/two pattern arranged across the grain of member 99 secure it thereto. The final plate configuration shown as the "Cross" in FIG. 7c has plate 101 secured to member 108 by alternating lines of nails 107, 105 in a two/three configuration, respectively. Bolt patterns 102, 103 and 104 are located on the squared off ends of the plate and are adapted to mate with corresponding patterns on other plate members. This configuration is used where there is to be a lot of stress on the connection and it is designed to resist this stress whether it be torsional or separation forces.
Having described the basic components attention is directed to FIGS. 8 through 15 which show photographs of the basic system and how it is assembled. FIG. 8 shows the stages of component fabrication using the RTA (Ready To Assemble) connector. The connector plate with the nails is driven into on laminate section of a member and then the second laminate section is pressed atop the partially assemble connector. Naturally, this is done at both ends of the member simultaneously resulting in a completed member ready to assemble. The strong connector plates serve to hold the laminate sections together in a rigid manner and provide the strength of a solid wood member of the same cross section. FIG. 9 shows the components ready to assemble in a manner as described in FIG. 4 but with a diamond bolt pattern. FIG. 10 shows the components of FIG. 9 bolted together. FIGS. 11 through 14 show the components as they are packaged and arrive on site, how they are laid out and partially assembled and how they look in an assembled shed frame. Note there are four comers assembled as in FIGS. 9 and 10, which use four double column members. The construction system is factory fabricated and site assembled. There is no cutting of members nor nailing thereof. FIG. 15 shows the use of presized manufactured panel members being used to enclose the space shown by FIG. 14. Each panel 110 is designed to clip to one another by H-shaped clips 111, to the columns 115 by clips 112 and the top chord members 116 by clips 113. Alternatively, the panels may be screwed or nailed to the members but such a step renders the structure permanent with possible damage to the members if disassembly takes place. Regular construction sheathing may alternately be employed if desired. The shed shown in the photographs is of 8×8×12 foot dimensions. | A ready to assemble construction system for erecting small structures such as houses, sheds, garages, etcetera. Comprising specially designed connecting plates which both secure laminate sections of lumber to each other to form constructive elements and also act as a rigid connecting means between the elements to enable the structure to be easily, quickly, and inexpensively built and later disassembled if necessary. | 4 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to containers that can progressively dispense flowable material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Coil-tube, lung power extendable toys are known. Flexible hoses have been used for dispensing, under pressure, flowable semi-solid materials such as conrete. Pressure-cans have been used to dispense whipped-cream or other flowable substances. It is conceivable that either could be used to dispense frozen confections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, neither these nor any other combination is known for yielding the same edible substance benefits as set out in the objects of this invention, that are:
to provide a system of frozen confection and disposable portable container making it progressively self-regulated in dispensing at a rate proportional to thaw-rate;
to provide a system as described that is usable for quick freezing and quick thawing of frozen confections;
to provide a system as described that has pumping capability in addition to the dispensing mode indicated.
Further, and in other ways than the above, a tubular plastic thimble and a frozen confection such as ice cream holding a resilient container in a stressed configuration, serve to dispense the frozen confection as it thaws from the resilient container, which resumes a relaxed, lower-volume configuration progressively during the thawing, forcing the frozen confection out an end of the resilient container for consumption. The resilient container is refillable. Additional pumping provisions in different embodiments are possible according to the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent on examination of the following description, including the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts.
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a first preferred, embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof in partially coiled position;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment held in use-position;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a fourth embodiment; and
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a fifth embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 show embodiment 10. It includes flattened, elastically resilient tubular structure or resilient container 20 held on a semi-rigid elbow or hollow member 22 having in it first orifice or opening 24 for expression of ice cream 26 into the mouth of a user. The ice cream 26 or other frozen confection preferably fills the elbow 22 and the resilient container 20 down to the closed end 28. The tubular resilient container 20 securely fits the opening 21 of the resilient container 20 and holds the circular-section shape of the elbow 22; the fit is preferably detachable for filling the elbow 22 and resilient container 20.
To fill, material 26 to be used as frozen confection is poured or pumped (if flowable) or forced (if frozen) into the resilient container 20 and preferably also into the elbow 22. With the flexible plastic resilient container 20 in straight configuration, and the confection frozen solid inside, the system of elbow, tubular resilient container 20, and ice cream 26 may be stored at subfreezing temperature until needed for sale and/or use at room temperature. Thawing of the ice cream 26 to an extent, as in FIG. 2 will permit the thimble resilient container 20 to curl and to flatten in section, diminishing the volume as the tube shape returns elastically to a predetermined non-straight form (spiral shown) in which it was molded. High-density polypropylene, or polyethylene, thermoplastic of about one tenth millimeter thickness may be most suitable for resilient container 20 ten to twenty centimeters in length and two centimeters in diameter, and can return by "memory". Preferably the cross-sectional resilient container 20 form selected will conventionally tend to flatten, with decrease in volume, as shown in the embodiment 10 of FIG. 1, and toward the bottom and in FIG. 2 as it curls.
As the frozen confection thaws, the container flexible portion proportionally expels the thawed content, extruding it at opening 24 through the mouth opening. Finger coverable orifices 30, 32, 34 can be provided in the neck of the elbow 22 so that the device, minus contents, can be played as a flute or whistle.
FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the invention 300 a system similar in respects to that of the embodiment of the invention 10, but with a "T"-shaped hollow semi-rigid plastic top 322 instead of the elbow 22, and with a check valve 360 that prevents a user U from blowing back the confection when he (or she) closes off as with a finger 362 the first top orifice 364 and blows through the second top orifice 324 in preparation for expelling contents in the manner of a water gun. The resilient container 320 may be filled for the purpose with ice cream or water, as desired, and successive charges drawn into the "T"-chamber 366, ready for use as an edible or as a projectile. The check valve 360 may be conventional two contiguous outwardly-oriented flaps molded in the orifice through which ice cream 26 is drawn at the base of the "T"-shape and flexibly joined at the base, as at 368, 370.
Relaxation-deformation of the plastic resilient container 320 ("memory characteristics) to squeeze out ice-cream 26 may be in coil-form.
FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the invention 400 (third) that may be like the FIG. 3 system with finger-coverable flute holes 430, 432 in the top 422. Partial curling of the resilient container 420 (arrow) is shown, full curl being preferred before it stops. A first orifice 424 is provided. A whistle mouthpiece 423 is also provided.
In FIG. 5, a fourth embodiment of the invention, 500 shows "T"-shape top 522 and a resilient container 520 that may be as before described, with conventional flapper valve 560 in the intake 572 of the "T"-shape. One or more closed-end, opposed one-end closed, resiliently pumping bellows 574, 576 may be provided to force out flowable material 526 from the chamber 522 and being resilient, to draw in a fresh charge through orifice 572 for expulsion of thawing ice cream 26 when desired through orifice 524 by memory-return of the 520 resilient container alone or by operation of the pumps with the memory return of the resilient container 520 as described. The bellows may be squeezed together by one hand.
FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment of the invention 600 with a hollow elbow 622 at the top to which is attached zig-zag thimble resilient container 620 at intake orifice 672 in a similar way to that previously described. Orifice 624 permits user intake of melted confection as the resilient container gradually assumes a close-fold accordion shape lengthwise (arrow) in which it was molded.
From this disclosure the refillable, versatile, multi-use but economical and simple fun-toy of this invention will be appreciated.
This invention is not to be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed herein, since these are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. It is, therefore, to be understood that the invention may be practiced within the scope of the claims otherwise than as specifically described. For example, the container as viewed in elevational view may be of round, square or in the letters of the alphabet or otherwise fanciful shapes without departing from a progressive-collapse of the principle of the invention.
Further, the return could, but preferably not, include a metal spring bias instead of the plastic memory return, the latter being cheaper to make and so being disposable and biodegradable, and not so likely to injure the user as might a metal insert.
It will be appreciated that the resiliently collapsing thimble forms a handle below the mouthpiece convenient for holding in the hands. Warming by the hands can be used to speed the flow. | A tubular expandable elastic container for holding and dispensing a frozen confection as it thaws. The frozen confection holds the container in an expanded configuration, and as it thaws the contraction of the container forces thawed frozen confection from an open end of the container. A whistle is also provided at the open end of the container and a valve in the whistle structure for preventing air from entering the container when a user blows air into the whistle. | 0 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/327,241, filed Oct. 5, 2001.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved apparatus and method of preventing cold working of slip assembly components, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method of applying a material to a contact surface of a slip segment or a slip bowl, to prevent cold working between the slip segment and the slip bowl.
BACKGROUND
When drilling for oil or gas, a platform is typically used to support a circular rotary table. Rotational energy is supplied to the rotary table through motors or the like, to move the rotary table in a circular fashion. The rotary table includes a central kelly bushing which provides a central opening or bore through which a drill pipe or a drill string passes. The kelly bushing typically includes four “pin holes” which receive pins on the master bushing that drives the kelly when interlocked with the kelly bushing. The rotary table, kelly, master bushing and kelly bushing are art terms which refer to the various parts of the drilling rig which impart the needed rotational force to the drill string to effect drilling. Such well drilling equipment is known in the art.
When adding or removing a drill pipe from the drill string, wedges, commonly referred to as “slips” are inserted into the rotary table central opening to engage a slip bowl. The slips wedge against the drill pipe to prevent the pipe from falling into the well bore. Often, placement of the slips is manual, and slips or slip assemblies (assemblies of a plurality of slips linked together) usually include handles for gripping and lifting by well personnel, commonly referred to as “roughnecks”. Typically, rigs are equipped with such “hand slips”. When a pipe is disconnected from the drill string, using a power tong or the like, the remaining portion of the drill string can be supported so that additional sections of pipe can be added to/or removed from the drill string.
A more modern and commonly used slip system, called a “power slip”, includes a plurality of slip segments or slip assemblies that are retained within a slip bowl to prohibit the slips from vertical movement while the slip bowl rotates with the rotary table about the drill pipe. The slips and the bowl are configured such that outer surfaces of the slip segments contact inner surfaces of the slip bowl with sliding friction.
A problem commonly experienced by these power slip systems is that the sliding friction between the slips and the bowl tend to cause these parts to stick or seize upon rotation of the bowl about the slip. Since both the slips and the bowl are generally made from steel, the two parts, when loaded together at a combination of high contact pressure and high sliding friction, have a tendency to bond together in a process called cold welding. The more alike the atomic/elemental structures of both the parts are, the higher the probability that the parts will cold weld. Such cold welding can be catastrophic because the seized parts will tend to rotate the drill pipe with the rotary table and make disengagement of a drill pipe from the drill string improbable.
One method commonly used for reducing cold working between the slip and the slip bowl is to lubricate the parts with a lubricant, such as grease. However, this method requires that the parts be lubricated/greased frequently, typically every 20 to 30 cycles, which can be expensive and harmful to the environment.
Accordingly, there is a need for an inexpensive and environmentally safe method of treating the contact surfaces of the slips segments or the slip bowl, such that cold working between the slip segments and the slip bowl is reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an oil or gas well slip system having a slip bowl with an interactive contact surface and a slip assembly having a mating interactive contact surface for slidable engagement with the slip bowl interactive contact surface, wherein the slip bowl and the slip assembly are each comprised of a first material. A second material is attached to the interactive contact surface of either the slip bowl or the slip assembly, wherein the second material is compositionally different from the first material to prevent cold welding between the slip bowl and the slip assembly, and wherein the second material has little or no tendency to dissolve into the atomic structure of the first material.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method of reducing cold welding between a slip assembly and slip bowl of an oil or gas well slip system. The method includes providing a slip having an interactive contact surface, providing a slip assembly having a mating interactive contact surface for slidable engagement with the slip bowl interactive contact surface, wherein the slip bowl and the slip assembly are each formed from a first material, and attaching a second material to the interactive contact surface of either the slip bowl or the slip assembly, wherein the second material is compositionally different from the first material to prevent cold welding between the slip bowl and the slip assembly and wherein the second material has little or no tendency to dissolve into the atomic structure of the first material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a power slip system in accordance with the present invention mounted onto a rotary table;
FIG. 2 is a top view of a slip bowl of the power slip system in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the slip bowl of FIG. 2, taken in the direction of line 3 — 3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a top view of a slip assembly of the power slip system in FIG. 1 shown in an “open” position;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the slip assembly of FIG. 4, taken in the direction of line 5 — 5 of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is a top view of a slip assembly of the power slip system in FIG. 1 shown in an “closed” position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional rotary table 12 for suspending a drill pipe or a drill string 14 , which is turned about a vertical axis 16 in a well bore. The table includes a power slip system 10 according to the present invention. The power slip system is preferably a Varco BJ® PS 21/30 power slip system. The system includes a slip bowl 20 which is mounted within a central opening 18 of the rotary table, and a slip assembly 22 which is rotatably coupled within the slip bowl. In one embodiment, the slip assembly 22 comprises a plurality of slip segments having tapered outer walls that are adapted to engage tapered inner walls of the bowl to retain the slip assembly 22 from lateral, but not rotational, movement within the bowl. Each slip segment carries along its inner surface an insert which grips the drill string to prevent the drill string from falling into the well bore. A centering device 24 is disposed on top of the bowl to center or align the drill string along the vertical axis. In one embodiment, a material 51 is applied to either the tapered outer walls of the slip segments or the tapered outer walls of the slip bowl to reduce cold working between the slip assembly and the slip bowl during drilling operations.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the slip bowl 20 comprises an arc or C-shaped section 30 , which forms a semi-circular partially enclosed annular body. The slip bowl is preferably cast from an alloy or low alloy steel, such as CMS 02 grade 150-135 steel, or more preferably CMS 01 steel, or most preferred, CMS 02 grade 135-125 steel. The section further includes an annular outer surface 36 and an upwardly tapered inner surface 38 . The section is symmetric about a vertical axis 16 to form a central bore 35 for receiving the slip assembly 22 (FIG. 1 ).
Externally, the outer surface 36 of the body section 30 is defined by a cylindrical shoulder 40 that outwardly extends from an upper portion of the section and a complementary, reduced diameter outer cylindrical surface 42 . As shown in FIG. 1, the complementary outer surface 42 is received and confined within the central opening 18 and the shoulder 40 is received by a recess 17 in the central opening 18 and abuts a rotary table shoulder 15 , such that the slip bowl 20 is effectively supported in the rotary table 12 .
Referring back to FIG. 3, internally, the tapered inner surface 38 of the slip bowl sections are corrugated to form a plurality of grooves 44 that extend into the central bore 35 . The tapered inner surface 38 and the grooves 44 together define a tapered contact surface 46 of the slip bowl 20 for receiving and engaging the outer surface of the slip assembly 22 . The grooves 44 are configured to allow the slip assembly 22 to recess into the slip bowl 20 such that the slip assembly 22 occupies a smaller amount of the central bore 35 , thus allowing for a larger clearance for the drill string 14 within the slip assembly 22 when the slip assembly 22 is in an “open” position, as defined below.
Referring to FIG. 2, the partially enclosed annular body section 30 has a pair of hydraulic actuators 48 mounted on opposite sides of the body 30 , which raise the slip assembly 22 between the “open” position and a “closed” position. In the open position, the slip assembly 22 is raised to receive the drill string 14 within the central bore 35 . In the “closed” position, the slip assembly 22 is lowered to grip the drill string 14 within the central bore 35 of the slip bowl 20 . An arc-shaped door 50 is removably coupled between open ends of the body section 30 of the slip bowl 20 to fully enclose the body and form an enclosed annular body that retains the slip assembly 22 .
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6 , in a preferred embodiment, the slip assembly 22 comprises a generally annular body formed by a center slip segment 60 , a left hand slip segment 62 and a right hand slip segment 64 . However, although three slip segments are shown, the slip assembly 22 may comprise any number of slip segments. The slip segments are symmetrically disposed about the vertical axis 16 (FIG. 5) to form an orifice 66 (FIG. 6) for receiving the drill string. The slip segments are preferably cast from CMS 02 grade 150-135 steel, or more preferably, CMS 01 steel. The left and right hand slip segments 62 and 64 are hinged at opposite ends of the center slip segment 60 by a pair of hinge pins 68 . The free ends of the left and right hand slip segments 62 and 64 are biased away from each other, i.e. towards the “open” position, by use of hinge springs 70 (FIG. 5 ). The slip assembly 22 also includes a handle 72 , which may be coupled to the center slip segment 60 . The handle 72 locks the left and right hand slip segments 62 and 64 into engagement with the actuators 48 (FIG. 2 ), which force the slip segment against the spring bias and to the “closed” position (as shown in FIG. 6) or retain the free ends of the left and right slip segments in abutment to form an enclosed annular structure.
Each slip segment has an arcuate body shape defined by a radial interior surface 74 and a downwardly tapered exterior surface 76 . The interior surface 74 of the slip segments are adapted to receive a set of inserts 78 that extend essentially circumferentially about the orifice 66 to grip and support the drill string 14 . The inserts 78 preferably have external teeth for assuring effective gripping engagement with the drill string 14 .
The downwardly tapered exterior surface 76 of each slip segment is corrugated to form a plurality of fingers 80 that outwardly extend from the body of each slip segment and are configured to mate with the slip bowl grooves 44 . The downwardly tapered exterior surface 76 and the fingers 80 together define a tapered contact surface 82 of each slip segment, wherein the tapered contact surface 82 of each slip segment is adapted to engage the inner contact surface 42 of the slip bowl 20 . The fingers 80 engage the slip bowl grooves 44 to retain each slip segment from lateral movement with the slip bowl 20 . Under normal drilling conditions, the slip assembly 22 is required to support lateral loads of about 1 ton to about 750 tons.
Since cold welding between the slip assembly 22 and the slip bowl 20 can be caused by casting the slip segments and the slip bowl 20 from similar steel materials, it is desirable that either the slip segments or the slip bowl 20 is cast from a material that is dissimilar to steel. Such a material should have little or no tendency to dissolve into the atom structure of steel. However, casting the slip segments or the slip bowl from a material other than that of steel requires specialized hardware and is expensive to fabricate. Thus, another solution to prevent cold welding between the slip assembly 22 and the slip bowl 20 is to fabricate the slip segments and the slip bowl 20 from a steel material and to coat or plate either the contact surface 46 of the steel slip bowl 20 (FIG. 3) or the contact surface 82 of the steel slip assembly 22 with the material 51 (FIG. 5) that is dissimilar to steel and has little or no tendency to dissolve into the atom structure of steel. Although, for clarity, the following description describes attaching the material 51 to the contact surface 82 of each slip segment of the slip assembly 22 , the material 51 may alternatively be attached to the contact surface 46 of the slip bowl 20 by any of the methods described below.
The material 51 may comprise any non-steel metallic material, such as Copper (Cu) based materials. For example, in one embodiment the material 51 is a metallic layer of a bronze alloy (NiAlCu) having a composition of approximately 13.5% Al (Aluminum), approximately 4.8% Ni (Nickel), approximately 1.0% Mn (Manganese), approximately 2.0% Fe (Iron) and approximately 78.7% Cu (Copper). In alternative embodiments, the material 51 may comprise Tungsten Carbide, Molybdenum, or any other metal in the nickel, aluminum or bronze family.
The material 51 may be applied or assembled to the tapered contact surfaces 82 of each slip segment by any suitable technique. In a preferred process, the material 51 is applied to each slip segment by MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding with an argon shield. This may be accomplished by the use of a pulse machine by manual application or automatic or sub-arc welding and extra welder protection, such as a gas exhaust system, may be utilized to protect the welder from the toxic gas developed during welding. An alternative process of cold wire TIG (Tungsten Insert Gas) welding may also be used to apply the material 51 to the tapered contact surfaces 82 of each slip segment.
In one embodiment, before applying the material 51 , the slip segments are pre-heated to a temperature in a range of approximately 250° C. to approximately 400° C. to prevent cracking of the material 51 during cool down. For example, in one embodiment the slip segments may be pre-heated to a temperature of approximately 250° C., and more preferably to a temperature of about 350° C. The material 51 , preferably about ⅛ inches thick, may be welded to the contact surfaces 82 of the slip segments with wire 402 (390-410 HB), or more preferably with a softer wire type 302 (300-320 HB) applying a current of about 150A to about 350A and a voltage of about 25V to about 30V.
In an alternative embodiment, the material 51 may be applied by an electric thermal spray, a metal flame spray method or another similar coating method. For example, the slip surfaces 82 may be coated with 400 HB (Brinell Hardness) NiAlCu, which provides a hardness of approximately 43 HRC (Rockwell Hardness C Scale) after application, or more preferably the slip surfaces 82 may be coated with 300 HB NiAlCu, which provides a hardness of approximately 32 HRC after application. After application, the slip segments may be turned on a mandrel and machined to a thickness in a range of approximately ¼ inches to {fraction (1/16)} inches, preferably approximately 0.08 inches (2 mm). In one embodiment, the material is turned until the material hardness is in a range of approximately 35 to about approximately 56 HRC.
During the turning operation, the slip segments acquire a very smooth final machine surface which will require little buffing afterwards. For example in one embodiment, after final turning, the contact surfaces of the slip segment have close to a mirror finish (i.e. close to the same finish as polished steel), such as a surface finish in a range of approximately 8 to approximately 64. During the application process, the material 51 may be added using a common fabrication process. Thus, not only are the initial fabrication costs minimized, but the slips may be easily repaired in conventional facilities.
In one embodiment, the material 51 is mechanically attached to the contact surface 82 of each slip segment, such as by use of screw fasteners or the like.
In any of the above embodiments, one or both of the slip bowl and the slip segment may be carburized to harden the slip bowl or the slip segment material, respectively. Any of the above embodiments may also comprise more than one layer of the material 51 .
As discussed above, although the material 51 has been described as being attached to the contact surface 82 of each slip segment, the material 51 may alternatively be attached to the contact surface 46 of the slip bowl 20 by any of the methods described above.
In accordance with the present invention, sticking between the slip assembly 22 and the slip bowl 20 is minimized. As a result, static friction between slip segments and slip bowl 20 is reduced, enabling the slip assembly 22 to self-release from the slip bowl 20 after an axial load from the drill string 14 to the slip assembly 22 is released. Accordingly, the attachment of the material 51 , being comprised of a material that is different from the material of the slip assembly 22 and the slip bowl 20 , to either the slip assembly 22 or the slip bowl 20 reduces cold welding between the stationary slip assembly 22 and the rotating slip bowl 20 .
The present invention also provides the advantage of non-lubricated or greaseless slips. Thus, the relatively large expense of providing large quantities of lubrication or grease between the slip assembly and the slip bowl to prevent the slip assembly from sticking to the slip bowl during the drilling is replaced by the relatively inexpensive means of the present invention, which is also safe for the environment
It should be understood that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are illustrative only, and are not to be considered as limitations upon the scope of the present invention. Variations and modifications may be made in accordance with the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is understood that the scope of the present invention could similarly encompass other materials that are dissimilar to steel. The method of the present invention may be used to control and repair wear on surfaces of big steel machines and other similar wear components. Therefore, the invention is intended to be defined not by the specific features of the preferred embodiments as disclosed, but by the scope of the following claims. | An oil or gas well slip system is provided having a slip bowl with an interactive contact surface and a slip assembly having a mating interactive contact surface for slidable engagement with the slip bowl interactive contact surface, wherein the slip bowl and the slip assembly are each comprised of a first material. A second material is attached to the interactive contact surface of either the slip bowl or the slip assembly, wherein the second material is compositionally different from the first material to prevent cold welding between the slip bowl and the slip assembly and wherein the second material has little or no tendency to dissolve into the atomic structure of the first material. | 4 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/833,266 filed Aug. 3, 2007, which claims priority to Great Britain Application No. 0615620.2 filed Aug. 5, 2006, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to processes for the production of optically active 2-(disubstituted aryl)cyclopropylamine derivatives and optically active 2-(disubstituted aryl) cyclopropane carboxamide derivative which are useful intermediates for the preparation of pharmaceutical agents, and in particular the compound [1S-(1α,2α,3β(1S*,2R*),5β]-3-[7-[2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-cyclopropyl]amino]-5-(propylthio)-3H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-3-yl)-5-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-cyclopentane-1,2-diol. This compound, and similar such compounds, are disclosed in WO 00/34283 and WO 99/05143. These compounds are disclosed as P 2T (which is now usually referred to as P 2 Y 12 ) receptor antagonists. Such antagonists can be used as, inter alia, inhibitors of platelet activation, aggregation or degranulation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Some processes are known for the production of optically active 2-cyclopropane carboxamide derivatives, optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine derivatives, and optically active 2-arylcyclopropane-1-carboxylate ester derivatives.
Examples of processes for the production of optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxamide derivatives are:
(i) A process wherein excess thionyl chloride is reacted with optically active 2-phenylcyclopropane carboxylic acid in benzene solvent to form corresponding acid chloride, and after concentrating down excess thionyl chloride and benzene under reduced pressure, the acid chloride is isolated and purified by distillation, and, by causing ammonia water to act on this, 2-phenylcyclopropane carboxamide is obtained (J. Am. Chem. Soc. Vol. 109, p. 2311 (1987), Journal of Medicinal Chemistry Vol. 20, p. 771 (1977)); and
(ii) A Process to obtain optically active 3-aryl-2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxamide by causing ammonia water to act on the corresponding acid chloride formed by reacting thionyl chloride with optically active 3-aryl-2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (J. Org. Chem. Vol. 68, p. 621 (2003)).
Examples of processes for the production of optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine derivatives are:
(iii) A process wherein chlorocarbonic acid ethyl ester is reacted with 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxylic acid to form mixed acid anhydride, and by causing to act sodium azide on this, corresponding acid azide is formed, and 2-aryl cyclopropylamine is obtained by Curtius rearrangement with this (Journal of Medicinal Chemistry Vol. 20, p. 771 (1977), WO01/92263); and
(iv) A process to obtain corresponding 2,2-dimethyl cyclopropylamine by causing chlorine, bromine or sodium hypochlorite to act on the optically active 2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxamide in the presence of base (Kokoku 5-3865);
Examples of a process for the production of optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxylate ester derivatives are:
(v) A process to obtain optically active cyclopropanecarboxylic acid derivative by cyclopropanation after deriving into optically active ester or amide via several steps using benzaldehyde derivative as the starting material (WO01/92263); and
(vi) A process to obtain optically active 2-dihydrofuranyl cyclopropanecarboxylate derivative by reacting phosphonoacetic acid ester derivative with optically active dihydrobenzofuranyl ethylene oxide derivative in the presence of base (Organic Process Research & Development, vol 6, p. 618 (2002)).
Examples of a process to produce optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine derivatives from optically active 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid are:
(vii) A process wherein benzaldehydes is used as the starting material and derived into optically active ester or amide via several steps, and thereafter optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxylate ester is obtained by cyclopropanation. This optically active carboxylic acid derivative is formed into acid azide, and optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine derivative is produced by Curtius rearrangement (WO01/92263).
In the process for the production of optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxamides referred to in (i) above, only the process to produce 2-phenylcyclopropane carboxamide from 2-phenylcyclopropane carboxylic acid is described and a process for production for 2-(disubstituted aryl)cyclopropane carboxamide derivative is not disclosed. Moreover, in the process (ii) above, there is mentioned the process for production only of 2,2-dimethyl-3-phenylcyclopropane carboxamide and 2,2-dimethyl-3-isopropylidene cyclopropane carboxamide, and a process for production of 2-(disubstituted aryl) cyclopropane carboxamide derivative is not disclosed.
Secondly, in a process for the production of optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine derivative, optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine derivative is produced by Curtius rearrangement from optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxylic acid in the aforesaid process (iii), however, it is not suitable for a commercial preparation method from the viewpoint of safety because it is via an acid azide intermediate having explosive properties. Moreover, in the process (iv), optically active amine is produced from the optically active carboxamide by a Hofmann rearrangement. However, it is not suitable for a commercial preparation method from the viewpoint of economy because yield is low when the reaction is carried out using the sodium hypochlorite. Moreover, as for the aforesaid process (iv), only the process to produce optically active 2,2-dimethyl cyclopropylamine from optically active 2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxamide is mentioned, and a process for production of 2-(disubstituted aryl)cyclopropane carboxamide derivative is not disclosed.
Thirdly, in a process for the production of optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxylate ester derivative, in the aforesaid process (v), optically active 3,4-difluorophenyl cyclopropanecarboxylic derivative is obtained by cyclopropanation after converting 3,4-difluoro benzaldehyde starting material into optically active ester or amide via several steps. However, it is not commercially suitable from the viewpoint of productivity and economy. For example, the starting material is expensive, the stereoselectivity is insufficient in the cyclopropanation and also there are many numbers of steps. Moreover, in process (vi), only an example of preparing optically active dihydrofuranyl cyclopropanecarboxylate ester from optically active dihydrobenzofuranyl ethylene oxide is mentioned. It is not a process for the production of general optical activity 2-arylcyclopropane carboxylate ester.
Fourthly, a process to produce optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine derivative from optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxylate ester derivative using (vii) is not commercially viable from a safety standpoint because the acid azide intermediate has expulsion properties. Also, purification is essential due to insufficient stereoselectivity during the cyclopropanation, making this process unsuitable for commercial preparation because of poor productivity.
Thus, the processes outlined are unsuitable for commercial production. There is a need for a commercial process which addresses areas such as safety, economy, productivity and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides processes for the production of an optically active cyclopropylamine compound represented by general formula (2), or a salt thereof,
wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is, independently, selected from a hydrogen atom, optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and wherein * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre; characterised by the reaction of an optically active cyclopropane carboxamide compound represented by general formula (1)
wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and * are the same as for the cyclopropylamine compound represented by general formula (2)) with hypochlorite in water in the presence of 5-30 equivalents of alkali metal hydroxide.
The present invention also provides processes for the production of an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine compound represented by general formula (9), or a salt thereof,
wherein * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre, and wherein an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid compound represented by general formula (7), wherein * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre, is obtained,
by de-esterifying an optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxylate ester compound represented by general formula (6)
wherein R 5 is an optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre, and wherein the compound of formula (6) is obtained by reacting an optically active styrene oxide compound represented by general formula (3)
wherein * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre, or optically active halohydrin compound represented by general formula (4)
wherein X denotes a halogen atom, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre, with a phosphonoacetic acid ester compound represented by general formula (5)
wherein each R 5 and R 6 is, independently, a substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, in the presence of base; and thereafter, the 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid compound of formula (7) obtained is activated by reaction with a carboxylic acid activator and thereafter reacting with ammonia to give the optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide compound represented by obtained general formula (8)
wherein * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre, which is reacted with an oxidant to give the compound of formula (9).
The present invention also provides processes for the production of optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide compound represented by general formula (12)
wherein R 7 is an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre, characterized in that, an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid compound represented by general formula (10)
wherein R 7 is an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre, is reacted with a carboxylic acid activator with the formation of an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid compound represented by general formula (11)
wherein R 7 is an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, Y is a carbonyl group activated group, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre, and thereafter this optically active 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid compound represented by general formula (11) is reacted with ammonia.
The present invention also provides optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide compounds represented by general formula (17)
wherein, R 10 is an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Efficient processes have now been discovered for the production of optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine derivatives or salts thereof. The processes afford high optical purity by using a readily available optically active styrene oxide derivative as the starting material. Efficient processes for the production of optically active cyclopropylamine derivative by a Hofmann rearrangement using sodium hypochlorite have been discovered. These processes can be used safely and inexpensively as commercial preparation methods.
Thus, according to the present invention there is provided a process for the production of optically active cyclopropylamine derivatives (or compounds) represented by general formula (2) or salts thereof
(wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 or R 4 denote a hydrogen atom, optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre), characterised by reacting optically active cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (1)
(wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and * have the same said definitions) with hypochlorite in water in the presence of alkali metal hydroxide of 5-30 equivalent.
Suitably, the hypochlorite is sodium hypochlorite; and in particular the quantity used of the hypochlorite is 1-5 mole equivalent with respect to compound of the formula (1). In a particular embodiment, there is provided a process for the production of optically active cyclopropylamine derivatives or salts thereof wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 is hydrogen atom and R 4 is 3,4-difluorophenyl group.
In a further embodiment, there is provided is a process for the production of an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropylamine derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (9) or a salt thereof,
(wherein * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre), wherein an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (7)
(wherein * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre) is obtained by de-esterifying the optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxylate ester derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (6)
(wherein, R 5 denotes optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre) which is obtained by reacting the optically active styrene oxide derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (3)
(wherein * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre) or optically active halohydrin derivative (or compound) represented by or general formula (4)
(wherein X denotes a halogen atom, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre) with phosphonoacetic acid ester derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (5)
(wherein R 5 or R 6 denote optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group) in the presence of base, and optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound) represented by obtained general formula (8)
(wherein * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre) which is obtained by reacting the obtained aforesaid 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid derivative (or compound) with ammonia after being activated with carboxylic acid activator is reacted with oxidant.
There is also provided a process for the production of optically an active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (12)
(wherein R 7 denotes an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre) characterized by reacting with ammonia, optically active 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (11)
(wherein, R 7 denotes an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, Y denotes carbonyl group activated group, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre) which is obtained from an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (10)
(wherein R 7 denotes an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre) by reacting with a carboxylic acid activator.
There is also provided a process for the production of an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound), wherein the reaction is carried out by using the compound of formula (10) obtained by de-esterifying an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxylate ester derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (13)
(wherein R 8 denotes optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and R 7 and * have the same said definitions).
There is also provided a process for the production of an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound), wherein the reaction is carried out by using the compound of formula (13) obtained by reacting the optically active styrene oxide derivative represented by general formula (14)
(wherein R 7 and * have the same said definitions) or optically active halohydrin derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (15)
(wherein R 7 and * have the same said definitions) with phosphonoacetic acid ester derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (16)
(wherein R 9 denotes optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and R 8 and * have the same said definitions) in the presence of base. There is also provided a process for the production of an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound) to obtain (1R,2R)-2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound) of formula (12) using a (1R,2R)-2-aryl cyclopropanecarboxylic acid derivative (or compound) of formula (10). The present invention also provides a process for the production of an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound) to obtain a (1R,2R)-2-aryl cyclopropane carboxylic acid derivative (or compound) formula (10) using a (1R,2R)-2-aryl cyclopropane carboxylate ester derivative (or compound) of formula (13).
There is also provided a process for the production of an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound) to obtain a (1R,2R)-2-aryl cyclopropane carboxylate ester derivative (or compound) of formula (13) using (S)-styrene oxide derivative formula (14) and (S)-halohydrin derivative (or compound) of formula (15). In particular, there is provided a process for the production of an optically active 2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound), wherein R 7 is 3,4-difluorophenyl group.
The present invention also provides an optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound) represented by general formula (17)
(wherein R 10 denotes an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, and * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre).
In particular, in the optically active 2-arylcyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound) of formula (17), R 10 is a 3,4-difluorophenyl group.
More particularly, the compound of formula (17) is a (1R,2R)-2-aryl cyclopropane carboxamide derivative (or compound).
The present invention provides a process for preparing an optically active aminocyclopropane derivative (or compound) from inexpensive 3,4-difluorobenzene using a Hoffmann re-arrangement. In general, the process is a safe and inexpensive way of preparing the optically active aminocycloprane derivative which is useful as an intermediate in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and pesticides.
The conversion of compounds of formula (14) to (2) comprises 4 steps, namely in total: 1) cyclopropanation process, 2) deesterification process, 3) amidation process and 4) Hofmann rearrangement process. Hereinafter, the invention is described in detail for each process.
Firstly, there will be described 1) cyclopropanation process.
Step 1. Cyclopropanation Process
In compounds represented by formula (14), R 7 denotes an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms. Suitable values for R 7 include, for example, a 2,3-difluorophenyl group, 3,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trifluorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl group, 2,3-dichlorophenyl group, 3,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trichlorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl group, 2,3-dibromophenyl group, 3,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,3,4-tribromophenyl group, 3,4,5-tribromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophenyl group, and a 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromo phenyl group. A 3,4-difluorophenyl group is preferred. Moreover, * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre. In other words, a styrene oxide derivative formula (14) contains an asymmetric carbon centre. This invention includes any optically active substance or racemic mixture of the compound of formula (14). Preferably, it is optically active substance, and most preferably it is a compound whose absolute configuration of asymmetric carbon centre is (S).
In the compound of formula (15), R 7 denotes an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, and X denotes a halogen atom. Suitable values for R 7 include, for example, a 2,3-difluorophenyl group, 3,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trifluorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl group, 2,3-dichlorophenyl group, 3,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trichlorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl group, 2,3-dibromophenyl group, 3,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,3,4-tribromophenyl group, 3,4,5-tribromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophenyl group, and a 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromo phenyl group. A 3,4-difluorophenyl group is preferred.
Moreover, * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre. In other words, the halohydrin derivative represented by general formula (15) contains asymmetric carbon centre. The invention includes any optically active substance or racemic mixture of the compound of formula (15). Preferably it is optically active substance, and most preferably it is a compound whose absolute configuration of asymmetric carbon centre is (S).
In the compound of formula (16), R 8 denotes an optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and R 9 denotes an optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group. Suitable values for a C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group include for example, a methyl group, ethyl group, n-propyl group, i-propyl group, cyclopropyl group, n-butyl group, s-butyl group, i-butyl group, t-butyl group, cyclobutyl group, n-pentyl group, neopentyl group, cyclopentyl group, n-hexyl group, cyclohexyl group, n-heptyl group, cyclohexylmethyl group, n-octyl group, and n-decyl group. Suitable values for an optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group include for example phenyl group, o-methoxyphenyl group, m-methoxyphenyl group, p-methoxy phenyl group, o-nitrophenyl group, m-nitrophenyl group, p-nitrophenyl group, o-chlorophenyl group, m-chlorophenyl group, p-chlorophenyl group, o-methylphenyl group, m-methylphenyl group, and p-methylphenyl group. Suitable values for an optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group include, for example, a benzyl group, o-methoxybenzyl group, m-methoxybenzyl group, p-methoxybenzyl group, o-nitrobenzyl, m-nitrobenzyl, p-nitrobenzyl, o-chlorobenzyl group, m-chlorobenzyl group, p-chlorobenzyl group, o-methylbenzyl group, m-methylbenzyl group, and p-methylbenzyl group.
In particular one or both of R 8 and R 9 are methyl group or ethyl group, and preferably both of R 8 and R 9 are methyl group or ethyl group.
In the compound of formula (13), values of substituents R 7 , R 8 originate from respective values in the styrene oxide derivative of formula (14) or a halohydrin derivative represented by the formula (15) and carboxylate ester derivative represented by general formula (16). In other words, R 7 denotes an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, and R 8 denotes optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and R 9 denotes optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group. Suitable values for an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms, include, for example, a 2,3-difluorophenyl group, 3,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trifluorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl group, 2,3-dichlorophenyl group, 3,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trichlorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl group, 2,3-dibromophenyl group, 3,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,3,4-tribromophenyl group, 3,4,5-tribromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophenyl group, and 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromo phenyl group. Suitable values for a C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, include, for example, a methyl group, ethyl group, n-propyl group, i-propyl group, cyclopropyl group, n-butyl group, s-butyl group, i-butyl group, t-butyl group, cyclobutyl group, n-pentyl group, neopentyl group, cyclopentyl group, n-hexyl group, cyclohexyl group, n-heptyl group, cyclohexylmethyl group, n-octyl group, and n-decyl group. Suitable values for an optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group include, for example, a phenyl group, o-methoxyphenyl group, m-methoxyphenyl group, p-dimethoxy phenyl group, o-nitrophenyl group, m-nitrophenyl group, p-nitrophenyl group, o-chlorophenyl group, m-chlorophenyl group, p-chlorophenyl group, o-methylphenyl group, m-methylphenyl group, and p-methylphenyl group. Suitable values for an optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group include, for example, a benzyl group, o-methoxybenzyl group, m-methoxybenzyl group, p-methoxybenzyl group, o-nitrobenzyl, m-nitrobenzyl, p-nitrobenzyl, o-chlorobenzyl group, m-chlorobenzyl group, p-chlorobenzyl group, o-methylbenzyl group, m-methylbenzyl group, and p-methylbenzyl group. It is generally preferred that R 7 is a 3,4-difluorophenyl group and R 8 is an ethyl group.
Moreover, * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre. In other words, an ester derivative represented by the formula (13) contains asymmetric carbon centres. The invention includes any optically active substance or racemic mixture of the compound of formula (13). Preferably it is an optically active substance, and most preferably it is a compound whose absolute configuration of asymmetric carbon centre is (1R,2R).
The optically active halohydrin derivative represented by the formula (15) which is a starting material of this invention can be readily obtained, for example, by enantioselectively reacting a α-halomethyl arylketone derivative obtained by reacting a benzene derivative with α-halo acetic acid chloride in the presence of aluminum chloride. The optically active styrene oxide derivative of formula (14) can be readily obtained by epoxidation of an optically active α-halohydrin derivative of formula (15).
A compound of formula (14) or of formula (15) is reacted with a compound of formula (16) in the presence of base and thereby converted to compound of formula (13). Examples of suitable bases include, for example, an organolithium compound such as methyllithium, n-butyllithium, t-butyllithium, phenyl lithium or the like, a Grignard reagent such as n-butylmagnesiumchloride, methyl magnesium bromide or the like; an alkaline earth metal amide or alkali metal amide such as lithium amide, sodium amide, lithium diisopropyl amide, magnesium diisopropyl amide, lithium hexamethyl disilazide, sodium hexamethyl disilazide, potassium hexamethyl disilazide or the like; an alkali metal alkoxide such as sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, sodium-t-butoxide, lithium methoxide, lithium ethoxide, lithium-t-butoxide, potassium-t-butoxide or the like; an alkaline earth metal hydride or alkali metal hydride such as lithium hydride, sodium hydride, potassium hydride, calcium hydride or the like.
A base of an alkali metal-t-butoxide, alkali metal hydride or the like is generally preferred.
The quantity of base used differs depending on species of base used, species of solvent and reaction conditions. A particular quantity is a 1-5 fold molar ratio, preferably 1-3 fold molar ratio with respect to compound of formula (14) or (15).
The quantity of compound of formula (16) used differs depending on species of solvent and reaction conditions. A particular quantity is a 1-5 fold molar ratio, preferably 1-3 fold molar ratio with respect to compound of formula (14) or (15).
In general, a solvent is usually used in the reaction. Examples include, for example, dichloromethane, chloroform, dichloroethane, benzene, toluene, diethyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethylether, methyl-t-butyl ether, diisopropyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl imidazolidinone, dimethylsulfoxide, acetone, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate ester, acetic acid-t-butyl, t-butanol, and the like. The solvent may be used alone or as an admixture thereof, and in this case, the mixed proportions thereof are not restricted.
A solvent of toluene, ethylene glycol dimethylether, tetrahydrofuran or 1,4-dioxane is generally preferred.
Suitable values of the reaction temperature include values selected from the range of −30° C. to boiling point of solvent used, and a temperature in the range of 20° C.-90° C. Generally, the reaction time required is usually 30 minutes to 24 hours.
On completion of the reaction, solvent may be removed by distillation. The reaction mixture may then be added to water or water is added to it, and thereafter, it may be neutralized by addition of an appropriate quantity of acid. The compound of formula (13) may be obtained by using procedures such as extraction with an organic solvent such as toluene, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, diethyl ether, dichloromethane, chloroform or the like, washing with water and concentration. The compound obtained may be purified further by column chromatography or distillation.
Examples of the acid used for neutralization after completion of the reaction include, but are not limited to, organic carboxylic acid such as formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, oxalic acid, benzoic acid, phthalic acid, fumaric acid, mandelic acid or the like; an optically active organic carboxylic acid such as tartaric acid, lactic acid, ascorbic acid, amino acid or the like; an organic sulfonic acid such as methanesulfonic acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, camphor sulfonic acid or the like; an inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, carbonic acid or the like. Hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid are generally preferred.
Next, there will be described 2) deesterification process.
Step 2. Deesterification Process
The values of R 7 , R 8 and * in the compound of formula (13), including the suitable and preferred values, are the same as those mentioned above in 1) cyclopropanation process. In the compound of formula (10), the values of substituent R 7 including the suitable and preferred values, originate from the ester derivative of formula (13). In other words, R 7 denotes an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms. Suitable values of an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms include, for example, a 2,3-difluorophenyl group, 3,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trifluorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl group, 2,3-dichlorophenyl group, 3,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trichlorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl group, 2,3-dibromophenyl group, 3,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,3,4-tribromophenyl group, 3,4,5-tribromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophenyl group or 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromophenyl group. A 3,4-difluorophenyl group is generally preferred.
Moreover, * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre. In other words the carboxylic acid derivative of formulae (10) contains asymmetric carbon centres. The invention includes any optically active substance or racemic mixture of the compound of formula (10). Preferably it is an optically active substance, and most preferably it is a compound whose absolute configuration of asymmetric carbon centre is (1R,2R).
In this step, the compound of formula (13) is converted to the compound of formula (10) by deesterifying, and reaction conditions of deesterification of Compound (13) are not restricted. The reaction may be carried out using general deesterification conditions. Examples of conditions for deesterification include a process of oxidative elimination of p-methoxybenzyl ester using DDQ (2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone) and CAN (cerium nitrate), a process to eliminate benzyl ester, t-butyl ester using iodotrimethylsilane, a process of reductive elimination of benzyl ester using palladium catalyst under a hydrogen atmosphere, a process to eliminate t-butyl ester using TFA (trifluoroacetic acid), a process to eliminate ester group by acid or alkali hydrolysis, or the like. From the point of inexpensiveness and the point that the process can be applied for most kinds of ester group, the process to eliminate ester group by acid or alkali hydrolysis is preferred, and the process to eliminate ester group by alkali hydrolysis is more preferred.
Suitable alkalis include an alkali metal hydroxide such as lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, cesium hydroxide or the like; an alkaline earth metal hydroxide such as magnesium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, barium hydroxide or the like; an alkali metal carbonate such as lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, cesium carbonate or the like. An inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, perchloric acid or the like are generally preferred.
Suitable reaction solvents for deesterification include, for example, water, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, diethyl ether, methyl-t-butyl ether, toluene, benzene, N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, dichloromethane, chloroform, acetone, acetonitrile, butanol, propanol, ethanol, methanol, water and the like. The solvent may be used alone or as a mixture thereof, and in this case, the mixed proportions are not limited in particular.
In general, a solvent of toluene, tetrahydrofuran, ethanol or methanol is preferred.
Suitable reaction temperatures, include those selected from the range of −30° C. to boiling point of solvent used, and preferably it is 0° C.-80° C. The reaction time is required usually to be 30 minutes to 27 hours.
On completion of the reaction, the solvent may be removed by distillation, and thereafter the mixture added to water or water is added to it as required. The mixture is neutralized by addition of acid. The compound of formula (10) may be obtained by procedures such as extraction with an organic solvent such as toluene, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, diethyl ether, dichloromethane, chloroform or the like; washing with water, concentration and the like. The obtained compound may be further purified by column chromatography or crystallisation, or it may be used in the following step without treatment.
Suitable acids used for neutralization after completion of the reaction include, for example, an organic carboxylic acid such as formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, oxalic acid, benzoic acid, phthalic acid, fumaric acid, mandelic acid or the like; an optically active organic carboxylic acid such as tartaric acid, lactic acid, ascorbic acid, amino acid or the like; an organic sulfonic acid such as methanesulfonic acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, camphor sulfonic acid or the like; an inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, carbonic acid or the like. Hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid are generally preferred.
Next, a description will be given of 3) amidation process.
Step 3. Amidation Process
In the compound of formula (10), the values of substituent R 7 and * (including the suitable and preferred values) are the same as those mentioned above in 2) deesterification process.
In the compound of formula (11), values of substituent R 7 originate from the ester derivative of formula (10). In other words, R 7 may represent an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms. Suitable values for an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms include a 2,3-difluorophenyl group, 3,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trifluorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl group, 2,3-dichlorophenyl group, 3,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trichlorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl group, 2,3-dibromophenyl group, 3,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,3,4-tribromophenyl group, 3,4,5-tribromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromo phenyl group or the like. A 3,4-difluorophenyl group is generally preferred. Moreover, Y denotes an activated carbonyl group activated group, and it is derived from the carboxylic acid activator described later.
Moreover, * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre. In other words the carboxylic acid derivative of formula (11) contains asymmetric carbon centres. The invention includes any optically active substance or racemic mixture of the compound of formula (11). Preferably it is an optically active substance, and most preferably it is a compound whose absolute configuration of asymmetric carbon centre is (1R,2R).
In the compound of formula (12), values of substituent R 7 originate from the ester derivative of formula (10). In other words, R 7 may denote an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms. Suitable values for an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms include a 2,3-difluorophenyl group, 3,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trifluorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl group, 2,3-dichlorophenyl group, 3,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trichlorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl group, 2,3-dibromophenyl group, 3,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,3,4-tribromophenyl group, 3,4,5-tribromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromo phenyl group or the like. A 3,4-difluorophenyl group is generally preferred.
Moreover, * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre. In other words, the carboxylic acid derivative of formula (12) contains asymmetric carbon centres. The invention includes any optically active substance or racemic mixture of the compound of formula (12). Preferably, it is an optically active substance, and most preferably it is a compound whose absolute configuration of asymmetric carbon centre is (1R,2R).
The compound of formula (10) may be formed into the compound of formula (11) by reacting with a carboxylic acid activator to activate the carbonyl moiety. The activated compound is converted to the compound of formula (12) by reacting with ammonia. Suitable carboxylic acid activators include, for example, a dehydrocondensation agent such as dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) and carbonyldiimidazole; chlorocarbonic acid esters such as methyl chlorocarbonate ester, ethyl chlorocarbonate ester, propyl chlorocarbonate ester, isopropyl chlorocarbonate ester, chlorocarbonate butyl ester, t-butyl chlorocarbonate, benzyl chlorocarbonate or the like; an acid anhydride such as acetic anhydride, anhydrous trifluoroacetic acid, anhydrous methanesulfonic acid, anhydrous trifluoromethanesulfonic acid or the like; an carboxylic acid ester species such as carbonic acid di-t-butyl, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate or the like, acid chloride such as methanesulfonyl chloride, p-toluenesulphonyl chloride, phosphorus pentachloride, phosphorus trichloride, phosphorus oxychloride, acetyl chloride, propionyl chloride, pivaloyl chloride, benzoyl chloride, thionyl chloride, chlorosulfuric acid, oxalyl chloride; phosgene or the like, and a metal chloride such as titanium chloride, aluminum chloride, ferric chloride or the like may be proposed.
Particular carboxylic acid activators are chlorocarbonate ester, acid anhydride, carboxylic acid ester, acid chloride except phosgene. In general thionyl chloride is preferred particularly as it offers advantages from the point of handling and post-treatment after reaction.
The quantity used of carboxylic acid activator differs depending on species of base used and species of solvent and of reaction conditions. In particular a 1-3 fold molar ratio may be used, and preferably a 1-1.5 fold molar ratio with respect to compound represented by the aforesaid formula (10).
When reacting the compound of formula (10) with the carboxylic acid activator, a base may be used in accordance with requirements. Suitable bases include, for example, an organolithium compound such as methyllithium, n-butyllithium, t-butyllithium, phenyl lithium or the like, a Grignard reagent such as n-butyl magnesium chloride, methyl magnesium bromide or the like, alkaline earth metal amide or alkali metal amide such as lithium amide, sodium amide, lithium diisopropyl amide, magnesium diisopropyl amide, lithium hexamethyl disilazide, sodium hexamethyl disilazide, potassium hexamethyl disilazide or the like, alkali metal alkoxide such as sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, sodium-t-butoxide, lithium methoxide, lithium ethoxide, lithium-t-butoxide, potassium-t-butoxide or the like, alkaline earth metal hydride or alkali metal hydride such as lithium hydride, sodium hydride, potassium hydride, calcium hydride or the like, alkaline earth metal hydroxide or alkali metal hydroxide such as lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, cesium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide or the like, alkali metal carbonate such as lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate or the like, alkali metal bicarbonate such as lithium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate or the like, organic tertiary amine such as triethylamine, diisopropyl ethylamine, DBU (1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undecene) or the like, basic organic solvent such as N,N-dimethylformamide or the like.
In particular, the base may be an alkali metal alkoxide, alkaline earth metal hydride or alkali metal hydride, alkaline earth metal hydroxide or alkali metal hydroxide, alkaline earth carbonate or alkali metal carbonate, alkali metal bicarbonate, or organic tertiary amine. In general an alkaline earth metal hydroxide or alkali metal hydroxide, alkaline earth carbonate or alkali metal carbonate, alkali metal bicarbonate, organic tertiary amine or the like is preferred.
The quantity used of base differs depending on the species of base used and species of solvent and reaction conditions. In particular a 1-3 fold molar ratio may be used, and preferably a 1-1.5 fold molar ratio with respect to compound represented by the aforesaid formula (10).
Suitable forms of the ammonia used include, for example, liquid ammonia, ammonia gas, ammonia solution in organic solvent and ammonia water. Particular examples are ammonia gas, ammonia in an organic solvent, ammonia water, and ammonia water is generally preferred.
When the form of ammonia is ammonia water the concentration of ammonia water used is not limited. In particular 5-30 wt % may be used, and 20-28 wt % is generally preferred.
The quantity of ammonia used differs depending on the form of used ammonia, species of solvent and reaction conditions. In particular, a 1-6 fold molar ratio may be used, and, preferably, a 3-5 fold molar ratio with respect to compound represented by the aforesaid formula (10).
Generally a solvent is usually used in the reaction. Suitable solvents include for example dichloromethane, chloroform, dichloroethane, benzene, toluene, diethyl ether, methyl-t-butyl ether, diisopropyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl imidazolidinone, dimethylsulfoxide, acetone, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate ester and acetic acid-t-butyl and the like.
The solvent may be used alone or by mixing, and in this case, the mixing proportion is not limited. Generally a solvent of toluene, ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate are preferred.
Suitable reaction temperatures, include those selected from the range of −30° C. to boiling point of solvent used and preferably it is selected from the range of 0° C.-60° C. The reaction time required is usually 10 minutes to 24 hours.
On completion of the reaction, the solvent is removed by distillation in accordance with requirements, and thereafter the reaction mixture is added to water or water is added to it. The compound of formula (12) is obtained using procedures such as extraction with an organic solvent such as toluene, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate ester, diethyl ether, dichloromethane, chloroform or the like, washing with water, and concentration. The obtained compound may be further purified by column chromatography or crystallisation, or it may be used in the following step without treatment.
The compound of formula (17)
produced by the aforesaid process is a novel compound, and is therefore provided as a further feature of the present invention. In formula (17), R 10 denotes an aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms. Suitable values for the aryl group substituted by 2 or more halogen atoms include a 2,3-difluorophenyl group, 3,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trifluorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl group, 2,3-dichlorophenyl group, 3,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trichlorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl group, 2,3-dibromophenyl group, 3,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,3,4-tribromophenyl group, 3,4,5-tribromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromo phenyl group or the like. A 3,4-difluorophenyl group is generally preferred.
Moreover, * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre. In other words, the carboxamide derivative of formulae (17) contains asymmetric carbon centres. The invention includes any optically active substance or racemic mixture of the compound of formula (17). Preferably it is optically active substance, and most preferably it is a compound whose absolute configuration of asymmetric carbon centre is (1R,2R).
Next, a description will be given of 4) Hofmann rearrangement process.
Step 4. Hofmann Rearrangement Step
In the compound of formula (1), R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 each independently denote hydrogen atom, optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and they may be the same or different to each other. Suitable values of an optionally substituted cyclic or acyclic alkyl group of carbon number 1-10 include a methyl group, ethyl group, n-propyl group, i-propyl group, cyclopropyl group, n-butyl group, s-butyl group, i-butyl group, t-butyl group, cyclobutyl group, n-pentyl group, neopentyl group, cyclopentyl group, n-hexyl group, cyclohexyl group, n-heptyl group, cyclohexylmethyl group, n-octyl group, n-decyl group and the like. Suitable values of an optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group include a phenyl group, o-methoxyphenyl group, m-methoxyphenyl group, p-dimethoxy phenyl group, o-nitrophenyl group, m-nitrophenyl group, p-nitrophenyl group, o-fluorophenyl group, m-fluorophenyl group, p-fluorophenyl group, o-chlorophenyl group, m-chlorophenyl group, p-chlorophenyl group, 2,3-difluorophenyl group, 3,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trifluorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl group, 2,3-dichlorophenyl group, 3,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trichlorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl group, 2,3-dibromophenyl group, 3,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,3,4-tribromophenyl group, 3,4,5-tribromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromo phenyl group, o-methylphenyl group, m-methylphenyl group, p-methylphenyl group and the like. Suitable values of an optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group include a benzyl group, o-methoxybenzyl group, m-methoxybenzyl group, p-methoxybenzyl group, o-nitrobenzyl group, m-nitrobenzyl group, p-nitrobenzyl group, o-chlorobenzyl group, m-chlorobenzyl group, p-chlorobenzyl group, o-methylbenzyl group, m-methylbenzyl group, p-methylbenzyl group and the like. Preferably any of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 is a 3,4-difluorophenyl group, and more preferably the substituent except 3,4-difluorophenyl group is a hydrogen atom.
Moreover, * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre. In other words, the compound of formula (1) has asymmetric carbon centre. The invention includes any optically active substance or racemic mixture of the compound of formula (1). Preferably it is optically active substance, and most preferably it is a compound whose absolute configuration of asymmetric carbon centre is (1R,2R).
In the compound of formula (2), values (including suitable and preferred) for R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 originate from the compound of formula (1). In other words, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 each independently denote a hydrogen atom, an optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or an acyclic alkyl group, optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group, or optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group, and they may be the same or different to each other. Suitable values for an optionally substituted C 1-10 cyclic or acyclic alkyl group include a methyl group, ethyl group, n-propyl group, i-propyl group, cyclopropyl group, n-butyl group, s-butyl group, i-butyl group, t-butyl group, cyclobutyl group, n-pentyl group, neopentyl group, cyclopentyl group, n-hexyl group, cyclohexyl group, n-heptyl group, cyclohexylmethyl group, n-octyl group, n-decyl group and the like. Suitable values for an optionally substituted C 6-10 aryl group include a phenyl group, o-methoxyphenyl group, m-methoxyphenyl group, p-dimethoxy phenyl group, o-nitrophenyl group, m-nitrophenyl group, p-nitrophenyl group, o-fluorophenyl group, m-fluorophenyl group, p-fluorophenyl group, o-chlorophenyl group, m-chlorophenyl group, p-chlorophenyl group, 2,3-difluorophenyl group, 3,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,4-difluorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trifluorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl group, 2,3-dichlorophenyl group. 3,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,4-dichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4-trichlorophenyl group, 3,4,5-trichlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl group, 2,3-dibromophenyl group, 3,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,4-dibromophenyl group, 2,3,4-tribromophenyl group, 3,4,5-tribromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophenyl group, 2,3,4,5,6-penta bromo phenyl group, o-methylphenyl group, m-methylphenyl group, p-methylphenyl group and the like. Suitable values for an optionally substituted C 7-10 aralkyl group include a benzyl group, o-methoxybenzyl group, m-methoxybenzyl group, p-methoxybenzyl group, o-nitrobenzyl group, m-nitrobenzyl group, p-nitrobenzyl group, o-chlorobenzyl group, m-chlorobenzyl group, p-chlorobenzyl group, o-methylbenzyl group, m-methylbenzyl group, p-methylbenzyl group and the like. Wherein preferably any of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 is a 3,4-difluorophenyl group, and more preferably, the substituent other than 3,4-difluorophenyl group is hydrogen atom.
Moreover, * denotes an asymmetric carbon centre. In other words, the compound represented by the formula (2) has asymmetric carbon centre. The invention includes any optically active substance or racemic mixture of the compound of formula (2). Preferably it is optically active substance, and most preferably it is a compound whose absolute configuration of asymmetric carbon centre is (1R,2S).
When oxidant is caused to act, there proceeds a so-called Hofmann rearrangement, and the compound of formula (1) is converted to the compound of formula (2) while maintaining the stereochemistry of the asymmetric carbon centre represented by *. For example, suitable oxidants include a high valency iodine reagent exemplified by bis (trifluoroacetoxy) phenyl iodide, halide agent such as chlorine, bromine, iodine, N-chlorosuccinimide, N-bromosuccinimide, N-iodosuccinimide, sulphuryl chloride, sulphuryl bromide or the like, hypochlorite species such as lithium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, potassium hypochlorite, magnesium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite or the like may be proposed, and chlorine, N-chloro succinimide, hypochlorite species or the like. In general sodium hypochlorite is preferred.
The quantity of oxidant used differs depending on species of oxidant used, species of reaction solvent and reaction conditions. In particular a 1-5 fold molar ratio may be used and preferably a 2-4 fold molar ratio with respect to the compound of formula (1). Moreover, as regards the quantity used of the aforesaid oxidant, when a hypochlorite species is used as the oxidant, the quantity used is determined by effective chlorine conversion.
In the reaction of compound of formula (1) and oxidant, a base may be co-present in accordance with requirements. Base may be added after mixing the compound of formulae (1) and oxidant. Suitable bases include, for example, an organolithium compound such as methyllithium, n-butyllithium, t-butyllithium, phenyl lithium or the like, Grignard reagent such as n-butylmagnesium chloride, methyl magnesium bromide or the like, alkaline earth metal amide or alkali metal amide such as lithium amide, sodium amide, lithium diisopropyl amide, magnesium diisopropyl amide, lithium hexamethyl disilazide, sodium hexamethyl disilazide, potassium hexamethyl disilazide or the like, alkali metal alkoxide such as sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, sodium-t-butoxide, lithium methoxide, lithium ethoxide, lithium-t-butoxide, potassium-t-butoxide or the like, alkaline earth metal hydride or alkali metal hydride such as lithium hydride, sodium hydride, potassium hydride, calcium hydride or the like, alkaline earth metal hydroxide or alkali metal hydroxide such as lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, cesium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide or the like, alkali metal carbonate such as lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate or the like, alkali metal bicarbonate such as lithium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate or the like, organic tertiary amine such as triethylamine, diisopropyl ethylamine, DBU (1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undecene) or the like.
In general an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide is the preferred.
The quantity of base used differs depending on species of base used, species of solvent and reaction conditions. In particular the reaction may be caused to proceed in high yield by using a 5-30 fold molar ratio, preferably 5-20 fold molar ratio with respect to compound represented by general formula (2).
In particular the concentration of the base in the reaction may be in the range of 5-30 wt %, more particularly in the range of 15-25 wt %.
In general a solvent is usually used in the reaction. Suitable solvents include, for example, water, dichloromethane, chloroform, dichloroethane, benzene, toluene, diethyl ether, methyl-t-butyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4,-dioxane, N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl imidazolidinone, dimethylsulfoxide, acetone, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, acetic acid-t-butyl, t-butanol and the like.
The solvent may be used alone or as a mixture. In the case of a mixture the proportion is not limited. In general, water is preferred.
Suitable reaction temperatures include those selected from the range of −30° C. to boiling point of solvent used and preferably it is selected from the range of 20° C.-60° C. The reaction time required is usually 30 minutes to 24 hours.
On completion of the reaction the solvent may be removed by distillation. The reaction mixture may be added to water or water to it, and then the mixture is acidified by addition of acid. The Compound (2) is transferred to the aqueous layer, and after having been caused to undergo liquid separation and washing with organic solvent such as toluene, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, diethyl ether, dichloromethane, chloroform or the like, the aqueous layer is made basic using a base. The Compound of formula (2) is obtained using procedures such as extraction with an organic solvent such as toluene, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, diethyl ether, dichloromethane, chloroform or the like, washing with water and concentration. Usually, on completion of the reaction, solvent is removed by distillation, and the compound of formula (2) may be obtained via procedures such as extraction with organic solvent such as toluene, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, diethyl ether, dichloromethane, chloroform or the like, washing with water and concentration without the step of transferring to the aqueous layer. The compound (2) may be obtained in the form of a salt of an acid. The compound may be further purified by column chromatography, distillation or crystallisation, or it may be separated and purified in the form of a salt of an acid.
Suitable acids used after completion of the reaction include, for example, an organic carboxylic acid such as formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, oxalic acid, benzoic acid, phthalic acid, fumaric acid, mandelic acid or the like, optically active organic carboxylic acid such as tartaric acid, lactic acid, ascorbic acid, amino acid or the like, organic sulfonic acid such as methanesulfonic acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, camphor sulfonic acid or the like, inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, carbonic acid. Hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid are generally preferred.
Suitable bases used after completion of the reaction include, for example, an organolithium compound such as methyllithium, n-butyllithium, t-butyllithium, phenyl lithium or the like, Grignard reagent such as n-butylmagnesium chloride, methyl magnesium bromide or the like, alkaline earth metal amide or alkali metal amide such as lithium amide, sodium amide, lithium diisopropyl amide, magnesium diisopropyl amide, lithium hexamethyl disilazide, sodium hexamethyl disilazide, potassium hexamethyl disilazide or the like, alkali metal alkoxide such as sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, sodium-t-butoxide, lithium methoxide, lithium ethoxide, lithium-t-butoxide, potassium-t-butoxide or the like, alkaline earth metal hydride or alkali metal hydride such as lithium hydride, sodium hydride, potassium hydride, calcium hydride or the like, alkaline earth metal hydroxide or alkali metal hydroxide such as lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, cesium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide or the like, alkali carbonate metal salt such as lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate or the like, alkali metal bicarbonate such as lithium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate or the like, organic tertiary amine or the like such as triethylamine, diisopropyl ethylamine, DBU (1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undecene).
In general an alkali metal hydroxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkali carbonate metal salt, alkaline earth metal carbonate, alkali metal bicarbonate alkaline earth metal carbonate, organic tertiary amine are preferred.
Any of the embodiments described herein can be combined with any of the other embodiments described herein.
In order that the invention disclosed herein may be more efficiently understood, examples are provided below. It should be understood that these examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the invention in any manner.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Preparation of (2S)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)oxirane
A mixture of (1S)-2-chloro-1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-ethanol (net 11.47 g, 59.5 mmol), toluene (25.23 g), sodium hydroxide (2.53 g, 1.06 molar equivalents) and water (24.25 g) was stirred and heated at 40° C. for 1 hour. The organic layer was separated, washed with water, and concentrated under reduced pressure. (2S)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)oxirane was obtained as resultant concentrate (net 8.94 g, yield: 96%).
1 H-NMR in (400 MHz, CDCl 3 )
δ 2.71-2.73 (1H, dd, J=2.44 Hz, 5.37 Hz), 3.13-3.15 (1H, m), 3.82-3.83 (1H, m), 7.01-7.27 (4H, m).
Example 2
Preparation of ethyl (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxylate
Sodium t-butoxide (32.22 g, 1.25 molar equivalents) and toluene (243.0 g) were charged into a reaction vessel. Triethyl phosphonoacetate (78.06 g, 1.04 molar equivalents to sodium t-butoxide) was added to the mixture with stirring. A toluene solution of (2S)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl) oxirane (32.8 wt % solution, net 41.83 g, 267.9 mmol) was added drop-wise to the mixture keeping the internal temperature between 60 to 80° C. After completion of addition, stirring was continued for 11 hours at 80° C. After cooling to room temperature, the mixture was washed with water, and the organic layer was concentrated under reduced pressure. Ethyl (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxylate was obtained as resultant concentrate (net 49.11 g, yield: 81%).
1 H-NMR in (400 MHz, CDCl 3 )
δ 1.22-1.26 (1H, m), 1.26-1.30 (3H, t, J=7.1 Hz), 1.57-1.62 (1H, m), 1.82-1.87 (1H, m), 2.45-2.50 (1H, m), 4.14-4.20 (2H, q, J=7.1 Hz), 6.82-6.91 (2H, m), 7.02-7.09 (1H, m)
Example 3
Preparation of (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid
Methanol (322.2 g) and 30% sodium hydroxide aqueous solution (65.5 g, 1.8 molar equivalents) were added to a solution of ethyl (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxylate (48.2 wt % toluene solution, net 61.22 g, 270.6 mmol). The mixture was heated at 65° C. with stirring for 2 hours. The resultant mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure, then toluene and water were added to the concentrate. The mixture was acidified with 35% hydrochloric acid. The organic layer was separated and concentrated under reduced pressure. (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid was obtained as resultant concentrate (net 52.55 g, yield: 98%).
1 H-NMR in (400 MHz, CDCl 3 )
δ 1.33-1.38 (1H, m), 1.64-1.69 (1H, m), 1.83-1.88 (1H, m), 2.54-2.59 (1H, m), 6.83-6.93 (2H, m), 7.04-7.10 (1H, m).
Example 4
Preparation of (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxamide
Thionyl chloride (72.65 g, 1.21 molar equivalents) was added to the stirred toluene solution of (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid (18 wt %, net 100.00 g, 504.62 mmol). The mixture was stirred at 35° C. for 6 hours, then concentrated under reduced pressure to give a solution of (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarbonyl chloride. To a mixture of 28% ammonia aqueous solution (122.55 g, 4.00 molar equivalents), water (300.4 g) and ethyl acetate (700.2 g), the solution of (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarbonyl chloride obtained above was gradually added with stirring below 10° C. The reaction mixture was allowed to stir below 10° C. for 1 hour. The mixture was neutralized with 35% hydrochloric acid, then the organic layer was separated and washed with water. The resultant solution was concentrated azeotropically under reduced pressure to give a slurry of (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxamide. The resultant slurry was heated to obtain a clear solution, and cooled for crystallization. Hexane was added to the slurry, then the precipitates were collected by filtration and dried to give (1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxamide (net 91.12 g, Yield: 92%).
1 H-NMR in (400 MHz, CDCl 3 )
δ 1.21-1.27 (1H, m), 1.56-1.64 (3H, m), 2.47-2.49 (1H, m), 5.45 (1H, br), 5.63 (1H, br), 6.83-6.90 (2H, m), 7.03-7.10 (1H, m).
Example 5
Preparation of (1R,2S)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanamine
(1R,2R)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxamide (net 9.00 g, 45.64 mmol) and 30% sodium hydroxide aqueous solution (54.77 g, 9.00 molar equivalents) were charged into a reaction vessel and the mixture was stirred. Aqueous 12% sodium hypochlorite solution (29.53 g, 2.25 mol equivalents) was added to the stirred slurry maintaining the internal temperature at 30° C. The resultant mixture was stirred at 30° C. for 14 hours, then at 40° C. for 2 hours. After completion of the reaction, isopropyl acetate was poured to the resultant mixture, then the organic layer was separated, washed with water, and concentrated under reduced pressure. (1R,2S)-2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1-cyclopropanamine was obtained as resultant concentrate (net 6.89 g, yield: 89%).
1 H-NMR in (400 MHz, CDCl 3 )
δ 0.88-0.93 (1H, m), 1.03-1.08 (1H, m), 1.70 (2H, s), 1.79-1.84 (1H, m), 2.47-2.51 (1H, m), 6.72-6.79 (2H, m), 7.00-7.02 (1H, m).
Various modifications of the invention, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Each reference (including, but not limited to, journal articles, U.S. and non-U.S. patents, patent application publications, international patent application publications, gene bank accession numbers, and the like) cited in the present application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. | This invention relates to processes for the production of optically active 2-(disubstituted aryl)cyclopropylamine compounds and optically active 2-(disubstituted aryl) cyclopropane carboxamide compounds which are useful intermediates for the preparation of pharmaceutical agents, and in particular the compound [1S-(1α,2α,3β(1S*,2R*),5β]-3-[7-[2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-cyclopropyl]amino]-5-(propylthio)-3H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-3-yl)-5-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-cyclopentane-1,2-diol. | 2 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/165,726 filed Nov. 15, 1999. That application and the present inventor's U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/165,727 and 60/166,039 filed respectively on Nov. 15, 1999 and Nov. 17, 1999 are hereby incorporated by reference. The present application also incorporates by reference the present inventor's application Ser. No. 09/712,261 and the No. 60/165,727 Provisional Application) filed concurrently herewith.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for music and/or video playback, and more particularly, providing to the user recommendations of items which have not yet been sampled by the user, based on a list of items already sampled by the user, utilizing a method for the dynamic addition, subtraction and sorting of a queue of items for playback.
2. Description of Related Art
The concept of a playlist is old, i.e. a static list of items to be played one by one through its entirety, in the order listed in the playlist. So far, only rudimentary attempts at dynamic playback have been made, consisting mainly of randomizing the order in which selections from the playlist are played. Some attempts have been made to let people quickly create playlists based on particular artists, or albums, or styles of music. However, all of them are still a static list after they are created, and don't automatically reorder themselves in a pleasing way, or incorporate new content which would fit with them as it is made available. Additionally, any slightly complex concept such as building a playlist which contains more than one piece of meta-data, such as, for example, more than one artist, typically requires complex Boolean logic statements to build, making such playlist creation processes inaccessible to those unskilled in Boolean techniques.
A system is needed that is easy to use, adapts to personal tastes, and can easily add or subtract music or videos, as they become available. Such a system should provide more than random sorting and shuffle-play options to overcome the deficiencies of a static playlist, so that the playlist becomes dynamic.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a dynamic playlist system and method for a dynamic playlist of digital items that automatically adds items to, or subtracts items from, the playlist, as the items become available.
An object of the present invention is to provide the dynamic playlist system where the data items are music or video items.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dynamic playlist that dynamically adapts to usage patterns.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dynamic playlist that dynamically adapts to personal preferences.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dynamic playlist that is easy to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above objects are obtained according to the present invention in which a method and system is provided for creating a dynamic playlist including meta-data having potential association with a respective content item configured to be played on a content player.
The system maintains a database of linkages between elements associated with content items as well as weighted linkages between elements and respective properties. The system is a hybrid content based and collaborative filtering system, wherein the insertion of a new item into the database results in the new item sharing preference weights and number of preferences associated with items pre-existing in the database. Thus, an initial input query list of items potentially results in the return of many content items available from one or more content providers, wherein the retrieved content, called a “dynamic playlist”, has a high correlation with the user's preference or with whatever other basis was used to frame the input list, and individual content items on the dynamic playlist may not have been previously experienced by the user.
A dynamic playlist is a list of items that can be played in linear order, as is done with a traditional playlist, or in more exotic sequences after application of sorting or ordering algorithms. User profiles can be applied to the sorting process, i.e., by ranking items based on the user's meta-data, which can include usage patterns or explicit preferences, and further, by order reflected by usage of other users.
The most useful aspect of a dynamic playlist is the dynamic addition and subtraction of playlist items. This is accomplished by accepting at least one meta category defined as a set of at least one criterion, where each criterion has a potential association with a content item, and retrieving from at least one content provider a first result set of meta-data fitting any of the criteria, wherein the first result set enables acquisition of content items to be played. Next, a filtered first result set is calculated by application of a collaborative filtering query algorithm to the first result set, and then the filtered first result set is added to the dynamic playlist. Next, the system seeds a next meta-category, if any, with the result set and repeating the retrieving, calculating, inserting and seeding steps until all meta-categories have been processed. In accordance with this method, an initial meta-category of selection preferences potentially results in the return of many content items available from one or more content providers, wherein the retrieved content has a high correlation with the user's preference or with whatever other basis was used to frame the meta-category.
The collaborative filtering query algorithm can be arranged to include the dynamic playlist itself, which becomes especially meaningful subsequent successive playlist updates. The algorithm can also include user play pattern data including manual intervention detected during playing of contents associated with the dynamic playlist, or rating data indicative of preference or distaste for selected content items.
The method for creating a dynamic playlist also includes accessing a database configured to include meta-data elements, wherein each element defines at least one relationship between a user and a respective content item, identifying at least one meta-category from the database, and updating the database to include at least parts of the dynamic playlist.
The method for creating a dynamic playlist also includes applying a reordering algorithm to the filtered first result set to obtain the dynamic playlist. The ordering algorithm is selected from a group of algorithms including a ranking algorithm, a random element removal algorithm, a retention of top N most popular elements algorithm, and a pairing sort algorithm.
In a separate embodiment, a respective second result set is obtained for each meta-category, wherein the respective second result set includes meta-data identifying all content items fitting any at least one criterion of each meta-category. An ordering algorithm is applied to the second result set to obtain the dynamic playlist.
The pairing sort algorithm begins with selecting a first and second item from the playlist, determining if both elements are in an elements table, inserting whichever element is missing into the elements table, incrementing by 1 a pair link between the first and second elements, and incrementing by 1 a counter associated with the second element. If a pair link exists between the first and second items, the algorithm inserts a new pair link of strength 1 between the first and second items and increments by 1 a counter associated with the second item. If a pair link does not exist between the first and second items, and if another item remains in the playlist, the algorithm identifies the first item as the second item and the other item as the second item. The sequence is repeated until no items remain in the playlist.
Alternatively, the input set can either be associated with other input sets by a profile ID, or be a seed user profile, i.e., a single individual or source that submits the input sets, or the input set is simply collected on a stand-alone basis. This allows the creation of aggregate profiles between a series of queries or seed actions. Finally, if the action is a query, several profile ID's could be used to create a composite view of the multiple profiles, such as, for example, to find a song both a husband and wife would enjoy.
The pairing sort algorithm as applied to at least one user profile begins with selecting a seed user profile, and processes the steps of comparing the seed user profile against all available profiles, ranking all compared profiles by similarity to the selected seed profile, clustering the most similar profiles with the seed profile, counting the frequency of all elements in the clustered profiles, building a hash profile of the most frequent items to represent each respective cluster, placing the respective hash profile in a hash table, removing the seed and clustered profiles from the profile list, identifying a next user profile, if available, as the seed user profile, and continuing the sequence until no profiles are available.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features of the present invention and the attendant advantages will be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art, and the invention will be more easily understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters represent like parts throughout the several views.
FIG. 1 is a highly simplified schematic drawing of components of the dynamic playlist system 100 according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic drawing showing more details the system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a logic flow diagram of the basic mode dynamic playlist algorithm according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a logic flow diagram of the recommendation mode dynamic playlist algorithm according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of the recommendation mode dynamic playlist algorithm according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a sample pairing sort system according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a logic flow diagram of a sample pairing sort seed algorithm according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a simplified logic flow diagram of a hash clustering system according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A simplified arrangement of components of the dynamic playlist system 100 according to the present invention is schematically shown in FIG. 1, which includes a dynamic playlist content player 10 , a content provider system 20 , and a sort server 30 , all interconnected by a communications interface 40 . Any number of computers 10 , 20 , and 30 can be interconnected according to the present invention. For example, multiple client computers 10 can obtain content provided by one or more content provider computers 20 .
Communications interface 40 can be any type of bus, local area network, wide area network, or a global network such as the Internet. Alternatively, communications interface 40 includes wireless communications, satellite connections, or any other connection means, and is not shown in detail as such interfaces are well-known and commonly used in conjunction with distributed systems.
In a dynamic playlist, the playlist items can be played in linear order, as is done with a traditional playlist, or in more exotic sequences after application of sorting or ordering algorithms. For example, the playlist items can be sorted by grouping frequency, i.e., application of a pairing sort to the items. User profiles can be applied to the sorting process, i.e., by ranking items based on the user's meta-data, as discussed later, in connection with FIG. 8 . The items can be ranked by other user order frequencies, such as, for example, the order reflected in use by other users. While these all create a much more interesting playback order, somewhat like having a disk jockey who understands both the music/videos and the person listening/watching them, the most useful aspect of a dynamic playlist is the dynamic addition and subtraction.
Specifically, meta-elements can be added to the playlist, such as with music, the addition of an artist to the playlist. Then, when the playlist is used, the playlist queries a main server for the existence of content relating to that meta-data. I.e. adding an artist or group would add the entire given artist or groups content to the playlist, or would add the content not removed by anti-links (listed dislikes) existing in a user's profile. Additionally, it could be configured to add the content that was highest ranked as returned by a collaborative filtering query focused on the rest of the playlist's content, up to a certain number of songs. What this would allow is the creation of themed playlists that were random, yet fit together. Additionally, it would allow users to subscribe to artists and automatically have their playlists updated with new content, such as when an artist releases a new song, by having playlists which contained the meta-category of a particular artist included in their playlist. That would be a valuable opportunity for both users and artists to connect.
A playlist could also be made entirely of meta-elements. For example, it could contain two artists (a meta-category). First the system would build a result list of all the elements which have the meta-categories which are in the playlist, such as all the songs an artist has produced. Next, a collaborative filtering query could be executed on the result list, to rank and/or cull the items that the current user would most enjoy in the list. After that, various randomization or ordering algorithms could be applied to make the playlist “flow” in an effective manner from item to item. For example, the pairing sort described in FIG. 6, to be described later, could be executed. A playlist made in that manner would be fresh each time it was played, as it would pick new content and alter its playback order each time it was used.
Additionally, several ranking and/or culling techniques can be applied to the generated playlists before or during playback. For example, a pairing order sort could be applied to the playlist, which would have the effect of ordering it in the most popular order. Therefore, musical pieces could be ordered to flow in the manner that most people have ordered them, which will most likely result in the most compatible ordering. A sample pairing sort routine is shown in FIG. 6, to be described later. Additionally, the most incompatible elements could optionally be discarded from the sorted list.
As another example, a popularity sort could also be applied, wherein the results are then ranked based on overall popularity among all listeners, or the subset closest to the current playlist creator. As another option, the least popular items could be culled, or given higher weightings if the user desired. Other common sort mechanisms, such as by artist, random, meta-category, least popular, or album ordered could also be implemented.
FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of FIG. 1 in greater detail, including a simplified schematic diagram of the major functional components of the dynamic playlist system 100 . The arrangement of FIG. 2 is one of many possible arrangements of the functional elements of the present invention and serves to facilitate their description and general concept of the present invention. Other arrangements will be described later.
The dynamic playlist system 100 is conceptionally organized into three separate systems, including a dynamic playlist content player system 110 and content provider server system 120 arranged to operate in a known client-server mode. Sort server system 130 is optional to the extent that its function is to provide sophisticated filtering services by way of collaborative filtering algorithms, and operates in support of the dynamic playlist content player system 110 in those embodiments calling for such services. Moreover, content item storage can be a shared function with local storage being locally accessible by dynamic playlist content player system 110 with additional content being accessible from remote storage associated with one or more content provider systems 120 .
The dynamic playlist client system 110 includes a content player 10 , which includes known devices for playback of audio or video files, taking the form of popular computer programs for use on personal computers, as well as integrated video and audio stereo systems. In the preferred embodiment, content player 10 is operably connected to a content selection program 11 and a playback program 12 arranged to operatively control peripheral devices including an output device 13 , which can be any device configured to play or display file objects such as, for example, audio, graphic, and video files. Video files can include motion picture films, computer games, and the like. Content player 10 also includes, and is operably responsive to, known input, display, memory, and processor devices commonly associated with computers. Content player 10 includes a data storage device 15 configured to operate one of any type of data storage model, including, but not limited to, a relational data base. Regardless of the data storage model employed, data storage device 15 includes storage of a meta-data playlist 16 , optional storage of local content items 17 , and at least one user profile 18 , all to be described later.
The content provider system 120 includes a content provider server 20 , which is a local storage system 22 configured for storing content items, such as, for example, audio or video content items. The content items stored on content provider system 20 are stored in any of the known data storage models, such as, for example, a relational database. Stored content items are associated with respective meta-information, both of which can be accessed over communication interface 40 by content selection program 11 located on content player 10 . As discussed in detail below, retrieved content items optionally can be post-processed by data mining relational algorithms 32 located on sort server 30 and sorting and culling algorithms 14 associated with the content player 10 , and then output on output device 13 . Any of the known relational algorithms can be used in connection with the present invention and all variations of algorithm type and installation configurations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention, such as, for example, the Firefly system as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,081, the Hey systems as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,870,579 and 4,996,642, or the approaches in the Rose system as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,567. All variations of algorithm type and installation configurations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
A sort server system 130 includes a server 30 configured to run profile based subjective recommendation or data mining algorithms 32 , which also are not shown in detail, as their use is well-known and commonly used in the art of collaborative and recommendation filtering. Alternatively, algorithms 32 can be located at any of the three computers 10 , 20 , and 30 , provided sufficient computational power and network throughout are available. The sort server 30 is comprised of a known collaborative filtering engine and a pairing sort system, as described in FIGS. 6 and 7.
It should be understood that the present invention might be readily adapted for alternate embodiments and modes of operation. For example, the content selection program 11 and playback program 12 could be accomplished using the directory structure of a hard drive, or the indexed database of content to which a user has access. The dynamic playlist system could be implemented in a variety of devices and mediums. For example, a computer program written in any of the many languages such as C++, that would allow advanced data structures on any platform that would allow content playback, could serve as the playlist content player 10 . Another form of the playlist content player 10 could take the form of a set top television box, or be within a stereo sound system, with the database of available titles being stored either within the devices themselves, or on a remote server system, which, potentially, can also serve the content. Additionally, aspects of the sort server system 130 and the content provider system 120 can be integrated into the content player system 110 .
FIG. 3 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating operation of one embodiment, the basic form, in which only a content provider 120 and a playlist consumer 110 are required. At step S 1 , when a playlist is executed, the playlist consumer picks a seed meta-category from the playlist. At step S 2 , It then queries available content providers for all content pieces fitting the seed meta-category. At step S 3 , optionally, it then applies ranking or culling algorithms to the results, such as randomly removing elements, or only keeping the top N most popular result items. Next, at step S 4 it inserts the results into the play queue, and continues at steps S 5 and S 6 to the next meta-category in the playlist and repeats the process. Finally, at step S 7 , it performs an optional ranking or culling sort on the play queue, such as randomizing the play order, and begins playback. This mode of operation can be implemented in a non networked environment, but is less powerful than the recommendation mode of operation, to be described next, as it cannot apply advanced sort routines to the playlist. However, it does allow a playlist can be unique each time it is expanded, and can add new content without having to modify the playlist when the content providers make new content accessible.
FIG. 4 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating operation of one alternate embodiment, called the recommendation form, in which a third system element, sort server system 130 , is added to the basic form illustrated in FIG. 3 . The addition of a central sort server system 130 allows advanced profile based collaborative filtering or pairing sort queries to be performed upon the dynamic playlists. In operation, the recommendation form playlist expansion is similar to that of the basic form, with the addition of the more sophisticated sort algorithms ranking and culling results after each step.
At step S 8 , a meta-category is chosen as the seed from the playlist. At step S 9 , the content providers are queried for available content in the seed meta-category and then the result content list is ranked and culled by performing a collaborative filtering query based on any static items within the playlist, with any results not in the content list received from the content providers discarded. At optional step S 10 , any additional ranking or culling algorithms can be performed, such as randomly discarding some elements, or ranking based on raw popularity. Next, at steps S 11 -S 13 the content list is inserted into the play queue, and the next meta-category in the playlist is chosen. At that point the process is repeated, using the results currently in the play queue to seed a collaborative filtering request after each list of available content pieces is returned from the content providers. Upon seeding the play queue with all meta-categories, a final ranking and culling pass can be performed, using any of the common playlist manipulation algorithms, and optionally, a pairing sort algorithm, to be described in connection with FIGS. 6 and 7.
Finally, playback can commence. As items are played back from the play queue, the system also reports to the sort server that the user has listened to the item, to allow the collaborative filtering system to increase its understanding of the content. Additionally, each time two songs are listened to in sequence, their pairing is submitted to the sort server's pairing sort system to allow the pairing sorted to increase its understanding of the content as well.
FIG. 5 is a preferred rearrangement of the “client-server” configuration shown in FIG. 2, wherein elements in common between FIGS. 2 and 5 share common reference numerals. Dynamic playlist content player 50 serves as content player 10 and further includes local content storage functionality as well as operating to access content stored remotely at content provider 120 . This jukebox style arrangement includes a program configured to access aspects of sort server 30 and content provider system 20 . The content player 10 is operably connected with content selection program 11 , the playback program 12 , at least one sorting and culling algorithm program 14 , stored content items 22 , and an output device 13 .
In operation, the dynamic playlist content player system 50 preferably is connected over the Internet to a separate sort server system 130 , and is configured to access both local content 22 and available streamable content 22 from content provider systems 120 . Thus, many content players can access any of multiple content provider systems as well as their respective individually stored content. The content provider systems 120 include a known indexed database of content items and respective meta-information. The content provider system is implemented using a relational database such as, for example, the Oracle™ relational database. The content providers serve their available content by any known means, such as, for example, through a streaming media server like RealServer™ or via known direct http streaming systems, such as Icecast™.
In the preferred embodiment, a user using system 50 builds a playlist containing both local content items and streamable items. The playlist is a stored index of meta-data elements each having an association with separately stored one or more content items. The content items may be stored locally or are streamable from a remote content provider. The meta-data elements can be of any configuration, and preferably include descriptors of at least one associated content item and optionally include descriptors relating to preferences of one or more users.
When the user plays the playlist, the playlist is submitted to the sort server system 130 , which performs the algorithm described in connection with FIG. 2 to expand all meta-categories into specific content items, by drawing upon the content available from the user's locally stored content pool and from streaming content providers. The system the returns the expanded playlist to the jukebox program, which then uses the playlist like a standard static playlist. Optionally, when the user expresses dislike for a particular content item, either by skipping the item or through a rating system, the system records such instances in the meta-data associated with the user, i.e., the user profile. Upon resubmission of the playlist to the sort server, a new playlist now adapted to the expressed tastes of the playlist listener is generated and the rejected content items are not selected based on the updated user profile. After the user stops or plays completely through the playlist, the list is submitted to the sort server to execute a pairing algorithm, described in connection with in FIGS. 6 and 7, to allow the pairing sort engine shown in FIG. 6 to further adapt to how the user ordered the playlist.
FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic diagram of a sample pairing sort engine suitable for use by dynamic playlist system 100 to further adapt to how the user ordered the playlist. Other pairing algorithms which produce comparable results are also suitable in the present invention. CPU 60 receives input 62 in the form of the playlist as executed by the user using dynamic contest content player system 110 . CPU 62 applies a flow order sort algorithm, or pair sort algorithm, illustrated in FIG. 7, to input 62 and updates elements table 64 and pairs table 66 , stores the result for further use and optionally makes the result available on display 68 .
FIG. 7 is a simplified flow diagram of the flow order sort algorithm used in the sample pairing sort engine shown in FIG. 6 . At step S 20 , system 100 selects the first two items, item 1 and item 2 , in the playlist. At steps S 21 and S 22 , if it is determined that both items (elements) are not in the elements table 64 shown in FIG. 6, then the missing items(s) are inserted into table 64 . At steps S 23 -S 25 , the system increments a weight between the first item and the second item. This is accomplished, by determining that both items are in the elements table and whether a pair link exists between item 1 and item 2 . If a pair link does not exist, then at step S 24 , a new pair link of strength 1 is inserted between items 1 and 2 and a TotalLinks counter of item 2 is incremented by 1. If a pair link does exist between items 1 and 2 , then at step S 25 , the existing link in incremented by 1 and the TotalLinks counter of item 2 is incremented by 1. In either case, after the appropriate insertion step, step S 26 determines whether more items exist in the playlist. If yes, at step S 27 , the inquiry is advanced by one item in the playlist so that item 2 becomes item 1 and a new item becomes item 2 . If no more items remain in the playlist, then at step S 28 , the sort ends.
FIG. 8 is a simplified flow diagram of a hash clustering system according to the present invention in which successive seed profiles are compared with all profiles. At step S 39 , the dynamic playlist system 100 selects a user profile 18 from storage 17 and at step S 40 , compares the seed against all profiles available to system 100 . At step S 41 , all compared profiles are ranked by similarity to the selected seed profile. At step S 42 , the most similar profiles are clustered with the seed profile, and at step S 43 , the frequency of all elements in the clustered profiles are counted. At step S 44 , the most frequent items are used to build a hash profile to represent each respective cluster, and at step S 45 , the respective hash profile is placed in a hash table and the seed and clustered profiles are removed from the profile list. If more profiles are left to be considered, then at step S 46 , select the next user profile, make it the seed profile, and continue the sequence at step S 40 .
While this invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternative modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the invention as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. | Method and system provided for creating a dynamic playlist including meta-data having potential association with a respective content item configured to be played on a content player, and having dynamic addition of subtraction of playlist items. The system maintains a database of linkages between elements associated with content items as well as weighted linkages between elements and respective properties. The system is a hybrid content based and collaborative filtering system, wherein the insertion of a new item into the database results in the new item sharing preference weights and number of preferences associated with items pre-existing in the database. Thus, an initial input query list of items potentially results in the return of many content, called a “dynamic playlist”, has a high correlation with the user's preference or with whatever other basis was used to frame the input list, and individual content items on the dynamic playlist may not have been previously experienced by the user. | 8 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not applicable.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0004] The present invention relates to normalizing readings on testing machines, and more particular to normalizing photon count readings on testing machines having more than one photon counter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART
[0005] Testing of biological samples is often carried out using, for example, wet chemistry, in conjunction with automatic testing machines. In some such tests, samples are dispensed in reaction trays having a plurality of wells for handling a plurality of samples, with the analysis of the different samples often involving counting photons emitted from the samples. There is no known single photon counting standard, however, and, therefore, it is only possible to obtain relative relationships between single photon sources and photon detectors (photon counters).
[0006] Further, there is an intrinsic variability among photomultiplier tubes used to count photons, which variability requires a normalization method to obtain similar count values among different photon counters, such as are typically encountered in testing machines (a plurality of photon counters facilitates higher volume testing). In such cases, for example with the ABBOTT PRISM™ System available from Abbott Laboratories, Inc. of 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, Ill. 60064, the testing machine may have a plurality of different tracks for different types of tests, with each track having two photon counters, which are used in conjunction with trays having a plurality of rows of wells, with each row having two wells (e.g., two columns of wells in eight rows). In use, a tray is advanced through the testing machine row by row, with one photon counter counting photons emitted from each well of one column of wells and the second photon counter counting photons emitted from each well of the other (adjacent) column of wells.
[0007] Given the intrinsic variability and extremely sensitive nature of photon counters, however, it is essentially impossible to expect that each of the photon counters will be identical, or will obtain identical results even under identical conditions (which can never be achieved in any event). Therefore, it has been necessary to normalize the readings obtained by different photon counters, that is, to determine a factor of difference between the photon counters, which may be used to obtain comparable results among a plurality of photon counters. For example, in a simplified example, if a known source is read, and one photon counter is found to return readings that are 10% higher than the known source, and the other photon counter is found to return readings that match what would be expected from the known source, readings taken during testing by the former photon counter would be reduced to take into account the 10% overcount, thereby giving test results that are therefore more reliable. Of course, accurate test results are particularly critical in many such biological testing situations, because incorrect results are not merely testing failures, but may also result in a misdiagnosis of an individual's condition and subsequent improper treatment of a patient.
[0008] In order to determine normalization values among photon counters of a testing machine, optic module verification tools (OMVT) have heretofore been used. Such devices are essentially duplicates of reaction trays, including at least one well in each column (i.e., associated with each photon counter) having a known photon emitter.
[0009] The well of a tray 10 including such a prior art photon emitter in one of the wells of the tray is illustrated in FIG. 1 . Specifically, the photon emitter 20 is disposed beneath a tray well 22 , and includes an optic standard 26 contained within a capsule 28 , both of which rest on a cap 30 . Suitably secured over the optic standard 26 is a filter glass 34 , and a foam support 36 is provided at the bottom of the tray 22 to assist in locating the filter glass 34 at the desired position adjacent the bottom of the tray well 22 . The optic standard 26 is carbon-14 (C 14 ) mixed with a suitable epoxy resin as a soup or slurry, which is then cast in the desired plug shape.
[0010] For normalization, the photon emission of each photon emitter is first measured according to a standard. For example, normalization trays have been measured at a central location where such standardized measurements can take place, with each photon emitter assigned the measured photon count. Such normalization trays have then been distributed for use with testing machines, with one normalization tray provided at each geographic location where a testing machine is found.
[0011] At each testing machine, the normalization tray is run through the machine one or more times in order to obtain a photon count by each photon counter from the photon emitter associated therewith. The photons counted at the test machine by each photon counter are then been compared to the assigned measured photon count as previously determined for each photon emitter, with those values used to normalize the results obtained by the different photon counters, when photons emitted from test specimens are subsequently counted.
[0012] Unfortunately, while the photon emitter such as described above might be thought to be subject to little decay, because it is based on C 14 having a long half-life (5568 years), experience has shown that the photons emitted by such emitters in fact may decay relatively quickly, so that the quantity of emitted photons may fall below a desired minimum level in as short a period of time as a few months. In that case, a new optic module verification device (normalization tray) can be obtained from the central location (or the old one must be essentially completely remanufactured with a new photon emitter) with normalization values obtained against the standard. Alternatively, the device can continue to be used after being re-measured according to the standard, but with photon emissions that are below the preferred minimum level for reliable normalization of the test machine. Neither option is preferred for both cost and operational reasons.
[0013] The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] In one aspect of the present invention, an optic module verification device is provided for use for periodic normalization of a testing machine used to test samples in wells of reaction trays, where the testing machine includes X photon counters, which each count photons emitted from different tray wells, where X is an integer greater than 1. The verification device includes a verification tray defining at least X verification wells and a photon emitter in each verification well. The verification wells are located so as to each be associated with a different one of the photon counters when used in the testing machine. Each photon emitter includes a C 14 source, a scintillator adjacent the C 14 source, and a filter over the scintillator, wherein each photon emitter has a determined initial base value for emitted photons, and each photon emitter is positioned in its verification well to emit photons through the filter to the associated photon counter when used in the testing machine.
[0015] In one embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the filter is a neutral density glass filter.
[0016] In another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the scintillator is a plastic element with opposite generally flat surfaces. In a further embodiment, one surface of the scintillator is abraded, e.g., roughened, to minimize internal reflectivity.
[0017] In still another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the verification device includes an open bottom tray in each of the verification wells, and the photon emitters are positioned beneath the bottom of the tray with the filter adjacent the opening in the bottom of the tray. In a further embodiment, a capsule is removably securable to a cap to define a space therebetween for enclosing the photon emitter, the capsule including a shoulder surrounding an opening against which the filter is secured, and a spring is positioned between the cap and the C 14 source to bias the C 14 source and the scintillator against the filter. In still a further embodiment, the capsule shoulder is aligned with the opening in the bottom of the tray.
[0018] In yet another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, additional wells in the verification device are closed to prevent emission of photons, with the additional wells each being positioned so as to be associated with one of the photon counters.
[0019] In another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the testing machine is adapted to count photons of a selected wavelength of light based on designed wet chemistry for a test specimen, and the scintillator mimics the selected wavelength of light.
[0020] In still another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the C 14 source comprises a steel disk having a surface adjacent the scintillator, the surface coated with C 14 having about five (5) micro-curies of activity.
[0021] In yet another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, a mylar coating overlies the C 14 coating on the surface of the steel disk.
[0022] In another aspect of the present invention, a modular photon emitter is provided, the emitter including a spring, a disk including a Beta source, a plastic scintillator disk adjacent the Beta source, a neutral density filter over the scintillator disk, and a bottom cap and a capsule securable together to define a cylindrical chamber with an opening at one end of the capsule. The spring, the disk including a Beta source, the plastic scintillator disk, and the filter are encapsulated in the cylindrical chamber with the filter adjacent the aforementioned opening at one end of the capsule and the spring biasing the disk including a Beta source and the plastic scintillator disk toward the opening.
[0023] In one embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the surface of the scintillator disk adjacent the Beta source disk is roughened.
[0024] In another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the Beta source is C 14 .
[0025] In still another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the capsule includes an annular face surrounding the opening, and the filter is secured against the annular face.
[0026] In yet another embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the bottom cap and the capsule include mating threads for releasably securing the bottom cap and the capsule together.
[0027] In still another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for periodically normalizing two photon counters of a testing machine used to test samples in wells of reaction trays by counting photons emitted from the wells of the reaction trays. The method includes the step of (a) initially providing a verification device having two photon emitters, each photon emitter including a C 14 source, a scintillator adjacent the C 14 source, and a filter over the scintillator. Then, in step (b) normalized reference values for each photon emitter are determined, in step (c) photons emitted from the photon emitters of the verification device are counted on the testing machine, wherein one of the photon counters counts the photons emitted from one of the photon emitters and the other photon counter counts the photons emitted from the other photon emitter, in step (d) normalization values for the photon counters are determined based on the normalized reference values and the photons emitted from the photon emitters counted by the photon counters, in step (e) samples are tested in wells of the reaction tray by counting photons using the two photon counters, and in step (f) the values of photons counted from the samples are normalized using the normalization values. Then, in step (g), steps (e) and (f) are repeated to test a plurality of reaction trays having wells with samples therein, and in step (h), steps (c) and (d) are periodically repeated. When the counted photons in step (c) fall below a predetermined value, the verification device is updated by replacing the scintillator of each photon emitter, and repeating steps (b) through (h).
[0028] In one embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the scintillators are chosen so that the photon emitters each have an initial reference value for emitted photons as determined in step (b) within a selected range, with the predetermined value being the lower end of the selected range.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a well of a normalization tray according to the prior art;
[0030] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a photon emitter according to the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a normalization tray according to the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of two wells of a normalization tray according to the present invention, with one well including a photon emitter;
[0033] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the normalization tray according to the present invention;
[0034] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating use of the normalization tray according to the present invention with a testing machine having two photon counters;
[0035] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the decay of photon emissions during the useful life of a normalization tray according to the prior art; and
[0036] FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the decay of photon emissions during the useful life of a normalization tray according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0037] A normalization tray 100 with photon emitters 102 for use in normalizing readings on a testing machine or instrument 104 (see FIG. 6 ) is illustrated in FIGS. 2-5 .
[0038] The tray 100 includes a base 110 beneath a reaction tray 112 defining a plurality of wells 114 , specifically sixteen wells 114 in two columns of wells having eight rows (see FIG. 3 ). It should be appreciated that not all of the wells are used with this normalization tray 100 , but that such a configuration is advantageously used to match the configuration of trays used in testing so that the normalization tray 100 can be conveniently handled in the testing machine 104 . Thus, screw plugs 120 can be advantageously secured in those wells 114 that are not actually used for normalization (e.g., by securing those plugs in threaded inserts 122 in the tray base 110 as shown in FIG. 4 ).
[0039] A photon emitter 102 according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4 . The photon emitter 102 includes a stainless steel knurled bottom cap 130 with a suitable spring member 132 (e.g., a wave spring such as illustrated) disposed therein. Supported above the spring member 132 is a C 14 source 140 , a plastic scintillator disk 146 , and a suitable filter glass 150 .
[0040] The C 14 source 140 can advantageously be a steel disk with a C 14 plating on the top surface of the disk and a mylar coating thereon, with sufficient C 14 applied to provide about 5 micro-curies of activity.
[0041] The scintillator disk 146 absorbs energy emitted by the C 14 source 140 and, in response, fluoresces photons at a characteristic wavelength. The material of the plastic scintillator disk 146 can thus be selected so as to generate photons at the wavelength to be detected by the testing machine 104 . For example, if the testing machine 104 operates to count photons in a blue wavelength (e.g., about 420 nanometers) to determine wet chemistry test results for biological samples, a plastic scintillator disk 146 that will emit photons at about 420 nanometers (such as a polyvinyl toluene disk) can advantageously be chosen for inclusion in the photon emitter 102 . For example, an Eljen-212 plastic scintillator disk (having a polyvinyltoluene polymer base, and available from Eljen Technology, 300 Crane Street, Sweetwater, Tex. 79556) having a half inch diameter and 0.020 inch thickness can be used.
[0042] Further, it has been found that abrading, e.g., roughening or sanding, at least one flat surface of the scintillator disk 146 (so as to not have the smoother surface generally produced by molding of such disks) will advantageously minimize internal reflectivity of the plastic scintillator disk 146 . For example, sanding of the material of the plastic scintillator disk can be advantageously performed using a random-orbital sander and 400 grit sandpaper, with the sanding (wet or dry) performed to yield a uniform scoring/dullness of the cast sheet of scintillation material. The operation is done to yield a level of scoring/dullness involving only the briefest exposure to the sander, with the sanding removing less than 5% of the original thickness of the cast sheet of scintillation material. Glass-bead blasting is another method that has also been found to acceptably mar the plastic scintillator disk 146 . Preferably, only the side of the plastic scintillator disk 146 that faces the Beta source (C 14 source 140 ) is sanded, with the other side of the plastic scintillator disk 146 being left alone.
[0043] The filter glass 150 serves to knock back some of the light, and thereby helps the photon counters (photodiscriminators) better count single photon events. For example, a Schott NG-5 neutral grey glass density filter can be advantageously used (e.g., a filter having a half inch diameter and thickness of about 0.079 inch).
[0044] A cylindrical stainless steel capsule 160 is configured so as to encapsulate the spring 132 , the C 14 source 140 , the plastic scintillator disk 146 , and the filter glass 150 . As best shown in FIG. 2 , the capsule 160 includes an outer threaded portion 162 so that it can be secured to the bottom cap 130 by screwing into an inner thread 164 of the bottom cap 130 . Further, the upper end of the capsule 160 is tapered so as to generally match the underside of the tapered well 114 of the reaction tray 112 , and the upper end of the capsule 160 further includes a downwardly facing annular surface 168 adapted to be engaged against the upper face of the filter glass 150 .
[0045] The filter glass 150 can be suitably secured to the capsule 160 , by means of gluing, by means of a low bloom “super glue” (e.g., cyanoacrylate glue that does not evaporate out onto the surrounding surfaces). A relief groove 170 around the capsule's annular surface 168 can be advantageously provided for excess glue from that attachment, helping to also ensure that glue does not disadvantageously leak onto the top of the filter glass 150 , through which photons are intended to pass.
[0046] It should be appreciated, therefore, that the photon emitters 102 will be reliably configured with the plastic scintillator disk 146 and the C 14 source 140 pressed up against the underside of the filter glass 150 by the spring 132 .
[0047] Foam member(s) 180 or other suitable spring-like member(s) can also be advantageously provided beneath the photon emitter(s) 102 near the bottom of the tray base 110 to ensure that the photon emitter(s) 102 are positioned precisely as desired, with the filter glass 150 against the bottom of the well 114 defining portion of the reaction tray 112 .
[0048] As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the tray 100 can include a row with two wells 114 A, 114 B with photon emitters 102 A, 102 B. Adjacent wells 114 C, 114 D can be provided with black pieces of foam material 184 to block the openings at the bottom of the wells 114 C, 114 D to provide wells where no photons will be present (and thereby provide a check when normalizing the photon counters).
[0049] FIG. 6 illustrates how to use the tray 100 of the present invention to normalize the photon counters of a testing machine or analyzer 104 , that is, as would occur when testing samples (in which test results can be determined by counting the photons generated by wet chemistry on, e.g., biological samples in different wells of a similar tray, with the wet chemistry of the sample generating light via chemical luminescence, wherein the quantity of light emitted is proportional to the chemical reactivity). The tray 100 is moved through a track 190 of the analyzer 104 so as to index the tray wells 114 beneath photodiscriminators or photon counters 200 A, 200 B of the analyzer 104 . Photon counts are recorded for at least wells 114 A, 114 B, and preferably also wells 114 C, 114 D (to verify that essentially no photons are counted at wells 114 C, 114 D). (A suitable shroud surrounding the wells 114 and photon counters 200 A, 200 B can be provided to prevent environmental photons from affecting the count; however, that shroud has been omitted from the figures for the sake of simplification.) In this manner (as discussed below and essentially as previously accomplished), the readings determined by the photon counters 200 A and 200 B can be normalized so that readings taken during actual tests of samples can be relied upon as accurate.
[0050] Specifically, the tray 100 according to the present invention, once manufactured, is first tested by a reference device to determine a normalized verification value for each photon emitter 102 A, 102 B, and those verification values are recorded on the tray 100 for each photon emitter 102 A, 102 B. For example, one of the photon emitters 102 A may be determined to emit 12,000 photons in a given time frame whereas the other photon emitter 102 B may emit only 11,500 photons in that time frame.
[0051] The tray 100 is then sent to a facility for use in connection with that facility's testing machine 104 , such as a PRISM® testing machine available from Abbott Laboratories, Inc. To use, the tray 100 is periodically run through the testing machine 104 , with the recorded verification values of each photon emitter 102 A, 102 B checked against the readings taken by that machine's photon counters 200 A, 200 B. During such periodic testing (e.g., once a month or so), the tray 100 is run through the testing machine 104 , with readings taken of a plurality of photon counts (e.g., ten counts) for each photon emitter 102 A, 102 B. Those readings can be evaluated for consistency (e.g., if the standard deviation divided by the mean of the readings for a photon emitter 102 A or 102 B is greater than 0.1, a problem with the photon counter 200 A or 200 B used to count photons from the emitter 102 A or 102 B is indicated).
[0052] During such use of the tray 100 for normalizing readings in the photon counters 200 A, 200 B, it has been found that over time there will be some decay in the quantity of photons emitted, notwithstanding the long half-life of C 14 . However, for the normalization process, it is preferred that the photon counts not vary by more than about 10% of the verification values determined for the photon emitters 102 A, 102 B during manufacture.
[0053] However, as illustrated in FIG. 7 for the prior art photon emitter 20 illustrated in FIG. 1 , a tray 10 having an emitter with an initial photon count of 12,000 has been found to decay to the point of failure, with unacceptably low photon emissions relative to the initial verification values that it can essentially be considered to fail in less than 200 days. At that point, the tray 10 has heretofore been returned to the manufacturing facility (e.g., in Dallas, Tex. for the PRISM® testing machine, available from Abbott Laboratories) so that new verification values can be determined, although those values are at a much lower value than preferred (e.g., less than 10,000 photons in a given time frame), and will thereafter decay even further. While the tray 10 has then been used thereafter for a while, eventually, the photon count of the refurbished tray 10 will have fallen so low that it can no longer be used. At that point (e.g., about a year in total), the tray 10 is no longer suitable for use and a new tray must be manufactured and shipped to the testing facility to maintain the testing machine 104 .
[0054] By contrast, as illustrated in FIG. 8 , the photon emitters 102 of the present invention have been found to decay much more slowly, such that unacceptably low photon emissions are not first encountered for nearly 1½ years (versus less than 200 days with the prior art). At that point, the tray 100 can be shipped back to the manufacturing facility, and the tray can be advantageously refurbished by merely replacing the plastic scintillator disks 146 in the photon emitters 102 . In this case, the photon counts of the refurbished photon emitters 102 may actually turn out to be higher than in the original tray 100 , and thus not only can the tray 100 be used nearly three times as long (about three years versus one year with the prior art tray 10 ), but after being refurbished the photon counts will be in the desirable range.
[0055] It should thus be appreciated that the normalization tray 100 and photon emitters 102 according to the present invention are modular and portable. They are also customizable for different light spectra by changing the configurations and dimensions of the component parts. Moreover, the radioactive source, the plastic scintillator disk, the neutral density filter, and/or the spacing of components can variously be changed to provide portable stable normalization sources for a wide variety of instrument reader assemblies, photomultiplier tubes, and other photon counting devices. Further, the components of the present invention can be easily manufactured with reliable repeatability.
[0056] Still other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention can be obtained from a study of the specification, the drawings, and the appended claims. It should be understood, however, that the present invention could be used in alternate forms where less than all of the objects and advantages of the present invention and preferred embodiment as described above would be obtained. | An optic module verification device for normalizing between X photon counters, including a verification tray with X verification wells and a modular photon emitter in each verification well. Each photon emitter includes a spring, a Beta source disk, a scintillator disk adjacent the Beta source disk, and a neutral density filter over the scintillator disk, all of which are encapsulated in a cylindrical chamber with the filter adjacent an opening on one end of the chamber and the spring biasing the Beta source disk and the scintillator disk toward the opening. The device is periodically used for normalization, and may be updated when emitted photons fall below a desired level by replacing the scintillator disk and then determining a new normalized reference values for each photon emitter. | 6 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to axial tumbler locks, and, more particularly, relates to an improved type of construction for tubular wafer tumbler locks which can be automatically manufactured and assembled along with a cast combinated key at very low cost without machining operations. The preliminary form of such a lock was disclosed in Disclosure Document No. 165575, filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 9, 1987.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,436 discloses a tubular lock structure of the type with which the present invention is concerned. The lock of that patent has been in commercial use. While that lock did provide the desirable aspects of manufacture and assembly without machining operations as well as the capability of casting a corresponding combinated key, there were several areas of deficiency with respect to the construction and manner of assembly of the components which limited the versatility of the lock. Also, the particular component structures did not readily lend themselves to fully automated assembly to minimize manufacturing costs for achieving optimum advantages of this type of tubular lock construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the general aim of the present invention to provide an improved axial wafer tumbler lock construction which is extremely low in cost to manufacture without machining operations and automatically assemblable economically in high volumes.
A related object is to provide an improved wafer tumbler tubular lock, the components of which including cast combinated keys can be readily produced for multi-purposes and with greatly increased versatility for the basic lock construction.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved tubular wafer tumbler lock of the above type which enables an increased number of key combinations to be incorporated as well as allowing system-keying and master-keying of such a low cost, high volume producible lock.
These and other objects of this invention are realized by providing a basic three-component construction including a shell, spindle plug and rear cap wherein generally T-shaped wafer tumblers are held in open notches in the spindle plug by springs and a multi-purpose cam stop washer retains the forward end of the tumblers in the plug during assembly and then after assembly serves to conceal the outside readability of the tumbler lock-up combinations while also defining the rotational limits of travel of the spindle plug.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the spindle plug carries six wafer tumblers which are combinated with respect to first splines at the forward end of the shell and second splines on the forward face of a cap at the rearward end which allows lock up and key pulls at 15° increments. In addition, the rearward cap has rearwardly facing notches that enable varying angular positioning of a lock plug assembly within special purpose shells. In an exemplary embodiment, such a shell is provided where the lock assembly can be inserted from the front and held in place with a removable bezel ring that has internal splines acting with a lock washer provided with forwardly projecting lugs that serve to prevent removal of the bezel when the lock structure is mounted onto an application surface. The structural arrangement of the lock construction of the present invention, for example, readily lends itself to various speciality applications such as the combination of a cam lock and switch lock which can be provided at extremely low cost even for such highly specialized desired applications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention and further objects and advantages thereof will be made apparent by reference to the ensuing description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of certain components of the tubular axial wafer tumbler lock according to the preferred embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a cast combinated key used with the lock of this invention;
FIG. 3 is a vertical section through the key taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view partly in section of a tubular wafer tumbler lock constructed according to the preferred embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 5 is a vertical elevation view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line 7--7 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a view taken along the line 8--8 of FIG. 7 here showing the cylinder plug, tumbler and cam washer assembly for insertion in the shell;
FIG. 9 is a view taken along the line 9--9 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 10 is a rear elevational view taken along the line 10--10 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative shell embodiment incorporating the components of the lock of the present invention, here showing a removable front bezel and lock washer arrangement;
FIG. 12 is a side elevational view partly in section of an assembled and mounted lock utilizing the removable bezel shell of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a view taken along the line 13--13 in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of another shell embodiment here showing a front loading of a lock assembly for a combination cam and switch lock;
FIG. 15 is a view taken along the line 15--15 of FIG. 14; and
FIG. 16 is a view along the line 16--16 of FIG. 15.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring collectively now to drawings, in FIGS. 1, 4 & 5, there is shown a tubular axial wafer tumbler lock construction in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention. The lock generally indicated at 15 includes an outer tubular shell 16 which has a longitudinal cylindrical bore 17 extending forwardly from its rear end as viewed from the right in FIG. 4. A second smaller diameter cylindrical bore 18 extending inwardly from the left as viewed in FIG. 1 defines a circular key opening and as here shown includes two rectangular shaped notches 19, 20 at the 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions for key entry and removal, respectively.
The shell 16 also includes an enlarged head or bezel 21, here integrally formed with the shell which is also provided with a raised threaded section 22 extending rearwardly from the head and both sides of the body are provided with longitudinally extending flats 23. The foregoing structure serves for mounting the lock mechanism in a similarly shaped opening of a panel or door or the like in a conventional manner such as securing in place by a nut 24 which engages the threaded body and is tightened against the opposite side of a mounting surface 25 as illustrated in FIG. 4.
As the discussion proceeds, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the outer shell configurations may be varied according to any desired applications, types of mounting or external appearances either specialty or conventional.
Turning to the operational components of the lock, the principle rotational element is an unitarily constructed tumbler cylinder or spindle plug generally indicated at 30 which has a cylindrical tumbler receiving portion 31 dimensioned to be rotatably received by the shell bore 17. A reduced diameter key receiving shaft 32 projects forwardly of the tumbler cylinder 31 and a reduced diameter actuator shaft 33 projects rearwardly from the tumbler cylinder 31. In the present instance the actuator shaft 33 is shown as being non-threaded with a recess 34 thereon such as may be typically used with a switch stem (not shown). The actuating shaft, however, may take a variety of different forms as may be desired for connecting or coupling the shaft to a mechanical latch element or an electrical switch operating element.
The key shaft 32 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial grooves or slots 35 formed therein which extend longitudinally along the key shaft and into the tumbler cylinder 31 with the grooves leaving slot openings in both the key shaft and tumbler cylinder. The slots 35 do not pass completely through the rearward end of the tumbler cylinder 31, but instead leave blind ends 36. Each of the slots 35 in the tumbler cylinder includes a longitudinally extending bore 37 for receiving a tumbler spring 38 that can be dropped into the bores from the top with the tumbler cylinder in an upright position.
In accordance with one of the features of the present invention, the tumblers generally indicated at 39 are in the form of generally T-shaped flat metal and includes a radially extending blade portion 40, a rearwardly extending leg or tail 41 and a forwardly projecting leg or combination member 42. The arrangement is such that the tumblers are slidably received in the tumbler cylinder slots 35 with rearwardly projecting legs 41 positioned radially inward of the springs 38 which in turn bear against the underside of radial tumbler blade portions 40 and the forwardly projecting combination legs 42 ride in the key shaft 32 continuing slots 35. With the current arrangement, though the slots 35 are open, on the periphery of the cylinder 31 insertion of the springs first followed by inserting of the tumblers as described, provides enough self-support and retention that the tumblers will not just fall outwardly during assembly. The radial blade portions 40 of the tumblers can project out without an outer surrounding wall on the tumbler cylinder. This is to be later discussed herein, but suffice it to say that the arrangement will allow the tumbler blade portions 40 to be used for lockup not only at the top but at parts of the peripheral side which will then enable production of locks with system keying and master keying as well as individual lock combinations. The tail or leg portions 41 of the tumblers are made of substantially the same length and project rearwardly with sufficient length such as at least half the length of an uncompressed spring so that the tumbler is not only retained in position by the spring during assembly, but the tail also provides limits to the rearward travel of the tumblers to prevent spring damage by overcompressing that can result even in tangling of the spring coils.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the cam stop washer 44 which has a central opening 45 and a peripheral cutout 46 defining the angular amount of key travel or desired rotation of the lock is positionable over the key shaft 32 such that it surrounds the combination legs 42 of the tumblers slidably carried in tumbler cylinder 31. The washer 44 thereby provides further positive retention of the tumblers during the assembly and also serves as a cover over the tumbler cylinder which conceals the spring bores and covers springs from access through the keyway 18.
As viewed in FIG. 6, the underside of the shell head 21 at the end of the longitudinal bore 17 includes at its periphery a plurality of radially extending notches 47 forming a spline arrangement that the forward edges of tumbler blade members 40 can engage with to prevent rotary movement of the tumbler cylinder. In the present instance, there are 24 of such notches 47 disposed about the end periphery of the bore 17 such that the notches are positioned at 15° increments which thereby allows for different angular positions of the keyway notches 19 and 20 besides the illustrative 90° keypull presently depicted. An annular recess 48 internally of the locking notches 47 receives the cam stop washer 44 in the assembled lock with the arrangement being that the washer conceals the spline or notch engagement by the tumblers so that the combination cannot be read by viewing through the keyway. A first fixed stop 49 positioned in the recess 48 co-acts with the cutout 46 of washer 44 and a stop 50 provided on the front face of the cylinder 31 provides a second rotational stop acting with the cutout 46 of washer 44 so that the plug rotation here is limited to 90° corresponding to the key entry and removal notches 19 and 20. As best shown in FIG. 6, there is also provided an additional arcuate recess 51 between the key entry and removal notches 19 and 20 which provides relief for a key guide lug.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an annular rear cap or sleeve 52 having a central bore 53 that slides over the slightly reduced diameter rear portion 31a of tumbler cylinder 31. The forward face of the cap sleeve 52 includes a plurality of radially extending notches or splines 54 corresponding in number and angular disposition to the notches or splines 47 in the forward end of the shell bore 17. The sleeve 52 adapted to slide over the tumbler cylinder 31 is received in assembly by the shell and then fixed to the shell to be held stationarily by staking pins 55. In addition, the rearward face of cap sleeve 52 is provided with a plurality of notches 56 that serve to provide locators for angularly positioning the lock with respect to another housing or secondary shell into which the lock may be mounted.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is illustrated a typical key 60 which has a tubular lock operating portion 61 and the enlarged flattened handle portion 62. The key guide lug 63 is positioned longitudinally at the forward operating end of the tubular portion 61. The interior of the key tubular portion includes a plurality of radial fins 65 which correspond in number to the tumblers and the slots 35 in the actuating shaft 32. The fins 65 are formed of different lengths as determined from the rearward end of the tubular portion 61 or the ends of the fins terminate at or by varying distances from the extreme forward end of the tubular portion 61. This provides the particular key combination that co-acts with the reversely combinated ends 42 of the tumblers that are slidably movable in the shaft 32 and tumbler cylinder 31. It can be seen that the key 60 construction is such that it may be unitarily cast with a plurality of coded combinations thereby enabling mass production of the keys in a single operation without need for the secondary conventional cutting operation used for combinating the keys.
In order to operate the lock, the tubular front end portion of key 60 is inserted in the keyway 18 with the guide lug 63 entering slot 19. The fins 65 of the key engage with the slots 35 of the actuating shaft 32 and when the key is fully inserted, each of the tumbler combination legs 42 is moved by a corresponding key fin 65 rearwardly so that the radial tumbler blades 40 occupy intermediate positions clear of both the forward end shell notches 47 and the rear cap notches 54. With the tumbler blade members 40 free of any notch engagement, the tumbler cylinder can be rotated by the key fins with the key guide lug 63 traveling in recess 45 until it reaches key removal slot 20 for withdrawal of the key. The cutout 46 of cam stop washer 44, together with the stop 50 on the tumbler cylinder and stop 49 on the shell defines the rotational limits of travel for the cylinder spindle plug.
In the foregoing description of the embodiments for the lock construction with respect to FIGS. 1-10, the shell configuration is integrally formed with the head or bezel and the assembly of the lock components in the shell take place through the rear longitudinal shell opening 17. When mounting such a lock to a panel or door, as previously described, the shell is inserted from the front through an opening in the door panel and then secured from the rear side by a nut 24. Referring now to FIG. 11, there is shown an alternative shell arrangement wherein the shell 70 has a tubular threaded body portion with flat 71 and staking pin 72 for the lock assembly, but at the front there is a stepped circular end portion 73 that defines the key opening 74. The annular head or bezel 75 includes a front circular opening 76 to receive the stepped end portion 73 of the shell 70 and the internal periphery includes threads 78 that are interrupted by a plurality of spaced notches 79. Thus, the bezel can be screwed on from the front end of the shell 70.
In order to keep the bezel 75 from being removed when the assembly is mounted, there is provided a washer 80 which has a double-D opening corresponding to the cross-sectional configuration of the shell 70 and a pair of bent outwardly projecting lugs 82 which ride in longitucinal grooves 83 of shell 70 engage with the thread interruption notches 79 on the interior of the bezel. When the lock is mounted as shown in FIG. 12, a nut 84 is applied to the shell 70 behind the mounting surface 86 and the bezel is captively mounted by the washer 80. Furthermore, the bezel includes an inner annular recess 88 such that the washer is totally concealed with the bezel seating flush against the mounting surface.
Turning now to FIG. 14, there is shown yet another shell configuration wherein the lock construction of the present invention is encased in its own simple tubular shell 90 with the internal operating elements being the same as discussed with respect to FIGS. 1-10. However, the rearwardly projecting actuating shaft 94, in the present instance has an internal D-shaped bore adapted to receive a switch actuating stem (not shown) and the shaft 94 also includes a rectangular portion 95 that can receive a cam latching member 98. This lock unit is insertable in a secondary outer shell 100 which in the present instance is a front opening tubular member having a threaded exterior and flats for mounting. The latch 98 will project through a slot 101 in shell 100. The screw-on bezel 102, in the present instance, further serves to capture the lock unit within the shell 100. Even through the lock unit is front loading into the secondary shell, with the use of the lugged washer 80 as described in connection with FIGS. 11-13, upon mounting, the bezel is secured in place to prevent the lock unit from being removed from the front.
As viewed in FIGS. 15-16, the internal bore of the shell 90 has a radial flange 104 with locating lugs 106 which can receive the notches 56 of rear cap 52 of the locking elements thereby enabling the positioning of the lock within the shell to a large number of possible angular positions according to the desired positions of being key insertion and withdrawal, cam operation or switch actuation. | An improved tubular axial wafer tumbler lock that can be fully automatically manufactured and assembled along with a cast combinated key at very low cost without machining operations is made up of three basic components including a shell, spindle plug and rear cap wherein generally T-shaped wafer tumblers are held in open notches in the spindle plug by springs and a multi-purpose cam stop washer at the forward end retains the tumblers in the plug during assembly and after assembly conceals the outside readability of the tumbler lock-up combinations as well as defining the rotational limits of travel of the sprindle plug. A lockup of the lock is accomplished with forward and rearward notches tha co-act with radial blade portions of the tumblers and the notches are disposed at 15° increments which thereby provide 24 of such notches to permit a large variety of different key pulls. The low cost, mass producible lock construction lends itself to numerous specialty applications where the internal components can be incorporated into different shells loaded from the rear as well as from the front with a fixed head or a removable bezel and thereby even enable the combination of a cam lock and switch lock. | 4 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 09/990,808 filed Nov. 20, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,368.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of pharmaceutical packaging, more particularly, to the aspect of inserting a packing filler such as cotton into a bottle containing tablets to prevent damage to the tablets during handling and shipping.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the past, it has been known to insert a filler such as cotton into bottles containing tablets or pills. It is to be understood that rayon may be used in place of cotton, and that the term “cotton” as used herein means actual cotton or a cotton substitute such as rayon. Automated machines have been developed and are in use to insert cotton into each bottle in the process of packaging pharmaceutical pills for retail sale. Cotton or cotton-like filler material has been found desirable because of its resiliency and deformability to act as internal packing in the bottle, to reduce or eliminate movement of the pills or tablets in the bottle during subsequent handling in manufacturing, distribution and sales. However such cotton inserting machines suffered from a deficiency in that the cotton, being somewhat resilient, would tend to partially eject itself from the bottle immediately upon retraction of the inserting implement, causing difficulty in the operation of the machine. When the cotton rebounds and extends above the neck of the bottle after withdrawal of the insertion pusher, the projecting cotton was observed to interfere with the operation of the cottoner machine by catching or snagging on the cotton fill tube, causing the bottle to become misoriented with respect to the machine. This problem is particularly exacerbated when relatively small diameter cotton is used with relatively large diameter mouth bottles. It has been found desirable to use such small diameter cotton with large mouthed bottles to reduce or avoid the need for multiple diameters of cotton for use with various sized bottles. In the present situation, using small diameter cotton having a cross section of between 1 and 2 inches for “20 gr” (20 grams/yard rayon) with wide mouthed bottles (having an opening of about 2{fraction (7/16)} inches diameter) has resulted in jam rates of between about 25 percent of the throughput. Such a jam rate is of course unacceptable.
It has been further observed that projecting cotton causes difficulty in subsequent closure of the bottle, typically by means of a cap carrying a safety seal therewithin, typically secured by induction heating and requiring an unobstructed contact between the safety seal and the top rim of the bottle.
When the cotton remained in the bottle, the closure would be able to be accomplished satisfactorily, with the cap threaded onto the bottle and the safety seal secured to the rim of the top of the bottle. However, cotton protruding substantially above the rim of the bottle top was found to interfere with the closure process, including securing the safety seal to the bottle top.
The present invention overcomes the shortcoming of the automated machines described above, by preventing substantial escape and protrusion of the cotton above the bottle top immediately after the cotton is inserted into the bottle. It is only necessary to temporarily contain the cotton in connection with the cottoner machine environment of the present invention since the machine typically has a second pusher downstream of the cotton inserter pusher to “repack” the cotton in the bottle neck prior to closure of the bottle at a further downstream station. With the present invention, jam rates have been observed to fall to something less than about one out of sixty bottles, or less than 0.0166 per cent, while still using relatively small cotton diameter in relatively large diameter opening bottles. Use of a single size cotton has the advantage of reducing the sizes of cotton needed for a range of bottles to be processed of about 2 inches to about 2¾ inches mouth diameter in the Cottoner machine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a prior art “Cottoner” machine suitable for inserting cotton into bottles showing the cotton holding disk improvement of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded rear view of the cotton insertion station portion of the Cottoner machine of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cotton holding disk mounted on the cotton installing cylinders of the cottoner machine, enlarged to show details thereof more clearly.
FIG. 4 is a partially sectioned fragmentary side elevation view (taken along line 4 — 4 of FIG. 3) of the cotton insertion station portion of the Cottoner machine shown with a plurality of bottles progressing past the station.
FIG. 5 is a section view of a representation of a bottle cap suitable for closing one of the bottles shown in FIG. 4 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the figures and most particularly, to FIG. 1, a “Cottoner” machine 10 may be seen. This machine is available from the NJM/CLI Packaging Systems International company at 56 Etna Road, Lebanon, N.H. 03766-1403 (www.njmcli.com) as a Model CL-110 COTTONER. Also included in FIG. 1 is the improved apparatus of the present invention, a cotton holding disk 12 . Machine 10 has a conveyor 14 to transport a plurality of bottles 16 past the machine 10 to insert cotton therein as will be described in more detail infra. Machine 10 has a pair of inserter tubes 18 , 20 which reciprocate between two positions 180 degrees apart. The reciprocation enables filling one tube with cotton while the other tube discharges cotton into a subjacent bottle. It is to be understood that the cotton is “folded” approximately in half as it is received in each of tubes 18 or 20 , and will expand somewhat (in an inverted “V” orientation) once it is received in a bottle 16 . Once a cotton “V” is inserted into a bottle, the tubes reciprocate 180 degrees, where the empty tube is filled with cotton, and the other tube discharges cotton to another subjacent bottle. This process is repeated continuously moving the fill tubes 18 and 20 between a discharge position proximate the bottle where the cotton is inserted into the bottle and a loading position distal of the bottle where cotton is loaded into the tube, for as long as there are bottles to be loaded with cotton. It is to be understood that prior to advancing to the machine 10 , the bottles have been filled with tablets at another machine (not shown, but adjacent an upstream extension of the conveyor 14 ).
Referring now also to FIGS. 2 and 3, tubes 18 and 20 are carried by a yoke 22 which is attached via a hub 24 and bushing 26 to a rotary actuator 28 . Actuator 28 is supported on a baseplate 30 rigidly affixed to a frame (not shown) of the machine 10 . A shaft 32 of actuator 28 projects through an aperture 34 of baseplate 30 to reciprocate yoke 22 and tubes 18 and 20 on command. In FIG. 3, tube or cylinder 18 is located at a loading position where cotton is inserted into tube 18 , and tube or cylinder 20 is located at a discharge position where cotton previously loaded into tube 20 is discharged into a bottle, as may be seen more clearly in FIG. 4 . The direction of reciprocation is indicated by arrow 35 .
Referring now again to FIG. 2, an air cylinder 36 is carried by a pusher support block 38 and is operable to move a tube pusher 40 in the form of a piston able to be received in either of tubes 18 or 20 . Pusher 40 is attached to and carried by a piston 44 of cylinder 36 . Block 38 is rigidly attached to baseplate 30 to allow pusher 40 to project through aperture 42 in baseplate 30 .
Referring now most particularly to FIG. 3, disk 12 has a generally planar plate 50 , preferably with a circular periphery, and a pair of attachment collars 52 . Each attachment collar 52 has a fixed portion 54 and a removable portion 56 . The fixed portion 54 may be integral with the plate 50 , or it may be secured thereto by any conventional means, such as threaded fasteners, preferably flat head machine screws. The removable portion 56 is preferably removably secured to the fixed portion 54 by a pair of threaded fasteners 58 such as machine screws. Collars 52 clamp disk 12 to the tubes 18 and 20 . More particularly, disk 12 is attached to tubes 18 and 20 by clamping the respective removable portion 56 against the fixed portion 54 of each collar 52 with a lowermost end of the respective tube 18 or 20 gripped between the fixed and movable portions of the collar which together form a clamp. Disk 12 has a pair of apertures 62 , 64 aligned with the tubes or cylinders 18 and 20 . Each of apertures 62 and 64 is surrounded by one of the collars 52 . It is to be understood to be within the scope of the present invention to attach disk 12 to cylinders 18 and 20 by any other conventional means.
Referring now most particularly to FIG. 4, tube 20 preferably projects through disk 12 such that the lowermost edge of tube 20 (and tube 18 ) is in the same plane as a generally planar lower surface 60 of disk 12 . Attachment with this alignment will avoid interference with the tops of bottles subjacent the tubes 18 , 20 . Alternatively, apertures 62 and 64 may have a stepped counterbore (not shown) with an upper diameter equal to the outside diameter of the tubes, and a lower diameter equal to the inside diameter of the tubes. Other aperture geometries are to be considered within the scope of the present invention, as well. For example, the lower or “exit” diameter of the aperture may have a chamfered or rounded cross section contour if the stepped counterbore is used, to reduce the chance of the cotton snagging on the exit diameter contour.
Once the cotton is inserted by pusher 40 , the bottle 16 moves from position 16 a to position 16 b and subsequently downstream of the disk 12 , where plunger 84 (visible in FIG. 1) repacks the cotton prior to bottle closure at a capping station (not shown) adjacent conveyor 14 and downstream of the machine 10 .
Referring now most particularly to FIG. 5, a cap 66 for the bottles 16 may be seen. It is to be understood that cap 66 is shown in somewhat of a schematic form. Cap 66 preferably carries a layer of pulpboard 68 , a layer of wax 70 , a layer of aluminum foil 72 and a layer of a polymer 74 in a cover 76 . It is to be understood that a laminate made up of layers 72 and 74 form a safety seal for the bottle. The aluminum layer 72 is induction heated at the capping station to melt the polymer layer to a top rim 78 of the bottle 16 , after cap 66 is placed on the bottle at the capping station. When the aluminum layer 72 is heated, the wax layer 70 melts and is drawn by capillary action into the pulpboard layer 68 , releasing the safety seal from the cover and layer 68 .
It will be apparent that any protruding cotton may interfere with the hermetic seal formed between the aluminum layer 72 and the rim 78 of the bottle 16 . It is thus important to assure the cotton remains within the bottle 16 and does not substantially protrude. Disk 12 accomplishes this by extending over the cotton filled bottle immediately downstream of the bottle immediately subjacent the tube then inserting cotton, as illustrated in FIG. 4 . In FIG. 4, cotton 80 is about to be inserted from tube 20 by pusher 40 into bottle 16 a , while cotton 82 is retained in bottle 16 b by the lower surface 60 of disk 12 .
The material of plate 50 and collars 52 may be a polycarbonate or other polymer. The plate 50 of disk 12 is preferably ¼ inch thick, but may be made thicker or thinner, as desired. It has been found suitable to insert between 1 and 4 pieces of cotton into the bottles of tablets, as desired. The clearance or spacing 86 between the planar lower surface 60 and the mouth or top of the bottle 16 is preferably about one eighth inch.
It can thus be seen that moving or positioning the lower planar surface 60 of disk 12 superjacent (closely above) the bottle 16 prevents the cotton 82 from springing back out of the bottle at location 16 b after it is inserted by pusher 40 . By maintaining the cotton under the disk 12 , additional insertions of cotton have been found to be more readily retained in the bottle. Disk 12 also relieves machine 10 from jams that otherwise occur when cotton that is not set all the way into the bottle interferes with the tube 18 or 20 that is inserting it, when the tube is reciprocated to receive another load of cotton. It has been found that in the absence of disk 12 , protruding cotton is susceptible of being hit by reciprocating tubes ( 18 or 20 ) causing bottles to tip over, jam or shift along the conveyor 14 , interfering with the timing of the bottles on the conveyor, possibly causing conveyor jams. As has been mentioned above, after the bottle goes past the disk 12 , a further plunger 84 tamps the cotton into the bottle before capping. The disk 12 has been found to enhance the tamping action of the further plunger 84 . Bottles having a mouth opening of between about 2 inches diameter and about 2¾ inches diameter are believed suitable for use with the present invention. Most preferably, bottles having a mouth opening of about 2¼ to 2½ inches diameter are desirably used with the present invention. With bottles having an inside diameter opening of 2{fraction (7/16)} inches, the jam rate has been found to be something less than 0.0166 percent using the present invention with the smaller cotton or rayon.
This invention is not to be taken as limited to all of the details thereof as modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. | Apparatus and method for retaining cotton in a bottle using a cottoner machine which inserts cotton via a pair of rotatable cylinders alignable with a mouth of the bottle, the apparatus including a disk secured to the cylinders via a pair of collars and having a pair of apertures aligned with the cylinders, and the method including a process of positioning a planar surface of the disk closely superjacent the mouth of the bottle after insertion of the cotton. | 1 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for processing very large scale integration (VLSI) physical designs. More particularly, it relates to a method for increasing access and control over hierarchical information in a shape processing system used in VLSI.
2. Prior Art
Current systems for processing VLSI physical designs exploit the nested, hierarchical structure of such designs to reduce the time and storage requirements for shape processing operations. Although the details of the hierarchical processing are usually not disclosed to the user, it is occasionally desirable to provide access to and control over the handling of a design's hierarchical structure. Such access and control provides the user with the ability to optimize performance of the shape-processing application.
With the shape processing systems of the prior art, the degree of hierarchical access and control are generally limited. Examples of such systems are the NIAGARA Extensible Shapes Processor and the Avanti! (formerly ISS) Hercules™. The NIAGARA system provides two modes for hierarchical processing, (1) cellwise mode, and (2) Full mode. In cellwise mode, the shapes of each cell of a hierarchical design are considered in isolation, and the possible interaction with shapes in other cells are ignored. In the Full mode, all possible shape interactions are considered.
The advantage to processing in cellwise mode is that it can potentially reduce storage and execution times by effectively partitioning the design into subdesigns (one per cell), processing the subdesigns independently, and then combining the results. The ability to select cellwise vs. full mode can be provided to the application programmer in several ways. For example, a global specification (e.g., via a command-line argument) can be used to indicate that all operations in a particular run of a shape-processing application are to be performed in either cellwise or full mode. In another example, a statement-by-statement specification can be used to indicate that particular operations are to be performed in one or the other of the two modes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to extend the degree of access and control over hierarchical information in a hierarchical shape processing system.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for hierarchical shape processing that performs more efficiently than existing methods.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method for hierarchical shape processing that can be used for design verification and design modification that enhances the manufacturability of the physical design.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing the application programmer with additional or an extended set of modes for hierarchical processing. According to an embodiment of the present invention, shape information including relationships between each cell containing the shapes and every other cell in the hierarchical design are received and input into a processing system. Hierarchical relationships between the shapes are specified to constrain the identification of pairs. Each pair of shapes that satisfy the constraint (hierarchical relationship) are identified. Subsequently, all shapes that are considered pairs with a particular shape in view of the constraint are also identified. These shapes are called “neighbors”. Once these neighbors are identified, a shape processing function (e.g., shape transformation, measurement, predicate, etc.) is applied to the particular shape and its neighbors, and the result is outputted.
The constraints placed on the shape processing can be varied to extend the hierarchical interaction selection depending on a desired shape processing mode. Examples of such constraints are “childcell”, “parentcell”, “samecell”, and “peercell”.
The extended hierarchical interaction selection approach and mechanisms of the present invention can be adapted to any system that processes hierarchical physical designs for purposes of design verification and/or design modification. Examples of such systems are the Avant!, Inc. Hercules™, Cadence Dracula™, Diva™, Vampire™, and Mentor Graphics Calibre™.
These systems generally all provide the “cellwise mode” described above, but do not provide the extended hierarchical interaction selection of the present invention. It is possible to use selective cell “flattening” and “exploding” capabilities of these systems in an attempt to achieve similar storage and execution efficiencies of the extended modes of the present invention. However, these capabilities have undesirable effects of themselves incurring storage and execution time overheads, and in addition, introducing undesirable changes in a design's hierarchical structure, which may compromise subsequent operations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of this 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 drawing, in which like reference symbols indicate the same or similar components, wherein:
The FIGURE is a hierarchical representation example for shape processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method for extending the number of access/control modes for hierarchical processing includes adding several new operating/control modes which provide an extended variety of access and control methods for optimizing the performance of a shape-processing application. The new modes are entitled “samecell”, “childcell”, “parentcell”, and “peercell” mode.
The “samecell” mode is similar to the prior art cellwise mode, where the shapes of each cell of a hierarchical design are considered in isolation, and the possible interaction with the shapes of other cells is ignored. In the “childcell” mode, the operation performed on the “subject” shape only takes into consideration interactions with shapes that are defined in a cell that is a “child” of the one in which the subject shape is defined.
In the “parentcell” mode, the operation performed on the subject shape only takes into consideration interactions with shapes that are defined in a cell that is a “parent” of the cell in which the subject shape is defined. In the “peercell” mode, the operation performed on a subject shape only takes into consideration interactions with shapes that are defined in a cell that is neither a parent nor a child, nor is the same as the cell containing the definition of the subject shape.
These modes can be illustrated with reference to the FIGURE and table 1. According to the design hierarchy of the FIGURE, P, A, B, and C are cells, and s 1 -s 5 are shapes contained within the respective cells. In the FIGURE, P can be considered the parent cell to cells A and B, and cell A could be considered the parent to cell C. Thus, cell C would be child cell of cell A. Cell A includes two shapes s 1 and s 2 , cell B includes shape s 5 , and cell C includes shapes s 3 and s 4 .
The following interactions are seen, depending on the mode.
TABLE 1
Subject Shape
samecell
childcell
parentcell
peercell
s1
s2
s3 s4
—
s5
s2
s1
s3 s4
—
s5
s3
s4
—
s1 s2
s5
s4
s3
—
s1 s2
s5
s5
—
—
—
s1 s2 s3 s4
As shown in the FIGURE and referring to table 1, s 1 , and s 2 are within cell A, and therefore under the “samecell” mode, the subject shape s 1 indicates shape s 2 as being within the same cell. The reverse is true for subject shape s 2 (i.e., shape s 1 is displayed in the “samecell” column for the subject shape s 2 ). When looking at subject shape s 3 , shape s 4 is indicated in the “samecell” column because both shapes s 3 and s 4 are in the same cell C. The reverse is true for subject shape s 4 (i.e., shape s 3 is displayed in the “samecell” column for the subject shape s 3 ). Subject shape s 5 has no shape identified in the “samecell” column indicating that it does not share cell B with another shape.
As stated previously, cell A can be termed the parent of cell C, and as such, the shapes s 3 and s 4 within cell C are considered in the “childcell” mode of the shapes contained in cell A (i.e., shapes s 1 and s 2 ). This is shown in the “childcell” column of table 1, where shapes s 3 and s 4 are indicated in both rows for the subject shapes s 1 and s 2 . No other shapes have “childcell” designations. In accordance with the “childcell” designations, the “parentcell” mode designations only exist for those shapes that are contained in a cell that is a parent to a child cell, and the parent cell also contains shapes. Cell A is the parent cell to cell C, and as such, the shapes s 1 and s 2 in cell A each fall within the “parentcell” column of table 1 for subject shapes S 3 and S 4 . This indicates that shapes s 1 and s 2 are contained in the parent cell to the cell that contains subject shapes s 3 and s 4 . Note that subject shapes s 1 , s 2 , and s 5 have no shapes indicated in the “parentcell” mode because cell P does not contain any shapes to be considered.
The “peercell” mode performs operations on the subject shape and only takes into consideration interactions with shapes that are defined in a cell that is neither a parent nor a child, nor is the same as the cell containing the definition of the subject shape. Referring to table 1, the “peercell” mode column indicates shape s 5 for subject shape s 1 . Subject shape s 1 is in cell A, therefore in the “peercell” mode, shape s 2 is not considered because it is contained in the same cell A, and shapes s 3 and s 4 are not considered because they are contained in child cell C with respect to cell A. With subject shape s 2 , the same logic results in shape s 5 as the only shape considered during “peercell” mode.
Subject shapes s 3 and s 4 are contained within cell C, and therefore cannot have each other considered during the “peercell” mode. Thus, subject shapes s 3 and s 4 also only have shape s 5 considered during “peercell” mode. This is also because cell A is the parent to cell C, and therefor shapes s 1 and s 2 are not considered. Subject shape s 5 considers all other shapes s 1 , s 2 , s 3 , and s 4 when in the “peercell” mode, because neither cell A nor cell C containing these shapes are the parent or child of cell B.
In general, the set of interactions “seen” by these four modes are mutually exclusive, and collectively exhaustive. As such, it is possible to define “mixed modes”. For example, a mode entitled “differentcell” is a union of “childcell”, “parentcell” and “peercell”, while “full mode” is the union of all four modes. More generally, with the four modes disclosed (base modes), it is possible to define 16 modes in terms of set operations on the “base modes” described above. The combination of modes can be selectively specified by using a boolean combination of the modes.
The modes defined above can be further elaborated by taking into account hierarchical “generations”. For example, in the example above, we might distinguish the relationship between cell A and cell B as being “sibling” and between cell A and cell C as being “non-sibling”. In alternative forms, one could use the nomenclature of familial relations (e.g., “cousin”, “great-grandparent”, etc.) to specify the “quantitative hierarchical relationship(s) being selected (e.g., the hierarchical depth with respect to the least common “parent” cell of the interacting shapes.
As described with reference to the prior art modes of “cellwise/full” modes, the extended set of hierarchical selection modes provided by the present invention can be provided to the application programmer in several ways. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the different modes provided can be exercised statement-by-statement or expression-by-expression. As a result, the NIAGARA Extensible Shapes processor has adopted the syntax shown in the following examples:
intersection(A, samecell(B))
meaning, the intersection of each shape on the “layer” or “level” named A with those shapes on the level B in the same cell as the A shape.
distance(P, childcell(Q))
meaning the minimum distance from each shape on level P to the shapes on level Q that are in cells that are children of the cell containing the P shape.
overlaps(X, parentcell(Y))
meaning a test (returning a true or false value) of whether each shape on level X overlaps with some shape on level Y in a cell that is one of the parents of the cell containing the X shape.
spacing(peercell(W))
meaning the minimum spacing between each shape on level W with all other shapes on level W in cells that are peers of the one containing the subject shape.
These examples show how the specification can be used for operations that pertain to the relationships between shapes on different “levels” or “layers”, or among shapes on a single “level” or “layer”. Thus, it is readily apparent that similar approaches could be used for other shape processing languages in order to provide the capabilities of the extended operation modes disclosed herein.
The “pair identification” process of the present invention can be termed an “intrusion search” that considers all possible pairs of shapes. By way of example, the input specification is a pair of levels containing shapes Lb (“b” for “base”) and Li (“I” for intruder”), plus a geometric distance caller “ROI” (for “Region of Interest”). Thus, the intrusion search will consider all possible pairs of shapes (sb,si) where sb is a shape on level Lb and si is a shape on level Li. For each such pair, if the distance between sb and si is less than the specified ROI, then (sb,si) is one of the “identified pairs” which is referred to as an “intrusion”.
At the implementation level, there are several mechanisms that enable the intrusions to be identified more efficiently that considerations of all possible pairs. Examples of these mechanisms include the use of the design's hierarchical structure, and the use of “bounding boxes” or “least enclosing rectangles” for subsets of shapes, which are well-known in the art.
The present invention further refines this identification of pairs by performing a “filter” type operation on the identified pairs. Given an “intrusion” (sb,si) that satisfies the ROI criterion, we can then use the specified hierarchical relationship to decide whether or not (sb,si) satisfies the specified hierarchical relations. For example, if the specified relationship is “peercell”, then (sb,si) will be kept if and only if sb and si are shapes defined in peer cells.
By combining the hierarchical relationship filtering with the process that looks for pairs based on the ROT criterion, a more efficient shape processing procedure can be performed. By way of example, if the relationship is “peercell”, then when we are considering pairs of shapes to submit to the ROI criterion, we do not bother to enumerate pairs that come from the same cell (since these would not satisfy the peercell relationship irrespective of whether they're within the ROI of each other).
The extended modes for shape processing are not dependent on the hardware implementation of the same. For example, a simple mechanism (e.g. general purpose computer programmed accordingly) capable of gathering all shape::shape interactions normally, “filtering” the gathered shape information using the extended hierarchical selection criteria of the present invention, and then applying further processing to the selected interactions would be sufficient to achieve the objective of finer-grained hierarchical control. In a preferred implementation according to the present invention, the system takes advantage of the fact that some of the interaction gathering computation can be avoided by knowing in advance the hierarchical selection criteria to be applied. For example, if it is known that only “samecell” interactions are to be considered, the interaction gathering computation can consider individual cells in isolation, and ignore the “usages” of one cell by another.
It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed herein as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention, but rather that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in this specification except as defined in the appended claims. | The method for selecting hierarchical interaction in a hierarchical shapes processor increases the operator's access and control over the handling of the design's hierarchical structure. The shapes of each cell are considered in accordance with a specified hierarchical relationship having constraints defined by the chosen mode of shape processing. The hierarchical relationships provide additional shape processing modes depending on the operator's physical design requirements. | 6 |
[0001] This patent application claims priority from Japanese patent applications Nos. 2000-297251 filed on Sep. 28, 2000 and 2000-395008 filed on Dec. 26, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a paper packaging. The present invention, in particular, relates to a blister packaging.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A blister packaging is popular for accommodating a product such as a shaver, a battery, a toy, and so on. A box section accommodating the product is conventionally made with clear plastic material, and the box section is adhered to a support member made of paper. The Japanese Patent Layed Open No, Hei. 9-290820 discloses a conventional blister packaging made of paper.
[0006] However, the blister packaging including the box section made with clear plastic is, after removing the product, difficult to flatten; so that the voluminous when disposed. Furthermore, when a user tries to separate the plastic blister box from the paper support member for recycling, the plastic blister is not recycled because some part of the paper from the support member remains adhered to the plastic blister even after being separated. If the plastic blister with the attached paper is incinerated, harmful gas may be generated. On the other hand, the paper blister packaging disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Layed Open No. Hei. 9-290820 does not have enough strength on its box section projected from a support member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a paper packaging which is capable of overcoming the above drawbacks accompanying the conventional art. The above and other objects can be achieved by combinations described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous and exemplary combinations of the present invention.
[0008] According to the first aspect of the present invention, paper packaging accommodating a product comprises a support member having an opening; a box section protruding through the opening from a back side to a front side of the support member; and a backing sheet covering the back side of the support member.
[0009] The box section may include a flap around the box section for contacting with an edge of the opening when the box section is inserted to the opening. The flap may be adhered to the support member from the back side of the support member. The backing sheet may be adhered on the flap in an opposite side opposite to a side on which the support member is adhered. The box section may include a front face and a plurality of side faces, and a back face of the box section is covered with the backing sheet. The box section may accommodate a plurality of film cartridges.
[0010] The front face of the box section may include a groove facing a region between the plurality of film cartridges. The box section and the backing sheet are made from same piece of paper. The box section, the backing sheet, and the support member may be made from one piece of paper; and provided in the mentioned order on the same piece of paper. The box section may include a continuously curved surface which includes the front face and two of the side faces horizontally connecting to the front face.
[0011] According to the second aspect of the present invention, a assembling method of a paper packaging for accommodating a product, comprises preparing a support member having an opening; forming a box section; erecting the box section and protruding the box section from a back side of the support member to front side of the support member through the opening of the support member; preparing a backing sheet; and putting the backing sheet and the back side of the support member together.
[0012] The forming the box section may include forming a flap around the box section for connecting with an edge of the opening; and the erecting may include connecting the flap with the edge. The assembling method of the paper packaging may further include adhering the flap on the edge; and adhering the backing sheet on a back side of the flap.
[0013] According to the third aspect of the present invention, a packaging accommodating a product may comprise a support member having an opening; a backing sheet covering a back side of the support member; and a first box section for covering at least a part of the product to fold the product onto said support member and said backing sheet, the width of said first box section is smaller than the width of at least one of said support member and said backing sheet, and having a plurality of flaps sandwiched by said support member and said backing sheet in at least three directions of said first box section.
[0014] The packaging may further include a second box section, having a back opening and the second box section protrudes through the back opening in an opposite direction to the first box section. The packaging may be made of paper. At least the first box section may be made of plastic material.
[0015] The summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all necessary features of the present invention. The present invention may also be a sub-combination of the features described above. The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] [0016]FIG. 1A shows the paper blister packaging 60 before being assembled, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the paper blister packaging 60 after assembled.
[0017] [0017]FIG. 2A shows a rear view of the box section 20 . FIG. 2B shows a top view of the box section 20 . FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the box section 20 from the front side.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 3 shows an example of the box section before folded.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 4A shows an example of a support member and an adhering area 22 . FIG. 4B shows an example of the backing sheet 30 .
[0020] [0020]FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a assembling method of the paper packaging.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 6A shows a top view of another example of the box section 20 .
[0022] [0022]FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the box section 20 from the front side.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 7 shows another example of the paper packaging before folded having the support member, the box section, and the backing sheet being made from one piece of paper.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 8 shows another example of the paper packaging after being half constructed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The invention will now be described based on the preferred embodiments, which do not intend to limit the scope of the present invention, but exemplify the invention. All of the features and the combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 1 is a configuration figure showing a paper packaging 60 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The paper packaging 60 has a support member 10 including an opening 12 , a box section 20 , and a backing sheet 30 . The support member 10 , the box section 20 , and the backing sheet 30 are entirely made from paper. FIG. 1A shows the paper blister packaging 60 before being assembled. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the paper blister packaging 60 after being assembled. The box section 20 protrudes through the opening 12 of the support member 10 from a back side toward a front side, and the box section 20 is erect. Flaps 24 around the box section 20 contacts with edges around the opening 12 . Furthermore, the backing sheet 30 and the support member 10 sandwich the erected box section 20 therebetween.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 2 shows an example of the box section 20 in detail. FIG. 2A shows a rear view of the box section 20 . FIG. 2B shows a top view of the box section 20 . FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the box section 20 from the front side. The box section 20 has a front face 26 , an upper face 21 , a bottom face 23 , a right side face and a left side face 29 , and four flaps 24 . The front face 26 is connected with the right and the left side faces 29 of the box section 20 ; and the right side face 29 , the front face 26 , and the left side face 29 form a continuous curved surface. The box section 20 is formed like a box. The box section 20 has a large opening on its back face. A product to be accommodated in the box section is packed from the opening on the back face, and the opening is later covered with the backing sheet 30 . For example, the box section 20 accommodates a film cartridge for photography. The box section 20 may accommodate a plurality of film cartridges. Adhering areas 22 are provided on the hatched area on each of the flaps 24 . The flaps 24 are adhered to the support member 10 from the backside of the support member. The backing sheet 30 may be similarly adhered on the backside of the flaps 24 . As described later in detail, the box section 20 may accommodate any kinds of products relating to camera, as because present invention primarily concerns the packaging and not the products to be accommodated therein, as clearly understood when reading the specification as a whole.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 3 shows an example of the box section 20 before folded. A chain dashed line depicts a line to be folded in a mountain folding, whereby the two faces of the paper opposite the viewer become closer. A double dashed line depicts a line to be folded in a valley folding, whereby the two faces of the paper facing the viewer become closer. The region where the front face 26 and the side faces 29 connecting one another is processed to form a smooth and continuously curved surface. If the box has a corner, the corner may be collapsed when dropped. Collapsing the corner may be avoided by forming the corner into the continuously curved surface. Furthermore, when the box section accommodates a film cartridge, the curved surface fits a curved outline of the film cartridge. Thus, wearing between an interior surface of the box section 20 and a surface of the film cartridge may be avoided. The region where the front face 26 connects the side faces 29 may form a plurality of predetermined angled ridges fitting with the outline of the product.
[0029] [0029]FIG. 4 shows a detailed example of the support member 10 and the backing sheet 30 . FIG. 4A shows an example of a support member 10 and an adhering area 22 . The adhering area 22 , indicated as a hatched area in FIG. 4A around the opening 12 on the support member 10 , contacts with the flaps 24 of the box section 20 . On the adhering area 22 , adhesive material maybe previously printed. FIG. 4B shows an example of the backing sheet 30 . Dotted lines around the opening area 36 designate perforations, and a double-chained line depicts the line for the valley folding. Cutting the perforation around the opening area 36 , a large opening is formed on the backing sheet 30 in the region being the back face of the box section 20 before cutting; and the product may be easily removed from the box section 20 . It is preferable to provide the opening area 36 on the backing sheet 30 ; if the opening area 36 is provided on the box section 20 , because the box section 20 is erect, the opening area may be possibly dropped and damaged while distributed. The hatched area around the opening area 36 contacts with the flaps 24 around the box section 20 . Adhesive material may be previously printed on an adhering area 22 . In some cases, the flaps 24 may be adhered to at least one of the support member 10 and the backing sheet 30 . Moreover, the flaps 24 may be adhered to both the support member 10 and the backing sheet 30 . In such a case, the erecting box section 20 is stably fastened against both the support member 10 and the backing sheet 30 by the flaps 24 , therefore the strength of the box section 20 increases. Furthermore, the four corners of the box section 20 are surrounded by the region where the support member 10 , the flaps 24 , and the backing sheet 30 overlaps one another, so that the box section 20 has more strength; therefore even if the paper packaging 60 is dropped, the product accommodated in the box section 20 is protected from the shock of being dropped. In another case, the support member 10 may be put together with at least a part of the backing sheet 30 and adhered to each other. In yet another case, the flaps 24 of the box section 20 may be simply sandwiched by, but not adhered to, both the support member 10 and the backing sheet 30 ; and the support member 10 and the backing sheet 30 are adhered to one another.
[0030] [0030]FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an assembling method of the paper packaging 60 . A piece of cardboard is stamped out for preparing the support member 10 including the opening 12 . On a surface of the support member 10 , information such as a name of the product, advertising, and so on may be previously printed (S 100 ) Another piece of cardboard is stamped out for preparing the box section 20 , and folded to form the box section 20 . The cardboard may also be printed with information. The flaps 24 are formed around the box section 20 (S 102 ). The box section 20 is protruded through the opening 12 from the back side of the support member 10 . The flaps 24 contact with an edge of the opening 12 . The box section 20 may accommodate the product in the present step (S 104 ). Next, yet another piece of cardboard is stamped out for preparing the backing sheet 30 . The cardboard may also be printed with information (S 106 ). On the back side of the support member 10 , on which the flaps of the box section 20 are attached, the backing sheet 30 is applied (S 108 ), so that the box section 20 is sandwiched by the support member 10 and the backing sheet 30 . The edge of the opening 12 on the support member 10 is connected with the flaps 24 . The back sides of the flaps 24 may be adhered with the backing sheet 30 . The support member 10 may be adhered with the backing sheet 30 (S 110 ).
[0031] [0031]FIG. 6 shows another example of the box section 20 having a plurality of grooves provided in the front face 26 . In the present example, the packaging accommodates a plurality of film cartridges. The front face 26 includes a groove formed in front of the region between the plurality of film cartridges 50 . FIG. 6A shows a top view of another example of the box section 20 . As shown in FIG. 6A, the film cartridge 50 is fastened by the groove in the box section 20 . Thus, while being distributed, the film cartridges 50 are protected from being damaged by hitting one another or scraping the surface of the film cartridges 50 with an interior of the paper packaging 60 . FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the box section 20 from the front side. The packaging with compartments divided by the grooves indicates to users that the film cartridges 50 are accommodated in the paper packaging 60 .
[0032] [0032]FIG. 7 shows another example of the paper packaging 60 before folded. The support member 10 , the box section 20 , and the backing sheet 30 are made from one piece of paper in the present example. The box section 20 , the backing sheet 30 , and the support member 10 are provided in the mentioned order on the aforementioned one piece of paper. For modification, the box section 20 and the backing sheet 30 may be provided on the same piece of the paper; only the support member 10 is provided separately. The chain dashed line depicts a line to be folded in a mountain folding, whereby the two faces of the paper opposite the viewer become closer. The double dashed line depicts a line to be folded in a valley folding, whereby the two faces of the paper facing the viewer become closer. The box section 20 is then folded to form the box.
[0033] [0033]FIG. 8 shows another example of the paper packaging after being half constructed. The support member 10 , the box section 20 , and the backing sheet 30 made from one piece of paper is halfway constructed in this example. The box section 20 is placed through the opening 12 on the support member 10 . The support member 10 and the backing sheet 30 are folded, put together, and used to sandwich the box section 20 . A back supporting piece 14 is further folded, and connected to the backing sheet 30 The back supporting piece 14 reinforces a lower edge of the paper packaging 60 by doubling the thickness of the lower edge. Applying this modification, the paper packaging is made from only one component, so that the packaging may be both efficiently and quickly produced. Furthermore, the support member 10 , the box section 20 , and the backing sheet 30 are previously connected, and the adhered region may be narrowed without impairing strength. The packaging applying the present modification may be folded again after opening. After the film cartridge is removed from the paper packaging 60 and photographs are taken on it, the paper packaging 60 may re-accommodate the film cartridge.
[0034] In another modification of the present embodiment, at least the box section 20 may be made of plastic material. In the present modification, the box section 20 may be simply sandwiched by, but not adhered to, the support member 10 and the backing sheet 30 . Thus, no paper is attached to the box section 20 after the accommodated product is removed; therefore the packaging is more suitable for recycling than conventional blister packaging.
[0035] According to the embodiment of the present invention, without impairing the eye-catching ability of a conventional blister pack, a strong paper blister pack that is highly suitable for recycling is produced. The main material is limited to paper; therefore the assembling apparatus is limited to paper-processing apparatus. When the box section is made of paper, the box section may be flattened by hand after the product is removed. Thus, the paper packaging after use maybe entirely flattened and its volume reduced. The paper packaging after use may be conveniently recycled. The paper packaging is suitable for both recycling and incineration because the packaging leaves no mixed material after use. Therefore the paper packaging has a lower environmental impact than the conventional blister pack.
[0036] When the paper packaging applying the present embodiment accommodates the film cartridges for photography, the film cartridge for photography is sealed in a moisture barrier material packaging such as an aluminum evaporated plastic film packaging, then accommodated in the paper packaging according to the present embodiment. The moisture barrier material may be incinerated without generating harmful gas when proper material is selected. When the moisture barrier packaging of the film cartridge for photography is provided as described above, the entire packaging, including both the paper packaging and the aluminum evaporated film packaging is suitable for incineration.
[0037] A hatching applied on the side face 24 of the box section 20 or the curved surface including the front face 26 and the side faces 29 in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, FIG. 2C, FIG. 6B, and FIG. 8 is applied for stereoscopic effect.
[0038] Although the present invention has been described by way of exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that those skilled in the art might make many changes and substitutions without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention which is defined only by the appended claims.
[0039] For example, though the present embodiments refer the film cartridges for photography that are accommodated in the box section of the packaging. However, it is not limited thereto or thereby. According to the present invention, the box section may accommodate any product relating to camera such as, a camera body itself including permanent or disposable camera, a stack of photo papers, photo albums, bottles for photo developer, recording medium such as memory, optical disk, magnetic disk, magnetic tape and smart medium, camera accessories such as casing, strap, application software, PC card adopter, battery charger, flush pass, image card reader, battery with or without charger, consumables for printer, word processor or copying machine such as ink cartridge, ink ribbon, seal sheets. The camera may include any digital or analog camera, still or movie camera. Further, the film cartridges embodied in the present specification may also include various kinds of films such as, for example, for APS, 135 film, 110 film, 220 film, instant film or other cut film. As is apparent above, the present invention primally concerns a packaging and not the product to be accommodated therein, and any products relating to camera may be accommodated by the box section of the packaging according to the present invention. | A paper packaging accommodating a product, comprising: a support member having an opening; a box section protruding through said opening from a back side to a front side of said support member; and a backing sheet covering said back side of said support member. | 1 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from a co-pending application entitled LOW POWER WIRELESS NETWORKS OF FIELD DEVICES, Ser. No. 60/758,167, filed on Jan. 11, 2006, which is incorporated by reference.
[0002] Reference is also made to co-pending applications filed on even date with this application: CONTROL OF FIELD DEVICE ON LOW POWER WIRELESS NETWORKS, Ser. No. ______; CONTROL SYSTEM WITH WIRELESS ADDRESS DOMAIN TO FIELD DEVICE ADDRESS DOMAIN TRANSLATION, Ser. No. ______; CONTROL SYSTEM WITH PREDICTIVE FIELD DEVICE RESPONSE TIME OVER A WIRELESS NETWORK, Ser. No. ______; VISUAL MAPPING OF FIELD DEVICE MESSAGE ROUTES IN A WIRELESS MESH NETWORK, Ser. No. ______; SELECTIVE ACTIVATION OF FIELD DEVICES IN LOW POWER WIRELESS MESH NETWORKS, Ser. No. ______; and CONTROL SYSTEM WITH WIRELESS MESSAGES CONTAINING MESSAGE SEQUENCE INFORMATION, Ser. No. ______, which are incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to wireless networks. In particular, the invention relates to a wireless mesh network in which process control messages are communicated between a host and field devices at nodes of the wireless mesh network.
[0004] In many industrial settings, control systems are used to monitor and control inventories, processes, and the like. Often, such control systems have a centralized control room with a host computer that communicates with field devices that are separated or geographically removed from the control room.
[0005] Generally, each field device includes a transducer, which may generate an output signal based on a physical input or generate a physical output based on an input signal. Types of transducers used in field devices include various analytical equipment, pressure sensors, thermistors, thermocouples, strain gauges, flow sensors, positioners, actuators, solenoids, indicators, and the like. Traditionally, analog field devices have been connected to the process subsystem and the control room by two-wire twisted-pair current loops, with each device connected to the control room by a single two-wire twisted pair loop. Typically, a voltage differential is maintained between the two wires of approximately 20 to 25 volts, and a current between 4 and 20 milliamps (mA) runs through the loop. An analog field device transmits a signal to the control room by modulating the current running through the current loop to a current proportional to the sensed process variable. An analog field device that performs an action under the control of the control room is controlled by the magnitude of the current through the loop, which is modulated by the ports of the process subsystem under the control of the controller.
[0006] While historically field devices were capable of performing only one function, more recently hybrid systems that superimpose digital data on the current loop have been used in distributed control systems. The Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART) superimposes a digital carrier signal on the current loop signal. The digital carrier signal can be used to send secondary and diagnostic information. Examples of information provided over the carrier signal include secondary process variables, diagnostic information (such as sensor diagnostics, device diagnostics, wiring diagnostics, process diagnostics, and the like), operating temperatures, sensor temperature, calibration data, device ID numbers, configuration information, and so on. Accordingly, a single field device may have a variety of input and output variables and may implement a variety of functions.
[0007] Another approach uses a digital communication bus to connect multiple field devices to the host in the control room. Examples of digital communication protocols used with field devices connected to a digital bus include Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus, Modbus, and DeviceNet. Two way digital communication of messages between a host computer and multiple field devices can be provided over the same two-wire path that supplies power to the field devices.
[0008] Typically, remote applications have been added to a control system by running very long homerun cables from the control room to the remote application. If the remote application is, for example, a half of a mile away, the costs involved in running such a long cable can be high. If multiple homerun cables have to be run to the remote application, the costs become even higher. Wireless communication offers a desirable alternative, and wireless mesh networks have been proposed for use in industrial process control systems. However, to minimize costs, it is also desirable to maintain existing control systems and communication protocols, to reduce the costs associated with changing existing systems to accommodate the wireless communication.
[0009] In wireless mesh network systems designed for low power sensor/actuator-based applications, many devices in the network must be powered by long-life batteries or by low power energy-scavenging power sources. Power outlets, such as 120VAC utilities, are typically not located nearby or may not be allowed into the hazardous areas where the instrumentation (sensors) and actuators must be located without incurring great installation expense. The need for low installation cost drives the need for battery-powered devices communicating as part of a wireless mesh network. Effective utilization of a limited power source, such as a primary cell battery which cannot be recharged, is vital for a well functioning wireless device. Batteries are expected to last more than 5 years and preferably as long as the life of the product.
[0010] In a true wireless mesh network, each node must be capable of routing messages for itself as well as other nodes in the mesh network. The concept of messages hopping from node to node through the network is beneficial because lower power RF radios can be used, and yet the mesh network can span a significant physical area delivering messages from one end to the other. High power radios are not needed in a mesh network, in contrast a point-to-point system which employs remote nodes talking directly to a centralized base-station.
[0011] A mesh network protocol allows for the formation of alternate paths for messaging between nodes and between nodes and a data collector, or a bridge or gateway to some higher level higher-speed data bus. Having alternate, redundant paths for wireless messages enhances data reliability by ensuring there is at least one alternate path for messages to flow even if another path gets blocked or degrades due to environmental influences or due to interference.
[0012] Some mesh network protocols are deterministically routed such that every node has an assigned parent and at least one alternate parent. In the hierarchy of the mesh network, much as in a human family, parents have children, children have grandchildren, and so on. Each node relays the messages for their descendants through the network to some final destination such as a gateway. The parenting nodes may be battery-powered or limited-energy powered devices. The more descendants a node has, the more traffic it must route, which in turn directly increases its own power consumption and diminishes its battery life.
[0013] In order to save power, some protocols limit the amount of traffic any node can handle during any period of time by only turning on the radios of the nodes for limited amounts of time to listen for messages. Thus, to reduce average power, the protocol may allow duty-cycling of the radios between On and Off states. Some protocols use a global duty cycle to save power such that the entire network is On and Off at the same time. Other protocols (e.g. TDMA-based) use a local duty cycle where only the communicating pair of nodes that are linked together are scheduled to turn On and Off in a synchronized fashion at predetermined times. Typically, the link is pre-determined by assigning the pair of nodes a specific time slot for communications, an RF frequency channel to be used by the radios, who is to be receiving (Rx), and who is to be transmitting (Tx) at that moment in time.
[0014] Some protocols employ the concept of assigning links to nodes on a regular repetitive schedule and thereby enable regular delivery of updates and messages from devices in the network. Some advanced TMDA-based protocols may employ the concept of multiple active schedules, these multiple schedules running all at the same time or with certain schedules activated/deactivated by a global network controller as the need arises. For example, slow active schedules link nodes sending messages with longer periods of time (long cycle time) between messages to achieve low power consumption. Fast active schedules link nodes sending messages more rapidly for better throughput and lower latency, but result in higher power consumption in the nodes. With protocols that allow multiple active schedules, some schedules could be optimized for upstream traffic, others for downstream traffic and yet others for network management functions such as device joining and configuration. Globally activating/deactivating various schedules throughout the entire network in order to meet different needs at different times provides a modicum of flexibility for achieving advantageous trade-offs between power consumption and low latency, but applies the same schedule to all nodes and thus does not provide local optimization.
[0015] In a synchronized system, nodes will have to wait to transmit until their next predetermined On time before they can pass messages. Waiting increases latency, which can be very detrimental in many applications if not bounded and managed properly. If the pair of nodes that are linked together are not synchronized properly, they will not succeed in passing messages because the radios will be On at the wrong time or in the wrong mode (Rx or Tx) at the wrong time. If the only active schedule has a long cycle time, the time between scheduled links will be long and latency will suffer. If a fast schedule is activated, the time between scheduled links will be short but battery life will be measurably reduced over time.
[0016] Some protocols allow running a slow schedule in the background and globally activating/deactivating an additional fast schedule. Since it takes time to globally activate a fast schedule throughout the entire network and get confirmation back from all nodes that they have heard the global command, the network or sub-network remains in the less responsive mode during the transition time. Furthermore, with a globally activated fast schedule, power is wasted in all the parenting nodes in the network, even those whose descendants will not benefit from the fast schedule. These unappreciative parent nodes must listen more often on the global fast active schedule (i.e. turn their radios On to Rx more often); even though their descendants have nothing extra to send that a regular active schedule would not suffice in that portion of the network.
[0017] Some protocols may limit the number of descendants a node can have, thereby reducing the load the node must support. Other protocols may employ a combination of all of these measures to reduce average power consumption. All of these power-saving measures have the effect of reducing the availability of the nodes in the network to do the work of passing messages, thereby increasing the latency of messages delivered through the network. Duty-cycling the radio increases latency. Hopping messages from node to node increases latency. Increasing hop depth (hop count) by limiting the number of descendants increases latency. Running a slow active schedule (long cycle period) increases latency. Even globally activating a fast active schedule takes time. It is likely that the value of information diminishes with time, so the longer the latency, the less valuable the information may be.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] A host computer of a control system interacts with field devices through a wireless mesh network. Based upon messages from the host computer that are addressed to selected field devices, the network determines which nodes are required to be active so that messages can be routed to those selected field devices. When the network goes to an active state, the nodes required for communication with the selected field devices remain on while the remaining nodes are allowed to return to the inactive state. After communication between the host computer and selected field devices has ceased, the entire network is returned to an inactive state. Determination of the nodes that must be selectively maintained active can be based upon the addresses of the selected field devices and the communication topology of the wireless mesh network, or can be determined dynamically by those nodes that are actively participating in transmitting and receiving messages.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a control system in which a wireless mesh network routes wireless messages between a host and field devices.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portion of the control system of FIG. 1 , including a host computer, a gateway node, and a wireless node with a field device.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the format of wireless messages transmitted by the wireless network.
[0022] FIG. 4 shows the format of a control message from a host to a field device based upon a control system protocol.
[0023] FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of the control message as modified to form the payload of the wireless message shown in FIG. 3 .
[0024] FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the control message as modified with a trailer to form the payload of the wireless message shown in FIG. 3 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] FIG. 1 shows control system 10 , which includes host computer 12 , high-speed network 14 , and wireless mesh network 16 , which includes gateway 18 and wireless nodes 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 , and 30 . Gateway 18 interfaces mesh network 16 with host computer 12 over high-speed network 14 . Messages may be transmitted from host computer 12 to gateway 18 over network 14 , and are then transmitted to a selected node of mesh network 16 over one of several different paths. Similarly, messages from individual nodes of mesh network 16 are routed through mesh network 16 from node-to-node over one of several paths until they arrive at gateway 18 and are then transmitted to host 12 over high-speed network 14 .
[0026] Control system 10 can make use of field devices that have been designed for and used in wired distributed control systems, as well as field devices that are specially designed as wireless transmitters for use in wireless mesh networks. Nodes 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 , and 30 show examples of wireless nodes that include conventional field devices.
[0027] Wireless node 20 includes radio 32 , wireless device router (WDR) 34 , and field devices FD 1 and FD 2 . Node 20 is an example of a node having one unique wireless address and two unique field device addresses Nodes 22 , 24 , 26 , and 28 are each examples showing nodes having one unique wireless address and one unique field device address. Node 22 includes radio 36 , WDR 38 , and field device FD 3 . Similarly, field device 24 includes radio 40 , WDR 42 , and field device FD 4 ; node 26 includes radio 44 , WDR 46 , and field device FD 5 ; and node 28 includes radio 48 , WDR 50 , and field device FD 6 .
[0028] Node 30 has one unique wireless address and three unique field device addresses. It includes radio 52 , WDR 54 , and field devices FD 7 , FD 8 , and FD 9 .
[0029] Wireless network 16 is preferably a low power network in which many of the nodes are powered by long life batteries or low power energy scavenging power sources. Communication over wireless network 16 may be provided according to a mesh network configuration, in which messages are transmitted from node-to-node through network 16 . This allows the use of lower power RF radios, while allowing network 16 to span a significant physical area to deliver messages from one end of the network to the other.
[0030] In a low power wireless network that includes field devices, power can be conserved by placing the entire network and the field devices into a low power (Off or asleep) state. The network switches to a high power (On or active) state so that the host computer can interact with field devices. For example, a global duty cycle for the wireless network can be established that defines when all nodes are turned On to receive and transmit messages.
[0031] When the wireless network is activated, however, it is wasteful to activate all field devices if only a subset of the field devices is going to be utilized during that On or active period of the wireless network. Power used to activate field devices that will not be involved in communication wastes energy available at the nodes, which can affect the battery life.
[0032] In addition, if only a limited number of field devices will be involved in communication, at least some of the nodes of the wireless network will not be needed, since they are not in likely communication paths through the wireless network between the field devices and the host computer. Maintaining the radio On to receive messages, when none will be received, wastes energy and affects battery life.
[0033] Control system 10 can micro-manage turning On and turning Off of field devices and turning On and turning Off of wireless nodes, so that only those nodes and field devices necessary for communication taking place need to remain at full power. At the same time, control system 10 can ensure that those field devices and nodes that are required to be at full power remain in the On state while the desired communication with host computer 12 takes place.
[0034] In control system 10 , there are circumstances when host computer 12 may need to communicate for an extended period of time with a particular field device. For example, at start up of control system 10 , host computer 12 may do discovery, to detect the presence of each field device and to obtain all stored parameters and configuration data from each field device. During this process, multiple messages will be sent between host computer 12 and each individual field device FD 1 -FD 9 . Another example is when host computer 12 needs to configure one of the field devices FD 1 -FD 9 . The amount of configuration data that needs to transferred results in multiple messages between host computer 12 and the particular field device being configured.
[0035] In either of these cases, it would be inefficient to turn On all of the field devices FD 1 -FD 9 when wireless network 16 turns On, when only one field device may be involved in the communication. Control system 10 addresses this issue by maintaining all of the field devices in an asleep or Off state until a control message is received from host computer 12 addressed to the particular field device. At that time, power is provided by the wireless device router (WDR) at that node to the addressed field device. For example, in response to receiving the control message from host computer 12 addressed to field device FD 3 , WDR 38 of node 22 turns On power to field device FD 3 .
[0036] In the case of wireless nodes having more than one field device, turning On one of the field devices may require that all of the field devices at that node be turned On. For example, if field devices FD 1 and FD 2 at node 20 share a common power and communication bus with WDR 34 , both field devices FD 1 and FD 2 will turn On when power is applied to the bus.
[0037] Once a field device has been powered On, it is desirable to keep that device in a full power state until host computer 12 is done communicating with that field device. Even if wireless network 16 is cycling On and Off according to a scheduled duty cycle, it is desirable to maintain the field device that is communicating with host computer 12 in a full powered state as long as active communication is continuing. Depending upon the type of field device, it may take only a few seconds to as many as 60 seconds for the field device to reach a full powered state in response to a control message from host computer 12 .
[0038] When a control message is received from host computer 12 requiring that the addressed field device be turned On, the control message can include a command to maintain the field device in a full powered On state for a particular period of time specified by host computer 12 as being necessary to complete the intended communication. Alternatively, the command that the field device be maintained in the On state until interaction with host computer 12 has halted. This can be determined by the wireless device router associated with the field device, which receives the control messages from host computer 12 and routes them to the field device, and also receives responses from the field device that are sent back to host computer 12 . When a period of message inactivity has occurred, the wireless device router automatically turns Off the field device.
[0039] By individually controlling the power state of individual field devices FD 1 -FD 9 , control system 10 reduces overall power consumption of wireless network 16 , and in particular power consumption at individual nodes 20 - 30 of network 16 . By returning the field device to a low power state only after communication with host computer 12 has halted, responsiveness between control computer 12 and the particular field device is enhanced. Undesirable transitions of the field device between full power (On) and low power (Off) states are avoided.
[0040] Another way in which power can be conserved at nodes 20 - 30 of wireless network 16 is by allowing those nodes that will not be participating in communication to go into a low power (Off) state while those nodes that are actively participating in communication remain in an extended high power (On) state so that host computer 12 can complete its communication with a selected field device.
[0041] In a wireless mesh network, messages typically travel from node to node. Alternate, redundant paths for wireless messages will typically exist. When a message is directed to a particular field device within wireless mesh network 16 , several nodes may be involved in receiving and transmitting the message on to the ultimate destination. For example, consider a message intended for field device FD 7 at node 30 . The path of the wireless message to node 30 may pass from gateway 18 through nodes 20 and 22 to node 30 . Alternatively, the message may pass through node 26 to node 30 , or through nodes 24 and 28 to node 30 . A similar return path may exist for the response message from field device FD 7 that is sent from node 30 to gateway 18 and then to host computer 12 . If the communication between host computer 12 and field device FD 7 takes place on a path from gateway 18 through node 26 to node 30 , and back along that same path, then the other nodes 20 , 22 , 24 , and 28 are not needed as long as the communication will only involve host computer 12 and field device FD 7 .
[0042] Gateway 18 receives the messages that host computer 12 wants sent over wireless network 16 . When a high power (On) state of wireless network 16 occurs, gateway 18 can send a message to each node that will be involved in receiving and transmitting the messages from host computer 12 and instruct those nodes to remain On for a specified period of time, or until the communication ends. Gateway 18 can identify the nodes that will be involved by maintaining information on signal routing paths within network 16 . Gateway 18 can periodically interrogate each node to determine the links that node has established with neighboring nodes to transmit and receive messages. Based upon that information, the likely path or paths of the messages from host computer 12 can be identified by gateway 18 , and used to provide instructions to the required nodes. Those nodes that do not receive a message from gateway 18 instructing them to stay On will automatically turn Off at the end of the normal high power (On) state in the communication duty cycle. The remaining devices, which have been instructed to remain On, will remain in a high power (On) state as long as host computer 12 is continuing to communicate with at least one field device.
[0043] Alternatively, gateway 18 can provide messages to each of the nodes that will not be actively involved in planned communications instructing those nodes to turn Off. Any node that does not receive an instruction to turn Off will remain On. This approach, however, can result in a node remaining On, even though it is not involved in communication, simply because it did not receive the message to turn Off.
[0044] Another way to way to manage which nodes remain On and which turn Off requires that any device that has received and transmitted a message during the normal high power (On) portion of the communication duty cycle to remain On until it either receives a message from gateway 18 instructing it to turn Off, or until a period of time has elapsed without any further message being received or transmitted by that node. In this way, network 16 dynamically configures itself to maintain On the nodes that are necessary to maintain so that messages can be routed to and from target field devices. Those nodes that are not involved will automatically turn Off at the end of the high power (On) portion of the duty cycle.
[0045] Allowing the communication to continue with an extended On state involving only those nodes actively involved in communication means latency can be reduced and communication improved, without permanently causing wireless network 16 to remain in a On state. When communication ceases, the nodes that have been involved in the extended On state will be resynchronized with the normal Off/On communication duty cycle of wireless network 16 .
[0046] In a wired control system, interaction between the host computer and the field devices occurs using well known control messages according to a control message protocol such as HART, Fieldbus, Profibus, or the like. Field devices capable of use in wired control systems (such as field devices FD 1 -FD 9 shown in FIG. 1 ) make use of control messages according to one of the known control message protocols. Wireless nodes 20 - 30 , which are part of wireless network 16 , cannot directly exchange these well known control messages with host computer 12 because the wireless communication over network 16 occurs according to a wireless protocol that is general purpose in nature.
[0047] Rather than require host computer 12 and field devices FD 1 -FD 9 to communicate using wireless protocol, a method can be provided to allow sending and receiving well known field device control messages between host computer 12 and field devices FD 1 -FD 9 over wireless network 16 . The well known field device control messages are embedded into the general purpose wireless protocol so that the control messages can be exchanged between host computer 12 and field devices FD 1 -FD 9 to achieve control of an interaction with field devices FD 1 -FD 9 . As a result, wireless network 16 and its wireless communication protocol is essentially transparent to host computer 12 and field devices FD 1 -FD 9 . In the following description, the HART protocol will be used as an example of a known control message protocol, although the invention is applicable to other control message protocols (e.g. Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus, etc.) as well.
[0048] A similar issue relates to the addresses used by host computer 12 to direct messages to field devices FD 1 -FD 9 . In wired systems, the host computer addresses each field device with a unique field device address. The address is defined as part of the particular communication protocol being used, and typically forms a part of control messages sent by the host computer to the field devices.
[0049] When a wireless network, such as network 16 shown in FIG. 1 is used to route messages from the host computer to field devices, the field device addresses used by the host computer are not compatible with the wireless addresses used by the communication protocol of the wireless network. In addition, there can be multiple field devices associated with a single wireless node, as illustrated by wireless nodes 20 and 30 in FIG. 1 . Wireless node 20 includes two field devices, FD 1 and FD 2 , while wireless node 30 is associated with three field devices, FD 7 -FD 9 .
[0050] One way to deal with addresses is to require host computer 12 to use wireless addresses rather than field device addresses. This approach, however, requires host computer 12 to be programmed differently depending upon whether it is communicating over wired communication links with field devices, or whether it is communicating at least in part over a wireless network. In addition, there remains the issue of multiple field devices, which will typically have different purposes, and which need to be addressed individually.
[0051] An alternative approach uses gateway 18 to translate field device addresses provided by host computer 16 into corresponding wireless addresses. A wireless message is sent to the wireless address, and also includes a field device address so that the node receiving the message can direct the message to the appropriate field device. By translating field device addressees to corresponding wireless addresses, host computer 12 can function in its native field address domain when interacting with field devices. The presence of wireless network 16 is transparent to host computer 12 and field devices FD 1 -FD 9 .
[0052] Still another issue caused by the use of wireless network 16 to communicate between host computer 12 and field devices FD 1 -FD 9 is the unavailability of field devices because of power conservation. In a wired control system, the host computer interacts with field devices as if they were available on demand. The assumption is that the field devices are always powered up and available.
[0053] In a low power wireless network, this is not the case. To conserve power, field devices in a low power wireless network are unavailable, or asleep, most of the time. Periodically, the wireless network goes into an active state during which messages can be communicated to and from the field devices. After a period of time, the wireless network again goes into a low power sleep state.
[0054] If the host computer attempts to communicate during a period when the wireless network is in a sleep state, or when a particular field device is in a low power sleep state, the failure of the field device to respond immediately can be interpreted by the host computer as a communication failure. The host computer does not determine the particular route that messages take through the wireless network, and does not control the power up and power down cycles for wireless communication. As a result, the host computer can interpret a lack of response of field devices as a device failure, when the lack of response is an inherent result of the way that communication takes place within a low power wireless network.
[0055] In order to make the presence of wireless network 16 transparent to host computer 12 , gateway 18 decouples transmission of field device messages between host computer 12 and wireless network 16 . Gateway 18 determines the current state of wireless network 16 and tracks its power cycles. In addition, it maintains information on the response times required for a field device to be turned on and then be ready to provide a response message to a control message from host computer 12 .
[0056] When a message is provided by host computer 12 to gateway 18 , a determination of an expected response time is made based upon the field device address. That expected response time is provided to host computer 12 , so that host computer 12 will not treat the absence of a response message prior to the expected response time elapsing as a communication failure. As a result, host computer 12 is allowed to treat field devices FD 1 -FD 9 as if they were available on demand, when in fact wireless network 16 and field devices FD 1 -FD 9 are not available on demand.
[0057] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a portion of the control system 10 shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 , host computer 12 , high-speed network 14 , gateway 18 , and wireless node 22 are shown.
[0058] In FIG. 2 , host computer 12 is a distributed control system host running application programs to facilitate sending messages to field devices FD 1 -FD 9 , and receiving and analyzing data contained in messages from field devices FD 1 -FD 9 . Host computer 12 may use, for example, AMS™ Device Manager as an application program to allow users to monitor and interact with field devices FD 1 -FD 9 .
[0059] Host computer 12 communicates with gateway 18 using messages in extendable markup language (XML) format. Control messages intended for field devices FD 1 -FD 9 are presented according to the HART protocol, and are communicated to gateway 18 in XML format.
[0060] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , gateway 18 includes gateway interface 60 , mesh manager 62 , and radio 64 . Gateway interface 60 receives the XML document from host computer 12 , extracts the HART control message, and modifies the control message into a format to be embedded in a wireless message that will be transmitted over wireless network 16 .
[0061] Mesh manager 62 forms the wireless message with the HART control message embedded, and with the wireless address of the node corresponding to the field device to which the HART message is directed. Mesh manager 62 may be maintaining, for example, a lookup table that correlates each field device address with the wireless address of the node at which the field device corresponding to that field device address is located. In this example, the field device of interest is device FD 3 located at wireless node 22 . The wireless message according to the wireless protocol includes the wireless node address, which is used to route the wireless message through network 16 . The field device address is contained in the HART message embedded within the wireless message, and is not used for routing the wireless message through network 16 . Instead, the field device address is used once the wireless message has reached the intended node.
[0062] Mesh manager 62 causes radio 64 to transmit the wireless message, so that it will be transmitted by one or multiple hops within network 16 to node 22 . For example, the message to node 22 may be transmitted from gateway 18 to node 20 and then to node 22 , or alternatively from gateway 18 to node 26 and then to node 22 . Other routes are also possible in network 16 .
[0063] Gateway interface 60 and mesh manager 62 also interact with host computer 12 to manage the delivery of control messages to field devices as if wireless network 16 were powered on even though it may be powered Off (i.e. sleep mode). Mesh manager 60 determines the correct powered state of wireless network 16 . It also calculates the time of the power cycles in order to determine the future time when wireless network 16 will change state from power On to Off, or from power Off to On. Response time can be affected if a message is sent while power is on to the wireless network, but a response will not occur until the next power on cycle. Still another factor is the start-up time of the field device. Mesh manager 62 or gateway interface 60 may maintain a data base with start-up times for the various field devices. By knowing field device address, an expected start-up time can be determined.
[0064] Based upon the current power state of wireless network 16 , the amount of time before wireless network will change state, the field device's start-up time, expected network message routing time, and the potential for a response to occur in the next power on cycle rather than the current cycle, estimated times required for the message to be delivered to the field device and for the response message to return to gateway 18 can be calculated. That information can then be provided to host computer 12 . Since host computer 12 will not expect a response prior to the estimated response time, the failure to receive a message prior to that time will not be treated by host computer 12 as a communication failure or field device failure.
[0065] Based upon the factors affecting response time, gateway 18 may also determine the best strategy to attempt communication with the field device given the known power cycle of wireless network 16 . For example, if a power cycle is about to change from On to Off, a better strategy may be to wait until the beginning of the next power on cycle to begin routing the message through wireless network 16 .
[0066] As shown in FIG. 2 , wireless node 22 includes radio 36 , wireless device router (WDR) 38 , and field device FD 3 . In this particular example, field device FD 3 is a standard HART field device, which communicates field data using the HART control message protocol. Field device FD 3 is powered On and Off by, and communicates directly with, WDR 38 .
[0067] The wireless message transmitted over network 16 is received at radio 36 of wireless node 22 . The wireless message is checked by WDR 38 to see whether it is addressed to node 22 . Since node 22 is the destination address, the wireless message is opened, and the embedded HART message is extracted. WDR 38 determines that the HART message is intended for field device FD 3 based upon the field device address contained in the embedded HART message.
[0068] For power saving reasons, WDR 38 may be maintaining field device FD 3 in sleep mode until some action is required. Upon receiving the HART message contained within the wireless message, WDR 38 takes steps to start up field device FD 3 . This may be a matter of only a few seconds, or may be, for example, a delay on the order of 30 to 60 seconds. When field device FD 3 is ready to receive the HART message and act upon it, WDR 38 transmits the HART control message to field device FD 3 .
[0069] The message received by field device FD 3 may require providing a message in response that includes measurement data or other status information. Field device FD 3 takes the necessary action to gather the measurement data or generate the status information, generates a response message in the HART control format, and transmits the message to WDR 38 . The HART response message is then modified and embedded into a wireless response message according to the wireless protocol, and addressed to gateway 18 . WDR 38 provides the wireless response message to radio 36 for transmission onto wireless network 16 . The wireless response message is then transmitted in one or multiple hops to gateway 18 , where the HART response message is extracted from the wireless response message, is formatted in XML, and is transmitted over high-speed network 14 to host computer 12 .
[0070] FIG. 3 shows a diagram of a typical wireless message sent over the wireless network shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . Wireless message 70 includes wireless protocol bits 72 , payload 74 , and wireless protocol bits 76 . Protocol bits 72 and 76 are required for proper routing of wireless message 70 through mesh network 16 to the desired destination. Payload 74 represents the substance of the control message being transmitted. In the present invention, the control message (in the control message protocol used by both host computer 12 and field devices FD 1 -FD 9 ) is embedded within wireless message 70 as payload 74 .
[0071] FIG. 4 shows the format of control message 80 as generated by host computer 12 . In this particular example, control message 80 is configured using the HART protocol. Control message 80 includes preamble 82 , delimiter 84 , field device address 86 , command 88 , byte count 90 , data 92 , and check byte 94 . Control message 80 is modified at gateway interface 60 and then embedded into wireless message 70 as payload 74 .
[0072] FIG. 5 shows the format of payload 74 formed from control message 80 . To produce payload 74 , interface 60 removes physical layer overhead from control message 80 and adds sequence information.
[0073] As shown by a comparison of FIGS. 4 and 5 , the first difference between payload 74 and control message 80 is that preamble 82 has been removed. Since the control message will be sent over the network using the wireless protocol, the use of a preamble is unnecessary. Removal of preamble 82 improves efficiency of network 16 by eliminating unnecessary information.
[0074] The second difference between payload 74 and control message 80 is the addition of message ID 96 , which is a two-byte number that follows data 92 , and precedes check byte 94 . The removal of preamble 82 and the addition of message ID 96 also requires that check byte 94 be recalculated.
[0075] The purpose of message ID 96 is for stale message rejection. This allows the receiver of a message to reject out of order messages. Wireless mesh network 16 is designed such that messages can take multiple paths to get to their destination. The message is passed from one node to another, and it is possible that the message may be delayed at a particular node. This could be caused by interference or poor signal quality. If a message is delayed long enough, host 12 may issue a retry and/or a new message. In that case, it is possible that one or more messages may arrive at the destination node before the delayed message is delivered. When the delayed control message is delivered, message ID 96 can be used to accept or reject the control message.
[0076] FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the format of payload 74 , in which trailer function code 98 and trailer payload (or message ID) 96 form trailer frame 100 , which is appended to the control message formed by delimiter 84 , field device address 86 , command 88 , byte count 90 , data 92 and check byte 94 . Trailer 100 is not included in check byte 94 , and instead depends on the wireless network protocol layers for data integrity and reliability.
[0077] Trailer 100 contains function code 98 and payload 96 (which includes the message ID, if any). Function code 98 is an unsigned byte which defines the content of trailer 100 . Undefined payload bytes such as additional padding bytes will be ignored. Use of trailer 100 only applies to messages between gateway 18 and wireless field devices FD 1 -FD 9 . Table 1 shows an example of function codes defined for trailer 100 :
TABLE 1 Function Payload Length and Code Meaning Description 0 No Message ID 0-2 bytes (optional padding) 1 Force Accept 2 bytes - message ID 2 Clear Force Accept 2 bytes - message ID With Force 3 Normal Message ID 2 bytes - message ID
[0078] Function codes 0-3 are used with reference to a message ID. Message IDs are used for stale message rejection on wireless mesh network 16 . This allows the receiver of a message to reject out of order messages. Additionally, message IDs can be used by gateway 18 to determine whether published data has arrived out of order.
[0079] Rules for generating the Message ID are as follows:
[0080] The message ID enumerates a message sequence from a sender to a receiver. It is a two byte unsigned value which must be unique and increasing by one with each new message ID.
[0081] A new message ID should be generated for every request/response transaction. Retries of a request from a sender to a receiver may re-use a message ID provided that there is no more than one request outstanding from a sender to a receiver. After receiving a valid request message with a valid message ID, the field device must echo back the received message ID with the response.
[0082] A new message ID should be generated for every publish message from a device. Publish message IDs are generated independently of request/response message IDs.
[0083] Rules for validating the Message ID are as follows:
[0084] The receiver must implement a window for validating message IDs so that the validity comparison survives a rollover of the message ID counter. As an example, any messages within a window of 256 previous IDs could be ignored as out of order by the WDR/field device. But, if message ID is safely outside the window the receiver should accept the message. Any accepted message will cause the message ID to be cached as the last valid received message ID.
[0085] After a restart, a receiver may accept the first message ID it receives or else it must initialize its validity-checking in whatever manner the device application sees fit. A guideline for this initialization would be for a device to always accept new stateless requests without requiring a device publish to first reach the gateway.
[0086] The receiver of a published message with an invalid (out of order) ID may either use or reject the message, depending on the receiver's application.
[0087] Rules for interpreting function codes are as follows:
[0088] A sender can send a message without a message ID by either omitting trailer 100 or by specifying NO MESSAGE ID as the function code. If a response is generated and the WDR/field device supports trailers, the return function code should be set to “NO MESSAGE ID”.
[0089] If a message ID is provided, it must be accepted if the function code is set to FORCE ACCEPT or CLEAR FORCE ACCEPT WITH FORCE. A message with a function code of NORMAL ID will be subject to potential discard via the message ID validation rules.
[0090] If gateway 18 has reset, it should make its first request using the FORCE ACCEPT function code. The will force the receiving field device to accept the request and the attached message ID. This relieves gateway 18 of needing to learn the value of the device's valid message ID counter. Gateway 18 should stop using FORCE ACCEPT once it has received a valid response message with the matching message ID.
[0091] Gateway 18 should honor the CLEAR FORCE ACCEPT WITH FORCE function code as a valid message ID, but a WDR/field device should not send CLEAR FORCE ACCEPT WITH FORCE to gateway 18 .
[0092] If a WDR/field device in the system has reset, it should send publish messages with the command set to FORCE ACCEPT. This will force gateway 18 to accept the published data.
[0093] If gateway 18 sees the FORCE ACCEPT function code, it may issue a CLEAR FORCE ACCEPT WITH FORCE in a subsequent message along with a valid message ID.
[0094] On receipt of CLEAR FORCE ACCEPT WITH FORCE, the WDR/field device should clear the force accept condition and always accept the message ID provided.
[0095] The use of embedded control messages (in a control message protocol) within wireless messages (in a wireless protocol) enables the host computer of a distributed control system to interact with field devices through a wireless communication network. Control messages can be exchanged between the host computer and the field devices using known control message formats, such as HART, Fieldbus, or the like, without having to be modified by either the host computer or the field devices to accommodate transmission of the control messages over the wireless network. The control message is embedded within the wireless communication protocol such that the substance of the control message exchanged between the host computer and the field device is unmodified as a result of having passed through the wireless network.
[0096] Control messages that are too large to be routed through the wireless communication protocol can be broken into parts and sent as multiple parts. Each part is embedded in a wireless message, and the multiple parts can be reassembled into the original control message as the multiple parts exit the wireless network. By use of a message ID in the embedded control message, the multiple parts can be reassembled in proper order, even though individual wireless messages having embedded parts of the original control message may take different paths through the wireless network.
[0097] The translation of field device addresses to corresponding wireless addresses allows host 12 to function in its native field device address domain, while interacting with field devices within the wireless address domain. The use of wireless network 16 to route messages to and from the field devices is transparent to host 12 . The address translation and inclusion of both the wireless address and the field device address in the wireless message allows multiple field devices associated with a single node (i.e. a single wireless address) to be addressed individually.
[0098] Although embedding the field device address in the payload of the wireless message as part of the control message is simple and effective, the field device address could be contained separately in the payload or elsewhere in the wireless message, if desired.
[0099] The presence of wireless network 16 is also made transparent to host computer 12 by decoupling the transmission of messages to field devices between host computer 12 and wireless network 16 . Gateway 18 monitors the state of wireless network 16 , and factors that can affect the response time to a message. By providing an estimated response time to messages being sent by host computer 12 , gateway 18 allows host computer 12 to treat what field devices FD 1 -FD 9 and wireless network 16 as if they were available on demand, even though network 16 and field devices FD 1 -FD 9 are often in a low power sleep state.
[0100] By micro-managing the On/Off status of individual field devices and individual nodes, only those field devices and nodes that are required for a particular communication with the host remain On until the communication is complete. This reduces power consumption by nodes and field devices that are not involved in the communication, and makes the communication with the host more efficient since the nodes and field devices do not cycle On and Off in the midst of the communication with the host.
[0101] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, control system 10 is illustrated with six nodes and nine field devices, but other configurations with fewer or greater numbers of nodes and field devices are equally applicable. | A wireless mesh network routes messages between a host computer and a plurality of field devices. The mesh network is synchronized to a global regular active schedule that defines active periods when messages can be transmitted or received by nodes of the network, and inactive periods when messages cannot be transmitted or received. Based upon messages to be sent by the host computer to selected field devices, the network is controlled to selectively maintain active those nodes required to route messages to the selected field devices. Those required nodes are maintained in an active state as long as communication with the selected field devices continues, while other nodes are allowed to return to a low power inactive state. When communication between the host computer and the selected field devices is no longer required, the entire network is allowed to enter the low power inactive state. | 8 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a national entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/NL03/00011, filed Jan. 9, 2003, published in English as International Patent Publication WO 03/057242 on Jul. 17, 2003, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of International Patent Application PCT/NL02/00010, filed Jan. 9, 2002.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to the field of medicine. More particularly, the present invention relates to the treatment of hypoxia-related disorders in mammals and compounds and pharmaceutical preparations for use therein.
BACKGROUND
Cardiac failure is a chronic clinical syndrome characterized by the heart being unable to adequately pump blood throughout the body. Generally, it is caused by any disease or condition that causes loss of cardiac tissue, especially of the left ventricle. The most common causes include cardiac infarction, coronary artery disease, myocarditis, chemotherapy, alcoholism and cardiomyopathy. On the other hand, cardiac failure may be caused by diseases or conditions that require an excessive demand for cardiac output. The most common causes include hypertension, valvular heart diseases (most often mitral insufficiency and aortic stenosis) and disorders of the thyroid gland. The long-term extra demand on the heart will lead to a compensatory hypertrophy of the cardiomyocytes. As the capillary network does not extend, hypertrophy will lead to a relative ischemia because the diffusion pathway for oxygen will increase. Recently, the importance of the role of ischemia in cardiac failure has been put forward (Van den Heuvel et al., 2000).
Thus far, the treatment of patients suffering from ischemic heart disease and subsequent cardiac damage leading to heart failure has focused on early reperfusion. Although additional cell protection therapy might, in theory, limit the damage that is caused by myocardial ischemia and hence, reduce morbidity and mortality, no sufficient therapies exist to date.
Additional supportive therapy to protect the myocardium in acute ischemic conditions consists nowadays in administration of beta-blockers, calcium antagonists and nitrates. However, these therapies have a low efficacy and alternative and/or additional strategies are needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides for the use of erythropoietin (EPO), or derivatives or functional analogues thereof, for the preparation of a medicament for the preventive and/or curative treatment of patients suffering from, or at risk of suffering from, cardiac failure. Treatment with EPO for these conditions can be beneficial, irrespective of their cause and nature. The invention also provides a method for treating a patient suffering from, or at risk of suffering from, cardiac failure, the method comprising a step of administering to the patient erythropoietin, or a derivative or functional analogue thereof. In one aspect of the invention, the patient suffering from heart failure is not anemic. Although recent clinical studies demonstrated the beneficial effects of EPO in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) that also had anemia (Silverberg et al., 2000 and 2001), the person skilled in the art before the present invention would not treat patients with heart failure by using EPO in the absence of specific other indications for the use of EPO, such as anemia, kidney disease or leukemia. A certain fraction of CHF patients is anemic (low hematocrit/low hemoglobin percentage) and a correlation exists between the severity of the condition of CHF and the degree of anemia. When patients with anemia in CHF were treated with recombinant EPO, an improvement with respect to cardiac function, renal function and a decrease in the need for diuretics and hospitalization was observed (Silverberg et al. 2000 and 2001). Other publications (EP0813877; Mancini et al., 2001) also describe the use of EPO to raise the red blood cells and/or prevent anemia in the case of congestive heart failure. It appears that thus far, the improved condition of heart patients, upon treatment with EPO, was ascribed to the purposeful hematocrit elevation when patients had a medical indication to treat them with EPO, thus improving peripheral oxygenation by a mechanism unrelated to a change in cardiac function. The present invention for the first time discloses the use of EPO for the treatment of heart failure irrespective of whether the hematocrit value (red blood cell count) of the patient is lower than normal or not. This provides cardiac failure per se as a novel indication for the use of EPO. The present invention therefore provides for the use of EPO for treatment of patients with heart failure, wherein the patients do not necessarily have another indication besides heart failure, which would otherwise have warranted the treatment of such a patient with EPO based on the presently available knowledge.
In certain embodiments, the EPO, or derivative or functional analogue thereof, has been produced in a host cell expressing at least the E1A protein of an adenovirus, preferably in a host cell derived from a PER.C6™ cell.
The invention further provides erythropoietin, or a functional part, derivative and/or analogue thereof, for treatment of a patient suffering from, or at risk of suffering from, a chronic and/or acute coronary syndrome. Preferably, EPO has been recombinantly produced on a host cell that expresses at least the E1A protein of an adenovirus, more preferably on a host cell derived from a PER.C6™ cell. Although the use of EPO to protect the myocardium from acute ischemic injury has been described (see WO 00/61164, WO 01/82952), the EPO used may cause a concomitant significant increase in hematocrit values, which can be regarded as an undesired side effect for this application. The use of EPO derived from PER.C6™ or another E1A-expressing host cell, leads to less of this side effect and, therefore, is beneficial (see also PCT/NL02/00686 for the demonstration that EPO produced on PER.C6™ is functional but gives rise to less increase in hematocrit values when compared with a commercially available EPO preparation (EPREX®)).
The invention further provides the use of erythropoietin, or derivatives or functional analogues thereof, for the preparation of a medicament for the preventive and/or curative treatment of chronic and/or acute coronary syndromes. The invention also provides pharmaceutically effective preparations comprising EPO or a derivative or functional analogue thereof for such treatments.
Furthermore, the invention provides methods for treating a patient suffering from, or at risk of suffering from, undesirable effects of chronic or acute coronary syndromes, comprising the steps of administering to the patient erythropoietin or a derivative or analogue thereof in an amount sufficient to prevent or reduce the undesirable effects. Undesirable effects that may be decreased and/or inhibited by the compounds of the present invention include detrimental effects, such as apoptosis and/or necrosis of heart muscle cells. The effects on such cells most likely occur through the interaction of compounds of the invention with receptors present on such cells. Direct effects brought about by compounds of the present invention also include angiogenic effects through which certain hypoxia-related coronary syndromes are reduced in severity, both in acute as well as in chronic cases.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 . Real Time RT-PCR of EPO-R mRNA. Specificity was checked with the use of restriction enzyme (NciI) for partial digestion of the 72 bp EPO-R product in expected fragments (39 bp and 34 bp).
FIG. 2 . Western blot. Lane 1-3: MAPK (pERK1=44 kD; pERK2=42 Kd) in sham treated hearts; lane 4-6: MAPK in EPO treated hearts; lane 7: EPO in sham treated heart; lane 8: EPO-R in sham treated heart.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Erythropoietin (EPO), EPO derivatives and functional analogues are, when appropriate, hereinafter referred to as “EPO” for the sake of brevity. EPO is a protein well known for its role in differentiating hematopoietic stem cells into red blood cells, but it has many additional functions as well. This application reveals a novel EPO and EPO-receptor (EPO-R) system in the heart, which knowledge, according to the present invention, is converted into practical use by administering EPO to patients with heart failure.
Cardiac failure, also called heart failure, or chronic heart failure or congestive heart failure, is defined as a heart disease in which the heart is not able to pump blood at a rate required by the metabolizing tissues, or when the heart can do so only with an elevated filling pressure. Treatment of heart failure with EPO, according to the invention, includes treatment of patients having or being at risk of having cardiac infarction, coronary artery disease, myocarditis, chemotherapy, alcoholism, cardiomyopathy, hypertension, valvular heart diseases (most often mitral insufficiency and aortic stenosis) and disorders of the thyroid gland and the like.
According to the invention, a patient can be human, but may also include an animal with heart failure. Therefore, treatment according to the invention may pertain to humans as well as to other animal species.
A “non-anemic patient” as used herein, is a patient that has a hemoglobin value that is considered as being within the normal range, which value would not lead a physician to prescribe EPO to this patient. Until now, application of EPO has been restricted to the prevention or correction of anemia in specific patient populations, including the (pre)dialysis phase of chronic renal insufficiency, cytostatic therapy, premature infants and as preparation for autologous blood transfusion or surgical procedures with anticipated major blood loss. The general aim in such cases is to increase hemoglobin levels (Hb) by increasing the number of red blood cells (hematocrit) to a specific range by adapting standard dosage regimes to individual needs. Depending on the patient population, the optimal Hb level ranges from a lower limit of 6.5-7.5 mmol/L to an upper limit of 8.0-8.7 mmol/L.
According to one aspect of the invention, the EPO administered or formulated for use in the treatment of myocardial disease is EPO as may be isolated from any suitable source. Preferably, human EPO is recombinantly produced and isolated from a suitable recombinant host cell and/or from the culture medium. In the case of recombinant production, the host may suitably be chosen from any cell capable of recombinantly producing protein, such as bacterial host cells (e.g., E. coli, B. subtilis ), yeast (e.g., S. cerevisiae, K. lactis ), fungi (e.g., A. niger, Pichia ), and mammalian cells (e.g., CHO, BHK cells) including human cells. According to one aspect of the invention, EPO is recombinantly produced in an immortalized human cell line, in particular PER.C6™ (ECACC deposit nr. 96022940). It is also possible to administer EPO in a gene-therapy setting according to the invention, for instance, by treating a patient with a vector comprising a nucleic acid sequence capable of expressing EPO when delivered to a target cell.
Derivatives of EPO refer to modifications of the source EPO, which may be urinary EPO or EPO recombinantly producible from a cDNA or gene sequence, wherein the expression product has one or more modifications relative to the source EPO, which modifications may be in the primary structure by substitution of one or more amino acid residues (such as in NESP), deletion, addition or relocation of one or more amino acid residues, or alterations in the post- or peri-translational modification of the protein backbone, such as hydroxylations, phosphorylations or glycosylations of amino acid residues, sulphur bridges, and the like.
Derivatives also encompass naturally or non-naturally occurring EPO variants coupled to non-EPO-related proteinaceous moieties or even to non-proteinaceous moieties. Derivatives of EPO are encompassed by the instant invention, as long as they interact with the EPO receptor and cause a reduction or prevention of the undesirable effects caused by chronic or acute coronary syndromes that include, but are not limited to, myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction or heart failure, or caused by hypoxia conditions in the heart in general. As a measure for the occurrence of undesirable effects, the degree of apoptosis and/or necrosis in the heart tissue and/or the levels of purines in the coronary effluent circulation may be determined, or by any other means known in the art.
Functional analogues of EPO refer to molecules not necessarily derived from naturally on non-naturally occurring EPO that are capable of mimicking the interaction of EPO with its receptor, whereby the undesirable effects caused by chronic or acute myocardial ischemia or myocardial infarction, or hypoxia in the heart in general, are reduced and/or prevented. Such functional analogues may comprise peptidomimetics and/or non-peptidic molecules mimicking the idiotope interacting with the EPO-R. It will be understood by those of skill in the art that the functional analogue according to the invention need not necessarily interact with the same idiotope or in the same way, as long as it mimics the interaction of EPO with its receptor. Functional analogues may suitably be screened and selected from (synthetic) peptide libraries, phage or ribosome polypeptide display libraries, or small molecule libraries. Those of skill in the art are capable of screening for or designing functional analogues and test their functionality in assays disclosed herein. In addition to assays based on apoptosis and/or purine determination, other methods, such as methods towards measuring cell necrosis that are generally known in the art, may be used to test the functionality of the analogue in reducing and/or preventing the undesirable effects of hypoxia.
EPO may be administered to a mammal in any pharmaceutically acceptable form. Generally, EPO will be administered parenterally or subcutaneously (sc), but the way of administration may vary from time to time. Whenever it is needed to obtain a quick response, it may be desirable to add EPO in high dose form by means known to quickly deliver the pharmaceutical to the heart. Instances where this is clearly desired are, for example, where the patient suffers from acute syndromes such as acute myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction or acute heart failure. In these circumstances, doses typically rise above the doses that are administered to human patients suffering from anemia or suffering from chronic coronary syndromes (Silverberg et al. 2000 and 2001). Normal doses that are administered to adult renal failure patients are in the range of 4000-7500 IU per week (80-100 kg body weight). These amounts are normally divided into three separate doses per week fan the commercially available epoetin alpha or EPREX® (EPO produced on CHO cells). Higher doses for the treatment of acute coronary disorders may be given daily or even more frequently. The maximum tolerable dose may have to be determined in order to prevent hematocrit values and hemoglobin concentrations to rise too sharply. Persons of ordinary skill know how to monitor hematocrit values and hemoglobin concentrations in patients to prevent undesired side effects, such as extreme high blood pressure that may occur in later stages of the treatment. These administration schemes contrast the schemes used by Silverberg et al. (2000 and 2001) to treat anemic patients that suffer from congestive heart failure, where administration of EPO was prolonged for weeks or even months. For acute coronary syndromes, it might not be necessary to prolong the treatment with the high doses for several months, since the protective effect is required instantly and undesired side effects might occur when such high doses are given for prolonged periods of time. In the case of chronic coronary syndromes including, but not limited to, myocardial ischemia or heart failure, lower doses may be administered during a longer time interval. Heart failure includes both acute heart failure syndromes, such as in the frame of myocardial infarction, but also reduced pumping of the heart in chronic cases. These applied doses are comparable to doses given to renal failure patients that suffer from the lack of EPO. Doses for non-acute hypoxia-related myocardial disorders may range from 10 to 10,000 IU per administration, preferably, 1000 to 2500 IU per administration (for an adult of 80-100 kg). Also, in this case, monitoring may be necessary to prevent unwanted side effects.
As disclosed in WO 00/63403, EPO can also be recombinantly produced on PER.C6™ cells. It was recently described (see patent application PCT/NL02/00686) that EPO thus produced leads to a significantly lower increase of the hematocrit value upon administration than similar doses of recombinant EPO currently commercially available (EPREX®). This appears mainly due to the specific posttranslational modifications of the EPO thus produced, which appear related to the presence of at least the E1A sequence of an adenovirus in expressible format in the host cell used for recombinant production of EPO. A less pronounced increase in hematocrit value upon administration of EPO is beneficial for use according to the present invention. It is, therefore, a preferred embodiment of the present invention to use EPO according to the invention, whereby the EPO has been recombinantly produced in a host cell expressing at least the E1A protein, or a derivative or functional analogue thereof (see PCT/NL02/00686). Preferably, the host cell is a PER.C6™ cell. Such EPO can be used according to the invention for both chronic and acute coronary syndromes.
Novel formulations of EPO-like proteins are known in the art. The Novel Erythropoiesis Stimulating Protein (NESP) is known to be effective for longer periods of time due to its modified glycosylation pattern, which makes the administration schedule such that only a once a week dose is required to sort the effects that were formerly found with three doses a week of the original recombinant EPO protein. For the treatment of acute or chronic coronary syndromes, it might also be useful to apply NESP, which should be administered in a similar way as described above for EPO, namely, at higher (and possibly more frequent) doses in the case of acute coronary syndromes and at comparable (and equally frequent) doses in the case of chronic heart failure. It remains to be seen whether the modified glycosylation of NESP as compared to EPO has any differentiating effect on the EPO-R present on myocytes and endothelial cells in the blood vessels of the heart.
Pharmaceutically acceptable formulations according to the invention typically comprise EPO according to the invention, usually together with pharmaceutically acceptable excipients, diluents, solvents, and optionally, compounds acting in an additive or even synergistic fashion. Compounds of the latter category comprise compounds of the statin family, such as lovastatin, simvastatin, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-inhibitors), and the like.
It is worth noting that, according to the invention, the protective effect of EPO on hypoxia-induced myocardial damage, as determined by purine analysis in the coronary effluent and/or the degree of apoptotic cells in the myocardium, is observed within minutes after subcutaneous administration. It is difficult to imagine that this effect should be ascribed to EPO's known stimulating effect on angiogenesis, or to its hematopoietic effect for that matter, since these effects are typically not observed within the time frame of minutes, but rather days or even weeks. It is tempting, therefore, to speculate that the cell protective effect of EPO observed within minutes after administration is brought about by a direct intervention of EPO and tissues of, or in direct contact with, the myocardium. The fact that the EPO-R is found to be expressed on the cell surface of the myocytes (as is shown in this invention), strongly suggests that direct anti-apoptotic and anti-necrotic effects occur through the action of EPO on these receptors, while the direct angiogenic effects of EPO most likely occur through the EPO-R expressed on endothelial cells in the capillaries. This effect may occur in vitro as well as in vivo.
The invention will now be illustrated by the following examples.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Detection of EPO and EPO-R in Normal Human and Rat Heart Tissue
It has been found that EPO and the EEO-R are expressed in fetal cardiac tissue (Juul et al. 1998). Despite the increasing body of literature on the expression of EPO and its receptor and the putative roles associated therewith, little, if anything, is known of the distribution of EPO and EPO-R in adult heart tissue.
Expression of EPO and EPO-R was examined by real-time RT-PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry on rat heart tissue and by western blotting and immunohistochemistry on human heart biopsies.
Rat Heart (Langendorff Set-Up)
For this, ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) experiments in isolated rat hearts suspended in a so-called Langendorff apparatus (Van Gilst et al. 1988) were performed with and without the administration of EPO, using methods generally known to persons skilled in the art.
Male Sprague Dawley Rats weighing approximately 300 grams (n=12) were divided into four experimental groups. Two groups received global cardiac ischemia by reducing coronary flow to 0.6 ml/minute for 30 minutes followed by reperfusion for 45 minutes. Two other groups were without ischemia. Within each of the groups, half of the rats were treated with EPO (10 U/ml) and half with saline. Rats were anesthetized and 500 U of heparin was injected in the tail vein. The heart was rapidly excised and the aorta was immediately retrogradely perfused by a modified Tyrode solution (glucose 10, NaCl 128.3, KCl 4.7, NaHCO 3 20.2, CaCl 2 , 1.35, NaH 2 PO 4 0.42, MgCl 2 , 1.05; all mmol/liter) and was equilibrated with 95% O 2 and 5% CO 2 . Perfusion pressure was maintained at 60 mmHg. Coronary flow (CF) was measured by a microprocessor, which controlled the perfusion pressure by adjusting the peristaltic perfusion pump. CF, heart rate (HR), and left ventricular peak pressure were monitored continuously. After equilibrating for five minutes, hearts were perfused for 20 minutes with EPO or saline before the I/R protocol started.
Real-Time RT-PCR
Total RNA was isolated from rat left ventricle and processed as described previously (Brundel et al., 1999). Briefly, cDNA was synthesized by incubating 1 μg of RNA in reverse transcription buffer, 200 ng of random hexamers with 200 U of Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Reverse Transcriptase, 1 mmol/L of each dNTP, and 1 U of RNase inhibitor (Promega). Synthesis reaction was performed for 10 minutes at 20° C., 20 minutes at 42° C., 5 minutes at 99° C., and 5 minutes at 4° C. All products were checked for contaminating DNA. Fragments of EPO-R were amplified (Forward primer: CAGGACACCTACCTGGTATTGGA (SEQ ID NO:1); reverse primer: CAGGCCCAGAGAGGTTCTCA (SEQ ID NO:2), Eurogentec, Belgium) with a GeneAmp® 5700 (Perkin-Elmer/ABI) employing a 40 cycle protocol consisting of 30 seconds at 94° C., 1 minute at 56° C. and 30 seconds at 72° C. After the last cycle, the 72° C. elongation step was extended to 5 minutes. The PCR products were detected using SYBR-green I. EPO-R was detected in cardiac samples of normal rat heart tissue and in tissue subjected in vitro to a 30 minute ischemic period irrespective of treatment with EPO.
To confirm specificity of the product, the amplified fragments were treated for 3 hours with the restriction enzyme NciI for partial digestion and separated on 2.5% agarose gels by gel-electrophoresis and stained with ethidium bromide. Restriction analysis confirmed splicing of the obtained product in two fragments of the expected size (34 and 39 bp, FIG. 1 ).
In contrast to EPO-R, we were unable to detect EPO mRNA in rat heart using the real-time RT-PCR method described by Neumcke et al. (1999) (while brain tissue was positive in the same PCR reaction).
Western Blotting
Western blotting was performed according to standard methods (Brundel et al., 1999) on midpapillary slices from the left ventricle of rat heart, which were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen. In brief, frozen LV tissues (˜50 mg) were homogenized in 1 ml of ice-cold protein lysis buffer and protease inhibitors. The homogenates were then centrifuged for 20 minutes at 4° C. at 14,000 rpm, and the supernatant was transferred into a clean tube and kept on ice. Protein concentration was determined by using a standard protein assay (Bio-Rad protein assay, Bio-Rad, Richmond, Calif.). Protein samples (50 μg) were subjected to SDS-PAGE on 7.5% acrylamide gels, and then transferred to PVDF membranes using a wet transfer unit (for 3 hours at 100 mA). The membranes were then blocked for 20 minutes with Tris-buffered saline containing 0.04% Tween 20 plus 5% non-fat dried milk, after which they were incubated for 3 hours with the primary antibody in Tris-buffered saline containing 0.04% Tween 20; 1:100 dilutions for the rabbit polyclonal anti-EPO-R antibody (C20, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, Calif.), anti-EPO antibody (H-162, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, Calif.), and 1:1000 dilutions for mouse monoclonal anti-phosphorylated ERK1/ERK2 antibody (#9106S, New England Biolabs, Beverly Mass.). Blots were incubated for 1 hour with HRP-conjugated secondary antibody prior to the development using an ECL kit (Amersham). Our results demonstrate that both EPO and the EPO-Receptor (EPO-R) are expressed on the protein level in Langendorff perfused hearts ( FIG. 2 ). Expression levels of both EPO and EPO-R appear unaffected by ischemia reperfusion and by the application of EPO. In the next experiment, rat hearts were in vivo exposed to 10 U/ml EPO for 20 minutes. With the use of Western blotting, we found an increase in a phosphorylated MAPK, notably ERK1 and, to a lesser extent, in ERK2 ( FIG. 2 ).
In summary, the Western blot demonstrates the presence of EPO and its receptor in cardiac tissue. We found EPO-R mRNA in cardiac tissue, but were unable to detect EPO mRNA, suggesting that EPO is not locally produced.
Finally, we found EPO to change levels of phosphorylated MAPK, especially pERK-1, thus implying a functional role of EPO-R in cardiac tissue. This may have important implications for the application of EPO in heart failure, as the extracellular signal-regulated kinases pathway (ERK1/2) has been recognized as an important regulator of cardiac hypertrophy and myocyte survival in response to hypertrophic agonists and stress stimuli (Bueno and Molkentin, 2002).
Immunohistochemistry
To evaluate the EPO and EPO-R expression pattern in rat heart tissue, complete mid-ventricular myocardial slices were obtained from the control rat group. Tissue sections were fixed and paraffin-embedded. Histological slices of approximately 3 μm were sectioned, dewaxed and rehydrated with graded ethanol. The sections were incubated with anti-EPO-R antibody (C20, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, Calif.) and with anti-EPO antibody (H-162, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, Calif.) using experimental methods well known to persons skilled in the art of immunohistochemistry. A two-step indirect peroxidase detection system was employed to visualize the expression pattern of EPO and EPO-R. All incubations were performed at room temperature and negative controls omitting the primary antibody were performed simultaneously. Using these immunohistochemistry in non-ischemic rat heart tissue, EPO expression was found in a number of rats (n=4), where the EPO expression appeared to be limited to arterioles and capillaries. No EPO expression was found in cardiomyocytes or in fibrocytes. The expression of EPO-R was also mostly restricted to arterioles and capillaries, although the cardiomyocytes showed a weak staining for EPO-R.
These findings further emphasize a possible role of EPO and EPO-R in angiogenesis.
Human Heart
Sections of formaline-fixed paraffin embedded human heart are obtained from routine autopsy cases (Dept. Pathology, Academic Hospital Groningen). Normal autopsy material harboring no cardiac pathology is obtained from at least 10 individuals. This material is used for Western blotting and immunohistochemistry as described above for the rat heart tissue.
Example 2
Effect of EPO in Acute Ischemic Events
The EPO-receptor (EPO-R) is found to be expressed at high concentrations in neuronal tissues (Digicaylioglu et al. 1995; Juul et al. 1997). The effects caused by (temporary) hypoxia due to cerebral ischemia may be mitigated by administering erythropoietin (EPO), as disclosed in WO 00/35475. Digicaylioglu and Liptyon (2001) have shown that preconditioning with EPO protects neurons in ischemic injury models and prevents apoptosis. As disclosed herein, EPO and the EPO-R are also expressed in cardiac tissue. Cardiac tissue that is susceptible to hypoxia may, therefore, benefit from treatment with EPO (see also e.g. WO 00/61164, WO 01/82952).
Apoptosis and the release of purines from the heart are measured to determine the effect of EPO in circumstances in which the heart tissue becomes ischemic. For this, ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) experiments in isolated rat hearts suspended in a so-called Langendorff apparatus (Van Gilst et al. 1988) are performed with and without the administration of EPO, using methods generally known to persons skilled in the art. The recombinant EPO is preferably obtained as described in WO 00/63403 using purification methods known to persons skilled in the art of protein production and isolation (see also PCT/NL02/00686). An alternative source of EPO is the commercially available epoetin alpha (EPREX®). Four separate experimental groups are used, each comprising eight Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Each rat weighs approximately 250 grams. These groups are:
SD rats without I/R, without EPO SD rats without I/R, with EPO SD rats with I/R, without EPO SD rats with I/R, with EPO
The rats are anesthetized and the heart is rapidly excised. The aorta is immediately retrogradely perfused. Coronary flow (CF) is measured by a microprocessor, which controls the perfusion pressure by adjusting the peristaltic perfusion pump. CF, heart rate (HR), and left ventricular peak pressure are monitored continuously and stored in a computer database. After equilibrating for 15 minutes, baseline parameters are measured. Ischemia is induced by ligation of the left coronary artery for 15 minutes. Then, reperfusion is induced by releasing the ligature and the hearts are allowed to recover for 15 minutes.
Purine release from the heart has been shown to reflect myocardial damage (Van Jaarsveld et al. 1989). The coronary effluent dripping from the heart is collected for measurement of purines released by the myocardium. Baseline samples are collected after stabilization of the preparation, and coronary effluent is sampled after 15 minutes ischemia and after 15 minutes of reperfusion, and purines are measured by high-liquid performance chromatography (HPLC). The general trend is that initial purine values released from the coronary effluent from non-EPO-treated animals start off at higher values, while the decrease of purine over time appears to be slower, as compared to EPO-treated animals.
At the end of the experiments, hearts are weighed and a midpapillary slice from the left ventricle is cut out and fixed. The non-infarcted part of the heart (posterior wall, IV septum) is snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. As described above, polyclonal antibodies against EPO and EPO-R are applied to determine the expression of both proteins.
Apoptosis is detected as follows. Sections from paraffin-embedded tissue blocks are placed on coated slides for in situ detection of apoptotic cells. Nuclear DNA fragments are visualized by an enzymatic reaction, using the ApopTag in situ apoptosis detection kit (Oncor, Gaithersburg USA) following the manufacturer's instructions. Number and distribution of stained cells, morphologic nuclear features and intensity of staining are evaluated.
Example 3
Effect of EPO in Chronic Ischemia Model Systems
Myocardial infarction is induced in rats and the role of EPO, which is administered in vivo, is determined by measuring Left Ventricular Pressure (LVP), infarct size, apoptosis and microvascular density. For this, SD rats are either sham-operated (SH) or myocardial infarcted (MI) and treated with EPO (see above) in a concentration of 400 units per kg sc, or with saline, every day for four weeks. Four separate experimental groups are used, each comprising eight SD rats. Each net weighs approximately 250 grams. The groups used are:
SD rats with sham operation, without EPO SD rats with sham operation, with EPO SD rats with myocardial infarction, without EPO SD rats with myocardial infarction, with EPO
The myocardial infarction model has been described elsewhere (Pinto et al. 1993). In brief, anesthesia is induced and a left-sided thoracotomy is performed and MI is created by ligating the left coronary artery with a 6-0 silk suture, 1-2 mm after the bifurcation with the aorta. In sham-operated rats, the same operation will be executed, without ligating the suture.
The Left Ventricular (LV) function is determined as follows. After four weeks, rats are anesthetized and the right carotid artery is cannulated with a pressure transducer catheter. After a 3 minute period of stabilization, maximal LVP, LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and heart rate are recorded. Hereafter, the catheter is withdrawn to measure systolic blood pressure in the aortic root. As indices of global contractility and relaxation, the maximal rates of increase and decrease in LVP (systolic dP/dt and diastolic dP/dt) is determined, which will be further corrected for peak systolic LVP.
The infarct size is determined by histological analysis by staining for LDH using general methods known to persons skilled in the art. Total epicardial and endocardial circumference of the left ventricle and epicardial and endocardial scar length of the infracted area are determined by means of a computerized planimeter. Infarct size is calculated by dividing the sum of the scar lengths by the sum of the total circumferences, as previously described in detail (Pinto et al. 1993). Furthermore, apoptosis is measured as described above.
The microvascular density is determined as follows (Loot et al., 2002). The paraffin-embedded LV slice is cut and stained with hematoxylin-eosin for histological analysis to calculate infarct size and with RECA-1 antibody to visualize microvessels using methods known to persons skilled in the art. Microvessel density per mm 2 is measured in the spared myocardium (opposing the infarction, usually ventricular septum or posterior wall). From each rat, seven to ten microscopic high-power fields with transversely sectioned myocytes are digitally recorded with appropriate software. The microcirculation is defined as vessels beyond the third order arterioles, with a diameter of 150 μm or less, supplying tissue between arterioles and venules. Myocyte surface areas are measured by morphometry, selecting myocytes with a central nucleus with the largest possible surface area with image analysis software (Loot et al., 2002).
Example 4
Determination of EPO and EPO-R Levels in Chronic Ischemia in Human Heart
The expression levels of EPO and EPO-R are determined by the level of mRNA, using a semi-quantitative Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) technique. For this, total RNA is isolated using the acid guanidium thiocyanate lysis method (Chomczynski and Sacchi 1987). The RNA is obtained from tissue from patients with ischemic heart failure. The tissue is removed during cardiac catheterization by right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy from the right jugular or femoral vein, using standard techniques known to persons skilled in the art. Reverse transcription of RNA and amplification of cDNA is performed by RT-PCR. The cDNA of interest and the cDNA of the housekeeping enzyme GAPDH are detected by real-time RT-PCR as described above.
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Digicaylioglu M, Bichet S, Marti H H, Wenger R H, Rivas L A, Bauer C and Gassmann H (1995). Localization of specific erythropoietin binding sites in defined areas of the mouse brain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:3717-3720.
Digicaylioglu H and Liptyon S A (2001). Erythropoietin-mediated neuroprotection involves cross-talk between Jak2 and NF-kB signaling cascades. Nature 412:641-645.
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Mancini D, et al. (2001). Erythropoietin improves exercise capacity in patients with heart failure. Circulation 104 (no. 17 suppl): II.438.
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Neumcke I, Schneider B, Fandrey J, Pagel H (1999). Effects of pro- and antioxidative compounds on renal production of rythropoietin. Endocrinology 140:641-645.
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Van Jaarsveld H, Barnard H C, Barnard S P, et al. (1989). Purine and oxypurine production in mitochondria of ischemic and reperfused myocardium. Enzyme 42:136-144. | Provided are uses of erythropoietin, or a derivative or functional analogue thereof, for the production of a medicament for the preventive or curative treatment of patients suffering from, or at risk of suffering from, cardiac failure. | 0 |
This is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 280,816, filed July 6, 1981, now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to s-triazin-2-one and thione compounds, processes for their preparation, intermediates useful in their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions and methods for influencing physiological function, such as blood pressure, in humans and animals.
REPORTED DEVELOPMENTS
1,3,5-triazine compounds are known to possess a broad spectrum of biological activity. The 4,6-diamino-1,2-dihydro-2-triazines have been reported to be effective as antimalarial, antitumor, antihelminthic and antibacterial agents as well as active agents against coccidiosis in chicks and against murine toxoplasmosis. See Heterocyclic Compounds, Volume 7, John Wiley & Sons, 1961 (Elderfield ed.) Chapter 8, "S-Triazines."
The antiherbicidal activity of 1-alkyl-4-alkylamino-1,2-dihydro-2-triazin-2-ones and thiones has been reported in U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,197 to Seidel et al. Recently, 1-aryl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-ones (thione) and their pharmacological uses have been reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,409 to Douglas et al.
S-Triazin-2-ones (thiones) which are substituted by hydrazinyl groups in the 4-position have not been previously reported.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a class of s-triazine compounds according to Formula I ##STR2## wherein:
X is oxygen or sulfur;
R 1 is aryl, substituted aryl, aralkyl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, heterocyclic lower alkyl, or substituted heterocyclic lower alkyl;
R 4 is hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkanoyl, carboalkoxy, carbamoyl, alkyl carbamoyl, aryl, aroyl, aralkyl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, halo alkyl, or halo alkanoyl;
R 6 is hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl or aralkyl; and the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof.
This invention relates also to processes for the preparation of compounds of Formula I and intermediate compounds useful in these processes.
Compounds within the scope of Formula I possess pharmaceutical activity, including cardiovascular activity, such as blood pressure lowering activity, and are useful in methods of treating physiological disorders, such as hypertension, in humans and animals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Depending upon the specific substitution, compounds of Formula I above may be present in enolized or tautomeric forms. Certain of the compounds can also be obtained as hydrates or in different polymorphic forms. The structures used herein to designate novel compounds are intended to include the compound along with its alternative or transient states. The nomenclature generally employed to identify the novel triazine derivatives as disclosed herein is based upon the ring structure shown in Formula I with the triazine ring positions numbered counterclockwise beginning with the nitrogen having the R 1 substitution.
Compounds of this invention which are preferred include those wherein:
X is oxygen or sulfur;
R 1 is phenyl or substituted phenyl;
R 4 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkanoyl, carboloweralkoxy, phenyl, or benzoyl;
R 6 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; and the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof.
A subclass of these compounds, of particular interest, includes compounds according to Formula I wherein:
X is oxygen or sulfur;
R 1 is phenyl or phenyl in which one or more of the phenyl hydrogens has been replaced by the same or different substituents selected from the group consisting of halo or lower alkyl;
R 4 is hydrogen;
R 6 is hydrogen or methyl; and the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof.
Another class of preferred compounds is where:
R 1 is phenyl, 2-halophenyl, 3-halophenyl, 4-halophenyl, 3,4-dihalophenyl, 3-trihalomethylphenyl or 2,6-diloweralkylphenyl;
R 4 is lower alkanoyl, benzoyl, or carboloweralkoxy;
R 6 is hydrogen; and the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof.
A further preferred class of compounds is where:
R 1 is phenyl or substituted phenyl;
R 4 is methyl; and
R 6 is hydrogen;
provided that when R 1 is substituted phenyl the phenyl substituent is either 3- or 4-halo, or 3-trihalo alkyl; and the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof.
A special embodiment of these preferred classes of compounds is where:
R 1 is phenyl substituted in either the meta or para positions by a halogen, for example, chloro; or where
R 1 is phenyl substituted in either or both of the meta or para positions by chloro when R 4 is other than methyl.
Another special embodiment of these preferred classes of compounds is where:
R 1 is phenyl, 4-loweralkyl phenyl or 4-loweralkoxy phenyl;
R 6 is hydrogen; and
R 4 is phenyl; and the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof.
An embodiment of this invention, of particular interest, is a 4-hydrazinyl traizinone according to Formula I wherein R 1 is a heterocyclic ring. The most preferred heterocyclic ring is pyridyl, and the exemplary subclass of the compounds according to this invention which includes the pyridyl ring is shown below in Formulae II-IV. ##STR3## wherein: n is zero to four;
R is alkyl, alkoxy, halo, cyano, amino, carbamoyl, alkylamino, or dialkylamino; and
X, R 4 and R 6 are as defined above.
The most preferred compounds according to this invention are listed in the following Table I.
TABLE I______________________________________Name M.P.______________________________________4-acetylhydrazino-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro- 158° C.1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-ethoxycarbonylhydrazino-1-phenyl-1,2- 165-167° C.dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-hydrazino-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5- >245° C.triazin-2-one4-methylhydrazino-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro- 182.5-133° C.1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-acetylhydrazino-1-(4-chlorophenyl)- 176-178° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-benzoylhydrazino-1-(4-chlorophenyl)- 193-195° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-ethoxycarbonyl- 194-195° C.hydrazino-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-hydrazino-1,2- >250° C.dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-methylhydrazino- 228-231° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3-chlorophenyl)- 140-144° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-hydrazino-1,2- >250° C.dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-methylhydrazino- 219-221° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-hydrazino-1-(4-methylphenyl)-1,2- >250° C.dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(4-methylphenyl)-4-phenylhydrazino- 196° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-4-hydrazino- >250° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-acetylhydrazino-1-(2-chlorophenyl)- 210° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(2-chlorophenyl)-4-hydrazino-1,2- >250° C.dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-hydrazino >250° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-acetylhydrazino-1(3-dichlorophenyl)- 183-185° C.4-methylhydrazino-1-(3-trifluoromethyl- 199-201° C.phenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3-trifluoromethyl- 142.5-164° C.phenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2- >250° C.dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(4-methylphenyl)-4-phenylhydrazino- 196° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-phenylhydrazino- 170.5-171.5° C.1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one______________________________________
As employed above and throughout the disclosure, the following terms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have the following meanings:
"Alkyl" means a saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon which may be either straight- or branched-chain. Preferred are lower alkyl groups which have up to about 6 carbon atoms, including methyl, ethyl and structural isomers of propyl, butyl, pentyl and hexyl.
"Cycloalkyl" means a saturated cyclic hydrocarbon, preferably having about 3 to about 6 carbon atoms, which may also be substituted with a lower alkyl group.
"Carbamoyl" means a radical of the formula ##STR4## where R may be hydrogen or lower alkyl.
"Alkenyl" means an unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon which may include straight or branched chains. Preferred groups have up to about 6 carbon atoms and may be vinyl and any structural and geometric isomers of propenyl, butenyl, pentenyl, and hexenyl.
"Alkynyl" means an unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon containing one or more triple bonds. Preferred groups contain up to about 6 carbon atoms and include ethynyl, propynyl, butynyl, pentynyl, and hexynyl.
"Aryl" means a radical of an aromatic group. The preferred aromatic groups are phenyl and substituted phenyl.
"Substituted phenyl" means a phenyl group in which one or more of the hydrogens has been replaced by the same or different substituents including halo, lower alkyl, halo lower alkyl, amino, acylamino, hydroxy, phenyl lower alkoxy, lower alkanoyl, carboloweralkoxy, acyloxy, cyano, halo lower alkoxy or lower alkyl sulfonyl.
"Aralkyl" means lower alkyl in which one or more hydrogens is substituted by aryl (preferably phenyl or substituted phenyl). Preferred groups are benzyl or phenethyl.
"Heterocyclic" or "heterocyclic ring" means a cyclic or bicyclic system having 1 to 3 hetero atoms which may be nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur, including oxazolidinyl, thiazolidinyl, pyrazolidinyl, imidazolidinyl, piperidyl, piperazinyl, thiamorpholinyl, 1-pyrrole, 2-pyrrole, 3-pyrrole, 2-furan, 3-furan, 2-thiophene, 3-thiophene, 2-tetrahydrothiophene, 3-tetrahydrothiophene, 1-imidazole, 2-imidazole, 4-imidazole, 5-imidazole, 2-oxazole, 4-oxazole, 5-oxazole, 2-thiazole, 4-thiazole, 5-thiazole, 1-pyrazole, 3-pyrazole, 4-pyrazole, 5-pyrazole, 1-pyrrolidine, 2-pyrrolidine, 3-pyrrolidine, 2-pyridyl, 3-pyridyl, 4-pyridyl, 2-pyrimidine, 4-pyrimidine, 5-pyrimidine, 6-pyrimidine, 2-purine, 6-purine, 8-purine, 9-purine, 2-quinoline, 3-quinoline, 4-quinoline, 5-quinoline, 6-quinoline, 7-quinoline, 8-quinoline, 1-isoquinoline, 3-isoquinoline, 4-isoquinoline, 5-isoquinoline, 6-isoquinoline, 7-isoquinoline, 8-isoquinoline, carbazole, trimethyleneethylenediaminyl, ethyleneiminyl and morpholinyl;
"Substituted heterocyclic" or "substituted heterocyclic ring" means a heterocycle in which one or more of the hydrogens on the ring carbons have been replaced by substituents as given above with respect to substituted phenyl.
Preferred heterocyclic rings are pyridyl, pyrimidyl, pyrazolyl, imidazolyl, furyl, thienyl, oxazolyl, thiazolyl, piperidyl, morpholinyl, oxazolidinyl, thiazolidinyl, pyrazolidinyl, imidazolidinyl, piperazinyl, thiamorpholinyl, trimethyleneethylenediaminyl and ethyleneiminyl.
The terms "halo" and "halogen" include all four halogens, namely, fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine. The halo alkyls, halophenyl and halo-substituted pyridyl include groups having more than one halo substituent which may be the same or different such as trifluoromethyl, 1-chloro-2-bromo-ethyl, chlorophenyl, 4-chloropyridyl, etc.
"Acyloxy" means an organic acid radical of lower alkanoic acid such as acetoxy, propionoxy, and the like.
"Lower alkanoyl" means the acyl radical or a lower alkanoic acid, including acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, valeryl, and stearoyl.
"Alkoxy" means the oxy radical of an alkyl group, preferably a lower alkyl group, such as methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, and i-propoxy.
"Aroyl" means a radical of the formula ##STR5## wherein R is aryl. Preferred aroyl groups include benzoyl and substituted benzoyl.
The preferred "halo lower alkyl" group is trifluoromethyl.
The preferred "halo lower alkanoyl" group is trifluoroacetyl.
The compounds of this invention may be prepared by the general synthesis according to Scheme I: ##STR6##
A 1-R 1 -substituted-4-alkyl isobiuret is cyclized to the corresponding 1-R 1 -6-R 6 -4-alkoxy-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one by treatment with an R 6 substituted cyclizing reagent.
The group in the 4-position of the isobiuret, shown as O-alkyl, may be any suitable group which is capable of being displaced upon treatment of the cyclized product with a hydrazinyl reagent. The alkoxy groups, as shown in Scheme I, are preferred.
Condensation of the 4-alkoxy triazinone with an appropriately substituted hydrazine produces the 4-hydrazino adduct according to Scheme II: ##STR7##
Alternatively, the 4-methoxy-s-triazinone may be reacted with unsubstituted hydrazine thereby producing the 4-hydrazinyl triazinone which may be treated with an appropriate alkylating or acylating reagent such as an alkyl halide, alkyl triflate, alkanoyl halide, such as, benzyol halide, methyl halide, acetyl chloride, benzoylchloride, and result in the desired R 4 substitution.
The triazinthione compounds according to this invention are prepared by the same general route by utilizing the corresponding isothiobiuret as starting material.
The isobiuret (isothiobiuret) starting material may be prepared by any manner known to those skilled in the art. One process for the synthesis of these particular isobiurets (isothiobiuret) comprises the treatment of an O-alkylisourea (isothiourea), such as O-methyl-isourea, with an appropriately substituted isocyanate (isothiocyanate) according to Scheme III: ##STR8##
For example, O-methyl isourea may be prepared in situ by neutralizing O-methyl isourea hydrogen sulfate with one equivalent of base, such as sodium hydroxide, in a polar nonaqueous solvent, such as, THF or ethanol. The reaction media is dried before adding the isocyanate by addition of a drying agent such as sodium sulfate (Na 2 SO 4 ). The isocyanate is added to the reaction media dropwise and the isobiuret recovered by extraction and recrystallization.
The isocyanate may be prepared from primary alkyl amines or anilines by methods known to those in the art (e.g., reaction with phosgene or thiophosgene in the customary manner).
The cyclizing reagent may consist of an activated form of an acid amide or ortho ester or acyl derivative such as a Vilsmier reagent which will bring about acylation and ring closure of the isobiuret or isothiobiuret to give the corresponding s-triazinone or thione of the type described above.
The cyclizing reagent employed in the reaction can be any cationic reagent system capable of generating in the reaction mixture a stabilized carbonium ion having the oxidation state of an acid or acid amide. Since the cationic carbon is incorporated into the ring the choice of reagent will determine the R 6 substitution in the compounds of Formula I above. Thus, in the case of a dialkyl carboxylic acid amide dialkyl acetal, such as, dialkyl formamide dialkyl acetal, R 6 is hydrogen and the resulting triazine is unsubstituted in the 6-position; in the case where the acetamide derivative is used as the cyclizing reagent, R 6 is methyl and the resulting triazine is substituted in the 6-position, and so on.
In general, the preferred cyclizing reagents are the ortho esters of carboxylic acids of the Formula V: ##STR9## wherein: R 6 is hydrogen, or lower alkyl; and each of R 10 through R 12 are lower alkyl or halo lower alkyl. Exemplary ortho esters include triethylorthoformate and trimethylorthoacetate. Additional cyclizing reagents include the carboxylic acid amide dialkyl acetals, such as, dialkyl formamide dialkyl acetal, preferably, dimethyl formamide dimethyl acetal; dialkyl acetamide dialkyl acetals, preferably, dimethyl acetamide dimethyl acetal; dialkyl propionamide dialkyl acetal, preferably, dimethyl propionamide dimethyl acetal. Other carboxylic acid amide derivatives can also be used including substituted derivatives.
Other methylidene derivatives that can be used as the cyclizing reagent include the combination of an N,N-disubstituted carboxylic acid amide and any strong alkylating agent, preferably a strong methylating agent. Any of the strong alkylating agents known in the art such as methyliodide, methylfluorosulfonate, alkylmethane sulfonates, e.g., methylmethanesulfonate, and alkyl or dialkyl sulfates, e.g., dimethylsulfate can be suitably employed though dimethylsulfate is preferred owing to its ready availability. A cyclizing reagent of particular interest is a DMF-dimethylsulfate complex.
Reagents of the type shown in Formula V above are stable products which are commercially available or can be prepared in advance.
The cyclizing reaction can be carried out by simply combining the reactants in a suitable solvent at room temperature with stirring. The reaction time can be shortened by heating the reaction mixture or by using elevated pressure or both. The solvent selected should have a relatively high boiling point and low vapor pressure in order to permit the reaction mixture to be heated above 100° C. Dimethylformamide is a convenient solvent to use, particularly where the cyclizing reagent is a dimethylformamide derivative, though other organic solvents can also be used. The solvents that can be used include saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, aromatic solvents, alcohols such as methanol and ethanol, halogenated hydrocarbons such as chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, ethylene chloride, or others such as methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, acetone, ether, acetamide, tetrahydrofuran and the like. Suitable mixtures of solvents can also be used. The reaction is preferably carried out under substantially anhydrous conditions though the presence of water can be tolerated. If small amounts of water are present, the effect can be offset by using an excess of the cyclizing reagent.
In carrying out the cyclizing reaction, the cyclizing reagent is preferably used in slight excess of the amount required as the stoichiometric equivalent of the isobiuret or isothiobiuret starting material. Reagent systems employing dimethyl sulfate are prepared as necessary for the cyclization or can be formed in situ in the reaction mixture by adding the reagent components to the reaction vessel in a suitable solvent or solvent mixture. When carrying out the cyclizing reaction with a reagent of the type shown in Formula V, it is preferred to use as starting material an acid addition salt of the isobiuret or isothiobiuret or alternatively, if the free base is used, then an acid, preferably a mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid, can be added to the reaction mixture. When a reagent system comprising a carboxylic acid amide and a strong alkylating agent is employed, the reagent is itself acidic and the reaction proceeds readily with the free base as starting material. In such instances it may be advantageous to add a proton scavenging solvent such as a tertiary amine, e.g., triethylamine or cyclic amines such as pyridine. Other miscible solvents can be used along with the preferred amines e.g., solvents such as triethanolamine, acetonitrile, ethanol, etc., though dimethyl formamide is preferred.
The conversion of most isobiurets and isothiobiurets to the corresponding s-triazine derivative can be achieved in from less than about 20 minutes to about 5 hours at temperatures on the order of 100° C. to 120° C. Higher or lower temperatures can be used if desired, and the reaction can be carried out at room temperature.
In most cases the cyclized end product can be recovered by filtering after direct crystallization from the reaction mixture particularly where the solvent has been chosen to facilitate recovery of the end product. Where the product does not readily crystallize, the novel s-triazinone derivatives can be conveniently isolated in the pure form by solvent extraction using any of the usual organic solvents which are not miscible with water such as: the hydrocarbons, for example, hexane; the chlorinated hydrocarbons, for example, chloroform or carbon tetrachloride; the aromatic solvents such as benzene, xylene, toluene, o-chloro-toluene and the like; ethers such as dioxane; ketones such as 2-pentanone, etc. The s-triazinone product is extracted into the solvent layer generally after stripping the solvent or concentrating the reaction mixture then shaking with an extracting composition of water and solvent and removing the solvent component, leaving the by-product in the aqueous layer. The product is recovered by evaporating off the solvent. If desired, the product can be further purified by recrystallizing from a suitable organic solvent such as those noted above. The selection of solvent is not critical and generally those solvents which are most readily available will be employed.
The compounds of this invention may be readily converted to their nontoxic acid addition salts by customary methods in the art. The nontoxic salts of this invention are those salts the acid component of which is pharmacologically acceptable in the intended dosages. Such salts would include those prepared from inorganic acids, and organic acids, such as, higher fatty acids, high molecular weight acids, etc. Exemplary acids include hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, methane sulfonic acid, benzene sulfonic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, malic acid, succinic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, benzoic acid, nicotinic acid, phthalic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, abietic acid, etc.
It is well known in the pharmacological arts that nontoxic acid addition salts of pharmacologically active amine compounds do not differ in activities from their free base. The salts merely provide a convenient solubility factor. Other salts, for example, quarternary ammonium salts, are prepared by known methods for quarternizing organic nitrogen compounds.
The following example shows the synthetic preparation of the hydrazinyl triazinone compounds described herein. It is to be construed as an illustration of the preparation of the compounds and not as limitations thereof.
EXAMPLE I
Preparation of 4-methylhydrazinyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
A. 4-Methyl-1-phenyl isobiuret
41.45 g of aqueous NaOH are added to a stirred suspension of O-methylisourea hydrogen sulfate (44.33 g) in 400 ml of THF while being cooled. After stirring at RT for 15 minutes, 200 g of anhydrous Na 2 SO 4 are added to the reaction mixture with continued stirring for one hour. Phenyl isocyanate (31.30 g) dissolved in THF (150 ml) is then added dropwise over a period of two hours. The mixture is filtered, concentrated, and the product crystallized from ethylacetate and hexane, to afford 41.10 g of the isobiuret, m.p. 86°-88° C.
B. 4-Methoxy-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methyl-1-phenyl isobiuret (41.08 g) is dissolved in 212 ml of triethylorthoformate. The solution is heated to 110°-115° C. for approximately four hours with a stream of N 2 being passed over the reaction mixture to flush out evolved ethanol and the reaction mixture allowed to cool overnight. The reaction product is filtered, washed with hexane, and recrystallized from toluene, affording 16.43 g of the triazinone, m.p. 171°-173° C.
C. 4-Methylhydrazinyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
2.4 ml of methylhydrazine dissolved in 10 ml of absolute ethanol are added to a suspension of 4-methoxy-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one (4.60 g) in 100 ml of absolute ethanol and stirred for one hour. The solid product is filtered, washed with ether and dried to give 3.10 g (63.1%) of 4-methylhydrazino-1-phenyl-s-triazin-2-one, m.p. 219° C.
The isobiurets listed in Table II may be substituted for 4-methyl-1-phenyl isobiuret in Example 1 to prepare the corresponding 4-methoxy-s-triazinones in Table III.
TABLE II
4-methyl-1-benzyl isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(2-pyridyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(3-pyridyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-(4-pyridyl)-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-[2-(3-methylpyridyl)]-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-[2-(4-methylpyridyl)]-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-[2-(3-chloropyridyl)]-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-[2-(4-chloropyridyl)]-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-[2-(3-carbomethoxypyridyl)]-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-[2-(3-cyanopyridyl)]-isobiuret
4-methyl-1-[2-(3-methoxypyridyl)]-isobiuret
TABLE III
4-methoxy-1-benzyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)-1,2,-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(2-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-(4-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-[2-(3-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-[2-(4-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-[2-(3-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-[2-(4-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-[2-(3-carbomethoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-[2-(3-cyanopyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methoxy-1-[2-(3-methoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
The 4-hydrazino-s-triazinones of Table IV may be prepared from the corresponding 4-methoxy-s-triazinones disclosed in Table III.
TABLE IV
4-hydrazino-1-benzyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(2-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-(4-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-[2-(3-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-[2-(4-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-[2-(3-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-[2-(4-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-[2-(3-carbomethoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-[2-(3-cyanopyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-1-[2-(3-methoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-benzyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-on
4-methylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(2-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-(4-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-[2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-cyanopyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-benzyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2,-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(2-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-(4-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-carbomethoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-cyanopyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-acetylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-benzyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(2-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluorometylhydrazino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-(4-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-carbomethoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-cyanopyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-trifluoromethylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-benzyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(2-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-(4-pyridyl)-1,2,-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-carbomethoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-cyanopyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-benzyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(2-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-(4-pyridyl)-1,2,-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-carbomethoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-cyanopyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-benzyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(2-chloro-6-bromophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(3,4-diethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(2-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-(4-pyridyl)-1,2,-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-[2-(5-methylpyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-[2-(4-chloropyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-carbomethoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-cyanopyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-1-[2-(3-methoxypyridyl)]-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
The general synthesis described above may be utilized to prepare the 4-hydrazino-triazinones in Table V.
TABLE V
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-methyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-ethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-ditrifluoroacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-ditrifluoroacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-ditrifluoroacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-ditrifluoroacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-ditrifluoroacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-ditrifluoroacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-ditrifluoroacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-ditrifluoroacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(3,4-ditrifluoroacetoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-hydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-methylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-ethylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-phenylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-benzylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-allylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-propargylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
4-pyridylhydrazino-6-ethyl-1-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-one
The hydrazinyl compounds which possess blood pressure-lowering activity can be used as antihypertensive agents by oral, parenteral or rectal administration. Orally they may be administered as tablets, aqueous or oily suspensions, dispersible powders or granules, emulsions, hard or soft capsules, or syrups or elixers. Parenterally they may be administered as a salt in solution which pH is adjusted to physiologically accepted values. Aqueous solutions are preferred.
Compositions intended for oral use may be prepared according to any method known to the art for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions, and such compositions may contain one or more inert carrier agents including excipients, such as, sweetening agents, flavoring agents, coloring agents, preserving agents and the like, in order to provide a pharmaceutically elegant and palatable preparation.
The dosage regimen in carrying out the methods of this invention is that which ensures maximum therapeutic response until improvement is obtained, and thereafter the minimum effective level which gives relief. Thus, in general, the dosages are those that are therapeutically effective in the alleviation of hypertensive disorders. The therapeutically effective doses correspond to those dosage amounts found effective in tests using animal models which are known to correlate to human activity. In general, it is expected that daily doses between about 5 mg/kg and about 300 mg/kg (preferably in the range of about 10 to about 50 mg/kg/day), will be sufficient to produce the desired therapeutic effect, bearing in mind, of course, that in selecting the appropriate dosage in any specific case, consideration must be given to the patient's weight, general health, age, the severity of the disorder, and other factors which may influence response to the drug.
Various tests in animals have been carried out to show the ability of the compounds of this invention to exhibit reactions that can be correlated with activity in humans. These tests involve such factors as their blood pressure-lowering effect and determination of their toxicity. It has been found that the preferred compounds of this invention, when tested in the above situation, show a marked blood pressure-lowering activity.
Determination of Antihypertensive Activity
A description of the test protocol used in the determination of the antihypertensive activity of the compounds of this invention follows:
(a) Male TAC spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR's), eleven weeks old, weighing 200-220 grams, are chosen for testing. The average systolic blood pressure (as measured below) should be 165 mmHg or above. Any rat not initially meeting this criterion is not utilized.
(b) A Beckman dynograph is balanced and calibrated using a Beckman indirect blood pressure coupler. A mercury monometer is placed on one arm of the glass "T" tube. The known pressure head in the tail cuff is synchronized with the recorder output so that 1 mm pen deflection=5 mmHg. Any correction is made using the chart calibration screw on the pressure coupler. The pulse amplitude is controlled by the pre-amplifier using a 20 v/cm setting.
The rats are prewarmed in groups of five for twenty minutes to dilate the tail artery from which the arterial pulse is recorded. After prewarming, each rat is placed in an individual restraining cage with continued warming. When the enclosure temperature has been maintained at 35° C. for 5 minutes, recordings are started. The tail cuff is placed on the rat's tail and the rubber bulb of the pneumatic tail cuff transducer is taped securely to the dorsal surface of the tail. When the rat's pulse reaches maximum amplitude and is unwavering, the cuff is inflated and the air slowly released. A reading of systolic blood pressure is read at the point of the chart when the first deflection appears on the chart recording while the air in the cuff is being released. The exact point of the systolic blood pressure reading is where the first deflection forms a 90° angle to the falling cuff pressure base line. After obtaining nine or ten consistent readings, the average of the middle five readings is calculated.
(c) Three groups of twenty rats receive the test compound at doses of about 25 mg/kg per os.
A fourth group of twenty control rats receive distilled water. Statistical comparisons of systolic pressure (four hours ater the first dose and sixteen hours after the second dose) are made on a daily basis using the Student t test for dependent variables (see, E. Lord, Biometrika, 34, 56 (1947)), with the predose observations serving as baseline values for each rat.
This testing method is known to correlate well with antihypertensive activity in humans and is a standard test used to determine antihypertensive properties. Accordingly, hydrazine triazinones which show effectiveness in the test can be considered to be active antihypertensive agents in humans. | ##STR1## This invention relates to 1-aryl-4-hydrazinyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-ones and 2-thiones of Formula I, processes for their preparation, isobiuret and 4-alkoxy-s-triazinone preparative intermediates, and methods of treating physiological disorders in humans and animals, in particular, cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension. | 2 |
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