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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a pair of headphones, at least one of which has selective connection ports for cables interconnecting a cellular telephone and auxiliary appliances such as an AM/FM radio, CD player, cassette player or MP3 player. The connection port for the cellular phone is connected to circuit means which overrides the feed for the auxiliary audio appliance when a telephonic connection occurs. The cellular telephone cable has a microphone mounted thereon which allows the user to speak to the calling party without the requirement of removing the cellular phone from its carrying pocket and lifting the same to the call receivers mouth.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A present benefit enjoyed by present day society is the ready availability of music and other audio programming. With devices such as radios, cassette tape players, compact disc players and MP3 players a person may listen to virtually any music or audio programming. When such devices are combined with the wide spread use of headphones either by building the same into the headsets or electronically connecting the same to the headsets, users have gained great flexibility in that the audio programming may be played and listened to in almost any location or setting. Furthermore a person may listen to virtually any music or other audio programming and the hands are left clear and physical activity can be incorporated with the ability for sound entertainment. Wireless headphones generally receive a radio frequency transmission form the selected audio programming of the user.
In the same manner cellular telephones have become widespread and are carried around the home, in an office, shopping, traveling or while conducting exercise or other activities. The user can easily move from one location to another during a phone call while receiving the phone information, perform a chore or continue the activity engaged in prior to the phone call. There are a number of problems encountered in prior art as cordless telephones commonly referred to as cell phones have become widespread in our society. Since cell phones are carried everywhere, they are often carried by individuals engaged in physical exercise such as walking, hiking, biking and running. Conversely when the phone rings, the individual must stop whatever he or she is currently doing to complete the call which also entails holding the same close to the face for reception and transmission while also requiring that the user keep his or her hand occupied holding the cellular phone. Obviously one cannot continue physical exercise as the phone would bang against the face resulting in possible injury or an interruption of the ongoing conversation. In addition keeping one's hand occupied in grasping or holding the cellular telephone for a long period of time is tiresome and precludes the use of the hand for other pursuits. Other devices which are also commonly used are portable radios, CD players and the like which provide the user with an availability of music and other audio programming.
The prior art discloses numerous examples of headphones with telephone and/or radio interconnection particularly where the same is built in the headset and has an external antenna. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,115 discloses a pair of wireless headphones with a built in sound system to provide music and audio programming to a user. A telephone base unit also broadcasts notification of incoming phone calls to the wireless headphones in the form of an audio signal to notify the user of the incoming call. The headphones may also provide an audio signal over or instead of the audio programming to notify the user of the incoming call. The headphones may also incorporate a microphone so that he user can receive the phone call with the headphones.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,302 is directed in part toward a voice actuated dialing apparatus for registering a plurality of telephone numbers and automatically dialing a telephone number through the use of voice recognition software.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,266 a headphone convertible telephone hand set is disclosed which can be converted into a headphone like telephone to produce double form or stereo like sound in its receiver permitting the same to be worn on a user's head freeing the user's hands and allowing other functions. When extended outward from the telephone hand set to form a headphone, the movable receiver remains electrically connected with the inner circuit of the telephone hand set using a first and second arc-shaped telescopic slide strips, each having a central longitudinal slide slot to produce a double form or stereo like sound together with the stationary receiver.
Other headsets are also known such as the headset with built in radio receiver and external antenna shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. 388,788; the headset with ear protectors with a built in radio and external antenna shown in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 411,200 and the cordless telephone headset with external antenna and external microphone shown in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 429,229.
The prior art does not solve the problem of dual use of a wireless headphone used with audio programming and also carrying a cell phone. If the phone rings while the user is listening to music or other audio programming with the headphones, the user may not be able to hear the phone and may miss the phone call or pick it up to late to connect with the caller. Accordingly there is a need for an apparatus for providing portable audio programming for the enjoyment of a user while preventing the user from missing the call or being forced to stop the particular activity which he or she is presently undertaking.
The present invention solves the above problems in a manner not disclosed in the known prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward a apparatus which includes headphones with speakers electrically connected by an adjustable head piece which fits over the head of the user with one of the headphones being provided with a plurality of female ports which receive input cables from a cellular telephone and an auxiliary audio device such as a AM/FM radio, CD player, MP3 player, cassette player and the like. The apparatus also includes the direct transfer of sound via wireless transmitter or cable from any of the sound devices; cellular telephone, CD player, MP3 player to the headphones whether or not the transmitter and the receiver is contained within the source and the headphone. The apparatus is further provided with an internal switching circuit which receives a transmission from the cell phone and blocks or interrupts the audio system from the auxiliary audio device. A microphone is located external to the cellular telephone on the cable leading from the cellular telephone to the headphone allowing the user to answer and conduct a communication on the cell phone while continuing the activity which he or she was then engaged in.
It is an object of the invention to provide a headphone which allows the user to receive audio programming for the listening enjoyment of the user and to keep the user from missing telephone calls while listening to such audio programming.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a headset which can be used with any cellular telephone and any one or more of a number of commercially obtainable auxiliary audio devices.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an apparatus that is highly compact and one that can be easily stored and transported and used with cellular telephones and audio devices obtained at another locality.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a device that allows the user to engage in a telephone conversation with a caller without having to hold the cellular telephone in his or her hand and to move about carrying on the previously undertaken job or exercise while the telephone call is being undertaken.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a device having an attachable cable which allows a microphone to be externally carried away from the cellular telephone and the headset.
In the accompanying drawings, there is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention from which these and other objectives, novel features and advantages will be readily apparent.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the dual headset with accessories;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the section of the headset shown in block A of FIG. 1 ; and
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the cable tie shown in block B of FIG. 1
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The best mode and the preferred embodiment of the novel dual headphone with attachment means for use with a cellular telephone and an auxiliary sound transmission device of the present invention is shown generally in FIGS. 1 through 3 .
FIG. 1 illustrates the dual wireless headphones 10 with two independent speakers 12 connected together by a telescopic arc-shaped band 14 which is adjustable and is worn over the top of the user's head. This adjustable band is worn over the top of the user's head and positions the speakers 12 so that they are located and held over the ears. The independent speakers 12 , one in each earphone allow audio programming to be provided in stereo. Either speaker housing 13 of the respective head phone 10 may be provided with a plurality of female ports which allow electrical interconnection with a respective speaker 12 . One of female ports 16 allows connection to any cellular phone 40 having an ear headphone connectivity connection such as port 41 and another female port 18 allows for connection to an audio device 50 with an headphone ear connectivity connection such as port 51 . The audio device 50 can be a radio, CD player, MP3 player or cassette player.
As best shown in FIG. 2 a telephone symbol 17 is molded into the plastic housing 13 of an earphone or is mounted to the earphone in direct proximity to the telephone female port 16 and a musical note 19 is molded into the plastic housing 13 of the earphone or applied to the housing in direct proximity to the auxiliary audio appliance female port 18 .
Connector cables 20 and 22 with proximal respective male plug ends 24 and 26 fit into female port 16 and female port 18 providing for electrical connection to a respective cellular telephone 40 and portable radio 50 via distal male plug ends 28 and 30 of the cables. Each proximal end section 21 of cables 20 and 22 is held together in close proximity by a round rubber O shaped ring 32 and the distal end sections 23 of cables 20 and 24 are also held together in close proximity by a round rubber O shaped ring 34 . These connector rings 32 and 34 keep the cables 20 and 22 from wildly swinging around when the user is moving around, walking or running or engaged in physical exercise.
When the user is walking, jogging or engaging in physical exercise and wearing headphones listening to music or audio of any form, the user's audio program will automatically be interrupted (overridden) by incoming phone call which can be accepted or rejected. This is accomplished by a simple switching circuit built into the housing of the headphone with the port connection which deactivates or prevents reception of the audio signal from the auxiliary audio device 50 when the cellular telephone 40 begins to ring, vibrate or emit any form of programed audio signal When the call is finished the same switching circuit activates the audio connection from the auxiliary audio device 50 and the audio program resumes. Such circuits for accomplishing such switching are known in the art and can take many forms as for example a wheat stone bridge. A microphone 60 is mounted on cable 20 which serves as a voice amplification for the cellular telephone so that the user can talk without stopping his or her activity. The microphone 60 is activated upon receipt of an incoming call and deactivates a period of time after a call terminates. If desired the microphone 60 can have voice activated software which transmits a signal to the cellular telephone 40 to call a preprogrammed number and to also stop the audio programmig or to simply turn the microphone off. Likewise the microphone 60 can be used to selectively change the sound volume on the cellular telephone or place the telephone on call waiting if another incoming call is received on the cellular telephone 40 or to selectively increase or decrease the volume of the auxiliary audio device 50 . While the term auxiliary audio device has been used in describing the present invention as used in connection with the cellular telephone it is within the breath of the invention to substitute any one of number of auxiliary audio devices with the cellular telephone such as a AM/FM radio, CD player, cassette player, or MP3 player or the like.
It is envisioned that the cellular telephone and auxiliary audio device can be carried by the user in an optional belt, (not shown) or in a fanny pack or other carrying device. When used on a belt, carrying cases or platforms with velcro securing strips can be used to secure the cellular telephone and/or auxiliary audio device in a secure position on the belt to reduce movement of the telephone and audio device.
The present invention also includes another embodiment which eliminates the cable connection where the direct transfer of sound is from a wireless transmitter mounted or connected to any of the sources of the audio, namely the cellular telephone, CD player, MP3 player, radio to a receiver in the headphone whether or not the transmitter and the receiver is contained within the audio source and the headphone or are external to the same. In this embodiment an RF or Infrared transmitter with a male connector plug is mounted on the sound source and is connected to either analog or digital sound sources. The transmitter converts analog signal to digital using a high resolution delta-sigma 64× oversampling A/D converter. The digital integral receiver is fed CD quality digital data which is converted back to analog by an onboard Bitstream A/D converter. Frequency response is 10-22,000 Hz. The transmitter is plugged into the cellular telephone and auxiliary audio device and the RF waves or infrared signal are picked up by a receiver mounted in the headphones.
The prior description has been presented only to illustrate and describe the invention. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to any precise form. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching of the invention.
The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular embodiments which have been described above. Instead, the embodiments described here should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims: | An apparatus comprising a pair of headphones which have selective port connections formed in their housings allowing connection with an auxiliary audio appliances such as an AM/FM radio, CD player, cassette players, MP3 player as well as a cellular telephone. The apparatus specifically has one port for connection to a cellular telephone which is connected to a switching circuit which when activated by the occurrence a telephonic connection interrupts the audio from the auxiliary audio appliance. | 7 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hard coat film to be provided on a surface of a window, a display, and the like. Particularly, this invention relates to the hard coat film to be provided on a surface of a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a CRT display, an organic electroluminescence display (ELD), a plasma display (PDP), a surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED), and a field emission display (FED).
2. Description of the Related Art
A hard coat layer as a protection film is often provided on a surface of an optical component member of a display medium such as a liquid crystal display. Further, a function layer is often provided on the hard coat layer. Examples of the function layer to be provided on the hard coat layer include an anti-reflection layer for preventing reflection of light and the like.
In the case of providing the function layer on the hard coat layer, when adhesion between the hard coat layer and the function layer (hereinafter, adhesion means the adhesion between a hard coat layer and a function layer) is insufficient, scratches are easily caused on the hard coat layer or the function layer due to peeling caused by an impact applied on a surface of the function layer. Also, as a result of a weather resistance test, it has been found that the function layer or the hard coat layer is not only deteriorated by ultraviolet ray irradiation but also bonding at a boundary is weakened to further diminish the adhesion. Accordingly, scratches are more easily caused on the hard coat layer or the function layer, and there is a fear that the function layer is peeled off to make the product unusable.
Therefore, studies on improvement in adhesion have been conducted, and, for example, Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2001-287308) discloses that excellent adhesion to a function coating is achieved when a hard coat layer has a surface hardness (pencil hardness) of 2H or more, a surface shaving index of 1.0 to 15.0, and a centerline average surface roughness (Ra) on a surface of the hard coat coating of 0.001 to 0.02 μm.
For example, it is described in Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2001-287308) that a value of the surface shaving index is a parameter indicating a precipitation of a filler contained in the hard coat coating, and that a shaved white powder adheres to the film surface to transfer to the function layer laminated on the hard coat layer, etc. when the surface shaving index largely deviates from the above-specified range, thereby causing a reduction in adhesion. Also, it is described that, when the average surface roughness (Ra) exceeds the above-specified upper limit, the adhesion is undesirably diminished in the case where the function coating is laminated.
However, the degree of precipitation of filler is not the sole parameter that influences on the adhesion between the hard coat layer and the function layer. Also, according to findings of the inventors of this invention, excellent adhesion has been achieved when the centerline average surface roughness of the above-mentioned hard coat layer surface is out of the range specified in Patent Document 1. Accordingly, it is difficult to allege that there is correlativity between the adhesion and the hard coat coating centerline average surface roughness, and it is not appropriate to specify the hard coat coating centerline average surface roughness for the purpose of obtaining a hard coat coating increased in adhesion. Also, since accuracy of the method of measuring the surface shaving index is insufficient, the surface shaving index is not appropriate as the parameter for evaluating characteristics of hard coat coating.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2001-287308
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a hard coat film that includes a hard coat layer with excellent adhesion to a function layer. According to one embodiment of this invention, there is provided a hard coat film comprising a hard coat layer and a function layer on a substrate film, wherein the hard coat layer is formed by curing by irradiating an acrylic acid derivative with ionizing radiation, and (a) a carboxylic acid group (C═O) absorption intensity of a surface of the hard coat layer and (b) a carbon double bond (C—C) absorption intensity of the hard coat layer surface satisfy a numerical value range represented by the following Expression 1, the absorption intensities being measured by infrared ray spectroscopy:
0.15≦( b )/( a )≦0.30 Expression 1.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a hard coat film of an embodiment of this invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic sectional views each showing a transmissive liquid crystal display including a hard coat film on the surface of the display.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SIGNS
1 : hard coat film
11 : substrate film
12 : hard coat layer
13 : function layer
2 : polarization plate
21 : substrate film
22 : substrate film
23 : polarization layer
3 : liquid crystal cell
4 : polarization plate
41 : substrate film
42 : substrate film
43 : polarization layer
5 : back light unit
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Shown in FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the hard coat film of an embodiment of this invention.
The hard coat film ( 1 ) of this invention includes a hard coat layer ( 12 ) and a function layer ( 13 ) that are provided on a substrate film ( 11 ) in this order.
In some embodiments of this invention, the hard coat layer is formed by curing by irradiating an acrylic acid derivative with ionizing radiation, and an absorption intensity ratio ((b)/(a)) obtained by dividing (b) a carbon double bond (C—C) absorption intensity of the hard coat layer surface, which is measured by infrared ray spectroscopy, by (a) a carboxylic acid group (C═O) absorption intensity of the hard coat layer surface, which is measured by infrared ray spectroscopy, is 0.15 or more and 0.30 or less.
The inventors of this invention have studied hard coat layer characteristics relating to adhesion to find that there is correlativity between a degree of surface curing and the adhesion and have conducted a research on the correlativity to invent the hard coat film of this invention.
The hard coat layer of this invention contains the acrylic acid derivative. The acrylic acid derivative is cured by polymerization reaction caused by irradiation with ionizing radiation. The curing is promoted by conversion of the carbon double bond (C═C) into a single bond, but the carboxylic acid group (C═O) does not change during the polymerization. Accordingly, by employing an ATR method using a Fourier conversion infrared spectroscopic analysis device (FT-IR), an absorption intensity ratio of the absorption intensity of the carbon double bond (C═C) to the absorption intensity of the carboxylic acid group (C═O) was measured. The absorption intensity ratio is used as an index parameter since a smaller value of the absorption intensity ratio means that the polymerization and curing of the acrylic acid derivative has been promoted. Therefore, in the hard coat layer containing the acrylic acid derivative, it is possible to evaluate a degree of curing by the absorption intensity ratio of the absorption intensity of the carbon double bond (C═C) to the absorption intensity of the carboxylic acid group (C═O).
In the case where the curing of the hard coat layer surface is insufficient, the hard coat layer itself can be damaged due to weak bonding of the hard coat layer, thereby reducing the adhesion. Also, in the case where the curing of the surface is excessive, the adhesion to the function layer is reduced due to an increase in internal stress on the hard coat layer surface.
The absorption intensity ratio that is obtained as described above is a characteristic value that indicates a degree of curing of a hard coat layer surface and different from a pencil hardness that indicates a hardness of an overall hard coat layer. This value has a close relationship with the adhesion to the function layer in the case where the function layer is formed on the hard coat layer. Therefore, it is possible to provide the hard coat layer excellent in adhesion to the function coating by specifying the absorption intensity ratio.
In the hard coat film of this invention, the hard coat layer is optimally cured and excellent in adhesion to the functional layer. Since the adhesion between the hard coat layer and the function layer before weather resistance test is good in the hard coat film of this invention, the adhesion between the hard coat layer and the function layer is not diminished particularly after the weather resistance test.
More specifically, in the hard coat film, the absorption intensity ratio ((b)/(a)) obtained by dividing (b) the carbon double bond (C═C) absorption intensity of the hard coat layer surface, which is measured by infrared ray spectroscopy, by (a) the carboxylic acid group (C═O) absorption intensity of the hard coat layer surface, which is measured by infrared ray spectroscopy, can be in the range of from 0.15 or more to 0.30 or less. Insofar as the absorption intensity ratio is within the above-specified range, it is possible to increase the adhesion between the hard coat layer and the function layer when providing the function layer on the hard coat layer. When the absorption intensity ratio exceeds 0.30, the hard coat layer itself can be damaged due to weak bonding of the hard coat coating, and the adhesion is diminished. Also, when the absorption intensity ratio is less than 0.15, the adhesion to the function layer is diminished due to an increase in internal stress on the hard coat layer by the shrink of curing.
The method of measuring the surface of the hard coat layer of this invention by employing the infrared spectroscopy will be described below. In the measurement of infrared absorption intensity of the hard coat layer surface by employing the infrared spectroscopy, it is possible to use a Fourier conversion type infrared spectroscopic analysis device (FT-IR). The Fourier conversion type infrared spectroscopic analysis device (FT-IR) detects an infrared absorption spectrum by: modulating infrared light with an interferometer; collecting the infrared light into a narrow beam by using a concave lens to make the infrared light incident to a sample; collecting the infrared light transmitted through or reflected by the sample by using a concave lens to guide the infrared light to a detector; and processing a detection signal by using a computer.
In order to measure the infrared absorption intensity of the surface of the hard coat layer, it is possible to employ the ATR method using the infrared spectroscopic analysis device (FT-IR). As an ATR prism for the ATR method, KRS-5 is used. Since it is possible to obtain a large spectrum intensity by using KRS-5 as the ATR prism, it is possible to measure the infrared ray absorption intensity with high reproducibility. In the case where the ATR prism is KRS-5, a depth of penetration of the measurement light into the hard coat layer is about 1 μm, and it is possible to consider the absorption intensity to such depth is measured.
In the case of measuring the infrared absorption intensity of the hard coat layer surface by employing the ATR method, the hard coat film is cut into the size of the ATR prism, and the cut hard coat layer is brought into contact with the ATR prism. In this case, since the hard coat film is usually curled with the hard coat layer surface being medially-located, it is difficult to bring the hard coat layer into uniform contact with the prism. Therefore, it is preferable to conduct the measurement in a state where the hard coat layer is brought into uniform contact with the prism by uniformly pressing the hard coat film contacting the prism with the use of a silicon rubber sheet or the like.
In the hard coat film of this invention, the function layer to be provided adjacent to the hard coat layer may preferably contain a metal oxide. When the function layer contains a metal oxide, it is possible to further improve the adhesion between the hard coat layer and the function layer in the hard coat film of this invention.
A thickness of the hard coat layer of this invention may preferably be 3 μm or more to 15 μm or less. In the case where the thickness of the hard coat layer is less than 3 μm, a satisfactory surface hardness of the hard coat layer is not achieved in some cases. When the thickness of the hard coat layer exceeds 15 μm, a degree of curling of the hard coat film on which the hard coat layer is formed is increased too much. When the degree of curling is too large, it is difficult to attach the hard coat film to another member.
As the function layer to be provided on the hard coat layer, those having an anti-reflection property, an antistatic property, an anti-fouling property, an electromagnetic wave-shielding property, an infrared ray absorption property, an ultraviolet ray absorption property, a color correction property, and the like may be used. Examples of such function layers include an anti-reflection layer, an antistatic layer, an anti-fouling layer, an electromagnetic wave-shielding layer, an infrared ray absorption layer, an ultraviolet ray absorption layer, a color correction layer, and the like. The function layer may be a single layer or may have a lamination structure formed of a plurality of layers. The single function layer may have a plurality of functions such as an anti-reflection layer having anti-fouling property.
A thickness of the function layer may preferably be 0.01 μm or more and 1 μm or less. In the case where the function layer has the lamination structure, a thickness of the overall function layer may preferably be 0.01 μm or more and 1 μm or less. The hard coat film of this invention exhibits a prominent effect when the thickness of the function layer to be formed is 0.01 μm or more and 1 μm or less.
Also, the function layer may be provided between the substrate film and the hard coat layer in addition to the function layer provided on the hard coat layer when so required.
The hard coat film of this invention is to be provided on a surface of a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a CRT display, an organic electroluminescence display (ELD), a plasma display (PDP), a surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED), and a field emission display (FED) for the purpose of protecting the display surface.
FIG. 2A and 2B are schematic sectional views each showing a transmissive liquid crystal display having a hard coat film of an embodiment of this invention on its surface. A transmissive liquid crystal display of FIG. 2A is provided with a backlight unit ( 5 ), a polarization plate ( 4 ), a liquid crystal cell ( 3 ), a polarization plate ( 2 ), and a hard coat film ( 1 ) in this order. The side of the hard coat film ( 1 ) is the side to be viewed, i.e. the display surface.
The backlight unit ( 5 ) is provided with a light source and a light diffusion plate. The liquid crystal cell has such a structure that: an electrode is provided on one of transparent substrates; an electrode and a color filter are provided on the other transparent substrate; and a liquid crystal is enclosed between the electrodes. Each of the polarization plates sandwiching the liquid crystal cell ( 3 ) has such a structure that a polarization layer ( 23 or 43 ) are sandwiched between the substrate films ( 21 , 22 , or 41 , 42 ).
Shown in FIG. 2A is the transmissive liquid crystal display wherein the substrate film ( 11 ) of the hard coat film ( 1 ) and the substrate film ( 21 ) of the polarization plate ( 2 ) are provided separately. In turn, shown in FIG. 2B is a structure wherein the polarization layer ( 23 ) is provided on a surface opposite to the hard coat layer of the substrate film ( 11 ) of the hard coat film ( 1 ), and the substrate film ( 11 ) is used as a substrate film for the transparent substrate of the hard coat film ( 1 ) and a substrate film for the polarization plate ( 2 ).
The transmissive liquid crystal display of this invention may be provided with another functional member. Examples of the functional members include, but not limited to, a diffusion film, a prism sheet, and a brightness improvement film that are used for effectively utilizing the light emitted from the backlight; a phase difference film that is used for compensating for a phase difference of the liquid crystal cell and the polarization plate; and the like.
A production process for the hard coat film of this invention will be described below.
The hard coat film of some embodiments of this invention can be formed by forming a coating film on a substrate film by applying a hard coat layer-forming coating liquid containing an acrylic acid derivative and then curing the coating film by irradiating the coating film with an ionizing radiation such as an ultraviolet ray and an electron ray. The hard coat layer-forming coating liquid may contain a photopolymerization initiator, a solvent, and the like as required.
Examples of the substrate film to be used for the hard coat film of this invention include films of polyethylene telephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyamide (PA), polycarbonate (PC), polyacryl (PMMA), nylon (Ny), polyethersulfone (PES), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), triacetylcellulose (TAC), polyvinylalcohol (PVA), ethylenevinylalcohol, and the like. A thickness of the substrate film may preferably be in the range of from 10 μm or more to 500 μm or less, more preferably the range of from 25 μm or more to 200 μm or less.
In the hard coat film using the substrate film, since the substrate film has flexibility, the function layer provided on the hard coat layer can be easily peeled off due to deformation of the substrate film. Accordingly, there is a demand for strong adhesion between the hard coat layer and the function layer. Therefore, the hard coat film of this invention wherein the adhesion between the function layer and the hard coat layer is excellent is remarkably useful.
Examples of the acrylic acid derivative to be used in this invention include those having 3 or more, preferably 4 to 20 (meth)acryloyl groups, such as acrylic acid esters, acrylamides, methacrylic acid esters, and amide methacrylates. The acrylic acid derivative may be a monomer or an oligomer. Examples of the acrylic acid derivative include trimethylolpropanetri(meth)acrylate, pentaerythritoltri(meth)acrylate, pentaerythritoltetra(meth)acrylate, dipentaerythritolhexa(meth)acrylate, and the like.
Among the acrylic acid derivatives, polyfunctional urethane acrylate may preferably be used since it is possible to design a desired molecular weight and a desired molecular structure as well as to easily balance physical properties of the hard coat layer to be formed. Urethane acrylate is obtainable by reacting a polyvalent alcohol, polyvalent isocyanate, and hydroxyl group-containing acrylate, and, in the case of forming the hard coat layer by using the urethane acrylate alone and without using any polymer compound, it is preferable to use urethane acrylate that achieves a pencil hardness of the hard coat layer surface of 4H. Specific examples of urethane acrylate include, but not limited to, UA-306H, UA-306T, UA-306I, and the like that are manufactured by Kyoeisha Chemical Co., Ltd.; UV-1700B, UV-6300B, UV-7600B, UV-7605B, UV-7640B, UV-7650B, and the like that are manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Co., Ltd; U-4HA, U-6HA, UA-100H, U-6LPA, U-15HA, UA-32P, U-324A, and the like that are manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.; Ebecryl-1290, Ebecryl-1290K, Ebecryl-5129, and the like that are manufactured by Daicel-Cytec Company, Ltd.; UN-3220HA, UN-3220HB, UN-3220HC, UN-3220HS, and the like that are manufactured by Negami Chemical Industries Co., Ltd.; and the like.
In the case of curing the hard coat layer-forming coating liquid with the ultraviolet ray, a photopolymerization initiator is added to the hard coat layer-forming coating liquid. The photopolymerization initiator is not particularly limited insofar as it generates radicals when irradiated with the ultraviolet ray, and examples thereof include 1-hydroxycyclohexylphenylketone, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropane-1-one, 2-methyl[4-(methylthio)phenyl]-2-morpholinopropane-1-one, 2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethane-1-one, benzophenone, 1-[4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)phenyl]-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propane-1-one, 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1-(4-morpholinophenyl)butane-1-one, bis(2,6-dimethoxybenzoyl)-2,4,4-trimethylpentylphosphineoxide, and the like. An amount of the photopolymerization initiator to be added with respect to 10 to 80 parts by mass of the acrylic acid derivative may be 0.1 to 10 parts by mass, preferably 1 to 7 parts by mass, more preferably 1 to 5 parts by mass.
Further, a solvent and various additives may be added to the hard coat layer-forming coating liquid as required. The solvent may be appropriately selected in view of coating processing suitability and the like from aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene, xylene, cyclohexane, cyclohexylbenzene; hydrocarbons such as n-hexane; ethers such as dibutylether, dimethoxymethane, dimethoxyethane, diethoxyethane, propyleneoxide, dioxane, dioxolan, trioxane, tetrahydrofuran, anisole, and phenetole; ketones such as methylisobutylketone, methylbutylketone, acetone, methylethylketone, diethylketone, dipropylketone, diisobutylketone, cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, 2-methylcyclohexanone, and 4-methylcyclohexanone; esters such as ethyl formate, propyl formate, n-pentyl formate, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, methyl propionate, ethyl propionate, n-pentyl acetate, and γ-butyrolactone; cellosolves such as methylcellosolve, cellosolve, butylcellosolve, and cellosolve acetate; alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol; water; and the like. As the additives, a surface adjuster, an antistatic agent, an anti-foulant, a water repellant, a refractive index adjuster, an adhesion improver, a curing agent, and the like may be added.
Particles may be added to the hard coat layer-forming coating liquid in this invention. In the case of adding particles, it is possible to form unevenness on the hard coat layer surface. The hard coat film having the surface unevenness is capable of scattering light that is made incident to the hard coat film surface and has an anti-glare property.
The hard coat layer-forming coating liquid is applied on the substrate film to form a coating film. As a coating method of the hard coat layer-forming coating liquid, a coating method using a roll coater, a reverse roll coater, a gravure coater, a micro-gravure coater, a knife coater, a bar coater, a die coater, or a dip coater may be employed.
In the case where the solvent is contained in the hard coat layer forming-coating liquid, it is necessary to remove the solvent from the coating film formed on the substrate film by drying. As a drying means, heating, air blasting, heated air, or the like may be used.
The hard coat layer can be formed by ionizing radiation irradiation of the coating film that is formed on the substrate film on which the drying process has been performed when so required. As the ionizing radiation, an ultraviolet ray or an electron ray may be used. In the case of the ultraviolet ray curing, a light source such as a high pressure mercury lamp, a low pressure mercury lamp, an ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a carbon arc, a xenon arc, and the like may be used. In the case of the electron ray curing, an electron ray emitted from various electron ray accelerators such as a Cockroft-Walton accelerator, a Van de Graaff accelerator, a resonance transformer accelerator, an insulated core transformer accelerator, a linear accelerator, a dynamitoron accelerator, and a high frequency accelerator may be used. The electron ray may preferably have energy of 50 to 1,000 KeV. The electron ray may more preferably have energy of 100 to 300 Kev.
A method for forming the anti-reflection layer to be provided as the functional layer on the hard coat layer will be described below. Examples of the anti-reflection layer to be provided as the functional layer on the hard coat layer include an anti-reflection layer having a structure wherein a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer are laminated alternately and an anti-reflection layer having a single layer structure formed of a single low refractive index layer. The method for forming the anti-reflection layer can be classified into a method employing a vacuum film formation method such as vacuum vapor deposition, sputtering, and CVD and a method employing a wet film formation method of forming the anti-reflection layer by applying an anti-reflection layer-forming coating liquid on a hard coat layer surface.
In the case of employing the vacuum film formation method for forming the anti-reflection layer wherein the low refractive index layer and the high reflective index layer are alternately laminated, a two-layer structure formed of a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer that are laminated in this order from the hard coat layer side or a four-layer structure formed of a high refractive index layer, a low refractive index layer, a high refractive index layer, and a low refractive index layer that are laminated in this order from the hard coat layer side may be selected.
Examples of a material for forming the high refractive index layer include metals such as indium, tin, titanium, silicon, zinc, zirconium, niobium, magnesium, bismuth, cerium, tantalum, aluminum, germanium, potassium, antimony, neodymium, lanthanum, thorium, and hafnium; alloys comprising two or more of the metals; oxides, fluorides, sulfides, and nitrides of the metals; and the like. More specifically, a metal oxide such as titanium oxide, niobium oxide, zirconium oxide, tantalum oxide, zinc oxide, indium oxide, cerium oxide, and indium tin oxide may be used. In the case of laminating the plural high reflective index layers, it is not always necessary to use an identical material for the layers, and it is possible to select the materials in accordance with the purpose.
Examples of a material for forming the low refractive index layer include, but not limited to, silicon oxide, titanium nitride, magnesium fluoride, barium fluoride, calcium fluoride, hafnium fluoride lanthanum fluoride, and the like. In the case of laminating the plural low reflective index layers, it is not always necessary to use an identical material for the layers, and it is possible to select the materials in accordance with the purpose. Particularly, in view of optical characteristics, mechanical strength, cost, film formation properties, and the like, silicon oxide which is a metal oxide is the most suitable material.
It is possible to form the anti-reflection layer by forming a film of the high refractive index layer material and a film of the low refractive index layer material one by one by the vacuum film formation method. As the vacuum film formation method, vapor deposition, ion plating, ion beam assist, sputtering, or CVD may be employed. In the anti-reflection layer, a medium refractive index layer may be provided between the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer.
A method for forming, as the anti-reflection layer, the low refractive index single layer by the wet film formation method by applying the low refractive index layer-forming coating liquid on the hard coat layer surface will be described below. A film thickness (d) of the low refractive index single layer serving as the anti-reflection layer is so designed as to keep an optical film thickness (nd) which is obtained by multiplying the film thickness (d) by a refractive index (n) of the low refractive index layer to a value that is ¼ of a wavelength of visible light. As the low refractive index layer, a layer in which low refractive particles are dispersed in a binder matrix may be used.
Examples of the low refractive index particles include those formed from a low refractive index material such as magnesium fluoride, calcium fluoride, and porous silicon oxide. As a metal oxide, silicon oxide may preferably be used among others. As a material for forming the binder matrix, an ionizing radiation material such as acrylic acid of a polyvalent alcohol; polyfunctional acrylate such as ester methacrylate; or polyfunctional urethane acrylate which can be synthesized from diisocyanate, a polyvalent alcohol, hydroxy ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid; and the like may be used. In addition to the above examples, ionizing radiation materials such as an polyether resin, a polyester resin, an epoxy resin, an alkyd resin, a spiroacetal resin, a polybutadiene resin, and a polythiolpolyene resin each having an acrylate functional group are usable. In the case of using the ionization radiation-curable materials described above, the binder matrix is formed by irradiation with ionizing radiation such as an ultraviolet ray and an electron ray. Also, as the binder matrix-forming material, metal alkoxide of silicon alkoxide and the like such as tetramethoxysilane and tetraethoxysilane may be used. A binder matrix based on the silicon oxide which is a metal oxide is obtainable from the metal alkoxide through hydrolysis and dehydration condensation.
The low refractive index layer-forming coating liquid containing the low refractive index material and the binder matrix-forming material is applied on the hard coat layer surface. A solvent and various additives may be added to the low refractive index layer-forming coating liquid when so required. The solvent may be appropriately selected in view of coating processing suitability and the like from aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene, xylene, cyclohexane, cyclohexylbenzene; hydrocarbons such as n-hexane; ethers such as dibutylether, dimethoxymethane, dimethoxyethane, diethoxyethane, propyleneoxide, dioxane, dioxolan, trioxane, tetrahydrofuran, anisole, and phenetole; ketones such as methylisobutylketone, methylbutylketone, acetone, methylethylketone, diethylketone, dipropylketone, diisobutylketone, cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, 2-methylcyclohexanone, and 4-methylcyclohexanone; esters such as ethyl formate, propyl formate, n-pentyl formate, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, methyl propionate, ethyl propionate, n-pentyl acetate, and γ-butyrolactone; cellosolves such as methylcellosolve, cellosolve, butylcellosolve, and cellosolve acetate; alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol; water; and the like. As the additives, a surface adjuster, an antistatic agent, an anti-foulant, a water repellant, a refractive index adjuster, an adhesion improver, a curing agent, and the like may be added.
As a coating method, a coating method using a roll coater, a reverse roll coater, a gravure coater, a micro-gravure coater, a knife coater, a bar coater, a die coater, or a dip coater may be employed.
In the case where the ionizing radiation-curable material is used as the binder matrix-forming material, the low refractive index layer is formed by subjecting the coating film which is obtained by applying the coating liquid on the hard coat layer after drying as required to irradiation with ionizing radiation. In the case where the metal alkoxide is used as the binder matrix-forming material, the low refractive index layer is formed by a heating process such as drying and heating.
Examples of a method for providing the anti-static layer as the functional layer include a method of forming a film by using a metal oxide such as zinc oxide, indium oxide, and indium tin oxide by employing a vacuum film formation method. Also, it is possible to form an anti-static layer in which electroconductive metal oxide particles are dispersed in a binder matrix by applying an anti-static layer-forming coating liquid containing the electroconductive metal oxide particles such as zinc oxide, indium oxide, and indium tin oxide and a binder matrix-forming material on the hard coat layer, followed by ionizing radiation irradiation and heating as required.
Before forming the functional layer on the hard coat layer, a surface treatment such as an acid treatment, an alkali treatment, a Colona treatment, and an atmospheric pressure glow discharge plasma treatment method may be performed. By performing the surface treatment, it is possible to further improve the adhesion between the hard coat layer and the functional layer.
In the case of forming on the hard coat layer the functional layer such as the anti-reflection layer and the antistatic layer by using the metal alkoxide such as silicon alkoxide as the binder matrix-forming material, it is preferable to perform a saponifying treatment before forming the functional layer. It is possible to further improve the adhesion between the hard coat layer and the functional layer by performing an alkali treatment.
The hard coat film having the above-described structure is excellent in adhesion to the functional layer.
Example 1
A hard coat layer-forming coating liquid was prepared by mixing 80 parts by mass of an acrylic acid derivative (product of Kyoeisha Chemical Co., Ltd.; trade name: pentaerythritol triacrylate) and 5 parts by mass of a photopolymerization initiator (1-hydroxycyclohexylphenylketone; product of Chiba Specialty Chemicals Ltd.; trade name: Irgacure184) in 80 parts by mass of methylisobutylketone.
Next, a coating film was formed by applying the prepared hard coat layer-forming coating liquid at a thickness of 10 μm on a substrate made from polyethylenetelephthalate by bar coating, followed by heating in an oven at 50° C. for one minute for removing methylisobutylketone in the coating film.
Next, a monomer coating film was cured by irradiation with an ultraviolet ray generated by using an ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp to form a hard coat layer. An ultraviolet ray cumulative intensity was changed (20, 40, 100, 150, 180, 250, 310, 380 (mJ/cm 2 )) to obtain hard coat films different in characteristics.
Next, FT-IR measurement of the hard coat layers of the hard coat films different in ultraviolet ray cumulative intensity was performed by using an infrared spectroscopic analysis device (product of Jasco Corporation; trade name: FT/IR-610) to measure absorption spectrums by the ATR method. Also, KRS-5 was used as an ATR prism. The measurement was conducted in a state where the hard coat layer was pressed against the prism in order to keep a peak value at 1,300 cm −1 , at which a peak intensity is the highest, to about 1.5. An absorption intensity ratio of C═C (1,407 cm −1 ) to C═O (1,720 cm −1 ) was calculated to perform comparison. The measurement was conducted for 4 times for each of the samples, and an average value was used as a measurement value of the absorption intensity ratio. The carbon double bond (C═C)/carboxylic acid group (C═O) absorption intensity ratios of the hard coat layers of the hard coat films are shown in Table 1.
Next, a pencil hardness of each of the hard coat layers different in ultraviolet ray cumulative intensity was measured in accordance with JIS K5401. A pencil scratch testing machine (product of Tester Sangyo Co., Ltd.) was used for the pencil scratch test. Results of the pencil scratch test of the hard coat coatings are shown in Table 1.
Next, an anti-reflection coating obtainable by alternately laminating TiO 2 and SiO 2 was formed on each of the hard coat layers different in ultraviolet ray cumulative intensity. Films of TiO 2 (45 nm), SiO 2 (55 nm), TiO 2 (105 nm), and SiO 2 (140 nm) were formed in this order from the hard coat layer side by sputtering.
Evaluation of adhesion between the hard coat coating and the anti-reflection coating in each of the hard coat films in which the anti-reflection layer was formed on the hard coat layer as the function layer was performed by employing a grid taping method in accordance with JIS K5400. Each of the hard coat films was fixed on a steel plate, and a surface of the anti-reflection layer which is the function layer was cut using a cutter to form a grid of 100 squares (10 squares×10 squares) on the surface. The size of each of the squares was 1 mm×1 mm. A cellophane adhesive tape was adhered to the cuts of the grid and peeled off, and a state of the adhesion between the anti-reflection layer and the hard coat layer was confirmed by using a microscope. Results of the adhesion evaluation test are shown in Table 1. The number of peeled squares is indicated as x/100 (x is the number of squares that were not peeled).
Example 2
Hard coat films having hard coat layers different in ultraviolet ray cumulative intensity were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and carbon double bond (C═C)/carboxylic acid group (C═O) absorption intensity ratios and pencil hardnesses of the hard coat coatings were measured. Next, in the same manner as in Example 1, an anti-reflection layer was formed on each of the hard coat layers different in ultraviolet ray cumulative intensity to perform the adhesion evaluation by the grid taping method. The acrylic acid derivative used for the hard coat layers was changed to UV1700B which is urethane acrylate produced by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Co., Ltd. Results of the measurements are shown in Table 1.
The thus-obtained measurement results are summarized in Table 1 shown below.
TABLE 1
Ultraviolet Ray Cumulative Intensity (mJ/cm 2 )
20
40
100
150
180
250
310
380
Example 1
Absorption
0.42
0.41
0.38
0.29
0.28
0.25
0.23
0.21
(pentaerythritol-
Intensity
triacrylate; product
Ratio
of Kyoeisha
Pencil
H
H
H
H
2H
2H
3H
3H
Chemical Co., Ltd.)
Hardness
Test
Adhesion
0/100
0/100
26/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
Test
Example 2
Absorption
0.25
0.21
0.20
0.19
0.17
0.15
0.13
0.12
(UV1700B; product
Intensity
of Nippon Synthetic
Ratio
Chemical Co., Ltd.)
Pencil
2H
3H
3H
4H
4H
4H
4H
4H
Hardness
Test
Adhesion
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
0/100
0/100
Test
As is apparent from the results shown in Table 1, each of the hard coat coatings having the absorption intensity ratio ranging from 0.15 to 0.30, which was detected by the ATR method, was excellent in adhesion to the anti-reflection coating. The hard coat coatings failed to achieve the absorption intensity ratio ranging from 0.15 to 0.30 was inferior in adhesion. That is to say, it was confirmed that there is correlativity between the absorption intensity ratio and the adhesion, and that the hard coat film of this invention achieves the high adhesion between the function layer and the hard coat layer.
Also, the hard coat film obtained in Example 2 by forming the hard coat layer on the substrate film by adjusting the ultraviolet ray cumulative intensity to 180 mJ/cm 2 and the hard coat film obtained in Example 2 by forming the anti-reflection layer on the hard coat layer were subjected to a weather resistance test wherein the hard coat films were stored at a temperature of 63° C. and a humidity of 50%. A pencil hardness of the hard coat layer after the weather resistance test of the hard coat film having the hard coat layer on the substrate film was 4 H, which was detected by the pencil hardness test. Adhesion after the weather resistance test of the hard coat film having the hard coat layer and the anti-reflection layer on the substrate film was 100/100 (all of 100 squares were not peeled), which was detected by the adhesion test.
Example 3
The hard coat film obtained in Example 2 by forming the hard coat layer by adjusting the ultraviolet ray cumulative intensity to 180 mJ/cm 2 underwent an alkali treatment wherein the hard coat film was: dipped into a 1.5N—NaOH solution heated to 50° C. for 2 minutes; washed with water; neutralized by dipping into a 0.5 mass %-H 2 SO 4 solution for 30 seconds at a room temperature; washed with water; and dried. A low refractive index layer-forming coating liquid was prepared by diluting 5 parts by weight of an oligomer obtained by hydrolysis of silicon alkoxide made from tetraethoxysilane using 1 mol/L of hydrochloric acid and 5 parts by weight of low refractive index silica particles with 190 parts by weight of isopropanol. The obtained low refractive index layer-forming coating liquid was applied on the hard coat layer after the alkali treatment in such a manner as to achieve a dried film thickness of 100 nm by using a bar coater, and the coating liquid was dried to form an anti-reflection layer. Adhesion test was performed on the obtained hard coat film having the low refractive index layer on the hard coat layer. As a result of the adhesion test, the adhesion of the hard coat film in which the hard coat layer was formed by adjusting the ultraviolet ray cumulative intensity to 180 mJ/cm 2 was 100/100 (all of 100 squares were not peeled).
(The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. JP2006-147793, filed on May 29, 2006, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.) | One embodiment of the present invention is a hard coat film having a hard coat layer and a function layer on a substrate film, wherein the hard coat layer is formed by irradiating an acrylic acid derivative with ionizing radiation, and wherein (a) a carboxylic acid group (C═O) absorption intensity of a surface of the hard coat layer and (b) a carbon double bond (C═C) absorption intensity of the hard coat layer surface satisfy a numerical value range represented expressed by the following Expression 1, the absorption intensities being measured by infrared ray spectroscopy: 0.15≦(b)/(a)≦0.30 . . . Expression 1. | 8 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/444,178, filed on Feb. 3, 2003.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to sorting articles, and more particularly, to an apparatus for sorting disk-shipped articles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sorting devices of this general type exist in many different embodiments and may be used for sorting discs of widely different kinds. A common field of application is coin sorting. In this field of application, the discs are constituted by coins and their identities are represented by their denomination and may be separated by dimension, weight, electrical properties, radio frequency identification (RF ID) or any other characteristic of the coins by which they differ from the others. There are also fields of application other than coin sorting such as sorting tokens, labeling discs, electrical and optical filter discs, coil cores and so on.
Still another field of application is the sorting of gaming chips and the like, and the invention will be illustrated by the description of the embodiment which is particularly adapted for the sorting of gaming chips. However, the applicability of the invention is not limited to the sorting of gaming chips, but also embraces sorting of other discs or disc-like articles.
Another apparatus for sorting and/or handling of disc-like members was invented in 1978, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,139 assigned to Bertil Knutsson. This device is called the Chipper Champ. The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,139 however uses a conveyor belt to separate and distribute the articles. The apparatus is rather complex as it uses a lot of mechanical parts to separate, transport and stack the disc-like articles. In addition, after having identified the unique characteristics of the any one of the articles, the apparatus is only capable of stacking one article at any one given time. Furthermore, the device is very large and, when using the apparatus for sorting gaming chips, the device interferes with the operator as it not only reduces the available working space of the apron on a roulette table, it also impedes the movement of the dealer on the floor.
After separation, the gaming chips are stacked into a rack in which ten columns are placed in a horizontal plane at 45 degrees, one next to the other. With this device, the dealer is only able to stand to one side of the device, and not directly behind it, as the distance to the roulette table is too far to reach. This necessitates, on occasion, the dealer having to extend his arm and body laterally to retrieve chips from the farthest columns. This creates an uncomfortable and unnatural working condition.
Due to the internal mechanical design of the Chipper Champ, the device can jam, and break or damage the gaming chips
Besides the abovementioned apparatus, other devices have been produced specifically for use within the gaming industry. One of these is called the ChipMaster from CARD (Casino Austria Research and Development), the Chameleon and the Chipper 2000 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,217). The ChipMaster is only used by CARD and is a mechanically very complex device. Its operation is unique in that it pushes the gaming chips through the table but this requires substantial modification to the gaming table for it to be fitted. In addition, the device is substantial in size and is specifically designed for a roulette table. The Chameleon has been withdrawn from the market due to operational flaws and the Chipper 2000 is an exact copy of the Chipper Champ mentioned above.
The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems identified above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for receiving and sorting disks having a parameter is provided. The parameter of each disk has one of a plurality of values. The apparatus includes a frame, a wheel, a motor, a disk sensor, a collecting device, and an ejector. The wheel has at least one hole forming a well for receiving a disk. The motor is coupled to the frame and the wheel for controllably rotating the wheel about an axis. The disk sensor is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the well. The sensor senses the value of the parameter of the disk and responsively generates a parameter value signal as a function of the value. The collecting device is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the wheel. The collecting device has at least first and second collectors for receiving disks. The ejector is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the well. The ejector ejects the disk from the well in response to receiving an eject signal. The apparatus further includes a controller coupled to the disk sensor and the ejector. The controller receives the parameter value signal and responsively sends an eject signal to the ejector to eject the disk from the well into the first collector when the parameter value signal has a first value and sends an eject signal to the ejector to eject the disk from the well into the second collector when the parameter value signal has a second value.
In another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for receiving and sorting disks having a parameter is provided. The parameter of each disk has one of a plurality of values. The apparatus includes a frame, a wheel, a motor, a disk sensor, a collecting device, and a plurality of injectors. The wheel has a plurality of holes forming a plurality of wells. Each well receives a disk and is rotatably coupled to the frame. The motor is coupled to the frame and the wheel and controllably rotates the wheel about an axis. The disk sensor is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the well. The sensor senses the value of the parameter of the disk and responsively generates a parameter value signal. The collecting device is coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the wheel. The collecting device has a plurality of collectors for receiving disks. Each collector is associated with one of the values of the parameter. The plurality of ejectors are coupled to the frame and positioned relative to the wells. The ejectors eject the disk from the well in response to receiving an eject signal. A controller is coupled to the disk sensor and the ejector. The controller receives the parameter value signal and responsively sends an eject signal to at least one of the ejectors to eject the disk from at least one of the wells into a respective collector as a function of the parameter value signal.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a collecting device for use with an apparatus for sorting disks has a first end and a second end and a plurality of collectors. Each collector has first and second ends. The first ends of the collectors are aligned with the first end of the collecting device assembly. The second ends of the collectors are aligned with the second end of the collecting device assembly. The first ends of the collectors are arranged in a semi-circle and have a first radius.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method for receiving and sorting disks having a parameter is provided. The parameter of each disk has one of a plurality of values. The apparatus includes a rotating a wheel. The wheel has at least one well for receiving a disk. The wheel receives a first disk in a first well. The method includes the steps of sensing the value of the parameter of the first disk and ejecting the first disk into one of a plurality of collectors when the first well is aligned with the one collector and the value of the parameter of the first disk is equal to a value associated with the one collector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for receiving and sorting disks;
FIG. 2 is a first diagrammatic illustration of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a second diagrammatic illustration of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a top diagrammatic illustration of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of a bottom view of a wheel of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of a base plate of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of a well of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of an ejector of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of a side view of the ejector of the apparatus of FIG. 9 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic illustration of a side view of the base plate side of FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exploded view of a solenoid of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic illustration of the solenoid of the apparatus of FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic illustration of a collector of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic illustration of a guide of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic illustration of a receptor of the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic illustration of a rack for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 18 is a second diagrammatic illustration of the rack of FIG. 17 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
With reference to FIG. 1 and in operation, the present invention provides an apparatus or sorting device for receiving and sorting disks 12 . The disks 12 have a parameter. The disks 12 may be differentiated by the value of the parameter. For example, the disks 12 may be gaming chips which typically have different colors representing different monetary values. It should be noted, however, that the present invention is not limited to the parameter being color. Any type of parameter which may be sensed or detected to distinguish and separate disks may be used. For example, the parameter may be, but is not limited to, one of color, an image, bar code (or other discernible pattern), or RF ID created by an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the apparatus 10 includes a housing 14 which in the illustrated embodiment, includes a frame 16 having a circular cross-section. The frame 16 may be covered by a flexible protective cover 18 .
Returning to FIG. 1 , the apparatus 10 also includes a wheel 20 and a motor 22 coupled to the frame 16 and the wheel 20 . The wheel 20 includes at least one hole forming a well (see below) for receiving one of the disks 12 . The wheel 20 is rotatably coupled to the frame 16 and is rotated about the an axis 24 (see FIG. 2 ) by the motor 22 .
A disk parameter sensor 26 is coupled to the frame 16 and positioned relative to the well. The sensor 26 senses a value of the parameter of the disk 12 in one of the wells and responsively generates a parameter value signal as a function of the value. The sensor 26 is dependent upon the nature of the parameter. For example, in one embodiment, the parameter is color and the sensor 26 is a color sensor. It should be noted, however, the sensor 26 may be a digital image sensor, a bar code reader, or RF ID detector, or any other suitable sensor for sensing, detecting or reading the value of the parameter. In the embodiment, discussed below, the sensor 26 is a color sensor, but the present invention is not limited to such.
The apparatus 10 further includes a collecting device 28 coupled to the frame 16 and positioned relative to the wheel 20 . The collecting device 28 includes a collecting device assembly 29 having a first end 29 A and a second end 29 B.
The collecting device 28 includes a plurality of collectors 30 (see FIGS. 3 - 7 ).
In one embodiment, each collector 30 has first and second ends. The first ends of the collectors 30 are aligned with the first end 29 A of the collecting device assembly 29 . The second ends of the collectors 30 are aligned with the second end 29 B of the collecting device assembly 29 . The first ends of the collectors 30 are arranged in a semi-circle having a first radius. In the illustrated embodiment the collective device 28 is a rack 32 and the collectors 30 are column assemblies 34 . The rack 32 is described more fully below.
In another embodiment, the collectors 30 may be individual bags (not shown) connected to the frame 16 which are positioned relative to the wheel 20 for collecting the disks 12 as the disks 12 are ejected (see below).
At least one ejector 36 is coupled to the frame 16 and positioned relative to the well (see below). The ejector 36 ejects the disk 12 from the well in response to receiving an eject signal.
A controller 38 is coupled to the disk sensor 26 and the ejector 36 . The controller 38 receives the parameter value signal and responsively sends an eject signal to the ejector 36 to eject the disk 12 from the well into the first collector 30 when the parameter value signal has a first value and for sending an eject signal to the ejector 26 to eject the disk 12 from the well into the second collector 30 when the parameter value signal has a second value. The collectors 30 are spaced apart at a predetermined angle, e.g., 15 degrees.
In another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus 10 may include a position sensor 40 . The position sensor 40 is coupled to the frame 16 and senses the relative position of the wheel 20 as it rotates. The position sensor 40 generates a position signal which is delivered to the controller 38 (see below). In still another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus 10 may include a motor position sensor 22 A for sensing a position of the motor 22 (see below).
With specific reference to FIGS. 2-16 , an exemplary sorting device 50 for the sorting of gaming chips 52 , according to one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The gaming chips 52 are flat discs which only differ from one another by their color and/or value.
The sorting device 50 is built in such a way that it may be positioned next to the dealer at the gaming table (not shown). This allows the dealer to rake or move the chips into a storage compartment 54 and pick up stacks of sorted chips 52 in batches of twenty or other pre-determined amounts, and place them onto the table before handing them out to the players. The sorting device 50 has a feed 56 into the storage compartment 54 that may also serve as a cover.
A wheel 58 rotates inside the storage compartment 54 . The wheel 58 has a plurality of holes 60 spaced apart. In the illustrated embodiment, the wheel 58 has eighteen holes 60 spaced 20 degrees apart.
Underneath each of the holes 60 in the wheel 58 , a well 62 is attached. The wells 62 immediately absorb or accept the chips 52 dropped from the compartment 54 . Each well 62 has an ejector compartment 104 .
The wheel 58 may also include a plurality of studs 64 located adjacent the holes 60 on the wheel 58 . The studs 64 on the wheel 58 assist in evenly distributing the chips 52 on the wheel 58 .
In addition, one or more chip reflector plates 66 may be mounted to the edge of the wheel 58 . The straight corners of the chip reflector plate 66 assist in the distribution of the chips 52 and avoid endless ‘running’ of the chips 12 along the edge of the wheel 58 .
With specific reference to FIG. 6 , the bottom of the wheel 58 shows the attached 18 wells 62 . Each well 62 has an associated ejector lever 68 which is movable between first and second positions. The first position is shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 is the default position, i.e., pointing towards the center of the wheel 58 .
With specific reference to FIG. 9 , each ejector lever 68 pivots about a pivot point 68 A. The ejector lever 68 is shown in the first or default position. As described below, the ejector lever 68 may be pivoted about the pivot point 68 A in a counter-clockwise direction towards the second position to eject a chip 52 in the associated well 62 .
The wheel 58 has an upper surface 58 A and a bottom surface 58 B. A large sprocket wheel 70 is mounted to the bottom surface 58 B of the wheel 58 . An axle 72 is mounted at the center of the wheel 58 .
With specific reference to FIG. 7 , the sorting device 10 may also include a base plate 74 mounted to the frame 16 . The base plate 74 has an aperture 76 . A shaft 78 is disposed within the aperture 76 and has an inner bore 80 .
The axle 72 slides into the inner bore 80 of the shaft 78 at the base plate 74 so that the wheel 58 may rotate. The sprocket wheel 70 is used to drive the wheel 58 forward by a drive gear 82 of a motor 83 , such as a stepper motor, fixed to the base plate 74 .
At various points, metal reference pins 84 (see FIG. 9 ) are placed at the bottom of the wheel 58 to monitor the position of the wells 62 relative to the connecting device 28 (see below), which are placed at fixed positions on the base plate 74 , outside the circumference of the wheel 58 .
In the illustrated embodiment, each well or ejector compartment 62 has an associated metal pin 84 mounted thereto as a reference. The pins 84 are spaced 20 degrees apart since the wells 62 are spaced 20 degrees apart. The pins 84 are detected by a synchronization sensor 94 such as a hall effect sensor, as the wheel 58 rotates.
In addition, the motor position sensor 22 A may be an encoder mounted adjacent the motor 83 , 22 . In one embodiment, 1-degree reference points are measured directly from the encoder 22 A. The data collected from these reference points is used to determine when an ejector compartment 104 is aligned with a collector 28 of the collecting device 30 (which is every 5 deg) so that, when needed, a chip 52 can be ejected from the well 62 into a collector 28 .
Each well 62 includes a bottom plate 88 . Each bottom plate 88 includes a small slotted cutout 90 . A color sensor 92 is mounted to the base plate 74 and reads the chip 52 when it passes the sensor 92 .
In the illustrated embodiment, the color sensor 92 and the synchronization sensor 94 is mounted to the bottom surface 58 B of the base plate 74 adjacent an associated aperture 96 , 98 . The motor position sensor 22 A senses each 1-degree of movement of the motor 22 , 83 and generates 1-degree reference point signals.
With reference to FIG. 7 , the shape of the wells 62 is such that the diameter at the top 100 (the part of the well attached to the wheel 58 ), is larger then the diameter at the bottom 102 . This creates a funnel that facilitates the collection of the chips into a stack in the well 62 .
In the illustrated embodiment, the ejector compartment 104 can just hold one chip and is located at the bottom of each well 62 . As discussed below, chips 52 are ejected from the ejector compartment 104 . When chips 52 drop from the storage compartment 54 and onto the wheel 58 , the chips 52 will, after a few turns of the wheel 58 , fill up the wells 62 . Since the wheel 58 rotates constantly, the studs 64 assist with the distribution of the chips 52 . The first chip 52 that falls into an empty well 62 will land at the bottom part of the well, i.e., the ejector compartment 104 . With reference to FIGS. 6 and 9 , each ejector compartment 104 has an associated ejector lever 68 . A spring 106 biases the ejector levers 68 to the default position. A retention clip 108 , second spring 110 , and a rubber stop 112 are arranged to absorb the sound of the returning lever 68 . The retention clip 108 retains the chip 52 from falling out of the ejector compartment 104 as the wheel 58 is rotating.
With specific reference to FIGS. 2-5 and 7 , in the illustrated embodiment the collecting device 28 is a rack 32 which includes a rack assembly 116 . The rack assembly 116 includes a plurality of column assemblies 118 and a rack base portion 120 . In the illustrated embodiment, the rack assembly 116 has nine column assemblies 118 .
In operation, the lever 68 pushes the chip 52 out of the ejector compartment 104 into one of the nine column assemblies 116 which are mounted at a fixed position on the base plate 74 via the rack base portion 120 . As the chip 52 pushed out more then 50%, a flattened edge 122 (see FIG. 16 ) of the ejector compartment 104 forces the chip 52 into one of the column assemblies 116 .
The base plate 74 is placed at an angle to allow the chips 52 in the storage compartment 54 to drop directly onto the rotating wheel 58 . The shaft 78 in the center of the base plate 74 will accept the wheel axle 72 .
With specific reference to FIG. 11 , nine solenoids 124 (only three of which are visible) are mounted to the base plate 74 . Also mounted to the base plate 74 are the rack assembly 116 , the motor 22 , the synchronization sensor 94 , the color sensor 92 and the motor position sensor 22 A. An empty well sensor (not shown) may also be mounted to the base plate.
With specific reference to FIGS. 14-16 , the rack base portion 120 forms nine receptors 126 . The centers of the nine receptors 126 are 15 degrees apart in the bottom half of the wheel 58 . Such spacing allows the column assemblies 118 which are mounted on top of the receptors 126 , to be placed as close together as possible, limiting the circular arm motion of the dealer when he needs to remove chips 52 from the column assemblies 118 . The solenoids 124 are also placed 15 degrees apart in a direct line with the receptors 126 . The gear 82 drives the large sprocket wheel 70 . Whilst the wheel 58 and the attached wells 62 are continuously rotating, the base plate 74 and the affixed solenoids 124 , receptors 126 and sensors 92 , 94 and 22 A remain in their fixed position.
The nine push solenoids 124 are fixed to the base plate 74 in line with the receptors 126 . With reference to FIGS. 7 , 12 and 13 , each solenoid 124 is mounted on a bracket 128 by an appropriate fastener (not shown). A shaft 130 of the push solenoid 124 is extended with a small plunger 132 . Two nuts 134 on the shaft 130 allow for adjustment of the stroke length. A nylon washer 136 is also mounted on the solenoid shaft 130 on which a spring 138 rests. The spring 138 will accelerate the plunger 132 in moving back to its default position when the solenoid 124 is deactivated. The plunger 132 moves through a shaft-nut 140 which is screwed into the base plate 74 .
The shaft-nut 140 provides operational stability. The shaft nut 140 includes a head portion 140 A and a threaded portion 140 B. The threaded portion 140 B is threaded through an aperture in the base plate 74 (not shown) and an aperture 128 A in the bracket 128 , such that the head portion 140 A is on an upper surface of the base plate 74 (see FIG. 7 ). When the solenoid is assembled and activated, the plunger 132 extends through a bore 140 C of the shaft nut 140 , past the base plate 74 and the head 140 A of the shaft nut 140 .
A solenoid 124 is activated only when there is a space in between any two ejector levers 62 that are in rotation above it. As the wheel 58 rotates, when a solenoid 124 is activated, the lever 68 makes contact with the plunger 132 of the solenoid 124 , which causes the lever 68 to move to its outermost pivotal point (the second position) thereby simultaneously forcing the chip 52 out of the ejector compartment 104 . The timing of the ejection of the chip 52 is determined by the synchronization sensor 94 , and the controller 38 (see below).
With specific reference to FIGS. 14-16 , in one embodiment each column assembly 118 includes one of the receptors 126 , a chip guide 142 , a column 144 , and an end cap 146 . The receptors 126 and chip guides 142 form the rack base portion 120 . Each column 144 is made from three column rods 148 as shown.
In another embodiment, the rack 32 is unitarily formed (see FIGS. 17 - 18 ).
The bottom of the receptor 126 is level with the bottom of the ejector compartment 104 . With specific reference to FIG. 16 , the receptor 126 has a flange 150 at the bottom that forces a chip 52 to become wedged under the other chips 52 which are stored above it in the chip guide 142 and the column 144 .
With reference to FIG. 15 (which shows the chip guide 142 in an upside down position), the inside of the chip guide 142 B is shaped like a funnel to assist in the alignment of the chips 52 into the column 144 . The bottom 142 A of the chip guide 142 is larger in diameter then the top 142 . A cut-out at the bottom 142 C of the chip guide 142 and the top of the reflector 126 A is required to allow a cam 152 to pass. The chip guide 142 also has a cut-out at the top 142 D to allow the chip reflector plates 66 to pass.
Returning to FIG. 14 , the end-cap 146 not only contains the rods 148 which form the column 144 , but may also contain a small hall effect sensor built-in that is used to sense a ‘column full’ condition. When the wheel 58 is in motion, the chip color or value sensor 92 , which is mounted to the base plate 74 , determines the chip's identity through the small cutout 78 in the bottom plate 88 of the ejector compartment 104 . All data from the sensors 92 , 94 , 22 A is processed by the controller 38 , which, based upon the color value read, activates the appropriate solenoid to discharge and consequently eject the chip 52 into the corresponding column assembly 118 . A small additional sensor (see above) may be used to monitor the empty status of all the wells 62 . No ejection will take place if a well 62 is empty.
In the illustrated embodiment, the synchronization sensor 94 is mounted at the base plate 74 (the “Sync A” sensor) and the motor position sensor 22 A is mounted at the stepper motor 82 (the “Sync B” sensor). The Sync A sensor 94 monitors the metal pins 84 mounted to the ejector compartments 104 . Every 20 degrees a pin 84 passes the sensor 94 and a Sync A pulse is generated. The Sync B sensor 22 A generates a pulse for every 1 degree rotation of the wheel.
The holes 60 on the wheel 58 are placed 20 degrees apart and the receptors 126 are placed 15 degrees apart. The columns are numbered column 1 through column 9 . Column 1 is the left-most column and the Sync A sensor 94 is placed at 20 degrees forward of column 1 . When a hole 60 (n) is positioned in front of the receptor 126 at column 1 , hole (n+3) 60 will be positioned in front of the receptor 126 at position 5 and hole (n+6) 70 will be positioned in front of the receptor at column 9 . Every 20 degrees (Sync A signal) that the wheel rotates the next pocket (n+1) will be positioned in front of the receptor at position 1 and so on. The alignment of a hole 60 in front of ejector column 1 happens with the Sync A signal. The Sync A sensor 94 is positioned exactly at that point that the solenoid 124 needs to be activated so that the ejector lever 68 will push the chip 52 into the receptor 126 of column 1 . When the wheel 58 moves 5 degrees forward (counting 5 Sync B signals), hole (n+1) 60 is now aligned with the receptor 126 of column 2 and at the same time hole (n+4) 60 is aligned with the receptor 126 of column 6 . When the wheel 58 moves forward another 5 degrees, hole (n+2) 60 is now aligned with the receptor 126 of hole 3 and at the same time hole (n+5) is now aligned with the receptor 126 of column 7 . When the wheel moves 5 degrees forward, hole (n+3) is now aligned with the receptor 126 of position 4 and at the same time hole (n+6) is aligned with the receptor 126 of position 8 . When the wheel 58 moves forward another 5 degrees the wheel 58 has moved 20 degrees ahead and now hole (n+1) is aligned with the receptor of column 1 whilst at the same time, hole (n+4) is aligned with the receptor 126 of column 5 and hole (n+7) is aligned with the receptor 126 at column 9 .
In other words, since holes 1 , 5 , and 9 are separated by a multiple of 20 degrees, at any time hole 1 is aligned with a receptor 126 , holes 5 and 9 are also aligned with a receptor 126 . Likewise, since holes 2 and 6 are separated by a multiple of 20 degrees, at any time, hole 2 is aligned with a receptor 126 , hole 6 is also aligned with a receptor 126 . The same is true for holes 3 and 7 and for holes 4 and 8 .
Whenever the holes 60 match receptor positions, the respective solenoids 124 are activated when the respective chip color of a chip 52 in the respective ejector compartment 104 matches a pre-assigned color of the destination column assembly 118 . This assists in increasing the sorting efficiency. When the hole 60 (and ejector compartment 104 ) and receptor 126 are aligned, the solenoid 124 will be activated if the color of the chip 52 in the ejector compartment 104 matches the pre-assigned color of the destination column assembly 119 , which will result in its plunger 132 moving upwards from the base plate 74 . The solenoid 124 is activated by the controller 38 at a point in time when the next-arriving ejector compartment 104 contains the appropriate-colored chip 52 . Since the wheel 58 is continuously moving, the result is that the ejector lever 68 ) will be hit by the top of the plunger 132 of the solenoid 124 and will continue to extend outwards from its pivot point 68 A for the duration of contact with the plunger 132 . The lever 68 is curved in such a way that the chip 52 will be pushed out as fast as possible. When the solenoid 124 is deactivated its plunger 132 drops back down rapidly. The lever 68 will then move back to its default position by means of the spring 138 , ready for the next ejection action. The lever 68 will push the chip 52 more than 50% out of the ejector compartment 104 into the receptor 126 . Since the wheel 58 is still turning, and the chip 52 is already more than 50% out of the compartment 104 into the receptor 126 , the momentum of the wheel 58 will push the chip 52 into the receptor 126 , aided by the flattened edge 122 of the ejector compartment 104 . The shape of the flange 150 forces the chip 52 to become wedged underneath the stack of chips 52 already in place. This in turn forces the previously-positioned chips 52 upwards. However, when the chip 52 is coming out of the ejector compartment 104 and onto the wedged bottom of the receptor 126 , the chip 52 is inclined upwards. Therefore the ejector's exit section 154 is taller then the thickness of the chip 52 to allow the chip 52 to move sufficiently upwards without jamming the wheel 58 (see FIG. 10 ). The number of chips 52 that can be pushed up is limited by the power that the driving mechanism can provide, relative to the weight of the chips 52 in the column assembly 118 . The sprocket wheel 70 to motor sprocket wheel 125 ratio of 17.14/1 provides the necessary force to push the column of chips 52 up without any difficulties. A practical limit of 100 chips per column has been chosen, but the design allows for easy extension of the columns.
The chip guide 142 assists with the alignment of the chips 52 into the column assemblies 118 . The small cam 152 is mounted at the outside of each well 62 on the reflector plates 66 in order to assist with the alignment of the stacked chip 52 in the bottom of the receptor 126 .
While the wheel 58 turns, the color sensor 92 reads the value of the gaming chip 52 and determines into which of the 9 column assemblies 118 , the chip 52 needs to be ejected. The color associated with a column 118 is determined by placing the device 50 in a ‘training mode’. The wheel 58 needs to be empty before the training mode is started. Once in the training mode, the color of the first chip 52 that is dropped into the device 50 will be stored as the associated or pre-defined color assigned to column 1 . After that the second chip is dropped into the device 10 . The color of the second chip 52 is read and assigned to the second column assembly 118 and so on.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method for receiving and sorting disks 12 having a parameter is provided. The parameter of each disk 12 has one of a plurality of values. The method includes the steps of rotating the wheel 20 . The wheel 20 includes at least one well 62 for receiving a disk 12 . The method also includes the steps of receiving a first disk 12 in a first well 62 and sensing the value of the parameter of the first disk 12 . The method further includes the step of ejecting the first disk 12 into one of a plurality of collectors 30 when the first well 62 is aligned with the one collector 30 and the value of the parameter of the first disk 12 is equal to a value associated with the one collector 30 .
The wheel 20 may include additional wells 62 for receiving additional disks 12 . The value of the parameter of the disks 12 received in the additional wells are sensed and the disk 12 ejected into a collector 30 based on the color.
Disks 12 in different wells 32 may be ejected into a respective collector 30 substantially simultaneously.
For example, in the illustrated embodiment discussed above, there are 18 wells 62 spaced along the wheel 58 at 15 degree intervals. Disks 12 are sorted and ejected into 9 column assemblies 118 spaced at 20 degree intervals. Furthermore, as discussed above, whenever the first column assembly 118 , i.e., column 1 , is aligned with a well 62 , so are columns 5 and 9 . Likewise, columns 2 and 6 , columns 3 and 7 , and columns 5 and 9 are aligned with wells 62 at the same time. Thus, if any set or subset of wells 62 are aligned with column assemblies 118 and contain a chip whose parameter has a value equal to the value associated with the column assembly 118 to which it is aligned, the chips 52 in the set or sets of wells 62 may be ejected at the same time.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
The sorting device according to this invention is compact, as it is designed using a rotating circular plate placed at an angle. This plate contains 18 holes which are slightly larger than a chip, and each hole has a well or reservoir attached to it in the shape of a funnel to efficiently absorb the influx of gaming chips. The funnel allows the chips to align themselves easily. The advantage of the wells is that it pre-stores the chips and hence allows the device to be more compact and efficient. There is no practical limit to the size of the wells or the number of chips it can store. As can be seen in the existing chip sorting devices, sorting of chips is accomplished by the use of a plunger that pushes the gaming chips from the conveyor belt upwards in order to stack them into their appropriate column. The first problem with this method is that knives are used to separate the chips from the belt in order to be pushed up into the column. These knives need to be frequently replaced. This invention accomplishes the sorting and stacking with one single movement which dramatically reduces the complexity and size of the device. This is to the benefit of the operator.
The second problem with previous devices is that the gaming chips fall initially into a chamber or receptacle before they come into contact with the ‘transporting’ device (i.e. the conveyer belt). This causes the chips to get stuck between the immobile chamber and the moving belt and jam the machine. With the new invention, all the chips fall directly onto the moving part (i.e. the rotating disc), so there is no possibility of interference from being transferred to an additional mechanism.
In addition, whilst other devices separate gaming chips one by one, this invention allows for simultaneous separation from multiple wells.
Besides the motor, there are only two moving parts required to separate and stack the gaming chips. The number of receptors is configurable and can be equal to the number of wells in the wheel. Due to the fact that the receptors are positioned around and outside the disc, and the disc may be suspended with a minimal footprint, the ergonomic advantages, from an operational perspective, are dramatically increased. The 135 degrees circle allows the dealer to stand either to the side, or directly behind the machine, to reach the gaming chips and also the table simultaneously.
Because the column array is positioned along the lower half of the wheel's circumference, any chip entering any column is subject to gravitational force, thus allowing the radius of the entire column array to be spread along a more lateral and flatter plane than the semi-circular shape of the wheel (in a smooth V-shape rather than a conventional U-shape). This option permits easier access to the individual columns, and reduces the distance between the bottom-most column and the table edge, by allowing the machine to be placed further under the table than would be allowed with a perfect semi-circular shape.
The invention also allows for separation by either directly stacking the disk-like articles in columns in an upward motion or directly dropping them into any form of receptacle using gravity. An example of this is a coin-sorting device by which coins are separated and dispensed appropriately.
In addition to casinos, the device may be used in card rooms, for sorting chips into bags, boxes or other receptacles.
The following are considered the core elements of the invention:
a. Rotational Momentum of the Wheel
The device uses the natural inertia of the wheel to complete the ejection of a chip outside its original trajectory (unlike Chipper Champ—above its original trajectory).
b. Ejection Lever Method
The lateral ejection method applies pressure along the entire half circumference of the chip, thereby ensuring contact with the chip's most solid surface (unlike Chipper Champ which applies pressure at vulnerable underside of chip).
c. Transfer Mechanism Eliminated
The chips fall directly onto the rotating surface of the sorting apparatus (unlike Chipper Champ which contains incoming chips into a hopper before transferring them to the ejecting device—their conveyor belt).
d. Solid One-Piece Wheel
Because the wheel is a one-piece-manufactured body, it is impossible for any movement or space differential between the wells, thus eliminating any potential timing errors (unlike Chipper Champ, where there are continual spacing and consequential timing differentials between cups and segments).
e. Arm Movement
The circular shape and the outward angle of the column array allows the dealer's arm access to all the columns in the same plane (unlike Chipper Champ where the dealer must physically re-position his body to access the outermost columns).
f. Footprint
Because the main body of the machine is located directly under the table, and does not extend downwards to the floor, the footprint is small, and thus there is no impediment to the dealer's feet (unlike Chipper Champ, where the machine sits on the floor and occupies dealer foot space).
g. Apron Space
Because the machine is compact, it can be located entirely under the table without the need for a section to be cut out (unlike Chipper Champ where the bulkiness of the machine necessitates a cut-out in the table to maintain proximity).
h. Dispense Method
The dealer only has to rotate the chips through approx. 90 degrees to grasp a stack of chips (unlike Chipper Champ—approx. 180 degrees).
i. Weight
ChipperWheel weighs about half of Chipper Champ.
j. Size/Mass
ChipperWheel is about half the mass of Chipper Champ.
k. Lateral Ejection Method
Because the ChipperWheel ejects chips laterally from the wheel to the column base, there is no need for an ancillary device between the 2 elements (unlike Chipper Champ which necessitates knives).
l. Gravity Option
As well as upward-stacking capability, ChipperWheel chips can be gravity-stacked downwards (unlike Chipper Champ which only has upward option).
m. Wells
The ChipperWheel wells have multi-chip capacity (unlike Chipper Champ—single chip capability only).
n. Chip Dispersion/Absorption
Because of the multi-chip well capability, the incoming chips are dispersed and absorbed quicker than Chipper Champ.
o. Angle of Operation
The ChipperWheel can be rotated on differing horizontal angles, allowing greater operational flexibility (unlike Chipper Champ which has a fixed angle).
p. Security
Any chips that are dropped by the dealer when retrieving stacks from columns will fall safely to the base of the column array (unlike Chipper Champ where dropped chips often fall down behind the machine onto the floor and gets lost).
q. Service Accessibility
Technician has easy access to the ChipperWheel, even if a live game is in play (unlike Chipper Champ).
r. Single Shaft
The ChipperWheel uses only one shaft, unlike Chipper Champ, whose belt revolves around 3 separate shafts.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described within the scope of the appended claims. | A device for sorting discs or disk-like members of different identities (e.g. roulette chips) ejects the disks from a receptacle by means of a rotating wheel with numerous wells—(multi-chip storage compartments). Ejection of an article from the wells is achieved by an ejector lever making contact with an activated solenoid thus forcing the article at the bottom of the well, in conjunction with the momentum of the moving wheel, into a receiving space. The discs in the receiving spaces are continually replaced by newly-arriving discs which force the previously-positioned discs upwards into a column. | 6 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The invention relates to brake lining wear sensing and brake lining transient temperature detection and more particularly to a modular electrical resistance sensor which may be used to implement wear and temperature sensing.
[0003] 2. Description of the Problem
[0004] Effective brakes are essential to safe motorvehicle operation. Contemporary brake systems dissipate vehicle kinetic energy through brake friction pads as heat. These brake pads have a relatively short service life and require regular replacement. Heavy vehicles have historically exhibited problems with brake overheating, especially when the vehicles are descending along long grades. Overheating reduces stopping ability and accelerates brake pad wear.
[0005] Inspection of the brake system has traditionally involved disassembly of the wheel mechanism and visual examination of the pads. It has been recognized that it would be desirable to incorporate some kind of sensor into the brake pads that monitor wear of the pads without the need to disassemble the brake system. Were the same sensor used to monitor brake temperature the addition to vehicle complexity would be minimized.
[0006] Various brake lining wear detection systems and brake temperature measurement systems are known in the art. One such system for detecting wear provides a modular, progressive brake lining wear sensor. The sensor has a triangular, wedged shaped electrically resistive member disposed between a pair of conductive plates to define a triangular shaped sensor. The sensor is encapsulated within an erodable molding and connected to a sensing circuit by a pair of leads including a ground lead and a resistive lead. The ground lead and resistance lead emerge from the encapsulated sensor for connection to the sensing circuit. The sensor is disposed within the brake lining and is connected to the brake shoe. As the brake lining progressively wears, the triangular wedged shaped resistive member is also progressively worn away thus continuously changing the overall resistance of the sensor. The change in resistance provides for continuous indication of the state of wear of the brake lining.
[0007] Another sensor design provides both wear and temperature sensing. Here a plurality of parallel connected resistors are connected to a sensing circuit. A thermistor provides temperature sensing. The resistors and the separate thermistor are mounted, spaced from one another, on a printed circuit board and the entire unit encapsulated within a single molding. The thermistor is connected to a grounded lead as are each of the resistors. A ground lead, a resistance lead and a thermistor lead emerge from the encapsulated module for connection to the sensing circuit. The module is disposed between linings in a drum brake so that the module is worn away with the linings. With progressive wear the resistors (or at least the conductive loops in which individual resistors are connected) are progressively and sequentially worn away, increasing the resistance of the sensor in a series of discrete steps. Three resistors are used to indicate 4 discrete levels of brake lining wear.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] According to the invention there is provided a brake lining temperature and wear measurement system in which a modular electrical resistance sensor is positioned in gaps between brake linings for a drum brake. The modular electrical resistance sensor comprises a thin film of copper or some other electrically conductive material disposed on a wearable substrate. Substrate and film are encapsulated in a thermally stable, wearable thermoplastic. The modular sensor is positioned with the brake linings to wear down with the lining. This results in steadily increasing electrical resistance of the modular sensor correlated with wear of the lining. A measurement circuit associated with the modular sensor is programmed to equate electrical resistance to the degree of wear and operates when the sensor has assumed a steady state temperature at or near ambient temperature. During periods when the brakes are in use, resistance and the degree of wear last calculated become arguments into a function for determining brake lining temperature.
[0009] Additional effects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description that follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drum brake assembly incorporating the brake wear and temperature sensor of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sensor module in accord with the present invention attached to a brake assembly.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a partially worn sensor module from FIG. 2 .
[0014] FIG. 4 is a front view of a sensor mounted on a circuit board.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a side cross sectional view of the sensor module.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating resistance of the sensor against temperature at various degrees of wear of the sensor.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a program executed by the measurement circuit for estimating wear and temperature of the brake linings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The present invention is preferably employed in a drum brake assembly 10 as shown in FIG. 1 . However, the modular sensor 20 may be adopted for employment in other types of brake assemblies. Referring now to FIG. 1 , a brake drum 13 has an inner brake surface 14 for frictionally engaging the brake lining 11 . An actuator such as an S-cam arrangement displaces the brake shoes 15 outwardly towards the inner brake surface 14 bringing brake lining 11 into contact with the inner brake surface of the drum 13 . Brake linings 11 are mounted to the brake shoe 15 to frictionally engage the brake drum 13 and thus provide braking force. The generic brake drum arrangement 10 and actuation mechanism is completely conventional and is well known in the art.
[0019] Modular sensor 20 is preferably mounted between a pair of brake lining surfaces 11 in a gap 18 with a distal end substantially flush with the outer or friction surface of the brake lining 11 . The specific connection of modular sensor 20 to brake shoe 15 is not shown. The specific manner of connection is not critical to the present invention. Any suitable connection that maintains radial alignment of the modular sensor 20 during braking may be employed.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention prior to any significant wear. Modular sensor 20 is positioned on brake shoe 15 between the brake lining portions 11 . A clip 22 , having one end partially embedded in the sensor encapsulation, may be used to secure modular sensor 20 to brake shoe 15 . Resistance lead 26 and ground lead 24 extend from the encapsulation material of sensor module 20 .
[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the modular sensor 20 of FIG. 2 in a partially worn state. Modular sensor 20 , including its encapsulating material, the sensor material and sensor backing are all made of erodable material resulting in the sensor wearing to conform substantially to the profile of the brake lining 11 at all times. As more of modular sensor 20 is worn, the resistance of the sensor increases as explained below. Resistance measurements may be equated with either brake lining 11 temperature and brake lining wear, although the measurements cannot be simultaneously equated to both variables. A determination of wear must precede brake lining temperature estimation as explained below. Generally speaking, the progressive increase in resistance indicates the progression of brake lining wear, as determined under conditions of a steady state, and known, brake lining temperature. Resistance lead 26 may be seen connected to a measurement circuit 28 , which may be implemented in a number of different ways. Measurement circuit 26 may incorporate an analog to digital converter, a data sending unit, cabling, and a programmable microcomputer attached to receive data over the cabling (not shown). A motor vehicle ambient temperature sensor 29 may be advantageously employed if present to provide ambient temperature readings to the measurement circuit 28 . Such elements are believed well within those skilled in the art.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 a sensor 31 suitable for encapsulation to form sensor module 20 is illustrated. Sensor 31 comprises a backing such as a circuit board 30 from one of the major surfaces of which has been etched a copper or metal coated pad 32 . Metal coated pad 32 includes rails 34 and 38 and a thin film sheet 36 located between the rails and connected to the rails along two opposed edges. Thin film sheet 36 should be sufficiently thin relative to the rails 34 , 38 to exhibit substantially greater resistivity than the rails. As circuit board 30 is worn down from the top in the direction indicated by the arrow “A”, and thin film sheet 36 is worn down along a free edge of the sheet between rails 34 and 38 , the area of thin film sheet 36 decreases. A consequent increase in the resistance of sheet 36 between rails 34 and 38 results. Electrical connection to rails 34 and 38 may be made by connection to pads 42 and 44 , which are shown on a side of circuit board 30 bordering the etched major face. Alternatively, the leads may be taken off from pads left on the front, etched major face. Both front and back major faces of circuit board 30 are coated with a heat resistant, erodable thermoplastic resin, or similar electrically insulative, heat resistant material.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 6 , graphs of resistance of the metallic thin film 36 against temperature, at various stages of wear (from the top of the sensor module 20 in the direction A), are shown. As is well known, the resistance of copper and most other metals increases linearly with temperature at temperatures typically encountered in motor vehicle operations. The graph illustrates curves 602 , 604 , 606 , 608 and 610 for a sensor which is: wholly intact (0% wear); one fifth eroded (20% wear); two fifths eroded (40% wear); three fifths eroded (60% wear); and four fifths eroded (80% wear). As is readily seen, each resistance curve, for a constant degree of wear, is linear. However, resistance increases exponentially with destruction of the thin film 32 at any temperature and will be understood to increase without bound as the film is destroyed. The operator may choose at any given time to determine one of either the degree of destruction of the film or the temperature of the brakes. Determining brake temperature requires that brake pad wear is already determined. If the operator knows the temperature of the brake linings, wear of the linings can be estimated. If the degree of wear of the linings is known, then temperature of the linings may be estimated. Where a vehicle has stood for a period exceeding a minimum period of time, and the brakes have not been used, it may be assumed that the brakes take on the ambient temperature. This temperature may be measured by an sensor 29 on board the vehicle, such as an engine air intake temperature sensor, or the wear calculation can assume a value, e.g. 25 degrees Celsius, or the ambient temperature may be entered by the vehicle operator. Upon measuring the resistance of the sensor module 20 the measurement circuit 28 can determine which wear curve the point of intersection between resistance and temperature on the graph falls closest to. The selected curve is then be saved as the current wear value. When the vehicle is started and a driver begins to use the brakes, resistance in the film continues to be measured, but the result is mapped to the curve serving as the current estimate of wear to recover brake lining temperature. This may be implemented as a look up table. Thus the curves 602 , 604 , 606 , 608 and 610 are predetermined and may be stored as values in a look up table on a programmable computer.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 7 implementation of the invention is linked to vehicle operation to determine likely periods when the brakes have assumed a steady state temperature close to the ambient temperature. Upon vehicle start step 702 is executed to read the ambient temperature and the length of time that the vehicle has stood. Vehicle start may be any event marking a the end of a period where the vehicle has stood still, with the engine either idling or shut off. Step 704 marks determination as to whether the brake temperature is likely to be at a steady state near the ambient temperature. If the result of the test is in the affirmative, step 706 is executed to measure resistance of the brake lining resistance modules. Once the resistance has been determined step 708 is executed to determine wear of the sensor as a function of temperature and resistance. As noted above, these results may be precalculated and stored as a look up table graphically illustrated in FIG. 6 . Step 710 represents selection of a curve (store wear). Wear of course may exceed a limit in which case a brake lining wear warning may be issued (step 711 ).
[0025] Once a new wear level has been determined, or following the NO branch from decision step 704 , vehicle start is confirmed at step 712 . Confirmation of vehicle start may be taken as an instance of operational application of the brakes. As long as the brakes are not applied the program may continue to loop back to step 702 for a wear measurement. Once the brakes are applied the YES branch is followed from step 712 to step 714 , representing another measurement of the resistance of the brake lining resistance sensors. Since the brakes have been used they cannot be assumed to be at ambient temperature any longer, and the measurements are instead used as an argument into the wear curve selected at step 710 . Temperature is returned at step 716 and may be displayed to the driver at step 718 . The returned temperature is compared to a critical limit temperature at step 720 . If the temperature does not exceed limit(s) the program loops back to step 712 . If the brake lining temperature exceeds the critical temperature, step 722 is executed to issue a warning and the program loops back to step 712 .
[0026] The invention provides a low cost mechanism utilizing a single sensor type located in the area of the brakes. The sensor realizes both wear and temperature monitoring for brake linings by utilizing on board computing capacity to monitor the context of the measurements.
[0027] While the invention is shown in only one of its forms, it is not thus limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. | A modular electrical resistance sensor is positionable in gaps between brake linings for a drum brake. The modular sensor is worn with the brake linings resulting in steadily increasing electrical resistance of the modular sensor. A measurement circuit associated with the modular sensor is programmed to equate electrical resistance to the degree of wear when the sensor has assumed a steady state temperature at or near the ambient temperature. Otherwise, particularly during periods of use of the brakes, resistance and the degree of wear last calculated become arguments into a function for determining brake lining temperature. | 5 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending Ser. No. 07/399,427, dated Aug. 23, 1989, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/105,946 dated Oct. 8, 1987, (now abandoned) both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to protection of integrated circuits and, in particular, to the corrosion and electrostatic discharge protection of integrated circuits.
2. Art Background
Integrated circuits and their assemblages are typically handled, shipped, and stored in packaging material such as rigid containers, plastic bubble holders sealed with a plastic tape (denominated "tape and reel carriers") plastic bags, and polymer foam. For a wide variety of integrated circuits, electrostatic charge/discharge and possibly corrosion protection must be provided to avoid destruction or serious degradation of the integrated circuit during storage, shipping, or use. For example, static electricity discharge from a person to a device being handled (an occurrence common during the winter season) is often sufficient to produce such damage. Additionally, for devices having exposed readily-corrodible metallization, gases in the air including hydrogen chloride, chlorine and hydrogen sulfide cause degradation, especially when in the presence of water vapor.
Various means have been attempted to provide electrostatic or corrosion protection. In the case of corrosion protection, generally a material containing a volatile organic material is placed in the same shipping container as the integrated circuit. These volatile organic materials such as fatty acids coat the leads of the integrated circuits and provide some corrosion protection. However, the organic material, because of its volatility, is transient; hence, meaningful protection over a substantial period of time is often lacking. Additionally, the organic material contaminates exposed metal and thus hinders subsequent soldering.
A typical approach for providing electrostatic protection involves the surface metallization of a plastic packing material such as a polyethylene bag with, for example, aluminum. Although this approach yields some electrostatic protection, it is expensive and typically protection is limited because static charge is dissipated too rapidly and the potential for arcing to the device enhanced. Volatile organic coatings are also employed for electrostatic protection but induce time dependent variations in surface resistance of the device and have the same shortcomings as result from their use for corrosion protection. Use of an organic polymer is configurations such as polymer bags impregnated with carbon is yet another approach to discharge protection. However, the conductivity of such materials is disadvantageously high for static dissipative purposes [less than 10 +4 ohms/square] and this conductivity is such a highly nonlinear function of carbon black concentration that a desired conductivity is difficult to achieve reproducibly by conventional manufacturing techniques. Further, the carbon black sheds from the polymer and makes such materials unacceptable for most clean room environments. Thus, the protection of many integrated circuits is less than entirely desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The use of a specific polymer guard for electrostatic sensitive portions of an integrated circuit device yields excellent protection and in specific embodiments also yields corrosion inhibition. In particular, a polymer matrix, e.g., polyethylene, is formed into a configuration such as a bag, a rigid container, or a tape and reel carrier. This polymer matrix is formulated to include impregnated particles of carbon black and of a metal that undergoes chemical bonding with the carbon and in preferred embodiments also with the polymer. Carbon black is defined as a finely divided form of carbon such as that obtained by the incomplete combustion of natural gas. For electrostatic protection, exemplary carbon blacks have high specific surface areas (preferably at least 750 m 2 /g, measured by the N 2 BET method) and large pore volume (preferably at least 200 ml/100 g). Exemplary of suitable metals are copper, iron, cobalt, manganese, and alloys of these metals.
Thus, in one embodiment integrated circuits are shipped in a polymer bag where the polymer material has embedded particles of carbon black and copper metal. Typical loading percentages of the carbon black and metal are respectively 1 to 6 and 10 to 30 weight percent. The use of carbon black with, for example, copper or iron in addition to an electrostatic charge protection provides a barrier to water vapor. Also, it affords corrosion protection from hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, hydrogen chloride, and other corrosive gases. Preferred materials also produce essentially no shedding of particles as shown by extensive laboratory tests.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a graph of the copper to carbon black weight percent ratio vs. the surface resistivity.
FIG. 2 is a graph of the film thickness vs. the surface resistivity.
FIG. 3 is a graph of the moisture permeation rate of various formulations.
FIG. 4 is a graph of the depth vs. the sulfur to copper ratio.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The integrated circuit should be protected from any source of discharge or charge accumulation by the loaded polymeric material involved in the invention. Generally this protection involves the positioning of the polymer material between the integrated circuit and the source of or sink for electrostatic charge, such as a human being. For example, the integrated circuit is inserted into a bag formed from a suitable loaded polymer. Alternatively, in the case of an electronic device such as a computer, the case of the device is coated with the impregnated polymer material to protect the integrated circuits contained internally. The exact form and positioning of the polymer is not critical provided it interdicts any electrical discharge to or from the device.
The particular polymer chosen as the matrix is not critical. Typically, polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene are useful. Generally the polymer is chosen so that the required loading with carbon black and metal does not substantially degrade the polymer film. (Substantial degradation in the context of this invention is loss of mechanical coherency.)
As previously discussed, the polymer is loaded with a combination of carbon black and a metal. The combination is chosen to yield a resulting resistivity of the polymer/carbon black/metal combination in the range 1×10 +6 to 1×10 +12 ohms/square. Resistivities greater than 1×10 +12 ohms/square are not desirable since they induce excess charge storage and the resulting potential for discharge damage, while resistivities less than 1×10 +6 ohms/square are also not desirable since conduction through the polymer to the integrated circuit is great enough generally to cause damage. The use of a combination of a suitable metal and carbon black not only produces resistivity in the desired range, but additionally yields selectable resistivities by varying the compositional range. For example, a combination of copper and carbon black as shown in FIG. 1 yields suitable resistances in the copper to carbon black weight ratio range of 7 to 11 for carbon black/polymer weight percent loading of 1 to 5. Thus, fabrication parameters are not critical and a protection material having suitable resistivity is much more easily manufactured. In contrast, a combination of silver with graphite, graphite alone, or a combination of mica and graphite as shown in FIG. 2 yields resistivities outside the desired range and also produces in many instances a strong nonlinear dependence of resistivity on loading amount.
Although the exact reason for this phenomenon is not entirely explicated, an appropriate explanation involves the interaction of the metal with the carbon black and the polymer. A system does not have an appropriate conductivity until the loading material is in sufficient concentration that paths of conducting material are built up. (The term "path" used here does not imply physical contact between adjacent carbon black particles, since it has been established that, for carbon black, conduction by electron tunneling establishes conductivity well before the loading at which physical contact occurs.) In the case of carbon black loading, once these paths are produced, resistivity rapidly decreases with small additions. That is, once paths are established, a number of conducting paths of varying efficiencies connect each surface point with other surface points. Additional carbon black loading produces no significant additional conducting path between surface points. Loading only with metal such as copper yields high resistivity, since the native oxides of these metals are poorly conducting.
The use of both carbon black and an additional material such as a metal presents two possibilities. If the material does not bond to the carbon, as with mica, it will distribute itself randomly in spatial relation to the carbon black conductive paths. The degree to which the conductivity of the carbon black paths are decreased by the higher resistivity material (either a nonconducting material or a semiconducting surface oxide) depends on the amount of material that happens to interrupt the conducting paths. The choice of a material that bonds to the carbon black ensures its presence in the carbon black path and ensures predictable resistivity decrease into the desired resistivity range. In addition, the choice of metals that react with the polymer, such as a transition metal that can undergo one-electron transfer between two states of similar stability, serves to bond both the carbon and the metal to the polymer and essentially eliminate flaking.
The exact resistance obtained using carbon black and a metal is easily controlled by adjusting the amount of metal to carbon black present. That is, since the metal with its associated surface oxide chemcially bonds to the carbon, the metal is always in the conducting path and a given percentage of metal to graphite will reproducibly yield the same resistivity each time. In contrast, metals that do not bond with the carbon black may or may not be in the conducting path and thus the same composition will not reliably yield the same resistivity.
Generally, for highly conducting carbon blacks (e.g., Ketjen black) loading percentages in the range 1 to 5 with metal loading percentages in the range 10 to 40 are employed. (Loading percentage is weight percent of additive relative to the polymer weight in the absence of additive. For less conductive carbon black, higher loading of carbon black should be used.) The exact percentages depend on the particular carbon black and metal used. A controlled sample is easily employed to determine an appropriate composition ratio for a given metal and carbon black material. Various carbon black materials are available. However, highly oxidized, highly porous carbon blacks are advantageous because of their high and reproducible conductivity. Metals that bond to the carbon including copper, cobalt, manganese, iron and their alloys are useful. Iron and copper also yield corrosion resistance to gases such as hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, and hydrogen chloride. Corrosion is further inhibited by the ability of the material to serve effectively as a barrier to water vapor as shown in FIG. 3.
The carbon black and the metal material should be introduced into the polymer matrix in the form of particles through conventional techniques such as low temperature mechanical mixing and extrusion. Formation of the protecting configuration is also accomplished by conventional techniques such as film blowing and vacuum forming. It is possible to introduce additional additives such as molding and stabilizing constituents to adjust material properties such as mold release characteristics and oxidative degradation rate.
The following examples are illustrative of the invention.
EXAMPLE 1
Pelletized polyethylene (having a small amount of mold release and stabilizer additives) was placed in the main hopper of a twin screw extruder with the mill screws pitched to work the polymer as little as possible. Ketjen Black EC (KBEC) a highly conductive, highly oxidized form of carbon black with substantial porosity as described by F. Carmona, Physica A, 157,461 (1989) was mixed with flaked copper having flakes in the size range of 0.3 to 7 μm. (The carbon black constituted 2.5 weight % of the copper/carbon black mixture. The extruder was run to produce approximately 5 mm diameter rods which were cooled and cut at 10 mm intervals to produce pellets. The pellets were used in turn to produce blown bags. Typical single screw extruders with film blowing equipment were employed with a blow up ratio (the ratio of die head diameter to flat tube diameter) in the 3 to 6 range. Bags were formed from the blown film on standard cutting and heat sealing machines. The bags had a wall thickness of approximately 3 mils.
A similar procedure was employed to form bags from polyethylene without the presence of carbon black and copper and from polyethylene including just the copper. The moisture permeation rate through each of these bags is shown in FIG. 3. The bags having both carbon black and copper, demonstrated volume resistivities in the range 5×10 4 ohms/sq. to 2×10 8 ohms/sq. Additionally, samples of the bag film were exposed to pure hydrogen sulfide and the hydrogen sulfide molecular permeation was determined by sampling zero air passed across the inner surface of the film. In addition, the film was sectioned following the exposure and the sulfur concentration within the film at various depths were determined as shown in FIG. 4. Samples of the bags were also placed in a Helmke drum tester and tumbled for 5 minutes. After such tumbling the number of shed particles was measured. The results of the particle measurements are shown in Table I.
TABLE I______________________________________ANTI-STATIC MATERIAL EVALUATIONTUMBLE TEST RESULTS PARTICLES GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TOMINUTE .2 μm .3 μm .5 μm 1.0 μm 5.0 μm______________________________________1 334 275 159 74 252 336 271 171 93 263 386 331 213 116 344 201 161 106 58 135 154 133 93 42 12AVERAGE 282.2 234.2 148.4 76.6 22PER MINUTEAVERAGE 3.01 2.49 1.58 0.82 0.23PER SQ. INCHMATERIAL______________________________________
The particles observed are less than that shed by class 10 approved clean room gloves.
EXAMPLE 2
Molded sheets of polyethylene having various constituents were formed by mixing these flake constituents with polyethylene pellets in a Brabender mixer. The resulting mixture was processed in a heated rolling mill and molded sheets were produced by sequential passage through a steam press. The characteristic of the flakes employed is shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2______________________________________CHARACTERISTICS OF FLAKE CONSTITUENTS Apparent Surface Flake Dimensions Density Area ResistivityMaterial (μm) (g cm.sup.-3) (m.sup.2 g.sup.-1) (Ω/square)______________________________________KBEC 4 × 15 × 0.5 0.15 800 1375Copper 3 × 7 × 0.5 0.72 1.1 1.7Silver 0.3 × 1 × 0.5 (est) 2.6 0.45 1.6Mica 4 × 10 × 0.5 0.21 5.1 >10.sup.4______________________________________
and the composition of these flakes in the polyethylene is shown in Table 3
TABLE 3______________________________________ALTERNATIVE FLAKE/POLYMER FORMULATIONS Fractional percentFormulation Resin KBEC Cu Ag Mica______________________________________Weight percent:1 96 4 0 0 02 75 5 20 0 03 74 4 0 22 04 89 4 0 0 7Volume percent:1 98 2 0 0 02 95 2 3 0 03 95 2 0 2 04 95 2 0 0 3______________________________________
FIG. 2 shows the surface resistance vs. sheet thickness for these loaded polymers. | By using a specific polymer material for handling, shipping, and storage, integrated circuits are protected from both corrosion and electrostatic discharge. This enclosure material includes a polymer matrix with both carbon black and a metal embedded. Suitable metals include copper, iron, cobalt, and manganese. | 8 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The Application filed herewith is a divisional of U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,741 application Ser. No. 08/950,892 filed Oct. 15, 1997, (Allowed), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/810,780 filed Mar. 5, 1997 (Abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/399,799 filed Mar. 7, 1995, (Abandoned).
This application is related to British Patent Application entitled “Video Decompression” as U.K. Serial No. 9405914.4 filed on Mar. 24, 1994 and British Patent Application entitled “Method and Apparatus for Interfacing with RAM” as U.K. Serial No. 9503964.0 filed on Feb. 28, 1995.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to random access memory (RAM) and more particularly, to a method for interfacing with RAM.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a RAM interface for connecting a bus to RAM comprising means for receiving from the bus and buffering a plurality of data words, means for receiving from the bus an address associated with the plurality of data words, means for generating a series of addresses in RAM into which the buffered data words will be written, the series of addresses being derived from the received address and means for writing the buffered data words into RAM at the generated address. The data word receiving and buffering means may include a swing buffer. The RAM may operate in a page addressing mode and the address generating means may include means for generating row addresses and means for generating column addresses based on the received address. The RAM may be a DRAM, the bus may include a two wire interface, the data word receiving and buffering means may include a two wire interface, the address receiving means may include a two wire interface and the plurality of data words as well as the received address may be in the form of a token. The RAM interface may further include means for determining whether the data word receiving means has received and buffered the plurality of data words.
The invention also provides a RAM interface for connecting a bus to RAM comprising a plurality of data words stored in RAM at predetermined addresses, means for receiving from the bus a RAM address associated with the plurality of data words, means for generating a series of RAM addresses for addressing the plurality of data words in RAM, the series of addresses being derived from the received address, means for buffering data words read from RAM and means for reading from RAM the plurality of data words, using the series of RAM addresses generated by the address generating means, and writing the data words into buffer means. The data word buffering means may include a swing buffer. The RAM may operate in a page addressing mode and the address generating means may include means for generating row addresses and means for generating column addresses based on the received address. The RAM may be a DRAM, the bus may include a two wire interface, the data word receiving and buffering means may include a two wire interface, the address receiving means may include a two wire interface and the plurality of data words as well as the received address may be in the form of a token. The RAM interface may further include means for determining whether the data word receiving means has received and buffered the plurality of data words.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a reconfigurable processing stage;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a spatial decoder;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a temporal decoder;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a video formatter;
FIG. 5 is a memory map showing a first arrangement of macroblocks;
FIG. 6 is a memory map showing a second arrangement of macroblocks;
FIG. 7 is a memory map showing a further arrangement of macroblocks;
FIG. 8 shows a Venn diagram of possible table selection values;
FIG. 9 shows the variable length of picture data used in the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a pictorial representation of the prediction filtering process;
FIG. 11 shows a generalized representation of the macroblock structure;
FIG. 12 shows a generalized block diagram of a start code detector;
FIG. 13 shows a generalized block diagram of an index-to-tokens converter;
FIG. 14 is a block diagram depicting the relationship between the flag generator, decode index, header generator, extra word generator and output latches;
FIG. 15 shows a decoder system.
FIG. 16 shows a JPEG still picture decoder.
FIG. 17 shows a mult-standard video decoder.
FIG. 18 is a block diagram of the decoder DRAM interface;
FIG. 19 is a block of a write swing buffer;
FIG. 20 is a pictorial diagram illustrating prediction data offset from the block being processed;
FIG. 21 is a pictorial diagram illustrating prediction data offset by ( 1 , 1 );
FIG. 22 is a block diagram of the temporal decoder including the prediction filters;
FIG. 23 is a block diagram illustrating the prediction filter;
FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating the Huffman decoder and parser state machine of the spatial decoder;
FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating MPEG and JPEG macroblock structures
FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating tokens on interfaces wider than 8 bits;
FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating data propagation in a decoder;
FIG. 28 is a timing diagram illustrating access start timing;
FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating organization of large integers in a memory map;
FIG. 30 is a block diagram illustrating clock regimes in a decoder;
FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating overlapping MPEG start codes;
FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating overlapping MPEG start codes;
FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating a start code detector;
FIG. 34 is a diagram illustrating queuing of enabled data streams prior to output thereof;
FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the JPEG baseline sequential structure;
FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating a tokenized JPEG picture;
FIG. 37 is a block diagram of a spatial decoder;
FIG. 38 is a diagram illustrating an MPEG picture sequence;
FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of a group of blocks according to the H.261 standard;
FIG. 40 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of macroblocks according to the H.261 standard;
FIG. 41 is a diagram illustrating an example of an “open GOP;”
FIG. 42 is a timing diagram illustrating access start timing;
FIG. 43 is a block diagram of a Huffman decoder and parser;
FIG. 44 is a block diagram illustrating the process of H.261 and MPEG AC coefficient decoding;
FIG. 45 is a flow chart further illustrating the process of H.261 and MPEG AC coefficient decoding;
FIG. 46 is a block diagram showing the process of JPEG (AC and DC) coefficient decoding;
FIG. 47 is a flow chart further illustrating the process of JPEG (AC and DC) coefficient decoding;
FIG. 48 is a block diagram of a DRAM interface;
FIG. 49 is a block diagram of a write swing buffer;
FIG. 50 is an iq block diagram used in an inverse quantizer;
FIG. 51 is a diagram illustrating an arithmetic block of an inverse quantizer;
FIG. 52 illustrates an IDCT one dimensional transform algorithm;
FIG. 53 is another diagram illustrating an IDCT one dimensional transform algorithm;
FIG. 54 is a diagram illustrating the micro-architecture of a one dimensional transform;
FIG. 55 is a block diagram of a token stream;
FIG. 56 is a block diagram of a standard block structure;
FIG. 57 is a block diagram illustrating microprocessor test access to the IDCT circuitry;
FIG. 58 is a block diagram of a temporal decoder;
FIG. 59 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a two-wire interface stage;
FIG. 60 is a diagram illustrating block and pixel offsets;
FIG. 61 is a block diagram of a portion of a prediction filter;
FIG. 62 is a block diagram of a prediction filter;
FIG. 63 is a block diagram of a one dimensional prediction filter;
FIG. 64 is a block diagram of the structure of a read rudder in a prediction filter;
FIG. 65 is another diagram showing block and pixel offsets;
FIG. 66 illustrates a prediction example;
FIG. 67 is a detailed block diagram of a DRAM interface;
FIG. 68 is a timing diagram of the control for incrementing a presentation number;
FIG. 69 is a state diagram of a buffer manager;
FIG. 70 illustrates storage block addresses in an exemplary picture format;
FIG. 71 illustrates a buffer containing a 22 by 18 macroblock SIF picture;
FIG. 72 is a state diagram showing write address generation;
FIG. 73 shows exemplary address calculations;
FIG. 74 is diagram of a buffer which contains a 22 by 18 macroblock SIF picture;
FIG. 75 illustrates a display window in a buffer which contains a 22 by 18 macroblock SIF picture;
FIG. 76 is a diagram illustrating a slice of a data path;
FIG. 77 is a timing diagram illustrating a two cycle operation on the data path shown in FIG. 76;
FIG. 78 illustrates a horizontal up-sampler data path; and
FIG. 79 is a block diagram of a color space converter.
FIG. 80 is a timing diagram of the two wire interface shown in FIG. 59 .
FIG. 81 shows the location of external two-wire interfaces.
Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A single high performance, configurable DRAM interface 100 is illustrated in FIG. 67 . This interface is a standard-independentblock and is designed to directly drive the DRAMs required, for example, by a spatial decoder, a temporal decoder and a video formatter. No external logic, buffers or components will be required to connect the DRAM interface to DRAM in those systems.
The interface is configurable in two ways. First, the detailed timing of the interface can be configured to accommodate a variety of different DRAM types. Second, the width of the data interface to the DRAM can be configured to provide a cost/performance trade-off for different applications.
On each chip the DRAM interface connects the chip to external DRAM. External DRAM is used, because at present, it is not practical to fabricate on the chips the relatively large amount of DRAM needed. However, it is possible to fabricate on the chips the large amount of DRAM that is needed.
Although the DRAM interface is standard-independent, it still must be configured to implement each of the multiple standards, H.261, JPEG and MPEG. How the DRAM interface is reconfigured for multi-standard operation is discussed further herein.
An important aspect in understanding the operation of the DRAM interface 100 is to understand the relationship between the DRAM interface 100 and the address generator 110 , and how the two communicate using the two wire interface. There are two address generators, one for writing 120 and one for reading 130 . A buffer manager 140 supervises the two address generators 120 and 130 . This buffer manager 140 is described in greater detail in the application entitled “Buffer Manager”, Ser. No. 08/399,801 filed Mar. 7, 1995.
In brief, as its name implies, the address generator generates the addresses the DRAM interface needs to address the DRAM (e.g., to read from or to write to a particular address in DRAM). With a two-wire interface, reading and writing only occurs when the DRAM interface has both data (from preceding stages in the pipeline), and a valid address (from address generator). The use of a separate address generator simplifies the construction of both the address generator and the DRAM interface, as discussed further below.
The DRAM interface can operate from a clock which is asynchronous to both the address generator and to the clocks of the blocks which data is passed from and to. Special techniques have been used to handle this asynchronous nature of the operation.
Data is usually transferred between the DRAM interface and the rest of the chip in blocks of 64 bytes. Transfers take place by means of a device known as a “swing buffer”. This is essentially a pair of RAMs operated in a double-buffered configuration, with the DRAM interface filling or emptying one RAM while another part of the chip empties or fills the other RAM. A separate bus which carries an address from an address generator is associated with each swing buffer.
Each of the chips has four swing buffers, but the function of these swing buffers is different in each case. In the spatial decoder, one swing buffer is used to transfer coded data to the DRAM, another to read coded data from the DRAM, the third to transfer tokenized data to the DRAM and the fourth to read tokenized data from the DRAM. In the temporal decoder, one swing buffer is used to write intra or predicted picture data to the DRAM, the second to read intra or predicted data from the DRAM and the other two to read forward and backward prediction data. In the video formatter, one swing buffer issued to transfer data to the DRAM and the other three are used to read data from the DRAM, one for each of the luminance (Y) and the red and blue color difference data (Cr and Cb).
The following section describes the operation of a DRAM interface which has one write swing buffer 210 and one read swing buffer 220 , and may be understood with reference to FIG. 18 .
A control 230 interfaces between the address generator 240 , the DRAM interface 250 , and the remaining blocks of the chip which supply and take the data are all two wire interfaces. The address generator may either generate addresses as the result of receiving control tokens, or it may merely generate a fixed sequence of addresses. The DRAM interface treats the two wire interfaces with the address generator in a special way. Instead of keeping the accept line high when it is ready to receive and address, it waits for the address generator to supply a valid address, processes that address, and then sets the accept line high for one clock period. Thus it implements a request/acknowledge (REQ/ACK) protocol.
A unique feature of the DRAM interface is its ability to communicate independently with the address generator and with the blocks which provide or accept the data. For example, the address generator may generate an address associated with the data in the write swing buffer, but no action will be taken until the write swing buffer signals that there is a block of data ready to be written to the external DRAM. Similarly, the write swing buffer may contain a block of data which is ready to be written to the external DRAM, but no action is taken until an address is supplied on the appropriate bus from the address generator. Further, once one of the RAMs in the write swing buffer has been filled with data, the other may be completely filled and “swung” to the DRAM interface side before the data input is stalled (the two-wire interface accept signal set low).
In understanding the operation of the DRAM interface, it is important to note that in a properly configured system, the DRAM interface will be able to transfer data between the swing buffers and the external DRAM at least as fast as the sum of all the average data rates between the swing buffers and the rest of the chip.
Each DRAM interface contains a method of determining which swing buffer it will service next. In general, this will either be a “round robin” (i.e. the swing buffer which is serviced is the next available swing buffer which has least recently had a turn) or a priority encoder, (i.e. in which some swing buffers have a higher priority than others). In both cases, an additional request will come from a refresh request generator which has a higher priority than all the other requests. The refresh request is generated from a refresh counter which can be programmed via a microprocessor interface.
The write swing buffer interface two blocks of RAM, RAM 1 and RAM 2 . As discussed further herein, data is written into RAM 1 and RAM 2 from the previous block or stage, under control of the write address and control. From RAM 1 and RAM 2 , the data is written into DRAM. When writing data into DRAM, the DRAM row address is provided by the address generator, and the column address is provided by the write address and control, as described further herein. In operation, valid data is presented at the input (data in). The data is received from the previous stage. As each piece of data is accepted by the DRAM interface, it is written into RAM 1 and the write address control increments the RAM 1 address to allow the next piece of data to be written into RAM 1 . Data continues to be written into RAM 1 until either there is no more data, or RAM 1 is full. When RAM 1 is full, the input side gives up control and sends a signal to the read side to indicate that RAM 1 is now ready to be read. This signal passes between two asynchronous clock regimes, and so passes through three synchronizing flip flops.
Provided RAM 2 is empty, the next item of data to arrive on the input side is written into RAM 2 , otherwise, this occurs when RAM 2 has emptied. When the round robin or priority encoder (depending on which is used by the particular chip) indicates that it is the turn of this swing buffer to be read, the DRAM interface reads the contents of RAM 1 and writes them to the external DRAM. A signal is then sent back across the asynchronous interface, to indicate that RAM 1 is now ready to be filled again.
If the DRAM interface empties RAM 1 and “swings” it before the input side has filled RAM 2 , then data can be accepted by the swing buffer continually. Otherwise when RAM 2 is filled the swing buffer will set its accept single low until RAM 1 has been “swung” back for use by the input side.
The operation of a read swing buffer is similar, but with input and output data busses reversed.
The DRAM interface is designed to maximize the available memory bandwidth. Each 8×8 block of data is stored in the same DRAM page. In this way, full use can be made of DRAM fast page access modes, where one row address is supplied followed by many column addresses. In particular, row addresses are supplied by the address generator, while column addresses are supplied by the DRAM interface, as discussed further below.
In addition, the facility is provided to allow the data bus to the external DRAM to be 8, 16 or 32 bits wide, so that the amount of DRAM used can be matched to size and bandwidth requirements of the particular application.
In this example, the address generator provides the DRAM interface with block addresses for each of the read and write swing buffers. This address is used as the row address for the DRAM. The six bits of column address are supplied by the DRAM interface itself, and these bits are also used as the address for the swing buffer RAM. The data bus to the swing buffers is 32 bits wide, so if the bus width to the external DRAM is less than 32 bits, two or four external DRAM accesses must be made before the next word is read from a write swing buffer or the next word is written to a read swing buffer (read and write refer to the direction of transfer relative to the external DRAM).
It should be recognized that the DRAM interface is not limited to two swing buffers. | A configurable RAM interface connecting a bus to RAM is adapted to receiving large multiword variable length tokens at a high data arrival rate, using a swing buffer and a buffer manager. An address source provides complete addresses to the interface. The buffer manager has a state machine which transitions among a plurality of states, maintaining status information about the buffers, allocating the buffers for reference by a write address generator, clearing the buffers for occupation by subsequently arriving data, and maintaining status information concerning the buffers. The buffer manager also examines tokens of received data in order to update the status of the arrival buffer. | 7 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a division of application Ser. No. 10/505,873, filed Sep. 3, 2004. That application is the U.S. National Phase, under USC 371 of PCT/DE 03/00674, filed Feb. 28, 2003; published as WO 03/07440 A1 on Sep. 12, 2003, and claiming priority to DE 102 09 213.3, filed Mar. 4, 2002, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is directed to a transport device. The transport device includes a conveying cylinder and a cooperating cylinder. The position of an end of a signature on the conveying cylinder can be changed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] DE 100 90 758 A1, DE 28 05 643 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,881 all disclose conveying cylinders in a folding apparatus. Shell surfaces of these conveying cylinders can be partially increased, in the radial direction, in order to affect a position of a signature on the cylinder.
[0004] CH 278 305 describes a folding apparatus. Spur needles can be moved to facilitate the cutting of shorter inserted sheets.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,881 shows a wheel folding apparatus with a folding blade and with a device for the partial increase of the barrel in the area of an end of a signature. The partial increase in the barrel is done to move this signature end away in the circumferential direction from a backstop for a cutting blade.
[0006] A collection cylinder is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,459, whose spurs can be moved into various positions. In a first position of the spurs, a first signature is picked up. In a second position, a second signature is picked up.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The object of the present invention is directed to providing a conveying device.
[0008] In accordance with the present invention, this object is attained by the provision of a conveying device in a folding apparatus having a conveying cylinder for conveying signatures. At least one further cylinder cooperates with the conveying cylinder. A position of a trailing end of a signature conveyed by the conveying cylinder can be changed. The cylinder associated with the conveying cylinder may have a signature engaging strip and the conveying cylinder may have a cooperating groove. The conveying cylinder may have a holding device that can be changed in a circumferential direction. This holding device may have three positions. Both the strip and groove, and the holding device can be used together to change a signature position on the conveying cylinder.
[0009] The advantages to be gained by the present invention lie, in particular, in that it makes possible the simultaneous joining of a web of material with signatures which are already held on the conveying cylinder and which were cut off the same web or from another web of material. The cutting of the web of material brought in into individual signatures is accomplished without the danger of damage or the danger of again cutting the signatures already held on the conveying cylinder. Because the holding device of the cut-off signature moves the signature's edges out of the backstop area, a gap between two signatures, already previously separated from each other and placed on top of each other, is formed on the conveying cylinder at the height of the backstop, into which gap a cutting blade of the cutting cylinder can enter through and can cut the newly brought-in web, without there being a danger of a repeated cutting of the signatures already previously held on the conveying cylinder and already separated from each other.
[0010] In a first embodiment of the cutting device in accordance with the present invention, the gap is formed with the aid of a holding device for the signature, which holding device displaces the signature opposite to the signature conveying direction prior to reaching the second cutting gap and/or, following the passage of the signature through the second cutting gap, the holding device displaces the signature in the conveying direction. Such a holding device can be realized, in a simple manner, by a spur strip.
[0011] Another possible assembly, that is usable for moving the edges of the signature out of the backstop area, is a radially displaceable segment of the conveying cylinder which radially displaceable segment, following its passage through the first cutting gap, can be driven to perform a radially outward movement in order to increase the circumference of the conveying cylinder locally. In this way the assembly moves the trailing end of a cut product, which touches the displaceable segment, in the conveying direction out of the backstop area.
[0012] A further possibility for use in pulling a trailing edge of a signature forward is the application of a groove on the conveying cylinder and of a strip complementary thereto on the first cutting cylinder in such a way that the groove and the strip enter the cutting gap shortly prior to the cutting blade. By pushing the signature into the groove with the aid of the strip, the signature's trailing end is pulled forward a short distance. Furthermore, the signature cut off in this way, as well as the section of the web located on top of it, and to be cut off, are both strongly pushed against the conveying cylinder, which aids in the accuracy of the cutting process.
[0013] The cutting device in accordance with the present invention can be equipped with two cutting cylinders. The second cutting cylinder is used for cutting the signatures off the second web, which second web cut signatures are subsequently conducted through the first cutting gap, together with the first web. However, it is also possible to employ the cutting device with a single cutting cylinder and with a single web of material in a collection operation. Each signature then cut off the one web revolves once on the conveying cylinder and is covered, in the course of its second passage through the cutting gap, by a second signature. Both signatures together are then transferred to a further processing device by the conveying cylinder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Preferredembodiments of the present invention are represented in the drawings and will be described in greater detail in what follows.
[0015] Shown are in:
[0016] FIG. 1 , a schematic side elevation view of a folding apparatus with a cutting device in accordance with the present invention, in
[0017] FIG. 2 to 5 , partial cross-sections of the conveying cylinder and of a cutting cylinder in different embodiments of the invention, in
[0018] FIG. 6 , a schematic depiction of a first mode of operation of the present invention, and in
[0019] FIG. 7 , a schematic depiction of another mode of operation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] A schematic side elevation view of a folding apparatus is represented in FIG. 1 . This folding apparatus has two web inlets 01 , 02 for the receipt of multi-layered webs 03 , 04 of material, in particular paper webs 03 , 04 , which multi-layered webs 03 , 04 will be hereinafter identified as the inner web 03 or as the outer web 04 in what follows. Both webs 03 , 04 pass through a respective traction roller pair 06 , 07 , respectively for setting their tension and both webs then encounter a conveying cylinder 11 at the height of respective first and second cutting gaps 08 , 09 . These gaps are formed between the conveying cylinder 11 , on the one hand, and one of cutting cylinders 12 , 13 on the other hand. In place of two inlets 01 , 02 and two cutting gaps 08 , 09 , it is also possible to provide three or more inlets and cutting gaps. In the course of this web travel, the webs 03 , 04 preferably first come into contact with the respective cutting cylinder 12 , 13 in each cutting gap 08 , 09 , respectively, and thereafter come into contact with the conveying cylinder 11 . The webs 03 , 04 thus first loop around the counter cylinder 12 , 13 and then around the conveying cylinder 11 .
[0021] Each one of the cutting cylinders 12 or 13 has a circumference corresponding to at least one, and preferably to two lengths of the signatures to be produced from the webs 03 , 04 . Each cutting cylinder supports two cutting blades 14 .
[0022] The circumference of the conveying cylinder 11 corresponds to the length of more than five, and in particular to seven signatures. Seven counter-cutting strips, which are cut or inlaid into, and located at uniform spacing distances on the circumferential surface of the conveying cylinder 11 , for example hard rubber strips, are used as backstops 15 , each of which backstops is works together with a cutting blade 14 when these cutting blades 14 are cutting the webs 03 , 04 . A holding device 16 , for example a spur strip 16 , with spur needles 23 , which spur strip 16 can be extended radially, as seen in FIGS. 2 to 5 , is arranged on the conveying cylinder 11 adjoining each backstop 15 .
[0023] In the position of the conveying or transporting device, as represented in FIG. 1 , a cutting blade 14 of the cutting cylinder 12 and a backstop 15 of the conveying cylinder 11 are just passing through the first cutting gap 08 and, in the process, cooperate cut the inner web 03 . The leading edge of the inner web 03 which is formed by this first cut, is spiked on the spur needles 23 of a spur strip 16 , which spur strip 16 had been extended briefly prior to its reaching the cutting gap 08 and which also fixedly holds the inner web leading edge on the surface of the conveying cylinder 11 during further conveying.
[0024] The signature cut off the inner web 03 in this process is conveyed on by the conveying cylinder 11 to the second cutting gap 09 , where the outer web 04 is placed on top of it and is also spiked by the spur needles 23 of the spur strip.
[0025] The rotation of the first and second cutting cylinders 12 , 13 is synchronized in such a way that the two cutting blades 14 of each of the first and second cutting cylinders 12 and 13 always enter a narrow gap in the surface of the backstop 15 , and ideally always strike the same line. During their passage through the second cutting gap 09 , two successive signatures 24 , 27 , which were both cut off the inner web 03 , are caused to be separated by a gap 26 , as is shown in FIG. 2 . The width of the inner signature separation gap 26 is slightly greater than that of the section of the backstop 15 into which the cutting blades 14 strike. The formation of gap 26 will prevent that, in the course of their passage through the cutting gap 09 , these inner signatures 24 , 27 being again cut. Different techniques for forming this gap 26 will be explained in the discussion which follows, and by reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 .
[0026] In the configuration represented in the drawings, the angular distance between the two cutting gaps 08 , 09 is approximately 75°. It is advantageous if this cutting gap angular distance differs from the angular distance of the spur strips 16 from each other, which spur strip angular distance is preferably 51.5°, or from a multiple thereof, so that cutting is not performed simultaneously at both cutting gaps 08 , 09 . A half-integral multiple of this value is also disadvantageous from the viewpoint of vibration avoidance.
[0027] Following its passage through the second cutting gap 09 , each spur strip 16 supports a whole product, which is composed of a signature 24 cut off the inner web 03 and of a signature 27 cut off the outer web 04 . Seven whole signatures, or products are formed in the course of every revolution of the conveying cylinder 11 in the same way as if both webs 03 , 04 were fed via a common inlet 01 , 02 in the customary way. However, since the cutting of each individual signature 24 , 27 is spaced over two separate cutting steps at the first and second cutting gaps 08 , 09 , the force required to be provided in each cutting step is less. The result is that a satisfactory synchronous running of the machine is easier to maintain.
[0028] Furthermore, seven folding blades, which are not specifically represented in the drawing figure shown in FIG. 1 , are attached to the conveying cylinder 11 , each of which folding blades is extended when reaching a gap 17 between the conveying cylinder 11 and a folding jaw cylinder 18 in order to transfer the products 24 , 27 conveyed by the conveying cylinder 11 to the folding jaw cylinder 18 in a manner that is known per se, and to thereby fold them. The folded products are then transferred from the folding jaw cylinder 18 to a bucket wheel 19 and are deposited by the bucket wheel 19 on a conveyor belt 21 .
[0029] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of a first preferred embodiment of the second cutting gap 09 and its surroundings in accordance with the present invention. Two of the seven spur strips 16 of the conveying cylinder 11 are represented in FIG. 2 and are indicated as first and second spur strips 16 ′, 16 ″, respectively. Spur strips 16 ′, 16 ″ are each pivotable around a shaft 22 in a controlled manner and each support spur needles 23 which are oriented in such a way that their tips can extend out of the circumference of the conveying cylinder 11 are each located farther away from the center of the shaft 22 than are their bases that are located in the interior of the conveying cylinder 11 . The spur needles 23 of the first spur strip 16 ′, as depicted in FIG. 2 , are in a comparatively far or full extended position in which full extended position they previously had also passed through the cutting gap 08 . This same position is shown in dashed lines at the location of the second spur strip 16 ″.
[0030] In comparison with the first spur strip 16 ′, the second spur strip 16 ″ is shown in FIG. 2 as being pivoted back some distance farther into the interior of the conveying cylinder 11 . This retraction pivot movement results in a displacement of the line of intersection between the spur needles 23 and the surface of the conveying cylinder 11 to opposite the direction of rotation of the conveying cylinder 11 . Because of this displacement, the signature 24 held by the spur strip 16 ″ has been slightly displaced on the circumferential surface of the conveying cylinder 11 opposite to the direction of rotation of the conveying cylinder 11 in comparison with the position in which inner signature 24 was cut off from the inner web 03 at the first cutting gap 08 . After passing through the second cutting gap 09 , the second spur strip 16 ″ returns back into the original, extended position that is indicated by dashed lines, or even makes a transition to an even further extended position, in order to cancel, or to overcompensate for the prior retrograde displacement of the signature 24 . In this way, a narrow gap 26 is initially formed between each signature 24 and a previous signature 27 , which had been cut off immediately prior to it, into which narrow gap 26 the cutting blade 14 of the second cutting cylinder 13 can enter, and in this way the cutting device can push the outer web 04 against the backstop 15 and can cut it without risking the danger of again cutting one of the signatures 24 , 27 .
[0031] FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the conveying cylinder 11 and of the cutting cylinder 13 in a partial sectional view that is analogous to that of FIG. 2 . With respect to each cutting blade 14 , in this embodiment the cutting cylinder 13 has a strip 28 extending axially along, and projecting radially past its exterior circumference, which strip 28 passes through the cutting gap 09 shortly before the associated cutting blade 14 . A complementarily shaped groove 29 is provided in the circumferential surface of the conveying cylinder 11 and is located opposite the strip 28 during each passage of strip 28 through the gap. The strip 28 pushes a trailing edge area of the inner signature 27 cut off the inner web 03 , as well as the outer web 04 , into the groove 29 . The trailing end of the inner signature 27 is pulled forward by this and the signature spacing gap 26 is opened. With this embodiment it is therefore not necessary for the second spur strip 16 ″ to be pivoted outward again after its passage through the second cutting gap 09 in order to form the signature spacing gap 26 .
[0032] A third embodiment of the present invention is represented in FIG. 4 , again by the use of a partial section through the conveying cylinder 11 and the second cutting cylinder 13 . The second cutting cylinder 13 is identical to the second cutting cylinder 13 shown in FIG. 2 . The conveying cylinder 11 of the third embodiment differs because of the arrangement of the shafts 22 around which the spur strips 16 can be pivoted. While in the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3 , these shafts 22 are located ahead of the spur needles 23 , in the direction of rotation of the conveying cylinder 11 , these shafts 22 are arranged behind the spur needles 23 in the embodiment of FIG. 4 . The orientation of the spur needles 23 , in relation to the surface of the conveying cylinder 1 1 , is the same in all cases. They are slightly inclined forward, opposite the normal surface, and in the direction of rotation of the conveying cylinder 11 , so that a tension, acting on the material spiked on the spur needles 23 , keeps the material pressed against the surface of the conveying cylinder 11 .
[0033] A changed sequence of the pivoting movement of the first and second spur strips, here identified as 16 *, 16 **, results from the changed arrangement of the shafts 22 shown in FIG. 4 . The first spur strip 16 *, which is still far removed from the second cutting gap 09 , is in a comparatively only slightly extended position, in which slightly extended position its spur needles 23 extend far enough past the circumference of the conveying cylinder 11 for holding an incoming inner web 03 . The second spur strip 16 ** is shown as being farther extended only shortly prior to it reaching the cutting gap 09 for also now spiking the outer web 04 , as can be seen by reference to the second spur strip 16 **. In this third embodiment, the radially outward movement of the spur needles 23 causes a displacement of their intersection with the circumference of the conveying cylinder 11 in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the conveying cylinder 11 , and therefore a movement of the leading edge of the signature 24 held by the second spur strip 16 ** away from the impact point of the second cutting blade 14 on the backstop 15 . The spur needles 23 of the third spur strip 16 *** have now been retracted radially some distance farther back into the conveying cylinder 11 in order to move the signature 27 , which they hold, forward in the circumferential direction and to open the gap 26 at the level of the backstop 15 in this way.
[0034] With this third embodiment, several directional changes in the movement of the spur needles 23 , in the course of a revolution of the conveying cylinder 11 , are avoided.
[0035] A fourth embodiment of the cutting device in accordance with the present invention is represented in FIG. 5 , again in a partial sectional view that is analogous to FIG. 4 .
[0036] In this fourth embodiment, first and second cylinder surface segments 32 *, 32 **, as well as other similar segments, which are not specifically shown, are arranged on the circumference of the conveying cylinder 11 between each two of first, second and third successive spur strips 16 *, 16 **, 16 ***. These segments 32 *, 32 ** are utilized for increasing the circumference of the conveying cylinder 11 . Each one of these segments 32 *, 32 **, is composed of a plurality of flexible plates, which are arranged side-by-side in the axial direction of the conveying cylinder 11 and which are also spaced apart axially by gaps 17 . During the transfer of the finished cut signatures 24 , 27 to the folding jaw cylinder 18 , these axially spaced gaps 17 , between axially adjacent segment 32 *, 32 ** are used as respective outlet openings for tines of a folding blade, which is not specifically represented. The ends of the flexible plates are each anchored to top strips 33 which top strips 33 can be displaced in the circumferential direction of the conveying cylinder 11 .
[0037] The first cylinder surface segment 32 * is in a configuration in which the course of its plates corresponds to the cylindrical shape of the conveying cylinder 11 . After the passage of such a first segment 32 * through the second cutting gap 09 , its top strips 33 are displaced toward each other, for example in a motion that is controlled by a cam disk which is not specifically represented, so that its flexible plates, as indicated for the second segment 32 **, form a protrusion extending radially outwardly past the circumference of the conveying cylinder 11 . As a result of this radially outwardly extending protrusion, the distance between the second and third spur strips 16 ** and 16 ***, as measured along the surface of the conveying cylinder 11 , is greater than the distance between the first and second spur strips 16 * and 16 **, the latter distance corresponding to the length of the signatures 24 , 27 produced at the first cutting gap 08 . Therefore, the bulging of the second cylinder surface segment 32 ** causes the formation of the gap 26 between the signatures 24 and 27 , into which newly formed gap 26 the cutting blade 14 of the second cutting cylinder 13 can enter.
[0038] A modified embodiment of the cutting device of the present invention differs from the one represented in FIG. 1 in that the modified embodiment has only a single inlet 01 , or 02 for a single web 03 , or 04 to be cut. Reference is again made to FIG. 1 for its description, wherein the web 03 and the cutting cylinder 12 are assumed not to exist.
[0039] At the second cutting gap 09 , the outer web 04 , which has been conveyed via the second inlet 02 and which may be imprinted with alternating patterns A and B, meets the conveying cylinder 11 , whose spur strips 16 alternatingly carry either a signature with the pattern A or no signature, when entering the second cutting gap 09 . Since the number of spur strips 16 is an odd number, a free spur strip 16 meets a pattern A on the outer web 04 at the second cutting gap 09 , and a spur strip 16 , previously provided with a signature equipped with the pattern A in a prior rotation, meets a pattern B on the web 04 . The signatures with the pattern A, which had already been held on the conveying cylinder 11 , prior to their passage through the cutting gap 09 , are each displaced, during their passage through the cutting gap 09 , in one of the ways described above with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 , so that trailing ends of these signatures are not cut again during their second passage through the cutting gap 09 .
[0040] Every time a spur strip 16 , that is now carrying or holding two signatures A and B, passes the folding gap 17 , the whole product obtained in this manner is transferred, in a manner that is generally known per se, to the folding jaw cylinder 18 .
[0041] The second transverse cutting device 13 is arranged with a phase offset on the circumference of the conveying cylinder 11 for cutting.
[0042] The cut of the first transverse cutting device 12 on the cutting cylinder 11 takes place essentially next to the other cut of the second transverse cutting device 13 , in particular within a distance of 10 mm next to it.
[0043] The first and second transverse cutting devices 12 , 13 are arranged spaced from each other about the conveying cylinder 11 in the circumferential direction of the conveying cylinder 11 .
[0044] In all modes of operation of the transport or conveying device in accordance with the present invention, a further conveying cylinder for taking over the signatures can be connected downstream of the first conveying cylinder 11 , instead of the folding jaw cylinder 18 , downstream of which further conveying cylinder a folding jaw cylinder or a belt system can be arranged.
[0045] It is also possible for each of the webs 03 , 04 to have the same patterns A or B located one behind the other, typically in the conveying direction as depicted at the right in FIG. 6 . Preferably these patterns A and B are imprinted by the use of at least one forme cylinder of a printing unit, which at least one forme cylinder has two identical patterns A and B on its circumference. The webs 03 , 04 are guided on top of each other, so that signatures with patterns A and B located on top of each other are formed, each of which web is transferred to the downstream located folding jaw cylinder 18 in the gap 17 . The conveying cylinder 11 does not absolutely have to have an odd-numbered division for this, but instead can also have an even-numbered division, preferably greater than 4 or 6.
[0046] Preferably, each of the patterns A, B, C, D identifies two newspaper pages, wherein A 1 , A 2 , B 1 , B 2 , C 1 , C 2 , D 1 , D 2 each identifies a newspaper page.
[0047] The identification of a web 03 , 04 is understood to represent at least one web 03 , 04 , but preferably should be understood to be a representation of a strand consisting of several webs 03 , 04 placed on top of each other.
[0048] Here, the webs 03 , 04 can each be imprinted by the use of forme cylinders of printing units which either have a pattern A or B on the circumference, which is a single circumference, or two patterns A or B on the circumference, which is a double circumference. With double circumference forme cylinders, two identical patterns A, A, or B, B, or two different patterns A, B can be arranged on the circumference.
[0049] Therefore, four modes of operation of the transport or conveying device in accordance with the present invention are possible.
[0050] In a first and in a second mode of operation, both webs 03 , 04 are brought together on the conveying cylinder 11 ahead of the first inlet 01 , or ahead of the second inlet 02 and are together severed in the course of a single cutting operation.
[0051] In this case, in a first mode of operation, the webs 03 , 04 have identical patterns A or C in sequence, and the same products are formed sequentially on the conveying cylinder 11 during each revolution of conveying cylinder 11 and are directly transferred to the downstream located folding jaw cylinder 18 .
[0052] In the second mode of operation, the webs 03 , 04 have patterns A, B or C, D, which patterns alternate behind each other and which patterns are alternatingly deposited on the conveying cylinder 11 during a first revolution of the conveying cylinder 11 , which conveying cylinder 11 is here provided with an odd number of fields and is thus a collection cylinder, and the signatures or products are additionally provided with a second layer of the product portion during the second revolution.
[0053] In a third and fourth mode of operation, two webs 03 , 04 are separately fed in, wherein, in the third mode of operation, the webs 03 , 04 alternatingly bear the patterns A, B or C, D located one behind the other as may be seen in FIG. 6 .
[0054] In this third mode, during a first revolution of the conveying cylinder 11 , which is again acting as a collection cylinder, first signatures with the pattern A, C of each web 03 , 04 are conducted on all and on every second spur strip 16 , so that now every second spur strip 16 carries a signature with the pattern A, C. During the second revolution of the conveying cylinder 11 again two signatures with the pattern B, D from each web 03 , 04 are conducted on the spur strips 16 .
[0055] Therefore, during the second revolution of the conveying cylinder 11 , signatures A, C, B, D on the spur strips 16 alternate with spur strips 16 carrying only signatures with the patterns A, C, The already completely collected signatures, i.e. the product with the pattern A, B, C, D of each second field, are transferred to the folding jaw cylinder 18 .
[0056] In a fourth mode of operation, the webs 03 , 04 have identical patterns A, A, or C, C located behind each other as seen in FIG. 7 , so that, with each revolution of the conveying cylinder 11 , each spur strip 16 carries a product with signatures with the pattern A, C, which products are directly transferred to the folding jaw cylinder 18 when they arrive there.
[0057] While preferred embodiments of a transport or conveying device, in accordance with the present invention, have been set forth fully and completely hereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that various changes in, for example the printing cylinder and the like could be made without departing from the true spirt and scope of the present invention which is accordingly to be limited only by the following claims. | A transport or conveying device is used in a folding apparatus for transporting or conveying signatures. A transport or conveying cylinder, which carries the signatures, is placed in cooperative engagement with another cylinder. A position of a terminal end of a signature carried on the transport or conveying cylinder can be altered. The other cylinder that cooperates with the transport or conveying cylinder includes devices that press on the signature and that displace the end of the signature. | 1 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 428,608 filed Sept. 30, 1982, and now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods and machines for the release and separation of foreign matter from fibers such as cotton. The invention is applicable to two distinct purposes: (1) providing apparatus for precise and accurate laboratory measurement of foreign matter in fiber; and (2) providing apparatus applicable to high production rate fiber processing machinery.
Increasing demands are being placed on fiber properties as textile processing machinery production rates increase and as the tolerances of textile processing machinery for variances in the fiber properties decrease. Current production and harvesting methods inherently entrain more foreign matter content into cotton fiber, for example, such that the ginning and cleaning actions required to achieve a given percentage of foreign matter content are increasing. Increased cleaning is always at the expense of fiber loss and damage. The incompatibility between the goals of clean versus undamaged fiber increases the difficulties faced by producer, ginner, buyer and spinner. Providing clean and undamaged fiber is a major, world-wide problem and new methods of cleaning are urgently needed.
Foreign matter diminishes the value of the fiber because it causes processing problems and because it causes degradations of the yarn. Removal of foreign matter is always at the expense of fiber loss and fiber damage. The designer or operator of cleaning and processing equipment must, using prior art machines, make difficult and economically unattractive trade-offs between cleaning and fiber loss and damage.
Release and separation of foreign matter are important not only in processing applications. In particular, removal of foreign matter is important in instrumentation and measurement applications. Fiber properties are being determined with increasing accuracy, precision, and completeness as a consequence of new instruments for the measurement of four basic properties: length, strength, color, and fineness. Other properties and/or better ways of measuring conventional properties are under investigation. For a detailed discussion, see F. M. Shofner, W. F. Lalor, J. H. Hanley, "A New Instrument for Trash and Microdust Measurement in Raw or Processed Cotton", presented at the Natural Fibers Textile Conference, Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 14, 1982 and published "A New Method for Microdust and Trash Measurement and Bale or Processed Fiber" in Textile Research Journal, February 1983, vol. 53, No. 2. Measurements of the above four basic properties have been automated and, with a determination of grade by a human cotton classer, have been assembled into High Volume Instrument (HVI) test lines which are increasingly used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for setting the class of cotton, which determines its price. Thus grade is primarily influenced by foreign matter content and another urgent need exists to provide this measurement for use on HVI lines.
The present invention is concerned primarily with the bulk fiber property of foreign matter content ("trash", "dust", "microdust", "respirable dust", and the like) in cotton or other fibers, and the effective removal of this foreign matter with low fiber damage and losses. Embodiments of the invention are designated "MTM", Microdust and Trash Machine. (Note: In the above-referenced Shofner et al article, MTM is used as an acronym for Microdust and Trash Monitor.)
Releasing and separating the foreign matter from the cotton permits its more accurate measurement with, for example, modern electro-optic means as described in Shofner et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,244. The above-referenced Shofner et al article, as well as FIG. 1 described hereinafter, generally show how electro-optical methods can be used to advantage once the foreign matter is released from the fiber and fiber and various dust components are separated into different pneumatic transport flows.
Prior art apparatus exists which cleans fiber for measurement purposes or for processing. These include the Shirley Analyzer (see "Standard Test Method for Non-Lint Content of Cotton", Designation: D 2812-81, reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standard, Philadelphia, Pa.), as well as conventional lint-cleaning equipment which are generally effective in large particle removal. However, these machines cannot possibly achieve high effectiveness in release and separation of small dust and microdust particles. They damage fiber severely if it is attempted to remove small particles with them.
Of significant importance in the context of measurement is the face that the present invention permits release and separation and according to the following aerodynamic size classifications recently established by the International Committee on Cotton Testing Methods. (Note, AED=Aerodynamic Equivalent Diameter.):
Trash: AED>500 μm
Dust: 50 μm<AED<500 μm
Microdust: 15 μm<AED<50 μm
Respirable Dust: 0 μm<AED<15 μm
My colleagues and I have suggested in the above-referenced Shofner et al article that a slightly better terminology is:
Trash: AED>500 μm
Dust: 50 μm<AED<500 μm
Microdust: 0 μm<AED<50 μm
thus making OSHA respirable dust a special case of microdust.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for release and separation of foreign matter content by the proper application of aeromechanical and electrodynamic forces while minimizing fiber damage or loss.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved measurement system for the foreign matter content in cotton. The improved measurements result because the forces applied to the particles permit a more effective release and precisely-controlled separation according to aerodynamic size in contrast to prior art devices which are less controlled generally and fail specifically on small particles.
Another object of the invention is to use the fiber thus cleaned and blended and operated upon for improved measurements of the fiber properties themselves. That is, removing the foreign matter and processing the fiber leads to truer fiber property measurements; these data are obviously less biased by the foreign matter and are therefore more accurate. In addition, they are more precise as a consequence of the processing.
A still further object of the invention is application to commercial-scale lint or fiber cleaning, as opposed to laboratory instrumentation application. Lint cleaners in gins can be substantially improved by the principles of the invention. Similarly, textile processing machines such as opening/cleaning, carding, or open-end spinning equipment can produce better (cleaner and less-damaged) outputs. Additionally, losses of good fiber can be reduced.
Yet another object of the invention is application of the apparatus of the invention, in proper combination with well-known pre- and post-processing means, in a total system for conversion of tufts of fiber into yarn with heretofore unknown speeds, quality, and cost-effectiveness. Pre-processing means include opening, precleaning, and transporting fiber to the MTM apparatus. Post-processing means include open-end (or any other type) spinning methods(s) which can take the individualized, cleaned, blended and worked fibers and spin them into high quality yarn.
The invention, reduced to its most basic contributions, provides for application of cleaning (i.e. release and separation) forces heretofore impossible and further provides for heretofore unrealized minimums of fiber loss and damage. A major embodiment is the "counterflow separation slot" which is one thrust of this disclosure.
Briefly stated, apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises what resembles a conventional pinned or toothed cylindrical rotating wheel such as an individualizing and cleaning wheel or a beater wheel. In general, cotton tufts are inserted into the machine to engage the teeth or pins, carried with the wheel part way around, and then removed or doffed as individualized and processed fiber.
Within this overall context, one important aspect of the invention is the provision of perforations on the cylindrical surface of the wheel, and a radial suction port for drawing transport gas through these perforations. The transport gas carries with it microdust, which, in instrumentation applications, can be measured.
Another important aspect of the invention is the provision of counter flow slots oriented generally tangentially with respect to the beater wheel and positioned with respect to the direction of wheel rotation such that dust and trash particles are thrown into the slot. At the same time, transport gas flows in a counter direction. The larger dust and trash particles escape, while microdust and fibers are turned back by the counter flow. In instrumentation applications, the escaping dust and trash can be measured.
Preferably, perforated wheels and counter flow slots are combined in a single machine.
Another important aspect of the invention is the conditioning of the transport gas as to humidity, for example, before entering the machine. Air into the machine can be far more economically and accurately conditioned than the general ambient air in the work place, thus providing fundamental advantages in measurement and processing. Other examples of conditioning the inlet gas stream are according to the parameters of: temperature, pressure, gas composition, free charge concentration (ions), radioactive particle concentration, and velocity and pressure fluctuations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims, the invention, both as to organization and content, will be better understood and appreciated, along with other objects and features thereof, from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a basic two-stage apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a generalized depiction of a counterflow separated slot, defining various paramaters;
FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C depict three representative forms of counterflow slots, herein termed "Type A", "Type B", and "Type C" counterflow slots;
FIG. 4 depicts an aeromechanical separator machine in accordance with the invention, which machine utilizes serpentine feed, employs five counterflow slots, two microdust removal points, and pinned and perforated cylinders;
FIG. 5 depicts another machine embodiment in accordance with the invention employing high speed feed roll/feed plate input;
FIG. 6A is an end view of a typical perforated and pinned cylindrical wheel in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 6B is a longitudinal section along line 6B--6B of FIG. 6A; and
FIG. 6C is a greatly enlarged view of a portion of the circumference of the wheel of FIG. 6A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring first to FIG. 1, a two-stage separation apparatus in accordance with the invention includes a conventional feed roller 10/feed plate 12 arrangement in combination with a toothed first stage individualizing and cleaning wheel or beater 14 of hollow cylindrical configuration. While the wheel 14 is illustrated as having teeth, hardened pins in a helical pattern may alternatively be employed. The rotational speed of the first stage wheel 14 may be in the range of from 50 to 5000 RPM, and is nominally around 3000 RPM. The wheel 14 is roughly similar to the licker-in of a conventional carding machine or the beater stage of an open-end spinning head, with, however, the important exception of perforations 16, which in accordance with the invention, allow flow radially into the wheel 14. Pneumatic or physical transport of raw stock 18 (for example, cotton tufts) into the feed roller 10/feed plate 12 is accomplished by any of a number of conventional techniques, for example, by a condenser arrangement.
From the first stage wheel 14, fiber is transferred as at point E to a rotating second stage wheel 72 by toothed- or pinned-wheel transfer or pneumatic "doffing", or both. Finally, the fiber is removed or "doffed" as at 22 from the second stage for subsequent measurement or processing. The various transfers briefly summarized above are, in general, well known in the art.
Having generally described the manner in which cotton tufts are inserted into the FIG. 1 machine and individualized, cleaned, and processed fibers are removed from the machine, described now in detail are the methods of proper application of aeromechanical and electrodynamic forces in accordance with the invention for the controlled release and separation of foreign matter from the fiber. While these methods are described in the context of the two-stage machine of FIG. 1, it should be noted that for some applications a single-stage apparatus is sufficient. The novel features will be seen to be equally advantageous for measurements and for processing.
Tufts of randomly oriented fiber 24 are gripped by the feed roll 10/feed plate 12 combination and engage teeth 26 of the first stage or beater wheel 14. This action combs the fibers 28 and imparts large impact forces preferentially to the large, dense particles in the fiber, striking them toward a trash tube 30 with trajectories between those represented at A and B. The fibers are hooked by the teeth 26 and quickly accelerated to the peripheral speed of the first stage wheel 14 when they are released from the gripped tuft.
Conditioned inlet air 36 or other transport gas is directed toward the beater wheel 14 in a crossflow manner so that particles smaller than, for example, 500 μm aerodynamic equivalent diameter (AED), do not enter the trash tube 30. That is, particles having AED>500 μm are "knocked" across the inlet crossflow 36 into the trash tube 30. Particles having AED<500 μm however move into a separation gap 42. The trajectory lines A and B permit aerodynamic definition of the particle size captured. The lower cut-off, AED=500 μm in this illustration, results from balances between the outward centrifugal and inward aerodynamic drag forces on the particles.
One or more lint bars 38 may be employed to aid in the removal by preferentially holding fibers on the beater wheel 14 and causing more sharply accelerating flow 40 to accelerate trash particles outward into the separation gap 42.
Trash particles thus removed and classified may then be measured by electo-optic 44 or gravimetric 46 means. A suitable electro-optic sensor employs the continuous aerosol monitor (CAM) technique disclosed in Shofner et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,244. Modified CAM sensors 44 have proven to measure the total trash mass or weight and to provide particle size classification or mass fraction analysis. These same particles may be captured on filter materials 46 for weighing and, in some cases classification, both using means well known in the art.
At the other extreme, microdust, that is particles smaller than, for example, AED<50 μm, is drawn into the perforated cylinder 14 through the holes 16 by aerodynamic drag forces effected by a radially inward air flow component represented at 48. The inward flow 48 is controlled to preferred circumferential regions by a semi-cylindrical air blocking sleeve 50. The separated microdust is then pneumatically transported through a radial port 1 (52) and thence to an electro-optical 54 or gravimetric 56 weighing means. Suction is applied to the radial port 1 (52) to draw the air or other transport gas through the machine and, in particular, through the perforations 16.
This microdust removal and separation means is both novel and of fundamental importance. Sharply-defined aerodynamic classification results from this application of two opposing forces. Particles which are released are separated because AED>50 μm particles cannot go into the cylinder 14 since their large outward centrifugal force overpowers their inward aerodynamic drag force.
On the other hand, fibers, whose AED's are also <50 μm, do not enter the perforations 16 because of their length. Fiber fragments whose lengths are about the same diameter as the holes do enter and are properly classified as microdust.
This leaves the dust particle class between 50 μm and 50 μm. By proper balance of various design and operating parameters such as cross flow 36, perforated wall flow 58, and the direction and dimensions of the separation gap 42, the particles between 50 μm and 500 μm are separated into the dust tube 60 from which they are pneumatically transported along trajectory C into electro-optical 64 or gravimetric 66 measurement apparatus.
At point D is a separation stripper 70 which defines the final cut in AED for the first stage. It is most important to note, in the vicinity of points C and D, that air is moving into the wheel 14 and into the dust tube 60. Larger particles move outward across or counter to the inward flow 70 and into the dust tube 60. This is one embodiment of the counter flow slot concept described in detail hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 2-6.
It will be appreciated that this apparatus effectively addresses both the requirement for the release of dust from the fiber, and the separation of the dust and the fiber from the system. It is one thing to release dust from the fiber, and quite another to separate it from the system.
In some cases, strong adhesion of the particles necessitates a second, more vigorous or aggressive stage. Careful attention must be paid to the density of fiber (mass per unit area) on the wheels. If the density is high, removal of the foreign matter from the fiber is less effective and fiber damage can result. But low density means low processing rates which results in longer processing times and/or costs. Thus for more effective removal, the second stage provides forces which can be much higher because the fiber has been opened and combed and because the fiber density can be much lower.
Fiber is transferred to the second stage cylindrical wheel 72 at Point E. The peripheral velocity of the second stage cylinders 72 is much higher, and stronger release and separation forces can be applied. (Which, again, are distint forces). In addition, the density of the fiber on the second stage wheel 72 is relatively tenuous compared to the first stage wheel.
A second counterflow slot is placed at point F. While the principles of counterflow slots are described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 2-6, it may here briefly be noted that large (e.g., AED>50 μm) particles removed by impaction and combing and whose momentum overcomes the inward flow drag are separated into the dust tube 76, 76' and combined with the dust from the first stage along the trajectory C.
To aid in microdust release and separation, a source G of blast air 80 is provided at a point between the point E where fiber is transferred to the second stage wheel 72 and the point 22 where the lint mat is doffed. The lint itself does not pass through the perforations, which are typically about 0.060 inch (˜1.5 mm) in diameter and provide in the order of 25% open area.
The lint, whose AED<50 μm, is held onto the the cylinder 72 by the inward flows 78 and by the "hook" action of the teeth. Again, the length of the lint precludes its movement through the holes in the perforated wheels, even when the forces are very large, as with the microdust blast air G.
Carding action is employed as at point H, and is commonly recognized as effective in microdust release. Conventional carding machines however do not employ inward flows as at 84, or pulsating (i.e. acoustical) flows for microdust removal, as at 86. As in the case of the first stage, the radially inward flows 78 and 84 are provided by suitable holes between the teeth so that clean air or other transport gas may move first through the external pins 88 ("flats") into the perforated wheel 72.
Between the card pins 88 and wheel teeth 90 mechanical combing, aerodynamic, forces as at 92 are applied to the fiber (and to the dust particles) causing the fiber to more effectively engage the pins and thereby further release microdust.
An exemplary electrodynamic force is provided by a static or DC voltage 92 applied between the pins 88 and the second-stage wheel 72. Alternatively, an alternating voltage in some cases more effectively causes release. In yet other cases, undesirable electro-static forces which render less effective particle release or which cause fiber damage may require change neutralization. This can be accomplished with electrical 92 or radioactive means.
It may be noted that application of electrostatic forces 92 to fibers is heretofore known, but not for the purpose of aiding cleaning and not in combination with the components of the FIG. 1 embodiment.
Microdust thus removed and separated is similarly transported by suction into radial Port 2 (94) and to the microdust sensing means, which may be electro-optic (54) or gravimetric (56).
In brief summary of FIG. 1, in accordance with the invention there is provided a proper combination of various aeromechanical and electrodynamic forces, especially including radially inward, aerodynamic drag forces, for the controlled release and separation of foreign matter from fiber. The separation is into pre-determined aerodynamic equivalent diameter (AED) classifications such as (1) Trash: AED>500 μm; (2) Dust: 50 μm<AED<500 μm; and (3) Microdust: AED<50 μm.
The third of the above classifications, AED<50 μm, in turn includes a subclass, respirable dust, as defined by OSHA, AED<15 μm. This subclass is advantageously further classified by the CAM electro-optical method of U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,244. This CAM method permits E-0 classification of the trash and dust components as well.
The resultant lint removed at 2 by centrifugal or aerodynamic forces has been cleaned, processed and blended. The fibers are generally individualized and are in an ideal state for electro-optical measurement as at 98, or for further processing, as for example, open-end spinning as described in J. I. Kotter, D. P. Thibodeaux, "Dust-Trash Removal by the SRRC Tuft-To-Yarn Processing System", Journal of Engineering for Industry, Vol. 101, No. 2, May, 1979. Fiber property measurements are discussed hereinafter.
The apparatus of FIG. 1 embodies a number of basic principles and concepts in accordance with the invention whereby new and properly controlled forces are applied to remove and separate foreign matter from lint. One particularly significant aspect of the invention is the counterflow slot concept mentioned briefly with respect to the FIG. 1 counter flow slots at C and F, and described in detail hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 2-6. In general, the embodiments of FIGS. 2-6 emphasize aeromechanical release and separation.
As the term is employed herein, a counter flow slot is a slot-like conduit or opening wherein flow of different constituents occurs in opposite directions at the same time. In general, air flows in one direction, and the relatively larger dust and trash particles (in contrast to microdust) flow in the opposite direction, i.e., counter to the airflow.
FIG. 2 depicts the general structure and defines the basic parameters of counter flow slots. In FIG. 2, the actual counter flow slot into which dust and trash particles are thrown by rotational force of a representative wheel 112 is designated 100. To achieve this result, the slot 100 is oriented generally targentially to the wheel 112 and properly positioned with respect to the direction of rotation of the wheel 112. The slot 100 communicates with a collector tube 102 out of which dust and trash exit at 114. A pair of elongated openings 104 and 106 allow airflow to enter, which branches in two directions to flow in the slot 100 and the collector tube 102. It will be appreciated that this general structure is subject to numerous variations.
In FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that the cross-hatched boundary portions of the slot 100 run parallel to the axis of rotation of the main cylinder 112. The collector tube 102 inlet also runs axially, but its flow Q c is drawn into a round conduit 114 for the pneumatic transport of the dust plus trash to the disposal or measuring means, as for example, a CAM sensor 44 or 64, as in FIG. 1.
The parameters defined in FIG. 2 are the following:
L=length of the slot 100
W s =width of the slot 100
W c =width of the collector tube 102
S=spacing between slot 100 and collector tube 102
Q s =airflow rate into the slot 100
Q c =airflow rate into collector tube 102
The manner in which action of the slot 100 in combination with a perforated cylindrical wheel perform aerodynamic separation and classification will now be described in greater detail. Fiber and foreign matter particles are thrown into the slot 100 by the rotational force of the cylindrical wheel 112 and move in a sense that is generally counter to the flow of air Q s into the slot 100. On the other hand, fibers have AED<50 μm, typically, and, along with foreign matter particles having AED<50 μm, are turned around and drawn back toward the cylinder 112 by the airflow Q s . Lint is thus recaptured by the pins or teeth of the cylinder 112 and carried with the cylindrical wheel 112. Small particles are drawn toward the cylinder 112 and, if sufficiently small such that the aerodynamic drag forces overcome the centrifugal acceleration forces, they are drawn inside if it is perforated. As noted above, this is a sharply-defined and easily-controlled aerodynamic classification mechanism and is one of the major aspects of the invention. Large particles, having greater momentum or longer stop distances, also move counter to the incoming slot flow and, if they reach the inlet of the collector tube 102 are thereby caught and transported outward for measurement or simple removal purposes.
It has been found that another major feature of the counterflow slot is elimination of individual lint or fibers leaving the system. This accomplishes a major, heretofore impossible objective: retaining lint particles within the system. Prior art machines necessitated a difficult tradeoff between cleaning efficiency and fiber loss by allowing a certain amount of fiber to be ejected from the system along with the foreign matter. This can be very uneconomical because, in some systems, for each incremental unit weight of foreign matter ejected, a roughly equal unit weight of good fiber is thrown from the system.
It is noted that some fiber will be thrown out of the counterflow slot 100 of FIG. 2 but it is always attached to more aerodynamically massive entities. These components of the fiber are undesirable from processing viewpoints in any event, and include motes, seed coat fragments, and fibers so intimately entwined with foreign matter that they could not be processed.
To restate a major benefit of counter flow slots: good, individualized fiber is not thrown from the slot.
From FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that the designer (and even operator) of fiber cleaning equipment has at his disposal a heretofore unknown range of effective operational parameters with which to adjust the cleaning efficiency of the machine. The slot parameters may be adjusted in combination with the physical dimensions and speeds of the main cylinder 112 to achieve predetermined aerodynamic cut-offs and efficiencies of removal.
The aeromechanical separation principles of the basic counterflow slot of FIG. 2 may be embodied in a number of forms. For convenience, three overall forms are herein designated Type A, Type B and Type C, and illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, respectively.
In the Type A form of FIG. 3A, air or transport gas is drawn at 130 into a perforated main cylinder 132. The circumferential extent 131 in which slot air 130 flows is defined by a blocking sleeve 134.
In the Type B form of FIG. 3B, air or transport gas is drawn at 140 into a slot around a stripper bar 142. Both lint and small particles are transported to a subsequent stage whose basic parameters may be adjusted to allow aerodynamic separation cuts which are for smaller particles and which are sharper in their performance. However, unless either a perforated cylinder or perforated wall (as illustrated in FIG. 3C described next is employed), the microdust is not separated from the lint.
The Type C form illustrated in FIG. 3C results in a construction which is less expensive than the Type A form and about equally effective in the removal of foreign matter. In this case, the lint is pneumatically transported at 150 along with the foreign matter which has been removed by the action of a non-perforated main cylinder 152 in transfer from a feed or input cylinder 154. Particles are then subsequently separated from the lint in three mechanisms in FIG. 3C: (1) through a perforated wall 156 (Recall that the fiber density is low so that the particles have an opportunity to migrate through the tenous fiber mass into the perforated wall.); (2) at the counterflow slot 158 (shown here as a single-entry slot); and (3) microdust and possibly dust into the perforated cylinder 162.
The Type C embodiment of FIG. 3C provides a more econmical construction for at least two major reasons. First, the smaller perforated working cylinder 162 and blocking sleeve 164 are less expensive in their constructions. Second, this adaptation may be retrofitted to a variety of existing lint-cleaning equipment for which perforated main cylinders would be prohibitively expensive and/or unavailable.
It will be appreciated that numerous other configuations of counterflow separation slots are certainly possible, and there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated herein.
FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the invention which is constructed of practical elements and which has been thoroughly tested. Fiber is drawn by a belt/slide arrangement 200 into a conventional feed roll 202/feed plate 204 configuration. A first or opening cylinder 206 combs the fiber around the feed plate 204 and removes foreign matter, preferentially large foreign matter or trash, which is then separated into a first counter flow slot (CFS 1) 206, shown as a single entry slot.
The fiber, which is hooked onto the forward raked pins of the combing cylinder 206 is then transported into an input or feed cylinder 208 having pins 210 which intersect with pins of the combing cylinder 206. The fiber is transported in a serpentine fashion such that both sides of the fiber mat are acted upon or cleaned. The input cylinder 208 is typically moving at a much higher speed than the combing cylinder 206 and foreign matter is aeromechanically released and separated using a second counter flow slot (CFS 2), illustrated as a double-entry slot. The fiber is then transported to a main, high-speed cylinder 212, again in a serpentine fashion. Vigorous aeromechanical separation 214 takes place at the inlet of the counterflow slot 216, shown here as a Type A slot as in FIG. 3A (air into cylinder slot) and provides a third opportunity for removal of foreign matter. In this case dust and trash are thrown out into a third counter flow slot (CFS 3) and microdust is drawn into the perforated cylinder 212 at 218.
The inward drag forces disappear at the beginning of a blocking sleeve 220. The lint is thus removed from the main cylinder 212 and thrown onto a second-stage worker cylinder 222 which then transports the fiber around for a second engagement with the main cylinder 212. The second engagement is not serpentine but is in the form of a high-speed feed roll 222/feed plate 224 combination.
At this point, a fourth counterflow slot (CFS 4) 226 operates also as a Type A air into cylinder slot. Also, microdust is drawn into the perforated main cylinder 212 at 230.
The process is repeated for the third stage with the only difference being that a fifth counter flow slot (CFS 5) 227 is a Type B (air over cylinder). In this case, the air 228 drawn into the slot is also used to pneumaticaly doff and transport the lint out of the system for subsequent processing or measurement use.
It is worth re-emphasizing at this point that the lint thrown out of the machine is individualized and has been cleaned and processed. This fiber is in a preferential state for measurement or further processing.
In summary, FIG. 4 thus illustrates the application of five counterflow slots of various designs in a single machine. In addition, there are two microdust capture points 218, 230 making a total of seven opportunities to remove foreign matter from the lint. It has been determined from extensive experimentation with this apparatus that considerable advantage is realized when multiple opportunities for foreign matter removal are offered. These advantages result in both more complete foreign matter and in less fiber damage and loss.
In the interest of completeness of disclosure, it is reported herein that apparatus having the following basic parameters has proven successful:
______________________________________ Diam- Pins Den- eter Speed Height An- sityCylinders Inches RPM Inches gle #/in.sup.2 Pattern______________________________________Combing 3 10-300 1/4 9° 16 CircularInlet 3 60-3000 1/8 9° 50 CircularMain 6 2000-4000 1/8 9° 100 HelicalWorkers 3 50-5000 1/8 9° 50 Helical______________________________________
______________________________________ Q.sub.s L W.sub.s Q.sub.c W.sub.cCounterflow Slots CFM in in CFM in______________________________________1 3 3 1/2 5 3/42 10 2 1/2 5 3/43 25 11/2 1/2 5 3/44 15 11/2 1/2 5 3/45 35 1 3/4 5 1______________________________________
Two machines in particular have been constructed, respectively having approximately 1-inch and 81/2 inch axial extents. The above data are for the 81/2 inch machine.
A further comment concerning the use of pins and especially intersecting pins 210 is in order. Conventional, prior art, lint-cleaning equipment uses either teeth 26, as illustrated in FIG. 1, or hardened pins as illustrated on cylinders 206, 208, and 212 in FIG. 4. It has been found that the hardened pin construction offers significant advantages with regard to operating life of the cylinder and with regard to fiber damage.
The intersection of pins 210 between the combing 206 and feed 208 cylinders has been found advantageous for complete fiber transfer between these two cylinders and also because it affords a good opportunity to comb or align the fibers in addition to providing aeromechanical release and separation forces. It is of significance that the fiber fed into the main cylinder is less dense than in prior are machines and furthermore the fibers have been drawn or drafted by the two inlet stages.
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment using the same aeromechanical separation equipment as for FIG. 4 but using a different feeding arrangment. Rather than the serpentine pattern of FIG. 4, the fiber is fed from the inlet cylinder 300 in a conventional feed roll 300/feed plate 302 arrangement. Fiber is more agressively combed in this manner and in some cases the attendent higher fiber damage rates are acceptable in balance with the improved combing and release and separation of foreign matter. The serpentine pattern is retained for the combing cylinder 303 except that the stock feed roll 202/feed plate 204 of FIG. 4 has been eliminated to show yet another embodiment of the feed stages of the machine.
In application of the machine to high volume instrument HVI cotton classing, it has been found that the condition of the fiber influences the results. Moisture content, static charge, and state of relaxation materially affect only only the foreign matter removal efficiency and fiber damage of the machine, but subsequent other fiber property measurements as length and strength as well. These findings are equally applicable to processing machinery applications.
A most important consequence of the counterflow slot design as embodied for example in FIG. 5 results. The air or other transport gas fed into the machine at the counterflow slots 304, 306, 308 and at the inlets 309 and 311 may be controlled in its humidity and electrostatic charge quality so that the operation of the aeromechanical release and separation means can be on preferred states of the fiber with regard to humidity and static charge. That is, the air into the machine can be far more economically and accurately conditioned than the entire air in the work space, thus providing fundamental advantages for measurement and processing. It is furthermore clear that the humidity and electrostatic charge of the fiber may be different at each of the different processing stages simply by controlling the air fed into the system at the various counterflow slot points.
The physical state of the fiber presented at 320 to the Microdust and Trash Machine has proven to be of similar fundamental importance with regard to foreign matter release, processing speed, and fiber damage. Thus in FIG. 5 a perforated belt-feed system 330 draws 332 conditioned air 334 through the feed table 336.
Yet another physical property, the state of relaxation of the fiber, has proven important in MTM processing. Fiber from tightly compressed bales can be relaxed by first plucking small tufts from the mass and then transporting them to the feed table 336 of FIG. 5. This may also be easily done by replacing the feed table with a standard condenser which is well known in the art. Obviously, the air drawn into the condenser may be similarly conditioned as at 336 in FIG. 5. The fibers can be given preferential alignment and can be deposited in a more blended, more uniform mat.
FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C show in detail a typical perforated cylinder in accordance with the invention, and the method by which air is drawn into the perforated cylinder. FIG. 6C in particular illustrates the arrangement of the pins 402 and the perforation holes 404. Air is drawn into the holes 404 by a cylindrical blocking sleeve which slips into from the cylinder right-hand end as seen in FIG. 6B. (FIG. 5 shows an end view of the blocking sleeve 34.) The blocking sleeve axial slots cut at the preferred circumferential locations and draw microdust-laden air in, as in FIG. 4 (at 218, 230) or FIG. 5 (at 342, 344, 346). Air is drawn out of the cylinder by any suitable means.
Reconsidering FIG. 4 in light of FIG. 6 it may be noted that microdust-laden air 218, 230 is transported out of the internal parts of the main cylinder 212 and blocking sleeve 220 as described above and into a single pipe. Similarly, the flow for the five counterflow separation slots of FIG. 4 may be either individually transported into measurement apparatus, such as electro-optical sensors 44, 64 illustrated in FIG. 1 or, may be combined into a single counduit 60. The individual flows Q s for the five slots in FIG. 4 are adjusted simply by providing variable restrictions in the flow lines, as is well known in the art.
Combining all of the dust plus trash thus released and separated by the MTM provides yet another meritorious use of electro-optical sensing. Since it is desired to know the relative amounts of dust (50 μm to 500 μm AED) and trash (>500 μm AED), the electro-optical sensing means may be used to provide characterization of these components. Still further, the modified CAM sensor permits mass function resolution into perhaps eight sized channels, beginning at 50 μm.
The point of this observation is that the aeromechanical separator of FIG. 4 basically has one, sharply-defined but point at AED 50 μm. This is a simplification and in some measures an improvement over the embodiment of FIG. 1 where trash, dust and microdust all are aerodynamically defined. The requisite resolution of the dust and/or trash components is in this embodiment is advantageously performed with electro-optical measures.
It is also noted that the common dust plus trash catch may be subsequently analyzed by other methods such as sieve analysis, cascade impaction, and the like. However, these gravimetric means are not easily amenable to high-speed measurements required for high volume instrument testing purposes.
As a final observation, it is noted from FIG. 1 that the cleaned, blended, and processed fiber 96 is pneumatically transported away from the MTM. It will be appreciated that additional fiber property measurements may be advantageously made with electro-optical means. These fiber parameters include the lint feed rate, the fiber diameter distribution, which relates to maturity and fineness, and the length distribution, which is an important parameter determining the yarn properties, especially strength. From the length distribution one may determine the conventional specifications such as 2-1/2% span length, upper-half mean, or short fiber content of the fibers. Short fiber content, for example, the percentage weight below 1/2" in fiber length, is of significant importance currently because of the excessive ginning required to clean cotton harvested by the stripper method. This equipment entrains much more foreign matter into the seed cotton than prior harvesting methods. It is believed that increasing short fiber content is currently resulting in poorer quality yarn and less economical preparation thereof.
It will be appreciated that still other fiber parameters may obviously be made electro-optically in the state illustrated in FIG. 1 or perhaps in a condensed state. These include color and nep content. (Neps are small ball-like entaglements of fiber that ultimately appear as yarn or cloth imperfections.) The pnuematic transported state of FIG. 1 is preferentially ideal for identification of neps.
In summary, the more conceptual methods and apparatus of FIGS. 1-3 and the preferred embodiments of FIGS. 4-6 teach a new method for removing foreign matter from lint. It is emphasized again that the teachings of this invention or extensions thereof are equally applicable to measurements of foreign matter and to its removal for improved processing purposes. It is envisioned for the latter application that higher speed, more efficient, and less damaging lint cleaning and other processing machinery can now evolve based on the principles of these teachings.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is realized that modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. | Apparatus and methods for controlled application of aeromechanical and electrodynamic release and separation forces to foreign particulate matter in fiber materials are disclosed. A number of elements are employed in various combinations. One important element is a perforated, pinned cylinder which facilitates foreign particulate matter removal and microdust classification and use of conditioned and controlled airflow for optimum fiber processing and foreign matter removal. Another important element is a counterflow slot. Other important aspects are air blast cleaning of a tenuous mat held onto a perforated cylinder; unidirectional and pulsating airflows to cause repeated engagement of fibers with static cleaning pins and to release additional dust; application of electrostatic release forces to particles bound onto the fiber; and the processing of fiber in properly conditioned inlet air to the machine, as opposed to ambient air. These methods and apparatus enable the design of precise and accurate measurement apparatus for foreign matter in fiber samples. They further provide effective cleaning, blending, and preprocessing of textile fibers for improved measurements of fiber properties. Still further, the invention may be applied to improved fiber cleaning equipment in gins or in textile mills. The invention ultimately permits a simplified spinning apparatus whose input is tufts and whose output is spun yarn. | 3 |
This application is the National Stage of PCT Application No. PCT/EP01/12012 filed on Oct. 17, 2001 which claims priority to German Application No. 100 54 561.0 filed on Oct. 31, 2000.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a valve controlled fluid power actuator arrangement comprising a fluid power valve arrangement controlled by an electronic control means plastic fluid power lines being provided having integrated line strands and/or light guides for the transmission of sensor signals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The European patent publication 0803653 A1 discloses an arrangement, in which the transmission of the working pressure and of sensor signals from position sensors to power cylinders takes place by way of electropneumatic plastic lines. In this case the electropneumatic plastic lines are connected by way of connection members with valve arrangements, which are arranged on the power cylinders. The position sensors are connected by way of electrical lines with the valve arrangements. The connection members are plugged into the valves and retained by holding screws in them. Owing to the electrical line strands in the plastic lines screwing in of the connection members is not possible. Moreover, the valves are required as connection members between the sensor lines and the line strands in the plastic lines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a valve controlled fluid power actuator arrangement in which the valve arrangement is positioned separated in space from the actuator arrangement and in which the plastic lines between the valve arrangement and the actuator arrangement on the actuator arrangement may be quickly and simply connected up with little work of the fitter so that fluid power connections and sensor connections are produced.
This object is attained in accordance with the invention using a valve controlled actuator arrangement with the features of claim 1 herein.
In an advantageous manner the connection members on the actuator or actuators automatically constitute both the fluid power connection and also the electrical or, respectively, optical connection with the sensors without optical or electrical connection having to be separately mounted. Simply the mechanical connection by itself of the plastic lines by way of the connection members with the actuators is sufficient to produce all necessary connections automatically. The danger of wrong electrical connections and confusion of connections in the case of the sensors is thereby out of the question. Replacement of sensors is also quickly and simply possible. It is possible for customary actuators, such as power cylinders, to be employed, which are adapted for valves mounted on them so that the arrangement of the line in the actuators is simplified.
The features recited in the dependent claims represent advantageous further developments and improvements in the valve controlled actuator arrangement as defined in claim 1 .
The actuator arrangement appropriately comprises at least one actuator designed a power cylinder, the at least one sensor being designed in the form of a position sensor for the position of the piston in the power cylinder. In the case of an advantageous form of design the valve arrangement is connected by way of two plastic fluid power lines with the at least one power cylinder. Each of the two connection members then has a position sensor to find the terminal positions.
Quick and simple fitting is also enhanced if the at least one plastic line is connected by way of a further connection member with the valve arrangement, the electrical and/or optical connection cable of the connection member being connected with the electronic control means, which is preferably at least partly mounted on the valve arrangement. Accordingly simply by insertion of the at least one plastic line by means of the connection members both the fluid power and electrical or, respectively, optical sensor connections are automatically produced without the wrong connections being made possible.
In accordance with an advantageous development the at least one connection member possesses a line connection socket for the plastic line, which is connected with a fluid power line in the connection member and which possesses coupling means for the electrical and/or optical connection with the at least one electrical line strand and/or the light guide in the plastic line, the coupling means being connected with the electrical and/or optical connection cable on the connection member. This arrangement as well contributes to preventing wrong electrical connections and confusion of connections in the case of the sensors.
In an advantageous manner on the floor of the non-radially symmetrical line connection socket, which is adapted to the cross section of the plastic line, at least one electrical contact spike is so arranged as a coupling means that on insertion of the plastic line into the line connection socket it is aligned with the at least one electrical line strand and contacts into the latter. Accordingly by simple insertion of the plastic fluid power line into the line connection socket the electrical connections themselves are produced automatically, even despite a plurality of line strands being present in the wall of the plastic line. No additional production of electrical connections or later production thereof is required at all. Since on insertion of the plastic line into the line connection socket the contact spikes directly penetrate into the line strands a secure electrical connection is ensured, more especially since the contact spikes are inserted in the longitudinal direction into the line strands and accordingly give rise to a contact area which is longer than in the case of transverse insertion.
As an alternative or in addition the wall of the plastic line may also possess at least one light guide, optical transmitters or optical transducers then being present at the floor of the line connection socket instead of contact spikes. The advantages disclosed occur with this design as well.
The line connection socket preferably possesses piece of tube arranged parallel to the contact spike and adapted to penetrate the fluid power duct of the plastic line or consists essentially of such a piece of tube. On joining the plastic line with the piece of tube there is on the one hand the production of a sealing fluid power connection and on the other hand this piece of tube serves to center and align the plastic line and accordingly renders possible secure positioning in relation to the contact spike or spikes.
For the mechanical attachment in place a clamping fixing means is advantageous, more particularly in the form of a clamping screw means. The clamping screw means is in this case best made up of a screw thread around the line connection socket and a corresponding union nut, a wedge member, able to be moved along an oblique face by the union nut being provided to retain the plastic line by a clamping action and more particularly for clamping in place between the piece of tube and the wedge member. On screwing in the union nut there is accordingly not only the desired clamping action but furthermore in addition a pressing
of the plastic line into the line connection socket so that the electrical contact between the contact spikes and the line strands is improved by compacting the material of the hose cable (contact pressure by way of the material of the hose cable).
In accordance with an advantageous design the flexible wedge member is designed in the form of a clamping ring and possesses an internal shape corresponding to the external form of the plastic line, the external diameter tapering like a wedge toward the floor of the line connection socket. This means that the clamping screw means simultaneously leads to a water-proof connection in connection with suitable sealing means.
The connection member is connected by way of an internal duct arrangement in a fluid conducting manner with the fluid power actuator or the valve arrangement, the connection member preferably having a fluid power connection screw means for screwing into the actuator or valve arrangement or being integrally formed thereon.
A particularly simple and reliable assembly and arrangement is made possible if the sensor arrangement and the electrical and/or optical connection cables are permanently connected with one another, and more particularly molded on one another. Furthermore, the at least one connection cable is preferably permanently molded on the connection member, since then a water-tight arrangement sealed off from the environment is produced. It is naturally possible for the connection cable to be connected with the connection member using a plug-in or screw connection.
One working example of the invention is represented in the drawing and will be explained in detail in the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates in longitudinal section a connection member with a molded on connection cable and a sensor, in the case of which a plastic fluid power line with three electrical line strands in the wall is plugged in position.
FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional elevation of the plastic fluid power line.
FIG. 3 shows the connection member in accordance with FIG. 1 with the completely inserted plastic line as secured by a clamping screw means.
FIG. 4 depicts a further design of a connection member for optical signal transmission in a longitudinal section.
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of the working example of the invention having four power cylinders as an actuator arrangement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The connection member 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 serves essentially for connection with a flexible plastic fluid power line 11 , in whose wall three electrical line strands 12 through 14 extend which for instance are in the form of fine flexible wires. The number of the line strands 12 through 14 is naturally able to be selected freely between one and a plurality of line strands.
The plastic line 11 possesses a non-radially symmetrical cross section so that insertion into a line connection socket 15 with a matching cross section of the principal body 16 of the connection member is only possible in a predetermined angular position. The line connection socket 15 is in this case surrounded by a tubular wall portion 18 , having an external screw thread 17 , of the principal body 16 . A part of the wall portion 18 adjacent to the part with the line connection socket 15 is tapered toward its axial end so that at its internal side a circularly conical oblique face 19 is formed. The line connection socket 15 is delimited radially inward by a piece 20 of tube, which is secured or molded on or in the principal body 16 in a sealing manner, a piece 20 of tube extending in the axial direction past the free end of the wall portion 18 . The external diameter of the piece 20 of tube is in this case slightly larger than the internal diameter of a fluid duct 21 in the interior of the plastic line 11 .
Electrical contact spikes extend from the floor of the line connection socket 22 in a direction parallel to the piece 20 of tube into the line connection socket 15 , the number and arrangement of the contact spike 22 being the same as the number and arrangement of the line strands 12 through 14 in the plastic line 11 so that on insertion of the plastic line 11 into the line connection socket 15 the contact spikes 22 slip in between the line strands 12 through 14 and create an electrically conductive connection, as is illustrated in FIG. 3 . Owing to the sectional view only the contact spike 22 in contact with the middle line strand 13 is visible. Here a sealing washer 23 is placed between the floor of the socket 15 and the terminal face of the plastic line 11 .
For securing the inserted plastic line 11 in the line connection socket 15 use is made of a union nut 24 provided with a screw thread 17 , through which a flexible elastic clamping ring 25 like a clamping tongs or collet is able to be moved axially. The internal shape of this clamping ring 25 is in this case the same as the external shape of the plastic line 11 , whereas the external form of this clamping ring 25 is circularly conical so as to be complementary at least at the circularly conical oblique face 19 of the wall portion 18 with the result that on screwing in the union nut 24 the clamping ring 25 is thrust by a wedge action against the plastic line 11 and clamps it between it and the piece 20 of tube. In this case screwing in the union nut 24 , owing to the clamping ring 25 a force acts on the plastic line 11 in the insertion direction S, by which the plastic line 11 is thrust against the floor of the line connection socket 15 and consequently against the sealing washer 23 . Simultaneously the contact spike 22 bite more deeply into the plastic line 11 and, respectively, the line strand 12 through 14 if they have not already penetrated fully into it during insertion. In addition owing to the compaction of the elastic material of the hose cable the contact pressure is increased.
Instead of the above described clamping sensor means it is also possible to utilize other known clamping or detent connection means or furthermore internal screw means. In the simplest case it is for instance possible to only provide the piece 20 of tube on its external side and/or wall portion 18 on its internal side with annular retaining projections for securing the inserted plastic line 11 . Such retaining projections may also in addition be employed in the connection member described. Furthermore, the contact spikes 22 can be differently arranged or replaced by other contact means.
The terminal portion of the principal body 16 axially opposite to the wall portion 18 is designed in the form of a screw means for screwing into a fluid power device such as a valve, a power cylinder or the like. For this purpose this tubular screw threaded portion 27 is provided with an external or male thread 26 , an internal duct 28 producing the fluid power connection from the end as far as the piece 20 of tube.
As shown in FIG. 1 an electric cable 29 is peripherally mounted or molded on the principal body 16 , such cable producing the electrical connection between a sensor arrangement 30 and the contact spikes 22 . If the sensor arrangement 30 should only require two lines for signal transmission, then the cable 29 may have two cores instead of three cores so that one of the contact spikes 22 is left unconnected or is omitted. The electric cable 29 may in this case be molded in a sealing manner both on the sensor arrangement 30 and also on the principal body 16 . Such a sensor arrangement is for example for detecting a position, for detecting a pressure or for detecting a temperature. In this case the sensor arrangement will comprise sensors suitable for the respective detection to be performed, as for example a Hall elements for of position or other sensors responsive to magnetic and/or electrical fields.
Instead of a molded on electric cable 29 the means may also be in the form of an electrical plug-in or screw connection. Furthermore, in an alternative design a plurality of electric cables 29 may be mounted or molded on the principal body 16 or they may be connected using several plug-in or screw connection means, for example to connect a plurality of sensor arrangements or other devices with the line strands 12 through 14 in the plastic line 11 .
The modified connection member 51 as shown in FIG. 4 is substantially similar to the connection member 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 , identical or functionally identical components being provided with the same reference numerals and not being described over again. In contradistinction to the connection member 10 there is in this case a plastic line 52 with a suitable cross section, in whose wall instead of electrical line strands 12 through 14 there are now light guides 53 . On the floor of the line connection socket 15 the contact spikes 22 are now replaced by optical transmitters 54 , which, when the plastic line 52 is inserted make optical contact with the end sides of the light guides 53 . The electric lines connected with the contact spike 22 and extending internally of the principal body 16 are in this case replaced by suitably arranged internal light guides 55 . The workings of the connection member 51 represented in FIG. 4 are essentially the same as those of the connection member 10 , only the electrical signal transmission being replaced by optical signal transmission.
With a modification of the connection member 51 it is possible, in a simpler design, for the optical transmitters 54 to be dispensed with the result that the light guides 53 in the connection member 52 come directly into optical contact with the internal light guides 55 . Alternatively, the optical transmitters 54 may also be replaced by optical transducers so that in this case optical signals may be converted into electrical ones and the internal light guides 55 are replaced by electrical conductors again.
In principle hybrid designs are also possible, that is to say a plastic line may in part comprise electrical line strands and in part light guides, suitable contact spike and optical transmitters or, respectively, optical transducers being arranged in the line connection socket 15 . For instance one light guide for the signal transmission and two electrical line strands for electrical amplifiers or, respectively, power supply, may be provided.
In the case the working embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 four fluid power valves 60 in the form of plate valves, of a valve station 61 are connected by way of plastic lines 11 with an actuator arrangement, which comprises fourth power cylinders 62 . The number of valves 60 and of power cylinders 62 may naturally be freely selected, it being possible for other actuators to be utilized, as for example linear motors, fluid power rotary drives, fluid power gripping means or the like. If the double acting power cylinders 62 are replaced by single acting ones, then it is naturally possible to have only one respective plastic line 11 .
An electronic control 63 , for example in the form of a processor control, for the valve station 61 or, respectively, the power cylinders 62 is connected by way of a bus line 64 (for example an ASI bus) with a bus station 65 , which is arranged athwart the planes of the plate-like valves 60 on the valve station 61 , for example by plugging and is internally connected by way of lines or, respectively, plug connecting means with the solenoid coils of the individual valves 60 . A fluid power line 66 , as for example a pneumatic pressure line, is connected with the valve station 61 for pressure supply.
Each power cylinder 62 is connected by way of two electropneumatic plastic lines 11 with the respectively associated valve 60 , the plastic lines 11 respectively being connected at the end with the power cylinders 62 using connection members 10 , and with the valves 60 using modified connection members 9 , which essentially comprise the wall portion 18 and the line connection socket 15 in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 3 and for example are plugged or molded for connection with the valves 60 , the contact spikes 22 being connected by way of internal electrical lines with the valve station 61 in order to supply same with sensor signals. In principle it is also possible to employ a screw-in connection member 10 in this case.
The two plastic lines 11 for each power cylinder 62 serve to put the piston, not illustrated, under pressure in the opposite direction in order to have two directions of motion. The sensors 30 connected by way of electric cable 29 are designed as position sensors and are attached to the power cylinders 62 to detect the desired terminal positions or other position, conventional attachment means being employed. The connection members 10 may also respectively be connected with a plurality of sensors, as for example a plurality of position sensors and/or pressure sensors and/or temperature sensors and the like in order to obtain data in relation to the power cylinders 62 . For sensor signal transmission in the plastic lines 11 the necessaary number of stands 13 is provided.
Obviously it is possible for the plastic lines 11 and the and the connection members 9 and 10 may also be optical in design, as for instance in accordance with FIG. 4 . Hybrid designs are possible as well.
Although in the case of FIG. 5 each valve 60 is only illustrated with one connection member 9 , naturally for the respectively two plastic lines 11 two tandem arranged connection members 9 are present. In principle however combined connection members could be utilized, which are designed for the connection of two fluid power lines. | A valve controlled fluid power actuator arrangement having a fluid power valve arrangement ( 61 ) controlled by an electronic control means ( 63 through 65 ) being connected by means of at least one plastic fluid power line ( 11 ) with at least one actuator ( 62 ). In the plastic line ( 61 ) electrical line strands and/or light guides are integrated for the transmission of sensor signals. The at least one plastic line ( 11 ) is connected with the respective actuator ( 62 ) with the aid of a connection member ( 10 ) having a connection cable ( 29 ) with at least one sensor ( 30 ) in or on the actuator ( 62 ). Accordingly in the case of a valve arrangement separate from the actuators a rapid and simple fluid power and electrical or, respectively, optical assembly may take place. | 5 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a miniature sieve apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a miniature sieve apparatus for separating target cells, bio-medical particles, organic or inorganic microparticles with different sizes and a manufacturing method thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditionally, cell separation technologies include active and passive cell separation technologies, wherein the active cell separation technology means that the target cells are filtrated or separated by different approaches, such as dielectrophoresis, optical tweezers, and magnetic force. Furthermore, most of the passive cell separation technologies mean that the target cells are filtrated or separated by sieve elements, and the size of meshes on sieves can prevent target cells from passing through the sieves.
For example, referring now to Taiwan Pat. No. I308131, a bio-particle capturing apparatus having a 3D structure and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed, wherein the capturing apparatus is a trap to capture bio-particles to the predetermined wells by dielectrophoresis (DEP) force. The characteristic of the capturing apparatus is to apply a 3D-structural concept to a dielectrophoresis biochip which is mainly used to trap and immobilize bio-particles, such as cells, functional latex beads, nano-particles or gene segments.
As described in the Taiwan Pat. No. I308131, the bio-particles capturing apparatus having the 3D structure comprises an upper layer, microfluidic channels and a lower layer, wherein the upper layer is formed with an upper electrode, an inlet and an outlet; and the lower layer is formed with a lower electrode. A sample fluid can flow from the inlet into the capturing apparatus, flow through the microfluidic channels, and then flow out of the outlet of the capturing apparatus. Furthermore, the outlet is formed with matrix-type wells. The major characteristic of the capturing apparatus is that the directions of electric fields generated by the electrodes of the upper and lower layers are vertical to the flow direction of the sample fluid of the microfluidic channels, so as to form uneven longitudinal electric fields. Thus, the bio-particles in the microfluidic channels can be rapidly captured into the predetermined wells of the low layer.
However, the bio-particle capturing apparatus having the 3D structure is a trapping device which uses the DEP force generated by the electrode to trap the bio-particles into the predetermined wells. In actual use, a buffer with lower conductivity (˜570 μS/cm) must be applied to the capturing apparatus for trapping or separating the bio-particles. For example, the conductivity of human blood is about 0.1˜2 S/cm, and thus does not meet the condition of buffer with the lower conductivity for the trapping or separating the bio-particles by using DEP force. Consequently, before the cell separation, it needs to firstly separate the cells of blood by the method of density gradient separation. After centrifugation, the collected cells are added into the lower conductivity buffer, so that the more powerful DEP force can be generated to trap the target cells.
As described above, except for actively trapping the target cells of blood samples by the DEP force, magnetic particles also can be immobilized on cell membrane, or the magnetic particles can be introduced into the cells by uptake events, so target cells can be separated by manipulated magnetic force. However, most of the biological features of tumor cells are almost the same as that of health cells. Therefore, it is necessary to screen a high specific protein for particular membrane protein of particular cells at first, conjugate the magnetic particles to the specific protein, and then to apply the property of the specific protein able to identify the particular membrane protein of the particular cells for immobilizing the magnetic particles onto the cell surface of particular tumor cells as to-be-screened targets. Moreover, if using the method of inducing the particular cells to actively take into the magnetic particles as to-be-screened targets, a particular structural molecule must be modified on the surface of the magnetic particles, so that the specific cells are promoted to swallow them. However, no matter for modifying the surface of the magnetic particles or conjugating the magnetic particles to the specific protein, the particular magnetic particles must be added during screening different target cells, so that the cost of detection will be increased.
Besides, the easier and more convenient method of separating the bio-particles is to use a sieve apparatus to the passive separation of bio-particles. That is, the size of the meshes defined on the sieve apparatus can be used to screen bio-particles with different diameters in a sample fluid. It is unnecessary to execute any pre-treating steps before passively screening the sample fluid, the time cost of screening or separating the target bio-particles can be relatively decreased, and the manufacture cost of the sieves can be lowered by mass production of the sieves.
Recently, 2D or 3D sieve apparatus made by micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology are widely applied to separate cells, wherein the meshes of the sieve are used to trap white blood cells of blood; and red blood cells, platelets and serum of blood can pass through the meshes of the sieves, so as to carry out the purpose of screening and separating the white blood cells. However, in fact, for a sieve apparatus made of silicon nitrite or parylene C and processed by MEMS technology, during forming the 3D sieve structure, a sacrificial layer must be sandwiched between an upper sieve and a lower sieve. The sacrificial layer is selectively etched after forming upper meshes on the upper sieve. Therefore, the process of the 3D sieve apparatus must consider the ratio of the etching rate between materials of the upper sieve, the lower sieve and the sacrificed layer. Moreover, it also needs to consider the three materials of the 3D sieve apparatus with the problems of residual stress generated during the manufacture process and to consider relative parameters thereof, so that it is significantly difficult in the whole manufacturing process of the 3D sieve apparatus.
As a result, the traditional sieve apparatus manufactured, by the MEMS technology is not only complicated and difficult to execute MEMS processes, but also the stability of the manufacture yield thereof is still not good. Therefore, it is difficult to lower the manufacture cost of industrial mass production. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a miniature sieve apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof to solve the problems existing in the conventional sieve apparatus, as described above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a miniature sieve apparatus, wherein the same material (such as silicon substrate) is used to manufacture a first and a second sieve, and a separator is disposed between the first and second sieves, wherein the material of the separator can be made of the same or different material of the first and second sieves. Because it is unnecessary for the above-mentioned process to use coating steps, the problems of generating residual stress and stress distribution in the traditional three-dimensional sieve can be improved, and the structural stability of the miniature sieve apparatus can be enhanced.
A secondary object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a miniature sieve apparatus, wherein material of a sacrificial layer is not used between the first and second sieves, and the first and second sieves can be formed with a first and a plurality of second meshes by etching, respectively. Therefore, it is simple to precisely control the mesh size of the sieves. Further, when manufacturing another miniature sieve apparatus of different specification for screening different targets, it only needs to change new first sieve with different mesh size, so that the design flexibility can be increased, the manufacture process can be simplified, and the manufacture efficiency of the miniature sieve apparatus can be enhanced.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a miniature sieve apparatus which comprises at least one sieve unit, and each of the sieve unit comprises a first sieve, a separator and a second sieve. The first sieve is formed with at least one first mesh; the separator is stacked on one side of the first sieve and formed with a separation hole; and the second sieve is stacked on the other side of the separator, and the second sieve is formed with a plurality of second meshes, wherein the diameter of the second meshes is smaller than that of the first mesh, and the first and second sieve are made of the same material.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the miniature sieve comprises a plurality of the sieve units, and the first sieves, the separators and the second sieves of all of the sieve units are integrated into one plate, respectively.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the first mesh and the second meshes are misaligned with each other in a vertical direction of the first and second sieves.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the material of the first and second sieves are simultaneously selected from Si, SiC or glass; the material of the separator is selected from Si, SiC, glass, photoresist, polyimide or cyclic olefin copolymer (COC).
In one embodiment of the present invention, the material of the separator is selected from the same material of the first and second sieves. Thus, during assembling, the miniature sieve apparatus can provide the same coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for maintaining planarity after assembling and enhancing the fabrication yield.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the miniature sieve is further provided with a container and a pumping/injecting device for a sample fluid to pass through the first sieve, the separator and the second sieve in turn.
Moreover, the present invention provides a manufacturing method of a miniature sieve apparatus, which comprises steps of: forming a first sieve and a second sieve, respectively or simultaneously, wherein the first sieve is formed with at least one first mesh and the second sieve is formed with a plurality of second meshes, the diameter of the second meshes is smaller than that of the first mesh, and the first sieve and the second sieve are made of the same material; coating a photoresist on the second sieve, and defining a separation hole on the photoresist by standard photolithography, so as to form a separator; and stacking the first sieve on the separator to construct a miniature sieve.
Furthermore, the present invention also provides a manufacturing method of a miniature sieve apparatus, which comprises steps of: forming a first sieve, a separator and a second sieve, respectively or simultaneously, wherein the first sieve is formed with at least one first mesh, the separator is formed with a separation hole, and the second sieve is formed with a plurality of second meshes, the diameter of the second meshes is smaller than that of the first mesh, and the first sieve and the second sieve are made of the same material; and stacking the first sieve, the separator and the second sieve from top to bottom, to construct a miniature sieve apparatus.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the first mesh and the second meshes are misaligned with each other in a vertical direction of the first and second sieves.
According to the design concept of the present invention, when the to-be-sieved targets are changed, it only needs to change new first sieve with different mesh size, so as to construct a new miniature sieve having corresponding specification after heating assembly. Therefore, the manufacturing processes of the miniature sieve apparatus can be simplified and the cost thereof can be lowered, while the industrial requirement of re-design flexibility can be satisfied. Furthermore, the diversity of the miniature sieve apparatus can be increased to meet needs of the market.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an assembled view of a sieve unit of a miniature sieve apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the sieve unit of the miniature sieve according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the miniature sieve according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the miniature sieve according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an assembled cross-sectional view of the miniature sieve with a container and a pumping/injecting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is an operational view of the sieve unit of the miniature sieve before sieving according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is an operational view of the sieve unit of the miniature sieve after sieving according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective and partially cross-sectional view of the sieve unit in FIG. 6 ;
FIG. 9 is a perspective and partially cross-sectional view of the sieve unit in FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 10 is an application view of the miniature sieve according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is an assembled view of the miniature sieve according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the miniature sieve according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, directional terms described by the present invention, such as upper, lower, front, back, left, right, inner, outer, side, longitudinal/vertical, transverse/horizontal, and etc., are only directions by referring to the accompanying drawings, and thus the used directional terms are used to describe and understand the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a miniature sieve apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. As shown, the miniature sieve designated by numeral 1 comprises at least one sieve unit 1 and each of the sieve unit 1 comprises a first sieve 11 , a separator 12 and a second sieve 13 . The first sieve ills formed with at least one first mesh 111 . The separator 12 is stacked on one side of the first sieve 11 and formed with a separation hole 121 . The second sieve 13 is stacked on the other side of the separator 12 , wherein the second sieve 13 is formed with a plurality of second meshes 131 . The diameter of the second meshes 131 is smaller than that of the first mesh 111 , and the diameter of the second meshes 131 and the first mesh 111 are smaller than that of the separation hole 121 .
Furthermore, the first and second sieves 11 , 13 are selected from plates of the same material. For example, the material of the first and second sieves 11 , 13 can be selected from silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC) or glass, simultaneously. Moreover, the material of the separator 12 is selected from silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), glass, photoresist (such as SU-8), polyimide or cyclic olefin copolymer (COC). Particularly, the material of the separator 12 is selected from the same material of the first and second sieves 11 , 13 . Thus, during assembling, the first sieve 11 , the separator 12 and the second sieve 13 of the miniature sieve apparatus can provide the same coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for maintaining planarity after assembling and enhancing the fabrication yield.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , in the first embodiment of the present invention, the miniature sieve apparatus designated by numeral 2 is exemplified to comprise a plurality of the sieve units 1 , such as having four sieve units 1 in a matrix arrangement, but the number of the sieve units 1 is not limited thereto, wherein the number of the sieve units 1 also can be two, three, five or more. Moreover, in the same the miniature sieve apparatus 2 , the first sieves 21 of all of the sieve units 1 are integrated into a first plate, the separator 22 of all of the sieve units 1 are integrated into a second plate, and the second sieves 23 of all of the sieve units 1 are integrated into a third plate, and the three plates can be assembled to construct the miniature sieve apparatus 2 . Furthermore, the first mesh 211 and the second meshes 231 are misaligned with each other in a vertical direction of the first 21 and second sieves 23 , i.e. the first meshes 211 are completely misaligned with the second meshes 231 in the vertical direction, or the first meshes 211 are partially aligned with the second meshes 231 .
In the first embodiment, the present invention provides a manufacturing method of the miniature sieve apparatus 2 , which comprises steps of: forming a first sieve 21 and a second sieve 23 , respectively or simultaneously, wherein the first sieve 21 is formed with at least one first mesh 211 and the second sieve 23 is formed with a plurality of second meshes 231 , the diameter of the second meshes 231 is smaller than that of the first mesh 211 , and the first sieve 21 and the second sieve 23 are made of plates of the same material (such as silicon substrate). Then, coating a photoresist (such as SU-8) on the second sieve 23 , and defining a separation hole 221 on the photoresist by exposing and developing, so as to form a separator 22 ; and then stacking the first sieve 21 on the separator 22 to construct a miniature sieve apparatus 2 .
Alternatively, in another embodiment, the manufacturing method of the miniature sieve apparatus 2 of the present invention can comprise steps of: forming a first sieve 21 , a separator 22 and a second sieve 23 , respectively or simultaneously, wherein the first sieve 21 is formed with at least one first mesh 211 , the separator 22 is formed with a separation hole 221 , and the second sieve 23 is formed with a plurality of second meshes 231 , wherein the diameter of the second meshes 231 is smaller than that of the first mesh 211 , and the first sieve 21 and the second sieve 22 are made of plates of the same material (such as silicon substrate). Then, to stack the first sieve 21 , the separator 22 and the second sieve 23 from top to bottom, to construct a miniature sieve apparatus 2 .
Referring to FIG. 5 , in the first embodiment of the present invention, the miniature sieve 2 (as shown in FIG. 3 ) is further provided with a container 4 and a pumping/injecting device 5 , wherein the miniature sieve apparatus 2 is fixed into the container 4 to separate an inner space of the container 4 into a first chamber 41 and a second chamber 42 from top to bottom.
Next, referring to FIGS. 6 , 7 , 8 and 9 , as a sample fluid 6 (such as blood) is loaded to the first chamber 41 , the sample fluid 6 passes through the first meshes 211 , the separation holds 221 and the second meshes 231 in turn, for screening or separating first microparticles (such as white blood cells) and second microparticles (such as red blood cells). The pumping/injecting device 5 is installed on the side of the second chamber 42 , and provides a pumping/drawing function. When the pumping/injecting device 5 pumps, the sample fluid 6 is accelerated to flow from the first chamber 41 to the second chamber 42 . In another embodiment of the present invention, the pumping/injecting device 5 also can be installed on the side of the first chamber 41 to provide an injecting/pressurizing function to accelerate the sample fluid 6 to pass the first chamber 41 through the second chamber 42 .
It should be noted that the sizes of the first and second meshes 211 , 231 of the present invention can be designed to be smaller than the size of the first microparticles 7 , and larger than the size of the second microparticles 8 . Meanwhile, the diameter of the second meshes 231 is smaller than that of the first meshes 211 . Therefore, during sieving, the second microparticles 8 of the sample fluid 6 passes through a pathway defined by the first meshes 211 , the separation holes 221 and the second meshes 231 in turn. The sample fluid 6 passes through the second meshes 231 to become a filtrate 9 which then flows into the second chamber 42 and/or the pumping/injecting device 5 . And, one portion of the first microparticles 7 is inserted into and engaged with the first meshes 211 . Thus, the present invention can carry out the purpose of screening or separating the first and second microparticles 7 , 8 .
Referring to FIG. 10 , in the first embodiment of the present invention, the miniature sieve is also provided with an auto-pumping/injecting device 10 which comprises a pumping/injecting device 11 and a tube 12 , wherein the pumping/injecting device 11 is installed on the auto-pumping/injecting device 10 , and has a front end connected to the container 4 of the miniature sieve apparatus 2 through the tube 12 , in order to screen or separate the first microparticles 7 within a predetermined period. The pumping/injecting device 11 is substantially the same as the foregoing pumping/injecting device 5 , and installed on the side of the second chamber 42 for providing pumping/drawing function. Alternatively, the pumping/injecting device 11 also can be installed on the side of the first chamber 41 for providing injecting/pressurizing function.
Furthermore, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12 , in the second embodiment of the present invention, the miniature sieve apparatus 3 is similar to the miniature sieve apparatus 2 of the first embodiment of the present invention, but the miniature sieve apparatus 3 of the second embodiment comprises a first sieve 31 , a first separator 32 , a second sieve 33 , a second separator 34 and a third sieve 35 . The first sieve 31 is formed with a plurality of first meshes 311 . The first separator 32 is stacked on one side of the first sieve 31 and formed with a plurality of first separation holes 321 . The second sieve 33 is stacked on the other side of the first separator 32 and formed with a plurality of second meshes 331 . The second separator 34 is stacked on the other side of the second sieve 33 and formed with a plurality of second separation holes 341 . The third sieve 34 is stacked on the other side of the second separator 34 and formed with a plurality of third meshes 351 . Furthermore, the diameter of the third meshes 351 is smaller than that of the second meshes 331 and smaller than that of the first meshes 311 . Additionally, the first, second and third meshes 311 , 331 are misaligned with each other in a vertical direction of the first, second sieves 31 , 33 . And, the second and third meshes 331 , 351 are also misaligned with each other in a vertical direction of the second and third sieves 33 , 35 .
It should be noted that the size of the first meshes 211 of the present invention is designed to be smaller than that of the first microparticles 7 , but larger than that of the second microparticles 8 . Therefore, during screening, the sample fluid 6 carries the second microparticles 8 and passes through the pathway defined by the first meshes 211 , the separation holes 221 and the second meshes 231 . The sample fluid 6 passes through the second meshes 231 to become a filtrate 9 which then flows into the second chamber 42 and/or the pumping/injecting device 5 . Finally, a portion of the first microparticles 7 is inserted into and engaged with the first meshes 211 . Thus, the present invention can carry out the purpose of screening or separating the first and second microparticles 7 , 8 .
As described above, the first and second sieves 21 , 23 of the present invention are made of plates of the same material (such as silicon substrate), and the separator 22 is disposed between the first and second sieves 21 , 23 , wherein the material of the separator 22 is preferably, but not limited to, made of the same material of the first and second sieves 21 , 23 . It is unnecessary for the manufacturing process to use steps of coating and heating, so that the problems of generating residual stress and residual stress distribution in the traditional three-dimensional sieve can be improved, and the structural stability of the miniature sieve apparatus 2 can be enhanced. Furthermore, material of a sacrificial layer is not used between the first and second sieves 21 , 23 and the first and second sieves 21 , 23 can be etched to form meshes, respectively. Therefore, it is simple to control the manufacture precision of the size of the meshes. When manufacturing another miniature sieve apparatus 2 of different specification for screening different microparticles, it only needs to change new first sieve 21 with different mesh 211 , so that the design flexibility can be increased, the manufacture process can be simplified, and the manufacture efficiency of the miniature sieves apparatus 2 can be enhanced.
The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications to the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims. | A miniature sieve apparatus is described and includes a first sieve, a separator and a second sieve from top to bottom. The first and second sieves are formed with at least one first mesh and a plurality of second meshes, respectively. The first and second meshes are misaligned with each other in a vertical direction of the first and second sieves. The miniature sieve apparatus is provided to separate or screen microparticles with different sizes, such as target cells, bio-medical particles, organic or inorganic microparticles. Additionally, the invention also provides a manufacturing method of the miniature sieve apparatus, and the same material is applied to manufacture the sieves and the separators. Thus, the problem caused by the residual thermal stress due to different material can be solved. Therefore, the cost of the miniature sieve apparatus can be lowered as the yield rate thereof is improved. | 1 |
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related with a method and a device for the evaporation of volatile substances such as aromatic substances and/or insecticides, in which the evaporation is done by electrical heating devices that raise the temperature of a wick impregnated with the substance to be evaporated.
With this invention the degree of evaporation of the volatile substance can also be controlled.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Devices to evaporate volatile substances in a liquid state are well known that consist of a wick of which one end is in contact with a volatile substance in a bottle, such that the substance rises by capillarity through the wick, which is made of a porous material, until this becomes totally impregnated.
Conventionally, these devices include heating devices, such as PTC electrical resistances, aimed at heating the upper portion of the wick that facilitates evaporation of the substance that dissipates to the exterior of the device in the form of vapor.
Some of these pieces of equipment are equipped with devices that permit the degree of evaporation of the product to be controlled, which are generally based on modifying the intensity of heating the wick. The need to control the degree of evaporation tends to complicate the design and manufacture of the device since several interconnecting parts are required, making the manufacturing process more expensive, which is a key factor in these products since the low production costs are the key to their profitability.
Some known devices of this kind use heating elements with a toroidal configuration such that one end of the wick is lodged in the central orifice, permitting uniform heating of the whole perimeter of the wick in the area of influence of the heating element. Although this toroidal shape of the heating element is effective from an operative perspective, the device as a whole increases in width and, therefore, size and this is undesirable from manufacturing and sales perspectives.
Some examples of this type of device can be found in the patents U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,928, EP-1.270.022, U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,301.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention refers to a method and a device for the evaporation of volatile substances that optimally exploits the heat energy generated.
In addition to the afore-mentioned advantages, with this invention the user can control at will the degree of evaporation of the substance and achieves this using a single element that maximally simplifies the manufacturing process and the cost of the product.
Therefore, one of the aspects of the invention refers to a device for the evaporation of volatile substances that includes a wick through which this substance travels upwards by capillarity, which is influenced by heating elements that facilitate this evaporation. The device has a pipe with open ends that contains part of the wick, with a space around the wick between this and the sides of the tube. The pipe has at least one opening in the side that controls the degree of exposure of the wick to the focus of heat produced by the heating devices.
In this way, part of the heat generated by the heating devices passes to the chamber inside the pipe that contains part of the wick. The pipe reduces the volume of space surrounding the wick, thus less heat energy is required to obtain the degree of evaporation desired. This reduced volume facilitates a “chimney effect”, i.e. an increased rate of release of the evaporated fragrance, which causes increased diffusion of the product.
The invention incorporates features that enable the user to control the degree of evaporation of the substance by controlling the degree of influence of heat on the wick.
Another aspect of the invention refers to a method to evaporate volatile substances that includes submitting a wick impregnated with the volatile substance to be evaporated to a heat source that consists in inserting part of the wick into a small-volumed chamber and introducing hot air into the chamber. Reduced volume refers to a chamber with a volume slightly larger than that of the portion of wick inside it, such that there is a narrow space around the wick between this and the sides of the pipe through which the hot air can rise.
This chamber consists of a tubular pipe, open at both ends, which has at least one lateral opening such that in the method of the invention hot air produced by the heat source is introduced through this lateral opening of the pipe and spreads throughout the interior of the chamber remaining in close proximity to the wick while it rises up through the pipe.
In the method, the amount of hot air introduced in the chamber can be changed in order to control the degree of evaporation.
In a preferred option of the method, the amount of air is controlled by moving the position of the pipe relative to the heat source so that the opening faces the heat source to a greater or lesser degree thus resulting in a greater or lesser transfer of radiation and convection to the inside of the pipe and to the surface of the wick exposed to the heat.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMS
Complementary to the description given here this is accompanied, as an integral part of this description, by a set of diagrams, of an illustrative and not restrictive nature, aimed at helping to clarify the characteristics of the invention in accordance with an example of a practical application of this invention. These diagrams represent the following:
FIG. 1 .– FIG. 1 a shows a view, in perspective, of the evaporation device without the front part of its casing, in which the pipe is in the position corresponding to minimum evaporation, while FIG. 1 b shows a similar representation of the previous diagram but in which the pipe is in the position corresponding to maximum evaporation.
FIG. 2 .– FIG. 2 a shows a side view of the evaporation device without the front part of its casing, in which the pipe is in the maximum evaporation position while FIG. 2 b shows a similar representation to that of the previous figure but in which the pipe is in the minimum evaporation position. In both figures, the heat generated by the heating elements is represented by three black arrows.
FIG. 3 —shows a diagram, in perspective, of the wick, the pipe in which it is inserted and the heating elements, where the direction of heat radiated is represented by arrows.
FIG. 4 .—shows a similar diagram to the previous one showing a frontal view of the same parts. The figure reveals an improved exit of the convective flow (a smaller cross-sectional area results in increased exit speed and, therefore, greater range).
FIG. 5 .—shows both views of the evaporation device, in perspective, with its graduated evaporation scale of which FIG. 5 a shows the device in the maximum evaporation position and FIG. 5 b the device in the minimum evaporation position.
FIG. 6 .—is a view, partially in section, showing an embodiment of the evaporation device with a heating element comprising two resistances positioned diametrically to the pipe, wherein the pipe is provided with two lateral openings and wherein the heat generated by the heating elements is represented by the black arrows.
PREFERABLE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION
In the light of the figures described it can be observed how in one of the possible implementations of the invention, device ( 1 ) includes a wick ( 2 ) the lower end of which is submerged inside a bottle ( 3 ) that contains the substance to be evaporated in a liquid state, which impregnates the whole wick ( 2 ). The heating elements ( 4 ) consisting for example of a cemented resistance are located near the upper part of the wick ( 2 ) heating this region.
The device ( 1 ) of the invention consists of a cylindrical pipe ( 5 ) which contains a portion of the wick ( 2 ).
The pipe ( 5 ) has an opening ( 6 ) in the side, and is fitted into a casing ( 7 ) that forms part of the device ( 1 ), on which it can rotate in one plane, i.e. it is free to rotate on its axis but can not be displaced vertically. The resistance ( 4 ) is firmly attached to the casing ( 7 ), thus rotation of the pipe ( 5 ) changes the position of the opening ( 6 ) relative to the resistance ( 4 ) and, therefore, changes the heat flow transmitted to the wick in the pipe ( 5 ).
In another preferable application (as shown in FIG. 6 ), the device ( 1 ) can have two small resistances ( 4 ) situated on each side of the pipe ( 5 ) which, in turn, would have two openings ( 6 ), which could reduce even further the dimensions of the device and produce a more uniform heating of the wick since the hot air would affect opposite sides of the device.
The resistances used are flat in order to occupy the smallest possible space inside the casing ( 7 ), as can be seen in FIG. 2 . This same FIG. 2 shows how the resistance ( 4 ) is located in the same plane, i.e. at the same height as the opening ( 6 ), so that the heat generated by it reaches the wick more directly ( 2 ) and more heat enters the pipe ( 5 ). In the different positions of the pipe ( 5 ), the position and distance of the opening are modified ( 6 ) relative to the resistance ( 4 ), which, in turn, alters the surface of the wick that directly receives the heat from the resistance ( 4 ).
In this way, two extreme positions are established in the pipe position ( 5 ), these are limited by the contact of a flange ( 8 ) attached to the pipe ( 5 ), with catches to limit rotation of the pipe on the inside of the casing ( 7 ). Therefore, a first minimum evaporation position can be defined, as can be observed in FIG. 1 a and FIG. 2 b , in which the opening ( 6 ) is not facing the resistance ( 4 ) and, therefore, the entrance of hot air through the opening ( 6 ) is minimal or practically nil.
In a second extreme position of maximum evaporation represented in FIGS. 1 b and 2 a , the entire length of the opening ( 6 ) is opposite the resistance ( 4 ), thus the intake of hot air into the pipe ( 5 ) through the opening ( 6 ) is maximum.
FIG. 3 shows how the hot air that enters the pipe ( 5 ), is distributed radially around the length of the wick ( 2 ) as it rises through the perimetric space ( 11 ), until it leaves the pipe as in FIG. 4 .
The upper end of the pipe ( 5 ) emerges from the upper end of the casing ( 1 ) forming a ring-shaped protuberance ( 9 ) facilitating manual handling by the user. For this purpose, the pipe ( 5 ) has a lip on its perimeter ( 10 ) that overlaps an internal part of the casing ( 1 ), which can be found between this lip ( 10 ) and the ring-shaped protuberance ( 9 ), preventing displacement of the pipe ( 5 ) vertically but permitting it to rotate.
In the light of this description and set of figures, an expert in the area can understand that the description of the invention corresponds to preferential implementations but that multiple variations can be introduced that would not be outside the scope of the invention as this appears in the claims. | A method and a device to evaporate volatile substances such as aromatic substances and/or insecticides, in which the volatile substances are evaporated using electrical heating devices that heat a wick impregnated with the substance to be evaporated. The method and device permits the evaporation of the volatile substance efficiently by optimizing the use of heat energy generated by electrical heating devices. The device comprises a rotating pipe with at least one opening with a portion of wick inserted in this pipe and depending on the position of this pipe relative to the heating elements, the amount of heat flow transmitted to the wick is regulated as well as, consequently, the degree of evaporation of the volatile substance. | 0 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of pending PCT International Application PCT/US02/34608 which was filed in the U.S. Receiving Office on Oct. 30, 2002. PCT International Application No. PCT/US02/34608 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/340,905, filed on Oct. 30, 2001, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/391,809, filed on Jun. 25, 2002, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/398,258, filed on Jul. 24, 2002. This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/458,865, filed on Mar. 28, 2003. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a coated fastener and particularly to a welded coated fastener having a coating that resists the adherence of an electrodeposited coating. The present invention further relates to vehicle assembly methods and other assembly methods in which fasteners are attached and coupled together.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] With ever increasing design demands, flexibility and adaptivity of unibody construction is increasingly required in order to provide vehicles that meet broader customer needs. Increases in the number of components and structures that are coupled to the unibody construction have led designers to consistently add threaded fasteners to the unibody frame. Variation in manufacturing tolerances require that the fastener couple to the unibody frame in a way that allows a degree of positional adjustment during final assembly. This positional adjustment is provided by using a female fastener that is an encaged fastener. Typically, this takes the form of a nut or fastener encaged in a structure that is attached to the inner body frame. The cage is configured to provide the nut with a range of movement so that when a component is coupled to the frame, the alignment of the component and frame can be adjusted until they meet manufacturing standards.
[0004] Prior to coupling of the components to the frame, however, the frames typically are painted or coated using electrocoat e-coat or electrodeposition coating processes. To date, the step of electrocoating the frame often results in the electrocoat paint adhering to the fastener or, with a caged fastener, causes the fastener to adhere to the cage. This prevents the fastener from being adjustable within the cage and, therefore, causes tolerance problems in the final assembly of the product. In the case of threaded fasteners, the application of the electrocoat paint to the fastener's threads increases problems in the coupling of a mating fastener. To prevent the tolerance problems, post-process inspection after painting is required to ensure that the fasteners are not adhered to the cage or fastener thread. Should post painting of the treads occur or the fastener become adhered to the cage by the electrocoat coating, post-process rework must be conducted to clean the fastener.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Accordingly, this invention provides a fastener system that is weldable to a substructure that overcomes the problems and disadvantages of the fasteners of the prior art. Generally, a weldable fastener is disclosed that has a coating applied to at least one surface of the fastener. In one embodiment, the invention includes a threaded fastener in a fastener cage capable of fastening the fastener to a substructure, the cage having a coating which inhibits additional coatings, particularly an electrodeposition coating, from sticking to the cage.
[0006] In accordance with the teachings of another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a weld stud assembly for use with a drawn arc welding system that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art. The weld stud assembly has a head having a weldment area defined on the weld stud head. A coating is provided to at least apportion of the threads of the weld stud assembly to inhibit the adhesion of paint to the threaded area.
[0007] In another aspect of the invention, a cage nut assembly has a body having a threaded bore, a cage enclosing at least a portion of the body and providing a limited range of movement to the body within the cage. The cage has a coating on a surface that is formulated to prevent the deposit of an electrodeposition coating during further processing involving the cage nut assembly.
[0008] In yet another aspect of the invention, a cage nut assembly has a body having a threaded bore, a cage enclosing at least a portion of the body and providing a limited range of movement to the body within the cage. The cage has a coating on a surface with the surface tension of the coating being greater than about 25 mNm −1 and less than about 36 mNm-1.
[0009] The invention further provides a weldable metallic fastener with a flange configured to be welded to a surface and a threaded portion at least partially coated with a coating. The coating is applied as an aqueous composition including a binder, micronized polytetrafluoroethylene, and micronized polyethylene. The binder includes phenoxy resin, epoxy resin, or both. In a further embodiment, a weldable threaded fastener configured to be welded to a surface has a coating on a portion of the fastener, the coating including an epoxy material and polyethylene wax.
[0010] In another embodiment, a weldable metallic fastener having a base configured to be welded to a surface is coated with a coating comprising a binder component, a polyethylene wax, and polytetrafluoroethylene. The binder component may include an epoxy resin, a phenoxy resin, an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene [ABS] copolymer, a different styrenic component, another thermoplastic material, or combinations of these.
[0011] In yet another embodiment, a metallic fastener is coated with a coating including polytetrafluoroethylene and a binder selected from phenoxy resin, epoxy resins, and combinations of these.
[0012] In a method of the invention, an electrodeposition coating is prevented from being applied to a portion of a fastener that is configured to be coupled to a surface by coating a portion of the fastener with an epoxy coating including polyethylene wax. The fastener is fastened to a body, and the body is electrodeposition coated. The epoxy coating on the portion of the fastener resists wetting of the electrodeposition coating, so that the electrodeposition coating does not adhere or can easily be removed from that portion.
[0013] In a further method, a portion of a fastener configured to be coupled to a body is coated with a first coating. The first coating adheres to the fastener and prevents adhesion of a second coating. The fastener is then coupled to a body and the second coating is applied to the body. The second coating does not adhere to the areas of the fastener with the first coating.
[0014] In another embodiment, two articles are connected with a threaded fastener. A portion of the threaded fastener is coated with a first coating comprising a wax, then the threaded fastener is attached to a first article. A second coating is applied to the first article and fastener, but the second coating does not coat the portion coated with the first coating. Finally, a second article is connected to the first article with the threaded fastener.
[0015] In yet a further method a vehicle, such as an automotive vehicle is assembled by coating at least a portion of a weldable fastener with a first coating composition. The coating composition includes a component that provides the coating with a surface tension of up to about 30 mNm −1 . The fastener is welded to a vehicle component that is then coated by electrodeposition coating, in which step the electrodeposition coating does not substantially adhere onto the portion of the fastener that was coated with the first coating. By this we mean that the either no electrodeposition coating covers the portion or that any minor amount that might impinge on the portion can be easily removed, e.g. by brushing or knocking it off.
[0016] In a still further method, torqueing of a second fastener onto a first fastener is improved, particularly variation in applied torque is reduced compared to when an uncoated fastener is used, by coating a portion of the first fastener that interfaces with the second fastener with an epoxy coating that includes a polyethylene wax. In the method, the first fastener is coated with the epoxy coating including the wax, the fastener is fastener to a body, the body is coated by electrodeposition (which does not coat the coated first fastener portion), and, finally, the second fastener is coupled onto the first fastener.
[0017] Finally, the invention provides a method for applying an electrodeposition paint to a metallic fastener that is configured for coupling to a surface. A coating composition comprising epoxy resin and one or both of micronized polyethylene wax and micronized polytetrafluoroethylene is applied to a portion of the fastener and formed into a solid coating layer before the electrodeposition paint is applied. The electrodeposition paint does not substantially adhere to the coating layer.
[0018] 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
[0019] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0020] [0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cage nut fastener in its unassembled condition;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cage nut of the present invention in its assembled configuration;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the cage nut in FIG. 2 showing the relationship of the coating with respect to the fastener and the cage;
[0023] [0023]FIG. 4 is a side view of the drawn arc weld stud according to the teachings of the present invention;
[0024] [0024]FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the drawn arc weld stud according to FIG. 4;
[0025] [0025]FIG. 6 is a side view of the drawn arc weld stud according to FIG. 4 being coupled to a laminate sheet; and
[0026] [0026]FIG. 7 represents a chart depicting the required torque to meet a predetermined torque load.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] 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. While the application describes a weldable cage fastener and a weldable stud, the application is equally applicable to any weldable or other fastener having a surface which resists the adherence of paint, and particularly electrodeposited paints known as electrocoat [e-coat] or ELPO systems.
[0028] The weldable threaded fastener 8 is configured to be coupled to a surface and has a coating on a portion of the threaded fastener. The fastener is configured to be welded to the surface. Optionally, the fastener is a weldable cage and the coating is on the body of the fastener. Optionally, the coating is on the cage and the fastener has a weldable base. For example, the threaded fastener is a welded stud or a welded nut.
[0029] The coating has a surface tension low enough so that a selected second coating, preferably an electrodeposition coating, will substantially not adhere to it. In a preferred embodiment, the coating has a surface tension of greater than 25 and less than 36 mNm −1 , and preferably greater than 27 and less than 32 mNm −1 , and most preferably about 28 mNm −1 , as measured using a Rame-Hart contact angle goniometer when calculated using harmonic mean. In a preferred embodiment, the coating comprises a binder, which includes at least one, but may include a plurality of resin components, and a component that provides the desired low surface tension to the surface of the coating. In describing the invention, “resin” may also, where appropriate, include “polymer” as well as oligomers and certain monomeric materials (e.g., the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A) that are suitable for use in a coating binder.
[0030] The coating is formulated to prevent the deposit of a selected second coating, e.g. an electrodeposition coating, upon further processing. Although the coating includes a low surface tension binder component, e.g. a siloxane polymer for that purpose, a convenient way to so formulate a coating is to include a low surface tension solid that will come to the surface as the coating layer is formed. Suitable examples of materials that can provide the desired low surface tension include, without limitation, polyalkylene waxes, particularly polyethylene waxes, and polyethylene-copropylene); fluorinated polyalkylenes such as polytetrafluoroethylene and polyhexaluoropropylene; natural waxes such as montan and carnauba waxes; certain vinyl polymers, such as poly(vinyl fluoride), poly(vinylidene fluoride), and polymers of longer chain vinyl esters, such as poly(vinyl butyrate) and poly(vinyl octanoate); non-functional poly(oxyalkylene) waxes such as poly(oxyalkylene)-dimethylethers like poly(oxyethylene)-dimethylether waxes; poly(oxyalkylene)-block-poly(oxydimethylsilylene)-block-poly(oxyalkylene) solid copolymers; and combinations of these.
[0031] In another preferred embodiment, the coating comprises a mixture of polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene. Based on the combined weights of polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene, the coating contains about 20 to about 80 weight percent polyethylene, preferably about 30 to about 70 weight polyethylene, more preferably about 40 to about 60 weight percent polyethylene, the remainder being polytetrafluoroethylene.
[0032] It is believed that it is particularly beneficial to include a wax as at least a part of the surface tension-reducing component. Waxes provide the desired surface tension reducing properly to the coating, in addition, are likely to form a wax-rich layer at the surface of the coating because a wax will substantially melt at a typical baking temperature for the coating. In contrast, certain surface tension-reducing materials, for example poly (tetrafluoroethylene), would generally not be expected to melt and coalesce at typical coating bake temperatures.
[0033] Fluoropolymers used as a surface modifying component of the coating compositions of the invention include generally homopolymers and copolymers wherein the monomer of the homopolymer or at least one of the monomers of the copolymer contains fluorine. In a preferred embodiment, the fluoropolymers of the invention are prepared from perfluorinated monomers.
[0034] A preferred class of fluoropolymers includes homopolymers and copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE). The homopolymer of tetrfluoroethylene is known as polytetrafluoroethylene, and is commonly available as a line of Teflon® polymers of Dupont. In another embodiment, the fluoropolymers of the invention include copolymers of TFE with hexafluoropropylene (HFP). In another embodiment, fluropolymers are prepared by the copolymerization of TFE and perfluoroalkylvinyl ethers such as perfluoropropylvinyl ether. Other fluoropolymers of the invention include ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymers, and polyvinylidene fluoride.
[0035] Fluoropolymers used in the coating layer of the invention may be prepared by known methods of solution or emulsion polymerization. The fluoropolymers may be used as emulsions, solutions, or as solid particles. Aqueous polyethylene and/or polytetrafluoroethylene dispersions are commercially available. In one embodiment, both polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene are included in the coating. The polyethylene is preferably from about 20 to about 80 weight percent, more preferably from about 40 to about 60 weight percent, based on the combined total weights of the polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene.
[0036] With reference to FIGS. 1 - 6 , a weldable threaded fasteners 8 which are configured to be coupled to a surface are shown. The fastener has a coating layer 35 configured to resist the adhesion of electro-deposed paint. Generally, the coating 35 has a binder component and a surface tension reducing component that resists adhesion to the coated surface by a selected second coating, particularly by an electrodeposition coating.
[0037] With reference to FIGS. 1 - 3 , a cage nut fastener, shown generally at 8 , has a body 16 coupled to a planar base 12 . The body 16 and planar base 12 define a threaded through bore 14 . Planar base 12 has an upper base surface 18 and lower base surface 20 . The cage nut assembly 8 further has a cage 22 which is generally disposed about the planar base 12 . The cage 22 has a cage upper surface 34 and cage lower surface 32 . Additionally, the cage 22 defines two pair of flanges 28 . The flanges 28 define cutouts 26 which generally correspond to the shape of the body 16 .
[0038] As can be best seen in FIG. 2, the flange elements 28 are folded to enclose the planar base 12 of the body 16 . The flanges 28 are positioned so as to restrict the movement away from the cage 22 of the body 16 . Additionally, the cutouts 26 are positioned so as to restrict the planar movement of the body 16 within the assembly.
[0039] The cage 22 is configured so the body 16 has a limited range of movement. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cage allows slight movement away from the cage upper surface 34 as well as allowing planar movement generally parallel to the cage upper surface 34 . This planar movement is generally restricted and defined by the space between the cutouts and the body 16 .
[0040] As best seen in FIG. 3, the cage 22 has a coating layer 35 (as described below) disposed on a surface which directly faces the hexagonal body 16 or planar base 12 . This coating provides a surface that has a low wetability, and preferably has a lower wetability than the body 16 . This significantly reduces the amount of wetting of any coatings subsequently sprayed onto the as coated cage 22 . The coating preferably has a surface tension greater than about 25 mNm −1 and less than about 36 mNm −1 . While the coating 35 is shown on the cage 22 , it is envisioned that the coating 35 can equally be applied to the body 16 and/or the planar base 12 . The coating layer 35 can cover the entire shank 112 or can cover a portion of the shank 112 . Further, the coating layer 35 can be placed within the threads 117 while leaving the tips of the threads 121 exposed (see FIG. 6).
[0041] [0041]FIG. 4 represents the drawn arc weld stud 110 according to the teachings of the present invention. The weld stud 110 is formed of three major components; a shank 112 , a head 114 , and an annular weldment area 116 . By way of non-limiting example, the shank 112 can be a M6 threaded fastener. Equally, the shank can take the form of pine-tree connector or other sized threaded fastener. The shank 112 defines a coating layer 35 (as described below) which resists to adherence of e-coat to the fastener.
[0042] The head 114 portion is formed using cold heading methodologies. The head 114 for a M6 fastener has an exterior diameter of about 13 mm and a thickness of about 2 mm. The head further has a flat lower surface 115 having a diameter of about 13 mm. The strength of the fastener is a function of the thickness of the head. As such, as the thickness of the head is increased, generally the strength of the fastener 110 is increased. Increasing the strength of the fastener often leads to an undesirable failure of the interface of the fastener and the laminate material. Such failures lead to the fastener being pulled out of the laminate material, leaving a hole in the thin sheet metal.
[0043] The annular weldment area 116 has an exterior radius 118 which equals the exterior radius 120 of the lower surface 115 of the head 114 . While an annular weldment area 116 is shown, it should be understood that standard circular weldment areas, are also applicable. For a M6 stud shank, the exterior radius of the head 114 is about 13 mm. The interior radius of the weldment area 116 has a radius of about 11 mm. The resulting weldment area being about 150 mm 2 . Each head 114 has a thickness T. The thickness 119 of the weldment is approximately 20% to 35% of the value of T.
[0044] To exemplify the application of this invention, FIG. 6 shows a fusion connection between a stud 110 and a laminate structure 120 . The stud 110 corresponds in design to that of FIG. 4 before welding, and reference is made to the description of FIG. 6 to avoid repetition.
[0045] In use, the stud 110 of FIG. 6 is placed in contact with the laminate structure 120 with the flat edge 22 of the annular weldment area 116 touching the laminate structure 120 . A welding current is then applied. After application of the welding current, the stud 110 is withdrawn to form an arc. While the arc is burning, both the flat edge 122 of the stud 110 and parts of the structure 120 melt. After a prescribed time, the stud 110 is plunged into the molten metal. The welding current is switched off before or during plunging. Then, the weld cools down. As shown in FIG. 6, part of the circumferential edge 122 has melted. Part of the molten metal has entered the cavity 124 defined by the annular weldment area. The weld is substantially annular. The stud 110 and the structure 120 have a common weld area 126 that has set. Of course, the other illustrated embodiments of this invention operate in similar fashion. After the welding of the stud to the structure, the coating layer 35 , which has been exposed to a significant amount of heat, retains it capacity to resist the adherence of paint, and particularly e-coat paints.
[0046] The coating 35 of the invention functions to prevent or inhibit the deposit of an electrodeposition coating upon further processing. Preferred coatings have a surface tension such that they are poorly wetted by an aqueous electrodeposition bath. In one aspect, it is believed that the lower surface energy of the preferred coatings of the invention act to prevent deposition at least in part by preventing the surface of the coated part from being wetted by the electrodeposition bath. The coating 35 may be used to prevent adhesion of other selected second coatings that are applied to uncoated areas of the fastener and/or the articles to which the fastener is attached.
[0047] In one embodiment, the binder component of the coating used to prevent adhesion of a further coating layer preferably comprises epoxy resin. The epoxy resin is selected to provide desirable coating properties, e.g. good adhesion and good abrasion resistance so that the coating remains intact during fabrication with the fastener. In theory, many kinds of epoxy binders are suitable and provide such desirable coating properties. The epoxy binder may be thermoset, i.e., crosslinked, or, if of a suitably high molecular weight, may be thermoplastic. Specific examples of suitable epoxy resins include, without limitation, bisphenol A-type epoxy resins prepared from the reaction of bisphenol A and the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, epoxy novolac resins, phenoxy resins, such resins modified to be water-dispersible (for example, by reaction of terminal epoxide group or of hydroxyl groups with a dicarboxylic acid or a cyclic acid anhydride), and combinations of these. When the coating composition is formulated to be thermosettable, a suitable curing agent or crosslinker is included in the binder. Typical crosslinkers for epoxy resins include, without limitation, dianhydrides, polyamines and amino resins such as amino formaldehyde resins, polyisocyanate crosslinkers, and polyepoxides (for carboxyl-functionalized resins). In the case of aqueous coating compositions, the crosslinking resin may be mixed with a water-dispersible epoxy resin before dispersion in the aqueous medium. In a preferred embodiment, the crosslinkers are non-yellowing. Non-yellowing coatings may be desirable in some cases where appearance is at a premium, or where it is desired to further pigment the coating to provide a desired surface appearance.
[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the coating of the invention includes, based on combined weights of solid binder and surface tension-reducing component, from about 1 to about 50% by weight of the surface tension-reducing component. In a preferred embodiment, the surface tension-reducing component is present in an amount of about 5% by weight or greater, preferably about 10% by weight or more, more preferably from about 35% by weight or more, again based on combined weights of solid binder and surface tension-reducing component. The surface tension reducing component may be from about 1 to about 70%, more preferably from about 35 to about 60 percent by weight of the combined weights of solid binder and surface tension-reducing component. Preferably, the surface tension-reducing component is present at about 70% by weight or less, and more preferably at about 60% by weight or less, and even more preferably at about 50% or less, again based on the combined weights of solid binder and surface tension reducing component.
[0049] The total solids by weight of the coating compositions of the invention is chosen so as to deliver an appropriate amount of coating to the surface, and to provide a coating composition with suitable viscosity. The solids content may depend upon whether the coating composition is aqueous or solvent borne, as it is generally desirable to minimize organic emissions. For example, preferred coatings 35 may be applied at a weight of about 2 to 9 g/sq. ft., preferably about 3 to 5 g/sq. ft. Generally the percent by weight of the solids in a preferred aqueous coating composition ranges from about 10% to about 65%. In another embodiment, referring still to aqueous compositions, the compositions have 20% or more by weight solids, preferably 30% or more and more preferably 35% or more by weight solids. Preferably, the maximum weight percent solids is 65%, more preferably 60%. In other preferred embodiments, the weight percent solids is 50% or less. In a preferred embodiment, the solids are 45% or less by weight percent. In addition to the solids, the coating compositions of the invention contain from 1 to 40% water, preferably from 5-30% water.
[0050] The aqueous coating compositions of the invention may also contain organic solvents to promote a stable dispersion of the binder. In a preferred embodiment, the compositions contain 30% or less organic solvents, preferably 25% or less. As a general rule, the compositions may contain a minimum of 1% organic solvents, preferably a minimum of 10% by weight organic solvent. Non-limiting examples of volatile organic cosolvents to be used in the coating compositions include propanol, butanol, ethylene and propylene glycol ethers and ether acetates and 1-(2-butoxyethoxy) ethanol.
[0051] In addition to the solvents, resin, and surface tension modifier, the compositions used to form the coating of the invention can contain further components such as pigments, rheology modifiers, and other conventional additives. For example, inorganic pigments such as titanium dioxide, iron oxides, and other oxide pigments or organic pigments may be added to the coating compositions to provide a desired level of pigmentation in the coatings.
[0052] In another embodiment, the coating compositions of the invention can contain, in addition to the epoxy resin, a second resin or resins that provide further advantages. In a preferred embodiment, the coating contains a thermoplastic polymer selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic elastomer polymers, a styrenic component such as styrenic copolymers, ABS and SAN, a vinyl polymer such as a polyvinyl ester or a poly(vinyl chloride), or other polymers.
[0053] Elastomeric polymers include generally polymers based on diene functional monomers such as, without limitation, butadiene and isoprene. Non-limiting examples of such polymers include acrylonitrile butadiene elastomer (NBR), butyl rubber (IRR), isobutylene-isoprene elastomer, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM), ethylene/butane elastomer, ethylene/octane elastomer, isobutylene-paramethylstyrene elastomer (IMS), polybutadiene elastomer (BR), polyisobutylene, polyisoprene (IR), and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). Such elastomeric polymers may be provided as solutions, suspensions, or in a preferred embodiment as particles. The polymers may be prepared by known processes by copolymerizing neat monomers, or by carrying out the copolymerization by emulsion polymerization or in solution in organic solvents.
[0054] In another embodiment, toughened epoxy resins may be produced by the bulk polymerization of the epoxy in the presence of dissolved rubber or elastomeric polymers as described above. Alternatively, the compositions of the invention may be prepared by blending the epoxy resin and the rubber particles.
[0055] The coating compositions of the invention are generally heated or baked for a short period of time to dry, coalesce, and, if appropriate to effect cure or crosslinking, of the coating. In a non-limiting example, the coating may be baked to 375° F. peak metal temperature for 2-5 minutes. A typical bake cycle is 400-425° F. for 20-30 minutes. An appropriate bake cycle for a specific coating depends upon the binder component and may be determined by straight-forward testing.
[0056] In a preferred embodiment, the coating composition of the invention is prepared from EPC-1760 E-Coat Block product manufactured by Environmental Protective Coatings of Ostrander, OH. The E-Coat Block product typically contains less than 5% by weight dimethylethylanolamine and less than 12% by weight of volatile organic solvents such as n-butyl alcohol, butylcellosolve, and butylcarbatol. The compositions contain from about 38 to about 43% by weight solids and have a density of from about 8.8 to 9.2 pounds per gallon. As provided, the composition has a Zahn cup no. 2 viscosity of 35-45 seconds at 77° F.
[0057] In another embodiment of the invention, a metallic fastener 8 is disclosed having a protective surface coating. The coating 35 is formed from a coating containing as a binder epoxy resin, preferably comprising phenoxy resin, optionally combined with a second, thermoplastic polymer. The coating further contains micronized polyethylene wax, micronized polytetrafluoroethylene, and pigment material. The second thermoplastic polymer preferably includes acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyvinyl chloride polymer, or both. The micronized polyethylene wax and the micronized polytetrafluoroethylene in the coating have a weight ratio to each other of about 60 to about 40 weight percent micronized polyethylene to about 40 to about 60 weight percent micronized polytetrafluoroethylene. Preferably, the solid binder and the polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene coating have a weight ratio to each other of about 40 to about 60 weight percent binder to about 60 to about 40 weight percent of the polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene.
[0058] In another embodiment of the present invention, a fastener is coated with an aqueous coating composition. The aqueous coating comprises, as binder, dispersed epoxy resin, preferable comprising phenoxy resin, and optionally comprising a second thermoplastic resin. The binder may also include a bisphenol A-type epoxy resin. The aqueous coating composition further comprises micronized polyethylene wax, micronized polytetrafluoroethane, and a pigment material.
[0059] In another embodiment of the present invention, a method for applying electro-deposition paint to a metallic fastener 8 is disclosed. The fastener 8 is configured for coupling to a surface and has a coating 35 on a portion of the fastener with a protective coating composition as described above.
[0060] After applying the electro-deposition paint to a metallic fastener 8 , the fastener and the protective coating precursor suspension are cured at about 400 degrees F. for about 30 minutes. After the fastener 8 is coupled to the structure, an electro-deposition paint is applied to the fastener. The portion of the fastener 8 coated with cured protective coating precursor defines a surface portion of the fastener where the electro-deposition paint will not contact metal of the fastener when the electro-deposition paint is applied.
[0061] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the fastener is coated with a composition including about 12 to about 20 weight percent binder particles comprising epoxy resin and thermoplastic resin, the epoxy resin phase derived from bisphenol A and epichlorohydrin, the thermoplastic resin phase derived from blended acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer and polyvinyl chloride polymer; about 5 to 12 weight percent micronized polyethylene wax; about 2 to about 8 weight percent micronized polytetrafluoroethane; about 2 to about 20 weight percent pigment; about 25 to about 65 weight percent water; about 50 to about 20 weight percent organic cosolvent; and about 0.5 to about 2 weight percent of a neutralizing amine. The coating coats a threaded region of the fastener. The fastener may be fastened, e.g. by welding, to a body prior to applying the coating composition.
[0062] The threaded second fastener attachment portion of the first fastener coated with the protective coating defines a surface portion of the first fastener where the electro-deposition paint is repelled when the electrodeposition paint is applied.
[0063] Referring to FIGS. 1 - 3 , the cage nut has a body defining a threaded bore therethrough. A cage is disposed about at least a portion of the body. The cage provides a limited range of movement of the body within the cage. Further, the cage has a coating on at least one surface which has a surface tension of greater than 25 and less than 36 mNm −1 and preferably greater than 27 and less than 32 mNm −1 and most preferably about 28-29 mNm −1 , as measured using a Rame-Hart contact angle goniometer when calculated using harmonic mean. The body has a planar base while the cage defines a pair of flanges which cover at least a portion of the base. The coating is disposed between the flanges and the base.
[0064] The cage has flange members disposed about a least a portion of the body and is configured to limit the range of motion of the body. The body is disposed on the cage upper surface. The cage has at least one surface coated with a layer which is configured to function to prevent the deposit of an electrodeposition coating upon further processing and has a lower surface and the coating is further disposed on the lower surface.
[0065] In one embodiment, a weldable threaded fastener configured to be welded to a surface has a coating on a portion in which coating includes at least an epoxy material and a wax, preferably a polyethylene wax. The coating preferably further includes polytetrafluoroethylene at its surface. The coating may be thermoplastic or cured. The coating preferably has a surface tension of from about 27 mNm −1 to about 32 mNm −1 . The coating may be on a body portion of the fastener. When the fastener has a weldable cage, such as described with reference to the figures, the coating may be on the cage.
[0066] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of preventing e-coat from being applied to a fastener, a fastener being configured to be coupled to a surface. The method contains the steps of: a) coating a portion of the fastener with an epoxy coating including a wax, particularly a polyethylene wax; b) fastening the fastener to a body; and c) e-coating the body, wherein the coating functions to resist wetting of the e-coat. Optionally, fastening the fastener body is welding the fastener to a body such as welding a cage of a cage nut to the body.
[0067] The wax may include a polyfluoroethylene component. For example, a mixture of polyethylene wax and polytetrafluoroethylene may be in the applied coating composition. The coating formed therefrom will have both polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene at its surface. If the applied coating is baked, the polyethylene may melt and coalesce, and the coalesced polyethylene may include particulate polyethylene or (if the bake temperature is high enough) may be a mixture of polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene. Preferably, a sufficient amount of polyethylene and, optionally, polytetrafluoroethylene is included in the coating to provide a surface tension of less than 36 mNm −1 .
[0068] The portion of the fastener coated is preferably a threaded portion or a bearing region. The coating may contain a pigment as desired, for example to provide a desired color or gloss.
[0069] In a variation of the invention, a portion of a fastener configured to be coupled to a body is coated with a first coating. The first coating adheres to the fastener and prevents adhesion of a second coating. The fastener is then coupled to a body and the second coating, which, for example and without limitation, may be an electrodeposition coating or other aqueous coating, is applied to the body. The second coating does not adhere to the areas of the fastener with the first coating. The fastener may be coupled with the body in any conventional way, including welding, gluing, screwing, riveting, by sliding into a slot, as part of a threaded nut and bolt or screw combination, and so on. The fastener may be coupled to the surface of the body in some coupling methods or may extend through the surface in other methods.
[0070] This method may be applied to a method in which two articles are connected with a threaded fastener. A portion of the threaded fastener is coated with the first coating, which preferably includes a wax, then the threaded fastener is attached to a first article. A second coating is applied to the first article and fastener, for example by an electrodeposition coating process, but the second coating does not coat the portion coated with the first coating. Finally, a second article is connected to the first article with the threaded fastener. The first coating may be thermoset. Among suitable thermoset coatings containing a wax are epoxy coatings. On preferred epoxy coating contains a phenoxy resin, which may be thermoplastic or thermoset. the first coating may have a particulate surface component, which may be micronized polyethylene or another low surface tension material that aids in preventing the first coating from being coated by the second coating. It is preferred for the coating to contain both polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene, for example in the relative amounts described above. Such coatings as these can be expected to be abrasion resistant. Thus, the coating on the fastener will not be substantially scraped off of the fastener during critical periods of the fabrication process. The fastener may be weldable, as the fasteners illustrated in the Figures.
[0071] A vehicle, such as an automotive vehicle, may be assembled by including these method steps. At least a portion of a weldable fastener may be coated with a first coating composition before the fastener is welded to a vehicle component. The coating composition includes a component that provides the coating with a surface tension of up to about 30 mNm −1 . The vehicle component is then coated by electrodeposition coating. Because of the first coating, the electrodeposition coating does not substantially adhere onto the portion of the fastener with the first coating. By this we mean that the either no electrodeposition coating covers the portion or that any minor amount that might impinge on the portion can be easily removed, e.g. by brushing or knocking it off.
[0072] The first coating may be applied as an aqueous coating composition, which would generally contain a minor amount, for example from about 1% to about 40% by weight, of the component that provides the coating with a surface tension of up to about 30 mNm −1 . Polymeric materials for providing the desired surface tension have been described; preferably the component includes a wax, such as polyethylene wax, and/or polytetrafluoroethylene.
[0073] In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of improving the torqueing of a second fastener onto a first fastener. The first fastener is coupled to a body and is coated with an electro-deposition paint. The method contains the steps of: a) coating a portion of the first fastener with epoxy, preferably comprising a phenoxy resin, and a wax, particularly a polyethylene wax; b) fastening the fastener body; c) coating the body with electro-deposition paint, wherein the coating functions to resist the electro-deposition paint; and coupling a second fastener onto the first fastener. The portion of the first fastener that is coated is a portion that interfaces with the second fastener during the coupling. The interfacing portion may be, for example, a portion of the first fastener body or a portion of the first fastener that is a threaded region. The coating makes it possible to couple the fasteners by applying a torque to the second fastener with a variation in torque less than 36 Nm, preferably less than 30 Nm. This smooth application of torque is particularly advantageous when the second fastener is coupled using the automated power tools typical of automotive assembly practices. The coating typically provides a surface tension of less than 36 mNm −1 to the coated portion. The binder portion of the coating may further include a thermoplastic resin, such as ABS or PVC, as mentioned above. In some instances, it is advantageous for the wax to include polytetrafluoroethylene. The first fastener may be welded to the body, as when a cage of the first fastener is welded to the body.
[0074] The coating compositions preferably contain from about 15% to about 35%, preferably between about 20% and about 30% epoxy resin. In a non-limiting example, the coating composition contains about 26% by weight epoxy resin. In one embodiment, a coating composition is provided according to the present invention that forms a wax-rich surface.
[0075] [0075]FIG. 7 represents a chart depicting the torque in Nm required to couple a nut onto a coated threaded stud. Plots c 1 through c 4 represent the torque required to couple a nut onto a threaded stud coated with the coating according to the teachings of the present invention and subsequently coated with an electrodeposition paint. Plots e 1 through e 4 represent the torque required to couple a nut onto a threaded stud having an electrodeposition coating.
[0076] As can clearly be seen from the plots, those studs having electrodeposition coatings require significantly varying torque loads to couple the fasteners. As commercial fastener systems measure the torque load applied to the fastener to determine when a predetermined clamp load is reached, variations in the applied torque loads lead to corresponding undesirable variations in clamp load of a fastened joint. By reducing variation in the torque load, better fastening of joints can be accomplished.
[0077] As can be seen in Plot c 1 through c 4 , those studs having the coating layer according to the teachings of the present invention require significantly smoother torque loads to couple with a threaded fastener. Generally, those torque loads are lower than those of the e-coated fasteners e 1 -e 4 .
[0078] The variations in torque load are caused by marring and gauling of the e-coat layers between the threads. Variations of the torque are shown to reach greater than 30 Nm and even shown to be greater than 36 Nm when measured at intervals of 0.0075 seconds. As such, the coatings of the present invention are configured to provide variations of torque of less than 35 Nm, and preferably less than 30 Nm, and preferably less than 10 Nm, and most preferably less than 5 Nm when measured at 0.0075 second intervals.
[0079] One advantage of the coating compositions of the invention is that when they are applied to the surface to be coated, the coatings can withstand the harsh conditions and high temperatures associated with welding a coated part to a metal plate or other part of the assembly. For example, to attach a weld stud to a metal plate requires that at least the metal at the end of the stud in contact with the metal plate be heated to a temperature sufficient to melt the metal. Because the stud is generally made from a material that conducts heat, it is to be expected that during the welding process the weld stud as a whole is heated, including the layer of the stud directly below the organic coating of the invention. Nevertheless, the coating compositions of the invention provide an adequate coating that survives even the harsh welding conditions. In a subsequent step, the coatings of the invention adhering to the weld stud or other threaded fasteners of the invention act to prevent undesired deposition of electrocoat compositions in a subsequent electrodeposition step. | Accordingly, this invention provides a fastener system which is weldable to a substructure that overcomes the problems and disadvantages of the fasteners of the prior art. Generally, a weldable fastener is disclosed that has a coating applied to at least one surface of the fastener. The coating functions to prevent the deposit of a further coating, particularly an electrodeposition coating, upon further processing. | 8 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/015,600, filed on Feb. 4, 2016. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/015,600 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/112,300 filed on Feb. 5, 2015. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/015,600 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/112,300 are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates generally to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to gas flame control and sensing presence of a gas flame in furnaces of the HVAC systems.
BACKGROUND
[0003] HVAC systems can be used to regulate an environment within an enclosure. Typically, a circulating fan is used to pull air from the enclosure into the HVAC system through ducts and push the air back into the enclosure through additional ducts after conditioning the air (e.g., heating or cooling the air). For example, a gas furnace, such as a residential gas furnace, is used in a heating system to heat the air.
[0004] Flame rectification to sense presence or absence of a flame is conventional in gas furnace controls technology. Typically, a 120 volt AC power is coupled to a flame-probe through a first capacitor. When no flame is present, a second capacitor coupled to the flame-probe is charged to a selected value of, for example, 5 volts DC, through a resistor connected to a DC voltage source. A change of state device, such as an inverter, has an output connected to a microprocessor and an input connected to the second capacitor. When no flame is present, the second capacitor maintains the voltage at an input of the inverter above a threshold value so that an output of the inverter is low, thereby providing an indication to the microprocessor that there is no flame. When a flame is present, the second capacitor discharges to ground through the flame which acts as a poor diode connected in series with a resistor. When the second capacitor discharges to a level below the threshold, the inverter changes state with its output going high thereby providing an indication to the microprocessor that a flame is present.
SUMMARY
[0005] A method of determining presence of a flame in a furnace of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The method comprises determining, using a controller, whether a processor signal (G) is active, responsive to a determination that the processor signal (G) is active, determining, using the controller prior to assertion of a flame-test input control signal, an output state of a first comparator, responsive to a determination that the output state of the first comparator is high, determining, using the controller prior to assertion of the flame-test input control signal, an output state of a second comparator, and responsive to a determination that the output state of the second comparator is low, transmitting, using the controller, a notification that a flame is present.
[0006] A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system comprising circuitry for determining presence of a flame. The circuitry comprises a flame detect circuit, a tank circuit, a first comparator, a second comparator, and a controller operatively coupled to the flame detect circuit, the tank circuit, the first comparator, and the second comparator. The controller is configured to determine whether a processor signal (G) is active, responsive to a determination that the processor signal (G) is active, determine, prior to assertion of a flame-test input control signal, an output state of a first comparator, responsive to a determination that the output state of the first comparator is high, determine, prior to assertion of the flame-test input control signal, an output state of a second comparator, and responsive to a determination that the output state of the second comparator is low, transmit a notification that a flame is present.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary HVAC system employing a heating system;
[0008] FIG. 2A is an exemplary simulator diagram of a circuit for flame detection;
[0009] FIG. 2B is an exemplary circuit for flame detection;
[0010] FIGS. 3A-3F illustrate exemplary voltage amplitude waveforms relative to time of signals generated using the circuit of FIG. 2A ; and
[0011] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for detecting presence of a flame.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Embodiment(s) of the invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying Drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment(s) set forth herein. The invention should only be considered limited by the claims as they now exist and the equivalents thereof.
[0013] A problem exists with the prior approach described above, in view of the low level of current flow. If the inverter or the second capacitor develops too much leakage current to ground, an indication of the presence of a flame can occur even at times when, in fact, no flame is present. This can happen because of age, static damage, faulty components or the like.
[0014] Sensing presence of a flame is important for safety and effectively controlling operation of furnaces and other apparatuses using natural gas or another combustible fluid as a flame fuel source. For example, an absence or loss of the flame while fuel is being delivered causes a safety risk. Conversely, avoiding unnecessary shut-down of the furnace and other apparatus is important for continued, effective operation. It is desirable to reduce or eliminate the risk of erroneously sensing the presence of the flame in furnaces and the resulting delivery of fuel to burners without the fuel being burned. Accumulating unburned fuel is hazardous, in addition to being wasteful and inefficient. Exemplary embodiments disclose a method of and system for detecting presence or absence of the flame in furnaces and other apparatuses where a flame is generated.
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary HVAC system 100 employing a heating system 101 . The heating system 101 is, for example, a gas fired combustible fuel-air burning furnace. The furnace may be for a residence or for a commercial building (i.e. a residential or commercial unit), for example a rooftop unit (RTU). The heating system 101 includes a burner assembly 112 having at least one burner 114 , a heat exchanger 116 , an air circulation fan 118 , a combustion air-inducer or combustion air-blower (CAB) 120 , a gas valve 122 , and a furnace controller 126 . The furnace controller 126 is operationally connected for example to the CAB 120 , the gas valve 122 , a thermostat 128 , and a discharge air sensor (DAS) 130 . The heating system 101 may be utilized in single or multiple zoned systems. Portions of the heating system 101 may be contained within a cabinet 132 . In some embodiments, the furnace controller 126 may be included in the cabinet 132 . One skilled in the art will also understand that the heating system 101 disclosed herein may include additional components and devices that are not presently illustrated or discussed.
[0016] The furnace controller 126 may include a memory section 103 having a series of operating instructions stored therein that direct the operation of the furnace controller 126 (e.g., the processor) when initiated thereby. The series of operating instructions may represent algorithms that are used to prevent or reduce temperature overshooting in the conditioned space. The furnace controller 126 also includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 104 . As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the furnace controller 126 is coupled to the DAS 130 , the thermostat 128 and components of the heating system 101 . The controller 126 may also be connected to other elements and systems, such as a zone controller. In some embodiments, the connections are through a wired-connection. A conventional cable and contacts may be used to couple the furnace controller 126 to the various components of the heating system 101 . In some embodiments, a wireless connection may also be employed to provide at least some of the connections.
[0017] The burner assembly 112 includes the at least one burner 114 that is configured for burning a combustible fuel-air mixture (e.g., gas-air mixture) and to provide a combustion product to the heat exchanger 116 . The heat exchanger 116 includes a plurality of tubes 117 , for example a tube corresponding to each of the at least one burner 114 . The heat exchanger 116 is configured to receive the combustion product from the burner assembly 112 and use the combustion product to heat air that is blown across the heat exchanger 116 by the air circulation fan 118 . The air circulation fan 118 is configured to circulate air through the cabinet 132 , whereby the circulated air is heated by the heat exchanger 116 and supplied to the conditioned space. The CAB 120 is configured to supply combustion air to the burner assembly 112 (i.e., the at least one burner 114 ) by an induced draft and is also used to exhaust waste products of combustion from the furnace through a vent 134 . The burner assembly 112 also includes a flame sensing rod 106 . The flame sensing rod 106 is configured to determine presence or absence of the flame. In some embodiments, the flame sensing rod 106 is positioned in the burner assembly 112 in front of the at least one burner 114 . When an ignition source lights the at least one burner 114 , the flame sensing rod 106 being in the path of the flame energizes circuitry that detects presence or absence of the flame.
[0018] FIG. 2A is an exemplary simulator diagram of a circuit 200 for flame detection. For illustrative purposes, the circuit 200 will be described relative to FIG. 1 . In a typical embodiment, the circuit 200 is utilized in the printed circuit board (PCB) 104 of the HVAC system 100 or another apparatus requiring flame detection and control. The circuit 200 is configured to monitor the burner assembly 112 to determine presence or absence of the flame during ON and OFF cycles. The circuit 200 includes an LC circuit 210 , also referred to herein as a tank circuit. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the tank circuit 210 includes an inductor (L 1 ) and a capacitor (C 1 ) connected in parallel. In some embodiments, a voltage of the tank circuit 210 is adjusted by, for example, varying the inductor (L 1 ) and capacitor (C 1 ) values of the tank circuit 210 , as well as a duty cycle of a processor signal (G). In some embodiments, the tank circuit 210 may be tuned to approximately 20 kHz and may be periodically recharged from a 20-25V DC power supply (not explicitly illustrated). In a typical embodiment, the processor signal (G) is configured to gate a photovoltaic field-effect transistor (FET) 220 to allow a direct-current (DC) input signal to feed the tank circuit 210 from the 20-25V DC power supply at predefined intervals such as, for example, every 1 ms.
[0019] The circuit 200 further includes a flame detect circuit 230 , a flame simulation circuit 232 , a relay circuit 240 , a first comparator 260 , and a second comparator 270 . In a typical embodiment, the flame detect circuit 230 is configured to determine presence or absence of the flame. In some embodiments, the flame sensing rod 106 is positioned in the burner assembly 112 in front of the at least one burner 114 . When an ignition source lights the at least one burner 114 , the flame sensing rod 106 is in the path of the flame and energizes the flame detect circuit 230 . In some embodiments, the photovoltaic FET 220 within the relay circuit 240 is configured to decouple the voltage of the processor signal (G) from the input DC signal (Vpump) to enhance an accuracy of voltage control at a rate of G control pulses. In some embodiments, the tank circuit 210 may be pumped to a peak voltage of approximately 60V and may rapidly decay as the tank circuit 210 discharges through the flame detect circuit 230 when a flame is present.
[0020] The circuit 200 utilizes a plurality of input control signals and a plurality of output-detect signals to determine presence or absence of the flame. For example, the plurality of input control signals include the processor signal (G) and a flame-test input control signal (FLMTST). The plurality of output-detect signals include a first-output-detect signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ), which is an output signal of the first comparator 260 , and a second-output-detect signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ), which is an output signal of the second comparator 270 . In various embodiments, a voltage of the tank circuit 210 is adjusted, for example, by varying the inductor (L 1 ) and capacitor (C 1 ) values of the tank circuit 210 , as well as a duty cycle of the processor signal (G). In some embodiments, a peak current through the relay circuit 240 may be adjusted, for example, by varying a value of a series resistor 204 between the relay circuit 240 and the tank circuit 210 so that the peak current remains below a peak current rating of the relay circuit 240 . In a typical embodiment, the tank circuit 210 generates an alternating current (AC) signal of approximately 120 volts peak to peak.
[0021] In a typical embodiment, when a flame is present, the tank circuit 210 and a test pulse capacitor 250 within the flame detect circuit 230 discharge through the flame via the flame detect circuit 230 . In various embodiments, the rate of discharge depends on the strength of the flame. For example, the stronger the flame, the faster is the rate of discharge. In a typical embodiment, the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) may be used to inject, for example, a 5V pulse to charge the test pulse capacitor 250 so that the first comparator 260 may sense, for example, the flame strength. This may be done by a processor (e.g., furnace controller 126 ) measuring a time period from a time of removal of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) to a rising edge of a first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) as a first comparator input signal (FLMUB) decays to 3V from the fully charged 5V of the test pulse capacitor 250 . A second comparator 270 generates a second comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ), which serves as a functionality check of the circuit 200 to determine a component failure. The functionality check may avoid an indication that a flame is sensed, and present, when no flame is present.
[0022] In various embodiments, a functionality check of the circuit 200 performed by, for example, the furnace controller 126 , may be as follows:
Upon proper detection of a flame and prior to assertion of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST), the first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) is high while the second comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ) is low. Upon assertion of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST), the first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) goes low while the second input signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ) goes high then flip states again after a delay proportional to the flame strength. When the tank circuit 210 is not actively running such as, for example, when the processor signal (G) is low, the first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) and the second comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ) are both high prior to the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) being asserted. Upon assertion of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST), the first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) goes low while the second comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ) remains high. The first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) flips state back to high after a short delay. When no flame is detected, the first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) is low and the second comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ) is high regardless of the action of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST). If both the first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) and the second comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ) are low, a problem with the comparator circuit exists. Appendix A of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/112,300 illustrates a number of flame-sense simulations, including simulations of various potential problem conditions. If the flame sensing rod 106 is shorted to ground, the first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) and the second comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ) behaves similar to when the processor signal (G) is active (e.g., high). When the processor signal (G) is inactive (e.g., low), the second comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 2 ) does not remain high as it did before under normal operating conditions but changes state upon assertion of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST).
[0030] As stated above, the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) is configured to charge the test pulse capacitor 250 by injecting, for example, a 5V pulse, so that the first comparator 260 may sense the flame strength. This may be done by the furnace controller 126 measuring the time period from a time of removal of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) to a rising edge of a first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) as a first comparator input signal (FLMUB) decays to 3V from the fully charged 5V of the test pulse capacitor 250 .
[0031] FIG. 2B is an exemplary circuit 280 for flame detection. In FIG. 2B , like reference numerals are used to indicate like components. In FIG. 2B , the flame simulation circuit 232 is not shown because an actual flame condition would be sensed.
[0032] FIG. 3A illustrates a signal V[tank] generated by the tank circuit 210 , when the processor signal G causes the relay circuit 240 to pump the tank circuit 210 to a peak voltage of approximately 60V.
[0033] FIG. 3B illustrates a signal V[g] of the processor signal G, which causes the relay circuit 240 to pump the tank circuit 210 .
[0034] FIGS. 3C and 3D illustrate signal V[flmtst] (in solid lines) charging the capacitor 250 within the flame detect circuit 230 and signal V[flmub] (in wavy lines) from the capacitor 250 during charge and during decay in the presence of a flame when signal V[flmst] drops to zero.
[0035] FIG. 3E illustrates signal V[flmsns_cmp 1 ] from the first comparator 260 , as signal V[flmub] from the capacitor 250 varies during charge and during decay in the presence of a flame. In some embodiments, the first comparator 260 may be set to output a signal V[flmsns_cmp 1 ] when signal V[flmub] indicates that the capacitor 250 has discharged to a predetermined level or value.
[0036] FIG. 3F illustrates signal V[flmsns_cmp 2 ] from the second comparator 270 , as signal V[flmub] from the capacitor 250 varies during charge and during decay in the presence of a flame. In some embodiments, the second comparator 270 may be set inversely to the first comparator 260 to discontinue signal V[flmsns_cmp 2 ] output when signal V[flmub] indicates that the capacitor 250 has discharged to a predetermined level or value.
[0037] Referring now to FIGS. 1-2B and 3C-3E , in various embodiments, the furnace controller 126 is configured to determine the strength of the flame in an absolute sense and relative to other flame settings and other flame operations, by measuring a time lapse between flame test signal V[flmtst] dropping to zero and the first comparator 260 signal V[flmsns_cmp 1 ] output. This results in the capacitor 250 discharging more rapidly in the presence of a stronger flame. Accordingly, a shorter time lapse would indicate a stronger flame, and a longer time lapse would indicate a weaker flame.
[0038] Referring again to FIGS. 1-2A and 3E-3F , the first and second comparators 260 and 270 may be set to output and discontinue output of their respective signals (V[flmsns_cmp 1 ], V[flmsns_cmp 2 ]) at different charge levels or values of the capacitor 250 . In various embodiments, the furnace controller 126 is configured to measure the time lapse between such events to determine the rate of discharge of the capacitor 250 and thereby determine the strength or weakness of the flame. Furthermore, setting of the first and second comparators 260 and 270 at different charge levels of the capacitor 250 causes their respective signals to change at different times, thus providing a further indication to, for example, the furnace controller 126 that the first and second comparators 260 and 270 are operating correctly.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 400 for detecting presence of a flame. For illustrative purposes, the process 400 will be described relative to FIGS. 1-3F . The process 400 starts at step 402 . At step 404 , the furnace controller 126 determines whether the processor signal (G) is active (e.g., high) or inactive (e.g., low). If it is determined at step 404 that the processor signal (G) is active, the process 400 proceeds to step 406 . At step 406 , the furnace controller 126 determines, prior to assertion of a flame-test input control signal (FLMTST), whether an output of the first comparator 260 is low or high. If it is determined at step 406 that the output of the first comparator 260 is low, the process 400 proceeds to step 408 . At step 408 , the furnace controller 126 determines, prior to assertion of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST), whether an output of the second comparator 270 is low or high. If it is determined at step 408 that the output of the second comparator 270 is low, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 . At step 420 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that a problem exists in the circuit 200 .
[0040] However, if it is determined at step 408 that the output of the second comparator 270 is high, the process 400 proceeds to step 410 . At step 410 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that no flame is present. As described above, the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) may be used to inject, for example, a 5V pulse to charge the test pulse capacitor 250 so that the first comparator 260 may sense, for example, the flame strength. This may be done by the processor (e.g., furnace controller 126 ) measuring a time period from the time of removal of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) to the rising edge of the first comparator output signal (FLMSNS_CMP 1 ) as the first comparator input signal (FLMUB) decays to 3V from the fully charged 5V of the test pulse capacitor 250 .
[0041] From step 410 , the process proceeds to step 412 . At step 412 , the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) is asserted. From step 412 , the process 400 proceeds to step 416 . At step 416 , the furnace controller 126 determines whether the output of the first comparator 260 flips from low to high and the output of the second comparator 270 flips from high to low. If it is determined at step 416 that the output of the first comparator 260 flips from low to high or the output of the second comparator 270 flips from high to low, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 indicating that a problem exists in the circuit 200 . However, if it is determined at step 416 that neither condition described in step 416 is true, the process 400 proceeds to step 418 . At step 418 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that flame is not present and the circuit 200 is working correctly.
[0042] However, if it is determined at step 406 that the output of the first comparator 260 is high, the process 400 proceeds to step 422 . At step 422 , the furnace controller 126 determines, prior to assertion of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST), whether the output of the second comparator 270 is low or high. If it is determined at step 422 that the output of the second comparator 270 is high, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 indicating that a problem exists in the circuit 200 . However, if it is determined at step 422 that the output of the second comparator 270 is low, the process 400 proceeds to step 424 . At step 424 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that flame is present. From step 424 , the process 400 proceeds to step 426 .
[0043] At step 426 , the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) is asserted. From step 426 , the process 400 proceeds to step 428 . At step 428 , the furnace controller 126 determines whether the output of the first comparator 260 flips from high to low and the output of the second comparator 270 flips from low to high. If it is determined at step 428 that the output of the first comparator 260 flips from high to low and the output of the second comparator 270 flips from low to high, the process 400 proceeds to step 430 . However, if it is determined at step 428 that the at least one condition described in step 428 is not true, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 indicating that a problem exists in the circuit 200 . At step 430 , the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) is deasserted. From step 430 , the process proceeds to step 432 . At step 432 , the furnace controller 126 determines whether the outputs of the first comparator 260 and second comparator 270 return to the original state. If it is determined at step 432 that the at least one condition described in step 432 is not true, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 indicating that a problem exists in the circuit 200 . However, if it is determined at step 432 that the outputs of the first comparator 260 and second comparator 270 return to the original state, the process 400 proceeds to step 434 . At step 434 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that flame is present and the circuit 200 is working correctly. From steps 418 and 434 , the process 400 returns to step 402 .
[0044] However, if it is determined at step 404 that the processor signal (G) is inactive, the process 400 proceeds to step 438 . At step 438 , the furnace controller 126 determines, prior to assertion of a flame-test input control signal (FLMTST), whether an output of the first comparator 260 is low or high. If it is determined at step 438 that the output of the first comparator 260 is low, the process 400 proceeds to step 440 . At step 440 , the furnace controller 126 determines, prior to assertion of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST), whether an output of the second comparator 270 is low or high. If it is determined at step 440 that the output of the second comparator 270 is low, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 . At step 420 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that a problem exists in the circuit 200 . However, if it is determined at step 440 that the output of the second comparator 270 is high, the process 400 proceeds to step 442 . At step 442 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that no flame is present.
[0045] From step 442 , the process 400 proceeds to step 444 . At step 444 , the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) is asserted. From step 444 , the process 400 proceeds to step 446 . At step 446 , the furnace controller 126 determines whether the output of the first comparator 260 flips from low to high and the output of the second comparator 270 flips from high to low. If it is determined at step 446 that the output of the first comparator 260 flips from low to high or the output of the second comparator 270 flips from high to low, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 indicating that a problem exists in the circuit 200 . However, if it is determined at step 446 that the both conditions described in step 446 are not true, the process 400 proceeds to step 448 . At step 448 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that flame is not present and the circuit 200 is working correctly. From step 448 , the process 400 proceeds to step 464 . At step 464 , the processor signal (G) is active (e.g., high).
[0046] However, if it is determined at step 438 that the output of the first comparator 260 is high, the process 400 proceeds to step 452 . At step 452 , the furnace controller 126 determines, prior to assertion of the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST), whether the output of the second comparator 270 is low or high. If it is determined at step 452 that the output of the second comparator 270 is low, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 indicating that a problem exists in the circuit 200 . However, if it is determined at step 452 that the output of the second comparator 270 is high, the process 400 proceeds to step 454 . At step 454 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that flame is present. From step 454 , the process 400 proceeds to step 456 .
[0047] At step 456 , the flame-test input control signal (FLMTST) is asserted. From step 456 , the process 400 proceeds to step 458 . At step 458 , the furnace controller 126 determines whether the output of the first comparator 260 flips from high to low. If it is determined at step 458 that the output of the first comparator 260 does not flip from high to low, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 indicating that a problem exists in the circuit 200 . However. if it is determined at step 458 that the output of the first comparator 260 flips from high to low, the process 400 proceeds to step 460 . At step 460 , the furnace controller 126 determines whether the output of the second comparator 270 remains high. If it is determined at step 460 that the output of the second comparator 270 flips from high to low, the process 400 proceeds to step 420 indicating that a problem exists in the circuit 200 . However, if it is determined at step 460 that the output of the second comparator 270 remains high, the process 400 proceeds to step 462 . At step 462 , the furnace controller 126 provides an indication that flame is present and the circuit 200 is working correctly. From step 424 , the process 400 proceeds to step 464 .
[0048] For purposes of this patent application, the term computer-readable storage medium encompasses one or more tangible computer-readable storage media possessing structures. As an example and not by way of limitation, a computer-readable storage medium may include a semiconductor-based or other integrated circuit (IC) (such as, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific IC (ASIC)), a hard disk, an HDD, a hybrid hard drive (HHD), an optical disc, an optical disc drive (ODD), a magneto-optical disc, a magneto-optical drive, a floppy disk, a floppy disk drive (FDD), magnetic tape, a holographic storage medium, a solid-state drive (SSD), a RAM-drive, a SECURE DIGITAL card, a SECURE DIGITAL drive, a flash memory card, a flash memory drive, or any other suitable tangible computer-readable storage medium or a combination of two or more of these, where appropriate.
[0049] Particular embodiments may include one or more computer-readable storage media implementing any suitable storage. In particular embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium implements one or more portions of the furnace controller 126 , one or more portions of the system memory, or a combination of these, where appropriate. In particular embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium implements RAM or ROM. In particular embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium implements volatile or persistent memory. In particular embodiments, one or more computer-readable storage media embody encoded software.
[0050] In this patent application, reference to encoded software may encompass one or more applications, bytecode, one or more computer programs, one or more executables, one or more instructions, logic, machine code, one or more scripts, or source code, and vice versa, where appropriate, that have been stored or encoded in a computer-readable storage medium. In particular embodiments, encoded software includes one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) stored or encoded in a computer-readable storage medium. Particular embodiments may use any suitable encoded software written or otherwise expressed in any suitable programming language or combination of programming languages stored or encoded in any suitable type or number of computer-readable storage media. In particular embodiments, encoded software may be expressed as source code or object code. In particular embodiments, encoded software is expressed in a higher-level programming language, such as, for example, C, Python, Java, or a suitable extension thereof. In particular embodiments, encoded software is expressed in a lower-level programming language, such as assembly language (or machine code). In particular embodiments, encoded software is expressed in JAVA. In particular embodiments, encoded software is expressed in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), or other suitable markup language.
[0051] Depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or functions of any of the algorithms described herein can be performed in a different sequence, can be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., not all described acts or events are necessary for the practice of the algorithms). Moreover, in certain embodiments, acts or events can be performed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing, interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores or on other parallel architectures, rather than sequentially. Although certain computer-implemented tasks are described as being performed by a particular entity, other embodiments are possible in which these tasks are performed by a different entity.
[0052] Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
[0053] While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the devices or algorithms illustrated can be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As will be recognized, the processes described herein can be embodied within a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein, as some features can be used or practiced separately from others. The scope of protection is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. | A method of determining presence of a flame in a furnace of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The method comprises determining, using a controller, whether a processor signal (G) is active, responsive to a determination that the processor signal (G) is active, determining, using the controller prior to assertion of a flame-test input control signal, an output state of a first comparator, responsive to a determination that the output state of the first comparator is high, determining, using the controller prior to assertion of the flame-test input control signal, an output state of a second comparator, and responsive to a determination that the output state of the second comparator is low, transmitting, using the controller, a notification that a flame is present. | 5 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
A method and system for printer color modeling is disclosed, and more particularly a spectrophotometric color measurement system in the output path of a color printing system which measures colors at a first temperature, typically hot, at an embedded “just-fused” location, and relates the measured colors to a desired output color at a second temperature, i.e. a cooled ambient temperature. The measured color is converted via a thermochromatic matrix to what is expected for the measured color in response to a particular input signal, thereby providing a real time conversion to the anticipated output color when cooled to the ambient temperature. Printer operability can be assessed by verifying predicted color accuracy or adjusting the input signal to compensate for a measured difference between the anticipated output color and an actually measured ambient temperature color.
BACKGROUND
In many business applications, color documents have become essential as a component of communication. Color facilitates the sharing of knowledge and ideas. Companies involved in the development of color output devices continue to look for ways to improve the total image quality of such devices. One of the elements that affects the perception of image quality is an ability to consistently produce the same quality image output on a printer from one day to another, from one week to the next, month after month. Users are accustomed to printers and copiers that produce high quality color and gray scale output. Users further expect to be able to reproduce a color image with consistent quality on any compatible output device, including another device within an organization, a device at home or a device used anywhere else in the world. Hence, there remains a commercial need for efficiently maintaining print color predictability, particularly as electronic marketing has placed more importance on the accurate representation of merchandise in illustrative print or display media.
Color rendering devices (e.g., a printer, copier, or other image output device) often have problems with maintaining accurate color outputs overtime due to many normally expected operational variations, e.g., printer drift, temperature and humidity variations, system aging, or the like. Accordingly, online, real-time calibration to maintain consistent and accurate color outputs is always a design and operational objective.
Inline spectrophotometric measuring systems for sensing reflectance vectors indicative of the colors produced by the color rendering device are well known, cf. U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,918 by Hubble III, et al.
Because real-time calibration is an important design objective, any embedded inline spectrophotometric measuring system must necessarily measure the colors on a printed substrate at a time before the substrate has cooled to an ambient temperature. Typically the measuring system is embedded at a location near the fuser so that the output is measured at a “just-fused” location within the output device and the substrate is at a temperature above where it will be when the print output has had an opportunity to cool to ambient temperature.
Recent data from operational studies of inline spectrophotometric systems suggest that color measurement differences occur between colors, when measured at the embedded location, with respect to similar measurements of the same prints made at ambient temperature. Such color measurement differences can be responsible for significant accuracy errors between the ultimately desired output color and the actual output color. The table below identifies empirically-determined error differences (“deltaE, or dE*”) in a range between a measurement at 60.0° C. and an ambient temperature of 22.0° C.
TABLE 1
dE* from 22 deg C. (lab ambient)
T (deg C.)
K100
B100
C100
M100
P5255
Paper White
22.0
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
25.0
0.15
0.17
0.21
0.20
0.25
0.06
30.0
0.24
0.67
0.40
0.45
0.20
0.05
35.0
0.19
0.20
0.82
0.24
0.30
0.34
40.0
1.22
1.37
0.70
0.87
0.16
0.10
45.0
1.91
1.46
0.97
1.81
0.14
0.13
50.0
4.78
3.09
1.05
1.54
0.40
0.20
55.0
3.73
2.30
1.93
2.56
0.51
0.19
60.0
4.07
2.92
1.03
1.53
0.35
0.11
More particularly, it can be seen that the first or left-side column is the temperature of the printed substrate in degrees Centigrade ranging from 60.0° C. to 22.0° C. (60.0° C. is about the maximum temperature of the measured color at an embedded location near the fuser wherein the substrate has received an image and the image has just been fused thereon.) The entire table is relevant as a mapped reference for relating differences between the temperature of the measured color and ambient (22.0° C.). The table illustrates how the sensor reflectance vectors can vary with the change in temperature. The vertical columns represent one hundred percent saturated black (“K100”), blue (“B100”), cyan (“C100”), magenta (“M100”), a selected pantone color (“P5255”) and paper white. The table suggests that there are significant deltaE results for fused prints between the desired output color when it has cooled to ambient temperature, and what can be measured from the exact same substrated color at a higher temperature. For example, the deltaE for a fully saturated black, K100, has a 4.07 value difference from the exact same output and substrate at an ambient temperature of 22.0° C. If such a difference is not anticipated, and a compensation plan is not executed, color accuracy diminishes.
Accordingly, when an input signal is provided to the output device, which is supposed to generate a corresponding output color at an ambient temperature, the use of an inline spectrophotometric system measuring and relying upon only hotter colors, will not be able to verify that the color output is accurate and consistent with the intended color due to these naturally occurring thermochromaticity errors. The mistaken reliance on the measurement of a just-fused hot color to be the output cool color produces a mistaken, and inaccurate color printing system.
There is a need for a thermochromatic compensation system which can accommodate differences in color due to thermochromatic changes naturally occurring as a hot just-fused print substrate cools to an ambient temperature. Such a system would be useful to providing a more accurate and consistent color printing system for its compensation for thermochromatic measured errors, thereby increasing system robustness against thermal machine warm up, and the temperature drift due to normal machine aging or extended continuous job execution.
For the purpose of this invention, it is important to note that the errors between the measurements taken at a “just-fused” location within the output device, and when the print output had an opportunity to cool to ambient temperature are broadly grouped under “thermochromaticity error”, although the phrase “thermochromaticity” is referred specifically to chromatic shift occurring in color pigments with change in temperature. For example, there could be shift in lightness component (i.e., L*) of the color occurring when glossy images are cooled. We have grouped such kind of shifts occurring due to change in temperature as “thermochromaticity” errors.
SUMMARY
According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided an algorithmic method to compensate for thermochromatic differences in insitu spectral color measurement systems within a color printed device. A mapping model is made from empirical data comprising the differences between spectral measurements of a printed color generated by the color printing device at a first temperature and a second temperature. The spectrophotometric sensor measures a generated color at an embedded location where the measurement occurs at about the first temperature. The mapping determines what color will result when the temperature cools to the ambient or second temperature. System performance is then assessed based on the predicted, map-determined cool color.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of a print system including an embedded spectrophotometer;
FIGS. 2 a - 2 c comprise block diagrams/flowcharts of a system for converting inline measurements to an output spectra S; and,
FIG. 3 is a flowchart exemplifying a print system operation with consideration of thermochromatic color measurements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The system and method will be described in connection with preferred embodiments, however, it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments described. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Referring now to the drawings, the Figures show a method and apparatus for operating a printer or similar output device wherein thermochromatic differences in color between a “hot” just-fused color and a cooled, ambient temperature color are recognized and exploited for better color accuracy.
The method and system use a combination of a full-width array (FWA) or similar page-scanning mechanism in conjunction with an on-line spectrophotometer color measurement system in the output path of a color printer for measuring colors (e.g., on printed test sheets, banner/separation pages, etc.) without requiring any manual operations or operator involvement The automatic color balance control system produces multi-dimensional LUT (Look-Up Table) values for the CMYK primary colors by printing patches, measuring colors and automatically re-adjusting the LUTs until a satisfactory level of accuracy is obtained. While producing spatially adjusted LUTs, the system will automatically lock the printer output to some predetermined color patch targets. The process is enabled either by the system controller or by a user with minimal interaction.
A physical implementation of this controller is depicted in FIG. 1 , which shows the Xerox iGen3™ 110 Digital Production Press, a printer or similar output device 100 providing a xerographic printing system suitable for practicing the method disclosed herein. Printer 100 includes a source of paper or printable substrates 102 that is operatively connected to a printing engine 104 , and output path 106 and finisher 108 . As illustrated, the print engine 104 is a multi-color engine having a plurality of imaging/development subsystems 110 , that are suitable for producing individual color images (e.g., CMYK) on belt 114 , where the belt then transfers the images to the substrate. A full-width array (FWA) scanner bar 11 measures color values either in the belt 114 (P/R or IBT) or on paper. The measured color reflectivities are then spatially mapped for corresponding associating with the desired color value signals to form a model which can in real-time, spectrophotometrically measure non-ambient temperature colors, yet maintain accurate ambient color outputs.
FIGS. 2 a - c depict block diagrams representing other notable system elements providing an embodiment for operation of the disclosed method for compensating for thermochromatic errors in the print system. FIG. 2 a is a conventional system wherein the colors measured by a first color sensing device 12 such as a spectrophotometer that provides spectral information comprising a representative signal of the printed colors of the image and preferably comprises L*, a*, b* values, XYZ, etc. values depending on the desired color description. One such spectrophotometer may be that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,918 by Hubble, III et al. for a SPECTROPHOTOMETER FOR COLOR PRINTER COLOR CONTROL WITH DISPLACEMENT INSENSITIVE OPTICS, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The spectrophotometer is for non-contact measurement of colored target areas such as test patches on moving printed test sheets in an output path of a color printer, where test patches may be sequentially angularly illuminated with multiple different colors, and a photosensor providing electrical signals in response. The spectrophotometer includes a lens system for transmitting that reflected illumination (multiple illumination sources comprise approximately eight or more individual LEDs) from the test patch. The exemplary spectrophotometer provides non-contact color measurements of moving color target areas variably displaced therefrom within normal paper-path baffle spacings. The vector V=[V m 1] T , represents the measurements made on new colors by the inline sensor. T is the transpose operator. Matrix A* 14 represents the spectral reconstruction matrix shown as single matrix A* for simplicity. S is the spectra obtained by solving Equation 2 below (i.e., S=A*V). Matrix A* is not constructed for handling thermochromaticity differences so that output S is a spectra of hot, just-fused color values which are assessed inline for color consistency with a corresponding input signal designating the printed color value, regardless of, upon cooling, the color changes to a perceivably different color. The failure to anticipate such color changes produces undesirable inaccuracies in the cooled output document.
With reference to FIG. 2 b , a different set of matrices (A* ambient ) is used to reconstruct the output spectra. As before, The vector V=[V m 1] T , represents the measurements made on new colors by the inline sensor. T is the transpose operator. However, matrix A* ambient 16 represents the spectral reconstruction matrix compensated for thermochromaticity errors using the thermochromaticity matrix M which is obtained after solving Equation 3 below. A single matrix A* ambient is shown for simplicity. S is the spectra obtained by solving the equation S=A* ambient V.
In many cases, raster image processing (RiPping) of the images is carried out off-line and at the time of printing and the color adjustment be achieved by merely adjusting the LUTs of the pre-RiPped images. The embodied systems and methods achieve a particular output image color, and therefore more accurate output printing, by producing color-adjusted, spatial LUTs at convenient and desirable times (typically during preset intervals like the beginning of a job or throughout long jobs as periodically needed to maintain accuracy) to ensure that the requested colors can be produced. These LUTs are generated by printing mixed color patches of specified target patches of primary colors—CMYK. The RIPped image can then be processed with color-adjusted LUTs easily inside the DFE for facilitating the use of reprinting RIPped jobs without going through a costly and time consuming re-RIPping process.
After the spatial color information is measured by the in-line spectrophotometer 12 , and the spatial 2-D reflectance or L*, a*, b* information is measured by a scanner bar (not shown) on the belt or paper, two-dimensional or three-dimensional calibration techniques can be employed for spatially adjusting the LUT pixel index table.
Accordingly, an accurate LUT for the print system is generated by such a basic calibration technique for reliably generating accurate colors in response to corresponding input signals.
As noted above, the spectrophotometer 12 is embedded in the system at a location near where the colors are fused on to a substrate. The color at that position is at a “just-fused” temperature higher than ambient. A temperature sensor (not shown) can be used to detect the temperature of a color at this location. Alternatively, a temperature sensor need not be used in favor of data records reflecting normal substrate color and system temperatures at the spectrophotometer location.
The aforementioned calibration techniques can be used to generate a thermochromaticity compensation matrix, M, (which can also be referred to as a thermochromaticity model) as part of the control of a print system. Such a model is formed in the following manner.
The reference sensing system 12 is embedded in the system 100 at the mounting location shown in FIG. 1 . For example, in an iGen system, the inline spectrophotometer is located in the velocity change module. The sample colors used for thermochromaticity compensation are printed and measured at this location before the colors are cooled. Let V m represent the set of sensor reflectance vectors for colors m=1, 2, . . . , N where N is the total number of thermochromaticity test colors (e.g., N-75). For simplicity, these measurements can be called “hot colors”. Now let Z m represent the set of sensor reflectance vectors measured for the corresponding m=1, 2, . . . , N colors by the reference spectrophotometer (e.g., a non-embedded XRite938 sensor for measuring cooled prints). These measurements are the “ambient colors”. The reference spectrophotometer measurement can be made on the test bench or on a paper path fixture with a reference inline sensor. The reference spectrophotometer measurements have to be made after the prints are cooled to the nominal room temperature.
A linear model (linear affine, quadratic affine or cubic affine, etc.,) can represent the relationship between “hot colors” and “ambient colors” with reasonable precision. The following linear model relates the measurement set between two data sets.
Z=MV (A1)
where Z=[Z m 1] T and V=[V m 1] T are of size 32×1 for each sensor measurements, when 31 reflectance values are available for the spectral sensor. If the sensor outputs are in L*a*b* coordinate space, then this number is 4. Z and V are vectors formed by augmenting the measurements with scalar value 1 to include an affine term. If quadratic or other terms are included, then the number of elements in these vectors and the matrix M correspondingly increase. This matrix M is the thermochromaticity compensation matrix.
A weighted least square criteria minimization approach is used to compute the matrix M optimally. The optimal solution for matrix M, called M*, is obtained by minimizing the objective function defined as
M * = arg min M J . = arg min M ∑ i = 1 N w ( i ) Z i - MV i 2
where ( A2 ) w ( i ) = 1 d ( i ) P + ɛ ; D ( i ) = Z i - V i ( A3 )
p is an integer number, and ε is a small positive constant. i represents the index for the color samples. Appropriate values for p and ε may be empirically determined. In most cases, p and ε can be zero. The solution to the above optimization problem can be easily obtained by setting the gradient of J with respect to M equal to zero. This results in
M*=QP −1 (A4)
where
Q
=
∑
i
=
1
N
w
(
i
)
Z
i
V
i
T
and
(
A5
)
P
=
∑
i
=
1
N
w
(
i
)
V
i
V
i
T
(
A6
)
Once M* is computed, this matrix is stored in the sensor or inside the software for future use. The estimated measurements of “hot colors” at ambient temperature is obtained by the following equation.
{circumflex over (Z)}=M*V (A7)
This equation gives the thermochromaticity compensation matrix for modifying spectral or L*a*b* values from the inline sensor data to ambient condition. The vector V=[V m ·1] T represents the measurements made on new colors by the inline sensor. (T is the transport operator) V m contains 31 reflectance values when 31 reflectances in the spectral curve are produced as output by the inline sensor within the 400 nm to 700 nm spectral band. This vector V m contains three color values when L*a*b* or RGB or XYZ are produced as the output by the inline sensor.
With reference to FIGS. 2 c and 3 , the subject embodiments can be applied to general inline spectral/L*a*b*/color sensors wherein the spectral reconstruction matrix lacking thermochromaticity error compensation is employed. The color sensor 18 in FIG. 2 c can comprise any inline color sensor (e.g., could be with LED technology, or grating bases, or MEMS based) wherein the output spectra S is hot for the just-fused color measurements, i.e., the same system as shown in FIG. 2 a . In this case, the sensor 12 will map 42 the thermochromatic spectral measurements as model M* and then determine 44 the print color at a first temperature, usually other than ambient. In FIG. 2 b , the reconstruction matrices A* ambient immediately converted the first temperature color to a corresponding second temperature color, usually the color ambient color. In FIG. 2 c a thermochromaticity compensation model 20 adjusts the spectral output from the color sensor 18 to generate a spectral output comprising an estimation of cool spectra for the measured hot colors. Accordingly, this conversion 46 can occur with a spectral reconstruction matrix A* ambient operating on the measurements, or merely mathematically modeling conventional reconstruction matrices, A* as in FIG. 2 c.
Thermochromatically adjusted color measurements can then be used to assess 48 system operably. Such assessment may typically include system color calibration, more accurate color measurement of a color output device, or real time color measurement of the output device for purposes of modeling a printing system.
The spectral reconstruction matrix, A* used in LCLED sensors are of size 31×9 elements. They are constructed for each cell by partitioning the reference database into clusters. These spectral reconstruction matrices can be adjusted with the thermochromaticity compensation matrix to obtain estimation of inline measurements under ambient condition. The uncompensated reconstruction matrices for each cluster are used to construct spectra every time a new measurement is made (see Equation 2 below).
Ŝ=A*V (2)
Now, the compensated spectral reconstruction matrices for thermochromaticity errors is given by Equation 3 below.
A* ambient =A*M −1 (3)
This type of adjustments to spectral reconstruction matrices may be required for each sensor depending on the desired performance.
It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims. | An algorithmic method is identified for compensating for thermochromaticity errors in insitu spectral color measurements of a color printing device. A difference is mapped between spectral measurements of a printed color generated by the color printing device measured at a first or hot temperature and at a second or cool ambient temperature where the mapping comprises a referenceable characteristic of the color printing device. The spectrophotometric measurement of a hot color is compared with colors obtained with thermochromaticity compensation matrix to assess if the measured color corresponds to the desired color which will result when cooled to ambient temperature. | 6 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for improving highway safety. Provided is a safety directional indicator for pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic, as well as for first responders. Embodiments include devices for guiding a driver of a vehicle or a pedestrian in a desired direction, typically away from first responders, highway workers, curbs, opposing lanes of traffic, or other dangerous situations.
2. Description of Related Art
Driving a motor vehicle or walking along roadways at night and during inclement or lowlight conditions can be dangerous and difficult for drivers, pedestrians, highway workers, and first responders. A common situation where accidents can occur involves turning into the correct lane of traffic, especially in divided highway situations. As is well known, a difficult driving task is presented by trying to turn and enter a correct lane while staring into headlights, being sidetracked by traffic lights, parking lot lights and other distractions such as construction sites and locations where emergency personnel and vehicles are present. This difficulty is further magnified in a multi-lane roadway environment. Many well-traveled and worn roadways lack the proper lines and lighting that would otherwise allow a driver to properly view his/her lane during turns in an intersection. Likewise, pedestrian crosswalks suffer from similar lighting deficiencies and/or worn pathways. Furthermore, many conventional in-vehicle navigational guidance devices, displaying a map with optional voice indicated directions, are not helpful enough for the driver to decide which lane to take and may actually distract driver's attention from observing the intersection layout and traffic conditions.
Another common situation where highway safety is an issue is where first responders to an accident scene are present. In addition to the dangerous conditions present which caused an accident in the first place, there may be present first responders to assist with emergency needs. Visibility of the first responders is helpful in directing traffic away from those individuals, however, visibility of the individuals themselves may not always be possible depending on the road or environmental conditions of a particular accident scene. Thus there is a need for increasing the visibility of first responders to others, especially drivers maneuvering through an accident scene during the emergency.
Known highway safety devices include stationary and portable devices for illuminating subjects, structures, and/or the correct driving or walking path. For example, US Published Patent Application No. 20080168941, entitled “Apparatus and method for guiding driver of a motor vehicle to enter a correct lane after a turn at an intersection,” discloses an apparatus for guiding a driver of a vehicle to enter a correct lane after a turn at an intersection, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The device comprises: (a) an elongated housing having a predetermined length; (b) means for mounting a first end of said housing to a ground surface so that said housing is disposed in a generally upright manner; and (c) means secured to said housing for indicating said correct entry lane and viewable by said driver prior to and during turning into said correct entry lane. This device directs traffic to follow a desired path using an obtrusive structure that stands upright on a ground surface and is readily noticeable by drivers. In embodiments, colored lights are used to indicate the correct path to follow, such as green and red. Although this device is useful for some situations, a smaller, more portable device that can be used in a variety of locations and for a variety of situations is more highly desired.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,006, which is a “Method and Apparatus for Light Transmission,” describes a flexible and portable apparatus (belt or vest) comprising light sources and flexible hot-melt adhesive thermoplastic material with light transmission characteristics for transmitting a flashing light from the light sources. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,006 is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The light sources are disposed at both ends of the thermoplastic material such that light travels to the center of the material and creates a flashing effect as the light sources are turned on and off at the same time. This apparatus is intended to be worn by highway personnel to increase visibility of highway workers to drivers. As such, the device has limited applicability to other highway safety issues, such as for indicating a proper direction for drivers and pedestrians.
Thus, what is desired is a multi-functional safety device that is portable, easy to install, and can be used for a variety of highway safety situations, including as a directional indicator for drivers and pedestrians as well as protective clothing for highway personnel and first responders.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the safety devices according to embodiments of the invention is to increase driver awareness of highway situations, especially during conditions of restricted visibility. Situations where visibility can be limited or distracting to a driver and/or pedestrian traffic can include inclement weather, such as rain, fog, or snow, construction sites where the roadway has been altered or where construction personnel and equipment may be located, and emergency sites where emergency personnel and equipment are present in order to attend to accident clean up and/or to attend to accident victims. It is highly desirable to have a single device or system that is capable of alerting drivers to a variety of dangerous conditions including that personnel are present on the highway, that there is a specific traffic path to be followed, and/or that there exists a dangerous structural condition that drivers should avoid.
Specifically included in embodiments of the invention is a safety directional indicator system comprising a flexible belt with a plurality of light transmitting bars disposed along the belt and having a plurality of LEDs disposed at one elongated end of each light transmitting bar and in operable communication with a control system for illuminating the LEDs. Safety devices according to the invention can be stand-alone devices, devices capable of being attached to objects or structures at a highway scene, or configured to be worn on a person's body. Highly desired is a flexible strip which can be used in each of these situations.
A preferred embodiment according to the invention is a safety directional indicator comprising: (i) a flexible substrate strip; (ii) a plurality of light conducting rods disposed parallel to one another and along the length of the substrate; (iii) a plurality of LEDs, each disposed at the base of a light conducting rod; and (iv) a control module comprising a power source in operable communication with the LEDs and operably configured to turn on and off the LEDs in a sequential manner. The safety belts of embodiments of the invention preferably comprise one or more clips, which render the safety belts modular.
Included in the scope of the invention is a clip system for a safety belt comprising: a plurality of electrically conductive clips each comprising a releaseably engageable buckle, teeth for securing a belt within the buckle, and plug and socket end in operable communication with the teeth by way of an electrical circuit; a plurality of terminal clips comprising at one end a D-ring type buckle and at an opposing end a plug and socket configured for engagement with the plug and socket end of the electrically conductive clips.
Safety directional indicators can also be used to indicate the correct path for pedestrians to follow especially in situations of low light conditions or temporary construction sites. Often times it may not be feasible to install permanent lighting to illuminate pedestrian walkways but not having proper light can lead to pedestrian deaths. The invention provides safety directional indicators that can be installed quickly and inexpensively and used permanently or on a temporary basis. One use for the safety directional indicators with respect to pedestrian traffic is to place strips of the directional indicators along crosswalks. The devices can be configured to be modular in that they can be operably connected one with another end to end to provide a desired overall length of the lighting system. This avoids the cost of custom systems for particular situations. The safety directional indicator strips can be oriented in a manner to provide the appearance of a chasing pattern of light along the length of the substrate strips and thus the overall length of the system. This chasing pattern of light indicates to the pedestrian the direction to follow to cross the street safely. Simultaneously, by illuminating the crosswalk in a dynamic fashion, the crosswalk is made highly visible to drivers.
Safety directional indicators can also be used to increase the visibility of first responders and road workers present on a road scene. For example, the directional indicators can be configured to be worn by first responders so that their presence on an accident scene may be readily acknowledged by drivers, especially drivers maneuvering through an accident scene during the process of clean up and/or administration of assistance.
The present invention also relates to methods of using the inventive safety directional indicator systems. For example, provided is a method of indicating a path for a driver or pedestrian to follow comprising: (a) providing a safety directional indicator comprising a flexible belt with a plurality of light transmitting bars disposed in parallel along the length of the belt and a plurality of LEDs each disposed at one end of each light transmitting bar and each operably connected with a control module for turning the LEDs on and off sequentially; (b) installing the safety directional indicator on a surface of a structure such that upon illumination of the LEDs and each light transmitting bar a direction to follow is indicated by a chasing pattern of light along the length of the belt; and (c) providing power to the safety directional indicator.
Other objects of the present invention include providing an apparatus for directing a driver of a motor vehicle to enter a correct lane after a turn at an intersection. Preferred embodiments may include a turn and/or lane entry guidance apparatus that emits light having a chasing pattern to indicate the correct or safe direction to follow. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a directional indicator device that can be installed easily at the intersection without the need for utility work. A further object of the present invention is to provide a turn and lane entry guidance apparatus that incorporates a source of electric power in order to avoid electrical utility work. Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a turn and lane entry guidance apparatus that also indicates the incorrect entry lane. Another object of the invention is to provide a method of guiding a driver of a vehicle to enter a correct lane after a turn at an intersection by employing the above described apparatus.
The features of novelty and various other advantages that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings that form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in that there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention. The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. While numerous changes may be made by those skilled in the art, such changes are within the spirit of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These drawings illustrate certain aspects of some of the embodiments of the present invention, and should not be used to limit or define the invention.
FIG. 1 is an illustration showing a front perspective view of an embodiment of a safety directional indicator according to the invention.
FIGS. 2A-B are drawings showing a perspective view of a clip embodiment according to the invention.
FIGS. 3A-B are drawings showing a top planar view of the clip embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A-B .
FIG. 4 is drawing showing another clip embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to embodiments of the invention, provided are devices for indicating to drivers and pedestrians the correct driving or walking path. The safety directional devices and systems comprising them are preferably configured in a manner to allow use of the devices as wearable safety gear or as installed on the surface of a highway structure.
Embodiments include a safety directional indicator system comprising: a flexible belt; a plurality of elongated light transmitting bars disposed in parallel along the belt; a plurality of LEDs disposed at one elongated end of each light transmitting bar; wherein the plurality of LEDs are in operable communication with a control system for illuminating the LEDs.
As shown in FIG. 1 , a belt 100 is provided as a safety directional indicator system. The belt comprises a flexible substrate strip 101 , which can be comprised of any material so long as the overall belt is flexible. Preferred materials for the belt include leather, plastic, and cloth. Especially preferred are materials that will be durable and long lasting including reinforced cloth, such as tightly weaved cloth used for motor vehicle seat belts. Metal can also be used for the elongated substrate strip, so long as the metal has some flexibility. Chain link metal can also be used. Exemplary indicator systems can comprise any length belt, such as from 1 foot, or 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 feet in length or larger. Total length of the belt will be dependent on the particular application for which it is used and the distance needed to cover. Multiple strips of belt can be connected together to create longer segments and longer modular strips of belt can be shortened by removing one or more segment.
The substrate strip (belt) can comprise means for securing the belt to a person, such as a buckle 104 . Additionally, the belt can be adjusted to fit various people by way of adjusting means 105 .
Attached to the substrate strip or belt is a plurality of elongated light transmitting bars 102 . The light transmitting bars can be made of any light transmitting material, including plastic, acrylics (polymers of PMMA), acrylic resin, polycarbonate, epoxies, and glass. Appropriate materials can include those manufactured under the brand names of Lucite®, Plexiglas®, Acrylite®, Perspex®, and Rohaglas® to name a few. Further, technical information concerning the principles of light transmission, light guides and light pipes can be found in “Light Guide Techniques Using LED Lamps,” by Agilent Technologies, 2001, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Preferred properties of the light guides used according to the invention include that light is transmitted through the material from one end to the other and is allowed to escape the light bar along the length of the light bar. For example, in preferred embodiments, the light transmitting bars are square or rectangular cylinders within which light entering one end of the cylinder passes through the light bar by internal reflection. Any shape cylinder can be used including for example light rods with a triangular or circular cross section. Something less than total internal reflection is desired for the safety directional indicators of the present invention. More particularly, 50%-90% internal reflection is highly desired, with 50%-75% internal reflection being especially preferred. In such configurations, 10%-50% of the light entering one end of the light bar is allowed to escape the sides of the light bar, which provides for the effect of illuminating the entire bar along its length not just passing the light through the bar to the opposing elongated end of the light bar.
The principles of Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR) can be used to ensure a sufficient amount of light is allowed to escape the light transmission medium. For example, if one side of the light bar is in contact with a material having a higher refractive index than the light bar, then the light will be refracted instead of reflected. When refracted the light will escape the light bar through the side opposing the side that is in contact or in near contact with the material of higher refractive index.
Preferred materials have a refractive index ranging from about 1.4-1.5. For example, polymethylmethacrylate is a preferred material for the light bars, which is highly transparent and has a light transmittance of greater than 92% in the visible range of 380 nm to 780 nm, and a refractive index of about 1.492. Acrylic light bars used according to the invention can be cast or extruded.
At the base of each light rod is disposed an LED 103 . The LEDs can be of any type, including high brightness, SMD, SMT, ultra-thin, or through-hole type LEDs to name a few. Further, flexible strips comprising LEDs can also be used, especially modular strips that can be cut or adapted to fit any particular length needed. The LEDs can have a viewing angle ranging from about 30° to about 120°. The LEDs can be white, colored, or a combination thereof. The LEDs can have a brightness ranging from about 8 lumens to about 110 lumens depending on the application. A lens can be used between the LEDs and the light rods to focus the light from the LED into the light rod so that little loss in flux occurs. The belts can comprise any number of LEDs and each can comprise, for example, 10, 20, 50, or 100 LEDs. Typically, one LED is used for each light bar, but more or less can be used. In addition, other LEDs can be used on the safety belt without a corresponding light bar. The belts can be configured for interconnection with other belts to form longer series of LEDs and light bars. For example, the belts can comprise or can be interconnected to comprise 5 LEDs, 30 LEDs, 80 LEDs, and higher, such as 300 LEDs.
Any type of LED can be used in the safety belts according to the invention, however, particular types of LEDs will usually be dictated by a specific application. Appropriate LEDs include high brightness PLCC-2 SMD LEDs and PLCC-6 SMD LEDs. Likewise, 3528 SMD LEDs may be used as well as 5050 RGB SMD LEDs for particular applications. LEDs with any viewing angle may be used, such LEDs having a 120 degree viewing angle for even light. Viewing angles of about 60-90 degrees may be preferred to direct the light into the light bars. White or colored LEDs can be used, including without limitation white (neutral, cool, and warm), red, yellow, blue, and green. The safety belts of the invention can comprise any number of single-color or multi-color LEDs, or any combination thereof. In embodiments, the light belts can comprise single-color red, yellow, green, blue, cool white, neutral white, or warm white and/or multi-color (RGB-color) red, green, and blue colored LEDs. Any color combination is possible and within the ordinary skill of the art. Even further, 0.5 W SMD LEDs or 0.5 W SMD PLCC-2 LEDs or 0.5 W SMD PLCC-6 LEDs can be used in embodiments.
Ultra-Bright LEDs can also be used, such as Cree XLamp™ Extremely high-brightness LED, which is capable of operating at 1 Watt and above. Such LEDs are characterized by having a long-life, solid-state, low-voltage and current light. The LEDs, such as this one, can be mounted on a heatsink (e.g., star-type aluminum disc) with solder spots provided to simplify connection. Such LEDs have a 100 degree viewing angle; a maximum forward voltage of 4 Vdc; and a maximum current of 350/700 mA. Another LED from CREE, Inc. is the XLamp® XB-D LED, which can be used in embodiments of the invention. The XB-D LED delivers twice the lumens-per-dollar of other LEDs and in a small footprint of 2.45 mm×2.45 mm. The XB-D LED delivers up to 139 lumens and 136 lumens per watt in cool white (6000K) or up to 107 lumens and 105 lumens per watt in warm white (3000K), both at 350 mA and 85° C. The LEDs can also be waterproof, or when disposed on the safety belt, disposed in a manner to render the LEDs and the lighting system waterproof.
Typically, the LEDs will be electrically connected with a control module 106 . Electrical connection can be accomplished using a printed circuit board (preferably module and flexible) or by way of electrical leads. Preferably, a printed circuit board is used in combination with circuitry and software for programming the lights to turn on and off in a chasing fashion. What is meant by “chasing” in the context of this specification is that a first LED will turn on and then it will turn off when a second LED is turned on, then the second LED is turned off when a third LED is turned on and so on. In this manner the light will appear to be travelling along the length of the belt from one LED/light bar to the next. The control module can be equipped with an on/off switch 107 and optionally a solar panel 108 for providing solar power to the control module for operation or for charging a battery within the control module. An electrically rechargeable battery or other convention power source can also be used.
In embodiments, the Light Strap is comprised of a customizable strip which comprises the LEDs and Acrylic indicators and two connector tabs, one of which is attached to a control module. The connector tab that is not connected to the control module is simply a jumper to connect all the electric leads to a ground completing the circuit. The connector tab that is connected to the control module is in operable communication therewith in such a manner as to send an electronic pulse to the strip by way of the connector pin to control which LEDs light at a particular time. The connector pin is a pointed metal part that bites through the wire insulation into the wire to create an electrical connection. The width of the strip dictates the number of leads possible for the strip. In a preferred embodiment, there are 7 leads, 6 positive and one ground. The first lead would control the 1 st , 7 th , 13 th and so on LED's. The second lead would control the 2 nd , 8 th , 14 th and so on LEDs, and the same through the other leads. A flash sequence of the number 1,2,3,4,5,6, LEDs would also cause the 7,8,9,10,11,12 LEDs to flash as well at the same time for the length of the strip giving the illusion of directional movement and an indication of desired direction. More particularly, in such “chasing” type embodiments, LEDs 1 , 7 , 13 (and every first LED in a set of six LEDs) would flash on at the same time. Then LEDs 1 , 7 , 13 , etc. are turned off, while LEDs 2 , 8 , 14 , etc. are flashed on. Then LEDs 2 , 8 , 14 , etc. are turned off, while LEDs 3 , 9 , 15 , etc. are turned on. This flashing on and off pattern continues until each LED in each set of six LEDs has flashed on, then the pattern repeats by beginning again at LEDs 1 , 7 , 13 , etc. Any combination of any number of flashing LEDs is possible, including flash sequences for non-directional indication.
The substrate strips or belts can be configured to be mated with additional substrate strips to obtain a longer system. In one embodiment, one end of the substrate strip can be electrically and physically connected to the end of another strip and so on. For example, the technology of US Published Patent Application No. 2010-0008090, entitled “Modular LED Lighting Systems and Flexible or Rigid Strip Lighting Devices,” and which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, can be incorporated into the safety belts and flexible substrate strips of this invention. As such the safety systems of the present invention can be modular and provide for any length substrate system needed for a particular application.
In preferred embodiments, the control system is operably configured for turning the LEDs on and off in a sequential manner. What is meant by sequential in the context of this specification is that as one LED is turned on the LED just prior to it is turned off. The sequence of turning on and off the LEDs can be accomplished relative to the entire length of the substrate and/or the entire length of the system of multiple substrate strips. Groups of LEDs can be activated and de-activated simultaneously, such that the overall system, especially if of an increased length, provides the appearance that several sections of LEDs are illuminated in a chasing pattern along the length of the system.
The safety directional indicators of the present invention can further comprise means for securing the belt to a surface. Preferably such securing means is disposed along the length of the belt or strip on a side opposite where the light transmitting bars are disposed. Means for attaching the device or system to a surface include using adhesive, snaps, hook and loop fasteners or staples. Cement anchors can be used to secure the strips to a curb, while staples or nails may be used to secure the strips to a wooden sign post. Adhesive is generally an all purpose type of securing means as it may be used to adhere the substrate strip to a cement curb, or a wooden post or building, or a metal sign. One skilled in the art will know which means is most appropriate for securing the system in place for operation.
Embodiments of the invention include a safety directional indicator comprising: a flexible substrate strip; a plurality of light conducting rods disposed parallel to one another and along the length of the substrate; a plurality of LEDs each disposed at the base of a light conducting rod; and a control module comprising a power source in operable communication with the LEDs and operably configured to turn on and off the LEDs in a chasing pattern.
Preferably, the devices are configured such that each device is operably connected with another such device to obtain a continuous system, which is operably configured to turn on and off the LEDs in a chasing pattern along the length of the system.
Even further, the safety directional indicator can be joined electrically and physically to the end of another such device in a manner to provide a chasing pattern of light along the length of the system.
The safety straps are useful for many situations, including for road crews and first responders. Road crews and first responders have the daunting task of working in hot, loud, dangerous environments, and have the added danger of being in dose proximity to several ton vehicles traveling down the road at 60+ miles an hour. The current safety garments are neon colors or reflective, both requiring the wearer to be in sight of the driver. Due to congestion, increasingly, construction is done in the evening or at night further decreasing visibility down to the people in the driver's headlights. The wearable connector of the safety strap could be worn on the helmet or around the waist like a belt giving extra precious seconds to be seen and preventing accidents.
FIGS. 2A-B and 3 A-B are drawings showing clip embodiments according to the invention. More particularly, FIG. 2A shows a clip having “teeth” to bite into the end of the safety belt and transfer signals from the control module to the belt. In embodiments, the control module is operably connected with the clip by way of a plug and socket type connection, 204 a . It is not critical whether the control module or the clip comprises the plug or socket. As shown, it may be desirable for each of the control module and the clip to comprise a plug and a socket for interconnection with a socket and plug on the other component. In this manner, the safety belt comprises an electrically conductive pathway (such as electrically conductive material or fibers or a printed circuit) which can be secured into the clamp using buckle 204 b . When closed, the buckle 204 b is releaseably connected by way of a locking mechanism 204 c with an opposing buckle portion 204 d . The belt is retained in the clip by pressure or the clip can additionally comprise teeth 204 e which penetrate the fibers of the belt and provide means for preventing pullout of the belt from the clip. The teeth 204 e are preferably oriented in a direction that enables insertion of one end of the belt lengthwise into the clip. The teeth 204 e are also operably connected with an electrical circuit incorporated into the clip which is operably connected with the terminal end 204 a . As such, an electrical charge can move from the power/control module into a clip then into the belt to illuminate the LEDs disposed along the length of the belt. This clip can also be used to connect together two belts by taking two clips, rotating one 180 degrees and plugging it into the other and then clipping the resulting pair to two belts. This type clip carries signals and current from the power and control module and can be color-coded red for ease of identification and to promote caution. FIG. 3A provides a top planar view of the clip of FIG. 2A .
FIG. 2B is another embodiment of a clip according to the invention. The clip shown in FIG. 2B has a connection end 204 a that is the same as that shown on the clip in FIG. 2A . This clip, however, only functions as way of connecting the clip to a belt assembly and does not transfer electricity. For convenience and ease of use, such a clip in the safety belt systems of the invention can be color-coded yellow. This clip is optional within systems of the invention and merely provides a platform (typical D-ring buckle 204 f ) for adjusting belt size. Preferably, all clips used in a particular system according to the invention have the same connection means 204 a , which is universal to the system and provides for modularity and interchangeability of the components of the system. FIG. 3B provides a top planar view of the clip of FIG. 2B .
FIG. 4 shows another clip embodiment of the invention. In particular, the clip shown in FIG. 4 connects to the safety belt at a 90 degree angle or from the side of the belt, and transfers the signals from the power/control module to the belt. In this manner, teeth 404 e are disposed on or are incorporated into the clip in a manner that prevents release of the belt in a direction that is normal to the clip. The teeth 404 e are operably connected with a circuit incorporated into the clip which is operably connected with electrical contacts 404 a . This clip can also be used to connect together two belts at 90 degrees by using the third type to connect to the belt and plugging first type into it and clipping the first type to the belt. This type of clip carries signals and current and can be color-coded orange for ease of identification and to promote caution.
In safety belt systems of the invention and referring back to FIG. 1 for example, a safety belt can comprise a power/control module, one or more belts having an electrical pathway operably connected with a plurality of LEDs along the length of the belts, and one or more clips for connecting the belts to the power source, or to one another. As shown in FIG. 1 , a representative safety belt can comprise a control module 106 , which is in direct operable communication with a clip 104 . Here, the power source/control module is connected with a clip 104 by way of a plug and socket type connection. In embodiments, the plug and socket connection comprises two pathways to ground and six pathways for delivering the electrical signal from the control module through the clip and into the belt. The clip 104 is then operably connected to the safety belt 101 mechanically and electrically. A plurality of LEDs 103 are disposed along the length of the belt and provide light to a plurality of light bars 102 disposed perpendicular to each LED along the length of the belt. At the opposing end of the belt is another clip 104 which is secured to the belt. This clip is then connected with a terminal clip 104 which is connected with a strap for adjusting the size of the belt, which is in turn connected with another terminal clip 104 , either incorporated into the control module or operably connected therewith in a releaseable manner, such as by using the universal plug and socket connection that is used for all of the other clips of this system.
In yet other embodiments, the directional indicators or otherwise referred to as the safety strap can be used to provide power to a bulb disposed on a barrel. For example, it is common for highway workers to place a barricade of barrels along the roadway to guide drivers safely through a construction zone. Typically, on the top of the barrel is placed a light fixture which is used to provide additional guidance to the driver. The safety straps of the invention can be used in combination with such barrels by placing the safety strap around the circumference of a barrel and then electrically connecting the safety strap to the light fixture to provide electrical power to the light on the barrel. The safety strap can illuminate in its normal fashion and with the additional light provided by the light on the barrel, the combination can provide optimum directional indicator capabilities.
Methods of using the safety devices are also encompassed by the present invention. For example, provided is a method of indicating a path for a driver or pedestrian to follow comprising: providing a safety directional indicator comprising a flexible belt with a plurality of light transmitting bars disposed in parallel along the length of the belt and a plurality of LEDs each disposed at one end of each light transmitting bar and each operably connected with a control module for turning the LEDs on and off sequentially; installing the safety directional indicator on a surface of a structure such that upon illumination of the LEDs and each light transmitting bar a direction to follow is indicated by a chasing pattern of light along the length of the belt; and providing power to the safety directional indicator.
The present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments having various features. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the practice of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. One skilled in the art will recognize that these features may be used singularly or in any combination based on the requirements and specifications of a given application or design. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary in nature and that variations that do not depart from the essence of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention.
Therefore, the present invention is well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the present invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular illustrative embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention. While devices and methods are described in terms of “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” various components or steps, the compositions and methods can also “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the various components and steps. All numbers and ranges disclosed above may vary by some amount. Whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and any included range falling within the range is specifically disclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to set forth every number and range encompassed within the broader range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee. Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims, are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the element that it introduces. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word or term in this specification and one or more patent or other documents that may be incorporated herein by reference, the definitions that are consistent with this specification should be adopted. | Provided is a safety directional indicator to improve highway safety. Embodiments of the invention include devices for guiding a driver of a vehicle in a desired direction, typically away from highway workers, pedestrians, curbs, and opposing lanes of traffic. Specifically included is a safety directional indicator system comprising a flexible belt with a plurality of light transmitting bars disposed along the belt and having a plurality of LEDs disposed at one elongated end of each light transmitting bar and in operable communication with a control system for illuminating the LEDs in a manner to indicate a direction for traffic. Safety devices according to the invention can be stand-alone devices, devices capable of being attached to objects or structures at a highway scene, or configured to be worn on a person's body. An object of the safety devices according to embodiments of the invention is to increase driver awareness of highway situations especially during conditions of restricted visibility. | 8 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to joining of extruded plastic components and in particular, relates to a method and apparatus of cutting and fusing elongate plastic components one to the other.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Roll formed aluminum seamless eavestrough systems are well known and commonly used for commercial and domestic building applications. The seamless aluminum eavestrough can be produced in any desired length to fit a particular application. This continuous length of eavestrough will not leak intermediate its length and any leaks in the system are at corner connectors and downspout connectors.
Extruded plastic eavestrough can also be manufactured in long lengths, however, for shipping to retail outlets, storage at retail outlets as well as transport by the end consumer, the eavestroughs are normally sold in short lengths of ten to twelve feet. For many applications, a joiner connector will be required to join two lengths of eavestroughs for longer runs. Any eavestrough connector has the potential to leak and also produces a visual interruption in the length of the eavstrough. One solution for plastic eavestroughs is to merely sell longer lengths and thereby reduce the number of connectors, however, this solution is often not practical. Attempts have been made to thermally form on a job site a flat plastic strip material into a continuous length of plastic eavestrough much in the manner of roll formed aluminum eavestrough. These attempts have not been successful.
Plastic eavestrough has excellent durability, resiliency, and high quality surface finish and would be an alternative to aluminum eavestrough if longer continuous lengths were available. For new construction, vinyl or plastic siding is often used and these installers could easily install plastic eavestrough if the joiner problem could be resolved. In some circumstances, plastic eavestrough would be preferred.
The present invention provides an apparatus as well as a method for thermally joining or welding two lengths of eavestrough to form a continuous length without a separate connector. The opposed ends of the eavestrough are heated to soften the plastic material and the heated ends are brought together under pressure to join the two sections. The softened plastic at the ends of the respective eavestrough sections adhere or co-mingle resulting in a strong connection. This method can be used to join eavestroughs in a straight end to end manner to form a continuous length of eavestrough or the method can be used to join eavestrough sections at a particular desired angle. This provides a further advantage of the invention in that plastic eavestroughs can be thermally joined at different angles one to the other thereby further reducing the probability of leakage at a corner.
The present invention is also directed to an apparatus which is easily used on a construction site to thermal join or weld eavestrough sections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An apparatus for cutting and joining plastic eavestrough in a thermal type connection comprises a power saw movable between a storage position and an eavestrough cutting position, two opposed eavestrough supports either side of the eavestrough cutting position, a thermal plate movable between a storage position and an eavestrough heating position adjacent said eavestrough cutting position, a support arrangement for the eavestrough supports allowing said eavestrough supports to move relative to another in a lateral direction with respect to the predetermined cutting position.
In an aspect of the invention, the support arrangement for the opposed eavestrough supports are two laterally movable tables with each table having a removable eavestrough support block mounted thereon.
In a further aspect of the invention, the eavestrough support blocks are shaped to receive an eavestrough section in an inverted orientation.
In yet a further aspect of the invention, the thermal plate in the eavestrough heating position and the saw in said cutting position are each aligned or parallel with a common working plane between the eavestrough supports.
In yet a further aspect of the invention, the two tables are supported on slide rails for movement towards and away from the cutting position.
In a different aspect of the invention, the power saw is mounted for sliding movement in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction of the two tables.
In a further aspect of the invention, the apparatus includes a clamp arrangement for each of the eavestrough support blocks.
In an aspect of the invention, the tables have an eavestrough cut stop position and an eavestrough thermal joining stop position for controlling the lateral movement of the tables.
In a different aspect of the invention, the apparatus includes a power control module for controlling a power supply between the power saw and the thermal plate. The power control module interrupts power to the thermal plate when the power saw is activated. Preferably the apparatus operates on a 120 volt power supply.
In a further aspect of the invention, the eavestrough support blocks are pivotally mounted on said tables for movement to angled positions used for forming different angled corner connections of the eavestroughs.
In a further aspect of the invention, each table includes an angled gauge for setting a desired corner angled configuration.
In a further aspect of the invention, the tables are adjustable to vary a contact pressure between the eavestroughs during joining thereof.
In yet a further aspect of the invention, the tables include a manual pivoting lever for controlling the position thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the apparatus for cutting and joining plastic eavestrough;
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus;
FIG. 3 is a back perspective view of the apparatus;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the apparatus;
FIG. 5 is a front view of the apparatus;
FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the apparatus and the joining of two lengths of eavestrough in an angled corner configuration;
FIG. 7 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 6 ;
FIG. 8 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG. 6 ;
FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the apparatus with two lengths of eavestrough in thermal contact with a thermal heating plate;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the outer shape of two eavestrough sections joined in a corner configuration;
FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of the joined eavestrough sections;
FIG. 12 is a top view of a sliding section eavestrough support block;
FIG. 12A is a perspective view of the apparatus.
FIG. 13 is an end view of FIG. 12 ;
FIG. 14 is a top view of the sliding section eavestrough support in an end position for angled cutting and joining; and
FIG. 15 is a top view similar to FIG. 13 in a reverse end position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The cutting and joining apparatus 2 shown in the Figures includes a power saw 4 movable from the storage position 6 to an in use eavestrough cutting position 8 generally centered between the opposed eavestrough supports 10 . A thermal plate 12 for heating of the ends of the eavestrough, is movable from the storage position 14 as shown in FIG. 1 , to a thermal heating position in the cutting and welding gap 9 , adjacent the cutting eavestrough position and the thermal plate heating position shown in the front view of FIG. 8 .
The thermal plate 12 in the thermal plate storage position 14 , is held in this position by the support stand 24 . The thermal plate 12 is connected to the support arm 20 controlled by the thermal plate handle 18 . This assembly is pivotally attached to and laterally movable along the slide rod 22 . The thermal plate is moved by pushing on the handle 18 to remove the support arm from the support stand, sliding the thermal plate to the left and then lowering the thermal plate downwardly into the cutting and welding gap 9 . The thermal plate is allowed to float in the cutting and welding gap 9 and in the heating position of the plate, one length of eavstrough is heated by one side of the plate and the opposed section of eavestrough is heated on the opposite side of the plate. Some pressure is applied to the plastic eavestrough sections during the heating operation to provide effective heat transfer. Once the eavestrough sections have been appropriately softened by heating on the thermal plate 12 , they are pushed together in a controlled and aligned manner to fuse or weld the two heated ends and result in a thermal joint or plastic weld of the two eavestrough sections.
It has been found that this connection of the eavestrough sections is of high structural integrity and this is perhaps at least partially due to some thickening of the eavestrough material in the weld as will be further explained with respect to the joined plastic eavestrough section of FIGS. 10 and 11 .
The saw 6 is mounted on a sliding saw table 30 having slide rails 32 and 34 . The saw is spring biased to the upright storage position as shown in FIG. 1 and is pivotally movable downwardly to a lower cutting position, in the manner of a chop saw. The sliding saw table 30 improves the cutting characteristics of the saw and also allows the saw table and then pivotally mounted saw to move rearwardly to provide additional space for joining two eavestrough sections at an angle. The sliding movement of the saw table rearwardly also assists in simplifying the positioning of the thermal plate in the cutting and welding gap 9 .
The cutting and joining apparatus 2 preferably operates on a known cutting position of the saw. The lateral position of the saw blade can be controlled by means of the lateral saw adjustment mechanism 36 . This allows the operator to precisely locate the saw blade in the cutting and welding gap 9 . The saw blade provides a perpendicular cut to the eavestrough sections. It is preferred that the power saw 6 includes a relatively large diameter saw blade 38 to improve the cutting characteristics and allow simple cutting of the eavestrough sections at different angles. A twelve inch carbide blade works satisfactorily, however, a fourteen inch carbide blade is preferred. Smaller blades can be used, however, the cut is somewhat more ragged. Larger, finer blades generally improve the cutting of plastic. Similarly, the thermal plate 12 is oversized relative to the square face of the eavestrough sections as these eavestrough sections will be cut at different angles to form different angled joints of two abutting eavestrough sections. It is preferred that the thermal plate 12 is of a size of at least eight inches and preferably twelve inches. A circular thermal plate 12 has been shown, however other shapes are possible. This is a common readily available thermal plate used in straight line joining of plastic pipe.
An eavestrough section 100 is shown in FIG. 1 in the apparatus secured in an inverted orientation. It is found that cutting of eavestrough sections is simplified by appropriately supporting of the eavestrough section in an inverted orientation. Proper support is provided by the opposed eavestrough supports 10 pivotally supported on the left and right sliding tables 46 and 48 . The right sliding table has slide rods 50 and 52 and the left sliding table has similar slide rods. Each of these sliding tables are basically free floating, however, they can be pushed towards the center of the apparatus using handle 56 controlling the left sliding table and handle 54 controlling the right sliding table. Each of the eavestrough supports 10 are releasably supported on these sliding tables and have a pivot axis 66 for the left table and a pivot axis 68 for the right table. In this way the eavestrough supports 10 can be pivoted about these axis and locked by means of the left lock 70 and the right lock 72 to allow cutting of the respective eavestrough section at a desired angle.
Various markings can be provided on the sliding tables to indicate a desired angle of cut. Each of the tables is orientated at the same angle to allow aligned abutting of the eavestrough sections during joining. This orientation is assured as the eavestrough sections are first cut by the power saw 6 in the desired orientation and the eavestrough sections are maintained in this orientation on the respective sliding table. The sliding table allows the one eavestrough section to be withdrawn from the cutting position to allow cutting of the other eavestrough section while maintaining the orientation thereof, subsequently the thermal plate is brought into the cutting and welding gap 9 for heating the cut ends of the eavestroughs.
In the preferred embodiment, the left eavestrough section is brought into contact with the thermal plate by means of the lever 56 . The left table is controlled by the stop block 60 which is shown in the cutting position. This is a two shoulder stop block defining two end positions for the sliding table 46 . Stop block 60 of FIG. 1 is shown in the cutting position whereas the stop block 62 of the right sliding table 48 is in a thermal welding position. The double shoulders of these stop blocks take into account the thickness of the saw blade as well as allowing a pressure to be applied between the two eavestrough sections used for joining.
As previously mentioned, there is a regional thickening of the eavestrough at the thermal join due to a partial bulging or thickening at the join line of the eavestroughs. This regional thickening is believed to improve the structural integrity of the weld. In any event, some pressure is applied during the welding and the sliding tables allow for control of the pressure manually or otherwise. The pressure can be controlled by the operator by means of one of the handles assuming the other table is locked. It is also possible to use an adjustable spring arrangement or other means for controlling the abutting pressure.
As can be appreciated, there are different cross sectional shapes of plastic eavestroughs. A contemporary style cross section is shown in FIG. 1 whereas the more common eavestrough shape is the traditional “K” style eavestrough section used in plastic and aluminum eavestrough. The opposed eavestrough supports 10 are easily removed from the right and left sliding tables and the appropriate support blocks can be then mounted on the tables for the desired eavestrough section.
The apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 , also includes a clamping mechanism generally shown as 76 and 78 for fixing of the eavestrough sections on the opposed eavestrough supports 10 . It is desirable to properly support and secure the eavestrough sections during the cutting and joining process. The clamping mechanism also maintains the eavestrough's aligned position after cutting and in preparation for the thermal heating and joining steps.
FIG. 6 shows two small eavestrough sections which have been cut at a 45 degree angle and are about to be joined in a corner weld configuration. The eavestrough sections in practice would be of substantially greater length, for example, ten or twenty foot sections. The two eavestrough sections are mounted on their eavestrough supports 10 and clamped by the appropriate clamping mechanism 76 or 78 . In preparation for cutting, the double shoulder stop blocks 60 and 62 are moved to the position of stop block 60 shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 6 .
Sliding table 46 would have been moved by the lever 56 such that the downwardly extending flange 47 was brought into contact with the face 61 of the stop block 60 . The stop block 60 is also in contact with the fixed flange 73 extending upwardly from the base plate 75 . The saw is then moved from the storage position to the cutting position to cut the 45 degree angle cut. The securement of the eavestrough section on the support blocks and the indexed table controls the position of the cut end of the eavestrough relative to the table 46 . Once each of the eavestrough sections have been cut at the 45 degree angle, the stop block 60 and 62 are moved to the thermal weld stop positions of the block 62 in FIG. 6 . The stop blocks 60 and 62 do not move with the table but merely act as an adjustable stop face.
The thermal plate 12 can then be moved from its storage position of FIG. 6 to be positioned between the eavetrough sections at shown in FIG. 8 . In this case, the right eavestrough section has also been brought into engagement with the thermal plate 12 . The left eavestrough section and the handle 56 were previously adjusted to cause the sliding table to bring flange 47 into contact with the stop block 60 in the thermal weld position. Basically, the upright flange 73 of the base is in engagement with the stop block 60 which is then capable of stopping the flange 47 of the sliding table 46 . The handle 56 not only moves the table to this position but it also acts as a lock. An over center linkage arrangement provides the desired movement (see FIG. 12 ).
The thermal plate 12 is then brought into the gap 9 and is free to float laterally in this section. With the left table 46 in a fixed or locked position, as shown in FIG. 8 , the right table and the position of thermal plate 12 can be controlled by means of the handle 54 . This is used to push the thermal plate 12 to the left and into contact with the end of the eavestrough section on the left table 46 . A desired pressure between the two eavestrough sections can be maintained by manual control in the handle 54 or by a spring or other pressure control mechanism. During the heating process, the eavestrough supports 10 support the ends of the eavestrough and also provide support for the ends during the welding process.
FIG. 9 shows the thermal plate 12 forced against the eavestrough section on the left table. Note that the right table is not in contact with the support block 62 .
Once the eavestrough sections have been appropriately heated, and this can be based on a time, pressure or operator expertise, the pressure is removed and the right eavestrough section or left eavestrough section can be moved to a release position of the thermal plate. The thermal plate 12 is then moved upwardly and to the right to its storage position. Preferably the right sliding table would have been moved to allow the thermal plate 12 to be moved to its storage position. At this point, it is possible to move the right table into abutting contact with the eavestrough section of the left table which has been held in the desired indexed position. This is a pressure contact and there can be a small amount of beading or protrusion on the exterior and the interior of the eavestrough section as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 . If desired, after the thermal weld has been completed, the bead on the exterior can be tapered or removed with a small hand tool. In most cases this is not necessary.
Time is an important parameter in the heating process and a visual indication or audible signal could be provided for a particular cycle. For example, a timer could automatically start based on a certain pressure being generated urging the eavestroughs into contact with the thermal plate. A cycle period could automatically count down and provide an audible sound at the end thereof. This cycle period could be predetermined or manually adjustable by the user. This could assist the operator in achieving consistent thermal joins. As can be appreciated, time, pressure and temperature are all important factors in heating the eavestrough ends for joining, as well as the joining step.
The joined eavestrough sections 200 and 202 of FIG. 10 have been fused at a 45 degree angle as would be required for many eavestrough corner joints. The thermal weld produced at the corner is of high structural integrity and is not prone to leakage. Thus the apparatus allows for not only joining of eavestrough sections in an end to end manner to form a continuous length of eavestrough, it also allows a thermal joining of eavestrough sections at different angles. The eavestrough sections 200 and 202 are shown in FIG. 11 showing the interior of the eavestrough. It can be seen that there is a small protrusion bulge 204 on the interior surface. As this protrusion or regional thickening is on the interior surface, it does not affect the visual appeal of the product.
The drawings show a contemporary style eavestrough section, however, the apparatus works with any open top eavestrough sections used with plastic eavestrough. The cutting and joining apparatus simplifies the formation of corner joints and end to end joining of eavestrough sections. Although the 90 degree connection is shown, it is often necessary to use a 120 degree connection where rather than a 45 degree cut, a 30 degree cut position is used. This type of angle is often associated with bow or bay windows.
Although not specifically shown, it is possible to have various predetermined index locations for the pivoting eavestrough supports on the sliding tables.
With the present invention, the power saw and the thermal plate are preferably controlled for movement into the cutting and welding gap 9 and maintained perpendicular to the sliding tables. The sliding tables control the position of the eavestrough as well as the angle of the eavestrough during cutting and subsequent joining. As can be appreciated, the cutting and joining apparatus is small and compact and easily controlled by an operator at the job site. The particular apparatus as shown for illustration purposes, has not included any shields for the saw or thermal plate. Such safety shields would be provided for the commercial unit.
In the present design, both the saw and thermal plate are provided above the base of the apparatus. It is possible to mount the thermal plate below the welding and cutting gap 9 and have it move into the gap from below. This increases the height of the device but it is a practical alternative.
The power control circuit also includes an arrangement for automatically cutting off the power to the thermal plate 12 when the saw 4 is activated. Thus the thermal plate can be supplied with power on an ongoing basis to maintain a desired temperature. When the saw 4 is activated, the power available to the thermal plate is temporarily interrupted. In this way, the device automatically interrupts power to the thermal plate when the saw is used and automatically resumes supplying power as required for heating of the thermal plate when the saw is not in use. With this arrangement, the apparatus will not exceed the current draw of the power supply. The control panel can also include a time or timing circuit to assist in controlling the joining operation.
The power controls circuit 40 includes temperature control of the thermal plate 12 to maintain it at a desired temperature. This is an adjustable control provided in the power control 40 . It is often desirable to be able to adjust this temperature for the particular job conditions and/or the plastic eavestrough being joined.
FIG. 12 shows a K style eavestrough 300 supported on a sliding sectional support 302 . This sliding sectional support 302 is removably mounted on one of the sliding tables. The support 302 receives the eavestrough in an inverted orientation and also clamps the eavestrough by the lateral blocks 304 and 306 . Wing nut 308 allows clamping of the blocks 304 and 306 . The sectional support block pivots about pin 310 and is movable to different positions as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 . These positions are end positions but any position therebetween can be set. With the sliding sectional support 302 , the eavestrough section is supported adjacent the cut line and adjacent the thermal joint. Tightening of the wing nuts prevents inadvertent movement of the sliding block 302 and thus holds it in a desired position. Also the eavestrough section remains clamped and thus maintains its orientation after cutting in preparation for the thermal joining steps. Automatic sliding is accomplished through the curved slide tracks.
With the onsite thermally joined plastic eavestrough system as described herein, the possibility of leakage is substantially reduced. In previous eavestrough corner junctions, two mechanical join lines and thus two possible leak positions occurred. For example, in an aluminum system, a 90 degree corner used a 90 degree connector for forming the corner portion. Each length of eavestrough was mechanically secured to the 90 degree connector and thus, two positions of possible leakage occur. This same analysis applies for plastic systems that use corner connectors. With the present system, as the eavestroughs are thermally joined to each other, there is only one possible leak position and the likelihood of leakage is low, due to the integral connection.
Although various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. | A method of thermally joining plastic eavestrough allows plastic eavestrough systems to be considered in more applications including traditional aluminum eavestrough systems where long lengths of continuous eavestroughs are desired. The method allows end to end joining of plastic eavestrough with a thermal joint therebetween or an angled connection with a thermal joint therebetween. This allows plastic eavestrough systems to be customized on site for improved performance and appearance. Thermally joined plastic eavestrough sections either aligned in an end to end or angled connection are possible. | 1 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for centrifugally separating solid particles of foreign matter from a fluid. More particularly, this invention relates to devices for separating of particulate fluid suspensions known as a hydrocyclone, in which centrifugal forces of the revolving particulate suspension cause separation of the suspension into finer and coarser or lighter and denser fractions.
BACKGROUND
An early cyclone method and apparatus is known from U.S. Pat. No. 453,105 (Bretney) issued May 26, 1891. Various hydrocyclone separators have been described later in many patents. All those positive pressure hydrocyclones have low separation efficiency, high pressure drop and high water contents in underflow solid product. To increase the hydrocyclone separation efficiency, an artificial air core was invented (Wlodzinierz J. Tuszko et al, Patent No. 4,927,298 issued May 22, 1990). To increase the air cyclone (cyclone dust collector) separation efficiency an air core cyclone was invented (Wlodzinierz J. Tuszko et al, application of 07/360117 Ser. No. 07/651033 filed Jan. 30, 1991). Up to now, all hydrocyclone types were fed pressurewise that means the pump is pressing the feed suspension into the cyclone inlet. The air cyclone or cyclone dust collector can be fed pressurewise (positive pressure cyclone) as well as suctionwise (negative pressure cyclone). By then, negative pressure cyclone, the pump is sucking the feed suspension into the cyclone inlet. The inlet of the positive pressure cyclone is connected to the pressure pipe of the feeding pump air blower. The outlet of the negative pressure cyclone is connected to the suction pipe of the feeding blower. The negative pressure hydrocyclone was not used up to now apparently because there was no solution to take away the heavier or coarser product from the hydrocyclone's negative pressure interior and because of a low separation efficiency. The pressure drop of the present used positive pressure hydrocyclone generally ranges from 5 to 50 psig depending upon the particular hydrocyclone size and its capacity. The fluid content in the underflow solid product of this kind hydrocyclone is about 60% to 75%.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide the negative pressure hydrocyclone to reduce the pressure loss called the pressure drop, between the cyclone inlet duct and exhaust pipe to reduce the energy consumption.
It would further be advantageous to exploit the negative pressure in hydrocyclone for a deep dewatering of the underflow solid product.
It would also be desirable to increase the operational life of the hydrocyclone feeding pump and to allow a feed pump to feed simultaneously both negative and positive pressure hydrocyclones.
It would further be desirable to allow for the use of the negative pressure hydrocyclone as a water cleaner for submerged pumps such as for cleaning water for agricultural purposes like irrigation.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
More particularly, the invention is directed to an improved hydrocyclone method and apparatus and reduction of the costs of the separating process. Briefly and in general terms, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for the introductions of the negative pressure hydrocyclone with an artificial air core to reduce the pressure drop down to 3 psig, to decrease the fluid content in the underflow solid product down to 30% and to obtain the separation efficiency about 98%.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the underflow solid product discharge with discharge container.
FIG. 2 is an enlarger view of the dewaterer of the hydrocyclone of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of an alternative embodiment of the underflow solid product discharge with a barometric discharge column.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A first preferred method and apparatus for separation of particulate suspensions in a hydrocyclone which ensures a low pressure drop, a high separation efficiency and a low water content in underflow solid product of the hydrocyclone is illustrated in FIG. 1. The negative pressure hydrocyclone 1 is fed by a pump 2 from a feed sump 3 by means of an inlet pipe 4. The hydrocyclone 1 is comprised of an upper elongated cylindrical portion 5 and a conical lower portion 6. The cylindrical portion 5 includes an inlet duct 7 for introduction of a feed suspension from the sump 3 and inlet pipe 4, in a tangential direction to be centrifugally separated and an exhaust pipe 8 for an overflow stream of smaller or lighter solids. To this overflow exhaust pipe 8, the feeding pump 2 is connected so that it is sucking the feed from sump 3 throughout overflow exhaust pipe 8, cyclone 1, inlet duct 7 and inlet pipe 4. The bottom outlet 9 is for the underflow stream of a coarser or heavier solid. To maintain a high separation efficiency, an artificial air core 10 is created from small amount of atmospheric air introduced into the hydrocyclone along its axis by means of the air core bed duct 11. The coarse or heavy solids of the underflow solid product moves through the open channel 13 of the valve 12, the pipe 13, up to container 15, while the solid discharge valve 16, dewatering valves 17 and 18 on the dewatering pipe 19, and the atmospheric air inflow valve 20 are all closed. The dewatering pipe 19 connects the dewaterer 14 and the top of the container 15 with some point of a bigger negative pressure, like for example, the hydrocyclone exhaust pipe 8. While the container 15 is filling with the solids 21, all the elements 13, 15, 14 are under working pressure difference each of them in relation to the negative pressure in exhaust pipe 8. After the container 15 is filled with solids, the channel 13 is closed by valve 12, the valves 17 and 20 are opened. Then, all elements 13, 15, and 14 are under a bigger draining pressure difference. In the first stage of draining, the container 15, free water 22 is drawn up from the top of the container 15 to the hydrocyclone overflow exhaust pipe through the pipe 19. Then the drainage driving force is the difference between the positive atmospheric pressure in the open inflow valve 20 and negative pressure in the exhaust pipe 8. In the second stage of the draining, when the upper valve 17 is closed and the lower valve 18 is opened, the interspace water from solid 21 is removed down through the dewaterer 14. Then the drainage driving force is the difference between the positive atmospheric pressure in the open inflow valve 20 and the negative pressure in the dewaterer 14. From this point, the water is moved up through the pipe 19 to the exhaust pipe 8. Then, the driving force is the difference between the negative pressure in exhaust pipe 8 and in the dewaterer 14. After the dewatering is achieved, the valve 18 is closed, the 20 remain open, the valve 16 is opened to discharge the collected and dewaterer solids 21. Parallel to the first container 15 should be built the second container 15 with all auxiliary equipment That means-with dewaterer, pipe and valves. That is the second twin container compartment. In the time when the first compartment is filled with the solids, the second compartment is drained. The valve 12 originates the change of the function of the two container compartments working for the same hydrocyclone.
The dewaterer 14 is built on the container 15 and has a bigger cross sectional area than the container 15. The details of the dewaterer are illustrated in the FIG. 2. The walls 23 of the container 15 extend down into the top portion of the dewaterer 14. Creating water-free space 24 and the water space 25. The water-free space 24 as in air pillow is created when the container 15 is filled. The bottom portion of the connection pipe 19 is in fluid communication with the water space 25. The dewaterer 14 is of a device, that can collect all the time the drain water and prevent the outlet of the pipe 19 to be clogged with the solid particles.
FIG. 3 is an alternative embodiment of the negative pressure hydrocyclone underflow product discharge with a barometric discharge column. The alternative embodiment comprises the negative pressure hydrocyclone 1 with air core 11, artificial air core 10, feeding pump 2, sump 3 and exhaust pipe 8. In this system a state of balance is created between the positive atmospheric pressure, provided on the water surface 26 in collector 27 of the solids 21 and negative pressure into the hydrocyclone 1, transmitted by the barometric discharge column 28. It is applied here, the same principle which is used to build the barometer.
The negative pressure hydrocyclone unit of the diameter 2.5 inch was built and tested in the cooperation with the discharge container as well as with the barometric discharge column. All features of the hydrocyclone given in this application were determined and checked in the tests. During the test, the hydrocyclone was working with Quartz-sand plus water suspension of the volume concentration about 15%. The following results were obtained: pressure drop 2.5 psig, water content in underflow solid product, about 30%, the separation efficiency about 98%.
This invention is not to be limited by the specific embodiment shown in the drawings or described in the description, which is given by way of example and not limitation, but only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims. | The improved hydrocyclone separating method and apparatus provides negative pressure to feed the hydrocyclone and an artificial air core into hydrocyclone. Use of the negative feeding pressure allows reduction of the cyclone pressure drop and energy consumption. The water content in the underflow solid product is decreased. Use of the artificial air core allows to obtain a high separation efficiency. Use of this hydrocyclone allows extraction of solids from liquid before the feeding pump and therefore to prevent abrasion of it. | 1 |
This application claims the benefit of Provisional No. 60/052,136 filed Jul. 10, 1997.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a motion vision sensor. The invention relates further to a motion vision sensor with self-signaling pixels.
1. Introduction
Image motion computation could benefit applications such as self guided vehicles, mobile robotics, smart vision systems and intelligent cameras. On the other hand, motion computation algorithms have large computational overheads, requiring specific architectures for real-time operation.
REFERENCES
The following references are of background interest to the present invention, and will be referred to hereinafter by the reference numeral in square brackets:
[1] Computational Sensors, Report from DARPA Workshop, T. Kanade and R. Bajcsy, Eds,. University of Pennsylvania, May 11-12, 1993.
[2] R. Sarpeshkar, W. Bair, C. Koch, “Vision Motion Computation in Analog VLSI using pulses,” in Neural Information Processing Systems 5, S. Hanson, J. Cowan, C. Giles, (eds.), Morgan Kaufman: San Mateo, pp. 781-788, 1993.
[3] R. Etienne-Cummings, S. Fernando, N. Takahashi, V. Shtonov, J. Van der Spiegel, P. Mueller, “A New Temporal Domain Optical Flow Measurement Technique for Focal Plane VLSI Implementation,” in Proc. Computer Architectures for Machine Perception , pp. 241-250, 1993.
[4] M. Arias-Estrada, M. Tremblay, D. Poussart, “A Focal Plane Architecture for Motion Computation”, Journal of Real-Time Imaging, Special Issue on Special-Purpose Architectures for Real-Time Imaging, in press.
[5] T. Delbrück and C. Mead, “Phototransduction by Continuous-Time, Adaptive, Logarithmic Photoreceptor Circuits,” Tech. Rep., California Institute of Technology, Computation and Neural Systems Program, CNS Memorandum 30, Pasadena, Calif. 91125, 1994.
[6] C. P. Chong, C. A. T. Salama, K. C. Smith. “Image motion detection using analog VLSI.” IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp 93-96.
[7] J. Lazzaro, J. Wawrzynek, M. Mahowald, M. Sivilotti, D. Gillespie, “Silicon auditory processors as computer peripherals,” IEEE Transactions On Neural Networks, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 523-527, May 1993.
[8] T. Delbrück, “Investigations of Analog VLSI Phototransduction and Visual Motion Processing,” Ph.D. Thesis, Dept. of Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif., 91125, 1993.
[9] T. Delbruck, C. Mead “Adaptive photoreceptor including adaptive element for long-time-constant continuous adaptation with low offset and insensitivity to light.” U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,813
[10] T. Delbruck, C. Mead, “Subthreshold MOS circuits for correlating analog input voltages.” U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,156
[11] M. Mahowald, M. Sivilotti, “Apparatus for carrying out asynchronous communication among integrated circuits.” U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,556
Computational sensors [1] integrate sensing and processing on a VLSI chip providing a small, low-power and real-time computing front-end. Analog processing is often used because it interfaces nicely to the real world, it requires little silicon area and it consumes low power. Analog computation low precision is not essential for motion computation. In this document, we describe a motion computation imager which detects motion at the pixel level using analog processing techniques and communicates data through a digital channel. Velocity is computed in the digital domain during off-chip communication. The implemented architecture overcome some of the limitations and difficulties encountered on other focal plane architectures for motion computation [2, 3, 4] and overpasses largely traditional systems based on CCD imagers and a CPU.
This document is organized as follows: first, a description of the motion computation algorithm is given. Then an architecture overview is described from the pixel level to the communication protocol and the velocity computation process. The next section details the VLSI implementation, describing the pixel, the communication circuitry and the system organization. Finally, some preliminary results of the motion sensor architecture are presented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a first object of the invention to provide a motion sensor which detects moving features and stores the time stamps for later computation of velocity. It is a second object of the invention to use an address-event protocol for the motion computation paradigm. It is a third object of the invention to compute the velocity by using the focal plane for detecting moving features, using an address-event protocol combined to a time-stamp protocol to facilitate further data manipulation, and a direct one-pass velocity algorithm. It is a fourth object of the invention to provide a relatively low complexity pixel, providing practical fabrication of high density arrays with standard CMOS technologies. It is a fifth object of the invention to provide a motion sensor in which velocity computation precision is programmable and dependent on an external digital timer instead of multiple analog RC constants in the focal plane, as is the case in previous approaches. It is a sixth object of the invention to provide a motion sensor in which analog VLSI computation techniques are combined with digital computation techniques. It is a seventh object of the invention to provide a motion sensor in which the architecture can be integrated with other focal plane functionalities for multifunctional vision sensors. It is an eighth object of the invention to provide a motion sensor having an SRAM cell with non-retriggerable input and asynchronous reset. It is a ninth object of the invention to provide a motion sensor in which a one pass algorithm is used to compute velocities based on the time-stamps. It is a tenth object of the invention to provide a motion sensor in which a simplified digital architecture is used to implement the one-pass algorithm which can be integrated in a sensor control module.
As will be appreciated, the invention can provide one or more of the following advantages:
Continuous velocity vector field extraction
High density array of pixels
High density array of motion vectors in real-time
Real-time operation
Minimize the use of transistors in analog VLSI susceptible to mismatch and process variation. Minimize the number of analog voltages to bias the aVLSI structures reducing routing complexity
Compact three-chip solution to the motion computation paradigm: focal plane sensor, RAM memory, digital interface
Potential low-cost fabrication
Low power consumption, robust operation.
To in part achieve the above exact objectives, the invention provides a system for detecting and determining the direction of motion of an object, an image of which object appears as an image formed by an array of pixels. The system has a motion sensor with self-signaling pixels for signaling detection of motion and transmitting information regarding that motion. It also has a digital module which receives the information regarding the detected motion, which module stores this information and after a fixed measurement time period, computes velocity vectors from said information received from a set of at least two pixels and then transmits the velocity vectors to a host computer for further use. The motion sensor and digital module thus combined allow for real-time continuous operation of the system.
In a further aspect of this invention, the motion sensor has an array with a plurality of self-signaling pixels. The system then computes velocity vectors with a set of four adjacent pixels so that the digital module computes a bi-dimensional velocity vector. The system thus computes a plurality of velocity vectors which are sent as a vector map to the host computer.
The invention also provides a method for detecting motion of an object and determining the direction and speed of that motion, the method having the steps of sensing motion of an object with a plurality of self-signaling pixels, which pixels make up an array of motion sensors. Signaling by each of the pixels as it detects motion. Sequencing for attention during a time measurement period information being provided by each of the pixels which are sensing motion. Time-stamping the information received from each of the pixels. Saving the information from each of the pixels which has been time-stamped to a specific memory address. Retrieving from memory at the end of each time measurement period the information from each pixel which has been stamped during that measurement period. Computing velocity vectors from the time-stamped information. Creating with the computed velocity vectors a velocity vector map. Finally, using the velocity vector map to determine direction of motion and speed of an object.
In a further aspect of this method, the step of computing the velocity vector consists of the steps of reading from specific memory addresses time-stamped information of four adjacent pixels. Computing the direction of a velocity vector for the time-stamped information from the four pixels. Computing the speed of the velocity vector for the time-stamped information from the four pixels. Finally, saving the velocity vector to a velocity vector map.
In another aspect of this invention, it has a self-signaling pixel for use in a motion sensor array for detecting motion. The self-signaling pixel has a photoreceptor for detecting motion. It has an analog conditioning circuitry to convert a photoreceptor signal from an analog to a digital signal. It also has a digital memory cell to store signals generated by the photoreceptor. The pixel is operatively connected to the motion sensor array such that when the photodetector detects motion, the photodetector generates an analog signal with information concerning the motion. The signal is in turn converted to a digital signal which is saved to the memory cell. This memory cell retains the information until a signal sent by the pixel to the motion sensing array is acknowledged. At this point, the information in the cell is transferred from the memory cell to the sensing array for further processing and the memory cell is reset to receive and save the next signal generated by the photodetector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be better understood by way of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the appended drawings, the content of which can be summarized as follows:
FIG. 1 ( a ) Motion detection pair, FIG. 1 ( b ) Time of travel algorithm.
FIG. 2 . Functional block diagram of the Motion Sensor.
FIG. 3 . Motion sensor system. The CMOS Motion Sensor is interfaced to a Digital control module which controls the sensor parameters and manages all the sensor requests. The digital module integrates a timer used to create the time stamps associated to the sensor requests and stored in a RAM memory. After a measurement period, the digital module computes the velocity vectors from RAM data using a one pass algorithm and transfer the vectors to the host computer. The digital module could be implemented as an off-the-shelf high performance microcontroller based board.
FIG. 4 . Image Velocity Field computation System. The Address-event protocol is used to set time-stamps based on an external time reference. Velocity is computed from neighbor pixels and passed to a host computer as the image velocity field.
FIG. 4A is a slight variation of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 5 . Motion-based Self-Signaling Pixel.
FIG. 5A is a variation of the motion based self-signaling pixel of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 6. 2:1 Cascadable Arbiter module.
FIG. 7 . Time Adaptive photodetector.
FIG. 8 . Analog correlation Circuit and Current Comparator.
FIG. 9 . Non-retriggerable Static RAM with request-acknowledge circuitry.
FIG. 10 . Simulation of the Non-retriggerable Static RAM.
FIG. 11 . Mean computation and Current Output circuitry.
FIG. 12 . Simulation of the Motion Pixel.
FIG. 13 . Cascadable 2:1 Arbitration module.
FIG. 14 . Arbitration tree for 4 Request-Acknowledge lines. Implementation based on the basic 2:1 arbitration module.
FIG. 15 . Encode logic module to connect the arbiter modules to the pixel array, including the encoding circuitry to send out the position of the encoding module.
FIG. 16 . I/O logic module that generates the internal signals for the interface and encoding modules, and send off-chip the coordinates of the encoding module.
FIG. 17 . Bidimensional distribution of arbiter trees and encoding logic for X and Y. Example for a 4×4 pixels array.
FIG. 18 . Simulation of a 4-lines arbitration tree. The first four request are sequential, then there are simultaneous requesting from R 1 -R 3 and R 2 -R 4 . Only one Acknowledge line is active at a time.
FIG. 19 . Simulation of a 16×8 motion sensor. There are X and Y arbitration trees that encodes the pixels requests in the xpos and ypos buses.
FIG. 20 . RAM distribution in the system. Sets of four neighboring pixels are placed sequentially in RAM memory to simplify the velocity computation algorithm.
FIG. 21 . Velocity computation algorithm. The digital module reads four memory locations which contains the time stamps corresponding to a 4-pixel set, and computes the velocity vector associated to the pixels. The velocity vector is send out to the host processor.
FIG. 22 . Die photograph of a 50×22 motion sensor prototype.
FIG. 23 . High level simulation using real images to validate the architecture. Divergent motion, camera approaching the tree.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
2. Motion Computation Algorithm
The motion computation architecture is based on the motion detection pair [2, 4]. The particular implementation in the architecture is a modified version of the motion pair to compute the time of travel of a moving edge (temporal correlation) [3].
The motion pair (see FIG. 1 a ) is formed by two detection units separated by a fixed distance. The inputs are a couple of temporal adaptive pixels [5] which respond to temporal varying signals (i.e. moving edges) without relying on absolute intensity levels. The temporal adaptive pixel output is converted to digital levels and the velocity module measures the time difference between the on-sets of both branches.
The moving edge 59 triggers the pixels at different time points (see FIG. 1 b ) and depending on the edge velocity, the time difference will vary according to the edge direction and speed [3,4].
The velocity vector is computed based on the velocity equation: v = d Δ t
where d is the inter-pixel distance, and Δt is the time difference measured by the velocity module Edge velocity is assumed constant during the edge displacement between pixels. The condition applies for real images if Δt is small.
In a bidimensional array, pixels can be grouped in bidimensional sets of four pixels 57 to cover X and Y directions, as illustrated in FIGS. 4, 4 A and 20 . Time differences are computed in the X and Y motion pairs. Furthermore, it is possible to compute the time difference of the motion pairs formed by the diagonal pairs. Based on the directions covered by the pairs, it is possible to measure velocity in four directions. The measured time differences can be interpolated to increase the vector computation accuracy.
3. Architecture Overview
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the motion imager. The architecture consists of an array of self-signaling pixels 55 with an address-event communication protocol [6,11] to send off-chip the pixel coordinates. The address-event system is implemented with two asynchronous 61 arbiter trees that decide on requests sequentiation, avoiding collisions during multiple motion-based pixel signalization. Two encoders 63 send out the signaling pixel coordinates during a transfer cycle.
The motion sensor 39 operates with a companion digital module 40 which interfaces it to a host processor (FIG. 3 ). The digital module 40 serves the motion sensor requests by assigning a time stamp to a RAM 42 location which corresponds to a pixel coordinate in the sensor. The digital sensor later converts these time stamps to a velocity vector (FIG. 4) and sends the vector map to a host computer. The sensor-digital module combination allows real time and continuous operation of the system.
The pixel 55 (see FIG. 5) is composed of a time-adaptive cell 51 [5] which uses analog signal processing to detect temporal illumination changes produced by moving edges in the image. The temporal adaptive cell 51 output is conditioned and compared to a threshold voltage and converted to a digital level. The signal on-set is used to set the pixel SRAM 45 which initiates row and column requests (R y , R x ) indicating that motion has been detected. Once the request has been served by an external processor, the arbiter circuitry 61 resets the SRAM 45 using the row and column Acknowledge lines (A y , A x ).
The arbitration trees 61 are built around a basic 2:1 arbiter circuit ( 6 ) (see FIG. 6 ). The arbiter is an SR flip-flop which decides on two input requests (R 1 and R 2 ) by asserting only one acknowledge line (A 1 or A 2 ). The arbiter module is cascadable: it waits for the acknowledge signal from arbiters at higher positions in the tree using R 0 and A 0 signals. In the pixel array, only one acknowledge line is set during the communication process. This line is used to encode the pixel coordinates which are sent out.
The motion sensor works as follows. First, a moving edge 59 (FIG. 4) triggers one or more pixels 55 in the array. The pixels requests are served first by the Y-arbitration tree (row) (see FIG. 2 ). Once a row is acknowledged, the X-arbitration tree (column) decides on a column and asserts the external REQ line. When the interruption is detected by the external processor, the x-y buses are enabled and communicate the pixel coordinates. Then the pixel is reset, releasing the REQ line, and leaving the system ready for a new communication cycle.
Velocity computation is carried on externally by a companion digital processor 40 that serves the sensor 39 requests (see FIG. 3 ). For each motion request, there is a time-stamp stored in a RAM 42 position corresponding to the pixel coordinates (FIG. 4 ). The time-stamp is used later to compute the time difference among neighbor pixels and obtain the velocity vector.
The possibility of pixel self-signaling allows asynchronous communication at high transfer rates. Moreover, the time constants of image feature motion are in the order of 10's of milliseconds, providing a wide time interval for multiple pixel data transfers, even for large arrays.
The digital processor 40 time reference can be selected to program the range and resolution of the velocity computation.
4. Pixel
The functional representation of a motion sensor pixel 55 is shown in FIG. 5 . The purpose of the pixel 55 is to detect temporal variations in the illumination level and to signal them by initiating a communication cycle. The pixel can be read-out for instantaneous illumination level by enabling its output using the sel_pix line and reading a mirror of the pixel photocurrent in the Iout_pix line. There is circuitry to compute the illumination mean level of all pixels in the sensor through the line sum_p.
There are several ways to implement the pixel, the description below corresponds to the most compact way developed by the author.
4.1. Adaptive Photoreceptor
The role of the adaptive photoreceptor 51 is to compute temporal variations in the illumination level. There are two ways to implement an adaptive photoreceptor: a current based circuit developed by Chong et al. [6], and the voltage based circuit developed by Delbruck [5,9]. The later circuit was used in the present implementation because it is well characterized [5] and the voltage and current operating levels are less sensitive to noise compared to the Chua's implementation.
The circuit (see FIG. 7) consists of a a photodiode D 1 biased with a NMOS transistor Mn 1 connected to Vdd, and operating in subthreshold regime. The voltage output of the photodiode is connected to a simple analog inverting amplifier formed by Mp 1 and Mn 2 with a cascade transistor Mn 3 which is always in conduction (Vcas=Vdd). The output of the amplifier is connected to a capacitor divider (C 1 and C 2 ) with a high resistive element, Mn 4 . The ratio of C 1 and C 2 is responsible of the adaptation constant of the photoreceptor. The voltage Vb bias the amplifier and it can be used to set the low-pass filter cut off frequency of the adaptive photoreceptor. The Vb voltage can be set to filter out 60 Hz noise from artificial illumination sources.
FIG. 12 shows the output of the adaptive pixel (Vout, Vmot) to a simulated edge (photodiode current /Iph/Plus). The edge produces a voltage transient step which is followed by the feedback voltage in the Mn 1 gate. This signal corresponds to the instantaneous response of the photodiode and it is used in the read-out circuitry and the motion circuitry as Vout.
The original circuit is intended for slow adaptation to illumination level. A moving edge produces a voltage transient step that is higher than the adapted DC response by (C 1 +C 2 )/C 2 , the inverse of the capacitance divider gain in the feedback loop. Mn 4 acts as an adaptive element which I-V relationship is that of a sinh function. Adaptation is slow for small output voltage steps (smooth illuminance transitions) and fast for large steps (edges in motion). The signal at the feedback loop which commands the gate of the bias transistor Mn 1 (Vout) follows the illumination changes and it can be compared with the adapted output (Vmot) to generate a motion generated signal, independent of the illumination level. This signal is then converted to digital levels.
4.2. Analog Correlation
In order to compare the instantaneous response of the adaptive pixel, with the adapted signal, an analog correlation is performed to both signals. A Delbruck's analog correlation circuit [8,10] is implemented in the pixel. The correlation circuit shown in FIG. 8 is a modified differential pair (Mn 9 , Mn 10 , Mn 11 ) with both drains connected together to a PMOS diode-connected transistor Mp 2 . An extra central branch of two nMOS transistors (Mn 12 and Mn 13 ), is connected to the inputs and serves as an analog correlation element. The differential transistors (MN 10 , Mn 11 ) and the correlation branch (Mn 12 , Mn 13 ) compete for the current set by the Vbias voltage in the Mn 9 bias transistor. The circuit works in the subthreshold regime by setting the Vbias voltage lower than the threshold voltage of transistor Mn 9 . If the differential voltage |Vmot-Vout| is close to zero, the correlation branch equals the bias current. In the other side, if the differential voltage is large, the current circulates through one of the differential pair branches, and the correlation branch current diminishes. The current of the differential branches is copied out with the pMOS transistor Mp 2 which acts as a pMOS current mirror that copy the current value to an analog comparator (Mp 3 and Mn 14 ).
FIG. 12 shows the current output of the analog correlation circuit (Mp 2 /D), as two current spikes that correspond to the simulated edges traveling over the pixel.
4.3. Analog Comparator
The output of the analog correlation circuit is compared to a reference value in order to control externally the sensitivity of edge motion detection. The added flexibility of this arrangement allow fine-tuning the sensor to different illumination and scene conditions.
The current output of the analog correlation circuit is copied to a PMOS transistor (Mp 3 ), in a current mirror configuration. Mp 3 is connected in series to a nMOS transistor Mn 14 as shown in FIG. 8 . Transistor Mn 14 works as a current source controlled by the external Vref voltage. The Iref current generated in Mn 14 competes with the Mp 3 current in the Vcomp node. If the current set by the Vref is larger than the current set by the pMOS current mirror, the Vcomp node will be pulled down. In the other side, if the current from the analog correlator is larger than the reference current, the Vcomp node will be pulled to a high state. The Vcomp output is a digital signal which is used to interface the analog part of the pixel with the digital signaling circuitry described below.
The simulated output of the analog comparator circuitry (Vcomp) is shown in FIG. 12 . It corresponds to a digital level indicating the detection of a moving edge. The levels are limited to 2.5 volts due to the non-retriggerable SRAM input, but the signal is capable of full 0-5 volts swing.
4.4. Non-Retriggerable SRAM
The output of the thresholding circuit is used to set (put a logic 1) in a static RAM cell. The cell state is then used to initiate a pixel-signaling cycle by a row and column request-acknowledge protocol. The output of the adaptive photoreceptor can take long time to settle (in the order of 10-100's milliseconds), and the output of the analog comparator could be signaling the |Vout-Vmot| absolute value difference for the same amount of time. To avoid false settings of the pixel's RAM cell, it should be sensitive only to the onset of the comparator output, and it should not be retriggered again until the comparator output returns to zero. To avoid the use of edge sensitive latches, which uses much silicon area, a non-retriggerable static RAM was developed.
FIG. 9 shows the non-retriggerable SRAM implementation. The static RAM is implemented as a couple of cross connected inverters (Mn 21 , Mp 5 , Mn 22 , and Mp 6 ). The inverters output Q is used to activate request lines implemented as pseudo-nMOS NOR gates along rows and columns in the pixel array. The row request signal is implemented with transistor Mn 23 , and the column request line with transistors Mn 24 and Mn 25 . The acknowledge lines from the arbiter trees are used to reset the static RAM state by pulling down the output with the Mn 26 and Mn 27 transistors. The row acknowledge line is used to enable the column request Rx (Mn 25 ) once the row has been served.
To set the static RAM to a logic one, the Mn 20 transistor pulls down the Qb node of the RAM cell. In order to activate the Mn 20 transistor, the X node at its gate has to be larger than 2.5 volts which is the designed switching threshold for the Mn 20 transistor and the RAM cell. Node X is connected to the Vcomp signal from the analog comparator through a half transmission gate Mn 18 , activated by the inverted value of Vcomp. Mn 19 transistor discharges the X node once the RAM cell is set to high and the half-transmission gate is open. The inverter controlling the half transmission gate (Mn 18 ) is a simplified Schmitt-trigger, implemented with transistors Mn 15 , Mn 16 , Mn 17 and Mp 4 . The Schmitt trigger inverter is designed with threshold voltages VH=3.5 volts and VL=1.7 volts.
The positive edge triggering mechanism works as follows. In an initial condition where Vcomp=0, an edge detection by the analog circuitry will produce a quick rise in Vcomp and a slow fall down, due to the slow adaptation in the photoreceptor. During Vcomp rise, the inverter will not switch until Vcomp equals VH=3.5 volts. Before switching, the output of the Schmitt-trigger inverter is High and transistor Mn 18 is closed. When Vcomp equals Vth=2.5 volts, the RAM cell is set to one. At that time, the X node is forced to zero with Mn 19 transistor and it will continue at zero until the pixel is served by the external circuitry. In the meantime, Vcomp continues to rise until it switches the Schmitt-Trigger inverter, opening the Mn 18 half transmission gate. Mn 18 will not be enabled until Vcomp fall under VL=1.7 volts. At this voltage, it cannot trigger the RAM cell because the X node will be under the threshold voltage Vth=2.5 volts.
If the pixel has adapted and the thresholding output has returned to zero, the static RAM could be retriggered again. Simulated performance of the non-retriggerable circuit is shown in FIG. 10 . The RAM cell is set whenever there is a positive edge at the Vcomp input, and it can be reset even if the input signal is high.
The full pixel simulation is shown in FIG. 12, the row and column acknowledge signals are simulated with a single reset signal, that is delayed several milliseconds to better show the Rx and Ry signals. Actual asynchronous operation will serve requests in some nano-seconds, the static propagation of asynchronous arbitration circuitry.
4.5. Mean Computation
Additional circuitry is included in the pixel that could be useful in practical applications. A collective mean computation circuit (see FIG. 11) is implemented with two transistors Mn 5 and Mn 6 . Mn 5 transistor mirrors the instantaneous response of the photodetector and it is converter to a voltage at the sum_p terminal by the diode-connected Mn 6 transistor. The sum_p terminal is connected to the same terminal of all the pixels in the array. Each pixel will draw a current and reflect a proportional voltage, but only a global voltage in sum_p is kept which corresponds to the mean level of all pixels. Direct read-out of this signal can guide external circuitry to set an electrical iris to regulate the amount of light received by the sensor. The signal could be used for other on-chip signal processing in multifunctional vision sensors.
4.6. Illumination Read-Out
Instantaneous illumination output is also included in the pixel (see FIG. 11 ). A current copy of the instantaneous response output of the photodetector is mirrored to a couple of transistors in series Mn 7 and Mn 8 . Mn 8 transistor is used to enable the current output Iout_pix to a row or column bus. The pixel array outputs can be read-out using X and Y bidirectional shift-registers to select individual pixels and route-out the pixel current value. Scanning schemes, like continuous or addressable can be used to read-out intensity images from the pixel array, or use the analog signal for further analog signal processing.
5. Arbitration Circuitry
The Arbiter Tree circuitry serves requests from the pixel array by selecting only one pixel and sending off-chip the pixel coordinates. The circuitry is completely asynchronous providing high speed response to pixel requests. With current microelectronics technologies, high density arrays (higher than 256×256 pixels) can be served in real time without speed and bottleneck limitations.
The arbitration circuitry is based on a simple 2:1 arbitration module that can be connected in a tree with other similar cells. Additional digital circuitry is included in the arbiters connected directly to the pixel array for buffering and pixel position encoding purposes.
5.1. Basic Arbitration Module
The basic 2:1 arbitration circuit is shown in FIG. 13 . The arbitration module asserts only one acknowledge line (A 1 or A 2 ) if there is a request input at R 1 and/or R 2 and the A 0 input is high. If both request lines are active at the same time, only one acknowledge line is activated.
The circuit is formed by an SR-latch composed of NAND gates I 2 and I 3 . An R 0 output propagates to deeper levels of the tree the state of the arbitration module. R 0 is computed as the OR function between R 1 and R 2 . If the arbitration modules deeper in the tree grant permission to the module, a high state is set in the A 0 input and the output of the SR-latch is gated to the A 1 and A 2 outputs through NOR gates I 5 and I 6 . All I/O signals are positive active, the arbitration module at the bottom of the arbitration tree only needs to connect the R 0 output to its A 0 input.
5.2. Arbitration Tree
The basic 2:1 arbitration circuit can be cascaded as shown in FIG. 14, to serve several requests. If there are more than one line requesting communication at the same time, arbiter modules in deeper levels of the tree will grant acknowledge to only one request at a time. The number of arbitration trees needed for N requesting lines is (N−1). The arbitration modules connected to the pixel array are interfaced with an Encode logic module.
5.3. Encode Logic Module
An Encode logic module is used to interface the arbitration tree with the request and acknowledge lines from the pixel array. The Encode logic module is shown in FIG. 15 . The module includes buffering circuitry for the acknowledge lines formed by inverters I 0 and I 1 . Gate I 2 is used in combination with transistors Mn 1 , M 2 and Mp 1 to interface the incoming request line from the pixel array. Mp 1 transistor is a pseudo-nMOS pull-up device to force the request line to high. The line is pulled down by a requesting pixel. If the external (off-chip) Acknowledge line (buffered in signals Ack and Ackb) is Low, the Req_arbiter signal is activated and the arbitration tree initiates a serving cycle. Once the arbitration tree responds with a high state at the Ack_arbiter line, the pixel is reset through the buffered Ack_column line. This signal will pull down the requesting line using the Mn 2 transistor while the off-chip Acknowledge (ACK_ext) line is High, allowing the external circuitry to read-out the pixel coordinates encoded in the module. The column or row position of the Encode logic module is encoded by transistors Mnx 0 -Mnxn — 1 that pull down pseudo-nMOS lines which are selectively connected according to the binary position of the module. For the column arbiter tree, a global request line (Req_global) is pulled-down to signal off-chip that a request is been served by the arbitration tree, and that the external circuitry needs to attend it.
5.4. Input/Output Logic Module
The Encode logic is connected to a single I/O-logic module (see FIG. 16) that contains the pseudo-nMOS pull-up transistors. Then, the encoding lines are inverted (Ia 0 -Ian_ 1 ), and they are sent off-chip. A similar array is repeated for the Y[0:n−1] lines. The module also includes buffering circuitry (I 0 -I 3 ) for the external acknowledge line (ACK_ext) which is sent to all the arbiter logic modules as the buffered signals Ack and Ackb. Finally, a pull-up pMOS transistor with inverter Iareq sends off-chip the column request line to initiate an off-chip communication cycle.
5.5. X and Y Arbitration Trees for Bidimensional Arrays
FIG. 17 shows the I/O module connections in a 4×4 pixels array. Two arbitration trees serve the pixel requests. First a pixel sends a request along the row line where the Y-arbitration tree acknowledges the row. Then, the pixel initiates a column request. The X-arbiter acknowledges the column, and initiates an external request through the REQb_ext line (active-low signal). If the external digital device is ready to serve the sensor's request, it sets High the ACK_ext line and read-out the coordinates of the requesting pixel. At this moment, the REQb_ext line will return to High until a new request is initiated.
Using Verilog HDL, a simulation of the communication cycle is presented in FIG. 19 . The simulation corresponds to a 16×8 pixels array with X and Y arbitration trees. There are several pixels signaling at the same time, encoded in the test vector in[1:128]. The external REQ and ACK lines are used to read sequentially the pixels coordinates encoded in buses xpos[7:0] and ypos[7:0].
To recapitulate the foregoing, FIGS. 5 and 5A are block diagrams of the motion sensor. The architecture consists of an array of self-signaling pixels with an event-address communication protocol to send off-chip the pixel coordinates.
The pixels detect illumination changes in the image using analog VLSI techniques. If motion is detected, the pixels initiate a signalization signal by sending requests through row and column lines to arbitration circuits.
The event-address system is implemented with two asynchronous arbiter tress 7 that decide on requests sequencing, avoiding collisions during multiple motion-based pixel signalization. Encoder circuits codify the signaling pixel position into two coordinate buses Arbiter circuits implement the off-chip communication by handshake signals REQ and ACK.
In addition, the architecture includes scanning circuitry to read out the illumination value from each pixel. The scanners select an individual pixel through row and column lines and route out a copy of the photoreceptor instantaneous response.
The pixels are composed of a time-adaptive photoreceptor 5 , analog conditioning circuitry and a 1-bit digital memory cell (see FIG. 6 ). The photoreceptor uses adaptation to detect temporal illumination changes produced by moving edges in the image. The photoreceptor provides two outputs, an instantaneous illumination output and a time-adapted output that responds with rapid voltage transitions when temporal illumination changes are sensed.
The photoreceptor adaptive output is compared to its instantaneous response, then compared to an external threshold voltage (which sets the sensitivity to the edge spatiotemporal contrast) and finally converted to a digital level. The signal is then used to trigger the pixel memory cell which indicates the detection of motion. The memory cell is interfaced to row and column lines used to initiate a request signal. Once the request has been served, the surrounding arbitration circuitry resets the memory state by asserting row and column Acknowledge lines.
The arbiter trees are built around a basic cascadable 2:1 arbitration cell operating asynchronously (see FIG. 6 ). The arbiter module asserts only one acknowledge line if any of the input request lines (or both) are active. Request activity is passed at deeper levels by OR-ing both request signals R o ). The arbiter modules works only is a deeper level enables the module through the A o signal, that is, if the arbiter at a deeper level has decided on a request.
Two encoders send out the signaling pixel coordinates during a transfer cycle. The communication process is coordinated externally through a request (REQ) and an acknowledge (ACK) line.
The motion sensor works as follows: when a moving edge triggers one or more pixels in the array, the pixels initiate a communication cycle. Only one pixel is served at a time. The pixels requests are served first by the Y-arbitration tree (row). Once a row is acknowledged, the X-arbitration tree (column) decides on a column and asserts the external REQ line. When the interruption is detected by the external processor, the x-y buses are enabled, communicating the pixel coordinates off-chip. External circuitry reads the pixel coordinates and asserts the ACK line to finish the communication cycle. The pixel is reset, releasing the REQ line, and leaving the system ready for a new communication cycle.
The motion sensor operation is continuous in time. Communication is completely asynchronous, limited internally by the propagation delay of the arbitration and encoding circuitry, and externally by the speed of the coprocessing module to read out the pixel coordinates.
6. System
The sensor facilitates the detection of motion by self-signaling pixels that communicate their coordinates off-chip. Pixel positions are associated to an external RAM position where a time-stamp is stored. The time stamps are generated in a free running counter (digital timer) with a programmable time reference.
6.1. Digital Module
The role of the digital module 40 is to serve the motion sensor 49 requests by reading the signaling pixel coordinates, and writing the current time stamp to the external RAM memory 42 . After a fixed measurement time period, the digital module reads out the time-stamps from RAM 42 and applies a one-pass algorithm 47 to compute velocity vectors that are stored on RAM and/or send-out to a host processor for higher level processing. Off-the-shelf microprocessor boards and microcontroller systems are perfectly suited for this task where memory mapped devices like the motion sensor and the RAM can be accessed directly. Microcontrollers also include timer circuitry, interface circuitry and interruption based functionality. Further integration can be achieved by designing a custom digital module with a microprocessor core and additional circuitry to speed up the velocity computation algorithm. Thus a compact 3 chip system can be put together, that could compute in real time image motion.
6.2. RAM Organization, Pixel Data Grouping
In order to simplify the velocity vectors computation, an special distribution of RAM memory is implemented. To compute a 1-D velocity vector, an edge has to travel along two neighbor pixels. In the 2-D case, the edge has to travel across four pixels in Cartesian coordinates, providing four time-stamps in the motion sensor. The sensor is divided in regular sets of four pixels as shown in FIG. 20 . The pixel coordinates represents a unique RAM address where the time-stamp will be written. To facilitate data distribution, adjacent memory locations in RAM correspond to pixels in a set. Automatic distribution of addresses from the pixel coordinates is obtaining by wiring the coordinates bus as shown in FIG. 20, where the two LSB of the address corresponds to the LSB of the X and Y coordinate buses from the sensor.
Before measuring motion, the RAM has to be cleared by filling it with zeros. During motion measurement, several locations are written with time-stamps, and once the measurement period has finished, the digital module applies a one-pass algorithm that computes the velocity vector for each set of pixels. Thus, a m×n sensor will have a m/2×n/2 velocities vector field.
6.3. One-Pass Algorithm
The velocity computation algorithm calculates the velocity vector from the four time stamps of a set of four neighbor pixels. The organization of data in RAM memory speed up the computation because data is read-out from contiguous locations avoiding pixel position recalculation. The algorithm computes a resultant velocity vector by first computing the velocity vectors along the principal axis. Using the time differences, the velocity vectors along the X, Y, 45° and 135° can be computed directly. The sign of the time stamp difference can be used to locate the direction and quadrant where the resultant vector is located. Then, the resultant vector can be computed using the time stamp difference absolute value, reducing the computation to a 0°-90° range.
Good resolution in the time-stamp generator (timer) will provide enough precision to compute the resultant vector avoiding the problems encountered in a previous design that did not use the arbitration circuitry [4].
FIG. 21 resumes the velocity computation algorithm.
Velocity computation is carried on externally by a companion digital processor that serves the sensor requests (see FIG. 4 A). The velocity computation module consists on a digital control module, a digital timer, RAM memory and a host interface. The control module serves the requests from the motion sensor and uses the timer values to generate the time stamps. For each motion request, the digital module assigns a temporal label (time-stamp) to a RAM location corresponding to the pixel coordinate. The time-stamps are used later to compute the time difference among neighbor pixels and obtain the velocity vector.
The velocity computation process is executed at a fixed rate. Motion events are captured during a predefined period of time (measurement period) that depends on the scale of motion to be measured. RAM memory is initially set to zero values, and then filled with the time stamps from the sensor-coprocessor communication process. At the end of the measurement period, the time-stamp list is scanned and a one-pass algorithm is applied to compute the velocity vectors. A velocity vector table is generated and sent to a host computer through the system interface.
The motion sensor is time-scale programmable. The time reference can be programmed to the range and resolution of the velocity computation required for a specific application.
The possibility of pixel self-signaling allows asynchronous communication at high transfer rates in the order of microseconds. On the other hand, the time constants of image feature motion are in the order of 10's of milliseconds, providing a wide time interval for multiple pixel data transfers. Bottleneck problems are not a concern, even for dense pixel arrays. The communication channel is optimally used since data is only transmitted when motion is detected.
In a motion pair monitored by a digital timer, minimum and maximum velocity values are limited by the maximum and minimum time-differences measured, respectively. The velocity range is given by: V max = Δ x Δ t min V min = Δ x Δ t max
wherein
Δt is the distance between adjacent photoreceptors, equal to 1 pixel for a 1-D array,
Δt max and Δt min are the maximum and minimum measured time-of-travel or time difference.
Additionally, the measurement of Δt is confined to a fixed measurement period that will be called frame thereafter for convenience, although the concept of frames as in digital sequences is not valid, because the edge detection and the velocity computation are contained in the continuous time between frames.
The minimum time measurement Δt min , corresponds to the smallest time step (T step ) used in the time-base (digital timer), but it corresponds to an extremely large velocity not implemented in practical systems. Properly chosen, the minimum time step can be far from the noise limit imposed by the system physics. The maximum velocity that the motion pair can measure has to be limited to avoid spatial alias effects. Spatial alias occurs when an edge triggers more than one motion pair during the same measurement period, reporting false velocity vectors as a trace. A maximum velocity would correspond to a measure of several time steps from the digital time reference.
Δt max defines the minimum velocity measured. Given that the minimum velocity that a motion pair can measure is 1 pixel/frame, Δt max sets the maximum count allowed in the digital time reference during a frame.
The measurement period or frame is thus, divided in discrete time steps:
T F =N Q T step
where T F is the measurement period corresponding to a frame, it could last any arbitrary period of time. N Q is the number of quantization steps to measure the minimum velocity of V min −1 pixel/frame, T step is the duration of the quantization step programmed in the time base, that is, the time it takes the timer counter to increment one count.
In high density arrays where motion pairs are adjacent to each other, the maximum velocity allowed to avoid spatial alias effects is 3 pixels/frame.
In Cartesian topology (see FIG. 2 ), motion pairs can be formed by grouping the pixels along the X and Y axis (motion pairs 1 - 2 , 3 - 4 , 2 - 3 and 1 - 4 ). Additionally, pairs oriented to 45° (motion pairs formed by pixels 1 - 3 and 2 - 4 ) can be used to enhance the angular resolution. The 360° is divided into 8 angular regions covering 45°. Each motion pair covers an angular resolution of 45° distributed symmetrically around its own axe in a ±22.5° interval.
7. VLSI Implementation
A concept proof prototype was developed in a 1.5 microns CMOS technology. The prototype integrates a 50×22 pixels array in two fabrication tiles. FIG. 22 is a microphotograph of the fabricated motion sensor. Table 1 summarizes the principal characteristics of the prototype.
TABLE 1
MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MOTION SENSOR PROTOTYPE
Fabrication technology
1.5 microns, 2-metal, 2-poly,
pwell CMOS
Chip size
6.2 × 3.1 mm
Pixel size
210 microns2
Capacitor area in the pixel
250 microns2
Transistors per pixel
33, including read-out
transistors
Pixel intensity output
Continuous time operation
Logarithmic I/V conversion
Input/Output data format
Motion
Pixel address buses X[0:5],
Y[0:5]
Request and Acknowledge lines
Input bias voltages to set
operation points
Scanners
X and Y scanners independent controls for
dir, clk and datain
ovlx, ovly, overflow outputs
Iout current output
Others
Imean, illumination mean output
Package
68-pin PGA
PowerSupply
5 V
The pixel employs only 33 transistors including read-out transistors and the global mean-illumination computation circuitry. Motion events are communicated through an output three-state bus, microprocessor compatible. The circuit may be interfaced directly to a microprocessor bus and served during interrupt requests.
Additionally, intensity images can be read-out by a conventional scanning mechanism which samples each pixel in the array. The intensity output is a multiplexed current copy of the instantaneous pixel response to illumination. An illumination-mean output is also provided in order to estimate the scene illumination level, as a guide to external control circuitry such as electronic iris, and to the dynamic control of the quantization range of an external A/D converter.
8. Results
A 50×22 pixels version of the motion vision sensor is currently installed in a custom camera. The camera is controlled by a high performance microcontroller which scans the sensor, serves motion-produced interrupt requests and communicates velocity vector fields and intensity images to a host computer through a standard serial link. Preliminary experiments show good performance.
FIG. 23 illustrates some results from high level simulations with real images. The architecture does not deal with the aperture problem, but the velocity field provided by the sensor can be easily processed by higher levels of the system.
9. Conclusions
A focal plane motion sensor architecture was developed. The sensor detects moving edges and communicates its position in real-time. An address event protocol, combined with a time-stamp scheme, labels each motion event for later velocity computation. Separating velocity computation from motion sensing simplify the sensor pixel design without sacrificing performance, and benefiting the system with an optimal pixel size for large array applications. A high resolution sensor (128×128 pixels, 8×6 mm in a 0.8 microns CMOS technology) is in fabrication. The architecture can be integrated effectively to other focal plane architectures for smart imagers or complex vision machines. | A custom CMOS imager with integrated motion computation is described. The architecture is centered around a compact mixed-mode pixel with digital asynchronous self-signaling capabilities. An address-event communication channel with an external time-stamp protocol is used to compute image features velocities. The motion sensor could be used in applications such as self-guided vehicles, mobile robotics and smart surveillance systems. | 7 |
[0001] This is a Continuation of International Application PCT/EP2011/000687, with an international filing date of Feb. 15, 2011, which was published under PCT Article 21(2) in German, and the complete disclosure of which, including amendments, is incorporated into this application by reference.
FIELD OF AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a fork light barrier, and in particular to a position determining device and/or method employing such a fork light barrier.
[0003] In order to detect the position of parts moving relative to one another, in conventional devices, fork light barriers are used with a light-emitting diode and two light sensors. Attached to one part at regular separations are so-called vanes and windows which move, according to the relative movement of the parts, between the light-emitting diode and the light sensors. If a so-called vane is positioned in front of a light sensor, the light stream from the light-emitting diode to the light sensor is interrupted. If a window is positioned between the light-emitting diode and the light sensor, the light stream is free to strike the light sensor. The arrangement of the light barrier or the size of the vanes and windows is selected such that, according to the electrical light barrier signals, both the distance covered and the movement direction can be determined. A disadvantage of the known devices for determining position as described above is that said devices can only detect position incrementally. In order to recognize a reference position, such as a start position or a zero location, a further sensor is required. This sensor is typically provided by means of a further fork light barrier which is interrupted in the whole region of travel of the moving body at one position by a single vane. The use of a second fork light barrier or of a second sensor and a further light sensor and a second, separate vane represents an undesirable additional outlay for the arrangement.
[0004] DE 102 45 170 A1 discloses a device and a method for positioning an optical component. Two detectors are provided herein which simultaneously detect different encoding means if the recording device is situated in a particular detent position. In a region between two adjacent detent devices, only one of the two detectors detects an encoding means. In this construction, it is not possible to easily determine the rotation direction from the light signals.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,719 B1 discloses a light barrier for determining the movement of two objects relative to one another. The TR pairs (transmitter-receiver pairs) are arranged alternately on opposing sides of the two moving parts. The moving parts have particular geometrical transmission or reflection properties. However, the structure of said geometrical surfaces and the evaluation thereof are too complex.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,645 A discloses an elevator speed detector wherein vanes and windows are arranged on a measuring strip in the elevator shaft. The measuring strip has two regions on which a plurality of vanes and windows having increasing size and spacing are arranged, in alternating manner. Furthermore, test marks are provided to preclude errors. The arrangement disclosed herein therefore also requires a plurality of optical interrupter paths (vanes and windows). Movement direction recognition is also not provided.
[0007] EP 2101197 A1 and EP 0 617298 B1 disclose simple fork light barriers which have only one transmission path.
[0008] EP 0 377097 B1 discloses an absolute position sensor for determining the position of a steering wheel, having a plurality of sensors which are arranged individually around an encoding disk.
[0009] The aforementioned known arrangements and methods employ various different approaches but do not enable any simple determination of the reference position, the incremental movement as well as the movement direction.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is an object of the invention to provide a device and a method which, in simple manner, enable a reference position and an incremental movement as well as the movement direction of a movable part to be determined.
[0011] According to a first aspect of the invention, a fork light barrier is provided which has at least three light sensors. Said three light sensors are arranged along an axis. A first light sensor, a second light sensor and a third light sensor are provided, the second light sensor being arranged between the first and third light sensors. In this way, a reference or zero location can also essentially be detected with the fork light barrier by means of incremental position detection.
[0012] The separation of the first light sensor from the second light sensor of the three light sensors can advantageously be less than the separation of the second light sensor from the third light sensor of the three light sensors. By this means, the reference position or the zero location can be detected more reliably.
[0013] Advantageously, the three light sensors and the at least one light-emitting element are arranged in a common housing. This renders it possible, through modification of the length of windows and vanes, to detect each of the movement direction, the position and also the reference position (zero location or start position).
[0014] The fork light barrier can comprise one or more light-emitting components, for example, one or more light-emitting diodes. Said light-emitting diode/diodes is/are configured so as to emit light in the direction toward the light sensors. The light beam(s) of the light-emitting component(s) is/are either interrupted or allowed through by the passing windows and vanes.
[0015] A fork light barrier according to the invention can also be equipped with three light-emitting components (for example, LEDs) and only one photodiode. Advantageously, the light-emitting components light up and extinguish alternately at a pre-determined frequency. Based on knowledge of the control of the light-emitting components and the respective state of the photodiode, the respective position of the windows or vanes can then also be determined.
[0016] The fork light barrier can advantageously be used in devices for detecting the position or location of two parts which are moving relative to one another. The axis on which the three light sensors are arranged advantageously lies along a movement direction of vanes and windows. The vanes and windows, in turn, move in accordance with the relative motion of the parts themselves, allowing the position, location and/or movement direction of said parts to be detected.
[0017] In an advantageous embodiment, the length of at least one vane or of a window is changed such that, in this way, the start position, zero location or reference position can be detected automatically. This is achieved, for example, if a first vane or a first window is shorter than the separation of the first and third light sensors and a second vane or a second window is long enough in order to cover the first, second and third light sensors simultaneously. Therefore at least one window or vane is provided which has an excess length relative to the other windows and vanes. It thereby becomes possible, in general, to detect both an incremental movement of the moving part and the reference position. As soon as the first, second and third light sensors are covered simultaneously or uncovered simultaneously, the device is able to confirm that the reference position has been reached. As long as this does not take place, the light sensors are covered or uncovered in a particular sequence from the first to the third or from the third to the first light sensor. In this way, the direction of the movement, the relative position as well as the absolute position or location of the parts moving relative to one another can all be determined on the basis of the light falling on the light sensors. In the context of the present application, a window lessens the incidence of light from a light-emitting element arranged at the fork light barrier onto the light sensors less strongly than does a vane. In the simplest case, the vane interrupts the light beam from the light-emitting element to one or more light sensors, while a window enables the unhindered incidence of light.
[0018] In an advantageous embodiment, the length of the second vane can be one and a half times the length of the first vane. In this way, the length of the vane and the length of the window can be, for example, L 1 . The length L 2 of the second vane (reference vane) can then be 1.5*L 1 . The separation of the first sensor from the second sensor can advantageously be 0.5*L 1 . The separation of the second sensor from the third sensor can then be 0.75*L 1 .
[0019] According to another embodiment, windows and vanes can be swapped. This would mean that not all three sensors would be covered simultaneously in order for the reference position to be recognized, but rather that all three sensors would be illuminated simultaneously.
[0020] The length of the second window could therefore be one and a half times the length of the first window. In this case, also, the length of the vane and the length of the window could be, for example, L 1 . The length L 2 of the second window (reference window) can then be 1.5*L 1 . The separation of the first sensor from the second sensor can then advantageously be 0.5*L 1 and the separation of the second sensor from the third sensor can be 0.75*L 1 .
[0021] In an advantageous embodiment, due to the signal symmetry, the first light sensor and the second light sensor can then be used for incremental position determination.
[0022] According to the present invention, three light sensors can be provided in a common housing in the form of a single fork light barrier. Overall, this results in a reduced cost for component placement and assembly. The separations between the sensors can be predetermined on the basis of the arrangement thereof in the housing. Adjustment of the individual light sensors relative to one another is then no longer necessary.
[0023] In another embodiment, the light sensors can also be provided in a plurality of individual housings if the spatial arrangement therefor requires.
[0024] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for detecting the position of a moving part. The position is advantageously detected with a fork light barrier which has at least three light sensors arranged along the movement direction of the moving part. A second light sensor can lie between a first and a third light sensor.
[0025] The separation between a first light sensor and a second light sensor can advantageously be smaller than the separation of the second light sensor from a third light sensor. The detection of a reference position, starting position or zero location is advantageously carried out in that the incidence of light onto the first, second and third sensor is interrupted. Alternatively, the reference position can also be determined in that the incidence of light onto the first, second and third sensor simultaneously is possible or can take place on all three sensors simultaneously.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] Further aspects of the present invention are disclosed in the following description of exemplary embodiments, making reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0027] FIG. 1 is a representation of a fork light barrier according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the method and the device according to the present invention, and
[0029] FIG. 3 is a simplified representation of an exemplary circuit arrangement according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0030] FIG. 1 shows a fork light barrier 1 according to aspects of the present invention. The fork light barrier is constructed from a fixed housing and has two parallel limbs 2 and 3 lying opposing one another and held at a fixed separation and in a fixed arrangement relative to one another by a web 4 . Arranged in the limb 2 are one or more light-emitting elements such as one or more light-emitting diodes (LED) which, during operation, emits/emit light towards the opposing limb 3 . Provided in the opposing limb 3 are three slits SL 1 , SL 2 and SL 3 . According to the invention, said slits are provided such that the first slit SL 1 and the second slit SL 2 are arranged closer to one another than are the second slit SL 2 and the third slit SL 3 . Arranged behind each of the slits SL 1 , SL 2 and SL 3 is a light sensor (for example, photodiode or photosensor) which detects whether light falls through the slit or not. The slits SL 1 , SL 2 and SL 3 are also arranged along an axis X which also corresponds to the movement direction of vanes and windows which are arranged at a part which moves relative to another part. The movement along the movement direction {right arrow over (X)} is linear or a partial approximation to a linear movement, e.g. a section of a rotary or circular movement, so that the vanes and windows move along between the limbs 2 and 3 of the fork light barrier. The movement takes place in accordance with a movement of parts moving relative to one another, the relative position or location of which parts is to be determined.
[0031] The separation of the two slits SL 1 and SL 2 , specifically the separation from outer edge to outer edge, is L 1 . The separation of the slits SL 1 and SL 3 , specifically also from outer edge to outer edge, is L 2 . The separation of the second and third slits SL 2 and SL 3 is greater than L 1 (also measured at the opposing outer edges). According to the present invention, at least one vane (second vane or reference vane) is provided which has a length L 2 which is greater than the length L 1 . The other vanes (first vanes) typically have a length L 1 . Similarly, windows with the lengths L 1 or L 2 can be provided.
[0032] The vanes of length L 1 can only cover the slits SL 1 and SL 2 simultaneously. Only the vane of length L 2 (reference vane) can simultaneously cover slits SL 1 and SL 3 and, in this arrangement, can thus also simultaneously cover the second slit SL 2 (and the light sensors arranged thereunder) arranged between SL 1 and SL 3 . In this manner, it is possible with one and the same arrangement, that is, the fork light barrier 1 shown, to implement in one housing determinations of both the reference position and of the incremental position. In particular, the spacing of the vanes, that is the width or length of the windows, can also be L 1 .
[0033] FIG. 2 shows a simplified schematic representation, by reference to which the functioning of the fork light barrier as well as of a device which uses the fork light barrier 1 of FIG. 1 is described in greater detail. The device 5 is indicated only schematically here and, accordingly, would therefore comprise both the fork light barrier 1 with the light sensors FT 1 , FT 2 and FT 3 and the light-emitting element LED, as well as a moving part (not shown) at which the vanes F 1 and F 2 are arranged. The vanes F 1 correspond to the vanes of the first type, which have a length of L 1 . Each vane is separated from the next by a window W 1 which, in the present exemplary embodiment, also has a length L 1 . Only the vanes of the second type (reference vane) F 2 have a length L 2 . The length L 2 corresponds to the external separation between the first light sensor FT 1 and the third light sensor FT 3 . The position of the light sensors FT 1 , FT 2 and FT 3 can correspond, for example, to the slits SL 1 , SL 2 and SL 3 shown in FIG. 1 . The first light sensor FT 1 and the third light sensor FT 3 are therefore arranged at an external separation L 2 from one another. The first light sensor FT 1 and the second light sensor FT 2 have a separation L 1 from one another in respect of the outer edges thereof. The separation between the second light sensor FT 2 and the third light sensor FT 3 is greater than L 1 (also measured at the opposing outer edges of the sensors). Thus, in the relevant position, a vane Fl simultaneously covers both light sensors FT 1 and FT 2 , but not all three light sensors FT 1 , FT 2 and FT 3 . Only the reference vane F 2 covers, with the length L 2 thereof, all three light sensors FT 1 , FT 2 and FT 3 simultaneously in the relevant position. In an advantageous embodiment, the size of the vane F 1 and the size of each window W 1 is exactly L 1 . The size of the reference vane, that is, the vane of the second type, is 1.5*L 1 . Thus, L 2 is equal to 1.5*L 1 in this particular embodiment. Furthermore, the separation between the light sensor FT 1 and the light sensor FT 2 with respect to the mid-line of the two sensors is 0.5*L 1 . With respect to the mid-lines, the separation between the light sensor FT 2 and the light sensor FT 3 is thus 0.75*L 1 . The light sensors FT 1 and FT 2 thus serve, in general, for incremental position determination.
[0034] The vane of the second type (reference vane F 2 ) does not have to have exactly the length of the separation of the two light sensors FT 1 and FT 3 (or slits SL 1 and SL 3 ). Although this is advantageous, embodiments are also possible in which the reference vane is longer than the separation between the two outermost light sensors FT 1 and FT 3 .
[0035] In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the signals from both the light sensors FT 1 and FT 2 are evaluated as a two-place binary signal. This is shown by the following Table 1:
[0000]
TABLE 1
Vane F1 (or window W1) of the first type
FT1
FT2
FT3
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
[0036] Thus, if a vane Fl moves from left to right past the light sensors FT 1 and FT 2 , a sequence will always be produced as in the above Table 1. Naturally, the logical levels could also be evaluated the other way around or can be subjected to an inversion, so that correspondingly inverted values are produced in the table. Similarly, the levels for a passing window of length L 1 could be given and could either have the values given in Table 1 or the inverted values. Based on the sequence, it can always be determined in which direction one of the vanes F 1 (or windows W 1 ) moves past the light sensors FT 1 , FT 2 . The light sensor FT 3 must not necessarily be included in this incremental positional determination. If a vane F 2 of the second type (or a window with a suitable length) now passes the sensors, the two states of the following Table 2 can additionally result:
[0000]
TABLE 2
Special states for vane F2 (or window W2) of the second type
FT1
FT2
FT3
0
0
0
1
1
1
[0037] It should be noted that, for Table 2, the three ones and the three zeros can result for vanes or windows, depending on the type of fork light barrier, the type of light sensors and the number of resulting inversions. As a result, from the disclosed arrangement, it becomes possible to logically derive the reference position.
[0038] In further refined embodiments, a plurality of reference or zero locations are provided. Analogously, a plurality of reference vanes or reference windows can be provided.
[0039] Evaluation of the signals can be carried out using logical circuits or in a microcontroller, computer or the like. The corresponding electronics can be a component of the device itself or implemented externally.
[0040] The device is, for example, a balance and the moving part is part of the balance, for example, a cover or hood of the balance. The hood executes, for example, a circular movement for opening and closing. Arranged at the hood or cover are windows and vanes according to the present invention. Said vanes and windows move through the fork light barrier provided with the three light sensors and the light emitting element (e.g. light-emitting diode) according to the opening movement or the closing movement. Apart from the incremental position, the zero location of the hood or cover is then always reliably recognized based on the reference vane or the reference window using the fork light barrier according to the invention.
[0041] FIG. 3 shows a simplified schematic representation of a fork light barrier 1 according to the present invention which, for example, is arranged in a device 5 which also has a moving part. The representation according to FIG. 3 shows the circuit implementation of the fork light barrier. The first limb 2 accordingly has a light-emitting diode LED which is connected with the anode and the cathode thereof to a voltage supply in order to emit light. Provided no interruption of the light path takes place, the light from the light-emitting diode LED falls on the second limb 3 in which the light sensors FT 1 , FT 2 , FT 3 are arranged. Said light sensors are configured based on bipolar transistors of the NPN type. Due to the light incident on the bases of the light sensors FT 1 , FT 2 , FT 3 , a flow of current through the transistors is made possible. The collectors are connected together at the node C. The current flow through the respective transistor can then be determined or tapped off at the emitters. The individual light sensors FT 1 , FT 2 and FT 3 are advantageously arranged according to the geometrical data disclosed above with respect to FIG. 2 and FIG. 1 . Therefore, based on the evaluation of the signals E 1 , E 2 and E 3 , the position determination and the reference position determination are carried out in accordance with the above description.
[0042] In a variant embodiment, the fork light barrier is provided with three light-emitting components (for example, three LEDs) and only one light sensor. In this embodiment, the three light-emitting components must be switched on and off alternately at a pre-determined, sufficiently high frequency. Based on knowledge of the driving of the light-emitting elements and the state of the one light sensor (for example, photodiode) based thereon, the respective position of the windows or vanes can then also be determined. Accordingly, a reference position or a zero location can be determined by means of an elongated vane or an elongated window according to the previously described aspects.
[0043] The above description of the preferred embodiments has been given by way of example. From the disclosure given, those skilled in the art will not only understand the present invention and its attendant advantages, but will also find apparent various changes and modifications to the structures and methods disclosed. The applicant seeks, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims, and equivalents thereof. | A fork light barrier ( 1 ), provided with at least one first, one second, and one third light sensor (FT 1 to FT 3 ), which are arranged along an axis (X), wherein the second light sensor (FT 2 ) lies between the first light sensor (FT 1 ) and the third light sensor (FT 3 ). The fork light barrier is advantageously incorporated into a position determining device and/or method. | 6 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and means of signature vertification and more particularly to improvements therein.
There has been a considerable amount of activity in the field of signature verification. For the most part, such activity has been directed towards automatic techniques of measuring parameters such as the forces produced in moving a pen while writing, the pressures exerted while writing, or the zero crossing for maximum and minimum points, and recording these, as they are generated in the course of writing a sample signature. These same parameters are then derived from a specimen signature and a machine comparison is made to determine, from their similarity, whether or not the specimen signature is a valid one or not.
While such systems are more or less effective, a visual comparison of two signatures for the purpose of determining autheniticity, is also an excellent way to perform this procedure since a human observer can take cognizance of a wide range of subtleties and special features of writing that it is difficult to program a machine to take into account. If some way could be found to process signals derived from a pen as it is being used to write a signature, which can be then displayed and compared with signals similarly processed from a previous sample signature, and if the processing technique is such as to take into consideration elements of the dynamics of writing which on display can make signature differences more readily detectable, the combination of both the machine and subjective processing can produce a system which permits accurate and rapid subjective verification of signatures.
The utility of a system which enables accurate subjective determinations of signature differences should not be considered as confined to detecting forged signatures. It may also be used for studying or detecting the effects of medication on a person, and also the effects of disease, both muscular and neurological.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a signature verification system which enables a combination of machine and subjective processing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel and useful signature verification system.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention may be achieved in an arrangement, wherein a sample signature is written with a pen which generates electrical signals representative of the forces downward on the paper and in the plane of the paper during the writing of the signature. Provision is made for determining the number of times the pen is lifted during the writing of the signature (pen ups), and the number of times the pen is applied to the paper during the course of the writing of the signature (pen downs). As the writing progresses, samples of the signals in the x direction and in the y direction and the pressure used in writing are continuously taken and digitized.
The digitized x and y coordinate signals are scaled to fit within a display area so that when the signature is created from these x and y signals it will fit within the confines of the display area. The scaled signals from the sample signature are stored. They are called out of storage when it is desired to compare the sample signature with a specimen signature. The specimen signature is written with the same type of pen as the sample signature and the signals generated thereby are processed in the same manner as the signals generated in the process of writing the sample signature were processed. Then the signals for both the specimen signature and the sample signature are simultaneously displayed on a CRT for example whereby a visual comparison may be made. If desired, the pressure signal samples may be used to modulate the brighteness of the display to further heighten the distinctions, if any, between displayed signatures.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will best by understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a recreated signature, as it appears on a display device.
FIG. 2 is a block schematic diagram of the input circuits required for generating signals from a pen as it is being used for writing.
FIG. 3 is a block schematic diagram illustrating how force signals in a horizontal direction derived from a pen, are processed to provide horizontal coordinate signals and a horizontal scale factor.
FIG. 4 is a block schematic diagram illustrating the processing of force signals in a vertical direction, derived from a pen, for obtaining vertical coordinate signals and signals representing the maximum and minimum displacements as well as the average displacement for each of a plurality of sectors.
FIGS. 5 and 6 are block schematic diagrams of circuits used for deriving a vertical scale factor.
FIG. 7 is a block schematic diagram of a storage arrangement for the signals generated by the circuits shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.
FIG. 8 shows a block schematic diagram of an arrangement for scaling the x direction signals, which are read from the memory, to produce resultant X coordinate signals which can be displayed.
FIG. 9 shows a block schematic diagram of an arrangement for scaling the Y direction signals, which are read from the memory, to produce resultant Y coordinate signals which can be displayed.
FIGS. 10 through 13 are block schematic diagrams illustrating how the system, in accordance with this invention, may be used for the purposes of study and/or verification of a signature.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The word signature, as used in both the specification and the claims herein is not to be construed solely as meaning the name of a person. Any sequence of characters or words or symbols may be processed by this invention and are intended to be within the meaning of the word signature.
FIG. 1 is a representation of a signature display, in accordance with this invention. Since the display will occupy a pre-determined area, the horizontal dimension of the area is designated as Xplot and the vertical dimension of the area is designated as Yplot. Each time a signer lifts his pen, in writing his signature, a space is alloted between the pen lift and the next pen down location, which space is designated as ΔP. The region over which writing occurs without a pen lift is designated as a sector.
Thus, the signator here first used a down stroke for the front side of the H, which is designated as sector one. He then lifted his pen. Following the pen lift a space ΔP is allocated. Thereafter, the rest of the first name was written in the space which is designated as sector 2. The pen was then lifted to cross the t's. This caused the establishment of another space designated as ΔP. The dash like stroke of sector 3 results from the crossing of the t's. Thereafter, upon pen lift another ΔP space is allocated. A dot over the "i" is written. This is designated as sector 4 and is followed by another space ΔP. Thereafter the initial D is written in the space denoted as sector 5. This is followed by another ΔP space. The dot following the D occurs in sector 6. This is followed by another space ΔP. This is followed by the last name Crane, which forms sector 7. In summary, each time the pen is lifted a ΔP spacing is allocated before the next part of the signature is displayed. The Δ P spacing is followed by a sector whose horizontal length is determined by the distance between the maximum and minimum horizontal display locations derived from the pen signals between a single pen down and pen up operation. Accordingly, in the horizontal direction, the problem presented is that, in view of the limited Xplot space allowed, the spacing allocated to all of the ΔP's must be subtracted from Xplot, and then the remainder of the signature must be fitted into the remaining space.
In the vertical or Y direction, the signals within each sector are positioned so that the average Y value for the sector equals zero. That is the Y average for each sector is calculated and then subtracted from each Y value within the sector. In effect this makes all of the various sectors straddle the mid line. In addition, the maximum and minimum Y value for all sectors is found and all of the Y values are then scaled so that the maximum Y value just fits within the bounds of the display area.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a pen 10, such as is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,015, is used by way of example, for generating force signals, such as x and y signals which are respectively generated as the pen is moved in the x and in the y direction, and P signals which are pressure signals generated when the pen is pressed down against the paper for writing. Each one of the respective X, Y and P signals is applied to respective sampling circuits, 12, 14, and 16, which sample these signals at intervals determined by the output of a free-running pulse generator 18. The samples, derived by the sampler circuits 12, 14 and 16, are applied to respective A to D converters, 20, 22, 24, for the purpose of being digitized.
The x and y signals, which are sampled are proportional to the force in these respective directions in a coordinate system fixed to the pen. On the assumption that the instantaneous x and y values are proportional to the instantaneous x and y velocities in the plane of the paper, (i.e. due to pure drag of the pen on paper) then by integrating these instantaneous x and y velocities one can obtain X and Y coordinate values from which the signature may be recreated.
The x and y forces generated by the pen are not exactly proportional to the instantaneous pen velocity but close enough that by integrating the force signals as described above, coordinate signals X and Y are generated which when plotted provide a useful facsimile of the original signature. The re-created signature generally looks like a distorted version of the familiar static signature. It is the distortions in fact that carry the interesting dynamic information.
In the remainder of this disclosure, capital X and Y symbols will represent integrals of the basic force signals, x and y, derived directly from the pen. More specifically, Xij and Yij will represent respectively the horizontal and vertical i(th) coordinate of the j(th) sector of the re-created signature.
When the pen is pressed down on a surface for writing, the P signal generated is indicative of that situation.
This signal is applied to a threshold circuit 26, and to an inverter circuit 28. If the P signal exceeds the level of a bias voltage provided by the threshold circuit 26, indicative of the fact that the pen is actually being used for writing, a pulse generator 30, is actuated to provide a pulse, which sets a flip flop 32. The set state output of the flip flop circuit is a "start signature signal," indicative of the fact that a signature has been started. The set state output of the flip flop 32 is also applied to an And gate 34, to act as an enabling input. The other input to the And gate 34 is the output of the inverter 28. In the presence of the P signal, no output is applied by the inverter 28 to the And gate 34. In the absence of the P signal, an input is applied by the inverter to the And gate 34. And gate 34 output actuates a pulse generator 36. The inverter output is also used to enable another And gate 38. The output of the pulse generator 36 is applied to a time delay circuit 40. After an interval, determined by the time delay circuit 40, if the pen 10 is still up so that the inverter output is still present, the And gate 38 applies its output to reset flip flop 32.
The purpose of the circuit just described is to distinguish between pen ups which occur in the usual writing of the signature, either between names or for the purpose of crossing t's or dotting i's, and those pen-ups which occur when a person has completed the signature. The time delay 40 is set for an interval sufficient to allow for crossing t's, dotting i's or other activities during the course of writing a signature wherein the pen is lifted from the paper. However, if the signature is ended, the time delay interval is exceeded and the flip-flop 32 is reset. The output of the And gate 38 which resets flip flop 32 also serves as an "end-signature signal."
It was previously stated that when the pen is down during the course of writing, an output is received from the threshold circuit 26. This output, besides being applied to the pulse generator 30, is also applied to a clipper circuit 41 and a differentiator circuit 42. The P signals generated by the pen 10, which appear at the output of the clipper circuit 41 comprise a wavetrain such as P1 wherein each time the pen is applied to the paper a pulse is generated having a duration for as long as the pen is maintained applied to the paper, and each time the pen is lifted from the paper a no pulse interval occurs until the next pen down activity. This pulse wavetrain is differentiated by the differentiator 42 providing a wavetrain such as P2, having positive going signals corresponding to the positive leading edges of the P1 pulses signifying pen down actions, and negative going actions corresponding to the trailing edges of the P1 pulses, which occur when the pen is lifted. The output of the differentiator is applied to an inverter circuit 44 and to a clipper circuit 46. The clipper circuit eliminates the negative going signals in the output of the differentiator and therefore the clipper circuit output comprises a train of signals each of one of which is indicative of a pen down operation. These are identified as Pd signals. The clipper 48 following the inverter 44 provides an output only in the presence of positive going signals from inverter 44, (and therefore negative going signals from differentiator 42) and does not pass negative going signals. The output pulses passed by clipper 48 are applied to a counter 50. Since the pulses passed by clipper 48 occur only at pen up times then the output of the clipper 48 will be the pen up signals (Pu). Counter 50 counts the number of pen up signals that occur during the course of a signature. Counter 50 is reset in the presence of a Start-Signature signal output from flip flop 32.
Since, as previously indicated, the number of sectors,s, which occur during the course of writing a signature is measured by the number of pen ups, the count output,s, of the counter 50 indicates the number of sectors in the signature. Each count output of the counter is multiplied by ΔP, supplied to multiplier 52, from a ΔP signal source 53. The multiplier output, SΔP provides an indication of the amount of ΔP space that must be allocated at any given time for the amount of signature completed at that time. The final output indicates the total amount of space required for all of the spaces between sectors.
The start signature signal enables an And gate 54, which has as its second input the output of the free-running pulse generator 18. This it will be recalled, provides the sampling timing signals. When the And gate 54 is enabled by the start signature signal output of flip flop 32, pulses from the free-running pulse generator 18 are applied to a second And gate 56 and also to the sampling circuits 12, 14 and 16. And gate 56 is enabled in the absence of a pen up signal. This is achieved by Pu being applied through an inverter 58 to the And gate 56. Inverter output 58 activates And gate 56 during the process of writing a signature while the pen is being applied to the paper.
Accordingly, when the pen is first applied to the paper to write a signature, pulses from the free-running pulse generator 18 are applied through the And gates 54 and 56 to a counter 60. At the end of the first sector, a pen up signal appears and counter 60 at that time will indicate a count, designated as Nj, indicative of the samples which were taken over the j(th) sector. Upon the occurrence of a Pd signal, when the pen is next applied to the paper to continue writing, the counter is reset and will then commence to count again the number of samples which occur over the next writing sector.
The output of the And gate 56 is also applied to an And gate 62, to constitute one enabling input. A free-running oscilllator 64, applies pulses to the And gate 62 at a frequency which is at least 4 times greater than the frequency of the free-running pulse generator 18 and is synchronized therewith. The output of the And gate 62 is used to drive a clock counter 66. The outputs of the clock counter 66 are designated as C1 through C4.
The output of the free-running oscillator 18 is applied to another And gate 68. This And gate is only enabled in the presence of the set output of a flip-flop 70. This flip-flop is set in response to an end signature signal. The output of the And gate 68 is applied to a "ES" counter 72. This counter counts for as many counts as the maximum number of signature samples to be taken (n). It provides an output for each count ESl through ESN. The last count ESN, is used to reset flip-flop 70. When this occurs And gate 68 is disabled and no more pulses are applied through it to the counter.
It should be noted that the digital values which are derived from the A to D converters 20 and 22 may be negative as well as positive. A negative X i occurs when the writer moves the pen to the left. Negative Y i values occur when the pen is moved vertically downward as opposed to vertically upward.
FIG. 3 is a block schematic diagram of the circuits used for deriving an unscaled set of X coordinate values together with a scale factor Kx. The sample xi signals derived from A to D converter 20, are added in an adder 80 together with signals from a ΔX signal source 82. ΔX represents a factor that can adjust the effects of leftward and rightward writing. Without such compensation, if the pen is rolled to the right, for example, the instantaneous xi values are larger than with the pen vertical. Thus, closed loop segments such as e's and l's would tend to become thinner. In fact, with enough roll to the right, the minus x1 component generated during the leftward writing segments would be smaller in magnitude than the plus xi contribution due to the roll itself and therefore the xi signals would never become negative. In such a case there would be no closed loops at all in a resulting signature plot. Conversely, if the pen has a leftward roll, closed loops are exaggerated.
Compensating effects can be achieved if desired by adding a fixed positive or negative value ΔX to each value of xi. If ΔX is positive, loops are deemphasized. If ΔX is negative, loops are exaggerated. The same effects can be achieved in the vertical direction if a fixed ΔY is added to each yi sample. A positive value of ΔY causes each recreated segment of the signature to slope upward. A negative value of ΔY causes each segment to slope downward. ΔX and ΔY are empirically determined by observing what values are required to obtain the best results.
The adder 80 is enabled to add its inputs upon the application of a C1 pulse from the clock counter. The output of the adder 80 is applied to an adder 84. The output of the adder 84 is applied to a register 86. The output of the register 86 is applied to the adder 84 to be added to the output of the adder 80. Adder 84 and register 86 are instructed to add on the C2 count of the counter 66.
Effectively, adder 84 and register 86 constitute a digital integrator, the adder 84 adds the latest sample (xi+ΔX) to the previous sum which the register 86 accumulated. Each output of the adder 84 constitutes a coordinate which is desgnated as Xij, i.e., the ith X coordinate of sector j. The Xij output, as shown in FIG. 7 is stored in the memory for further processing.
The Xij output of the adder 84 output is applied to two comparators respectively 88, 90, and also to two respective sets of gates, 92, 94. A second input to comparator 88 is the output of a register, designated as max latch 96. A second input to the comparator 90 is designated as min latch 98. Gates 92 are enabled to transfer the output of the adder 84 into max latch when comparator 88 indicates that the adder 84 output are greater than the current contents in max latch 96. Gates 94 are enabled to transfer the contents of the adder 84 into the min latch 98 when the comparator 90 output indicates that the adder 84 contents are less than the current contents in the min latch 98. Initially max latch 96, is filled with all zeroes, and initially min latch 98, is filled with all ones.
Accordingly, by the time the signature has been completely written, max latch will contain the maximum Xij and min latch will contain the minimum Xij.
The comparators and min and max latch registers are enabled to become operative in response to the C3 clock pulse.
At the conclusion of the signature, as shown in FIG. 2, the ES counter is enabled to start counting. Upon the occurrence of the ES1 output, min latch and max latch can supply their contents to a subtractor 100, which subtracts the contents of the min latch register from the max latch register to provide a difference. Also the min latch contents are dumped into a register 99 which supplies min latch to FIG. 8. The difference is applied to a divider circuit 102 to be divided by a number representing the difference between X total plot space and (S-1)ΔP space required. To obtain this, the value (S-1)ΔP is applied to a subtractor to be subtracted from a number representative of the length of the Xplot which is provided by an Xplot signal source 104. (S-1)ΔP is obtained by applying SΔP, the output of multiplier 52 and the value ΔP to a subtractor circuit 105. Its output is (S-1)ΔP. The subtractor 106 is enabled in response to the ES1 signal output of the counter 72, and applies its output to the divider 102. In response to the ES2 signal from the ES counter, the divider 102 performs the necessary division and its output is stored in a register 104, designated as the Kx register.
FIG. 4 is a block schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement for deriving the Y coordinates as well as the average Y for each sector and the maximum and minimum Y's. The yi signals together with the ΔY signal from a source 106, are applied to an adder 108. In response to a C1 pulse, the adder 108 adds its inputs and applies them to a digital integrator 110. Digital integrator 110 comprises circuits such as adder 84 and register 86, in FIG. 3, which operate to integrate the digital input. The digital integrator 110 is enabled to become operative in response to a C2 clockpulse. The output of the digital integrator comprises the coordinate Yij, i.e. the ith Y coordinate of sector j. Digital integrator 110 resets each time a pen down pulse Pd occurs, indicative of the beginning of the next sector. Accordingly, the output of the digital integrator 110, at the end of each sector, comprises a sum of all of the Y coordinates for that sector. The respective coordinate values Yij are stored in a memory, as shown in FIG. 7, in association with the coordinate Xij values.
In order to determine the average Yij, designated as Yj for each sector j, the outputs of the digital integrator 110 are summed by a following digital integrator 112. This integrator adds the successive Yij coordinates and applies the sum to a divider 116, which at Pu time is enabled to divide this number by Nj, which is the count at Pu time in counter 60, shown in FIG. 2. This count represents the number of samples which were taken during the jth sector just ended. The digital integrator 112 is reset at Pd time. The output of the divider 116, as indicated, represents the value of Yj, which is the average Y value for the particular sector. The Yj value for each sector is stored in memory, as shown in FIG. 7.
The determination of a maximum Yij and minimum Yij employs the same structure as was used for determining the maximum Xij and minimum Xij. The digital integrator 110 output is applied to two comparators respectively 120, 122 and also to two sets of gates, respectively 124, 126. The output of the gates are applied to a max latch register 128, and the output of the gates 126 are applied to a min latch register 130. Comparator 120, upon the occurrence of a C3 clock pulse, compares the output of the adder 110 with the output of the max latch 128. If the adder output is greater than the max latch output then gates 124 will transfer the contents of the adder into the max latch register replacing its contents. If the adder contents are less than the contents of the min latch register 130, the comparator 122 will produce an output which enables the gates 126 to transfer the contents of the adder 110 into the min latch register replacing its contents. The pen down signal resets max latch and min latch to their respective inital states, which in the case of max latch is an all zero state and in the case of min latch is a one state.
The Yj value for the sector for which the min latch and max latch has just been calculated, is applied to two subtractors respectively 132 and 134. Subtractor 132 will subtract the average Y value Y from the max latch value upon the occurrence of a pen up signal Pu. Subtractor 134 will subtract the min latch value from the average Y value upon the occurrence of a pen up signal. The differences are applied to circuits shown in FIG. 5 for the purpose of determining a value designated as Y'max, which is used to obtain the largest Y coordinate value over all segments.
Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a block schematic diagram for determining Y'max and then retaining the one of the Y'max or the output of the max latch 128, designated as Y big, whichever is bigger.
The Yj-Ymin output from the subtractor 132 are applied to a comparator gate 136, and to gates 138. The Ymax-Yj output of subtractor 134 is applied to the comparator 136 and to gates 140. Gates 138 are enabled by the comparator output to enter Yj-Ymin into a register 142 if Yj-Ymin exceeds Ymax-Yj. If Ymax-Yj exceeds Yj-Ymin the comparator enables gates 140 to enter Ymax-Yj into the register 142. Thus at the end of each sector register 142 will retain the larger of the two values applied to the comparator 136, which is designated as Y'max.
The Y'max signal for each sector at Pd time is entered into a comparator 150 and also applied to gates 152. Also applied to comparator 150 are the contents of a register 156. The contents of register 156, designated as Ybigger, are also applied to gates 154. At Pu time the comparator is enabled to compare its inputs, Y'max and Ybigger. The comparator output, if Y'max exceeds Ybigger will enable gates 152 to transfer the Y'max signals into the register 156. If the Ybigger signals exceed Y'max, gates 154 are enabled to transfer the Ybigger signals into the register 156. Therefore, at the end of the signature, register 156 will contain the Ybigger, for all sectors, which is the greatest Y signal which is generated in the course of the writing of the signature. Register 156 is cleared by an end signature signal.
Referring to FIG. 6, there may be seen a block schematic diagram for computing the scale factor Ky. A multiplier 160, receives as an input the Ybigger output of the register 156. Upon the occurrence of an ES2 signal from the ES counter, the multiplier receives a signal from the "two times" signal source 162 instructing it to double its contents. As is well known, this is done by shifting the digits of a binary number one place to the left. The contents of the multiplier 160, at ES2 time, is applied to a divider 164, to be divided into the Yplot quantity, derived from the Yplot signal source 166. The resultant output of the divider 164 is Ky.
Referring now to FIG. 7, there may be seen a block schematic diagram which provides for the storage of the Xij and Yij coordinates together with the ΔP spacing and the Yj or average Y for a sector in a memory 170. The manner in which these quantities are stored in the memory is represented in the drawing. A zero or no flag bit is stored with each of the coordinates. The coordinates are stored in the sequence in which they are generated. The first sector storage commences with coordinates X11 and Y11, extending until the end of the sector as identified by a pen up signal, and the coordinates then are X1n1 and Y1n1. In the next location there is stored a flag bit designated as "1," the ΔP data, and the average Y for the sector represented by Y1. Then there follows the coordinate information for the next sector represented by X21, Y21 down through X2n2 Y2n2. This is followed by the flag bit "one," 2ΔP, and Y2. Pressure signals Pij may also be stored adjacent the Xij and Yij.
In this manner the data generated by the circuits represented in FIGS. 3 and 4, namely the Xij, Yij and Yj data together with the output of the multiplier 52 is stored in the memory. The write-in signal to the memory is supplied by the start signature signal. The Xij and Yij inputs are applied to gate 172, which are enabled in the presence of a C4 pulse. Gates 174 have as their inputs the output of the multiplier 52, namely SΔP, the Y input and a flag bit which is derived from a flat bit source 176. These gates are enabled in the presence of a delayed pen up pulse. This is obtained by applying the Pu signal to a delay circuit 178, whose output Pud is applied to the gates to enable the gates 174.
The address locations in which the inputs are stored is determined by an address counter 180. This counter receives signals which enable it to advance its count from an Or gate 182. One input to the Or gate comprises C4 signals. The address counter output is applied to a set of gates 186 which are enabled by the reset output of flip flop 214 during the write in of the coordinate information as well as the flagbit, ΔP and Y information. The address counter also applies its output to a second set of gates 188. These gates are enabled each time a pen up (Pu) pulse occurs to enable the write in of the address in the address counter 180, at that time, to a second memory, 190. The address in the address counter 180 at the time that a Pu pulse occurs is the address in which a flag one bit, SΔP and the Yj data is stored. The address in the memory 190 in which this data is stored is provided by an address counter 192. This address counter is enabled to advance in response to an output of an Or gate 194. One input to this Or gate is a Pud pulse output from the delay circuit 178.
Accordingly, upon the occurrence of a Pu signal, the storage address of a flag bit ΔP and Yj is stored in a memory 190 at an address provided by an address counter 192. With each address, there is also stored a flag 2 bit from a flag 2 bit source 189. In this manner, the memory 170 will store the coordinate data, SΔP and Yj data while the memory 190 will store the adresses of the SΔP and Yj locations in the memory 170, and a flat 2 bit.
Upon the occurrence of the end signature signal, address counters 180 and 192 are reset and the memory 170 and the memory 190 are transferred from their write modes to their read modes. At this time, the ES counter 72 in FIG. 2 commences providing an output. The ES1 output of the ES counter is applied to an Or gate 196, the output of which disenables gates 186. The ES1 pulse is also applied to an Or gate 198, the output of which enables a set of gates 200.
The end signature signal transfers both the memories 170 and 190 into their read states. Accordingly, when the address counter 192 is transferred to its first address count state by the end signature signal, there is a read out from the memory 190, into an address register 204, of the address of the SΔP and Yj data, together with the flag 2 bit. The address register 204 applies its output to the gates 200, which are now enabled, and accordingly, the memory 170 will read out the flag 1 bit, ΔP and Yj into the respective registers 206, 208 and 210, in which are respectively stored the flag 1 bit, ΔP and Yj. The flag 1 bit is applied to an exclusive Or gate 212, whose output is applied to a flip flop 214. The ES1 count output is also applied to the exclusive Or gate 212. In the presence of ES1, and the flag 1 bit, exclusive Or gate 212 will have no effect on the flip flop 214. In the absence of the ES1 count pulse, the output of the exclusive Or gate 212 will set flip flop 214. The flag 1 bit is applied through a delay circuit 195 to the Or gate 194 to advance the address counter 192 to its next count state. The flag 2 bit which is read out of the memory 190, along with each address is applied through a delay circuit 216 to reset flip flop 214. When flip flop 214 is in its reset state, its reset output enables gates 186 and disenables gates 200. Further, termination of the ES1 pulse permits gates 186 to become enabled and gates 200 to become disenabled.
At that time, all further count outputs of the ES counter are applied to a gate 218, whose output is applied to the Or gate 182. It further should be noted that gate 218 is inhibited by the set output of flip flop 214, it is enabled by the reset output of flip flop 214. Accordingly, the ES2 count output is now applied to the address counter 180 setting it in its first count and first address state which is the location of the X11 and Y11 coordinates. Since the address gates 186 are now enabled the first sector coordinate information will be successively read into the respective Yij, Yij, and Pij registers 220, 222 and 223.
Address counter 180 will continue to be sequenced by the count outputs from the ES counter successively reading out the Xij and Yij data of the first sector into the respective registers 220 and 222. When the flag one bit, and the ΔP and Y1 data, at the end of the first sector storage locations, is read out into the registers provided for them, the flag 1 bit is applied to set the flip flop 214 whereupon the gates 186 are inhibited and gates 200 are enabled. Address counter 192 provides the address of the next location in the memory 170 where 2ΔP and Y2 are stored together with the flag 1 bit. These are read out into the respective registers provided therefore and replace the digital information which has just previously been read out. When flip flop 214 it set, it disenables the gate 218 whereby the address counter 180 cannot advance but holds the location from which the last readout has occurred.
Shortly after the readout from the memory 170, the flag 2 bit resets flip flop 214 enabling address counter 180 to continue addressing the memory 170 through its now enabled gate 186.
In the manner described, the read out from the memory 170 will first provide the data which was written into the memory at the end of the sector, and will then provide, in sequence, the coordinate data from that sector. It will then proceed to replace the sector data with the data for the following sector, followed by the coordinate information for that sector. The memory 170 may be sequenced through its reading cycle in response to ES pulses while the memory 190 may be sequenced through its reading cycle, also in response to pulses from the ES counter. The ES counter is provided with a sufficient count capacity to take care of all of the recordations required for the sectors.
FIG. 8 is a block schematic diagram of the further processing of the Xij signal which has been read out into the register 220. The Xmin signal, which was stored in the min latch 98, in FIG. 3, is subtracted from each Xij coordinate read out of the memory 170 into register 220 by a subtractor circuit 223. A multiplier 224, then multiplies the difference by the Kx scaling factor that was calculated in FIG. 3 and held in register 104. Multiplier 224 is enabled to multiply in response to each ES output from the gate 218, shown in FIG. 7. The output of the multiplier 224 is applied to an adder 226, which adds to the scaled Xij the ΔP displacement in register 208, producing an output designated as X ij '. If a displacement from the side of X plot is desired, then the digital representation of this displacement may be provided by a ΔT source 228, and added to an X ij ' by an adder 230. The resultant, X ij " signal may be placed in a register 232 of transferred into a memory along with the finally processed Y.sub. ij signal, or may now be displayed on a display device, such as a CRT, along with finally processed Y ij " signals.
FIG. 9 shows the further processing required for the Y ij signals. Each Y ij signal, which is read out of the memory 170 has subtracted from it the Yj signal which is the average value for the sector. Subtraction is provided by a subtraction circuit 234, to which the Y ij and Y j signals are applied. The output of the subtractor circuit, which is designated as Y ij ', is applied to a multiplier 236. The other input to the multiplier is the Ky scaling factor, which was generated by the circuitry shown in FIG. 6. The multiplier is enabled by ES2-n signals from gate 218 in FIG. 7. The output of the multiplier 236 is designated as Y ij " and is the scaled coordinate which can be plotted along with the corresponding X ij ', which was generated in the circuitry shown in FIG. 8.
As shown in FIG. 10, the Y ij " and X ij " may be sequentially stored in a memory 240, or may be displayed if desired on a cathode ray tube device. In the display mode, a point is illuminated on the face of a cathode ray tube, for instance at each X ij ", Y ij " coordinate.
If desired, in order to render distinctions between successively written signatures, if they exist, the pressure samples shown being taken in FIG. 2, may be stored in the memory with each X ij and Y ij coordinate. The pressure sample Pi is read out of memory with each associated X ij and Y ij coordinate held in a register until the X ij and Y ij signals are processed into X ij " and Y ij " and then either stored, as represented in FIG. 10 with X ij " and Y ij " for future display, or used immediately to modulate the brightness of each X ij and Y ij coordinate shown on a CRT.
Storage of the indicated data for a plurality of signatures and the ability to recall the data from storage by properly addressing the storage, is a technique which is well-known by those skilled in the computer art and thus will not be described here.
FIG. 11 illustrates one manner in which this system may be used. The X ij " and Y ij " signals derived from a signature are recorded in a card, either in the form of magnetic signals on a magnetic stripe, or as embossed symbols. The card may be inserted in a card reader 242, which scans the recorded coordinate information and applies these signals to a suitable display device 244, such as a cathode ray display device 244. A pen 246 is then used by the person who wishes to show that he is the correct card holder, for writing a signature corresponding to the one on his card. Signal processing circuits 248 such as those described in FIGS. 1 through 9 convert the signals received from the pen 246 into the coordinate signals which are then applied to a display device 250 to be displayed thereby. The signatures displayed on both display devices are then compared to determine whether or not the card holder is the individual who should be having it and using it.
Another system for using this invention is schematically represented by FIG. 12. Here the pen 246 is used by the individual who wishes to be identified, to write a signature. The output of the pen 246 is applied to the processing circuit 248 which in turn produce the X and Y coordinate signals which are applied to the display device 250 to be displayed.
A card reader 252 is employed to read an address which is embossed or magnetically recorded on a card, which is the address in a central computer memory of the location where the coordinates of an original signature of the individual who was using the card is supposed to be stored. This address information is applied to a communication system 254, which supplies it to a memory address circuit 256, at a central location. The memory address circuit then addresses the memory 258, which provides as an output the X ij " and Y ij " coordinates. These are transmitted through the communication system 254 to a second display device 260, which is located at the place where the individual is signing his signature. A comparison of display devices 250 and 260 can then readily determine whether or not the card holder is indeed the individual who should be holding it.
FIG. 13 shows still another way in which the system described may be used. A copy is made on a card of the appearance of a signature which has been processed and displayed on a CRT for example. The person who wishes his signature verified then uses the pen 264 to write his signature. The signals generated by the pen are processed by the processing circuits 266 and then displayed for comparison by the display device 268.
The system which has been described herein is one which not only can be built as a hardwired special purpose computer but also, those skilled in the art who are given this disclosure can program a general purpose computer to perform the sequence of processing steps required to convert the force signals generated by a pen into the coordinate signals X ij " and Y ij " which are either stored for further use or displayed.
Attached hereto, as an appendix to this specification, but still a part thereof, are flow charts illustrating the sequence followed by a general purpose computer in response to a program instructing it to perform the operations described herein. Also attached hereto is a computer print out of a program for a general purpose computer which instructs the computer to perform the processing of pen signals as described above, and then to display the coordinate signals which have been derived. The program instructs the computer to follow the sequence described in the flow charts.
Accordingly, it is intended that both the hardwired computer and a programmed general purpose computer be encompassed within the scope and spirit of the claims herein.
______________________________________SubroutineDYNAM: Dynamic recreation of a signatureInput tothe subroutine:(pi, xi, yi) are the ith samples of pressure and the X and Y forces in the plane of the paper on which the signature is written. These are assumed to have been scaled to mean 0, standard devia- tion 1, i.e. pi = (pi' - -p)/Sp etc where pi is the pre-scaled value, -p the pre-scaled average, and Sp the pre-scaled standard deviation. xi and yi are similarly scaled.n The number of samples.Pmax, Pmin the maximum and minimum pi values (calculated by the calling program).INTMAX, INTMIN The maximum and minimum display inten- sity values (15 and 0 for our Vector General Display).increment.X Increment added to the horizontal plot coordinate (currently 0.75, may be changed within the calling program).increment.Y Imcrement added to the vertical plot coordinate (currently 0.0, may be changed within the calling program).increment.P Increment added at each pen up, so each segment of the signature will be separate (currently 30.0, may be changed within the calling program)______________________________________ ##SPC1## ##SPC2## ##SPC3## ##SPC4## | In order to verify the authenticity of the signature of an individual, first a sample signature is written with a pen which can generate electrical signals representative of the forces exerted in the plane of the paper in the process of writing. These signals are sampled and then scaled so that the signature when displayed, can be fitted within a predetermined display area. The scaled signals generated from the sample signature are then stored. When it is desired to compare the sample signature with a signature which is subsequently written, called a specimen signature, the specimen signature is written and is processed for display in the same manner as was the sample signature. The scaled sample signature signals are then called out of storage and displayed, as are the scaled signals generated in the course of writing the specimen signature. Any deviations between the signatures are very readily detectable by observing the display. | 6 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to saddles for horses and concerns a saddletree and a saddle having such a saddletree.
A saddle for a horse conventionally has, connected together, a strength piece known as the saddletree, a seat, two stirrup oars or stirrup carriers, two panels, two flaps and knee rolls, and girth leathers; and attached removable components, girths, surcingles, stirrup leathers and
STATE OF THE ART
In conventional designs, the saddletree is composed of several pieces connected together, namely two longitudinal wooden pieces, two curved pieces forming respectively the pommel and the cantle, generally in the form of a flat metallic bar, connecting the longitudinal wooden pieces and rigidly fixed to them; girths placed on the above pieces; and finally a cloth fixed over the girths. The other constituent parts of the saddle are fixed to the saddletree by studding, stitching or the like, that is to say by permanent fixing means.
The document DE 37 02 011 describes a saddletree which comprises a piece made of plastics material arid a kind of frame fixed to the plastic piece removably, supporting the other parts making up the saddle.
The document DE 2 329 436 concerns a cellular plastics material. The document GB 2 227 638 concerns a saddle of the conventional type, part of which is produced from plastics material.
The need has been felt to be able to replace constituent parts of the saddle easily whilst avoiding this being made complicated because of the permanent fixing of the part.
The need has also been felt to be able to assemble a saddle from its constituent parts more simply, avoiding operations of studding or stitching which are lengthy, tricky and expensive.
Finally, the need has been felt to reduce the weight of a saddle of traditional appearance in order to adapt it to sports riding activities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To this end, a first object of the invention is a saddletree intended for producing a saddle, notably for a horse, having a single-piece strength part forming a pommel, a cantle, a base and a support for the other constituent parts of the saddle.
According to the invention, the saddletree comprises essentially the single-piece part, which is produced from materials, such as composite materials, chosen for their suitability for being shaped to the required form for the saddletree, to confer on the saddletree the required qualities of strength and flexibility and to provide the incorporation in the peripheral pact of the strength piece a plurality of removable positioning and fixing members, for the other constituent parts of the saddle (panels, flaps, knee rolls, girth leathers, padding, seat, skirts, pommel and cantle backplates etc) in the form of holes, spikes, hollow recesses, reliefs, screwing inserts, buckles or the like, so that the said constituent parts of the saddle are positioned and fixed to the part by virtue of the members.
Another object of the invention is a saddle, notably for a horse, comprising a saddletree comprising essentially the single-piece strength piece provided with any removable positioning and fixing members as well as two stirrup bars, incorporated or not into the single-piece part of the saddletree, two panels fixed against the internal face of the saddletree, where applicable, one or more pieces for padding the external face of the saddletree, two flaps and two knee rolls disposed laterally, two girth leathers disposed laterally towards the pommel and a piece forming a seat covering the external face of the saddletree, the panels, the padding piece or pieces, the flaps and knee rolls, the girth leathers and the piece forming a sear being provided with removable fixing members complementary to the positioning and fixing members incorporated in the saddletree piece.
THE DRAWINGS
The other characteristics of the saddletree and saddle will emerge from the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a view in longitudinal elevation of a saddle, constituent parts of the saddle being depicted in broken lines;
FIG. 2 is a view in exploded perspective of the constituent parts of a saddle according to a first embodiment, where the stirrup bars are made in one piece with the saddletree;
FIG. 3 is a view in exploder perspective of constituent parts of a saddle according to a second embodiment, where the stirrup bars are separate from the saddletree and attached;
FIG. 4 is a plan view from above of a saddletree and a closure plate forming a stirrup bar;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a saddletree from below;
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal elevation view of a saddletree;
FIG. 7 is a transverse elevation view from the front, of a saddletree;
FIG. 8 is a transverse elevation view from behind, of a saddletree with a panel depicted in hatching, in an embodiment where the protrusions are attached to the saddletree;
FIG. 9 is a partial plan view from below of a saddletree;
FIG. 10 is a view, similar to FIG. 8, in an embodiment where the protrusions are made in one piece with the saddletree;
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal elevation view in partial section of constituent parts of a saddle, including a saddletree, a panel and a cantle backplate;
FIG. 12 is a plan view from below of a saddle padding piece;
FIG. 13 is a view in longitudinal elevation of a saddle padding piece;
FIG. 14 is a plan view from below of a saddle seat;
FIGS. 15 to 17 are views in longitudinal elevation of elements making up a saddle and representing successive steps of making up such a saddle; and
FIG. 18 is a longitudinal elevation vies of a saddle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Hereinafter, a saddle according to the invention is described in its normal position of use, where it rests on the back of a horse. A “longitudinal” direction is substantially merged with the direction of the backbone of the horse. With respect to this direction, substantially horizontal, the “front” designates a location towards the head of the horse, and the “rear” a location towards the rump. A “transverse” direction is substantially horizontal and at right angles to the longitudinal direction. The term “laterally” is defined with respect to this direction. An elevation direction is substantially vertical and perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse directions. The terms “top” and “bottom” are defined with respect to this direction. The inside designates a location close to the body of the horse and the outside a location further away. A saddle 1 , as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 18, comprises an internal saddletree 2 , which is the main strength part of the saddle, and a certain number of pares supported by the saddletree 2 , namely notably:
two stirrup-leacher carriers or stirrup bars 3 ;
at least one panel 4 , notably two;
two flaps 5 and knee rolls 6 ;
girth leathers 7 ;
at least one, and for example two stuffing pieces known as padding 8 ;
a seat 9 ;
two skirts 10 made in one piece with the seat; and
two backplates 11 and 12 respectively for the pommel and cantle.
The skirts 10 , the flaps 5 and knee rolls 6 , all lateral, are placed one against the other from the outside of the saddle 1 towards the inside, that is to say towards the saddletree 2 . The seat 9 covers the saddletree 2 , being maintained on the latter notably by means of the backplates for the pommel 11 and cantle 12 . The saddle 1 rests on the back of the horse through the panels 4 fixed laterally to the inside of the saddletree 2 .
The configuration of the saddle 1 provides a longitudinal passage for the backbone of the horse, under the saddletree 2 and between the panels 4 , so that no component making up the saddle 1 comes into contact with the backbone. This also distributes the force due to the weight of the rider on the back of the horse, whilst attenuating it.
The saddletree 2 (FIGS. 4 to 8 ) consists essentially of a single-piece part 13 forming the pommel 14 , the cantle 15 , the base 16 and a support for the other constituent parts of the saddle 1 .
This single-piece part 13 is produced from a composite material such as a resin with a carbon fiber and/or glass fiber filler, a material comprising polyamide fibers, or the like.
According to one design, the part 13 also incorporates stiffening elements, such as a structure made from yarn, a cloth, a lattice of metal or the like, aimed at forming a reinforcing frame.
In one embodiment (FIG. 3 ), the stirrup bars 3 are parts separate from the single-piece part, and are fixed to the latter removably, towards the pommel 14 .
The stirrup bars 3 are then produced from a strong rigid material, for example metal. Each stirrup bar 3 is intended to support an end part of the stirrup leather, each stirrup leather itself supporting a stirrup. The stirrup bars 3 have in elevation a general longitudinal L shape.
In another embodiment (FIG. 2 ), the piece 13 incorporates, at the time of manufacture, the stirrup bars 3 , whose general shape is the same as that described above.
According to one embodiment, the saddletree comprises essentially the piece 13 .
The general contour of the saddletree 2 is roughly close to the contour of a conventional saddletree. Transversely, the saddletree 2 has substantially the shape of a channel whose concavity is turned downwards. Longitudinally, its profile has a general curved shape, with its concavity turned upwards. These shapes are aimed at matching on the one hand the back of the horse and on the other hand the buttocks of a rider sitting on the saddle 1 .
Close to its front end, the saddletree 2 comprises a pommel arch 17 , extending substantially in a transverse elevation plane and extended by two saddletree tips 18 forming protrusions on the saddletree 2 , from top to bottom, substantially in a longitudinal elevation plane. These tips 18 are intended to cooperate with the panel 4 , in order to ensure their positioning on the saddletree 2 . Close to its rear end, the saddletree 2 comprises a cantle 15 lying substantially in a transverse elevation plane, and projecting upwards from the saddletree 2 . In one embodiment, the cantle 15 is substantially rectangular in shape.
The arch 17 and cantle 15 aim to wedge the rider in the seated position, by limiting the movements of his pelvis respectively forwards and backwards. They are connected together by a base 16 splayed in shape from front to rear, this base therefore being less broad transversely at the front than at the rear (FIG. 4 ). This shape makes the distribution of the weight of the rider uniform on the back of the horse, whilst providing a space for the legs of the rider at the front of the saddletree 2 .
The arch 17 , cantle 15 and base 16 can take shapes other than those described without departing from the context of the intention, provided that they fulfil notably the functions described above.
The arch backplate 11 and cantle backplate 12 (FIG. 2) are parts made of synthetic material, for example composite or the like, whose shapes are complementary respectively to the arch 17 and cantle 15 .
On its internal face, the saddletree 2 has at least one protrusion 19 , notably two, extending longitudinally along the longitudinal edges 20 of the saddletree and/or base, and with a transverse section substantially in the shape of a T.
In one embodiment (FIG. 5 ), the protrusions 19 extend substantially over the entire length of the saddletree 2 . Their top edges 19 A are substantially rectilinear and parallel to each other, whilst their bottom edges 19 B follow substantially the contours of the saddletree.
In another embodiment (FIG. 10 ), the protrusions 19 are made in one piece with the single-piece part 13 .
In a variant, the protrusions 19 are distinct from the single-piece part 13 . The protrusions 19 are then attached below the single-piece part 13 and fixed to the latter by screwing, snapping on or the like. The materials used for producing the protrusions 19 can then be identical, or different from those used for producing the single-piece part 13 .
For example, the protrusions 19 can be produced from rigid, semi-rigid or flexible materials, such as polymers, elastomers, metal, composite materials or the like, or from a combination of such materials.
The purpose of the protrusions 19 is to cooperate with the panels 4 , to provide, along the internal face of the saddletree 2 , and in its central part, a passage 19 C for the backbone of the horse. It also provides for the positioning of the panels 4 on the saddletree 2 .
Each panel 4 is a piece made of moulded rubber, polymer foam or the like, clad in leather, substantially in an S-shape longitudinally, and whose front part is reinforced by a frame made of wood or equivalent.
In one embodiment, two panels 4 are provided, each being intended to cooperate with a protrusion 19 . These panels 4 are fixed to the saddletree 2 removably, by screwing, snapping on or the like. As is clear in FIGS. 10 and 11, the top face of a panel 4 has a shape complementary to the corresponding protrusion 19 of the saddletree 2 .
Each panel 4 also comprises longitudinal lips, respectively upper 4 A and lower 4 B, whose shape is substantially complementary respectively to the top 19 A and bottom 19 B edges of the protrusions, in order to provide the positioning and holding of the panel 4 on the saddletree 2 .
Each panel 4 defines, at the front of the saddle 1 , an overhang in line with the saddletree 2 , in order to provide, between the saddle 1 and the horse, a maximum internal contact surface.
Another function of the protrusions 19 is to enable the saddletree 2 —namely the part 13 —to incorporate removable positing and fixing members 21 for the other parts making up the saddle 1 . These members 21 confer on the saddletree 2 —namely the part 13 —a “common trunk” function for adapting the saddle 1 to different types of horseriding, using the same saddletree 2 .
It is thus possible to exchange on a saddle the flaps 5 and knee rolls 6 , the girth leathers 7 , the panels 4 and the seat 9 , according co the wear on them, the morphology of the horse or its rider, or the requirements of the latter notably.
For example, it is possible to convert an English saddle into a saddle of the “Danloux” type, more suitable for jumping, by fitting to the saddle knee rolls 6 provided with protrusions known as “catches” for the front and rear holding of the leg of the rider.
For positioning and fixing the stirrup bars 3 , girth leathers 7 , flaps 5 and knee rolls 6 notably, the positioning and fixing members 21 are in the form of at least one hollow recess 22 , 22 A, 22 B, 22 C.
Such a hollow recess 22 A, substantially rectangular in shape, is provided in the thickness of each longitudinal edge 20 of the base 16 , notably towards the front of the saddletree 2 and on its external face. In addition, a housing 23 in the shape of a vertical T is hollowed out at the bottom of the recess 22 A. The top end of the housing 23 is situated substantially half-way up the hollow recess 22 A, whilst its bottom end is merged with the longitudinal edge 20 of the saddletree. The shape of the housing 23 is substantially complementary to a top end part of the girth leathers 7 .
The mounting of the girth leathers 7 in such a hollow recess 22 A is effected as follows.
A top end part of the girth leathers 7 and an attachment rod 24 passing through this end part are inserted in the housing 23 . The recess 22 A is closed and the girth leathers 7 held in position by a plate 25 complementary to the recess 22 A, fixed to the latter by removable fixing means such as screwing, snapping on or the like.
In an embodiment where the stirrup bars 3 are distinct from the saddletree 2 and attached, another hollow recess 22 B is provided in each tip 18 of the saddletree 2 , in order to cooperate with an end part of the stirrup bar. The stirrup bars 3 are then fixed to the saddletree 2 in this recess 22 B by removable fixing means such as screwing or the like.
Another hollow recess 22 C is provided in the thickness of each longitudinal edge 20 of the base 16 , notably in its middle part, in order to cooperate with an end part of the flaps 5 and knee rolls 6 . This recess 22 C has also a substantially rectangular shape longitudinally. The flaps 5 and knee rolls 6 comprise top end parts whose shape is substantially complementary to such a recess 22 C (FIGS. 16, 17 ). The flaps 5 and knee rolls 6 are fixed in this hollow recess 22 C by removable fixing means, such as screwing, mutual attachment strips known by the registered trademark Velcro®, or the like.
In one possible embodiment, the sane recess 22 is intended to cooperate with an end part of a girth leather 7 and an attachment rod 24 for the latter, with an end part of a flap 5 and a knee roll 6 and/or an end part of a stirrup bar 3 , this recess 22 then being closed by a single plate 25 , by removable fixing means such as screwing, snapping on or the like.
In a variant (FIG. 4 ), the plate 25 forms a stirrup bar. It is then substantially in a U shape, one leg of which serves as a stirrup bar.
The depth of the recess or recesses 22 , 22 A, 22 B, 22 C, measured in the thickness of the saddletree 2 , is such that, once mounted, the stirrup bars 3 , the flaps 5 and knee rolls 6 , the girth leathers 7 and the plate or plates 25 , the external surfaces of these parts are flush with the top surface of the saddletree 2 . This is aimed at guaranteeing optimum comfort for the rider, whilst avoiding the superimposition of the constituent parts of the saddle 1 causing uncomfortable and unattractive protrusions on the latter.
The comfort of the saddle 1 is improved by the addition to the saddletree 2 of at least one, notably two stuffing pieces known as “padding” 8 (FIGS. 2, 12 and 13 ). These padding pieces 8 are produced from foam, rubber or the like. They have a contour with a shape which is generally substantially rectangular, and lie in a substantially horizontal plane. Their thickness is not uniform: their bottom face in fact conforms to the top face of the base 16 . The shape of the padding pieces in such that, once they are in position on the saddletree 2 , their top surface is substantially continuous with the top surface of the saddletree 2 . Their external contour substantially conforms to the shape of the longitudinal edge 20 of the adjacent saddletree 2 . The shape and material of the padding 8 can be adapted to the morphology and requirements of the rider.
For their positioning on the saddletree 2 , the padding pieces 8 comprise three rigid pins 26 made of wood, plastics material or the like, substantially cylindrical in shape, protecting from the bottom face of the padding piece or pieces 8 . The saddletree 2 is provided, close to its longitudinal edges 20 , towards the rear of the base 16 , with three holes in each longitudinal edge, each hole 27 being substantially complementary to a pin 26 .
In another embodiment, the padding pieces 8 are held in position on the saddletree 2 by means of strips of the Velcro® type.
In one embodiment (FIG. 1) the padding pieces 8 are held on the saddletree 2 notably by the seat 9 , where the latter is fixed to the saddletree over the padding pieces 8 .
For positioning and fixing the seat 9 on the saddletree 2 , the latter is provided, on its bottom face and along the periphery of the arch 17 , with a plurality of spikes 28 A, here cylindrical and metallic, projecting from and substantially perpendicular to this face.
In addition, the cantle 15 is also provided, on its external face, and along its top periphery at least, with such spikes 28 B, projecting from and substantially perpendicular to this face.
Moreover, the saddletree 2 is provided, on its internal face, substantially on each of its longitudinal edges and towards the rear of the base 16 , with at least one buckle 29 , notably three buckles. The buckles 29 are fixed to the saddletree 2 , for example screwed thereto, the principal direction of each buckle then being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal edge 20 of the saddletree 2 .
The buckle or buckles 29 are articulated about a shaft 30 substantially parallel to the longitudinal edge 20 , this shaft enabling the buckle 29 to adopt two positions, a closed position and an open position.
Each buckle 29 is inserted in a hollow 31 provided in the corresponding protrusion 19 on the saddletree 2 , so that, once closed, the buckle does not project from the hollow 31 towards the inside.
The seat 9 is a piece of leather whose shape is such that it entirely covers the saddletree 2 , once positioned on the latter, the front 9 A and rear 98 parts of the seat being broader than its middle part 9 C.
The front part 9 A of the seat 9 defines on each side laterally two skirts 10 forming protrusions.
When the seat 9 is in position on the saddle 1 , the skirts 10 fall freely on each side of the front of the saddle, covering the stirrup bars 3 , which they thus isolate from the legs of the rider.
A padding 32 made of foam, rubber or equivalent is fixed to the bottom face of the seat 9 , by stitching, gluing or the like. This padding 32 , splayed in shape form front to rear, improves the comfort of the saddle. It covers substantially all the rear part 9 B of the seat 9 , whilst it covers, on the front part 9 A of the seat 9 , a localised surface between the skirts 10 .
At least one (notably three) hooks 33 are fixed to the seat 9 by riveting or the like, in its rear part 9 B, on its bottom face and close to each of its longitudinal edges. The hook or hooks 33 are complementary to a buckle 29 . The front end 34 of the seat of the saddle 1 , corresponding in shape to the arch, is provided with holes 35 A complementary to the spikes 28 A on the saddletree 2 . The rear end 36 of the seat 9 of the saddle 1 is also provided with such holes 35 B, corresponding to the spikes 28 B on the cantle 15 of the saddletree 2 . In addition, the seat 9 can have, in its middle part, for example close to each of its longitudinal edges, snapping-on means 37 able to cooperate with holes 38 provided opposite in the base of the saddletree 2 , in order notably to optimise the positioning and fixing of the seat 9 on the saddletree 2 . Mounting of the seat 9 on the saddletree 2 is effected as follows.
The seat 9 is positioned on the saddletree 2 , the holes 35 A, 35 B and the hooks 33 being respectively placed opposite the spikes 28 A, 28 B and the open buckles 29 of the saddletree. The front end 34 of the seat 9 is folded under the arch 17 , each spike 28 A Being inserted in a hole 35 A. The rear end 36 of the seat 9 is folded behind the saddletree A, each spike 28 B being inserted in a hole 35 B.
The seat 9 is fixed to the arch 17 and to the cantle 15 respectively by a pommel backplate or arch backplate 11 and a cantle backplate 12 . The arch backplate 11 and cantle backplate 12 cover the respectively front and rear ends of the seat, and are removably fixed to the saddletree 2 , by screwing, snapping on or the like.
Each buckle 29 is inserted in a hook 33 and then closed. The seat 9 is thus fixed to the base 16 .
The saddle 1 of the invention can be fully assembled or disassembled as required around its master piece, the saddletree 2 , consisting essentially of the single-piece or integral part 13 .
The progressive making up of the saddle 1 , illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 18 , is effected as follows.
Where the stirrup bars 3 are separate from the saddletree 2 , they are fixed to the latter by screwing or the like.
The panels 4 are fixed inside the bare saddletree 2 , the saddletree tips 18 being inserted in positioning receptacles 39 provided in each panel.
The knee rolls 6 are then positioned and then fixed, for example by screwing at lest one of their top end parts, on the one hand to the arch in the hollow recesses 22 C, and on the other hand to a corresponding panel 4 , for example on an overhang on this panel.
The girth leathers 7 are then fixed in the corresponding hollow recesses 22 A, which are closed by their respective plates 25 .
The flaps 5 are then fixed to the arch in the same way as the knee rolls 6 , in the hollow recesses 22 C, so that the stirrup bars 3 then appear outside the flaps.
The padding pieces 8 are positioned on the base 16 , their pins 26 being inserted in the corresponding holes 27 .
The seat 9 is then positioned or, the saddletree 2 , and then fixed to the base 16 by means of buckles 29 .
Finally, the pommel backplate 11 and cantle backplate 12 cover the arch 27 and cantle 15 , trapping the ends of the seat 9 in and/or on the latter.
Although this description has been given in consideration of parts (panel, girth leathers, flaps and knee rolls, seat) made of leather, these can be made of leather substitute or the like. | A saddletree ( 2 ) intended for producing a saddle, notably for horses, which has at least one single-piece part ( 13 ) forming a pommel ( 14 ), a cantle ( 15 ), a base ( 16 ) and a support for constituent parts of the saddle, this single-piece part being produced from materials, such as composite materials, chosen for their suitability for being shaped to the required shape for the saddletree, for conferring on the saddletree the necessary qualities of strength and elasticity and for allowing the incorporation in the saddletree of members ( 21 ) for the removable positioning and fixing of other constituent parts of the saddle, in order to adapt the saddle to the requirements expressed. | 1 |
This application claims benefit of 60/962,739, filed Jul. 31, 2007.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Aldehydes and ketones are valuable building blocks for chemical industry. Reductive amination is a fundamental chemistry process that dramatically expands the application of aldehydes and ketones by transforming them into amines. The Leuckart reaction is a unique one step method of reductive amination. It is a remarkably simple process that includes only two components: the carbonyl compound and formamide. The reaction is completed simply by heating the components at 160° C. to 185° C. for 6 to 25 hours [1]. The long processing time seemed to be the only shortcoming of the reaction. However, it is associated with a number of serious practical problems.
First, the prolonged exposure of the reaction mixture to high temperatures inevitably leads to significant thermal decomposition of the components, and, consequently, to lower yields of the products and difficulties with their isolation and purification. Second, maintaining high temperatures for a long period of time means high consumption of energy and increasing production costs which make the Leuckart reaction unattractive to chemical industry. Third, long processing times per se are unattractive to fast paced modern synthetic applications, such as combinatorial chemistry and automated parallel synthesis. Thus, the Leuckart reaction as a unique one step method of reductive amination became almost completely abandoned in modern synthetic chemistry.
Most of the current reductive amination procedures are currently performed as two step combinations of the separate amination and reduction reactions. These two step procedures can often take as much time as the traditional Leuckart reaction [2]. They are also quite expensive because they require either the use of custom complex hydrides, or precious metal catalysts and high pressure equipment. Their only advantage over the one step Leuckart reaction is that they are not accompanied by thermal decomposition and as a result produce cleaner products.
Therefore, it is evident that there is a compelling need for a fast and inexpensive method of reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones equally attractive to industrial and laboratory practices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An improved method for the synthesis of substituted formylamines via an accelerated Leuckart reaction. The method may also include an accelerated hydrolysis of the substituted formylamines to substituted amines. The accelerated Leuckart reaction is conducted by reacting formamide or N-alkylformamide, formic acid and an aldehyde or a ketone at a specific molar ratio and a specific temperature. The accelerated Leuckart reaction is completed within minutes or seconds instead of hours. The accelerated hydrolysis is conducted in the presence of a specific acid and a specific solvent at an elevated temperature. The accelerated hydrolysis is also completed within seconds.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
The improved method of reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones via an accelerated Leuckart reaction is an unanticipated discovery. The Leuckart reaction was first described in the XIX century, and since that time remained one of the slowest reactions in organic chemistry. Many attempts were made to improve the reaction by using various additives, most commonly formic acid. However, the only area of improvement appeared to be the yield of the product, not the processing time.
In 1996 a significantly shorter reaction time of 30 minutes was achieved through the use of microwave heating [3]. However, the technique was successfully applied only to a very narrow group of compounds. In addition, the current technical solutions for microwave assisted synthesis do not allow for processing large-scale reactions and therefore cannot be used in industry.
In the present invention using the Leuckart reaction it was unexpectedly discovered that the reaction time can be dramatically decreased by decreasing the concentration of the aldehyde or a ketone used in the reaction. Certain specific molar ratios of the aldehyde (ketone), formic acid, and formamide (alkylformamide) the reaction time can be reduced to 30 minutes or lower without the use of microwave assistance. Surprisingly it was found, that in many cases the reaction becomes instant i.e. fully completed at the moment when it reaches the usual reaction temperature of 160-185° C. The accelerated Leuckart reaction is equally successful if it is conducted with conventional or microwave heating.
The unique molar ratio of formamide (N-alkylformamide) to an aldehyde or a ketone is between 150:1 to 5:1 and most preferably between 100:1 to 10:1. The specific molar ratio of formamide (N-alkylformamide) to formic acid is between 20:1 to 6:1 and most preferably 10:1.
The specific temperature of the accelerated Leuckart reaction is between 150-200° C., and most preferably 180-190° C., if the reaction is conducted in an open system. It was found that the specific temperature of the accelerated Leuckart reaction is between 150 to 250° C., most preferably 190-210° C., if the reaction is conducted in a sealed system.
This accelerated Leuckart reaction can be successfully applied to the areas where the traditional Leuckart reaction was not successful. Specifically, it was believed that the Leuckart reaction does not work on substituted benzaldehydes, and that the substituted benzylamines cannot be obtained from the respective benzaldehydes via the Leuckart reaction [1]. Further the accelerated Leuckart reaction does work on substituted benzaldehydes and that practically any substituted benzylamine can be prepared via the accelerated Leuckart reaction. Specifically, it was found that the reductive amination of vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) can be completed instantly via the accelerated Leuckart reaction. Vanillylamine is an important industrial chemical that is used for the synthesis of safe natural painkillers, such as capsaicin and analogs. The new accelerated Leuckart reaction comprises the new method of the synthesis of vanillylamine. Further, it was also discovered that the accelerated Leuckart reaction can be successfully applied to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, thus comprising a new method of obtaining substituted allylamines.
The improved increased reaction rate prevents any substantial thermal deterioration of the reaction mixture. As a result, the filtrates obtained after the separation of the reaction products can be repeatedly used as solvents for the next rounds of the reaction. The accelerated Leuckart reaction allows for the recycling of the reaction filtrates thus leading to quantitative yields of the products and minimal amounts of wastes.
As a complementary process, it was shown that substituted formylamines that are obtained as a result of the Leuckart reaction can be hydrolyzed to substituted amines via an accelerated (instant) hydrolysis. Normally, the hydrolysis step that follows the Leuckart reaction is a relatively slow step that takes about an hour. Surprisingly, in the presence of a specific solvent the hydrolysis step also becomes an instant procedure. As a result, the entire process of obtaining amines from aldehydes and ketones becomes a combination of two accelerated (instant) reactions, an accelerated (instant) Leuckart reaction and accelerated (instant) hydrolysis.
The present invention is illustrated by the following examples herein.
EXAMPLE 1
Reductive Amination of Vanillin (I)
The multi-mode MARS 5 reaction system (CEM Corporation) with GreenChem reaction vessels was used for the synthesis of vanillylformamide (II). 1.52 g (10 mmol) of I, 20 ml of formamide, and 1 ml of formic acid were placed in the GreenChem reaction vessel. The GreenChem reaction vessel was placed into the MARS 5 reaction system and the reaction mixture was quickly heated to 200° C. The reaction mixture was kept at 200° C. for 3 minutes and then cooled to 100° C. The GreenChem reaction vessel was removed from the MARS 5 system, the residual pressure was released, and the reaction vessel was opened. TLC showed that the reaction was complete. The reaction mixture was diluted with 50 ml of water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was dried with sodium sulfate and the solvent was evaporated. The residue was purified by column chromatography (silica gel, CH 2 Cl 2 :CH 3 OH 20:1 v/v) and yielded 1.37 g (75%) of N-vanillylformamide (II), m.p. 83.5° C. (benzene). 1 H NMR (D6-acetone): 8.21 s (1H, HC═O), 7.60 s (1H, NH), 7.55 br.s. (1H, OH), 6.93 s (1H, aromatic), 6.76 s (2H, aromatic), 4.32 d (2H, CH 2 ), 3.80 s (3H, CH 3 ). 13 C NMR (D6-acetone): 161.9 (C═O), 148.7, 147.1, 131.7, 121.6, 116.1, 112.6 (aromatic carbons), 56.6 (CH 3 ), 42.3 (CH 2 ). IR (neat crystals, ATR, cm −1 ): 3296 (NH), 3213 (OH), 1643 (C═O). C 9 H 11 NO 3 , calculated, %: C, 59.66; H, 6.12; N, 7.73. Found, %: C 59.90, 59.89; H 6.13, 6.12; N 7.74, 7.73.
The reaction was repeated with 4.56 g (30 mmol) of vanillin and a reaction time of 1 min. TLC showed that the reaction was complete. The reaction mixture was extracted and purified the same way producing 3.29 g (60%) of N-vanillylformamide (II).
The reaction was repeated with 1.52 g (10 mmol) of vanillin and conventional heating at 190° C. for 1 minute. The reaction mixture was extracted and purified the same way producing 1.46 g (80%) of N-vanillylformamide (II).
EXAMPLE 2
Instant Reductive Amination of 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (III)
4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1.22 g or 10 mmol), formamide (22.72 g or 20.03 mL) and formic acid (2.43 g or 2 mL) were placed into a 50 mL round bottom flask equipped with a thermometer, a reflux condenser, a magnetic stirrer and a heating mantle. The reaction mixture was heated to 189° C. The heating was immediately turned off; the reaction flask was quickly raised from the heating mantle and allowed to cool to room temperature. The TLC conducted on the cold reaction mixture confirmed that the reaction was complete. The reaction mixture was diluted with 50 ml of water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was dried with sodium sulfate and the solvent was evaporated to produce 1.17 g (77.1%) of 4-hydroxybenzylformamide (IV).
EXAMPLE 3
Reductive Amination of 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-1-propen-3-one (V)
One g (3.9 mmol) of V, 2 ml of formic acid, and 20 ml of formamide were placed in a round bottom flask equipped with thermometer, reflux condenser, and a heating mantle. The reaction mixture was heated to 188-190° C. and maintained at this temperature for 10 minutes. The reaction mixture was left to cool to room temperature overnight. The precipitated crystals were separated by filtration, rinsed with water, and dried with vacuum, producing 70% of N-[1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-1-propen-3-yl]-formamide (VI).
EXAMPLE 4
Reductive Amination of Benzophenone (VII)
The reaction procedure for V was repeated with 5 g of benzophenone and the reaction time of 15 minutes. The reaction produced 95% of benzhydrylformamide (VIII) (isolated yield).
EXAMPLE 5
Instant Hydrolysis of N-[1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-1-propen-3-yl]formamide (VI)
One g of VI, 10 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid, and 10 ml of methanol were placed in the GreenChem reaction vessel. The GreenChem reaction vessel was placed into the MARS 5 reaction system and the reaction mixture was quickly heated to 120° C. The microwave heating was immediately turned off and the reaction mixture was quickly cooled to 60° C. The GreenChem reaction vessel was removed from the MARS 5 system, the residual pressure was released, and the reaction vessel was opened. TLC showed that the reaction was complete. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature; the precipitated crystals were separated by filtration. The filtrate was dried with vacuum and produced an additional amount of the product. The yield of N-[1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-1-propen-3-yl]-amine hydrochloride (IX) is quantitative.
EXAMPLE 6
Instant Hydrolysis of Benzhydrylformamide (VIII)
The reaction procedure for VI was repeated with 1 g of VIII and produced quantitative yield of benzhydrylamine hydrochloride (X).
EXAMPLE 7
Instant Hydrolysis of Vanillylformamide (II)
The reaction procedure for VI was repeated with 1 g of II and produced quantitative yield of vanillylamine hydrochloride (Xi).
EXAMPLE 8
Reductive Amination of 2,4,6-trimethoxybenzaldehyde (XII) with Recycling of the Filtrate
1.96 g (10 mmol) of XII, 20 ml of formamide, and 2 ml of formic acid were placed in the GreenChem reaction vessel. The GreenChem reaction vessel was placed into the MARS-5 reaction system and the reaction mixture was quickly heated to 200° C. The reaction mixture was kept at 200° C. for 3 minutes and then cooled to 100° C. The GreenChem reaction vessel was removed from the MARS 5 system, the residual pressure was released, and the reaction vessel was opened. TLC showed that the reaction was complete. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature; the precipitated crystals were separated by filtration, rinsed with water and dried with vacuum. The filtrate was used as solvent in the next reaction. The reaction was repeated 10 times. The total of 9.6492 g of formic acid, and 34.5680 g of formamide were added to the reaction mixture over the ten cycles to compensate the losses. The total yield of 2,4,6-trimethoxybenzylformamide (XIII) is quantitative.
Other Embodiments
The description of the specific embodiments of the invention is presented for the purpose of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the scope of the invention to the specific forms described herein. Although the invention has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as set forth in the claims. All patents, patent applications and publications referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
Other embodiments are within the claims. | An improved method for the synthesis of substituted formylamines and substituted amines via an accelerated Leuckart reaction. The Leuckart reaction is accelerated by reacting formamide or N-alkylformamide and formic acid with an aldehyde or a ketone at a preferred molar ratio that accelerates the reaction. The improved method is applicable to various substituted aldehydes and ketones, including substituted benzaldehydes. An accelerated method for the hydrolysis of substituted formylamines into substituted amines using acid or base and a solvent at an elevated temperature. The improved method is useful for the accelerated synthesis of agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals such as vanillylamine, amphetamine and its analogs, and formamide fungicides. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Adriamycine is an antibiotic compound which is useful in the treatment of certain tumors and is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,028 to Arcamone, et al. A further procedure for the preparation of adriamycin will be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,124 to Arcamone, et al. Said patent also discloses that adriamycine may be prepared from daunomycin or its aglycone daunomycinone. Another approach may be found in Kende, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,382.
Most synthetic routes to adriamycin are directed to the synthesis of the tetrahydroxytriketo anthracycline known as daunomycinone. In the synthesis of daunomycinone and its known analogs certain synthetic problems have been noted by workers skilled in the art. Daunomycinone itself carries a methoxy group at the 4-position in the D ring of the anthracycline nucleus. The 4-hydroxy analog, carminomycin is also known, as well as other analogs bearing different substituents at the 1,-2,-3,- and 4-positions of the D ring (see Kende, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,457.
While several approaches to the synthesis of daunomycinone and its analogs have been disclosed in the art, one of principal difficulties encountered in these syntheses is the provision of regiospecificity in the D ring utilizing regularly available starting materials in a process which is economically feasible on the industrial scale. It will be recognized that where regiospecificity of the substituent (if present) in the D ring is lacking the process utilized would automatically carry a 50% yield penalty to the desired end product regardless of the efficiency of the remaining steps.
The remaining recognized problems of the synthesis of daunomycinone and its analogs lie in possession of the desired substitution pattern at the 7- and 9-positions of the A ring of the anthracycline skeleton. The problems are namely; the provision of an alpha hydroxy group at the 7-position, the provision of an alpha hydroxy group at the 9-position and the provision of a 9-beta acetyl group.
It is of interest in planning molecular modifications of daunomycinone to be able to provide, at the 9-beta position, a substituted carbonyl group other than acetyl for example, propionyl, butyryl, benzoyl, and the like.
The conversion of 7,9-dideoxydaunomycinone to daunomycin is a known procedure set forth in Sih et al., Tet. Lett. 3385 (1976) and Kende, et al, J. American. Chemical Society 97, 4425 (1974), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a mode for the regiospecific synthesis of daunomycinone and its A or D ring substituted analogs with particular reference to the regiospecificity of the substitution pattern in the D ring as well as a mode for variation of the substitution pattern of the carbonyl at the 9-position which is present in daunomycinone as an acetyl moiety. The procedures of the present invention are equally applicable to the synthesis of carminomycinone and its analogs which carry additional substitution in the D ring.
The process of the present invention is set forth in the general reaction scheme of sequence I set forth in FIG. Ia or Ib. In this sequence the substituent groups R 1 ,R 2 ,R 3 , and R 4 may be the same or different and are each selected from, the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, or halo and Q is selected from Br, Cl, I, F, OR or OH. R is alkyl. R 5 is alkyl. As will be discussed herein below where one or more of the substituents R 1 thru R 4 are alkoxy, certain advantages may accrue in selecting the alkyl moiety of OR 5 to be different from the alkoxy moieties of R 1 thru R 4 .
R 7 is a substituent having para-directing properties on a phenyl nucleus. R 7 may be alkyl or substituted alkyl preferably of 1 to 5 carbon atoms in the skeleton having the partial structural formula, --CHR 13 . (CR 9 R 10 ) n . (CR 11 R 12 ) m COOR 8 . Wherein R 8 is alkyl, R 9 ,R 10 ,R 11 ,R 12 may be the same or different and may be hydrogen, alkyl, COOR 15 or COR 16 , or may be 0,1, or 2, provided m+n is at least 2, and R 13 may be alkyl or hydrogen, R 15 is lower alkyl of 2-6 carbon atoms and R 16 is lower alkyl of 1-6 carbon atoms.
As will be seen from FIG. II the substitution pattern of the aromatic nucleus of the starting phthalide (I) determines the regiospecificity of the substitution pattern of the D ring of the anthracycline (XI) and similarly the nature of the substituent R 7 in the 1,4-dialkoxybenzene starting material (II) determines the nature of the A ring in said anthracycline (XI).
In carrying out the process of the present invention the starting phthalide (I) is reacted with the 1,4-dialkoxybenzene (II) in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst to yield the Friedel-Crafts condensation product (III) which is then selectively hydrolyzed in aqueous base, suitably in the presence of an alkanol to aid solubilization to yield the corresponding compound (IV) having a terminal carboxylic acid group.
Compound (IV) is then subjected to ring closure and reductive deoxygenation. The ring closure step is carried out by action of Lewis acids, protic acids in the presence of their anhydrides or hydrofluoric acid, the second group being preferred, followed by reduction suitably with an alkyl silane. Isolation of the intermediate ring closed product (Va) is not required. The resulting o-substituted benzoic acid (Vb) is then ring closed in a manner analogous to that utilized to carry out the ring closures in the previous step to yield the anthrone (VI) which may exist either in the keto form as shown, or alternatively in the enol form.
The anthrone (VI) is then oxidized in the usual manner, suitably using a dichromate or chromic acid oxidizing agent to form the corresponding anthraquinone (VII). The anthraquinone (VII) is then sequentially subjected to saponfication and decarboxylation. In one modification of this procedure the saponfication is carried out by a normal base hydrolysis followed by any of the usual procedures for the decarboxylation of a malonic acid, by heating per se or with an acidic or basic decarboxylating agent at a slightly lower temperature. Alternatively, the sequence may be reversed by elimination of one of the alkoxycarbonyl groups with sodium cyanide or the like in a suitable solvent followed by saponfication of the remaining ester group with base in the usual manner. Again, purification of the intermediate product in either case is not required.
The thus produced tetrahydronaphthacenequinone-9-carboxylic acid (IX) is converted into the corresponding 6,11-dialkoxytetrahydronaphthacene quinone (X) having the desired substituted carbonyl at the 9-position. In one modification the acid is first converted into the corresponding acid chloride and then treated with the appropriate organo metallic agent or the acid itself is directly converted to the ketone.
The specific organic moiety attached to the organometallic reducing agent selected will determine the nature of the substituent group on the carbonyl moiety. Thus, where the substituent at C-9 is to be acetyl, as would be the case in the regular daunomycinone series a methyl substituted organometallic alkylating agent would be employed.
The resultant 6,11-dialkoxytetrahydronaphthacene quinone (X) is then subjected to a combination of oxidative dealkylation and reduction reactions to form the corresponding 6,11-dihydroxytetrahydronaphthacenequinone (XI). Certain of the starting materials of general formula (II) are new compounds and are prepared in accordance with the reaction sequence set forth in FIG. II. In the sequence as shown for the formation of daunomycin, R 9 and R 10 are each COOR 15 and R 11 , R 12 and R 13 are hydrogen.
A benzene 1,4-diether (XX) is condensed with a dihalo methylether in the presence of a suitable Friedel-Crafts reagent to yield, upon quenching, the corresponding 2-benzaldehyde 1,4-diether (XXI). This aldehyde is condensed, suitably with the appropriate malonic diester (XXII) and the condensation product, (XXIII) reduced catalytically to yield the corresponding benzyl malonic ester (XXIV) which is further condensed with the appropriate halo alkanoate ester for example methylbromoacetate in the presence of sodium hydride to yield the desired compound (II).
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The general procedures for carrying out the process of the present invention are set forth in the flow diagrams of FIGS. Ia, Ib and II.
In these flow diagrams the substituent groups are designated. Thus, R 1 thru R 4 may be the same or different and are each selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halo, suitably bromo or chloro, alkyl or alkoxy wherein the alk..moiety comprises 1 to 5 carbon atoms. Most suitably however, the alkyl or alkoxy groups may be methyl or methoxy respectively.
It should be noted that a particular advantage of the present invention resides in the ability to provide an anthracycline carrying any desired substitution pattern in the D ring. Since it is possible to place one or more of the desired and above named substituents at any of positions 4 thru 7 of the phthalide moiety such substituents will be found in the corresponding 1-4 positions of the final anthracycline moiety.
Referring to anthracycline numbering the following substitution patterns are of particular interest. They are listed for purposes of illustration only and not limitation. Unsubstituted, 4-hydroxy (carminomycine), 4-methoxy (daunomycin); 1,4-dimethyl, 1,4-dimethoxy, 2,3-dimethyl, 1,2-dichloro, 2,3-dichloro, 1,3-dicloro, 1,4-dichloro, 1,3- and 2,4-dimethoxy, 1,3- and 2,4-dimethyl, 1-halo-4-methoxy, 4-halo-1-methoxy, 2-halo-4-methoxy, 3-halo-4-methoxy, 3-halo-1-methoxy, 2-halo-1-methoxy, 4-halo-3-methoxy, 4-halo-2-methoxy, in all of the foregoing cases "halo" may be fluoro, chloro, bromo or iodo. R 5 is lower alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms for example methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl or pentyl. It has been found however that in the final stage of the reaction process, that is to say, the removal of the R 5 groups from compound (X) a differential rate of removal exists between the R 5 groups and an alkyl component of an alkoxy substituent on the A ring (i.e., where R 1 thru R 4 may be alkoxy). This differential rate is normally in favor of removal of the R 5 groups, which is desirable. It has been found that this differential rate is substantially enhanced in the situation where the alkoxy group on the D ring is methoxy and the group OR 5 is ethoxy.
R 7 is a substituent having para-directing properties on a phenyl nucleus, it may be a lower alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms or substituted lower alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms in the skeleton. In the synthetic sequence leading to daunomycinone and its analogs it is preferred that the skeleton of R 7 comprise 4 carbon atoms in the chain and has the partial structural formula, CH 2 . (CR 9 . R 10 )m. (CR 11 , R 12 )n. COOR 8 wherein R 8 is lower alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, R 9 thru R 13 has the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, COOR 15 and COR 16 wherein R 15 is alkyl of 2-6 carbon atoms, and R 16 is alkyl of 1-6 carbon atoms, m or n have the value 0, 1 or 2 provided m+n is at least 2. The substituent group Q in compound (I) is halo suitably bromo or chloro most suitably bromo, alkylsulfonyl for example but not limited to mesyl, aralkylsulfonyl most suitably but not limited to tosyl, or alkoxy suitably methoxy.
In the process of the present invention compound (I) is coupled with compound (II) under generally accepted Friedel-Crafts conditions. Any Friedel-Crafts catalyst may be utilized in the reaction. Catalysts such as titanium tetrachloride, zinc chloride, anhydrous aluminum chloride, boron trifluoride and stannic chloride may be utilized; of these, stannic chloride is the most preferred. The reaction is run utilizing substantially stoichiometric proportions. However, it is desirable to use a small excess, say up to 20% by weight of the catalyst. The reaction is carried out in any halocarbon solvent generally utilized for Friedel-Crafts reactions. For example, halogenated hydrocarbons such as chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, dichloroethane, or methylene chloride may be employed; of these, methylene chloride is especially preferred.
The reaction may be carried out at any temperature from about minus 20° C. thru about 80° C. and will be complete in between about 6 to about 2 hours, depending upon the temperature. It has been found convenient however to carry out the reaction at ambient temperature and permit the reaction mixture to stand overnight before work up.
The reaction mixture is quenched suitably by the addition of aqueous acid, for example, 3 N hydrochloric acid. The organic phase is separated, washed with water, dried, suitably over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and the solvent removed under reduced pressure to yield the compound (III) which may then be recrystallized.
The terminal ester moiety of compound (III) is then selectively saponified by base hydrolysis. This occurs to greatest advantage when R 15 ═C 2 H 5 and R 8 ═CH 3 . Any base of reasonable strength, suitably an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium or potassium hydroxide is employed. The reaction is carried out in a medium which will solvate both the ester in the base as well as providing an aqueous environment. It has been found suitable to employ a solvent mixture of approximately equal parts of a water soluble ether such as tetrahydrofuran, and alkanols suitably ethanol or methanol. There may be utilized between 1 and 3 equivalents of base per mole of compound (III). However, it has been found suitable to utilize slightly more than 2 equivalents of base per mole of compound (III). The reaction may be carried out at a temperature from about 0° C. to about 100° C. from about 3 to 24 hours. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture is acidified with dilute mineral acid and extracted with a water-immiscible reaction inert organic solvent suitably a halogenated hydrocarbon solvent such as methylene chloride, the organic phase is washed, dried and the solvent removed to yield the acid (IV) in substantially quantitative yield.
The acid (IV) is then subjected sequentially to ring closure of the acid moiety to form ring A, and removal of the thus formed keto group by reduction which simultaneously converts the lactone moiety on the potential ring D into an acid moiety. This is followed by a second ring closure between potential ring D and potential ring B to form ring C.
While these steps are set forth herein below (and in the experimental) as discrete steps with actual or partial isolation of the intermediate products such intermediate isolation is not essential as will be indicated at the appropriate point herein below.
The acid (IV) utilized from the preceding step without any further purification, is reacted with a Lewis acid or other suitable acid, if necessary, in a chlorocarbon solvent, or with hydrofluoric acid in a chlorocarbon solvent. Among the Lewis acids which may be employed are boron trifluoride, phosphorus penta-fluoride, or antimony pentafluoride. Protic acids and/or their anhydrides may be used. Suitable reagents in this class are hydrofluoric acid, methane sulfonic anhydride, P 2 O 5 in methanesulfonic acid and trifluoracetic acid in the presence of trifluoracetic anhydride. The use of the last combination being especially preferred. There is utilized a substantial excess of the Lewis acid, weight for weight equivalent being suitable. The reaction may be carried out at between about 0° C. and 80° C. for from about 0.5 to about 4 hours. As a matter of convenience the reaction may be carried out at ambient temperature and left overnight to insure completion. The reagents are then removed.
In the preferred modification utilizing trifluoracetic acid and trifluoracetic anhydride the solvents may be removed under reduced pressure. Where it is desired to isolate the intermediate A- ring ketone (Va) (not necessary in the full reaction sequence) the residue is made alkaline with a weak mineral base suitably aqueous sodium bicarbonate, extracted with a chlorocarbon solvent and the organic extract washed, dried, and the solvent removed under reduced pressure to yield a residue which may be recrystallized from an alkanol suitably methanol.
The intermediate A ring ketone is then reduced, suitably utilizing any alkyl silane in a suitable acidic medium. Boron trifluoride etherate or acetic acid may be employed. The use of organic acids such as acetic acid however lead to lengthy reaction times. It has been found especially suitable to carry out the reaction in trifluoroacetic acid which should of course be substantially anhydrous since the presence of water slows the reaction rate.
Where this reaction is carried out on a large scale there may be added to the reaction mixture of the previous step a sufficient amount of water just sufficient to convert the excess trifluoracetic anhydride to trifluoracetic acid. To this reaction mixture there is added an excess of any alkyl silane, triethylsilane being especially preferred. There is utilized an excess of from about 1.2 to about 4 moles of the silane. The reaction may be carried out under conditions varying from ambient temperature for about 7 days to about 24 hours at about 50° C. The latter, slightly more vigorous conditions being preferred. After completion of the reaction the product may, if desired, be isolated by removal of the solvent under reduced pressure followed by recrystallization, suitably in ether/petroleum ether to give the acid compound (Vb) in a substantially quantitative yield. It is not however necessary to purify compound (Vb).
In the preferred procedure, compound (Vb) is treated with a Lewis acid or a suitable protic acid anhydride under the same conditions as utilized for the first step conversion from compound (III) to the ring A ketone precursor of compound (IV). As stated heretofore, it is preferred to treat the tricyclic acid (Vb) with trifluoracetic acid in the presence of trifluoracetic anhydride at ambient temperature. The reaction in this case is substantially complete in between 0.5 and 1 hours at ambient temperature. The product being the tetrahydronaphthacenal (VI) which, upon analysis, is noted to exist principally in the enolic form rather than in the keto form as shown.
The tetrahydronaphthacenol (VI) is not isolated but oxidized to the corresponding tetrahydronaphthacenequinone (VII). Any oxidizing agent which can convert an anthrone to an anthraquinone may be utilized, however, it is preferred to use sodium dichromate or, most suitably, chromic acid in large excess, an excess of between 1.5 and 3 moles of chromic acid per mole of tetrahydronaphthacenol (VI) being preferred. The reaction may be carried out at between 0° C. to ambient temperature for from about 3 hours to about 15 minutes. It is preferred however to carry out the reaction at about 0° C. for about 30 minutes, thereafter allowing the reaction mixture to warm up to ambient temperature at which temperature the reaction is allowed to complete in about 2 hours. The reaction mixture is then quenched by the addition of water and extracted with a suitable organic water-immiscible solvent suitably ethyl acetate. The organic phase is separated and worked up in the usual manner to yield, after washing, drying and removal of the solvent a residue which may be further purified by filtration thru silica gel to yield a further residue which upon crystallization, suitably from aqueous methanol, yields the tetrahydronaphthacenequinone (VII) in a reasonable yield.
One of the two alkoxycarbonyl groups at the 9-position is then removed with corresponding conversion of the remaining ester group to the corresponding acid. This conversion may be achieved either by saponification followed by decarboxylation or alternatively removal of one of the alkoxy carbonyl groups followed by saponification. The former mode is to be preferred.
In this procedure the tetrahydronaphthacenequinone diester (VII) is saponified by base hydrolysis in the usual manner, heating under reflux with an alkali metal hydroxide suitably sodium or potassium hydroxide in an aqueous alkanol suitably aqueous ethanol for from about 1 to about 4 suitably for about 3 hours is preferred. The reaction mixture is then acidified and extracted with a water-immiscible organic solvent suitably with ethyl acetate. Removal of the solvent under reduced pressure provides the corresponding gemdiacid which may, if desired, be purified by recrystallization, suitably from methylene chloride/ether but such purification is not generally required.
The gem-diacid is then subjected to the usual decarboxylation conditions applicable to a malonic acid. This may be affected either by heating to a range of between 130° C. and 170° C. suitably to about 160° C., or, preferably, the decarboxylation may be carried out in an acidic medium. The gem-diacid may either be heated with aqueous hydrochloric acid in the presence of acetic acid or, most suitably, with acetic acid containing a small amount of piperidine/pyridine--about 5% by volume of each relative to the glacial acetic acid is suitable. The reaction mixture is heated under reflux for from about 30 minutes to about 2 hours suitably for about 1 hour and the solvent removed under reduced pressure to yield the desired monoacid (IX) which may, if desired, be recrystallized in a good yield suitably from ether. The alternative mode is carried out in the following manner.
The diester (VII) is taken up in a polar water-immiscible organic solvent such as dimethyl sulfoxide or dimethyl formamide and heated, suitably under reflux, with an excess, suitably a 1 to 2 molar excess of sodium cyanide for from about 1 to about 4 hours suitably for about 3 hours and the reaction mixture quenched with water. The reaction mixture is extracted with a suitable water-immiscible organic solvent suitably ethyl acetate or the like. The organic layer is separated, washed in the usual manner, dried, and the solvent removed to yield the corresponding anthraquinone-9-monoester which is then saponified in a manner similar to that set forth in the immediately foregoing 2-step procedure to provide, upon work up, the same 9mono acid (IX).
Compound (IX) is then converted into the desired 9-substituted ketone by treatment with a suitable organometallic alkylating agent. The organic moiety of said alkylating agent will determine the nature of the substituent upon the carbonyl group as will appear immediately herein below.
Two alternate procedures are available. In the first alternate procedure the acid (IX) is converted into the corresponding acid halide in the usual manner. In this procedure the acid (IX) is taken up in a suitable polar water-immiscible organic solvent preferably a halogenated hydrocarbon solvent, most suitably methylene chloride, in the presence of a small amount of basic catalyst such as dimethylformide. Any agent generally utilized for the conversion of carboxylic acids to the corresponding acid halides may be utilized. Among such agents may be mentioned phosgene, triphenylphosphine in carbon tetrachloride, phosphorus oxychloride, phosphorus trichloride, phosphorus pentachloride, phosphorus oxybromide, phosphorus tribromide, and thionyl chloride; the last being especially preferred. There is utilized a substantial excess of the halogenating agent, 2 parts by weight of halogenating agent per part by weight of the acid (IX) being suitable. The reaction is somewhat exothermic and is suitably carried out at ambient temperature and the reaction permitted to go to conclusion, suitably leaving it overnight. The reaction mixture is then worked up suitably by removing the solvent and unreacted halogenating agent (if volatile) under reduced pressure, followed by co-evaporation with benzene to remove the last traces of thionyl chloride where utilized.
The thus produced acid chloride is utilized in the next, alkylation, stage without further purification. A very efficient procedure for conversion of an acid chloride to a predetermined corresponding substituted carbonyl involves the reaction of the acid chloride with the corresponding lithium organocuprate. The organo moiety may be alkyl suitably lower alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, butyl, propyl or the like, aryl such as phenyl or napthyl, or aralkyl such as benzyl naphthyl or the like. The foregoing examples are set forth for purposes of exemplification and should in no way be considered to be limiting. The lithium organocuprate is prepared in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Journal of the American Chemical Society 94, 5106 (1972). In the preparation of compounds in the daunomycinone series the substituent at the 9-position on the anthracycline nucleus is acetyl, that is to say, the substituent on the carbonyl is methyl. In that case the lithium organocuprate alkylating agent utilized is dimethyl cuprolithium.
The acid chloride of the acid (IX) is taken up in an anhydrous ether, suitably tetrahydrofuran. Some difficulty may be experienced in dissolving the acid chloride in the solvent and heating may be required. The reaction, however, must be carried out at low temperatures from for example about minus 78° C. to about plus 20° C. most suitably at about 30° C. A substantial excess say a 1.2 to 4 molar excess of the lithium organocuprate compound in an etheral solvent, suitably diethyl ether, is prepared and cooled to the reaction temperature which is maintained by external cooling. The warm solution of the acid chloride is then added slowly, with stirring, in an inert atmosphere, to the lithium organocuprate solution. In the preferred mode after about 30 minutes to 2 hours, the cooling agent is removed and the reaction permitted to warm to ambient temperature at which temperature it is maintained for from about 1 to about 5 hours.
The reaction mixture is quenched with a proton donor, suitably saturated aqueous ammonium chloride and the resultant mixture extracted with a water-immiscible reaction inert polar organic solvent suitably with ethyl acetate. The organic extract is washed, dried and the solvent removed to yield a residue which, upon crystallization suitably from acetone/ether yields the substituted carbonyl compound (X) in high yield.
In an alternate mode of the procedure the acid (IX) is treated directly with a lithium organometallic compound. In this procedure the acid (IX) is similarly taken up in an ether, suitably a water-immiscible ether such as tetrahydrofuran. Again, heating may be necessary.
There is prepared, in a similar solvent, a solution of the appropriate organometallic lithium compound. Depending upon the final product desired to be obtained there may be a utilized lithium alkyls such as lithium methyl, lithium ethyl, lithium butyl or the like, there may also be a utilized aryl lithium compounds such as phenyl lithium or naphthyl lithium or aralkyl lithium compounds for example benzyl lithium and the like. The organo lithium compounds are utilized in an exact quantity of 2 moles per mole of acid and are cooled to from between about minus 80° C. to about minus 30° C. suitably to about minus 60° C. The solution of the acid (IX) is added to the solution of the organo lithium compound and the reaction permitted to proceed and the product thereof worked up in a manner similar to that utilized for the organo cuprolithium compound above. The 6,11-diether (X) is then dealkylated to the corresponding hydroxy compound (XI) by a combination of two reactions. The first involves oxidative demethylation with silver in the presence of nitric acid and the second reduction by an N,N-dialkylhydroxylamine.
The 6,11-diether (X) is then taken up in a water-miscible polar organic solvent suitably a ketonic solvent preferably acetone and there is added thereto a substantial excess suitably from about 2 to about 4 equivalents of silver oxide. The mixture is agitated to disperse the silver oxide and warmed to a temperature of from about 30° C. to about 60° C. The warmed solution is agitated and there is added thereto aqueous nitric acid suitably having a strength of between 2 N and 8 N preferably about 6 N. While it is preferred to carry out the reaction at approximately 60° C. the reaction is operative in a temperature range of between 0° C. and 80° C. After addition of the nitric acid the reaction mixture is, suitably, permitted to stand at ambient temperature for from about 30 minutes to about one hour suitably for about 1 hour and the solvent removed under reduced pressure. The residue is treated with water and a water-immiscible reaction inert organic solvent suitably a halocarbon solvent preferably methylene chloride, the organic phase separated, dried, and the solvent removed to leave a sticky reddish residue which is utilized without further purification. The red residue is taken up in a reaction inert water-immiscible polar organic solvent suitably an alkanolic ester most suitably ethyl acetate and treated with an organic reducing agent suitably a basic reducing agent for example an N,N-dialkylhydroxylamine preferably diethylhydroxylamine. The reaction proceeds at between 0° and 60° C., most suitably at ambient temperature and is complete in between 15 minutes to one hour suitably after 30 minutes. The reaction mixture is then quenched by the addition of dilute aqueous hydrochloric acid the organic layer separated dried, and the solvent removed under reduced pressure to yield, on recrystallization, suitably from methylene chloride ether, the corresponding 6,11-dihydroxy tetrahydronaphthacenequinone (XI) as red needles which, in the daunomycin series, are the known 7,9-dideoxydaunomycinone, a known intermediate for the synthesis of daunomycin.
PREPARATION OF STARTING MATERIALS
Certain of the compounds falling within the scope of formula (II) are new compounds and may be prepared in accordance with the general procedures set forth below.
The benzene 1,4-diether (XX) is converted into the corresponding aldehyde by reaction with a gem-dihalomethyl ether suitably a gem-dichloro -methyl ether in the presence of a Lewis acid. There are utilized substantially stoichiometric quantities of all three reagents. Any Lewis acid such as those set forth hereinabove may be utilized. However, stannic chloride is especially preferred. The reaction is carried out in an organic water-immiscible solvent suitably a halogenated hydrocarbon solvent such as methylene chloride or the like. The reaction may be carried out in a temperature range of between minus 10° C. and about plus 25° C. most suitably at about 0° C. The reaction is very rapid and is complete in between 2 and 15 minutes. The reaction mixture is quenched with dilute aqueous acid and the organic phase washed, dried, and the solvent removed under reduced pressure to yield the corresponding aldehyde (XXI).
The aldehyde (XXI) is then condensed with the appropriate malonic ester (XXII). (R 9 =R 10 =COOR 15 ). The nature of the ester group is not critical since, as was shown above, it will eventually be removed, however it should be higher than methyl since a selective hydrolysis of a methyl ester is called for in a later step. Any dialkyl malonate may be utilized. Diethylmalonate being convenient from the point of view of availability. Substantially stoichiometric amounts of the aldehyde (XXI) and the malonic ester are taken up in a reaction inert organic solvent capable of forming an azeotropic mixture with water. Catalytic amounts of base, suitably piperidine and carboxylic acid, suitably acetic acid added and the mixture heated under reflux until no further azeotropic distillate is obtained. Typically, the reaction will be complete in from about 6 to about 12 hours. The mixture is then washed with dilute acid, water, and saturated aqueous bicarbonate solution. The solvent is removed to yield the corresponding benzylidene malonate (XXIII) which is then hydrogenated to the corresponding benzylmalonate (XXIV).
It should be noted that in the foregoing procedures compound (XXI) is an aldehyde of a type heretofore difficult to obtain. Well-known Friedel-Crafts procedures exist for the formation of corresponding ketones. Thus where it is desired to produce a final product having, say, an alkyl substituent at C-10, (R 13 =alkyl) that substituent is present on the carbonyl of (XXI) in place of the aldehydic hydrogen.
The reduction is suitably carried out by catalytic hydrogenation suitably in the presence of a palladium-charcoal catalyst.
The benzylidene malonate (XXIII) is taken up in an inert organic solvent suitably a lower alkanol or an alkyl alkanoate preferably ethyl acetate or the like. The catalyst is added to the solution. There is utilized about 2-3% by weight of catalyst relative to the benzylidene malonate. It is preferred to utilize a catalyst carrying approximately 10% of the active catalytic material on the carrier suitably 10% palladium-on- charcoal. Hydrogen absorption is carried out in the usual manner at ambient pressure and temperature and is substantially theoretical and is complete between about 2 to about 3 hours.
The hydrogenation mixture is filtered to remove the catalyst and yields, upon removal of the solvent the desired benzyl malonate (XXIV).
The benzyl malonate (XXIV) is then condensed with a suitable haloalkanoic ester. The nature of the ester group is not critical, however, it should be more labile than that present in the malonate (XXII).
Later in the reaction sequence this ester function, i.e., R 8 , must be selectively removed in the presence of other ester functions (i.e., R 15 ). For convenience R 8 =methyl, is preferred because it can be selectively saponified. However the trichloroethyl group may also be used since it can easily be selectively removed by zinc in acetic acid. The alkyl moiety chosen will depend upon the size of ring A desired and its substitution pattern. Thus, if it is desired to form, at the end of the synthetic sequence, ring A carrying no substituents at what will become the 8-position of the ring then the haloalkanoate is a haloacetate suitably a bromoacetate. If, for example, it were desired to place, say, a methyl substituent at this position then there would be utilized an alpha bromopropionate.
The benzyl malonate (XXIV) is taken up in a dry inert organic solvent suitably an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent most suitably benzene and added to a suspension of a strong base in a similar solvent. Among these bases sodium hydride is especially preferred. A trace of alkanol, suitably, is added to initiate the reaction and the mixture heated under reflux until evolution of hydrogen ceases. The reaction mixture is then cooled and the appropriate alkyl haloalkanoate in a similar solvent is added. The reaction mixture is heated, suitably under reflux and cooled. The reaction mixture is then quenched by the addition of a small amount of organic acid in the same solvent, suitably acetic acid in benzene and the reaction mixture worked up in the usual manner to yield the desired compound (XXV) in this sequence (which is the same as compound (II) in the principal reaction sequence).
EXPERIMENTAL
EXAMPLE I
2,5-Diethoxybenzaldehyde (XXI)
A mixture of 1,4-diethoxybenzene (24.9 g 0.150 mole) and 1,1-dichloromethyl methyl ether (18 g., 0.157 mole) in methylene chloride (80 ml.) was added with stirring during 20 minutes to a solution of stannic chloride (39 g., 0.150 mole) in methylene chloride (150 ml.) at approximately 0° C. The solution was then stirred at this temperature for 5 minutes and quenched by addition of aqueous hydrochloric acid (6 N., 100 ml.) which was added rapidly. The organic phase was separated washed with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent removed from the filtrate by evaporation under reduced pressure to yield a crystalline solid (29 g.) m.p. 57°-59° C. Recrystallation (from ether) gave 2,5-Diethoxybenzaldehyde (27.1 g., 0.138 mole, 93%) m.p. 60°-61° I.R.: 1738 cm -1 (aldehyde CO).
In accordance with the above procedure but starting, in place of 1,4-Diethoxybenzene with 1,4-Dimethoxybenzene or 1,4-Dipropoxybenzene or 1,4-Diisopropoxybenzene there is obtained the corresponding 1,4-Dimethoxybenzaldehyde or 1,4-Dipropoxybenzaldehyde or 1,4-Diisopropoxybenzaldehyde respectively.
EXAMPLE II
Diethyl 2,5-Diethoxybenzylidenemalonate
2,5-Diethoxybenzaldehyde (24 g., 0.124 mole) and diethyl malonate (20 g., 0.125 mole) are added to a solution of piperidine (3.0 g.) and glacial acetic acid (6 ml.) in benzene (160 ml.). The mixture is heated under reflux utilizing a Dean-Stark water separator until water ceased to be separated. After 8 hours of distillation 2.3 ml. of water out of a theoretical yield of 2.23 ml. are obtained and the reaction mixture cooled. The cooled reaction mixture is washed with aqueous hydrochloric acid (6 N, 70 ml.) water (70 ml.) and aqueous sodium bicarbonate (5% w/w,50 ml.). The organic layer is separated, dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent removed under reduced pressure to yield a yellow oil (42.7 g., 0.127 mole, 100%). Trituration with petroleum ether yields diethyl 2,5-Diethoxybenzylidenemalonate (38.4 g., 0.114 mole, 92%) m.p. (from petroleum ether) 52°-53° C. I.R.: 1720 cm -1 mass spec m/e 336.
In accordance with the above procedure but where, in place of diethyl malonate, there is employed dimethyl malonate, dipropyl malonate or dibenzyl malonate, there is obtained the corresponding dimethyl-, dipropyl-, or dibenzyl-, 2,5-diethoxybenzylidenemalonate.
Similarly, but starting with 1,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde or 1,4-dipropoxybenzaldehyde or 1,4-diisopropoxybenzaldehyde in place of 1,4-diethoxybenzyldehyde there is obtained, in accordance with the principal reaction, diethyl-2,5-dimethoxybenzylidenemalonate or diethyl 2,5-dipropoxybenzylidenemalonate or diethyl 2,5-Diisopropoxybenzylidene malonate.
In accordance with the principal example but where, in place of 2,5-diethoxybenzaldehyde there is utilized 2,5-diethoxybenzyl methyl ketone or 2,5-diethoxybenzyl benzyl ketone there is obtained ethyl 2-ethoxycarbonyl-3-(2',5'-diethoxyphenyl) crotonate and ethyl 2-ethoxycarbonyl-3-(2',5'-diethoxyphenyl)-4-phenylcrotonate respectively.
EXAMPLE III
Diethyl(2,5-Diethoxybenzyl)malonate
Diethyl 2,5-diethoxybenzylidine malonate (35.3 g., 0.105 mole) is taken up in ethyl acetate (100 ml.) in the presence of a palladium-on-charcoal catalyst (10%, 0.5 g). The mixture is hydrogenated, with agitation, at ambient pressure and temperature hydrogen absorption (2545 ml.; theoretical: 2550 ml.) ceases abruptly after 2.5 hours. The mixture is filtered to remove the catalyst and the solvent removed under reduced pressure to yield diethyl 2,5-diethoxybenzyl malonate as a colorless oil (35.6 g., 0.105 mole, 100%) which is not purified further.
I.R. 1738 cm -1 nmr (d 6 -acetone) ppm. 1.0-1.6 (m, 12H); 3.12 (d, 2H L=7 Hz.); 3-68 (t, 1H L=7 Hz.); 3.7-4.3 (m 8H); 6.67 (s, 3H).
In accordance with the above procedure but starting with any of the 2,5-Dialkoxybenzylidene malonates produced in accordance with Example II there are obtained the corresponding 2,5-dialkoxybenzyl malonates.
EXAMPLE IV
Methyl 4-(2',5'-Diethoxyphenyl)-3,3-bis(ethoxycarbonyl) butyrate
Diethyl 2,5-diethoxybenzyl malonate (24.8 g., 0.073 mole) is taken up in dry benzene (120 ml.) and the resultant solution added to a suspension of sodium hydride (2.66 g., 0.11 mole) in dry benzene (45 ml.). Ethanol (50 μl) is added and the mixture heated under reflux for 4 hours. Hydrogen evolution is noted and ceases after 4 hours. The mixture is then cooled to ambient temperature and a solution of methyl bromoacetate (12.4 g., 0.081 mole) in benzene (25 ml.) is added with stirring over a period of 20 minutes. The resultant mixture is heated briefly under reflux (5 to 15 minutes) then cooled. The reaction is quenched by the addition of a solution of acetic acid in benzene (5 ml./20 ml.) which is added slowly with stirring. The quenched reaction mixture is allowed to stand overnight, then washed with water (200 ml.) and aqueous sodium bicarbonate (5%, 40 ml.), the organic layer separated and dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent removed under reduced pressure to yield methyl 4-(2',5'-diethoxyphenyl)-3,3--bis(ethoxycarbonyl) butyrate as a pale brown oil (27.8 g., 0.068 mole, 92.5%). nmr shows this product to be essentially pure and it is not further purified in the next step.
I.R. 1738 cm -1 (COOR) nmr (d 6 -acetone) ppm. 1.22 (t, 6H); 1.32 (t, 6H); 2.7 (s, 2H); 3.3 (s, 2H); 3.56 (s, 3H); 3.6-4.3 (m, 8H); 6.5 (m, 3H).
In accordance with the above procedure but, in place of methyl bromoacetate, using methyl chloroacetate, methyl iodoacetate, or β,β,β-trichloroethyl bromoacetate there is obtained in the first three instances the same product as in the principal example and in the last case the corresponding B,B,B-trichloroethyl butyrate respectively.
In accordance with the procedures in the principal example but, in place of methyl bromoacetate, using methyl 2-bromopropionate, or methyl 2-bromoisobutyrate there is obtained the corresponding methyl 4-(2',5'-diethoxyphenyl)-3,3-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-2-methyl and 2,2-dimethylbutyrate respectively.
In accordance with the principal example but where, in place of 2,5-diethoxybenzaldehyde there is utilized 2,5-diethoxybenzyl methyl ketone or 2,5-diethoxybenzyl benzyl ketone there is obtained ethyl 2-ethoxycarbonyl-3-(2',5'-diethoxyphenyl)-4-phenylcrotonate respectively.
EXAMPLE V
Methyl 3,3-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-[(2',5'-dimethoxy-4'-(4"-methoxy-3"-phthalido]phenylbutyrate
4-Methoxy-3-bromophthalide (I) (16.5 g., 0.068 mole) is dissolved in methylene chloride (60 ml.) and added to a solution of methyl 3,3-bisethoxycarbonyl-4-(2',5'-diethoxyphenyl) butyrate (II) (27.3 g., 0.067 mole) in methylene chloride (60 ml.). There is separately prepared a solution of stannic chloride (23 g., 0.088 mole) in methylene chloride (80 ml.). The mixed solutions of compounds I and II are added drop-wise to the foregoing solution of stannic chloride initially at room temperature and stirred vigorously for approximately 1 hour. During the course of the reaction the temperature rises to 35° C. After addition is complete the reaction mixture is permitted to stand at ambient temperature for a further 4 hours. Ice-cold aqueous hydrochloric acid (4 N, 100 ml.) is added with stirring, and stirring is continued for a further 15 minutes. The organic layer is separated, washed with water and saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution, dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent removed from the filtrate under reduced pressure to yield a yellow oil (38.1 g.); which upon crystallization from ether yields: Methyl 3,3-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-4[(2',5'-dimethoxy-4'-(4"-methoxy-3"-phthalido)]phenylbutyrate (III) (31.4 g., 0.055 mole, 82%) m.p. (from ether) 114°-116° C. I.R.: 1770 cm -1 (lactone carbonyl), 1738 cm -1 (ester carbonyl).
nmr (d 6 -acetone) (ppm) 1.23 (t, J=6.5 Hz; 12H); 2.9 (s, 2H); 3.43 (s, 2H); 3.70 (s, 3H); 3.7-4.4 (m, 8H); 6.5 (s, 1H); 6.67 (m, 2H); 7.13 (m, 1H); 7.54 (m, 2H).
Mass spec: m/e 572, (parent) 341 (loss of CH 3 OCO CH 2 C(CO 2 C 2 H 5 ) 2 .
In accordance with the above procedures but where, in place of 3-bromo-4-methoxyphthalide there is employed the corresponding 3-chloro- or 3-iodo-4-methoxyphthalide there is obtained the same product.
In accordance with the above procedure but, in place of 3-bromo-4-methoxyphthalide there is employed the corresponding 3-bromophthalide; 3-bromo-4,7-dimethoxyphthalide, 3-bromo-4,7-dimethylphthalide; 3-bromo-5,6-dimethylphthalide; 3,4,7-tribromophthalide, 3,5,7-tribromophthalide, 3,5,6-tribromophthalide, 3-bromo-5,6-dichlorophthalide, 3-bromo-5,7-dimethoxyphthalide, 3-bromo-4,6-dimethoxy phthalide, 3-bromo-5,7-dimethylphthalide, 3-bromo-4,6-dimethylphthalide, 3-bromo-7-halo-4-methoxyphthalide, 3-bromo-4-halo-7-methoxyphthalide, 3-bromo-halo-4-methoxyphthalide, 3-bromo-5-halo-4-methoxyphthalide, 3-bromo-5-halo-7-methoxyphthalide, 3-bromo-6-halo-7-methoxyphthalide, 3-bromo-4-halo-5-methoxyphthalide, 3-bromo-4-halo-6-methoxyphthalide, (where halo is F, Cl, Br or I) There are obtained methyl 3,3-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-[(2',5'-dimethoxy-4'-(3"-phthalido)]phenylbutyrate and the compounds corresponding to the phthalide substitution patterns described in the foregoing paragraph.
EXAMPLE VI
3,3-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-[2',5'-dimethoxy-4'-(4"-methoxy-3"-phthalido)]phenylbutyric (IV)
Methyl 3,3-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-[2',5'-dimethoxy-4'-(4"-methoxy-3"-phthalido)] phenylbutyrate III) (25 g., 0.046 mole) is taken up in tetrahydrofuran (200 ml.) and methanol (200 ml.); an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide (3.35 g., 0.060 mole, 200 ml.) is added thereto. The mixture is heated under reflux for 4 days and the solvent substantially removed thereafter by evaporation under reduced pressure. The residue is acidified with dilute aqueous hydrochloric acid (1 N, 100 ml.) and extracted with methylenechloride (300 ml.) the organic phase is washed with water (100 ml.), dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent removed from the filtrate under reduced pressure to yield 3,3-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-[2',5'-dimethoxy-4'-(4"-methoxy-3"-phthalido)] phenylbutyric acid, (IV) m.p. 105°-109° C., I.R. (Nujol), 2600, 2800 (broad for CO 2 H), 1750 (CO of the lactone), 1730 (CO of the ester), 1698 (CO of the CO 2 H) cm -1 .
NMR (CDCl 3 ), 10.2 (S, 1H), 7.6 (S, 1H), 7.5 (S, 1H) (M, 1H), 6.32 (S, 1H), 4.25 (g, 4H, J=7 Hz), 3.75 (S, 6H, 2 --OCH 3 ), 3.5 (S, 3H, --OCH 3 ), 3.45 (S, 2H), 2.9 (S, 2H), 1.25 (t, 6H, J=7 Hz).
In accordance with the foregoing procedure but starting, in place of the phenylbutyrate of the principal example above, with any of the other phenylbutyrates prepared in accordance with Example V there are obtained the corresponding phenylbutyric acids (IV).
EXAMPLE VII
2,2-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-5,8-dimethoxy-6-(2'-carboxy-6'-methoxy)benzyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (Vb)
(a) 3,3-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-[2',5'-dimethoxy-4'-(4"-methoxy-3"-phthalido)] phenylbutyric acid (25 g., 0.047 mole) as prepared in the preceding example is utilized without any further purification and is dissolved in trifluoracetic acid (25 ml.) to which is added trifluoracetic anhydride (25 ml.). The reaction mixture is allowed to stand at ambient temperature overnight and the solvents removed therefrom under reduced pressure. The residue is made alkaline by the addition of saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate (100 ml.) and extracted with methylene chloride (300 ml.) The organic phase is separated, washed with distilled water (100 ml.) dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent removed from the filtrate under reduced pressure to yield a greenish sticky compound which is recrystallized (from methanol) to yield 3,3-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-5,8-dimethoxy-7-(4'-methoxy-3'-phthalido)-1-tetralone (Va) (20 g., 0.039 moles 85%) as white rosettes of crystals, m.p. 149°-151° C., I.R. (Nujol), 1770 (CO of lactone), 1720, 1740 (CO of the ester), 1690 (CO) cm -1 NMR (CDCl 3 ), δ 7.6 (S, 1H), 7.65 (S, 1H), 7.4, 7.1 (m, 1H) 6.5 (S, 1H), 4.25 (g, 4H, J=7 H z ) 3.90 (S, 3H, --OCH 3 ), 3.75 (S, 3H, --OCH 3 ), 3.65 (S, 3H, --OCH 3 ), 3.45 (S, 2H), 3.15 (S, 2H), 1.20 (t, 6H, J=7H 3 ).
(b) The keto lactone (Va) produced above, (3.60 g., 0.007 mole) is taken up in trifluoracetic acid (15 ml.) to which is added triethylsilane (2.5 g., 0.022 mole). The reaction mixture is left to stand at ambient temperature for 2 days with agitation. After 2 days a further aliquot of triethylsilane (2.0 g.) is added and after a further week a similar aliquot of triethylsilane was added. After a total reaction time of 2 weeks the solvent is removed under reduced pressure and the residue recrystallized (from ether-petroleum ether) to yield 3,3-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-5,8-dimethoxy-6-(2'-carboxy-6'-methoxy)benzyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (Vb). (3.2 g., 0.006 mole, 92%) as needle crystals m.p. 134°-136° C.
In accordance with the above procedure but where the first mixture is heated at 60° C. for 12 hours, the second aliquot of triethylsilane added and heated for a further 12 hours, the reaction is then complete with the same product in the same yield.
I.R. (Nujol), 2400-2800 (broad for CO 2 H), 1730 (CO of the ester), 1680 (CO of CO 2 H) cm -1 NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 7.05, 7.75 (M, 3H), 6.15 (S, 1H), 4.5 (S, 2H), 4.25 (g, 4H, J=7 Hz). 3.75 (S, 3H), 3.7 (S, 3H), 3.6 (S, 3H), 3.1 (S, 2H), 2.6, 2.9 (M, 2H), 2.1, 2.4 (M, 2H), 1.25 (t, 6H, J=7 Hz). In accordance with the foregoing procedures but, in place of utilizing the compound (IV) of the principal example, there is used as starting material any of the compounds (IV) produced in accordance with Example VI there are obtained the corresponding 5,8-dimethoxy-6-(2'-carboxy)benzyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalenes (Vb).
EXAMPLE VIII
9,9-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-12-hydroxy-4,6,11-trimethoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrotetracene (VI)
2,2-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-5,8-dimethoxy-7-(2'-carboxy-6'-methoxy)benzyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (1.40 g., 0.0028 mole) is taken up in trifluoracetic acid (3 ml.) and there is added thereto trifluoracetic anhydride (3 ml.) at ambient temperature. After 30 minutes at ambient temperature the solvents are removed under reduced pressure to yield a reaction mixture containing 2,2-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-12-hydroxy-4,6,11-trimethoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrotetracene (VI) existing as a mixture of the keto and enol forms which is utilized without purification in the next step.
In accordance with the above procedure but utilizing any of the other 5,8-dialkoxy-6-(2'-carboxybenzyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalenes produced in accordance with Example VI there is obtained a similar product.
EXAMPLE IX
9,9-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-4,6,11-trimethoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrotetracene-5, 12-quinone (VII)
The product of the principal reaction of example VII (compound VI) has added thereto ice (3 g) and there is added thereto a chromic acid solution of (4 ml.) from a previously prepared solution comprising chromium trioxide (24 g.), concentrated sulfuric acid 30 g, and water to 100 ml. The chromic acid solution is added dropwise with agitation while holding the mixture at 0° C. Thirty minutes after reaction is complete the reaction mixture is removed from the cooling bath and permitted to warm to ambient temperature at which it remains for 2 hours. The reaction mixture is then diluted with distilled water (20 ml.) and extracted with ethyl acetate (20 ml.). The aqueous phase is further extracted with ethyl acetate (20 ml.) and the organic phases iare combined. To the organic phase is added zinc dust (1 g) and the mixture shaken briefly, the zinc dust is removed by filtration and the organic filtrate washed successively with dilute aqueous hydrochloric acid (3 N. 20 ml.) saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate (20 ml.) and distilled water (20 ml.) The organic extract is dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent removed from the filtrate by evaporation under reduced pressure to yield an orange residue which was taken up in methylene-chloride/ethylacetate (17:3, 20 ml.) and passed through a silica gel column: (20 g). The solvent is removed from the eluate under reduced pressure and the residue recrystallized (from aqueous methanol) to give 9,9-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl-4,6,11-trimethoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,-12-quinone (VII) (860 mg., 0.017 moles 62%) as yellow needle crystals m.p. 123°-125° C.
I.R. (Nujol), 1722 (CO of the ester), 1670 (CO of the quinone carbonyl group) cm -1 NMR (CDCl 3 ), 7.2, 7.8(M,3H), 4.25(g,4H,J=7 Hz), 4.05(S,3H), 4.0(S,3H), 3.9(S,3H), 3.3(S,2H), 2.9(t,2H,J=6 Hz), 2.3(t,2H,J=6 Hz), 1.3 (t,6H,J=7 Hz).
In accordance with the above procedures but starting, in place of 9,9-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-12-hydroxy-4,6,11-trimethoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene with any of the other anthrone analogs (VI) produced in accordance with Example (VIII) there are obtained the corresponding 5,12-naphthacenequinones.
EXAMPLE X
9-Carboxy-4,6,11-Trimethoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-quinone (IX)
2,2-Bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-5,7,12-trimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrotetracene-6,11-quinone (2.0 g., 0.0040 mole) are dissolved in previously prepared ethanolic potassium hydroxide (potassium hydroxide: 1.5 g, 0.0267 mole; water 10 ml., ethanol 20 ml.). The mixture is heated under reflux for 3 hours during which time a red coloration is noted. The solvent is then removed under reduced pressure and the residue is acidified with dilute aqueous hydrochloric acid (3 N) and extracted with ethylacetate (40 ml.). The organic extract is washed with water, saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution, dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent evaporated from the filtrate under reduced pressure to yield a yellow solid residue which is utilized directly in the next step (if desired this residue may be recrystallized) from methylene chloride/ether to yield yellow needle crystals m.p. 222°-224° C.
The above prepared yellow solid is taken up in glacial acetic acid (30 ml.) to which is added piperidine (1.5 ml.). The reaction mixture is heated under reflux for one hour, the solvent removed under reduced pressure and the residue washed with water and extracted with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate extract is washed with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the filtrate evaporated under reduced pressure to yield a residue which is recrystallized from ether to yield:
9-Carboxy-4,6,11-Trimethoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,-12-quinone (IX) (1.35 g., 0.0034 mole, 85%) m.p. 133.5°-135° C.
I.R. (Nujol), 2500-2800 cm -1 (broad for CO 2 H), 1700 cm -1 (CO of CO 2 H), 1670 (CO of quinone) cm -1 NMR (d 6 -acetone), δ 7.6, 7.9(M,3H), 4.1(S,3H), 4.0(S,6H, --OCH 3 ), 2.7, 3.1(M,7H), *CO 2 H (too broad to be observed around at 9 ppm).
In accordance with the above procedure but starting, in place of the starting material of the principal example with any of the other quinones produced in accordance with Example IX there are produced the corresponding 2-Carboxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrotetracene-6,-11-quinones.
EXAMPLE XI
7,9-Dideoxydaunomycinone dimethyl ether (X)
9-Carboxy-6,4,11-trimethoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-quinone (100 mg; 0.25 m mole) is taken up in methylene chloride (5 ml.) and a trace amount of dimethylformamide added thereto. Thionyl chloride (200 mg., 1.7 m mole) is added to the foregoing solution at ambient temperature and permitted to remain at that temperature overnight. The solvent is then removed under reduced pressure, anhydrous benzene (10 ml.) is added and the solvent again evaporated under reduced pressure to remove traces of thionyl chloride. This procedure is repeated 3 times. The NMR spectrum of the product is consistent with that of the acid chloride of the starting material.
The thus prepared acid chloride is taken up in tetrahydrofuran (10 ml.) and warmed gently until the material is dissolved.
Lithium dimethylcuprate is prepared in accordance with the procedure set forth in Journal American Chemical Society 94 5106 (1972) in anhydrous dimethylether and cooled under nitrogen to -78° C. (dry ice/isopropanol) and stirred. The warm tetrahydrofuran solution of the acid chloride is transferred to a syringe and added slowly to the lithium dimethylcuprate solution. After 30 minutes stirring the cooling bath is removed and the reaction permitted to come to ambient temperature at which it is permitted to remain for 2 hours. The reaction then is quenched by the addition of saturated aqueous ammonium chloride solution (15 ml.) followed by extraction with ethyl acetate (20 ml.). The organic extract is washed with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent removed from the filtrate to yield an orange colored residue. This residue is recrystallized (from acetone/ether) to give 7,9-dideoxydaunomycinone (X) dimethyl ether (82 mg; 0.19 m mole; 80%) as yellow colored needles m.p. 185°-186° C.
I.R. (Nujol), 1700 cm -1 (CO of the acetyl group) 1665 cm -1 (CO of the quinone carbonyl groups). NMR (d 6 -acetone), ppm. 7.6-7.9 (m,3H), 4.1(s,3H), 3.9(s,6H,--OCH 3 ), 2.8-3.1(m,7H), 2.3(s,3H).
7,9-Dideoxydaunomycinone Diethyl Ether (X)
When 9-carboxy-6,11-diethoxy-4-methoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-quinone is subjected to the same reaction conditions as in the previous example 7,9-dideoxydaunomycinone diethyl ether (X) is obtained in 80% yield m.p. 150°-151° C.
I.R. (Nujol) 1700 cm -1 (CO of acetyl carbonyl group), 1665 cm -1 (CO of the quinone carbonyl groups). NMR (CDCl 3 ) 7.0-7.7(m,3H), 4.02(g,4H,J=3.5 Hz) 3.92 (s,3H), 2.5-3.4(m,5H), 2.25(s,3H), 1.46(t,3H,J=3.2 Hz) 1.4 (t,3H,J=3.5 Hz).
In accordance with the above procedure but, in place of starting with 9-carboxy-6,4,11-trimethoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-quinone there are employed any of the other 5,12-quinones prepared in accordance with Example IX, there is obtained the corresponding 9-(substituted)carbonyl-6,11-dialkoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-quinone carrying the appropriate preinserted substituents, where desired, at the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 9- and 10-positions.
EXAMPLE XII
7,9-Dideoxydaunomycinone (XI)
Method (a) 7,9-Dideoxydaunomycinone dimethyl ether (IX) (60 mg., 0.15 m mole) is taken up in acetone (4 ml.) to which is added silver oxide (100 mg., mole) the mixture is stirred vigorously to disperse the silver oxide and heated briefly on a steam bath. To the warm, vigorously stirred solution is added aqueous nitric acid (6 N., 0.2 ml.) and stirring continued at ambient temperature for 1 hour. The solvent is removed under reduced pressure and there is added to the residue, methylene chloride (10 ml.) and water (10 ml.). The methylene chloride phase is separated, dried over magnesium sulfate, and the solvent removed from the filtrate to yield a sticky reddish residue. The residue is taken up in ethyl acetate (5 ml.) and N,N-diethylhydroxylamine (0.1 ml., 1.6 m mole) added thereto. After 30 minutes the reaction mixture is quenched by the addition of aqueous hydrochloric acid (1 N., 3 ml.) and stirred for 10 minutes. The ethyl acetate layer is removed, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, the filtrate filtered and the solvent removed from the filtrate under reduced pressure to yield a red solid which is crystallized (from methylenechloride/ether) to yield 7,9-dideoxydaunomycinone (XI) as red needles (48 mg; yield 83%) m.p. 243°-245° C. Mixed m.p. with an authentic sample 243°-245° C.
I.R. (Nujol) 1720, 1615, 1590 cm -1 . NMR (CDCl 3 ) ppm. 13,78(s,1H), 13.43(s,1H), 8.1-7.2(m,3H), 2.27(s,3H), 2.15(m,1H), 1.55(m,2H). U.V. (CH 2 Cl 2 ) 471, 495, 531 nm.
In accordance with the foregoing procedure but starting where, in place of 7,9-dideoxydaunomycinone dimethyl ether, there is utilized instead as starting material any of the 9-(substituted)carbonyl-6,11-dialkoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-quinones produced in accordance with the foregoing example there is obtained the corresponding 9-(substituted)carbonyl-6,11-dihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-quinone (XI). Where the starting materials for this reaction are substituted in the 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 or 10-position the final product will carry a similar substitution pattern.
Method (b) 7,9-Dideoxydaunomycinone diethyl ether (211 mg; 0.5 m mole) is dissolved in nitrobenzene (3 ml.). To this solution there is added slowly, a solution of anhydrous aluminum chloride (0.668 g; 10 m moles) in nitrobenzene (3 ml.) the temperature of the mixture being maintained at room temperature. The resulting violet-colored solution is then heated at 50° for 20 minutes, Methylene chloride (5 ml.) is added together with a saturated solution (10 ml.) of oxalic acid. The biphasic solution is stirred vigorously for 10 minutes and the organic phase is separated, dried over magnesium sulfate and the methylene chloride removed under reduced pressure. To remove the nitro-benzene the residual liquid is applied to a column of silica gel (10 g) and the nitrobenzene is then eluted with petroleum ether (50 ml.). Elution with 20% ethyl acetate in methylene chloride then affords the desired 7,9-dideoxydaunomycinone. Recrystallization of the latter from methylene chloride/ether gives the pure compound (149 mg; 0.425 m mole; yield 85%) identical in all physical characteristics with the sample prepared according to Method (a). | There is provided a novel method of synthesizing certain heterocyclic quinones. In particular there is provided a novel and regiospecific synthesis of 9-acetyl-6,11-dihydroxy-4-methoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-quinone (7,9-dideoxydaunomycinone) which is a known intermediate in the synthesis of daunomycinone. There is also provided a method of preparing analogs of 7,9-dideoxydaunomycinone which thus provide for the preparation of known and desired analogs of daunomycinone. Daunomycinone is a known compound which is an intermediate in the preparation of the clinically accepted naturally-occurring antitumor antibiotics daunomycin and its derivative adriamycin. | 2 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/047,656, filed on Sep. 8, 2014. The entire disclosure of the prior application is considered to be part of the disclosure of the accompanying application and is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is directed to a method, system and device for simple wireless electrocardiogram monitoring. In particular, the invention is directed to the use of a wireless ECG with reliable functionality, data-log information access, intrinsically safe charging, and capacity to communicate via an epidermal communication network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. A heart attack, also known as an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), typically results from a blood clot or “thrombus” that obstructs blood flow in one or more coronary arteries. AMI is a common and life-threatening complication of coronary artery disease. Coronary ischemia is caused by an insufficiency of oxygen to the heart muscle. Ischemia is typically provoked by physical activity or other causes of increased heart rate when one or more of the coronary arteries is narrowed by atherosclerosis. AMI, which is typically the result of a completely blocked coronary artery, is the most extreme form of ischemia. Patients will often (but not always) become aware of chest discomfort, known as “angina”, when the heart muscle is experiencing ischemia. Those with coronary atherosclerosis are at higher risk for AMI if the plaque becomes further obstructed by thrombus.
[0004] Detection of AMI often involves analyzing changes in a person's ST segment voltage. A common scheme for computing changes in the ST segment involves determining a quantity known as ST deviation for each beat. ST deviation is the value of the electrocardiogram at a point or points during the ST segment relative to the value of the electrocardiogram at some point or points during the PQ segment. Whether or not a particular ST deviation is indicative of AMI depends on a comparison of that ST deviation with a threshold.
[0005] Acute myocardial infarction and ischemia may be detected from a patient's electrocardiogram (ECG). An ECG is a highly useful diagnostic aid for clinicians, for the study of heart rate and rhythm. An electrocardiogram is defined to be the heart's electrical signal as sensed through skin surface electrodes that are placed in a position to indicate the heart's electrical activity. The ECG indicates the propagation of low amplitude electrical signals, commonly referred to as the cardiac impulse, across the myocardium giving information about depolarization and repolarization characteristics of the heart.
[0006] An ECG typically receives signals from a plurality of electrodes (3, 5, and 12 are common numbers). Historically, the 12-lead surface electrocardiograph has been the most commonly used. A surface ECG refers to placement of electrodes on the surface, or skin, of the patient as opposed to directly to cardiac tissue which obviously requires an invasive procedure. This method attaches about 10 wired electrodes to a patient's body in order to measure the bio-potential activity of the patient and uses the electrodes to transfer the information into the electrocardiogram. The measurement is possible because electric activity surfaces from the cardiac muscle to the skin and dissipates throughout the conductive skin layer. Since the skin has electric impedances, the conductivity of the electric current varies depending on the direction of the measurement and the separation distance of between the measurement electrodes. The ECG monitors voltage signals appearing between various pairs of the electrodes and performs a vector analysis of the resultant signal pairs to prepare various two-dimensional voltage-time graphs indicative of internal cardiac activity.
[0007] ECG measurements have been conducted for over 200 years, and a standard configuration of the measurement vector leads have been adopted by the medical and engineering communities. This standard of leads formation and configuration require substantial separation of points of measurements on the surface of the skin, which necessitates connection of two remote points by lead wires into an instrumentation amplifier. This large separation between electrode contact points maximizes the surface area of the skin between the measurement electrode points and therefore maximizes the impedance, and measured voltage potential across the contact electrodes.
[0008] The use of the conventional ECG requires large separation between electrodes in order maximize impedance and measure the voltage potential across the contact electrodes. The required separation, leads to large wired footprints on the patient.
[0009] If the distance d is too small the bipolar ECG signals will be buried in the noise. If d is increased the signals will increase and in the most extreme variant the measuring electrodes will be positioned as in the EASI system, stretching over the whole torso. However, in the EASI system four unipolar measurements are used to synthesize a standard 12-lead system. In the procedure of synthesizing ECG from non-standard electrode placement (such as the EASI system and the system disclosed herein) parameters are used to transform the non uniform ECG to standard ECG leads. However, the variance in body impedance between different people is an evident source of error.
[0010] Further, the use of a wired monitoring system makes taking a patient's ECG very uncomfortable. Even further, wired devices make patient monitoring very cumbersome for the practitioners and increases the probability of infection due to the exposure of bodily fluid by the wires. To overcome these shortcomings associated with wired monitoring, the use of wireless monitoring devices is being investigated. Wireless monitoring devices will provide increased comfort for a patient, decreased lead-off alarms due to tugged wires, reduced error in lead connection and reduced substantial motion artifacts and RF interference.
[0011] Further, providing an epidermal communication network (ECN) where these and other wireless devices can communicate without the need for wired or wireless connectivity can further enhance a user's experience, reduce power consumption and increase data throughput. The ECN is a novel communication means for transmitting and receiving information across the human body. By using the human body as a communication means, seamless integration of smaller, less obstructive, and more naturally integrated wireless sensors across the entire body will be possible.
[0012] In U.S. Pat. App. No. 2012/0165633 to Mohammad Khair, partial wireless monitoring is introduced. This ECG measurement system uses wired electrodes only for calibration purposes. In this method, the calibration is started from the ECG receiver unit which sends selection signals and synchronization pulses via its radio module to the radio module of each ECG sensing unit. As a consequence, preselected passive electrodes are connected to each ECG sensing unit in predetermined sequences such that the measuring module of each ECG sensing unit generates signals. Following an A/D-conversion and a data processing in the data processing unit, local bipolar data for each ECG sensing unit and calculated standard ECG data are stored digitally in a buffer memory in the data processing unit. This digitally stored data representing one and the same heart beat, are then compared in order to determine the parameters of a transfer function by which the standard ECG leads may be synthesized from the local bipolar ECG data. Once these parameters have been determined, the calibration phase is terminated and the passive electrodes may be detached from the body of the patient and the multi cable connection be disconnected from the ECG sensing units.
[0013] However, this solution is not a complete wireless solution and the use of wired electrodes still makes it very cumbersome to work with. With the current advancements in technology and electronics (i.e. the use of instrumentation amplifiers), the separation required for ECG measurements is decreasing, making it necessary to find a reliable wireless monitoring device.
[0014] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,897 to Spaude et al, a device for body-bound data transmission is introduced. The transmission of the data between two terminals in which a portion of the body of a living being completes the data transmission circuit is described. A first terminal is worn by a body of a living being, and an interface is provided for coupling the data signals into the body and/or for coupling them out of the body. A second terminal has a touch-sensitive interface by way of which, in the case of a contact by the body wearing the first terminal, it couples data signals coupled into the body out of the body and/or couples data signals into the body.
[0015] However, this solution is not the most efficient. It requires the use of two or more pairs of electrodes on each part of the body terminals. Further, the solution presented by Spaude requires the transmission of signals through the body as high frequencies are referenced. A need for a single electrode solution communicating at low frequencies with low power consumption is needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The present invention is directed to an improved method, system and product to provide wireless ECG patient monitoring. Although embodiments make specific reference to monitoring electrocardiogram signals with an adherent patch, the system, methods, and device herein may be applicable to any application in which physiological monitoring is used. Unlike prior art methods and devices which require a wired solution to enable patient monitoring, this solution presents a safe, intuitive means for making ECG measurements without the use of wires. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a leadless wireless ECG measurement system and method for measuring of bio-potential electrical activity of the having improved design and performance as compared to prior art systems. It is another object of the present invention to provide a leadless wireless ECG measurement system and method for measuring of bio-potential electrical activity of the heart which uses measurements across smaller separation distances between the electrode contact points as compared to prior art systems. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an ECG measurement system and method which is much more compact in its form and coverage area as compared to prior art systems. It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide an ECG measurement system and method which produces a higher degree of comfort for the patient by eliminating lead wires extending to distal electrodes. It is another object of the present invention to present an ECG measurement system and method that is easier to use and provides greater flexibility in placement for the clinician, does not decrease measurement accuracy and has a smaller footprint than the conventional ECG devices. It is yet another object of the present invention to use an ECN to transmit ECG measurements to the remote center. It is another object of the present invention to provide an epidermal communication network that permits synchronization between sensors and/or communication between individual sensors, network of sensors, ECN enabled sensors, ECN modules, and ECN enabled interfaces, etc. In still another embodiment of the present invention, the single electrode wearable sensors communicate on the epidermal layer of the body at very low frequencies.
[0017] These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention are provided by a leadless wireless ECG measurement system for measuring of bio-potential electrical activity of the heart in a patient's body which includes at least one multi-contact bio-potential electrode assembly adapted for attachment (or close orientation to) to the patient's body. In one embodiment, the electrode assembly is formed of an electronic patch layer and a disposable electrode layer. The disposable electrode layer may have a plurality of contact points for engagement with the surface of the patient's body and is configured to measure ECG signals in response to electrical activity in the heart. Furthermore, the present invention also presents a reliable means for docking the interface while minimizing signal interference and user error.
[0018] Certain embodiments of the present invention also provide a means for charging the device in an intrinsically safe manner. Certain embodiments employ strong magnetic contacts to retain portions in proper placement, e.g. between the mediums to enable a secure fit.
[0019] Still other embodiments of the present invention provide a mechanism for data-log access information. With the use of smart detection hardware, various embodiments employ a device that may incorporate intelligent switching, which may be dynamically re-configured to detect various user inputs.
[0020] Still yet other embodiments of the present invention to provide a method of synchronizing sensors in order to obtain reliable data, with synchronization providing a dependable way for obtaining bi-potential measurements.
[0021] The electronic component in any of the devices described herein may include a processor having a memory with computer readable instructions to record signals from the first and second electrodes while the electronic device is attached to the patient. In a preferred embodiment, the processor may be configured to only convert signals from the electrodes to digital signals, filter those signals and then store the signals in memory.
[0022] Various embodiments are directed to the provision of a device and method for the monitoring of a patient, preferably in a manner such that detection, signaling, conveyance of signals and display of relevant information is accomplished with unprecedented speed, economically and with outside observers unaware that such a system is being employed. In many embodiments, the contacts may vary in size, shape and location. The particular dimensions, thickness, size, area surface, texture, flexibility, adhesive characteristics, and composition for the particular device can be adjusted as one of the skill in the art will appreciate.
[0023] In various embodiments of the present invention, the monitoring device is an adherent device that is adhered to a skin of the patient. In others, however, due to, for example, sensitivity to adhesives, especially over a prolonged period of time, other skin association mechanisms are employed to obtain desired contact. Thus, apparel can be fitted so that there are apertures that permit skin contact with electrodes so as to achieve solid contact needed for signal communications. While the discussion herein is primarily directed to adhesive patches, it will be understood that other electrode contact means are possible to employ and are well within the scope of the present invention. In many embodiments of the present invention, an electrocardiogram signal is measured when the adherent patch is adhered to the patient. An adhesive patch with an adhesive to adhere the support to the patient is preferably used. The adhesive patch may comprise a breathable tape with adhesive to adhere the support to the patient. The adhesive patch may further encompass a piece of soft material with an adhesive that can cover a part of the body as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,460,189 entitled “Adherent Cardiac Monitor with Advanced Sensing Capabilities” issued to Libbus et al, on Jun. 11, 2013, which is further incorporated by reference herein.
[0024] Another aspect of the present invention is directed to the use of an interface between a disposable multi-electrode patch and the enclosure. In one embodiment of the present invention, conductive magnetic contacts may be used for each of the signal inputs. In many embodiments, the number and arrangement of the contacts may vary and be arranged in a number of ways. In another embodiment, an annular configuration may be used with n-electrodes may be used for better signal quality and to provide other properties such as but not limited to obtaining n-angles of the cardiac potential. By using magnetic contacts, the monitoring device achieves a stronger contact along the analog signal pathways. The interface presented also provides seamless integration between the electrode inputs and the analog front-end circuitry. By using a magnetic ring along both the perimeter of the multi-electrode patch and the bottom-side of the enclosure, secure coupling is achieved. In many embodiments, the disposable electrode side need to be employed by magnets. Instead, the coupling is achieved by using a material with a highly magnetic permeability such as, but not limited to an un-magnetized iron.
[0025] Another aspect of the present invention is directed to the use of four inputs arranged on the periphery of the top-side of the module. In many embodiments, the arrangement of the contacts may be arranged in any manner. The contacts may be arranged in a circular, triangular, rectangular or any other arrangement, and but in several embodiments, preferably in a parallel manner. In another embodiment, the number of contacts may be any number greater than two. For example, n conductive elements may be arranged around the circumference of the device. In another embodiment, four contacts can be used for charging and the others for use in a capacitive touch interface. Further, the four inputs need not be magnetic.
[0026] In other embodiments, the wireless device may be positioned at various locations throughout the body including but not limited to the chest, shoulders, ribs, sides, back of shoulders and back. Securement to various portions of a person's body may be by way of clothing, bandages, adhesive patches, etc. In certain embodiments, apparel is adapted to specifically receive the device, such as inside a woman's bra—so that the device may be placed into contact with the person's skin while still being unnoticeable to outside observers.
[0027] In another embodiment, the contacts may be positioned on the bottom surface of the device with the electrodes electrically connected to the electronic component. The device may further be shaped in a circular, triangular, rectangular or other desired geometric configuration, preferably one that has a contacting contour that is comfortable and specially adapted to rest in a recess of a person's body so as not to be noticeable when clothing is worn by such person. The adhesive device may include wings which house the electrically connected electrodes. In another embodiment, the location of the electronic components may be modified such that all or substantially all of the electronic components are within a housing. Wings associated with the device/housing may be provided that are free from electronic components. In many embodiments, the wing is more flexible than the housing. In another embodiment, the wings and the housing are made from the same material. In other embodiments, however, the wings and the housing are made from different materials. Certain embodiments include wings made from a fabric, or a synthetic fiber. As one of skill in the art will appreciate, various materials and orientations will be appreciated in view of the guidance provided herein, including a more detailed description as described in U.S. Appl. No. 2011/0279962 entitled “Device Features and Design Elements for Long-Term Adhesion” published to Kumar et al, on Nov. 17, 2011, which is further incorporated by reference herein.
[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, the contacts may be embedded into the enclosure such that they are flushed to the surface. In many embodiments, contact exposure may vary and may be recessed, exposed, entirely exposed, or not exposed.
[0029] In another aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide for a DC mode configuration for the plurality (e.g. four) of magnetic contacts. In some embodiments, configuration in an asymmetrical configuration insures proper alignment due to the magnetic polarities of the contacts. Further, by having a charging sleeve and a docking counterpart with identical asymmetric configuration, one possible fit is available providing a guide to the user in docking the interface and the module. In another embodiment, more than four contacts may be used. Four contacts may be used for charging and the rest may be used for other purposes such as a user interface.
[0030] In many embodiments, the DC mode configuration further provides a strong magnetic force which exerts a strong interaction between modules providing an intrinsically safe device. In many embodiments, the inputs need not be magnetic, and other methods for fastening the module may be employed, such methods of fastening including but not limited to implementing a male/female grove or notch type docking mechanism, screw or bayoneted closure features, etc.
[0031] In another embodiment of this invention, the DC mode configuration also provides a means for minimizing signal interference, such means well known to those of skill in the art and not listed herein. The static arrangement between the magnetic contacts within the enclosure ensures signal integrity by enabling a secure area such that the magnetic fields do not impact the signal.
[0032] In another embodiment, the magnets may be gold plated in order to ensure efficient charge transfer. Gold plating is a highly stable and conducting metal. Using gold also helps prevent corrosion caused by the exposure to various environmental conditions. However, other conductive metals may be used, such as silver and copper. Further, conduction may also be ensured through the use of spring-loaded contacts.
[0033] In another embodiment of this invention, the DC mode configuration also provides an enclosure free from environmental restrictions. The enclosure of the present invention may provide a means for restricting sweat, bio-fouling and other wet conditions know to one in the art from entering the module. Other embodiments of the present invention provide a method for charging the monitoring device used for monitoring the patient. Upon docking with the module, the contacts facilitate charge transfer.
[0034] In many embodiments, the plurality (e.g. four) of magnetic contacts are used for charging at least high energy-density batteries used in a communication system between a charger and the device. One possible arrangement may include a cathode, an anode, and the other two contacts may are assigned SMCLK and SMDATA roles from a system bus protocol. This permits the incorporation of a communication module between a charger and a module. Incorporating such a module enables the integration of a host processor and thus provide for additional data exchange between with the charger. The data exchange can include but is not limited to an indication alert. The alert can come from at least but not limited to an LED alert, a piezo or user interface. In another embodiment of the present invention, during the device charging the alert indicator may be come obscured during a critical event. In still other embodiments, the indicator can be an LCD screen or communication device.
[0035] In certain embodiments, the communication device used as an indicator can use other technologies to display the information regarding the ECG reading to the user. For example, some systems for displaying information may utilize “heads-up” displays. A heads-up display is typically positioned near the user's eyes to allow the user to view displayed images or information with little or no head movement. To generate the images on the display, a computer processing system may be used as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,482,487 entitled “Displaying objects on separate eye displays” issued to Rhodes, et al, on Jul. 9, 2013, which is further incorporated by reference herein. In a preferred embodiment, the “heads-up” display may be used to display patient ECG readings. The monitoring device could communicate with a “heads-up” display such as Google Glasses to provide the user with additional information regarding the monitoring device. Such information may include vitals, user profile, and even a warning if a reading is outside the norm.
[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, two contacts can used as measurement electrodes and the other two may be used for orientation purposes such as placement of an accelerometer, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,460,189 entitled “Adherent Cardiac Monitor with Advanced Sensing Capabilities” issued to Libbus et al, on Jun. 11, 2013, which is further incorporated by reference herein.
[0037] Further, the adherent device comprises an accelerometer and at least two measurement electrodes. The at least two measurement electrodes can be separated by a distance to define an electrode measurement axis. An accelerometer signal is measured when the device is adhered to the patient. An orientation of the electrode measurement axis on the patient is determined in response to the accelerometer signal. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the electrodes may be concentrically organized around the perimeter of the path providing high-speed dynamic multiplexing. This variation would allow any pair of electrodes to be selected at any given time.
[0038] In another embodiment of the present invention, the monitoring system may be disposable. The wireless ECG unit is preferably implemented as an integrated adhesive disposable patch for applying to a subject's body and for obtaining and transferring local non-standard ECG data and standard ECG data to a receiver unit. Alternatively, the ECG sensing unit 100 may be implemented as reusable unit with snap connections to available disposable electrodes. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,315,695 entitled “System and method for wireless generation of standard ECG leads and an ECG sensing unit therefor” issued to Sebelius et al, on Nov. 12, 2012, which is further incorporated by reference herein.
[0039] In many embodiments of the present invention, the patient monitoring system may be reusable with disposable parts, reusable, or completely disposable.
[0040] In another aspect of the present invention, the monitoring device may be configured to include a user interface. The magnetic contact configuration can be used by doctors in order to retrieve a patient's information by means of a scroll wheel. The magnetic contacts preferably serve as a multi-input capacitive touch user-interface and even more preferably the magnetic contacts are positioned at various locations as the wheel is adjusted, providing for varying services including but not limited to patient's records, ECG data and other menu items.
[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, the multi-user interface functions and works as a locking mechanism. The use of the scroll wheel provides a safe means for locking the device which avoids accidental triggers. The scroll wheel works similar to that of a pattern-lock on a smartphone. That is to say, the wheel has to be rotated in a series of directions (i.e. 2 turns clockwise, 1 counterclockwise) to enable patient input. In many embodiments of the present invention, the number of contacts vary, increasing the number of patters that may be added. In one embodiment, the user input screen may be configured to time-out after non-used for a predetermined number of minutes.
[0042] In another embodiment, the capacitive touch device may be directed to the use of the interactive scheme in which the monitoring device may be wirelessly controlled by a peripheral communication device. Such communication device may include but not limited to a laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc. Such external connectivity provides further control and customization the device. The user may now have access to dynamic switching, zooming and programming (i.e. entering user data, network info, selecting menu options, etc.)
[0043] In another embodiment, the adherent device may continuously monitor physiological parameters, communicate wirelessly with a remote center, and provide alerts when necessary. The system may comprise an adherent patch, which attaches to the patient's body and contains sensing electrodes, battery, memory, logic, and wireless communication capabilities. In some embodiments, the patch can communicate with the remote center, via the intermediate device in the patient's home. In some embodiments, remote center receives the patient data and applies a patient evaluation algorithm, for example an algorithm to calculate the apnea hypopnea index. When a flag is raised, the center may communicate with the patient, hospital, nurse, and/or physician to allow for therapeutic intervention as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,460,189 entitled “Adherent Cardiac Monitor with Advanced Sensing Capabilities” issued to Libbus et al, on Jun. 11, 2013, which is further incorporated by reference herein.
[0044] The adherent device can wirelessly communicate with a remote center. The communication may occur directly (via a cellular or Wi-Fi network), or indirectly through an intermediate device. An intermediate device may consist of multiple devices, which can communicate wired or wirelessly to relay data to a remote center.
[0045] In another embodiment, the adherent device can communicate with a remote center via an Epidermal Communication Network (ECN). The epidermal communication network is a novel communication network, method, and protocol where the data from the adherent device, external device, interface module, etc., is transmitted across the epidermal layer of the body. Because electrons can travel across a medium when a potential difference in energy or voltage is present, and the human body is capable of holding potential differences across its frame, the epidermal layer of the body can be used to carry electrical signals. The physical properties of the epidermal layer provide a medium which allows electrical signals to directly interface and/or be applied to the epidermal layer of the human body, which is well suited to carry signals along the exterior surface. By treating the human body as a conductor, the body acts as a physical wire connecting one or more devices and allows data to be transmitted and received by the devices. Therefore, if an electrical signal is directly applied to the human body, it is possible to read/measure the potential difference at a point in the body. Further, data can be digitized onto the human body and stored until needed, allowing the body to act like a storage medium, much like, but not limited to, a flash drive, hard drive, RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, and other storage devices and media.
[0046] In many embodiments, the capacitive touch user interface can be configured to take ECG measurements. In another embodiment, the interface provides the user with a confirmation and verification of the signal integrity used in the ECG measurement. In emergency situations where signal integrity is critical, doctors need to have access to signals with minimal affects due to noise or distortion. To accomplish this, the signal inputs are routed through an analog multiplexer to the analog to digital converter inputs. These inputs are by nature very high impedance (just as primary electrodes on the reverse side of the device) and thus may be considered passive such that there is no danger presented to the patient. Such dangers include but are not limited to a short-circuit potential. To confirm signal integrity, a Lead I measurement is taken. A standard Lead I is a differential measurement that is comprised of the voltage measurement at the left arm with respect to the voltage measured at the right arm. In using the interface, this measurement is accomplished by placing a finger from the left hand is placed onto the designated contact for Left-Arm, and two fingers from the right hand are placed onto a designated contacts for Right-Arm and Right-Leg Drive. This results in Lead I ECG waveform. In another embodiment, a standard Lead II may be measured by taking the voltage differential at the right arm with respect to the voltage measured at the left leg. Still in another embodiment, a standard Lead III may be measured by taking the voltage differential at the left arm with respect to the voltage measured at the left leg. In many embodiments, the number of contacts needed for signal verification could vary in number with a minimum of one contact required. Simple heart rate detection may be accomplished with one magnetic contact.
[0047] In one embodiment, an electrical conductive strap or garment system is used to allow communication between wearable electronics. The electric conductive garment can be a strap, a tie, a fastener, a strip, clasp, a clip, a pin, a button, a zipper, a belt, and any other securing mechanism that can be used The conductive strap can be used to power electronic devices. In one embodiment, the communication between the wearable sensors can be entirely through conductive threads, fabrics, etc. linking the sensors through the wearable garment. In other embodiments, the conductive strap can further work in conjunction with other communication mediums such as wired, wireless, and ECN communications. As one of skill in the art will appreciate, various applications, methods, and systems for communicating between wearable devices is possible. As appreciated in view of the guidance provided herein, including a more detailed description as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,129 entitled “Wearable Electronics Conductive Garments Strap and System” issued to Gorlick et al. on Feb. 6, 2002, which is further incorporated by reference herein, various combinations of the wearable devices are within the scope of the present invention.
[0048] In another embodiment of this invention, the monitoring device with capacitive touch user interface may also be equipped with smart detection hardware. The hardware is able to recognize various interactions with the device and adjust accordingly. For example, if the device is being worn in a noisy environment, the device may auto-correct itself to accommodate by adjusting its capacitive input baseline and threshold parameters. In many embodiments, the smart detection hardware may be configured to intelligently switch to allow for charging. In another embodiment, a required check is necessary to verify that the charger and the host are ready for charging, thus eliminating accidental discharge or a short circuit. In another embodiment, the charging pathway is physically disconnected from the external output (unless the above referenced check has been detected, in such case, charging may commence.
[0049] In many embodiments, the capacitive touch interface may be dispensed and replaced with a touch-based OLED display.
[0050] In another aspect of the present invention, the use of a human body as a signal transmission path can be incorporated such that the system includes a transmitter and a receiver. The signal can be carried through a path extending though the human body when a user carrying a transmitter touches the electrodes of the receiver. Various embodiments are possible, as will be appreciated in view of the guidance provided herein, including a more detailed description in U.S. Pat. No. 6,864,780 entitled “Data Transmission System using a Human Body as a Signal Transmission Path” issued to Doi on Mar. 8, 2005 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,161 entitled “Data Transmission System Using a Human Body as a Signal Transmission Path,” issued to Doi et al, on Aug. 3, 2004, which are further incorporated by reference herein. In other embodiments, the receiver is not integrated into the external devices. Instead, a system on a module is proposed such that external devices can be incorporated and can still communicate with its own system. In still other embodiments, the use or biosensors can be used in conjunction with the data transmission system. Also, third party biosensor systems can work with the use of an interface in order to provide communication on the body using the data transmission system.
[0051] In still another aspect of the present invention, the use of the body for signal communication is presented without the use of an earth ground. Instead, the ECN can transmit and receive signals by conditioning an AC signal and coupling the signal on the epidermis of the body. Conditioning the signal can include modulation and amplification in order to increase the drive capacity of the signal in light of the resistive and capacitive load of the epidermis. Resonant networks that can be used include, but are not limited to LC resonant (both series and parallel), ceramic resonators, crystals, IC resonators and the combination thereof.
[0052] In another aspect of the present invention, device charging can occur by means of an inductive mechanism. In many embodiments, a charging coil may be integrated into the exterior of the device enclosure. The embedded coils used in this inductive charging scheme are wound concentrically around the sleeve of the enclosure. In another embodiment, the coils may be located outside the sleeve on the outer perimeter of the top surface, or anywhere on the device surface or in any arrangement on the sides of the module. In another embodiment of the invention, inductive charging is available while the four contact mediums are still present. In this configuration the inductive coils perform the charging, while the four contacts are utilized to ensure firm attachment between the device enclosure and the charging sleeve. The four contacts do not participate in charging the monitoring device in this configuration. Still in another embodiment, the contacts could also participate in the charging. In inductive charging, the outputs from the sleeve pass through the transmitter coil. The charging current which is coupled onto the receiving coil where it is rectified and conditioned to charge the smaller capacity on-board battery. In another embodiment, a modulator is applied such that the information may be transmitted between the charging unit and the device.
[0053] By implementing the inductive charging scheme with the integrated coil, the need for attachment of an external power source is eliminated. Instead, this scheme permits the user to recharge the device while in use. Further, because the battery is on the sleeve of the enclosure, it maybe recharge using standard DC-charging methods. To ensure that the device side is fully charge, a higher-capacity lithium-polymer battery on the charger side is preferred.
[0054] In another aspect of the invention, the device is batteryless. Through the process of energy harvesting, the wearable device is powered from external sources. In general, energy harvesting is the process by which energy from various sources such as, but not limited to, solar energy, thermal energy, wind energy, and kinetic energy, is collected and used to power the wearable device. Rectennas as well as nantennas can be implemented in the device for ambient harvesting as well.
[0055] In other embodiments of the invention, the human body can be used as a proximity sensor. Upon user input and once proximity is established, data transfer can take place by a wireless medium. Proximity sensing permits communication with another device for the purpose of reducing the energy consumption, thus, enabling the possible use of a batteryless device. In one embodiment, the human body communication system includes a controlled device measuring a capacitance that corresponds to the distance to human body, i.e. proximity sensing, which can then use the human body as a medium for transmitting a control command through the body. A wireless medium then transmits the actual data as described in U.S. App. No. 2007/0190940 entitled “System and Method for Human Body Communication” published to Lee et al, on Aug. 16, 2007, which is further incorporated by reference herein. Additionally, the method used in proximity sensing can include controlling the transmit power as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,457,571 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Controlling Transmit Power in Human Body Communication System” to Kim et al, on Jun. 4, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein.
[0056] In other embodiments, an intelligent communication scheme is employed wherein human input is not required and proximity sensing and/or communication is dictated by the microcontroller itself. Communication occurs seamlessly without user input required.
[0057] In still another embodiment, there is no need to measure signal power or reliance on body proximity. Instead, the human body is used as the communication medium, as the information is transmitted on the epidermal layer of the body.
[0058] In yet another embodiment, the device can be ECN enabled. An ECN enabled device is a device with the ability to communicate via the epidermal communication network. By having a device which can communicate using an ECN, a drastic reduction in power consumption is observed as it pertains to inter-device communication on a human body. Thus, the energy savings can provide for a device that uses less power and is batteryless. As such, an ECN enabled device also has the capacity to use energy harvesting techniques to power up and function properly.
[0059] In other embodiments, the device is ECN enabled through the use of an ECN interface. An ECN interface, is an interface that permits users to interact with other smart devices via the ECN. By docking a device (such as the remote center) on an ECN interface, communication on the ECN is enabled, permitting transmission and reception of data to and from the wearable device via the human network. This communication can result in tremendous power savings, and may enable the use of devices powered using energy harvesting methods.
[0060] In other embodiments, an entire “smart device” is created on a module that also provides for access to communication on the ECN. The internal operation can be abstracted such that only the data I/O and control pins are exposed and an ECN interface is designed to fit the module. Such module/interface device can also, much like with the other ECN enabled devices described above, provide large power savings as compared to other communication alternatives such as, but not limited to, Bluetooth, BLE, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, WLAN, etc.
[0061] In one aspect of the invention, the monitoring device is used in monitoring applications where the sensors are located at various locations around the body. The various configurations account for varying differential voltage inputs. In one embodiment, the monitors may be used to monitor two independent heart beats. For example, the wireless electrocardiogram of a mother may be referenced and used in conjunction with a fetus to monitor fetal cardiac activity.
[0062] In one embodiment, a plurality of sensors can be used in body-coupled communications. In another embodiment, the plurality of sensors can transmit signals in conjunction with personal area networks (PAN) and/or Near-Field Intra-Body Communications. Communication signals transmitting on PAN or NFC work at RF frequencies. Still in another embodiment, a plurality of body coupled communication signals which have been detected via a plurality of electrodes can be used to generate a diversity output signal as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,633,809 to Schenk et al, entitled “Electrode Diversity for Body-Coupled Communication Systems, on Jan. 21, 2014, which is further incorporated by reference herein.
[0063] In another embodiment, the body-coupled communication system can include only one electrode and thus uses only one transmission path for data transfer. In yet another embodiment, the body-coupled communication system works at very low frequencies requiring less signal processing and providing many-fold power savings.
[0064] In making ECG measurements, timing is of paramount importance; even a few milliseconds in delay may lead to a severely distorted reading. In ECG applications, exact timing is essential. Of primary concern is the fact that the human heart operates on a time scale that is much slower than the operating frequency of digital circuits. Therefore, in order to obtain accurate readings, even though electrodes are spaced apart, the measurements must be made simultaneously. To accomplish this, the electrodes are connected to an analog-to-digital converter, which uses a common clock and reference potential. The measurement taken is then a bipotential measurement.
[0065] In another aspect of the present invention, the monitoring device used at various locations in the body is synchronized to a reference to enable accurate measurements. In one embodiment of the present invention, a synchronized frame may be used in conjunction with the ADC and common clock to make the bipotential measurement. In one embodiment of the present invention, a crystal oscillator can be used for synchronization. The crystal oscillator generates the clocking signal. In another embodiment of the present invention, the RC oscillators may be used since they are less costly and consume less energy. Yet still in another embodiment of the present invention, a wireless synchronization frame is used. In many embodiments, wireless synchronization frames may be used with oscillators to correct time lag between sensors.
[0066] In one embodiment, complete wireless synchronization between units is presented. Synchronization between two separately located sensors is possible through the use of master-slave model. In this embodiment, one of the sensors plays the role of the master and one or more sensors act like slaves, synchronizing to the master. In one embodiment, a slave sensor may contain substantially less hardware than the master. In other embodiments, the slave may be much smaller in size than the master. The master sensor can combine, filter and analyze data collected and relayed from the slave sensors. The input data gathered by the slave sensors is transmitted wirelessly to the master sensor.
[0067] In a preferred embodiment, a unified synchronous clocking system between a master-slave network is presented. In this scheme, the clock signal is coupled to the patient allowing all the sensors to synchronize directly to this signal. The master device generates a stable low-frequency AC signal lying outside the frequency bandwidth of interest for measurement and drives this current into the patient's body via an output electrode. This output might also double as the right-leg drive output. The current output to the patient is of low enough frequency and magnitude to be completely benign to the patient (e.g. similar to transmission line coupling, or the RLD). This signal is thus accessible to all of the sensors in the network and servers as a unified reference clock input amongst devices. In order to generate the high clock rates needed for data-capture, processing, and wireless transmission (wireless transmission may require its own dedicated clock for practical purposes), the reference clock is used as the input to a phase locked loop multiplier onboard each sensor to generate high frequency clock signals within each device. Once each slave on the network is synchronized to the master-issued clock signal coupled onto the patient, frequency drift between devices is eliminated. By eliminating the frequency drift, the measurements are made simultaneously so that in the standard Lead I measurement, the RA and the LA measurements are preserved. Measurements of the signals of interest are unaffected by the presence of this signal as it will appear as a common-mode signal on differential input amplifiers or alternatively may be removed via a low pass filter. Further synchronization of data-sampling events may be enabled through modulations of the master-output clock signal which may serve as interrupts to cue data acquisition.
[0068] In order to obtain a potential measurement using this unified synchronous clocking network scheme, data from the analog-to-digital converters is loaded to the registers of a processor. The processor may be a microcontroller. This is possible by configuring the inputs as single ended inputs such that the measurement are made relative to identical high reference voltage on each device. The master device may then produce a bipotential measurements across pairs of sensors by polling each device in the slave network. In many embodiments, at periodic intervals, reference frames may be inserted into the data in order to facilitate the combination of the single-ended inputs at the master prior to streaming wirelessly.
[0069] Still another aspect of the present embodiment, involves the use of an ECN network to obtain the ECG potential measurements. Potential measurements can be obtained by use of the epidermal communication network, wherein transmission and reception of data between devices using ECN facilitate measurements with more accuracy and simplified synchronization. In general, the communication between the wearable device and the smart device, internal device, ECN interface, etc. (i.e. remote center) entails the following. First, the raw data is sent, modified and/or a combination of both onto the epidermis via a slave/master. Next, the modified/raw data is received via the epidermis by the master/slave. Finally, if the data was modified, the inverse function is applied to yield the original raw data (i.e. the potential measurements). The simplest scenario is the direct input and/or output of the raw binary data onto the epidermal layer. In another scenario, the data requires at least one of encoding, modulation, conditioning, encryption and other signal processing.
[0070] In some instances, such as in ECG, Full 12-Lead ECG, and/or EEG potential measurements, conditioning, measurements and digitizing does not occur until the raw data arrives at the output, or other location of the body. The raw physiological signals are amplified, modulated/demodulated and sent without digitizing. By using an operational amplifier, the raw signal is amplified against a stable common reference, which affords a simple low cost solution without the use a microcontroller. The amplified signal is used as a gating/base input on a transistor with emitter/source pull to ground. Concurrently, an oscillator supplies the drain/collector input to the transistor, which leads to a modulated signal at the oscillator's frequency. This method permits the assignment of a unique carrier frequency to the inputs which allows differential measurements to be made as the signal is located by the “master” sensor located elsewhere in the epidermis.
[0071] An exemplary embodiment of this protocol implementation includes presetting the Master to a “ping frequency.” The Master listens for the ping frequency on a predefined time interval on a reoccurring basis. A newly powered slave transmits this ping frequency which the Master then receives. Upon reception, the Master assigns a new “address frequency” to the slave, who in turn stores it in memory. The slave and Master communicate, (i.e. the system is now ECN enabled), as the Master recognizes the address frequency and the slave receives its own frequency. The direct amplification allows for wireless/leadless measurement of data from different locations on the body to be taken simultaneously and continuously without interfering with each other. Once the different signals (i.e. LA, RA, LL, etc.) are detected by the Master, the signals can be demodulated and fed to the remote center, or other device for generating the Lead data.
[0072] In another embodiment, synchronization on the epidermal communication network can occur via synchronous and/or asynchronous communication methods. Synchronous transmission entails synchronization by an external clock, while asynchronous transmission synchronizes by signals along the transmission medium. As previously stated, transmission on the ECN provides simplified synchronization over other embodiments. Because there is no clock signal accompanying the data on the epidermis, asynchronous methods can easily be adapted for ECN. In general, data-rates and arbitration can be processed prior to data transmission allowing one node to occupy the bus at a given time. In some embodiments, more than one node can occupy the bus at a given time. A predetermined arbitration scheme (protocol) can be employed to facilitate communication between a network of sensors on the epidermal bus. Time-division multiplexing, Frequency Division Multiplexing, Code Division Multiplexing, and/or Space Division Multiplexing can also be used. Additional system communications techniques are also possible, such as but not limited to, full-duplex communication and simultaneous asynchronous communication.
[0073] Synchronous communication, such as but not limited to, I2C, SPI, SDIO, etc. can also be implemented on the ECN. For synchronous communication, frequency mixing techniques can be employed, wherein specific frequency signatures would be assigned to the individual channels. Furthermore, both serial and parallel communication protocols can be adapted for communication on the ECN.
[0074] In another aspect of the present invention, the medical practitioner, nurse, technical assistant, cardiologist, etc., can use an ECN enabled sensor to obtain immediate access to a patient's vitals, records, and other medical and/or personal information. The user retrieving the information can obtain a patient's differential measurements through touch of the patient. That is, a patient's ECN is used to transfer the information from the ECG Lead sensors onto an ECN enabled sensor worn by the clinician.
[0075] In some embodiments, the clinician can use a wearable mounted display such as smart glasses to gather the information via the ECN. In this embodiment, the clinician and/or doctor can use smart glasses that are ENC enable, to project information from and about the patient onto the screen of the eyeglass. Transmission between the patient and eyeglass can occur by patient touch through the ECN, wireless transmission, a wired transmission, and/or a combination thereof.
[0076] In another embodiment, the ECN enabled sensor from above can be a smart watch. The smart watch with for example, an LCD screen can be used to read a patients information. The smart watch can project the information read through the ECN onto the LCD screen. The smart watch can also be used to sense and monitor other relevant factors of a person and in conjunction with one or more other wearable devices for transmitting/receiving information. The epidermal communication network can work in conjunction with multiple smart devices. As an example, the smart watch can be used for taking a person's vitals such as temperature, hydration levels, blood pressure, sugar level, etc. Alternatively, the watch can be used in conjunction with other devices such as a ring or other piece of jewelry to monitor a person's oxygen level like in pulse oximetry. The finger is already known as an excellent location for SP02 measurements, thus, 2 LEDs can be incorporated on one side of the ring for the purposes of measuring blood oxygenation. The data is sent via an ECN to a master device such as or in conjunction with the watch or other device for further processing, display, or wireless communication. In other instances, watch and earring or other device can be used for hearing tests and/or hearing aids.
[0077] In one embodiment, the monitoring device or sensor can include a unique patient ID and telemetry system. The monitoring device includes ID circuitry that includes ID storage, a communication system which reads and transmits the unique ID from the ID storage, a power source and a pathway system to route the signals through the circuitry described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/923,543 entitled “System using Patient Monitoring Devices with Unique Patient ID's and telemetry system” published to James Proud on Oct. 24, 2013 which is further incorporated by reference herein. In another embodiment, the monitoring device is ECN enabled and communicates via the epidermal communication network.
[0078] In other embodiment, the ECN network can work for and with one or more smart devices that are not the smart watch such as, but not limited to, a ring, a necklace, earrings, a money clip, a hair piece, buttons on a shirt, nose/eye/tongue ring, etc. Further, the ring for example, can be used not only for monitoring a patient's vitals, but can be used as a replacement or in conjunction with a wireless or wired mouse and/or combination thereof. In yet another embodiment, the ring can use motion, spatial and/or the combination thereof tracking by way of sensors such as but not limited to acoustic, electric/magnetic, location, pressure, thermal, and other smart sensing.
[0079] In one embodiment, the ring can act as a temperature monitoring device as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,663,106 entitled “Non-Invasive Temperature Monitoring Device” published to Stivoric et al., on Mar. 4, 2014, which is further incorporated by reference herein. In another embodiment, the temperature monitoring device is ECN enabled and communicates via the epidermal communication network.
[0080] In other embodiments, the wearable sensors can be attached to a child's diapers. The sensor on the diaper can be used for monitoring a wet child, recording vital signs and even detecting more serious conditions such as S.I.D.S. The sensor can work in conjunction with the ECN network, a wireless network, a wired network, and/or a combination thereof.
[0081] The use of the ECN with other smart devices can include ECN enabled devices, wearable devices/sensors, wired devices, wireless devices, devices with ECN enabled interface, etc. Devices with an ECN Enabled Interface can include any device that works in conjunction with an attachment, software or combination thereof that allows the device to interact with ECN enabled wearables. The attachment, software, etc. is the interface that is incorporated into the existing device to allow the interaction on the epidermal communication network.
[0082] In another aspect of this invention, the ECN can be used as a means for transporting and/or facilitating the movement of information/data between various smart devices. For example, the ECN can be used to upload/download personal information onto a wearable device and/or external device. The wearable device can include, but is not limited to, a smartwatch, wrist-band, adhesive patch, garment, rings, smart glasses, necklace, etc. The external device can include a computer, laptop, smart phone, projector, scanners, and other such devices which may or may not include encryption which are or are not ECN enabled or interfaced.
[0083] Personal information and identification (i.e. credit card information, demographic information, login credentials, digital signatures, medical history and conditions, etc.) can be uploaded directly onto the wearable device via user interaction with the ECN enabled interface and stored on the wearable device memory. The information can be retrieved and downloaded at any time through touch with or interaction with other ECN enabled or interfaced devices. For example, a user may upload and store credit card information on an ECN enabled wearable (such as a wrist band) with an associated ECN Enabled Interface payment device tag, store the information, and later touch the payment interface at a venue, such as but not limited to a retail shop, airport, sporting arena, mall, coffee shop, etc., for access to the credit card information and other contents associated with the tag. Thus, a user is purchasing items and accessing his/her payment information by way of touch through the ECN network, which can replace and/or work in conjunction with RFIDs, QR codes, NFC communications, etc.
[0084] In many embodiments, information such as social security numbers, passwords, bank information, etc., requiring encryption and/or other security measures can be downloaded by requiring for example, a fingerprint scan in addition to the venue ECN enabled/interface device. In addition, encryption can be added to retrieve the secure information. Encryption can be enabled and the information retrieved by providing an encryption key assigned to a master sensor, which only the master sensor can retrieve. As an example, 128 AES encryption can be utilized. In still another embodiment, the fingerprint, encryption key and special ping frequency may be required to retrieve the secure information. Further, a fingerprint scan, multiple fingerprint scan, eyeball scan, and/or a combination thereof can be used alone or in conjunction with the above mentioned security measures.
[0085] In other embodiments, the user information can be encoded and used to unlock or enable consumer electronics. For example, a personal identification can be stored and used to open a garage door, enable the A/C, lock/unlock a door, unlock a smart phone, pair with an ECN enabled printer, automatically connect to a network access point, route directions from/to a navigation system, email accounts, Google accounts, etc.
[0086] In another embodiment, the ECN can be used for file transfer between devices. Files can include, but are not limited to pictures, videos, data structures, word documents, picture art, html files, XML files, etc. For example, a file containing user data on a health/fitness machine can be stored on a wearable device and accessed using the ECN.
[0087] In another example, a phone with an ECN enabled interface could upload data onto a small memory chip residing on a sensor and/or patch. Data is encoded over the ECN and stored until the user interacts with the intended device. Therefore, driving directions can be downloaded from a smart phone to an automobile navigation system with the use of the ECN patch and/or through an ECN enabled interface. Thus, the data file with directions is transferred from smart device to another without the need for Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity.
[0088] In one aspect of the present invention, the ECN can work in conjunction with ingestible sensors for monitoring bio-electrochemical processes. By encapsulating an IC, testing and detection of malignant matter in a user can be detected. For example, the ingestible sensor can be used for detection of pathogens, cancers, toxins, antibodies, viruses, etc. Alternatively, the ingestible sensor can be used to test for chemical reactions to medications and treatments and even system responsiveness or in connection with ECG measurements. The ingestible sensor can work in conjunction with an epidermal communication network through near-field coupling, as a stand-alone, or with other wired or wireless systems, devices, networks and protocols.
[0089] In one embodiment, the ingestible sensor is swallowed and configured to receive stimulus inside the gastrointestinal tract of the user as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/851,221 entitled “Ingestible Low Power Sensor Device and System for Communicating with the Same” published to Amerson et al., on Jun. 19, 2008, which is further incorporated by reference herein.
[0090] In aspect of the present invention, the monitoring device is used to provide apparatus which will continuously monitor and analyze EKG or ECG signals generated by an ambulatory patient, diagnose abnormal events and instruct the patient on the manner of treatment required. In one embodiment, the present invention is to provide a portable computerized EKG monitor for performing real-time analysis of EKG signals to recognize and diagnose myocardial ischemic conditions and thereupon to immediately issue instructions for treatment or other action to the ambulatory user himself. In many embodiments, the device monitor can be a portable, light-weight computer which performs continuous real-time analysis of EKG information to detect, and alert an ambulatory user of, ischemic conditions, including the silent or pre-symptomatic type as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,144 entitled “Cardiac signal real time monitor and method of analysis” issued to Cox et al. on Jul. 7, 1984, which is further incorporated by reference herein. In a preferred embodiment, the monitoring device is designed is wireless enabling the ambulatory personnel easier manipulation without the cumbersome use of wires while riding at high speeds. Still in another embodiment, the device monitor provides a means for wireless charging. The device may be configured to include a Dc-mode or inductive mode charging such that in an emergency, power is not an issue.
[0091] In another aspect of the present invention, the device monitor may be configured for extended use. In many embodiments, the monitor is configured for patient comfort, such that the device can be worn and tolerated for extended periods of time. In one embodiment, a self-contained, wearable, portable ECG monitor is attached to the patient as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,150,502 entitled “Non-Invasive Cardiac Monitor and Methods of Using Continuously Recorded Cardiac Data” published to Kumar et al, on Apr. 3, 2012, which is further incorporated by reference herein.
[0092] The watertight chamber comprises separate watertight enclosures around each electrode of the at least two electrodes. A port for electronically accessing the electronic memory and a seal is provided on the port. The seal may be formed by the housing. In another embodiment, there is provided an activation or event notation button or switch formed in the housing that is accessible while the adhesive is affixed to the mammal. In one embodiment, actuation of an activation or event notation button or switch increases the fidelity of the ECG information stored in the electronic memory. In another embodiment, an indication of activation or event notation button or switch activation is stored in the electronic memory with contemporaneous ECG information. In yet another embodiment, there is provided an indicator that activates when ECG of the mammal is being detected. In another aspect, an indicator is provided that provides a continuous indication as long as ECG of the mammal is detected. In another embodiment, an indicator is provided that activates when a monitoring period is completed. In another embodiment, at least a portion of the housing is colored to match the skin tone of the mammal, or contain a decoration, art work, design, illustration or cartoon character to provide a custom appearance to the device. In a preferred embodiment, the watertight chamber includes a scroll wheel which enables the user to access the patient's information, ECG readings and other information acquired regarding the patient's vitals.
[0093] In another aspect of the present invention, a wireless heart rate monitor like device may be used to monitor a patient's cardiac state. The conventional heart rate monitor device consists of a chest strap sensor-transmitter and a wristwatch-type receiver. The chest strap sensor is worn around the chest during exercise. It has two electrodes, which are in constant contact with the skin, to detect electrical activities coming from the heart. Once the chest strap sensor-transmitter has picked up the heart signals, the information is wirelessly and continuously transmitted to the wristwatch. The number of heart beats per minute is then calculated and the value displayed on the wristwatch. Strapless heart rate monitors are typically wristwatch-type devices that may be preferred by users engaged in physical training because of convenience and combined time keeping features. In some cases the user is required to press a conductive contact on the face of the device to activate a pulse measurement sequence based on electrical sensing at the finger tip. However, this may require the user to interrupt physical activity, and does not always provide an “in-process” measurement and, therefore, may not be an accurate determination of heart rate during continuous exertion.
[0094] There are 2 sub-types of strapless heart rate monitors. The first type measures heart rate by detecting electrical impulses. Some wristwatch-type devices have electrodes on the device's underside in direct contact with the skin. These monitors are accurate (often called ECG or EKG accurate) but may be more costly. The second type of monitor measures heart rate by using optical sensors to detect pulses going through small blood vessels near the skin. These monitors based on optical sensors are less accurate than ECG type monitors but may be relatively less expensive. In a preferred embodiment, the wrist watch-time device may also communicate with another external device to provide a patient's vitals and may self-charge with the use of a DC-mode configuration.
[0095] In another aspect of the present invention, the monitoring device may be attached to a person's garment. The device connects to the garment by attaching or integrating one or more of the sensors into the garment, as described in U.S. Pat. Appl. No. 2012/0165645 entitled “System Method and Device for Monitoring Physiological Parameters of a Person” published to Russell et al. on Jun. 28, 2012, which is further incorporated by reference herein. The monitoring device comprises a bottom portion and a top portion that mate together to house an internal portion that comprises a processor, electronics, one or more transceivers, one or more light emitting LEDs. The bottom portion may include leaf springs (or other sensor pads) that conduct data from a plurality of sensors in or attached to the garment to the electronics (e.g., an ADC, DSP, or processor) of the internal portion. In another embodiment of this invention, the mobile device may include an OLED to alert in case of irregular potential reading. Still in another embodiment, the garment sensor may include an LCD screen in order to facilitate device interaction with other mobile devices.
[0096] In another aspect of the present invention, the monitoring device may be attached to a person's earphone. The device connects wirelessly or by wires to the ear of a human as described in U.S. App. No. 2014/0243617 entitled “Wearable Apparatus for Multiple Types of Physiological and/or Environmental Monitoring” published to LeBoeuf et al, on Aug. 28, 2014 and U.S. App. No. 2014/0243620 entitled “Physiological Monitoring Methods” published to LeBoeuf et al, on Aug. 28, 2014, which are further incorporated herein by this reference. A method for monitoring a subject via an earbud module includes positioning the earbud module within the ear of the person such that a sensor region matingly engages a region of the ear at the intersection of the anti tragus and acoustic meatus and is oriented in a direction away from the ear canal. Further, the wearable apparatus can be used for monitoring various physiological and environmental factors. Real-time, non-invasive health and environmental monitors include a plurality of compact sensors integrated within small, low-profile devices. In another embodiment, the earbud modules can work outside the ear, as part of an earring, attached to both or one ear, etc. In one embodiment, the earbud module can work in conjunction with other wearable devices or sensors for monitoring. Still in another embodiment, the earbud monitor can communicate wirelessly, through a wired medium, and/or the ECN.
[0097] It may be appreciated that many applications of the present invention may be formulated. One skilled in the art may appreciate that a network may include any system for exchanging data or transacting business, such as the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, DSL, WAN, LAN, Ethernet, satellite communications, and/or the like. It is noted that the network may be implemented as other types of networks, such as an interactive television (ITV) network.
[0098] A system user may interact with the system via any input device such as, a keypad, keyboard, mouse, kiosk, smart phone, e-reader, tablet, laptop, Ultrabook™, personal digital assistant, handheld computer (e.g., Palm Pilot®, Blackberry®, iPhone®, iPad®, Android®), cellular phone and/or the like. Similarly, the invention may be used in conjunction with any type of personal computer, network computer, work station, minicomputer, mainframe, smart phone, tablet, or the like running any operating system such as any version of Windows, MacOS, iOS, OS/2, BeOS, Linux, UNIX, Solaris, MVS, tablet operating system, smart phone operating system, or the like, including any future operating system or similar system. Moreover, although the invention may frequently be described as being implemented with TCP/IP communications protocol, it should be understood that the invention could also be implemented using SNA, IPX, Appletalk, IPte, NetBIOS, OSI or any number of communications protocols. Moreover, the system contemplates the use, sale, or distribution of any goods, services or information over any network having similar functionality described herein.
[0099] By way of providing additional background, context, and to further satisfy the written description requirements of 35 U.S.C. §112, the following references are incorporated by reference in their entireties for the express purpose of explaining the nature of ECGs, wireless sensors and other devices and to further describe the various apparatuses commonly associated therewith:
[0100] U.S. App. No. 2008/0177198 to Jang et al, discloses an apparatus to measure skin moisture content, that apparatus including: an electrode unit comprising a reference electrode, a current electrode, and a measuring electrode; an optional amplifier having an inverted input terminal connected with the R electrode.
[0101] U.S. Pat. App. No. 2012/0165633 to Khair, discloses a leadless wireless ECG measurement system for measuring of bio-potential electrical activity of the heart in a patient's body includes at least one multi-contact bio-potential electrode assembly adapted for attachment to the patient's body. The electrode assembly is formed of an electronic patch layer and a disposable electrode layer. The disposable electrode layer has a plurality of contact points for engagement with the surface of the patient's body and is configured to measure short-lead ECG signals in response to electrical activity in the heart. A processing unit is provided and is configured to produce a transfer function which computes estimated long-lead ECG signals based on the measured short-lead ECG signals from the plurality of contact points.
[0102] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,747 to Khair et al., on Aug. 27, 2002 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,496,705 to Ng et al., on Dec. 17, 2002, there are disclosed a wireless, programmable system for bio-potential signal acquisition which includes a base unit and a plurality of individual wireless, remotely programmable transceivers connected to patch electrodes. The base unit manages the transceivers by issuing registration, configuration, data acquisition, and transmission commands using wireless techniques. The bio-potential signals from the wireless transceivers are demultiplexed and supplied via a standard interface to a conventional ECG monitor for display.
[0103] U.S. Pat. No. 8,315,695 to Sebelius et al. on Nov. 12, 2012 and U.S. Pat. App. No. 2010/0234746 to Frederick Sebelius, disclose a system for wireless generation of at least one standard ECG lead comprises a plurality of electrodes for application to a subject at separate points thereof and a remote receiver station for generating at least one standard ECG lead from signals detected by a first group of said plurality of electrodes. The system further comprises a wireless sensing unit for generating at least two non-standard ECG signals from bipolar signals detected by a second group of the plurality of electrodes, a processor in the remote receiver station for calculation of a transform synthesizing each generated standard ECG lead from at least two of the non-standard ECG signals, a disconnection unit for disconnection of the first group of electrodes from the subject following the calculation, and a transfer unit for wireless transferring of the non-standard ECG signals to the remote receiver station following the disconnection of the first group of electrodes.
[0104] U.S. Pat. No. 7,403,808 to Istvan et al. on Jul. 22, 2008, discloses a cardiac monitoring system for detecting electrical signals from a patient's heart and wirelessly transmit the signals digitally to a remote base station via telemetry. The base station converts the digital signals to analog signals which can be read by an ECG monitor.
[0105] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,803 to Besson et al. on Jan. 26, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,854 issued to Besson et al. on Sep. 28, 1999 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,238, also issued to Besson et al. on Sep. 11, 2001, discloses a wireless medical diagnosis and monitoring equipment which includes an evaluation station and a plurality of electrodes which are arranged on a patient. Each of the plurality of electrodes includes elementary sensors, sensor control, transceivers, and transmission control units which are integrated in one single semiconductor chip. The antenna that is arranged in this connection in the flexible electrode covering or directly in the chip.
[0106] In U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,141 to Jacob Segalowitz, on Jan. 1, 1991, there is disclosed an electrocardiographic monitoring system in which the heart-signal sensing electrodes are each coupled to the heart-signal monitor/recorder by respective wireless transmitters and corresponding respective receiving wireless receivers in a base unit.
[0107] U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,874 issued to Jacob Segalowitz, on Dec. 8, 1992, discloses a wireless electrode structure for use in patient monitoring system. It is a two-sectioned system having a plurality of micro-chipped, self-contained and self-powered heart signal sensing, amplifying, encoding and R-F transmitting, detecting electrodes and a receiving, demodulation and decoding base unit capable of developing real-time, signal averaging electrocardiography for a 12-lead ECG.
[0108] U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,818 issued to Jacob Segalowitz, discloses a precordial strip assembly medical monitoring system for use on a patient having skin, right and left arms and legs and a heart with a precordium lying thereover comprising an elongated strip having first and second surfaces.
[0109] U.S. App. No. 2014/0243694 to Baker et al, published Aug. 29, 2014 discloses a body-worn patient monitoring device which provides a substrate that supports one or more electrical connections to a patient's body. The method further includes determining a print pattern and thickness of a first material having a first resistivity to be printed on the substrate, determining a print pattern and thickness of a second material having a second resistivity to be printed on substrate, printing the second material onto the substrate wherein at least part of the second material overlays the first material.
[0110] U.S. App. No. 2014/0236249 to Rao et al, published Aug. 21, 2014 discloses a novel wearable electronic skin patch sensor device configured for the real time acquisition, processing and communicating cardiac activity and other types of biological information within a wired or wireless network. A system level scheme for networking the sensor device with client devices that include intelligent personal health management appliances, cellular telephones, PDAs, portable computers, RFID tags and servers is disclosed.
[0111] U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,827 to Coppersmith et al, published Aug. 18, 1998 discloses a system and method for near-field human coupling for encrypted communication with identification cards. The apparatus and method for encoding and transferring data from a transmitter to a receiver, using the human body as a transmission medium is disclosed.
[0112] U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,918, issued to Ronald A. Lewis, on Mar. 6, 1976 discloses disposable physiological telemetric device which includes a one-time use self-powering battery means, adhesive means, adhesive means for attachment of the device to the patient and electrodes for sensing the physiological functioning. A disposable cover is removed to expose the adhesive means and the battery means are actuated to power the device at the time of use. The radio frequency transmitter signal is received on suitable radio telemetry for monitoring and recording as desired.
[0113] U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,371 issued to Dempsey, et al., on Oct. 17, 2000 discloses a leadless monitoring of physiological conditions. The monitoring includes a transducer and a transponder. The transducer is adapted to sense the physiological condition of the patient and produce an output signal indicative of the sensed condition. The transponder is arranged to receive an electromagnetic signal and re-radiate the electromagnetic signal.
[0114] U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,144 issued to Cox, et al., on Jul. 7, 1987 discloses an apparatus for monitoring EKG information includes a programmable apparatus carried by an ambulatory patient for performing continuous, real-time analyses of EKG information derived from the patient. The apparatus facilitates the determination of the existence of various conditions based on these analyses which portend cardiac complications including myocardial ischemia, and arrhythmia activity and further instructs the patient on the manner of treatment required for the detected condition.
[0115] U.S. Pat. No. 8,430,310 issued to Ho, et al., on Apr. 30, 2013, discloses a system, method and device for identifying a user associated with a wearable electronic device. First, a directed electromagnetic radiation comprising an identifier associated with a user of the wearable electronic device is transmitted to a first target device. In response, a challenge signal is received requesting a verification response verifying the authenticity of the identifier. The wearable electronic device than detects a predefined user input, and responsive to receiving the challenge signal and detecting the predefined user input, transmits a challenge response corresponding to the predefined user input to a second target device. The first and second target devices may be the same device. The predefined user input may be comprise one or more sensed head movements and/or detected user input operations.
[0116] U.S. Pat. No. 8,482,487 issued to Rhodes, et al on Jul. 9, 2013, discloses a method and device for displaying images. In some example embodiments, methods may include receiving data corresponding to an image. The image data may include at least one image object. Each image object may be assigned to either a foreground image set or a background image set. An embodiment may also include rendering a first display image based on at least the foreground image set. The first display image may include the objects assigned to the foreground image set. Additionally, the objects assigned to the foreground image set may be in focus in the first display image. Embodiments may also include rendering a second display image based on at least the background image set. The second display image may include the objects assigned to the background image set. Additionally, the objects assigned to the background image set may be in focus in the second display image.
[0117] U.S. Pat. Appl. No. 2014/0018635 to Buchheim et al. discloses a signal processing apparatus for determining a heart rate includes a plurality of sensors configured to detect changes in blood properties in a user's skin and a heart rate Kalman filter configured to compute a heart rate on the basis of signals obtained from the plurality of sensors. A method of computing a heart rate using the apparatus includes detecting changes in blood properties with a plurality of sensors, and computing with a heart rate Kalman filter the heart rate on the basis of signals obtained from the plurality of sensors.
[0118] The monitoring device may be configured to include a means for interacting with the user. The interaction can include a vibration; a intermittent or periodic beacon signal broadcast to an external device, flashing light emission, projection to an external device though text, email or other communication application. The interaction could also be via user interface. Such user interface may stem from the capacitive touch user interface in DC-mode configuration, in which the user interface may include an LCD screen or OLED.
[0119] The monitoring device may communicate via a wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and a wireless media such as acoustic, RF, IR or other wireless media. A wired link may include, for example, a parallel bus or a serial bus such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB). The communication device may communicate with a remote device via a connection. The connection may be wired and/or a wireless link. A wireless link may include, for example, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, Wi-Fi direct Cellular (such as GSM, CDMA, UMTS, EV-DO, WiMAX, or LTE or GPS), or ZigBee, among other possibilities. The connection between the monitoring device may function to transmit data and/or commands to and/or from the display device for transmission and/or reception by transmission/reception devices and/or may function to transmit display data for display on a display device such as but not limited to a projector, tablet, mobile device, smartphone, personal data assistant, a personal computer, a laptop computer, Google glasses, wrist watch-type device, or even docking the monitoring device on a communication device to download information or other computing device. The connection may comprise one or more base stations, routers, switches, LANs, WLANs, WANs, access points, or other network infrastructures. For example, the monitoring device may communicate with a cellular phone sending a text message regarding an abnormal cardiac reading it received.
[0120] For secure transmission of a patient's information to a communication device via a wireless link, the link may be secured via any one of a plurality of available wireless security protocols, including but not limited to, the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), the Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol (LEAP), the Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP), WiFi Protected Access (WPA), the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), and WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI).
[0121] The monitoring device may be a single device or two or more components locking securely to provide accurate readings. Docking the various components securely may occur using any of a plurality of locking mechanisms, including but not limited to, Velcro, screws, solder, sealants, fasteners, welding which may include ultrasonic welding and magnets. For example, the monitoring device may use asymmetrical magnetic contacts for firm attachment.
[0122] The device may be configured in various ways including but not limited to circular, triangular, square, with wings, without wings. The contacts may be any magnetic metals such gold, silver, copper, iron or nickel. At least a portion of the enclosure may be colored to match the skin tone of the patient, or contain a decoration, art work, design, illustration or cartoon character to provide a custom appearance to the device. It may be transparent or at least partially translucent.
[0123] The wireless device may be positioned at various locations throughout the body including but not limited to the chest, shoulders, ribs, sides, back of shoulders and back. It also be externally attached to a belt, a wallet, in a pant pocket. The monitoring device may be connected to a garment by attaching or integrating one or more of the sensors into the garment. Furthermore, the device may be made from at least one of, but not limited to metal, silicone, liquid silicone rubber, silicone eleastomers, metals, hard plastics, flexible polymers, glass, polymethyl methcrylate (PMMA).
[0124] To comply with appropriate written description and enablement requirements and to provide sufficient guidance in how one of skill in the art can make and use the various embodiments of the present invention, incorporated herein in their entireties are the following: US Pat. Application Nos. 20140022163 to Olsson; and 20140066798 to Albert.
[0125] One or ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present invention may be constructed of materials known to provide, or predictably manufactured to provide the various aspects of the present invention.
[0126] This Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description, and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary of the Invention. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the Detailed Description, particularly when taken together with the drawings.
[0127] The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the entire disclosure, as well as the incorporated references, pictures, etcetera will provide a basis for the scope of the present invention as it may be claimed now and in future applications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0128] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the disclosure given above and the Detailed Description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosures.
[0129] FIG. 1 illustrates the use of a wired monitoring system on a patient.
[0130] FIGS. 2A-B illustrates the DC mode charging configuration.
[0131] FIG. 3 illustrates the perimeter of the adhesive patch of the monitoring device configured for high-speed dynamic multiplexing.
[0132] FIGS. 4A-B illustrates the device with OLED and capacitive touch inputs for user-interaction. A scroll wheel may be implemented by moving counter/clock-wise around the contacts.
[0133] FIG. 5A-B illustrate a perspective views of the monitoring device.
[0134] FIG. 6A-B illustrates exemplary transmit coil used in inductive coupling.
[0135] FIG. 7 illustrates an electrode design to provide greater signal amplitude by increased spacing between diametrically opposed pairs of electrodes.
[0136] FIG. 8 illustrates a communication system between two devices using an epidermal bus.
[0137] FIG. 9 illustrates exemplary human body model of capacitance.
[0138] FIG. 10 illustrates a simplified modulation/demodulation system.
[0139] FIG. 11 illustrates communication between two systems on a chip (SOC) components using an epidermal bus.
[0140] FIG. 12 illustrates a bio-sensor network with star topology.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0141] The invention describes herein relates to a wireless ECG. The invention solution presents a safe, intuitive means for making ECG measurements without the use of wires. It provides an ECG measurement system with a higher degree of comfort and easier management for the practitioner. Further, the invention introduces a two charging schemes that are intrinsically safe and reliable. Still furthermore, the invention describes a way of synchronizing the sensors on the monitoring device by way of a master/slave synchronization method in order to provide reliable measurements. Having described the invention, alternatives and embodiments may occur to one of skill in the art.
[0142] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the standard ECG monitor device with wired leads. This picture is incorporated herein in its entirety from U.S. Pat. Appl. No. 2010/0234746 to Frederick Sebelius. The figure illustrates how the wired monitoring system is connected to the patient. This figure further illustrates how a wired ECG monitor would make a very uncomfortable. Furthermore, wired devices make patient monitoring very cumbersome for the practitioners and increases the probability of infection due to the exposure of bodily fluid by the wires. Also, this wired system would leads to an increase lead-off alarms due to tugged wires, wrong lead connection, motion artifacts and RF interference.
[0143] FIGS. 2A-2B show a perspective view of the device enclosure 200 configured for DC mode charging. FIG. 2A is a representation of both the top charging sleeve 204 and the docking sleeve 208 . The contacts 212 a - d are matching magnetic inputs. These magnetic contacts are matched and have identical asymmetric configuration with contacts 216 a - d on the enclosure. The asymmetric configuration provides a strong magnetic force which provides proper alignment and strong interaction between the modules. FIG. 2B shows a perspective view of the charging implementation. In one embodiment, the top charging sleeve 204 may be configured for charging 212 a , 212 c and System Management BUS protocol, wherein 212 b , 212 d are assigned the SMCLK and SMDATA roles respectively. Circuitry
[0144] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the adhesive patch, in which the perimeter of the monitoring device is configured for high-speed dynamic multiplexing. This schematic provides an extension to the device configuration used in FIG. 2 wherein four contacts 212 where used. In this embodiment, the patch 300 is configured to have n-pairs of electrodes 304 organized concentrically around the perimeter of the adhesive patch. The placement creates a thin film, flexible electrode angular array. This arrangement allows selection of any pair of electrodes 304 at any given time. The electrodes may be used for capacitive charging 308 , in conjunction with a system management bus protocol 312 , for general ECG measurement 316 , as a multi-input capacitive user-interface 320 . In addition, this configuration provides simplicity and is useful as ultra low power. Furthermore, this arrangement can be plated directly onto a PCB board and the spacing between consists of an insulator block 324 .
[0145] FIGS. 4A-B show a perspective view of the monitoring device with capacitive touch inputs and scroll implementation for user interaction. FIG. 4A is an illustration of the monitoring device 200 with an organic light emitting diode (OLED) 404 (can also be an LCD) and scroll wheel 408 for doctor/patient use. The scroll wheel 408 as illustrated on FIG. 4B provides the user with the ability to navigate through the patient information menu, ECG records and lock the screen to prevent accidental input or interaction with the device. As illustrated in FIG. 4B , the scroll wheel 308 can be turned both clockwise 412 and counter-clockwise 416 around the contacts 212 to navigate through the menu. In another embodiment, the scroll wheel may be rotated in a series of patterns in the clockwise 412 direction followed by a counter-clockwise 416 rotation to enable user interaction.
[0146] FIGS. 5A-C provide illustrations of the wireless monitoring device 500 . FIG. 5A illustrates a possible placement on the user. FIGS. 5B and 5C illustrate a model of the device. Although only an example of the possible design, the figures provide two varying views. FIG. 5B provides a front-side view 504 of the monitoring device. FIG. 5C provides a back-side view 508 of the monitoring device. Magnetic contacts 516 are gold plated for efficient charge transfer and in order to prevent corrosion caused by environmental factors. An OLED or LCD screen 512 may be placed here for communication with the device.
[0147] FIGS. 6A-6B show a perspective view of the implementation of the inductive charging scheme, in which the transmitting coil is embedded to the exterior of the enclosure. FIG. 6A is illustrates an exemplary transmit coil 600 used in inductive coupling. The transmit coil 600 is slipped over the device enclosure to enable coupling with the receive coil. Note that the sleeve is not explicitly pictured in this figure. FIG. 6B is an initial prototype 604 created for used in inductive coupling between the transmitter and the receiver.
[0148] FIG. 7 illustrates an electrode design to provide greater signal amplitude by increased spacing between diametrically opposed pairs of electrodes.
[0149] FIG. 8 illustrates a communication system 800 between two devices using an epidermal bus 812 . Data can be received at transceivers 808 a,b from standard data buses 804 a,b . ECN transceivers 808 a,b can be any communication device. Communication devices 808 a,b , can use an Epidermal Communication Network (ECN) interface and/or ECN transceiver, to transfer, upload, and/or download information between devices with the epidermal bus 812 .
[0150] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary of the Human Body Model of Capacitance 900 . Since body resistance and capacitance are both physical properties of the human body, the human body can be modeled as a simple RC low-pass filter network. Point 904 can be an input point and point 908 can be an output point anywhere on the epidermis of a human. A voltage can be transmitted from point 904 to point 908 , where point 908 outputs a proportional, attenuated voltage to that applied at point 904 .
[0151] FIG. 10 illustrates a simplified modulation/demodulation scheme 1000 . This scheme provides an example of modulation/demodulation possible in conjunction with the Epidermal Communication Network (ECN). Modulation schemes that can be implemented can include, but are not limited to, Amplitude Modulation (AM), Frequency Modulation (FM), Phase Modulation m (PM), Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), Space Modulation (SM), Single-Sideband Modulation (SSB), Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK), Frequency Shift Keying (FSK), Phase Shift Keying (PSK), Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), Spread Spectrum, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM), OFDMA, etc.
[0152] FIG. 11 illustrates communication between two systems using an epidermal bus 1100 . The systems can be wearable electrode chips, stand-alone chips, and other chips on modules which enable access to ECN. The external systems can also include master/slave modules, modules whose internal operation is abstracted and/or other such system which can be docketed onto an ECN interface for signal transmission using the ECN.
[0153] FIG. 12 illustrates a biosensor network 1200 with star topology. A bio-sensor network enabled for ECN communication can have a star topology as illustrated in FIG. 9 . However, other topologies can be possible such as, but not limited to, a circular topology, triangular topology, mesh topology, hexagonal topology, diamond topology and other of the like. The mesh topology for example can be used for multi-device communication. In bio-sensor network 1200 , a component of the network can include the epidermal layer 1204 of a user, or the skin. Signals transmitted and received can be coupled to the epidermal layer 1204 . Wearable devices 1208 and 1212 are used in conjunction with the epidermal layer 1204 to transmit/receive data within the ECN network. The wearable devices 1208 and 1212 can be incorporated in any wearable device such as a watch, phone, fabric, glasses, jewelry, etc. The wearable devices 1208 and 1212 can further communicate with and have wired or wireless capabilities and communicate with other wearable devices located in at least one or more of the topologies above.
[0154] The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments, sub-combinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of implementation.
[0155] The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the disclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than those discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the disclosure.
[0156] Moreover, though the description has included description of one or more aspects, various other modifications, adaptations, and alternative designs are of course possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it should be understood at this time that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. While specific embodiments and applications of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise configuration and components disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes, and variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and systems of the present invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for 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 any such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. | The present invention is directed to an improved method, system and product to provide wireless ECG patient monitoring. Although embodiments make specific reference to monitoring electrocardiogram signal with an adherent patch, the system methods, and device herein may be applicable to any application in which physiological monitoring is used. Unlike prior art methods and devices which require a wired solution to enable patient monitoring, this solution presents a safe, intuitive means ECG measurements without the use of wires. Also, the present invention also presents a reliable means for docking the interface while minimizing signal interference and user error. In addition, a novel means for transmitting and receiving a patient's ECG measurements is introduced which includes the use of an epidermal communication network (ECN). Although embodiments make specific reference to the use of the ECN for ECG measurements, the system methods, and protocol herein may be applicable to any wearable device and/or other smart device which is ECN enabled. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a digital broadcasting system, and more particularly, to a digital broadcasting system and an operating method thereof in which digital broadcast or data broadcast can be viewed using internet.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A modern society has been entering an information age owing to a development of an information communication field resulting from a digital revolution and a great development of an electronic industry and internet. Accordingly, as conventional information diffusion through a simple contact is changed into information diffusion through a wire/wireless intermediate, necessary information is allowed to be provided in real time.
[0005] Further, television broadcasting is in progress of being rapidly digitalized, and accordingly, a digital television is used as gigantic and effective information storage media and information providing media.
[0006] Generally, the digital television is a common term of digital-transmitted television broadcasting. America decided the transmission of a next generation television called an ATV (Advanced Television) as digital transmission. In Europe, many projects are vigorously being advanced, such as HD DIVINE in Sweden, SPECTRE in England, DIAMOND in France and the like. The digital broadcast, as a next generation manner associated with B-ISDN (Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network) or a computer network, has been vigorously studied in each of countries.
[0007] In the meanwhile, stream transmitted in the digital broadcasting enables to transmit data information together with video/audio signals. Herein, data information may be made on the basis of markup, such as HTML (hypertext markup language) of ATVEF (Advanced Television Enhancement Forum) XDML (Extensible Document Markup Language) of DASE (Digital TV Application Software Environment) or on the basis of Java such as Xlet of the DASE.
[0008] At present, a number of companies have been developing the digital television or the settop box capable of receiving the digital broadcast or the data broadcast so as to prepare for digital broadcasting. In the future, a field related with data broadcasting is expected to most come into the spotlight when the digital television is generalized.
[0009] The digital broadcasting provides the viewer with the data broadcast including various additional information as well as a high-definition and high-quality AV (audio/video) broadcast.
[0010] To view the digital broadcast described above, the viewer has to have the settop box or the digital television for the digital broadcast.
[0011] However, the settop box or the digital television for the digital broadcast is a large obstacle owing to its high price in activating the supply of the data broadcasting to develop contents and to create added-value.
[0012] Further, there is a drawback in that time and place are limited since the viewer has to have the settop box or the digital television for the digital broadcast so as to view the digital broadcast or the data broadcast.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a digital broadcasting system and an operating method thereof that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a digital broadcasting system and an operating method thereof in which digital broadcast or data broadcast can be viewed using internet irrespective of time and place.
[0015] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
[0016] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a digital broadcasting system including: a transmitting unit having a unit for generating digital broadcast including audio/video broadcast and data broadcast, and a unit for registering the digital broadcast or the data broadcast on a certain internet site; and an internet terminal connecting to the internet site to receive the digital broadcast or the data broadcast.
[0017] The internet terminal can have a browser embedded therein for allowing connection to the internet site.
[0018] The internet site stores digital broadcast or the data broadcast continuously produced.
[0019] According to the digital broadcasting system, it can further include a unit for converting the digital broadcast and the data broadcast into an internet-supporting format in case that the digital broadcast or the data broadcast is not in the internet-supporting format.
[0020] In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating digital broadcast at a transmitting unit of a digital broadcast system, the method including the steps of: producing data broadcast; generating the digital broadcast by using the data broadcast and audio/video broadcast; and registering the produced data broadcast or the produced digital broadcast on a certain internet site, wherein the produced data broadcast or the generated digital broadcast is provided depending on a viewer's request.
[0021] According to the operating method, it can further include the step of converting the generated digital broadcast and the produced data broadcast into an internet-supporting format in case that the generated digital broadcast and the produced data broadcast is not in the internet-supporting format.
[0022] In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating digital broadcast at an internet terminal of a digital broadcasting system, the method including the steps of: connecting to an internet site providing digital broadcast or data broadcast; selecting broadcast that is intended to be viewed; and downloading and displaying the selected broadcast.
[0023] According to the operating method, it can further include the step of downloading and installing a dedicated browser in case that the dedicated browser exists in the internet site.
[0024] According to the operating method, in case that a linked internet site exists among the displayed broadcasts, a viewer can move to the linked internet site depending on his/her request.
[0025] According to the operating method, various data broadcasts provided from the internet site can be concurrently displayed in addition to the displayed broadcast.
[0026] In a further another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a digital broadcasting system, the method including the steps of: registering digital broadcast or data broadcast on a certain internet site; connecting to the internet site to select broadcast that is intended to be viewed; and downloading and displaying the selected broadcast.
[0027] The data broadcast may have a linked internet site.
[0028] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
[0030] [0030]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a general construction of a digital broadcasting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] [0031]FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for operating a digital broadcast in a transmitting unit of a digital broadcast system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
[0032] [0032]FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for operating a digital broadcast in a receiving unit of a digital broadcasting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0033] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
[0034] [0034]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a general construction of a digital broadcasting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 1, the inventive digital broadcasting system includes a transmitting unit 10 for providing a digital broadcast or a data broadcast; and a receiving unit 20 for viewing the digital broadcast or the data broadcast.
[0036] The transmitting unit 10 includes an authoring engine 12 , a real-time data processing system 13 , an AV (Audio/Video) broadcast producing system 14 , a first transmitting system 15 , a second transmitting system 16 , and an internet server 17 .
[0037] The authoring engine 12 uses data broadcast contents to produce the data broadcast. That is, a producer can receive the data broadcast contents from a provider for providing the data broadcast contents, or from other businessmen or the like. The producer produces the data broadcast on the basis of the provided data broadcast contents using the authoring engine 12 . Herein, the data broadcast can be produced on the basis of Markup such as HTML or XDML or on the basis of Java such as Xlet.
[0038] The above-produced data broadcast is provided for the real-time data processing system 13 and the second transmitting system 16 .
[0039] The AV broadcast producing system 14 is a system for producing AV broadcast, and for example, can produce the AV broadcast for drama, sports, amusement, documentary and the like. The above-produced AV broadcast is provided for the first transmitting system 15 .
[0040] The real-time data processing system 13 uses the data broadcast produced from the authoring engine 12 and real-time data provided from an external to constitute certain data broadcasting.
[0041] The first transmitting system 15 generates and transmits the digital broadcast including the data broadcast provided from the real-time data processing system 13 and the AV broadcast provided from the AV broadcast producing system 14 . The above transmitted digital broadcast can be provided for the viewer using ground wave, satellite, cable and the like.
[0042] The second transmitting system 16 constructs the data broadcast provided from the authoring engine 12 or the digital broadcast provided from the first transmitting system 15 to be served on internet such that the constructed broadcast is provided for the internet server 17 .
[0043] The internet server 17 registers the digital broadcast or the data broadcast on a certain internet site. Accordingly, the viewer can connect to the internet site to view the digital broadcast or the data broadcast.
[0044] In the meanwhile, the receiving unit 20 is comprised of a settop box 22 or a digital television for receiving the digital broadcast provided using the ground wave, the satellite, the cable and the like from the first transmitting system 15 ; and an internet terminal 23 such as a mobile terminal 24 or a widely used computer 26 connecting to the internet server 17 to receive the digital broadcast or the data broadcast. Herein, the internet terminal 23 can additionally include a PDA (Portable digital Assistant), electric home appliances with an internet function, a portable computer, a personal terminal and the like.
[0045] The settop box 22 or the digital television is a unit for receiving the digital broadcast or the data broadcast, and is a product that is already in progress of a widely commercial use.
[0046] The internet terminal 23 can use the internet site to connect to the internet server 17 , thereby receiving the digital broadcast or the data broadcast. The internet terminal 23 should include hardware (for example, modem, ADSL and the like) and software (for example, browser) to support internet service. Particularly, as a browser, a dedicated browser provided at the internet server 17 or a widely used browser embedded in the internet terminal 23 such as the mobile terminal 24 or the widely used computer 26 can be used.
[0047] The viewer can connect to the internet server 17 so that the dedicated browser can be downloaded and installed in the internet terminal 23 .
[0048] Accordingly, the viewer can connect to the internet server 17 through the dedicated browser or the widely used browser. According to need, the digital broadcast (including all of the AV broadcast and the data broadcast) or the data broadcast can be downloaded for viewing. In order to listen or view the AV broadcast, the internet terminal 23 may include a display unit, a speaker or the like.
[0049] [0049]FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for operating the digital broadcast in the transmitting unit of the digital broadcasting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 2, first of all, the data broadcast contents are used to produce the data broadcast (S 32 ). The producer uses the authoring engine 12 to produce the data broadcast on the basis of the data broadcast contents. Herein, the data broadcast can be produced based on Markup such as HTML or XDML, or can be produced based on Java such as Xlet. Similarly, since the data broadcast is produced based on Markup or Java, it can be also used for the internet service.
[0051] The digital broadcast including the above-produced data broadcast and AV broadcast is generated (S 34 ). Accordingly, the digital broadcast includes the data broadcast as well as the AV broadcast. Generally, the above-generated digital broadcast is transmitted through sky wave, wire, cable and the like, and the viewer uses the settop box or the digital television to receive and view the digital broadcast.
[0052] The present invention can not only transmit the digital broadcast using the sky wave and the like, but also can provide the viewer with the digital broadcast through internet.
[0053] In other words, the digital broadcast generated in the step (S 34 ) is converted into an internet format to be constructed for enabling the internet service. Further, the data broadcast that could not be transmitted using the sky wave and the like can be also converted into the internet format to be provided for the viewer.
[0054] If the data broadcast is not produced based on Markup or Java, the data broadcast can be converted into the internet format based on Markup or Java.
[0055] In the digital broadcast, the AV broadcast is converted into an image file, and the data broadcast can be converted into the internet format based on Markup or Java in case of not being in the internet format.
[0056] In other words, the digital broadcast generated in the step (S 34 ) or the data broadcast produced in the step (S 32 ) is converted into the internet format (S 36 ).
[0057] Next, the digital broadcast or the data broadcast converted into the internet format is registered on the certain internet site (S 38 ).
[0058] Accordingly, the viewer can connect to the internet site to view the digital broadcast or the data broadcast.
[0059] At this time, the internet site can provide the dedicated browser that can allow a dedicated connection.
[0060] If the internet site does not provide the dedicated browser, the viewer can use the widely used browser embedded in the internet terminal 23 of himself/herself to connect to the internet site.
[0061] The data broadcast or the digital broadcast continuously produced is stored in the internet site within an allowable range of capacity. Accordingly, the viewer can view past digital broadcast or data broadcast as well as present digital broadcast or data broadcast.
[0062] Further, since the data broadcasts different from one another are registered on the internet site, the viewer can also concurrently view the different data broadcasts from one another on one screen according to need.
[0063] [0063]FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for operating the digital broadcast in the receiving unit of the digital broadcasting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0064] Referring to FIG. 3, the viewer first uses the widely used browser embedded in the internet terminal 23 to connect to the internet site having the digital broadcast or the data broadcast registered thereon (S 41 ).
[0065] At this time, if the dedicated browser exists in the internet site (S 42 ), the dedicated browser is downloaded to be installed at the viewer's internet terminal 23 (S 43 ).
[0066] If the dedicated browser does not exist in the internet site, the widely used browser embedded in the internet terminal 23 can be used for connection to the internet site.
[0067] If the dedicated browser is installed at the internet terminal 23 , the viewer can terminate the widely used browser used for connection to the internet site and use the dedicated browser installed at the internet terminal 23 to connect to the internet site.
[0068] If the viewer connects to the internet site as described above, the viewer refers to various kinds of broadcasts registered on the internet site to select the broadcast which he/she intends to view (S 44 ). Herein, as the broadcast kind, the digital broadcast and the data broadcast can be included. Herein, the digital broadcast includes the data broadcast as well as the AV broadcast.
[0069] If the viewer selects the broadcast, the selected broadcast is downloaded and displayed (S 45 ). Accordingly, the viewer can view his/her selecting broadcast.
[0070] For example, if the viewer selects the digital broadcast, the data broadcast as well as the AV broadcast is displayed. Herein, the data broadcast can be also information relating with the AV broadcast or can be also other additional information, for example, shopping, game, amusement, advertisement and the like.
[0071] If the viewer selects a specific data broadcast, various additional information can be displayed from the specific data broadcast.
[0072] If the viewer wants to view a different data broadcast besides the currently displayed data broadcast, the viewer can select and view the different data broadcast. Accordingly, the different data broadcasts from one another can be displayed on one screen.
[0073] If the different liked internet site exists among the currently displayed data broadcast contents, the viewer can select the different linked internet site (S 46 ).
[0074] Accordingly, the viewer can move to the different linked internet site to search or view various additional information and the like provided from the corresponding internet site (S 47 ).
[0075] For example, in case that an internet site for a specific actor's home page among descriptions for a specific actor is linked in the currently displayed data broadcast contents, the viewer can select the linked internet site to move to the specific actor's home page thereby obtaining more detailed information on the specific actor.
[0076] As described above, the present invention registers the digital broadcast or the data broadcast on the internet site, and connects to the internet site at the receiving unit to view the digital broadcast or the data broadcast. Therefore, the viewer can use the certain terminal allowing the internet connection to always view the digital broadcast or the data broadcast irrespective of a limit to time and place. Accordingly, more various data broadcast contents can be not only produced, but also the data broadcast is generalized in life by the viewers familiar to an internet environment to appear to give a great contribution to activation of the data broadcast.
[0077] Further, the present invention can use the internet terminal with the internet function to simply and conveniently view the digital broadcast or the data broadcast whileas the conventional art uses a high-priced settop box or digital television to receive the digital broadcast. Accordingly, the cost is greatly economically cut down while viewer's accessibility to the digital broadcast or the data broadcast can be more extended.
[0078] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. | The present invention relates to a digital broadcasting system and an operating method thereof. The digital broadcasting system including: a transmitting unit having a unit for generating digital broadcast including audio/video broadcast and data broadcast, and a unit for registering the digital broadcast or the data broadcast on a certain internet site; and an internet terminal connecting to the internet site to receive the digital broadcast or the data broadcast. The method for operating digital broadcast at a transmitting unit of a digital broadcast system, the method including the steps of: producing data broadcast; generating the digital broadcast by using the data broadcast and audio/video broadcast; and registering the produced data broadcast or the produced digital broadcast on a certain internet site, wherein the produced data broadcast or the generated digital broadcast is provided depending on a viewer's request. | 7 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to touch screen technology, and more particularly to resistive touch screen technology.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Of various interfaces available for interacting with a computer system one of the easiest to use and understand is the touch screen. This technology allows a user to simply touch an icon or picture to navigate through the system, display the information the user is seeking, and to enter data. For this reason this technology is widely used in many areas, including bank machines, information kiosks, restaurants, cars, etc.
A number of different methodologies are used to implement touch screen technology, and each has advantages and disadvantages. The three main types of technology used are resistive, capacitive and surface acoustic wave.
Resistive technology uses a flexible membrane that is affixed over a display. The membrane and display each have a conductive layer, and typically the membrane is energized with an electrical potential. When the membrane is touched, it is brought into contact with the conductive layer on the display, and this creates current flow. Various sensors around the display measure the current and a controller can determine, either through an absolute value or through a ratio with the current measured at other sensors, the location of the touch. One example of this technology is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,815 to Gibson et al.
One of the advantages of resistive touch screens is that they can be pressed by either a finger or a stylus. The technology responds to pressure and the pressure can be exerted by anything. This is important in some cases where a user may wish to press the screen with the back of a pen or other stylus, with fingernails or with gloved hands.
A second advantage is that they are sealed and not affected by dirt. Thus they can for example be used in industrial applications where the user's hands may be greasy or dirty. Further, the touchscreen will work irrespective of whether there is dust or grime on the screen or in the area around the periphery of the screen.
This technology will also continue to work even when scratches exist on the outer surface of the membrane.
The main disadvantage of resistive touch screens to date has been the material from which the flexible membrane has been made. The requirement that the membrane be flexible and resistant to breakage has generally meant that polyester films have been used. The problem with these films is that they are easily scratched, torn and melted, and are thus susceptible to vandalism or inadvertent damage. This has generally limited the use of this technology to applications where access to the screens is restricted, and where the general public is not given access to these machines. For example, information kiosks in shopping malls or airports do not typically use resistive touch screens due to the vandalism potential.
A second technology for touch screens is capacitive. In this technology a layer of glass is used as a dielectric, and typically has a sensor grid on its lower surface. The touch of a user creates a change in capacitance that can be measured by the sensor grid, allowing the controller to determine when and where a touch occurs.
The advantage of capacitive touch screens is that their outer layer is glass, and thus more resistant to vandalism and damage.
One disadvantage of capacitive touch screens is that they can be susceptible to electromagnetic interference, and can thus produce false hits. This interference can be caused by a number of things, but most commonly in public locations by cellular telephones and pagers. Due to this potential interference, capacitive touch screen cannot be used in certain applications such as in some military equipment.
A second disadvantage is that the sensitivity of the screen can be affected by dirt and scratches. These change the capacitance that is sensed, and can create false touch signals.
Another disadvantage is that skin must be used to make contact with the display. A stylus, fingernail or gloved hand will not produce a sensed touch. Further, in some cases dry hands may not create a sensed touch.
A third technology that is used is the surface acoustic wave. In this technology ultra-sonic waves are emitted onto the surface of the screen, and microphones situated around the screen detect these waves. The periphery of the screen is generally reflective to the waves. When the screen is touched the waves are affected, and a controller is able to determine the location of the touch based on the information received by the microphones.
The major problem with this technology is that it is susceptible to dust and dirt. Any particle will affect the waves. Further, when these types of screens are cleaned, the dirt may be pushed to the periphery, where it will affect the reflective surface. The result of the dirt is that a touch may be perceived to be in a different location than the actual touch location.
What is therefore needed is a touchscreen technology that is robust, so that it can sense the touch of a finger, gloved hand, or any stylus. Further, the technology is required to be unaffected by dirt and scratches. Also, the outer touch surface must be hard and resistant to vandalism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a glass laminate resistive touchscreen. This presents the advantage of having the robustness of resistive touchscreen technologies but overcoming the difficulties of this technology by providing a surface that is resistant to scratching, cutting and burning, and thus is more difficult to vandalize.
The laminate of the present invention includes an ultra-thin layer of glass to which a layer of polyester is adhered using an optical laminate material. The three layers are laminated to provide a uniformly transparent yet flexible surface that is resistant to cracking and virtually impossible to shatter.
One of the problems found with this laminate when used with touch screens is that the different rates of thermal expansion of the various layers can cause rumples at the periphery of the polyester layer, which can cause false touch senses. The present invention also overcomes this difficulty by providing a mounting means that includes an elastic tensioner such as silicon rubber to provide an elastic force ensuring the polyester layer is always taut.
In a broad aspect, then, the present invention relates to a flexible membrane for a resistive touch screen display, said flexible membrane comprising: a glass laminate, wherein said glass laminate consists of: an ultra-thin glass layer; a polymer layer; and an optical adhesive between said ultra-thin glass layer and said polymer layer, said optical adhesive holding said ultra-thin glass layer to said polymer layer.
In a further broad aspect, the present invention relates to a touch screen having a flexible outer membrane with a first conducting surface, a backing surface with a second conductive surface, and sensors to detect contact between the first conducting surface and the second conducting surface, the improvement comprising: the flexible outer membrane, wherein the flexible outer layer consists of an ultra-thin glass layer; a polymer layer; and an optical adhesive between said ultra-thin glass layer and said polymer layer, said optical adhesive holding said ultra-thin glass layer to said polymer layer.
In another broad aspect, the present invention relates to a resistive touch screen display, said display comprising: a flexible membrane, wherein said flexible membrane consists of: an ultra-thin glass layer; a polymer layer, said polymer layer being larger than said glass layer and said polymer layer extending beyond the periphery of said glass layer; and an optical adhesive between said ultra-thin glass layer and said polymer layer, said optical adhesive holding said ultra-thin glass layer to said polymer layer; a backing surface; a pressure sensitive adhesive affixed between the periphery of said polyester layer and said backing surface; an elastic tensioner affixed between the periphery of said polyester layer and said backing surface, said elastic tensioner being adjacent to said pressure sensitive adhesive; a first conductive layer affixed to said polyester layer; a second conductive layer affixed to said backing surface; and sensors used to detect where said first conductive layer contacts said second conductive layer.
In yet another broad aspect, the present invention relates to a process for the creation of a flexible laminate membrane for a resistive touch screen, the flexible laminate membrane having a glass layer and a polyester layer, the process comprising the steps of: applying an optical adhesive to said glass layer; affixing a polyester layer over said optical adhesive; rolling said optical polyester layer from the center of said polyester layer outwards to remove excess optical adhesive and air bubbles; and pressing said polyester layer, glass layer and optical adhesive combination in a high pressure press to ensure a uniform level of optical adhesive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 shows a side elevational cross-sectional view of the glass-polyester laminate of the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a side elevational cross-sectional view of a one touch screen assembly using the laminate of FIG. 1 , in which a false touch is present;
FIG. 3 shows a side elevational cross-sectional view of one solution to the false touch problem of FIG. 2 ; and
FIG. 4 shows a side elevational cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the touch screen assembly of the present invention which overcomes the false touch problem of FIG. 2 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As discussed above, resistive touch screen technology would be the preferred technology for numerous applications, especially those in which the public needed to use touch screens. The robustness of this technology allows it to function regardless of dirt, dust, or electromagnetic signals. The screen can be touched by a bare hand, gloved hand, or stylus and still function. However, the main problem that needs to be overcome is the vulnerability of the soft upper touchscreen layer.
It has been found by the inventor that a thin glass layer possesses enough flexibility to allow it to be used for touch screen applications. Glass useful for this purpose includes Schott Borofloat D263™ or Corning 0211™ and is generally about 0.5 mm thick although greater or lesser thicknesses are possible as long as the glass behaves like a film. Further, by having an outer glass layer, the problems of a soft polymer outer layer are overcome. Glass is much harder, and thus not susceptible to being cut or burned. It is also more resistant to scratches and general wear and thus its use increases the life of touch screens. The problem with ultra-thin glass however is that it is very brittle, and easily cracks and shatters with very minimal contact. Glass has therefore not been used previously for resistive touch screens.
Reference is now made to FIG. 1 . The inventor has found that the addition of a polymer substrate layer 30 laminated to the ultra-thin glass layer 20 using an optical adhesive 40 overcomes the brittleness of the glass. The creation of this laminate 10 makes it extremely difficult to crack glass layer 20 , and glass layer 20 can be bent and pressed without risk of breakage. Further, even if cracking does occur, polymer substrate 30 ensures that glass layer 20 does not shatter, and resistive touch screen laminate 10 remains intact and functional.
In a preferred embodiment, polymer layer 30 of laminate 10 is a polyester, and will be referred to hereinafter as polyester layer 30 . One skilled in the art will however appreciate that other suitable polymers can be used. Polyester layer 30 , in the preferred embodiment, comprises a polyester film, also referred to in the art as PET, with a thickness of approximately 0.007 inches, or 0.175 mm. Suitable films include ICI Melnex™ or Dupont Clear Mylar™. However, the use of other films is contemplated, and in one embodiment it is envisioned that polyester layer 30 may even be opaque to provide a fixed graphic for the touch screen.
In one embodiment of the invention, a conductive silver buss bar (not shown) may be used to help the transmission of current flow from polyester layer 30 . Such conductive layers are well known in the art and are typically applied using a silk screen process. However, it is also contemplated that no buss bar be used in an alternative embodiment, in which polyester layer 30 is used without such a bar.
Polyester layer 30 and ultra-thin glass layer 20 are laminated together using a liquid or film optical adhesive 40 . One skilled in the art will realize that optical adhesive 40 forms a thin layer between polyester layer 30 and glass layer 20 , and that FIGS. 1 to 4 show an exaggerated thickness for this layer for illustrative purposes only.
Optical adhesive 40 is transparent and provides sufficient durability to hold the two layers 20 and 30 together. One suitable optical adhesive has been found to be Norland™ Optical Adhesive 61 . The skilled person will however realize that other suitable adhesives may be used.
In applying adhesive 40 , it is aesthetically preferable to ensure that the adhesive is applied evenly and with no bubbles or gaps, creating a laminate 10 that is uniformly planar and transparent. This lamination process involves applying a relatively thick layer of optical glue between glass layer 20 and polyester layer 30 . The layer of glue must be thick enough to allow air bubbles to be squeezed out, which is much more difficult to do when thin layers of glue are applied.
In practice, layers 20 and 30 are laminated together with glue, and a roller is used to squeeze out excess glue and air bubbles. The roller is preferably applied from the centre of laminate 10 and rolls towards the edges of the laminate. A wave of glue and air bubbles is thus propelled to the edges of laminate 10 , leaving a thin layer of glue with fewer or ideally no air bubble behind.
After rolling, laminate 10 is placed between a pair of ¼″ (0.64 cm) thick steel plates, and the plates are actuated by a press to apply 5-10 tonnes of pressure to the laminate. More or less pressure may be applied as required. The primary purpose of the pressure is to evenly distribute the glue between glass layer 20 and polyester layer 30 to eliminate high and low spots.
During the application of pressure, an absorbent medium such as tissue is placed between the laminate and the steel plates to protect the laminate and absorb the excess glue that is squeezed out. At the end of the lamination process, the thickness of the glue is preferably limited to 0.001-0.002 inches (0.025-0.05 mm).
Reference is now made to FIG. 2 . Laminate 10 is typically made with lower polyester layer 30 being larger than upper glass layer 20 . By creating a larger lower surface the laminate is easier to make.
Optical adhesive 40 also preferably extends beyond the edges of glass layer 20 and is allowed to build up slightly about the edges of glass layer 20 . This locks glass layer 20 in place and makes it harder to move or separate from polymer layer 30 . The buildup of optical adhesive 40 also prevents microfractures in the glass caused by cutting from propagating into larger fractures.
Experimenting with the laminate, the inventor has found that a problem can arise due to the different thermal expansion rates of lower polyester layer 30 , adhesive 40 and upper glass layer 20 . Polyester layer 30 and adhesive 40 have similar expansion rates, but glass layer 20 and polyester layer 30 have very different expansion rates, polyester layer 30 having a higher expansion rate than glass layer 20 .
When applied to a touch screen display 50 these expansion rates can create false touches or shorts 35 between touch screen laminate 10 and the backing display layer 70 . This happens when touch screen display 50 is exposed to different temperature extremes. When it is cold, polyester layer 30 will shrink.
Touch screen membranes are typically mounted to a backing surface 70 using a pressure sensitive adhesive 60 along the periphery of the outer touch screen layer. This adhesive 60 has a bubble-gum like texture and is not elastic.
When polyester layer 30 shrinks when exposed to cold, pressure sensitive adhesive 60 stretches to allow the polyester layer 30 to contract. The touch screen display 50 will still function at this point. However, when touch screen display 50 is warmed up again, polyester layer 30 will expand, and since pressure sensitive adhesive 60 is not elastic, the polyester will tend to rumple between pressure sensitive adhesive 60 and spacer dots 80 used to maintain a normal spacing between the conductive coating applied to the lower surface of layer 30 and the upper surface of backing surface 70 , as illustrated by false short 35 . While not illustrated, one skilled in the art will realize that spacer dots 80 can be affixed to either polyester layer 30 or backing surface 70 .
Glass layer 20 tends to keep the remainder of polyester layer 30 flat, and thus the expansion will be reflected completely or at least primarily along the edge of glass layer 20 . In the prior art, the completely polymer touch screen would distribute this expansion evenly. However, due to adhesive 40 and glass layer 20 , this does not occur in laminate 10 , and the problem of false touches is increased in those cases in which the screens are exposed to temperature extremes.
Reference is now made to FIG. 3 . One possible solution to the above problem is to expand glass layer 20 to the edges of polyester layer 30 . This would ensure that polyester layer 30 remains flat against glass layer 20 , to limit or prevent false touches.
A possible problem with this solution is that adhesive 40 may fail due to repeated expansion or contraction of polyester layer 30 without the outer expansion area shown in FIG. 2 . In the solution of FIG. 3 , adhesive layer 40 absorbs all of the stress induced by the differing expansion rates of the glass and polyester. Eventually it is envisioned that optical adhesive 40 could fail and separation of glass layer 20 and polyester layer 30 could occur.
A preferred solution to the above problem is illustrated in FIG. 4 . In this embodiment, polyester layer 30 is larger than glass layer 20 , thus still permitting ease of manufacture. It also allows optical adhesive 40 to be built up about the edges of glass layer 20 to better hold glass layer 20 to polyester layer 30 .
In order to overcome the false touch problem, an elastic tensioner 110 is added to touch screen display 50 to circumscribe adhesive 60 . Further, an active area insulator 120 is added between polyester layer 30 and elastic tensioner 110 .
Elastic tensioner 110 preferably comprises silicon rubber. In operation, elastic tensioner 110 creates an elastic force that normally biases or stretches polyester layer 30 outwards. Therefore, if display 50 becomes very cold, polyester layer 50 will shrink, pulling pressure sensitive adhesive 60 inwards, along with elastic tensioner 110 . When the display 50 is later warmed, elastic tensioner 110 pulls polyester layer 30 back to its original configuration, reducing the possibility of rumples, and thus false touches.
Area insulator 120 further aids in preventing a false short 35 by providing a non-conductive layer in the area most likely to make false contact. Area insulator 120 comprises an ultraviolet ink film printed onto the lower surface of the polyester layer 30 along its outer edges. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the thickness of area insulator 120 in FIG. 4 has been exaggerated for illustrative purposed, and in practice area insulator 120 adds no significant spacing between polyester layer 30 and backing surface 70 .
Area insulator 120 reduces the chances of electrical contact between polyester layer 30 and backing surface 70 . It has been found that pressure sensitive adhesive 60 is insufficient for this purpose.
Area insulator 120 bonds aggressively, perhaps covalently, to polyester layer 30 , and thus pressure sensitive adhesive 60 and elastic tensioner 110 are essentially bonded to polyester layer 30 itself.
One skilled in the art will realize that the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 will typically also have an area insulator layer 120 between polyester layer 30 and pressure sensitive adhesive 60 .
When combined, the above configuration provides a resistive touch screen with an outer glass layer, overcoming the difficulties of the prior art. The above configuration further provides a means to compensate for the different thermal expansion rates of the different materials of the laminate.
Although the present invention has been described in detail with regard to the preferred embodiment thereof, one skilled in the art will easily realize that other versions are possible, and that the invention is only intended to be limited in scope by the following claims. | In a touch screen having a flexible outer membrane with a first conducting surface, a backing surface with a second conductive surface, and sensors to detect contact between the first conducting surface and the second conducting surface, the improvement comprising the flexible outer membrane, wherein the flexible outer layer consists of an ultra-thin glass layer, a polymer layer; and an optical adhesive between the ultra-thin glass layer and the polymer layer, the optical adhesive holding the ultra-thin glass layer to the polymer layer. | 8 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 200710110317.5 filed Jun. 15, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an MRI apparatus (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) apparatus and an RF (radio frequency) transmission gain setting method, and more particularly to an MRI apparatus which obtains tomograms of the object by utilizing magnetic resonance and an RF transmission gain setting method for MRI apparatuses.
[0003] In an MRI apparatus, a prescan is done before taking an image, and calibration is performed to optimize the central frequency and the gain of RF transmission by using the imaged data. By the calibration, the center frequency of RF transmission is so adjusted as to be identical with the Larmor frequency of the spin of the object, and the gain of RF transmission is so adjusted as to set the flip angle of spin excitation exactly to a prescribed angle (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,866 and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,718, for instance).
[0004] In an MRI apparatus that generates its main magnetic field with a permanent magnet requires frequent prescanning for calibration because the influence of heating of the gradient magnet field coil causes the magnetic field intensity to drift dependent on the temperature characteristics of the permanent magnet and along with that the Larmor frequency varies. This extends the time required for imaging, with a correspondingly increased load on the patient and inconvenience to the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is desirable that problems described previously are solved.
[0006] In a first aspect, the invention provides an MRI apparatus which obtains a tomogram of an object by utilizing magnetic resonance, including a calibrating device which figures out a relationship between a center frequency and an optimal gain of RF transmission with respect to a predetermined range of central frequencies, a saving device which saves information expressing the relationship, and a setting device which sets the RF transmission gain according to the center frequency during subsequent scanning by utilizing the saved information.
[0007] In a second aspect, the invention provides the MRI apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the information is saved as a mathematical table.
[0008] In a third aspect, the invention provides the MRI apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the information is saved as a gain curve.
[0009] In a fourth aspect, the invention provides the MRI apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the information is saved as a numerical expression.
[0010] In a fifth aspect, the invention provides the MRI apparatus according to any of the second aspect through the fourth aspect, wherein the information is saved for each RE coil.
[0011] In a sixth aspect, the invention provides the MRI apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the center frequency of RF transmission during the scanning is figured out by calibration.
[0012] In a seventh aspect, the invention provides the MRI apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein the center frequency is corrected according to variations in intensity of a main magnetic field.
[0013] In an eighth aspect, the invention provides the MRI apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein variations in the intensity of the main magnetic field are figured out according to the temperature characteristics of a main magnetic field magnet.
[0014] In a ninth aspect, the invention provides the MRI apparatus according to the ninth aspect, wherein the temperature of the main magnetic field magnet is predicted according to a calorific value of heat generated by a gradient magnetic field coil.
[0015] In a tenth aspect, the invention provides the MRI apparatus according to the ninth aspect, wherein the calorific value of heat generated by the gradient magnetic field coil is predicted according to a scan protocol.
[0016] In an eleventh aspect, the invention provides an RF transmission gain setting method for an MRI apparatus which take a tomogram of an object by utilizing magnetic resonance, including the steps of: figuring out a relationship between a center frequency and an optimal gain of RF transmission with respect to a predetermined range of central frequencies by calibration; saving information expressing the relationship; and setting the RF transmission gain according to the center frequency during subsequent scanning by utilizing the saved information.
[0017] In a twelfth aspect, the invention provides the RF transmission gain setting method according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the information is saved as a mathematical table.
[0018] in a thirteenth aspect, the invention provides the RF transmission gain setting method according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the information is saved as a gain curve.
[0019] In a fourteenth aspect, the invention provides the RF transmission gain setting method according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the information is saved as a numerical expression.
[0020] In its fifteenth aspect, the invention provides the RF transmission gain setting method according to any of the twelfth aspect through the fourteenth aspect, wherein the information is saved for each RF coil.
[0021] In its sixteenth aspect, the invention provides the RF transmission gain setting method according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the center frequency of RF transmission during the scanning is figured out by calibration.
[0022] In a seventeenth aspect, the invention provides the RF transmission gain setting method according to the sixteenth aspect, wherein the center frequency is corrected according to variations in the intensity of the main magnetic field.
[0023] In its eighteenth aspect, the invention provides the RF transmission gain setting method according to the seventeenth aspect, wherein variations in the intensity of the main magnetic field are figured out according to the temperature characteristics of the main magnetic field magnet.
[0024] In its nineteenth aspect, the invention provides the RF transmission gain setting method according to the eighteenth aspect, wherein the temperature of the main magnetic field magnet is predicted according to a calorific value of heat generated by a gradient magnetic field coil.
[0025] In its twentieth aspect, the invention provides the RF transmission gain setting method according to the nineteenth aspect, wherein the calorific value of heat generated by the gradient magnetic field coil is predicted according to a scan protocol.
[0026] Since the MRI apparatus according to the invention is an MRI apparatus which obtains a tomogram of an object by utilizing magnetic resonance, including a calibrating device which figures out the relationship between the center frequency and the optimal gain of RF transmission with respect to a predetermined range of central frequencies, a saving device which saves information expressing the relationship, and a setting device which sets the RF transmission gain according to the center frequency during subsequent scanning by utilizing the saved information, an MRI apparatus improving the efficiency of calibration can be realized.
[0027] Further, since the RF transmission gain setting method according to the invention is an RF transmission gain setting method for an MRI apparatus which take a tomogram of an object by utilizing magnetic resonance, wherein the relationship between the center frequency and the optimal gain of RF transmission is figured out in a predetermined range of central frequencies by calibration, information expressing the relationship is saved, and the RF transmission gain is set according to the center frequency during subsequent scanning by utilizing the saved information, an RF transmission gain setting method improving the efficiency of calibration can be realized.
[0028] As the information may be saved as a mathematical table, gain values can be saved discretely.
[0029] As the information may be saved as a gain curve, gain values can be saved continuously.
[0030] As the information may be saved as a numerical expression, gain values can be obtained by calculation.
[0031] As the information may be saved for each RF coil, adaptation to individual RF coils is made possible.
[0032] As the center frequency of RF transmission during the scanning may be figured out by calibration, a center frequency based on an actually measured Larmor frequency can be obtained.
[0033] As the center frequency may be corrected according to variations in the intensity of the main magnetic field, a center frequency matching a variation in the Larmor frequency can be obtained.
[0034] As variations in the intensity of the main magnetic field may be figured out according to the temperature characteristics of the main magnetic field magnet, adaptation to the temperature characteristics of the main magnetic field magnet is made possible.
[0035] As the temperature of the main magnetic field magnet may be predicted according to the calorific value of heat generated by a gradient magnetic field coil, the temperature of the main magnetic field magnet can be properly figured out.
[0036] As the calorific value of heat generated by the gradient magnetic field coil may be predicted according to a scan protocol, the calorific value of heat generated by the gradient magnetic field coil can be accurately figured out.
[0037] Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0038] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an MRI apparatus in one example of best modes for carrying out the invention.
[0039] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary workflow for figuring out the relationship between the center frequency and the optimal gain of RF transmission.
[0040] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of relationship between the center frequency and the optimal gain.
[0041] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing one example of mathematical table of the center frequency and the optimal gain.
[0042] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary workflow of imaging by the MRI apparatus in one example of best modes for carrying out the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0043] Best modes for carrying out the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Incidentally, the invention is not limited to these best modes for implementing it. A block diagram of an MRI apparatus is shown in FIG. 1 . The configuration of this apparatus represents one example of best modes for carrying out the invention regarding MRI apparatuses.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 1 , this apparatus has a magnetic field generating device 100 . The magnetic field generating device 100 has main magnetic field magnet units 102 , gradient coil units 106 and RF coil units 108 . An object 1 , mounted on a table 500 , is brought in and out of the internal space of the magnetic field generating device 100 . The table 500 is driven by a table driving unit 120 .
[0045] Each item of these main magnetic field magnet units 102 , gradient coil units 106 and RF coil units 108 is provided in a pair, one piece opposed to the other with a space in-between. Each has a substantially planar shape, and all are arranged around a common center axis.
[0046] The main magnetic field magnet units 102 generate the main magnetic field in the internal space of the magnetic field generating device 100 . The main magnetic field is a magnetostatic field in which the magnetic field intensity is constant. The direction of the magnetostatic field crosses the body axis direction of the object 1 substantially orthogonally. In other words, it generates a so-called vertical magnetic field. The main magnetic field magnet units 102 are formed of permanent magnets.
[0047] The gradient coil units 106 generate three gradient magnetic fields to give a gradient in magnetostatic field intensity in the direction of each of mutually normal axes including the slice axis, the phase axis and the frequency axis. The gradient coil units 106 have three gradient coils, not shown, one for each of the three gradient magnetic fields.
[0048] The RF coil units 108 transmit RF pulses (radio frequency pulses) for exciting spins within the body of the object 1 . The RF coil units 108 also receive magnetic resonance signals that the excited spins give rise to. The RF coil units 108 perform transmission and reception either with the same coils or with different coils.
[0049] A gradient driving unit 130 is connected to the gradient coil units 106 . The gradient driving unit 130 provides driving signals to the gradient coil units 106 to have gradient magnetic fields generated. The gradient driving unit 130 has three lines of driving circuits, not shown, one for each of the three gradient coils in the gradient coil units 106 .
[0050] An RF driving unit 140 is connected to the RF coil units 108 . The RF driving unit 140 provides driving signals to the RF coil units 108 to have RF pulses transmitted thereby to excite spins within the body of the object 1 .
[0051] A data collecting unit 150 is connected to the RF coil units 108 . The data collecting unit 150 captures the receive signals received by the RF coil units 108 by sampling, and collects them as digital data.
[0052] A control unit 160 is connected to the table driving unit 120 , the gradient driving unit 130 , the RF driving unit 140 and the data collecting unit 150 . The control unit 160 accomplishes imaging by controlling the table driving unit 120 to the data collecting unit 150 .
[0053] The control unit 160 is configured of, for instance, a computer. The control unit 160 has a memory. The memory stores programs and various data for the control unit 160 . The functions of the control unit 160 are realized by the execution by the computer of programs stored in the memory.
[0054] The output side of the data collecting unit 150 is connected to a data processing unit 170 . Data collected by the data collecting unit 150 are inputted to the data processing unit 170 . The data processing unit 170 is configured of, for instance, a computer. The data processing unit 170 has a memory. The memory stores programs and various data for the data processing unit 170 .
[0055] The data processing unit 170 is connected to the control unit 160 . The data processing unit 170 is positioned superior to and supervises the control unit 160 . The functions of this unit are realized by the execution by the data processing unit 170 of programs stored in the memory.
[0056] The data processing unit 170 stores data collected by the data collecting unit 150 into a memory. A data space is formed in the memory. This data space constitutes a Fourier space. The Fourier space is also referred to as a k-space. The data processing unit 170 reconstructs an image of the object 1 by subjecting data in the k-space to inverse Fourier transform.
[0057] A display unit 180 and an operating unit 190 are connected to the data processing unit 170 . The display unit 180 is configured of a graphic display or the like. The operating unit 190 is configured of a keyboard or the like provided with a pointing device.
[0058] The display unit 180 displays reconstructed image and various information outputted from the data processing unit 170 . The operating unit 190 , operated by the user, inputs various instructions, information and the like to the data processing unit 170 . The user can interactively operate this apparatus through the display unit 180 and the operating unit 190 .
[0059] The method of RF transmission gain setting in this apparatus will be described. This method is one of the best modes for carrying out the invention. This method represents one example of best modes for carrying out the invention regarding RF transmission gain setting methods.
[0060] For the setting of the RF transmission gain, information expressing the relationship between the center frequency and the optimal gain of RF transmission is utilized. This information is acquired experimentally in advance, and stored into the memory of the data processing unit 170 . The relationship between the center frequency and the optimal gain of RF transmission is unique to the system and the RF coil and, once it is acquired, can be utilized repeatedly.
[0061] FIG. 2 charts the workflow for figuring out the relationship between the center frequency and the optimal gain of RF transmission. This workflow is accomplished under the control of the data processing unit 170 . As shown in FIG. 2 , calibration is performed at step 201 . The calibration is performed by a technique similar to usual prescanning. The center frequency f o of the RF transmission and the optimal gain G for that frequency are thereby determined.
[0062] The calibration is carried out in a predetermined range of central frequencies, and the optimal gain for each frequency in the range is definitely determined. The data processing unit 170 that performs calibration at step 201 is one example of a calibrating device according to the invention.
[0063] The calibration is performed for each RF coil. This results in definite determination of the relationship between the center frequency and the optimal gain for each RF coil in the prescribed frequency range. One example of relationship between the center frequency and the optimal gain is shown in FIG. 3 .
[0064] At step 202 , information expressing the relationship between center frequency and the optimal gain is stored into the memory. The data processing unit 170 that performs storing at step 202 is one example of a saving device according to the invention. The information is saved as a mathematical table. One example of mathematical table is shown in FIG. 4 . Incidentally, the information to be saved is not limited to a mathematical table, but may instead be a gain curve or a numerical expression functionally approximating it.
[0065] FIG. 5 charts the workflow of imaging utilizing such information. The imaging is accomplished under the control of the data processing unit 170 . As shown in FIG. 5 , a scan protocol is set at step 501 . The setting of the scan protocol is accomplished by the user through the operating unit 190 . This results in the setting of scanning conditions including the pulse sequence.
[0066] At step 502 , the center frequency of RF transmission is set. To set the center frequency, first, FID (free induction decay) signals are collected by prescanning, and their center frequency, namely the Larmor frequency is identified. Next, this frequency is modified according to the impact of the heating of the gradient magnetic field coils on the main magnetic field, and the center frequency of RF transmission is so set as to be identical with the modified frequency.
[0067] The calorific value of the heating of the gradient magnetic field coils is predicted from the scan protocol, the intensity variation of the main magnetic field is predicted from this calorific value and the temperature characteristics of the main magnetic field magnet units 102 , and the variation of the Larmor frequency is predicted from the intensity variation of the main magnetic field.
[0068] At step 503 , the gain of RF transmission is set. To set the gain, information expressing the relationship between center frequency and the optimal gain saved in the memory in advance, including the mathematical table shown in FIG. 4 , is utilized. This results in setting of the optimal gain. The data processing unit 170 that performs gain setting at step 503 is one example of a setting device according to the invention.
[0069] Imaging is accomplished at step 504 . Since RF transmission during imaging is performed according to the set center frequency and gain as described above, spin excitation is properly accomplished. As a result, relatively noise-free data can be collected, and high quality reconstructed images can be obtained.
[0070] Since gain setting utilizes pre-saved information in this apparatus, no prescan for gain setting is needed. As this feature results in enhanced efficiency of calibration and a reduced length of time required for imaging, the load on the patient is alleviated and the user's satisfaction is increased.
[0071] Many widely different embodiments of the invention may be configured without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in the specification, except as defined in the appended claims. | An MRI apparatus which obtains a tomogram of an object by utilizing magnetic resonance includes a calibrating device which figures out a relationship between a center frequency and an optimal gain of RF transmission with respect to a predetermined range of central frequencies, a saving device which saves information expressing said relationship, and a setting device which sets the RF transmission gain according to the center frequency during subsequent scanning by utilizing the saved information. | 6 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61/081,024; 61/143,600 and 61/182,585, filed Jul. 15, 2008; Jan. 9, 2009 and May 29, 2009, respectively. The disclosure of each priority application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The application concerns immunotherapeutic compositions and methods for treating cancer patients with such compositions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Tumor cells are notoriously poor immunogens despite the fact that many antigens that are over-expressed or unique to tumor cells (tumor-associated antigens) have been identified. The reasons for this apparent lack of immunogenicity may be that cancer antigens are generally not presented to the immune system in a micro-environment that favors the activation of immune cells which would lead to the killing of the tumor cells. Although no single known mechanism can explain poor tumor immunogenicity in all experimental models studied, the molecular basis can be separated conceptually into distinct groupings: i) lack of expression of co-stimulatory molecules essential for effective immune induction, ii) production of immuno-inhibitory substances and iii) variability in the expression of antigen by tumors.
Much progress has been made in the identification of tumor-associated antigens (TAA) that are potentially useful in the development of recombinant anti-cancer vaccines. TAAs can be divided into three major categories: i) non-self viral antigens e.g. E6/E7 from human papilloma virus (HPV), ii) altered self-antigens e.g. MUC-1 and iii) non-mutated self-antigens e.g. 5T4 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA).
Vaccinia virus (VV), a member of the poxvirus family, has been developed as a recombinant expression vector for the genetic delivery of antigens. Animals injected with a recombinant VV (rVV) have been shown to produce both antibody and CTL responses to the exogenous proteins. In contrast to tumor cells VV infection appears to create an optimal environment for the induction of an efficacious immune response. Recombinant VV expressing murine homologues of TAA, which are classed as self-antigens, have also been shown to induce TAA specific immune responses in murine models, illustrating that such constructs are potentially able to overcome immune tolerance to self-antigens. In vivo models demonstrate that such responses are able to prevent tumor establishment and in some cases are able to actively treat established tumors. These data also indicate that it is possible to turn an anti-viral response into an anti-cancer response by presenting a TAA in the context of viral antigens.
Recombinant VV vectors expressing the self-antigen CEA have been constructed and have been evaluated for toxicity and to a lesser extent efficacy in late stage colorectal cancer. Such rVV vectors were well tolerated and both antibody and cell mediated immune responses to the self-antigen CEA were reported. Lack of tumor response data in these trials may be due to the patient population which had very advanced tumors and had already failed prior chemotherapy. To date over 700 people have been vaccinated with rVV and other poxviruses expressing TAAs in a spectrum of cancer immunotherapy clinical trials. There have been no reports of toxicity either from the virus itself or as a result of the immune response induced to the TAA beyond local injection site reactions and transient pyrexia. However, there remains a need for suitable methods for assessing efficacy of immunotherapy and suitable clinical markers that can guide therapeutic methods.
SUMMARY
The invention provides materials and methods that address one or more needs in the fields of cancer therapy, immunotherapy, or related fields.
Some aspects of the invention relate to materials and methods for monitoring the efficacy of an immunotherapy. Improved monitoring permits improvement of therapy for individual subjects; and more rapid determination of which subjects benefit from the therapy. Subjects obtaining less benefit can more quickly be given modified or different therapeutic regimens.
One variation of the invention is a method of monitoring efficacy of immunotherapy comprising:
(a) administering an immunotherapy to a mammalian subject, wherein the immunotherapy comprises a viral vector containing a polynucleotide encoding an antigen, wherein the viral vector is capable of transducing cells in the mammalian subject to cause the cells to express the antigen;
(b) measuring an immune response of the subject to the antigen, and comparing the immune response to the antigen of the subject to a reference measurement of immune response to the antigen;
(c) measuring an immune response of the subject to the viral vector and comparing the immune response of the subject to the viral vector to a reference measurement of immune response to the viral vector;
(d) determining efficacy based on the comparisons of (b) and (c), wherein an elevated immune response to the antigen and a reduced immune response to the viral vector are indicative of an effective immunotherapy.
Another variation of the invention is a method of monitoring efficacy of an immunotherapy in a mammalian subject, wherein the subject has been administered an immunotherapy, wherein the immunotherapy comprises a viral vector containing a polynucleotide encoding an antigen, wherein the viral vector is capable of transducing cells in the mammalian subject to cause the cells to express the antigen; the method comprising:
(a) measuring, from a biological sample isolated from the subject, an immune response of the subject to the antigen and comparing the immune response to the antigen of the subject to a reference measurement of immune response to the antigen;
(b) measuring, from a biological sample isolated from the subject, an immune response of the subject to the viral vector and comparing the immune response of the subject to the viral vector to a reference measurement of immune response to the viral vector;
(c) determining efficacy based on the comparisons of (b) and (c), wherein an elevated immune response to the antigen and a reduced immune response to the viral vector are indicative of an effective immunotherapy.
Still another variation of the invention is a method of determining probability of survival of a mammalian subject over a period of time, wherein the subject has been administered an immunotherapy, wherein the immunotherapy comprises a viral vector containing a polynucleotide encoding an antigen, wherein the viral vector is capable of transducing cells in the mammalian subject to cause the cells to express the antigen; the method comprising:
(a) measuring, from a biological sample isolated from the subject, an immune response of the subject to the antigen following a first vaccination and comparing the immune response to the antigen of the subject to a reference measurement of immune response to the antigen;
(b) measuring, from a biological sample isolated from the subject, an immune response of the subject to the viral vector following a first vaccination and comparing the immune response of the subject to the viral vector to a reference measurement of immune response to the viral vector;
(c) determining probability of survival of the mammalian subject based on whether the comparison in (a) and the comparison in (b) is above or below a median value.
This variation of the invention can be repeated following a second vaccination. In related aspects, this variation of the invention can be repeated following a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth or more vaccination.
The probability determination may be an element to deciding whether to continue the patient on the immunotherapy, supplement with a different standard of care therapy, or discontinue the immunotherapy entirely. Methods that include such steps also are an aspect of the invention.
Other aspects of the invention include improved immunotherapeutic methods. Information provided herein about characteristics of subjects that obtain greater or lesser benefit from immunotherapies provides indications of improved therapeutic regimens.
For example, another embodiment of the invention is a method of immunotherapy comprising:
(a) administering an immunotherapy to a mammalian subject, wherein the immunotherapy comprises a viral vector containing a polynucleotide encoding an antigen, wherein the viral vector is capable of transducing cells in the mammalian subject to cause the cells to express the antigen;
(b) measuring an immune response of the subject to the antigen and to the viral vector after the administering step; and (c) repeating step (a) until a measurable immune response to the antigen is achieved.
Such a method may, optionally, further comprise (d) immunizing the subject having a measurable immune response to the antigen with a maintenance immunotherapy that is free from the viral vector. Exemplary maintenance immunotherapies include compositions that include the protein antigen itself; or fragments or epitopes of the antigen; or vectors (other than the original viral vector) for delivering a transgene that encodes the antigen (e.g., plasmid or liposomal vectors).
A related aspect of the invention is a viral vector containing a polynucleotide encoding an antigen for use in an immunotherapy, wherein the viral vector is capable of transducing cells in the mammalian subject to cause the cells to express the antigen; and wherein the immunotherapy comprises repeated administrations of the viral vector until a measurable immune response of the subject to the antigen is achieved, whereupon administrations of the viral vector is ceased. The immunotherapy may further include at least one administration of the antigen following cessation of administrations of the viral vector, to maintain or enhance the immune response of the subject.
The present invention also provides the use of a viral vector in the manufacture of a medicament for use in an immunotherapy, wherein the viral vector contains a polynucleotide encoding an antigen and is capable of transducing cells in the mammalian subject to cause the cells to express the antigen; and wherein the immunotherapy comprises repeated administrations of the viral vector until a measurable immune response of the subject to the antigen is achieved, whereupon administrations of the viral vector is ceased.
In a further embodiment there is provided a method of immunotherapy comprising: (a) measuring an immune response to an antigen in a mammalian subject to determine a reference response; (b) administering an immunotherapy to the subject wherein the immunotherapy comprises a viral vector containing a polynucleotide encoding the antigen, wherein the viral vector is capable of transducing cells in the mammalian subject to cause the cells to express the antigen; (c) measuring an immune response to the antigen in the subject after step (b); and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) until a measurable increase in the immune response to the antigen relative to the reference immune response is achieved. For example, the increase in immune response may comprise a 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 10-, or 20-fold increase above reference. In certain specific aspects, the immunotherapy is a 5T4 immunotherapy (e.g., administration of MVA-5T4, TroVax®) and the immune response measured is a 5T4 specific antibody titer or a 5T4 specific T cell response.
In still a further embodiment there is provided, a method of identifying a subject which is a candidate for further immunotherapy comprising: (a) measuring an immune response to an antigen (e.g., a therapeutic antigen) in a subject to determine a reference response; (b) administering an immunotherapy to the subject one or more times; (c) measuring an immune response to the antigen in the subject after step (b); and (d) comparing the immune response determined in step (c) to the reference response wherein a subject having an increased immune response relative to the reference response is a candidate for further administration of immunotherapy. For instance, in some aspects, step (b) comprises administering an immunotherapy 2, 3, 4, 5 or more times. As demonstrated in Example 5 below, two, three or four courses of MVA-5T4 immunotherapy provide excellent points for measuring the efficacy of the immunotherapy. In some variation of the invention, a subject that is exhibiting insufficient evidence of an immune response after two, three or four courses may be recommended to discontinue MVA-5T4 immunotherapy and/or undertake a different standard of care therapy or different immunotherapy to attempt to provide more effective therapeutic intervention. In a specific aspect, a candidate for further immunotherapy may be defined as a subject having at least about a 4-fold increase in 5T4 antibody titer after 4 administrations of MVA-5T4 (TroVax®). In certain cases, a further immunotherapy comprises administration of an immunotherapy at a different dose or on different schedule than an initial immunotherapy. For example, in certain aspects, a further immunotherapy is administered in a dose/schedule sufficient to maintain an immune response that is at least about 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- or 10-fold above a reference baseline response. In certain aspects, a subject having little or no increase immune response relative to the reference response is not administered further immunotherapy and/or is administered a secondary therapy such as chemotherapy, a radiotherapy or a surgical therapy. In certain specific cases, a subject having little increase in an immune response is defined as a subject having less that about a 4-, 3- or 2-fold increase in immune response over reference.
Moreover, in certain aspects, a method of identifying a subject which is a candidate for further immunotherapy may comprise (a) measuring an immune response a therapeutic antigen (e.g., 5T4 antigen) and a vector antigen (e.g., MVA) in a subject to determine reference responses; (b) administering an immunotherapy to the subject one or more times; (c) measuring an immune response to the therapeutic antigen and the vector antigen in the subject after step (b); and (d) comparing the immune responses determined in step (c) to the reference responses wherein a subject having an increased therapeutic antigen immune response relative to the reference response is a candidate for further administration of immunotherapy and a subject a subject having an increased vector antigen immune response relative to the reference vector antigen response is not a candidate for further administration of immunotherapy.
The present invention also provides a method of monitoring the efficacy of an immunotherapy by (a) measuring an immune response to an antigen in a mammalian subject to determine a baseline response; (b) administering an immunotherapy to the subject wherein the immunotherapy comprises a viral vector containing a polynucleotide encoding the antigen, wherein the viral vector is capable of transducing cells in the mammalian subject to cause the cells to express the antigen; (c) measuring an immune response to the antigen in the subject; and (d) comparing the immune response to the antigen relative to the baseline immune response.
As used herein measuring an immune response may comprise measuring a humoral or a cell mediated immune response to an antigen, a viral vector or both. For example, measuring an immune response may comprise measuring a CTL response, a helper T cell response or an antibody response. Methods for measuring both cell mediated and humoral immune responses are well known and a variety of commercially available assay systems are available. In some aspects measuring an immune response comprises obtaining one or more samples from a subject, such as a blood or serum sample. In certain aspects, samples from a subject may include a reference sample (prior to administering an immunotherapy to the subject) and one or more samples that are collected after administration of an immunotherapy. Moreover, in certain aspects measuring an immune response in a sample may comprise obtaining a measurement of an immune response from a sample. For example, a sample may be obtained from a subject and the sample(s) provided to a third party for measurement and reporting of an immune response thereby obtaining a measurement of an immune response.
In certain aspects measuring an immune response comprises measuring an antibody response. For example, the concentration of antigen specific antibodies in a sample may be determined by methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In some aspects, a sample is contacted with an immobilized antigen of interest (e.g., a 5T4 antigen or poxvirus antigen or a portion thereof) and the amount of antibody that binding to the antigen is detected (e.g., by contacting the bound antibody with a second antibody having a detectable marker or signaling agent). Alternatively, in some aspects, antibodies from a sample may be immobilized and amount of antigen specific antibodies detected by contacting the immobilized antibodies with a labeled antigen (e.g., labeled 5T4 antigen).
In still further aspects measuring an immune response may comprise measuring a cell-mediated immune response. For example, antigen and/or epitope specific T cells may be detected by contacting a sample comprising T cells with an epitope capable of presentation to a T cell and detecting T cell activation or cytokine production for example using ELISPOT assay, intracellular cytokine staining, flow cytometry or by using MHC-epitope tetramers or pentamers. In some further cases, cytotoxic T cell activity in sample may be measured, for example, by a chromium release assay. In still further aspects, measuring a cell mediated immune response may comprise measuring a cell mediated immune response to two or more T cell epitopes of an antigen. A number of 5T4 antigen T-cell epitopes known see e.g., U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 20050123918 and 20050118597, incorporated herein by reference.
In some variations, an immune response may be compared to a reference immune response such as an average or median measurement calculated from a plurality mammalian subjects that received the administering of the immunotherapy. Where the reference is an average or median, a measurement for the immune response above the reference measurement is scored as elevated and a measurement below the reference measurement is scored is reduced. In other variations, a measurement that statistically varies from the median or mean by a suitable significant amount (e.g., 1 or 1.5 or 2 standard deviations; or by a “p-value” or other statistical measure of significance) is scored as elevated or reduced.
In other variations, a reference immune response may be a baseline measurement or any other absolute measurement for a particular assay tool. In such variations, an elevated immune response or a reduced immune response may represent values that are a certain multiple or fraction of the reference value. In the case an immune response to 5T4 antigen for example, a reference measurement may be an average immune response for subject who is untreated, a responder to an immunotherapy or a non-responder to an immunotherapy or median immune response. Thus, in certain aspects, determining a 5T4 immune response comprises measuring a 5T4 immune response and comparing the response to a reference measurement. Likewise, determining an MVA immune response, in certain aspects, comprises measuring an MVA immune response and comparing the response to a reference measurement. For example, an elevated immune response may be defined as an immune response which is 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-, 15-, 20- or 50-fold above a baseline reference immune response.
Some aspects of the invention involve screening for or determining the presence of a measurable immune response. Measurable may be defined as an immune response greater than a baseline response, and more preferably at least about 2, 5, 10, 50, 100 or 1000 fold over a baseline response. In cases where there is no measurable baseline response, a baseline response may be defined as the lower detection limit of the assay used to measure the immune response. Hence, in certain aspects there is provided a method of administering immunotherapy to a mammalian subject for whom immunotherapy is determined to be effective by the measurement of an immune response to an antigen, a viral vector or both.
It is contemplated that the methods of the invention are suitable and applicable for all viral vectors adaptable for delivery of an exogenous gene to a mammalian cell for expression of the gene in the cell. A variety of viral vectors may be employed as disclosed herein. In some preferred aspects, viral vectors are replication deficient. Furthermore, as detailed above, a viral vector may preferably comprise poxvirus such as a vaccinia viral vector. A variety of vaccinia viral vectors are known in the art in certain aspects a vaccinia viral vector for use herein may be a modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus. Thus, according to the methods disclosed here in administration step that comprise it least three administrations of a viral vector to a subject. Conversely, an administration step may comprise no more than 13 administrations the viral vector to a subject.
In some aspects immunotherapeutic methods concern a maintenance immunotherapy that does not comprise the viral vector. For instance, the maintenance immunotherapy comprises a composition comprising the antigen, or at least one epitope thereof, and an adjuvant or carrier. For example, a maintenance immunotherapy may comprise a plasmid that contains a nucleotide sequence that encodes the antigen, operably linked to an expression control sequence to permit expression of the antigen in cells of the mammalian subject.
Likewise, methods disclosed herein are applicable to immunotherapy utilizing a variety of antigens. In certain aspects, an antigen as defined herein comprises at least one tumor antigen such as the tumor antigens listed in the detailed description below. For example, the tumor antigen may comprise a 5T4 antigen. 5T4 antigen and viral vectors comprising 5T4 have been previously described for examples in U.S. Pat. No. 7,148,035, incorporated herein by reference.
The invention is intended to be applicable to all variety of immunotherapies, including immunotherapies directed against foreign pathogens (e.g., viral, bacterial, fungal, or protozoan pathogens) and immunotherapies directed against malignancies. Thus, in some variations, the mammalian subject for immunotherapy is a subject having a cancer such as a cancer that expresses a least one tumor antigen (tumor associated antigen). Preferably, a subject having cancer comprises a cancer which expresses the same antigen that is comprised in the viral vector used for immunotherapy. In some cases a subject comprising a cancer may be a subject with a renal cell or a colorectal cancer. Preferably a mammalian subject is a human subject.
In addition to the immunotherapy methods described herein subjects may further be treated with one or more additional therapies such as a therapy considered the standard of care for a particular disease such as cancer. For example, the additional therapy or standard of care therapy may be chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or cytokine therapy.
Generally, an immunotherapy for use herein will be formulated in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and may additionally comprise preservatives, salts and/or adjuvants.
In addition to the foregoing, the invention includes, as an additional aspect, all embodiments of the invention narrower in scope in any way than the variations specifically mentioned above. For example, although aspects of the invention may have been described by reference to a genus or a range of values for brevity, it should be understood that each member of the genus and each value or sub-range within the range is intended as an aspect of the invention. Likewise, various aspects and features of the invention can be combined, creating additional aspects which are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Although the applicant(s) invented the full scope of the claims appended hereto, the claims appended hereto are not intended to encompass within their scope the prior art work of others. Therefore, in the event that statutory prior art within the scope of a claim is brought to the attention of the applicants by a Patent Office or other entity or individual, the applicant(s) reserve the right to exercise amendment rights under applicable patent laws to redefine the subject matter of such a claim to specifically exclude such statutory prior art or obvious variations of statutory prior art from the scope of such a claim. Variations of the invention defined by such amended claims also are intended as aspects of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 : Survival of TRIST patients stratified by above median vs below median 5T4 ( FIG. 1 a ) or MVA ( FIG. 1 b ) antibody responses at week 7.
FIG. 2 : Survival of TRIST patients stratified by 5T4 or MVA antibody response category (week 7).
FIG. 3 : Graph plots the survival of TroVax® (TRIST) patients (percent of total surviving patients in the trial over time) who show a greater than 4-fold increase in 5T4 antibody at week 10 relative to baseline. The 50 treated patients include 39 IFN patients, 9 IL-2 patients and 2 Sutent® (sunitinib malate) patients. The placebo arm includes all patients who were analyzed for antibody levels up to week 10 (i.e. had survived for at least 10 weeks).
FIG. 4 : Graph plots the survival of TroVax® (TRIST) patients (percent of total surviving patients in the trial over time) who show a greater than 4-fold increase in 5T4 antibody at week 10 relative to baseline. These 50 patients include 39 IFN patients, 9 IL-2 patients and 2 Sutent® (sunitinib malate) patients. The placebo arm has been matched to include the same numbers of SOCs and has selected those who have the largest fold-increase in 5T4 antibody at week 10.
FIG. 5 : (A) shows cross-trial analysis of the cumulative 5T4 sero-conversion following MVA-5T4 vaccination. (B) shows cross-trial analysis of 5T4 antibody titers in colorectal cancer patients.
FIG. 6 : Kaplan-Meier plots of survival over time for patients (see Example 5) who mounted above or below median MVA or 5T4 specific antibody responses are presented along with associated p-values.
FIG. 7 : (A) cross-trial analysis of the cumulative 5T4 sero-conversion rate following TroVax® vaccination. (B) cross-trial analysis of 5T4 antibody titers in (colorectal cancer) CRC, (renal clear cell adenocarcinoma) RCC and prostate cancer patients.
FIG. 8 : Immunological responses versus survival. The survival of patients (see Example 7) who mounted above median or below median MVA or 5T4 specific antibody responses was compared using the log-rank test and depicted in Kaplan-Meier plots. (A) cross-trial analysis in 160 renal, colorectal and prostate cancer patients. (B) cross-trial analysis in 62 colorectal cancer patients.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
I. Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAAs)
In certain aspects the application concerns a tumor associated antigen. A suitable tumor associated antigen (TAA) or tumor antigens includes 5T4. As used herein the terms tumor associated antigen and tumor antigen are used interchangeably. Other suitable antigens include TAAs in the following classes: cancer testis antigens (e.g., HOM-MEL-40), differentiation antigens (e.g., HOM-MEL-55), overexpressed gene products (HOM-MD-21), mutated gene products (NY-COL-2), splice variants (HOM-MD-397), gene amplification products (HOM-NSCLC-11) and cancer related autoantigens (HOM-MEL-2.4) as reviewed in Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapy (2000) Eds Stern, Beverley and Carroll, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Further examples include, MART-1 (Melanoma Antigen Recognized by T-cells-1) MAGE-A (MAGE-A1, MAGE-A2, MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4, MAGE-A6, MAGE-A8, MAGE-A10, MAGE-A12), MAGE B (MAGE-B1-MAGE-B24), MAGE-C (MAGE-C1/CT7, CT10), GAGE (GAGE-1, GAGE-8, PAGE-1, PAGE-4, XAGE-1, XAGE-3), LAGE (LAGE-1a(1S), -1b(1L), NY-ESO-1), SSX (SSX1-SSX-5), BAGE, SCP-1, PRAME (MAPE), SART-1, SART-3, CTp11, TSP50, CT9/BRDT, gp100, MART-1, TRP-1, TRP-2, MELAN-A/MART-1, Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), MUCIN (MUC-1) and Tyrosinase. TAAs are reviewed in Cancer Immunology (2001) Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands. Additional tumor associated antigens include Her 2, survivin and TERT.
The term “antigen” refers to protein or peptide to be introduced into a subject. As described herein, an antigen may be provided through delivering a peptide or protein or through delivering a nucleic acid encoding a peptide or protein.
By “antigen” in the context of the present invention it is also meant to incorporate an antigenic peptide derived from an antigen. In particular, “tumor associated antigen” is intended to encompass a peptide derived from a tumor associated antigen.
An antigen such as a tumor associated antigen can be provided for use as a medicament in a number of different ways. It can be administered as part of a viral vector. A number of suitable viral vectors will be familiar to those skilled in the art and include a number of vectors described herein.
II. TroVax® Vaccine
TroVax® (Oxford BioMedica plc) consists of a highly attenuated strain of vaccinia virus (VV), termed Modified Vaccinia Ankara, (MVA), and contains the human TAA 5T4 glycoprotein gene under regulatory control of a modified promoter, mH5.
MVA was developed as a safe vaccine for smallpox and MVA was derived from the VV Ankara strain by passaging in primary chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF), after which it was found to be replication defective in all mammalian cell lines tested, except Baby Hamster Kidney cells (BHK-21). Molecular genetic analysis of MVA has revealed substantial differences from the replication competent vaccinia virus which indicate that reversion of attenuation is highly unlikely. MVA is non-pathogenic in mammals including suckling mice, rabbits and primates. Importantly, no complications were reported when MVA was administered to over 120,000 subjects, many of who were at risk from vaccine complications. Replication of competent strains of VV are handled in a Biosafety level II environment; however, MVA has been assigned Biosafety level I status by the National Institutes of Health Intramural Biosafety Committee in the US, the UK Health and Safety Executive and the biosafety authorities in Germany.
5T4 is a 72 kDa oncofoetal glycoprotein that is expressed on over 70% of carcinomas of the kidney, breast, gastrointestinal tract, colon and ovaries. Unlike other self antigen TAAs such as CEA, 5T4 expression as detected by histochemical staining appears to be tumor specific with only low level sporadic staining observed in the gut and pituitary. However this level of staining is so low that it is difficult to determine if it is specific. Immunohistochemical analysis indicates that 5T4 expression is an indicator of poor prognosis in colorectal cancer. Additionally, when tumor cells are transduced with the cDNA encoding 5T4, they display increased motility suggesting that expression of this molecule may induce metastatic properties in a tumor.
TroVax® is able to induce an anti-5T4 antibody response in mice. Additionally, such a response is able to prevent the establishment of syngeneic tumor cells expressing human 5T4 in two murine tumor models. To model more accurately the possible anti-tumor effects of TroVax® in humans, MVA recombinants were constructed expressing the murine homologue of 5T4 (m5T4). In this self-antigen model MVA-m5T4 induction of an m5T4 antibody response was observed. Furthermore such a response is able to retard or prevent the establishment of syngeneic tumor cells expressing m5T4. Mice have been vaccinated on four occasions with MVA-m5T4 and there have been no reports of toxicity. In addition a number of studies have explored the toxicological consequences of immunization with TroVax®. Mice have been immunized with up to 12 repeated administrations of TroVax®. There were no TroVax® related deaths or adverse effects on clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, organ weights or clinical pathology. There were no macroscopic or microscopic findings suggestive of systemic toxicity due to the test articles.
Because 5T4 is an oncofoetal antigen, mice, previously vaccinated with MVA-m5T4, were used for breeding. It was found that immunity to m5T4 did not have a detrimental effect on the ability of mice to become pregnant or give birth to healthy progeny. In a more detailed study, female mice were administered with approx 107 pfu of TroVax® or MVA-m5T4 or placebo at 21 and 14 days prior to pairing with untreated males and, for the pregnant females, on day 6 of gestation. The pregnant females were maintained to day 18 of gestation then the injected animals and their respective foetuses analyzed macroscopically at necropsy. All clinical observations and necropsy findings were unremarkable. The pregnancy rate was slightly lower in the groups given both TroVax® and MVA-m5T4 compared to control. The toxicological significance of this finding is uncertain but may reflect a treatment impact on mating behavior. There was no adverse effect of treatment with either TroVax® or MVA-m5T4 on the uterine/implantation or foetal data. In summary, there was no female or maternal toxicity and no embryo-foetal toxicity in either group. Histological examination of the tissues from the MVA-m5T4 animals revealed no adverse microscopic findings.
It is apparent from pre-clinical studies that TroVax® has little potential to induce toxicity but is likely to induce an efficacious immune response to 5T4. In vivo studies suggest that such an immune response will have anti-tumor activity.
TroVax® has been administered to over 100 patients with metastatic colorectal or renal cancer. Over 450 doses have been administered. No serious adverse event attributed to TroVax® by investigators or the sponsor has been reported. Mild transient injection site reactions are reported in the majority of patients together with mild transient pyrexia. No other notable, common or serious adverse events have been reported in studies using TroVax® as a single agent in heavily pretreated patients or in studies combining TroVax® with chemotherapy, (5FU and leucovorin combined with either oxaliplatin or irinotecan), interferon-α, IL-2 (high dose intravenous regimen or low dose subcutaneous injections) or with sunitinib.
TroVax® induced an immune response against the 5T4 antigen in >90% of patients treated in all studies. An antibody or cellular immune response was observed in virtually all patients after the second or third injection of TroVax® and CD8 + cellular responses were often higher than noted with other cancer vaccines reported in the literature. Of three Phase I or II studies conducted in colorectal cancer two demonstrated a correlation between tumor response and the anti-5T4 immune response. Notably this correlation was specific to the 5T4 immune response and there was no correlation with other markers of general immunocompetence. Objective responses have been noted in patients with metastatic renal cancer treated with TroVax® in combination with low dose IL-2. (Phase II studies with IFNα and sunitinib are ongoing and interim reports will be available for review by Investigators, IRB/Ethics Committees and Regulatory Authorities prior to commencement of this protocol).
III. Immunotherapy
In certain preferred aspects of the invention immunotherapic compositions and methods are used in cancer therapies. For example, immunotherapies maybe used to treat subjects having cancers including, but not limited to, non-solid tumors such as leukemia, multiple myeloma or lymphoma or solid tumors such as bile duct, bone, bladder, brain/CNS, breast, colorectal, cervical, endometrial, gastric, head and neck, hepatic, lung, muscle, neuronal, oesophageal, ovarian, pancreatic, pleural/peritoneal membranes, prostate, renal, skin, testicular, thyroid, placental, uterine and vulval tumors. In some further aspects a subject may be has a 5T4 or Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-expressing cancer. In certain preferred aspects, a subject for treatment by the disclosed methods has a renal or colorectal cancer that will respond to treatment with immunotherapeutic agents, such as TroVax® as hereinbefore defined.
IV. Samples
In certain aspects, the disclosed methods concern collecting or obtaining a sample from a patient. As used herein, the term “sample” is intended to mean any biological fluid, cell, tissue, organ or portion thereof. The term includes samples obtained or derived from a subject. For example, a sample can be a histological section of a specimen obtained by biopsy, or samples that are placed in or adapted to tissue culture. Furthermore a sample can be a subcellular fraction or extract, or a crude or substantially pure protein preparation.
In the methods of the invention, a sample can be, for example, a cell or tissue obtained using a biopsy procedure or can be a fluid sample containing cells, such as blood, serum, semen, urine, or stool. Those skilled in the art will be able to determine an appropriate sample, which will depend on cancer type, and an appropriate method for obtaining a biopsy sample, if necessary. When possible, it can be preferable to obtain a sample from a patient using the least invasive collection means. For example, obtaining a fluid sample from a patient, such as blood, saliva, serum, semen, urine or stool, is less invasive than collecting a tissue sample.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Study Details
The study was termed TRIST: TroVax® Renal Immunotherapy Survival Trial. An international Phase III, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group study to investigate whether TroVax® added to first-line standard of care therapy, prolongs the survival of patients with locally advanced or metastatic renal clear cell adenocarcinoma.
The primary purpose of this trial is to demonstrate the effect of TroVax on survival in patients with locally advanced or metastatic renal clear cell adenocarcinomas. Clear cell adenocarcinomas of the kidney uniformly express 5T4 at high concentrations (80-90% of tumors examined) and are therefore an obvious candidate for treatment with a 5T4 vaccine.
Reported median survival times for this indication vary between studies but are generally in the range of 6 to 18 months depending on patient's status at entry and to a lesser extent on treatment. Novel forms of treatment are urgently needed.
This study will assess the impact on survival of adding TroVax® to the first-line standard of care for renal cancer. The current standard of care varies between countries and institutions and is influenced by the patient's status, the national regulatory status of different treatments and local reimbursement considerations. Commonly accepted standards of care for renal cancer include IL-2, IFNα, or a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor such as sunitinib. The use and availability of these treatments varies geographically.
High dose IL-2, although approved for the treatment of renal cancer is not included in this study as the high incidence of serious adverse events and need for intensive care limit its application and would complicate the safety evaluation of TroVax®.
The rationale for the potential concurrent use of IL-2 is that this compound is believed to act as an adjuvant. IL-2 is currently one of the standards of care regimens for the first line treatment of advanced and metastatic renal cancer. The dose schedule of IL-2 chosen is well recognized by the oncology community and has been validated in large scale Phase III clinical trials. Over 30 patients treated with a combination of TroVax® and IL-2 (high dose intravenous or low dose subcutaneous regimens) have been assessed in Phase II studies in patients with renal cancer. The combination was well tolerated. Compared with the historical adverse event profile of IL-2 alone the only additional adverse events reported were minor local reactions at the site of TroVax® injection and mild transient pyrexia. Humoral and/or cellular immune responses to 5T4 were induced in almost all patients and objective responses by RECIST have been reported.
Although it is not clear whether the biologic effects of IFNα occur entirely or in part via immunostimulation, there is evidence to show that it does have a modest clinical effect in renal cancer patients with an objective response rate of approximately 7.5-15%. Studies to determine whether IFNα increases survival in patients with renal cancer have produced inconsistent results. Given the immunological mechanism of action of IFNα, it is reasonable to evaluate the effect of TroVax® on survival in patients receiving this common standard of care. An ongoing study has not indicated any untoward safety impact resulting from co-administration of IFNα and TroVax®.
Phase II studies including over 20 patients treated with a combination of TroVax® and IFNα (three times weekly subcutaneous regimen) are ongoing in patients with renal cancer. Developing data indicate the combination to be well tolerated. Compared with the historical adverse event profile of IFNα alone the only additional adverse events reported are minor local reactions at the site of TroVax® injection and mild transient pyrexia. The expected humoral and/or cellular immune responses to 5T4 will be confirmed. Interim study reports will be available for review by regulatory authorities, IRB/Ethics Committees and investigators as part of the approval process of this study.
Recently developed oral kinase inhibitors, such as sorafenib and sunitinib, are becoming increasingly important in the management of advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Safety and immunology data necessary to support coadministration of sorafenib and TroVax® are not available. In view of this and the higher overall response rate reported with sunitinib the latter will be included in this study as an example of a kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of renal cancer.
Therefore, in regions where this treatment is approved, sunitinib may be used as the standard of care alongside TroVax®/placebo in this study. A Phase II study of patients treated with a combination of TroVax® and sunitinib (50 mg oral dose taken once daily, on a schedule of 4 weeks on treatment followed by 2 weeks off) is ongoing in patients with renal cancer. Developing data indicate the combination to be well tolerated. Compared with the reported data on sunitinib alone the only additional adverse events reported are minor local reactions at the site of TroVax® injection and mild transient pyrexia. The expected humoral and/or cellular immune response to 5T4 are to be confirmed. An interim study report will be available for review by regulatory authorities, IRB/Ethics Committees and investigators as part of the approval process of this study.
A cancer vaccine is intended to prolong survival by inducing an immune response to a tumor associated antigen. Preclinical models indicate that cancer vaccines may delay tumor growth and reduce the number of new metastases. It is not yet known whether a cancer vaccine must produce a high objective tumor response rate (by RECIST) in order to have clinically useful effect on prolonging survival. This will only be determined by a randomized survival study in patients receiving adequate vaccination to reliably induce an efficacious immune response. To date, both disease stabilization and late tumor responses have been reported with various cancer vaccines.
The maximum immunological response to TroVax® dose not usually occur until the patient has received a minimum of three injections and it is not yet established whether continuing TroVax® despite early progression will confer therapeutic benefit. Therefore, in this study, if tumor progression is observed but the patient is tolerating TroVax®/placebo and their performance status remains at a Karnofsky score >60%, they should be requested to continue on study receiving TroVax®/placebo until they have received a minimum of eight injections of the study preparation. Continuation on study beyond this point to receive all TroVax®/placebo injections is permitted for such patients but is at the discretion of the investigator or patient.
A randomized, parallel group, double blind design is standard in Phase III efficacy studies. Interim statistical analyses conducted by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board according to a pre-specified charter will be based on these interim analyses of safety and efficacy. The DSMB may recommend continuation of the study, stopping the study or stopping enrolment of patients of a specific treatment cell. The DSMB will also assess whether the frequency of events in the control arm matches the predictions used to determine the sample size of the study and may recommend changes to the number of events (deaths) triggering the final analysis.
TroVax® is a vaccine against a tumor-associated antigen. The assessment of such tumor vaccines for patients with solid tumors is complicated by a number of factors which influence the definition of the objectives, the route to achieving the objectives and the ongoing management of patients in the study.
Special features of tumor vaccines that are relevant to the objectives are listed below:
Vaccine-mediated immunotherapy requires repeated administration and time for the patient to develop an immune response to the vaccine antigen. In previous phase II studies it was shown that at least three administrations of TroVax® were required to generate a significant immune response. This means that patients who are removed from the study medication before receiving three injections of TroVax® due to death or rapidly progressive renal cancer, do not allow assessment of the potential of a TroVax®-induced immune response to provide benefit to patients treated for a longer period. Cancer vaccines such as TroVax® may exert beneficial effects in delaying tumor growth and metastasis that do not manifest as RECIST responses but may prolong survival. This has implications for the management of patients because patients with a RECIST classification of progressive disease may still benefit from continuing with TroVax®. It is not yet known whether tumor shrinkage predicts survival advantage. This means that the definitive efficacy endpoint is survival.
Objectives
Primary Efficacy Objective
To assess whether the addition of TroVax® to first line standard of care, will prolong survival of patients with locally advanced or metastatic clear cell renal adenocarcinoma when compared to placebo.
Analysis will occur after a predetermined number of deaths have occurred necessary to trigger the primary endpoint analysis or when specified by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board based on analyses of interim data.
The analysis will be based on the Intent to Treat (ITT) population, composed of all patients.
Primary Safety Objective
To assess whether the addition of TroVax® to first line standard of care alters the profile of serious and non-serious adverse events, when compared to placebo, in patients with locally advanced or metastatic clear cell renal adenocarcinoma. This will be assessed in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population.
Secondary Efficacy Objectives
To compare the proportion of patients with progression free survival at 26 weeks (+/−1 week) in the TroVax® versus placebo arms based on radiological data. Data will be analyzed using the ITT population and adjudicated (blinded peer review) baseline and week 26 radiological data. To compare the tumor response rates, time to response and duration of response between patients treated with TroVax® versus placebo. This will be analyzed in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population.
To assess whether the addition of a minimum of three doses of TroVax® to first line standard of care, will prolong survival of patients with locally advanced or metastatic clear cell renal adenocarcinoma when compared to placebo. This will be an exploratory analysis in the Modified Intent to Treat (MITT) population.
To assess whether TroVax® has an impact on the quality of life as measured by QLQ30 and EuroQOL questionnaires when compared to placebo. This will be analyzed in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population.
Endpoints
Primary Efficacy Endpoint
The survival event rate ratio in the TroVax® arm versus the placebo in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population based on the log of the hazard ratio derived from the Cox Proportional Hazards regression model. A frequentist monitoring approach will be used for evaluating the event ratio.
The key objective of this study is to determine whether TroVax® is able to prolong survival in patients receiving first line standard of care.
Analysis is triggered by a predetermined number of deaths in the study population or when specified by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board based on analyses of interim data.
Primary Safety Endpoints
The number of adverse events (serious and non-serious) in the Intent to Treat population in the TroVax® versus the placebo arm.
The laboratory variables (complete blood count and chemistry panel) in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population in the TroVax® versus the placebo arm.
Secondary Efficacy Endpoints
The proportion of patients in the TroVax® versus placebo arms in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population with progression free survival at 26 weeks based on a comparison of baseline and week 26 (+/−1 week) radiological data and using RECIST criteria. Data will be adjudicated (blinded peer review).
Tumor response rates according to the investigator's reported interpretation of the radiological reports based on RECIST criteria observed in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population.
The survival event rate ratio in the TroVax® arm versus the placebo in the Modified Intent to Treat (MITT) population based on the log of the hazard ratio derived from the Cox Proportional Hazards regression model. A frequentist monitoring approach will be used for evaluating the event ratio.
The quality of life score for TroVax® versus placebo as measured by QLQ30 and EuroQOL questionnaires in the Intent to Treat (ITT) and Per Protocol populations.
Immunology Endpoint
Anti-5T4 antibody levels (additional measures of immune response including specific measures of cellular response will be investigated at some centres. Each will be the subject of a separate related protocol and informed consent for specific study sites and will be conditional upon regulatory and IRB/ethics committee approval before implementation.)
Metastatic renal cancer has a poor prognosis. The median survival overall has been reported to be as low as 6 months and five year survival is <5%. Conventional systemic cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents and hormonal therapies have little impact on survival and response rates are usually <10%. The wide variations in the natural history of the disease and spontaneous regression rates of up to 6% have led to the investigation of immune mechanisms as a factor influencing responses and outcomes. Biological and immunologic therapies have demonstrated the best response rates with some impact on overall survival. However the management of metastatic renal cancer remains a therapeutic challenge.
Interferon alpha (IFNα) has demonstrated response rates of 8-26% with median survivals of 13 months. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) induces responses in 7-23% of patients with a median survival of 12 months. The benefit of biologic agents has been confirmed by randomized controlled trials, which have shown modest survival benefits with IFNα compared with medroxprogesterone or vinblastine. Motzer, in a retrospective analysis of 670 patients in 24 trials of systemic chemotherapy or cytokine therapies, demonstrated longer survival times with cytokine therapy. In the group who were long term survivors, 70% were in trials that involved IFNα and/or IL-2 and 30% had been treated with hormonal or cytotoxic agents.
The initial studies with IL-2 used protocols based on the principles of chemotherapy, using maximum tolerated doses. This was associated with significant renal, cardiac, pulmonary and haemodynamic toxicity, often requiring admission to intensive care wards and limiting utility to a selected subsection of the patient group. Subsequent studies of IL-2 have demonstrated similar efficacy, but with significantly less toxicity, using lower doses administered subcutaneously on an outpatient basis. In a study, comparing high and low-dose IL-2, there was a higher response rate with high dose treatment but this did not translate into survival benefit.
Negrier et al. assessed the use of these biologic agents as single agent therapy or combination therapy. They demonstrated response rates of 6.5%, 7.5% and 18.6% for IFNα, IL-2 or the combination, respectively. Although there was a difference in progression free survival, this did not translate into a survival advantage. The rationale for the combination of these agents is that, in vitro, IFNα enhances cell membrane expression of major histocompatibility antigens to which IL-2 activated T-cells can respond.
There is well-documented evidence to suggest that selection and prognostic factors significantly influence outcomes and responses to cytokine therapies. Motzer has assessed the prognostic value of a number of variables in patients with advanced or metatstic renal cell carcinoma. In these patients, low Karnofsky performance status, low haemoglobin level and high corrected serum calcium level indicated a poor prognosis. The median time to death in patients with zero risk factors was 22 months. The median survival in patients with one of these risk factors was 11.9 months and patients with 2-3 risk factors had a median survival of 5.4 months.
Two new drugs have recently been developed for the management of renal cancer: sunitinib and sorafenib. Both function by inhibiting multiple receptor kinases. Overall (complete and partial) response rates reported with sunitinib are substantially higher (25.5-36.5%) than reported with sorafenib (2%) though information on time to tumor progression and survival is still maturing.
Safety and immunology data necessary to support coadministration of sorafenib and TroVax® are not available. In view of this and the higher overall response rate reported with sunitinib the latter will be included in this study as an example of a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of renal cancer.
Sunitinib malate is a small molecule that inhibits multiple receptor tyrosine kinase (RTKs), some of which are implicated in tumor growth, pathologic angiogenesis, and metastatic progression of cancer. Sunitinib was evaluated for its inhibitory activity against a variety of kinases (>80 kinases) and was identified as an inhibitor of platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRα and PDGFRβ), vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR1, VEGFR2 and VEGFR3), stem cell factor receptor (KIT), Fms-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3), colony stimulating factor receptor Type 1 (CSF-1R), and the glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor receptor (RET). Sunitinib inhibition of the activity of these receptor tyrosine kinase (RTKs) has been demonstrated in biochemical and cellular assays, and inhibition of function has been demonstrated in cell proliferation assays. The primary metabolite exhibits similar potency to sunitinib when compared in biochemical and cellular assays.
The use of single agent sunitinib in the treatment of cytokine-refractory MRCC was investigated in two single-arm, multi-centre studies. All patients enrolled into these studies experienced failure of prior cytokine-based therapy. The primary endpoint for both studies was overall response rate (ORR). Duration of response (DR) was also evaluated.
One hundred and six patients were enrolled into Study 1, and 63 patients were enrolled into Study 2. Across the two studies, 95% of the pooled population of patients had at least some component of clear-cell histology. Patients received 50 mg sunitinib in cycles with 4 weeks on and 2 weeks off. Therapy was continued until the patients met withdrawal criteria or had progressive disease. There were 27 PRs in Study 1 as assessed by a core radiology laboratory for an ORR of 25.5% (95% CI 17.5, 34.9). There were 23 PRs in Study 2 as assessed by the investigators for an ORR of 36.5% (95% CI 24.7-49.6). The majority (>90%) of objective disease responses were observed during the first four cycles; the latest reported response was observed in cycle 10. DR data from Study 1 is premature as only 4 of 27 patients (15%) responding to treatment had experienced disease progression. At the time of the data cut-off, Study 1 was ongoing with 44 of 106 patients (41.5%) continuing treatment, and 11 of the 63 patients (17.5%) enrolled on Study 2 continued to receive sunitinib on continuation protocols.
As of March 2006 no data are available to determine whether sunitinib (or sorafenib) prolongs survival in patients with renal cancer.
Despite recent development of the kinase inhibitors, stage IV renal cell carcinoma is an area of high unmet medical need. The use of vaccines in this area is novel but capitalizes on the accepted opinion that immunologic mechanisms may have a part to play in the treatment of this disease.
Primary Efficacy Objective
To assess whether the addition of TroVax® to first line standard of care, will prolong survival of patients with locally advanced or metastatic clear cell renal adenocarcinoma when compared to placebo. This will be assessed in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population.
Primary Safety Objective
To assess whether the addition of TroVax® to first line standard of care alters the profile of serious and non-serious adverse events, when compared to placebo, in patients with locally advanced or metastatic clear cell renal adenocarcinoma. This will be assessed in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population.
Secondary Efficacy Objectives
To compare the proportion of patients with progression free survival at 26 weeks in the TroVax® versus placebo arms. This will be assessed in the Intent to Treat,(ITT) population. To compare the tumor response rates, time to response and duration of response between patients treated with TroVax® versus placebo. This will be analysed in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population. To assess whether the addition of a minimum of three doses of TroVax® to first line standard of care will prolong survival of patients with locally advanced or metastatic clear cell renal adenocarcinoma when compared to placebo. This will be an exploratory analysis in the Modified Intent to Treat (MITT) population. To assess whether TroVax® has an impact on the quality of life as measured by QLQ30 and EuroQOL questionnaires when compared to placebo. This will be analyzed in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population.
Study Endpoints
Primary Efficacy Endpoint
The survival event rate ratio in the TroVax® arm versus the placebo in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population based on the log of the hazard ratio derived from the Cox Proportional Hazards regression model. A frequentist monitoring approach will be used for evaluating the event ratio.
Primary Safety Endpoints
The number of adverse events (serious and non-serious) in the Intent to
Treat population in the TroVax® versus the placebo arm.
The laboratory variables (complete blood count and chemistry panel) in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population in the TroVax® versus the placebo arm.
Secondary Efficacy Endpoints
The proportion of patients in the TroVax® versus placebo arms in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population with progression free survival at 26 weeks based on a comparison of baseline and week 26 (+/−1 week) radiological data and using RECIST criteria. Data will be adjudicated (blinded peer review). Tumor response rates according to the investigator's reported interpretation of the radiological reports based on RECIST criteria observed in the Intent to Treat (ITT) population. The survival event rate ratio in the TroVax® arm versus the placebo in the Modified Intent to Treat (MITT) population based on the log of the hazard ratio derived from the Cox Proportional Hazards regression model. A frequentist monitoring approach will be used for evaluating the event ratio. The Quality of Life score for TroVax® versus placebo as measured by QLQ30 and EuroQOL questionnaires in the Intent to Treat (ITT) and Per Protocol populations.
Immunology Endpoint
Anti-5T4 antibody levels (additional measures of immune response including specific measures of cellular response will be investigated at some centers. Each will be the subject of a separate related protocol and informed consent for specific study sites and will be conditional upon regulatory and IRB/ethics committee approval before implementation.)
Study Population
Patients of any ethnic group with histologically proven clear cell renal adenocarcinoma who have had their primary tumor surgically removed and require treatment for locally advanced or metastatic disease. The intent is to include 700 patients split equally between the TroVax® and placebo arms.
Study Design
This is an international, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group study to investigate whether a minimum of three doses of TroVax® added to first-line standard of care therapy, prolongs the survival of patients with locally advanced or metastatic renal clear cell adenocarcinoma.
The primary endpoint is survival. The study is designed to be pragmatic, limiting additional study related investigations to a minimum. Protocol mandated scans and X-rays are limited to two time points (baseline and week 26) to permit comparison of the percentage of patients with progressive disease at 6 months as a secondary efficacy endpoint. Six months was selected based on review of published literature indicating that progressive disease was commonly observed by 26 weeks in patients with renal cancer. Endpoints such as tumor response by RECIST are considered of secondary importance to survival and will be determined by radiological examinations ordered at the discretion of the investigator based on the clinical status of the patient and will be based the interpretation of the patient's care-team (investigator and local radiologist).
Study enrolment will only commence at each centre once ethics and regulatory approval have been obtained from the relevant authorities.
After signing the study informed consent form and meeting the baseline enrolment criteria patients will be assigned by the investigator (their physician) to one of the following defined first-line standard of care regimens based on what is best for the patient and consistent with local practice:
1. subcutaneous low dose IL-2
2. interferon alpha (excluding pegylated IFNalpha)
3. sunitinib
Only after the standard of care therapy has been decided should the investigator telephone the Interactive Voice Recognition Service (IVRS). Randomization to TroVax® or placebo will be stratified based on the standard of care chosen by the investigator, study prognostic indicators (Motzer score) and geography.
TroVax® is administered at a dose of 1×10 9 TCID50/ml in 1 ml by injection into the deltoid muscle of the upper arm at regular intervals up to 8 weeks apart up to a maximum of 13 doses.
An independent Data Safety Monitoring Board will be responsible for preparing the formal monitoring rules for this study. This parallel-designed study contains a series of planned interim assessments for futility, and to ensure that the planning elements relative to attrition and the primary endpoint remain consistent. A frequentist monitoring approach will be used for evaluating the event rate ratio to ensure that the assumptions are accurate and the sample size continues to be appropriate for assessing superiority. The DSMB may recommend changes to the enrollment target if pretrial assumptions prove inaccurate. These DSMB reviews will be conducted confidentially. Data analysis will not be shared with the sponsor, investigators or any other participant in the study.
Study Design
Type of Study
This is an international, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group study designed to assess whether, when added to first-line standard of care, TroVax® prolongs survival in patients with locally advanced or metastatic renal carcinoma.
The primary endpoint is survival. The study is designed to be pragmatic, limiting additional study related investigations to a minimum. Protocol mandated scans and X-rays are limited to two time points (baseline and week 26) to permit comparison of the percentage of patients with progressive disease at 6 months as a secondary efficacy endpoint. Six months was selected based on review of published literature indicating that progressive disease was commonly observed by 26 weeks in patients with renal cancer. Endpoints such as tumor response by RECIST are considered of secondary importance to survival and will be determined by radiological examinations ordered at the discretion of the investigator based on the clinical status of the patient and will be based the interpretation of the patient's care-team (investigator and local radiologist).
Study enrolment of 700 patients will only commence once ethics and regulatory approval has been obtained from the relevant authorities.
After signing the study informed consent form and meeting the baseline enrolment criteria patients will be assigned by the investigator (their physician) to one of the following defined standard of care regimens based on what is best for the patient and consistent with local practice:
1. subcutaneous low dose IL-2
2. interferon-α (excluding pegylated IFNα)
3. sunitinib
Only after the standard of care therapy has been decided should the investigator telephone the Interactive Voice Randomization Service (IVRS). Randomisation to TroVax® or placebo will be stratified based on the standard of care chosen by the investigator, the study site and prognostic indicators.
An independent Data Safety Monitoring Board will periodically review emerging data. These reviews will be conducted confidentially. Data analysis will not be shared with the sponsor, investigators or any other participant in the study. A frequentist monitoring approach will be used for evaluating the event rate ratio to ensure that the assumptions are accurate and the sample size continues to be appropriate for assessing superiority. The DSMB may recommend changes to the enrollment target if pretrial assumptions prove inaccurate.
Rationale for Study Design
A randomized, parallel group, double blind design is standard in Phase III efficacy studies. Interim statistical analyses conducted by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board will ensure that the trial can be closed if shown to be futile or resized if it turns out that the assumptions made about the primary endpoint in the control group are inaccurate.
Study Sites, Duration and Recruitment Rates
This is an international trial with recruitment across approximately 100 sites. The recruitment rates are estimated to be approximately 0.5 to 4 patients per site per month. Since this is a survival study patients are expected to be on study for a median time of 12 months.
Justification of the Proposed Dosing Regimen
In the TroVax® Phase I study four dose levels were studied (1×10 8 TCID50/ml, 2×10 8 TCID50/ml, 5×10 8 TCID50/ml, and 1×10 9 TCID50/ml) and two different routes of administration, intramuscular and intradermal, were compared. There was no clinically or statistically significant difference in peak immune response though the highest dose produced a slightly earlier antibody response. No difference was observed between the routes of administration in terms of antibody response. All doses and routes were well tolerated with only local injection site reactions which were of similar frequency. In view of a trend to an earlier antibody response the dose of 1×10 9 TCID50/ml was selected.
In subsequent Phase II studies involving >70 patients, a dose level of 1×10 9 TCID50/ml was used and safety, tolerability and immunogenicity were confirmed.
In this study, TroVax®/placebo is administered at weeks 1, 3, 6, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 33, 41, 49, 57 and 65. This frequency is influenced by experience gained in phase II studies in patients with renal or colorectal cancer where TroVax® was co-administered with either combination chemotherapy, IL-2 or IFNα.
Study Population
Patient Recruitment
A total of 700 patients with clear cell renal carcinoma will be enrolled in the study. Eligible patients will have had the primary tumor surgically removed.
Patients will receive one of the following defined standards of care:
subcutaneous low dose IL-2
interferon alpha (excluding pegylated IFNα)
sunitinib
The choice of first-line standard of care for each patient will be made by the patient's physician based on normal clinical criteria, local standard of care, and local regulatory and reimbursement status or economic availability. Once treatment is selected, patients will be randomized to TroVax® or placebo.
Patients will be recruited internationally. Patients of all ethnic groups are eligible for the study.
Entry Criteria
Patients who meet the following inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria will be included in this study.
Inclusion Criteria
Signed informed consent. The patient must be competent to give written informed consent and comply with the protocol requirements.
Locally advanced or metastatic, histologically proven clear cell renal carcinoma.
Primary tumor surgically removed (some residual advanced primary tumor may remain).
At least four weeks post surgery or radiotherapy (defined from time of randomisation.)
First-line. No prior therapy for renal cancer except surgery or radiotherapy.
Measurable disease.
Aged 18 years or more.
Patient expected to survive a minimum of 12 weeks (i.e. in the opinion of the investigator there is a >90% probability that the patient will survive >12 weeks if treated with the selected standard of care).
Free of clinically apparent autoimmune disease (including no prior confirmed diagnosis or treatment for autoimmune disease including Systemic Lupus Erythematosis, Grave's disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, insulin dependant diabetes mellitus or systemic (non-joint) manifestations of rheumatoid disease).
Total white cell count ≧3×109/L and lymphocyte count ≧1×109/L.
Serum creatinine ≦1.5 times the upper limit of normal.
Bilirubin ≦2 times the upper limit of normal and an SGPT of ≦4 times the upper limit of normal.
Women must be either post menopausal, or rendered surgically sterile or, if of child bearing potential, must have been practicing a reliable form of contraception (oral contraception+a barrier method) for at least three months prior to the first dose of TroVax® and must continue while they are being treated with TroVax®. Men must practice a reliable form of contraception (barrier or vasectomy) while they are being treated with TroVax®.
No acute changes on 12-lead ECG.
Ejection fraction documented as not less than 45% or no clinical suspicion that cardiac ejection fraction is less than 45% (If clinical suspicion exists the ejection fraction should be measured according to local site procedures).
Karnofsky performance status of ≧80%.
Exclusion Criteria
Cerebral metastases. (Known from previous investigations or clinically detectable).
Previous exposure to TroVax®.
Serious infections within the 28 days prior to entry to the trial.
Known to test positive for HIV or hepatitis B or C.
Life threatening illness unrelated to cancer.
History of allergic response to previous vaccinia vaccinations.
Known allergy to egg proteins.
Known hypersensitivity to neomycin.
Participation in any other clinical trial of a licensed or unlicensed drug within the previous 30 days or during the course of this trial.
Previous malignancies within the last 10 years other than successfully treated squamous carcinoma of the skin or in situ carcinoma of the cervix treated with cone biopsy.
Previous history of major psychiatric disorder requiring hospitalization or any current psychiatric disorder that would impede the patient's ability to provide informed consent or to comply with the protocol.
Oral corticosteroid use unless prescribed as replacement therapy in the case of adrenal insufficiency.
Ongoing use of agents listed in locally approved prescribing information as causing immunosuppression.
Prior history of organ transplantation.
Pregnancy or lactation.
Withdrawal Criteria
In accordance with applicable regulations, a patient has the right to withdraw from the study at any time and for any reason without prejudice to his or her future medical care by the physician or at the institution.
If a patient is withdrawn from treatment with TroVax®/placebo because of an adverse event (AE), the event will be followed up until it has resolved or has stabilized. Because this is a survival study patients should continue to be followed until death to document subsequent treatment and survival status
In addition to AEs, other reasons for removal of patients from the study would be the patient's withdrawal of consent. Should this happen, since this is a survival study, the patient's physician must request consent from the patient for survival follow up.
Withdrawal from the study, and reason for withdrawal, must be documented in the CRF.
Because the primary endpoint of this study is survival and all randomised patients will be included in the primary or secondary endpoint analysis. Patients who wish to withdraw from all other study related procedures for any reason should be asked whether they would consent to follow up limited to documenting their subsequent management and survival status. If they agree, a new informed consent form should be used to document consent to such follow up.
Treatment Plan and Methods
Study Schedule:
Base
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
line
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
TroVax ®/Placebo day 1/wk
X
X
X
X
Patients only
Patients receive only one of the following treatments
receive one
IL-2 Treatment
X
X
X
X
X
X
Continue with 6 weeks sub-
of these
days 1-5 each wk
cutaneous IL-2 followed by 2
treatments
weeks without IL-2 every 8
weeks until tumor progression
or week 46 (whichever is first)
OR
IFNα
Subcutaneous IFNα day 1, 3 and 5 of each week until tumor
progression (refer to nationally approved prescribing information
or institutional guidelines of use of IFNα for renal cancer).
OR
sunitinib
X
X
X
X
Continue with 4 weeks on sunitinib then 2
weeks without sunitinib every 6 weeks until
tumor progression. (see nationally approved
sunitinib prescribing information)
Patients receive all the following procedures
Consent form
X
Randomisation
X
Medical History
X
Physical examination
X
X
Blood for Immuno (10 ml)
X
X
X
Weight, BP, Pulse, Temp
X
X
X
X
X
CBC/Diff/Plts
X
X
X
X
X
Chemistry Panel
X*
X
X
X
X
CT or MRI Chest, Abd,
X
Pelvis
12 lead ECG
X
Echocardiogram+
X
Karnofsky
X
X
X
X
Tumor histopathology
X
Pregnancy Test (if
X
Prior to TroVax ®/placebo if any possibility of pregnancy
applicable)
QOL
X
X
X
Concomitant Therapy
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo
AEs
Throughout the study while patient receiving TroVax ®/placebo and 30 days after
Subsequent renal cancer
Record other renal cancer treatment once patient is not receiving TroVax ®/placebo
Rx
Survival status/date of
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo and every
death
12 weeks thereafter. If patient does not return to clinic seek
survival status and date of death as permitted by patient consent
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
TroVax ®/Placebo day 1/wk
X
X
Patients only
Patients receive only one of the following treatments
receive one
IL-2 Treatment
Continue with 6 weeks sub-
of these
days 1-5 each wk
cutaneous IL-2 followed by 2
treatments
weeks without IL-2 every 8
weeks until tumor progression
or week 46 (whichever is first)
OR
IFNα
Subcutaneous IFNα day 1, 3 and 5 of each week until tumor
progression (refer to nationally approved prescribing information
or institutional guidelines of use of IFNα for renal cancer).
OR
sunitinib
Continue with 4 weeks on sunitinib then 2
weeks without sunitinib every 6 weeks until
tumor progression. (see nationally approved
sunitinib prescribing information)
Patients receive all the following procedures
Consent form
Randomisation
Medical History
Physical examination
X
Blood for Immuno (10 ml)
Weight, BP, Pulse, Temp
X
X
CBC/Diff/Plts
X
X
Chemistry Panel
X
X
CT or MRI Chest, Abd,
Pelvis
12 lead ECG
Echocardiogram+
Karnofsky
X
X
Tumor histopathology
Pregnancy Test (if
Prior to TroVax ®/placebo if any possibility of pregnancy
applicable)
QOL
X
X
Concomitant Therapy
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo
AEs
Throughout the study while patient receiving TroVax ®/placebo and 30 days after
Subsequent renal cancer
Record other renal cancer treatment once patient is not receiving TroVax ®/placebo
Rx
Survival status/date of
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo and every
death
12 weeks thereafter. If patient does not return to clinic seek
survival status and date of death as permitted by patient consent
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
TroVax ®/Placebo day 1
X
X
Patients only
Patients receive only one of the following treatments
receive one
IL-2 Treatment
Continue with 6 weeks sub-
of these
days 1-5 each wk
cutaneous IL-2 followed by 2
treatments
weeks without IL-2 every 8
weeks until tumor progression
or week 46 (whichever is first)
OR
IFNα
Subcutaneous IFNα day 1, 3 and 5 of each week until tumor
progression (refer to nationally approved prescribing information
or institutional guidelines of use of IFNα for renal cancer).
OR
sunitinib
Continue with 4 weeks on sunitinib then 2
weeks without sunitinib every 6 weeks until
tumor progression. (see nationally approved
sunitinib prescribing information)
Patients receive all the following procedures
Physical examination
X
Weight, BP, Pulse, Temp
X
X
CBC/Diff/Plts
X
X
Chemistry Panel
X
X
CT or MRI Chest Abd,
X
Pelvis
Karnofsky
X
X
QOL
X
X
Pregnancy Test (if
Prior to TroVax ®/placebo if any possibility of pregnancy
applicable)
Concomitant Therapy
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo
AEs
Throughout the study while patient receiving TroVax ®/placebo and 30 days after
Subsequent renal cancer
Record other renal cancer treatment once patient is not receiving TroVax ®/placebo
Rx
Survival status/date of
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo and every
death
12 weeks thereafter. If patient does not return to clinic seek
survival status and date of death as permitted by patient consent
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
TroVax ®/Placebo day 1
X
Patients only
Patients receive only one of the following treatments
receive one
IL-2 Treatment
Continue with 6 weeks sub-
of these
days 1-5 each wk
cutaneous IL-2 followed by 2
treatments
weeks without IL-2 every 8
weeks until tumor progression
or week 46 (whichever is first)
OR
IFNα
Subcutaneous IFNα day 1, 3 and 5 of each week until tumor
progression (refer to nationally approved prescribing information
or institutional guidelines of use of IFNα for renal cancer).
OR
sunitinib
Continue with 4 weeks on sunitinib then 2
weeks without sunitinib every 6 weeks until
tumor progression. (see nationally approved
sunitinib prescribing information)
Patients receive all the following procedures
Physical examination
X
Weight, BP, Pulse, Temp
X
X
CBC/Diff/Plts
X
X
Chemistry Panel
X
X
CT or MRI Chest Abd,
Pelvis
Karnofsky
X
X
QOL
X
X
Pregnancy Test (if
Prior to TroVax ®/placebo if any possibility of pregnancy
applicable)
Concomitant Therapy
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo
AEs
Throughout the study while patient receiving TroVax ®/placebo and 30 days after
Subsequent renal cancer
Record other renal cancer treatment once patient is not receiving TroVax ®/placebo
Rx
Survival status/date of
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo and every
death
12 weeks thereafter. If patient does not return to clinic seek
survival status and date of death as permitted by patient consent
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
TroVax ®/Placebo day 1
X
Patients only
Patients receive only one of the following treatments
receive one
IL-2 Treatment
Continue with 6 weeks sub-
No further IL-2
of these
days 1-5 each wk
cutaneous IL-2 followed by 2
treatments
weeks without IL-2 every 8
weeks until tumor progression
or week 46 (whichever is first)
OR
IFNα
Subcutaneous IFNα day 1, 3 and 5 of each week until tumor
progression (refer to nationally approved prescribing information
or institutional guidelines of use of IFNα for renal cancer).
OR
sunitinib
Continue with 4 weeks on sunitinib then 2
weeks without sunitinib every 6 weeks until
tumor progression. (see nationally approved
sunitinib prescribing information)
Patients receive all the following procedures
Physical examination
X
Weight, BP, Pulse, Temp
X
CBC/Diff/Plts
X
Chemistry Panel
X
Karnofsky
X
QOL
X
Pregnancy Test (if
Prior to TroVax ®/placebo if any possibility of pregnancy
applicable)
Concomitant Therapy
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo
AEs
Throughout the study while patient receiving TroVax ®/placebo and 30 days after
Subsequent renal cancer
Record other renal cancer treatment once patient is not receiving TroVax ®/placebo
Rx
Survival status/date of
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo and every
death
12 weeks thereafter. If patient does not return to clinic seek
survival status and date of death as permitted by patient consent
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
TroVax ®/Placebo day 1
X
Patients only
Patients receive only one of the following treatments
receive one
IL-2 Treatment
No further IL-2
of these
days 1-5 each wk
treatments
OR
IFNα
Subcutaneous IFNα day 1, 3 and 5 of each week until tumor
progression (refer to nationally approved prescribing information
or institutional guidelines of use of IFNα for renal cancer).
OR
sunitinib
Continue with 4 weeks on sunitinib then 2
weeks without sunitinib every 6 weeks until
tumor progression. (see nationally approved
sunitinib prescribing information)
Patients receive all the following procedures
Physical examination
X
Weight, BP, Pulse, Temp
X
CBC/Diff/Plts
X
Chemistry Panel
X
Karnofsky
X
QOL
X
Pregnancy Test (if
Prior to TroVax ®/placebo if any possibility of pregnancy
applicable)
Concomitant Therapy
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo
AEs
Throughout the study while patient receiving TroVax ®/placebo and 30 days after
Subsequent renal cancer
Record other renal cancer treatment once patient is not receiving TroVax ®/placebo
Rx
Survival status/date of
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo and every
death
12 weeks thereafter. If patient does not return to clinic seek
survival status and date of death as permitted by patient consent
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Wk
Subsequent
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
weeks
TroVax ®/Placebo day 1
X
X
Patients only
Patients receive only one of the following treatments
receive one
IL-2 Treatment
No further IL2
of these
days 1-5 each wk
treatments
OR
IFNα
Subcutaneous IFNα day 1, 3 and 5 of each week until tumor
progression (refer to nationally approved prescribing information
or institutional guidelines of use of IFNα for renal cancer).
OR
sunitinib
Continue with 4 weeks on sunitinib then 2
weeks without sunitinib every 6 weeks until
tumor progression. (see nationally approved
sunitinib prescribing information)
Patients receive all the following procedures
Physical examination
X
X
Continue follow-up
for survival
Weight, BP, Pulse, Temp
X
X
Record subsequent
therapy for
renal cancer
CBC/Diff/Plts
X
X
Chemistry Panel
X
X
Karnofsky
X
X
QOL
X
X
Pregnancy Test (if
Prior to TroVax ®/placebo if any possibility of pregnancy
applicable)
Concomitant therapy
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo
AEs
Throughout the study while patient receiving TroVax ®/placebo and 30 days after
Subsequent renal cancer
Record other renal cancer treatment once patient is not receiving TroVax ®/placebo
Rx
Survival status/date of
Record on each visit that patient receives TroVax ®/placebo and every
death
12 weeks thereafter. If patient does not return to clinic seek
survival status and date of death as permitted by patient consent
If clinically indicated * including LDH at baseline
Timing of all TroVax ® injections +/−3 days. Timing of all laboratory and clinical observations must remain the same relative to TroVax ®. Week 26 scan may vary by +/−7 days.
Allocation of Treatments and Randomization Procedures
Treatment (TroVax® or placebo) will be allocated based on stratified randomization. The primary objective of stratification will be to ensure that the distribution of first-line standard of care treatment is balanced between the two study arms. Secondary objectives of stratification will be to establish balance between the treatment arms with regard to a prognostic index (Motzer score) and geography.
Motzer et al demonstrated in a series of 670 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma that survival correlated with five prognostic factors: Karnofsky performance status (<80%), high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level (>1.5 times the upper limit of normal), low haemoglobin level (less than the lower limit of the gender normal), high corrected serum calcium level (>10 mg/dL), and absence of nephrectomy. The higher the number of positive factors the worse the prognosis. Inclusion criteria for this study require a baseline Karnofsky performance status ≧80% and prior excision of the primary tumor. During the randomization procedure the patient's haemoglobin level (plus gender), LDH and serum calcium will be requested to ensure that the treatment arms are balanced with regard to these prognostic variables.
A telephone based interactive voice responsive system will be used. Patients will be registered into the study using an Interactive Voice Responsive System (IVRS). Treatment allocation (TroVax® or placebo) and patient registration will only occur after the Investigator has registered the standard of care therapy allocated to the patients and confirmed that the patient meets all inclusion/exclusion criteria. All randomized patients will be included in Intent to Treat (ITT) analyses.
Instruction on access and use of the IVRS service including local telephone access number, script of the randomization questions in local language and help desk numbers will be issued separate from the protocol.
Study Medication Administration
Patients included in this trial should receive TroVax® or placebo plus one of the following first-line standards of care treatment options: IL-2 (low dose), interferon a or sunitinib. No other form of immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy should be administered between entering the study and tumor progression. Other concurrent medication may be used as detailed in “Other Concurrent Treatments” below. Following tumor progression patients may receive whatever chemotherapy, radiotherapy, cytokine therapy or other therapy is indicated for further management or palliation of the tumor. All such therapy should be recorded on the patient's case report form as the patient continues to be followed for survival.
Administration of TroVax®/Placebo
Prior to administering the vaccine, obtain the prospective patient's vaccination history and determine whether the individual had any previous reactions to any vaccine including TroVax®.
All immunizations of TroVax®/placebo will be given by intramuscular injection into the deltoid muscle of the upper arm.
All patients will receive the treatment in a side-room away from contact with other patients. The formulation will be delivered to this side-room. TroVax®/Placebo are presented as lyophilised material. Detailed instructions will be provided to the pharmacist for reconstitution. TroVax® must be re-suspended by adding 1.2 mL of water for injection. The resulting solution will appear opalescent. One mL volume of the solution is then withdrawn into a syringe and injected into the patient. The injection will either be drawn up at the bedside by the person administering the dose, or in the pharmacy and delivered to the bedside in a syringe depending upon local circumstances. Prior to injection the check number of the dose must be confirmed, using IVRS, by either the pharmacist or another responsible individual.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MUST THE RECONSTITUTED MATERIAL BE ALLOWED TO STAND FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. IF THIS DOES OCCUR, THE MATERIAL MUST BE REJECTED AND IVRS NOTIFIED.
The skin will be swabbed with ethanol and the injection will be given intramuscularly. Following this, the injection site will be covered with an occlusive bandage. This bandage will be removed before the patient is discharged from hospital.
Please note: The maximum immunological response to TroVax® does not usually occur until the patient has received at least three injections. Disease stabilisation or late tumor responses have been reported with various cancer vaccines. It is not established whether continuing TroVax® despite early progression will confer therapeutic benefit. If tumor progression is observed but the patient is tolerating TroVax®/placebo and their performance status remains at a Karnofsky score >60% they should be requested to continue receiving TroVax®/placebo until they have received a minimum of eight injections. Continuation beyond this point is permitted at the discretion of the investigator and patient.
Patients should remain under medical observation for one hour following injection with TroVax®/placebo.
Adequate treatment provisions, including epinephrine injection (1:1000), should be available for immediate use should an anaphylactic reaction occur.
All healthcare staff handling TroVax® or materials contaminated by it must wear an apron, gloves, mask, and protective goggles. All materials potentially contaminated with TroVax® e.g. syringes, swabs, bandages, must be destroyed by incineration, or local equivalent, in accordance with hospital policy on genetically modified materials. Certificates of Destruction, or equivalent, must be completed for the used and unused vials, and copies maintained in the Trial File.
Administration of IL-2
IL-2 (Chiron or locally approved manufacturer) will be given by subcutaneous injection. The lyophilised material (22 million units) must be reconstituted in 1.2 mL of diluent after which it will have a shelf life of 48 hours when kept refrigerated at 2-8° C. The dosage schedule will be an initial dose of 250,000 U/Kg/dose (with an upper limit of 22 million units/dose) for 5 days out of 7 in week 1 of each cycle followed by 125,000 U/kg/dose (with an upper limit of 11 million units/dose) for 5 days in each of weeks 2-6 of each cycle. There will then be a two week recovery period before the next cycle of IL-2 commences. Once reconstituted a vial may be used for two injections when these are given on consecutive days.
The dose used should be recorded in the Case Report Form.
Administration of IFNα
IFNα will be administered once a day as a subcutaneous injection three times per week on days 1, 3 and 5 of each week. (Note: Pegylated IFNα is not included as a standard of care option in this protocol. No safety or immunological activity data are currently available on the concomitant use of TroVax® and pegylated IFNα).
Unless tumor progression is noted the patient should be treated for a minimum of 12 weeks. Treatment may be continued until tumor progression at the discretion of the investigator.
Doses of IFNα used by different treatment centers depend on local Regulatory Authority approved label text, and manufacturer. The dose used in this study should reflect local standard of care but should be targeted between 9 million International Units (IU) and 18 million IU three times per week. Lower doses should be used during the first (and depending on final target dose) the second week. The actual schedule used will be recorded on the Case Report Form.
For further information on IFNα please refer to the nationally approved Package Insert or Summary of Product Characteristics produced by the local license holder.
For evaluation of patients for clinical benefit from the treatment please see study schedule. Patients who are benefiting from treatment are eligible for further treatment. Thereafter, therapy will continue until criteria for progressive disease are met or up to an additional 12 months.
Administration of Sunitinib
Sunitinib capsules are supplied as printed hard shell capsules containing sunitinib malate equivalent to 12.5 mg, 25 mg or 50 mg of sunitinib and should be handled according to the manufacturers instructions. The recommended dose of sunitinib for advanced Renal Cell Cancer is one 50 mg oral dose taken once daily, on a schedule of 4 weeks on treatment followed by 2 weeks off. Sunitinib may be taken with or without food.
The schedule used should be recorded in the Case Report Form.
Treatment should continue until tumor progression or until unacceptable toxicity occurs.
Administration of Other Concurrent Treatments
All other concurrent medications will be recorded in detail in the CRF during the treatment. This information may be used to assist interpretation of any report adverse events. If a patient has discontinued TroVax®/placebo and other renal cancer treatments are used, then a simple checklist in the CRF will be used to record the type of treatment; this information may be used to assist interpretation of survival data and management of the patient following the selected standard of care therapy.
Medication intended to relieve symptoms will be prescribed at the discretion of the Investigator and recorded in the Case Report Form (CRF). Medications prescribed by the patient's family practitioner will also be noted in the CRF. The patients should also keep a record of any over the counter medicines consumed and these should be noted in the CRF.
Therapies considered necessary for the subject's well being may be administered at the discretion of the investigator. These will be recorded in the Case Report Form.
Supportive care to mitigate known adverse events or complications of concomitant standard of care may be administered at the physician's discretion including antipyretics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, anti-emetics, etc. Oral, intramuscular or intravenous steroids should not be used except where required to manage life threatening emergencies. Supportive care will be reported in the Case Report Form.
Management of Disease Progression
If disease progression is noted during the study, and other anticancer medications are required, the IL-2, IFNα, or sunitinib should be stopped. The selection of subsequent antitumor therapy is not specified by this protocol and is at the discretion of the patient and his or her physician.
In the event of tumor progression the patients should remain within the study (unless they request to withdraw). This is for two reasons:
This is a survival study and patients need to be followed for survival data.
The maximum immunological response to TroVax® does not usually occur until the patient has received at least three injections. Disease stabilization or late tumor responses have been reported with various cancer vaccines. It is not established whether continuing TroVax® despite early progression will confer therapeutic benefit. Therefore if tumor progression is observed but the patient is tolerating TroVax®/placebo and their performance status remains at a Karnofsky score >60% they should be requested to continue receiving TroVax®/placebo until they have received a minimum of eight injections of the study preparation. Continuation on study beyond this point to receive all TroVax®/placebo injections is permitted at the discretion of the investigator or patient.
Specific Procedures
Screening and Selection Procedures
A screening log must be maintained for all patients screened for entry to the study including, if applicable, the reason for not entering the study.
Inclusion/exclusion criteria are listed in the section titled Entry Criteria (above) and the study schedule.
Imaging/Diagnostic
Within 2 weeks of screening, and prior to receiving study drug metastases will be documented using chest, abdominal and pelvic CT scans according to defined guidelines contained in a Site Operations Manual. This will enable a possible independent review at a later time. An MRI or CT scan of the brain will also be obtained if there is a clinical suspicion of cerebral metastases.
Clinical and Laboratory/Diagnostic
For screening, these are required within 14 days before the first TroVax®/Placebo injection:
History and physical examination, including height, weight, and vital signs. Karnofsky performance status. Quality of life (QLQ30,EuroQOL) will be evaluated. 12 lead EGC (for all patients) and Echocardiogram only if clinically indicated Clinical pathology tests (Full blood count with differential white cell and platelet counts, urea and electrolytes, liver function tests (total bilirubin, AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase), serum proteins, calcium, phosphate, uric acid and creatinine) In addition, at baseline LDH must be measured. Pregnancy test (for women of reproductive potential—including those whose last menstrual period was within the last two years). At screening this will be a serum test but at all other timepoints this will be a urine test. If available, tumor tissue from earlier biopsies will be obtained. (To be batched and tested at a later date for the presence of tumor antigens.)
All clinical laboratory tests will be conducted by a suitably qualified central laboratory.
Samples for Immunology
10 mL blood samples will be required. These samples are to be placed in a heparinized blood collection tube and are to be processed immediately by a suitably qualified central laboratory. The samples will then be analyzed by Oxford BioMedica, or designee, according to their SOPs.
Study Materials
TroVax®/Placebo
TroVax®/Placebo will be supplied by Oxford BioMedica (UK) Ltd.
Packaging and labeling and additional information
Packaging and labeling will be in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for clinical trials.
Each vial will bear a label conforming to national regulations for an Investigational Medicinal Product.
The outer carton labeling will also bear a label conforming to national regulations for an Investigational Medicinal Product.
Investigators and pharmacists should note that the clinical trial supplies may only be used for the clinical trial for which they are indicated. They must not be employed for any other trial, whether of TroVax® or not, or for any other clinical use.
Additional information may be found in the current version of the Investigators Brochure.
Storage and Disposition of Study Medications
TroVax®/placebo must be stored in a locked fridge between 2° C. to 8° C. (36° F. to 46° F.) in the hospital pharmacy, or other comparable secure location. It must be stored in such a way that it cannot be mixed up or confused with other medications, be they clinical trial supplies or medicines for routine clinical use.
Dispensing will be documented by completing a log with the date of dispensing and the patient details. Used vials should be stored in labeled biohazard bags or containers prior to reconciliation by the trial monitor.
At each visit, the clinical trial monitor will review the drug-dispensing log and reconcile it with the unused vials (if available due to local procedures). All unused vials will be destroyed on site in accordance with procedures for destruction of genetically modified waste and destruction will be documented appropriately. A copy of the Certificate of Destruction will be lodged in the site Trial File.
Precautions/Overdose
TroVax® is contraindicated in patients who have previously had hypersensitive reactions to TroVax®, vaccinia vaccinations, egg proteins or neomycin.
Patients should remain under medical observation for one hour following injection with TroVax.
Adequate treatment provisions, including epinephrine injection (1:1000), should be available for immediate use should an anaphylactic reaction occur.
TroVax® is also contraindicated in patients who are pregnant or lactating.
Although highly unlikely, it is possible that an autoimmune response against the pituitary or gut might occur since these organs showed sporadic low level staining for 5T4 in in vitro experiments. Studies in over 100 patients receiving approximately 450 doses of TroVax® have not indicated any laboratory or clinical signs or symptoms suggestive of compromised pituitary function. However, the Investigators should be aware of the preclinical finding.
All healthcare staff handling TroVax® or materials contaminated by it must wear an apron, gloves, a mask and protective goggles. Pregnant healthcare staff must not handle either TroVax® or materials contaminated with TroVax®.
No cases of TroVax® overdose have been reported. No active medical intervention is known to be required in the event of overdose. The patient should be observed for as long as is considered appropriate by the investigator/physician based on the patient's clinical condition and supportive care given if required.
IL-2
IL-2 is available commercially from Chiron or a local manufacturer. The lyophilized material (22 million units) must be reconstituted in 1.2 mL of diluent after which it will have a shelf life of 48 hours when kept refrigerated.
Current prescribing information should be reviewed prior to administering IL-2.
IFNα
IFNα is available commercially from a number of manufactures. Only commercially available material approved by the competent national regulatory authority should be used in this study
IFNα may be supplied in single use prefilled syringes or in multiuse prefilled “pens”. Patients will be instructed to self administer the IFNα in accord with approved package insert and patient information leaflet by appropriately qualified medical, nursing or pharmacy staff. Reconstitution is not required.
IFNα should be stored at 2° to 8° C. (36° F. to 46° F.).
Current prescribing information should be reviewed prior to administering IFNα.
Sunitinib
Sunitinib is supplied as 12.5 mg, 25 mg and 50 mg capsules which should be administered according to the manufacturer's instructions (Pfizer).
Other Study Supplies
Case report forms (CRFs) will be used in this study (see Data Collection section below). Quality of life questionnaires EuroQOL and QLQ30 and laboratory kits will also be supplied. The Principal Clinical Investigator and Co-Investigators must keep all CRF supplies, both completed and blank, in a secure place.
Adverse Events
Adverse Event Definition
An adverse event is any untoward medical occurrence in a patient or clinical investigation subject administered a pharmaceutical product and which does not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with the treatment. All adverse events must be described in the appropriate section of the CRF and their severity and putative relationship to the study medication noted. Definitions of severity are as follows:
Mild: does not interfere with the conduct of the study, resolves spontaneously, does not need medication or any other therapy.
Moderate: requires treatment, interferes temporarily with the conduct of the study.
Severe: forces withdrawal from the study
Serious: death, life threatening, requires or prolongs hospitalization, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, overdose, or is a congenital anomaly/birth defect
Definitions of relationship to study medication are as follows:
Unrelated: bears no relation to timing of medication, similar to symptoms or signs expected in the disease process, does not recur on re-challenge.
Possibly: bears relation to timing of medication, similar to symptoms or signs expected in the disease process, does not recur on re-challenge.
Probably: bears clear relation to timing of medication, distinct from symptoms or signs expected in the disease process, does not recur on re-challenge.
Definitely: bears clear relation to timing of medication, distinct from symptoms or signs expected in the disease process, recurs on re-challenge.
Adverse events may also be expected or unexpected. Adverse events are to be considered expected if listed in the Investigator Brochure.
Serious Adverse Event (SAE) and Serious Adverse Reaction (SAR) Definition
Investigators are required to notify Oxford BioMedica's pharmacovigilance service provider (PAREXEL) immediately if a patient has a reportable serious adverse event. A serious adverse event (SAE) is defined by ICH-GCP as:
Death (death due to progressive renal cancer is the primary endpoint of this study and should not be reported as an adverse event unless in the opinion of the investigator the study medication (TroVax®/placebo) may possibly, probably or definitely have contributed to or hastened death)
Life threatening
Requires or prolongs hospitalization
Results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity
Congenital anomaly/birth defect
Other medically important condition starting or worsening during the study
The investigator must also complete as much as possible of the serious adverse event form in the Case Report Form (CRF) and transfer it to Oxford BioMedica's pharmacvigilance service provider (PAREXEL) not later than 24 hours after the even becomes known to the investigator or his/her staff
The report must be made by fax to: +44 1895 231847
The Email contact is: drugsafety@parexel.com
Hotline number for 24 hours cover is: +44 1895 273 434
As further information or follow up information becomes available the investigator should document this and amend any previous report if appropriate. This information should be transferred to Oxford BioMedica's pharmacovigilance service provider (PAREXEL) using the serious adverse event form in the CRF.
PAREXEL will report all serious, related, and unexpected adverse events to all relevant Regulatory Authorities in accordance with local regulations.
Further instructions on the documentation and transfer of information to permit full compliance with national and international pharmacovigilance requirements and Good Clinical Practice together with training for investigator staff will be provided separate to this protocol.
General Requirements
This study will utilize the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Version 3 to determine the severity of the reaction for adverse event reporting.
Reporting requirements and procedures depend upon:
whether agents are suspected of causing the adverse event, whether the possibility of such an adverse event was reported in the protocol, consent form, or manufacturer's literature (expected or unexpected adverse event), the severity or grade of the adverse event.
Withdrawals Due to Adverse Events
If a patient is withdrawn from treatment because of an adverse event (AE), the patient will be followed up until the AE is resolved or has stabilized. Because the primary endpoint of this study is survival the patient will continue to be followed for survival status even if trial therapy was withdrawn.
Withdrawal from the study, and reason for withdrawal, must be documented in the CRF.
Since the primary endpoint of this study is survival and all randomised patients will be included in the analysis of the primary endpoint. Patients who wish to withdraw from all other study related procedures should be asked whether they would consent to allow follow up limited to establishing their survival status. If they agree, a new consent form to document this consent but withdrawal from all other study procedures should be completed.
Pregnancy
Patients should be advised that they or their partner should avoid becoming pregnant during the study.
Patients of reproductive potential should be taking contraceptive measures as required by the relevant inclusion criterion (as stated above).
If a patient does become pregnant she should immediately inform the investigator who should document this on the adverse events page of the CRF. The Investigator should provide necessary counseling for the patient. The Investigator should follow the pregnancy to its conclusion. Spontaneous abortion or foetal abnormality or abnormal birth should be reported as serious adverse events as described above.
Management of Toxicity
The NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0 (CTCAE) will be utilized (see Appendix A). Toxicity will be evaluated on every patient visit.
All toxic events should be managed with optimal supportive care, including transfer to the Intensive Care Unit if appropriate.
TroVax®/Placebo Management of Toxicity
No dose reductions of TroVax®/placebo are permitted. Paracetamol/acetaminophen may be used to manage transient pyrexia or local discomfort following injection If the patient is unable to tolerate TroVax®/placebo at the protocol dose TroVax®/placebo should be discontinued but the patient should continue to be followed for survival data.
Standard of Care Management of Toxicity
Toxicity associated with standard of care therapy should be managed according the nationally approved Package Insert or Summary of Product Characteristics and accepted medical practice. Dosage may be reduced or withdrawn at the discretion of the Investigator.
Data Management and Statistical Analyses
Overview of the Study Design
The DSMB will be responsible for preparing the formal monitoring rules for this study; a general overview of the monitoring program is described in this section of the protocol. Oxford BioMedica will provide guidance to the DSMB, however the Board is an independent body and will be charged with preparing the formal monitoring and stopping rules for the study. This parallel-designed study contains a series of planned interim assessments for futility, and to ensure the planning elements relative to attrition and the primary endpoint remain consistent. The initial interim assessment will take place after 50 patients (25 patients per arm or ˜7% of the target population) have been randomised and followed for 8 weeks when the blood sampling for 5T4 antibodies following the third dose of TroVax® is scheduled to be performed. The intra-treatment group adverse event profiles, rates of attrition, and antibody response will be evaluated by the DSMB. Sample size estimates for this study are predicated on a one year survival.
Sample Size Estimates
Estimates were prepared to detect an absolute difference of ˜11% in survival at 1-year (base proportions: 50% to 61%); estimates are presented below in Table 1.0.
TABLE 1
Estimates Based on Overall Survival
Total
Total
Sample
Required
Proportion
Proportion
Hazard
Power
Size (N)
Events
Alpha
Beta
Surv. (S1)
Surv. (S2)
Ratio
0.80
691
309
0.05
0.2
0.500
0.605
0.725
A total sample size of ˜700 patients (split equally between the two groups), or 309 events, achieves 80% power to detect a hazard rate of 0.725 when the proportions surviving in each group are 0.500 and 0.605 at a significance level of 0.05 using a two-sided test. These estimates represent the initial framework for monitoring based on the log of the hazard ratio from the Cox Proportional Hazards regression model without adjusting for covariates.
Report Definitions
Power is the probability of rejecting a false null hypothesis.
Events are the number of deaths (from whatever cause) that must occur in each group.
Alpha is the probability of rejecting a true null hypothesis.
Beta is the probability of accepting a false null hypothesis.
S1 is the proportion surviving in group 1, S2 is the proportion surviving in group 2.
HR is the hazard ratio. It is calculated using Log(S2)/Log(S1).
This sample size would also be appropriate for detecting a minimum difference in median survival of ˜11.3 weeks, based on exponential survival times (Table 2). Details used in preparing this estimate are presented below.
TABLE 2
Comparing Median Survival (H0: Theta1 = Theta2. Ha: Theta1 <> Theta2)
Allocation
Theta1/
Power
N1
N2
Ratio
Alpha
Beta
Theta1
Theta2
Theta2
0.80000
350
350
1.00000
0.05000
0.20000
48.0
59.3
0.80902
Report Definitions
Power is the probability of rejecting a false null hypothesis.
N1 is the number of failures needed in Group 1, N2 is the number of failures needed in Group 2.
Alpha is the probability of rejecting a true null hypothesis.
Beta is the probability of accepting a false null hypothesis.
Theta1 is the Mean Life in Group 1, Theta2 is the Mean Life in Group 2.
Patient Populations
The Intent to Treat (ITT) population will include all patients who are randomized.
The Modified Intent to Treat (MITT) population will include all patients who receive three or more injections, or experience an adverse event directly attributable to the study medication resulting in discontinuation, prior to the third injection. Patients who fail to successfully receive three injections for reasons not directly associated with the study medication will not be included in this population.
The Per Protocol (PP) population includes only patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were treated in accord with the protocol requirements.
The primary efficacy analysis will be carried out using the ITT population. However, an exploratory analysis of the primary efficacy parameter will also be carried out using MITT population and the PP population. All safety analyses will be carried out using the Intent to Treat population.
Monitoring of the Primary Endpoint
The DSMB may recommend stopping the trial early if presented with overwhelming evidence of efficacy.
Evidence would be deemed “overwhelming” if the one-sided P-value in favor of the active treatment derived from the Cox Proportional Hazards time-to-death model is less than 0.01%. The overall effect of treatment must also be considered clinically plausible by the DSMB.
P-values will be adjusted to maintain an overall one-sided P-value of 2.5% using the alpha-spending approach of Lan and Demets (Lan K K G and DeMets D L (1983) Discrete sequential boundaries for clinical trials. Biometrika 70: 659-663).
The DSMB will review at each meeting the number of patients lost to follow-up. If the number of patient lost to follow-up is high enough to compromise the objectives of the study the DSMB may either recommend terminating the study on the grounds that it will not effectively address its objective or alternatively resizing the study to permit the objective of the study to be appropriately address.
The DSMB may also recommend stopping the trial early if presented with evidence of futility. At each interim analysis the conditional power will be calculated. If, taking into account the whole clinical context, the DSMB considers the prospect of achieving a statistically significant result within a reasonable sample size to be unacceptably low, then the DSMB may recommend stopping the trial.
The methodology for study re-sizing will follow that of Li, Shih, Xie and Lu (Li G, Shih W J, Xie T and Lu J (2002) A sample size adjustment procedure for clinical trials based on conditional power. Biostatistics 3: 277-287).
Statistical Analyses
Unless otherwise stated, all statistical tests will be performed using 2-sided tests at the 5% significance level. Baseline is defined as the last observation before the initiation of the study related treatment. Continuous demographic parameters, such as the patient's age at the time of enrolment, will be summarised for the ITT population using descriptive statistics (N, mean, median, standard deviation, minimum and maximum value, and 95% 2-sided confidence limits) and compared between groups using a 2-sample t-test. Categorical parameters will be summarised as a proportion of the ITT population and compared using a 2-tailed Fisher's Exact test. Co-morbid risk factors will be summarised for the ITT population by treatment assignment and according to the type of variable (categorical, continuous) and compared between groups. Kaplan-Meier estimates for the time to death will be prepared based on the ITT population. Event rates at 12- and 24-months will be derived from the Kaplan-Meier estimates. The number and proportion of patients alive after each treatment cycle will be tabulated and summarized using 95% confidence intervals. Separate tables containing patient counts, percentages, and 95% binomial confidence intervals will be prepared based on risk factors. No data will be imputed for patients who withdrew prematurely from the study, or have missing values for specific parameters.
Univariate analyses will be prepared for each laboratory parameter and compared between groups using a 2-sample t-test. The proportion of patients found to have abnormal values considered clinically significant will be compared between treatment groups using a 2-tailed Fisher's Exact test. Laboratory shift tables containing patient counts and percentages will be prepared by treatment assignment, laboratory parameter, and time.
Demography
Patient demographic data will be summarised by type of variable; categorical data by counts and percentages and continuous variable by means, standard deviations, medians, minimum, maximum and numbers of patients.
Analysis of Efficacy Data
The standard covariates for the efficacy analyses are:
Geographical region (three groups: USA, European Union, Eastern Europe excluding European Union)
First line of standard care (three groups: IL-2, interferon-α, sunitinib)
Prognostic index (Motzer score). (Motzer score classifies patients into three prognostic groups: “favorable”, “intermediate” and “poor” based on an algorithm which considers pre-treatment performance status, LDH, hemoglobin, and corrected serum calcium. The inclusion and exclusion criteria preclude enrolment of the “poor” prognostic group. All eligible patients will be covered in the remaining two groups)
Primary
The primary endpoint is time to death. Time to death will be analyzed in the ITT population using a Cox Proportional Hazards regression model with terms for treatment and the standard efficacy covariates.
Secondary
The secondary efficacy endpoints will be analysed following the statistical procedures presented below.
Endpoint: The proportion of patients with progression free survival at 26 weeks (+/−1 week) based on radiological data in the ITT population.
The proportion of patients with progression free survival at 26 weeks (+/−1 week) relative to baseline will be analyzed using a logistic regression model with terms for treatment and the standard efficacy covariates. Data will be analyzed using the ITT population and adjudicated (blinded peer review).
Endpoint: Tumor response rates based on RECIST according to the investigator's reported interpretation of the radiological reports observed in the ITT population.
Both the rate and duration of tumor response will be compared between treatment groups. Response rates will be compared between treatment groups and analyzed using a logistic regression model with terms for treatment and the standard efficacy covariates The duration of response will be analysed using a Cox Proportional Hazards regression model with terms for treatment and the standard efficacy covariates.
Endpoint: The survival event rate ratio in the TroVax® arm versus the placebo arm in the MITT population, based on the log of the hazard ratio.
Time to death will be analyzed using a Cox Proportional Hazards regression model with terms for treatment and the standard efficacy covariates. Survival curves for the proportion of patients remaining event-free will be estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method
Endpoint: Anti-5T4 serum antibody levels (additional measures of immune response including specific measures of cellular response will be investigated at some centers).
Qualitative antibody response to 5T4 within the active treatment group will be analysed as a main effect using a logistic regression model with terms for the standard efficacy covariates.
The analysis of the Quality of Life parameters is discussed in Section 12.8.
Analysis of Adverse Event Data
Safety will be assessed using the Intent to Treat population. Adverse events will be coded using the MedDRA classification to give a preferred term and organ class for each event. Proportions of patients with adverse events will be presented. Tables of adverse events will be presented by organ class and also by organ class and preferred term. These tables will also include overall totals for adverse events within each body system and organ class. The number of patients with an event in each classification of severity and relationship to treatment within each treatment group will be tabulated. Serious adverse events and adverse events leading to withdrawal will be listed separately.
Treatment emergent and non-emergent events will be presented separately. Treatment emergent adverse events are defined as adverse events that had an onset day on or after the day of the first dose of study medication. Adverse events that have missing onset dates will be considered to be treatment emergent.
Adverse events will be listed by patient within groups showing time of onset, period of event, severity, relationship to disease and outcome.
QOL Parameters
Results from the QOL questionnaire (EuroQoL and QLQ30) will be presented for the ITT and Per-Protocol populations. Results from the QOL questionnaire will be analyzed using a generalized linear modeling approach based on maximum likelihood, treating patients as a random effect in the model. Terms will be included for the standard efficacy covariates.
Concomitant Medication
Concomitant medication will be listed by patient, treatment assignment, and study visit.
Vital Signs
Vital signs to be collected throughout the course of the study include systolic and diastolic blood pressures (mmHg), heart rate (bpm), body temperature (° C./° F.), and weight (kg). Vital signs will be summarised using univariate statistics (N, arithmetic average, standard deviation, median, and range) for each clinical assessment and presented for the cohort of patients who have data at the initial baseline visit and at least one the specific follow-up visits. In addition to the univariate statistics, the changes from baseline to each follow-up assessment visit will be analyzed using a paired-difference t-test for the within-group mean change from baseline. Additionally, 95% confidence interval limits for the mean change from baseline will also be reported.
The incidence rates of clinically notable vital sign changes, including the criteria for clinically notable, will be summarized and presented in a Patient Data Listing. Vital signs and body weight abnormalities of potential clinical significance will be defined as follows:
Systolic blood pressure change 20 mmHg and a systolic blood pressure value that was ≧180 or ≦90 mmHg Diastolic blood pressure change 15 mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure value that was ≧105 or ≦50 mmHg Pulse change of 15 bpm and a pulse value that was ≧120 or ≦50 bpm Temperature change of 1° C./2° F. and a temperature value that was 38° C./101° F. Body weight decrease ≧5% Clinically significant abnormal vital signs will be flagged and presented using counts by study visit.
An additional listing will be provided for those patients who have clinically significant vital sign abnormalities.
Other Safety Parameters
All other safety parameters will be listed by patient, treatment assignment, and study treatment period.
Laboratory Parameters
Haematology, biochemistry and other laboratory data will be listed at each time point by treatment group and, for appropriate values, will be flagged using the signed laboratory ranges as High/Low/Within laboratory normal range (H, L).
Changes from baseline will also be listed and abnormal changes from baseline will be flagged.
An additional listing will be provided for those patients who have laboratory values that are abnormal and considered to be clinically significant.
Withdrawals
The number (%) of patients who withdraw from the study over time, along with their reasons for withdrawal, will be tabulated.
Deaths
All deaths occurring during the treatment period of study and its follow up period will be listed.
Determination of Treatment Group Comparability
Patient demographics and disease histories will be summarized for each treatment group and compared between treatment groups.
Treatment Assignment
Patients will be randomised using a stratified central randomisation scheme. Given the initial target enrolment and the proposed number of clinical sites, attempting to balance the enrollment on an intra-center basis was not considered feasible using a deterministic randomization scheme. For example, if patients were to be randomized intra-center using randomized blocks of 4, and 50% of the sites failed to fill a complete block, an enrollment imbalance could develop between the 2 groups resulting in a loss of statistical power. To eliminate this potential imbalance, a central randomization scheme will be used, balancing on blocks of 4 within geographical areas (usually countries) involving multiple sites.
Stratification
Patients will be stratified by selected standard of care, prognostic indicator (Motzer score), geographical area, and institution. The stratification will be performed by IVRS.
Example 2
Analysis of Study Data
Background
Following the announced ending of the TRIST phase III clinical trial, immunological and clinical response data were un-blinded. An exploratory analysis was undertaken with the primary aim of identifying potential correlates between immunological response parameters and enhanced patient survival.
Methodology
TRIST is an international Phase III study investigating the potential survival benefit of adding a cancer vaccine, TroVax®, to standard of care treatments for patients with renal cell cancer. Immunological analyses have been conducted on patients as part of the TRIST clinical protocol comprising an analysis of antibody responses against the 5T4 tumor antigen and the MVA viral vector. These were quantified at 3 time points:
1. Baseline (pre-TroVax®/placebo vaccination).
2. Week 7 (following 3 TroVax®/placebo vaccinations)
3. Week 10 (following 4 TroVax®/placebo vaccinations)
The analyses summarized below have focused solely on the immune responses detected in patients known to have received TroVax®. The magnitude of the 5T4-specific or MVA-specific antibody response has been analyzed separately at week 7 and week 10 (post 3rd and 4th TroVax® vaccination respectively) and a median value calculated for the entire patient group (i.e. median 5T4 antibody response at week 7 for TroVax® treated patients, median MVA antibody response at week 7 for TroVax® treated patients etc). Each patient was then categorized into “above median” or “below median” category. The survival of patients in each antibody response category was compared by plotting Kaplan-Meier curves.
Results
Initially, antibody responses to 5T4 antigen or MVA (whole, irradiated MVA) were analyzed separately by ELISA. FIG. 1 illustrates “above median” and “below median” antibody response categories for 5T4 ( FIG. 1 a ) and MVA ( FIG. 1 b ) at week 7 in TroVax®-treated TRIST patients.
The data summarized in FIG. 1 suggest that patients with higher (above median) 5T4 antibody responses at week 7 survive for longer than those with below median 5T4 antibody levels. Conversely, patients with above median MVA antibody levels appear to fair worse than those with weaker (below median) MVA antibody responses.
Following this observation, a combination of 5T4 and MVA antibody responses was examined and categorized patients into 4 categories. Results are shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3
5T4 Antibody
MVA Antibody
Antibody
Nomenclature
Response
Response
Response
Used
Above
Below
Above
Below
Category
5T4
MVA
Median
Median
Median
Median
1
AboveAbove
✓
✓
2
AboveBelow
✓
✓
3
BelowAbove
✓
✓
4
BelowBelow
✓
✓
For illustrative purposes, the following results detail 5T4 and MVA antibody responses at week 7 (similar analyses have been performed at week 10 and show a similar pattern). FIG. 2 plots the survival of TRIST patients which have been categorized by their 5T4 and MVA antibody responses at week 7. Table 4 summarizes the specifics of the four groups analyzed in FIG. 2 .
TABLE 4
AboveAbove
AboveBelow
BelowAbove
BelowBelow
>Median 5T4
>Median 5T4
<Median 5T4
<Median 5T4
Group
>Median MVA
<Median MVA
>Median MVA
<Median MVA
Sample Size
85
56
53
89
Median OS (Days)
337
Not Reached
381
456
Log-Rank
0.008
Conclusions
These data suggest that there is differential risk-benefit to patient survival dependent on the relative magnitudes of tumor antigen specific (5T4) and vector specific (MVA) antibody responses. Within this patient cohort a “relatively” high 5T4-specific antibody response in the presence of a “relatively” weak MVA-specific response appears to be favorable for enhanced survival. These data can be used to plan treatment strategies to maximize the survival advantage of 5T4 targeted immunotherapies.
Such strategies may comprise:
Use of prime boost approaches to minimize responses to viral vector whilst focusing boosting on the target antigen e.g., using combinations of vectors, 5T4 protein components. MVA tolerization strategies Identifying patient characteristics that would predict this type of response through assessment of baseline status Altering dosing level, schedule, frequency
Example 3
Further Analysis of Immune Response to 5T4
TRIST study data was analyzed to determine whether significant 5T4 immune response in treated subjects correlated with patient survival. Increase in 5T4 antibody response (titer) relative to baseline was determined at 10 weeks (i.e., after the 4 th injection of MVA 5T4, TroVax®). Of 50 analyzed patients having a greater than 4-fold increase in 5T4 antibody levels, 39 were in the IFN group, 9 were IL-2 patients and 2 were Sutent® (sunitinib malate) patients. The survival of the patients demonstrating a 4-fold or greater increase (above baseline) in 5T4 antibody levels was plotted and compared to the survival of all patients receiving placebo ( FIG. 3 ). Results of the analysis show that patients with elevated (greater than 4-fold) 5T4 antibody levels had a significantly enhanced survival rate relative to patients in the placebo treatment group.
Further analysis of patient survival was performed by comparing the 50 patients having a 4-fold increase in 5T4 antibody levels with an equal number of patients from the placebo group. The 50 selected placebo group patients were those that demonstrated the largest fold-increase in 5T4 antibody at week 10. The results of this analysis are shown in FIG. 4 . A significant increase in survival rate was demonstrated for patients having a 4-fold increase in 5T4 antibody levels relative to the placebo group.
Example 4
Cross-Trial Analysis of Immunological and Clinical Data from Four Phase I and II Trials of MVA-5T4 in Colorectal Cancer Patients
MVA-5T4 has been tested in one Phase I/II and three Phase II clinical trials in colorectal cancer patients, as described herein. Patients with histologically proven colorectal cancer (CRC) were recruited to 4 independent trials in which 3 to 6 vaccinations of MVA-5T4 were scheduled to be administered either as a monotherapy, as adjuvant/neo-adjuvant to surgery for resectable liver metastases or alongside treatment with FOLFIRI or FOLFOX. Antibody responses specific for 5T4 and MVA were monitored by ELISA. Survival data were collated from each hospital site. Immunological and survival data were analyzed using proportional hazards regression and adjusting for age and gender.
All trials demonstrated that MVA-5T4 was well tolerated when administered alone (1 trial), as adjuvant/neo-adjuvant to surgery (1 trial) or in combination with chemotherapy (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI; 2 trials).
Data accrued from the four Phase I and II trials (see Harrop et al. (2006) Clinical Cancer Research 12(11):3416-3424; Harrop et al. (2008) Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 57(7):977-986; Harrop et al. (2007) Clinical Cancer Research 13(15):4487-4494; Elkord et al. (2008) J. Immunother. 31:820-829) of MVA-5T4 (TroVax®) in colorectal cancer patients were collated to determine the incidence of immune responses across trials and to look for associations with improved survival. Cellular and humoral responses were monitored against the tumor antigen 5T4 and the MVA viral vector.
Blood samples for immuno-monitoring were taken 1 or 2 weeks following each vaccination, with the maximum number of vaccinations administered per trial ranging from 5 to 6. Analysis of immunological and clinical responses on a per trial basis demonstrated statistically significant correlations between 5T4 (but not MVA) specific immune responses and clinical benefit in 3 of the 4 clinical trials.
5T4 and MVA-specific antibody responses and survival data were analyzed from 73 colorectal cancer patients (see Table 5, below).
TABLE 5
Trial
CHARACTERISTICS
Ph I/II
FOLFIRI
FOLFOX
Adjuvant
All Colorectal
Number of Patients
22
19
17
20
73*
Age (Median)
63
63
59
67
63
Male
17
13
11
14
50
Female
5
6
6
6
23
Median Vaccinations (Range)
4 (3-5)
6 (1-6)
6 (1-6)
5 (2-6)
5 (1-6)
Number of Vaccinations (Total)
71
86
80
96
333
To carry out cross-trial analysis of the cumulative 5T4 sero-conversion following MVA-5T4 vaccination, 5T4 antibody responses were assessed in 59 immunologically evaluable patients (Ph I/II (17 patients); FOLFIRI (12 patients); FOLFOX (11 patients); Adjuvant (19 patients)) following MVA-5T4 vaccination. The cumulative 5T4 sero-conversion rate was assessed by calculating the percentage of patients who had mounted a positive 5T4 antibody response following each vaccination ( FIG. 5A ).
Results showed that 5% of patients had detectable (low-level) 5T4 antibody responses present at baseline, while the majority of patients sero-converted following 2 MVA-5T4 vaccinations. In total, 88% of patients treated with MVA-5T4 mounted 5T4-specific antibody responses.
Next, a cross-trial analysis of 5T4 antibody titers in colorectal cancer patients was conducted. Here, 5T4 antibody titers were assessed in 59 immunologically evaluable patients (see above) at baseline (pre-vaccination) and 1-2wk following MVA-5T4 vaccination (up to a maximum of 6 vaccinations).
The associations are between the magnitude of the antibody response at single timepoints, post second or third injection. As this was a cross-trial analysis, the timing of the injections and the monitoring post-injection differed. The second and third injections occurred at the following times:
PhI/II (Harrop et al. (2006) Clinical Cancer Research 12(11):3416-3424): week 4 and week 8 with monitoring of antibody responses at wks 6 and 10. FOLFIRI and FOLFOX (Harrop et al. (2008) Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 57(7):977-986 and Harrop et al. (2007) Clinical Cancer Research 13(15):4487-4494, respectively): injections at weeks 2 and 11 with antibody monitoring at weeks 4 and 13. Adjuvant (Elkord et al. (2008) J. Immunother. 31:820-829): injections at weeks 2 and 8 with antibody monitoring at weeks 4 and 10.
FIG. 5B plots the mean 5T4 antibody titer following MVA-5T4 vaccination. The results showed that mean 5T4 antibody titers peaked following 2-3 MVA-5T4 vaccinations.
Analyses were undertaken to investigate whether the antibody responses induced by MVA-5T4 were associated with enhanced survival.
A separate Cox proportional hazard model was fitted for each of the vaccinations with explanatory variables of i) the log of the antibody titer at the appropriate vaccination, ii) age and iii) gender. Kaplan-Meier plots for patients who mounted above or below median MVA or 5T4 specific antibody responses are presented along with associated p-values (Wald test). Results ( FIG. 6 ) indicated that across 4 trials in CRC patients, Cox proportional hazards models that were adjusted for age and sex showed that a doubling in the 5T4 antibody titer at injection 2 was associated with a 14% reduction in relative risk of death (P<1%), and at injection 3 was associated with a 13% reduction in relative risk of death (P=1%) across the duration of the monitoring periods for the individual trials.
Also, 5T4, but not MVA, antibody responses are associated with enhanced patient survival across the four CRC trials. Further, for every doubling in 5T4 antibody response post 2nd MVA-5T4 vaccination, a reduction in relative risk of 14% was detected. An association between the magnitude of the 5T4 antibody response and enhanced patient survival was detected as early as post 2nd vaccination.
Example 5
Cross-Trial Analysis of Immunological and Clinical Data Resulting from Phase I and II Trials of MVA-5T4 (TroVax®) in Colorectal, Renal and Prostate Cancer Patients
MVA-5T4 has been tested in two phase I/II and seven phase II clinical trials in colorectal (4 trials), renal (4 trials) and prostate (1 trial) cancer patients, as described herein. See also (Harrop et al. (2006) Clinical Cancer Research 12(11):3416:3424; Harrop et al.
(2007) Clinical Cancer Research 13(15):4487-4494; Elkord et al. (2008) J. Immunother. 31:820-829; Amato et al. (2008) J. Immunother. 31:577-585; Amato et al. (2008) Clinical Cancer Research 14(22):7504-7510). All trials demonstrated that MVA-5T4 was well tolerated when administered alone (2 trials) or in combination with cytokines (5 trials) or chemotherapies (2 trials). Antibody and/or cellular responses specific for 5T4 were induced in the majority of patients and these responses were associated with clinical benefit in each of 6 trials. Data was collated from all nine TroVax® trials and the incidence and kinetics of immune responses was investigated across trials and associations with improved survival were noted.
Antibody responses specific for the 5T4 tumour antigen and the MVA viral vector were monitored by ELISA. Survival data were collated from each hospital site. Immunological and survival data were analyzed using proportional hazards regression adjusting for age and gender.
Blood samples for immuno-monitoring were taken 1 or 2 weeks following each vaccination. The maximum number of vaccinations administered per trial ranged from 5 to 12. 5T4 and MVA-specific antibody responses and survival data were analyzed from 189 colorectal, renal and prostate cancer patients, as described in Table 6 below.
TABLE 6
CANCER INDICATION
CHARACTERISTICS
Colorectal
Renal
Prostate
TOTAL
Number of Patients
73
89
27
189
Age (Median)
73
57
70
62
Male
50
63
27
140 (74%)
Female
23
25
0
49 (26%)
Number of Vaccinations
5
4
6
5
(Median)
Number of Vaccinations
333
476
161
970
(Total)
5T4 Antibody responses were assessed in 180 patients who gave blood samples at baseline and at least one blood sample following a TroVax® vaccination. The cumulative 5T4 sero-conversion rate was assessed by calculating the percentage of patients who had mounted a positive 5T4 antibody response immediately (1-2 weeks) following one up to a maximum of twelve vaccinations ( FIG. 7A ).
Results showed that 10% of patients had detectable (low-level) 5T4 antibody responses present at baseline, and also that the majority of patients sero-converted following 2 TroVax vaccinations ( FIG. 7A ). In total, 88% of patients treated with TroVax® (alone or in combination with chemo- or cytokine therapies) mounted a 5T4-specific antibody response.
5T4 antibody titers were also assessed in colorectal (4 trials; n=73 pts), renal (4 trials; n=81 pts) and prostate (1 trial; n=26 pts) cancer patients at baseline (pre-vaccination) and 1-2 wk following TroVax® vaccination (up to a maximum of 6).
FIG. 7B plots the mean 5T4 antibody titer following TroVax® vaccination in patients with colorectal, renal or prostate cancer. Results showed that the kinetics of the mean 5T4 antibody titer following TroVax® vaccination were similar across cancer indications despite differences in co-medications, vaccination regimen and disease characteristics. Mean 5T4 antibody titers peaked following 2-3 TroVax® vaccinations.
Following completion of the trials, the survival of patients who mounted above median or below median MVA or 5T4 specific antibody responses was compared using the log-rank test.
Results showed that across all 9 trials, a Cox proportional hazards model demonstrated that a doubling in the fold-increase of 5T4 antibody titer (injections 1 to 3 relative to baseline) was associated with a 16.3% reduction in relative risk of death over the course of the trials, adjusted for age and gender and stratified by indication (P<0.2%). Across 4 Trials in CRC Patients, a Cox proportional hazards model showed that a doubling in the geometric mean 5T4 antibody titer (injections 1 to 3) was associated with a 19.9% reduction in relative risk of death over the course of the trials, adjusted for age and gender (P<1%).
The studies described in Example 5 show that TroVax® induces 5T4-specific antibody responses in >80% colorectal, renal or prostate cancer patients when administered alone or in combination with chemo-or cytokine therapies. Also, the kinetics of the magnitude of 5T4 antibody responses is similar across indications despite the differences in co-meds, vaccination regimen and disease characteristics. The magnitude of the 5T4 (but not MVA) antibody response was shown to be associated with increased patient survival. Further, for every doubling in antibody response, a reduction in relative risk of death of 16% across all 9 trials and 19% across the 4 colorectal studies was detected. | The present invention provides a method of monitoring the efficacy of an immunotherapy in a mammalian subject, wherein the subject has been administered an immunotherapy, wherein the immunotherapy comprises a viral vector containing a polynucleotide encoding an antigen, wherein the viral vector is capable of transducing cells in the mammalian subject to cause the cells to express the antigen; the method comprising:
(b) measuring, from a biological sample isolated from the subject, an immune response of the subject to the antigen and comparing the immune response of the subject to the antigen to a reference measurement of immune response to the antigen; (c) measuring, from a biological sample isolated from the subject, an immune response of the subject to the viral vector and comparing the immune response of the subject to the viral vector to a reference measurement of immune response to the viral vector; and (d) determining efficacy based on the comparisons of (b) and (c), wherein an elevated immune response to the antigen and a reduced immune response to the viral vector are indicative of an effective immunotherapy. | 2 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to yarn for machine knitting and to safety garments made with the yarn.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Gloves and other protective apparel are typically worn by individuals handling and processing food, such as individuals working in the meat packing industry. Preferably, the gloves should be cut-resistant to maximize the useful life of the glove and to provide a degree of protection to the wearer against injury. In addition, the glove should not overly limit the wearer's needed dexterity and tactile sensitivity.
[0003] The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,514 issued to Collett provides an example of a cut-resistant yarn. The disclosed cut-resistant yarn has a core of nylon with a first wrap of an aramid fiber and a second wrap of a textured nylon.
[0004] An example of a cut-resistant glove is provided by the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,657 issued to Cordova et al. “Comparative Example 10” of the Cordova patent discloses a yarn having a core of ECG 75 fiberglass filaments and 650 denier SPECTRA. overwrapped with counter opposing helixes of 650 denier SPECTRA. SPECTRA. is the name of a high-density polyethylene fiber manufactured by Honeywell. “Comparative Example 12” of the Cordova patent discloses a yarn having a core of ECG 75 fiberglass filaments and a 500 denier polyester fiber overwrapped with counter opposing helixes of the same 500 denier polyester fiber. Although the above referenced cut-resistant yarns, gloves and apparel are satisfactory for their intended purposes, there is a need for a yarn which provides both cut-resistant and abrasion-resistant properties. Protective gloves are quickly worn by sharp instruments, not just by direct contact of the instrument with the glove but also by “scratching” by the instrument over the glove. This “scratching” causes instruments to abrade the glove, thus, decreasing the useful life of the glove or garment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention provides a cut and abrasion resistant, knittable composite yarn that utilizes a strand or fiber that has incorporated therein a material that causes the outer surface of the fiber or strand to have lower coefficient of friction than fibers or strands of comparable denier and weight. A preferred suitable yarn is of a diameter suitably for machine knitting and is flexible enough to be used for making protective gloves. Preferably, the yarn is of composite construction utilizing synthetic fibers and a cut-resistant material as part of the core.
[0006] In the preferred embodiment, the yarn comprises a core having at least one fiber of a cut-resistant material within the core. The material of the core can be any cut resistant material such as but not limited to polyethylene, fiberglass and metal wire and can be any combination of cut-resistant materials as know to those of skill in the art. In one embodiment, the core includes a strand of polyethylene, a stand of fiberglass material and stainless steel wire. The polyethylene that is typically employed has a denier in the range from about 215 to about 1200. The fiberglass that is typically employed has a size in the range from about 150 to about 450. Further, the stainless steel wire is that typically used has a diameter of about 0.002 inches.
[0007] The preferred embodiment includes a wrap about the core that comprises at least one strand or fiber having a low coefficient of friction material. One suitable low coefficient of friction fiber is commercially know as Friction Free and is available from Friction Free Technologies, Inc. having a principal place of business at 30 East 39 th Street, New York, N.Y. The low coefficient of friction material incorporates polytetrafluoroethylene which provides a lower coefficient of friction throughout the fiber. The low coefficient of friction fiber that is typically used has a denier of about 70. In another embodiment, the low coefficient of friction material may be combined with other materials, such as but not limited to polyester, to make up a wrap about the core. In yet another embodiment, several fibers of low coefficient of friction material each having a denier of about 70, are combined with one or more polyester fibers to produce a wrap about the core. The polyester fiber combined with the low coefficient of friction material preferably has a denier ranging from about 70 to about 300.
[0008] In yet another embodiment, the yarn of the present invention includes a first wrap about the core and a second wrap about the first wrap where the second wrap includes the low coefficient of friction material. Preferably, the first wrap comprises at least one or more polyester fibers having a denier ranging from about 70 to about 420. This first wrap is wrapped about the core at a rate ranging from about 8 to about 10 turns per inch. A second wrap is wrapped in an opposite direction about the first wrap and the second wrap includes at least one strand or fiber of a low coefficient of friction material. It is recognized that the second wrap can include at least one additional fiber of different material, such as polyester. The second wrap is wrapped about the first wrap at a rate of about 8 to about 10 turns per inch.
[0009] In the several embodiments of the present invention, the low coefficient of friction material, preferably, is in the outermost wrap. This allows for the greatest abrasion resistance since this material will be the first to contact any abrasive surface. However, the low coefficient of fiction material can be employed in any internal wraps or in the core to aid or increase the cut and/or abrasion resistance of the garment. For instance, if a low coefficient of friction material is placed in the core it is also preferable to have the low coefficient of friction material in the outer wrap although it is not necessary.
[0010] The fibers used in conjunction with the low coefficient of friction fibers are preferably polyester due to its comfort and lower cost. However, other fibers and cut-resistant fibers such as spun Kevlar, normal spun fibers, acrylic, liquid crystal polymer, polyolefin and the like may be employed along with the low coefficient of friction fibers. As is apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of this disclosure, any combination of known cut-resistant fibers and any configuration may be employed with the low coefficient of friction fibers.
[0011] The present invention is also directed to a method of making a cut and abrasion resistant garment, such as a glove, including a low coefficient of friction material. The method preferably includes the steps of providing a knittable, cut and abrasion resistant yarn comprising a cut-resistant core having at least one cut-resistant fiber, a first wrap about the core wherein said first wrap includes at least one fiber of a polyester material; and a second wrap about said first wrap wherein said second wrap includes at least one fiber including a low coefficient of friction material. The yarn is then knitted on a knitting machine in the form of a cut resistant garment such as a glove.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an article of apparel, i.e., a knitted glove, made of yarn embodying the present invention and shown in FIGS. 2 through 4 ;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic view of a first yarn embodying the features of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic view of a second yarn embodying the features of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic view of a third yarn embodying the features of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 5A is a fragmentary, diagrammatic view of a prior art yarn for comparison purposes; and
[0017] FIG. 5B is a fragmentary, diagrammatic view of a fourth yarn embodying the features of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The glove 10 depicted in FIG. 1 is exemplary of a safety article of apparel embodying the yarn of the present invention and is a safety or protective glove suitable to be worn by operatives in the food processing and other industries where sharp instruments or articles, such as knives, or material having sharp edges, for example, sheet metal, glass and the like, are handled. The glove is knitted from a multi-strand composite yarn in accordance with FIGS. 2-4 and 5 B. The glove 10 includes the usual finger and thumb stalls, 12 and 14 , respectively, and a wrist portion 16 incorporating an elastic thread or yarn and a cuff trim overwrapping 18 . The glove 10 is made using conventional methods and glove knitting machinery, such as a Shima Seiki glove knitting machine.
[0019] FIGS. 2-4 and 5 B illustrate different embodiments incorporating the features of the present invention. Turing first to FIG. 2 , a yarn 20 comprises a core 22 , a first wrap about the core 24 and a second wrap 26 about the first wrap 24 . The wrappings 24 and 26 include synthetic fibers and are wound about the core 22 . The second wrapping 26 is wrapped about the core 22 in an opposing direction than that of the first wrapping 24 . The fact that each wrappings 24 , 26 is wrapped about the core in an opposite direction than the previous wrapping has been known to balance the forces incident to the wrappings so the yarn has no unusual twist or tendency to coil and assists in holding the wrappings in place on the core 22 . The core 22 includes a strand 28 of a polyolefin material such as polyethylene (known in the industry as Spectra) having a denier of about 650, a second strand 30 being stainless steel wire having a diameter of about 0.002 inches, and a third strand 32 being a 150 denier fiberglass material. The strand 28 and the third strand 32 typically lay side by side having the second strand 30 of stainless steel wire wrapped about the first strand 28 and third strand 32 to complete the makeup of the core 22 .
[0020] The first wrapping 24 is a single strand of 420 denier polyester wrapped at a rate of 8-10 turns per inch about the core 22 . The second wrapping 26 or outer wrap is wrapped about the first wrap 24 in an opposite direction as the first wrap 24 at a rate of 8-10 turns per inch. The second wrap 26 includes a first fiber 34 of 220 denier polyester and four additional fibers 36 each having a low coefficient of friction material and each fiber having a denier of 70. The fibers 34 and 36 of the second wrap can be intertwined or separate, depending on what effects are desired. The low coefficient of friction fibers 36 are typically extruded, impregnated, laminated or coated with a low coefficient of friction material added during the process of making the fiber. Typically the low coefficient of friction material is polytetrafluoroethylene or commonly known and sold under the tradename Teflon®. The construction of the low coefficient of friction fibers is further detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,207 to Gunn and U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,368 to Gunn, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. The yarn illustrated in FIG. 2 may be employed with a 13 gauge Shima knitting machine to knit a cut and abrasion resistant glove.
[0021] FIG. 3 sets forth a second embodiment incorporating the features of the present invention. An alternative yarn 40 of the present invention includes a core part 22 A having a strand 44 of a polyolefin material such as polyethylene (known in the industry as Spectra) having a denier of 1200, a second strand 46 being a 150 size fiberglass material, and a third strand 48 being a 0.002 inch diameter stainless steel wire. The first strand 44 and the second strand 46 typically lay side by side with the third strand 48 of stainless steel wire wrapped about the first strand 44 and second strand 46 to complete the makeup of the core 22 A. A first wrap 24 A about the core 22 A is a polyester material that has a denier of about 420 and is wrapped about the core 22 A at a rate of about 8-10 turns per inch. A second wrap 26 A includes three fibers of material. The first fiber 50 is a polyester material having a denier of 300. The second and third fibers 52 are fibers which incorporate a low coefficient of friction material where each fiber has a denier of about 70. The fibers 50 and 52 of the second wrap 26 A can be intertwined with each other or wrapped separate, depending on the desired effects. The second wrap 26 A is wrapped about the first wrap 24 A in an opposite direction at a rate of 8-10 turns per inch. The yarn illustrated in FIG. 3 may be employed with a 7 gauge Shima knitting machine to knit a cut and abrasion resistant glove.
[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates a yarn of a third embodiment 60 having a core 22 B, a first wrap 24 B about the core 22 B and a second wrap 26 B about the first wrap 24 B. The core 22 B includes a first strand 62 of a 450 size fiberglass material, a second strand 64 of a polyolefin material such as polyethylene (known in the industry as Spectra) that has a denier of 215, and a third strand 66 being stainless steel wire having a diameter of 0.002 inches. The first strand 62 and the second strand 64 typically lay side by side having the third strand 66 of stainless steel wire wrapped about the first strand 62 and second strand 64 to complete the makeup of the core 22 B. A first wrap 24 B is wrapped about the core 22 B and is made up of six strands 68 of polyester material where each individual strand has a denier of 70. The first wrap 24 B is wrapped about the core at a rate of 8-10 turns per inch. A second and outer wrap 26 B is wrapped about the first wrap 24 B and includes three strands 70 of polyester material each strand having a denier of 70 and three strands 72 of a material having a low coefficient of friction where each strand of low coefficient of friction material has a denier of 70. The second wrap 26 B is wrapped about the first wrap 24 B at a rate of 8-10 turns per inch in an opposite direction as the first wrap 24 B. The yarn illustrated in FIG. 4 may be employed with a 10 gauge Shima knitting machine to knit a cut and abrasion resistant glove.
[0023] While specific deniers and other features of the preferred embodiments have been set forth, different values can be selected within acceptable ranges to provide useful cut-resistant yarns. The specific values selected will of course cause a variation in cut-resistance, flexibility, weight and thickness of the yarn and the fabric knitted therefrom, and cost. The preceding embodiments employ fibers having specific deniers, however, other known fibers may be used in their place. The cut-resistance of a yarn employing a metal wire is in part a function of the diameter of the metal wire. Multiple strands are advantageous for flexibility over one larger strand or the one strand of wire is combined with other strands of polymeric fibers. Other kinds of metal other than stainless steel may be employed, such as aluminum, copper, bronze and steel. Stainless steel wire as used in the present invention has a diameter of about 0.002. Thicker diameters may be used where increased cut resistance is desired and smaller diameters may be employed where flexibility is more desired over cut-resistance. The various wrappings about the core can have from 2-20 turns per inch. Metal strands can also be employed in the wrappings and can have from 2 to 12 turns per inch. The core bundling wrappings, if present, can have from 2 to 20 turns per inch. The first wrapping about the core and additional wrappings will have from 8 to 12 turns per inch. Further, in the preceding embodiments, a wrap that include several fibers of one or more materials each having the same or different deniers, the sum of the deniers of each fiber equals the total denier of the wrap. For instance, with regard to the third embodiment, the outer wrap 26 B has a total of six strands of fibers each having a denier of 70 for a total denier of the outer wrap 26 B of about 420.
[0024] The depicted glove 10 in FIG. 1 when knit from any of the yarns illustrated in FIGS. 2-4 is a safety glove especially advantageous for use in the food processing industries and is highly cut and abrasion resistant, readily cleanable at high temperatures, comfortable to wear, attractive appearing, flexible and relatively non-absorbent, all of which are important in the food processing industry. The glove is highly chemical-resistant and fatigue resistant, and resistant to the transfer of heat or cold, is conformable, does not acquire a set during use, is non-shrinkable, is light in weight, and provides a secure grip. The following example compares the performance of a glove constructed with low friction yarn that is shown in FIG. 5B with a glove constructed of standard yarn that is shown in FIG. 5A . Both yarns had a 650 Spectra core 144 including two strands of 0.003 stainless steel wire 148 followed by a first wrap of 400 Kevlar 124 at 12 turns per inch and a third wrap 175 of 440 polyester at 8 turns per inch. The standard yarn includes a second wrap 150 of 650 Spectra at 8 turns per inch ( FIG. 5A ) while the low friction yarn includes a second wrap 250 of two strands of the low friction fiber at 8 turns per inch ( FIG. 5B ).
EXAMPLE 1
[0025]
Glove Made of Standard Yarn
Glove Made with Low Friction Yarn
Core: 650 Spectra & 2/0.003
Core: 650 Spectra & 2/0.003 SS Wire
SS Wire
1st Wrap: 400 Kevlar (12)
1st Wrap: 400 Kevlar (12)
2nd Wrap: 650 Spectra (8)
2nd Wrap: 300/2 Friction Free (8)
3rd Wrap: 440 Polyester (8)
3rd Wrap: 440 Polyester (8)
Cut Test
CPPT(grams): 6591
CPPT(grams): 6314
CPPT(lbs.): 14.49
CPPT(lbs.): 13.89
Abrasion
Weight Loss (1000 cycles) 0.45
Weight Loss (1000 cycles) 0.33
Total cycles: 9350
Total cycles: 10,500
[0026] As can be seen from the test results above, the glove made with the low friction yarn exhibited a significant improvement in abrasion resistance while still maintaining acceptable cut resistance.
[0027] While the yarn of the invention has been described and shown incorporated into a knit glove, it is to be understood that the yarn of the present invention can be used to make other fabrics and articles of apparel, safety or otherwise, such as wrist guards, protective sleeves, gaiters, safety aprons, etc. for use in industries where cut and abrasion resistant safety apparel is needed. | Provided is a cut and abrasion resistant yarn and safety garment made from such yarn. The yarn includes a cut-resistant core material, covered by a first wrap having at least one strand of a polymeric material wrapped about the core. A second wrap is included and is wrapped about the first wrap in an opposite direction. The second or outer wrap includes at least one strand having a low coefficient of friction. Also provided is a method of making a protective garment from the inventive yarn wherein the protective garment has increased cut and abrasion resistance. | 3 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wood and coal stoves have been used very extensively for more than 100 years for space heating and cooking. These stoves continue to be used in the United States especially in remote locations. In many third world countries these types of stoves are very common. A typical wood or coal stove 2 is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. This particular stove is portable in that a mule can easily transport it. Its principal components are combustion chamber 4, cooking top 3, and smoke pipe 6. This unit also comprises a removable hot water tank 8 with spigot 10.
Oil and gas stoves normally operate at a fixed BTU rating and temperature is controlled by a thermostat, which turns the stove on, and off. A particular feature of coal and wood stoves which distinguishes them from typical oil or gas stoves and furnaces is that the heat produced can be extremely variable. The stove pipe of a typical wood or coal stove can get so hot from the exhaust gases that it glows red.
Thermoelectric devices are well known and have been commercially available for about 30 years. One such module is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,656 that is incorporated herein by reference. Its dimensions are 21/2 inches×21/2 inches×1/4 inch and with a temperature difference of 360 degrees F will produce 14 Watts at 13/4 volts.
At many locations both in the United States and other countries where heating and cooking are done with wood or coal stoves, there is no convenient source of electricity.
What is need is a device for using stove pipe heat of a wood or coal stove for generation of electricity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a stovepipe thermoelectric generator. The unit fits in a stovepipe of a coal or wood stove. At least one thermoelectric module is sandwiched between a hot side fin unit with fins extending into the flow of exhaust gases and a cold side fin unit with fins cooled by forced room air. A damper controls exhaust gas flow through a heat chamber, directing the exhaust gas through a generating side and a bypass side depending on a temperature indication. This prevents heat damage to the thermoelectric module. At least one fan is provided to force room air through cooling fins of the cold side fin unit. An electric circuit is described for providing power for the fan and providing additional electric power for purposes such as charging a battery.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A and B show a prior art wood stove.
FIGS. 2A, B and C are three views of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross section view showing a thermoelectric module installed in a stove pipe thermoelectric generator and sandwiched between hot gas fins and room air fins.
FIG. 4 shows how two units fit in the stovepipe generator.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the preferred embodiment showing hot gas and airflow patterns and an automatic vane control to prevent over heating of the module.
FIG. 6 shows the electric circuit of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 7 shows a simplified drawing of the automatic temperature dependent exhaust gas flow control.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show details of an embodiment utilizing the automatic temperature dependent exhaust gas flow control.
FIG. 10 shows details of another embodiment utilizing the automatic temperature dependent exhaust gas flow control.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
First Preferred Embodiment
General Arrangement
FIGS. 2A, B and C show, respectively, the side, back and top view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Stove 2 is a portable wood stove distributed by Blue Star Co. with offices in Missoula, Mont. It is light weight and is mule portable. In this embodiment stovepipe thermoelectric generator unit 12 has replaced the first stovepipe section. It is the same length as a standard stovepipe section (i.e., 21/2 feet). The bottom of the unit has a 5-inch diameter and is crimped to fit into the stovepipe hole at the top of the stove 2 as shown at 14. The top of the unit also in nominally 5 inches and is not crimped so that a crimped stovepipe section can be inserted at the top as shown at 16. Generator unit 12 comprises thermoelectric generating systems 18 and 20, a heat chamber 22 with temperature dependent exhaust gas flow control, a DC to DC converter 50 and a 12 volt battery 52.
Thermoelectric Generating Systems
Each of the two thermoelectric generating systems comprises a room air duct 24 through which flows room air forced by 12 volt, 1 Watt fan 26. Each duct has a 6-inch square inlet on which the fan is mounted. Preferably, the intake of fan 26 is located behind the stove where it is assessable to the cooler air that is located behind the stove. The horizontal dimension of the duct decreases to only 3 inches for most of the length of the duct as shown in FIG. 2C. FIG. 3 shows a cross section through duct 24. This drawing shows thermoelectric module 28 sandwiched between hot gas plate fin unit 31, with 11 plate fins 30 and room air finger fin unit 32 with 231 finger fins 33. The module is electrically isolated from the two fins by 1 mill Kapton® films 34 and 36. Kapton® is a trademark of Dupont Corp. and is used to describe a well-known polyimide material. Good thermal contact is provided by four Belville spring stacks 38 each of which includes four Belville springs in series, two washers, a stud screwed into fin unit 31, a hollow cylindrical spacer and a nut. At room temperature recommended torque to be applied to the nut is 3 inch-pounds. Aluminum heat shield 60 is attached to the bottom and side of air duct 24 to minimize the heat transfer from heat rising up from the stove. Spacers 61 separate heat shield 60 from air duct 24 by approximately 0.2 inch. In this embodiment a 1/8-inch thick sheet of alumina insulation is attached to fin unit 31. FIG. 4 shows the FIG. 3 cross section extended to show the opposite side of unit 12.
Thermoelectric Module
Thermoelectric module 28 is preferably the module described in the Background section. Such Modules are available from HiZ Corporation with offices in San Diego, Calif. although other thermoelectric modules could be utilized.
Automatic Temperature Dependent Exhaust Gas Flow Control
This embodiment comprises an automatic temperature dependent exhaust gas flow control system. As shown in FIG. 5, the heat chamber 22 of stove pipe generator unit 12 is divided into two parts, generating side 46 and bypass side 48, by separator vane element 40. Flow through heat chamber 22 is regulated by damper 42, the position of which is determined by two bimetallic spiral units 45 mounted as shown on both sides of the outside surface of heat chamber 22. The bimetallic spiral units are available from suppliers such as Atlantic Alloys Inc. with offices in Bristol, R.I. Spiral units 45 are adjusted as shown in FIG. 5 to direct substantially all exhaust gas flow through generating side 46 when the temperature of the surface of chamber 22 is less than about 250 degrees F. At temperatures above approximately 250 degrees F, units 45 will swing damper 42 toward the right (looking at FIG. 5). At temperatures above approximately 500 degrees F flow to generating side 46 would be almost completely closed off and the exhaust gasses would be sent up bypass side 48. This prevents destruction of the modules which could otherwise occur if subjected to a hot side fin temperature much in excess of about 500 degrees F.
FIG. 7 shows a simplified drawing of the automatic temperature dependent exhaust gas flow control. Each bimetallic spiral unit 45 contains a bimetallic spiral spring 104. Spring end 100 is affixed so that it is stationary with respect to heat chamber 22. Spring end 102 is inserted into a slot in pivot axis 106. Damper 42 is rigidly attached to pivot axis 106 inside of heat chamber 22. Counter weight 44 functions to counter the weight of damper 42 and to rotate pivot axis 106 clockwise, looking at FIG. 5.
As hot exhaust gases enter heat chamber 22, heat is transferred to bi-metallic spiral spring 104. The heat causes bimetallic spiral spring 104 to expand. The expansion of bimetallic spiral spring 104 tends to rotate pivot axis 106 counter clockwise. Likewise, as the temperature of the gas in chamber 46 is reduced, bi-metallic spiral spring 104 will cool and contract, which will cause pivot axis 106 to rotate clockwise. In this manner, damper 42 automatically rotates from side to side as depicted in FIG. 5 to regulate the temperature in chamber 46.
A more detailed explanation of the automatic temperature dependent exhaust gas flow control is given by reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. Pivot axis 106 is inserted through the center of aluminum base 108 and is free to rotate on aluminum base 108. Aluminum base 108 is bolted to the walls of heat chamber 22. Adjustable cover 110 is attached with set screws 112 to aluminum base 108. Spring end 102 of bi-metallic spiral spring 104 is rigidly inserted into a slot in pivot axis 106 and spring end 100 is rigidly inserted into a slot in adjustable 110. Counter weigh 44 is rigidly attached to the end of pivot axis 106.
Hot gases inside of heat chamber 22 increase the temperature of aluminum base 108, which rapidly transfers heat to bimetallic spiral spring 104. As bimetallic spring 104 is heated, it expands and unwinds, causing pivot axis 106 to rotate in a counter clockwise direction as described above.
Adjustable cover 110 keeps bimetallic spiral spring 104 from cooling rapidly as a result of the ambient room temperature. Adjustable cover 110 is also used to preload the bimetallic spiral spring so that it requires a rather large temperature (250° F.) before the damper vane starts to move. Adjustable cover 110 is held in place by three set screws 112 which pass through partial circumferential slots in adjustable cover 110 and thread into aluminum base 108. When set screws 112 are loose, adjustable cover 110 and bimetallic spiral spring 104 can be rotated. The tighter bimetallic spiral spring 104 is wound, the greater the degree of preload. When set screws 112 are tightened, adjustable cover 104 and outer spring tab 100 are held firmly in place against rotation.
FIG. 10 shows an alternate preferred embodiment in which bi-metallic spiral spring 104 is located inside heat chamber 22. By locating bimetallic spiral spring 104 inside heat chamber 22, a more rapid response to exhaust gas temperature is achieved. Stationary plate 120 is bolted to the walls of heat chamber 22. Rotation plate 122 is bolted to stationary plate 120 with bolts 124. When bolts 124 are sufficiently loosened, rotation plate 122 is free to rotate around pivot axis 106. By rotating rotation plate 122, bimetallic spiral spring 104 can be preloaded. Spring end 100 is rigidly inserted into a slot in rotation plate 122. Spring end 102 is rigidly inserted into a slot in pivot axis 106. In a preferred embodiment, stationary plate 120 and rotation plate 122 are both made from steel.
Hot gases inside heat chamber 22 increase the temperature of bimetallic spiral spring 104, causing it to expand, unwind and rotate pivot axis 106. As bi-metallic spiral spring 104 is cooled, it contracts and rewinds, causing pivot axis 106 to rotate in the opposite direction.
Electric Circuit
The electric circuit in this embodiment is simple as shown in FIG. 6. The two modules 28 are connected in series to produce together about 3.5 volts at matched load. The output of the two modules is converted to 12 volts by DC/DC converter 50 which powers fans 26 and charges battery 52. In this embodiment converter 50 is Model No. PT6673 supplied by Power Trends, Inc. with offices in Warrenville, Ill.
While the above description has dealt with a single preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reader should understand that many modifications could be made and still be within the scope of the invention. For example, the diameter of the inlet of the unit at 14 (FIG. 2A) and the outlet at 16 can be varied to match other stove outlet and pipe diameters. Also, control of the damper could be provided with a temperature sensor, a processor and a small motor. The position of the damper could be regulated with a feedback setup. Other fin devices could be used. More than two generating units could be utilized. For example, if 8 units were used, 12 volts could be provided and the DC to DC converter could be eliminated. If less power is required one generating unit might be sufficient. A different converter would be needed or the maybe a 6 Volt system could be utilized. Therefore, the attached claims and their legal equivalents should determine the scope of the invention. | A stovepipe thermoelectric generator. The unit fits in a stovepipe of a coal or wood stove. At least one thermoelectric module is sandwiched between a hot side fin unit with fins extending into the flow of exhaust gases and a cold side fin unit with fins cooled by forced room air. A damper controls exhaust gas flow through a heat chamber, directing the exhaust gas through a generating side and a bypass side depending on a temperature indication. This prevents heat damage to the thermoelectric module. At least one fan is provided to force room air through cooling fins of the cold side fin unit An electric circuit is described for providing power for the fan and providing additional electric power for purposes such as charging a battery. | 5 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/099,834 that is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/012,115 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,361,439) that in turn claims benefit of US 61/709,864 filed 4 Oct. 2012, the contents of which are all hereby expressly incorporated by reference thereto in their entireties for all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to automatic machine implemented identification and data processing, gathering and storage systems, and more specifically, but not exclusively, to a system, method and computer program product for communicating identification information enabling users, including automated processing equipment and methods, to, among other things, make decisions of safe or unsafe personal interactions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.
[0004] The Internet and other online mechanisms have enabled creation of online virtual identities and pseudonyms. There are many services and tools that provide online communities where netizens (a term for citizens of these virtual spaces) meet and interact. Sometimes these meetings and interactions lead to meetings and real-world interactions. The individuals involved do not necessarily have verifiable information regarding the other person(s).
[0005] Part of the reason that this is true is because it is very easy for individuals to create and shed virtual identities. Some systems anchor an identity to some other reference, like an e-mail address. However these e-mail addresses are very easy to proliferate and obtain and shed, making such anchors less valuable for contexts that desire greater verification.
[0006] There are many situations where a user would like an increased level of user verification. Even in cases where there is an online reputation system, those systems may be compromised and artificially skewed in one direction or another. Online dating that develops into a real-world meeting, or a commerce site where parties meet to exchange real-world items are particularly well-known examples where the parties are advantaged by having some sense that a person that they are meeting is, in fact, the virtual entity and/or that the online reputation information that was used in developing a decision about interacting with the person represented by the virtual identification is authentic.
[0007] There have been conventional approaches to obtaining user identification (e.g., fingerprint(s)) using portable computing platforms. However these systems have required that special fingerprint image scanners be installed into these platforms. The extra cost and limited function are deterrents to adoption of remote ID verification, and the inability to have effective and robust remote ID verification have limited development of systems that rely on collection/use of such information. Many portable computing embodied in smartphones, tablets and the like having cameras, yet these cameras are typically viewed as insufficient to function as fingerprint imagers sufficient for use in identification.
[0008] What is needed is a system and method for relating information to individuals prior to, during and after interactions, e.g., in-person meetings initiated through on-line virtual introductions or other introductions of previously unknown individuals, to enable confidence related to the security of a transaction, e.g., personal safety of all parties to a face-to-face encounter.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Disclosed is a system and method for relating information to individuals prior to, during and after interactions, e.g., in-person meetings initiated through on-line virtual introductions or other introductions of previously unknown individuals, to enable confidence related to the security of a transaction, e.g., personal safety of all parties to a face-to-face encounter. Additionally it introduces tools to facilitate an in-person secure meeting and enables a tracking path to the physical identity of a person should an unwanted act or need arise based upon prior history in-person meetings and virtual information and the use of biometric and social information gathering. This system enables a verifiable virtual ID that may or may not link directly to an actual person through information provided by the user but does represent an actual person with a verifiable ID and confirmed in conjunction with both physical location and social interactions.
[0010] The following summary of the invention is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of technical features related to secure introduction/virtual identification verification, and is not intended to be a full description of the present invention. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole. The present invention is applicable to other methods and processes including those that rely on a reputation or identification verification.
[0011] Any of the embodiments described herein may be used alone or together with one another in any combination. Inventions encompassed within this specification may also include embodiments that are only partially mentioned or alluded to or are not mentioned or alluded to at all in this brief summary or in the abstract. Although various embodiments of the invention may have been motivated by various deficiencies with the prior art, which may be discussed or alluded to in one or more places in the specification, the embodiments of the invention do not necessarily address any of these deficiencies. In other words, different embodiments of the invention may address different deficiencies that may be discussed in the specification. Some embodiments may only partially address some deficiencies or just one deficiency that may be discussed in the specification, and some embodiments may not address any of these deficiencies.
[0012] For public use, especially for daily interactions initiated within on-line and virtual communities, some embodiments provide a system that offers a degree of anonymity and privacy while simultaneously protecting against unwanted actions prior to, during and after an in-person meeting without inhibiting the actual meeting. Such a system should provide information relevant to the person(s) being met prior to the in-person meeting for the purpose of avoidance when possible, the system should oversee the actual meeting to alert upon unwanted actions and follow up with a post meeting confirmation of user safety.
[0013] In the event of an unwanted activity related to an in-person meeting, the system may include a mechanism of tracking and identifying the perpetrator to prevent further misconduct. Furthermore, the system should retain knowledge of any misconduct to prevent future interactions related to the offense exhibited while also offering a record of positive interactions.
[0014] Protecting an individual's safety and privacy can be a primary goal of some such systems. Building a virtual system of anonymous encounters should also be bases of both determining a confidence factor based upon secondary contacts for the user and offer a degree of confirmation against false accusations.
[0015] While a range of biometric information may be used by different embodiments, fingerprints are a well-known class of biometric data. It is possible to control camera and device parameters of an iPhone (or other smartphone), iPad (or other tablet computer), and computing systems with built-in imagers to capture a sufficient image with enough contrast to extract useable information including control of uniform sizing/scaling as well as automatic control of contrast (e.g., camera illumination systems and the like). Issued patents of the inventor concerning fingerprinting are expressly incorporated herein in their entireties by reference thereto. These patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,643,660, 7,512,256, 7,697,773, and 7,970,186.
[0016] Other features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon a review of the present disclosure, including the specification, drawings, and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally-similar elements throughout the separate views and which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, further illustrate the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a ‘cloud’ based computing system and individual user operated remote computing systems connected either wirelessly or by means of a physical connection to the ‘cloud’ based computer system;
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates a collection of data as used in a ‘registration’ process; and
[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates the in-person meeting and the confirmation of the ID of another user.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for relating information to individuals prior to, during and after interactions, e.g., in-person meetings initiated through on-line virtual introductions or other introductions of previously unknown individuals, to enable confidence related to the security of a transaction, e.g., personal safety of all parties to a face-to-face encounter. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements.
[0022] Various modifications to the preferred embodiment and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a ‘cloud’ based computing system (CS) ( 100 ) and individual user operated remote computing systems (RS) ( 110 & 120 ) connected either wirelessly or by means of a physical connection to the ‘cloud’ based computer system. Users exchange data between the RS ( 110 ), the CS ( 100 ) and other RS ( 120 ). The CS consists of a computer used to store data and communicate with individual RS units. The connection methods of wireless or physical wire is of common components in use. The RS consist of computing devices generally hand held of the designation smart phones, portable computers, any commonly available or specially prepared device having the ability to communicate with the CS.
[0024] Information stored on the CS may contain biometric data, location data such as GPS information and a reference to the user id such as a screen name or passkey. The RS devices may contain data from the CS related to the in-person matching of biometric data and any data related to facilitating a virtual verification of ID or to facilitate an in-person meeting.
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates the collection of data as used in a ‘registration’ process. Biometric information is collected at the RS at 110 and sent to the CS at 100 by means of the communications mechanism. Actual data collected may contain any or all of relevant information such as biometric data associated with User N.
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates the in-person meeting and the confirmation of the ID of another user. Data stored on the CS 100 is transmitted to the RS 120 for use. The ID confirmation is performed on the RS at 120 using data ( 130 ) supplied from the CS at 100 .
[0027] Operation is initiated by a user at RS 110 . An RS can have any or all of the following capabilities: GPS receiver to record location, a camera for video or still image, biometric data sensor, microphone for audio/voice inputs, motion sensors, speaker and screen for data display. A user enters registration data 130 by means of a software program that consists of a reference identifier (screen name), (optional personal information consisting of legal name and address), biometric data as per the device capabilities. Data 130 is then transmitted to the CS ( 100 ) for storage and may or may not be stored at the RS 110 .
[0028] Upon the initiation of an in-person meeting, the virtual data 130 of User N is transmitted to User N+1 at RS 120 from the CS at 100 . User N+1 oversees a biometric or other ID verification process at RS 120 for confirmation against fraud or abuse. For example, if a fingerprint ID is performed, User N+1 observes at RS 120 that User N under test is submitting a real finger for analysis rather than a photo or representation of a finger for data input to be compared with the data 130 of User N. Multiple biometric inputs may be used.
[0029] The data 130 either agrees or disagrees with the ID verification of User N under test at the RS 120 . User N+1 has personally confirmed the validity of the ID verification process at RS 120 of user N under test to the data 130 of User N.
[0030] Additional background: The methods of introductions leading to in person meeting of new persons has changed significantly. We meet ‘virtually’ through internet based services. Crimes at the point of in person meeting through these virtual meetings are increasing. Misrepresentations of persons met through virtual meetings are wide spread. Crimes from virtual services related to hailing a cab, buying or selling through classified advertisements, dating services, ordering a pizza or business meeting introductions have created a system of uncertainty regarding the person(s) being met. Societal distrust who we are meeting. Societally we are asking ourselves if we are safe upon a meeting from unknown individuals. Societally we are asking if the person we are meeting is really who they say they are. Societally we are using mobile devices to assist in meeting the people we are cautious of.
[0031] Summary: A system for a verifiable virtual ID that may or may not link directly to an actual person through provided information but does represent an actual person with a verifiable ID. A system for tracking location of a virtual ID to offer a confirmation of ID associated with physical location. A system for confirming ID of person prior to in-person meeting.
[0032] Overview: Voluntary system that offers protection to all parties in for in-person meeting. (Improves personal safety before, during and after meeting). Assists in locating in-person meeting participants. May be used to keep true identities private. Users surrender some anonymity to gain greater personal safety, security and peace of mind. Viral information gathering based upon information gathered from repeated use of system to build a history. Offers background information based upon past experience based upon previous user experiences. The more a user employs this technology, the more confidence of the user's viability. In person meeting may use biometric methods to confirm ID of any/all present. Use of Biometric offers higher degree of confidence. Pre-meeting information revealed allows all parties to understand and evaluate the wisdom of in-person meeting based upon prior histories. Actual identity can be preserved with regard to information displayed to other users. Even User Data Records of the technology need not know the true user identity. Therefore, Virtual ID. Virtual ID uses ID by association, the web work of connections between other connected users. System emphasis is Verification as opposed to Identification. User offers a means to confirm they are who they say they are. Biometric is spoof protected by having verification performed on recipients (Voucher's) device while being monitoring by the recipient user. Each user has one input into database. Each subsequent use builds confidence. Optional ‘Vouch for a friend’ registration/confirmation process prior to in-person use. Build a network of ‘known’ individuals which builds upon reputation of those vouching thus the voucher's quality is also rated as a similar metric as the user's. Verification is for any or all of the persons attending in-person meeting. Also used as the engine to make appointment securely. Only with qualified biometrics will the appointment be made. Eliminates theft opportunity. For example, OnLine Classified, when a person responds to an advertisement, we can use the technology to require a verified ID prior to and during connecting buyer and seller. Otherwise, the ‘potential buyer’ may be calling to determine when the seller is not at home for the purpose of committing a crime. Other On-Line web service sites may utilize the technology through an API for the purpose of knowing the user is real vs. fraudulent or creating multiple screen names for deceit. It may also be used by third parties for the virtual verification service. API for third party integration.
[0033] Biometrics can include but are not limited to: fingerprint—prefer 6 fingers or more digit registration, finger position used (ex. Index, Middle, Ring on each of Left and Right Hands); palm print, voice print, face recognition—system verified (Face Recognition—User verified through display of photo), and DNA matching.
[0034] Fingerprint biometric: Technique to capture fingerprint without dedicated/specialized fingerprint sensors. Use common camera sensor for input. Enabled by method of processing. Includes method of resizing for uniformity.
[0035] Registration by inputting biometric data, name, use GPS location services. Registration information is transmitted to the cloud. Registration information is compared against database of users to insure no duplication or misrepresentation. User is only allocated one account although multiple ‘screen identities’ are possible each enabling differing levels of personal information presented. Ex: Use of full name for business meetings vs. use of indirect reference for virtual obscurity. If ID fail, users should not proceed from safe location. Biometric within database can be cross matched to verify user is only registered once. Post meeting, if a ‘problem’ is found with the meeting, a history of locations, biometric data and times can be forwarded to law enforcement. Meeting location tracking both to and from meeting destination, stored remotely in cloud.
[0036] Three stages: Pre-Meeting, Meeting and Post Meeting features. Audio may be monitored for distress signals. Forward information to ‘friend’ to enable real time tracking of user. Voice or alternative confirmation of ‘safe’ signal at prescribed intervals. Pre-planned route to insure travel plans. Verify safe conclusion/return. User A Biometric is verified on User B device using information previously submitted by User A. Results in assurance against tampering or fraudulent misrepresentation. Upon meeting, User B has User A biometric (matching or non-matching of expected information) and is transmitted to cloud if non matching. Viral aspect of the more the technology is used, the stronger the database becomes. Intimidation factor significant to insure against improper action of either user. Users will realize importance of self-conduct to insure continued good standing. Users will realize information can be used against themselves in the event of misconduct. Actual verification can occur either on device, in cloud or both. Credibility of User A & User B is established by histories, recorded, displayed to prospective users prior to establishing meeting.
[0037] Pre meeting, User A can view history of experiences from past experiences of users meeting User B. Aid in facilitating in-person meeting between Users through location services for in-person meeting (close range for protection). Aid in tracking down deceptive User with biometric information such as photo for recognition if a problem has arisen. Encourages all users to conduct themselves appropriately. Post meeting, User A can rate User B with +1,0,−1 rating without details. If a user maliciously rates another user, it will reflect on the one making the rating. Ratings go both ways to inform other users.
[0038] In-Person Meeting captures Biometric for confirmation and/or later use of ID. In-Person Meeting compares Biometric for ID confirmation. In-Person Meeting events may be captured. In-Person Meeting location events may be recorded. “Watch over” meeting for security. In-Person Meeting information stored in cloud. In-Person Meeting progress can be monitored by email, text message, voice, phone call and other using ‘safe response’ to insure safety. In-Person Meeting progress may be transmitted to ‘friend’ for remote observation/supervision. In-Person Meeting may trigger law enforcement follow up for ‘issues’. In-Person Meeting progress may be triggered by preset configuration parameters for time interval, In-Person method of contact, safe words or passkeys.
[0039] Use of biometrics for safe words or actions may employ unique identifiers such as angle of rotation to device, alternative hidden means of inputting passkeys or standard passwords as safe phrases or ‘send help’ signals. All non-match biometrics can be stored on cloud system for post processing related to tracking, analysis and matching to strengthen database and aid tracking of non-compliant users. Use of Biometric is automatically transmitted to cloud as indication of actual use even if user does not provide feedback of experience. This is an indication of use either confirmed or non-confirmed and has significance with regard to validating user is who they say they are. Post meeting, confirm return to ‘home’. Pre through Post meeting, confirm path along pre-described route. Map meeting path pre meeting. Map actual meeting path, store in cloud.
[0040] Optional features: Real physical address verification. Tie to location service for confirmation. Back ground check for personal confirmation. Anti-stalking protection. Post meeting follow through. Alibi for location, time, presence/location. “Parolee monitoring” by confirming physical presence/location on random or prescribed intervals. For location alibi confirmation, capture a photo of User, User submitting to biometric input, and background scene for anti-spoof additions. With every use consisting of the act of confirming biometrics of User A on User B's remote device is a confirmation of User A having been observed by User B at the location recorded by GPS. The credibility of User B is confirmation of User A's verification against spoofing the system. Histories of User A and User B will be recorded resulting in continued history building. This is a virtual ID, all users build a history based upon all the persons they interact with as either ‘vouching’ or being ID confirmed with a time, date and location stamp.
[0041] Leads to a concept of 7 degrees of separation in a virtual space. All of this without the requirement of a User entering direct contact information. Virtual ID may have no direct information of any User, only a history of interactions, a rating based upon in-person interactions, and possible biometrics for confirming User to Virtual ID. The system builds a webbing of associations. Used to facilitate in-person meetings through safe in-person introductions using: Virtual ID prior to meeting and initial in-person; Location coordination of meeting destination pre meeting and meeting time; Assist locating other meeting participants only within a small distance of meeting destination at meeting time. Small distance insures against pre or post meeting stalking. Verify user safety before, during and post meeting even through the return home. Extends to all aspects of coordinating an in-person meeting regarding location, time and safety. Sequence of events may be used. If User A has User B perform repeated verifications, quality of ratings is downgraded.
[0042] Uses
[0043] Package/product delivery acceptance both prior to delivery and at delivery as confirmation; Hail a cab; Order a pizza; Dating situations for in person meeting and pre-meeting acceptance; Party/meeting invitations; Confirm attendance; Voter confirmation; Reservation confirmation; Banking; ID confirmation for personal or group in-person meetings; ID confirmation prior to meeting for personal or group in-person meetings; and Deterrent against crime or misconduct of in-person meetings or related interactions. Threat of information used negatively against offends will prevent misuse. Guards against misrepresentation of personal information, impostors or substitutes making appearance. Can be used to present an Alibi based upon location, time and confirmed presence by meeting with other persons.
[0044] The system and methods above has been described in general terms as an aid to understanding details of preferred embodiments of the present invention. In the description herein, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of components and/or methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. Some features and benefits of the present invention are realized in such modes and are not required in every case. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the present invention.
[0045] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “a specific embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and not necessarily in all embodiments. Thus, respective appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in a specific embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specific embodiment of the present invention may be combined in any suitable manner with one or more other embodiments. It is to be understood that other variations and modifications of the embodiments of the present invention described and illustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and are to be considered as part of the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0046] It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings/figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed or rendered as inoperable in certain cases, as is useful in accordance with a particular application.
[0047] Additionally, any signal arrows in the drawings/Figures should be considered only as exemplary, and not limiting, unless otherwise specifically noted. Furthermore, the term “or” as used herein is generally intended to mean “and/or” unless otherwise indicated. Combinations of components or steps will also be considered as being noted, where terminology is foreseen as rendering the ability to separate or combine is unclear.
[0048] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0049] The foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed herein. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate. As indicated, these modifications may be made to the present invention in light of the foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention and are to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0050] Thus, while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures, and it will be appreciated that in some instances some features of embodiments of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth. Therefore, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the essential scope and spirit of the present invention. It is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular terms used in following claims and/or to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by the appended claims. | An automatic machine implemented identification and data processing, gathering and storage system and method. A system, method and computer program product for communicating peer-validated reputation information enabling users, including automated processing equipment and methods, to, among other things, make decisions of safe or unsafe personal interactions, such as participating in an in-person meeting. | 7 |
This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/935,811, filed Sep. 23, 1977, now abandoned, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application No. 60/051,769 filed on Jul. 7, 1997.
BACKGROUND
Civil and military authorities are in constant need for temporary fencing that is quick to erect. They need such fencing to control various levels of disorder in relation to crowd control, mob control, and riot control. Local and state prisons are especially in need of new ways to quickly control crowd disorder. Temporary fencing that is quick to erect is also needed for control and retention of animals in situations that could prove to be dangerous without it.
Currently in use is metal barbed wire that is rolled up in reels. The reels must be handle by personnel in order to unroll and deploy the wire. The unrolling and deploying of the wire requires great care by the personnel due to the sharp barbs. This presents a safety issue during the requirement for rapid deployment by civil and military authorities. Another issue is the storage of the wire on the reels prior to use. Since the reels could be stored for a long time before use, the wire and reels tend to rust and corrode, thereby hindering deployment for fencing.
An object of this invention is to provide a viable, practical and useful alternative to conventional metal barbed wire that is both portable and easily deployed and has a long storage shelf life. Another object of this invention is to provide a cost effective alternative to metal barbed wire that is reusable, recyclable and unaffected by climactic conditions. Another object of this invention is to provide a means for rapid deployment of a permanent or temporary barrier for situations as varied as repairing a breach in a fenced enclosure or providing a no-cross zone in event of civil disturbance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a barbed wire made up of a plastic wire having plastic barbs and a self deploying storage canister for barbed wire. The self-deploying storage canister includes a male half and a female half A male sleeve attached to the male half and a female sleeve attached to said female half. There is at least one containment latch to hold the halves together. An impact detonator which includes an explosive charge fits into the male sleeve. The barbed wire has a first end attached to the male sleeve and a second end attached to the female sleeve.
Deployment of the barbed wire is accomplished using the canister by
impacting the canister with a solid surface and activating the impact detonator. The detonating of the explosive charge blows the male and female halves in opposite directions while releasing the containment latch. As the male and female halves move away from each other, the barbed wire is deployed between the halves.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1a is a perspective view of plastic barbed wire according to the present invention;
FIG. 1b is a perspective view of another embodiment of plastic barbed wire according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view of a self-deploying storage canister according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the canister shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the canister shown in FIG. 2; and
FIG. 5 is an external view of the canister with a hair net mesh according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention provides a plastic barbed wire as an alternative to metal barbed wire, and an apparatus and method of quickly deploying the plastic barbed wire. As shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the plastic barbed wire 10 is made of a plastic wire 12 having a series of plastic barbs 14 along the length of the plastic wire 12. FIG. 1a shows one embodiment of the plastic barbed wire 10 having single barbs 14 which are alternative position and direction along the wire 12. The edges of the single barbs can range from blunt to sharp, depending on intended use. The FIG. 1b shows a second embodiment having plastic barbs 14 with multiple tips 15. The tips 15 of the plastic barbs 14 can range from being blunt to sharp, depending on the intended use. The plastic barbed wire 10 is a viable, practical and useful alternative to conventional metal barbed wire. It can be used in conjunction with standing metal barbed wire to re-enforce, close a breach or extend a perimeter length if needed. The plastic barbed wire 10 is light weight, easily deployable and effective. In addition, plastic barbed wire 10 has an extremely long shelf life under most conditions as it is resistant to rust and decay. Its cost is inexpensive as compared with Concertina Tape and classic metal barbed wire. The plastic barbed wire 10 can be stored in any convenient and readily accessible place by civil or police authorities.
Deployment of the plastic barbed wire 10 can be from a reel as for the metal barbed wire. Another means of storage and deployment according to the present invention is a self-deploying storage canister 16 as shown in FIGS. 2-5. FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the canister 16. The canister has a male half 18 and female half 20 which define the canister 16 as a whole. The canister halves 8,20 are molded in a semi-lunar shape with a cylindrical hollow male sleeve 22 projecting from the center of the male half 18 and a cylindrical hollow female sleeve 24 projecting from the center of the female half 20. As will be explained further in the specification, some type of securing device or method is needed to hold the male and female halves together. The male sleeve 22 slides into the female sleeve 24. thereby interconnecting when the canister halves 18,20 are assembled. As shown in FIG. 3, the plastic barbed wire 10 is coiled inside the closed canister 16. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, one end of the plastic barbed wire 10 is attached to the male half 18 at a point where the male sleeve 22 is molded into the male half 18. The other end of the plastic barbed wire 10 is attached to the female half 20 at a point where the female sleeve 24 is molded into the female half 20. Canister halves 18, 20 are fitted with containment latches 26 that keep halves 18, 20 together during transport.
Further shown in FIG. 3 is an impact detonator 28 with an explosive charge. The impact detonator 28 is placed in the male sleeve 22 so that when the male sleeve 22 is inserted into the female sleeve 24, the impact detonator 28 is located at the geographic center of the canister 16. When the canister 16 is deployed, impact with a solid surface actives the impact detonator 28, thereby detonating the explosive charge. The containment latches 26 are to be of a type that release or shear, thereby allowing the separation of the canister halves 18, 20 when detonation occurs. Once the impact detonator 28 is activated, the force from the detonation blows the male and female halves 18, 20 in opposite directions. As the male and female halves 18, 20 move away from each other, the plastic barbed wire 10 is deployed between the canister halves 18, 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the canister 16 could also have an insertion port 30 on the outside of the male half 18 leading to the male sleeve 22 that can be securely closed. This would allow for the impact detonator 28 to be inserted just before deployment, rather than storing the canister 16 with the impact detonator 28.
The canister halves 18, 20 are ideally made of a thin high impact plastic with reinforcement ribbing bars 32 molded on the inside of the halves 18, 20 for strength and stability. Envisioned sizes are 8"w×12"h, 8"w×18"h, 8"w×24"h, and 8"w×30"h. Delivery of the canister 16 is envisioned to be by hand launching, hand launching by an attached lanyard, rifle grenade launching, mortar launching or air drop. Therefore, the present invention provides a deployment system that is lightweight, can be hand carried, has multi-delivery methods and has a long "shelf life" under most conditions.
Another embodiment of the self-deploying canister 16' would include a plastic or nylon "hair net" mesh about the canister 16', as shown in FIG. 5. The "hair net" mesh would be designed to shear along the connection of the male and female halves 18', 20', so it would not impede nor alter deployment of the plastic barbed wire 10. The canister halves 18', 20' would not have the reinforcement bars 32 molded on the inner surface of the halves 18', 20'. The semi-lunar halves 18', 20' would be designed for deliberate fragmentation upon activation of the impact detonator 28. On surface impact of the canister 16', the impact detonator 28 activates and exerts an explosive pressure on the center area 34 of each half 18", 20" through the attached sleeves 22, 24. Each sleeve 22, 24 acts like a piston and rod, ramming through and free of the halves 18', 20' in opposite directions, thus carrying and deploying the continuous coil of plastic barbed wire 10. In the act of deployment, the sleeves 22, 24 and the uncoiling plastic barbed wire 10 will rip and fragment the canister halves 18', 20', thereby dispersing the fragments into the "hair net" mesh 35. The "hair net" mesh provides the following added benefits of: used as a hand hold for handling the canister 16', can be use to help stabilize the canister 16' in transit and used as a lanyard for hand launching the canister 16'.
While different embodiments of the invention has been described in detail herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to the embodiment could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements are illustrative only and are not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof. | The present invention provides a viable, practical and useful alternative to conventional metal barbed wire that is both portable and easily deployed and has a long storage shelf life. This alternative is a cost effective alternative to metal barbed wire that is reusable, recyclable and unaffected by climactic conditions. There present invention also provides a means for rapid deployment of a permanent or temporary barrier for situations as varied as repairing a breach in a fenced enclosure or providing a no-cross zone in event of civil disturbance. This means is a self-deploying storage canister for the plastic barbed wire which uses a explosive charge for deployment. | 5 |
This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending International Application PCT/RU97/00234 filed on Jul. 21, 1997 designating the United States.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to mechanical engineering, particularly, to engine designs, and, more particularly, to internal combustion engines, preferably of the two-stroke type with slot-type gas distribution.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Described in DE, A1, 3635873 is a two-stroke internal combustion engine with slot-type gas distribution and crankcase scavenging, comprising a crankcase with a single-throw shaft installed therein, and cylinders connected to the crankcase, each of the cylinders enclosing a piston with a pin connected to the shaft through a connecting rod, and each of the cylinders having exhaust ports communicating with an exhaust pipe, and scavenging ports communicating with a crank chamber through scavenging ports.
The problems with the prior art engine include its low fuel efficiency due to the fact that a fresh charge is emitted from the cylinder into the exhaust pipe during scavenging, and the overheating of exhaust port edges, the piston and the other working surfaces. These reasons prevent tuning the engine for the average efficient pressure.
Another conventional two-stroke engine with a slot-type scavenging comprises a crankcase with a single-throw shaft installed therein, and a cylinder connected to the crankcase and enclosing a piston with a pin connected to the shaft through a connecting rod, the cylinder having a scavenging port in communication with an inlet pipe, and an inlet/outlet port connected to an inlet/outlet passage, and a slide valve mounted within the inlet/outlet passage so that alternatively connect the passage with the inlet pipe and the exhaust pipe (SU, A1, 56419).
The above prior art overcomes many of the problems inherent in the operation process of the two-stroke engines, in particular: as compared to the previously mentioned prior art, the fresh charge emission from the cylinder during the scavenging is notably reduced owing to sealing the inlet/outlet passage by the slide valve; the cylinder charging is increased; and the temperature stress on the edges of the inlet/outlet port and a portion of the piston surface is reduced owing to cooling by fresh charge admitted through the slide valve, the inlet/outlet passage and the inlet/outlet port. However, the prior art engine fails to take full advantage of the significant prospects of improving the time-to-section of the inlet and exhaust parts.
US, A1, 5081961 (FIGS. 4.1-4.5) describes an internal combustion engine with slot-type gas distribution, comprising a crankcase with a single-throw shaft installed therein, a cylinder connected to the crankcase and enclosing a piston with a pin connected to the shaft through a connecting rod, the cylinder having two opposite inlet/outlet ports, each of the ports being connected with one of inlet/outlet passages, and each of the inlet/outlet passages having a rotary valve adapted to alternately connect the passage with an inlet and outlet pipes.
As compared to SU, A1,6419, this prior art engine provides the increased time-to-section ratio owing to the doubled number of slide valves, however, it fails to take full advantage of the possibility of increasing the time-to-section ratio; the variable volume of the crank chamber is not used as a receiver, and the compression chamber is not used for cooling and lubrication of the conversion mechanism in order to enhance the reliability of the engine firing and to cool the piston and the cylinder wall by a fresh charge. Taken together, the factors above prohibit the attainment of the highest specific characteristics in the piston engines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an engine having improved specific parameters and enhanced reliability.
The object of the invention is accomplished in an internal combustion engine with slot-type gas distribution, comprising a crankcase with a single-throw shaft installed therein, at least one cylinder connected to the crankcase and enclosing a piston with a pin connected to the shaft through a connecting rod, the cylinder having at least a pair of opposite inlet/outlet ports, each of the ports being connected with one of inlet/outlet passages, a slide valve mounted within each of the inlet/outlet passages so that to alternatively connect the passage with an inlet pipe and an exhaust pipe, wherein in accordance with the invention said slides are disposed at the opposite ends of the shaft, the cylinder has scavenging ports, and the crankcase defines a crank chamber communicating with the scavenging ports through scavenging passages and connected to the inlet pipe through the slide valve, the inlet/outlet passage and the inlet/outlet port uncovered by the lower edge of the piston as it ascends towards the top dead centre.
Each of the slide valves may be disposed in a cylindrical cavity and include a disk separator coaxial with the shaft and having a sealing over its radial surface, and a sector member disposed at an end face of the separator and contacting an end face of the crankcase, wherein said slide valve is mounted within the cavity so that to form an inlet receiver and an exhaust manifold that are connected with the inlet pipe and the exhaust pipe, respectively, said slide valve having an exhaust passage in the region of the sector member, and each of the inlet/outlet passages being made in the end face of the crankcase to periodically communicate with the exhaust manifold through the exhaust passage.
The sector member may be made in the form of a counter weight.
The piston pin may include a central cylindrical portion and cylindrical segments connected to opposite end faces of the central cylindrical portion and mating segment recesses made in the inner surface of the piston, the cylindrical segments being connected to the piston by threaded members.
The piston may be provided with guide rollers which are mounted on shafts in the piston symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the pin, so that to contact the cylinder inner surface which defines races for the rollers.
A pair of the rollers may be mounted on each side of the piston.
The scavenging ports may be made at two sides of each of the races.
The crank chamber may be defined by an inner surface of a cylindrical groove in the crankcase, said groove being coaxial to the shaft and communicating through a bypass passage with an under-piston cavity defined by inner surfaces of the cylinder and the piston.
The bypass passage of the under-piston cavity may be provided in the rocking plane of the connecting rod, while a part of the pin central cylindrical portion is arranged within the crank chamber when the piston is in the region of the bottom dead centre.
Parts of the rollers may be received in the bypass passage when the piston is in the region of the bottom dead centre.
The single-throw shaft may include two disk-shaped webs and a crank pin which is connected to the webs eccentrically about the shaft rotation axis, rolling bearings being mounted on the external surfaces of the webs and located within the cylindrical groove in the crankcase, and a bearing bush of a lower head of the connecting rod being arranged between the webs on the crank pin.
The crank chamber may be provided with disk seals disposed within the crankcase cylindrical groove in the plane perpendicular to the shaft rotation axis, said seals being secured on the crank pin.
The seal may include a slit spring collar contacting an inner surface of the cylindrical groove, and two disk membranes mounted with an axial gap relative to the spring collar at two sides thereof and fixed on the crank pin, the membranes having an external diameter lesser than the diameter of the cylindrical groove and greater than the internal diameter of the spring collar.
A disk spacer may be secured on the crank pin between the membranes, the spacer having a width greater than the width of the spring collar.
Joint nuts may be screwed on the both ends of the crank pin.
The engine may be a multicylinder engine, wherein the bushes of the bearing of the lower heads of the connecting rods are sequentially mounted on the crank pin.
The axes of the cylinders may be disposed radially to the shaft rotation axis.
The engine may comprise a charger connected to the inlet pipe, the crank chamber being in permanent communication with the under-piston cavities in each of the cylinders.
The seals may be mounted at both sides of the bearing bush of the lower head of each of the connecting rods so as to define a variable volume chamber between each pair of the seals, communicating with the under-piston cavity of one of the cylinders through the bypass passage.
The shaft may be provided with an intermediate support having a eccentric opening in which the crank pin is located, an additional rolling bearing being mounted on the support and disposed in the cylindrical groove in the crankcase.
The inlet and outlet pipes may be made in the form of pipe branches arranged between the cylinders in parallel with the shaft rotation axis.
The pipe branches of the inlet pipe may communicate with the inlet receivers through radial channels made in the crankcase.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a single-cylinder engine;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a multicylinder engine in accordance with claim 18;
FIG. 3 is a similar view of the embodiment in accordance with claim 19;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken through line A--A of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken through line B--B of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken through line C--C of FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is an illustration of an embodiment of a piston and a piston pin;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken through line D--D of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken through line E--E of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is an illustration of an arrangement of the crank chamber seals;
FIG. 11 is a similar view illustrating an embodiment of the seal;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken through line F--F of FIG. 4;
FIG. 13 illustrates the operation of the engine in accordance with invention at the instant of beginning the exhaust;
FIG. 14 is a similar view showing the slide valve position through line B--B of FIG. 2;
FIG. 15 illustrates the operation at the instant of scavenging and commencing the admission of a fresh charge into the cylinder;
FIG. 16 is a similar view showing the slide valve position through line B--B of FIG. 2;
FIG. 17 illustrates the operation at the instant of compressing the charge in the cylinder and commencing the admission of the fresh charge into the crank chamber;
FIG. 18 is a similar view showing the slide valve position through line B--B of FIG. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, an engine in accordance with the present invention comprises a crankcase 1 defining a crank chamber 2, a single-throw shaft 3, a cylinder 4 enclosing a piston 5 with a pin 6 connected to the shaft 3 through a connecting rod 7, and slide valves 8 mounted at the opposite ends of the shaft 3. The cylinder 4 has scavenging ports 9 in communication with the crank chamber 2 via scavenging passages 10, and inlet/outlet ports 11 connected with an inlet/outlet passages 12. Mounted within each of the inlet/outlet passages 12 is the slide valve 8 adapted to alternately connect the passages 12 with an inlet pipe 13 and an exhaust pipe 14, and connect the crank chamber 2 with the inlet pipe 13 through passages 12 and ports 11 uncovered by a lower edge of the piston 5 as it ascends towards the top dead centre.
Each of the slide valves 8 is located within a cylindrical cavity 15 and includes a disk separator 16 coaxial to the shaft 3 and having a sealing 17 over its radial surface, and a sector member 18 disposed at an end face of the separator 16 and contacting the end face of the crankcase 1. The slide valve 8 is mounted within the cavity 15 so that to form an inlet receiver 19 and an exhaust manifold 20 connected with the inlet pipe 13 and the exhaust pipe 14, respectively. In the region of the sector member 18, the slide valve 8 has an exhaust passage 21, while each of the inlet/outlet passages 11 is arranged in the end face of the crankcase 1 so that to periodically communicate with the exhaust manifold 20 via the exhaust passage 21. The sector member 18 may be made in the form of a counter weight.
The piston pin 6 may include a central cylindrical portion 22 and cylindrical segments 23 that are connected to the opposite end faces of the portion 22 and mate segment recesses 24 which are provided in the inner surface of the piston 5, the segments 23 being connected to the piston 5 through threaded members 25.
The piston 5 may be provided with guiding rollers 26 which are mounted on shafts 27 in the piston symmetrically over the longitudinal axis of the pin 6 so that to contact the cylinder 4 inner surface which defines races 28 for the rollers 26. A pair of the rollers 28 may be mounted on each side, and the scavenging ports 9 are arranged at two sides of each of the races 28.
The crank chamber 2 may be defined by the inner surface of a cylindrical groove 29 provided in the crankcase 1, the cylindrical groove 29 being coaxial to the shaft 3 and communicating through a bypass passage 30 with an under-piston cavity 31 defined by inner surfaces of the cylinder 4 and the piston 5. The bypass passage 30 is arranged in the rocking plane of the connecting rod 7 and receives parts of the central portion 22 of the pin 6 and parts of rollers 26 when the piston 5 is in the region of the bottom dead centre. A part of the portion 22 may be also arranged within the cavity defined by the cylindrical groove 29 in the crankcase 1.
The shaft 3 may include two disk-shaped webs 32 and a crank pin 33 connected to the webs eccentrically about the shaft 3 rotation axis. Rolling bearings 34 are mounted within the cylindrical groove 29 on external surfaces of the webs 32, and a bush 35 of a bearing of a lower head 36 of the connecting rod 7 is arranged between the webs 32 on the crank pin 33.
The crank chamber 2 may be provided with disk seals 37 disposed within the cylindrical groove 29 in the crankcase 1 in the plane perpendicular to the shaft 3 rotation axis, and secured to the crank pin 33. The seal 37 may include a slit spring collar 38 contacting the inner surface of the cylindrical groove 29, and two disk membranes 39 disposed with an axial gap relative to the spring collar 38 at two sides thereof and fixed to the crank pin 33. The external diameter of the membranes 39 is lesser than the diameter of the cylindrical groove 29 and greater than the internal diameter of the spring collar 38. A disk spacer 40 having a width greater than that of the spring collar 38 may be secured on the crank pin 33 between the membranes 39.
Joint nuts 41 may be screwed on both ends of the crank pin 33.
The engine may be a multicylinder engine, wherein bushes 35 of the bearings of the lower heads 36 of the connecting rods 7 are sequentially mounted on the crank pin 33. The engine may comprise a charger (not shown) connected to the inlet pipe 13, the crank chamber 2 being in a permanent communication with the under-piston cavities 21 of each of the cylinders 4, or the seals 37 may be mounted at both sides of the bush 35 of the bearing of each connecting rod 7 so that to define between each pair of the seals 37 a variable volume chamber 42 in communication with the under-piston cavity 31 of one of the cylinders through the bypass passage 30.
The axes of the cylinders 4 may be disposed radially to the shaft 3 rotation axis, i.e. in the star-shape arrangement if their number is more than two.
The shaft 3 may be provided with an intermediate support 43 having an eccentric opening 44 within which the crank pin 33 is located. A supplementary rolling bearing 45 is disposed on the support 43 within the cylindrical groove 29 in the crankcase 1.
The inlet 13 and outlet 14 pipes may be made in the form of branch pipes disposed between the cylinders 4 in parallel with the shaft 3 rotation axis, the branch pipes of the inlet pipe 13 being in communication with the inlet receivers 19 through radial channels 46 provided in the crankcase 1.
An engine in accordance with the present invention operates in the following manner. At the end of the expansion of combustion products in the cylinder 4, the upper edge of the piston 5 as the latter descends towards to the bottom dead centre uncovers the inlet/outlet ports 11 to commence the exhaust of spent gases from the cylinder 4 simultaneously through two inlet/outlet passages 12, the exhaust passages 21 in the slide valve 8 and the exhaust manifolds 20 into the exhaust pipe 14 (see FIGS. 12 and 13). As the piston 5 continues its motion towards the bottom dead centre, its upper edge uncovers the scavenging ports 9 to commence the admission of a compressed fresh charge into the cylinder 4 and to force out residual spent gases to the inlet/outlet ports 11, thereby scavenging the cylinder 4 cavity. At the end of the exhaust, the slide valves 8 rotate and interrupt the communication between the passages 12 and the exhaust manifolds 20 to terminate the exhaust process, and the fresh charge forced out during the scavenging from the cylinder 4 to the passages 12 either enters again the inlet pipe 13, or, depending on the slide valve design, is entrapped within the inlet/outlet passages 12, generating thereby a pressure wave directed towards the inlet/outlet ports 11 and preventing further escape of the fresh charge from the cylinder 4. Wastes of the fresh charge through the exhaust pipe 14 are thus eliminated which significantly improves the engine efficiency. It the engine comprises a charger (not shown), upon the exhaust have been finished, the admission of a compressed fresh charge into the inlet/outlet passages 12 from the inlet pipe 13 via the inlet receiver 19 commences, and the cylinder 4 is charged simultaneously through all ports (9 and 11) in the cylinder 4, enabling the appropriate forced aspiration of the two-stroke engine up to a required degree (see FIGS. 14 and 15). In this embodiment of the operation process, the time-to-section ratio of the ports 9 and 11 is several times greater than the maximum time-to-section ratio possible in four-stroke engines. The charging process continues even when the piston 5 ascends from the bottom dead centre until its upper edge sequentially covers first the scavenging ports 9 and then the inlet/outlet ports 11, whereupon the process of compressing the fresh charge in the cylinder 4 commences. As the piston 5 continues its movement from the bottom dead centre, the lower edge of the piston 5 uncovers the inlet/outlet ports 11, and a fresh charge is admitted into the crank chamber 2 from the inlet pipe 13 via an inlet receivers 19 and the passages 12 either due to negative pressure in the chamber 2 or under the pressure created by the charger (see FIGS. 16 and 17). As this takes place, the combustion products are combusted and expanded in the cylinder 4 above the piston 5, whereupon the cycle repeats.
The slide valves 8 operate as follows. The disk separator 16 of each of the slide valves 8 permanently divides the cavity 15 into the inlet receiver 19 and the exhaust manifold 20 using the radial seal 17 mating the inner cylindrical surface of the cavity 15. The sector member 18 of the slide valve 8 is in permanent contact with the end face of the crankcase 1, and the exhaust passage 21 provided in the slide valve 8 is arranged at the same radius about the rotation axis of the shaft 3 as the passage 12 provided in the end face of the crankcase 1. When the passages 21 and 12 align within a predetermined range of the rotation angle of the slide valve 8, the cylinder 4 cavity communicates with the exhaust pipe 14, and the exhaust occurs. In the absence of the communication between the passages 21 and 12, both of the inlet/outlet passages 12 are in permanent communication with the inlet pipe 13 via the inlet receivers 19 and the radial channels 46.
Thus, the task of increasing the charging of the engine cylinder 4 is solved by pre-charging the crank chamber 2 with the substantially simultaneous admission of a fresh charge into the cylinder 4 both through the scavenging ports 9 and the inlet/outlet ports 11, which ensures about the twofold increase in the inlet time-to-section ratio as compared to the most pertinent prior art (US, A1, 5981961).
The effect is also attained owing to decreased mechanical losses for driving the charger, or due to abandoning the charger at all (the use being made of the suction and compression effects in the crank chamber 2), or owing to the more even admission of the compressed charge (except the short intervals during the periods of sealing the port 11 by the side surface of the piston 5) which lowers the required increase in the charger pressure and flow rate, and, in the case of employing a centrifugal charger, improves its operation conditions in terms of gas dynamics. The fresh charge admission occurs in the substantially uninterrupted manner even in a single-cylinder engine.
The improved time-to-section ratio of an internal combustion engine makes it possible to increase the rotation frequency of its shaft without the decrease in the efficient power. This result is provided by the reduced time for charging the cylinder and the decreased hydraulic losses.
The possibility of additionally admitting a fresh charge via the crank chamber 2 provided by the operation process in accordance with the invention ensures the threefold increase in the amount of cold charge pumped through the exhaust elements. It enables all excess heat which has not managed to penetrate into the material depth to be removed from the surface of the hottest parts (edges of the ports 11, passage 12 wall and the piston 5), and, hence, improves operational parameters of the process, also owing to the increased charging of the engine cylinder, without adverse effects to its operation reliability. Additionally, the employment of the crank chamber 2 in the operation process ensures a drastic decrease in the thermal stress of the entire piston 5 not only due to fanning its walls with the cold charge through the ports 9 and 1, but also due to the intense cooling of the piston inner surface by the fresh charge admitted into the crank chamber 2 and compressed therein, and by scavenging.
The alignment between the rotation axes of the slide valve 8 and the shaft 3 permits the dimensions of the exhaust passage 21 to be best fitted to the engine gas distribution phases without substantial degradation in the weight and dimension characteristics. As to the conventional engines (References 2 and 3), the slide valve shapes and arrangement prohibit the improvement in the time-to-section ratio of the passages switched by them.
In addition, the alignment between the slide valve and shaft axes makes it possible to install a counter weight on the slide valve. The possibility of installing the counter weight at a relatively large rotation radius essentially lowers the weight being balanced, and the selected relative arrangement of the piston 5 and the sector member 18 permits the employment of the latter as the counter weight. In so doing, the removal of the counter weights from the crank chamber 2 provides the possibility of making the chamber more compact and minimizing the idle space therein. Thus, the technical approach above results in the essential improvement of the specific weight and dimension characteristics of the engine.
The provision of the piston 5 with the guiding rollers 26 contacting the races 28 in the cylinder 4 ensures, at the traditional minimum number of piston collars in two-stroke engines, the essential reduction in the mechanical losses in the cylinder and piston assembly. In addition to the solution of the direct technical task, the presence of the rollers allows the essential reduction in the height of the piston guiding part owing to the reduced stalling torque acting on the piston. As in the operation of the described engine there is no need to seal the exhaust ports by the piston lower part, the height-to-diameter ratio of the piston may be brought to 1/3.
The stepped shape of the piston pin 25 with cylindrical segments 28 makes it possible, through the provision of the central portion 22 having the largest diameter and the minimum width possible, to raise the pin load capacity without increasing the weight thereof. The piston 5 can be brought as close to the shaft 3 as possible owing to the fact that the central portion 22 is received, through the bypass channel, in the cylindrical groove 29 in the crankcase 1 and the rollers 26 are partially received in the passage 30.
As the scavenging ports 9 are arranged at both sides of the races 28 for the rollers 26, the intense fanning of the latter by fresh charge at scavenging, and the admission of the fresh charge through the ports 11 obviates the problems of cooling both the rollers 26 and the cylinder-and-piston assembly as a whole.
The arrangement of the bearings 34 of the shaft 3 on the external surfaces of the webs 32 allows the supports of the shaft 3 to be ultimately brought together, providing maximum rigidity of the crank pin 33, which increases the life of the bearings of the lower head 36 of the connecting rod 7. This is the optimum design of the shaft 3 in the case of a short-stroke engine.
The provision of the disk seals 37 at two sides of the bush 35 of the bearing on the lower head 36 of the connecting rod 7 eliminates the problems of sealing the crank chamber 2 and reducing its idle space, by defining an annular cavity in the chamber 42 having a width which is slightly greater than that of the connecting rod 7 (see FIG. 3). The composite form of the seals 37 makes their assembly easier and improves the air-tightness of the chamber 2. The seals operate in the following manner. Owing to its radial flexibility, the spring collar 30 is reliably fixed against cranking relative to the surface of the groove 29 in the crankcase 1. The membranes 39 and the spacer 40 in combination with the bush 35 are fixed against cranking relative to the crank pin 33, e.g. by a spline (not shown), and revolve together with the pin about the shaft 3 axis. As the membranes 39 are mounted with a gap relative to the spring collar 38, a labyrinth between them provides the sealing at minimum mechanical losses, and at the instant of the pressure increase in the chamber 42 between the seals 37 the membranes intermittently urge against the spring collar 38 and improve the air-tightness of the cavity.
In a multicylinder engine, for example, with the star-shape arrangement, a fresh charge may be admitted into the crank chamber 2 under a constant pressure to cool and lubricate the crank and connecting rod mechanism. In this embodiment (see FIG. 2), the chamber 2 is employed as an additional fresh charge receiver from which, in order of the cylinder operation, the fresh charge is fed under pressure through the under-piston cavity 31, scavenging passages 10 and ports 11 to accomplish scavenging.
In another embodiment (see FIG. 3), the seals 37 are additionally installed between the bushes 35 to seal the chambers 42 each of which is in communication with one of the cylinders 4 through the bypass passage 30. It enables the fresh charge suction and compression strokes to be accomplished in each chamber 42 before scavenging the cylinder, and provides a chance of essentially enhancing the reliability of the engine starting as compared to the previous embodiment.
The provision of a supplementary support 43 contributes to rigidity of the shaft 3 in multicylinder engines and in engines tuned for an average efficient pressure, e.g. in diesels.
The arrangement of the inlet 13 and outlet 14 pipes along the shaft 3 axis between the cylinders 4 ensures the integration of each cylinder passages into a common system without the increase in the dimensions, and the attachment of the gas distribution systems of several engines when they are integrated into a multimodule structure. In addition, such arrangement of branch pipes improves the intensity of fanning the cylinder at air cooling.
Therefore, the engine in accordance with present invention overcomes the major problems encountered in designing engines, particularly:
the efficiency of a two-stroke engine is markedly improved as compared to a four-stroke engine, since charge wastes during scavenging are eliminated through the use of slide valves, the mechanical losses being lesser in the two-stroke engine;
the restrictions on charging the cylinders of a two-stroke engine are eliminated which allows the forced aspiration of the engine up to a required degree owing to both the provision of slide valves sealing the cylinder cavity, and the intense cooling of the engine interior, which permits the engine to be tuned for an average efficient cycle pressure without the reduction in life;
the shaft speed range is extended as compared to the engines having a compatible working volume of one cylinder, which allows the engine to be uprated owing to both the extended gas distribution phases owing to the use of slide valves, and the short-stroke design of the engine;
the engine life and its mechanical efficiency are increased owing to changing over the majority of sliding couples to rolling couples (except for the cylinder-and-piston collar couple);
the engine reliability is improved owing to the extremely simple overall kinematics (especially evident in a multicylinder arrangement), the maximum rigidity of the conversion mechanism, and the considerably reduced loads in the engine with the star-shape arrangement, achieved only in the two-stroke process, which permits the mechanism in accordance with invention to be used in a two-stroke engine tuned for performance;
the engine weight and dimension characteristics are considerably improved owing to the possibility of uprating and tuning the engine for an average efficient pressure, and to the reduced dimensions and, consequently, the weight.
Industrial Applicability
The present invention can be employed in designing and manufacturing internal combustion engines with slot-type gas distribution. An engine in accordance with the invention resolves the basic problems inherent to the engines, such as the inferior efficiency of two-stroke engines caused by great wastes of fresh charge during scavenging, and mechanical losses for driving a charger, the high thermal stress of the piston and the exhaust system components. The engine specific weight and dimension characteristics are comparable to those of gas-turbine engines, while the engine in accordance with the invention is more efficient and reliable, less expensive and has a simpler structure. | The present invention pertains to the field of engine construction and relates to internal combustion engines with scavenging and more precisely to two-stroke engines. At the beginning of the exhaust stroke, the exhaust gases are expelled from the engine cylinder through inlet and outlet ports, inlet and outlet passages and slide valves into an exhaust pipe. Scavenging ports are then uncovered by an upper edge of the piston and used to feed a fresh charge into the cylinder from the crank chamber while the cylinder cavity is scavenged. After expelling the exhaust gases from the cylinder cavity, the slide valves rotate to interrupt the communication between the cylinder cavity and exhaust manifold. Upon further rotation of the slide valves, the cylinder cavity is connected with the inlet pipe through the same gas-distribution organs used for the exhaust gas outlet, i.e. the inlet and outlet ports, the inlet and outlet passages and the slide valves. A fresh charge can thus be fed into the cylinder through all the ports it comprises, whereby the cylinder of a two-strike engine may be charged without any losses in the charges and with the appropriate preliminary compression ratio. | 8 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to Ser. No. 08/329,467, CORDLESS TELEPHONE SYSTEM HAVING AUTOMATIC CONTROL, filed Oct. 26, 1994 which is now U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,623; Ser. No. 08/329,435, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FREQUENCY BASED ACQUISITION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BETWEEN TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER, filed Oct. 26, 1994 which is now U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,410; and Ser. No. 08/570538, TIME DIVISION MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM INCLUDING MEANS FOR REDUCING UNDESIRED ECHOES RESULTING FROM CIRCUIT DELAYS, filed Dec. 12, 1995, which is now U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,848, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. These applications are commonly assigned.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and system for providing a frequency hopping communications system and more particularly to such a system which adaptively reallocated channel usage based on a fixed time slot assigned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There presently exists a requirement that any frequency hopping system has at least 50 channels in any hopping cycle. In the past, other systems have dealt with the algorithm or the decision-making process of choosing an alternate channel for replacing a bad channel by various systems. One system, as referenced in Gillis, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,447, dated Jun. 21, 1994 has a first set of 50 channels and a second set of pseudo-randomly chosen channels. In Gillis, et al., if a bad channel is detected in the first set of 50 channels, a substitute channel, chosen from the second set, is offered up by the base unit. The second set of channels, as per Gillis, et al., is approximately ten channels that are set aside as backup channels. Thus, any one of these ten "spare" channels can be substituted by the base unit only. The base would issue a command to a handset telling the handset to change to a selected one of the new secondary channels in response to a detection of a bad channel by either the base or the handset.
The manner in which a bad channel is detected in the base or in the handset is well known in the art. One way this is done is the detection of a Barker sequence or, a Willard sequence, which is a known sequence such that it is distinct from random noise. The detection of this "special" sequence in every frame or the lack of any detection of this sequence would be cause to mark a channel as bad.
Another method of detecting a faulty channel would be as part of the security code that is passed between the units or through a control channel, or encoded into each frame.
Other methods for detecting faulty channels would be to employ Receive Signal Strength Indicators to indicate the power of the signal. Other possibilities that could be used would be to use a clock recovery circuit to determine clock skew. If clock skew is out of a useable range, then that could be an indication of jamming or a possible fading which would indicate a bad channel.
A problem associated with the prior art is that the choice of a secondary group of ten frequencies pseudo-randomly chosen results in a situation where there is no system-wide coordination. In other words, if there is more than one system of this type on the air at any given time in a given physical space, there would be no coordination between them from time slot to time slot. Thus, when a substitution occurs, the substitute channel could very likely be in use by another system during the same time slot.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are achieved in a system and method where frequencies are selected for substitution in a frequency hopping system by reference to time slots. Time slots are used to indicate each channel's position in a 50-channel cycle. Each time slot has four groups of channels associated with it. In our embodiment, each group would have 50 channels.
The efficacy of this system and method in terms of the problems that it solves is as follows:
In the situation where two channels are set aside for initial synchronization, the inventive system uses 50 channels from a "home" group. These 50 "home" channels are the channels used for synchronization in keeping with government regulations regarding broadcasting in a frequency hopping system.
All units have the same channel assignment for each time slot. Once the signal has been acquired by either the handset receiving a signal initiated by the base or by a base unit receiving a signal initiated by the handset, the system switches to the second group frequency set. It is assumed that all frequencies in the second group are good. For convenience, the first group is referred to as A, the second B, the third C, and the fourth D. Accordingly, each group has 50 time slots numbered 1-50 (i.e. A1, A2, A3, etc.). The system then hops from B1 through the sequence B2, B3, B4, etc. It should not be assumed that these frequencies are sequential in terms of where they lie in the frequency band. Channel B1 could be, for instance, at 910 MHz and channel B2 could be, for instance, at 903 MHz.
The reason that it is important that Groups B, C and D are allotted for the actual talking mode and Group A allocated for the home channel mode will be illustrated as follows: One unit comes online, acquires a lock and switches to the Group B channels. By way of example, let us assume that in Group B time slot 2, which is called channel B2, is found to interfere. In this situation channel C2 would substitute for channel B2. Channel C2 is a known channel. If channel C2 is shown to be bad, the next time through the cycle channel D2 is substituted for channel C2. Since the home channel (Group A) acquisition scheme is much more fragile than the tracking scheme, it is therefore important that these channels be used only when all else fails. It is the employment of four groups of 50 channels each that are carefully selected and the same from every unit to every other unit that allows the system to systematically keep these home channels clear.
Another problem that is solved by this system and method is that by predetermining the hop distance, i.e., predetermining what channel is assigned to A1 and what channel is assigned to A2 and what channel is assigned to B1 and to B2, etc., the channels are always spaced a proper distance apart and thus any interference possibility is reduced.
There is an algorithm that we may employ in a claim that actually breaks the spectrum into distinct subbands and jumps from subband to subband, but we can discuss that later.
So, it is another benefit of this invention that we guarantee frequency diversity from hop to hop.
A third problem that arises is when multiple users are present in a shared space. It is beneficial that these users be able to, for lack of a better word, chase each other from time slot to time slot. To illustrate, I give the following example. If user A comes on at time T0 and user B comes on at time T0 plus one frame, user A would be on time slot 2 when user B is still on time slot 1. By keeping them in these specific and distinct time slots, they can essentially chase each other around the cycle without ever hitting one another. If they have to substitute channels, they substitute them within their own time slot, never out of their time slot, so that there is never contention from time slot to time slot. This way we can pack the maximum amount of users in the band, unlike the Gillis method of randomly or pseudo-randomly choosing alternates which cross time slot to time slot. In other words, in time slot 2, user A could possibly have the same frequency, say channel 10, as user B has in that same time slot 40, which would be problematic.
Because oscillators in each unit are not time locked to one another, it is possible for the units to creep up on one another so they will not synchronously follow each other in time. This problem, which is referred to as channel, or time creep, is handled separately.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is a particular characteristic that if either the base or the handset senses a bad channel (through either interference or lack of signal quality), either can initiate a change to a different channel for a given slot. Both the base and the handset carry a hop table in their respective memories since every unit has the same hop channel sequence. Thus, the unit that detects the interference can easily determine that it has been interfered with, and it efficiently requests that the other unit, be it the base or the handset, change the assignment of a bad time slot from one group to another group. This allows for a much easier signaling scheme.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention having first and second communications units;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one of the communications units in FIG. 1 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 shows a chart of four groups of channels;
FIG. 4 shows the frequency assignment for each channel;
FIG. 5 shows one random assignment of frequency assignments for each slot of each group; and
FIGS. 6 and 7 show sequences for obtaining the proper channel spacing.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1, a communications system embodying the present invention will be described.
Communication system 10 includes a base unit 12 and a remote unit 14.
Base unit 12 receives its power from the alternating current power supply by the power utility on lines 16 and is connected to a public switching telephone network (PSTN) 18. Also, base unit 12 includes an antenna 19 for communications with remote unit 14. Remote unit 14 communicates with base unit 12 by transmission and reception of radio frequency signals through antenna 22. Remote unit 14 also may include a microphone 24 and a speaker or earpiece 26 for conversion of signals between sound and electronic form. In addition, remote unit 14 may also include a keypad of the DTMF type.
Referring now to FIG. 2, one unit of communication system 10, for example remote unit 14, will be described in greater detail.
It should be noted that the communications functions, including transmit power and frequency control described with reference to remote unit 14 will be the same for base unit 12. Base unit 12 may or may not include a keyboard 28 and most likely will not include a microphone 24 and an ear piece or speaker 26 as does the remote unit 14.
Remote unit 14 communicates with base station 12 through RF transceiver 210 which receives signals from and transmits signals to base unit 12 through antenna 22. The RF transceiver provides a frequency synthesizer, an RF receiver, an RF transmitter and modulation and demodulation functions in remote unit 14. Burst mode device 212 communicates with transceiver 210 to control burst mode operation to recover clock signals and to synchronize data frames between the base unit 12 and the remote unit 14. Burst mode unit 212 also controls sequencing and outputting of data from the VOICE CODEC. VOICE CODEC contains a Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) codec-filter. The name codec is an acronym from "COder" for the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) used to digitize voice and the "DECoder" for the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) used for reconstructing voice. A codec is a single device used for digitizing and reconstructing the human voice. Typically, the voice is quantized with an 8-bit word at a sampling rate of 8 KHz yielding a serial data rate of 64 kbps.
64 kbps PCM codecs are widely known in the art and are readily available from manufacturers such as Motorola, OKI of Japan and Texas Instruments.
The burst mode device 212 has as a fundamental frequency control a master clock 214 which provides timing signals to permit the burst mode device 212 to generate clocking signals to other functional units in remote unit 14. The BMD provides bit timing and frame timing recovery. A digital phase lock loop (DPLL) within the BMD extracts the bit timing from the signal by measuring the time interval between zero crossings of the receive signal. With bit timing established, a correlator is used to detect the presence of a 24-bit unique word sequence embedded in the transmission stream. Detection of the 24-bit unique word identifies framing boundaries. Also embedded in the transmission stream is a 24-bit unique ID which prevents synchronization with an undesired system. The BMD uses the recovered frame timing to correctly position the transmit and receive bursts within the frame.
The operation of burst mode devices in TDD applications is widely known in the art. They are used in second generation cordless telephone systems (CT2) and the Digital European Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) system. Burst mode devices for these systems are manufactured by Motorola, Philips and VLSI Technology.
VOICE CODEC 216 converts sound information received by microphone 24 to electrical signals, amplifies the electrical audio frequency signals and converts the audio frequency signals to digital representation by means of an analog to digital converter (ADC). VOICE CODEC 216 also includes a digital to analog converter (DAC) for converting received information in digital form to analog form. An audio power amplifier amplifies the converted analog information and provides it to speaker 26 for conversion to sound for the user. A pulse code modulation technique is used in the ADC and in the DAC. The pulse trains are provided to the burst mode device 214 for storage in a transmit temporary storage device such as a FIFO buffer for transmission to transceiver 210 at an appropriate time to be transmitted in one or more transmission frames. Conversely, burst mode device 212 receives incoming data from RF transceiver 210 and stores the incoming data in pulse code format in a receive buffer which may be a FIFO buffer for transmission to the VOICE CODEC 216 for conversion to an analog signal for amplification and conversion to sound in speaker 26.
The functions described above for remote unit 14 and similarly for base unit 12 are controlled by mode control unit 218.
Mode control unit 218 includes a microprocessor such as a model 6805C8 commercially available microprocessor, a random access memory 220, and a read only memory 222. Mode control unit 218 is connected to keypad 28 for entry of DTMF signals and to burst mode device 212, VOICE CODEC 216 and to RF transceiver 210. MCU 218 controls all the functions in unit 14. For example, mode control unit 218 controls the phase lock loop (PLL) programming for transceiver 210, the frequency hopping pattern control, control channel signaling for synchronization, transmit power control for RF transceiver 210, mode control for RF transceiver 210 and other telephone features which are not significant to the present invention. Data related to mode control are stored in random access memory 220, which is a part of mode control unit 218, and bootstrap code and basic control code for microprocessor 6805C8 is stored in read only memory 222.
Frequency control coefficients for RF transceiver 210 are stored in random access memory 220 in mode control unit 218. A table in random access memory 220 stores the pattern of frequency hopping which will control transceiver 210.
MCU 218 also interprets data in the form of received signal strength indicator (RSSI). The RSSI signal and signals indicating channel quality are used to determine if low power signal frequency transmission is sufficient to maintain quality communication or if higher power frequency hopping transmission is required to maintain communication over the communication channel.
OPERATION OF FREQUENCY LOCKING TECHNIQUE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The communications system according to the present invention takes advantage of frequency hopping techniques and employs a group of 50 home channels. In this system which may be embodied by a wireless telephone system having a base unit and remote unit, both base and remote are in standby mode when not in communication. While in standby mode, both units scan a preselected group, such as Group A, of the channels attempting to get in a lock, or hopping mode. Once the system achieves lock, it switches from the A set of channels to the B set of channels as shown in FIG. 3.
Assuming that all of the channels in group B are functioning properly, then the base and the handset will hop from B1 to B2 to B3 to B4 to B5 etc. to B50 and then recycle starting at B1, B2, etc.
In the situation where a time slot, for example time slot 3, of the B group is bad, not functioning properly or having interference on the channel, the system will at the time slot 3 switch to use the frequency of C3. In such a situation, the sequence would be B1, B2, C3, B4, B5. Again, assuming that a channel such as B49 is determined to be bad, then the system would switch to C49 such that the sequence would be B1, B2, C3, B4, B5, etc., B48, C49, B50.
Assuming now that channel C3 as well as channel B3 is determined to be inoperative, then the sequence would be B1, B2, D3, B4, B5, etc., B48, C49, B50. As will be discussed, the channels next to each other, i.e. B1, B2, are not sequential channels in frequency and have been assigned to a specific frequency according to a table that is established in the memory of the unit at the time of manufacture. Note that channels (frequencies) can be determined to be inoperative by several well known means as discussed above. Also, provision can be made for the user to make a frequency (time slot) unavailable for certain periods of time.
FIG. 4 shows the channels 1-200 and the difference in frequency of 0.13 MHz per channel time slot.
FIG. 5 is a typical example of the frequencies by channel time slot that are in group A, group B, group C, and group D. Note that in every direction there is a spacing of at least 2 MHz so that there is a minimum of possible interference between channels. This takes into account the situation that when a channel is bad it is most likely a situation where frequencies around that channel will also be bad and therefore attempting to use a channel too close to the previously used channel would result in a further requirement for selecting another channel. This is avoided in the system and method of this invention.
ADAPTIVE FREQUENCY PLAN
Conditions:
Frequency Range--902-928 MHz
Bandwidth--26 MHz
Bandwidth/channel--13 MHz
Number of channels--200
Number of channel groups--4 (A, B, C, D)
Number of channels/group--50
Objectives:
Each consecutive frequency within a frequency group (set) should be spaced at least 13 MHz from the previous or following channel frequency in that group.
From group to group within any time slot (TS1-TS50), the channels should be spaced at least 2 MHz from each other.
Procedure:
1) Divide the channels (1-200) into 10 subbands
SB 1 =1-20 SB 2 =21-40 . . . SB 10 =181-200
2) Create random sequence of subbands
e.g. 1, 4, 10, 7, 3, 6, 9, 5, 2, 8.
3) Recursively position the random sequence through 50 channels to form a group as shown in FIG. 6.
4) Advance one place in random sequence and form next group as shown in FIG. 7.
5) Repeat step 4 for remaining groups.
6) 50 subband sequences should be created and, for each subband within each group, randomly select a distinct (not previously assigned) channel within that subband and assign that channel to a position in the group sequence until all 200 channels are distributed throughout the four channel groups.
The system could, of course, work with any number of groups and with any number of channels.
Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, 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 adaptive hopping system and method using preestablished frequency assignments in a plurality of time slot groups is used to allow all units to be manufactured with the same preset frequency assignments. The preset frequencies are such that there is a minimum distance, for example 2 MHz, between any adjacent time slot in the same time slot group and between corresponding time slots of a next adjacent time slot group. When a time slot in a time slot group is marked (for example for poor communication) the same time slot in the next adjacent time slot group is used in place of the marked time slot group. | 7 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an emulsion type sizing agent for carbon fibers and, more particularly, to a sizing agent which has excellent emulsion stability, which improves bundling properties of carbon fibers, has excellent heat stability, and which, when used for treating carbon fibers, can improve physical properties of a composite material containing the treated carbon fibers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Carbon fibers are generally produced in the form of filaments or a tow (a bundle of several hundreds to several hundred thousands of filaments). The filaments or tow are usually used in the form of a sheet or tape produced by disposing the filaments in one direction and adhesion-processing them, woven or knitted fabric, etc. Alternatively, they may be used by cutting them into a length of several mm to several tens of mm. During processing steps for obtaining these fiber products, the use of carbon fibers in an as-produced form is liable to cause fluffing, leading to inferiority in handling. In order to prevent carbon fibers from fluffing, a sizing agent is usually applied to the carbon fibers to increase their bundling properties.
Sizing agents for carbon fibers are classified into two types. One type is a solution type as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,806,489, 3,914,504 and 3,837,904. The solution type is comprised of an organic resin such as polyvinyl alcohol, vinyl acetate polymer, acrylic polymer, polyurethane, epoxy resin or polystyrene dissolved in an organic solvent. The other type is an emulsion type as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,457, which comprises the above-described organic resin dispersed in water with the aid of an emulsifier. The solution type sizing agents require a large amount of organic solvent, and hence they are disadvantageous from the standpoints of economy, safety, and hygiene. Accordingly, emulsion type sizing agents are ordinarily used.
When depositing an emulsion type sizing agent onto carbon fibers, agents which have a solid concentration of about 0.1% to about 15% are employed in some cases. Sizing agents having such a low solid concentration have inferior emulsion stability (or emulsification stability). Furthermore, when applying emulsified particles onto carbon fibers having a low surface energy by using an emulsion type sizing agent for sizing, application specks are often created. Therefore, only fiber bundles with poor bundling properties are obtained. Furthermore, the heat stability of the sizing agent is decreased by the effects of the emulsifying agent used. This leads to deterioration of the physical properties of a carbon fiber-reinforced composite material obtained. These effects are caused by using carbon fibers which have been treated with these types of sizing agents, and, for example, a thermosetting or thermoplastic resins as a matrix material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a sizing agent for carbon fibers, which is excellent in emulsion stability and heat stability, a process for its preparation, and a method for using it.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sizing agent for carbon fibers, which can impart excellent bundling properties to carbon fibers, a process for its preparation, and a method for using it.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sizing agent for carbon fibers, which can improve the physical properties of a composite material containing carbon fibers sized with the sizing agent, a process for its preparation, and a method for using it.
The sizing agent of the present invention is an aqueous emulsion type sizing agent for carbon fibers, which contains:
a compound represented by the following general formula (I): ##STR4## wherein A represents (C 2 H 4 O) l or (C 2 H 4 O) n (C 3 H 6 O) m [l is 18 to 70; n is 18 to 70; and m is 2 to 50 (l≦n/m≦35)];
a compound represented by the following general formula (II): ##STR5## wherein R represents C q H 2q+1 or ##STR6## (q is 10 to 18; and p is 15 to 70); and an epoxy resin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With respect to compounds represented by the general formula (I) wherein A represents an ethylene oxide polymer, the number of moles of added ethylene oxide (l) is 18 to 70. If the number of moles is less than 18 or more than 70, the emulsion stability tends to deteriorate due to a reduction in emulsifying power. Similarly, where A represents a block polymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, the number of moles of added ethylene oxide (n) must be within the range of 18 to 70, and the number of moles of added proopylene oxide (m) must be within the range of 2 to 50, with n/m being adjusted to be 1≦n/m≦35, preferably 10≦n/m≦25. The desired emulsion stability cannot be obtained unless all of these conditions are satisfied.
The oxyalkylene moiety A in the compound of the foregoing general formula (I) is either an ethylene oxide polymer or a block polymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. Particularly good emulsion stability can be obtained by properly selecting the number of moles of the added alkylene oxide depending upon the particular epoxy resin used. When an epoxy resin having a large molecular weight or a large viscosity is used, good emulsion stability of a sizing agent having a solid concentration (total wt% of substances other than water and solvent) as low as 1 to 2% can be obtained by raising the number of added moles. In order to obtain a sizing agent having a particularly high stability, a suitable number of moles of added alkylene oxide can be determined by preparing sizing agents using compounds of the general formula (I) having different numbers of added alkylene oxide and allowing them to stand in order to determine the amount of precipitated solids. The amount of precipitated solids formed when allowed to stand at 25° C. for one day is preferably not more than 5 wt% based on the weight of solids in the sizing agent (solids: substances other than water and solvent), particularly preferably 3 wt% or less. For example, when using "Epikote 828 (trade name)" supplied by Shell Chemical Co. having a viscosity of 120 to 150 poises at 25° C. and a molecular weight of 380, the number of moles of added ethylene oxide is suitably 20 to 25 and, when using "Epikote 1002" (trade name) having a viscosity of 1.65 to 2.75 poises at 25° C. as a 40 wt% solution of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether and a molecular weight of 1,060, and number of moles is suitably 30 to 50.
In the general formula (I), ##STR7## and --O--A--H may be in various positions of the tolylene group. Preferable substitution positions are shown below: ##STR8##
Illustrative of the compound represented by the general formula (I) include the following compounds: ##STR9##
In the compound represented by the general formula (II), the number of moles of added ethylene oxide is within the range of 15 to 70, with 16 to 30 being particularly preferable. If less than 15 moles are added the emulsion tends to have poor emulsifying power, whereas if more than 70 are added the resulting emulsion tends to have poor stability. Substituent R is an alkyl group having 10 to 18, preferably 12 to 16 carbon atoms or a phenyl group substituted by such an alkyl group. The substituent may be positioned at any of the o-, m-, or p-positions. If the alkyl group has carbon atoms outside the above-described range, the resulting emulsion tends to have deteriorated stability. In order to obtain a sizing agent having a particularly good emulsion stability, p should be increased if q is a larger number. Like n and m described hereinbefore, the numbers of moles of added alkylene oxide can be experimentally determined.
Illustrative of the compound represented by the general formula (II) include the following compounds: ##STR10##
In the present invention, combined use of the compound of the general formula (I) and the compound of the general formula (II) is necessary. The lack of either of the compounds fails to attain desired emulsion stability. Particularly with a sizing agent having a low solid concentration (as has been mentioned hereinbefore), good emulsion stability cannot be attained when either of the two compounds is not used.
The proportion of the two compounds used is desirably adjusted as follows: ##EQU1## particularly preferably ##EQU2## more preferably ##EQU3##
If the ratio of compound (I) to compound (II) is less than 1, emulsion stability is deteriorated. If the ratio of (I) to (II) is more than 19, emulsion stability is deteriorated and the physical properties of a composite material described hereinbefore containing carbon fibers treated with such a sizing agent can be deteriorated. Therefore, it is desirable to maintain the ratio of (I) to (II) as indicated above. The reason why the above-described mixing ratio of compound (I) to the compound (II) is preferable is believed to be as follows. Since compound (I) represented by the general formula (I) comprises hydrophilic groups of an ethylene oxide group and a hydroxy group and hydrophobic groups of ##STR11## group, it is somewhat different in interfacial energy from an epoxy resin which is hydrophobic. However, compounds represented by the general formula (II) have an epoxy group at the terminal end, and hence have an interfacial energy just intermediate that of the epoxy resin and that of the compound represented by the general formula (I). Accordingly, compound (II) is considered to function so as to bind the compound (I) and the resin physicochemically. This seems to create excellent stability even at a low solid concentration (0.1 to 15 wt%) at which ordinary epoxy resin-containing emulsions are unstable.
The compound of the general formula (I) can be obtained by adding ethylene oxide to a reaction product between styrene and methylphenol, or by a dehydration reaction with a block polymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. On the other hand, the compound represented by the general formula (II) can be obtained by reacting alkyl ether or alkyl-substituted phenyl ether with ethylene oxide, and reacting the terminal hydroxy group of the resulting ethylene oxide alkyl ether or ethylene oxide alkyl-substituted phenyl ether with epichlorohydrin.
Examples of epoxy resins incorporated in the sizing agent of the present invention include those which have been used for conventional sizing agents for carbon fibers. The epoxy resin used in the present invention may be a single copy resin, a mixture of two or more epoxy resins, or an epoxy resin or a mixture of two or more epoxy resins diluted with a diluent (diluent which liquefies a solid epoxy resin or reduces the viscosity of a highly viscous epoxy resin, as is described hereinafter). The epoxy resin, the mixture thereof and the epoxy resin diluted with a diluent have a viscosity of preferably 100 to 20,000 poises, more preferably 500 to 15,000 poises, at 45° C. Whe using carbon fibers treated with the sizing agent of the present invention for producing prepreg by impregnating the fibers with a resin, epoxy resins having a viscosity of 500 to 2,000 are preferable. When the fibers are used for producing woven fabric or felt, epoxy resins having a viscosity of 5,000 to 10,000 poises are preferable. If the viscosity of the epoxy resin, epoxy resin mixture, or diluted epoxy resin is less than 100 poises, the resulting sizing agent has a decreased ability with respect to imparting bundling properties to carbon fibers. However, if the viscosity is more than 20,000 poises, carbon fibers treated with such a sizing agent tend to fluff when handled.
Useful epoxy resins include, for example, glycidyl series epoxy resins such as bisphenol type epoxy resins obtained by the reaction between a bisphenol compound (e.g., bisphenol A, bisphenol F, 2,2'-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane, 2,2'-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane, etc.) and epichlorohydrin. Epoxy resins which have been found to be useful in practice include "Epikote 828" and "Epikote 1001" (trade names; supplied by Shell Chemical Co.), phenolic epoxy resins (e.g., epoxy resins obtained by the reaction between novolak type phenol resin and epichlorohydrin, specifically "Epikote 152" (trade name) and "Epikote 154" (trade name) supplied by Shell Chemical Co.), vinyl ester type epoxy resins (e.g., epoxy resins obtained by the reaction between a vinyl compound such as vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, styrene or acrylonitrile and glycidyl methacrylate), ether type epoxy resins (e.g., mono-, di- or triglycidyl ethers of polyols, polyether polyols or polyhydric phenols), glycidylamine type epoxy resins (e.g., N,N,N',N'-tetraglycidyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane, N,N,N'-triglycidyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane, N,N,N',N'-tetraglycidyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylethane, N,N,N'-triglycidyl-4,4'-diaminophenylethane, N,N,N',N'-tetraglycidyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylpropane, N,N,N'-triglycidyl-4,4'-diaminoditoluylmethane, etc.), and the like; non-glycidyl series epoxy resins such as alicyclic epoxy resins (e.g., bis-2,3-epoxycyclopentyl ether, 1,4-bis(2,3-epoxypropoxy)cyclohexane, 1,4-bis(3,4-epoxybutoxy)-2-chlorocyclohexane, di(epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate) of aliphatic diol, alicyclic triepoxide, etc.), epoxidized polybutadiene (e.g., a reaction product between "BF-1000" (trade name; supplied by Adeka Argus Chemical Co., Ltd.) or "Hycar" (trade name; supplied by The B.F. Goodrich Co.) and an epoxy compound), epoxidized sorbitol, etc.; polyurethane-modified epoxy resins (e.g., ADEKA RESIN-EPU-4, -EPU-6 (trade name) supplied by Asahi Electro-Chemical Co., Ltd., etc.), and the mixtures of these resins.
Other ingredients may be added to the sizing agent of the present invention. For example, it is possible to add lubricants (e.g., higher aliphatic amides such as oleic acid amide, stearic acid amide, etc., higher aliphatic alcohols such as oleyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, etc., silicone oil, fluorine-containing compound, etc.), softening agents (e.g., polyoxyethylene stearic acid amide, polyoxyethylene stearyl ester, etc.), diluents described hereinbefore (e.g., reactive diluents such as phenyl glycidyl ether, cresyl glycidyl ether, ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether, etc., and non-reactive diluents such as nonylphenol, tricresyl phosphate, etc.). These ingredients are added in proper amounts depending upon the end-use, with the total amount of the additives preferably being not more than 20 wt% based on the epoxy resin.
A compounding example of the sizing agent of the present invention is as follows: 1 to 50 parts by weight, preferably 5 to 15 parts by weight, of the compound of the general formula (I), 0.05 to 25 parts by weight, preferably 1 to 5 parts by weight, of the compound of the general formula (II), 50 to 99 parts by weight, preferably 80 to 95 parts by weight, of the epoxy resin and 0 to 25 parts by weight, preferably 2.5 to 10 parts by weight, of a solvent for the epoxy resin.
The process for preparing the sizing agent of the present invention is not particularly limited. It is possible to use generic emulsifying processes. A phase inversion emulsification process has been found to be the simplest process suited for the present invention. In accordance with this process, compound (I) and compound (II), epoxy resin and, if necessary, additives are heated (40° to 120° C.) and mixed. The viscosity of this mixture for emulsification is preferably 100 to 1,000 poises, more preferably 500 to 700 poises, at 45° C. If necessary, the viscosity may be adjusted by adding a solvent for the epoxy resin such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl cellosolve, propyl cellosolve, etc., in an amount within the scope of not more than 15 wt% based on the ingredients other than water and diluent. Water is then added thereto in portions under vigorous stirring to cause phase inversion emulsification to obtain an emulsion having a proper solid concentration. It is preferable to adjust the concentration to 30 to 60 weight%, and more preferable to 40 to 50 weight% when the emulsion is stocked. The solid concentration of the emulsion upon application is determined depending upon the end-use of the treated fibers. The solid concentration is usually 0.1 to 20 wt%, preferably 0.5 to 5 wt%.
The sizing agent of the present invention is applied to ordinary carbon fibers produced by heating a precursor of rayon, pitch or acrylic filaments to 1,000° to 1,500° C. to obtain carbon fibers or further to 1,500° to 3,000° C. to obtain graphite fibers (herein graphite fibers are referred to as carbon fibers). The fibers are generally produced as a bundle comprising 500 or more filaments. In the present invention, the sizing treatment is usually applied to strands composed of 500 to 100,000 filaments.
Conventional methods may be used to deposit the sizing agent of the present invention on carbon fibers. For example, it is possible to use roller-sizing method, roller-dipping method, spraying method, etc. After depositing the sizing agent at a temperature of generally 10° to 40° C., the water and solvent are removed by drying to complete the sizing treatment. Drying is conducted under such conditions that the epoxy resin is not hardened or decomposed, i.e., usually at about 80° to 200° C. for about 0.1 to about 10 minutes. The amount of deposited sizing agent is usually 0.1 to 10 wt% as solids (compounds (I) and (II) and epoxy resin), preferably 0.5 to 5 wt%, based on the weight of carbon fibers treated.
Fibers treated with the sizing agent of the present invention are preferably used to obtain prepreg by impregnating a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, a polyimido resin and an unsaturated polyester resin, or a thermoplastic resin such as a polyamide resin and a polyester resin to obtain a fiber reinforced composite which is useful for obtaining a heat mold product.
The present invention will now be described in more detail by the following examples and comparative examples which, however, are not to be construed as limiting the present invention in any way. In the following examples and comparative examples, "parts" and "%" are by weight unless otherwise specified.
EXAMPLE 1
(A) Preparation of Sizing Agent Emulsion:
______________________________________ Compounding parts______________________________________(1) Epikote 828 (trade name of epoxy 70 parts resin made by Shell Chemical Co.)(2) Epikote 1001 (trade name of epoxy 20 parts resin made by Shell Chemical Co.)(3)##STR12## 7 parts(4)##STR13## 3 parts(5) Water 90 parts(6) Methyl ethyl ketone 10 parts______________________________________
Of the above-described ingredients, (1), (2), (3), (4) and (6) were previously heated to 50° C., mixed and placed in a vessel. The mixture was then allowed to stand to defoam. The defoamed mixture was vigorously stirred at 50,000 rpm in a high speed homogenizer at 50° to 60° C., and water (5) was added thereto by portions (at a rate of 2 to 4 parts by weight/minute) until phase inversion took place. After the phase inversion, the stirring speed was gradually reduced, during which time the remaining water (5) was added thereto to dilute. Thus, there was obtained a milky white emulsion having a solid concentration of 50%. When this emulsion was further diluted with water to 5% and left at room temperature for ten days, only 3% of the solids in the emulsion precipitated, thus emulsion stability was found to be good. Also, when the emulsion solids were oven-dried at 105° C. and treated in the air at 180° C. for 1 hour, the loss in weight was as low as 0.1%.
(B) Sizing of Carbon Fibers and Preparation of Molding Using the Sized Carbon Fibers
Non-sized carbon fibers obtained by calcining at 1,300° C. ("Besfight" (trade name; made by Toho Beslon Co., Ltd.; 6,000 filaments; tensile strength: 350 kg/mm 2 ; tensile modulus: 23,700 kg/mm 2 ) were passed through a bath of the emulsion obtained in (A) and diluted with water to a solid concentration of 20 g/liter, and were dried at 130° C. for 2 minutes in air to remove water. The amount of deposited emulsion as solids was 1.4% based on the carbon fibers.
When the thus-obtained sizing-treated carbon fibers were heat-treated in the air at 180° C. for 1 hour to measure the loss in weight on heating, it was determined to be 0.05%. Thus, they showed excellent heat stability. The thus-sized carbon fibers were passed between two sheets of urethane sponge (10 mm thick) under a pressure of 6.1 g/cm 2 at a speed of 15 m/min. This was done in order to measure the weight of fluffs which was found to be as small as 10 mg/100 m carbon fiber.
A prepreg was then prepared using the resulting carbon fibers and a matrix of a resin system composed of 70 parts of Epikote 828 described hereinbefore, 30 parts of EPN-1138 (trade name of epoxy resin, made by Ciba Geigy Co.), and 3 parts of boron trifluoride monoethylamine and disposing the carbon fibers in one direction. Penetrating properties of the resin into the space between carbon fibers was so good that a good prepreg was prepared in a short time.
12 Layers of the thus-prepared prepregs were laminated in a molded thickness of 3 mm, disposing the carbon fibers in one direction, followed by compression molding in a metal mold at 130° C. and 7 kg/cm 2 for 1.5 hours to prepare a bar of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the CFRP measured at room temperature (25° C.) according to ASTM D-2344 was 10.9 kg/mm 2 , and that measured at 80° C. was 8.1 kg/mm 2 .
These values were the same as the ILSS values of CFRP obtained by using carbon fibers having deposited thereon 1.4% of sizing solids obtained by sizing carbon fibers in a solution type sizing agent containing the same expoxy resin (1) (70 parts) and (2) (20 parts) as shown in (A) and acetone (4590 parts). Thus, high adhesion was attained.
EXAMPLE 2
__________________________________________________________________________ Compounding parts__________________________________________________________________________(1) Epikote 815 (trade name of epoxy 50 parts resin made by Shell Chemical Co.)(2) Epikote 152 (trade name of epoxy 40 parts resin made by Shell Chemical Co.)(3) ##STR14## 8 parts(4) ##STR15## 2 parts(5) Water 90 parts(6) Methyl cellosolve 10 parts__________________________________________________________________________
A sizing agent (solids: 50%) of the above-described formulation was prepared and carbon fibers were treated therewith in the same manner as in Example 1, followed by forming prepregs and a CFRP bar therefrom. The CFRP showed ILSS of 10.8 kg/mm 2 at room temperature and 8.0 kg/mm 2 at 80° C., thus showing good composite material properties.
When a 5% sizing emulsion solution of the above-described composition was left at room temperature for ten days, 2% of the solids precipitated.
When this emulsion type sizing agent was oven-dried at 105° C. and heat-treated in the air at 180° C. for 1 hour the loss of weight was as low as 0.1%. Also, carbon fibers treated with the sizing agent showed a loss in weight on heating under the same conditions of 0.08%, thus showing excellent heat stability. In addition, the amount of fluffs measured in the same manner as in Example 1 was 9 mg/100 m carbon fiber, thus good bundling properties were observed.
EXAMPLE 3
______________________________________ Compounding parts______________________________________(1) Epoxidized polybutadiene 50 parts (trade name: BF-1000; made by Adeka Argus Chemical Co., Ltd.)(2) Epikote 828 30 parts(3)##STR16## 15 parts(4)##STR17## 5 parts(5) Water 92 parts(6) Isopropyl cellosolve 8 parts______________________________________
A sizing agent emulsion, sizing-treated carbon fibers, and a CFRP bar using the carbon fibers were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except for changing the sizing agent formulation to that described above.
When a 5% sizing agent emulsion of the above-described composition was left for 10 days at room temperature, 4.5% of the solids were precipitated. When the emulsion type sizing agent was oven-dried at 105° C. and heat-treated in the air at 180° C. for 1 hour, the loss of weight on heating was 0.15%. Also, carbon fibers treated with the sizing agent showed a loss of weight on heating at 180° C. for 1 hour of 0.06%, and the amount of fluffs of the carbon fibers was 5 mg/100 m carbon fiber. Further, the resulting CFRP bar had an ILSS value of 10.7 kg/mm 2 at room temperature and 7.7 kg/mm 2 at 80° C.
EXAMPLE 4
______________________________________ Compounding parts______________________________________(1) ADEKA RESIN EPU-6 (made by Asahi 40 parts Electro-Chemical Co., Ltd.)(2) MY-720 (trade name of an epoxy 40 parts resin made by Ciba Geigy Co.)(3) ADEKA RESIN EPU-4 8 parts(4)##STR18## 10 parts(5)##STR19## 2 parts(6) Water 92 parts(7) Isopropyl cellosolve 8 parts______________________________________
A sizing agent emulsion, sizing-treated carbon fibers, and a CFRP bar using the carbon fibers were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except for changing the sizing agent formulation to that described above.
When the sizing agent emulsion of the above-described composition was left for 10 days at room temperature, 3.7% of the solids were precipitated and, when the emulsion sizing agent was oven-dried at 105° C. and heat-treated in the air at 180° C. for 1 hour, the weight loss from heating was 0.12%. Also, carbon fibers treated with the sizing agent showed a loss in weight on heating at 180° C. for 1 hour of 0.50%, and the amount of fluffs of the carbon fibers was 8 mg/100 m carbon fiber. Further, the resulting CFRP bar had an ILSS value of 10.6 kg/mm 2 at room temperature and 7.7 kg/mm 2 at 80° C.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1
Emulsification was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1 except for changing the sizing ingredients (3) and (4) in Example 1-(A) to those given in the following table to measure the amount of precipitated particles of the emulsions.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Run No. No. 1 No. 2______________________________________Compound (3) used in 10 parts 0 partExample 1Compound (4) used in 0 part 10 partsExample 1Amount of precipitated 9% 92%emulsion particles______________________________________
Further, carbon fibers were treated with the composition of Run No. 1 in the same manner as in Example 1-(B), and a CFRP bar was prepared therefrom. This CFRP bar showed an ILSS value of 9.8 kg/mm 2 at room temperature and 6.8 kg/mm 2 in 80° C. air. From these results, it is seen that sizing agents not containing either of the compounds (I) or (II) formed a large amount of an emulsion particle precipitate, thus lacking emulsion stability, leading to low ILSS of CFRP and adversely affecting physical properties of CFRP.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2
Emulsions and CFRP bars were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except for changing the sizing agent ingredients (3) and (4) to a popularly known surfactant, NOIGEN EA 190 (trade name of polyethylene glycol (adduct of 25 moles of ethylene oxide) lauryl ether; made by Dai-ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.). These were tested in the same manner as in Example 1 with respect to the same items to obtain the results shown in Table 2.
From the results given in Table 2, it is seen that the use of the conventionally used surfactant provided inferior results to those in Example 1 with respect to emulsion stability, physical properties of CFRPs, and sizing effect.
TABLE 2______________________________________ Run No. No. 3 No. 4______________________________________NOIGEN EA 190 in place 10 parts 7 partsof Compound (3) inExample 1Compound (4) in 0 part 3 partsExample 1Amount of precipitated 18% 17%emulsion particlesLoss in weight of 1.6% 1.7%emulsion solids onheating for 1 hour at180° C. in the airILSS of CFRPat room temperature 9.5 9.7at 80° C. 6.7 6.9Fluffs of sized carbon 21 mg/100 m-CF 24 mg/100 m-CFfibers (amount ofdeposited sizingagent: 1.5%)______________________________________
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 3
CFRPs were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except for changing the sizing agent ingredients (3) and (4) in Example 1-(A) to 10 parts of ##STR20## (made by Matsumoto Yushi Co., Ltd.). The sizing emulsion containing 5% solids formed a precipitate of 23% of the contained solids (after leaving for 10 days at room temperature), and the sized carbon fibers showed a loss in weight on heating at 180° C. for 1 hour in the air of 1.1% and formed fluffs of 23 mg/100 m carbon fiber. CFRP had an ILSS value of 9.8 kg/mm 2 at room temperature and 7.0 kg/mm 2 at 80° C. Thus, the results are inferior to those of Example 1 in accordance with the present invention with respect to all factors measured.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 4
A sizing emulsion, sized carbon fibers, and CFRP were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except for changing the sizing ingredient (3) in Example ##STR21## The sizing emulsion solution containing 5% solids formed a precipitate of 38% solids (after leaving for 10 days at room temperature), and the loss in weight of the sizing agent solids (oven-dried) on heating at 180° C. for 1 hour was 0.21%. The amount of fluffs of sized carbon fibers was 30 mg/100 m carbon fibers, and CFRP had an ILSS value of 9.5 kg/mm 2 at room temperature, and 6.9 kg/mm 2 at 80° C. Thus, where the number of moles of added ethylene oxide fell below the range specified in the present invention, the data were inferior to those in Example 1 with respect to all factors measured.
While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. | An aqueous emulsion type sizing agent for carbon fibers is disclosed. The sizing agent contains a compound represented by the following general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein A represents (C 2 H 4 O) l or (C 2 H 4 O) n (C 3 H 6 O) m [l is 18 to 70; n is 18 to 70; and m is 2 to 50 (1≦n/m≦35)];
a compound represented by the following general formula (II): ##STR2## wherein R represents C q H 2q+1 or ##STR3## (q is 10 to 18; and p is 15 to 70); and an epoxy resin, a process for preparation of the agent, and the method for using it are also disclosed. The sizing agent has excellent emulsion stability and heat stability, and it can impart excellent bundling properties to carbon fibers. | 3 |
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/537,650. filed Oct. 1, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporate by reference.
[0002] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/537,650 filed Oct. 1, 2006 the disclosure of which is incorporate by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0003] 1. Technical Field
[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems and, more particularly, to circuit boards.
[0005] 2. Background Information
[0006] As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
[0007] A circuit board is an assembly of layers utilized to mechanically support and/or electrically couple internal components within an information handling system (IHS). Alternatives for a circuit board include a printed circuit board (PCB), printed board, printed wiring board (PWB) and etched wiring board. Categories and/or types of circuit boards may include controller boards, daughter cards, expansion cards, motherboards, and network interface cards (NICs). The manufacture or fabrication of a lead free circuit board involves the integration of numerous elements and/or materials in a multi-step process.
SUMMARY
[0008] The following presents a general summary of some of the many possible embodiments of this disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of this disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of all embodiments of this disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure or to delineate or otherwise limit the scope of the claims. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the disclosure in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.
[0009] According to one embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a method of processing a circuit board in which the method may provide a circuit board having disposed thereon a conductive pattern whereby the pattern may include a trace terminating at a terminal. The method may also include depositing conductive material on the terminal and trace to form a land extending away from the terminal on the trace past a projection line. The method may further include applying a soldermask to the circuit board to form a soldermask opening having an opening edge located at and aligned with the projection line, with the opening framing the terminal and a first portion of the land, and to cover a second portion of the land.
[0010] According to another embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a non-limiting computer-readable medium having executable instructions that when executed by an information handling system may carry out a method of processing a circuit board having disposed thereon a conductive pattern, the pattern including traces terminating at terminals whereby the method may include locating the terminals, identifying terminals meeting criteria to obtain selected terminals and depositing conductive material on the selected terminals to form on each selected terminal a land extending away from the terminal on the trace past a projection line.
[0011] According to even another embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a circuit board which may include a substrate having disposed thereon a conductive pattern, the pattern including a trace terminating at a terminal, a land having a portion positioned on the terminal and extending away from the terminal along the trace. The circuit board may further include a soldermask defining a soldermask opening which may frame the terminal and a first portion of the land, and wherein the soldermask covers a second portion of the land.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The following drawings illustrate some of the many possible embodiments of this disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of this disclosure. These drawings do not provide an extensive overview of all embodiments of this disclosure. These drawings are not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure or to delineate or otherwise limit the scope of the claims. The following drawings merely present some concepts of the disclosure in a general form. This, for a detailed understanding of this disclosure, reference should be made to the following detailed descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements have been given like numerals.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram depicting a non-limiting example of a portion of a circuit board which may be included within the hardware components of an IHS.
[0014] FIG. 2A is shown a non-limiting example of a circuit board to which a soldermask has been applied covering a portion of a conductive pattern on the circuit board (which covered portion is shown as dashed lines).
[0015] FIG. 2B is shown a non-limiting example of an enlarged isolated portion of a soldermask opening.
[0016] FIGS. 3A and 3B are collectively a flowchart illustrating a non-limiting method embodiment to deposit conductive material onto a circuit board.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] For purposes of this disclosure, an embodiment of an Information Handling System (IHS) may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the IHS may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The IHS may also include one or more buses operable to transmit data communications between the various hardware components.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram depicting a non-limiting example of a portion of a circuit board 50 which may be included within the hardware components of an IHS. The circuit board 50 may comprise a substrate 55 onto which a conductive pattern 61 comprising conductive traces 65 is disposed. As a non-conductive foundation, the substrate 55 may consist of any suitable non-conductive material, non-limiting examples of which include composites, fiberglass, epoxy, paper, ceramic and/or plastic. The entire substrate 55 or only its surface to which the conductive pattern 61 is disposed may be formed of the insulating material. Generally, a circuit board 50 may comprise at least one layer of conductive pattern 61 separated and supported by substrates.
[0019] Referring still to FIG. 1 , the conductive pattern 61 disposed on the circuit board 50 may comprise a trace 65 which may comprise a number of terminations at pads 70 or vias 71 collectively referred to herein as “terminals.” Traces 65 , also called tracks, circuit lines or wires, interconnect electrical components (e.g. resistors, diodes, transistors, etc.) that later in the manufacturing process will be placed on one or both surfaces of the circuit board 50 . The traces 65 may be etched from conductive material onto the substrate 55 . The pads 70 may be areas of the circuit board 50 for connection and attachment of electronic components whereas vias 71 are holes or apertures in the circuit board 50 for the purpose of layer-to-layer interconnection. Projection lines 22 are not part of circuit board 50 but are provided in FIG. 1 to illustrate positioning of soldermask openings that will be formed in the application of a soldermask (e.g., coating or inert coating). Specifically, the defining edge 29 as seen in FIG. 2A of the soldermask opening 27 that will be formed upon application of a soldermask is located at and aligned with projection line 22 . According to the present disclosure, conductive material may be added to certain trace terminals depending upon selection criteria. This conductive material is added forming a land 68 starting from inside pad 70 or via 71 and extending away from pad 70 or via 71 along trace 65 past the projection line 22 . In one non-limiting embodiment, this conductive material is added to all pads on a circuit board, and to vias which are testable and which are not be covered by soldermask.
[0020] Referring still to FIG. 1 , a circuit board may comprise an assembly of the layers previously described. However, for the purpose of this disclosure, it is also understood that a circuit board exists at any stage of a multi-step assembly process provided that at least a substrate layer is present.
[0021] Referring to FIG. 2A there is shown circuit board 50 to which a soldermask 25 has been applied covering a portion of the conductive pattern 61 (which covered portion is shown as dashed lines). FIG. 2B is an enlarged isolated portion of one soldermask opening 27 from FIG. 2A . The soldermask 25 defines a number of soldermask openings 27 , each of which may outline a corresponding pad 70 or via 71 . The soldermask opening 27 may also define an opening edge 29 , which follows the contour of and is aligned with the projection line 22 . Added land 68 spans from inside pad 70 or via 71 and extends away from the pad 70 or via 71 along the trace 65 past and under the opening edge 29 , terminating beneath the soldermask 25 . The pad boundary 30 frames the terminals and may be found on either a pad 70 or via 71 .
[0022] FIGS. 3A and 3B are collectively a flowchart illustrating a non-limiting embodiment of a method to deposit conductive material onto a circuit board. Various method embodiments of this method may include one or more of the steps from FIGS. 3A and 3B carried out in any order as desired. It should be understood that any embodiments of these various methods may be carried out by an information handling system (IHS).
[0023] At step 200 , the IHS may accept the commands initiated by a user. Step 205 includes setting the top and bottom layers visible. One non-limiting embodiment of this disclosure may provide for the deposit of conductive material to form a land when the land is on a top or bottom layer of the circuit board. During step 210 , the IHS is instructed to set the find filter to identify terminals, or “pads” and “vias”. At step 215 , the method may prompt a user to define a selection box to set the criteria for selection. At step 217 , only testable vias may be selected. As another non-limiting example, all pads may be selected and only vias that are testable and not to be covered by soldermask may be selected. The locations of various pads and vias meeting the criteria may then be determined at step 220 . At step 225 , a loop may be executed for each pad or via found. Then, at step 230 , a check is made for “etch” endpoints within the pad boundary. Next, a determination is made at step 235 for a set of endpoints for each segment with at least one endpoint in a pad boundary. Step 240 begins a loop for each segment found. At step 245 , an assessment is made as to whether both endpoints fall within the pad boundary. If the endpoints fall within the boundary, then at step 250 , the etch segment is set to the desired width.
[0024] Continuing with FIGS. 3A and 3B , if it is determined at step 245 , that both endpoints do not fall within the pad boundary, step 255 is to locate an endpoint that is within the pad boundary. Step 260 is to determine slope of the etch segment. Step 265 is to incrementally “walk” the line until a point is found outside the pad boundary, thus establishing the size of land to deposit. A provision is then made to step back one increment at step 270 . According to step 275 , a segment of conductive material of desired width and length is added. This is continued until a loop is completed for each pad and/or via found with the various loops ending at steps 280 , 285 and 290 . Of course, it should be understood that additional steps may be added before, after or between any of the steps shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B .
[0025] Some of the various embodiments of the present disclosure may provide solutions to allow processing of circuit boards in a lead free manufacturing process. In some of the various embodiments consideration is given to the size of a land. In certain embodiments, only lands under a certain size need to be considered. In some embodiments, only pads and vias that meet the conditions are affected. With some embodiments, addition of conductive material is made of a length of a specific size land from the center of the pad that extends along the land path past the soldermask opening. This approach may reduce or eliminate the spacing problems that can inhibit the adding of fillets to the pads and vias in highly constrained and dense printed circuit board designs.
[0026] In non-limiting product embodiments, part or all of the data structures described herein may be stored on one or more computer readable media or embodied in propagated signal. In further non-limiting product embodiments, part or all of the methods described herein may be described as instructions for an information handling system, and stored on one or more computer readable media or embodied in a propagated signal. In even further non-limiting apparatus embodiments, part or all of the methods described herein may be described as instructions, stored on computer readable media and form a part of an information handling system.
[0027] The present disclosure is to be taken as illustrative rather than as limiting the scope or nature of the claims below. Numerous modifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art after studying the disclosure, including use of equivalent functional and/or structural substitutes for elements described herein, use of equivalent functional couplings for couplings described herein, and/or use of equivalent functional actions for actions described herein. Any insubstantial variations are to be considered within the scope of the claims below. | A method of processing a circuit board including providing a circuit board having disposed thereon a conductive pattern, the pattern comprising a trace terminating at a terminal and depositing conductive material on the terminal and trace to form a land extending away from the terminal on the trace past a projection line. The method also includes applying a soldermask to the circuit board to form a soldermask opening having an opening edge located at and aligned with the projection line, with the opening framing the terminal and a first portion of the land, and to cover a second portion of the land. | 7 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to timers and more particularly to improvements in a timer device incorporated in a clock.
(B) Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a conventional timer device wherein, at a preset time point, a timer operates to actuate an alarm or the like and, after a predetermined time period, the operation of said alarm or the like is automatically stopped so that the timer may again return to the state as before the operation comprises a timer cam disk which includes a convex cam having a steep end portion formed on one side and a slow slope formed on the other side and which rotates as synchronized with the time indication of a time indicating portion, and a timer setting drum having a concave cam into which said convex cam can fall, and is arranged so that when the convex cam of the timer cam disk fall into the concave cam of the timer setting drum, the timer may operate to be on and, when the timer cam disk is pushed up by the slope of the convex cam, the timer may operate to be off. In such timer device, as the timer cam disk is rotated as synchronized with the time indicating member which is very slow in the rotation, the time until said timer device operates to be off after it operates to be on, that is, the time until the timer cam disk is completely push up is so long that, particularly in a timer device using a battery as a current source, the alarm or the like is operated for an unnecessarily long time and there has been a defect that the consumption of the battery is so high.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a timer device wherein a timer cam disk for actuating an alarm or the like is so formed as to rotate at a low speed while it is in a non-operating position (off-position) but to rotate at a comparatively higher speed to be returned again to the non-operating position only during a predetermined time period after it moves to the operating position (on-position).
Another object of the present invention is to provide a timer device wherein the on-operation of a timer is so made as to be able to be made accurately at a preset time point.
According to the present invention, the above mentioned objects can be attained by providing a clutch member rotating at a speed higher than the rotating speed of a timer cam disk and engageable with the timer cam disk so that, when a cam provided on a timer setting drum and a cam provided on the timer cam disk engage with each other, the above mentioned clutch member and timer cam disk may be engaged with each other to rotate the timer cam disk temporarily at a higher speed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partly sectioned elevational view of a timer device according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a right side view of FIG. 1 shown as partly sectioned; and
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view along line III--III in FIG. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference numeral 1 designates main shaft rotated by one rotation in an hour by such driving source as a motor rotating as synchronized with the frequency of a commercial current source not illustrated or a motor rotating at a constant speed by using a tuning fork or quartz oscillator as a time basis, 2 designates a drum secured to said main shaft 1, and 3 designates a minute digit plate incorporated with the drum 2 and indicating 0 to 60 minutes in response to one rotation of the main shaft 1. Reference numeral 4 designates a base plate rotatably supporting the main shaft 1, 5 designates a gear secured to the main shaft 1, 6 designates a reduction gear meshing with the gear 5 to reduce the rotation of the main shaft 1 to 1/24, and 7 designates a connecting wheel provided with projections 7a and a gear portion 7b and rotatably mounted on the main shaft 1 so that the gear portion 7b may mesh with the reduction gear 6, reduce the rotation of the main shaft 1 to 1/24 and rotate as synchronized with the time indication of the time indicating portion, 8 designates a timer setting drum provided with time graduations on the outer peripheral surface and a concave cam 8a on the side surface and rotatable by hand, and 9 designates a timer cam disk provided with peripherally long arcuate slots 9a engaging respectively with the projections 7a of the connecting wheel 7, a convex cam 9b capable of fitting in the concave cam 8a of the timer setting drum 8 and a plurality of holes 9c arranged at the same regular intervals, rotatably and axially slidably mounted on the main shaft 1 and rotating as synchronized with the time indicating member by the engagement of the slots 9a and the projections 7a of the connecting wheel 7. Reference numeral 10 designates a clutch disk provided with projections 10a engageable respectively with the holes 9c of the timer cam disk 9 and secured to the main shaft, and 11 designates a spring for always pressing the timer cam disk 9 toward the timer setting drum 8.
The operation of the timer device formed as described above shall be explained in the following. When the timer setting drum 8 is rotated by hand to set any desired time graduation at a fixed pointer 4a and then, in response to the lapse of time, the timer cam disk 9 rotates and operates together with the time indicating member to the set time point, the positions of the concave cam 8a of the timer setting drum 8 and the convex cam 9b of the timer cam disk 9 will coincide with each other, the positions of the holes 9c of the timer cam disk 9 and the projections 10a of the clutch disk 10 will coincide respectively with each other, the timer cam disk will be pushed by the spring 11 to slide rightward in the drawing and such starting element as a microswitch SW will be operated by this operation to actuate an alarm or the like. Now, in the timer cam disk 9 of this embodiment, as eight holes 9c engaging respectively with the projections 10a of the clutch disk 10 are provided on the entire periphery, the timer operating time setting graduations of this timer device are graduations at intervals of at least 7 minutes 30 seconds. Thus, in the operation after the timer operates to be on, as the clutch disk 10 is secured to the main shaft 1 rotating at a speed (one rotation in an hour) higher than the rotating speed (one rotation in 24 hours) of the timer cam disk 9, the timer cam disk 9 will be rotated at a higher speed by an angular range in which the slots 9a of the timer cam disk 9 are rotatable relatively with the respective projections 7a of the connecting wheel 7 by the projections 10a of the clutch disk 10 engaged respectively with the holes 9c of the timer cam disk 9 and, by this rotation, the convex cam 9b of the timer cam disk 9 will be slid up on the slope of the concave cam 8a of the timer setting drum 8 and the timer cam disk 9 will return to the position shown in FIG. 1. In this state, the rotation of the timer cam disk 9 will stop but the connecting wheel 7 will continue to rotate at a speed of one rotation in 24 hours. When the connecting wheel 7 rotates by the rotation angle rotated at the higher speed by the above described clutch disk 10, the projections 7a of the connecting wheel 7 will again contact the respective end surfaces of the slots 9a of the timer cam disk 9 and will rotate the timer cam disk 9. The concavity 8b of the timer setting drum 8 shown in FIG. 3 serves to temporarily lock the tip of the convex cam 9b of the timer cam disk 9 so that the projections 7a of the connecting wheel 7 may move respectively within the slots 9a of the timer cam disk 9 to positively contact the respective end portions of the slots 9a. Therefore, even in case the timer setting drum 8 is rotated to set the next timer on-operation time just after the on-operation of the timer, the tip of the above mentioned convex cam 9b will temporarily engage with the above mentioned concavity 8b, the timer cam disk 9 will be rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 and, as a result, the projections 7a will positively contact the respective end portions of the slots 9a.
By the way, in this embodiment, even if the concavo-convex relations of the projection 7a of the connecting wheel 7 and the slot 9a of the timer cam disk 9, of the concave cam 8a of the timer setting drum 8 and the convex cam 9b of the timer cam disk 9 and of the projection 10a of the clutch disk 10 and the concavity 9c of the timer cam 9 are respectively reversed with each other, exactly the same operations and effects will be obtained. | A timer device wherein a timer cam disk to be moved from a non-operating position to an operating position at a preset time point in cooperation with a timer setting drum is so formed as to be returned to the non-operating position from the operating position at a comparatively higher speed only during a predetermined time period after it is moved from the non-operating position to the operating position in order to prevent the time during which the timer cam disk is maintained in the operating position from becoming unnecessarily long. | 6 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/641,317 filed Jan. 4, 2005 and entitled “VIBRATION DEVICE,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to vibration devices and more particularly to non-rotary vibration devices.
Vibration devices are used to provide tactile feel in devices such as pagers and telephones. Vibration devices can also be used to provide tactile feedback for computer interfaces and game controllers. Vibration devices can also be used to transfer energy and for vibratory feeders.
Some existing vibration devices are rotary actuators with an eccentric mass. In these devices, the vibration force is proportional to the velocity squared of the rotating mass. A disadvantage of such vibrating devices is that the frequency of vibration is coupled to the vibration amplitude; thus, the vibration amplitude cannot be modulated independently from the vibration frequency. Another limitation of rotary vibration devices is that the vibration force is in a radial direction relative to the axis of rotation of the motor.
Due to the disadvantages and above limitations mentioned above, it may be desired to build a vibration device where the vibration force is not generated from a rotation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and limitations of known vibration devices by providing means of generating vibration that do not use a rotating mass to generate the vibration force. Numerous embodiments and alternatives are provided below.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a vibration device is provided. The vibration device comprises a coil for generating an electromagnetic field, a moveable a moveable mass of magnetic material at least partly encircled by the coil, and a spring device. The coil is affixed at a first end to a body. The spring device is coupled at a first end thereof to the moveable mass and affixed at a second end thereof to the body. The moveable mass is operable to move linearly relative to the body upon generation of the electromagnetic field by the coil and to transfer a vibratory force to the body as the mass moves.
In one example, the vibration device further comprises a magnetic end piece coupled to the first end of the coil and to the body adjacent to the first end of the coil. Here, the magnetic end piece is preferably operable to increase magnetic efficiency of the coil and to limit vibration amplitude of the moveable mass. In another example, the spring device comprises first and second spring devices. In this case, the first spring device is coupled at the first end thereof to a first end of the moveable mass and affixed at the second end thereof to a first portion of the body. The second spring device is coupled at the first end thereof to a second end of the moveable mass and affixed at the second end thereof to a second portion of the body. The first and second spring devices are compression fit with the first and second ends of the moveable mass. In this case, the moveable mass may have a length greater or lesser than the length of the coil.
In another example, the spring device is a nonlinear spring device. In this case, the nonlinear spring device may be selected so that a resonant frequency of the vibration device varies according to an amplitude of vibration. Preferably the resonant frequency varies according to the amplitude of vibration so as to simulate a vibratory force of a rotating vibration device. In an alternative, the nonlinear spring device is a hardening spring device. In another alternative, an angle of alignment of the spring device relative to the moveable mass varies based on positioning of the moveable mass.
In a further example, the spring device comprises a pair of nonlinear spring devices. A first one of the nonlinear spring devices is coupled at the first end thereof to a first end of the moveable mass and at the second end thereof to a first location on the body. The second spring device is coupled at the first end thereof to the first end of the moveable mass and at the second end thereof to a second location on the body. In this case, the vibration device may further comprise an aligned spring device. Here, a first end of the aligned spring device is coupled to a second end of the moveable mass opposite the first end thereof, and a second end of the aligned spring device is coupled to a third location on the body.
In yet another example, the spring device is an aligned spring device positioned along a plane of movement of the moveable mass and coupled to a first end of the moveable mass. In this case the vibration device further comprises a magnetic spring device in operative communication with a second end of the moveable mass opposite the first end thereof.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention a vibratory system is provided. The vibratory system comprises a coil for generating an electromagnetic field, a moveable mass of magnetic material at least partly encircled by the coil, a spring device and a driving circuit. The coil is affixed at a first end to a body. The spring device is coupled at a first end thereof to the moveable mass and affixed at a second end thereof to the body. The driving circuit is coupled to the coil and is operable to generate a modulation signal for directing operation of the coil. The moveable mass is operable to move linearly relative to the body upon generation of the electromagnetic field by the coil based upon the modulation signal and to transfer a vibratory force to the body as the mass moves.
In one example, the vibratory system further comprises a controller operatively connected to the driving circuit. The controller is operable to specify at least one of an amplitude of vibration and a frequency of vibration of the vibratory system. The controller preferably issues signals to the driving circuit based upon a state in a computer simulation.
In another example the vibratory system further comprises a resonance circuit coupled to the driver circuit for increasing resonance of the vibratory system. In a further example the spring device is a nonlinear spring device. In this case the nonlinear spring device is desirably selected so that a resonant frequency of the vibratory system varies according to an amplitude of vibration.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, a method of controlling a vibration device is provided. Here, the vibration device may include a coil for generating an electromagnetic field and affixed to a body, a moveable mass of magnetic material at least partly encircled by the coil, a spring device coupled at a first end thereof to the moveable mass and affixed at a second end thereof to the body, and a driving circuit coupled to the coil and operable to generate a modulation signal for directing operation of the coil. The method comprises selecting an activation frequency of the coil to approximate a natural frequency of the moveable mass; generating a control signal; supplying the control signal to the driving circuit; and varying current in the coil with the driving circuit to modulate the activation frequency. In one example, the natural frequency varies based on an amplitude of vibration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A-B illustrate a vibration device in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a vibration device having an end piece in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates a vibration device having opposing spring devices in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates a variation of the vibration device of FIG. 3 in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a chart plotting frequency versus amplitude for vibration devices in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 illustrates a vibration device employing a non-linear spring device in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 7 illustrates another vibration device employing non-linear spring devices in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIGS. 8A-C illustrate actuation of the vibration device of FIG. 7 .
FIGS. 9A-B illustrate aspects of non-linear spring device actuation devices in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 10 illustrates a vibration device employing non-linear spring devices and an aligned spring device in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 11 illustrates a vibration device employing a magnetic coil in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 12 illustrates another vibration device employing a magnetic coil in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 13 illustrates a driver circuit in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 14 illustrates a driver circuit and a controller in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 15 illustrates an RLC circuit in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An embodiment of the invention is show in FIGS. 1A-B . As seen in the side view of FIG. 1A , vibration device 100 includes a moveable mass such as plunger 102 surrounded by a coil 104 . Preferably, the plunger 102 is substantially or completely encircled by the coil 104 . The plunger 102 is attached at one end to a spring device 106 , and the spring device 106 is fixed relative to a body (not shown) onto which a vibration force is being applied. The coil 104 is also fixed relative to the body onto which a vibration force is being applied.
The coil 104 and plunger 102 typically have a round cross section, as seen in FIG. 1B . The coil 104 is an electromagnetic coil and can generate an electromagnetic field when current runs through it. The plunger 102 can be made of ferromagnetic material, permanent magnet material, a combination of permanent magnetic and ferromagnetic materials, and/or materials capable of responding to exert a force in response to exposure of the material to a current, voltage, control signal, electromagnetic field, combination thereof or the like.
An alternative embodiment of vibration device 120 is illustrated in FIG. 2 . As with the vibration device 100 , the vibration device 120 includes a plunger 122 , a coil 124 and a spring device 126 . End piece 128 can be placed at one end of the coil 124 as shown in the figure. When the end piece 128 is ferromagnetic or magnetic it can increase the magnetic efficiency of the coil 124 . The configuration without the end piece in FIG. 1 has an advantage that the plunger 102 will not contact an end piece, and thus not limit vibration amplitude. Thus both configurations with an end piece and without an end piece have advantages.
If the plunger 102 or 122 is ferromagnetic it will be attracted to a magnetic field. Thus when the coil 104 or 124 is activated the plunger will be pulled into the coil, and when the coil is deactivated the spring device will pull the plunger back. In this fashion it is possible to create a vibration of the plunger 102 or 122 by activating and deactivating the coil at a desired frequency. Vibration forces are transferred via the spring device 106 or 126 and the coil 104 or 124 onto a body at the locations where they are fixed to the body.
When the plunger 102 or 122 has a permanent magnet material, or a combination of permanent magnet and ferromagnetic material, it can be magnetized along its axis so that one end is magnetic North and the other end is magnetic South. In this configuration the plunger will be attracted into the coil when the current in the coil is operated in one direction. When the current in the coil is operated in another direction, then the plunger will be repelled out outwards from the coil. In this fashion the magnetic forces can apply both an attractive and repulsive force on the plunger, thereby increasing the energy transfer to the plunger. Vibration of the plunger can be generated by controlling the current in the coil. Vibrations can be induced by activating the current in the coil in one direction and then reversing the direction of the current at the desired frequency.
Another embodiment of a device in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 3 . Specifically, a side view of vibration device 140 is illustrated. As with the aforementioned embodiments, a plunger 142 is preferably substantially or completely encircled by coil 144 . Here spring devices 146 a and 146 b are disposed on both sides of the plunger 142 . An advantage of this configuration is that the spring devices 146 a,b can apply compression forces onto the plunger 142 . Therefore, the attachment between the plunger 142 and the spring devices 146 a,b is simply a compression fit. There is no need for a hole in the plunger 142 , which is a common method for attaching extension spring devices.
The plunger can be longer or shorter than the coil. FIG. 3 illustrates the vibration device 140 with the plunger 142 longer than the coil 144 . FIG. 4 shows a configuration of the vibration device 140 where plunger 142 ′ is shorter than the coil 144 .
A vibrating device which has a mass with a spring device applying a restoring force to the mass can have resonance. When such a system is driven by an exciting force at or close to the resonant frequency large amplitude vibrations can be built up, since the energy from one vibration is transferred to the following vibration. Driving a mass-spring device system at resonance can be used to create large vibration forces from small actuation forces.
Many existing mass-spring device vibration systems have spring devices that provide linear or approximately linear restoring forces. In a mass spring device system with a linear spring device, the resonant frequency of the system is a constant for all amplitude vibrations. Accordingly, vibration systems with linear spring device restoring forces have a narrow frequency range over which resonance can be used to increase the force output of the vibrations. However, it may be desired to operate the vibration device at multiple frequencies.
To overcome the disadvantage of known linear mass-spring device vibrators and take advantage of resonance, one can use a nonlinear spring device in system of the present invention so that the natural frequency will vary as a function of amplitude. In one embodiment, a nonlinear spring device is preferably used to provide a varying resonant frequency of the vibration device, as a function of vibration amplitude. A hardening spring device is one where the restoring force of a spring device increases faster than a linear spring device (corresponding to a in FIG. 5 ). As shown in FIG. 5 , the natural frequency of a mass spring device system with a hardening spring device will increase with increasing amplitudes of vibration.
A nonlinear hardening spring device can be used to provide vibration effects that are similar to those of a rotating vibration device. With a rotating vibration device, the amplitude of vibration force increases as the frequency of rotating increases, due to an increasing centrifugal force. In a similar fashion, a mass spring device system that has a hardening nonlinear spring device will have a lower natural frequency when it is excited at lower amplitudes of vibration, and higher natural frequency at higher amplitudes of vibration. Thus, the mass spring device system could be operated at or close to resonance for different amplitude levels and different frequencies. By operating at or close to resonance, a higher level vibration force can be achieved with low power input.
Vibration device 200 is shown in FIG. 6 . Here, plunger 202 may be substantially or completely encircled or otherwise encompassed by coil 204 . A nonlinear spring device 206 is attached to plunger 202 . The coil 204 attracts the plunger 202 when it is activated and the nonlinear spring device 206 opposes the plunger force. The spring device 206 and the coil 204 are preferably fixed at either end to the object onto which the vibration force is imparted. A ferromagnetic end piece 208 may be used to improve the magnetic efficiency of the coil 204 .
An alternative embodiment of vibration device 200 that utilizes a nonlinear spring device resorting force is shown in FIG. 7 . As seen in this figure, vibration device 220 includes a plunger 224 and a coil 224 . An end piece 228 may be disposed at one end of the coil 224 . At least one spring device 226 is attached to the plunger 222 at an angle relative to the axis of motion of the plunger 222 . Here, a pair of spring devices 226 a and 226 b is shown. As the plunger 222 moves, the angle between the spring device 226 (e.g., 226 a or 226 b ) and the plunger 222 varies, thereby creating a nonlinear restoring force, even if the spring device 226 itself is linear. Thus, an effective nonlinear spring device can be created with nonlinear spring device elements or with linear spring device elements that are configured such that the restoring force on the moving mass is nonlinear.
The nonlinearity of the restoring force due to the change in spring device angle is depicted in FIGS. 8A-C . In position A shown in FIG. 8A , the spring devices 226 a,b are perpendicular to the axis of motion of the plunger 222 , and the net spring device restoring force is zero. In position B shown in FIG. 8B , the plunger 222 is slightly retracted into the coil 224 causing a small angle in the spring devices 226 a,b , and resulting in a net small spring device restoring force. In position C shown in FIG. 8C , the plunger 222 is retracted even more into the coil 224 , resulting in a larger angle of the spring devices 226 a,b and a larger net restoring spring device force. As best seen in FIG. 8C , the net restoring force of the spring devices 226 a,b is equal to the vector sum of the spring device forces from each spring device. In the configuration shown in FIG. 8C , this vector sum is twice the magnitude of the force from one spring device multiplied by cos(β), where β is the angle between the force vector applied by the spring device and the axis of plunger motion. Thus, the net restoring spring device force increases more rapidly than with a linear spring device, due to the effect of the varying angle. Of course, it should be understood that a nonlinear spring device can also be use with embodiments that do not have an end piece.
A nonlinear spring device can be attached to a moving mass in any vibration device in accordance with the present invention to increase the range over which resonance can be used to increase the amplitude of vibration. FIGS. 9A and 9B depict a spring device system 240 showing how an elastic element can be attached to a moving mass 242 to create a desired nonlinear spring device effect. In this embodiment an elastic element such as spring device 246 is attached to the moving mass 242 such that the angle between the moving mass 242 and the spring device 246 changes as the mass moves. The spring device 246 may be implemented as one or more spring devices. Even if the elastic element/spring device 246 itself has a mostly linear relationship between its length and internal force, the net force on the moving mass 242 will be nonlinear. As shown in Position A of FIG. 9A , the spring device 246 is vertical and perpendicular to the axis of motion of the moving mass 242 . In Position B of FIG. 9B , the mass 242 has moved, which creates an angle θ between the direction of force of the spring device(s) 246 and the axis perpendicular to the direction of motion of the moving mass 242 . As the angle θ increases, the effective stiffness of the spring devices 246 , as applied onto the moving mass 242 , increases. This creates the effect that at low vibration amplitudes the effective stiffness will be low and the resonant frequency will be low. At higher amplitude vibrations the effective stiffness will increase and the resonant frequency of the system will increase.
One can select the desired nonlinearity of the spring device system 240 by choosing the width W between endpoints of the spring devices, and the amplitude of vibration, A, as best shown in FIG. 9B . A small value for W will result in a larger change in angle θ for a given amplitude of vibration, A, and thus increase the nonlinearity.
A nonlinear spring device attached to a moving mass of a vibrating device that uses a mass and spring device to generate vibrations can be used to simulate the vibration achieved with a rotating vibrating device. With a rotating vibration device the amplitude of force increase with increased frequency of rotation. With a nonlinear spring device, low frequency resonance will occur at low amplitude vibrations, which corresponds to the low amplitude forces of the rotating vibrator at low frequencies. With a nonlinear spring device, higher frequency resonance will occur at higher amplitude vibrations, which corresponds to the higher amplitude forces of the rotating vibrator at higher frequencies.
In the configuration shown in FIGS. 9A-B , both the top and bottom spring device 246 can be made of a single element. The top and bottom spring devices 246 cancel out forces that are not in the direction of motion of the moving mass 242 , which is the vertical direction in FIGS. 9A-B . However, an alternative configuration could use only a single spring device element 246 . The bearing guide (not shown) for the moving mass 242 will provide the necessary reaction forces that keep the moving mass 242 within the bearing guide.
In the present invention, a nonlinear spring device can also be use where the plunger or moving mass is ferromagnetic or a permanent magnet. When the plunger is a permanent magnet, the coil can create magnetic forces that attract the plunger, and by reversing the direction of current in the coil, it can create repulsive magnetic forces.
A nonlinear spring device can also be use in combination with a linear spring device, as shown in FIG. 10 . In this figure, vibration device 260 is presented having plunger 262 and coil 264 . Here, spring device 268 is aligned with the axis of motion of the plunger 262 , and could be a linear spring device. Angled spring devices 266 a and 266 b are attached to the plunger 262 such that their angle varies as the plunger 262 moves, thereby creating a nonlinear restoring force. The combined effect of the linear spring device 268 and nonlinear spring devices 268 a,b is a nonlinear restoring force that can be used to generate varying natural frequencies of the system 260 .
The angled spring devices shown in the various embodiments herein can be implemented with a single spring device piece, whereby the spring device element passes through a hole or slot in the plunger. The spring devices could be made of metal or elastic (such as a rubber band). The nonlinear spring device(s) could also be formed of a cable in series with a spring device. The cable could easily be attached to the moving mass/plunger.
Techniques may also be used to couple programmable devices varying natural frequency into the vibration device or otherwise change the natural frequency by electronic or external control. By integrating actively controlled shape memory alloys (“SMA”), bipoles, strain gauges such as resistive strain gauges, piezoelectrics, devices such as Nanomuscle-brand actuators, or other suitable materials or devices that are capable of producing a movement when exposed to electric current into the springs, one can adjust the restoring force of the springs dynamically. Modulation schemes to programmably control natural frequency can be optimized for any particular angle of the spring device to the plunger motion.
It is also possible to generate a magnetic spring device. Several patents assigned to Coactive Drive Corporation describe magnetic spring devices using repulsive forces. Such patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,002,184, 6,147,422 and 6,307,285, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated fully by reference herein. It is possible to modulate the stiffness of such magnetic spring devices by modulating the current in the spring device-coils. As shown in the aforementioned Coactive Drive Corporation patents, these spring devices can be configured though opposing repulsive magnetic forces, or through a single repulsive magnetic force opposed by a mechanical spring device. In either case the stiffness of the spring device can be modulated. The magnetic spring device can be configured in series or parallel with mechanical spring devices.
In an embodiment of the invention, a magnetic spring device is employed to achieve the restoring force of the spring device shown in FIGS. 1A-B . In this case, the stiffness of the magnetic spring device can be modulated to change the resonant frequency of the vibration device. The modulation of frequency can used to provide high amplitude vibration forces over a wide range of frequencies.
An embodiment with a magnetic coil is shown in FIG. 11 . Vibration device 300 is illustrated having a plunger 302 and a coil 304 about the plunger 302 . Here, by way of example only, the plunger end is magnetized such that it has a North pole as indicated by the N at its right side. The plunger 302 may contain permanent magnet material which has been magnetized in this orientation. Alternately the plunger 302 may have ferromagnetic material, and the coil 304 creates the magnetization in the plunger 302 . The plunger 302 is attached on the left hand side of the figure with a mechanical spring device 306 . On the right hand side of the figure is a magnetic spring device 308 . The magnetic spring device preferably contains a permanent magnet 310 which has, for instance, a North pole at its left end as indicated by the N in the figure. The magnetic force between the plunger 302 and the permanent magnet 310 in the configuration shown is repulsive. A secondary coil 312 is desirably close to the permanent magnet 310 of the magnetic spring device 308 . When the secondary coil 312 is activated it can increase or decrease the stiffness of the magnetic spring device 308 depending on the direction of current in the secondary coil 312 . The stiffness of the magnetic spring device 308 can be modified to create the desired resonant frequency of the system.
In FIG. 11 the secondary coil 312 is behind the permanent magnet 310 of the magnetic spring device 308 . An alternative configuration of the vibration device 300 , namely vibration device 320 , is shown in FIG. 12 . As with the embodiment of FIG. 11 , the vibration device 320 includes a plunger 322 , a coil 324 , a mechanical spring device 326 and a magnetic spring device 328 . In this embodiment, secondary coil 332 preferably surrounds permanent magnet 330 of the magnetic spring device 328 .
The vibrating devices according to the embodiments of the invention herein may include a driver circuit for actuating the coil(s). FIG. 13 is a block diagram of system 400 illustrating a driver circuit 402 connected to coil 404 . Information such as the operating status of the coil 404 may be fed back to the driver circuit 402 , either directly or indirectly, as shown with dashed line 406 . The driver circuit 402 provides current to the coil 404 . The driver circuit 402 modulates the current in the coil 404 at the desired frequency of vibration. The modulation can be in the form of a sine wave, square wave, rectangle wave, triangle wave, or other shape. For example the driver circuit 402 could use a CMOS 555 timer chip, which generates a rectangle wave.
The driver circuit for the vibrator described herein may receive a signal from a controller, such as in system 420 shown in FIG. 14 . Here, driver circuit 422 is connected to coil 424 as well as to controller 425 . The signal from the controller 425 may specify the desired amplitude and frequency of vibration. The signal from the controller 425 may indicate a desired vibration sensation. The signal from the controller 425 may correspond to a state in a computer simulation such as in a game. For example a specified vibration frequency may correspond to a simulated vehicle driving over a rough road in a computer game. Information such as the operating status of the coil 424 may be fed back to the driver circuit 422 or the controller 425 . As shown by dashed line 426 in FIG. 14 , coil information is preferably passed (either directly or indirectly) from the coil 424 to the controller 425 . The controller 425 may be, e.g., a general purpose processor, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, an ASIC, or logic circuits configured to manage operation of the driver circuit 422 and/or the coil 424 .
The control signal from a controller, such as the controller 425 , may be a digital signal or an analog signal. There may be one signal or multiple signals. In one embodiment the signal from the controller is an analog signal, where a low voltage corresponds to a desired low frequency of vibration and a desired higher voltage correspond to a higher frequency of vibration. A driver circuit for such an embodiment can include a voltage to frequency converter that will drive the coil at the desired frequencies according to the signal from the controller.
Driving a vibrating device according to the present invention at or close to resonance can generate relatively large vibration forces from small actuators and with use of low amounts of electrical power. In one alternative, the driver circuit for the coil desirably includes electrical resonance to increase the overall resonance effect in the system.
When current to the coil is shut off, there is remaining energy in the electromagnetic field. As the field collapses this energy can be transferred into a capacitor, which is then returned to the coil in a following coil activation. This embodiment can be in the form of an LC (inductor-capacitor) or LCR (inductor-capacitor-resistor) circuit. The coil provides both inductance and resistance. Accordingly, a capacitor can be added to the circuit with a chosen value so that the electrical resonance will be at or close to the desired driving resonance of the vibration device. An embodiment of an LCR (also referred to as an RLC) circuit is shown in FIG. 15 . In this figure, V(t) indicates the varying driving frequency, which can be in the form of a sine wave, square wave, rectangle wave, triangle wave, or other form.
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, the plunger and/or springs may be comprised of various materials. They may be integrated with active materials such as shaped memory alloys, bipoles, Nanomuscle-brand devices, strain gauges, piezoelectrics, etc. The actuation force to compel movement of the plunger may be caused in whole or in part by active material in the plunger and/or springs. The actuation force may also be a combination of modulation of the active material and the electromagnetic field. The natural frequency of the system may be modified by control of the active material in or around the plunger and/or springs. Active material may also be used to sharpen, dampen or contribute to the actuation, effect, dampening, linearity or manipulation of the device and haptic experience gained thereby. | The present invention pertains to vibration devices that do not require a rotating mass. In accordance with aspects of the invention, a coil causes a plunger to move linearly. A spring device is coupled to one end of the plunger. Activation of the coil causes the plunger to move in a first direction relative to a body and coil deactivation enables the spring device to move the plunger in an opposite direction relative to the body. Activating the coil at a predetermined frequency causes vibration of the plunger. Vibratory forces are transferred via the spring device and coil onto the body at predetermined locations. Opposing spring devices may be affixed to either end of the plunger. Spring devices may be linear or non-linear. Such spring devices may be used in conjunction with magnetic spring devices. A controller and a driver circuit may be used to control system operation. | 7 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention concerns a quick release cord clamping device that is suitable for use to fasten cords. The cords to be clamped may be flexible strips of any suitable type or material, whether woven or not, and may be rope or string, or simply lengths of nylon or leather, for example. The cords may be shoe laces or drawstrings of clothing or for a variety of other purposes.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0002] A range of different clamping devices exist for securely retaining flexible cord in a fixed position with respect to the clamp, whilst allowing the cord to be drawn freely through the clamp in one direction and clamped and prevented from being released in the alternative direction. Such clamping devices are used for fastening footwear laces and adjusting drawstrings/tightening strings of outdoor clothing and sportswear and drawstrings of rucksacks and other bags as well as in household items such as Venetian or roller blind adjustment cords. Other activities employing rope, and other cord, where the cords and ropes are required to be held at desired adjustable points along their length and quickly released and re-clamped include sailing and climbing and these use cord clamping devices of the type in question too.
[0003] To secure guy-ropes, hawsers and mooring lines on boats at selected lengths one of the commoner clamping devices comprise a pair of pivoted cleat grippers with serrated opposing faces that pivot together to hold the rope in one direction of pull of the rope between them but pivot apart in the other direction of pull. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,304. Such devices do largely, however, require the cord or rope to be pulled in a highly oriented way both further in towards the user and also upwards in order to release the cord entirely from the gripping jaws. Where the cord has to be removed from passing by the clamps, the clamps are not moved open, and once the cord is released it is free to move about anywhere and has to be aligned back into the jaws for reuse. Some pivoted cleat grippers employ spring-biasing to keep one or both grippers with their serrated faces biting into the rope. Some even have cam mechanisms for applying and releasing the grippers from the rope. There is, however, no provision for drawing the rope into the unit without having to disengage the cam and conversely the release of the rope is not completely rapid and easy to achieve.
[0004] Cord clamps with a pivoting pair of gripping jaws are also used for roller/Venetian blinds, where the user has to negotiate the cord to pass between two opposing toothed roller clasps in order to satisfactorily grip and hold the cord, and also release the cord by negotiating the cord to push back and disengage one of the sliding roller clasps. A further type of cord clamp, commonly known as a toggle fastening, is used for fastening/tightening shoe laces or drawstrings of clothing and bags. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,605. This comprises a spring-loaded push-button clamp in a cylindrical body where depressing the spring loaded button into the body aligns a cord passage through the base of the button relative to a passage across the body to allow a cord to be pulled through across the body in either direction. Release of the button causes it to spring back to move the passages out of alignment so that the cord will be gripped. This arrangement, like the others, also requires the user to operate the button when manually moving the clasp up the cords to tighten the draw cords. The adjustment of the cord cannot be done single-handedly.
[0005] It is an objective of the present invention to provide a novel cord clamping device incorporating a quick release mechanism that allows for the possibility of single-handed cord adjustment when using the device to fasten a cord at a required length or tighten it to a required tension.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a cord clamping device that comprises: a body having a passage for a cord to pass therethrough, a pair of co-operating grippers each having a respective gripping surface located on opposing sides of the passage to be able to grip the cord therebetween and whereof at least one of the grippers is a moving gripper that is mounted to the body and urged by resilient-biasing means to move its gripper surface towards a gripping position to grip the cord against the opposing gripper's gripping surface or is movable away therefrom to release the cord and wherein a manually operable plunger is provided to drive the moving gripper away from the gripping position against the action of the resilient-biasing means.
[0007] The resilient biasing means is preferably a compression coil spring or a leaf spring/band spring.
[0008] Preferably the plunger is operated by a push-button. Particularly preferably the moving gripper is pivoted to move towards or away from the gripping position and preferably the opposing gripper is static. The opposing gripper is suitably integrally formed or assembled to an inner wall of the body. Suitably each gripping surface comprises at least one tooth and preferably a plurality of teeth, being a serrated surface.
[0009] Advantageously the plunger is configured to engage with a sloped cam surface to drive the moving gripper away from the gripping position. The cam surface is suitably on the moving gripper and is preferably provided in a recess in the moving gripper that the plunger projects into. The plunger preferably is urged by resilient-biasing means to an inactive state where it does not drive the plunger away from the gripping position.
[0010] Preferably the body has a cavity in its upper surface that receives and holds captive a said push button that allows the button to reciprocate up and down, raising the plunger up or lowering it down into the body. Preferably the body has an aperture at opposing ends thereof to define the passage and the plunger is substantially orthogonal to the passage.
[0011] The pivot pin of said moving gripper may be substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the plunger but more preferably is substantially parallel thereto allowing for greater compactness of the assembly. In the former case the plunger suitably acts at or near a trailing edge of the moving gripper which is situated above the cord with the other gripper below the cord and in the latter case the plunger suitably acts at or near a leading edge of the moving gripper adjacent the gripping surface of the moving gripper. The limits of substantially orthogonal and substantially parallel would preferably be in the order of say 20 degrees either side of orthogonal or parallel respectively.
[0012] The cord clamp avoids the need for tying laces or drawstrings. It allows the cord to pass through the clamp in one ‘draw in’ direction and holds the cord at the desired point where the cord ceases to be pulled through the clamp assembly, preventing the cord from retreating in the ‘let out’ direction opposite to the direction the cord was being pulled. It also allows the cord to be released immediately by depressing a push button on the assembly thus opening the movable binding clasp and freeing the cord.
[0013] The present invention is a substantial improvement over existing cord clamps. It provides within a single compact assembly an arrangement that enables a cord to be freely drawn through opposing grippers/jaw clamps in one direction while holding the cord from returning back in the opposite direction, the clamp holding the cord firm at any desired point, without any manually operated locking device needing to be operated to pull the drawstring, cord, rope or lace cord through. The lace/drawstring tightening action can be done single-handedly and simultaneously and as part of that drawing action the cord can be clamped at the desired point or tension utilising the same one hand on the cord. The cord may then be fully or partially released, slackened or let out quickly simply by depressing the push button on the unit. The immediate release and freeing of the cord is enabled without having to manipulate the cord, by depressing the push button thus opening and disengaging the clamp from the cord, whereby the cord may move freely in either direction along the cord passage as the push button remains depressed.
[0014] The clamping device may usefully be incorporated into a powered shoe tightening system with lace cord guiding system as set forth in our earlier U.S. Pat. No. 7,752,774 and UK Patent GB2449722, and is complementary to both automatic or manual shoe lace systems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is an end elevation view of the cord clamping device, showing the push button release mechanism in its inactive retracted position whereby the pivoting clamp is spring-urged onto the cord, engaging the cord and holding the cord from retreating in one direction;
[0017] FIG. 2 is an end elevation view of the cord clamp to FIG. 1 but with the push button release mechanism in the active extended position whereby the pivoting spring-biased clamp is driven back from the cord against the spring and thereby releasing the cord;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a plan view from above of the clamping mechanism of the cord clamping device (release button removed for clarity), showing the engaged state of the fixed clamp and the pivoting spring-biased clamp on opposing sides of the cord;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a plan view from above of the clamping mechanism, corresponding to FIG. 3 but here showing the released state of the clamps;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view from above of the cord clamping device emphasising the push button for release, the spring band resilient biasing means and the static gripper with the plunger poised over the cam recess within the movable gripper;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view from above of the cord clamping device emphasising only the button release unit and associated plunger;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view from above of the cord clamping device emphasising only the opposing grippers and the spring band;
[0023] FIG. 8 is an end elevation view of the cord clamping device similar to FIG. 1 but with an alternative body/casing that is adapted for surface mounting the whole unit to an item such as, for example, a shoe or other item of clothing or bag;
[0024] FIG. 9 is an end elevation view of the cord clamping device similar to FIG. 1 but with a spring band as an alternative to the coiled spring to bias the movable clamp/gripper;
[0025] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the cord clamping device similar to FIG. 3 but with spring band to bias the movable clamp/gripper;
[0026] FIG. 11 is a first side elevation view of a further variant of the cord clamping device wherein the movable clamp/gripper is on a pivot pin orthogonal to the plunger of the push button and acts on a trailing edge of the pivoting movable gripper;
[0027] FIG. 12 is a further side elevation view of the FIG. 11 variant in the release position; and
[0028] FIG. 13 is an end elevation view of the FIG. 11 variant.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] Referring to FIG. 1 , the cord clamping device body/casing 3 is shown with a drawstring cord 1 passing through its passage, extending between guiding entry and exit holes 2 at opposing ends of the body in the lower assembly 25 of the device. In the passage within the body the cord 1 runs between a fixed clamp/gripper 4 and a moving clamp/gripper 7 . The moving gripper 7 moves by pivoting about a pivot pin 8 . Within the body a resilient biasing arrangement 12 is provided to urge the moving gripper 7 towards the cord 1 in order to grip and hold the cord 1 when it is being pulled back against the angle of the teeth of the moving gripper 7 . In this first embodiment the resilient biasing arrangement 12 comprises a coiled spring 16 .
[0030] Both grippers 4 , 7 have a serrated gripping face/edge 5 substantially orthogonal to the cord 1 but angled to allow the cord 1 to pass in one direction but be gripped and clamped against retreating in the opposite direction. The serrated gripping edges 5 have a plurality of teeth 6 each with one face larger than the other face next to the cord and angled in such a way as to allow the cord to pass by the clamps in a ‘draw in’ direction 27 aided by the giving movement of the movable clamp/gripper 7 towards its spring mechanism 12 . In the other direction the teeth 6 bite into the cord 1 between the two opposing clamps/grippers 4 , 7 , preventing the cord from travelling in that ‘let out’ direction 28 . Increased force attempting to pull the cord in the ‘let out’ direction 28 prompts the offset pivoting movable clamp 7 assisted by its sprung mechanism 12 to grip the cord 1 with increased pressure against the fixed clamp 4 .
[0031] The upper part of the device's body 3 defines a cavity 22 that houses a push button 18 to manually operate release of the clamping device. This button 18 is biased outwardly by a return coil spring 19 , and slides in guiding sleeves 20 , being retained in the cavity by a stop shoulder 21 at the lower perimeter of the button 18 abutting a corresponding upper shoulder of the cavity 22 . Below the push button 18 is a plunger 23 which projects downwardly and fits inside an indent/recess 10 in the movable clamp/gripper 7 and rides up and down a sloping cam surface therewithin.
[0032] The movable clamp 7 is located between the cord 1 , the casing 3 of the unit and the resilient biasing arrangement 12 , and has near one end a hole 31 from the top face of the clasp to the bottom face of the clasp through which a pin 8 runs. The pin is fixed to the casing 3 either by screwing it into the bottom of the casing 3 under the movable clamp or by placing both the ends of the pin 8 into small holes within the casing 3 both above and below the movable clamp 7 . The movable clamp 7 is free to swivel around the pin 8 within the confines of its position between the cord 1 and the spring mechanism 12 . In order to facilitate this free movement preferably a spacer 9 is placed around said pin between the movable clamp 7 and the inner surfaces of the casing 3 both above and below the movable clamp to reduce any friction or sticking. The shape and outer edges of the movable clamp 7 notwithstanding the serrated edge will be of a roundedness so as not to constrict or prevent the free movement of the movable clamp 7 between its positions of being fully clamped onto the cord 1 as per FIG. 3 and fully opened and pushed away from the cord to the recoiled spring 16 as per FIG. 4 .
[0033] The resting position of the movable clamp 7 as per FIG. 3 is offset from being aligned in parallel with the cord 1 , with the pivoting pin end of said clamp further away from the cord 1 than the alternate sprung end of said clamp to facilitate more gripping force on said cord when said cord attempts to be drawn in the ‘let out’ direction 28 further urged by the spring coil mechanism 12 and the angled teeth 6 .
[0034] The resilient biasing arrangement 12 utilises an elastic assembly or body such as a strip or band of wire of steel or plastic coiled spirally 16 or bent into a curved shape 14 , that when pushed towards a flattening direction provides mild resistance whilst yielding, and recovers its shape after being compressed. The resilient biasing arrangement 12 is situated between the trailing face of the movable clamp/gripper 7 (remote to the serrated edge 5 ) and the inner side of the casing 3 , and is in such a position as to urge and push the movable clamp 7 moving the serrated edge 5 onto the cord 1 clamping the cord against the fixed clamp 4 . Preferably a coiled spring 16 is utilised with preferably an indented groove 17 in the casing and in the movable clamp to hold the spring coil 16 in place, and should a sprung band be utilised then a pivot pin 13 will pass through and hold one end of said sprung bands looped material in such a way as to provide the necessary push on the movable clamp towards the cord.
[0035] The upper part of the device is an upper assembly 26 comprising the push button 18 and plunger 23 . The button 18 in part moves internally of the casing 3 and has an exterior portion which protrudes from the casing presenting the push button surface to be depressed, with the button of preferably a solid square shape where the lower part of the underneath of the push button is shaped as a push rod plunger 23 which is either attached to or preferably part of the button moulding 18 . The inner sleeve 20 of the casing 3 matingly receives the shoulder 21 of the button allowing the button 18 to travel up and down the guide 22 .
[0036] Underneath the button is situated a coiled spring 19 located within a holding ring or groove 29 in both the button 18 and the casing 3 whereby the button's push rod 23 is free to move up and down inside the spring coil 19 and through a hole 30 in the casing 3 between the upper assembly 26 and the lower assembly 25 . In the resting position the spring 19 extends the button upwards to the point the internal shoulder 21 of the button hits the internal casing.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 6 , the push rod plunger 23 part of the button 18 is preferably of cylindrical shape with a rounded or wedge like angled strike face 24 having its edge facing in the direction of the movable gripper resilient biasing arrangement 12 .
[0038] As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , the lower end of the plunger 23 extends into a wedge shaped recess 10 in the upper side of the body of the movable clamp/gripper 7 . The strike face of the push rod 23 rests adjacent to the strike face/cam surface 11 of the recess 10 so that as the button 18 is depressed the plunger rod 23 also moves only vertically down through the casing hole 30 so its strike face 24 travelling downwards makes contact with the clamps angled indent face 11 and pushes the movable clamp/gripper 7 recess strike face 11 thereby pushing the movable clamp/gripper 7 away from the cord 1 against and towards and compressing the resilient biasing arrangement 12 , as shown in FIG. 4 .
[0039] The adjacent angles of the strike faces 24 and 11 in relation to the plunger 23 and movable clamp/gripper 7 facilitate an effective and smooth gliding of the plunger's strike face 24 , which is of a slightly outwardly rounded surface, down the indent strike face/cam face 11 . Upon full travel downwards of the button 18 and plunger 23 as far as permitted by the button's travel guide 22 , the plunger 23 will push aside the movable clamp 7 to its furthest position permitted by its compressed resilient biasing arrangement 12 and the casing 3 , thereby removing the movable clamp's serrated edge 5 and teeth 6 from clamping against the cord 1 and thus releasing the said cord 1 to move freely whilst the button 18 is depressed.
[0040] The size, width and volume of the recess 10 and it's strike face 11 and angle should allow the push rod/plunger 23 to effectively and consistently push aside the movable gripper 7 throughout the full travel of the plunger 23 , allowing for the slightly changing position of the recess 10 as a result of the full travel of the movable gripper 7 pivoting on its pin 8 in a very slight arc angle and moving its position in relation to said plunger 23 . When the button 18 ceases to be depressed the button plunger strike face 24 rises up the movable gripper's recess 10 strike face 11 as urged by the resilient biasing arrangement 12 behind the movable gripper 7 . The serrated edge 5 and teeth 6 of the movable gripper 7 are thus returned to their gripping position on the cord 1 .
[0041] In order to facilitate manufacture of this invention the upper button assembly 26 and the lower clamping assembly 25 should preferably be of separate casing parts which would then be connected in the most suitable method pertaining to the manufacturer preferably by screws, a clip on rim method, epoxy gluing, welding or the like. The unit is preferably attached to or near the item related to the cord pulling and fastening activity, where FIG. 1 exemplifies the lower assembly 25 of the unit being set into an item or surface (see horizontal dashed line) where it is preferable that only the upper external, part of the push button and its surround protrudes with the cord likely to be hidden for example within the upper and lining of a shoe or clothing article. Alternatively FIG. 8 exemplifies the unit being surface mounted where the cord is above surface for example on a boating deck or a wall for the blind.
[0042] Although this invention has been described with particularity relative to the foregoing detailed description of the invention, various modifications, changes, additions and applications other than those specifically mentioned herein will be readily apparent to those having normal skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. | This invention relates to a cord clamp with push button quick release which is adapted to bind one or more flexible cords or strings at a desired location therealong by freely pulling said cord to the desired point of binding upon which the cord is clamped against retreating until such time as the button is depressed upon which the cord is freely released. Although this invention may be employed for various applications it is especially well suited for fastening/tightening footwear laces and draw strings of clothing and bags. Where the clamping device is fixed in position on the footwear, clothing, bag or other item the user may single-handedly adjust the cord in the clamp simply by pulling the cord to fasten the cord at the required length or tighten it to the required tension and single-handedly release said cord by depressing said button. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a system and method for improving the selection and operation of filters of an HVAC system and other air/gas filtration systems.
[0002] Air handling systems such as any of a wide variety of HVAC systems typically utilize various air handling and conditioning equipment and ducts and the like for transporting air from one location to another and conditioning that air as it is being transported prior to introduction of the conditioned air into the space to be conditioned.
[0003] It is frequently desirable to filter the air in the course of this handling, for the purposes of removing various particulate and/or gaseous matter and the like which may be entrained in the air, and thereby provide a better quality conditioned air to the conditioned space. As can be appreciated, filters in such systems gradually accumulate such entrained particulate and other matter from the air, and as this matter accumulates on the filter, the resistance to flow of air through the filter increases. This leads to an increase in pressure drop at the filter, and thus a decrease in operating efficiency.
[0004] Due to these factors, there is a need to change filters in air conditioning systems on a periodic basis. This changing of filters can be as simple as opening of one or more filter housings in an easy to access location and installing a new filter, to replacing potentially large filters in difficult to reach locations in industrial facilities. Regardless of the environment, the best time for changing such filters, and for that matter the best type of filters to use, is often a matter of guesswork.
[0005] Based on the above, much efficiency is lost through utilization of a filter that is not best suited due to the cost of the energy and other filtration associated costs that are associated to the particular filter during its useful life, and also through changing such filters either too early or too late. The need exists for an improved approach to reduce losses due to inefficiency of the filter and guesswork decisions upon when a filter should be changed.
[0006] The present invention is intended to meet that need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with the invention, a system and method are provided for enhancing the economic efficiency and operation of HVAC and other filtration systems by identifying and utilizing more energy and cost efficient filters for a particular system, adjusted to the filter user's real location and experience and for identifying the most advantageous time for replacing such filters. The system takes into account the theoretical energy consumption of the air filter over its entire lifetime, as well as one or more additional factors which lead to cost of running an air filter such as the cost of the energy consumed by operating the system with the particular air filter in place, cost directly or indirectly related to filtration such as the cost of the filter, the cost of changing the filter, the cost of disposing of filters, loss of production during filter change-out, cost resulting from the purchasing of the filters, and the like, and finally costs which are not directly or indirectly related to the air filtration itself, but rather are peripherally related costs, such as the cost of storing a supply of filters, carbon footprint costs or benefits, and the like.
[0008] In addition, the system can determine the carbon footprint of the used and proposed filters to help the filter user to select a more environmentally friendly filter. Further, if at some point the carbon footprint leads to an additional economic cost, the system can be communicated with a source of that cost and this factor can then be added to the factors used to determine the economic effect of using a particular filter.
[0009] The system also takes customer experience into account, factoring in what specific filters the filter user is using or has used and what the experience is or was with those filters. Useful experience information includes how often and at what pressure drop the filter or filters are normally changed by the user. Standard factors can also be used, and preferably these factors are the ASHRAE 52.2 and dust holding capacity vs pressure drop curves, and standard factors should be used consistently for all filters being evaluated. Other standards could also be used, such as EN771 or the like. Knowing filter manufacturer and model/type that is being used, the change-out time and the pressure drop at that change-out time as per user experience (or estimate of such experience), the ASHRAE DHC vs. delta P of that particular filter allows the system to indirectly determine air quality at the location and the estimates of economic performance with proposed filters. Further, the system can take numerous other factors into account to make the filter economic evaluation estimation as accurate to the specific user location as possible. Additional examples of cost information that can be taken into account include work or school absenteeism caused by inappropriate air filtration: use of a higher efficiency filter that consumes more energy but that produces cleaner air and in turn reduces the absenteeism in schools and improves the education efficiency can lower cost of teaching and providing a better education, and in a business can increase the overall productivity. Thus, a user of the system could enter estimates of this information as well.
[0010] When none, or only some of the experience information is available, various different typical numbers can be assumed, and cost information provided for each different value. For example, the industry's typical recommendation of changing at a pressure drop of 1.5″ w.g. (water gauge) can be a starting point, and savings information by switching to a different filter can be determined and presented to a user of the system at 1.5″ w.g. as well as 1.4″ w.g., 1.3″ w.g., etc.
[0011] By assembling the various components of information as desired by the person utilizing this process, factors which are important to a particular user can be accounted for in determining the benefits of changing to a different type of filter, and further can be utilized to determine the best lifespan for use of such filters in the system. This process can advantageously be utilized by building managers, sellers of filters, government officials and even household consumers, any of whom can benefit from the determination made according to the process. This program, system and method are intended to contribute to minimizing the total cost of air filtration. In some systems, multiple stage filters are used. In such systems, it is common for the earlier stage filters to need to be removed in order to access a later stage filter. For example, in order to access and change the third stage filter, it may be necessary to remove the second stage filter. In accordance with the invention, it is recognized that the most efficient way to change such filters is to change the third stage filter when the second stage filter is also due to be changed. Thus, the system according to the invention, when outputting a report of proposed filter use and changing schedule, will formulate the proposal so that the change out period for the third stage filter is equal to or a multiple of the change our period of the second stage.
[0012] According to the invention, a method is provided for estimating energy use in an air filtration system using a preselected air filter, comprising the steps of: entering filtration system information into a computer having access to dust holding capacity—pressure drop curves for a plurality of air filters; determining an estimated current energy use of the air filtration system for a current air filter in the system; and presenting the estimated energy use on a display of the computer.
[0013] In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the entered information can also include information related to a proposed air filter different from the current air filter, and an estimated energy use of the air filtration system using the proposed air filter is determined and presenting on the display of the computer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] A detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention follows, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing operation of the system in accordance with the present invention;
[0016] FIGS. 2-5 show display screens which can be generated with the system and method of the invention;
[0017] FIGS. 6-7 show system configurations and modules according to the invention;
[0018] FIGS. 8 and 9 shows information entry screens which can be generated with the system and method of the invention for systems with multiple stages; and
[0019] FIGS. 10 and 11 show display screens which can be generated with the system and method of the invention showing output (cost savings and optimization) of the system for a proposed air filter for a multiple stage system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] The invention relates to a system and method for determining the estimated total costs for use of a particular air filter in an HVAC system. As will be discussed below, this allows the total cost of using various different types of filters to be estimated so that a decision can be made to use what may be the most cost effective filter for that particular system. The process of the invention involves evaluating a series of different factors to make the determination of the costs of operating a filter and then can further include an evaluation of a specific filter, for example, the most cost effective filter, to determine when it is most advisable to change that filter.
[0021] The system can be embodied in a series of programmed machine operations which can be carried out on a wide variety of computing devices such as desktop or laptop computers, PDAs, industrial workstations and/or servers which can be accessed by any of the foregoing. While it is anticipated that the machine instructions would be embodied in a program which is compatible with typical operating systems, it could also be incorporated into a dedicated machine which could have different operating systems as well, the key being to have programmed capability for accepting various choices from the user and storing various relationships to which the choices of the user are applied to determine certain output, and finally with formatting capabilities to present that data in a desired manner, for example in graph or chart form or the like.
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a schematic flowchart of various steps which can be taken by the process in accordance with the invention. The first step shown involves determining the theoretical energy consumption of the currently used air filter in question, that is, the filter that is being or has been used. This is based upon a determination of the energy consumption of the air filter when first installed, as well the energy consumption of the air filter just prior to it being changed out and the gradually increasing energy consumption of the air filter between these points. This relationship can most accurately be estimated by determining the change in pressure drop for a filter, which in turn can be estimated on the basis of, for example, utilizing ASHRAE test standard 52.1 or 52.2. The test curve generated by this standard represents the practical behavior of a particular filter in a standardized set up of test conditions. Due to different environmental factors, this curve is of course an estimate, and may not represent the actual behavior of the air filter. However, any error from this difference is minimized greatly due to the fact that the proposed filter evaluation is based upon its own ASHRAE test curve, and therefore the evaluation of both filters would have the same error, and the error would essentially cancel itself out, since the actual and proposed filters are being evaluated relative to each other.
[0023] The pressure drop of the air filter at the time that particular user changes out the air filter is either determined by the use of pressure drop gauges at the location, or if it is not possible to measure the pressure drop of the filters at the time of change out, the system and method can be run or otherwise carried out using different incremental pressure drop estimates at the time of change out in order to generate the corresponding economic estimate and optimized change out point. For example, it is typically recommended that filters be changed out when the pressure drop has reached approximately 1.5″ w.g. Filter user experience, if different, is entered by the filter user and/or operator of the system or if it is not known, it is entered and the method carried out at 1.5″, then at 1.4″, then at 1.3″ and so on in order to get an idea of the effect of different filters. In some areas, the industry maximum filter change out pressure drop standard, used as an estimate when needed, is different. For example, in Europe the industry standard for changing out filters is currently at a maximum of 1.8″ w.g.
[0024] In connection with the above determination, the rate of change of the pressure drop from initial use through to change out of a filter can be used to generate a non-linear curve of pressure drop (DP) versus dust holding capacity (DHC). This curve can be generated using the ASHRAE test standard mentioned above.
[0025] The determination of theoretical energy consumption also must include the time it takes to run a filter from first installation to the moment it is changed out, and this estimate of time coupled with the rate of change of the pressure drop from the DP versus DHC curve can then be used along with HVAC system efficiency and other information to determine a total amount of energy required to operate the HVAC system with that air filter over time.
[0026] While the energy required to operate an air filter over the lifetime of that air filter will undoubtedly be one factor to be considered in almost any evaluation, the other factors to be included can vary depending upon the needs of a particular user. Several likely factors are discussed below.
[0027] One such factor is the carbon footprint. Numerous governments are beginning to take notice of the carbon footprint created by operation of a particular building, industry, or the like. This carbon footprint can result in cost to the business if too large, or savings to the business if less than a particular standard. Thus, the carbon footprint can lead to direct economic consequences to the user of the HVAC system. The carbon footprint, or CO 2 that is generated due to the operation of the filter, can be calculated by multiplying the energy consumed, which has already been determined as above, by a factor established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the system is preferably programmed to carry out this calculation, and to either store or obtain the EPA factor as the case may be. The system could in one embodiment store one or more default values, or even a map associated with the default values to allow a user to find a good default value for a particular location. Alternatively, the system may store a link to such information, for example to an on-line map with associated factors.
[0028] The carbon footprint can also be evaluated and presented to the filter user as an estimate of the change in carbon footprint which will occur when switching to a proposed filter as an output. Thus, in addition to economic consequences of a change, the user can also evaluate environmental consequences.
[0029] Another clear point of interest would be the total estimated cost due to air filtration, and this cost can be estimated by determining the estimated cost of energy consumed during operation of the filter which is determined above. This calculation can be obtained by multiplying the amount of energy that the filter or filters will consume during its change out cycle by the cost of energy. The cost of energy can be stored by the system in accordance with the present invention, or the system can be programmed to obtain this cost based upon geographic location and the like. Once the cost is determined, it can be annualized, as should be all other costs, so that costs for various different sets of circumstances can be compared on a per year basis.
[0030] An estimation can also be conducted as to the cost of all filtration cycle related direct or indirect costs that the user of the system wants to consider and add to the analysis. These types of costs can include the cost of the filter, the cost of changing out the filter, filter disposal costs, loss of production during change out of the filter, purchasing process costs and the like. These costs also should be annualized so that they can be combined with other costs and used to generate a final annual cost of the filter that can be compared to the costs of other filters in the process of determining which filter has the best total value.
[0031] Another factor or series of factors that can be included are estimated costs of all annual peripherally related costs that the customer or user wants to include, such as filter storage costs, carbon footprint costs or benefits and the like.
[0032] According to the invention, when the process is implemented on a computing device, an interface is ideally presented to the user which will lead the user through a series of data entry steps to determine relevant information and which factors to consider in estimating the final data. This interface can be generated by the computing system onto which the process machine instructions are loaded, and various software on that machine can be utilized to generate the appropriate display. The actual machine operating instructions for generating the display are those which would be well-known to a person skilled in the art to which this invention is related, and the actual operating system of the computing device does not form any part of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 1 schematically shows a series of steps each leading to an output which is then combined to determine a total estimated operating cost of a particular filter. According to the invention, this calculation can be carried out for two or more different filters to generate an estimated operating cost for each of the filters, and these numbers can then be compared to determine which filter is most economical in that particular set of circumstances. The process of the present invention when loaded onto a computing device can advantageously be adapted to present the resulting calculated total operating costs and related information in any meaningful form to help the user compare the differences in total operating costs and the like. One way to compare these estimations would be to carry out the steps of FIG. 1 for the existing filter of a particular user, and then to carry out these calculations for the proposed filter, of course using the DP versus DHC curve of that proposed filter, and carrying out the calculation to the point on that curve where DHC for the proposed filter is equal to DHC of the current filter at change out. The total cost calculation of the proposed filter can then be subtracted from the total cost calculation of the existing filter to determine a total cost change that would result from using the proposed filter, and this information can be presented to the user of the system.
[0034] Additional examples of cost information that a user can be prompted to enter include work or school absenteeism caused by inappropriate air filtration. Use of a higher efficiency filter that consumes more energy but that produces cleaner air and in turn reduces the absenteeism in schools and improves the education efficiency can lower cost of teaching and providing a better education, and in a business can increase the overall productivity. Thus, a user of the system could enter estimates of this information as well, which can be factored into the overall cost estimates of current and proposed air filters in order to provide a comprehensive cost comparison.
[0035] The system and process of the present invention can also be utilized to determine the optimum proposed filter change out time for a particular filter. This can be done on its own as a useful determination or can be done in combination with the above calculations to first determine the impact of switching to a proposed filter operated for the same duration as the current filter, and then to optimize the change out point of the proposed filter. Thus, according to the invention, a first run can be done to determine if savings can be obtained by changing to a proposed filter while operating the proposed filter for the same amount of time as the current filter, a second run can then be made to determine when that proposed filter should be changed out to further enhance efficiency and reduce estimated total operating costs. A different change out cycle, that is, earlier or later than when the user normally changes out filters, is of course, a useful estimate to provide. The system and method can also be used to evaluate estimated economic and/or carbon footprint impact of changing out at other pressure drops.
[0036] It should be appreciated that although atmospheric conditions are not constant, when comparing two filters the relative performance of the filters with respect to each other are very good indicators since both filter estimates are based on the same atmospheric conditions which is a reasonable assumption for the same premises.
[0037] The ASHRAE standard 52.2 is useful for generating various different information and parameters for a particular filter. Attached as Appendix A is a sample test report following the ASHRAE standards, for a particular filter. This shows the test results for the filter as carried out by an independent testing laboratory, and the data set forth in this report can be provided to or otherwise stored by the system in accordance with the present invention, preferably for a series of different filters, and used in combination with the actual on-site or experience information collected from a customer, to make the calculations and determinations which are to be made according to the invention. Another standard which could be used is as EN771, and similar standards could likewise be used.
[0038] Turning now to FIGS. 2-5 , a series of illustrations of data collection and output screens which can be generated in accordance with the present invention are shown.
[0039] FIG. 2 shows a data collection screen wherein the various different contact information for a particular HVAC operator can be collected, followed by a section in this illustration identified as “customer filtration system” wherein information specific to the particular filter user location and operating practice can be collected. In this section, the time of operation, average change-out cycle, number of filters in a system, system efficiency, local CO 2 emissions, local energy costs and various other aspects of the actual system are collected so that the calculations to be made can be based upon the actual system in question.
[0040] Also collected at this time is information related to the current filter used by the HVAC operator, and various information related to this filter such as the average pressure drop of the filter when changed, cost of each filter, etc. Also shown on this screen is a column for collecting information related to the filter to be proposed to the HVAC operator.
[0041] In the example illustrated in the figures shown, it can be seen that the current filter is a Riga-Flo Camfil-Farr M14 12″ B G BH filter. This filter would hopefully be found within the existing data base of the system, and if not, then some additional specific information would need to be obtained from the filter user or some other source, or from an independent test laboratory. In this instance, the filter is in the database and filter characteristics are shown in the screen.
[0042] Also collected on this screen, or entered on this screen, is an identification of the filter to be proposed as an improvement. The choice of proposed filter is made from a list of filters stored in or accessible to the system library, and information similar to that shown and described in the above test report is preferably available for each filter option. By entering the name of a proposed filter, relevant details are brought to bear by the system and considered in making a final determination. In the example of FIG. 2 , the proposed filter is a Legacy CLC M14 12″ 9.5 m 2 H S CLC filter
[0043] Once this information is entered, the first step is to calculate what savings based upon energy costs, filter replacement costs and any other source of costs considered in the initial entry of data are experienced. Upon considering all these costs, an initial determination can be made as to whether the proposed filter type would result in a savings. FIG. 3 shows a typical outcome from this step, showing in table and graph form the cost for operating the existing filter as compared to the cost for operating the proposed filter. It is noted that in this instance the proposed filter has a better efficiency than the existing filter, and therefore the proposed filter can be changed-out on the same timetable as the original filter, but after having reached a fraction of the pressure drop reached by the existing filter.
[0044] Once it is established that the new filter type appears to be an improvement over the original filter, the next step is to take the same entered information and use the optimize option as shown in FIG. 2 , and this results in an optimization of the new filter type to determine when the filter should be changed-out. This is illustrated in FIG. 4 . In this way, the ideal or optimal time for changing-out the proposed new filter can also be determined. In this particular instance, the old filter had been changed-out at twelve months. In the test data, it is shown that while the existing filter reaches the pressure drop of 1.5″ of water over the relevant time frame, the proposed filter has a much flatter curve of dust held (in grams) to the pressure drop (in inches of water). This output can include a graph of pressure drop versus time and/or dust held for each filter, to further highlight the advantages to be gained by utilizing the proposed filter. Finally, from the presentation screen of FIG. 2 , once all data has been entered and the filter optimized, a report can be generated at the optimal pressure drop to change-out the proposed new filter, and this report can summarize the comparison of the old filter type with the new filter type under the same operating parameters, and further with the new filter type under the optimized operating parameters. A sample report is produced in FIGS. 5 a - 5 d. In this way, a potential customer or purchaser of the filters using the system and method of the invention can determine which filter and way to operate the filter would be most advantageous for that particular customer's system and practices in operating the system.
[0045] FIG. 5 a shows a summary in table form comparing the cost of the current filter with the estimated cost of the proposed filter operated at the same change-out cycle and also at the optimized change-out cycle.
[0046] FIG. 5 b shows a more detailed breakdown of the summary of FIG. 5 a , including information both a yearly and cyclical basis.
[0047] FIG. 5 c summarizes the information used by the system and method for making the relevant estimates, and FIG. 5 d is a summary of information presented to the user to more fully complete the information presented.
[0048] It should be noted that while the above example shows use of the system purely for the purpose of determining whether a proposed filter is better, and by how much, this system could likewise be used by a seller of filters to determine the price at which a proposed filter could be sold and still be attractive to the consumer. In order to do this, the above steps could be made while changing the proposed price for the proposed filter and thereby gaining more knowledge as to the economic impact upon the actual consumer based upon each possible proposed price.
[0049] The above illustrates one example of the information to be collected and one way of displaying the results from the system and method of the present invention through which a user of the system can be presented with an efficient presentation of the relevant determinations.
[0050] FIGS. 6 and 7 further illustrate the flow of operation of various different components of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a general flow in connection with a security module, an administration module, a total filtration cost site, and the contact point with a consumer.
[0051] At the security module, a super-administrator or SA can conduct various high-level configurations of the system, such as verifying and creating users, and the like.
[0052] An administration module is also shown, and this can be modified by an authorized user downstream, for example, in order to validate users, add filters to the libraries, add laboratory testing, manage filters in the local data base, manage logos of various different licensed dealers who will be using the system, and the like.
[0053] There is a total filtration cost site or module, typically to be operated by a licensee such as a dealer or the like, and at this site once all passwords have been cleared, the licensee can enter data as collected from the customer. The total filtration cost site communicates with the security module, and then typically utilizes entered data to calculate relevant information using the server-based system to perform some or all operations. The result is a calculation, optimization and report of results as shown above in connection with FIGS. 2-5 . These results can be presented to the licensee or dealer, or can be presented directly to the customer.
[0054] It is also noted that FIG. 6 shows a communication billboard which goes between a licensee in charge of the total filtration cost site and the security module. This communication billboard can be utilized to conduct general communications between super-administrator level people and the customers, for the purposes of system support, trouble shooting and feedback and the like.
[0055] It is also noted that a customer desiring to obtain consultation according to the present invention could enter contact information with the administration module, which will result in a consultant contacting the consumer to work through the functioning of the total filtration cost site as discussed above.
[0056] FIG. 7 illustrates a further series of different functionality which is presented to each different type of user and of course with the present invention. Thus, this figure illustrates a filtration cost system, and this system includes a series of steps for studying the case, a communication billboard and an administrative function.
[0057] The customer operating a system as illustrated in FIG. 7 could begin operation of the filtration cost system through pre-loading of specific data, which is specific to the location at which the filter is to be used.
[0058] FIG. 7 shows the various different personnel potentially involved in the use of the system, as well as connection points to various different modules to show what that particular individual's role would be in operating the system according to the present invention.
[0059] FIGS. 8-11 are directed to an embodiment of the invention wherein provision is made for users of systems having more than one stage. The program according to the invention is preferably configured to handle up to five stages, as this is as many stages as are used in typical multi-stage systems. In such systems, each stage has a filter, and the configuration of the system usually is such that the filter for a second or subsequent stage cannot be changed without accessing and removing the earlier stage filter(s). Since it does not make sense to remove an earlier stage filter to replace a later stage filter, and then reinstall the partially used earlier stage filter, it is the most effective use of filters to select and filters and operate the system such that the later stage filter is to be changed at the same cycle, or in multiples of cycles, of the earlier stage filter.
[0060] Thus, according to the invention, the information gathering stage for this embodiment, as illustrated by FIGS. 8 and 9 , would start with a screen for a first stage and then have a screen for each subsequent stage for collecting relevant information concerning the filter in each stage. With this information, the system is programmed to select filters which can operate in the various stages and be changed out as desired, with later filters being changed on cycle, or in multiples of the cycle, of the earlier filters.
[0061] Thus, for example, FIG. 8 shows information entered relative to a first stage of a two stage system. FIG. 8 shows that the filters for the first stage are changed out on a 3 month cycle. FIG. 9 shows the second stage of this system, and shows that the filters for this stage are changed on a 12 month cycle. This aspect of the present invention advantageously allows the system to evaluate different filters and/or filter change out cycles for the first and second stages and FIGS. 10 and 11 show an output screen for this determination wherein it is determined ( FIG. 10 ) that substantial savings can be accomplished with proposed filters and continuing to change the stage 1 filters on a 3 month cycle while changing the second stage filters on a 12 month cycle. In FIG. 11 , results of optimization are shown. The system has optimized change our cycles for the first stage to be at a pressure drop of 1.15 inches w.g. and for the second stage at a pressure drop of 0.9 inches w.g. This can then be modified to take into account the advantage of changing the second stage filters on cycle with the first stage filters as discussed above.
[0062] It should be understood that the illustrations provided in FIGS. 2-11 above show samples of how the system and method according to the invention can be used by specific individuals such as administrators, dealers, licensees and customers to obtain and/or provide useful information. These illustrations are by way of example, and it is of course understood that other presentations could be made by methods and systems operating according to the method and still be well within the scope of the present invention. | A method for estimating energy use in an air filtration system using a preselected air filter includes the steps of: entering filtration system information into a computer having access to dust holding capacity—pressure drop curves for a plurality of air filters; determining an estimated current energy use of the air filtration system for a current air filter in the system; and presenting the estimated energy use on a display of the computer. Proposed filters can be evaluated and filter operation and changing cycle can be optimized. | 1 |
[0001] Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Applications 2004-226874 filed Aug. 3, 2004 and 2005-170406 filed Jun. 10, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to agents for the processing of synthetic fibers and methods of processing synthetic fibers.
[0003] The production speed of synthetic fibers is increasing rapidly in recent years. At the same time, there is a tendency to increase the production of new kinds of synthetic fibers such as low denier synthetic fibers, high multifilament synthetic fibers and modified cross-section synthetic fibers. If synthetic fibers of such new types are produced at a higher speed, their friction increases with the yarn passing, guides, rollers and heater. This causes an increase in the friction-charged electrostatic potential, resulting in low cohesion and unwanted tension variations of synthetic fibers, and the problems of fluffs and yarn breaking tend to occur. The present invention relates to agents for and methods of processing synthetic fibers capable of sufficiently preventing the occurrence of fluffs and yarn breaking as well as dyeing specks even when synthetic fibers of the aforementioned new kinds are produced at an increased production rate.
[0004] Examples of prior art processing agent for synthetic fibers for preventing the occurrence of fluffs and yarn breaking at the time of their high rate of production include (1) processing agents for synthetic fibers containing polyether compounds with molecular weight of 1000-20000, having dialkylamine with random or block addition of alkylene oxide with 2-4 carbon atoms (such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Tokkai 6-228885); (2) processing agents for synthetic fibers containing branched-chain polypropylene glycol having 4 or more branched chains (such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Tokkai 10-273876); (3) processing agents for synthetic fibers containing a polyether lubricant having 10-50 weight % of polyether block of number average molecular weight of 1000-10000 with block copolymerization of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 80/20-20/80 (such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Tokkai 2001-146683); and (4) processing agents for synthetic fibers containing polyoxyalkylene glycol with number average molecular weight of 5000-7000 with copolymerization of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 40/60-20/80, monocarboxylic acid with 8-14 carbon atoms and alkylamine salt with 6-14 carbon atoms or quaternary ammonium salt (such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Tokkai 10-245729).
[0005] These prior art processing agents are not sufficiently capable of preventing the occurrence of fluffs, yarn breaking and dyeing specks when synthetic fibers are produced at a fast rate and in particular when synthetic fibers of the aforementioned new kinds are produced at a fast rate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a processing agent and a process method capable of sufficiently prevent the occurrence of fluffs, yarn breaking and dyeing specks even when new kinds of synthetic fibers such as low denier synthetic fibers, high multifilament fibers and modified cross-section synthetic fibers are produced at a fast rate
[0007] The present invention is based on the discovery by the present inventor, as a result of his studies in view of the object described above, that a processing agent containing hydroxy compound of a specified kind at least as a part of functional improvement agent at a specified rate should be applied to the synthetic fibers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The invention firstly relates to a processing agent for synthetic fibers characterized as containing a lubricant and a functional improvement agent and containing hydroxy compound as described below in an amount of 1-30 weight % at least as a part of the functional improvement agent. The invention secondly relates to a processing method for synthetic fibers characterized as comprising the step of applying a processing agent of this invention to synthetic fibers so as to be 0.1-3 weight % with respect to the synthetic fibers. In the above, hydroxy compound is one or more selected from the group consisting of compounds shown by Formula 1 and the group consisting of compounds shown by Formula 2 where Formula 1 is:
and Formula 2 is:
where R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are each hydrogen atom or aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 1-12 carbon atoms (only two or less of them being hydrogen atom at the same time); R 7 , R 8 , R 9 and R 10 are each hydrogen atom or aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 1-12 carbon atoms (only two or less of them being hydrogen atom at the same time); R 5 , R 6 , R 11 and R 12 are each hydrogen atom, methyl group or acyl group with 1-3 carbon atoms; and A 1 and A 2 are each residual group obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of (poly)alkyleneglycol having (poly)oxyalkylene group formed with a total of 1-30 oxyalkylene units with 2-4 carbon atoms.
[0009] Processing agents for synthetic fibers according to this invention (hereinafter referred to simply as processing agents of this invention) will be described first.
[0010] Processing agents of this invention are characterized as containing a lubricant and a functional improvement agent and containing hydroxy compound of a specified kind at least as a part of the functional improvement agent.
[0011] What is herein referred to as hydroxy compound of a specified kind is one or more selected from the group consisting of compounds shown by Formula 1 and the group consisting of compounds shown by Formula 2.
[0012] Regarding Formula 1, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are each hydrogen atom or aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 1-12 carbon atoms but only two or less of them may be both hydrogen atom. Thus, there are (1) examples where two of them are each aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 1-12 carbon atoms, the remaining two being each hydrogen atom; (2) examples where three of them are each aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 1-12 carbon atoms, the remaining one being hydrogen atom; and (3) examples where each of them is aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 1-12 carbon atoms. Among these examples, the examples in (1) are preferred. Examples of aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 1-12 carbon atoms in (1)-(3) include methyl group, ethyl group, butyl group, hexyl group, heptyl group, octyl group, nonyl group, decyl group, undecyl group, dodecyl group, isopropyl group, t-butyl group, isobutyl group, 2-methylpentyl group, 2-ethyl-hexyl group, 2-propyl-heptyl group, 2-butyl-octyl group, vinyl group, allyl group, hexenyl group and 10-undecenyl group. Among these, aliphatic hydrocarbon groups with 1-6 carbon atoms are preferable and those for which the total number of carbon atoms for R 1 -R 4 is 2-14 are particularly preferable. R 5 and R 6 are each (1) hydrogen atom, (2) methyl group or (3) acyl group with 1-3 carbon atoms such as formyl group, acetyl group or propyonyl group. Among these, however, hydrogen atom is preferred.
[0013] The hydroxy compounds shown by Formula 1 themselves can be synthesized by a conventional method such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Tokkai 2002-356451.
[0014] Regarding compounds shown by Formula 2, R 7 -R 10 are the same as described above regarding R 1 -R 4 , and R 11 and R 12 are the same as described above regarding R 5 and R 6 . A 1 and A 2 are each residual group obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of (poly)alkyleneglycol having (poly)oxyalkylene group formed with a total of 1-30 oxyalkylene units with 2-4 carbon atoms. Examples of what A 1 and A 2 may each be include (1) residual groups obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of alkyleneglycol having oxyalkylene unit formed with one oxyalkylene unit with 2-4 carbon atoms and (2) residual groups obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of polyalkyleneglycol having polyoxyalkylene group formed with a total of 2-30 oxyalkylene units with 2-4 carbon atoms, and examples of oxyalkylene unit with 2-4 carbon atoms forming such polyoxyalkylene group include oxyethylene unit, oxypropylene unit and oxybutylene unit. Among these, residual group obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of ethyleneglycol, residual group obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of propyleneglycol and residual group obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of polyalkyleneglycol having polyoxyalkylene group formed with a total of 2-12 oxyethylene units and oxypropylene units are preferable. If the polyalkylene group is formed with two or more different oxyalkylene units, their connection may be random connection, block connection or random-block connection.
[0015] The hydroxy compounds shown by Formula 2, as explained above, themselves can be synthesized by a conventional method such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Tokkai 3-163038.
[0016] Processing agents of this invention are characterized as containing a lubricant and a functional improvement agent and containing one or more of hydroxy compounds selected from the group of compounds shown by Formula 1 and the group of compounds shown by Formula 2 as described above in an amount of 1-30 weight % at least as a part of the functional improvement agent but those containing such hydroxy compounds in an amount of 2-25 weight % are preferable and those containing such hydroxy compounds in an amount of 5-20 weight % are even more preferable.
[0017] Processing agents of this invention may contain functional improvement agents other than the hydroxy compounds shown by Formula 1 and Formula 2. Examples of such other functional improvement agent include those conventionally known kinds such as (1) antistatic agents including anionic surfactants such as organic sulfonic acid salts and organic aliphanic acid salts, cationic surfactants such as lauryl trimethyl ammonium sulfate, and ampholytic surfactants such as octyl dimethyl ammonioacetate; (2) oiliness improvement agents such as organic phosphoric acid salts and aliphatic acid salts; (3) penetration improvement agents such as polyether modified silicone having polydimethyl siloxane chain with average molecular weight of 1500-3000 as main chain and polyoxyalkylene chain with average molecular weight of 700-5000 as side chain and surfactant having perfluoroalkyl group; (4) cohesion improvement agents such as polyetherpolyesters; (5) extreme-pressure additives such as organic titanium compounds and organic phosphor compounds; (6) antioxidants such as phenol antioxidants, phosphite antioxidants and thioether antioxidants; and (7) antirust agents.
[0018] When a processing agent of this invention contains such other functional improvement agents, their content should preferably be 0.2-15 weight % and more preferably 1-12 weight %.
[0019] Processing agents of this invention contain a lubricant and a functional improvement agent as explained above. Examples of such lubricant include conventionally known kinds such as (1) polyether compounds; (2) aliphatic ester compounds; (3) aromatic ester compounds; (4) (poly)etherester compounds; (5) mineral oils; and (6) silicone oils.
[0020] Examples of aforementioned polyether compound include polyether monool, polyether diol and polyether triol, all having polyoxyalkylene group in the molecule. Among these, however, polyether compounds with average molecular weight of 700-10000 are preferred and polyether compounds with average molecular weight of 700-110000 with monohydric-trihydric hydroxy compound with 1-18 carbon atoms having block or random attachment of alkylene oxide with 2-4 carbon atoms are particularly preferable.
[0021] Examples of aforementioned aliphatic ester compound include (1) ester compounds obtainable by esterification of aliphatic monohydric alcohol and aliphatic monocarboxylic acid such as butyl stearate, octyl stearate, oleyl stearate, oleyl oleate and isopentacosanyl isostearate; (2) ester compounds obtainable by esterification of aliphatic polyhydric alcohol and aliphatic monocarboxylic acid such as 1,6-hexanediol didecanoate and trimethylol propane monooleate monolaurate; and (3) ester compounds obtainable by esterification of aliphatic monohydric alcohol and aliphatic polycarboxylic acid such as dilauryl adipate and dioleyl azelate. Among these, however, aliphatic ester compounds with 17-60 carbon atoms are preferable and aliphatic ester compounds with 17-60 carbon atoms obtainable by esterification of aliphatic monohydric alcohol and aliphatic monocarboxylic acid or aliphatic polyhydric alcohol and aliphatic monocarboxylic acid are particularly preferable.
[0022] Examples of aforementioned aromatic ester compound include (1) ester compounds obtainable by esterification of aromatic alcohol and aliphatic monocarboxylic acid such as benzyl stearate and benzyl laureate; and (2) ester compounds obtainable by esterification of aliphatic monohydric alcohol and aromatic carboxylic acid such as diisostearyl isophthalate and trioctyl trimellitate. Among these, however, ester compounds obtainable by esterification of aliphatic monohydric alcohol and aromatic carboxylic acid are preferable.
[0023] Examples of aforementioned (poly)etherester compound include (1) (poly)etherester compounds obtainable by esterification of (poly)ether compound obtainable by adding alkylene oxide with 2-4 carbon atoms to monohydric-trihydric aliphatic alcohol with 4-26 carbon atoms and aliphatic carboxylic acid with 4-26 carbon atoms; (2) (poly)etherester compounds obtainable by esterification of (poly)ether compound obtainable by adding alkylene oxide with 2-4 carbon atoms to monohydric-trihydric aromatic alcohol and aliphatic carboxylic acid with 4-26 carbon atoms; and (3) (poly)etherester compounds obtainable by esterification of (poly)ether compound obtainable by adding alkylene oxide with 2-4 carbon atoms to aliphatic alcohol with 4-26 carbon atoms and aromatic carboxylic acid.
[0024] Examples of aforementioned mineral oil include mineral oils of various kinds having different viscosity values. Among these, however, those with viscosity 1×10 −6 -1.3×10 −1 m 2 /s at 30° C. are preferable and those with viscosity 1×10 −6 -5×10 −5 m 2 /s are even more preferable. Examples of such preferable mineral oil include fluid paraffin oil.
[0025] Examples of aforementioned silicone oil include silicone oils of various kinds having different viscosity values. Among these, however, linear polyorganosiloxane with viscosity 1×10 −3 -1 m 2 /s at 30° C. is preferable. Examples of such linear polyorganosiloxane include linear polydimethylsiloxane without substituent and linear polydimethylsiloxane with substituent, all with viscosity 1×10 −3 -1 m 2 /s at 30° C. Examples of substituent in these cases include ethyl group, phenyl group, fluoropropyl group, aminopropyl group, carboxyoctyl group, polyoxyethylene oxypropyl group and ω-methoxy polyethoxypolypropoxy propyl group. Among these, linear polydimethylsiloxane without substituent is preferable.
[0026] Among processing agents of this invention, those containing a lubricant as described above in an amount of 50-90 weight % and a functional improvement agent as described above in an amount of 1-30 weight % are preferable. Those further containing a hydroxy compound shown by Formula 1 or Formula 2 as described above in an amount of 1-30 weight % as the functional improvement agent are even more preferable.
[0027] Processing agents of this invention may further contain an emulsifier. An emulsifier of a known kind may be used. Examples of emulsifier of a known kind that may be used for the purpose of this invention include (1) nonionic surfactants having polyoxyalkylene group in the molecule such as polyoxyalkylene alkylethers, polyoxyalkylene alkylphenylethers, polyoxyalkylene alkylesters, alkylene oxide adducts of castor oil and polyoxyalkylene alkylaminoethers; (2) partial esters of polyhydric alcohol type nonionic surfactants such as sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan trioleate, glycerol monolaurate and diglycerol dilaurate; and (3) partial esters of polyhydric alcohol type nonionic surfactants such as alkylene oxide adducts of partial esters of trihydric-hexahydric alcohol and aliphatic acid and partial or complete esters of alkylene oxide adduct of trihydric-hexahydric alcohol and aliphatic acid. Among these, however, polyoxyalkylenealkylethers having polyoxyalkylene group with 3-10 oxyethylene units and alkyl group with 8-18 carbon atoms in the molecule are preferable.
[0028] If processing agents of this invention contain an emulsifier as described above, it is preferable that such an emulsifier be contained in an amount of 2-30 weight %.
[0029] Among the processing agents of this invention containing an emulsifier, those containing a lubricant in an amount of 50-90 weight %, a functional improvement agent in an amount of 1-30 weight % and an emulsifier in an amount of 2-30 weight % (with a total of 100 weight %) are preferable. Those containing a hydroxy compound shown by Formula 1 or Formula 2 as described above in an amount of 3-25 weight % at least as a part of this functional improvement agent are even more preferable.
[0030] Next, the method according to this invention for processing synthetic fibers (hereinafter referred to simply as the method of this invention) is explained. The method of this invention is a method of applying a processing agent of this invention as described above at a rate of 0.1-3 weight % and more preferably 0.3-1.2 weight % of the synthetic fibers to be processed. The fabrication step during which a processing agent of this invention is to be applied to the synthetic fibers may be the spinning step or the step during which spinning and drawing are carried out simultaneously. Examples of the method of causing a processing agent of this invention to be attached to the synthetic fibers include the roller oiling method, the guide oiling method using a measuring pump, the emersion oiling method and the spray oiling method. The form in which a processing agent of this invention may be applied to synthetic fibers may be as a neat, as an organic solution or as an aqueous solution but the form as an aqueous solution is preferable. When an aqueous solution of a processing agent of this invention is applied, it is preferable to apply the solution at a rate of 0.1-3 weight % and more preferably 0.3-1.2 weight % as the processing agent with respect to the synthetic fiber.
[0031] Examples of synthetic fibers that may be processed by a method of this invention include (1) polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate and polylactic ester fibers; (2) polyamide fibers such as nylon 6 and nylon 66; (3) polyacryl fibers such as polyacrylic and modacrylic fibers; (4) polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene and polypropylene fibers and polyurethane fibers. The present invention is particularly effective, however, when applied to polyester fibers and polyamide fibers.
[0032] The invention is described next by way of test examples but it goes without saying that these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In what follows, “part” will mean “weight part” and “%” will mean “weight %” unless otherwise specified.
[0000] Part 1 (Preparation of Hydroxy Compounds)
[0000] Preparation of Hydroxy Compound (A-1)
[0033] Potassium hydroxide powder (purity 95%) 47.5 g and naphthen solvent (range of boiling point 210-230° C., specific weight 0.79) 400 g were placed inside a 1-liter autoclave and methylethyl ketone 50 g was further added after acetylene was introduced to the gauge pressure of 0.02 MPa. A reaction mixture was obtained after temperature was kept at 25° C. for 2 hours. This reaction mixture 500 g was transferred into a separation funnel and after it was washed with water to remove the potassium hydroxide, an organic phase was separated. After hydrochloric acid with concentration of 0.1 mol/L was added to this organic phase to neutralize the remaining potassium hydroxide, an organic phase 456 g containing 3,6-dimethyl-4-octine-3,6-diol was separated. This organic phase 456 g was taken inside a separation funnel, dimethyl sulfoxide 90 g was added, and it was left stationary after shaken. The lower layer 151 g formed by layer separation was collected, the naphthen solvent 363 g was added, and it was left stationary after shaken. The lower layer 140 g formed by layer separation was collected and distilled at a reduced pressure to obtain 3,6-dimethyl-4-octyne-3,6-diol as hydroxy compound (A-1).
[0000] Preparation of Hydroxy Compounds (A-2)-(A-12) and (a-1)
[0034] Hydroxy compounds (A-2)-(A-12) and (a-1) were prepared similarly as hydroxy compound (A-1) explained above.
[0000] Preparation of Hydroxy Compound (A-15)
[0035] Hydroxy compound (A-1) as described above 170 g (1 mole) and boron trifluoride diethyl ether 5 g were placed inside an autoclave and after the interior of the autoclave was replaced with nitrogen gas, a mixture of ethylene oxide 352 g (8 moles) and propylene oxide 464 g (8 moles) was pressured in under a pressured and heated condition at 60-70° C. for a reaction. A reaction product was obtained after an hour of ageing reaction. This reaction product was analyzed and found to be hydroxy compound (A-15) according to Formula 2 wherein R 7 and R 10 are each methyl group, R 8 and R 9 are each ethyl group, R 11 and R 12 are each hydrogen atom, and A 1 and A 2 are each residual group obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of polyalkyleneglycol having polyoxyalkylene group formed with a total of 8 oxyethylene units and oxypropylene units.
[0000] Preparation of Hydroxy Compounds (A-16)-(A-20) and (a-2)
[0036] Hydroxy compounds (A-16)-(A-20) and (a-2) were prepared similarly as hydroxy compound (A-15) explained above.
[0000] Preparation of Hydroxy Compound (A-21)
[0037] Hydroxy compound 694 g (1 mole) obtained by adding 10 moles of ethylene oxide to 1 mole of 2,2,7,7-tetramethyl-3,6-diethyl-4-octine-3,6-diol and 48% aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide 14.5 g were placed inside an autoclave and dehydrated with stirring at 70-100° C. under a reduced pressure condition. After an etherifecation reaction was carried out by maintaining the reaction temperature at 100-120° C. and pressuring in methyl chloride 106 g (2.1 moles) until the lowering of pressure inside the autoclave became unnoticeable, a reaction product 765 g was obtained by filtering away the potassium chloride obtained as by-product. This reaction product was analyzed and found to be hydroxy compound (A-21) according to Formula 2 wherein R 7 and R 10 are each ethyl group, R 8 and R 9 are each t-butyl group, R 11 and R 12 are each methyl group, and A 1 and A 2 are each residual group obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of polyalkyleneglycol having polyoxyethylene group formed with a total of 5 oxyethylene units.
[0000] Preparation of Hydroxy Compounds (A-14) and (a-3)
[0038] Hydroxy compounds (A-14) and (a-3) were prepared similarly as hydroxy compound (A-21) explained above.
[0000] Preparation of Hydroxy Compound (A-22)
[0039] Hydroxy compound 1420 g (1 mole) obtained by adding 8 moles of ethylene oxide and 14 moles of propylene oxide to 1 mole of 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol, glacial acetic acid 144 g (2.4 moles) and concentrated sulfuric acid 12 g were placed inside a flask for an esterification reaction with stirring by maintaining the reaction temperature at 100-110° C. and dehydrating under a reduced pressure condition. After the reaction was completed, it was cooled and the concentrated sulfuric acid and the non-reacted acetic acid were neutralized with 48% potassium hydroxide 70 g and the generated water was distilled away under a reduced pressure condition. A reaction product 1420 g was obtained by filtering away organic salts obtained as by-products. This reaction product was analyzed and found to be hydroxy compound (A-22) according to Formula 2 wherein R 7 and R 10 are each ethyl group, R 8 and R 9 are each isobutyl group, R 11 and R 12 are each acetyl group, and A 1 and A 2 are each residual group obtainable by removing hydrogen atoms from all hydroxyl groups of polyalkyleneglycol having polyoxyalkylene group formed with a total of 11 oxyethylene units and oxypropylene units.
[0000] Preparation of Hydroxy Compound (A-13)
[0040] Hydroxy compound (A-13) was prepared similarly as hydroxy compound (A-21) explained above.
[0041] Details of all these hydroxy compounds obtained above are shown below, those corresponding to Formula 1 being shown in Table 1 and those corresponding to Formula 2 being shown in Table 2.
TABLE 1 R 1 R 4 R 2 R 3 *1 R 5 R 6 A-1 Methyl Methyl Ethyl Ethyl 6 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group group group atom atom A-2 Hydrogen Hydrogen Methyl Methyl 2 Hydrogen Hydrogen atom atom group group atom atom A-3 Ethyl Ethyl Ethyl Ethyl 8 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group group group atom atom A-4 Methyl Methyl n-propyl n-propyl 8 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group group group atom atom A-5 Methyl Methyl Isopropyl Isopropyl 8 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group group group atom atom A-6 Methyl Methyl n-butyl n-butyl 10 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group group group atom atom A-7 Methyl Methyl Isobutyl Isobutyl 10 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group group group atom atom A-8 Hydrogen Hydrogen n-pentyl n-pentyl 10 Hydrogen Hydrogen atom atom group group atom atom A-9 Hydrogen Hydrogen n-hexyl n-hexyl 12 Hydrogen Hydrogen atom atom group group atom atom A-10 Methyl Methyl t-butyl t-butyl 12 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group group group atom atom A-11 Methyl Methyl Isopentyl Isopentyl 12 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group group group atom atom A-12 Lauryl Lauryl Isobutyl Isobutyl 32 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group group group atom atom A-13 Ethyl Ethyl Isopentyl Isopentyl 14 Acetyl Acetyl group group group group group group A-14 Ethyl Ethyl Isopentyl Isopentyl 14 Methyl Methyl group group group group group group a-1 Methyl Methyl Octa- Octa- 38 Hydrogen Hydrogen group group decenyl decenyl atom atom group group In Table 1: *1: Sum of carbon atom numbers of R 1 -R 4
[0042] TABLE 2 A 1 A 2 R 7 R 10 R 8 R 9 *2 *3 *3 R 11 R 12 A-15 MG MG EG EG 6 EO/4 EO/4 HA HA PO/4 PO/4 A-16 MG MG IPG IPG 8 EO/2 EO/2 HA HA PO/2 PO/2 A-17 MG MG IBG IBG 10 EO/7 EO/7 HA HA A-18 MG MG IPNG IPNG 12 EO/15 EO/15 HA HA PO/5 PO/5 A-19 MG MG EG EG 6 EO/1 EO/1 HA HA A-20 HA HA EG EG 4 EO/25 EO/25 HA HA A-21 EG EG tBG tBG 12 EO/5 EO/5 MG MG A-22 EG EG IBG IBG 12 EO/4 EO/4 AG AG BO/7 BO/7 a-2 MG MG IPG IPG 6 EO/20 EO/20 HA HA PO/20 PO/20 a-3 EG EG IPG IPG 6 EO/5 EO/5 BG BG In Table 2: *2: Sum of carbon atom numbers of R 7 -R 10 *3: Kind/Repetition number of oxyalkylene units EO: Oxyethylene unit PO: Oxypropylene unit BO: Oxytetramethylene unit HA: Hydrogen atom MG: Methyl group EG: Ethyl group IPG: Isopropyl group IPNG: Isopentyl group IBG: Isobutyl group tBG: t-butyl group AG: Acetyl group BG: Butyl group
Part 2
TEST EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of Processing Agent (P-1)
[0043] Processing agent (P-1) of Test Example 1 for synthetic fibers was prepared by uniformly mixing together 75 parts of lubricant (B-1) described below, 7 parts of hydroxy compound (A-1) shown in Table 1 as functional improvement agent, 10 parts of another functional improvement agent (C-1) described below, 1 part of still another functional improvement agent (E-1) described below and 7 parts of emulsifier (D-1) described below.
[0044] Lubricant (B-1): Mixture at weight ratio of 11/14/29/46 of dodecyl dodecanate, ester of α-butyl-ω-hydroxy (polyoxyethylene) (n=3) and dodecanoic acid, polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 3000 obtained by random addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 50/50 to butyl alcohol, and polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 1000 obtained by block addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 40/60 to butyl alcohol.
[0045] Functional improvement agent (C-1): Mixture at weight ratio 50/50 of potassium octadecenate and potassium decanesulfonate.
[0046] Functional improvement agent (E-1): Octyl diphenyl phosphite (antioxidant).
[0047] Emulsifier (D-1): Glycerol monolaurate.
TEST EXAMPLES 2-23 And COMPARISON EXAMPLES 1-5
Preparation of Processing Agents (P-2)-(P-23) and (R-1)-(R-5)
[0048] Processing agents (P-2)-(P-23) and (R-1)-(R-5) of Test Examples 2-23 and Comparison Examples 1-5 for synthetic fibers were prepared similarly as processing agent (P-1) described above.
[0049] Details of these processing agents are summarized in Table 3.
TABLE 3 Functional improvement agents Hydroxy Lubricant compound Others Emulsifier Kind Kind Ratio Kind Ratio Kind Ratio Kind Ratio Test Exam- ples 1 P-1 B-1 75 A-1 7 C-1 10 D-1 7 E-1 1 2 P-2 B-1 65 A-2 12 C-2 9 D-2 14 3 P-3 B-1 55 A-3 18 C-1 9 D-3 18 4 P-4 B-2 65 A-4 7 C-1 13 D-2 14 E-2 1 5 P-5 B-2 55 A-5 12 C-2 15 D-3 18 6 P-6 B-3 75 A-6 7 C-1 11 D-1 7 7 P-7 B-3 65 A-7 7 C-2 11 D-3 16 E-3 1 8 P-8 B-4 65 A-8 12 C-3 7 D-3 16 9 P-9 B-1 65 A-9 18 C-1 3 D-2 14 10 P-10 B-2 65 A-10 7 C-2 11 D-3 16 E-3 1 11 P-11 B-1 65 A-11 12 C-4 9 D-2 14 12 P-12 B-2 80 A-12 3 C-5 5 D-2 12 13 P-13 B-1 54 A-13 26 C-6 5 D-3 15 14 P-14 B-1 65 A-14 7 C-1 12 D-3 16 15 P-15 B-1 75 A-15 7 C-1 11 D-1 7 16 P-16 B-2 65 A-16 12 C-2 8 D-2 14 E-1 1 17 P-17 B-2 55 A-17 18 C-1 9 D-3 18 18 P-18 B-3 65 A-18 12 C-1 9 D-2 14 19 P-19 B-4 65 A-18 12 C-2 8 D-2 14 E-3 1 20 P-20 B-1 65 A-19 12 C-1 9 D-2 14 21 P-21 B-2 80 A-20 2 C-5 6 D-1 12 22 P-22 B-5 54 A-21 28 C-6 3 D-3 15 23 P-23 B-2 65 A-22 10 C-5 11 D-2 14 Com- par- ison Exam- ples 1 R-1 B-2 65 a-1 18 C-3 3 D-2 14 2 R-2 B-2 65 a-2 18 C-3 3 D-2 14 3 R-3 B-2 65 a-3 18 C-3 3 D-2 14 4 R-4 B-2 70 A-14 0.5 C-3 14.5 D-2 15 5 R-5 B-2 54 A-14 33 C-3 7 D-2 6 In Table 3: Ratio: Weight part; B-1: Mixture of dodecyl dodecanate, ester of α-butyl-ω-hydroxy (polyoxyethylene) (n = 3) and dodecanoic acid, polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 3000 obtained by random addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 50/50 to butyl alcohol, and polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 1000 obtained by block addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 40/60 to butyl alcohol at weight # ratio of 11/14/29/46; B-2: Mixture of lauryl octanate, polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 3000 obtained by random addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 65/35 to butyl alcohol, and polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 2500 obtained by random addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 40/60 to butyl alcohol at weight ratio of 30/20/50; B-3: Mixture of polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 10000 obtained by random addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 50/50 to butyl alcohol, polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 2500 obtained by random addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at weight ratio of 50/50 to lauryl alcohol, and polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 1000 obtained by block addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide # at weight ratio of 45/55 to octyl alcohol at weight ratio of 30/50/20; B-4: Mixture of lauryl octanate and mineral oil with viscosity 1.3 × 10 −5 m 2 /s at 30° C. at weight ratio of 67/33; B-5: Mixture of mineral oil with viscosity 3.0 × 10 −5 m 2 /s at 30° C., lauryl acid ester of α-butyl-ω-hydroxy (polyoxyethylene) (n = 8), and polyether monool with number average molecular weight of 1800 obtained by block addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide to butyl alcohol at weight ratio of 24/16/60; A-1-A-22, a-1-a-3: Hydroxy compounds prepared in Part 1 and described in Tables 1 and 2. D-1: Glycerol monolaurate; D-2: α-dodecyl-ω-hydroxy (polyoxyethylene) (n = 7); D-3: Mixture of castor oil with addition of 20 moles of ethylene oxide and diester of 1 mole of polyethylene glycol with average molecular weight of 600 and 2 moles of lauric acid at weight ratio of 80/20; C-1: Mixture of potassium octadecenate and potassium decane sulfonate at weight ratio of 50/50; C-2: Mixture of butyl diethanol amine laurate, sodium octadecyl benzene sulfonate, and potassium phosphoric acid ester of α-lauryl-ω-hydroxy (trioxyethylene) at weight ratio of 50/25/25; C-3: Mixture of tributyl methyl ammonium diethylphosphate and sodium octadecyl benzene sulfonate at weight ratio of 60/40; C-4: Mixture of dimethyl lauryl amine oxide and tributylmethyl ammonium diethyl phosphate at weight ratio of 50/50; C-5: Mixture of tributylmethyl ammonium diethyl phosphate and lauryl trimethyl ammonium ethylsulfate at weight ratio of 60/40; C-6: Mixture of decyl dimethyl ammonio acetate and N,N-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-octylamine at weight ratio of 50/50; E-1: Octyl diphenyl phosphite (antioxidant); E-2: 3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxy-toluene (antioxidant); E-3: dilauryl-3,3′-thiopropionate (antioxidant).
Part 3 (Attachment of Processing Agents to Synthetic Fibers, False Twisting and Evaluation)
[0050] Each of the processing agents prepared in Part 2 was diluted with water to prepare a 10% aqueous solution. After polyethylene terephthalate chips with intrinsic viscosity of 0.64 and containing titanium oxide by 0.2% were dried by a known method, they were spun at 295° C. by using an extruder. The 10% aqueous solution thus prepared was applied onto the yarns extruded out of the nozzle to be cooled and solidified by a guide oiling method using a measuring pump such that the attached amount of the processing agent became as shown in Table 4. Thereafter, the yarns were collected by means of a guide and wound up at the rate of 3000 m/minute without any drawing by a mechanical means to obtain partially oriented 56 decitex-144 filament yarns as wound cakes of 10 kg.
[0000] False Twisting
[0051] The cakes thus obtained as described above were subjected to a false twisting process under the conditions described below by using a false twister of the contact heater type (product name of SDS 1200 produced by Teijinseiki Co., Ltd.):
[0052] Fabrication speeds: 800 m/minute and 1200 m/minute;
[0053] Draw ratio: 1.652;
[0054] Twisting system: Three-axis disk friction method (with one guide disk on the inlet side, one guide disk on the outlet side and four hard polyurethane disks);
[0055] Heater on twisting side: Length of 2.5 m with surface temperature of 210° C.;
[0056] Heater on untwisting side; None;
[0057] Target number of twisting; 3300 T/m.
[0000] The false twisting process was carried out under the conditions given above by a continuous operation of 25 days.
[0000] Evaluation of Fluffs
[0058] In the aforementioned false twisting process, the number of fluffs per hour was measured by means of a fly counter (produce name of DT-105 produced by Toray Engineering Co., Ltd.) before the false twisted yarns were wound up and evaluated according to the standards as described below:
[0059] A: The measured number of fluffs was zero;
[0060] A-B: The measured number of fluffs was less than 1 (exclusive of zero);
[0061] B: The measured number of fluffs was 1-2;
[0062] C: The measured number of fluffs was 3-9;
[0063] D: The measured number of fluffs was 10 or greater.
[0000] The results of the measurement are shown in Table 4.
[0000] Evaluation of Yarn Breaking
[0064] The number of occurrences of yarn breaking during the 25 days of operation in the false twisting process described above was converted into the number per day and such converted numbers were evaluated according to the standards as described below:
[0065] A: The number of occurrence was zero;
[0066] A-B: The number of occurrence was less than 0.5 (exclusive of zero);
[0067] B: The number of occurrence was 0.5 or greater and less than 1;
[0068] C: The number of occurrence was 1 or greater and less than 5;
[0069] D: The number of occurrence was 5 or greater.
[0000] The results are shown in Table 4.
[0000] Dyeing Property
[0070] A fabric with diameter of 70 mm and length of 1.2 m was produced from the false-twisted yarns on which fluffs were measured as above by using a knitting machine for tubular fabric. The fabric thus produced was dyed by a high temperature and high pressure dyeing machine by using disperse dyes (product name of Kayalon Polyester Blue-EBL-E produced by Nippon Kayaku Co. Ltd.). The dyed fabrics were washed with water, subjected to a reduction clearing process and dried according to a known routine and were thereafter set on an iron cylinder with diameter 70 mm and length 1 m. An inspection process for visually counting the number of points of densely dyed potion on the fabric surface was repeated five times and the evaluation results thus obtained were converted into the number of points per sheet of fabric. The evaluation was carried out according to the following standards:
[0071] A: There was no densely dyed portion;
[0072] A-B: There was 1 point of densely dyed portion;
[0073] B: There were 2 points of densely dyed portion;
[0074] C: There were 3-6 points of densely dyed portion;
[0075] D: There were 7 or more points of densely dyed portion.
[0000] The results are shown in Table 4.
[0076] This invention, as described above, has the favorable effects of sufficiently preventing the occurrence of fluffs, yarn breaking and dyeing specks even when synthetic fibers of new kinds such as low denier synthetic fibers, high multifilament synthetic fibers and modified cross-section synthetic fibers are being produced at a fast rate.
TABLE 4 Processing agent Rate of 800 m/minute 1200 m/minute attachment Yarn Dyeing Yarn Dyeing Kind (%) Fluffs breaking property Fluffs breaking property Test Example 24 P-1 0.4 A A A A A A 25 P-1 0.8 A A A A A A 26 P-2 0.6 A A A A A A 27 P-2 0.3 A A A A A A 28 P-3 0.6 A A A A A A 29 P-3 0.8 A A A A A A 30 P-4 0.4 A A A A A A 31 P-5 0.5 A A A A A A 32 P-6 0.4 A A A A A A 33 P-7 0.4 A A A A A A 34 P-8 0.4 A A A A A A 35 P-9 0.4 A A A A-B A A 36 P-10 0.4 A A A A A-B A 37 P-11 0.4 A A-B A A A-B A 38 P-12 0.4 A-B A A A-B A-B A-B 39 P-13 0.4 A A-B A A-B A-B A-B 40 P-14 0.5 A-B A A A-B A-B A-B 41 P-15 0.4 A-B A-B A A A A 42 P-16 0.4 A A A A-B A A 43 P-17 0.4 A A A A-B A A 44 P-18 0.5 A A A A-B A A 45 P-19 0.6 A A A A A A-B 46 P-20 0.4 A-B A-B B B A-B B 47 P-21 0.4 A-B B A-B A-B B B 48 P-22 0.4 A-B B A-B B B A-B 49 P-23 0.4 A-B B A-B B B A-B Comparison Example 6 R-1 0.4 D D D C D C 7 R-2 0.4 C C C D D D 8 R-3 0.4 C D C D D C 9 R-4 0.4 C C D D D D 10 R-5 0.4 C C D D D D | A processing agent for synthetic fibers contains a lubricant, a functional improvement agent and an emulsifier, each containing a specified kinds of components by a specified amount and also by a specified total amount so as to have improved characteristics of preventing occurrence of fluffs, yard breaking and uneven dyeing when applied to synthetic fibers at a specified rate. | 3 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention concerns a method for erecting a tower of a wind power plant made of at least three tube-shaped tower segments. Furthermore the invention concerns a tower of a wind power plant, where the tower will be or is constructed from multiple tower segments, as well as the use of ladders during or for the erection of a tower of a wind power plant and a use of power rails in a tower of a wind power plant.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Wind power plants of the patent applicant are known by the designation 5M, MM92, MM82, MM70 and MD77.
[0005] Modern wind power plants generally have a tower on which a machine housing or nacelle with a rotor is set. The tower is formed, in particular, as a steel shell tower and generally has a tapering form.
[0006] Furthermore, the tower itself generally consists of steel tower sections, which are optionally composed of prefabricated shell segments.
[0007] In WO-A-2004/083633 a steel tower of a wind power plant is described as well as a method for building a large-sized, cylindrical or conical tower for a wind power plant.
[0008] Furthermore, in WO-A-03/036084 a wind power plant is disclosed which has a tower constructed from multiple tower segments, a generator arranged near the tower head, a power module arranged near the tower base and power rails premounted in the tower segments for carrying current from the generator to the power module.
[0009] In many known wind power plants, the electric power module of the wind power plant, which includes electrical units such as the transformer, electrical cabinets, possibly an inverter module, a medium voltage system, a low voltage distribution board, etc., is below the generator level and frequently arranged near the base of the tower of the wind power plant or also within the machine housing on the tower head. In order to transfer the electrical energy, which is produced by the generator located near the top of the tower within a nacelle, to the power module and/or to the grid connection, power rails are provided, which run inside the tower in most cases.
[0010] As a further example, in EP-A-1 775 419 a vertical ladder for a wind power plant is disclosed, in which the vertical ladder is arranged in the interior of the tower along the tower wall from the bottom to the top.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Based on this state of the art, the object of the present invention is to simplify the erection of a tower for a wind power plant made of multiple tower segments, in which preferably in the tower segments cable-like or linearly oriented devices, such as vertical ladders or power rails, are to be premounted.
[0012] The object is solved by a method for erecting a tower of a wind power plant made of at least three tube-shaped tower segments, in which a tower segment is connected at its ends with another tower segment in each case,
in which the tower segments are arranged in a predetermined sequence of the type tower segment A—tower segment B—tower segment C, one upon the other, in which the first tower segment A is selected arbitrarily from a provided plurality i≧2 of first tower segments A, which are constructed in the same way among themselves and exchangeable one for the other, in which the second tower segment B is selected arbitrarily from a provided plurality m≧2 of second tower segments B m which are constructed in the same way among themselves and exchangeable one for the other, in which the third tower segment C is selected arbitrarily from a provided plurality n≧2 of third tower segments C n which are constructed in the same way among themselves and exchangeable one for the other.
[0017] By the provision of as many tower segments as desired of different constructions which can be combined with one another, a tower will be erected in a simple, fast manner, with the tower segments to be connected, freely selected without restriction as well the assemblies arranged therein, such as vertical ladders or means of conducting current, which preferably run along the tower wall and are connected to one another using corresponding assembly (length) adapters, such as insertable vertical ladder intermediate pieces, with which in particular length differences or spacing differences, such as with vertical ladders, are compensated so that the various tower segments A i , B m , C n , etc. of the constructions A, B, C, etc., can be combined arbitrarily with one another and are connectable to each other.
[0018] In contrast to this, according to the state of the art, tower segments are appropriately and individually adapted to one another, so that one particular tower segment is exclusively, very exactly attachable and/or attached to a particular specified tower segment, which makes each tower of wind power plants a distinctive, individual construct with exact and characteristic tower segment properties based on the tower segments individually matched to one another
[0019] According to the invention, non-individualized tower segments of various constructions or construction types are provided without individually matching or adapting a tower segment to another tower segment. The use of non-individualized tower segments of multiple constructions (construction type A, B, C, etc.) simplifies the handling of tower segments and consequently the erection of wind power towers. The inventive tower segments of one construction are in each case indistinguishable among themselves or not individualized and not exactly matched or adapted to a specified particular, individual tower segment of another construction.
[0020] The non-individualized tower segments of various constructions are not distinguishable in each case within the corresponding construction class, whereas among one another between the construction classes or types (construction type A, B, C, etc.) differences exist, in order to construct a tower from tower segments which are not individually specified, for example, of the arrangement tower segment A—tower segment B—tower segment C. Consequently, within the construction types, multiple uniform, non-individualized and interchangeable tower segments of the construction type are provided.
[0021] Due to the length tolerances in the tower construction of wind power plants, constructed in the same way does not mean identical, but rather made according to the same production drawing with non-individualized assemblies. The length tolerances, for instance of multiple centimeters, which occur despite the same construction of the tower segments, are compensated by the inventive embodiment with very little effort and expense without an individual adaptation of the tower segments.
[0022] Furthermore, the tower segments of the various tower segment constructions which are not individually manufactured and/or adapted also have non-individualized assemblies, such as vertical ladders, in which the assemblies of the tower segments of different construction types are connected to one another. The individual adaptation of the connection length between the assemblies takes place through corresponding adapter devices, such as vertical ladder intermediate pieces, in order to compensate in a simple manner the individual distances of the connection between the assemblies which are not individually adapted to one another of various tower segments and not individually adapted to one another of various construction types.
[0023] In particular according to a preferred embodiment, the tower segments A i , B m , C n of the tower have in the interior premounted, non-individualized assemblies designed as linear components, which are connected to one another using assembly length adapters. Here, the linear assemblies are advantageously smaller and/or shorter in length than the length of the respective tower segments A i , B m , C n of the tower and/or than the tower segments A i , B m , C n of the tower.
[0024] Assembly length adapters refer to connection pieces, such as rail connection pieces or vertical ladder intermediate connection pieces, which compensate the individual distances between non-individualized assemblies in a simple manner, in particular in the connection area of two tower segments. In particular, a length compensation of up to 200 mm, especially preferably of 100 mm is made possible by the inventive assembly length adapter.
[0025] Preferably, the tower segments A i , B m , C n have premounted vertical ladders, preferably in the interior, where the vertical ladders of the tower segments are connected to each other during the erection of the tower using means of vertical ladder length compensation, such as an intermediate ladder piece described below. In particular, the tower is designed with one or more vertical ladder intermediate pieces near the connections of the tower segments.
[0026] Furthermore, in one embodiment it is advantageous that the tower segments A i , B m , C n have premounted means of conducting current, preferably in the interior, where the means of the tower segments of conducting current are connected to each other when erecting the tower using means of current cable length compensation, such as a (power rail) rail connection piece described below or the like. In the embodiment of the tower, the means of conducting current are connected to each other as power rails near the connections of the tower segments.
[0027] In one embodiment, the tower of a wind power plant is or will be constructed from multiple tower segments, where two tower segments will be or are connected to one another in a shared connection area, where a first tower segment and a second tower segment each have a vertical ladder in the interior, each of which has at least one ladder stile and multiple step treads, where upon connection of the first tower segment with the second tower segment, in the connection area the ladder stile or the ladder stiles in the first tower segment are at a distance from the ladder stile or the ladder stiles in the second tower segment, where preferably upon erecting the tower or during the assembly of the tower segments in the connection area of the tower segments, the ladder stile or the ladder stiles of the first tower segment will be or are connected to the ladder stile or the ladder stiles of the second tower segments using a vertical ladder intermediate piece bridging the connection area.
[0028] The invention is based on the further idea that tower segments with vertical ladders premounted in the interior of the tower segment are provided, in which the vertical ladder ends do not extend past the ends of the tower segment, but rather are set back toward the inside with reference to the ends of the tower segment. That means that the length of a vertical ladder of a tower segment is less than the outer length of a tower segment and/or less than the height and/or length of a tower segment. Here, the vertical ladder is premounted accordingly in the tower segment before the tower is erected, where the vertical ladder itself can be constructed of multiple individual ladders which extend between the ends and/or the end flanges of a tower segment. The vertical ladder of a tower segment is in particular attached with corresponding means of attachment and/or brackets on the interior wall of the tower and/or of the tower segment essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tower segment and/or along the tower wall in the interior of the tower segment.
[0029] Preferably the tower is constructed of a plurality of tower segments of individual tower segments arranged one upon the other and aligned with each other, where the tower segments preferably will be or are connected to each other via flange connections. In particular, the tower segments consist of pipe segments made of steel.
[0030] The fact that a prefabricated tower segment is provided with a vertical ladder which does not extend past the ends of the tower segment simplifies the transport of the tower segment from the place of manufacture to the construction site of a wind power plant on one hand, because the vertical ladder in the interior of the tower segment is protected against mechanical stresses during transport. Furthermore, the assembly of a tower and/or tower segments at the construction site is simplified, because the corresponding complementary tower segments which fit one another can be used variably.
[0031] For example, according to the state of the art, before the erection of a tower, the corresponding individualized tower segments are equipped with vertical ladders so the corresponding joints of the vertical ladders and flange connections of the tower segments are prespecified exactly. The same tower segments must subsequently be present promptly and nearly at the same time at the construction site of the wind power plant in order to erect the tower efficiently. If, for example, a vertical ladder of an individually adapted tower segment is damaged during transport, the vertical ladder must be repaired with great effort and expense, which delays the construction of a wind power plant.
[0032] In contrast to this, according to the invention it is possible to handle in a variable way non-individualized tower segments of the same type and construction, the dimensions of which correspond to one another, i.e. that, for example, any tower segment of this construction and/or this size can be used from a number of multiple tower segments of this type, without it mattering that the tower segments be put together for interior equipping after fabrication at the place of manufacture. Consequently, it is possible to use any tower segment of a particular size with any arbitrary tower segment of another type during the erection of a wind power plant. This improves the handling of tower segments during the erection of a wind power plant.
[0033] According to the invention, the length of the vertical ladder is less than the height of the tower segment or the length of the tower segment, so that the ends of the vertical ladder are spaced in each case with predetermined distances with respect to the ends of the tower segment, whereby the ends facing each other of the vertical ladders of two adjacent tower segments connected with one another are at a distance from one another in the connection area and/or flange area. During the erection of the tower, as well during the arrangement of a second tower segment on a first tower segment, whereby a vertically formed tower of a wind power plant arises, the ends facing toward each other of the vertical ladders of tower segments are spaced at a predetermined distance toward each other.
[0034] In particular, the height of the rigid vertical ladder intermediate piece is greater than the distance between the ends of the vertical ladders in the tower segments, so that the space between the ends of the vertical ladders is bridged in the connection area of the tower segments and the vertical ladders are connected. Preferably the vertical ladder intermediate piece is used between the vertical ladders of the tower segments during the assembly of the tower and/or upon or during the assembly of the tower segments to be connected to each other.
[0035] Another option to install a vertical ladder intermediate piece between the vertical ladders consists of first positioning or aligning the vertical ladder intermediate piece with the upper insertion sleeves and/or beam ends of the intermediate piece in the lower ends of the upper vertical ladder of the upper tower segment and pressing and/or holding the intermediate piece against the lower end of the upper vertical ladder. Subsequently, the lower free end of the vertical ladder intermediate piece is deviated with its lower insertion sleeves and/or beam ends over the beam ends of the lower vertical ladder until the insertion sleeve is positioned and/or aligned above the hollow ends of the beams of the lower vertical ladder of the lower tower segment. After that, the vertical ladder intermediate piece is lowered, preferably vertically, until the vertical ladder intermediate piece rests on the ends of the lower vertical ladder, whereupon after lowering the vertical ladder intermediate piece, the upper insertion sleeves continue to engage in the beam ends of the upper vertical ladder. In this case the lower insertion sleeves are preferably shorter than the upper insertion sleeves. Advantageously, a uniform compensation of length takes place on the lower and on the upper end of the vertical ladder intermediate piece, so that the distance from the lower step tread of the vertical ladder intermediate piece to the upper step tread of the vertical ladder of the lower tower segment is essentially or nearly the same as the distance from the upper step tread of the vertical ladder intermediate piece to the lower step tread of the vertical ladder of the upper tower segment.
[0036] Furthermore, within the scope of the invention it is conceivable to connect the vertical ladder intermediate piece with the vertical ladders and/or end beams by means of externally applied sleeves or other clamping devices. Here, the vertical ladder intermediate piece can also be without insertion sleeves, so that the vertical ladder intermediate piece is equal to or smaller than the distance between the ends of the vertical ladders to connect.
[0037] Typically, for example, by means of the vertical ladder intermediate piece, which is designed on both ends with insertion sleeves in each case, a maximum connection compensation tolerance length of no more than ±40 mm is envisaged. Here the insertion sleeves on both ends of the vertical ladder intermediate piece can compensate a connection compensation tolerance length of 20 mm, where the length is or will be accordingly limited by preferably design-determined strength requirements.
[0038] A vertical ladder intermediate piece of a predetermined length is used here between the end of a vertical ladder of the first tower segment bordering on the connection point and/or the connection area of the tower segments and the end of the vertical ladder of the other and/or second tower segment bordering on the connection point and/or the connection area, whereby the vertical ladders of the tower segments are connected to one another. The provision of the vertical ladder intermediate piece with compensating insertion ends leads to compensation during construction of production tolerances for the (pre-)assembly of the vertical ladders and/or during the production of tower segments in a simple manner when erecting the wind power plant.
[0039] In particular, the joints of the tower segments in the connection area, i.e. the flange connection of the tower segments, are bridged in a simple manner by means of the vertical ladder intermediate piece, with the (length) production tolerances (of length) of the premounted vertical ladders as well as of the tower segments compensated by the vertical ladder intermediate piece. In particular, tower segments are used which have vertical ladders with ladder stiles and step treads, where the ends of the vertical ladders do not extend out of the tower segment after pre-assembly.
[0040] The total length of a vertical ladder in a tower segment thereby is less than the length and/or height of a tower segment. Preferably the tower segments are in each case provided with flanges or flange rings on their ends, whereby a stable, durable connection is produced in a simple manner via a flange connection formed in the connection area of the tower segments so that after arranging a segment on a tower segment already erected, threaded bolts are set in the bore holes of the flanges or flange rings and tightened together. Here the flange connection constitutes the connection area between the tower segments. Preferably, the vertical ladders are made of a light material, such as aluminum or suchlike.
[0041] Consequently, in accordance with the invention, a simple length tolerance compensation of premounted parts is enabled by the inventive vertical ladder intermediate piece, which is used between the ends to be connected to each other of the vertical ladders of the tower segments.
[0042] Moreover, one development of the tower is distinguished in that the vertical ladder intermediate connection piece will be or is arranged between the vertical ladders of the tower segments without attachment, i.e. without contact to the flange connection of the tower segments and/or without attachment to the tower segments or the connection area of the tower segments. Here the vertical ladder intermediate piece has only (connecting) contact with the ends of the vertical ladders of both tower segments connected to each other.
[0043] Furthermore, according to an advantageous embodiment, load forces acting on the vertical ladder intermediate piece, for example from a maintenance person on the vertical ladder intermediate piece, are or will be diverted to the lower vertical ladder and/or to the upper vertical ladder, so that in the connection area of the tower segments bridged by the vertical ladder intermediate piece, the forces acting on the upper and/or lower vertical ladders are absorbed in a distributed manner.
[0044] Moreover, by means of the vertical ladder intermediate piece, in particular in the condition arranged between the vertical ladders, length tolerances of up to 200 mm, in particular of up to 100 mm, more preferably of up to 40 mm, and/or lateral tolerances of up to 200 mm, in particular of up to 100 mm, more preferably of up to 50 mm are or will be compensated in the vertical direction for assembled tower segments, i.e. those connected to each other.
[0045] Preferably the vertical ladders have at least one, preferably two, ladder stiles, where the ladder stiles consist of hollow sections. In addition to that, the vertical ladders also have correspondingly formed step treads that are cross-directional, in particular perpendicular to the ladder stiles.
[0046] Furthermore, in one development it is envisaged that the first tower segment and/or the second tower segment be provided with flanges and/or flange rings on their ends, where the flanges extend in a circular ring-shaped manner and preferably externally flush with the individual tower segments.
[0047] Preferably, the vertical ladder intermediate piece has at least one crossbeam as a step tread, where the vertical ladder intermediate piece has corresponding connection beams between the ends of the vertical ladders to be connected to one another in the tower segments.
[0048] In addition to that, in a further embodiment of the tower, it is envisaged that the vertical ladder intermediate piece connect the ladder stile or the ladder stiles of the vertical ladders of the first and second tower segment, with the vertical ladder intermediate piece having on one side, preferably on both sides, beam connection pieces which will be or are inserted in the hollow beams and/or beam ends of the vertical ladders of the tower segments.
[0049] Preferably, length tolerance compensation takes place between the lower step tread of the vertical ladder intermediate piece and upper step tread of the lower vertical ladder and/or between the upper step tread of the vertical ladder intermediate piece and lower step tread of the upper vertical ladder with a vertical ladder intermediate piece arranged between the vertical ladders. In one embodiment in particular, a preferably uniform length tolerance compensation can occur at the same time in the lower area and in the upper area of the vertical ladder intermediate piece, so that the compensated tolerances are distributed. Compensation spacers or the like can be used for this purpose.
[0050] In order to develop and/or achieve vertical anchorage of the vertical ladder intermediate piece, according to one embodiment the vertical ladder intermediate piece inserted between the vertical ladders of the tower segments is permanently connected to the ladder stiles of the vertical ladders. This can take place by bolting the ends of the vertical ladders to the ends of the intermediate piece. Furthermore, the parts can be connected by inserting cotter pins or suchlike in drilled or provided holes.
[0051] Moreover, within the scope of the invention it is envisaged that the distance between the end of a tower segment, which is arranged downward upon erection of a tower, and the end of the vertical ladder at this end of the tower segment is always constant. This facilitates the production and/or pre-assembly of vertical ladders in the tower segments in a simple manner. Moreover, the ends of the vertical ladders on the upper end of the tower segments can also be constructed or arranged accordingly at a predetermined distance to the end of the upper tower segment.
[0052] Furthermore, the tower segments and/or tower walls of the erected towers are cylindrical or circular in construction. In addition to that, the tower segments, especially from the lower to the upper end of the tower segment, are constructed in a conically tapered manner.
[0053] Moreover, in one embodiment of the tower, it is envisaged that the vertical ladder of the first tower segment and/or the vertical ladder of the second tower segment have a fall protection rail which is essentially the same length as the corresponding ladder stiles of the vertical ladders. In particular the fall protection rail, which essentially runs parallel to the ladder stiles of the vertical ladders, is for protecting persons who ascend a wind power plant. In addition to that, a fall protection rail of the vertical ladder intermediate piece is or will advantageously fit between the ends to connect the fall protection rail of the first and/or of the second tower segment and/or the corresponding vertical ladders, in order to connect the fall protection rails of the vertical ladders accordingly to one another. The length adjustment of the fall protection rail of the vertical ladder intermediate piece can be performed appropriately in a manual way in this process.
[0054] In addition, in one development it is envisaged that the length of the preferably premounted vertical ladders of the first and/or of the second tower segment is less than the length and/or height of the first and/or second tower segment, so that the ends of the vertical ladder are arranged and/or terminate within the tower segments at a predetermined distance with respect to the ends of the tower segment in each case.
[0055] Furthermore, according to a further aspect of the invention, the tower is or will be constructed from multiple tower segments, where two tower segments will be or are connected to each other in a shared connection area, where a first tower segment and a second tower segment each have a rigid power rail in the interior, where upon connection of the first tower segment with the second tower segment in the connection area, the power rail in the first tower segment is spaced apart from the power rail in the second tower segment, said tower being further developed in that the power rail of the first tower segment and the power rail of the second tower segment will be or are connected to one another through the use of a rail connection piece bridging the connection area of the tower segments and adaptable in its length, in particular able to be set variably in length.
[0056] Here, invention is based on the further idea that the premounted power rails in the interior of the tower segments are shorter in length than the height and/or length of a tower segment, so that the ends of the power rail not do not extend from the tower segment and consequently are fastened and/or arranged in the interior of the tower segments. This way it is possible to equip tower segments with power rails in the interior during their production, to transport the tower segments subsequently after (pre-)assembly to the construction site of wind power plants without the power rails being able to be damaged during transport.
[0057] The power rails themselves are attached here in the interior of the tower segments using appropriate attachment devices. Electrical energy produced by a generator in the nacelle on the tower of the wind power plant is transferred via the power rails to a power module or the grid connection outside of the wind power plant.
[0058] The fact that the power rails end at a predetermined distance with respect to the ends of the tower segments results in a distance between the power rails of the two connected tower segments after connection of the tower segments with the power rails and/or their power rail segments, where using a rail-like rail connection piece, which is adjustable in length, between the two power rails produces a preferably essentially linear connection in the connection area of the tower segments. The inventive linear rail connection piece is thereby variably adaptable and/or adjustable in a simple manner in its length in order to compensate and/or adapt to variances in distance between the two opposing ends of the power rails of the first and second tower segment. Here the inventive means of rail connection bridges the connection area and/or the flange connection area of both tower segments; after its integration between the two ends of the power rails to connect, the rail connection piece is securable and/or secured and is consequently rigid in construction. In particular, the rail connection piece is variably adaptable thereby in its length in a linear direction. Preferably the length of the rail connection piece is adjustable and securable between a minimum and a maximum.
[0059] Moreover, the invention has the advantage that tower segments with power rails are premounted at the production location of the tower segments, where a predetermined spacing is maintained and/or constructed between the ends of the tower segments and the ends of the power rails and/or power rail segments in the corresponding tower segment. Altogether, this likewise results in a simple handling of tower segments, because tower segments of a particular (construction) type and/or a particular geometry are provided, which can be selected and/or specified together arbitrarily and in a complementary manner with corresponding tower segments of another type for erecting a tower; it is no longer mandatory that the length of the power rails within the tower segments be produced in a one-to-one manner for complementary function with one another. This also simplifies the manufacturing processes of tower segments with power rails.
[0060] Altogether the total length of the power rails and/or power rail segments in a tower segment is less than the length or height of the corresponding tower segment.
[0061] To do this, it is further envisaged that the length of the power rails of the first and/or second tower segment is less than the length of the first and/or second tower segment, so that the ends of the power rail are arranged and/or terminate within the tower segment at a predetermined distance with respect to the ends of the tower segment.
[0062] Moreover, according to a further embodiment of the tower it is envisaged that the power rail connection piece have at least two rail pieces which are designed as detachably slidable, preferably linearly, with one another and/or opposed to one another.
[0063] To do this it is particularly envisaged that at least one rail part of the power rail connection piece has a slot hole, preferably in a linear sliding direction. The other rail part has a connection element here, which extends through the slot hole of the other rail piece, enabling reliable guiding and/or repositionability of both rail parts against each other. After attaching the rail parts with the power rails, the rail parts of the power rail connection piece are, for example, secured against one another by a bolt which extends through the slot hole of the one rail part or through the slot holes of the rail parts to ensure no slippage by tightening the bolt.
[0064] The reliability of electrical transmission is ensured by tensioning the bolt with a predetermined torque. For multiple power rails of a rail package inventive rail connection pieces are envisaged in each case, in which isolators are provided between two inventive rail connection pieces. Here a bolt can extend through multiple slot holes of rail parts; advantageously the bolt is isolated with respect to the slot holes. This can occur, for example, in that the bolt is provided with at least two (isolating) sleeves, which are slidable against one another and/or fit into each other, which are penetrated by the bolt.
[0065] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment it is envisaged that at least one rail part has an offset with which a space-saving arrangement is achieved for the rail parts of the power rail connection piece between the two power rails to connect.
[0066] If several power rails of a rail package in a tower segment are to be connected with the corresponding power rails of another rail package in the second tower segment using a rail connection piece in each case, the rail parts with an offset can be offset to varying extents. For example, the inner rail parts of multiple rail connection pieces arranged parallel and adjacent to each other can be offset less than the outer rail parts with an offset. Therefore, in the connection area to bridge, the arrangement of multiple adjacently placed rail connection pieces can be designed thicker for power rails of (power) rail packages to connect compared to the parallel oriented power rails of the rail packages. An encasement covering the rail connection pieces is therefore also correspondingly expanded and/or broadened in construction in the connection area.
[0067] Furthermore, the tower is advantageously further developed in that means of connection are provided for connecting the rail connection piece and/or rail parts with the power rails.
[0068] Furthermore, the object is solved by the use of vertical ladders during or for the erection of a tower of a wind power plant, in which the tower is or will be constructed as described above. To avoid repetition, explicit reference is made to the exposition above.
[0069] In addition to that, the object is solved by a use of power rails in a tower of a wind power plant as well as during or for the erection of a tower, in which the tower is constructed as above with a power rail system. To avoid repetition, explicit reference is made to the exposition above.
[0070] Furthermore, the object is solved by a tower of a wind power plant in which the tower is or will be constructed from multiple tower segments, where the tower is or will be erected according to the method described above.
[0071] Within the scope of the invention, it is self-evident that the rail parts and/or power rail connection piece are electrically conductive in order to thus conduct current through the connected power rails of the tower segments. Typical power rail systems used in wind power plants are, for example, rail distribution systems with the designation “BD” or “LD” from Siemens.
[0072] According to the proposed inventive solutions, both with the use of a vertical ladder intermediate piece and/or a power rail connection piece in the connection area and/or in the flange area of two tower segments linearly elongated components extending along the tower walls of the wind power plant towers are bridged in a simple manner, where the distance between the ends of the linear components to connect is bridged in a simple manner and at the same time compensation of length or compensation of length tolerance occurs in a linear direction of the components. Here the linear components are premounted after the production of the tower segments, whereby the linear components do not extend out of the tower segments and consequently, for example, can be damaged during transport of the tower segments to the construction site.
[0073] In addition, to that the tower segments can be used and/or included as desired and not only for a single tower and/or during its construction, so that, for example, any tower segment of a particular design can be connected in a complementary manner with another tower segment of a different design and it is, thus, no longer necessary that only two exactly predetermined, individual matched tower segments be connected to one another. Rather, in accordance with the invention, it is possible that any tower segment with a premounted, linearly arranged vertical ladder and/or a premounted, linearly arranged power rail can be connected, where this second tower segment also has a premounted vertical ladder and/or a premounted power rail.
[0074] Further characteristics of the invention are apparent from the description of inventive embodiments together with the claims and drawings included. Inventive embodiments can fulfill individual characteristics or a combination of multiple characteristics.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0075] The invention is described below based on embodiments without restricting the general intent of the invention; explicit reference is made to the figures with regard to all inventive particulars not explained in more detail in the text. These show in
[0076] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of a wind power plant;
[0077] FIG. 2 a schematic interior view of a tower section of a tower of a wind power plant in cross section;
[0078] FIG. 3 a schematic view of an inventive vertical ladder intermediate connection piece;
[0079] FIG. 4 a , 4 b various schematic views of a power rail connection piece;
[0080] FIG. 4 c , 4 d a schematic connection of multiple power rail parts in each case;
[0081] FIG. 5 a schematic representation of a method for erecting a tower of a wind power plant.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0082] In the figures that follow, in each case the same or similar elements or corresponding parts bear the same reference numbers so that a corresponding redundant presentation is avoided.
[0083] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a wind power plant 10 . The wind power plant 10 has a vertically oriented tower 11 and a rotor 12 , which includes three rotor blades 14 which are attached on a rotor hub 9 . Upon the incidence of wind, the rotor 12 turns in a known manner. By this means power can be produced by a generator connected to the rotor 12 and/or to the rotor hub 9 in a nacelle on the tower 11 and delivered to the consumer grid.
[0084] The tower 11 is constructed here as a tubular steel or steel shell tower and consists of multiple tubular tower sections connected to one another. The tubular tower sections are also designated as a tower section, so that a tubular tower is constructed as a multi-section tubular tower.
[0085] In the embodiment of a wind power plant 10 shown in FIG. 1 , the tower 11 consists of multiple tower segments which essentially share the same design. Preferably the tower segments consist of hollow cylindrical tube sections made from correspondingly suitable steel, where each cylindrical tower segment can taper conically from the bottom toward the top. Each of the tower segments has an integrated, closed, hollow cylindrical tower wall which extends from the flange of a tower segment to an upper flange of the tower segment, where the flanges of the tower segments are essentially ring-shaped in design and extend starting from the tower wall inward into the interior space of the tower segments.
[0086] FIG. 2 schematically shows a tower section of a wind power plant tower 11 , in which the tower 11 is constructed from multiple tower segments 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 . For example, the tower segment 22 has on the upper end an end flange 220 and on the underside a flange ring 221 at the end. The tower segment 23 arranged under the tower segment 22 has an upper-side flange ring 230 and a lower side flange ring 231 . The flange ring 231 of the tower segment 23 is connected with a flange ring 240 of the lower tower segment 24 , while the upper flange ring 230 of tower segment 23 is connected with the lower flange ring 221 of tower segment 22 . On the upper-side of the flange ring 220 of tower segment 22 , the flange ring 220 is connected with a flange ring 211 of the upper tower segment 21 .
[0087] In the interior of the tower 11 vertical ladders 222 , 232 are attached to the interior wall of the tower in the respective tower segments, for example in the tower segments 23 and 22 . For vertical ladders, corresponding means of attachment to interior walls of towers are known to the specialist.
[0088] The vertical ladder 222 of the tower segment 22 is smaller and/or shorter than the length of the tower segment 22 , so that the vertical ladder 222 is premounted between the flange rings 220 and 221 during production of the tower segment 22 . Here, the ends of the vertical ladder 222 do not extend beyond the flange rings 220 and 221 . This also applies in a corresponding manner to the vertical ladder 232 , which is arranged on the interior tower wall of the tower segment 23 .
[0089] The vertical ladders 222 and 232 of the tower segments 22 and 23 have elongated ladder stiles, between which step treads 225 and/or rungs are arranged at regular intervals. Accordingly, the vertical ladder 232 has step treads 235 arranged between the ladder stiles 233 , 234 running lengthwise to the flange rings 230 and 231 . A fall protection rail 226 runs between the ladder stiles 223 , 224 of the vertical ladder 222 as a fall protection safeguard for persons. The fall protection rail of the vertical ladder 232 has the reference number 236 .
[0090] The ladder stiles 223 , 224 , as well as 233 , 234 are preferably constructed as hollow sections formed and preferably made of aluminum. The ladder stiles 223 , 224 , as well as 233 , 234 , of the vertical ladders 222 , 232 terminate at predetermined distances from the upper and lower flange rings 220 , 221 as well as 230 , 231 of the corresponding tower segments 22 and/or 23 , so that, for example, the upper ends of the ladder stiles 233 , 234 of the vertical ladder 232 (in the tower segment 23 ) are at a distance from the lower ends of the ladder stiles 223 , 224 of the vertical ladder 222 (in the tower segment 22 ). Here the ends of the vertical ladders 222 , 232 are at a distance from the connection area of the tower segments 22 , 23 , with the connection area formed by a flange connection of the flange rings 221 , 230 .
[0091] When the tower is erected, i.e. during the placement of tower segment 22 on tower segment 23 , for example, a vertical ladder intermediate piece is inserted between the ladder stiles 233 , 234 of the vertical ladder 232 and the lower ends of the ladder stiles 223 , 224 of the vertical ladder 222 , as shown in FIG. 3 , for example. The two vertical ladders 222 , 232 are connected to one another by the arrangement of the vertical ladder intermediate piece 30 ( FIG. 3 ) between the vertically oriented vertical ladders 222 , 232 and/or their ends, where at the same time by the arrangement of the vertical ladder intermediate piece the production-related length differences are compensated between the ends of the vertical ladders to be connected for any two tower segments and/or of two premounted vertical ladders of two tower segments.
[0092] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of an inventive vertical ladder intermediate piece 30 , in which the vertical ladder intermediate piece 30 has two parallel ladder stiles 31 , 32 running parallel to one another, between which rung-like step treads 33 are arranged. A fall protection rail section 34 is arranged between the ladder stiles 31 , 32 . Beam connection pieces 35 are fitted on the upper and lower ends of the vertical ladder intermediate piece and secured, for example, with screws or suchlike in the ladder stiles 31 , 32 , where during the erection of the tower, the beam connection pieces 35 are inserted in the hollow ladder stiles 223 , 224 and/or 233 , 234 of the vertical ladders 222 and/or 232 and/or their hollow ladder stile ends. The fact that the beam connection pieces 35 are arranged on the ladder stiles 31 , 32 means that the length of the vertical ladder intermediate pieces is greater than the distance of the end of two vertical ladders to be connected to one another.
[0093] The production tolerances during the pre-assembly of vertical ladders on and/or in the tower segments are compensated in a simple manner by the extension of the ladder stiles 31 , 32 by arrangement of the beam connection pieces 35 in the hollow ladder stiles 31 , 32 of the vertical ladders of the tower segments, whereby in particular the ends of the vertical ladders, which are located below during the arrangement of a tower segment on another tower segment, always terminate and/or begin and/or are arranged at the same distances from the lower ends and/or the lower flange rings of the tower segments.
[0094] The length tolerances are compensated by the use of the inventive vertical ladder intermediate piece 30 between two vertical ladders in the connection area of two tower segments during assembly and/or erection of a tower of a wind power plant, whereby it is also possible to select any tower segment of a particular construction, since all tower segments of this construction have a vertical ladder, the ends of which are arranged at a predetermined distance to a premounted vertical ladder and/or at a defined distance from the lower flange ring. Easier handling of the tower segments results from this.
[0095] Simplified handling of the vertical ladder intermediate piece 30 when erecting a tower of a wind power plant also results from the fact that the vertical ladder connection piece 30 connects only the ladder stiles of the vertical ladders to each other, whereby the vertical ladder intermediate piece bridges the connection area of the tower segments and in the connection area of two tower segments has no contact with the interior wall in the area of the connection of tower segments.
[0096] As is further apparent from FIG. 3 , the vertical ladder intermediate piece 30 also has a fall protection rail section 34 between the ladder stiles 31 , 32 , the length of which is adapted appropriately, preferably manually, upon connection of two vertical ladders of two tower segments. The fall protection rail of the vertical ladders in the tower segments are connected by means of the fall protection rail section 34 . For example, during the assembly of two tower segments, the fall protection rail section 34 is adapted on site by cutting to length using a linear measure, such as a folding rule or the like, and sawing by fitters to the exact installation measurement.
[0097] FIG. 2 is also shows that the tower segments 22 , 23 along the inner tower walls of the tower segments have power rails 42 , 43 running linearly, which are attached to the interior side of the tower wall with corresponding means of attachment. The power rails 42 , 43 terminate like the vertical ladders 222 , 223 at predetermined distances with respect to the corresponding flange rings 220 , 221 as well as 230 , 231 and/or ends of the tower segments 22 , 23 . The power rails 42 , 43 are oriented thereby as linear and/or linear-running components, so that the electrical energy produced in a generator in the nacelle on the tower is transferred to a power module or a consumer by means of the power rails. Here the power rails 42 , 43 are preferably premounted during the production of the tower segments 22 , 23 , so that the segmented power rails 42 , 43 are arranged premounted in the tower segments 22 , 23 . The ends of the power rails 42 , 43 do not extend past the ends of the tower segments 22 , 23 in this.
[0098] According to the invention, for connecting the power rails 42 , 43 non-bendable rail connection pieces which are adaptable in length are envisaged, as shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b , for example.
[0099] FIG. 4 a shows a top view of an inventive rail connection piece and FIG. 4 b shows the rail parts of the rail connection piece in a lateral view.
[0100] FIG. 4 a shows an inventive rail connection piece 50 consisting of two straight, inflexible, i.e. rigid rail parts 51 , 52 , where groove-like depressions 61 , 62 are formed in the outer end areas of the rail parts 51 , 52 , which are brought in contact with the power rails in the tower segments. The rail part 51 has a bent form on the other side with an offset 63 , so that end of the rail part 51 facing away from the recess 61 is arranged parallel to the linear rail part 52 . The rail part 52 has on the outer side, which faces toward the other rail part 51 , a slot hole 54 with a predetermined length a, which is penetrated by an attachment bolt 65 of the rail part 51 . The length a of the slot hole 54 can be formed between 10 mm and 100 mm, preferably between 20 mm and 80 mm, further in particular between 20 mm and 50 mm.
[0101] An attachment bolt 65 is arranged on the side of the rail part 51 , which is attached to the other rail part 52 corresponding with the rail part 51 . Due to the offset 63 as well as the slot hole 54 , rail parts 51 , 52 are slidable against one another in a linear direction so that with use of the rail connection piece 50 made from the two rail parts 51 , 52 the power rails 42 , 43 are connected to one another in the connection area of the tower segments 23 , 22 (see FIG. 2 ) in the area of their flange rings 221 , 230 , whereby the rail connection piece 50 bridges the connection area of two tower segments directly without contact with the tower walls or the flange rings of the connection area, and the power rails are connected.
[0102] As an alternative, the rail part 51 can also have a slot hole. This slot hole is drawn dashed in FIG. 4 b for the rail part 51 and assigned the reference number 67 .
[0103] The fact that the rail parts 51 , 52 are slidable against one another in a linear direction means that the distance between the two power rails 42 , 43 can accordingly be adjusted and/or compensated in length in a simple manner. After connecting the two power rails 42 , 43 , the attachment bolt 65 is tightened, which achieves a stable, fixed setting of the rail parts 51 , 52 .
[0104] FIG. 4 c shows schematically a cross section of the connection area of multiple rail parts 71 , 72 and 81 , 82 and/or power rails. Here the rail part 71 and rail part 81 are connected with one another and rail part 72 with rail part 82 , in touching contact in each case, in order to produce an electric contact between the rail parts 71 and 81 as well as between the rail parts 72 and 82 . Both the rail parts 71 , 72 as well as the rail parts 81 , 82 have corresponding slot holes 78 , 79 and/or 88 and 89 , which are penetrated by a bolt 91 and/or a connecting bolt, where by tightening an external nut 92 on the bolt 91 the rail parts 71 , 81 and rail parts 72 and 82 arranged in between will be and/or are tightened.
[0105] In order to electrically isolate from one another the electrically conductive rail parts 71 , 81 from the other rail parts 72 , 82 in contact with each other, an isolator 94 is arranged between the rail part 71 and the rail part 82 . In addition to that, on the outer sides of the rail parts 81 and 72 isolators 95 , 96 are also provided, in order to insulate the rail packages 71 , 81 and 72 , 82 from one another. Furthermore, the middle isolator 94 has an outer sleeve 111 , which an inner sleeve 112 of the external isolator 96 engages. Furthermore, the isolator 94 has on the side facing away from the outer sleeve 111 an isolating inner sleeve 113 , which is surrounded by an isolating outer sleeve 114 of the isolator 95 . The bolt 91 penetrates the rail parts 71 , 72 as well as 81 and 82 , where the bolt 91 is electrically isolated from the electrically conductive rail parts 71 , 72 , and 81 , 82 by the outer and inner sleeves 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , which it also penetrates, of the isolators 94 , 95 and 96 .
[0106] FIG. 4 d shows schematically in cross section the connection of multiple rail parts 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 and 75 with electrically conductive rail parts 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , where the rail parts are penetrated crosswise by a schematically drawn bolt 91 . Between the rail part pairs 71 , 81 as well as 72 , 82 and 73 , 83 and 74 , 84 and 75 , 85 isolators 94 are arranged in each case, which have isolating inner and outer sleeves for the bolt 91 and penetrate slot holes of the rail parts. Furthermore, there are isolators 95 , 96 arranged on the outer sides of the rail combination.
[0107] The rail parts 71 , 72 as well as 74 , 75 have offsets in the connection area, while the rail part 73 is not offset and/or is straight in form. Accordingly, the rail parts 81 , 82 , 84 and 85 are likewise offset in the connection area, while the rail part 83 arranged in the middle is not offset and/or is straight in form. Through the use of variously offset rail parts, it is possible to connect to one another in a simple manner multiple rail parts in the interior of a tower in the connection area and/or the flange connections of the tower segments, where the area of the rail parts and/or power rails to connect to each other is broadened compared to the straight power rails and/or power rail packages along the tower segments and is likewise surrounded by a broadened enclosure 115 .
[0108] The outer rail parts 71 , 75 and/or 81 , 85 are more offset in the connection area than the rail parts 72 , 74 and/or 82 , 84 lying inward, so that multiple rail parts of a rail package in a tower segment and the corresponding rail parts of another rail package in a second tower segment are connected to one another in the connection area of the two tower segments. The advantage of this arrangement lies in the fact that the power rails and/or rail parts 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 as well as 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 can be arranged very compactly and only in the connection area must additional installation space be created and/or provided.
[0109] FIG. 5 shows schematically how a tower of a wind power plant is constructed from a plurality of non-individualized tower segments. The left area in FIG. 5 shows a section of a wind power plant tower 11 schematically.
[0110] This tower 11 is assembled from multiple tower segments 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 , where the tower segments 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 used for this were not individually adapted to one another during production and prior to assembly of the tower 11 . Instead non-individualized tower segments were used.
[0111] First, multiple tower segments are produced before the assembly of the tower. Some tower segments of multiple, in particular more than three, construction types are manufactured as tower segments. In FIG. 5 in the right area, there is the example of several reserve inventories A, B, C, or depots shown, in which some tower segments of the corresponding constructions A, B and C are stored and/or provided after their production and before the assembly of the tower. The tower segments of construction A are assigned to the corresponding inventory A, the tower segments of construction B assigned to the corresponding inventory B and the tower segments of construction C assigned to the corresponding inventory C.
[0112] The tower segments of the constructions A, B and C are each standardized in design, so there are no individual differences between the tower segments which are due to design. In addition to that, construction A of the tower segments differs from construction B and C. And design B and C also differ, so during the construction of a tower in each case any arbitrary tower segment of design A, in each case any arbitrary tower segment of design B and in each case any arbitrary tower segment of design C, etc. is taken from the corresponding inventories and are provided at the construction site of the tower for the assembly.
[0113] For example, an arbitrary tower segment of the standardized construction A was used as tower segment 102 , an arbitrary tower segment of the standardized construction B as tower segment 103 and an arbitrary tower segment of the standardized construction C as tower segment 104 , where the tower segments preferably have flange rings on their ends so that a flange connection is formed in each case between two tower segments.
[0114] Of course further standardized tower segment designs can also be provided as part of the invention.
[0115] The tower segments of the standardized constructions A, B and C can furthermore have assembly units or devices, such as vertical ladders and/or power rails, in the interior, which must be connected to one another. In order to connect these assemblies running and/or arranged along the tower wall, means of connection are used which can be set and are variable in connection length and/or compensate length tolerance, so that the individual adjustment of a tower constructed from standardized and/or non-individualized tower segments ensues using the means of connection.
[0116] All characteristics described, also those to be taken solely from the drawings as well as individual characteristics which are disclosed in combination with other characteristics, are considered important for the invention singly and in combination. Inventive embodiments can be fulfilled by individual characteristics or a combination of multiple characteristics.
LIST OF REFERENCES
[0000]
9 Rotor hub
10 Wind power plant
11 Tower
12 Rotor
14 Rotor blade
21 Tower segment
22 Tower segment
23 Tower segment
24 Tower segment
30 Vertical ladder intermediate piece
31 Ladder stile
32 Ladder stile
33 Step tread
34 Fall protection rail section
35 Beam connector
42 Power rail
43 Power rail
50 Rail connection piece
51 Rail piece
52 Rail piece
54 Slot hole
61 Recess
62 Recess
63 Offset
65 Attachment bolt
67 Slot hole
71 Rail piece
72 Rail piece
73 Rail piece
74 Rail piece
75 Rail piece
78 Slot hole
79 Slot hole
81 Rail piece
82 Rail piece
83 Rail piece
84 Rail piece
85 Rail piece
88 Slot hole
89 Slot hole
91 Bolt
92 Nut
94 Isolator
95 Isolator
96 Isolator
101 Tower segment
102 Tower segment
103 Tower segment
104 Tower segment
105 Tower segment
111 Outer sleeve
112 Inner sleeve
113 Inner sleeve
114 Outer sleeve
115 Enclosure
220 Flange ring
221 Flange ring
222 Vertical ladder
223 Ladder stile
224 Ladder stile
225 Step tread
226 Fall protection rail
230 Flange ring
231 Flange ring
232 Vertical ladder
233 Ladder stile
234 Ladder stile
235 Step tread
240 Flange ring
A Construction of a tower segment
B Construction of a tower segment
C Construction of a tower segment
a Length | The invention concerns a method for erecting a tower of a wind power plant made of at least three tube-shaped tower segments. For this a tower segment is connected at its ends with another tower segment in each case,
in which the tower segments are arranged in a predetermined sequence of the type tower segment A—tower segment B—tower segment C one upon the other, in which the first tower segment A is selected arbitrarily from a provided plurality i≧2 of first tower segments A i which are constructed in the same way among themselves and exchangeable one for the other, in which the second tower segment B is selected arbitrarily from a provided plurality m≧2 of second tower segments B m which are constructed in the same way among themselves and exchangeable one for the other, in which the third tower segment C is selected arbitrarily from a provided plurality n≧2 of third tower segments C n which are constructed in the same way among themselves and exchangeable one for the other.
Furthermore the invention concerns a tower of a wind power plant, where the tower will be or is constructed from multiple tower segments, as well as the use of ladders during or for the erection of a tower of a wind power plant and a use of power rails in a tower of a wind power plant. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein is related to a processing system for textile and similarly shaped materials. Particularly, the present invention is related to a processing system for dyeing or other processings of knit or woven materials and their open-width and continuous processings.
A particular and externally obvious feature of the present invention is to lead and convey a material through a pre-determined path for processing by the provision of a material guidance device on both side-walls of a processing system.
Processing systems with a side-wall mounted material leading device such as a set of end-less chain for painting, chemical coating, drying or baking, for instance, are publicly known. As for the aspect of textile processing such as dyeing, however, there has never appeared an apparatus conveying textiles to be treated by means of a side-wall mounted endless guidance as, for example, a set of roller chain. The processing system based upon the invention is not only restricted to the open-width processing but also applicable to the processings of materials in rope-form.
Generally, industrial immersed processing systems are categorized into rope-form processing and open-width processing, in terms of the state of a material being processed, of which the winch or jet dyeing process and the jigger dyeing process are typical examples respectively. According to the textile processing industry's text, the winch dyeing process is generally considered to produce deep and even coloring by its full and relaxed immersion and relatively long material immersion time, while a light-coloring effect near the center of a material is often inherent to the jigger dyeing process. On the contrary, the jigger dyeing process is generally effective to avoid producing crease marks, to process with a low dye-liquor-to-material (weight) ratio and to achieve high processing efficiency for its operational simplicity. Furthermore, in jigger dyeing, the ease of color-matching for repeated processes and possible utilization of left-over dye-liquor in a following dyeing cycle are considered to be advantageous. However, because of the low liquor-ratio and highly repetitions immersion processing of the jigger dyeing which results in short transient material immersion time, the use of dye-stuffs with first migration characteristics tends to turn out such undesirable effect as uneven and/or shallow surface-dyeing.
Furthermore, according to cumulative experience, it is considered to be essential for the winch or jet dyeing process to maintain such high liquor-to-material (weight) ratios as 20 to 1 in order to achieve even dyeing with the material speed as low as 50 to 120 m/min which is the upper most rope-form material speed for winch or jet dyeing equipments not to cause excessive and unevenly distributed tension in the subjected material due to twisting of the material and friction between the material and a conveyance device such as a frame-type reel.
The processing system of the invention, which combines the advantageous features of both rope-form (winch or jet) and open width (jigger) processing methods while minimizing their disadvantageous influences, enables to achieve a maximum processing material speed as high as 250 m/min and a processing liquor-to-material (weight) ratio as low as 6 to 1 or 10 to 1 by the system's open-width processing feature which contributes to an even distribution of tension in a subjected material and a consistent motion of the loaded material immersed in a processing solution, while simultaneously increasing chemical reaction efficiency by the uniformity of the state of contact between the processing solution and the immersed material.
Besides the system's so-called low-liquor-ratio processing feature which substantially (by the factor of 3.3 in the case of the 6 to 1 processing liquor-ratio, against a normal 20 to 1 processing liquor-ratio of the winch or jet dyeing process) reduces the amount of required processing solution per a unit material and consequently minimizes the after treatment for used processing solution, the features such as high chemical reaction efficiency and processing uniformity are also effective to achieve a better processing economy. Furthermore, the features such as high labor productivity that is typical of the jigger dyeing process and the ease of quality control of the winch or jet dyeing process are conserved by the processing system -- with the mechanized material handling and processing features and the full and relaxed immersion, respectively -- of the invention.
In addition to the features described above, the processing system of the invention enables to compose a unique continuous processing system that is highly flexible in processing materials selection and adapting varied processing requirements (methods) on the contrary to conventional continuous processing means, for the system's flexibility in processing control that is due to the fact that each processing system in the continuous processing range can be controled independently from other sub-systems. The significances of the achievement of a further increase in productivity by such continuous system than it is possible with a single-system operation and the need of such efficient processing mean in today's cost-conscious industry are apparent. For another example, the continuous processing system of the invention enables to provide a closed-type processing system such as a high-pressure vessel in the continuous processing range (ref. FIG. 9) without such sealing elements as nip-rolls which are tightly pressed against a material when the material passes through inlet and outlet openings, so that such matters as color- and pattern-mixing on printed materials and damaging material bulkiness are fundamentally avoided. Furthermore, when it is used for steaming, for instance, any suitable processing time can be selected, without the extension of a processing equipment in order to extend a traveling time of a material through the equipment, by recirculating a subjected material in the processing system for any designed length of time before subjecting the material to another operation.
Although the invention is mainly described in the following sections as a dyeing apparatus, it is not only related to a dyeing purpose but also applicable to various other purposes such as scouring, bleaching and relaxing, to the processing of delicate materials such as knit goods for which low-tension processing and processing uniformity are essential and, in principal, to the purposes such as drying and steaming. Furthermore, the processing system of the invention is not only suitable to knit or woven materials but, in principal, also applicable to the processings of the materials other than textile products.
As indicated in the preceding sections, this is the invention with the three primary features which are open-width processing, low-liquor-ratio processing and continuous processing with versatility which is based upon its applicant's long experience in the field of textile processing and his consciousness about industrial feasibility and introduces a new mean to deal directly with the shortcomings of existing processing technology and the problems in regard with industrial waste-water control that is one of the most concerned matter in today's industry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
1. The system of the invention is equipped with a material guidance device (such as a pair or more of endless chain installed to the side walls of a processing system), a material attachment device which is laterally installed to the guidance device and one or more processing sections which compose a processing system. When a continuous processing system (i.e., a series of processing systems, in combination) is composed, material feed, transfer (between adjacent systems) and take-out and carrier devices -- functionally inter-connecting each sub-systems and their varied operations and executing initial and final material handling operations systematically -- are also installed to the larger (continuous) system.
2. A material to be processed is attached to the material attachment device in open-form. Being led by the material guidance device through a pre-determined path and forwarded by the conveyance devices which are arranged in parallel with the guidance device and the processing sections, the material is treated in open-form throughout its entire processing period.
3. By the proper selection and control of the order and the inter-connections of the processing sections and the material guidance devices, the system can be adapted to such varied processing patterns as the case of open-width folded loadings and processing, the case of recirculated processing, the case of non-circulated processing, the case of continuous high-pressure processing and/or the combinations of the varied patterns.
4. Initial and final material handlings, processing operations of various patterns and their combinations and material transferrings and inter-connections of each subsystem in the larger system are remotely and automatically -- by an auxiliary programing device -- controlled.
The details of the precedingly described outlines and the purposes not mentioned in the preceding sections are illustrated in the followings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1a and b schematically show the basic configuration of the processing system of the invention. In FIG. 1a, the path of the material guidance device encircles a processing section, while the return path of the guidance device is over the processing section in FIG. 1b.
FIGS. 2a, b and c show the state of the material in processing sections following its leading-end and the relative positions of the leading-end corresponding to the variations of the state.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show simple operational conceptions schematically of linear and multi-layered configurations respectively.
FIG. 5, shows major elements of a simple example of the material conveyance device.
FIGS. 6a, b, c show how the material is supplied and led -- by the conveyance and guidance devices respectively -- into the lower layer of processing sections in the multi-layered system.
FIG. 7 schematically shows a simple example of the material transfer device inter-connecting two adjacent processing systems.
FIGS. 8a and b, show a simple example of the detachable material attachment device for automatic mechanized transferring operations between adjacent systems. FIG. 8c, on the other hand, shows a corresponding simple example of a receiving mechanism on the material transfer device.
FIGS. 9a and b show the transfer device inter-connecting two adjacent closed-type processing systems schematically.
FIG. 10 shows an example of a continuous mechanized leading system schematically.
FIGS. 11a, b, c and d show various alternative examples of material conveyance means.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1, showing the basic composition of the invention, the elements such as processing vessels or processing sections 1; a material 2 to be processed, main reels 3; main conveyances device, guide rolls 3', endless tracks 4 of the material guidance device, the material attachment device 5 and a guide beck 6 of FIG. 1a or a guide plate 6 of FIG. 1b are shown. The specification P2 = P1 is referred later in accordance with FIG. 2.
When a material -- being led by the material guidance device, initially -- reaches a predetermined position that is located relative to the position of a conveyance means, the power to convey a material is transmitted to the material by the conveyance means. For the conveyance means, a hexagonal drum-type reel (FIG. 4, 5), or the use of a conventional frame-type reel or more special means such as a drum-reel, a modified polygonal drum-reel, a suction drum, a conveyor and water-jet is considered. Furthermore, the patterns of loading and processing operations are determined by a suitable relative arrangement of the material guidance device and the material conveyance means as described above.
As shown by FIGS. 2a - 2c, when a leading-end of a material 2 is located in the interval P1' - P1, the following portion of the material overlaying the main reel 3a is supplied to the processing section S1 with the circumferential speed V R of the main reel. The amount of a material which is held continuously in a processing section and a unit processing time per one processing section are controlled by the circumferential speed V R of the main reel and withholding the advancement of the leading-end of the material if V R = Vc in which Vc is the linear speed of the leading-end, or by the relative speed difference between V R and Vc and the time required by the leading-end to travel the distance between the interval P1' - P2' (of FIG. 2c) -- including the time of withholding when such an operational pattern is selected -- if V R >Vc. FIG. 2b shows an intermediate state in the case of V R >Vc. After a certain time-interval for the advancement of the leading-end to P2 from P2', the material is carried out by the main reel 3b from the processing section S1.
Three operational configurations, based upon the principal described so far, such as listed below are considered:
1. Recirculated processing path type
As shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the track of the material guidance device encircles a processing section. To be noted in this that the position P2 in FIG. 2c corresponds to the position P1 in FIG. 2a; indicated by P1 = P2 in FIGS. 1a and 1b.
2. Multi-section processing path type
As shown in FIG. 3, more than one processing section (S2, S3, . . . . Sn) is arranged linearly along the track of the material guidance device. In this type, the position P2' or P2 in FIG. 2c sequentially corresponds to the position P1' or P1 respectively in an adjacent processing section. (Also shown in FIG. 3 is the loading of a new material of which a leading-end is indicated by 2c while a finished material -- indicated by 2a for its leading-end and 2b for its tail-end -- is being taken out.)
3. Multi-section recirculated processing path type
As shown in FIG. 4, the features of the above two types are combined. The schematic figure, which shows a simple operational scheme, indicates such parts as four processing sections 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d which are arranged in a layered manner, hexagonal drum-type main reels 3 with material (centering rolls 3'; shown in more detail in FIG. 5, the track of the material guidance device 4; auxiliary water-jet outlets 8a and 8b, their inlet ports 7 and front and rear doors 9 are also shown in the figure. Furthermore, it should be noted that the leading-end 5 of a material is located above the processing section 1b, while its tail-end is in the processing section 1c. Water jet outlets 8a produce water current flow in the direction of advancement of the material and water jet outlets 8b produce water current flow against the direction of advancement of material. Although the scheme is presented in FIG. 4 with a double-layer-four-section configuration, the processing system of this type as well as the other two types can be arranged in various other ways so that a specific processing need is handled in a most efficient way.
The material centering roll 3' shown in FIG. 5, a simple example of a material centering device, is also indicated in FIGS. 1 and 4. The centering device of this type having two separately driven rolls 3'a, 3'b with two independent brake-clutch units 14 adjusts the path of a material when it is off-centered and touches a feeler element e.g. 13 by braking the roll e.g. 3'b of the opposite -- to the touched feeler element -- side and guiding the material along its spirally wound friction element 12; in FIG. 5, an oil-less bearing 11 and a supporting element 10 are also shown.
In FIG. 6, the interface of the two layers such as the one shown in FIG. 4 is indicated. If a relative entering speed between a leading-end of a material and a following portion of the material is improperly selected, the portion of the material which should always be following the leading-end enters a lower processing section before the leading-end B reaches the line-A of material entering. When this is the case as in FIG. 6a, an overlapping c of the material with the leading-end occurs. A proper material entering state, for which the relative entering speed is selected, is shown in FIG. 6b. An alternative method to avoid the overlapping by the provision of the track of the guidance device in such a way as the time required by the leading-end to reach the line-A is reduced and the timing for the conveyance of the following portion of the material to be started is delayed.
By combining a material transfer device with the precedingly described operational configurations, more than one processing system can be functionally inter-connected to compose a larger system. Such system enables to handle a complex processing requirement that has been practically inapplicable to more conventional continuous processing systems. The the composition of the system can be selected to best fit a specific requirement while reserving the inherent operational flexibility of each sub-system.
In FIG. 7, a simple example of the material transfer device is shown schematically. In principal, it is a device to bridge the tracks 4a, 4b of the material guidance devices in two adjacent systems by providing a third track 16 which transfers a detachable material attachment device 5 between the two adjacent systems. In FIG. 8, the case, of the same principal as the one described above, inter-connecting two adjacent closed-type processing systems is shown.
The schematic drawings in FIG. 8a, 8b and 8c show the parts -- required for a transferring operation as suggested by the examples in FIGS. 7 and 8 -- such as a link 17 of the roller chain track 4a, 4b of the material guidance device, a connector element 18, buckling mechanisms 20, 21, 23 of the detachable material attachment device, 22 being a pair of cover plates for retaining the connector 18, a link 17' of the roller chain track 16 of the material transfer device and latch mechanisms 24 on the transfer device. A transverse connecting rod 5a, 24a being a claw or click stop device, and a material attachment rod 5b that is attached to the connecting rod as indicated by an arrow which constitute the detachable material attachment device 5 together with the buckling mechanisms and a material 2; (indicated by imaginary line) attached to the material attachment rod are also shown in the figure.
When the leading-end of a material comes to a predetermined position a, FIG. 7, a cam mechanism 19, FIGS. 7, 8, 9 opens stopper pins 21 by pressing rollers 20, thus releasing the material guidance device from the connector element 18 of the guidance device; ref. FIGS. 8a and 8b. It should be noted, however, that the cam mechanism and the track of the transfer device moves to the positions specified by a and c respectively only when a transferring operation is required; when a processing of a material is normally executed, the track and the cam mechanism are retracted to the position specified by D and an off-track position corresponding to the retraction of the transfer device respectively. The material attachment device that is released by the cam mechanism from the connector element on the track of the guidance device is then gripped by the latch mechanism 24 of which a spring loaded latch is specified by 24a and moved forward along the track 16 of the transfer device to the position specified by b. At the position b, the motion of the track of the transfer device is withheld; to be noted is that the stopper pins 21 are opened by the cams 19 simultaneously. Then, the connector element on the track 4b of the guidance device in an adjacent system is connected to the withheld material attachment device, while disconnecting the attachment device from the latch mechanisms of the transfer device simultaneously. Finally, the track of the transfer device with the cam mechanisms is retracted to an off-track position to complete a transfer operation.
The example of the material transfer device described above in accordance with FIGS. 7 and 8 are shown in a more specific way in FIG. 9, with sections R1, R2 of two adjacent closed-type processing systems, material transferring ports 9a, 9b, cylinder-actuator type mechanisms 25 to retract the transfer device, spring loaded tension rollers 26 to maintain constant tension in the track of the transfer device and material guide rolls 27. Shown separately in FIG. 9b is the state of a material 2, (indicated by imaginary line) entering an adjacent processing system through the transfer device.
A simple example of an initial feeding device is shown in FIG. 10. The shown feeding device fundamentally is based upon the functional principal of the material transfer device and, thus, shares the parts such as the track 16, the latch mechanisms f2 and the mechanisms for transferring the leading-end of a material between two adjacent tracks with the material guidance device. To be noted is that the angle α in FIG. 10 corresponds to the angle between the positions specified by C and D in FIGS. 8 and 9. In FIG. 10, the track 4 of the material guidance device, a section 28 of a closed-type processing system, a material feeding port 9, material rolls 30 which are ready to be processed, their positions a' to f', the positions a to f1 of their leading-ends attached to the material attachment devices 6 on the track of the feeding device, the reserve detachable material attachment devices 5a and the track of the sub-guidance device which functions like the material guidance device when transferring the material attachment device are shown. This system enables to prepare a large number of materials to be processed at a time, no matter how the processing requirements for each material differs from one another, leaving the control of such variations in the processing requirements to the processing system which has, in accordance with the invention, a designed flexibility to meet such requirements.
Some simple variations of the conveyance device and examples of additive mechanisms are shown in FIGS. 11a-11d with a material 2 and the track 4 of the guidance device indicated by an imaginary line a break line respectively; Sn+1 indicates a processing section following a section Sn. In FIG. 11a, a water-jet conveyance means is shown. In FIG. 11b, a suction-drum conveyance means is shown. The case to process a material through two contacting rolls, such as squeeze rolls, is shown in FIG. 11c; P2>P1 indicates that a normal processing pressure P2 exerted by means of a power cylinder for instance is reduced to a pressure P1 due to the weight of roller (P2 = o, in other words) when a wedge-shaped element attached to the material attachment device passes through the rolls. In FIG. 11d, the case to process a material through an additive processing means such as an infra-red ray heater or a microwave reactor is shown. | A textile processing system in which a textile material to be treated is led and conveyed through a predetermined path for processing by the provision of a material guidance device on both side-walls of the processing system. The system provides open-width processing, low liquor-ratio processing and continuous processing, and contributes to a solution of the problems in regard to industrial waste-water control. | 3 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PATENTS
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/659,722 Filed Mar. 7, 2005, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/225,607 filed Sep. 12, 2005 (which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/608,582 filed Sep. 10, 2004), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/166,008 filed Jun. 24, 2005, which is (a) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/631,892 filed Aug. 14, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,972,312 (which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/147,435, filed Aug. 4, 1999); (b) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/351,292, filed Jan. 23, 2003, now U.S. Patent No. 6,933,345 (which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/351,523, filed Jan. 23, 2002), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/818,265, filed Mar. 26, 2001, now U.S. Pat, No. 6,716,919 (which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent App 1 ication Ser. No. 60/192,083, filed Mar. 24, 2000); (c) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/747,762, filed Dec. 21, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,911,518 (which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/171,888, filed Dec. 23, 1999); and (d) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/186,318, filed Jun. 27, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,927,270 (which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/301,544, filed Jun. 27, 2001).
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a process for enhancing the properties of functionalized POSS monomers for incorporation into polymeric and biological products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nanostructured chemicals are best exemplified by those based on low-cost Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS) and Polyhedral Oligomeric Silicates (POS). POSS systems contain hybrid (i.e. organic-inorganic) compositions in which the internal cage like framework is primarily comprised of inorganic silicon-oxygen bonds. The exterior of the nanostructure is covered by both reactive and nonreactive organic functionalities (R), which ensure compatibility and tailorability of the nanostructure with organic monomers and polymers. These and other properties and features of nanostructured chemicals are discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,053 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,867, both of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Current-engineering practices produce functionalized POSS molecules in high yield but certain microelectronic, medical, and biological applications require higher-purity or chemical functionalities that are not readily or economically produced using the prior art. Prior art methods include the use of hydroxide base, anionic salts, and protic, acid catalysts in the assembly of POSS cages and their functionalization (see U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/631,892 and 10/186,318, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,770,724; 6,660,823; 6,596,821; and 3,390,163). While these approaches are known to be generally effective, they are limited in that both protic acids and hydroxide bases can also catalyze the self-condensation of POSS individual cages into oligomerized POSS cage containing resins ( FIG. 1 ). Such resins are not desirable in microelectronics, biological or medical applications, as their structure is molecularly imprecise. Furthermore, the dispersion of the POSS molecules and their compatibility with polymers is thermodynamically governed by the free energy of mixing equation (ΔG=ΔH−TΔS). The nature of the R group and ability of the reactive groups on the POSS cage to react or interact with polymers and surfaces greatly contributes to a favorable enthalpic (ΔH) term while the entropic term (ΔS) for POSS is highly favorable when the cage size is monoscopic and the corresponding distribution of oligomers is 1.0.
Consequently a need exists for improvement upon the prior art methods of POSS cage assembly and functionalized monomers. An improved process yielding, higher purity, and molecularly precise POSS systems is described.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved synthesis process for polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes which produces rapidly, in high yield, low resin content, and solvent free, monomer products suitable for use in polymerization, grafting and alloying applications. The synthesis process uses phosphazene superbases in reaction with silane coupling agents of the formula R 1 SiX 3 to form POSS cages functionalized with silanols of the formula types [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 7 (HOSiO 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ8 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 6 (R 1 HOSiO 1 ) 2 ] Σ8 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 2 (R 1 HOSiO 1 ) 4 ] Σ6 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 4 (R 1 HOSiO 1 ) 3 ] Σ7 . The synthesis process can also involve the reaction of phosphazene superbases in reaction with silane coupling agents of the type R 2 SiX 3 to form polyfunctional POSS cages functionalized with R 2 groups of the formula types [(R 2 SiO 1.5 ) 6 ] Σ6 , [(R 2 SiO 1.5 ) 8 ] Σ8 , [(R 2 SiO 1.5 ) 10 ] Σ10 , [(R 2 SiO 1.5 ) 12 ] Σ12 and larger sized cages.
Alternately the phosphazene superbases can be reacted with POSS silanols of the formula [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 7 (HOSiO 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ8 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 6 (R 1 HOSiO 1 ) 2 ] Σ8 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 4 (R 1 HOSiO 1 ) 3 ] Σ7 in the presence of a silane coupling agent of the formula R 2 R 3 R 4 SiX, R 2 R 3 SiX 2 , or R 2 SiX 3 for sufficient time in the presence of a solvent and superbase where the elimination of HX occurs and renders a monofunctional POSS monomer of the formula [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 8 (R 2 R 3 R 4 SiO 1 )] Σ9 , [((R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 8 ) 2 (R 2 R 3 SiO 2 )] Σ17 , [((R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 8 ) 3 (R 2 SiO 3 )] Σ25 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 6 (R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 2 (R 2 R 3 R 4 SiO) 2 ] Σ10 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 6 (R 1 SiO 1 ) 2 (R 2 R 3 SiO 2 )] Σ9 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 6 (R 1 HOSiO 1 ) 1 (R 2 R 3 SiO)] Σ8 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 6 (R 1 (R 2 R 3 R 4 SiO)SiO 1 )(R 2 R 3 SiO)] Σ9 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 4 (R 1 (R 2 R 3 R 4 SiO)SiO 1 ) 3 ] Σ10 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 7 (R 2 SiO 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ8 , respectively. The resulting monomer is essentially free of impurities and has controllable properties through selection of composition, R groups, and nanostructure size and topology. Highly purified nanostructured POSS monomers are desirable as they exhibit improved filtration capability, reduced contamination and viscosity, more reliable polymerization, lower cost and waste reduction over impure systems.
A preferred process involves the reaction of POSS silanols of the formula [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 7 (HOSiO 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ8 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 6 (R 1 HOSiO 1 ) 2 ] Σ8 , [(R 1 SiO 1.5 ) 4 (R 1 HOSiO 1 ) 3 ] Σ7 with a silane coupling agent of the formula, R 2 R 3 R 4 SiX, R 2 R 3 SiX 2 , R 2 SiX 3 in the presence of a solvent and superbase.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a comparison of the prior art and improved silation process;
FIG. 2 shows a variety of the preferred phosphazene superbases; and
FIG. 3 shows the structure of the compound synthesized in Example 5.
DEFINITION OF FORMULA REPRESENTATIONS FOR NANOSTRUCTURES
For the purposes of understanding this invention's chemical compositions the following definition for formula representations of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) and Polyhedral Oligomeric Silicate (POS) nanostructures is made.
Polysilsesquioxanes are materials represented by the formula [RSiO 1.5 ] ∞ where ∞ represents molar degree of polymerization and R=represents organic substituent (H, siloxy, cyclic or linear aliphatic or aromatic groups that may additionally contain reactive functionalities such as alcohols, esters, amines, ketones, olefins, ethers or halides or which may contain fluorinated groups). Polysilsesquioxanes may be either homoleptic or heteroleptic. Homoleptic systems contain only one type of R group while heteroleptic systems contain more than one type of R group.
POSS and POS nanostructure compositions are represented by the formula:
[(RSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ# for homoleptic compositions
[(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R′SiO 1.5 ) m ] Σ# for heteroleptic compositions (where R≠R′)
[(RSiO 1.5 ) n (RXSiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ# for functionalized heteroleptic compositions (where R groups can be equivalent or in equivalent)
In all of the above R is the same as defined above and X includes but is not limited to OH, Cl, Br, I, alkoxide (OR), formate (OCH), acetate (OCOR), acid (OCOH), ester (OCOR), peroxide (OOR), amine (NR 2 ) isocyanate (NCO), and R. The symbols m and n refer to the stoichiometry of the composition. The symbol Σ indicates that the composition forms a nanostructure and the symbol # refers to the number of silicon atoms contained within the nanostructure. The value for # is usually the sum of m+n, where n ranges typically from 1 to 24 and m ranges typically from 1 to 12. It should be noted that Σ# is not to be confused as a multiplier for determining stoichiometry, as it merely describes the overall nanostructural characteristics of the system (aka cage size).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention teaches an improved method of synthesis for POSS nanostructured chemicals yielding a higher purity and lower cost product than previously described.
The key feature of the invention is the use of phosphazene superbases to catalyze the assembly of POSS cages. A range of phosphazenes are applicable and include polyphosphazenes which vary in molecular weight and composition. Phosphazene oligomers and molecules are preferentially utilized and in particular P1 type P(NtBu)(NH 2 ) 3 , P2 type (H 2 N) 3 P═N—P(NH 2 ) 4 , P3 type (H 2 N) 3 P═N—P(NH 2 )—N═P(NH 2 ) 3 , P4 type (H 2 N) 3 P═N—P(NH 2 ) 3 ═N—P(NH 2 ) 3 —N═P(NH 2 ) 3 . The basicity of phosphazene superbases increase with increasing number of phosphorous atoms and this provides a valuable tool in the utility of this reagent. The preferred concentration of superbase relative to trisilanol is 2 mol % but a useful range includes 0.1 mol % to 10 mol %.
General Process Variables Applicable To All Processes
As is typical with chemical processes there are a number of variables that can be used to control the purity, selectivity, rate and mechanism of any process. Variables influencing the process include the size, polydispersity, and composition of the nanostructured chemical, separation and isolation methods, and use of catalyst or cocatalysts, solvents and cosolvents. Additionally, kinetic and thermodynamic means of controlling the synthesis mechanism, rate, and product distribution are also known tools of the trade that can impact product quality and economics.
EXAMPLE 1
Synthesis of [(isobutylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (methacrylpropylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8
[(isobutylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (isobutyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (688 g, 0.87 mole) was dissolved in THF followed by addition of methacrylpropyltrimethoxysilane (204 g, 0.87 mole) and the solution was cooled to 5° C. Phosphazene superbase (FW 234.32, 15.72 mmol) was then added and the mixture stirred at room temperature for 3 days. The solution was then quenched with acetic acid (1.5 g). Then 1 liter of methanol was added and the mixture was stirred and filtered. The solid was dried to render pure white product in 75% yield.
EXAMPLE 2
Synthesis of [(EtSiO 1.5 ) 7 (glycidalSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8
[(EtSiO 1.5 ) 4 (Et(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (50 g, 84 mmole) was dissolved in methanol followed by addition of 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (19.86 g, 84 mmole) and the solution was cooled to 5° C. Phosphazene superbase (FW 234.32, 15.72 mmol) was then added and the mixture stirred for 3 days at 5° C. The solution was then quenched with acetic acid (87 mg) filtered, and volatiles removed and dried to render a solid. The solid washed with methanol (1400 ml) and dried to render 415 g of pure white product in 87% yield.
EXAMPLE 3
Synthesis of [(EtSiO 1.5 ) 7 (ethylnorborneneSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8
[(EtSiO 1.5) 4 (Et(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (12 g, 20 mmole) was dissolved in methanol followed by addition of exo-norbornenylethyltrimethoxysilane (4.84 g, 20 mmole) and the solution was cooled to 5° C. Phosphazene superbase was then added and the mixture stirred for 2 days at 5° C. The solution was then quenched with acetic acid (87 mg) filtered, and volatiles removed, washed with additional methanol and dried to render a white product.
EXAMPLE 4
Synthesis of [(CyclohexylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (aminoethylaminpropylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8
[(CyclohexylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (Cyclohexyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (10 g, 10.3 mmole) was dissolved in THF followed by addition of 3-(N-aminoethyl)aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (2.32 g, 10.27 mmole) and phosphazene superbase (FW 234.32, 15.72 mmol) was then added and the mixture stirred at room temperature. The solution was then quenched with acetic acid methanol was added. The volatiles were removed and product dried to render a pure white solid in 62% yield.
EXAMPLE 5
Synthesis of [(PhenylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (aminopropylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8
[(PhenylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (Phenyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (5.9 g, 6.3 mol) was dissolved in toluene followed by addition of (2.0 g, 11 mmol) 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and was then stirred at room temperature for 12 hours. Acetonitrile was added and the solution was filtered and product dried to render a pure white solid in 40% yield.
While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the methods and apparatus disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims. | A synthesis process for polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes using phosphazene superbases to produce in high yield a low resin content, solvent free, and trace metal free monomer suitable for use in microelectronic, biological, and medical applications involving polymerization, grafting, and alloying. | 2 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Reference is made to commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/866,068 filed concurrently herewith by Zaretsky et al, entitled “A Scratch-Off Document Having Layers of Different Thermal Conductivity,” the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to scratch-off documents having at least two toner layers deposited on a substrate and more particularly to depositing the underlying toner layer directly on a substrate that includes one or more portions that are easily removed during scratch-off.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Currently, scratch-off documents are used for a variety of applications. One of the most commonly used applications is the use of scratch-off documents for creating lottery tickets. In this application, a person purchases a lottery ticket and uses a hard object to scratch off the portion of the ticket covering hidden information such as a particular number. The use of scratch-off documents has vastly increased over the past years and several prior art documents address creating scratch-off documents.
In this regard, U.S. Patent Application 2007/0281224 is directed to a scratch-off document in which a first layer of toner forms an image and an optional barrier layer, typically clear, is deposited hereon. The first layer is well adhered to the substrate and the barrier layer is well adhered to the first layer. A second removable layer of toner is adhered to the first layer and can be removed when scratched using a hard object, leaving the first layer intact on the substrate. The application of the barrier layer is carried out offline and the document is reprinted with the scratch-off layer.
U.S. Patent Application 2008/0131176 is directed to an apparatus and method for producing a scratch-off document in which front side information containing the information to be hidden prior to scratch-off is first fused or otherwise adhered to the base material prior to the printing of a removable scratch-off layer.
U.S. Patent Application 2009/0263583 is directed to a scratch-off document in which the information layer includes both an indicia and a noise component of varying height. A scratch off layer is deposited over the noise component. This variable height functions to obscure the indicia so that it is not easily seen until scratched off.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,342,576 is directed to a scratch-off document having a first toner layer containing hidden information (i.e., the image that will eventually be revealed to the user after scratch off). The first layer is then covered by a printed, removable, waxy scratch-off layer having a distraction pattern.
Although each is satisfactory, cost efficiency improvements are always needed, as is the need for simple, but efficient scratch-off documents. In this regard, the prior art documents all use a plurality of fusing steps which is both costly and time consuming. The present invention overcomes these shortcomings by using two toner materials having different thermal conductivities so that only a single fixing step (or fusing step) is necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. Briefly summarized, according to one aspect of the invention, the invention resides in a method for creating a scratch-off document having hidden information, the method comprising: providing a substrate; depositing a first layer of toner particles on the substrate, wherein the first layer includes at least two thicknesses in which one region is thicker than the other region; depositing a second layer of toner particles on the first layer, wherein the first toner particles have a different thermal conductivity than the second toner particles; and applying heat to the first and second layers simultaneously so that the first layer adheres to the substrate in regions of the lesser thickness of the first toner particles and does not adhere in the regions of greater thickness of the first toner particles; wherein the first and second layers in the regions of greater thickness of the first toner layer can be removed thereby creating or revealing the hidden information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter of the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view, in cross section, of a typical electrophotographic reproduction apparatus (printer) suitable for use in the practice of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view in cross section illustrating a substrate having toner deposited thereon according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a view of FIG. 2 after the toner is fused to the substrate for creating a scratch-off document;
FIG. 4 is a view of FIG. 4 illustrating a portion of the toner being removed for revealing hidden information, cut through line 4 - 4 of FIG. 6 ;
FIG. 5 is an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 6 is a top view of FIG. 4 with the scratch off tool removed from view for illustrating the hidden information, the letter “K” in this example;
FIG. 7 is an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2 having an indicia image printed on the substrate before depositing the first and second toner layers;
FIG. 8 is another alternative embodiment of FIG. 2 having the second toner layer deposited as an inverse mask of the first toner layer;
FIG. 9 is a view of FIG. 8 after the toner is fused to the substrate for creating a scratch-off document; and
FIG. 10 is a view of FIG. 9 illustrating a portion of the toner being removed for revealing hidden information.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Turning now to FIG. 1 , a useful printing machine of the present invention is illustrated. FIG. 1 is a side elevational view schematically showing portions of a typical electrophotographic print engine or printer apparatus suitable for printing of one or more toner images. An electrophotographic printer apparatus 100 has a number of sequentially arranged electrophotographic image forming printing modules M 1 , M 2 , M 3 , M 4 , and M 5 . Each of the printing modules M 1 -M 5 generates a single dry toner image for transfer to a receiver material successively moved through the modules M 1 -M 5 . Each receiver material, during a single pass through the five modules M 1 -M 5 , can have transferred in registration thereto up to five single toner images. A composite color toner image formed on a receiver material can comprise combinations or subsets of the CYMK color toner images and the black or dark colored polymeric toner particles described herein, on the receiver material over the composite color toner image on the receiver material. In a particular embodiment, printing module M 1 forms black (K) toner color separation images, M 2 forms yellow (Y) toner color separation images, M 3 forms magenta (M) toner color separation images, and M 4 forms cyan (C) toner color separation images. Printing module M 5 can form a black or dark colored toner image that provides an opaque barrier hiding the information formed by the M 1 -M 4 printing modules.
Receiver materials such as a substrate 2 , as shown in FIG. 1 , are delivered from a paper supply unit (not shown) and transported through the printing modules M 1 -M 5 . The receiver materials are adhered [for example electrostatically using coupled corona tack-down chargers (not shown)] to an endless transport web 101 entrained and driven about rollers 102 and 103 .
Each of the printing modules M 1 -M 5 includes a photoconductive imaging roller 111 , an intermediate transfer roller 112 , and a transfer backup roller 113 , as is known in the art. For example, at printing module M 1 , a particular toner separation image can be created on the photoconductive imaging roller 111 , transferred to intermediate transfer roller 112 , and transferred again to the substrate 2 moving through a transfer station, which transfer station includes intermediate transfer roller 112 forming a pressure nip with a corresponding transfer backup roller 113 .
The substrate 2 can sequentially pass through the printing modules M 1 through M 5 . In some or all of the printing modules M 1 -M 5 a toner separation image can be formed on the receiver material 5 to provide the desired scratch-off document comprising CMYK information hidden by an opaque toner layer. Printing apparatus 100 has a fuser of any well known construction, such as the shown fuser assembly 60 using fuser rollers 62 and 64 or nip-rollers at least one of which is heated. The substrate 2 of the present invention is preferably fused during one pass through the nip-rollers which is advantageous from a cost and time perspective.
A logic and control unit (LCU) 230 can include one or more processors and in response to signals from various sensors (CONT) associated with the electrophotographic printer apparatus 100 provides timing and control signals to the respective components to provide control of the various components and process control parameters of the apparatus as known in the art. In the present invention, the LCU 230 is used to vary the thickness of the toner deposited on the substrate 2 at predetermined portions, as will be described in more detail below.
Although not shown, the printer apparatus 100 can have a duplex path to allow feeding a receiver material having a fused toner image thereon back to printing modules M 1 through M 5 . When such a duplex path is provided, two sided printing on the receiver material or multiple printing on the same side is possible.
Operation of the printing apparatus 100 will be described. Image data for writing by the printer apparatus 100 are received and can be processed by a raster image processor (RIP), which can include a color separation screen generator or generators. The image data include information to be formed on the receiver material, which information is also processed by the raster image processor. The output of the RIP can be stored in frame or line buffers for transmission of the color separation print data to each of the respective printing modules M 1 through M 5 for printing color separations in the desired order. The RIP or color separation screen generator can be a part of the printer apparatus or remote therefrom. Image data processed by the RIP can at least partially include data from a color document scanner, a digital camera, a computer, a memory or network. The image data typically include image data representing a continuous image that needs to be reprocessed into halftone image data in order to be adequately represented by the printer.
Referring to FIG. 2 , there is shown a side view of a substrate 2 having a first toner layer 10 of varying thickness. The substrate 2 is preferably paper or any suitable printing media receptive to toner printing. The first toner layer 10 includes a first tier 13 having a first thickness and a second tier 11 having a second thickness in which the first thickness is greater than the second thickness. The first toner layer 10 also includes a third tier 14 having a third thickness that is less than the second tier 11 . Although the second and third tiers 11 , 14 are shown having different thicknesses, those skilled in the art will recognize that the second tier 11 and third tier 14 may be of equal height or their proportions may be reversed as long as the underlying use different thermal conductivities of materials is used, as described in detail below. It is noted that the first tier 13 is patterned in a predetermined shape that is representative of, but not limited to, symbols, numbers, letters and other symbols used in writing, art and the like. A second toner layer 20 is deposited on the first toner layer 10 uniformly in excess of 1.0 mg/cm 2 .
Turning now to the details of the first and second layers 10 and 20 , the first toner layer 10 and second toner layer 20 both include toner particles, and the first toner layer 10 includes first toner particles that comprise at least one pigment or at least one dye or a combination thereof. The second toner layer 20 is formed by second toner particles that have a significantly lower thermal conductivity as compared to the first toner particles. This is preferably accomplished by adding one or more suitable additives listed in Table 1. The first tier 13 of the first toner layer 10 is preferably applied at a mass lay-down of toner greater than or equal to 0.60 mg/cm 2 . The second toner layer 20 is deposited on the first toner layer 10 uniformly in excess of 1.0 mg/cm 2 . The difference in thermal conductivity and mass laydown of the first toner layer 10 and second layer 20 makes the first tier 13 and the toner layer 20 in registration with the first tier 13 less adhesive to the substrate 2 . This permits it to be scratched off using a fingernail, a hard rigid object or any object suitable for scratch off after fusing the first layer 10 and second layer 20 to the substrate 2 .
The thermal conductivity of the second toner particles of second toner layer 20 may be less than or equal to 90% of, preferably less than or equal to 70% of, the thermal conductivity of the first toner particles of first toner layer 10 so that first toner layer 10 melts more readily than second toner layer 20 . The maximum mass laydown for toner layer 10 for achieving good adhesion to substrate 2 when overcoated with second toner layer 20 , will be a function of the thermal conductivities of the toners used for first and second toner layer ( 10 and 20 respectively) as well as the thickness of second toner layer 20 and the relevant fusing process conditions, e.g. operating temperature and nip dwell time for a set of nipped, heated fusing rollers. This maximum mass laydown functional dependence may be determined empirically using various methodologies including one as follows: for first and second toners having different thermal conductivities, a full factorial set of test patches are printed using a series of mass laydowns for both first and second toner layers ( 10 and 20 respectively) ranging from low to high levels for various combinations of fusing process condition setpoints. The patches are then tested for scratch-off so as determine the maximum mass laydown of first toner layer 10 as a function of the ratio of first and second toner thermal conductivity, second toner layer 20 mass laydown, and fusing process condition setpoints. This information may be stored in LCU 230 in the form of a lookup table (LUT) enabling determination of acceptable toner laydown for each of the tiers so as to provide the scratch-off capability. The maximum mass laydown functional dependence is used to determine the maximum mass laydown allowable for second and third tiers 11 and 14 for a given mass laydown of second toner layer 20 so as to have good adhesion to substrate 2 . First tier 13 is then given a mass laydown in excess of this maximum, again for a given mass laydown of second toner layer 20 , so as to have poor adhesion to substrate 2 and therefore enable the scratch-off functionality.
Toner particles having a lower thermal conductivity can be prepared by the direct addition of low thermal conductivity additives in the toner formulation during the melt compounding process or during the formation of the toner particles via chemical methods such as Limited Coalescence, Emulsion Aggregation (EA) or Suspension Polymerization. The reduced thermal conductivity materials can be solid or can be present inside the toner in the form of holes or pores. It is also possible to use toner additives having a flat platelet-like structure with the thermal conductivity in the normal direction of the plate being at least 5 times lower than the thermal conductivity in the planar direction of the flakes. One example of such a material is natural mica having a thermal conductivity in the planar direction 10 times higher than the thermal conductivity in the normal direction. There are many other low thermal conductivity materials that can be incorporated in the first or second toner particles. A partial list of some of these low thermal conductivity materials is summarized in Table 1. One experienced in this field would recognize that many other types of low thermal conductivity additives can be used for this purpose. There is a strong inter-relationship between the additive type (thermal conductivity), additive loading by weight amount, and fusing conditions (for example, fusing temperature and dwell time). The loading of these additives into a toner formulation typically range from 10% to 40% by weight. For comparison purposes, the thermal conductivity of binders used in toner compositions typically range from 0.30 to 0.70 W/(m-° K) and more commonly between 0.4 to 0.5 W/(m-° K).
TABLE 1
Thermal Conductivity k units of W/(m-° K)
Temperature -
Material/Substance
(25° C.)
Air, atmosphere (gas)
0.024
Calcium silicate
0.05
Carbon
1.7
Clay, dry to moist
0.15-1.8
Diatomaceous earth (Sil-o-cel)
0.06
Diatomite
0.12
Fiberglass
0.04
Foam glass
0.045
Magnesia insulation (85%)
0.07
Mica (perpendicular to cleavage planes)
0.31
Mica (parallel to cleavage planes)
3.05
Nylon 6
0.25
Paraffin Wax
0.25
Polypropylene
0.1-0.22
Polystyrene, expanded
0.03
Polystyrol
0.043
Polyurethane foam
0.03
PTFE
0.25
PVC
0.19
Rubber, natural
0.13
Sand, dry
0.15-0.25
Silica aerogel
0.02
Urethane foam
0.021
Vermiculite
0.058
Referring to FIG. 3 , after depositing the first toner layer 10 and second toner layer 20 as described above, the substrate 2 with the first toner layer 10 and second toner layer 20 thereon are passed simultaneously through the fusing assembly 60 (see FIG. 1 ) which uses heat to fuse the first toner layer 10 and the second toner layer 20 as shown in FIG. 3 . The fused first toner layer 10 and fused second toner layer 20 together form a toner covering, and the toner covering and the substrate 2 form a scratch-off document 18 . The heat is sufficient to adhesively fuse the second tier 11 and third tier 14 to the substrate 2 , but the first tier 13 is non-adhesively fused at a level which permits it to stay intact under normal conditions but to be removable by any rigid or semi-rigid scratch-off tool 51 , such as coins, fingernails, keys and the like, in a scratching action as shown in FIG. 4 . It is noted that the second toner layer 20 that is in registration with the first tier 13 ( FIG. 3 ) is also removed with the first tier 13 , but the second layer 20 in registration with the second tier 11 and third tier 14 is left intact.
It is also noted that the height difference as shown FIG. 3 could possibly reveal the contour of the hidden information prior to scratch-off. However, in practical terms this height difference is on the order of a few micrometers, a small difference that would not be discernible to the unaided eye or fingertip. Furthermore, many of the additives used to alter the thermal conductivity of the toner, as for example mica flakes, will impart a roughness to the surface that further hides any small difference in height. This surface roughness can also be achieved using a separate additive from that used to alter the thermal conductivity.
After scratching off the first tier 13 ( FIG. 3 ), exposed region 54 is left which forms the one or more desired shapes (hidden information now revealed so that it is visible). It is noted that the substrate 2 is of a contrasting color to permit the visible images to be seen, as those in the art will readily recognize. The second toner layer 20 that is in registration with second tier 11 remains intact after scratch-off. When the heat is applied from above the second toner layer 20 , the lower thermal conductivity reduces the temperature that can be achieved at the toner-substrate interface. In order to get adequate adhesion, it is imperative that a minimum substrate temperature is attained. Wherever the combined thickness of first toner layer 10 and second toner layer 20 is sufficiently high enough to prevent achieving the necessary temperature for toner-to-substrate adhesion, low adhesion quality to the substrate 2 is achieved. Therefore it would be possible to remove those areas which have poor fusing quality as determined by the combined amount of first toner layer 10 and second toner layer 20 .
It is noted for clarity that the first toner layer 10 and second toner layer 20 are deposited as described above by having the LCU 230 (See FIG. 1 ) vary its toner depositing using any printing module M 1 -M 5 individually or in any combination to produce the heights as described above. In other words, each of the first and second toner layers 10 and 20 , may be made of one toner color or a plurality of toner colors with its height deposition varied accordingly, as those skilled in art will readily recognize.
In an alternative embodiment, also represented by FIGS. 2 and 3 , first toner layer 10 is formed from first toner particles having a lower thermal conductivity than second toner particles used to form second toner layer 20 . This is accomplished by adding one or more suitable additives listed in Table in the first toner particles. The first toner layer 10 has the lower thermal conductivity and is removable in regions where the mass lay-down of the first toner layer 10 is in excess of 1.0 mg/cm 2 . In this case, first tier 13 will still be poorly adhered to substrate 2 , relative to the adhesion of second or third tiers 11 or 14 to substrate 2 , because of the higher mass laydown of the lower thermal conductivity first toner particles. The thermal conductivity of the first toner particles of first toner layer 10 may be less than or equal to 90% of, preferably less than or equal to 70% of, the thermal conductivity of the second toner particles of second toner layer 20 so that the first toner layer 10 melts less readily than second toner layer 20 . The maximum mass laydown for first toner layer 10 for achieving good adhesion to substrate 2 when overcoated with second toner layer 20 , will be a function of the thermal conductivities of the toners used for first and second toner layer ( 10 and 20 respectively) as well as the thickness of second toner layer 20 and the relevant fusing process conditions, e.g. operating temperature and nip dwell time for a set of nipped, heated fusing rollers. This maximum mass laydown functional dependence may be determined empirically using various methodologies including one as follows: for first and second toners having different thermal conductivities, a full factorial set of test patches are printed using a series of mass laydowns for both first and second toner layers ( 10 and 20 respectively) ranging from low to high levels for various combinations of fusing process condition setpoints. The patches are then tested for scratch-off so as to determine the maximum mass laydown of first toner layer 10 as a function of the ratio of first and second toner thermal conductivity, second toner layer 20 mass laydown, and fusing process condition setpoints. This information may be stored in LCU 230 in the form of a lookup table (LUT) enabling determination of acceptable toner laydown for each of the tiers so as to provide the scratch-off capability. The maximum mass laydown functional dependence is used to determine the maximum mass laydown allowable for second and third tiers 11 and 14 for a given mass laydown of second toner layer 20 so as to have good adhesion to substrate 2 . First tier 13 is then given a mass laydown in excess of this maximum, again for a given mass laydown of second toner layer 20 , so as to have poor adhesion to substrate 2 and therefore enable the scratch-off functionality.
Referring to FIG. 5 , there is shown an alternative embodiment for removing the first tier 13 and the portion of the second toner layer 20 in registration with the first tier 13 . In this embodiment, an adhesive tape 71 is applied to the surface of the second toner layer 20 and then the adhesive tape 71 is pulled off either manually or by any suitable tool. This adhesive pulling force causes the first tier 13 , and the portion of the second toner layer 20 in registration with the first tier 13 , to be removed with the adhesive tape 71 leaving the exposed region 54 that forms the desired shape. Again the second tier 11 and third tier 14 and the portion of the second toner layer 20 in registration with the second tier 11 and third tier 14 are left intact.
Referring to FIG. 6 , there is shown a top view of FIG. 3 with the scratch-off tool 51 removed so that the scratch-off document 18 can be seen more clearly. In this example, the letter “K” is formed from the exposed region 54 , and the second tier portion 11 and third tier portion 14 and the portion of the second layer 20 in registration with the second tier (denoted 20 / 11 in FIG. 5 ) and third tier portion (denoted 20 / 14 in FIG. 5 ) both remain intact after scratch-off and form the background.
Referring to FIG. 7 , there is shown an alternative embodiment, in this embodiment an indicia image 75 is printed and fixed on the substrate 2 before applying the first toner layer 10 , and the first tier 13 is in registration with the printed indicia image 75 . For this embodiment, the second toner layer 20 contains the lower thermal conductivity second toner particles due to the addition of one or more suitable additives and is removable in regions where the mass lay-down of the second toner layer 20 is in excess of 1.0 mg/cm 2 and the mass laydown of the first toner layer 10 is in excess of 0.60 mg/cm 2 . After scratch-off or adhesive pull off, the indicia image 75 is then visible as the desired shape. Again, the first tier 13 , and the portion of the second toner layer 20 in registration with the first tier 13 , can be removed leaving the exposed region 54 that forms the desired shape as shown in FIG. 4 or 5 . The indicia image 75 and the layers are deposited in this configuration by programming the LCU 230 accordingly.
In another embodiment of the indicia image 75 , the indicia image 75 is printed and fixed on the substrate 2 before applying the first toner layer 10 , and the first tier 13 is in registration with the printed indicia image 75 as before. However, in this embodiment, the first toner layer 10 is rendered more thermally insulating by the addition of one or more suitable additives into the first toner particles. For this case, first tier 13 is deposited in excess of 1.0 mg/cm 2 in order to be removable.
Referring to FIG. 8 , in an alternative embodiment to a uniform laydown, the second toner layer 20 is deposited on the first toner layer 10 in an inverse mask in which the second toner layer 20 is in inverse proportion to the first toner layer 10 . In other words, the second toner layer 20 includes a thicker region where the first layer 10 has a thinner region (second thickness), and the second toner layer 20 includes a thinner region where the first toner layer 10 has a thicker region (first thickness). The second toner layer 20 is layered in inverse proportion so that the combined thickness of the first toner layer 10 and the second toner layer 20 has a uniform thickness, preferably in excess of 1.70 mg/cm 2 , and so that an outer surface of the second toner layer 20 is smooth or substantially smooth. For the case where the second toner layer 20 is formed by second toner particles having a significantly lower thermal conductivity as compared to the first toner particles the removable portions will be those having the thicker second toner layer 20 and the thinner first toner layer 10 . Preferably, the removable portions will be those where the second toner layer 20 exceeds 1.0 mg/cm 2 . For example, in FIG. 8 , the second toner layer 20 exceeds 1.0 mg/cm 2 for the regions overlying second and third tiers 11 and 14 but is less than 1.0 mg/cm 2 for the region overlying first tier 13 . Therefore, the removable portions are the regions defined by second and third tiers 11 and 14 . The thermal conductivity of the second toner particles of second toner layer 20 may be less than or equal to 90% of, preferably less than or equal to 70% of, the thermal conductivity of the first toner particles of first toner layer 10 so that first toner layer 10 melts more readily than second toner layer 20 . The first and second toner layers 10 and 20 are deposited in this configuration by programming the LCU 230 according.
FIG. 9 shows the results of passing the toner deposition pattern of FIG. 8 through the fusing assembly 60 (see FIG. 1 ). The fused first toner layer 10 and fused second toner layer 20 together form a toner covering, and the toner covering and the substrate 2 form a scratch-off document 18 . For this case, the heat is sufficient to adhesively fuse the first tier 13 to the substrate 2 , but the second and third tiers, 11 and 14 , are non-adhesively fused at a level which permits it to stay intact under normal conditions but to be removable by any rigid or semi-rigid scratch-off tool. FIG. 10 shows the results after scratching the document provided by this embodiment utilizing an inverse mask laydown of the second toner layer 20 .
Another embodiment utilizing an inverse mask laydown of the second toner layer 20 is the case where the first toner layer 10 is formed by first toner particles having a significantly lower thermal conductivity as compared to the second toner particles, and the second toner layer 20 is deposited on the first toner layer 10 in an inverse mask in which the second toner layer 20 is in inverse proportion to the first toner layer 10 , then the removable portions will be those having the thicker first toner layer 10 , preferably in excess of 1.0 mg/cm 2 , and therefore, the thinner second toner layer 20 . For example, referring again to FIG. 8 , but for this case where the first toner particles are significantly lower thermal conductivity as compared to the second toner particles, the first toner layer 10 exceeds 1.0 mg/cm 2 for first tier 13 but is less than 1.0 mg/cm 2 for second and third tiers 11 and 14 . Therefore, the removable portion is the region defined by first tier 13 . The thermal conductivity of the first toner particles of first toner layer 10 may be less than or equal to 90% of, preferably less than or equal to 70% of, the thermal conductivity of the second toner particles of second toner layer 20 so that the first toner layer 10 melts less readily than second toner layer 20 .
In yet another embodiment, an indicia image 75 (as shown in FIG. 7 is applied to the embodiment of FIG. 8 but not shown in FIG. 8 ) is printed and fixed on the substrate 2 before applying the first toner layer 10 and the second toner layer 20 is deposited on the first toner layer 10 in an inverse mask in which the second toner layer 20 is in inverse proportion to the first toner layer 10 . In this embodiment, the second toner layer 20 contains the lower thermal conductivity second toner particles due to the addition of one or more suitable additives and is removable in regions where the mass lay-down of the second toner layer 20 is in excess of 1.0 mg/cm 2 .
In yet another embodiment, an indicia image 75 (as shown in FIG. 7 is applied to the embodiment of FIG. 8 bit not shown in FIG. 8 ) is printed and fixed on the substrate 2 before applying the first toner layer 10 and the second toner layer 20 is deposited on the first toner layer 10 in an inverse mask in which the second toner layer 20 is in inverse proportion to the first toner layer 10 . In this embodiment, the first toner layer 10 contains the lower thermal conductivity first toner particles due to the addition of one or more suitable additives and is removable in regions where the mass lay-down of the first toner layer 10 is in excess of 1.0 mg/cm 2 .
Uniform toner patches were prepared on a NexPress SE3000 Digital Color Production Press using standard CYMK toners in printing modules M 1 -M 4 and a toner with reduced thermal conductivity additive in Printing Module M 5 . Prints were made on a Sterling Ultra Digital Gloss coated paper (118 gsm) at a speed of 83 ppm, fusing at a temperature of 163° C. and a dwell time of 0.050 sec. Color patches of various mass laydowns using the standard toners in printing modules M 1 -M 4 were deposited and fused and subsequently tested for scratch off. For comparison, color patches of various mass laydowns using the standard toners in printing modules M 1 -M 4 were deposited with various mass laydowns of the inventive toner deposited over the color patches and fused simultaneously. The composite images were again tested for scratch-off performance. The scratch-off results for the images are summarized below in Table 2.
TABLE 2
Total Toner
Toner Layer 10
Toner Layer 20
Mass
Fused Area
Mass Laydown
Mass Laydown
Laydown
Scratch-Off
(mg/cm 2 )
(mg/cm 2 )
(mg/cm 2 )
Performance
0.15
0.00
0.15
No Scratch-Off
0.30
0.00
0.30
No Scratch-Off
0.60
0.00
0.60
No Scratch-Off
1.10
0.00
1.10
No Scratch-Off
0.00
0.60
0.60
No Scratch-Off
0.15
0.60
0.75
No Scratch-Off
0.30
0.60
0.90
No Scratch-Off
0.60
0.60
1.20
No Scratch-Off
1.10
0.60
1.70
No Scratch-Off
0.00
1.10
1.10
No Scratch-Off
0.15
1.10
1.25
No Scratch-Off
0.30
1.10
1.40
No Scratch-Off
0.60
1.10
1.70
Scratch-Off
1.10
1.10
2.20
Scratch-Off
The results in Table 2 show that when first toner layer 10 is greater than or equal to 0.60 mg/cm 2 and the second toner layer exceeds 0.60 mg/cm 2 , preferably exceeding 1.0 mg/cm 2 , the image can be removed easily using various techniques. However, when either first toner layer 10 or second toner layer 20 fails to meet the minimum mass laydown requirements, the image was found to be well fused and could not be scratched off or easily removed by other means.
The present invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
PARTS LIST
2 substrate
5 Receiver Material
10 first toner layer
11 second tier
13 first tier
14 third tier
18 scratch-off document
20 second toner layer
51 scratch-off tool
54 exposed region
60 fusing assembly
62 roller
64 roller
71 adhesive tape
75 indicia image
100 printing apparatus
101 transfer web
102 rollers
103 rollers
111 imaging rollers
112 intermediate transfer rollers
113 transfer backup rollers
230 logic and control unit (LCU)
M 1 -M 5 Printing Modules | A method for creating a scratch-off document having hidden information, the method includes providing a substrate; depositing a first layer of first toner particles on the substrate, wherein the first layer includes at least two thicknesses in which one region is thicker than the other region; depositing a second layer of toner particles on the first layer, wherein the first toner particles have a different thermal conductivity than the second toner particles; and applying heat to the first and second layers simultaneously so that the first layer adheres to the substrate in regions of the lesser thickness of the first toner particles and does not adhere in the regions of greater thickness of the first toner particles; wherein the first and second layers in the regions of greater thickness of the first toner layer can be removed thereby revealing hidden information. | 0 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composition comprising an isothiazolone compound mixed with a branched cyclodextrine, which is stable to water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With increasing demand for industrial water, use of recycle water system has been extensively carried on, but in such use, restraint and control of proliferation of microbe are becoming important problems. And with diversification of industrial materials besides such industrial water, damage caused by proliferation of microbe and that by growth of mold cover a wide range. Especially, it is of urgent necessity to deal with a slime problem of fungi, bacteria, yeasts, algae, etc. which are parasitic on drainage used in a process of paper manufacturing, industrial cooling water, lubricating oil for metal processing, aqueous emulsion, or paper, timber, plywood, paste, pulp, fiber, etc., or microbe damage and so on.
Recently, isothiazolone compounds have been given attention as industrial biocides for the purpose of preventing microbe from generating or removing it, and being found that they have a wide range of application and excellent effects.
Generally speaking, it is desirable for industrial biocides of this kind to be solutions, but it has been known that these isothiazolone compounds are easily decomposed by reducing nucleophilic bodies and so on. Therefore, they are very unstable and have remarkable quality changes for aqueous solution preparations, while an increased proportion of an organic solvent in the solution component brings about, for example, a problem on storage with regard to the Fire Service Act, leading to the difficulty in providing stable products as solutions.
Then, aqueous solution preparations containing an isothiazolone compound which are stable as products for a long period are required. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 78102/84, 78103/84, 78104/84, 78109/84, 35603/88 and 50322/88, it was proposed to stabilize an isothiazolone compound in an aqueous solution with metal salt (MXn: M is a metal selected from among magnesium, calcium, potassium, copper, iron, zinc, manganese, silver, cobalt, nickel and so on, X is an anion selected from among chloride, bromide, iodide, sulfate, nitrate, nitrite, acetate, perchlorate, bisulfate, bicarbonate, oxalate, carbonate, phosphate and so on, n is an integer to be fitted for the valence of anion and cation) in order to stabilize an aqueous solution preparation. However, metal salt containing metal ions such as calcium and magnesium is not desirable since it causes the occurrence of turbidity or precipitate in the subject. Especially in the case that it is added to anionic macromolecular disperse system, co-existing metal stabilizers make the anionic macromolecular disperse system unstable, resulting in the occurrence of cohesion, a fatal problem, so that the aqueous solution preparations disclosed in the above publications are not sufficiently desirable as products. And conventional metal salt besides the above does not have a stabilization effect sufficient as a stabilizer or have the same defect as magnesium salt and so on, so that it also cannot provide a desirable product. Besides, alkali salt of iodic acid or that of bromic acid were proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 286815/93, but it is very difficult to use these stabilizers, since these belong to class 1 dangerous goods and have a danger of explosion. A composition whose skin stimulativity andmucous membrane stimulativity were remarkably reduced by making a clathrate compound with addition of α, β and γ cyclodextrine was proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 247011/93, but it has been used only as a dust or suspension.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve these problems, the present inventors had earnestly studied and found that it is possible to stabilize an isothiazolone compound to water by mixing a branched cyclodextrine, completing the present invention. That is, the present invention relates to a composition comprising an isothiazolone compound mixed with a branched cyclodextrine, which is stable to water, and to providing an aqueous preparation comprising an isothiazolone compound which is excellent in storage stability and aqueous solution stability.
The compositions comprising an isothiazolone compound in the present invention show stable effects for a long period of time, and can be used as slime controllers, biocides and biocidal cleaning agents in paper manufacturing pulp factories and a process of cooling water circulation, or industrial biocides such as antiseptics of metal processing oil, textile oils, casein, starch, coating color, paint, emulsion, latex and sizings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An isothiazolone compound in the present invention is represented by the following formula (1) ##STR1## wherein Y is a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, and X 1 and X 2 are each independently, a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a lower alkyl or X 1 and X 2 taken together to form a benzene ring which may be optionally substituted.
In the isothiazolone compound represented by the above formula (1), Y is a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group. As a hydrocarbon group represented by Y, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, etc., preferably alkyl and cycloalkyl, etc., more preferably alkyl, etc., are exemplified.
As alkyl represented by Y, alkyl having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, isooctyl, sec-octyl, tert-octyl, nonyl and decyl, preferably alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms such as methyl and ethyl, and alkyl having 7 to 9 carbon atoms such as octyl and tert-octyl, more preferably alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms such as methyl and ethyl, are exemplified.
As alkenyl represented by Y, alkenyl having 2 to 6 carbon atoms such as vinyl, allyl, isopropenyl. 1-propenyl, 2-propenyl and 2-methyl-1-propenyl, preferably alkenyl having 2 to 4 carbon atoms such as vinyl and allyl, are exemplified.
As alkynyl represented by Y, alkynyl having 2 to 6 carbon atoms such as ethynyl, 1-propynyl, 2-propynyl, butynyl and pentynyl, preferably alkynyl having 2 to 4 carbon atoms such as ethynyl and propynyl, are exemplified.
As cycloalkyl represented by Y, cycloalkyl having 3 to 10 carbon atoms such as cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl and cyclooctyl, preferably cycloalkyl having 5 to 7 carbon atoms such as cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl, are exemplified.
As aryl represented by Y, aryl having 6 to 14 carbon atoms such as phenyl, naphthyl, anthryl and phenanthryl, preferably aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms such as phenyl, are exemplified.
As substituents of an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group represented by Y, hydroxyl, a halogen atom (e.g. chlorine, fluorine, bromine and iodine), cyano, amino, carboxyl, alkoxy (e.g. alkoxy having 1 to 4 carbon atoms such as methoxy and ethoxy), aryloxy (e.g. C 6-10 aryloxy such as phenoxy), alkylthio (e.g. alkylthio having 1 to 4 carbon atoms such as methylthio and ethylthio) and arylthio (e.g. C 6-10 arylthio such as phenylthio), preferably a halogen atom, C 1-4 alkoxy, etc., are exemplified. The hydrocarbon group may be optionally substituted by one to five, preferably one to three, of these substituents, which may be either identical to or different from each other. And examples of Y are preferably methyl, octyl and so on, more preferably methyl and so on.
In an isothiazolone compound represented by the above formula (1), X 1 and X 2 are each independently, a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a lower alkyl or X 1 and X 2 taken together to form a benzene ring which may be optionally substituted.
As a halogen atom represented by X 1 and X 2 , fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine and so on, preferably chlorine, etc., are exemplified.
As alkyl represented by X 1 and X 2 , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl and pentyl, preferably alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms such as methyl, ethyl and propyl, are exemplified. And examples of X 1 are preferably a hydrogen atom or chlorine, etc., more preferably chlorine, etc., and examples of X 2 are preferably a hydrogen atom or chlorine, etc., more preferably a hydrogen atom, etc.
As substituents of a benzene ring, hydroxyl, a halogen atom (e.g. chlorine, fluorine, bromine and iodine), cyano, amino, carboxyl, alkyl (e.g. alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms such as methyl, ethyl and propyl), alkoxy (e.g. alkoxy having 1 to 4 carbon atoms such as methoxy and ethoxy) and so on, preferably a halogen atom, C 1-4 alkyl, etc., are exemplified. The benzene ring may be optionally substituted by one to four, preferably one to two, of these substituents, which may be either identical to or different from each other.
As examples of the isothiazolone compound (1), 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 2-n-octyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 2-ethyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 4,5-dichloro-2-cyclohexyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 5-chloro-2-ethyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 5-chloro-2-t-octyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 1,2-benzisothiazoline-3-one and so on, preferably 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 2-n-octyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 1,2-benzisothiazoline-3-one, etc., more preferably 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 2-n-octyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, 1,2-benzisothiazoline-3-one, etc. are exemplified. These compounds can be properly mixed to be used.
These isothiazolone compounds can be produced by the methods described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,761,488, 3,849,430, 3,870,795, 4,067,878, 4,150,026, 4,241,214, 3,517,022, 3,065,123, 3,761,489, 3,849,430, etc. or their equivalents.
As a branched cyclodextrine used in the present invention, a cyclodextrine ring with an attached monosaccharide or disaccharide branch such as glucose or maltose, that is, glucosylcyclodextrine such as G1-β-cyclodextrine and G1-γ-cyclodextrine, which is a cyclodextrine ring with an attached glucose, maltosylcyclodextrine such as G2-α-cyclodextrine, G2-β-cyclodextrine and G2-γ-cyclodextrine, which is a cyclodextrine ring with an attached maltose, G1-G1-, G1-G2-, or G2-G2-maltotoriosylcyclodextrine, which is a cyclodextrine ring with an attached maltotoriose such as G3-α-cyclodextrine, G3-β-cyclodextrine and G3-γ-cyclodextrine, wherein a maltotriosyl is attached to a cyclodextrine ring at the 2- or higher positions, and so on, are cited. Preferably glycosylcyclodextrine and maltosylcyclodextrine are exemplified.
It is desired that a composition comprising an isothiazolone compound in the present invention is a solution, and contains water. From the viewpoint of the solubility of an isothiazolone compound, it may further contain an organic solvent. As the organic solvent, alcoholic solvents such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and butyl alcohol, ketone solvents such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone, hydrocarbon halide solvents such as dichloroethane, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, ether solvents such as dioxane and tetrahydrofuran, polar solvents such as dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide and acetonitrile, and glycol solvents such as ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether and tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether, are exemplified. Preferably glycol solvents, especially ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, are exemplified.
A composition comprising an isothiazolone compound in the present invention consists of 0.1-10 wt % of isothiazolone compound mixed with 0.1-99.1 wt % of a branched cyclodextrine. In the case of adding water, water is added in the range of 1-100 wt % to the composition comprising an isothiazolone compound of 10 wt %. In the case of further adding an organic solvent, an organic solvent is added in the range of 1-100 wt % to the composition comprising an isothiazolone compound of 10 wt %. The proportion of a branched cyclodextrine depends on preparation, but in the case of an aqueous preparation having a high water content, for example, it is better to increase the proportion of a branched cyclodextrine.
In the preparation of a solution, an isothiazolone compound is made by stirring and mixing every component of the prescribed quantity using industrial original bodies on the market such as Kathon WT, Kathon LX plus (produced by Rohm and Haas Company), Zonen C and Zonen F (produced by Ichikawa Gohsei Chemical Company, Ltd.) with a stirrer until it becomes completely uniformity. Especially, an isothiazolone compound and a branched cyclodextrine are prepared to be finally 0.1-40 wt %, preferably 1-20 wt %, and 0.1-60 wt %, preferably 5-40 wt %, respectively.
Furthermore, in the present invention, additives whose purpose, usage and so on have been well-known, such as surfactants and oxidation inhibitors, can be added.
As the surfactants, well-known surfactants such as soaps, nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and high molecular surfactants can be used. Among them, nonionic surfactants and anionic surfactants are preferably used.
As the nonionic surfactants, polyoxyalkylene aryl phenyl ether, polyoxyethylene nonyl phenyl ether, ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block-copolymer and so on are exemplified.
As the anionic surfactants, alkylbenzene sulfonic acid metal salt, alkylnaphthalene sulfonic acid metal salt, polycarboxylic acid surfactants, dialkyl sulfosuccinic ester metal salt, polyoxyethylene distyrenyl phenyl ether sulfate ammonium salt, lignin sulfonic acid metal salt, etc. are cited, and as metal salt, sodium salt, potassium salt, magnesium salt, etc. are exemplified.
As the oxidation inhibitors, phenol oxidation inhibitors such as 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol and 2,2'-methylenebis [4-methyl-6-t-butylphenol], amine oxidation inhibitors such as alkyldiphenylamine and N,N'-di-s-butyl-p-phenylenediamine and so on, are exemplified.
When the composition is a solution, for example, these surfactants and oxidation inhibitors are added in the ratio of 0.1-5 wt % to a solution of 100 wt %.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is concretely described below with examples and comparative examples, but is not limited to the examples. Here, the terms used in the examples and comparative examples are as follows:
Zonen F (an industrial original body containing ca, 10 wt % of 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one produced by Ichikawa Gohsei Chemical Company, Ltd.)
Kathon LX Plus Concentrate (an industrial original body containing 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one of about 18 wt % produced by Rohm and Haas Company)
a branched cyclodextrine (30% of an aqueous solution: Isoeleat L, produced by Nikken Chemical Ltd., containing 50 wt % or more of maltosylcyclodextrine): a branched CD, and
ethylene glycol: EG.
EXAMPLE 1
One hundred grams of a solution was obtained by previously mixing 30 g of Zonen F with 11 g of EG, while previously mixing 29 g of Isoeleat L (a 20 g of branched CD and 9 g of water) with 30 g of water, and then mixing both of them.
EXAMPLES 2-8
Each solution in Examples 2-8 was obtained by mixing and regulating every material to result in the composition (wt %) shown in Table 1 in the same manner as that in Example 1.
TABLE 1______________________________________Examples 2 3 4 5 6 7 8______________________________________Zonen F 30 30 30 30 30 30 30Branched CD 30 30 30 30 35 35 35Water 10 20 30 40 15 25 35EG 30 20 10 0 20 10 0______________________________________
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1
One hundred grams of a solution was obtained by dissolving 30 g of Zonen F in 50 g of EG and adding 20 g of water thereto.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 2-7
Each solution in Comparative Examples 2-7 was obtained by mixing and regulating every material to result in the composition (wt %) shown in Table 2 in the same manner as that in Comparative Example 1.
TABLE 2______________________________________ComparativeExamples 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________Zonen F 30 30 30 30 30 30Water 20 30 40 15 25 35EG 50 40 30 55 45 35______________________________________
EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLE 1
The solutions according to Examples 1-8 and Comparative Examples 1-7 were enclosed in glass containers and put in of 60° C. of the thermostat, and 7 days later, their residual rates of C1-MIT (wt %) were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography.
The results are shown in Tables 3 and 4.
TABLE 3______________________________________Examples 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8______________________________________Content 88 97 90 87 84 86 84 86______________________________________
TABLE 4______________________________________ComparativeExamples 1 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________Content 0 0 0 0 0 0 0______________________________________
It is proved that the residual rates in the solutions containing a branched cyclodextrine are higher.
EXAMPLE 9
One hundred grams of a solution was obtained by mixing 20 g of Kathon LX Plus Concentrate with 51 g of water, and further adding 29 g of Isoeleat L (20 g of a branched CD and 9 g of water) thereto to be dissolved.
EXAMPLE 10
The solution in the Example 10 having the composition shown below in Table 5 was obtained in the same manner as that in Example 9.
TABLE 5______________________________________Examples 9 10______________________________________Kathon LX Plus Concentrate 20 20Branched CD 20 30Water 60 50______________________________________
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 8
One hundred grams of a solution was obtained by dissolving 20 g of Kathon LX Plus Concentrate in 80 g of water.
EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLE 2
The solutions according to Examples 9 and 10, and Comparative Example 8 were enclosed in glass containers and put in 60° C. of the thermostat, and 7 days later, their residual rates of C1-MIT (wt %) were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography.
TABLE 6______________________________________Examples 9 10______________________________________Content 81 88Comparative Example 8Content 0______________________________________
It is proved that the residual rates in the solutions containing a branched cyclodextrine are higher.
EXAMPLE 11
One hundred grams of a solution was obtained by previously mixing 15 g of Kathon LX Plus Concentrate, 29 g of Isoeleat L (20 g of a branched CD and 9 g of water) and 11 g of water, while previously mixing 5 g of 1,2-benzisothiazoline-3-one (BIT) with 40 g of dipropylene glycol, and then mixing both of them.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 9
One hundred grams of a solution was obtained by previously mixing 15 g of Kathon LX Plus Concentrate with 20 g of water, while previously mixing 5 g of 1,2-benzisothiazoline-3-one (BIT) with 60 g of dipropylene glycol, and then mixing both of them.
EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLE 3
The solutions according to Example 11 and Comparative Example 9 were enclosed in glass containers and put in 60° C. of the thermostat, and 7 days later, their residual rates of C1-MIT and BIT (wt %) were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography.
TABLE 7______________________________________ Example 11 Comparative Example 9______________________________________C1-MIT 90 0BIT 98 97______________________________________
It is proved that the residual rate in the solution containing a branched cyclodextrine is unexceptionally higher. | A composition comprising an isothiazolone compound mixed with a branched cyclodextrine, wherein the isothiazolone compound can be stabilized to water, so that it is possible to provide an aqueous solution comprising an isothiazolone compound which is excellent in storage stability and aqueous solution stability. | 0 |
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/054,179 filed May 19, 2008.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Buildings consume roughly 36% of America's energy production and 12% of its potable water. Innovative building foundation designs are needed to significantly reduce this profile if we are to meet forthcoming water conservation and carbon dioxide emission standards. Use of pre-cast concrete for the construction of building foundations has been underway for over fifteen years, thereby establishing a precedent for use of off-site fabricated concrete panels used primarily for residential basement construction. At the same time, increased awareness about the environment has brought water conservation to the forefront, resulting in consumers who desire to create buildings that are ecologically sensitive, efficient, and economical. Cisterns have been used for many years as a means of containing rainwater and other liquids for long-term storage needs.
[0003] There is a need for innovation in the field of foundation design that addresses significant reduction in time required to construct building foundations, reduction of energy consumption, and enhanced water conservation. Presently no apparatus accounts for and addresses all of these combined concerns.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention is a foundational cistern. The present invention is an evolutionary panelized foundation system that uses known pre-casting technologies, functions structurally in similar ways to traditional systems, yet provides building designers with a multitude of new benefits in combination with the above objectives of reduced construction time, energy, and water conservation. The present invention utilizes specific combinations of pre-cast septic tank based design and pre-cast wall systems, resulting in a foundation system that forms sealed crawl spaces, virtually eliminates the need for ducted air transfer through the application of open air plenum technology, and stores large amounts of rainwater collected from the roof of the structure. The current design of the present invention will provide approximately 7,000 gallons of stored water per approximately 1,000 square feet of single story dwellings, and approximately 3,500 gallons for two story buildings, or structures of similar area. The stored rainwater in the cistern provides thermal mass for heating the structure, and may be used for nonpotable uses such as irrigation, gardening, cleaning outdoor items, and the like. Moreover, it is contemplated that through the use of appropriate on-site water treatment, potable uses for stored rainwater in the foundational cistern is feasible. The present invention offers a multitude of advantages not currently known in the art of foundation products.
[0005] In one aspect, the present invention offers a significant reduction of energy consumption needed to heat buildings by moderating insulated sealed crawl space temperature variations. The present invention is compatible with earth sheltering finished grade designs, which augment steady state temperatures within the present invention's sealed crawl space design. The foundational cistern of the present invention augments controlled building mass thermal inputs by harvesting steady state temperature variations within soils averaging 55 degrees Fahrenheit beneath buildings. When properly used, this produces lowered heating loads for occupied space immediately above such foundations.
[0006] In one aspect, the present invention may be designed for construction of insulated sealed crawl spaces thereby saving heating operational utility expenditures for the life of the structure.
[0007] In another aspect, foundation cistern of the present invention also results in a reduction of detailed site excavation and building foundation construction time by about a factor of 10 (estimated installation time is one to two days in lieu of up to a range of ten to twenty days), thereby potentially lowering equivalent building foundation construction labor costs by up to 20% and minimizing exposure to weather related construction delays.
[0008] In yet another aspect, present invention also provides a complete structural foundation system for one or two story residential and light commercial buildings of up to two stories, having brick or stone veneer and which can bear normal roof loads having spans of up to approximately 40 feet under certain circumstances (e.g., type IV and V building loads in accordance with international, State of North Carolina, and local building code requirements).
[0009] In one aspect, the foundation cistern of the present invention provides low cost rainwater storage which can be recycled for on-site “non-potable” uses such as landscape irrigation, storm water mitigation, as well as serve as an earth coupled thermal transfer medium for heating and indirect cooling of inhabited areas. As stated above, with treatment, water may be potable. The present invention provides sealed storage of collected rainwater beneath the exterior building perimeter. Increased exposure to water vapor is avoided through the incorporation of separate air vent connections for each cistern. In contrast, prefabricated water containment systems are placed outside of building foundation perimeters costing about $0.50 more per stored gallon. The present invention avoids such costs because no further excavation is needed other than those normally associated with conventional foundation construction.
[0010] In another aspect, foundational cistern of the present invention eliminates use of poured-in-place concrete and masonry construction. This allows for the elimination of separate poured-in-place footings along with their specialized excavations, as well as time consuming, labor intensive, hand laid concrete block (CMU) typically used for continuous foundation perimeter walls.
[0011] In another aspect, the present invention provides an ideal extraction medium for the control and elimination of radon gas through use of a continuous gravel foundation medium.
[0012] In one aspect, the present invention is compatible with open plenum air distribution without exposure to high humidity normally associated with conventional practice (when properly installed and maintained).
[0013] In yet another aspect, the present invention may be designed for use in conjunction with either spray applied or rigid insulation board products intended for installation around the panelized building foundation perimeter.
[0014] In one aspect, the present invention may be sized to be compatible with either panelized or modular building components, which typically involve significantly less “embodied energy” relative to conventionally framed building construction.
[0015] In another aspect, the foundational cistern of the present invention may utilize local and readily available pre-cast septic tank industry resources, which are presently available throughout all United States jurisdictions.
[0016] In yet another aspect, the present invention addresses LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification credits 556.1; 556.2; WE 3.1; and WE 3.2.
[0017] These and other benefits can be utilized by existing structures through a combination of retrofitted building load bearing pre-cast concrete cisterns, new building pre-cast concrete cisterns, and building load bearing pre-cast concrete walls. Given complete structural interface of these products, foundation building systems for both new buildings and building additions using the present invention is feasible and capable of providing builders, architects, and structural engineers with an alternative means of transferring building loads to bearing soil while taking advantage of the benefits indicated above.
[0018] Such advantages attained through the use of the foundation cistern of the present invention are vast. There are some circumstances where the present invention would not be applicable, such as: locations not exposed to rainfall, some structures requiring full height basement construction throughout their foundation perimeters, construction sites having soils types or inappropriate excavation characteristics or bearing building loads, and commercial buildings producing static and live loads in excess of approximately 2,700 pounds per lineal foot of foundation wall perimeter.
[0019] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The foregoing aspects and many of the accompanying advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0021] FIG. 1 a is an isometric drawing showing an array of foundational cisterns forming a sealed, insulated crawl space.
[0022] FIG. 1 b is an isometric rendering demonstrating the relationship between wood framed floor and walls with the foundational cistern unit of the present invention, according to one embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 2 a is an illustration of the underside (typical) of an optional top cover unit configuration, identifying load bearing concrete positions of the foundational cistern of the present invention, according to one embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 2 b is an illustration of the underside of an alternative top cover unit configuration, identifying load bearing concrete positions of the foundational cistern of the present invention, according to one embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 2 c is an illustration of yet another underside top cover unit configuration, identifying load bearing concrete positions of the foundational cistern of the present invention, according to one embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 2 d is an illustration of still an additional underside top cover unit configuration, identifying load bearing concrete positions of the foundational cistern of the present invention, according to one embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a vertical cross-section of the foundational cistern, detailing elements and environment of use, according to one embodiment.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a depiction of a horizontal cross-section of the present invention demonstrating thickened corner, columns, pilaster column, web stiffener, and access hatch opening, in one embodiment.
[0029] FIG. 5 a is a vertical section view at a pre-cast wall panel illustrating connection of the top cover of the present invention to an adjacent pre-cast concrete wall panel, according to one embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 5 b is a plan section view of the connection of the top cover of the present invention to base unit, and connection to a pre-cast wall panel, in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 5 c illustrates, in a vertical section view, the detail of the connection between the top cover of the present invention and a pre-cast concrete wall panel, as in one embodiment.
[0032] FIG. 5 d is a horizontal section illustration of a typical bolt connection between the base unit and a pre-cast concrete wall panel, as in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 5 e is a rendering of a horizontal section view of a connection between the base unit and a pre-cast concrete wall panel, as in one embodiment.
[0034] FIG. 6 a is a horizontal plan section illustrating an alternative connection between a foundational cistern and a precast concrete wall segment, as in one embodiment.
[0035] FIG. 6 b is a horizontal plan section demonstrating the interior section view of an alternative connection between two adjacent foundation cisterns, as in one embodiment.
[0036] FIG. 6 c is an elevation view showing a welded connection between two adjacent foundation cisterns, as in one embodiment.
[0037] FIG. 7 is a vertical section rendering of the top cover primary load bearing lintel section and base unit of the present invention, in cross section, as in one embodiment.
[0038] FIG. 8 is a vertical section illustration of the non-primary load bearing top cover turn down edge with a knock out hole and the keyway at base unit of the present invention, as in one embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0039] The following detailed description is the best currently contemplated modes for carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention.
[0040] The principal purpose of the present invention, in one embodiment, is to utilize custom designed pre-cast concrete rainwater and non-potable water containment structures as adjunct building foundation components capable of supporting design loads of up to approximately 2,700 pounds per lineal foot at a building's perimeter load bearing locations.
[0041] The foundational cistern of the present invention is composed of four vertical walls ( FIG. 1 ), which are attached to a floor section, forming the base unit 118 . The four vertical walls may take on many dimensions and may form a variety of shapes. It is further contemplated that vertical wall reinforcement may be added or deleted to serve the needs of the building. In the preferred embodiment, four vertical walls are used. In this embodiment the two longer walls, that are opposite and parallel to one another, measure approximately 13 feet and 4 inches in width and 4 feet in height. The two shorter walls, that are positioned opposite and parallel to one another, in this preferred embodiment, measure approximately 5 feet 4 inches in width and 4 feet in height.
[0042] The floor section of the base unit 118 , measures approximately 13 feet and 4 inches by 5 feet and 4 inches, in this preferred embodiment. The floor section of each foundation cistern, in one embodiment, would be thickened to approximately 6″ in depth at specific locations whereby it would be possible to cast deformed reinforcing bars into the corner intersection formed by the floor of the tank and adjacent vertical walls. The reinforcing in this embodiment would allow the floor of the tank to react to the loads being transferred from the walls and lateral forces from the building structure above. The flat floor of the foundation cistern 158 , in this embodiment, would then be seen as a foundation footing replacement in compliance and exceeding minimum code requirements of 16″ wide×6″ depth plain concrete footings. Moreover the remaining portion of the base is sloped 157 to augment evacuation of stored rainwater in the foundational cistern, as is further illustrated in FIG. 3 , and described below.
[0043] One of the vertical walls contains an opening 102 that can be accessed by an average-sized person, and may serve as a maintenance hatchway. In the preferred embodiment, the access opening 102 is circular in shape, although other shapes may be implemented and contemplated, as would be known by one skilled in the art. The access opening 102 may be covered by a hinged or bolted door 116 having a gasket or “o” ring, thus preventing the egress of material contained within the foundational cistern. A hinged or bolted door 116 may be water tight, as in the preferred embodiment of the invention. In the preferred embodiment, the access opening 102 measures not more than approximately 24 inches in diameter.
[0044] In the interior of the base unit 118 of the foundational cistern, there is a concrete stiffener 104 . The concrete stiffener 104 adds resistance to bending of the longer foundational cistern vertical walls when supporting loads by the building above. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the concrete stiffener 104 measures approximately 4 feet and 10 inches in width and approximately 1 foot and 10 inches in height, and its position ranges between approximately 1 foot 8 inches to 1 foot 10 inches above the floor section of the base unit 118 . Additionally, knock out holes 129 may be present to accommodate overflow of liquid to prevent the foundational cistern from filling completely with fluid, as in the preferred embodiment. The structural integrity and rigidity of the present invention is further supported by reinforcing bars 120 running vertically through the four corners and middle of the wall opposite the wall containing the access opening 102 . Reinforcing bars 120 also run horizontally through the foundational cistern base unit 118 floor 158 . The pilaster column 115 allows the present invention to tolerate the loads imposed by the structure the foundational cistern is supporting. Either a bolted or weld plate connection 117 is present in both the top and the lower outer edge of the base unit 118 and top cover 101 unit that facilitates the connection of the foundational cistern to other foundational cisterns, pre-cast wall panels, or similar material, as in one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 a illustrates the foundational cistern and its attachment to a pre-cast wall panel 119 and the pre-cast wall panel's 119 relationship to other structural elements of the building, a continuation of the pre-cast concrete panel 114 and rigid insulation 108 . Other aspects and elements of the base unit 118 will be described below.
[0045] The base unit 118 of the foundational cistern sits on a specified gravel base 106 (see FIG. 3 ). The specified gravel base 106 sits on the compacted or undisturbed bearing soil 105 . Perforated pipe 147 is used to prevent lateral transfer of ground water beneath the foundational cistern assembly. The foundational cistern may be connected to a pre-cast wall panel 119 by a bolt or welded anchor connection 117 . In FIG. 1 b a view of this connection is illustrated. More detailed views are shown in FIGS. 5 a - 5 e and are described in more detail below. FIG. 1 b illustrates the base unit of the cistern where the base unit 118 is connected to a pre-cast wall panel 119 .
[0046] The top cover 101 of the present invention is placed on top of the base unit 118 for the foundational cistern to be operable. Thus, the top cover 101 is of a similar shape and plan area size as the base unit 118 in the final product. The top cover 101 may also be equipped with knock out holes 129 to allow the egress of excess fluid within the cistern and to accommodate transfer of stored water to nearby foundational cisterns, when present as in one embodiment. Additionally, a vent to the roof 103 is present, as in one embodiment, to allow the escape of air being pressurized or depressurized due to level changes in the water, as well as to vent water vapor from the cistern. Each of the four side edges of the top cover 101 contain reinforcing bars 120 to add strength to the cover. As shown in FIGS. 2 a - 2 d , the edges of the top cover 101 are thickened and contain elements to withstand loads imposed by the building. Connection of the top cover 101 to the base unit 118 is further illustrated in FIGS. 3 , 7 and 8 and is described below.
[0047] When in use, the top cover 101 is connected to pre-cast wall paneling 119 or rigid insulation 108 as in one embodiment of the invention. A sole plate 130 (approximately two by six, in one preferred embodiment of the invention) is placed beneath the top cover 101 and positioned by the presence of shaped keyways 146 , as in one embodiment of the invention (see FIGS. 3 and 7 ). The sole plate 130 then connects to the subflooring 155 , and furring strips 143 of the structure (see FIGS. 1 b and 3 ). Above the top cover 101 the wall framing of the structure is placed in alignment with the sole plate 130 . The top cover 101 is attached to the sole plate 130 by an anchor bolt 121 (further described below). Two by four (or two by two, as in another embodiment) furring strips 143 are placed on the top cover 101 , and radient heat distribution openings 112 are provided at the edges of those furring strips 143 that facilitate heating or cooling air flow from the foundational cistern to the building. Moreover, top mounted flange 156 are present in the flooring, as are floor joists 144 and a treated horizontal ledger 109 as illustrated in FIG. 1 b.
[0048] FIGS. 2 a - 2 d are illustrations of the underside portion of the top cover 101 of the foundational cistern, focusing on the turn down and lintel edges 122 of the top cover 101 . Anchor bolt 121 connections are depicted and illustrate potential locations where the top cover 101 may be attached to the subflooring 155 . FIGS. 2 a - 2 d show multiple turn down edges, locations 122 and 113 , and at load bearing walls. In the preferred embodiment, the primary load bearing turn down lintels 122 are 8 inches by 8 inches having 64 square inches of 5,000 psi concrete cross sectional area at all reinforced concrete lintel locations. Lintels and turn down edges are also depicted in FIG. 3 . Note that turn down edges 113 may be present on any vertical wall of the top cover 101 . FIG. 2 a shows turn down lintels 122 on three sides of the top cover 101 where primary structural building loads are anticipated, as in one embodiment. It is contemplated and useful to include non-structural turn down edges 163 on only one side ( FIG. 2 c ), two sides ( FIGS. 2 b and 2 d ), or three sides ( FIG. 2 a ). Moreover, monolithic turn down lintels 122 are only utilized where either continuous or point primary load reactions are anticipated from the building being supported by the foundational cistern, as is consistent with one embodiment of the invention. The top cover 101 rests on top of the base unit 118 , and is sealed thereon by way of a keyway seal at the joint 146 . This element is further described in FIGS. 7 and 8 .
[0049] FIG. 3 further illustrates detailing of the present invention. For instance, as in one embodiment of the invention, a treated horizontal ledger 109 (2 by 4) is in contact with the top cover 101 . Other elements of the subflooring 155 , 143 , 144 , and 156 are described above and further illustrated in FIG. 3 . The relationship of the anchor bolt 121 to the subflooring above the top cover 101 is also illustrated in FIG. 3 . The slope 157 of the bottom floor of the base unit 118 is also shown. The 8 by 8 lintels 122 that provide load-bearing support to the structure above are also depicted. The keyway seal at joint 146 between the top cover 101 and base unit 118 is also shown, as is the access opening 102 . Reinforcing dowels 124 that provide structural rigidity to the present invention are also shown. Knock out holes 129 that may be opened to admit rain water or to prevent the cistern from filling entirely with liquid are shown in a variety of positions. As would be known by one skilled in the art, there may be only one, or a multitude of knock out holes 129 that be present in a plurality of positions.
[0050] The environment surrounding the foundational cistern is also shown in FIG. 3 . Earth backfill 100 is used to stabilize and insulate the present invention, as is practiced in one embodiment. In one preferred embodiment, earth backfill 100 is present up to 4 feet in height at the exterior sides of the base unit 118 and wall panels 119 . Transference of loads from the bottom of the foundation cistern tanks of the present invention to bearing soils would be negotiated by use of approximately 4″ thick gravel base 106 placed on undisturbed grade or compacted select fill in one embodiment. The gravel medium 106 would be drained via use of industry standard 4″ diameter perforated plastic pipe 147 to daylight or gravel sump as is known in the art. Some soil types would require further consideration, yet still employ the present invention. The other side of the foundational cistern, in this preferred embodiment is the sealed crawlspace 107 .
[0051] FIG. 4 shows a horizontal cross-section of the present invention. This view provides added understanding to elements like the pilaster column 115 that provides added structural support to the mid-section of the present invention. Reinforcing bars 120 are shown in the four corners and mid section of the foundational cistern, as in one embodiment of the invention. Also shown, are the thickened corners 125 of the present invention, which provide depth of concrete for connections, and vertical transfer of building loads from above. Monolithic turn down lintels 122 described in FIGS. 2 a - 2 d are also identified in FIG. 4 . The concrete stiffener 104 is in contact, on both sides, with reinforcing dowels 124 , which provides added structural support to the mid-section of the foundational cistern. The access hatch opening 102 and vertical door assembly 116 are also shown.
[0052] FIG. 5 a is a vertical section view at a pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 . The top cover 101 of the foundational cistern is connected to the subflooring above through the use of an anchor bolt 121 that connects the top cover 101 to an offset sole plate 130 , as in one preferred embodiment of the invention. As demonstrated the sole plate 130 , and pre-cast wall panel 119 are in connection with the rigid insulation 108 of the building. Other means of fastening concrete to subflooring are known and may be contemplated by one of ordinary skill in the art. A nut and washer 127 may be used on the wall framing anchor bolt 121 to secure a structural connection between the foundation cistern and the building, or structure, above it. The opening used to house the galvanized bolt 137 is cast oversize in order to follow with a grouted connection of the imbedded bolt 137 used for connecting the foundational cistern assembly to adjacent foundation components. This method is used for other openings in concrete described in this invention. Reinforcing bars 120 are present in the top cover 101 as identified previously. The 8 by 8 lintel 122 is also identified (as described in FIGS. 2 a - 2 d ). A ½ inch shim space 126 is present to allow leveling of the top cover 101 once it is placed on the base unit 118 of the present invention, which allows a means of leveling the top cover 101 to required building tolerances. An injection channel 132 is provided for the purpose of completely filling the oversized opening with epoxy grout to assure complete coverage of the bolt 137 .
[0053] FIG. 5 b shows a plan section at the lower galvanized bolt 137 , showing the connection of the base unit 118 and the pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 . A one-inch cast opening 141 may be sealed with epoxy grout 139 after connection. The one-inch cast opening 141 is placed 4½ inches from the bottom of the top cover 101 of the unit and 4½ inches from the bottom of the base unit 118 , as in one preferred embodiment. As shown, the monolithic turn down edge 113 portion of the top cover 101 is used, as in one embodiment. The 11/16 opening 148 is placed 4½ inches from the outside edge of the pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 , and is directed through the pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 and into the top cover 101 for about 5 inches, in the monolithic turn-down lintel 122 portion of the top cover 101 , as in one preferred embodiment of the invention. The lower cast opening 148 may have a galvanized bolt 137 (in one preferred embodiment a ⅝ galvanized bolt), that is secured by a nut and washer 127 (and in one preferred embodiment, a 1¾ inch washer) and connects the pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 to the base unit 118 of the foundational cistern. The opening 141 may be filled with epoxy grout 139 in the finished product of the present invention. The shim space 159 between the top cover 101 , base unit 118 and pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 may be sealed with caulk 138 and accommodate shim washers 135 (and in one preferred embodiment ⅛ inch thick shim washers), and sealant 133 . The number of shim washers can be adjusted to compensate for variations in distance between adjacent precast foundation components, i.e., the base unit 118 and pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 , as is apparent to one skilled in the art. In one preferred embodiment, the sealant 133 used in conjunction with the present invention is nominally about ½ inch thick wide and of a depth as prescribed by the sealant manufacturer, however it is contemplated that other sealants including elastomeric caulking and the like may be used and would be apparent to one skilled in the art. A similar bolt connection and injection channel 136 in the top cover 101 is also shown in FIG. 5 a which is intended to align adjoining base units 118 and top covers 101 of additional foundational cisterns vertically and can be employed for the attachment of the top cover 101 to other cistern units or pre-cast wall panels.
[0054] An elevation view bolt connection at the top cover 101 adjacent to a pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 is shown in FIG. 5 c . An anchor bolt 121 secures a sole plate 130 (that is part of the subflooring for the structure above), to the pre-cast wall panel 119 , which is adjacent and level with the top cover 101 of the foundational cistern. In one preferred embodiment, the anchor bolt 121 continues 5 inches into the pre-cast wall panel 119 at its strongest location (corner). Other attachment means would be appropriate and are known by those skilled in the art. Between the underside of the sole plate 130 a compressible filler 134 is placed between the top of the cover unit 101 , where there is a monolithic turn-down edge 113 , and the underside of the sole plate 130 to form an infiltration barrier preventing exposure to convected outdoor unconditioned air. A retaining pin 131 restrains the bolt from being pulled out. Bolts may be held in place by injecting epoxy grout. In the space between the top cover 101 and pre-cast wall panel 119 , flat washer shims 135 may be used as needed to occupy the space 126 . Sealant or caulk 138 may be used to occupy the exterior and interior perimeter of that space. Between the top cover 101 and lower base unit 118 , shim space 126 is present to allow flexibility for leveling of the top cover 101 before the subflooring is placed. In one preferred embodiment, the shim space 126 is approximately ½ inch.
[0055] A detailed view of the connection between the base unit 118 and a pre-cast wall panel 119 is shown in FIG. 5 d . To facilitate connection of the base unit 118 of the foundational cistern and a pre-cast wall panel 119 , an injection channel 132 (that is 5 inches deep into the base unit in the preferred embodiment) is used to accommodate insertion of the retaining pin 131 and epoxy grout. That bolt 137 may be held in place within the pre-cast base unit 118 , in part through the use of a nut and washer 127 , thence subjected to use after approximately 24 hours, as in one preferred embodiment. Other means of fastening and securing fasteners to the pre-cast wall panel 119 and base unit 118 are contemplated and known by those skilled in the art. This view also provides further detail as to the thickened and reinforced concrete corner 125 , which is present in all four of the base unit 118 corners. A shim space 159 is present in between the base unit 118 and pre-cast wall panel 119 that may be secured with sealant as previously described. Flat washer shims 135 may be used to occupy that space where the bolt 137 is placed between the base unit 118 and pre-cast wall panel 119 . Also note that the base unit 118 and pre-cast wall panel 119 , sit on a gravel base 106 , as depicted in FIG. 3 .
[0056] FIG. 5 e is a plan section at the lower anchor bolt. Continuous layers of rigid insulation 108 are adjacent to both the base unit 118 and pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 . Between the base unit 118 and pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 , a shim space 159 is present, which may be occupied by caulk 138 at its exterior locations to a depth as prescribed by the caulking or sealant manufacture, as is apparent to one skilled in the art. In one preferred embodiment, the shim space 159 is approximately ½ inch, and may be occupied by flat washer shims 135 . An opening to facilitate connection of the base unit 118 to the pre-cast wall panel 119 houses a bolt 121 that is secured to the pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 by a nut and washer 127 . This opening is located approximately 4 and ½ inches from the edge of the base unit 118 and pre-cast concrete wall panel 119 and may be filled with epoxy grout 139 . A second opening 136 in the base unit 118 is formed by use of temporary polystyrene filler at the channels 140 and may be used as an alternative bolt channel connection. These one-inch diameter opening injection channels and alternate bolt connection 136 may house a galvanized anchor bolt accessible for installation at the interior crawl space side of the wall. Reinforcing bars 120 that add rigidity to the foundational cistern are labeled for reference. The crawlspace 107 is also denoted to show the environment of the invention associated with the attached pre-cast wall panel 119 .
[0057] FIG. 6 a shows a plan section at the embedded weld plates 162 , which provides an alternative to the bolted connections previously described. A fillet weld 149 is used to connect the two components, here a base unit 118 and pre-cast wall panel 119 , via a 6 inch by 6 inch weld plate 152 . A 6-inch deformed bar 151 , as in one preferred embodiment of the invention, facilitates the structural connection of the steel angle 162 to the concrete cistern. Reinforcing bars 120 are denoted in the cistern corner and used for increasing structural connection strength. Space between the cistern and the adjacent structure is adjusted by steel shims 150 and sealed with caulk 138 . An alternative bolt connection or cast-in and deformed bar 161 is also shown. A weld plate 152 forms a high strength connection between either two adjacent cisterns 118 , or a foundational cistern 118 and adjacent pre-cast concrete wall 119 .
[0058] FIG. 6 b closely parallels the welded connection design purpose described in FIG. 6 a . It has the primary function of joining two adjacent base units 118 , along with their respective top covers 101 . This combination thereby avoids the need of exposing any connection hardware penetrations to the stored rainwater.
[0059] FIG. 6 c is an elevation view showing how the weld plate 152 is connected via two fillet welds 149 , the individual embedded steel angles 162 , which are each cast in their respective base units 118 or to a pre-cast wall panel 119 . As such, the base unit 118 and pre-cast wall panel 119 are shown resting on the gravel base 106 . As in FIG. 6 b , isolation of all connection components from stored rainwater is achieved.
[0060] The top cover 101 and its relationship to the base unit 118 is further shown in FIG. 7 . The anchor bolt 121 used to connect the top cover 101 to subflooring is shown. The reinforcing bars 120 that run horizontally through the top cover 101 are denoted. In one preferred embodiment, the reinforcing bars 120 are approximately 2 and ⅛ inches from the side edge of the top cover 101 , and approximately 2 and ¼ inches from the top edge of the top cover 101 . The reinforcing bars 120 are approximately 3 and ¾ inches from one another to form a square pattern, as in one preferred embodiment of the invention. As is well known in the art, other patterns of placing the reinforcing bars 120 varying in number and size may be used to accomplish the same task, assuring the structural integrity of the top cover 101 . The lower left reinforced bar is approximately 2 and ½ inches from the bottom edge of the top cover 101 , as in one preferred embodiment of the invention. The top cover 101 at its outer edge is overall approximately 8 and ¾ inches in the preferred embodiment of the invention. Portions of the top cover 101 that are not at the edges are approximately 3 inches thick in this preferred embodiment. The space between the top cover 101 and the base unit 118 , which is identified as a keyway seal or joint 146 in FIG. 3 , is filled with nonshrink grout 153 . Proper infill of the keyway 146 with nonshrink grout 153 produces a shimming effect 154 . Such space is necessary to level the top cover 101 so it is appropriate to support the subflooring of the structure. The tapered uppermost wall of the base unit 118 is approximately 3 inches wide near the connection of the base unit 118 to the top cover 101 . The monolithic turn down lintel 122 provides lateral transfer of concentrated and uniformly distributed building structural loads, loads to pilaster columns 115 , and thickened corners shown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b.
[0061] A detailed cross-section of the present invention is shown in FIG. 8 . This illustration further depicts the relationship between the top cover 101 and base unit 118 of the foundational cistern, and the keyway seal at joint 146 . Reinforcing bars in the top cover 120 are shown at openings in excess of 3 inches in diameter, as well as knock out holes 129 , which may be present to allow the ingress and egress of material contained within the cistern. Sealant, nonshrink grout 153 and grout shims 154 are used to seal the top cover 101 to the base unit 118 after the top cover has been leveled 101 appropriately for the subflooring of the structure to be placed on top of it. The non primary load bearing monolithic down turn edge 163 is designed to carry approximately 60 pound live loads and approximately 10 pound dead loads transmitted over spans not exceeding approximately 16 feet of uniform loading.
[0062] Structures to be supported by the present invention, in one embodiment, would involve light framed Type V building construction, as is known in the art. Associated loads typically are anticipated to be continuous. Point loads can be accommodated as needed where turn down lintels 122 are present. Load transfer, in the preferred embodiment, would occur near the outside framing line of structures above and across a typical 2 by 6 dimensional sole plate 130 bolted to imbedded anchor bolts 121 per IBC code and equivalent requirements. These vertical structural loads from above the foundation cistern of the present invention would then be transferred onto the pre-cast concrete wall section of the foundation cistern located immediately beneath the anchored sole plate, which is to be secured via these embedded bolt connections (see FIGS. 5 a , 5 c , 5 d , and 5 e ).
[0063] Currently, typical septic tank vertical wall sections are a minimum of 2¾″ in thickness. By comparison, Superior Wall pre-cast sections, that may be used in one embodiment of the present invention, are using about 1¾″ thick sections. The IBC code table 1805.5 (1) requires a minimum of 7½″ thickness of plain concrete to restrain unstable backfill exceeding 4′ in height. Assuming a design constraint of a maximum backfill depth of less than 4′, local building officials can approve use of engineered (depth dimensions exceeding the 2¾″ minimum) vertical septic tank walls, as may be used in one embodiment of the present invention. Thickness of the walls of the present invention may vary as required to restrain less than four feet of unbalanced backfilled soil, while addressing lateral load reactions from various dynamic loads.
[0064] Either ⅝″ diameter bolt cavity spaces or embedded plates with attendant deformed bar anchors (similar to pre-cast concrete tilt wall components) would be cast or “let-in” the exposed surfaces of the upper and lower outside corners of each foundation cistern bearing wall in one embodiment. These bolts, or plates, when properly aligned, would enable individual foundation cistern units to be attached to one another in this embodiment (see FIGS. 5 b , 5 c , 5 e , 6 a , 6 b , and 6 c ). Once connections are completed, it is anticipated the attached series of foundation cistern tanks would then be capable to reacting to differing soil bearing pressures and building loads imposed from above, in unison (see FIG. 1 a ). That is to say their attached exterior concrete walls would serve as a continuous structural diaphragm up to a specified design load limit to be governed by the overall length of the attached foundation cistern array, and point loads being imposed by building framing above.
[0065] Live load characteristics affecting the individual units of the present invention must be taken into consideration, as the foundation cisterns are planned for use as water containment vessels having a fill level of up to 4 feet in depth, in one embodiment. In one embodiment of the present invention, total loads acting on the bearing soil include: LL and DL of structure above, LL and DL of foundation cistern including up to 1,500 gallons of water in a nominal 12 foot by 4 foot plan area at the floor of the cistern, and DL of gravel all cumulatively acting on bearing soil.
[0066] Moreover, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Thus, it is intended that the invention cover all embodiments and variations thereof as long as such embodiments and variations come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. | The present invention is a foundational cistern. The present invention is an evolutionary panelized foundation system that uses known pre-casting technologies, functions structurally in similar ways to traditional systems, yet provides building designers with a multitude of new benefits in combination with the objectives of reduced construction time, energy, and water conservation. Stored rainwater in the cistern provides thermal mass for heating for a supported structure, and may be used for nonpotable uses. Given appropriate on-site water treatment, potable uses of stored rainwater may be contemplated as well. The foundational cistern of the present invention may be coupled to other foundational cisterns and structural elements of the supported structure. The present invention offers a multitude of advantages not currently known in the art of foundation products. | 4 |
TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved window covering. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved window covering having the ability to tilt, raise or lower the slats of the window covering by operation of its bottom rail.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Venetian blinds are a type of window covering comprising horizontal slats, one above another. The slats are typically suspended between an upper rail and a bottom rail by cords. One cord, the ladder cord, is used to control the rotation of the blinds. The other cord, the raising cord, is used to raise and lower the slats. The ladder cord allows the slats to rotate or tilt approximately 180 degrees in either direction. At one extreme the slats are rotated such that they overlap with one side of the slats facing inward and the other sides of the slats facing outward. At the other extreme, the opposite sides of the slats face inward and outward. When the lift cord is pulled, the bottom rail moves towards the upper rail, causing the slats to be stacked one on top of the other.
In most prior art Venetian blinds, an external tilting wand is used to control an operating mechanism that causes the rotation of the slats and an external lift cord is used to control the height of the bottom rail. These components are visible and not aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, the cords pose a choking or strangulation hazard for children. While some prior art Venetian blinds have removed the external tilting wand or lift cord, no such prior art devices have eliminated the needs of the external tilting wand, as well as the external lift cord without severely limiting the function of the blind. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an aesthetically pleasing and safe window blind that does not include either an external tilting wand or an external lift cord.
Therefore, there is a need for an actuator mechanism for controlling the movement of a window covering, such as a Venetian blind, that overcomes the foregoing problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cordless actuator mechanism that is suitable for use with a window covering that does not require the use of conventional pull cords to raise or lower the window covering. The present invention is particularly suitable for use with a Venetian blind which includes a head rail, a plurality of slats, a raising cord, and a bottom member suspended from the raising cord to impart vertical adjustments thereto by a user. Other possible window coverings are cellular shades that include adjustable vanes within the cells.
With a Venetian blind a ladder extending from the head rail is provided, which is attached to and supports the plurality of slats for tilting movement thereof. A stop arrangement adapted to limit vertical movement of the ladder cord and the slats suspended therewith, a rotatable drive axle disposed within the head rail having a winding drum member mounted therewith, and a raising cord upper end portion secured with the winding drum member whereby vertical adjustment of the raising cord cooperates with the drive unit for rotation of the winding drum member and the drive axle are also provided. The stop arrangement can take various forms as will be discussed in greater detail below.
A tilting member is rotationally fixed with the drive axle, while an upper portion of the ladder is secured to the tilting member such that rotation of the tilting member applies a tilting force to the ladder to cause the ladder to tilt the slats. A clutch arrangement is provided between the drive axle and the tilting member, which is responsive to the stop arrangement arresting vertical movement of the ladder cord, to disengage the rotational or tilting force from the drive axle from being applied to the ladder.
In one embodiment, the tilting member comprises an outer drum about which the ladder cord is attached. The actuator mechanism further comprises an inner drum member circumferentially mounted about and rotationally fixed to the drive axle, and a collar member, such as a coil spring, comprising the clutch arrangement. The coil spring is circumferentially mounted about the inner drum and has a tightened state whereby the coil spring is engaged with the inner drum, and an expanded state whereby the coil spring is disengaged from the inner drum.
The outer drum is circumferentially mounted about the coil spring. The coil spring is biased toward the engaged condition. The coil spring is moved to the engaged condition by rotation of the winding drum member and the drive axle in response to vertical adjustment of the raising cord, by upward or downward manipulation of the bottom member, which enables a force to be transmitted from the drive axle to the coil spring.
In a second embodiment, the tilting member includes a winding pulley having a hub located between a pair of pulley sidewalls to define a generally V-shaped recess for confining a loop of the ladder cord as the ladder cord is wound about the hub. The pulley sidewalls are responsive to the stop member engaging at least one of the slats to stop tilting movement thereof so as to increase force on the ladder cord loop, causing the ladder cord loop to engage the pulley sidewalls, moving the ladder cord away from the hub so as to disengage the tilting force applied to the ladder cord. In a related embodiment, the hub comprises a plurality of ribs to provide increased engagement with the ladder cord.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Venetian blind shown in an open configuration, and including an actuator mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of part of a tilt control mechanism of the actuator mechanism shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a coil spring of the tilt control mechanism shown in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tilt control mechanism shown in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 5 is a top view of an actuator mechanism of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the actuator mechanism of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 ;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the Venetian blind shown in FIG. 1 , taken along line 7 - 7 and shown in a fully retracted configuration;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7 , but shown in a first closed configuration;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7 , but shown in an open configuration;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7 , but shown in a second closed configuration;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an actuator mechanism according to the present invention;
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the actuator mechanism shown in FIG. 11 ;
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of the actuator mechanism shown in FIG. 11 ;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the actuator mechanism shown in FIG. 11 ;
FIG. 14A is a cross-sectional view of the actuator mechanism shown in FIG. 11 ;
FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of the winding drum assembly of FIG. 6 , shown partly in cross-section;
FIG. 16 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an actuator mechanism with an alternative tilt winding pulley;
FIG. 17 is a perspective view thereof;
FIG. 18 is a front elevational view of the tilt winding pulley;
FIG. 19 is a side elevational view thereof;
FIG. 20 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an actuator mechanism with another tilt winding pulley;
FIG. 21 is a perspective view thereof;
FIG. 22 is a front elevational view of the tilt winding pulley;
FIG. 23 is a side elevational view thereof;
FIG. 24 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an operating mechanism with an actuator mechanism with an alternative clutching arrangement;
FIG. 25 is an exploded view of the actuator mechanism of FIG. 24 ; and
FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the actuator mechanism of FIG. 24 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention disclosed herein is, of course, susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. Shown in the drawings and described herein below in detail are preferred embodiments of the invention. It is understood, however, that the present disclosure is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and does not limit the invention to the illustrated embodiments.
For ease of description, actuator mechanisms for Venetian blinds embodying the present invention and utilizing a novel drive clutch arrangement, embodied as either a coil spring or a pulley wheel, is described herein below in their usual assembled position as shown in the accompanying drawings, and terms such as upper, lower, horizontal, longitudinal, etc., may be used herein with reference to this usual position. However, the actuator mechanisms may be manufactured, transported, sold, or used in orientations other than and described and shown herein.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 through 10 . Referring to FIG. 1 , Venetian blind 10 is shown in a fully extended position with its slats opened. The blind 10 includes head rail 12 , bottom rail 16 , a plurality of slats 70 and actuator mechanisms 20 and 21 . Head rail 12 has a rectangular plinth-like shape and includes a bottom side 15 and a substantially open top side 13 . The inside of head rail 12 forms a substantially hollow channel 14 . As shown in FIGS. 7-10 , bottom side 15 of the head rail 12 includes a stop member or first bottom edge 11 (see FIGS. 8 and 10 ) and a second bottom edge 19 (see FIG. 7 ). Head rail 12 may be secured to a window or similar surface by means known in the art. It may also include decorative facing without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Referring again to FIG. 1 , bottom rail 16 includes top side 17 and bottom side 18 . Preferably, the area of top side 17 is substantially equal to the longitudinal area of each individual slat 72 , although this is not required. The shape of the bottom rail may vary without departing from the spirit of the invention.
The slat array or plurality of slats 70 comprises a plurality of individual slats 72 . Each slat 72 includes a top portion 73 and a bottom portion 74 . Top portion 73 and bottom portion 74 are connected together by border 75 . Border 75 includes a first edge 76 , a second edge 77 , a third edge 78 and a fourth edge 79 , the third and fourth edge 78 and 79 extending along the width of each slat 72 . In the preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of each slat 72 is substantially rectangular. Other shapes may be utilized, however. The number of slats included is determined based on the size of the slats and the desired length, or vertical extent, of the blind.
A tilt control mechanism 30 for tilting the plurality of slats 70 is provided, and is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2-6 . The tilt control mechanism 30 includes an inner drum 40 , a clutch arrangement that includes a coupling member, such as coil spring 50 , and a tilting member 60 that, in this embodiment, is an outer drum. As shown, the inner drum 40 , coil spring 50 and tilting member 60 are comprised of individual components, although other combinations of parts is possible. Inner drum 40 is preferably provided as a monolithic plastic molding and includes an outer surface portion 44 that is generally cylindrical. First and second flange portions 42 and 46 respectively protrude from the outer surface 44 of the inner drum 40 at two axially opposite sides thereof. Through hole 48 is defined by inner drum 40 . Through hole 48 is configured to accept insertion of drive axle 24 such that the inner drum 40 is tightly mounted on the drive axle 24 and also rotationally fixed relative to the drive axle. The inner drum 40 can also define a slit 45 cut through the second flange 46 and a portion of the outer surface 44 proximate to the second flange 46 . Slit 45 can add some resiliency to the end portion of the inner drum 40 for facilitating its assembly through the tilting member 60 .
The tilting member 60 is hollow and generally cylindrical in shape. The tilting member 60 includes an outer surface 61 , and defines a recess 63 having an inner surface 68 . The inner surface 68 of recess 63 further defines a slot 62 . Formed axially on the outer surface 61 is a groove 64 . Groove 64 is sized to receive retainer segment 66 that includes clipping tabs 65 and 67 for securely fixing end portions of ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b ( FIG. 5 ), which are front and rear ladder cord sections, to tilting member 60 . In this embodiment, the retainer segment 66 and the tilting member 60 are separate components. In other embodiments, retainer segment 66 may also be integrally formed on the tilting member 60 . Retainer segment 66 can be shaped to match the radius of curvature of the tilting member 60 .
As more clearly shown in FIG. 3 , coil spring 50 comprises end portions or prongs 52 , which extend in a substantially radial outward direction. The coil spring 50 can have two states, referred to herein as tightened and expanded states. Coil spring 50 is configured such that in a tightened state, it is firmly mounted by way of friction on the outer surface portion 44 of the inner drum 40 between the first and second flange portions 42 and 46 . Provided with the coil spring 50 , the inner drum 40 can be inserted into recess 63 of the tilting member 60 with the prongs 52 being lodged in the slot 62 thereof. When the coil spring 50 is in the tightened state, the coil spring 50 tightly presses around the outer surface 44 of the inner drum 40 so that the inner drum 40 , coil spring 50 and tilting member 60 rotate in unison. When the coil spring 50 is in the expanded state, the coil spring 50 expands so that it no longer tightly grips on the outer surface 44 of the inner drum 40 . The inner drum 40 is thus' able to rotate along with the drive axle 24 independent of the coil spring 50 and tilting member 60 .
Referring to FIGS. 2-6 , the tilt control mechanism 30 includes the coil spring 50 mounted around the inner drum 40 . Inner drum 40 and coil spring 50 are mounted within recess 63 of the tilting member 60 with the prongs 52 of the coil spring 50 placed within the slot 62 . The height of the first and second flange portions 42 and 46 is preferably sized so as to prevent axial shifting of the coil spring 50 or the tilting member 60 from the inner drum 40 . To drive the tilt control mechanism 30 , the drive axle 24 is mounted through the hole 48 of the inner drum 40 .
With reference to FIGS. 1 , 5 and 6 , two ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b are engaged with the clipping tabs 65 and 67 on the retainer segment 66 . It will be understood by skilled practitioners that one ladder cord section 22 a can extend at the front of the Venetian blind 10 and connect with one side edge of the plurality of slats 70 (e.g., fourth edge portion 79 ), whereas the other ladder cord section 22 b can extend at the rear of the Venetian blind 10 and connect with an opposite side edge of the plurality of slats 70 (e.g., third edge portion 78 ). Each of the ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b has an upper end secured with the tilt control mechanism 30 , and a lower end secured with the bottom rail 16 . Ladder cord sections 43 are secured at one end to another tilt control mechanism 31 and at the other end, to bottom rail 16 in a manner similar to ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b . The plurality of slats 70 can be thereby suspended from ladder cord sections 22 a , 22 b and 43 . Raising cord 25 extends from the winding drum assembly 29 of the actuator mechanism 20 , through an aperture in head rail 12 , through the plurality of slats 70 , and is fixed at a lower end to bottom rail 16 . Raising cord 26 similarly extends from the winding drum assembly of another actuator mechanism 21 similar to the actuator mechanism 20 , through an aperture on head rail 12 , through the plurality of slats 70 and is secured with bottom rail 16 . As will be seen, the bottom rail 16 may be pulled or pushed by a user to impart vertical adjustments to the raising cord and adjust the inclination of, i.e., tilt, the plurality of slats 70 .
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , the actuator mechanism 20 includes the winding drum assembly 29 and tilt control mechanism 30 . The winding drum assembly 29 and tilt control mechanism 30 is mounted with the drive axle 24 . In the same manner, actuator mechanism 21 is also mounted on the drive axle 24 and includes a winding assembly and tilt control mechanism similar to those of actuator mechanism 20 . The use of a common drive axle 24 to connect multiple actuator mechanisms also provides for a simple and reliable means for synchronization and balancing of the actuator mechanisms to promote even lifting and tilting of the blind. In the embodiment disclosed, two actuator mechanisms are mounted on the drive axle 24 . The number of actuator mechanisms utilized depends on the weight and width of the blind, and may vary as needed.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one embodiment of the winding drum assembly 29 used for operating the raising cord 25 (for clarity, the tilt control mechanism has been omitted in FIG. 15 ). As shown, the winding drum assembly 29 includes a support structure, such as housing 138 . Positioned within the housing 138 are a winding drum 140 and a motor spring 142 (shown in cross section) axially spaced apart from each other. In this embodiment, the winding drum 140 includes a spindle 144 that is integrally formed with the winding drum 140 . The drive axle 24 , which defines a longitudinal axis 48 , is inserted through and secured with the spindle 144 such that the winding drum 140 and drive axle 24 rotate together. It is preferred that the winding drum 140 , spindle 144 and motor spring 142 are coaxial with one another. More specifically, the motor spring 142 can be a spiral spring having a first end fixedly secured on the housing 138 and a second end fixedly secured on the spindle 144 . The motor spring 142 exerts a rotational force, i.e., torque, on the drive axle 24 and the winding drum 140 in a direction that winds the raising cord 25 around the winding drum 140 . Preferably, the motor spring 142 is a constant force spring that provides a constant amount of force or torque throughout the range of extension of the spring. As each winding drum assembly is mounted on the same drive axle 24 , additional winding drum assemblies may be incorporated in a simple and convenient manner for a wider window covering that requires greater lifting force.
The raising cord 25 is secured at a first end 150 to a post 152 formed on the winding drum 140 . When the bottom rail is raised, the raising cord 25 is wound around the winding drum 140 , which is rotated by the torque from the motor spring 142 . When the bottom rail 16 reaches a desired height and the pulling force thereon is removed, a counterbalancing force to the torque from the motor spring 142 enables the bottom rail and plurality of slats to remain in position. This counterbalancing force can include internal friction, and the weight load exerted by the bottom rail and slats stacked thereon on the raising cord 25 .
Reference now is made to FIGS. 7 through 10 to describe an operation of the Venetian blind 10 . Shown in FIG. 7 is the Venetian blind 10 of FIG. 1 in a fully raised position. In this configuration, the plurality of slats 70 are stacked on top of each other and rest on the top portion 17 of bottom rail 16 in a substantially horizontal position. The top slat 72 abuts the second bottom edge 19 of head rail 12 . In this configuration, coil spring 50 is in its tightened state wherein coil spring 50 tightly holds onto the inner drum 40 . Additionally, raising cord 25 is also wound up around winding assembly 29 .
FIG. 8 shows Venetian blind 10 of FIG. 1 in a lowered first closed position. In this position the plurality of slats 70 are in a substantially vertical position wherein bottom portion 74 of the individual slats 72 faces forward. When it is desired to lower the Venetian blind 10 , the bottom rail 16 is grasped and lowered from the fully raised position as shown in FIG. 7 toward the position in FIG. 8 , i.e. the bottom rail 16 is pulled away from head rail 12 . As the bottom rail 16 is pulled away from the head rail 12 , the raising cord 25 is unwound from the winding assembly 29 , which causes rotation of the winding drum 140 and the drive axle 24 (e.g., in a counterclockwise direction). Rotation of the drive axle 24 causes rotation of the inner drum 40 . The rotation of the inner drum, in this configuration is transmitted via the coil spring 50 to the tilting member 60 . As a result, one of the ladder cord sections 22 b is pulled upward while the other ladder cord section 22 a is moved downward which causes the plurality of slats 70 to tilt in a first direction until each individual slat 72 reaches a first maximum inclination, which may be stopped when fourth edge portion 79 of the top slat 72 abuts the first bottom edge 11 of head rail 12 and/or third edge portion 78 of each individual slat 72 abuts against an adjacent lower slat 72 . In one embodiment, the bottom edge 11 of the head rail 12 can thus be engageable with the top slat to act as a stop arrangement to restrict vertical movement of the ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b and to stop tilting movement at a maximum inclination of the plurality of slats 70 . This maximum inclination may correspond to a closed position of the Venetian blind 10 where no or a minimal amount of light is allowed to pass through the plurality of slats 70 . When tilting of the plurality of slats 70 is stopped at the first maximum inclination, rotation of the tilting member 60 is blocked, and further rotation of the drive axle 24 , which is imparted directly to the inner drum 40 , causes the coil spring 52 to rotate slightly such that one of the prongs 52 of coil spring 50 presses against a sidewall of the radial slot 62 of the rotationally blocked tilting member 60 . As a result, the coil spring 50 expands to an expanded state whereby the inner drum 40 is allowed to rotate as the drive axle 24 continues to rotate, whereas the tilting member 60 , coil spring 50 and ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b remain rotationally stationary relative to the drive axle. Because the end portions of ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b are secured to the outside of the tilting member 60 , no frictional movement occurs between the ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b and the tilting member 60 , thereby preventing wear damage to the ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b . The configuration of the components also allows the drive axle 24 to continue to rotate, thereby allowing the raising cord 25 to be unwound from winding drum assembly 29 and allowing the plurality of slats 70 to be deployed. As a result of the construction of Venetian blind 10 , the plurality of slats 70 tilt in one direction and travel downward during this stage of operation.
Shown in FIG. 9 is Venetian blind 10 adjusted to an open and lowered position. In this position, the plurality of slats 70 is in a substantially horizontal position. To reconfigure window blind 10 from the lowered closed position as shown in FIG. 8 to the lowered open position in FIG. 9 , bottom rail 16 is slightly lifted towards head rail 12 . As this occurs, drive axle 24 rotates clockwise, and prong 52 of the coil spring 50 previously pressed against the corresponding sidewall of the radial slot 62 is no longer urged against thereto. As a result, the coil spring 50 recovers its tightened state on the inner drum 40 , such that clockwise rotation of the drive axle 24 again causes the rotational force on the inner drum 40 to be transmitted via the coil spring 50 to the tilting member 60 . Accordingly, rotation of the tilting member 60 pulls upward one of the ladder cord sections 22 a and extends downward the other ladder cord section 22 b . This action causes the plurality of slats 70 to tilt in a second direction. When the desired amount of tilt is achieved, upward lifting of the bottom rail 16 can be discontinued, and the slats come to rest as shown in FIG. 9 .
FIG. 10 illustrates an operation for raising the Venetian blind 10 of FIGS. 7-9 . When the bottom rail 16 is raised, the drive axle 24 and winding drum assembly 29 are driven in (e.g., clockwise) rotation by action of the motor spring 142 , which winds the raising cord 25 around the winding drum assembly 29 . The clockwise rotation of the drive axle 24 is imparted to the inner drum 40 and transmitted via the coil spring 50 to the tilting member 60 . As a result, the ladder cord sections 22 a and 22 b raise and lower, respectively, and cause the plurality of slats 70 to rotate or tilt in a second direction opposite to the first direction until a second maximum inclination of the plurality of slats 70 is reached. The second maximum inclination of the plurality of slats can occur when the slats 72 contact with one another or the third portion edge 78 of the top slat 72 abuts against the first bottom edge 11 of head rail 12 . Once the second maximum inclination of the plurality of slats 70 is reached, rotation of the tilting member 60 is blocked. As the bottom rail 16 continues to rise, which causes continued rotation of the drive axle 24 , another one of the prongs 52 of the coil spring 50 presses against a corresponding sidewall of the radial slot 62 of the rotationally blocked tilting member 60 . As this occurs, the coil spring 50 again expands, thereby allowing rotation of the inner drum 40 with the drive axle 24 relative to the tilting member 60 and the coil spring 50 , which will remain substantially rotationally stationary as the drive axle 24 and inner drum 40 continue to rotate. As the drive axle 24 continues to rotate, the raising cord 25 is wound around the winding drum assembly 29 so that the plurality of blinds slats 70 may be progressively raised and stacked on the bottom rail 16 . With this construction of Venetian blind 10 , the plurality of slats 70 can thus tilt in one direction and slide upward at the same time.
Certain variations in the above are to be understood as being within the scope of the present invention. For example, the directions of rotation of components within the header rail described above may be reversed. Also, the above description of FIGS. 7-10 specifically refer to actuator mechanism 20 , however, the description is equally applicable to actuator mechanism 21 as actuator mechanisms 20 and 21 are identical and operate simultaneously because they are both connected to drive axle 24 . As will be appreciated, coil spring 50 functions as a clutch arrangement between the drive axle 54 and the tilting member 60 , responsive to a stop arrangement which in this embodiment is the bottom wall of the head rail body, engaging the top slat to stop tilting movement of the slats, causing the coil spring to loosen, discontinuing the tilting force applied to the ladder cord sections.
Although the clutching arrangement used to transmit torque between the inner drum 40 and tilting member 60 is preferably embodied as the coil spring 50 , the clutching arrangement may comprise other types of known mechanisms wherein the inner drum and the tilting member rotate together and, with sufficient force, is allowed to rotate relative to the tilting member.
For example, the clutching arrangement may be a sleeve that is rotationally secured with tilting member, and thereby frictionally engaged with the inner drum. Upon application of sufficient torque from the drive axle, the static coefficient of friction between the inner portion of the sleeve and the outer surface of the inner drum may be overcome, thereby allowing for relative rotational movement between the tilting member and inner drum. When the torque is discontinued, the static friction again causes the tilting member and inner drum to rotate in conjunction with each other.
As yet another alternative, referring to FIGS. 24-26 , the outer surface portion 320 of inner drum 302 may fit snugly within an inner portion 306 of the tilting member 304 such that the inner drum 302 is frictionally engaged with the tilting member 304 . In such a configuration, no separate intermediate member between the inner drum 302 and the tilting member 304 is necessary. Rather, the static friction between the inner drum 302 and the tilting member 304 are sufficient to enable the inner drum 302 and the tilting member 304 to rotate together. When the static friction is overcome by sufficient force from the drive axle 24 the inner drum 302 may be rotated independent of the tilting member 304 .
Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 11-14A . Actuator mechanism 80 includes a winding drum 100 , shaft sleeve 109 , coil spring 110 having out-turned ends or prongs 112 , tilting control mechanism 90 , ladder cord sections 84 and raising cord 86 . Actuator mechanism 80 is mounted in the head rail 81 with the drive axle 82 . Actuator mechanism 80 may replace the actuator mechanism described previously in reference to FIGS. 1-10 . As such, actuator mechanism 80 is used to raise, lower and tilt a plurality of blind slats.
Shown in FIG. 12 is a portion of actuator mechanism 80 wherein the parts are unassembled. In this embodiment, winding drum 100 includes a substantially hollow cylindrical body 104 having a cord-winding barrel 108 , and a shaft sleeve 109 extending at one side of the cord-winding barrel 108 and having a diameter smaller than the cord-winding barrel 108 . The shaft sleeve 109 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is adapted to mount around the drive axle 82 . An inner surface of the cord-winding barrel 108 also includes a radial slot 106 adapted to engage with the prongs 112 of the coil spring 110 .
In this embodiment, the tilting control mechanism 90 includes a pulley 98 , and a sleeve portion 94 adjoined at one side of the pulley 98 . Pulley 98 includes radial ribs 92 for increased gripping of each ladder cord section 84 by the tilting control mechanism 90 , which facilitates displacement of the ladder cord sections 84 for tilting the slats.
In conjunction with FIGS. 11 and 12 , FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the tilting control mechanism 90 assembled with the winding drum 100 FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the actuator mechanism 80 , and FIG. 14A is a cross-sectional view of the actuator mechanism 80 shown in FIG. 14 (for clarity, the drive axle and cord elements are not shown in FIG. 14A ). As shown, the coil spring 110 is tightly mounted around the sleeve portion 94 of the tilting control mechanism 90 . The shaft sleeve 109 of the winding drum 100 is then mounted through the sleeve portion 94 of the tilting control mechanism 90 provided with the coil spring 110 , and the prongs 112 of the coil spring 110 are engaged with the slot 106 . As with the previous embodiment, the coil spring 110 has two states. In its tightened state, the coil spring 50 tightly fits around the sleeve portion 94 , so that the winding drum 100 , coil spring 110 and tilting member 90 can rotate together. In its expanded state, the coil spring 110 expands so that the coil spring 110 loosens its grip on the tilting control mechanism 90 . When the coil spring 110 is in the expanded state, as the winding drum 100 is rotated by the drive axle 82 , the tilting control mechanism 90 and coil spring 110 remain rotationally stationary relative to the drive axle 82 . In this manner, the coil spring 110 acts as a clutch arrangement for coupling and uncoupling rotational movements of the winding drum 100 and tilting control mechanism 90 .
Each ladder cord section 84 is engaged with one side of the plurality of blind slats (e.g., one ladder cord section at the front side, and another one at the rear side), and has an upper portion secured about pulley 98 . The end portions of the two ladder cord sections 84 are secured together by clip 85 at a location between the ribs 92 of the pulley 98 . As shown in FIGS. 14 and 14A , the actuator mechanism 80 can be mounted in a casing 88 having a first compartment 88 A, a second compartment 88 B, and a third compartment 88 C between the first and second compartment 88 A and 88 B. The first compartment 88 A of the casing 88 can house a motor spring 130 used for sustaining the bottom rail 16 in equilibrium at a desired height. In one embodiment, the motor spring 130 includes a constant force spiral spring having a first end secured with the drive axle 82 via an adapter sleeve 132 , and a second end secured with the casing 88 . The second compartment 88 B houses the winding drum 100 coupled with the raising cord 86 . In turn, the third compartment 88 C houses the tilting member 90 coupled with the ladder cord sections 84 , at a position between the cord-winding barrel 108 and the motor spring 130 . The drive axle 82 is assembled through the interior of the casing 88 , and passes respectively through the winding drum 100 , the tilting member 90 , and the motor spring 130 . With this construction, the actuator mechanism 80 can be assembled in a compact and modular manner, which can be easily mounted with the drive axle 82 .
The actuator mechanism 80 may replace the actuator mechanism 20 previously in connection with FIGS. 1-10 for operating the Venetian blind. During operation, the motor spring 130 exerts a force on the drive axle 82 , which is converted into an upward force via the winding drum 100 and raising cord 86 for sustaining the weight of the bottom rail 16 and any slats 72 stacked thereon.
When a user wants to tilt the plurality of slats 70 in a first direction, he or she pulls down slightly on the bottom rail 16 within a limited range of displacement. The raising cord 86 is then pulled downward causing rotation of the winding drum 100 , which causes the coil spring 110 in its tightened state and the winding drum 100 to rotate. As a result, the tilting member 90 moves the two ladder cord sections 84 in opposite directions to tilt the plurality of slats 70 in the first direction. The plurality of slats 70 continue to rotate and tilt in the first direction as the bottom rail 16 moves downward. Once the plurality of slats 70 reach the desired inclination, the user releases the bottom rail 16 . The sum of all the forces applied on the raising cord 86 (including the lifting force generated by the motor spring 130 , the weight of the bottom rail 16 and slats stacked thereon, and internal friction force) acts to keep the bottom rail 16 and plurality of slats 70 in equilibrium at the desired inclination.
If the user wants to tilt the plurality of slats 70 in a second direction opposite to the first direction, he or she applies an upward force on the bottom rail 16 , which causes rotation of the drive axle 82 and winding drum 100 driven by the motor spring 130 . This motion of the winding drum 100 is imparted to the tilting member 90 via the coil spring 110 being in a tightening state. As a result, the tilting member 90 moves the two ladder cord sections 84 in opposite directions to tilt the plurality of slats 70 in the second direction. The plurality of slats 70 continuously tilts in the second direction as the bottom rail 16 rises. Once the plurality of slats 70 reach the desired inclination, the user can release the bottom rail 16 .
When a user wants to lower the Venetian blind and deploy the plurality of slats 70 (as shown in FIG. 8 ), the bottom rail 16 is grasped and lowered away from the head rail 12 . As the bottom rail 16 is pulled away from head rail 12 , the raising cord 86 is pulled downward, which causes rotation of the winding drum 100 and drive axle 82 (e.g., in a counterclockwise direction). Rotation of the winding drum 100 is transmitted to the tilting member 90 via the coil spring 110 such that one of the ladder cord sections 84 is pulled upward while the other ladder cord section 84 is extended downward, which causes the plurality of slats 70 to tilt in the first direction until they reach a first maximum inclination in the first direction. Tilting of the plurality of slats is stopped when fourth edge portion 79 of the top slat 72 abuts the first bottom edge 11 of head rail 12 and/or third edge portion 78 of each individual slat 72 abuts against an adjacent lower slat 72 ( FIG. 1 ). When the plurality of slats 70 are stopped at the first maximum inclination, further rotation of the tilting member 60 is blocked, and further rotation of the winding drum 100 causes one of the prongs 112 of the coil spring 110 to press against one sidewall of the radial slot 106 and cause the coil spring 110 to move to an expanded state. As a result, the coil spring 110 and winding drum 100 are permitted to rotate as the bottom rail 16 is lowered and the raising cord 86 unwinds, whereas the tilting member 90 and the ladder cord sections 84 held thereon are kept stationary at the first maximum inclination of the slats 70 .
When a user wants to raise the Venetian blind and retract the plurality of slats 70 (as shown in FIG. 10 ), a slight upward force (e.g., less than the weight load on the raising cord 86 ) can be applied on the bottom rail 16 . As a result, the motor spring 130 acts to rotate the drive axle 82 and winding drum 100 (e.g., in a clockwise direction) to wind the raising cord 86 and raise the bottom rail 16 . Rotation of the winding drum 100 is imparted to the tilting member 90 via the coil spring 110 . As a result, the ladder cord sections 84 causes the plurality of slats 70 to tilt in the second direction opposite the first direction until they reach a second maximum inclination, which may be stopped when the third edge portion 78 of the top slat 72 abuts the first bottom edge 11 of the head rail 12 and/or fourth edge portion 79 of each individual slat 72 abuts against an adjacent lower slat 72 ( FIG. 1 ). When the plurality of slats 70 are stopped at the second maximum inclination, rotation of the tilting member 60 is blocked, and further rotation of the winding drum 100 causes one of the prongs 112 of the coil spring 110 to press against one sidewall of the radial slot 106 and force the coil spring 110 to loosen its grip on the blocked tilting member 60 . As a result, the coil spring 110 and winding drum 100 continue to rotate as the bottom rail 16 rises and the raising cord 86 winds around the winding drum 100 driven by the motor spring 130 , whereas the tilting member 90 and the ladder cord sections 84 held thereon are kept stationary at the second maximum inclination of the slats 70 . The bottom rail 16 can be thereby raised until it reaches a desired height.
Because the ladder cord sections 84 move along with the tilting member 90 , no frictional movement occurs between the ladder cord sections 84 and the tilting member 90 . When the bottom rail 16 is lowered to deploy the plurality of slats 70 , the stationary position of the tilting member 90 and ladder cord sections 84 can eliminate conventional wear damage to the ladder cord sections 84 .
Turning now to FIGS. 16-19 , an alternative actuator mechanism 200 is shown. Actuator mechanism 200 includes a tilt control mechanism embodied as tilt winding pulley 204 made of molded plastic or other suitable material. Tilt winding pulley 204 has a central opening through which drive shaft 24 is passed for rotationally coupling the winding pulley 204 with the drive shaft 24 . As shown in FIG. 18 , tilt winding pulley 204 includes a tilting cylinder or central hub 207 (see FIG. 18 ) and sidewalls 206 that define an internal V-shaped recess 210 , that narrows toward the center of the tilt winding pulley 204 . Referring to FIG. 16 , the upper end of ladder cord sections 22 is formed in a closed loop, and is inserted within recess 210 so as to contact the surfaces of tilt winding pulley 204 that define recess 210 . When the bottom rail is moved upward or downward for tilting the slats, the drive axle 54 can accordingly rotate to drive rotation of the tilt winding pulley 204 . Because the loop of ladder cord sections 22 is tightly fitted within the recess 210 , rotation of the tilt winding pulley 204 also causes displacement of the ladder cord sections 22 for tilting the slats. When the slats reach the maximum inclination and the drive axle 54 continues to rotate, the ladder cord sections 22 cannot move further and start to slip relative to the tilt winding pulley 204 rotating in unison with the drive axle 54 .
FIGS. 20-23 show another alternative tilt control mechanism 220 , which includes a tilting member embodied as tilt winding pulley 224 made of molded plastic or other suitable material. Tilt winding pulley 224 is substantially identical to tilt winding pulley 204 in construction and function, except for the addition of radially directed drive ribs 234 that extend from the central hub 235 to provide enhanced engagement with the ladder cord sections.
Tilt winding pulley 224 has a central opening through which drive shaft 24 is passed. As shown in FIG. 22 , tilt winding pulley 224 includes side walls 206 that define an internal V-shaped recess 230 that narrows toward the center of the pulley 224 . Referring to FIG. 20 , the upper ends of ladder cord sections 22 are joined to form a closed loop, and are tightly fitted within recess 230 so as to contact the inner surfaces of tilt winding pulley 204 that define recess 230 . When the bottom rail is displaced upward or downward for tilting the slats, the drive axle 54 can accordingly rotate to drive rotation of the tilt winding pulley 224 . Because the loop of ladder cord sections 22 is tightly fitted within the recess 230 , rotation of the tilt winding pulley 224 also causes displacement of the ladder cord sections 22 for tilting the slats. When the slats reach the maximum inclination and the drive axle 54 continues to rotate, the ladder cord sections 22 cannot move further and start to slip relative to the tilt winding pulley 224 rotating in unison with the drive axle 54 . With this construction, a separate clutch arrangement is not required, but is instead integrated into the tilt control mechanism.
The stop arrangement for limiting vertical movement of the ladder cord sections has been described as an engagement between and edge of a topmost slat with the head rail, or contact between adjacent slats tilted to their maximum inclination. However, the stop assembly may also take other forms. For example, another alternative stop arrangement is the inclusion of protrusions or other detent arrangements on the tilting drum that will engage a fixed catch structure within the head rail.
In addition to the clutching arrangements described above, other clutching arrangements may be suitable. For example, the winding drum and the tilt control mechanism may be engaged to one another by way of static friction, such as being positioned in an abutting coaxial arrangement. When sufficient force is exerted on the winding drum and rotation of the tilt control mechanism is stopped by the stop arrangement, the static friction could be overcome and the winding drum allowed to rotate independent of the tilt control mechanism. An adjustable spring can be incorporated to adjust or otherwise vary the amount of static friction between the winding drum and the tilt control mechanism. Yet another possible clutching arrangement would be similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16-19 , wherein the winding drum and the tilt control mechanism are an integral unit having a winding portion connected to the raising cord and a tilting portion connected to the ladder cord.
The foregoing descriptions and the accompanying drawings are illustrative of the present invention. Still other variations and arrangements of parts are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. | An actuator mechanism for window coverings, such as, Venetian blinds that eliminates the use of pull cords and tilting wands is provided. The actuator mechanism includes a stop member engageable with at least one of the slats to stop tilting movement thereof and a clutch arrangement between a drive axle and a tilt control mechanism, responsive to the stop member engaging at least one of the slats, to disengage the tilting force applied to a ladder cord supporting the slats. | 4 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit and priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Mexican Patent Application No. MX/a/2014/005222 with a filing date of Apr. 30, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is related to the synthesis of a new class of chemical structures from the family of linear aromatic polyimides with high molecular weight for its application as selective membranes for gas separation, particularly for the separation of H 2 /CH 4 , He/N 2 , H 2 /CO 2 , O 2 /N 2 , CO 2 /CH 4 and CO 2 /N 2 .
[0003] Specifically, the invention relates to the development of dense membranes whose polymeric chemical structures feature the combination of: 1) in the part coming from diamine, the structure of the diamine 4-fluoro-4′,4″-diaminotriphenylmethane, and 2) in the part coming from the dianhydride compound, an aromatic dianhydride derived from tetracarboxylic acid, which can be commercially available or any other aromatic dianhydride derived from tetracarboxylic acid.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The separation processes by means of membranes display remarkable advantages with respect to the energy expenses generated by the purification of mixtures either liquid or gaseous and conventional separation processes such as distillation, cryogenic separation, absorption, etc. The separation technologies based on membranes demand low operation costs and the different obtained products can be commercialized or reused due to their high degree of purity. The separation of gaseous mixtures by membranes is of great interest in many oil industry operations such as sweetening of natural gas, hydrogen separation in the ammonia purge currents, ethane separation plants, etc.
[0005] In the last two decades, the separation of gases by means of polymeric membranes has been focused on the use of vitreous polymers with aromatic structure and high vitreous transition temperature. In this type of structure, molecules with small kinetic diameters such as hydrogen and helium pass through faster, whereas voluminous molecules such as methane, nitrogen, ethane or propane pass through more slowly. The first industrial membranes used for the separation of gases were made of cellulose acetate. The main disadvantages featured by the membranes derived from cellulose are related to the limited selectivity/permeability ratio and the low thermal, mechanical and chemical stabilities. The global trend regarding the use of polymeric membranes is aiming at the application of high performance polymers such as polyimides, polyetherimides, polyamides, polybenzimidazoles, polytrimethylsilylpropine, polytriazole, among others.
[0006] Most patents dealing with the design of vitreous polymer membranes for the separation of gases date back from the 1980's-1990's as can be shown by the following information:
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,463 issued in 1980 to Monsanto relates to the separation of a multicomponent mixture of gases using an asymmetric membrane (also known as anisotropic) made of commercial polysulfone, which included some chemical modifications such as the phosphonization, phosphorylation, sulphonation and inclusion of primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary amines. The chemical structure of the commercial polysulfones are provided by Union Carbide (P-1700 and P-3500), 3M (Astrel 360 plastic), and ICI (polyether sulfone, polyarylene ether sulfone). Hollow fibers were fabricated by the Phase Inversion Method and later were covered with polymers that present a higher impairment to the flow of gases; among these coatings are found: polysiloxanes, polyurethanes, polyimines, polyamides, polyesters, cellulosic polymers, polypropylene glycol, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutadiene, etc.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,858 issued in 1984 to UBE relates to the fabrication of porous aromatic polyimide membranes featuring the interstitial inclusion of a liquid for the separation of gases, specifically for the separation of hydrogen/carbon monoxide and nitrogen/oxygen. The chemical structure of the porous support is
[0000]
[0000] where R represents a tetravalent aromatic radical and R 1 represents a divalent aromatic radical. The radical R can have the formula:
[0000]
[0000] R′ can have the formula:
[0000]
[0000] where A represents a group among —O—, —S—, —CO—, —SO 2 —, —SO—, —CH 2 —, —C(CH 3 ) 2 —; R 2 , R 3 y R 4
[0009] The main characteristics of the impregnating liquid are a boiling point of at least 180° C., and be incapable of dissolving the support, but capable of separating a gaseous mixture. In this case, naphthalenes either halogenated or alkylated can be used, in general, derived from naphthalene, aliphatic alcohols between 9 and 17 carbon atoms, aliphatic monocarboxylic acids between 9 and 17 carbon atoms and silicon liquid compounds, for example, polydimethylsiloxane, polymethyl phenyl siloxane and polytrifluoropropylmethyl siloxane.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,564 to Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. discloses fluorinated polymeric membranes for the gas separation process. The membrane prototypes were made of a polymer known as poly(trimethyl silyl propyne) with general formula:
[0000]
[0000] where R 1 is a linear or branched alkyl group C 1 -C 4 ; R 2 and R 3 can be linear or branched alkyl groups C 1 -C 6 ; R 4 is an alkyl group, a linear aryl or branched alkyl group C 1 -C 12 ; X is an alkyl group C 1 -C 3 or
[0000]
[0000] m≧100 y n=0 or 1. Such a membrane can be used efficiently in the separation of the following gas pairs: He/CH 4 , H 2 /CO, CO 2 /CH 4 , CO 2 /N 2 , and H 2 /N 2 .
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,394 issued in 1988 to E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company relates to polyimide membranes with semiflexible chemical structures for the separation of gases. By controlling the rigidity of the polyimide molecule, the membranes can feature high permeation of gases and keep a suitable separation level of the gaseous mixture.
[0012] The family of polyimides have the general formula:
[0000]
[0000] where: Ar is:
[0000]
R can be:
[0013]
[0000] or mixtures; Ar′ can be:
[0000]
[0000] or mixtures; R′ can be:
[0000]
[0000] or mixtures and R″ can be:
[0000]
[0000] where n=1-4, X—X 4 are alkyl groups C 1 -C 6 or aromatics groups C 6 -C 13 ; Z can be H or X—X 4 . The combination of the structures of the flexible amines with the rigid dianhydrides gives as a result chemical structures of semiflexible polymers, which promote the permeation of certain gases throughout the polymeric membrane. The membranes featured in this invention can be useful for the recovery of hydrocarbons in ammonia plants, the separation of CO/H 2 in synthesis gas systems, the separation of either CO or CO 2 from hydrocarbons and in the enrichment of either oxygen or nitrogen from air.
[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,887 to Nitto Denko Corporation relates to permeable membranes for the separation process of methane. The polyimide membrane has the formula:
[0000]
[0000] where R 1 can be a group of aliphatic, alicyclic and aromatic hydrocarbon or a divalent organic group. The membrane exhibits high selectivity and permeability to CO 2 in the CO 2 /CH 4 separation. In this multilayer membrane, both the polyimide support and elastomer film layer work as CO 2 permeable materials. Typical examples feature either homo or copolymers of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, and polyisobutylene. The copolymers can contain functional groups such as acrylonitrile, (metha) acrylic esters, and (metha) acrylic acid. Intercross-linked silicon resins can also be used.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,891 issued in 1991 to Hoechst Celanese Corp. relates to the synthesis of membranes for the separation of gases. In this invention, polyimidic membranes are obtained by the Condensation Method by reacting fluorinated diamines such as 2,2′-bis(3-aminophenyl) hexafluoropropane, 2,2′-bis(4-aminophenyl) hexafluoropropane and 2-(3-aminophenyl)-2′-(4-aminophenyl) hexafluoropropane with aromatic dianhydrides such as the dianhydride of the 3,3′,4,4′ benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid. Membranes with high permeability and good separation factors are obtained.
[0016] U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,940 issued in 1993 to Nitto Denko K.K. relates to the formation of a composite membrane made of fluorinated polyimide type 6FDA with a film layer, and also of an asymmetric-no-composite membrane. The fluorinated polyimide structure is:
[0000]
[0000] where R 1 is a divalent aromatic, aliphatic or alicyclic hydrocarbon or a divalent organic group consisting of aromatic, aliphatic or alicyclic hydrocarbons linked to the other part of the divalent group. The thin film can be made of polyester, polyol, polyurethane, polyamide, epoxy resin, cellulose, etc. The permeation values and the separation factors are higher when a composite membrane is used instead of an asymmetric-no-composite membrane.
[0017] U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,697 to L'Air Liquide S.A. relates to a polyimide membrane for the separation of gases. In this invention, a separation membrane for at least one component of a gaseous mixture was obtained. The polyimide is obtained from xanthan dianhydrides 9,9-disubstituted and aromatic diamines. The dianhydride has the following structure:
[0000]
[0000] where R and R′ can be —H, —CH 3 , —CF 3 , -phenyl, -substituted phenyl groups, alkyl groups or perfluoroalkyl C 1 -C 16 , preferably C 1 -C 8 . R and R′ can be similar or different. These polyimides present a suitable behavior for the separation of nitrogen and oxygen from air. This polyimide has the general formula:
[0000]
[0000] where R and R′ are defined above; A is a diamine of the type:
[0000]
[0000] mixtures; R″ can be:
[0000]
[0000] or mixtures thereof; where R 2 and R 3 are alkyl or aryl groups; —X, —X 1 , —X 2 and —X 3 are alkyl groups; C 1 -C 6 and the groups —Y, —Y 1 , —Y 2 and —Y 3 can be —X or —H.
[0018] U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,925 to Praxair Technologies, Inc. relates to gas separation membranes with sulfonated polyimides. The general formula of these compounds are:
[0000]
[0000] where Ar 1 and Ar 2 are aromatic radicals. The aromatic rings contain radical groups of sulfonic acid (—SO 3 H, —SO 3 M or —SO 2 OR 1 ), where M is an organic base, ammonium ion or alkali of the type K + , Na + , Li + , or a transition metal ion. R′ is an alkyl radical with less than C 6 or an aryl radical, preferably methyl or ethyl. Ar e is an aromatic diamine represented by:
[0000]
[0000] where R is a sulfonic group, Ar 1 is represented among others by:
[0000]
[0019] U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,717 issued in 2005 to Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. relates to a membrane that can be used for the separation of gases also containing hydrocarbon vapors (C 3+ ). The base membrane incorporates a thin selective layer of a fluorinated polymer capable of protecting the membrane support from vapors and liquids of C 3+ hydrocarbons. More specifically, it is used for the separation of hydrogen/methane, ethane or ethylene and carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide/methane, ethane or ethylene. The selective layer can be made of plyimide, polysulfone, cellulose acetate, among others. The membrane microporous support should present a low flow resistance and be preferably asymmetric. The dense layer free of defects is the one that carries out the separation and should be made of the same type of vitreous polymer as that of the support, for example, polysulfone, polyamide, polyimide, polyetherimide, polyvinylidene fluoride, etc. Such compounds should be preferably perfluorinated with a carbon:fluorine ratio of 1:1. The structure of the commercial polymer of Solvay Solexis, known commercially as Hyflon® is:
[0000]
[0000] where x and y represent dioxol and tetrafluoroethylene, x+y=1. In some cases, the membranes can include agglutinant layers between the different constituents in order to coat the small defects on the support surface and avoid dragging the imperfections to the selective layer, or it also provides a layer of a highly permeable material that allows the connection of the pores in the support section. The sealing layer protects the thin permselective layer.
[0020] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0290112 to UOP LLC relates to air separation using polyimide membranes. Such membranes can be fabricated as flat sheets or hollow fibres. These present an O 2 /N 2 selectivity higher than 3 at 60° C. and a CO 2 /CH 4 selectivity higher than 20 at 50° C. The general formula of these polyimides are:
[0000]
[0000] where X can be:
[0000]
[0000] or mixtures thereof. The physical structure of the membranes is asymmetric with a selective dense layer supported on a porous structure. Such membranes can be produced as flat sheets, disks, tubes, hollow fibers or thin films.
[0021] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0323059 to UOP LLC relates to gas separation processes using polyimide membranes. A polyimide type is presented with a CO 2 permeability of 50 Barrers and a CO 2 /CH 4 selectivity of 15 at 50° C. Such a membrane features two groups susceptible of intercross-linking by UV radiation.
[0022] This polyimde has the following general formula:
[0000]
[0000] where X1 can be:
[0000]
[0000] or mixtures; X2 can be:
[0000]
[0000] or mixtures; Y can be selected among others:
[0000]
[0000] or mixtures.
[0023] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0014643 to Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. relates to a conditioning process of fuel gas using vitreous polymer membranes. The process consists of the conditioning of natural gas that contains C 3+ hydrocarbons and that can be used as feedstock for equipment that use fuel gas such as turbines and compressors. This process uses vitreous polymer membranes that permeate preferably methane above C 2+ hydrocarbons to produce methane rich current. The membranes that can be used in this process comprise polyamides, polyimides, polysulfones, polyvinyl alcohol, polypropylene oxide, cellulose derivatives, polyvinylidene fluoride and polymers that contain fluorinated dioxole units, fluorinated dioxolones and fluorinated cyclic alkyl ethers. All these polymers permeate methane selectively over higher gaseous hydrocarbons. The selected fluorinated polymer is characterized by having a cyclic structure of at least 5 members, and such fluorinated rings are anchored to the main structure. The polymer should be perfluorinated with a carbon:fluorine ratio of 1:1, amorphous, present a T g between 100 and 250° C. and not possess ionic groups that could give the membrane hydrophilic characteristics or affinity toward polar materials. That is to say that such a membrane should not feature a considerable swelling in polar solvents such as ethanol, isopropanol, butanol, acetone, acetic acid or water.
[0024] The first group of materials that can carry out such separation includes tetrafluoroethylene copolymers with the following structure:
[0000]
[0000] where x and y represent dioxol and tetrafluoroethylene, x+y=1. Such materials are available under the name Hyflon® and are commercialized by Solvay Solexis, Inc.
[0025] The second type of polymeric materials for this application feature perfluorinated polymers of vinyl alkenyl ethers with members such as allyl or butenyl with the following structure:
[0000]
[0000] These materials are commercialized under the name Cytop® and are produced by Asahi Glass Company.
[0026] The third group of selective materials for the same application is:
[0000]
[0000] where x and y represent dioxol and tetrafluoroethylene, x+y=1 commercially known as Teflon® produced by Dupont.
[0027] Due to the fact that this class of polymers are vitreous and rigid, it is recommended that they be used as part of an asymmetric or composite structure. Preferably, a composite membrane containing a no-selective porous support and a film layer that gives it the required permeation properties should be used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0028] The polyimidic membranes of the present invention are novel structures that have not been reported in the state of the art of gas separation membranes. Such compounds are the result of the polycondensation reaction between 4-fluoro-4′4″-diaminotriphenylmethane and different aromatic dianhydrides. In one embodiment, the polyimide has the formula
[0000]
[0000] where Ar is selected from the group consisting of
[0000]
[0029] The polyimides and the obtained membranes present solubility in aprotic polar solvents, vitreous transition temperatures close to 300° C. and a decomposition temperature above 450° C. The dense membranes obtained by solvent evaporation show excellent permeation and gas separation properties for H 2 /CH 4 , He/N 2 , O 2 /N 2 and CO 2 /CH 4 . In one embodiment, the membranes are produced from a polymere consisting essentially of the polyimides of the present invention.
[0030] The present invention is directed to a polyimide and to gas separation membranes made from the polyimide. In one embodiment, the polyimide is obtained by the polycondensation reaction of 4-fluoro-4′4″-diaminotriphenylmethane and an aromatic dianhydride. The aromatic dianhydride can be selected from the group consisting of 3,3′,4,4′-oxydiphthalic (ODPA), 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenontetracarboxylic (BTDA) dianhydrides, 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic (6FDA) and 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic (BP DA) anhydrides.
[0031] The present invention is also directed to a method of separating a gas from a mixture of gases by passing the gas mixture through a membrane produced from the polyimide. In one embodiment, the membrane is made from a polymer consisting essentially of the polyimide obtained from the polycondensatrion reaction of 4-fluoro-4′4″-diaminotriphenylmethane and an aromatic dianhydride. The membranes according to the invention can have a thickness of about 40-70 microns.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] The present invention provides a new class of polyimides and polyimide membranes with suitable permeabilities and selectivities for the separation of gases. This invention is also related to the application of these polyimides as membranes for the separation of different gases such as H 2 /CH 4 , He/N 2 , O 2 /N 2 and CO 2 /CH 4 . The invention is further directed to a method of separating a gas from a gas mixture by passing the gas mixture through the polyimide membrane and recovering the separated gas.
[0033] The synthesis of polyimides that contain in their chemical structure the part coming from the diamine 4-fluoro-4′-4″-diaminotriphenylmethane (FDTM) and an aromatic dianhydride which can be selected from the 3,3′,4,4′-oxydiphthalic (ODPA), 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenontetracarboxylic (BTDA) dianhydrides, 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic (6FDA) and 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic (BPDA) anhydrides, but not limited to them. These compounds are synthesized by the polycondensation method at high temperature using m-cresol as solvent at 13% of solid content in nitrogen presence at 180-200° C., at ambient pressure for 4 h, as it is shown in the reaction scheme below.
[0000]
[0034] After 4 h of reaction, a highly viscous yellow solution is obtained, which is diluted in N,N′-dimethylformamide in a 1:1 ratio with respect to the m-cresol volume used in the reaction. The resulting polymeric solution is precipitated with ethanol with at least a 10:1 ratio with respect to the total volume to be precipitated. A hair-like precipitate is formed, which has to be left at rest for 2-4 h in order to achieve an exchange of solvents of the matrix of the precipitate. After this time, the precipitate is separated and placed with a new ethanol volume so that the extraction of the highest solvent amount from the polymeric matrix can continue. This process has to be repeated for 3-4 cycles.
[0035] Once the precipitate is separated, it is necessary to dry the precipitate in order to eliminate all the solvent from the polymeric matrix. The polymer is dried for 2-4 h at 10 −2 mm Hg and 200-250° C.
[0036] The preparation of the dense films for the high performance membranes for gas separation is carried out from a dissolution of the polyimides in N,N′-dimethylformamide at a concentration of 25% p/v. The dissolution was degassed for 20 min under ultrasonic treatment. The degassed solution is poured in glass plates and spread with steel bars with different thickness slots (1, 0.5 and 0.3 mm). Once the solution was spread, the plates and the polymer solution are placed in an oven under vacuum (10-2 mm Hg) in order to proceed to the solvent elimination. The oven temperature was raised to 30° C. for 4 h, afterwards at 100-150° C. for 5 h. Once this time passed, the solution was cooled down and the films were unstuck from the glass plates.
[0037] In order to eliminate the solvent completely and preserve the integrity of the membranes, the membranes are attached to metallic frames and dried for 5 h at 250-280° C. and a vacuum of 10 −2 mm Hg, using a heating ramp of 10-15° C./min. In this way, dense membranes with a 40-70 micron thickness were obtained.
[0038] The permeation properties of the separation membranes were obtained by the gas A permeability, P(A), and the selectivity, S A/B , between the gases A and B. The selectivity was calculated for a pair of pure gases as the permeability relationship of the gases A and B, thus: S A/B =P(A)/P(B).
[0039] The permeability of the gas separation membranes was measured according to the method known as variable pressure and constant volume, based on the norm ASTM 1434-82.
EXAMPLES
[0040] The examples described in the present invention illustrate the invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Different variations can be done in the synthesis of a polyimide containing in its chemical structure the diamine 4-fluoro-4′,4″,-diaminotriphenylmethane to be applied in the separation of gases, which are found within the scope of this invention.
Example 1
[0041] The synthesis of the polyimide poly(4-fluoro-4′,4″triphenylmethane-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxybenzophenone imide), (BTDA-FDTM) was carried out by reacting 8.9 mmol (2.6 g) of FDTM with 8.9 mmol (2.8 g) of BTDA in 30 ml of m-cresol, which correspond to 13% of solids in the solution, in a three-neck flask equipped with a cooling tube with a humidity trap, a thermometer and an inlet for gaseous nitrogen to the reaction solution.
[0042] The solution temperature was raised gradually (10° C./min) until reaching 250-280° C. under constant stirring by means of a magnetic bar. At this temperature and with constant nitrogen flow (1 ml/min), the reaction was kept for 4-5 h. After this time, the reaction solution was cooled down to ambient temperature and 30 ml of N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF) were added to reduce its viscosity. It was stirred with a magnetic bar for 20 min. Afterwards, the reaction solution was poured in 200-300 ml of ethanol to precipitate the polyimide. It was submitted to solvent extraction for 2-3 h. The solution was filtered to separate the polymer from the solvents and again the polymer is submitted to extraction in 200-300 ml of ethanol for 2-3 h. The extraction process of m-cresol and DMF from the polymer matrix is performed 3-4 times in a row. Afterwards, it is dried under vacuum (10 −2 mm Hg) at 200-250° C. for 2-4 h.
[0043] The dried polyimide is dissolved in DMF at a concentration of 25-30% p/v. The solution is degassed under ultrasonic treatment for 20-30 min. The solution is poured over a glass substrate and spread uniformly by means of metallic bars with slots from 0.3 to 1 mm. This liquid film over the glass substrate is placed in a vacuum oven (10 −2 mm Hg) at 30-40° C. for 3-4 h. After this time, the temperature is raised until 100-150° C. for 4-5 h. The formed film is cooled down and unstuck from the glass substrate. It is attached to metallic frames and dried for 5 h at around 250-280° C. and a vacuum of 10 −2 mm Hg, using a heating ramp of 10-15° C./min.
[0044] In order to perform the permeability tests in a system that works at variable pressure (norm ASTM 1434-82), a circle with an area of 4 cm 2 is cut from the dense membrane. The pressure and temperature at which the test was carried out were 2 atm and 35° C., respectively.
[0045] The permeability results for the BTDA-FDTM polyimide membrane using H 2 , He, O 2 , N 2 , CH 4 and CO 2 are shown in Table 1.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Permeability and selectivity of different gases by the BTDA-FDTM polyimide
membrane at 35° C. and 2 atm.
Permeability, P(A) Barrers
Selectivity, P(A)/P(B)
Polyimide
H 2
He
O 2
N 2
CH 4
CO 2
H 2 /CH 4
He/N 2
O 2 /N 2
CO 2 /CH 4
BTDA-FDTM
10
10
0.7
0.14
0.12
3.2
78
72
5.2
26
Example 2
[0046] The synthesis of the polyimide poly(4-fluoro-4′,4″triphenylmethane-di(3,4-dicarboxyphenylether imide) (ODPA-FDTM) was carried out by reacting 8.9 mmol (2.6 g) of FDTM with 8.9 mmol (2.7 g) of ODPA in 30 ml of m-cresol. The same procedure described in Example 1 is followed until obtaining the 4-cm 2 circle to be submitted to the permeability test.
[0047] The permeability results for this ODPA-FDTM polyimide membrane using H 2 , He, O 2 , N 2 , CH 4 and CO 2 are shown in Table 2.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Permeability and selectivity of different gases by the ODPA-FDTM polyimide
membrane at 35° C. and 2 atm.
Permeability, P(A), Barrers
Selectivity, P(A)/P(B)
Polyimide
H 2
He
O 2
N 2
CH 4
CO 2
H 2 /CH 4
He/N 2
O 2 /N 2
CO 2 /CH 4
ODPA-FDTM
8
9
0.6
0.1
0.1
2.5
85
86
5.5
26
Example 3
[0048] The synthesis of the polyimide poly(4-fluoro-4′,4″triphenylmethane-di(3,4-dicarboxyphenylsulfone imide) (DSPA-FDTM) was carried out by reacting 8.9 mmol (2.6 g) of FDTM with 8.9 mmol (3.1 g) of DSDA in 30 ml of m-cresol. The procedure described in Example 1 was followed until obtaining the 4-cm 2 circle to be submitted to the permeability test.
[0049] The permeability results for this DSDA-FDTM polyimide membrane using H 2 , He, O 2 , N 2 , CH 4 and CO 2 are shown in Table 3.
[0000]
TABLE 3
Permeability and selectivity of different gases by the DSDA-FDTM polyimide
membrane at 35° C. and 2 atm.
Permeability, P(A) Barrers
Selectivity, P(A)/P(B)
Polyimide
H 2
He
O 2
N 2
CH 4
CO 2
H 2 /CH 4
He/N 2
O 2 /N 2
CO 2 /CH 4
DSDA-FDTM
9
10
0.7
0.12
0.11
3.4
86
82
5.6
31
Example 4
[0050] The synthesis of the polyimide poly(4-fluoro-4′,4″triphenylmethane-2,2′bis-(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)-hexafluoropropane imide) (FDTM-6FDA) was carried out by reacting 8.9 mmol (2.6 g) of FDTM with 8.9 mmol (3.9 g) of 6FDA in 30 ml of m-cresol. The procedure described in Example 1 was followed until obtaining the 4-cm 2 circle to be submitted to the permeability test.
[0051] The permeability results for this 6FDA-FDTM polyimide membrane using H 2 , He, O 2 , N 2 , CH 4 and CO 2 are shown in Table 4.
[0000]
TABLE 4
Permeability and selectivity of different gases by the 6FDA-FDTM polyimide
membrane at 35° C. and 2 atm.
Permeability, P(A) Barrers
Selectivity, P(A)/P(B)
Polyimide
H 2
He
O 2
N 2
CH 4
CO 2
H 2 /CH 4
He/N 2
O 2 /N 2
CO 2 /CH 4
6FDA-FDTM
60
58
6.8
1.3
0.9
35
70
45
5.3
41 | The present invention relates to the synthesis of linear aromatic polyimides and the production of membranes for the separation of gases. Specifically, polyimides featuring in their chemical structure, in the part derived from a diamine, 4-fluoro-4′,4″-diaminotriphenylmethane, and an aromatic dianhydride derived from tetracarboxylic acid. Polyimides are soluble in amidic solvents such as N,N′-dimethylformamide, N,N′-dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, etc., which are processed as dense membranes by controlled evaporation of the solvent. The resulting membranes are capable of separating at least a gaseous mixture constituted by two components such as H 2 /CH 4 , He/N 2 , H 2 , CO 2 , O 2 /N 2 , CO 2 /CH 4 and CO 2 , N 2 . | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
This invention is directed to α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines and to the use of these compounds in treating malignant tumors in vivo. A novel synthesis for preparing these compounds and other related compounds is further disclosed.
While the arsenal of chemotherapeutic agents for treating neoplastic diseases includes a number of clinically useful agents, control of malignant tumors in warm blooded animals still remains a much sought after goal.
Recent molecular biology and biochemistry studies of purine and purine nucleoside analogs showing potent antiviral and antitumor activity have uncovered a number of new potential targets. The pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine ring system has attracted considerable attention in recent years as the deaza-analog of the naturally occurring antibiotics toxoflavin and fervenulin. Dipyridamole, a pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine derivative, has shown coronary vasodilator properties. The synthesis of the naturally occurring exocyclic aminonucleoside clitocine has also been reported.
The synthesis and the biological properties of an unusual exocyclic aminonucleoside, 4-amino-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (hereinafter alternately referred to as ARPP) has also been reported, see Westover et al. J. Med. Chem. (1981), 24, 941-946. ARPP has shown antiviral activity for DNA and RNA viruses in cell culture by inhibiting viral protein synthesis. ARPP exhibits immunosuppressive activity and inhibits the growth of L1210 leukemia in mice.
Molecular mechanics calculation of ARPP and certain related nucleosides has shown that their conformational behavior is very similar even when groups like chloro or amino are introduced at positions 2 and/or 6. Other studies on the modification of the glycon moiety of ARPP resulted in the loss of antiviral and antitumor activity, see Srivastava et al. J. Med. Chem. (1981), 24, 393-398.
In view of the inability of current cancer chemotherapeutics to successfully control all neoplastic diseases, it is evident that there exists a need for new and additional cancer chemotherapeutic agents.
Further, there exists a need for new and better preparative procedures for the synthesis of pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines nucleosides.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes a novel class of α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R 2 , R 4 and R 6 are independently selected from H, OH, NH 2 , OCH 2 Ph, Cl, Br, OCH 3 , NHMe and NMe 2 with the proviso that when R 4 is NH 2 : R 2 and R 6 are not H.
Further in accordance with the invention α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines are useful in treating malignant tumors in warm blooded animals.
Additionally according to this invention the antitumor properties of certain α and β-ribonucleosides of pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines are achieved by administering to a warm blooded animal an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition containing α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof as the active compound in at least 0.1% by weight based on the total weight of the composition.
Particularly useful as antitumor agents are the α and β anomers of 4-methoxy-8-(D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine.
Compounds of the invention are particular advantageous for treating tumors including but not necessary limited to carcinomas, sarcomas and leukemias--particularly solid slow growing tumors. The method of treating is effective in bringing about regression, palliation, inhibition of growth and remission of tumors.
For use in pharmaceutical compositions of the invention a pharmaceutical carrier would be utilized. Preferredly the carrier would be chosen to allow for administration of a suitable concentration of the α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines either by oral administration, ophthalmic administration, topical administration, suppository administration or by suitable injection as a solution or suspension into the affected warm blooded animal. The dose and choice of administration of α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines of the invention would be dependent upon the host harboring the tumor disease state, the type of tumor and the tumor site. For injection, α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines of the invention could be administered intravenously, intramuscularly, intracerebrally, subcutaneously or intraperitoneally. Further, for facilitating the use of α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines, a physiologically accepted salt could be used. Presently it is preferred to administer the compound by injection.
Further, the invention includes a novel process for the preparation of α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines and related compounds. In this novel process α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines are prepared from treatment of 2,4,6,8-tetrachloropyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine with 2,3-O-isopropylidene-D-ribofuranosylamine followed by nucleophilic displacement, hydrogenation and deisopropylidenation to give compounds of the formula: ##STR2## wherein R 2 , R 4 and R 6 are independently selected from H, OH, NH 2 , OCH 2 Ph, Cl, Br, OCH 3 , NHMe, NMe 2 .
This novel process can also be utilized to prepare other related compounds such as the SCH 3 analogs of the above mentioned OCH 3 and other thio analogs.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
In the novel process of the invention the direct condensation of a halogen substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine with an aminoglycoside results in a one step synthesis of the desired exocyclic aminonucleoside. Thus, treatment of free 2,3-O-isopropylidene-D-ribofuranosylamine [see Cusack et al., J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1 (1973), 1720-1731], (generated in situ from its stable tosylate salt 2 by the addition of Et 3 N) with dry 2,4,6,8-tetrachloropyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (1) [see Fisher et al., Leibig. Ann. Chem. (1960), 631, 147-162] in 1-butanol at room temperature gave a mixture of two nucleoside products which were separated by silica gel column chromatography and identified as 2,4,6-trichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (3) and its α-anomer (4) (see Scheme I).
The anomeric ratio of 3:4 was 1.0:0.77. The assignment of the anomeric configuration of 3 and 4 was inconclusive from the 1 H NMR coupling constant values of the anomeric protons, since there was no significant difference in J values (10.8 Hz and 10.0 Hz for 3 and 4, respectively). Thus, 1 H- 1 H 2D NMR of these two compounds were studied. The less polar compound 3 revealed an anomeric proton centered at δ6.34 ppm (d, J=10.8 Hz) coupled to another proton at δ9.09 ppm (d, J=10.8 Hz). Upon D 2 O addition, the anomeric proton collapsed to a singlet and the downfield proton exchanged, indicating that the sugar moiety is located at the exocyclic amino group.
The appearance of the NH proton at low field is expected due to hydrogen bonding between the 5'OH and NH groups. This suggested a β-configuration for compound 3. Imbach's imperical rule, formulated for determining the anomeric configuration of azole nucleosides using the difference between the chemical shifts of the protons of the methyl groups of the dioxolane rings did not prove helpful since the compound 3 exhibited Δδ0.22 ppm for the methyl groups, while compound 4 showed Δδ0.25 ppm. Furthermore, compound 4 revealed an anomeric proton at δ6.19 ppm and an NH proton at δ8.23 ppm. This high field placement of NH proton for 4 is due to the lack of hydrogen bonding between the 5'OH and NH groups, because of the α-configuration. Moreover, these compounds mutarotate in solution, especially in Me 2 SO-d 6 . Mutarotation of similar aminoglycosides has been documented. The anomeric configuration of 3 was established as β by X-ray diffraction analysis. The anomeric configuration of 4 was then assigned as α.
2,6-Dichloro-4-n-butyloxy-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (5) was isolated as a product of the solvent (1-butanol) participation when the reaction mixture of 1 and 2 was left for 16 h at ambient temperature, indicating the susceptibility of the 4-chloro group of 3 towards nucleophilic displacement reactions. Although the formation of the α-anomer of 5 was detected by TLC in the reaction mixture, it was not isolated.
A brief (30 min at 0° C.) treatment of 3 and 4 with EtOH/NH 3 (saturated at 0° C.) resulted in the formation of 4-amino-2,6-dichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl-amino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (6) and its α-anomer (9), respectively. Single-crystal X-ray study of 9 established the α-configuration, and hence to its precursor 4. Catalytic (Pd/C) hydrogeneration of 6 and 9 at 50 psi for 24 h gave 4-amino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (7) and the α-anomer 10, respectively (Scheme II).
Careful treatment of 7 and 10 with aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (90% TFA) at room temperature cleaved the isopropylidene group to give ARPP (8) and its α-anomer 11 in >80% yield, respectively. The physical properties (mp, TLC, HPLC, UV and 1 H NMR) of 8 were identical with those of a standard sample of ARPP, the structure of which had been confirmed previously by X-ray studies. The anomeric protons of 8 and 11 appear at δ5.88 ppm and δ6.15 ppm, respectively. This observation is in agreement with the assignment of the anomeric protons for the α-anomer at lower field when compared to the β-anomer as in the case of similar exocyclic aminonucleosides recently reported.
A nucleophilic displacement of the 4-chloro group from 3 and 4 with NaOMe in MeOH furnished 2,6-dichloro-4-methoxy-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (12) and the α-anomer 15, respectively. Catalytic hydrogenation of 12 and 15 yielded 13 and 16, which on independent deisopropylidenation gave 4-methoxy-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (MRPP, 14) and the α-anomer 17, respectively. 14 Is assigned as the β-anomer and 17 as the α-anomer on the basis of their 1 H NMR data. The anomeric proton of 14 exhibited a quartet at δ5.83 ppm, which on comparison with the anomeric proton of 17 was 0.33 ppm upfield (δ6.16 pm). The exocyclic NH proton of 14 revealed a doublet at δ8.71 ppm, and the NH proton of 17 appeared at δ8.39 ppm. This observation is consistent with the higher field NH proton of 11 (δ8.19 ppm) and the lower field NH proton of 8 (δ8.34 ppm).
A mild method for the preparation of 21 was utilized in order to obtain the inosine analog of ARPP. When 3 was stirred with benzyl alcohol in the presence of Et 3 N at room temperature for 24 h, 4-benzyloxy-2,6-dichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (18) was obtained in >60% yield. Debenzylation of 18 by hydrogenation in the presence of Pd/C at atmospheric pressure in dioxane gave 2,6-dichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (19). Deisopropylidenation of 19 with aqueous TFA furnished 2,6-dichloro-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one, which on dehalogenation furnished 8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (21) in 66% yield. However, hydrogenation of 18 in MeOH in the presence of Pd/C resulted in solvent participation to furnish 13 and not 8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (20).
A nucleophilic displacement of the 4-chloro group of 3 with NH 2 Me and NHMe 2 gave the corresponding 2,6-dichloro-4-methylamino-(22) and 4-dimethylamino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (25). Hydrogenation of 22 and 25 provided 23 and 26, respectively. Subsequent deisopropylidenation of 23 and 26 gave 4-methylamino-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (24) and 4-dimethylamino-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (27), respectively.
Controlled hydrogenation of 6 removed the 2-chloro group to furnish 4-amino-6-chloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (36) in 65% yield. The proton NMR of 36 exhibited a singlet at δ8.35 ppm for C 2 H, thus confirming the removal of only one chloro group from 6. The structure of this selective dehalogenation product was established by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis to be 36. Subsequent deisopropylidenation of 36 gave 4-amino-6-chloro-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (37) in 67% yield (Scheme III).
Thus, treatment of 6 with liquid NH 3 over a period of 6 days furnished a mixture of two nucleoside products. After separation by flash chromatography, the structure of the major product (59% yield) was assigned as the β-anomer 33 and the minor product (15% yield) as the α-anomer of 33. Catalytic hydrogenation of 33 furnished 34 whose 1 H NMR spectrum exhibited a C 2 H proton at δ8.05 ppm. In an effort to confirm the site of the ammonolysis in 6 an unambiguous synthesis of 34 from 4,6,8-trichloropyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (28) was effected. Treatment of 28 with 2 as described earlier for the preparation of 3, furnished an air sensitive mixture of two compounds, presumably an anomeric mixture of 4,6-dichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (29). A brief EtOH/NH 3 treatment of 29 gave a mixture of two products, from which compound 36 was isolated as a major product. This compound was found to be identical to 36 prepared previously from 6, thus confirming the structural assignment.
Compound 29 upon ammonolysis (6 days) furnished an alternate route for the synthesis of 34. This established the preferential site of the nucleophilic substitution at position 6 over position 2 in the compound 6. While we do not wish to be bound by theory, on the basis of the reactivity of various chloro groups in 1 and 28, we suggest an order of nucleophilic substitution as positions 8>4>6>2.
Deisopropylidenation of 34 gave the desired 4,6-diamino-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (35), isolated as a TFA salt (Scheme III). Treatment of 29 with benzyl alcohol in a similar manner as described earlier for the preparation of 18 furnished 30. Hydrogenation of 30 gave 31, which on aqueous TFA treatment provided 6-chloro-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (32) in 58% yield.
Melting points (uncorrected) were determined in a Thomas-Hoover capillary melting point apparatus. Elemental analyses were performed by Robertson Laboratory, Florham Park, N.J. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was conducted on plates of silica gel 60 F-254 (EM Reagents). Silica gel (E. Merck: 230-400 mesh) was used for flash column chromatography. All solvents used were reagent grade. Detection of nucleoside components in TLC was by UV light, and with 10% H 2 SO 4 in MeOH spray followed by heating. Evaporations were conducted under diminished pressure with the bath temperature below 30° C. Infrared (IR) spectra were recorded with a Beckman Acculab 2 spectrophotometer and ultraviolet (UV) spectra were recorded on a Beckman DU-50 spectrophotometer. Nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) spectra were recorded at 300 MHz with an IBM NR/300 spectrometer. The chemical shift values are expressed in δ values (parts per million) relative to tetramethylsilane as an internal standard. The signals are described as s (singlet), d (doublet), t (triplet), q (quartet), and m (multiplet). The presence of solvent as indicated by elemental analysis was verified by 1 H NMR spectroscopy.
EXAMPLE 1
2,4,6-Trichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-and α-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (3 and 4)
A suspension of dry 2,3-O-isopropylideneribofuranosylamine p-toluenesulfonate (2, 3.61 g, 10 mmol) in 1-butanol (200 mL) was treated with Et 3 N (4.18 mL, 30 mmol) and the mixture was stirred at ambient temperature under anhydrous conditions furnishing a clear solution in 30 min. Finely powdered, dry 2,4,6,8-tetrachloropyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (1, 4.04 g, 15 mmol) was added to the above solution and stirred for 6 h under similar conditions. The solution was evaporated and the residue dissolved in EtOAc (300 mL), filtered to remove some insoluble material and washed with water (2×100 mL). After drying (Na 2 SO 4 ), the solvent was evaporated and the residue was purified on a flash silica gel column (5×45 cm) by using hexanes/EtOAc (7:3, v/v), as the eluent which provided two products in the following order:
(i) 2,4,6-Trichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (3: 1.89 g, 45%): Rf 0.65 (EtOAc:hexanes 3:7): mp 1630° C. (EtOH): IR (KBr) v max 845 (C-Cl), 3300, 3455 (OH, NH) cm -1 : UV (MeOH) λ max nm (ε×10 -3 ) 256 (6.7), 298 (7.9), 346 (9.2) and 362 (sh) (7.3): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.37 and 1.59 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.61 (br s, 1, C 5 'OH), 3.94 (s, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.48 (s, 1, C 4 'CH), 4.78 and 5.02 (2 m, 2, C 2 ', 3 'H), 6.34 (d, 1, J=10.8 Hz, C 1 'H), and 9.09 (br d, 1, J=10.8 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 14 H 14 Cl 3 N 5 O 4 ) C, H, N, Cl.
(ii) 2,4,6-Trichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-α-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (4: 1.47 g, 35%): Rf 0.55 (EtOAc:hexanes, 3:7): mp 99° C. 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.42 and 1.71 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.50 (br s, 1, C 5 'OH), 3.77-3.91 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.27 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.92 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 6.19 (m, 1, C 1 'H), and 8.23 (br d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 14 H 14 Cl 3 N 5 O 4 .0.5EtOH) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 2
2,6-Dichloro-4-n-butyloxy-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (5)
The title compound was obtained in 30% yield when the above reaction mixture was left for 16 h or longer at ambient temperature and when a reverse addition of free glycosylamine 2 was made to a solution of 1 in 1-butanol. Rf 0.68 (EtOAc:hexanes, 3:7): mp 175° C.: 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.00 (t, 3, CH 2 CH 3 ), 1.39 and 1.61 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 1.52 (m, 2, CH 2 CH 3 ), 1.92 (m, 2, CH 2 CH 2 ), 2.79 (br s, 1, C 5 'OH), 3.94 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.46 (br s, 1, C 4 'H), 4.63 (m, 2, OCH 2 ), 4.84 and 5.02 (2 m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 6.27 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, C 1 'H), 8.69 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 18 H 23 Cl 2 N 5 O 5 .0.25H 2 O) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 3
2,6-Dichloro-4-amino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (6)
A solution of 3 (0.85 g, 2 mmol) in EtOH/NH 3 (20 mL, saturated at 0° C.) was stirred at 0° C. for 30 min. The solvent was removed, and the residue was purified by chromatography on a silica gel column (5×45 cm) using hexanes/EtOAc (1:3, v/v) as the eluent to provide 0.59 g (74%) of 6: mp 148° C. (EtOH/hexanes): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.37 and 1.59 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.86 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 3.85-3.98 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.44 (br s, 1, C 4 'H), 4.83 and 5.00 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 6.15 and 6.79 (2 br s, 2, NH 2 ), 6.22 (d of d, 1 , C 1 'H) and 8.47 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 14 H 16 Cl 2 N 6 O 4 ), C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 4
2,6-Dichloro-4-amino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-α-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (9)
The title compound was prepared in a similar manner as described for 6, by using 4 (0.85 g, 2 mmol) and EtOH/NH 3 (20 mL). The product was isolated as a crystalline solid and recrystallized from EtOH to yield 0.56 g (70%): mp 208° C.: 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.47 and 1.74 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.78 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 3.76-3.92 (2 m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.27 (t, 1, C 4 'H), 4.92 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 6.18 (m, 1, C 1 'H), 6.54 and 6.69 (2 br s, 2, NH 2 ) and 8.00 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 14 H 16 Cl 2 N 6 O 4 .0.25EtOH), C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 5
General procedure for hydrogenation
A mixture of the appropriate nucleoside (1 mmol), Pd/C (10%: 0.1 g), and anhydrous Et 3 N (3 mmol) in absolute EtOH (100 mL) was shaken in a pressure bottle on a Parr hydrogenator at 50 psi for 24 h at ambient temperature. The catalyst was removed by filtration through a Celite pad and washed with EtOH (2×25 mL). The combined filtrates were evaporated and the residue was purified by either column chromatography or direct crystallization.
EXAMPLE 6
4-Amino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (7)
Hydrogenation of 6 by the general procedure gave 7 in 75% yield: mp 178° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.28 and 1.47 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.51 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.18 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.81 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.54 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 6.10 (d, 1, J=9.4 Hz, C 1 'H), 7.80 and 7.99 (2 br s, 2, NH 2 ), 8.36 and 8.49 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H), and 8.83 (d, 1, J=10.6 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 14 H 18 N 6 O 4 ) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 7
4-Amino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-α-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d] pyrimidine (10)
Hydrogenation of 9 by the general procedure gave 10 in 71% yield: isolated as homogeneous foam: 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.36 and 1.55 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.52 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.00 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.83 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.07 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 6.15 (d of d, 1, C 1 'H), 7.68 (d, 1, J=10.4 Hz, NH), 7.89 and 8.08 (2 br s, 2, NH 2 ), 8.40 and 8.55 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H). Anal. (C 14 H 18 N 6 O 4 ) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 8
General procedure for deisopropylidenation reaction
A suspension of the corresponding 2',3'-O-isopropylidenenucleoside (0.5 mmol) in a mixture of TFA/H 2 O (2 mL: 9:1, v/v) was stirred at room temperature for 30 min. The solvent was evaporated under a stream of argon and the residue was coevaporated with EtOH (3×20 mL), redissolved in EtOH (2 mL) and precipitated by slow addition of dry diethyl ether (100 mL). Compounds were further purified by flash silica gel column chromatography using EtOAc/H 2 O/MeOH/acetone (3:1:1:1, v/v) as the eluent or by HPLC followed by crystallization from a suitable solvent.
EXAMPLE 9
4-Amino-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (ARPP, 8)
Deisopropylidenation of 7 with aqueous TFA gave 8 in 85% yield: mp 212° C. (H 2 O) [lit mp 214°-216° C.]: UV and 1 H NMR spectra are identical with an authentic sample of 8.
EXAMPLE 10
4-Amino-8-(α-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (11)
Deisopropylidenation of 10 with aqueous TFA gave 11 in 82% yield: mp 165° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ3.50 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 3.77, 3.96 and 4.11 (3 m, 3, C 2 ' 3 ' 4 'H), 4.91 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 5.31 and 5.64 (2 d, 2, J=5.6 Hz, C 2 ' 3 'OH), 5.78 and 5.97 (2 q, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to d, J=5.6 Hz after deuteration), 7.78 and 8.0 (2 br s, 2, NH 2 ), 8.19 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, NH), 8.38 and 8.49 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H). Anal. (C 11 H 14 N 6 O 4 ) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 11
2,6-Dichloro-4-methoxy-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (12)
To a stirred solution of 3 (0.42 g, 1 mmol) in dry MeOH (20 mL) was added NaOMe (0.108 g, 2 mmol). When TLC (solvent - EtOAc:hexanes, 3:7) showed the reaction is complete (in 30 min), the solution was neutralized by the addition of dowex-50 (H+) resin and filtered. The resin was washed with MeOH (2×20 mL) and the combined filtrates were evaporated to dryness. The residue was purified by flash chromatography using hexanes/EtOAc (3:1 v/v) as the eluent to furnish 0.27 g (65%) of 12: mp 211° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.26 and 1.48 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.49 (br s, 1, C 5 'OH), 3.62 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.11 (s, 3, OCH 3 ), 4.34 (s, 1, C 4 'H), 4.69 and 4.89 (2 m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 6.15 (d of d, 1, C 1 'H), and 8.57 (d, 1, J=10.8 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 15 H 17 Cl 2 N 5 O 5 ) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 12
4-Methoxy-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (13)
The title compound was prepared by hydrogenation of 12 following the general procedure, in 84% yield: mp 218° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.28 and 1.47 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.55 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.11 (s, 3, OCH 3 ), 4.20 (s, 1, C 4 'H), 4.82 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.63 (br s, 1, C 5 'OH), 6.13 (br s, 1, C 1 'H), 8.60 and 8.79 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H), and 9.11 (br s, 1, NH). Anal. (C 15 H 19 N 5 O 5 ) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 13
4-Methoxy-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (14)
Deisopropylidenation of 13 by the general procedure gave 14 in 82% yield: mp 183° C. (aq. EtOH): UV λ max nm (ε×10 -3 ): (pH 1) 299 (13.9), 310 (16.2), 324 (11.5): (pH 7) 210 (10.5), 283 (11.6), 297 (sh) (10.3), 310 (10.1), 326 (sh) (7.2): (pH 11) 283 (11.4), 297 (sh) (10.3), 309 (10.0), 326 (sh) (7.2): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ3.44 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 3.78 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.02 and 4.15 (2 m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 4.11 (s, 3, OCH 3 ), 5.83 (q, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to a d, J=5.6 Hz, after deuteration), 8.59 and 8.82 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H) and 8.71 (d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 12 H 15 N 5 O 5 .1.5H 2 O) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 14
4-Methoxy-8-(α-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (17)
Compd 4 was transformed to 16 via the intermediate 15 in a similar way as described above for 13. The overall yield of 16 was 65%: mp 105° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.37 and 1.56 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.54 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.02 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.12 (s, 3, OCH 3 ), 4.85 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.09 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 6.16 (q, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to a d after deuteration, J=4.6 Hz), 7.83 (d, 1, J=10.4 Hz, NH), 8.67 and 8.86 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H). Anal. (C 15 H 19 N 5 O 5 ) C, H, N.
Deisopropylidenation of 16 with aqueous TFA by the general procedure furnished 71% yield of 17: mp 213° C. (H 2 O): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ3.44 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 3.84, 3.99 and 4.18 (3 m, 3, C 4 ' 2 ' 3 'H), 4.11 (s, 3, OCH 3 ), 6.00 (q, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to a d after deuteration, J=5.5 Hz), 8.39 (d, 1, J=10.3 Hz, NH), 8.60 and 8.83 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H). Anal. (C 12 H 15 N 5 O 5 ) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 15
2,6-Dichloro-4-benzyloxy-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (18)
To a stirred solution of 3 (0.84 g, 2 mmol) in dry BnOH (3 mL) was added Et 3 N (0.41 mL, 3 mmol) and the mixture was stirred at ambient temperature for 24 h with the exclusion of moisture. The dark colored reaction mixture was washed with water (2×20 mL) and hexanes (3×20 mL) to furnish a gummy residue, which on purification by flash column chromatography using hexanes/EtOAc (7:3, v/v) as the eluent afforded 0.84 g (85%) of 18: mp 178° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.36 and 1.59 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.65 (br s, 1, C 5 'OH), 3.91 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.43 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.80 and 4.99 (2 m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.66 (s, 2, CH 2 Ph), 6.22 (d of d, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to a br s after deuteration), 7.33-7.55 (m, 5, CH 2 Ph) and 8.68 (d, 1, J=10.4 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 21 H 21 Cl 2 N 5 O 5 ) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 16
2-6-Dichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (19)
A mixture of 18 (2.47 g, 5 mmol) and Pd/C (10%, 1 g) in dry dioxane (100 mL) was hydrogenated at atmospheric pressure for 4 h. The catalyst was removed by filtration and the filtrate was evaporated to dryness. The residue was purified by flash chromatography to furnish 1.0 g (50%) of 19: mp 248° C. (d): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.27 and 1.46 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.51 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.14 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.79 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.44 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 5.90 (d of d, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to a d on deuteration, J=1.4 Hz) and 8.56 (d, 1, J=10.6 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 14 H 15 Cl 2 N 5 O 5 ) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 17
8-(β-D-Ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (21)
Compd 19 on deisopropylidenation with aqueous TFA by the general procedure gave 71% yield of 2,6-dichloro-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one: mp 200° C. (d): UV λ max nm (ε×10 -3 ): (pH 1) 229 (8.4), 286 (17.9), 324 (9.7), 339 (6.9): (pH 7) 291 (18.3), 323 (11.2), 338 (8.3): (pH 11) 291 (18.2), 323 (11.2), 338 (8.3): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ3.84 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 3.96 and 4.14 (2 t, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.82 (q, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to a d of J=5.6 Hz after deuteration), and 8.10 (d, 1, J= 10.0 Hz, NH). Anal. Calcd for C 11 H 11 Cl 2 N 5 O 5 .0.5H 2 O: C, 35.40: H, 3.24: N, 18.76. Found: C, 35.27: H, 3.03: N, 18.38.
Catalytic hydrogenation of the above dichloro compound by the general procedure gave the title compd in a 66% yield: mp 220° C. (d): UV λ max (ε×10 -3 ) (pH 1) 294 (18.2), 309 (16.5), 323 (8.9): (pH 7) 280 (14.1), 315 (7.9), 328 (5.7): (pH 11) 287 (14.6), 313 (10.5), 328 (7.3): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ3.80 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 3.96 and 4.11 (2 m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 4.77 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 5.31 and 5.64 (2 m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'OH), 5.95 (q, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to a d after deuteration, J=5.4 Hz), 8.05 (d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, NH), 8.18 and 8.49 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H) and 12.5 (br s, 1, NH). Anal. (C 11 H 13 N 5 O 5 .0.5H 2 O) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 18
2,6-Dichloro-4-methylamino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (22)
To a solution of 3 (0.84 g, 2 mmol) in dry CH 3 CN (80 mL) was added an ethanolic solution of CH 3 NH 2 (0.52 mL, 5 mmol, 30%) at 0° C. and the mixture was stirred for 1 h. The solvent was evaporated and the residue was purified by crystallization from EtOH/hexanes to furnish 0.66 g (79%) of 22: mp 192° C.: 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.28 and 1.46 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.92 (d, 3, J=5.3 Hz, NHCH 3 , collapsed to a s after deuteration), 3.54 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.19 (m, C 4 'H), 4.83 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.61 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 5.95 (d, 1, J=6.3 Hz, collapsed to a br s after deuteration), 8.82 (d, 1, J=5.3 Hz, NHCH 3 ) and 9.13 (d, 1, J=6.3 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 15 H 18 Cl 2 N 6 O 4 ) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 19
4-Methylamino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (23)
Catalytic hydrogenation of 22 by the general procedure gave the title compd in 65% yield: mp 130° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.28 and 1.46 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.96 (d, 3, J=5.40 Hz, NHCH 3 , collapsed to a s after deuteration), 3.54 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.18 (br s, 1, C 4 'H), 4.80 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.56 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 6.10 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, C 1 'H, collapsed to a br s after deuteration), 8.39 (d, 1, J=5.4 Hz, NHCH 3 ), 8.43 and 8.50 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H), and 8.83 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 15 H 20 N 6 O 4 ) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 20
4-Methylamino-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (24)
Deisopropylidenation of 23 following the general procedure gave 24 in 60% yield: mp 230° C. (EtOH): UV λ max (ε×10 -3 ) (pH 1) 292 (11.3), 306 (sh) (10.3), 322 (10.0), 336 (7.4): (pH 7) 297 (11.5), 303 (sh) (11.4), 318 (11.2), 334 (7.7): (pH 11) 296 (12.0), 302 (12.0), 317 (11.8), 335 (7.9): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ2.98 and 3.00 (2 s, 3, NHCH 3 ), 5.72 and 6.0 (2 dd, 1, C 1 'H), 8.21 and 8.95 (d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, NH), 8.47 and 8.51 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H) and other sugar protons. Anal. (C 12 H 16 N 6 O 4 .0.5H 2 O) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 21
2,6-Dichloro-4-dimethylamino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (25)
To a stirred solution of 3 (0.42 g, 1 mmol) in dry CH 3 CN (25 mL), cold HN(CH 3 ) 2 (0.20 mL, 3 mmol) was added at 0° C. TLC (EtOAc:hexanes, 3:7) indicated formation of a high Rf compound (in 5 min). The reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness, the residue was adsorbed on silica gel and purified by flash column chromatography to furnish 0.36 g (84%) of 25: mp 208° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.39 and 1.61 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.82 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 3.18 [s, 6, N(CH 3 ) 2 ], 3.85 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.32 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.82 and 4.97 (2 m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 6.20 (dd, 1, C 1 'H), 7.73 (d, 1, J=10.8 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 16 H 20 Cl 2 N 6 O 4 ) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 22
4-Dimethylamino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (26)
Catalytic hydrogenation of 25 by the general procedure furnished 26 in 70% yield: mp 180° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.28 and 1.46 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.40-3.60 [br s, 6, N(CH 3 ) 2 ], 3.53 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.18 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.76 and 4.82 (2 m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.54 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 6.10, (q, 1, J=10.6 Hz, C 1 'H, collapsed to a d on deuteration, J=1.7 Hz), 8.43 and 8.46 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H), 8.82 (d, 1, J=10.6 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 16 H 22 N 6 O 4 .0.5H 2 O) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 23
4-Dimethylamino-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[ 5,4-d]pyrimidine (27)
Deisopropylidenation of 26 by the general procedure furnished 27 in 75% yield: mp 231° C. (EtOH): UV λ max nm (ε×10 -3 ): (pH 1) 300 (16.4), 320 (15.0), 336 (17.0), 351 (12.8): (pH 7) 210 (19.9), 307 (19.6), 320 (18.5), 334 (17.5), 351 (12.8): (pH 11) 306 (18.8), 320 (17.9), 334 (17.0), 351 (12.5): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ3.31-4.13 [m, 11, N(CH 3 ) 2 , C 5 'CH 2 , C 2 ' 3 ' 4 'H], 5.58 and 5.97 (2 q, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to 2 d after deuteration, J=5.3 Hz) 8.29 and 8.97 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, NH), 8.46 and 8.47 (2 s, 2, C 2 H and C 6 H). Anal. (C 13 H 18 N 6 O 4 ) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 24
2-Chloro-4,6-diamino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (33)
A mixture of 6 (1.41 g, 3.5 mmol) and liquid NH 3 (50 mL) was stirred in a sealed reaction vessel at room temperature for 6 days. After removal of NH 3 , the residue was purified by flash chromatography using EtOAc:hexanes (3:7) as eluent to give two nucleoside products in the order described: (i) compd 33, crystallized from EtOH to give 0.81 g (59%): mp 291° C.: 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.27 and 1.45 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.53 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.11 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.79 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.44 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 6.04 (d, 1, J=10.8 Hz, C 1 'H), 6.45 (br s, 2, NH 2 ), 7.21 and 8.13 (2 br s, 2, NH 2 ), 8.40 (d, 1, J=10.80 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 14 H 18 ClN 7 O 4 .0.5H 2 O) C, H, N, Cl.
(ii) The α-anomer of 33: 0.20 g (15% yield as foam): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.28 and 1.46 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.61 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.21 (br s, 1, C 4 'H), 4.70 and 4.84 (2 d, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.55 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 5.89 (d, 1, J=10.7 Hz, C 1 'H), 6.19 (br s, 2, NH 2 ), 7.28 and 7.47 (2 br s, 2, NH 2 ) and 8.78 (d, 1, J=10.7 Hz, NH). Anal. Calcd for C 14 H 18 ClN 7 O 4 : C, 43.81: H, 4.72: N, 25.54: Cl, 9.23. Found: C, 43.87: H, 4.75: N, 25.65 : Cl, 9.09.
EXAMPLE 25
4,6-Diamino-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (34)
Catalytic hydrogenation of 33 by the general procedure furnished 34 in 72% yield: mp 150° C. (foam): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.27 and 1.45 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.61 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.13 (br s, 1, C 4 'H), 4.80 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.47 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 6.05 (dd, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to a s on deuteration), 6.37 (br s, 2, NH 2 ), 6.71 and 7.50 (2 br s, 2, NH 2 ), 8.05 (s, 1, C 2 H) and 8.54 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 14 H 19 N 7 O 4 .0.25H 2 O) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 26
4,6-Diamino-8-(β -D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (35)
Deisopropylidenation of 34 by the general procedure gave the title compd, which was isolated as its TFA salt in 66% yield: mp 170° C. (d): UV λ max nm (ε×10 -3 ): (pH 1) 244 (13.7), 269 (15.3), 334 (7.1), 350 (6.6): (pH 7) 242 (124), 280 (14.6), 343 (8.0): (pH 11) 210 (21.1), 242 (12.4), 281 (14.4), 344 (8.0): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ3.20-4.21 (m, 5, C 2 ' 3 ' 4 'H and C 5 'H 2 ), 5.90-5.98 (q, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to a d on deuteration, J=5.61 Hz) 7.81 (br s, 4, 2NH 2 ), 8.30 (s, 1, C 2 H), 8.73 and 9.20 (2 br s, 1, NH). Anal. (C 11 H 15 N 7 O 4 .TFA) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 27
4-Amino-6-chloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (36)
Controlled hydrogenation of 6 at atmospheric pressure for 16 h gave 36 in 65% yield following the general work-up procedure: mp 206° C. (EtOH): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.28 and 1.47 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 3.57 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.21 (br s, 1, C 4 'H), 4.82 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.64 (br s, 1, C 5 'OH), 5.97 (d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, C 1 'H), 7.79 and 8.06 (2 br s, 2, NH 2 ), 8.35 (s, 1, C 2 H) and 9.24 (d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 14 H 17 ClN 6 O 4 ) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 28
4-Amino-6-chloro-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (37)
Deisopropylidenation of 36 by the general procedure gave 6-chloro-ARPP in 67% yield: mp 205° C. (d): UV λ max nm (ε×10 -3 ): (pH 1) 290 (16.8), 328 (12.2), 342 (9.5): (pH 7) 291 (16.5), 308 (sh) (13.0), 322 (13.0), 337 (9.7): (pH 11) 291 (16.4), 308 (sh) (13.0), 323 (12.9), 337 (9.7): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ3.41-4.12 (m, 5, C 2 ' 3 ' 4 'H and C 5 'CH 2 ), 5.70 and 5.86 (2 q, 1, C 1 'H, collapsed to 2d on deuteration, J=6.0 Hz), 7.79 and 8.07 (2 br s, 2, NH.sub. 2), 8.38 (s, 1, C 2 H), 8.45 and 8.90 (2 d, 1, J=10.9 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 11 H 13 ClN 6 O 4 .0.75H 2 O) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 29
4,6-Dichloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (29)
Condensation of dry 4,6,8-trichloropyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (28, 3.52 g, 15 mmol) with 2 (3.61 g, 10 mmol) was carried out in a similar way as described for the preparation of 3, and a 3:7 mixture of α-and β-anomers of 29 was obtained as a foam in 45% yield. Attempted crystallization and extended solvent contact decomposed 29 into unidentified compounds: UV (MeOH) λ max nm (ε×10 -3 ): 244 (5.8), 287 (8.0), 310 (sh) (8.3), 329 (11.1), 348 (sh) (7:6): 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.40 and 1.62 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 , β), 1.48 and 1.72 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 , α), 2.71 (br s, 1, C 5 'OH, β), 2.78 (t, 1, C 5 'OH, α), 6.25 (dd, 1, C 1 'H, α), 6.36 (d, 1, C 1 'H, β), 8.40 (d, 1, J=10.6 Hz, NH, α), 8.93 (s, 1, C 2 H, β), 9.03 (s, 1, C 2 H, α), 9.08 (d, 1, J=10.5 Hz, NH, β) and other sugar protons. Anal. (C 14 H 15 Cl 2 N 5 O 5 .0.5n-BuOH) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 30
4-Benzyloxy-6-chloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidine (30)
The title compd was prepared from 29 in 65% yield, following the procedure as described for the preparation of 18. Pure β-anomer, being the less soluble compound crystallized from EtOH and was found to be quite stable in solution compared to its precursor 29: mp 188°-190° C.: 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ1.33 and 1.55 (2 s, 6, 2CH 3 ), 2.68 (t, 1, C 5 'OH), 3.88 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.40 (br s, 1, C 4 'H), 4.76 and 4.96 (2 m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.63 (s, 2, CH 2 Ph), 6.22 (dd, 1, C 1 'H), 7.31-7.52 (m, 5, CH 2 Ph) and 8.64 (d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, NH). Anal. (C 21 H 22 ClN 5 O 5 ) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 31
6-Chloro-8-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4-(3H)-one (31)
Following the procedure as described for the preparation of 19, compd 30 was hydrogenated to give 31 in 69% yield: mp >220° C. (d): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ1.25 and 1.43 (2s, 6, 2 CH 3 ), 3.50 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 4.19 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 4.71-4.80 (m, 2, C 2 ' 3 'H), 5.94 (d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, C 1 'H), 8.14 (s, 1, C 2 H), 9.07 (d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, NH), and 12.9 (br s, 1, N 3 H). Anal. (C 14 H 16 ClN 5 O 5 .H 2 O) C, H, N.
EXAMPLE 32
6-Chloro-8-(β-D-ribofuranosylamino)pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (32)
Deisopropylidenation of 31 by aqueous TFA following the general procedure furnished the title compd in 58% yield: mp 180°-182° C. (d): UV λ max nm (ε×10 -3 ): (pH 1) 230 (6.1), 277 (sh) (15.3), 285 (16.2), 310 (sh) (8.8), 320 (9.4), 334 (7.0): (pH 7) 228 (6.1), 277 (sh) (15.3), 285 (15.8), 308 (sh) (8.8), 320 (9.4), 334 (6.9): (pH 11) 290 (15.3), 308 (sh) (12.9), 319 (10.8), 334 (7.8): 1 H NMR (Me 2 SO-d 6 ) δ3.48 (m, 2, C 5 'CH 2 ), 3.83 (m, 1, C 4 'H), 3.98-4.06 (m, 2, C.sub. 2 ' 3 'H), 5.54 and 5.84 (2 q, 1, collapsed to 2d on deuteration, J=5.5 Hz, C 1 'H), 8.20 (s, 1, C 2 H), 8.30 and 9.0 (2 d, 1, J=10.0 Hz, NH), 12.95 (br s, 1, N 3 H) and other sugar protons. Anal. (C 11 H 12 ClN 5 O 5 .0.25EtOH) C, H, N, Cl.
EXAMPLE 33
Antiviral activity
Cell culture antiviral studies against Herpes 2, parainfluenza 3 and Vaccinia indicate antiviral activity for compounds 11, 14 and 17 as tested in parallel with ARPP (8). These results are summarized in Table 1.
TABLE 1______________________________________In Vitro Antiviral and Antitumor ActivityAntiviral (VR).sup.a Antitumor (ID.sub.50).sup.bCompd HSV2.sup.c VV.sup.d PI3.sup.e L1210 WI-L2 LoVo/L______________________________________ 8 0.8 1.3 0.7 0.8 0.2 7.014 0.2 1.0 0.7 0.04 0.06 0.2811 0.2 1.0 1.4 0.38 0.25 1.017 0.1 0.9 0.7 2.9 2.5 18.7______________________________________ .sup.a (VR) virus ratings by convention >1.0 indicate marked antiviral activity: 0.5 to 0.9 indicate moderate activity, and <0.5 indicate weak o no activity: .sup.b (ID.sub.50) inhibitory dose is the μM concentration of the compound that inhibits tumor cell growth by 50% as compared to the untreated controls: .sup.c herpes simplex virus type 2 (MS strain) cell line in Vero cells: .sup.d vaccinia virus (Elstree strain) cell line in HeLa cells: .sup.e parainfluenza 3 (C243 strain) cell line in Vero cells.
EXAMPLE 34
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Compound 8 was evaluated by the National Cancer Institute for in vitro activity against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV: cell line:CEM-V). In this test the compound was screened using human "host" cells with and without virus. The test is conducted for seven days (during which time infected, non-drug treated control cells are largely or totally destroyed by the virus), and then the number of remaining viable cells are determined. Two parameters are extracted from the test: the EC 50 (or EC 90 ), representing the concentration of drug that resulted in a 50% reduction of the viral cytopathic effect and the IC 50 (or IC 90 ), representing the concentration of drug resulting in 50% growth inhibition (derived from the normal, unifected cells). A therapeutic index (TI) can be calculated as the IC/EC ratio.
At 9.51×10 -8 , compound 8 exhibited a 50% reduction of viral cytopathic effect (EC 50 ) and at 7.68×10 -7 compound 8 exhibited a 90% reduction of viral cytopathic effect (EC 90 ). The IC 50 and IC 90 were 1.95×10 -6 and 6.6×10 -6 , respectively, thus the compound exhibited therapeutic indices at 50% and 90% of 2.05×10 1 and 8.60×10 0 , respectively.
EXAMPLE 35
In Vitro Antitumor Activity
In vitro cytotoxicity analysis was performed by using the following cell lines: L1210 (a murine leukemia), WI-L2 (a human B-lymphoblast), and LoVo/L (a human colon carcinoma). Cells were grown in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 20 mM HEPES, pH 7.4, and 2 mM glutamine. The cytotoxicity determinations were carried out in 96-well microtiter dishes containing a starting number of 5-10×10 3 cells per well and 0.1-100 μM concentrations of the compounds in triplicate wells. L1210 and WI-L2 were incubated with the compounds at 37° C. for 3 days, while Lovo/L was incubated for 5 days. After this time period, 25 μL of 4 mg/mL 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide was added to each well and incubation was continued for 2 to 5 h. The formazan product was dissolved in isopropanol containing 0.04M HCl and the absorbance was determined with a microtiter plate reader. The absorbance was proportional to the number of cells. The absorbance values were used to calculate the ID 50 value for each compound, the concentration which inhibited cell growth to 50% of the value for untreated, control cells. The results for compounds 8, 11, 14 and 17 are also summarized in Table 1.
EXAMPLE 36
In Vivo Antitumor Activity
Compounds 8, 11, 14 and 17 were comparatively evaluated in vivo for efficacy against L1210 in BDF 1 mice. The results are shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2______________________________________Compound Dosage PostinoculationNumber mg/kg/inj. Lifespan (% T/C)______________________________________ 8 173.sup.1 16211 22.sup.1 13814 62.sup.2 (173).sup.1 18217 37.sup.1 116______________________________________ .sup.1 Maximum watersoluble dosage. .sup.2 Maximum nonlethal dosage. Maximum watersoluble dosage is shown in parentheses.
Mice were inoculated i.p. with 1×10 6 L1210 cells 24 hr before qd, day 1, i.p. drug delivery. Drugs were solubilized in water and delivered at the rate of 0.01 ml/g mouse weight. Then control mice/drug were injected i.p. with equivalent volumes of a 0.9% solution of NaCl, the means and standard deviations reflecting the postinoculation life spans of these mice ranged from 6.30±0.48 to 6.60±0.97 days.
Compound (8) and the α-anomer 11 differ both in their solubility in water and in their efficacy against L1210. Thus, the maximum water solubility of 8 was 17.3 mg/mL as compared to 2.2 mg/mL for 11, and when administered qd, day 1, the former produced a T/C of 162 as opposed to 138 for the latter. Neither drug was lethally toxic at its maximum soluble dosage. In a similar manner, compound (14) and the α-anomer 17 were tested. Compound 17 was soluble in water to a maximum of 3.7 mg/mL and produced a treatment T/C of 116. Conversely, 14 was soluble up to 17.3 mg/mL and was lethally toxic at that level for all treated mice. Compound 14 also caused death for 1/6 treated mice when made up at 10.4 mg/mL. The maximum non-lethal concentration of MRPP was 6.2 mg/mL, and when it was administered at 62 mg/kg produced a T/C of 182. Taken collectively, it appears from these results that the β-anomers have greater solubility than the α-anomers and when administered qd day 1, are more effective in the treatment of L1210 leukemia.
Compounds of the invention were also tested for certain biochemical properties. Compounds of the invention were studied for their effect on de novo purine biosynthesis by observing inhibition of incorporation of [ 14 C]formate into the acid-soluble fraction of WI-L2 cells (see Table 3). Compounds (8) and (14) showed the greatest inhibitory activity and were active at concentrations as low as 0.25 μM. However, 8 and 14 (100 μM) were not cytotoxic to WI-L2 cells deficient in adenosine kinase activity. Direct inhibition of WI-L2 adenosine kinase by compound 14 was observed as a decrease in the rate of [ 14 C]AMP formation from [ 14 C]adenosine. Compound 14 demonstrated a Ki value of 8 μM at an apparent Km value for adenosine of 0.9 μM. This suggests that phosphorylation of 14 by adenosine kinase is required for inhibitory activity.
The formation of intracellular ARPP 5'-monophosphate but no higher phosphate analogues has been shown by SAX-HPLC results, however, two anomeric species were detected within the monophosphate region of the chromatogram. The similar appearance of two species was also seen in aqueous solution for ARPP anlayzed by reverse-phase HPLC. When ARPP was treated with adenosine deaminase as reagent, the preferential disappearance of the β-anomer (60% conversion in 5 min) was followed by a much slower decrease in the area of the α-anomer peak. This would be expected where the rate of anomerization is slow compared to the rate of deamination. The deamination product (21) similarly equilibrated from pure β-anomer into a mixture of α- and β-anomers. Compound 14 was less active as a substrate for adenosine deaminase and less than 10% was deaminated in 18 h under the same conditions as described for ARPP. Prior addition of 1 μM coformycin to the assay completely prevented the deamination of ARPP.
The actual rate of anomerization was investigated in the absence of added protein by incubating a buffered sample of compound 14 at 37° C. After 9 h the solution analyzed by reverse-phase HPLC showed 1.35% of the α-anomer 17 and 0.42% of 21 as an anomeric mixture. Thus, the α-anomer 17 was inactive in the purine de novo assay over the short term (4 h, see Table 3) but demonstrated the inhibitory activity in separate assays which employed longer incubation times. Compounds 8 and 14 appear to require activation to the 5'-monophosphate and inhibit an early step in de novo purine biosynthesis. The compounds of the invention are capable of crossing the cell membrane, and activated to the 5'-phosphate, thus causing the inhibition of the de novo purine biosynthesis.
EXAMPLE 37
Biochemical Studies
A normal lymphoblast phenotype B cell line, WI-L2 was used. The enzyme-deficient cell lines used in vitro are: HPRT-, a hypoxanthine-guanine phosphorbosyl transferase (EC 2.4.2.8)deficient line and AK-, an adenosine kinase (EC 2.7.1.20)deficient line. Cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium containing 5% dialyzed fetal bovine serum, 20 mM Na HEPES, pH 7.5 and 2 mM glutamine and maintained in log phase growth between 0.5 and 12×10 5 cells/mL. The mutant cell lines were periodically reselected by treatment with 6-thioguanine (HPRT-) or tubercidin (AK-).
HPLC Analysis: Sample components were separated with an LKB model 2150 gradient HPLC system at ambient temperature on an Altex Ultrashere-ODS reverse phase column (Beckman) developed with a linear gradient of buffer A (10 mM KPO 4 ', pH 3.83) to 20% component B (60% aqueous CH 3 CN) at a combined flow rate of 1.0 mL/min over 15 min. Ultraviolet (UV) absorbance was monitored with an LKB model 2140 diode array detector. Inhibition of de novo purine biosynthesis: WI-L2 or adenosine kinase-deficient cells were preincubated at 37° C. with drug for various time periods prior to labeling with [ 14 C]formate. Enzyme Assays: Adenosine kinase inhibition studies were accomplished by the filter binding assay method. Inhibition studies were done at 37° C. with an assay mixture containing 4 mM ATP, 1.5 mM MgCl 2 , 5 or 10 μM [8- 14 C] adenosine (50 mCi/mmol) and 100 mM Tris-maleate, pH 5.5. To prevent the enzymatic breakdown of adenosine, erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine (EHNA) was added to the cell-free WI-L2 lysate to give 5 μM final assay concentration. The assay was started by the addition of protein. The amount of enzyme, time of assay and sampling volume were adjusted to give acceptable conversion of [8- 14 C] adenosine to [8- 14 C]AMP. Each DE-81 filter was spotted with a constant sampling volume and immersed in H.sub. 2 O (4 L) to terminate the reaction. Filters were washed three times with H 2 O (4 L) and once with EtOH (100 mL). Dry filters were placed in scintillation vials and radioactivity was counted with 10 mL toluene-based scintillation cocktail.
Adenosine deaminase substract activity was accomplished by incubating each compound (1.0 mM) in potassium phosphate buffer (100 mM, pH 7.5) with 0.25 units/mL of adenosine deaminase. Samples were analyzed directly on reverse-phase HPLC. Enzymatic conversions were distinguished from hydrolysis by treating a parallel sample with EHNA to inhibit the deaminase activity.
TABLE 3______________________________________Comparative effect of compounds of the inventionon de novo purine biosynthesis. % of control pre-incubationcompd conc μM cell media time (h)______________________________________ 8 2.5 29.9 54.6 8 0.25 79.5 71.9 814 25 4.3 a 4 2.5 2.7 41.8 8 0.25 41.9 63.0 821 50 98.2 105.9 827 50 50.7 85.8 837 50 16.4 43.4 835 50 91.2 89.8 817 25 98.2 a 4______________________________________ .sup.a not determined.
De novo purine biosynthesis was measured by the incorporation of 14 C-formate into cellular purine nucleotides or excreted purines after pre-incubation with compound.
TABLE 4______________________________________Comparative effect of compounds on .sup.14 C-bicarbonateincorporation into acid soluble pyrimidine (PyrTP,CTP + UTP) and purine (PurTP, ATP + GTP) nucleosidetriphosphates.cpm/10.sup.6 cells % control.sup.a conc.compd (μM) PyrTP PurTP CAA.sup.b PydTP PurTP______________________________________ 8 1.5 0 0 1608 0 014 5.0 0 0 1322 0 021 50.0 15691 54484 0 72.3 91.527 50.0 10177 40581 0 46.9 68.237 15.0 13454 39833 0 62.0 66.935 50.0 15267 58130 0 70.4 97.7control -- 21692 59520 0 100 100______________________________________ .sup.a Control values expressed in cpm/10.sup.6, cells are PydTP [CTP (1415) + UTP (20277)]: PurTP [ATP (52412) + GTP (7106)]. Zero values designate undetectable amounts. .sup.b Carbamyl aspartate.
For delivery to a host inflicted with a neoplastic disease compounds of the invention can be formulated in various formulations to prepare pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of the invention as active ingredients. The following illustrative examples are given for the formulations of such pharmaceutical compositions utilizing compounds of the invention.
In these examples, Pharmaceutical Preparative Example A illustrates the use of compounds of the invention as injectables suitable for intravenous or other types of injection into the host animal. Pharmaceutical Preparative Example B is directed to an oral syrup preparation, Pharmaceutical Example C to an oral capsule preparation and Pharmaceutical Preparative Example D to oral tablets. Pharmaceutical Preparative Example E is directed to use of compounds of the invention in suitable suppositories. For Pharmaceutical Preparative Examples A through E the ingredients are listed followed by methods of preparing the composition.
______________________________________EXAMPLE AINJECTABLES______________________________________Compounds of the Invention 250 mg-1000 mgWater for Injection USP q.s.______________________________________
The compounds of the invention are dissolved in the water and passed through a 0.22 micron filter. The filtered solution is added to ampoules or vials, sealed and sterilized.
______________________________________EXAMPLE BSYRUP250 mg Active ingredient/5 ml syrup______________________________________Compounds of the Invention 50.0 gPurified Water USP q.s. or 200 mlCherry Syrup q.s. ad 1000 ml______________________________________
The compounds of the invention are dissolved in the water and to this solution the syrup is added with mild stirring.
______________________________________EXAMPLE CCAPSULES100 mg 250 mg or 500 mg______________________________________Compounds of the Invention 500 gLactose USP, Anhydrous q.s. or 200 gSterotex Powder HM 5 g______________________________________
Combine the compounds of the invention and the Lactose in a twin-shell blender equipped with an intensifier bar. Tumble blend for two minutes, followed by blending for one minute with the intensifier bar and then tumble blend again for one minute. A portion of the blend is then mixed with the Sterotex Powder, passed through a #30 screen and added back to the remainder of the blend. The mixed ingredients are then blended for one minute, blended with the intensifier bar for thirty seconds and tumble blended for an additional minute. Appropriate sized capsules are filled with 141 mg, 352.5 mg or 705 mg of the blend, respectively, for the 100 mg, 260 mg and 500 mg containing capsules.
______________________________________EXAMPLE DTABLETS______________________________________Compounds of the Invention 500 gCorn Starch NF 200.0 gCellulose Microcrystalline 46.0 gSterotex Powder HM 4.0 gPurified Water q.s. 300.0 g______________________________________
Combine the corn starch, the cellulose and the compounds of the invention together in a planetary mixer and mix for two minutes. Add the water to this combination and mix for one minute. The resulting mix is spread on trays and dried in a hot air oven at 50° C. until a moisture level of 1 and 2 percent is obtained. The dried mix is then milled with a Fitzmill through a #RH2B screen at medium speed. The Sterotex Powder is added to a portion of the mix and passed through a #30 screen and added back to the milled mixture and the total blended for five minutes by drum rolling. Compressed tablets of 150 mg, 375 mg and 750 mg respectively, of the total mix are formed with appropriate sized punches for the 100 mg, 250 mg or 500 mg containing tablets.
______________________________________EXAMPLE ESUPPOSITORIES250 mg, 500 mg or 1000 mg per 3 g______________________________________Compounds of the invention 250 mg 500 mg 1000 mgPolyethylene Glycol 1540 1925 mg 1750 mg 1400 mgPolyethylene Glycol 8000 825 mg 750 mg 600 mg______________________________________
Melt the Polyethylene Glycol 1540 and the Polyethylene Glycol 8000 together at 60° C. and dissolve the compounds of the invention into the melt. Mold this total at 25° C. into appropriate suppositories. ##STR3##
Scheme II______________________________________ ##STR4## ##STR5##compd R.sup.4 a.c.compd R.sup.4 a.c.compd R.sup.4 a.c.______________________________________ 6 NH.sub.2 β7 NH.sub.2 β8 NH.sub.2 β 9 NH.sub.2 α10 NH.sub.2 α11 NH.sub.2 α12 OCH.sub.3 β13 OCH.sub.3 β14 OCH.sub.3 β15 OCH.sub.3 α16 OCH.sub.3 α17 OCH.sub.3 α18 OCH.sub.2 Ph β19 OH* β20 OH* β21 OH* β22 NHMe β23 NHMe β24 NHMe β25 NMe.sub.2 β26 NMe.sub.2 β27 NMe.sub.2 β______________________________________ a.c. anomeric configuration; *Present as the oxo tautomer. ##STR6## | α and β-ribonucleosides of substituted pyrimido[5,4-d]pyrimidines are used in treating malignant tumors in vivo. A novel synthesis for preparing these compounds and other related compounds is further disclosed. | 0 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 as a divisional of presently U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/992,978, entitled COLUMN PLACEMENT TEMPLATE, filed on Nov. 19, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,251, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to column placement and more particularly to a template for fixing the placement of a column.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Column placement involves the physical disposition of a column—typically concrete—in or proximate to the ground for supporting associated structure. Columns often support bridges, roadways, platforms and walls, to name but a few associated structures. Given the massive weight of many associated structures supported by columns, precision in the placement of the columns can be critical to ensure the integrity of the associated structures. Moreover, given the sheer manpower required to place columns and associated structure, misplacement of a column can result in substantial cost overruns. In the modem world of razor-slim margins in civil works project management, cost overruns can be intolerable and can form the difference between a loss on a project and profitability.
Conventional column placement generally involves the lifting of a pre-cast column by a crane to a position above a drill hole. Several workers can subsequently guide the hovering column down and into the hole where the column can be secured by temporary scaffolding. Recognizing the imprecise nature of this exercise, many skilled artisans prefer the use of a template in placing the column. A template generally includes a scaffold-like arrangement of wooden or metal bars configured to support the placement of a column in or above a hole. Ordinarily, the template can be placed such that an opening in the template can align with a hole in the ground, A column can be lowered by crane and guided through the hole into the ground. Still, given the mass of a typical column, many works are required to position and support the column in the hole.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical template arrangement, such as a “Hubbard” arrangement. A typical template arrangement includes a template body 120 supported over a hole 130 in the ground 140 by one or more template feet 160 . A column 110 can be lowered through the template body 120 into the hole 130 and secured in place by one or more adjustable straps 150 such as “come-alongs” as is known in the art. Notably, the adjustable straps 150 can be coupled to the template body 120 and tightened individually so as to cause the column 110 to stand as close to vertical as possible without unduly leaning to any one side.
It will be apparent to the skilled artisan, however, that controlling the vertical placement of the column 110 through the use of multiple individually adjustable straps 150 can be resource intensive and quite difficult given the number of control points dictating the vertical placement of the column and the distance between each control point. Moreover, the mass of the column 110 often can cause shifting in the placement of the template body 120 in respect to the hole given the free-floating nature of the template feet 160 . Accordingly, substantial imprecision can result.
The skilled artisan further will recognize several other deficiencies associated with the conventional column placement template. Most notably, only a single column can be placed at any one time. Also, once a column has been placed and has been secured in the hole in the ground, placing the next column may require alignment with the previously set column. Preserving the accuracy of placement of a new column relative to an existing column can introduce an entirely new set of difficulties. Additionally, the process of auger-cast drilling a hole prior to the placement of a column through the template, and the subsequent dismantling of the template once the column has set in order to remove the template can result in substantial time and manpower consumption. Thus, a more efficient template for placing columns would be desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention advantageously provides a column placement template which overcomes the limitations of the prior art and provides a novel and non-obvious template system and column placement method which facilitates the placement of a column resulting in enhanced placement efficiencies for large scale column construction projects. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, a template for column placement can include a frame, at least one pivotal column engagement scaffold coupled to the frame and at least one docking collar extending from the pivotal column engagement scaffold and configured to secure a column to the pivotal column engagement scaffold. A base further can be provided for supporting the frame, and optionally, the frame can be adjustably mounted to the base.
Notably, the base can include at least one engageable stabilizing pin. Moreover, either or both of the base and the frame can include leveling feet. In this regard, a hand crank further can be provided for operating the leveling feet. Also, the pivotal column engagement scaffold preferably can include a counterweight disposed at a bottom portion of the scaffold opposite an axis of rotation of the scaffold. Also, the docking collar can include a removable face plate. The template yet further can include a multiplicity of shims configured for insertion between a column secured by the docking collar and an interior portion of the docking collar.
Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The aspects of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustrating a template arranged for the placement of a column in a hole as is known in the art;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation illustrating a template arranged for the placement of columns in holes in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the docking collar of a pivotal column engagement scaffold of the template of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an base corner of the adjustable base of the template of FIG. 2 ; and,
FIG. 5 is a template side view illustrating the operation of the template of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a column placement template configured for the efficient installation of one or more columns in one or more corresponding holes. In accordance with the present invention, the column placement template can include pivotal column engagement scaffolding coupled to a template frame. The template frame can be supported by a template base which can include leveling feet such that the template base can be adjusted vertically to achieve a level foundation for the template. The template base further can include engageable stabilizing pins which when activated can engage the ground so as to prevent the lateral and rotational movement of the template base. Preferably, at least two pivotal column engagement scaffolds can be disposed at opposite ends of the template base. Additionally, the pivotal column engagement scaffolds can include counterweights opposite an access of rotation for the pivotal column scaffolding to facilitate the manual rotation of the scaffolds.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, at least one docking collar and preferably at least two docking collars can be incorporated in each pivotal column engagement scaffold. Each docking collar can be configured with a removable face plate so as to permit the engagement of column in the docking collar. In this regard, when secured to the docking collar, the removable face can enclose and secure a column inside the docking collar. To provide for a snug fit, one or more shims can be disposed between the docking collar and an enclosed portion of a column. Optionally, the function of the shims can be performed by mechanically engageable clamps which can be activated to engage the column on different sides of the column.
In more particular illustration of a preferred arrangement, FIG. 2 is a side elevation illustrating a template configured for the placement of columns in holes in the ground in accordance with the present invention. The template 250 can include frame 290 and one or more pivotal column engagement scaffolds 295 . The frame 290 can be unitary in design, or the frame 290 can be telescopically adjustable by securing separate ends of the base 290 into a sleeve 225 . The frame 290 can be mounted to a base 260 . In particular, the bottom portion of the frame 290 can be secured to the top portion of the base 260 using bolts which can extend from the frame 290 to the base 260 through a hole or channel formed in the base 260 . In this way, the frame 290 can be adjustably mounted to the base 260 by sliding the frame 290 along the channel of the base 260 until a desired position is reached. Subsequently, the frame 290 can be “tightened down” to the base 260 .
Importantly, the base 260 can be of substantial mass to support the operation of the pivotal column engagement scaffolds 295 when the pivotal column engagement scaffolds 295 secure one or more columns 210 in one or more corresponding holes 230 in the ground 240 . Moreover, an adjustable ballast 255 can be affixed to the base 260 , for instance by bolting the ballast 255 to the bottom surface of the base 260 . Consequently, the ballast 255 can be used to shift the center of gravity of the base 260 to accommodate non-level sites such as canal embankments in the like.
In a preferred aspect of the invention, one or more engageable stabilizing pins 275 can be affixed to the base 260 so that when activated, the engageable stabilizing pins 275 can inhibit the lateral or translational movement of the base 260 relative to the ground 240 and the columns 210 . For instance, referring to FIG. 4 , each engageable stabilizing pin 420 can be coupled to the frame 410 of the base of the template. Moreover, leveling feet 430 can be coupled to the frame 410 so as to provide for vertical leveling of the base of the template. In this regard, an adjustable crank and shaft 440 can be configured to vertically adjust the leveling feet 430 so as to provide a control point for leveling the frame 410 .
Referring again to FIG. 2 , to support the engagement of the columns 210 , each of the pivotal column engagement scaffolds 295 include scaffolding supports 265 and a docking collar 280 . The docking collar 280 can be configured to engage and enclose a column 210 when the column is placed over a hole, spread footing, or other such target 230 in the ground 240 . In this regard, referring to FIG. 3 , the docking collar 280 can include vertical supports 350 , and fixed arms 320 protruding from a fixed backing 360 (which can be substituted for a specifically configured backing plate). The fixed arms 320 further can be structurally reinforced through the coupling of the inclined struts 340 to the vertical supports 350 . As it will be apparent from the illustration, multiple sets of fixed arms 320 can protrude from the frame of the docking collar to provide additional support. In the exemplary embodiment, two sets of fixed arms 320 are utilized in each docking collar 280 although a single set can suffice as can several.
Notably, to permit the docking of a column in the arms 320 of the docking collar 280 , a confinement element 330 further can be included so that when secured to the arms 320 of the docking collar 280 (or to the fixed backing 360 ) utilizing a bolt, an enclosed column can be limited in its lateral and translational movement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the structural configuration of the docking collar 280 is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 and other configurations are contemplated to fall within the scope of the invention including any configuration in which a column can be engaged within the docking collar 280 and secured through the operation of a sealing mechanism which can be adjusted to permit the entry of a column into the interior portion of the docking collar 280 , for example where the docking collar 280 is a friction collar. To that end, a cylindrical docking collar or a docking collar 280 having an elliptical cross-section also can suffice for the intended purpose of the docking collar 280 .
Referring once again to FIG. 2 , a counter weight 270 can be coupled to or incorporated with each the pivotal column engagement scaffold 295 opposite an axis of rotation of the pivotal column engagement scaffold 295 so as to facilitate the inward and outward rotation of the pivotal column engagement scaffold 295 . In this way, the pivotal column engagement scaffold 295 can be removed from the immediate vicinity of the hole 230 as the hole is drilled or otherwise formed (presumably through the operation of a drill), and also from the immediate vicinity of a column 210 as the column 210 is lowered into place (presumably through the operation of a lifting device such as a crane) over the hole 230 . Once the column 210 has been lowered into the hole 230 , the pivotal column engagement scaffold 295 can be rotated outward towards the column 210 and secured to the column.
To provide a snug fit and to inhibit the movement of the column 210 from its true vertical position, one or more shims 285 can be applied to the space between the docking collar 280 and the column 210 . The shims 285 can include wedge type structures which when set between the column 210 and the collar 280 , force a snug fit. In an alternative embodiment, however, in substitute for wedges, the shims can include mechanically activated screw clamps 215 as shown in FIG. 2 . Specifically, in the alternative embodiment, the docking collar interior service can include indentation 205 at select locations in which a clamp 215 can retract when activated by a wrench or other activating tool. In this way, the process of securing a column 210 to the collar 280 can include the mere activation of each clamp 215 by mechanical or manual means.
In more particular illustration, FIG. 5 is a template side view illustrating the operation of the template 250 of FIG. 2 when drilling holes 230 and placing columns 210 therein in a process of placing columns (for instance, in the construction of sound barrier walls in highway construction). As in the case of the template 250 of FIG. 2 , in the template 550 of FIG. 5 , the template 550 can include a template base 560 coupled to a ballast 525 , the base 560 supporting a template frame 590 and one or more pivotal column engagement scaffolds 595 disposed at opposite ends of the template frame 590 . The template 550 can be positioned over the target site of one or more holes 530 to be formed to support the placement of corresponding columns 510 , albeit the invention is not limited to the placement of columns over holes and spread footings and other such column supporting structure can suffice. Once positioned over the target site, the base 560 can be secured from movement through the operation of the engageable stabilizing pins 575 . Optionally, the base 560 further can be leveled through the operation of leveling feet (not shown for the simplicity of illustration).
To form the hole 530 , a proximate pivotal column engagement scaffold 595 positioned over the hole 530 can be rotated inwardly as shown in FIG. 5 . In this way, a drill 520 can be positioned over the target area and the hole 530 can be formed. Notably, the skilled artisan will recognize many techniques for drilling holes including that which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,429,455 and 5,234,288 to Bone entitled INTEGRATED COLUMN AND PILE issued on Jul. 4, 1995. Once the hole 530 has been formed, the column 510 can be secured to the hole 530 either by direct placement in the hole 530 or by attaching the column 510 to a foundational structure established within the hole 530 .
Once the column 510 can been secured to the hole 530 , the pivotal column engagement scaffold 595 can be rotated outwardly towards the column 510 so that the arms of the docking collar 580 engages the column 510 as shown in FIG. 5 . Optionally, additional docking collars (not shown) can engage the column 510 so as to further secure the column in place. In this regard, the use of the docking collar 580 can also secure the column 510 at a desired vertical position as well as a desired horizontal position. In any case, preferably, a docking collar can be placed at or near the bottom portion of the pivotal column engagement scaffold 595 . In any case, once the docking collar 580 has engaged the column 510 , the column 510 can be secured within the docking collar 580 by attaching the confinement element 565 to the docking collar 580 . Furthermore, additional confinement elements 565 can be attached to other docking collars included as part of the pivotal column engagement scaffolds 595 (or optionally as part of the template frame 590 . When the column 510 has been secured within the docking collar 580 , the column 580 can be leveled vertically and stabilized through the insertion of shims 585 . The insertion of the shims 585 can provide for a snug fit for the column 510 in the docking collar 580 . As an alternatively, mechanically engageable clamps can be applied to the column 510 so as to provide a snug fit for the column 510 in the docking collar 580 .
Several advantages of the template of the present invention will be apparent to the skilled artisan. First and foremost, by including two pivotal column engagement scaffolds in a single template, two columns can be placed at once resulting in a half-time reduction in the placement of a series of columns. Second, by utilizing the pivotal column engagement scaffolds, the template placement can be coordinated with the drilling of the hole and once the column has been fixed in the hole, the template need not be completely dismantled to remove the template. Rather, the pivotal column engagement scaffolds can be rotated away from the columns and the template simply can be removed from the vicinity of the columns.
The rigid nature of the docking collars obviate the use of straps or come-alongs in positing the column vertically over the hole. Moreover, the shims provide a snug fit of the column in the docking collar. Importantly, all control points for adjusting the lateral and translational position of the columns in the hole are located within arms reach about the docking collar. Finally, the base can be secured firmly to the ground through the operation of the engageable stabilizing pins so as to prevent the movement of the base, and the base can be precisely leveled through the operation of the leveling feet. As a result, inaccuracies associated with conventional templates can be eliminated and columns can be most efficiently placed in holes at a minimum of cost.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims. | A template system and column placement method which facilitates the placement of a column resulting in enhanced placement efficiencies for large scale column construction projects. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, a template for column placement can include a frame, at least one pivotal column engagement scaffold coupled to the frame and at least one docking collar extending from the pivotal column engagement scaffold and configured to secure a column to the pivotal column engagement scaffold. Additionally, a base can be provided in order to support the frame. | 4 |
This invention relates to improvements relating to building systems, and more particularly to multi-storey buildings having a core unit of the wet area of the building.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
In Australian Pat. Nos. 527,849; 544,452 and 544,461, there is described a method of erecting a building particularly a domestic building, including the steps of constructing a core unit of the wet area of the building, preparing a foundation of the building, transporting the core unit to the foundation, placing the core unit in position and then erecting the building around and/or about the core unit. This core unit becomes the basic core structure from which the rest of the home is built, the core unit incorporating the wet area rooms, such as the kitchen, bathroom, toilet and laundry, and this unit is constructed under factory conditions, and then delivered and placed on pre-prepared foundations at the home site.
In general, the core unit or module is fitted out with all the items desired or chosen by the owner and found in a site built home within the applicable area. For example the kitchens contain all cupboards, pantry, sink, cooker, tiles, flashbacks and fittings. Laundries contain the laundry tub, ceramic tile floors and skirtings and all fittings while the toilets are fitted out with a toilet suite, ceramic tile floors and skirtings and fittings. Similarly the bathrooms have the bath, shower recess and the basin and cabinet, ceramic tile floors and the whole core has all its electrical components and wirings fitted and wired to a sub-fuse box ready for connection. Similarly the plumbing is complete and also ready for interconnection at site.
The module is transported to site, and utilises beam or truss members to allow the module to be crane lifted and placed on site. The foundation on which the module is placed can either be a wooden foundaton, or can be a concrete slab.
The placement on the concrete slab in the prior patent specification could create some harm with connection of drainage points to waste disposal service pipes. Thus the methods outlined were two alternatives where one could either fit all disposal pipes above floor line and connected through walls, or by providing recesses in the slab for the clearance of pipe work when the module was lowered into position.
Multi-storey buildings utilising the module have been constructed. However, if a first module is placed in position and a concrete slab is provided for the floor above covering the first module, difficulties arise in positioning the second module and providing plumbing and other connections through the concrete slab floor.
It is an object of this invention to provide an alternate method whereby the module can be constructed in such a way that it can be incorporated into multi-storey buildings and yet still allow access to the underside for connection of services, sewage, drainage, water and the like.
STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
Hence, there is provided according to the invention, a building system for multi-storey buildings with at least one of the above ground floors incorporating a wet area, including the provision of a module incorporating the wet area, each module utilising an integrated module support system that interlocks with a first module to provide support for a second module positioned above a first module.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a module for installation in a multi-storey building in which modules are stacked vertically above each other, each module at its upper perimeter incorporating a perimeter beam attached to the upper perimeter of the core unit, the perimeter beam forming the formwork for a surrounding concrete slab floor and interlocking therewith so that a further module may be positioned on the perimeter beam and thus supported thereon by the concrete slab floor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows in partial cross-section, three stacked modules, the centre one being in cross-section, the upper and lower modules being in side elevation,
FIG. 2 shows a module corner base location,
FIG. 3 shows a module corner lifting point,
FIG. 4 shows a transport frame,
FIG. 5 shows a portion of the construction stand,
FIG. 6 shows in cross-section the interface of module to module,
FIG. 7 shows the bolting of the flooring of a module to the wall frame,
FIG. 8 shows the lowest module on the floor of the parent building,
FIG. 9 shows the w.c. pan outlet,
FIG. 10 shows the vanity unit waste drainage,
FIG. 11 shows the bath waste drainage,
FIG. 12 shows the floor waste drainage, and
FIG. 13 shows an alternate method of joining the modules to the surrounding floor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a lower module 1 on which is supported a second module 1(a) in turn supporting a further module 1(b). As shown in module 1, the module has a floor 2 and a false ceiling 3. The ceiling being positioned to allow a ceiling cavity 4 for the plumbing and drainage with ventilation for the module 1(b), and also the electrical services for module 1(b). A similar arrangement is provided for all modules, where a false ceiling provides access and space for the plumbing and drainage of the module immediately thereabove.
As shown, each module can comprise a bath 5 with a metal safe tray 6 therebeneath, cistern 7 and pan 8, vanity unit 9, light 10 and mirror 11, and a shower recess or alcove (not shown), and an entry door 12 providing access to the bathroom.
Each module has an upper frame 13 and a lower frame 14, these frames being joined together to unite one module to the next, the frame 14 of module 1 being mounted to a floor or the like of the building on the ground floor. As shown in FIG. 1, module 1 and module 1(b) are shown in broken form, these showing the outer construction of the modules. The floors for the adjoining rooms of the building are shown as concrete floors 15.
The modules are manufactured at a central location and transported to the site for erection. As noted above each module is produced fully equipped, with all the plumbing, electrical and internal fittings included so that on erection the plumbing and electrical services have merely to be connected.
The modules 1 are manufactured on a stand 16 (FIGS. 4 and 5) the stand having a shackle 17 and chain 18 to hold the module down onto a transport stand 19. The modules have base locations 20 at each corner (one only being shown in FIG. 2) formed by a cylindrical reducer 21 having a nut 22 welded thereto, the reducer being welded to a base angle 23 on the module. A bolt 24 attaches the module to the construction stand 16.
Each module has a lifting point 25 at each corner (one only being shown in FIG. 3) this comprising a nut 26 welded to a plate 27 in the corner stud 28 of each module.
The method of stacking one module on another is shown in FIG. 6 which shows the interface along one side, the upper frame 29 of the lower module being in abutting arrangement with the frame 30 of the upper module. The concrete floor 31 of the upper module is supported on profiled steel decking 32 supported by the frame 30, fire proof boards 33 being underneath the decking 32 and also fire rated material 34 being positioned on the outer side of the frames 29 and 30 and inside frame 29. On the upper surface of the concrete floor 31 are positioned tiles 35 on grouting 36. Stud 28 is attached by a cleat 37, skirting material 38 being positioned on each side of stud 28. Also shown is the floor 39 of the adjoining floor of the building, carpet 40 being positioned thereon.
The modules are superimposed one upon the other and joined together by positioning the base location 20 of the upper module into the lifting point of the lower module and bolting the two together which constitute a firm attachment means.
FIG. 7 shows another view of one way of attaching the floor system to the wall frame. The floor of each module comprising compressed fibro sheeting 41 bolted to the base of stud 28, mortar 36 being layed on the fibro sheeting to support the tiles 35. The fibro sheeting 41 is bolted by bolts 42 to base plate 43 of stud 28. The floor is supported by grout 44 on concrete floor 45.
FIG. 8 shows the position of the lowermost module on the concrete base floor 45 of the base building. The figure also shows further details of the stud 28 which comprises an aluminium column with a base plate 46 filled with fire rated material 34, this being positioned on a plate 47, the fibro sheeting 41 being bolted thereto as shown in FIG. 7. A leveling pad 48 is positioned in the recess in the concrete base floor 45, the floor of the module being grouted to the base floor 45 as desired.
Referring to FIG. 9, this shows the w.c. pan waste drainage through the floor comprising the fibro sheets 41, mortar 36 and tiles 35. A pipe 49 is embedded by an epoxy seal 50 into the opening in the floor, a fitting 51 being situated over the pipe 49. The pan outlet 52 is retained by a clamping collar 53 and flexible collar 54 to the fitting 51. The flexible coupling 55 and pipe 55 is supplied and fitted by the plumber on site. This is an example of the drainage of an upper module, the connections being made by the plumber in the false ceiling space described above.
FIG. 10 shows a vanity unit waste drainage for the lowermost module situated on the insitu concrete floor 45 of the building. The vanity unit coupling pipe 56 passes down through the cupboard floor 57 and is attached to a coupling unit 58 embedded in the fibro floor 41 resting on mortar bed 44 on concrete floor 45. A slab seal 59 is fitted into the slab floor 45, the outlet pipe 60 being fitted thereto by the plumber after the module has been positioned.
An example of the bath waste drainage for the base module is also shown, the bath 61 having a plugway 62 screwed to a fitting 63 passing through the bath safe tray 64 and connected to a socket extension 65 with collar 66 connected to socket 67 in the floor of the module. A PVC slab seal 68 for pipe 69 is formed in the slab, the pipe 69 being fitted by the plumber on site.
Similarly FIG. 12 shows a floor waste drainage with the removal grating 70 resting in fitting 71 to which is adhered a PVC collar 72 adhered to fibro sheeting 41. A slab seal 73 is fitted to the slab to receive the waste pipe 74, the pipe 74 being fitted by the plumber on site.
In FIGS. 10 to 12, which described the connection through the base concrete floor, also can be applied to the upper modules. In this case as the base floor 45 is not present, the outlet pipes are fitted into the ceiling space above the false ceiling, suitable elbows and traps being provided as desired in the ceiling space.
FIG. 13 shows an alternative construction for mounting the modules on each other with modules being tied into the surrounding floor of the building.
Referring to FIG. 13 there is shown a first module 80 with a second module 81 placed vertically thereabove and is supported thereto by a surrounding concrete floor slab 82.
On the top of the wall plate 83 of the wall 84 of each unit, there is attached for example by welding, bolting or the like a perimeter beam 85, this passing completely around the upper perimeter of the wall 84 of the module. Also each module has, extending from the bottom plate 86 of each wall 84 an angle perimeter beam 87 to support the floor panel 88 and floor finishing material 89 and tiles 90 of the floor of the module.
It will be realised that the perimeter beam 85 and angled perimeter beam 87, floor 88, 89 and 90 of each unit as well as all the plumbing fittings, water supply services, sinks, basins, tubs and the like are completed in each module before placement.
The perimeter beam 85 can be used to assist in supporting the insitu plywood formwork 91 surrounding the module for the pouring of the concrete floor slab 82 incorporating suitable reinforcement (not shown).
When a module is positioned, the top may be covered with a platform or decking to provide access for the workmen pouring the concrete floor slab which surrounds the module, which slab is locked thereto by the perimeter beam which also forms the formwork for the opening in the floor slab above the module.
After the floor slab has cured and after the temporary decking is removed, the next module can be positioned, the bottom plate 86 resting on the perimeter beam 85 of the lower unit. Access is thus available under the floor of the unit 1(a). On removing the ceiling panels 92 connection of the plumbing services and the like are made after which the ceiling panels 92 of the lower unit can be replaced.
Thus, it will be seen that the reinforcing of the floor slab is designed to provide a void in the slab over most of the core area. When the floor slab is poured and cured the core unit for that floor is placed on the perimeter beam which has been strengthened by the addition of the concrete.
A further advantage of using this system is that once the lower floor core is placed in position the concrete workers are relieved of the responsibility of providing accurate nesting in the concrete slab as required with previous systems. A further advantage is that sleeves for drainage and pipe work do not have to be provided in the concrete slab. All pipe work connections are made at some convenient time after the cores are placed in position and this is simplified by providing a normal suspended panel ceiling in the lower unit which can be sound rated and fire rated as desired.
It is noted above as a safety measure, panels of formwork and plywood which are removable are screwed to the top face of the perimeter beam so that workmen engaged in operations adjacent the open ceiling of the lower module are not at risk. These temporary panels are covered with waterproof sheeting which stays in place until they need to be removed for the placement of the upper module.
In the first alternative method described each module supports the next module above in a vertical stacking procedure. This method allows the concrete floors to be poured at any convenient time after the initial two or more modules are placed on top of each other. This method gives the site builder more flexibility in choosing concrete pour times. The modules are structurally designed to support a number of modules placed one on top of another, but will not structurally support the building. However, once each concrete floor slab is poured and cured the effect of the concrete keying into the perimeter beam of each module provides positive locking of the module into the surrounding floor structure. Thus the long term structural support for each module is provided by the pouring and curing of each successive floor as they progress upwards. A further advantage of stacking at least one module above the level where concrete is being poured is that greater protection for workmen is provided by not relying on the strength of the temporary platform or decking to support the weight of undetermined numbers of workmen and materials and equipment.
Although various forms of the invention have been described in some detail it is to be realised that the invention is not to be limited thereto but can include various modifications falling within the spirit and scope of the claims defining the invention. | A building system in which the wet areas are constructed as a module at a construction site and transported to be placed on site for a building to be erected therearound. The modules are constructed to be positioned one on another for multi-storied buildings and incorporated into the floors of the building. | 4 |
This application claims priority benefit from U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/098,250, filed Aug. 28, 1998.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns a process for polymerizing cyclic oligomers in the presence of one or more linear polymers.
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,454 (to GE) discloses synthesis of co-polyesters from co-cyclic compositions. This patent does not disclose polymerization in the presence of linear polymer.
EP 0 655 476 A1 (to GE) discloses polymerization of polyester cyclic oligomers specifying that the cyclic oligomers be free of linear polyester at the beginning of polymerization.
Modification of a premanufactured linear polyester by copolymerization with a polyester cyclic oligomer of different chemical composition with the intent of preparing polyesters of lower ultimate crystallinity is described in Cook, T. D.; Evans, T. L.; McAlea, K. P.; Pearce, E. J., U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,590 (1994) to GE.
JP 47-6425 (to Nippon Ester) discloses a means of post-polymerization molecular weight enhancement of linear polyester by adding cyclic oligomer to a melt of linear polyester. In this process, the linear polyester is made by conventional means and the cyclic simply provides on-line molecular weight enhancement. Our invention provides an entirely new method of making polyester.
There are many references on cyclic oligomer polymerization. However, none of these references teach the benefits of cyclic polymerization in the presence of linear polyesters which overcomes the high melting points of the cyclic oligomers, a difficulty often associated with cyclic oligomer polymerization.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention consists of polymerizing cyclic oligomers in the presence of one or more linear polymers which may be recycled from the product stream. The polymer product of this process may be a homopolymer or a co-polymer, depending on whether the chemical composition of the cyclic oligomer is the same as that of the linear polymer. Homopolymers or copolymers produced include those selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthenate, polyethylene isophthalate and sulfonated polyethylene isophthalate, polyalkylene or sulfonated polyalkylene terephthalate, polyalkylene or sulfonated polyalkylene naphthenate, polyalkylene and sulfonated polyalkylene isophthalate.
This process provides rapid on-line polymerization or polymer modification at atmospheric pressure.
This invention overcomes the high melting points of the cyclic oligomers, a difficulty normally associated with cyclic oligomer polymerization. The process may be run either with or without a recycle loop, and is optionally conducted in the presence of a catalyst. For example, cyclic oligo(ethylene terephthalate) trimer melts at 321° C. (see J. Brandrup and E. H. Immergut, eds., Polymer Handbook, 3rd Edn., Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1989, page IV/50) which greatly exceeds the thermal stability of its linear polymer, poly(ethylene terephthalate). The use of ring-opening polymerization in the presence of the linear polymer as described herein facilitates the dissolution of the cyclic oligomer and subsequent reaction at temperatures such as 270-285° C. at which the polymer is thermally stable.
Specifically disclosed is a process for producing polymers including polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthenate, polyethylene isophthalate and sulfonated polyethylene isophthalate, polyalkylene or sulfonated polyalkylene terephthalate, polyalkylene or sulfonated polyalkylene naphthenate, polyalkylene and sulfonated polyalkylene isophthalate from cyclic oligomers selected from the group consisting of cyclic forms of polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthenate, polyethylene isophthalate and sulfonated polyethylene isophthalate.
The process as described can be done while the reacting mixture is in a solid-state, melt, slurry, suspension and/or solution state.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a schematic of the present process, including a recycle loop.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Synthesis of cyclic oligomer can be by any of several methods, including extraction from linear polymer or direct conversion of linear polymer or pre-polymer or monorner(s) in solution or suspension to the cyclic form. Polymerization is at temperatures above the melting point of the linear polymer in the optional presence of a polymerization catalyst at atmospheric pressure, with agitation, for time periods of 2 minutes to 60 minutes. The catalysts include antimony, tin, aluminum, germanium, titanium compounds or their oxides, as well as Bronsted acids. A preferred catalyst is Ti(O-i-C 3 H 7 ) 4 (titanium isopropoxide).
Polymers useful herein include polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthenate, or any co-polymer. The cyclic oligomer can include, but is not limited to, the cyclic forms of polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthenate, polyethylene isophthalate, or sulfonated polyethylene isophthalate. This process results in rapid on-line polymerization of homopolymers, or rapid on-line copolymerization under mild conditions to yield co-polymers.
Cyclic oligomers based on sulfonated isophthalic acid have been synthesized by the above method for making copolymers as polymer modification agents.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Cyclic Oligomer Polymerization in the Presence of Linear Polymer
In these experiments the cyclic was polymerized in the presence of linear polymer. The linear polymer was prepared in an autoclave using 42 ppm Zn and 292 ppm Sb with no other additives. The polymer had 0.68 dL/g inherent viscosity with the following GPC numbers: Mn=13200, Mw=32200, Mz=50200. The polymerizations with cyclic oligomer were run at 50:50 cyclic oligomer/linear polymer with 100 ppm Ti added as 30 microliters of a concentrate of Ti(O-i-C 3 H 7 ) 4 in hexadecane. The cyclic oligomer had the following end group analysis: 161 meq/kg and 184 meq/kg of glycol ends (duplicate determinations) and 1 meq/kg of acid ends. In some of these experiments, the glassware, polymer, and cyclic were pre-dried at 100° C. in a vacuum oven overnight. The results of the polymerization are in the table below.
Polymerization of PET cyclic oligomer in an equal weight of PET linear polymer at 280° C., 1 atm. pressure
Run
Polym. Time
IV(dL/g)
Mn a
Mw a
residual cyclic b
Comment
—
—
0.68
13200
32200
1.7%
control: linear polymer used in
the cyclic polymerization
A
10 min
0.54
6570
24200
8.3%
did not pre-dry polymer or cyclic
B
30 min
0.58
9760
26000
3.3%
did not pre-dry polymer or cyclic
C
10 min
0.57
4920
26600
5.3%
pre-dried polymer and cyclic
D
30 min
0.89
9890
38900
1.8%
pre-dried polymer and cyclic
E
10 min
0.67
6240
27400
3.3%
replicate of run C
F
30 min
0.71
8260
31600
2.5%
replicate of run D
a GPC data is uncorrected for the contribution from cyclic oligomer, giving artificially high polydispersities
b These numbers are uncorrected for GPC response factors
POLYMERIZATION REACTIONS
In a typical polymerization, 0.50 g of cyclic oligomer was charged into a test tube reaction vessel equipped with an overhead stirrer and a side arm for nitrogen inlet, the charging operation being carried out in an inert atmosphere drybox. The reaction vessel was transferred into the fume hood, placed under nitrogen, and heated at the desired reaction temperature using a Wood's metal bath. After the reactants melted, the desired amount of catalyst was added by syringe, using a catalyst solution in Ph 2 O, and the polymerization was carried out under nitrogen. For most polymerizations described in this study, Ti(O-i-C 3 H 7 ) 4 was used as the catalyst, at 100 ppm Ti level. Samples were removed from the reaction vessel as a function of time for analysis by gel permeation chromatography and differential scanning calorimetry.
Conversion in the polymerization reactions is calculated from the area under the corresponding GPC peaks, by applying a response factor. The response factor (R f ) provides the correction for the difference in the detector response for PET cyclics and high molecular weight PET linear chains. In order to determine R f , a constant volume of 0.01 M solution of the PET cyclic trimer, and high molecular weight PET in HFIP were injected into the GPC columns, and the areas under the corresponding elution peaks were measured. The response factor was obtained as the ratio of the two areas and was used in all conversion calculations, using R f =A PET polymer /A PET cyclics =1.394.
Post-Polymerization Co-Polymer Synthesis
A Haake® batch reactor of nominal capacity 75 grams was charged with high molecular weight commercial PET. This was melted at 285° C., and PEI cyclic oligomers were added as a powder, to obtain 83/17 PET/PEI ratio. GPC analysis of the reaction mixture as a function of time indicates nearly complete consumption of the cyclic oligomers after 3 minutes, with ˜6% cyclic oligomer remaining. After 10 minutes under these conditions, the cyclic oligomer concentration is near its equilibrium value of about 2.5 wt. %. The GPC shows after 3 minutes Mn=7281, Mw=27566, Mz=43992. Thermal analysis shows that full randomization is not achieved after 10 minutes at 285° C. under these conditions. The commercial 83/17 PET/PEI control (Crystare® Merge 1946) has a crystallization half time of about 30 minutes, while the experimental polymer has a crystallization half time of about 0.6 minutes. The heat of fusion is also higher for the experimental polymer compared to the control. This suggests our conditions yield a blocky structure.
The co-polymers derived under these conditions have composition dependent melting temperatures similar to that of commercial PET/PEI copolymers synthesized by conventional melt polymerization. At 9% isophthalate content, the melting point depression is about 10° C., and the extent of crystallinity is not practically affected, as measured by the heat of fusion. However, at 13% isophthalate content, the melting temperature is depressed by 40° C. and the degree of crystallinity is significantly reduced.
Example 2
Synthesis of Sulfonated Polyethylene Isophthalate Cyclic Oligomer
The following describes a synthesis of this cyclic oligomer as the lithium salt. Disclosed is the synthesis of the sodium salt and the tetrabutyl ammonium salt. Also disclosed is the modification of nylon and polyester with this material.
A nitrogen-flushed and blanketed 250 mL, 3 neck round bottom flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer, a claissen-type distillation head, condenser, and heating mantle was charged with 150 mL of an 80:20 mixture of phenyl sulfone/phenyl ether solvent mix. The phenyl sulfone was used as received from the vendor, while the phenyl ether was purified by distillation. The flask was further charged with 15 g of the lithium salt of sulfonated isophthalic acid as the bis ester with ethylene glycol, as a 6.6% solids solution in ethylene glycol. The reaction was charged with 1.2 mL of a solution of Ti(O-i-C 3 H 7 ) 4 that was 0.42 g of Ti(O-i-C 3 H 7 ) 4 in 50 mL of toluene. The mixture was heated with stirring to distill a mixture of ethylene glycol and some solvent. Some solids formed after 20 minutes. The over head temperature steadily rose to 276° C. Distillation ceased after 80 minutes. The product was allowed to settle out of the reaction mixture after turning off the agitation and heat source. A total of 10 mL of distillate was collected. The product was isolated by decanting off the solvent, and product was washed with a hexanes/acetone mixture and dried under vacuum at 50° C. Analysis showed this product to be the lithium salt of the sulfonated isophthalic acid ethylene glycol cyclic dimer, with small amounts of higher cyclic oligomers. | This invention concerns a process for polymerizing cyclic oligomers to homopolymers or copolymers, conducted in the presence of one or more linear polymers. | 2 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Section 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2006/009113, filed Sep. 20, 2006, which was published on Mar. 29, 2007, under International Publication No. WO 2007/033817 A1 and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a pump assembly with a wet-running electric motor.
[0003] Pump assemblies with wet-running electric motors are, for example, applied as submersible pump assemblies or heating circulation pump assemblies. Particularly with submersible pump assemblies, a high delivery capacity with a compact construction and low energy consumption are desirable. In order to achieve greater delivery capacities, usually several stages are provided in submersible pump assembles. This, on the one hand, leads to a more complicated construction of the pump assembly, whereby the assembly requires more effort. On the other hand, the total friction of the pump assembly is also increased, whereby the power loss is increased.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved pump assembly with a higher efficiency.
[0005] The pump assembly according to the invention, which comprises a wet-running electric motor, is provided with an impeller which may be driven by the wet-running electric motor with a maximal speed of greater than 20,000 rev./min. (rpm), preferably greater than 25,000 rpm, and more preferably greater than 30,000 rpm. A high delivery capacity of the pump may also be achieved with only one impeller with a comparatively small diameter due to this high speed. The friction and thus losses of the pump assembly may be minimized by a small diameter of the impeller. Furthermore, according to the invention, the impeller is simultaneously axially sealed in the region of the suction port. The axial sealing of the suction port has the advantage that the axial surface of the impeller, preferably the surface distant from the electric motor, may simultaneously serve as a sealing surface, so that the number of necessary sealing elements is reduced, and a simple and reliable sealing may be formed in the region of the suction port. This leads to a further reduction of the friction and of losses in the pump assembly, and thus to a higher efficiency.
[0006] Particularly preferably, at least one axial end of the impeller furthermore forms an axial bearing surface. In this manner, the number of required components for mounting the rotor is reduced, since the impeller may itself be a part of the axial bearing. This on the one hand permits a simplified and compact construction of the whole pump assembly, and on the other hand permits the power loss to be further minimized and thus the efficiency to be increased. The bearing surface, particularly preferably, simultaneously serves as an axial sealing surface. This has the further advantage that no additional pressing elements are required, in order to hold the seal in bearing. An adequately small gap automatically arises in the axial bearing, which forms a sliding bearing, and this gap ensures a reliable sealing and simultaneously guarantees an adequate lubrication film on the bearing surface. The gap preferably lies in the range of a few micrometers. This ensures a particularly good sealing on the suction port, which further contributes to the increase of the efficiency of the pump assembly.
[0007] Further preferably, the impeller at an axial end side, on which the impeller blades are arranged, is formed in an open manner, and the axial end sides of the impeller blades form an axial bearing surface of the impeller. This means that the axial free end sides of the impeller blades serve for the axial mounting of the impeller and thus of the rotor shaft, and simultaneously the sealing of the impeller at its open end side. In this manner, one achieves a particularly good sealing in a very simple manner, since the impeller blades are pressed by the occurring axial force which is to be accommodated by the axial bearing, against an opposite axial bearing surface, for example of a counter-rotation disk. A very small gap between the axial end sides of the blades and the counter-rotation disk is created by this, which preferably simultaneously ensures a good sealing and an adequate lubrication film in the axial sliding bearing.
[0008] Usefully, the impeller is fixed on the rotor shaft in the axial direction, so that the impeller may assume the axial bearing function of the complete rotor. This means that the axial mounting of the whole rotor is effected at the impeller, preferably in a sliding bearing, whose axial bearing surface is formed by the axial end side of the impeller, preferably by the axial end sides of the impeller blades.
[0009] According to a further preferred embodiment, the axial side of the impeller facing the electric motor, is designed as a sealing surface for sealing the rotor space of the electric motor. This means that here, preferably also an axial sealing surface is made available, on which a stationary sealing element, for example a sealing ring bears. This sealing ring may be pressed against the sealing surface by spring biasing or flexible inherent tension. The sealing of the rotor space is preferred, in order to prevent contamination from the fluid to be delivered by the pump assembly, which is preferably water, from penetrating into the rotor space, and which there may lead to undesirable friction or even damage of the rotor. The rotor space may be pre-filled with fluid at the factory. It is alternatively possible for the fluid to penetrate into the rotor space with the first starting operation of the pump assembly. This may be ensured by the seal not being designed in a completely fluid-tight manner between the impeller and the rotor space, but merely being designed such that no contamination or only small quantities of fluid may enter into the rotor space. Thus, the fluid exchange between the pump space, in which the impeller rotates, and the rotor space in the inside of the can, is minimized or prevented. One may ensure a very simple sealing with a minimized number of components due to the fact that the sealing surface is made available directly on the impeller. Furthermore, due to the adequate sealing, one may ensure that frictional losses due to contamination do not occur, whereby a higher efficiency of the pump assembly may be ensured in a permanent manner.
[0010] The impeller, particularly preferably, comprises at least one surface of carbide or ceramic, and is preferably manufactured completely of carbide or ceramic. This design permits the minimization or prevention of wear of the impeller blades on account of contamination in the fluid, for example sand particles. Furthermore, the particularly hard or wear-resistant design of the impeller surfaces permits the application as sliding bearing surfaces or axial bearing surfaces, so that one may do away with additional bearing shells or bearing elements. The wear-resistant design of the impeller furthermore permits the rotational speed of the impeller to be increased further, without a large wear occurring. This permits the increase of efficiency of the pump assembly without further stages having to be provided. Simultaneously, the impeller may be designed in a very small manner. A small impeller diameter leads to the reduction of frictional losses, whereby the efficiency of the pump assembly may be increased further. Alternatively to the design of carbide or ceramic, or to the surface coating with carbide and ceramic, one may also use other methods or coatings for hardening the surface of the impeller, provided that an adequate wear-resistance of the surfaces is achieved. For example, a hardness of the impeller surface of greater than 1000 HV is preferred. The design of the impeller completely of carbide or ceramic may be effected, for example, with a sintering method, wherein the impeller blades are subsequently preferably ground, in order to form the end sides of the impeller blades as a defined axial bearing and sealing surface. If the opposite end side of the impeller is likewise to be designed as a sealing surface, this is preferably also ground, in order to create a defined bearing surface.
[0011] The pump assembly according to the invention, particularly preferably, comprises only one stage. The number of required individual parts is significantly reduced by the design as a single-stage pump assembly. Furthermore, the friction occurring in the whole pump assembly is decreased, whereby the efficiency may be increased. Furthermore, it is possible, as described above, to fix the impeller on the rotor shaft in the axial direction without any problem, which in turn permits the impeller to be able to be sealed in the axial direction at the suction port, and preferably the impeller at its end side opposite from the electric motor forms an axial bearing surface for the sliding mounting of the whole rotor in the axial direction. Again, a very good sealing of the impeller may be achieved by this axial abutting/bearing of the impeller, whereby the efficiency is increased. The friction, which is reduced as a whole, preferably permits the whole pump assembly to be operated at a high speed, for example greater than 20,000 rpm, whereby one may achieve a large delivery capability even with only one stage. Simultaneously, as previously described, the impeller is preferably also designed very small in its diameter, whereby the power loss is further reduced, and simultaneously the operation at a higher speed is favored. The diameter of the rotor, particularly preferably, also is designed in a very small manner. Thus, the friction losses in the motor are minimized, and the operation at a high speed favored. Particularly preferably, the rotor diameter is smaller than 25 mm, more preferably smaller than 20 mm. The smaller the rotor diameter, the lower is the occurring friction.
[0012] The electric motor, which is reduced in diameter, may be designed longer in the axial direction, in order to be able to provide an adequate power of the electrical motor with a small rotor diameter. Preferably, a very stiff rotor shaft is provided in order to permit this. A very stiff rotor shaft may be achieved by designing the rotor shaft, including the axial end at which the impeller is attached, as one piece, ideally as one piece with the complete rotor.
[0013] The pump assembly preferably comprises an electric motor with a permanent magnet rotor. This permits a simple construction of the motor. In order to further increase the efficiency of the motor, the diameter of the permanent magnet rotor is preferably selected as small as possible, in order to minimize the friction. A diameter smaller than 25 mm is particularly preferred. In order to simultaneously ensure a high magnetic capability, one may apply particularly strong permanent magnets, for example neodymium magnets.
[0014] As described above, the pump assembly according to the invention is preferably designed as a submersible pump assembly. It is particularly with submersible pump assemblies that a large delivery capacity is desired.
[0015] Further preferably, a counter-rotation disk facing the impeller is provided, which bears on an axial side of the impeller, preferably the axial side opposite from the electric motor, in a manner such that it forms an axial bearing surface. Thus, a sliding bearing is formed between the axial end side of the impeller or the impeller blades and the counter-rotation disk, the sliding bearing being able to serve as an axial bearing of the impeller and the whole rotor.
[0016] The counter-rotation disk preferably likewise comprises at least one surface of carbide or ceramic material, in order to be able to ensure the wear characteristics, which are required for a sliding bearing surface or sealing surface, even at highs speeds. It is also possible to design the counter-rotation disk completely of carbide or ceramic material. Particularly preferably, only the part of the counter-rotation disk facing the impeller is formed of such a material. The part facing away from the impeller may be designed of a different material or metal and, for example, may be bonded to the part facing the impeller. Here, one may also apply alternative methods or designs which ensure an adequate hardness or wear-resistance of the surface of the counter-rotation disk.
[0017] The axial side of the counter-rotation disk facing away from the impeller is preferably designed in a spherical manner, i.e., in particular in a hemispherical manner. This permits the counter-rotation disk to be able to be mounted in a corresponding spherical or hemispherical receiver, so that a self-centering or self-alignment of the counter-rotation disk parallel to the impeller or the axial end side of the impeller is achieved. This, one the one hand, simplifies the assembly and, on the other hand, ensures a wear-free and secure operation of the pump assembly, even at high speeds.
[0018] The impeller is preferably surrounded by a spiral housing or a guiding apparatus, whereby the delivered fluid, exiting radially out of the impeller, is deflected such that it may be led further, preferably in the axial direction, and be led out of the pump assembly into a connection conduit.
[0019] Particularly preferably, for this, the impeller is surrounded by a spiral housing, which extends in a helical manner and in a manner such that the exit opening of the spiral housing is aligned in the axial direction to the impeller, i.e., is aligned parallel to its rotation axis. This has the effect that the fluid, which exits from the impeller in the tangential/radial direction, is deflected by the spiral housing, with as little loss as possible, to an axially directed exit opening of the pump assembly.
[0020] Further preferably, the pump assembly comprises a wet-running electric motor with a can, which is manufactured of a non-metallic material, wherein the non-metallic material is provided with at least one additional, hermetically sealing layer. The can according to the invention thus consists preferably of a non-metallic material, i.e., of a material which influences the magnetic field between the rotor and stator as little as possible or not at all. A worsening of the efficiency on account of the arrangement of the can between the stator and rotor is avoided by the fact that the magnetic field remains uninfluenced by the can material. The hermetically sealing layer, which is preferably deposited on the outer or inner peripheral surface or on both peripheral surfaces, permits the use of a material for the can, which per se does not have a sufficient diffusion sealing ability. This means that one may select a material which primarily ensures an adequate stability of the can.
[0021] The diffusion sealing ability, of the type such that fluid located in the inside of the can, i.e., located in the rotor space, may not penetrate through the can into the stator space, is achieved by the additional layer, preferably deposited on the surface of the non-metallic material. One may also apply several layers of different materials in combination, in order to achieve the desired hermetic sealing between the inner space of the can and the outer peripheral region of the can. Thus, the wall of the can may be constructed in a multi-layered manner from the non-metallic material, and one or more layers of further materials, which ensure the diffusion sealing ability. For example, the diffusion-tight layer, which ensures the hermetic sealing, may be formed of a special plastic or paint. The diffusion-tight layer may furthermore be designed as a tube, film or film pot, in particular of metal. These may be deposited onto the non-metallic material, after the manufacture and forming/shaping of the material. Furthermore, it is possible to incorporate a film or a tube into the material already on forming/shaping the non-metallic material, so that the hermetically sealing layer covers the tube or the film at one or both sides or peripheral sides. Thus, the tube or the film may be arranged on the inside of the non-metallic material. This may be effected, for example, during the injection molding of the non-metallic material.
[0022] Further preferably, the at least one layer is designed as a coating on the inner and/or outer peripheral surface of the non-metallic material. Such a coating, after the manufacture or forming/shaping of the part of non-metallic material, may be deposited onto its surface, for example by spraying or vapour deposition.
[0023] The coating is preferably designed as a metal-coating of the non-metallic material. This means that a metal layer is deposited onto the inner and/or outer peripheral surface of the can, for example deposited by vapor. This metal layer then ensures a hermetic sealing. The coating of the non-metallic material, for example by metal-coating with a suitable material, is usefully effected such that the whole peripheral surface, which forms the separation between the rotor space in the inside of the can and the surrounding stator space, is accordingly coated, so that in this region, no fluid, for example water, may penetrate from the inside of the can through the can wall into the surrounding stator space. In this manner, it is possible to apply stators without a casting mass.
[0024] Particularly preferably, the can is manufactured of plastic and preferably of a fiber-reinforced plastic. The plastic permits an inexpensive manufacture of the can, for example by an injection molding method. Furthermore, plastic has no magnetic properties whatsoever, and does not therefore influence the magnetic field between the stator and the rotor. Furthermore, plastic is well suited for being coated or being provided with further surrounding and inner-lying plastic layers, in the manner of co-extrusion. A metal coating of the plastic is also possible without any problem. The fiber-reinforced construction may improve the stability or the pressure-strength of the can.
[0025] Preferably, the can is manufactured of a tubular component and a base element which closes the tubular component at a first axial end. This permits a simplified manufacture of the can, which for example also permits the manufacture of thin-walled plastic tubes by an injection molding method. On injection-molding the can, it may be useful for a core, forming the cavity in the inside of the can, to be held at both axial ends of the can, in order to achieve a very thin-walled design of the can. Thus, first the tubular component is manufactured and then the base element is later inserted into this tubular component, in order to close an axial opening of the tubular component and to form a can pot. The opposite axial end of the can is designed in an open manner, so that the rotor shaft may extend through this axial end to the pump space. The base element may be inserted into the tubular component with a non-positive fit, a positive fit and/or material fit, so that a firm, stable and preferably sealed connection is created between the tubular component and the base element.
[0026] The base element is preferably cast with the tubular component. Thereby, the base element, after manufacture of the tubular component, may be injected or cast onto the tubular component or cast into the tubular component in a second manufacturing step with the injection molding method, so that a permanent sealed connection is created between both elements.
[0027] The tubular component and the base element are further preferably both manufactured of a non-metallic material, preferably plastic, and after the assembly are together provided with the additional layer or coating. In this manner, the region of the base element and in particular the transition region between the tubular component and the base element are hermetically sealed by the coating. For example, the tubular component and the base element may be metal-coated together. Alternatively, the additional layer also may be brought onto the base element or integrated into this, in a separate manner.
[0028] According to a further preferred embodiment, a radially outwardly extending, preferably metallic collar is formed on one axial end of the can, preferably the end facing the pump space and the impeller of the pump, at the outer periphery. This metallic collar serves, for example, for the end side closure of the stator housing in which the stator winding is arranged. The stator housing is preferably hermetically encapsulated, in particular with the application of a submersible pump, so that no fluid may penetrate into the inside of the stator housing. Thus, the coils are protected in the inside of the stator housing, in particular from moisture. The metallic collar which is attached on the outer periphery of the can, serves for the connection to the outer parts of the stator housing, and permits the can to be welded with the remaining stator housing.
[0029] The collar is preferably connected to the non-metallic material with a positive fit and/or material fit, and together with this is provided with the additional layer or coating. Alternatively, a non-positive fit connection is also conceivable, as long as an adequate strength and sealing are ensured. The common coating of the non-metallic material of the can and of the collar has the advantage that, in particular, the transition region between the non-metallic material and the collar are also hermetically sealed by the coating. A particularly firm connection between the metallic collar and the non-metallic material of the can, so that movements between both elements, which could lead to a tearing of the coating, are avoided, is preferred, in order to ensure a permanent sealing in this region.
[0030] In order to achieve a particularly firm connection between the metallic material and the non-metallic material, the metallic collar is preferably connected to the non-metallic material directly on manufacture of the can. For example, the metallic collar may be inserted into the tool before injection molding and the plastic injected onto the collar, or a part of the collar may be peripherally injected with plastic, in the case of injection molding the can of plastic, so that a positive fit and material fit connection between both elements is achieved on injection molding.
[0031] In order to further improve the connection between the collar and the non-metallic material, a surface of the collar is structured or roughened, preferably before the connection to the non-metallic material. This may be effected, for example, by laser radiation, wherein small recesses or crater-like raised parts are incorporated into the surface of the collar by a laser beam, in which the non-metallic material, for example plastic, flows on casting, and thus creates a firm connection to the collar, on the one hand via a larger surface and on the other hand via a positive fit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
[0033] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal, sectional view of a pump assembly according to one embodiment of the invention;
[0034] FIG. 2 is an enlarged, longitudinal, sectional view of the can of the electric motor of the pump assembly of FIG. 1 ;
[0035] FIG. 3 is a cut-out enlargement of circled portion of FIG. 2 ;
[0036] FIG. 4 is an enlarged, longitudinal sectional view of the electric motor of FIG. 1 ;
[0037] FIG. 5 is an end perspective view of the impeller showing the impeller blades; and
[0038] FIG. 6 is an end perspective view of the impeller of the side opposite to the impeller blades.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0039] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of the upper end of a submersible pump. The lower end, in which the electronics for the control and regulation of the pump are attached, is not shown in the Figure. The pump assembly at its upper end comprises a connection stub 2 with a return valve 4 arranged therein. A spiral housing 6 which surrounds the impeller 8 , connects upstream to the connection stub 2 in the inside of the pump assembly. The impeller 8 is arranged at the axial end of the single-piece rotor shaft 10 of the electric motor 11 or its permanent magnet rotor 12 . The impeller 8 is firmly fixed on the rotor shaft 10 , in particular is also firmly connected in the axial direction X. The permanent magnet rotor 12 runs inside of a can 14 which is annularly surrounded on its outer periphery by the stator 16 . The stator 16 is designed in a known manner as a lamination bundle with coil windings. The stator 16 is hermetically encapsulated as a whole in a stator housing 18 . The rotor shaft 10 is mounted in the radial direction in two radial bearings 20 . These radial bearings 20 are preferably designed in a self-centering manner, so that a simple assembly and a secure operation is also ensured at high speeds.
[0040] The can 14 , as shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3 , is formed of plastic in the shown example. The can is formed of a tubular component 22 , which is manufactured from a fiber-reinforced plastic by an injection molding method. The tubular component 22 is first formed with open axial ends 24 and 26 , in order to be able to manufacture the tubular component in a particularly thin-walled manner with the required precision. This permits a core which forms the inner space 28 of the can 14 , which later forms the rotor space, to be able to be fixed at both axial ends in the tool. After the injection molding of the tubular component 22 , this is then closed at the axial end 24 by a base element 30 , so that a can pot is formed. The base element 30 may preferably likewise be formed of plastic and may be cast into the previously injected tubular component 2 . Alternatively, the base element 30 may be manufactured in a separate manner and later may be inserted into the tubular component 22 . As shown, a positive-fit connection is created between the base element 30 and the tubular component 22 , in that the inwardly bent, axial peripheral edge of the tubular component 22 engages into a peripheral groove 32 of the base element 30 .
[0041] A collar 34 is applied on the outer periphery of the tubular component 22 , at the opposite axial end 26 which faces the impeller 8 . The collar 34 is formed of metal, preferably rust-free stainless steel, and is annular, wherein its inner diameter is matched to the outer diameter of the tubular component 22 at the axial end 26 . The ring of the collar 34 comprises a U-shaped cross section, wherein the transverse limb faces the axial end 26 . The inner wall 36 of the collar 34 lies parallel on the peripheral wall of the tubular component 22 , and is connected to this.
[0042] The connection between the inner wall 36 of the collar 34 and the tubular component 22 is already effected during the manufacturing process, i.e., the molding process of the tubular component 22 , in that the collar 34 is previously applied into the tool, so that the tubular component 22 is molded directly onto the inner wall 36 of the collar 34 . Thus, a firm positive fit and/or material fit connection between the plastic of the tubular component 22 and the inner wall 36 of the collar 34 is created. In order to improve this connection, the inner wall 36 at its outer periphery is previously roughened or structured. This may preferably be effected by laser machining, whereby small recesses are incorporated into the metal or the sheet metal of the collar 34 on the surface, into which recesses the plastic of the tubular component 22 then flows on injection molding. These recesses may, particularly preferably, also comprise undercuts, whereby an even firmer connection is created between both elements.
[0043] The can 14 created in such a manner is metal-coated after injection molding the tubular component 22 , with which the collar 34 is connected directly to the tubular component 22 , and after the subsequent insertion of the base element 30 . Thereby, a thin metal layer 38 is deposited on the outer surface of the can 14 , as shown in FIG. 3 . The metal layer 38 coats the whole outer periphery of the tubular component 22 and the base element 30 , as well as the collar 34 . In this way, in particular also the transition regions between the collar 34 and the tubular component 22 , as well as between the base element 30 and the tubular component 22 , are covered by the metal layer 38 . The metal layer 38 ensures that a hermetic sealing of the can 14 and in particular of the peripheral wall of the tubular component 22 is created. This hermetic sealing by the metal layer 38 has the effect that fluid which is located in the rotor space 28 , may not penetrate through the can 14 into the inside of the stator housing 18 , in which the stator 16 is arranged. The metallization or coating 38 thereby permits the use of a plastic for the tubular component 22 and the base element 30 , which per se is not diffusion-tight. Thus here, the plastic may be selected purely according to the requirements of stability for the can 14 , as well as according to manufacturing aspects.
[0044] A can 14 has been described previously, which is provided with the metal layer 38 on its outer side. Alternatively, it is also possible to provide the can 14 with a metal layer by metal coating, on its outer side as well as on the inner surfaces of the inner space 28 . Furthermore, it is alternatively possible to only metal coat the can on the inner walls of the inner space 28 .
[0045] The metallic collar 34 serves for connecting the can 14 to the remaining part of the stator housing 18 . This may, in particular, be effected by a welding seam 39 on the outer periphery of the metallic collar 34 . The collar 34 thus creates the connection to other metallic components from which the stator housing 18 is formed, as shown in FIG. 4 .
[0046] The use of the can 14 of plastic, i.e., of a non-metallic material without magnetic properties, has the advantage that the can 14 influences the magnetic field between the stator 16 and the permanent magnet rotor 12 only a little or not at all, by which the efficiency of the electric motor 11 is increased.
[0047] With the pump assembly according to the invention, the diameter of the permanent magnet rotor 12 and of the impeller 8 is kept small, in order to minimize the friction in the system and thus the power loss as much as possible. Nevertheless, in order to ensure a high efficiency of the electric motor 11 , the permanent magnet rotor 12 is equipped with particularly strong permanent magnets, for example neodymium magnets. In the shown example, the rotor diameter is 19 mm. The shown electric motor 11 is designed for very high rotational speeds >20,000 rpm, in particular between 25,000 and 30,000 rpm. Thus, one may achieve a sufficient delivery capacity with only one impeller 8 with a relatively small diameter.
[0048] The impeller 8 , which is shown as an individual part in FIGS. 5 and 6 , is manufactured of carbide in order to guarantee a high wear-resistance. The impeller blades 42 are formed on an axial side 40 which is furthest from the electric motor 11 in the installed condition. The impeller 8 is designed in an open manner, i.e., the impeller blades project from the axial side 40 of the impeller 8 , and are not closed by a cover disk at their end sides 44 .
[0049] The end sides or end edges 44 of the impeller blades 42 are ground, and thus form an axial bearing and sealing surface of the impeller 8 . The end sides 44 in the assembled condition bear on a counter-rotation disk 46 , which annularly surrounds the suction port 48 of the pump. The complete rotor 12 is supported via the impeller 8 in the axial direction on the counter-rotation disk 46 , on account of the firm connection of the impeller 8 to the rotor shaft 10 . That is, the end face of the counter-rotation disk 46 , which faces the impeller 8 , and the end sides 44 of the impeller blades 42 form an axial sliding bearing. The end sides 44 of the impeller blades 42 are pressed against the counter-rotation disk 46 by the axial pressing force of the impeller 8 , such that a particularly good sealing between the impeller blades 42 and the counter-rotation disk 46 occurs. Losses in the pump are minimized by this, and the performance of the pump assembly is increased further, indeed at the higher motor speed described above. In this manner, one may achieve a high pump performance with the described very small impeller, even with a single-stage design of the pump assembly. The impeller 8 thereby assumes the axial-side sealing with respect to the counter-rotation disk 46 at the suction port 48 , and simultaneously the axial bearing function, so that here too, the number of components and the occurring friction are minimized.
[0050] The rear side 50 of the impeller 8 opposite from the impeller blades 42 comprises a further annular sealing surface 52 , which annularly surrounds the opening 54 for receiving the rotor shaft. The sealing surface 52 bears on a seal 56 , which surrounds the rotor shaft 10 in a stationary manner, and seals the rotor space 28 in the inside of the can 14 , towards the pump space, in which the impeller 8 is arranged. This seal 56 is held in its bearing on the sealing surface 52 by a spring effect. The seal 56 ensures that contamination in the fluid, which is delivered by the impeller 8 , may penetrate into the rotor space 28 in the inside of the can 14 , and there lead to undesired friction or contamination.
[0051] The counter-rotation disk 46 is preferably likewise designed of hard metal or of ceramic. The side 58 furthest from the impeller 8 is designed in a spherical manner (not shown in FIG. 1 ) and is mounted in a spherical receiver in the pump housing, so that the counter-rotation disk 46 may automatically align itself parallel to the impeller 8 . This part of the counter-rotation disk, which forms the rear side 58 , may be designed of a material different from carbide or ceramic, and may be connected to the part of the counter-rotation disk 46 which faces the impeller 8 , for example by bonding.
[0052] The impeller 8 is peripherally surrounded by a spiral housing 6 . The spiral housing 6 , proceeding from the peripheral region of the impeller 8 , extends in a helical manner to the connection stub 2 , so that a flow deflection in the axial direction is effected. That is, the flow which exits in the radial/tangential direction at the outer periphery of the impeller 8 , is first deflected by the spiral housing 6 in a purely tangential direction or peripheral direction of the impeller 8 , and then steered with as little loss as possible in the axial direction on account of the helical winding of the spiral housing 6 , so that the flow may exit out of the pump assembly at the connection stub 2 in the axial direction. The spiral housing 6 is preferably likewise manufactured as an injection molded part of plastic. The spiral housing 6 moreover contains the likewise spherical receiver for the counter-rotation disk 6 at its lower end facing the impeller 8 , and centrally forms the suction port 48 of the pump, through which the fluid is suctioned by rotation of the impeller 8 . The outer housing of the pump assembly, in the region in which the spiral housing 6 is arranged in its inside, comprises an entry opening 62 in its outer peripheral wall, through which the fluid enters from the outside, flows around the spiral housing 6 from the outside, and then enters the suction port 48 .
[0053] With all the previously described elements, i.e., with a can 14 of plastic with metal-coating, with a small pressure sensor of the rotor 12 , with an impeller 8 with a small diameter of carbide, which simultaneously assumes the sealing and axial mounting, one may create a very capable compact submersible pump assembly, which achieves a large pump performance with only one stage with a high operational speed.
[0054] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. | A pump unit is provided having a wet-running electric motor, wherein a rotor of the pump unit can be driven by the electric motor at a maximum speed of greater than 20,000 rev/min, and the rotor is sealed off axially in the region of a suction port. | 5 |
This invention relates to a new apparatus and method for producing a new product useful as a blown in insulation and made of a orientable polymer (preferably heat setable), e.g. PET, and the new product itself.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Insulation products made from polymer fibers are not new as there are several products in the marketplace, however, most of these applications are for clothing apparel and the like. Blown-in insulation of homes and buildings generally use fiberglass or cellulose.
There are environmental hazards and inefficiencies using these other materials. For example, fiberglass and cellulose will break apart into fine particles when put through conventional blow-in insulation equipment. These fine particles are hazardous to human beings upon breathing large quantities thereof. In addition, both materials, fiberglass and cellulose, are inferior to polymer (specifically PET) fibers for performance in insulation value and other measurable physical characteristics (such as cycling through wet and dry conditions).
In the present invention polymer fiber is made by way of a preferred process generally called melt blowing. This method is known in the plastics converting industry as a method to form small diameter fibers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,905 assigned to the assignee of the present application discloses a method of making continuous fibers, collecting the fibers and making a batt (lofted in the z direction).
Fiber (and products) made from the melt blowing process have typically been limited by the properties generated from the melt blow process.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the environmental disadvantages of the prior art blown in insulation and to provide an environmentally safe stable lofted polymer insulation having an insulation value superior to the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Products of the present invention typically are continuous fibers laid out in a thin web sheet (veil) in the X and Y directions with little or no loft (Z direction).
The new product of this invention disclosed herein is a non-lofted veil made from a fiber that, produced as a non-lofted veil with fibers in the X and Y direction, is processed to improve its properties and then is cut into short segments (1 to 30 mm long) compactly bundled for expansion on location. A significant portion of the fibers of these segments extend in the Z direction upon compaction. When the final product is made the fibers are substantially evenly dispersed into the X, Y and Z directions.
The present invention enhances the quality of the fiber and the end product (mass of fibers). Specifically, high levels of orientation (in fibers, it is generally monoaxial orientation) and crystallinity are the properties desired for fibers used in insulation product such as blown-in attic insulation. Products such as filtration media where the fibers are enclosed within a structure can utilize even smaller fibers.
Disclosed is a fiber product for blown-in insulation, made by way of several steps including orientation via the hot air followed by quenching to lock in orientation. Additional orientation is added downstream to the fibers and web by way of further heating mechanical actions including crystallization of the oriented fiber. The fiber is oriented 3 (or more) times during the process under different conditions.
Specifically a controlled web (veil), essentially a 2 direction (X and Y) product, is produced in which the fibers are oriented twice in the X direction and then a fractional component of the oriented X direction is redirected to lay in the Y direction. This is accomplished by use of the hot air flow in the X direction and the turbulent currents created by that flow and presence of a mechanical roller.
Nodal points (where 2 fibers cross each other and fast with each other at that point) are created in the X and Y vector (X=machine direction, Y=cross machine direction) to create more and stronger Z direction fiber in the blown-in product.
Following this the cutting and compaction of the web directs a substantial portion of the fibers into the Z direction which is then packaged. Subsequently blowing (expanding) the product randomizes the X, Y and Z direction fibers to create random matrixes. The physical connections to build loft comes about as individual packets are expanded with multiple nodes within each packet. Loft comes about when each packet builds on one another with physical entanglements generated thru the expansion process making the connections between packets.
The invention provides:
a) a new product in the form of a blown-in insulated material made from short polymer fibers with respect to which several intermediate steps in the overall process give the final product key performance characteristics: b) the product is made by way of a modified melt blowing system with modifications providing higher levels of orientation and thermal stability to the fibers, small intermediate compressed packets for better handling and final low bulk density with high loft and high insulating value product; and c) new hardware adapted to work the molecules of the fiber to achieve the blown-in insulation product.
In order to maximize the properties of the fiber and the product (blown-in insulation) the new blown-in product has several steps by which it is formed.
The process comprises:
1) Fiber formation with a 1 st orientation;
2) 2 nd orientation of the fiber;
3) Redirection of some fibers to the Y direction, nodes created
4) Quench to lock in orientation
5) Additional crystallization to the fiber
6) Coating the fiber
7) 3rd orientation of fiber
8) Cutting fiber (multiple layers)
9) Compacted packets of fiber
10) Packaged (compressed) packets
11) Re-expanded fiber expands around nodes (and entanglements).
According to the invention there is provided a method of producing a non-lofted fiber veil of an orientable polymer for the production of insulation for blown-in applications having X, Y and Z vector directions of the fibers comprising: a) melt blowing the polymer to form molten fibers; b) using a high velocity air flow to orient molecules of the fibers along the length of the fibers, the X vector direction; c) placing the fibers on a mechanical roller adjacent the air flow which is spinning at a rate to provide additional orientation of the molecules of the fibers in the X vector direction as the fibers move across the air flow to the roller; d) using air flow turbulence and roller placement to displace some said fibers into the Y vector direction; and e) cooling the roller to solidify the fibers while on the roller to form the non-lofted fiber veil.
More specifically according to the invention there is also provided a method of producing a non-lofted fiber veil of an orientable polymer for the production of insulation for blown-in applications having X, Y and Z vectors comprising: a) extruding the polymer by melt blowing to form molten fibers; b) directing a high velocity hot air flow around the extruded fibers with both the air flow and the length of the fibers having the same direction, the X vector direction, to carry the fibers in said direction and to orient the molecules of the fibers along the X vector direction of the fibers; c) locating a mechanical roller adjacent to the fibers being carried in said direction; d) placing the fibers on the roller which is spinning in a direction to carry the fibers away from the air flow; e) choosing a rate of rotation of the roller whereby force generated by the air flow pushing in said direction and the fibers moving across the air flow to the roller yields additional orientation of the molecules of the fibers in the X vector direction; f) placing the roller so that the placement of the roller and turbulence created by the air flow causes a percentage of the fibers to be displaced into a transverse direction, the Y vector; and g) cooling the roller to quench the fibers, after orientation of the molecules thereof subsequent to removal of the fibers from the air flow as they pass over the roller to prevent loss of orientation of the molecules, to form the non-lofted fiber veil.
Also a feature of the invention is the product of the methods of the previous two paragraphs.
Also according to the invention there is provided an apparatus for producing a non-lofted fiber veil of an orientable polymer for the production of insulation for blown-in applications having X, Y and Z vector directions of the fibers comprising: a) a melt blowing station for blowing the polymer to form molten fibers encompassed by using a high velocity air flow to orient molecules of the fibers along the length of the fibers, the X vector direction; b) a mechanical roller adjacent the air flow arranged to spin at a rate to provide additional orientation of the molecules of the fibers in the X vector direction as the fibers leave the air flow to reach to the roller; and together with air flow turbulence and placement of the roller, to displace some said fibers into the Y vector direction; and c) cooling means associated with the roller to solidify the fibers while on the roller to form the non-lofted fiber veil.
The invention further provides a non-lofted oriented polymer insulation for blown-in applications comprising multiple layers of oriented polymer veils compressed together and cut to form R-Buds of multiple layers of polymer fibers entangled and connected by nodes expandable upon installation to provide a blown-in insulation.
Also the invention provides an R-Bud for use in forming a matrix of insulation for blown-in applications of an orientable polymer comprising multiple superimposed layers of non-lofted veils, formed by fibers of said polymer disposed in both of X and Y vectors of X, Y and Z vectors, the veils being interconnected by fibers extending along the Z vector.
The invention also includes a blown-in insulation comprising a plurality of R-Buds according to the preceding paragraph each expanded to produce the insulation as a matrix of expanded R-Buds.
The invention further provides a method of producing a blown-in insulation from an orientable polymer comprising: a) producing a plurality of non-lofted veils each having a plurality of fibers of the polymer extending and interconnected in X and Y vectors of X, Y and Z vectors; b) superimposing the-veils and compressing these together to produce interconnection of the layers along the Z vector; c) cutting the interconnected layers into a plurality of R-Buds; and d) expanding the R-Buds, at the time of installation of the insulation, to form blown in insulation comprising a large plurality of the R-Buds.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic schematic of apparatus according to the invention also illustrating the steps of the method according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sketch showing the veil in the X and Y direction with node points 38 and 40 which continue to remain intact after cutting and compaction as shown in FIGS. 3-10 ; and
FIGS. 3-10 are diagrammatic sketches, micro-photographs and a drawing showing a combination of features all illustrating features of the blown and expanded R-Buds providing for their stable entanglement to provide a lofted insulation.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a melt blowing die apparatus 2 for melt blowing molten synthetic fibers entrained in a curtain 4 of air 6 emitted vertically at high speed parallel to the spun fibers at a temperature of about 600° F. ±100° F. The fibers extend primarily in an x direction and may comprise a polyester (i.e. PET) issuing from the nozzles of the apparatus 2 with a diameter of typically about 0.2 to 0.5 mm. These fibers are attenuated, oriented and fibrillated by the curtain of hot air to a statistical mean of about 5 to 15 microns (NOTE 1000 microns=1 mm) while at the same time molecular orientation takes place as the hot air quickly cools to an orientation temperature of about 200° F.
One of the major limitations to melt blowing in the prior art is that the hot air remains in contact with the fiber. The hot air keeps the fiber above Tg (glass transition temperature) which relaxes the molecules within the fiber thus reducing the orientation of the fiber. Better orientation can be achieved if the fiber after orientation is quenched. This locks in the orientation of the molecules otherwise orientation is lost through relaxation.
In view of this the fibers are removed from the air stream forming a loop 8 extending to a cold roller 10 rotating in the direction of arrow 12 . The loop 8 provides a second orientation of the fibers which are then quenched on the roller 10 to lock in the orientation. At this stage the fibers form a substantially single layer web- or veil 14 with the majority of fibers in the x direction and some fibers extending in the Y direction of the veil comprising 10-20% of the fibers and with virtually no fibers extending in the Z direction (e.g. out of the plane of the veil).
It should be noted that there are two types of crystallinity; that induced by mechanical stretching and that formed by thermal energy. It is desirable to form high levels of mechanical crystallinity (orientation) first, and maintain these orientation levels (so as not to lose them through thermal relaxation) and then induce thermal crystals. Standard melt blowing processes give too low a level of orientation and gives thermal crystallization at the wrong time and in a poor manner.
For insulation products, a higher level of orientation is desired. This orientation will improve physical strength and toughness of the fiber as well as enhancing thermal stability of the fiber. The higher the orientation one can impart to the fiber the thinner the fiber diameter can be made so that the fiber and the mass of fibers will not collapse under its own weight. In turn, building a matrix of fine fibers allows a better insulating product as the matrix impedes the flow of air thus providing greater insulating value.
A characteristic of PET (and some other crystalline resins) is that it can be oriented which increases the crystallinity level via mechanical action but with PET one can also add crystallinity by way of adding thermal energy that allows crystals to grow. The term heat setting is used in the PET industry to describe crystalline growth through the addition of thermal energy. If the molecules are allowed to relax during heat setting then orientation will be lowered. With standard melt blowing, a good portion of the orientation is lost due to the thermal temperatures of the hot air used to draw the fiber, as the fiber is not restrained. In addition, exposure of the fiber to the hot air yields thermal crystallization. Thermal crystallization without good orientation yields a fiber that is brittle. In addition, the thermal relaxation of orientation causes the fiber diameter to increase as the ‘memory’ of the fiber tries to bring the fiber to its original (larger) fiber diameter. The increased thickness of the fiber is ineffective for insulation and filter products as it changes the bulk density of the final product.
Thus one or more veils 14 is then passed through a heat setting station 16 in which the veil 14 is restrained in both the X and Y directions to prevent shrinkage while being heated to crystallize the fibers using hot air represented by arrows 18 . Other heating sources could be used i.e. infra red, radio frequency, etc. The restraint is shown diagrammatically at 20 and may comprise webs, plates, veil edge gripping devices, veil gripping porous conveyers etc.
Following heat setting additional veils 14 are added in overlapping manner to be fed together to a coating station 22 which may comprise coating rollers between which the multiple veils pass to be coated by a lubricant (i.e. a short chain polymer). The multiple veils leave the coating station still extending primarily only in the X and Y directions.
After coating the multiple veils are passed through a tow forming station 24 to a tow cutting station 26 . The amount of coating can be used to control density in the final blown product. The tow is formed by pressing the multiple veils together in the Y direction to produce an overlapping fiber tow having X, Y and Z dimensions using control plates, rollers, etc. to produce a tow having substantially identical Y and Z dimensions. The cutting station 26 can operate faster than the supply rate of the veils supplied by the coating station 22 thereby cold drawing and further increasing molecular orientation of the fibers and decreasing their diameters.
The cutting station comprises a standard cutter unit which is adjusted as to speed and tension to cut the tow into compact R-Buds 28 of a desired tightness or density. The cutting operation also increases the proportion of fibers extending in the Z direction. The R-Buds are each of a basically rectangular packet configuration which are then compactly packaged at a packaging station 30 into bags for distribution to an end user.
The end user who is to install blown-in insulation may use a standard blown insulation installer 32 to expand the R-Buds 28 and add transport air to produce expanded packets of insulation from the R-Buds 28 which become entangled with one another to produce a stable lofted insulation 34 free of binders and brittle components coated only with a lubricant coating.
The lofted material is suitable not only for thermal but also sound insulation and is also useful as a fibration material among many other potential environmentally non-hazardness uses.
The re-expansion results in the actual installed product. The final bulk density can be controlled by the amount of mechanical action, velocity of air, coating material or coating amount. The expansion takes place when the R-Buds are put into a mechanical action machine which via a scouring action and the use of air to blow the product takes the compacted R-Buds and expands them into a product that is a 3 dimensional random matrix comprising fibers in equal proportion in the X, Y and Z directions. The bulk density can range from 0.25 to 2 lbs per cubic foot.
Typical Densities, in lb/cu.ft, of articles
Veil 0.8+/−0.1
R-Buds
12.5+/−5
Packaged R-Buds
17.5+/−5
Expanded
0.25−0.5
Standard mean fiber diameters from melt blowing operations range from 10 to 50 microns. In insulation, it is better to have smaller diameters but strong fibers. The range of fiber diameters for insulation products will vary depending on final application specifications but can generally be characterized into 2 groups; 1 to 10 micron average diameter and sub-micron 0.1 to 1 micron average. It has been found that for the blown-in insulation product a preferred statistical mean diameter should be in the 2 to 7 micron range.
The term density can apply to several areas. The individual fiber has a density that is often measured to calculate the degree of crystallization. The term bulk density is used to describe the density of the mass of fibers. For shipping and other purposes, a high bulk density is preferred so as to save space, freight, etc. When the product is used as an insulating material a low bulk density is preferred so as to be cost efficient. The blown-in insulation product also has a yield factor whereby the fiber diameter is critical to thermal insulation efficiency and cost. A smaller fiber diameter which for the same weight per given volume will yield more fibers thus better insulation than a larger diameter fiber.
For example a product may have the same fiber density and bulk density but very different yield with different fiber diameters. This yield is important to creating a matrix to trap airflow thus providing insulating value. Example: one fiber with a diameter of 0.015 mm and 10 mm long with a density of 1.35 grams/cc has a total mass of 2.4×10 −6 grams. Using the same fiber density, mass and length and adjusting the diameter to 0.0075 mm (half the original) then 4 fibers can be made instead of the one. Nine (9) fibers can be made from the same mass if the diameter is adjusted to 0.005 mm (5 microns). [Note: 1.000 micron=1 mm)
Thus it is easily determined that the smaller fibers will give a more complex matrix if the fibers are suitably randomized in the X, Y and Z directions. Please note though, at average fiber diameters of less than 3 microns the fiber strength begins to become too weak to support itself in a stand-alone condition/position.
Referring now to FIGS. 2-10 various nodes and entanglement of the veil and expanded R-Buds 28 is illustrated with reference to the various mechanisms providing a stable lofted product. The redirected Y vector fiber is important to the final product. Interaction of the Y direction fibers with the X direction fibers is very important so as to create a ‘veil’ (web). This veil is made of X and Y fibers that hang together forming a web. The X and Y fibers hang together by several means. The intersections at which they meet are called nodes. These nodes can be formed by several means; entanglements (including twistings) 38 , friction/hang ups 40 , welding 42 , intermolecular attraction 44 due to polarity of the molecules, etc.
Entanglements are those fibers that wrap around another. Friction/hang ups are where the two fibers intersect and slide until caught at a node. This would be similar to a branch falling from a tree and getting caught in the limbs of a tree (where the limbs intersect the body or larger limb). Weld points are created when the hot fibers touch one another and then are frozen in place by the cold roller. Intermolecular attraction is present in several forms. When oriented a molecule will have a degree of polarity created. The opposite poles will attract and keep fibers together. Further, the fibers rubbing against one another creates static, which in turn, will keep the fibers bonded together.
The X direction fibers are more oriented than the Y direction fibers but even the Y vector fibers have a degree of orientation and thus have better strength than non-oriented fibers.
The micro-photographs of FIGS. 8 , 9 and 10 illustrate the complexity of intermixed mechanisms controlling the stability of the lofted product after expansion.
The preferred insulation material is one that is composed of fibers that are thermally stable and have good strength and stiffness. Fibers that are weak will yield under a force. Fibers that are not thermally stable will collapse (due to gravitational force) or distort (shrinkage) upon exposure to elevated temperatures. Fibers that are brittle will break when exposed to any force. In turn, when the fibers are affected the entire insulation product is impacted thus the produce fails.
A fiber that has good orientation and has been given thermal stability (such as heat setting) will provide a fiber that will make up a good insulation product.
Thermal
Orientation
Crystallization
Result
Low
High
Brittle fiber
Low
Low
Produce collapses when exposed to
higher temps
High
Low
Product shrinks and distorts when
exposed to higher temps
High
High
Stable/strong product
The preferred method of the present invention comprises:
1. First orientation of fiber: Fiber formation has remained the same as described in previous patent applications assigned to the assignee of the present application. The fiber is extruded from a die which has a multitude of openings (holes, or the like) on the order of 0.5 mm in diameter. This hot extrudate is pushed out of the die hole and forms a molten fiber. High velocity air (e.g. hot for PET or cold for polypropylene) is directed around the newly formed fiber with both air and fiber directed in the same axis. (For this discussion; vertical direction) This air quickly carries the molten fiber downwardly and begins to orient the fiber;
2. Second orientation: Instead of keeping the fiber in the hot air until collected, a mechanical roller is located such that it is adjacent to the stream of fibers. See FIG. 1 . The fibers are placed on the roller which is spinning. The downward force of the air orients the fiber. The preferred process is such that the fiber forms somewhat of an ‘J’ shape with a half loop at the bottom of the airflow. This force generated by the air pushing downwardly and the fiber trying to move across the airflow yield to produce more orientation as the fiber has restraints and cannot relax. This can be controlled by the vertical and horizontal position of the rollers.
3. Y direction: Due to the placement of the roller and the turbulence created by the flow of air a percentage of individual fibers are displaced into the Y vector. The % and diameters of the Y direction fibers can be managed by the RPM and location of the roller relative to the fiber formation;
4. Quench: The rotating roller is cool to cold from internal cooling. This cold temperature quenches the oriented molecules in place. Further, the molecules are removed from the hot air to prevent relaxation (loss of orientation) of the molecules. The roller may be designed, i.e. as a corkscrew. to place the Y vector fibers in tension;
5. Added crystallization: Depending on the specifications, the fibers may need additional thermal crystallization once they have been orientated. To add thermal crystallization, the fibers are restrained in both the X and Y directions while heat is applied. After sufficient time has elapsed to achieve desired crystallization the fibers have to be quenched while still restrained;
6. Coating: To enhance the cutting, compacting and re-expansion of the fibers, it is sometimes desirable to coat the fibers with a lubricant. This lubricant allows faster cutting and compaction and allows a lower installed density upon re-expansion of the fibers;
7. Third orientation: Third orientation of the fibers is performed when the fibers are put into the cutter (tow cutter) that can run at a higher speed than the roller feeding it. The fibers are cold drawn adding additional-orientation to the fiber;
8. Cutting: Cutting the fiber is accomplished by use of device called a tow cutter. To get optimum performance, several veils are laid on top of one another and then bunched together to form a unit that is like a narrow non-woven rope. The bunching of the veils creates further complexion to the orientation of the fibers. Further entanglements form additional nodes. These bunched veils are cut into packets on the order of 0.400 inches+/−0.300 inches in height;
9. Compacting: The fibers are purposely compacted in the tow cutter. This is accomplished by changing the machine process conditions so that discrete 3 dimensional rectangles with compacted fibers are formed. The compacted fibers are formed into an R-Bud. The dimensions of the R-Bud are approximately 0.125 inch wide and 0.375 inch in depth. These packets (R-Buds) are loosely compacted such that friction or the like mechanical action will cause them to come apart. It should be noted that the R-Buds are formed from the veil so that upon dissecting the R-Buds one finds portions of a mini-veil. The fibers are running in the X, Y and now Z directions relative to the R-Bud. The Z direction fibers are important to note as when the R-Bud is expanded into blown in insulation, the fibers then form a 3 dimensional matrix;
10. Packaging: For ease of shipment the R-Buds are packaged into a secondary package and some additional compression is added to increase the bulk density. This will ease the cost of freight and handling; and
11. Expanding: Expanding the R-Buds via a machine that will expand the R-Buds around the nodes and entanglements to produce a stable lofted product made up of a matrix of the expanded R-Buds, with superior insulating values due to the random 3D matrix of fibers created around the nodes.
Reference numerals
2
melt blowing apparatus
4
curtain
6
air
8
loop
10
roller
12
arrow
14
veil
16
heat setting station
18
heat arrows
20
restraint
22
coating station
24
tow forming station
26
cutting station
28
R-Buds
30
packaging sation
32
blow installer
34
lofted insulation
38
entanglement nodes
40
hang up nodes
42
welded nodes
44
static bond nodes | A method of producing a non-lofted fiber veil of an orientable polymer for the production of insulation, e.g. thermal, for blown-in applications, having X, Y and Z vector directions of the fibers comprising, melt blowing the polymer to form molten fibers, having molecules oriented along the length of the fibers, the X vector direction, placing the fibers on a roller spinning at a rate to provide additional orientation of the molecules of the fibers, displacing some said fibers into the Y vector direction, and cooling the fibers while on the roller to form the non-lofted fiber veil. Also included is the product of the method, a blown in insulation, intermediate products, an apparatus and a method of producing a product for blown-in installation. | 3 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to DC-to-DC converters in information handling systems and, more particularly, to compensation for inductor direct current resistance (DCR) temperature changes when measuring current through the inductor.
BACKGROUND
[0002] As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users are information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes, thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems, e.g., computer, personal computer workstation, portable computer, computer server, print server, network router, network hub, network switch, storage area network disk array, RAID disk system and telecommunications switch.
[0003] Information handling system electronic modules require regulated direct current (DC) voltages generally supplied from switching regulators. A general switching regulator comprises control and DC-to-DC converter circuitries, and more particularly, the main circuitry of a DC-to-DC converter comprises an inductor, a capacitor, a control switch and a synchronous rectification switch. These power controlling switches may be power field effect transistors. A switching regulator controller controls turn-on and turn-off of the control and synchronous rectification switches so as to maintain a substantially constant voltage at the output of the DC-to-DC converter. The switching regulator controller may use measured output voltage and measured current supplied by the DC-to-DC converter for determining proper operation thereof. The output voltage and current may be measured with voltage and current sensors. Output voltage may easily be measured with analog voltage circuits, e.g., a simple voltage divider and also an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The output current measurement is more problematic since any series resistance in the current path of the inductor will degrade conversion efficiency of the DC-to-DC converter. A better way of measuring current supplied by the DC-to-DC converter, e.g., current through the switching inductor, is to measure a voltage developed across the inductor's inherent DC resistance (DCR). This may be accomplished with a resistor-capacitor (RC) current detection circuit in parallel with the DC-to-DC converter inductor. A typical parallel RC current detection circuit used for determining current in a switching regulator inductor is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,469,481 to Tateishi, and is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
SUMMARY
[0004] However, a problem exists in that the inductor DCR varies its resistance value with temperature, e.g., about plus 0.38 percent per degree Centigrade. Therefore, current measurement accuracy may be significantly affected. Much effort has been expended in how to properly calibrate sensed inductor current magnitude accurately over a range of operating temperatures. However, another significant issue that has been rarely addressed is time constant mismatching due to inductor DCR value changes over the operating temperature range. The time constants referred to herein may be defined as t 1 =L/DCR and t 2 =R*C, where L is the inductance value of the inductor, DCR is the DC resistance of the inductor, R is the resistance value of the parallel connected current sense resistor, and C is the capacitance value of the parallel connected current sense capacitor. When t 1 and t 2 do not substantially match, the time constant mismatch may introduce significant control error to the real time switching regulator controller. For example, a time constant mismatch will cause cycle by cycle real time sensing error such as distorted waveform slope and sampling point delay. This may significantly affect the operation of cycle by cycle based control modes such as peak current sensing by the switching regulator controller in performing peak current control.
[0005] According to a specific example embodiment of this disclosure, a DC-to-DC converter having temperature-compensated inductor direct current resistance (DCR) dynamic current sensing may comprise: an inductor having an inductance and a direct current resistance (DCR), wherein the DCR has a positive temperature coefficient (PTC); a control switch coupled to the inductor and an input voltage; a synchronous rectification switch coupled to the inductor and a common reference; a switching regulator controller coupled to the control and synchronous rectification switches, wherein the switching regulator controller controls the control and synchronous rectification switches so as to produce a regulated output voltage from the inductor; a current sensing capacitor coupled to the inductor, wherein a voltage across the current sensing capacitor is substantially proportional to a current through the inductor; and a resistor network having a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) is coupled to the inductor and the current sensing capacitor, wherein a combination of the NTC resistor network and the current sensing capacitor have a time constant substantially the same as a time constant of a combination of the inductance and the DCR of the inductor over a desired operating temperature range.
[0006] According to another specific example embodiment of this disclosure, a method of compensating for temperature variations of an inductor direct current resistance (DCR) during dynamic current sensing of the inductor may comprise the steps of: forming a resistor network having a negative temperature coefficient (NTC); coupling the NTC resistor network to a current sensing capacitor, wherein the NTC resistor network and the current sensing capacitor have a first time constant; coupling the NTC resistor network and the current sensing capacitor to an inductor having a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) direct current resistance (DCR), wherein the DCR and inductance of the inductor have a second time constant; adjusting the NTC resistor network so that the first time constant and second time constant are substantially the same over a desired operating temperature range; and measuring a voltage across the current sensing capacitor for determining a load current through the inductor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] A more complete understanding of the present disclosure thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an information handling system, according to a specific example embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a prior technology DC-to-DC converter having an inductor DCR current measurement circuit; and
[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a DC-to-DC converter having a temperature-compensated time constant matched inductor DCR current measurement circuit, according to a specific example embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0011] While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific example embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific example embodiments is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed herein, but on the contrary, this disclosure is to cover all modifications and equivalents as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU), hardware or software control logic, read only memory (ROM), and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.
[0013] Referring now to the drawings, the details of a specific example embodiment is schematically illustrated. Like elements in the drawings will be represented by like numbers, and similar elements will be represented by like numbers with a different lower case letter suffix.
[0014] Referring to FIG. 1 , depicted is an information handling system having electronic components mounted on at least one printed circuit board (PCB) (motherboard) and communicating data and control signals therebetween over signal buses, according to a specific example embodiment of the present disclosure. In one example embodiment, the information handling system is a computer system. The information handling system, generally referenced by the numeral 100 , comprise at least one physical processor 110 , generally represented by processors 110 a - 110 n, coupled to a host bus(es) 120 . A north bridge 140 , which may also be referred to as a memory controller hub or a memory controller, is coupled to a main system memory 150 . The north bridge 140 is coupled to the at least one processor 110 via the host bus(es) 120 . The north bridge 140 is generally considered an application specific chip set that provides connectivity to various buses, and integrates other system functions such as a memory interface. For example, an Intel 820E and/or 815E chip set, available from the Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., provides at least a portion of the north bridge 140 . The chip set may also be packaged as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The north bridge 140 typically includes functionality to couple the main system memory 150 to other devices within the information handling system 100 . Thus, memory controller functions such as main memory control functions typically reside in the north bridge 140 . In addition, the north bridge 140 provides bus control to handle transfers between the host bus 120 and a second bus(es), e.g., PCI bus 170 , AGP bus 171 coupled to a video graphics interface 172 which drives a video display 174 . A third bus(es) 168 may also comprise other industry standard buses or proprietary buses, e.g., ISA, SCSI, I 2 C, SPI, USB buses through a south bridge(s) (bus interface) 162 . A disk controller 160 and input/output interface(s) 164 may be coupled to the third bus(es) 168 . At least one DC-to-DC converter may be adapted to provide appropriate DC voltage(s) 182 to the aforementioned information handling system components, e.g., at least one processor 110 .
[0015] Referring now to FIG. 2 , depicted is a schematic diagram of a prior technology DC-to-DC converter having an inductor DCR current measurement circuit. A typical DC-to-DC converter, e.g., buck converter, may comprise a control switch 206 , e.g., power MOSFET, a synchronous rectification switch 208 , e.g., power MOSFET, an inductor 210 , an output filter capacitor 208 , and a regulator controller 202 . The regulator controller 202 may comprise a voltage reference (not shown), a pulse width modulation (PWM) generator (not shown), and sensing circuits that measure the DC-to-DC converter output current and voltage. The regulator controller 202 maintains a constant output voltage, Vout, by controlling the times in which the control switch 206 and synchronous rectification switch 208 are on and off. By alternately coupling the inductor 210 to Vin and ground the DC-to-DC converter may generate a regulated output voltage, Vout. A DC-to-DC buck converter is shown, however, any type of DC-to-DC converter, e.g., buck-boost, boost, etc., may be used in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure.
[0016] The inductor 210 comprises an inductance L and a series direct current resistance (DCR) inherent in the wire making up the inductance L. Channel current I L ( S ), i.e., current supplied to the information handling system 100 , passes through the inductance L and also must pass through the DCR. A resistor-capacitor (RC) networking comprising resistor 214 and sensing capacitor 212 may be used to measure the voltage drop V L ( S ) across the inductance L and DCR, as more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,469,481 to Tateishi, incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. For example, the voltage V C ( S ) on the sensing capacitor 212 is proportional to the channel current I L ( S ) and may be expressed in the frequency domain as:
V C ( S )=( S L/DCR+ 1)*( DCR*I L ( S ))/( S RC+ 1).
[0017] If the RC network (resistor 214 and sensing capacitor 212 ) are selected such that the RC time constant (R*C) substantially matches the inductor 210 time constant (L/DCR), then the voltage V C ( S ) across the sensing capacitor 212 is substantially equal to the voltage drop across the DCR since the DCR represents the resistive component of the inductor 210 . Therefore, the channel current I L (S) may be computed from the measured voltage drop V C (s) and the DCR resistance value and the detected vc(t) may be used to timely track i L (t) in the time domain. By using a very low-offset current amplifier 204 , the voltage V C (s) on the sensing capacitor 212 may be replicated across a sense resistor 218 . Thus the value of the current i L (t) may be determined at the output of the amplifier 204 and thereby may be used by the regulator controller 202 to measure the amount of current through the inductor 210 .
[0018] The inductor 210 DCR resistance value varies with temperature, e.g., about plus 0.38 percent per degree Centigrade. Therefore, current measurement accuracy may be significantly affected. Another significant issue is time constant mismatching due to the inductor 2 10 DCR value changing over the operating temperature range. The RC time constants referred to hereinabove may be defined as t 1 =L/DCR and t 2 =R*C, where L is the inductance value of the inductor 210 , DCR is the DC resistance of the inductor 210 , R is the resistance value of the parallel connected current sense resistor 214 , and C is the capacitance value of the parallel connected current sense capacitor 212 . When t 1 and t 2 do not substantially match, the time constant mismatch may introduce significant control errors to the real time switching regulator controller 202 . For example, a time constant mismatch will cause cycle by cycle real time sensing error such as distorted waveform slope and sampling point delay. This may significantly affect the operation of cycle by cycle based control modes such as peak current sensing by the switching regulator controller in performing peak current control.
[0019] Referring now to FIG. 3 , depicted is a schematic diagram of a DC-to-DC converter having a temperature-compensated time constant matched inductor DCR current measurement circuit, according to a specific example embodiment of the present disclosure. To achieve timely and accurate current sensing of the current through the inductor 310 of the DC-to-DC converter 180 , the time constant of the current sensing RC network, comprising sense capacitor 312 and resistors 314 , 320 and 322 , has to substantially match the time constant of the inductor 310 (determined by L/DCR). According to teachings of this disclosure, a resistor network having a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) may be utilized to create a temperature compensated equivalent resistance “R” of the current sensing RC network. According to the specific example embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , a temperature compensated equivalent resistance may be determined by:
R=R 1* R match/( R 1+ R match)+ R 2,
where the values of R 1 (resistor 320 ), R 2 (resistor 314 ) and Rmatch (NTC resistor 322 ) are selected so as to substantially cancel the positive temperature coefficient resistance change of the DCR. By doing so, the time constants t 1 =L/DCR and t 2 =R*C may be maintained as substantially matched over a wide operating temperature range. It is contemplated and within the scope of this disclosure that other combinations of series and/or parallel connected resistors, some NTC and some not, may be utilized for substantially canceling the positive temperature coefficient resistance change of the DCR. In addition, the sense resistor 318 may have a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) for calibrating measured (detected) current magnitude over the operating temperature range of the DC-to-DC converter 180 .
[0020] While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted, described, and are defined by reference to example embodiments of the disclosure, such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those ordinarily skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and are not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure. | A resister network having a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) may be utilized to create a temperature compensated equivalent resistance “R” for a current sensing RC network used in measuring inductor current of a DC-to-DC converter or a general switching regulator that needs to use inductor current as a control signal. The NTC resistor of the RC network effectively compensates for the positive temperature coefficient of the switching regulator inductor's inherent DC resistance (DCR). Keeping the time constants of the RC network and the switching regulator inductor substantially matched improves operation of cycle by cycle based control modes such as peak current sensing by the switching regulator controller in performing peak current control for the DC-to-DC converter. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hinge for a seat with an adjustable backrest, particularly a power vehicle seat.
Hinges of the above mentioned general type are known in the art. A known hinge includes a stationary hinge member associated with a seat part of the seat, a pivotable hinge member associated with a backrest part of the seat, a pivot axle connecting the hinge members with one another, and an adjusting and fixing device which determines the position of both hinge members relative to one another and is formed as a wobble transmission. The wobble transmission has an eccentric member arranged in a cam region of the pivot axle and rotatable with the latter, and an accumulator which is arranged in the cam region of the pivot axle and adjusts in radial direction the eccentricity of the eccentric member which determines the engagement point of the toothing of the wobble transmission. In a known hinge, the pivot axle has a non-round cam region which for example has at least sectionally a rectangular cross section. This cam region is surrounded by a circular disk provided with an eccentrically arranged recess which is also rectangular at least sectionally and closingly surrounds the cam region on two opposite cam surfaces extending parallel to the eccentricity direction. The surfaces of the recess in the circular disk which are arranged transverse to the eccentricity direction overlap the respective opposite surfaces in the cam region of the pivot axle with play. This play can be bridged by an adjusting member in the sense of an eccentric arrangement of the circular disk on the cam region of the pivot axle. The adjusting member can be formed as an adjusting screw, on the one hand, with which the eccentricity of the circular disk relative to the eccentric portion of the pivot axle can be adjusted. On the other hand, the adjusting member can be composed of a spring element which is arranged between the cam region of the pivot axle and the circular disk surrounding the same in the eccentricity direction. The circular disk which is eccentrically held on the cam region forms the eccentric member which, because of the adjusting member spanned between the cam region and the circular disk, provides a tensioning between the transmission parts supported on the eccentric member and on the centric portion of the pivot axle, as well as provides their bearing points. Thereby, the radial play, particularly in the toothing region, is continuously eliminated. Since, however, the tensioning of the eccentric on the pivot axle remains constant, the tensioning both in the fixed position and during the adjusting movement is available. In particular during the adjusting movement such an eccentric tensioning leads, however, to difficulties in manipulating, so that a relatively high adjusting moment must be applied.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hinge for a seat with an adjustable backrest, particularly a power vehicle seat, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a seat with an adjustable backrest, particularly a power vehicle seat, which in immovable position is blocked for eliminating the radial play and in which this blocking is lifted with the adjusting movement without additional manually operating elements.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a hinge in which an eccentric member is formed as an eccentric ring which has an inner opening formed as a longitudinal opening extending in the direction of eccentricity and which surrounds a centric substantially circular portion of the pivot axle, and between the longitudinal opening and the centric portion of the pivot axle a pressing member is located which is pressed by an accumulator and arranged for maintaining an extreme eccentricity, on the one hand, and also a cam is arranged by which in the case of adjusting the eccentric ring is connected against the action of the accumulator with the centric portion of the pivot axle with reduction of the eccentricity in torque-transmitting manner.
The longitudinal opening is arranged eccentrically relative to the circumference of the eccentric ring and composed of two circular arcs whose radii correspond to the radius of the centric portion of the pivot axle, and the central point of these radii are located at a distance from one another in the eccentricity direction in correspondence with the blocking path. It is thereby guaranteed that in immovable position of the hinge the eccentric ring is displaced by the accumulator in an extreme eccentric position which is composed of the eccentricity value proper and the blocking path. In the case of adjustment the eccentric ring is displaced back by the adjusting movement against the action of the accumulator over the cam to its normal eccentric position with clearing the blocking path, so that normal play conditions are again produced, and therefore the conventional easy adjustment of the hinge is possible. In the event of interruption or termination of the adjusting movement, the eccentric ring is again displaced via the accumulator to its extreme eccentric position, whereby elimination of the radial play in the immovable position of the hinge is automatically provided. The means required for this can be retained within limits and manufactured in a simple way.
For providing a simple adjusting unit with a reliable torque transmission, on the one hand, and reliable return of the eccentric ring to its radial play-eliminating position, on the other hand, another feature of the present invention resides in that the pressure member is loaded directly by the accumulator, and the accumulator is located diametrically opposite to the cam member which engages in a recess of the eccentric ring and is supported on the centric portion of the pivot axle. The cam member is formed advantageously as a pin extending in an axial direction of the pivot axle.
In accordance with another advantageous feature of the present invention, the pressing member is formed as a fitting piece which engages in a longitudinal groove of the eccentric ring and has a concave pressing surface, and the accumulator acting upon the fitting member is formed as a set of cup springs engageable by a guiding pin and arranged between the pressing member and a base of the longitudinal groove of the eccentric ring. When the hinge is designed in accordance with these features, the receiving space for the accumulator is formed in the eccentric ring, so that the centric portion of the pivot axle remains in this region not weakened.
In accordance with still a further feature of the present invention, the pressing member is formed as a fitting member which engages in a recess of the centric portion of the pivot axle and has a concave pressing surface, and the accumulator acting upon the fitting member is formed as a set of cup springs arranged between the pressing member and a base of the recess of the centric portion of the pivot axle. Thus the accumulator is received by a hollow space in the centric portion of the pivot axle, so that the eccentric ring in this region is retained without weakening of its cross section.
It may, however, be advantageous in some cases when instead of an exclusive cross-section weakening one over the other structural parts, for example either the eccentric ring or the centric portion of the pivot axle, both structural parts have a considerably lower cross section weakening. In accordance with a further feature of the present invention this can be attained when the pressing member is formed as a fitting member which engages in a longitudinal groove of the eccentric ring and has a convex pressing surface abutting against a flattening of the centric portion of the pivot axle.
For making possible in the beginning of the adjusting movement to overcome the spring force of the accumulator which maintains an extreme eccentricity with providing a minimum torque, and also to make possible maintaining the adjusting angle of the centric portion of the pivot axle minimum relative to the eccentric ring surrounding the same, a further feature of the present invention resides in that the cam member is formed as a pin which is pressed against a flattening of the centric portion of the pivot axle by two laterally arranged supporting rollers having identical axes. Therefore during adjusting movement, first a friction-free rolling movement of the supporting rollers on the pin takes place, on the one hand, and the flattening of the centric portion of the pivot axle, on the other hand, to finally attain in the end position a clamping and thereby fixing of the eccentric ring on the centric portion of the pivot axle.
For adjusting the accumulator directly by the displacement movement of the cam automatically without any action for returning the extreme eccentric position for the adjusting movement to the normal eccentric position, a further feature of the present invention resides in that, in addition to the cam which is formed as a pin, the pressing member is also formed as a pin extending in an axial direction and loaded by the accumulator which is arranged in a recess of the centric portion of the pivot axle, wherein the pins are connected with one another by a flexible pulling member extending through the centric portion of the pivot axle.
For making possible the displacement of the eccentric ring to its extreme eccentric position by the cam member, when in accordance with the above described feature the cam member is formed as a pin and is directly loaded by the accumulator located in the recess of the centric portion of the pivot axle, the pin sectionally engages in a recess of the eccentric ring which surrounds the pin at both sides with a play and touches at its upper side, the pin also closingly engages sectionally in a groove of the centric portion of the pivot axle with the accumulator in compressed state, and a pressing strip is provided in the centric portion at its side opposite to the pin and has a roller-shaped projection engaging in immovable condition in a notch of the eccentric ring.
The latter-mentioned feature also permits to provide two recess portions in the centric portion of the pivot axle which are offset from a radial plane of the pressing strip and arranged at opposite sides from the latter, and the accumulator can include two accumulator members each located in a respective one of the recess portions and provided with a pressing disk via which it abuts inwardly against the eccentric ring.
For avoiding great cross section weakening of the centric portion of the pivot axle, the cam can include two pins which each have a recess and engage in a respective one of the recesses of the eccentric ring and in a respective one of the recesses of the centric portion of the pivot axle in play-free manner in case of adjusting, and the accumulator can have two accumulator members each engaging in a respective one of the recesses of the centric portion of the pivot axle and also in a respective one of the recesses of the pin.
The novel features which are considered characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a view showing a longitudinal section of a hinge in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, taken along the line I--I in FIG. 2;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the hinge of FIG. 1 from the inner side of the seat;
FIG. 3 is a view showing a fragment 3 of a pivot axle of FIG. 1 with an eccentric ring and hinge members arranged on the pivot axle, on an enlarged scale and turned relative to the view of FIG. 1 by 180°;
FIG. 4 is view showing the pivot axle of FIG. 3 in a section taken along the line IV--IV in FIG. 3, and with the eccentric ring arranged on the pivot axle;
FIG. 5 is a view substantially corresponding to the view of FIG. 3 but showing a further embodiment of a pivot axle for a wobble transmission;
FIG. 6 is a view showing the pivot axle of FIG. 5, taken in section along the line VI--VI in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a view showing still another embodiment of a pivot axle of a wobble transmission, analogously to the views of FIGS. 3 and 5;
FIG. 8 is a view showing the pivot axle of FIG. 7 with the eccentric ring arranged thereon, in a section taken along the line VIII--VIII in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a view showing a further embodiment of the inventive pivot axle in a section through the centric portion which carries the eccentric, wherein the eccentric ring is arranged in its extreme eccentric position;
FIG. 10 is a view showing a pivot axle of FIG. 9 with the eccentric ring arranged thereon, in a section taken along the line X--X in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a view showing a centric portion of the pivot axle of FIG. 9, which is turned to the return position with the extreme eccentricity;
FIG. 12 is a view showing still a further embodiment of the inventive pivot axle in a cross section through the centric portion which carries the eccentric, wherein the eccentric ring is located in its extreme eccentric position;
FIG. 13 is a view showing the pivot axle of FIG. 12 with the eccentric ring arranged thereon, wherein because of rotation of the centric portion of the pivot axle it is also pressed back to its extreme eccentric position;
FIG. 14 is a view showing a further improvement of the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13 with the utilization of two accumulators which are offset relative to the cam member; and
FIG. 15 is a view showing still a further improvement of the embodiment of FIG. 14, with the utilization two cam members associated with the two accumulators.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A hinge shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a hinge member 20 to be mounted on a seat part, a hinge member 21 to be mounted on a backrest, and an adjusting arrangement 22. The hinge member 20 has a spur gear 23 with an outer toothing 24 formed for example by punching out. The outer toothing 24 engages with an inner toothing 25 of a toothed rim 26 of the hinge member 21, which can also for example be formed by punching out. The diameter of the head circle of the outer toothing 24 is at least by one tooth height smaller than the diameter of the foot circle of the inner toothing 25. Correspondingly, the toothings 24 and 25 have teeth numbers which differ from one another by at least one tooth, wherein the teeth number of the inner toothing 25 is greater than the teeth number of the outer toothing 24. The arrangement is selected so that the inner toothing of the hinge member 21 can roll on the outer toothing 24 of the spur gear 23 of the hinge member 20.
Both hinge members 20 and 21 are supported on a pivot axle 27 which surrounds an eccentric member 28 between its two centric portions 29 and 30. Moreover, the pivot axle 27 has at its one end a cam pin 31 which in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is located immediately adjacent to the centric portion 30. A disk 32 of the hinge member 21 which is punched out by formation of the inner toothing 25 is supported on the portion 29 of the pivot axle 27. A bearing shield 33 which is fixedly connected with the hinge member 21, for example by riveting, overlaps a bearing bush 34 which is for example pressed in, in the region of the eccentric member 28 and is supported on a portion 30 which is concentric to the centric portion 29 of the pivot axle 27.
The spur gear 23 of the hinge member 20 connected with the seat part is supported between the bearing shield 33 and the disk 32 of the hinge member 21 on the eccentric member 28 of the pivot axle 27. An eccentric ring 35 is an important component of the eccentric member and is arranged on a portion 36 of the pivot axle. This portion 36 has a circular cross section and is arranged concentrically to the centric portions 29 and 30. It also can be of the same diameter as these portions, so that the pivot axle 27 in its all three portions 29, 30 and 36 can be formed as a throughgoing pin, which is true for all embodiments of the present invention. The eccentric ring 35 which surrrounds the portion 36 of the pivot axle has an elongated opening 37 which is eccentrically offset relative to its outer diameter. The radius r of the longitudinal opening 37 corresponds to the radius of the portion 36 of the pivot axle, whereas the center point of the radius r is offset relative to the center point of the outer periphery of the eccentric ring 35 by an eccentricity value e. This eccentricity value corresponds in a known manner to the difference between the radius of the foot circle of the inner toothing 25 and the radius of the head circle of the outer toothing 24. The central point of the second radius r of the elongated opening 37 is offset in the direction of the eccentricity relative to the center point of the first radius r of the longitudinal opening 37 by the value x. This value x provides for the displacement path of the pivot axle 27 required for blocking of the hinge, and in addition with the eccentricity value e provides for an extreme eccentricity of the eccentric ring 35 on the portion 36 when this portion lies in the lower region of the elongated opening 37. This condition is shown in FIG. 9 and is true for all embodiments.
In accordance with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the eccentric ring is provided with a rectangular longitudinal groove 38 which extends from the longitudinal opening 37 in direction towards the highest point of the eccentric of the eccentric ring 35. An accumulator 39 is arranged, at the one end, in the longitudinal groove 38. It can be formed, for example, as a pack of cup springs 40. Moreover, a pressure member 41 engages into the longitudinal groove 38 and has at its lower side a concave pressing surface 42. The pressing surface 42 abuts against the outer surface of the portion 36. A guide pin 43 is fixed in the pressure member 41. The guide pin 43 extends through the cup spring 40 and engages in a guide opening 44 of the eccentric ring 35. A pin 46 is located at a side which is diametrically opposite to the pressure member 41 and serves as a cam 45. The pin 46 engages in a groove-like recess 49 of the eccentric ring 35 with substantially half of its peripheral surface. The pin 46 is surrounded at both sides by supporting rollers 47 and 48 which have identical axes. The supporting rollers 47 and 48 abut against the pin 46 and the inner wall of the longitudinal openings 37 in the eccentric ring 35, on the one hand, and are supported on a flattening 50 of the portion 36 of the pivot axle, on the other hand.
In a normal case, or in other words in the shown immovable position, the accumulator 39 presses via the pressure member 41 the pivot axle 27 via its portion 36 to abutment against the lower region in the longitudinal opening 37 of the eccentric ring 35. Thus, an extreme eccentricity of the eccentric ring 35 relative to the portion 36 takes place, which is composed from the eccentricity value and a play-eliminating value x. When a rotary movement is imparted to the pivot axle 27 via the cam pin 31, a radial displacement of the pivot axle 27 in dependence upon the direction of rotation via the supporting roller 47 or the supporting roller 48 takes place so that the accumulator 39 is compressed through the pressure member 41 and the portion 36 with overcoming of the extreme eccentricity comes to abutment against the upper region of the longitudinal opening 37. Thus, the normal eccentricity between the central point of the pivot axle and the eccentric ring 35 is obtained, so that radial play which is normally available in the bearings and in the toothing is available for facilitating the adjusting steps. When the adjusting movement is interrupted, the extreme eccentric position shown in FIG. 4 is again obtained via the accumulator 39, whereby the radial play in the immovable position is again completely eliminated. In this position, as can be seen from FIG. 3, the bearing play between the pivot axle 27 and the bearing bush 34, as well as the disk 32, is located exclusively at the upper side of the pivot axle 27, whereas the bearing play of the spur gear 23 is located exclusively at the lower side of the eccentric ring 35.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the guide pin 43 can be introduced in the pressure member 41 with play and its length can be dimensioned so that it is supported on the inner opening of the spur gear 23 and on the portion 36 of the pivot axle. Thereby the guide pin 43, in addition to the accumulator 39, prevents the displacement of the pivot axle 27 in the movement position when it is located in the extreme eccentric position. For providing a reduction of the eccentric position, recesses are brought on the outer surface of the portion 36 of the pivot axle at both sides of the guide pin 43 in the circumferential direction. When a rotary movement is imparted via the cam pin 31 to the pivot axle 27, it is first rotated so that in dependence upon the direction of rotation 1 of the recesses aligns with the guide pin. Only after this the radial displacement can take place in the known manner.
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 corresponds in principle to the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. The difference is, however, in that the accumulator 39 and the pressure member 41 are arranged in a recess 51 of the portion 136 of the pivot axle. The pressure member 41 has a convex pressing surface 52 which in its upper apex point abuts against the longitudinal opening 37 of the eccentric ring 135. The diametrically oppositely arranged cam 45 also includes a pin 46 which engages in a recess of the eccentric ring 135 on the one hand, and is surrounded by a groove 53 in the portion 136 of the pivot axle in a semicircular manner, on the other hand. By imparting the rotary movement to the pivot axle 27 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the eccentric ring 35 is pulled downwardly via the pin 46 laterally upwardly travelling in the recess of the eccentric ring 135 and through the mushroom-shaped pressure member 41 with compression of the accumulator 39, so that the upper region of its longitudinal opening 37 comes to abutment against the upper peripheral region of the portion 136. Thus the extreme eccentric position is restored to the normal eccentric position, so that here also an easy adjustment movement is possible.
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 substantially corresponds to the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. The difference is, however, that in addition to an elongated groove 38, in the eccentric ring 35, a flattening 54 is provided at the corresponding location of the portion 236 of the pivot axle. Also, a fitting piece which serves as the pressure member 41 and engages together with the accumulator in the longitudinal groove 38 has a convex pressing surface 55. The operation of the embodiment shown in these Figures is similar to the operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4.
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-11 deviates from the above described embodiments, although, this embodiment has the same principle. The eccentric ring 135 also has a longitudinal opening 37 with the above described criterion. However, the longitudinal opening has at its side opposite to the eccentric highest point a receiving funnel 56 for the cam 45 formed as the pin 46. The pressure member 41 adjacent to the eccentric highest point is also formed as a pin 57 which is connected with the pin 46 serving as cam by a flexible pulling member 58. The pin 57 serving as a pressure member, and an accumulator which loads the pin 57 and can be formed for example as a helical pressure spring 59, engage in a cylindrical opening 60 of the portion 336 of the pivot axle. Starting from the base of this recess, the portion 336 has a radially extending opening 61 which is rounded in its outlet region toward the receiving funnel 56.
When in the beginning of the adjusting movement the pivot axle with its portion 336 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 11, the pressing pin 57 is pulled via the pulling member 58 against the force of the pressure spring 59, and the cam pin 46 slides upwardly on a wall side of the receiving funnel 56 so that the eccentric ring 135 comes to abutment against the upper side of the portion 336 of the pivot axle. Thereby the value x is overcome and the eccentric ring 135 assumes a normal eccentricity city relative to the central point of the pivot axle with the value e. Thereby the manufacturing bearing play and toothing play are again active, so that an easy displacement of the hinge is possible. After interruption of the adjusting movement, the pressing pin 57 is again pressed upwardly via the pressure spring 59 in eccentric direction, so that the eccentric ring 135 assumes the position against the portion 336 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 for complete elimination of the radial play. Thus, it comes to a play-free blocking of the structural elements of the adjusting arrangement 22 of the hinge.
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 deviates from the above described embodiments in that the cam 45 arranged between the eccentric ring 435 and the portion 36 of the pivot axle is loaded by an accumulator 39. This accumulator is also received in a substantially cylindrical recess 60 in the portion 436 of the pivot axle 27. The pin-shaped cam 45 on the other hand extends more sectionwise in the recess 62 of the eccentric ring 435, which surrounds the cam pin in circumferential direction of the eccentric ring at both ends with play. The portion 436 at the upper end of its cylindrical recess 60 is provided with a groove 63 formed as a cylindrical segment in which the cam pin 45 after compression of the pressure accumulator 39 can sectionally closingly engage. The portion 436 at its side opposite to the cam pin 45 is provided with a pressure strip 64 which in immovable position of the adjusting arrangement engages with a projection 65 in a groove 66 of the eccentric ring 435 in a closing manner.
When a rotary movement is imparted to the pivot axle in the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13, the portion 436 of the pivot axle is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 13. The projection 65 of the pressure strip 64 travels outwardly of the groove 66 and thereby the eccentric ring comes to abutment with the upper region of its longitudinal opening 37 against the portion 436 of the pivot axle. Simultaneously, the lateral play of the recess 32 is dimensioned at both sides such that, in the position of the portion 436 the eccentric ring 435 shown in FIG. 13, the cam pin 45 abuts at one side of the recess 62 in torque-transmitting manner with compression of the accumulator 39. As can be easily seen from FIG. 13, the rotary angle from the moment of starting the rotary movement in the pivot axle to the entraining of the eccentric ring is smaller than in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-13. Also, in this embodiment, an extreme eccentricity in immovable position between the central point of the pivot axle and the eccentric central point is adjustable, which can be brought back into adjusting position to the normal eccentricity value.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 14 is a further development of the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13. Here, the cam pin 45 is, however, not loaded by an accumulator. Instead, the cam pin engages in a groove 63 of the portion 536 of the pivot axle and comes to abutment in the adjusting case against a lateral wall of the recess 62 of the eccentric ring 535. For producing the blocking position between the eccentric ring 535 and the portion 536 of the pivot axle, two helical pressure springs 67 are provided. They are offset relative to one another and serve as an accumulator. The helical pressure springs 67 are inserted in cylindrical recesses 68 which are arranged at substantially 45° to the vertical plane of the pressure strip 64 at both sides of the cam pin 45. They abut with pressure disks 69 against the upper inner wall of the longitudinal opening 37 of the eccentric ring 535.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 15 is based upon substantially the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13, and the embodiment of FIG. 14. In contrast to the embodiment of FIG. 14, this embodiment has two cam pins 70 which engage in two respective recesses 62 of the eccentric ring 635 with their upper regions. The lower region of the cam pins 70 can also engage in the grooves 63 of the portion 636, which are also offset relative to one another. Cylindrical openins 71 are provided in the bottom of the grooves 63 in the portion 636, and respective cylindrical openings 72 are provided in the pins 70 opposite to the first-mentioned cylindrical openings. The cylindrical openings 71 and 72 receive a helical pressure spring 67 which serves as an accumulator and retain in immovable position of the hinge the eccentric ring 635 on the portion 636 in position shown in FIG. 15. The operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 14 and 15 substantially corresponds to the operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13.
All the above described embodiments lie, because of their dimensions and design, in the region of self-locking, so that even high forces acting upon the backrest do not lead to a displacement of the hinge.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a hinge for a seat with displaceable backrest, particularly a power vehicle seat, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention. | A hinge for a seat, particularly a power vehicle seat, has a stationary hinge member associated with a seat part of the seat, a pivotable hinge member associated with a backrest part of the seat, a pivot axle pivotally connecting the hinge members with one another, an adjusting and fixing device arranged to determine a position of the hinge members relative to one another and formed as a wobble transmission including an eccentric member associated with a cam region of the pivot axle and rotatable together with the latter, an accumulator arranged in the cam region of the pivot axle to radially adjust an eccentricity which determines an engaging point of the wobble transmission and formed as an eccentric ring with an inner longitudinal opening in direction of eccentricity and surrounding a centric portion of the pivot axle, a pressing member located between the longitudinal opening and the centric portion of the pivot axle and arranged to be pressed by the accumulator for maintaining an extreme eccentricity in immovable condition, and a cam member arranged to connect in case of adjusting the eccentric ring with the centric portion of the pivot axle against the action of the accumulator with reducing of the eccentricity and in a torque-transmitting manner. | 1 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a control adapter device, and more particularly to a control adapter device to be attached to a control unit having an input control part.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] As for a control unit including an input control part for allowing the user to execute an inputting maneuver (input control), there are, for example, a keyboard of a personal computer, a controller for a television game machine, and a control part used in controlling computer-controlled conveying machines or industrial robots.
[0005] These types of control units are able to conduct wireless transmission of signals by attaching thereto a control adapter device including a transmission part using, for example, electric waves, infrared rays, and/or light. A conventional example is shown in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-73259.
[0006] The control adapter device is provided with an engagement mechanism for engagement with a wall face of the control unit. The engagement mechanism is attached to the control unit in a manner that the engagement mechanism can separate from the wall face of the control unit when an engagement lever of the engagement mechanism is pressed in an engagement disengaging direction (direction disengaging the control adapter device from the control unit).
[0007] There is a growing demand for a size-reduced and lightweight control adapter device that is to be mounted to the control unit in the aforementioned manner. For example, the control adapter device may have an antenna or a substrate including a transmission circuit installed inside of its case. Furthermore, the control adapter device may also have a connector or an engagement mechanism disposed in a space surrounding the substrate.
[0008] In order to enable the engagement lever of the engagement mechanism to rotatably move such that the engagement lever will not contact the substrate or the connector, a stopper for restricting the angle of rotation of the rotating engagement lever is arranged at the fulcrum of the rotating engagement lever. The stopper, in the form of a cylindrical rib, has a step portion that is disposed in the vicinity of the rotation center so that the step portion is contacted by the engagement lever to thereby restrict the rotation angle of the engagement lever.
[0009] The engagement lever, being a resin molded component, may lack strength and be susceptible to deformation when the radial thickness of the engagement lever is uniformly formed for improving moldability.
[0010] Therefore, when a pressing force is applied to a press-maneuver part for rotatively moving the engagement lever to the engagement disengaging direction, the engagement lever deforms (bends) when the engagement lever contacts the step portion of the cylindrical rib (stopper) formed in the periphery of the rotation center, and adversely affects the maneuvering feel of the press-maneuver part.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is a general object of the present invention to provide a control adapter device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
[0012] Features and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent from the description and the accompanying drawings, or may be learned by practice of the invention according to the teachings provided in the description. Objects as well as other features and advantages of the present invention will be realized and attained by a control adapter device particularly pointed out in the specification in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention.
[0013] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a control adapter device for attaching to a control unit having an input control part, the control adapter device including: a connector for electrically connecting the control adapter device to the control unit; a transmission part for transmitting, by wireless transmission, a signal that is input from the input control part; a case supporting the connector and containing the transmission part therein; an engagement member being supported by a shaft in the case for rotatable movement between an engagement position and a disengagement position, the engagement member being formed to engage the control unit, and including a press-maneuver part for receiving a pressing force to thereby rotate the engagement member; and a restriction member being disposed in the case to block movement of the press maneuver part of the engagement member, and thereby restrict movement of the engagement member beyond the disengagement position. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the restriction member may be situated at the vicinity of a line along which the pressing force of the press-maneuver part is directed. According to an aspect of the invention, the engagement member will not deform during an engagement disengaging maneuver, and a satisfactory feel can be obtained during the engagement disengaging maneuver.
[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the restriction member may be situated at the vicinity of a line along which the pressing force of the press-maneuver part is directed. According to an aspect of the invention, the engagement member will not deform during an engagement disengaging maneuver, and a satisfactory feel can be obtained during the engagement disengaging maneuver.
[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the press-maneuver part may have a groove portion in which a surface thereof comes into contact with the restriction member, and which groove portion has a shape corresponding to the shape of the restriction member. According to an aspect of the invention, the engagement member will not deform during an engagement disengaging maneuver, and a satisfactory feel can be obtained during the engagement disengaging maneuver.
[0016] Other objects and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] [0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a mounting operation of a control adapter device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] [0018]FIGS. 2A through 2D are external views showing a structure of a control adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention in which FIG. 2A is a front view, FIG. 2B is a plane view, FIG. 2C is a side view, and FIG. 2D is a rear view;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a control adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the control adapter device of FIG. 3 where an upper case 32 is removed according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing an attachment structure of an engagement lever 44 and a torsion spring 48 of FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state before mounting a control adapter device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] [0023]FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state after mounting the control adapter device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] [0024]FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a control adapter device according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] [0025]FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the control adapter device of FIG. 8 where an upper case 32 is removed according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] [0026]FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state before mounting a control adapter device 80 according to another embodiment of the present invention; and
[0027] [0027]FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state after mounting the control adapter device 80 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] In the following, embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0029] [0029]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an attachment operation of a control adapter device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] In FIG. 1, the control adapter device 10 is detachably attached to a casing wall 14 of a control unit 12 . An input control part including, for example, plural control buttons 16 and a control lever 18 is situated at the top surface of the control unit 12 . It is to be noted that the control unit 12 may be, for example, a keyboard of a personal computer, a controller of a television game machine, or a control part for controlling a computer controlled conveying machine or an industrial robot.
[0031] The casing wall 14 includes a pair of engagement holes 20 , 21 , which receive an engagement mechanism 54 (described below), and a receiving connector 22 . The control adapter device 10 is detachably attached to the casing wall 14 of the control unit 12 via the engagement holes 20 , 22 and the receiving connector 22 .
[0032] Press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 for controlling engagement and disengagement are disposed at and protrude from each side of the control adapter device 10 . A transmission part 26 for conducting wireless transmission of signals is disposed at a case-front end 10 a of the control adapter device 10 .
[0033] Thus structured, when the user depresses the control button 16 or maneuvers the control lever 18 of the control unit 12 , a signal corresponding to such movements is transmitted by wireless transmission via the transmission part 26 .
[0034] Accordingly, the user is able to switch the transmission type from a wire type to a wireless type by attaching the control adapter device 10 to the control unit 12 .
[0035] The structure of the control adapter device 10 is next described.
[0036] [0036]FIGS. 2A through 2D are exterior views of the structure of the control adapter 10 , in which FIG. 2A is a front view, FIG. 2B is a plan view, FIG. 2C is a side view, and FIG. 2D is a rear view.
[0037] As shown in FIGS. 2A through 2D, the control adapter 10 includes a case main body 36 , formed from a combination of an upper case 32 and a lower case 34 . Openings 36 c , 36 d for allowing the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 to be inserted therethrough are formed on a left side surface 36 a and a right side surface 36 b of the case main body 36 , respectively. Openings 36 f , 36 g , 36 h for allowing engagement claws 38 , 40 , and an inserting connector 30 , respectively to be inserted therethrough are formed in a rear surface 36 e of the case main body 36 .
[0038] The substrate 42 , to which the inserting connector 30 is attached, is installed inside the case main body 36 . Engagement mechanisms 54 (See FIG. 3) for engaging the control unit 12 with the control adapter device 10 are disposed at the left and right sides of the substrate 42 .
[0039] The inserting connector 30 is disposed in a rearwardly protruding manner at the center portion of the rear surface 36 e.
[0040] [0040]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the control adapter device 10 . FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an assembled state where the upper case 32 is removed.
[0041] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the control adapter device 10 contains and/or supports therein: the substrate 42 having a transmission circuit (not shown) disposed in the space created by the upper case 32 and the lower case 34 ; engagement levers 44 , 46 disposed at left and right sides, respectively, of the substrate 42 ; and torsion springs 48 , 50 biasing the engagement levers 44 , 46 , respectively, in engagement directions.
[0042] The inserting connector 30 is connected, as by soldering, to a rear portion of the lower surface of the substrate 42 . Respective electronic components forming a transmission circuit and a transmission antenna (not shown) are disposed at a rear portion of the upper surface of the substrate 42 . The substrate 42 , in a state in which the inserting connector 30 is inserted into a quadrangular connector installment wall portion 52 , is sandwiched between the upper case 32 and the lower case 34 .
[0043] The engagement mechanisms 54 comprise the engagement levers 44 , 46 and the torsion springs 48 , 50 , respectively. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the engagement levers 44 , 46 are disposed on the left and right in a symmetrical manner. The engagement levers 44 , 46 include the respective press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 at one end thereof, and respective engagement claws 38 , 40 at the other end thereof.
[0044] Groove portions 56 , 58 into which coil portions 48 a , 50 a of the torsion springs 48 , 50 are installed, are provided at midsections (in the longitudinal direction) of the engagement levers 44 , 46 , respectively. Furthermore, rotative support portions 60 , 62 are arranged above and below the groove portions 56 , 58 , respectively. The rotative support portions 60 , 62 are formed with round-shaped holes 60 a , 62 a for inserting therethrough shafts 64 , 66 , respectively, uprightly formed at the inner surfaces of the upper case 32 , and the lower case 34 . Thus structured, the engagement levers 44 , 46 rotate about the shafts 64 , 66 (being engaged at the rotative support portions 60 , 62 ) with the shafts 64 , 66 serving as their rotating centers.
[0045] The engagement levers 44 , 46 also have arcuate groove portions 76 , 78 that make contact against below-described stoppers (restriction members) 72 , 74 , respectively. The arcuate groove portions 76 , 78 are disposed at the inwardly facing side surfaces 44 a , 46 a situated at the rear side (inner side) of the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 of the engagement levers 44 , 46 . Furthermore, the arcuate groove portions 76 , 78 are situated at the proximity of a line (line of action) along which the pressing forces of the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 are directed.
[0046] Accordingly, the stoppers 72 , 74 are subjected to the pressing forces of the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 at the proximity of the line of action. Therefore, in a case where the engagement levers 44 , 46 are rotated in a direction for disengaging (releasing) engagement, the stoppers 72 , 74 restrict the rotation of the engagement levers 44 , 46 by making contact against the arcuate groove portions 76 , 78 , respectively. In such a case, the engagement levers 44 , 46 are positively restricted from rotating without being bent since the stoppers 72 , 74 are situated at the proximity of the line along which the pressing forces upon the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 are directed.
[0047] The torsion springs 48 , 50 are attached to the engagement levers 44 , 46 in a manner so that coil portions 48 a , 50 a are housed in the groove portions 56 , 58 , respectively, of the engagement levers 44 , 46 . In addition, since the torsion springs 48 , 50 are coiled around the outer periphery of the shafts 64 , 66 , the torsion springs 48 , 50 are attached to the engagement levers 44 , 46 in a compact (space-saving) manner.
[0048] Other than the aforementioned shafts 64 , 66 , the inner surfaces of the upper and lower cases 32 , 34 are provided with spring retaining portions 68 , 70 , and column-shaped stoppers 72 , 74 , respectively, for restricting the rotational movement of the engagement levers 44 , 46 .
[0049] [0049]FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view for explaining an attachment structure of the engagement lever 44 and the torsion spring 48 (For convenience, only one side of the attachment structure is shown).
[0050] As shown in FIG. 5, one end portion 48 b ( 50 b ) of the torsion spring 48 ( 50 ), extending substantially in a radially outward direction from the coil portion 48 a ( 50 a ), is inserted through an opening part of the groove portion 56 ( 58 ), to thereby allow the torsion spring 48 ( 50 ) to contact against the inwardly facing side surface 44 a ( 46 a ) of the engagement lever 44 ( 46 ). The other end portion 48 c ( 50 c ) of the torsion spring 48 ( 50 ), extending substantially in a radially outward direction from the coil portion 48 a ( 50 a ), is retained by the spring retaining portions 68 ( 70 ) provided upright on the inner surface of the upper case 32 and the lower case 34 .
[0051] The one end portion 48 b ( 50 b ) of the torsion spring 48 ( 50 ) presses against the inwardly facing side surface 44 a ( 46 a ) situated at the rear side (inner side) of the press-maneuver parts 24 ( 25 ) of the engagement levers 44 ( 46 ).
[0052] A pressure point P in the press-maneuver parts 24 ( 25 ) at which is applied a pressing force when the user pushes (rotates) the engagement lever 44 ( 46 ) in the engagement disengaging direction, is located in the vicinity of pressure point Q, at which is applied with a biasing force by spring contact from the one end 48 b ( 50 b ) of the torsion spring 48 ( 50 ).
[0053] Accordingly, owing to the biasing force of the spring at the pressure point Q, the one end 48 b ( 50 b ) of the torsion spring 48 ( 50 ), pressing the side surface 44 a ( 46 a ) situated on the rear side of the press-maneuver part 24 ( 25 ), resists the engagement disengaging force of the user, and exerts a biasing force against the press-maneuver part 24 ( 25 ).
[0054] It is to be noted that in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the engagement lever 44 ( 46 ) is a resin mold member, and is relatively susceptible to elastic deformation in order to make uniform the radial thickness thereof. It may be considered that the engagement lever 44 ( 46 ) would bend during depression of the press-maneuver part 24 ( 25 ) since the distance from the shaft 64 ( 66 ) to the press-maneuver part 24 ( 25 ) is relatively long.
[0055] However, according to this embodiment of the present invention, the engagement lever 44 ( 46 ) can be rotated with hardly any bending since the press-maneuver part 24 ( 25 ) is pressed in the vicinity of the pressure point Q by the one end portion 48 b ( 50 b ) of the torsion spring 48 ( 50 ). Moreover, a steady and satisfactory pressing feel can be obtained when pressing the press-maneuver part 24 ( 25 ).
[0056] Next, the operation of the engagement mechanism 54 and the mounting operation of the control adapter device 10 are described.
[0057] [0057]FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state before mounting the control adapter device 10 .
[0058] As shown in FIG. 6, in mounting the control adapter 10 to the control unit 12 , the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 are pressed from both left and right sides as in a squeezing manner. As a result, the engagement levers 44 , 46 rotate in the engagement disengaging directions having the shafts 64 , 66 serve as their respective centers.
[0059] The engagement levers 44 , 46 , which are biased against rotation by resisting the spring force of the torsion springs 48 , 50 , can be rotated by overcoming the spring force, to a position where the arcuate groove portions 76 , 78 make contact against the stoppers 72 , 74 . In such an operation, the engagement levers 44 , 46 can be prevented from deforming (bending), and a satisfactory pressing feel can be obtained during an engagement disengaging maneuver, since the stoppers 72 , 74 are situated in the vicinity of the line along which the pressing forces upon the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 are directed.
[0060] Pressing the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 in the aforedescribed manner, allows the engagement claws 38 , 40 disposed at the tips of the engagement levers 44 , 46 , to be in a position ready for insertion into the engagement holes 20 , 21 , respectively, provided in the casing wall 14 of the control unit 12 . The user aligns the engagement claws 38 , 40 with the engagement holes 20 , 21 , which also positions the inserting connector 30 in a manner facing the receiving connector 22 .
[0061] Subsequently, the user moves the control adapter device 10 toward the control unit 12 in direction A, thereby inserting the engagement claws 38 , 40 into the engagement holes 20 , 21 , respectively, and the inserting connector 30 into the receiving connector 22 .
[0062] [0062]FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state after mounting the control adapter device 10 to the control unit 12 . As shown in FIG. 7, when the rear surface 36 e of the control adapter device 10 contacts the casing wall 14 of the control unit 12 , the user can withdraw the force against the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 . As a result, the biasing forces of the torsion springs 48 , 50 urge the engagement levers 44 , 46 to return to engaged positions.
[0063] Thus structured, the engagement claws 38 , 40 , disposed on the tips of the engagement levers 44 , 46 contact in a lateral direction and engage groove portions 20 a , 21 a of the casing wall 14 that form part of the engagement holes 20 , 21 , respectively. Accordingly, by executing the foregoing engagement procedure, the control adapter 10 is attached to the casing wall 14 of the control unit 12 where the inserting connector 30 is engaged to the receiving connector 22 .
[0064] Accordingly, the user presses the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 , and then, while having the engagement mechanisms 54 in the engagement disengaged (released) state, the user inserts the engagement claws 38 , 40 into the engagement holes 20 , 21 , while inserting the inserting connector 30 into the receiving connector 22 . Then, by releasing the pressing force on the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 , the mounting operation of the control adapter device 10 is completed.
[0065] In detaching the mounted control adapter device 10 from the control unit 12 , the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 are pressed for separating the engagement claws 38 , 40 from the groove portions 20 a , 21 a , and then, having the engagement levers 44 , 46 in a disengaged state, the control adapter 10 is withdrawn from the control unit 12 .
[0066] Accordingly, the user presses the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 to achieve the engagement mechanisms 54 in an engagement disengaged state, and withdraws the control adapter device 10 from the control unit 12 , to thereby separate the engagement claws 38 , 40 from the engagement holes 20 , 21 and the inserting connector 30 from the receiving connector 22 . As a result, the separation procedure of the control adapter device 10 from the control unit 12 is completed.
[0067] Next, an exemplary variation according to an embodiment of the present invention is described.
[0068] [0068]FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of an exemplary variation of a control adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an assembled state where the upper case 32 is removed according to the exemplary variation. It is to be noted that like parts (components) in FIGS. 8 and 9 are denoted by like numerals as of the aforementioned embodiment and will not be further explained.
[0069] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a control adapter 80 of the exemplary variation is provided with leaf springs 82 , 84 instead of torsion springs 48 , 50 .
[0070] The leaf springs 82 , 84 are disposed on the left and right in a symmetrical manner. One end portion 82 a , 84 a of the leaf springs 82 , 84 is cut into a shape to be retained by the spring retaining portion 68 , 70 , respectively, and the other end portion 82 b , 84 b of the leaf springs 82 , 84 is bent into an upside-down U-letter shape to contact with respective side surface 86 a , 88 a situated at the rear side of arm portions 86 , 88 that support the engagement claws 38 , 40 . The leaf springs 82 , 84 , which are processed by bending of a spring material, urge the engagement levers 44 , 46 , respectively, toward an engagement position.
[0071] The leaf springs 82 , 84 , cooperate with the engagement levers 44 , 46 in such a manner that the engagement levers 44 , 46 are returnable to their engagement positions via the spring force of the respective springs. Moreover, the leaf springs 82 , 84 require little installation space. Therefore, compact-sized engagement mechanisms 54 comprising the engagement levers 44 , 46 , and the leaf springs 82 , 84 , can be obtained.
[0072] Next, the operation of the engagement mechanism 54 of the exemplary variation of the control adapter device 80 and the mounting operation of the control adapter device 80 are described.
[0073] [0073]FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state before mounting the control adapter device 80 .
[0074] As shown in FIG. 10, in mounting the control adapter 80 to the control unit 12 , the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 are pressed from both left and right sides as in a squeezing manner. As a result, the engagement levers 44 , 46 rotate in the engagement disengaging direction having the shafts 64 , 66 serve as their respective centers.
[0075] The engagement levers 44 , 46 , which are biased against rotation by resisting the spring force of the leaf springs 82 , 84 , can be rotated to a position where the arcuate groove portions 76 , 78 make contact against the stoppers 72 , 74 . This allows the engagement claws 38 , 40 , disposed at the tips of the engagement levers 44 , 46 , to be in a position ready for insertion into the engagement holes 20 , 21 , respectively, provided in the casing wall 14 of the control unit 12 . The user can align the engagement claws 38 , 40 with the engagement holes 20 , 21 , which also bring the inserting connector 30 into a position facing the receiving connector 22 .
[0076] In such an operation, the engagement levers 44 , 46 can be prevented from deforming (bending), and a satisfactory pressing feel can be obtained during an engagement disengaging maneuver, since the stoppers 72 , 74 are situated at the vicinity of the line along which the pressing forces upon the press-maneuver parts 24 , 25 are directed.
[0077] Subsequently, the user moves the control adapter device 80 toward the control unit 12 in direction A, thereby inserting the engagement claws 38 , 40 into the engagement holes 20 , 21 , respectively, and the inserting connector 30 into the receiving connector 22 .
[0078] [0078]FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state after mounting the control adapter device 80 to the control unit 12 . As shown in FIG. 11, when the rear surface 36 e of the control adapter device 10 contacts the casing wall 14 of the control unit 12 , the user can withdraw the force against the press-maneuver part 24 , 25 . As a result, the biasing force of the leaf springs 82 , 84 urge the engagement levers 44 , 46 to return to engaged positions.
[0079] Thus structured, the engagement claws 38 , 40 , disposed on the tips of the engagement levers 44 , 46 , contact in a lateral direction and engage groove portions 20 a , 21 a of the casing wall 14 that form part of the engagement hole 20 , 21 , respectively. Accordingly, the control adapter 10 is attached to the casing wall 14 of the control unit 12 where the inserting connector 30 is inserted to the receiving connector 22 .
[0080] Although the foregoing embodiment has a pair of engagement mechanisms 54 disposed one on each the left and right sides of the control adapter device 10 , the control adapter device of the present invention is not limited only to such an embodiment. For example, the engagement mechanism 54 may be disposed on only one of the sides of the control adapter device 10 , 80 .
[0081] Furthermore, although the foregoing embodiment has the inserting connector 30 disposed on the rear surface of the control adapter device 10 , 80 the control adapter device of the present invention is not limited only to such an embodiment. For example, the receiving connector 22 may be disposed on the rear surface of the control adapter device 10 , 80 .
[0082] Furthermore, although the foregoing embodiment has a transmission circuit provided on the substrate 42 , the control adapter device 10 , 80 of the present invention is not to be limited only to such an embodiment. For example, a transmission circuit and a reception circuit may be provided on the substrate 42 .
[0083] Further, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but various variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0084] The present application is based on Japanese Priority Application No. 2003-76506 filed on Mar. 19, 2003, with the Japanese Patent Office, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. | A control adapter device for attaching to a control unit having an input control part is disclosed. The control adapter device includes a connector for electrically connecting the control adapter device to the control unit, a transmission part for transmitting, by wireless transmission, a signal that is input from the input control part, a case supporting the connector and containing the transmission part therein, an engagement member being supported by a shaft in the case for rotatable movement between an engagement position and a disengagement position, the engagement member being formed to engage the control unit, and including a press-maneuver part for receiving a pressing force to thereby rotate the engagement member, and a restriction member being disposed in the case to block movement of the press maneuver part of the engagement member, and thereby restrict movement of the engagement member beyond the disengagement position. | 7 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Divisional application of Ser. No. 07/291,304, filed Dec. 28, 1988 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,426.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic tracing method for a welding torch in a lap joint welding operation of a consumable electrode type arc welding robot.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, as a method for automatically controlling the lap joint welding of a welding torch 4 of a consumable electrode type arc welding robot as shown in FIG. 1, that is, in which an upper plate (web) 2 laps on a lower plate (flange) 3 to define a weld groove line 6, there has been proposed an automatic control method which utilizes the fact that a weld current value varies according to a distance between the welding torch 4 and the material to be welded.
The tracing of the weld groove line 6 according to the aforesaid method is accomplished by oscillating the welding torch widthwise relative the length of the groove, integrating weld currents at both ends of the oscillation and comparing the thus integrated current values to determine if they are equal to each other, and moving the oscillation center 5 of the welding torch 4 towards the oscillation end having the smaller of the integrated current values if the values are unequal.
Further, tracing relative the vertical direction of the weld groove line 6 is accomplished by comparing an average value of the integrated current values of the weld current with an adequate preset current value, and if the average weld current value is larger than the preset current value, the distance between the welding torch and the material to be welded is deemed to be too short and therefore an upward correction is made, whereas if the average integrated value of the weld current is smaller than the preset current value, the distance between the welding torch and the material to be welded is deemed to be too long and therefore, a downward correction is made.
However, in the above method of comparing the integrated current values at both oscillation ends, then the lap joint welding is as shown in FIG. 1, the wall 2 of the upper plate (web) 1 is relatively small, and the wall 2 may become inclined or melted at the lower plate (flange) 3 side to lose a corner thereof. When the oscillation center 5 of the welding torch 4 is deviated from the weld groove line 6 towards the upper plate 1 the projected length of a wire 7 on the upper plate 1 side of oscillation is longer than the projected length of a wire on the lower plate 3 side of oscillation as indicated by the distance "m". Therefore, the integrated current value on the upper plate 1 side of oscillation is smaller than the integrated current value on the lower plate 3 side of oscillation, resulting in the issuance of a command for correction towards the upper plate 1 side. As a result, an opposite correction is made in that the oscillation center should be corrected towards the lower plate 3 side to effect the automatic tracing along the weld groove line 6, resulting in an increase in the deviation from the weld groove line 6 towards the upper plate 1.
When once departed towards the upper plate 1, the length of the wire 7 at the upper plate 1 side of oscillation necessarily becomes long as shown in FIG. 2, and therefore, the weld integrated current value at the oscillation end of the upper plate 1 is small. As a consequence, a further correction towards the upper plate 1 is effected, and the oscillation center 5 continues to be moved away from the weld groove line 6.
As a result, an operating state results in which the center of oscillation departs from the weld line in the automatic tracing method. Due to the occurrence of this phenomenon, the wall 2 of the material to be welded must be high, as in a T-shape fillet, to accomplish excellent automatic tracing, but if the material to be welded has a wall 2 which is liable to be melted, as in a lap fillet, the use thereof is difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved in view of the above-described problem. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic tracing method for a welding torch which can, in a lap fillet welding, prevent a departure towards the upper plate or lower plate without the provision of a special control device.
For achieving the aforesaid object, the present invention provides an arrangement wherein integrated current values at both ends of oscillation are compared with an integrated current value of an oscillating center whereby a deviation towards the upper plate is detected. Alternately, frequency components of a signal having twice the oscillation frequency are extracted and a current phase thereof is detected to thereby detect a deviation towards the upper plate. Then, correction towards the lower plate is applied irrespective of the result of comparison between the integrated current values at both ends of oscillation to prevent a departure toward the upper plate.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a detected weld current is smoothed by a low pass filter having a cutoff frequency equal to a frequency of oscillation, and when the weld current at the oscillation end of the lower plate 1 side significantly increases, correction towards the lower plate is effected irrespective of the comparison between the integrated current values at both ends of oscillation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a length of a wire at both ends of oscillation in the case where a center of oscillation towards an upper plate is deviated in a lap joint welding according to a conventional method.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an oscillating state when a welding wire runs onto the upper plate.
FIG. 3A is a schematic view where an oscillating center traces a weld groove line.
FIG. 3B shows a waveform of a weld current relative to FIG. 3A.
FIG. 4A a schematic view where an oscillating center is considerably deviated towards the lower plate.
FIG. 4B shows a waveform of a weld current relative to FIG. 4A.
FIG. 5A is a schematic view where an oscillating center is slightly deviated towards the upper plate.
FIG. 5B shows a waveform of a weld current relative to FIG. 4A.
FIG. 6A is a control flow chart for detecting a deviation towards the upper plate by comparing integrated current values at both ends of oscillation with an integrated current value at a center of oscillation.
FIG. 6B shows a waveform of a weld current relative to FIG. 6A.
FIG. 7A is a control flow chart for detecting a deviation towards the upper plate by extracting components of a signal having a frequency which is twice the oscillation frequency.
FIG. 7B shows a waveform of a weld current relative to FIG. 7A.
FIG. 8 is a schematic view where a clearance is a present in a weld groove.
FIG. 9 shows a waveform of a weld current relative to FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the state in which an oscillating center is deviated towards the lower plate.
FIG. 11 shows a waveform of a weld current relative to FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a sectional view in which a weld bead has formed on the upper plate.
FIG. 13 shows a waveform of a weld current relative to FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 shows a waveform of a weld current from the beginning of a run-on to the upper plate to the completion of a run-on to the upper plate.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments for achieving the object of the present invention will now be described.
The embodiment described hereinafter is a different control method from that using in the conventional device, and for the purpose of better understanding, a principle of the present invention will be first explained.
FIG. 3A shows the operating state wherein a torch 4 oscillates along a weld groove line 6, and FIG. 3B schematically shows a waveform of a weld current relative the oscillating torch 4. In this operating state, current values at both ends of oscillation are high, and the current value at the center of oscillation is small in comparison with the current values at both ends of oscillation.
FIG. 4A shows the operating state in which the torch 4 oscillates along a path that is considerably deviated toward the lower plate 3, and FIG. 4B shows a waveform of a weld current in this operating state. As shown in FIG. 4B, the weld current at the oscillation end of the lower plate 3 side is largest.
As will be understood from viewing FIG. 3B and FIG. 4B, one of the current values at both ends of oscillation is necessarily large than the current value at the oscillating center.
However, when a deviation towards the upper plate 2 occurs and the center position of oscillation is near the edge portion on the upper plate 1 as shown in FIG. 5A, the current value at the center of oscillation is larger than the current values at both ends of oscillation resulting in the characteristic current waveform shown in FIG. 5B.
Embodiment 1
A first embodiment is based on the knowledge that by detecting a specific current waveform, a deviation toward the upper plate 1 side can be recognized, and a correction applied towards the lower plate 3 irrespective of a comparison between integrated current values at both ends of oscillation.
In the first embodiment, the welding torch is controlled as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 6A, and the schematic of FIG. 6B, to prevent a departure towards the upper plate 1.
In the aforesaid first embodiment, in the case where the weld integrated current value in the oscillating center is larger than the weld integrated current values at both ends of oscillation, the operating state in which the welding torch 4 has drifted into upper plate 1 can be detected.
However, depending on the specific shape of a coupling of a material to be welded, the quality of material and the welding conditions, even in the operating state in which the edge of the upper plate 1 has melted and the welding torch 4 has run onto the upper plate 1, the weld integrated current value in the oscillating center may sometimes not be larger than the weld integrated current values at both ends of oscillation.
Therefore, offset values (a and b in the flow chart of FIG. 6A) are applied to the weld integrated current value of the oscillating center, and then the weld integrated values of oscillation are compared, whereby even in the operating state wherein the edge has melted, the running of the welding torch 4 onto the upper plate 1 can be detected.
It is also possible to adjust the set amount of the offset to detect the operating state in which the welding torch 4 has slightly deviated toward the upper plate 1.
The offsets a and b have values which vary according to the welding conditions, and which can be obtained by experiment.
Embodiment 2
A second embodiment is directed to a method for detecting and correcting a deviation towards the upper plate 1 according to a current phase during oscillation.
FIG. 7A shows a control flow chart of the second embodiment. FIG. 7B shows schematic waveforms for a better understanding of the operation of the second embodiment.
In the second embodiment, a band pass filter is used for passing a signal having a frequency which is twice the oscillation frequency of the welding torch 4, and components of this signal are extracted. The amplitude of the signal having the frequency which is twice the oscillation frequency is largest when no deviation is present and becomes smaller as the welding torch 4 is moved from the weld groove line 6. While the amplitude varies as described above, the phase of the signal remains constant.
However, as the welding torch 4 deviates towards the upper plate 1, the phase of the current signal having twice the frequency of the oscillation frequency is deviated by a 1/4 wavelength when the center of the oscillation is directed on the edge of the upper plate 1 as shown in FIG. 5A.
Therefore, this change in the phase the current signal can be detected to thereby recognize the state of the welding torch 4 tending to run onto the upper plate 1. In the case where this phase deviation is detected, and recognition is made of a drifting towards the upper plate 1, a correction is applied towards the lower plate 3 regardless of a comparison of the integrated current values at both ends of oscillation, and a departure towards the upper plate 1 can thus be prevented.
Among the two embodiments so far described, in the first embodiment, a comparison is made between the integrated current values at both ends of oscillation and the integrated current value at the oscillating center, and in the second embodiment the current frequency signal components are detected to detect the phase thereof, whereby a deviation towards the upper plate 1 can be detected to prevent a departure towards the upper plate 1.
The conventional method for carrying out the oscillated current detection is relatively inexpensive and free from interference, and is therefore very effective, but in the case where the conventional method is applied to the lap joint welding, once a departure towards the upper plate is made, the torch continues to be moved away from a welding line, therefore posing a problem in terms of a reliability.
According to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, a departure towards the upper plate 1 in a lap joint welding can be prevented by mere software revision, without the use of additional hardware. Thereby, the reliability of sensing of the lap joint welding is improved, as well as the sensing of a lap joint welding having thinner plates.
While two embodiments have been described, modifications and applied examples will be described hereinafter.
According to research carried out by the present inventors, after the weld current has been smoothed by a low pass filter for passing frequencies smaller than the frequency of oscillation, the waveform thereof was verified by experiments, and as a result, it has been found that despite the accomplishment of automatic tracing so that the weld integrated current values at both ends of oscillation are equal to each other as usual, there occurred a phenomenon wherein a difference between the weld integrated current values at both ends of oscillation is abnormally large. It has been found that the phenomenon could be divided into the following three casual types:
(1) where a clearance is present in a groove of a material to be welded;
(2) where a torch tip is greatly deviated from a weld groove line (i.e., where a position of starting welding is greatly deviated, and where a material to be welded is deviated in excess of the ability of automatic tracing);
(3) where a weld bead has run on the upper plate.
In the present invention, attention is directed to the state of moment where the bead has run-on the upper plate 1, which has been mentioned above as phenomenon (3), and the current waveform is analyzed to detect the abnormal phenomenon at a moment when the bead has run on the upper plate 1, thereby preventing the run-on to the upper plate 1.
In order to distinguish the current waveform of phenomenon (3) from the weld current waveforms in the other phenomenons (1) and (2), weld current waveforms for each were analyzed by experimental data.
The results thereof will be described hereinafter.
(i) Weld current waveform at a groove clearance:
The state where a groove clearance is present is schematically shown in FIG. 8, and a corresponding weld current waveform is shown in FIG. 9.
When a clearance "g" is present in a groove between the upper plate 1 and the lower plate 3, a weld wire 7 is moved into the clearance "g", and as a result, a short-circuit occurs on the side of the upper plate 1 to generate an abnormal current. After the weld, in a portion where a markedly high weld current in generated on the side of the upper plate 1, a large bead 8 is deposited above the clearance. This proves that the short-circuit occurred to generate an abnormal current.
Therefore, in the weld current waveform A1, as shown in FIG. 9, a markedly large weld current waveform a 1 appears at a position of signal Cw in synchronism with the end of oscillation towards the upper plate 1, and no abnormal phenomenon appears at a position of signal Cf in synchronism with the end of oscillation towards the lower plate 3.
The characteristic of the weld current waveform when a clearance is present at a weld groove is thus a markedly large weld current generated only when the oscillating end is synchronized with the upper plate 1 side.
(ii) Weld current waveform in the case where the oscillating center is deviated from the weld groove line 6:
In the case wherein the oscillating center 5 is deviated from the start of the welding operation, an abnormal current waveform appears from the beginning, which can be obviously distinguished.
The oscillating center 5 of the welding torch is greatly deviated from the weld groove line 6 more than the ability of tracing in the case where it is deviated towards the lower plate 3.
In the case where the oscillating center 5 is deviated towards the upper plate 1, the same condition results as the state wherein the bead runs onto the upper plate, which will be described later in (iii).
In the case where the oscillating center 5 is deviated towards the lower plate 3, the distance between the welding torch and the material to be welded becomes longer towards the upper plate 1 side of oscillation, as shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, there appears a waveform as shown in FIG. 11 wherein a weld current reduces on the upper plate 1 side of oscillation. The characteristic of this weld current waveform A2 is that a markedly lower current value a 2 of the weld current waveform occurs at a position of signal Cw in a synchronism with the end of oscillation towards the upper plate 1.
(iii) Weld current waveform when the oscillating center 5 runs onto the upper plate 1 side:
When the oscillating center 5 of the welding torch is deviated towards the upper plate 1, the weld bead runs onto the upper plate 1, as shown in FIG. 12. Also, when the welding torch 4 is oscillated towards the lower plate 3, a large weld current flows.
In this state, when the torch is oscillated towards the lower plate 3, the weld arc does not reach the surface of the lower plate 3, and an arc is generated in a weld pool formed in the edge. That is, the weld pool 9 formed in the edge of the upper plate 1 becomes a spherical shape due to surface tension, and the welding wire 7 assumes a short-circuited state and a welding current at the end of the lower plate 3 of the oscillation is very large.
FIG. 13 shows a weld current waveform when the center of oscillation runs onto the upper plate 1. The characteristic of the weld current waveform A3 is a large weld current waveform a 3 generated at a position of signal Cf in synchronism with the oscillating end of the lower plate 3 side.
The state wherein the edge on the upper plate 1 side is melted into a spherical shape is the characteristic phenomenon generated only when the center of the oscillation runs onto the upper plate 1 side during the lap joint welding. Therefore, the characteristic of the large weld current waveform on the lower plate 3 side can be detected to detect the state of the running-on towards the upper plate 1 side.
When the wire completely runs onto the upper plate 1, the wire becomes longer towards the upper plate 1 side of oscillation similar to the case shown in FIG. 2, and therefore, a weld current is smaller at a position of signal Cw at the oscillation end towards the upper plate 1 side similar to the weld current waveform of FIG. 11. Accordingly, as shown by the weld current waveform A4 of FIG. 14, from the beginning of the running onto the upper plate 1 side to achievement of complete running-on, a markedly large weld current waveform a 3 is generated at a signal cf position at the oscillation end towards the lower plate 3 side as shown in FIG. 4, and thereafter, a small weld current waveform a 2 appears at a signal Cw position at the oscillation end towards the upper plate 1 side.
When the phenomenon wherein the weld current waveform become large is studied from the cutoff frequency of a low pass filter, the weld current waveform in the state of tracing the groove contains many frequency components twice the frequency of the oscillation frequency, and the weld current waveform in the case where a deviation from a groove is made is a frequency component of the oscillation frequency, as is well known. The cutoff frequency of the low pass filter is made to be almost the same as the frequency of the oscillation, the frequency component of twice the oscillation frequency of the weld current waveform is cut off by means of a filter in the state of tracing a groove. Therefore, variation in the weld current waveform is small. However, in the state where a deviation from a groove is made, the weld current waveform is a frequency component of the oscillation frequency, and therefore the component is not cut off by the filter and a large weld current waveform is obtained.
As mentioned above, in the normal automatic tracing operation, the abnormal weld current waveform appears in the case where a clearance is present in a weld groove, in the case where a deviation from a groove line was made, and in the case where running onto the upper plate side was made. An abnormally large weld current is generated on the lower plate side only in the case of the running onto the upper plate side, from which characteristic, the running-on state of the upper plate side can be detected.
Accordingly, in the automatic copying accompanied by oscillation, a large weld current on the oscillating lower plate side generated by the running-on towards the upper plate is detected an a correction is applied to the lower plate side irrespective of the comparison between the weld integrated current value of oscillation on the upper plate side 1 and the weld integrated value of oscillation on the lower plate 3 side to thereby prevent a departure towards the upper plate side 1.
An embodiment thereof will be described hereinafter.
The embodiment shown below employs a method for detecting a state wherein a weld current on the lower plate side of oscillation is markedly large in order to detect a state of departure towards the upper plate 1 in the automatic copying operation.
Embodiment 3
In the third embodiment according to the present invention, first, automatic copying is effected in a state free from deviation, and an average deviation σ of weld integrated current values detected at the oscillation end towards the lower plate side 1. In this case, the detected weld current is smoothed by a low pass filter for passing a frequency less than that of the oscillation frequency.
In many cases, as will be understood from FIG. 13, a spherical melt pool 9 is suddenly formed in an edge of an upper plate 1, indicating state in which a large short circuit occurs and a markedly high weld current is generated on end of oscillation towards the lower plate 1 side.
Accordingly, a comparison is made between a weld integrated current value Af (N-1) at the oscillation end towards the lower plate side 1 of a previous oscillation and a weld integrated current value Af (N) of a current oscillation, and if a difference {Af (N)-Af (N-1)} therebetween is larger than an allowable deviation 3σ, a departure state is recognized.
Embodiment 4
Since the arc welding robot of this type carries out the automatic tracing, the weld integrated current value on the upper plate side 1 will normally not be very large. Accordingly, in the fourth embodiment, detection is first made of an average value Aw and an average deviation σ of weld integrated current values detected at the end of the upper plate 1 side when automatic copying has been carried out in a state free of deviations, and a comparison is made between a weld integrated current value Af (N) at the oscillation end towards the lower plate 1 side and said average value Aw. If {Af (N)-A2} is larger than an allowable deviation 3σ, a departure state is recognized.
The use of an allowable deviation 3σ in the methods of the third and fourth embodiments is the result of an unevenness of the weld current in the state free from deviations. This value 3σ is adjusted according to the welding conditions, such as the welding posture and type of electrodes. However, in the normal automatic tracing operation, since the weld integrated current value is uneven in a normal distribution manner, effective detection ban be carried out if an abnormal state is detected with 3σ as a reference allowable deviation.
When a departure state is recognized by either method as described above, the device is pulled back towards the lower plate 3 by a large correction amount corresponding to two to five times the correction amount of the normal automatic tracing operation, irrespective of the compared value of the integrated current values at both ends of oscillation, to prevent a departure towards the upper plate 1 side.
As described above, in the present invention, the state wherein a weld current at the lower plate 3 side during oscillation is markedly large is detected to effect a correction toward the lower plate 3, whereby a departure toward the upper plate 1 in the lap joint welding can be prevented.
Further, the method for detecting a weld current at the oscillating end to effect tracing is relatively inexpensive and free from interference near a welding torch and is very effective. However, in the case where the aforesaid is applied to a lap joint welding, if a departure towards the upper plate 1 occurrence once, the torch continues to move away from a weld groove line, thus giving rise to a problem of reliability. However, according to the present invention, there are effects in that a departure towards the upper plate can be prevented without us of additional hardware, reliability in sensing of a lap joint welding is improved, and sensing of a lap joint welding for sheets is also possible. | In the case where lap fillet welding is carried out by a conventional arc welding robot, when a weld wire is once departed towards an upper plate, the wire keeps being away from a weld line, and therefore, various teaching techniques so as to prevent such a departure have been re-required. In the case where a weld line is long, if the wire is departed, a defective weld length becomes long, thus posing an significant problem.
The present invention provides a control method for an arc sensor by detection of a weld current. That is, a departure of a lap fillet weld towards an upper plate is prevented merely by addition of a detection algorithm, teaching can be simplified and practical merits are great. | 1 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims benefit under 35 USC section 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/218,632, filed on Sep. 15, 2015, entitled VEHICLE-MOUNTED SENSORLESS MOTOR WITH EDGE-CONNECTED TERMINATION, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted sensorless motor apparatus with a motor termination connector for motor phases U, V, and W; and more particularly relates to a motor having a stator circuit board integral to the motor, a controller circuit board separate from the stator circuit board, and mating connectors for connecting circuits between the circuit boards for controlling the motor phases U, V, and W. The present innovation is well adapted for use in an automatic transmission fluid pump/motor apparatus, but is not believed to be limited to only that use.
[0003] Sensorless automatic transmission fluid (ATF) motors can be used to drive pumps for pumping automatic transmission fluid on a vehicle. Such motors are useful for several reasons, including their compact design, reliability, control, and cost effectiveness. Sensorless ATF motors typically have a connector-based termination on the circuit boards for phases U, V, and W, so that a controller circuit board can control circuits defined in part by the stator circuit board for operating the motor's rotor. It is important that the assembly be compact, but also easily connected (since the assembly may be a blind assembly), reliably connected (including good and consistent electrical contact and that is also mechanically resistant to pull-apart), and assembled with a minimum of components and lower cost component (for competitive reasons).
[0004] One example of prior art is shown in FIGS. 18-21 , which illustrates an ATF motor 100 connected to a pump positioned inside a transmission fluid pan for pumping pooled automotive transmission fluid as needed to vehicle components. The motor 100 includes a stator circuit board 101 with a first multi-point (female) connector 102 (sometimes called “terminal header”) soldered to the board 101 , and a controller circuit board 103 having a mating second multi-point (male) connector 104 (sometimes called a “socket header”) soldered to the board 103 , with the mating connectors 102 and 104 having mating pin and sockets for connecting different circuits between the circuit boards 101 and 103 for controlling phases U, V, and W of the motor 100 to rotate the motor's rotor. The connector 102 is soldered into the electronics in the stator circuit board 101 , and the connector 104 is soldered to the electronics of the controller circuit board 103 , which adds significant expense and is a quality concern. The male connector 104 includes multiple miniaturized parallel pins 105 adapted to fit snugly into mating sockets for electrical connection. The pins are designed to be as small as possible to meet space/size, weight, and functional requirements, since the space within the transmission fluid pan is small, but concurrently must be sufficiently large for good surface area for providing electrical connection. The connectors 102 and 104 both include metal conductors held by non-conductive material (such as plastic), with the non-conductive material being designed to assist with accurate alignment of the pins and sockets during assembly and interconnection, but also providing good retention strength after assembly. A quality problem occurs when one or more of the pins are deformed or damaged during assembly, resulting in poor (or no) electrical connection. This problem is compounded by the blind assembly, and by the small size and low bending strength of the pins. Improvement is desired to simplify the assembly, lower cost, improve assemble-ability (especially during a blind assembly), improve reliability of retention after assembly, improve integrity and reliability of the electrical connection made in the multiple circuits during assembly, doing so while maintaining low cost of components and assembly, and while also providing a design that takes up as small of space as possible by the components/assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0005] In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for electrically connecting a motor's on-board stator circuit board to a controller circuit board, comprises: A) one of the stator circuit board and the controller circuit board including an edge with spaced-apart pads of electrically-conductive material for connecting to the multiple electrical circuits; and B) the other the stator circuit board and the controller circuit board including an edge connector with conductors each having at least one protruding arm positioned to both engage the pads for electrical contact and also frictionally engage the pads for mechanical retention.
[0006] In narrower aspects, the pads include first pads on one side and second pads on an opposite side that are aligned with the first pads; and the at least one protruding arm on each of the conductors includes opposing arms that define a pinch point therebetween, the pinch point being dimensioned to cause the opposing arms to each contact an associated one of the pads.
[0007] In another narrower aspect, the apparatus does not include any mechanical connecting structure creating a substantial retention force other than the retention force created by the conductors on the pads.
[0008] In another narrower aspect, the pads include duplicative pads on opposite sides of the circuit board, both connected to the electrical circuit, thus leading to a duplicative connection that is more reliable and robust.
[0009] In another aspect of the present invention, a method for electrically connecting a motor's on-board stator circuit board to a controller circuit board, comprises: A) providing on one of the stator circuit board and the controller circuit board, an edge with spaced-apart pads of electrically-conductive material for connecting to the multiple electrical circuits; B) providing on the other the stator circuit board and the controller circuit board, an edge connector with conductors each having at least one protruding arm positioned to both engage the pads; and C) assembling the edge connector onto the edge so that the conductors electrically engage the pads for electrical contact and also frictionally engage the pads for mechanical retention.
[0010] These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present invention will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] FIGS. 1-1A are side views, partially schematic, showing an ATF motor/pump apparatus submersed in automatic transmission fluid inside a transmission fluid pan, the motor including a stator circuit board connected to a controller circuit board, the controller circuit board including an edge-of-board electrical connector (called “edge connector”) with tuning-fork-like conductors for engaging mating conductive pads along an edge of the stator circuit board, FIGS. 1 and 1A showing the motor extending in different orientations (i.e. opposite directions).
[0012] FIG. 2 is a side view of the controller circuit board and circuit-board-attached edge connector of FIG. 1 .
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the edge connector engaging the pads on the (circle-shaped) stator circuit board.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the electrical connection provided by the tuning-fork-like conductors to the pads on the stator circuit board.
[0015] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of FIG. 3 (with only the center one conductor 31 shown).
[0016] FIGS. 6-8 are views of one of the tuning-fork-like conductors, FIGS. 6-7 being side and plan views, FIG. 8 being an enlarged view of the circuit-board-attached pin on the conductor.
[0017] FIGS. 9-13 are views of the edge connector of FIG. 3 , FIG. 9 being a perspective view,
[0018] FIGS. 10-12 being orthogonal views, and FIG. 13 being a cross section showing the conductor inside the non-conductive plastic material of the edge connector.
[0019] FIG. 14 is a plan view of the stator circuit board of FIGS. 1 and 2 .
[0020] FIGS. 15-16 are enlarged views of opposing sides of the end of the controller circuit board where the edge connector engages the controller circuit board.
[0021] FIG. 17 is a schematic showing a vehicle electrical system including a controller PCB connected using tuning-fork-connectors to conductive pads on a 1st on-board static motor PCB, and including a 2 nd on-board static motor PCB connected using tuning-fork-connectors to conductive pads on the 1 st on-board static motor PCB.
[0022] FIGS. 17A-17D are layers of the stator circuit board, the layers showing redundant pads connected to circuits on the stator circuit board, the redundant pads causing redundant connection of the controller and stator circuit boards to improve sureness and robustness of the electrical connection.
[0023] FIGS. 18-19 are side views of prior art, FIG. 18 showing a stator circuit board assembled to a controller circuit board by a male terminal header connector (with circumferential shield around projecting pins) and socket header connector, FIG. 19 being an exploded view of same.
[0024] FIGS. 20 and 21 are perspective views of the socket header connector and terminal header connector shown in FIGS. 18-19 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] The present apparatus 20 ( FIG. 1 ) is illustrated as positioned in a transmission fluid pan 21 partially filled with transmission fluid, and includes a motor 21 with rotor 22 driving a pump 23 for pumping the automatic transmission fluid to various vehicle components. The motor 21 has a stator circuit board 25 integral to the motor and operably connected to its stator 26 , a controller circuit board 27 separate from the stator circuit board 25 , and a connector 28 on the controller circuit board 27 for electrically (and mechanically) connecting to a connecting arrangement of pads 30 on the stator circuit board 25 to connect to different circuits between the circuit boards 25 and 27 to control operation of the motor's rotor via phases U, V and W. The pads 30 on the stator circuit board 25 comprise enlarged spots of conductive material on opposing sides of the stator circuit board 25 near an edge of the circuit board 25 . For convenience, the pads 30 are referred to herein as a “connector arrangement”, since the pads 30 are arranged to provide connection and also provide frictional retention force by engaging the arms of the tuning-fork-like conductors 31 in the connector 28 . In a broadest sense, in the illustrated apparatus, it should be understood that there is no traditional connector on the controlling circuit board 27 .
[0026] The connector 28 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 , which shows the assembly, and is shown in FIGS. 6-8 which shows the conductors 31 , and in FIGS. 10-13 which show the connector 28 with conductors 31 . The connector 28 includes a molded non-conductive body (of plastic) holding multiple tuning-fork-like conductors 31 (three shown) in parallel positions each defining an entrance “jaw” corresponding to the pads 30 . This arrangement allows for elimination of the socket header used in the prior art connector 101 described above and shown in FIGS. 18-21 , which is a tremendous cost savings in material, assembly cost, and savings in space consumption. The conductors 31 have conductive arms 31 A that extend in a parallel direction, with the angled inner surfaces of the arms forming a funnel-shaped entrance 31 B (which facilitates blind assembly onto the edge of the stator circuit board 25 ), inwardly protruding bumps 31 C (which create a pinch point promoting good electrical connection to the pads 30 and also positive frictional retention forces on the pads 30 on opposing sides of the stator circuit board 25 ), and a spaced inner portion 31 D (for receiving the edge of the stator circuit board 25 . It is noted that the quality and surety of the electrical connection is greatly increased due to the electrical contact with pads 30 on opposite sides of the stator circuit board 25 .
[0027] FIG. 1 shows a particular arrangement where the motor's stator and rotor are shown extending away from the controller circuit board. However, this is done for convenience and illustrative clarity, but it is contemplated that the motor's stator and rotor can extend in any direction relative to each other.
[0028] Skilled artisans will understand that a variety of different materials and constructions are possible while staying within a scope of the present innovative concepts. The illustrated stator board 25 is a laminate type, the conductors 31 are a conductive metal having a Young's modulus of 131 GPa, and the terminal housing (plastic body of the connector 29 ) is a material having a Young's modulus of 10 GPa. The install force for assembly and retention forces for the assembly can be varied in a number of ways, such as for example by changing materials, treating the contacting surfaces with surface treatment (e.g. plating or coatings), and/or changing a shape of the conductor arms 31 A (i.e. changing the angle of the funnel entrance and/or of a dimension and shape of the pinch point and/or flexibility/resiliency of the arms). The illustrated prototype successfully passed several tests, including tests of lower install/higher retention forces, electrical integrity/ampacity, thermal shock, powered vibration with heat, and powered thermal cycle. It is noted that the present illustrated connection has operated effectively while communicating 20 amps or more.
[0029] The present arrangement is particularly useful in sensorless ATF (automatic transmission fluid) motors used to drive pumps for pumping automatic transmission fluid, because it provides a very compact design (needed for the small space requirements in a vehicle transmission pan), while maintaining or improving reliability and cost effectiveness (needed for the high quality standards required in modern vehicles). The present assembly provides for robust, positive, and relatively easy connection (even in a blind assembly), provides excellent reliability upon connection (including excellent duplicative electrical contact and also mechanical resistance to pull-apart), while using a minimum of number of components (due in part to eliminating one of the connectors used in traditional mating-pin-and-socket electrical connectors) and while also using low cost components and low cost assembly techniques/processes. It is contemplated that the above innovative aspects can include a device connected to and driven by the motor(s), such as any fluid pump or air pump device, a power steering device, an AC compressor, a motor-powered power brake, and substantially any motor-powered component or accessory used in a vehicle or in a larger assembly.
[0030] FIG. 17 is a schematic showing an alternative circuit comprising a vehicle electrical system including a controller PCB 27 connected using tuning-fork-connectors 28 with arm-like conductors 31 engaging conductive pads 30 on a 1st on-board static motor PCB 25 , and including a 2 nd on-board static motor PCB 25 ′ connected using tuning-fork-connectors 28 ′ with conductors 31 ′ engaging conductive pads 30 ′ on an edge 25 ′ of the 1 st on-board static motor PCB 25 . It is contemplated that variations are within a scope of the present invention. For example, both on-board static motor PCB's could be connected directly to the controller PCB, with both tuning-fork-connectors being on the controller PCB and with the conductive pads along the1 st and 2 nd on-board static motor PCBs. Also, the tuning-fork-connectors could be on the static motor PCB's, and the conductive pads along the edge of the controller PCB. It is contemplated that additional tuning-fork-connectors could be used to connect PCB's while minimizing or eliminating pre-assembled/pre-manufactured electrical connector components.
[0031] FIGS. 17A-17D show adjacent layers of the stator circuit board 25 , where the layers include redundant pads (identified as items C, U, V, W) connected to circuits on the stator circuit board, the redundant pads causing redundant connection of the controller and stator circuit boards to improve sureness and robustness of the electrical connection.
[0032] It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of the present invention, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise. | An apparatus electrically connects a motor's on-board stator circuit board to multiple circuits on a controller circuit board using an edge connector on the controller circuit board that engages opposing pads on an edge of the stator circuit board. The edge connector includes tuning-fork-like conductors each with pairs of protruding arms positioned to both engage the pads for electrical contact and also frictionally engage the pads for mechanical retention. A related method of assembly uses the edge-connect system for quick, reliable and sure assembly even under blind assembly conditions. | 7 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to apparatus and processes for accurately positioning relatively flat materials on a surface and fastening those materials to the surface once positioned. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus for accurately locating flat stock such as shingles or the like on a surface such as a roof and for attaching this flat stock to the surface. The present invention is particularly useful for proper alignment of roofing shingles and attaching those shingles to a roof surface.
The attachment of flat stock material such as roofing shingles, hardwood floors and the like has been and continues to be a predominately manual operation. There have been some devices developed particularly for facilitating the placement and attachment of hardwood floors with examples of such apparatus being shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,619,895 and 3,764,053 both by E. T. Thompson. Such devices have found some acceptance for hardwood flooring applications but have not been accepted for roofing shingle attachment purposes because of their size, cost and complexity. Apparatus for aiding in the alignment of roofing shingles using special guides attached to the roof has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,192 by Hilson and the application of waterproof sheeting to roofs has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 2,500,583 by Smith. Another arrangement for providing a shingle carrying and positioning cart is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,327 by Hernandez.
Despite the efforts to develop apparatus to assist the building trade industry in roof shingling, there is a continuing need for a relatively simple, lightweight apparatus which automatically aligns the shingles relative to each other without requiring special guide means attached to the subsurface. Further, there is a continuing need for a device which will not only accurately position and shingles in sequential rows but additionally provide accurate stapling or nailing of the thus positioned shingles to the subsurface. Particularly for residential roofing purposes, the device must be easily portable and adaptable for use on sloping surfaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an apparatus and/or process for facilitating the accurate placement and attachment of roofing shingles. More particularly, the apparatus and/or process of the present invention are concerned with a roof shingle placement and attaching device which is of relatively lightweight construction thus facilitating its placement and use on a roof. The device is movable longitudinally along the roofing subsurface and includes an edge-following arrangement such as a pair of slanted rotary wheels and a guiding chute which terminates at a stop bar located at an appropriate distance from the edge-following wheels. A desired number of attaching devices such as staplers can be pivotally attached to the framework at selected spacings and automatically actuated in parallel by a single actuating bar when the shingle to be attached has been placed within the chute. The framework includes a bin arrangement for holding a supply of shingles to be fed into the chute and, by wheel mounting the framework, the entire assembly can be moved longitudinally along a row of shingles so as to significantly increase the speed of shingle application to a roof.
An object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and process for accurately positioning flat stock material relative to a surface and attaching such material to that surface.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus particularly well suited for correctly positioning and attaching roofing shingles on a roofing surface.
A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for aligning a roofing shingle in correct position relative to a preceding row of shingles and to appropriately fasten the aligned shingle in that position.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a relatively lightweight, low cost apparatus particularly useful for significantly increasing the speed of shingling of a roof.
The foregoing and other objects, features, advantages and applications will be more apparent in view of the following description of an exemplary preferred embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of this invention illustrating its typical use in a shingling application on a sloped roof.
FIG. 2 is an end view of the FIG. 1 apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a front view.
FIG. 4 is a top view; and
FIG. 5 is a partial side view of the preferred embodiment taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 4 showing the interrelationship of the parts at the point that a shingle is being attached to a subflooring.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the exemplary preferred embodiment, tubular side frames 10 and 11 are attached to a front frame member 12 which further has casters 15 and 16 attached thereto. A pair of side arms 17 and 18 are rigidly attached in downward extending position to side frames 10 and 11 respectively, side arm 17 being visible in FIG. 2. A cross frame 19 is attached between side arms 17 and 18.
A tray 20 is attached at its channel portion 21 to front frame 12 and the other edge of tray 20 is attached to cross frame member 19. Thus tray 20 is arranged to provide storage for shingles 23 to be used in conjunction with the device. Further, cross bar 44 depends from side frames 10 and 11 by L-brackets 33 and 34 which are attached to members 38 and 39. An additional cross beam 45 is rigidly attached between side frames 10 and 11 so that arcuate guides 46-48 are held in position between cross beams 44 and 45 in interleaved relation with respect to staplers 40-43 as can best be seen in FIG. 4 along with FIGS. 2 and 5.
A stapler beam actuator assembly 25 is composed of cross bar 26 which has A-shaped actuator arms attached thereto. More particularly, the right side of lever actuator 25 (note FIG. 2) includes a lever arm 27, actuator arm 28 and cross brace 29 formed as a rigid A-shaped configuration outside of side frame 10 with this entire arrangement being pivotally attached to collar assembly 51 at pin 35. Collar assembly 51 is rigidly attached across the lower end of side arm 17 so as to retain the mounting axle for slanted wheel 54 in offset relation as will be discussed later. A similar A-frame arrangement composed of arms 30 and 31 with cross brace 32 (note FIGS. 1 and 5) are pivotally attached outside of side frame 11 on the other side. The lower ends of arms 28 and 31 are attached to cross beam 36 to which are attached staplers 40-43. Staplers 40-43 are pivotally supported by cross beam 36 and actuator assembly 25 around pins 35 and 37.
Affixed to the lower extremity of side arms 17 and 18 are a pair of bearing blocks or mounting collars 51 and 52 which are most readily seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, respectively. Collars 51 and 52 provide rotary offset mounting in slanted relation to the surface for wheels 54 and 55 respectively. As can more clearly be seen in FIG. 5, slant wheels 54 and 55 have beveled edges 56 so as to more nearly conform to the surface 57 and maintain a relatively perpendicular interface 58. Accordingly, a relatively fixed distance is maintained between this peripheral interface 58 and the inner guide edge 59 of rear cross beam 44. It will be readily apparent to those having normal skill in the art that other arrangements can be used which effect equivalent guiding and support functions between interface 58 and edge 59. For example, interface 58 could obviously be established by a bar similar to beam 44 but attached to the framework such as at arms 17 and 18 with movable supports being provided by additional vertically oriented roller casters similar to 15 and 16 attached to the framework in proximity to the bar and arranged to engage subsurface 57.
Curved guide plate 60 which actually could have been formed as a continuation of tray 20 is attached to cross beam 19 and extends in a downward arcing arrangement so as to terminate just above the edge of wheels 54 and 55 as best seen in FIG. 5.
In use as is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5, the wheels 54 and 55 are positioned so that their peripheral tangential edges such as 58 are in abutting relation to underlying shingle 61. One of the shingles 62 is selected from supply 23 and fed between arcuate guide 60 and curved guides 46-48 until the edge thereof is against the inner surface 59 of rear guide 44. This selected shingle 62 is then in position for attachment to sheathing or subsurface 57. At this point, the operator shown in phantom in FIG. 1 pushes outwardly on cross beam 26 of stapler beam lever arm assembly 25. Assembly 25 pivots so as to force the stapler points for staplers 40-43 down against the upper surface of shingle 62. Pneumatically energized mechanical staplers when used for fastening devices 40-43 as illustrated are of the type which are triggered by pressure between the safety yokes thereof and the surface 57 so that they are fired in tandem. The staples released by fasteners 40-43 such as is shown at 63 are thence driven through shingle 62 and 61 into sheathing 57 retaining it in place. After actuator lever arm 26 has been released, springs 65 and 66 which are attached to side frames 10 and 11, respectively, bias lever assembly 25 backward against stops 67 and 68 so that the staplers 40-43 are pivoted back in an upward direction from between the guides 46-48 thereby removing them from the shingle positioning channel defined between guide plate 60 and guides 46-48.
Although staplers 40-43 are illustrated as mechanically actuated pneumatic devices in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, any state-of-the-art device can be used such as devices which employ electric power, etc. Pneumatic staplers enjoy the further advantage of being potentially actuable in tandem by a single triggering mechanism (not shown). Further, FIG. 5 illustrates one arrangement for conveniently and rapidly attaching any of a variety of staplers to the basic framework. More particularly, an L-shaped member 71 includes two opposite side shoulders such as 70 which are attached to the face of stapler 43 via screws 76 and 77. The upper surface of L-bracket 71 has bolt 72 attached thereto for releasably retaining plate 73 in clamping relation to cross beam 36 so as to retain the stapler in place in a stable position. Note that the rear portion of stapler 43 is broken away in FIG. 5.
As more clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the channel 21 of tray 20 is preferably filled with a padding material 22. As seen in FIG. 1, this permits the operator to kneel on padding 22 while positioning and operating the mechanism and to move the device longitudinally across the roof while thus kneeling on the apparatus. Further, a series of holes such as 75 along each side frame 10 and 11 permits adjustment of the tension on springs 65 and 66 as desired. Note further that, in the event that pneumatic staplers are to be used, a compressed air tank and/or portable compressor can be easily mounted to be carried by the apparatus. For example, the tank could be attached between side frames 10 and 11 below tray 20 so that the entire apparatus can be self-contained. The tank can then be connected via hose 80 into air supply header 81 which distributes the compressed air via feeder lines 83-86 to existing pneumatic connections on the staplers 40-43. Of course supply hose 80 can likewise be connected to a separate remote compressed air source if desired. Further, the actuation of the staplers can be controlled by a separate manual switch (not shown) triggered by pivoting of assembly 25 or can be actuated by a predetermined amount of pressure on the face of the stapler as is well known. However, in a typical operation as shown using the S-170 stapler of the Fastener Corporation for staplers 40-43, the triggers are locked in the fire position and the device actually fired by pressure on the safety yoke 64 against the shingles with about 3/8 inch travel of yoke 64 being required for firing.
The knee rest formed by 21 and 22 can include horizontal and/or vertical adjustment if desired and the device can be adapted for accommodating shake shingle application with modifications. For instance, the disclosed apparatus can be modified for shake shingles by arranging the slanted wheels 54 and 55 to follow the lower edge of the previous row with the machine appropriately arranged to operate from this lower level. However, a significant advantage of the preferred embodiment as shown for installing flexible shingles is that it does not rest or slide upon the previously attached shingles thereby avoiding any marring or scoring thereof. The device is effectively bidirectional as far as shingle installation is concerned meaning that it can be employed in one direction across a first row of shingles and simply operated in the opposite direction for the next row.
In summary, the preferred embodiment as described is a relatively easy to manufacture device which avoids the complexity of previous flat stock attaching machinery. The weight of the device is acceptable for use in such applications as residential roofing and the structure is sufficiently strong so as to accommodate the intended use with a relatively low center of gravity increasing its acceptability for sloped roof shingling. The device is free of any requirements for synchronizing the shingle feeding and is bidirectional in usage. Further, it can easily accommodate any of a variety of well known staplers and can accommodate different numbers of such staplers. That is, although four staplers are shown in the preferred embodiment, it will be recognized that the apparatus can be arranged to accept a greater number of staplers with essentially the same structure as shown. Mounting holes are included in the cross beam 36 for receiving alignment pin 74 which extends from L-bracket 71 (note FIG. 5). Additional alignment holes can be arranged along beam 36 as needed. For example, additional holes in beam 36 can be placed for retaining two appropriately spaced staplers between guides 46 and 47 as well as two other staplers between guides 47 and 48 so that six staples can be concurrently driven into the shingles.
Although the present invention has been described with particularity relative to the foregoing exemplary embodiment, various other changes, additions, modifications and applications will be apparent to those having normal skill in the art without departing from the spirit of this invention. | A movable framework retains an edge guide apparatus preferably in the form of a slanted rotary member or members, for determining a reference position relative to the edge of a previous tier of roofing shingles. The framework has a chute attached thereto for directing shingles into position with a second guide edge attached to the framework to determine the correct stop position of the shingles relative to the rotary guide. A plurality of fastening devices are pivotally attached to the framework in correct spacing and an actuating handle arranged to pivot these fastening devices in tandem into their proper positions relative to a shingle contained within the chute. The basic framework can accommodate a storage rack for shingles to be used and can be wheel-mounted for ease of movement. Further, the apparatus can be easily arranged to be self-contained by including a storage tank for operating pneumatically actuated fastening devices. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism for a sewing machine and, more specifically, to a workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism for a bar tacking machine, for moving a workpiece clamping unit clamping a workpiece in parallel to the upper surface of the bed of the bar tacking machine in predetermined directions for stitching operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Workpiece clamping unit driving mechanisms of the foregoing kind are disclosed in, for example, JP-A No. 8-84877 and JP-B Nos. 60-27307 and 60-17548.
A workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism disclosed in JP-A No. 8-84877 is employed in a sewing machine comprising a workpiece clamping unit, and a workpiece carrying unit for carrying the workpiece clamping unit along the surface of a bed included in the sewing machine to change the position of the workpiece relative to a needle. The workpiece carrying unit comprises a motor disposed on the lower surface of the bed with its output shaft extended in parallel to a bed shaft included in the sewing machine, and a driving force transmitting mechanism for converting the output torque of the motor into a linear force acting in parallel to the surface of the bed and transmitting the linear force to the workpiece clamping unit. The driving force transmitting mechanism comprises a helical driving member coaxially fixed to the output shaft of the motor and provided with a helical groove in the circumference thereof, a driven member engaged with the helical groove so as to be moved along the axis of the output shaft of the motor when the helical driving member is rotated, and a transmission mechanism for converting the movement of the driven member along the axis of the output shaft of the motor into a movement parallel to the surface of the bed of the sewing machine and transmitting the movement parallel to the surface of the bed of the sewing machine to the workpiece clamping unit.
This prior art workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism is intended to use a cylindrical cam, a worm or the like as the helical driving member, and a cylindrical roller, a worm wheel or the like as the driven member. Therefore, this prior art workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism has technical problems that the motor must be disposed with its output shaft in parallel to the bed shaft of the sewing machine, has a complicated construction and is difficult to manufacture. Particularly, it is difficult to engage the helical driving member and the driven member so that the driven member is fitted closely in the groove of the helical driving member and low friction acts between the helical driving means and the driven member, the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism is liable to rattle due to gaps between the driven member and the walls defining the groove of the helical driving member in which the driven member is fitted, and hence it is very difficult to move the workpiece clamping unit accurately along the surface of the bed. Moreover, the helical driving member or the driven member needs to be changed soon to stop play between the helical driving member and the driven member, and the change of the helical driving member or the driven member requires troublesome work.
Suppose, for example, that a cylindrical cam 91 and a roller 93 shown in FIG. 8 are used as the helical driving member and the driven member, respectively, the roller 93 is fitted in a cam groove formed in the circumference of the cylindrical cam 91 and is in engagement with the side surfaces 91a of the cam groove. If there is any gap between the side surface 91a of the cam groove and the roller 93, there will be a lost motion in a driven lever 92 holding the roller 93 relative to the movement of the cylindrical cam 91 and, consequently, the workpiece clamping unit of a workpiece clamping mechanism is unable to carry the workpiece correctly and hence it is difficult to position the workpiece correctly. Consequently, the quality of bar tacking stitches is deteriorated.
Since the driven lever 92 holding the roller 93 turns about an axis C92, the distance between the axis C93 of the roller 93 and the axis C91 of the cylindrical cam 91 varies according to the variation of the angular displacement of the driven lever 92. Therefore, the side surfaces 91a of the cam groove must be complicated curved surfaces and a special machining apparatus is necessary to form the cam groove; that is, the cam groove must be formed by an eccentric cutting apparatus capable of displacing the center C95 of a cutting tool 95 in a direction perpendicular to the axis C91 of the cylindrical cam 91 according to the rotation of the cylindrical cam to make the center C95 of the cutting tool 95 coincide with the center C93 of the roller 93 which turns about the center axis C92. Since the cylindrical cam 91 and the roller 93 engaged with the cylinder cam 91 must be formed in a high accuracy, it is more difficult to form the cylindrical cam 91 than to form a general plane cam, and the use of the combination of the cylindrical cam 91 and the roller 93 increases the manufacturing cost of the bar tacking machine.
Since the roller 93 held by the driven lever 92 and engaged with the cylindrical cam 91 slides along the circumference of the cylindrical cam 91 and move along the axis of the cylindrical cam 91 as the cylindrical cam 91 is rotated, the roller 93 needs to slide against sliding friction through a long distance, so that the side surfaces 91a of the cam groove, and the roller 93 are abraded rapidly. Since the roller 93 moves in the cam groove defined by the opposite side surfaces 91a, it is difficult to achieve simultaneously both the smooth rotation of the roller 93 and the elimination of the play of the roller 93 in the cam groove defined by the side surfaces 91a, and the sliding friction between the side surfaces 91a of the cam groove and the roller 93 is inevitably high. There is no means for eliminating the play of the movement of the workpiece clamping mechanism in X- and Y-directions resulting from the abrasion of the side surfaces 91a of the cam groove or the roller 93 held by the driven lever 92 other than a means which changes the cylindrical cam 91 or the roller 93 held by the driven lever 92, which increases maintenance costs.
A workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism for a sewing machine disclosed in JP-B No. 60-17548 comprises a motor disposed above the bed of the sewing machine, a motor disposed inside the bed, timing pulleys fixedly mounted on the output shafts of the motors, respectively, timing belts driven by the timing belt pulleys, an X-axis block fixed to the X-axis timing belt, a Y-axis block fixed to the Y-axis timing belt, an X-axis guide rail for guiding the X-axis block, and a Y-axis guide rail for guiding the Y-axis block, fixed to the X-axis block. The X-axis block is moved along the X-axis guide rail, the Y-axis block is moved along the Y-axis guide rail to move the workpiece clamping unit fixed to the Y-axis block in X- and Y-directions.
If the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism has large play owing to the elongation of the timing belts or backlashes between the timing belts and the corresponding timing belt pulleys, the workpiece cannot be accurately fed, the workpiece cannot be accurately positioned, and thereby the quality of bar tacking stitches is deteriorated. Moreover, the mechanism for guiding the workpiece clamping unit in the X- and the Y-direction is complicated, needs precision parts to drive the workpiece clamping unit smoothly and hence needs a high manufacturing cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a durable workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism for a sewing machine, capable of effectively preventing the dislocation of a workpiece during bar tacking stitching operation and of forming bar tacking stiches of an improved quality.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism for a sewing machine, having a simple construction, easy to manufacture and capable of reducing the manufacturing cost of the sewing machine.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism for a sewing machine, capable of being adjusted for play elimination without changing the component parts and of facilitating maintenance work.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism for a sewing machine which clamps and carries a workpiece along the surface of its bed by a workpiece clamping unit during stitching operation comprises: a driving means comprising first and second drive shafts supported for rotation perpendicularly to the upper surface of the bed, first and second driving sources for driving the first and the second drive shaft, and first and second compound plate cams fixedly mounted respectively on the coaxial shaft to the first and the second drive shaft; and a motion converting means for converting the angular motions of the first and the second drive shaft into motions of the workpiece clamping unit parallel to the upper surface of the bed of the sewing machine, having one side interlocked with the first and the second compound plate cam and the other side interlocked with the workpiece clamping unit. The motion converting means converts the angular motions of the drive shafts driven for rotation by the driving sources into corresponding linear motions of the workpiece clamping unit in directions parallel to the surface of the bed of the sewing machine.
The driving means employing the compound plate cam which are relatively easy to manufacture has a simple construction and can be manufactured at a relatively low cost. Since the friction between the compound plate cam and the motion converting means is relatively low, the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism has an extended useful life and high durability. Since the motion converting means has functional members disposed on the opposite sides of the compound plate cams, the component parts of the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism can be manufactured and assembled so that there will not be any excessive play in the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism, only low friction is produced between the component parts during operation, the workpiece clamping unit clamping a work piece can be accurately moved along the surface of the bed and, consequently, bar tacking stitches can be stitched in a high quality.
In the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism according to the present invention, the motion converting means may comprise: a first drive lever having a middle portion pivotally supported on the bed of the sewing machine, a bifurcated arm having branch arms respectively extending on the opposite sides of the first compound plate cam, and a straight arm; rollers held on the branch arms of the bifurcated arm of the first drive lever so as to be in engagement with upper and lower plate cams of the first compound plate cam, respectively, a pin fixed to an end portion of the straight arm of the first drive lever and fitted in a slot formed in a feed plate carrying member included in the workpiece clamping unit; a second drive lever having a middle portion pivotally supported on the bed of the sewing machine, a bifurcated arm having branch arms respectively extending on the opposite sides of the second compound plate cam, and a straight arm interlocked with the workpiece clamping unit; rollers held on the branch arms of the bifurcated arm of the second drive lever so as to be in engagement with upper and lower plate cams of the second compound plate cam, respectively; and a pin fitted in a hole formed in a arch clamp frame included in the workpiece clamping unit.
Since the rollers roll along the cam surfaces of the upper and the lower cam, friction between the motion converting means and the driving means is further reduced, which contributes to extend the useful life and to enhance the durability of the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism. Since each of the rollers is in contact at one point with the corresponding one of the upper and the lower cam of the compound plate cams, the rollers are able to roll smoothly and the abrasion of the rollers is suppressed.
In the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism according to the present invention, the driving sources may be stepping motors, the stepping motors may be fixedly held with the axes of their output shafts extended perpendicularly to the upper surface of the bed on motor bases fastened to the bed of the sewing machine, and the motor bases may be moved in parallel to the upper surface of the bed of the sewing machine for positional adjustment.
Since the stepping motors are attached to the motor bases fixed to the bed of the sewing machine with the axes of their output shafts extended perpendicularly to the upper surface of the bed of the sewing machine, and the positions of the stepping motors with respect to horizontal directions parallel to the upper surface of the bed are adjustable, the clearances between the compound plate cams and the corresponding parts of the motion converting means can be adjusted by adjusting the positions of the stepping motors. Therefore, play of the components of the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism can be easily adjusted without changing parts including the compound plate cams and the rollers of the motion converting means.
In the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism according to the present invention, the driving sources may be an X-axis stepping motor for driving the workpiece clamping unit in directions parallel to an X-axis and a Y-axis stepping motor for driving the workpiece clamping unit in directions parallel to a Y-axis, the two stepping motors may be disposed on the opposite sides of a bed shaft included in the sewing machine, respectively, under the bed of the sewing machine, and the compound plate cams may be fixedly mounted on the output shafts of the stepping motors, respectively, and the stepping motors may drive the drive levers of the motion converting means, respectively.
In the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism according to the present invention, at least one of the two rollers supported on the branch arms of the bifurcated arm of the first drive lever may be rotatably supported on an eccentric shaft to adjust the distance between the two rollers respectively on the opposite sides of the first compound plate cam by turning the eccentric shaft, and at least one of the two rollers supported on the branch arms of the bifurcated arm of the second drive lever may be rotatably supported on an eccentric shaft to adjust the distance between the two rollers respectively on the opposite sides of the second compound plate cam by turning the eccentric shaft.
Clearances between the cams of the compound plate cams and the corresponding rollers can be adjusted by turning the eccentric shafts supporting the rollers on the branch arms, so that play of the components of the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism can be easily corrected without changing parts including the compound plate cams and the rollers of the motion converting means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a partly exploded perspective view of a workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a driving unit and a motion converting unit included in the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a compound cam and a drive lever included in included in the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line IV--IV in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of another drive lever, and another compound plate cam;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the drive lever and the compound plate cam in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a typical sectional view of a bar tacking machine;
FIG. 8 is a front view of a cylindrical cam employed in a conventional workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism; and
FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of assistance in explaining the cylindrical cam of FIG. 8.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 7 schematically showing a bar tacking machine, a workpiece clamping unit 22 is disposed on a bed 6, a workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism 30 is disposed within the bed 6 to drive the workpiece clamping unit 22 for movement in directions parallel to an X-axis and a Y-axis perpendicular to the X-axis, and a workpiece clamping unit lifting mechanism 33 is formed in an arm 31 to move the workpiece clamping unit 22 vertically.
The workpiece clamping unit 22 has a arch clamp frame 25, a arch clamp foot 32 vertically movably supported on an extremity of the arch clamp frame 25, a feed plate carrying member 35 fixedly attached to a base end of the arch clamp frame 25 so as to extend along the upper surface of the bed 6, and a feed plate 36 fixed to an extremity of the feed plate carrying member 35 as shown in FIG. 1 to clamp a workpiece between the arch clamp foot 32 and the feed plate 36. The feed plate 36 is provided with a needle locating slot, not shown. The feed plate carrying member 35 and the feed plate 36 constitute a feed plate assembly 23. An arch clamp foot lever 38 is supported for swing motion in its middle portion by a pin 37 on the arch clamp frame 25. The front end of the arch clamp foot lever 38 is attached to the arch clamp foot 32. A compression spring 39 is compressed between the base end of the arch clamp foot lever 38 and the base end of the arch clamp frame 25 to press the arch clamp foot 32 against the feed plate 36. A contact member 40 having a projection 40a is attached to the base end of the arch clamp foot lever 38 with the projection 40a disposed opposite to the lower surface of a pressing member 44 included in a arch clamp foot lifting device 33.
The arch clamp foot lifting device 33 comprises a solenoid actuator 42, the pressing member 44 guided for vertical movement by a guide bushing 43 fixed to the arm 31, and a linkage 45 operated by the solenoid actuator 42 to move the pressing member 44 vertically. The linkage 45 comprises an upper link 46 having an upper end pivotally connected by a pin to the arm 31, a lower link 47 having an upper end pivotally connected to the lower end of the upper link 46 by a pin 48 and a lower end pivotally connected to the pressing member by a pin, a connecting link 50 having one end pivotally connected to the upper link 46 and the lower link 47 by the pin 48 and the other end pivotally connected to one end of a plunger 42a included in the solenoid actuator 42 by a pin, and a return spring 51 extended between the pin 48 and the arm 31.
When the solenoid of the solenoid actuator 42 is not energized, a front end portion of the plunger 42a is projected from the solenoid by the resilience of the return spring 51, the upper link 46 and the lower link 47 extend at an angle to each other, and the pressing member 44 is raised to its upper position with its flange 44a in contact with the lower surface of the guide bushing 43 as shown in FIG. 7. When the solenoid of the solenoid actuator 42 is energized, the plunger 42a is pulled into the solenoid against the resilience of the return spring 51, the connecting link 50 is pulled to the right, as viewed in FIG. 7, and the lower end of the lower link 47 is moved downward. Consequently, the flange 44a of the pressing member 44 comes into contact with the projection 40a of the contact member 40 and depresses the contact member 44 fixed to the base end of the arch clamp foot lever 38, so that the arch clamp foot lever 38 is turned clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 7, on the pin 37 against the resilience of the compression spring 39 to raise the arch clamp foot 32, whereby a workpiece clamped between the arch clamp foot 32 and the feed plate 36 is released. When the solenoid of the solenoid actuator 42 is de-energized, the connecting link 50 and the plunger 42a are pulled to the left, as viewed in FIG. 7 by the resilience of the return spring 51, and the upper link 46 and the lower link 47 are turned on the pin 48 so as to extend at an angle to each other, so that the lower end of the lower link 47 moves upward. Consequently, the pressing member 44 is lifted up, the flange 44a is separated from the projection 40a of the contact member 40 and brought into contact with the lower surface of the guide bushing 43, so that the arch clamp foot lever 38 is turned counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 7, by the resilience of the compression spring 39 to clamp the workpiece between the arch clamp foot 32 and the feed plate 36 by lowering the arch clamp foot 32.
The workpiece is clamped between the arch clamp foot 32 and the feed plate 36, the workpiece clamping unit 22 is moved in directions parallel to the X-axis and the Y-axis on the upper surface of the bed 6 by the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism 30, and stitches are formed by a needle 49 to form a bar tacking stitch.
The workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism 30 drives the workpiece clamping unit 22 for movement on the bed 6. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism 30 has a driving unit 60, and a motion converting unit 61. The driving unit 60 has an X-axis stepping motor 7, a Y-axis stepping motor 8, an X-axis drive shaft 11, driven by the X-axis motor 7, a Y-axis drive shaft 12 driven by the Y-axis stepping motor 8, and an X-axis compound plate cam 15 fixedly mounted on the X-axis drive shaft 11, and a Y-axis compound plate cam 16 fixedly mounted on the Y-axis drive shaft 12. The stepping motors 7 and 8 are attached to motor bases 9 and 10 fastened to the bed 6 of the sewing machine so that the output shafts thereof extend perpendicularly to the upper surface of the bed 6. The motion converting unit 61 converts angular motions of the drive shafts 11 and 12 driven for rotation by the stepping motors 7 and 8 into motions of the workpiece clamping unit parallel to the upper surface of the bed 6. The compound plate cams 15 and 16 are conjugate cams each formed by combining a pair of plate cams. The drive shafts 11 and 12 are disposed coaxially with the output shafts of the stepping motors 7 and 8 and are driven for rotation by the stepping motors 7 and 8. Usually, the drive shafts 11 and 12 are the output shafts of the stepping motors 7 and 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the motors 7 and 8 are disposed on the opposite sides of a bed shaft 41 supported for rotation in the bed 6, respectively. The bed shaft 41 drives a shuttle through a driver, not shown. The motor bases 9 and 10 are fastened to the bed 6 with bolts screwed through through holes 9b and 10b in the bed 6. The through holes 9b and 10b are formed in a diameter greater than that of the bolts to enable the positional adjustment of the motor bases 9 and 10, hence the motors 7 and 8 with respect horizontal directions parallel to the upper surface of the bed 6.
As shown in FIG. 1, a cam shaft 17 and the drive shaft 11 of the X-axis stepping motor 7 are connected coaxially by a shaft coupling 13, and the X-axis compound plate cam 15 is fixed to the cam shaft 17. An upper end portion of the cam shaft 17 is supported for rotation on a bracket 9a formed by bending a portion of the motor base 9. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the X-axis compound plate cam 15 is formed by fixing an upper cam 16a and a lower cam 15b to the cam shaft 17 with an interval m therebetween and in a predetermined phase difference. A pair of rollers 21 are in contact with the respective cam surfaces of the upper cam 15a and the lower cam 15b of the compound plate cam 15, respectively. The upper cam 15a and the lower cam 15b have the same lift L and are designed and disposed in the predetermined phase difference so that the horizontal distance between points on the cam surfaces thereof in contact with the rollers 21 is always the same and the upper cam 15a and the lower cam 15b move the rollers 21 in opposite directions, respectively.
A cam shaft 18 and the drive shaft 12 of the Y-axis stepping motor 8 are connected coaxially by a shaft coupling 14, and the Y-axis compound plate cam 16 is fixed to the cam shaft 18. An upper end portion of the cam shaft 18 is supported for rotation on a bracket 10a formed by bending a portion of the motor base 10. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the Y-axis compound plate cam 16, similarly to the X-axis compound plate cam 15, is formed by fixing an upper cam 16a and a lower cam 16b to the cam shaft 18 with an interval m therebetween and in a predetermined phase difference. A pair of rollers 21 are in contact with the respective cam surfaces of the upper cam 16a and the lower cam 16b of the compound plate cam 15, respectively. The upper cam 15a and the lower cam 15b have the same lift L and are designed and disposed in the predetermined phase difference so that the horizontal distance between points on the cam surfaces thereof in contact with the rollers 21 is always the same and the upper cam 16a and the lower cam 16b move the rollers 21 in opposite directions, respectively.
The motion converting unit 61 has an X-axis drive lever 19 and a Y-axis drive lever 20. The X-axis drive lever 19 has a shape substantially resembling the letter L. A support shaft 19c projecting from a middle portion of the X-axis drive lever 19 is fitted in a hole 6a formed in the bed 6 to support the X-axis drive lever 19 for turning on the bed 6. A pin 24 attached to an end portion of a straight arm of the X-axis drive lever 19 is fitted in a slot 35a formed in the feed plate carrying member 35 of the feed plate assembly 23 so as to be movable along the slot 35a. The X-axis drive lever 19 has a bifurcated arm having branch arms 19a and 19b. The rollers 21 are supported for rotation on the end portions of the branch arms 19a and 19b so as to be in contact with the cam surfaces of the upper cam 15a and the lower cam 15b spaced from each other by the interval m, respectively, to form a positive motion cam mechanism. The slot 35a is substantially parallel to the Y-axis. The roller 21 supported for rotation above the upper surface of the branch arm 19a is in rolling contact with the cam surface of the upper cam 15a, and the roller 21 supported for rotation below the lower surface of the other branch arm 19b is in rolling contact with the cam surface of the lower cam 15b. The center distance between the support shaft 19c and the pin 24 is longer than that between the support shaft 19c and each of the rollers 21.
The Y-axis drive lever 20 has a shape substantially resembling the letter L. A support shaft 20c projecting from a middle portion of the Y-axis drive lever 20 is fitted in a hole 6b formed in the bed 6 to support the Y-axis drive lever 20 for turning on the bed 6. A pin 27 attached to an end portion of a straight arm of the Y-axis drive lever 20 is fitted in a hole 25a formed in the arch clamp frame 25 of the workpiece clamping unit 22. The Y-axis drive lever 20 has a bifurcated arm having branch arms 20a and 20b. The rollers 21 are supported for rotation on the end portions of the branch arms 20a and 20b so as to be in contact with the cam surfaces of the upper cam 16a and the lower cam 16b spaced from each other by the interval m, respectively, to form a positive motion cam mechanism. The slot 35a is substantially parallel to the Y-axis. The roller 21 supported for rotation above the upper surface of the branch arm 20a is in rolling contact with the cam surface of the upper cam 16a, and the roller 21 supported for rotation below the lower surface of the other branch arm 20b is in rolling contact with the cam surface of the lower cam 16b. The center distance between the support shaft 20c and the pin 27 is longer than that between the support shaft 20c and each of the rollers 21.
In operation, a controller, not shown, provides a control signal to drive the drive shaft 11 of the X-axis stepping motor 7 for rotation in the normal or the reverse direction to turn the compound plate cam 15. Consequently, the X-axis drive lever 19 is turned by the compound plate cam 15. The maximum angular displacement of the X-axis drive lever 19 is dependent on the lift L of the cams 15a and 15b. The rollers 21 rotatably supported on the end portions of the branch arms 19a and 19b roll along the respective cam surfaces of the upper cam 16a and the lower cam 15b, respectively, to turn the X-axis lever 19 on the support shaft 19c. Consequently, the arch clamp frame 25 and the feed plate assembly 23 of the workpiece clamping unit 22 are moved in the normal or the reverse direction parallel to the X-axis by the pin 24 fitted in the slot 35a of the feed plate carrying member 35 of the feed plate assembly 23. Practically, the arch clamp frame 25 and the feed plate assembly 23 turn about the center axis of the hole 25a of the arch clamp frame 25.
When the drive shaft 12 of the Y-axis stepping motor 8 is driven for rotation in the normal or the reverse direction to turn the compound plate cam 16, the Y-axis drive lever 20 is turned by the compound plate cam 16. The maximum angular displacement of the Y-axis drive lever 20 is dependent on the lift L of the cams 16a and 16b. The rollers 21 rotatably supported on the end portions of the branch arms 20a and 20b roll along the respective cam surfaces of the upper cam 16a and the lower cam 16b, respectively, to turn the Y-axis lever 20 on the support shaft 20c. Consequently, the arch clamp frame 25 and the feed plate assembly 23 of the workpiece clamping unit 22 are moved in the normal or the reverse direction parallel to the Y-axis by the pin 27 rotatably fitted in the hole 25a of the arch clamp frame 25. When the feed plate assembly 23 is thus moved along the Y-axis, the pin 24 slides in the slot 35a of the feed plate carrying member 35 of the feed plate assembly 23.
The workpiece clamping unit 22 is moved optionally in directions along the X-axis and the Y-axis by individually driving the X-axis stepping motor 7 and the Y-axis stepping motor 8 by predetermined electric signals to carry a workpiece clamped between the arch clamp foot 32 and the feed plate 36 to stitch a desired bar tack. The center distance between the support shaft 19c and the pin 24 is longer than that between the support shaft 19c and each of the rollers 21, and the center distance between the support shaft 20c and the pin 27 is longer than that between the support shaft 20c and each of the rollers 21. Therefore, the swing motions of the branch arms 19a, 19b, 20a and 20b caused by the compound plate cams 15 and 16 are multiplied by the leverages of the drive levers 19 and 20, and the multiplied motions appear at the pins 24 and 27.
When stitching the bar tack, the workpiece clamping unit 22 has play in the X-directions and the Y-directions if there are excessively great clearances between the rollers 21 and the upper cam 15a and the lower cam 15b of the X-axis compound plate cam 15 and between the rollers 21 and the upper cam 16a and the lower cam 16b of the Y-axis compound plate cam 16 and hence the bar tack cannot be accurately stitched. The clearances between the rollers 21 and the cams 15a, 15b of the X-axis compound plate cam 15 and between the rollers 21 and the upper cam 16a and the lower cam 16b of the Y-axis compound plate cam 16 can be corrected by the following method. The upper surface of the bed 6 is opened, and the motor bases 9 and 10 are moved to adjust the positions of the axes of rotation of the compound plate cams 15 and 16 relative to the bed 6 to adjust the clearances to appropriate values. Appropriate clearances can be formed between the rollers 21 supported on the branch arms 19a, 19b, 20a and 20b of the drive levers 19 and 20, and the cam surfaces of the cams 16a, 15b, 16a and 16b of the compound plate cams 15 and 16, respectively, by thus adjusting the positions of the axes of rotation of the compound plate cams 15 and 16 with respect to the axes of turning of the X-axis drive lever 19 and the Y-axis drive lever 29, i.e., the center axes of the support shafts 19c and 20c.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show another possible Y-axis drive lever 20. In this Y-axis drive lever 20, rollers 21 and 21' are supported for rotation on end portions of branch arms 20a and 20b of the drive lever 20. The roller 21' is supported by an eccentric shaft 28 on the end portion of the branch arm 20a. The eccentric shaft 28 has a cylindrical base portion 28b held on the branch arm 20a, and a cylindrical, eccentric support portion 28a having an axis displaced from the geometric center axis of the base portion 28b and supporting the roller 21'. After properly adjusting the angular position of the eccentric shaft 28, the eccentric shaft 28 is fixed to the branch arm 20a with a set screw 29.
The set screw 29 is unfastened and the eccentric shaft 28 is turned to adjust the direction of the eccentric arm of the support portion 28a, whereby the roller 21' is shifted. Thus, the distance between the two rollers 21 and 21' can be adjusted. Naturally, both the rollers 21 and 21' supported on the branch arms 20a and 20b may be supported by eccentric shafts 28. One of or both the rollers 21 supported on the branch arms 19a and 19b of the X-axis drive lever 19 may be supported by eccentric shafts 28. The positional adjustment of the roller 21' is possible even if the eccentric support portion 28a is fixed to the branch lever 20a, and the roller 21' is supported for rotation on the base portion 28b.
Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, obviously many changes and variations are possible therein. It is therefore to be understood that the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein without departing from the scope and spirit thereof | A sewing machine is provided with a workpiece clamping unit which clamps and carries a workpiece along the surface of the bed during stitching operation, and a workpiece clamping unit driving mechanism comprising a driving means and a motion converting means. The driving means comprises first and second drive shafts, first and second driving sources for driving the first and the second drive shaft, and first and second compound plate cams fixedly mounted respectively on the first and the second drive shafts. The motion converting means converts the angular motions of the first and the second drive shaft into motions parallel to the upper surface of the bed (6) of the sewing machine. | 3 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to the field of protective equipment. More specifically, this invention relates to apparel that provides protection to a wearer's foot and ankle during a myriad of activities, including but not limited to, ice skating, running, hiking, dancing, law enforcement, industrial applications, or other physical activities requiring securely fitted footwear.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many sports, such as hockey, figure skating, inline skating, and speed skating, involve the use of footwear that must be tied securely to a wearer's foot. Poorly or tightly fitting footwear may cause undue pressure to be placed on the extensor hallucis tendon leading to painful injury. Such injury may be avoided through the proper use of protective equipment.
[0003] For example, it is known that tightly tied skate-laces may aggravate the muscles joined by the extensor hallucis tendon that may in turn lead to acute inflammation of the tendon (extensor tendonitis) and acute inflammation of the fluid surrounding the tendon (extensor tenosynovitis). Extensor tendonitis and extensor tenosynovitis, commonly referred to as lace bite, may cause sharp pain and pressure felt along the front of the lower leg and top of the foot. The use of protective padding in front of the affected areas can help to prevent such injuries from occurring.
[0004] Lace bite has been addressed in the art by the use of added foam or gel inserts between the front of the wearer's ankle and the tongue of the foot wear. Such a solution requires frequent adjustment of the added insert and is often deemed uncomfortable and distracting for the wearer. Such inserts may also be adhered to the tongue of the footwear. However, this solution potentially damages the footwear as it is a permanent adhesion, and thus cannot be repositioned if it causes further aggravation or if it does not address lace bite symptoms.
[0005] Ankle sleeves are another known solution. The sleeve incorporates a protective padding in the lace bite region. However this equipment must be worn over a sock and must be adjusted to ensure coverage of the affected area.
[0006] In another prior art reference, U.S. Pat. No. 8,856,968, by Sherman, describes a sock with removable stabilizer pads adjacent to an ankle of a wearer. These stabilizer pads are however susceptible to movement and require assembly.
[0007] In addition to socks and protective padding, a wearer, including, but not limited to, law enforcement professionals and athletes such as hockey players, typically requires secondary protective equipment. Poorly positioned secondary equipment may leave the wearer susceptible to injury. To ensure protection and to prevent movement, this secondary equipment is often further secured to the circumference of the leg by means of adhesive tape, or a hook and loop fastening band. However, the need to secure the secondary equipment with an additional product can be time consuming and cumbersome for the wearer. Furthermore, these securing means are often not entirely effective at preventing movement of the secondary equipment. Therefore, additional means of securement of the secondary protective equipment is desired.
[0008] There is therefore a need to mitigate, if not overcome, the shortcomings of the prior art and to, preferably, provide protection from injury while reducing movement of secondary equipment in a less cumbersome solution.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention provides a protective sock that prevents injury due to lace bite or movement of secondary protective equipment. Use of this protective sock is applicable to hockey and other ice skating-related activities, as well as running, hiking, dancing, law enforcement or other physical activities requiring securely fitted footwear.
[0010] More specifically, the present invention provides a protective sock that integrates a protective padding to provide a unitary garment. As such, a wearer's need to frequently adjust the position of the protective equipment is likely reduced. An integrated and flexible protective padding also limits the amount of equipment required by the wearer. The padding also conforms to the wearer's body, and thus likely increases the wearer's comfort.
[0011] The present invention also provides a protective sock that integrates a high friction surface to restrict the movement of any secondary equipment. Such a restriction prevents the exposure of a wearer's body to potential injury. Movement of the secondary equipment may also be distracting to the wearer. As such, the integrated high friction surface likely provides the wearer with a performance advantage.
[0012] Also in accordance with the present invention, the sock may integrate the protective padding and/or the high friction surface.
[0013] In a first aspect, this document discloses a protective sock for use on and for protecting a wearer's foot and ankle comprising: a foot portion enclosing the wearer's foot having a top side and an underside, a leg portion extending from the foot portion, having a front portion extending upwardly from the top side and a rear portion extending upwardly from the underside, and at least one protective padding, wherein the at least one protective padding is integrated into at least an area of the front portion of the leg portion.
[0014] In a second aspect, this document discloses a protective sock for use on and for protecting a wearer's foot and ankle comprising: a foot portion enclosing the wearer's foot having a top side and an underside, a leg portion extending from the foot portion, having a front portion extending upwardly from the top side and a rear portion extending upwardly from the underside, and at least one high friction surface, wherein the at least one high friction surface is integrated into at least an area of the leg portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described by reference to the following figures, in which identical reference numerals in different figures indicate identical elements, and in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a front view of the protective sock according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a side view of the protective sock according to another embodiment of the present invention where two protective pads overlap one another.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a side view of the protective sock according to a further embodiment of the present invention including a protective padding adjacent to a wearer's ankle.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a front view of the protective sock according to a further embodiment of the present invention that includes a high surface area adjacent to the leg of the wearer.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the protective sock according to one embodiment of the present invention that includes compression zones integrated in the sock.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a side view of the protective sock according to a further embodiment of the present invention that includes a high friction surface area adjacent to the leg of the wearer.
[0022] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a protective padding on the protective sock according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a protective padding on the protective sock according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] The figures are not to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular elements while related elements may have been eliminated to prevent obscuring novel aspects. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] The present invention provides a protective sock conforming to the wearer's body including a protective padding and/or a high friction surface.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a protective sock 100 having a foot portion 101 and a leg portion 102 . In the embodiment shown in the Figure, the front portion 103 of the leg portion 102 includes a protective padding 110 with perforations 120 .
[0027] In one embodiment, the protective padding 110 extends outwardly onto the top side 130 of the foot portion 101 . The perforations 120 included in some embodiments assist in reducing trapped moisture on the wearer's foot thereby preventing blistering.
[0028] In another embodiment, the protective padding 110 is a high friction surface.
[0029] The protective sock 100 may be made of material including, but not limited to: natural fibers such as cotton, silk, and wool, and synthetic fibers such as, but not limited to: polyester, wrapped glass, steel fibers, nylon, acrylic, elastane, rayon, aramids, and high-performance polyethylene. For example, Dyneema™, or ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, is a high-performance polyethylene that is desirable for use as a material for the protective sock as it has the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic material currently made due to its extremely long molecular chains. Wrapped glass and steel fibers and filaments may be incorporated into yarn for increased cut resistance, and as such are desirable for use in a protective garment. Similarly, nylon, a polyamide fiber, is desirable as it is highly durable in a wide temperature range. Polyester is also a desirable fiber for use as this polymer is very strong, and is hydrophobic, which helps to keep the material dry. It is readily contemplated that the material of the sock may be comprised of any combination of the above noted fibers. The protective sock may also include a material that is a sweat-wicking, anti-bacterial, anti-odor and/or cooling fiber. For example, fibers or materials that incorporate silver, other metals, or natural stone particles, such as jade, may provide specialized properties to the material.
[0030] The fibers are wound, wrapped, twisted, or plaited, in a specific manner to form yarn. The choice of yarn and yarn plaiting and wrapping, as well as the choice of knitting pattern, provides specialized properties for the material. As such, multiple yarns may be plaited or plied together to form threads that are knitted together to form fabric. Different fibers may be interwoven to produce the fabric. In a first example, a first yarn may be comprised of 150 D (denier) polyester fiber. A second yarn may be comprised of 70 D nylon fiber and 40 D elastane fiber. These two yarns may be knitted together to form a fabric for at least a portion of the sock. Table 1 shows the yarn combination of the first example:
[0000]
TABLE 1
Yarn no.
Yarn type
Count
Color
Filament
Yarn 1
Polyester × 3
150 D
Black
96F
Yarn 2
Nylon × 1
70 D
Black
24F
Elastane × 1
40 D
White
—
[0031] A second example includes fabric formed by knitting together a yarn including 400 D Dyneema™, with a yarn including 70 D nylon and 40 D elastane. Table 2 shows the yarn combination of the second example:
[0000]
TABLE 2
Yarn no.
Yarn type
Count
Color
Filament
Yarn 3
Dyneema ™ × 2
400 D
White
195F
(intermingle)
Yarn 2
Nylon × 1
70 D
Black
24F
Elastane × 1
40 D
White
—
[0032] Table 3 outlines a further example, showing different Nylon yarns with different deniers that are interwoven to produce the fabric.
[0000]
TABLE 3
Yarn no.
Yarn type
Count
Color
Filament
Yarn 5
Nylon × 2
140 D
Black
24F
Yarn 6
Nylon × 1
140 D
Black
24F
Yarn 7
Nylon × 1
70 D
Black
24F
Elastane × 1
40 D
White
—
[0033] The properties provided by a fabric may be improved beyond simply combining different fibers to create different yarn compositions, and knitting various yarns together to form specialized fabrics. The yarn may also be plaited either inward or outward, to produce a different texture, to increase performance, such as cut-resistance, as well as comfort for the wearer. For example, in the first example above, the first yarn may be plaited outward, while the second yarn may be plaited inward. Tables 4, 5, and 6 show exemplary plaiting details for the first, second, and third yarn combination examples, respectively.
[0000]
TABLE 4
Yarn
Plaiting
Yarn 1
OUT
Yarn 2
IN
[0000]
TABLE 5
Yarn
Plaiting
Yarn 3
OUT
Yarn 4
IN
[0000]
TABLE 6
Yarn
Plaiting
Yarn 5
OUT
Yarn 6
OUT
Yarn 7
IN
[0034] The yarn may be knit to form a fabric using a specific needle gauge. The yarn may also be knit using a specific pattern and at a specific speed. For example, a No. 132 gauge needle may knit at 250 RPM to produce the sock. The use of a particular fibers, yarn, and knitting parameters allow for creating a desirable fabric texture. For example, the combination of thread wrapping and knitting pattern of the material may optimize the material for heat dissipation, cooling, or a particular texture such as softness or coarseness to touch. In one embodiment, the choice of thread wrapping and/or knitting pattern may create a soft and smooth inner surface with a coarse external surface that provides a high friction surface. Threads of more than one material may also be interwoven for use in the protective sock. The different fabrics may be applied to different areas of the sock. For example, one fabric may be utilized for the foot portion, while another fabric is utilized for the leg portion.
[0035] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the protective padding 110 may cover a relatively smaller or larger area of the sock 100 . The padding size may depend on the size of the sock or the intended use, such as the sport type.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 2 , the front portion 103 of the leg portion 102 includes a protective padding 110 that is comprised of a plurality of protective pads 140 and 150 . In this embodiment, the two protective pads 140 and 150 overlap one another. This arrangement provides for increased protection of the wearer's ankle, filling the gap between the leg portion 102 of the protective sock 100 and any footwear or secondary equipment.
[0037] FIG. 3 shows the front portion 103 of the leg portion 102 having a plurality of protective pads 160 . The plurality of protective pads 160 may define a design. For example, a pattern of criss-crossing protective pads or any other shape of protective pad is contemplated. The use of a plurality of protective pads may reduce trapped moisture on the wearer's foot or leg, thereby reducing the risk of blistering. In this embodiment, the protective sock 100 further comprises a protective padding 170 adjacent to a wearer's ankle.
[0038] The protective padding 170 may be designed, and in particular, shaped, to offer enhanced protection of the ankle. The design feature of the plurality of protective pads 160 and of the protective padding 170 is not limited to what is shown in the Figures.
[0039] FIG. 3 further shows a protective padding 180 on the underside of the foot portion 101 .
[0040] Referring to FIG. 4 , in another embodiment, the front portion 103 of the leg portion 102 includes a high friction surface 210 that is integrated exteriorly. The high friction surface 210 may also form a design, such as a pattern or a word mark, or a particular shape as shown in FIG. 4 .
[0041] FIG. 4 also shows compression zones 205 integrated in the sock to better conform the sock to the leg and to the foot of the wearer. The compression zones reduce movement of the sock on the foot and leg of the wearer to help keep the high friction surface 210 in place. This increases comfort for the wearer. The sock may also include ribbing 206 at the top to help prevent the sock from sliding down.
[0042] FIG. 5 shows the compression zones 205 more clearly. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 , in one embodiment, the protective sock may include at least one compression zone 205 integrated circumferentially into the sock 100 to better conform the sock to the foot and leg of the wearer. The inclusion of a compression zone 205 is to minimize any movement of the sock on the leg of the wearer during activity and to help maintain the positioning of the high friction surface 210 . In the embodiment shown in the Figures, three compression zones are integrated for securing the sock: a first zone near the top of the leg portion 102 and under the ribbing 206 at the top of the sock, a second zone above the ankle portion of the protective sock, and a third zone near the arch of the foot of the wearer. These three zones provide for a sock that conforms to the natural curves of feet and legs. The sock conforms to the natural curves by compressing at the arch of the foot, above the ankle, and above the calf muscle. Providing compression zones in these narrower areas of the leg reduces the amount of loose material, thereby minimizing potential chafing and discomfort for the wearer.
[0043] As may be readily contemplated by the skilled artisan, the location of the compression zone on the sock is not limited to the areas depicted in the Figures. It should also be noticed that the surface area covered by the compression zones is not limited to the surface area that is shown in the Figures. For example, in one embodiment, a compression zone may cover a smaller or larger surface area of the sock, and may encompass the entire shin/calf region of the leg portion. In another embodiment, the protective sock may be comprised of a compression material in its entirety. It is also readily contemplated that a compression zone may be integrated circumferentially horizontally, as shown, along a diagonal (not shown), or with any pattern or design, such as a criss-cross pattern (not shown).
[0044] FIG. 5 also shows an outline of knitting pattern regions A through G.
[0045] FIG. 6 further shows a side view of a high friction surface 210 that is integrated exteriorly on the protective sock.
[0046] FIG. 7 shows the protective padding 110 with a high friction surface 210 that is made of a silicone material. Alternatively, the protective padding 110 may be made of material that is heat resistant, cut-resistant and/or machine washable. The protective padding 110 may adhere to the fibres of the protective sock material 230 without bleeding through the fibres to an interior surface of a sock, thereby increasing comfort for the wearer. The protective padding may also be flexible with the expansion and contraction of the protective sock material 230 . The protective padding 110 is also contemplated as being durable to withstand rigorous athletic activity and frequent laundering, and may be of light-weight material to reduce discomfort.
[0047] FIG. 8 includes a protective padding 110 that is a plurality of protective pads 140 and 150 . In this embodiment, two of the plurality of protective pads 140 and 150 overlap one another. This arrangement seeks to provide increased protection for the leg or foot of the wearer.
[0048] It is further contemplated that the protective pad and/or high friction surface may extend circumferentially around the leg portion to a rear portion of the leg portion, such as a band or similar configuration (not shown).
[0049] In addition, it should be readily understood that the protective pads and/or high friction surface may be constructed and arranged on the rear portion of the leg portion (also not shown), in addition to its front portion.
[0050] It is also contemplated that the top side and the underside of the foot portion may also include any combination of protective pad and high friction surface. For example, some athlete training may require high friction surfaces on the underside of the foot portion.
[0051] Residual fabric due to a poor fit of the foot portion may create unwanted movement and friction on the wearer, causing discomfort or injuries such as blisters. Therefore, the foot portion is preferably constructed of a material with elastic properties, or an elastic material composition, to tightly conform to the wearer's foot. Additionally, the material of the foot portion is preferably thin for comfort of the wearer and to keep the wearer's foot cool. As such, it may be readily understood that a given portion of the sock may have a different thickness of material from another portion of the sock.
[0052] It is further contemplated that the foot portion may enclose individual toes (not shown).
[0053] The present invention also contemplates that the sock may extend beyond the knee portion of the leg portion to the thigh area (not clearly shown).
[0054] A person understanding this invention may now conceive of alternative structures and embodiments or variations of the above all of which are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims that follow. | A protective sock that integrates a protective padding to provide a unitary garment is disclosed. As such, a wearer's need to frequently adjust the position of the protective equipment is likely reduced. An integrated and flexible protective padding also limits the amount of equipment required by the wearer. The padding also conforms to the wearer's body, and thus likely increases the athlete's wearer's comfort. A protective sock that integrates a high friction surface to restrict the movement of any secondary equipment is also disclosed. Such a restriction prevents the exposure of a wearer's body to potential injury. Movement of the secondary equipment may also be distracting to the wearer. As such, the integrated high friction surface likely provides the athlete wearer with a performance advantage. The sock may integrate the protective padding and/or the high friction surface. | 0 |
[0001] The present invention concerns a system according to the introduction of claim 1 and a method according to the introduction to claim 9 .
THE PRIOR ART
[0002] When manufacturing chemical cellulose pulp from chopped chips, it is desired to expel air and moisture from the chips. It is at the same time desired to heat the chips to the desired process temperature, suitably to a level around 100° C., since the chips are finally to reach a temperature of approximately 130-160° C. during the cooking process. This requires large volumes of steam, since not only is the correct chip temperature to be achieved with the aid of the steam, not only is the bound air to be expelled by the steam, but also the bound chip moisture is to be heated.
[0003] In certain older conventional systems, atmospheric chip bins have been used in which the chips are pre-heated with steam in order to expel the air. Very large volumes of withdrawn air are obtained from these systems, which volumes are contaminated with turpentine, methanol and other explosive gases that have been expelled from the chips, the latter being denoted by the term “NCGs” (where “NCG” is an abbreviation of “non-condensable gas”). If steam is used that has been obtained from the release of pressure of black liquor, this steam contains also large quantities of sulphides, known as TRS gases (where “TRS” is an abbreviation of “total reduced sulphur”), which are very malodorous. These TRS gases contain, among other compounds, hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S), methyl mercaptan (CH 3 SH), dimethyl sulphide (CH 3 SCH 3 ), dimethyl disulphide (CH 3 SSCH 3 ), and other strongly malodorous gases. Hydrogen sulphide and methyl mercaptan, which principally come from the steaming of black liquor, have boiling points of −60° C. and +6° C., respectively, and it will thus be difficult to condense these compounds out from the gases.
[0004] Pure steam is often used for heating in the chip bin in order to minimise the release of TRS gases, and black liquor steam is used first in the subsequent steam-treatment step that follows the chip bin. Even if black liquor steam is used only in a subsequent steam-treatment step, it is still possible that these TRS gases leak up into the chip bin or are deliberately allowed to escape up into this chip bin during, for example, interruptions in operation.
[0005] Systems are revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,795 and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,095 in which it is attempted to disperse TRS gases from a pressure isolation device arranged between a chip bin and a steam-treatment vessel, where the TRS gases are withdrawn from the pressure isolation device and reintroduced at a position that lies downstream in the input sequence, at the outlet end of the steam-treatment vessel. The system has a chip bin arranged upstream, and a ventilation system is arranged at this bin in order to deal with weak gases. The system also provides possibilities for the dispersion of the TRS gases on certain occasions, either at a standpipe into the atmosphere, or to lead these TRS gases to the superior chip bin. Both of these alternatives involve the risk that TRS gases leak into the surroundings and create odour problems. The dispersal of pressurised TRS gases from the pressure isolation device, however, is combined with problems, since chips and fragments of chips can readily become stuck in the system, resulting is malodorous TRS gases being released up into the chip bin.
[0006] The prior art technology has identified the problem that it is desired to minimise leakage of harmful and toxic gases that arise during the steam pre-treatment with hot steam. It is normal to allow removal of weak gases from the chip bin to a destruction system, and to allow a further dispersal of gases from the steam pre-treatment vessel, the latter often being considered to be strong gases. It is attempted to maintain the concentration of the weak gases at well under 4% by volume, and the concentration of the strong gases at well over 40% by volume.
[0007] In the previously known chip bins in which steam is blown into the bed of chips, large volumes of weak gases are formed, and either pure steam or special systems that manage to deal with these weak gases are required. It is a property of weak gases that they very readily obtain a very explosive composition. As long as the concentration of NCGs lies lower than approximately 4% by volume or well over 40% by volume, there is no risk of explosion. For this reason, weak gas systems that maintain the concentration below under 4% by volume, typically below 1-2% by volume, or strong gas systems that maintain the concentration well over 40% by volume are used. It is thus ensured that the concentration in weak gas systems is held well below 4% by volume, and this entails the transport of large volumes of air: as soon as the volume of NCGs is set to increase, an equivalent increase in the fraction of air must be carried out in order to maintain the concentration below the critical limit.
[0008] If, for example, 1 kg/min of NCGs are steamed off in a chip bin, the air amount must lie around approximately 50 kg/min in order to maintain the concentration at approximately 2% by volume. If an increase in the NCGs to 2 or 3 kg/min takes place, as may occur in certain interruptions in the process, it is necessary temporarily to increase the amount of air to 100 or 150 kg/min. This results in the system being normally dimensioned such that it can deal with the normal flow, and that excess gases are vented directly into the atmosphere through the vent pipe when interruptions in operation occur.
[0009] Another solution to minimise the volumes of weak gases is to control the flow of chips through the chip bin such that a stable plug flow through the chip bin is obtained, and the supply of steam to the chip bin is in this case controlled such that only the chips in the lower part of the bin are heated. This technique is known as “cold-top” control and is applied in systems that are marketed by Kvaerner Pulping AB under the name DUALSTEAM™ bin.
[0010] A number of very expensive solutions have been developed in order to reduce the explosiveness and toxicity of the weak gases. Different systems are revealed in, for example, WO 96/32531 and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,971, in which cooking fluid withdrawn from the digester generates pure steam from ordinary water. The use of totally pure steam for the steam pre-treatment of the chips reduces the TRS content in the weak gases, since the steam used is totally free from any TRS content.
[0011] These systems, however, inevitably give rise to energy losses and additional expensive process equipment.
AIM AND PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The principal aim of the invention is to obtain a chip bin or similar vessel for the steam pre-treatment of chips in which the risks of leakage of weak gases are minimised and that is not associated with the disadvantages of the prior art.
[0013] A second aim is to obtain a safe system with simple regulation in which it is ensured that the weak gases that are drawn from the chip bin always maintain a concentration of TRS gases (or of NCGs) that lies well below the level at which the mixture of gases becomes explosive.
[0014] The system uses a simple temperature regulation, in which, with increasing temperature of the weak gases, a gradually increasing amount of dilution air is added at the ventilation channel in which the weak gases are transferred to the destruction system or the DNCG system (where “DNCG” is an abbreviation for “diluted NCG”).
[0015] A further aim is to use a condensation arrangement in the weak gas system such that the gas volumes can be reduced early in the weak gas system, in which way an effective reduction in the volumes of weak gases can be achieved if large flows of steam are suddenly emitted from the top of the chip bin, and to avoid in this manner the customary venting to atmosphere. Current weak gas system are normally dimensioned such that they are able to deal with a nominally interruption-free flow of exhaust gases, and not to be able to deal with the increased volume of NCGs that may temporarily arise in the event of an interruption in operation. The volumes of gases obtained during such interruptions of operation are much larger than those that the weak gas system can manage, and the extra gas volume has, in general, been emitted to the surrounding air, through a dispersal standpipe of the roof of the mill, which has had as a consequence that the pulp mill has been compelled to emit malodorous gases.
[0016] A further aim is that the safety system is preferably used during what is known as “cold-top”-regulation of the heating of the chips, in which the chips are heated in such a manner that a temperature gradient is formed in the volume of chips, where the chips at the top of the chip bin maintain a temperature of approximately 40° C., and successively higher temperatures down towards the bottom of the chip bin are established with an advantageous temperature of approximately 90-110° C. established at the bottom of the chip bin. This system ensures that the volumes of gases that are expelled from the chips in the chip bin are very low, and the load on the weak gas system will be minimal during continuous routine operation. The system does, however, possess the property that NCGs tend to accumulate in a condensation layer in the chip bin, and in the event of steam break-through, when the chips reach a temperature of well over 40° C. at the top of the chip bin as a result of interruptions in the system, large amounts of NCGs are expelled from the bed of chips, which amounts must be dealt with by the weak gas system.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 shows schematically a system for the steam pre-treatment of chips according to the invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a variant of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] FIG. 1 shows schematically a suitable vessel, shown here as a chip bin 1 , into which chopped chips are fed in to the top of the chip bin through a flow feed or input feed 34 . A upper level of chips is normally established at the top of the chip bin such that this level is established between a lowest and a highest level. Gas phase is established in the vessel between this upper chip level and the top of the vessel.
[0020] The vessel may also be a vessel in which impregnation of the chips takes place in the lower part of the vessel, according to, for example, a technology sold by Kvaerner Pulping AB under the name IMPBIN™.
[0021] Steam ST is added at the lower part of the chip bin well below the established upper chip level through suitable addition nozzles, where the amount of steam is regulated by detecting the temperature in the column of chips. A measurement probe 32 is used in the drawing, which probe establishes a mean value along a long stretch of the measurement probe, and its output signal is led to a control unit 31 that regulates the valves 33 on the steam supply line.
[0022] The steam may preferably be pure steam totally free of any NCG and TRS content, or it may be black liquor steam, which contains TRS.
[0023] The chips are pre-treated in the embodiment shown according to the “cold-top” concept, in which it is attempted to establish a temperature gradient in the chip bin, shown schematically, where different levels of temperature: 80° C., 60° C., and 40° C., are established upwards in the column of chips. In the ideal case, the chips at the upper surface of the column of chips are to maintain a temperature in the interval 20-40° C.
[0024] A ventilation channel 2 A- 2 B for venting of the weak gases that are formed is arranged at the upper part of the vessel and connected to a weak gas system NCG in which these weak gases are evacuated with a suitable fan 6 (or pump).
[0025] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , also a temperature sensor 3 installed for the weak gas system is used to detect the temperature in the upper part of the vessel. The temperature sensor here is located in the ventilation channel 2 A close to the upper part of the vessel, typically less than 1 metre from the vessel 1 , but it is possible to use also a temperature sensor that is located within the top of the vessel, or to use the temperature sensor 32 .
[0026] The ventilation channel 2 A- 2 B is according to the invention connected to at least one diluting air input line 5 a , 5 b , 5 c , 5 d , that is connected to the surrounding atmosphere ATM at one end and connected at its other end to the ventilation channel 2 B through a valve 4 a , 4 b , 4 c and 4 d.
[0027] A control unit CPU is connected to the temperature sensor 3 and to the relevant valves 4 a , 4 b , 4 c and 4 d in the dilution lines 5 a , 5 b , 5 c and 5 d , which control unit CPU opens and closes the relevant valves when the temperature exceeds pre-determined threshold values that are set and stored in the control unit.
[0028] Four dilution lines 5 a - 5 d are shown in the drawing, but it is preferable that at least two dilution lines 5 a , 5 b are connected to the ventilation channel 2 B, with first 4 a and second 4 b valves in the associated dilution lines 5 a and 5 b , and where the control unit opens the relevant valve when a first or second threshold value is exceeded. The first threshold value is a pre-determined first temperature T level1 and the second threshold value is a pre-determined second temperature T level2 , where T level1 <T level2.
[0029] The system can be extended with a suitable number of dilution lines where a third dilution line 5 c with a third valve 4 c is connected to the ventilation channel 2 B, and where the control unit opens the third valve 4 c when a third threshold value T level3 , where T level1 <T level2 <T level3 , is exceeded, etc.
[0030] In order to limit the volumes of weak gases in the subsequent handling, the system is provided with a suitable condensation arrangement 10 connected to the ventilation channel 2 A, 2 B between the vessel 1 and the connections of the ventilation lines to the ventilation channel 2 B. A condensate is withdrawn from the condensation arrangement in a condensation line with a pump 15 . This condensation arrangement can comprise condensation technology in which cold process fluid LIQ (typically condensate from the pulp mill) or cold water is sprayed into the gas flow through a suitable distribution nozzle 11 . The amount of added cold fluid for the condensation is controlled, by use of the valve 12 , depending on the temperature detected in the gas outlet from the condensation arrangement. Typically, it is attempted to maintain this temperature at the outlet at approximately 40-45° C., and for this reason essentially all water vapour can be separated, and a certain amount of other readily condensable gases that are malodorous (although not the more malodorous TRS gases to any major extent). The condensation technology means that the complete channel system that lies downstream of the condensation arrangement can adapt to much lower volumes of gas, something that is important from an economic point of view since these weak gases are often led along large distances either to a soda boiler or to another destruction plant at a considerable distance from the chip bin.
[0031] The condensation arrangement is important in order to remove steam from the air flow that is withdrawn, such that there is no risk that steam condenses in lines or vessels that are located downstream, something that can involve the flow of gases achieving a raised concentration of NCGs in the remaining gas flow, i.e. that the gas concentration comes to lie within the interval where a risk for explosion arises: 4-40% by volume.
[0032] The condensation arrangement in the drawing has a pressure lock 13 for condensate in its outlet, appropriately a simple water lock, from which condensate is led to a buffer tank 14 , from which the malodorous condensate can be pumped by the pump 15 onwards to destruction, the pump typically being controlled by the level in the buffer tank 14 .
[0033] The valves 4 a - 4 d on the air dilution lines 5 a - 5 d are preferably valves of a binary type that switch from a fully open condition to a fully closed condition, where the fully open condition is selected if the control signal from the control unit disappears, to give a “fail-safe mode”.
[0034] FIG. 2 shows a variant of the system according to FIG. 1 , where the valve in the dilution line 5 a is a proportional valve, instead, whose degree of opening can be set proportionally between a fully open condition and a fully closed condition, proportional to the control signal from the control unit, where the fully open condition is selected if the control signal from the control unit disappears. It is also suggested in this drawing that it is possible to have a pressurising fan 40 in the dilution lines in order to feed in dilution air. The fan 40 must, in this case, have a capacity that lies well under the suction capacity of the fan 6 in order to avoid the risk of pressurising the chip bin.
[0035] The system according to FIG. 1 functions in the following manner. When the air withdrawn from the chip bin maintains a temperature of up to 60° C., measured by the sensor 3 , this air maintains a maximum of 20% by volume of water vapour, and a concentration of approximately 2% by volume of NCGs is maintained in the remaining 80% by volume, i.e. the fraction of NCGs in the total volume (including steam) is approximately 1.6% by volume. Even if the water vapour were to be condensed out, the concentration of NCGs would not exceed 2% by volume during normal interruption-free operation, and this is well under the critical level of 4% by volume. This condition is the one that is normally established during “cold-top” regulation of the steam pre-treatment, and there is normally no risk of explosion.
[0036] However, in order to ensure a low concentration in the weak gases, the system opens a first valve 4 a when the temperature lies within the interval 40-60° C. Operational conditions may arise in which NCGs, or even TRS gases, force their way up through the chip bin, and it is for this reason desired to establish a safety margin to prevent the establishment of a critical concentration.
[0037] When the temperature reaches 80° C., the air that has been withdrawn from the chip bin (the undiluted air) maintains a maximum of approximately 48% by volume water vapour. This means that the fraction or concentration of NCGs in the remaining volume of gas, excluding the water vapour, increases from 2% by volume to just over 3% by volume, on the condition that the total fraction of NCGs is constant. However, since more NCGs are expelled from the chips by through-ventilation of steam, it has proved to be the case that the fraction of NCGs in the volume of gas, excluding the water vapour, lies rather close to the critical level of 4% by volume.
[0038] In order to prevent this critical level from being reached at a temperature of up to 80° C., the system opens a second valve 4 b when the temperature reaches 60° C., such that the critical concentration cannot be established in the temperature interval 60-80° C.
[0039] When the temperature reaches 95° C., the air that is withdrawn from the chip bin, if no diluting air has been added, contains a maximum of approximately 85% by volume water vapour. This means that the fraction or concentration of NCGs in the remaining volume of gas, excluding water vapour, increases from 2% by volume to just over 10% by volume, on the condition that the total fraction of NCGs is constant. In order to prevent this level being reached at a temperature of up to 95° C., the system opens also a third valve 4 c when the temperature reaches 80° C., such that the critical concentration cannot be established in the temperature interval 80-95° C.
[0040] If the temperature exceeds 95° C. and reaches 100° C., the air that is withdrawn from the chip bin, if no diluting air has been added, contains a maximum of approximately 100% by volume water vapour (at 100° C. and at atmospheric pressure). In order to prevent the critical concentration from being reached at a temperature of over 95° C., the system opens also a fourth valve 4 d when the temperature exceeds 95° C., such that the critical concentration cannot be established in the temperature interval 95-100° C.
[0041] The activation of the various valves by the system can be seen in the following table:
[0000] TC1 Valve 4a Valve 4b Valve 4c Valve 4d TC2 40° C. open closed closed closed 40° C. 60° C. open open closed closed 45° C. 80° C. open open open closed 45° C. 95° C. open open open open 45° C.
where TC1 is the temperature measured by sensor 3 , and where TC2 is the temperature that the condensation arrangement 11 uses to control the cooling flow.
[0042] A calibrated flow of dilution air is established at each stepwise opening of the valves 4 a - 4 d , appropriately through a calibrated throttle, or through the design of the relevant valve, such that given falls in pressure and flow are established that ensure a sufficient supply of dilution air, such that the concentration is held at a low value. The negative pressure in the ventilation channel 2 B is maintained at a given level by the fan 6 in a conventional manner (pressure control).
[0043] This example of temperature-controlled activation of the valves enables it to be realised that the system as an alternative or as a complement, may have direct measurement of the moisture content of the gases. Moisture sensors, however, are more liable to disturbance and are not in any way as stable as a simple temperature sensor. The concept of “gas sensor” in this application applies to both a temperature sensor and a moisture sensor.
[0044] The system and the method can be supplemented also with measurement of the level of chips in the vessel, detected by means of a level sensor 40 , also which signal from the level is led to the control unit CPU. In addition to the controlled regulation of the added dilution air as a function of moisture level or temperature, the amount of dilution air that is added can be regulated also by the current level of chips. It is appropriate that this regulation starts to apply when the level falls below a certain pre-determined minimum level, where the risk of penetration of, primarily, TRS gases can arise if the volume of chips becomes too low. As the chip level successively falls under this minimum level, successively increasing amounts of dilution air can be added in a similar manner as that which occurs with an increasing fraction of moisture or an increasing temperature in the gas phase of the vessel.
[0045] For example, a valve can be opened in the system if the level lies below this minimum level, and a further valve can be opened if the level subsequently falls even further, for example to 90% of the minimum level, etc.
[0046] If both the level of chips and the level of moisture or temperature indicate that addition of dilution air is necessary, the current level of added dilution air may be larger than that that would be added if only one of these parameters controlled the degree of opening of the valves.
[0047] The system displayed in FIG. 2 can be regulated in a similar manner, where the valve 4 a is used as a proportional valve with a fall in pressure that can be regulated, where the degree of opening of the valve provides a proportional flow of dilution air, either through the dilution air being supplied at an amount that is proportional to the current temperatures or in stepwise addition corresponding to the functionality of the system shown in FIG. 1 .
[0048] The invention can be varied in several ways within the scope of the attached patent claims. For example, the valves in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 can be opened at different temperature levels, and there may be a greater or lesser number than the four that are shown in this embodiment.
[0049] The first valve 4 a can be also a fixed throttle that is held always open, in the same way as the valve 30 or the valve 35 , and where only valves 4 b , 4 c and 4 d are regulated by the control unit between their closed and open conditions depending on the current temperature.
[0050] The condensation arrangement may be also of another type than one that functions through directly condensing fluid; one with, for example, indirect cooling in a heat exchanger or with electrical cooling elements (Peltier elements, etc).
[0051] One alternative is that the valves 4 a - 4 d are instead proportional valves whose degree of opening can be proportionally set between a fully open position and a fully closed position, the proportionality being to the control signal from the control unit, where the fully open condition is selected in the event that the control signal from the control unit disappears.
[0052] The system and the method can, naturally, be used also in steam pre-treatment systems using what is known as “hot-top” regulation, in which the steam is added in such an amount that steam continuously blows through the complete volume of chips in the vessel.
[0053] The feed arrangement of the vessel may be of different types, such as a simple chip feed with rotating bins (shown schematically in the drawing), or various feed screws that are often placed into a horizontal housing, with or without reverse valve means in the inlet. | The vessel in which the chips are pre-treated with steam (ST) is provided with a ventilation channel at the top of the vessel for the leading away of weak gases to a weak gas system (NCG). A simple safety system has been installed with the aim of guaranteeing that these weak gases do not reach a level of concentration at which these weak gases become explosive. The safety system has a control unit (CPU) that detects a process parameter that is indicative of the fraction of moisture in the weak gases and opens dilution lines that supply air for the dilution of the weak gases in the ventilation channel. It is appropriate that the dilution take place in stages, where the dilution lines are opened in stages with successively increasing temperature of the weak gases. | 3 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2006/003485, filed Dec. 19, 2006. This application claims the benefit of Chinese Application No. 200610001197.6, filed Jan. 13, 2006. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of network communications and network data transfer technologies, and to a method, a device and a data download system for controlling effectiveness of a download transaction.
BACKGROUND
[0003] With the development of information technology, people get more and more used to obtaining various data via networks. For example, the content needed is usually downloaded via a data download system.
[0004] Referring to FIG. 1 , it shows a block diagram of a data download system in the prior art.
[0005] The data download system 100 includes a download client 110 , a download server 120 and a download portal 130 .
[0006] Wherein, download contents (such as music and pictures, etc.) are stored in the download server 120 , and related information, such as the introduction of the download contents, the rate and so on, is presented via the download portal 130 . The corresponding download address of the presented download content in the download server 120 is also stored in the download portal 130 . The download address is usually represented by URL (Uniform Resource Locators).
[0007] Referring to FIG. 2 , it shows a flow chart of the operation of the data download system shown in FIG. 1 , which includes the following steps.
[0008] Step S 210 : a download client 110 logs in a download portal 130 and initiates a service browse request.
[0009] Step S 220 : the download portal 130 returns a service browse response, and the download client 110 browses the contents that can be downloaded.
[0010] Step S 230 : after a user selects the content to be downloaded, a download request is sent to the download portal 130 .
[0011] Step S 240 : the download portal 130 informs the download client 110 of the download address of the download content in a download server 120 .
[0012] Step S 250 : the download client 110 redirects the download request according to the download address informed by the download portal 130 .
[0013] Step S 260 : the download server 120 transfers the corresponding download content to the download client 110 .
[0014] Step S 270 : the download client 110 sends a download completion notice to the download server 120 after the content is downloaded.
[0015] Step S 280 : the download server 120 counts the charge of the download.
[0016] In other words, during the operation of the data download system in the prior art, the download client 110 accesses the download portal to view the introduction of the download contents. When the user is interested in a content and the rate of the content is acceptable, the user clicks the download button, and the download portal 130 informs the download client of the static download address of the download content in the download server 120 . The download client 110 may directly access the download server via the static download address, and download the content to the local terminal. At this point, the download server 120 counts the download charge for the download client 110 .
[0017] However, in the data download system and the download process of the prior art, when receiving a content promotion advertisement from a CP (Content Provider), the download client may directly download the content from the download server 120 without going through the download portal 130 , so that the user may be misguided for consumption.
[0018] This is because some CPs send content promotion advertisements to the download client 110 for promoting their download contents, and these advertisements contain the download addresses of the download contents. If the user clicks the address, the content will be downloaded directly from the download server 120 , and the user will be charged. Moreover, some CPs may send false propaganda of contents and rates to the user. Because the download server 120 cannot check the effectiveness of the download addresses, the user may be misguided for consumption.
SUMMARY
[0019] In the embodiments, there is provided a method, a device and a data download system for controlling effectiveness of a download transaction, so that the effectiveness of a download transaction may be controlled.
[0020] An embodiment provides a method for controlling the effectiveness of the download transaction, which includes:
[0021] receiving a download request from a download client; wherein the download request contains a download address corresponding to download content selected by the download client and a transaction ID; and
[0022] verifying the transaction ID;
[0023] transferring the download content corresponding to the download address to the download client in response to the pass of the verification.
[0024] An embodiment further provides a data download system, which includes a download server communication with a download client, wherein:
[0025] the download server is adapted to resolve a download request containing a download address and a transaction ID from the download client, verify an identity of the download client and the transaction ID, and transfer a download content corresponding to the download address to the download client if the verification is passed.
[0026] An embodiment provides a data download server, including
[0027] a transaction ID verifying unit, adapted to verify a transaction ID carried in a download request when receiving the download request from the download client; and
[0028] a content downloading unit, adapted to provide the corresponding download content to the download client in response to the pass of the verification.
[0029] An embodiment further provides a data download portal device, which includes:
[0030] a content presentation unit, adapted to present related information of a download content stored in a download server;
[0031] a transaction ID requesting unit, adapted to request a transaction ID from the download server after a user selects the download content; and
[0032] a download address integrating unit, adapted to integrate the transaction ID returned by the download server into a content download address, and send to a download client.
[0033] An embodiment further provides a download client, which is configured to implement a method includes:
[0034] obtaining a transaction ID and a download address corresponding to a download content from a download portal;
[0035] sending a download request containing the download address and the transaction ID to a download server; and obtaining the download content from the download server.
[0036] In the data download system and the method for controlling the effectiveness of the download transaction according to the embodiments, there exists a transaction control mechanism, and the generation, integration, transfer and verification of the transaction ID for the download transaction may be realized by the download server and the download portal, so that the effectiveness of the download transaction may be controlled, and the static download address in the promotion advertisement of a CP is disabled, therefore the user may be prevented from being misguided for consumption.
[0037] In the embodiments, the transaction ID and the corresponding information are encrypted with a digital abstract signature, so that system security may be further improved.
[0038] Additionally, because the transaction ID further corresponds to a time effectiveness parameter and the identity of the download client corresponding to the transaction ID may be authenticated, the transaction ID obtained by some entities via masquerading as a specific download client may be further disabled, so that the overall security of the system may be improved.
DRAWINGS
[0039] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a data download system in the prior art;
[0040] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the data download system of the prior art shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0041] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a data download system according to an embodiment;
[0042] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the method for controlling the effectiveness of a download transaction according to an embodiment; and
[0043] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a data download system according to an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0044] For further understanding the principle, the characteristics and the advantages, it will now be described in detail in conjunction with specific embodiments.
[0045] In an embodiment, a download address, to which a dynamic transaction ID (Identity, i.e., Unique Number) is added, is provided to a download client by a download portal, and the download client can only download the content from the download server with a valid dynamic transaction ID.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 3 , it shows a schematic diagram of a data download system according to an embodiment.
[0047] The data download system includes a download client 310 , a download portal 320 and a download server 330 .
[0048] The download client 310 is adapted to receive the operation instruction from the user, browse related information of the download content and obtain the download address and dynamic transaction ID via the download portal 320 , and obtain the download content from the download server 330 .
[0049] The download portal 320 is adapted to present related information of the download content, obtain the dynamic transaction ID corresponding to the download transaction from the download server 330 , and send the download address and the dynamic transaction ID to the download client 310 .
[0050] The download server 330 is adapted to store the download content, send the dynamic transaction ID to the download portal 320 , verify the dynamic transaction ID from the download client 310 , and provide the download content to the download client 310 after the verification is passed.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 4 , it shows a flow chart of the method for controlling the effectiveness of a download transaction according to an embodiment.
[0052] S 401 : the download client 310 finds a content to be downloaded, and sends a download request to the download portal 320 for downloading the content.
[0053] S 402 : the download portal 320 sends a dynamic transaction ID request to the download server 330 for applying for a dynamic transaction ID.
[0054] Wherein the dynamic transaction ID request may contain three sets of key parameters: a client number, a transaction type and a time effectiveness parameter.
[0055] S 403 : the download server 330 dynamically generates a transaction ID, and saves one copy locally. In an embodiment, the transaction ID may be encrypted.
[0056] Wherein, the dynamic transaction ID may be generated with various algorithms. For example, incremental algorithm may be employed, i.e., starting from 1, the subsequent transaction IDs are successively 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 . . . , as long as it is ensured that the newly generated ID is different from the previously generated IDs.
[0057] However, more complex transaction ID generation algorithm may also be employed, which will not be described in detail here.
[0058] The dynamic transaction ID generated corresponds to the above three sets of key parameters in the dynamic transaction ID request: the client number, the transaction type and the time effectiveness parameter.
[0059] The transaction ID may be encrypted in various ways. For example, digital abstract signature may be employed.
[0060] Digital abstract signature is a common method for realizing content security, wherein with public key-private key technologies in conjunction with encryption algorithms such as MD5 and so on, secure mutual access between heterogeneous entities under various application models may be realized in an open network.
[0061] A relatively simple mechanism is employed in the digital abstract signature: an irreversible encryption algorithm. After a content is encrypted by such an encryption algorithm, an attacker cannot crack the password even if the cipher key and the cipher text are obtained. The attacker can at best attempt to guess the password, so it is more difficult and takes a longer time to crack the password. As a result, system security may be protected.
[0062] S 404 : the download server 330 issues a dynamic transaction ID response to the download portal 320 and the dynamic transaction ID is carried in the dynamic transaction ID response.
[0063] S 405 : the download portal 320 integrates the transaction ID into the download address, then issues a download response to the download client 310 for informing the download client 310 of the download address.
[0064] Wherein, the process in which the transaction ID is integrated into the download address may be realized in a simple way. For example, the transaction ID string is simply spliced to a URL.
[0065] For example, the static download address is:
[0066] http://www.downloadserver.com/mms/mm001.jpg,
[0067] and the transaction ID generated by the download server 330 and sent to the download portal 320 is 195692146, then the integrated new address is:
[0068] http://www.downloadserver.com/mms/mm001.jpg;transactionID==195692146.
[0069] S 406 : the download client 310 redirects the download address to the download server 330 and requests to download.
[0070] S 407 : the download server 330 authenticates the identity of the download client 310 and verifies the transaction ID.
[0071] The download server 330 authenticates the identity of the download client 310 and verifies the transaction ID in the download address of the download client 310 .
[0072] During the verification, if the transaction ID matches the local copy and the identity of the download client 310 is consistent with the identity of the download client 310 in the copy, the verification is passed.
[0073] S 408 : If the verification is passed, download the content to the download client 310 from the download server 330 .
[0074] S 409 : after the content is downloaded, the download client 310 issues a download completion notice to the download server 330 .
[0075] S 410 : the download server 330 counts the charge of this download.
[0076] In the above embodiments, after a user selects a content to be downloaded, the download portal 320 does not directly inform the download client 310 of the static URL address of the download content. Instead, the download portal 320 first applies to the download server 330 for a dynamic transaction ID. After the download server 330 receives the request, it dynamically generates a transaction ID according to three sets of key parameters (the download client number, the transaction type and the time effectiveness parameter) in the request, and encrypts the transaction ID, then returns the transaction ID to the download portal 320 and saves a copy in the download server 330 locally. The download portal 320 informs the download client 310 after inserting the transaction ID into the download address, and the download client 310 requests to download from the download server 330 based on the download address inserted the transaction ID. The download server 330 authenticates the identity of the download client 310 and verifies the transaction ID in the download address. If the transaction ID matches the local copy and the identity of the download client 310 is consistent with the identity of the download client 310 in the copy, the verification is passed and the download is permitted; otherwise, the verification fails and the download is denied.
[0077] In such a mechanism, the static download address in the promotion advertisement of a CP will be disabled, because the transaction ID verification performed by the download server cannot be passed.
[0078] Even if a few CPs try to first apply for a transaction ID by masquerading as the identities of specific download clients and then to send advertisements of specific purpose, it may fail because of the time effectiveness parameter contained in the transaction ID and the authentication on the identity of the download client performed by the download server.
[0079] Referring to FIG. 5 , it shows a block diagram of the data download system according to an embodiment.
[0080] The data download system includes a download client 310 , a download portal 320 and a download server 330 , wherein:
[0081] the download portal 320 includes a content presenting unit 321 , a transaction ID requesting unit 322 and a download address integrating unit 323 .
[0082] The content presentation unit 321 is adapted to present related information of download contents stored in the download server 330 .
[0083] The transaction ID requesting unit 322 is responsible for requesting a dynamic transaction ID from the download server 330 after a user selects a download content.
[0084] The download address integrating unit 323 is responsible for integrating the dynamic transaction ID into the content download address after the download server 330 returns the dynamic transaction ID, and then informing the download client 310 .
[0085] The download server 330 includes a transaction ID generating unit 331 , a transaction ID data storing unit 332 , a transaction ID verifying unit 333 , a content downloading unit 334 and a transaction ID time effectiveness maintaining unit 335 .
[0086] The transaction ID generating unit 331 is responsible for dynamically generating a transaction ID and encrypting it when the download server 330 receives a dynamic transaction ID request from the download portal 320 , then returning the transaction ID to the download portal 320 and saving a copy of the transaction ID in the transaction ID data storing unit 332 ;
[0087] The transaction ID verifying unit 333 is responsible for verifying the transaction ID carried in the download instruction when the download server 330 receives the download request from the download client 310 , and during the verification, the local copy saved in the transaction ID data storing unit 332 needs to be accessed;
[0088] The content downloading unit 334 provides the corresponding download content to the download client 310 when the verification on the transaction ID is passed;
[0089] The transaction ID time effectiveness maintaining unit 335 is adapted to maintain the data in the transaction ID data storing unit 332 , wherein the utmost task is to clear outdated transaction IDs.
[0090] The transaction ID time effectiveness maintaining unit 335 may be triggered at scheduled time (for example, once every minute). Each time it is triggered, the whole transaction ID data storing unit 332 will be run over, and each outdated transaction ID will be cleared once it is found.
[0091] In the data download system and the method for controlling the effectiveness of the download transaction described herein, a dynamic transaction control mechanism is added between the download portal and the download server, and the transaction content is encrypted via the digital abstract signature, so that the download address in the promotion advertisement of a CP may be disabled, and the user may be prevented from being misguided by the promotion advertisement of a CP and generating “undeserved” consumption. As a result, benefit of the user may be protected, the probability of user complaints may be reduced, and the Quality of Service of providers may be improved.
[0092] Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the disclosure in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. | A method, device, and data download system for controlling effectiveness of a download transaction. The method includes: resolving, by a download server, a transaction ID generation request from a download portal, dynamically generating a transaction ID according to a current download transaction and sending the transaction ID to the download portal; sending, by the download portal, a download address corresponding to a download content selected by a download client and the transaction ID to the download client; the download client redirecting to the download server according to the download address, and sending a download request containing the transaction ID; and authenticating an identity of the download client and verifying the transaction ID by the download server, if the verification is passed, transferring, by the download server, the corresponding download content to the download client; otherwise, the download fails. | 7 |
RELATED PATENT DOCUMENTS
This patent document claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/848,421 filed on Sep. 29, 2006 and entitled: “Electrochemical Memory With Internal Boundary,” which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to non-volatile resistance change memories and more particularly to a method and structure to improve resistance-change memories based upon solid state electrolytes.
BACKGROUND
Non-volatile memories are memories where the information is conserved even if the memory is disconnected from a power source. In resistance change memories, the information (logic “1” and logic “0”) is stored as a “high” or a “low” resistance state of the memory cell. What non-volatile random access memories (NVRAM) have in common is that the information is programmed or erased in the power-on state, while the memory cell stores the information over a period of at least 10 years in the power-off state. Non-volatile resistance change memories address some of the issues of the ultra high density non-volatile memory market.
One type of non-volatile memory is FLASH memory. Prominent examples for FLASH applications are non-volatile memories in computers, cell phones, memory sticks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, smart cards, etc. Driven by the need to minimize production costs, the size of the memory cell has been continuously reduced. State of the art semiconductor devices are manufactured using the 65 nm technology (i.e., 65 nm denotes the size of the smallest feature of the manufactured structure). As a consequence of the continuous reduction of the memory cell size, the FLASH memory is expected to reach its physical scaling limit between the 45 nm and the 32 nm technology node.
A variety of resistance change memory concepts have been proposed to supersede FLASH. Resistance change memories can be categorized in phase change RAMs (PCRAM), resistive RAMs (RRAM) and electrochemical RAMs (ECRAM). Even though RRAM and ECRAM show some potential to become a successor of FLASH, the formation of a filament in the memory cell is essential for the memory operation. However, filamentary based memories do not scale well in relation to area or thickness. It remains therefore questionable, whether filamentary based memories can be commercialized. A disadvantage of PCRAM is the large current consumption of the memory during program/erase operations.
Some scalable non-volatile memories utilize a mixed electronic ionic conductor to store the information. Scalability of the memory cell is highly desired for memory applications. Mixed ionic electronic conductors are solids with a high mobility of ions or ion vacancies. The high mobility of ions/vacancies gives rise to ionic motion. At the same time, a sufficiently high concentration of electrons or defect electrons causes an electronic conduction. One of the properties of a mixed electronic ionic conductor is that a change in the ionic/vacancy concentration is correlated with a change in the concentration of electrons or electron holes. Thus, local changes in the electronic concentration affect the overall conductivity of the material. The mixed ionic electronic conductor will further be referred to as “solid state electrolyte”. Since the memory mechanism is very similar for solid state electrolytes with ionic and ion vacancies conduction, the focus is on solid state electrolytes with vacancy conduction. Similar considerations can be applied to solid state electrolytes of predominantly ion conduction.
By applying an external electric field, vacancies are redistributed inside the solid state electrolyte. Thus, the memory effect is based on the local change of electronic charge carriers, which is a consequence of the redistribution of vacancies. A concentration change of electronic charge carriers causes an increase or decrease in the resistance of the memory cell.
To ensure fast program/erase times, solid state electrolytes with high ionic mobility have to be used. During the programming operation, a concentration gradient of ions builds up. After switching off the external field, the redistributed ions tend to move back to their initial (equilibrium) positions, thereby lowering the concentration gradient. A redistribution of ions, however, causes a loss of the stored information over time, which can lead to a loss of the data stored by the memory cell. As a consequence thereof, fast electrochemical memories are often unreliable.
The above issues as well as others have presented challenges to the manufacture and implementation of electrochemical memories for a variety of applications.
SUMMARY
The present invention is directed to overcoming the above-mentioned challenges and others related to the types of devices and applications discussed above and in other display, visualization and feedback applications. These and other aspects of the present invention are exemplified in a number of illustrated implementations and applications, some of which are shown in the figures and characterized in the claims section that follows.
According to one example embodiment, a memory cell having two sections with outwardly-facing portions, the outwardly-facing portions electrically coupled to electrodes is implemented. The memory cell has an ionic barrier between the two sections. The two sections and the ionic barrier facilitate movement of ions from one of the two sections to the other of the two sections in response to a first voltage differential across the outwardly-facing portions. The two sections and the ionic barrier diminish movement of ions from the one of the two sections to the other of the two sections in response to another voltage differential across the outwardly-facing portions.
According to another example embodiment, a memory element is implemented with a first ionic reservoir having majority of ions of a first polarity, a second ionic reservoir having majority of ions of the first polarity and an ionic barrier, located between the first and second ionic reservoirs, having a charge of the first polarity. The ionic barrier also diminishes movement of ions between the reservoirs and, in response to an absolute voltage differential across the barrier, facilitates movement of ions between the first and second ionic reservoirs.
According to another example embodiment, a memory element is implemented that includes first means for holding a majority of ions of a first polarity, second means for holding a majority of ions of the first polarity and barrier means, located between the first and second means. The barrier means having a charge of the first polarity and for controlling movement of ions between the first and second means in response to at least one voltage differential across the barrier
The above summary is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The figures and detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the detailed description of various embodiments of the invention that follows in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1A depicts a block diagram of an electrochemical memory cell, where ions are the majority charge carrier, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 1B depicts a block diagram of an electrochemical memory cell, where ion vacancies are the majority charge carrier, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2A depicts a block diagram of the memory cell of FIG. 1B , where the majority ionic defect type consists of oxygen vacancies, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2B depicts a sketch of the internal electric potential barrier, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2C depicts a sketch of the profiles of oxygen vacancies (ion vacancies) and electrons in the reservoir and the control layer, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3A depicts a block diagram of the memory cell described in FIG. 2B under voltage bias (program operation), according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3B depicts a block diagram of the memory cell described in FIG. 1B after programming at zero bias voltage (program operation), according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4A depicts a block diagram of the memory cell of FIG. 3A , according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4B depicts a sketch of the inner electrical potential for the program operation, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5A depicts a block diagram of the memory cell described in FIG. 4B under reverse voltage bias (erase operation), according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5B depicts a block diagram of the memory cell described in FIG. 1B after programming at zero bias voltage (e.g., erase operation), according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6A depicts a block diagram of the memory cell of FIG. 5A , according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6B depicts a sketch of the inner electric potential for the erase operation, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7A depicts a block diagram of a different structure of an electrochemical memory cell, where the majority charge carrier in the reservoir are ions, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7B depicts a block diagram of a different structure of an electrochemical memory cell, where the majority charge carrier in the reservoir are ion vacancies, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8A depicts a block diagram of an electrochemical memory cell, where the internal barrier is realized by a dipole layer and the electrochemical potential of ion vacancies in the reservoir is higher, according to an example embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8B depicts a block diagram of an electrochemical memory cell, where the internal barrier is realized by a dipole layer and the electrochemical potential of ion vacancies in the control layer is higher, according to an example embodiment of the present invention; and
FIGS. 9A-C depict sketches of different examples of an inner electric barrier. FIG. 9A shows a Coulomb barrier, and FIGS. 9B and 9C show different versions of a dipole barrier, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, various embodiments 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 falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a non-volatile memory that prevents retention loss in electrochemical memories based on solid state electrolytes. The redistribution of mobile ions is prevented through the use of a voltage dependent internal potential barrier for ions/vacancies. The internal potential barrier separates two solid state electrolyte reservoirs. In the presence of an internal potential barrier, the exchange rate of ions/vacancies between the reservoirs operates as a function of the external voltage in a highly nonlinear manner. This is particularly useful for applications with solid state electrolytes having ion mobility. Due to the internal potential barrier, the motion of ions/vacancies and information loss over time is reduced. Fast programming/erase times can thus be combined with long term data retention.
In an example embodiment, the internal potential barrier is realized as an electrostatic potential barrier formed by an interfacial layer between the reservoir and the control layer of the same charge as the charge of mobile ions/vacancies in the ion reservoir. Interfacial layers of opposite charge can be realized by doping the thin layer or by taking advantage of charged trap states between the reservoir and the control layer formed either intentionally or intrinsically during the deposition process.
In another example embodiment, the internal potential barrier is realized as an electrostatic potential step formed by an interfacial dipole layer. A dipole layer between the reservoir and the control layer can be realized by using materials for the reservoir and control layer with different standard potentials of the mobile ionic/vacancy species. Depending on the operation of the particular memory, which could be either enrichment or depletion of ions in the control layer, it is reasonable to choose either the control layer or the reservoir as the material with the higher standard potential.
In another example embodiment, the internal potential barrier is realized as a heterojunction of two dissimilar materials.
In an additional example embodiment, the internal potential barrier can be realized through a combination of the previous example embodiments.
A variety of materials can be used for the reservoir for holding a majority of ions of a first polarity (e.g., the solid state electrolyte ion reservoir) and for the control layer for holding a majority of ions of the first polarity (e.g., the control layer), including but not limited to: Perovskites (Titanates, Manganates, Zirconates, etc.), binary oxides (TiO 2 , NiO 2 , etc.), sulfides (CdS), and other solid state electrolytes.
A barrier for controlling movement of ions between two reservoirs in response to at least one voltage differential across the barrier can be implemented using a number of structures including, but not limited to doping a section between the reservoirs, a heterojunction of dissimilar materials or a dipole layer.
In an example embodiment, FIG. 1A depicts an electrochemical memory cell 100 where ions are the majority charge carrier. An internal barrier for ions 105 separates the solid state electrolyte in a reservoir 110 and a control layer 115 . The ion reservoir and control layer are chosen in a way that a variation of the ion concentration in the control layer causes a resistance change of the memory cell. The internal barrier suppresses an ion exchange between the reservoir and the control layer at low external voltages. FIG. 1B depicts an electrochemical memory cell 150 where ion vacancies are the majority charge carrier. An internal barrier 155 for ion vacancies separates the solid state electrolyte in a reservoir 160 and a control layer 165 . The internal barrier suppresses an ion vacancy exchange between the reservoir and the control layer. The barrier height of the internal barrier can be altered by an external field. At small external fields, the large barrier is present. Under high electric fields (e.g., via electrodes 102 and 104 ), the effective barrier height is drastically reduced. Electrostatic barriers showing this behavior are described in R. Meyer, X. Guo, R. Waser, Nonlinear Electrical Properties of Grain Boundaries in Oxygen Ion Conductors: Modeling the varistor behavior , Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 8 E67-E69 (2005), which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 2A depicts the electrochemical memory cell 200 where the majority ionic defect type is oxygen vacancies and electronic conductivity is due to electrons. At small voltages (read operation) or under zero power condition (non-volatile memory operation), the internal barrier 205 hinders the exchange of ions between the ion reservoir 210 and the control layer 215 . FIG. 2B shows a sketch of the internal electric potential barrier, and FIG. 2C shows the profiles of oxygen vacancies (ion vacancies) and electrons in the reservoir and the control layer.
In a specific implementation, FIG. 3A depicts a memory cell 300 as described in FIG. 1B under voltage bias (program operation). Due to the reduction of the internal barrier 305 , ionic defects are exchanged between the reservoir 310 and the control layer 315 . FIG. 3B depicts a memory cell 350 as described in FIG. 3A after programming at zero bias voltage (program operation). At zero voltage, ionic defects cannot be exchanged between the reservoir 355 and the control layer 360 . After switching the external field, the internal barrier 365 recovers and the exchange of ions between the reservoir and the control layer is suppressed. In this state, logic “1” is stored in the memory cell. FIG. 4A depicts the memory cell 400 of FIG. 3A , where the majority ionic defect type is oxygen vacancy and electronic conductivity is due to electrons. At high voltages, the effective barrier 405 is reduced, so that ions can be exchanged between the ion reservoir 410 and the control layer 415 . FIG. 4B shows the voltage induced reversible break-down of the internal barrier during the enrichment of ion vacancies in the control layer (program operation).
In another specific implementation, FIG. 5A depicts a memory cell 500 as described in FIG. 3B under reverse voltage bias (erase operation). Due to the reduction of the internal barrier 505 , ionic defects are exchanged between the reservoir 510 and the control layer 515 . FIG. 5B depicts a memory cell 550 as described in FIG. 5A after programming at zero bias voltage (program operation). At zero voltage, ionic defects cannot be exchanged between the reservoir 555 and the control layer 560 . After switching the external field, the internal barrier 565 recovers and the ion exchange between the control layer and the reservoir is suppressed. In this state, logic “0” is stored in the memory cell. FIG. 6A depicts the memory cell 600 of FIG. 5A , where the majority ionic defect type is oxygen vacancy and electronic conductivity is due to electrons. At large voltages, the effective barrier 605 is reduced, so that ions can be exchanged between the control layer 610 and the ion reservoir 615 . FIG. 6B shows the voltage induced reversible break-down of the internal barrier during the depletion of ion vacancies in the control layer (erase operation).
In another example embodiment, FIG. 7A depicts an electrochemical memory cell 700 with a modified control layer, wherein ions are the majority charge carrier. The control layer includes a mixed electronic ionic conductive layer 705 and a layer 710 which can be an electron conductor layer (or other layer/material) that inhibits the flow of ions onto the electrode (the layer 710 can also act as a diffusion barrier for ions, thereby preventing migration of ions through the electrode and a loss of ions in the reservoir). An internal barrier for ions 715 separates the solid state electrolyte in the reservoir 720 and the control layer. FIG. 7B depicts an electrochemical memory cell 750 with a modified control layer which is the same as memory cell 700 , except that ion vacancies are the majority charge carrier. This is particularly suited for increasing the memory performance (e.g., speed and power requirements). As specific examples, the memory performance can be modified or increased by implementing larger resistor on/off ratios or otherwise tailoring the resistor on/off ratios.
A specific implementation includes combinations of an ion reservoir and an ion vacancy control layer or an ion vacancy reservoir and an ion conductive control layer.
In a further example embodiment, tailoring the internal barrier facilitates adjustment of the operation voltage and of the on and off resistance. In a specific implementation, the internal barrier is implemented using a dipole layer. FIG. 8A depicts an electrochemical memory cell 800 , where the internal barrier is a dipole layer and ion vacancies are the majority charge carrier. An internal dipole barrier layer 805 for ion vacancies separates the solid state electrolyte in a reservoir 810 and a control layer 815 . The configuration of FIG. 8A is chosen when the electrochemical potential of ions/ion vacancies in the reservoir is higher than the control layer.
FIG. 8B also depicts an electrochemical memory cell 850 , where the internal barrier is implemented using a dipole layer and ion vacancies are the majority charge carrier. An internal dipole barrier layer 855 for ion vacancies separates the solid state electrolyte in a reservoir 860 and a control layer 865 . The configuration of FIG. 8B is chosen if the electrochemical potential of ions/ion vacancies in the control layer is higher than the reservoir. FIGS. 9A-C depict different realizations of the internal barrier layer. FIG. 9A shows a Coulomb barrier 905 , and FIG. 9B and FIG. 9C show different versions of a dipole barrier 910 and 915 .
The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention. Based on the above discussion and illustrations, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without strictly following the exemplary embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein. For example, the reservoirs can be constructed using ionic reservoirs not typically associated with memory cells, such as various ionic battery arrangements and other arrangements, such as oxygen conductor arrangements. Such modifications and changes do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. | Non-volatile resistance change memories, systems, arrangements and associated methods are implemented in a variety of embodiments. According to one embodiment, a memory cell having two sections with outwardly-facing portions, the outwardly-facing portions electrically coupled to electrodes is implemented. The memory cell has an ionic barrier between the two sections. The two sections and the ionic barrier facilitate movement of ions from one of the two sections to the other of the two sections in response to a first voltage differential across the outwardly-facing portions. The two sections and the ionic barrier diminish movement of ions from the one of the two sections to the other of the two sections in response to another voltage differential across the outwardly-facing portions. | 6 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a divisional of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/457,733, filed Jun. 9, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/387,235, filed Jun. 7, 2002, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention pertains to filters, and more particularly to a filter system using an environmentally friendly filter cartridge.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Most conventional filters and filter cartridges present a disposal problem. Driven by ease of installation, many applications have gone to self-contained spin-on cartridges. These have a metal outer case, a metal base plate, and other metal components within the filter. Replaceable cartridges also have significant metal components, often in the form of centertubes or support grids for supporting the filter element, and metal endcaps. Thus, significant elements of a filter will not burn thus preventing the use of incineration for relatively complete disposal of the spent filters or filter cartridges.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In view of the foregoing, it is a general aim of the present invention to provide a filter system capable of supporting and reliably using an environmentally friendly filter cartridge, such that when the cartridge is spent it can be incinerated. The cartridge is environmentally friendly in that it contains no metallic parts.
[0005] It is a feature of the invention that plastic endcaps are utilized in the filter cartridge, and the housing has structure which cooperates with the filter cartridge to compensate for the reduction in strength of plastic endcaps over conventional metal endcaps.
[0006] In a particular embodiment the invention provides a filter system based on a housing having a closed bottom and a removable cover. A filter cartridge is provided for insertion into the housing and for securing therein by locking the removable cover on the housing. The cartridge is in the form of an open center cylinder which has no metallic parts. The housing has, at its base, an upstanding annular flange which has a diameter about the same as the outer diameter of the cartridge. The cartridge carries a radial seal in the form of a depending skirt fixed to a lower endcap. The skirt has a diameter which causes the skirt to overlie the annular flange such that when the filter is in operation, internal pressure creates a radial seal between the skirt and the flange. The cartridge also has an upper endcap which carries an axial seal positioned to fit between the housing and the cover when the cover is in its locked position. The system provides cooperating supports and stops on the inside of the housing and the lower portion of the upper endcap to provide a positive seat and stop which prevents operating pressure from forcing the upper endcap into the filter beyond its seated position.
[0007] In another aspect, the invention provides a filter housing of universal characteristics for cooperating with a filter cartridge to filter fluid. A housing is provided for receiving a filter cartridge which separates an unfiltered region from a filtered region in the housing. The housing has a front in which is formed an inlet port and an outlet port connected to the unfiltered region and filtered region respectively, and also connected to at least one accessory port. A removable cover is threaded onto the top of the housing and removable for allowing access to and interchange of the cartridge. The housing has bolted on removable base selected from the group consisting of a sump for fuel filter applications, and a rigidified bottom for high pressure applications.
[0008] In another aspect, the invention provides a filter housing in an interconnected filter housing bank, wherein each filter housing is adapted to receive a filter cartridge which separates an unfiltered region from a filtered region in the housing. The housing has a back which includes mounting features for mounting a plurality of said housings side-by-side in a bank. The housing has a front in which is formed an inlet port and an outlet port connected to the unfiltered region and filtered region respectively. The inlet port and outlet port are vertically displaced from each on the front of said housing. Tee fittings are connected on the inlet and outlet ports. Each tee fitting has a trunk connected to the associated port and a T-arm in fluid communication with the trunk. At least some of the tee fittings having a valve for shutting off the trunk from the T-arm. The valve bank including tubing connecting the T-arms of adjacent filter housings to connect the filter housings and parallel.
[0009] In connection with the foregoing aspect of the invention, the filter bank also includes at least two filter housings, each requiring a filter of different characteristics. Two filter cartridges of the different characteristics, one for each of said housings, and each of the housings and filters including a keying mechanism for associating one of the filter cartridges with the associated housing and preventing installation of said one filter cartridge in the other housing.
[0010] Other aspects, objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a front elevation of one form of housing constructed in accordance with the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the housing of FIG. 1 ;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 3 - 3 of FIG. 5 illustrating the relationship between the filter cartridge and the filter housing in a filter system similar to that of FIG. 1 ;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a front elevation showing two filter housings assembled in a filter bank;
[0015] FIG. 5 shows a variation of the housing of FIG. 1 having a different bottom constructed for higher pressure applications;
[0016] FIG. 6 shows a filter housing with cover removed exposing the top of the filter cartridge;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a sectional view through a filter housing showing the relationship between the cartridge and the housing and illustrating some of the system accessories;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a partial view of the area of FIG. 7 indicated by the circle 8 better illustrating the locking of the cover to the housing and compressing of the axial seal gasket;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the plugged filter indicator;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a view showing the valve associated with the inlets and outlets;
[0021] FIGS. 11 and 12 diagrammatically illustrate the keying of filters to the filter housing; and
[0022] FIG. 13 is an elevational view of a typical filter cartridge.
[0023] While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The disclosed housing in the present application will be described primarily in connection with fuel filters. The housing is designed for multiple parallel plumbing of fuel filters, as will be described in connection with FIG. 4 . The housing, however, can also be used to form a full flow oil filter, a hydraulic filter or a bypass filter. Some of these applications will also be illustrated to show the universality of the filter system.
[0025] Turning then to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 , there are shown many of the basic elements of the housing portion of a filter system 20 constructed in accordance with the present invention. The system 20 is based on a housing 21 which has a plurality of ports 22 on the face thereof which allow configuration for a variety of applications. Of significance, the housing 21 is provided with a removable base 24 ; as will be described below, a number of different bases 24 can be provided to alter the application for which the filter system is used. The bottom 24 is secured to the housing 21 by a secure mounting structure, such as the threaded fasteners 25 illustrated in the drawings. Preferably cap screws 25 are used at four locations to secure the bottom in place; since the bottom will not typically be removed after the housing is dedicated to a particular installation, the attachment can be relatively permanent. The advantages of the ability to bolt a different bottom in place are achieved primarily in the manufacturing stage when a run of filters for a particular application is being made. The application shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is primarily for use as a fuel filter.
[0026] The housing 21 has a removable cover 26 . Complementary threads (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) on the inside of the cover 26 and on the outside of the housing 21 allow the cover to be screwed onto the top of the housing. As will also be described, an internal filter cartridge carries an axial seal gasket which is trapped between sealing faces of the cover and housing for preventing leakage between those elements.
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates four mounting bosses 30 on the back of the housing 21 . The mounting bosses are preferably threaded to allow one or more filters to be mounted on a plate, with the plate then mounted in the position where the filters will be utilized. FIG. 4 , for example, shows a gang of two filters in which a plate 32 supports both filters. A bolt passed through the plate and into the tapped bosses 30 securely attaches the individual filters to the plate, whereupon the plurality of filters can be treated as a multiple filter bank for unitary mounting.
[0028] As noted above, the unit illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 is intended primarily in fuel filter applications. As such, the bottom assembly 24 includes a sump 34 which is typically used to collect water and other debris in a fuel filter application. Preferably the sump 34 is of see through plastic and includes a self-venting drain valve 35 for periodically removing the collected impurities.
[0029] FIG. 3 is intended to illustrate the relationship between the housing 21 and the filter cartridge which it contains. For purposes of illustration, FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view for a filter which is slightly different from the fuel filter, namely a lubrication filter. In effect, FIG. 3 is a section of the lubrication filter shown in FIG. 5 . The components are substantially the same as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 , except many of the peripheral and accessory components associated with a fuel filter are removed. The description of the housing, unless otherwise noted, would be the same for both the fuel filter and hydraulic filter applications.
[0030] FIGS. 3 and 8 illustrate certain of the internal elements of the filter system 20 . A cylindrical filter cartridge 50 fits within the housing 21 . The cartridge is inserted by removing the cover 26 , dropping a cartridge 50 in place, then reattaching the cover 26 . In the illustrated embodiment flow through the filter is from the outside in. Thus an exterior region 51 outside the periphery of the filter is dedicated to unfiltered fluid, while a region 52 within the bore of the filter is dedicated to filtered fluid. As will be understood by those skilled in this art, flow through the filter from the unfiltered region 51 to the filtered region 52 serves to remove impurities as the fluid passes through the filter medium.
[0031] The cartridge 50 includes a filter element 53 having an upper endcap 54 and a lower endcap 55 . The lower endcap 55 has a radial seal gasket 56 associated therewith which interacts with an annular flange 57 on the housing base to provide a highly effective but simple radial seal 56 at the lower end of the filter separating the unfiltered region 51 from the filtered region 52 . An axial seal 102 is carried by the upper endcap 54 and is pinched between an inside shoulder 58 of the cover 26 and a mating shoulder 59 of the filter housing.
[0032] An inlet port 40 penetrates the wall of the housing 21 and is in fluid communication with the unfiltered region 51 , as best shown in FIG. 3 . An outlet port 42 is also provided on the exterior of the housing, in this case being formed in the baseplate 24 itself. The outlet port 42 communicates through an internal channel 43 (see FIG. 3 ) to the filtered fluid region 52 . Thus fluid which passes through the inlet 40 passes through the filter element 53 to the clean region 52 in the bore of the cartridge, thereupon passes through the channel 43 in the outlet port 42 to the utilization device, usually an engine.
[0033] Other peripheral elements are also illustrated in connection with FIG. 1 , including a thermostat valve 45 which is provided primarily in fuel filter applications where it is desired to utilize a liquid heater for raising the temperature of the fuel. A warm fluid is passed through the thermostat valve 45 to coils 46 internal to the filter (see FIG. 7 where they serve to heat the fluid). A pair of ports 49 are provided, and are associated with the thermostat 45 in FIG. 1 . The ports 49 are connected to an internal coil 46 which is illustrated in FIG. 7 . The unit can also be provided with an electric heater 60 (see FIG. 7 ). Wires 62 penetrate a sealed aperture 63 in the baseplate 24 for making connections to the internal heater 60 .
[0034] A further port in the housing 21 allows connection of a plugged filter indicator 48 which will be described in greater detail below. It suffices to say for the moment, the plugged filter element 48 has a port which is connected to both the filtered and unfiltered regions 51 , 52 (in FIG. 3 ) to measure differential pressure across the filter and, by that mechanism, determine when the filter is sufficiently plugged to raise an alarm.
[0035] While all of the elements associated with the system 20 will not be described in detail, they do emphasize an inventive aspect of the invention, namely the extreme flexibility which is provided by the multiple ported housing with adaptable baseplate and changeable (and keyed) filter cartridge arrangement.
[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates the features of the invention which simplify arranging individual filter housings 21 in a bank. Using the mounting bosses 30 on the back of the filter, a plurality of filter housings 21 are mounted in a single bank 70 . The bank is based on the plate 32 to which the filter housings 21 are bolted, and itself has mounting holes 72 for securing the filter bank 70 to structure. It is seen that the inlet ports 40 and outlet ports 42 are in different horizontal planes when the filters are mounted in a gang, and this simplifies interconnection between filters and also connections to external elements. The inlet and outlet ports 40 , 42 are provided with special tee type fittings in accordance with the invention. Referring concurrently to FIG. 4 which shows the filter bank and FIG. 10 which shows one of the tee fittings, it will be seen that each of the tee fittings includes a trunk 74 which is connected to the associated port 40 or 42 . Fluidically connected to each trunk 74 is a T-arm 76 having oppositely directed ports 77 , 78 referring to FIG. 4 . With the tee fittings arranged in this manner, it is relatively simple to plumb the filter units in parallel. Connector tubes 80 are connected between associated ports 77 , 78 as illustrated. The ports 77 , 78 are preferably 0 -ring and threaded ports for tube connections, so that tube sections 80 are relatively easily and reliably connected between the two. Ports not used can readily be plugged. With the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 4 , a plug 82 is located in the left hand most port 77 on the outlet side, and in the right most port 78 on the inlet side. The left hand most port 77 on the inlet side is connected to a supply as suggested at 83 , and a right hand most port 78 on the outlet side is connected to a conduit which runs to the engine as suggested at 84 . With the illustrated configuration, both housings 21 are connected in parallel to accept unfiltered fuel from the supply 83 and supply filtered fuel via conduit 84 to the engine.
[0037] It is feature of the invention that individual filters in the housings 21 can be changed without shutting the engine down. To that end, each of the tee connectors 73 can be provided with a valving arrangement indicated generally at 86 . The valve is arranged to allow shut-off of the connection between the trunk 74 and the T-arm 76 , but without interfering with flow through the T-arm. Thus, if one of the filters is to be shut-down for changing a filter, the associated valves 86 can be moved to the closed position, at which point there is no flow into or out of the associated filter, whereas the flow continues from the supply to the engine through the other filter or filters in the bank. With the valve 86 shut-down, the cover can be removed, the filter changed, the cover replaced, then the valve reopened so that normal operation can continue. A filter can be changed without shutting down the engine.
[0038] In contrast to relatively expensive ball valves used in the past, the present invention utilizes a simple plug valve as best illustrated in FIG. 10 . A threaded portion 88 of the valve body 89 is fit with a threaded plug 90 . A threaded plug has a closure section 92 . In the position illustrated in FIG. 10 , the valve is closed, since it will be seen that the flow from the trunk 74 to the T-arm 76 is not possible, having been blocked by the plug portion 92 . When it is desired to open the filter to flow, the plug is rotated counterclockwise, to draw the plug 90 further out of the valve, moving the plug member 92 to a position where it does not block the passage connecting the trunk to the T-arm.
[0039] The ability to change filters without shutting down the engine is a desirable situation in many applications, such as on an electric generating system or a marine application, or other types of applications where the engine runs continuously. By their nature, fuel filters are changed more frequently than other filters, and being able to change them without interrupting the flow of fuel is desirable. It is also noted that plugs are inserted in most of the feature ports in the system of FIG. 4 . This is not only to simplify the drawings and to illustrate the parallel plumbing between inlets and outlets, but also to emphasize the point that in its simplest application, the filter can be supplied without most of the special features, for relatively simple, for example, warm weather, applications.
[0040] FIG. 5 shows additional versatility in the system, primarily in the ability to interchange bottom plates to change the application to which the filter is directed. Whereas the filter units of FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 all had a sump bowl and were arranged for fuel filter application, the filter unit 21 a of FIG. 5 is arranged for hydraulic and oil filter applications. The primary difference between the filters, in addition to dispensing with most of the peripheral attachments, is the provision of a different baseplate 24 a . In contrast to the baseplate 24 which included a provision for a fuel bowl, the baseplate 24 a has a rigidified bottom 91 adapted to resist substantially higher pressures. Thus, the housing, being configured for higher pressures, is adaptable to ordinary lubricating applications as well as higher pressure hydraulic applications. In contrast to the relatively low pressures encountered in fuel filter applications, pressures as high as 150 psi can be encountered in lubrication applications, and as high as 800 psi in hydraulic applications. The base 24 a also has, similar to the channel 43 of FIG. 3 , an internal connection between the outlet port 42 and the filtered region. Similarly the baseplate 24 a will have a raised flange 57 for cooperating with a radial seal gasket on the hydraulic filter to be inserted in the housing of FIG. 5 .
[0041] FIG. 6 illustrates the system with the cover 26 removed. It will be seen that with the cover removed, the upper portion of the cartridge 50 is exposed, particularly the upper endcap 54 thereof. Also shown is the upper axial seal gasket 102 which is compressed between the flange 59 formed on the housing and a corresponding flange 58 (see FIG. 8 ) on the cover. The cartridge 50 conveniently has its own handle 106 to allow ready removal of the cartridge from the housing once the cover is removed.
[0042] FIG. 7 is primarily illustrates the variety of accessories which can be provided with a cartridge according to the present invention. The fluid heater 46 connected to ports 49 has already been mentioned. An auxiliary electrical heater 60 connected to external wires is also provided. The self-venting drain valve 35 at the lower end of the fuel bowl 34 is illustrated in cross-section. An electrical water-indicator 104 is also included which can sense water in the material in the fuel bowl and light a signal light.
[0043] The cartridge 50 is an integral part of the system. It is environmentally friendly in that it contains no metallic parts. As such, a centertube, when one is needed, is provided by the housing. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates a centertube 120 , carried by the base 24 and supporting the otherwise unsupported inner bore of the cartridge 50 .
[0044] The cartridge includes endcaps 54 , 55 , which are normally made of metal. In the present case, however, they are made of plastic. In practicing this aspect of the invention, provision is made for accommodating for the reduced strength of these materials. For example, the upper endcap 54 would tend to bow with pressures inside the filter. To alleviate that a pressure equalization aperture 122 is provided in the rim of the upper endcap 54 to allow the high pressure from the unfiltered zone 51 to appear at the top of the upper endcap 54 . Having thus relieved that problem, however, in a plugged filter condition, the high pressure on the top of the filter would tend to force the upper endcap 54 downwardly, attempting to crush the filter element of the otherwise unsupported filter. To prevent that, the upper endcap 54 is securely supported in the housing structure itself. Thus it will be seen that the upper endcap is provided with angled projections such as ribs 124 which serve to center the filter by riding over projection 125 in the housing. Projections 124 have lower shoulders 126 which seat on a ridge 127 on the interior of the housing 21 . Thus, when the filter is properly positioned, the shoulders 126 will seat upon and travel no farther than the ridge 127 . Even in a plugged filter condition, the pressures will not be capable of driving the endcap 54 down further than this position, preventing crushing of the filter in this situation.
[0045] With respect to gasketing, it will be seen that the upper axial seal gasket 102 is a simple disc-like structure which is carried in a groove 102 a in the upper endcap. Preferably the rubber gasket is sized so that it is snapped in place in the groove 102 a for reliable retention.
[0046] The lower gasket 56 is similarly fit within a groove 56 a in the lower endcap, and snapped in place for reliable retention as shown in FIG. 3 . The lower gasket has a skirt 130 which overlies an upstanding annular flange 132 in the base of the filter housing. With pressure in the unfiltered region 51 being higher than pressure in the clean region 52 , the operating pressure in the filter tends to force the skirt 130 against the flange 132 , maintaining the effectiveness of the seal. This same pressure which forces the skirt 130 against the flange 132 also forces the skirt 130 against the endcap 55 , rendering the seal even more reliable. Finally, positioning the lower radial seal gasket 56 at the outer periphery of the housing lends additional benefit in keeping the lower endcap 55 with a slight pressure differential in the downward direction. The bottom of the endcap 55 is in the clean region 52 of the filter and thus at a lower pressure. The upper endcap 54 is at a somewhat higher pressure due to its connection through the dirty region and the pleats. Thus the differential force will tend to force the lower endcap 55 downward slightly, keeping the filter element in tension, which is an acceptable condition to a pleated paper filter.
[0047] FIG. 8 shows additional detail of the main seal between the cover 26 and the housing 21 which prevents fluid in the housing from exiting the housing. As seen, it is an axially compressed seal 102 and is compressed between the shoulder 58 on the cover and the similar shoulder 59 on the housing. The lid has female threads 140 which mate with male threads 142 on the housing. As best shown in FIG. 8 the lid 26 has a long mating section 143 below the female threads 140 which have a close fit between the outside diameter of the housing male threads 142 and the inside diameter of the mating section on the lid. By arranging the structure in this way, the lid automatically becomes aligned with the housing 21 and it forces the lid 26 to be threaded correctly and avoids cross threading. Large diameter threads are prone to cross threading, and the elongated section where the lid first has a smooth section which fits over the threads in the housing, before the respective housing threads are mated, helps to prevent this from occurring.
[0048] A significant feature of the invention is the fact that the upper and lower seals 102 , 56 on the cartridge are attached to the cartridge itself. Thus they are placed in their proper location by the manufacturer. Because of the positive snap fit of the gaskets, they are very difficult to remove, and thus the gaskets are in their proper place when the cartridge is dropped into the housing. This feature makes the changing of cartridges for the filtering system almost full proof. The mechanic does not require any knowledge as to where to place loose gaskets in the system, because there are no loose gaskets. This makes changing of the cartridges fast, easy, avoids errors, and is almost as simple as changing a spin-on canister.
[0049] Since the main seal between the housing and the lid is an axial seal 102 , the lid 26 is easy to spin on and off. In addition, it is only necessary to tighten the lid hand tight. If the main seal were a radial seal, the lid tightening would require a wrench and additional effort. With respect to user convenience, this is a significant positive feature.
[0050] When considering the universality of the housing and filter arrangement, a keying system which associates the particular type of filter with a particular housing can also be an important feature. For example, in the ganged situation of FIG. 4 , the two filters in the two parallel housings might have slightly different characteristics. In other ganged situations, where the filters are running individually but not in parallel, it will be typical to have different filters in adjacent identical housings. A keying system which prevents the installation of the wrong filter would be of material benefit.
[0051] FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrates a keying feature which can be used in the practice of the present invention. The inside of the upper endcap 54 (see FIG. 12 ) is provided with a plurality of key positions, best illustrated in FIG. 11 . It will be seen that at a given radius from the center of the endcap 54 , a plurality of key positions 160 are provided. The illustrated embodiment includes eight key positions in a single ring. More or fewer key positions per ring, as well as additional rings can also be provided, but it is believed that the eight key positions, which can provide the sixteen possibilities illustrated in FIG. 11 , is adequate for most applications.
[0052] Referring primarily to FIG. 12 , it will be seen that a single key 162 is provided on the underside of the illustrated endcap in a given position. While only a single key is shown in FIG. 12 , as contrasted with the three keys of FIG. 11 it is believed that the single key 162 will adequately illustrate the invention without overcomplicating the drawings. The key 162 is in a fixed angular position with respect to the key circle 163 (the circle in which the keys are located). The key 162 projects into the internal bore of the filter element 53 . FIG. 12 shows a portion of the housing centertube 164 having a top surface 165 which is substantially solid except for a key opening 166 . The upper surface 165 of the centertube 164 has a plurality of key positions in a key circle 167 in the same pattern as illustrated in FIG. 11 . However, instead of projections 162 , the keys in the upper surface 165 are apertures to receive the projections. FIG. 12 shows a single aperture 166 positioned in the key circle 167 to engage the single projection 162 positioned in the key circle 163 . Thus, when the filter is installed in the housing, the keys 162 will align and allow the filter to reach the seated position, allowing the cover 26 to be placed on the housing and operation to continue. If the wrong filter inserted, the filter will not seat, and the user will be incapable of completing assembly.
[0053] This feature is particularly significant when using a universal housing as illustrated in this application. For example, two housings might be used side-by-side to provide a primary and a secondary fuel filter system. Both housings would be of the same diameter and height, but would require different filter cartridges. The keys will prevent the cartridges for one of the housings from being installed incorrectly in the other housing. It would be a simple matter to have several different key configurations to suit various applications and indeed various customers.
[0054] A further significant feature of the invention is the plugged filter indicator 48 (see FIG. 1 ). A detailed cross-sectional view of the plugged filter indicator is shown in FIG. 9 . The indicator has a button 180 at the top which is spring loaded by way of a spring 182 . A magnet 184 is fit within the top end of a piston 185 which rides in a cylinder 186 . The cylinder 186 is ported to the high pressure region 51 of the filter via a conduit 187 , and to the low pressure region 52 of the filter housing via a conduit 188 . As such, the differential pressure across the filter is also applied across the piston 185 , with the high pressure side on top. A calibrated spring 190 is arranged between the body 191 of the housing and a cavity 192 within the piston 185 . Thus the piston 185 is normally biased to the upward position, with the magnet 184 very near a thin wall 195 which separate the magnet 184 from an armature 196 in the button 180 . When they are closely positioned, the magnet attracts the armature 196 and keeps the button 180 withdrawn into its associated housing. However, when the differential pressure across the filters build up to a level determined by the calibration of the spring 190 , the piston 185 is driven downwardly, separating the magnet 184 from the armature 196 . The button 180 is then released and remains in the upward position, even if the piston 185 again returns to its top position. To reset the plugged filter indicator, it is necessary to manually depress the button 180 to re-latch it to the magnet 184 .
[0055] The plugged filter indicator is thus easily ported into the universal housing, is highly reliable and does not introduce complications to the overall structure. In addition, it is relatively economical and has very little possibility of creating leaks in the system or otherwise deleteriously affecting the system operation. The calibration spring 190 can also be changed for different applications. For example, a relatively light spring would be used in fuel applications where the differential does not get much higher than say five to seven inches of mercury. When the housing is set up for a lubrication application or hydraulic application, heavier springs are used which would change the set point to somewhere in the range between 15 to 50 psi. This ready ability to alter the uncomplicated plugged filter indicator is believed to be a significant advance over the prior art.
[0056] It is emphasized that the filter cartridge to be used with this system is an environmentally friendly filter made up of elements which can all be incinerated. FIG. 13 , for review, shows, in elevation, one form of that filter. FIGS. 3 and 13 illustrate the filter cartridge to include upper endcap 54 , lower endcap 55 having a filter element 53 supported therebetween. The filter element is potted into channels in the respective endcaps using conventional potting techniques. The lower radial seal gasket 56 is set in a groove 56 a in the lower endcap. Similarly, the axial seal gasket 102 is set in a groove 102 a in the upper endcap 54 . The pressure equalization port 122 is also illustrated. It will thus be apparent that once it is spent, filters such as that shown in FIG. 13 can be removed from the housing, collected and incinerated, and will leave very little residue.
[0057] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
[0058] The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
[0059] Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. | A filter system in which a housing and an environmentally friendly filter cartridge are coordinated to provide ease of change of the filter cartridge and reliable operation. The cartridge contains no metal parts and is readily incinerateable. The housing is provided with a number of “universality” features including a changeable bottom which allows the housing to operate as a fuel filter, a lubrication filter, or a hydraulic filter in different applications. The housing and cartridge are configured to provide support for the plastic elements of the cartridge to prevent crushing of the filter under normal and abnormal filter operating conditions. A key system associated with the cartridge and the housing provides assurance that the correct filter is installed for a particular application. | 1 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel pyrrolidinone derivatives and also to antipsychotics and ischemic cerebral disease therapeutics containing the derivatives.
2. Description of the Related Art
Schizophrenia occurs at a high rate of one out of every 130 persons and is often developed in adolescence. If a patient is left without adequate treatment, his or her personality progressively deteriorates, resulting in total decay of his or her self-developing functions. Schizophrenia is therefore a serious social problem. As a cause for this disease, certain dopamine dysfunction in the brain has been indicated. The effectiveness of dopamine antagonists such as chlorpromazine and haloperidol as antipsychotics is considered to support the above indication. However, dopamine antagonists are also known to develop at a high rate an extrapyramidal side effect such as acute dystonia, parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia, thereby presenting another serious problem. In recent years, approaches have been attempted from facets different from the acting mechanisms of conventional drugs. Sigma receptor ligands are considered to be useful for one of such approaches. As "SKF-10047", a sigma receptor agonist, is known to induce psychotic action on men, sigma receptor antagonists are expected to be used as antipsychotics which are not accompanied by extrapyramidal side effects. Rimcazole is known as a drug of this kind, but its affinity and specificity to sigma receptors are still insufficient.
As pyrrolidinone derivatives, compounds represented by the formula (I) are disclosed as herbicides inter alia in U.K. Patent No. 1,522,869 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,874,442 and 4,960,457. ##STR2## wherein R 1 represents --Cl, ##STR3## and R 2 represents --CH 2 Cl or --C 2 H 5 .
For application as pharmaceutical products, compounds represented by the formula (II) are disclosed in U.K. Patent No. 1,532,055 and are reported to have analgesic properties and antidiarrheal properties. ##STR4## wherein R is selected from the group consisting of H and lower alkyl and benzyl groups; R 1 is selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, Br, F, and trifluoromethyl and lower alkoxy groups; R 2 is selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, Br and F, A is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, lower alkylcarbonyloxy and lower alkoxycarbonyl groups, and n stands for an integer of 1, 2 or 3.
For application as other pharmaceutical products, compounds represented by the formula (III) were clinically studied as antidemential drugs. They are disclosed in publications led by Butler et al., "Journal of Medicinal Chemistry", 27, 684-691 (1984). ##STR5##
(a) X: H; R: --CH 2 CONH 2 (piracetam)
(b) X: OH; R: --CH 2 CONH 2 (oxiracetam)
(c) X: H; R: --CH 2 CONH(CH 2 )2N[CH(CH 3 ) 2 ] 2
(d) X: H; R: ##STR6## (aniracetam)
Compounds, which have a structure equivalent to that represented by the following formula (IV): ##STR7## wherein X generally represents a substituted or unsubstituted C 2-4 alkylene group, Y represents a carbonyl or methylene group, A represents a linking moiety such as an alkylene, alkanoyl or alkyleneamidoalkylene group, W represents a nitrogen atom, and B represents a group having a pyrimidinyl, pyridinyl or benzoisothiazolyl ring, are reported to have antipsychotic, anxiolytic, antiemetic, cognition-enhancing and antidemential activities. They are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,668,687, 3,717,634, 4,423,049 and 4,524,206.
Compounds, which are represented by the following formula (V): ##STR8## wherein X represents a hydrogen or chlorine atom, are described as exhibiting analgesic properties and at the same time, weak antiinflammatory action in Malawska et al., "Synthesis and Pharmacological Properties of Some 2-Pyrrolidinone Mannich Bases", Polish Journal of Pharmacology, 34, 373-382 (1982). Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,843 to Mattson et al. discloses that compounds of the following formula (VI) have activities to enhance cognition and memory: ##STR9## wherein X represents an ethylene chain or a 1,2-benzo ring, Y represents a carbonyl (only when X is a 1,2-benzo ring) or methylene group, R 1 represents a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, and Z represents a R 2 ,R 3 -disubstituted diazinyl ring selected from pyridazine, pyrimidine and pyrazine rings with R 2 and R 3 being independently chosen from hydrogen, lower (C 1-4 ) alkyl, lower alkoxy, lower alkylthio, cyano, trifluoromethyl, pentafluoroethyl and halogen.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,759 discloses that compounds represented by the following formula (VII) have antidemential activities: ##STR10## wherein R 1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, R 2 represents a pyridyl or phenyl group or a mono or di-substituted phenyl group in which each substituent is a C 1-2 alkoxy group, fluorine atom, chlorine atom, bromine atom, trifluoromethyl group or C 1-4 alkyl group, R 3 and R 4 may be the same or different and represent a hydrogen atom or a C 1-2 alkyl group or the two groups of R 3 and R 4 may be coupled together with a nitrogen atom to form a saturated, 5- or 6-membered ring, which may contain O or N as another hetero atom or may have been substituted by methyl groups, or an imidazole ring, and the aminoalkyl group is located at the 4- or 5-position.
In addition, compounds represented by the following formula (VIII): ##STR11## wherein R 1 represents CH 3 or H and R 2 represents CH 3 were studied as monoamine oxidase B inhibitors by Silverman et al. [see "Journal of Medicinal Chemistry" 36, 3606-3610 (1993)].
None of the above compounds are however described to have high affinity to sigma receptors and to exhibit antipsychotic action.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a compound having antipsychotic action without developing extrapyramidal side effects.
With a view toward overcoming the above-described problems, the present inventors have proceeded with an extensive investigation on compounds having the pyrrolidinone skeleton. As a result, they have found novel pyrrolidinone derivatives having specific and high affinity to sigma receptors, leading to the completion of the present invention.
The present invention therefore provides a pyrrolidinone derivative represented by the following formula (1) or (2): ##STR12## wherein R 1 represents a C 1-12 alkyl group, a group composed of a hydrogenated product of a condensed polycyclic C 9-15 hydrocarbon, or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group, R 2 represents a hydrogen atom or a C 1-12 alkyl group, k stands for an integer of 1 to 3, and A represents a group represented by the following formula (3) or (4): ##STR13## wherein E 1 , E 2 , E 3 , E 4 , E 5 , E 6 , E 7 , E 8 , E 9 and E 10 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, a cyano group, a carbamoyl group, an acetyl group, a halogen atom, a C 1-6 alkyl group, a C 1-6 alkoxy group, a C 1-4 perfluoroalkyl group, a C 1-3 perfluoroalkyloxy group, a C 1-3 hydroxyalkyl group, a C 1-3 -alkoxy-substituted C 1-3 alkyl group, a benzyloxy group or a halogen-substituted benzyloxy group, F 1 and F 2 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, a halogen atom, a C 1-6 alkyl group, a C 1-6 alkoxy group, a C 1-4 perfluoroalkyl group or a C 1-3 perfluoroalkyloxy group, i stands for an integer of 4 or 6 to 9, and when i is 6, F 1 and F 2 may be coupled together to form an ethylene group; or a salt thereof.
Using as an effective ingredient at least one of such pyrrolidinone derivatives or salts thereof, antipsychotics and ischemic cerebral disease therapeutics can be provided.
Namely, the present invention can provide antipsychotics which do not induce extrapyramidal side effects which have heretofore remained as problems.
Further, the compounds according to the present invention are also expected to be effective as ischemic cerebral disease therapeutics.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the above formulae (1) and (2), R 1 is preferably a linear C 1-12 alkyl group, a branched C 3-12 alkyl group, a C 3-12 alkyl group having a cyclic structure, a group composed of a hydrogenated product of a condensed polycyclic C 9-15 hydrocarbon, a phenyl group or a substituted phenyl group, and R 2 is preferably a hydrogen atom, a linear C 1-12 alkyl group or a branched C 3-12 alkyl group.
Preferred as the substituent(s) in the substituted phenyl group represented by R 1 are one to three substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen atoms and hydroxy, carbamoyl, sulfamoyl, amino, nitro, cyano, lower alkyl, cycloalkyl, lower alkoxy, lower alkylamino, lower aminoalkyl, lower alkylthio, lower acyl, lower acylamino, lower alkylenedioxy, lower perfluoroalkyl, lower perfluoroalkyloxy, phenyl and benzyloxy groups.
Further, preferred examples of the pyrrolidinone derivative or the salt thereof are those represented by the formula (1) or (2) in which R 1 represents a linear C 1-5 alkyl group, a branched C 3-7 alkyl group, a C 3-10 alkyl group having a cyclic structure, a group composed of a hydrogenated product of a condensed polycyclic C 9-15 hydrocarbon, a phenyl group, or a substituted phenyl group which contains as the substituent(s) thereof one to three substitutes which are each selected from the group consisting of halogen atoms and hydroxy, cyano, linear or branched C 1-4 alkyl, C 3-6 cycloalkyl, C 1-4 alkoxy, C 1-4 perfluoroalkyl, C 1-3 perfluoroalkyloxy and phenyl groups; R 2 represents a hydrogen atom or a C 1-6 alkyl group; and A is represented by either the formula (4) described above or the following formula (5): ##STR14## wherein E 11 , E 12 , E 13 , E 14 , E 15 , E 16 , E 17 , E 18 , E 19 and E 20 independently represent a hydrogen or halogen atom or a hydroxy, cyano, carbamoyl, acetyl, C 1-6 alkyl, C 1-6 alkoxy, C 1-4 perfluoroalkyl, C 1-3 perfluoroalkyloxy, benzyloxy or halogen-substituted benzyloxy group.
As described above, the present invention provide antipsychotics and ischemic cerebral disease therapeutics which contain as an effective ingredient one or more of the above compounds.
The present invention will hereinafter be described in detail.
In the definitions for R 1 and R 2 in the present invention, the term "linear C 1-12 alkyl group" means, for example, a methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, n-pentyl, n-hexyl, n-octyl or n-dodecyl group. The term "C 3-12 branched alkyl group" means, for example, an isopropyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, isopentyl, neopentyl, isohexyl, 3-methylpentyl, 1-methylhexyl, 1-ethylpentyl, 2,3-dimethylbutyl, 1,5-dimethylhexyl, 2-ethylhexyl, 1methylheptyl or t-octyl group. The term "C 3-12 alkyl group having a cyclic structure" means, for example, a cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, 2-methylcyclohexyl, 3-methylcyclohexyl, 4-methylcyclohexyl, cyclooctyl, 1-adamantyl, 2-adamantyl or cyclododecyl group.
The term "a group composed of a hydrogenated product of a condensed polycyclic C 9-15 hydrocarbon" represented by R 1 means, for example, a 1-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro)naphthyl, 5-indanyl, 4-(1,2-cyclopenta-1',3'-dieno)cyclooctenyl or 7-acenaphthenyl group.
A description will now be made in detail of the substituent(s) of the substituted phenyl group represented by R 1 . The term "halogen atom" means, for example, a fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine atom. The term "lower alkyl group" means, for example, a methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-pentyl or isopentyl group. The term "cycloalkyl group" means, for example, a cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl or cyclohexyl group. The term "lower alkoxy group" means, for example, a methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, 2-methylethoxy, butoxy, 2-methylpropoxy, pentoxy, 2-methylbutoxy or 2-ethylpropoxy group. The term "lower alkylamino group" means, for example, an N-methylamino, N,N-dimethylamino, N,N-diethylamino, N-methyl-N-ethylamino or N,N-diisopropylamino group. The term "lower aminoalkyl group" means, for example, an aminomethyl, 1-aminoethyl, 2-aminopropyl or 2-aminobutyl group. The term "lower alkylthio group" means, for example, a methylthio, ethylthio, propylthio, 2-methylethylthio or butylthio group. The term "lower acyl group" means, for example, an acetyl, propanoyl or butanoyl group. The term "lower acylamino group" means an acetylamino, propanoylamino or butanoylamino group. The term "lower alkylenedioxy group" means, for example, a methylenedioxy or ethylenedioxy group. The term "lower perfluoroalkyl group" means, for example, a trifluoromethyl or pentafluoroethyl group. The term "lower perfluoroalkyloxy group" means, for example, a trifluoromethoxy or pentafluoroethoxy group.
In the definitions for E 1 to E 20 the terms "halogen atoms", "C 1-6 alkyl group", "C 1-6 alkoxy group", "C 1-4 perfluoroalkyl group" and "C 1-3 perfluoroalkyloxy group" have the same meanings as defined above. The term "C 1-3 hydroxyalkyl group" means, for example, a hydroxymethyl or hydroxyethyl group. The term "C 1-3 -alkoxy-substituted C 1-3 alkyl group" means, for example, a methoxymethyl, methoxyethyl or ethoxymethyl group.
In the definitions for F 1 and F 2 , the terms "halogen atom", "C 1-6 alkyl group", "C 1-6 alkoxy group", "C 1-4 perfluoroalkyl group" and "C 1-3 perfluoroalkyloxy group" have the same meanings as defined above.
The compounds according to the present invention can be each prepared, for example, in a manner shown below as Reaction Scheme (1). ##STR15## wherein R 1 , A, E 1 -E 20 , F 1 and F 2 have the same meanings as defined above, R 3 represents a methyl or ethyl group, and L represents a halogen atom or a tosyloxy or mesyloxy group.
The compound (6) is reduced in an inert solvent to obtain the compound (7). The reaction temperature is -75°-200° C., preferably 0°-100° C., and the reaction time is 1-20 hours, preferably 5-15 hours. Usable examples of the inert solvent include aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and toluene; ethers such as diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, 1,2-dimethoxyethane and ethylene glycol dimethyl ether; halogenated hydrocarbons such as dichloromethane, chloroform and 1,2-dichloroethane; and alcohols such as methanol and ethanol. These inert solvents can be used either singly or in combination. Illustrative examples of usable reducing reagents include aluminum hydride, lithium aluminum hydride, sodium borohydride, a combination of lithium aluminum hydride and aluminum chloride, a combination of sodium borohydride and calcium chloride, and a combination of sodium borohydride and aluminum chloride.
The compound (7) is converted with a thionyl or phosphorus halide to a corresponding halomethyl compound or with a tosyl or mesyl halide to a corresponding tosyl or mesyl ester. It is preferred to conduct this reaction at a temperature of from room temperature to the boiling point of a solvent while using as the solvent an inert organic solvent such as chloroform, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran or dimethylformamide. The halomethyl compound or the tosyl or mesyl ester, which is formed as an intermediate, can be isolated or can be reacted further as it is.
When one of these reaction products is reacted with any one of the amines represented by the formulae (3) to (5), the corresponding target compound of the formula (1) or (2) is obtained. This reaction can be carried out in tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, acetonitrile or dimethylformamide. The reaction temperature can be 50°-150° C. but varies depending on the basicity and boiling point of the amine. This reaction can also be conducted in an excess amount of the amine without using any solvent. Usable exemplary bases for the reaction include inorganic bases such as potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, sodium hydrogencarbonate, sodium amide and sodium hydride; and organic bases such as triethylamine, tripropylamine, pyridine and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undecene-7 (DBU). The above reaction can also be conducted in the presence of an alkali metal iodide compound such as potassium iodide or sodium iodide added as a reaction promoter as needed. Although no particular limitation is imposed on the ratio of the compound represented by the formula (8) to the compound represented by one of the formulae (3) to (5) in the above reaction, the latter can be used generally in an equimolar to excess amount, preferably at a molar ratio of 1-5 relative to the former.
Here, the compound represented by the formula (6) can be synthesized, for example, in the following manner: ##STR16##
The compound (11) is prepared by subjecting the amine derivative represented by the formula (10) and γ-butyrolactone to dehydrating condensation. This reaction is conducted in a solventless manner under temperature conditions of 50°-250° C., preferably 150°-200° C. for 5-20 hours, preferably 10-15 hours. At this time, an acid catalyst such as hydrochloric acid can be added as needed. An alkoxycarbonyl group is introduced into the resulting compound (11) in the presence of a base in an inert solvent, so that the 3-substituted pyrrolidinone derivative (12) is obtained. The reaction temperature is 30°-200° C., preferably 70°-150° C. and the reaction time is 3-20 hours, preferably 5-15 hours. Illustrative usable examples of the inert solvent include aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene and xylene; ethers such as tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, butyl ether and ethylene glycol dimethyl ether; and alcohols such as methanol, ethanol and propanol. Illustrative reagents usable for the introduction of the alkoxycarbonyl group include esters such as dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, ethyl phosphonoformate and ethyl oxalate. Illustrative examples of the base include inorganic bases such as potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium amide and sodium hydride; and organic bases such as triethylamine, tripropylamine, pyridine, 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undecene-7 (DBU) and potassium tert-butoxide.
The compound (13) can be prepared by subjecting the compound (10) and itaconic acid to dehydrating condensation. This reaction is conducted in a solventless manner under temperature conditions of 50°-250° C., preferably 150°-200° C. for 5-20 hours, preferably 10-15 hours. In this reaction, an acid catalyst such as hydrochloric acid can be added as needed. The compound (13) so obtained is then refluxed in the presence of a catalyst such as sulfuric acid in an alcoholic solvent such as methanol or ethanol, whereby the 4-substituted pyrrolidinone derivative (14) is obtained.
The compound (1) or (2) according to the present invention can easily form a salt with a pharmacologically acceptable ordinary acid. Illustrative examples of the acid include inorganic acids such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid and hydrobromic acid; and organic acids such as acetic acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, methanesulfonic acid, ethanesulfonic acid and p-toluenesulfonic acid. These salts can also be used as effective ingredients in the present invention like the free-form compounds of the formula (1) or (2).
Each derivative of this invention represented by the above formula has one or more asymmetric carbon atoms. Accordingly, the derivative can exist in the form of different stereoisomers or in the form of a mixture of stereoisomers including a racemic form. As a corollary to this, the present invention embraces therein various forms as have been specified above. They are also usable as effective ingredients likewise.
The target compound shown in each of the above reaction schemes can be isolated from the reaction system by a usual isolation means and can then be purified. As these isolation and purification means, it is possible to use, for example, distillation, recrystallization, column chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, gel chromatography, affinity chromatography, preparative thin-layer chromatography, solvent extraction and/or the like.
Illustrative specific compounds according to the present invention are listed in Table 1. It is however to be noted that the present invention is by no means limited to these examples.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________ ##STR17##No. R.sup.1 B__________________________________________________________________________ 1 ##STR18## OCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 2 ##STR19## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 3 ##STR20## OCH.sub.2 CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 4 ##STR21## OCH.sub.3 5 ##STR22## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 6 ##STR23## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 7 ##STR24## ##STR25## 8 ##STR26## OCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 9 ##STR27## OCH.sub.3 10 ##STR28## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 11 ##STR29## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 12 ##STR30## OCH.sub.3 13 ##STR31## OCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 14 ##STR32## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 15 ##STR33## OCH.sub.3 16 ##STR34## ##STR35## 17 ##STR36## OCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 18 ##STR37## OCH.sub.3 19 ##STR38## ##STR39## 20 ##STR40## ##STR41## 21 ##STR42## OCH.sub.3 22 ##STR43## OCH.sub.3 23 ##STR44## OCH.sub.3 24 ##STR45## OCH.sub.3 25 ##STR46## OCH.sub.3 26 ##STR47## OCH.sub.3 27 ##STR48## OCH.sub.3 28 ##STR49## OCH.sub.3 29 ##STR50## OCH.sub.3 30 ##STR51## OCH.sub.3 31 ##STR52## OCH.sub.3 32 ##STR53## OCH.sub.3 33 ##STR54## OCH.sub.3 34 ##STR55## OCH.sub.3 35 ##STR56## OCH.sub.3 36 ##STR57## OCH.sub.3 37 ##STR58## OCH.sub.3 38 ##STR59## OCH.sub.3 39 H.sub.3 C OCH.sub.3 40 H.sub.3 CCH.sub.2 OCH.sub.3 41 (CH.sub.3).sub.2 CH OCH.sub.3 42 ##STR60## OCH.sub.3 43 H.sub.3 CCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.3 44 H.sub.3 C(CH.sub.2).sub.7 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.3 45 ##STR61## OCH.sub.3 46 ##STR62## OCH.sub.3 47 ##STR63## OCH.sub.3 48 ##STR64## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 49 ##STR65## OCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 50 ##STR66## OCH.sub.3 51 ##STR67## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 52 ##STR68## OCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 53 ##STR69## ##STR70## 54 ##STR71## OCH.sub.3 55 ##STR72## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 56 ##STR73## OCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 57 ##STR74## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 58 ##STR75## OCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 59 ##STR76## OCH.sub.3 60 ##STR77## OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 61 ##STR78## OCH(CH.sub.3).sub.2 62 ##STR79## ##STR80##__________________________________________________________________________ ##STR81##No. R.sup.1 A__________________________________________________________________________ 63##STR82## ##STR83## 64##STR84## ##STR85## 65##STR86## ##STR87## 66##STR88## ##STR89## 67##STR90## ##STR91## 68##STR92## ##STR93## 69##STR94## ##STR95## 70##STR96## ##STR97## 71##STR98## ##STR99## 72##STR100## ##STR101## 73##STR102## ##STR103## 74##STR104## ##STR105## 75##STR106## ##STR107## 76##STR108## ##STR109## 77##STR110## ##STR111## 78##STR112## ##STR113## 79##STR114## ##STR115## 80##STR116## ##STR117## 81##STR118## ##STR119## 82##STR120## ##STR121## 83##STR122## ##STR123## 84##STR124## ##STR125## 85##STR126## ##STR127## 86##STR128## ##STR129## 87##STR130## ##STR131## 88##STR132## ##STR133## 89##STR134## ##STR135## 90##STR136## ##STR137## 91##STR138## ##STR139## 92##STR140## ##STR141## 93##STR142## ##STR143## 94##STR144## ##STR145## 95##STR146## ##STR147## 96##STR148## ##STR149## 97##STR150## ##STR151## 98##STR152## ##STR153## 99##STR154## ##STR155##100##STR156## ##STR157##101##STR158## ##STR159##102##STR160## ##STR161##103##STR162## ##STR163##104##STR164## ##STR165##105##STR166## ##STR167##106##STR168## ##STR169##107##STR170## ##STR171##108##STR172## ##STR173##109##STR174## ##STR175##110##STR176## ##STR177##111##STR178## ##STR179##112##STR180## ##STR181##113##STR182## ##STR183##114##STR184## ##STR185##115##STR186## ##STR187##116##STR188## ##STR189##117##STR190## ##STR191##118##STR192## ##STR193##119##STR194## ##STR195##120##STR196## ##STR197##121##STR198## ##STR199##122##STR200## ##STR201##123##STR202## ##STR203##124##STR204## ##STR205##125##STR206## ##STR207##126##STR208## ##STR209##127##STR210## ##STR211##128##STR212## ##STR213##129##STR214## ##STR215##130##STR216## ##STR217##131##STR218## ##STR219##132##STR220## ##STR221##133##STR222## ##STR223##134##STR224## ##STR225##135##STR226## ##STR227##136##STR228## ##STR229##137##STR230## ##STR231##138##STR232## ##STR233##139##STR234## ##STR235##140##STR236## ##STR237##141##STR238## ##STR239##142##STR240## ##STR241##143##STR242## ##STR243##144##STR244## ##STR245##145##STR246## ##STR247##146##STR248## ##STR249##147##STR250## ##STR251##148##STR252## ##STR253##__________________________________________________________________________ ##STR254##No. R.sup.1 R.sup.2 A__________________________________________________________________________149 ##STR255## CH.sub.3 ##STR256##150 ##STR257## CH.sub.3 ##STR258##151 ##STR259## CH.sub.3 ##STR260##152 ##STR261## C.sub.2 H.sub.5 ##STR262##153 ##STR263## CH.sub.3 ##STR264##154 ##STR265## CH.sub.3 ##STR266##155 ##STR267## CH.sub.3 ##STR268##156 ##STR269## CH.sub.3 ##STR270##__________________________________________________________________________ ##STR271##No. R.sup.1 A__________________________________________________________________________157 ##STR272## ##STR273##158 ##STR274## ##STR275##159 ##STR276## ##STR277##160 ##STR278## ##STR279##161 ##STR280## ##STR281##162 ##STR282## ##STR283##163 ##STR284## ##STR285##164 ##STR286## ##STR287##165 ##STR288## ##STR289##166 ##STR290## ##STR291##167 ##STR292## ##STR293##168 ##STR294## ##STR295##169 ##STR296## ##STR297##170 ##STR298## ##STR299##171 ##STR300## ##STR301##172 ##STR302## ##STR303##173 ##STR304## ##STR305##174 ##STR306## ##STR307##__________________________________________________________________________
The compounds obtained as described above are effective as sigma receptor ligands and are used in the forms of general medicinal preparations. These preparations as compositions are formulated by using diluents, carriers or excipients commonly employed in the art, such as fillers, extenders, binders, wetting agents, disintegrators, surfactants and lubricants. As these medicinal preparations, a variety of preparations forms can be chosen depending on the purposes of treatments. Representative examples of preparations include tablets, pills, powders, solutions, suspensions, emulsions, granules, capsules, suppositories, and injections (solutions, suspensions, etc.).
Upon forming tablets, a wide variety of additives conventionally known as vehicles (carriers) in this field of art can be used. Illustrative usable examples of such additives include excipients such as lactose, sucrose, sodium chloride, glucose, urea, starch, calcium carbonate, kaolin, crystalline cellulose and silica; binders such as water, ethanol, propanol, simple syrup, glucose solution, starch solution, gelatin solution, carboxymethylcellulose, shellac, methylcellulose, potassium phosphate and polyvinylpyrrolidone; disintegrators such as dry starch, sodium alginate, agar powder, sodium hydrogencarbonate, calcium carbonate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, sodium lauryl sulfate, stearic monoglyceride, starch and lactose; disintegration inhibitors such as sucrose, stearic acid, cacao butter and hydrogenated oil; absorption promoters such as quaternary ammonium bases and sodium lauryl sulfate; moisturizing agents such as glycerin and starch; adsorbents such as starch, lactose, kaolin, bentonite and colloidal silica; and lubricants such as talc, stearate salts, boric acid powder and polyethylene glycol. Further, such tablets can be formed into tablets applied with a conventional coating as needed, for example, sugar coated tablets, gelatin coated tablets, enteric coated tablets, film coated tablets, double layer tablets, or multiple layer tablets.
Upon forming pills, a wide variety of additives conventionally known as vehicles (carriers) in this field of art can be used. Illustrative usable examples of such additives include excipients such as glucose, lactose, starch, cacao butter, hydrogenated vegetable oil, kaolin and talc; binders such as powdered gum arabic, powdered tragacanth and gelatin; and disintegrators such as carmellose calcium and agar.
Upon forming suppositories, a wide variety of additives conventionally known as vehicles in this field of art can be used. Illustrative usable examples of such additives include polyethylene glycol, cacao butter, higher alcohols, esters of higher alcohols, gelatin, and semi-synthetic glyceride.
Capsules are prepared by a conventional method in the art, namely, by mixing one or more of the above compounds as an effective ingredient with one or more of the above-exemplified various vehicles and filling the mixture in hard gelatin capsules, soft capsules or the like.
To prepare as an injection, a solution, emulsion or suspension is sterilized and preferably made isotonic with blood. Upon forming such injections, it is possible to use those commonly employed as diluents in this field of art, for example, water, ethanol, macrogol, propylene glycol, ethoxylated isostearyl alcohol, polyoxylated isostearyl alcohol, and polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters. In this case, such medicinal preparations may contain sodium chloride, glucose or glycerin in an amount sufficient to provide isotonic solutions. Further, they can be added with a conventional solubilizing agent, buffering agent, soothing agent or the like.
These medicinal preparations can contain one or more of colorants, preservatives, perfumes, corrigents, sweeteners and other drugs as needed.
No particular limitation is imposed on the amount of each compound to be included as an effective ingredient in such medicinal preparations. The amount of the compound can be chosen from a wide range as needed. In general, however, the effective ingredient can account for about 1-70 wt. % of the composition in each preparation, with about 5-50 wt. % being preferred.
No particular limitation is imposed on the manner of administration of these medicinal preparations. Each medicinal preparation can be administered in a manner suited in view of the kind of its preparation form, the age, sex and other conditions of a patient, and the severity of his or her disease. In the case of tablets, pills, solutions, suspensions, emulsions, granules and capsules, for example, they are orally administered. In the case of injections, they can be intravenously administered by themselves or after mixing them with a conventional fluid replacement such as a glucose or amino acid solution. They can also be administered by themselves intramuscularly, subcutaneously or peritoneally. Suppositories are rectally administered.
The dose of each of these medicinal preparations according to the present invention is suitably chosen depending on the manner of administration, the age, sex and other conditions of a patient, and the severity of his or her disease. In general, however, it is desired to administer it in an amount such that the daily dose of the effective ingredient is about 0.0001-50 mg or so per kg of the body weight. Each preparation in the form of a dosage unit desirably contain an effective ingredient in a range of 0.001-1000 mg.
The present invention will hereinafter be described specifically by the following preparation examples of certain compounds of the present invention and formulation examples of the medical preparations. The present invention will be described in further detail by test examples. It should be borne in mind however that the present invention is not limited to or by the following examples.
EXAMPLE 1
(1-1) Mixed were 372 g (2.916 mol) of p-chloroaniline and 251 g (2.916 mol) of γ-butyrolactone. Heat was absorbed so that the internal temperature dropped to 5° C. To the resulting mixture, 75 ml (0.9 mol) of hydrochloric acid were added, whereby heat was evolved and the internal temperature arose from 5° C. to 30° C. By gradual heating, the resulting mixture started refluxing at an internal temperature of 114° C. The reaction was continued for 9 hours under reflux. Then, the internal temperature was raised gradually. The reaction was conducted at 140° C. for 8 hours. After the internal temperature was cooled to 70° C., the reaction product was dissolved in 2 l of ethyl acetate. The solution so obtained was washed successively with water, an aqueous solution of sodium carbonate and water, dried over magnesium sulfate, and then concentrated to about 1 l to precipitate crystals. The crystals so precipitated were collected by filtration. The filtrate was concentrated to about 200 ml to precipitate further crystals. Both crystals were combined and then washed with ethyl acetate, whereby 347 g of 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 1-1) were obtained.
(1-2) With 100 ml of THF, 25 g (0.625 mol) of sodium hydride (60% oil) were mixed, followed by the addition of 34.0 g (0.288 mol) of diethyl carbonate. A solution of 52.0 g (0.266 tool) of the compound (No. 1-1) in 150 ml of THF was added dropwise to the resulting mixture under reflux over about 1.5 hours. After being refluxed for 4.5 hours, the reaction mixture was cooled down and then carefully poured into ice water. The resulting mixture was made weak alkaline with dilute hydrochloric acid and then extracted with 300 ml of ethyl acetate. The extract was washed successively with water, a saturated aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate (hereinafter called "saturated NaHCO 3 ") and water, dried over magnesium sulfate and then concentrated, whereby an oil was obtained. To the oil so obtained, 200 ml of hexane were added to precipitate crystals. The crystals so precipitated were collected by filtration and then washed with hexane, whereby 60 g of 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-ethoxycarbonyl-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 1-2) were obtained.
(1-3) In 150 ml of methanol, 30.0 g (0.112 mol) of the compound (No. 1-2) were dissolved. To the resulting solution, 15 g of anhydrous calcium chloride were added to dissolve the latter in the former. Under ice cooling, 3.9 g (0.103 mol) of sodium borohydride were added to the resulting solution in portions. After disappearance of the sodium borohydride was confirmed, the reaction mixture was concentrated, followed by the addition of water and ethyl acetate. The resulting mixture was made acidic with dilute hydrochloric acid, followed by thorough stirring. The organic layer was separated from the reaction mixture, washed with water, dried and then concentrated. The residue was crystallized from a mixed solvent of hexane and ethyl ether. The crystals so obtained were collected by filtration and washed with the mixed solvent of hexane and ethyl ether, whereby 23.3 g of 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-hydroxymethyl-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 1-3) were obtained.
(1-4) In 200 ml of dichloromethane, 23.2 g (0.103 mol) of the compound (No. 1-3) were dissolved, followed by the addition of 12.5 g (0.124 mol) of triethylamine. Under ice cooling, 14.2 g (0.124 mol) of methanesulfonyl chloride were added dropwise to the resultant mixture. The reaction was conducted for 2 hours. The reaction mixture was washed with water, dried over magnesium sulfate and then concentrated to precipitate crystals. The crystals were then washed with ethyl ether, whereby 29.8 g of 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(mesyloxymethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 1-4) were obtained.
(1-5) In 80 ml of dimethyl cellosolve, 20.0 g (65.8 mmol) of the compound (No. 1-4) were dissolved. To the resulting solution, 18.0 g (0.181 mol) of hexahydro-1H-azepine were added, followed by reaction under reflux for 3.5 hours. The reaction mixture was thereafter concentrated. To the concentrate so obtained, ice water was added to precipitate crystals. The crystals so precipitated were collected by filtration, washed with water and then dissolved in ethyl acetate. The resulting solution was washed with water, dried over magnesium sulfate and then concentrated. During the concentration, a large amount of crystals were precipitated. The crystals were then washed with a mixed solvent of ethyl acetate and hexane, whereby 16.5 g of 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(hexahydro-1H-azepin-1-ylmethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 1-5) were obtained.
Melting point: 98°-101° C. 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δppm); 1.64(8H,br), 2.13(1H,m), 2.33(1H,m), 2.70(6H,m), 3.08(1H,m), 3.77(2H,m), 7.31(2H,d), 7.59(2H,d)
EXAMPLE 2
(2-1) Mixed were 40.0 g (0.247 mol) of 3,4-dichloroaniline and 22 ml of γ-butyrolactone. To the resulting mixture, 7 ml of hydrochloric acid were added, followed by reflux for 5 hours. The reaction mixture was further reacted for 6 hours at a bath temperature of 190°-200° C. After allowed to cool down, the reaction mixture was dissolved in ethyl acetate. The resulting solution was washed successively with water, saturated NaHCO 3 and water, dried over magnesium sulfate, treated with activated carbon and then, concentrated. The crystals were washed with ethyl ether, whereby 43.7 g of 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 2-1) were obtained.
(2-2) Mixed were 3.0 g (75.0 mmol) of sodium hydride (60% oil) and 20 ml of benzene. To the resulting mixture, 8.4 g (71.2 mmol) of diethyl carbonate were added, followed by the dropwise addition of 40 ml of a benzene solution containing 6.0 g (26.2 mmol) of the compound (No. 2-1) under reflux. Subsequent to reflux for 7 hours, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool down and poured into ice water. The resulting mixture was made acidic with dilute hydrochloric acid, extracted with ethyl acetate, washed successively with water and saturated saline, dried over magnesium sulfate and then concentrated. To the concentrate so obtained, ethyl ether was added to precipitate crystals. The crystals so obtained were collected by filtration and then recrystallized from a mixed solvent of ethyl acetate and ethyl ether, whereby 3.6 g of ethyl 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-oxo-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylate (No. 2-2) were obtained.
(2-3) In 50 ml of ethanol, 3.4 g (11.3 mmol) of the compound (No. 2-2) were dissolved. To the resulting solution, 1.6 g of anhydrous calcium chloride were added to dissolve the latter in the former. To the resulting solution, 0.8 g of sodium borohydride was charged in portions. After disappearance of the sodium borohydride was confirmed, the solution was concentrated. Water and ethyl acetate were added to the concentrate. The resulting mixture was made acidic with dilute hydrochloric acid, followed by thorough stirring. The organic layer was thereafter separated, washed with water, dried over magnesium sulfate and then concentrated. The concentrate so obtained was washed with a mixed solvent of hexane and ethyl ether, whereby 2.5 g of 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-hydroxymethyl-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 2-3) were obtained.
(2-4) In 40 ml of dichloromethane, 2.0 g (7.69 mmol) of the compound (No. 2-3) were dissolved. To the resulting solution, 1.3 ml of triethylamine and then, 0.7 ml of methanesulfonyl chloride were added dropwise and they were reacted for one hour. The reaction mixture was washed with water, dried and then concentrated, whereby a mesyl derivative was obtained. Piperidine (7 ml) was added to the mesyl derivative, followed by reflux for one hour. Water and ethyl acetate were added to the reaction product, followed by thorough stirring. The organic layer was thereafter separated, washed with water, dried over magnesium sulfate and then concentrated, whereby an oil was obtained. The oil so obtained was purified by chromatography on a silica gel column (chloroform:methanol=10:1), whereby 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-piperidino-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (free form) was obtained. The resulting compound in the free form was dissolved in methanol. The solution so obtained was made acidic with hydrochloric acid/dioxane, whereby crystals were precipitated. Methanol was added to the crystals so obtained to dissolve the latter in the former, followed by concentration. The crystals so precipitated were collected by filtration and then washed with ethanol, whereby 2.4 g of 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-piperidino-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone hydrochloride were obtained.
Melting point: 238°-240° C. 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δppm) (free form); 1.55-1.7 (2H,m), 1.85-2.05(4H,m) , 2.1-2.2(1H,m) , 2.7-3.1 (6H,m), 3.2-3.3(2H,m), 3.75-3.9(2H,m) , 7.4-7.5(2H,m), 7.80(1H,d)
EXAMPLE 3
In a similar manner to the steps (2-1, 2-2 and 2-3) of Example 2 except that m-aminobenzotrifluoride was used as a starting material, 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)-3-hydroxymethyl-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 3-1) was synthesized. Using the compound so obtained (No. 3-1; 1.5 g; 5.79 mmol) and 5 ml of hexahydro-1H-azepine, the step (2-4) of Example 2 was repeated likewise, whereby 1.5 g of 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)-3-(hexahydro-1H-azepin-1-ylmethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone hydrochloride were obtained.
Melting point: 162°-163° C.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δppm) (free form); 1.55-1.7(8H,m), 2.05-2.4(2H,m) , 2.6-2.85(6H,m), 3.0-3.1(1H,m), 3.8-3.9(2H,m), 7.35-7.5(2H,m), 7.75-8.0(2H,m)
EXAMPLE 4
(4-1) Mixed were 36.5 g (280 mmol) of itaconic acid and 35.0 ml (280 mmol) of 4-ethylaniline. They were reacted for 2 hours at 150° C. The reaction mixture was cooled down and the solid so obtained was washed with ethyl ether, whereby 55.6 g of 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-2-oxo-4-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid (No. 4-1) were obtained.
(4-2) In 500 ml of ethanol, 54.3 g (243 mmol) of the compound (No. 4-1) were suspended. To the resultant suspension, 1.0 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid was added, followed by reflux for 3 hours. The solvent was distilled off and the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate, followed by washing with saturated NaHCO 3 . The resultant solution was dried and then concentrated, whereby 60.8 g of 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-4-ethoxycarbonyl-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 4-2) were obtained.
(4-3) In 400 ml of THF, 60.5 g (232 mmol) of the compound (No. 4-2) were dissolved, followed by the addition of 8.7 g (232 mmol) of sodium borohydride. Under reflux, a solution of 20 ml of methanol in 100 ml of THF was added dropwise to the resulting solution over 4 hours. Water was then added to terminate the reaction. The reaction mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was then dried and concentrated. The residue was thereafter recrystallized from a mixed solvent of ethyl acetate and 2-propanol, whereby 30.9 g of 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-4-hydroxymethyl-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 4-3) were obtained.
(4-4) In 300 ml of dichloromethane, 27.3 g (124 mmol) of the compound (No. 4-3) were dissolved, followed by the addition of 60 ml of methanesulfonyl chloride and then, 120 me of triethylamine under ice cooling. The reaction was continued for 5 hours at room temperature. To the reaction mixture, saturated NaHCO 3 was added, followed by stirring for 6 hours. The organic layer was separated, dried and then concentrated. The residue was purified twice by chromatography on a silica gel column (methanol: chloroform=0:1-1:40 and ethyl acetate:hexane=1:4-1:0, respectively), whereby 24.6 g of 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-4-mesyloxymethyl-2-pyrrolidinone (No. 4-4) were obtained.
(4-5) To 5 ml of 4-pipecoline, 1.17 g (3.9 retool) of the compound (No. 4-4) were added, followed by reflux for 3 hours. The reaction mixture was poured into water and the resulting mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was then dried and concentrated. The residue was purified by chromatography on a silica gel column (chloroform: methanol=40:1). The purified residue was converted into its hydrochloride by using hydrochloric acid/dioxane in methanol, whereby 1.27 g of 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-4-(4-methylpiperidin-1-ylmethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone hydrochloride were obtained.
Melting point: 160°-161° C.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δppm) (Hydrochloride) 1.06(3H,d,J=6Hz), 1.29(3H,t,J=7Hz), 1.78(8H,m), 2.7-4.3(8H,m), 7.38 (2H,d,J=9Hz), 7.63(2H,d,J=9Hz)
EXAMPLE 5
To 5 ml of hexahydro-1H-azepine, 0.54 g (1.8 mmol) of the compound (No. 4-4), which had been obtained in Example 4, was added, followed by reflux for 3 hours. The reaction mixture was poured into water and the resulting mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was then dried and concentrated. The residue was purified by chromatography on a silica gel column (chloroform:methanol=40:1). The purified residue was converted into its hydrochloride by using hydrochloric acid/dioxane in methanol, whereby 0.23 g of 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-4-(hexahydro-1H-azepin-1-ylmethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone hydrochloride was obtained.
Melting point: 192°-193° C.
1 H-NMR (DMSO-d 6 , δppm): 1.13(3H,t), 1.60(4H,m), 1.84(4H,m), 2.45(6H,m) , 2.70(1H,m), 2.96(1H,m), 3.08(1H,m), 3.24(1H,m), 3.39(1H,m), 3.76(1H,m), 3.98(1H,m), 7.21(2H,d), 7.52(2H,m).
EXAMPLES 6-92
Compounds shown in Table 2 were obtained in a similar manner to Example 1 or Example 4 except that compounds required for the introduction of desired substituents were selected and used.
TABLE 2 (1)__________________________________________________________________________Example Structure m.p. (°C.) .sup.1 H-NMR__________________________________________________________________________ (δppm) 6 ##STR308## Oil (CDCl.sub.3)1.4-1.7(6H, m)2.3- 2.55(7H, m)2.65-2.8(2H, m) 3.65-4.0(2H, m)7.35-7.55 2H, m)7.8-7.95(2H, m) 7 ##STR309## 106-107 (CDCl.sub.3)1.4-1.7(6H, m)2.25- 2.5(7H, m)2.6-2.75(2H, m) 3.80(3H, s)3.6-3.95(2H, m) 6.85-6.95(2H, m)7.45-7.55 (2H, m) 8 ##STR310## 211-213 (CDCl.sub.3)1.07(3H, d)1.79- 1.88(2H, m)2.03-2.21(2H, m) 2.35-2.44(1H, m)2.62-2.98 (4H, m)3.15-3.28(2H, m) 3.52-3.68(2H, m)3.80(3H, s) 3.97-4.20(2H, m)6.88-6.91 (2H, m)7.46-7.51(2H, m) 9 ##STR311## 196-197 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)1.75-2.2(5H, m) .35-3.0(8H, m)3.8-3.9 (2H, m)7.35-7.5(2H, m) 7.75-8.05(2H, m)10 ##STR312## 236-238 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)1.4-1.5(2H, m)1.5- 1.65(4H, m)2.1-2.2(1H, m) 2.35-2.6(6H, m)2.8-2.95 (2H, m)3.8-3.9(2H, m)7.63 (1H, s)8.17(2H, s)11 ##STR313## 207-208 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)0.92(3H, d)1.2-1.7 (5H, m)1.95-2.2(3H, m) 2.35-2.6(2H, m)2.8-3.0 (4H, m)3.8-3.9(2H, m)7.35- 7.95(4H, m)12 ##STR314## 78-79 (CDCl.sub.3)1.35-1.65(6H, m) 2.0-2.1(1H, m)2.3-2.6(6H, m) 2.8-2.9(2H, m)3.75-3.85 (2H, m)7.1-7.8(2H, m)13 ##STR315## 78-79 (CDCl.sub.3)1.35-1.65(6H, m) 2.0-2.1(1H, m)2.3-2.6(6H, m) 2.8-2.9(2H, m)3.75-3.85 (2H, m)7.2-7.3(2H, m) 7.6-7.9(2H, m)14 ##STR316## 86-87 (CDCl.sub.3)1.35-1.65(6H, m) 2.0-2.1(1H, m)2.3-2.6(6H, m) 2.8-2.9(2H, m)3.75-3.85 (2H, m)6.8-6.9(1H, m)7.25-7.4 (2H, m)7.5-7.6(1H, m)15 ##STR317## 117-118 (CDCl.sub.3)1.31(9H, m)1.4-1.7 (7H, m)2.0-2.1(1H, m)2.3- 2.6(5H, m)2.8-2.9(2H, m) 3.75-3.85(2H, m)7.35-7.6 (4H, m)16 ##STR318## 108-109 (CDCl.sub.3)1.2-1.8(6H, m)1.8- 3.0(9H, m)3.8-4.0(2H, m) 7.0-7.8(5H, m)17 ##STR319## 105-108 (CDCl.sub.3)1.14-1.82(3H, t, J= 8Hz)1.38-1.82(6H, m)1.82- 3.05(11H, m)3.83(2H, dd, J= 9, 6Hz)7.22-7.78(4H, m)18 ##STR320## 61-62 (CDCl.sub.3)1.2-3.0(17H, m)3.6- 4.0(2H, m)7.0-8.0(5H, m)19 ##STR321## 213-215 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)1.08(3H, s)1.10- 1.58(6H, m)1.60-1.90(1H, m) 2.08-2.68(7H, m)3.38-3.84 (2H, m)6.64-7.08(3H, m) 7.20-7.38(2H, m)20 ##STR322## Oil (CDCl.sub.3)1.2-1.8(6H, m)1.8- 3.2(2H, m)3.6-3.9(2H, m) 7.2-7.6(2H, m)7.7-7.8(2H, m)21 ##STR323## 175-177 (CDCl.sub.3)1.20-1.80(6H, m) 1.80-3.00(9H, m)3.68-3.90 (2H, m)7.10-7.70(9H, m)22 ##STR324## 97-99 (CDCl.sub.3)1.90-3.04(9H, m) 3.60-3.90(6H, m)6.88-7.14 (2H, m)7.40-7.62(2H, m)23 ##STR325## 213-214 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)1.30-1.76(6H, m) 1.92-3.08(9H, m)3.64-3.90 (2H, m)7.20-7.40(2H, m) 7.40-7.70(2H, m)24 ##STR326## 104-106 (CDCl.sub.3)1.30-1.78(6H, m) 2.18-3.00(9H, m)3.62-3.92 (2H, m)3.78(3H, s)6.74- 7.00(2H, m)7.36-7.62(2H, m)25 ##STR327## 174-175 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)1.56(10H, m)2.23 (1H, m)2.35(1H, m)2.59(5H, m)2.76(1H, m)3.02(1H, m) 3.78(2H, m)7.32(2H, d, J=9Hz)7.59(2H, d, J=9Hz)26 ##STR328## 223 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)0.91(3H, d, J=7Hz)1.26 (3H, m)1.59(2H, m)2.04(3H, m)2.35(1H, m)2.54(1H, m)2.86 (4H, m)3.76(2H, m)7.32(2H, d, J=9Hz)7.58(2H, d, J=9Hz)27 ##STR329## 252-254 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)0.91(3H, d)1.31 9H, s)1.2-1.8(5H, m)1.95- 2.2(3H, m)2.3-2.6(2H, m)2.8- 2.95(4H, m)3.75-3.85(2H, m) 7.35-7.6(4H, m)28 ##STR330## 250 (dec.) Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)1.31(9H, s)1.55- 1.7(8H, m)2.0-2.4(2H, m) 2.6-2.8(6H, m)3.05-3.15 (1H, m)3.75-3.85(2H, m) 7.35-7.6(4H, m)29 ##STR331## 129-130 (CDCl.sub.3)0.88(3H, t)1.1-1.3 (5H, m)1.65-1.75(2H, m) 1.9-2.2(3H, m)2.3-2.6(2H, m) 2.8-3.0(4H, m)3.75-3.85 (2H, m)7.25-7.35(2H, m) 7.5-7.65(2H, m)30 ##STR332## 208 (dec.) (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.10(1H, m)1.64- 2.04(8H, m)2.30-2.90(6H, m) 3.05-3.40(11H, m)5.17 (1H, m)6.93-7.19(4H, m)31 ##STR333## 128-129 (CDCl.sub.3)1.575(10H, s)2.10 (1H, m)2.52-2.67(4H, m)2.80 1H, m)3.01(1H, dd, J=4, 12Hz) 3.75(2H, m)7.41(1H, d, J=9Hz) 7.56(1H, dd, J=2, 9Hz) 7.80(1H, d, J=3Hz)32 ##STR334## 124-125 (CDCl.sub.3)1.65(8H, m)2.10 1H, m)2.41(1H, m)2.66-2.90 (6H, m)3.10(1H, dd, J=4, 12Hz) 3.77(2H, m)7.40(1H, d, J=9Hz) 7.55(1H, dd, J=3, 9Hz) 7.81(1H, d, J=3Hz)33 ##STR335## 126 (CDCl.sub.3)0.92(3H, d, J=7Hz) 1.17-1.38(2H, m)1.63(3H, m) 1.94-2.16(3H, m)2.41(1H, m) 2.54(1H, dd, J=4, 12Hz)2.78- 2.93(4H, m)7.33(1H, d, J= 9Hz)7.55(1H, dd, J=3, 9Hz) 7.81(1H, d, J=2Hz)34 ##STR336## 116 (CDCl.sub.3)0.92(6H, d, J=2Hz) 1.21(2H, t, J=6Hz)1.57(2H, m) 1.94-2.53(7H, m)2.70-2.89 (2H, m)3.77(2H, m)7.32 (2H, m)7.60(2H, m)35 ##STR337## 22536 ##STR338## 216 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)1.81(4H, br)2.09 (1H, m)2.41(1H, m)2.5-2.9 (6H, m)3.00(1H, m)3.78(2H, m)7.32(2H, d)7.59(2H, d)37 ##STR339## 195-196 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)1.56(6H, m)2.39 7H, m)2.69(2H, m)3.64 (1H, m)3.89(1H, m)7.05 (2H, m)7.58(2H, m)38 ##STR340## 127-128 (Hydro- chloride: 180-181) (CDCl.sub.3)1.89-2.89(1H, m) 3.17-3.24(1H, m)3.340 (3H, s)3.74-3.80(2H, m) 7.46-7.56(4H, m)39 ##STR341## 205-206 Hydro- chloride (CD.sub.3 OD)1.22(3H, t)1.56(1H, m)1.90(5H, m)2.58(3H, m) 2.86(1H, m)3.04(4H, m) 3.31(3H, m)3.58(2H, m) 3.75(1H, m)4.10(1H, m) 7.23(2H, d)7.47(2H, d)40 ##STR342## 119-121 (CDCl.sub.3)1.45-1.8(3H, m)1.8- 2.45(6H, m)2.5-2.65(1H, m) 2.7-2.95(4H, m)3.65-3.85 3H, m)7.25-7.4(2H, m) 7.55-7.75(2H, m)41 ##STR343## 101-103 (Hydro- chloride: 212-214) (CDCl.sub.3)0.91(3H, d)1.1-1.4 (3H, m)1.55-1.65(2H, m) 1.9-2.2(3H, m)2.3-2.6(2H, m) 2.75-3.0(4H, m)3.75-3.85 5H, m)6.85-6.95(2H, m) 7.5-7.6(2H, m)42 ##STR344## 247-248 (Free form: 208-209) (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.45-1.7(4H, m) 1.8-2.3(5H, m)2.4-2.5(1H, m) 2.6-3.0(4H, m)3.75-3.85 (2H, m)6.72(1H, s)7.22 (1H, s)7.4-7.45(2H, m)7.7- 7.75(2H, m)43 ##STR345## 208-209 (DMSO-d.sub.6)0.92(3H, d)1.5- 2.1(6H, m)2.85-3.6(8H, m) 3.75-3.85(2H, m)6.7-6.8 (1H, m)7.2-7.4(3H, m)44 ##STR346## 196-198 (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.55-2.1(9H, m) 3.1-3.6(8H, m)3.76(3H, s) 3.75-3.85(2H, m)6.7-6.8 (1H, m)7.15-7.4(3H, m)45 ##STR347## 221-222 (CDCl.sub.3)1.55-1.7(3H, m)1.8- 1.9(2H, m)2.0-2.1(2H, m)2.15 (3H, s)2.25-2.4(2H, m)2.55- 2.65(1H, m)2.8-3.05(4H, m)3.75-3.85(2H, m)7.3-7.35 (2H, m)7.55-7.65(2H, m)46 ##STR348## 126-127 (CDCl.sub.3)1.2-1.35(2H, m) .55-2.8(3H, m)1.95-2.2 3H, m)2.3-2.4(1H, m) 2.5-2.6(1H, m)2.8-3.0 (4H, m)3.22(2H, d)3.33(3H, s)3.75-3.85(2H, m)7.25- 7.35(2H, m)7.55-7.65(2H, m)47 ##STR349## 138-139 (CDCl.sub.3)1.35-1.65(6H, m)2.0- 2.1(1H, m)2.3-2.6(6H, m) 2.8-2.9(2H, m)3.7-3.85 (2H, m)7.3-7.4(2H, m) 7.55-7.65(2H, m)48 ##STR350## 165-166 (CDCl.sub.3)1.35-1.65(6H, m) 1.85-2.0(1H, m)2.25-2.35 1H, m)2.5-2.75(5H, m)2.8- 6.85(2H, s)7.4-7.5(2H, m) 7.65-7.75(2H, m)49 ##STR351## 201-203 (DMSO-d.sub.6)0.90(3H, d)1.26 (3H, s)1.5-1.8(5H, m)2.4- 2.5(1H, m)2.9-3.6(6H, m)3.8- 3.95(2H, m)7.4-7.5(2H, m) 7.7-7.8(2H, m)9.88(1H, s)50 ##STR352## 229 (dec.) (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.28(3H, s)1.5- 1.65(3H, m)1.7-2.0(3H, m) 2.05-2.15(1H, m)2.4-2.5(1H, m)3.05-3.55(8H , m)3.75- 4.0(2H, m)7.4-7.5(2H, m) 7.65-7.75(2H, m)10.38(1H, s)51 ##STR353## 72-73 (CDCl.sub.3)1.55-1.7(8H, m)2.05- 2.15(1H, m)2.3-2.4(1H, m) 2.65-2.8(6H, m)3.05-3.15 1H, m)3.80(3H, s)3.75-3.85 (2H, m)6.85-6.95(2H, m) 7.45-7.55(2H, m)52 ##STR354## 106-107 (Hydro- chloride: 212-213) (CDCl.sub.3)0.92(3H, d)1.13- 1.39(3H, m)1.58-1.66(2H, m) 1.93-2.16(3H, m)2.32-2.38 (1H, m)2.51-2.58(1H, m)2.78- 2.93(4H, m)3.75-3.80(2H, m) .05(2H, m)7.56-7.61(2H, m)53 ##STR355## 80-81 (Hydro- chloride: 212-213) (CDCl.sub.3)1.60(8H, s)2.03- 2.16(1H, m)2.28-2.37(1H, m) 2.62-2.83(6H, m)3.08(1H, dd, J=4, 12Hz)3.76-3.81(2H, m) 7.02-7.1(2H, m)7.54-7.62 2H, m)54 ##STR356## 102-103 (Hydro- choride: 224-225) (CDCl.sub.3)0.92(2H, d, J=6Hz) 1.12-1.38(4H, m)1.58-1.65 (2H, m)1.92-2.15(3H, m)2.30- 2.40(1H, m)2.50-2.66(3H, m) .78-2.94(4H, m)3.75-3.80(2H, m)7.19(2H, d)7.52(2H, d)55 ##STR357## 56-57 (Hydro- chloride: 211-212) (CDCl.sub.3)1.22(3H, t, J=7Hz) 1.59(8H, s)2.01-2.15(1H, m) 2.24-2.38(1H, m)2.58-2.87 (8H, m)3.09(1H, dd, J=4.12) 3.76-3.81(2H, m)7.19(2H, d, J=9)7.50-7.54(2H, m)56 ##STR358## 119-121 (Hydro- chloride: 204-206) (CDCl.sub.3)0.82-0.95(6H, m) 1.46-1.71(4H, m)1.98-2.91 8H, m)3.71-3.80(2H, m) 7.29-7.35(2H, m)7.57-7.61 (2H, m)57 ##STR359## 73-74 (Hydro- chloride: 204-205) (CDCl.sub.3)0.918(3H, s)0.923 (3H, s)1.19-1.25(3H, m)1.51- 1.64(3H, m)1.94-2.87(10H, m)3.72-3.83(2H, m)7.19(2H, d, J=9Hz)7.51-7.54(2H, m)58 ##STR360## 99-100 (Hydro- chloride: 234-235) (CDCl.sub.3)0.93(3H, d, J=7Hz) 1.26-1.33(2H, m)1.62-1.63 (2H, m)1.97-2.13(4H, m)2.35- 2.60(2H, m)2.85-2.94(8H, m) .74-3.84(2H, m)7.18-7.30 (2H, m)7.51(1H, s)59 ##STR361## 132-133 (CDCl.sub.3)0.92(3H, d, J=6Hz)1.14- 1.38(3H, m)1.65-1.66(2H, m)1.93-2.15( 3H, m)2.3-2.58 (2H, m)2.77-2.92(4H, m)3.7- 3.81(2H, m)7.45-7.57(4H, m)60 ##STR362## 101-103 (CDCl.sub.3)1.58(10H, d, J=5Hz) 2.02-2.16(1H, m)2.28-2.37 (1H, m)2.62-2.84(6H, m)3.07 (1H, dd, J=4, 12Hz)3.71-3.82 (2H, m)7.44-7.58(4H, m)61 ##STR363## 67-68 (Hydro- chloride: 232-233) (CDCl.sub.3)1.60(8H, s)2.00- 2.15(3H, m)2.34-2.35(1H, m) 2.54-2.94(10H, m)3.11 (1H, dd, J=4, 12Hz)3.76-3.85 (2H, m)7.18-7.30(2H, m) 7.51(1H, s)62 ##STR364## 79-80 (Hydro- chloride: 242-243) (CDCl.sub.3)1.41-1.71(8H, m) 1.97-2.12(3H, m)2.28-2.57 (6H, m)2.77-2.94(6H, m)3.77 (2H, dd, J=3, 8Hz)7.21-7.30 (2H, m)7.51(1H, s)63 ##STR365## 122-12364 ##STR366## 124-125 (Hydro- chloride: 243-244) (CDCl.sub.3)1.15-2.14(20H, m) 2.25-2.80(9H, m)3.08(1H, dd, J=4, 12Hz)3.76-3.82(2H, m) 7.14-7.21(2H, m)7.51-7.54 (2H, m)65 ##STR367## 128-129 (Hydro- chloride: 218-219) (CDCl.sub.3)0.80-0.87(3H, m) 0.91-0.95(3H, m)1.46-1.71 (6H, m)2.01-2.18(1H, m)2.25- 2.88(5H, m)3.76-3.79(2H, m) .43-7.56(4H, m)66 ##STR368## 242-243 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)0.91(3H, d, J=7Hz) 1.14-1.46(8H, m)1.58-2.57 (13H, m)2.75-2.93(4H, m) 3.75-3.82(2H, m)7.18-7.20 (2H, m)7.51-7.54(2H, m)67 ##STR369## 185-18668 ##STR370## 148-149 (CDCl.sub.3)1.18-1.56(12H, m) 1.72-1.83(4H, m)1.95-2.11 (1H, m)2.27-2.56(7H, m) 2.76-2.89(2H, m)3.71-3.82 (2H, m)7.18-7.21(2H, m) 7.50-7.54(2H, m)69 ##STR371## >250 Hydro- chloride (CDCl.sub.3)1.13-1.46(5H, m) 1.67-1.86(9H, m)2.03-2.14 (8H, m)2.31-2.86(8H, m) 2.98(1H, dd, J=4, 11Hz)3.76- 3.81(2H, m)7.15-7.22(2H, m) .50-7.55(2H, m)70 ##STR372## 246 (CDCl.sub.3)1.61(8H, m)2.12(1H, m)2.34(1H, m)2.69(6H, m) 3.13(1H, m)3.83(2H, m)7.33 (1H, m)7.43(2H, m)7.59(4H, m)7.72(2H, m)71 ##STR373## 250 (CDCl.sub.3)0.92(3H, d)1.25(2H, m)1.60(3H, m)1.9-2.2(3H, m) 2.36(1H, m)2.57(1H, m) 2.92(4H, m)3.83(2H, m) (1H, m)7.43(2H, m)7.59(4H, m)7.71(2H, m)72 ##STR374## 156-157 (CDCl.sub.3)1.73(10H, m)2.18(1H, m)2.55(1H, m)2.80(6H, m) 3.02(1H, m)3.88(2H, m)7.32 (1H, m)7.44(2H, m)7.60 (4H, m)7.70(2H, m)73 ##STR375## 200 (CDCl.sub.3)1.67(4H, m)1.92(1H, m)2.2-2.4(2H, m)2.55(1H, m) 2.7-3.0(3H, m)3.41(1H, m) 3.78(2H, m)4.55(2H, s) 7.30(7H, m)7.58(2H, m)74 ##STR376## 115-124 (CDCl.sub.3)0.85(2H, m)1.58(2H, m)2.09(1H, m)2.54(6H, m) 2.85(2H, m)3.82(2H, m) 7.61(2H, d)7.77(2H, d)75 ##STR377## 103 (CDCl.sub.3)0.86(2H, m)1.61(2H, m)1.9-2.1(4H, m)2.2-2.5 (2H, m)2.62(1H, m)2.7-3.0 (3H, m)3.26(1H, m)3.32(3H, s)3.78(2H, m)7.32(2H, d) 7.60(2H, d)76 ##STR378## Amorphous77 ##STR379## 207 (CDCl.sub.3)0.88(3H, t)1.20(7H, m)1.67(3H, m)1.94(2H, m) 2.34(3H, m)2.6-3.0(4H, m) 3.65(2H, m)3.90(1H, m)7.17 (2H, d)7.52(2H, d)78 ##STR380## 147-148 (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.53(8H, m)1.95 (1H, m)2.24(1H, m)2.72(6H, m)2.94(1H, m)3.77(2H, m) 6.58(2H, s)7.43(2H, d)7.71 (2H, d)79 ##STR381## 153-156 (CDCl.sub.3)1.50(10H, m)1.90(2H, m)2.14(1H, m)2.5-2.7 (4H, m)2.88(2H, m)3.76(2H, m)7.30(2H, d)7.61(2H, d)80 ##STR382## 80-81 (CDCl.sub.3)1.59(8H, m)2.34- 2.76(9H, m)3.65(1H, dd, J= 5, 10Hz)3.89(1H, dd, J= 7, 10Hz)7.29-7.35(2H, m) .57-7.63(2H, m)81 ##STR383## 100-101 (CDCl.sub.3)1.59(8H, m)2.34- 2.76(9H, m)3.66(1H, dd, J= 4, 10Hz)3.89(1H, dd, J= 7, 10Hz)7.29-7.35(2H, m) .57-7.63(2H, m)82 ##STR384## 145-147 (CDCl.sub.3)1.56-3.02(17H, m) 3.75-3.80(2H, m)6.58(2H, s) 7.41-7.44(2H, m)7.67-7.72 (2H, m)83 ##STR385## 51-53 (Hydro- chloride: 180-181) (CDCl.sub.3)0.81(3H, t, J=7Hz) 1.22(3H, d, J=7Hz)1.52-1.63 (10H, m)2.04-2.15(1H, m) 2.26-2.38(1H, m)2.54-2.81 (7H, m)3.09(1H, dd, J=4, 12Hz) 3.76-3.82(2H, m)7.15-7.19 (2H, m)7.52-7.55(2H, m)84 ##STR386## 84-85 (Hydro- chloride: 225-227) (CDCl.sub.3)0.81(3H, t, J=7Hz) 1.22(3H, d, J=7Hz)1.41-1.67 (8H, m)2.00-2.12(1H, m)2.31- 2.64(6H, m)2.78-2.90(2H, m) .72-3.83(2H, m)7.13-7.18 (2H, m)7.52-7.55(2H, m)85 ##STR387## 79-80 (Hydro- chloride: 244-245) (CDCl.sub.3)0.81(3H, t, J=7Hz) 1.22(3H, d, J=7Hz)1.52-1.63 (3H, m)1.79(4H, br)2.00- 2.14(1H, m)2.32-2.86(8H, m) .99(1H, dd, J=4, 12Hz)3.77- .82(2H, m)7.16-7.19 (2H, m)7.52-7.55(2H, m)86 ##STR388## 193-194 (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.61-2.12(9H, m) 3.16-3.75(10H, m)3.79(3H, 2)6.96-7.36(4H, m)10.33 (1H, s, br)87 ##STR389## 220-222 (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.36-2.14(7H, m) 2.83-3.71(10H, m)3.79(3H, s)6.95-7.36(4H, m)10.34 (1H, s, br)88 ##STR390## 178-180 (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.87-2.14(5H, m) 3.03-3.75(10H, m)3.79(3H, s) 6.95-7.35(4H, m)10.60 (1H, s, br)89 ##STR391## 216-219 (DMSO-d.sub.6)0.94(3H, d, J=5Hz) 1.36-2.16(6H, m)2.57-3.77 (10H, m)3.79(3H, s)6.96- 7.36(4H, m)10.42(1H, s, br)90 ##STR392## 125-127 (CDCl.sub.3)1.51-1.90(11H, m) 2.11-2.33(1H, m)2.30-2.43 (1H, m)2.60-2.75(6H, m) 3.76(2H, dd, J=5, 9Hz)7.26- 7.33(2H, m)7.57-7.62(2H, m)91 ##STR393## >230 (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.31-1.44(1H, m) 1.68-1.95(5H, m)2.07-2.22 (1H, m)2.63-2.76(1H, m)2.83- 3.03(1H, m)3.16-3.55(6H, m) .58-3.72(5H, m)7.50(1H, d, J= 9Hz)7.55(1H, dd, J=2.8)7.79 (1H, d, J=2)10.47(1H, brS)92 ##STR394## 180-183 (DMSO-d.sub.6)1.61-1.65(4H, m) 1.85(4H, m)2.06-2.21(1H, m) 2.58-2.63(1H, m)3.13-3.52 (7H, m)3.59-3.76(2H, m) 7.49(1H, d, J=9Hz)7.55(1H, dd, J=2.9)7.79(1H, d, J=2) 10.42(1H,__________________________________________________________________________ brS)
EXAMPLE 93
1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3-(hexahydro-1H-azepin-1-ylmethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone (3.0 g), which had been prepared in racemic form in Example 1, was subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography for fractionation, whereby 1.4 g of (-) 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(hexahydro-1H-azepin-1-ylmethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone and 1.4 g of (+) 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(hexahydro-1H-azepin-1-ylmethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone were obtained with an optical purity of 99%.
(-) 1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3-(hexahydro-1H-azepin-1-ylmethyl)-2-pyrrolidinone
Melting point: 218° C. [.sup.α ] D =-39.4° (0.005 g/ml, H 2 O, 25° C.)
(+) 1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3-(hexahydro-1H-azepin-1-ylmethy)-2-pyrrolidinone
Melting point: 219° C. [α] D =-32.8° (0.005 g/ml, H 2 O, 25° C.)
Conditions for the fractionation were as follows:
HPLC: "LC-10A system" (trade name, manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation)
Column: "CHIRALCEL OD" (trade name; product of Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd.; 25×2 cm)
Flow rate: 25 ml/min
Mobile phase: hexane:ethanol=100:1
EXAMPLE 94
(Formulation Example 1)
______________________________________1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(hexahydro-1H- 130 gazepin-1-ylmethyl)-2-pyrrolidinonehydrochlorideCitric acid 1 gLactose 35 gDibasic calcium phosphate 72 gPLURONIC F-68 30 gSodium laurylsulfate 20 gPolyvinylpyrrolidone 14 gPolyethylene glycol ("Carbowax 1500") 5 gPolyethylene glycol ("Carbowax 6000") 45 gCorn starch 33 gDry sodium stearate 3 gDry magnesium stearate 3 gEthanol q.s.______________________________________
The compound according to the present invention, i.e., the effective ingredient, the citric acid, the lactose, the dibasic calcium phosphate, the "PLURONIC F-68" and the sodium laurylsulfate were mixed.
The resulting mixture was sifted through a No. 60 screen. Using an ethanol solution containing the polyvinylpyrrolidone, the "Carbowax 1500" and the "Carbowax 6000", the mixture so sifted was wet-granulated. Namely, the powder so-sifted was added with the ethanol in such an amount as needed for the formation of a paste-like mass. The corn starch was added to the paste-like mass, followed by mixing until uniform granules were formed. The granular mixture was caused to pass through a No. 10 screen, placed in a tray, and then dried for 12-15 hours in an oven controlled at 100° C. The granules so dried were sifted through a No. 16 screen, to which dry sodium stearate and dry magnesium stearate were added, followed by mixing. The mixture so obtained was then compressed into cores of a desired shape by a tableting machine.
The cores were treated with a varnish, on which talc was sprinkled to prevent absorption of moisture. Around each core, an undercoat was applied. The varnish was coated again as many times as needed for internal use. To form the resulting tablet into a fully round shape with a smooth surface, an additional undercoat and a smoothcoat were applied further. Color coating was then conducted until a desired coating was obtained. After drying, the tablets so coated were polished into tablets of uniform gloss.
EXAMPLE 95
(Formulation Example 2)
______________________________________1-(4-Ethylphenyl)-4-(4-methylpiperidino- 5 gmethyl)-2-piperidinone hydrochloridePolyethylene glycol 0.3 g(molecular weight: 4000)Sodium chloride 1.0 gPolyoxyethylene-sorbitan monooleate 0.5 gSodium metabisulfite 0.1 gMethylparaben 0.2 gDistilled water for injection 10.0 ml______________________________________
The methylparaben, sodium metabisulfite and sodium chloride were dissolved under stirring at 80° C. in about a half of the distilled water for injection. The solution so obtained was cooled down to 40° C., followed by the dissolution of the compound according to the present invention, i.e., the effective ingredient and then the polyethylene glycol and polyoxyethylene-sorbitan monooleate in the solution. The remaining distilled water for injection was added to the resulting solution to give the final volume. The mixture so obtained was subjected to bacterial filtration through appropriate a filter paper to sterilize the same, whereby an injection was formulated.
Pharmacological Test 1
By modifying the Vilner et al. method [B. J. Vilner and W. D. Bowen: Mechanisms for Neuromodulation and neuroprotection? in Multiple Sigma and PCP Receptor Ligands, pp341 (1992) NPP Books], a radioreceptor assay was conducted with respect to the α 1 receptor. A homogenate (10 mg/ml) of the whole brain of a rat except for the cerebellum and medulla was incubated together with each test drug and 3 H-ligand [5 nM of 3 H-(+)pentazocine (NEN)] for 2 hours. Brain tissue was filtered under suction through a glass fiber filter paper ("GF/B", trade name; manufactured by Whatman) using a cell harvester ("LL-12", trade name; manufactured by Brandel) and was washed twice, each with 3 ml of a buffer solution. The glass fiber filter paper was placed in a vial, to which 3.5 ml of a scintillator ("ACSII" trade name; product of Amersham International plc) were added. After being left for 10 hours, the amount of 3 H-ligand bound to the receptor was measured by a liquid scintillation counter. Incidentally, (+)-pentazocine (10 μM) was used for the measurement of a blank.
Binding rates of 3 H-ligand to the receptor at individual concentrations of each test drug were plotted to draw a graph by assuming that the binding rate without addition of the test drug was 100% and that when the blank substance was added was 0%. A concentration of the test drug, which would give a binding rate of 50%, was then determined and recorded as an IC 50 value. From the IC 50 value, the Ki value was determined in accordance with the following formula: ##EQU1## K D represents the dissociation constant between 3 H-ligand and the receptor, and was obtained by the Scatchard plotting of the bonding to the receptor when the concentration of 3 H-ligand was varied. The results are summarized in Table 3.
TABLE 3______________________________________Test drug Ki(nM)______________________________________Compound of Example 1 2.7Compound of Example 2 2.8Compound of Example 3 3.2Compound of Example 11 2.1Compound of Example 12 4.7Compound of Example 13 1.3Compound of Example 20 3.5Compound of Example 27 2.3Compound of Example 29 3.8Compound of Example 31 1.2Compound of Example 33 7.0Compound of Example 43 3.6Compound of Example 44 5.9Compound of Example 49 3.0Compound of Example 74 4.4Compound of Example 75 8.0Compound of Example 81 9.4Compound of Example 82 2.0Compound of Example 93 [(-) form) 1.5______________________________________
Pharmacological Test 2
Using mice, antipsychotic activities were investigated in terms of hyperkinesia induced by methamphetamine. For the experiment, ten 5 weeks-old ddy male mice (NIHON S.L.C K.K.) were used per each group. Immediately after each mouse was peritoneally administered at 10 mg/kg with the corresponding test drug, the mouse was placed in a photocell cage for measurement. The amount of motion was measured for 30 minutes (the first measurement: this was recorded as the action of the test drug for the active movement). Thereafter, the mouse was once taken out of the cage and subcutaneously administered at 1.5 mg/kg with methamphetamine. The mouse was then returned to the same cage and the amount of motion was measured for 30 minutes. An average amount of motion of each group was determined based on the amounts of motion after the administration of methamphetamine (mAMP) as obtained by the second measurement, and the inhibition rate (%) of hyperkinesia was calculated in accordance with the following formula: ##EQU2##
The group to which the test drug was administered: the test drug+methamphetamine
Control group: vehicle+methamphetamine
Normal group: vehicle+saline
The results are presented in Table 4.
TABLE 4______________________________________ Inhibition rate of mAMP-inducedTest drug hyperkinesia (%)______________________________________Compound of Example 1 55Compound of Example 23 54Compound of Example 26 56Compound of Example 33 53Compound of Example 36 56Compound of Example 37 62Compound of Example 39 54Compound of Example 40 73Compound of Example 41 53Compound of Example 45 51Compound of Example 53 62Compound of Example 56 76Compound of Example 64 57Compound of Example 70 66Compound of Example 75 66Compound of Example 81 53______________________________________
Pharmacological Test 3
Anticerebral ischemic action was measured following the method proposed by Koizumi et al. [Jun-ichi Koizumi et al, "Experimental studies of ischemic brain edema, I. A new experimental model of cerebral embolism in rats in which recirculation can be introduced in the ischemic area", Jpn. J. Stroke 8: 1-8, 1986)], namely, by the Koizumi's Method MCAo.
One end of a No. 0.8 nylon thread (diameter: 0.148 mm; product of Gosen, Inc.) was brought close to a soldering iron to form a globule of 0.2-0.3 mm in diameter for use as a stopper upon insertion of an artificial embolus. An opposite end of the nylon thread, which was located on a side opposite to the globule, was coated with a waterproof caulking material ("BATHCAULK", trade mark; product of Cemedine Co., Ltd.), thereby forming an artificial embolus of 0.2-0.3 mm in diameter and about 5 mm in length with a nylon thread part (total length composed of the embolus part and the thread part: 16 mm).
Each SD male rat (NIHON S.L.C. K.K.), which was 10-12 weeks old and had a body weight of 330 g or so, was subjected to median neck incision under anesthesia with 1.5% halothane. While paying ultimate attention to the retention of the vagus nerve, the incision was extended to the segment where the left carotid branches. With the segment as the diverging point of the left carotid being held at the center, the common carotid artery and the external carotid artery were separated from the surrounding binding tissue and were ligated with threads, respectively. Further, a thread part was also applied to the origin of the internal carotid artery as a preparation for ligation and fixing which would be conducted subsequent to insertion of the artificial embolus. Subsequently, the common carotid artery was incised and, from the point so incised, the artificial embolus was inserted over a distance of about 15-16 mm toward the internal carotid artery. The artificial embolus was then ligated and fixed at an end thereof proximal to the nylon thread part (i.e., at the globule) to the internal carotid artery by the thread. By the above procedures, the leading end of the artificial embolus extended beyond the segment where the cerebral artery branches and entered the anterior cerebral artery, so that the inlet of the middle cerebral artery was occluded by a main body of the artificial embolus. By the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, hemiplegia was developed at the forelimb on the opposite side. Using this hemiplegia as an index, rats free of hemiplegia were excluded.
Each drug was either dissolved or suspended in 0.5% CMC/saline and, immediately after the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, peritoneally administered. A control group was subjected to peritoneal administration of 0.5% CMC/saline immediately after the middle cerebral artery was occluded.
Brain edema was determined based on an increase in the content of water in the cerebral hemisphere on the ischemic side. Two hours after the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, the animal was decapitated under anesthesia, the brain (which was cut off across the smell brain and cerebellum) was promptly collected, and the wet weights of the left and right cerebral hemispheres were measured. Each hemisphere was dried for 48-72 hours in a hot air drier controlled at 110° C., and its dry weight was measured. The water contents of the respective brain hemispheres were calculated in accordance with the following formula:
Content of removed water (%)=[(wet weight)-(dry weight)]/(wet weight)×100
Percent increase of the content of removed water=[(water content of the left cerebral hemisphere)-(water content of the right cerebral hemisphere)]/(water content of the right cerebral hemisphere)×100
The results are presented in Table 5.
TABLE 5______________________________________ MCAo Antibrain edematous action (%) measured by theTest drug Koizumi's method______________________________________Compound of Example 2 16.4Compound of Example 3 16.1Compound of Example 9 15.2Compound of Example 11 23.6Compound of Example 12 10.8Compound of Example 13 15.8Compound of Example 14 13.6Compound of Example 20 22.2Compound of Example 21 22.0Compound of Example 54 33.3______________________________________
A preliminary acute toxicity test was conducted with respect to those showed high effectiveness in the pharmacological tests among the compounds according to the present invention. Using three mice per group, each of such compounds was peritoneally administered at 100 mg/Kg. No case of death was however observed. | Antipsychotics and ischemic cerebral disease therapeutics comprising as an effective ingredient a compound represented by the following formula (1) or (2): ##STR1## or a salt thereof. These drugs do not induce extrapyramidal side effects. | 2 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to delivery systems for cryogenic liquids and, more particularly, to a system for dispensing and accurately metering a cryogenic liquid, such as liquid natural gas, to a use device.
Liquid natural gas (LNG) is a plentiful, environmentally friendly and domestically available energy source and, therefore, is an attractive alternative to oil. As a result, LNG is increasingly being used as a fuel for vehicles. This is especially true for fleet and heavy duty vehicles.
A key issue in the commercialization of LNG is the ability to accurately meter and dispense it. The National Institute of Standards and Technology of the United States Department of Commerce has developed guidelines for federal Weights and Measures certification whereby dispensed LNG must be metered on a mass flow basis with an accuracy of plus or minus 1.5% for the quantity of product dispensed. Given the potential for widespread use of LNG, a great need exists for a LNG dispensing system that is capable of Weights and Measures certification.
The mass flow of a liquid can be determined by measuring its volumetric flow and then applying a density factor for the liquid. Such an approach is utilized by the cryogenic liquid dispenser system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,838 to Preston et al. The dispenser disclosed in the Preston et al. '838 patent features a meter and a temperature sensor submerged within LNG that partially fills a sump. LNG from the sump is dispensed through the meter and the sump is supplied from a bulk supply tank so that the LNG in the sump is maintained at the proper level. The volumetric flow rate from the meter and the temperature from the sensor are supplied to a microprocessor whereby the mass flow rate of the dispensed LNG may be calculated.
The accuracy of the system of the Preston et al. '838 patent is limited, however, due to the fact that LNG is made up of many chemical components. More specifically, while the methane content of LNG is typically well above 90%, the balance includes substances such as ethane, propane, butane, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, oxygen and sulfur. As a result, the density of LNG cannot be determined with a high degree of accuracy simply by the conventional temperature correlations, which are based upon an approximation of the LNG composition.
The Preston et al. '838 patent also discloses that a pair of submerged pressure sensors may be substituted for the sump temperature sensor and that the pressure differential measured thereby may be used by the microprocessor in combination with the volumetric flow rate to determine density. Such an arrangement, however, presents stability issues in that the signals provided to the microprocessor by the pressure sensors have proven to be erratic.
The use of capacitors for measuring the dielectric of a cryogenic liquid, and the use of this data for calculating the density of the liquid, is also known. Systems employing this approach are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,933,030 to Forster et al. and U. S. Pat. No. 4,835,456 to Lu et al. The system of the Forster et al. '030 patent requires a redundancy of capacitance probes and fails to indicate the purity of the dispensed product. Furthermore, the system determines the density of the product being dispensed from the measured dielectrics based solely upon an approximation of the Clausius-Mosotti constant for the product. As such, the system of the Forster et al. '030 patent fails to provide density measurements that are adjusted to compensate for variations in the purity of the product being dispensed. This disadvantage adversely impacts the accuracy that is obtainable with the system.
The system of the Liu et al. '456 patent uses a number of complex calculations to obtain the density of the product being dispensed from measured dielectrics for the product. More specifically, the system of the Liu et al. '456 patent implements a rigorous application of molecular dielectric theory using a dielectric susceptibility function in the application of the Clausius-Mosotti formula and the quantitation of a susceptibility parameter. The approach of the system, however, requires sophisticated, complex and expensive measurement and computational equipment.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cryogenic liquid dispensing system that meters the amount of product dispensed on a mass flow basis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cryogenic liquid dispensing system that can accurately meter mixtures of cryogenic liquids.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cryogenic liquid dispensing system that meters the amount of product dispensed with high enough accuracy that the system may be federal Weights and Measures certified.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cryogenic liquid dispensing system that provides an indication when the purity of the cryogenic liquid that is to be dispensed falls below a predetermined level.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a cryogenic liquid dispensing system that may be constructed with low complexity and cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a cryogenic liquid dispensing system for use, for example, in dispensing LNG to a vehicle. The system includes a bulk storage tank containing a supply of LNG. A sump is in communication with the bulk storage tank and contains a volumetric flow meter submerged in LNG to avoid two-phased flow through the meter. A temperature probe and a capacitor are also submerged in the LNG in the sump. The meter communicates with a dispensing hose via a dispensing line that includes a dispensing valve. A drain line bypasses the dispensing valve and features a check valve so that LNG trapped in the hose after dispensing is forced back into the sump due to an increase in pressure as a result of ambient heating.
A microprocessor communicates with the meter, dispensing valve, temperature probe and capacitor and contains dielectric data for pure methane over a range of LNG temperatures. The microprocessor uses the temperature from the temperature probe to select a corresponding dielectric for pure methane. This dielectric is compared with the dielectric measured by the capacitor and, if the difference is outside of a predetermined range, the LNG is considered too impure and is not dispensed. In one embodiment of the system, the microprocessor is also programmed with an approximate linear relationship between density and dielectric for LNG. The dielectric measured by the capacitor is used with the relationship to determine the density of the LNG.
Alternatively, the microprocessor may contain density data for pure methane over a range of LNG temperatures and an algorithm for computing a density compensation factor that is a function of the dielectric measured by the capacitor and the dielectric for pure methane. The microprocessor uses the temperature from the temperature probe to obtain a density for pure methane. The density compensation factor is calculated and applied to the density for pure methane to arrive at the density for the LNG.
In a further embodiment of the system, a compensating meter is substituted for the capacitor. The resulting two meters have different equations for relating mass flow to density. As a result, the equations may be solved to determine the mass flow and density of the LNG. The density of pure methane at the temperature of the LNG and the measured density of the LNG may be compared to determine the purity of the LNG.
The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the appended claims and accompanying drawings, provide a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic of an embodiment of the cryogenic liquid dispensing system of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating the linear relationship of density to dielectric for typical LNG temperatures;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing the steps of the software program of the microprocessor of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing the steps of an alternative software program of the microprocessor of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a schematic of the sump and dispensing hose portion of an alternative embodiment of the cryogenic liquid dispensing system of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing the steps of the software program of the microprocessor of FIG. 5 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates a cryogenic liquid dispensing system that is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The system delivers a metered quantity of cryogenic liquid to a use device, such as a vehicle. While the remaining portion of the discussion will refer to Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) as the cryogenic liquid, it is to be understood that the invention could be used to dispense alternative cryogenic liquids.
The system of FIG. 1 includes a jacket-insulated bulk storage tank 10 for storing a large volume of LNG 12 . An insulated line 14 connects the storage tank to 10 to a meter sump 15 and includes a shut-off valve 16 . Meter sump 15 is partially filled with LNG 18 and the vapor spaces 20 and 22 of storage tank 10 and meter sump 15 , respectively, are connected by a vapor return line 24 , which also includes a shut-off valve 25 . Meter sump 15 features a jacketed construction for insulation purposes and a removable lid 27 to allow service access.
A cryogenic liquid pump 26 is incorporated in line 14 to initiate transfer of LNG from the system to a use device. Alternatively, the transfer may be accomplished by pressure differentials between the storage tank 10 and the use device tank or the meter sump 15 and the use device tank. When dispensing commences, LNG flows from meter sump 15 , through line 28 and dispensing hose 30 and into the use device. Dispensing hose 30 terminates in a quick-disconnect coupling 32 that may be removably connected to a corresponding coupling on the use device. Dispensing line 28 is provided with an automatic dispensing valve 34 , which is communication with a computer, such as microprocessor 35 , via line 37 .
A volumetric flow meter 36 suitable for use with cryogenic liquids is positioned in communication with dispensing line 28 and within the interior chamber 38 of meter sump 15 so as to be submersed within the cryogenic liquid 18 stored therein. As a result, the meter is cooled to the ultra-low temperature of the LNG flowing through it so that two-phase flow is avoided. This aids in ensuring consistent density during the metering process. The meter 36 is also in communication with microprocessor 35 via line 40 .
A liquid level control device 42 is positioned on vapor return line 24 and maintains the desired level of LNG in the sump 15 to ensure that the meter 36 is continuously immersed in LNG during use. When the level of LNG in the sump 15 drops below the desired level, device 42 vents gas from sump vapor space 22 to storage tank vapor space 20 via line 24 thereby permitting additional LNG to enter chamber 38 via line 14 . Such an arrangement ensures that only liquid is delivered through meter 36 . The refilling of the sump stops when the level of LNG in the sump again rises to the desired level because the device 42 stops the return of vapor to tank 10 . A float device 42 suitable for use with the present invention is manufactured by Armstrong Machine Works, Three Rivers, Mich., Model 11-AV. Further details of the operation of the float device 42 may be obtained by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,838 to Preston et al., which is co-owned by the present applicant. Another possibility, suitable for use with the invention, is a differential pressure switch and a valve controlled thereby. Such an arrangement may be substituted for the float device 42 .
Another alternative to liquid level control device 42 is the provision of a spray fill, such as spray bar 48 illustrated in phantom in FIG. 1, for the liquid line 14 . The sprayed liquid entering the sump establishes a saturated gas condition so that the pressure head in vapor space 22 is collapsed. As a result, the sump is refilled in a gas/liquid equilibrium state. Once the liquid level in the sump reaches the spray bar 48 , the spray is lost and the pressure in vapor space 22 increases so that the net flow into the sump stops.
A temperature probe 50 is submersed within the LNG 18 of sump 15 and communicates with microprocessor 35 via line 52 . An open air type capacitor 54 is also submersed in the LNG and communicates with microprocessor 35 via line 56 . The open air capacitor preferably features a concentric tube arrangement. Such capacitors are available from present assignee. The capacitor is preferably located near the bottom of the sump 15 so that bubbles generated by heat are eliminated. The dielectric of the LNG between the capacitor walls is obtained and fed to the microprocessor while the temperature of the LNG is provided to the microprocessor from the temperature probe.
A plot of dielectric vs. density for pure cryogenic liquids methane, propane, ethane, butane and nitrogen over a range of LNG temperatures is presented in FIG. 2 . An example of such a range is −260° F. to −180° F. As is known in the art, the dielectric and density data for the pure substances may be obtained from a variety of sources including the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (CRC in FIG. 2) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST in FIG. 2 ). As illustrated in FIG. 2, the data allows an estimated linear relationship between the dielectrics and densities to be plotted. This estimated linear relationship may be programmed into microprocessor 35 .
In addition to the linear relationship of FIG. 2, density and dielectric data for pure methane for a range of LNG temperatures is programmed into a look-up table or some other type of database in the microprocessor memory.
Once microprocessor 35 has been properly programmed, it will test the purity of the LNG in the sump and determine the density by following the program steps illustrated in FIG. 3 . More specifically, the temperature of the LNG in the sump is provided via temperature probe 50 to the microprocessor. The microprocessor may then determine the dielectric for pure methane via the look-up table. The dielectric of the LNG in the sump is provided to the microprocessor from capacitor 54 .
The microprocessor next compares the dielectric for pure methane at the temperature of the LNG in the sump with the dielectric of the LNG in the sump. As stated previously, the methane content of LNG is typically well above 90%. It has been determined that relatively pure LNG will have a dielectric that is close to that of liquid methane at LNG dispensing temperatures. As a result, a window for acceptable LNG purity may be established such that if the dielectric of the LNG in the sump differs significantly from the dielectric of pure methane for the measured temperature, an indication of the presence of impure LNG is provided by the microprocessor such as through visual or audio means and the dispensing of LNG is prevented via microprocessor control of valve 34 . An example of an acceptable range of deviation in dielectrics is +2% to −0%. The outer limit of this range corresponds to LNG having a composition that is 90% methane and 10% ethane.
Methane and other substances typically present in LNG, such as liquid propane, ethane, butane and nitrogen, are comprised of non-polar molecules. It should be noted that when substances comprised of polar molecules, such as propylene, are present in LNG in greater than trace amounts, the dielectric of the LNG will be significantly higher. Generally such polar constituents of LNG can upset the performance of the use device engine. As a result, the system of the present invention detects and prevents the dispensing of LNG when such substances are present and potentially harmful to the use device.
If the LNG is of acceptable purity, valve 34 permits dispensing and a volumetric flow for the dispensed LNG is obtained from meter 36 . The measured dielectric for the LNG may be used with the data of FIG. 2 to obtain the approximate density of the LNG. As is known in the art, microprocessor 35 then uses the density for the LNG and the volumetric flow rate to compute the mass flow for the dispensed LNG.
The microprocessor 35 may use the programming illustrated in FIG. 4 as an alternative to that illustrated in FIG. 3 to obtain the mass flow for the dispensed LNG. While the density and dielectric data for pure methane for LNG temperatures is still programmed into microprocessor 35 with the approach of FIG. 4, the linear relationship of FIG. 2 is not. Instead, the following algorithm is programmed into the microprocessor: F corr = [ 1 - ( diel measured - diel methane ( T ) ) ( diel others ( T ) - diel methane ( T ) ) ] ρ ( T ) ( diel methane ( T ) ) + [ ( diel measured - diel methane ( T ) ) ( diel others ( T ) - diel methane ( T ) ) ] ρ ( T ) ( diel others ( T ) ) ρ ( T )
Where:
F corr =density compensation factor
diel measured =measured dielectric of LNG in sump
diel others =dielectric of assumed constituent(s) in LNG other than methane at temperature T of LNG in sump
diel methane (T)=dielectric of pure methane at temperature T of LNG in sump
ρ(T)=density of pure methane at temperature T of LNG in sump
While ethane preferably is the assumed constituent in the LNG other than methane, alternatives include pure propane, another pure non-polar molecular substance or a mixture of non-polar molecular substances. Dielectric data for the assumed constituent(s) corresponding to a range of LNG temperatures is also programmed into the microprocessor for use in the density compensation factor equation. Once computed, the density compensation factor is multiplied by the density of pure methane at the temperature T of the LNG in the sump to arrive at a close approximation of the density of the LNG in the sump.
The first four steps performed by the microprocessor in FIG. 4 are identical to those in FIG. 3 . Once the system tests the LNG for purity, however, the approach of FIG. 4 differs from that of FIG. 3 . More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the microprocessor uses the temperature T from the sump, measured with temperature probe 50 , to obtain the density of pure methane from a look-up table or other database. The microprocessor also calculates the density compensation factor using the dielectric for pure methane (at the temperature T of the sump LNG), the sump LNG dielectric and the above equation. The density compensation factor is then applied to the density for pure methane to determine a close approximation of the density for the LNG in the sump. The volumetric flow for the dispensed LNG is obtained from meter 36 and the approximate density of the LNG is applied to the volumetric flow to arrive at the mass flow for the dispensed LNG.
When dispensing of LNG ceases, and dispensing valve 34 is closed, an undelivered volume of LNG remains in the system dispensing hose 30 of FIG. 1 . Ambient heating will require that the resulting LNG vapors in the hose be vented. In addition, an unknown volume of LNG remaining in the dispensing hose undermines the meter accuracy for the next dispensing. Accordingly, it is desirable that the hose be empty at the commencement of dispensing, that is, that the system provide a “dry hose.” As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system of the present invention provides this by the inclusion of a drain line 62 connected on opposite sides of dispensing valve 34 . One end 58 of drain line 62 is connected at the lowest point along dispensing line 28 and hose 30 between the sump 15 and the quick-disconnect coupling 32 . Drain line 62 is also provided with a check valve 64 to prevent LNG from sump 15 bypassing closed dispensing valve 34 .
In operation, at the end of a dispensing, the dispensing valve 34 is closed and ambient heat pressurizes the LNG trapped in the hose 30 so that the liquid is quickly forced through drain line 62 , check valve 64 and back into sump 15 . If the connection between the dispensing line 28 and hose 30 and drain line 62 was not at the lowest point between sump 15 and coupling 32 , the LNG would only transfer out of the hose as a gas. This could possibly and undesirably leave LNG in the hose at the commencement of the next dispensing.
The sump and dispensing line and hose portions of an alternative embodiment of the dispensing system of the present invention are illustrated in FIG. 5 . As with the embodiment of FIG. 1, LNG is maintained within the sump 115 at a desired level via the cooperation of insulated line 114 , vapor return line 124 and liquid level control device 142 , all of which communicate with a bulk storage tank and pump arrangement of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 . As with the embodiment of FIG. 1, the system also includes a dispensing line 128 and hose 130 with drain line 162 and check valve 164 provided to ensure a dry hose condition at the commencement of dispensing.
While the embodiment of FIG. 5 also includes a temperature probe 150 to determine the temperature of LNG 118 and a primary flow meter 136 , a compensating flow meter 170 is substituted for the open-air capacitor 54 of FIG. 1 . The primary and compensating meters each measure the flow of dispensed LNG but relate mass flow to density through equations of different form. For example, the primary meter 136 may be a differential pressure/orifice meter wherein the measured mass flow is proportional to the square root of density. In contrast, the compensating meter may be a turbine meter wherein the measured mass flow is proportional to density. Since the equations have different forms, they can be combined to solve for density as illustrated below:
For primary meter: M=K orifice (ρ×Δ P ) ½
For compensating meter: M=ρ×K turbine ×Frequency
Combining equations: ρ={(K orifice ×ΔP ½ )(K turbine ×Frequency)} 2
Where: M=mass flow of LNG through meter
ρ=density of LNG flowing through meter
K orifice =meter calibration constant
ΔP=pressure drop measured by primary meter
K turbine =meter calibration constant
Frequency=frequency measured by compensating meter
As a result, once the density for the dispensed LNG is determined, the mass flow may be determined from either one of the above mass flow equations.
In order to perform the above calculations, which are illustrated in the flow diagram of FIG. 6, the calibration constants and mass flow equations for the two meters and the derived density equation are programmed into the microprocessor 135 . In addition, density data for pure methane for a range of LNG temperatures is programmed into a look-up table or some other type of database in the microprocessor memory.
As a result, as illustrated in the flow diagram of FIG. 6, upon receipt of temperature data from temperature probe 150 and commencement of dispensing, the microprocessor may test the purity of the LNG by comparing the density computed for the LNG (via the above derived equation) with the density of pure methane at the measured temperature (obtained from the look-up table). A window for acceptable LNG purity may be established so that if the density of the LNG differs significantly from the density of pure methane for the measured temperature, an indication of the presence of impure LNG is provided by the microprocessor and the dispensing of LNG is halted via microprocessor control of valve 134 . An example of an acceptable range of deviation in density is ±6% to −0%. The outer limit of this range corresponds to LNG having a composition that is 90% methane and 10% ethane.
It should be noted that, while a differential pressure/orifice meter is described for the primary meter and a turbine meter is described for the compensating meter of the embodiment of FIG. 5, a variety of other meter type combinations may be made. For example, a vortex shedding meter, which has a mathematical relation between mass flow and density that is similar to the equation for the turbine meter, may be used as the compensating meter. All that is required is that the primary and compensating meter have differing equations relating mass flow with density so that they may be solved for these two unknowns.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims. | A system for dispensing cryogenic liquid to a use device includes a bulk storage tank providing liquid natural gas (LNG) to a sump containing a meter submerged in LNG. A temperature probe is also submerged in the LNG. A dispensing line is positioned between the meter and dispensing hose and includes a dispensing valve. A drain line bypasses the dispensing valve and features a check valve so that LNG trapped in the hose after dispensing is returned to the sump due to pressurization by ambient heat. A capacitance probe is submerged in the LNG in the sump and provides a dielectric that is compared by a microprocessor with the dielectric for pure methane at the same temperature to determine the purity of the LNG. An approximate linear relation between density and dielectric may be used to determine density and mass flow for the LNG from the measured dielectric. | 5 |
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a silenced blowing nozzle for emitting a gas medium, in particular air, under high overpressure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART
For many years within the engineering industry, blowing nozzles of so-called “silent type” have been used, i.e. blowing nozzles which for a given blowing force are considerably quieter than corresponding standard blowing nozzles. Belonging to this group of blowing nozzles are tapered slot nozzles of type Silvent® 511 and 512, cupped hole nozzles of type Silvent® 208 and 209 and blowing nozzles with flat ends, type Silvent ® 701-720. These blowing nozzles are used for low and moderate blowing forces and blowing distances. So-called “large blowers” are used where large blowing forces are required at long distances. Belonging to this group are aggregates consisting of a larger number of co-operating hole nozzles, which belong to the Silvent® 1100- and 1200-series of the same applicant. These tools are used for instance for applications in steel plants, paper mills, and foundries for cleaning, cooling, drying etc.
However in certain cases within the pulp and paper industry, blowing nozzles with even higher air flows are used, which generate extremely high noise levels due to the expansion of the air stream after it has left the nozzle. The operator can be subject to a level of approx. 115 dB(A), and for other personnel in the vicinity of the discharge, it is not unusual with values in the range 100-110 dB(A). As the nozzle is often required for sudden interruptions in production at the factory, e.g. when a paper web goes out of line, high requirements are placed on the personnel for immediate action. Many times one simply does not have time to put on hearing protection, which in unfortunate cases can imply permanent hearing damage after only a few seconds of exposure time.
The powerful air nozzles used within the pulp and paper industry can be said to have two areas of application. In one case the air is used as a bearing surface for the paper web in connection with start-up of the paper machine, “pulls the leading end”. In this case the air must act as a guide, helping to steer the paper web between rollers in the paper machine. In this case it is suitable that the flow be moderately large and that it be distributed over a large area. The other case is when the paper web has broken and a quickly growing amount of paper must be blown immediately away from the machine at the same time as the leading end must be steered into the correct position. For cleaning, a very strong, concentrated air stream is required, which tends to tear apart the web even at large distances from the nozzle itself; the distance can reach up to 10 m! Other devices for managing the said tasks are not available within known technology. Certain limited tasks can be managed by blowing nozzles with fixed installation, but in all essential work the hand-regulated blowing nozzle, which generates extremely high noise levels, is necessary for giving the required flexibility in use.
BRIEF DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to offer an efficient blowing nozzle with which a significantly higher and/or quieter blowing force can be achieved for a given frontal area than with corresponding known nozzles.
The invention has been developed especially to solve the above-mentioned problems and to meet needs within the pulp and paper industry, and hereby aims to offer a blowing nozzle which can generate very large blowing forces at significantly lower noise levels than for comparable conventional nozzles. Other areas where these nozzles can be used are e.g. steel plants, foundries etc. The principles of the invention can, however, also be applied to nozzles for small or moderate blowing forces, where the nozzle according to the invention can replace conventional or silenced blowing nozzles employed within the engineering industry.
To achieve the desired blowing force, the nozzle according to the invention comprises at least one first discharge opening in a central part of the nozzle, where the first discharge opening is diverging, suitably formed as a Laval nozzle, to give the discharging gas, normally air, supersonic velocity at the pressure prevailing most immediately behind the discharge. For a correctly formed Laval nozzle, the pressure of the air/gas is converted completely to kinetic energy, which implies that the gas stream does not expand sideways after it has left the nozzle, as is the case for conventional nozzles, where the expansion creates intense noise. A powerful noise occurs nevertheless when gas flows with supersonic velocity out of a correctly dimensioned Laval nozzle. This is assumed caused by violent turbulence arising in the boundary zone between the gas/air stream which rushes forward with a very high velocity, and the surrounding air. The invention aims to solve this problem. According to the invention, the vortex formation in a gas exiting with supersonic velocity in a core stream near said first discharge opening, and therewith the generation of high frequency sound within the audible region, is suppressed in that the core stream is surrounded by a gas flow aimed in the direction of the core stream, which prevents or significantly reduces vortex formation of the core stream near said discharge opening, by which the initially mainly laminar character of the core stream is preserved to a large degree at least within a critical region near the discharge, where the velocity of the core stream is greatest.
The invention is thus based on the interaction of two principles:
1. The core stream is formed such that the working capacity thereof becomes maximum by said core stream emitted through an expanding (diverging) exit (discharge) opening which is formed such—preferably in the form of a Laval nozzle—that the internal energy of the gas is almost completely transformed into velocity under the influence of the pressure prevailing immediately behind the exit opening. For the dimensional ranges specific to the invention, the velocity in the discharge section of the nozzle lies far above sonic velocity.
2. The formation of turbulence around the rapidly gushing core stream is decreased by said core stream being surrounded by a protective gas flow aimed in the direction of said core stream. The velocity of the surrounding flow shall be lower than that of the core stream. The protective gas flow is released by a larger number of smaller exit (discharge) openings situated around the core stream—this is to suppress vortex formation due to the interaction with surrounding air and therewith also to suppress the generation of sound within the audible region. The most favourable condition is reached if the velocity of the protective gas flow decreases gradually with increased distance from the centre line.
Acoustically, the combination of these principles implies that the sound generation becomes relatively low in that the turbulence of the core stream is suppressed in a region downstream of the discharge orifice within which powerful generation of high frequency sound within the audible region otherwise takes place.
Mechanically, the combination implies a nozzle with a very high degree of efficiency, as the surrounding gas flow causes insignificant slowing down of the velocity of the core stream in the critical region after the orifice by the surrounding stationary air, as most of the mechanical work in accelerating the stationary air in the direction of the core stream is carried out by the surrounding gas flow.
The outstanding feature of the invention is thus that the blowing nozzle in a central part thereof has at least one first exit (discharge) opening formed to generate a core stream of gas with supersonic velocity and that the central part is surrounded by a more peripheral part containing a number of second discharge openings at a distance from each other and from the said first discharge opening(s), which second discharge openings are formed to generate a gas flow with lower velocity than that of the core stream, preferably a velocity equal to sonic velocity, which gas flow surrounds and has the same direction as said core stream.
Said first discharge opening can have a diameter at the most narrow section of up to between 2 and 20 mm, preferably to between 4 and 10 mm, preferably maximum 7 mm and most preferably up to between 5 and 6 mm.
The second discharge openings, especially when these are arranged in the periphery of the nozzle, can be advantageously formed as thin slit openings which extend radially across the projected end area of the nozzle, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof. To form a blowing nozzle with such slit-formed, radially oriented discharge openings in the periphery of the nozzle is known per se through e.g. EP 0 224 555 and the principle is practised in the 700-series of Silvent AB, see above, but has according to the invention at least two purposes in the nozzle. Firstly, the peripheral discharge openings act so that the blowing force reaches a high degree of efficiency even at large distances, secondly the gas stream flowing out through the peripheral openings and surrounding the central gas stream which flows out with supersonic velocity, muffles the otherwise very powerful sound which forms by interaction between the central gas stream with supersonic velocity and the surrounding air, by suppressing the turbulence of the core stream in a critical region. Thus the noise has, on trials done with blowing nozzles according to the invention and compared with a conventional nozzle in the paper industry, at a working pressure of 500 kPa, been reduced from 115 dB(A) for the conventional nozzle to 100 dB(A) for the new nozzle and this with maintained or amplified blowing force. This extraordinarily effective reduction in noise can be utilized for significantly improving the working conditions at existing compressed air equipment and/or for making new equipment significantly less expensive.
Starting with the theory that a good reduction in noise is favoured by a successively decreasing difference in discharge velocity from the central core stream to surrounding air, one can also consider that further discharge openings—tertiary, fourth, etc—be arranged between said first and second discharge openings, by which these interjacent discharge openings may be formed so that the gas streaming out of these openings also reaches supersonic velocity, although not as high as the supersonic velocity of the central stream. With this developmental embodiment, the tertiary discharge openings arranged around the first discharge opening(s) should thus be shaped to give an air velocity only somewhat lower than the velocity in the core stream, while, if even further discharge openings, here called fourth discharge openings, are arranged between said tertiary and second discharge openings, the said fourth discharge openings are formed such that they give an air velocity which is somewhat higher than sonic velocity, although lower than the velocity from the tertiary discharge openings, and so on.
Said possibly occurring tertiary, fourth etc discharge openings can also be formed as Laval nozzles to make supersonic velocity possible, but in order not to give the maximum possible supersonic velocity, some form of pressure reducer, e.g. restriction flange or similar contraction, should be arranged in the inlet lines.
As high sound frequencies are easier to muffle than low ones, it is acoustically advantageous to replace one large discharge outlet with several small ones. This principle has been utilized for nozzles which work at discharge velocities equal to sonic velocity, but can also be applied to Laval nozzles. For a circular discharge outlet, maximum sound generation occurs at a frequency f max which is proportional to the diameter of the outlet d and the discharge velocity w. It can therefore be advantageous to use several Laval nozzles in a central part of the blowing nozzle instead of one larger nozzle. An embodiment of the invention is characterized by such an arrangement.
The energy content of the sound generated from the second, peripheral discharge openings should have maximum at a frequency above 20 kHz, that is above the normal upper limit for human hearing. This can be achieved by making the discharge openings as narrow as possible without risk for blocking due to contamination of the compressed air. At the same time, the discharge area and therewith gas flow should be sufficient to suppress said vortex formation to desired degree of significance, which is achieved by a sufficient number of second discharge openings. More exactly, the total discharge area of the second discharge openings should be 1 to 4 times, preferably 1.5 to 3 times as large as the total discharge area of said first discharge opening(s) considered in the most narrow section of the openings, suitably about 2 times as large. With this division, a large blowing force has been achieved at a low sound level.
Generally, it can be further said that the distance between adjacent discharge openings in each concentric group of discharge openings, that is within the central group consisting of several first discharge openings, possibly tertiary and fourth etc, as well as said second discharge openings, should reach 2 to 5 times the equivalent diameter of the openings, which is the square root of the orifice area of the openings, when the openings are slit-formed or otherwise not round.
The outer radius of the nozzle can be 2.5 to 5 times, preferably approx. 3 times the diameter of the most narrow section in the first discharge opening, when this is composed of a single central Laval nozzle. Further, the radial distance between the innermost part of the second discharge openings and the point on the periphery of the first discharge opening(s) in the orifice should amount to at least a third of the radius of the nozzle, where the radius is defined as the distance from the centre to the outer point of the second discharge openings, and where discharge openings are not arranged between said first and second discharge openings.
Further characteristic features and aspects of the invention will be evident from the patent claims as well as from the following description of a number of conceivable embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the following description of some conceivable embodiments of the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, of which
FIG. 1 shows an end view of a nozzle according to a first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section along line A—A in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a side view of the same nozzle; and
FIG. 4 shows in perspective a circular nozzle according to a second embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
With reference first to FIGS. 1-3, a blowing nozzle is identified generally by the reference numeral 1. It consists of a tube-shaped casing 2 with internal threads 3 in a rear end as well as an outer and an inner nozzle body 5 respectively 6 in the front end of the casing, of which the front end part 4 is bevelled to a cone shape.
The casing 2 is connectable with the threads 3 to a compressed air line not shown, which connects the nozzle 1 with a compressed air source, so that an overpressure of at least 200 kPa can be maintained in a nozzle chamber 7 immediately behind the nozzle bodies 5 and 6. The outer nozzle body 5 is mounted by press fitting in the casing 2 . It protrudes past the front part 4 of the casing and its rear end abuts against a clamp ring 8 . The outer and central nozzle parts 5 , 6 are embodied as matching screw and nut, of which the central nozzle part 6 is threaded into the outer nozzle part 5 . It is perceived that this gives possibility for changing of the central nozzle part.
According to the embodiment, the nozzle 1 has two separate discharge systems, which extend in parallel with the longitudinal axis 10 of the nozzle, namely a central or first system and a peripheral or second system. The first system includes a first discharge opening 11 central in the central nozzle body 6 . This central discharge opening 11 is shaped as an expansion- or Laval nozzle, which at prevailing high pressure in the chamber 7 facilitates an air discharge velocity above sonic velocity. The maximum velocity, w max , of a gas streaming out through a correctly embodied Laval nozzle can be expressed as w max = w * x + 1 • x - 1
where w* is the critical velocity for the gas in question, which in turn is equal to the local sonic velocity, and where x is a constant for the actual gas. For air, x=1.4. It follows that w max =w* 2.4 =2.45 w*. At 20° C., the speed/velocity of sound is 314 m/s, which □0.4 implies that the maximum blowing/discharge velocity should be 769 m/s at a temperature of 20° C.
Whether or not the capacity of the Laval nozzle for generating a stream of air or other gas with theoretically maximum or otherwise with very high discharge velocity is utilized fully, the sound level from such a stream is normally very high. To muffle the sound, the nozzle 1 has therefore also been supplied with the second or peripheral discharge system, which according to the embodiment includes several slit openings 13 evenly distributed along the periphery of the nozzle 1 . Even circular openings in the second system are conceivable, as are all transitory forms between circular and slit-formed, e.g. wedge-formed with the point of the wedge directed towards the centre. According to the preferred embodiment, the openings are however slit-formed, with every second opening shorter in radius than the adjacent slit openings. More exactly, the openings 13 are formed according to the principles described in said EP 0 224 555, the disclosure of which is herewith through reference incorporated into this patent application. Through the openings 13 , which in the following patent claims are named second discharge openings, air streams out with a velocity equalling sonic velocity at the prevailing pressure in the chamber 7 .
The gas jets which stream out through the discharge openings 13 form a more or less integrated, continuous shroud, which surrounds the central core jet streaming out at supersonic velocity from the Laval nozzle 11 with sonic velocity and thereby muffles the emanated sound. For sufficient effect regarding the capacity for suppressing turbulence in the core jet, and therewith suppressing also undesired slowing down of the core jet as sound generation within a critical region, it is believed to be suitable that the total discharge area of the peripheral discharge openings 13 is larger than the opening area in the central system, whether it be the central system including a single Laval opening 11 or several, all considered in the most narrow section of the openings. The discharge area of the outer system should be preferably 1-4 times, suitably 1.5 to 3 times or approximately double the opening area in the central system.
At the same time the peripheral discharge openings 13 themselves generate a gas flow with relatively low noise level, where it is significant that the peripheral gas/air jets have the possibility of co-ejecting air from the surroundings. The slit-formed openings 13 in the nozzle 1 lie therefore near the outer edges in the front of the nozzle 1 , at the same time as the nozzle body 5 protrudes from the casing 2 for co-ejection of the air surrounding the nozzle.
FIG. 4 illustrates a conceivable embodiment for generating extremely large blowing forces. This embodiment is at the same time an example of the application of the desired principle that the discharge velocity of the gas flow gradually decreases with increasing distance from the core jet. In the figure the same reference numerals are used for details which have equivalence in FIG. 1-3. According to the embodiment there is an interjacent nozzle body 15 between the outer nozzle body 5 and the central nozzle body 6 . Inside the central nozzle body 6 there are three discharge openings 11 arranged, embodied as Laval nozzles, and in the interjacent nozzle body 15 is a larger number of discharge openings 16 , in the appending patent claims named tertiary discharge openings, each embodied as a Laval nozzle. According to the embodiment, eight such tertiary Laval nozzles 16 are arranged in the interjacent nozzle body 15 . In the outer nozzle body 5 there are slit-formed discharge nozzles 13 arranged in the same manner as in the previous embodiment, however in considerably larger number than in the previous embodiment.
The central, first discharge openings 11 are in embodiment according to FIG. 4 designed to generate air streams which exceed sonic velocity significantly. Even said tertiary discharge openings 16 in the interjacent nozzle bodies 15 are designed to generate air streams with velocity greater than sonic velocity. Nevertheless the openings 16 can here be shaped to generate air streams which with certainty have a velocity greater than sonic velocity but lower than the velocity of the air streams from the central openings 11 . The lower velocity of the air streams from the interjacent tertiary discharge openings 16 can also be achieved by a pressure reducer arranged behind the discharge openings 16 or in some other manner. If the velocity from the interjacent discharge openings 16 is lower than the velocity from the central discharge openings 11 , and otherwise similar conditions apply, especially regarding the frequency of sound, then the level of sound from the interjacent discharge openings will become lower than from the central discharge openings 11 . Further the outer discharge openings 13 have a total flow-through area which is larger than the flow-through area of the interjacent tertiary discharge openings 16 , which in turn have a larger total flow-through area considered in the most narrow section than the flow-through area of the central discharge openings 11. E.g. the area relationship between the nozzle openings 13/16/11 can be 9/3/1 or e,g, 4/2/1 or more generally 4-9/2-3/1.
It shall be realized that the gas which streams out through the various nozzle openings can be air or other gas. The fact that air is named in certain cases shall therefore not pose any limitation regarding the applicability of the nozzle. Examples of gases other than air include oxygen gas and inert protective gases. Combinations are also conceivable, e.g. the core stream being comprised of an oxygen gas stream surrounded by a peripheral flow of inert gas. | The present invention relates to a silenced blowing nozzle for blowing of a static gas medium under overpressure, in particular air, having in a central part ( 6 ) of the nozzle at least one first discharge opening ( 11 ) embodied to generate a core stream of gas with supersonic velocity. The central part is surrounded by a more peripheral part ( 5 ) containing a number of second discharge openings ( 13 ) spaced from each other and from said first discharge opening(s), the said second discharge openings being embodied to generate a gas flow with lower velocity than the core stream, preferably a velocity equal to sonic velocity, which gas flow surrounds the core stream and has the same direction as said core stream. | 3 |
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/278,323, filed Jul. 21, 1994, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in a camera which is capable of accommodating an automatic optical unit in accordance with the operation of the operation member.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, cameras have become smaller and lighter. For improved portability, many cameras adopt a structure in which the lens barrel is extended out from the camera body when the camera is ON, while the lens barrel is retracted into the camera body when the camera is OFF.
Some cameras which have a plurality of photographing modes (such as a close-up mode, a night photographing mode, and the like) are provided with a dial which turns the camera ON/OFF, and sets the various photographing modes described above.
In the above-described example, however, the user may momentarily turn the camera OFF by mistake when trying to set a photographing mode. Even when the photographing mode is quickly reset, the lens barrel is retracted into the camera and then extended therefrom, which may be very inconvenient for the user.
For making the camera easier to operate, photographing modes which are used frequently are placed at both sides of the main switch OFF position. In this case, the dial frequently passes through the OFF position when setting a photographing mode, which often results in the lens barrel being retracted into the camera and then extended therefrom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a camera, an optical equipment, or an optical unit drive control apparatus comprising s setting means for setting at least a first and a second mode; drive means for causing the optical unit to be in an accommodated state in response to a setting operation of the first mode by the setting means; and a changing means for causing a time period required to set the first mode to be different from a time period required to set the second mode.
Other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the preferable embodiments illustrated below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are front and top views of a collapsible barrel type camera in each embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the construction of a dial operation section in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical arrangement of the collapsible barrel type camera in each embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a principal operation of the collapsible barrel type camera in a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of the mode set operation in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of the mode setting operation of the collapsible barrel type camera in a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of the mode setting operation of the collapsible barrel type camera in a third embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) respectively illustrate a front view and a top view of a collapsible barrel type camera in a first embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1(a), reference numeral 1 denotes a dial operation section (details shown in FIG. 2) for switching the main switch ON/OFF, or setting photographing modes such as normal photographing modes, close-up photographing mode, or the like; and reference numeral 2 denotes a shutter release switch which starts the photographing operations. Reference numeral 3 denotes a lens barrel having a photographing lens mounted a thereto. The lens barrel is retracted into the collapsible barrel type camera body when the dial operation section 1 is turned to OFF, and extended (out to the broken lines as shown in FIG. 1(b)) when the dial operation Section 1 is turned to a setting other than OFF.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an internal construction of the above-described dial operation section 1.
The dial operation section 1, which is fixed in the camera body, comprises an operation section 1--1 having stamped thereon the selectible photographing modes; a mode set contact 1-2 which is fixed to the operation section 1--1 and interlocks with its rotation; and a switch base 1-3, contacting the mode set contact 1-2 and having patterns to change the ON/OFF state of a plurality of switches.
The operation section 1--1 can be manually turned to change the phase difference of the mode set contact 1-2 and the switch base 1-3, which makes it possible to distinguish the plurality of photographing modes, and the main switch ON/OFF states. The mode set contact has four contact sections (of which one is for the common line), while the switch base 1-3 has a pattern for each of the switches and a pattern for the common line. This means that a total of eight modes can be identified, since there are three contact sections available (2 3 =8).
Though not illustrated, the bottom portion of the operation section 1--1 has grooves cut therein to prevent various mode set positions from shifting easily. The camera body internally stops (as a click) the dial at each mode set position.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a principal arrangement of the camera having the above-described construction, in which like parts to those in FIG. 1 are designated using the same reference numerals.
Referring to FIG. 3, reference numeral 11 denotes a control circuit for controlling the entire camera, and which has a CPU, a memory, etc. Reference numeral 12 denotes a mode set circuit which detects the state of the dial operation section 1 (or the sate of the mode set contact 1-2 and that of the switch base 1-3) to identify and set the main switch ON/OFF state or the photographing mode, reference numeral 13 denotes a timer circuit which counts the time required to re-identify the switch state after the dial operation section 1 has been operated, that is after the state of the mode set contact 1-2 and that of the switch base 1-3 have been changed; reference numeral 14 denotes a well-known photometric circuit which measures the luminance of the subject; reference numeral 15 denotes a well-known range measuring circuit which measures the distance to the object; reference numeral 16 denotes a shutter circuit for exposing the film; reference numeral 17 denotes a feed circuit for advancing and rewinding the film; and reference numeral 18 denotes a lens barrel retracting circuit including a motor which drives the lens barrel 3 when the main switch is switched to or from OFF.
Next, the operation of the above-described control circuit 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4.
[Step 101] A judgment is made as to whether or not the mode switch state has been changed by the dial operation section 1. If it has changed, the following Step 102 is carried out; if not, the Step 103 below is carried out.
[Step 102] A mode set operation is carried out based on the operation of the dial operation section 1 (details will be described with reference to FIG. 5).
[Step 103] After completing the aforementioned Step 102, a judgment is made as to whether or not the lens barrel 3 has been retracted into the camera body. If it has been retracted, the following Step 104 is carried out; if not, the operation is completed.
[Step 104] A judgment is made as to whether or not the release switch 2 has been switched ON. If it has not been switched ON, the Step 101 above and the same operations which follow are carried out; if it has been switched ON, the next Step 105 is carried out.
[Step 105] Here, the release switch 2 has been turned from OFF to a designated mode. Therefore, the photometric circuit carries out a photometric operation, and the range measuring circuit carries out a range measurement operation. Based on the range information obtained, the focus lens (not illustrated) is driven. Then, based on the photometric information obtained (and the film ISO speed), the shutter circuit 16 is controlled to expose the film.
[Step 106] The feed circuit 17 is driven to advance a predetermined amount of film.
With Step 106, the series of operations are completed.
Next, a subroutine of mode setting carried out in the above-described Step 102 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5.
[Step 201] Based on the contact state of the mode set contact 1-2 and the switch base 1-3 patterns, the setting state of the switches are detected.
[Step 202] A detection is made as to whether or not the mode switch state in the previous Step 201 is the OFF state. If it is, the following Step 203 is carried out; if not, Step 207 is carried out.
First, the operation of the camera at the time when it is in the switch OFF state will be described.
[Step 203] Since the switch OFF state has been set, a time (for example, 400 msec) set by the timer circuit 13 is counted. When the time count is completed, the following Step 204 is carried out.
[Step 204] As in the above-described Step 201, the mode switch state is detected from the contact state of the mode set contact 1-2 and the switch base 1-3 patterns.
[Step 205] A judgment is made as to whether or not the mode switch state in the previous Step 204 is the switch OFF state. When it has been judged that it is again the switch OFF state after the above-described predetermined length of time has elapsed, the switch OFF command is determined to be an intentional OFF. Then, the following Step 206 is carried out. When it has been judged in the Step 205 that the switch state is not the switch OFF state, the switch OFF command is determined to be a command for switching to other modes. The Step 201 above and the same operations which follow are then repeated.
[Step 206] Since the switch OFF state has been set, the circuit 18 is driven to retract the lens barrel 3 into the camera body.
Next, the operation of the camera when it has been judged in Step 202 that the switch state is not the OFF state will be described.
[Step 207] The photographing mode detected in the above-described Step 201 is set.
After Steps 206 or 207 have been carried out, the subroutine of FIG. 5 returns to Step 103 of FIG. 4.
Second Embodiment
In the above-described first embodiment, the switch state is re-detected to lengthen the mode identifying time only when the camera has been changed to or through the switch OFF state. However, the switch state of other modes must be re-detected.
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, the switch state for other modes is re-detected even if the OFF state hasn't been detected. The time required for mode identification is lengthened when the camera has been changed to or through the switch OFF state by increasing the amount of time required to re-detect the switch state in other modes.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the mode setting in the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the switch set state is detected and recorded in a memory in the control circuit 11.
[Step 301] Based on the contact state of the mode set contact 1-2 and the switch base 103 patterns, the switch set state is detected.
[Step 302] A detection is made as to whether or not the switch state set in the above-described Step 301 is the OFF state. If it is, the following Step 303 is carried out, while if it is not, Step 307 is carried out.
First, the operation of the camera when it is in a main switch OFF state will be described.
[Step 303] Since the main switch OFF state has been set, a time T1 (for example, 400 msec) set by the timer circuit 13 is counted. Upon completion, the following Step 304 is carried out.
[Step 304] As in the above-described Step 301, based on the contact state of the mode set contact 1-2 and the switch base 1-3 patterns, the switch set state is again detected.
[Step 305] A judgment is made as to whether or not the switch state is the switch OFF state in the above-described Step 304. When it has been judged that the switch state is gain the switch OFF state after the aforementioned predetermined time T1 has elapsed, the switch OFF command is determined to be an intentional OFF. The following Step 306 is carried out. When it has been judged that the switch state is not the switch OFF state, the switch OFF command is determined to be a command for switching to other modes. The Step 301 and the same operations which follow are repeated.
[Step 306] Since the switch OFF state has been set, the lens barrel retracting circuit 18 is driven to retract the lens barrel 3 into the camera body.
Next the operation of the camera when it has been judged in Step 302 that the switch state is not the OFF state, Will be described. In this case, Step 307 is directly carried out from Step 302.
[Step 307] Since the main switch OFF state has been set, a time T2 (for example, 50 msec) set by the timer circuit 13 is counted. Upon completion, the procedure moves to Step 308.
As apparent from the above, the relationship between the time T1 and T2 set by the timer circuit 13 is T1>T2.
[Step 308] As in the above-described Step 301, from the contact sate of the mode set contact 1-2 and the switch base 1-3 patterns, the switch setting state is detected.
[Step 309] A judgment is made as to whether or not the switch state stored in the memory in the control circuit 11 is identical to the switch state detected in Step 308. If they are the same, the following Step 310 is carried out; if not, the switch information detected in Step 308 is restored in the memory in the control circuit 11, and the Step 307 above is carried out again.
[Step 310] A mode is set in accordance with the switch set state detected in Step 308.
Third Embodiment
In the third embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that detection of the state of the mode switch is repeatedly carried out. The time required to identify the mode is made longer by increasing the number of times the aforementioned detection is carried out only when the camera is changed to or through a switch OFF state as compared to changes to other modes.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a subroutine of the mode setting in the third embodiment of the present invention.
[Step 401] Based on the contact state of the mode setting contact 1-2 and the switch base 1-3 patterns, the switch state is detected successively (for example, three times), and the detected information is stored in the memory of the control circuit 11.
[Step 402] A judgment is made as to whether or not information stored in the memory of the control circuit 11 in the above-described Step 401 are all identical. If they are identical, the information is stored in the memory of the control circuit 11 as mode information. Then, the following Step 403 is carried out. If not, the Step 401 is carried out again.
[Step 403] A detection is made as to whether or not the stored mode information in the above-described Step 402 is a main switch OFF command. If it is, the following Step 404 is carried out; and if not, Step 408 below is carried out.
First the operation of the camera when it is in the main switch OFF state will be described.
[Step 404] As in the above-described Step 401, from the contact state of the mode set contract 1-2 and the switch base 1-3 patterns, the switch setting state is successively detected (for example, three times), and the detected information is stored in the memory i the control circuit 11.
[Step 405] As in the above-described Step 402, a judgment is made as to whether or not all information stored in the memory in the control circuit 11 in the above-described Step 404 are all identical. If they are, the information is stored in the memory in the control circuit 11 as mode information. Then, the Step 403 above is carried out. If they are not, the Step 401 is carried out again.
[Step 406] As in the above-described Step 403, a detection is made as to whether or not the stored mode information in the above-described Step 405 is a main switch OFF command. If it is, the Step 406 is carried out; and if it is not, Step 408 below is carried out.
[Step 407] Since the main switch OFF state has been set, the lens barrel retracting circuit 18 is driven to retract the lens barrel 3 back into the camera body.
Next, the operation of the camera, judged as not being in the main switch OFF state in Step 403 or Step 406, will be described. In this case, Step 40 is carried out directly.
[Step 408] A mode is set in accordance with the switch state detected in the above-described Step 401 or Step 404.
According to each of the above-described embodiments, when the dial operation section 11 is used to switch the main switch to the OFF state, the time required to identify the set switching state by means of the dial operation section 11 is made longer, that is the time interval required from detecting the switch state once to re-detect the same is made longer, as compared to when a photographing mode is changed to another photographing mode. Therefore, while the user is setting a photographing mode and by mistake sets the main switch off state even for one instant, the lens barrel is not retraced.
To make the camera easier to operate, the frequently used photographing modes are placed on both sides of the main switch OFF position. In this case, as described above, the dial is frequently passed over the main switch OFF position to set the photographing mode. However, even in such a case, no inconvenience arises because the lens barrel is no longer retracted into the camera each time the main switch OFF position is passed by.
Time is provided for identifying the set switch state or the switch is set for a longer period, when the camera is switched to or through a switch OFF state. Therefore, this causes the camera to operate in accordance with the desired switch state, so that the operator will not loose the opportunity to operate the shutter.
Each of the embodiments and their technical ideas may be combined, if necessary.
In the present invention, the modes to be set are not limited to the photographing modes of the embodiments. Other types of modes are also applicable.
In the present invention, the way in which the lens barrel is retracted into the camera is not limited to those in the embodiment. The lens barrel may be retracted into the camera in other ways.
In the present invention, what is to be retracted is not limited to a photographing lens. The structure is applicable to other optical units.
In the present invention, the mode setting member is not limited to the dial of this embodiment. Other types of mode setting members are also applicable.
In the present invention, the time period which is set until the mode is set is not limited to those of the embodiments. It may be set freely, as appropriate.
The present invention is applicable to various types of cameras such as a single-lens reflex camera, a lens shutter camera, or a video camera. In addition, it is applicable to optical apparatuses besides a camera or other apparatuses. It is further applicable as a product of a component part of the camera, optical apparatuses, or other types of apparatuses.
The individual components shown in schematic or block form in the drawings are all well-known in the camera arts and their specific construction and operation are not critical to the operation or best mode for carrying out the invention.
While the present invention has been described with respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions. | Apparatus for delaying a camera extendible lens from being automatically withdrawn into the camera body by the camera lens driver when the camera mode setting switch is set to or through a camera OFF setting includes control structure for (i) determining that the camera mode setting switch has been set to the camera OFF setting, (ii) causing a predetermined time to be counted after it has been determined that the camera mode setting switch has been set to the camera OFF setting, (iii) again determining that the camera mode setting switch has been set to the camera OFF setting after the predetermined time has finished being counted, and (iv) causing the camera lens driver to withdraw the lens into the camera body only if it has been again determined that the camera mode setting switch has been set to the camera OFF setting. Preferably, this prevents the extendible lens from being automatically withdrawn into the camera body every time the mode setting switch is turned through the OFF setting. | 6 |
PROVISIONAL PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] Priority based on Provisional Application, Ser. No. 61/194,781 filed Sep. 30, 2008, and entitled “METHOD OF COATING AND HANDLING MULTIPLE OPTICAL RODS SIMULTANEOUSLY” is claimed. The entirety of the disclosure of the previous provisional application, including the drawings, is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth fully in the present application.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Various industries incorporate into light-transmissive—including image-transmissive—optical-assembly products small, difficult to handle optical rods, rod segments, and fused fiber bundles, which are hereinafter alternatively included within the term “optical components.” Currently, during processes such as polishing and coating, for example, these optical components are processed individually, frequently by the thousands. It will be readily appreciated that individual process handling of such components contributes significantly to their cost. Moreover, production losses attributable to lost and damaged components are also incurred.
[0003] Accordingly, there exists a need for methods of processing (e.g., coating) multiple “rod-like” optical components simultaneously.
SUMMARY
[0004] Implementations of the present invention are directed to methods of simultaneously processing (i.e., fabricating, cleaning, coating and handling) multiple rod-like optical components that have heretofore been cleaned, coated and handled individually and, in various embodiments, to optical components made in accordance with the methods.
[0005] Various aspects employ techniques analogous to those applied in the fabrication of optical fiber faceplates. For instance, various implementations include the formation of a fused fiber bundle including a plurality of mutually fused optical fibers extending generally along a longitudinal axis between first and second ends. Each fiber includes a core fabricated from a first material exhibiting a first refractive index and a cladding fabricated from a second material fusedly disposed about the core and exhibiting a second refractive index, lower in magnitude than the first refractive index, such that light entering either of first and second ends of the fiber can propagate therethrough by internal reflection. In various aspects, each of the core and the cladding comprises glass. When individual fibers (i.e., monofibers) are bound, heated and drawn, the claddings of adjacent fibers become fused to one another resulting in a unitary structure (i.e., a “fused bundle”) in which the cores are fusedly supported in a matrix of the second material from which the claddings of the monofibers were fabricated. The formation of such structures is generally known among fabricators of fused optical fiber components.
[0006] The fused fiber bundle is cut along, but not necessarily parallel to, a plane that extends perpendicularly to its longitudinal axis to form a plurality of fused fiber plates, each of which fused fiber plates includes first and second plate faces. In various implementations, the first and second plate faces of a fused fiber plate are ground and polished to create smooth plate faces and, if desired, a fused plate of uniform thickness or alternative profile. Each plate includes a plurality of rod-like, light-transmissive optical components (i.e., fiber segments) retained within a matrix of the aforementioned second material. Each optical component includes first and second component faces coinciding with, and forming a part of, respectively, the first and second plate faces. At least one component side extends between the first and second component faces of each optical component.
[0007] Although the terms “rod,” “rod-like” and similar adjectives are used in describing the optical components, these terms are used in a very broad sense to include, for example, “rod segments.” For instance, rods are commonly thought of as structures having lengths longer than their diameters or widths; the terms “rod” and “rod-like” as used in the current description, and the appended claims, include structures having widths greater than their lengths. More specifically, when plates are formed, the distance between the opposed first and second component faces of each optical component may be shorter than the diameter of that component. The terms “rod” and “rod-like” are also used broadly to refer to optical components of various cross-sectional geometries. Accordingly, to the extent the term “diameter” is associated with an optical component, it should not be assumed that the cross-sectional geometry of that component is circular. More specifically, although “diameter” is frequently thought of narrowly as the longest chord that can be fitted within the curve defining a circle, the more general definition of that term is applicable to this description and the appended claims. For instance, chords within squares, rectangles, hexagons, and even, irregular shapes are also diameters. A radius is a line segment extending from the geometric center of a shape to the boundary of the shape or one half the length of specified diameter. Nothing in the preceding explanation should be construed to attribute to the terms “diameter” and “radius” a meaning more narrow than common usage and a more generalized mathematical usage would attribute to them.
[0008] While process steps subsequently described are in actuality performed on multiple plates simultaneously or successively, subsequent steps are explained relative to a single plate structure of the general configuration described above, irrespective of whether the plate structure under consideration resulted from a process such as that described above. The first and second materials from which the optical components and the matrix are formed are selected such that the matrix is soluble in a predetermined matrix solvent in which the optical components are relatively insoluble. At least the first plate face is exposed to the matrix solvent in order to dissolve the matrix material to a total depth that is less than the plate thickness such that a remainder of matrix material retains the components, but is recessed relative to at least the first component faces. More specifically, in one implementation, only the first plate face is initially exposed to the matrix solvent in order to dissolve the matrix material from the first plate face toward, but not all the way to, the second plate face. In a second, alternative implementation, both the first and second plate faces are exposed to the matrix solvent in order to partially dissolve the matrix material, leaving a remainder of matrix material that is recessed relative to both the first component faces and the second component faces. In either event, the total depth of dissolution, whether from only the first plate face or from both plate faces, is initially less than the total plate thickness such that a remainder of matrix material retains the components in fixed relative positions.
[0009] Following the initial dissolution, or “etching,” step -described above, the plate is typically cleaned and dried. Irrespective of whether, in any particular implementation, the plate is cleaned and dried after initial etching, a quantity of a predetermined optical coating is applied to at least the first component faces. In processes calling for the production of optical components in which only the first component faces are coated, it will be appreciated that either initial etching process described above may be employed. That is, coating may be equally-well effectuated whether the matrix material is initially etched from both plate faces or from just the first plate face. However, it will also be appreciated that, in a version in which both the first and second component faces are to be coated with a predetermined optical coating, the matrix material is etched below both the first and second component faces.
[0010] With the optical coating applied to at least the first component faces, the remainder of the matrix material is dissolved by exposure to the matrix solvent, thereby freeing the individual optical components from retention by the matrix material. In various instances, however, it may be desirable to retain the optical components in the same relative positions in which they were retained by the matrix material. Accordingly, in some versions, before the remainder of the matrix material is dissolved, an adhesive substrate is adhered by adhesive to either of the first and second component faces prior to final matrix dissolution. In alternative versions, the adhesive substrate is variously configured and may be, for example, a relatively rigid card or board-like material or a more flexible material such as a tape. However, the substrate of various versions is generally a single-continuous structure that can be adhered to plural component faces simultaneous. The nature of the adhesive may also vary and may be, for example, a pressure-sensitive adhesive and/or a thermally released adhesive, by way of non-limiting example. With the adhesive substrate applied to one side (plate face) of the plate or “wafer,” the remainder of matrix material can be dissolved from the opposite side. With the matrix remainder dissolved, and the adhesive substrate in place, the optical components are retained in an orderly arrangement for subsequent handling, including, where applicable, packaging and shipping to customers.
[0011] In some cases, only the first component faces are to be coated with the predetermined optical coating. Moreover, there are instances in which the matrix solvent is incompatible with (i.e., will damage) the applied coating. In such instances, the adhesive substrate is applied to the coated first component faces and dissolution of the matrix remainder is performed from the second plate face. In alternative implementations, the substrate also serves to mask the coated first component faces from contact with the matrix solvent. It will be readily appreciated that the designation of first and second plate and component faces is arbitrary. Accordingly, for example, when only one set of component faces is to be coated, that set of faces is by definition “the first component faces,” and the plate side coinciding therewith is the first plate face.
[0012] Depending on the nature of the first and second materials from which the matrix material optical components are fabricated, the matrix solvent may be an acidic or basic solution. In various implementations, the first material from which the optical components are fabricated is a first glass and the second material form which the matrix material is fabricated is a second glass.
[0013] In still additional versions, the optical components are internally-reflecting clad-rod components. More specifically, in some versions, each optical component includes an optically-transmissive core fabricated from a first material exhibiting a first refractive index and a cladding fabricated from a second material fusedly disposed about the core and exhibiting a second refractive index. The second refractive index is lower in magnitude than the first refractive index, such that light entering either of the first and second component faces can propagate by internal reflection between the opposed faces. In an illustrative implementation in which the optical components are internally-reflecting rods, the first material from which the core is fabricated is a first glass and the second material from which the cladding of each component is fabricated is a second glass. The matrix material is fabricated from a third glass material that, prior to dissolution, fusedly retains the optical components.
[0014] It is to be understood that, throughout the specification and claims, the identification of the core, cladding and matrix as first, second, and third materials or glasses is entirely arbitrary and merely intended to indicate, in such instances in which the core, cladding and/or matrix material are so identified, that they are made from distinct materials with differing optical, physical or chemical properties. Accordingly, for example, in a case in which a plurality of cores is supported in a matrix, the cores might be identified as fabricated from a first material (e.g., a first glass) whereas the matrix might be identified as being fabricated from a second material (e.g. a second glass). However, as in the preceding paragraph, in instances in which the optical components are internally-reflecting clad-rod components, the cores, the claddings around the cores, and the matrix in which the optical components are retained in fixed positions might be identified as being fabricated from, respectively, first, second and third materials.
[0015] Representative implementations are more completely described and depicted in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 depicts a fused fiber bundle including a plurality of cores surrounded, and retained in position, by fused cladding material;
[0017] FIG. 1A shows fused fiber plates cut from the fused fiber bundle of FIG. 1 ;
[0018] FIG. 2 is an edgewise depiction of a plate including parallel first and second opposed plate faces and a plurality of rod-like, light-transmissive optical components retained within a matrix material and including first and second component faces coinciding with, and at least partially defining, respectively, the first and second plate faces;
[0019] FIG. 2A shows a plate such as that of FIG. 2 in which a portion of the matrix material, beginning at the first plate face, has been dissolved in a matrix solvent such that portions of the lengths of the optical components, beginning at the first component faces, protrude from the matrix material;
[0020] FIG. 2B is an edgewise view of a plate such as the plate of FIG. 2 in which portions of the matrix material, beginning at both the first and second plate faces, have been chemically etched by a matrix solvent that portions of the lengths of the optical components, beginning at both the first and second component faces, protrude from the matrix material;
[0021] FIG. 3A depicts the etched plate of FIG. 3A in which the first component faces of the optical components have been coated with a predetermined optical coating;
[0022] FIG. 3B depicts the etched plate of FIG. 3B in which the first and second component faces of the optical components have been coated with a predetermined optical coating;
[0023] FIGS. 4A and 4B show optical-component assemblies comprising the plates of, respectively, FIGS. 3A and 3B after application of adhesive substrates;
[0024] FIGS. 5A and 4B depict the optical components of, respectively, FIGS. 4A and 4 B after final dissolution of the matrix material; and
[0025] FIGS. 6 through 6B show fiber plates in which the optical components are internally-reflecting clad-rod components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The following description of methods of coating and handling multiple optical components simultaneous, and of optical components coated in accordance therewith, is demonstrative in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or its application of uses. The various implementations, aspects, versions and embodiments described in the summary and detailed description are in the nature of non-limiting examples falling within the scope of the appended claims and do not serve to define the maximum scope of the claims.
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1A , various implementations include one of (i) fabricating and (ii) providing a fused fiber bundle 10 including a plurality of cores 12 extending through fused cladding material 14 along a longitudinal axis A L between first and second ends 16 and 18 of the fiber bundle 10 . As is generally known by those of ordinary skill in the art of optical-fiber component fabrication, a fused bundle such as the illustrative bundle 10 of FIG. 1 is formed by adjacently binding, and then heating and drawing, a plurality of constituent “monofibers,” each of which monofibers includes a core about which is fusedly collapsed a cladding tube. When the bound assembly of monofibers is heated and drawn, each cladding tube fuses to the cladding tubes of adjacent monofibers, resulting in a unitary structure (i.e., a fused bundle 10 ) including a plurality of cores 12 fusedly retained within fused cladding material 14 .
[0028] Referring to FIG. 1A , fused fiber plates 20 (or “plate structures”) are formed by cutting the fused bundle 10 perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis A L thereof. Each plate 20 has opposed first and second plate faces 22 and 24 . In a typical implementation, the first and second plate faces 22 and 24 are ground and polished to create smooth, planar faces. However, cutting, grinding and polishing to create other-than-planar faces and plate profiles that are of other-than-uniform thickness is within the scope and contemplation of the invention. Each plate 20 includes a plurality of rod-like, light-transmissive optical components 30 (i.e., segments of cores 12 ) retained within a matrix 40 of the aforementioned cladding material 14 . Each optical component 30 includes first and second component faces 32 and 34 coinciding with, and forming a part of, respectively, the first and second plate faces 22 and 24 . At least one component side 35 extends between the first and second component faces 32 and 34 to of each optical component 30 .
[0029] Depicted in FIG. 2 is edgewise view of a plate 20 including parallel first and second plate faces 22 and 24 defining a predetermined plate thickness T P . The optical components 30 and the matrix 40 are fabricated from disparate first and second materials M 1 and M 2 selected such that the matrix 40 is soluble in a predetermined matrix solvent (not shown) in which the optical components 30 are relatively insoluble.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B , at least the first plate face 22 is exposed to the matrix solvent in order to dissolve the matrix 40 (material M 2 ) to a total dissolution depth D TD that is less than the plate thickness T P such that a remainder (undissolved portion) of the matrix 40 retains the optical components 30 . FIG. 2A illustrates the result of initially exposing only a portion of the plate thickness T P beginning at the first plate face 22 to the matrix solvent, while FIG. 2B depicts the result of exposing to the matrix solvent portions of the plate thickness T P beginning at both of plate faces 22 and 24 . In FIG. 2A , the matrix 40 is dissolved to a first dissolution depth D D1→2 extending from the first plate face 22 toward the second plate face 24 such that the matrix 40 is recessed relative to the first component faces 32 , which faces 32 are, after dissolution, all that remain of first plate face 22 . As indicated in FIG. 2A , the first dissolution depth D D1→2 is equal to the total dissolution depth D TD . In FIG. 2B , the matrix 40 has been dissolved from the first plate face 22 to a first dissolution depth D D1→ extending from the first plate face 22 toward the second plate face 24 and to a second dissolution depth D D2→1 extending from the second plate face 24 toward the first plate face 22 such that the matrix 40 is recessed relative to both the first component faces 32 and the second component faces 34 . In either of the cases shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B , the total dissolution depth D TD is less than the total plate thickness T P such that a remainder of matrix material M 2 retains the optical components 30 in fixed relative positions.
[0031] With reference to FIG. 3A , a predetermined optical coating 60 is applied to the protruding first component faces 32 of the plate 20 depicted in FIG. 2A , while, in FIG. 3B , optical coating 60 has been applied to both the protruding first and second component faces 32 and 34 . The nature of the optical coating 60 and method(s) of application may vary. The coating 60 may be applied through (i) spraying, (ii) partial immersion in a bath of coating, (iii) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or (iv) physical vapor deposition (PVD), by way of non-limiting example. The coating 60 may be applied for various purposes, including, for example, (i) to add anti-glare, (ii) to provide mechanical protection, (iii) to impart wave-length responsive scintillation properties and/or (iv) to impart wavelength filtration characteristics to the optical components 30 .
[0032] As explained in the summary, once at least the first component faces 32 are coated with coating material 60 , the remainder of the matrix material M 2 is dissolved in order to free the individual optical components 30 from retention by the matrix 40 . Further explained in the summary was the desire, in some cases, of retaining the optical components 30 , after final dissolution of the matrix 40 , in the same relative positions that they occupied when retained by the matrix 40 . Accordingly, with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B , various implementations include applying an adhesive substrate 80 with an adhesive 82 to one of the first and second component faces 32 and 34 prior to dissolving the remainder of the matrix 40 . In versions associated with each of FIGS. 4A and 4B , in which the plates 20 of, respectively, FIGS. 3A and 3B are depicted, the adhesive substrate 80 is a rigid, card-like structure, although alternatives such as flexible, adhesive strips (e.g., tapes) may be used in different implementations. With the adhesive substrate 80 applied to one side (plate face 22 or 24 ) of the plate 20 , the remainder of matrix 40 is dissolved from the side opposite to which the adhesive substrate 80 is applied. FIGS. 5A and 5B show the optical components 30 of, respectively, FIGS. 4A and 4B after final dissolution of the matrix 40 . With the remainder of the matrix 40 dissolved, and the adhesive substrate 80 in place, the optical components 30 are retained in the same relative spatial arrangement in which they were retained by the matrix 40 .
[0033] Although the preceding description is generally demonstrative of the principles of the invention, it was noted in the summary that the optical components of various more particular versions within the scope of the versions previously described are internally-reflecting clad-rod components. Illustratively depicted in each of FIGS. 6 through 6B is a fused fiber plate 20 in which, like the plates 20 previously depicted and described, includes a plurality of rod-like, light-transmissive optical components 30 . The plates 20 of FIGS. 6 , 6 A and 6 B are in stages of processing analogous to the processing stages depicted in, respectively, FIGS. 2 , 2 A, and 2 B. However, each of the optical components 30 of FIGS. 6 through 6B includes an optically-transmissive core 36 and a cladding 38 fusedly disposed about the core 36 . With continued reference to FIGS. 6 through 6B , the core 36 of each optical component 30 is fabricated from a first material M 1 having a first refractive index n 1 , while the cladding 38 is fabricated from a second material M 2 having a second refractive index n 2 , lower in magnitude than the first refractive index n 1 , such that light entering either of the first and second component faces 32 and 34 can propagate by internal reflection between the opposed component faces 32 and 34 . As with versions previously discussed, the matrix 40 fusedly retains the optical components 30 in fixed relative positions. In the versions of FIGS. 6 through 6B , however, the matrix 40 is indicated as being fabricated from a third material M 3 . The third material M 3 , which may be a glass, is soluble in a predetermined matrix solvent (not shown) in which both the first and second materials M 1 and M 2 of the optical components 30 are relatively insoluble. In other major respects, the processes by which the clad optical components 30 of FIGS. 6 through 6B are analogous to the processes previously described in conjunction with FIGS. 2 through 5B and, therefore, further description of the processes relative to the versions of FIGS. 6 through 6B is unwarranted.
[0034] The foregoing is considered to be illustrative of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since modifications and changes to various aspects and implementations will occur to those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the foregoing does not limit the invention as expressed in the appended claims to the exact constructions, implementations and operations shown and described. It is also to be understood that any sequence of steps presented or implied in the drawings, and discussed above, is illustrative only and not necessarily indicative of the order in which the steps must be performed. Accordingly, nothing in the drawings, the description or the corresponding claims should be construed so as to limit the scope of the invention to a particular sequence of steps unless a particular order is inextricably dictated by context. Moreover, methods within the scope of the claims may include fewer than all steps discussed in the description. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to that appropriately fall within the scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. | A method of processing a plurality of optical components simultaneously includes to providing a plate structure with first and second opposed plate faces and a plurality of the optical components retained within a sacrificial matrix material. Each optical component includes first and second component faces coinciding with, respectively, the first and second plate faces The matrix and optical-component materials are selected such that the former is soluble in a solvent in which the latter is relatively insoluble. A portion of the matrix material is dissolved is order to recess the matrix relative to at least the first component faces. With a remainder of the matrix retaining the components in their initial spatial relationships, a single, continuous substrate is adhered to a plurality of the first component faces protruding relative to the matrix. The remainder of the matrix material is then dissolved such that the substrate to which the first component faces are adhered retains the optical components. | 8 |
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to liquid flow control, and more particularly to systems and methods for supplying liquid in substrate processing systems.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
[0003] Substrate processing systems are used to deposit and etch film on a substrate. For example for the substrate processing system may perform chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced (PE) CVD, atomic layer deposition (ALD), PEALD, etc. Deposition and/or etching may be performed by supplying a gas mixture to a processing chamber. The gas mixture may include one or more gases that are mixed together. In some situations, one or more of the gases may be generated from a liquid precursor that is vaporized. Precise metering of the liquid precursor is performed to ensure that the correct gas mixture is formed in the processing chamber.
[0004] Thermal or Coriolis flow controllers are typically used to meter the liquid precursor flowing to the vaporizer. Liquid flow controllers are fully opened until a metering tube is filled. As a result, the liquid flow controllers typically overshoot a desired flow rate. In these types of systems, settling time for the flow rate can be greater than 10 seconds. Some substrate processing systems with long settling times divert the liquid or vaporized precursor until liquid flow is stabilized. Occasionally, a bubble will become trapped in the metering tube and inaccurate or no flow will persist until the liquid delivery system is serviced.
SUMMARY
[0005] A liquid delivery system for a substrate processing system includes a liquid ampoule to store liquid precursor. A pressure adjusting system adjusts pressure in the liquid ampoule. A pressure sensor senses a pressure in the liquid ampoule. A capillary injector includes a capillary tube in fluid communication with an output of the liquid ampoule. A temperature control device controls a temperature of the capillary tube. A first valve has an input connected to the capillary tube. A controller is configured to determine a predetermined pressure in the liquid ampoule corresponding a desired flow rate and a predetermined temperature of the capillary tube, maintain the temperature of the capillary tube at the predetermined temperature, communicate with the pressure sensor and the pressure adjusting system, and control the pressure in the liquid ampoule to the predetermined pressure to provide the desired flow rate.
[0006] In other features, a vaporizer has a first input in fluid communication with an output of the first valve. A liquid flow meter, in fluid communication with an output of the liquid ampoule and an input of the capillary tube, measures an actual flow rate. When the actual flow rate is not equal to the desired flow rate, the controller adjusts the pressure in the liquid ampoule using the pressure adjusting system.
[0007] In other features, when the actual flow rate is equal to the desired flow rate after the adjustment, the controller updates the predetermined pressure corresponding to the desired flow rate based on the adjustment. The pressure adjusting system comprises a vacuum source and a second valve in fluid communication with the liquid ampoule to selectively reduce the pressure in the liquid ampoule. A push gas source and a third valve in fluid communication with the liquid ampoule selectively increase the pressure in the liquid ampoule.
[0008] In other features, a first restricted orifice is arranged between the vacuum source and the second valve. A second restricted orifice is arranged between the vacuum source and the third valve. A filter is arranged between outputs of the second valve and the third valve and the liquid ampoule. The temperature control device comprises a Peltier device.
[0009] In other features, a second valve is arranged between the liquid flow meter and the capillary injector. The second valve selectively injects purge gas into the capillary tube.
[0010] In other features, an output end of the capillary tube is located less than 1 inch from a diaphragm of the first valve. The controller generates and stores a table including a plurality of predetermined pressures for the liquid ampoule and a corresponding plurality of desired flow rates.
[0011] A method for liquid delivery in a substrate processing system includes storing liquid precursor in a liquid ampoule; providing a capillary injector that includes a capillary tube and a first valve having an input connected to the capillary tube; determining a predetermined pressure in the liquid ampoule that corresponds to a desired flow rate and a predetermined temperature of the capillary tube; maintaining a temperature of the capillary tube at the predetermined temperature; and controlling pressure in the liquid ampoule to the predetermined pressure to achieve the desired flow rate.
[0012] In other features, the method includes vaporizing liquid received from an output of the first valve. The method includes measuring an actual flow rate at an output of the liquid ampoule using a liquid flow meter; and adjusting the pressure in the liquid ampoule when the actual flow rate is not equal to the desired flow rate.
[0013] In other features, the method includes updating the predetermined pressure corresponding to the desired flow rate based on the adjustment when the actual flow rate is equal to the desired flow rate after the adjustment.
[0014] In other features, adjusting the pressure comprises selectively opening a second valve to a vacuum source to reduce the pressure in the liquid ampoule; and selectively opening a third valve to a push gas source to increase the pressure in the liquid ampoule.
[0015] In other features, the method includes arranging a first restricted orifice between the vacuum source and the second valve; and arranging a second restricted orifice between the vacuum source and the third valve. The method includes arranging a filter between outputs of the second valve and the third valve and the liquid ampoule. The method includes adjusting the temperature of the capillary tube using a Peltier device.
[0016] In other features, the method includes arranging a second valve between the liquid flow meter and the capillary injector. The second valve selectively injects purge gas into the capillary tube. An output end of the capillary tube is located less than 1 inch from a diaphragm of the first valve. The method includes generating a table including a plurality of predetermined pressures for the liquid ampoule and a corresponding plurality of desired flow rates.
[0017] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims and the drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an example pressure-based liquid flow control system according to the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates an example method for operating the pressure-based liquid flow control system according to the present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates an example method for generating values for desired flow rates and corresponding desired pressures; and
[0022] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an example of a substrate processing system used in conjunction with the pressure-based liquid flow control system.
[0023] In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similar and/or identical elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for pressure-based liquid flow control of liquid precursor from a liquid ampoule. The liquid precursor is delivered using a capillary tube. Isothermal flow through the capillary tube is consistent for a given pressure drop. Before the systems and methods described herein deliver the liquid precursor, pressure in the liquid ampoule is set to a predetermined pressure corresponding to a predetermined flow rate. The pressure in the liquid ampoule is maintained at the predetermined pressure during delivery of the liquid precursor from the liquid ampoule.
[0025] When flow of the liquid precursor is required, a valve is opened and liquid precursor from a capillary tube flows through the valve. Liquid flow at a desired flow rate will occur quickly (e.g. within a fraction of a second) after the valve is opened. In some examples, the distance between a diaphragm of the valve and an output end of the capillary tube is relatively short to reduce the time to the desired flow rate. Both the temperature of the liquid in the capillary tube and the push pressure are maintained at controlled values to generate and maintain the desired flow rate.
[0026] A controller may be used to maintain the constant pressure in the liquid ampoule by pulsing one or more valves. Pressure under the desired set point is adjusted by increasing head pressure in the liquid ampoule by pulsing the inert push gas through a valve. Pressure over the desired set point is adjusted by reducing head pressure in the liquid ampoule by pulsing another valve to vacuum. Initial pressure requirements may be determined by slowly ramping the pressure up or down in the liquid ampoule and storing a corresponding flow rate for the pressure in memory associated with the controller.
[0027] Alternately, a digital pressure controller that maintains a pressure set point based on an analog or bus signal maybe used in place of the pulsing valves to set and control the ampoule pressure. The digital pressure controller will receive a control signal from the controller. The digital pressure controller may vent excess pressure to atmosphere, which may be suitable for non-reactive and non-toxic liquids.
[0028] When the desired flow rate changes, the controller changes the pressure to a pressure value corresponding to a new desired flow rate. The controller monitors the flow rate during liquid precursor delivery. For example only, the controller may monitor the flow rate during liquid precursor delivery using a thermal or Coriolis device. The controller compares the actual flow rate to the desired flow rate and adjusts the pressure in the liquid ampoule as needed. The adjusted pressure can be used to update or replace the pressure value stored in the memory array for the desired flow rate.
[0029] Referring now to FIG. 1 , an example of a pressure-based liquid flow control system 10 is shown. The pressure-based liquid flow control system 10 includes a liquid ampoule 12 and a pressure adjusting system 14 . The pressure adjusting system 14 adjusts the pressure in the liquid ampoule 12 . The pressure adjusting system 14 includes a vacuum source 20 that communicates with a restricted orifice 22 . An output of the restricted orifice 22 flows to a valve 24 to selectively provide vacuum pressure to the liquid ampoule 12 to reduce a pressure in the liquid ampoule 12 as needed. The pressure adjusting system 14 also includes a gas source 30 that communicates with a restricted orifice 32 and a valve 34 to selectively provide push gas to increase pressure in the liquid ampoule 12 .
[0030] Outputs of the valves 24 and 34 are input to a filter 36 . An output of the filter 36 is input to the liquid ampoule 12 . The filter 36 acts as a snubber to reduce the impact of pressure changes as the valves 24 and 34 are modulated. A pressure sensor 37 monitors pressure in the liquid ampoule 12 .
[0031] When downstream valves are open, liquid precursor flows out of the liquid ampoule 12 through a valve 38 to a liquid flow meter (LFM) 40 . For example only, the LFM 40 may include a thermal or Coriolis device. An output of the liquid flow meter 40 flows through valves 42 and 48 to a capillary injector 50 . One input of the valve 48 is connected to an output of the valve 42 . Another input of the valve 48 may be connected to a purge gas source 46 . The valve 48 may be used to selectively supply purge gas to purge liquid precursor in the capillary injector 50 as needed while the valve 42 is closed to prevent purge gas flow back to the liquid ampoule 12 .
[0032] In some examples, the capillary injector 50 is temperature controlled to control a temperature of the liquid precursor. The capillary injector 50 includes a capillary tube 52 , a temperature adjusting device 54 , and a valve 56 . One input of the valve 56 is connected to an output of the capillary tube 52 . An output of the valve 56 is connected to a vaporizer 58 . Another input of the valve 56 may be connected to a carrier gas source. A temperature sensor 57 may be used to monitor a temperature of the capillary tube 52 if closed loop control is desired. Open loop control may also be used. The temperature adjusting device 54 may include a resistive heater, a Peltier device or other temperature adjusting device.
[0033] A controller 60 may be used to monitor process parameters such as the pressure in the liquid ampoule 12 as measured by the pressure sensor 37 and an actual flow rate of the liquid as measured by the liquid flow meter 40 . The controller 60 may also control set points for the pressure control valves 22 and 32 and opening and closing operation of the valves 24 , 34 , 38 , 42 , 48 and 56 . Vaporized gas output by the vaporizer 58 is input to a substrate processing system 90 . The controller 60 may also control operation of the temperature adjusting device 54 .
[0034] Referring now to FIG. 2 , an example of a method 150 for operating the pressure-based liquid flow control system is shown. At 160 , control determines whether there is a flow request for the liquid precursor. If not, control returns to 160 . Otherwise, control continues at 162 and determines whether the temperature of the capillary tube T cap is equal to a desired temperature T cap — des . If not, control adjusts T cap to T cap — des . At 168 , control measures pressure in the liquid ampoule. At 172 , control adjusts the pressure P act in the liquid ampoule to a desired pressure P des corresponding to the desired flow rate FR des .
[0035] At 176 , control determines whether the pressure P act in the liquid ampoule is equal to the desired pressure P des . If 176 is true, control continues at 180 and opens the valve to supply liquid to the vaporizer.
[0036] At 182 , control optionally waits a stabilization period. At 184 , control determines whether P act =P des . As can be appreciated, this condition may be met if P act is within a predetermined range of P des . If not, control continues with 186 and adjusts P act to P des . If 184 is true, control continues with 190 and determines whether T cap =T cap — des . As can be appreciated, this condition may be met if T cap is within a predetermined range of T cap — des . If not, control continues with 192 and adjusts T cap to T cap — des . If 190 is true, control continues with 196 and determines whether FR act =FR des . As can be appreciated, this condition may be met if FR act is within a predetermined range of FR des . If not, control continues with 200 and adjusts P act as needed to achieve FR des . At 204 , control stores the new P act as P des corresponding to FR des .
[0037] At 208 , control determines whether the flow request for liquid precursor has ended. If not, control continues with 184 . Otherwise, control closes the valve at 212 and continues with 160 .
[0038] Referring now to FIG. 3 , an example of a method for determining a relationship between one or more desired flow rates and desired pressures within the liquid ampoule is shown. As can be appreciated, the capillary tube is kept at a predetermined temperature for each data set. The process can be repeated for one or more different capillary tube temperatures and the desired flow rate and desired pressure values can be stored by each of the selected capillary temperatures.
[0039] At 230 , control determines whether there is a request to set initial values for the desired flow rates and desired pressures. If 230 is true, control continues with 231 and sets the capillary tube temperature to one of the desired capillary tube temperatures. At 232 , a desired pressure P des is set to an initial value such as a lowest or highest pressure. At 234 , control sets pressure in the liquid ampoule to the desired pressure P des . At 238 , control waits a settling period. At 242 , control measures the actual flow rate FR act . At 246 , control sets the desired flow rate FR des equal to the actual flow rate FR act for the desired pressure P des . At 250 , control determines whether flow rates for all of the desired pressure values P des have been determined. If not, control continues with 254 and increments the desired pressure to the next desired pressure (or decrements if starting from the highest desired pressure P des ) and continues with 234 . The process may be repeated for other capillary tube temperatures.
[0040] In some examples, a Peltier-type device is used to maintain the capillary tube at a constant temperature. The Peltier-type device typically includes first and second sides. When DC current flows through the device, heat flows from one side to the other. In other words, one side cools while the other side heats up. Either the hot side (or the cool side) is attached to a heat sink so that it remains at ambient temperature, while the cool side or the hot side goes below (or above) room temperature. In some applications, multiple Peltier-type devices can be cascaded together for lower or higher temperatures.
[0041] In some examples, the capillary tube is incorporated into the valve so that the output end of the capillary tube is just below the diaphragm of the valve. In some examples, the output end of the capillary tube is arranged within close proximity of the diaphragm of the valve. For example only, the output end of the capillary tube may be arranged within 1″ of the diaphragm. The calibrated orifices may be used to achieve consistent flows to vacuum to relieve pressure and consistent flows from the inert push gas to raise pressure. The filter acts as a snubber to minimize the effects of the push gas and vacuum valves opening and closing.
[0042] The controller uses control loops to control the temperature of the capillary tube. The calibration loop varies the pressure of the liquid ampoule and records the resultant flow rate. Another control loop maintains a last pressure set point by cycling the vacuum or pressure valves on or off. Another control loop reads the actual flow rate from the LFM, compares the actual flow rate to the desired flow rate and adjusts the pressure. The pressure is stored for the corresponding flow rate and may be used to adjust or replace the pressure set point previously stored in the controller. A delay can be implemented to isolate the system from initial flow rate spikes from the LFM.
[0043] The purge gas valve provides for periodic purging of the capillary tube. Some types of liquid precursor are not stable and may clog the capillary tube if the liquid is left in the capillary tube too long.
[0044] In some examples, the valves include valves that are normally used for atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. While the action of the ALD valve can influence repeatability since movement of a diaphragm during opening acts like a pump, a size of the capillary tube can be selected to help minimize this affect. For lower flow rates, a stroke of the ALD valve can be reduced. In some examples, a turn down ratio from maximum to minimum stable flow is around 5:1. In other examples, multiple valve/capillary tube assemblies may be used to extend the turn down ratio.
[0045] In some examples, surface tension may result in small quantities of liquid adhering to the valve. Introduction of a carrier gas can be used to move liquid out of the valve and into the vaporizer as needed.
[0046] Referring now to FIG. 4 , an example of a substrate processing system used in conjunction with the pressure-based liquid flow control system is shown. In some examples, the substrate processing system is used to perform atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma-enhanced (PE) ALD, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or PECVD.
[0047] A substrate processing system 310 is shown to include a processing chamber 312 . Gas may be supplied to the processing chamber using a gas distribution device 314 such as showerhead or other device. A substrate 318 such as a semiconductor wafer may be arranged on a pedestal 316 during processing. The pedestal 316 may be an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck or other type of chuck.
[0048] A gas delivery system 320 may include one or more gas sources 322 - 2 , 322 - 2 , . . . , and 322 -N (collectively gas sources 322 ), where N is an integer greater than one. Valves 324 - 1 , 324 - 2 , . . . , and 324 -N, mass flow controllers 326 - 1 , 326 - 2 , . . . , and 326 -N, or other flow control devices may be used to controllably supply a selected gas mixture to a manifold 330 , which supplies the gas mixture to the processing chamber 312 . The manifold 330 also receives an output of the vaporizer 58 that vaporizes liquid supplied by the pressure-based liquid flow control system 10 .
[0049] A controller 340 may be used to monitor process parameters such as temperature, pressure and process timing. The controller 340 may be implemented by the controller 60 or as a separate controller. The controller 340 may also be used to control process devices such as the gas delivery system 320 , a pedestal heater 342 , a plasma generator 346 , and/or evacuation of the processing chamber 312 . In some examples, a valve 350 and pump 352 may be used to remove reactants from the processing chamber 312 . The RF plasma generator 346 may generate the RF plasma in the processing chamber. The RF plasma generator 346 may be an inductive or capacitive-type RF plasma generator. The RF plasma generator 346 may include a high frequency RF generator, a low frequency RF generator and a matching network (not shown).
[0050] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical OR. It should be understood that one or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (or concurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.
[0051] In this application, including the definitions below, the term controller may be replaced with the term circuit. The term controller may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog/digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog/digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by a processor; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-chip.
[0052] The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, and/or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and/or objects. The term shared processor encompasses a single processor that executes some or all code from multiple controllers. The term group processor encompasses a processor that, in combination with additional processors, executes some or all code from one or more controllers. The term shared memory encompasses a single memory that stores some or all code from multiple controllers. The term group memory encompasses a memory that, in combination with additional memories, stores some or all code from one or more controllers. The term memory may be a subset of the term computer-readable medium. The term computer-readable medium does not encompass transitory electrical and electromagnetic signals propagating through a medium, and may therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium include nonvolatile memory, volatile memory, magnetic storage, and optical storage.
[0053] The apparatuses and methods described in this application may be partially or fully implemented by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer programs include processor-executable instructions that are stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable medium. The computer programs may also include and/or rely on stored data. | A liquid delivery system for a substrate processing system includes a liquid ampoule to store liquid precursor. A pressure adjusting system adjusts pressure in the liquid ampoule. A pressure sensor senses a pressure in the liquid ampoule. A capillary injector includes a capillary tube in fluid communication with an output of the liquid ampoule. A temperature control device controls a temperature of the capillary tube. A first valve has an input connected to the capillary tube. A controller is configured to determine a predetermined pressure in the liquid ampoule corresponding a desired flow rate and a predetermined temperature of the capillary tube, maintain the temperature of the capillary tube at the predetermined temperature, communicate with the pressure sensor and the pressure adjusting system, and control the pressure in the liquid ampoule to the predetermined pressure to provide the desired flow rate. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hyperconducting inductor, or coil, capable of establishing high energy density inductive fields.
Proposed satellite-borne systems, such as electromagnetic launchers, lasers and particle beam generators, will require power levels as high as a few gigawatts in the form of pulses having a duration of a few microseconds and produced with repetition frequencies of between several Hz and several kHz. The peak power requirement for the primary electrical supply of such a system can be reduced by the utilization of inductive energy storage technology.
For example, if an energy storage inductor can be charged with energy over a period of 0.1 sec. or longer, the average power required from the primary electrical supply can be set in the multimegawatt range, permitting a reduction in the overall weight of the satellite-borne power system.
In order for inductive energy storage to be utilized for this purpose in a satellite-borne system, the inductor must be capable of conducting high current levels and establishing high energy densities, while being efficient, light in weight and reliable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an inductor having the above-mentioned characteristics and thus well suited for use in a satellite-borne high power system, or other system requiring a combination of high power output and low weight.
The above and other objects are achieved, according to the invention, by a cryogenically coolable inductive coil comprising: a multicomponent conductor comprising a plurality of components, each component including a cable of conductive material having a longitudinal axis about which the cable is twisted, the cable being wrapped helically and being compacted, after wrapping, to minimize voids in the cable and to give the component a polygonal profile, the components being disposed parallel, and adjacent, to one another with mutually facing sides of adjacent components being in contact with one another; and an electrical insulating and support structure at least partially surrounding the conductor for supporting stresses induced in the conductor due to magnetic fields created by the flow of current through the conductor, the conductor and the structure being wound to form the coil.
If an orbiting system includes, in order to satisfy various system requirements a fluid, such as hydrogen, which can serve as a cryogenic fluid, the use of a cryogenic inductive energy storage device can help to maximize the overall weight utilization efficiency of the system.
Theoretical analysis reveals that a hyperconducting inductive device i.e. a device maintained at an operating temperature of the order of 20° K., would be significantly lighter, and would achieve higher energy densities, than a superconducting device, without the added penalty of requiring a helium refrigeration system, and this would result in improved reliability for the overall system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is an end view of a cable forming a component of conductors according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is an end view of a conductor according to the invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a support and insulating structure forming a component of a coil according to the invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a coil according to the invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of an inductor according to the invention.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are views similar to that of FIG. 2 relating to further embodiments of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The initial phase in the manufacture of an inductor according to the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 which shows a cable or braid composed of a plurality of strands 2 which are twisted together to form the cable. Strands 2 are twisted in such a manner as to form a fully transposed cable, i.e. all strands 2 are twisted by an identical amount so that all twisted strands have the same pitch and over the length of one full cable twist each strand is twisted through an angle of 360°. This uniform twisting assures that all strands will have the same resistance and stress loading. Each strand 2 is composed of a plurality of, e.g. 10, high purity aluminum filaments 4, each up to a few mm in diameter, enclosed by a high strength aluminum tube 6, the dimensions of filaments 4 and tube 6 being selected such that, for example, filaments 4 constitute 60 percent of the strand and tube 6 constitutes 40 percent of the strand, by weight. Tube 6 can be of any suitable aluminum alloy selected to provide the desired strength characteristics.
To form a strand 2, filaments 4 are inserted into aluminum tube 6, with filaments 4 possibly twisted together, and the resulting assembly is subjected to one or more drawing operations which reduce the diameter of tube 6 and minimize the voids present at the interior of tube 6. Preferably, each drawing operation is followed by a standard heat treatment selected to restore the original conductivity characteristics of the aluminum material.
A plurality of the resulting strands 2 are then formed into the twisted cable, after which the cable can be subjected to one or more drawing operations to reduce its diameter and eliminate or reduce voids. A further standard heat treatment can be carried out to restore conductivity characteristics after each drawing operation. The resulting twisted cable may then, according to one embodiment of the invention, be wrapped helically around an aluminum cooling tube 10, which can be of rectangular or square cross section, after which the wrapped cable is subjected to a further drawing operation which reduces the lateral dimensions of the unit, further compacts the coil, and gives the resulting conductor component 12 a square or rectangular cross section. Normally, this further drawing operation will not significantly reduce the cross section of tube 10. After the last compacting operation, the cross section of conductor component 12 preferably has, exclusive of the interior of tube 10, a void content of the order of about 5% or less. Tube 10 is made of a high strength aluminum alloy similar to that employed for each of tubes 6.
A typical component 12 may measure 3 to 13 mm on a side and tube 10 may measure up to 3 mm on a side in typical embodiments of the invention.
The various drawing operations can be performed using compression rollers and after the component 12 of square cross section has been formed, it can be subjected to a further heat treatment to restore conductivity characteristics. A heat treatment can also be carried out before subjecting the wrapped cable to a drawing operation.
Thereafter, four components 12 are placed together to form the coil conductor shown in FIG. 2, where the interior of each aluminum tube 10 defines a cryogenic coolant flow channel 14.
The resulting conductor shown in FIG. 2 will have significantly lower pulse losses than, but approximately the same mechanical strength as, a monolithic conductor of similar dimensions. Moreover, the division of the conductor into four assemblies 12 not only reduces the resulting winding strain by a factor of 4, but also facilitates the subsequent coil forming operation and reduces the extent of conductor keystoning. These advantages are achieved at the expense of a slight, but acceptable, increase in the pumping power that will be required to pump coolant through channels 14. If the conductor were further subdivided into a larger number of assemblies, the advantage gained because of further reductions in winding strain would be more than offset by the required increase in pumping power.
The resulting conductor is then placed within a support and insulating structure 18 of U-shaped cross section. Structure 18 is preferably made of several layers 20 of a fibrous material, such as fiberglass mat, with fibers having a preferred orientation which extends essentially in the circumferential direction of the conductor, as indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 3. Structure 18 is constructed to have a high strength, particularly in the vertical direction of FIG. 3, a high modulus of elasticity and a low bulk density. The thickness of structure 18 can be adjusted by varying the number of layers 20 employed.
A length of the conductor shown in FIG. 2, enclosed by the structure 18 of FIG. 3, is then wound to form an inductor coil. Structure 18 is dimensioned to press components 12 laterally against one another. Nevertheless, a certain freedom of movement exists between components 12 so that during the winding operation components 12 can slide relative to one another. This helps to reduce conductor strain and the keystoning mentioned above.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the coil is a single layer solenoid consisting of, for example, ten turns, the coil having the form of a cylinder, two adjacent turns of which are shown in FIG. 4. The vertical arrows directed to the top surface of the coil structure shown in FIG. 4 illustrate the axial loading which is supported by structure 18.
As is shown in FIG. 4, the vertical legs of the portion of structure 18 associated with each coil turn bear upon the horizontal base of the portion of structure 18 associated with the underlying coil turn. Thus magnetically induced stresses are transferred to, and supported by, structure 18.
To produce one preferred embodiment of an inductor according to the present invention, a plurality of such coils, each having a respectively different diameter, are formed, and the coils are then nested one within the other, in the form of shells, to form the resulting inductor structure. Such solenoid geometry is preferred because it represents the most efficient configuration in terms of both energy/volume ratio and energy/mass ratio.
One embodiment of such an inductor structure is shown in FIG. 5, where a group of, e.g. 10, nested solenoid coils has the geometry of a Brooks coil, which will maximize the energy stored for a given length of conductor. The individual, radially spaced axial, or solenoid, coils 22, 24, ... 28, 30 are nested within one another and are connected in parallel by means of headers 34 and 36 which constitute current connectors and conduits via which cryogenic coolant is circulated through channels 14. An inductor having this form is compact, and permits the highest possible energy density and conductor pulse loss efficiency. At the same time, such a structure can limit conductor strain to less than 0.1 percent.
The distributed structure shown in FIG. 5 can be fabricated in such a manner as to provide a low combined value of winding, structure fabrication, cooldown and operational strain on the conductors. At the same time, this structural configuration makes optimum use of the materials employed and minimizes the coil mass.
Each conductor can be connected to each header by an appropriate metallurgical bonding operation, such as soldering or welding.
A coil as shown in FIG. 5 can be constructed to have an inductance of 190 μH, to conduct a peak current of 2 MA(megamps), which a stored energy of 420 MJ, a peak voltage of 20 kV and a maximum current drop less than or equal to 20 percent.
As noted above, axial loading on the coils is supported by structures 18, while radial support is provided by a plurality of radial supporting rings 38, 40, which can be of a composite material similar to that employed for support members 18.
Each radial support ring 38, 40 can be manufactured as a strip composed of graphite fibers coated with an epoxy resin, the strip being wound helically about its associated coil during manufacture of an inductor. A starting strip made of graphite fibers can be immersed in a mass of epoxy resin in liquid form and then wrapped around the associated coil before the resin is set and while the resin is still partially in the liquid state. Setting of the epoxy is then completed after the strip has been placed in the form of a ring.
In operation, the radial stresses will be greater at the inner periphery of the inductor, bordered by coil 22, than at the outer periphery, defined by coil 30. In order to adequately support these stresses, while maintaining the inductor as compact as possible, the thickness, i.e. the radial dimension, of radial support rings 38, 40 is varied progressively in that the ring 38 adjacent coil 22 has a maximum thickness and the ring 40 adjacent coil 30 has a minimum thickness. In each case, the thickness is selected, on the basis of the ring composition, to provide the radial support needed in that region of the inductor.
It should be apparent that coils according to the present invention can be given other inductor configurations, such as various types of toroids, depending on circuit requirements.
In addition, while reference has been made above to the use of aluminum for the conductor structures, copper or other materials could also be employed, although aluminum and copper are presently believed to be the most suitable materials.
The resistivity which such materials can have at low temperatures is significantly influenced by their purity. Since, however, high purity materials have a relatively low mechanical strength, satisfactory inductors must include support members having sufficient mechanical strength. Tubes 6 and axial and radial supports 18, 38, 40 described above can perform this function in a highly effective manner.
The conductors of coils according to the invention can have their compacted conductive material and cooling channel arranged in various ways which differ from that shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Two exemplary alternative possibilities are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
In FIG. 6, each component is composed of a helically wrapped, compressed cable 42 alongside a cooling channel 44, while in FIG. 7, four such cables 46 surround a common cooling channel 48. These embodiments offer reduced coolant flow resistance, which is desirable in the case of smaller conductor cross sections.
According to other embodiments of the invention, the coolant flow channels can be eliminated altogether and the entire coil can be immersed in coolant.
It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes, and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims. | A cryogenically coolable inductive coil including: a multicomponent conductor comprising a plurality of components, each component including a cable of conductive material having a longitudinal axis about which the cable is twisted, the cable being wrapped helically and being compacted, after wrapping, to minimize voids in the cable and to give the component a polygonal profile, the components being disposed parallel, and adjacent, to one another with mutually facing sides of adjacent components being in contact with one another; and an electrical insulating and support structure at least partially surrounding the conductor for supporting stresses induced in the conductor due to magnetic fields created by the flow of current through the conductor, the conductor and the structure being wound to form the coil. | 8 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an automatic door sensor and an automatic door system equipped with this sensor. In particular, the present invention concerns a measure for improving reliability of door closing actions.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-152750, etc., an automatic door system equipped with an active infrared sensor is traditionally known in the art. Such an infrared sensor comprises an emitter which projects infrared rays covering a prescribed area and a receiver which receives the infrared rays reflected from the infrared coverage area. If a person enters the area, the receiver receives a different pattern of infrared rays, according to which the sensor recognizes that a person is approaching the automatic door. Based on this recognition, the sensor sends a detection signal to a door opening/closing mechanism, so that a driving source (driving motor) of the automatic door is energized to open the door. After a person leaves the area, the receiver receives infrared rays in the normal pattern again. Then, the sensor discontinues transmission of a detection signal, so that the driving source is energized to close the door.
[0005] Many of such active infrared sensors have a timed presence detection capability. Suppose a situation where a person or object has entered the area and remains stationary therein for a certain period of time, namely, where the pattern of infrared rays received by the receiver has changed and does not return to normal after a certain period of time. Under such circumstances, a sensor with the timed presence detection capability forcibly discontinues transmission of a detection signal, so that the driving source is energized to close the door. This feature effectively avoids prolonged, unnecessary opening of the door, which is attributable to, for example, a plant or the like placed in the area.
[0006] In a conventional automatic door, a door member and its opening/closing mechanism constitute a single complete unit by themselves. In other words, activation of the opening/closing mechanism and consequent opening/closing actions of the door member are solely dependent on whether a detection signal from the sensor is received or not. For the opening/closing actions of the door, the opening speed and the closing speed can be set independently and may be different from each other. To be more specific, the door is closed if transmission of a detection signal is discontinued due to the exit of a person from the infrared coverage area (to be defined herein as “signal discontinuation due to the exit of an object”), or if transmission of a detection signal is forcibly discontinued due to the continuous presence of a stationary object within the area for a certain period of time (to be defined herein as “forced signal discontinuation in the presence of a stationary object”). In whichever situations, it is conventional to close the door at a relatively high speed.
[0007] As mentioned above, provided that “forced signal discontinuation in the presence of a stationary object” is attributable to a plant or like object placed in the infrared coverage area, there is no significant inconvenience in performing a relatively fast closing action at the same speed as in the case of “signal discontinuation due to the exit of an object”. Nevertheless, a person who stops in the area can also cause “forced signal discontinuation in the presence of a stationary object”. In this situation, if the door is closed by a relatively fast closing action at the same speed as in the case of “signal discontinuation due to the exit of an object”, a person who, for example, stops around the door rail may not be able to escape from the relatively fast-moving door, thus being highly in danger of being struck by the door.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention is made in view of this problem. With regard to an automatic door sensor having a timed presence detection capability, the present invention intends to provide an arrangement which is capable of preventing a person from being hit by a closing door when the door closing action results from “forced signal discontinuation in the presence of a stationary object”.
[0009] To achieve this object, the present invention distinguishes door closing actions between the one resulting from “signal discontinuation due to the exit of an object” and the one resulting from “forced signal discontinuation in the presence of a stationary object”. Particularly, the latter closing action is designed in consideration of the presence of a person within the area, in such a manner as to reduce the risk of hitting the person with the door.
[0010] Specifically, the present invention relates to an automatic door sensor which sends a door open signal to an automatic door opening/closing mechanism in order to open an automatic door, when an object enters a prescribed area around a doorway opening of the automatic door, and which discontinues transmission of a door open signal to the automatic door opening/closing mechanism in order to close the automatic door by a first closing action, when the object leaves the prescribed area. This automatic door sensor is provided with an open/close controller for sending a presence detection signal to the automatic door opening/closing mechanism if the object remains stationary within the area for a certain period of time, in order to close the automatic door by a second closing action which is different from the first closing action.
[0011] To be more specific, the second closing action resulting from transmission of a presence detection signal includes the following operations. First, the automatic door is set to close at a reduced speed, in comparison with the door closing speed in the first closing action to be performed when the object leaves the prescribed area. Second, a vocal warning which gives an advance notice of a closing door is outputted around the doorway opening of the automatic door.
[0012] Owing to the slow closing action of the automatic door, when the automatic door starts the closing action despite the presence of a person who stops in the area, the person can notice the closing door in advance (before the door hits him/her). Even if the door may hit the person, the slowly closing door will not give a serious impact on the person. Further, a vocal warning issued around the doorway opening will also help the person to notice the closing door in advance.
[0013] Thus, the solution of the present invention distinguishes door closing actions between the one resulting from “signal discontinuation due to the exit of an object” and the one resulting from “forced signal discontinuation in the presence of a stationary object”, and adopts either door closing action which suits the situation.
[0014] Furthermore, an automatic door system of the present invention may be composed of an automatic door sensor mentioned in the above solution, and an automatic door opening/closing mechanism which closes the automatic door by either of the first and second closing actions, depending on the status of signal transmission from the automatic door sensor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] [0015]FIG. 1 is a front view showing the entire construction of the automatic door system according to the embodiment.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 2( a ) shows an internal structure of the door sensor, and FIG. 2( b ) illustrates the flow of a door open signal.
[0017] [0017]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] An embodiment of the present invention is hereinafter described with reference to the drawings.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 1 is a front view showing the entire construction of the automatic door system 1 concerning this embodiment. The automatic door system 1 opens and closes a doorway opening A formed through a wall W. The automatic door system 1 is composed of a door 2 which slides (as indicated by arrows in FIG. 1) along a track extending parallel to the wall W (extending to the left and right in FIG. 1), and an opening/closing mechanism 4 for allowing the sliding movement of the door 2 . In FIG. 1, the doorway opening A is closed while the door 2 locates as depicted in solid lines, whereas the doorway opening A is open while the door 2 locates as depicted in chain lines.
[0020] The opening/closing mechanism 4 is housed inside a transom 5 (shown by phantom lines in FIG. 1) which defines the top edge of the doorway opening A. The opening/closing mechanism 4 is composed of a pair of pulleys 41 , 42 which are spaced by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the transom 5 , and a running belt 43 entrained over the pulleys 41 , 42 . Of a lower span 43 a and an upper span 43 b of the running belt 43 , the lower span 43 a is connected with two connection brackets 21 , 21 which are provided on the top edge of the door 2 . Owing this arrangement, movement of the running belt 43 is followed by sidewise sliding movement of the door 2 (to the left and right in FIG. 1). As for the pulleys 41 , 42 , the rotation shaft of the pulley 41 (the right pulley in the drawing) is linked with the driving shaft of a driving motor 44 . When the driving motor 44 is driven, the pulley 41 rotates and moves the running belt 43 , followed by sliding movement of the door 2 .
[0021] Turning to FIG. 3, door sensors 6 , 6 are mounted on the sides of the transom 5 . Acting as what is called activation sensors, each of the door sensors 6 produces a door open signal when it detects a person or object that is approaching the doorway opening A. FIG. 2( a ) shows a side view of one of the door sensors 6 , and FIG. 2( b ) is a schematic front structural view thereof. As illustrated, a door open signal produced by the door sensor 6 is sent to a controller 45 of the opening/closing mechanism 4 .
[0022] Now, the structure of these door sensors 6 , 6 is described in detail. Since the door sensors 6 , 6 have an identical structure, only one of them is mentioned below.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 2, the door sensor 6 is composed of elements 62 , 63 which are housed in a casing 61 . In this casing 61 , an external surface 61 a which faces the elements 62 , 63 is a semi-transparent light emitting/receiving surface 61 a and permits transmission of light. Specifically, the elements housed in the casing 61 are an infrared emitter 62 and an infrared receiver 63 . The infrared emitter 62 irradiates infrared rays to a prescribed area on the floor around the doorway opening A. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1, with chain lines defining infrared coverage areas of the infrared emitters 62 of the door sensors 6 , 6 .
[0024] The infrared receiver 63 is capable of receiving the light reflected from the infrared coverage area. When a person or object enters the area and causes a change in the amount of reflected light, the infrared receiver 63 recognizes the change as the presence of the person or object and produces a detection signal. Thus, the infrared emitter 62 and the infrared receiver 63 constitute the active infrared sensor 65 as a person detector.
[0025] The door sensor 6 is equipped with an open/close controller 66 which is capable of receiving a detection signal produced by the active infrared sensor 65 . If there is a change in the amount of light received by the infrared receiver 63 (if the open/close controller 66 receives a detection signal), the open/close controller 66 sends a door open signal to the controller 45 . Later, when the person leaves the area and the infrared receiver 63 receives reflected light in the normal pattern again, the open/close controller 66 discontinues transmission of a door open signal.
[0026] On receiving a door open signal, the controller 45 rotates the driving motor 44 by a predetermined amount of rotation, thereby allowing the door 2 to open. In contrast, on discontinuation of the transmission of a door open signal, the controller 45 rotates the driving motor 44 in the reverse direction, thereby allowing the door 2 to close.
[0027] The open/close controller 66 has a timed presence detection capability and internally contains a timer therefor. The open/close controller 66 is arranged to produce a presence detection signal, on condition that a person or object enters the area and remains stationary (causes no change in the amount of received light) for a certain period of time (on condition that the timer starts counting on recognition of a stationary object and times out with the object holding the stationary state), which is the situation where the infrared receiver 63 starts to receive a different pattern of infrared rays and continues to do so for a certain period of time. Practically, there are two situations for the door 2 to be closed by the control operation of the open/close controller 66 . One situation is where the transmission of a door open signal is discontinued after a person leaves the area. The other situation is where a presence detection signal is produced after an object remains stationary for a certain period of time.
[0028] With respect to the feature of this embodiment, the closing action of the door 2 is effected by the controller 45 in the following manners. First, in response to discontinuation of the transmission of a door open signal, the controller 45 closes the door 2 by rotating the driving motor 44 at a relatively high speed. Second, on receiving a presence detection signal, the controller 45 closes the door 2 by rotating the driving motor 44 at a relatively low speed. For example, the closing speed in the former situation is set substantially equal to the door opening speed, whereas the closing speed in the latter situation is set about half as fast as the door opening speed.
[0029] Next description is directed to the operation of the automatic door system 1 which is installed at the doorway opening A as mentioned above.
[0030] While the door 2 is closed (shown in solid lines in FIG. 1), if a person approaches the doorway opening A and enters the infrared coverage area of the infrared emitter 62 , the amount of received infrared rays changes at the infrared receiver 63 . Based on this change, the door sensor 6 detects approach of a person, and the open/close controller 66 sends a door open signal to the controller 45 . On receiving the door open signal, the controller 45 drives the driving motor 44 , causing rotation of the pulley 41 (counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 1). In turn, the rotating pulley 41 moves the running belt 43 , allowing the door 2 to slide in the opening direction (to the right in FIG. 1). When the door 2 slides as far as the position indicated by chain lines in FIG. 1, the controller 45 terminates the motion of the driving motor 44 and keeps the door 2 open. In the meantime, the person can pass through the doorway opening A.
[0031] After the person passes through the doorway opening A and leaves the infrared coverage area of the door sensors 6 , 6 , the door 2 is closed by discontinuation of the transmission of a door open signal. In this case, the controller 45 rotates the driving motor 44 by a predetermined amount of rotation in the reverse direction (clockwise rotation in FIG. 1). This reverse motion causes the door 2 to slide in the closing direction (to the left in FIG. 1). The speed of this sliding movement is relatively fast and substantially equal to the sliding speed in the door opening action described above. After the door, 2 reaches the position indicated by solid lines in FIG. 1, the controller 45 terminates the motion of the driving motor 44 and keeps the door 2 closed. For convenience of description, this closing action is called “first closing action”.
[0032] Besides, according to the characteristic action of this embodiment, the door 2 is closed in a different manner when a person or object enters the area and remains stationary (causes no change in the amount of received light) for a certain period of time. In this case, the open/close controller 66 sends a presence detection signal to the controller 45 . On receiving the presence detection signal, the controller 45 rotates the driving motor 44 in the same direction as in the first closing action but at a reduced speed. The slow-moving driving motor 44 leads to slow sliding movement of the door 2 in the closing direction (to the left in FIG. 1). When the door 2 reaches the position indicated by solid lines in FIG. 1, the controller 45 terminates the motion of the driving motor 44 and keeps the door 2 closed. In contrast to the first closing action as defined above, this closing action is called “second closing action”.
[0033] According to this embodiment, if a person or object remains stationary within the area for a certain period of time, the door 2 is forcibly closed at a reduced speed. As a result, when the automatic door starts the closing action despite the presence of a person who stops in the area, the person can notice the closing door in advance (before the door hits him/her) Even if the door 2 may hit the person, the slowly closing door 2 will not give a serious impact on the person.
[0034] Further, the present invention encompasses a modified example concerning the second closing action by the controller 45 , to be performed when a presence detection signal is sent from the open/close controller 66 . In the second closing action according to the previous embodiment, the closing speed of the door 2 is set at a low speed. Instead, the automatic door system 1 of the modified example is equipped with a speaker 7 as depicted by broken lines in FIG. 2. Specifically, when the open/close controller 66 sends a presence detection signal to the controller 45 , the speaker 7 is allowed to produce a vocal output saying, for example, “The door is closing.” in order to draw attention of people around the area.
[0035] This modified arrangement may be incorporated into the previous embodiment. According to this combination, when the open/close controller 66 produces a presence detection signal, the door 2 closes slowly and the speaker 7 provides a vocal output simultaneously.
[0036] With regard to the opening/closing mechanism 4 for effecting open/close movement of the door 2 along the track, the embodiment and the modified example of the present invention employ a mechanism composed of the driving motor 44 , the pair of pulleys 41 , 42 , and the running belt 43 . However, the opening/closing mechanism 4 should not be limited to this structure.
[0037] In the embodiment and the modified example, the present invention is applied to the automatic door system 1 involving a single sliding door 2 , but should not be limited thereto. Additionally, the present invention is applicable to an automatic door system involving two doors. With respect to the type of automatic door(s), the present invention is applicable not only to the sliding door(s), but also to the swing door(s) and the revolving door(s).
[0038] Besides, in the embodiment and the modified example, the closing speed in the case of “forced signal discontinuation in the presence of a stationary object” is set about half as fast as the one in the case of “signal discontinuation due to the exit of an object”. However, the closing speed in the former case can be set optionally as far as the above-mentioned effect can be achieved.
[0039] As for the door sensors 6 , it is possible to utilize microwave sensors, ultrasonic sensors, capacitance change-type sensors, and other various types of sensors.
[0040] The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The above embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
[0041] This application is based on Patent Application No. 2001-356810 filed in Japan, the contents of which are incorporated hereinto by reference. Likewise, the contents of the reference cited herein are incorporated hereinto by reference. | The present invention distinguishes door closing actions between the one effected when an object leaves a prescribed area (i.e. the door closing action resulting from “signal discontinuation due to the exit of an object”) and the one effected when an object remains stationary within the area for a certain period of time (i.e. the door closing action resulting from “forced signal discontinuation in the presence of a stationary object”). Regarding the latter case, the present invention protects a person who stops in the area, by setting the door to close at a low speed and/or issuing a vocal warning. This door closing action can reduce the risk of hitting the person with the door. | 4 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for electropolishing the tooling, often also called punches, utilized by the pharmaceutical industry in tablet compressing machines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The pharmaceutical industry has long used a variety of machines for forming by compression medicinal tablets from suitably prepared powders and such machines have normally employed tooling, often called punches, for contacting such powders and effecting such compression. Inasmuch as such tablets are usually of a rounded, or partially rounded, external contour, said punches will normally have a concave tip on the working end thereof to form the tablet to the desired shape. Further, such punches will frequently have embossed or debossed indicia, such as a symbol, code number or a letter, to produce corresponding recessed or elevated indicia on the tablet surface. This indicia, thereby placed onto the tablet surface, is often very small and the recesses in or elevations on the tablet contacting surface of the punch must be clean and sharp in order to produce an attractive looking product and in fact often in order for the indicia to be readable at all. However, in the normal course of use, the working surfaces of such punches usually become rough and frequently even pitted or otherwise disfigured. This results in an unattractive appearing product, or even one in which the indicia is actually unreadable, and hence the working surface of the punch must in some manner be cleaned and/or repolished to restore it to its original smooth condition before it is acceptable for continued use. However, with effective cleaning and polishing, the useful life of a given punch or set of punches can be greatly extended.
This problem has long been recognized and a variety of means have been proposed for effecting such cleaning and repolishing. The cleaning is necessary for the removal from the punch face of bits of product, i.e. the above-mentioned powders, which may cling thereto and the polishing is necessary for the removal of undesired pits, scratches and other irregularities from the product contacting surface or surfaces of the punch face.
Such previously known methods of cleaning and/or polishing have normally been mechanical in nature but have been difficult to carry out with respect to the relatively small concave surface characteristic of tablet punches and have often been very difficult to carry out effectively with respect to the embossing or debossing indicia therein provided for placing the above-mentioned indicia onto a tablet surface. Further, such cleaning and polishing as has been known in the past has seldom been uniformly effective on such punch surfaces and has been particularly lacking in uniform effectiveness with respect to such indicia.
Accordingly, the objects of the invention include:
1. To provide a method and apparatus for cleaning and polishing the working surface or surfaces of the tooling, usually punches, employed by the pharmaceutical industry in tablet-compressing machines.
2. To provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which will be effective in uniformly polishing the tablet contacting surface, usually a concave surface, at the working end of such punches.
3. To provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which will be effective for uniformly polishing also the embossing or debossing often appearing in such surfaces for the placement of various desired indicia onto the surface of a tablet.
4. To provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which will operate quickly and efficiently and can be handled by personnel relatively unskilled in polishing techniques, as contrasted to the high level of skill required of personnel carrying out mechanical polishing procedures.
5. To provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, in which a large number of such punches may be conveniently and easily polished simultaneously.
6. To provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which will produce results of both high quality and a high level of uniformity, such uniformity being both with respect to the entire surface of a given punch and with respect to the surfaces of each of a plurality of punches.
7. To provide a method which can be carried out by apparatus, and to provide such apparatus, which is of sufficient mechanical simplicity as to be easy to operate, capable of frequent and trouble-free use over a long period of time and, further, of sufficient simplicity as to be capable of manufacture and maintenance at a low cost.
8. To provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which can by simple adjustments be rendered capable of handling effectively any desired number of such punches up to the capacity of the machine.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with methods and apparatuses of this general type upon reading the following specification and insepection of the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a machine embodying an apparatus concept of the invention.
FIG. 2 is an end view of the machine of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line III--III of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an alternate construction taken on line IV--IV of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring first to the method aspects of the invention, it is believed that same will be best understood in connection with specific apparatus for practicing same and hence the following description will deal first with such apparatus and the method aspects of the invention will then become more readily apparent.
Turning then to the drawings, there is shown therein a generally rectangular tank 1 which is made from or lined with corrosion resistant material, such as stainless steel, fiberglass, or glass, for the containment of any conventional electrolyte designed for electropolishing purposes, and supported upon legs 2 if desired. In this instance said tank is of stainless steel and lined with a plastic material, the stainless steel being indicated at 3 in FIG. 3 and the plastic liner at 4. Suitable brackets 6 are arranged along the inside of said tank walls for supporting cathode brackets 7 and said cathode brackets support a stainless steel cathode screen 8. The cathode screen may be arranged in any of many known designs but it will conveniently define a series of U-channels generally indicated at 9 in FIG. 1, and individually indicated at 9A, 9B and 9C.
Turning now to the upper portion of the tank 1 for an examination of the mechanism by which the punches are supported and agitated in the electrolyte solution, it will be seen that the upper part of the stainless steel portion 3 of the tank walls turns outwardly to define a flange 12 extending around the entire perimeter of the tank 1. Positioned suitably within said glange, here at each of the respective four corners thereof, is a combined thrust and radial bearing of which one appears at 13 for supporting a shaft 14 of the eccentric 16.
In this embodiment the two eccentrics 16 and 17 (FIG. 2) located at the driving end of the machine, namely the end shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, is further provided with sprockets 18 and 19, respectively, at the lower ends of each of the downwardly projecting shafts, as the shaft 14 of eccentric 16. A suitable motor 21 is mounted as desired on the tank 1 and its power output shaft is provided with a sprocket 22 which acts through a suitable chain 23 for simultaneously driving both of the sprockets 18 and 19. Any suitable and conventional means including a control switch box 24 may be provided for controlling operation of the motor 21.
The punch support and clamping means 26 comprises a base plate 27 made of any convenient electrically nonconductive material such as fiberboard or sheet plastic. Same is provided with a plurality of openings of which one appears at 28 for reception of the punches as hereinafter further described. A sheet 29 of material of low electrical resistivity, such as copper, is supported at the upper side of the base plate 27, such as by being received into a recess 31 therein. Said conductive sheet 29 is provided with openings 32 therethrough which are aligned with the above-mentioned openings 28. A clamp plate 33, which is also preferably of material of low electrical resistivity, such as copper, is positioned directly above the sheet 29 and is clampable with respect thereto by any convenient means, here the bolt and wing nut assemblies of which one appears in FIG. 3 at 34. In the arrangement shown at 34 a suitable ferrule 36 is threaded into the base plate 27 and is itself internally threaded to receive the bolt 37. Said bolt is threaded into place as shown.
The clamp plate 33 is provided with openings 35 positioned to receive the several bolts 37 and wing nuts of which two appear at 38 and 43 are threaded onto same for clamping said clamp plate 33 with respect to the base plate 27 as desired. A series of recesses of which one appears at 39 is preferably provided, in said clamp plate 33, each thereof being in alignment with the openings 32 and 28, for reception of the respective punches to be cleaned as further described hereinbelow.
An electrical connection 41 is fixed in electrical contact with the clamp plate 33, here by having a portion 42 thereof positioned under one of the wing nuts, as the wing nut 43.
Support means for the base plate 27 is provided by a frame member 44, preferably extending all of the way around the perimeter of the base plate 27. Said frame member may be of any convenient material, preferably corrosion resistant such as stainless steel. It carries on each of its four corners suitable movable supports, which at the corner shown in FIG. 3 includes a radial bearing 46. A short stub shaft 47 extends upwardly as a part of the eccentric 16, same being offset from the shaft 14 and is rotatably received within the bearing 46. The arrangement at the corner associated with the eccentric 17 is identical with that associated with eccentric 16 and illustrated in FIG. 3 and hence needs no separate description. The arrangements at the other two corners are identical with those associated with eccentrics 16 and 17 excepting for the lack at each thereof of driving sprockets corresponding to the sprockets 18 and 19 and hence their construction will also be readily understood without further or specific description relating thereto. Alternatively, however, it will be understood that the support for the frame 44 at the last two named corners, namely the corners remote from those associated with the eccentrics 16 and 17, may by any other desired mechanism such as a conventional ball 46 (FIG. 4) supported and guided within a bearing 47.
Thus, upon energizing of the motor 21, the frame 44 and the clamp mechanism 26 carried thereby will be caused to move with a circular motion and therby carry the punches supported thereon as further described below through a circular path in a horizontal plane.
A further electrical terminal 48 extends with suitable insulation through the wall of the tank 1 and is connected through a tab 49 and the bracket 7 to the cathode screen 8. A nut 51 is provided to tighten the supply cable (not shown) snugly onto the terminal 48.
While the operation of the apparatus, including the installation of the punches therein, is believed obvious from the description set forth thus far, same will be reviewed for the purpose of insuring a complete understanding of the invention.
It will be assumed for purposes of illustration that the tools to be polished are of the shape indicated by the tools T shown in the drawings, each thereof having a cam engaging head T 1 with downwardly and inwardly slanting surfaces T 2 , a shank T 3 and a powder engaging surface T 4 at the tip T 5 . Said powder engaging surface in concave as indicated at T 4 and will in many cases have embossings or debossings for the purpose of providing desired indicia onto the finished tablet.
Assuming that the electrolyte in the tank 1 is at about the depth indicated by the broken line E in FIG. 3, namely just covering the cathode screen 8, the lower end of the tool T is covered by insulative material I to an extent as shown, namely sufficient to protect all of same excepting only the powder engaging surface T 4 from contact with the electrolyte.
With all of the tools T so covered by such insulative material, and with each of the top plates 33 removed, the several tools T are inserted into respective openings 32 and 28 as shown with respect to one of said tools in FIG. 3. The top plates 33 with respect to the several tools are then put back in place with the several bolts 37 projecting through the respective openings 35. The wing nuts including the nuts 38 and 43 are threaded onto said bolts 37 and tightened. This clamps the heads T 1 of the several tools T snugly into position and holds them firmly during the subsequent cleaning and polishing operation.
With the tank 1 previously filled with electrolyte as above indicated, the motor 21 is now started to cause the clamp assembly 26 to follow a circular path of a radius determined by the offset between the shafts 14 and 47. The power is not applied to the terminals 41 and 48 and the cleaning and polishing operation proceeds.
The specifics of the electrolyte used together with the voltage, amperage and time of treatment will all vary according to the total exposed surface of the tools being treated and also according to the material from which such tools are made. All of this is within the knowledge of the prior art and therefore needs no detailed discussion. However, by way of specific example, the apparatus here shown has been found to clean and polish tools as set forth below very effectively under the following conditions:
Approximate area of each tool exposed to electrolyte: 0.175 square inch
Preliminary preparation (cleaning): water at 60° C. and drying by airblast of about 60 psi
Material of tools: Tool Steel
Voltage: 14 volts
Amperage: For a test conducted with one tool, an amperage of 2 1/2-3 amperes at 14 volts produced good results; in a test involving two punches, a current flow of 5 amperes at 14 volts produced good results and in a test involving ten punches, a current flow of 25 amperes at 14 volts produced good results. Therefore, under the other conditions here present, there appears to be a straight-line relationship of approximately 2 1/2 amperes at 14 volts per tool being processed
Electrolyte: Ferro-Glo No. 600, Manufactured by Electro-Glo Corp., Chicago, Ill.
Specific Gravity of electrolyte: 1.690-1.7 (this can vary from 1.69 to 1.72)
Temperature: 85° C.-95° C.
Time of treatment: 1.5 minutes
Diameter of circular motion: 1 1/2" diameter
Speed of circular motion: The preferred range appropriate to the parameters described above appears to be about 75-95 rpm; a rotational speed of less than substantially 75 rpm fails to remove gas bubbles effectively from the concavity defining the working surface of the tool and a rotational speed greater than substantially 95 rpm effects an uneven polishing action along the edge of the tip to produce undesirable highs and lows thereon
Distance from punch tip to cathode screen: 1 3/8-1 1/2 inch
Distance from side of punch to side of screen: 1-1 1/2 inch
In another experiment with a single tool under identical conditions to those set forth above excepting that the tool was positioned in the electrolyte at a 45° angle to the vertical, the results were good but not as good as obtained when the tool is held vertical as shown in the drawings.
In other experiments under conditions identical to those set forth above excepting that the tool was not moved in the electrolyte, the results were reasonably good but not as good as under the conditions set forth above.
In several other experiments where the voltage was of the order of 4 to 9 volts and the temperature of the electrolyte was of the order of 84°-89° C. and without agitation of the tool in the electrolyte, the results ranged from poor to only moderately good.
Why the method works better with the tooling in a vertical position as compared to holding it in a 45° position is not known, but the results set forth above have been definitely observed and hence this is believed to be a critical feature of the invention. The agitation is, of course, desirable as in other electrochemical operations to remove products of electrolysis, such as gas bubbles, from adjacent the tool anode.
Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention. | In the method aspect of the invention, a tablet compressing tool having a concavity at its working end, is placed in a vertically aligned position with the concavity downward, contacted by an electrolyte at only the working tip thereof, and agitated by a circular movement in a horizontal plane while being subjected to a suitable DC current potential. The electrolyte may be conventional.
One effective apparatus for practicing the above method comprises a suitable electrolyte containing tank having cathode means, such as a trough or channel-shaped electroconductive mesh, extending therethrough, and tool clamping means on the upper side of said tank arranged for holding a plurality of said tools aligned in a vertical position and extending into electrolyte within said tank. Said tool clamping means is mounted for circular movement in a horizontal plane and arranged with means including prime mover means for effecting such movement. Suitable electrical connections are made to the cathode means and to the tool for the impressing therebetween of the desired potential. | 2 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/475,340, filed Jun. 2, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This application is also related to U.S. Utility Patent Application No. ______ entitled “System And Method Of Interactive Video Playback” (Docket No. 54317-026701); U.S. Utility Patent Application No. ______ entitled “System And Method Of Dynamic Interface Placement Based On Aspect Ratio” (Docket No. 54317-026801); U.S. Utility Patent Application No. ______ entitled “System And Method Of Video Player Commerce” (Docket No. 54317-026901); and U.S. Utility Patent Application No. ______ entitled “Video Playback Image Processing” (Docket No. 54317-027101); all of which are filed concurrently herewith on Jun. 2, 2004, and incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] In general, the field of the invention relates to digital video control. Specifically, the field of the invention relates to picture in picture functionality in digital formats.
[0004] 2. General Background and State of the Art
[0005] Interactive multimedia provides for a user to more fully appreciate a subject by exploring the varied multimedia resources available. Interactive multimedia includes the integration of text, audio, graphics, still image and moving pictures into a single, computer-controlled, multimedia product. The desire for interactive multimedia grows along with the desire for increasing data storage for these programs.
[0006] In one conventional application, interactive media is used as a learning tool for a user. The multimedia platform provides many advantages, including the ability to customize to the user's abilities and preferences. As a result, the user can control the path of the lesson. The multimedia lesson may direct the user through information or, alternatively, allow the user to explore the many facets on his own. By customizing the interface and levels of guidance for each user, the interactive multimedia program provides more effective learning. Interactive multimedia is not just limited to educational means; it may also be utilized for entertainment, presentations, and the like.
[0007] DVDs and other digital media players, such as high definition video players and software DVD-ROM, provide an increased amount of data storage and, thus, more avenues for media integration. Increased storage capacity translates into the ability to hold more information on a single disc or drive. In addition to increased storage capacity, this digital media can provide higher quality video and audio. Programming options include labeling segments of a film, wherein the user can select the segment for direct viewing. Often, these segments appear in an on-screen index available to the user from the top DVD menu or main menu screen. As a result, the user cannot select a desired scene without stopping the playing of the film and returning to the main menu screen.
[0008] DVDs are limited in that they cannot display at least two simultaneous streams of data throughout a transmission. Conventional systems allow for a user to select different angles during playing of the DVD. When an alternative angle is selected, display changes from a first angle to the selected angle. In order to view alternative angles, a menu or index is not available during the playing of the DVD. Once again, the user must return to the main menu to preview the various angles. During play, the user can toggle through the various angles by continuously pressing the “angle” button on a remote control. The user must continue to toggle through the angles until satisfied with a view currently displayed on the screen. As a result of not being subject to the different angles at all times, the user is unaware of other angles that may provide a better view through a different angle.
[0009] Attempts to display numerous streams of video and/or audio have had limited success. Many types of media have been employed to attempt to provide more viewing options for the user. CD-ROMs are one such conventional attempt. CD-ROMs are similar to DVDs, but have a much smaller capacity. With such a small capacity, streaming video utilizes a significant amount of storage. As a result, the ability to display a few streams of video simultaneously is limited by the amount of storage.
[0010] Conventional televisions provide the ability to view two channels simultaneously. This television feature is known as picture-in-picture. Picture-in-picture displays a primary television broadcast as usual on the television screen. A second television broadcast is overlaid on the primary television broadcast in a rectangular-shaped box substantially near the corner of the television display. The rectangular-shaped box is positioned such that it may be blocking a desirable portion of the first broadcast. The user does not have the option to reposition the box to another location on the screen. Additionally, the user cannot resize the box to become larger or smaller. Similarly, the aspect ratio of the box is predetermined and fixed. Essentially, the box is “static.”
[0011] The operating systems of personal computers utilize “windows” to display content. While the operating system windows provide some solutions to the static television picture-in-picture, conventional operating systems do not allow for simultaneous viewing of streaming data in sufficiently customizable “windows.” Each window is often the result of running a new program. The operating system is limited in its ability to provide multiple audio or video data streaming simultaneously in a plurality of customizable windows on the screen. Further, the use of windows on an operating system for a personal computer does not translate to a television viewing apparatus. A television cannot be readily adapted to provide windows similar to an operating system.
[0012] In viewing digital format, a user desires the ability to view simultaneous streaming audio and/or video, along with the ability to customize and manipulate the various media. More specifically, the user desires an ability to reposition streaming media on a screen, change the size of the streaming media on the screen, mix the audio of the streaming media with a primary transmission, use a “zoom” feature within the streaming media, crop the streaming media, alter the aspect ratio of the streaming media, choose a layering format for the various media, and modify the visual properties of the media such as transparency, tint, and contrast.
[0013] These conventional systems neither achieve nor teach the simultaneous viewing of interleaved audio and/or video streams with these desired features. Providing such a capability in a next generation of video playback devices will give consumers great freedom to customize their own viewing experiences. Additionally, improvements to the playback platform can also increase the ability of artists and content companies to provide innovative viewing experiences.
SUMMARY
[0014] A system and method of programmatic window control provides video playback devices with the ability to display multiple media streams simultaneously on the same screen. Video playback devices include, but are not limited to, DVD players, High-Definition video players, PC DVD-ROMs, and the like, The properties of the media streams can by dynamically and independently controlled either by user input or by programmatic means.
[0015] The present disclosure expands on the concept of picture-in-picture for video playback devices by providing such a format along with customizable features. The placement, size, aspect ratio, cropping, scale, transparency, tint, contrast, and cropping of the media can be set or adjusted arbitrarily. Furthermore, the audio may be mixed between separate tracks accompanying the video streams and may also be set or adjusted arbitrarily. Each variable can be dynamically changed during playback through either automated or user-initiated means.
[0016] In one embodiment, a first video stream and a second video stream are simultaneously displayed on a display. The first and second media streams are received by a media playback device comprising a processor. The first and second video streams are synchronized such that at least a portion of each of the video streams are displayed synchronously. The first video stream is displayed on the display, wherein the first video stream substantially extends across the display. The second video stream is optionally displayed in a customizable secondary display, wherein the second video stream has a playback synchronized to the playback of the first video stream. A third video stream may be provided to the media playback device and displayed in the customizable secondary display.
[0017] The at least one of the plurality of video streams may come from removable media such as a DVD or CD, or an Internet source, a personal computer, a hard drive, a LAN storage, or a server. The media playback device may be a DVD player, a personal computer, a home media server, a high definition video player, an optical player, a hard drive based player, or a software DVD-ROM player.
[0018] In one embodiment, the customizable secondary display is displayed by choosing a menu option, perhaps through the use of an input device such as a remote control. Descriptive text, such as the name of the menu item may be displayed on the customizable secondary display.
[0019] In one embodiment, the customizable secondary display can be resized or the aspect ratio can be altered. The aspect ratio of the at least a second video stream can also be altered. The first video stream can be swapped with one of the at least a second video stream, wherein the first video stream is displayed in the customizable secondary display and one of the at least a second video stream is displayed substantially across the display. The customizable secondary display can be repositioned to another location on the display. The at least a second video stream in the customizable secondary display can be replaced with the third video stream. The third video stream can be displayed in addition to at least a second video stream in the customizable secondary display.
[0020] The user can vary the audio properties of the first video stream and at least a second video stream, The secondary display can be resized to extend substantially across the display wherein the at least a second video stream overlays the first video stream. The user can change the customizable secondary display properties through a remote control, mouse, or keyboard, or gaming controller.
[0021] Another embodiment provides a system for displaying a first and a second video stream on a display, the system comprising a media playback device for receiving and playing the first and second video streams, wherein the first and second video streams are provided from a media source to the media playback device, and wherein the media playback device plays the first video stream on the display; the media playback device having a CPU and a media co-processor, wherein the CPU receives commands of a user and commands the media co-processor to display or modify the first and second video stream and the secondary display. The system further comprises a remote control, mouse, keyboard, or gaming controller to command the CPU. The system further comprises a cursor on the display to assist the user with modifying the properties of the secondary display. The system further comprises an executable file, wherein the CPU runs the executable file to modify the properties of the video streams and the secondary display. The executable file further comprises control data, the control data having customizable properties for the secondary display. The executable is embedded in at least one video stream. The executable file may be provided in a stream other than the first or second video streams.
[0022] Still another embodiment provides a method for a media playback device to display at least two video streams on a display, the method comprising the steps of receiving at least two video streams in a media interface of the media playback device; receiving an running an executable file in a CPU of the media playback device; checking by the CPU of the at least two video streams for metatags; receiving a command at the CPU from a user to modify at least one of the at least two video streams on the display; commanding a media co-processor to provide the modified at least one of the at least two video streams to an output buffer for display; maintaining alignment of at least two video streams based on the meta-tags; and optionally displaying an aligned at least a second of the at least two video streams on the display. A relative offset between the at least two video streams is maintained.
[0023] The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent form a reading of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, which illustrate the features and advantages of the invention in conjunction with references to the accompanying figures.
DRAWINGS
[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles.
[0025] FIGS. 1 a - 1 b are flow diagrams of the system according to an embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a display with a secondary display according to an embodiment.
[0027] FIGS. 3 a - 3 d are displays with modified secondary displays according to an embodiment.
[0028] FIGS. 4 a - 4 c are displays with modified secondary displays according to an embodiment.
[0029] FIGS. 5 a - 5 b are displays with modified secondary displays according to an embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 6 is a display with a secondary display according to an embodiment.
[0031] FIGS. 7 a - 7 b are displays with modified secondary displays according to an embodiment.
[0032] FIG. 8 is a display with a secondary display according to an embodiment.
[0033] FIGS. 9 a - 9 b are displays with modified secondary displays according to an embodiment.
[0034] FIG. 10 is a display with a secondary display overlay according to an embodiment.
[0035] FIG. 11 is a display with a secondary display and audio mixing according to an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] The system and method add picture-in-picture functionality to media players. Specifically, the system and method apply to video players, including but not limited to DVD players, high definition video players, software DVD-ROM players, high definition video players, hard drive based players, optical players, personal computers, or any other media player known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 1 a, a media playback device 100 receives at least two streams of media data. Optionally, the at least two streams of media data are streamed to the video player 100 such that the media data of a first data stream corresponds in timing to at least a second data stream. The data streams may be logically multiplexed data feeds or from multiple sources, or a combination of the two.
[0038] Data streams may be logically multiplexed data feeds, as illustrated by multiplex data feed 45 . Multiplex data feed 45 is a combination of data feeds 10 , 20 , 30 , 40 encoded in the same data feed 45 . Data feeds 10 , 20 , 30 , 40 may be transmitted from a CD, CD-ROM, DVD, DVD-ROM, television cable provider, or other data storage or transmittal device known in the art for providing multiple data streams. In an exemplary embodiment, a high definition video player contains a movie along with an additional four multiplexed video and audio tracks. These additional four multiplexed video and audio tracks contain scenes and additional material. The four multiplexed video and audio tracks are timed to match related content in the movie playing from the main video stream. Multiplexed data feed 45 may communicate with video player 100 through wireless means or a wired network.
[0039] Simultaneously, an audio and/or video feed from the Internet 50 may be transmitting to video player 100 from an Internet source. The Internet source includes a personal computer, personal media player, or other device known in the art for transmitting data from the Internet. The Internet source may communicate with video player 100 through wireless means or a wired network.
[0040] Additionally, a home media server may transmit video streams 60 , 70 to video player 100 . The home media server may contain a mixture of audio and video formats of movies, songs, or other multimedia to be transmitted in streams 60 , 70 . The home media server may communicate with video player 100 through wireless means or a wired network.
[0041] A media playback device has a host CPU or processor 115 , a media interface 105 , a media co-processor 110 , and an output buffer 125 . Media interface 105 receives the various streams of media. The media may be multiplexed or separate streams. The media stream may also include an executable file. The executable file contains logic for placement of video streams on the display, resizing, demultiplexing video streams, and other functions known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The executable file is provided to CPU 115 via a control stream.
[0042] The executable file utilizes control data, which may be embedded on the video player, on the media, or from an alternative source, such as the Internet or a home media server. The executable file is optionally resident on the media. The executable file may also be loaded from an external storage media, embedded in firmware, burned into the logic on a dedicated computer chip, or received from a separate media stream. For example, the executable file may be provided via the Internet 80 or a server 75 , LAN storage 85 , hard or floppy disk, CD or DVD, memory card, or other conventional means of storing and providing data. When the executable file is not resident on the media, the executable file goes directly to CPU 115 , rather than through media interface 105 .
[0043] CPU 115 executes the code in the executable file. CPU 115 analyzes timing, synchronization, and display properties of the streams, as well as application logic and user input. Display properties include scale, alpha transparency, position, rotation, etc. CPU 115 checks for time code, embedded metadata, and markers. The CPU also accesses video memory, enabling the system to arbitrarily insert graphics and text. In one embodiment, the CPU commands the system to send force feedback information to a gaming controller. The gaming controller might shake or vibrate corresponding to action on the screen.
[0044] The user may instruct CPU 115 through a remote control 90 . Remote control 90 sends messages via infrared, internet protocols, or other control stream. Remote control 90 may be a conventional remote control, mouse, keyboard, or a gaming controller. CPU 115 receive commands from the user and makes logical decisions concerning the video streams.
[0045] The video streams are provided from media interface 105 to media co-processor 110 . Media co-processor 110 receives commands from CPU 115 through media application program interfaces. Media co-processor 110 composites the video streams according to the instructions by CPU 115 and sends them to output buffer 125 for video output on display 120 . Media co-processor 110 comprises hardware and software, although may function only as software. In another embodiment, media playback device 100 comprises several decompressors for the various video streams.
[0046] In one example, DVD media provides four video streams and an executable file to the media interface. The media interface sends the CPU the executable file and sends the video streams to the media co-processor. When the user uses the remote control to choose a secondary video stream to be displayed, the CPU sends a command to the media co-processor to display both video streams one and two in the format provided. The CPU also ensures synchronization of the streams. The composited image is sent to the output buffer, which has sufficient memory to provide a synchronized video output without any breaks due to user commands.
[0047] The media playback device ensures synchronized playback of video streams. Referring to FIG. 1 b, a media playback device 101 receives a plurality of video streams 124 , 134 , 144 . Each video stream comprises three components: a video asset, an audio asset, and a time asset. Video stream 124 comprises video asset 125 , audio asset 126 , and time asset 127 ; video stream 134 comprises video asset 135 , audio asset 136 , and time asset 137 ; video stream 144 comprises video asset 145 , audio asset 146 , and time asset 147 . CPU 116 of media playback device 101 processes the metadata of video streams 124 , 134 , 144 . The metadata may be within each video stream or provided in a separate stream to media playback device 101 . As video streams 124 , 134 , 144 maintain relative offset based on their metadata, the CPU aligns the metadata such that a media co-processor 111 can provide video streams 124 , 134 , 144 in a synchronized fashion. Video streams 124 , 134 , 144 may contain content of varying lengths. CPU 116 aligns video and audio assets 125 , 126 , 135 , 136 , 145 , 146 of varying length and media co-processor 111 sends arranged video and audio content to the display for viewing.
[0048] In one exemplary embodiment, video and audio streams 125 , 126 are received at a time within its playback of 1:12:68. Video and audio streams 135 , 136 are received at a time within its playback of 1:15:22. Video and audio streams 145 , 146 are received at a time within its playback of 1:20:05. The logic in the executable maintains synchronization of the streams along playback. As one stream advances during playback, all other streams advance at a rate to maintain synchronization. Such a feature becomes desirable when streams are received from separate sources and are difficult to properly synchronize from the start. Media co-processor 111 receives the streams and maintains the relative offset for the various streams without any frame drift.
[0049] The media playback device presents a menu to the user during the operation of media. This menu may be presented before or during playback of the media. Upon a depression of a button on a remote control, joystick, or keyboard, a click on a mouse, or other activation through a remote device, an on-screen menu 50 is displayed.
[0050] The media co-processor provides the video streams for display. The CPU commands the control program to display certain streams as well as a graphic display to accompany the video streams. The display of the multiple data streams may be in a secondary display on the screen. The secondary display may be a rectangular-shaped arrangement of the multiple video streams.
[0051] The media playback device coordinates a layout of the secondary display. The media playback device may assert control either through direct control of the media playback device's video display buffer or, alternatively, through coordination of dedicated graphics hardware. In response to a user's command or according to programming, the CPU commands the media co-processor to show, hide, resize, reshape, move, or reposition any of the streaming data under its coordination. Due to the processing of the video streams, display properties can be changed on the display through arbitrary means and at the video frame-rate, thus not displaying any visible video display artifacts or frame drift.
[0052] The CPU can modify the video streams based on input. In an exemplary embodiment, the video streams may be rearranged within the display. Referring to FIG. 1 a, in another exemplary embodiment, data feeds 10 , 20 , 30 , 40 are provided from a DVD. However, upon an input, the media playback device displays home media video stream 60 . Home media video stream 60 may be display in addition or in the place of any or all of data feeds 10 , 20 , 30 , 40 . This input can come in the form of user-initiated input or through a stream or token of control data. User-initiated input may be provided through the use of a mouse, remote control, or other similar device known to one of ordinary skill in the art wherein user commands are transmitted from the input device to control program of the media playback device.
[0053] The embedded code or control data for providing arrangement and modification of the secondary display may be located within the executable file in the media playback device, within the video stream, or from an external source such as the Internet or a server. In one embodiment, control data in the executable file is placed within the video data. As the video plays, control data of the executable file streams into the media interface. This particular embodiment has the ability to store control data within the video streams, instead of storing the control data on the video player or transmitting from an external source. As a result, each video may have highly customized control data for that application, such as a particular brand name or logo, or a design theme that coordinates with the subject matter of the video. The control data may also be loaded separately from the executable file, preloaded, or streamed into the control program from remote sources or non-volatile storage media.
[0054] In an alternative embodiment, the display properties of the video streams are determined by control data in a separate stream. During playback, the control data streams through CPU to drive the arrangement and display properties. In one embodiment, before playback of a movie, a media playback device with access to the Internet is connected to a server that streams synchronized control data. The control data may be supplied in the streaming media by the creators of the streaming media. As the video plays, the control data provides customized applications for the executable file to allow the CPU to rearrange, zoom, and resize the video material to create an animating, optimized, high-quality presentation of the combined video streams.
[0055] The media playback device allows for an on-screen menu to appear. The user can view the menu through activation by a mouse-click or by depressing a button on the remote control. The on-screen menu provides a plurality of options. One such option may be to view alternative angles of a movie or a documentary of the making of the movie. By selecting this option, the user is enabling “Multi-View Mode.” Alternatively, the selection of Multi-View Mode might be enabled by pressing a particular button on a remote control. For example, a button labeled as “Multi-View” may activate any available multiple video streams available to the user. Multi-View Mode may be activated at any point during playback of the video. In order to select other options or features, the user may activate the menu during playback of the video, rather than returning to the main menu. As the main video plays and upon activation of Multi-View Mode, the CPU commands the media co-processor to show a second video stream with accompanying graphics. On the display, a secondary display in the lower left corner appears. Within the secondary display is at least one other video stream besides the main video.
[0056] Referring to FIG. 2 , a movie 210 is playing on a display 200 . A user selects “Documentary” from an on-screen menu. In the lower left corner is a secondary display 220 . Secondary display 220 may be placed in the lower left corner as a default position. Secondary display 220 , although appearing in the lower left corner, may appear anywhere on the screen. Secondary display 220 contains streaming video tracks 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 . Streaming video tracks 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 may include “behind the scenes” footage, video that provides a basis for the scene, an alternative angle of the scene, commentary, or any other video that could be used to enhance the experience of the user.
[0057] Video tracks 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 appear to play over the main video, in graphically defined “windows.” Substantially surrounding and between each streaming video track 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 is a graphic design of a window or border 230 . Secondary display 220 also contains the chosen menu option, in this case, Documentary 240 . Optionally, a marking or text 250 may appear in the corner of display 200 during all of playback to indicate that a menu or options are available to a user.
[0058] The graphical images do not exist in the video stream, but are drawn dynamically around the scaled video streams by the media co-processor. The media co-processor draws images unrelated to video into the display buffer of the media playback device. Such images include, but are not limited to, a design substantially around the streaming video, text of instructions, or text of a brand name. The images drawn into the display buffer may serve as a guide to using the multiple feeds or as an aesthetical enhancement for the multimedia experience. Border 230 , Documentary 240 , and marking 250 are examples of such images drawn into the display buffer.
[0059] The drawings for secondary display 220 are based on generic layouts and templates. The generic layout may comprise only border 230 and places secondary display 220 in the lower left corner. The template arranges the video streams such that a first data feed is viewed in a first “window,” a second data feed is viewed in a second “window,” and so on. Either the generic layout or a customized layout defined in the control data may also include the menu item chosen 240 and marking 250 . Any images, designs, text, or other custom programming may be present along with the four tracks appearing in a secondary display on the display. In one embodiment, a layout and template includes user functions associated with a remote control that appear substantially below each video stream to provide on-screen options for the user.
[0060] Using the remote control or mouse, the user may select an additional track or video stream to be switched with the main video appearing on the display. Referring to FIG. 3 a , a first video 310 appears on display 300 . Within a secondary display 320 is a second video 330 . When the user watching display 300 sees something of interest in secondary display 320 , the user presses a button on the remote control or mouse to swap first video 310 and second video 330 . As a result, referring to FIG. 3 b , second video 330 appears full-screen on display 300 and first video 310 appears in secondary display 320 .
[0061] The user may also swap the additional tracks within the secondary display. Referring to FIGS. 3 c and 3 d , a secondary display 320 is shown in a display 300 . The user watching display 300 may swap a second video 340 with a third video 350 . Similarly, the user may decide to view a fourth video 360 rather than second video 340 . Second video 340 may be deselected. Third video 350 may replace the location of second video 340 in secondary display 320 . As a result, the user can customize the secondary display to show only those desired video streams.
[0062] One function is the ability to show and hide any or all of the streaming video. Referring to FIG. 4 a , a first video 410 is playing on display 400 . A user may then decide either to activate Multi-View Mode in order to show a second video stream. Referring to FIG. 4 b , upon activation of Multi-View Mode or by commanding to show a second video stream, a secondary display 420 appears containing a second video 430 . Secondary display appears on display 400 and over first video 410 . A user may then choose to display a third video stream. Referring to FIG. 4 c, upon activation of a third video stream, a third video 440 appears in secondary display 420 . The user may decide to show any or all of the available video streams.
[0063] Alternatively, the user may decide to hide any or all of the streaming video. Referring to FIG. 5 a , a first video 510 is playing on a display 500 . A second video 530 is playing on a secondary display 520 . Referring to FIG. 5 b , upon the deselection of Multi-View Mode or by selecting not to view the streaming video of second video 530 , the secondary display and its contents, i.e., second video 530 , are no longer displayed on display 500 .
[0064] The user may guide a cursor around the video screen using a remote control, mouse, pointer, or other device known to one of ordinary skill in the art for directing an object on a screen. The cursor can be used for relocating or resizing the secondary display. The cursor may also be utilized for selecting an option or video within the secondary display. The cursor may appear as an arrow or any other shape. In one embodiment, the shape of the cursor relates to the theme of a movie. In an alternative embodiment, the cursor may substantially highlight an on-screen button or video.
[0065] Unlike conventional picture-in-picture displays, the user can customize the dimensions of both the primary and secondary displays, rather than choosing only a small or large display. By stretching or adjusting the display, the user resizes the video stream displays to any desirable size.
[0066] The user can resize a video in the secondary display through the use of the cursor or by other means. Referring to FIG. 6 , a secondary display 610 is shown with a second video 630 in addition to main video 605 on display 600 . A user may click on the second video 630 or a border 620 of secondary display 610 in order to resize second video 630 . Upon selecting border 620 or second video 630 , a visual marking 640 indicates that the second video may be resized within display 600 . By moving the cursor, remote device, or through use of buttons on the remote device, the user may resize the second video to a desired size. Referring to FIGS. 7 a and 7 b , a secondary display 710 with a second video can be enlarged or made smaller within display 700 . As the cursor moves, the window resizes smoothly along with the cursor movement. Resizing second video 630 can be done during playback of second video 630 and main video 605 without pausing. As a result, a user can experience both streaming videos to enhance their viewing experience.
[0067] In a similar function to resizing the secondary display, a user can reshape the secondary display by changing the aspect ratio. By expanding more or less in a horizontal or vertical direction, the user can manipulate the secondary display to better suit the second video in the secondary display or to block less content in the main video. The aspect ratio of the second video changes along with any changes to the aspect ratio of the secondary display, even though it may appear to distort certain images.
[0068] The media playback device provides yet another function to allow the user to customize the view of the secondary display. In one embodiment, changing the aspect ratio does not affect the second video. The only part of the second video that would be viewed would be the section still viewable after resizing the secondary display. The user can crop at least one side of the secondary display to make a portion of the second video not viewable. The second video continues to play as usual, but the cropped portion is not viewable on the display. The aspect ratio of the second video is not altered.
[0069] Upon selecting the secondary display, the user can also choose to move the secondary display to another location on the screen. Referring to FIG. 8 , a secondary display 820 on display 800 has been repositioned from the lower left corner to a position that is more centrally located. A user may desire this function to view the contents of a first video 810 in the lower left corner. Alternatively, the user may desire to position the secondary display 820 so that it is easier to view.
[0070] Referring to FIGS. 9 a and 9 b , a secondary display 920 is positioned in the lower left corner of display 900 , although secondary display 920 may be positioned at any location on the screen and moved to any location. Upon deciding to reposition secondary display 920 , the user selects the secondary display 920 and guides it with a cursor to the desired location. Throughout the movement from the first position to the second position, the secondary display moves smoothly and the video within the secondary display continues to play. In order to reposition the secondary display, the user is not required to pause or stop the main video or those video streams in the secondary display.
[0071] The visual properties of the video streams in the secondary display may be adjusted arbitrarily by the user. Such adjustable visual properties include, but are note limited to, contrast, tint, or color. A user may adjust these properties similar to the methods of adjusting the properties of a television or computer monitor. Controls are available through an on-screen menu and/or use of a remote control with programmed buttons.
[0072] The control program may also define color key or luminance values for each of the video streams. This give the user the ability to composite video streams against each other, allowing for bluescreen-type overlays. The user maximizes the size of the secondary display to completely overlay the first video. Referring to FIG. 10 , a second video 1020 from a secondary display is maximized over a first video 1010 on display 1000 . First video 1010 contains a mountain view or background subject matter and becomes the background plate. Second video 1020 contains only a person. By overlaying second video 1020 over first video 1010 and utilizing the bluescreen-type overlay, it appears as though the person of first video 1020 is in the scene of first video 1010 . This feature may be desired, for example, if a user would like to create a movie scene or understand the process for creating such a scene, By swapping one of the videos, the user can see a different subject in the scene or the subject in a different scene. In an alternative embodiment, further audio and video streams may be used for a multi-layered overlay.
[0073] Alpha, or transparency control, over the video streams allows the media playback device to perform dynamic smooth fade transitions and effects. The user may decide to have one alpha transparent video stream overlaying another video stream. Additionally, this feature allows for one video stream to fade away or into the display.
[0074] The media playback device may also be receiving streaming audio tracks in addition to the audio that streams along with the video. The system allows the user to edit and mix the audio that streams into the video player. At the user's command, the system can place a variety of graphic, interactive interfaces on a display. Referring to FIG. 11 , a secondary display 1110 is shown on a display 1100 . Secondary display 1110 has four streaming video feeds 1111 , 1112 , 1113 , 1114 in addition to the main video 1115 . Upon selecting to mix the audio on a remote device, the user is presented with a series of slider bars 1121 , 1122 , 1123 , 1124 , 1125 to mix the audio levels of five distinct audio tracks. Slider bars 1121 , 1122 , 1123 , 1124 , 1125 correspond to video feeds 1111 , 1112 , 1113 , 1114 , 1115 , respectively. The user can then adjust the volumes of each audio track for any or all of the video feeds.
[0075] While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Thus, it is intended that the disclosure cover the modifications and variations provided they fall within the spirit and the scope as described herein. | A media playback device capable of displaying multiple streams simultaneously and with expanded picture-in-picture capabilities is provided. The placement, size, aspect ratio, cropping, scale, transparency, tint, contrast, and cropping of the media can be set or adjusted arbitrarily. Furthermore, the audio may be mixed between separate tracks accompanying the video streams and may also be set or adjusted arbitrarily. Each variable can be dynamically changed during playback through either automated or user-initiated means. A system and method are provided for simultaneously displaying a first video stream and at least a second video stream on a display comprising the steps of feeding the video streams into a video player; providing control of the display of the video streams; displaying a first video stream substantially across the display; and displaying the other video streams in a secondary display. | 7 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to refrigeration apparatus which employs a working fluid comprising magnetic dipoles in suspension.
Conventional refrigeration apparatus employ working fluids which change states between vapor and liquid. Such apparatus employ compressors to compress the fluid. The fluid typically is a chlorinated fluorocarbon ("CFC") such as freon. Recent environmental concerns have led industry to search for alternatives to CFC-based apparatus.
A conventional compression refrigerator/air conditioning apparatus 10 is depicted in FIG. 1. The apparatus 10 comprises a heat exchanger 15 which exchanges heat with the region to be cooled, a compressor 16, a radiator for exchanging heat with the ambient, and an expansion valve 18. These elements are connected by fluid conduits creating a closed loop.
The conventional apparatus 10 operates in the following manner. In region 11, a cool vapor approaches the region to be cooled. In region 12, the vapor is warm because it has absorbed heat from the region to be cooled. In region 13, the vapor/liquid is hot because it has been compressed by compressor 16, and the heat of condensation has gone into heat. In region 14, the liquid is somewhat cooler because it has given up its heat to the ambient via the radiator or heat exchanger 17. This cooler liquid then passes through the expansion valve 18 and becomes much cooler because the heat of vaporization extracts energy from the fluid. The process is then repeated.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a refrigeration apparatus which does not require the use of CFC working fluids.
Another object of the invention is to provide a refrigeration apparatus which does not require a compressor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A magnetic fluid refrigeration apparatus is disclosed which does not require a compressor. The apparatus employs a working fluid comprising a suspension of particles in a base fluid, the particles characterized by a magnetic dipole moment. Such a working fluid may be a colloidal suspension of iron filing particles or bits of ceramic magnets. The working fluid is carried in a closed loop between a first region to be cooled by the apparatus and a second region to which heat from the fluid will be exchanged to the ambient.
Means are provided for pumping the working fluid to circulate the fluid in the conduit closed loop.
In accordance with the invention, the apparatus further comprises means for forcing alignment of the magnetic dipoles comprising the working fluid in the vicinity of said second region, thereby absorbing heat from and cooling the fluid. The apparatus further includes means for causing the magnetic dipoles to become randomly oriented in the vicinity of the first region, thereby taking up heat from said first region and warming said fluid.
In one embodiment, the means for forcing alignment of the magnetic dipoles comprises means for applying in the vicinity of the second region RF fields tuned to the resonance frequency of the dipoles.
In a second embodiment, the working fluid always operates at a temperature below the Curie temperature of the fluid, and the means for forcing alignment of the magnetic dipoles comprises a first conduit geometry in the vicinity of the second region which permits formation of a self-aligning magnetic field. The means for causing the magnetic dipoles to become randomly oriented comprises a second conduit geometry in the vicinity of the first region to be cooled which does not permit self-aligning magnetic fields to exist in the working fluid. The first conduit geometry may comprise, for example, a planar or cylindrical configuration. The second conduit geometry may comprise a spherical enclosure configuration.
The invention further includes a refrigeration method for cooling a space, comprising a sequence of the following steps:
circulating a working fluid in a fluid conduit through a closed loop between a first region to be cooled and a second region to which heat from the fluid will be exchanged to the ambient, wherein the working fluid is a suspension of particles in a base fluid, the particles characterized by a magnetic dipole moment; causing the magnetic dipoles to become randomly
oriented in the vicinity of the first region, thereby taking up heat from the first region and warming the fluid; and
forcing alignment of the magnetic dipoles in the vicinity of the second region, thereby absorbing heat from and cooling the fluid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating a conventional compressor refrigerator/air conditioning cycle.
FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating a refrigerator/air conditioning cycle of a refrigerator apparatus embodying the invention.
FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic drawing of a first exemplary embodiment of a refrigeration apparatus in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic drawing of a second exemplary embodiment of a refrigeration apparatus in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The operating cycle 50 of a magnetic fluid refrigerator in accordance with the invention is illustrated in simplified schematic form in FIG. 2. The refrigerator comprises a first heat exchanger 60 for exchanging heat with the region to be cooled, and a second heat exchanger or radiator 62 for exchanging heat with the ambient. A fluid conduit 64 conducts the working fluid, comprising a suspension of magnetic dipoles in a fluid base such as water, in a closed loop in a clockwise direction between the heat exchangers 60 and 62. The working fluid may comprise, for example, a colloidal suspension of little iron filings or particles of ceramic magnets. Each particle comprises many magnetic domains, i.e., regions in the magnetic material in which the magnetic dipoles are oriented in the same direction. Each domain comprises many magnetic dipoles.
In brief summary, the invention uses an external RF field and conduit geometry to cause alignment of the magnetic dipoles at operating temperatures above the Curie temperature of the magnetic materials. Self alignment phenomenon and conduit geometry cause alignment below the Curie temperature. Conduit geometry, such as a spherical volume region, is used to cause non-alignment of the dipoles above the Curie temperature.
The refrigeration apparatus operates in the following manner. In regions 51 and 52, the magnetic domains comprising the suspended particles or filing in the working fluid are randomly oriented, whereas in regions 53 and 54, they are aligned. Denoting by the magnitude of the magnetic moment and by H the alignment field, the heat of condensation (and/or vaporization) per molecule is then replaced by the energy of alignment, E c .
E.sub.c =μH (1)
The alignment field can be due to an externally applied field H a and a self-alignment local field H l ,
H=H.sub.a +H.sub.l. (2)
This local self-alignment field is related to the magnetization per unit volume M and to the geometry of the conduit in which the magnetic fluid is contained,
H.sub.l =Γ.sub.B M (3)
If there is no external alignment field, then self-alignment can occur for temperatures lower than the Curie temperature T c . The Curie temperature can be estimated in various ways. For example, H l =Γ B M can be combined with the Brillouin expression
M=Nμtanh(μH/k.sub.B T) (4)
or with the Langevin expression
M=Nμ[coth(μH/k.sub.B T)-(k.sub.B T/μH)] (5)
where N is the number of magnetic moments per unit volume and T is the temperature. In any case, the Curie temperature is given by the expression
T.sub.c =(ζNμ.sup.2 Γ.sub.B /k.sub.B) (6)
where ζ is a numerical factor of order 1. (For the Langevin expression, ζ=1/3.)
If μ is written
μ=μB(l.sub.part /l.sub.atom).sup.3 (7)
where μ B is the Bohr magneton, l part is the size of the magnetic particle in the fluid and l atom denotes an atomic dimension, then the last expression gives, on writing N=L -3 :
(l.sub.part.sup.6 /L.sup.3)=((l.sub.atom.sup.6 K.sub.B T.sub.C)/(ζμBΓ.sub.B)) (8)
For T c of the order of 300° K., this gives L 3 =10 21 l part 6 . Thus, for this case, possible fluid parameters are:
______________________________________for l.sub.part = 10.sup.-7 cm, L = 10.sup.-7 cmfor l.sub.part = 10.sup.-6 cm, L = 10.sup.-5 cmfor l.sub.part = 10.sup.-5 cm, L = 10.sup.-3 cm______________________________________
The self-alignment energy per magnetic moment is ≈(k B T Cl /ζ), which is not too much less than the conventional heat of condensation of 0.1 Ev.
It may be seen then, that a refrigeration method in accordance with the invention includes the following steps:
(i) circulating a working fluid in a fluid conduit through a closed loop between a first region to be cooled and a second region to which heat from the fluid will be exchanged to the ambient, and wherein the working fluid is a suspension of particles in a base fluid, the particles characterized by a magnetic dipole moment;
(ii) causing the magnetic dipoles to become randomly oriented in the vicinity of the first region, thereby taking up heat from the first region and warming the fluid; and
(iii) forcing alignment of the magnetic dipoles in the vicinity of the second region, thereby absorbing heat from and cooling the fluid.
Two exemplary embodiments of a magnetic refrigerator embodying the invention are now described.
EMBODIMENT 1
FIG. 3 shows in simplified schematic form a refrigeration apparatus 80, comprising a closed loop fluid conduit 82. The fluid conduit 82 comprises a tubular cylindrical member, fabricated, e.g., from PVC. However, in the regions 51' and 52' to be cooled, the geometry of the fluid conduit changes to the adjacent spherical enclosures 83A-D connected in series by a succession of short cylindrical conduit sections 82A-82C. Each spherical enclosure has an inlet port and an outlet port, allowing fluid to flow into the inlet port and out of the outlet port. This geometry is employed in the region to be cooled because it does not permit the magnetic dipoles to remain in an aligned state, whereas the cylindrical configuration of the conduit 82 in the vicinity of regions 53' and 54' does permit the dipoles to assume and maintain an aligned state. This is because the Γ in the Debye expression H l =Γ B M (eq. 3), defining the alignment field M, really depends on the geometry of the container of the fluid. In Kittel's Introduction to Solid State Physics, 3rd Edition, N.Y., John Wiley & Sons (1967), p. 380, it is shown that:
______________________________________1. H = (4π/3) M for a thin slab in which M is parallel to the surface;2. H = -(8π/3) M for a thin slab in which M is perpendicular to the surface;3. H = (4π/3) M for a thin slab in which M is perpendicular to the surface; and4. H = 0 for a spherical enclosure.______________________________________
Self-alignment would occur for cases (1) and (3), but not for cases 2 and 4, even when T<T c . A cylindrical pipe is not too different from cases 1 and 3; only the numerical factor differs.
A heat exchanger 84 exchanges heat from the region 85 to be cooled. A second heat exchanger 86 exchanges heat from the working fluid to the ambient region 87. A means for providing a static magnetic field H 0 at the respective regions 53' and 54' is provided. Such means may comprise permanent magnets 88 and 96. A means for applying an intermittent or pulsed RF field E to the regions 53' and 54' is also provided. In one form, such means could comprise, for example, coil 90 through which an AC current is passed by AC current source 92 for setting up the field in region 53', and coil 94 through which an AC current is passed by AC current source 102 for setting up the field in region 54. In this case, the portion of the conduit 82 passing through the coil 90 should be electrically non-conductive so that the RF field is not shielded from the dipoles comprising the working fluid. A typical conduit material is a plastic such as polyvinylchloride (PVC).
The RF field is applied for a sufficient time to orient the magnetic dipoles comprising the working fluid in the vicinity of the respective coil, and then turned off for a time interval before being applied again. Thus, the RF field is pulsed on and off.
A pump 83 circulates the working fluid through the conduit 82 in a clockwise direction.
In this case, alignment can be forced in cycle regions 53' and 54' by applying RF fields at the resonance frequency of the magnetic moments. In regions 53' and 54' a static field H 0 is applied, and an RF field E is applied to help align the moments at the resonance frequency ω 0 =γH 0 , just as in paramagnetic resonance experiments. Thus, γ is the ratio of magnetic moment to the angular-momentum, i.e., the gyromagnetic ratio.
EMBODIMENT 2
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of a refrigeration apparatus 120 in accordance with the invention. This apparatus 120 comprises a cylindrical or planar conduit 122, a first heat exchanger 124 for exchanging heat from the regions 51" and 52" to be cooled to the working fluid carried by the conduit, a pump 125 for circulating the working fluid through the conduit, and a second heat exchanger 126 for exchanging or radiating heat from the conduit 122 to the ambient in regions 53" and 54". It is not necessary to use heat exchanger 124, although it does facilitate the transfer of heat from regions 51" and 52" to the working fluid. In and adjacent the regions to be cooled, the conduit is characterized by a series of circular spherical enclosures 128, 130, 132, 134 connected in series by a succession of short cylindrical conduit sections 138, 140, 142 and 144. Each spherical enclosure has an inlet port and an outlet port, allowing fluid to flow into the inlet port and out of the outlet port. In this embodiment as well as the embodiment of FIG. 3, the short cylindrical conduits connecting adjacent spherical enclosures may be eliminated, so that the outlet port of one spherical enclosure directly communicates with the inlet port of the next adjacent spherical enclosure.
In this exemplary embodiment, alignment is accomplished solely by geometry of the conduits through which the working fluid flows. Thus, the cylindrical conduit configuration permits the magnetic dipoles to self-align and maintain the alignment, whereas the spherical configuration of enclosures 128, 130, 132 and 134 do not permit the magnetic dipoles to maintain alignment.
The refrigerator 120 operates at temperatures T<T c . In regions 53" and 54", the conduit for the fluid is cylindrical or planar; whereas in regions 51" and 52", the conduits consist of a series of connected spheres. In the spherical containers, the local alignment field is zero, since surface currents create fields which exactly cancel the fields due to volume magnetization.
It is understood that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the possible specific embodiments which may represent principles of the present invention. Other arrangements may readily be devised in accordance with these principles by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. | A refrigeration apparatus employing a working fluid of magnetic dipoles. The apparatus exploits a phase change in the working fluid from unaligned magnetic dipoles to aligned magnetic dipoles, so that no compression of the fluid is required. In a first embodiment, alignment is achieved by judicious application of RF fields tuned to the resonance frequency of the dipoles. In a second embodiment, alignment and randomization of orientation is achieved by operating always below the Curie temperature, and using geometry of the fluid conduit to permit or disallow the formation of a self aligning magnetic field. In both embodiments, the aligned portion of the fluid flow corresponds to the compressor-radiator-expansion valve poriton of the conventional cycle, and the unaligned portion corresponds to the vapor portion of the conventional cycle. | 5 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing head of an ink-jet printer, more particularly, to an improved printing head of the on-demand type ink-jet printer. In conjunction with color ink jet printers that execute printing of multi-colored figures and characters, one of the prior arts proposes an on-demand type ink-jet printer which prints multi-colored figures and characters using four colors of internally stored ink, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.
However, the on-demand type color ink jet printers available today still have a problem to solve in their constitution related to the conduction part connected to the orifice. Actually, when driving the printing head at high velocity, ink flowing through the conduction part is accelerated, and eventually overflows from the orifice due to the intense acceleration force.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at providing a ink-jet printer that safely prevents ink from overflowing from of the orifice even when the printing head of an on-demand type color ink jet printer is driven at an extremely fast speed during printing.
Other objects and further applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.
One of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is a plurality of orifice groups provided on the printing head, each containing a plurality of orifices that channel different color inks stored in the printer unit. The plural orifices in each orifice group allow the passage of corresponding color inks from independently provided ink paths having a specific length. Since each orifice is connected to a separate ink path, the broad chamber, which connects the orifices with the ink path, provided in a conventional printer can be eliminated. As a result, the influence of the accelerated printing head is securely minimized when feeding ink to a plurality of orifices while driving the printing head at high velocity, and at the same time, the uneven supply of ink between a plurality of orifices inherent to the conventional printing head can be eliminated. Consequently, the printing head embodied in the present invention securely prevents ink from being oversupplied to the orifices as a result of uneven ink distribution, making the printer ideally suited for high-speed operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be better understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the essential part of a color ink jet printer;
FIG. 2 is a front view of a conventional printing head;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the printing head reflecting one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the printing head shown in FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 represents the overall perspective view of an on-demand color ink jet printer. A pair of parallel shafts 2 and 3 are installed in front of a platen roller 1, while a carriage 4 is supported by these shafts 2 and 3 along the platen roller 1 so that the carriage 4 can freely move in the lateral direction. The carriage 4 is connected to a pulse motor (not shown) by means of a wire so that the carriage 4 can be driven by rotation of this motor to allow printing operation when the carriage 4 moves to the right. In addition, an ink tank 5 mounted on the carriage 4 stores 4 colors of ink separately. A printer head 6 comprising 4 different color units is provided in front of an ink tank 5, facing the platen roller 1. Four ink cartridge units 7 through 10 are located in the ink-tank 5. The reference numerals 7 through 9 respectively denote ink cartridges each containing yellow, magenta, and cyan color ink discretely. Multi-colored picture elements are generated by blending these three-primary-color inks on the printing medium. In addition, black ink is also provided in the ink-cartridge 10.
The present invention relates to the novel constitution of the printing heads 6 cited above. To facilitate understanding of the principles of the present inventions, the configuration of a conventional printing head is described below. Now referring to FIG. 2, an orifice group 6Y containing four units of yellow orifices, an orifice group 6M containing four units of magenta orifices, an orifice group 6C containing four units of cyan orifices, and an orifice group 6B containing four units of black orifices, are sequentially disposed from left to right in the printing direction (facing the platen roller), while orifices 11 through 14 are respectively disposed in a specific tilt angle, corresponding to 4 printing picture-element dots in the vertical direction. The orifices are disposed at specific intervals corresponding to 8 dots in the horizontal direction. In addition, orifices of each certain number are aligned horizontally with orifices of the same number in respective orifice group. These orifice groups 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6B are discretely connected to the ink-tank 5 storing color inks that correspond to these orifice groups. Taking the example of the orifices 11 through 14 of the orifice group 6Y, the color inks are respectively led to ink pools 11' through 14' provided in front of the orifices 11 through 14 from the yellow ink-tank via a commonly available ink path 15Y. To connect the ink path 15Y to ink pools 11' through 14', a connecting chamber 15Y' having a specific width large enough to cover these ink pools 11' through 14' is provided. Likewise, for the orifice groups 6M, 6C, and 6B, the inks are respectively led to ink pools 11' through 14' provided in front of the orifices 11 through 14 via the ink paths 15M, 15C, and 15B, and in addition, each orifice group is provided with a connecting chamber 15M', 15C', and 15B' each having a specific width large enough to cover the ink pools 11' through 14'.
Consequently, since each orifice group 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6B comprising orifices 11 through 14 are respectively need to feed corresponding color inks via the ink paths 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15B installed in the printing head 6, the system is obliged to use a connecting chamber 15Y', 15M', 15C', and 15B'each having a specific width large enough to cover orifices 11 through 14 of respective groups. When operating a conventional printer, the printing head 6 performs reciprocating operations in the lateral direction at high velocity over the surface the platen roller 1 while printing operation is underway. When the printing head 6 moves in both directions, acceleration force G is applied to inks which flow through ink paths 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15B inside the printing head 6. In particular, there is a significant difference in the amount of supplied ink between the orifices 11 and 14, thus eventually causing color ink to overflow from those orifices which are subjected to said force G. Although this is not a critical problem when the printing head performs reciprocating movement at a relatively slow speed, this is no longer a negligible problem in the light of growing needs for faster printing operation today.
FIG. 3 is the front view of the printing head of the on-demand ink-jet printer reflecting one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is the sectional view of the printing head shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the printing head 6 is provided with the yellow orifice group 6Y, the magenta orifice group 6M, the cyan orifice group 6C, and the black orifice group 6B from left to right on its front side. Each of these orifice groups is provided with four orifices 11 through 14 which are respectively disposed in a specific tilt angle which corresponds to four printing picture-element dots in the vertical direction. And the orifices are disposed at specific intervals corresponding to 8 dots in the horizontal direction. In addition, orifices of each specific number, 11 through 14, are aligned horizontally with orifices of the same number in respective orifice groups Such configurations are identical to those of any conventional printing head shown in FIG. 2.
The printing head 6 reflecting the present invention is also provided with the orifices 11 through 14 of the orifice groups 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6B. Corresponding color inks are led to the printing head through independently provided ink paths 15Y 1 through 15Y 4 , 15M 1 through 15M 4 , 15C 1 through 15C 4 , and 15B 1 through 15B 4 via ink pools 11' through 14' corresponding to the orifices 11 through 14.
Concretely, ink paths 15Y 1 through 15Y 4 respectively extend downward from corresponding ink pools 11' through 14', while the bottom edges of these ink paths 15Y 1 through 15Y 4 are commonly connected to an ink supply path 19 of the ink tank storing yellow ink. In the same way, the printing head 6 is also provided with ink paths 15M 1 through 15M 4 , 15C 1 through 15C 4 , and 15B 1 through 15B 4 . FIG. 4 shows the sectional view of the printing head 6 incorporating these ink paths. The printing head 6 embodied by the present invention is made of a plurality of stainless steel members stacked in layers which are integrally joined, while ink paths and chambers are made by etching. In FIG. 4, the ink pool 11' is provided in front of the orifice 11 which is connected to a pressure chamber 17 via a passage 16, while a piezoelectric vibrator 18 is installed on a side wall of the pressure chamber 17. An ink path (15Y 1 for example) extends downward from the bottom part of the ink-pool 11'. The bottom end of the ink path 15Y 1 is connected to the ink tank storing yellow ink via the common ink-supply path 19. FIG. 4 typically represents the configuration of the orifice 11 which is, for example, a constituent of yellow orifice group 6Y. Likewise, the other orifices 12 through 14 are also respectively provided with pressure chambers, piezoelectric vibrators, and independent ink paths 15Y 2 through 15Y 4 . In addition, identical configurations are also provided for magenta orifice group 6M, cyan orifice group 6C, and black orifice group 6B. Consequently, when the piezoelectric vibrator 18 shown in FIG. 4 is activated, the volume of the pressure chamber 17 decreases. This pressure increase is conveyed to the orifice via the passage 16 thus causing ink drops to be jetted out of the orifice 11 before eventually arriving at the surface of the printing paper via the ink pool 11'.
The on-demand color ink jet printer incorporating the printing head 6 reflecting the present invention allows orifices 11 through 14 of respective orifice groups 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6B, to feed ink by applying independently-provided ink paths 15Y 1 through 15Y 4 , 15M 1 through 15M 4 , 15C 1 through 15C 4 , and 15B 1 through 15B 4 . This mechanism effectively eliminates the conventional need for an connecting chamber substantially wide enough to cover orifices 11 through 14. Since each ink path is independently provided, even when the printing head 6 is driven at an extremely fast speed, the printing head can minimize influence of G caused by acceleration or deceleration to the printer head, and at the same time the configuration of the printing head embodied by the present invention facilitates even distribution of ink between orifices 11 through 14.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. However, such variations are not regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the following claims. | A specific number of orifices corresponding to the respective ink colors are provided for the printing head of an on-demand color jet printer in which orifices dealing with respective color ink are divided into orifice groups each being provided with a plurality of orifices. The orifices in the orifice groups dealing with respective color inks are designed to allow the supply of color inks through a plurality of ink paths each being independently provided and having a specific length. This configuration allows the entire system to stably execute a printing operation without being affected by the acceleration force applied to the printing head when driving the printing head at an extremely fast speed, which adversely affects the supply of ink to these orifices. | 1 |
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an N-vinyl lactam polymer and a method for producing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to an N-vinyl lactam polymer usable in various applications, such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and a method for producing the same.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] N-vinyl lactam polymers are represented by, for example, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and used in various fields as safe functional polymers. They are used, for example, in cosmetics, medical and agrochemical intermediates, food additives, photosensitive electronic materials, and tackifiers, and also in specialized industrial applications (e.g., production of hollow fiber membranes). In particular, polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a low molecular weight is usable in these applications.
[0003] Polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a low molecular weight is generally produced by polymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone in an aqueous medium in the presence of a metal catalyst with use of hydrogen peroxide as a polymerization initiator (see Patent Literatures 1, 2, and 3). For example, a disclosed method for producing polyvinyl pyrrolidone having a comparatively low molecular weight safely at a low temperature in a short time includes the step of polymerizing a monomer component containing vinylpyrrolidone in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, a metal catalyst, and at least one of ammonia and an amine compound (see Patent Literature 3).
[0004] The production method in which hydrogen peroxide, a metal catalyst, and at least one of ammonia and an amine compound are used, however, has a problem that the produced polyvinyl pyrrolidone is colored in brown or yellow in polymerization or storage. Such colored polyvinyl pyrrolidone is not acceptable depending on the application. The cause of coloring is presumably oxidation of a product material by hydrogen peroxide, oxidation of an amine compound, and promotion of the oxidation of the product material by ammonia in a combination system that includes hydrogen peroxide, a metal catalyst, and at least one of ammonia and an amine compound.
[0005] As a method for suppressing coloring of polyvinyl pyrrolidone during polymerization and storage, disclosed is a method having a step of treatment with a cation-exchange resin during and/or after polymerization of a monomer component containing vinylpyrrolidone in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, a metal catalyst, and at least one of ammonia and an amine compound for production of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (see Patent Literature 4). The method is industrially usable as a method for producing polyvinyl pyrrolidone that has a comparatively low molecular weight and is less likely to be colored during polymerization and storage.
[0006] A dye transfer inhibitor containing a polymer that contains 90% by mass or more of a vinyl lactam unit and has a K value of 28 or less is disclosed, the dye transfer inhibitor containing a chain transfer agent that has an acid group (see Patent Literature 5). Patent Literature 5 teaches that a chain transfer agent having an acid group is bonded to end of a polymer including a vinyl lactam unit to have an enhanced effect on a dye and exhibit its performance as a dye transfer agent especially in the presence of an anionic surfactant. Patent Literature 5 also discloses poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone that is produced with use of a mixture of 4,4′-azobis-4-cyanovaleic acid (0.94 parts) and triethanolamine (0.98 parts) as a polymerization initiator and ammonium hypophosphite as an chain transfer agent, and has a K value of 17.3.
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
[0000]
Patent Literature 1: JP-A 64-62804
Patent Literature 2: JP-A 11-71414
Patent Literature 3: JP-A 2002-155108
Patent Literature 4: JP-A 2008-255147
Patent Literature 5: JP-A 2007-238918
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0012] Various methods for producing polyvinyl pyrrolidone have been proposed as mentioned above. Here, when an N-vinyl lactam polymer such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone is used in production of hollow fiber membranes, for example, the N-vinyl lactam polymer is molten to be added to fibers. In that case, conventional polymers, however, have a problem of yellowing during heating to high temperatures. A method for producing an N-vinyl lactam polymer that can maintain a sufficiently favorable color tone without being colored even when heated to high temperatures (e.g., melting point or higher) has not been disclosed.
[0013] The present invention has been devised in view of the above state of the art. The present invention aims to provide an N-vinyl lactam polymer that is less likely to have a change (yellowing) in its color tone even at high temperatures and can maintain the color tone, and a method for producing the same.
Solution to Problem
[0014] The present inventors have intensively studied about a polymer having a structural unit derived from an N-vinyl lactam monomer to find out that an N-vinyl lactam polymer having a structural unit that includes at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal can avoid coloring even at high temperatures to maintain its color tone. The present inventors found out that the change (yellowing) in color tone is especially sufficiently suppressed at a temperature of about 200 to 270° C. The present inventors also found out that employment of a production method having a specific polymerization step in production of an N-vinyl lactam polymer efficiently produces an N-vinyl lactam polymer that is less likely to be colored even at high temperatures to maintain its color tone, thereby solving the above problem. In this manner, the present invention was completed.
[0015] Namely, one aspect of the present invention is an N-vinyl lactam polymer comprising a structural unit derived from an N-vinyl lactam monomer, the N-vinyl lactam polymer including a structural unit that has at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal.
[0016] Another aspect of the present invention is an N-vinyl lactam polymer composition comprising the N-vinyl lactam polymer, the N-vinyl lactam polymer composition containing 0 to 0. 1% by mass of ammonia and ammonium salt in total (ammonium equivalent) relative to 100% by mass of the N-vinyl lactam polymer composition.
[0017] Still another aspect of the present invention is a method for producing an N-vinyl lactam polymer, the method having a step of polymerizing a monomer component containing a N-vinyl lactam monomer in an aqueous solvent in the presence of at least one of a water-soluble azo polymerization initiator and a water-soluble organic peroxide and at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid.
[0018] The following will specifically discuss the present invention. It is to be noted that a combination of preferable embodiments of the present invention mentioned below is also a preferable embodiment of the present invention.
<N-Vinyl Lactam Polymer>
[0019] —Structural Unit Derived from an N-Vinyl Lactam Monomer—
[0020] The N-vinyl lactam polymer of the present invention is a polymer having a structural unit derived from an N-vinyl lactam monomer.
[0021] The structural unit derived from an N-vinyl lactam monomer refers to a structural unit formed by radical polymerization of an N-vinyl lactam monomer, and specifically refers to a structural unit in which a polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond of an N-vinyl lactam monomer is transformed into a carbon-carbon single bond.
[0022] The N-vinyl lactam monomer refers to a cyclic monomer having a lactam ring. Examples thereof include N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-vinyl caprolactam, N-vinyl-4-butyl pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-4-propyl pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-4-ethyl pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-4-methyl pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-4-methyl-5-ethyl pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-4-methyl-5-propyl pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-5-methyl-5-ethyl pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-5-propyl pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-5-butyl pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-4-methyl caprolactam, N-vinyl-6-methyl caprolactam, N-vinyl-6-propyl caprolactam, and N-vinyl-7-butyl caprolactam. In particular, use of at least one of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-vinyl caprolactam is preferable because they have fine polymerizability, and a resulting polymer has favorable color-tone stability at high temperatures.
[0023] One or two or more of the above N-vinyl lactam monomers may be used.
[0000] —Structural Unit Derived from Other Monomer(s)—
[0024] The N-vinyl lactam polymer may include a structural unit derived from a monomer other than the N-vinyl lactam monomer (also referred to as other monomer(s)). The structural unit derived from other monomer(s) means a structural unit formed by radical polymerization of other monomer(s). Here, other monomer (s) may include one kind or two or more kinds of monomers.
[0025] Such other monomer(s) are not particularly limited. Examples thereof include: carboxyl group-containing monomers such as (meth)acrylic acid, maleic acid, and (meth)acrylate; sulfonic acid group-containing monomers such as vinyl sulfonic acid, vinyl sulfonic acid salt, styrenesulfonic acid, styrenesulfonic acid salt, (meth)arylsulfonic acid, and (meth)arylsulfonic acid salt; alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid (e.g., methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and ethyl methacrylate), monoesters of (meth)acrylic acid and glycol (e.g., hydroxyethyl methacrylate), and the like; amino group-containing monomers such as amino alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid (e.g., diethylaminoethyl acrylate), quaternary ammonium derivatives of amino alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid, quaternary ammonium derivatives of amino alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid, quaternary ammonium compounds of diethylaminoethyl acrylate and methylsulfate, and N-vinyl imidazole; vinyl ethers such as vinyl methyl ether and vinyl ethyl ether; amide monomers such as N-vinyl acetamide, N-vinylformamide, N-vinylcarbazole, (meth)acrylamide, N-alkyl(meth)acrylamide, N-methylol(meth)acrylamide, and N,N-methylene bis(meth)acrylamide; vinyl acetate and vinyl stearate; and monomers containing plural polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds such as glycol diacrylate, glycol dimethacrylate, divinylbenzene, glycol diallylether.
[0026] Here, examples of the salt include metal salts, ammonium salts, and organic amine salts. Examples of the metal salts include: alkali metal salts such as lithium salts, sodium salts, potassium salts; alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium salts and magnesium salts; and transition metal salts. Preferable among these are alkali metal salts. In view of more sufficient suppression of odors and coloring (yellowing) during heating, ammonium salts are preferably not used.
[0027] Here, (meth)acrylic acid herein refers to methacrylic acid or acrylic acid, (meth)arylsulfonic acid refers to metharylsulfonic acid or arylsulfonic acid, (meth)acrylamide refers to methacrylamide or acrylamide, and (meth)acrylate refers to methacrylate or acrylate.
[0028] The proportion of the structural unit derived from an N-vinyl lactam monomer is preferably 50 to 100% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the structural unit derived from all the monomers in the N-vinyl lactam polymer (the sum of the structural unit derived from an N-vinyl lactam monomer and the structural unit(s) derived from other monomer(s)). With such proportion, when the obtained polymer is used in production of hollow fiber membranes, for example, the productivity is further enhanced. The proportion is more preferably 80 to 100% by mass, and still more preferably 90 to 100% by mass. The proportion is particularly preferably 100% by mass, that is, the N-vinyl lactam polymer is a homopolymer of an N-vinyl lactam monomer.
[0029] The proportion of the structural unit(s) derived from other monomer(s) is preferably 0 to 50% by mass, more preferably 0 to 20% by mass, still more preferably 0 to 10% by mass, and particularly preferably 0% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the structural units derived from all the monomers in the N-vinyl lactam polymer.
[0030] In the case where the structural unit(s) derived from other monomer(s) have a salt of an acid group such as a salt of a carboxyl group and a salt of a sulfonic acid group, the mass-based proportion (% by mass) of structural units relative to the structural units derived from all the monomers is calculated as the corresponding acids (acid equivalent). For example, in the case of the structural unit derived from sodium acrylate, the mass based proportion (% by mass) of the structural unit derived from acrylic acid that is the corresponding acid is calculated. Further, in the case where the structural unit(s) of other monomer(s) have a salt of an amino group, similarly, the mass-based proportion (% by mass) of the structural unit (s) derived from the corresponding amine relative to the structural units derived from all the monomers is calculated (amine equivalent).
[0031] Preferably, the N-vinyl lactam polymer does not contain an ammonium salt structure (e.g., ammonium salt structure of an acid such as —COONH 4 + and —SO 3 NH 4 + ) for the purpose of further sufficiently suppressing odors and coloring (yellowing) during heating. The proportion of the ammonium salt structure (the mass of NH 4 is calculated) in the N-vinyl lactam polymer is preferably 0 to 0.001% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the N-vinyl lactam polymer (relative to 100 parts by mass of solids in the case of a composition such as an aqueous solution).
—Structural Unit Including at Least One of a Hypophosphorous Group and a Group of Hypophosphorous Acid Metal Salt—
[0032] The N-vinyl lactam polymer has a structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal. That is, the N-vinyl lactam polymer has a structural unit including at least one group selected from the group consisting of hypophosphorous groups and groups of hypophosphorous acid metal salts, at a main chain terminal of the polymer molecule. The presence of the structural unit at a main chain terminal enables to suppress coloring (yellowing) of the N-vinyl lactam polymer when heated.
[0033] Here, the structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal refers to at least one structural unit selected from the group consisting of phosphinic acid groups (represented by —PH(═O)(OH)) and groups of phosphinic acid metal salts (represented by —PH(═O)(ONa) in the case of sodium phosphinate, for example). The N-vinyl lactam polymer preferably has a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal.
[0034] Examples of the metal salt include: alkali metal salts such as lithium salts, sodium salts, and potassium salts; alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium salts and magnesium salts; and transition metal salts. Preferable among these are alkali metal salts.
[0035] The structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal can be converted to a desired acid or metal salt by addition of an acid or base after formation of a hypophosphorous (salt) group at a main chain terminal of a polymer. Similarly, it can also be exchanged by treatment with an ion-exchange resin or the like.
[0036] In the N-vinyl lactam polymer, the proportion of a structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt present at a main chain terminal (molecular end) is preferably 0.01% by mass or more, more preferably 0.1% by mass or more, and still more preferably 0.3% by mass or more relative to 100% by mass of the total weight of the N-vinyl lactam polymer. The proportion is preferably 10% by mass or less, more preferably 7% by mass or less, and still more preferably 6% by mass or less.
[0037] In calculation of the mass (% by mass) of a phosphorus-containing structural unit at a main chain terminal relative to the total mass of the N-vinyl lactam polymer, the calculation should be performed in the acid or amine equivalent when it comes under the above case.
[0038] An exemplary method for forming a structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal of the N-vinyl lactam polymer is preferably polymerization of a monomer component including an N-vinyl lactam monomer in the presence of a reducing agent including at least one of hypophosphorous acid (phosphinic acid), hypophosphite (phosphinate) and hydrates of these. In such a case, a structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal is incorporated in the polymer molecule as a reducing agent strip.
[0039] The structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal of the N-vinyl lactam polymer can be analyzed, for example, by 31 P-NMR. Specifically, a method described later may be employed.
[0040] In the case of using a compound serving as a reducing agent twice or more such as hypophosphorous acid (salt), as the reducing agent, a phosphorus-containing structural unit may be formed at a position other than the molecular end of the N-vinyl lactam polymer (for example, a sodium phosphinate group may be incorporated into a molecule, in addition to a molecular end, as —P(═O)(ONa)—). Also in this case, a phosphorus-containing structural unit at a molecular end can be analyzed by 31 PNMR or the like.
—Other Structural Unit(s)—
[0041] The N-vinyl lactam polymer may have other structural unit(s) in addition to a structural unit derived from the monomer and a structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt. Examples of the other structural unit(s) include a structural unit derived from a polymerization initiator and a structural unit derived from a reducing agent other than the hypophosphorous acid (salt), namely, structural units derived from raw materials other than the monomer and hypophosphorous acid (salt).
[0042] The proportion of such other structural unit(s) is preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the N-vinyl lactam polymer.
[0043] The structural unit derived from a polymerization initiator is typically formed at an initial end of a polymer. Since coloring (yellowing) during heating is likely to increase when a carboxyl group is formed at a main chain terminal of the polymer, the main chain terminal of the polymer preferably does not have a carboxyl group (salt). Accordingly, a polymerization initiator preferably does not have a carboxyl group (salt).
—Molecular Weight and Physical Properties of N-Vinyl Lactam Polymer—
[0044] The N-vinyl lactam polymer preferably has a K value of 3 to 100 based on the Fikentscher method. The K value is more preferably 4 to 60, still more preferably 5 to 40, and particularly preferably 5 to 35.
[0045] In view of suppressing the viscosity of a dispersion in which dispersion objects are dispersed, the K value is preferably less than 15. The K value is more preferably 14 or less, still more preferably less than 14, particularly preferably 13.5 or less, and most preferably less than 13.5.
[0046] The embodiment where the N-vinyl lactam polymer has a K value of 5 or more but less than 15 is a preferable embodiment of the present invention. The lower limit of the K value is more preferably 7 or more, particularly preferably 8 or more, and most preferably 9 or more.
[0047] The K value based on the Fikentscher method is determined as follows.
[0048] In the case where the K value is less than 20, the viscosity of a 5% (g/100 ml) solution is measured. In the case where the K value is 20 or more, the viscosity of a 1% (g/100 ml) solution is measured.
[0049] The concentration of a test sample was determined in the dry matter equivalent.
[0050] In the case where the K value is 20 or more, 1.0 g of a test sample is accurately measured and put into a 100-ml volumetric flask. Distilled water is added to the flask at ambient temperature, and the mixture is shaken until the test sample is completely dissolved therein. Then, distilled water is further added such that the amount of the solution becomes correctly 100 ml. The test sample solution is left to stand in a constant temperature bath (25±0.2° C.) for 30 minutes. Then, the viscosity thereof is measured with an Ubbelohde viscometer. The time required for the solution to flow between two marked lines (flow time of the solution) is measured. The measurement is performed for several times, and the average value is calculated. For measurement of a relative viscosity, the same measurement is performed on distilled water (flow time of water). The two obtained flow times are corrected based on the Hagenbach-Couette correction. In the case where the K value is less than 20, the flow time of the solution was similarly obtained, except that the mass of the test sample is changed to 5.0 g.
[0051] Based on thus obtained flow times of the solution and water, the K value is calculated using the following equation.
[0000]
K
value
=
300
C
log
Z
+
(
C
+
1.5
C
log
z
)
2
+
1.5
C
log
Z
-
C
0.15
C
+
0.003
C
2
[0052] In the equation, Z represents a relative viscosity (ηrel) of the solution having a concentration of C. The C indicates a concentration (%: g/100 ml).
[0053] The relative viscosity (ηrel) is calculated using the below equation.
[0000] ηrel=(flow time of the solution)÷(flow time of water)
[0054] The N-vinyl lactam polymer (or an N-vinyl lactam polymer composition described later) has excellent color tone under high temperature conditions, which means the N-vinyl lactam polymer (or an N-vinyl lactam polymer composition described later) is less likely to be colored. For example, the yellow index (YI) after heating at 260° C. under aeration of nitrogen for 60 minutes is preferably 25 or less and more preferably 20 or less. The b value in the Hunter Lab color space is preferably 13 or less and more preferably 10 or less.
[0055] The yellow index (YI) and the b value in the Hunter Lab color space are determined by the method described later.
<Method for Producing N-Vinyl Lactam Polymer>
[0056] The N-vinyl lactam polymer of the present invention can be produced by polymerization of a monomer component containing an N-vinyl lactam monomer (also referred to as a monomer composition). In another method, after production of a polymer not containing a structural unit derived from an N-vinyl lactam monomer, the polymer may be modified to have a structural unit derived from an N-vinyl lactam monomer. A preferable method for producing the N-vinyl lactam polymer includes a step of polymerizing a monomer component containing an N-vinyl lactam monomer in the presence of a polymerization initiator.
[0057] The N-vinyl lactam monomer in the monomer component is as mentioned above. As the monomer component, one or two or more kinds of monomers other than the N-vinyl lactam monomer (also referred to as other monomer(s)) may be included. Such other monomer(s) are also as mentioned above.
[0058] In the monomer component, the proportion (use rate) of the N-vinyl lactam monomer is preferably 50 to 100% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the whole monomer component (N-vinyl lactam monomer and other monomer(s)). In such a case, when the obtained polymers are used for production of hollow fiber membranes, for example, the productivity of the hollow fiber membranes is further improved. The proportion is more preferably 80 to 100% by mass and still more preferably 90 to 100% by mass. The proportion is particularly preferably 100% by mass. That is, the N-vinyl lactam polymer of the present invention is preferably a homopolymer of the N-vinyl lactam monomer.
[0059] The proportion (use rate) of the other monomer(s) is preferably 0 to 50% by mass, more preferably 0 to 20% by mass, still more preferably 0 to 10% by mass, and particularly preferably 0% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the whole monomer component (N-vinyl lactam monomer and other monomer(s)).
[0060] In calculation of the proportion of other monomer(s) and the like relative to the whole monomer component (100% by mass), when the other monomer(s) have a salt of an acid group such as a salt of a carboxyl group and a salt of a sulfonic acid group, the salt of an acid group is calculated as the corresponding acid group (acid equivalent). When the other monomer(s) have salt of an amino group, the salt of an amino group is calculated as the corresponding amino group (amine equivalent).
—Polymerization Initiator—
[0061] The polymerization initiator is not particularly limited, and preferable examples thereof include water-soluble azo polymerization initiators and water-soluble organic peroxides. That is, the polymerization step is favorably carried out in the presence of at least one of water-soluble azo polymerization initiators and water-soluble organic peroxides.
[0062] Here, the phrase “water-soluble” refers to a property that one part by mass or more of a substance is dissolved in 100 parts by mass of water at 20° C. An azo polymerization initiator refers to a compound that has an azo bond and generates radicals by heat or the like. One or two or more of the azo polymerization initiators may be used. Further, one or two or more of the water-soluble organic peroxides may be used.
[0063] Examples of the water-soluble azo polymerization initiators include 2,2′-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane]dihydrochloride, 2,2′-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane]disulfide dihydrate, 2,2′-azobis-(propane-2-carboamidine)dihydrochloride, 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride, 2,2′-azobis[N-(2-carboxyethyl)-2-methylpropionamidine], 2,2′-azobis{2-[1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-imidazolin-2-yl]propane}dihydrochloride, 2,2′-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane], 2,2′-azobis(1-imino-1-pyrrolidino-2-methylpropane)dihydrochloride, 2,2′-azobis{2-methyl-N-[1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-hydroxyethyl]propionamide}, 2,2′-azobis[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methylpropanamide, 4,4′-azobis-4-cyanovaleric acid, azobisisobutyronitrile, and 2,2′-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethyl valeronitrile).
[0064] As the water-soluble azo polymerization initiator, those having a 10-hour half-life period temperature of 30 to 90° C. are preferable. Such an initiator enables more efficient production of an N-vinyl lactam polymer having a low molecular weight. Additionally, the obtained polymer has better color tone at high temperatures. More preferable are those having a 10-hour half-life period temperature of 40 to 70° C.
[0065] Preferably, an azo polymerization initiator having a carboxyl group is preferably not used because it may have an influence on coloring. That is, the water-soluble azo polymerization initiator (water-soluble azo compound) preferably contains no carboxyl group.
[0066] Examples of the water-soluble organic peroxides include: alkyl hydroperoxides such as tertiary butylhydroperoxide, cumene hydroperoxide, tertiary hexyl hydroperoxide, and p-menthane hydroperoxide; tertiary butylperoxy acetate; disuccinoyl peroxide; and peracetic acid. In particular, alkyl hydroperoxides are preferably used because more efficient production of an N-vinyl lactam polymer having a low molecular weight is enabled and the obtained polymer has better color tone at high temperatures. Further, tertiary butylhydroperoxide is more preferably used.
[0067] The organic peroxide preferably has a 10-hour half-life period temperature of 30 to 180° C. This enables more efficient production of an N-vinyl lactam polymer having a low molecular weight and allows the obtained polymer to have better color tone at high temperatures. Those having a 10-hour half-life period temperature of 40 to 170° C. are more preferable.
[0068] In the polymerization step, use of one or two or more of polymerization initiators selected from the group consisting of water-soluble azo polymerization initiators and water-soluble organic peroxides is preferable. Other polymerization initiator(s) may be used in combination. Examples of such polymerization initiator(s) include: persulfates such as sodium persulfate, potassium persulfate, and ammonium persulfate; and hydrogen peroxide.
[0069] The used amount (the total amount when plural initiators are used) of the polymerization initiator is, unless otherwise specified, preferably 15 g or less and more preferably 0.1 to 12 g relative to 1 mole of the whole monomer component.
[0070] The used amount of the polymerization initiator herein includes the used amount of the water-soluble azo polymerization initiator and water-soluble organic peroxide.
[0071] In the case where a water-soluble azo polymerization initiator is used as the polymerization initiator, the used amount of the water-soluble azo polymerization initiator is preferably 1.9 g or less relative to 1 mole of the whole monomer component. This enables more efficient production of an N-vinyl lactam polymer having a low molecular weight and allows the obtained polymer to have better color tone at high temperatures. The used amount is more preferably 1.6 g or less, still more preferably 1.2 g or less, and particularly preferably 1.1 g or less. The lower limit of the used amount is preferably 0.1 g or more and more preferably 0.2 g or more relative to 1 mole of the whole monomer component.
[0072] In the case where a water-soluble organic peroxide is used as the polymerization initiator, the used amount of the water-soluble organic peroxide is preferably 1.9 g or less relative to 1 mole of the whole monomer component. This enables more efficient production of an N-vinyl lactam polymer having a low molecular weight and allows the obtained polymer to have better color tone at high temperatures. The used amount is more preferably 1.6 g or less, still more preferably 1.2 g or less and particularly preferably 1.1 g or less. The lower limit of the used amount is preferably 0.1 g or more and more preferably 0.2 g or more relative to 1 mole of the whole monomer component.
[0073] The method of adding the polymerization initiator to a reaction system (polymerization reactor) is not particularly limited. For example, the amount of the polymerization initiator substantially continuously added during polymerization is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 80% by mass or more, and still more preferably 100% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the entire used amount (the total required amount) of the polymerization initiator. That is, the entire amount is preferably continuously added. In the case where the polymerization initiator is continuously added, the dripping rate may be changed. The polymerization initiator may be directly added without being dissolved in a solvent such as water, but is preferably dissolved in a solvent such as water before addition to the reaction system (polymerization reactor).
[0074] In the present invention, “during polymerization” refers to the time after the start of polymerization and before the end of polymerization.
[0075] Here, “the start of polymerization” refers to the point where at least a part of the monomer component and at least a part of the initiator are both added to the polymerization device, and “the end of polymerization” refers to the point where addition of all the monomers to the polymerization reactor is completed.
—Reducing Agent—
[0076] The polymerization step is preferably performed in the presence of a reducing agent. Polymerization in the presence of a reducing agent enables efficient production of an N-vinyl lactam polymer having a low molecular weight.
[0077] A single reducing agent may be used alone, or a mixture of two or more reducing agents may be used. Specific examples of the reducing agent include: thiol compounds such as mercaptoethanol, thioglycerol, thioglycollic acid, 2-mercaptopropionic acid, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, thiomalic acid, octyl thioglycollate, octyl 3-mercapropropionate, 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid, n-dodecyl mercaptan, octyl mercaptan, and butyl thio glycolate; halides such as carbon tetrachloride, methylene chloride, bromoform, and bromotrichloroethane; secondary alcohols such as isopropanol and glycerin; phosphorus-containing compounds such as phosphorus acid, phosphite, hypophosphorous acid, hypophosphite, and hydrates of these; and lower oxides such as bisulfites (including compounds generating bisulfite when dissolved in water) (e.g., sulfurous acid, hydrogen sulfite, dithionous acid, metabisulfite, and salts thereof), and salts thereof.
[0078] Examples of the salts include metal salts, ammonium salts and organic amine salts. The salt is preferably a metal salt. Examples of the metal salt include: alkali metal salts such as lithium salts, sodium salts, and potassium salts; alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium salts and magnesium salts; and transition metal salts. Preferable among these are alkali metal salts. In view of more sufficiently suppressing odors and coloring (yellowing) by heating, ammonium salts are preferably not used.
[0079] Among the above reducing agents, since the obtained N-vinyl lactam polymer has excellent color tone at high temperatures, use of at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid (including hydrates of these) is preferable. That is, in the polymerization step, polymerization is preferably performed in the presence of at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid. In particular, in view of favorable chain transfer efficiency, use of at least one of hypophosphorous acid and alkali metal salt of hypophosphorous acid is preferable.
[0080] As mentioned above, after polymerization using hypophosphorous acid (salt) as a reducing agent, a structural unit including at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt may be formed by addition of an acid or base at a main chain terminal of a polymer molecule. Alternatively, after polymerization using hypophosphorous acid (salt) as a reducing agent, a structural unit including at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt may be formed by treatment using ion-exchange resin or the like, at a main chain terminal of a polymer molecule.
[0081] The used amount of the reducing agent is, unless otherwise specified, preferably 0.05 to 20 g relative to one mole of the whole monomer component. If the amount is less than 0.05 g, the molecular weight may be less controllable. If the amount is more than 20 g, the reducing agent may be left, failing to sufficiently increase the polymer purity. The used amount is more preferably 0.1 to 15 g.
[0082] In the case where at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid (including hydrates of these) is used as the reducing agent, the used amount (the total amount when plural reducing agents are used) of at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid is preferably 5.0 g or less relative to one mole of the whole monomer component. If the amount exceeds the upper limit, the amount of at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid not contributing to chain transfer (at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid, not incorporated in a polymer end) increases to increase the amount of inorganic anions, resulting in a case where the performance when used in production of hollow fiber membranes is not further improved, for example. The used amount is more preferably 4.5 g or less and still more preferably 4.0 g or less. The lower limit of the used amount is preferably 0.5 g or more and more preferably 1.0 g or more relative to one mole of the monomer.
[0083] As for the method of adding the reducing agent, the reducing agent may be added to a reaction vessel (polymerization reactor) before polymerization (initial charge). Alternatively, the entire or part of the reducing agent may be added to a reaction vessel (polymerization reactor) during polymerization. In the present invention, “before polymerization” refers to the point before the start of the polymerization and “after polymerization” refers to the point after the end of polymerization.
[0084] The amount of the reducing agent substantially continuously added to a reaction system (polymerization reactor) during polymerization is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 80% by mass or more, and still more preferably 95% by mass or more relative to 100% by mass of the total used amount of the reducing agent. In the case of continuous addition of the reducing agent, the dripping rate may be changed.
—Other Additive(s)—
[0085] In the polymerization step, a heavy metal ion (or heavy metal salt) may be used as a reducing compound that serves as a cracking catalyst or the like of the polymerization initiator. The heavy metal refers to a metal having a specific gravity of 4 g/cm 3 or more.
[0086] Among the heavy metals, iron is preferable. As the reducing compound, preferable heavy metal salts include Mohr's salt (Fe(NH 4 ) 2 (SO 4 ) 2 .6H 2 O) ferrous sulfate.heptahydrate, ferrous chloride, ferric chloride, at least one of copper sulfate (I) and a hydrate thereof, at least one of copper sulfate (II) and a hydrate thereof, and at least one of copper chloride (II) and a hydrate thereof.
[0087] In the case of using the heavy metal ion, the used amount thereof is preferably 0.01 to 10 ppm relative to the total mass of the polymerization reaction liquid at the completion of the polymerization reaction. If the heavy metal ion content is less than 0.01 ppm, the effect by the heavy metal ion may not be sufficiently exerted. If the heavy metal ion content is more than 10 ppm, the obtained polymer may not have further better color tone.
[0088] In the polymerization step, for the purpose of promoting the polymerization reaction and preventing hydrolysis of N-vinyl lactam, at least one of ammonia and an amine compound may be used. One kind may be used alone, or two or more kinds may be used in combination.
[0089] The at least one of ammonia and an amine compound may function as a co-catalyst in the polymerization reaction. That is, when the at least one of ammonia and an amine compound is contained in the reaction system, compared to the case where the reaction system contains no ammonia and no amine compound, progress of the polymerization reaction may be further promoted. In addition, the at least one of ammonia and an amine compound may function as a basic pH regulator in the reaction system of the polymerization reaction.
[0090] The obtained N-vinyl lactam polymer is preferably set not to contain an ammonium salt structure (e.g., ammonium salt structure of acids such as —COONH 4 + and —SO 3 NH 4 + ) as far as possible, for the purpose of more sufficiently suppressing odors and coloring (yellowing) by heating. A preferable range of the ammonium salt structure (the mass is calculated as NH 4 ) in the N-vinyl lactam polymer is 0 to 0.001% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the N-vinyl lactam polymer (relative to 100 parts by mass of solids in the case of a composition such as an aqueous solution). From this point of view, in the case of using at least one of ammonia and an amine compound, use of an amine compound is preferable.
[0091] Addition of the at least one of ammonia and an amine compound may be performed by any appropriate method. For example, at least one of ammonia and an amine compound may be placed in a reaction vessel at the start of polymerization, or added sequentially during polymerization.
[0092] The ammonia may be used as gaseous substance as it is at ambient temperature, or may be used in the form of an aqueous solution (aqueous ammonia).
[0093] As the amine compound, any appropriate amine compound may be used. Specific examples thereof include primary amines, secondary amines, and tertiary amines. Only one amine compound may be used alone, or two or more amine compounds may be used in combination.
[0094] Examples of the primary amines include monoethanolamine, allylamine, isopropylamine, diaminopropylamine, ethylamine, 2-ethylhexylamine, 3-(2-ethylhexyloxy)propylamine, 3-ethoxypropylamine, 3-(diethylamino)propylamine, 3-(dibutylamino)propylamine, tetramethylethylene diamine, t-butylamine, sec-butylamine, propylamine, 3-(methylamino)propylamine, 3-(dimethylamino)propylamine, and 3-methoxypropylamine. Each of these primary amines may be used alone, or two or more of these maybe used in combination.
[0095] Examples of the secondary amines include: aliphatic secondary amines such as dimethylamine, diethylamine, dipropylamine, diisopropylamine, N-methylethylamine, N-methylpropylamine, N-methylisopropylamine, N-methylbutylamine, N-methylisobutylamine, N-methylcyclohexylamine, N-ethylpropylamine, N-ethylisopropylamine, N-ethylbutylamine, N-ethylisobutylamine, N-ethylcyclohexylamine, N-methylvinylamine, and N-methylallylamine; aliphatic diamines and triamines such as N-methylethylenediamine, N-ethylethylenediamine, N,N′-dimethylethylenediamine, N,N′-diethylethylenediamine, N-methyltrimethylenediamine, N-ethyltrimethylenediamine, N,N′-dimethyltrimethylenediamine, N,N′-diethyltrimethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, and dipropylenetriamine; aromatic amines such as N-methylbenzylamine, N-ethylbenzylamine, N-methylphenethylamine, and N-ethylphenethylamine; monoalkanolamines such as N-methylethanolamine, N-ethylethanolamine, N-propylethanolamine, N-isopropylethanolamine, N-butylethanolamine, and N-isobutylethanolamine; dialkanolamines such as diethanolamine, dipropanolamine, diisopropanolamine, and dibutanolamine; and cyclic amines such as pyrrolidine, piperidine, piperazine, N-methylpiperazine, N-ethylpiperazine, morpholine, and thiomorpholine. Among these, dialkanolamines and dialkylamines are preferable. Particularly, dialkanolamines are preferable. Among them, diethanolamine is especially preferable. Each of these secondary amines maybe used alone, or two or more of these may be used in combination.
[0096] Examples of the tertiary amines include trialkanolamines such as trimethylamine, triethylamine, tripropylamine, triisopropylamine, triethanolamine, tripropanolamine, triisopropanolamine, and tributanolamine. Among these, trialkanolamines are preferable. Particularly, triethanolamine is preferable. Each of these tertiary amines may be used alone, or two or more of these may be used in combination.
[0097] The total amount of the ammonia and an amine compound is not necessarily determined because it depends on the kind of the initiator used, other raw material(s), and the like. The total amount is preferably set such that the pH value during polymerization can be kept within a range mentioned later. The used amount of ammonia is preferably reduced as far as possible.
[0098] When a copper salt is used as the heavy metal salt and the ammonia is also used, an ammine complex salt of copper may be formed. Examples of the amine complex salt include diamine copper salt (e.g., [Cu(NH 3 ) 2 ] 2 SO 4 .H 2 O, [Cu(NH 3 ) 2 ]Cl) and tetramine copper salt (e.g., [Cu(NH 3 ) 4 ]SO 4 .H 2 O, [Cu(NH 3 ) 4 ]Cl 2 ).
—Polymerization Solvent—
[0099] The polymerization step is preferably carried out in an aqueous solvent.
[0100] The aqueous solvent refers to water or a mixed solvent containing water. The mixed solvent contains preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 80% by mass or more of water relative to 100% by mass of the solvent. Particularly preferable as the aqueous solvent is water alone. In the case of using water alone, residues of an organic solvent are favorably avoided.
[0101] Preferable examples of the solvent usable in combination with water for polymerization include: alcohols such as methylalcohol, ethylalcohol, and isopropyl alcohol; glycerin; polyethylene glycol; amides such as dimethylformaldehyde; and ethers such as diethyl ether and dioxane. One or two or more of these may be used.
[0102] The polymerization step is preferably carried out such that the solid concentration (concentration of nonvolatile matters in the solution, determined by the method described later) after the end of the polymerization is 10 to 70% by mass, more preferably 15 to 60% by mass, and still more preferably 20 to 55% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the polymerization solution.
—Other Polymerization Conditions—
[0103] As for polymerization conditions for the polymerization step, the temperature during polymerization is preferably 70° C. or higher. When the temperature during polymerization is within this range, a residual monomer component is likely to be reduced and the dispersibility of the polymers tends to be improved. The temperature is more preferably 75 to 110° C. and still more preferably 80 to 105° C.
[0104] The temperature during polymerization is not required to be always constant throughout the course of the polymerization reaction. For example, the temperature may be the ambient temperature at the start of polymerization, then raised to the preset temperature in an appropriate heating time or at an appropriate rate of temperature rise, and kept at that temperature. Alternatively, the temperature may be changed (increased or lowered) with time throughout the course of the polymerization reaction in accordance with the method of dripping the monomer component, the initiator, and the like.
[0105] In the polymerization step, the pH during polymerization (i.e., pH of the polymerization solution used for the polymerization) is preferably 4 or more and more preferably 6 or more, in view of sufficiently suppressing impurities and byproducts. The pH is preferably 11 or less.
[0106] The polymerization time (period between the start and the end of polymerization) of the polymerization step is preferably 30 minutes to five hours. When the polymerization time is longer, coloring of the polymerization liquid tends to be greater. An aging step (step for keeping the polymerization liquid under warming/incubation conditions after polymerization) may be provided for the purpose of reducing residual monomers in the polymerization liquid after the end of the polymerization. The aging time is commonly one minute to four hours. Further addition of the polymerization initiator during aging is preferable because residual monomers in the polymerization liquid are reduced.
[0107] In the polymerization step, it is more preferable to delay the termination time of dropwise addition of the initiator than to delay the termination time of addition of monomers, because residual monomers in the polymerization liquid can be reduced. The termination time is delayed more preferably by 1 to 120 minutes and still more preferably by 5 to 60 minutes.
[0108] In the polymerization step, the reaction system may be under normal pressure (atmospheric pressure), reduced pressure, or increased pressure. In view of the molecular weight of obtained polymers, polymerization is preferably performed under normal pressure or under increased pressure with the reaction system sealed. In view of equipment such as a pressurizing device, a pressure-reducing device, and pressure-resistant reaction vessel and piping, polymerization is preferably performed under normal pressure (atmospheric pressure).
[0109] The reaction system may be under an air atmosphere but preferably under an inert atmosphere. For example, the atmosphere in the system is preferably substituted with an inert gas such as nitrogen before polymerization.
[0000] —Steps Other than the Polymerization Step—
[0110] The production method of the present invention includes the above polymerization step, and may further optionally include purification, desalting, condensation, dilution, and drying steps.
[0111] The drying step is a step for pulverization and may be carried out by a common method. Pulverization is carried out, for example, by spray drying, freeze drying, liquid-bed drying, drum drying, and belt drying.
[0112] In the production method, treatment of the reaction liquid (polymerization liquid) with a cation-exchange resin further improves the color tone of the obtained N-vinyl lactam polymer solution. Such treatment with a cation-exchange resin may be performed during polymerization (in parallel with polymerization step) or after polymerization.
[0113] The treatment with a cation-exchange resin during the polymerization reaction can be performed by any appropriate method. Preferably, a cation-exchange resin is added to the reaction vessel in which the monomer component is polymerized. For a specific example, a cation-exchange resin is added to the reaction vessel during polymerization, finely suspended therein, and then filtered.
[0114] The time for the treatment with a cation-exchange resin may be any appropriate time, and is preferably one minute to 24 hours. If the treatment time is too short, the effects of the present invention may not be exerted sufficiently. If the treatment time is too long, the productivity is not any more improved. The treatment time is more preferably three minutes to 12 hours, and still more preferably five minutes to two hours.
[0115] The method for producing an N-vinyl lactam polymer particularly preferably includes a step of polymerizing a monomer component containing an N-vinyl lactam monomer in an aqueous solvent in the presence of at least one of a water-soluble azo polymerization initiator and a water-soluble organic peroxide, and at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid. By such a production method, an N-vinyl lactam polymer having a structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal is favorably produced. Accordingly, another aspect of the present invention is a method for producing an N-vinyl lactam polymer, the method including the step of polymerizing a monomer component containing an N-vinyl lactam monomer in an aqueous solvent in the presence of at least one of a water-soluble azo polymerization initiator and a water-soluble organic peroxide, and at least one of hypophosphorous acid and a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid.
<N-Vinyl Lactam Polymer Composition>
[0116] The N-vinyl lactam polymer of the present invention or an N-vinyl lactam polymer produced by the production method of the present invention may be present in combination with other components (e.g., monomers and byproducts produced in polymerization, residues such as initiators and reducing agents, solvents). Such an N-vinyl lactam polymer composition containing the N-vinyl lactam polymer is another preferable aspect of the present invention.
[0117] In the N-vinyl lactam polymer composition, preferably, the total amount of ammonia and ammonium salt (ammonium equivalent) is 0 to 0.1% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the N-vinyl lactam polymer composition. In such an embodiment, odors and coloring (yellowing) are further reduced. More preferably, the total amount is 0 to 0.01% by mass. Still more preferably, the N-vinyl lactam polymer composition contains substantially no ammonia and no ammonium salt.
[0118] In the case where the N-vinyl lactam polymer composition is an aqueous solution, the composition preferably contains 1 to 70% by mass of N-vinyl lactam polymers, 30 to 99% by mass of water, and 0 to 1% by mass of other components (residual N-vinyl lactam monomers, and the like).
[0119] In the case where the N-vinyl lactam polymer composition is a solid, the composition preferably contains 95 to 100% by mass of N-vinyl lactam polymers and 0 to 5% by mass of other components (water, residual N-vinyl lactams, and the like).
<Applications of N-Vinyl Lactam Polymer>
[0120] The N-vinyl lactam polymer of the present invention and an N-vinyl lactam polymer produced by the production method of the present invention may be used for any appropriate applications. Examples of the applications include dispersants, coagulants, thickening agents, pressure-sensitive adhesives, adhesives, surface coating agents, and crosslinking compositions for various inorganic and organic materials. More specific examples thereof include mud dispersants, cement matrix dispersants, metal fine particle dispersants, carbon fiber dispersants, carbon black dispersants, cement matrix thickening agents, detergent builders, dye transfer inhibitors for detergents, heavy metal scavengers, scale inhibitors, metal surface treating agents, dyeing aids, dyeing fixers, foam stabilizers, emulsion stabilizers, ink/dye dispersants, aqueous ink stabilizers, pigment dispersants for coating compositions, thickeners for coating compositions, pressure-sensitive adhesives, paper adhesives, stick glues, medical adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives for patches, pressure-sensitive adhesives for cosmetic masks, resin filler dispersants, resin hydrophilizing agents, coating materials for recording paper, surface treating agents for ink-jet printing paper, photosensitive resin dispersants, antistatic agents, moisturizing agents, binders for fertilizers, binders for drug tablets, polymer crosslinking agents, resin compatibility accelerators, photographic chemical additives, cosmetic preparation additives, hair dressing aids, hair spray additives, and sunscreen composition additives. Examples further include various industrial applications (e.g. production of hollow fiber membranes).
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0121] The N-vinyl lactam polymer of the present invention has the structure as mentioned above, and therefore can suppress coloring even at high temperatures and maintain its color tone. Such a polymer can sufficiently suppress a color tone change (yellowing) especially at 200 to 270°.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0122] In the following, the present invention is more specifically described with reference to examples. The present invention is not limited only to these examples. The word “part” herein refers to “part by mass” and the word “%” herein refers to “% by mass”, unless otherwise specified.
[0123] The weight average molecular weight and number average molecular weight of polymers, the quantity of unreacted monomers, the solids content and ammonium content of a polymer composition (polymer aqueous solution) are measured by the following methods.
<Method for Determining the Solids Content of the Polymer Composition (Polymer Aqueous Solution)>
[0124] A polymer composition (polymer aqueous solution) (2.0 g) was left in an oven heated to 150° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere for one hour to be dried. Based on the weight change before and after drying, the solids content (%) and the volatile component content (%) were calculated.
<Analysis of Monomers>
[0125] Monomers were analyzed under the following conditions by liquid chromatography.
Device: “NANOSPACE SI-2” from Shiseido Company, Limited Column: “CAPCELLPAK C18 UG120” from Shiseido Company, Limited, 20° C. Eluent: methanol for LC (from Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)/super pure water=1/24 (mass ratio), 1-heptane sulfonic acid (0.4% by mass) added Flow rate: 100 μL/min
<Measurement of the Molecular Weight of Polymers>
[0130] The method for determining the K value was employed.
<Analysis of the Structural Unit Including at Least One of a Hypophosphorous Group and a Group of Hypophosphorous Acid Metal Salt in the Polymer>
[0131] The structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt was quantified by 31 P-NMR.
Measurement Conditions of 31 P-NMR:
[0132] The polymer to be measured was dried under reduced pressure at ambient temperature. The resulting solids were dissolved in heavy water (from Aldrich) such that the content was 10% by mass. Then, quantification was performed by using UnityPlus-400 (400 MHz, pulse sequence: s2pu1, measurement interval: 10.000 seconds, pulse: 45.0 degrees, acquisition time: 0.800 seconds, total number of times: 128 times) from Varian.
[0133] Based on the integrated intensity ratio obtained by 31 P-NMR, the proportion of the phosphinic acid (salt) group at a main chain terminal of the polymer relative to the whole phosphorus compound was determined. Based on the used amount of the N-vinyl lactam monomer and the phosphorus compound, the proportion (% by mass) of the structural unit including a phosphinic acid (salt) group at a main chain terminal (molecular end) relative to 100% by mass of the total mass of the N-vinyl lactam polymer was calculated. In Examples 2-1 to 2-5, the proportion (% by mass) of the structural unit including the phosphinic acid (salt) group in a molecule was also calculated.
<Measurement of an Ammonium Salt Structure in the Polymer Composition>
[0134] The ammonium content in the polymer composition (polymer aqueous solution) was determined by ion chromatograph (“Ion chromatograph system ICS2000” from NIPPON DIONEX K.K., column for measuring basic material: Ionpac CS17, eluent: methane sulfonic acid, flow volume: 1.4 mL/min), and the ammonia content (also referred to as ammonium content) was calculated as the mass ppm relative to the total amount of polyvinyl pyrrolidone in the polymer aqueous solution which was determined separately.
[0135] The detection limit of the ammonium content was 1 ppm.
EXAMPLE 1-1
[0136] To a SUS304 reaction vessel equipped with a maxblend (registered trade mark of Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.) mixing blade and a glass lid, ion exchange water (374.5 parts by mass), diethanolamine (0.5 parts by mass), sodium hypophosphite (hereinafter, referred to as “SHP”) (25 parts by mass) were charged and heated to 90° C. To the reaction vessel, N-vinylpyrrolidone (hereinafter, referred to as “NVP”) (500 parts by mass) was added over 180 minutes and an initiator aqueous solution containing 2,2′-azobis-2-amidinopropane dihydrochloride (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., hereinafter, referred to as “V-50”) (10 parts by mass) and ion exchange water (90 parts by mass) was added over 210 minutes. A booster aqueous solution containing “V-50” (0.5 parts by mass) and ion exchange water (4.5 parts by mass) was added after 210 minutes and 240 minutes of the start of polymerization. As a pH regulator, a 10% by mass maloic acid aqueous solution (8.0 parts by mass) was added 210 minutes after the start of polymerization, so that a polymer composition (1-1) containing a polymer (1-1) with a solid content of 53.6% by mass was obtained. Table 1 shows formulations used in polymerization and Table 2 shows results of the polymerization.
[0137] The proportion (% by mass) of the structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal was 1.4% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the total mass of the N-vinyl lactam polymer.
EXAMPLES 1-2 TO 1-4
[0138] Under the conditions shown in Table 1, polymer compositions (1-2) to (1-4) respectively containing polymers (1-2) to (1-4) were produced in the same manner as in Example 1-1. Table 2 shows the results of the polymerization.
[0139] In polymers (1-2) to (1-4), the proportions (% by mass) of the structural unit including at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal were respectively 3.6% by mass, 3.2% by mass, and 4.7% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the total mass of the N-vinyl lactam polymer.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1
[0140] To a reactor equipped with a stirrer, a thermometer, and a reflux tube, ion exchange water (634.5 parts) and N-vinylpyrrolidone (160 parts) were charged. To the reactor, diethanolamine (0.02 parts) was further added to adjust the pH of a monomer aqueous solution to 8.3. Nitrogen gas was introduced thereinto while the monomer aqueous solution was stirred for removal of dissolved oxygen. Then, the reactor was heated with stirring to have an internal temperature of 70° C.
[0141] To the reactor, a polymerization initiator solution containing 2,2′-azobis(2-methylbutyronitrile) (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., hereinafter, referred to as “V-59”) (0.35 parts) dissolved in isopropanol (3.7 parts) was added so that polymerization was initiated.
[0142] After addition of the polymerization initiator solution, when the internal temperature started increasing due to the polymerization reaction, the jacket water temperature was increased along with the increase of the internal temperature and kept at 90° C.
[0143] The reaction was continued about three hours after addition of the polymerization initiator solution. Then, a mixed solution of a 10% by mass maloic acid aqueous solution (1.4 parts) and ion exchange water (0.5 parts) was added to adjust the pH value of the reaction liquid to 3.7. The internal temperature was kept at 90° C. for 90 minutes.
[0144] Next, an alkaline solution containing diethanolamine (0.2 parts) dissolved in ion exchange water (2.3 parts) was added to adjust the pH value of the reaction liquid to 6.6. The internal temperature was kept at 90° C. for 30 minutes. In this manner, a comparative polymer composition (1) including a comparative polymer (1) that contains 20 wt % polyvinyl pyrrolidone was obtained. Table 1 shows formulations used in polymerization and Table 2 shows results of the polymerization.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2
[0145] Water (93.8 parts) and 0.1% copper sulfate (II) (0.0046 parts) were charged into a reaction vessel, and heated to 60° C.
[0146] Then, while maintaining the temperature at 60° C., a monomer aqueous solution containing N-vinylpyrrolidone (100 parts) and 25% ammonia water (0.6 parts), and a 35% hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution (3.4 parts) were separately dropwise added over 180 minutes.
[0147] After the dropwise addition, a 25% ammonia water (0.2 parts) was added. After four hours of the start of the reaction, the reactant was heated to 80° C., and 35% aqueous hydrogen peroxide (0.5 parts) was added thereto. Then, after 5.5 hours of the start of the reaction, 35% aqueous hydrogen peroxide (0.5 parts) was added, and the reactant was held at 80° C. for one hour. In this manner, a comparative polymer composition (2) including a comparative polymer (2) that included 50% polyvinyl pyrrolidone was obtained. Table 1 shows formulations used in polymerization and Table 2 shows results of the polymerization.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 3
[0148] In a reaction vessel, 0.025% copper sulfate (II) (1.0 part) and ion exchange water (371.0 parts) were charged, and deaeration with nitrogen was performed (bubbling at 100 ml/min for 30 minutes).
[0149] Then, the temperature was raised to 80° C. while nitrogen flowing is performed on the gas phase at a flow rate of 30 ml/min.
[0150] With maintenance of the temperature of 80° C. and nitrogen flowing, a monomer solution containing N-vinylpyrrolidone (500.0 parts), 25% ammonia water (0.6 parts), diethanolamine (1.4 parts), and ion exchange water (63.6 parts), and an initiator solution containing 35% hydrogen peroxide (12.5 parts) and ion exchange water (31.9 parts) were respectively dropwise added over 180 minutes. After completion of the dropwise addition, 35% hydrogen peroxide (1.0 part) was added in six aliquots at one hour intervals. As a result of further maintenance at 80° C. for one hour after the sixth addition, a comparative polymer composition (3) containing a comparative polymer (3) that included 50% polyvinyl pyrrolidone was obtained. Table 1 shows formulations used in polymerization and Table 2 shows results of the polymerization.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Comparative
Comparative
Comparative
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Unit
1-1
1-2
1-3
1-4
1
2
3
Initial charge
Ion exchange water
Parts
374.5
374.5
349.5
339.0
634.5
93.8
371.0
DEA
Parts
0.5
0.5
0.5
1.0
0.02
—
—
ppm/NVP
1000
1000
1000
2000
125
—
—
SHP
Parts
25
50
25
60
—
—
—
% by mass/
5
10
5
12
—
—
—
NVP
0.1% copper sulfate
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
0.0046
—
(II)
0.025% copper
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.0
sulfate (II)
NVP
Parts
—
—
—
—
160.0
—
—
V-59
Parts
—
—
—
—
0.35
—
—
Isopropanol
Parts
—
—
—
—
3.7
—
—
Feeding
Monomer
NVP
Parts
500.0
500.0
500.0
500.0
—
100.0
500.0
(solution)
25% NH 3 aq
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
0.6
0.6
DEA
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
—
1.4
Ion exchange water
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
—
63.6
Initiator
35% H 2 O 2 aq
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
3.4
12.5
solution
V-50
Parts
10.0
10.0
—
10.0
—
—
—
VA-044
Parts
—
—
10.0
—
—
—
—
Ion exchange water
Parts
90.0
90.0
90.0
90.0
—
—
31.9
Feeding
Monomer (solution)
min-min
0-180
0-180
0-180
0-180
—
0-180
0-180
time
Initiator solution
min-min
0-210
0-210
0-210
0-210
—
0-180
0-180
Polymerization temperature
° C.
90
90
90
90
70-90
60 (dripping)
60 (dripping)
80 (aging)
80 (aging)
Booster (1)
25% NH 3 aq
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
0.2
—
Ion exchange water
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Number of times
Times
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
Booster (2)
35% H 2 O 2 aq
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
0.5
1.0/6
V-50
Parts
0.5
0.5
—
0.5
—
—
—
VA-044
Parts
—
—
0.5
—
—
—
—
Ion exchange water
Parts
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5
—
—
—
Number of times
Times
2
2
2
2
—
2
6
Addition time of Booster (1)
min
—
—
—
—
—
180
—
Addition time of Booster (2)
min
210, 240
210, 240
210, 240
210, 240
—
240, 330
180, 240,
300, 360,
420, 480
pH regulator
10% maloic acid aq
Parts
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
1.4
—
—
(acid)
Ion exchange water
Parts
—
—
—
—
0.5
—
—
pH regulator
DEA
Parts
—
—
—
—
0.2
—
—
(alkali)
Ion exchange water
Parts
—
—
—
—
2.3
—
—
In Table 1, “VA-044” means 2,2′-azobis [2-(2-imidazolin-2-y1)propane] dihydrochloride from Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., “V-501” means 4,4′-azobis (4-cyanovaleric acid) from Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., and “aq” means an aqueous solution.
[0151] The compositions of “monomer (solution)”, “initiator solution”, “booster (1)”, and “booster (2) ” in Table 1 were each prepared by mixing the components before addition.
[0152] The term “addition time (minutes)” in the booster section indicates when the lump-sum addition of a booster aqueous solution was performed after the start of polymerization. For example, “210, 240” in the section of “addition time of booster (2)” of Examples 1-1 to 1-4, means that the a total amount of the booster (2) was added in a lump sum after 210 minutes and again added in a lump sum after 240 minutes of the start of polymerization.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Comparative
Comparative
Comparative
Comparative
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
1-1
1-2
1-3
1-4
1
2
3
4
K value
13.3
10.5
13.2
10.2
84.2
28.5
30.3
—
10% pH (with no acid added)
6.83
6.32
6.71
5.86
5.74
3.47
3.65
—
Residual NVP content
ppm/as is
2
14
35
1
10
1
10
—
2-Pyrrolidone content
ppm/as is
2793
8712
4352
2006
973
14826
10636
—
Ammonium content
ppm/polyvinyl-
<1
<1
<1
<1
<1
1839
262
—
pyrrolidone
Structural unit including at least one of a
Present
Present
Present
Present
Absent
Absent
Absent
—
hypophosphorous group and a group of
hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a
molecular end
Proportion (% by mass) of the structural
1.4
3.6
1.6
5.6
0
0
0
—
unit relative to polymers
Evaluation
Yellowness YI
Before heating
2
3
6
2
9
14
20
9
on color
After heating
4
3
5
2
48
80
86
33
tone
b value in the
Before heating
1.3
1.8
3.6
1.0
1.9
5.9
8.6
5.4
Hunter Lab
After heating
2.2
1.5
2.9
1.3
23.3
24.8
25.6
18.3
color space
EVALUATION TEST (EXAMPLES 1-1 TO 1-4, COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 1 TO 3)
[0153] The color tone of each of the polymer composition obtained in Examples and Comparative Examples was evaluated as described below under high temperature conditions. Table 2 shows the evaluation results.
[0154] Each polymer composition was dried by a vacuum dryer for 12 hours. Each dried composition was heated at 260° C. in nitrogen atmosphere for 60 minutes, and then cooled in air. After air cooling in a desiccator, the ambient-temperature sample was subjected to measurement of L, a, and b using a colorimeter under the following conditions.
Device: “colorimeter SE-2000” from NIPPON DENSHOKU INDUSTRIES CO., LTD. Method: The sample was placed on a quartz cell before and after heating and measured in “reflective mode” with light shielded. The yellow index (YI) was calculated by the following equation based on the obtained L, a, and b.
[0000] YI= 100×(1.28 X− 1.06 Z )/ Y
Wherein
[0000]
X=X 0 ×{(Y/Y 0 ) 0.333 +a} (1/0.333)
Y=Y 0 ×{(L+16)/116} (1/0.333)
Z=Z 0 ×{(Y/Y 0 ) 0.333 −b/200} (1/0.333)
X 0 =0.95045
Y 0 =1
Z 0 =1.08892
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 4
[0163] A polymerization vessel equipped with a cooling pipe, a nitrogen introductory line, and a thermometer was charged with ion exchange water (78 parts). Nitrogen was then introduced thereinto so that the atmosphere inside the vessel was converted to nitrogen atmosphere. The polymerization vessel was heated to the inside temperature of 98° C. A monomer solution containing N-vinylpyrrolidone (46.8 parts), 30% hypophosphorous acid (5.46 parts), 25% ammonia aqueous solution (2.11 parts), and ion exchange water (1.2 parts), and an initiator solution containing 4,4′-azobis-4-cyanovaleic acid (NIPPOH CHEMICALS CO., LTD., NC-25) (0.94 parts) triethanolamine (0.98 parts) dissolved in ion exchange water (22.6 parts) each were continuously dropwise added with stirring over one hour. Then, while one hour of heating and stirring, an initiator solution containing NC-25 (0.06 parts) and ethanolamine (0.06 parts) dissolved in ion exchange water (1 part) was added in twice. In this manner, a polymer solution was prepared. With regard to the polymer solution, the color tone under high temperature conditions was evaluated in accordance with the above color tone evaluation test. Table 2 shows the results.
[0164] Table 2 shows that the N-vinyl lactam polymer of the present invention has better coloring resistance (fine color tone) under high temperature conditions compared to a conventional N-vinyl lactam polymer.
EXAMPLE 2-1
[0165] To a SUS reaction vessel equipped with a maxblend (registered trade mark of Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.) mixing blade and a glass lid, ion exchange water (78.2 parts by mass) and CuSO 4 (0.000125 parts by mass) were charged and heated to 95 to 98° C. To the reaction vessel, a monomer aqueous solution containing N-vinylpyrrolidone (hereinafter, referred to as “NVP”) (250 parts by mass), diethanolamine (hereinafter, referred to as “DEA”) (0.25 parts by mass), and ion exchange water (37.5 parts by mass) was added over 180 minutes, a polymerization initiator aqueous solution containing 69% by mass tertiary butylhydroperoxide aqueous solution (NOF CORPORATION, hereinafter, referred to as “69% TBHP”) (0.72 parts by mass) and ion exchange water (100 parts) was added over 210 minutes, and a reducing agent aqueous solution containing 15% by mass sodium hypophosphite aqueous solution (hereinafter, referred to as “15% SHP”) (5 parts by mass) and ion exchange water (28.3 parts by mass) was added over 165 minutes. A booster aqueous solution containing 2,2′-azobis-2-amidinopropane dihydrochloride (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., hereinafter, referred to as “V-50”) (0.5 parts by mass) and ion exchange water (4.5 parts by mass) was added in a lump sum after 210 minutes and 240 minutes of the start of the polymerization. In this manner, a polymer composition (2-1) containing a polymer (2-1) was prepared.
EXAMPLES 2-2 TO 2-5
[0166] Polymer compositions (2-2) to (2-5) respectively containing polymers (2-2) to (2-5) were prepared in the same manner as in Example 2-1 under the conditions shown in Tables 3 and 4.
EVALUATION TEST (EXAMPLES 2-1 TO 2-5)
[0167] With regard to each of the polymer compositions obtained in Examples and Comparative Examples, the color tone under high temperature conditions was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1-1. Table 4 shows the evaluation results.
[0000]
TABLE 3
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Formulation of raw materials
Unit
2-1
2-2
2-3
2-4
2-5
Charge in
Ion exchange water
Parts
78.2
128.4
135.1
131.8
2735.0
reactor
CuSO 4
Parts
0.000125
—
—
—
—
Dripping
NVP
Parts
250
250
250
250
5000
monomer
25% NH 3 aq
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
DEA
Parts
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.25
5
Ion exchange water
Parts
37.5
37.5
37.5
37.5
750
Dripping
35% H 2 O 2 aq
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
initiator
V-50
Parts
—
0.5
0.5
0.5
10
69% TBHP aq
Parts
0.72
—
—
—
—
Ion exchange water
Parts
100
50
50
50
1000
V-59
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
Dripping
IPA
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
reducing
SHP
Parts
5
5
4
1.5
50
agent
Ion exchange water
Parts
28.3
28.3
22.7
28.5
450
Booster (1)
25% NH 3 aq
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
Ion exchange water
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
Number of times
Times
—
—
—
—
—
Booster (2)
35% H 2 O 2 aq
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
V-50
Parts
0.5
0.25
0.25
0.25
5
Ion exchange water
Parts
4.5
2.25
2.25
2.25
45
Number of times
Times
2
2
2
2
2
pH
10% maloic acid aq
Parts
—
—
—
—
91.65
regulator
Ion exchange water
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
(acid)
pH
DEA
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
regulator
Ion exchange water
Parts
—
—
—
—
—
(alkali)
In Table 3, “V-59” means 2,2′-azobis (2-methylbutyronitrile) (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), “IPA” means isopropanol, and “aq” means an aqueous solution.
[0000]
TABLE 4
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
2-1
2-2
2-3
2-4
2-5
Reaction temperature
° C.
95-98
95-98
95-98
95-98
95-98
Dropwise
Monomer
min
0-180
0-180
0-180
0-180
0-180
addition
Initiator
min
0-210
0-210
0-210
0-210
0-210
time
Reducing agent
min
0-165
0-165
0-165
0-165
0-165
Booster (1)
min
—
—
—
—
—
Booster (2)
min
210, 240
210, 240
210, 240
210, 240
210, 240
Ammonium content
ppm/polyvinylpyrrolidone
<1
<1
<1
<1
<1
Structural unit including at least one of a
Phosphinic
Phosphinic
Phosphinic
Phosphinic
Phosphinic
hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous
acid group
acid group
acid group
acid group
acid group
acid metal salt
% by mass of the structural unit (relative to polymers)
0.2/0.8
0.4/0.9
0.4/1.0
0.2/1.3
0.5/0.9
In molecule/Molecular end
Evaluation
Yellowness YI
Before heating
14
9
9
7
7
results on
After heating
18
17
11
14
10
color tone
b value in the
Before heating
5.44
1.61
1.55
0.85
0.35
Hunter Lab color
After heating
7.1
5.69
2.91
3.00
2.16
space
Molecular weight of polymers (K value)
26.5
23.7
23.7
34.4
29.7
[0168] The term “dropwise addition time (minutes)” in the section of boosters of Table 4 indicates when a booster aqueous solution was added in a lump sum after the start of polymerization. For example, “210, 240” in the section of booster (2) in Examples 2-1 to 2-5 indicates that a total amount of the booster (2) was added in a lump sum after 210 minutes and again added in a lump sum after 240 minutes of the start of polymerization.
[0169] In comparison between Examples 2-1 to 2-5 in Table 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 in Table 2, the N-vinyl lactam polymer of the present invention is clarified to have better coloring resistance (fine color tone) under high temperature conditions than a conventional N-vinyl lactam polymer. | The present invention provides an N-vinyl lactam polymer that is less likely to be colored (yellowing) even at high temperatures to maintain its color tone. The present invention provides an N-vinyl lactam polymer comprising a structural unit derived from an N-vinyl lactam monomer, the N-vinyl lactam polymer including a structural unit that has at least one of a hypophosphorous group and a group of hypophosphorous acid metal salt at a main chain terminal. | 2 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Division of currently pending application U.S. Ser. No. 10/920,306, entitled “LAMINATED LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE DISPLAY DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF” and filed on Aug. 18, 2004.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laminated light-emitting diode display device and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly, to a laminated light-emitting diode display device having the circuitry unit printed on the insulator for driving SMT-type light-emitting diodes to emit light in order to display characters or graphics.
2. Description of Prior Arts
Reference is made to FIG. 1 of a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional light series 8 . The light series 8 includes a power core 81 , light bulbs 82 and bulb receptors 83 . The light series 8 could be placed on somewhere in accordance with users' preferences and arranged in users' preferred manners in order to display desired characters or graphics.
Reference is made to FIG. 2 of a schematic diagram showing a conventional neon lamp 9 . The neon lamp 9 consists of neon light lamps 91 and a decorative plate 92 having the neon light lamp placed thereon. Neon light lamps 91 can be arranged as preferred characters or graphics.
However, the aforementioned light series 8 or neon lamp 9 has its own thickness and occupies a specific volume, and thus is not capable of being adhered in some locations under certain conditions, therefore limiting its application.
Moreover, light bulbs 92 of the conventional light series 8 or neon light lamps 91 of the conventional neon lamp 9 are connected to each other through wires, making the assembly process for both more complicated and rendering the manufacturing more time-consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide a laminated light-emitting diode display device and a manufacturing method thereof. The present invention display device comprises a laminated design so as to reduce effectively the thickness as a whole and facilitate the placement thereof. Meanwhile, the assembly process for the present invention display device is not that time-consuming, compared to that the prior art light series or neon lamp, and thus leads to less manufacturing effort.
In accordance with the claimed invention, the laminated light-emitting diode display device includes an insulator, a circuitry device placed on the insulator and consisting of a plurality of circuits interconnected with each other, and a plurality of SMT-type light-emitting diodes electrically connected to the circuits of the circuitry unit.
The present invention further provides a corresponding manufacturing method for the laminated, light-emitting diode display device. The manufacturing method includes steps of preparing an insulator, placing a circuitry unit having a plurality of circuits on the insulator, and electrically connecting a plurality of SMT-type light-emitting diodes to the circuits of the circuitry unit.
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 illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional light series;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional neon lamp;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a laminated light-emitting diode display device according to the present invention;
FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram partially detailing part A in FIG. 3 ;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the laminated light-emitting diode display device according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 shows the operation status of the laminated light-emitting diode display device according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a top view of another preferred embodiment according to the present invention; and
FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of the manufacturing method for the laminated light-emitting diode display device according to the present invention
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference is made to FIGS. 3 and 4 of schematic diagrams of laminated light-emitting diode display devices according to the present invention. The present invention display device includes an insulator 1 , a circuitry unit 2 and a plurality of light-emitting diodes 3 . The insulator is made of a glass, a paper or a transparent plastic thin film. The shape of the insulator is not limited and thus can be in a variety of different forms in practical use. The preferred embodiment 1 is in the form of a rectangle.
The circuitry unit 2 is placed upon the insulator 1 by printing, electroplating or chemical deposition. The circuitry unit 2 consists of a plurality of circuits 21 made of highly conductive materials. The arrangement of circuits 21 is not specifically limited and changes based on practical use along with the placement of light-emitting diodes 3 . The circuitry unit 2 further connects to appropriate power sources.
Light-emitting diodes 3 are SMT-type light-emitting diodes, meaning light-emitting diodes 3 are capable of being adhered to circuits 21 of the circuitry unit 2 (shown in FIG. 3A ). Under this configuration, light-emitting diodes 3 are placed on the insulator 1 and electrically connect to the circuitry unit 2 , which serves as a power source for light-emitting diodes 3 . The number and arrangement of these light-emitting diodes 3 are not limited either. Light-emitting diodes 3 can be arranged as characters or graphics and in the present embodiment they are arranged as English characters.
Additionally, the circuits 21 of the circuitry unit 2 further electrically connect to a plurality of resistors 4 providing the protection of the circuit. Circuits 21 further electrically connect to a controlling integrated circuit (IC) 5 controlling the on/off of these light-emitting diodes 3 and thus providing the on/off variance of these light-emitting diodes 3 . Moreover, a protective thin film 6 further encapsulates the insulator, the circuitry unit 2 , light-emitting diodes 3 , resistors 4 and the controlling IC 5 for dust and waterproofing.
Reference is made to FIG. 6 of a schematic diagram showing a solar power-generating device 7 on the insulator 1 . The solar-power-generating device 7 includes a solar power plate 71 electrically connected to circuits 21 of the circuitry unit 2 , whereby solar energy powers the display device.
The present invention primarily provides a laminated light-emitting diode display device having the circuitry unit 2 printed on the insulator 1 , SMT-type light-emitting diodes 3 and the power source in order to display desired characters or graphics (shown in FIG. 5 ).
The laminated light-emitting diode display device according to the present invention is comparatively thin and thus is easily packed and stored, as well as being applicable in many occasions.
The circuitry unit 2 is printed on the insulator 1 and light-emitting diodes 3 are surface molded by surface molding technology (SMT) on the insulator for electrically connecting to the circuitry unit 2 , making the assembly process for the present invention display device easy and reduces effort in manufacturing.
Reference is made to FIG. 7 of a flow chart of the present invention manufacturing method for the laminated light-emitting diode display device. The manufacturing method includes steps of (a) preparing an insulator 1 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 ) made of a glass, paper or transparent plastic thin film, (b) placing a circuitry unit 2 having a plurality of circuits 21 on the insulator 1 by printing, electroplating or chemical deposition, (c) electrically connecting a plurality of SMT-type light-emitting diodes 3 to the circuits 21 of the circuitry unit 2 , in which these SMT-type light-emitting diodes 3 are adhered to circuits 2 through the SMT, (d) electrically connecting a plurality of resistors 4 and a controlling IC 5 to circuits 2 of the circuitry unit 2 , with resistors 4 and the controlling IC are placed on the insulator 1 , and (e) encapsulating the insulator 1 , circuitry unit 2 , light-emitting diodes 3 , resistors 4 , and the controlling IC 5 in a protective thin film 6 .
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims. | A laminated light-emitting diode display device and a manufacturing method thereof are described. The laminated light-emitting diode display device has an insulator, a circuitry device placed on the insulator and having of a plurality of circuits interconnected with each other, and a plurality of SMT-type light-emitting diodes electrically connected to the circuits of the circuitry unit. | 7 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent application, Ser. No. 61,348, 154, which was filed on May 25, 2010.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] (1) Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to sensors for fast and easy deployment in electroencephalogram acquisition and monitoring applications, including consciousness and seizure monitoring. The present invention further relates to electrodes for measuring biopotentials. The present invention further relates to groups or sets of sensors having individual features which facilitate their fast and correct placement and use and/or hinder or preclude their incorrect placement and use, without requiring extensive preparation of a patient's skin.
[0004] (2) Description of Related Art
[0005] Consciousness monitoring encompasses the field that uses measurements of biopotentials or other biological signals to gauge the level of consciousness or alertness of a subject or patient, especially in applications such as anesthesia monitoring or testing for seizure or other brain dysfunction or injury. Consciousness monitoring is frequently based on electroencephalographic (EEG) measurements.
[0006] In a typical diagnostic or monitoring study, a set of electrodes will be applied to the subject or patient. Proper design of electrodes and their placement is often critical to the reliability, accuracy, and/or repeatability of biopotential measurements and their analysis by the sophisticated monitoring equipment into which their signals are fed; variations in electrode placement or improper electrode placement or improper electrode spacing may mar the study if the analysis equipment is dependent upon proper placement, and may even unnecessarily endanger the patient in the event that a cardiac defibrillation shock is applied to the patient during consciousness monitoring. Traditionally, sets of electrodes are used in which all of the electrodes are essentially identical to each other in appearance. The similarity in some cases can result in electrode confusion on the part of the physician or technician applying the electrodes. Common mistakes in electrode placement include a mix-up between left-side and right-side electrode placement on the patient, a mix-up between signal and ground electrodes on the patient, incorrect placement of the electrodes on the patient in relation to the optimal or desired placement sites, placement of electrodes too near to each other or too far from each other, or placement of the electrodes in wrong or sub-optimal orientations with respect to each other. Extreme cases of misplacement result in entirely different electrode placement montages being used, but even minor misplacement can have a significant impact on the study or test results since the artifact processing, feature estimation, and suppression detection methods of test equipment or study methods can be sensitive to electrode placement. For example, too-short interelectrode distance can result in very small amplitude signals resembling suppression observed in some patients. Manufacturers of consciousness monitoring equipment have introduced specific sensors to address the problem of improper electrode placement and facilitate proper signal acquisition. Previous disclosures in this field of art include U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,064 to Devlin et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,493 B1 to Marro et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,950,698 B2 to Sarkela et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0193068 A1 to Burton et al., all of which are herein incorporated by reference.
[0007] However, the need still exists for novel systems and methods which better facilitate fast and accurate electrode placement and use and/or hinder or preclude their incorrect placement and use. It is envisioned that once seizure detectors are as common appliances in workplaces and schools as are emergency cardiac defibrillators today, it will be critical for persons of no special training to perform fast and accurate electrode placement. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel electrode kit for easy and fast deployment in electroencephalogram acquisition and monitoring applications.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In some embodiments, the present invention is an electrode for consciousness monitoring. Preferably, the electrode has a front, a back, and bottom, top, left, and right sides.
[0009] Preferably, each electrode is constructed of at least two separate structures: a physiological recording electrode and insulating region or adhesive collar. The electrode preferably comprises these two structures, but is constructed in a single unit which is able to be removed from the packaging and deployed onto a subject's skin. The physiological recording electrode can be of any type currently known in the art or later developed which is capable of conducting and recording physiological signals from a subject. The physiological recording electrode preferably comprises an upper surface and a lower surface. The upper surface is preferably that which is intended to face away from the subject when applied to said subject, and preferably will comprise an electrode connector (described herein). The lower surface is preferably that face of the physiological electrode which, when applied to a subject or patient, comes in contact with the subject's skin and receives and conducts the physiological signal from the subject to the monitoring equipment. The lower surface may optionally further comprise at least one surface feature which serves to either penetrate the subject's stratum corneum or to otherwise reduce electrode impedance and increase the quality of the physiological signal by bypassing factors that inhibit signal recording, such as the stratum corneum and the subject's hair. The physiological recording electrode is described in greater detail below.
[0010] The insulating region or adhesive collar may be of any insulating material known in the art, but preferably is a material that is pliant and comfortable to wear, such as polyester foam. This insulating region or adhesive collar preferably comprises two surfaces: an outer surface and an adhesive surface. The outer surface is that face of the insulating region or adhesive collar which, when placed on a subject's skin, faces outward and is capable of being viewed by the wearer, a user, or some other clinician. The adhesive surface is the face of the insulating region or adhesive collar which, when place on a subject's skin, comes in contact with the skin and cannot be seen. Preferably, at least part of the adhesive surface of the electrode is adhesive or sticky for application to skin. Again, the adhesive or method of sticking the electrode can be of any type known in the art such as acrylic adhesive. Preferably, the adhesive is capable of sticking to the skin for long periods of time (on the order of 1-24 hours) without losing adhesion and can be removed without undue pain to the wearer.
[0011] Preferably, the electrode has a colored label on the electrode front or on the outer surface of the insulating region or adhesive collar, allowing easy identification to prevent misplacement. The label may be printed directly onto the outer surface of the insulating region or adhesive collar material or may be printed onto a separate thin sheet and applied to the outer surface of the insulating region or adhesive material with an adhesive by any means known in the art. The label may also be stamped, etched, marked, engraved, burned, or affixed to the outer surface of the insulating region or adhesive collar material by any other means known in the art. The insulating region or adhesive collar material may also be manufactured in such a way as to have the label embossed in the surface of the outer surface of the insulating region or adhesive collar material.
[0012] Preferably, the electrode has a tab. Preferably the tab is upward-pointing in relation to the electrode's intended placement orientation. Preferably, the back of the tab is not adhesive or sticky, allowing the tab to be used as a handle in the application and removal of the electrode. The tab must be of sufficient size to be easily grasped between a typical human forefinger and thumb, i.e., no less than 0.2 inches in either its width or height dimensions. Preferably the tab is roughly triangular in shape, optionally with a rounded top, and measures 0.510 inches wide at its base and 0.218 inches tall. Preferably the tab is made out of the same material as, and is one with, the insulating region or adhesive collar material of the electrode (e.g., foam).
[0013] Preferably, the electrode label has one or more alignment indicators. The alignment indicators preferably correspond to a direction or an alignment in which the electrode is preferred to be oriented when applied to the subject or patient. The alignment indicators may be dots, lines, arrows, crosses, daggers, or any other symbols or configuration of markings, etchings, or stampings which can show both position and orientation. Preferably, the alignment indicator is an arrow. Preferably, it is of sufficiently bold and outstanding character as to be readily visible. The alignment indicator must not be just a negligibly thin hatch mark or seam. Preferably, the stalk of the arrow is more than one millimeter in width and more than 5 millimeters in length, the head of the arrow is more than five millimeters wide at its base, and the arrow is of a solid color that contrasts with the rest of the label color. Also, preferably, the electrode has on one or more of its sides a jut, and the electrode label has at the position of the jut and pointing in the direction of the jut a corresponding alignment indicator (e.g., arrow). In some embodiments, preferably, the electrode and its label have only one such jut and corresponding alignment indicator. Also preferably, the electrode has both a handling tab (as described above) and exactly one jut and corresponding alignment indicator such that the angle between the tab and the jut distinguish the electrode as unique among several such electrodes in a set, each having a different angle between tab and jut. For example, one electrode may have a 90° (clockwise) angle between tab and jut, whereas another has a 180° (clockwise) angle between tab and jut, whereas a third might have a 270° (clockwise) angle between tab and jut, helping to distinguish the three electrodes and diminish the chance of confusion between electrodes with regards to their placement on a patient in an electrode montage. Preferably, the arrow or other alignment indicator is applied to a patient such that it points at some distinctive feature, such as down at the bridge of the nose from the middle of the forehead, or to the corner of the eye from the temple.
[0014] The electrode may be a physiological electrode of any type known in the art. In some embodiments, the electrode is preferably a pre-gelled electrode having a spongy well of electrically conductive gel. In other embodiments, the electrode is preferably a dry electrode having surface features capable of penetrating the stratum corneum of the skin, for example of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,286,864 B1 to Schmidt et al. or any of its related applications, all of which are herein incorporated by reference. In other embodiments the electrode may be a combined gel/penetrator electrode.
[0015] The electrode should have a connector for connecting to an electrode lead. In some embodiments the connector is preferably a standard electrode snap connector. The standard electrode snap connector consists of a single round conductive button, usually metal, with a diameter of approximately 3.9 millimeters at its widest point and approximately 3.73 millimeters at its thinned midsection, which comes approximately 2.7 millimeters down from the button top. Having a standard snap connector permits the use of standard leads at low cost. In other embodiments the connector is a snap connector that is larger or smaller or different in shape than a standard electrode snap connector. Having a snap connector that varies in size or shape from a standard connector enforces the use of a non-standard lead known to have superior performance characteristics such as better shielding for lower noise, or various other proprietary improvements. Furthermore, having a snap connector that varies in size or shape from a standard connector enforces the use of the electrode as electrodes with a standard connector will not mate with the non-standard electrode lead, which precludes the use of other electrodes that may yield suboptimal signal quality. Also, using snap connectors of different sizes and/or shapes for each electrode in the electrode kit helps further uniquely differentiate among the electrodes and prevent wrong connections. Standard connectors are round in shape, but if a different-shaped connector would be desired, it could be triangular, square, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, or shaped like stars of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 points.
[0016] In some embodiments, two of the above-described electrodes are conjoined by their mutual foam insulating region or adhesive collar. In such an embodiment, the planar distance between the conductive regions of the two electrodes is enforced by the continuous insulating region or adhesive collar between the two conductive regions. This continuous insulating region or adhesive collar forms a kind of insulating bridge between the two electrodes. Preferably, this distance is at least the minimum effective distance for preventing electrical conduction between the two electrodes during cardiac defibrillation. The known and preferred minimum effective distance is 17 millimeters. “Planar distance” as referred to in this specification means the linear distance as measured when the electrodes lie flat in a plane, and not, for example, when they are folded up upon each other.
[0017] In some embodiments, the present invention comprises a set of electrodes for biosignals measurement for consciousness monitoring. Each electrode in the set may have any or all of the features described above. Preferably, the set comprises at least four electrodes, including a first electrode for the patient's right temple, a second electrode for the patient's left temple, a reference electrode, and a ground electrode. Each electrode has a front, a back, and bottom, top, left, and right sides. Each electrode back has a conductive region surrounded by an insulating region or adhesive collar.
[0018] As described previously, preferably, at least part of the back of each electrode is adhesive or sticky for application to skin.
[0019] Preferably, each electrode has a label on the electrode front, each label being visually distinct from the labels of the other electrodes, and the labels having the characteristics previously described in this disclosure. The feature providing the visual distinction may be color, pattern, reflectivity, or any other visually distinguishable feature or combination of features, but preferably it is color, and so preferably each electrode label has a unique color. The unique color label on each electrode helps the user to identify the desired location and position for each given electrode. Any set of colors may be selected for the electrode, but for example, preferably, the right temple electrode label is orange in color, the reference electrode label is beige in color, the ground electrode label is gray in color, and the left temple electrode label is yellow in color. The difference in colors helps prevent confusion of the electrodes during placement, and further assists in proper and faster electrode placement with the use of an easy-to-use electrode placement map having a color legend. The electrode placement map and legend is preferably provided with the packaging of the electrodes. Furthermore, each electrode lead should preferably echo the color of the corresponding electrode it mates with in order to facilitate easy and correct connection.
[0020] Preferably, all of the electrodes in the set are provided on a single sheet of thin plastic, styrene, or similar material, and each electrode easily peels off. Further preferably, the electrodes are positioned or ordered on the plastic or styrene sheet in roughly the same arrangement they are intended to be applied to the patient, for example, with the right temple electrode on the left of the sheet, and the bridged reference and ground electrodes in the middle of the sheet, and the left temple electrode on the right of the sheet, providing for a helpful spatial correspondence between original packaging placement and eventual placement of the electrodes on the patient.
[0021] Preferably at least three of the at least four electrodes each have an upward-pointing pointed tab at the electrode top of the type described previously, the back of the tab not being adhesive or sticky, each tab having sufficient size to be grasped between a human forefinger and thumb. If two or more electrodes are joined by one or more insulating bridges, as with the reference and ground electrodes in some embodiments, the two or more electrodes may share only one handling tab.
[0022] One or more of the electrodes in the set also preferably have the orientation juts and alignment indicators as described previously. For example, preferably, in the set, the right temple electrode has on its right side a rightward-pointing jut, and the right temple electrode label has at the position of the rightward-pointing jut and pointing in the direction of the rightward-pointing jut a corresponding rightward-pointing alignment arrow. Also preferably, in the set, the left temple electrode has on its left side a leftward-pointing jut, and the left temple electrode label has at the position of the leftward-pointing jut and pointing in the direction of the leftward-pointing jut a corresponding leftward-pointing alignment arrow. Also preferably, in the set, the reference electrode has on its bottom side a downward-pointing jut, and the reference electrode label having at the position of the downward-pointing jut and pointing in the direction of the downward-pointing jut a corresponding downward-pointing alignment arrow. If two or more electrodes are joined by one or more insulating bridges, as with the reference and ground electrodes in some embodiments, the two or more electrodes may share only one orientation jut and/or alignment arrow.
[0023] Also preferably in the set of electrodes, the reference and ground electrodes are conjoined by the insulating bridge described above. In such a case, the planar distance between the conductive regions of the reference electrode and the ground electrode is enforced by a continuous insulating region or adhesive collar between the two conductive regions, and said distance is at least the minimum effective distance for preventing electrical conduction between the two electrodes during cardiac defibrillation.
[0024] In some embodiments, preferably, each electrode has an independent connector for connecting to an electrode lead, and further preferably, at least one connector is a standard electrode snap connector. Having independent connectors, and having all of the connectors be snap connectors, enforces or conduces the application of pressure to the electrode after its application to the patient during the attachment of snap electrode leads, sealing the electrode to the skin surface, applying the gel and/or pressuring in the electrode penetrators, if any, to provide for good signal conductance and improved signal quality, as well of good adhesion of the electrode to the skin for longer-term use. In some embodiments, one or more of the connectors is not a standard electrode snap connector. It may be a snap connector of slightly larger or small size or different shape than standard to provide for the advantages described above.
[0025] This application also discloses a method of using the electrode set described above comprising the steps of peeling the right temple electrode from a backing and applying the right temple electrode to the right temple of a patient such that the alignment arrow on the right temple electrode label aligns with the eye line of the patient and points to the right side of the patient's right eye; peeling the left temple electrode from a backing and applying the left temple electrode to the left temple of the patient such that the alignment arrow on the left temple electrode label aligns with the eye line of the patient and points to the left side of the patient's left eye; peeling the reference and ground electrodes from a backing and applying the reference electrode to the middle forehead of the patient approximately 1.5 inches above the patient's eye line such that the alignment arrow on the reference electrode label aligns with the midline of the patient and points downward toward the patient's nose, and applying the ground electrode tot he left forehead of the patient at the distance from the reference electrode enforced by continuous insulating region or adhesive collar between the two conductive regions of the reference electrode and ground electrode; applying electrode leads to the individual electrodes; and using biopotentials measured by the electrodes to monitor the consciousness of the patient. The distance of “approximately 1.5 inches” can be measured as the combined width of the index, middle and ring fingers as measured at the fingertips, as indicated in FIG. 6 , though for those with wider fingers, two fingers may suffice. It will be appreciated that the first three steps of applying the electrodes may be performed in any order with respect to each other.
[0026] One embodiment of the present invention is set of electroencephalographic monitoring electrodes comprising at least four electrodes, including a first electrode for the patient's right temple, a second electrode for the patient's left temple, a reference electrode, and a ground electrode, each electrode having a front, a back, and bottom, top, left, and right sides, each electrode back having a conductive region surrounded by an insulating region, at least part of the back of each electrode being adhesive or sticky for application to skin, each electrode having a label on the electrode front, each label being visually distinct from the labels of the other electrodes, at least three of the at least four electrodes each having an upward-pointing pointed tab at the electrode top, the back of the tab not being adhesive or sticky, each tab having sufficient size to be grasped between a human forefinger and thumb, the right temple electrode having on its right side a rightward-pointing jut, and the right temple electrode label having at the position of the rightward-pointing jut and pointing in the direction of the rightward-pointing jut a corresponding rightward-pointing alignment arrow, the left temple electrode having on its left side a leftward-pointing jut, and the left temple electrode label having at the position of the leftward-pointing jut and pointing in the direction of the leftward-pointing jut a corresponding leftward-pointing alignment arrow, the reference electrode having on its bottom side a downward-pointing jut, and the reference electrode label having at the position of the downward-pointing jut and pointing in the direction of the downward-pointing jut a corresponding downward-pointing alignment arrow, wherein the planar distance between the conductive regions of the reference-electrode and the ground electrode is enforced by a continuous insulating region between the two conductive regions, and said distance is at least the minimum effective distance for preventing electrical conduction between the two electrodes during cardiac defibrillation.
[0027] Another embodiment of the present invention is a method of using a set of electroencephalographic monitoring electrodes comprising the steps of before or after either of the following two steps, peeling a right temple electrode from a backing and applying the right temple electrode t a patient having a forehead, a right temple, a left temple, an eyeline, and a right and left eye, such that an alignment arrow on a label on the right temple electrode aligns with the eye line of the patient and points to the right side of the patient's right eye, after or before the preceding step or the following step, peeling a left temple electrode from a backing and applying the left temple electrode to the left temple of the patient such than an alignment arrow on a label on the left temple electrode aligns with the eye line of the patient and points to the left side of the patient's left eye, after or before either of the preceding two steps, peeling a reference and a ground electrode from a backing and applying the reference electrode to the middle forehead of the patient approximately 1.5 inches above the patient's eye line such that an alignment arrow on a label on the reference electrode aligns with a midline of the patient and points downward toward the patient's nose, and applying the ground electrode to the left forehead of the patient at the distance from the reference electrode enforced by a continuous insulating region between two conductive regions of the reference electrode and ground electrode, applying electrode leads to the individual electrodes, and using biopotentials measured by the electrodes to monitor the electroencephalogram of the patient.
[0028] Another embodiment of the present invention is an electrode for electroencephalographic monitoring, the electrode having a front, a back, and bottom, top, left, and right sides, the electrode back having a conductive region surrounded by a foam insulating region, at least part of the back of the electrode being adhesive or sticky for application to skin, the electrode having a colored label on the electrode front, the electrode having an upward-pointing pointed tab at the electrode top, the back of the tab not being adhesive or sticky, the tab having sufficient size to be grasped between a human forefinger and thumb, the electrode having on one of the sides a jut, and the electrode label having at the position of the jut and pointing in the direction of the jut a corresponding alignment arrow.
[0029] Still another embodiment of the present invention is an electrode for monitoring physiological signals that can be deployed quickly and easily comprising a physiological recording electrode comprising an upper surface and a lower surface, an adhesive collar comprising an outer surface and an adhesive surface, and an electrode label, wherein the label comprises an alignment indicator corresponding to a direction in which the electrode is to be oriented when placed on a subject.
[0030] Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a set of electrodes for monitoring physiological signals that can be deployed quickly and easily comprising at least four electrodes, each comprising a physiological recording electrode and an adhesive collar comprising an outer surface and an adhesive surface, wherein each physiological recording electrode comprises an upper surface with a connector and a lower surface, wherein each electrode has a label on the outer surface of the adhesive collar, the labels containing an alignment indicator corresponding to a direction in which each electrode assembly is to be oriented on a subject.
[0031] Still another embodiment of the present invention is a set of electrodes for monitoring physiological signals that can be deployed quickly and easily comprising at least four electrodes, each comprising a physiological recording electrode and an adhesive collar comprising a outer surface and an adhesive surface, wherein each physiological recording electrode comprises an upper surface with an independent connector and a lower surface, wherein each electrode has a label on the outer surface of the adhesive collar, the labels containing an alignment indicator corresponding to a direction in which each electrode assembly is to be oriented on a subject, wherein the connector on the upper surface of each physiological recording electrode has a distinct and unique shape in relation to the other electrodes connectors contained in the set.
[0032] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the invention as described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.
[0033] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary of the invention, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operation of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] FIG. 1 . Perspective view of an electrode set of the present invention from the bottom.
[0035] FIG. 2 . Plan view of combined printing and cutting templates of the electrode set of the present invention from the front, with the backing sheet indicated by a dashed line.
[0036] FIG. 3 . Plan view of the label printing template of the electrode set of the present invention from the front.
[0037] FIG. 4 . Plan view of the foam cutting template of the electrode set of the present invention from the front.
[0038] FIG. 5 . Perspective view of an electrode set of the present invention from the back.
[0039] FIG. 6 . Placement diagram for the electrode set of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0040] A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated and described. Four thin prepared electrodes come as a package as shown in FIG. 1 . The right temple electrode 1 comes placed on the left side of a thin plastic, or similar material, backing sheet 5 , and the left temple electrode 2 comes placed on the right side of the backing sheet. The reference electrode 3 and ground electrode 4 are conjoined by an insulating bridge 6 . Each electrode has its own independent connector 7 . As illustrated, the connectors are standard-size metal button or snap connectors, but as previously described, the connectors can be of any type or form factor known in the art. The right temple electrode, reference electrode and left temple electrode each have upward-pointing handling tabs 8 on their top sides. The handling tab is one and the same material as the foam insulating body structure 9 of the electrode with the exception that the handling tab is not backed with an adhesive like the rest of the electrode insulating body structure. This allows the tab to be bent frontward and grasped between the forefinger and thumb to more easily peel the electrode from the backing sheet 5 or to peel it off the subject when done. The insulating body structure is foam having a thickness of 1/16 inch in the illustrated embodiment, but in variations can be made of other insulating, pliant material and can be any practicable thickness. Each electrode also has a printed label 10 . In the illustrated embodiment, the labels are printed stickers that each have an adhesive backing and are applied to the foam insulating body structure, but as described previously, the labels can take a variety of other forms and be manufactured and/or applied in any other ways known in the art. The insulating body structure of the left temple, right temple, and reference electrodes also have orientation juts 11 which are simply protrusions out from the rounded bodies of the electrodes. As with the handling tabs, the orientation juts are one and the same material as the foam insulating body structure 9 . On each label, at the location and in the orientation of the jut beneath it, a bold arrow 12 is printed as a readily visible guide for correct electrode placement. Preferably, the electrodes are also conveniently packaged with an electrode skin prep pad (not shown), e.g., a very mildly abrasive paper or thin cloth pad saturated with rubbing alcohol or similar, which can be used to clean and prepare the electrode sites on the surface of the skin prior to application of the electrodes.
[0041] The tabs and juts may be better seen in the plan view of FIG. 2 , which combines the printing and cutting templates used in the manufacture of the electrode set of the present invention. The fronts of the electrodes are shown, and the backing sheet 5 , which is not actually part of the printing or cutting templates, as indicated by a dashed line.
[0042] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the label printing template used in the manufacture of the labels for the electrode set of the present invention. Different hatching patterns indicate the different colors used in the templates. The right temple electrode label is orange (preferably, Pantone color Orange 021 C), the left temple electrode label is yellow (preferably, Pantone 101 C), the reference electrode label is beige (preferably, Pantone 713 C) and the ground electrode is gray (preferably, Pantone Cool Gray 9 C). Cut-out holes are provided in the middle of each label for the electrode connectors. These holes are round and 0.440 inches in diameter. Excepting juts and flat tops and bottoms, the labels are round with widths of 1.100 inches. The labels are manufactured with center-to-center distances of 1.500 inches. The right temple electrode label is marked with a numeral 1, the left temple electrode label is marked with a numeral 2, the reference electrode label is marked with a letter R and the ground electrode label is marked with a letter G to assist in each recognition and proper designation and placement of electrodes. The labels may also have other markings indicating the manufacturer, brand or trade name, model number, serial number, expiration date, patient protection status, etc. The labels are backed with a permanent adhesive and are applied to the foam of the electrode body after printing.
[0043] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the foam cutting template used in the manufacture of the insulating body structures for the electrode set of the present invention. The handling tabs are 0.510 inches in width at the base, except for the handling tab of the reference electrode, which is 0.528 inches in width at the base, and are 0.218 inches in height. These dimensions are ample enough to allow the handling tabs to be easily grasped by the thumb and forefinger in order to peel the tabs off and manipulate the electrodes for placement. With the exception of the tabs and juts, the insulating body structures are 1.404 inches in height. The right and left temple electrodes are 1.336 inches wide and the conjoined reference and ground electrodes are 2.687 inches wide. Any electrically insulating, plaint material may be used for the insulating body structures, so long as it is biocompatible according to existing standards for surface electrodes in contact with the skin for 16 hours maximum application. The adhesive applied to the back of the foam is of an aggressive tackiness. The foam is 1/16 inches in width. The foam is white in color. It will be appreciated that these details may vary and still be within the spirit of the present invention.
[0044] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an electrode set of the present invention from the back. The electrodes 1 2 3 4 , rendered in dashed lines, are visible through the transparent or translucent backing sheet and the conductive regions of the electrodes comprising the gel-filled wells or reservoirs 13 surrounding the electrode proper 14 are visible. The round gel-filled wells 13 measuring about 0.64 inches in radius and having a depth nearly equal to the thickness of the insulating body structures, are filled with a light, thin sponge material saturated with a conductive gel. The electrode proper 14 , visible in FIG. 5 as the black disc at the center of each well 13 , is made of stainless steel or similar conductive metal or other conductive material. In the manufacture of the electrodes, the button connector 7 can be mated and crimped to the electrode proper 14 with the thinned top of the insulating body structures sandwiched in between, sealing the top of the well 13 and forming the electrode as unit having a gelled inside and a dry outside.
[0045] Once assembled and placed on the backing sheet, the electrodes can be packaged in a sealed paper pouch for distribution and can be stored on a shelf for some definite period of time if of the gelled type or an indefinite period of time if of the dry electrode type. Preferably, the gelled electrodes have a shelf life of at least a year without suffering a reduction in gel conductivity that would significantly impact sensor performance. More preferably, the shelf life is at least 2 years. Even more preferably, the shelf life is at least 5 years. An extended shelf life permits the electrode kit to be stored with a shelf-mounted emergency seizure detector for years and still work reliably when needed.
[0046] FIG. 6 shows the placement diagram for the electrode set of the present invention, intended to be shown on the packaging of the electrodes. Reference to the diagram facilitates fast and correct placement of the electrodes. As shown, the alignment arrows of the temple electrodes should align with the patient's eye line and the alignment arrow of the reference electrode should align with the patient's midline. The reference and ground electrodes should be placed on the forehead roughly 1.5 inches above the eye line. The placement diagram indicates a helpful guide for instantly and easily measuring the appropriate distance. The juts on the temple electrodes further help enforce appropriate distances in electrode placement. Because the reference and ground electrodes are conjoined by an insulation bridge, they help proof the setup against damage to the diagnostic equipment or patient injury from cardiac defibrillator impulses while also assuring accurate placement of the ground in relation to the reference. The color-coded electrodes reduce the chances that left and right electrodes are inadvertently mixed up by the physician or technician doing the electrode placement, or more importantly, the person of no special training in an emergency scenario and using a emergency seizure monitoring kit.
[0047] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. | Electrodes for use in electroencephalographic recording, including consciousness and seizure monitoring applications, have novel features that speed, facilitate or enforce proper placement of the electrodes, including aligning tabs and arrowed aligning juts, color coding, and an insulating bridge between reference and ground electrodes which ensures a safe application distance between the conductive regions of the two electrodes in the event of cardiac defibrillation. A method of using a set of four such electrodes is also disclosed. | 0 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority benefit from copending U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/085,024, filed May 11, 1998, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The ecteinascidins (herein abbreviated Et or Et's) are exceedingly potent antitumor agents isolated from the marine tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata . In particular, Et's 729, 743 and 722 have demonstrated promising efficacy in vivo, including activity against P388 murine leukemia, B16 melanoma, Lewis lung carcinoma, and several human tumor xenograft models in mice.
[0003] The isolation and characterization of natural Et 743 is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,273 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The preparation of synthetic Et 743 is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,721,362, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
[0004] The antitumor activities of ecteinascidin compounds, particularly Et 729 and Et 743 are well documented in the scientific literature. See for example, Goldwasser et al., Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research, 39: 598 (1998); Kuffel et al., Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research, 38: 596 (1997); Moore et al., Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research, 38: 314 (1997); Mirsalis et al., Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research, 38: 309 (1997); Reid et al., Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, 38: 329-334 (1996); Faircloth et al., European Journal of Cancer, 32A, Supp. 1, pp. S5 (1996); Garcia-Rocha et al., British Journal of Cancer, 73: 875-883 (1996); Eckhardt et al., Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research, 37: 409 (1996); Hendriks et al., Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research, 37: 389 (1996); the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
[0005] Ecteinascidin 743 (Et 743) has the following structure:
[0006] In view of the impressive antitumor activities of this class of compounds, the search continues for related structures that may possess equal or higher levels of antitumor activity. The present invention, which is directed to the isolation and characterization of natural metabolites of Et 743, is a result of these continued studies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The purification and structure elucidation of several products of the metabolism of Et 743 by human cytochrome CYP3A4 have been accomplished. These compounds are abbreviated herein as “ETM” followed by a numeric value which represents the approximate molecular weight.
[0008] For example, ETM 305 and ETM 775 were isolated from a metabolic mixture obtained from a biochemical study performed by the Analytical Chemistry Department at PharmaMar, Spain. A similar metabolic study carried out by the Mayo Clinic led to the identification of ETM 204. The structures of these ecteinascidin metabolites are as follows:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The present invention may be better understood by reference to the drawings accompanying this specification, wherein:
[0010] [0010]FIG. 1 is the 1 H NMR spectrum (500 MHz) of ETM-SiOH-1 (non-polar impurity) in CDCl 3 ;
[0011] [0011]FIG. 2 is the HPLC chromatogram of ETM-SiOH-4 (ETM 775);
[0012] [0012]FIG. 3 is the HPLC chromatogram of ETM-SiOH-3 (ETM 305);
[0013] [0013]FIG. 4 is the HPLC chromatogram of ETM-SiOH-2 (trace metabolites);
[0014] [0014]FIG. 5 is the LRFAB mass spectrum of ETM 305 in M.B. (magic bullet 4 );
[0015] [0015]FIG. 6 is the ESI mass spectrum of ETM 305;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 7 is the 1 H NMR spectrum (750 MHz) of ETM 305 in CD 3 OD;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 8 is the FAB/MS/MS spectrum of ETM 305;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 9 is the UV spectrum of ETM 305;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 10 is the UV spectrum of ETM;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 11 is the LRFAB mass spectrum of ETM 775 in M.B.;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 12 is the ESI mass spectrum of ETM 775 (positive mode);
[0022] [0022]FIG. 13 is the ESI mass spectrum of ETM 775 (negative mode);
[0023] [0023]FIG. 14 is the FAB/MS/MS spectrum of ETM 775 (m/z 138-302);
[0024] [0024]FIG. 15 is the FAB/MS/MS spectrum of ETM 775 (m/z 440-620);
[0025] [0025]FIG. 16 is the 1 H NMR spectrum (750 MHz) of ETM 775 in CD 3 OD;
[0026] [0026]FIG. 17 is the UV spectrum of ETM 775;
[0027] [0027]FIG. 18 is the HPLC choromatogram of ETM 305;
[0028] [0028]FIG. 19 is the UV spectrum of ETM 305;
[0029] [0029]FIG. 20 is the ESI mass spectrum of ETM 305;
[0030] [0030]FIG. 21 is the ESI mass spectrum of ETM 204;
[0031] [0031]FIG. 22 is the 1 H NMR spectrum (500 MHz) of ETM 204 in CD 3 OD; and
[0032] [0032]FIG. 23 is the ESI/MS/MS spectrum of ETM 204.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0033] I. Et 743 Metabolic Study
[0034] A. Preparation of Metabolic Mixture—ETM:
[0035] Et-743 (50 μM) was incubated with 0.4 mg/ml of human lymphoblast-expressed CYP3A4 isoform (Gentest Corporation, Woburn, Mass.) in 0.1 M Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.4) containing an NADPH generating system (0.4 mM NADP + , 25 mM glucose-6-phosphate, 0.5 U/ml glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 3.3 mM magnesium chloride). After four (4) hours at 37° C., the reaction was stopped with ice cold acetonitrile and the solids removed by centrifugation (12,000 g, 4 min.). Supernatants were analyzed by HPLC.
[0036] B. Purification of ETM 305 and ETM 775
[0037] 2.6 mg of ETM (generated as in A, above) was dissolved in a small amount of CHCl 3 and loaded into a silica gel column (8×100 mm glass column filled with a silica gel/CHCl 3 slurry). First, the column was eluted with CHCl 3 followed by CHCl 3 /MeOH mixtures (98, 96, 94, 92 and 90%). A total of ten test tubes were collected (3 mL each) and combined on the basis of TLC to yield four fractions (Table 1). The less polar and non-cytotoxic fraction (ETM-SiOH-1, 2 mg) consisted of a lipid not structurally related to Et 743 as revealed by the 1 H NMR spectrum (FIG. 1).
[0038] The remaining cytotoxic fractions were further purified by HPLC (Phenomenex-Ultracarb ODS, 10 μm, 10×150 mm, 3:1 MeOH/H 2 O 0.02 M NaCl, 1 mL/min., Da Detection: 210, 220, 254 and 280 nm). The most polar fraction (ETM-SiOH-4, 0.2 mg) yield 0. 1 mg of ETM 775 (FIG. 2). ETM-SiOH-3 yield 0.3 mg of ETM 305 (FIG. 3), and ETM-SiOH-2 consisted of a complex mixture of trace metabolites (FIG. 4).
TABLE 1 ETM-SiOH fractions: R f , weight and cytoxic activity. L1210 growth inhibition (%) ID# Test tube # R f a Weight at 500 ng/mL ETM-SiOH 1 1 0.9 2.0 mg 0 ETM-SiOH 2 2 0.5, 0.7 0.3 mg 80 b ETM-SiOH 3 4-5 0.5 0.4 mg 30 ETM-SiOH 4 6 0.3 0.2 mg 3
[0039] C. The Structure of ETM 305.
[0040] ETM 305 (IC 50 0.2 μm/mL vs L12 10 cells) showed a molecular ion at 306.0977 by HRFAB/MS (FIG. 5). This data is in agreement with the molecular formula C 15 H 16 NO 6 (Δ0.1 mmu). ESI/MS analysis confirmed the molecular weight of ETM 305 (FIG. 6); a molecular ion at m/z 306 was observed together with its sodium adduct (m/z 328). The 1 H NMR spectrum of ETM 305 (FIG. 7) was very important for the structural assignment. Resonances at δ2.04, 2.28 and 6.09 were almost identical to those of Me-6 (δ2.03), —OCOCH 3 (δ2.29) and the dioxy-methylene protons (δ6.11 and 6.01) in Et 743, 1 respectively.
[0041] In addition, it was observed resonances corresponding to a —CH═CH—NHCHO unit (δ7.09, d, 1H, J=15 Hz; δ6.19, d, 1H, J=15 Hz; δ8.04, s, 1H), 2 and an additional methyl group (δ2.52, s, 3H). The chemical shift of this methyl group match pretty well wit that of the methyl group on acetophenone 3 (δ2.55). It is interesting to note that the 1 H NMR spectrum of ETM 305 consisted of two sets of resonances (4:1 ratio) due to rotational conformers around the —NH—CHO bond The 1 H NMR data together with the MS data suggested that ETM 305 had the B-unit aromatic ring system of Et 743 attached to a vinyl-formamide unit and to a methyl ketone as shown in Scheme 1. FAB/MS/MS on m/z 306 supported the proposed structure (FIG. 8).
[0042] D. The Structure of ETM 775.
[0043] ETM 775 (IC 50 0.2 μg/mL vs L1210 cells) showed a molecular ion at 776.2489 by HRFAB/MS (FIG. 11). This data is in agreement with the molecular formula C 39 H 42 N 3 O 12 S (Δ0.0 mmu) which indicated that ETM 775 is an oxidation product of Et 743. Both, positive and negative mode ESI/MS spectra confirmed the molecular weight of ETM 775 (FIGS. 12 and 13). Because of the limited amount of ETM 775, the structural assignment was carried out mainly by interpretation of its mass spectral data. FABMS/MS on M+H of ETM 775 (m/z 776) was critical in assigning the location of the extra oxygen was located on N-2 in the form of an N-oxide as revealed by peaks at m/z 276 and 260 (276 -oxygen). A fragment ion at m/z 232, not observed in Et 743, suggested that the carbinol amine oxygen was oxidized to the amide (Scheme 3). The structures of the A- and C-units in ETM 775 remained intact as revealed by the presence of the characteristic mass spectral peaks at m/z 204 (A-unit), and m/z 224 and 250 (C-unit). 1 Both, the 750 750 Mhz 1 H NMR (FIG. 16) and the UV (FIG. 17) spectra resembled those of Et 743. 1
[0044] II. Et 743—Mayo Metabolic Study
[0045] A. M1 Metabolite (ETM 305).
[0046] The ETM sample was filtered through a C18 sep-pack and the eluant (3:1 MeOH/H 2 O) concentrated under a nitrogen stream. Purification of the resulting residue by HPLC (same conditions as described above) revealed the presence of a compound with a retention time identical to that of ETM 305 (FIG. 18). Both, the UV (FIG. 19) and ESI/MS (FIG. 20) spectra of M1 were identical to that of ETM 305. Thus, it was concluded that the M1 metabolite had the same chemical structure as ETM 305.
[0047] B. M2 Metabolite (ETM 204).
[0048] The provided sample was filtered through a C18 sep-pack and the eluant (3:1 MeOH/H 2 O) concentrated under a nitrogen stream and the resulting residue analyzed by FAB/MS, ESI/MS and 1 H NMR.
[0049] C. The Structure of ETM 204 (M2).
[0050] ETM 204 showed a molecular ion at 204.1024 by HRFAB/MS. This data is in agreement with the molecular formula C 12 H 14 NO 2 (Δ0.0 mmu). ESI/MS analysis confirmed the molecular weight as 204 (FIG. 21). The molecular formula matched with the molecular formula of the a-unit in Et 743. Thus, the chemical structure of ETM 204 was proposed to be the aromatic ammonium salt derivative shown in Scheme 3. This simple compound (as well as the other metabolites) can easily be monitored to assay the breakdown of Et 743 in vivo.
[0051] A 1 H NMR spectrum (FIG. 22) of ETM 204 showed resonances that supported the proposed structure: four aromatics signals (δ9.2, s; δ7.8, d, J=5 Hz, and δ6.8, s) and three methyl singlets (δ4.2, δ3.9 and δ2.4) The ESI/MS/MS of ETM 204 (FIG. 23) showed a prominent peak ion at 189 corresponding to the apparent loss of the N-methyl group (204-CH 3 ).
[0052] Biological Studies of ETM-305 and ETM-775:
[0053] Compounds ETM-305 and ETM-775 have been assayed employing standard protocols for the following tumor cell lines; P-388 (murine leukemia); A-549 (human lung carcinoma); HT-29 (human colon adenocarcinoma); and MEL-28 (human malignant melanoma). See, for example, Bergeron et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 1984, 121 (3) 848-854 and Schroeder et al., J. Med. Chem., 1981, 24 1078-1083. These results are shown below in Table 2:
TABLE 2 Cell Line & Activity IC 50 (μg/ml) Compound: P-388 A-549 HT-29 MEL-28 ETM-305 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.25 ETM-775 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01
[0054] Methods of Treatment
[0055] The present invention includes bioactive compounds, and accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention is directed to methods of treatment using such compounds. As described above, the compounds of the present invention have exhibited in vitro cytoxicity against tumor cell lines. It is anticipated that these in vitro activities will likewise extend to in vivo utility.
[0056] These compounds have been isolated in substantially pure form, i.e., at a purity level sufficient to allow physical and biological characterization thereof. These compounds have been found to possess specific antitumor activities and as such they will be useful as medicinal agents in mammals, particularly in humans. thus, another aspect of the present invention concerns pharmaceutical compositions containing the active compounds identified herein and methods of treatment employment such pharmaceutical compositions.
[0057] As described above, the active compounds of the present invention exhibit antitumor activity. thus, the present invention also provides a method of treating any mammal affected by a malignant tumor sensitive to these compounds, which comprises administering to the affected individual a therapeutically effective amount of an active compound or mixture of compounds, or pharmaceutical compositions thereof. The present invention also relates to pharmaceutical preparations, which contain as active ingredient one or more of the compounds of this invention, as well as the processes for its preparation.
[0058] Example of pharmaceutical compositions include any solid (tablets, pills, capsules, granules, etc.) or liquid (solutions, suspensions of emulsions) with suitable composition or oral, topical or parenteral administration, and they may contained the pure compound or in combination with any carrier of other pharmacologically active compounds. These compositions may need to be sterile when administered parenterally.
[0059] The terms “unit dose” as it pertains to the present invention refers to physically discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for animals, each unit containing a predetermined quantity of active material calculated to produce the desired antitumor effect in association with the required diluent; i.e., carrier, or vehicle. The specifications for the novel unit dose of this invention are dictated by and are directly dependent on (a) the unique characteristics of the active material and the particular antitumor effect to be achieved, and (b) the limitations inherent in the art of compounding such active material for antitumor use in animals.
[0060] Unit dosage forms are typically prepared from the frozen or dried active compound (or salts thereof by dispersement in a physiologically tolerable (i.e., acceptable) diluent or vehicle such as water, saline or phosphate-buffered saline to form an aqueous composition. Such diluents are well known in the art and are discussed, for example, in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 16th Ed., Mack Publishing Company, Easton, Pa. (1980) at pages 1465-1467.
[0061] Dosage forms can also include an adjuvant as part of the diluent. Adjuvants such as complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) and alum are materials well known in the art, and are available commercially from several sources.
[0062] The quantity of active compound to be administered depends, inter alia, on the animal species to be treated, the subject animal's size, the size of the tumor (if known), the type of tumor (e.g., solid) present, and the capacity of the subject to utilize the active compound. Precise amounts of active compound required to be administered depend on the judgment of the practitioner and are peculiar to each individual, particularly where humans are the treated animals. Dosage ranges, however, can be characterized by a therapeutically effective blood concentration and can range from a concentration of from about 0.01 μM to about 100 μM, preferably about 0.1 μM to 10 μM.
[0063] Suitable regimes for initial administration and booster injections are also variable, but are typified by an initial administration followed by repeated doses at one or more hour intervals by a subsequent injection or other administration. Alternatively, continuous intravenous infusion sufficient to maintain a therapeutically effective concentration in the blood are contemplated.
REFERENCES
[0064] The following background references are provided to assist the reader in understanding this invention. To the extent necessary, the contents are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
[0065] 1. A) Rinehart et al., J. Org. Chem. 1990, 55, 4512. B) Rinehart et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1996, 118 9017.
[0066] 2. Herbert et al., J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. I, 1987, 1593.
[0067] 3. Pretsch et al. Tables of Spectral Data for Structure Determination of Organic Compounds ; Springer-Verla: Berlin, 1989; p. H125.
[0068] 4. Rinehart et al., Biochem. Res. Commun., 1984, 124, 350.
[0069] The present invention has been described in detail, including the preferred embodiments thereof. However, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon consideration of the present disclosure, may make modifications and/or improvements on this invention and still be within the scope and spirit of this invention. | The purification and structure elucidation of several products of the metabolism of Et 743 by human cytochrome CYP3A4 have been accomplished. These compounds are abbreviated herein as “ETM” followed by a numeric value which represents the approximate molecular weight. Three compounds have been identified to date, namely ETM 305, ETM 775 and ETM 204. The structures of these ecteinascidin metabolites are as follows: | 2 |
The present application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/118,746, filed on Jul. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,103.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable mounting assembly for attaching one object to another object. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mounting assembly for attaching a wireless interface device to a fixed structure, and for allowing the wireless interface device to be oriented to a desired position relative to the fixed structure.
2. Description of the Background Art
Businesses and personal residences are developing into communication nerve centers, which transmit and receive multiple forms of information constantly and simultaneously. It is common place for both businesses and private homes to include facilities for receiving and/or transmitting telephone signal, television signals, and internet data. Usually, each type of media is provided by an independent service provider. Typically, each independent service provider has to install a fixed wiring system which interconnects the home or business to a central service facility.
With the emerging field of wireless communications, the present trend is toward wireless connections instead of hardwired connections. Wireless connections leave the environment surround the home or business free from unsightly wiring. Further, a wireless link can be utilized to transmit more data in less time than a hardwired connection.
In order to gain the benefits of a wireless connection, each business or house, or grouping thereof, must be provided with a servant wireless interface device for sending and receiving data from a master receiver/transmitter. The servant wireless interface device would be mounted to an exterior portion of the house or business, such as a wall, the roof, a window seal, or perhaps to a dedicated pole. The wireless interface device would then be directed toward the master receiver/transmitter. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a mounting assembly which can easily interconnect a wireless interface device to a portion of house, such as an exterior wall. Further, there exists a need in the art for a mounting assembly which allows the wireless interface device to be easily oriented toward a desired direction, and permits the wireless interface device to be locked into the desired position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a mounting assembly which can be easily attached to a wireless interface device and to a portion of a fixed structure, such as an exterior wall of a house.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mounting bracket which allows for accurate and secure sighting, or alignment, of the wireless interface device toward a master receiver/transmitter.
These and other objects of the present invention are fulfilled by providing an adjustable mounting assembly for attaching an interface device to a structure, said mounting assembly comprising: a first bracket for attachment to the interface device; a second bracket attached to said first bracket by at least one first pivotable connection to allow said second bracket to pivot about a first axis relative to said first bracket; and a third bracket attached to said second bracket by at least one second pivotable connection to allow said third bracket to pivot about a second axis relative to said second bracket, wherein said second axis is orthogonal to said first axis.
Moreover, these and other objects of the present invention are fulfilled by providing a combination of an interface device and a mounting assembly for attachment to a structure, said combination comprising: said interface device; and said mounting assembly, wherein said mounting assembly includes: a first bracket attached to said interface device; a second bracket attached to said first bracket by at least one first pivotable connection to allow said second bracket to pivot about a first axis relative to said first bracket; and a third bracket attached to said second bracket by at least one second pivotable connection to allow said third bracket to pivot about a second axis relative to said second bracket, wherein said second axis is orthogonal to said first axis.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is an upper-side perspective view of an adjustable mounting assembly, in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is top view of the adjustable mounting, assembly of FIG. 1, attached to a wireless interface device;
FIG. 3 is side view of the adjustable mounting assembly attached to the wireless interface device; and
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the adjustable mounting assembly and the wireless interface device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring in detail to the drawings and with particular reference to FIG. 1, an adjustable mounting assembly 1 , in accordance with the present invention, includes a first bracket 2 , a second bracket 3 and a third bracket 4 .
The first bracket 2 includes five sides, namely a first side 5 , a second side 6 , a third side 7 , a fourth side 8 , and a fifth side 9 . The first side 5 has an overall rectangular or square shape. A first through hole 10 is formed in the first side 5 .
The second side 6 has an overall shape defined by the combination of a square and a half-ellipse. A second through hole 11 is formed in the second side 6 . The second side 6 shares a common edge with the first side 5 .
The third side 7 has an overall rectangular or square shape. A third through hole 12 is formed in the third side 7 . The third side 7 shares a common edge with the second side 6 .
The fourth side 8 has an overall shape defined by the combination of a square and a half-ellipse. A fourth through hole 13 is formed in the fourth side 8 . The fourth side 8 shares a common edge with the third side 7 and the first side 5 .
The fifth side 9 has an overall rectangular or square shape. No large through hole is provided in the fifth side 9 , rather four mounting holes 25 are provided. The mounting holes 25 are for receiving a threaded fastener, such as a screw or bolt, as will be later described.
The second side 6 includes a first through channel 14 . The first through channel 14 is arc-shaped and is located in the half-ellipse portion of the second side's shape. The center of the arc shape of the first through channel 14 includes a first circular opening 15 . The fourth side 8 is a mirror image of the second side 6 . Therefore, the fourth side 8 also includes an arc-shaped, first through channel and a first circular opening formed at the center of the arc-shaped first through channel.
The third bracket 4 is a mirror image of the first bracket 2 . The third bracket 4 includes five sides, namely a sixth side 16 , a seventh side 17 , an eighth side 18 , a ninth side 19 , and a tenth side 20 . The sixth side 16 has an overall rectangular or square shape. A fifth through hole 21 is formed in the fifth side 16 .
The seventh side 17 has an overall shape defined by the combination of a square and a half-ellipse. A sixth through hole 22 is formed in the seventh side 17 . The seventh side 17 shares a common edge with the sixth side 16 .
The eighth side 18 has an overall rectangular or square shape. A seventh through hole 23 is formed in the eighth side 18 . The eighth side 18 shares a common edge with the seventh side 17 .
The ninth side 19 has an overall shape defined by the combination of a square and a half-ellipse. An eighth through hole 24 is formed in the ninth side 19 . The ninth side 19 shares a common edge with the eighth side 18 and the sixth side 16 .
The tenth side 20 has an overall rectangular or square shape. No large through hole is provided in the tenth side 20 , rather four mounting holes 25 are provided. The mounting holes 25 are for receiving a threaded fastener, such as a screw or bolt, as will be later described.
The ninth side 19 includes a second through channel 26 . The second through channel 26 is arc-shaped and is located in the half-ellipse portion of the ninth side's shape. The center of the arc shape of the second through channel 26 includes a second circular opening 27 . The seventh side 17 is a mirror image of the ninth side 19 . Therefore, the seventh side 17 also includes an arc-shaped, second through channel and a second circular opening formed at the center of the arc-shaped second through channel.
The second bracket 3 has the general form of a closed box with six sides. A first pivotable connection 28 is made between the second bracket 3 and the first bracket 2 . The first pivotable connection 28 is engaged within the first circular opening 15 of the second side 6 . A similar pivotable connection would be made between the first circular opening of the fourth side 8 and the second bracket 3 . The pivotable connections can be integral spurs formed on the second bracket 3 , rivets attaching the first and second brackets 2 , 3 , or any other type of mechanical interconnections which allow the first bracket 2 to be pivoted freely relative to the second bracket 3 about a first axis 29 .
The second bracket 3 includes a first threaded opening for receiving a first threaded faster 30 . The first threaded fastener 30 is passed through the first through channel 14 prior to being engaged within the first threaded opening. The first threaded fastener 30 limits the extent of the angular adjustment between the first bracket 2 and the second bracket 3 , when the first threaded fastener 30 abuts the distal ends of the first through channel 14 . Also, by screwing the first threaded fastener 30 into the first threaded opening in the second bracket 3 , the first bracket 2 can be locked into a specific angular relationship with the second bracket 3 relative to the first axis 29 .
A second pivotable connection 31 is made between the second bracket 3 and the third bracket 4 . The second pivotable connection 31 is engaged within the second circular opening 27 of the ninth side 19 . A similar pivotable connection would be made between the second circular opening of the seventh side 17 and the second bracket 3 . The pivotable connections can be integral spurs formed on the second bracket 3 , rivets attaching the third and second brackets 4 , 3 , or any other type of mechanical interconnections which allow the third bracket 4 to be pivoted freely relative to the second bracket 3 about a second axis 32 . The second axis 32 is orthogonal to the first axis 29 .
The second bracket 3 includes a second threaded opening for receiving a second threaded faster 33 . The second threaded fastener 33 is passed through the second through channel 26 prior to being engaged within the second threaded opening. The second threaded fastener 33 limits the extent of the angular adjustment between the third bracket 4 and the second bracket 3 , when the second threaded fastener 33 abuts the distal ends of the second through channel 26 . Also, by screwing the second threaded fastener 33 into the second threaded opening in the second bracket 3 , the third bracket 4 can be locked into a specific angular relationship with the second bracket 3 relative to the second axis 32 .
It is sufficient to provide through channels on just the second side 6 and the ninth side 19 . By this arrangement, the positioning of the third bracket 4 relative to the first bracket 2 can be adjusted about the first axis 29 and the orthogonal, second axis 32 . However, it is envisioned that though channels 14 , 26 could be formed on the fourth side 8 and/or the seventh side 17 . This alternative embodiment would afford an additional level of security when the position of the third bracket 4 is fixed relative to the first bracket 2 . Further, although the first and second fasteners 30 , 33 are illustrated as bolts, it should be appreciated that other types of fasteners could be employed, such as screws.
The first, second and third brackets 2 , 3 , 4 are preferably formed of an aluminum material. Each bracket can be stamped out from a sheet of aluminum. The stamped out portion would be folded and welded to arrive at the hollowed out first and third brackets 2 , 4 . The second bracket may be a hollow box formed from a sheet of aluminum, or may be a solid aluminum block.
FIGS. 2-4 illustrate a combination of the mounting assembly 1 connected to a wireless interface device 34 . FIGS. 2 and 3 are a top and side view of the combination, respectively. FIG. 4 is an exploded view illustrating the mounting assembly 1 and the components of the wireless interface device 34 .
The wireless interface device 34 includes an input/output terminal box 35 formed in a back plate 36 . The back plate 36 is physically connected to a printed circuit board 37 via a plurality of standoffs 38 . The input/output terminals are electrically connected to the printed circuit board 37 . Heat generated on the printed circuit board 37 is dissipated to the back plate 36 via a terminal block 39 .
An antenna 40 is disposed on an opposite side of the printed circuit board 37 . A reflector, or shielding plate 41 is disposed between the antenna 40 and the printed circuit board 37 . A cover 42 , constructed of a radio frequency (rf) transparent material, is provided to enclose the antenna 40 . The cover 42 , in conjunction with the back plate 36 , protects the components of the wireless interface device 34 from dust, moisture, and other damaging environmental elements.
The mounting assembly 1 is attached to the wireless interface device 34 by using bolts and nuts in conjunction with the mounting holes 25 of the fifth side 9 of the first bracket 2 . In a like manner, the mounting assembly 1 may be attached to a fixed structure, such a house's exterior wall, by employing bolts and nuts in conjunction with the mounting holes 25 in the tenth side 20 of the third bracket 4 .
By the present invention, it is possible to easily attach the wireless interface device 34 to a fixed structure adjacent to a house or business. Further, by the present invention, one can easily aim and lock the position of the wireless interface device toward a master receiver/transmitter in order to establish a wireless link for the exchange of data. Such a wireless link is particularly beneficial in establishing an internet connection, general telephone service, and/or television programming.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. | A mounting assembly allows a wireless interface device to be connected to a fixed object, such as house or building's exterior wall. The mounting assembly includes three interconnected brackets. The three brackets allow the wireless interface device to be selectively positioned horizontally and vertically relative to the exterior wall. By adjustment of the bracket, the wireless interface device can be accurately aimed toward a master transmitter/receiver. Once the wireless interface device is properly sighted or aimed, the wireless interface device can communicate with the master transmitter/receiver to establish internet access, telephone service, and/or television service to the house or building. | 5 |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Continuation-in-Part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/943,158, filed Aug. 30, 2001, and entitled “Efficient Method for Producing Compositions Enriched in Anthocyanins,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/229,205, filed Aug. 31, 2000, and entitled “Efficient Method for Producing Compositions Enriched in Anthocyanins.”
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the extraction and purification of flavonoid compounds from plant material, and more specifically to the production of compositions enriched in total phenols.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flavonoid compounds are present in all aerial parts of plants, with high concentrations found in the skin, bark, and seeds. Such compounds are also found in numerous beverages of botanical origin, such as tea, cocoa, and wine. The flavonoids are a member of a larger family of compounds called polyphenols. That is, these compounds contain more than one hydroxyl group (OH) on one or more aromatic rings. The physical and chemical properties, analysis, and biological activities of polyphenols and particularly flavonoids have been studied for many years.
Anthocyanins are a particular class of naturally occurring flavonoid compounds that are responsible for the red, purple, and blue colors of many fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, and flowers. For example, the colors of fruits such as blueberries, bilberries, strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, marionberries, cranberries, elderberries, etc. are due to many different anthocyanins. Over 300 structurally distinct anthocyanins have been identified in nature. Because anthocyanins are naturally occurring, they have attracted much interest for use as colorants for foods and beverages.
Recently, the interest in anthocyanin pigments has intensified because of their possible health benefits as dietary antioxidants. For example, anthocyanin pigments of bilberries ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) have long been used for improving visual acuity and treating circulatory disorders. There is experimental evidence that certain anthocyanins and other flavonoids have anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, there are reports that orally administered anthocyanins are beneficial for treating diabetes and ulcers and may have antiviral and antimicrobial activities. The chemical basis for these desirable properties of flavonoids is believed to be related to their antioxidant capacity. Thus, the antioxidant characteristics associated with berries and other fruits and vegetables have been attributed to their anthocyanin content.
Proanthocyanidins, also known as “oligomeric proanthocyanidins,” “OPCs,” or “procyanidins,” are another class of naturally occurring flavonoid compounds widely available in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, flowers, and barks. Proanthocyanidins belong to the category known as condensed tannins. They are the most common type of tannins found in fruits and vegetables, and are present in large quantities in the seeds and skins. In nature, mixtures of different proanthocyanidins are commonly found together, ranging from individual units to complex molecules (oligomers or polymers) of many linked units. The general chemical structure of a polymeric proanthocyanidin comprises linear chains of flavonoid 3-ol units linked together through common C(4)-C(6) and/or C(4)-C(8) bonds. 13 C NMR has been useful in identifying the structures of polymeric proanthocyanidins, and recent work has elucidated the chemistry of di-, tri-, and tetrameric proanthocyanidins. Larger oligomers of the flavonoid 3-ol units are predominant in most plants and are found with average molecular weights above 2,000 Daltons and containing 6 or more monomer units (Newman, et al., Mag. Res. Chem., 25:118 (1987)).
Considerable recent research has explored the therapeutic applications of proanthocyanidins, which are primarily known for their antioxidant activity. However, these compounds have also been reported to demonstrate antibacterial, antiviral, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and vasodilatory actions. In addition, they have been found to inhibit lipid peroxidation, platelet aggregation, capillary permeability and fragility, and to affect enzyme systems including phospholipase A2, cyclooxygenase, and lipoxygenase. For example, proanthocyanidin monomers (i.e., anthocyanins) and dimers have been used in the treatment of diseases associated with increased capillary fragility and have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in animals (Beladi, et al., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 284:358 (1977)). Based on these reported findings, oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) may be useful components in the treatment of a number of conditions ( Altern. Med. Rev. 5(2):144-151 (2000)).
Proanthocyanidins may also protect against viruses. In in vitro studies, proanthocyanidins from witch hazel ( Hamamelis virginiana ) killed the Herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) virus (Erdelmeier, C. A., Cinatl, J., Plant Med. June: 62(3):241-5 (1996); DeBruyne, T., Pieters, L., J. Nat. Prod. July: 62(7):954-8 (1999)). Another study was carried out to determine the structure-activity relationships of the antiviral activity of various tannins. It was found that the more condensed the chemical structure, the greater the antiviral effect (Takechi, M., et al., Phytochemistry, 24:2245-50 (1985)). In another study, proanthocyanidins were shown to have anti-Herpes simplex activity in which the 50 percent effective doses needed to reduce herpes simplex plaque formation were two to three orders of magnitude less than the 50 percent cytotoxic doses (Fukuchi, K., et al., Antiviral Res., 11:285-298 (1989)).
Cyclooxygenase (COX-1, COX-2) or prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthase (PGHS-1, PGHS-2) enzymes are widely used to measure the anti-inflammatory effects of plant products (Bayer, T., et al., Phytochemistry, 28:2373-2378 (1989); and Goda, Y., et al., Chem. Pharm. Bull., 40:2452-2457 (1992)). COX enzymes are the pharmacological target sites for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Humes, J. L., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 78:2053-2056 (1981); and Rome, L. H., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 72:4863-4865 (1975)). Two isozymes of cyclooxygenase involved in prostaglandin synthesis are cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) (Hemler, M., et al., J. Biol. Chem., 25:251, 5575-5579 (1976)). It is hypothesized that selective COX-2 inhibitors are mainly responsible for anti-inflammatory activity (Masferrer, J. L., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 91:3228-3232 (1994)). Flavonoids are now being investigated as anti-inflammatory substances, as well as for their structural features for cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition activity.
Due to the above characteristics and benefits of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, much effort has been put forth toward extracting these compounds from fruits, vegetables, and other plant sources. In addition to proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins, plants, fruits, and vegetables also contain other compounds such as mineral salts, common organic acids such as citric or tartaric acid, carbohydrates, flavonoid glycosides and catechins. It is often desirable to separate the anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins from other naturally occurring compounds. Anthocyanins have been extracted from plants and fruits by various procedures. One method of extracting anthocyanins employs the addition of bisulfate to form zwitterionic species. The extract is passed through an ion exchange column which adsorbs the zwitterionic anthocyanin adducts, and the adsorbed anthocyanins are eluted from the resin with acetone, alkali, or dimethylformamide (DMF). Disadvantages of this process include the presence of bisulfate, which interferes with adsorption of anthocyanins, thereby requiring multiple column adsorptions. Elution with alkali degrades the anthocyanins considerably, while DMF is not a recognized food additive and therefore must be completely removed before the anthocyanins can be added to any food products.
In order to capture these flavonoid compounds, well-defined and precise processing and separation techniques are needed. Nafisi-Movaghar, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,363 describe a method for the extraction and purification of proanthocyanidins from plant material comprising heating an aqueous mixture of plant material, filtering the aqueous solution through an ultrafiltration membrane to remove larger molecular weight polymers and particulates to produce a permeate containing extracted proanthocyanidins, separating the proanthocyanidins from the liquid by contacting the permeate with an adsorbent material which is capable of releasably retaining the proanthocyanidins, and eluting the retained proanthocyanidins with a polar solvent. However, this method uses a very hot extraction temperature, which can cause degradation of the proanthocyanidins. Further, the ultrafiltration removes some of the low molecular weight polyphenolic material from the final product.
Many processes known in the art for extracting and isolating proanthocyanidins and/or anthocyanins from various plant materials use toxic and/or environmentally hazardous materials. Consequently, the current methods available for isolating and purifying proanthocyanidins are not easily scaled up to an efficient commercial process where disposal considerations of various chemicals and solvents play an important role in the overall feasibility of the process. Further, proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins must be isolated in a manner that minimizes their natural tendency toward degradation.
There is still a need, therefore, for an efficient process for isolating and purifying compositions containing phenolic compounds such as proanthocyanidins for uses in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals that is cost-effective, scalable, economically sound, does not require the use of toxic solvents or reagents, and isolates the phenolic compounds from plant material in a manner that minimizes their tendency toward degradation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides simplified and economic methods for the extraction, isolation, and purification of compositions enriched in total phenols. More specifically, one aspect of this invention provides a method of preparing compositions enriched in total phenols comprising: (a) providing a crude extract of one or more plant materials that contain phenolic compounds, said extract comprising proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, other small phenolics and non-phenolic compounds; (b) filtering the crude extract; (c) contacting the crude extract with a brominated polystyrene resin which releasably adsorbs said phenols but does not substantially retain the non-phenolic compounds; (d) washing said resin with a wash eluent to elute said non-phenolic compounds; (e) eluting the resin with a first eluent and collecting a first fraction containing phenols; (f) eluting the resin with a second eluent and collecting a second fraction containing phenols; and (g) isolating the fractions from step (e) or from step (f) or combining said fractions from steps (e) and (f) to obtain a composition enriched in total phenols and substantially depleted of said non-phenolic compounds. This invention further provides total phenol-enriched compositions isolated by the methods of this invention.
This invention further provides methods of fractionating the total phenol-enriched compositions to separate polar proanthocyanidins from non-polar proanthocyanidins. This invention further provides compositions enriched in polar proanthocyanidins and compositions enriched in non-polar proanthocyanidins. The polar proanthocyanidins were found to have biological activities that are different than the non-polar proanthocyanidins.
When the total phenol-enriched compositions of this invention are analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC on a C-18 lipophilic column, characteristic sets of elution peaks of compounds absorbing at 280 nm and 510 nm are observed. More specifically, the total phenol-enriched compositions of this invention are characterized as having a characteristic set of elution peaks in the region between 60 and 75 minutes in an HPLC trace substantially as illustrated in FIGS. 10-13 when the HPLC analysis is performed as described herein.
When the total phenol-enriched compositions of this invention are analyzed by IR spectrometry, characteristic absorption peaks of compounds substantially as shown in FIGS. 33-40 are observed. The compositions of this invention are useful as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. For example, the compositions of this invention are useful as anti-infective (e.g., antiviral, anti-UTI and antimicrobial) agents and as anti-inflammatory agents.
The foregoing and other features, utilities and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular descriptions of preferred embodiments of the invention and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings and as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the Drawings:
FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for preparing a total phenol-enriched composition according to the method of this invention.
FIG. 2 is an HPLC chromatogram at 510 nm of a total phenol-enriched composition (“fraction 3”) prepared from bilberries.
FIG. 3 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a total phenol-enriched composition (“fraction 3”) prepared from bilberries.
FIG. 4 is an HPLC chromatogram at 510 nm of a total phenol-enriched composition (“fraction 3”) prepared from blueberries.
FIG. 5 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a total phenol-enriched composition (“fraction 3”) prepared from blueberries.
FIG. 6 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a filtered elderberry extract.
FIG. 7 is an HPLC chromatogram at 510 nm of a filtered elderberry extract.
FIG. 8 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a first fraction eluted during column loading of a filtered elderberry extract.
FIG. 9 is an HPLC chromatogram at 510 nm of a first fraction eluted during column loading of a filtered elderberry extract.
FIG. 10 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a third fraction eluted with 70% ethanol during column purification of an elderberry extract on a brominated polystyrene resin.
FIG. 11 is an HPLC chromatogram at 510 nm of a third fraction eluted with 70% ethanol during column purification of an elderberry extract on a brominated polystyrene resin.
FIG. 12 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a fourth fraction eluted with 90% ethanol during column purification of an elderberry extract on a brominated polystyrene resin.
FIG. 13 is an HPLC chromatogram at 510 nm of a fourth fraction eluted with 90% ethanol during column purification of an elderberry extract on a brominated polystyrene resin.
FIG. 14 is an HPLC chromatogram using an alternate HPLC method of the proanthocyanidins standard prepared as described in Example 10.
FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a method for separating polar proanthocyanidins from non-polar proanthocyanidins.
FIG. 16 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a filtered elderberry extract.
FIG. 17 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of an elderberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 5”) isolated from the combined flow-through and wash fractions from a VLC C-18 column.
FIG. 18 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of an elderberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 6”) isolated in the 60% methanol eluent from a VLC C-18 column.
FIG. 19 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of an elderberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 7”) isolated after semi-preparative HPLC purification.
FIG. 20 is a 13 C NMR spectrum of an elderberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 7”) after purification by semi-preparative HPLC.
FIG. 21 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of an elderberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 6”) isolated during VLC chromatography on C-18 media and before purification on a Sephadex LH-20 column, in which the non-proanthocyanidin peaks are marked with an asterisk.
FIG. 22 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of the elderberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 8”) after purification on a Sephadex LH-20 column.
FIG. 23 is an HPLC chromatogram at 368 nm of an elderberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 6”) isolated during VLC chromatography on C-18 media and before purification on a Sephadex LH-20 column.
FIG. 24 is an HPLC chromatogram at 368 nm of an elderberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 8”) after purification on a Sephadex LH-20 column.
FIG. 25 is a 13 C NMR spectrum of an elderberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 8”) after purification on a Sephadex LH-20 column.
FIG. 26 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a blueberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 5”) isolated during VLC chromatography on C-18 media and before semi-preparative HPLC purification.
FIG. 27 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a blueberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 7”) after purification by semi-preparative HPLC.
FIG. 28 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a blueberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 6”) isolated during VLC chromatography on C-18 media and before semi-preparative HPLC purification.
FIG. 29 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a blueberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 8”) after purification by semi-preparative HPLC.
FIG. 30 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a plum polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 5”) isolated during VLC chromatography on C-18 media and before semi-preparative HPLC purification.
FIG. 31 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a plum polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 7”) after purification by semi-preparative HPLC.
FIG. 32 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a plum non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 6”) isolated during the 40% and 70% methanol elution from a VLC C-18 column.
FIG. 33 is an IR spectrum of a purified elderberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 7”).
FIG. 34 is an IR spectrum of a purified elderberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 8”).
FIG. 35 is an IR spectrum of a purified cranberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 8”).
FIG. 36 is an IR spectrum of a purified cranberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 7”).
FIG. 37 is an IR spectrum of a purified blueberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 7”).
FIG. 38 is an IR spectrum of a purified blueberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 8”).
FIG. 39 is an IR spectrum of a purified plum polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 7”).
FIG. 40 is an IR spectrum of a purified plum non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 6”).
FIG. 41 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a cranberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 5”) before semi-preparative HPLC purification.
FIG. 42 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a cranberry polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 7”) after semi-preparative HPLC purification.
FIG. 43 is an HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of a cranberry non-polar proanthocyanidin composition (“fraction 6”).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides methods for preparing compositions enriched in total phenols from plant materials that naturally contain phenolic compounds such as anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. The method of this invention further provides compositions enriched in total phenols.
As used herein, the term “extract” refers to a substance derived from a plant source that naturally contains phenolic compounds, including extracts prepared from the whole plant or from various parts of the plant, such as the fruits, leaves, stems, roots, bark, etc. Thus, the method of this invention is not limited to the particular part of the plant used to prepare the extract. The present method can use any source of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, most typically from botanically derived plant material such as seeds, fruits, skins, vegetables, nuts, tree barks, and other plant materials that contain phenolic compounds. Most colored fruits, berries, and vegetables are known to contain phenolic compounds. Examples of plants, fruits, berries, and vegetables that contain phenolic compounds include, but are not limited to, blueberries, bilberries, elderberries, plums, blackberries, strawberries, red currants, black currants, cranberries, cherries, raspberries, grapes, currants, hibiscus flowers, bell peppers, beans, peas, red cabbage, purple corn, and violet sweet potatoes. The raw plant material may be used either as is (wet) or may be dried prior to extraction. Optionally, the raw plant material may be presorted by separating and removing the components low in anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins prior to extraction.
In one embodiment, the phenolic-enriched compositions of the present invention are obtained by extracting and purifying one or more berries and/or fruits containing phenolic compounds including, but not limited to, blueberries, bilberries, elderberries, plums, blackberries, strawberries, red currants, black currants, cranberries, cherries, raspberries, and grapes.
As used herein, the terms “phenols” and “phenolic compounds” are used interchangeably and include monomeric, oligomeric and polymeric compounds having one or more phenolic groups, and include, but are not limited to, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and flavonoids.
As used herein, the term “total phenol-enriched composition” refers to a composition enriched in one or more phenolic compounds and having substantially depleted levels of non-phenolic compounds present in crude extracts of plants, fruits, berries, and vegetables. Examples of such non-phenolic compounds include, but are not limited to, sugars, cellulose, pectin, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, plant sterols, fatty acids, and triglycerides.
The method of this invention is based on the discovery that purifying an extract containing phenols on a brominated polystyrene resin rather than on a conventional polystyrene resin or other resins used in the art provides total phenol-enriched compositions having higher purities, as discussed below in detail.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the steps of one embodiment of the process of this invention in which a composition enriched in total phenols may be prepared. The method illustrated in FIG. 1 eliminates the sulfitation step of the two-column purification method described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/943,158, which is incorporated herein by reference, thus advantageously eliminating the need to use a sulfiting reagent and in turn eliminating the acidification step of the two-column process described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/943,158. Thus, the process of this invention provides an economical and efficient method of obtaining compositions enriched in total phenols by eliminating several process steps and by reducing the amount of reagents needed in the process, thereby reducing production costs and waste disposal issues.
In one embodiment of the process of this invention, as illustrated in steps 10 - 70 in FIG. 1 , phenolic compounds (e.g., proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins) and non-phenolic compounds are extracted from a fresh or dried plant material (step 10 ). Those skilled in the art will recognize that a variety of extraction methods are available in the literature, such as vat extraction, percolation, countercurrent extraction, etc. The particular method of extraction employed is not essential to the process of the present invention. The degree of comminutation of the plant material prior to the extraction process should provide sufficient particulate surface area for the extraction solvent to contact.
In one embodiment of the process shown in FIG. 1 , the extraction step (step 10 ) is accomplished by placing fresh or dried plant material in an appropriate amount of extraction solvent. In one embodiment, the extraction solvent comprises an acidified alcohol solution having about 0-95% ethanol in water and a suitable acid in an amount of about 0-3%, more preferably about 0.006-0.012% by weight. In another embodiment, the extraction solvent comprises an acidified alcohol solution having between about 0-100% methanol in water and between about 0-3% by weight of a suitable acid. Suitable acids that may be used in the extraction step include, but are not limited to, sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ), acetic acid (HOAc) or hydrochloric acid (HCl). The addition of an acid to the extraction solvent prevents degradation of the proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins. Thus, in one embodiment the acidic conditions are maintained throughout most of the steps of the process of this invention as illustrated in FIG. 1 . The plant material is contacted with the extraction solution for an appropriate amount of time at a temperature between about room temperature and 75° C., preferably at 40° C., to form the crude extract. The amount of plant material to extraction solvent used in the extraction process varies between about 2:1 to about 1:20 on a gram to milliliter basis. In one embodiment, the ratio of plant material to extraction solvent is between about 1:4 and 1:8.
The crude extract contains phenolic compounds such as proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins and other phenolics, as well as undesired non-phenolic materials such as sugars, pectin, plant sterols, fatty acids, triglycerides, and other compounds. Solid residue contained in the crude extract is separated from the liquid portion, and the solids are either re-extracted as described above or discarded.
In one embodiment of step 10 (FIG. 1 ), pectinase is added either to the plant material or to the extraction solvent before or during the extraction process. Alternatively, the pectinase can be added to the crude extract after the extraction process is complete. The pectinase serves to prevent the extract from gelling at any point during or after the extraction process so that it will remain flowable during the column purification. The amount of pectinase added will depend, of course, on the amount of plant material used to prepare the extract. Typically, the pectinase is added in an amount between about 0 and 0.12% by weight of the plant material.
With continued reference to FIG. 1 , if either an ethanolic or methanolic extraction solvent was used to prepare the crude extract in step 10 , the crude extract is concentrated (step 20 ) until the crude extract contains less than 6% ethanol or methanol, preferably maintaining a temperature of 40° C. or less during concentration. Water is added to dilute the concentrated crude extract, and the diluted crude extract is either concentrated and diluted again with water prior to step 30 , or is carried on directly to step 30 without performing a second dilution. Of course, if water was used as the extraction solution in the preparation of the crude extract, step 20 is not necessary, and in this case the crude extract from step 10 is taken directly on to step 30 as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1 .
Step 30 of the process shown in FIG. 1 comprises filtering the crude extract from step 10 or 20 to remove solids that may have precipitated from the crude extract. The inventors discovered that by adjusting the extraction conditions as described for step 10 , the amount of undesirable non-phenolic compounds that precipitate from the crude extract by filtration in step 30 is increased. Various filtration methods may be employed in filtration step 30 of the process of this invention. One filtration method that may be employed in step 30 comprises adding a measured amount of a filter aid such as diatomaceous earth or cellulose to the crude extract. The mixture of crude extract and filter aid is preferably shaken or stirred until homogeneous and filtered through a bed of filter aid. The bed is washed with an aqueous acidic solution, preferably about 0.006% aqueous sulfuric acid.
Other filtration methods that may be used in step 30 of FIG. 1 include filtering the crude extract through a bed of sand or a 30 micron polypropylene filter that is preferably covered with glass wool. Yet another filtration method comprises using a bag filter (a bag-shaped cloth filter composed of polyethylene or polypropylene), which may advantageously be placed in-line with the purification column of step 40 described below. The filters described above are used to remove precipitated solids and are not size exclusion filters.
To isolate the phenolic compounds according to the method shown in FIG. 1 , the filtered extract isolated in step 30 is contacted with a brominated polystyrene adsorbent material capable of releasably adsorbing the phenolic compounds such as proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins, but which retains less of the undesired non-phenolic materials that were present in the filtered extract. The present inventors discovered that a high purity composition enriched in total phenols could be obtained by purifying the filtered extract isolated in step 30 on a brominated polystyrene resin, such as SP-207 (Supelco; Bellafonte, Pa.), manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical America. SP-207 resin is a macroporous, brominated styrenic polymeric bead type resin designed for reversed-phase chromatographic applications, and has a particle size distribution between about 250-600 microns and a pore size range between about 100-300 Angstroms. The bromination of the aromatic rings provides increased hydrophobicity to the polystyrene resin, and is designed to provide a resin having increased selectivity for hydrophobic molecules relative to conventional styrene-divinylbenzene polymeric reversed-phase supports. Because of its tight binding properties, brominated polystyrene resin is not typically used in the purification of natural products.
Thus, since it was known that conventional polystyrene resins tend to bind phenolic compounds such as proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins so tightly that it is very difficult to elute such compounds from the polystyrene resin, it was expected that the brominated polystyrene resin would bind phenolic compounds even tighter. Therefore, it was not expected that a brominated polystyrene resin would be suitable for the purification of phenolic compounds. However, the inventors surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered that the brominated polystyrene resin binds phenolic compounds such as proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins less tightly than non-brominated polystyrene resins, but still allows for the separation of phenolic compounds from undesired non-phenolic compounds.
In one embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 1 , the filtered extract isolated in step 30 is loaded onto a column packed with brominated polystyrene resin having a particle size distribution between about 250-600 microns and a pore size range between about 100-300 Angstroms (step 40 ). However, while step 40 is described herein in terms of contacting the extract with a resin packed into a column, such a description is merely for ease of explanation. Thus, the resin need not be packed into a column in order to perform the method of this invention. The amount of filtered extract that is loaded onto the column depends on the plant material used to prepare the crude extract. For example, when the crude extract is prepared from bilberries, about 16-30 grams of total phenols may be loaded per liter of resin. As another example, when the crude extract is prepared from blueberries, about 15-45 grams of total phenols may be loaded per liter of resin. When the crude extract is prepared from elderberries, about 15-40 grams of total phenols may be loaded per liter of resin. The filtered extract may be diluted with water prior to loading if the solids concentration in the concentrated crude extract exceeds 200 grams per liter. The fractions eluting during column loading in step 40 ( FIG. 1 ) are collected as “fraction 1.”
Subsequent to loading the filtered crude extract onto the resin, undesired non-phenolic materials (e.g., sugars, salts, organic acids, etc.) which have little or no affinity for the adsorbent are eluted from the resin with an aqueous wash solvent comprising at least 0.003% acid such as aqueous sulfuric acid, aqueous acetic acid or aqueous hydrochloric acid ( FIG. 1 , step 50 ). For example, about three column volumes of 0.006% aqueous sulfuric acid or 0.1% aqueous acetic acid can be used to elute the extraneous materials. The eluent is collected as “fraction 2.”
With continued reference to FIG. 1 , the column is next eluted with a first eluent comprising a polar organic solvent such as about 50 to 70% ethanol/water or about 50 to 90% methanol/water (step 60 ). Typically about 2 to 12 column volumes of eluting solvent are used in Step 60 . In one embodiment, the first eluent contains about 0.003% of an acid such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid or acetic acid. The fraction(s) collected during elution step 60 are collected as “fraction 3.” “Fraction 3” contains a portion of the phenolic compounds contained in the crude extract and is particularly enriched in anthocyanins and contains proanthocyanidins.
After the majority of the anthocyanins have been eluted from the column, as determined by UV-VIS spectroscopy, the column is eluted with a second eluent (step 70 ; FIG. 1 ) comprising a polar organic solvent comprising a greater percentage of ethanol or methanol than the solvent used to elute the anthocyanins (step 60 ). For example, the second eluent may comprise about 50 to 90% ethanol/water or about 75 to 100% methanol/water. The fraction(s) collected during elution step 70 are collected as “fraction 4.” “Fraction 4” contains an additional portion of the phenolic compounds originally contained in the crude extract and is typically enriched in proanthocyanidins. “Fraction 4” may also contain anthocyanins not isolated during elution step 60 .
Recovery of the phenolic compounds in “fraction 3” and “fraction 4” can be accomplished in any convenient manner such as by evaporation, distillation, freeze-drying, and the like, to provide a total phenol-enriched composition of this invention.
The above-described process is suitable for preparing compositions sufficiently enriched in total phenols for use as nutraceuticals from a variety of plant materials that contain phenolic compounds including, but not limited to, elderberries, plums, blueberries, bilberries, blackberries, strawberries, red currants, black currants, cranberries, cherries, raspberries, grapes, hibiscus flowers, bell peppers, beans, peas, red cabbage, purple corn, and violet sweet potatoes. In one embodiment, the enriched compositions of this invention contain at least 10-80% total phenols. In another embodiment, the compositions contain at least 12% total phenols. In yet another embodiment, the compositions contain at least 25% total phenols.
It was discovered that the total phenol-enriched compositions, and in particular the compositions isolated from “fraction 3,” “fraction 4,” or a combination thereof, prepared from fruits and berries in particular produce similar HPLC chromatograms having the characteristic peaks such as those shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 that are not contained in HPLC chromatograms of compositions prepared from plant material other than fruits and berries. For example, the HPLC chromatograms of all total phenol-enriched compositions prepared from fruits and berries according to the method illustrated in FIG. 1 and isolated from “fraction 4” were found to contain characteristic peaks between 60 and 75 minutes similar to peaks in the chromatogram shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 for a “fraction 4” composition isolated from elderberries. The total phenol-enriched compositions of this invention, isolated either from “fraction 3,” “fraction 4,” or a combination thereof, and prepared specifically from fruits and berries have anti-infective (e.g., antiviral) and anti-inflammatory activity, as described below in detail.
When the total phenol-enriched compositions of this invention are analyzed by IR spectrometry, characteristic peaks from the phenolic compounds are also observed. More specifically, the total phenol-enriched compositions of this invention are characterized as having IR absorption peaks substantially as illustrated in FIGS. 33-40 .
It was also discovered that the total phenol-enriched compositions (e.g., “fraction 3,” “fraction 4,” or a combination thereof) could be further partitioned into a “polar” proanthocyanidin-enriched fraction and a “non-polar” proanthocyanidin-enriched fraction using low pressure Vacuum Liquid Chromatography (VLC) on a reversed-phase lipophilic column, such as a C-18 column as described in detail in Example 11 and as shown in FIG. 15 . For example, a “fraction 3” composition isolated from an elderberry extract was dissolved in water and loaded onto a C-18 column. The column was washed with 100% water to collect materials that are not strongly retained by the C-18 media. The flow through and Wash fractions Were combined as “fraction 5” and contained the more polar proanthocyanidins. Thus, “fraction 5” is referred to herein as the “polar” proanthocyanidin-enriched fraction (FIG. 15 ). The polar proanthocyanidin-enriched “fraction 5” from elderberry typically has some purple color, suggesting that the polymers in this fraction contain at least one or more cationic anthocyanidin subunits within the oligomeric proanthocyanidin chains. The VLC column was then eluted with 30 to 100% methanol to collect the proanthocyanidins that are more strongly retained by the C-18 media used in the low-pressure column. The methanol fractions were combined as “fraction 6” and contained proanthocyanidins that are less polar than those collected in “fraction 5.” Thus, “fraction 6” is referred to herein as the “non-polar” proanthocyanidin-enriched fraction (FIG. 15 ). The non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched “fraction 6” has little if any color, suggesting that the oligomeric proanthocyanidin chains in this fraction do not contain cationic anthocyanidin subunits.
Thus, the present invention provides a method of conveniently separating the polar proanthocyanidins from the non-polar proanthocyanidins contained in either “fraction 3,” “fraction 4,” or a combination thereof. It was also found that a polar proanthocyanidin-enriched “fraction 5” and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched “fraction 6” could be isolated directly by loading a crude filtered aqueous extract ( FIG. 1 , step 30 ) onto a C-18 VLC column. It is to be understood that the terms “polar” and “non-polar” when used to describe the isolated proanthocyanidin-enriched fractions 5 and 6, respectively, refer to the polarity of the proanthocyanidins in fractions 5 and 6 relative to one another, that is, how the particular fractions behave on a C-18 VLC column. The polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions (fraction 5) and the non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions (“fraction 6”) of this invention have substantially reduced levels of anthocyanins, as discussed in the Examples.
The polar and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched fractions (“fraction 5” and “fraction 6,” respectively) were found to have different biological activities, and the non-polar fraction was found to have greater antiviral activity than the polar fraction in certain assays as described in Example 17.
Each of the polar and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched fractions 5 and 6, respectively, can be purified further as shown in FIG. 15 and as described in Examples 12-14. For example, the polar proanthocyanidin-enriched “fraction 5” isolated during the VLC separation can be loaded onto a semi-preparative C-18 HPLC column that releasably retains the polar proanthocyanidins. The column is then washed with a solvent gradient comprising increasing percentages of acetonitrile, methanol or ethanol to elute most of the anthocyanins and other polar compounds, and then with at least 60% acetonitrile, methanol or ethanol to elute “fraction 7” containing the purified polar proanthocyanidins (FIG. 15 ). Additionally, the non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched “fraction 6” isolated during the VLC separation can be further purified by gel filtration or reversed-phase semi-preparative HPLC. Gel filtration, also called size exclusion or gel permeation chromatography, is a liquid chromatography technique that separates molecules according to their size. This type of media retains smaller compounds, while the larger non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched “fraction 8” ( FIG. 15 ) elute with the flow-through eluent. The purified polar and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched fractions 7 and 8, respectively, of this invention have substantially reduced levels of anthocyanins and flavonoids, and also have substantially reduced levels of non-phenolic compounds. It was further observed that the purified polar and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched “fraction 7” and “fraction 8”, respectively, have different biological activities.
The total phenol-enriched compositions (“fraction 3,” “fraction 4,” or a combination thereof), polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions (fractions 5 and 7), and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions (fractions 6 and 8) of this invention possess a range of biological activities. For example, the compositions of this invention were found to have antiviral activities, as described in Examples 15 and 16. The compositions of this invention can be used either alone or in combination with other antiviral agents to prevent and/or treat diseases induced by or complicated with viral infections from viruses including, but not limited to, influenza A, B, and C, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus type 1, Punta Toro Virus A, Herpes simplex virus I and II, rhinovirus, West Nile virus, Varicella-zoster virus and measles virus. Accordingly, the total phenol-enriched compositions, polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions, and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions of this invention can be advantageously used in prophylactic and therapeutic applications against diseases induced by such viruses by administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition of this invention.
Proanthocyanidins have also been investigated as anti-inflammatory substances due to their inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) activity. It has been shown that it is desirable for anti-inflammatory substances to be selective for COX-2 inhibition rather than COX-1 inhibition. Accordingly, another aspect of this invention comprises a method of treating inflammatory diseases in mammals comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a total phenol-enriched composition, polar proanthocyanidin-enriched composition, or a non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched composition of this invention. For example, total phenol-enriched compositions isolated as fractions 3 and 4 during purification of a blueberry extract were found to have high COX-2/COX-1 inhibition selectivity and an IC 50 of 108 μg/mL (Example 17). The compositions of this invention can be used either alone or in combination with other anti-inflammatory agents to prevent or inhibit inflammatory responses. Such responses may be caused by conditions or diseases including, but not limited to, osteoarthritis, allergenic rhinitis, cardiovascular disease, upper respiratory diseases, wound infections, neuritis and hepatitis.
It is known that proanthocyanidins isolated from cranberries and blueberries inhibit bacteria from attaching to the bladder wall, thereby reducing the potential for maladies such as urinary tract infections (Howell, et al., New England J. Medicine, 339:1085-1086 (1998)). It has been postulated that proanthocyanidins exert their effect by inhibiting the adhesion of bacteria. Accordingly, another aspect of this invention comprises a method of preventing or treating urogenital infections in a mammal comprising administering an effective amount of a total phenol-enriched composition, polar proanthocyanidin-enriched composition, or a non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched composition of this invention in an amount sufficient to prevent, reduce, or eliminate the symptoms associated with such infections. The compositions of this invention can be used either alone or in combination with other antimicrobial agents.
It is further known that proanthocyanidins are potent antioxidants. For example, the antioxidant effects of proanthocyanidins are presumed to account for many of their benefits on the cardiovascular and immune systems. Accordingly, the total phenol-enriched compositions, polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions, and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions of this invention may be used as dietary supplements (e.g., dietary antioxidants) and for the treatment of disorders in humans and mammals. For example, the compositions of this invention may be used for improving visual acuity and for treating circulatory disorders, diabetes, and ulcers.
The total phenol-enriched compositions, polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions, and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions of this invention can also be combined with immunoactive agents, including but not limited to, arabinogalactan, species of Echinacea, vitamins, minerals, polysaccharides and astragalus.
The total phenol-enriched compositions, polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions, and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions of this invention can also be combined with antimutagenic agents including, but not limited to, green tea extracts, catechins, epicatechins, epigallocatechins, gallocatechins, and flavonoids.
The total phenol-enriched compositions, polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions, and non-polar proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions of this invention may be formulated as pills, capsules, liquids, or tinctures. In formulating compositions according to this invention, a wide range of excipients may be used, the nature of which will depend, of course, on the intended mode of application of the composition. Examples of excipients include preservatives, carriers, and buffering, thickening, suspending, stabilizing, wetting, emulsifying, coloring and flavoring agents, and in particular carboxy vinyl polymers, propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, water, cetyl alcohol, saturated vegetable triglycerides, fatty acid esters or propylene glycol, triethanolamine, glycerol, starch, sorbitol, carboxymethyl cellulose, lauryl sulphate, dicalcium phosphate, lecithin, etc.
The foregoing description 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 process shown as described above. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims that follow.
The words “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” “including,” and “includes” when used in this specification and in the following claims are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, components, or steps, but they do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, components, steps, or groups thereof.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Purification of Bilberry Using a Water Extraction
Three extractions were performed on 1 kg of dried bilberry raw material. The first extraction used 6 L of water and the other two extractions used 4 L of water. All extractions were acidified with concentrated sulfuric acid to an acid concentration of 5 g/L. There was approximately an 88% recovery of anthocyanins into the crude extract. Exactly 2.3 L of the crude extract were filtered through a 30 micron polypropylene filter with a layer of glass wool over the filter. The glass wool was changed once and the filter rinsed with deionized water. The final volume of the filtrate was 2.43 L with a 90.9% recovery of anthocyanins in the filtrate.
A column was packed with brominated polystyrene resin SP-207 (Supelco; Belefonte, Pa.) and equilibrated with 0.1% acetic acid. The column was loaded with 2.24 L of the filtrate at a solids concentration of 29.8 g/L using a flow rate of 2.2 mL/min. The loading bleed was less than 0.9% of the loaded anthocyanins with an overall loss of 4.07% of the anthocyanins in the loading and first two column washes. There was an 88.4% recovery of the anthocyanins in the elution step and an anthocyanins mass balance of 92.5%. A few hundred milliliters of elution product were evaporated to dryness on a rotary evaporator and then lyophilized. Final assay of the dried product was by standard spectrophotometric determination of absorbance at 535 nm against a delphinidin chloride standard (102 absorbance units/g/L at 1.0 cm). The enriched composition contained 43% total anthocyanins by weight.
Example 2
Purification of Bilberry Using a 70% Ethanol Extraction
Dried bilberry raw material (667 g), assayed at 2.0% anthocyanins, was extracted by percolation using 70% ethanol/water containing 3% sulfuric acid by volume. The solids in the crude extract contained 3.9% by weight total anthocyanins. One liter of the first extraction volume was mixed with 100 mL deionized water and evaporated in vacuo to about 460 mL to remove the alcohol. Deionized water (300 mL) was added to the mixture, and an additional 170 mL of liquid were evaporated. Deionized water (210 mL) was added to make the final volume 800 mL. To the aqueous mixture was added 150 g of Celite 512 (0.5 to 0.9 g of Celite per gram of solids). The mixture was shaken until homogeneous. The Celite/extract mixture was poured over a 30 g bed of damp Celite 512 under vacuum. Upon completion of filtration, the bed was washed with 1.20 L of 1% aqueous sulfuric acid in 200 mL increments. The filtrate volume was 1855 mL. To the filtrate was added 145 mL of deionized water to give a final volume of 2.0 L.
A portion of the filtrate (695 mL) was loaded at 2.2 mL/minute (1.3 mL/min/cm 2 ) onto a column loaded with 170 mL brominated polystyrene resin (SP-207). This gave a load value of 17 g of anthocyanins per liter of column media. The column was washed with one column volume of 0.1% aqueous acetic acid followed by 2.5 column volumes of 0.1% HOAc/10% ethanol/90% water. The column was then eluted with 10 column volumes of 70% ethanol/water, and the 70% ethanol fractions were combined and concentrated in vacuo at 60° C. and 50 mbar to provide a dark, dry, shiny amorphous solid (“fraction 3”). Final assay of the dried product was by standard spectrophotometric determination of absorbance at 535 nm against a delphinidin chloride standard (102 absorbance units/g/L at 1.0 cm). The enriched composition contained 32% total anthocyanins by weight.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are HPLC chromatograms at 510 nm and 280 nm, respectively, of a total phenol-enriched composition (“fraction 3”) prepared from bilberries according to the process of this invention.
Table 1 summarizes the percent of each anthocyanin in a typical anthocyanin-enriched composition (“fraction 3”).
TABLE 1
Identification and content of each anthocyanin present in
a bilberry “fraction 3”
Elution
Name
order
% composition
Delphinidin-3-O-galactoside
1
3.3
Delphinidin-3-O-glucoside
2
3.9
Cyanidin-3-O-galactoside
3
2.1
Delphinidin-3-O-arabinoside
4
2.6
Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside
5
2.8
Petunidin-3-O-galactoside
6
1.0
Petunidin-3-O-glucoside
7
2.5
Cyanidin-3-O-arabinoside
8
1.7
Peonidin-3-O-galactoside
9
0.3
Petunidin-3-O-arabinoside
10
0.8
Malvidin-3-O-galactoside
11
2.1
Peonidin-3-O-glucoside (co-elute)
Malvidin-3-O-glucoside
12
2.5
Peonidin-3-O-arabinose
13
0.1
Malvidin-3-O-arabinose
14
0.6
Total
26.3
Example 3
Total Phenol-Enriched Compositions from Blueberries
To 940 g of dried and ground blueberry (Van Drunen FutureCeuticals; Momence, Ill.) were added 4.0 liters of extraction solvent (1.0% w/v sulfuric acid in 70% ethanol) in a 10 L round bottom flask. The flask was rotated in a constant temperature water bath held at 40° C. for two hours. The mixture was swirled and filtered through a 150 g bed of Celite 512 under vacuum. The blueberry biomass cake was washed with 500 mL of extraction solvent. The cake was carefully scraped away from the Celite bed, poured into a round bottom flask, and re-extracted following the above-described procedure. A third extraction was then performed. The three crude extracts were combined.
A portion of the combined extracts (2.00 L) was concentrated in vacuo to 175 mL at a water bath temperature of 40° C. The evaporated extract was diluted with deionized water to give 675 mL of crude blueberry extract. The crude extract was loaded without filtration onto a previously conditioned (i.e., washed with acetone) and equilibrated column loaded with 170 mL of brominated polystyrene resin (SP-207). The column was washed with 0.1% acetic acid and with 0.1% HOAc/10% ethanol. The anthocyanins were eluted with 70% ethanol. The product pool was evaporated in vacuo at 60° C. and 50 mbar. Final product assay was by standard spectrophotometric determination of absorbance at 535 nm against a delphinidin chloride standard (102 absorbance units/g/L at 1.0 cm). The purified blueberry composition (“fraction 3”) contained 18% total anthocyanins by weight, with an overall recovery of anthocyanins of 95%.
FIGS. 4 and 5 are HPLC chromatograms at 510 nm and 280 nm, respectively, of a total phenol-enriched composition (“fraction 3”) prepared from blueberries according to the method of this invention.
Example 4
Higher Purity Total Phenol-enriched Composition from Blueberries
In this example, a portion of a total phenol-enriched composition prepared from blueberries and having 18% total anthocyanins by weight, prepared as described in Example 3, was passed through either a strong or a weak anion exchange resin to remove residual acids in order to increase the purity of the enriched composition.
Approximately 1.0 g of the total phenol-enriched blueberry composition was dissolved in 50 mL of water and passed through a 9 mL column containing either a strong anion exchange resin (Super Q-650 M; TosoHaas; Montgomery, Pa.) or a weak anion exchange resin (DEM-63; Whatman). The column was washed with 30-35 mL of water. In the case of the strong anion exchange resin column, the resin was further washed with 25 mL of 20% ethanol, followed by 40% ethanol. The composition isolated from the strong anion exchange column contained 28.3% total anthocyanins by weight, and the recovery was 88%. The composition isolated from the weak anion exchange column contained 30.6% total anthocyanins by weight, and the recovery was 88%.
Example 5
Total Phenol-enriched Compositions from Bilberry Using Pectinase Treatment
Warm water (548 g) was added to 1024 g of frozen bilberries. The mixture was pureed in a blender and then heated to 40° C. Next, 150 μL of pectinase (Quest Super 7x; Quest International, Norwich, N.Y.) were added for a 30 minute treatment at 40° C. with stirring. Approximately 4 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid were added to the slurry to achieve an acid concentration of 0.5% (w/w). The mixture was then heated to 45° C. and extracted for 15 minutes with very slow stirring. Dicalite (164 g) was added to the extracted mixture, which was then filtered over a 26 g Dicalite bed. The resulting cake was washed three times with 400 mL of warm 0.1% aqueous sulfuric acid. This extract was filtered through a 25 μm pressure filter. All of the filtered extract (2.4 L) was loaded onto a 170 mL SP-207 column. After loading, the column was washed with 0.1% aqueous acetic acid and eluted with 70% aqueous ethanol to provide “fraction 3”. “Fraction 3” was evaporated to dryness and then placed on a lyophilizer for 48 hours. The final product was assayed for total anthocyanins by standard spectrophotometric determination of absorbance at 535 nm. The total phenol-enriched composition contained 40% total anthocyanins by weight. The overall recovery of anthocyanins was approximately 79%.
Example 6
Enriched Compositions from Elderberry Biomass Powder
Approximately 190 g of dried elderberry biomass powder (BI Nutraceuticals, Long Beach, Calif.) assayed at 1.88% anthocyanins and 5.31 % total phenols were added to 1000 g of warm water. The solution was mixed thoroughly and transferred to a hot water bath at 45° C. To the solution was added 190 μL of pectinase (Super 7X, Quest), and then the mixture was allowed to sit for 30 minutes. The mixture was acidified to a pH of 2.5 using 2.5 mL of concentrated H 2 SO 4 and gently mixed for ten minutes. To this acidified mixture was added 164 g of Celite, and then the acidified mixture was filtered over a 26 g Celite bed. The filter cake was washed three times with 400 mL of acidified warm water, for a total of 1200 mL. The filtrate was then filtered through a 25 μm pressure filter to provide an elderberry extract.
The elderberry extract was loaded onto 170 mL of SP-207 (Mitsubishi Chemical) brominated polystyrene column at a rate of 2.3 mL/min (1.3 mL/min/cm 2 ). The eluent collected off the column during loading was collected as “fraction 1.” After loading, the column was washed with 3 column volumes (3×170 mL) of 0.006% aqueous sulfuric acid. The eluent from this wash was collected as “fraction 2.” The column was then eluted with 8-10 column volumes of 70% aqueous ethanol, which were collected as “fraction 3.” The column was then washed with 3 column volumes of 90% aqueous ethanol, which were collected as “fraction 4.” The column was re-equilibrated with 8 column volumes of 0.006% aqueous sulfuric acid. Fractions 3 and 4 were evaporated to dryness and then lyophilized until dry. Several of the fractions isolated during elution from the brominated polystyrene resin were analyzed for anthocyanins and total phenols as described in Examples 7 and 8. Table 2 summarizes the column data.
TABLE 2
Analysis and recovery of anthocyanins and polyphenols
in elderberry fractions
Anthocyanins
Polyphenols
% Purity
% Recovery
% Purity
% Recovery
“fraction 1”
0.05
2.79
1.37
24.4
“fraction 2”
1.68
7.79
5.57
8.5
“fraction 3”
18.7
99.4
42.8
74.7
“fraction 4”
0.67
0.49
2.61
0.6
FIGS. 6-13 show the HPLC chromatograms of the filtered elderberry extract and of certain fractions isolated during column purification. The HPLC conditions used arethose described in Example 9.
FIGS. 6 and 7 show the HPLC chromatograms at 280 nm and 510 nm, respectively, of the filtered elderberry extract.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show the HPLC chromatograms at 280 nm and 510 nm, respectively, of “fraction 1” collected during column loading of the filtered elderberry extract onto the brominated polystyrene resin.
FIGS. 10 and 11 show the HPLC chromatograms at 280 nm and 510 nm, respectively, of “fraction 3” collected during column elution of the filtered elderberry extract using 70% ethanol from the brominated polystyrene resin.
FIGS. 12 and 13 show the HPLC chromatograms at 280 nm and 510 nm, respectively, of “fraction 4” collected during column elution of the filtered elderberry extract using 90% ethanol from the brominated polystyrene resin.
The total phenol-enriched compositions of this invention comprise the compounds showing peaks in the region between 60 and 75 minutes in the standard HPLC chromatograms substantially as shown in FIGS. 10-13 .
Example 7
Quantitative Determination of Anthocyanins
This method is used to determine the total anthocyanins in various biomass samples and dried purified total phenol-enriched compositions by UV-VIS spectrophotometry, using an external standard. Each sample tested (e.g., a concentrated total phenol-enriched composition, dried biomass, or fresh/frozen biomass) requires a different preparation procedure as described below.
Total phenol-enriched compositions—Accurately weigh 75-100 mg of the purified total phenol-enriched composition into a 100 mL volumetric flask and dilute to volume with 2% HCl/MeOH. Mix well and dilute 0.40-1.6 mL of this sample to 10.0 mL with 2% HCl/MeOH.
Dry Biomass—Into a coffee grinder place an amount of dry biomass sufficient to cover the blades of the grinder. Grind for about 1 minute or until finely ground. Alternatively use a mortar and pestle to finely grind the raw material. Accurately weigh about 50-100 mg of finely ground biomass into a 100 mL volumetric flask and then add about 80 mL of 2% HCl/MeOH and cap. Place the flask into a 50° C. oil bath or forced air oven for 30-60 minutes, shake gently for 30 seconds, and sonicate for 5 minutes. Allow the solution to cool to room temperature. Add 2% HCl/MeOH to the mark and mix. Filter a portion of the sample through a 0.45 μm PTFE syringe filter into a vial. Dilute 1.0 mL of the filtrate to 10.0 mL with 2% HCl/MeOH. The dilution factor would be 10 mL/1 mL or 10.
Frozen/Fresh Biomass—Weigh 400.0 g frozen/fresh biomass into a 1000 mL polypropylene beaker. Add 400 g of near boiling water into the beaker. Puree using a mechanical blender (Waring or other). Using a wide-bore polyethylene dropper, remove a representative 0.5-1.5 g sample and transfer into a tared 100 mL volumetric flask. Add 80 mL of 2% HCl/MeOH and cap. Place the flask into a 50° C. oil bath or forced air oven for 60-120 minutes, shake gently for 30 seconds and then sonicate for 5 minutes. Allow the solution to cool to room temperature. Add 2% HCl/MeOH to the mark and mix. Filter a portion through a 0.45 μm PTFE syringe filter into a vial. The dilution factor would be the total weight of the biomass and water divided by the weight of the biomass [e.g., (400 g+400 g)/400 g=2].
Loss on Drying—The calculation to obtain the total anthocyanins content in the above samples requires the determination of the moisture content, or % LOD (loss on drying), of the material. To determine the % LOD, transfer and distribute evenly 0.5-3.0 g of sample into an accurately weighed aluminum weigh pan, and record the weight to the nearest 0.1 mg. Place the sample in an oven at 105° C.±3° C. for 2 hours (do not exceed 2 hrs 15 min). After the sample has cooled to room temperature (a dessicator may be used), weigh the sample and record the weight to the nearest 0.1 mg. The % LOD is determined to the nearest 0.1% using Equation 1:
% LOD = 1 - W D - W P W SP - W P × 100 Eq . 1
where % LOD=percentage loss on drying; W D =dry weight of the pan and sample (g); W P =weight of the pan (g); and W SP =initial weight of the pan and sample (g).
Assay Procedures—The UV/VIS spectrophotometer is set to read in photometry mode with the visible lamp on. The instrument is zeroed at 535 nm using 2% HCl/MeOH in a 1 cm pathlength glass, quartz, or disposable polystyrene cuvette. The absorbance of the prepared sample is measured at 535 nm in the same or matched 1 cm cuvettes.
Calculations—The concentration of total anthocyanins is calculated as shown in Equation 2:
C ANTHOS = ABS SAMP × DF E s Eq . 2
where C ANTHOS =concentration of the total anthocyanins in the sample (mg/mL); ABS SAMP =absorbance of the sample at 535 nm; DF=dilution factor, as described below; and E S =absorptivity (absorbance of a 1 mg/mL solution at 535 nm in 2% HCl/MeOH using a 1 cm cuvette) of the appropriate external standard, either cyanidin chloride (101.1; for cherry, cranberry, elderberry, and plum) or delphinidin chloride (102.0; for bilberry and blueberry). The dilution factor (DF) for a dry biomass is 1, and the dilution factor for fresh/frozen biomass is the total weight of the biomass and water divided by the weight of the biomass (e.g., (400 g+400 g)/400 g). The dilution factor for a purified extract is the final dilution volume divided by the volume of the extract solution (e.g., 10 mL/0.40 mL).
The percent total anthocyanins is calculated as shown in Equation 3:
% Anthos = C ANTHOS × Volume × 100 Ws × S LOD Eq . 3
where % Anthos=percentage of total anthocyanins in the sample; C ANTHOS =concentration of total anthocyanins (mg/mL); Volume=initial volume of the sample preparation (usually 100 mL); W S =weight of the biomass or total phenol-enriched compositions used in the preparation (usually 50-100 mg for dry biomass, 500-1500 mg for fresh/frozen biomass, or 75-100 mg for purified extracts); and S LOD =[(100−% LOD)/100] for dry or fresh biomass or purified extract (for fresh or frozen biomass this factor does not apply).
Example 8
Quantitative Determination of Total Polyphenols
This method is used to quantitatively determine the total polyphenols in various biomass samples and dried purified enriched compositions by UV-VIS spectrophotometry, using gallic acid as the external standard.
The procedure requires a 20% Na 2 CO 3 solution and 2% HCl/MeOH. To prepare the Na 2 CO 3 solution, weigh approximately 100 g of Na 2 CO 3 into a 500 mL volumetric flask containing about 350 mL deionized water. Sonicate for 10 minutes; shake to mix. Dilute to volume using deionized water and agitate until homogeneous. To prepare the 2% HCl/MeOH, transfer about 350 mL of methanol into a 500 mL volumetric flask. Pipet into the flask 10.0 mL of HCl. Dilute to volume using methanol and mix until homogeneous.
To prepare the gallic acid stock standard, accurately weigh 100 mg of gallic acid (Sigma; St. Louis, Mo.) into a 100 mL volumetric flask. Add 70 mL of deionized water and sonicate for 5 minutes until dissolved. Dilute to volume using deionized water, cap, and mix until homogeneous.
Each sample tested (e.g., total phenol-enriched composition, dry biomass, or fresh/frozen biomass) requires a different preparation procedure and was prepared as described in Example 7.
Loss on Drying—The calculation to obtain the total polyphenols content in the above samples requires the determination of the moisture content, or % LOD, of the material. To determine the % LOD, transfer and distribute evenly 0.5-3.0 g of sample into an accurately weighed aluminum weigh pan, and record the weight to the nearest 0.1 mg. Place the sample in an oven at 105° C.±3° C. for 2 hours (do not exceed 2 hrs 15 min). After the sample has cooled to room temperature (a dessicator may be used), weigh the sample and record the weight to the nearest 0.1 mg. The % LOD is determined to the nearest 0.1% using Equation 1 above.
Colorimetric Development Procedures—A clean 100 mL volumetric flask is set aside to serve as the reagent blank. Two 100 mL volumetric flasks are labeled “high” standard and “low” standard. Using the gallic acid stock solution, pipet 800 μL into the “high” standard flask and 200 μL into the “low” standard flask. For dry biomass samples, pipet 20 mL of the filtered solution into a 100 mL volumetric flask. For fresh/frozen biomasssamples, pipet 10 mL of the filtered solution into a 100 mL volumetric flask. For purified samples, pipet 0.80-2.0 mL into a 100 mL volumetric flask. The following are added to each of the volumetric flasks (including the reagent blank) prepared above:
1. Add sufficient deionized water to each flask to bring the total volume to approximately 65 mL. 2. Pipet 5.0 mL of the FC Phenol Reagent (Sigma) into each flask, agitate gently. 3. Pipet 15±2 mL of the 20% Na 2 CO 3 solution into each flask. 4. Mix the solutions in each flask with gentle swirling, dilute to volume with deionized water, cap, and invert. 5. Allow the solutions to develop for at least three but not more than four hours. 6. Filter 10 mL aliquots of samples requiring filtration through 0.45 μm PVDF syringe filters into suitable containers.
Assay Procedure—The UV-VIS spectrophotometer is set to read in photometry mode with the visible lamp on. The analysis is carried out in 1 cm pathlength glass, quartz, or disposable polystyrene cuvettes. The instrument is zeroed at 760 nm using the reagent blank. The absorbance of each solution is measured at 760 nm in the same or matched 1 cm cuvettes.
Calculations—To calculate the concentration of total polyphenols the absorptivity of gallic acid must first be determined. This value is obtained as described in Equation 4:
E R = A R × D R C R × ( 1 - E LOD ) Eq . 4
where E R =absorptivity of the reference standard (gallic acid) at 760 nm in absorbance units/g/L; A R =absorbance of the reference standard solution; C R =concentration of gallic acid in the stock standard solution, D R =dilution factor for the gallic acid standard (125 for “high” standard or 500 for “low” standard); and E LOD =loss on drying of the gallic acid solids as a percent.
The absorptivities for the “high” and “low” standards are averaged for use in Equation 5 below. The concentration of total polyphenols in the color development sample preparations is calculated as shown in Equation 5:
C p = A S × D FC E R Eq . 5
where C P =concentration of total polyphenols in the FC sample preparation (mg/mL); A S =absorbance of the FC sample preparation; D FC =sample dilution factor, where DF is typically 5 for dry biomass, 10 for fresh/frozen biomass, and 50-125 for purified enriched composition; and E R =average absorptivity of the gallic acid standards.
The percent total polyphenols is calculated as shown in Equation 6:
% P = C P × V S × D S × 100 W S × S LOD Eq . 6
where % P=percentage of total polyphenols in the sample; C P =the concentration of total polyphenols (mg/mL); V s =volume of original sample preparation (usually 100 mL); W S =weight of the biomass or purified composition used in the original sample preparation (usually 50-100 mg for dry biomass, 500-1500 mg for fresh/frozen biomass, and 75-100 mg for purified extracts); D S =original sample dilution factor, where D S is 1 for dry biomass, 2 for fresh/frozen biomass, or 1 for purified extract; and S LOD =[(100−% LOD)/100] for biomass or purified extracts. For fresh or frozen biomass this factor does not apply.
Example 9
HPLC Qualitative Assay
This method is used to qualify compounds in various biomasses and purified enriched compositions by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Each type of sample requires a different preparation procedure as described below.
Dry Biomass: The dry biomass, if not already powdered, is ground through a 1 mm screen using the Wiley mill. Using an appropriately sized extraction thimble and a soxhlet extraction apparatus, weigh out approximately 12 g of powdered biomass into the thimble and extract using 200 mL of methanol. Extract through at least 20 cycles or until the extraction solvent is clear. Transfer the extract quantitatively to a 250 mL volumetric flask using methanol, dilute to volume and mix. Filter the extract through a 0.45 μm PTFE syringe filter into an HPLC vial.
Frozen/Fresh Biomass: Weigh 400 g frozen/fresh biomass into a 1000 mL polypropylene beaker. Add 400 g of near boiling water into the beaker. Puree using a mechanical blender (Waring or other). Using a wide-bore polyethylene dropper, remove a representative 0.5-1.5 g sample and transfer into a tared 100 mL volumetric flask. Add 80 mL MeOH, cap, and heat at 50° C. for 30 minutes. Allow the solution to cool to room temperature, adjust to volume with methanol, and then sonicate until homogeneous. Filter a portion through a 0.45 μm PTFE syringe filter into an HPLC vial.
Purified Enriched Composition: Accurately weigh 50-100 mg of the enriched composition into a glass scintillation vial and add 10.0 mL of 50% MeOH/H 2 O. Sonicate for 5 minutes. Filter through a 0.45 μm PTFE syringe filter into an HPLC vial.
The HPLC is set up as required. In one embodiment of this invention, the aqueous mobile phase was prepared by mixing 5 mL of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) into 1000 mL of high purity, Type 1 water. A 20 μL sample was injected at ambient temperature. A 280 nm wavelength was used for detection, the flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, and the run time was 105 minutes. A Zorbax column was packed with 5 μm SBC-18 in a 150×4.6 mm ID column. In this embodiment, the mobile phase was set up as follows: channel A: 100% acetonitrile; channel B: 0.5% TFA in H 2 O; and channel C: 100% methanol. Table 3 summarizes the HPLC gradient for this embodiment of the invention.
If available, standard preparations of compounds known to exist in the sample may be prepared at concentrations of approximately 1 mg/mL. These standard preparations can be used to determine the approximate retention times and thus identify those compounds in the sample chromatograms. As this method is used for qualification purposes only, no calculations are required.
TABLE 3
HPLC gradient for qualitative analysis
Time (min)
% A
% B
% C
0.0
0
95
5
7.0
5
90
5
32.1
8
84
8
33.0
9
83
8
63.0
14
78
8
91.5
27
65
8
99.0
72
20
8
104.0
72
20
8
104.1
0
95
5
112.0
0
95
5
Example 10
Quantitative HPLC Method for Determination of Percent Proanthocyanidins
This HPLC method is used to determine the amount of proanthocyanidins in various fractions and enriched compositions. Each type of sample requires a different preparation and is prepared as described in Example 9. The method uses a 5 μm Zorbax column packed with Stablebond SBC-18 in a 150×4.6 mm column. The flow rate was 1.5 mL/min, the detector was set at 280 nm, the injection volume was 10 μL, and the run time was 24 min. The mobile phase was: channel A=100% acetonitrile; channel B=0.1% trifluoroacetic acid in water; channel C=100% methanol. The gradient employed is provided in Table 4. The proanthocyanidins typically eluted as a group of broad peaks in the HPLC chromatogram at elution times between 11-22 minutes.
TABLE 4
HPLC gradient for % analysis for proanthocyanidins
Time (min.)
% A
% B
% C
0
14
78
8
9
14
78
8
17
34
58
8
22
34
58
8
22.1
14
78
8
26
14
78
8
To quantitate the proanthocyanidins, a previously prepared in-house proanthocyanidin standard is utilized with a purity greater than 90%. A sample of this is prepared at 5.5 mg/mL in 70% ethanol and analyzed using the HPLC method described in this Example. The chromatogram for this standard includes a large, broad peak in the 11-22 minute retention time range (as seen in FIG. 14 ) which is due to the proanthocyanidins. Manually integrate the entire 11-22 minute peak. The peak area response factor for the standard is then determined by dividing the entire 11-22 minute peak area by the product of the standard's concentration and its purity as shown in Equation 7:
RF = PA C std × P std Eq . 7
where RF=peak area response factor for the standard (area units/mg/mL); PA=peak area of the proanthocyanidins in the standard; C std =concentration of the standard solution in mg/mL; and P std =standard purity as a percent (usually 0.90).
The percent proanthocyanidins in a sample can be determined using the sample preparation and HPLC analysis method described above. The total peak area in the 11-22 minute retention time range is determined for the sample in question. Before any calculation can be made, however, the peak areas of non-proanthocyanidin compounds in the proanthocyanidin retention time range must be subtracted from the overall total peak area. Non-proanthocyanidin compounds often appear as sharp peaks co-eluting with or on top of the broad proanthocyanidins' peak, and their UV spectrum by diode array is often different from the bulk of the proanthocyanidin peak. To determine the peak area of non-proanthocyanidin peaks, manually integrate these peaks, total their peak area and subtract this area from the total 11-22 minute peak area. Once the net area of the proanthocyanidins' peak in the sample has been determined, divide this value by the peak area response factor for the in-house standard to obtain the concentration of proanthocyanidins in the sample as shown in Equation 8:
C proanthos = PA samp × DF RF Eq . 8
where C proanthos =concentration of total proanthocyanidins in the sample (mg/mL); PA samp =corrected total peak area for the sample; DF=dilution factor (1 for dry biomass, 2 for fresh/frozen biomass, and 1 for an enriched composition); and RF=peak area response factor calculated using Equation 7.
The percent total proanthocyanidins is calculated as shown in Equation 9:
% Proanthocyanidins = C proanthos × V × 100 W s Eq . 9
where % Proanthocyanidins=percent of total proanthocyanidins in the sample; C proanthos =concentration of total proanthocyanidins (mg/mL); V=volume of the sample preparation (usually 250 mL for dry biomass, 100 mL for fresh/frozen biomass, or 10 mL for enriched compositions); and W s =weight of the biomass or enriched composition used in the sample preparation (usually 12,000 mg for dry biomass, 500-1500 mg for fresh/frozen biomass, or 50-100 mg for enriched compositions).
Example 11
Partitioning Polar and Non-polar Proanthocyanidins Directly from a Filtered Elderberry Extract
In this example, a filtered elderberry extract was prepared and, rather than being purified on a brominated polystyrene resin, was instead loaded directly onto a vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) column to partition polar proanthocyanidins and non-polar proanthocyanidins directly from a filtered extract according to the method illustrated in FIG. 15 .
A 50 mL C-18 VLC column was prepared by filtering a 50 mL slurry of Bakerbond 40 μm flash chromatography C-18 media in methanol through a 60 mL fritted glass filter. The column was conditioned by washing with methanol and then with water. A 300 mL portion of the filtered elderberry extract, containing 12.0 g of solids, 74 mg of anthocyanins and about 780 mg of proanthocyanidins, was loaded onto the column. An HPLC chromatogram of the filtered extract using the HPLC method described in Example 10 is shown in FIG. 16 . The flow-through eluent (about 300 mL) and a 100 mL wash (0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)) were combined to provide the polar proanthocyanidin “fraction 5.” An HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of “fraction 5” is shown in FIG. 17 . The column was then eluted with 100 mL each of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 100% methanol containing 0.1% TFA. An HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of the non-polar proanthocyanidin “fraction 6” isolated in the 60% methanol eluent is shown in FIG. 18 . The fractions were assayed for anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins by the methods described in Examples 7 and 10. Table 5 summarizes the results for this experiment.
TABLE 5
Partitioning of Elderberry
% Proantho-
Anthocyanins
Proanthocyanidins
cyanidin
Elution Fraction
(mg)
(mg)
purity
Flow-Through +
54
554
4.7
Wash
30% MeOH
11
10
1.1
40% MeOH
3
20
12
50% MeOH
1
92
92
60% MeOH
0.2
46
92
70% MeOH
0.1
41
100
100% MeOH
N/A
21
The results indicate that 71% (558 mg) of the proanthocyanidins in the filtered extract were collected during the loading and wash. These proanthocyanidins were the more polar proanthocyanidins. The non-polar proanthocyanidins eluted when the methanol concentration was increased to at least 40%. The purity of the proanthocyanidins eluting in the 50-70% methanol fractions was high due to the fact that the majority of the solids contained in the filtered elderberry extract eluted in the loading eluent, water wash, and 30% methanol wash.
Example 12
Partitioning Elderberry Proanthocyanidins by VLC Followed by Purification by Gel Permeation Chromatography or Semi-preparative HPLC
A total phenol-enriched composition was prepared from elderberry dried biomass (Martin Bauer; Germany) by collecting the 70% ethanol fraction (“fraction 3”) during elution from a brominated polystyrene resin using the procedure as described in Example 6. A portion (2.00 g) of this total phenol-enriched composition was dissolved in 50 mL of water and loaded onto a 15 mL C-18 VLC column prepared with Bakerbond 40 μm C-18 media. The flow-through eluent and the 25 mL water wash were combined and freeze-dried, yielding 733 mg of the polar proanthocyanidins fraction (“fraction 5”). The column was then washed with 25 mL of 50% methanol. The non-polar proanthocyanidins (“fraction 6”) were eluted with 25 mL of 70% methanol. The methanol in this fraction was removed and the resulting water suspension was freeze-dried, yielding 192 mg of the non-polar proanthocyanidin fraction (“fraction 6”), which by HPLC assay was 100% proanthocyanidins. This fraction had little if any color, suggesting that the oligomeric proanthocyanidins chains in this fraction do not contain cationic anthocyanin units.
The polar proanthocyanidins fraction (“fraction 5”) was further purified by semi-preparative HPLC to remove residual anthocyanins and other more polar impurities. The conditions for the semi-preparative HPLC purification of these solids are described below.
The semi-preparative HPLC method used a 2.5×10 cm Waters PrepPak cartridge filled with 6 μm, 60 Angstrom, Nova-Pak HR C-18 media (Waters; Milford, Mass.). The mobile phase was: channel A=100% acetonitrile; channel B=0.1% trifluoroacetic acid; channel C=100% methanol. The gradient employed in this embodiment was as provided in Table 6. The flow rate was 30 mL/min, the detector was set at 280 nm, and the injection volume was typically 3-5 mL of a solution containing 50-125 mg of solids. The run time was 30 minutes. The proanthocyanidins were collected in a broad peak that eluted between 13-20 minutes.
TABLE 6
HPLC gradient for Elderberry proanthocyanidin purification
Time (min.)
% A
% B
% C
0.0
11
81
8
11.0
11
81
8
19.0
34
58
8
24.0
34
58
8
25.0
82
10
8
30.0
82
10
8
30.1
11
81
8
About 600 mg of the polar proanthocyanidins fraction (“fraction 5”) were dissolved in 25 mL of water. Approximately 3 mL (75 mg) were injected in each of eight runs. The proanthocyanidin peaks eluting between about 12-18 minutes in each run were collected, pooled, and evaporated on a rotary evaporator, and the residual aqueous solution freeze-dried. Approximately 100 mg of purified polar elderberry proanthocyanidins (“fraction 7”) were obtained from 600 mg of the polar proanthocyanidin solids (“fraction 5”) after VLC separation. An HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm for the VLC-isolated polar proanthocyanidins after semi-preparative HPLC purification is shown in FIG. 19 . The polar front, comprising sugars, amino acids, anthocyanins, organic acids, and small flavonoid compounds, was removed by the semi-preparative HPLC purification, as evidenced by the absence of these peaks in FIG. 19. A 13 C NMR spectrum of the purified polar proanthocyanidins (“fraction 7”) is shown in FIG. 20 .
The non-polar proanthocyanidins fraction (“fraction 6”) was further purified by gel filtration chromatography. A portion (48 mg) of the non-polar proanthocyanidin fraction (“fraction 6”) isolated during the VLC separation was dissolved in 20 mL of warm water and loaded onto a 14 mL Sephadex LH-20 column that had previously been equilibrated with water. The loading eluent was collected and combined with a 40 mL column water wash. Most of the non-polar proanthocyanidins eluted from the column at this point while most of the smaller flavonoid impurities were retained. The combined loading and wash eluents were freeze-dried to provide 32 mg of the purified non-polar proanthocyanidins “fraction 8.” These solids possessed strong antiviral activity. FIGS. 21 and 23 show the HPLC chromatograms at 280 nm and 368 nm, respectively, of the non-polar proanthocyanidins (“fraction 6”) before the Sephadex LH-20 column purification. FIGS. 22 and 24 show the HPLC chromatograms at 280 nm and 368 nm, respectively, of the purified non-polar proanthocyanidins (“fraction 8”). The peaks in FIG. 21 marked with asterisks are non-proanthocyanidin flavonoid compounds based on their UV spectra. These compounds are reduced in the purified non-polar product (“fraction 8”) isolated after Sephadex LH-20 column as shown HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm in FIG. 22 . The effect of the gel purification can be better seen by comparing the HPLC chromatogram at 368 nm of the non-polar proanthocyanidins before purification (FIG. 23 ). The non-proanthocyanidin impurities appear in FIGS. 23 at 4-6 minutes and 15-17 minutes. Except for a small amount of the flavonoid compound eluting at 5.8 minutes, there is no trace of flavonoid compounds in the purified sample as shown in FIG. 24. A 13 C NMR spectrum of the purified non-polar proanthocyanidin “fraction 8” is shown in FIG. 25 . FIG. 33 shows an IR spectrum of fraction 7, and FIG. 34 shows an IR spectrum of “fraction 8.”
Example 13
Purification of Blueberry Polar and Non-polar Proanthocyanidins by VLC Followed by Semi-Preparative HPLC
The starting material for this example was a total phenol-enriched “fraction 3” prepared from blueberries and isolated during the 70% ethanol elution from a brominated polystyrene resin. A portion (6.00 g) of “fraction 3” was dissolved in 80 mL of water and loaded onto a 30 mL C-18 VLC column as described previously. The loading eluent was collected and combined with 100 mL of a 0.1% TFA wash eluent (“fraction 5”). Next, the column was washed with 80 mL of 40% methanol to remove residual polar compounds (“fraction 5”) and then with 80 mL of 70% methanol to give the non-polar proanthocyanidin fraction (“fraction 6”). Table 7 summarizes the results of this experiment.
TABLE 7
Purification of blueberry proanthocyanidins
% Proantho-
Proanthocyanidins
cyanidins
Sample
Solids (g)
(mg)
purity
“fraction 3”
6.00
1614
27
Loading Eluent + Wash
2.11
899
43
40% MeOH fraction
2.46
580
24
70% MeOH fraction
0.67
323
48
The polar proanthocyanidins “fraction 5” (loading eluent+wash) and the non-polar proanthocyanidins fraction 6 (70% methanol elution) were each further purified by semi-preparative HPLC by the method described in Example 12 to provide “fraction 7” and “fraction 8”, respectively. The HPLC chromatograms at 280 nm of the blueberry polar proanthocyanidins fraction before and after the semi-preparative purification (i.e., “fraction 5” and “fraction 7”) are shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 , respectively. The HPLC chromatograms at 280 nm of the blueberry non-polar proanthocyanidins fraction before and after the semi-preparative purification (i.e., “fraction 6” and “fraction 8”) are shown in FIGS. 28 and 29 , respectively. The semi-preparative purifications of both the polar and non-polar fractions removed undesired anthocyanins and polar flavonoid compounds from the proanthocyanidins, as evidenced by the absence of peaks between about 0 and 8 minutes in FIGS. 27 and 29 . FIG. 37 shows an IR spectrum of “fraction 7,” and FIG. 38 shows an IR spectrum of “fraction 8.”
Example 14
Purification of Plum Polar and Non-polar Proanthocyanidins by VLC Followed by Semi-preparative HPLC
The starting material for this example was a combination of “fraction 3” and “fraction 4” isolated from plums and containing approximately 17% total proanthocyanidins, of which 61% were designated as polar and 39% as non-polar. A portion (8.00 g) of this composition was dissolved in 100 mL of water containing 0.5% TFA and loaded onto a 45 mL C-18 VLC column as described previously. The loading eluent was collected, and the column was washed with 50 mL of 0.1% TFA. The loading eluent and wash fractions were combined to provide the polar proanthocyanidins fraction (“fraction 5”). An HPLC of the polar proanthocyanidin “fraction 5” is shown in FIG. 30 . The column was eluted with 100 mL of 40% methanol containing 0.5% TFA followed by 100 mL of 70% methanol containing 0.5% TFA. All methanol fractions were combined to provide the non-polar proanthocyanidin fraction (“fraction 6”). Table 8 summarizes the results of this experiment.
TABLE 8
Purification of plum proanthocyanidins
% Proantho-
Proanthocyanidins
cyanidins
Sample
Solids (g)
(mg)
purity
Plum fractions 3 and 4
8.00
1328
17
Loading Eluent + Wash
4.32
651
15
40% MeOH fraction
3.76
486
13
70% MeOH fraction
0.45
300
67
The polar proanthocyanidin “fraction 5” (combined loading eluent and wash eluent) was further purified by semi-preparative HPLC by the method described in Example 12 to provide “fraction 7.” Removal of anthocyanins and other more polar impurities increased the proanthocyanidin purity of the sample from 15% to 100%. The HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of the purified polar proanthocyanidin “fraction 7” is shown in FIG. 31 . The non-polar “fraction 6” (combined 40% and 70% methanol washes) was not purified further. The HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of the non-polar proanthocyanidin “fraction 6” is shown in FIG. 32 . FIG. 39 is an IR spectrum of “fraction 7” and FIG. 40 is an IR spectrum of “fraction 6”.
Example 15
Purification of Proanthocyanidins Fraction from Elderberry VLC Fraction
A VLC column was prepared using Amberchrom CG-71cd resin (80-160 μm particle size, TosoHaas; Philadelphia, Pa.). A water extract of elderberry was prepared and a portion of this extract was loaded onto the VLC column. The column was then washed with water and eluted using 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 100% methanol. All fractions eluted with methanol were retained separately. The VLC fraction eluted with 50% methanol was evaporated on a rotary evaporator to remove the methanol and then lyophilized to remove the water. The dried material was ground to a powder using a mortar and pestle. The dried sample was assayed by HPLC using the method as described in Example 10. Using the results of this assay, a semi-preparative HPLC method was derived from the analytical HPLC method to isolate the proanthocyanidins. The mobile phase was: channel A=100% acetonitrile; channel B=0.5% trifluoroacetic acid in water; channel C=100% methanol. The flow rate was set at 30 mL/min. The gradient employed is provided in Table 9.
TABLE 9
HPLC gradient for purification of elderberry proanthocyanidins
Time (min)
% A
% B
% C
0.0
11.0
81.0
8.0
9.0
11.0
81.0
8.0
17.0
34.0
58.0
8.0
22.0
34.0
58.0
8.0
23.0
92.0
0.0
8.0
28.0
92.0
0.0
8.0
28.1
11.0
81.0
8.0
36.0
11.0
81.0
8.0
Approximately 500 mg of the dried material was dissolved in water at a solids concentration of approximately 50 mg/mL. A very small injection was made to determine the retention time of the relevant peaks. Based on this initial injection, two peaks were collected: Peak A, which eluted between 14 and 22 minutes and Peak B, which eluted between 26 and 28 minutes. Five injections of the concentrated solution were made, and the appropriate collections of each peak were pooled from each injection. The sample obtained by the collection of Peak A was determined to contain the proanthocyanidins and was evaporated to remove the organic solvents and a portion of the water. The concentrated sample was assayed using the HPLC method as described in Example 10. The chromatographic purity of the sample was determined to be 93.9%. The sample was then lyophilized to obtain the dry material. Once dry, a small portion of the sample was brought up in 70% ethanol at a concentration of 1.918 mg/mL and re-assayed by the same HPLC method. Using the results of this analysis and the previously obtained chromatographic purity, a peak area response factor was determined. This information was used to determine the proanthocyanidins concentration in other purified fractions. The HPLC chromatogram at 280 nm of the proanthocyanidin “standard” is shown in FIG. 14 .
Example 16
Purification of Cranberry Proanthocyanidins by VLC Followed by Semi-peparative HPLC
The starting material for this example was 8.00 g of purified cranberry extract (“fraction 3”+“fraction 4”) comprising 14% total proanthocyanidins. This material was dissolved in 100 mL of water containing 1 mL of trifluoroacetic acid and loaded onto a 50 mL C-18 VLC column as described previously. The loading eluent (100 mL) was collected and combined with 50 mL of 0.1% TFA wash eluent to obtain “fraction 5”. Next the column was washed with 100 mL of 40% methanol to remove residual polar compounds and eluted with 100 mL of 70% methanol to give the non-polar proanthocyanidins “fraction 6”. Table 10 summarizes the results of this experiment.
TABLE 10
Purification of cranberry proanthocyanidins
% Proantho-
Proanthocyanidins
cyanidins
Sample
Solids (g)
(mg)
purity
Cranberry fractions 3 + 4
8.00
1514
14.3
Loading Eluent + Wash
3.60
748
20.8
40% MeOH fraction
3.39
677
20.0
70% MeOH fraction
0.44
93
21.1
The polar proanthocyanidins fraction (loading eluent+wash) was further purified by semi-preparative HPLC by the method described in Example 12 to obtain “fraction 7”. FIG. 41 is an HPLC chromatogram of the polar proanthocyanidins fraction before semi-preparative purification, and FIG. 42 is an HPLC chromatogram of the polar proanthocyanidins fraction after purification. FIG. 43 is an HPLC chromatogram of the non-polar proanthocyanidins fraction. Polar non-proanthocyanidin compounds such as anthocyanins that eluted before the proanthocyanidins were removed in this process.
Example 17
Herpes Simplex Virus 2 Assay of Elderberry Fractions
The antiviral activities of a crude elderberry extract and fractions 1, 3 and 4 isolated as described in Example 6 were determined using the viral cytopathic effect (CPE) assay. This assay has previously been described (Wyde, et al., Drug Develp. Res. 28:467-472 (1993)). All antiviral activities are reported as 50% effective dose (ED 50 ).
Table 11 summarizes the ED 50 for CPE inhibition for the four compositions tested.
TABLE 11
ED 50 for CPE inhibition of elderberry fractions
CPE Inhibition
Composition
(ED 50 )
Crude extract
>100 μg/mL
“fraction 1”
>100 μg/mL
“fraction 3”
>100 μg/mL
“fraction 4”
<0.03 μg/mL
Example 18
Viral Assays
Total phenol-enriched compositions of this invention prepared from fruits and berries have demonstrated broad activity against a variety of DNA and RNA viruses and are suitable as active ingredients useful in treating inflammation in humans and animals. In cell culture, the enriched compositions exhibit potent activity against isolates and laboratory strains of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A and B virus, parainfluenza virus (PIV), as well as other respiratory and Herpes simplex viruses. Total phenol-enriched compositions are suitable as active ingredients useful in treating a wide range of viral infections in humans and animals.
Assays used to measure activity against each virus are well known to those skilled in the art. Minced specific target tissue was exposed to the desired virus and the rate of growth of the virus was measured in the presence and in the absence of the test materials. The antiviral activities of purified proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions prepared from various fruits and berries were determined.
Cell lines: The viral assays used the following cells/cell lines in determining relative ED 50 (50% effective dose) or 50% inhibitory endpoints: RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and PIV (parainfluenza virus) assays used MA-104 cells originating from African green monkey kidneys; Influenza A and B assays used MDCK cells originating from canine kidneys; Rhinovirus assays used HeLa and KB cells; Herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 used HHF cells taken from human foreskin fibroblasts; West Nile viral assays used Vero cells taken from African green monkey kidneys; Adenovirus type 1 assays used A549 cells originating from human lung carcinoma; and Punta Toro A assays used LLC-MK2 cells originating from Rhesus monkey kidneys.
The assays used known drug standards (ribivarin or acyclovir) as positive controls. The ED 50 s for ribivarin in the assays used in this Example are as follows: RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) assay ED 50 =20 μg/mL; PVI (parainfluenza virus) assay ED 50 =20 μg/mL; Influenza A and B assays ED 50 =2-3 μg/mL; Rhinovirus assay ED 50 <μg/mL; West Nile viral assay ED 50 =20 μg/mL; Adenovirus type 1 assay ED 50 =10 μg/mL; and Punta Toro A assay ED 50 =20 μg/mL. Herpes simplex 1 and 2 assays used acyclovir as a positive control, which has an ED 50 of 1-2 μg/mL in the HSV1 and HSV2 assays.
The data obtained in the viral assays for certain compositions of this invention are provided in Table 12. In cell cultures, the compositions exhibited potent activity against isolates and laboratory strains of influenza A virus (strains H1N1 and H3N3), influenza B virus, adenovirus type 1, Punta Toro A virus, and Rhinovirus type 2. Comparison of the bioactivity data in Table 12 to acyclovir and ribavirin in the antiviral screenings clearly shows that the compositions of this invention are biologically active in these assays and compete favorably with the well-established pharmaceuticals used to treat these viral diseases.
TABLE 12
ED 50 's (μg/mL) of various fractions in various antiviral assays
Virus
Influenza
Influenza
A
A
Influenza
Adenovirus
Punta
Rhinovirus
West Nile
Varicella-
Source
Fraction
(H1N1)
(H3N2)
B
Type 1
Toro A
Type 2
Virus
zoster virus
HSV-1
HSV-2
Cranberry
4
3.2
3.2
3.2
20
5.6
61
15
Plum
4
32
32
32
25
70
70
32
Blueberry
4
32
32
32
30
25
30
31
45
11.4
Elderberry
4
28-55
28-55
88
45
11
Elderberry
6
15
Elderberry
7
inactive
inactive
inactive
Elderberry
8
28
35
Elderberry
Fig 14
inactive
0.08
67.7
49
Grape*
NA
4
6
3.2
20
6.8
*(Nature's Plus; Melville, NY)
Example 19
Evaluation of COX-2 Activity of Total Phenol-enriched Compositions
Cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) catalyze the conversion of arachidonic acid and other essential fatty acids into various prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances responsible for inflammation in mammals. Inhibition of the COX-2 enzymes can reduce inflammation in tissue with minimal side effects. On the other hand, inhibition of COX-1 causes gastric ulceration and other undesirable side effects in the body. Complete inhibition of the COX-1 enzyme is not desirable. Compounds that selectively inhibit COX-2 enzyme are better anti-inflammatory agents. Total phenol-enriched compositions of this invention prepared from fruits and berries have been shown to inhibit the COX-2 enzyme, and are suitable as active ingredients useful in treating inflammation in humans and animals.
In this assay the material to be assayed was mixed with minced specific murine or bovine organ tissues that are known to contain the desired enzyme. Arachidonic acid was added to this mixture. The rate of uptake of oxygen is measured and compared with the rate of uptake observed with known COX inhibitors. The COX-2 assay is based on quantitative production of PGE 2 from arachidonic acid using human recombinant COX-2 positive cells.
The results for several compositions are shown in Table 13. Comparison of the data for the compositions shown in Table 13 with determined COX-2 bioactivities of known drug standards (aspirin and indomethacin) clearly shows that the purified proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions of this invention are biologically active in the COX-2 assay. Aspirin is active against COX-2 at 660 μg/mL and against COX-1 at 240 μg/mL. Indomethacin is active against COX-2 at 10 μg/mL. The compositions in Table 13 therefore show a 2.5 to 6 fold increase in potency in the COX-2 assay over the most commonly used treatment for inflammation (i.e., aspirin), and are indicative of the utility of the purified proanthocyanidin-enriched compositions of this invention in treating inflammation in mammals.
TABLE 13
COX-2 activities for proanthocyanidin enriched compositions
Source
Fraction
IC 50 (μg/mL)
Blueberry
3
108
Cranberry
4
218
Grape*
N/A
275
Elderberry
4
>1000
Plum
4
>1000
*(Nature's Plus; Melville, NY) | This invention provides a process for the preparation of compositions enriched in total phenols from a crude plant extract. The process includes a novel column purification step using a brominated polystyrene resin. This invention also includes compositions enriched in total phenols. The enriched compositions are characterized as containing monomeric, oligomeric and polymeric phenols and having HPLC chromatograms substantially as set forth in FIGS. 10-13 . This invention encompasses methods of using the total phenol-enriched compositions for treating warm-blooded animals, including humans, infected with paramyxovaridae such as respiratory syncytial virus, orthomyoxovaridae such as influenza A, B, and C, parainfluenza, Herpes viruses such as HSV-1 and HSV-2, and Flaviviruses such as West Nile Virus, and for treating inflammation such as caused by arthritis, stress and digestive disease. | 0 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/782,897, having a filing date of Mar. 14, 2013. This referenced provisional application is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The inventions herein relate to devices and methods to impart charge to lithium ion battery cells. Still further, the present invention incorporates pulse charging methods and systems related thereto that provide improvements in charging speed, efficiency and additional benefits.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Inadequacy of battery charging processes, especially in lithium ion (“Li-ion”) batteries, is a critical problem today. Generally speaking, while the construction of and chemical aspects of Li-ion batteries have progressed significantly since their market introduction in the early 1990's, the methods used to charge them have not changed markedly. This lack of technical progress in battery charging is felt more acutely today as society becomes more reliant on Li-ion batteries to power a myriad of mobile devices and vehicles not only in the U.S., but throughout the world.
[0004] The most prevalent method used to charge Li-ion batteries today is commonly termed “constant current/constant voltage” (“CC/CV”). A representative prior art CC/CV charging process is shown in FIG. 1 . Here, charge is applied in a constant current as long as the battery voltage remains below about 4.2 V, which is the rated V max for this cell. If the Li-ion cell exceeds its rated V max , dangerous conditions may result or, at a minimum, the battery may quickly fail. To mitigate the effects of constant current charging, charging current will taper to maintain a constant voltage; in other words, charging will switch from the constant current portion (“CC”) to the constant voltage (“CV”) portion. Maintaining the cell at constant voltage necessarily results in significant reduction in the Li-ion battery charging rate.
[0005] Practically speaking, CC/CV charging of a Li-ion battery cell means that the battery will acquire about 60-80% state of charge (“SOC”) during the CC portion. The SOC level at which transition from CC to CV occurs depends on a number of factors, including the electrode configuration and chemical composition. For the specific prior art Li-ion charge process shown in FIG. 1 , CC/CV charging of the 1000 mAh cell mobile device battery at the stated 1 C rate progresses for about 40 minutes at constant current to result in about 60% SOC, at which time the constant voltage portion commences and current decreases. After about 1 hour of total charging time—about 20 minutes of constant voltage—this cell reaches about 85% SOC; however, it takes close to 2.5 hours for the cell to reach 100% SOC using CC/CV charging. A greater than 2 hour total charging time for Li-ion “energy” batteries to attain 100% SOC is the status quo today.
[0006] Somewhat counterintuitively, increasing the current does not greatly hasten attainment of the full % SOC. The battery reaches the voltage peak (i.e., approaches V max ) more quickly at application of higher current and, therefore, the constant voltage portion commences earlier. It then follows that the total time required to achieve 100% SOC will depend on the duration of the constant voltage step. The rate at which current is applied simply alters the time required for each stage. While high current can quickly fill the battery to about 70% SOC, the remaining battery capacity will be “left on the table” if the charging process is terminated at this time. If the full capacity of the Li-ion battery is desired, the user must leave the battery plugged into the charger so the constant voltage period can be completed. Put another way, the voltage response invariably resulting when a high charging current is applied to Li-ion batteries using status quo charging processes requires a tradeoff between % SOC acquisition and the ability to leverage the full available capacity of the battery to power the device (or vehicle) in which the battery is used. If one wishes to have a short charging time, one must accept less than 100% SOC; if one wishes to utilize the full capacity of the battery, one has to accept extended charging times.
[0007] As noted, for users of today's mobile devices, such as smartphones, the characteristic Li-ion battery voltage response results in a full charge requiring up to 3 hours. While the device software often indicates that the battery is at about 100% charge in about an hour, users do not actually obtain full capacity in this time, and the user will experience the need to recharge their device more frequently due to the battery having only partial capacity. Moreover, this type of battery—sometimes called an “energy” battery—is intended to provide long device use times, while still at the same time being lightweight and small to ensure appropriate use in mobile devices. Such requirements restrict the ability to use faster charging Li-ion batteries. Accordingly, fast charging is not readily available to users of mobile devices today and users must choose to either charge their batteries for longer times to enable longer periods of use or they must charge their batteries frequently and lose mobility.
[0008] Similar to “energy” batteries used for mobile devices, Li-ion electric vehicle (“EV”) battery packs in use today utilize CC/CV charging processes to achieve 100% SOC. These high rate Li-ion “power” batteries are capable of accepting charge at a higher rate than their “energy” battery counterparts, however, the trade-off for this higher charging rate is lower energy density and higher cost.
[0009] Typically, an EV user desires to achieve as much SOC as possible—which equates to vehicle range—in the shortest possible time period, so it is common for EV battery pack charging to occur at the fastest available rate given the charging system available. Level 1 charging, which uses 110 V household-type power outlets, is typically used to charge smaller battery packs such as that in the Chevy Volt®. Level 2 charging, which uses 240 V power outlets, is commonly used to charge larger batteries in household settings, as well as in public charging stations. However, for most EV battery packs, Level 2 charging will take 4 or more hours to achieve significant SOC/vehicle range from a single charging event.
[0010] Many commentators believe that widespread availability of low cost DC fast charging stations will be needed to accelerate adoption of EVs in the US. Accordingly, a DC charging infrastructure is now being established throughout the U.S using DC fast charging equipment (typically 480 V AC input). These high rate chargers can markedly improve charging speeds. However, much confusion exists in regard to EV fast charging times today because there is no universally agreed-to protocol to measure charging performance or to describe battery capacity. Instead, each manufacturer reports charging performance using information tailored for its specific marketing efforts. Nevertheless, a DC fast charger generally can add about 60 to 80 miles of range to a light duty PHEV or EV in about 20 minutes.
[0011] More specifically, as reported by the manufacturer, a Tesla Motors® SuperCharger station can charge to 50% of the rated battery capacity of the Model S 85 kWh battery—or 150 miles—in about 20 minutes and 80% in 40 minutes; however, it takes fully 75 minutes to achieve 100% SOC. This charging behavior is shown in FIG. 2 , where the characteristic voltage behavior resulting from application of a high charging rate is shown by the deviation of the SOC curve from linear after the battery reaches 50% SOC. Tesla Motors' marketing materials indicate that charging of the final 20% SOC takes approximately the same amount of time as the first 80% SOC due to a necessary decrease to charging current to help top off the cells. As stated in Tesla Motors marketing literature: “It's somewhat like turning down a faucet to fill a glass to the top without spilling.” Put another way, while Tesla Motors' SuperCharger stations can supply the necessary power to fully charge the battery pack in about 40 minutes, the voltage response that invariably results from application of a high constant charging current does not allow the battery to be charged to 100% SOC unless the charging process is extended to more than 1 hour.
[0012] Similarly, a car configured for use with a CHAdeMO DC fast charging system, such as that used with the Nissan Leaf®, can recharge from empty to 80% SOC in about 30 minutes. Reportedly, the Leaf does not allow the battery to be charged beyond 80% SOC, presumably due to manufacturer's concerns regarding voltage behavior upon repeated fast charging to high SOC percentages.
[0013] The behavior of Li-ion EV battery packs in DC Fast Charging comports with the charging process shown in FIG. 1 in that application of a high rate constant current causes a voltage response that prevents charge from being accepted by the battery at the highest application of constant current for extended periods. Certainly, each automotive OEM seeks to extract as much performance as possible using sophisticated battery management systems and other types of power controls. However, by using conventional DC fast charging frameworks, the % SOC achievable is limited by the inherent voltage behavior of the battery resulting from application of fast charging.
[0014] The voltage behavior resulting from constant current fast charging also negatively influences EV performance in ways that impact the consumer beyond charging speed delays and % SOC concerns, namely in relation to battery sizing and the downsides related thereto.
[0015] As is well-known, today's high cost of Li-ion batteries makes EVs much more expensive than comparable gasoline-powered vehicles. Overall cost of the battery is, of course, directly related to the materials used to fabricate the battery. To improve overall performance of the EV, many OEMs have elected to oversize EV battery packs. For example, in a Chevy Volt®, about 20% of the battery is not considered when capacity-related specifications are reported, which means that the rated capacity of the Volt battery pack is about 20% less than the actual capacity as measured by the materials used in the battery pack. While actual data about other battery packs is hard to come by due to the proprietary nature of EV batteries, it is generally understood by experts that such oversizing is present in all EVs today. Certainly, some of the oversizing results from the need to keep discharge/driving behavior within a required % SOC where driving operation (i.e., discharge behavior) is more consistent. However, much of today's battery oversizing is also conducted to provide additional battery material that will become usable for power when battery % SOC begins to decline over the required life of the battery pack (currently 10 years).
[0016] Even assuming that oversizing battery packs does not add cost to the EV (that is, assuming that marked price reductions will be achieved in the near future), larger-than-necessary battery packs impact available consumer space and increase vehicle weight while not adding any additional range. If Li-ion EV battery packs could be charged faster without causing as much stress to the Li-ion battery as that seen from conventional DC fast charging, there would be less need to oversize the battery pack. This would enable additional design freedom for EV OEMs (e.g., space for passengers and luggage) and would also allow modest additional vehicle range at no cost due to lower battery weight. Perhaps more importantly, keeping battery size and/or footprint the same as today could allow the entire battery capacity to be used so as to provide additional vehicle range without any modification to the existing battery materials. Such a large increase in range on an essentially cost neutral basis could be significant in the EV marketplace.
[0017] The inability of Li-ion batteries to accept high current for an extended period of time without experiencing unacceptable voltage responses is also relevant to regenerative braking efficiency. The energy capture efficiency from vehicle momentum is directly related to the ability of the battery to accept the energy at the currents provided during vehicle deceleration. It is this charged battery that, in turn, powers the vehicle's electric traction motor. In an all-electric vehicle, this motor is the sole source of locomotion. In a hybrid, the motor works in partnership with an internal combustion engine. However, this motor is not just a source of propulsion—it is also a generator. If a Li-ion battery could accept an increased charging rate while attaining higher SOC levels than possible today using conventional charging methods, energy capture would be greater and the battery would be charged more fully during driving. In short, the ability to apply a higher charging rate to a battery from each regenerative braking event could allow smaller gasoline-power motors to be used to provide required power to the vehicle, thus further improving emissions reductions seen with PHEV adoption.
[0018] There have been efforts to improve the charging behavior of Li-ion batteries given their importance to consumers today and in the future. Battery management systems and software algorithms, usually in combination with more advanced and expensive chargers, can allow some charging speed improvements. However, improvements to date have been only modest. For most applications, the charging speed increases achievable with use of conventional fast charging processes do not justify the added cost, complexity and battery damage that invariably result.
[0019] Some recently announced battery chemistries are reported to provide somewhat faster charging. However, these likely will not gain broad utility in the marketplace at least because modifications that enable faster charging generally reduce energy density. Researchers are also identifying new electrode configurations and the like that allow faster charging, but batteries containing these features are many years from being ready for the marketplace, if they ever are at all, due to the parallel need to fund, develop and validate corresponding production facilities and tools.
[0020] To summarize, the voltage behavior that results when constant current is applied to batteries at high rates negatively influences performance in a number of dimensions. A battery charging process that allowed high rate charging while at the same time substantially reducing attendant voltage response would improve Li-ion battery performance.
[0021] It would be highly desirable to obtain improvements in Li-ion battery charging without the requirement to modify the chemistry of the battery or without making other, often expensive and complex, modifications to the battery, device or vehicle. Still further, it would be desirable to be able to provide faster charging and less damaging charging of existing Li-ion batteries without causing battery damage seen with prior art fast charging methodologies.
[0022] The present invention provides these, as well as other, needed benefits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The present invention comprises charging methodology that allows Li-ion cells to be charged using high effective charging rates during substantially the entire charging process. Still further, the present invention comprises methods and battery charging systems suitable for providing such charging methods wherein a plurality of charging pulses is applied to a Li-ion battery at an average rate of at least about 1 C or greater, wherein the plurality instantaneous open circuit voltages (OCV inst ) existing during the charging process remain below V max for substantially the entire duration of the charging pulse application. Unlike other methods of charging Li-ion batteries at comparably high rates, batteries charged according to the methodology herein are characterized by a substantial reduction of the characteristic voltage response that requires current to be reduced after the battery reaches higher % SOC. A wide variety of Li-ion battery cells can be charged in accordance with methods and systems of the present invention including, but not limited to, batteries used to provide power for electric vehicles, automated guided vehicles, robots, mobile devices and wearable devices.
[0024] Still further, the plurality of voltage pulses applied to the battery cells in accordance with the invention herein comprises voltage pulses. The voltage pulse can further comprise an offset voltage, a duty cycle and a frequency. In further aspects, the present invention comprises battery charger systems configured to suitably provide the inventive charging pulses.
[0025] Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combination particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art CC/CV battery charging process applied to a 1000 mAh Li-ion mobile device type battery.
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary prior art DC fast charging process for the Tesla Motors® 85 kWh Model S, a current commercial electric vehicle.
[0028] FIGS. 3 a and 3 b are prior art exemplary equivalent circuit battery models from the literature that include models of battery internal impedance.
[0029] FIG. 4 includes three conceptual sketches, 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c (not to scale), of various aspects of charging frameworks according to the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 5 is an exemplary implementation of the inventive charging process.
[0031] FIG. 6 is an exemplary OCV estimation protocol in an analog implementation of the inventive charging process.
[0032] FIG. 7 is an exemplary offset voltage reference stage in an analog implementation of the inventive charging process.
[0033] FIG. 8 is an exemplary voltage summation stage in an analog implementation of the inventive charging process.
[0034] FIG. 9 is an exemplary voltage limiting stage in an analog implementation of the inventive charging process.
[0035] FIG. 10 is an exemplary power stage setup in an analog implementation of the inventive charging process.
[0036] FIG. 11 is an example of the inventive charging process conducted at about 1 C on an “energy” battery with the discharge behavior at 1 C.
[0037] FIG. 12 is a comparative example of a CC/CV (with 1 C CC portion) charging process conducted on an “energy” battery with the discharge behavior at 1 C.
[0038] FIG. 13 is a comparison between the charging times for the inventive process and CC/CV process of FIGS. 11 and 12 .
[0039] FIG. 14 is an example of the inventive charging process conducted at about 2 C on a “power” battery with the discharge behavior at 1 C.
[0040] FIG. 15 is a comparative example of a CC/CV charging process (with 2 C CC portion) conducted on a “power” battery with the discharge behavior at 1 C.
[0041] FIG. 16 is a comparison between the charging times for the inventive process and CC/CV process of FIGS. 14 and 15 .
[0042] FIG. 17 is an example of the inventive charging process conducted at about 4 C on a “power” battery.
[0043] FIG. 18 is a comparative example of a CC/CV charging process (with 4 C CC portion) conducted on a “power” battery.
[0044] FIG. 19 presents a prophetic example of an estimated comparison of the inventive charging process in a commercial electric vehicle in comparison to a prior art DC fast charging process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0045] Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the drawings presented herewith. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. While several implementations are described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit the disclosure to the implementations or implementations disclosed herein. To the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.
[0046] The term “substantially” is meant to permit deviations from the descriptive term that do not negatively impact the intended purpose. All descriptive terms used herein are implicitly understood to be modified by the word substantially, even if the descriptive term is not explicitly modified by the word “substantially.”
[0047] “Battery” means an electrochemical battery or electrochemical cell. As would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, a battery is used to store energy for use in, for example, a device or vehicle. “Battery pack” is a group of individual electrochemical batteries or electrochemical cells arranged in series and/or in parallel. The words “battery” and “cell” may be used together or individually herein. The battery charging method and systems herein can suitably be used to charge battery packs.
[0048] “Battery charger system” means a device, apparatus or method for providing electrical energy to a battery cell and/or pack for storage and use at a later time by a device or vehicle configured to be powered by such Li-ion battery cells and/or packs. The battery charger system of the present invention can comprise one or more implementations as discussed herein. The battery charger systems of the present invention can also comprise any suitable configuration (e.g., analog, microprocessor controlled, etc.) that will allow the charging processes of the present invention to be suitably conducted.
[0049] “State of charge” (“SOC”) is a fraction calculated as the amount of charge in the battery at a particular time divided by the maximum amount of charge that the battery can store. SOC is typically indicated as a percentage.
[0050] “Open circuit voltage” (“OCV”) means the electrical potential between two terminals of a battery when disconnected from any external circuit.
[0051] “OCV eq ” means the equilibrium open circuit voltage. As is known by those of ordinary skill in the art, the OCV eq depends substantially on SOC. The OCV of a battery during charge or discharge deviates from OCV eq due to the effects of cell polarization. When charging or discharging ceases, the OCV measured for the battery changes over time and converges to a long-term value, OCV eq , as polarization dissipates.
[0052] OCV inst is an instantaneous value measured for OCV. Generally, if OCV inst is measured a short time after charging or discharging has ceased, then OCV inst ≠OCV eq . During application of the inventive charging pulses, OCV inst will vary, as least in relation to % SOC. As such, each charging process will comprise a plurality of OCV inst .
[0053] Battery impedance (“Z Batt ”) means that aspect of a battery that behaves as an electrical impedance in series with an ideal voltage source whose output voltage is OCV eq as defined herein below. This battery impedance comprises the Thevenin equivalent impedance of the battery modeled as an electrical component and arises from internal components of the battery, in particular, from the materials of construction of the battery and the physical configuration of such materials in the battery. The impedance may be modeled as a battery series resistance and a battery complex impedance network, as diagrammed in FIG. 3 a.
[0054] The battery series resistance (“R s ”) comprises the part of the battery impedance that behaves as a resistance in series with, and not parallel to, any reactive components of the battery impedance (such as equivalent capacitances or inductances). This resistance is comprised principally of the resistances of physical components and particles that make up the battery, the contact resistances between the components or particles, and the electrolyte resistance. The battery series resistance is one of several battery characterization parameters that battery manufacturers may supply to producers integrating batteries into end-item products and can be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art according to known methods.
[0055] As known, and as represented by the exemplary battery models of FIGS. 3 a and 3 b , a battery also comprises a number of capacitive features that reside in a complex impedance network topologically in series between the battery series resistance and the Thevinen equivalent ideal voltage source. These capacitive features comprise, for example, the double layer capacitances, C dl , formed at the interface between the electrolyte and the electrodes and a pseudocapacitance, C φ , that arise due to a non-constant functional relationship between applied voltage and state of charge during the battery charging process. Still further, the inventors herein understand, not wishing to be bound by theory, that the capacitances of a battery under charge can be somewhat substantial as discussed elsewhere herein.
[0056] “Battery current” (“I Batt ”) is the electrical current flowing through the battery. When describing battery charging processes, positive values of I Batt correspond to net electrical current flowing into the positive terminal of the battery, so as to reflect positive progress in the charging process, and negative values of I Batt correspond to net electrical current flowing out of the positive terminal of the battery, as would occur in battery discharge events.
[0057] If battery current changes or varies during the window of time of a particular process, the battery process average current, I BattPavg , is the average of battery current across the time window of the entire process. If a battery current varies and the variation has a periodic component, the battery cycle average current, I BattCavg , is the average of battery current across the time window of one cycle of periodicity. If the battery current also has a component of variation that is not periodic, the battery cycle average current may vary from cycle-to-cycle.
[0058] “V max ” means an upper limit specified for the maximum voltage to apply to a battery under charge. Battery designers specify V max by taking into account battery chemistry, the details of construction, the likely charge/discharge regime in use and the consequences of failure. For example, in a typical lithium ion battery used in mobile electronic products (also termed an “energy battery” or “energy cell”), the generally recognized V max is about 4.3 V or less, and more commonly 4.2 V. V max is defined for each specific battery chemistry and capacity in accordance with methodologies well-known to those of skill in the art. The value of V max can be determined according to battery supplier specifications, regulations and standards, and other product development considerations. Determination of V max is not a part of this invention.
[0059] Loaded cell voltage (“V Lcv ”) is a voltage generated internally by the cell during charge or discharge comprised of the open circuit voltage and the voltage across the battery complex impedance network, but not including the voltage across the battery series resistance. V LCV is the equivalent of OCV inst when battery current flows in closed circuit conditions, and conceptually, one would, for example, measure the voltage from node x to node y in the equivalent circuit of FIG. 3 a in order to determine its value. Because nodes x and y of FIG. 3 a are actually internal to the battery cell, it is difficult to actually measure V LCV . However, under conditions when there is little potential drop across the internal impedance of the battery:
[0000] V Batt ≈V LCV ≈OCV inst ,
[0060] where “battery voltage” (“V Batt ”) is the voltage measured across the battery terminals at any time, with negative reference assigned to the negative terminal of the battery. In real time during the application of the inventive charging pulses V Batt can also comprise the sum of the loaded cell voltage, V LCV , and the applied offset voltage of the inventive process. In general terms, the V Batt measured at any one time is the sum of V LCV plus the battery current, I Batt , times the battery series resistance, R s , or:
[0000] V Batt =V LCV +( I Batt ×R S )
[0061] If no current flows through the battery then:
[0000] V Batt =OCV inst
[0062] To illustrate, if a Li-ion battery is charged with the inventive charging pulse applied at an effective current rate of 1 C along with an offset voltage of 300 mV, the measured voltage V Batt will be the sum of loaded cell voltage, V LCV , and the applied offset voltage. This V Batt may exceed the battery's V max (e.g., 4.2 V) at any one time during the inventive charging process. With the 300 mV offset voltage application, if V Batt measured in real time is, for example, 4.35 V or greater, the V LCV will nonetheless be below V max . This is further illustrated in the Examples herein.
[0063] Under charging conditions: V Batt >V LCV and the incremental voltage of V Batt above OCV is commonly referred to as “overpotential.”
[0064] “Charging pulse” means any pulse of current or voltage of any shape applied across the battery terminals. A charging pulse has a “pulse period” comprising an “ON-time,” also known as a “pulse width,” during which current is supplied to the battery to increase the SOC, and an “OFF-time,” during which no current is supplied to the battery and the external circuit may present substantially the nature of an open circuit to the battery. The charging pulse may also be characterized in terms of “duty cycle.” “Duty cycle” is the fraction of time that a system is in an “active” state. For example, in an ideal pulse train (one having rectangular pulses), the duty cycle is the pulse width divided by the pulse period. For a pulse train in which the pulse width is 1 μs and the pulse period is 4 μs, the duty cycle is 0.25. The duty cycle of a square wave is 0.5, or 50%.
[0065] “Offset voltage” is the incremental amount of voltage applied to the battery in accordance with the inventive charging methods herein. Offset voltage is illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 4 a , 4 b and 4 c.
[0066] The “charging pulse frequency” is the reciprocal of the charging pulse period.
[0067] A battery “voltage peak” is the portion of a charging pulse associated with ON-time during which the battery voltage is substantially at the maximum voltage level attained during that ON-time. The “peak voltage” is the maximum voltage level attained during a voltage peak.
[0068] A battery voltage “trough” is the portion of a charging pulse associated with OFF-time during which the battery voltage is substantially at the minimum voltage level attained during that OFF-time and at which time the external battery charging circuit is presenting to the battery the nature of an open circuit.
[0069] In broad terms, the present invention comprises charging methodologies and systems incorporating such charging methodologies that allow Li-ion cells to be charged using high effective charging rates during substantially the entire charging process. Still further, the present invention comprises methods and battery charging systems suitable for providing such charging methods wherein a plurality of charging pulses are applied to a Li-ion battery at an average rate of at least about 1 C or greater, wherein OCV inst remains below V max for substantially the entire duration of the charging pulse application.
[0070] Unlike other methods of charging Li-ion batteries at comparably high rates, batteries charged according to the methodology herein can be characterized by a substantial reduction of the characteristic voltage response seen when charging Li-ion batteries at high rates as compared to prior art constant current charging methodologies. The unique and beneficial voltage response of batteries charged in accordance with the present invention permits charging of Li-ion batteries to significant % SOC in 1 hour or less. In further aspects, the present invention comprises a charging methodology and systems incorporating such charging methodology that allows charging of Li-ion batteries at 1 C or greater to a % SOC of at least about 80%, or at least about 85%, or at least about 90% or at least about 95% or up to about 100%, substantially without need for application of a constant voltage portion.
[0071] In some aspects, the inventive charging methodology comprises a charging pulse. Still further, the charging pulse of the present invention comprises a voltage pulse. The charging pulse of the present invention can consist essentially of a voltage pulse. Yet further, the voltage pulse of the present invention comprises one or more of an offset voltage, a frequency and a duty cycle as set forth in more detail herein. Still further, the voltage pulse of the present invention consists essentially of a voltage pulse. The voltage pulse of the present invention can further consist essentially of an offset voltage, a frequency and a duty cycle.
[0072] As would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, battery capacity, C, can be expressed in Amp-hours (Ah) or milliamp-hours (mAh). Battery charging rate (C-rate) is often described in normalized units of capacity per hour. For example, a 1000 mAh battery charging with a charging current of 1000 mA (or 1 A) would be charging at a C rate of 1 C. For a 100 mAh capacity battery, the current corresponding to 1 C is 100 mA (or 0.1 A). The present invention supports charging of Li-ion battery cells at effective C rates of at least about 1 C or at least about 1.5 C or at least about 2.0 C or at least about 2.5 C or at least about 3.0 C or at least about 3.5 C or at least about 4.0 C or at least about 4.5 C or at least about 5.0 C or greater substantially without the battery experiencing deleterious effects normally expected from prior art fast charging processes. Such deleterious effects include, but are not limited to, voltage rise greater than V max , side reactions, unacceptable temperature increases or even fires.
[0073] As would be recognized by those of skill in the art, the characteristic voltage behavior occurring in Li-ion batteries resulting from application of high constant charging current requires the current to be greatly reduced during the later stages of charging or even be terminated to keep the battery voltage from exceeding V max . A typical prior art voltage response of a 1000 mAh mobile device battery—that is, an “energy” battery—is shown in FIG. 1 . If the battery charging process is terminated due to the battery voltage attaining V max , the % SOC of the battery will remain below the available capacity of the battery. In FIG. 1 , application of a 1 C charge rate results in about 60% SOC in about 36 minutes (or 0.6 hour). At about 36 minutes, the current decreases and the rate of increase of % SOC similarly declines. At about 1 hour, the battery only has about 80% SOC vs. the 100% SOC if the rate had continued at 1 C for the entire 60 minutes. As seen in FIG. 1 , to achieve the full 100% SOC of this battery, the battery must remain connected to the charger for close to 3 hours.
[0074] The characteristic voltage response from an exemplary prior art high rate Li-ion battery charging of EV batteries is shown in FIG. 2 . In this representation of the charging process of a Model S 85 kWh battery having a reported 300 mile range as reported by Tesla Motors (http://teslamotors/supercharger), one sees that 20 minutes of high rate charging will provide 150 miles of range (i.e., 50% SOC). This amounts to an about 1.5 C charging rate. However, a charge time of 40 minutes is required to attain 240 miles (i.e., 30% more SOC), signifying that the charging rate between 20 and 40 minutes decreases to an average of about 0.9 C. It takes an additional 35 minutes to acquire the final 20% SOC—that is, to achieve the full 300 mile range for the 85 kWh Model S—which means that the C rate for this last charging stage slows to an average C rate of about 0.34 C.
[0075] As should be apparent from the data presented for the prior art charging processes in FIGS. 1 and 2 , in order to achieve a faster overall charging process, the user must accept a lower available battery capacity, and thus a shorter run time for the device or vehicle being powered by that battery. In other words, to employ a constant high charging rate, the user is required to forego using a portion of the full storage capacity available in the battery. In contrast, if a constant voltage step is applied after the constant current step, more of the available capacity of the battery can be utilized, allowing longer runtime available for the device or vehicle. However, to obtain this full capacity after an initial constant current charging process, the user must accept a longer charging time. Conventional battery charging therefore requires a tradeoff between charging time and battery capacity. Such a trade-off is substantially not required with the charging processes of the present invention.
[0076] A wide variety of Li-ion battery cells can be charged in accordance with methods and systems of the present invention including, but not limited to, batteries and battery packs used to provide power for electric vehicles, automated guided vehicles, robots, mobile devices and wearable devices.
[0077] In applying current for charging in accordance with the methodology of the present invention, the appropriate C rate in a particular instance will depend, in part, on the Li-ion battery being charged. For example, for “energy” batteries—that is, those batteries intended for use in mobile and similar devices—conventional constant current processes maintained at over about 1 C gives rise to significant possibility battery failure, either immediately or over continued use. Such “energy” batteries are typically lithium cobalt oxide chemistry, and can be the form of 18650 cells or configured in soft packs. For such batteries, the inventive battery charging process allows the batteries to be charged at an effective charging rate of least about 1 C for substantially all of the duration of the charging process, and beyond the point where the voltage of the battery would exceed acceptable levels in prior art charging methodologies. Still further, with lithium cobalt oxide “energy” batteries, the effective charging rate can be at least about 1 C, 1.25 C, 1.5 C, 1.75 C or 2 C or more for substantially the entire duration of the charging process, where the OCV inst remains substantially below V max for all or substantially all of the charging process. This is in contrast to prior art charging methods in which application of a constant current charge at a rate of about 1 C or greater results in battery OCV inst approaching the V max of the cell at about 60 to 70% SOC. It has surprisingly been found that lithium cobalt oxide cells charged in accordance with the inventive voltage pulse can be charged at a much higher effective C rates without experiencing the heat or voltage increases that are recognized as damaging or dangerous and that prevent these cells from being charged at high C rates unless comprehensive cooling and fireproofing systems are used. One example of such cooling and fireproofing systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,263,250 (assigned to Tesla Motors), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
[0078] In “power” batteries—that is, those Li-ion batteries intended for use in EVs, robots, power tools and the like—higher C rates can be applied both using conventional constant current processes and with the inventive pulse charging method. These batteries include lithium iron phosphate and the like. For such batteries, the inventive battery charging process nonetheless allows the batteries to be charged at even higher effective rates to achieve higher % SOC than possible with prior art constant current charging processes. In particular, the inventive charging process allows charging of at least about 1 C for substantially all of the duration of the charging process. Still further, with Li-ion “power” batteries, the effective charging rate can be at least about 1 C, 1.25 C, 1.5 C, 1.75 C, 2 C, 2 C, 2.5 C, 2.5 C, 2.75 C, 3 C, 3.25 C, 3.5 C, 3.75 C or 4 C or more for substantially the entire duration of the charging process, where the battery voltage remains substantially below V max for all or most of the charging process. This is in contrast to prior art charging methods in which application of constant current at a rate of at least about 1 C to 1.5 C or even greater results in a voltage response that requires reduction in the current applied to the battery, as is illustrated in FIG. 2 , for example.
[0079] An aspect of the present invention relates to the characteristics of the charging pulse applied to the battery. In this regard, the charging pulse applied to the battery during the charging process comprises a plurality of voltage pulses whose application results in the inducement of a battery current pulse as a response to the voltage pulse. Yet further, the charging pulse applied to the battery does not comprise a current pulse of controlled current magnitude that is imposed upon the battery independently of battery voltage. Yet still further, the charging pulse applied to the battery substantially does not switch to a current pulse.
[0080] In some aspects of the charging method of the present invention, one or more trough portions of a plurality of charging pulses can each, independently, be characterized as providing essentially an OCV inst to the cell for substantially the duration of the time that no charging energy is applied to the battery. When the battery charger system is not transferring energy to the battery, any voltage reading at the battery terminals would be a representation of the open cell potential measured in real time, in other words, the nature of an open circuit would be presented to the battery. In one aspect, such real time voltage measurement is incorporated in the invention herein as OCV inst . OCV inst can be closely approximated to the loaded cell voltage, V LCV , and therefore it can be stated that V Batt comprises a sum of V LCV and the applied offset voltage at any point in time during application of the inventive charging process.
[0081] As used herein, the OCV inst typically differs from equilibrium OCV (“OCV eq ”), where the latter results by allowing the battery to relax for some time after application of charging pulse is stopped. OCV eq is understood to be generally synonymous with the complete or substantially complete relaxation of transient or non-equilibrium conditions within a battery. An example of a non-equilibrium state would be the presence of a transient concentration gradient in the electrolyte. Reports of the time required to achieve OCV eq vary substantially in the literature, however, it is generally believed that relaxation takes at least seconds, or minutes or even hours to achieve for various battery types.
[0082] Still further, it has been found that the beneficial properties of the charging methodology of the present invention can be achieved by applying an offset voltage during the charging process without actual measurement of OCV inst . In other words, a constant or substantially constant offset voltage can be applied to the battery during all or substantially all of the charging process, as long as the battery charger system applies a suitable charging pulse to the battery. While measurement of the OCV inst and applying an offset voltage in response to each measured OCV inst can provide the ability to achieve the benefits of the inventive charging process, the ability to substantially achieve the inventive charging benefits without the need to implement expensive power electronics controls potentially can improve the applicability of the present invention to lower costs applications, such as consumer products.
[0083] Whether applied in relation to determination of the OCV inst or otherwise, the offset voltage can be kept constant for the entire charging process, or it can be varied. In some aspects, the offset voltage can be about 50 mV, 75 mV, 100 mV, 150 mV, 200 mV, 250 mV, 300 mV, 350 mV, 400 mV, 450 mV, 500 mV, 550 mV, 600 mV, 650 mV or 700 mV greater than the OCV inst (or the actual loaded cell voltage (V LCV ) while the battery is undergoing charge) where any value can form an upper or lower endpoint as appropriate.
[0084] Still further, the offset voltage can comprise any voltage that, when applied in the form of a plurality of charging pulses as described herein, results in the ability to apply a high charging rate (e.g., 1 C or greater) to the battery to allow the voltage to rise in a linear or nearly linear fashion. Still further, the offset voltage can comprise any voltage that, when applied in the form of a charging pulse as described herein, results in the ability to apply a high charging rate to be applied to the battery in a constant rate to achieve at least about 80%, or 85% or 90% or 95% or up to about 100% SOC with the V I-Cv substantially remaining below V max for substantially the entire charging process. In other aspects, the offset voltage can comprise any voltage that, when applied in the form of a charging pulse as described herein, results in the ability to apply a high charging rate substantially without resulting in the characteristic voltage response requiring application of a constant voltage portion.
[0085] A further characteristic of the charging pulse of the present invention relates to the duty cycle. In this regard, the duty cycle can be substantially constant within all or substantially all of a pulse sequence or plurality of pulse sequences that make up a charging operation according to the present invention. In some aspects, the duty cycle of the voltage pulse can be about 99, or 95 or 90 or 85 or 80 or 75 or 70 or 65 or 60 or 55 or 50%, where any value can comprise an upper or lower endpoint as appropriate.
[0086] Still further, the duty cycle of the voltage pulses can vary within all, substantially all or during of the charging operation in accordance with the present invention. In a further aspect of the present invention, the duty cycle of each of the charging pulses applied to the battery substantially do not vary during substantially all of the charging process. In a further aspect, the duty cycle of the plurality of charging pulses applied to the battery each, independently, do not vary more than about 1% or 5% or 10% or 15 or 20% during all or substantially all of an entire charging process. In yet a further aspect, there is substantially no pulse width modulation applied to the battery terminals during all or a substantial portion of a charging process. However, one could use pulse width modulation internal to the charger to achieve the voltage(s) applied to the battery terminals during pulse ON-times; i.e., use “very-fine” pulses of a switchmode circuit to construct the broader charging pulses of invention, whose widths, while broader than those of the switchmode circuit, are substantially not determined through pulse width modulation. In some aspects, use of such a switchmode charger could be more power-efficient, and thus be particularly suitable in some applications. Such regulation may not be needed for some applications because a voltage offset pulse can suitably be applied without fine measurement of the real time behavior of the battery under charge.
[0087] A further characteristic of the charging pulse of the present invention is frequency. While the frequency may vary depending on the other variables relevant to the charging process of the present invention (e.g., offset voltage and duty cycle), it has been found that periods of less than about 200 or 100 or 50 ms can be particularly suitable to achieve the beneficial effects of the present invention. In particular, the period of the voltage pulse can be equal to or less than about 200 or 100 or 50 or 40 or 30 or 20 or 10 or 1 or 0.1 ms, where any value can form an upper or lower endpoint, as appropriate. The frequency of the inventive voltage pulse can be represented in Hz. In this regard, the frequency of the voltage pulses that make up the plurality of voltage pulses can also be from about 1 to about 200 Hz. Yet further, the frequency of the voltage pulses can be about 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 or 200 Hz, where any value can form an upper or lower endpoint, as appropriate. Still further, the frequency of the voltage pulses can be less than 50 Hz or less than 25 Hz.
[0088] In a further aspect, the inventive battery charging process can be voltage regulated with respect to the battery's OCV inst for all or substantially all of an application of a plurality of charging pulses, where such plurality of charging pulses is used in a process of charging a battery or a battery pack. This is in contrast to prior art voltage regulated pulse charging processes that are regulated with respect to battery V max . Such processes are generally current limited and do not provide much improvement in charging rates because, for example, the application of high charging currents in accordance with prior art processes quickly results in V max being reached or exceeded which, in turn, means that the charging rate must be reduced before the battery cell attains sufficient % SOC.
[0089] As currently understood by the inventors herein, the beneficial features of the charging process of the present invention, at least in part, relates to the unique voltage response of the battery undergoing charge from application of the plurality of charging pulses in accordance with the present invention. This voltage response is believed to result in little to no formation of “overpotential” as such term is defined in U.S. Pat. No. 8,368,357, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. The absence or substantial reduction of overpotential resulting from application of a charging signal means that the method herein substantially does not require the calculation of an “overpotential” as defined in the '357 patent, and adaption of the charging process in response to such measurement. In contrast, in some aspects, the present invention operates to apply to the battery an optimum or substantially optimum amount of offset voltage necessary to induce as a result the efficient and effective charge transfer through and among the various components of a battery as appropriate for each battery in real time.
[0090] Existing pulse charging methods, such as that of the '357 patent and those of U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,023 (Podrazhansky et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,685 (Tsenter et al.), each of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference, seek to impart charge as quickly as possible before the battery exhibits adverse effects that require dramatic subsequent reduction of charging rate. To accomplish this, prior art methods define various algorithms and/or apply various battery management regimens to minimize adverse effects resulting from charging while also seeking to extract improved charging speeds. The '357 patent asserts that it represents an improvement over prior art methods by recognizing the benefits of controlling overpotential that includes closely monitoring the behavior of the battery during charging. Rather than pre-defining the pulse charging sequence to be applied (see for example, the Podrazhansky '023 patent), the '357 patent seeks to adjust the pulse charging sequence of a battery during charge. The '357 patent method therefore describes “on the fly” modification of a pulse charging sequence based upon calculation of an overpotential in real time, where the overpotential is an adverse consequence of the pulse charging process applied therein, where such overpotential is defined by reference to the battery's V max .
[0091] In contrast, in significant aspects, the method of the present invention operates by referencing the real time voltage of the battery while being charged during application of the inventive charging process herein. An incremental voltage that is “just enough” over this real-time voltage is applied so that minimal overpotential is developed.
[0092] How much offset voltage is just enough can be determined a priori in designing a battery charger system in accordance with the present invention such as by using information from equivalent circuit models of a subject battery, or can be determined through use of dynamic feedback of measured battery current, I Batt or measured battery cycle average current, I BattCavg . Still further, the amount of offset voltage needed to achieve the benefits of the present invention can be determined experimentally by varying the various parameters relevant to the inventive charging method (e.g., offset voltage, pulse frequency and duty cycle) for a battery cell, pack or system using methods know to those of skill in the art. Yet further, the appropriate offset voltage level can be determined by estimation from measurement of battery terminal voltage during application of the plurality of charging pulses.
[0093] A battery can be modeled using an equivalent circuit comprising standard electrical features. One example of a prior art battery equivalent circuit is shown in FIG. 3A . A second example of a battery equivalent circuit is found in FIG. 3B . The inventors herein have found that the equivalent circuit models of FIGS. 3A and 3B can be used in simulations of the present invention virtually interchangeably, albeit with adjustments to equivalent circuit parameter values to yield approximately similar overall impedance characteristics. Without being bound by theory, and in certain aspects, the inventors hypothesize that the beneficial aspects of the present invention result, at least in part, from leveraging a battery's series resistance and equivalent circuit to influence charging behavior. Unlike the OCV, the series resistance behavior of the battery does not change as substantially as a function of the state of charge for much of the useful range of % SOC, that is, above about 5% or about 10% or about 15% or about 20% or about 25% SOC.
[0094] The series resistance of a battery is a property of each specific battery type and design. This value is a known or knowable feature of each battery type. This value is typically provided to battery end-use product integrators/producers by the manufacturer for a specific battery design or even for a specific lot of batteries. If not supplied by the manufacturer, the series resistance of a battery is readily determinable by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue experimentation.
[0095] As known, and as represented by the exemplary battery models of FIGS. 3A and 3B , a battery also comprises a number of capacitive features. These capacitive features comprise, for example, the double layer capacitances formed at the interface between the electrolyte and the electrodes and a pseudocapacitance that arises due to a non-constant functional relationship between applied voltage and state of charge during the battery charging process. Still further, the inventors herein understand, not wishing to be bound by theory, that the capacitances of a battery under charge can be somewhat substantial. In some aspects, the capacitances of a battery under charge can be at least about 1 F, 1.5 F, 2 F, 2.5 F, 3 F, 3.5 F, 4 F, or 5 F or even as large as 25 F in some circumstances. In accordance with the pulse charging processes of the present invention, the inventors herein believe that the dissipation of charge from at least some of the capacitive features present in a battery can be very fast (e.g., as low as 20 μs) in the substantial absence of an applied charging pulse. In other words, the inventors have found that application of short duration charging pulses, for example the incremental voltage pulses discussed herein, can impart charge to a battery for storage substantially without also resulting in creation of substantial overvoltage, where such overvoltage is believed to be created in whole or in part by charging of one or more of the capacitive features of a battery. Additionally, the inventors have recognized that the more residual charge remaining on the battery capacitances during a charging process, the more overvoltage remaining in the battery.
[0096] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the OFF-times substantially allow at least a portion of the capacitive features in the battery to dissipate their accumulated charge(s) at least in part prior to application of a subsequent charging pulse. The inventors hypothesize that the dissipation of accumulated charge during OFF-times is a contributor to the absence or substantial reduction of overpotential in one or plurality of charging pulse applications
[0097] In some aspects, by focusing on charging by applying the lowest amount of charging pulse energy needed to impart a suitable charge for a particular battery cell and/or pack, the inventive battery charging process seeks to leverage existing battery internal capacitive features to absorb charging current, while at the same time effectively reducing or eliminating overvoltage-related resistance to charge.
[0098] In a feature of the inventive process, a substantially low level of charging of the capacitive features of the battery occurs during application of a single charging pulse. Moreover, the present invention results in a substantially low level of capacitive charging during application of a plurality of charging pulses. It has been discovered by the inventors herein that with this minimum of charging of the capacitive features, a minimum amount of energy will generally be needed to charge the battery effectively and efficiently. Faster overall charging can also occur without substantially without incurring increased temperatures and voltage spikes as compared to prior art charging methodologies. Moreover, long term battery behavior can be improved, such as in less capacity fade over extended use.
[0099] In a relevant aspect of the present invention, when the capacitive features of the battery are kept substantially uncharged or, at least, less fully charged than in other rapid or pulse charging methodologies, battery charging can effectively and efficiently result when an applied voltage is sufficient to address the series resistance so that a suitably high average current can be applied to the battery substantially without causing the deleterious effects generally expected from fast charging processes.
[0100] In the battery charging process of the present invention, as well as with the attendant battery charging systems, the charging pulse applied to charge the battery can be, in some aspects, characterized as substantially the minimum offset voltage needed to overcome the potential existing in real time.
[0101] Suitable operation of the inventive battery charging processes herein generally does not necessitate knowledge of the exact value of R s . As such, I BattCavg in the present invention can comprise the desired cycle average current applied during the ON-time and, accordingly, can be used to approximate the actual instantaneous current, if the charger implementation already measures I BattCavg as a process control variable. I BattCavg can also be estimated from I Batt , if the charger implementation already measures instantaneous current as part of transient process control, as such controls are known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Use of a priori knowledge of R s is only one potential means of reducing charger circuit hardware cost by marginalizing the need for current sensing hardware.
[0102] In further aspects, the voltage applied to the battery in the plurality of charging pulses can comprise an instantaneous terminal voltage applied to the battery (V Batt ) and can be calculated according to the following formula.
[0000] V Batt =I Batt ×R s +OCV inst and
[0000] I Batt =I BattCavg ×(pulse period)/(ON-time duration),
[0103] wherein the desired [instantaneous] battery current, I Batt , is derived from the desired battery cycle average current, I BattCavg , desired for a particular portion of an overall charging process, R s is internal series resistance as discussed previously, and OCV inst is the instantaneous OCV existing in the battery in real time, also as defined previously. In one aspect of the present invention, OCV inst can be measured, sensed, estimated or otherwise determined at one or more times, during each of a plurality of OFF-times. The inventors hypothesize that the OCV inst will generally be lowest (and more informative) at or near the end of the respective OFF-times—that is, at or near the end of the trough portion of the applied voltage pulses. As such, when OCV inst can be measured, sensed, or otherwise determined in the OFF-time, it may be sufficient to acquire information about OCV inst only one time during the OFF-time, namely, where such one time is at or near the end of the OFF-time. Since the OCV inst can be very closely approximated to V LCV , and the offset voltage applied can be pre-set, in some aspects, the OCV inst can be calculated by subtracting the offset voltage from the measured V Batt .
[0104] The inventive charging processes can also be suitably obtained by using either instantaneous or cycle average current (or approximation of cycle average current) as a feedback signal to control a voltage source that applies during ON-times the proper voltage to induce the desired instantaneous current subject to the battery charging voltage limitation. In some aspects, use of such dynamic feedback can provide more consistent delivery of cycle average current and incorporation of such capability can be beneficial when the additional cost and package space of incorporating current feedback is appropriate for certain applications.
[0105] Regardless of whether an application designer chooses to use OFF-time OCV inst estimation and a fixed incremental offset voltage or to use on-time dynamic feedback of battery current information, the periodic OFF-time duration of the inventive voltage pulse can be substantially uniform through the charging process or it can be designed to vary. The duration of the OFF-time can be from about 10 μs to about 10 ms. In some aspects, the duration of the OFF-time can be from about 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 7, or about 10 ms.
[0106] Optimal ON-time will vary according to battery characteristics. In general, however, longer ON-times could be found to result in greater charge accumulations within the capacitances of the battery internal impedances, and thus higher V res levels; shorter ON-times, however, may generally necessitate the use of greater ON-time voltages to achieve greater instantaneous currents in the shorter ON-time. Longer OFF-times may reduce induced current cycle averages (and overall charging rate); while shorter OFF-times may interrupt the opportunities for charge to dissipate from the battery internal impedances.
[0107] The inventors have found the inventive charging processes herein to be generally applicable for pulses whose overall periods range from about 100 μs to about 100 ms and whose ON-time duty cycles range from about 50% to about 90%. Still further, the duty cycles of the voltage pulse of the present invention can comprise from about 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, or 90%, where any value can comprise an upper or lower endpoint, as appropriate. Selection of pulse period and corresponding ON-time duty cycle may generally be dependent upon battery characteristics, the desired charging rate, and allowable battery thermal power dissipation rate and is thus dependent, in part, upon the battery and the application in which the battery is to be used.
[0108] As would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, Li-ion battery voltage progressively increases as the SOC increases within the range of 0% to 100%. At some point during the charging process of the present invention, the sum of the battery OCV inst and the offset voltage reference could exceed V max . It has been found that as long that the V LCV substantially remains below V max , the beneficial effects of the present invention can still be obtained, including improvement of times needed to achieve high % SOC. A not-to-scale exemplary representation of the voltage and current behavior using a fixed incremental voltage pulse in this is illustrated in FIG. 4 a.
[0109] In some aspects, the fast charge stage of the inventive method can be terminated or restricted when the measured voltage pulse to be applied substantially reaches V max for the respective battery. If the charge is restricted, the charging rate will be slower than if the charging process is permitted to proceed without restriction, however, charging rates will still exceed those attainable with conventional CC/CV charging. In accordance with this aspect, the voltage applied substantially does not exceed the specified V max of the battery under charge. A not-to-scale exemplary representation of the voltage and current behavior using feedback of I Batt or I BattCavg to adjust incremental voltage is illustrated in FIG. 4 b.
[0110] In separate aspects, the inventive charging pulse can be terminated or restricted when the battery has reached at least about 60% or about 70% or about 75% or about 80% or about 85% or about 90% SOC. At this point, a voltage limited stage can commence if desired as a form of restricted continuation of charging. Such a voltage-limited stage can be omitted and the battery process terminated if it is deemed suitable to use the battery that is less than about 100% SOC. A partial application of the inventive charging pulse with or without a subsequent constant voltage stage could be desirable to reduce battery damage over time in comparison to that seen from application of a prior art constant current charging. In laymen's terms, the inventive charging process can be termed a “kinder and gentler” charging process.
[0111] One can use any of a myriad of pulse shapes to provide features of the inventive charging pulse of the present invention. It should be noted that since dissipated power is proportional to the square of offset voltage but only proportional to the width of a pulse, minimization of dissipated parasitic power means minimization of RMS pulse height across any given pulse period. For the same cycle average current I BattCavg within a pulse period, the minimum RMS pulse height can be achieved with application of a rectangular pulse of the maximum allowable ON-time width. In some aspects, appropriate pulse shapes comprise those that suitably provide an offset voltage beyond OCV inst during the ON-time that is less than the target value. In further aspects, constant voltage pulses are particularly suitable for use herein. A not-to-scale exemplary representation of the voltage and current behavior for a non-rectangular/square pulse shape is illustrated in FIG. 4 c.
[0112] In one aspect, the charging process can be terminated by applying a limit to sensed average current and average voltage and not to the instantaneous current and instantaneous voltage. Any of a number of methods exists and are appropriate for determining the time to terminate the charging process, so determining time to terminate the charging process and terminating the process are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Similarly, methods for sensing average current and average voltage are known and consequently are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0113] Throughout the fast charging stage and voltage limited charging stage, each charging pulse maximum voltage during an ON-time can be a function of a charge increment strategy and the battery terminal voltage during a preceding OFF-time can be subject to a maximum voltage limitation. Accordingly, the battery charger of the present invention, as well as the processes used for charging, can, in some aspects, be dynamically dependent upon period-to-period feedback from the battery.
[0114] At low % SOC the R s may change quickly. In some aspects, at low % SOC, for example, less than about 20% or less than about 10% SOC, it could be helpful to closely monitor the series resistance behavior to ensure that the amount of offset voltage applied to the battery under charge is as close as possible to the minimum amount necessary to effect efficient charge. Such monitoring can be in accordance with known methods as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In some implementations, monitoring of series resistance can be useful during all or part of the charging process.
[0115] Yet further, in the inventive charging methods there may be substantially no need to change modes such as by moving from average current charging to average voltage charging, because, in some aspects, the present invention can automatically limit the target battery terminal voltage as appropriate to yield the target battery terminal voltage.
[0116] The charging processes and systems incorporating such processes include a wide variety of Li-ion batteries including lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganese dioxide, lithium iron phosphate, and lithium iron disulfide etc. It should be noted that some fast charging Li-ion chemistries do exist today. For example, lithium titanate is reported to allow charging as fast as 10 C. Such fast charging batteries nonetheless result in lower energy densities. In other words, they do not provide as energy per unit of weight as do other Li-ion battery types.
[0117] As would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art, the operating voltage characteristics of a particular Li-ion cell will be a function of the anode and cathode materials combined to form the cell. For example, the reported voltage for a lithium cobalt oxide cell comprising a carbon anode is about 3.8 V. But for a cell comprising lithium titanate as the anode, the reported voltage is only about 1.9 V when the cathode is lithium iron phosphate and about 2.5 V when the cathode is cobalt. The higher voltage of the lithium cobalt oxide cell brings higher energy density, but fewer safety features—including lesser ability to accept faster charging. In contrast, cells with lower operating voltage like lithium titanate have better safety features, such as safer fast charging. Generally speaking, Li-ion “power” batteries have lower operating voltages and can accept prior art charges at higher rates, such as greater than about 2 C for at least some of the charging process. Li-ion “energy” batteries have higher operating voltages and are generally not charged for extended periods at rate above about 1 C unless safety and cooling systems are included, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,263,250, previously incorporated by reference.
[0118] In the present invention, it has surprisingly been found that safe and generally non-damaging fast charging can be applied to Li-ion batteries having operating voltages of greater than about 3.0 V, or greater than about 3.2 V. Such batteries include, for example, lithium iron phosphate/graphite (≈3.2 V), lithium manganese oxide/graphite (≈3.7 V), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide/graphite (≈3.6 V), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide/graphite (≈3.65 V or more) and lithium cobalt oxide/graphite (≈3.8 V). In further aspects, the present invention does not include lithium titanate and similar Li-ion battery chemistries having operating voltages of less than about 3.0 V or less than about 3.2 V.
[0119] The battery charger systems of the present invention, as well as the attendant processes and methods, can be utilized in conjunction with one or more existing battery management systems. Such battery management systems, which generally utilize integrated circuitry to control power management during battery charging, are commonly incorporated in modern electronic devices and other products that are powered by batteries.
[0120] Moreover, the present invention can be utilized with, or operationally incorporated within, one or more adaptive battery charging techniques. Such adaptive methods are disclosed, for examples, in US Patent Publication No. 2011/0285356, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
[0121] An overall charging system and process can include the invented charger and method in conjunction with higher-level charging system process controls. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of an inventive battery charger system with interface points for supervisory charging system process controls, but does not show the details of the higher-level process controls, as they do not comprise part of the present invention.
[0122] For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , a battery charger 10 according to the present invention for suitably charging battery 50 can include about five internal functional subsystems: OCV estimation/sample 100 , offset voltage reference 200 , voltage summation 300 , target battery voltage limitation 400 and power stage 500 , each of which may or may not be implemented as discrete physical entities, depending upon economic and space considerations.
[0123] FIG. 6 illustrates a suitable implementation of the OCV inst estimation or sampling subsystem 100 having the following features: battery voltage buffer 110 , D pulldown 115 , R pull-up 120 , C hold 125 , C hold voltage buffer 130 , D track 135 , R pulldown 140 and voltage buffer 145 . In use, implementation of the OCV inst estimation or sampling subsystem 100 will provide, for example, an OCV estimation. In FIG. 6 , the OCV inst estimation or sampling subsystem 100 can provide the battery charger 10 (not shown) with an estimate of the battery OCV inst as practicably close in time as possible to the end of a periodic OFF-time. Estimation can be through battery terminal voltage minimum-tracking or through use of a sample-hold that obtains a sample of the battery terminal voltage or other methods known to those of skill in the art. The specific components suitable for a specific implementation will depend, in part, on how accurate the OCV inst estimation is desired to be in a particular circumstance, as well as the desired cost and space available in a particular use case.
[0124] Voltage minimum tracking generally requires no sample-hold clock synchronization and can be implemented through use of analog circuits or microcontroller analog-to-digital sampling and subsequent data processing, but estimation accuracy requires design consideration for chosen charging ON-time.
[0125] While use of a sample-hold requires timing control for sampling, sample-hold circuits and associate timing controls are commonly utilized in low-cost microcontrollers and hold behavior can be less sensitive to variations in chosen charging ON-times. If the overall charging system will include a microcontroller, that microcontroller may already include timing controls for data sampling, and the sampling and conversion yields a digital number handy for use in other decision-making. Microcontrollers suitable for use in a battery charger working in accordance with the present invention are available from any of a number of electronic device manufacturers, including but not limited to Analog Devices, Atmel, Cypress Semiconductor, Freescale Semiconductor, Infineon, Samsung, Texas instruments, ST Microelectronics.
[0126] Referring to FIG. 7 , in an exemplary configuration of a suitable charging system in accordance with the present invention, the offset voltage reference system 200 can comprise voltage reference 205 , R VrefDivider1 210 , R VrefDivider2 , R isolator 220 , offset voltage reference buffer 225 and offset voltage reference input 230 . The implementation in FIG. 7 of the offset voltage reference subsystem 200 comprises a default constant voltage reference and includes a provision for application of an optional overriding external offset voltage reference level. In FIG. 7 , the offset reference subsystem 200 can determine the offset voltage during the charging period ON-time that the charger will impose on the battery above and beyond the OCV inst estimate obtained at the end of a previous charging OFF-time, that is, during a previous trough. In one aspect, the offset voltage reference comprises a constant, or substantially constant, incremental voltage whose value can be determined during design of the charger and can be dependent, in part, upon the target maximum average charging current, an approximation of the battery impedance component comprised of battery electrical connection interface resistance and battery electrolyte resistance, and a target for battery power dissipation during charging at the target maximum average charging current.
[0127] Implementations of the battery charger 10 , and attendant processes that are in analog form can be, but are not limited, a simple voltage reference, for which a myriad of implementation options are known. Implementations in microprocessor- or microcontroller-based forms can, for example, comprise a constant reference parameter in software or an analog voltage reference read by an analog-to-digital converter.
[0128] The offset voltage reference subsystem 200 can also include provision for adjustment of the offset voltage magnitude in order to compensate for battery impedance variations in end-products whose batteries are replaceable by the end-product user.
[0129] In some aspects, adjustment of the offset voltage magnitude may be desirable in order to compensate for variations in average charging current. Adjustment of the offset voltage magnitude also may be desirable in order to compensate for other system behavioral variations, such as variation in thermal behavior. Any of a number of techniques can be used to determine the magnitude of offset voltage magnitude adjustment, if such adjustment is desired. In some aspects, the inventive battery charger system, as well as attendant processes and methods, can include the ability to adjust the magnitude but does not include the in-process techniques for determining the amount of adjustment.
[0130] For analog implementations, such adjustment ability may include, but is not limited to, inclusion of an augmenting summation or differential amplifier and associated analog filters and buffers that facilitate the scaling and summing or subtracting of signals inputs to said augmenting amplifiers with a nominal offset voltage reference level and thus effect adjustment of the offset voltage magnitude reference. For example, designers of low-power analog implementations may choose to scale analog signal levels to be as low as possible in order to minimize charging circuit power dissipation and then scale up only the final power stage output voltage to a level suitable for battery charging. The level of such scaling may be dependent upon application-specific details, such as available lower-level power supply levels, but the scaling in itself does not generally change the logic of methodology. As another example, many charging process controllers can include features to request a lower charging current in the event of detection of overheating either in the charging circuit or the battery. The request can be of a proportional level but often takes the form of discrete levels. In some implementations of the inventive process, the exact nature of or motivation for a corresponding level of offset voltage magnitude adjustment may not be determined. For some digital implementations, such as those including use of a microprocessor or microcontroller in order to implement the offset voltage reference subsystem, adjustments include, but are not limited to, an adjustment variable that is added to or subtracted from a nominal offset voltage magnitude or nominal offset voltage scale factor. A suitable example for such a scenario would be the software implementation of the offset voltage magnitude adjustment due to detection of process thermal events.
[0131] In further aspects, the voltage summation 300 and limitation subsystem 400 can determine the target battery terminal voltage to be applied during charging pulse ON-time. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 8 , the voltage summation subsystem 300 provides a nominal target battery terminal voltage that can be, for example the [scaled] sum of the offset reference and the OCV inst estimate from a proceeding proximate or an immediately preceding charging pulse OFF-time. The voltage limitation subsystem 400 (see FIG. 9 ) can then assist in mitigating violation of a relevant maximum battery terminal voltage, V max , by performing a limiting operation after the summation of the offset reference and the OCV inst estimate, so that the output of the limiting operation will be substantially no higher than V max . The output of the limiting operation can be the target battery terminal voltage or a scaled proxy thereof. Alternatively, the functionality of voltage limitation subsystem 400 can also be imposed on the output of the power stage. Numerous methods for doing so exist, such as those commonly used to protect sensitive electronics systems and/or components from power supply spikes or surges. Use of this alternative location of limiting function can result in the need for components that can divert higher current, so the location of limitation can, in some aspects, be upstream of the power stage in the low-power control computation portion of the invented process.
[0132] In a further implementation, voltage summation in analog form can be, but is not limited to, use of operational amplifier summation circuits. FIG. 8 shows the schematic diagram of an analog circuit implementation of a voltage summation subsystem. Referring to FIG. 8 , in an exemplary implementation, voltage summation 300 can comprise the following features: R sum2 305 , R sum2 310 , R sum1 315 , R sum1 320 , R sum1 325 , summation amplifier/buffer 330 , R sum2 335 and nominal target voltage 340 . Voltage limitation in analog form can be achieved by applying to the output of the voltage summation circuit any of a number of known voltage clamping circuits. FIG. 9 shows the schematic diagram of an analog circuit implementation of a voltage limitation subsystem that also provides a scaled-down proxy for the target battery terminal voltage in order to avoid exceeding the allowable input common mode voltage range of the power stage. Referring to FIG. 9 , an exemplary implementation of the voltage limitation subsystem comprises D clamp 405 , clamp voltage buffer 410 , R Vclampdivider1 415 , R Vclampdivider2 420 , R VTgtdivider1 425 and R VTgtdivider2 430 . Voltage summation in microprocessor/microcontroller implementations generally comprises the summing of two variables in software. Voltage limitation in microprocessor/microcontroller aspects generally comprises relatively simple comparison logic in software that assigns an ON-time terminal voltage variable the lower value between the nominal target battery terminal voltage and the reference maximum.
[0133] The power stage of the invention can provide to a battery under charge sufficient to achieve the target battery terminal voltage during the relevant charging pulse ON-time, and can present to the battery the nature of an open circuit during charging pulse OFF-time. One aspect of the power stage during the charging pulse ON-time can be that of a source that does not attempt to instantaneously impose a current on the battery. This can be due, for example, to the presence of inductance(s) in the internal impedance of many batteries. Imposition of a sudden current pulse upon such inductances can result in battery terminal voltage transients. For charging pulses associated with high charging rates, such resultant battery voltage transients can exceed the V max limit. Accordingly, it can be beneficial for the battery charger power stage to comprise primarily or comprise exclusively a voltage source that induces a charging current pulse.
[0134] The power stage during the charging pulse OFF-time can be useful for at least three reasons. First, the power stage can implement open circuit behavior during the periodic charging pulse OFF-times. As a result, the battery under charge has time to relax and for the capacitive features to suitably discharge during the OFF-times the concentrations of charge and ions that may have accumulated during the charging pulse ON-times. Presentation of an open circuit can assist in the discharge of accumulated charge that can flow into the battery, and not back out into the charger. Second, the power stage can implement open circuit behavior for termination of the charging process as can be directed by an external system-level process oversight control. Third, the power stage of an open circuit behavior can facilitate non-termination pauses in a charging process that an external system process control may deem necessary due to process needs, such as, but not limited to, a need to temporarily suspend charging upon detection of excessive battery or charger temperatures.
[0135] A useful implementation of a power stage can be a switchmode amplifier or power converter with an output during ON-time that tracks the target battery terminal voltage and whose switchmode output includes the ability to implement the OFF-time open circuit behavior. The use of switchmode output converters in battery chargers is already widespread in practice. Alternatively, a switchmode amplifier or converter can be used, where an output ripple remains small relative to an output voltage and current from the amplifier or converter remains continuously on (otherwise known as “continuous mode”) until the end of process. In one aspect of the present invention, the amplifier or converter operational frequency (50 kHz or higher, and not uncommonly over 1 MHz) can be implemented to be sufficiently high to achieve small output ripple, but the maintenance or following of the output voltage generally only occurs during charging pulse ON-time. During charging pulse OFF-time, the switchmode amplifier or converter generally sources substantially no current and consequently revisits discontinuous current delivery at the much lower frequency (for example, about 10 kHz or lower) corresponding to the charging pulse period (for example, about 100 μs to about 100 ms).
[0136] Use of a switchmode power stage, while efficient and common, can provide the need to account for ON-time battery voltage ripple. In various aspects, the sum total voltage of the target battery terminal voltage plus the switchmode output voltage ripple can be maintained to be substantially no greater than V max . FIG. 10 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary power stage implementation 500 that utilizes an analog amplifier and a unipolar common collector power follower stage. Referring to FIG. 10 , exemplary power stage 500 comprises: summation amplifier/buffer 505 , R VTgtDivider1 510 , R VTgtDivider2 515 , power driver 520 , flyback diode D Flyback 525 , R CurrentSense 530 , periodic switching source 535 and open collector switch 540 .
[0137] The particular exemplary implementation in FIG. 10 includes gain-setting resistors R VTgtDivider1 510 and R VTgtDivider2 515 in order to provide a scale-up gain to compensate for the scale-down of target battery terminal voltage from the voltage limitation subsystem of FIG. 9 . An open-collector pull-down circuit controlled by a timing circuit can either allow the amplifier to follow the target battery terminal voltage during charging pulse ON-time or cause the amplifier to attempt replication of a voltage lower than the battery OCV inst during charging pulse OFF-time. The latter situation will cause the unipolar power driver 520 to switch off when the amplifier output voltage drops lower than battery OCV inst , and thus the amplifier and unipolar driver generally approximate open circuit switch behavior when the charging pulse is OFF. The particular implementation in FIG. 10 also includes an optional high-side current sense resistor, R CurrentSense 530 , between the collector of the power follower stage and the circuit power supply. Should one desire to measure ON-time current in order to adjust the offset voltage, the voltage across R CurrentSense 530 is proportional to current delivered by the power follower stage and can be used as input to compensating feedback circuitry, and this current sensing arrangement is one of several ways familiar to those knowledgeable in the art. Such an implementation of a power stage is fairly straightforward because it can implement the OFF-time switch functionality and poses lower probability of obtaining ON-time voltage ripple whose maximum exceeds V max . Nonetheless, an analog power stage can be less efficient and can be likely to dissipate more heat in a battery charger.
[0138] Irrespective of whether the power stage comprises analog or digital implementation, it can be beneficial to incorporate protection for the switch device against flyback currents from battery internal inductances that might occur during the transition from being a low-impedance ON-time voltage source to being a high-impedance OFF-time open circuit. Such protection appears in most switchmode power converters, but is not always present in analog output stages. Due to impedance switching nature, various implementations of the battery charger systems of the present invention, as well as the attendant processes and methods, can include output flyback protection, such as flyback diode D Flyback 525 , as a feature. Also irrespective of whether the power stage comprises analog or digital implementation, target battery terminal voltage limiting subsystem can be included with the power stage, as opposed to including that functionality with the offset voltage summation subsystem.
[0139] The inventive charging process may also be implemented in a printed circuit board configuration. Methods to fabricate printed circuit boards suitable to generate and apply the inventive charging pulse are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such printed circuit board implementations could be particularly well-suited for high-volume, low cost applications, such as used with mobile devices such, such as smartphones, tablets and other such devices.
[0140] The inventive charging process may be implemented using algorithms suitable for generating and providing the inventive charging processes. In other words, an algorithm configured with componentry suitable to provide a charging rate of at least about 1 C, wherein such high charging rate can be applied until the battery cell reaches at least about 80% or about 90% or about 95% SOC substantially without exceeding the cell V max . Such algorithms may be deliverable to/implemented by a processing device which may include any existing electronic control unit or dedicated electronic control unit, in many forms including, but not limited to, information permanently stored on non-writable storage media such as ROM devices and information alterably stored on writeable storage media such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes, CDs, RAM devices, and other magnetic and optical media. Such algorithms may also be implemented in a software executable object. The algorithms may also be embodied in whole or in part using suitable hardware components, such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), state machines, controllers or hardware components or devices, or a combination of hardware, software and firmware components.
EXAMPLES
[0141] The following Examples are put forth so as to provide those of ordinary skill in the art with a complete disclosure and description of how the present invention is practiced, and associated processes and methods are constructed, used, and evaluated, and are intended to be purely exemplary of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of what the inventors regard as their invention. Efforts have been made to ensure accuracy with respect to numbers (e.g., amounts, temperature, etc.) but some errors and deviations should be accounted for. Unless indicated otherwise, parts are parts by weight, temperature is as specified or is at ambient temperature, and pressure is at or near atmospheric.
[0142] Examples 1-3 below were charged using the exemplary inventive charging circuit illustrated in FIG. 5 . The power supply used was a Tekpower HY 1803D variable voltage power supply (Amazon.com). A 46-Range Digital Multimeter: 22-812 (RadioShack.com) was used to measure voltage. The batteries used were as indicated in the Examples.
Example 1
Example 1a
[0143] Experimental (non-commercial) Li-ion 1000 mAh 3.7V Li-ion polymer pouch cells intended for use in mobile devices (e.g., “energy” cells) were charged using the inventive charging process so as to provide an average charging rate of slightly more than about 1 C using the circuit configuration set out in FIG. 5 . The starting voltage of the battery was about 3.0 V, signifying an approximately fully discharged cell. The offset voltage used in the inventive charging process was 300 mV, the duty cycle (ON-time/OFF-time) was 90/10% and the frequency of the voltage pulse was 100 Hz. The charge termination point, based on V Batt was 4.5 V which represented the sum of the voltage offset (300 mV) and the actual cell V max (4.2 V). A 1 C discharge was used to measure the capacity of the battery resulting from charging.
Example 1b
[0144] A comparison charging process was conducted on the same type of cell as used in Example 1a having an about 3.0 V starting voltage. This battery was charged using CC/CV method applied with a 1 C constant current portion, followed by application of constant voltage applied when the voltage reached V max . A 1 C discharge was used to measure the capacity of the battery resulting from the charging step.
Example 1
Results
[0145] As shown by comparison of FIGS. 11 and 12 , the inventive charging process of Example 1a shows markedly different charging behavior vs. the conventional CC/CV charging of FIG. 12 , as well that process shown generally in the prior art (see e.g., FIG. 1 ). In contrast to application of the conventional CC/CV charge, the inventive charging process allows application of a high charge rate during the entire charge period without the appearance of the typical voltage response that requires tapering of the charging rate when using conventional CC/CV charging. Significantly, in Example 1a the tested battery achieves 100% SOC in less than 1 hour with OCV inst (i.e., the lower line in FIG. 11 denoted “cell voltage”) substantially remaining below V max for this cell (4.2 V). When the battery charged with the inventive method was discharged, the capacity of this battery was virtually identical to that of the reference battery charged by a CC/CV process in Example 1b. These tests indicate that the inventive charging process can provide a full charge in less than about 60 minutes vs. about 155 for the CC/CV charged reference—which is almost 3 times faster. A chart comparing charging times between Examples 1a and 1b is in FIG. 13 .
[0146] Put another way, the battery charged using the inventive charging process in Example 1a appears to accept charge applied at a rate of about 1.1 C for the full charging time, with the characteristic voltage response from conventional constant current charging being notably absent. This indicates that this Li-ion cell can achieve 100% SOC in less than about 1 hour substantially without exceeding the cell's V max .
Example 2
Example 2a
[0147] The power supply was configured to apply an average charging rate of 2 C from the circuit configuration of FIG. 5 . One of the two Li-ion battery cells was removed from a LiPo 7.4V 1000 mAh Novus 200 FP Li-ion battery pack (HobbyZone.com) intended for use in a radio controlled helicopter for use in this Example 2a. The starting voltage was approximately 3.0 V. The offset voltage for the inventive charging process was 300 mV, the duty cycle (ON-time/OFF-time) was 90/10% and the frequency of the voltage pulse was 100 Hz. The charge termination point was 4.5 V (V Batt ) which represented the sum of voltage offset (300 mV) and the actual cell V max (4.2 V). A 1 C discharge was used to measure battery capacity from charging.
Example 2b
[0148] A comparison CC/CV process was conducted on the same type of cell as used in Example 2a having an about 3.0 V starting voltage. This cell was charged using constant current applied at 2 C, followed by application of constant voltage applied when the voltage reached V max . A 1 C discharge was used to measure the capacity of the battery from charging.
Example 2
Results
[0149] As shown by comparing of FIGS. 14 and 15 , the inventive charging process of Example 2a shows markedly different charging behavior vs. the conventional CC/CV charging shown in FIG. 2 b . In contrast to application of the conventional CC/CV charging process where the CC portion is applied at 2 C, the inventive 2 C charging process allows application of a high charging rate during the substantially the entire charging period without the typical voltage response that requires tapering of the current when using conventional CC/CV charging. Significantly, in Example 2a the tested batteries achieve 100% SOC in about ½ hour with OCV inst , (i.e., the line denoted “cell voltage” in FIG. 14 ) remaining at all times below V max . When the battery charged with the inventive method was discharged at 1 C, the capacity of this battery was virtually identical to that of the reference battery charged by CC/CV in Example 2b. These tests indicate that the inventive charging process can provide a full charge in about 30 minutes vs. about 1 hour for the CC/CV charged reference substantially without the cell exceeding the V max for this cell. A comparison of charging times is presented in FIG. 16 .
[0150] Notably, little to no temperature increase was observed with the inventive charging process in both Examples 1a and 2a. Such absence of temperature increase could indicate that the inventive charging process could provide improved energy efficiency since the absence of heat would signal that less energy wasted as heat vs. conventional charging processes.
Example 3
Example 3a
[0151] A Heli-MaxLiPo 1S 3.7V 250 mAh 1SQ Quadcopter HMXP1009 cell (HobbyZone.com) was tested at a 4 C average charging rate using the circuit configuration of FIG. 5 . The cell had a starting voltage of about 3.0 V. The offset voltage in the inventive charging process was 300 mV, the duty cycle (ON-time/OFF-time) was 90/10% and the frequency of the voltage pulse was 100 Hz. The charge termination point was 4.5 V which represented the sum of the voltage offset (300 mV) and the actual cell V max (4.2 V). A 1 C discharge was used to measure the capacity of the battery resulting from the charging step.
Example 3b
[0152] A comparison CC/CV charging process was conducted on the same type of cell as used in Example 2a having an about 3.0 V starting voltage. This battery was charged using constant current applied at 4 C, followed by application of constant voltage when the voltage reached V max . A 1 C discharge was used to measure the capacity of the battery after charging.
Example 3
Results
[0153] As shown by comparing of FIGS. 17 and 18 , the inventive charging process of Example 3a shows markedly different charging behavior vs. conventional CC/CV charging at the same rate. In contrast to application of the conventional CC/CV charging process where the CC portion is applied at 4 C, the inventive 4 C charging process allows application of a high rate charge substantially during the entire charge period without appearance of the typical voltage response that requires tapering. When a 4 C charging rate is applied to the battery using constant current in Example 3b, the current begins to taper at about 12 minutes, signifying that the anode cannot continue to accept charge at this rate. Significantly, in Example 3a the tested batteries achieve 100% SOC in 15 minutes with OCV inst , (i.e., the line denoted “cell voltage” in FIG. 17 ) substantially remaining at all times below V max . When the battery charged with the inventive method was discharged at 1 C, the capacity of this battery was virtually identical to that of the reference battery charged by CC/CV in Example 3b. These tests indicate that the inventive charging process can provide a full charge in about 15 minutes vs. more than ½ hour for the CC/CV charged reference, substantially without the cell exceeding V max .
Example 4
Prophetic
[0154] Tesla Motors® has recently introduced a DC fast charging infrastructure on interstate highways in the US. Tesla Motors has reported that the Model S 85 kWh battery, which has a reported 300 mile range of 100% SOC, can be charged to 50% in 20 minutes, 80% in 40 minutes, and 100% in 75 minutes using the company's SuperCharger charging system. This translates to an about 1.5 C charging for the first 50% SOC, about 0.9 C for the next 20 minutes and about 0.34 C for the final 35 minutes. It can then be inferred that the reduction in charging rate seen after 20 minutes, and the more marked reduction after 40 minutes results from the characteristic voltage rise from this prior art fast charging process.
[0155] As disclosed herein, the inventive charging process substantially does not cause the characteristic voltage rise seen with conventional DC fast charging. In a prophetic example, the inventive charging process could reduce the time to charge the Tesla Model S 85 kWh to 100% SOC from the 75 minutes required currently to 40 minutes and reduce the time needed to achieve 80% SOC from 40 minutes to 30 minutes or possibly less. A graph comparing the current Tesla Motors SuperCharger battery charging system to prophetic results with the inventive charging process applied using the same charging rate is shown in FIG. 19 . The time savings would likely be comparable in other vehicles, such as the Nissan Leaf® and Chevy Spark®.
[0156] While the invention has been described in detail, various modifications to the specific implementations illustrated will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. Such modifications are within the spirit and scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims. The following are non-limiting examples of such modifications:
1. A method of charging Li-ion batteries comprising:
a. applying a plurality of charging pulses to a Li-ion battery cell, wherein the battery cell comprises:
i. a maximum acceptable terminal circuit voltage (V max ); ii. a plurality of instantaneous open circuit voltages (V inst ),
b. wherein the plurality of charging pulses provides charge to the battery cell at an average C rate of at least about 1 C, and wherein during application of substantially all the plurality of charge pulses substantially all of the plurality of OCV inst remain below V max , thereby allowing the battery to be charged to a state of charge (SOC) of at least about 95% or more in 1 hour or less. 2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the plurality of charging pulses consists essentially of a voltage pulse. 3. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the plurality of charging pulses each, independently, comprise an offset voltage, a frequency and a duty cycle. 4. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the average C rate is greater than about 1.5 C, wherein the battery cell SOC is at least about 95% or more in about 40 minutes or less. 5. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the average C rate is greater than about 2 C, wherein the battery cell SOC is at least about 95% or more in about 30 minutes or less. 6. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the offset voltage of the plurality of voltage pulses is from about 100 to about 700 mV. 7. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the frequency of the plurality of voltage pulses is from about 1 to about 50 Hz. 8. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the duty cycle of the plurality of voltage pulses is from about 99% to about 80% ON-time. 9. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the battery cell has an operating voltage of at least about 3.0 V. 10. A battery charger system for charging a Li-ion battery cell configured to apply a plurality of charging pulses to a Li-ion battery at an average rate of at least about 1 C, wherein the battery cell comprises:
i. a maximum acceptable voltage (V max ); ii. a plurality of instantaneous open circuit voltages (OCV inst ),
wherein the plurality of charging pulses provides charge to the battery cell an average C rate of at least about 1 C, and wherein during application of substantially all the plurality of charge pulses substantially all of the plurality of OCV inst remain below V max , thereby allowing the battery to be charged to a state of charge (SOC) of at least about 95% or more in 1 hour or less.
11. The system of embodiment 10, wherein the plurality of charging pulses provided by the circuitry each, independently, comprise a voltage pulse. 12. The system of embodiment 10, wherein each of the plurality of charging pulses comprise an offset voltage, a frequency and a duty cycle. 13. The system of embodiment 10 configured to provide a charging rate of at least about 1.5 C, wherein the battery cell SOC reaches at least about 95% or more in about 40 minutes or less. 14. The system of embodiment 10 configured to provide a charging rate of at least about 2 C, wherein the battery cell SOC reaches at least about 95% or more in about 30 minutes or less. 15. The system of embodiment 10, wherein the battery cell has an operating voltage of at least about 3.0 V.
[0178] Any US patents and patent applications referred to herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties by this reference. | The inventions herein relate to devices and methods to impart charge to lithium ion battery cells. Still further, the present invention incorporates to pulse charging methods and systems related thereto that provide improvements in charging speed, efficiency and additional benefits. | 1 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a 371 of international application PCT/EP99/03714, with an international filing date of May 28, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to composite injection mouldable material and in particular to platable injection mouldable material having a relatively high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss.
Applications such as RF (Radio Frequency) applications require devices having a high dielectric constant and a low dielectric loss. It is known to use metallised ceramic components for these applications, produced using established technology to cast and fire the ceramic. However, the machining of these components is generally difficult and only simple planar structures are possible. Metallisation to form interconnection and tracking is also a specialist activity and the resulting components tend to be heavy.
Composites of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and ceramic have found increasing use in similar applications. The composite is more easily machined and patterned than ceramics. However, it is may only be made in sheet form.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention an injection mouldable material comprises a composite of an injection-mouldable polymer and a ceramic filler.
Preferably the loss tangent of the polymer is equal or less than 0.010 (which corresponds to a Q of 100) and greater than or equal to 0.002 (which corresponds to a Q of 500) at 1 GHz. Preferably these characteristics are maintained for frequencies up to 2.5 GHz.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention an injection mouldable material comprises a composite of an injection-mouldable polymer and a filler having a dielectric constant of at least 9.
Thus the invention enables the production of devices requiring a high dielectric constant and low loss, which are light and capable of being injection moulded. Complex 3D structures may be constructed which may be plated, preferably using Moulded Interconnection Device (MID) technology.
The filler is chosen to have a high dielectric constant compared with the polymer and low dielectric loss. A dielectric constant in the range of 9-250 is contemplated for the filler.
The material has a relatively high dielectric constant which allows a reduction in the physical size of RF devices such as antennas. This has particular application to internal antennas where market forces are demanding ever smaller devices. In addition a material having a high dielectric constant allows better control of field patterns, thus making devices more directional and efficient. The low dissipation factors of the material also minimise the energy loss in the device structure and hence maximise the energy radiated.
Preferably the polymer is polyetherimide and the filler is a ceramic. Another particularly suitable polymer is SPS (synthiotactic polystyrene). These polymers are chosen for their good plate-ability characteristics.
The filler may have a dielectric constant of at least 9.8, preferably at least 30 or 100. Preferably the filler is Titanium, Ba—Ti or Alumina.
Advantageously the filler may comprise at least 10% by weight of the material and preferably at least 30% to 60% by weight of the material. Clearly the higher the percentage of the filler, the higher the dielectric constant of the composite material will be. The amount of filler which may be used is generally limited by the mechanical properties of the resulting material e.g. polyetherimide with more than 60% Titania may become too brittle or not suitable for injection moulding.
Devices formed of a material according to the invention are thus lighter than prior known devices formed from ceramic and may be formed into complex structures. The material is particularly suitable for the manufacture of antennas although it is suitable for many other high frequency applications.
In a further aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing a composite material comprises mixing a ceramic substance with an injection-mouldable polymer, heating the mixture and extruding the composite material.
Preferably the ceramic substance is in a powdered form and the polymer is in a granulated form.
In a yet further aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing a device comprises injection moulding material comprising a composite of an injection-mouldable polymer and a ceramic substance to form the device.
In a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided an antenna formed from a material comprising an injection mouldable polymer and a ceramic substance. Such an antenna is particularly suitable for use with portable communication devices, for example radio telephones, etc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows the dielectric constant of one embodiment of the material for differing percentages of Titania;
FIG. 2 shows an example of production apparatus for producing material according the invention;
FIG. 3 shows an example of injection moulding apparatus for use with material according to the invention;
FIG. 4 shows an example of a planar antenna formed of material according to the invention;
FIG. 5 shows an example of an antenna having a conductive filament disposed on a support formed of material according to the invention;
FIG. 6 shows an example of a helical antenna having a core formed of material according to the invention;
FIG. 7 shows another example of an injection moulded planar antenna;
FIG. 8 shows an example of an injection moulded antenna having a capacitive load; and
FIG. 9 shows an example of an injection moulded antenna having a protective shield at one edge of the antenna.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The material comprises a composite of an injection-mouldable polymer and a filler having a dielectric constant which is relatively high compared with that of the polymer. One embodiment of the material comprises a composite of polyetherimide and a ceramic. Polyetherimide is available from GE Plastics in the Netherlands under the brand name Ultem. Polyetherimide was chosen since it is an amorphous material which is readily platable. It has good dimensional stability (low creep and coefficient of thermal expansion), chemical resistance suitable for plating and is stable to high temperatures. In addition polyetherimide has a relatively high dielectric constant (2.9) and a low loss tangent (0.0025 at 1 GHz) for a polymer. Other injection mouldable polymers may be used.
The filler has a dielectric constant which is relatively high compared with that of the polymer. Table 1 shows the dielectric constant and loss tangent for four ceramics.
TABLE 1
Ceramic
Chemical Name
Dielectric constant
Loss tangent
DA-9
Alumina
9.8
0.0001
D-38
Ba—Ti
37.0
0.0005
D-8800
Ba—Ti
38.6
0.0002
D-100
Titania
100.0
0.0010
These ceramics are available from Trans-tech Inc of the USA. The ceramic is in the form of fully fired spherical powder having a 325 mesh (0.044mm) particle size.
Table 2 shows the resulting dielectric constant of the composite material for given loadings of the polymer with each of the four ceramics of Table 1.
TABLE 2
dielectric constant
By Weight
Filler
10%
15%
25%
30%
35%
60%
None
2.7
DA-9
3.20
3.50
3.76
4.38
D-38
3.22
3.89
4.05
6.93
D-8800
3.30
4.03
7.44
D-100
3.23
3.66
4.81
10.21
As can be seen from Table 2, when the ceramic makes up only 10% of the material, the dielectric constant of the composite material is significantly improved compared with the unloaded polymer. Clearly higher dielectric constants are achieved with higher percentages of the filler.
Table 3 shows the resulting dielectric loss of the composite material for a given loading of the material with each of the four ceramics of Table 1.
TABLE 3
loss tangent
By Weight
Filler
10%
30%
60%
None
0.0025
DA-9
0.0001
0.0007
D-38
0.0001
0.0008
0.0007
D-8800
0.0012
0.0008
0.0008
D-100
0.0007
0.0015
0.0030
Although loss figures are difficult to measure and may be inaccurate, overall the figures show a reduction in loss compared with the polymer itself. Testing at 1 MHz and 1 GHz gave similar results for both the dielectric constant and the loss.
The preferred composite tested was polyetherimide with 60% b.w Titania (D-100). FIG. 1 shows the expected dielectric constant of the composite material for different percentages (by weight) of Titania.
Plating tests were carried out on the resulting composite materials. Using standard plating processes, all composite materials plated successfully with varying levels of adhesion and surface appearance. The higher percentage filled materials showed the best adhesion.
Table 4 shows the density of the composite materials in g/cm 3 . The density of the ceramics themselves ranged between 4.0 and 4.7.
TABLE 4
density
By weight
Filler
10%
15%
25%
30%
35%
60%
Ultem
1.27
DA-9
1.39
1.63
1.70
2.18
D-38
1.40
1.58
1.65
2.27
D-8800
1.40
1.66
2.30
D-100
1.39
1.45
1.63
2.18
The material may be made using conventional kneading and extruding processes as shown in FIG. 2 . The polymer is introduced into a first kneading chamber 20 which breaks down the granular polymer into smaller particles. These are then passed into a second chamber 22 which heats and kneads the polymer into even smaller particles. The ceramic powder is then added into a third chamber 24 and the composite material is passed through three more chambers 25 , 26 , 27 where it is heated and kneaded to form an evenly distributed composite material which is then extruded as a bar of material through outlet 28 . The bar is then cooled. The composite material output from the apparatus of FIG. 2 may be processed further e.g. formed into portions of a size suitable for their intended use.
Other materials may be added, for instance into chamber 25 , to impart other desired mechanical properties to the material.
FIG. 3 shows an example of the injection moulding process. In this case, the composite material has been formed into chips. The composite is introduced via inlet 30 into an injection nozzle 32 . The powder is heated by heating element 33 and transferred to a mould 34 under pressure supplied by a piston 35 . The soft material in the cavity 36 of the mould cools rapidly and can be quickly ejected.
The material is suitable for any device requiring a high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss. It is particularly suitable for use in the manufacture of antennas, the high dielectric constant providing a closer near field. By increasing the dielectric constant of the material, which results in a reduced electrical length, smaller devices can be made.
The material has many potential applications. For example the material is particularly suitable for planar antennas (for instance as used in mobile portable telephones); 2D and 3D microwave and RF circuit boards; multichip technology; RF and microwave cables and couplings; loop, satellite and GPS antennas; and base station antennas. FIG. 4 shows an example of an injection moulded planar antenna 40 formed of material according to the invention.
The material may be used to form a supporting core for a helical antenna or for a flat linear antenna. FIG. 5 shows an example of an antenna having a conductive filament 50 disposed on a support 52 formed of material according to the invention. FIG. 6 shows an example of a helical antenna 60 having a core 62 formed of material according to the invention. Further examples of such antennas may be found in UK patent no. 1367232 and European patent application no. 0198578.
Owing to the injection-mouldable nature of the material, complex 3D structures can be produced e.g. to act as internal antennas. FIG. 7 shows an example of a planar antenna 70 (e.g. of the so-called PIF type). The antenna 70 comprises a moulded structure 72 which includes air pockets 74 . The combination of air 74 and material 72 allows a designer to change the effective dielectric constant of the antenna. Thus antennas may be of the same size but have different effective dielectric constants. This is particularly attractive to device manufacturers where a single casing may be used to house devices of differing capabilities.
FIG. 8 shows another example of an antenna in which the planar antenna 80 is moulded to have a capacitive load 82 at one end. This allows the resonant frequency of the antenna to be tuned.
The antenna structure may be moulded with a concentration of the material in a particular place. For instance, FIG. 9 shows an antenna 90 having a skirt 92 of the material around one end of the antenna to control and direct the radiation field of the antenna. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the radiation field is concentrated around the antenna and hence the amount of radiation from the antenna directed towards components to the left of the antenna as viewed in FIG. 9 is reduced.
By moulding the antenna and its structure from a high dielectric material it is possible to design the shape of the antenna to affect and control the radiation field patterns. This can be used to reduce the size of the antenna and the handset by reducing the effects of nearby components and absorptive structures. The high dielectric material increases the effective space between the antenna and nearby components, thereby allowing them to be brought closer together without detrimental effect.
The material may be used to form microwave or RF circuit boards. The material may also be used to mould RF and microwave cables and couplings either separately from or directly attached to circuit boards or enclosures. The material may also be used to form reduced-volume antennas for satellite, base station and GPS antennas.
The material may also be used to form devices such as dielectric resonators, filters etc.
Generally the material will find applications in most high frequency applications. The above examples are not intended to limit the applications for which the material of the invention is suitable. | An injection mouldable material and a method of making the material wherein the material comprises a mixture of an injection-mouldable polymer and a dielectric substance having a relatively high dielectric constant. The dielectric substance is preferably a ceramic. Such material is particularly suitable for the manufacture of planar antennas. The polymer preferably has a loss tangent equal to or less than 0.01 and greater than or equal to 0.002. | 7 |
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/470,902 filed Apr. 1, 2011.
There is a growing need in the internal combustion arts to improve engine longevity, reduce emissions and lessen dependence on fuels or raw materials from less stable trading partners. Modifications to currently available internal combustion engines are detailed below to accomplish some or all of these.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various example systems, methods, and so on that illustrates various example embodiments of aspects of the invention. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. An element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements in the drawings may not be to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary mixing block.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary mixing block.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a slider assembly.
FIG. 4 is bottom plan view taken along lines IV-IV of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 is top plan view taken along lines V-V of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 6 is top plan view of an exemplary mixing block.
FIG. 7 is a view of an internal combustion engine system.
FIG. 8 is a chart of cubic feet per hour hydrogen use at exemplary RPM's on a sample internal combustion engine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference to FIG. 1 , an exemplary hydrogen and air mixing block 100 is shown. The mixing block 100 may be machined, cast, injection molded or otherwise formed to comprise an air intake side 102 which may be configured for attachment with an air-filter (not shown) to reduce particle or other contaminant entry into the mixing block. The mixing block 100 may also comprise an engine intake side 104 configured for connection with a fuel/air intake of an internal combustion engine (not shown). A bore 106 is formed through the mixing block 100 between the air intake side 102 and the engine intake side 104 . Mixing block 100 additionally includes a gas inlet 108 for connection with a source of pressurized hydrogen gas. As will be more completely discussed below, the mixing block 100 may also include a hydrogen gas interrupter, in other words, a fuel shut off shown in FIG. 1 as an electrically controlled solenoid 110 .
With reference to FIG. 2 , a cross-sectional view of an exemplary mixing block 200 is shown. Formed within mixing block 200 is a slider chamber 202 shaped to accommodate a slider assembly (not shown) more completely described below. Slider chamber 202 extends from a first, top side 204 of the mixing block and continues partially through the mixing block body to intersect bore 206 that extends between the air intake side and the engine intake side. Connected to the top side 204 of the mixing block is a slider cap 208 . Slider cap 208 retains interior elements more completely discussed below and permits passage of a throttle cable through stay 210 threaded into slider cap 208 . Also formed within mixing block 200 is a jet chamber 212 shaped to accommodate a gas flow-control device (not shown) such as a shaped needle more completely described below. Jet chamber 212 connects the slider chamber 202 and a source of pressurized hydrogen gas and permits fluid communication therebetween.
With reference now to FIG. 3 , a slider assembly 300 is shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the slider assembly includes a biasing mechanism 310 such as a spring, a retainer 320 , a slider 330 , and a flow controller 340 such as a shaped needle. When installed in the mixing block, a first side 342 of biasing mechanism 310 is mechanically retained by a slider cap connected to the mixing block. Retainer 320 is disposed on a second side 344 of the biasing mechanism opposite the first side 342 . In the illustrated embodiment, retainer 320 includes a circumferential lip 346 to engage biasing mechanism at the second side 344 . Retainer 320 is further closely fitted into a retaining cavity 348 formed in slider 330 . In one embodiment, retainer 320 includes a lug 352 extending away from retainer and shaped for close fitting into a complementary receptacle (not shown) in the slider 330 . Flow controller 340 passes through the slider 330 and is connected to the retainer 320 at a flow controller connection 354 . Retainer 320 and flow controller 340 may be integrally made or connected by a clip, threads, and the like. The bias achieved causes the slider 330 to at least partially interrupt the bore between the air intake side and the engine intake side of the bore, reducing or preventing air from passing to the engine while also seating flow controller 340 in the jet chamber, reducing or preventing hydrogen from passing to the engine. In other embodiments, the slider 330 and complementary shaped slider chamber 202 and/or the bore 106 may be cylindrical as shown, rectangular, conical or other shapes and combinations of shapes capable of providing the desired function.
As best appreciated by reference to FIG. 4 , retainer 320 includes an interruption 410 extending partially radially inward and throughout the retainer body to permit a throttle cable to pass through the retainer. Retainer 320 also includes: lug 352 to engage the slider and retain the throttle cable; and a flow controller connection 354 .
As best appreciated by reference to FIG. 5 , slider 330 includes a throttle cable retainer 510 . In the illustrated embodiment, throttle cable retainer 510 comprises a key-hole shape to accept a cable-keeper end of a throttle cable. During installation, the cable end is inserted through the larger diameter side 520 and slid to the smaller side 530 to retain the cable end. Once positioned, the lug 352 on retainer 320 is fit into the larger diameter side 520 holding the cable in the slider.
Referring now to FIG. 6 , mixing block 600 may additionally include a fuel supply interlock system. In one embodiment, the fuel supply interlock system includes a source of electrical power 610 connected to a user switch 620 that may be user operated to place the system in a safe or in other words no electrical connectivity. User switch 620 can take the form of a toggle-type switch, a key, push button or other electrical circuit interrupters. The user switch 620 is connected in electrical series with a vacuum switch 630 . The vacuum switch 630 is disposed on the engine intake side of the mixing block and senses vacuum created when the internal combustion engine turns. When vacuum is sensed, the vacuum switch 630 closes establishing electrical connectivity through the switch. The vacuum switch 630 is connected in electrical series with solenoid 640 and in turn to ground completing the circuit. When energized, solenoid 640 operates to permit pressurized hydrogen gas into the mixing block 600 .
With reference to FIG. 7 , an internal combustion engine 700 includes a source of hydrogen 710 in fluid communication with a mixing block 720 . The mixing block sets the hydrogen/air calibration based on user input including a throttle 730 setting. The internal combustion engine further includes a crank output shaft or driver 740 that may be connected to any known and future varieties of machines 750 capable of being powered by an internal combustion engine including but not limited to a transmission to provide motive power to a vehicle, an alternator or generator to provide electrical power a battery system or electrically powered devices, or a pump for hydraulic or other fluid power devices. In another embodiment, a mixing block may include both an input for a source of hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline or diesel and a source of hydrogen fuel.
Experimental mixing blocks have been applied to multiple internal combustion engines and have accumulated over 400 hours of operation with a fuel source of industrial grade, commercially available hydrogen. Several examples are informative
EXAMPLE 1
6 Horsepower (HP) Engine Configured with High Pressure Washer
TABLE 1
Mixing Block,
Stock ICE
Mixing Block ICE
Modified ICE
Class:
Air Cooled Overhead
Air Cooled Overhead
Air Cooled Overhead
Cam, Chain Drive, ICE
Cam, Chain Drive, ICE
Cam, Chain Drive, ICE
Shaft:
Horizontal
Horizontal
Horizontal
Cylinders:
1
1
1
Displacement:
169
cc
169
cc
169 cc
Cycles:
4
4
4
Fuel:
Unleaded Gasoline
Hydrogen
Hydrogen
Max HP/RPM:
4.89/4000 (Gross HP)
2.0/4000 (Gross HP)
3.7/4000 (Gross HP)
Bore X Stroke:
67 × 48 (mm)
67 × 48 (mm)
67 × 48 (mm)
Compression:
9:1
9:1
10.2:1
Timing:
Factory set
Factory
Advanced
Governor
Centrifugal Flyweight
Centrifugal Flyweight
Centrifugal Flyweight
System:
Fuel System:
Carbureted Float
Mixing block
Mixing block
CO 2 Emissions:
13
PPM
0
PPM
Not measured**
O2 Emissions:
2.59
PPM
0
PPM
Not measured**
HC Emissions:
174
PPM
2
PPM*
Not measured**
NOX
706
PPM
38
PPM
Not measured**
Emissions:
CO Emissions:
2.94
PPM
0
PPM
Not measured**
*particulate detected believed to be lubrication oil breakdown
**not believed to materially differ from unmodified mixing block
In the column labeled “Mixing Block ICE,” changes are shown from the stock ICE. Aside from replacing the carburetor with a mixing block, another change from stock was to increase the gap on the spark plug called for by the manufacturer. In this case, we doubled the gap. Additionally, we used a regulator to regulate the pressure from the commercial hydrogen tank (approximately 2200 psi) down to working pressure (about 5 psi). As is seen, there was a slight reduction in observed horse-power in the mixing block modified ICE. In the third column, namely, “Modified Mixing Block ICE,” other modifications were made to improve performance. Specifically, the compression ratio was increased to 10.2:1 through a piston and head change and the timing was advanced by 2 degrees. These changes were able to increase observed horsepower by 1.5 HP. We believe that increasing the compression ratio to 14:1 will further increase observed horsepower.
EXAMPLE 2
7.5 HP Engine Configured with Rototiller
TABLE 2
Stock ICE
Mixing Block, Modified ICE
Class:
Air Cooled Overhead
Air Cooled Overhead
Cam, Chain Drive,
Cam, Chain Drive,
Gasoline Engine
Gasoline Engine
Shaft:
Horizontal
Horizontal
Cylinders:
1
1
Displacement:
211
cc
211
cc
Cycles:
4
4
Fuel:
Unleaded Gasoline
Hydrogen
Max HP/RPM:
5.1/4000 (Gross HP)
To be determined
Bore X Stroke:
67 × 60 (mm)
67 × 60 (mm)
Compression:
8.5:1
10.2:1
Timing:
Factory set
Advanced
Governor
Centrifugal
Centrifugal
System:
Flyweight
Flyweight
Fuel System:
Throttle Body -
Mixing block
Electronic Fuel
Injection
CO 2 Emissions:
13.2
PPM
0
PPM
O2 Emissions:
1.35
PPM
0
PPM
HC Emissions:
149
PPM
1
PPM*
NOX
426
PPM
26
PPM
Emissions:
CO Emissions:
2.38
PPM
0
PPM
*particulate detected believed to be lubrication oil breakdown
EXAMPLE 3
8 HP Engine Configured with Generator
TABLE 3
Stock ICE
Mixing Block ICE
Class:
Air Cooled Overhead Cam,
Air Cooled Overhead Cam,
Chain Drive, Gasoline
Chain Drive, Gasoline
Engine
Engine
Shaft:
Horizontal
Horizontal
Cylinders:
1
1
Displacement:
305 cc
305 cc
Cycles:
4
4
Fuel:
Unleaded Gasoline
Hydrogen
Max HP/RPM:
5.1/4000 (Gross HP)
To be determined
Bore X Stroke:
3.12 × 2.44 (in.)
3.12 × 2.44 (in.)
Compression:
8.5:1
8.5:1
Governor
Centrifugal Flyweight
Centrifugal Flyweight
System:
Fuel System:
Carbureted Float
Mixing block
EXAMPLE 4
13.5 HP Engine Configured with Garden Tractor
TABLE 4
Stock ICE
Mixing Block ICE
Class:
Air Cooled Gasoline
Air Cooled Gasoline
Engine
Engine
Shaft:
Vertical
Vertical
Cylinders:
1
1
Displacement:
405 cc
405 cc
Cycles:
4
4
Fuel:
Unleaded Gasoline
Hydrogen
Max HP/RPM:
12/3600
To be determined
Bore X Stroke:
3.43 × 2.66 (in.)
3.43 × 2.66 (in.)
Compression:
8.5:1
8.5:1
Governor
Centrifugal Flyweight
Centrifugal Flyweight
System:
Fuel System:
Carbureted Float
Mixing block
EXAMPLE 5
13 HP Engine Configured with EZ-Go 6 Passenger Shuttle
TABLE 5
Stock ICE
Mixing Block ICE
Class:
Air Cooled Gasoline
Air Cooled Gasoline
Engine
Engine
Shaft:
Horizontal
Horizontal
Cylinders:
1
1
Displacement:
401 cc
401 cc
Cycles:
4
4
Fuel:
Unleaded Gasoline
Hydrogen
Max HP/RPM:
13/3600
To be determined
Bore X Stroke:
3.43 × 2.66 (in.)
3.43 × 2.66 (in.)
(87 × 67 mm)
(87 × 67 mm)
Compression:
8.4:1
8.4:1
Governor
Centrifugal Flyweight
Centrifugal Flyweight
System:
Fuel System:
Carbureted
Mixing block
With reference to FIG. 8 , hydrogen usage at two exemplary RPM settings, 1200 and 3100 are shown with corresponding fuel consumption measured in cubic feet hydrogen per hour. At 9:1 compression the internal combustion engine used 29.5 cubic feet of hydrogen/hour at an idle set at about 1200 RPM. At a sample working speed of 3100 RPM, the engine used about 40.0 cubic feet of hydrogen/hour. Significant fuel economy was achieved by increasing the compression of the internal combustion engine to 10.2:1. For example, at the selected idle speed 1200 RPM the engine used about 18.0 cubic feet of hydrogen/hour, and at the selected working speed 3100 RPM the engine used about 28.5 cubic feet of hydrogen/hour. We expect further significant fuel economy will be achieved at higher compression ratios.
While the systems, methods, and so on have been illustrated by describing examples, and while the examples have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the systems, methods, and so on provided herein. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the specific details, the representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicants' general inventive concept. Thus, this application is intended to embrace alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, the preceding description is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, “connection” or “connected” means both directly, that is, without other intervening elements or components, and indirectly, that is, with another component or components arranged between the items identified or described as being connected. To the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is employed in the detailed description or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as that term is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “or” is employed in the claims (e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both”. When the applicants intend to indicate “only A or B but not both” then the term “only A or B but not both” will be employed. Similarly, when the applicants intend to indicate “one and only one” of A, B, or C, the applicants will employ the phrase “one and only one”. Thus, use of the term “or” herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use. See, Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 624 (2d. Ed. 1995). | A mixing block to supply a throttle-able hydrogen and air mixture to an internal combustion engine includes a bore through the mixing block between an air intake side and an engine intake side. A slider chamber is disposed orthogonal to and intersecting the bore, where the slider chamber houses a movable slider biased to at least partially block the bore but throttle-able to overcome the bias and reduce blockage of the bore. A jet chamber is disposed parallel to and intersecting the slider chamber and extending away from the slider chamber a distance sufficient to accommodate a shaped needle, where the needle is connected to the slider on one side such that the needle moves within the jet chamber as the slider moves in the slider chamber. | 5 |
RELATED APPLICATION
This is a division of application Ser. No. 928,090, filed Nov. 7, 1986 now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,221.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to cleaning silos for storing particulate materials where the storing and delivering capacity of the silo is impeded by cohesive masses of the particles within the silo.
In general, silos are typified by coal silos and coal silos are described in the publication AF-791 "Coal Preparation for Combustion and Conversion" (prepared for Electric Power Research Company, May 1978) as follows:
"Coal storage silos are constructed of either steel or concrete although, in the large sizes, steel structures have not proven as economical as concrete. Small concrete silos are built up of precast staves banded together with wire hoops; large silos are constructed of continuously poured concrete using the slipdown technique.
The dimensions of concrete silos have responded to demands for larger capacities and to developments in the state of the art in construction techniques. Silo heights of two to three times the silo diameter are generally found most economical. Capacity of a 70 ft silo, depending on its height, is 10,000 to 15,000 tons. Its installed cost ranges from $100 to $200/ton of storage capacity, . . . Early designs of concrete silos provided rather simple coal drawdown methods. A system of seven gates works well enough with most clean coals, except for occasional rat-holing, i.e., a narrow withdrawal funnel down through the center line of each gate. At other times, coals may bridge over the gate openings, causing flow to become erratic or to halt completely. Preferred designs incorporate the mass or plug flow principle through the use of multiple hoppers having sides sloping upwards at up to 70 degrees, with inlet openings up to 18 ft in diameter and outlet openings as large as practical or rectangular."
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cleaning a silo in which particular solids have formed cohesive masses. At least one flexible hose is connected to a mace. The mace body is arranged to have a density exceeding that of the material in the silo. The peripheral surfaces of the mace are preferably composed of spark-resistant material where the solid particles or dust in the silo may be or become explosive. The hose connected to the mace is extended downward from an upper portion of the silo so that the mace is supported by the hose at a depth at least near that of a cohesive mass of the silo contents. A gas which is relatively inert to the material in the silo is pumped through the hose at a pressure and rate such that the mace is pneumatically driven into a swinging and writhing motion that moves it into and out of contact with cohesive masses encountered along a segment of the interior of the silo. At least one such mace is disposed and operated in positions such that substantially all of the cohesive masses within the silo are disrupted into masses of relatively free-flowing particles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a silo containing a gas powered mace of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a particularly preferred embodiment of a mace of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Applicants discovered that a process of cleaning a silo with a gas powered mace can be highly effective if--but only if--the components and functions of the mace and the powering of it are tailored to the properties of the materials being treated. Maces, mace supporting hoses and mace powering gas flows, of different sizes and configurations have been tested in the cleaning of coal silos. In the cleaning of a 13,000-ton coal silo containing a typical accumulation of cohesive masses of coal which impeded its operation, the application of a series of pneumatically powered "robots" (of proprietary design, which was kept secret) cleaned (i.e., freed-up and removed) coal at a rate of 16 tons in 24 hours (or about 0.67 tons per hour). In contrast, in cleaning a similarly impeded silo with two gas powered maces of the present invention, the coal was cleaned at a rate 1800 tons in 20 hours (or about 90 tons per hour).
FIG. 1 shows a coal silo 1 having a coal buildup 2 comprising a relatively cohesive mass of coal particles. A gas supply hose 3, such as a 1-inch heavy duty air hose, is connected between a mace 4 and a source of highly pressurized inert gas such as air compressor 5.
The hose 3 is extended downward from an upper portion of the silo and temporarily fastened near the top at a location such as point 6, so that the hose supports the mace at a depth at least near the coal buildup 2. A safety chain or cable 3a is preferably attached between the hose and mace, in case the hose coupling should fail.
FIG. 2 illustrates the details of a particularly preferred embodiment of the present type of mace, which weighs about 5.5 pounds. A gas hose connection 7, such as a 1-inch Chicago pneumatic UM-75-M or equal Gladhand type air hose connection with safety pin is provided at the top of a tubular body. The hose connection 7 is attached, preferably by welds and threads, to a bushing 8 such as a 11/2-inch by 1-inch National Pipethread bushing. The bushing 8 is similarly connected to a coupling 9, such as a 11/2-inch National Pipethread coupling. The coupling 9 is similarly connected to a pipe nipple 10, such as a 11/2-inch by 6-inch National Pipethread nipple. The pipe nipple 10 is similarly connected to a pipe cap 11, such as a 11/2-inch National Pipethread cap.
Preferably, a single laterally disposed gas discharge port 12 is provided in the side of the pipe cap 11. The port or ports are preferably sized and arranged to provide a total flow equivalent to a flow of air through a 7/16-inch hole in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the hose and mace.
The projections 13 of the mace 4 preferably comprise three triangular flat plates which are equally spaced with their longest sides aligned axially along the pipe nipple 10, such as 11/4×4×21/2-inch AR grade iron plate, welded to the nipple 10. Each of the most exposed peripheral surfaces of the mace 4 are at least coated with a spark-resistant facing 14, such as a brass facing. The mace can be constructed entirely of brass, bronze or other spark-resistant material.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, different configurations of the mace and its projections (and, for treating coal or other potentially explosive materials, spark-resistant outer surfaces) can suitably be employed. The density of the mace with its interior filled with gas preferably exceeds the density of the material in the silo to be cleaned to an extent such that the mace tends to sink within at least a non-coherent mass of particles of that material. To further this, the projections on the mace should have outer surfaces which are preferably generally rounded to enhance such a penetration.
In general, the mace preferably comprises an elongated body containing a central gas conduit and a gas exhaust port directed perpendicularly to its long axis. At least two projections on the mace are preferably oriented so that the lateral force of gas exhausting through the port or ports is directed generally perpendicular to the planes of those projections. Preferably, this is accomplished by employing at least three substantially equally spaced projections with a single exhaust port between a pair of projections, so that substantially any lateral thrust of the mace body moves it generally perpendicular to the planes of at least two projections.
The following outlines a particularly preferred procedure for cleaning a coal silo in accordance with the present invention:
1. Rig up three high volume air compressors with 150 psi capability. Run three individual lines (high strength) to the top of the silo and down to the point of the highest material buildup near the edge of the silo.
2. Connect the mace on the end of each air line and hook up a safety catch bridal and duct tape the air connection.
3. Fasten the air hose to the silo railing to suspend the mace.
4. Turn on a conveyor system for removing material from the silo and start the air compressors.
5. Whenever one of the air lines stops jumping or the air escape becomes steady the mace is stuck or covered with coal. Pick up on the hose until it again starts to jump then lower back down.
6. When the mace starts hitting the concrete silo wall or steel liner lower the air hose. Move each of the units around the silo to the extent required to get fairly even removal of coal buildup.
7. Monitor the material being removed from the silo, for example, by means of a belt scale. This also gives an indication as to when a mace may need to be lowered or moved.
8. After a significant amount of material has been removed, an inspection door can be opened to give a better indication of where each mace should be placed. Use the inspection door to determine when all buildup has been removed.
Tests have indicated that such a procedure can be done on a 70 ft. silo with over 2000 tons of buildup in less than 20 hours without the use of water; and no mess or extra cleanup is generated.
Tested Alternatives
The effectiveness of the following arrangements were compared with the above-described preferred embodiment of the present invention for cleaning a coal silo.
Similarly shaped maces made with longer bodies, or made of thicker pipe, or having weights about one-half to two times greater than 5.5 pounds, were found to be much less efficient. A spinning arrangement of flail-like chains on a bearing-mounted body tended to stop spinning and cleaning about as soon as it contacted a coherent mass of coal. Operating a mace with about the above shape and weight, but with a pipe nipple connected above the mace resulted in relatively quickly breaking the pipe nipple.
Suitable Compositions and Procedures
In general, the present invention is applicable to cleaning substantially any silo which contains a particulate material having a tendency to form cohesive masses impeding the performance of the silo. Examples of such silos include those for storing mined out oil shale, sulfur, uranium ore, trona, etc.
The density and size of the mace should be correlated relative to the density of the material in the silo to be cleaned and the strength of the cohesion with which such particles are bound into a cohesive mass. Basically, the mace should be capable of readily penetrating into a non-cohesive mass of such particles.
The mace-supporting flexible hose and the pressure and rate of flow of gas through the hose should be correlated with the weight of the mace so that when the mace is immersed within a noncohesive mass of particles, the gas flow tends to be driven upward and out of the mass of particles and into swinging and writhing and jumping movements within the silo. A preferred arrangement for use in coal silos comprises a combination of a flexible air hose having an inner diameter of about 1 to 1.25 inches with air flowed through the hose at a pressure of about 90 to 120 psi, where the hose length is at least about 50 feet and the air is exhausted through an outlet opening of about 1/4th to 5/8ths-inch in diameter and a mace of the type shown in the drawing weighing about 3 to 8 pounds. | A silo which is impeded by a mass of cohering particles is cleaned by the disclosed apparatus by extending at least one flexible tube connected to a mace into the silo to near the coherent mass and flowing gas through the tube and mace at a rate and pressure causing swinging and writhing movements by the mace and tube. | 1 |
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to fire protection sprinklers, and more particularly to a fire protection sprinkler having a sprinkler skipping shield with improved airflow.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
[0002] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
[0003] Sprinkler skipping is a behavior that is sometimes exhibited by an array of sprinklers during a full scale fire. Typically, a fire will initially set off one to four sprinklers in quick succession depending where the ignition source is in relation to the sprinkler array. These first few activations are usually defined as the first ring of activated sprinklers. As hot gas from the fire spreads radially outward from the center, the hot gas comes in contact with the second ring of sprinklers. The second ring of sprinklers are radially adjacent to the first ring. The next consecutive/adjacent ring would be the third ring, and the next would be the fourth ring and so on. Sprinkler skipping occurs when a sprinkler in the third or fourth ring operates before a sprinkler in the second ring. In more general terms, skipping is when a non-activated sprinkler adjacent to a flowing sprinkler fails to operate before sprinklers that are farther away from the heat source. This behavior results in the sprinkler array not performing to its highest efficiency.
[0004] Some members of the fire protection industry have concluded that water impingement is the cause of sprinkler skipping. Water impingement is defined as (1) water flow from an activated sprinkler to an adjacent sprinkler; or (2) water droplets carried by the fire plume on to an adjacent sprinkler and impinging on that sprinklers thermal element. The water impingement absorbs heat from the thermal element preventing or retarding its activation (the water keeps the thermal element below its operating temperature).
[0005] In order to prevent water impingement, it has been proposed that a shield be installed such that water traveling from a flowing sprinkler or water carried by the fire plume will not strike the thermal element of an adjacent sprinkler. This, in theory, prevents the thermal element from becoming wetted, thereby preventing skipping. The shield that has been proposed is of a solid cylindrical construction.
[0006] There is some concern that the response time of the thermal element will be impeded by the skipping shield. The impeded response time can negatively impact the performance of a sprinkler in a fire and in a “Response Time Index” plunge oven test. Both of these tests are important to the performance of the sprinkler in terms of gaining Approvals and Listings.
[0007] The present disclosure provides improvements to the design of the skipping shield to reduce the negative impact that the shield has on the thermal response of the sprinkler. By adding holes, slots, louvers, or mesh to the skipping shield, water from the flowing head can still be blocked from impinging on the thermal element. The improved shield will block water from impinging on the heat responsive element but will allow hot gas from the fire to flow through the shield thereby improving the response time of the thermal element.
[0008] The present disclosure also provides a geometrical shape other than the cylindrical shape. The improved geometrical shape is designed in such a fashion to encourage laminar or turbulent gas flow around the shield and onto the thermal element of the sprinkler. The shape is made such that water impinges on the shield, yet provides improvement to the airflow that lowers the response time index as compared to that of previous skipping shield designs.
[0009] The present disclosure also includes the combination of holes, slots, louver, or mesh with a geometric shape that promotes improved air flow around the thermal element.
[0010] Compared to previously proposed skipping shield designs, the improved skipping shield will yield better sprinkler performance in fires by enhancing the response time. The improved skipping shield will also reduce the RTI (Response Time Index) when tested in a plunge oven.
[0011] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
DRAWINGS
[0012] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fire protection sprinkler according to the principles of the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a side view of the fire protection sprinkler of FIG. 1 ;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a fire protection sprinkler with the shield removed;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a side view of the fire protection sprinkler of FIG. 3 ;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the skipping shield shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a top view of the skipping shield shown in FIG. 5 ;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative skipping shield;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a side view of the skipping shield shown in FIG. 7 ;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9 - 9 of FIG. 8 ;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a top view of the skipping shield shown in FIG. 7 ;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a further alternative skipping shield;
[0024] FIG. 12 is a side view of the skipping shield shown in FIG. 11 ;
[0025] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13 - 13 of FIG. 12 ;
[0026] FIG. 14 is a top view of the skipping shield shown in FIG. 11 ;
[0027] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a still further alternative skipping shield;
[0028] FIG. 16 is a side view of the skipping shield shown in FIG. 15 ;
[0029] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 17 - 17 of FIG. 16 ;
[0030] FIG. 18 is a top view of the skipping shield shown in FIG. 15 ; and
[0031] FIG. 19 is a side view of an upright fire protection sprinkler having a skipping shield according to the principles of the present disclosure.
[0032] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
[0034] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
[0035] When an element or layer is referred to as being “on”, “engaged to”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to”, “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).
[0036] Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
[0037] With reference to FIGS. 1-6 , a fire protection sprinkler 10 according to the principles of the present disclosure will now be described. The fire protection sprinkler 10 includes a body 12 including a fluid passage 14 extending therethrough. The sprinkler 10 can be an upright or pendent sprinkler. A pair of frame arms 16 , can extend from the body 12 and converge at an apex 18 . A deflector 20 can be mounted to the apex 18 . A plug assembly 22 can be disposed in the outlet end 24 of the fluid passage 14 . A heat responsive trigger assembly 26 or other head responsive unit can be utilized for supporting the plug assembly 22 in the outlet of the fluid passage 14 . As illustrated, the heat responsive trigger assembly 26 can include a support strut 28 , a trigger arm 30 and a heat responsive soldered link 32 . A set screw 34 can be provided in the apex 18 for engaging the heat responsive trigger assembly 26 in an assembled condition. It should be noted that other heat responsive units can be utilized including glass bulb and other types of heat responsive triggers.
[0038] The sprinkler body 12 can be provided with any discharge K factor for a desired application. The heat responsive trigger assembly 26 can have any desired response temperature rating and the sprinkler 10 can be designed to have any desired response time index (RTI) for a desired application.
[0039] A shield 40 is mounted to the sprinkler body 12 and can include an interior hub portion 42 which can optionally be threadedly engaged with the external threads on the sprinkler body 12 . The shield can be mounted to sprinkler body 12 via the frame arms, via the deflector, or via other exterior structure such as a supply piping or other ceiling structures. A plurality of radial spokes 44 can extend from the hub portion 42 for supporting the shield body 46 . The spokes 44 can include spaces therebetween to facilitate airflow therebetween. The shield body can include a cylindrical wall portion 48 . The wall portion 48 can have other shapes such as cone shaped and sphere shaped, and can be ellipse, square or rectangle in cross-section and can include continuous or discontinuous wall sections. The shield body 48 can include a plurality of louvers 50 that allow air flow through the shield body 46 . The louvers 50 can include an inwardly bent portion 50 a that define air passages 52 that allow heated air from a fire to enter the shield 40 while the shield serves to prevent water droplets from entering the shield and contacting the heat responsive trigger assembly 26 . It is noted that the louvers 50 can extend around a majority of the shield and the louvers 50 can be connected by one or more web portion 54 . The louvers can be vertical or horizontal in an assembled condition. The spaces 52 between louvers 50 can be between 0.01 and 1 inch, and more specifically between 0.02 and 0.5 inches. The shield 40 can be formed in a generally cup-shape and the openings between the spokes 44 additionally provide for air circulation into and out of the shield body 46 .
[0040] With reference to FIGS. 7-10 , an alternative shield arrangement 140 is provided wherein the shield body 146 is provided with a plurality of slots 148 which can extend around a majority of the shield body 146 . As shown in FIGS. 7-10 , the shield body 146 can be cylindrical in form, cone shaped, and spherical shaped and can be elliptical, rectangular, square in cross-section, or can include other geometric shapes. The slots 148 can be horizontal or vertical and can have a width between 0.01 inches and 1 inch, and more specifically between 0.01 and 0.5 inches. The slots 148 and the shield body 146 allow air flow through the shield 140 so as to allow rapid response to a fire while still protecting the heat responsive trigger assembly from water droplets from adjacent sprinkler heads.
[0041] With reference to FIGS. 11-14 , a further alternative embodiment of the shield 240 is shown including a shield body 246 includes a plurality of holes 248 extending therethrough. The holes 248 can be round, square, rectangular, oval or other geometric shapes. The holes can have a diameter from between 0.002 inches to 1 inch, and more specifically from 0.002 to 0.5 inches, depending upon the spacing therebetween. The plurality of holes 248 allow airflow through the shield while blocking water droplets from engaging the heat responsive trigger assembly. As a still further alternative, the shield body 246 can be formed by a mesh.
[0042] With reference to FIGS. 15-18 , a generally bulb-shaped shield 340 is shown as an alternative shield geometry. The bulb-shaped shield 340 can include a partially spherical body, or alternatively, cone shaped upper and lower wall section 346 , 348 that are supported by spokes 344 which extend radially outward from a central hub 342 . It should be understood that the shield 340 can further include holes, slots, louvers or mesh (as described above) to further facilitate air flow through the shield into the heat responsive trigger assembly.
[0043] With reference to FIG. 19 , it is noted that the shield designs disclosed herein can be utilized with an upright sprinkler 410 as shown. The shield design can be arranged so as not to affect the water distribution pattern of the sprinkler 410 .
[0044] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. | A fire protection sprinkler is provided with a skipping shield having air flow passages therethrough to reduce the negative impact that the shield has on the thermal response of the sprinkler. By providing holes, slots, louvers, or mesh to the skipping shield, water from adjacent flowing sprinklers can still be blocked from impinging on the thermal element. The shield will block water but allow hot gas from the fire to flow through the shield thereby improving the response time of the thermal element. | 0 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/971,336, filed on 20 Aug. 2013 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,200,398 on 1 Dec. 2015), which is a nonprovisional patent application of and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/691,140, filed 20 Aug. 2012; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/765,484, filed 15 Feb. 2013; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/818,882, filed 2 May 2013, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/971,336, filed on 20 Aug. 2013; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/691,140, filed 20 Aug. 2012; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/765,484, filed 15 Feb. 2013; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/818,882, filed 2 May 2013, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, is hereby claimed.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to continuous batch washers or tunnel washers. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method of washing textiles or fabric articles (e.g., clothing, linen) in a continuous batch multiple module tunnel washer wherein the textiles are moved sequentially from one module to the next module and wherein one or more modules have conductivity sensors that monitor water conductivity. Water is selectively transferred in order to maintain water conductivity to within a pre-selected acceptable range which aids in proper ironing of textile articles.
2. General Background of the Invention
Currently, washing in a commercial environment is conducted with a continuous batch tunnel washer. Such continuous batch tunnel washers are known (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,237) and are commercially available (www.milnor.com). Continuous batch washers have multiple sectors, zones, stages, or modules including for example, pre-wash, wash, rinse and finishing zone.
Commercial continuous batch washing machines in some cases utilize a constant counterflow of liquor. Such machines are followed by a centrifugal extractor or mechanical press for removing most of the liquor from the goods before the goods are dried. Some machines carry the liquor with the goods throughout the particular zone or zones.
When a counterflow is used in the prior art, there is counterflow during the entire time that the fabric articles or textiles are in the main wash module zone. This practice dilutes the washing chemical and reduces its effectiveness.
A final rinse with a continuous batch washer has been performed using a centrifugal extractor or mechanical press. A problem occurs in prior art systems when the water that is used for the press has a conductivity that exceeds a preset limit (for example, about 1,000 microsiemens) above incoming fresh water. In such a case, the press water with excessive conductivity can cause the linen to stick to ironing implements such as an ironer roll that rests upon a chest. Without proper rinsing with water having proper conductivity, the linen can stick on the chest part of the ironer roll.
Patents have issued that are directed to batch washers or tunnel washers. The following table provides examples of such patented tunnel washers, each listed patent of the table being hereby incorporated herein by reference.
TABLE
ISSUE DATE
PAT. NO.
TITLE
MM-DD-YYYY
4,236,393
Continuous tunnel batch washer
12-02-1980
4,485,509
Continuous batch type washing machine
12-04-1984
and method for operating same
4,522,046
Continuous batch laundry system
06-11-1985
5,211,039
Continuous batch type washing machine
05-18-1993
5,454,237
Continuous batch type washing machine
10-03-1995
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved method of washing fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer. The method includes providing a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, a plurality of modules, and a volume of liquid.
The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus for washing or laundering items in a continuous batch or tunnel washer. The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus for laundering articles in a continuous batch or tunnel washer that also employs an extractor such as a centrifuge or press, solving a problem that results in a sticking or adherence of the linen to the chest of an ironer roll because of improper conductivity of the water.
The present invention provides a tunnel washer or continuous batch washer that employs conductivity sensors located in one or more positions such as for example the press tank, incoming fresh water stream, and “pulse flow” tank.
In one embodiment, the maximum conductivity range of the press water is compared to incoming fresh water.
In one embodiment, the maximum conductivity range of the pulse flow tank water is compared to incoming fresh water.
In one embodiment, if the press water conductivity exceeds a preset limit (for example, 1,000 microsiemens above incoming fresh water), the fresh water then flows from one of the modules (for example, the last module) into the press tank such as for example during a “pulse flow” or higher velocity flow time of a transfer cycle.
In this manner, the conductivity of the press water will be adjusted (e.g., lowered) back to a pre-programmed, pre-selected acceptable range. The present invention thus corrects a problem before the pulse flow tank can reach a conductivity that is beyond a desired or selected range.
With the present invention, if an upset condition occurs in the pulse flow tank (i.e., exceeding its programmed range), a drain valve can be used to discharge water flow directly into the tank to correct the upset condition.
An alternate method provides an “empty pocket” that is inserted into a module such as module 1 (e.g., first module) with the drain open. The “empty pocket” is simply a module that is purposefully not filled with fabric articles (e.g. linen, clothing, or the like). Water from a pump counter flows from one of the later modules (e.g. module 8 ) to sewer through the first module drain. Upon the next transfer of fabric articles to the next downstream module, the “empty pocket” advances to second module, then to the third module and so forth. For an eight module washer, the empty pocket will initially be the first module or module 1 . The empty pocket then moves to the second module or module 2 . The empty pocket then moves in sequence to module three, then module 4 , then module 5 then module 6 then module 7 and finally module 8 is the empty pocket. In each module that is the empty pocket, the water from the pump is diverted to sewer. This method recovers the over conductivity measured in the press water faster because the free water that has too high a conductivity in the pulse flow zone is cleared faster by diverting the pulse flow water into the advancing “empty pocket” that has no clothing, linen, or fabric articles. This alternate method minimizes the time out of range conductivity by about 40 to 50% (one method requires 6 to 10 transfers to clear the conductivity error whereas the alternate method only requires 2 to 6 transfers).
The present invention includes a method of washing fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer. The method can provide a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, a plurality of modules, and a volume of liquid. The fabric articles can be moved from the intake to the modules and then to the discharge in sequence. A washing chemical can be added to the volume of liquid. The fabric articles can be discharged after to an extractor that removes excess water from the fabric articles, discharging said excess water to a press water tank. An ironer can be provided that receives fabric articles. Conductivity can be monitored of fluid in at least one of the modules. Conductivity can be monitored of fluid in the press water tank. Water can be added to one or more modules if the conductivity of water in the press water tank exceeds a threshold value so that the fabric articles to be ironed hold only water with a conductivity that is within an acceptable conductivity range.
In one embodiment, the extractor can be a press.
In one embodiment, the extractor can be a centrifuge.
In one embodiment, the threshold value can be about 1000 micro Siemens per centimeter.
In one embodiment, the threshold value can be between about 100 micro Siemens and 1000 micro Siemens above the conductivity value of the incoming or available water or source water.
In one embodiment, the invention further includes the step of after a selected time period, counter flowing a rinsing liquid along a flow path that can be generally opposite the direction of travel of the fabric articles.
In one embodiment, the water added can be a fresh influent water stream.
The present invention includes a method of washing and drying fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer and ironer. The method can provide a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, and a plurality of modules that segment the interior. The fabric articles can be moved from the intake to the discharge. A washing chemical can be added to one or more of the modules. The fabric articles can be discharged. A source of fresh, make-up water can be provided. Conductivity can be monitored of fluid in at least one of the modules. Conductivity can be monitored of fluid in the discharged fabric articles. Make-up water can be added to one or more modules if the conductivity of water in the discharged fabric articles exceeds a threshold value.
In one embodiment, the present invention further includes the step of extracting water from the fabric articles, the extracted water can be monitored for said conductivity to provide the value of conductivity for the discharged fabric articles.
In one embodiment, the threshold value is at least about 100 micro Siemens above the conductivity value of the incoming or available water or source water.
In one embodiment, the present invention further includes maintaining the conductivity of the water in the discharged fabric articles to a value of between about between about 100 micro Siemens and about 1000 micro Siemens above the conductivity value of the incoming or available water or source water.
The present invention includes a method of washing fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer. The method provides a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, and a plurality of modules that segment the interior and wherein one of the modules is an empty pocket that is drained of water. Fabric articles can be moved from the intake to the discharge and through the modules in sequence. A washing chemical can be added to one or more of the modules. The fabric articles can be rinsed by counter flowing liquid in the washer interior along a flow path that is generally opposite the direction of travel of the fabric articles, wherein one of the modules defines and empty pocket that is drained of water during this step, wherein one of the modules can be an empty pocket that is drained of fluid during such rinsing with counterflowing liquid. Wherein one of the modules can be an empty pocket that is drained of fluid.
In one embodiment, one of the modules can be an empty pocket that is drained of fluid and that does not have any fabric articles such as linens.
In one embodiment, the invention further comprises extracting excess fluid from the fabric articles.
In one embodiment, the empty pocket is moved from an upstream location to a downstream location. For example, for an eight module washer, the empty pocket moves from the first module at the intake end of the washer and then to modules 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 in sequence.
In one embodiment, the empty pocket separates white fabric articles from non-white fabric articles.
In one embodiment, the empty pocket separates white fabric articles from colored fabric articles.
In one embodiment, the empty pocket separates higher temperature modules from lower temperature modules.
The present invention includes a method of laundering fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer. The method can provide a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, and a plurality of modules that segment the interior. Fabric articles can be moved in a first direction of travel from the intake to the discharge. The fabric articles can be washed with a chemical bath in one or more of said modules. The fabric articles can then be rinsed. An empty pocket can be provided in one or more of said modules that is drained of fluid. Wherein the empty pocket is moved in a direction from the intake towards the discharge. Liquid can be counterflowed in the washer during the step of rinsing the fabric.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a method of washing fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer, comprising the steps of: a) providing a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, and a plurality of modules that segment the interior and wherein one of the modules is an empty pocket that is drained of water, said modules including a first module next to the intake and a final module next to the discharge; b) moving the fabric articles from the intake to the discharge and through the modules in a sequence beginning with the first module and ending with the final module; c) adding a washing chemical to one or more of the modules; d) rinsing the fabric articles by counter flowing liquid in the washer interior along a flow path that is generally opposite the direction of travel of the fabric articles in steps “b” and “c”; e) wherein one of the modules defines an empty pocket module that is drained of fluid during step “d”; and f) wherein the modules that are not empty pocket modules contain both fabric articles and fluid.
In another embodiment, the method of the present invention further comprises extracting excess fluid from the fabric articles after step “e”. In one embodiment, the empty pocket is moved from an upstream location to a downstream location.
In another embodiment of the method of the present invention, the empty pocket separates white fabric articles from non-white fabric articles, and in another embodiment, the empty pocket separates white fabric articles from colored fabric articles. In another embodiment, the empty pocket separates higher temperature modules from lower temperature modules.
In another embodiment of the method of the present invention, there are multiple different counterflow streams in step “d”. In one embodiment, one counterflow stream in step “d” rinses white fabric articles and another counterflow stream rinses the non-white fabric articles. In one embodiment, one counterflow stream in step “d” rinses white fabric articles and another counterflow stream rinses colored articles. In another embodiment one counterflow stream rinses higher temperature modules and another counterflow stream rinses lower temperature modules.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a method of laundering fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer, comprising the steps of: a) providing a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, and a plurality of modules that segment the interior; b) moving the fabric articles and fluid in a first direction of travel from the intake to the discharge; c) washing the fabric articles with a chemical bath in one or more of said modules; d) rinsing the fabric articles after step “c”; e) providing an empty pocket in one or more of said modules that is drained of fluid; f) wherein the empty pocket is moved from one module to the next module in sequence, and in a direction from the intake towards the discharge; and g) counterflowing liquid in the washer during step “d”.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a method of washing fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer, comprising the steps of: a) providing a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, and a plurality of modules that segment the interior and wherein one of the modules is an empty pocket that is drained of water; b) moving the fabric articles and a volume of liquid from the intake to the discharge and through the modules in sequence; c) adding a washing chemical to one or more of the modules; d) rinsing the fabric articles by counter flowing liquid in the washer interior along a flow path that is generally opposite the direction of travel of the fabric articles in steps “b” and “c”; and e) wherein one of the modules defines an empty pocket module that is drained of liquid during step “d”.
In another embodiment of the method of the present invention, the method further comprises extracting excess fluid from the fabric articles after step “e”.
In another embodiment of the method of the present invention, the empty pocket is moved from an initial upstream location to downstream modules that are downstream of said initial upstream location.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a method of laundering fabric articles in a continuous batch tunnel washer, comprising the steps of: a) providing a continuous batch tunnel washer having an interior, an intake, a discharge, and a plurality of modules that segment the interior and including at least one intake module and at least one final module; b) moving the fabric articles in a first direction of travel from the intake to the discharge; c) washing the fabric articles with a chemical bath in one or more of said modules; d) rinsing the fabric articles after step “c”; e) providing an empty pocket in one or more of said modules that is drained of fluid; f) wherein the empty pocket is moved one module at a time starting at the intake module and ending at the final module, and in a direction from the intake towards the discharge; and g) counterflowing liquid in the washer during step “d”.
In another embodiment of the method of the present invention, the empty pocket separates white fabric articles from non-white fabric articles, and in another embodiment the empty pocket separates white fabric articles from colored fabric articles. In one embodiment the empty pocket separates higher temperature modules from lower temperature modules.
In another embodiment of the method of the present invention, there are multiple different counterflow streams in step “g”. In one embodiment one counterflow stream in step “d” rinses white fabric articles and another counterflow stream rinses non-white fabric articles. In another embodiment, one counterflow stream in step “d” rinses white fabric articles and another counterflow stream rinses colored fabric articles. In another embodiment of the method of the present invention one counterflow stream rinses higher temperature modules and another counterflow stream rinses lower temperature modules.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein:
FIG. 1 is comprised of half FIGS. 1A-1B that connect at match lines A-A, providing a schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is comprised of half FIGS. 2A-2B that connect at match lines B-B providing a schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention illustrating the ironer rolls for demonstrating that without proper rinsing the linen can stick to the chest portion of the ironer roll;
FIG. 4 is comprised of half FIGS. 4A-4B that connect at match lines C-C, providing a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a five module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with chlorine bleach;
FIG. 7 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a five module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with hydrogen peroxide;
FIG. 8 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a five module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with sanitizing sour;
FIG. 9 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a seven module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with chlorine bleach;
FIG. 10 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a seven module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with hydrogen peroxide;
FIG. 11 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a seven module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with sanitizing sour;
FIG. 12 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing an eight module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with chlorine bleach;
FIG. 13 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing an eight module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with hydrogen peroxide;
FIG. 14 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing an eight module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with sanitizing sour;
FIG. 15 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a ten module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with chlorine bleach;
FIG. 16 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a ten module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with sanitizing sour;
FIG. 17 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a twelve module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with chlorine bleach;
FIG. 18 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a twelve module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with hydrogen peroxide;
FIG. 19 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a twelve module tunnel washer for use in the hospitality industry and with sanitizing sour;
FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a twelve module tunnel washer with alternate pulse flow and long distance incompatibility avoidance for incompatible batches;
FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention having alternate pulse flow and long distance incompatibility avoidance wherein white textile articles follow colored or non-white textile articles;
FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing an eight module tunnel washer with alternate pulse flow and wherein low temperature white fabric articles follow high temperature white fabric articles;
FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing an eight module tunnel washer with alternate pulse flow and wherein low temperature white fabric articles follow high temperature white fabric articles; and
FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing an eight module tunnel washer with alternate pulse flow and wherein color fabric articles follow white fabric articles.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1-2 show a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention designated generally by 10 A in FIGS. 1 and 2 . It should be understood that FIG. 1 includes half FIGS. 1A and 1B that assemble at match lines A-A. FIG. 2 includes half FIGS. 2A and 2B that assemble at match lines B-B. In FIG. 1 there can be seen a textile washing apparatus 10 A which employs a tunnel washer 11 having an inlet end portion 12 and an outlet end portion 13 . The inlet end portion 12 has a hopper 14 that enables the tunnel washer 11 to accept soiled linen or fabric articles 25 as indicated generally by arrow 16 in FIG. 2 . A discharge 15 from tunnel washer 11 enables laundered articles such as linen to be transferred from tunnel washer 11 to an extractor the removes water such as a press 19 . From the press or extractor 19 , the laundered articles can be moved using a shuttle 20 to a dryer 21 and then via transport 22 to a finishing station 23 (see FIG. 2 ). The tunnel washer 11 provides a plurality of modules or stations 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 . Fabric articles to be cleaned are moved generally in the direction of arrows 17 , 18 in FIG. 2 . Counterflow flow lines 193 are provided for counterflowing fluid from one module (e.g. module 4 ) to the previous module (module 3 ). Such counterflow flow lines 193 can be provided for each embodiment of FIGS. 1-24 to counterflow fluid from any downstream module to an upstream module or in a direction opposite to arrows 17 , 18 . In FIG. 1 , there is provided an extractor reuse tank 24 and a “pulse flow” tank 26 . “Pulse flow” tank 26 provides a supply of water to pumps 38 , 69 . These pumps then transmit water at a high flow rate (e.g., between 75 (283) and 250 (946.4) gallons (liter) per minute) to a selected module or modules.
A plurality of conductivity sensors are provided as part of the apparatus 10 A. In FIG. 1 , a conductivity sensor 27 is provided in the extractor reuse tank 24 . Another conductivity sensor 28 is provided in the pulse flow tank 26 . A third conductivity sensor 29 is provided in the influent flow line 30 to monitor the conductivity of fresh water that is flowing through the influent flow line 30 (from a selected source). The source of fresh water in flow line 30 can include a cold source 79 of fresh water as well as a hot or tempered source 80 of fresh water. The present invention monitors conductivity of water that is contained in the modules 1 - 10 and adjusts by adding fresh water or make up water in order to maintain the conductivity in modules 1 - 10 within a selected or desired range (i.e. between about 100 micro Siemens (minimum value) and a maximum value of about 1000 micro Siemens above the conductivity value of the incoming or available water or source water).
Because the fluid that is discharged from modules 9 and 10 through valves 63 and 64 enters extractor reuse tank 24 , the conductivity sensor 27 in tank 24 monitors the conductivity of the tunnel washer modules 9 and 10 . Valve 63 feeds flow line 65 . A tee fitting 67 joins valve 64 with lines 65 and 66 as shown in FIG. 1 . The line 66 feeds water to the extractor reuse tank 24 where conductivity is measured by sensor 27 .
Pump 58 discharges water from extractor reuse tank 24 and transmits that water via line 68 to the pulse flow tank 26 . Valves can be provided at 60 , 34 in flow line 68 . A drain can be provided in the form of valve 61 as shown in FIG. 1 for discharging directly to a sewer 62 or other suitable drain. A valve 59 is provided for discharging water directly from extractor reuse tank 24 if desired.
Water in pulse flow tank 26 is monitored for conductivity using conductivity sensor 28 . The conductivity of water in tank 26 can be monitored and adjusted by introducing water from an outside source 79 and/or 80 through flow line 30 and meter 31 . Conductivity sensor 29 monitors the conductivity of water in flow line 30 before it reaches pulse flow tank 26 . Additionally, the water in tank 26 is also monitored for conductivity by sensor 28 . Flow meter 31 and valve 32 can be provided in flow line 30 . Water can be discharged from tank 26 to sewer 43 by opening valve 33 . Water can also be discharged from tank 26 through flow line 37 using pump 38 . Water exiting tank 26 through flow line 37 can be injected into either module 8 or 9 as shown in FIG. 1 using valves 39 , 41 or 42 .
A plurality of flow meters can be provided in the various flow lines. The flow line 37 can be equipped with a flow meter 40 . A flow meter 31 is provided in the influent flow line 30 . A flow meter 47 is provided in the flow line 44 .
The influent flow line 30 provides a valve 32 . The influent flow line 30 provides make up water as needed for the pulse flow tank 26 . The module 10 can be a standing bath. The module 9 can be a standing bath or wash module.
Flow line 35 and pump 69 in FIG. 1 enable water to be transferred from pulse flow tank 26 to module 10 . Flow line 35 can be provided with valve 36 . Flow line 44 transfers water from module 5 to module 4 . Flow line 44 can be provided with pump 45 , valve 46 and flow meter 47 . Flow line 48 enables water to be transferred from module 1 through pump 49 into hopper 14 . In this fashion, soiled laundry or other textile articles added to hopper 14 are immediately wetted with a fast moving stream of water while entering module 1 . This function allows the washing process to start in module 1 whereas previous practice module 1 was used only to wet the linen. Flow line 50 enables fresh water to be added directly to module 10 . Influent flow line 50 can be provided with flow meter 51 and tee fitting 52 . Tee fitting 52 enables fresh water to be transferred to either flow line 53 or 54 , each equipped with a valve 55 or 56 as shown. In this fashion, fresh water can be added to either module 9 or 10 in order to adjust conductivity of the water in those modules 9 and 10 to a selected range. A tee fitting 71 can be provided in flow line 35 for adding water directly to hopper 14 . The tee fitting 71 enables water to enter hopper 14 through flow line 72 which is equipped with valve 57 and flow meter 70 .
FIG. 3 shows an ironer that is designated generally by the numeral 73 . Ironer 73 can include multiple rolls or rollers 75 , each supported upon a chest 74 . In the prior art, linen sheets or other fabric articles 25 could stick to the chest 74 without proper rinsing. Further, if the conductivity of the water in the linen sheets or fabric articles 25 was outside a selected range, the linen could stick to any one of the chests 74 .
With the present invention, the linen sheets or fabric articles 25 (which are indicated schematically by the dotted line 77 ) in FIG. 3 are less likely to stick to the chest 74 because conductivity of the water is monitored and held within a selected range of between about 100 micro Siemens (minimum value) and a maximum value of about 1000 micro Siemens above the conductivity value of the incoming or available water or source water. In FIG. 3 , the arrow 76 schematically illustrates the intake of linen sheets whereas the arrow 78 indicates schematically the discharge of linen sheets after ironing. The ironer 73 shown in FIG. 3 can be part of the finishing station 23 of FIG. 2 .
FIGS. 4-5 show an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention designated as 10 B. It should be understood that FIG. 4 includes half FIGS. 4A-4B that assemble at match lines C-C. As with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 , textile washing apparatus 10 B provides a tunnel washer 11 having a plurality of modules or stations (e.g., between 1 and 32 stations or modules) 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , inlet end portion 12 , outlet end portion 13 and discharge 15 . The apparatus 10 B can employ the press/extractor 19 , shuttle 20 , dryer 21 , transport 22 and finishing station 23 of FIG. 2 and the ironer 73 arrangement of FIG. 3 .
Fabric or textile articles 25 to be cleaned are added to hopper 14 at inlet end portion 12 . Fabric or textile articles 25 to be cleaned are moved generally in the direction of arrows 17 , 18 in FIG. 4 . In FIGS. 4-5 , an “empty pocket” is provided in a selected module 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 or 10 . For example, the empty pocket can initially be module 1 , the first module that is next to the inlet end portion 12 . The empty pocket then moves in sequence to the second module 2 , then to the third module 3 , then to modules 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 and finally module 10 . This “empty pocket” module typically has no linen. Notice in FIG. 5 that the empty pocket with no linen is module 3 . The empty pocket module is created by allowing a transfer of linen from one module to the next for all modules other than the empty pocket module.
For the empty pocket module, no linen is put into the first empty pocket module 1 . On the next transfer of linen from each module to the next module, the empty pocket module is now module 2 . It is possible to have more than one empty pocket module by means of programming the controller. This “empty pocket” module arrangement minimizes the time out of range conductivity by about forty to fifty percent (40-50%). With the alternate method and apparatus of FIGS. 4-5 , as few as two to six transfers are needed to clear a conductivity error compared to between ten and twenty transfers required for a comparable tunnel washer that does not employ this “empty pocket” module arrangement of FIGS. 4-5 .
As with the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 , textile washing apparatus 10 B can employ conductivity sensors 27 , 28 , 29 . Many of the flow lines, valves, fittings and components of FIG. 1 can be seen in FIG. 4 . In FIG. 5 , water header 121 is supplied with water from tank 26 with an alternate pump 122 . Module 2 receives water through fill valve 124 during a “pulse flow” portion of the cycle. The overall cycle sequence is comprised of three functions: (1) standing bath, which can be about 75% of the cycle; (2) “pulse flow” (high speed or high flow rate rinsing), which can be about 24% of the cycle; and (3) transfer (movement of the linen from one module to the next module, e.g., module 1 to module 2 ), which can be about 1% of the cycle.
“Pulse flow” is a high velocity rinsing step. Flow line 121 is a simplified representation of the headers shown in FIG. 4A . Pump 101 (the alternative pulse flow pump) supplies water to header 102 or header 104 . In FIG. 5 , flow line 121 represents either of these headers 102 , 104 . The empty pocket separates heavily lint fabric articles (e.g., bar towels) from different fabric articles (e.g., table linen). Although valve 124 remains open during the pulse flow portion of the cycle, no water flows because the alternate pulse flow pump 122 is turned off Fill valves 123 , 125 and 126 are closed. Water counterflows from module 4 to module 3 via a counterflow flow line 193 and through open valve 134 . However, this water goes immediately to sewer 128 via flow line 127 (see arrow 140 , FIG. 5 ) and open drain valve 130 . Module 3 (the empty pocket module) remains empty of water. The valve conditions shown in FIG. 5 accompany an empty pocket of module 3 . This valve condition moves with the “empty pocket” as it moves from one module to the next module through the tunnel washer 11 in the direction of arrows 17 , 18 . In the method and apparatus of FIGS. 4 and 5 , the “empty pocket” is first placed in module 1 , then moves to module 2 , then 3, then to each subsequent module in sequence: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 until the empty pocket reaches the last module 10 . In this case where module 10 is the empty pocket, the controller will signal the receiving apparatus, such as a press or an extractor, that there is no linen in the press or extractor so that it does not cycle.
Counterflow in washer 11 is controlled by the counterflow valves 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 . Counterflow is permitted when the valve 133 for flow from module 3 to the previous module 2 is open and the valve 136 for flow to the sewer 128 is closed. Counterflow is prevented when the valve states are opposite. Although counterflow would be possible between module 3 and module 2 in FIG. 5 , there is no water available for counterflow as long as drain valve 130 remains open. Any chemical inlets or dispensers 120 on module 3 remain closed during the empty pocket portion of the cycle.
In FIG. 4 , flow line 81 connects with Tee-fitting 82 to flow line 102 . Line 81 provides valve 83 and flow meter 84 . Line 102 provides valve 85 . As can be seen in FIG. 4 , line 102 discharges into module 9 . Tee-fittings are provided at 86 , 87 and flow line 102 . Line 88 connects with flow line 102 at Tee-fitting 86 . Line 88 provides valve 89 and discharges into module 7 . Line 90 joins line 102 at Tee-fitting 87 . Line 90 provides valve 91 and discharges into module 8 . Flow line 92 has flow meter 93 and valve 94 . Tee-fitting 95 joins flow line 92 with flow line 104 . Line 92 has valve 96 , Tee-fitting 97 and flow meter 99 . Line 103 joins line 92 at Tee-fitting 97 . Below Tee-fitting 97 , line 92 is designated as 100 and connects with pump 101 that communicates with tank 26 . Flow line 81 has valve 98 and is designated as line 103 below Tee-fitting 102 , joining with line 100 at fitting 97 . Flow line 104 joins to line 92 at Tee-fitting 95 . Tee-fittings 105 , 106 , 107 and 108 are provided in flow line 104 . Line 109 connects to Tee-fitting 105 . Line 110 connects to Tee-fitting 106 . Line 111 connects to line 104 at Tee-fitting 107 . Line 112 connects to line 102 at Tee-fitting 108 . Flow line 109 has valve 114 . Flow line 110 has valve 115 . Flow line 111 has valve 116 . Flow line 112 has valve 117 . Flow line 104 has valve 118 .
FIGS. 6-24 show variations of the washing apparatus 10 A, 10 B of FIGS. 1-5 . FIG. 6 shows a five module washing apparatus, designated generally by the numeral 10 C. Washing apparatus 10 C can be a tunnel washer having modules 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 wherein modules 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 can be dual use modules that perform both wash and rinse functions. Module 5 is a finish module. Washing apparatus 10 C has an inlet end portion with hopper 14 for intake of laundry or textile articles or linens and a discharge end portion that discharges fabric articles, linens, laundry to an extraction device 19 (e.g., press or centrifuge). As with the embodiments of FIGS. 1-5 , FIGS. 6-24 can provide counterflow flow lines for counterflowing fluid from a downstream module (e.g., module 4 ) to an upstream module (e.g., module 3 ).
FIG. 6 is an example of an apparatus having particular utility for the hospitality sector of business. Line 141 is a counterflow line from module 4 to module 3 . Line 142 is a counterflow line from module 3 to module 2 . Line 143 is a counterflow line from module 2 to module 1 . Lines 144 , 145 and valved drain lines to sewer 128 . Line 146 is a valved recirculation line to hopper 14 . As with FIGS. 1-5 , FIG. 6 employs tanks 24 , 26 . Flow line 161 drains module 5 to tank 24 . Line 147 transmits fluid from tank 24 to tank 26 . Flow line 148 has pump 149 and transmits fluid from tank 26 to module 5 and/or hopper 14 via branch line 150 . Line 151 and pump 152 transmit fluid from tank 26 to module 4 . Alkali detergent at 153 is shown for addition to module 1 . Chlorine bleach is shown at 154 for addition to module 2 . Antichlor sour solution is shown at 155 for addition to module 5 .
For exemplary parameters of FIG. 6 , total time is 17.5 minutes. Transfer time of fabric articles, linens, laundry from one module to the next module (e.g., module 1 to module 2 or module 2 to module 3 , etc.) is 180 minutes. Batches of laundry, linens, fabric articles per time is about 17 batches per hour. Water consumption is 0.3 to 0.4 gallons per pound of laundry (2.5 to 3.3 liters per kilogram of laundry). Average pulse flow water quantity is 105 gallons (or 398 liters) per batch of laundry. In FIG. 7 , washer 10 C replaces chlorine bleach at 154 with hydrogen peroxide at 156 . Water can be added to tank 26 via source 157 and valved flow line 158 . In FIG. 8 , sanitizing sour at 159 is added to module 4 . In FIG. 8 , chlorine bleach 154 and hydrogen peroxide 156 are not present.
FIGS. 9-11 show an arrangement similar to FIGS. 6-8 but for a seven module tunnel washer apparatus 10 D wherein alkali detergent 153 is added to modules 1 , 2 with chlorine bleach 154 is added to module 3 and antichlor sour 155 to module 7 . In FIG. 10 , hydrogen peroxide 156 replaces chlorine bleach 154 . In FIG. 11 , sanitizer sour 160 is added to module 4 and sour solution 161 to module 7 while chlorine bleach and hydrogen peroxide are not present. In FIGS. 9-11 , counterflow lines are provided as with FIGS. 1-8 . One of the counterflow flow lines can be provided with pump 162 . Pump 162 can be in the counterflow flow line that transmits fluid from module 5 to module 4 . In FIGS. 9-11 , exemplary parameters are 14.6 minutes total time. Transfer time is 129 seconds. Batches per time equals 29 per hour. Water consumption is 0.3 to 0.4 gallons per pound of fabric articles (e.g., linens) or between 2.5-3.3 liters per kilogram. Pulse flow water liquor ratio is about 0.7 gallons per pound or 5.8 liters per kilogram. Average pulse flow water per batch is 105 gallons (397.5 liters).
FIGS. 12-14 show a washing apparatus similar to FIGS. 6-8 , but for an eight module washer 10 E. In FIGS. 12-14 , alkali detergent 153 is added to modules 1 , 2 . Chlorine bleach 154 is added to modules 3 , 4 and antichlor sour solution 155 to module 8 . In FIG. 13 , hydrogen peroxide 156 replaces the chlorine bleach 154 of FIG. 12 . In FIG. 14 , neither chlorine bleach 154 nor hydrogen peroxide 156 are used. Instead, sanitizing sour 159 is added to module 5 and sour solution 160 is added to module 8 . In FIGS. 12-14 , the counterflow lines are provided as with FIGS. 1-11 . One of the counterflow lines can be provided with pump 163 . Pump 163 can be in the counterflow line that transmits fluid from module 5 to module 4 .
FIGS. 15-16 show a ten module washing apparatus 10 F wherein pump 164 is in a counterflow line that transmits fluid from module 6 to module 5 .
FIGS. 17-19 show a twelve module washing apparatus 10 G wherein pump 165 is in a counterflow line from module 8 to module 7 . Pump 166 is in a counterflow line from module 4 to module 3 .
FIG. 20 shows a twelve module washing apparatus 10 H with an alternate pulse flow that uses two or more pulse flow streams and having long distance incompatibility avoidance for incompatible batches, pH sensing and conductivity sensing. In cases of white vs. colored fabric articles separated by empty pocket, an alternate pulse flow can be provided which provides separate streams of counterflow water so that the counterflow for the colored downstream linen does not contact the white linen at the front of the machine.
In FIG. 20 , two finish modules 11 , 12 are provided for optional starching. In FIG. 20 , tank 26 has pumps 149 , 152 and a third pump 167 . Line 151 branches at tee fitting 168 to lines 169 (discharging to module 8 ) and line 170 (discharging to module 9 ). Third pump 167 discharges to line 169 which has tee fittings at 171 , 172 , 173 . Valves are provided on opposing sides of tee fittings 172 , 173 so that hot water at 174 or tempered water at 175 can be selectively added to an alternate pulse flow header 176 or 177 . Alternate pulse flow header 176 enables water to be added to any one of modules 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 6 , 7 or 8 via a valved branch line 178 . As with FIGS. 1-5 , each module has a valved drain line and counterflow lines that connect a module (e.g., module 9 ) to a previous module (e.g., module 8 ). Line 177 has valved branch lines 180 , 181 , 182 .
An incompatible batch normally refers to a classification of linen which can be a different color than linen in downstream modules. For example, if red table linen is in modules 1 to 10 and the next classification of linen to enter the tunnel is white, the counterflow water used for the red table linen cannot be used for the white linen. Different counterflow streams are thus provided, described herein as “alternate pulse flow”. Because the press water extracted from the red table linen normally flows to the PulseFlow tank, this water has to be diverted to sewer using the valves 60 (Closed) and 61 (Open), as seen in FIG. 4B . The programming feature in the controller to operate these valves is called “Long Distance Incompatibility”. FIGS. 20-24 all provide such “alternate pulse flow” with multiple sources of counterflow or multiple pulse flow headers.
In FIG. 21 , a twelve module washing apparatus 10 I provides an example of long distance incompatibility avoidance wherein white linen or textile articles follow colored linen or textile articles, an empty pocket provided at module 6 . Colored textile articles or colored linen are in modules 7 - 12 in FIG. 21 . White linen or textile articles are in modules 1 - 5 in FIG. 21 .
FIG. 21 is similar to FIG. 20 , but provides an “empty pocket” (at module 6 in FIG. 21 ) which separates colored fabric articles from white fabric articles.
In FIG. 22 , washing apparatus 10 J provides an eight module washing apparatus wherein low temperature washing follows high temperature washing of white linen or white textile articles. In FIG. 22 , modules 1 and 2 are low temperature (e.g., 50° C.). Modules 2 - 8 are high temperature (e.g. 75° C.).
In FIG. 23 , modules 1 - 3 are low temperature white linen or textile articles wherein modules 4 - 8 are high temperature white linen or textile articles. In FIG. 24 , colored linen articles in modules 1 - 2 follow white linen articles in modules 3 - 8 .
In FIGS. 22, 23, 24 an additional tank 185 is provided. Tank 26 is for white fabric articles while tank 185 is used for colored fabric articles. Each tank 26 , 185 has a water or fluid source 157 . Header 186 receives flow from tank 185 and pump 188 . Header 187 receives flow from tank 185 and pump 189 . Line 190 receives flow from tank 26 and pump 152 . Line 191 receives flow from tank 26 and pump 149 . Line 190 transmits fluid from tank 26 to hopper 14 . Header or line 191 connects with each of a plurality of branch flow lines 192 . Each branch flow line 192 discharges to a module 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 or 8 . The branch flow lines 192 can be valved flow lines.
Header or flow line 186 connects with each of a plurality of branch flow lines 193 . Each branch flow line 193 can be valved. Each branch flow line 193 discharges to a module 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 . In FIG. 22 , low temperature white linens follow high temperature white linens. In the example of FIG. 22 , only modules 1 , 2 are low temperature (e.g., 50° C.). Modules 3 - 8 are high temperature (e.g., 70° C.).
In FIG. 23 , the same arrangement of FIG. 22 is shown but after a transfer where the low temperature of module 2 has transferred to module 3 and the low temperature of module 1 has transferred to module 2 .
FIG. 24 is similar to FIG. 22 but colored fabric articles replace the low temperature white fabric articles of FIG. 22 . The high temperature white fabric articles of modules 2 - 8 of FIG. 22 are just white fabric articles in FIG. 24 .
The following is a list of parts and materials suitable for use in the present invention.
PARTS LIST
Part Number
Description
1
module
2
module
3
module
4
module
5
module
6
module
7
module
8
module
9
module
10
module
10A
textile washing apparatus
10B
textile washing apparatus
10C
textile washing apparatus
10D
textile washing apparatus
10E
textile washing apparatus
10F
textile washing apparatus
10G
textile washing apparatus
10H
textile washing apparatus
10I
textile washing apparatus
10J
textile washing apparatus
11
tunnel washer
12
inlet end portion
13
outlet end portion
14
hopper
15
discharge
16
soiled linen arrow
17
arrow
18
arrow
19
press/extractor
20
shuttle
21
dryer
22
transport
23
finishing station
24
extractor reuse tank
25
linen/fabric articles
26
pulse flow tank
27
conductivity sensor
28
conductivity sensor
29
conductivity sensor
30
influent flow line
31
flow meter
32
valve
33
valve
34
valve
35
flow line
36
valve
37
flow line
38
pump
39
valve
40
flow meter
41
valve
42
valve
43
sewer
44
flow line
45
pump
46
valve
47
flow meter
48
flow line
49
pump
50
influent flow line
51
flow meter
52
tee fitting
53
flow line
54
flow line
55
valve
56
valve
57
valve
58
pump
59
valve
60
valve
61
valve
62
sewer
63
valve
64
valve
65
flow line
66
flow line
67
tee fitting
68
flow line
69
pump
70
flow meter
71
tee fitting
72
flow line
73
ironer
74
chest
75
roller
76
arrow
77
dotted line
78
arrow
79
cold water source
80
hot water source
81
flow line
82
Tee-fitting
83
valve
84
flow meter
85
valve
86
Tee-fitting
87
Tee-fitting
88
flow line
89
valve
90
flow line
91
valve
92
flow line
93
flow meter
94
valve
95
Tee-fitting
96
valve
97
Tee-fitting
98
valve
99
flow meter
100
flow line
101
pump
102
flow line
103
flow line
104
flow line
105
Tee-fitting
106
Tee-fitting
107
Tee-fitting
108
Tee-fitting
109
flow line
110
flow line
111
flow line
112
flow line
114
valve
115
valve
116
valve
117
valve
118
valve
120
chemical dispenser
121
water header
122
pump
123
fill valve
124
fill valve
125
fill valve
126
fill valve
127
flow line
128
sewer
129
drain valve
130
drain valve
131
drain valve
132
counterflow valve
133
counterflow valve
134
counterflow valve
135
counterflow valve
136
valve
137
valve
138
valve
139
valve
140
arrow
141
counterflow line
142
counterflow line
143
counterflow line
144
valved drain lines
145
valved drain lines
146
valved recirculation line
147
transmitter
148
flow line
149
pump
150
branch line
151
line
152
pump
153
alkali detergent
154
chlorine bleach
155
antichlor solution
156
hydrogen peroxide
157
fluid source
158
valved flow line
159
sanitizing sour
160
sour solution
161
flow line
162
pump
163
pump
164
pump
165
pump
166
pump
167
pump
168
tee fitting
169
flow line
170
flow line
171
tee fitting
172
tee fitting
173
tee fitting
174
hot water source
175
tempered water source
176
alternate pulse flow header
177
alternate pulse flow header
178
valved branch line
179
ph sensor
180
valved branch line
181
valved branch line
182
valved branch line
185
tank
186
header
187
header
188
pump
189
pump
190
flow line
191
flow line
192
branch flow line
193
counterflow flow line
All measurements disclosed herein are at standard temperature and pressure, at sea level on Earth, unless indicated otherwise.
The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims. | A method of washing fabric articles in a tunnel washer that includes moving the fabric articles from the intake of the washer to the discharge of the washer and through multiple modules or sectors. Liquid can be counter flowed in the washer interior along a flow path that is generally opposite the direction of travel of the fabric articles in order to rinse the fabric articles. While counterflow rinsing, the flow rate can be maintained at a selected flow rate or flow pressure head. One or more booster pumps can optionally be employed to maintain constant counterflow rinsing flow rate or constant counterflow rinsing pressure head. A source of fresh, make-up water can be provided to adjust conductivity. Conductivity is monitored in at least one of the modules. Conductivity of fluid in the discharged fabric articles is monitored. Make up water is added to one or more modules before if the conductivity of water in the discharged fabric articles exceeds a threshold value. In one embodiment, one of the modules is an empty pocket that is drained of fluid when rinsing with counterflowing liquid. | 3 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a two-cycle engine, especially as a drive engine in a portable, manually-guided tool or implement such as a power chain saw, a brush cutter, a trimmer, a cut-off machine, etc.
[0002] A two-cycle engine of this type is known from DE 199,00 445 A1. A combustion chamber formed in the cylinder is connected to the crankcase via transfer passages, the mixture required for combustion being conveyed to the crankcase. In order to ensure that as little uncombusted fuel as possible is lost through the exhaust or outlet during the scavenging of the combustion chamber, the transfer passages close to the exhaust are connected to an air duct and fuel-free air is drawn in through the transfer passages during the intake stroke. The air is then held at the front of the transfer passages and enters first the next time the mixture transfers into the combustion chamber. The mixture flowing out of the crankcase follows some time later and the scavenging losses flowing out of the exhaust during the scavenging of the combustion chamber come largely from the forward positioned scavenging air.
[0003] In practice, a number of problems occur during the metering of the fuel required to operate the internal combustion engine by a carburetor. For example, at idle it is necessary to guarantee that the air duct is fully closed in order to prevent the idle mixture becoming too lean in an uncontrolled manner in the combustion chamber as a result of the air flowing into it. During acceleration, too, the opening of the air duct renders the mixture too lean as a result of which the speed of the internal combustion engine increases only reluctantly to the desired level.
[0004] On the other hand, it is important to guarantee that the air duct remains as free as possible from fuel at full throttle in order that the significant reduction in exhaust gas emissions which the forward positioned scavenging air is designed to achieve can be obtained.
[0005] The invention is based on the object of designing a two-cycle engine of the aforementioned type in such a manner that it is possible to reliably prevent the mixture in the combustion chamber from becoming too lean at idle and part throttle while retaining the advantageous effects of the supply of fuel-free air with which to scavenge the combustion chamber at full throttle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] This object, and other objects and advantages of the present invention, will appear more clearly from the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:
[0007] [0007]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a two-cycle engine with port-controlled forward scavenging air positioning and a single-flow carburetor.
[0008] [0008]FIG. 2 is a schematic section along the line marked 11 - 11 in FIG. 1.
[0009] [0009]FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a section of a membrane-controlled system with forward scavenging air positioning as illustrated in FIG. 2.
[0010] [0010]FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view through a carburetor with a throttle valve and a choke valve.
[0011] [0011]FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the front face of a carburetor with an eccentrically positioned butterfly valve shaft.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] A dividing wall in the intake duct of the carburetor divides the venturi along its longitudinal center line into an intake duct section and an air duct. Here the dividing wall is essentially provided along the entire length of the intake duct from one front face of the carburetor body to its other front face in such a manner that even fuel precipitating due to return pulsation upstream of the butterfly or throttle valve is unable to simply pass into the air duct. A connecting aperture is formed in the dividing wall in the pivot region of the throttle valve. At full throttle the throttle valve closes the connecting aperture in the dividing wall in such a manner that the dividing wall, which extends as far as the upstream front face, opposes any transfer of fuel upstream of the throttle valve. The dividing wall preferably extends as far as the base of an air filter fitted upstream of the carburetor, expediently into the air filter housing and in particular as far as the filter element itself. The extension of the dividing wall upstream of the throttle valve into the filter housing achieves a functional division of air duct and mixture duct on the intake side.
[0013] The design disclosed in the invention ensures that the pressure prevailing in the venturi at idle and part throttle corresponds to the joint pressure in the air duct and the mixture duct. The volume of fuel conveyed into the venturi in accordance with this joint underpressure is thus proportional to the volume of air conveyed, irrespective of whether it is conveyed to the combustion chamber via the mixture duct or the air duct. This prevents the mixture from becoming too lean at both idle and part throttle.
[0014] Similarly, if a choke valve is provided this arrangement guarantees that the underpressure prevailing due to the adjustment of the choke is the same throughout the entire system in such a manner that under choke conditions, too, a volume of fuel adapted to the volume of air drawn in is conveyed and mixed with the air.
[0015] In order to achieve a dry, i.e. largely fuel-free, air duct at full throttle, the aperture edge of the connecting aperture and the edge of the valve overlap. Here the overlapping aperture edge can be designed as a seat for the edge of the valve and the aperture edge can also have a seal.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] The two-cycle engine illustrated schematically in FIG. 1 is used as a small-volume drive engine preferably in manually operated, portable tools such as, for example, chain saws, brush cutters, parting-off grinders, etc. The displacement of an internal combustion engine of this type lies within a range of 18 cm 3 and 500 cm 3 .
[0017] The two-cycle engine has a cylinder in which is provided a combustion chamber which is delimited by a reciprocating piston. Via a connecting rod, the piston drives a crankshaft which is mounted in a crankcase in such a manner that it can rotate.
[0018] An inlet, which in the illustrated embodiment is controlled by the piston skirt, opens into the crankcase. In the embodiment shown, the inlet is therefore opened and closed dependent upon the stroke position of the piston. It can be useful to provide a membrane or diaphragm control system instead of the piston port control system illustrated. The inlet then opens into the crankcase outside the piston stroke area, it being necessary to position a membrane valve which opens in the direction of the crankcase in the inlet. The opening of the inlet is then controlled by underpressure.
[0019] The crankcase is connected to the combustion chamber via transfer passages, these transfer passages—see. FIG. 2—being designed as straight or handle-shaped passages in the side wall of the cylinder. In the version illustrated, two transfer passages and two transfer passages are provided, one of each on either side of a plane of symmetry. The transfer passages are located close to an outlet or exhaust which conveys exhaust gases out of the combustion chamber and are also referred to as exhaust transfer passages. The transfer passages are positioned some distance from the exhaust and are referred to as exhaust-distant transfer passages. As illustrated in the section shown in FIG. 2, the plane of symmetry divides the cylinder into symmetrical halves and runs roughly centrally through the exhaust and the inlet.
[0020] The end of each transfer passage facing the cylinder head opens into the combustion chamber via a transfer window or port. The transfer ports are controlled by the piston as it reciprocates, the transfer ports being open in a lower piston position close to bottom dead center (BDC) illustrated in FIG. 1 and being closed in an upper piston position between BDC and top dead center (TDC). The ends of the transfer passages facing the crankcase are open in both the lower and the upper piston positions.
[0021] Furthermore, the transfer passages can also be connected to an air duct which opens into an air port in the wall of the cylinder. A connecting port is formed in the piston skirt at the level of the air port and, as illustrated in FIG. 2, extends from the air port opposite the exhaust in both directions around the circumference of the piston covering a circumferential angle of some 120° such that in the corresponding piston stroke position the transfer ports communicate with the connecting port, the connecting port being designed such that it also connects with the air port of the air duct in this piston stroke position. Thus, when the piston rises towards TDC, a connection is made between the air duct and the transfer ports and due to the underpressure prevailing in the crankcase at the time, medium is drawn in from the air duct through the transfer passages.
[0022] The air duct and an inlet duct leading to the inlet are connected separately to a mixture formation device which is a carburetor in the embodiment shown. The carburetor is expediently a diaphragm carburetor of the type predominantly used in drive engines in portable, manually operated tools. In the carburetor body is a joint intake duct with a venturi. Also positioned in the intake duct is a throttle or butterfly valve which is mounted on a throttle shaft in the carburetor body in such a manner that it is able to rotate. The common intake duct is divided by means of a partition or dividing wall which extends along the longitudinal center line in the direction of the air flow. The fuel feeders, in the embodiment illustrated idle jets and a main fuel jet, are located on one side of the dividing wall which extends essentially from one front face to the other front face of the carburetor body along the entire length of the intake duct. Here the part of the duct which contains the fuel feeders forms an intake duct section which is connected to the inlet duct The other part of the duct forms an air duct which is connected to the air duct of the air port. In the area of rotation of the throttle valve is a connecting aperture in the dividing wall which forms a connection between the intake duct section and the air duct. This connection creates identical pressure conditions on both sides of the dividing wall when the connecting aperture is open. When the connecting aperture is open, the diaphragm carburetor therefore conveys a volume of fuel which is always proportional to the volume of air drawn in via the jets.
[0023] In the part throttle position illustrated in FIG. 1, the throttle valve is located half open transverse to the longitudinal center line in the intake duct, the axis of rotation of the throttle valve being located exactly in the plane of the dividing wall. In this throttle valve position, the connecting aperture is partially open and the fuel drawn in through the fuel jets therefore enters both the intake duct section and the air duct via the open connecting aperture. At idle and/or part throttle, both the air duct and the inlet duct therefore convey a fuel/air mixture, it being possible, due to the arrangement of the jets in the intake duct section, for the fuel/air mixture conveyed in the inlet duct to be richer than that conveyed in the air duct into which fuel is only allowed to enter via the partially opened connecting aperture.
[0024] Downstream of the carburetor the intake duct section is connected to the inlet via the inlet duct, and the air duct is connected to the air port via the connecting or air duct. Downstream of the carburetor the air ducts therefore run separately from the mixture ducts.
[0025] When the internal combustion engine is in operation, as the piston rises towards TDC the transfer ports and the exhaust are closed. The rising piston opens the inlet and at the same time or a few crank angle degrees later connects the air port to the transfer ports via the connecting port. Thus at the same time as the air duct is connected to the transfer passages or slightly earlier, the inlet to the crankcase is opened, allowing the mixture to flow into the crankcase. When the air port of the connecting port is connected to the transfer windows, a fuel-lean mixture or largely fuel-free air is drawn in and flows down through the transfer ports to the crankcase. The transfer passages thus fill with lean mixture or with largely fuel-free air, the transfer passages close to the exhaust preferably being filled with air.
[0026] Following ignition, the piston descends to BDC again, the flow connection between the transfer passages and the air duct being interrupted and the inlet being closed. Since the piston is descending, the mixture drawn into the crankcase is compressed and, as the piston-controlled transfer ports are opened, flows into the combustion chamber, filling it with fresh mixture for the next compression stroke. Here the fuel-lean or fuel-free air is positioned forward of the rich mixture in the crankcase and scavenging losses flowing out through the open exhaust are therefore largely formed by the fuel-lean mixture and the fuel-free air.
[0027] At full throttle, the throttle valve is fully open as illustrated in the example of a diaphragm or membrane-controlled forward scavenging air positioning system shown in FIG. 3. When the throttle valve is fully open it lies roughly parallel to the longitudinal center line such that the air duct and the intake duct section are completely separate from each other since the throttle valve preferably seals the connecting aperture. In order to achieve this, the connecting aperture is designed with a slightly smaller throughput section than that of the valve itself. The aperture edge of the connecting aperture and the edge of the throttle valve overlap one another, thereby achieving a sealed fit. Here the aperture edge is expediently designed as a seat for the edge of the valve, the aperture edge expediently bearing a seal. The seal is preferably a rubber seal which may be provided in the form of a gasket or a tied-in seal. This guarantees that the air duct is dry, i.e. free of fuel, at full throttle and thus that scavenging losses which occur during the scavenging of the combustion chamber comprise exclusively of fuel-free air.
[0028] In order to guarantee that the air duct remains free of fuel at full throttle, the dividing wall is designed to extend upstream of the carburetor as far as the base of an air filter. If the dividing wall (FIG. 3) is taken into the air filter housing, preferably extended into the area of the filter element, it is possible to prevent fuel from precipitating in the air filter as a result of air pulsation in the intake train from transferring to the air duct.
[0029] While in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 the connection between the air ducts and the transfer passages are controlled by piston ports, FIG. 3 shows a connection between the air duct and at least the transfer passages close to the exhaust port via a distributor duct and a non-return valve which is designed as a membrane valve in the embodiment. The distributor duct can be designed as an external duct, a hose connection or a duct integrated into the cylinder. As the piston rises, underpressure is created in the crankcase and also in the transfer passages due to the fact that these transfer passages are open to the crankcase. Due to the pressure difference thus created at the membrane valve, the membrane valve opens and fuel-lean mixture/fuel-free air is drawn into the transfer passage close to the exhaust via the membrane valve. As the piston descends, the overpressure which builds up in the crankcase closes the membrane valve. It can also be useful to connect the transfer passages to the air duct via a non-return valve such as a membrane valve, e.g. via a controlled connection to the distributor duct.
[0030] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a choke valve is provided upstream of the throttle valve and is mounted on a choke shaft in the carburetor or the carburetor body in such a manner that it can rotate. The choke shaft is located in the plane of the dividing wall. The choke valve is associated with a further connecting aperture in the dividing wall, whereby when the choke valve is in the open position illustrated in FIG. 4 the further connecting aperture is largely closed by the choke valve. Here it is possible to provide sealing measures such as those which have already been described in relation to the throttle valve. This design guarantees that when the choke and the partially opened throttle valve are actuated, the higher intake underpressure produced takes effect in both the air duct and the mixture duct, the pressure conditions in the venturi are therefore identical and a volume of fuel proportional to the volume of air drawn in is metered.
[0031] It can be expedient to position the dividing wall in the carburetor body eccentrically in relation to the intake duct thereby giving the air duct and the mixture duct different cross sectional areas. In this case, the throttle shaft and a choke shaft continue to be located approximately in the plane of the dividing wall, but slightly offset relative to the center of the intake duct as shown in FIG. 5. The ratio A/L between the cross sectional area of the intake duct section and the cross sectional area of the air duct lies roughly within a range of 0.5 to 1.9 and preferably within a range of 0.54 to 1.86. This means that the cross sectional area of the air duct can be between 65% and 35% of the total cross sectional area of the intake duct.
[0032] The specification incorporates by reference the disclosure of German priority document 101 60 539.0 filed 10 Dec. 2001.
[0033] The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the specific disclosure of the specification and drawings, but also encompasses any modifications within the scope of the appended claims. | A two-cycle engine having forward scavenging is provided, as used in manually-guided implements. The mixture is drawn into the crankcase via a butterfly valve carburettor and is conveyed into a combustion chamber via transfer channels formed in the cylinder. An air duct is connected via a controllable connection with a transfer channel in order during a load state of the engine to supply essentially fuel-free air to the transfer channel. In order during idling and partial load to convey a fuel quantity adapted to the drawn-in air, yet during full throttle to achieve a separated supply of air and mixture, a dividing wall that extends in the direction of flow of air is provided in the intake duct of the carburettor. In the pivot region of the butterfly valve, a connecting aperture is provided in the dividing wall and is closed in full throttle by a completely open butterfly valve. In contrast, during idling and partial load the connecting aperture is open so that a uniform pressure can form in the intake duct in conformity with the drawn-in air. | 5 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 62/034,440, filed Aug. 7, 2014.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to amusement devices and, more particularly, toward the combination of electronic noisemakers and team logo flags for use at sporting events.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is common at sporting events for the fans to cheer on their team by shouting and waving flags and the like. Various types of mechanical or electrical noisemakers are also frequently utilized by fans. All of this is done to cheer on a team or, not uncommonly, to psych out or attempt to disrupt communications between members of the other team.
[0004] The present invention is intended to combine the above two concepts. That is, the invention provides a novel noisemaking device which serves the purpose of emitting a prerecorded or other electronic audible sound while displaying a team logo or the like on a flag-like towel that can be waved.
[0005] The invention includes a towel or other similar piece of cloth which may be made of towel-like material such as terry cloth or other moisture absorbent material. In one embodiment, the towel has a handle pouch for grasping one end for waving. In another embodiment, the whistle or other noisemaker is located in the handle-like pouch. The noisemaking article is preferably capable of making a cheering/booing sound via electronic sound/voices that are prerecorded in the whistle device.
[0006] The whistle or other acoustic device is especially configured to produce a relatively loud cheering/booing sounds with no movement needed of the towel. To that end, the electronic whistle may be relatively small and may have several acoustic sounds prerecorded in the electronic whistle device. Alternatively, one electronic whistle may be employed at a time but several models with prerecorded sounds and voices will be available. The battery-powered noisemaking electronic device may be located in the web or cloth-like material with no airflow needed for acoustic sound. As stated, the electronic acoustic device is of a battery-powered electronic device which does not require motion and will only emit a cheering or a booing sound when the sound button is pushed.
[0007] The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a new noisemaking device and method which has many of the advantages over prior art devices with features that result in a new electronic whistle with a prerecorded acoustic cheering or booing which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art devices, either alone or in any combination thereof.
[0008] It is a general object of this invention to provide a noisemaking device having means for producing a relatively loud cheering or booing sound with no movement of the main body of the device needed, but can do so.
[0009] It is another object of the invention to provide a noisemaking device which has a relatively large towel display area for a team logo, advertising, or other indicia.
[0010] The present invention meets or exceeds all the above objects and goals as can be seen from further study of the specification and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form which is presently preferred; it being understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention showing an acoustic device inserted in the specifically designed web or pouch-like handle of the towel;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the electronic noisemaking device used with the invention, and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Referring now to FIG. 1 , the apparatuses and method of the present invention are illustrated. The device is used to produce a relatively loud sound (which may be prerecorded) with minimal effort on the part of the user. To that end, a main body of towel or cloth material 110 is employed to serve as the main body of the device. The web or sheet material 110 is preferably terry cloth or other highly absorbent cloth material which can be used in the same manner as a conventional towel. The material 110 may also be a composite material, with a highly reflective material on one side for displaying indicia/logos (such as shown at 112 ), and a highly absorbent material on the opposing side. The material preferably has a substantially rectangular shape, but may of course be practically any shape, with dimensions convenient for portability. Preferably, the towel 110 is of a regular shape which is defined herein as square, rectangular, round, oval or triangular.
[0017] An electronic acoustic whistle device 120 is inserted into the special designed handle sleeve, pocket or pouch 130 made of the same terry cloth or web material 110 , the pouch 130 with the device 120 therein is designated as a grasping portion or handle, so that a maximum quantity of the cloth or web material 110 exists between the grasping portion and towel area 110 . The acoustic device is thereby placed in the cloth handle sleeve and held in one's hand when twirling the sheet material 110 .
[0018] The electronic whistle acoustic device 120 is preferably in the form of an electronic whistle 120 and is housed within an open-ended tubular sleeve handle attached to one end of the towel 110 enclosure in 130 . The enclosure 130 essentially functions as a handle and is waveable. The electronic whistle 120 is selected so as to emit a relatively loud sound that may be prerecorded when the user presses the sound switch or button 122 while effectively twirling the towel in a circular movement of the cloth material 110 . The tubular sleeve enclosure 130 , which may alternatively be of rectangular shape may include several models of the electronic whistle device. Although the term “whistle” is used herein, this is intended to encompass any loud noise.
[0019] In operation, the user grasps the grasping end or pocket 130 of the material 110 , and twirls the material 110 while pressing the sound button 122 on device 120 . The absorbent material 110 may be used as any towel is used. It is, of course, possible to press the button 122 to have the device 120 emit noise even if the towel is not being waved or twirled.
[0020] The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is similar to that shown in FIG. 1 . The only difference being that the pocket or pouch 130 ′ lies within the outer periphery of the towel 110 ′ so that the final product is still rectangular or other regular shape. In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the pouch 130 lies outside of the periphery of the towel 110 .
[0021] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , the electronic whistle is in a cylindrical housing 140 that functions as a handle. Extending upwardly from the top 150 of the housing is a rigid rod 160 . The rod carries spring clips or clamps or other cloth attaching means 170 and 180 adjacent the end thereof and adjacent the midpoint, as shown. The attaching means could be, for example, similar to those shown in U.S. Published Application No. 2013/0205625. The attaching means could also be simple loops or openings into which two ends of the towel 110 are inserted.
[0022] From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. | A novel electronic whistling towel device which serves the purpose of emitting a loud audible sound of cheering or booing or other noise while displaying a team logo or the like. An electronic voice/cheering sound is emitted from the electronic whistle placed in a cloth handle pouch at one corner of one end of a terry cloth or a towel material. | 0 |
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. App. Ser. No. 09/225,368, filed Jan. 4, 1999 issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,444; which is a continuation of U.S. App. Ser. No. 08/658,364, filed Jun. 5, 1996, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,116, which is a continuation of U.S. App. Ser. No. 08/392,484, filed Feb. 23, 1995, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,752, and claims benefit of an earlier filing date under 35 U.S.C. 120.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The disclosure of U.S. Pat. App. Ser. No. 09/225,368 is incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates generally to hydrostatic transmissions (“HST”) commonly used with riding lawn mowers and similar small tractors. Such tractors generally use an engine having a vertical output shaft which is connected to a transaxle via a conventional belt and pulley system. Other designs use horizontal output shafts or direct shaft drive to the transaxle. The HST may be connected to an axle driving apparatus or it may be integrally formed therewith in an integrated hydrostatic transaxle (“IHT”). The general structure and benefits of HSTs and IHTs are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,692, to Johnson and Hauser issued Apr. 13, 1993, the text of which is herein incorporated by reference.
A standard HST for a transaxle includes a hydraulic pump which is driven by the engine output shaft, and a hydraulic motor, both of which are preferably mounted on a center section containing porting to hydraulically connect the pump and motor. Rotation of the pump by an input shaft creates an axial motion of the pump pistons through use of the swash plate. The oil pressure created by this axial motion is channelled via porting to the hydraulic motor, where it is received by the motor pistons, and the axial motion of these pistons against a thrust bearing causes the motor to rotate. The hydraulic motor in turn has an output shaft which drives the vehicle axles through differential gearing.
As described, the hydraulic system has two pressure zones, the high pressure side which includes that portion of the circuit handling the movement of the fluid from the pump to the motor, and the low pressure side which includes the remainder of the circuit wherein fluid from the motor is returned to the pump. When the tractor is in reverse, the high and low pressure sides of the system are switched. It is generally understood in such designs that the pump requires more oil than is returned from the motor due to leakage from the hydraulic system into the sump. This requirement of oil is satisfied by using check valves on each side of the hydraulic system. The check valve consists of a means for preventing flow out of the system when under high pressure and a means for allowing flow into the system when under low pressure. Such check valves can be inserted directly into the center section or can be mounted in a separate check valve plate which is secured to the center section.
Furthermore, in the prior art, it is known to separately provide a mechanism for the relief of excess oil pressure (such as when neutral is desired) from the pressure side of the system. A first method of accomplishing this is by providing bleed orifices in the system from which oil will leak. However, these bleed orifices do not have the ability to close and it is seen that efficiency is lost as a result. A second method of accomplishing this is to provide a spring biased neutral valve that allows oil to pass, at a substantially constant rate, from the pressure side until a set pressure is reached, which overcomes the bias of the spring, whereby the valve will thereafter close.
While these valves work well for their intended purpose, it is seen that, among other things, these valve suffer the disadvantages of not providing smooth transition between closed and open positions and of having a rapid rate of closure whereby the neutral band is narrowed. Therefore, a need exists for an improved neutral valve.
As a result of this existing need, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combination neutral and check valve assembly. It is a further object to provide a neutral valve which has an increased neutral band. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a neutral valve which incorporates a smooth transition between open and closed positions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a valve mechanism for use in a hydrostatic transmission including a closed porting system for hydraulic fluid and a sump is provided. The valve mechanism includes a valve body mounted to the hydrostatic transmission whereby the valve body is open to the closed porting system at one end thereof and open to the sump at the other end thereof. The valve body has a first open position whereby hydraulic fluid is pulled into the closed system from the sump when the pressure of the fluid in the closed system is below a first pressure, a second open position whereby hydraulic fluid exists the closed system to the sump when the pressure of the fluid is at a second pressure higher than the first pressure, and a closed position when the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the closed system is at a third pressure higher than the second pressure.
A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relationships of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth an illustrative embodiment and is indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the attached drawings, described briefly below, generally only enough of the invention is illustrated to enable one of skill in the art to practice the invention without undue experimentation.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a valve cartridge manufactured in accordance with this invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of an HST center section using a valve pursuant to a second embodiment of this invention, with the valve in the fully closed position;
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the hydrostatic transmission and valve shown in FIG. 2, with the check valve in the fully closed position and the neutral valve in the fully closed position;
FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the HST and valve shown in FIG. 2, with the check valve portion fully closed and the neutral valve portion partially open;
FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the HST and valve shown in FIG. 2, with the check valve portion closed and the neutral valve portion in the fully open position;
FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the HST and valve shown in FIG. 2, with the check valve in the fully open position and the neutral valve in the fully open position;
FIG. 7 is a prior art check valve using a popper and spring with the check valve in the closed position;
FIG. 8 is a prior art check valve as in FIG. 7 with the check valve in the open position;
FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a hydrostatic transmission incorporating a combination valve in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of a HST incorporating a separate check valve and neutral valve in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of a HST similar to that shown in FIG. 10 in which a different form of check valve is utilized; and
FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the neutral valve portion of the combination valve which is illustrative of the neutral valve used in conjunction with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the valve 10 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. Valve 10 comprises head 12 at one end thereof, which may be formed in a hexagonal shape as a nut for securing valve 10 to the HST center section, and valve body 14 , which is generally cylindrical in shape. Valve body 14 is partially hollow and is open at a second end thereof
Retainer 16 is generally cylindrical and is shaped to fit into the opening at the second end of valve body 14 . In the preferred embodiment retainer 16 may be composed of plastic. Retainer 16 has a closed end with opening 18 formed therein and an open end. Retainer 16 may be held in place by the internal portion of valve body 14 by means of friction. It is to be understood that the retainer 16 may also be held in place by the center section 50 . Flange 21 is formed on retainer 16 to rest against the second generally open end of valve body 14 to secure retainer 16 in place.
Opening 23 is formed at the first generally closed end of valve body 14 to allow oil flow to and from the internal position thereof A seat 24 is formed on the internal portion of valve body 14 .
Check spool 32 and neutral spool 38 are formed to fit within retainer 16 and valve body 14 . Check spool 32 is generally cylindrical and has an internal chamber 33 shown with at least two areas of different diameters, namely chambers 33 a , 33 b . It is understood that this design could use any number of sub-chambers of different internal diameters in internal chamber 33 . The body of check spool 32 is generally closed at a first end 36 , and includes opening 34 formed on the end 36 and communicating with internal channel 35 to allow oil flow between internal chamber 33 of check spool 32 and opening 23 of valve body 14 . Closed end 36 of check spool 32 is shaped to fit against seat 24 , although check spool 32 is movable within the internal chamber of retainer 16 . The check spool 32 also includes a needle valve projection 37 having a generally arcuate surface 37 a disposed into the passage 33 in the vicinity of channel 35 . Generally, the needle valve projection 37 has a conical like shape having a smaller diameter near the top thereof than at the bottom thereof.
Neutral spool 38 has a generally cylindrical head 38 a which has an external diameter sized such that head 38 a slidably fits within internal chamber 33 b . Neutral spool 38 also has a cylindrical arm 38 b integrally formed with and extending from head 38 a . Passage 39 is bored or otherwise formed in neutral spool 38 to allow the passage of oil therethrough. In a preferred embodiment, neutral spool 38 is composed of screw machined steel while check spool 33 may be manufactured using injection molding. Arm 38 b has an outer diameter sized to slidably engage with the internal chamber 33 a of check spool 32 .
As shown in FIG. 1, neutral spool 38 and check spool 32 are in slidable engagement with one another. Spring 40 is mounted around arm 38 b and contacts head 38 a and spring seat 41 formed on check spool 32 to control the movement of neutral spool 38 into and out of check spool 32 . Needle valve projection 37 is formed on the internal portion of check spool 32 to communicate with passage 39 .
Valve body 14 as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1 has threads 22 formed thereon. However, it is not required to use threads 22 to secure valve 10 in the HST center section in such an embodiment. Another possible method would be to press-fit the entire valve into the center section. Thus, the drain passages in valve 10 would be sealed from the hydraulic circuit by the interference fit between valve 10 and center section. In this embodiment the valve 10 could be formed out of powdered metal.
Valve 10 has several positions, including fully open wherein oil flow between the HST's center section and sump is substantially unobstructed, and fully closed, wherein there is no oil flow absent normal leakage through the structure. These various positions are shown in FIGS. 2-6, which show a second embodiment of this invention. The general relationship and operation of neutral spool 38 and check spool 32 are the same in either embodiment and identical elements have been given identical reference numerals in the figures.
FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of valve 10 mounted in a center section. Rather than having a separate valve body as in FIG. 1, the embodiment in FIGS. 2-6 has a check valve plate 52 which is secured to a surface of center section 50 by a cap screw 54 or similar means. Ring 56 , which may be a crush ring or sealing ring, functions to create a seal between this element and, if desired, a filter 58 maybe secured to center section 50 and/or check plate 52 to filter the hydraulic fluid before it enters center section 50 . Retainer 16 is shaped differently and incorporates head 16 a to secure it to the center section 50 . This second embodiment is preferred due to lower manufacturing costs involved.
The following description of hydraulic fluid flow is generally given with respect to the second embodiment of this invention. It is understood that it applies as well to other embodiments shown and disclosed herein. When the hydraulic transmission is near the true neutral position, the small oil flow resulting therefrom flows from the center section to the sump through the neutral valve. As the transmission is moved out of neutral, this flow out of the center section is slowly reduced to zero as the neutral valve is closed. A key benefit of the present invention is that it allows for this flow reduction to be smooth and controlled, regardless of the speed at which the transmission is shifted out of neutral. This controlled cutoff is preferrably accomplished through the use of spring 40 and/or dampener spaces built into the design.
FIGS. 1 and 5 shows valve 10 in the fully open neutral position where hydraulic fluid can flow out of center section 50 to the sump as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5 . This fluid flows first through opening 18 in retainer 16 and it is ultimately discharged to the sump through opening 23 in valve body 14 or opening 63 in check plate 52 . One of the paths the oil can take is through passage 39 , through channel 35 and out opening 34 in check spool 32 . As the oil pressure in the hydraulic circuit adjacent the valve increases, the oil pressure increases on neutral spool 38 , and it is forced further into the internal section of check spool 32 , compressing spring 40 as shown in FIG. 4 and acting against the fluid trapped in chamber 33 b . Ultimately, when the oil pressure reaches a set level, as shown in FIG. 3, the distal end of arm 38 b will obstruct passage 35 thus cutting off flow through passage 39 . The pressure at which these changes occur can be varied by changing the tolerances of the various parts as well as the constant of spring 40 and/or the dimensions of chamber 33 b.
As can be seen in FIG. 4, as the neutral spool moves towards the passage 35 , oil flow through passage 39 will slowly diminish due to the interaction of the arcuate surface 37 a of the needle valve projection 37 and the side walls of the internal passage 39 whereby the opening leading to the passage 35 will be caused to slowly decrease in size. In addition, it is seen that oil is permitted to flow between head 38 a and internal chamber 33 b of check spool 32 in which spring 40 is mounted. Oil accumulates in this chamber 33 b and is forced out between arm 38 b and internal chamber 33 a of check spool 32 when the neutral spool moves to the closed position. Specifically, the rate of oil flow from the internal chamber will move from 0, before the neutral spool 38 moves, to a generally constant rate of dispersement which rate of dispersement is known to depend upon the viscosity of the fluid and the size of the opening between the check spool 32 and the neutral spool 38 . Therefore, owing to the fluid trapped within the chamber 33 b , a pressure is built therein which pressure acts against the pressure of the fluid acting upon the head 38 a such that the rate of closure is slowed with the result being a smooth rate of closure. While the spring 40 may or may not be used to further control the rate of closure of the neutral spool 38 , the spring 40 does function to bias the spool 38 towards the open position when pressure is removed from the head 38 a . It will also be appreciated that, since the rate of flow into the chamber 33 b is also substantially constant, the movement of the spool 38 to the open position will be controlled by the rate of flow of fluid into the chamber 33 b . Specifically, the reverse pressure caused by the suction of fluid into the chamber 33 b will act against the bias of the spring 40 whereby movement of the neutral spool 38 is controlled and the opening of the valve smoothed. As illustrated, the fluid in the chamber 33 b acts to dampen the movement of the neutral spool 38 such that the valve will move at a rate slower than the rate of the pressure acting thereupon.
The structure of the hydrostatic transmission, and in particular the flow path of the hydraulic fluid is shown in more detail in FIG. 9 . The general operation of hydrostatic transmissions is known and is described in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,692, and will not be described in detail here. In general, it is known that the input shaft causes the rotation of the pump, and the movement of a plurality of pump pistons against a swash plate causes hydraulic fluid to flow through hydraulic passages to the motor and a plurality of motor pistons which abut another swash plate. As shown in FIG. 9, the hydraulic fluid may also be diverted to flow through valve 10 , to exit from the system to the case as described herein.
A hydraulic circuit is located within center section 50 and incorporates elements in addition to those shown in FIG. 9, including the internal portions of pump 57 and a motor (not shown) and pump pistons 59 and motor pistons (not shown) and the porting in center section 50 between the pump and motor.
A benefit of this invention is in the combination of check valve functions and neutral valve functions in a single valve. As shown in FIG. 6, when the hydraulic circuit is under “vacuum,” or a very low pressure with respect to that of the pressure side of the circuit, the check spool 32 is lifted off of seat 24 , and the fluid flows essentially in reverse of what has been previously described with respect to the neutral spool assembly and hydraulic fluid is pulled from the transmission housing or a sump into the hydraulic circuit through valve 10 . Fluid may be drawn through filter element 58 before being drawn through check plate opening 63 , opening 34 in check spool 32 to the internal passages 35 , 33 a and 39 , and also between said retainer 16 and the center section 50 . Then when the pressure in that portion of the hydraulic circuit adjacent to the valve reaches a certain pressure, check spool 32 is reseated on seat 24 , and the valve is prepared to function as a neutral valve as described above. Specifically, in the embodiment illustrated, when the pressure is equal on both sides of the check spool 32 , owing to gravity acting upon the check spool, the check spool with reseat. In an alternate embodiment, not shown, the valve could be positioned such that gravity will maintain the valve unseated when the pressure upon both sides of the check spool 32 are equal.
From the previous descriptions it is seen that an initial pressure, or pressure equalization, will first cause the check spool 32 to seat against seat 24 .
Thereafter, an increase in pressure will start to close the neutral spool against the pressure of the fluid trapped within chamber 33 b and/or the bias of spring 40 . A decrease in pressure will either unseat the check spool 32 at which time the bias of the spring 40 will open the neutral spool 38 or only be sufficient enough to allow the spring 40 to open the neutral spool 38 while the check spool 32 remains seated.
A prior art version of a check valve is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 with FIG. 7 showing the check valve in the fully closed position and FIG. 8 showing the check valve in the fully open position. The reference numerals for similar elements are the same as those used in other figures. As can be seen, valve 82 can be mounted in center section 50 and secured therein by check plate 52 . Popper 81 is mounted inside valve 82 and the flow of oil through the body of valve 82 is controlled by spring 83 . The oil flow in such a design will be essentially fully open or fully closed, and this design does not provide for any neutral valve function.
It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that improved neutral valve described herein may be used in conjunction with the prior art check valves described above. Illustrated in FIGS. 10-12 is a neutral valve assembly 10 ′ which does not include the freely movable check valve spool 32 but instead uses a plug 32 ′ which is fixedly mounted to the center section 50 whereby only the neutral spool 38 is free to move therein. The operation and movement of the neutral spool 38 is as described hereinbefore with respect to the combination valve 10 . The operations and configuration of this type of hydraulic system utilizing a separate check and neutral valves will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and need not be described herein.
It should be apparent from the preceding description that this invention has among other advantages, the advantage of providing a single valve which is capable of allowing make-up flow into the hydraulic system, stopping neutral flow from the hydraulic system, and cushioning the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any ′equivalent thereof | Methods of controlling fluid pressure, including using a valve mechanism, are disclosed. In one embodiment, a valve mechanism for use in a hydrostatic transmission including a closed porting system for hydraulic fluid and a sump is provided. The valve mechanism includes a valve body mounted to the hydrostatic transmission whereby the valve body is open to the closed porting system at one end thereof and open to the sump at the other end thereof. The valve body has a first open position whereby hydraulic fluid is pulled into the closed system from the sump when the pressure of the fluid in the closed system is below a first pressure, a second open position whereby hydraulic fluid exists the closed system to the sump when the pressure of the fluid is at a second pressure higher than the first pressure, and a closed position when the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the closed system is at a third pressure higher than the second pressure. | 8 |
[0001] This application relates to U.S. Ser. No. 13/114,321, filed May 24, 2011, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to data storage generally and, more particularly, to a method and/or apparatus to generate various length parameters in a number of SGLS based upon the length fields of another SGL.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In a conventional multicasting environment, if all the Scatter Gather Lists (SGLs) have the same definition, then the context memory can have a single field that will describe the state of all the SGLs (i.e., a single field for data length, etc.). If all of the SGLs have different definitions, space needs to be provided in the context area for all the fields pertaining to all the SGLs.
[0004] It would be desirable to implement a method and/or apparatus to generate various length parameters in a number of SGLS based upon the length fields of another SGL.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention concerns a method of generating length parameters, comprising the steps of reading a data stream from a host, detecting a particular field of the data stream, and calculating a variable based on a length parameter of a first list to be transferred. The data stream may comprise a plurality of definitions. The method may also comprise the step of selecting one of the list definitions. One of the list definitions may be used to generate a length parameter used in a second list in response to (i) the particular field of the data stream and (ii) the length parameter of the first list.
[0006] The objects, features and advantages of the present invention include generating various length parameters in a number of SGLs based upon the length fields of another SGL that may (i) be implemented for Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and/or tape storage peripherals (e.g. controllers, preamplifiers, interfaces, power management, etc.), (ii) be implemented without any change in the existing system, (iii) be seamlessly integrated to other systems, (iv) be implemented without changing the controller firmware, (v) be implemented as a complete hardware based approach, and/or (vi) be easy to implement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims and drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a more detailed diagram of the present invention; and
[0010] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for implementing the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] Referring to FIG. 1 , a block diagram of a system 100 is shown in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 generally comprises a block (or circuit) 102 , a block (or circuit) 104 , a block (or circuit) 106 , and a plurality of blocks (or circuits) 108 a - 108 n . The block 102 may be implemented as a host (or server). The block 104 may be implemented as a controller. The block 106 may be implemented as an expander (or repeater). The blocks 108 a - 108 n may be implemented as one or more drive arrays. The blocks 108 a - 108 n may each comprise a plurality of devices 110 a - 110 n . In one example, the drive arrays 108 a - 108 n may comprise a number of solid state storage devices, hard disc drives, tape drives and/or other storage devices 110 a - 110 n . In another example, the blocks 108 a - 108 n may be end user devices. In one example, the devices 110 a - 110 n may be implemented as one or more Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) devices. For example, the devices 110 a - 110 n may be implemented to operate using a SAS protocol.
[0012] The controller 104 may include a block (or circuit) 122 , a block (or circuit) 124 , a block (or circuit) 126 and a block (or circuit) 128 . The circuit 122 may be implemented as a control circuit. In one example, the circuit 122 may be implemented as control logic for the controller 104 . The circuit 122 may include a block (or circuit) 130 and a block (or module) 132 . The circuit 130 may be implemented as a Direct Memory Access (DMA) engine. The module 132 may be implemented as firmware (e.g., software, code, etc.). The module 132 may be implemented as code configured to be executed by a processor circuit. In one example, the module 132 may be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and/or software.
[0013] In one example, the circuit 104 may be implemented as a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) controller. However, other controllers may be implemented to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation. The circuit 124 may be implemented as an interface. In one example, the circuit 124 may be implemented as a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interface slot. In another example, the circuit 124 may be implemented as a PCI bus that may be implemented internally on the controller 104 . The circuit 126 may be implemented as a controller drive interface (or a host bus adapter). In one example, the circuit 126 may be a drive controller interface and/or host bus adapter configured to operate using a protocol such as an SAS protocol. However, the particular type and/or number of protocols may be varied to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation. In one example, an internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) protocol may be implemented.
[0014] The circuit 126 may include a block (or module) 128 . The block 128 may be implemented as an interface circuit (or port). In one example, the interface 128 may be implemented as an interface configured to support a SAS protocol. While an SAS protocol has been described, other protocols may be implemented to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 2 , a diagram illustrating additional details of the system 100 is shown. The DMA engine 130 may comprise a block (or circuit) 134 . The circuit 134 may be implemented as a memory storage portion. In one example, the circuit 134 may be implemented as cache memory. The circuit 134 may be implemented as a Static Random-Access Memory (SRAM), or other appropriate cache memory. The memory 134 may be implemented as either a dedicated memory within the DMA engine 130 , or as a portion of a shared and/or dedicated system memory. Each of the drive arrays 108 a - 108 n may include a block (or circuit) 136 . The circuit 136 may be a controller circuit configured to control access (e.g., I/O requests) to the drives 110 a - 110 n . In one example, the drives 110 a - 110 n may be implemented as SAS devices. The SAS port 128 is shown, as an example, connected to a number of the SAS devices 110 a - 110 n . One or more of the SAS devices 110 a - 110 n may be connected directly to the SAS controller port 128 . In one example, the SAS expander 106 may connect a plurality of the SAS drives 110 a - 110 n to the port 128 .
[0016] The system 100 may be implemented in a multicasting environment where each Scatter Gather List (SGL) definition has a different definition. The length of other SGLs may be derived based on the length of a currently known SGL. Context space (e.g., memory specifications for each device) may be reduced to store all the individual SGL lengths. Otherwise, memory usage and/or specifications may become significantly greater as the number of devices increase in the system 100 .
[0017] The system 100 may be implemented to reduce additional memory needed in a multicasting environment. The overall memory used generally becomes more significant as the number of devices 110 a - 110 n in a particular topology increases. Memory usage may be the same regardless of the particular definitions of the SGLs. Implementation of the system 100 may be a seamless process. In one example, the system 100 may be implemented without modification to the firmware 132 of the controller 104 . In another example, the system 100 may be implemented as a sub-routine within the firmware 132 .
[0018] In one example, the system 100 may implement “N” number of SGLs, where N is an integer greater than or equal to one. In one example, the system 100 may implement four SGLs. In another example, the system 100 may implement six SGLs. The particular number of SGLs implemented may be varied to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation.
[0019] The definitions of SGLs may include modes such as DMA, DMA data only, interleaved, Data Integrity Field (DIF) only, etc. The definitions may be used to derive the fields (e.g., the data length fields) of other SGLs from another SGL definition. The host 102 may generate a data stream comprising the definitions. The fields of other SGLs may be stored in the memory 134 . The data length field may be implemented in a message structure. The message structure may correspond to the SGL. Data length and/or other length parameters for other SGLs may be calculated from the currently known SGL.
[0020] The controller 104 may detect whether the data stream needs to have inline DIF or if the data stream needs to have separate DIF. The controller 104 may calculate the number of blocks needed to be transferred as part of the data transfer. In one example, the number of blocks may be determined based on the following pseudocode:
if (NO DIF OR SEPARATE DIF)
NumberOfBlocks=DataLength for SGL0/EedpBlockSize;
else//(INLINE DIF)
NumberOfBlocks=DataLength for SGL0/(EedpBlockSize+8);
[0025] Once the number of blocks (e.g., NumberOfBlocks) have been calculated, then the length for other SGLs (e.g., “DataLengthSgln”) may be calculated for various SGL definitions (e.g., an interleaved mode, a DIF only, a DMA data only, etc.).
[0026] If the SGL definition is an interleaved mode, then pseudocode may be implemented as follows:
if (INLINE DIF) then DataLengthSgln=DataLengthSgl0; else//(SEPARATE DIF) then DataLengthSgln=(DataLengthSgl0+(NumberOfBlocks*8));
[0029] If the SGL definition is DIF only, then pseudocode may be implemented as follows:
DataLengthSgln=(NumberOfBlocks*8);
[0031] If the SGL definition is DMA data only, then pseudocode may be implemented as follows:
if (INLINE DIF) then DataLengthSgln=(DataLengthSgl0−(NumberOfBlocks*8)); else//(NON DIF OR SEPARATE DIF) DataLengthSgln=DataLengthSgl0;
[0034] Similar logic may be implemented to determine a cumulative count, other counts, and/or other parameters with minimum and/or no changes to the pseudocode described above. The pseudocode described above may be broadly used across other types of calculations. For example, the pseudocode described above may be implemented in the DMA engine 130 . However, the pseudocode may be implemented in a different location and/or device based on the design criteria of a particular implementation.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 3 , a flow diagram illustrating a process 200 for implementing the present invention is shown. The process 200 may be implemented for a particular SGL definition (e.g., interleaved mode, DIF only, DMA data only, etc.). The process 200 generally comprises a step (or state) 202 , a step (or state) 204 , a step (or state) 206 , a step (or state) 208 , a step (or state) 210 , a step (or state) 212 , a step (or state) 214 , a decision step (or state) 216 , a step (or state) 218 , a step (or state) 220 , a step (or state) 222 , a decision step (or state) 224 , a step (or state) 226 and a step (or state) 228 . The state 202 may be a start state. The state 204 may detect whether a data stream (e.g., from the host 102 ) needs an inline data integrity field (DIF) or a separate DIF. The state 206 may calculate the number of blocks (e.g., NumberOfBlocks) that need to be transferred based on a SGL length parameter (e.g., DataLengthSgl0) of a first SGL. The state 208 may select a particular SGL definition to generate a length parameter (e.g., DataLengthSgln) used in a second SGL.
[0036] The state 210 may represent an interleaved mode SGL definition. The state 212 may represent a DIF only SGL definition. The state 214 may represent a DMA data only SGL definition. If in the state 210 , the process 200 may proceed to the state 216 . Based on the results from the state 204 , the state 216 may determine if the data stream needs inline DIF. If yes, the state 218 may generate a data length parameter equal to the data length of the currently know SGL (e.g., the first SGL). If no, the state 220 may generate a data length parameter equal to the data length of the currently known SGL plus eight times the number of blocks. However, other values may be added and/or multiplied to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation.
[0037] If in the state 212 , the process 200 may proceed to the state 222 . The state 222 may generate a data length parameter equal to the data length of the currently known SGL plus eight times the number of blocks. If in the state 214 , the process 200 may proceed to the state 224 . Based on the results from the state 204 , the state 224 may determine if the data stream needs inline DIF. If yes, the state 226 may generate a data length parameter equal to the data length of the currently know SGL. If no, the state 228 may generate a data length parameter equal to the data length of the currently known SGL minus eight times the number of blocks. However, other values may be subtracted and/or multiplied to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation.
[0038] The functions performed by the diagrams of FIG. 3 may be implemented using one or more of a conventional general purpose processor, digital computer, microprocessor, microcontroller, RISC (reduced instruction set computer) processor, CISC (complex instruction set computer) processor, SIMD (single instruction multiple data) processor, signal processor, central processing unit (CPU), arithmetic logic unit (ALU), video digital signal processor (VDSP) and/or similar computational machines, programmed according to the teachings of the present specification, as will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s). Appropriate software, firmware, coding, routines, instructions, opcodes, microcode, and/or program modules may readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure, as will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s). The software is generally executed from a medium or several media by one or more of the processors of the machine implementation.
[0039] The present invention may also be implemented by the preparation of ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), Platform ASICs, FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), PLDs (programmable logic devices), CPLDs (complex programmable logic device), sea-of-gates, RFICs (radio frequency integrated circuits), ASSPs (application specific standard products), one or more monolithic integrated circuits, one or more chips or die arranged as flip-chip modules and/or multi-chip modules or by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits, as is described herein, modifications of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art(s).
[0040] The present invention thus may also include a computer product which may be a storage medium or media and/or a transmission medium or media including instructions which may be used to program a machine to perform one or more processes or methods in accordance with the present invention. Execution of instructions contained in the computer product by the machine, along with operations of surrounding circuitry, may transform input data into one or more files on the storage medium and/or one or more output signals representative of a physical object or substance, such as an audio and/or visual depiction. The storage medium may include, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disk, hard drive, magnetic disk, optical disk, CD-ROM, DVD and magneto-optical disks and circuits such as ROMs (read-only memories), RAMs (random access memories), EPROMs (electronically programmable ROMs), EEPROMs (electronically erasable ROMs), UVPROM (ultra-violet erasable ROMs), Flash memory, magnetic cards, optical cards, and/or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions.
[0041] The elements of the invention may form part or all of one or more devices, units, components, systems, machines and/or apparatuses. The devices may include, but are not limited to, servers, workstations, storage array controllers, storage systems, personal computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, palm computers, personal digital assistants, portable electronic devices, battery powered devices, set-top boxes, encoders, decoders, transcoders, compressors, decompressors, pre-processors, post-processors, transmitters, receivers, transceivers, cipher circuits, cellular telephones, digital cameras, positioning and/or navigation systems, medical equipment, heads-up displays, wireless devices, audio recording, storage and/or playback devices, video recording, storage and/or playback devices, game platforms, peripherals and/or multi-chip modules. Those skilled in the relevant art(s) would understand that the elements of the invention may be implemented in other types of devices to meet the criteria of a particular application.
[0042] While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. | A method of generating length parameters, comprising the steps of reading a data stream from a host, detecting a particular field of the data stream, and calculating a variable based on a length parameter of a first list to be transferred. The data stream may comprise a plurality of definitions. The method may also comprise the step of selecting one of the list definitions. One of the list definitions may be used to generate a length parameter used in a second list in response to (i) the particular field of the data stream and (ii) the length parameter of the first list. | 6 |
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] This application relates to vegetable oil lubricating compositions with improved thermal and oxidative stability, corrosion resistance, and antiwear pressure properties. The application also relates to an additive composition to improve thermal and oxidative stability, corrosion resistance, and antiwear properties of vegetable oil based lubricants.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Vegetable oils are biodegradable and unlike petroleum based lubricants, vegetable oils are derived from renewable resources. These characteristics make them excellent base stocks for the formulation of environmentally friendly lubricants. However, one major limitation of vegetable oils is their poor resistance to oxidative and thermal breakdown even in the presence of oxidation and corrosion inhibitors.
[0003] In U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,551, there are provided synergistic antioxidant compositions containing (a) 1-[di(4-octylphenyl)aminomethyl]tolutriazole and (b) 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-secbutylphenol, 2,6-di-t-butyl-methylphenol, and butylated phenol mixture. Another aspect of that disclosure concerns a lubricating composition comprising a major portion of mineral oil or synthetic lubricating oil, fluid or grease and 0.1 to 5.0 percent of aforementioned antioxidant composition. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,551 does not consider lubricating compositions based on vegetable oils which are neither mineral nor synthetic in nature.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,551 also states that lubricating compositions may further contain extreme pressure agents and antiwear additives among other additives types. Work presented herein confirms that the antioxidant combination in U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,551 is very effective in providing thermal and oxidative stability and corrosion resistance to vegetable oil. However, the addition of phosphorus based or phosphorus/sulfur based ashless antiwear additives were antagonistic on these properties with the surprising exception of triphenylphosphorothionate (TPPT). In addition, antiwear protection provided by TPPT used at the inventive concentration exceeded that of other antiwear additives.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,654 discloses lubricating compositions comprised of (A) major amount of a genetically modified vegetable oil and minor amounts of (B) phenolic antioxidant and (C) TPPT in which (A):(B):(C) weight ratio are (94-99.9):(0.05-5):(0.05-1). However, the reference teaches that the upper limit for TPPT is 1%; and therefore does not foresee that the use of TPPT at 1.5 or higher weight percent would improve antiwear protection, or that 1-[di(phenyl)aminomethyl]tolutriazole acts synergistically with TPPT to achieve the desired antiwear protection, as well as acting to prevent detrimental effects on thermal stability and corrosion properties.
[0006] Thus, the present invention relates to lubricant compositions comprising a major amount of vegetable oil, and minor amounts of TPPT, phenolic antioxidant, 1-[di(phenyl)aminomethyl]tolutriazole, and ashless rust inhibitor. The invention also relates to an additive composition comprising TPPT, phenolic antioxidants, phenyl amino derivatives of benzo- or tolutriazole, and ashless rust inhibitor, which affords excellent thermal and oxidative stability, corrosion resistance, and antiwear properties when used in combination with vegetable oil based lubricant compositions. In one embodiment of the invention, the additive composition and the lubricating composition containing same are free or substantially free of phosphorus- or sulfur-based ashless antiwear additives, such as ashless dialkyldithiophosphate and amine phosphate antiwear additives, with the exception of TPPT.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The invention relates to a lubricant composition comprising the following components, all in weight %:
a major amount (i.e. >90%) of a vegetable oil, such as canola oil and other vegetable oils useful as lubricants, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,654, incorporated herein by reference, and an additive composition comprising: (a) about 1.5 to 2 percent triphenylphosphorothionate (TPPT). (b) about 0.1 to 3 percent hindered phenolic antioxidant, such as BHT, or other compounds as taught, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,701,273 and 4,880,551, incorporated herein by reference. (c) about 0.05 to 0.25 percent 1-[di(phenyl)aminomethyl]tolutriazole, such as 1-[di(4-octylphenyl)aminomethyl]tolutriazole, or other compounds as taught in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,880,551, 6,046,144, and 6,743,759, incorporated herein by reference. (d) about 0.05 to 0.5 an alkyl succinic acid half ester rust inhibitor.
[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lubricant composition comprises:
[0014] (a) at about 1.5 percent,
[0015] (b) at about 0.3-1 percent,
[0016] (c) at about 0.125-0.25 percent,
[0017] (d) at about 0.1 percent.
[0018] The invention also discloses an additive composition for use in vegetable oils. The additive composition is comprised of the following compounds:
(a) triphenylphosphorothionate (TPPT). (b) percent phenolic antioxidant (c) 1-[di(phenyl)aminomethyl]tolutriazole (d) an alkyl succinic acid half ester rust inhibitor. at the ratio of (a):(b):(c):(d) as (1.5-2):(0.1-3):(0.05-0.25):(0.05-0.5). A preferred ratio is (1.5-2):(0.3-1):(0.125-0.25):(0.05-0.5), and a more preferred ratio is (1.5):(0.3-1):(0.125-0.25):(0.1).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] Vegetable oil lubricating compositions with improved thermal and oxidative stability, corrosion resistance, and antiwear pressure properties are described in invention herein. The application also relates to an additive composition to improve thermal and oxidative stability, corrosion resistance, and antiwear properties of vegetable oil based lubricants.
[0025] Vegetable Oil
[0026] Vegetable oils of this invention are triglyceride mixtures:
[0000]
Wherein R are carboxyl groups of fatty acids of which primary examples are listed in Table A. Examples of vegetable oils are corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean, sunflower and rapeseed (Canola) oils.
[0027]
[0000]
TABLE A
COMMON
CARBON
UNSATU-
NAME
SYSTEMATIC NAME
NUMBER
RATION
Caprylic acid
Octanoic acid
8
0
Capric acid
Decanoic acid
10
0
Lauric acid
Dodecanoic acid
12
0
Myristic acid
Tetradecanoic acid
14
0
Palmitic acid
Hexadecanoic acid
16
0
Palmitoleic
-cis-9-Hexadecenoic acid
16
1
acid
Stearic acid
Octadecanoic acid
18
0
Oleic acid
cis-9-Octadecenoic acid
18
1
Linoleic acid
cis-9-cis-12-Octadecadienoic
18
2
acid
Linolenic acid
cis-9-cis-12-cis-15-
18
3
Octadecatrienoic acid
Gondoic acid
cis-9-eicosenoic acid
20
1
Erucic acid
cis-13-Docosenoic acid
22
1
[0028] Vegetable oils can be genetically or chemically modified to reduce polyunsaturation that reduces resistance to oxidative and thermal breakdown. In reducing polyunsaturation, the oleic acid content of vegetable oils is increased to levels above 60 weight percent. For lubricating applications, vegetable oils with high oleic contents (>60 mass percent) are preferred.
[0029] Triphenylphosphorothionate (TPPT)
[0030] TPPT is phosphorus/sulfur based compound with the following chemical structure:
[0000]
[0031] Hindered Phenolic Antioxidants
Phenolic antioxidants of this invention are the alkylated monophenols, methylenebis phenols and esters of beta (3,5 di-tert-4hydroxylphenyl) propionic acid. Alkylated monophenols are of the formula:
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 1 and R 2 are independent aliphatic groups that contain 1 to 12 carbons and R 3 is hydrogen or aliphatic or alkoxy group containing 1 to 12 carbons. Preferably, R 1 and R 2 are tert-butyl groups and R 3 is hydrogen or methyl groups.
Methylenebis phenols are of the formula:
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 4 is independent aliphatic group that contain 1 to 18 carbons and n is an integer from 0 to 3 or mixture of alkyl phenol and methylene bridged phenol. Preferred compound is 2,2′-methylenebis-(6-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol).
[0033] The formula for esters of beta (3,5 di-tert-4-hydroxylphenyl) propionic acid is the following:
[0000]
[0000] wherein esters are produced from monohydric and polyhydric alcohols. Preferred alcohol is iso-octyl alcohol or R 5 is branched C 8 alkyl group.
[0034] Tolutriazole Derivatives
[0035] Tolutriazole derivatives of the invention prepared in known fashion from tolutriazole, formaldehyde and diphenyl amines by means of Mannich reaction and are the following formula:
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 6 , R 7 , R 8 and R 9 are independently hydrogen or alkyl and styryl groups that contain 2 to 9 carbons. Preferred compound is 1-[di(4-octylphenyl)aminomethyl]tolutriazole wherein R 6 , and R 9 are octyl groups and R 7 , and R 8 are hydrogen.
[0036] Ashless Rust Inhibitor
[0037] Ashless rust inhibitors of this invention are alkyl succinic half ester acids:
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , and R 13 are hydrogen and/or alkyl groups, at least one of R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , and R 13 is always an alkyl group, and R 14 is always an aliphatic group. For R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , and R 13 , alkyl groups are polybutyl moiety, fatty acids, isoaliphatic acids (e.g., 8-methyloctadecanoic acid). For R 14 , alkyl group contains 2 to 6 carbons or is alkoxy group. Commercial examples are VANLUBE® RI-A lubricant additive (alkyl succinic acid half ester derivative), and LUBRIZOL® 859 additive.
Test Methods
[0038] Test methods used in this invention to evaluate thermal stability, corrosion resistance, oxidative stability, and wear properties of vegetable oil based lubricating compositions were the following:
[0039] 1. modified Cincinnati Milicron (CM) Test
[0040] 2. Pressure Differential Scanning Calorimetry (PDSC), ASTM D 6186
[0041] 3. 4-Ball Wear, ASTM D 4172
[0042] Modified Cincinnati Milacron measures thermal stability and corrosive properties of lubricating fluids. In this procedure, a copper and iron rod are kept in contact with each other under surface of 40 milliliters of test oil in beaker for 7 days at a constant temperature of 135° C. Upon completion, percent change in total acid number (TAN), and viscosity of the test oil is determined and copper and iron rods are rated for corrosion on scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being no corrosion.
[0043] PDSC is an instrumental technique that measures the oxidation stability of oils by detecting exothermic release of energy that occurs when oils succumb to autooxidation. For this invention, test oils were held 130° C. under 500 psi of oxygen pressure. The length of time required to reach autooxidation is a measure of oxidation resistance and is known as oxidation induction time.
[0044] Four-Ball Wear Test was conducted according to standard procedure described in ASTM D4172. In this test method, one ball is rotated on three evenly spaced static balls while the four balls are completely submerged under the test oil. The tests for this invention were conducted at a rotation speed of 1200 rpm under a load of 40 kg for a hour at 75° C. The scar diameter of three static balls is measured and averaged for the final result. An acceptable result for this test is an average wear scar that is less 0.4 mm in diameter.
EXAMPLE 1
Comparative Data
[0045] Lubricating compositions were prepared using high oleic content Canola oil. Canola oil was tested without the addition of TPPT and with the addition of the phenolic antioxidant, tolutriazole derivative and ashless rust inhibitor of the invention. As expected, the addition of the additives led to significant improvement in thermal stability, oxidative stability and corrosion properties with no improvement in wear resistance. The addition of ashless antiwear additives such amine phosphates described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,701,273, 5,538,654 and 6,046,144, dialkyldithiophosphate esters described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,144 and phosphate esters improved wear resistance but for the most part did not lower wear scars to acceptable result of 0.4 mm or lower. More importantly, the more effective antiwear additives were detrimental to thermal stability and corrosion properties as summarized in Table 1.
EXAMPLE 2
Inventive Data
[0046] To Canola oil composition containing phenolic antioxidant, tolutriazole derivative and ashless rust inhibitor was added different concentrations of triphenylphosphorothionate (TPPT) antiwear additive. Unlike other ashless antiwear, TPPT did not negatively affect thermal stability and corrosion properties and more surprisingly, acceptable wear scars were obtained at TPPT concentrations of about 1.5 weight % as summarized in Table 2. Of more surprising significant consequence is experiment 15, which shows that acceptable wear scar, oxidative stability, thermal stability and corrosion properties are not achievable if the tolutriazole derivative is removed from the composition.
[0000]
TABLE 1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
High Oleic Content Canola Oil
100
99.125
98.625
97.625
98.625
97.625
98.625
97.625
97.625
2,6-di-t-butyl-p-cresol (BHT)
0.65
0.65
0.65
0.65
0.65
0.65
0.65
0.65
1-[di(4-octylphenyl) aminomethyl]-tolutriazole
0.125
0.125
0.125
0.125
0.125
0.125
0.125
0.125
Vanlube RI-A 1
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.1
C 12-14 -amine isooctyl phosphate
—
0.50
1.5
—
—
—
—
—
1,2-Dicarbobutoxyethyl O,O-di-n-2-
—
—
—
0.5
1.5
—
—
—
ethylhexylphosphorodithioate
1,2-Dicarbobutoxyethyl O,O-di-n-2-
—
—
—
—
—
0.5
1.5
—
propylphosphorodithioate
Isopropyl triphenylphosphate
1.5
4-Ball Wear, mm, ASTM D 4172,
0.78
0.82
0.41
0.51
0.39
0.49
0.42
0.56
0.62
1200 rpm, 40 kgf, 75° C., 1 h
Modified CM
%Δ TAN
383
45.5
530
252
375
1022
586
877
50.0
%Δ Viscosity
173
18.65
43.1
27.7
20.2
26.6
20.8
33.4
20.6
Sludge, mg
70
1.50
5.5
6.50
4.5
19.0
3.5
16.5
3.1
Steel Rod Rating
1
1
1
7
2
2
1.5
2
1
Copper Rod Rating
2
3
2
9
7
6
7
8
2
1 Vanlube ® RI-A is dodecenyl half ester rust inhibitor.
[0000]
TABLE 2
2
10
11
12
13
14
15
Canola Oil
99.125
98.625
98.125
97.875
97.625
97.50
97.75
BHT
0.65
0.65
0.65
0.65
0.65
—
0.65
Isooctyl-3-(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-
—
—
—
—
—
0.65
—
hydroxylphenyl) propionate
1-[di(4-octylphenyl)
0.125
0.125
0.125
0.125
0.125
0.25
—
aminomethyl]tolutriazole
Vanlube RI-A
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.1
0.10
0.1
0.1
TPPT
—
0.5
1.0
1.25
1.5
1.5
1.5
4-Ball Wear, mm
0.82
0.82
0.56
0.43
0.33
0.33
0.41
ASTM D 4172, 1200 rpm,
40 kgf, 75 C, 1 h
Modified CM
%Δ TAN
45.5
67.9
66.7
148.0
%Δ Viscosity
18.65
20.1
21.9
16
Sludge, mg
1.50
4.00
3.20
3.0
Steel Rod Rating
1
1
1
3
Copper Rod Rating
3
2
2
7
PDSC, minutes
100.2
109.7
80.5
ASTM D 6186, 130° C. | A lubricating composition includes, in weight %, at least 90 percent of a vegetable oil, and an additive composition including:
(a) about 1.5 to 2 percent triphenylphosphorothionate (TPPT), (b) about 0.1 to 3 percent hindered phenolic antioxidant, (c) about 0.05 to 0.25 percent 1-[di(phenyl)aminomethyl]tolutriazole, and (d) about 0.05 to 0.5 percent alkyl succinic acid half ester rust inhibitor. | 2 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application takes priority from U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 60/153,717, filed Sep. 14, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to oilfield well operations and more particularly to an apparatus and method for rotating a portion of a drill sting in a subterranean wellbore.
2. Background of the Invention
In drilling oil and gas wells for the exploration of hydrocarbons, it is sometimes necessary to deviate the well off vertical and in a particular direction. A large proportion of the current drilling activity involves directional drilling, i.e., drilling deviated and horizontal boreholes, to increase the hydrocarbon production and/or to withdraw additional hydrocarbons from the earth's formations. Modern directional drilling systems generally employ a drill string having a bottom hole assembly (BHA) and a drill bit at the end thereof that is rotated by a drill motor and/or the drill string.
In vertical or near vertical drilling, cuttings produced while drilling are efficiently carried away from the wellbore by the upward velocity of the drilling fluid (commonly known as the “mud” or “drilling mud”). However, where there is more deviation in the well, the force of gravity results in the cuttings settling along the bottom side of the wellbore (sometimes referred to as the “low side”). As the cuttings settle, a “bed” of solids can form, which can significantly increase the drag forces on the drill string.
Slide-type drill string, or in particular, coiled tubing, involves a pulsating advancement of the drill string in an attempt to constantly overcome the static friction of the drill string on the formation. Drill strings which include jointed pipe as the drill pipe are rotated from the surface to change the static friction to a dynamic friction.
Current coiled tubing drilling applications, involving non-rotating drill strings, are limited by the friction created by the formation of solids in the bottom of the wellbore and the string compressible load capability in achieving the necessary depths of extended reach wellbores or highly deviated wellbores. As a result of the non-rotational setup of coiled tubing applications, the drill string is exposed to enormous amounts of axial frictional forces while sliding the drill string into and out of the wellbore. The horizontal inclinations and curvature in the wellbore increase the likelihood that a non-rotating drill string will become lodged or “stuck” in the wellbore, thereby preventing further insertion or extraction of the drill sting.
Drill strings may also become lodged in a wellbore as a result of differential sticking. Differential sticking occurs when the drill string remains at rest against the wellbore wall for a sufficient amount of time to allow filter mud to build up around the drill string. The portion of the drill string that is in contact with the mud is sealed from the hydrostatic pressure of the mud column. The pressure difference between the mud column and the formation pressure of the adjoining formation acts on the area of the drill string in contact with the mud to hold the drill string against the wall of the wellbore. This frictional engagement between the drill string and the mud inhibits or prevents axial and rotational movement of the drill string. However, the kinetic force of a rotating drill string can minimize or deter differential sticking.
Even when a jointed pipe is used as the drill pipe, rotation of the drill pipe from the surface can damage drill pipe around short radius curves and can also damage the borehole at such locations. Continuously rotating the drill string, especially along horizontal or highly deviated sections of the wellbore, can significantly reduce drag, improve hole cleaning, i.e. move cuttings through the borehole and also facilitate tripping of the drill string from the borehole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,178 provides (i) coiled-tubing drill strings wherein the bottom hole assembly can be rotated without rotating the coiled tubing; and (ii) drill pipe drilling systems wherein the drill pipe above the bottom hole assembly can be rotated independent of the bottom hole assembly. However, to drill extended reach horizontal wellbores with coiled tubing drill strings, it is advantageous to rotate at least a portion of the tubing in the horizontal section with and/or without rotating the bottom hole assembly. To drill the wellbore with drill pipe drill strings, it is also advantageous to rotate at least a portion of the drill pipe in the horizontal section without necessarily rotating the remaining drill pipe from the surface.
The present invention provides apparatus and method for rotating a portion of the drill string in the wellbore. By rotating a portion of the drill string, the kinetic force prevents cuttings produced during drilling from settling in the wellbore, thereby significantly reducing the static friction between the rotating portion of the drill string and its surrounding elements and reducing the probability of differential sticking and thus allowing drilling of deeper wellbores by such a drill string compared to a non-rotating drill string. Such a system also facilitates tripping of the drill string from the wellbore.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides apparatus and method for rotating a portion of a drill string in the wellbore. The drill string of the present invention comprises upper and lower sections wherein the lower section rotates relative to the upper section of the drill string which extends to the surface. The upper and lower sections of the drill string can comprise coiled tubing, jointed tubing or a combination of coiled and jointed tubing. The lower section of the drill string comprises at least a portion of a bottom hole assembly (BHA), which includes a drill bit and downhole drilling motor. A rotational device is positioned within the drill string in order to rotate the lower section. Upon activation of the rotational device, the lower section of the drill string will be exposed to a continuous rotation. By rotating the lower section of the drill string in the wellbore, static friction forces exhibited by the lower portion are overcome. This reduces the probability of differential sticking of the drill string in the wellbore and can prevent settling of the cuttings on the bottom (low side) of the wellbore, which allows the cuttings to move more freely with the drilling fluid.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention comprises at least one rotational device positioned between the upper and lower sections of the drill string wherein the rotational device allows for passage of wireline and/or fluid.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes at least two spaced apart rotational devices, each such device adapted to independently move a portion of the drill string downhole of the rotational device.
Examples of the more important features of the invention thus have been summarized rather broadly in order that detailed description thereof that follows may better be understood, and in order that the contributions to the art may be appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For detailed understanding of the present invention, references should be made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements have been given like numerals and wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a partially rotatable drilling string according to the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed diagram of the partially rotatable drilling string according to the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 2A illustrates drilling of a wellbore along an exemplary trajectory with a drill string made according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the lower section of the drill string;
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the lower section of the drill string and the fluid path from the surface workstation to the bottom hole assembly;
FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the lower section of the drill string and an alternative fluid path from the surface workstation to the bottom hole assembly; and
FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the lower section of the drill string which allows passage of wireline and fluid.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for rotating a portion of a drill string in any deviation from vertical to horizontal. During drilling of deviated and horizontal wellbores, drill cuttings tend to gravitationally settle and form solids on the bottom (low side) of the wellbore. Drag due to static friction in non-rotating drill strings can be several times greater than the drag when at least a portion of the drill string is continuously rotated. This is particularly problematic when drilling is performed with coiled tubing. Drill strings utilizing drill pipe (jointed tubulars) can be rotated from the surface but require great energy and may not be suitable for short radius and/or extended reach horizontal wellbores.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary drilling system 100 wherein a supply of ductile tubing 120 , capable of being spooled upon a tubing reel 10 , is positioned on a surface workstation 130 (such as a rig or an offshore vessel or an offshore platform) for insertion into or extraction from a wellbore 140 . An injector head unit 20 , also located on the surface workstation 130 , is utilized for inserting and retrieving the tubing 120 relative to the wellbore 140 . It is contemplated that relatively rigid jointed pipe or tubing may also be used in the present invention. In such drill strings, the drill pipe is inserted or retrieved by apparatus well known in the art and the drill string can be rotated by a rotary table at the workstation 130 .
In the present invention, a drill string 30 extends from a location on the surface workstation 130 to a certain depth “D” in the wellbore 140 . The drill string 30 contains a bottom hole assembly (BHA) 80 located at the lowermost end of the drill string. The bottom hole assembly 80 includes a drill bit 110 for drilling the wellbore 140 and a drilling motor 90 . A drilling fluid 65 from a surface mud system (not shown) is pumped under pressure down the drill string 30 . The drilling fluid 65 operates the drilling motor 90 within the bottom hole assembly 80 , which in turn rotates the drill bit 110 . The drill bit 110 disintegrates the formation (rock) into cuttings. The drilling fluid 65 along with the cuttings leaving the drill bit 110 travels uphole in the annulus between the drill string 30 and the wellbore 140 . However, in deviated and horizontal wellbores cuttings tend to settle along the bottom of the wellbore 140 , which can cause the drill string 30 to become lodged. This is especially prevalent when the drill string in the horizontal section is not rotating due to the static friction between the drill string and the wellbore. The force of the drilling fluid alone may not be sufficient to move the drill cuttings through the low side of the annulus. Therefore, it is desirable to create a kinetic force at least within the deviated sections of the wellbore 140 in order to prevent the cuttings from settling or to reintroduce the cuttings into the main fluid path.
Referring to FIG. 2, a kinetic force is generated downhole with the use of a rotational device 50 , preferably a motor, which is placed along the drill string 30 , a selected distance above the bottom hole assembly 80 . The rotational device 50 , comprising an engagement device 55 and a power unit 57 coupled to the engagement device 55 , provides rotary motion to the drill string 30 . The rotational device may be operated from a remote location. The power unit 57 may comprise an electric motor, pneumatic motor, a mud motor or turbine driven by the fluid supplied to the drill string 30 during drilling.
The drill string 30 comprises a plurality of sections defined by placement of at least one rotational device 50 on the drill string 30 . The upper section 40 comprises the section of the drill string 30 above or uphole of the rotational device 50 and the lower section 70 comprises the section of the drill string 30 below or downhole of the rotational device 50 . The lower section 70 may include the bottom hole assembly 80 and a certain length 10 a of the tubing 10 . The length of the section 10 a is selected depending upon the intended horizontal reach of the wellbore. This section may be from a few hundred feet to more than a thousand feet in length. The length of the section 10 a is selected so that it's rotation is sufficient to reduce the static friction to allow proper hole cleaning and insertion of the drill string 30 into the wellbore 140 during drilling. The section 10 a is preferably relatively rigid and may be a jointed pipe.
The upper section 40 may be a coiled tubing on a rigid tubing. When a coiled tubing is used as the upper section 40 , it is fixedly attached to the upper end of the rotational device 50 . When a rigid pipe is used, it may be fixedly attached via a selective engagement device 51 a so that in one mode the upper section 40 and the lower section 70 can be engaged with each other to rotate together and in a second mode they can be rotationally disengaged so that the lower section 70 may be rotated independent of the upper section 40 . Any suitable device may be used as the engagement device 51 a for the purpose of this invention. For example, the present invention may utilize any swivel and clutch type mechanism or it may utilize an adaptation of the engagement device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,178, the entire disclosure of which patent is incorporated herein by reference.
In an alternative embodiment, a rotational device 60 may rotate the bottom hole assembly at joint 77 between the tubing and the bottom hole assembly 80 . The rotational device 60 may rotate the lower string segment 70 relative to the upper string segment 40 at a relatively slow rate of speed to facilitate advancement of the drill string into the wellbore The bottom hole assembly 80 can be in excess of 100 feet and is usually significantly larger (in outer dimensions) than the tubing 10 and thus can be a source of inducing a substantial amount of the static friction. Rotating the bottom hole assembly in certain applications may be sufficient to drill extended reach wellbores.
Alternatively, more than one independently operable rotational devices may be utilized in the drill string 30 . For example, one rotational device 60 to rotate the bottom hole assembly 80 and the second rotational device 50 to rotate section 10 a of the tubing 10 . The rotational devices may rotate the section 10 a only or section 10 a along with the bottom hole assembly 80 . The rotational devices 50 and 60 are preferably independently operable by a control circuit 65 in the bottom hole assembly 80 and/or by a control circuit or unit 45 (FIG. 1) at the surface. If the upper section 40 is made from a rigid tubing, the entire drill string may be rotated to drill a portion of the wellbore.
Drilling of an extended reach horizontal wellbore, according to one method of the present invention, is described in reference to FIG. 2 a below, which illustrates an exemplary wellbore 120 having a particular profile or trajectory that includes an initial vertical section 120 a extending from a surface location 115 to a first depth d 1 followed by a relatively short radius section 120 b having a curvature defined by radius “R” to a second depth d 2 , which is followed by a straight inclined or horizontal section 120 c to a depth d 3 .
The wellbore 120 is shown being drilled by a particular embodiment of a drill string 30 made according to one embodiment of the present invention. For convenience, the elements of the drill string 30 of FIG. 2 a that are common with the drill string of FIG. 2 are denoted by common numerals. The drill string 30 includes a rotational device 50 a between an upper section 10 b, which preferably is a coiled tubing, and a lower rigid pipe section 10 b. A bottom hole assembly 80 is attached to the lower end of the bottom section 10 b via a rotational device 60 . The bottom hole assembly preferably includes a mud motor 90 for rotating the drill bit 110 . Independently operable force application members 95 b apply force on the wellbore wall to maintain the desired drilling direction. The bottom hole assembly 90 may include other directional drilling devices which aid the drill string 30 in drilling deviated holes and maintain the drill bit along a particular direction.
To drill the initial vertical section 120 a, the drill string lower section 10 a may be rotated. When a coiled tubing is used as the upper section it remains non-rotating. If a rigid drill pipe is used as the upper section 10 b, both the upper and lower sections may be rotated to drill the section 120 a. If the radius R is too short, such section may be drilled by only rotating the bottom hole assembly 80 by the rotational device 50 b or by not rotating any portion of the drill string 30 , except the drill bit 110 by the drilling motor 90 .
The initial portion of the horizontal or inclined section 120 c is drilled to a depth as the curved hole so that the lower section 10 a lies in the horizontal section 120 c. Further drilling preferably is performed by rotating the drill bit 110 by the mud motor 90 and by continuously rotating at least the lower section 10 a of the drill string by the rotational device 50 a. The bottom hole assembly 90 may also be rotated, if desired, by the rotational device 60 . As noted above, the drill string of 30 allows independent selective rotation (i) of the bottom hole assembly below the device 60 , (ii) of the lower drill string section 10 a below the rotational device 50 a; and (iii) of the upper section 10 b from the surface, if a rigid tubing is used as the upper section. Additional rotational devices such as 50 b may be incorporated at suitable locations in the drill string 30 . The device 60 may also be utilized for directional control of the drill bit, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,170.
Thus, the present invention allows drilling of a wellbore wherein at least a portion of the drill string above the bottom hole assembly can be continuously rotated. The rotational speed can be controlled from the surface control unit 45 or by utilizing a telemetry system in conjunction with the power unit 57 (FIG. 2 ). The continuous rotation of the drill section 10 a maintains dynamic friction of such section, thereby reducing drag, which allows easy insertion of the drill string 30 into the wellbore 140 for continued drilling. This also facilitates the movement of the drill cuttings 121 through the annulus 122 . To retrieve the drill string from the wellbore 140 , the lower section 10 a can be continuously rotated while the injector head 20 or another suitable system pulls out the drill string 30 out from the wellbore.
Drill bit sometimes can get lodged or stuck into wellbore bottom. In such situations, rotating the drill string section 10 a can facilitate the removal of the drill bit 110 . In cases when a stuck drill bit cannot easily be dislodged, the drill string of the present invention provides a breakaway device 150 at a suitable location in the drill string 30 . The drill string 30 can be disconnected at such device 150 , which allows the removal of the drill string above the device 150 from the wellbore. Such removal is relatively easy since at least a portion of the drill string remains in continuous rotation. The device 150 can be installed in the bottom hole assembly 80 above the drill bit 110 . In this manner at least a portion of the bottom hole assembly can be recovered, which is usually the most expensive part of the drill string 30 .
The above-described staged drilling, i.e. drilling different sections in different modes, can provide more effective and efficient drilling compared to drill strings which do not allow rotation of at least a portion of the drill string above the bottom hole assembly. The location of the rotatable devices 50 a and 50 b can be changed whenever the drill string is tripped out of the wellbore, which occurs several times during drilling of extended reach wellbores.
FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the lower section 70 of the drill string 30 which comprises an inner drive train 260 . The inner drive train 260 comprising a drive sub 200 , a flex shaft 220 and the power unit 57 , is connected to the upper section 40 of the drill string 30 (FIG. 1 ). Adjacent the inner drive train 260 is the outer housing 210 , which rotates in response to the fluid flow through the power unit 57 when the power unit comprises either a mud motor or turbine.
FIG. 4 illustrates the fluid path which originates from the surface into the drive sub 200 , through the flow ports 200 and through the chamber of the power unit 57 , which comprises a stator housing 230 and a rotor 240 . Utilization of this fluid path allows for rotation of the outer housing 210 of the lower section 70 of the drill string 30 . The fluid path continues through the lower section 70 of the drill string 30 to the bottom hole assembly 80 .
FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative fluid path. This fluid path occurs when the flow ports 200 are closed, thereby allowing fluid to flow directly to the bottom hole assembly 80 without passing though the chamber of the power unit 57 . Therefore, when the fluid ports 200 are closed, there is no rotation of the lower section of the drill string.
FIG. 6 illustrates a path within the lower section of the drill string wherein at least one rotational device along the drill string allows passage of wireline and fluid while providing rotary motion to the drill string.
The foregoing description is directed to particular embodiments of the present invention for the purpose of illustration and explanation. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that many modifications and changes to the embodiment set forth above are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. | The present invention provides an apparatus and method for partially rotating a drill string. The drill string of the present invention comprises upper and lower sections wherein the lower section rotates relative to the upper section of the drill string from the surface at the injector head. The upper and lower sections of the drill string can comprise coiled tubing, jointed tubing or a combination of coiled and jointed tubing. The lower section of the drill string comprises a bottom hole assembly (BHA), which comprises a drill bit and downhole drilling motor. A rotational device is positioned within the drill string in order to rotate the lower section. Upon activation of the rotational device, the lower section of the drill string will be exposed to a continuous rotation. By partially rotating the lower section of the drill string, static friction forces are overcome, the probability of differential sticking of the drill string is reduced and the cuttings produced during drilling are prevented from settling on the bottom (low side) of the wellbore, thereby maintaining a clean wellbore by dragging the cuttings back into the main fluid path. | 4 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a luminous rope which provides improved visibility for safety or aesthetic purposes.
[0002] Ropes and, in particular, wire ropes are used in various applications in the form of braided or spiral ropes. Braided ropes are used as conveyor and towing ropes for railroads, as crane and elevator ropes and for other purposes. They are also used as winch ropes for winches, for example for piste vehicles, helicopters, ships, cross-country vehicles and the like.
[0003] Braided ropes are composed of braids which are laid in a helical shape around an insert (core), and which are themselves formed by wires. Spiral ropes are used in various embodiments (open, half-closed or fully closed) as supporting, guidance, tensioning or terminal ropes for cable cars, in cable works, in architectural cables and for other purposes. Spiral ropes are composed of wires which are twisted together in a helical shape and laid around an insert, generally a core wire (core). Wire ropes composed of drawn steel wires are of major importance owing to their high load strength with comparatively small cross sections. A wire rope of this type is disclosed, for example, in the document EP-A-685592.
[0004] Ropes have the disadvantage that they are difficult to see against a terrain background which can lead to accidents if they are not adequately marked.
[0005] A light-emitting rope is known, for example, from the document JP-A-1200388. A luminous effect is accordingly produced by a light-emitting area with phosphorescent pigments and with a further light-emitting area with a reflective structure, at least on the outer surface of the main body of the rope.
[0006] A rope which is used as a holding rope and pulling rope and having a light function is known, for example, from the document CH-A-674967. In this case, reflective or self-luminous substances are incorporated in the fibers of the rope by means of a finishing process.
[0007] The present invention is in contrast based on the object of providing a rope which avoids the necessity for separate marking or for providing a light in the vicinity, at least at times, during its use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by the provision of a rope which comprises at least one luminous element which extends over at least a part of the rope length, and which is configured to be attached to a source which serves to render the element actively luminous in the state when it is fed from the source.
[0009] The rope according to the invention with a luminous element can be seen well against a terrain background, without any need for additional marking or an additional external light source, for example sunlight or ambient light, to stimulate a luminous substance. This makes it possible to largely eliminate any risk of accidents resulting from difficulty in seeing the cable.
[0010] The refinement of the wire rope according to the invention may, however, not only contribute to improving visibility (safety aspect) but can also be used for aesthetic purposes. By way of example, wire ropes have become an important structural element for architects—as supporting ropes for fittings, for bracing roofs, as handrails and for many other purposes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will be explained in more detail in the following text with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0012] [0012]FIG. 1 shows a side view of a part of a braided wire rope according to the invention;
[0013] [0013]FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the braided wire rope shown in FIG. 1;
[0014] [0014]FIG. 3 shows a cross section through a second exemplary embodiment of a possible braided wire rope;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a braided wire rope according to the invention;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 5 shows a cross section through the braided wire rope shown in FIG. 4;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 6 shows a side view of a part of a fully closed spiral rope according to the invention;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 7 shows a cross section through the spiral rope shown in FIG. 6;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 8 shows a cross section through a variant of an open spiral rope;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 9 shows a section through a luminous element with a cable light, strain relief and a plastic sheath;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a luminous element with a plastic mesh for strain relief and with a plastic sheath; and
[0022] [0022]FIG. 11 shows a detail of the plastic mesh from FIG. 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] [0023]FIG. 1 shows a wire rope 1 which is in the form of a braided wire rope and has two or more wire braids 2 , 2 ′, 2 ″ laid in helical shape. The wire braids 2 , 2 ′ 2 ″ are each composed of a number of wires, which are twisted together to form a braid. According to the invention, at least one luminous element 6 is provided for example an electroluminescent cable 6 ′, which extends over at least part of the rope length, is laid with the wire braids 2 , 2 ′, 2 ″, and can easily be seen on the surface of the braided wire rope 1 . Cables such as these are known, for example, from the documents EP-A-1146778 or WO-A-0248605.
[0024] In comparison to a conventional rope, this braided wire rope 1 can thus he seen considerably better, in a simple manner. This results in considerable safety improvements.
[0025] As can be seen in particular from FIG. 2, the braided wire rope 1 has five wire braids 2 , 2 ′, 2 ″, which are arranged in a circular shape around a core 4 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the rope. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, this is a core 4 composed of plastic.
[0026] According to the invention, the luminous element 6 is arranged in the position of a sixth braid 5 between the two successive wire braids 2 ′, 2 ″ in the rope circumferential direction, and is laid with the wire braids 2 , 2 ′, 2 ″. The wire braids 2 , 2 ′, 2 ″ and the luminous element 6 have approximately the same external diameter and are arranged uniformly around the core 4 . The luminous element 6 , which produces the effect of a light, is an electroluminescent cable 6 ′.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of a braided wire rope according to the invention. A luminous element 8 is arranged or the braided wire rope 1 and is guided in a space which is located between the theoretical cable circumference U s and the periphery of adjacent wire braids 7 , 9 . In this case, the luminous element 6 could also be replaced by a wire braid corresponding to the braids 2 , 2 ′, 2 ″. It is thus possible to arrange luminous elements without reducing the load-carrying capacity of the rope.
[0028] [0028]FIG. 3 shows a cross section through a further exemplary embodiment of a possible braided wire rope with a steel core 14 , with nine inner wire braids 13 which are arranged in a circular shape around the steel core 14 , and with seven outer braids 12 ′, 12 ″, 12 ′″, which are arranged on the rope circumference, as well as two luminous elements 15 in the positions of two outer braids. The luminous elements 15 are in turn laid between in each case two successive wire braids 12 ′, 12 ″ in the rope circumferential direction, with the two luminous elements 15 being arranged essentially opposite one another.
[0029] Additionally or as an alternative, a luminous element 15 ′ is twisted together between two wires 15 ′ a , 15 ′ b of an outer wire braid 12 ′″. This assumes the position of a wire of the wire braid 12 ′″.
[0030] Further embodiments of braided ware ropes are also entirely possible, of course, with a different number, configuration and arrangement of conventional wire braid and of the luminous elements which produce the effect of a light, in the positions of braids and/or wires. Particularly in the case of braided wire ropes which do not need to carry large loads, but in fact are used for aesthetic or safety purposes, it would also be possible, for example, to provide two or more luminous elements in positions between two successive wire braids. This embodiment may be used for example, as a handrail in tunnels or for handrails in stairwells.
[0031] A further possible variant of a wire rope 10 according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. This wire rope 10 , which is once again in the form of a braided wire rope, contains six wire braids 22 , each of which comprises nine outer braid wires 23 with the same diameter, and a further ten inner braid wires. The wire braids 22 are arranged in a helical shape around a core 24 which extend in the longitudinal direction of the rope (and is, for example, composed of an elastomer), with profiled inserts 25 being provided between the individual wire braids 22 in this embodiment.
[0032] Each insert 25 has a head part 25 k , which projects as far as the theoretical circumference U S of the rope, a foot part 25 f which rests on the core 24 , and a center part 25 m which is located in between. However, it is also possible for the inserts to project beyond the circumference U S in the radial direction, or to be set back from the circumference U S . The center part 25 m is provided with two concave bulges 26 , whose radius corresponds virtually to the circumferential radius U L , of the wire braids 22 . Other embodiments with parts of the inserts formed in different ways, in terms of both size and shape, are likewise possible. The wire braids 22 which rest on the bulges 26 are held apart from one another by the inserts 25 and are held in their position by the core 24 ; with one particular refinement of the foot parts 25 f , there is even no need for the core 24 . A wire rope such as this is known, for example, from the document EP-A-685592.
[0033] According to the invention, at least one of these inserts 25 which define the position of the wire braids 22 is in the form of a luminous element 25 ′″. The luminous element 25 ′″ comprises in particular at least the head part 25 k which can be seen on the surface of the rope 10 . Some or all of the inserts 25 may also be in the form of luminous elements 25 ′″.
[0034] As is shown in FIG. 5, luminous elements may also be integrated in the inserts by guiding a luminous element 25 ″, which is in the form of a wire, in the insert 25 ′. In this case, the luminous element is in the form of an electroluminescent cable 6 ′.
[0035] [0035]FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show a wire rope 60 which is in the form of a spiral rope and in which two or more wire layers 62 , 63 are twisted in a helical shape around a core wire 67 or a core braid. Each wire layer 62 , 63 is in each case composed of a number of individual wires 64 , 65 (round wires, shaped wires such as round and/or I wires or Z wires).
[0036] According to the invention, a luminous element 66 is provided, which preferably extends over the length of the rope, is twisted with the outer wires 61 , can be seen on the surface of the wire rope 60 , produces the effect of a light and is, for example, in the form of an electroluminescent cable 6 ′. This is Z-shaped, like the other outer wires in the present exemplary embodiment. Two or more luminous elements 66 may, of course, also be twisted with the outer wires 61 .
[0037] This spiral rope 60 can thus be seen considerably better, in a simple manner, than conventional spiral ropes.
[0038] The spiral rope 80 shown in FIG. 8 is a rope such as this with a number of outer wires 81 , for example 24 of them, which are arranged on the circumference of a core wire or core braid which extend in the longitudinal direction of the rope, as well as layers 82 , 83 , located above them, arranged uniformly in a circle.
[0039] According to the invention, a luminous element 86 which takes the place of a wire and is twisted together with the wires 81 is arranged between two successive outer wires 81 ′, 81 ″ in the rope circumferential direction. By way of example, this may be an electroluminescent cable light, which is connected to a source 88 in the form of a voltage source, and is actively luminous in the state when it is fed in.
[0040] Further embodiments of spiral ropes are, of course, entirely possible, with a different number, embodiment and arrangement of outer wires and different types of luminous elements, whose numbers may also vary, to produce the effect of a light.
[0041] [0041]FIG. 9 shows one particularly suitable embodiment of a luminous element. This is a cable light 90 with a double core, which is provided with kidney-shaped strain relief 92 . This combination of the cable light 90 and the strain relief 92 is surrounded by a transparent plastic sheath 94 . The strain relief 92 is produced, for example, from armaide, highly stretched polyamide, polyethylene, steel wire, carbon fibers or a glass fiber material. The transparent plastic sheath 94 is used to protect the enclosed elements and, by varying its radial extent, furthermore allows the external diameter of the luminous element to be matched to the external dimensions required for its position, for example instead of a wire or of a braid. The plastic sheath 94 may be colored, in order to use the luminous element to illuminate the rope in the desired color.
[0042] The FIG. 10 shows a further embodiment of a luminous element. In this case, a plastic mesh 98 is placed around the cable light 90 with a single core, to provide strain relief. By analogy with the plastic sheeth 94 that is shown in FIG. 9, a transparent sheath, which is annotated 100 , composed of plastic is also used in this exemplary embodiment.
[0043] [0043]FIG. 11 shows a detail of the mesh 98 . The mesh 98 , which is composed preferably of at least virtually transparent fibers for strain relief, in this case sheaths the cable light 90 . When using more absorbent or reflective fibers or wires, the mesh is equipped with a correspondingly coarser mesh pitch and with fewer fibers in order to impede the light emerging from the cable light 90 into the sheath 100 as little as possible. Combinations of transparent and relatively strongly absorbent or reflective fibers or wires may, of course, also be used for the mesh 98 .
[0044] Particularly in the case of ropes which need to absorb only relatively minor loads and are thus in fact used for aesthetic purposes, it would also be possible, for example, to provide two or more luminous elements in the form of wires. It is also possible to replace all the wires or fibers, braids or yarns as well as strands by luminous elements, preferably by reinforced luminous elements, as is shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 . In this case, it is also possible to use luminous elements which are twisted or twisted together to form braids, yarns or strands, once again preferably provided with a reinforcement.
[0045] Luminous elements as they have been described in various forms, embodiments and numbers for wire ropes, may also be used for plastic ropes, for example composed of aramide, polypropylene, polyamide or highly stretched polyethylene, such as Spectra® or Dyneema®.
[0046] In all the embodiments of ropes with luminous elements, it is possible to achieve the lighting effect of the luminous elements by feeding them from a connected source 88 at any time and depending on the specific requirements at that time. In this case, it would be possible to provide for a continuous feed or else an intermittent feed from a source 88 , for example from a voltage source, in order to produce a blinking light effect.
[0047] In the case of embodiments which are particularly suitable, the luminous elements, such as the luminous element 8 in FIG. 2, 25 ″ in FIG. 3, 25 ″ in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, 66 in FIG. 7 and 86 in FIG. 8, may also be in the form of optical waveguides, which emit light at least in places on their surface. These are connected at at least one end to a sources 88 , in this case to a light source, which feeds the optical waveguide continuously or intermittently.
[0048] Further embodiments are possible which emit light from different ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum, that is to say for example emitting light in different colors. Furthermore, of course, combinations are also possible with passive luminous elements, for example with integrated fluorescent or phosphorescent light-emitting substances. In addition, the light emission can be influenced by suitable elements, for example by reflective coatings.
[0049] The ropes according to the invention are preferably designed such that they emit light over their entire length and thus ensure that the rope can be seen well, so that it is possible to eliminate any risk of accidents at many locations without needing to apply any special marking at the dangerous points. It is particularly advantageous that the luminous elements are actively luminous at any time when they are fed, so that their operation is not dependent on factors which can be influenced only to an insufficient extent, such as the ambient light. Furthermore, the ropes according to the invention may also be used to achieve a particular aesthetic effect. Thus, for example, the braced ropes on a rope structure could also be formed using luminous elements such as these. | In order to improve visibility and hence to reduce the risk of accidents, a rope, for example a wire rope, is equipped with a number of luminous elements. A luminous element may in this case assume the position of a wire or of a braid, may be integrated in an insert, or may be guided in the spaces between wires or braids and preferably within the theoretical rope circumference. The luminous element may also itself be composed of luminous elements which are twisted together, are twisted or are laid. For strain relief, the luminous elements may be equipped with a reinforcement in the form of a strand, or with a mesh. The luminous element is intended to be connected to a source. In the state when it is fed, the luminous element is actively luminous. Owing to the improved visibility, rope lights may be used not only for a safety function but also for an aesthetic appearance. | 3 |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/402,546, filed Aug. 12, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anti-mine unit or assembly of very robust construction that will explode anti-personnel mines and will dig up, expose, exhume and/or explode anti-tank mines. The detonation of the mines is done under a complex cover of cables and plates in order to absorb and deflect shrapnel and blast.
2. Description of Related Art
Land mines are one of the weapons in the arsenal of modern warfare. There are land mines designed for different purposes, e.g., anti-personnel, anti-tank, etc. In time of war, it is frequently necessary to clear a minefield for the construction of an airfield, or to at least clear a path through the minefield for an advance. Minefields are often not completely cleared during wartime, and quite frequently civilians are injured by an exploding land mine years after the combat is over. Clearing minefields is hazardous duty. Several devices have been developed in an effort to clear minefields efficiently while reducing casualties which may otherwise occur while clearing minefields.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 655,584, issued Aug. 7, 1900 to Schwartz, describes a combined roller and harrow consisting of a frame rotatably supporting a sectional or two-part roller and having a cross-strip detachably secured thereto at the rear.
U.S. Pat. No. 731,146, issued Jun. 16, 1903 to Wilmeth, describes a combined agricultural machine for multiple services in the tilling of soil. The invention provides for the operation of soil-working bits or members in a circular or rotative manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,102,326, issued Jul. 7, 1914 to Dalsing, describes a plow having means for swinging the cultivator blades laterally in and out between rows of plants so that the ground may be cultivated between the rows.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,679,628, issued Aug. 7, 1928 to Roby, describes an attachment mechanism between a plow and drill that insures proper travel of the drill, as well as permitting sharp turning thereof when necessary.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,405, issued Jan. 12, 1960 to Cole, describes a combination grading tool comprising a rake carrying frame member adapted to be hitched to a tractor for suspension from the rear thereof and a scarifier unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,964,863, issued Dec. 20, 1960 to Shepherd, describes a machine with movable trunnions. Various implements, such as a bulldozer blade, a ripper, a scraper blade, a push-loading scraper, a backfilling blade, or the like, may be provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,003, issued Jul. 12, 1966 to Rolfe, describes a bulldozer or like implement for attachment to a tractor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,766, issued Jun. 10, 1986 to Gossard, describes a crawler tractor with a dozer blade and fitted with accessories to loosen the ground in the strafing pit area of a gunnery range and simultaneously remove from the ground rocks the size of a man's fist and larger and spent projectiles. The tractor is provided with an electromagnet positioned ahead of the dozer blade. Positioned to the rear of the tractor is a chisel bar with a plurality of chisel blades. Just ahead of the chisel bar is a rock rake that is supported with its tines at such an angle that their tips barely scrape the surface of the earth. Ahead of the rock rake, there is a drag consisting of a section of railroad rail suspended from the drawbars of the chisel assembly at a height sufficient to just scrape the surface of the ground during operation of the tractor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,564, issued May 26, 1987 to Schreckenberg, describes an apparatus for clearing land mines that is provided with clearing elements which can freely move up and down independently of one another, and which are disposed in a movable carrier which is embodied as an attachment for a tracked or wheeled vehicle. Each clearing element is a small, rigid clearing plate having a supporting arm, which is suspended on a support associated with the movable frame, and is movable about a horizontal pivot axis which extends transverse to the direction of travel. The supporting arms of all of the clearing plates are the same length. All of the clearing plates, without contacting one another and at a slight distance from one another, are disposed in a compound arrangement which is parallel to the support and is arranged behind the latter in the direction of travel. The compound arrangement is either V-shaped, having its point facing in the direction of travel, or extends continuously at an angle to the direction of travel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,119, issued Feb. 2, 1993 to Wattenburg, describes an anti-snag plowing system suitable for clearing mines. The plowing system comprises several digging-knife units, or plows, and a harrow. Both are attached in tandem to a chain matrix, which is pulled with either a helicopter or tractor. The digging-knife units rotate if the digging-knives hit an immovable snag. The harrow is covered with a chain blanket, and may have magnetic or sonic wave mine triggers if the system is used for clearing mines.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,920, issued Dec. 18, 2001 to Wanner, describes a mine stripper with numerous plow blades that rotate as they dig deeper to achieve an equilibrium depth of about nine inches and a basket that presses against the top of these blades to receive dislodged mines while sifting away attached soil.
WO93/11402, published Jun. 10, 1993 to Aardvark Clear Mine Limited, describes an apparatus for clearing mines. The apparatus includes a support on which is mounted a first impact device, such as a flail rotor. Also mounted on the support are a number of ground engaging members, each of which are adapted to extend below the surface of the ground being cleared so that when the support is moved across the surface, the members expose mines in their path. After being exposed, the first impact device generates an impact on the exposed mines.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant inventions as claimed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is an anti-mine unit or assembly for use with a tractor, bulldozer, or other implement that will explode anti-personnel mines and will dig up, expose and/or explode anti-tank mines. Heavy tubes having thick sidewalls, e.g., ¾″ thick, are welded together to form a frame from which heavy cables are supported. The heavy cables may be cut from 2″ and 3″ cables normally used in drag lines and other very heavy equipment. Digging cables, drag cables, curtain cables and deflector cables are attached to the frame with a thick top plate, e.g., ¾″ thick steel plate, to dig up, expose and/or explode anti-tank mines, explode anti-personnel mines, keep the explosions and shrapnel controlled, and clear a pathway for the vehicle's drive wheels or tracks.
The cables are arranged so that as the vehicle moves forward, a row of cables having digging blades penetrates the ground, then a row of drag cables having ground engaging blades rides over the ground detonating mines by contact and by weight. A pair of deflector cables is suspended from the frame in front of each track or front wheel to move any unearthed and undetonated mines out of the path of the vehicle's tracks or wheels. Curtain cables are suspended from the sides and rear of the frame and, together with the top plate, serve to diminish the force of detonations to protect the vehicle, the operator of the vehicle, and nearby personnel.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an anti-mine unit for safe reduction of mines in minefields.
It is another object of the invention to provide an anti-mine unit that protects personnel assigned to dig up and/or explode mines in a minefield.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an anti-mine unit that not only explodes anti-personnel mines but dig ups anti-tank mines.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an anti-mine unit that will be able to withstand the shock of exploding mines, and still be useful to continue the minefield reduction without the need for placing individuals at risk to sweep the mines.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an anti-mine unit for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an environmental side view of an anti-mine unit according to the present invention mounted on a bulldozer.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the frame of the anti-mine unit with the top plate, rear curtain and side curtains removed.
FIG. 3 is a fragmented perspective view, partly in section, of the front portion of the frame of the anti-tank unit showing attachment of the digging and drag cables.
FIG. 4 is a side view of a deflector cable of the anti-tank unit of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a fragmented rear view showing two adjacent deflector cables of the anti-tank unit of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a fragmented side view of the left side curtain of the anti-tank unit of the present invention, partially assembled.
FIG. 7 is a fragmented perspective view of the top portion of a curtain cable of the anti-tank unit of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a side view, partly in section, showing the relation of a curtain cable to the frame of the anti-mine unit of the present invention when under stress from an explosion.
FIG. 9 is a front perspective view part of a wire cutter blade holder bracket of the anti-mine unit of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a side view of one of the wire cutters attached to the front beam of the anti-mine unit of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a fragmented perspective view, partly in section, of the front beam of the anti-mine unit of the present invention showing staggering of the digging and drag cable brackets.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the top plate of the anti-mine unit of the present invention.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is an anti-mine assembly or unit 100 adapted for being mounted to a heavy equipment vehicle or other prime mover for digging up, exposing and/or safely exploding mines, such as anti-personnel mines and heavy mines like anti-tank mines. The anti-mine unit 100 includes a frame, a plurality of digging cables, a plurality of drag cables, at least one side curtain, a rear curtain, and a top plate. The anti-mine unit 100 also has a pair of deflector cables mounted in front of the vehicle's tracks or front wheels, and may optionally one or more wire cutters mounted on the front of the frame.
In FIG. 1 , the frame 1 of the anti-tank unit 100 is shown mounted to a bulldozer C upon the hydraulically operated hoist H 1 in place of the bulldozer blade. Normally, bulldozers have caterpillar tracks, as shown. The anti-mine unit 100 may also be mounted or placed upon other heavy equipment, such as tractors, front end loaders, tanks, scout cars, armored personnel carriers, tank retrievers, and others. For example, the anti-mine unit 100 may be mounted on a tracked front end loader, or a hydraulic excavator, with a quick hitch plate and a hydraulic swivel, the front end loader having the bucket removed and the operator cab well protected. The frame 1 preferably extends substantially or entirely across an end of the prime mover, and may be welded of 5″ round stock material of abnormally thick sidewalls, e.g., ¾″ thick steel, to have sufficient strength to withstand explosions from exploding mines. It is also considered feasible that square or rectangular stock material may be used, but round or cylindrical stock material, such as a pipe, is more easily accessible.
As shown in FIG. 2 , the frame 1 has a front, beam 2 , an upper rear beam 8 , a lower rear beam 9 , upper right and left side beams 4 , 5 extending from the front beam 2 to the upper rear beam 8 , lower right and left side beams 14 , 15 extending diagonally from the front beam 2 to the lower rear beam 9 , right and left vertical rear beams 6 , 7 extending from the ends of the upper rear beam 8 to the corresponding ends of the lower rear beam 9 , and mounting beams 17 , 18 extending from the upper rear beam 8 to the lower rear beam 9 parallel to and between vertical rear beams 6 and 7 .
Front beam 2 , upper rear beam 8 , and upper side beams 4 and 5 define a substantially rectangular support on which the top plate 40 is mounted. Upper side beam 5 , lower side beam 15 , and vertical rear beam 7 defines a substantial triangular shape, as does upper side beam 4 , lower side beam 14 , and vertical rear beam 6 , in order to rigidly support front beam 2 in an elevated position at the front end of the anti-mine unit 100 .
The front beam 2 is preferably of large diameter, such as ten inches, in order to provide more and better area for the many welds that will be placed upon it, such as attachment of the front wire cutters 31 . Each of the mounting rear beams 17 , 18 , generally not less than ¾″ thick, has mounts 19 , 20 , respectively, for mounting the frame 1 to the prime mover. The frame 1 also has a plurality of lifting eyes 16 positioned on the front beam 2 and upper rear beam 8 to permit a lifting machine or vehicle to lift the frame 1 onto or off of the prime mover.
FIG. 11 shows a portion of the front beam 2 in greater detail. The front beam 2 has a plurality of digging cable shackles 21 and drag cable shackles 22 attached thereto by welding. Each shackle 21 , 22 is defined by an opposing pair of links or lugs having aligned apertures defined therein for receiving a shackle bolt or pin. It will be noted that the drag cable shackles 22 have two pairs of apertures defined therein, the upper pair for receiving a drag cable, the lower pair for receiving a digging cable. The digging cable shackles 21 may have a half-moon support 410 welded below the aperture for supporting the shackle pin, and the drag cable shackles 22 may have a similar half-moon support 420 welded below the aperture for the same purpose. The digging cable shackles 21 and drag cable shackles 22 are mounted in alternating fashion and are staggered or offset radially in order to facilitate insertion and removal of the shackle pins for quick removal and replacement of the cables, while permitting close placement of adjacent cables.
As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the top of the frame 1 is supported by the diagonal braces 10 , 11 extending from the center of front beam 2 to the rear corners of the upper frame. The diagonal braces 10 , 11 are supported by the drag cable support beam 12 and the digging cable support beam 13 , which extend between upper side beams 4 and 5 . Drag lift cables 122 are attached to drag cable support beam 12 , while digging lift cables 132 are attached to digging cable support beam 13 . The drag lift cables 122 and digging lift cables 132 will prevent the drag cables 220 and digging cables 110 , respectively, from flaring out in front of the front beam 2 and possibly missing a ground mine if a mine is detonated under the assembly and top plate 40 .
To help dig through soil and rock, the digging cables 110 are sufficiently flexible to accommodate corrections to the right or left made by the prime mover. The digging cables 110 move upward and downward to follow the contour of the ground. Referring to FIG. 3 , the digging cables 110 are detachably secured to the front beam 2 by the digging cable shackles 21 and the lower apertures (not numbered) of the drag cable shackles 22 . One of each pair of the digging cables 110 is attached to a corresponding digging cable shackle 21 , while the other of each pair is attached to the lower aperture of an adjacent corresponding drag cable shackle 22 . There are thirty-one pairs of digging cables 110 secured by 1¼″ pins 120 through the apertures in the shackles 21 , 22 for a ten foot long front beam 2 . The digging cables 110 are offset to permit the removal of the pins 120 for replacing digging cables 110 that are damaged by mine explosions, as described above.
Each digging cable 110 , being of 3″ diameter, is welded to digging cable head 124 by digging cable head cap 126 . The welding is effected by use of stainless steel, such as “308-16” rods. The ground end of each digging cable 110 has an end cap 112 welded to the cable 110 , and welded to the end cap 112 is a digger blade 114 and an upper blade 116 . As needed or desired, extra weight (not shown) may be added to each digging cable 110 to permit the digging cables 110 to perform effectively in hard, rough or muddy terrains. An example would be adding a block or weighted sleeve, such as a ½″, ¾″ or 1″ steel sleeve, or a bar, such as a 2″ by 4″ steel bar, to each end cap 112 .
The digger blade 114 needs to be of sufficient length and thickness, such as eight inches long by ¾″ thick, to effectively penetrate into and dig below the ground or ground level in order to make contact with and exhume, expose and/or explode mines that lie below the ground or ground level. When desired, such as when there are no known anti-tank mines in a minefield, and explosion of anti-personnel mines is all that is required, the digging cables 110 can be turned over to allow the upper blade 116 to engage the ground directly.
The upper blade 116 is cut back at the angle α of about 40° with respect to an axis normal to end cap 112 in order to reduce stresses when going through brush or high grass, and to allow the digging cables 110 to reach the ground and any hidden detonators. At the end of each digging cable 110 , there is a lift cable eye 118 , to which a corresponding digging lift cable 132 is attached. The digging lift cables 132 are intended to keep the digging cables 110 under the front beam 2 despite any tilting or stress placed upon the anti-mine unit 100 .
Similar to the digging cables 110 , the drag cables 220 are sufficiently flexible to accommodate corrections to the right or left made by the prime mover, and move upward and downward to follow the contour of the ground. The drag cables 220 generally do not push soil or rock, and can work in mud or underwater.
The drag cables 220 are used in pairs, and each of the fifteen pairs is detachably secured to the front beam 2 by a pin 120 through the upper aperture (not numbered) of a corresponding drag cable shackle 22 . A blade or lug 240 fits between the pair of apertures in each drag cable shackle 22 , and is welded to two arms 242 , which are in turn welded to two caps 246 , which are in turn welded to the cables of the pair of drag cables 220 . The drag cables 220 may be a little thinner, e.g., two inches in diameter, than the digging cables 110 , but welds are still by stainless 308-16 stock material or welding rods.
Three steel sleeves 224 , 226 , 228 , of ½″ thickness, are positioned upon each drag cable 220 , and each sleeve 224 , 226 , 228 has ground engaging blades 230 , 232 , 234 , which are intended to contact the ground and any detonators at or slightly below ground level. On the other side of the ground blades 230 , 232 , 234 , a grass blade 236 is welded upon each sleeve 224 , 226 , 228 to permit the drag cables 220 to be turned over for penetration of high grass, brush or hay, and is recessed at an angle α of about 40° in order to better penetrate.
A drag lift cable 122 is attached to an aperture in one of the grass blades 236 of a drag cable 220 in order to ensure that the drag cables 220 maintain appropriate orientation. As needed or desired, extra weight (not shown) may be added to each drag cable 220 to permit the drag cables 220 to perform effectively in hard, rough or muddy terrains. An example would be adding a block or weighted sleeve, such as a ½″, ¾″ or 1″ steel sleeve, or a bar, such as a 2″ by 4″ steel bar, to one of the sleeves 224 , 226 , 228 of each drag cable 220 .
As shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 6 - 8 , both of the sides and the rear of the anti-mine unit 100 have a curtain (not numbered) of 2″ curtain cables 330 in close proximity to one another. These curtain cables 330 provide protection to the prime mover and personnel in the vicinity from shrapnel and flying dirt and rocks caused by mine explosions beneath the top plate 40 by keeping the dangers in a confined area. The right and left side curtains are mounted upon the upper side beams 4 , 5 , respectively, using the side curtain hangers 33 , and the rear side curtain is mounted upon the upper rear beam 8 using the rear curtain hangers 35 .
Extended pin 332 mounts the curtain cables 330 , which are each welded to an elbow 336 . Elbow 336 is of ¾″ steel sheet cut to size and shape. Washers 338 are welded to elbows 336 to space the cables 330 and allow free rotation of the elbows 336 . Five curtain cables 330 are placed every ten inches. As the curtain cables 330 will be placed under strain during explosions, they will be expected to fly outward. As shown in FIG. 8 , a heavy tube 34 , which may be a solid rod, may be welded to the upper side beams 4 , 5 , and will keep the curtain cables 330 at or below 70° from vertical and facilitate shrapnel being forced into the ground and the recovery of the curtain cables 330 . The curtain cables 330 will generally flex when they come in contact with the ground or rocks.
Just in front of the track or tires of the prime mover are the deflector cables 370 L, 371 L (as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 ), which are 3″ cables that are intended to sweep exhumed and unexploded anti-tank mines from the path of the track/wheels of the prime mover. The deflector cables 370 L, 371 L are sufficiently flexible to accommodate corrections to the right or left made by the prime mover.
The upper rear beam 8 has deflector cable shackles 37 welded thereto. The deflector cables 370 L, 371 L are welded to caps 384 , which are in turn welded to arms 382 , which are in turn welded to blade or lug 380 , the blade 380 being affixed to the shackle 37 by a pin (not numbered) similar to the pin 120 mentioned above. The deflector cables 370 L, 371 L are relatively hefty and stiff but have end caps 374 welded thereto. Plows 376 , 378 are welded to the end caps 374 . Unlike ground plows, plows 376 , 378 are not intended to turn earth, but are generally trapezoidal with a horizontal, linear bottom edge for scraping the earth to move any exhumed land mines, especially anti-tank mines, away from the tracks or wheels of the prime mover.
A pair of deflector cables 370 L, 371 L are mounted on each side of the rear of frame 1 to provide the greatest possible protection for the prime mover. It is preferred that each pair of deflector cables 370 L, 371 L are bolted together at the bottom to prevent the pair from spreading apart.
FIGS. 9 and 10 are directed to wire cutters 31 which may optionally be mounted to front beam 2 . Wire cutters are seen to be important, as most mine barriers are surrounded by wire to keep people out (false minefields, wire with signs only, will often be very successful in keeping enemy assaults from being sent through very accessible terrain). Inexpensive and versatile, a wire cutter 31 is comprised of a blade holder having right and left sides 310 , 312 and a blade 314 . Wire cutter mounts 302 , 304 , 306 are mounted upon the front beam 2 . Cutter braces 316 , 318 are welded to the rear of the blade holders and removably attached to the mounts 302 , 304 , 306 by a long bolt 308 , while the blade 314 of the wire cutter 31 is removably attached to the blade holder by a plurality of bolts 320 .
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 12 , the top plate 40 is rigidly secured, such as by welding, upon the top of the frame 1 such that the top plate 40 is prevented from flying off of the assembly after a mine explosion. The top plate 40 substantially or entirely covers the top of the frame 1 , and may be of a size, such as 5′ by 10′, that fits within the area defined by the lifting eyes 16 , as shown in FIG. 2 . The top plate 40 has a plurality of holes 42 , preferably about two inches in diameter, to permit damaged digging and drag cables 110 , 220 to be detached and replaced without difficulty, and to allow chains or cables to be passed therethrough for lifting the drag cables 220 . Steel washers (not shown), about ½″ thick, may be welded to the underside or on top of the holes 42 to prevent the holes 42 from being damaged or split after a mine explosion. The top plate 40 may be ¾″ thick and will be effective in reducing shrapnel and “bouncing betty” type mines from injuring nearby personnel.
This anti-mine unit 100 , mounted upon a tracked or wheeled prime mover, is able to quickly and easily reduce a minefield of anti-personnel mines. Anti-tank mines can be exhumed and gathered, easily and safely. Any anti-tank mines that are booby-trapped to explode upon removal can be exploded under a very hefty and stout assembly that will yield with the blast and still retain integrity, even if some of the individual cables are damaged. Though it is advisable to provide a prime mover with armored cab, to protect the operator, very little shrapnel or blast debris should cause damage to personnel to the rear or sides, even though they should be removed by at least fifty yards or meters.
Though the anti-mine unit 100 is designed to not miss any mines by the overlap of the various cables, the minefield should be swept by other personnel. It goes without saying that with the anti-mine unit 100 detonating the vast majority of mines in the field, if not all, risk to sweeping personnel is greatly reduced.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. | An anti-mine unit or assembly is adapted for being mounted to a prime mover or transport vehicle to reduce the dangers when clearing minefields. The anti-mine unit includes a frame, a plurality of digging cables, a plurality of drag cables, at least one side curtain of curtain cables, a rear curtain of curtain cables, and a top plate. The anti-mine unit may include a wire cutting device and a plurality of deflector cables. Heavy tubes of thick sidewalls are welded together to form the frame from which heavy cables are supported. The digging cables, drag cables, curtain cables and deflector cables are secured to the frame such that the cables, frame, and thick top plate form a unit that digs up, exposes and/or explodes mines, keeps the explosions and shrapnel controlled, and clears a pathway for the vehicle's drive wheels or tracks. | 5 |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device on a sensing and/or analyzing system for a yarn feeder with yarn storing unit (spool body) in which the system is designed to initiate information attributable to one or more of the functions: detection of the presence or absence of yarn turns on the unit, detection of the maximum or minimum number of yarn turns on the unit, analysis or sensing of the yarn, for example of its diameter, colour, etc., and/or analysis or sensing of the yarn store's behaviour/changes during operation, etc. The system is therefore of the type which comprises one or more sensor elements and, where necessary, one or more members, preferably electrical circuits, for processing, evaluating and/or initiating, etc. information from the said sensor elements. Also included are power supply members for each sensor element and member (circuit).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Analyzing and sensing systems for yarn feeders are known in the art. Also known is the use of radiation emitting and radiation receiving members for establishing the presence of yarn on the spool body in a yarn feeder. In these, use is made of evaluating circuits for determining the presence of yarn stores located on the spool body and regulating the number of turns of the yarn feeder as a function of the evaluation. Reference may be made here, inter alia, to European Published Patent Application EP 192 851 and German Published Specification 2 609 973.
A general demand exists with yarn feeders to effect a reliable sensing and analyzing function. Among other things, the problem depends on whether or not the yarn store supporting unit or body is subject to vibration. With a body subject to vibration the aim here is to ensure that the unit is arranged in the yarn feeder in such a way that when the yarn feeder is in operation, the unit can vibrate or oscillate owing to mechanical phenomena and oscillations. The function of the sensing and analysing system must also take account of tolerances which exist in the component parts of the yarn feeder and its assembly, and there are problems in making the sensing and analyzing systems independent of any variation parts of the yarn feeder. In some designs there is a demand for using relatively large tolerances between the assembly positions of the various parts of the yarn feeder. Another demand is for the facility for assembling the parts included in the sensing and analyzing system in a modular arrangement. This gives rise to problems in establishing radiation paths inside the modular arrangement which give small overall heights.
If an imaging system, for example, is used for sensing and/or analysis, there is a limited area in which a sufficiently sharp image required for the initiation is obtained. In the case where a radiation source outside the unit/body is used for emitting the beam from outside against the yarn, there are the problems of effective indication in connection with the yarn feeder.
Demands may arise with the sensing and analysing function for the use of a contact image function, imaging function with object lens or shadow image sensing. Various possibilities exist with regard to this and examples include the use of refracting optics in the unit/body, mirror optics in the unit/body, optics outside the unit/body or a function in which the yarn is used as the dispersing/reflecting element in the identification function.
If refracting optics are used, for example, in the unit, there is a decided problem in getting away from the effect of oscillations in the unit. The same goes for mirror optics in the unit/spool body. With optics outside the spool body there are problems with obtaining a sufficiently good focus from the optics without making the mechanical tolerances too stringent.
The yarn feeder must be capable of working with various types of yarn and yarn diameters. When detecting fine yarns it should be possible to use imaging optics in order to obtain small measuring points, for example measuring points in the order of 30-100×10 -5 m (30-100 μm).
In certain cases, there are great demands that the sensing and analyzing system should be largely insensitive to dust and other airborne particles. From this there stems the demand in some cases to be able to use the actual yarn in the cleaning function, i.e. as the yarn turns pass over the yarn store supporting surface of the spool body, the yarn must be capable of keeping this free of dust so that this does not stick and spoil the result.
In connection with this, problems may arise in arranging an effective indication function in close connection with the yarn store supporting surface. It should be possible to arrange the illuminating and receiving members uncritically in connection with the surface.
The energy supply and measuring results from the members handling the sensor elements must also be arranged reliably in the various existing assemblies.
The present invention proposes a device which solves all or some of the problems indicated above. What may be regarded, among other things, as the characteristic feature of the new device is that at least one sensor element is located in the unit/spool body in a, from a yarn detection standpoint, uncritical relationship to the unit's yarn transporting surface and the yarn turn travelling forward on this. In addition, transmitting members are designed to relay information by wireless means from each sensor element in the unit in unprocessed or processed form to the receiving members located outside the unit/spool body. The unit/spool body is energy self-sufficient and/or can be supplied with energy by wireless means and emits energy to each sensor element and the said wireless transmission by means of an energy emitting/energy converting member located in the unit, for example in the form of a battery, generator, inductive winding, capacitive member, etc. The characteristics may be supplemented or exchanged in cases where one or more of the sensor elements consists of an optical sensor element which together with one or more optical emitting elements forms part of an arrangement on a unit exposed to vibration. The arrangement in this case is designed to significantly reduce the effect of the unit's vibration on the sensing and/or analysis results.
In one embodiment, sensor elements arranged in the unit/spool body are placed in close connection with the unit's yarn transporting surface. Close connection here is taken to mean a distance equal to approximately one yarn diameter. The sensor elements are preferably placed in successive rows, they can possibly also occupy different positions in the direction of the angle of rotation. The information which is thereby obtained from the sensor element/sensor elements can be processed by means of circuits which are arranged in the unit and, for example, comprise a microprocessor which is connected to or comprises memory storage members. Measured value converting elements can also be included and are then preferably connected to the microprocessor. The sensor elements and their associated equipment are preferably arranged on an assembly board. This in turn can be arranged in a slot in the unit/spool body. The sensor elements can thereby be placed on the board in such a way that they are positioned in connection with or on the actual board's edge. The board is thereby arranged essentially radially in the spool body, which means that the sensor elements are in close connection with, for example right on the yarn store supporting surface which can be homogeneous or formed from extended (for example finger-shaped) members regularly distributed along the arranged periphery or circumference.
In a preferred embodiment, one or more of the sensor elements operates with a capacitive function where each yarn storage turn brings about an indicatable modification. In this case each sensor element may comprise coverings/electrodes, one or more first electrodes of which are connected/connectable to a high frequency signal and one or more other coverings/electrodes have the function of an antenna/antennae. The sensor elements also comprise the modification on account of yarn passage sensing members which may be composed of a differential amplifier function which emits an indicating signal at each yarn turn passage.
In a further embodiment, one or more radiation emitting elements are used which are arranged in the spool body. The arrangement in this case works by radiation reflection against the yarn or the contrast effect against a background in which the yarn store, if so desired, can be formed by means of an object lens. In a further embodiment, one or more radiation emitting elements can be arranged outside the unit, for example in or on the yarn feeder's rail. The arrangement in this case functions by contact image sensing, imaging by means of an object lens or shadow image reproduction. The sensor elements can thereby be of a discrete and/or integrated type.
In a preferred embodiment, the sensor element is included in a component which is constructed separately and functions as a modular unit. In addition to each sensor element, the component comprises a limiting surface, fixed firmly in relation to the sensor element/sensor elements, via which optical radiation passes. the component is arranged or can be arranged in the unit/spool body so that the limiting surface is essentially, preferably precisely, connected to the unit's yarn supporting surface. The component may also comprise one or more radiation emitting elements (light emitting diodes, semiconductor laser, etc.). In the case in which the sensor elements and their associated signal evaluating equipment are placed in the unit, this is designed with wirelessly operating members by means of which it can transmit to receiving members outside the unit. Transmission may thus be by optical, inductive and/or capacitive means. The system can detect individual yarn stores, for example the first and last turns on the unit's yarn store. The system can function as a take-off sensor system and thereby uses information from each sensor element. Logic circuits connected to the sensor elements are thereby designed to draw conclusions from the sensor element information during the yarn's take-off process. The system can thereby be designed to take account of the cases in which the yarn feeder uses a yarn separation function in which the yarn store turns travel over the transporting surface with space between them. In one embodiment, sensor element tolerances critical for the detection of the yarn are built into this during manufacture of the sensor element and/or the parts comprising a sensor element.
The diameter and/or color of the yarn can be indicated with a view to predicting and drawing conclusions on the quality of the yarn, yarn breaks, color shade distribution, weak points, lumps, knots, etc.
In one embodiment, one or more sensor elements, the energy emitting/energy converting members and the transmitting members (transmitter and receiver) are arranged on a common board which can be fixed in the unit. The said energy emitting/energy converting members can be connected to a rectifier (not demanded in the case of a battery) which in turn is connected to a filter member. The transmitting members can operate with radiation, for example infra-red radiation. The transmitting members comprise receivers and transmitting units applied to the board which are tuned to corresponding receiving and transmitting members outside the unit. The latter members are arranged on the yarn feeder, for example in a rail belonging to the yarn feeder. The yarn feeder also comprises members for receiving sensor element information. The yarn feeder comprises circuits which can receive and where necessary process and further relay information to a superior control member for the yarn feeder and/or textile machine.
In one exemplary embodiment, a number of discrete radiation emitting elements are arranged outside the unit, for example in the rail of the yarn feeder. A sufficiently large part of the unit is to be illuminated with radiation emission in order to ensure that the problem with vibrations is solved; the spool body/unit can typically vibrate at approximately 20 Hz. In the cases where reading has to be done faster, provision is made for adequate illumination over the entire surface. A number of discrete sensor elements corresponding to the number of radiation elements is arranged in the unit. The sensor elements are preferably included in an assembly part which is arranged with a non-transparent surface largely coinciding with the units' yarn transporting surface, the non-transparent surface being provided with recesses/apertures/windows through which the radiation from each radiation emitting element can pass. A radiation emitting diode can be arranged outside the unit, for example in the rail of the yarn feeder. An integrated sensor element (array) can thereby be arranged so that it receives the radiation set up via an object lens and where necessary a mirror for deflecting the radiation path past the centre axis of the unit, a short integrated sensor element (for example with a length of approximately 25 mm) being able to be used to indicate a yarn store which exceeds the length of the sensor element by, for example, 2-3 times.
In a further embodiment, a radiation emitting element is arranged outside the unit, for example in the rail of the yarn feeder. An integrated sensor element (array) is connected to the unit's yarn transporting surface. On this surface the sensor element supports a fibre optic plate of a type known in the art. One or more of the said radiation emitting elements may be of the type which functions with monochrome light, for example semiconductor laser, IR diode with optical bandpass filter, etc.
Optimum solutions for the sensing and/or analyzing functions can be brought about by means of the measures suggested above. For example, by arranging sensor elements in close connection with the yarn transporting surface these can be positioned near to the yarn travelling forward. This provides the facility for arranging the yarn transporting surface so as to prevent the accumulation of dust. The arrangements can be arranged for feeding yarn with very small yarn diameters and insensitivity to vibrations in the unit/spool body. Purely capacitive solutions can be used, which is advantageous in the case of yarns which have the ability to influence the dielectric constant in the capacitive structure. The invention offers the facility for a wide liberty of choice when it comes to using optics with optical parts in and outside the spool body. Relatively speaking, technically simple and economically advantageous structures can be arranged, as well as more advanced and extremely accurately functioning arrangements.
By using translucent or transparent covering parts/windows the detector arrangement can be protected as such. A fixed distance between the yarn and the detector can be built in with the said modular unit in an uncritical way (the limiting surface is placed on the yarn transporting surface). Small distance tolerances can be built into the modular unit which makes it possible to have small overall heights on the modular unit. Imaging optics can be used where a sharp image and hence a high resolution is obtained by the passage of the yarn (even with small yarn diameters, for example 30 μm). The indicating members can be arranged close to the yarn transporting surface (less than one yarn diameter). Placing the detector in the spool body provides the facility for structures which are largely insensitive to vibrations. Illumination (radiation emission) from the body/under the yarn transporting surface via translucent/transparent parts provides great insensitivity to dust and wear and tear. Illumination from below also provides considerable insensitivity to vibrations in the unit/spool body. Illumination from below also makes it possible to work with reflected light against the yarn. By placing the illumination outside the unit, insensitivity to vibrations is achieved by using a sufficiently broad and powerful radiation source. Placing the sensor in the spool body opens up quite generally the facility for working at a certain distance from the yarn. The sensor can be arranged in close connection with or in essential contact with the yarn. When using radiation/light guides these are preferably arranged directly against the yarn. If working at a distance from the yarn the yarn is imaged on the detector surface and it is not necessary to use any screen. The sensor senses only at a predetermined point. One method of achieving an appropriate solution to the problems formulated is to use imaging optics with an integrated measuring point. Another method is to use radiation guides which go up to the yarn with very close contact with the latter. Further advantages are obtained by also arranging the illumination in the unit. An array unit with, for example, 1024 detection points can be used. The entire yarn store can be imaged in a like manner. Each pixel can cover approximately 100 μm and the yarn storage length can be practically covered by approximately 0.1 meters.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A currently proposed embodiment of a device exhibiting the features characteristic of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings enclosed, in which
FIG. 1 shows in longitudinal section a constructive design for a yarn feeder, known in the art, which uses the new sensing and/or analyzing system,
FIG. 2a shows an enlarged longitudinal section view of the area designated 2a in FIG. 1,
FIG. 2b shows an enlarged longitudinal section view of the area designated 2b in FIG. 2a,
FIG. 2c shows an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of an arrangement which differs in relation to the design according to FIG. 2a in that members which cause modifications, for example through movement/intrinsic movement, in capacitance on the basis of the yarn's travel is included together with an alternative embodiment of an energy source in the unit/spool body,
FIG. 3 shows an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a second exemplary embodiment of the system,
FIG. 4 shows a general diagram of the electrical assembly of the sensing and/or analyzing system,
FIG. 5 shows an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the arrangement shown in FIG. 2b,
FIG. 6 shows in diagram form the design of an indicating signal which is obtained from the system according to FIG. 5,
FIG. 7a shows a schematic side elevational view of a third embodiment which works with radiation source(s) outside the unit and radiation processing and detecting members in the unit, the members in the unit forming an assembled unit of low overall height,
FIG. 7b shows a schematic front elevational view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7a,
FIG. 7c shows an enlarged cross-section view of the area designated 7c in FIG. 7b,
FIGS. 8a-8b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of a fourth embodiment which is a variant of the embodiment according to FIGS. 7a-7c,
FIGS. 9a-9b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of a fifth embodiment which works with light emitting diode elements and elements with integrated sensor elements (array),
FIGS. 10a-10b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of a sixth embodiment which works with imaging optics,
FIGS. 11a-11b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of a seventh embodiment,
FIG. 11c shows a top plan view along the line 11c-11c of FIG. 11a,
FIGS. 12a-12b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of an eighth embodiment,
FIGS. 13a-13b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of a ninth embodiment,
FIGS. 14a-14b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of a tenth embodiment,
FIGS. 15a-15b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of an eleventh embodiment,
FIGS. 16a-16b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of a twelfth embodiment,
FIGS. 17a-17b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of a thirteenth embodiment,
FIGS. 18a-18b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of a fourteenth embodiment, and
FIGS. 19a-19b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of an embodiment which operates on the diffraction principle,
FIG. 19c shows a top plan view of detector arrangement along the line 19c-19c of FIG. 19a,
FIG. 19d shows a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the detector arrangement shown in FIG. 19c,
FIGS. 20a-20b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of an embodiment with spectral sensing,
FIG. 20c shows an enlarged side elevational view of the area designated 20c in FIG. 20a,
FIG. 21a shows a schematic side elevational view of an embodiment utilizing polarized light,
FIG. 21b shows an enlarged side elevational view of the area designated 21b in FIG. 21a,
FIGS. 22a-22b show schematic side and front elevational views, respectively of an embodiment utilizing crossing polarization filters, and
FIG. 23 shows an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the arrangement shown in FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a yarn feeder 1 known in the art, which conventional yarn feeder incorporates the inventive sensing and/or analyzing system of the present invention. The yarn feeder has a yarn store supporting unit or spool body 2. The yarn feeder also comprises a winding member 3 which is arranged rotatably in the yarn feeder by means of an inner shaft 4. The spool body 2 is of the type which is fixed in its rotational position by means of magnets 5. A yarn (not shown in particular) is fed in via an intake aperture IN and fed into internal ducts in the shaft 4 and winding member 3 (see broken line). The yarn storage turns on the spool body 2 are symbolised by 6. The yarn feeder is also fitted with a rail 7.
The yarn is applied to the spool body's 2 yarn storage turn transporting surface 2a in a tangential direction on the rear end 2b of the spool body. The take-off takes place on the front end 2c of the spool body via an outlet eye 7a on the rail 7. The yarn path through the yarn feeder is thus decidedly "straight" and is characterised by the fact that the yarn path comprises only one relatively abrupt deflection, namely that on the passage between the winding member 3 and the rear end 2b of the spool body. This principle differs from the principle of the yarn feeder according to the German Published Specification 2609 973 which exhibits sharp deflections of the yarn path. A major and essential difference between the yarn feeder according to the German Published Specification and the present yarn feeder is that the first-mentioned yarn feeder has its yarn store supporting unit firmly joined to the motor housing, which is not the case with the present type of yarn feeder. The spool body 2 in the present yarn feeder is subject to vibration and may vibrate during operation. This propensity for vibrations is absent or is not as pronounced as in yarn feeders according to the German Published Specification. The vibrations make reliable functioning of the sensing and/or analysing system considerably more difficult. The system is intended to detect yarn breaks, to measure existing wound turns, measure existing thread stores and/or measure the number of turns wound off or parts thereof. It must be possible to sense the size of the yarn store quickly and accurately in order to facilitate good control of the yarn winding onto the storage spool. The sensor system is intended to sense the size of the yarn store with the greatest possible resolution. A modification in the yarn store should preferably be detected with a single turn's resolution. In a preferred embodiment the yarn break detection is integrated on the same board as the abovementioned sensor functions. The thickness of the thread may vary between 10 μm and several millimetres. The thread/yarn may be transparent, white, black, smooth or fluffy. The resolution of both coarse and fine yarn should be good. The thread speed may be up to approx. 100 m/sec. The yarn feeder may function either with or without yarn separation. If yarn separation is not used it must be possible to preset the length of the yarn store to different values so that the yarn store will consist of roughly the same number of turns for different yarns. The store is to be short for fine yarn, long for thick yarn, etc. If yarn separation is used there is no demand for presetting. Optical surfaces which come into contact with the yarn are exposed to wear and tear. The surfaces should therefore be selected so that they meet the wear demands. Where necessary, there should be reference signals for wear and tear. Certain yarns become very dusty which means that dust, dirt and colouring agents are deposited on all surfaces of the yarn feeder. The construction is therefore arranged with sufficient light intensity in order to function with dirty optics or so that the yarn itself keeps the optical surfaces clean. Where necessary there should be reference signals arranged which read off the dirt. Airborne dust particles or pieces of fluff should not cause incorrect signals. The system should be arranged to be largely insensitive to these. The sensing and/or analyzing system should be insensitive to scattered light. Methods of spectral filtering of the light by means of optical filters, or pulsing of the light source and electronic filtering may be used. In such cases a relatively fast detector is required which normally cannot be provided by a photo-transistor. Also preferable are systems which do not require absolute calibration. The spool body oscillates in rotating joints around the shaft. If a light reflex sensor is used against a plane mirror oscillation consequently occurs in the signal which can be 10 times stronger than the signal which is obtained by reflection from the thread (applies primarily to fine threads). This signal can be filtered out electronically in the event that the utility signal does not have as low a frequency as the oscillation (less than approx. 50 Hz). In certain exemplary embodiments the light level in the sensor may be relatively high in order to facilitate simplified electronics. In order to facilitate effective control of the yarn winding it should be possible to detect small modifications in the yarn store. It should preferably be possible to register one turn's modification in the store. Methods known hitherto are impaired by the weakness that they have difficulty in detecting fine threads, and one of the objects of the invention is to significantly improve such detection. In the present case the geometry of the optics is designed so that the assembly tolerances do not become too stringent in certain cases.
Different principles can be used in connection with the invention. Thus, for example, reflection can be used. The reflection is based on the principle of a light difference between yarn and background. Problems can occur if the yarn and the background are similar. The amplification is not made too great if there is any accessible background surface. Black yarns can be difficult to detect by this principle. Another principle is the transmission principle which is based on the fact that the yarn blocks or refracts light from the measuring point. In this case the amplification can be made low since the transmitter shines straight into the receiver. Fine optical imaging is required in this case in order to detect a fine yarn, since a small measuring point is required. In this case the sensor is not so sensitive to airborne dust since the measuring point is small. Transparent yarns, however, may constitute a problem in this case.
A third principle is the so-called dispersion principle, which is based on the fact that the yarn scatters light into the receiver. A suitable background is empty space (with no scattered light), or a black shiny surface. In this case high amplification is possible since the background is black. Fine yarns can be well detected without the yarn being so well imaged by the optical system. In this case the sensor is relatively sensitive to airborne dust.
Since it is assumed that the yarn feeder shown in FIG. 1 and its principle are well known it will not be described in more detail here except to draw attention to the yarn feeder identified by the trademark "IRO-LASER" which is manufactured and sold on the general market by the Assignee of the present invention.
In FIGS. 2a and 2b the sensing and/or analyzing system is shown enlarged in relation to FIG. 1. The embodiment shown works on the capacitive principle and comprises a number of coverings or electrodes 8. The embodiment has a number of sensor elements arranged one after another, which are mutually interconnected so as to produce relevant initiation of each passage of the yarn. The yarn turns 6' travel along the surface 2a' in the direction of the arrow 6". Each yarn turn will therefore pass each sensor element. Each sensor element comprises three electrodes 8a, 8b and 8c which are connected to an assigned member 9 which is designed to emit a signal as a function of each yarn turn passage past the sensor element, as shown in FIG. 6. Two electrodes 8a, 8c of the said electrodes 8a, 8b and 8c are connected to a high frequency source or oscillator 10. The intermediate electrode 8b thereby acts as an antenna and is connected to the member 9. The oscillator 10 is connected to the outer electrodes in each sensor element and the members 9 in the sensor elements are also individually connected to a microprocessor 11. The oscillator 10 is also connected to the microprocessor or microprocessor control member 11. The sensor elements and the oscillator 10 and the microprocessor 11 are supplied with energy by means of an inductive coil, one winding 12 of which is arranged in the fixed part of the yarn feeder and the other winding 13 is arranged in the spool body 2'. The electrical energy transmitted from the winding 12 to the winding 13 is rectified in a rectifier 14 and the outgoing rectified voltage from the rectifier 14 is filtered in a filter 15 before the electrical energy is fed to the oscillator 10 and the microprocessor 11. The electrical energy can be obtained by alternative means in the unit 2'. An alternative method is to use a battery and another method is to use a generator function with the aid of the shaft 4 (see FIG. 1). The 4a part of the shaft extending in the unit/spool body 2' rotates in relation to the stationary unit. By arranging windings in the unit 2' and on the shaft, a generator function can be obtained which effects the energy supply to the oscillator 10 and the microprocessor 11 and other parts of the unit's equipment requiring energy. The microprocessor 11 also controls relay members for relaying the information obtained from the sensor elements and processed in the microprocessor 11. In the present case a transmitting member 16 and a receiving member 17 are used. These transmitting and receiving members are tuned to corresponding receiving members 18 and transmitting members 19 in the fixed parts of the yarn feeder outside the unit 2'. The transmitting and receiving members 16 and 17 in the present case work with infra-red radiation and can be of a construction known in the art. The communication between the transmitting and receiving members in the unit or in the part of the rail are wireless and in the present case also two-way. The sensor elements and their associated equipment in the unit are arranged on a board 20 which is arranged edgeways in the unit 2'. The electrodes in the sensor elements are arranged on the outer edge 20a of the board so that the ends of the electrodes 8 are in very close connection with, preferably exactly on the unit's transport surface 2a'.
The receiving and transmitting members 18, 19 in the rail of the yarn feeder are arranged on a board or the part 21, as is the winding 12 with associated iron core 12a. The winding 13 with associated iron core 13a is correspondingly mounted on or by the board 20. The transmitting and receiving members 16, 17 or 18, 19 consist of light emitting diodes and phototransistors. The diode 16 and the transistor 17 are arranged beneath a transparent covering part or a window 22 of glass and/or plastic material. The window 22 is arranged in connection with the yarn transporting surface 2a'. There are alternative embodiments of the transmitting members shown. Transmission can occur by inductive or capacitive means and alternatively superimposed on the generator function.
FIG. 2b shows the electrodes 8a', 8b' and 8c' in an enlarged embodiment. The electrodes may be covered by a thin layer of wear-resistant material which does not conduct electricity, for example ceramics. The chosen thickness of the layer is less than 15μm, preferably approx. 4 μm.
FIG. 3 shows an optical embodiment of the sensing and/or analyzing system. In this case an extended sensor element 24 is used which may comprise integrated or discrete sensing detectors of a type known in the art (for example array). The sensor 24 is arranged under a plate 25 of transparent or translucent material which is moreover chosen so as to tolerate the wear from the yarn 6. The plate 25 is thereby arranged so that it forms the yarn transporting surface in accordance with the above. Energy is supplied correspondingly as in the embodiment according to FIG. 2a, i.e. by means of induction windings 12, 13. In this case, too, wirelessly functioning transmitting and receiving members 16', 17' and 18', 19' are included in accordance with the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2a. In this case the plate 25 also extends over the transmitting and receiving members 16' and 17'. In this case the sensing and/or analyzing system operates with discrete radiation emitting sources 26, for example in the form of light emitting diodes. Illumination is therefore from above in the direction of the yarn stores indicated by the arrow 27. The plate 25 may therefore be of the type which comprises light apertures (not shown in particular) over which the yarn turns pass in succession. When each light aperture is covered by a yarn this provides an indication of the presence of the yarn turn and the aperture covered or shadowed by the yarn forms the basis for current indication. When the aperture is open this indicates that there are no yarn turns over the aperture, etc. The equipment 13', 16', 17', 24 and 25 is arranged on an assembly board 28 which runs at right angles to the plane of the figure according to FIG. 3.
The yarn feeder can comprise a microprocessor 29 located outside the spool body 2 (=main control unit or main microprocessor) (see FIG. 1) which is arranged on an assembly board 30 (FIG. 1) for evaluating the information obtained from the sensor elements. The wiring between the board equipment 21, 21' and the said microprocessor may be accomplished in a manner known in the art.
FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show the indicating function for the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2a. The parts corresponding to one another in the figures carry the same reference numerals but supplemented with primary and secondary symbols. An energy source, for example the general electrical mains, has been indicated by 31. The oscillator 10' constitutes a pulse frequency source and the electrodes 8a' and 8c' are supplied with electrical energy under the different pulses to their respective locations. The electrode 8b" (B) is connected to a differential amplifier 32. The oscillator 10' output 10a and the differential amplifier output 32a connected to a detector circuit 33 which in turn is connected to the microprocessor 11' via its output 33a. The detector circuit 33 senses the phase in the pulse source 10' and the output signal from the amplifier 32.
FIG. 6 shows by means of a voltage/time diagram how the passage of the yarn affects the capacitor voltage U as it passes over the electrodes 8a', 8b' and 8c' and the points A, B and C. As the yarn 6"' (FIG. 15) is situated above the electrode 8a", the voltage is high (point A) in order to then drop to zero (at point B) when it is in contact with the electrode 8b". The voltage then increases with inverse amplitude as the yarn 6"' again comes into contact with the electrode 8c" (point C). The maximum values (absolute maximum values) therefore occur when the yarn is situated above the electrodes 8a" and 8c" (points A and C). The zero value (point B) is assumed when the yarn is above the electrode 8b". The detector circuit 33 is designed to detect the said maximum values and zero value and to deliver information corresponding to the detection to the microprocessor 11'. The detector circuit may be of known type. Information in (fully or partially) processed form is transmitted via the transmitting member 16' to the receiving member 18' which in turn is connected to the microprocessor 29'. The latter can deliver information (for example control and/or supplementary information) via the transmitting member 19" and receiving member 17" to the microprocessor 11'in the unit/spool body.
FIG. 2c shows an embodiment, modified in relation to the embodiment according to FIG. 2a, of a solution operating on the capacitive principle. In this case members 34, 35, of metal for example, are included which can change position in the radial direction of the spool body as a function of the yarn turns' travel over the yarn transporting surface of the unit. As the yarn turns pass, see the member 34, the member changes position, compare with the member 35 which is not affected by the yarn passage. This change in position (in a radial direction in the unit/spool body) of in this case the member 34 leads to a change in the capacitance in the "capacitor system" formed by the coverings/electrodes 36, 37, 38 and the member 34 itself, which change in capacitance thereby constitutes an indication that yarn turns exist above the member 34 (presses this down). Attention is also drawn in this exemplary embodiment to the fact that a battery 39, which is arranged on the board 40, may be used as an energy supply source. The members 34, 35 are arranged and controlled in a part 41 which with its upper surface 41a forms a part of the yarn transporting surface and which is provided with recesses 41b in which the members, which in the exemplary embodiment are bow-shaped, can change their height position through spring suspension or by means of return sprung radial movement.
In the following, exemplary embodiments will be described and the exemplary embodiments are considered from various starting points as regards the placing of the illumination in the spool body or in the rail of the yarn feeder, the type of sensing principle which may comprise contact image sensing, imaging by means of an object lens, shadow image sensing and reflection sensing. For the sake of clarity several of the figures show long beam paths which give large overall heights. Normally small overall heights are desirable which results in arrangements with reflecting beam paths, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 12.
FIGS. 7a-7c show examples of imaging systems in which one or more radiation sources 201 are arranged outside the spool body 202 (for example in the rail of the yarn feeder) and radiation processing members (i.e. members which do not merely have a light guiding function) and sensor elements 203 down in the spool body. The latter members and elements are assembled in a common unit or imaging assembly 203 of low overall height H, and the assembly 203 is shown enlarged in FIG. 7c. The unit 203 is provided with a limiting surface 204 which forms or constitutes part of the yarn transporting surface 205 of the unit 202. The unit 203 has a spherical mirror 206 which is curved in the plane of FIG. 7c and straight in the plane of FIG. 7a. Alternatively another curved mirror can be used, for example parabolic, ellipse-shaped or another aspherical mirror, or a mirror of Fresnel type, etc. In a further embodiment it may also be curved in the plane of the latter figure. Incidental radiation 207 via the surface 204 is reflected by the concave surface of the mirror 206 against another surface 208 which in turn reflects the radiation against a third surface 209. Following further reflection against fourth and fifth surfaces 210 and 211, focused radiation against a sensor element 212 (for example array unit) is obtained whose sensing surface(s) is (are) arranged on a surface 213 under the mirror 206. By thus refracting or reflecting the radiation on a number of surfaces within an assembly unit the overall height H can be kept to a minimum. The measuring accuracy can be built in when manufacturing the body. The overall height may be approximately 1/10 of lthe spool body's diameter. The radiation source(s) may consist of or comprise discrete light emitting diodes (LED's) of known type. The width B of the unit 203 may also be assigned a small measurement and in the example shown is roughly the same as the height H. The system images a yarn turn under each discrete radiation source.
FIGS. 8a and 8b show a further example of imaging systems in which a spherical (for alternative forms see preceding paragraph) mirror 301, imaging optics 302 and sensor element (array unit) together with a reflecting surface 304 are assembled into a unit or imaging assembly 305 which can be fitted in the spool body 306, which has a defining surface 307 which coincides with or forms the unit's yarn transporting surface 308. The surface material on the surface 308 (and on the surface 204 in FIG. 7c) should, as well as being perviously arranged for the radiation, also form a non-slippery surface resistant to wear and tear from the yarn and may, for example, be made of any ceramic material, glass, plastic, etc. or material with scratch-resistant surface. A radiation emitting source 309 may herein consist of a panel whose outgoing radiation covers all or parts of the yarn store. The length of the panel may be 0.1 metre, for example. The arrangement in the unit 305 is thereby chosen so that conversion of the radiation path 310 can take place to the sensor element of a shorter length than the length of the panel 309. A standard embodiment of the array unit 303 can thereby be used. The arrangement is also constructed so that the unit 305 with parts can extend to the side of the shaft 311 of the unit. Radiation emitted from the source 309 passes the surface 307 and is reflected against the mirror 312, against its convex surface, which reflects the radiation obliquely back against the mirror 304. The latter reflects the radiation against the optics 302 which refract the radiation path against the array unit 303, which may be of the type which has 1024 sensing points, for example, through which the yarn store can be defined and followed.
FIGS. 9a and 9b correspond to the principle shown in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3 which constitutes a contact image principle. This principle uses an integrated sensor element (array) of a type known in the art which is situated on the yarn transporting surface. The sensor element in this case carries the reference numeral 42 and is arranged on the yarn transporting surface by means of a fibre glass/glass sheave 43. The sensor element/sensor elements is/are illuminated by a corresponding integrated light emitting unit (array) 44. A number of light emitting elements 44 and sensor element units 42 can be arranged in successive rows.
The exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 10a and 10b shows a construction which works on the imaging principle. An array unit 45 is placed far down in the unit or spool body, the shaft of which is indicated by 46. An object lens is shown by 47 and a mirror arrangement by 48. The light emitting elements are located outside the spool body and are indicated by 49. The mirror arrangement 48 is used in order to prevent radiation paths 49 crossing the shaft 46. The unit 49 covers the width of the yarn store or can be arranged so that it covers this. Due to the position of the sensor element unit 45 far down in the unit a relatively short unit can be made to serve the longer unit 49. The unit 45 occurs in lengths of approx. 25 mm. The unit 49 has a length which is 2-3 times greater than the length of the unit 45. The unit 45 is located on the periphery of the body at a distance which is slightly less than the diameter of the body. Due to the long distance a good imaging function is obtained.
The embodiment according to FIGS. 11a-11c differs from the embodiment according to FIGS. 9a and 9b in that the light emitting elements consist of discrete light emitting diodes 50. A unit 51 with corresponding discrete sensor elements 52 is arranged in connection with the yarn transporting surface. The sensor elements are covered with a non-transparent plate 53 according to FIG. 11c. The plate is provided with a number of transparent apertures 54 or holes in front of the sensor elements. The plate may be curved in the view according to FIG. 11b so that it follows the yarn transporting surface 2a"'. This principle gives a shadow image of the gap on the detector. When identifying, the light through the gap is blocked entirely or partially by the yarn.
The embodiment according to FIGS. 12a and 12b shows the use of or imaging assembly, for example in the form of a moulded plastic body 55 which may be one or more in number. Each plastic body comprises one or more light or radiation emitting elements 56 and one or more sensor elements 57. Each component comprises a limiting surface 55a and the component/plastic body is preferably arranged in the unit in such a way that the limiting surface 55a coincides with the yarn transporting surface 2a"". The element 56 and the element 57 are provided with focusing lenses 56a and 57a. The principle shown works with reflection of radiation emitted from the unit 56 against the yarn which reflects radiation to the element 57. The units 56 and 57 are arranged with their longitudinal axes at an angle in relation to one another and with the said focusing lenses so that the radiation is directed towards a specific point on the yarn transporting surface with the result that maximum radiation can be reflected by each yarn turn.
In FIGS. 13a and 13b contact or shadow image sensing is used. In this case a radiation source in the form of a semiconductor laser 58, LED unit, etc. is used. For converting the radiation to a line of suitable width a cylindrical lens 59 and a mirror arrangement with mirrors 60 and 61 are used. The radiation source, the lens and the mirrors are arranged outside the unit/spool body in which an integrated sensor element (array) is placed. The sensor element in this case carries the reference numeral 62. The lens 59 and the mirrors 60 and 61 are arranged so that the converted light covers desired, relatively large parts of the yarn store. The radiation path passes the cylindrical lens and is reflected against the mirror 61 back to the mirror 60, which in turn reflects the radiation against the unit 62. The radiation from the source 58 is chosen with a strength which ensures adequate illumination of the yarn store and the sensor element.
With the embodiment according to FIGS. 14a and 14b the integrated sensor element (array) has been moved down in the spool body with the aid of the use of fibre optic image guides 63. The advantage thereby is that a relatively short unit (array) 64 of length L can serve a relatively large yarn store and a relatively long radiation emitting unit 65, the length of which is indicated by L'. The latter length can be 2-3 times greater than the length L. FIGS. 15a and 15b are intended to show that corresponding downward movement of the element 62' in the body can be achieved with embodiments according to FIGS. 13a and 13b. The principle shown in FIGS. 15a and 15b is the contact image principle (i.e. fits close against and forms contact copy). Otherwise the embodiment functions like that shown in FIGS. 13a and 13b. In this case the fibre optic guides have been indicated by 66. The said guides 63, 66 may be arranged flexibly or fixed. It is also possible to arrange these guides so that the ends of the guide on some guides are radiation emitting and some, after reflection against each yarn turn part, are radiation receiving.
FIGS. 16a and 16b show an embodiment with imaging optics in which the object lens is labelled 67 and mirrors included in the system 68, 69 and 70. In this case a field lens/focusing lens 71 is also used. Also included are a laser diode 72 and a cylindrical lens 73. A CCD array has been indicated by 74. By means of the mirrors 68 and 69 the light from the laser diode 72 is reflected. With the mirror 70 the radiation path is deflected past the unit's centre (shaft). The field lens can in principle be arranged in the spool body. Alternatively field lenses can be arranged both outside and in the spool body. The focusing lens may be of the Presnel or HOE (=holographic optical element) type. Due to the long distance between the light emitting arrangement and the sensor unit 74, a good imaging function is obtained.
FIGS. 17a and 17b show a diode, mirror and field lens arrangement similar to that which appears in FIGS. 16a and 16b. In this case the imaging principle is not used without the shadow imaging principle. An array is arranged in the spool body and the field lens has an extent which means that the width of the yarn store can be acceptably covered.
FIGS. 18a and 18b show the instance in which both the illumination source radiation source, for example in the form of a semiconductor laser 76, are arranged inside the spool body. A cylindrical lens 77 is arranged in connection with the laser. An object lens is shown by 78 and the locations of the different parts are such that the convergence point 79 is situated on the yarn transporting surface. In this case the sensor element is in the form of a CCD array. The lens 77 refracts the radiation from the source 76 to the line 79 and the sensor element obtains a well defined measuring point through the object lens 78. The arrangement is extremely accurate and is characterised by small measuring points. The parts of the system are also arranged so that the radiation path is led to the side of the centre shaft of the spool body.
With regard to capacitive indication of the yarn, this may depend upon a certain quality in the yarn (for example that it should comprise hydrocarbons, is static, etc.) unless the mechanical influence of the yarn is used by the indicating members.
FIGS. 19a-19d show an assembly which works on the diffraction principle. In this case a radiation source 80 (laser, LED, etc.) and a detector 81 with one or more blind spots 82, 82' are used. The detector may be in the form of an array unit 81' with a number of detector surfaces 81a or a single detector 81" with a detector surface 81b. Also included in the arrangement are lens members 83, 84. Yarn stores travelling in the direction of the arrow 85 pass parallel radiation 87. If no yarn passes the radiation 87, all radiation is focused on each spot 82, 82'. If yarn passes the radiation the radiation is refracted or dispersed to the light sensitive surfaces 81a or 81b. In the case according to FIG. 19c with a laser as light source with several radiation sensitive surface parts 81a the diameter of the passing thread can be calculated from the radiation distribution over the detector array unit 81'.
The periodicities in the diffraction pattern are proportionally to the focal length of the receiving lens 84 divided by the diameter of the yarn/thread. For a focal length of 10 mm and approx. 100 μm periodicity, for example, the yarn diameter is in the order of 100 μm. Yarn with a smaller diameter gives clearer ("bigger") diffraction patterns on the detector 81' and vice versa. The principle shown is suitable for use as a take-off sensor. The blind spot can be made relatively accurately. If the yarn identification is largely insensitive to vibrations a blind spot size is used which can cope with the vibration in question. A plate, for example of glass, can be used to form the yarn transporting surface and the receiving lens can be moulded together with the plate and be included in the same unit as the detector 81. The lens 83 may have a larger range in the view according to FIG. 19b than in the view according to FIG. 19a so as to meet the said insensitivity to vibrations. The blind spot may consist of a dark surface or be situated at the side of the detector with the aid of mirror arrangements. A large surface for the radiation 87 can be used and the radiation's cross section can assume different forms (circular, square, etc.). The system with the source 80 and the detector 81 can be angled towards the transporting surface 88 or be at right angles to this as shown in FIG. 19a. The transmitting and detector arrangement may also be angled in relation to one another. A large lens 83 and a radiation source can be used together with two or more detectors of which some or all may be provided with their own blind spot. The principle gives relatively large signals when several threads are passing the radiation 87 at the same time. An apparently large measuring surface is obtained for each yarn turn as these move through the radiation 87. In the embodiment according to FIG. 19d an effective yarn presence detection is obtained. Detection is achieved in both the said exemplary embodiments regardless of whether the thread is on the spool body surface or appears, for example, in a "balloon" (for example as yarn is drawn off from the spool body) above this.
FIGS. 20a, 20b and 20c show an embodiment with spectral sensing and can be used for detecting colour shades. The energy content at different wavelengths in the radiation is measured and sensed/allocated. A unit 89 comprises two sources 90, 91 (LED's) which transmit different wavelengths λ1 and λ2. In addition are included two detectors 92, 93 and beam splitters 94, 95, 96, the latter of which 96 is spectrally selective, which partially reflects the radiation and partially allows the radiation through. A lens focuses radiation emitted from the unit against the thread transporting surface 98 and refracts radiation reflected from each thread to the unit.
The source 90 emits radiation which is reflected by surfaces 99, 100 against the thread in question via the lens 97. This radiation is reflected back to the detector 93. The radiation from the source 91 is reflected on the surface 101 and passes the surface 100 and reaches the thread via the lens 97. This radiation is reflected back through the surfaces 100 and 101 to the detector 92. By means of the ratio division of signals received on the detectors it is possible to determine whether or not the thread has a desired colour shade. Alternatively the radiation can be pulsed sequentially and out of phase from each radiation source. Using the assembly shown each yarn turn can be illuminated at the same point with the two radiation sources. Alternatively the two systems can be separated. Alternatively the beam sources may consist of lasers.
FIGS. 21a and 21b show an example with polarised light. A source (laser) 102 emits linear polarised light which is transmitted 100% through a lens 103, a beam splitter 104, a lens 105 to the transporting surface 106 where it is reflected on each passing yarn turn back to the lens 105 and the beam splitter 104, from where it is reflected via a lens 107 towards a detector 108. At the beam splitter 104 the radiation passes a plate 109 (λ/4-plate) twice, which means that the polarisation direction is turned through 90° in its path towards the detector 108. 100% of the radiation is reflected to the detector. The said parts form a unit 110 which has a relatively low demand on the power output by the source 102. It is assumed here that the yarn does not affect the polarization state too greatly, otherwise the effectiveness of the unit is reduced.
FIGS. 22a and 22b show an embodiment with two crossing polarization filters which extinguish the parallel radiation 113 which is obtained from a source 114 with associated lens 115. No radiation (apart from a certain DC level) reaches a detector 116 via a lens 117. The polarization state is interrupted by the passage of a thread and light can thereby pass to the detector 116 which in this way indicates the presence of each thread turn.
FIG. 23 shows a further alternative embodiment of the invention in which the capacitively functioning elements 8a", 8b" and 8c" etc., shown if FIG. 5, are replaced by a number (only three are shown here) of preferably identical, discrete sensor elements 118, 119, 120 of piezo-electric type, i.e. in which each discrete element consists of or comprises piezo-electric material which has the capacity to register the modification in pressure which occurs when a yarn turn 6"" travelling forward on the spool body starts or stops pressing on the element in question as it passes each discrete element. An alternative embodiment of this type should also offer the facility of being able to detect the take-off of yarn from the spool body in the yarn feeder by simple means (directly on the spool body), i.e. to be used as a yarn take-off sensor. The signal processing which is chosen as a function of the desired type of detection, for example registering of the size of the yarn store, can thereby be designed to take place through sequential scanning of the signal from each piezo element in the entire series of successively arranged, preferably identical sensor elements, and by using signal processing electronics current in the piezo-electric sphere.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown above merely as examples, but can be subjected to modifications within the framework of the following Patent Claims and the concept of the invention. | In a sensing and analyzing system for a yarn feeder with yarn storing unit, one or more sensor elements which may be coupled to one or more circuits are used for evaluating or sensing sensor information. At least one sensor element is placed in the unit, from a yarn detection standpoint, in an uncritical relationship to the unit's yarn transporting surface and a yarn turn travelling forward on this. The transmitting members are designed to relay information from each sensor element in the unit in unprocessed or processed form to receiving members located outside the unit. Energy emitting members within the unit ensure energy supply to the sensor elements and the circuits belong thereto. When using optical emitting elements, these are included in an arrangement which supplements or alternatively substantially reduces the influence of vibrations in the unit on the sensing or analyzing result. | 3 |
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